VIRGIN QUEEN OF SPADES

I honored Glenda's 21st birthday with a trip to the Landmark Casino's swimming pool at sunset. We leaned over the narrow one-way bridge admiring the glistening reflections of the casino's lights across the water up to our reclusive spot. As it was early evening, there was no one in sight at the pool except the two of us. This romantic setting was better than I'd planned, which compelled us to linger on the bridge, arms around each other, until I eventually said, Darling, lets go play.

Glenda looked me in the eyes and laughed as she replied, “ I wondered when you’d get to it. Let’s do it. I‘ve really never done this kind of thing before have you..”

Without time to think I babbled back, “Low rate romance. Low rent rendezvous.”

It was apparent that we were both intoxicated by the dreamy setting which I’d chosen to begin the WILD night. The day before she’d asked me, “Why don’t you take me out "on the town" for my birthday tomorrow”

Before even thinking my voice replied, “Okay baby - the Landmark. How’s that?”

She excitedly said, “Let’s dress up. I’m wearing my pink spaghetti strap evening gown. Please wear your imported Spanish jacket & tie. I only have one twenty first birthday.”

The silent wistful blue reflections on the water had us magnetized to the romantic bridge. But the lure of the slot machine action beyond the long line of glass windows lured us to the side door entrance. When I opened the door, Glenda jumped back in response to the clamber of the slot machine jackpots paying off.

Quickly her voice burst out ,”I’ve only been in a Casino once before. Be easy on me.”

I spurted out, “I almost don’t want to take you inside. What a contrast to the pool area. Come on, I know you’ll love it baby.” Then I picked her up around the waist, lifted her about a yard, and set her just inside the doorway. “Now you’re the Queen of the Hop, and of legal age . . let’s gamble.”

As we walked through the aisles, she was observing every sound and customer; I was observing her face; recalling how I must have looked, my first time in a Casino – dazzled.

I couldn’t bring myself to join any game which we passed. Instead, I was mesmerized by the trance which possessed Glenda. The trance had us both locked into some kind of a spell. Five minutes later our path led us back to the windows bordering the alluring blue shadows of the pool area. We froze in our footsteps and realized we were aloof in Dream Ville.

She spun around grabbed me by the waist and whispered, “Golly, this is fabulous. Are you real?”

“Sure am, I’m taking you to the most exciting place on earth – the crap tables, urrrr!” I took her by the hand and promptly marched to the nearest crap table.

Three seconds after our arrival at the table, I bet $10 on the FIELD and won. I put the four red $5 chips in her hand and I led her to the cashier’s cage. She said, “No you do it.”

“Glenda – You’re twenty one now. You can do it. Just set them on the counter, right here.”

She stuffed the twenty dollar bill into my pants pocket and I almost fainted thinking, “She may be a Virgin too. I’ve got to be very considerate.”

I pulled a $5 bill out of my jacket pocket, stuffed it into the top of her dress, and said “That was pure luck. Here’s your half of the winnings. We can continue to gamble at random, but we’ll probably be losers at the end of the night, or we can slow down, sit in a poker game, and probably be winners by midnight. Which do you want to do?”

She answered, “I want to WIN, even if we have to sit at a poker table.”

“It may take hours and get boring at times.”

“Then we’ll be bored, if that’s what it takes to win.”

We strolled to the car and drove to the Imperial Palace, where my recent ex-lover, Debbie, was dealing. Debbie was facing the crowd from her table and spotted me at 30 yards away. Her grin told me that there was still an exciting fire between us. As I approached the 1/3 seven card stud game which she was dealing, she noticed that I was with a young beautiful babe. Debbie’s face revealed her displeasure with the sight of stunning Glenda.

I bought $40 in chips and steered Glenda into the open center seat at the table as I lingered over her shoulder to help her with the play action. Due to our recent affair, Debbie took my arrival WITH ANOTHER WOMAN as offensive. But I didn’t understand that a woman’s revenge was so easily provoked.

To me I was visiting Debbie plus I was entertaining Glenda – no competition intended. But in Debbie’s mind, I was “out of line.” Debbie shuffled the cards for an excessively long time, then finally began to deal out the cards. The first card dealt to Glenda flew off the table and into her lap. It landed ‘exposed” – the Queen of Spades.

I emitted a subtle growl and gave Debbie a stern look. She glanced up at me and said, “Oh I’m sorry. You can turn that card in if you want & I’ll reshuffle.”

I re-stacked our forty, one dollar chips back into the rack and told Glenda that we were leaving. Now I had to explain to Glenda what had happened. I felt like an idiot. How could I have assumed that Debbie would accept me with another woman and “help us out dealing?” Glenda laughed when she realized that I was the naive one, at age 34, not her at age 21. She lightened up the atmosphere singing, “I’m the Queen of Spades . . “, but it wasn’t funny to me. I blamed Debbie. Debbie blamed me. Yet Glenda was happy with her birthday and her new nick-name – Queen of Spades. I had to admire Glenda’s nonchalance.

I was recognized at all the Vegas poker rooms, but did my best to choose the least conspicuous card room - the Frontier Casino. As we exited the taxi, one hundred yards up, a helicopter was taking off with a visitor for a scenic ride. I spotted the sign - “$40 View Of Vegas Strip”. The evening date had began in splendor, yet had become tense, therefore, to regain some enchantment into our evening I vowed to Glenda that if we won, I’d take her on a helicopter ride.

The small games were $1-3 stud, but the biggest game was spread limit Texas hold-em $2-5-10-10 which I’d never won at before. Feeling as though I had a lot to make up to Glenda for her birthday, I joined the big $10 hold-em game. There sat a 300 pound young kid who was always at that game. He was always friendly, but my recollection of him was a hideous vision of his devious grin through his glasses as he scooped up my chips.

I whispered to Glenda, “I’ve never beat this guy. But I’m trying everything tonight.”

Glenda bent over and whispered back into my ear, “Tear him up. Then try me – The Queen of Spades.”

I trusted my hearing and her invitation, so I immediately got into a pot and lost $32 to the big guy. My antics, showed my lack of emotional control, but that darling Glenda began rubbing my shoulders, which cooled me down. I folded the next six hands, then I peeped at J T off suit in the big blind. I called the big guy’s $5 raise. The flop came 9QK, two clubs. Holding the nut straight, I bet out for $5. He raised, I re-raised. The turn was a 3h, I bet, was raised, and re-raised again.

Now with $72 in the pot (minus the rake), he spoke up, “Ole man, you ain’t NEVER beat me. Better pull your gun to have a fighting chance!” Then he capped it with the 3rd $5 raise. Which I called.

I was torqued off, first Debbie’s Queen of Spades extravaganza, now the big guy’s wise mouth. My mind searched my vocabulary of clichés and came up with, “Don’t’ let your mouth outdo your hardware, boy”

I was hoping he had a set of threes, so I could shove it in his face.

The river card was a K of clubs. My nut straight had turned into do-do. Now I was looking at his possible full house and possible club flush. My heart sank, but I kept my composure and bet out with another $10. As you would expect from this night's of worsening events he raised again. I knew I was doomed, but I called anyway with my measly straight.

He turned over a Q 3 for two pair. You should have heard Glenda howl as the dealer began to push me the pot. We cashed out with $65 profit.

Guess where we went to next? - The helicopter ride. - As we bent down avoiding the wind and noise of the propeller blades, we were asked for our identification. I showed my drivers license, Glenda had none, but identified herself as - The Virgin Queen Of Spades.

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