love with her. I thought she was in love with me. I had heard it said that men want beautiful women and women want beautiful situations. I didn’t believe it at the time. I did now. Is that really all I was to Candace? A lifestyle? The thought of it was like putting my heart between the hammer and the anvil.
Here I was in a neon jungle just as helpless as if I were lost in the Amazon jungle. I took out my wallet. Worthless plastic and a little more than $500. Then I remembered Candace’s ring. It had cost nearly $30,000. I just needed to find a place to sell it. I would sell it in the morning. I felt some peace again. Thirty thousand was enough of a safety net to get me through this. I put my wallet in my bag, then closed my eyes and fell asleep. It was around three o’clock in the morning when a security guard woke me.
“Sir,” he said.
I looked up. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Sorry, I just fell asleep. I’ll go.” I slowly stood up. “Sorry.”
I put my carry-on on top of my suitcase and dragged it behind me out of the casino. I felt like I was sleepwalking. Once outside the lobby, I looked around for a place to go. Despite the hour, the traffic on the street in front of the hotel was nearly as heavy as at midday. The strip stretched on for miles and I was too tired to walk. I just needed a place where I could lie down for an hour or two.
At the end of the resort’s massive parking lot, there was a clump of trees. I crossed the parking lot, pulling my bags behind me. When I could see no one was looking, I entered the grove, lay my jacket out on the ground and fell asleep. I woke late the next morning to a light kick in my side.
“Stand up, sir.”
I looked up to see a police officer standing above me. “I haven’t been drinking,” I said.
“I’ve heard that before,” he said.
I sat up. “You can smell my breath if you want.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“I’ve been staying at the Bellagio. I just lost all my money.”
“I’ve heard that before too. May I see your I.D., please?”
“It’s in my bag.” I turned to get it. My bag was gone. My suitcase was still there, but my carry-on bag had disappeared. Everything I needed was in the bag: my wallet, my I.D., my money and my cell phone. Then it hit me, the ring was gone too. I looked around frantically. “I’ve been robbed.”
The officer just looked at me. “No I.D.?”
“I had a ring in there. It was worth thirty thousand dollars.”
“I just need your I.D.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve been robbed. My bag had everything!”
He looked at me dully. “Do you want to file a report?”
I wanted to scream. “Will it do any good?”
“It will for your insurance claim. Or if someone turns it in, we can contact you.”
“Contact me on what? My stolen cell phone?”
“Sir, settle down.”
I wanted to throttle this guy. When I had gained control, I said, “I have nothing. I have no place to go.”
“There’s a rescue mission up off Bonanza. They have beds and a soup kitchen.” He pointed. “It’s straight up the boulevard from here.”
“I’m not sleeping in a homeless shelter.”
“I don’t care where you sleep, as long as it’s not here.”
I stood and wiped the dirt from my pant legs. “Eight months ago I had a million dollars,” I said.
“Vegas is magic. You can see David Copperfield make an elephant disappear or go to a casino and make a fortune disappear.”
“Are there any pawnshops around here?”
“That’s like asking if there are any casinos.” He walked back to his patrol car and sat there until I walked away.
I walked up the boulevard. Pawnshops are ubiquitous in Vegas—they follow gambling like seagulls follow shrimp boats. I had never been inside a pawnshop before. It looked like an indoor flea market without the energy. The place was dirty and dank, with surveillance cameras in the corner of the room. At the back of the shop was a wooden counter and behind it were rows
Here I was in a neon jungle just as helpless as if I were lost in the Amazon jungle. I took out my wallet. Worthless plastic and a little more than $500. Then I remembered Candace’s ring. It had cost nearly $30,000. I just needed to find a place to sell it. I would sell it in the morning. I felt some peace again. Thirty thousand was enough of a safety net to get me through this. I put my wallet in my bag, then closed my eyes and fell asleep. It was around three o’clock in the morning when a security guard woke me.
“Sir,” he said.
I looked up. “Yeah.”
“Are you okay?”
“Sorry, I just fell asleep. I’ll go.” I slowly stood up. “Sorry.”
I put my carry-on on top of my suitcase and dragged it behind me out of the casino. I felt like I was sleepwalking. Once outside the lobby, I looked around for a place to go. Despite the hour, the traffic on the street in front of the hotel was nearly as heavy as at midday. The strip stretched on for miles and I was too tired to walk. I just needed a place where I could lie down for an hour or two.
At the end of the resort’s massive parking lot, there was a clump of trees. I crossed the parking lot, pulling my bags behind me. When I could see no one was looking, I entered the grove, lay my jacket out on the ground and fell asleep. I woke late the next morning to a light kick in my side.
“Stand up, sir.”
I looked up to see a police officer standing above me. “I haven’t been drinking,” I said.
“I’ve heard that before,” he said.
I sat up. “You can smell my breath if you want.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“I’ve been staying at the Bellagio. I just lost all my money.”
“I’ve heard that before too. May I see your I.D., please?”
“It’s in my bag.” I turned to get it. My bag was gone. My suitcase was still there, but my carry-on bag had disappeared. Everything I needed was in the bag: my wallet, my I.D., my money and my cell phone. Then it hit me, the ring was gone too. I looked around frantically. “I’ve been robbed.”
The officer just looked at me. “No I.D.?”
“I had a ring in there. It was worth thirty thousand dollars.”
“I just need your I.D.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve been robbed. My bag had everything!”
He looked at me dully. “Do you want to file a report?”
I wanted to scream. “Will it do any good?”
“It will for your insurance claim. Or if someone turns it in, we can contact you.”
“Contact me on what? My stolen cell phone?”
“Sir, settle down.”
I wanted to throttle this guy. When I had gained control, I said, “I have nothing. I have no place to go.”
“There’s a rescue mission up off Bonanza. They have beds and a soup kitchen.” He pointed. “It’s straight up the boulevard from here.”
“I’m not sleeping in a homeless shelter.”
“I don’t care where you sleep, as long as it’s not here.”
I stood and wiped the dirt from my pant legs. “Eight months ago I had a million dollars,” I said.
“Vegas is magic. You can see David Copperfield make an elephant disappear or go to a casino and make a fortune disappear.”
“Are there any pawnshops around here?”
“That’s like asking if there are any casinos.” He walked back to his patrol car and sat there until I walked away.
I walked up the boulevard. Pawnshops are ubiquitous in Vegas—they follow gambling like seagulls follow shrimp boats. I had never been inside a pawnshop before. It looked like an indoor flea market without the energy. The place was dirty and dank, with surveillance cameras in the corner of the room. At the back of the shop was a wooden counter and behind it were rows
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