Reds and oranges and greens and blues and some purple all combine to make the garish flashing marquee type of lighting, not so much attract in it’s intensity and pervasiveness, but, to distract the brain. If that were not enough, the air conditioning whir is rounded off by the ping-ping, clang-clang, ching-ching, bling-bling of the myriads of gaming machines. Second hand smoke looks over shoulders and clings to arms both bare and jacketed. Bitter taste of third or fourth complimentary glass of booze, competes with the overhanging anti-bouquet of all those people.
It’s an interesting contrast of concentration and competition for attention from the machines. It’s a tie. You’ve heard the stories of certain level of gamblers wearing diapers so they would not have to abandon their post. Rather play craps than take one.....Wonder what the Queen’s Guards do in their stoic position. Small children crawling about their legs, teenagers pulling their mouths into grotesque shapes with sweaty fingers and multi-coloured parents swirling around viewing the scene through a camera lens. Bump. “Oh! (chuckle) Sorry didn’t see you”.
Zoom into a gambling table. Thin, well dressed young couple stand shoulder to shoulder. Perhaps holding each other up. New to gambling, they’ve taken in the adds and come “for the show”. Next is a rumpled jacket holding up a middle aged man. Tie is a loose noose near the middle of his chest. You would not think there would be enough material to keep it so long. Can you guess the condition of his shoes? A little space and next is a gaggle of elderly oriental women with a lone male companion. They’re silently chatting with their agitated body language. And so on around the half moon of the table.
Clicky-clickity-clackety like short hail burst on a car roof. The clear sound of the thrown dice prepares for the declaration. Some leaning forward or rolling shoulders; some breath held and mostly sweaty palms; all eyes fixed on the two white and black spinning cubes. A silent collective will summons up “Yes” from the universe. That cosmic energy bounces back out into a far away galaxy as fodder for the next new star. So the excitement in suspended animation goes. House wins.
Thin couple, still holding each other up at their shoulders, grins sheepishly. She fingers the strap on her pale bare shoulders. He fingers the wallet deep in his front pocket, visualizing a second mortgage.
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