Life is a roller coaster of ups and downs. There are droughts of chores, work, and pain mixed with momentary glimpses of pleasure, excitement, and hope. What we usually remember the most is when these streaks, good or bad, last for an abnormal amount of time. Inevitably, you take what the dealer gives you, and make what you can out of it, and that determines your mood. Once, there was a streak, a hot streak, and it will go down in history as just another typical failure.

Being helpless, as opposed to being in control, is the worst feeling one can possible have at the blackjack table. Playing the game can be easy as counting to twenty-one, yet as complex as say, the periodic table of elements. I, as a commandment of the gambling fiend that is my uncle, have tried to learn and master this Jedi-like skill of winning at the blackjack table. You have to remain in control of the game, knowing when to hit, stay, double-down, split, and most importantly, when to pick up your chips and walk.

The Scene

It was after spring break, I still had plenty of money to spend, and the cruise back to Ft. Lauderdale from the Bahamas was still t-minus three hours until arrival. Flocks of random college students were running around the boat spending what they had left of their parent's money, or in some cases, trying to win back what they'd lost all week long. I myself budgeted 200 dollars just for the cruise back.

I got to the casino early and found what would be my seat for the next two and a half hours. I ordered a Budweiser, smoked a cigarette, and waited for the dealer to finish shuffling the cards. Budweiser- Because U Deserve What Every Individual Should Ever Receive. Sometimes life talks to you in a weird way, but I was feeling good about this particular time. I was focused, my attitude was that of a silent and confident warrior about to slay a dragon. I laid eighty dollars on the table; the dealer clapped his hands and said good luck.

'Fin to win' was the guy at the end of the table's theory. The kid next to him was drunk already and had obscenities blowing out of his mouth like a water faucet. My personal comic relief was my buddy next to me who had absolutely no clue how to gamble. To the left of him was the body-builder guy who was probably just there to prove his manhood. 'Fin to win' meant the entire game relied on how the deck was cut to determine everyone's luck. The dealer chuckled to himself. I remained poised and silent.

The Streak

I was at war. My winning and losing was consistent, and my situation was unchanged. Fin to win, if you believe in that sort of thing, I was given the red cut card and thus, 'finned' the deck about of the way up. The streak began. Win after win, my bet increased, my chips multiplied. I was on fire; I had won seven hands in a row. I even had the sack to double down with a nine against a dealer's thirteen. I got a nine to give me eighteen, and the dealer busted with king. Endless chills raced about the surface of my body. This is my sanctuary, my new church. I had turned eighty dollars into $240. Indeed, I was single handedly slaying the dragon.

I fought my inner excitement and remained calm and collected, just as my uncle always told me. I was proud of myself, not because I just made a hefty paycheck, but because I was a successful blackjack player. Time was now my enemy. I was not going to leave my seat, the dealin' aint done yet.

The Girl

The seat to the right of me was empty; it had been for a while. There she was, alone, soft, peaceful, spell-bounding. I caught myself staring as she sat next to me. To break myself out of the trance, I had to speak. I said hello, she said hi with a smirk I'll never forget. The emotional high was overpowering. My buddy next to me was shaking his head; he could not believe my current situation, and neither could I. She was beautiful. She was a combination of Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, and this really cute girl in the marching band. Starting with forty, her stack of chips was feeble compared to mine. I sat with my head high and chest out, confident, chill, playing the cool guy role. My streak was still alive.

The first hand dealt to her was blackjack, dealer pays 3 to 2. I get a twelve against a dealer's nine; take a hit, a ten, bust. The smile and wink from the dealer was cold. Next hand, she gets twenty, I get eighteen, dealer hits on a fifteen, gets a four. Remaining suave, not a word came out of her mouth as she looks up and smiles. I wanted to say something, an educated statement about the situation, but I was lost.

Twenty minutes, two beers, three cigarettes later, I've gone ice cold. My blackjack beauty, on the other hand, consistently took incredible hits, double-downs, and had herself a nice job going on. I had to do something. "Not bad!" I said, to start the small talk. She glimpsed at my chips, then at me, and exclaimed how much she loved the game of blackjack. I wanted her hand in marriage. Her voice was smooth, light, sophisticated. She turned her forty dollars into about three hundred, picked up her chips, smiled at me, and walked. I never even got her name.

The Ride

I was now at negative $150, and in the worst possible situation anyone could ever be in at a casino- helpless and trying to win my money back. Not only poor I was, but alone, too. Who was that woman? Why did she leave? Why did I have to sit with her instead of cashing in my stack? The dealer saw it in my eyes. I was washed out, a loser. I had just let my uncle down, and was completely manipulated by of all things, a woman. I should have walked, instead I sat and let her take all the cards I needed.

My streak was amazing, and life challenged me. My uncle is going to kill me when I tell him this story. Did I really lose though? If you ask me, it was just another roller-coaster ride in life's inverted, triple looping, somersaulting, vat of despair, ride of freedom. I had to come back to school, the reality of the world, humanity. It would be a while before I sat at another blackjack table. Maybe I'll catch fire again, I will run the table, take the dealer's money, and still get a wink. Learn from this now, fin to win, and be careful, the blackjack beauty is out there, waiting to double-down on your heart.

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