Tilly and the Crazy Eights

by Monique Gray Smith

  After everyone was checked in and had their room keys, Mabel gathered them and handed out pieces of paper with the name of the hotel and her cell phone number. It had been a long travel day and everyone was exhausted. As a group, they decided to call it an early night and meet for lunch the next day.

  Each of them headed off to their rooms with their assigned roommates.

  Once Lucy and Mable had unpacked and washed up they tucked into bed for the night. But sleep was the last thing Lucy wanted to do. Her dream, Las Vegas, was just outside the door. This was, after all, her bucket list item! Lying in bed waiting for Mabel to fall asleep was excruciating. Finally, when she was sure Mabel was asleep, Lucy slid on her clothes, tucked a twenty-dollar bill into the back pocket of her jeans, and snuck out, forgetting her key on the TV stand.

  Lucy took the elevator down and followed the signs to the casino. Standing at its entrance, she closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the sounds. The whir of the machines spinning, the clanking of money in the slot trays, the waitress asking someone close by if they’d like a drink, and somewhere in the background Bruce Springsteen was singing “Glory Days.” Lucy was acutely aware of the ginormous smile across her face. She found a Lucky 7 slot machine in the five-cent section. Putting her twenty-dollar bill into the slot, she got four hundred credits and thought to herself, Why not? Lucy hit the maximum bet button. The machine went crazy and Lucy watched as her first spin netted a hundred and fifty dollars. She did a little dance, singing to herself, “Oh yeah, oh yeah, Lucy’s in Vegas and she’s winnin’! Lucy’s in Vegas and she’s winnin’!” She didn’t care who might be watching—actually, she rarely cared who was watching. Lucy continued to play the same machine until her small winnings stopped. At this point she had no idea how long she had been sitting there. Thrilled with her luck, she decided to cash out and tucked her one hundred and ninety-two dollar winnings into her pocket. She began to wander through the casino and, before she knew it, she was out on the street amongst the crowd.

  After going with the flow of people for a while, Lucy noticed a Subway and Cinnabon sign. Cinnabon was her favorite. She followed the sign into a casino and through a maze of machines, smoke hanging heavy in the air. The sign led her past a larger than average machine with a fancy red velvet chair. She couldn’t resist taking a seat. Lucy dug into her pocket for a couple of quarters and put them into the machine, but they fell through to the change container. She gathered them and tried again, and again. “Damn machine,” she said under her breath.

  A woman came to stand beside her. Lucy looked her over, all too familiar with big city women like this. She was wearing a tight white blouse with her boobs popping out, a skirt that was far too short to wear in public, and heels like Lucy had only ever seen on TV. Lucy tried one more time to put her quarters in, but they came out again. That’s when the woman, speaking with a Southern twang, said, “You and your little quarters need to go somewhere else. This is a twenty-five-dollar machine.”

  “Oh,” Lucy said in a snarky tone, “I knew that.” She grabbed her quarters and tried to slide gracefully off the red velvet chair. Walking away as fast as she could, she stopped momentarily to turn around and stick her tongue out at the back of the snooty lady. She hated how people like that made her feel. Small, inferior, lesser than, all of that and more. She could hear Mabel’s voice in her head, “Nobody can make you feel anything, Lucy.” She knew this, but for some reason at times like this she didn’t believe it.

  After walking through the casino for a few minutes, Lucy realized she was lost. Shit, which direction did I come from? As she continued to walk, her chest tightened. She couldn’t find an exit to the street, but she did find a wall with telephones. Staring at them for a long time, she realized that she must do what she least wanted to do. Call her daughter.

  When she felt prepared for her daughter’s lecture, Lucy dialed 0.

  “This is the operator, how can I help you?”

  “I have to phone home. Collect.”

  “Okay, Ma’am. What’s your name?”

  “Lucy.”

  “Well, Lucy. What’s the number you’d like to call?”

  Lucy gave him her daughter Cheryl’s number and held her breath while the phone rang. Cheryl answered groggily, “Hello?”

  “Hello, Ma’am. I have a collect call from Lucy. Will you accept?”

  It took her daughter a moment to answer, “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’ll connect you now,” said the operator.

  Cheryl sat up in bed, startled awake by the call. “Ma, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything’s okay.”

  “Then why are you calling me collect at four in the morning?”

  Lucy took a deep breath. “I’m lost.”

  “Lost?” Cheryl slid out of bed, put on her slippers and wrapped her housecoat around her as a shiver ran through her body. “Where are you lost, Ma?”

  “Well if I knew that I wouldn’t be lost now, would I?” Lucy snapped at her daughter.

  “I mean where are you? Like what city?”

  “Las Vegas.” Lucy held the phone out and braced herself for Cheryl’s response.

  “Oh, Ma. Really? Your first night in Vegas and you’re lost?”

  This was exactly why Lucy had not wanted to call. “But I won a hundred and ninety-two dollars,” she said.

  She heard Cheryl sigh. “Are you in a hotel?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “Well, I’m in a casino and most of those are in hotels, aren’t they?”

  Cheryl didn’t have time for this. She was working the early shift and her alarm would soon be going off. “What does the casino look like?”

  “Well, there’s lots of machines and bright lights and loud music playing.”

  “Ma, you’ve just described every casino in Vegas.”

  “Oh.” Lucy giggled.

  “Do you see anything else?”

  Lucy scanned the area around the phones. “Nope.”

  “’Kay, this is what we’re gonna do, Ma. You need to ask someone walking by what hotel you’re at.”

  “They’re all white people and the last white woman I talked to wasn’t very nice to me.”

  Exasperated and exhausted, Cheryl didn’t have patience for her mom. “Help me to help you, Ma.” Then a pause between every word, “Just. Ask. Some. One.”

  “Fine.” Then under her breath Lucy muttered, “Betty Bossy-boots.”

  The first person to walk by was a man.

  “’Scuse me, can you help me?”

  “Depending what kind of help you lookin’ for, young lady.” He smiled and winked at her. Lucy blushed, raised her shoulder like a school girl and playfully said to him, “You know, I’m not young.”

  Cheryl could not believe what she was hearing. “Ma, I can hear you. Stop flirting and ask him where you are.”

  “Oh yeah.” She turned to look back up at the gentleman. “What hotel is this?”

  “This here is the Treasure Island Hotel.”

  Lucy smiled at him coyly. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime for you and those dimples, sweetheart,” he replied as he sauntered away.

  Lucy giggled. Her daughter’s voice brought her back from her flirtation.

  “Ma, was that all necessary?”

  “What? I did as you asked. I found out what hotel I’m at. It’s Treasure Island.”

  “I’m going to call Rose and she’ll send someone to get you. Keep asking people to direct you to the lobby of the hotel and stay there. Do not move!”

  Lucy scanned the signs above her to see if any of them directed her to the lobby. One did, and she felt a sense of relief.

  “Ma, did you hear me?” Cheryl repeated, “Do. Not. Move!”

  “Yes, dear.” Lucy hung up and
shook her head. She loved her daughter, but sometimes she was so damn pushy.

  Cheryl called Rose, but there was no answer. That’s when she remembered that Mabel had given the families a list of phone numbers. She turned on the light and headed to the kitchen to find it.

  The ringing cell phone woke Mabel from a deep sleep. As she opened her eyes and saw the empty bed beside her, she knew exactly why it was ringing.

  17

  Mr. Chucky to the Rescue

  CHUCK HAD NEVER been one to sleep in and, as he got older, his early mornings had become middle of the nights. Today was no exception, but he hadn’t been prepared for his phone ringing shortly after four in the morning. He looked at the call display. Mabel Billy.

  “Mabel? Everything okay?”

  Her voice groggy, “Course not, Chuck. I’m not calling you at some ungodly hour in the morning just to visit.”

  Grouchy pants! Mabel is definitely not a morning person, Chuck thought to himself. He dared not say anything like that out loud though.

  “Lucy’s gone missing.”

  “What?”

  “Well, she’s not really missing. She’s in the lobby of the Treasure Island Hotel.”

  “Treasure Island. What’s she doing there? At this time of the morning?”

  “She snuck out.” Mabel paused, thinking it sounded like she was talking about a schoolgirl and not a sixty-four-year-old woman. “And then went and got herself lost.”

  “Oh.”

  “I knew you’d be awake so I’m wondering if you’ll go and collect her?”

  “Sure. I’ll text you when I find her.”

  “Thanks, Chuck.” Mabel knew Bea wasn’t thrilled that Chuck was on the trip, but in this moment, Mabel was grateful that he was.

  Chuck found Lucy exactly where she was supposed to be, in the lobby of the Treasure Island Hotel. She was sound asleep in a chair with head back and mouth gaping open. Deciding to let Lucy sleep for a bit, Chuck settled into the chair beside her. Even this early in the morning, the lobby was busy. His mind began to wander to Bea, reflecting on their interactions on the trip so far. He was surprised that the time they were spending together was causing all his old feelings for her to resurface. He thought he’d buried them deep enough that they’d never be accessible again. Some of his exes had told him that in burying his love for Bea he’d also buried his ability to love anyone else.

  It always seemed to come back to Bea.

  Chuck wondered if there would ever come a day when he wouldn’t love her. Or, if there was any remote chance she had any feelings left for him. He closed his eyes, put his head on the back of the chair, and exhaled loudly, thinking, There’s no way she’ll ever love me again. I hurt her too many times.

  Lucy’s voice startled him. “Chuck! You found me!” She heaved herself out of her chair and leaned down to hug him, her little arms tightly squeezing his neck. “I’m real happy to see you.” When she let go, he stood and laughed a bit.

  “I bet you are, Lucy. I bet you are.”

  Lucy giggled.

  “So, what do you say Lucy, you hungry?”

  “I’m always hungry,” she said, patting her belly and smiling at him. “And geez, this ol’ lady’s had a long night. Let me buy you breakfast. I won tonight, or I guess it was last night now.” Lucy laughed at herself and Chuck put his arm around her shoulder like a big brother.

  At breakfast, Lucy started right in. “So, tell me, Mr. Chucky. How is it a good catch like you doesn’t have a woman?”

  Chuck was caught off guard and almost spit out his coffee.

  Lucy casually ate a bit of bacon before continuing, “Cuz I see the way you been lookin’ at Bea. You know,” she looked at him over her glasses, as if she was about to share something important with him, “you can only say a name once too often in a certain way and anyone who’s payin’ attention will begin to wonder.” She tipped her head, wiped her bacon hand on a napkin, and continued. “So, let’s just say, I been payin’ attention.” Lucy looked at him again, saw that his eyes had never left her. “What’s stoppin’ you from making a move?”

  “Wow!” Chuck put his coffee down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and leaned back against the booth. “You sure don’t beat around the bush, do you, Lucy?”

  “Chuck, do you see me? I’m sixty-four years old. I have no time for beatin’ around the bush. So, give me the skinny. What’s the story with you and Bea?”

  Chuck took a long swig of his coffee, not sure he really wanted to do this, but this little lady was so adorable it was almost impossible to say no to her.

  “We have a long history.” He ran his finger around the rim of his coffee cup. “Mostly of me hurting her.” Chuck took a deep breath and then resumed, “I’m pretty sure she’s not up for it again.”

  “Well, you never know until you ask.”

  Lucy told him she’d been a widow for twenty-two years and that second chances are hard to come by. “You’ve got yourself a second chance here and I think you should go for it. Life for us, me more than you, is gettin’ short. We have to make the most of it.” She leaned across the table, as if telling him a secret. “That’s what I was doin’ when I headed out last night. Livin’ life to the fullest.” She lifted her shoulders and gave the trademark tip of her head. “I just happened to get lost along the way.” They both cracked up laughing.

  Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Bea was up early and had already been down to the lobby to get brochures of trips to the Grand Canyon. Knowing Chuck was an early riser too, she decided to see if he wanted to go for breakfast. She knocked on his door, and knocked again, but there was no answer. Her hunger pangs were getting the best of her and she took his not answering as a sign that it was not meant to be. She decided to head downstairs and have breakfast alone. As she got off the elevator, there stood Chuck and Lucy.

  “Oh, there you are. I was looking for you,” she said to Chuck.

  Chuck was taken aback. “You were looking? For me?”

  Lucy took this as her cue to leave. “Thanks for rescuin’ me, Mr. Chucky. I’m gonna go to bed now.” Chuck nodded slightly at Lucy, but was still reeling from Bea’s words.

  “You were looking for me?”

  She nodded her head, trying to be nonchalant. “I was wondering if you wanted to go for breakfast?”

  “Uh, sure. I’d love to go for breakfast.”

  As the elevator door closed, Lucy watched the two of them and giggled to herself.

  18

  An Olive Branch

  ONCE THEY’D SETTLED into the booth and placed their order, there was nothing left to distract them. It was just the two of them, out for breakfast.

  Bea broke the ice. “Remember when we were kids, Chuck?”

  “You mean just a couple years ago?” His whole face smiled at her.

  “Yeah right, a couple years ago.” She blushed. She missed that look. She missed his humor. And, over the last few days, Bea had begun to realize just how much she missed him. She continued, “Remember how we always talked about going to the Grand Canyon?”

  “Mm-hmm.” He dug around in his fruit salad looking for the grapes.

  Bea tried to hide the deep breath she needed to take in order to ask what she was about to ask. “Well, I was wondering,” she laid her fork down and looked up at Chuck again, “you know, since it’s on my bucket list. I’m wondering, if you might want to go with me?”

  Chuck leaned forward, looked at Bea with one eyebrow raised, and asked, “To the Grand Canyon?”

  Bea averted his eyes while nodding her head and adding a sugar to her coffee, even though she drank it black. She’d forgotten his one eyebrow gesture, remembering now how that was his way of asking “Are you serious?”

  He’d wanted to say yes before she’d even finished asking, but was afraid his excitement might scare her away, so he decided to play it safe
. It was surprising to have her so close again and the last thing he wanted was to risk that. No matter how many years pass, there are tender aspects about a person you once loved that you always remember. Chuck knew the courage it had taken for Bea to invite him to the Grand Canyon and how vulnerable she was feeling sitting across from him. He gauged his response with this in mind.

  “Yes.” He moved his head up and down a few times. “I’d, um…I’d love to go to the Grand Canyon with you, Bea.”

  She reached into her purse and tried to silently let out the breath she’d been holding. “I picked these brochures up in the lobby,” she said as she placed them on the table. Chuck moved his plate to the side, grateful to have a legitimate excuse not to have to eat any more. After all, it was his second breakfast.

  “Here, I’ll show you the one I was thinking of.” Bea scanned them until she found the one she wanted. As she passed it to Chuck, their hands touched. He extended a couple of fingers to gently wrap around her hand. Surprised by the electricity she felt at his touch, she looked up. Their eyes locked. With each blink Bea felt another brick in the wall she’d built around her heart coming down.

  “Thank you.” Chuck swallowed. “For inviting me to come with you, Bea. I think the one you picked is just fine.”

  His voice brought her back and she let go of his hand.

  “I like the idea of flying there instead of going on a bus. Don’t get me wrong. I’m loving this trip, but all those hours in the bus are giving me sore butt syndrome.” He reached his hand behind him and gave his butt a rub. It was just enough humor to ease the tension.

  “So, tomorrow then, to the Grand Canyon,” said Bea, as she put all the extra brochures in her purse.

  “Yes, the Grand Canyon. Just you and me.” Chuck tried to hide his delight, but he was beaming like a schoolboy.

  Bea couldn’t say it out loud, but thought to herself, Yes, just like we dreamed…all those years ago.