He looks like he’s staring at the Element 40” 1080p LCD HDTV, but you can tell, he’s got his eye on everybody.

You and Okie were in France for two days, in between units, and you remember the guy who stood just like that. He got your wallet, and the two of you chased him for an hour until he vanished. Of course it wasn’t really the money, you would have wasted it on beer and smokes anyway. It was the pride. The feeling that someone hustled you. The feeling that you lost. Maybe that’s why you decided to start with him.

“Looks like a pretty good picture for a bar,” you begin, stepping up close. “Is that 1080p? I bet you could plug a few different HDMI devices into a television like that, no problem.”

He makes you for some yokel, you don’t correct him. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice, ain’t it? You know, my cousin, he runs this online website, if you’re looking for one, I could probably set you up. It’d have to be cash, of course. You understand how it goes, right?”

The hustler offers his hand, and you take it, but you don’t catch his name. You’re too busy staring at the cufflink. The one that you gave Okie to celebrate his discharge papers.

“Tell me about the cufflink,” you say, holding the thin man’s hand a little tighter. He keeps smiling, but his other hand moves toward a pocket. A knife? A gun? You throw your weight forward and catch it. He grins. It’s a deck of cards.

“Little jumpy, aren’t ya? Good thing for you I ain’t easily scared, or else-” and somehow now his right hand is free, and there’s a knife at your cheek. But you feel the cold metal and you know it’s just the flat. This time, you stay calm. And the hustler laughs.

“I like you, guy,” he says as the knife vanishes. “No hard feelings, right? Hey, in my business, everybody’s gotta have a little knock-up once in a while. Like dogs in a pound. You just gotta figure out how you rank.” He shuffles the deck, making a point to show off his cufflinks. You try not to show the rage you feel.

“So here’s the deal, my friend. Name your game. You win, I tell you all about these one-of-a-kind cufflinks. You lose… hmm. What if you lose?”

You drop your passport on the table. The hustler’s eyes light up for a second. Then he’s cold again, and grinning.

“I said I liked you, didn’t I? Because man, if you ever need work, I always got room for a crazy man.”

He laughs. You don’t. He shrugs and fans the deck.

“So choose, pal. What’s the game gonna be?”

Think you can beat him with his own deck of cards?
Or maybe it’s worth taking a chance you’re better at pool?

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