"Amy, you are working travel plaza tonight."
I was overjoyed to hear this as it was a Friday night in November. Getting closer to Thanksgiving and the Casino gets crazier and crazier. Normally I wouldn't have minded the hustle of the weekend in security at one of the biggest casinos in Oklahoma, but tonight after I got off, I was picking up my kids from my toxic ex, and heading to Missouri. The family ranch was in Missouri and I was going to work cows before the holiday. I wouldn't have to deal with all the annoying chatter on the radio and the drunken guests forgetting how to act in public. TP (travel plaza) tonight was just what I needed before the 8 hour drive north. I gathered my stuff that I would need for my shift and checked out the keys for the Tahoe I would be driving to the TP. When I arrived I checked in with the cashier. "Hey Stacy," I greeted one of my favorite cashiers. She was a lot like me, and we spent our work time together talking shit about men and guests. She was working on some paperwork and greeted me with a distracted smirk. I went to check the office to see if there were any notes left, or reports of any incidents from the previous shift, nothing. This is a good start to my shift! I walked out onto the mini casino floor that is attached to the travel plaza. I spoke to a few guest along the way wishing them luck and letting my presence be known. I walked back to the cashier window, Stacy looked up to me already looking bored and half asleep. "I'm going to go grab some coffee, do you need anything?" I asked her.RING! RING! RING! a bell blasted a few machines away from us. A loud cry of excitement came from the woman sitting at the game. I turned to Stacy as the lights and bells continued to alert, a smile on my face. She rolled her eyes, and gathered her keys and clipboard, "A salted caramel latte sounds amazing after you assist me with this payout." she said looking at me annoyed and grateful.I walked over to the machine with the crying woman. She grabbed my hand telling me this was her first time to hit a jackpot. I shared in her excitement with her the best I could as this was an everyday occurrence for me. Removing my hand from hers I radio surveillance. "144 to surveillance." "Go ahead 144"144 was my number, it's how dispatch and everyone else on our frequency identified who we were talking to, no names just numbers. "I have a payout with cashier326 at machine z-751 for $10,000.00" "We have eyes on you go ahead with the payout."Stacy paid the customer and dealt with the paperwork and I cleared the call with surveillance. I made sure the guest was ok with that amount of money on her. She asked me if I could walk her out to the car so she could put the bulk of her money away. I took her out and waited until she had it locked away and she felt secure again. I then walked with her back inside and slipped out the side door for my coffee fix.I returned with Stacy's latte and she greedily took it from me with a thank you evident on her face. The rest of the night followed about the same routine. Paying out jackpots of various sizes, retrieving jammed tickets, walking around and talking to various guests, and checking in with the ever present eye in the sky. As my shift neared the end I made my way back into the office to give a brief rundown of the shift for the next officer. I put my stuff in the back of the Tahoe and went back to the security suite, my mind already on the long drive ahead of me tonight.I got to the security suite and turned my gun in. I was heading back out the doors when I hear,"Who is 144?" someone shouted behind me.I turn around to look and my heart stopped. My brain froze and I just stared. It was him."Hello my name is Becky, I am the head nurse on shift tonight. I was told you were requesting a supervisor. May I ask what has happened and how we can make this right?" The new nurse asks in a friendly voice. Keith relays everything I have just told him. "May I ask your relationship to Ms. Knight sir?" she asks him. "This is my future wife." He tells her without hesitation. "I see, first let me apologize for the treatment you have recieved here tonight Ms. Knight. If you don't mind I will go look at the previous notes of your blood pressure since check-in to verify your blood pressure history. I will return with pain medication for you if you have been consistent." She tells me. I just nod my head. Not even 5 minutes later Becky was back in the room. "I am very sorry for the delay in your comfort Ms. Knight. Do you think you can manage sitting up for me, so I can give you this medication? Please drink this water slowly, you aren't supposed to have liquid before you
"What the hell are you doing here!?" I ask him. "I called Marie to see if I could come hang out and she told me you were having emergency surgery. I was worried about you and wanted to be here for you." he says. "Marie shouldn't have told you anything! That is a HIPPA violation and I do not need or want you here. I don't need or want you any where around me ever. The only thing I need you to do is help take care of your daughter and you refuse to have anything to do with her unless I am there. Take now for example, instead of going and helping Marie with our daughter you are here harrassing me. If I need you in any way I have your phone number, and I am 100% positive I did not call or text you to come here. You need to leave!" I tell him. "I still care about you, and this is how you treat me? This is what I get for trying to be nice to you! You are still just a stupid fucking cunt! I bet you are fucking everyone at the casino!" He yells at me. I pick up my bedside remo
Keith and I fell into a routine over the next couple of weeks. We made sure to see eachother regularly. We made time to spend with my kids, and spoke on the phone regularly. I paid Marie to watch the kids so I could work and get some rest. Kaye's dad moved out of his house and into another house with his girlfriend. He found out we were staying with Marie and started coming to help with Kaye. He wasn't really helping though. He was trying to hook up with Marie. When she turned him down he would try to crawl in bed with me. I was still turning him down. One day I woke up to my phone ringing. It was Keith. "Hey baby! I left again!" Keith says as soon as I answer. "Wait, What?" I ask him confused trying to wipe the fog from my head and understand what he had just said to me. "I left, the kids sat us down and said that now that they knew we were having problems they could see how unhappy we
I wait for my brother to answer his phone. " Hey James, how are you?" "To be honest I am not doing good. I was about to call you actually." he says. "Ok well you go first. What's wrong?" I ask him. "My wife just kicked me out. I am sleeping in my truck at the yard." he confides. "What the fuck? Why?" I ask. "I found out she has been having an affair. I asked her about it and she told me I needed to leave. I wasn't going to fight with her so I just left. Do you think I can come stay with you until I get paid and find a place?" he asks. "I am staying with my friend right now. I will ask her but I am sure she won't want you sleeping in your truck." I tell him. "Is it your hot friend who tagged you in a photo of you both?" he asks laughing. "You might be kicked out but you are still married, please don'
Keith made love to me several more times before the sun came back up the next day. The kids went to school and we loaded Kaye up to go to the security suite with Keith so he could turn his uniform in and let them know what was going on. We went to grab lunch and he dropped Kaye and I off at the apartment and we spent the rest of our time before he had to leave for his meeting in each others arms. Keith gave me one last kiss. Something in my gut felt wrong. We had just had the best night together and spent the day together like we had been together for years. Why was I feeling this way. About 9 o clock that evening I got a meesage from Keith. "Give me your phone number, I need to call you." he sent. "Is everything ok?" I ask
Karen got home and we all sat down in the living room. Kaye climbed up into Keith's lap. I sat next to him. Karson and Kammy sat on the couch across from us. Karson was looking between Keith and myself. "Karson do you have any questions?" I ask him because I can see the questions in his eyes. "How do you know Keith?" He asks "I work with Keith. He is in security with me and Karen. Mommy has been speaking with him for a couple months now. We like each other a whole lot and he wants to help us get a place with him." I tell him. I know it is happening really soon but I hope Karson can understand. "Is he the reason we moved here and you are happier?" Kammy asks next. Karson nodding his head in