[TheCentaur]

Cannot say it to you on the phone, too embarrassed

Its easier behind a keyboard

I think about you everyday and this time of the year around electric fire places eating marshmallows

Holding hands in the park, going on a swing set together

romantic candle light diners

gambling talks

cuddling

water beds...jelly, showers, baths

This is what will happen next:


JJ is startled from his daydreaming about Shari by a vibration in his pocket. He quickly pulls out his phone but is puzzled to see no incoming phone number and no lit up screen. He feels the vibration once again and realizes the source. Reaching into the small pocket within a pocket of his khaki cargo shorts he pulls out a small ruby red phone, the outline of the front and back encrusted with bright shiny rhinestones. "Hello?", he asks with anxious uncertainty. "JJ, we need to talk," says the SBR powers that be on the other end. "JJ, we have just been informed that Terry, the owner and manager of 4nickels sportsbook, was arrested earlier today in Costa Rica for bestial acts with the local fauna. Then about an hour later we learned that Booktaker sportsbook was raided by interpol agents and shut down on charges of employing under age retarded kids to be CSRs. Both books have been shut down and we need you to do damage control on the forums. Remember, we still have BetOnline which is a solid book, Betislands is a promising up and comer, and Heritage is making big moves. It's business as usual!", and the conversation ends abruptly with a click.


This is not a new situation to JJ and he quickly switches to problem solving mode, already having a few comically soothing videos and witty thread titles in mind. Something isn't right though, this time it's different. He goes with his gut and decides to cash out his remaining bankroll of $800 from Rebatewager via p2p transaction.


JJ throws on a light jacket, jumps in his blue minivan, and heads for the local Wal-Mart Superstore to pick up his cash. Walking through the parking lot towards the entrance he's in a jovial mood, as he always is when picking up instead of making a deposit, until he catches a glimpse of the sunlight bouncing off his bald head in the reflection from the automatic doors. His mood becomes somber, his face slackens, and he enters the Wal-Mart proceeding to the banking center.


At the counter in front of him a very dark skinned black man is conversing with the teller in a strange accent, maybe Haitian or Jamaican. The man's abundant hair is arranged in several braids, or possibly dreadlocks, sticking straight out from his scalp. JJ thinks to himself 'what a waste of a full head of hair.' The man leaves and JJ steps up to the counter, hands the teller his completed form, and patiently waits for her to process the transaction. A few minutes later she counts out the crisp bills which JJ then quickly snatches and stuffs in his pocket.


As JJ walks toward the exit his mind races with the legal and illegal possibilities this cash presents him. Once outside, he notices the black man from inside leaning against the wall, talking loudly and emphatically to someone on his cell phone. JJ takes a step to the side to create a little more room between him and the man, goes back to his thoughts, and walks past as the black man's agitation grows.


Then something catches his eye. JJ slowly lowers his gaze to the sidewalk about 10 ft in front of him and there, sitting on the concrete and gleaming in the sun, is a bright new penny. JJ feels his heart quicken and a rush of adrenalin through his body, but then stops himself. 'It's just a penny, I have close to $800 in my pocket', he thinks to himself, and resolves to walk on by as if it wasn't there. He gets no more than half a step past the coin and an irresistible force fights him. Mr. Gold's will is no match for the 10,000 years of ingrained instinct of a people. He can no more free himself from the pull of that coin than the Moon can free itself from its orbit of the Earth. He leans over, pinches the penny between his thumb and forefinger, and instantly feels a dramatic sense of accomplishment and well-being.


Before erecting himself JJ is startled by the sound of many loud rapid explosions and squealing tires. He instinctively falls to the concrete and soon feels the air pressure right above his ears wildly fluctuate. The air whizzes above him and the wall next to him spits hundreds of small, grey concrete pieces into the air. The noise then stops, the tires squeal once more, and all JJ can do for what seems like an hour is stare at the penny in his hand. Well after the commotion has ended, JJ slowly sits up, dazed and covered in dust and concrete. To his left he sees the man from inside the Wal-Mart lying on his side, several small and one very large pool of dark red forming around him.


Later at the police station, JJ sits across from a detective at his desk constantly questioning him about who he saw, what he heard, what kind of car drove by, and other questions JJ doesn't know or care about the answers to. This event has had a dramatic effect on JJ. Now that he realizes how fragile life is he's decided to make a change in his life. As the detective's questions continue as muffled background noise, JJ can think of only one thing. Shari. He hears her name in every sound, compares her face to everyone's around him. There is something new inside him, something he has felt a hint of before, but after today's events the feeling has now become stronger and more desperate. With a determination and focus previously unknown to JJ he decides it's time to act.


To be continued...

[Monitor-Tan]

That's quite a story there..

[Avenger]

We really need NBA.

NOW

[TheCentaur]