Once On A Blue Moon!!!!!! (PART SIX)

Irving, got most his money back, rolling into Chicago he was only thirty dollars light, he broke that old mans game down! We were pulled into Kansas City, taking on fuel, we were pulling out in about 5 minutes, I woke Irving up, let him know, thought he might like to grab a smoke. He came out, took him a few, to come to, shaking out some cob webs, he wasn’t happy about loosing all that money! That old man walked by, told Irving he was still holding some of his quarters, that broke down man was set on cleaning Irving out! Irving told the old man he was done with him, that he wanted nothing to do with him, Irving told me, he had some choices, the old man kept talking smack! Irving knew the old man cheated, we talked, about the way that old man shuffled the cards. I told him, me not being in the game, I didn’t think it my place to say anything, he said he saw it too, that it was all on him. Our train got rolling, Irving and I set out for the dining car, we passed the old man, he was still talking about his quarters, how he wanted them back! After breakfast, after hearing more smack, back at our seat, Irving told me he would get his money back, you know, I wasn’t too sure, none of my business! He told me, one part of him wanted to walk up to that old man, tell him he knows he cheated, to give him back his money, he said another part of him, wanted to call some friends to meet him at the station, then take care of that old fool right, in the end, he figured it was on him, it was his mess, that he would clean it up. The old man, Irving played him all morning, Irving and I, kept walking by, buying more coffee, listening to that old man talk. I guess around ten, Irving sat down, by now, that old man wanted to play bad, Irving shut his game down. Irving let him keep doing, just what he’d been doing all along, those funny shuffles, stacking the deck. He explained, what he did, his strategy, was only play hands, when he held the deck, he told me he knew poker, that throwing away a quarter, that is, not betting on any hand that old man dealt, would change the odds, that old man never saw this coming, Irving had him rattled. The game shut down around noon, the train pulled in early to Galesburg, we all took time, stretched our legs, Irving didn’t think the old man was coming back, the two of us sat in the cafe car and waited. Our train got rolling again, after hobbling by our table a few times, the old man sat back down, greed is a powerful motivation, he had readjusted his game, he wanted to increase the buy in, fifty cent, he wanted Irvings money going with him onto Boston!!! The thirty bucks Irving left behind, wasn’t in that old mans pocket, half or more, went to the beers the old man bought him, the balance, a few snacks for the old man along the way. I wanted to find this cafe, I discovered earlier in the year at Union Station, Irving knew the place, he told me to hang tight behind him, as we got off the train!