Oh how I wished that it would end. I awoke at 9 am with the worst headache I have had in a long time, and if anyone knew headaches it was me. Instead of our nice little room at MGM, we were in some kind of high roller suite at The Palms. After sifting through assorted naked limbs belonging to faces I didn’t remember, I finally found my wsop bracelet on a nicely turned ankle. I collected what I could find of my clothes and left quickly to grab a cab back to the MGM. <READMORE>

As quietly as I could I made my way up to my room, put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and downed a few aspirin. Then I crawled into my cozy little bed and tried to go back to sleep. But, even with the aspirin, my head was still pounding and sleep wouldn’t come. Bits and pieces of memories of last night assaulted my senses and for some as yet unremembered reason I could not get Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds” to stop running through my head. I dragged my tired butt into a much too cold shower probably as much to punish myself as to try to clear my head.

When I got out of the shower the message light was flashing on the phone. “Please let it be Carl,” I mumbled out loud as I called to retrieve it. Susie’s voice came on telling me she was sorry she couldn’t have been there and she heard I won my bracelet. She ended by congratulating me and told me she’d be at the pool with her sisters if I wanted to stop by.

I really did want to stop by too, but I just couldn’t face her right now. In fact I decided I couldn’t face anybody so I called for room service, got out the new Star Wars book I had bought and tried to lose myself in some science fiction. Except to get my food I didn’t move from my bed for hours. In fact, when Carl finally showed up after 2:30 he found me still in that same spot with a half-finished book in my hands.

My headache had dulled a bit but it still hurt when Carl boomed, “Everyone was wondering where the man of the hour went.”

I raised up my arms, “Please not so loud.”

Carl knew me pretty well. “Headache?” he whispered.

“Like you would not believe.”

“Sorry man.” Carl laid a hand gently on my shoulder. “It was one hell of a party though. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

I couldn’t bear to look at the big smile on Carl’s face. “I don’t.”

Carl changed and headed back to the Rio without saying anything else except that he’d be back late and that my share of our “expenses” last night came to almost fifteen thousand dollars. I couldn’t believe that I had spent that much money and I had nothing to show for it. If I had gotten drunk and bought a car or a condo I think I would have been less upset. But to blow all that money on nothing was really nagging at me. I felt worse than ever.

It was almost 5:00 and I was getting hungry again. My head didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did earlier so I called the Chan residence. Susie’s mom answered and told me the girls were out but they would be home soon for a family dinner together. She was making Lion’s Head meatballs and Spicy Tofu and she invited me to join them. I almost said no, but the thought of real food overcame me and I accepted happily.

I was happier as I changed my clothes, happier in the cab over to their house, and a lot happier through dinner. I hadn’t had a dinner like that since before Mom died. And not only was the food wonderful, but nobody there wanted anything from me. It was so nice to belong to a family. I never wanted it to end.
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