<h4>Chapter 7 - Gambles</h4>
Evening arrived quietly, and I was rxing in the living room, trying to recover from an exhausting day of forced socializing with Ernie. Charlie walked past me, grabbing his keys from the table near the door.
"Don''t wait up, guys," he announced casually, straightening his shirt cor.
n nced up suspiciously from the sofa. "Back to Vegas?"
Charlie smiled smugly, adjusting his cuffs. "Even better. Sherman Oaks. The gateway to Van Nuys."
n raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Kate again? Charlie, you really don''t know what you''re getting into with single mothers."
Charlie shrugged casually, clearly unconcerned. "Rx, n. I can handle myself just fine."
n rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically. "Famousst words."
I looked over at Charlie with mock seriousness. "As long as I don''t have to entertain any more twelve-year-old kids, you''ve got my full support, Uncle Charlie."
Charlie chuckled lightly, shing me an appreciative grin. "Deal, Jake."
n stood up, suddenly remembering something important. "Oh, by the way, I''m going out tonight too."
Charlie stopped abruptly, giving n a curious look. "You? Out? That''s unusual. What''s the asion?"
n cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed but excited at the same time. "Well, I volunteered to help Gloria with the ser league newsletter."
"Oh, Gloria—the one who drives the kid van?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Why?" n responded
Charlie and I exchanged knowing nces. I raised an eyebrow at Uncle Charlie, who smirked subtly, trying not tough.
"Nothing," Charlie replied casually. "Have fun."
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. After stretchingzily, I made my way to the kitchen to get some breakfast. As I entered, I immediately noticed n sitting at the table, with dark eyes and a broken nose with some curative in it.
I stopped, staring in disbelief. "Dad? What happened to you?"
n groaned quietly, clearly embarrassed. "I... slipped."
I narrowed my eyes skeptically. "Slipped?"
"Yes, Jake, slipped," he repeated, avoiding eye contact.
At that moment, Charlie entered the kitchen, yawning heavily. He nced briefly at n''s injured face but didn''t say anything about it. Instead, he walked straight to the coffee pot, pointing at it as he turned to n.
"Regr or decaf?" Charlie asked casually.
n sighed. "Regr."
Charlie poured himself a cup of coffee, taking a slow sip. n waited a few moments, clearly irritated. Eventually, unable to contain himself, n snapped, "Aren''t you even the slightest bit curious about what happened?"
Charlie nced at him calmly, sipping his coffee again. "Were you with Gloriast night?"
"Yes, I was."
Charlie nodded slowly, taking another thoughtful sip. "Then I think I can fill in the nks."
I poured myself some orange juice, shaking my head in amusement at the exchange between Charlie and n.
Then I leaned forward, remembering something important. I leaned closer to Charlie and lowered my voice so n wouldn''t overhear.
"Put two hundred thousand on both the Rams and the Titans winning today. Pay style."
Charlie raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Alright, that the biggest bet I made in my life. That leaves ny grand."
I nced at n, who was still too grumpy and sore to pay attention. Then I whispered, "Put the rest on the Rams winning the Super Bowl. Final score: 23 to 16. But don''t tell Dad."
Charlie gave me a look, half amused and half impressed. "You''re serious?"
I nodded. "Dead serious."
Charlie pulled out his phone and started making the bets. A few minutester, he looked up from the screen with a satisfied grin.
"Okay," he said. "The pay bet—Titans and Rams to win today—came back at 3.5 to 1. If it hits, we''re talking seven hundred grand."
I nodded, already doing the math in my head.
"And the other one," he continued, still staring at his phone, "the exact final score—Rams win 23 to 16—that one paid out a hundred to one. That''s... insane."
He shook his head in disbelief. "If that miracle happens, we''re adding nine million to the pot."
I smiled faintly. "Good. Let''s make history."
———
Byte afternoon, we were all gathered in the living room, snacks on the table, and all eyes glued to the TV. The Titans pulled ahead against the Jaguars and held strong, securing their spot in the final. Charlie pped once, satisfied.
"One down."
Next came the Rams vs. Baneers. It was a tense game, close all the way through. But just like I remembered, the Rams pulled ahead in the final minutes. The house exploded in cheers.
"YES!" Charlie shouted, throwing his arms up. "We did it!"
n blinked in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean ''we''?"
Charlie cleared his throat, shooting me a subtle nce. "Just... sports talk."
n paused halfway to the kitchen, squinting suspiciously. "Wait a minute... You two bet again, didn''t you?"
Charlie and I exchanged a brief look, then Charlie gave a sheepish grin. "Maybe."
n set the chips down on the counter. "Well? How much did we win?"
Charlie leaned back with a proud grin. "Seven hundred grand."
n blinked. "Seven... hundred... thousand dors??!"
I nodded, trying to keep my cool, but I couldn''t help the grin tugging at my lips.
n raised his arms triumphantly. "We''re rich! Again!"
Charlieughed. "That''s more like it."
n grabbed a soda from the fridge and popped it open like it was champagne. "Jake, you''re not just my son—you''re our lucky charm."
I smiled, then leaned back. "Now it''s time for the final bet."
Charlie looked at me curiously. "You want to go in again?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Let''s put a hundred thousand on the Rams winning the Super Bowl—exact score, 23 to 16."
Charlie whistled low. "You really believe in that score."
"I do," I said confidently. "That''ll leave us with around 268 thousand for me and you, and 63 for Dad."
n looked between us, surprised. "Wait—you already did the math?"
"Of course," I said casually. "But don''t worry, we''re not putting it all in. We''ve got enough left over to invest, or bet smartter."
Charlie grinned. "Alright, kid. Let''s make more money."