Read Online Numbers by Dana Dane - Free Book Online Page A

face.
    “I wasn’t bluffing either, when I told you I would give you what you deserved,” Crispy Carl shot back at her.
    “Shut ya ol’ black ass up,” she countered.
    “You like this ol’ black thing,” he said.
    Most of the players there knew Carl and Sybil once had a little thing going.
    “See there, Numbers, Sybil has a pair of eights, but Mac’s aces can beat those.” Carl was talking as if he was a psychic and knew what Sybil’s and Mac’s facedown cards were, but he didn’t. He was just making a gambler’s speculation. Numbers stood there soaking it all up. Crispy Carl did not react; he just waited to see if Mac would call the bet.
    “I’ll call.” Mac smiled, wagering his six bills. Crispy Carl called as well.
    Mac turned up Crispy Carl’s fourth card. It was a king of clubs. Sybil’s card was a king of hearts. Mac flipped over a four of spades for himself. Now he had an ace high, jack, and four. The bet was still on him. It was turning out to be a good hand for the house.
    Jenny peered on, watching the outcome. The house took one dollar off every ten dollars in the pot. Jenny had already accumulated a good amount of proceeds in a big pickle jar she had in the kitchen. She just hoped she could keep enough players at each table so she wouldn’t have to play and bet back her earnings.
    Mac hesitated for a brief moment, then called out and put up twenty dollars. Now Sybil lifted her hole card (the facedown card) slightly, peeking at it, tilting her head almost to table level, contemplating her next move as she waited on Carl. She looked around the table at Mac’s cards and Carl’s cards briefly, then backat hers with no expression. Crispy Carl didn’t say a word, just pitched his twenty dollars into the pot.
    Sybil still didn’t give anything away by way of expression. “I call,” she said, following Crispy Carl.
    “It’s getting good now,” said Crispy Carl adjusting himself in his seat, crossing his left leg over his right. The move caused his pants leg to rise up, showing his black, red, and white argyle socks.
    All the time the hand was taking place, Numbers did not count cards as he would usually do when he played other card games. The game had him entranced. He did attempt to guess what everyone’s fifth card would be. Numbers drifted off in his mind. He could hear the grown-ups talking, laughing, and taunting one another, but it was all background noise. He started going over in his mind what cards were played, less the cards that were face-down that he couldn’t see. When he snapped back to the here and now, he had an idea of what cards might play. He speculated that the next three cards would be a 10, a 7, and a 4.
    Mac was eager to deal. He was finished counting the money he had left in front of him and was ready for the fifth card. Counting out his money was a tactic to pilfer some confidence from the other players. It was in vain.
    “Ya dumb blind ass can’t count, but whatever you have there is mine after this,” Crispy Carl said, clowning him.
    “Uh-uh, that’s my cash,” Sybil joined in.
    Numbers giggled at their banter; so did his mother and a few others.
    “Here we go.” Mac ignored them and prepared to deal the fifth and final card.
    There was a big ruckus going on at the other table, but no one at this table cared. This was the payoff card.
    Mac dealt to Crispy Carl; it was a 10. His final hand minus thehole card was a pair of 10’s high, a king, and a queen. Before he caught the additional 10, he had a straight working.
    Numbers was one for one on his guess.
    The next card went to Sybil. It was an 8. She now had a pair of 8s, a queen, and a jack faceup. She smirked.
    Numbers was one for two.
    Mac dealt himself a 4 of hearts. He now displayed a pair of 4’s, an ace, and a jack.
    Numbers was two for three.
Not bad,
he thought to himself.
    The bid was on Crispy Carl with the pair of 10s leading. Crispy Carl took a look at his bottom card, then calmly sipped his