They play while we die
On this night, I felt free. There was no pain. My whole body was healed and I walked in the deserted streets to catch the fresh breeze that I had missed for so long. I can't remember the last time I strolled alone with no aid. My wheelchair had been my only means of movement for seven months. The air felt so fresh and the wind blew good vibes my way. I smiled all the way, with thanksgiving. It was a miracle that I was taking this walk.
It was around 11.00 pm. Just around the first corner of the main street, I saw three gentlemen. They were busy playing cards. I hesitated because I thought that they were thieves. I turned around to go back before they realise my presence. But it was too late. They had seen me. One of them called me. There was no point in running away because they would catch up with me. I didn't have a car and the street was empty. They had three horses. I went to them. It was better to cooperate with them than annoy them. I also didn't have any valuables on me so there was nothing to lose.
I approached their niche with caution.
"You seem lonely, do you mind joining us,” one of them offered.
" Here, take these cards," the next one said.
“Sit here," the third one moved so that I could sit.
They didn't give me a choice. I was too scared to say anything. They were serious people who said less. They didn't look as dangerous as I had thought. I wondered what it is that they were doing here but didn't dare to ask. Didn't they have families waiting for them at home? They seemed like responsible family men.
We went for the first round. We played poker and I won. All this was done in utter silence. They didn't curse or anything. They took defeat quietly. I still beat them in the second round. I celebrated with a shout. They just sat there and watched me finish what it is that I was doing. They were strange. They were not ordinary men.
“You are a gambler,” the one who invited me to join them said. It was more of a statement than a question. How the hell did he know that? Maybe he was also a regular at Heav's Casino.
I beat them 7-0, and they decide to change the game. I've stayed with them enough to gain the courage to initiate a conversation.
“I am Lazarus, what are your names?”
“We know you," they answer in unison.
One of them is already preparing the chessboard. They coordinate their actions like they are used to this routine.
“What are you guys doing out here at this time of the night. Don't you have families? I don't mean it in a bad way. I'm just curious."
“My name is Mike, this is Raph, and he is Gabo."
This lot is stranger than I thought. They respond what they, when they want, and how they see fit. The game starts. It's me against Gabo. Gabo is swift. His moves are calculated and he does it without a sweat. He gives me a hard time. Being a king in gambling in my city, no one has ever given such a hard time. My winnings are usually a sure bet. But Gabo is giving me a run for my gambling skills. After a lot of back and forth, Gabo wins. It's supposed to be him against Mike or Raph but he lets Mike challenge me next.
Mike is not as much an expert as Gabo. With him, it's more of a give and take and we strive to protect our queens. He is not hard to defeat, therefore I conquer. Ralph joins next. He proves to be a tactical fellow. He is an average of Gabo's and Mike's skills. I beat him in the end. The next game is dice. We roll dice and I end up losing. I lose to them. I don't win even a single game. But it's because this game is not my area of expertise. It's hard to win here.
Time has passed. It's now 1.00 am. We are still on the street passing time, and none of these fellows seem to be in a hurry. Weirdly, I'm not in hurry either. It's like this is where I wanted to. We play a lot of games. No prizes, just the satisfaction of being a winner, and the feeling are gratifying. I should try this at Heav's. Playing for the fun of it and catching up in the moment. It won't hurt for once leaving the casino happy and without wounds and empty pockets. A full heart would be more good.
"What happened to you. What are you doing here?” Gabo asks.
“I gambled and won but my opponent didn't take it well. He said that the game was unfair."
Gabo: Was it?
"Yes it was, but not entirely. I hid a few cards but I didn't even use them. The guy was slow so I won even before the game started."
Mike: Did he find out that you had hidden the cards?
“No, I outsmarted him.”
Raph: Why was he so upset then?
“He said that the money was for his wife's chemo. He had come in the hope that he would double it so that it could be enough."
Gabo: Did you give it back?
“No, I didn't. I had earned it."
Mike: What happened next?
“He became upset and demanded his stake back. We then got into a confrontation and that's when he stabbed me at the spine.”
After this prosecution, everyone goes silent. Ralph reaches out to his jacket and comes out with envelopes.
Gabo: How many you got there today?
Raph: Ten
Mike: All from this neighborhood?
Raph: Yes.
Gabo: We should get to work then. It is almost 3.00 am.
They don't invite me to play this time. I'm left wondering what their work entails. Curiosity gets the best of me and I ask them what it is that they are talking about. They don't respond. They are busy rolling dice. They reach the sixth round and I master their patterns. I am not the betting king for nothing.
Every time Raph wins, an ambulance siren is heard or a sharp scream from the houses. The street becomes busy. People rush to the hospitals while driving like crazy. The roads are busy again and the police patrol car starts patrolling. We are just by the corner and they don't see us. Two police cars pass but they don't check us for any suspicious activity. It's like we are invisible.
"You guys stop that game. I know what you are doing, you are gambling on people's lives.”
They all stop the game and Raph approaches. My whole body is shaking with fear. I now realize who these guys are.
Raph: How different is it from what you do. You are also a gambler.
" But I don't take people's lives."
Gabo: You take people's livelihoods. Take for example the guy who stabbed you. Did you care to think what would happen if the patient he was going to didn't get chemo? No. Because you are having earned it, right?
Mike: We are here to keep the city safe. We give safety to the ones whose purpose isn't fulfilled yet and rest to the ones who have accomplished their missions.
Raph: Here, take this dice and roll it.
He proceeds to write names on the envelopes, he already has nine. His target is ten and I am to decide who the tenth lucky winner will be. He will be a lucky winner because he will be joining his maker and leaving this world of suffering. Gabo and Mike start to pack the cards and the chessboard.
Raph hands me a dice with my house number on one side and two more house numbers on the other sides. Mike and Gabo watch as I hesitate to take the dice. It's up to me now to decide what my fate will be. Reality dawns on me, and I realized that I have lived my entire life hoaxing people and deriving joy from that uncouth act. I don't want to be that person again. I want to earn my living by working honestly. I also want to make it right with my kids and wife. I want to make it up to them by being a present father. They will never have to beg me again to attend their school fun days. My wife won't be complaining again about me coming home late and drunk without milk. I'm going home to my family. I have to apologize to my neighbor for killing his dog and selling his chihuahua. My purpose isn't fulfilled yet.
"Nurse! Nurse! Call the doctor. My husband is awake. He is opening his eyes."
That's my wife's voice. I have been in a coma for seven months.
The first I ask about when I wake up is the guy who stabbed me. I don't necessarily care about him, I just want to know about his cancer patient.
"He passed on last night. "
"What happened to him?"
"He's been on the run since he stabbed you. Last night the police cornered him at his house. He had gone to see his wife who's supposedly sick. After realizing that there was no escape he shot himself in the head."
“We should go see his wife and offer her support, " I suggest.
But my wife says that I have to get better first. Furthermore, we don't even know that family.
"What's the house number of that guy?" I ask.
"If I remember correctly it was house 601, a few blocks from your uncle's house. Why are you this privy? You've never cared about anything apart from going to the casino."
After hearing that house number I detach from the present. My mind goes back to my encounter with Mike, Gabo, and Raph. 601 was on one side of the dice that I was given to roll. Why did he die? His wife was the sick one.
I snap back into reality when I hear my kids come in. They are so excited to see me. They have big hearts, just like their mum. I had missed them.
Later that night I go to sleep. My wife and kids have gone home since my condition is better now. At 3.00 am I'm woken up by movements and noises. Gabo, Mike, and Raph are at it again.
