The Odds, page 3
“It’s either that or I tell you about my day.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Let’s just say that both of our sons have lost their video game privileges for a while.”
“What’d they do?”
“I’ll let them confess to you, one at a time.”
“All right. Put the criminals on.”
Tim had mouthed off to his mother, which was nothing unusual. Patrick had been caught trying to cheat on a math test, which was completely out of character. He’d cried when telling Ethan what he’d done, and Ethan felt guilty playing the role of Stern Disappointed Father, considering that he’d expected to be begging for Jenny’s forgiveness for his own mistake. Because Patrick was otherwise a great student—he’d cheated because he was worried that he might not get an A—the punishment from the teacher had been pretty light: three days of after-school detention and a zero on the test.
Ethan informed both of his sons that they’d discuss this when he got home. Then he told Jenny that he loved her and missed her. She said the same. He almost wanted to tease a big surprise, then decided against it. This surprise did come with a shameful confession, so it was better to do it in person.
He had tickets to a show the following night, but getting to the performance space involved walking through a casino, so he gave the tickets away.
When he got back home to Kansas City, he gave his sons their presents and their lectures.
He’d decided that he should tell Jenny about the money separately, so he waited until Tim and Patrick had gone to bed.
Ethan had a knot in his stomach as he took a couple of beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Jenny. He honestly wasn’t sure how she’d react.
“I have some news,” he said, sitting down next to her on the couch. Their children had done sort of a mix-and-match with their parents’ features: Patrick had Jenny’s light brown hair but was unfortunate enough to look like his father in the face, while Tim had inherited Ethan’s black hair but his mother’s good looks.
“Good news or bad news?”
“Good news. Well, news with a very happy ending, and a bump along the way.”
Jenny popped open the can of beer. “Am I going to need this?”
“It can’t hurt.”
She took a long swig of it. “Tell me.”
“When I was in Vegas, I fell off the wagon.”
“Oh, shit, Ethan, are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“I told you not to go on the trip. You promised it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I know, I know. I should have listened to you. I was totally fine. And then I just thought, well, fifty bucks can’t hurt, can it?”
“Of course it can. Didn’t you have your note with you?”
Jenny looked like she was about to burst into tears. She seemed to have already forgotten that this story had a happy ending.
“I did. And I read it. I even read it out loud. It just didn’t work. I started playing, and, yeah, I was down for a while. Way down. But in the end I came out ahead.”
“How much ahead?”
“Brace yourself. Fifty thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“I’m serious. We now have an extra fifty thousand dollars in the bank.”
Jenny smiled, but then she frowned again. Her face contorted as if she couldn’t decide on which expression to use. “That’s great! But...I’ll be honest, I don’t quite know how I should react to this. It’s bad. You have an addiction. I’m happy about the money, but I don’t know that I can be happy about...” She trailed off for a moment. “...the situation. Do you know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” said Ethan. “Regardless of how it turned out, I’m ashamed of this. I’m physically ill over it. It was a terrible error in judgment and I now know that I absolutely cannot be in that environment. I swear to you it will never happen again.”
Jenny wiped a tear from her eye. “Okay.”
“That said, I did win fifty thousand dollars.”
“All in one jackpot?”
“It was a new game. Basically just spinning a wheel. The odds were overwhelmingly against me, but I got the big payout. I couldn’t believe it. We can put this money into a college fund for Tim and Patrick, and even splurge with some of it. Go to Europe. Buy a TV that takes up an entire wall. Get some really expensive chocolates.”
“No,” said Jenny.
“No to the chocolates?”
“All of the money goes into savings. Every single penny. We should not be rewarding ourselves with a TV because you succumbed to your gambling addiction.”
“You’re right,” said Ethan. “You’re absolutely right. Put it in savings. That’s what we’ll do.”
“Or maybe put most of it in savings and give part of it to charity.”
“I’m all for that, too.”
Jenny set her can of beer down on the coffee table, then leaned over and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry if I’m being a little bitchy about this.”
“What? Are you kidding? No, no, no, not at all. You have every right to be furious.”
“I’m not furious.”
“Whatever negative emotion you’re feeling about this is completely justified. I messed up in a big way. I could’ve just as easily come home and told you that we were fifty thousand dollars in debt. I put our family’s future at risk. I’m completely appalled at what I did. Like I said, I promise it will never happen again.”
“I believe you.”
They decided not to tell Tim or Patrick anything about this. The boys were way too young to be thinking seriously about college, so this was news that could wait until they were in high school. They didn’t know about Ethan’s problem, and Jenny couldn’t see any benefit to saying, “Hey, your dad won big in Vegas while he was away!”
Jenny didn’t bring it up the next day. She wasn’t acting weird or anything, so Ethan thought he may have dodged a bullet. Thank God.
On Friday nights they went out for dinner, with each family member getting a turn at choosing the place. After some discussion, Ethan and Jenny decided that despite being punished, Patrick would not lose his turn. He always picked the same restaurant, so it was time for some delicious barbecue.
As Ethan squirted some of the spicy barbecue sauce on his ribs, he noticed Rick sitting by himself at a corner table.
What the hell was he doing here?
Rick was wearing a white dress shirt, with a dark blue jacket draped over his chair. He was eating his meal and not looking away from his plate.
Ethan suddenly lost his appetite.
“Is something wrong?” Jenny asked.
“No, no, everything’s fine. One of my co-workers is here. I’m going to go say hi.”
Ethan got up and walked across the dining room over to Rick’s table. Rick remained focused on his dinner.
“Hi,” said Ethan.
Rick glanced up at him. “Oh, hello, Ethan. This is quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m in town on business, so I thought I’d enjoy the famous Kansas City burnt ends.” He took a bite. “They live up to their reputation.”
Ethan pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry, did I not just answer that question?”
“Listen to me, asshole, I don’t believe for one second that it’s a coincidence that you’re here. No way did you just happen to be in Kansas City for work, and just happen to be at the restaurant where I’m having dinner. Tell me why you’re here.”
Rick glanced across the restaurant, looking over Ethan’s shoulder. “Is that your family?”
“None of your business.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have any kids.”
“Those aren’t my kids.”
“Nephews? Stepchildren? Random kids you paid to have dinner with you?”
“I may not have been clear enough,” said Ethan, leaning forward. “I want to know why you’re here.”
“My job takes me all over the country. I like to sample the best of the local cuisine. If we ran into each other in some low-rated dive, I’d understand your concern, but I’m at one of the most popular barbecue restaurants in the city, at the standard time that most people eat dinner. Personally, I was delighted that we ran into each other, but now you’ve ruined the moment.”
“Bullshit.”
“I thought we left on such good terms, Ethan. Why are you being so antagonistic? Your life is better for having met me, don’t you think?”
“We didn’t play Yahtzee. I was glad we met, but let’s be real with each other, it was a sinister, fucked-up game and I want to know why you’re here.”
“You want full honesty from me?”
“Yes.”
“The same kind of honesty you gave me about your children? How honest were you with your wife? Did you tell her the full story? Did you tell her how you were walking around the casino like a zombie?”
“I told her everything.”
“Really? If I went over there and introduced myself, you’re saying that I could engage her in conversation about our experience without contradicting anything you might have told her?”
“Are you going to make me call the police?”
Rick blinked in surprise. “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? You’re the one who interrupted my meal. I’m here in a public place. If you looked out your window in the middle of the night and saw me standing in your front yard, sure, you’d have every right to be concerned about your family’s safety. But I’m here trying to enjoy some top-notch barbecue, and I don’t appreciate you accusing me of stalking you. Call the police if you want. I’ll show them my schedule of business meetings for tomorrow. I now regret choosing you. Sixty thousand dollars in prize money and you treat me like I’m lurking in your closet in a clown mask.”
“Stay away from me,” said Ethan.
“I didn’t go near you.”
Ethan returned to his table. His back had been to Jenny, but she’d obviously been able to tell that it was a tense conversation. Instead of trying to fake a smile, Ethan sat down, rolled his eyes, and sighed.
“What was that all about?” Jenny asked.
“Some jackass at work,” Ethan said. “I’m having major headaches with the auditors because he didn’t get me the paperwork on time.”
“So you interrupted his dinner?”
“Yeah. No big deal. We worked it out.”
“It doesn’t seem appropriate to harass one of your co-workers while he’s having dinner,” said Jenny. “Couldn’t that have waited until you were back in the office?”
She didn’t believe him. Not at all. Excluding business trips, Ethan was very big on keeping his work life separate from his home life, and interrupting dinner with his family to go gripe at a co-worker was completely bizarre behavior. He’d have to acknowledge this or she wouldn’t let it drop.
“It could have,” Ethan admitted. “It absolutely could have. He just caused some serious problems for me, and he works from home most of the time. But you’re right. It was inappropriate. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Maybe you should apologize to him,” Jenny said.
Was she testing him? She had to be. She was trying to catch him in the lie. Shit.
“That’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He got up and returned to Rick’s table. Rick, looking surprised, set down his fork with a piece of brisket still on it.
“My wife thinks I should apologize for disturbing your meal,” said Ethan.
“Does she, now?”
“So I am apologizing for disturbing your meal. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my intrusion.”
“I think I can get over it.”
“Good.” Ethan returned to his own table. “We’re cool,” he informed Jenny.
“Glad to hear it.”
Did she believe him now? He couldn’t tell. She might believe him, or she might have just decided to let it drop.
Rick left a few minutes later without looking at their table.
No way was him being here a coincidence. Not a chance in hell.
4
Jenny didn’t mention it again. She seemed okay, as far as Ethan could tell. When he made a mild effort to initiate lovemaking, she wasn’t receptive, but that wasn’t necessarily a sign that anything was wrong. Twelve years into their marriage, he certainly wasn’t batting a thousand in terms of getting laid.
Ethan had no idea what to do about Rick. He’d said nothing threatening, and “Don’t you think it’s weird that he showed up at the same restaurant?” wasn’t enough for the police to take action. For now, he’d just have to be on high alert.
He didn’t sleep very well.
He doubled his coffee intake in the morning and made it through the first half of his day at work. Sometimes he went out to lunch with co-workers, but today he’d brought a sack lunch, and since it was a nice day he decided to eat outside. There was a pond behind the building, so he sat down on the bench overlooking it.
Two bites into his ham sandwich, Rick sat down next to him.
“Hi, Ethan,” he said.
“Hi.”
“I suppose I’d be insulting your intelligence if I said this was a coincidence.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s your sandwich?”
“It’s kind of dry. What do you want from me? Are you trying to get your money back?”
“Absolutely not,” said Rick. “You won that money. It’s yours to keep. I’m just here to let you know that the game is still on.”
“You said it was completely voluntary.”
“Each round is voluntary. But the game goes on. Come on, Ethan, you don’t look like a complete dumbass, so you can’t possibly have thought I’d give you sixty thousand dollars and then disappear from your life. Of course I was going to show up again. But before you get too upset, it’s not all bad. There are still prizes. And, again, if you don’t like the odds of a certain round, you can pass. I think you’ll have fun.”
“You’re going to make me call the police, aren’t you?”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here. There are two rules that you’ll have to follow. The first one is, don’t tell anybody about the game. That means your wife and kids, and it especially means, you guessed it, do not call the police. Don’t call 911, don’t contact the FBI, don’t tell anybody. This game is our little secret. The second rule is, don’t send your family away. You’re going to think, oh, I’ll ship the kids off to Grandma’s until this all blows over, and I am telling you very specifically not to do that.”
“You’re saying to leave my family in danger?” Ethan asked.
“I’m saying that the money we used to hook you into this game is a drop in the bucket. So you’re putting your family into danger if you break the rule. I like you, Ethan, so I truly hope that you trust me when I say that you do not want to break this rule. This is as far from a bluff as you can get. I’d rather not get overly descriptive about the penalties, but I can if you’d like. Are we clear?”
Ethan wanted to punch him in the face, then drag him into the pond and hold his head underwater for a few minutes. Instead, he said, “Yeah. We’re clear.”
“So to recap: don’t tell anybody, especially the police, and don’t move your family. Now let me clarify Rule #1. Nobody is to call the police. If your wife Jenny, your twelve-year-old son Patrick, or your ten-year-old son Tim call the police, or if they alter their routine in any significant way, that counts as a violation of the rules.”
Rick’s lack of subtlety about knowing Ethan’s family members was almost funny. “Anything else?”
“That covers it. We like to keep things simple. Good game design involves not bogging down the gameplay with unnecessary rules.”
“Is it against the rules for me to call you a piece of shit?” asked Ethan.
Rick chuckled. “Verbal abuse is okay. Believe it or not, I’m on your side.”
“Since you just finished threatening my family, yeah, it is kind of hard to believe.”
“That’s a necessary precaution. I want you to follow the rules, and I want you to do well in the game. I know this all sounds bad, but it may end up being the best thing to ever happen to you.”
“I’m guessing it probably won’t.”
“Are you better off now than if you had to tell Jenny about the money you gambled away?”
“I’m not sure I am. Her life wouldn’t be in danger.”
“Her life is only in danger if she disobeys the very simple, very clear rules. She’ll be fine. Your children will be fine. Don’t be stupid. That’s basically all there is to it. Don’t give us a reason to carry out the threat.”
“Fine,” said Ethan. “I won’t give you a reason to carry out the threat. You’re still a piece of shit.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way when this is all over.”
“So what’s the next game?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. For now, just enjoy this lovely day, and I’m sorry that your sandwich didn’t live up to your expectations.”
Rick got up and walked away.
Ethan had no appetite now, so he put the half-eaten dry ham sandwich back into the bag.
He should’ve known something like this would happen. He’d been so desperate to recoup his losses that he’d played what was obviously the kind of game where evil people would show up to threaten his family. And now he was in deeper shit than when he was wandering around the casino, completely lost.
He wished he didn’t believe that Rick would fulfill his threat if Ethan broke the rules.
He totally believed him. One hundred percent.
So there wasn’t a damn thing he could do right now but play along.
“Did you see your co-worker today?” Jenny asked, as she broke a handful of dry spaghetti in half and dropped it into the boiling water.
This was definitely a test. Playing dumb by asking “Which co-worker?” would be the absolute wrong answer. “Yeah,” he said. “I apologized again. I’m still pissed at him, though. When the auditors ask for paperwork, you give it to them. He had no excuse.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Let’s just say that both of our sons have lost their video game privileges for a while.”
“What’d they do?”
“I’ll let them confess to you, one at a time.”
“All right. Put the criminals on.”
Tim had mouthed off to his mother, which was nothing unusual. Patrick had been caught trying to cheat on a math test, which was completely out of character. He’d cried when telling Ethan what he’d done, and Ethan felt guilty playing the role of Stern Disappointed Father, considering that he’d expected to be begging for Jenny’s forgiveness for his own mistake. Because Patrick was otherwise a great student—he’d cheated because he was worried that he might not get an A—the punishment from the teacher had been pretty light: three days of after-school detention and a zero on the test.
Ethan informed both of his sons that they’d discuss this when he got home. Then he told Jenny that he loved her and missed her. She said the same. He almost wanted to tease a big surprise, then decided against it. This surprise did come with a shameful confession, so it was better to do it in person.
He had tickets to a show the following night, but getting to the performance space involved walking through a casino, so he gave the tickets away.
When he got back home to Kansas City, he gave his sons their presents and their lectures.
He’d decided that he should tell Jenny about the money separately, so he waited until Tim and Patrick had gone to bed.
Ethan had a knot in his stomach as he took a couple of beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Jenny. He honestly wasn’t sure how she’d react.
“I have some news,” he said, sitting down next to her on the couch. Their children had done sort of a mix-and-match with their parents’ features: Patrick had Jenny’s light brown hair but was unfortunate enough to look like his father in the face, while Tim had inherited Ethan’s black hair but his mother’s good looks.
“Good news or bad news?”
“Good news. Well, news with a very happy ending, and a bump along the way.”
Jenny popped open the can of beer. “Am I going to need this?”
“It can’t hurt.”
She took a long swig of it. “Tell me.”
“When I was in Vegas, I fell off the wagon.”
“Oh, shit, Ethan, are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“I told you not to go on the trip. You promised it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I know, I know. I should have listened to you. I was totally fine. And then I just thought, well, fifty bucks can’t hurt, can it?”
“Of course it can. Didn’t you have your note with you?”
Jenny looked like she was about to burst into tears. She seemed to have already forgotten that this story had a happy ending.
“I did. And I read it. I even read it out loud. It just didn’t work. I started playing, and, yeah, I was down for a while. Way down. But in the end I came out ahead.”
“How much ahead?”
“Brace yourself. Fifty thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“I’m serious. We now have an extra fifty thousand dollars in the bank.”
Jenny smiled, but then she frowned again. Her face contorted as if she couldn’t decide on which expression to use. “That’s great! But...I’ll be honest, I don’t quite know how I should react to this. It’s bad. You have an addiction. I’m happy about the money, but I don’t know that I can be happy about...” She trailed off for a moment. “...the situation. Do you know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” said Ethan. “Regardless of how it turned out, I’m ashamed of this. I’m physically ill over it. It was a terrible error in judgment and I now know that I absolutely cannot be in that environment. I swear to you it will never happen again.”
Jenny wiped a tear from her eye. “Okay.”
“That said, I did win fifty thousand dollars.”
“All in one jackpot?”
“It was a new game. Basically just spinning a wheel. The odds were overwhelmingly against me, but I got the big payout. I couldn’t believe it. We can put this money into a college fund for Tim and Patrick, and even splurge with some of it. Go to Europe. Buy a TV that takes up an entire wall. Get some really expensive chocolates.”
“No,” said Jenny.
“No to the chocolates?”
“All of the money goes into savings. Every single penny. We should not be rewarding ourselves with a TV because you succumbed to your gambling addiction.”
“You’re right,” said Ethan. “You’re absolutely right. Put it in savings. That’s what we’ll do.”
“Or maybe put most of it in savings and give part of it to charity.”
“I’m all for that, too.”
Jenny set her can of beer down on the coffee table, then leaned over and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry if I’m being a little bitchy about this.”
“What? Are you kidding? No, no, no, not at all. You have every right to be furious.”
“I’m not furious.”
“Whatever negative emotion you’re feeling about this is completely justified. I messed up in a big way. I could’ve just as easily come home and told you that we were fifty thousand dollars in debt. I put our family’s future at risk. I’m completely appalled at what I did. Like I said, I promise it will never happen again.”
“I believe you.”
They decided not to tell Tim or Patrick anything about this. The boys were way too young to be thinking seriously about college, so this was news that could wait until they were in high school. They didn’t know about Ethan’s problem, and Jenny couldn’t see any benefit to saying, “Hey, your dad won big in Vegas while he was away!”
Jenny didn’t bring it up the next day. She wasn’t acting weird or anything, so Ethan thought he may have dodged a bullet. Thank God.
On Friday nights they went out for dinner, with each family member getting a turn at choosing the place. After some discussion, Ethan and Jenny decided that despite being punished, Patrick would not lose his turn. He always picked the same restaurant, so it was time for some delicious barbecue.
As Ethan squirted some of the spicy barbecue sauce on his ribs, he noticed Rick sitting by himself at a corner table.
What the hell was he doing here?
Rick was wearing a white dress shirt, with a dark blue jacket draped over his chair. He was eating his meal and not looking away from his plate.
Ethan suddenly lost his appetite.
“Is something wrong?” Jenny asked.
“No, no, everything’s fine. One of my co-workers is here. I’m going to go say hi.”
Ethan got up and walked across the dining room over to Rick’s table. Rick remained focused on his dinner.
“Hi,” said Ethan.
Rick glanced up at him. “Oh, hello, Ethan. This is quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m in town on business, so I thought I’d enjoy the famous Kansas City burnt ends.” He took a bite. “They live up to their reputation.”
Ethan pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry, did I not just answer that question?”
“Listen to me, asshole, I don’t believe for one second that it’s a coincidence that you’re here. No way did you just happen to be in Kansas City for work, and just happen to be at the restaurant where I’m having dinner. Tell me why you’re here.”
Rick glanced across the restaurant, looking over Ethan’s shoulder. “Is that your family?”
“None of your business.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have any kids.”
“Those aren’t my kids.”
“Nephews? Stepchildren? Random kids you paid to have dinner with you?”
“I may not have been clear enough,” said Ethan, leaning forward. “I want to know why you’re here.”
“My job takes me all over the country. I like to sample the best of the local cuisine. If we ran into each other in some low-rated dive, I’d understand your concern, but I’m at one of the most popular barbecue restaurants in the city, at the standard time that most people eat dinner. Personally, I was delighted that we ran into each other, but now you’ve ruined the moment.”
“Bullshit.”
“I thought we left on such good terms, Ethan. Why are you being so antagonistic? Your life is better for having met me, don’t you think?”
“We didn’t play Yahtzee. I was glad we met, but let’s be real with each other, it was a sinister, fucked-up game and I want to know why you’re here.”
“You want full honesty from me?”
“Yes.”
“The same kind of honesty you gave me about your children? How honest were you with your wife? Did you tell her the full story? Did you tell her how you were walking around the casino like a zombie?”
“I told her everything.”
“Really? If I went over there and introduced myself, you’re saying that I could engage her in conversation about our experience without contradicting anything you might have told her?”
“Are you going to make me call the police?”
Rick blinked in surprise. “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think? You’re the one who interrupted my meal. I’m here in a public place. If you looked out your window in the middle of the night and saw me standing in your front yard, sure, you’d have every right to be concerned about your family’s safety. But I’m here trying to enjoy some top-notch barbecue, and I don’t appreciate you accusing me of stalking you. Call the police if you want. I’ll show them my schedule of business meetings for tomorrow. I now regret choosing you. Sixty thousand dollars in prize money and you treat me like I’m lurking in your closet in a clown mask.”
“Stay away from me,” said Ethan.
“I didn’t go near you.”
Ethan returned to his table. His back had been to Jenny, but she’d obviously been able to tell that it was a tense conversation. Instead of trying to fake a smile, Ethan sat down, rolled his eyes, and sighed.
“What was that all about?” Jenny asked.
“Some jackass at work,” Ethan said. “I’m having major headaches with the auditors because he didn’t get me the paperwork on time.”
“So you interrupted his dinner?”
“Yeah. No big deal. We worked it out.”
“It doesn’t seem appropriate to harass one of your co-workers while he’s having dinner,” said Jenny. “Couldn’t that have waited until you were back in the office?”
She didn’t believe him. Not at all. Excluding business trips, Ethan was very big on keeping his work life separate from his home life, and interrupting dinner with his family to go gripe at a co-worker was completely bizarre behavior. He’d have to acknowledge this or she wouldn’t let it drop.
“It could have,” Ethan admitted. “It absolutely could have. He just caused some serious problems for me, and he works from home most of the time. But you’re right. It was inappropriate. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Maybe you should apologize to him,” Jenny said.
Was she testing him? She had to be. She was trying to catch him in the lie. Shit.
“That’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He got up and returned to Rick’s table. Rick, looking surprised, set down his fork with a piece of brisket still on it.
“My wife thinks I should apologize for disturbing your meal,” said Ethan.
“Does she, now?”
“So I am apologizing for disturbing your meal. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for my intrusion.”
“I think I can get over it.”
“Good.” Ethan returned to his own table. “We’re cool,” he informed Jenny.
“Glad to hear it.”
Did she believe him now? He couldn’t tell. She might believe him, or she might have just decided to let it drop.
Rick left a few minutes later without looking at their table.
No way was him being here a coincidence. Not a chance in hell.
4
Jenny didn’t mention it again. She seemed okay, as far as Ethan could tell. When he made a mild effort to initiate lovemaking, she wasn’t receptive, but that wasn’t necessarily a sign that anything was wrong. Twelve years into their marriage, he certainly wasn’t batting a thousand in terms of getting laid.
Ethan had no idea what to do about Rick. He’d said nothing threatening, and “Don’t you think it’s weird that he showed up at the same restaurant?” wasn’t enough for the police to take action. For now, he’d just have to be on high alert.
He didn’t sleep very well.
He doubled his coffee intake in the morning and made it through the first half of his day at work. Sometimes he went out to lunch with co-workers, but today he’d brought a sack lunch, and since it was a nice day he decided to eat outside. There was a pond behind the building, so he sat down on the bench overlooking it.
Two bites into his ham sandwich, Rick sat down next to him.
“Hi, Ethan,” he said.
“Hi.”
“I suppose I’d be insulting your intelligence if I said this was a coincidence.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s your sandwich?”
“It’s kind of dry. What do you want from me? Are you trying to get your money back?”
“Absolutely not,” said Rick. “You won that money. It’s yours to keep. I’m just here to let you know that the game is still on.”
“You said it was completely voluntary.”
“Each round is voluntary. But the game goes on. Come on, Ethan, you don’t look like a complete dumbass, so you can’t possibly have thought I’d give you sixty thousand dollars and then disappear from your life. Of course I was going to show up again. But before you get too upset, it’s not all bad. There are still prizes. And, again, if you don’t like the odds of a certain round, you can pass. I think you’ll have fun.”
“You’re going to make me call the police, aren’t you?”
“Actually, that’s why I’m here. There are two rules that you’ll have to follow. The first one is, don’t tell anybody about the game. That means your wife and kids, and it especially means, you guessed it, do not call the police. Don’t call 911, don’t contact the FBI, don’t tell anybody. This game is our little secret. The second rule is, don’t send your family away. You’re going to think, oh, I’ll ship the kids off to Grandma’s until this all blows over, and I am telling you very specifically not to do that.”
“You’re saying to leave my family in danger?” Ethan asked.
“I’m saying that the money we used to hook you into this game is a drop in the bucket. So you’re putting your family into danger if you break the rule. I like you, Ethan, so I truly hope that you trust me when I say that you do not want to break this rule. This is as far from a bluff as you can get. I’d rather not get overly descriptive about the penalties, but I can if you’d like. Are we clear?”
Ethan wanted to punch him in the face, then drag him into the pond and hold his head underwater for a few minutes. Instead, he said, “Yeah. We’re clear.”
“So to recap: don’t tell anybody, especially the police, and don’t move your family. Now let me clarify Rule #1. Nobody is to call the police. If your wife Jenny, your twelve-year-old son Patrick, or your ten-year-old son Tim call the police, or if they alter their routine in any significant way, that counts as a violation of the rules.”
Rick’s lack of subtlety about knowing Ethan’s family members was almost funny. “Anything else?”
“That covers it. We like to keep things simple. Good game design involves not bogging down the gameplay with unnecessary rules.”
“Is it against the rules for me to call you a piece of shit?” asked Ethan.
Rick chuckled. “Verbal abuse is okay. Believe it or not, I’m on your side.”
“Since you just finished threatening my family, yeah, it is kind of hard to believe.”
“That’s a necessary precaution. I want you to follow the rules, and I want you to do well in the game. I know this all sounds bad, but it may end up being the best thing to ever happen to you.”
“I’m guessing it probably won’t.”
“Are you better off now than if you had to tell Jenny about the money you gambled away?”
“I’m not sure I am. Her life wouldn’t be in danger.”
“Her life is only in danger if she disobeys the very simple, very clear rules. She’ll be fine. Your children will be fine. Don’t be stupid. That’s basically all there is to it. Don’t give us a reason to carry out the threat.”
“Fine,” said Ethan. “I won’t give you a reason to carry out the threat. You’re still a piece of shit.”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way when this is all over.”
“So what’s the next game?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. For now, just enjoy this lovely day, and I’m sorry that your sandwich didn’t live up to your expectations.”
Rick got up and walked away.
Ethan had no appetite now, so he put the half-eaten dry ham sandwich back into the bag.
He should’ve known something like this would happen. He’d been so desperate to recoup his losses that he’d played what was obviously the kind of game where evil people would show up to threaten his family. And now he was in deeper shit than when he was wandering around the casino, completely lost.
He wished he didn’t believe that Rick would fulfill his threat if Ethan broke the rules.
He totally believed him. One hundred percent.
So there wasn’t a damn thing he could do right now but play along.
“Did you see your co-worker today?” Jenny asked, as she broke a handful of dry spaghetti in half and dropped it into the boiling water.
This was definitely a test. Playing dumb by asking “Which co-worker?” would be the absolute wrong answer. “Yeah,” he said. “I apologized again. I’m still pissed at him, though. When the auditors ask for paperwork, you give it to them. He had no excuse.”
