Sarah was diligently working one of the slot machines when Richard entered the Casa Blanca Resort Casino and Hotel. He'd spotted her at one of the rows of slots near the registration desk and watched her as he registered and was issued his room keys and paid the clerk. A nicely designed sign pointed to the elevators and restaurants.
"What are the eating establishments?" Richard asked.
"There are two," the clerk told the man. "Rosemary's is fine dining and The Purple Fez is casual, coffee shop, bistro, that sort of thing," he told the man.
"Thank you, Juan," Richard said, noting the man's nametag.
"Have a good night, Sir," the clerk said as Richard turned to follow the directions to the Purple Fez.
Richard went to the maitre d's podium at the entrance common to both the fine restaurant and the casual bistro. There he was handed off, as it were, to Carla the hostess for the Purple Fez. She seated him, left a menu for him and went to summon the waitress. Angie brought an iced water with a section of lemon wedged along the rim, greeted him and asked if he would like anything to drink first, or was he ready to order. He asked for Corona with lime and perused the menu. The big hamburger looked great and he decided that's what he'd order. When the waitress returned with the Mexican beer he was ready to order.
"I'm sorry, the whatever goes on the damn thing, didn't come in this afternoon and we've run out. I am SO SORRY," she apologized.
"That's alright. The Chicken Dinner Enchilada sounds great too."
"Oh yes it IS good. You'll like that. It'll take about ten minutes."
"Good. Thank you," Richard said and Angie took the order to the kitchen. At a table in the next dining area, an older foursome was seated. After ordering they talked about the recent travels of the couple on one side of the booth, travels through New Mexico and the touristy things to do and places to see there. The man was talking about the cliff dwellings, but Richard listened how the man reluctantly could not participate in the more arduous tours. He did listen with attention to the man's descriptions of the farming methods used, for example to grow corn in the desert, how they dug deep down to moist soil beneath the sand and grew what looked like stunted growth, but the stalk from roots to the first ear of corn was underground. The whole stalk was pretty much the same size as corn grown in any other place, it just looked different. A few other crops were grown in a similar manner. The discussion continued with conversation back and forth between the two couples while Richard eavesdropped and drank the first of two beers.
When his food arrived he ordered a second beer. After a few minutes Angie brought it out and sat it on the table for him. While he was eating, Sarah strolled through the bistro and out the east door just a few yards away from Richard's table. After another few minutes she came back inside. Richard had admired her from the beginning, HIS PERFECT TYPE of woman, older, now that he was past 60, shoulder blade length hair, nearly drained of its color, yet still streaked with what used to be yellow and brown but had now turned mostly a creamy gray. She was short and heavy, a delicious plump, plus sized woman, Richard's favorite. She wore a cream-colored peasant top that fell down past the waistband of the blue and gray denim shorts to mid thighs and, the latest fad footwear, crocs, on her feet. Her makeup was a little too overdone, her fingernails and toenails painted an outlandishly bright color that attracted more attention than hands and fingers SHOULD attract, but Richard was fascinated, nonetheless. She walked past the man, through the bistro and back into the casino.
Richard enjoyed his dinner, laid a generous tip on the table for the friendly and efficient waitress and left to wander through the casino. Obviously he was hoping to find Sarah still feeding dimes, quarters and dollar bills into the machines in the what ever they call the "floor" of the place. When he found her he stopped for a few seconds to watch the machine roll over and over and over again as she fed money into the hungry little mouth of the one armed bandit. He'd written his name and room number on the back of a card from the registration desk. He handed it to her and told her, "When you get tired of spending your money, you're welcome to join me here."
"Oh, thank you. Tonight is going to be a good night for you ..." she said looking at the card again ... "Richard. I'm Sarah, by the way," the early 50's looking woman said, putting out her hand to the man.
"Nice meeting you, Sarah. I'll look forward to enjoying your company, at your leisure."
She held up seven or eight dollar bills and said, "This is the last of the money I've won tonight, and if it doesn't pay me back I'll be even, and then I'll quit. If you can wait just a couple more minutes."
"Okay, I'll wait and watch," he told her as she fed one of the bills into the proverbial slot. The numbers rolled over and over and then stopped, left box first, then middle, then right. No matches. Another dollar. Again, no matches. Another dollar. The windows rolled and rolled then stopped on a 7 in the left frame, a 7 in the middle and ... WHOA! A 7 in the third frame. A handful of quarters poured out of the insides of the machine. Another dollar, only three more. Nothing. Another dollar, and only two frames matched. Another dollar, one more to go. And ANOTHER small jackpot of quarters poured out of the machine. She scooped them into the little plastic bucket like she'd done with the first jackpot and fed in her last dollar. Another disappointment, no jackpot. But she had made an additional $58.75 in quarters and walked away happy after cashing them in at the cashiers' windows. She dropped the change into one zippered compartment of her purse and the bills in another. Turning from the cashier's window, she took hold of Richard's left upper arm and said, "Shall we go?"
"Yes, let's." The two walked out of the gambling floor, past the registration desk to the elevators. Inside, Richard pushed the 6 button and the doors closed.
After a few seconds she asked, "So why me?"
"Excuse me?"
She said, "Why have you hit on me?"
"I enjoy the shape of your body. You're an older woman. I certainly don't want a young shapely bimbo when I can enjoy a nice aged cherubic lady like you."