Free AI web copilot to create summaries, insights and extended knowledge, download it at here

Abstract

an of approximately seventy-five, with curly white hair and a big smile. “Are you with that young man?” She pointed vaguely in Trey’s direction, as though there could be any other young man she could refer to.“Um, yeah. This is our first date, actually.”The woman tutted. “Kind of a shitty place to take a date, don’t you think?”I choked out a shocked laugh at her language. I could already tell I liked her. “It’s not so bad,” I said. “I like games.”“Still,” she said. “Trey’s been coming here for half a year maybe, and he’s always talking about ‘winning big.’ Hon, the biggest jackpot anybody’s ever won here was $97, and that was near three years ago. I don’t know what that boy’s thinking.”I was at a loss, so I just said, “Well, he seems nice enough.”She snorted. “We’ll see. I don’t care much for him, but every young woman makes up her own mind. At least he’s getting your bingo cards.”I blushed. “Actually, I’m paying for my own.”“That boy couldn’t cough up two dollars for a dozen cards? Well isn’t that just a load of horseshit.”I laughed again, ready to respond, when Trey abruptly sat back down next to me. “Agatha,” he said coldly, nodding in the woman’s direction.“What’s that, sonny?” she said, feigning a lack of recognition, but aiming a wink in my direction after Trey turned back around.Trey handed me three bingo cards and laid out what looked like two dozen for himself. Something Agatha had said snagged in my mind — Two dollars for a dozen cards. I’d given him$ 10, none of which he’d returned, and I only had three measly cards to show for it?I was about to address the situation when a crackly voice came over the speaker system, silencing me. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for Lucky Supreme Bingo Night!”For the next half hour, there was no room for conversation. Trey had loaned me a yellow dauber, which produced barely discernible yellow dots. I was busily listening, daubing, and listening some more; next to me, Trey moved at hyper speed, daubing his cards like a judge banging a gavel. It could have been my imagination, but I’m pretty sure the table shook every time he planted a paint mark on a card.Every time the announcer called a new bingo number, I thought for sure that would be an end to it. Each time, the room stayed silent.Then,

Options

a miracle: “B1!” the announcer called out.No way. I had it. I had it!“Bingo!” I cried, standing up and smiling. “I think I have a bingo!”Trey pulled on my arm and snarled, “There’s no way. That was supposed to be my win!”“Let’s just see, little lady,” the announcer said jocularly, winding his way through the tables to get to me. When he arrived, he hoisted my winning card into the air, called out the bingo numbers to verify my win, and then pronounced, “We have a winner!”“Woohoo!” I said, genuinely delighted. I could see how people could come to love bingo — the win was such a thrill.The announcer pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket. “Tonight, little lady, you’ve won a grand total of $112!”I heard Agatha whisper behind me, “Damn! You’ve beaten old Charlie’s record! Good for you, girl.”The announcer handed me the bills and I beamed. “Well, folks, that’s bingo! See you all next week.”There were a few dissatisfied grunts as the other bingo regulars packed up their equipment, but nobody was as disappointed as Trey.“Jeez,” he snapped, pulling the yellow dauber out of my hand and stuffing it back into his backpack. “I can’t believe this.”“Pretty wild, huh? That was fun,” I said, still riding high on my win.“I need a drink,” he said. He eyed my winnings. “You’re buying. You can afford it, after all.”By that time, I had really soured on Trey. He was disrespectful, dishonest, and, to put it frankly, kind of a huge turd. I wasn’t going anywhere else with him.“Actually, I’m pretty tired,” I said, feigning a yawn. “I think I’ll head home.”He scowled. “Whatever floats your boat,” he said eventually.I turned around to say goodbye to Agatha before I left, but she was already ambling away. I thought about calling after her, but decided against it. I was ready to leave without any further ado.My attention had only been unfocused for thirty seconds, but when I turned back around to say goodbye to Trey, he was gone.Unfortunately, but perhaps not unexpectedly, so was my$ 112.I shrugged. Well, he must have needed the money. Plus, my real bingo that night was realizing Trey was undoubtedly not worth a second date — something I’d want to figure out sooner rather than later.</article></body>

The Tinder Chronicles: The Bingo Master

Fiction Friday

I tried not to, but all I seemed capable of was staring with my mouth open as Trey pulled what looked like children’s paint supplies from his backpack. Finally noticing the look on my face, he said, “Oh. These are daubers. Y’know, for bingo.”

“Gotcha,” I said, because that did, actually, make sense — because Trey and I were at the Lucky Supreme Bingo Night, hosted weekly by the Riverway Retirement Community. When Trey, cute and nondescript, had asked me to a bingo night over Tinder messenger, I had readily agreed — the date idea sounded silly and fun, and I like games.

I did not realize, however, until I turned into the parking lot, that our evening’s date venue was actually an old folks’ home.

Also being a bingo newbie, I hadn’t recognized the ‘daubers’ regulars such as Trey used. Snapping out of my reverie, I looked around me and realized two things: 1) We were the youngest bingo night patrons by at least fifty years and 2) Everybody else was also equipped with their own daubers. This was a serious group, that much was obvious.

“So, how does this work?” I asked, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Well, like any bingo night, I guess,” he said, completely unhelpfully.

“Okay…but I’ve never been to one of these things before. Do we buy the bingo cards or something?”

Trey sighed and looked as though he were repressing an eye roll. “Well, yeah. Go ahead and give me $10 and I’ll go buy your cards for you.”

This kind of took me aback — not that I expected the guy to pay for everything, but I just wasn’t accustomed to carrying much cash — but I rooted around in my wallet and came out with a creased $10 bill and handed it to him.

Trey stuffed the bill in his pocket and wandered off to the official-looking table at the front of the room.

“Psst,” I heard from behind me, the voice leathery. “PSSST.”

I turned around, unsure who would be talking to me, the only outsider. Behind me sat a woman of approximately seventy-five, with curly white hair and a big smile. “Are you with that young man?” She pointed vaguely in Trey’s direction, as though there could be any other young man she could refer to.

“Um, yeah. This is our first date, actually.”

The woman tutted. “Kind of a shitty place to take a date, don’t you think?”

I choked out a shocked laugh at her language. I could already tell I liked her. “It’s not so bad,” I said. “I like games.”

“Still,” she said. “Trey’s been coming here for half a year maybe, and he’s always talking about ‘winning big.’ Hon, the biggest jackpot anybody’s ever won here was $97, and that was near three years ago. I don’t know what that boy’s thinking.”

I was at a loss, so I just said, “Well, he seems nice enough.”

She snorted. “We’ll see. I don’t care much for him, but every young woman makes up her own mind. At least he’s getting your bingo cards.”

I blushed. “Actually, I’m paying for my own.”

“That boy couldn’t cough up two dollars for a dozen cards? Well isn’t that just a load of horseshit.”

I laughed again, ready to respond, when Trey abruptly sat back down next to me. “Agatha,” he said coldly, nodding in the woman’s direction.

“What’s that, sonny?” she said, feigning a lack of recognition, but aiming a wink in my direction after Trey turned back around.

Trey handed me three bingo cards and laid out what looked like two dozen for himself. Something Agatha had said snagged in my mind — Two dollars for a dozen cards. I’d given him $10, none of which he’d returned, and I only had three measly cards to show for it?

I was about to address the situation when a crackly voice came over the speaker system, silencing me. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for Lucky Supreme Bingo Night!”

For the next half hour, there was no room for conversation. Trey had loaned me a yellow dauber, which produced barely discernible yellow dots. I was busily listening, daubing, and listening some more; next to me, Trey moved at hyper speed, daubing his cards like a judge banging a gavel. It could have been my imagination, but I’m pretty sure the table shook every time he planted a paint mark on a card.

Every time the announcer called a new bingo number, I thought for sure that would be an end to it. Each time, the room stayed silent.

Then, a miracle: “B1!” the announcer called out.

No way. I had it. I had it!

“Bingo!” I cried, standing up and smiling. “I think I have a bingo!”

Trey pulled on my arm and snarled, “There’s no way. That was supposed to be my win!”

“Let’s just see, little lady,” the announcer said jocularly, winding his way through the tables to get to me. When he arrived, he hoisted my winning card into the air, called out the bingo numbers to verify my win, and then pronounced, “We have a winner!”

“Woohoo!” I said, genuinely delighted. I could see how people could come to love bingo — the win was such a thrill.

The announcer pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket. “Tonight, little lady, you’ve won a grand total of $112!”

I heard Agatha whisper behind me, “Damn! You’ve beaten old Charlie’s record! Good for you, girl.”

The announcer handed me the bills and I beamed. “Well, folks, that’s bingo! See you all next week.”

There were a few dissatisfied grunts as the other bingo regulars packed up their equipment, but nobody was as disappointed as Trey.

“Jeez,” he snapped, pulling the yellow dauber out of my hand and stuffing it back into his backpack. “I can’t believe this.”

“Pretty wild, huh? That was fun,” I said, still riding high on my win.

“I need a drink,” he said. He eyed my winnings. “You’re buying. You can afford it, after all.”

By that time, I had really soured on Trey. He was disrespectful, dishonest, and, to put it frankly, kind of a huge turd. I wasn’t going anywhere else with him.

“Actually, I’m pretty tired,” I said, feigning a yawn. “I think I’ll head home.”

He scowled. “Whatever floats your boat,” he said eventually.

I turned around to say goodbye to Agatha before I left, but she was already ambling away. I thought about calling after her, but decided against it. I was ready to leave without any further ado.

My attention had only been unfocused for thirty seconds, but when I turned back around to say goodbye to Trey, he was gone.

Unfortunately, but perhaps not unexpectedly, so was my $112.

I shrugged. Well, he must have needed the money. Plus, my real bingo that night was realizing Trey was undoubtedly not worth a second date — something I’d want to figure out sooner rather than later.