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Date Posted: 23:23:09 07/31/05 Sun GMT-5
Author: Roger
Author Host/IP: NoHost / 64.39.183.239
Subject: Holiday fare

THE GAME'S ALWAYS RIGGED

The cool air seemed to draw the fair closer. Bobby had thought it might rain, but Rick said,”No.”
“Doesn't smell like rain,” he said.
She sniffed, and decided he was right; it didn't. It was the last night of the Summer Fair, Labour Day, and they had come because a lot of the prices went down, as the hawkers tried to get rid of a much inventory as possible.
At the gate, the ticket taker smiled at Rick, and asked if he and Bobby were together. They were, and she smiled again, and gave him back one ticket and fifty cents change for his dollar. “There's only a couple hours left,” she said, and she nodded to the man at the turnstile, who took Rick's ticket, and let them both in.
They headed for the Midway. They couldn't hold hands on the Midway, as both their parents had friends working on the rides as ticket takers. The woman on the Ferris Wheel said hello to Bobby, and they sat like statues, six inches apart on the seat as the wheel went around and around.
On the Tilt-a-Whirl, Bobby could let herself be thrown against Rick, and he could put his arm around her. They went twice.
They met some friends from school, and did a few more rides together, then split up as their friends went for ice-cream, and Rick and Bobby went to try the games.
They tried the ring-toss, without success, and bypassed a game which gave them the opportunity to win a package of cigarettes by shooting it off a shelf with a cork from a popgun.
At the balloon toss, Rick won a small prize, which turned out to be a plastic toy car. He grinned, and presented it ostentatiously to Bobby, who curtsied in accepting it graciously, and put it in her purse.
They walked slowly down the lane, her shoulder bumping Rick's arm as they walked. Suddenly, a man called out to them. “Hey, fella, wanna win a prize for your lady?”
They both looked to where a seedy looking man stood before an array of prizes on shelves, holding a board with numbers in his left arm, and a handful of darts in his right. “Fifty cents, play for that first row, with the plush toys and things, any prize you want, OK? Ya need a hunnert points”
“Sure,” said Rick. Bobby smiled.
“Now, I want ya ta throw these three darts at once, inta this board, here, OK?”
Bobby threw the darts.
The man plucked them out. “Twenny-five, 12, and 18, that's 55 points. For a half-buck you can try again, OK? You keep these 55 points.” Rick nodded, and threw the darts, after handing over a fifty cent piece.
“Now, 25, 19, and 3, that's 47, with the 55, you got 102 points. You can have a prize, or you can keep going, and try for the second shelf, two throws, you keep the points you got, you need 200, OK?”
“Uh, OK,” said Rick.
Bobby squeezed his arm. “For luck,” she said.
“But it's two dollars a throw, OK?” the man said.
“Uh, OK,” said Rick. He threw the darts.
“That's 15, 18, and 7,” the huckster said. “Thirty-five, makes 137 points.”
Rick tried again, but now found if he wanted to go on, it cost five dollars for his next throw, and he had 194 points and needed 250, and was playing for the next level. The next level had pocketknives, flashlights, and costume jewellery.
Rick slowly counted five dollars in change and small bills. He threw the three darts. He was glazed with sweat and stared blankly as the man counted. “Twenty-five, 13, 16, that's 52, kid, you got 248 points. Wanna go to the next throw? Top row, those two nice portable radios, fishin' rod, nice earrings for your lady. Cost ya 10 bucks, why doncha go for it?”
“That's all I had,” said Rick. “I got no more.”
“Ah, too bad, kid. Tell ya what, you got 248 points. If you can get back here tonight with the ten dollars, I'll let ya have that throw.”
Rick walked slowly away, Bobby slipped her hand under his arm. “Maybe if we can find Jimmy again, he's probably got 10 bucks.”
“How long does it take you to earn ten dollars, Rick?”
“A day and a bit.”
“You think this is worth it?”
“Well, I'm so close. Two points, right?”
“I don't know, Rick. But I have ten dollars.”
“What? Where?”
“In my purse. My mom always makes sure I have taxi fare home.”
“Oh, Bobby! Will you lend it to me? I got a hundred in the bank, I can get it for you tomorrow, honest.”
“OK.” She took a crisp ten from her purse. “Win those earrings for me.”
They went back to the booth. Rick handed over the ten, and threw the darts.
“OK, 21, 17, and 24. That's 52, gives you 290 points, kid. Not enough.”
“But I only needed 250,” Rick protested.
“No, no, you need 300 for the top row. You only got 290. And I gotta close. It's 10:00. Too bad, kid. Good night.”
Rick sagged as if he had been punched in the gut. Bobby pulled him away from the booth, and led him toward the exits. “Those earrings were probably fake, too,” she said. “Learn a lesson?”
He nodded, dumbly.
“And you better get that ten back to me tomorrow at school, 'cause I have to give it back to my mom by the time I get home.”
“Uh,” he said.
“So, walk me home, handsome man,” she said.

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