Dear friend,

It’s been years since I’ve seen you but you were important to my life. For that half hour I sat on your uncomfortable stool, losing money. I had promised myself that I was only going to lose 40 bucks and then stop. That didn’t happen. I went to the ATM and took another 40 bucks out. That came with a 50 percent service charge. I paid it. So, I actually lost 100 bucks flat.

I had come to Atlantic City for an anime convention. I had been spending money on all kinds of things that I had the ability to keep and take home with me. This left me with nothing. Just a hundred dollar size hole in my pocket.

Thank you for that. You might be wondering why I would be thanking you for taking my money. Well, it’s because you made sure that my first time gambling, seriously gambling, had me at a total loss.

Thus, it became the last time I would ever gamble and it has been. I’ve never sat at another slot machine. I don’t attend my friends’ casual poker nights. The most I did was buy boxes for a super bowl pool when I had my last pharmacy job. I won money then. But you were there in the back of my mind. Reminding me that I could easily lose.

The question in my mind now, is what if I would have won? What if I had gotten on a streak and seen how high the peaks were? Would I have pushed the limits that day and every day after? Possibly.

I’ve heard one of the best things that you can do when you gamble for the first time is lose. A gambling addict said that. I fully agree. I was shown that I’m not going to win. There is no secret to it, they just want you to give them your money, so that it becomes their money.

So, slot machine that took all that money away in penny slots. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Frankling Cota.

P.S. You took my cash so you can go fuck yourself.