“What’s with you hanging your head so low, come on and call already, you don’t plan to fold, do you?”
Behind me, one of my friends says, “Amer would never fold, even if his life depends on it!”
With a face of dread, I look at my friend as another one of them says, “Yeah even if he has to go home broke forever, he would never fold.”
You fucking bastards have just made it so much harder to walk out of here.
“That’s good to hear, because you were just running your lips a second ago, if you folded you would be a giant clown,” she says with a smile.
Behind me, one of my friends says, “The one laughing, in the end, will be Amer, isn’t that right guys?”
“YEAH!” My friends scream. Soon after that, they start cheering my name over and over, “AMER, AMER, AMER, AMER!”
Hearing this I start to feel invigorated, what the hell am I getting worked up about, there is no way I can lose with this hand, I have just been letting this little girl get into my head. I am the greatest gambler ever to be born. Now let’s go.
Raising my head and looking at the girl in front of me, I see she has a completely evil smile on her face, and when I see this I instinctively throw my cards down and say, “Fold.”
All the cheers around me fall dead silent, then moments later one of my friends says, “Amer you had a straight flush, what the hell are you doing!?”
“You idiots, if you were paying attention to that she-devil across from me you should know that I never had a chance.”
“Why is that!?”
“Because she definitely has a royal flush, I just know it.”
“How would you know that!?”
“IT’S HER EYES, they’re crazy. Just look at her hand, I can guarantee she has a royal flu-.”
When I look at the girl's cards, I see she has a 4 of hearts and a 3 of diamonds. “You’re hand was-.”
“Utter trash.”
As my head falls to the table, she says, “A straight flush and a high one at that, I would have been destroyed.”
While at the table, I say, “How, how did you keep winning?”
“Whenever you were bluffing your heartbeat went crazy, and since you started playing with Yamal I have been counting all the cards. You couldn’t tell I was bluffing, while I could tell your bluffing, and I knew what cards will be dealt each game. Now pay up the last of your cash.”
Φ Looking up at me from my lap Raqiue says, “Can daddy do all of that?”
“He is my master, so of course he can,” I say with Raqiue smiling in response. I know lying is bad but look at that bright smile, it is purifying my soul.
Φ As I lie on the table with defeat hanging over my head, I grip my hand and say, “Well this doesn’t even prove anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your issue with me was that I insulted Yamal’s intelligence, and how does a game of poker prove he is smart.”
Φ “Say whatever you want mister poverty, but I am still owed my cash.”
Putting up his hands, he says, “Wait a second, Let’s play a game of chess, if you win I will apologize to Yamal and do whatever he wants for forgiveness.”
“And if I win?”
“I will ask for what I lost in the last game, plus my clothes back.”
“I refuse that deal isn’t worth it.”
“Ok then you can have your money, and your master can continue to be a crying buffoon.”
“SHUT UP!” Raqiue says. “ We will beat you again, and again until you learn your lessons.”
Turning to me she says, “Let’s go.”
I forgot that kids are as annoying as they are cute. “Ok then let’s go.”
-Break-
Feeling a pull on my clothes, I open my half-closed eyes and Look, at the chaotic chess board, then I say, “This game really is annoying.”
“What’s that, can you speak up, since I am not capable of hearing losers,” Amer says as his friends start to laugh.
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Crap I forgot how annoying it is to play chess. Letting out a scream I say, “Why the hell is this game so boring, why can’t they add spice to it like super pieces or a way to blow up all the other pieces.”
“BECAUSE THAT WOULD RUIN THE GAME!”
“Shut up it is not even like this game is hard, especially since you plan to do this for the next 8 turns,” As I speak, I point out his exact moves to him.
“How the hell did you know that?”
“Because chess is just simple calculations without any of the spice, so I keep falling aslee-,” I say with my consciousness fading. Feeling another pull on my clothes, I wake up and say, “Chess is just me using my calculations to beat idiots.”
“You say that, but your moves have been incredibly stupid so far.”
“Because winning too easily is boring for my brain! So it has hijacked my body and has decided to do something that’s more interesting.” Furiously rubbing my hands against my head, I say, “I hate this stupid game!!”
Moving his pieces, Amer says, “Well that isn’t any of my business, a win is a win.”
I need to get this situation under control, I can still turn this around. Grabbing a queen, I look for the best position to move it to then I say, “Time for a comeback,” as I move the piece.
When I look at where I placed the piece, I see it was put in the worst position possible. Grabbing my head, I say, “SHITTTT!”
“Your mind really has hijacked your body, that’s the only way you could have made such a brain-dead move.”
I can’t win at this rate. Looking up at me Raqiue says, “Can I take over?”
“Can you even play this game?”
“I think I have got the rules from watching you play.”
With a smug smile, Amer says, “What are you going to let that little munchkin play for you? I guess you really are like Yamal letting someone else step in for you.”
Feeling an aggressive aura emanates from my lap, I look down and hear Raqiue say, “Let me crush this man into a paste.”
I feel like I would be in danger if I say no. “Go ahead, this is all on you.”
“Thank you.”
As she grabs a piece Amer says, “Don’t cry when I beat you.”
“Oki!”
-Break-
With utter disbelief, I stare at the board as Raqiue move her piece, and says, “Checkmate, I win!”
Looking across the table I see Amer making a goofy face of despair as if he has just been turned into a drawing. “What was all that you were saying, Amer.”
Slamming his head into the table chess pieces fly everywhere, as he starts to cry and says, “How will I ever recover from this.”
One of his friends behind him says, “Don’t worry Amer.”
“Yeah, you can stay with one of us until you get your finances in order.”
Sobbing he says, “No it isn’t that it is the fact that these two little girls have just crushed me into the ground. I can never show my face anyways after this.”
Getting up from my lap Raqiue walks over to him then gives him a head pat, and says, “I won’t tell anyone, so don’t cry.”
Like a little child, he looks up from the table while sobbing, and says, “You promise?”
“I promise!”
Giving Raqiue a hug while balling, he says, “Thank you so much!!”
Rubbing his head in her arms, she says, “There, there, it will be ok.”
I think it is more embarrassing for him to be comforted by the little girl who just beat him.
After a few seconds, she grabs his head and makes him face her as she says with a pure innocent smile, “Now give me my money.”
“But we were having a moment.”
“That and this are completely separate, now my money and don’t forget to lick my Baba’s feet and apologize.”
Looking to my left, I knock the sleeping Yamal awake. When he wakes up, he screams, then asks, “What happened?”
“You got drunk, lost, started sobbing, then fell asleep. But don’t worry me and my partner won the battle in your place.”
With a face filled with shock, Yamal says, “Really?”
Before I can answer Amer walks in front of Yamal, bows then says, “I’m sorry.”
Then his men quickly follow and do the same.
“What the hell are you guys doing?”
“We won’t let you take on this embarrassment alone.”
“If one of us takes it on all of us do.”
Holding back more tears, Amer says, “Thank you, guys.”
From the sidelines, I say, “Well you guys would have to be naked to have the same embarrassment.”
Hearing my words, they all strip, and say, “Where sorry.”
Amer in front says, “I was full of crap and didn’t know what I was talking about, your stories are most definitely true, and you are a genius who has amazing students.”
With a proud face, Yamal says, “Looks like you idiots finally understand the superiority of a man, who has sailed countless seas and has fought countless monsters.”
“EH, HEM!” Raqiue says garnering the attention of Amer and his men. When they focus in on her she points to the floor while sticking out her tongue.
Understanding her gesture Amer and his men bow, and then Amer goes to lick Yamal’s feet. As he tries this Raqiue just stares with a very proud look on her face. Kids can be scary.
Pulling his foot away, Yamal says, “Don’t be gross. As long as you fools understand your place everything is fine.”
Walking over to me, Raqiue says, “Everything went well.” As she finishes speaking, she trips over a stray chess piece, which causes her to fall off the edge of the table.
The moment I notice this I catch her stopping her from falling into the ground. But as she falls to the ground her face covering falls off.
Behind me, Yamal says, “Is that Raqiue?”
Suddenly I start to hear a few chuckles from beside us, as Amer says, “You really had your 5-year-old daughter play for you, and not only that she was actually able to beat us while you couldn’t, I am sorry but that is just too funny.”
Turning to them, I say, “Broke naked morons shouldn’t speak.”
Hearing this they all close their mouths. Seeing how bad this mood is I look over to Yamal ready to say something but seeing his facial expression I stop.
He is looking at us with furious eyes as if he is hanging on the border of insanity, his heartbeat is also going crazy. Crap this is bad.
“Hey you, did Raqiue beat them?”
“Um, yes she did.” The moment I say this I notice Yamal's heartbeat has steadied completely.
“Raqiue come here!”
“Yes, Baba,” she says, getting out of my hands and running over to Yamal with a big smile on her face. “Baba, I won this game for you.”
“You really are smart Raqiue.”
“Yes, I really am smart and I can help you when you go gambling so you should bring me along, we can even figure out a way to make more money together, I don’t really care what we play as long as we can play together. I have also found ways to make alcohol at home so we can brew it together instead of going out to buy some.”
As Raqiue continue to talk Yamal’s heartbeat continue to grow calmer and calmer. Hearing this I let out a sigh of relief; I thought this was going to turn ugly, but it seems everything is fine.
“So, Baba, I just want to tell you I will help you whenever you need it. Baba, I love you.”
As I look at Raqiue’s smiling face a smile fills me own, but this happiness causes me to let that my guard for a moment and in that moment Yamal slaps Raqiue in the face and says, “Never talk to me again, you stranger!”