Antigua has Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets, Chinese everything. Maybe the Chinese even supplied the corregated iron, barbed wire, and the bars for windows, doors, and roofs that adorn many premises. Chinese bought much of Antigua. Hidden away in bars, stories abound of Antiguan business people who refused to sell, until their shops ‘burned down’.
‘Come inside,’ a Chinese looking man said. ‘And I’ll give you $10 for free.’
Nothing is free. Where’s the con? I looked at his weathered features, and his paint-peeled hut. Could be interesting. ‘OK,’ I said. ‘If it’s free.’
‘Roll the dice,’ he said, standing behind a green cloth topped table by slot machines where people sat. Strange, there’s no sound of coins or ‘music’ from the machines. ‘Words are printed in red, by black boxes with symbols inside. To the right are printed “The Rules.”’
As a teenager, I worked for a school holiday job in an amusement park. I was taught something terrible on a darts stall – how to fleece every penny from a ‘face’, a gullible looking single person. Maybe I am the ‘face’ for this man. I wonder how he will try to trick money from me?
‘Well done!’ he said. ‘Perfect roll! Look at the symbol on that square. You have just doubled your money! Roll again.’
I did.
‘Wow,’ he exclaimed. ‘Some people never win. You’ve just doubled your money again.’
‘Great,’ I said. ‘May I have my winnings please? I make that $40.’
His fingers pointed to a symbol in a square, then another and another, fast. ‘You see,’ he said, ‘if you win $40 it means you have to bet it all on one throw on that square.’
‘I can’t see it says that.’
‘It does. That’s the game, that’s what it says. Look, look and look.’ Looks like this is the hustle. His fingers flashed over squares again. ‘Look, I’ll show you.’ He took the $40 of chips from my hand and placed them on a square. ‘Now roll the dice.’ I don’t have much choice. ‘Oh no, what a shame,’ he said. ‘Your roll is one number out. You’ve lost all your money. So close!’
I waited quietly for his punch line. ‘There’s no punch line,’ he said. ‘Except I’ll help you win next time.’
‘Maybe I’ll leave now.’
‘You can’t leave. All you need is $10 of your own money. You were so close last time, you’ll win this time. Give me $10. You can’t leave yet,’ he repeated.
His tone is aggressive. I mustn’t touch my money pocket. It’s time to find an escape. Oh dear, ‘slot machine players’ in the room have come closer. ‘This is getting exciting,’ I said. I’ll switch on the camera without him noticing. ‘I’ll just take a quick photo of you and the gambling table to show friends.’ He tried to turn away and get out of the way, but I was too fast, and snapped him. I turned to take a photo of the slot machine players who were now quite close.
He looked at the slot machine players and nodded. They peeled away. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘You’ve won.’
I waited for a punch line.
‘The punch line you’ve won is, you can leave for free. Now. Collect your winnings of freedom.’
In nearby Baker’s Bar, I shared a beer and the story with a toothless man, Melvin. ‘Love your story man. Not many get their money away from that guy. You’re easy, man.’ He tried to shine a toothless grin from a blackened mouth. ‘You’re easy, man,’ he repeated. ‘Easy rider, like the film.’
I suppose that’s it. I try to ride easy through a tough life in a tough world. Sometimes it’s easy to ride through tough darkness and win to bring in bright light. Sometimes, there’s no easy ride, and unspeakable loss is possible. And sometimes, like on this occasion, it’s best to agree a draw.
‘Come inside,’ a Chinese looking man said. ‘And I’ll give you $10 for free.’
Nothing is free. Where’s the con? I looked at his weathered features, and his paint-peeled hut. Could be interesting. ‘OK,’ I said. ‘If it’s free.’
‘Roll the dice,’ he said, standing behind a green cloth topped table by slot machines where people sat. Strange, there’s no sound of coins or ‘music’ from the machines. ‘Words are printed in red, by black boxes with symbols inside. To the right are printed “The Rules.”’
As a teenager, I worked for a school holiday job in an amusement park. I was taught something terrible on a darts stall – how to fleece every penny from a ‘face’, a gullible looking single person. Maybe I am the ‘face’ for this man. I wonder how he will try to trick money from me?
‘Well done!’ he said. ‘Perfect roll! Look at the symbol on that square. You have just doubled your money! Roll again.’
I did.
‘Wow,’ he exclaimed. ‘Some people never win. You’ve just doubled your money again.’
‘Great,’ I said. ‘May I have my winnings please? I make that $40.’
His fingers pointed to a symbol in a square, then another and another, fast. ‘You see,’ he said, ‘if you win $40 it means you have to bet it all on one throw on that square.’
‘I can’t see it says that.’
‘It does. That’s the game, that’s what it says. Look, look and look.’ Looks like this is the hustle. His fingers flashed over squares again. ‘Look, I’ll show you.’ He took the $40 of chips from my hand and placed them on a square. ‘Now roll the dice.’ I don’t have much choice. ‘Oh no, what a shame,’ he said. ‘Your roll is one number out. You’ve lost all your money. So close!’
I waited quietly for his punch line. ‘There’s no punch line,’ he said. ‘Except I’ll help you win next time.’
‘Maybe I’ll leave now.’
‘You can’t leave. All you need is $10 of your own money. You were so close last time, you’ll win this time. Give me $10. You can’t leave yet,’ he repeated.
His tone is aggressive. I mustn’t touch my money pocket. It’s time to find an escape. Oh dear, ‘slot machine players’ in the room have come closer. ‘This is getting exciting,’ I said. I’ll switch on the camera without him noticing. ‘I’ll just take a quick photo of you and the gambling table to show friends.’ He tried to turn away and get out of the way, but I was too fast, and snapped him. I turned to take a photo of the slot machine players who were now quite close.
He looked at the slot machine players and nodded. They peeled away. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘You’ve won.’
I waited for a punch line.
‘The punch line you’ve won is, you can leave for free. Now. Collect your winnings of freedom.’
In nearby Baker’s Bar, I shared a beer and the story with a toothless man, Melvin. ‘Love your story man. Not many get their money away from that guy. You’re easy, man.’ He tried to shine a toothless grin from a blackened mouth. ‘You’re easy, man,’ he repeated. ‘Easy rider, like the film.’
I suppose that’s it. I try to ride easy through a tough life in a tough world. Sometimes it’s easy to ride through tough darkness and win to bring in bright light. Sometimes, there’s no easy ride, and unspeakable loss is possible. And sometimes, like on this occasion, it’s best to agree a draw.
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