Never-ending Debt

"Now pay up Shamus, you bet heads five times and lose it all," said Delton. "You don't walk in here in debt, trying to pay off debt. We're an establishment not some back-alley chumps."

"Here's the money, I'll have the rest next week"

Receiving two blows to the face and knocking out a front tooth. Wiping the mud off his brown knitted suit. Tails he thinks; tails land five times, I'll be back tomorrow after work, when Old-Man-Willis clocks out I'll swipe the register and be on my merry way.

At the register waiting for Willis to clock out; he stops over, fixing his bow-tie with a mysterious look in his eye. "Son whatcha up to? No good, I noticed you were missing a tooth and now that I'm close on ya, I see a whole-lotta bruising."

"There's been no problems at all, matter of fact I slept like a bird and this 'bruising' from a pillow, I must've slept wrong."

"Well ain't no pillow knock ya tooth out" he said. Walking out the door and tipping his hat to the two bulky men coming in.

"It's been next week shamus and Boss wants his money," the Goon said while grabbing a bag of chips from the rack and eating them. The other Goon knocking stuff off the shelves.

"I'll have it tonight," shamus said. "We'll see" dropping the bag of chips and ice-cream wrapper on the floor. "You don't want me waking you up tomorrow with a knuckle sandwich.

Cleaning out the register and all he could scrape up. Shamus makes his way to The Spot and gets stopped for jaywalking. It's officer Strauss stepping out of his vehicle.

"I know the light was Red but I'm in a bit of a hurry," Shamus said. 

"Yeah that's funny, we just got a call about a break-in at the store, you know anything about that?"

"No sir just on my way home and running a bit late. Pops medication keeps him in bed, I didn't want to keep him waiting any longer."

"Well alright get yourself home and tell ya pops we miss him on the force."

"Alright, I will." Rushing off to The Spot. Wondering if they must've broken in the store and trash it cause I'm running late.

"Shamus, you got my money? We came looking for you but you weren't working"

"I'm here to pay and play so here's your money and this round I choose tails"

Dalton rolls the dice and flips the coin, it lands on heads and Shamus loses again.  

"Double or nothing," he said. With his hands full of hair

"See him out Boys"

Stealing from the store and losing all the money he's worked for over the years. He comes up with another idea and that is to steal the rest of his dad's medicine and sell it. Thinking if he bets on both then he'll win both hands as long as the majority is one or the other but which one. If Pops' pill bottles are facing me heads if not tails.

"Hey pops, how was your day?"

"Good, another day at the job and waiting on that retirement. Every year it's like they push the time back" sitting in the dark with just the light from the T.V screen. "Hey son have you seen your mother out front, we got into a bit of an argument about my work hours. A man with a badge has no clock out time." 

"Yeah Pops she's out front and will be in, in just a few minutes."

Shamus' mother had passed away for some years and he had to move back home to take care of his dad. He made a promise to his dad that he would look after them if things ever got bad and he still kept to that promise while battling his gambling addiction.

Shamus bets fifty-fifty with a majority on heads. The coin flips and lands on heads. Shamus had won the bet with enough to pay for the repairs and replacement of the store. He returns home with the medicine he stole from his father plus more. 

While walking into work the following day he stopped. Willis had a question to ask.

"Shamus we were Vandalized, do you know anything about that?" 

"No not at all."

"Yeah well you see the thing is, is that nobody touched the registers and were cleared out,  would you know anything about that?"

"No sir" he looked around the register and slipped a bulk of cash besides the register and said. "You might overlook it because here it is."

Wrinkles grow around Willi's face, he takes the money and gets back to work.

With a few dollars remaining in his pockets, he decides to go bet it all and challenges his luck. Same bet as usual; however, this time everythings on heads. The coin is tossed and heads it is, he's tripled his money. He does the same bet again with the same results. "Winner," he has quadrupled his money and is tempted to leave. He goes for another bet with everything on the line (all or nothing) same bet. The coin flips and he is the loser. Forcefully removed from the building thrown out back into the mud.

He goes home in time to prep his father's meal for the day and hang out with him. Talking about his father's day as a police officer and the criminals he caught. 

Checking in to work the next day and being a lot more humble. Getting along with Willis and asking about his wife who also has alzheimers.  

He gets off work counting the money he has in his pocket and adding it to his check. Shamus reminisces on the Roll he had just a week ago and convince he could beat it. He heads The Spot.

"Dalton, I heard y'all were selling; so I came to buy yall out."

"We ain't that low for a thousand dollar bet."

"Yeah, I bet four rolls, the same as last on heads. Can you do it?"

"Easy money,'' he said." "Money on the wood let me know it's all good."