6.23.2011

A Cast of Atlantic City Characters ....... #23 RAIN MAN

 


^^^^^^^WATCH ME FIRST^^^^


If you have not seen "RAIN MAN" starring  Tom Cruise you need to stop what you are doing and watch it via NETFLIX or AMAZON instant download, it is a Great Movie with great characters, including Dustin Hoffman as "Rain Man."  One of the most lovable movie characters ever created in my opinion.  I don't have much experience working with people who have these particular symptoms all at once but what exposure I have had mimic a character in a more recent film , Adam, about a young man with Asperger's Syndrome. 

This weekend, from a short distance, I was introduced to a guy..... a guy that made me smile.... made me smile like I smile when I watch Rain Man. 

We were standing in line waiting to pull the big handle on the over sized quick picks slot machine.  It cost $1 or $5 to play all of the lines and get an opportunity to win extra games (which equals extra winnings).  There were lots of people standing around.  One girl held up a cell phone that was recording her Dad's experience at the slots.  He had put in $100 orig and his total was showing over $1000 when we came up to the machine....... it was very exciting and he kept spinning for a long while after our arrival.  Everyone standing around was rooting him on us and watching him win made us want put some bills in this machine ourselves........ but not yet.............. once a few people have played and lost because "the odds are"no one would win again right away.

Everyone standing around had a common moment .......where the adrenaline was high........ and the watching of the reels spinning ........and endorphines released.........."excitement" was reflected on everyone's face but especially in his....... the guy with the blue work hat on.  He stood there with his hands in the pockets of his jeans and made comments that were kinda low in tone but clear, stating if only you had X amount more 7's on the spins that didn't win.  His eyes darted and glistened (but so were everyone elses) and his smile was fixed.......unwavering.

I wouldn't have thought another thing about him if we didn't spot him in the crowd the next time we passed this same large machine.  People made a wide semi-circle around the back of the machine and the girl that was losing this time (several hundred dollars) and there he was again , smiling, and  saying "aw man"  when the numbers didn't line up in the right way.  His eyes were still glistening and he was still smiling.  When the girl and the crowd dispersed, so did he ...........again.

Every time we passed by the machine and someone was playing he would be there ..........we wondered where he went in between players?

Everyday, he was there.  On checkout day (Monday) at about 11:30 or so I was sitting in the coffee shop with our luggage and my husband was taking care of the paperwork.  I saw him.  He was walking swiftly by, through the hallways coming from the direction of the "self park" lot.  He seemed to be on a mission, he had on his hat and was headed towards "THE MACHINE."   The machine that if he doesn't already know , he will, just how many spins and how many 7's and how many players it takes to get the "quick hit."

The simple pleasures, that obviously is making him a happy man.   I contrasted him to the many "grumpy" "grumbly" people that were walking around the casino, tensions high, losing money and even complaining when they hit a $1800 jackpot, complaining that it didn't get their losings back , REALLY?  me happy that they won at all! ........ TRUST ME there are many there that are NOT having a good time and showing it by facial expressions and body language not to mention their verbiage.  WHY EVEN GO when you are not having fun?  

He never played the machine himself.  I can't imagine that he would even want to?   I wonder if the casino cameras "see him" and if they do , if they are thinking about this lovable character and catching that contagious smile from above?
 



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