The Adventures Of Jolly Tippler
Part One. A short story
Having sat down at one of the Poker tables with his friends, Jolly Tippler noticed a very beautiful woman across the hall. She was a cocktail girl, dressed in an eye-catching bunny outfit, serving at the roulette table adjacent to him. She had very thick black hair, bright almond shaped eyes and full lips. Jolly sorely wished that he had been playing roulette that day instead of Poker.
He remembered however, that he had never had a winning streak at chance games and had lost a considerable amount of money at slot machines and other such games. Poker, he mused, was also a game of probabilities; but at least, he was competing against his friends and not the house. Jolly fancied himself to be a quick-witted man with a sharp mathematical mind. Over the years he had developed his Poker skills and he hoped to make a fortune by the end of the night. More importantly, he hoped to win over the affections of the beautiful cocktail girl serving at the roulette table.
Unfortunately, Jolly had never been good at flirting with women. He was a lonely man and had never taken a woman out on a date. He never seemed to have enough courage, never seemed to have the right words. But this time, he was determined. He had already won a few rounds of Poker and he was feeling especially lucky. This was love at first sight and he was prepared to do whatever he could to sweep her off her feet. He tried catching her eye and flagging her down to order a drink. He knew a strong drink or two would help; of that, he was certain. While he tried and failed to get her attention, he heard a soft voice next to him asking if he needed anything to drink.
As he looked up above his shoulder, his eyes rested upon another bunny clad lass. She had a slender neck, rosy cheeks and a sweet smile, but suffered from a squint. One of her eyes looked to the left, the other looked straight at him. She went by the name of Keeloosh and said she’d be happy to help. Jolly was repulsed by this cross-eyed girl but ordered a drink from her, for he needed to summon the courage to tackle the task at hand.
He sipped his drink while playing and ordered another glass each time he won a round. By the third glass his tie was loose, his confidence had grown, his vision started blurring out and he knew it was time to make his move. He rose from the table, leaving his winning chips behind. Walking over and stumbling, but pressing on all the same, he made his way to the roulette table. He introduced himself to her once he was within earshot and asked what name she went by. She said she was Amandeudoos and asked if he would care for a drink. Of course, he did. He smiled ingenuously and marvelled at his luck. By the sixth drink he asked her if she would dance with him and by the ninth he asked if she would marry him.
The next thing he remembered, he was tying the knot and after the preacher’s blessing, he swept her up into his arms. He staggered out and almost fell but steadied himself on. Swelling with pride while carrying his bride into their wedding suite, he placed her eagerly on the bed and made his way to the bathroom to sober himself up. Splashing cold water on his face to clear the drunken fog, he heard a soft voice calling out to him and he hastened to the bedroom. There laying down upon the bed, just as he’d left her, was his newly wedded bride in her wedding apparel. He went over to lift her veil, and oh! to his dismay — gone was the mane of thick black hair and bright almond shaped eyes. Though she had a rosy cheek and the sweetest smile, she suffered from a squint. One of her eyes looked to the left while the other winked at him.
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