That moment when you
have nothing and everything to lose.
*****************
"Let's gamble over
them."
She did not know where
the words came from, but she realized later that she was the one who said them.
Time had literally stopped, the whole scene around her was like a boring
painting hanging in a museum, yet this one was not boring at all, the intense feelings
made it look as if it was sitting over a volcano that is about to erupt.
He was by the door
leaving when he turned his back and asked her unbelieving :"Let's what
?"
Sweat was dropping down
her face when she answered him, ignoring the two shocked men surrounding her at
the table: "You heard me well, let us GAMBLE OVER THEM."
He smiled and asked
:"And what makes you feel that I would agree to gamble over what I already
have?"
"Because you can
never resist gambling. Sit down and let us play."
He could feel the fear
in her eyes, but her words were not to be resisted. As it has always been, he
felt as if a magical hand pushing him towards that table that, moments ago, was
just a normal one for negotiations, but now it is the gambling space, the
forbidden place.
He sat quietly, one of
the men sitting on the table told him : "Before you do anything, …"
He raised his hand for
him to stop talking :"Shhh, I know what I am doing. Just pick up the
papers."
The man picked up three
papers, she and the other man sitting on the other side read them quietly and
then said :"Let us start."
Three minutes, three
quick games would change their lives forever, a voice within her asked her what
the hell she was doing, but she realized that by that time it was too late to
go back.
First game, she won. He
signed the first paper and gave it to her.
Second game, she won
too. He signed the paper and gave it to her.
Third game, she lost. He
took the third paper and tear it apart.
She wanted to cry , she
wanted to put her hand on her chest to calm down her beating heart but the
state of shock she was living prevented her.
He stood and said :
"Go and get the two you won, and leave the third one. And then go to your
family gathering, it should start in an hour, right ?"
She stood up as if she
were a robot and went to the room. The man she was gambling against was her
horrible ex-husband and the two men around them were their lawyers, he was such
a horrible person that she was not willing to fight for any of her possessions
during the negotiations, all she needed was the divorce, but she could not lose
them without one last brave fight.
She got into the room,
looked at her sleeping children, took the two ones she won and left the third
one sleeping alone !
*******************
