James had a type-A personality. He was fierce, competitive,
and hated losing more than anything in the world. He loved watches, cars, and
anything that made him look more impressive to his friends than he actually
was. It was Christmastime, and as James was driving home in his brand new BMW
x5, he decided to stop by and spend a little bit of his Christmas bonus at the
Riverwind Casino in Norman, Oklahoma.
He used to have a little gambling problem, but he was over
that now. “I have more self control than ever,” he kept telling himself.
He entered into the casino and ordered a beer. He used to
have a little drinking problem, but he was over that now. “I have more self
control than ever,” he kept telling himself.
He tossed down ten one hundred dollar bills on the roulette
table, and the man held each one up to the light. He gathered a thousand
dollars worth of chips and slid them in front of James.
It was getting a little late, and he might be late for
dinner with his family, “I’ll just play a couple of games,” he told himself.
He placed his chips, and increased his chip count. He won,
and won, and won. After only an hour he had already obtained close to ten
thousand dollars! However, he went on, late into the night, and finally he was
invited upstairs with the owner of the casino.
They began to play blackjack.
James won at first, but then came the end of his hot streak.
He lost. Then, he lost again. Then, he lost another time,
and another, and another. Finally, his ten thousand dollars worth of chips were
gone. He placed his watch on the table.
“Double of nothing?” he asked.
He lost his watch.
Then, he placed his shoes, Then. he placed his blazer on the
table. Then, he placed his car keys.
He lost everything.
He began to sweat. James was embarrassed, and he felt as
though he had been stripped of his manhood.
He called his wife, who was asleep. It was 2:00 a.m. by now.
She picked him up, brought him home, and they went to sleep without a word.
Author’s Note: I chose to retell the story of Yudhishthira’s
game of dice in a more modern sense. I hoped to convey the danger of such a
risky game. Also, I stopped at Riverwind yesterday on my way home from Dallas
and lost 20 dollars playing roulette, so I thought it was fitting.
Image Information:
Roulette Table
Source: Gallery Hip
Narayan, R. K. The Mahabharata. New Delhi: Vision, 1987. Print.
