He watches the woman as she feeds the slot machine. She shows no emotion as she loses.
And she loses every time.
Bill wonders how it is possible. How can she be that unlucky? The machines are supposed to give people hope.
False hope, obviously.
But hope all the same. You are supposed to believe you will win eventually. Some people quit after the win. Most just keep on feeding the machine, as their brief winning streak turns sour.
But this woman - a smartly dressed woman in her late thirties, Bill guesses - seems happy enough with her losing streak. He notices she keeps glancing towards the entrance.
She is waiting for someone, he thinks.
Or maybe she is hiding from someone and keeps looking to make sure she remains unfound.
She has been there for about thirty minutes. She came in suddenly, like a gust of wind, and took her place at the machine at the rear of the shop. From there she can watch the door, he realises.
She looks up and catches his look. He smiles, but she looks away quickly.
...
