In the Absence of a Good Life

(21) Curry Favour

One Half of the Comedy Duo (A.K.A - The Sarcastic One - Shelly)

I lay in my bed after I'd torn my pillows to shreds. The feathers swirled around me like a cloud. I closed my eyes as a wave of peace swept over me. I couldn't help it, I felt the darkness embrace me. I surrendered to it and slept.

When I'd woken up, my mind felt so much clearer. A huge weight had lifted off of my shoulders. I could think with more clarity than I had been able to before. I began to think with hindsight over the events of the last few hours.

There had to be some way that I could solve this mess. A way that I could get back into the good books of Terrance and Jimmy. A way that I could screw Gus over. I had to find out how I could make it so that Gus would never even think about loaning money to people I was acquainted with, again. He was my own brother, it was cruel, but I had to do it, for his own good.

It wasn't long before the beginnings of an idea formed in my head. It was perfect. There were just a few things that I had to figure out first.

The Screw Up (A.K.A - The Boy - Jimmy)

I sat on the sofa. The TV had long been turned off and Terrance had been gone for a few hours at least. He'd gone to sleep, so had I, but I had been unable to drift off. I'd come back downstairs to clear my mind and to think.

There had to be some way that I could make the £10,000 that I owed Gus. The option that seemed always open to me was to go back to the casino and gamble, though it never seemed as open to Terrance. I knew how he'd feel if I went back there.

I'd always known what it had done to Terrance and those around me when I'd gambled. I'd known how it had made them feel when I'd acted the way I had. Yet it didn't seem to form any barrier against me going to gamble. It was an irresistible urge that I couldn't ignore. I couldn't get rid of the feeling. It was like a strong itch that got stronger and more fierce the more I ignored it. 

Up until now, I had never had the strong desire to go against it. I had never had a strong enough will. Up until now, I had never wanted to get rid of it. I hadn't wanted any help.

Now, it was different. The urge had come and I had ignored it. It had grown stronger to the point where it was almost unbearable, yet I still ignored it. I had to, what other choice did I have? 

It had gotten to the point where it was all that I could think about; gambling this, gambling that. It was more so than usual. I felt as if my head could burst if one more thought came into my mind. I had to do something!

Yet, I knew I couldn't.

I'd only won as much money as I had because I'd been cheating. No human could win that much money without making a significant loss. Sure, I made minor losses, mistakes that I made on purpose, just to keep up appearances, but it still wasn't natural. I couldn't go back and do the same again or the casino would catch on, and I'd be thrown out.

If you want to know how I'd been cheating...well, that's something that you will never find out.

Damn! This was becoming painful. I couldn't ignore it much longer. I had to find something to do, something to ease the urge, yet I knew that I would never be satisfied until I was gambling.

Then, suddenly, it hit me. I had the perfect solution.

The Partner in Crime (A.K.A - The Best Mate - Terrance)

I came down the stairs the next morning and walked into the lounge. Jimmy was curled up in a ball on the sofa, sleeping like a baby. A wave of pity swept over me as I thought 'his back's going to be sore when he wakes up!' 

I walked closer to him and saw the cake box that we used as a biscuit tin on the table. It was empty. I also saw a collection of dice spread out across the table and on the floor.

I chuckled. At least he had tried to resist the urge to gamble.

It was obvious what he'd done, to me at least. He'd substituted money for biscuits, and cards/slot machines for dice. He'd guessed which number a die would show when he rolled it, and if he got it right, he'd eat a biscuit. It was like a little child really. Though, unlike a little child, when Jimmy kept winning, he grew frustrated and changed the odds so that they weren't in favour of him winning. He'd added more dice.

In his gambling spree, he'd eaten all of the biscuits, which was no mean feat. 

I guess I knew what to buy next when I went food shopping.

I moved the cake box away to the kitchen and heard Jimmy moan in his sleep. He woke up a few seconds later.

'Morning fatty.' I joked. There was a faint grumble in reply.

I looked over my shoulder to the sofa to see Jimmy struggling to climb up into a sitting position. I walked over to him and sat down beside him.

'I've been thinking...about what we should do.'

'And I've been thinking about what we shouldn't do.'

'Obviously,' I said as I motioned to the dice, 'but seriously, I was thinking, as a last resort, you know, if all else fails, we could always, take out another loan...legally.' I suggested. I didn't like the idea and neither did Jimmy by the look on his face.

'As a last resort.' He repeated.

'Well, at least it will get Gus off of your back.'

'Yeah...'