The Appointment

Jacob Prosser was not a bad guy. He was just misunderstood. When his estranged wife, Marilyn, announced that she was taking the kids and moving back to Ohio to live with her parents, Jake realized she misunderstood him most of all. She said she could not live with his addictions any longer. Addictions? What addictions? He was not addicted to gambling, he was dedicated to it, like any other professional is to their craft. And like any other professional he knew that perfection took time and patience.

Jake thought that Marilyn would be ecstatic when she learned of the $100,000 he had inherited from his late father, and that she would be even more elated when she learned he was going to take this nest egg and turn it into millions in Las Vegas, but instead that was when she decided to leave him. She just did not understand his system, and that’s why Jacob was not worried. He knew that she would return when she saw the millions that he created from that small nest egg. Then he would never have need to darken the door of a casino again, and he could stop drinking as well. He only drank now to calm his nerves so that he could think clearly.

Jake’s game was roulette, and he knew that he was closer than ever to unlocking the secrets of that mysterious wheel. In the three days since he arrived, he had lost all but $5,000 of the original hundred thousand, but he knew that his luck was about to turn.

The man in black stood on the sidewalk and gazed with a bored expression up at the flashing marquis. He had met clients in casinos many times before, but that did not mean he liked entering such establishments any more now than he did the first time. Oh well, a casino was no worse than a hospital or nursing home that he most often frequented. He shrugged as he withdrew his small, black notebook to learn the name of his client, and the time of their meeting. Printed on the otherwise blank page was Jacob Allen Prosser, 9:21 pm. The times for his appointments would seem random to most, but the man in black knew that there was nothing random about them. The times were exactly as they should be, and the man in black was never late, though his clients always were. His face did not show even the slightest hint of a smile at the thought of this old joke.

Jake was not at all concerned that he had lost 95% of the money he started with just 72 hours earlier. He was seasoned now, and ready to turn the tide on the house. He knew that history favored the bold, and he could not allow the fear of success to make him timid. He had discovered the pattern of the wheel and knew that he could not lose. He felt almost guilty for taking advantage of the house, but that was the game. He had lost for three days, and it was his turn for a win. The exact nature of his bet is unknown save for this, he bet the entire $5,000, and a win would have paid thirty to one.

Jake did not even notice the well postured gentleman in the well-tailored black suit standing five feet from him, so entranced was he by the spinning wheel of destiny, to which he was so fond of referring to it. The wheel seemed to simultaneously spin too fast and too slow to Jake as he gazed, mesmerized. At last, the tiny ball found its resting place, and in a moment Jake’s balance became zero. The time was 9:14 p.m.

The man in black watched with curiosity as Jake meandered through the noises and flashing lights of the busy casino, a black cloud of resignation and defeat resting on his countenance. The man in black did not approach Jake but remained five paces behind, the very picture of patience.

As Jake walked by the slot machines his right hand slipped into his right pant pocket, and when he pulled it out it held a one-dollar token. His lips spread into a joyless smile. He decided that the casino might as well have it all, and at 9:19 p.m. he dropped his token into the nearest slot machine and pulled the lever.

The bells and sirens were deafening, and the spiraling lights made Jake dizzy, but his vision could still just make out the $20,000 Jackpot flashing repeatedly on the screen of the slot machine. A man came out of nowhere and sounded like a game show host as he congratulated Jake for his substantial win. Jake wanted to smile, he wanted to jump up and down, he wanted to call Marilyn and tell her the news, but for some reason he could not speak, and he was slowly sinking to the ground. Why did his chest hurt so bad?

The man in black stood looking down at Jake, and knew that the time was 9:21 p.m. He opened his black notebook just in time to see his appointment with Jake slowly vanish from the page.