A Gambler's Sin
Month 01
The First Dig
The idea that you purposely throw away money to have a good time is absurd. And yet casinos and lotteries and sports betting are a thriving business with millions upon millions playing every week. For what, the slightest chance at winning ‘The Big One’? Each person has their own reasons to gamble and their own dream on what to spend it on. From the casual dollar-a-week lotto ticket buyer, to the logistical in-depth statistician, everyone plays to win.
Then you have someone like Rick Morris.
--
He had been staring at the cubicle wall in front of him for the past hour, monotonously organizing and stapling paper packets together. He’d grown so accustomed to this repetition that he was even able to do it without so much as to focus on it. He was like a meaty robot in the corporate world.
“Hey!” a shrill voice snapped him out of his daze. “Earth to Rick.” Hovering over him was the Boss, a man twice his age and ten times his paygrade. Around the office, dozens of ears perked up to try and listen in to a conversation they’ve heard enough times already.
Clumsily, Rick dropped the stapler on the ground along with the loose papers that were meant to be stapled. “Oh, sorry Sir, you startled me.”
The Boss sighed enough for the entire office to hear. “This is the fifth time in two weeks I’ve found you here this late.”
“I know, sir. I need the money to...”
“Look,” he blatantly interrupted, “I appreciate your dedication to this job,” he grabbed one of the packets which had been stapled down the center of the pages rather than on the side, “but slack work like this is costing us more money to fix.”
He heard a coughing laugh a few booths down. “I’m sorry, sir. There was no more coffee in the break room and....”
The Boss folded his arms, disapprovingly. “You’re a mess, Rick. Look at yourself. Look at what you’ve become. When was your last vacation?”
He was quick to answer. “I spent them already, sir.”
“What about free time? When was the last time you took a personal day for yourself?”
“I- I don’t know...”
The Boss looked up for a moment to find a particular worker at the front desk, chatting up the secretary before leaving. “Ronald!” The dapper young gentleman turned. “You going tonight?”
He nodded with a big grin.
“Great. Take Rick with you, my treat, alright?”
“What is...?”
Boss leaned over the wall for a more personal talk with him. “Ever heard of The Underground?” Rick shook his head. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”
“But I don’t think...”
“Bosses orders. You need to find a hobby. I have ten other kids straight out of high school that want your job if you don’t get your act together. So, go on now.”
Rick didn’t like his job but it was the only kind of labor he was good at. If he didn’t need money so badly, he would have quit a long time ago. On top of that, of all the people in the world, he was sending him with Ronald.
-
So, here they are, one coffee and a bagel sandwich later: The Underground. The way the Boss said it made it say like it was something illegal but when they arrived, it looked more like a miniature golf setup. The idea was that you rented tools to go digging in the dirt to find loot. It boggled his mind that someone would pay for this.
There he was, dressed in his white collared shirt and black tie with nice gray pants and shoes, lugging around a shovel in one hand and a pick in the other. Meanwhile, Ronald, the pride of the office, changed into actual diggers gear and boots, and even wore his own red mining helmet. This arrogant show off.
In front of them were a few acres of loose dirt and gravel followed by caves that dug deep into the, you guessed it, The Underground!
“Here are the rules: enter the caves and dig for rare valuables. Easy.”
“Valuables?”
“Uh-huh. If you put in the time and effort, you can get mad money, man. Cleaned out $50,000 last month.”
A cash register opening sound echoed through his head. “That’s a lot of money. Why do you even work at the office?”
“Nah, this is just a hobby. Some months are up, some months are down. Job stability is what the chicks dig.” He nudged closer to him. “By the way, have you heard Wendy talking about me?”
Wendy was the secretary. Gotta love office romance drama.
But still, the whole notion of this felt weird. Rick changed the subject. “So, let me get this straight. You pay money for a chance to make more money. Like a casino?” His fingers start twitching.
“Hmm, not really. The House doesn’t have the odds in their favor. You don’t even need skill, it’s all Luck based. I’ve heard someone walk up, first time, first thrust of the axe, and then walked out with ten-k. It just happens by pure chance.” He posed with his shovel over his shoulder. “The only odds wearing these clothes increase are my chances with the ladies.”
He rubbed an annoying twitch bothering his eye. “I- I- I can’t do this.”
Ronald grabbed his arm. “You have to, man. Boss payed for this excursion. I’d have to report this if you walk away and you and I both know you’re on your last legs to stand on. Besides, I need someone like you around to make me look better.”
He hated Ronald so much. Cocky bastard.
Upon entering one of the many caves and picking one of the many dimly lit pathways, the two found a spot to dig. The rock wasn’t too difficult to pick into, but the labor was exhausting. After the first water bottle, Rick was ready to call it quits. Ronald only kept going, even encouraging him to continue. A quick look at his watch showed it was almost 9:00 at night, which was when they closed for the day. He hadn’t worked this hard since track in high school. He felt his arms giving in with each chop.
Until.
A rock shattered into a thousand pieces to reveal something behind it, stuck in the wall....
--
Me: $225,800
Cost: $2,500
Change: $223,300
--
*Disclaimer: You are more than encouraged to post some kind of story related response and I’ll go with it. Or, just the item is fine too! What will happen in this story will depend upon what I dig up each month, which will ultimately end at the end of this year. Why do this? Inspiration struck me. :)
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Originally Posted by Big Daddy V
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