Christmas... PART 2

Robert nodded and sipped a little of the wine while resting his eyes on the naked shoulders of the waitress. 'Pretty,' he thought. 'And that fiery look in her eyes!'

He glanced at the dealer's hand throwing the small white ball before turning back to the girl.

“How do you know my name?”

“How?” the girl replied after a short pause. “It's easy… I saw it on your credit card when you first bought your chips at the cashier window. I was delivering a drink to another player who was right behind you in the line. So, I saw your name on your card when you handed it to the cashier.”

“I see,” Robert said and then he placed his drink into a cup holder on the table. “Excuse me,” he added, “I need to keep an eye on the ball, it's ready to drop.”

“I bet you'll win again,” the girl said. “And then you should quit before you start losing… Let me know if you need me, I'll be here for another fifteen minutes.”

“And then?” Robert said automatically. He immediately regretted his question.

The waitress was quick to respond: “And then my shift is over, I'll be heading home. Or… we could have a drink together.”

Exactly what Robert was afraid of. He had absolutely no intention to pick up anyone for the night, especially not a teenager looking girl. He did not feel that young anymore and he wanted no complications that could result from an adventure like this. He also regretted that he began drinking the second glass of wine. Alcohol never did him any good.

“Well...” he started but for a few moments he could not find the right words to continue. He wanted to be careful not to offend the girl. “You're kind,” he said then, “but I've already had too much to drink. Besides, I am getting very sleepy so when I stop playing, and that will be soon, I'll just go to bed.”

The waitress left with a disappointed look on her face.

Robert's bets were on the right number again. When he saw the dealer pushing another stack of chips to his pile, he was shaking his head in disbelief.

“How can this be happening?” he said to himself while looking at the dealer who was getting ready to roll the little plastic ball again.

“Place your bets please!” the dealer urged the players.

Robert hesitated, for the first time since he started playing about an hour earlier. He thought he should, indeed, just stop right there, cash in all his chips and leave the casino. What a shocking change! He had never won before. He had played quite a lot since he discovered gambling a long time ago. If he could now have all his losses in a savings account, he would have no financial problems at all.

After the ball dropped, the dealer swept all the chips off the table.

“That's it,” Robert told the dealer, “I'm going to cash in.”

“No way,” the dealer said laughing, “you can't leave now. Just look at all your winnings! You're on a roll.”

Robert smiled and tipped the dealer. He drank the wine he still had in his glass, collected his chips and walked over to the cashier window.

After his chips were counted, he received a little over five million Hungarian forints.

'Almost fifteen thousand US dollars,' Robert did a quick calculation while stuffing the bills into his pockets.

He started for the main entrance but one of the fancy looking slot machines caught his attention. He stopped right in front of that machine and looked at the pictures on its wheels. At this time, he was sure he could not be tempted to continue gambling. He stopped mainly to rest a bit after all the excitement he went through at the roulette table. He wanted to regain his calm before exiting the casino, so he just stood there as if he was studying the odds. Actually, he was trying to do some thinking… He left San Francisco, where he lived, about a week earlier. He took his two-week vacation and came to visit his native Hungary. Not that he could really afford vacationing in Europe, but he was so homesick he had to come. His financial situation was already so bad, making it even worse did not make much of a difference. At least, that's how he viewed it… His salary was just enough to pay the rent, his car payment, the insurances, the utility bills and his credit card payments. He owed about twelve thousand dollars to credit card companies. His car, with over two-hundred thousand miles on it, was ripe for a change.

'Well,' he thought and sighed, 'it looks like this evening is going to change my life. I'll pay off my credit cards and make a down-payment on a brand new car.'

“Thinking about playing a little more?” he heard the young waitress' voice.

He turned around.

“Here, I brought this for you,” she said offering him another glass of wine.

“Oh, no!” Robert smiled at the girl. “I really shouldn't drink this… I've had two glasses and that's already way over the limit for me. I can hardly stand straight anymore.”

“Come on Robert,” the waitress giggled, “you look like a strong man, I'm sure you can handle one more drink.”

“All right,” the man replied. “Just put it down here. Perhaps I'll play a little on this machine and drink this wine later… Wait!”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the large bills he received from the cashier.

“Keep this!” he said handing the bill to the girl. “You're very kind.”

“This?!” the waitress answered with her eyes wide open while reaching for the money. “This… this is ten thousand forints.”

“I know,” Robert said. “Take it.”

“All of it?!”

“Yes, it's all yours.”

“Wow!” the girl replied putting the bill into a pocket on her mini skirt. Somewhat hesitantly, she added: “I guess… I guess you want something else from me?” She bit her lower lip as she looked at Robert from the corner of her eyes.

“No, that's it,” the man said. “Thanks for the drinks. Actually, wait!” He picked up his glass, drank about half of the wine and placed the rest on the waitress' tray. “Thanks again. Good night.”

Without waiting for any response, he headed for the cloakroom where he checked out his winter coat and his hat.

After stepping out of the casino, he looked at the hotel entrance where someone was getting into a taxi cab. First, he thought he should just go up to his hotel room and retire for the night. He glanced at his watch. It was almost half past midnight. He made a few steps toward the entrance but then he changed his mind. 'No, I can't possibly go to sleep yet after all the excitement… Besides, I drank too much, I need to take a good walk.'

He concluded that the money was safer in his pocket than being left in his room. And no need to worry about getting mugged in the streets of Budapest, not even at this hour.

He started walking toward the Chain Bridge where a couple of people were waiting at the tram stop. After a few steps, he stopped, turned around, and headed in the opposite direction. When he got to a small 24/7 grocery store, he stopped for a moment and looked inside through the shop window. 'I don't need anything,' he thought and walked on.

Traffic was very light, only a few passenger cars passed him.

'I must be the only fool out here on foot in this bitter cold night,' the thought flashed through his mind.

He wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled the zip of his coat all the way up.

Walking rather aimlessly for a while, he found himself near the big Soviet monument.

“Really?” he said loudly. “I came all the way to Liberty Square?”

He decided it was time to return to the hotel.

“Oh, no! What's happening here?” he wondered out loud when he got to the bench where the old man was lying motionless.

He stopped, and for a few moments he just stood there not knowing what he should do next. He immediately realized, he can not just walk by. 'This man could already be dead,' he thought, 'or he would surely freeze to death soon left out here.'

He cautiously leaned closer and touched the old man's coat.

“Hey!” he said and gently shook the man's arm. “Hey, wake up!”

After several attempts, he heard a vague moaning sound.

“All right!” he said releasing a sigh. “So you're not dead yet.”

“Dead?” he heard the old man's horse voice. “Why would I be dead?”

“Oh, man, what are you doing out here sleeping on a bench?! Here, give me your hand and let me pull you up into a sitting position.”

The old man tried to raise his arm but it was too numb.

“Wait a bit, if you don't mind,” he said slowly in a feeble voice, “my arms are not wake yet.”

“Not wake?! They are probably frozen.”

“That could be… Are you from the police?”

“Heck, no!” Robert raised his voice. “Why would I be from the police?!”

“Well, you're questioning me… Who else would stop and ask me questions?”

“I assure you I'm not a policeman… or anybody from any organization. I'm just a simple man like you… and I just stopped to see why you would be out here freezing to death.”

“Well, grab my arm… I might be able to move now.”

“Can you also stand?” Robert asked after he pulled up the old man.

“Probably not right away,” came the answer, “but why would you want me to stand up?”

“Why?” For a moment, Robert was not sure what to say as he thought he might be just intruding on someone's privacy.

“Yeah, why?” repeated the old man.

Now that he could see the face under the streetlight, Robert could tell that the man was much older than he was.

“I think I can tell from the pain in your voice that you're not on a joyride out here… You're homeless, aren't you?”

The old man sighed. “You could put it that way,” he said quietly.

“Why?” Robert asked.

The old man did not answer right away. “Long story,” he said finally.

“Can you give me a short version?”

“A short version? Sure… Mafia.”

“What do you mean by mafia?”

“Haven't you heard of the Budapest real estate mafia?”

Robert shook his head. “No, never heard of that. Can you tell me more?”

The old man coughed trying to clear his throat, then he was quiet for a while.

“Look, young man,” he said finally, “I don't know who you are… and why you are wasting your time… with me. I think you'd better just get going and let me lay back down… because I am about to fall asleep anyway.”

“You know what, old man?!” Robert raised his voice again. “You are not about just to fall asleep… If I walk away and leave you here, you'll be nothing but a piece of very dead ice before daybreak. So, don't expect me to walk away. Here, give me your arm again and get on your feet. You are coming with me.”

“I wonder where,” the old man tried to resist.

“Where ever… It's a place much warmer than this damn bench.”

He grabbed the old man by the arm and made him stand on his feet.

“Wait!” the old man said when Robert began to pull him away from the bench. He tried to reach for his plastic bag.

“What's in that bag?” Robert asked. “Anything valuable? Personal belongings?”

“Nothing really… just some clothes.”

“Leave them! I'll get you new ones tomorrow.”

“Get me new ones?” The old man sounded amazed. “Are you a millionaire or something?”

“Yeah, I'm a millionaire,” Robert said laughing. “Okay… Can you walk if I hold you by your arm?”

“During the day, my knees were aching… but now they are so numb I can't even feel them.”

“I'll help you. Just hold on to me.”

It took some time before they reached the hotel.

When Robert led him to the entrance, the old man began to protest.
“No way!” he said. “I'm not going in there.”

“Why?”

“Why? Well, I tell you why. A couple of times I used the men's room in the lobby. The second time they caught me and I was told not to set my feet in that lobby ever again.”

“Don't worry! You're coming with me… as my guest. I don't see a doorman anyway, and the receptionist is probably taking a nap… Let's go!”

As Robert suspected, the clerk at the front desk had his head resting on his arms behind the counter. By the time he was waking up, they got inside the elevator.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Robert said after he closed the door of his room. “Just throw down that ragged heavy winter coat of yours. We'll get you a new one tomorrow.”

The old man was shaking his head. „Why? Indeed, why are you doing this... to me? Are you really a millionaire?”

Robert laughed.

“No, man, I'm not a millionaire.” He took off his coat and threw it onto one of the two beds, then he opened the small refrigerator and took out a bottle of orange juice. “I'll open this if you are thirsty, although it's ice cold. I'm not sure this is what you'd be craving right now. There is nothing else here that I could offer… Hey, don't just stand there! There are chairs if you feel like sitting down, or you can settle on the other bed if you'd rather lie down… So, should I fill up a glass for you?”

The old man shook his head. “No, thanks, I don't like orange juice anyway.” After he managed to free himself from his big coat which he pushed close to the wall on the carpet, he sat into one of the soft armchairs.

Robert pulled the other chair and seated himself at the other side of the table facing the old man. “Well,” he said. “Now we can talk. We both have our questions still unanswered… I was puzzled by you sleeping outside and you're wondering why I brought you in here… All right, I'll go first. Although, it's possible you won't fully understand what I'll say… Now, if you're tired and you'd rather go to sleep, I don't want to keep you up. You know, we can talk tomorrow.”

“No,” the old man rushed to say shaking his head at the same time. “I'm not tired at all.”

“If you get sleepy, just lie down. We'll continue tomorrow.”

“I couldn't possibly sleep right now.”

“All right. So…” For a moment, Robert looked at the vase on the table and pressed on his forehead with the tip of his thumb. He head a slight headache. Must be from the drinks, he thought. “If you knew my life,” he continued, “you wouldn't ask me your question… I have seen many homeless people before and sometimes I felt ashamed of myself… Now, of course, it's not my fault that people go so broke they lose everything, and it's also not my responsibility to solve their problems… or even to help them in any way… However, I've been so careless and irresponsible with my money… Well, I've been a gambler most of my adult life. I have lost so much money, it's insane. And you know what? Many times when I walked out of a casino losing a bunch again, I always felt guilty… and I thought I should have just given that money to someone who can no longer get back on his or her feet alone.”

While talking, Robert was looking at the old man's face. At one point he had the feeling he saw this face before.

The old man was not looking at him but he seemed to be listening carefully. He had his hands resting on his laps, and his glance was slowly moving back and forth over the table.

“Well,” continued Robert, “something strange happened to me today… You wouldn't guess.” He laughed briefly. “I played again, right next door in the casino… and, for a change, I won.”

The old man raised his glance. “And so,” he began, “when you saw me on that bench, you thought your chance to help arrived… It's very kind of you. Although, you were right, I don't fully understand. What you're doing is not typical around here. People are now so desensitized, they just walk by us homeless, as if we were pieces of stone along the sidewalk.”

“I'm not from around here,” Robert answered quietly.

“I didn't think you were. May I ask where you come from?”

“Last few years, I've lived in San Francisco.”

“Oh! That's different,” the old man nodded a few times. “That's definitely different. But… you were born here in Hungary, weren't you?”

“I was… but now it's your turn. I'd really like to know why you're homeless. If you don't mind telling me.”

The old man sighed. “There isn't much more to it,” he said, “I was stupid and the mafia took advantage of me… I know, you'd like to hear some details. All right, I'll give you some details. Although, if you had lived here during the last few years, nothing I'll say would be new to you. The newspapers are full of articles about these swindles, yet they keep happening. Some clever pricks, often with the help of lawyers, use loopholes to get rich. Capitalism is still new here, the law is not fully prepared to stop cheating. I should have been more careful… Here it is in a nutshell. Shortly after our daughter left us, marrying an American businessman and moving to the US, my wife died. I felt devastated. I got ill, lost my job. I had been unemployed for years. In the meantime, I used up whatever savings I had. Since I was still unable to find work in my field, I learned a new trade. I went to work as a bus driver. Not long after I started on my new job, I had an accident due to icy road conditions. The company told me I was too old to drive a bus and fired me. I had no choice but to take early retirement. The money I received was hardly enough to live on. I could not continue making the fairly high mortgage payments so I tried to sell the house. After having it on the market for months, I still had not a single offer. Foreclosure was looming when someone approached me with a loan offer. The bank wouldn't lend me so I was happy to sign the contract. Now, don't ask me how I lost my house if I had enough money to continue paying on my mortgage because I still don't understand what exactly happened. The fact is that I did not read the fine print when I signed for that new loan… and even if I had read it I probably wouldn't have understood it. One day I was taken to court by the lender and soon after that I was forced to move out because, as I was informed, I was no longer the legal owner of my house. So, I was out on the street. My social security income wouldn't have been enough to cover any kind of rent, not even a room, if I also wanted to feed myself.”

They were both silent for some time.

......

Click Christmas... PART 3 under Menu