Chapter Four: "Mort!"
"Mort?"
"God give me strength. Hi Simone."
"Would you like a drink?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Exactly. Two Martini's over here, please!" Simone and Mort stood at the bar, Clementine having wandered towards the bathroom a few minutes earlier.
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" asks Mort. Simone leaned forwards on her bar stool and whispered in Mort's ear.
"How'd you guess?" The barman brought two Martini's over and Simone gave him the bill.
"So, why aren't you gambling?" she asks.
"I promised Clementine I wouldn't gamble til she's back from the bathroom, so she can keep an eye on me," replies Mort.
"Oh. Come on then, I'll keep an eye on you, lets go," says Simone, putting her drink down and holding her hand out. Mort doesn't take it, but rolls his eyes, gets up and follows her out into the casino. "So, what's your game?" Mort scans the room for a moment.
"Blackjack?"
They head over to an almost empty blackjack table and wait for the player to finally hold their hands up in defeat. Which they did, along with a few colorful words and a threat.
"Ok, how much are you willing to gamble?" asks Simone.
"How about, hundred bucks?" suggests Mort, sitting down. He places chips on the table and waits for the dealer to deal. He turns his hand over, eight of clubs, and two of diamonds. "Hit me." Jack of clubs. "Stick." The dealer deals his cards, and Mort wins. Simone leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
"Well done." Mort bets a hundred dollars again and the dealer deals. Seven of diamonds, and six of hearts.
"Hit me." Two of spades. "Hit me." Eight of spades. Bust. "Ok Simone, lets try something else." Mort gets up from the Blackjack table and Simone follows, stopping, at Roulette.
"What do you think?" he asks Simone.
"You betting hundred bucks again?" she replies in question.
"Yeah."
"How about, hundred bucks on, black?"
"Sure," Mort places a hundred dollars worth of chips on the table and they are moved to black. Other people place their bets on the table, and the wheel is spun. Mort cheers, twenty six black. He is handed back his chips, and his winnings. "Hundred on black again?"
"Yup." Mort placed a hundred dollars on black. Four black. Before they knew it, Mort and Simone were on a winning streak, sixteen red, thirty five black, eleven black, nine red, on and on it went. Soon there was quite a crowd gathered around the table, watching Mort and Simone's antics. After counting their winnings at almost two thousand dollars, they decide to quit the table, and quit while they are ahead. Strolling back towards the hotel elevator, Mort wonders where Clementine is. But not for long, Simone slings an arm around his shoulders.
"You know, we make a pretty good team," she says. Mort holds out a bundle of money for her.
"What's this for?"
"I wouldn't have won it without you," he says.
"You wouldn't have done much without me, Mort," Simone answers in a feminine, southern Mississippi accent. Shooter?