I was sorting through some of the notes. I sill hadn’t touched the four girls who picked me up on the gambling boat. Or the three hour-cruise – “a
three-hour cruise.”
Web site said the boat left at 6:30 pm, got back at midnight – sounded like a perfect full-moon jaunt for me. So I eased back through Corpus Christi rush-hour traffic, eased on down to the docks, and eased onboard. Not without a hitch, “Hey, you got a pocketknife or something on you?”
Stroll out to the car and empty my pockets of various accumulated material, and then get metal detected – just like at the airport – only more relaxed. Boarded the boat and ambled up to the free buffet, and there’s a good reason why it was free. I’m, not saying it was bad, but it’s not up to its billing on their website.
I was seated by a, nominally, Maitre d’, and he directed me to table that turned out to be a half dozen ladies from a little German town, just a few miles west of Austin. I broke the ice with asking about luck, gambling, preferences with machines and locations, and at least one of the “girls” had been going to Las Vegas since, well, the good old days.
We shot the breeze; an Aquarius played a witty “what’s my sign” game. Rather engaging conversation. Politics in a small town in Texas. Good, Texas girls. 2 Capricorns, Aquarius and Pisces (or Aries).
The boat heaved out to sea, got past the international line, and the games cranked up. First machine, up $20. Around and around, I was up over $600 at one point, and one day. I’ll learn to listen to my own advice and quit when I’m ahead.
On the way off the boat, Friday night, all the passengers were lined up and ready to disembark. One girl was celebrating a birthday – Aquarius – and she was lamenting that all she really wanted was some pearls. One of the old boys with her, took, a sip off his beer, and murmured, “Should of bought her a six of Pearl Beer, ‘course, I’m more Lone Star man, myself.”
I may not be very bright, but even I wouldn’t have made that comment.
