Lip and Annie
By William. J. Martin
Published by William. J. Martin at Smashwords.
Copyright 2011 William J. Martin
ISBN 978-0-9877437-1-8
Smashwords Edition, License Notes:
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Other Smashwords Titles by William J. Martin
There are a few poker terms used throughout the story, and if you have no understanding of them, or experience with them, you can look on the net for an explanation of each one. There aren't that many; poker is not the primary purpose of the story. Regardless, you may want to check out the reference to Jennifer Tilly though...
Chapter 1
It was obvious to all of the players that the dealer was getting a bit tired. He was starting to have difficulty shuffling the cards, and they could see that he was checking his watch after every hand was completed. Robert Porter had also been checking his watch, and he knew that they would be playing at least another three hands of Texas Holdem before there would be a short break while the dealer was replaced, and a fresh deck was brought into use. He was looking forward to the break as well, as it would give him a chance to take a necessary trip to the bathroom.
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and most of the people at their table had been there for at least a couple of hours. Robert himself had been there for over four hours, and knew that he would probably play for at least another hour before taking a supper break. It made no sense for him to leave too soon, now that he had gotten to the point where he was able to figure out most of the players styles and the 'tells' that were permitting him to have a bit of an advantage at the table.
They were playing $5 and $10 Limit Texas Holdem, which meant that the pot could get fairly sizable when up to three raises were made. The dealer would remove up to five dollars from each pot as the casino's share, or rake, which usually didn't make too much of a difference in the size of the pot, but still would cost the players a lot of money in an evening.
There was one female player at the table, a pretty, dark haired woman that Robert judged to be of about his own age of 30. She seemed to be very good at playing the game, but he had picked up one very valuable tell from her; he just hadn't had the opportunity to make use of it yet. He fully expected that the information he had filed away on her habit could either make or save him some money. Robert also noticed that she wasn't taking advantage of her good looks or figure, a surprising mistake in his mind.
From the size of the stack of chips in front of him Robert knew that he was likely ahead by at least $250 for his afternoon's work so far. That was about the result that he had hoped for, based on how past afternoons spent at the tables had gone for him. With still an hour to go before he planned to take a lengthier break, he was very hopeful of adding to his winnings.
The woman was sitting practically across from him and was immediately to the dealer's left. There were two other players between her seat and his, and they were both players that seemed to be losing more than they were winning. The remaining five players to his left were a mixed group. The two closest to him were both decent players, and it seemed that both of them were ahead a few chips. The next player was one of the bigger losers for the afternoon, one of those players that were necessary if the others were to make any money from the game.
The last two players, the ones closest to the dealer's right hand, were still fairly new to the table, and seemed to be average players that were probably close to breaking even. Robert was hopeful that once he gained more information on their play he might be able to make a few dollars at their expense. A lot of people felt that playing poker was a fun experience, but Robert had learned that if you looked at it that way it was going to cost you some cash. He knew that he had to watch his opponents closely, so that he would have every advantage available when he made his bets.
****
Just as he had expected, the break occurred three hands later, and he was able to make a quick pit stop at the men's room. He hadn't been the only one to do that, but they all made it back in plenty of time for the start of the next hand. Robert was just about to sit down at the table when an old friend of his walked by and noticed him standing there.
"Lip! How the hell are you doing? I haven't seen you in at least a couple of years." The speaker was a man of his own age, and close to Robert's height of 6 feet. While Robert had sandy blond hair, his rapidly approaching friend had dark brown hair and was also notable for his rugged good looks. Good looks were not something that Robert had ever associated with himself, though, as his face, while otherwise normal, bore a very obvious scar from reconstructive surgery for a cleft lip and palate.
"Fred, it's good to see you! You're right, it's been too long." The two men shook hands before continuing their conversation. The surprise Robert felt at seeing his old friend made him speak more quickly than usual, and as a result his Hypernasality became very noticeable, as his words became overly nasal. It was as though he was “talking through his nose,” and several of his fellow poker players had quickly glanced up as he spoke.
"So, Lip, you're a poker player now. I hope you're not losing your shirt!" Fred was grinning as he said it, as he knew full well that Robert wasn't a person who was known for foolishly squandering his money.
"I play a little now and then, Fred. So far I've managed to keep my pickup and my condo. What are you up to these days?" As he regained control of his breathing and slowed down his speech his Hypernasality almost disappeared. The many months of training spent with a Speech Pathologist served him well, and in normal situations his speech sounded almost indistinguishable from anyone else's.
"Nothing new or different, really. I still work in the office at the paper mill. I guess I've been spending too much time with Sherry, my girlfriend. You know how it is, Lip; they don't like their guy spending time with his buddies." He laughed at his little joke.
Robert joined him in his laughter before asking, "Are you staying here tonight, Fred? Maybe we could get together later for supper or a couple of drinks."
The smile disappeared from Fred's face as he said, “No, Lip, I'm not. Sherry is in the casino, playing the slots for a few minutes, and then we're headed back to Thunder Bay. She has to go to work in the morning. We only stopped in here for a short break on our way back from Minneapolis; we were there for a concert."
Robert could see that the dealer was just about ready to begin his first deal, so he said, "That's too bad, Fred. How about I give you a phone call later this week, and maybe we could get together for supper back home." He laughed before continuing, "I'll even spring for supper for your girlfriend if she wants to come along. It would give me a chance to meet her, and to tell her what you are really like."
"That sounds like a plan, Lip. Except for the last part; how about you just forget the war stories. She has enough things to give me a rough time about as it is." The two men shared another laugh before Fred gently slapped Robert on the shoulder and Robert gave his friend a wave goodbye before he turned back to the table to retake his seat.
On the first deal the big blind was posted by the man two positions to Robert's right. When the player who was under the gun failed to make a bet, Robert raised the bet to $20 while holding an Ace and an 8. All of the rest of the players mucked their cards, leaving him with a gain of almost $15. He made the same play three more times during the next 12 hands, and in every case he collected the blinds minus the rake. It almost seemed as though the other players didn't like to take him on.
On the thirteenth hand he was in the small blind position, and received the Ace of Diamonds and King of Spades, the best cards that he had been dealt in a while. The third player on his left, the afternoon's big loser, called the big blind, and the woman across from him raised the bet to $20. The player to his immediate right called her raise, as did Robert with his Ace King. The player to his left folded the big blind, and the first caller threw in the extra $10 needed to call; there were going to be four of them in the hand.
Robert was paying close attention to the players who had decided to play this hand, and noticed immediately that the woman across from him was indicating that she had a good hand. The tell that he had noticed earlier was warning him that she had very good cards, and he knew that the other two players in the hand were prone to stay in hands waiting to see the flop with any kind of decent cards. He knew he would also have to wait for the flop to see whether he should stay in the hand himself.
The flop came up with a pair of Kings and an Ace, giving Robert a full house, Kings full of Aces. It was a great hand, and he quickly raised the initial $10 bet from the man on his right. The next player called, and the woman across from him calmly raised the bet another $10. The man to his right made the third raise, and the pot had grown by over $100 on that round of betting. He had been watching the woman closely, and realized that in spite of the fact that he had a rare great hand, it was a loser. After a momentary hesitation he folded the two cards and watched the dealer pull them into the pile of dead cards.
Robert carefully watched the remaining rounds of betting on the turn card and the river, becoming even more confident as he watched the woman's play that he had made the right decision. The player to his right obviously felt he had the winning hand, as he kept raising her raises. He wasn't sure what the third man in the pot had, but he kept calling every bet. Robert had judged him in the earlier play as a rather undisciplined player, and truly, what cards he had were anyone's guess.
By the time the hand ended, the pot was almost $500, the best one of the afternoon. When the woman showed her pair of Aces, her Aces full easily beat the ace high flush held by the player to Robert's right, and the three Kings held by the remaining player. While the chips were being moved over in front of the woman, Robert said, to no-one in particular, "I'm sure glad I folded Big Slick."
The woman immediately reacted to his comment, saying, "I'm calling bullshit on that! There's no way you folded an Ace King after that flop." A couple of the other players made comments in full agreement with her.
The dealer was just reaching for the pile of dead cards when Robert asked, "If no one objects, could you turn over some of those cards? You'll find the Ace of Diamonds and the King of Spades in there, and they should be together."
All of the other players nodded or voiced their agreement, so the dealer started turning over the cards. The fifth and sixth cards were the ones that Robert had folded, and seeing them displayed just as he had predicted created a buzz of conversation amongst the other players.
The woman across from him was particularly amazed, and quickly said, "How could you know that I had you beat? It must have been just a good guess."
"It wasn't a guess. I knew you had me beat." He grinned at her before continuing, "You didn't say it in words, but you told me pretty clearly what you had." He spoke carefully, keeping the Hypernasality in check.
The buzz at the table soon subsided, and the woman was clearly a bit frustrated as she sat there, occasionally looking across at Robert, as though she would be able to figure out how he had managed to read her hand if she simply kept an eye on him. In response Robert simply smiled at her whenever he noticed that she was looking at him again.
For the next half-hour play continued normally, with Robert picking up the blinds a couple of times, as well as winning almost $200 on a set of Jacks. They were approaching the time for the next break when the player to Robert's right said to him, "I thought I heard your friend call you Lip. Was that right? Is that because of your... scar? I hope you don't mind me asking."
Since neither of them was in the hand that was being played at that moment Robert replied, "I don't mind you asking. It's a nickname I've had since I was in grade school. One of the kids thought he'd give me a rough time about my scar with that nickname, but I didn't mind too much; I've been called a lot worse. It has stuck with me ever since."
The man seemed satisfied with Robert's answer, and just nodded. As Robert turned back to the table, he noticed that the woman across from him had been listening to their conversation. Play continued for another 15 minutes or so until the next break started. Robert managed to break almost even over that period of time, collecting the blinds once in return for his obligation to post the blinds when they worked their way around to him. When the break finally began, he let everybody know that he was leaving and picked up his stack of chips.
****
Robert was standing at the cashier's enclosure counting the nearly $500 he had received in trade for his chips. He had started with $150 in chips, so it wasn't a bad afternoon's work. He was about to turn away and head up to his room for a few minutes when a woman spoke up behind him.
"I'd really like to know how you knew I had a pair of Aces."
Robert turned in surprise, and saw the woman who had been sitting across from him was standing in the line behind him. He stepped out of her way so that she could approach the cashier and then replied, "I knew you had the nuts, even before the flop. That could only be a pair of aces, and when you showed me the same tell after the flop, I knew for sure you had me beat." He grinned at her when she turned momentarily from the short conversation she was having with the cashier, and gave him another look of exasperation.
In a moment she turned away from the cashier, her chips now converted into cash, and said, "I'd really like to know how you did that. How about if I buy you supper, and you can tell me what this supposed 'tell' is. I still think your probably bullshitting me." She was standing a few feet away from him as she spoke, and it was obvious that she was a little nervous.
Robert laughed at her suggestion before replying, "I bet you wouldn't want to give up your secret if the roles were reversed. What if we end up at the same table again? I'd have lost my edge." He wasn't used to speaking to strange women, especially attractive ones, and his Hypernasality made a return with his nervousness.
She was looking a little upset as she answered, "There isn't much chance of that. I only come down here every three or four weeks from Duluth. I heard you tell your friend you would see him in Thunder Bay, so really, how much chance is there that we would ever end up sitting at the same table again?" She was holding her purse tightly to her body, and it occurred to Robert that she appeared to be ready to run if he had stepped in her direction.
After noticing her reaction, Robert took a closer look at her. Her dark hair was longer than he had realized, as she had it tied up in the back. She was wearing a pair of black, loose fitting slacks and a knit sweater that fit very loosely and covered her from her wrists to her neck. She didn't seem to be wearing any makeup, and the total combination did little to emphasize her obvious good looks, or what seemed to be a decent figure. In an effort to present a more calming impression, he decided to try to soften his voice and he made sure that he smiled before he spoke.
"You're probably right. I guess if I can't use what I've learned to make a buck from you, having you buy my supper would be a fair deal. I was planning to go up to my room to do a bit of work and freshen up before I go for supper. How about you drop by my room and let me know when you're ready to go down to the restaurant? I'm assuming you're staying here in the Casino Hotel."
She seemed to become even more nervous as he gave her his answer, but finally she said, "I... I guess that would be okay. I wouldn't mind going up to my room to change before supper anyway." She began walking toward the elevators and Robert joined her, making sure that he gave her some space as they walked.
As they strolled along on their way to the bank of elevators, passing row after row of slot machines, Robert said, "I guess you did fairly well this afternoon. That one pot alone should've made your day."
She quickly glanced at him before saying, "I really did alright. I'm over $500 ahead for the day. How about you? You seemed to be cashing in quite a few chips."
"I'm ahead about $350 or so. That's enough to make me very happy. I come down once or twice a month, usually for a weekend. I like to come down on Friday morning and go back late Sunday afternoon or on Monday morning." They had arrived at the elevators and one of them was waiting there with its doors open. Robert put his hand on the edge of the door to prevent it from trying to close unexpectedly and motioned for the woman to enter the elevator.
She quickly stepped into the empty elevator and took up a position with her back against the wall and beside the push button panel. "Which floor are you on?"
When he answered her question by saying that he was on the third floor, she continued, "I'm on the third floor too." They both stood there quietly while the elevator quickly raised them to their floor. When the doors opened the woman swiftly stepped through and waited for Robert to join her.
"I heard your conversation with the man beside you at the table." She glanced at him quickly before continuing, "I don't think it's right that you have a nickname like that. That sounds like some sort of a cruel kid’s name. What's your real name? My name is Annie, Annie Sargent."
Robert laughed and said, "It bothered me a lot at first, but I was pretty young then. It followed me through high school, but by then I was used to it and it didn't seem to matter any more. Generally I go by Robert. My name is Robert Porter." Robert hesitated just a moment before continuing, "What about your name, Annie? Is it actually Ann, or Anna?"
Annie smiled nervously, and answered, "It really is Annie. I was named after my grandmother."
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Annie."
He offered his hand to her, and she seemed flustered at first before finally extending her hand and giving his a very brief shake. "Likewise, Robert."
They had been walking down the main hallway towards the junction of the East and West wings. Robert pointed to the right and said, "I'm down here, room 314. I have to do some work online with my laptop, probably no more than half an hour for that. I'd like to shower and change first, so how about you come by my room in about an hour, or I could come by your room when I'm done, if you prefer."
Annie pointed to the left and said, "I'm down here. I'll just come down to your room in about an hour then, and we can go for supper." They waved goodbye to each other and headed to their respective rooms.
As he walked down the hallway Robert thought to himself that it was strange that Annie had kept her hand in her purse the entire time that they had spent in the elevator and in the hallway. He finally decided that she most likely had her hand on her room key card, and didn't want to drop it.
****
Almost exactly 1 hour later, while Robert was busy on his laptop editing a file for one of his clients, there was a light knock at his door. He quickly got up to go to the door and open it, and he found Annie standing there as he expected. "Come on in for a few moments, Annie. I have a little wee bit of work to finish before I can go down for supper."
Annie was clearly flustered, and remained in the hallway as she said, "I... I can just wait here. I don't want to bother you."
Robert continued to hold the door open and said, "Don't be silly. I only have a small amount of work to do, but there's no sense for you to be standing out there. I can't offer you a drink while you wait, but I can offer you a chair to sit down on at least."
After a few moments hesitation Annie stepped inside, quickly walking past Robert, and found herself an open area beside the bed where she turned and watched him. He motioned towards a chair on the opposite side of the bed, just past the chair that was arranged at the table where his laptop was situated.
"That's okay. I'll just stand here if you're not going to be long." She seemed nervous as she stood there, and once again he noticed that her hand was in her purse.
Robert had changed into a pair of dress slacks and a short sleeved pale blue shirt. He noticed that Annie had changed into a long sleeved white blouse buttoned to her neck. She was now wearing a rather plain below-the-knee length black skirt as well, and it appeared she had restyled her hair.
He decided not to bother arguing with her, and instead he went back to his chair in front of the laptop. "I have a business designing and maintaining websites for businesses that don't want to be bothered with the details. Part of the deal is that I will make any of their desired or required changes on a same day basis. The sites are all on a rack of servers in my office, which is in my condo, and as long as I've got an Internet connection I can do whatever they require. I just have to rebuild this one file and then I'll be done."
He had been working as he spoke to her, and about the time that he finished the last spoken word he began the final build of his client's database. He turned to Annie and smiled while the rebuilding took place. "Just a few more seconds. I collect a monthly fee for these updates and rebuilds, and I can't really leave it too long if I want to fulfill my contract. I give them a free month if I fail to get things done within 24 hours, and I've only had to make good on that guarantee a couple of times."
His job was his main interest, slightly ahead of poker, and he was naturally calm and in control as he spoke about it. There had been no noticeable nasal quality to his speech as he described his work to her. A few seconds later the blue line crawling across the screen reached the end, and he said, "I'm done. We can get going now. I'm sorry that I wasn't ready when you arrived."
By this time she was looking slightly more relaxed and said, "That's okay. I am starting to get a little bit hungry though." She laughed nervously as she walked to the door, following behind Robert. He quickly opened the door and she hurried past him, stopping when she reached the center of the hallway. She appeared to be almost completely relaxed now, and Robert noticed her as she finally removed her hand from her purse. He decided that it was perhaps just a habit of hers. Everyone had their habits, as he knew full well from his own history.
Their walk to the restaurant took them through the entire casino, but there wasn't much opportunity to speak as they made their way down the restricted walkways between the rows of slot machines. There was no such thing as a straight route across the casino; they were forced to zigzag their way past the noisy and flashy banks of electronic slot machines. They did manage to let each other know that neither one of them was very interested in playing the slots. Robert preferred the challenges of poker, with the requirement that one had to know the odds as well as the other players’ habits and idiosyncrasies. He assumed that Annie's motivation would be the same as his.
When they reached the long hallway leading to the restaurant they were able to leave the noise and crowds of the casino behind them and were finally able to carry on a bit of conversation.
"It's certainly obvious that they feel they make most of their money from the slot machines," Annie said. "You can't go anywhere around here without being forced to walk past rows and rows of them. Once in a while I'll play one, if I'm trying to kill some time."
Robert was walking beside her and replied, "I have played the slots for a few minutes now and then, but only when the poker tables had no openings. I'd rather play poker online than sit in front of one of those slots."
Annie took a quick glance at him and said, "I've never played online for cash. I'm afraid that if I started, I might not want to quit. I usually just use a computer as a source of information. Obviously, with your job and your online poker, you're much more computer literate than I am."
They had reached the maître d's station at the restaurant, and were quickly sidetracked from their conversation as they requested a booth. In just a few seconds they were being taken to their requested booth in the non-smoking area.
"Go ahead and order whatever you'd like, Robert. I don't think there's anything on the menu that's going to break my bank, and if you can tell me what it is about my play that lets you know when I've got Pocket Rockets, it will be worth it." She seemed much more relaxed now that they were sitting amongst the other diners, and smiled as she picked up the menu.
"I'll go easy on you, Annie. I'll have the regular cut of prime rib. It's really good here." He didn't even bother checking the menu before making that statement, as it was a meal he usually had at least once each time he visited the casino.
"That sounds good. It's something that I've never tried here, so I think I'll join you with the prime rib." She set her menu to the side, and that was the signal for the waiter who was hovering near their table to come over and take their orders.
When their orders had been taken and the menus collected, Robert said, "Well, I won't leave you wondering. Do you remember that nut flush you flopped about an hour after you sat down? I think you had the Ace and five of Diamonds."
Annie looked at him curiously as she nodded in agreement.
He continued, "That was the first hand that you had the nuts, and I noticed that you didn't check your stack of chips at all as you played the hand. Every other hand you were in you would often glance over at your stack, as though you were debating how many of the chips you could afford to lose if you're hand wasn't good enough. When you had that Ace five you knew that you were going to win that hand, and you never once looked at your chips. When you got that pair of aces you did the same thing. The only way that you could have the nuts on that hand, both before and after the flop, was if you had Ace Ace."
Annie looked at him in shock before saying, "I can't believe you picked up on that. You must be a real good student of human nature and how people act and react. I am really impressed."
Robert was looking across the restaurant as he said, "I've had lots of time to study people. I guess it's from watching their reactions to me. For years I've paid attention to how people handle being around me. When they noticed my lip they often work really hard at looking anywhere but back at me. The opposite extreme is that they can't seem to do anything but stare at me. There are also other reactions that fall in between those two extremes."
Annie didn't say anything right away so he continued, "Besides the scar there's also the sound of my voice. I know that I have a bit of a strange sounding voice because of the cleft lip and palate I was born with. I could probably have another operation to clear that up some more, or maybe I could see a speech pathologist again, but I've never bothered to follow up on that. Anyway, some people react oddly to my voice."
"I just can't hardly believe that you were able to pick up on that little quirk of mine. I've never been able to pick up clues that way on other people, beyond what I would call the obvious. There have been a few people who get noticeably excited with a good hand. It's easy to tell with them when they don't have such a great hand." She was shaking her head as she said this, and then continued, "I'm going to have to work hard at changing that habit of mine." She laughed a little as she continued shaking her head.
"That shouldn't be too hard for you to do, now that you know about it. I don't have to worry about tells quite as much as you'd have to, because even at the poker table people react to my lip. For a lot of them, that's all they can see, so any tells I might have are missed. Other people don't seem to look at me as much as they look at the others at the table, I guess that reaction is in fear of upsetting me with their attention. You seem to fit into that category, by the way."
Annie was a bit flustered with that news, and said, "I'm sorry if I reacted poorly to your condition. I'm a nurse, and I see lots of people in situations where their appearance has been drastically affected." She got very quiet and appeared to be almost on the verge of tears as she continued, "It's very upsetting to me to learn that you have noticed me reacting that way. I really am sorry." She seemed to be deep in thought for a couple of moments before continuing, "I really should be more conscious of things like that: of all people, I should have been able to avoid that kind of reaction. After what I've been through, I feel a bit ashamed of myself."
Robert chuckled loudly before he said, "Don't beat yourself up about it. You're just being normal in your reactions, even though you are a nurse. I believe you just over corrected when you realized I have this condition. People that behave the way you do are for the most part trying to avoid acting like they're staring at me. I look at it as being the better of the two extremes." He laughed before saying, "I really mean it. I'm not offended at all. I've never known life any other way than with my scar, and I've adapted myself to it."
There was something else that he wanted to say to her, but he was a little unsure about how to phrase it. Finally he said, "There's something else I need to say about your poker play. You aren't taking advantage of your own good looks, like you should be doing." He noticed that she blushed a little when he said that, but he was determined to continue. "You should be wearing something a little more revealing than that bulky sweater you had on this afternoon."
He chuckled and continued, "You should be showing a bit of cleavage. Have you ever seen Jennifer Tilly on TV when she's playing poker? She knows how to distract the men at the table from watching for a tell."
It was Annie's turn to look at her hands while she spoke. "That's never going to happen. I've seen her on TV and I know what you're talking about, but like I said, it's not going to happen." She looked up at him and he could tell that the subject was closed as far as she was concerned. He thought she was making a mistake, but decided not to pursue the subject. It did seem more than a little strange to him that she would be so emphatic about it.
Annie then made an obvious attempt to change the subject. "You know, I'm really looking forward to this supper. I had a late breakfast, and then I skipped my lunch, so I am really ready for a good meal. I'm glad I offered you this deal. I'd probably be sitting here by myself again, having some meal that I've tried before, instead of trying their prime rib." She thought for a second before continuing with, "This is almost like being on a date, and I haven't been on one of those in over five years"
Robert looked at her curiously while he thought about what she had said. "I guess you could consider this a date, if you overlook the fact that you were actually bartering for information. However, I guess it would be nice if this was a date, because this would be my first date ever." He took a drink from his glass of water while Annie considered what he had just said.
"You can't be serious! What are you, around 30? You must have been on a date. I'm ready to call bullshit again." She was looking at him in some amazement, waiting for him to retract his statement.
He blushed a bit before looking down at the table and saying, "I'm not joking. I've been out as a single for meals and shows with other couples, but I've never been on anything that could be classed as a date." He looked back at her before continuing, "You don't need to be concerned about it. It's just something I've accepted over the years. I have more reason to be shocked about you not being on a date for five years. You are a beautiful woman, and I think you must be kidding me."
Annie wasn't quite sure what to say, so she finally replied, "Thank you, but believe me, I'm serious. Someday maybe I'll explain it to you. I just can't get over the fact that you say you've never been on a date. When I asked you for supper I didn't think I would be dining with a 30-year-old virgin." She laughed to lighten the mood.
Robert laughed as well and said, "I said I'd never been on a date, which is true. I never said anything about being a virgin."
She looked at him curiously and asked, "Well, that doesn't make much sense. How can you be one, but not the other?"
He didn't reply right away, but finally said, "To quote a phrase that I've just recently heard, someday maybe I'll explain it to you."
They were both thinking about his reply just as the waiter arrived with their meals. Conversation was soon forgotten as they decided that satisfying their appetites had defeated their interest in more talking. After they had both taken the edge off their hunger, light conversation did resume, but it was limited now to comments about the restaurant, their meal, and other dishes that they had enjoyed at the Grand Casino Hinckley Restaurant.
When both of them had finished their prime rib, the conversation turned to the prospect of having dessert as well. Annie was emphatic that she wouldn't be able to handle a dessert, but she finally did agree to split an order of Bread Pudding, a dessert that they were both familiar with from past visits to the restaurant, and which they both agreed was phenomenally tasty. Annie made a point of quickly saying she would add it to her bill, and that he should consider this a bonus.
When their shared dessert was finished they each ordered a cup of coffee to sip while they let their meals settle. They were both complaining about being overly full now, but neither one of them would state that they shouldn't have ordered the dessert.
Before they left their booth they exchanged email addresses and promised to be in touch after they had returned to their home towns. Both of them planned to spend the evening at a poker table, and they agreed that it probably wouldn't be quite fair if they were to join the same table. Instead, each would find their own table to play at. They both planned to leave the next morning, Annie heading for Duluth, and Robert on his way back to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
They walked back together to the poker room, and waved goodbye to each other as each headed for their assigned table. Both of them were happy to have made a new friend, especially one with a shared interest in Texas Holdem poker.
Chapter 2
Two days after returning to Thunder Bay, Robert sent Annie an email, asking how she had done at the tables on Sunday night. He let her know that he had managed to come out ahead by $150, which when added to his previous day’s winnings meant that he had had a very successful weekend.
About three hours after he had sent her the message, he heard his laptop announce that a new email message had been received. When the TV show that he was watching had ended, he went to check his inbox and discovered that Annie had replied to his earlier message.
She let him know that she had broken even that last night, but was quite satisfied considering her large win on Sunday afternoon. Throughout the evening she had been working on making sure that she developed a standard routine when checking her chips, and now felt that she had been able to eliminate the tell that Robert had taken advantage of. She thanked him for agreeing to share his knowledge of the habit that had cost her his participation in the hand that had won her so much money.
It was already-November, and Robert's business was getting busier day by day. A lot of his clients sold their products on the Internet, and the Christmas rush was already well under way. When he wasn't busy on their behalf, he found time to play poker online. Even though he couldn't pick up clues from the physical appearance of the other players, he was able to make some observations of their online habits that allowed him to come away with a profit most days. He missed the opportunity for human interaction at the tables, though, and was already looking forward to his next trip to the Grand Casino Hinckley.
Two weeks after he got back he received a mailing from the casino that included coupons for a free stay over the last weekend of the month. There were also coupons for $40 worth of free chips, and he immediately decided that he wanted to make the trip to Hinckley that weekend. Once he had made that decision, he wondered if Annie would also receive similar coupons. He had enjoyed her company at supper that night, and while he knew that she doubted he was telling the truth about never having been on a date, it was true. While he entertained no thoughts about anything ever developing between the two of them, he knew he wouldn't mind talking with her again.
With those thoughts in mind he sent her an email that night, letting her know that he had received some coupons for the casino, and that he intended to go down for the last weekend of November. Shortly after he had sent her the message, he made a phone call to the casino to book his room.
****
That weekend Robert took Fred and Sherry out for supper, and he did manage to slip in a couple of mild stories about Fred's years in high school. It was enjoyable for him to spend some time with the couple, and he soon decided that he really liked Sherry, while Fred had been a good friend for what seemed like forever. Later, after enjoying a good meal with them, Robert begged off when they suggested he join them for drinks and dancing in the attached bar.
He had been in that situation a few times in the past; the unattached guy with a couple who wanted to go out and party. It always ended up badly, with him feeling embarrassed at being turned down by an unattached female after he had asked her to dance. It seemed that in every case the couple he was with would feel obligated to find him a dancing partner, and the night would always end on what he felt was a sour note when they couldn't convince a female friend to join their group. He couldn't help but know that his scar and the nasal sound of his voice were the largest contributors to the problem.
The weekend ended on a good note though, when he found a new message from Annie in his mailbox on Sunday night. She told him that she had received a similar coupon package from Grand Casino Hinckley, and would probably be using her coupons as well. She had already verified that her shifts at work wouldn't conflict with the plan, and all she had to do was reserve her room. Robert was feeling surprisingly happy about the news, and sent her a quick reply saying that he looked forward to seeing her there. Even though his trip to Hinckley wasn't scheduled for almost two weeks, he was already looking forward to it.
****
Robert was kept very busy over the course of the next several days and didn't have much time to think about his upcoming trip. With some free time on Sunday afternoon he began to think about preparing for the drive to Hinckley, wondering what the chances for early winter weather were going to be. It occurred to him that since he was going to be passing right through Duluth, he could offer Annie a ride to and from the casino. With that in mind he wrote her another message, this time offering to pick her up and asking for her address in Duluth. He was looking forward to hearing back from her.
As each day of the next week went by, he anxiously awaited Annie's reply, and was rather surprised that he hadn't heard from her. Finally on Thursday night, just before he was going to retire for the night, he found her reply in his Inbox.
He was rather surprised by the curt nature of her message. She simply said that she appreciated the offer, but she would be taking her own car to Hinckley. There was no explanation as to why she wanted to take her own car as opposed to accepting a ride from him, and he was surprised at how much the tone of her short message bothered him. For someone who was quite used to getting negative responses from the opposite sex, he hadn't anticipated this reaction from Annie. He finally decided that perhaps he was simply reading too much into her email, or how he thought she perceived him.
****
The next morning he packed his suitcase, gathered his toiletries and laptop, and was on the road by 9 a.m. He was looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation, good poker and good meals. He had certainly been looking forward to Annie's company as well, but her reaction to his offer of a ride to the casino had more than dampened his enthusiasm. Most men would simply plan on moving on to the next available woman, but that wasn't an option for Robert. He had few female friends, and none who were interested at all in playing poker.
The drive to Hinckley was made without incident, and he arrived at the casino at 3 p.m., which was the normal check-in time. Robert made his way through the check-in process and was soon on his way to his room where he quickly had his clothing unpacked and his toiletries set up in the bathroom. He had made enough of these trips to be able to take care of these normal activities quickly.
Rather than immediately heading for the tables, he decided to check his email account and take care of any of the required website changes he would find there. There were three requests for information and modifications, so he spent the next hour dealing with those. By the time he was finished, a fourth request had also arrived, so he spent another half hour performing the work that it demanded. With all that time spent playing catch-up, he decided that it was late enough in the afternoon that he may as well go down and have supper before heading for the poker room.
By the time he was seated in the restaurant, he realized he had been watching for Annie on his way through the casino, and even in the restaurant as they took him to his seat. Later, as he was enjoying his meal of prime rib of beef, he thought of her again, and how much he had enjoyed her company the last time he had eaten a meal like this. It was obvious that she had had an effect upon him, something that he thought he had hardened himself against. He decided that he would just have to work harder at protecting himself from disappointment at the hands of the opposite sex.
By seven o'clock he was seated at a poker table, and the only thing on his mind was developing a read for the other players around the green felt. He was in his element now; it was Robert against the world. Over the course of the next six hours he did make a lot of headway against some of the other players that came and then went as their chip stacks dwindled away. Robert had a very productive evening, and a lot of the chips that the other players lost ended up in front of him. By 1:00 in the morning he was seated at the bar enjoying a beer, with almost $600 in profits safely in his pocket.
It was twenty to 2 when he finally entered his room. He immediately went to his laptop to check the status of his email account. There were two new messages from clients requesting work on their sites, and when he checked them, he saw that one of the jobs would only require about five minutes of work. Believing that there was no time like the present, he called up the required files and had the job done quickly. The other job could wait until the morning.
As he undressed for bed he happened to notice that there was a flashing 'message' light on his telephone, so he called the front desk for the message. There were very few people who knew he was in Hinckley, so he was a bit curious as to what the message was about. He was surprised to learn that the message was from Annie, and had been left there for him early in the evening. Considering the time, he decided against calling her room, and instead planned to do that in the morning.
The news that she had tried to reach him cheered him up as he lay in his bed, and his last thought before drifting off into sleep was to wonder what it was that she had called for. He had already managed to start relegating his thoughts of her to the back of his mind, and he hoped they weren't going to be dragged back out to hurt him. That had happened to him too many times in the past for him to want to go willingly through the 'same old same old' once more.
****
Robert was sound asleep at 8:30 in next morning when the insistant ringing of his phone woke him up. Normally he would be up by this time, but because of the late night spent at a poker table, he hadn't set his alarm clock. He was still getting his bearings as he picked up the telephone and answered with a curt, "Hello."
After a couple of seconds a woman's voice, a voice that he quickly realized was Annie's, said, "Robert? Is that you, Robert?"
He was completely awake now and answered, "Yes, it's me. Good morning, Annie. I was going to call you this morning. I got your message last night, but it was pretty late. What can I do for you?"
Annie could sense the detachment in his voice, and quickly replied, "Oh, I wasn't needing anything done; I was hoping to join you for supper last night." She hesitated before continuing, "I guess we could have breakfast together instead, if you feel like it."
Robert was momentarily at a loss for words, but finally said, "Sure, if you'd like to go for breakfast, that would be great. It will take me about half an hour to get ready, as I need to take a shower and shave." He reached over for the note that he had made the night before, looked at it and said, "You're in room 418, aren't you? How about I meet you there as soon as I get ready?"
Annie seemed suddenly unsure as she answered, "Ah... okay; that would be fine, I guess. I'll be waiting for you."
After saying their goodbyes, Robert bounced out of bed and headed for the shower. He wasn't sure what he had expected Annie to say, but being invited to join her for breakfast hadn't made the list. He was soon whistling under the spray of hot water.
****
In not much more than twenty minutes Robert knocked on the door of room 418. It was opened almost immediately, and Annie stepped out quickly into the hallway. She smiled at him and said, "I'm sorry I woke you up. I didn't want to wait too long in case I missed you; I was afraid you'd be down in the poker room."
Annie was smartly dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a figure hugging green sweater. It seemed that she had changed her hairstyle a bit, although Robert couldn't be certain of that. He just knew it suited her.
He smiled at her and lied just a bit as he said, "I shouldn't have been sleeping so late. I don't mind having you wake me up; I'm quite ready for breakfast."
The two of them walked the familiar route through the casino to the restaurant, and were soon seated in the same booth that they had occupied earlier. After they placed their orders Robert said, "I'm sort of surprised that I heard from you. When you said you didn't want a ride down here, I sort of assumed you weren't interested in hearing from me."
There was obvious discomfort on her face as she said, "Oh, Robert. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I... I just didn't want to agree to travel with you until I got to know you better. I should have explained myself."
Annie's revelation that she was hesitant to join him for the 1 1/2 hour drive from Duluth to Hinckley surprised Robert. He had never before had anyone express hesitation about being alone with him, and he found it hard to understand. He began wondering if he had given off some form of signal that caused her concern. "I'm sorry if I gave you cause to wonder if you were going to be safe with me. I can assure you that I have nothing but respect for you."
Annie was clearly embarrassed, and seemed at a loss for words. Before she could say anything else Robert added, "I never considered that you would be nervous around me." He laughed before he continued, "Believe me; I am the most trustworthy person I know."
She was still embarrassed, but his comment drew a smile, and she said, "I really am sorry, Robert. Someday maybe I'll explain to you why I have this problem. Please don't be upset with me."
Robert smiled broadly at her and said, "How could I be upset with you. You're my only poker playing female friend, and I enjoy your company. I just sort of thought that you were pushing me back a bit. I've sort of come to expect that type of treatment, and maybe I overreacted."
Annie looked at him questioningly and finally said, "I'm not sure what you mean by 'that type of treatment'."
Robert thought about how best to say this, and twice opened his mouth to speak before reconsidering, and thinking about it again. Finally he replied, "I know I'm not the handsome sort of guy that most women think of. I grew up with this appearance, and I guess my nickname, Lip, sort of says it all. It's defined me all of my life." He smiled at her before having a sip of coffee.
Annie looked stricken by his words, and quickly said, "Oh, no Robert! My refusing a ride with you had nothing to do with what I think of your appearance. Believe me, that's the last consideration I would ever have." She stopped to think about something and finally said, "Some day maybe I'll explain, but you have to believe me; at one time I may have been as guilty as the next person at judging someone by their appearance, but that definitely isn't the case any more."
Something about her statement and the sincerity of her words and actions connected with Robert, and he reached over and patted her hand. He noted she immediately drew it back, but he ignored that reaction and said to her, "I'm sorry if I insulted you, Annie. I didn't mean to." He was upset with himself because he realized that he had implicitly suggested that she was reacting to his scar. He now knew he hadn't thought of all of the ramifications of what he had said, and he wished that he had simply kept his mouth shut. "I've always related everything that's happened to me to the scar on my lip, and the odd sound of my voice. I should never have made that assumption when you sent me that email. It was very unfair of me. Please accept my apology."
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