Jackpot, Nevada

Henry stepped off the bus. Looking around at such a slow pace. What felt like a million hours on a long bus ride had kinked Henry’s neck and left him a little bit sore. Armed with one suitcase and was ready to get out.

This town is small. So many Nevada towns all look the same. A relic of a long time ago that once was. There once was a mining boom in these towns. Saloons filled with eager people, bustling with the prospect of growth. Henry wondered if Mark Twain would have visited Jackpot, if he would have wrote some clever story about it.

Of all the gambling destinations Henry could have visited, he chose Jackpot. Not because of its name, he’s not that superstitious. Although, the name is exactly what he was coming to find. He had been getting these damn offers from a few of the casinos in Jackpot. $49 hotel room, $6.99 buffet. Our pools are the brightest and most luxurious north of Las Vegas. And on and on and on. It was like a propaganda bombardment to Henry.

He wasn’t much of a gambling man. He had a few weekends here and there in Reno and Las Vegas. Nothing exciting, maybe the best he saw was $2000 in winning from some random slot machine at the Bellagio. He never went anywhere just to gamble. Gambling for Henry was always just a small part of the experience.

At 60 years old, Henry needed a change. Losing his job was the biggest blow this year amongst a year of heavy blows. Henry just feels like he can’t keep up anymore. The world is moving too fast and he wants to step off.

Looking around and aiming for a hotel scene, Henry begins to feel like the bus didn’t drop them off as close as he’d like to any hotel. Is this the edge of town? He thought.

Walking over to a nearby coffee shop, Henry needed to rest his feet. The quirky little coffee shop will do. All kinds of trinkets on the wall, this was far from any Starbucks he’d ever encountered.

“Yes hi, I’ll have a vanilla latte and do you know where I can find a decent hotel?” Henry realized he should have done a little hotel research and maybe a reservation prior to just showing up in town.

“Yeah, there’s the Cactus Casino about a mile away, great buffet. That will be $3.95”

Fumbling out his wallet, Henry hands her a $5. “Keep it”

“Ah no, I was thinking more a smaller, nice hotel. Something that is not a casino”

“Hard to find anything in Nevada that is not a casino. Even the convenient stores have slot machines”

“Yes, of course, but what I mean is something less extravagant and more you know, just a hotel”

“Ah yeah, if you head towards the casinos, there’s a few small little places you’ll see on the way”

“Perfect, just what I need thank you”.

Henry had this weird idea that it wouldn’t be best to stay in the casino where he is gambling. He’ll get too comfortable and make some mistakes. No, he needed to have a boundary, be able to walk away and get the hell out of there if needed. Henry had watched a few documentaries on Vegas and knew all the casinos tricks to keep you at the table and to keep you gambling.

As Henry waited for his coffee, he took a seat down in a chair and pulled up his phone.

A text from his buddy Ben “So did you make it?”

“Yeah yeah yeah” Henry thought. Ben always had this way of being so nosey about things. Ben had been a good work friend he’s known over the years. An accomplice, someone he could bitch too about the direction of his former company. Everyone needs someone like that. Henry just never wanted the bitching to get out of hand. Starts to take root and the next thing you know, you are showing up to work everyday and hating everything and everybody. Henry can’t stand complaining. It makes him feel all squirmy and just not right. In some sense, maybe that is how Henry ended up here.

“yeah i made it” texted Henry.

“I envy you man, I’d love to get away from Sarah even just for one day…have some fun man” Henry’s face went sideways as if he tasted some disgusting fruit. “I’m not here to have fun, I know you want that”

“Yeah I know…Jesus Christ man. I’m just trying to get you to mellow out for a bit. You know what I would do for a bus ride to Nevada? Almost anything”

“Yeah yeah ok” was all Henry could text back to Ben

Ben was one of those married with children guys that was always clamoring for an exciting life but just never had one. Over weighted with being a family man, sometimes Henry thought Ben was going to explode.

Henry finally got his coffee. Sitting there and thinking of his next move. Bringing a wad of cash to a casino town in hopes of fortune seemed so out of character for Henry. But yet here he was. He had enough in his 401k that he’d be ok for a bit even if this trip was a total loss. Never gamble more than what you can afford. Hmm can’t afford much these days Henry thought.

Even the trip here cost more than Henry thought. It's been awhile since he has been anywhere. Living in Southern Oregon, Henry always appreciated a slow and predictable life. Right after high school, he began working construction. At about 25, he made his way into a window and door company and has been there ever since. Broadstone Windows & Doors have been around for 75 years. Started off as a wood milling plant.

Risk was something Henry avoided. Maybe it was from his father. Poor guy could never get a leg up. Always telling Henry the “get a paycheck”. Work hard and keep your head down. His father never spoke an encouraging word. Nothing. Maybe once in his memory did his dad ever show interest in him. Back as a 12 year old in baseball. His dad made it to a few of his games. His dad wasn’t an alcoholic or abusive. Just even keel. Something he got from his father and his father. Henry always wished he had done more. Looking back, he felt like he didn’t know what to do. Architect? Maybe. Doctor? Hell no. Accountant? Too many numbers. Insurance? Too boring. I mean really, what was the guy going to do? How do you really find out what you want in life Henry always thought. I guess that’s how he ended up as an account manger for Broadstone Windows & Doors for 35 years.

Boring little 85 person company right in Eugene, Oregon. Henry hated windows & doors but it was all he knew. He found it so mundane and blah. An industry with few women, lots of stress, and cut throat. One unit of measurement off and a whole expensive batch of windows were toast. And not even could you use them on another house or project. The chances were 1 in a billion. Almost every home has different sizes, colors, and preferences. Everything was so custom and made to order like a barista managing everyone’s unique custom coffee drink orders. His company was barely anything good at taking care of their employees. Typical family run environment. Dishes out little praise and compensation but hoards the whole lion’s share of profit for themselves. Greedy assholes is all Henry thought. He and Ben would often sit in their office bad mouthing the owners and their kids.

“Where are they off to now? Probably doing a bunch of cocaine and drinking themselves into oblivion at one of their ski cabins in Colorado”

“I don’t envy the rich. They seem so lost”

“Yeah..but damn, what would you do with $10 million? You’d take that over your life now”

“Are we really going to do the ‘what would you do with this unattainable fortune thing?’ that so many work buddies do”

Ben, ignoring Henry’s statement just fired off:

“Dude, I’d buy 3 houses and a big boat. Pay cash for my kid’s college tuition and only see Cindy once a week! Haha”

Ben was always making inferences about getting away from his wife. Ben was a good guy but one of those individuals who often you couldn’t tell if he’d cheat on his wife if he knew he could get away with it. Even more so now with technology and the ease of the eye and a straying behavior. Henry always had his suspicions about Ben but at the end of the day thought he would never cheat on Cindy. She’s too good for him. A sweet woman that does anything for him. Hell, Ben could commit a murder and Cindy would make excuses about why Ben had to do it. It's often hard to find a woman like that. So many people can be so selfish. Cindy was incredible. Ben tended to stay out late on some weekdays. Fantasy Football drafts, golf. Sort of a man’s man. Definitely loved to throw back a few beers each time he was out. Henry didn’t connect too much with Ben outside of work. Ben was always trying to get him out. Henry wasn’t much of a drinker and his mind was always centered around being productive. Henry had this way of believing time was constantly slipping and at any moment you could face an illness or injury that could upend your world. And then what? What would he do then? Oh no Henry could not even think about it. That’s the kind of thoughts that would keep him up night after night.

“You know what this company needs?” said Henry.

“A liquor cabinet in every office?”

Henry scoffed. “Pfft no. Although I’m sure 90% of the staff would spend their days raiding it. No this company needs a board of directors. Family run businesses are so one sided. They think so myopic. A board of directors would keep them on their toes and hold them accountable to make good decisions for both the company's direction and their employees.”

You’ve been reading the Wall Street Journal lately? Damn look at you Warren Buffett, where’d ya learn that?”

“Yeah I probably picked that up there or watching CNBC or something. You knows? But it just makes perfect sense to me”

Henry did love reading the Wall Street Journal from time to time. He felt it was one of those news publications where he got a slight business education.

“I’ll tell what I did read onetime….did you know that 70% of family businesses fail by 3rd generation? They say its from lack of role clarity. Pssff bullshit. I’ll tell you exactly what it is. These little brats grew up rich and have no idea what an honest day’s hard work is. They’ve always seen the money, so to them, their family business is just a big piggy bank. They didn’t see what their grandpa and father had to sacrifice to make it what it is today.”

“That’s really insightful. hmmm never thought about that. Well I don’t want to think about that. I’m “bored” of hearing about directors. Haha. Man, I’d love to take that money and run away with 3 women for the weekend” quipped Ben. Ben was that type that would harass some poor waitress at a TGI Fridays and claim he was joking but really you could tell he wasn’t.

As Henry sat there and drank his coffee, he pulled up his phone and began to look for hotels. Ah forget it Henry thought, I’ll just walk. Henry took the last sip of his coffee, thanked the barista a took a walk in the small downtown area. What’s interesting about old Nevada towns is they are complete relics of a once past. Towns that had vigor and short lived abundance. You can see it in the buildings. Other American towns experienced progressive growth, with layers of progress being layered against historic aspects. Not really with Jackpot. Its history really stands out. A lot of old stuff. A little bit of Henry had an affection for antique’s and old things. The style of it. He always felt today we live in a disposable society. Old things lasted because they were made with craftsmanship.

Everything looks original form. Henry looked around the buildings and said to himself “I bet that one was the town bank”. Every old town had a former town bank that is no longer a bank. Some have turned it into a bar or hotel or general store. You can always tell because it's the biggest building that is not a hotel. There was a reason for that, banks in the past were the cornerstone of American town’s and its growth in the 1800 and 1900s. They were the heartbeat of a community. A farmer would walk into a bank and get a handshake loan to buy more cattle and land. The bank manager knew your name.

The dynamic was almost similar to the American mall of the 1980s and 1990s. It was the place to be. It's where you ran into your neighbors and classmates and discussed weekend plans and gossip over a pretzel at an Orange Julius. Malls were a place of community. Banks were the center of community in those days.

As Henry walked around, he saw what he was looking for- The Gold Dust Hotel. Small, quaint, and a bit nostalgic.

Henry walked in with suitcase and all. Emptied out little front office with the desk girl sitting there.

“Hi, I’d like to get a room”

“Do you have a reservation?”

“Ahh…no actually, I do not. I well — “

“I’m sorry sir, we are all booked, there’s no way to get a room without a reservation”

Henry looked around to what appeared to be a dead environment. No one else but him and the desk girl were around. Henry looking puzzled and confused said

“Well, shoot, I guess I’ll just — -”

“Haha no I’m just kidding with you sir…we have plently of room. This is Jackpot, nothing ever fills up. Let me get your information and i’ll get you that room”

Her blank serious tone turned to bubbly funny was a bit of annoyance to Henry but at the same time such a sense of relief as his mind went it all different directions that maybe he’d be sleeping on the street corner for the night. All he could think was thank goodness it was summertime so he wouldn’t freeze to death.

“Well that is a relief” Henry nervously got out.

Henry slowly made his why up to his room. The creeky elevator was probably that only vintage thing Henry wasn’t too fond of. The idea of getting trapped in one of those things seemed like a clausterphoic nightmare that made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.

Opening the door to his room using the key (he liked the small touch of actually having a metal key, hasn’t seen one of those at a hotel in awhile) he studied it a bit. Super small. Not too bad. Rest here will do. After that long ride on the bus, his feet and body was ready for a reset.

Blam. Out

Henry slept like a rock for a few good solid hours. The soft pillow had blunted the kink in his neck that he arrived with. Looking outside his window the sun was getting close to going down. In a casino town, this is where the everything comes to life. Even the small towns.

Henry checked his phone and disregarded what looked like a barrage of texts from Ben. I think Ben just gets bored sometimes. Shoveling it off, Henry gets ready to head out. I’ll text this jackass later

Making his way to the hotel lobby past all the small stuff hanging up Henry leaps into the warm streets of Jackpot. Without a car here, he’s going to have to do all his getting around on foot. Doesn’t seem to be a problem though considering it, like almost every Nevada town, is centrally planned and not spread out. Walking around is easy. Walking down the street Henry takes in all the small historic aspects of the town that are still present. The brick buildings and and small classic storefronts selling antiques or matterreses. What a town he thought, I wonder what wild scenarios these bricks have seen over the years from gambling mishaps to street fights and all the in between.

Henry noticed a little vinyl record shop. Ah he loved that. Nothing gives more a sense of culture to a town then a music store. So many small American towns have all contributed to their spin on music.

As Henry walked through the town, he had felt such a good sense of things. He made his way to the Cactus Casino.

Henry stepped into the Cactus Casino, and the atmosphere hit him like a wave. The bright lights, the cacophony of slot machines, and the faint smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the aroma of cheap perfume — it was a sensory overload. He paused for a moment, taking it all in. The casino was a stark contrast to the quiet, nostalgic streets of Jackpot he had just wandered through. Here, everything was loud, flashy, and designed to keep you moving, spending, and hoping.

He wasn’t sure where to start. The rows of slot machines stretched endlessly, their screens flashing with colorful graphics and promises of jackpots. To his left, a group of elderly women sat at a bank of machines, their faces lit by the glow of the screens, their hands methodically pressing buttons. To his right, a man in a cowboy hat stood at a blackjack table, his expression unreadable as he tossed chips onto the felt. Henry felt out of place, like he had stumbled into a world he didn’t belong to.

But he wasn’t here to blend in. He was here to take a risk, to do something out of character. He reminded himself of that as he walked deeper into the casino, his suitcase still in hand. He needed to find a place to stash it, but for now, he kept it close, as if it were a lifeline to the world outside this glittering maze.

Henry approached the bar, a long, sleek counter with stools occupied by a mix of tourists and locals. He set his suitcase down and took a seat, ordering a club soda with lime. He wasn’t much of a drinker, especially not in a place like this, where he needed to keep his wits about him. The bartender, a woman in her thirties with a name tag that read “Jasmine,” slid the drink to him with a smile.

“First time in Jackpot?” she asked, her tone friendly but not overly familiar.

“Yeah,” Henry replied, taking a sip of his drink. “Just got off the bus a few hours ago.”

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. “Bus, huh? Not many people come to Jackpot by bus. Most drive in from Idaho or Utah for the weekend.”

Henry shrugged. “I guess I’m not most people.”

She chuckled. “Well, welcome to Jackpot. What brings you here? Business or pleasure?”

Henry hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. Business? No, he wasn’t here for work. Pleasure? That didn’t feel right either. He wasn’t here to have fun. He was here to… what? To gamble? To escape? To prove something to himself? He wasn’t sure.

“Ahh you know…I hadn’t thought of it yet, just needed to get away.” he finally said, offering a vague smile.

Jasmine nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. “Well, if you’re looking to kill some time, the poker tables are pretty lively tonight. Or if you’re feeling lucky, the slots near the back have been paying out pretty well this week.”

Henry thanked her and took another sip of his drink. He wasn’t ready to dive into the gambling just yet. He needed to get his bearings, to figure out how this place worked. He had always been a cautious man, someone who thought things through before acting. But tonight, he wanted to be different. He wanted to take a chance, to step out of his comfort zone.

He glanced around the casino, his eyes landing on a roulette table. It was one of the few games he understood, thanks to a few trips to Reno years ago. He remembered the thrill of watching the ball bounce around the wheel, the anticipation as it settled into a slot. It was a game of pure chance, and maybe that’s what he needed right now — a reminder that life wasn’t always about control.

Henry grabbed his suitcase and made his way to the roulette table. The dealer, a middle-aged man with a bored expression, nodded as Henry approached.

“Welcome to the table,” the dealer said, his voice monotone. “Minimum bet is $10.”

Henry set his suitcase down and pulled out his wallet. He stared at them for a moment, feeling the weight of what he was about to do. This was it. No turning back now.

He placed a chip on red and watched as the dealer spun the wheel. The ball clattered around, bouncing from slot to slot, until it finally landed on black. Henry’s chip was swept away, and he felt a pang of disappointment. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He placed another chip on red, and this time, the ball landed on red. He won. A small victory, but it felt good.

Henry continued to play, alternating between red and black, occasionally betting on specific numbers. He won some, lost some, but overall, he was holding his own. The adrenaline was starting to kick in, and he found himself getting caught up in the excitement of the game. For the first time in a long time, he felt alive.

As the night wore on, Henry’s stack of chips grew. He wasn’t sure how much he had won, but it was enough to make him feel like he was on a roll. He decided to take a break and cash out, wanting to savor the feeling of success. He exchanged his chips for cash and stuffed the winnings into his wallet, a sense of accomplishment washing over him.

But as he walked away from the table, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. He had come to Jackpot looking for something, and he wasn’t sure if he had found it yet. But for now, he was content to enjoy the moment, to bask in the glow of his small victory.

Henry made his way back to the bar, where Jasmine was still working. She smiled as he approached.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

“Not bad,” Henry replied, a hint of pride in his voice. “I won a little.”

“Good for you,” Jasmine said. “You sticking around for a while?”

Henry thought about it for a moment. He had no plans, no obligations. For the first time in years, he was free to do whatever he wanted. And maybe, just maybe, Jackpot had more to offer than he had initially thought.

“Yeah,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “I think I will.”

Henry was trying to curb the feeling of winning. Trying to manage the emotion so it wouldnt get to him. In other words, it wouldn’t control him. Henry had never been addicted to anything. But as a worry wort hypocanrdac, he feared losing control. With no evidence of his behavior to support this, he just WAS this way. He didn’t want the feeling of excitement of winning to come over him and take control and cause him to make bad decisions.

Just like petty crime he thought. It turns into big crime. Or embezzlement, from the stories he’s read. People don’t start embezzling millions of dollars right away. It always starts small. You take a little here and you take a little there. You start spending more, then you start needing more. You think no one is watching so you keep taking and taking. Next thing you know, you’re taking too much. Henry had seen it and read about it before. That’s the scary thing about these situations and addiction. Your brain slowly justifies it, that you don’t even think you are doing anything wrong. In addticion, you don’t know you’re addicted until its too late.

With gambling, Henry wanted to set up methods to control his behavior should he feel the urge to get addicted. Some type of signal or way to ground him back to reality so he wouldn’t get out of control.

Henry thought way too much.