Lacking Fragments: A Novel (Completed)

A Figurine, a Restaurant, a Scene V

The game hadn't ended with a tie. And all the while, Kiki, being the only audience of our gamble, appeared silent and yet watchful.

     At the first ball drop into the roulette, Haru placed his bet on Orange; I placed mine on Yellow. And just about the beginning, throughout half a minute, the roulette ball stopped at Yellow— leading me win the first score of our little game of chance. Although, at the second ball drop, he then insisted betting on his former bet, while I switched into color Red— of which, eventually, made him win the second round; one over one.

     Now as I come to ponder it, as per each metallic ball moving around and round the roulette, stopping to whatever color it would stop by, I found out Haru truly did tell us the truth in the first place. That time, while we played the game a little bit modified, moved at the present moment as if into fastest of motion. Quick. Speedy. Immediate. When I looked around the Game Station, however, it only made things weirder, or stranger. For how come time didn't make a change nor affect the people around us, in corners? Not even my wife got freed from the slow-motion. In an ironic way, still everyone—except me, Kiki and Haru—looked trapped in an imaginary idlest town. But the bottomline is, as we had played the game of chance, for the three of us moving natural in here, the concept of time shifted swift. As if the clock's hands maximized its speed, all to its full potential of a jet engine.

     When the third round arrived, I mimicked my opponent's previous tactic. I stayed on my previous color, Red, with both my eyebrows twitching, forehead and temples seemed to be sweating. My eyes, attentive to the hardware physique of the roulette game. Haru, on the other hand, switched to Violet. And by that decision he won again— him leading the scoreboard. Two over one.

     "One more and I'll win," said Haru, which I tried not to bother replying.

     And yet I failed.

     "Listen," I started. "I can give you hundreds of copies if you want." This time, I spoke in way of trying to mock him, for his, perhaps, weird obsession. "If somehow you're indeed craving for family pictures, lucky for you we have lots of photo albums in our house. In our home. Tens, in fact, almost a hundred photos per album. Well, I can go home now, scan those in the nearby photocopy center, and then get back here to give it to you. Do you want to?"

     "Relax, sir," he responded, plain. "It's not the copies that are important here."

     "Excuse me again?"

     "Please calm down, sir." Clearly, I could hear from his voice, that in no time, he had realized I was mocking him. Lovely. "What's important is your chosen important item, sir. Not the copies. That picture you showed me must've been so valued more than those inside your albums at home— also considering that it's still inside your wallet. If so, if you lose to me in this game we play, I'll then take that item away from you. And it'll be mine for the rest of our lives, in the palm of my hands."

     I didn't know what to reply.

     At the fourth drop, I remained with Red. At that moment I thought, since I lost to him twice in a row now, perhaps by this time I would win the next round. And still, Haru's bet remained on with Violet. In placing choice; prepared to push the button of the said color, I could see through his eyes and slanted lips that he had started to look confident. In an obvious way, arrogant. That by then I felt irritation in my face just by looking at his.

     What an annoying employee...

     However, at the fourth drop, no one won. The roulette ball stopped at the color Blue, which neither the two of us placed a bet. So we let it go quick, moving to the next ball drop.