generally not overly attractive so as not to show up the elderly, rich widows dressed in pearls and spending their inheritances. But it was the center of the Universe — before it became a money factory for its chain-oriented, new masters. I selected my table and sat. The rest of the trip had not worked well at all. But at this table, it all clicked — one of those sessions where every slight edge seemed to pay. It was only a $5 table and they had few high-denomination chips. So, the chips started to pile up very high. I couldn’t pocket the chips as there were too many and they wouldn’t color up. The pit boss wandered over and watched. I really wasn’t up for polite conversation, and should have moved on. But I was still very weak, knew this was my last table for the trip and just didn’t want to leave. The PB moved closer. Eventually, he came around the table and stood at my shoulder. Well, that was not good. Clearly, it was time to leave. The PB offered to put the chips in racks. Despite what you see in movies, it’s unusual to see someone walking around with chip racks. I knew he wanted to count the chips, but what choice did I have? I took my racks to the cashier, got out of Caesars and got out of Vegas. I may have felt miserable, but I ended up with a healthy profit.

Sorry, the story doesn’t end there. Arriving back home, I went to the doctor. Told him I thought I had strep throat; he agreed and gave me antibiotics. For the next few days, I felt like a ghost, very weak and eating little. Finally, my temperature returned to normal and my strength and appetite returned. Only one problem. My skin had turned pink and was sloughing off in swaths as if I had sunburn over my entire body. Back to the doctor. He looked me up and down, scratched his head and said, “You have scarlet fever.” I said, “No one gets scarlet fever anymore.” He replied, “You’re right. Unless you’ve been to some exotic, Asian country.” Then it came rushing back into my memory. I had discounted it as an overactive imagination when the girl on the train said she was living with a prince of Siam. And she awoke with a fever. Serves me right.

Sorry, the story isn’t quite finished. I avoided Caesars for the next few months. They had paid too close attention and in my weakened state, I really did not know if I had made myself too obvious. There were still other casinos. After several months, I

 © 2009 Norman Wattenberger