My friend lives in Nelson Nebraska. The town is small and it has some abandoned houses and buildings. My friend and his girlfriend decided to go exploring one night and took me along with them. They practice “Take only pictures, leave only footprints.” There is an abandoned old folks home there, when the building closed things were left behind, some rooms still had beds in them along with some personal items. One room still had a dresser with a watch, a billfold and coins. It was late night pitch black in the home and quiet like the dead. I took 4 flashlights cause I’m scared of the dark and I’m not going to be stuck standing in the blackness crying like a little girl. You’ve seen the horror movies the flashlight flickers and then goes dark, not happening with me. We wondered around and found a patients room with only a Christmas tree fully decorated with tinsel standing in the center of the room. The weird part was the tinsel was floating on the tree and flickering. The really weird part was that the home had no electricity or ac. But yet the tinsel moved as if blowing in a slight breeze. Freaky. We found the kitchen. It was filled with stainless steel countertops and white walls. Something with fingers was growing in the big refrigerator. They left in a hurry. I opened my mouth and broke the silence and said, “I’m fixing on cooking breakfast.”. All the sudden there was a noise in the dark over there. Three beams of light jumped at where the sound came from, nothing. So I said something about eggs and bacon, again another sound from the other side of the kitchen closer this time. The flashlights turned and nothing. Every time I mentioned a food type the sounds were starting, surrounding us. I said Brussels spouts, crickets, nada the sounds stopped. I said to my friends it was time to go, after all I woke up something and I couldn’t even put the smell of breakfast in the air. We left and went back home to watch the video Emma took. In it the reflection of sets of eyes could be seen on the video blinking and following us. Very disconcerting, we didn’t see any of that with our eyes but the video picked it up. The night was fun, a little scary but for the most part fun. I’ll be visiting my buddy again soon. He says there’s a house where e the people who lived there just bailed in the middle of dinner. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Anyone else out there feeling the struggle? I'm on a mission to find a new wallet, but it seems like the perfect one doesn't exist!
Here's the deal: I'm obsessed with full-grain leather wallets. They just age so beautifully. But that's not all. I need an unlined billfold compartment for easy access to cash. Vertical card slots are a must too, like my trusty Bellroy Note Sleeve that's finally given up the ghost after five years of loyal service.
Saddleback almost had it right with their small wallet, but they don't make it anymore. And their medium option has an ID window, which is a total dealbreaker for me.
So, here's my plea to the wallet experts: is there anyone out there crafting full-grain leather wallets with unlined bill sleeves and vertical card slots? Ideally, I'd love a smaller form factor to keep things sleek, and let's not forget – under $150 would be fantastic.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated! Help a wallet-less soul out!

WITHDRAWN
I rarely self proclaim bro pricing but this is an objectively speaking, good deal. I made a purchase and need to recoup before the wife notices, a tale as old as time. 2 wallets, sick ass OTF, Airpods case...
SV250 total!
Good evening swap! Hope y'all are having a pleasant Sunday. Couple randoms for your consideration...
Stamp
New Stamp
New New Stamp
First up is a Leatherman Supertool 300. Got this as a Christmas gift and taking it out for these pics was the first time it's been out of it's sheath. BNIS ~~SV70 SOLD Leatherman~~
Next, I'm very reluctantly listing my beloved Microtech Dirac. The antique bronze signature series version of my all time favorite OTF. Apocalyptic full serrated M390. It might just be in my head but the f&f on the signature series seems quite a bit better than your run of the mill Microtechs, little to no rattle and less button play. Bought as BNIB and have carried it fairly regularly for a few months. Typical wear for such use featuring a nice little scratch on the clip side. SV240 SV215 Dirac
Papov Leather Heritage wallet. I love this company and have belts, watch bands, and this exact wallet already. When I bought my wallet a few months ago it was presumed lost in transit. They were super cool and sent another immediately. Lo and behold, the initial shipment showed up Friday. Even if this isn't your jam, check them out, top notch quality. Anyways, this is brand new. Wish you could scratch and sniff. Will also include leather balm. Would cost about a buck-o-five on their site, yours for SV75 SV65 Best wallet ever
Edit: the second wallet in the video is that same wallet after about 5 months of carry.
Bellroy Note Sleeve wallet. Used for about a year, nice wallet. $89 on the site, yours for SV45 SV35 Note Sleeve
Plus a free airpods pro case
No trades please unless it’s towards an Arius Mini, thanks for looking!

Good evening swap! Hope y'all are having a pleasant Sunday. Couple randoms for your consideration...
Stamp
New Stamp
First up is a Leatherman Supertool 300. Got this as a Christmas gift and taking it out for these pics was the first time it's been out of it's sheath. BNIS SV70 SOLD Leatherman
Next, I'm very reluctantly listing my beloved Microtech Dirac. The antique bronze signature series version of my all time favorite OTF. Apocalyptic full serrated M390. It might just be in my head but the f&f on the signature series seems quite a bit better than your run of the mill Microtechs, little to no rattle and less button play. Bought as BNIB and have carried it fairly regularly for a few months. Typical wear for such use featuring a nice little scratch on the clip side. SV240 SV215 Dirac
Papov Leather Heritage wallet. I love this company and have belts, watch bands, and this exact wallet already. When I bought my wallet a few months ago it was presumed lost in transit. They were super cool and sent another immediately. Lo and behold, the initial shipment showed up Friday. Even if this isn't your jam, check them out, top notch quality. Anyways, this is brand new. Wish you could scratch and sniff. Will also include leather balm. Would cost about a buck-o-five on their site, yours for SV75 SV65 Best wallet ever
Edit: the second wallet in the video is that same wallet after about 5 months of carry.
Bellroy Note Sleeve wallet. Used for about a year, nice wallet. $89 on the site, yours for SV45 SV35 Note Sleeve
No trades please unless it’s towards an Arius Mini, thanks for looking!

Good afternoon everybody! Couplle wallets for your consideration...
Stamp
Papov Leather Heritage wallet A+. I love this company and have belts, watch bands, and this exact wallet already. When I bought my wallet a few months ago it was presumed lost in transit. They were super cool and sent another immediately. Lo and behold, the initial shipment showed up Friday. Even if this isn't your jam, check them out, top notch quality. Anyways, this is brand new. Wish you could scratch and sniff. Will also include leather balm. Would cost about a buck-o-five on their site, yours for SV75 Best wallet ever
Bellroy Note Sleeve wallet C. Used for about a year, nice wallet. $89 on the site, yours for SV45 Note Sleeve
I'll also throw this BNIB Airpod Pro case A+ in for $5 with any purchase ($10 on its own). Received as a gift but I don't have airpods. Same case but for my Beats shown in the video. Amazon link.
Thanks for looking!
Edit: I've made trades in this sub before but clearly didn't confirm them properly. Plenty of cred on knife_swap for peace of mind!

Good evening swap! Hope y'all are having a pleasant Sunday. Couple randoms for your consideration...
Stamp
First up is a Leatherman Supertool 300. Got this as a Christmas gift and taking it out for these pics was the first time it's been out of it's sheath. BNIS SV70 SOLD Leatherman
Next, I'm very reluctantly listing my beloved Microtech Dirac. The antique bronze signature series version of my all time favorite OTF. Apocalyptic full serrated M390. It might just be in my head but the f&f on the signature series seems quite a bit better than your run of the mill Microtechs, little to no rattle and less button play. Bought as BNIB and have carried it fairly regularly for a few months. Typical wear for such use featuring a nice little scratch on the clip side. SV240 Dirac
Papov Leather Heritage wallet. I love this company and have belts, watch bands, and this exact wallet already. When I bought my wallet a few months ago it was presumed lost in transit. They were super cool and sent another immediately. Lo and behold, the initial shipment showed up Friday. Even if this isn't your jam, check them out, top notch quality. Anyways, this is brand new. Wish you could scratch and sniff. Will also include leather balm. Would cost about a buck-o-five on their site, yours for SV75 Best wallet ever
Edit: the second wallet in the video is that same wallet after about 5 months of carry.
Bellroy Note Sleeve wallet. Used for about a year, nice wallet. $89 on the site, yours for SV45 Note Sleeve
No trades please unless it’s towards an Arius Mini, thanks for looking!

I recently gifted a wallet to a buddy so my leather is at least being used in the real world. Since then I've gotten 3 phone calls asking for wallets and have no idea how to approach. I was laid off 6 weeks ago and haven't been working. I've been thinking more and more about trying to be more serious in selling product and would like to give it a shot if only to pull in some extra cash while I look for a new gig.
This is the wallet I gave him. Buttero 3oz with .8mm Ritza thread (my first experience with leather that wasn't cheap grab-bag chrome or economy grade veg tan). He liked it a lot and showed it off to his dad who called me along with his wife and co-owner of his company. They were all really impressed with the wallet and love the idea of custom color combinations and are super excited about the idea of a locally made wallet by hand. In addition to that, my barber (also a friend) asked me to make one for him and I asked him that I'll make it for him for free in exchange for showing off my stuff to his clients (he has a large customer base and works out of his garage so he has a much more of a "bro who's a barber" attitude than a "I'm going to the barber shop" if that makes any sense. Like We'll sit and drink a beer after a haircut when I visit. Super casual). Which he instantly agreed to.
The issue I'm running into is I've only ever practiced and only started back in November so while I'm confident in gifting my crafts, selling is a different story as I've always felt like my work sucks despite being told otherwise by superiors (I've been a video editor for 15 years and shooting video for about the past 7-8). Basically a horrible chronic case of imposter syndrome. But at least with the leatherwork I'm super excited at the idea of pivoting to this eventually and I'm very motivated to at least turn it into a side gig if I can't find a way to do it full time.
There's no way I'm going to try charging the same prices as other experienced makers, but I also don't want to undercut or just break even. I already know I need to charge around $20 to very roughly break even on materials and tools I'd need to purchase. (I'm not working right now so the time dedicated is less of a priority than making quality products time I will easily manage if or when I start getting multiple orders at once). Luckily, my old boss (who laid me off 6 weeks ago lol) is a big leather fan and said he wants to support and insisted on purchasing materials for me for the first few projects until I can get a (small) choice of leather options in-house.
The design I'm using for the above wallet is STR Handmade's Shroud V2 and he prices his at 39 Euro ($41), so I'm thinking maybe $30-$35 for mine? And for a bill fold design the number I had in my head was $50-$60.
As for products themselves, I'm basically asking what they need (cardholder, billfold, clutch, etc along with color schemes) and going from there as I haven't designed any wallets personally from scratch. My plan is to purchase some designs and alter them in Illustrator to suit my needs. Since I don't have any inventory, my plan is to send them some links to leather options and colors and purchase what I'd need to that individual product.
I haven't had a passion video for a number of years now. I wouldn't mind leaving for a while to try leatherworking if I can get the snowball rolling on this. If anybody can provide any sort of guidance I would be so gratefully appreciated. I have no idea what I'm doing here.

At home, I'm a slim card slot guy, but after my last trip, I found that they are terrible at holding large sums of cash and I was always worried about bills slipping out when reaching into my pocket for tips and whatnot. I tried switching to a billfold-style, but the front pocket bulge wasn't ideal. What wallet do you use while walking around Las Vegas?

I'm a newbie, I ordered a bundle deal from Springfield leather but realizing that I may need specific thicknesses for specific projects. What would be the thicknesses I should have on hand? Color doesn't matter at this point. Just want to work with the correct sizes to get used to how they work together.
I'm mostly doing billfold/wallets and fieldnote portfolios. Eventually I'd like to make myself a canvas and leather messenger bag but that's a ways off.

I got an old billfold from ariat. The leather quality isnt the best, but i knows its leather. Its pretty smooth with a shine so im guessing theres some artificial layer giving that texture. Ive had it for a while and it has some sentiment to me, so I wanted to touch it up a bit.

Last week, I went over my various OUTLIER bags. I had mentioned things that I keep in my bags, so for this batch of reviews, I’ll lead into my thoughts on those little objects from the brand that belong in my everyday carry or accessorize my outfits. We'll start from the top and go from there.

Merino Watch Cap

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The Merino Watch Cap is pretty straightforward. I have had one for a long time, but never found myself using it because it’s not my ideal cap. Regardless of brand or design, Florida just was not the spot to be rocking a wool beanie for any extended period of time. Another case of a warmer climate invalidated a product… until I moved! Nowadays, I gravitate to this for a good portion of the year.
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Merino Watchcap, Injex Overkill Mesh Paneled, Bombtwill Fatigues
Now that I’ve had more time to actually wear this, I’ve found some variations. My biggest problem with this cap is how many I’ve gone through to get the right fit. I have a pretty massive dome and I have now had four different color watch caps that I had to try until I got one that felt right on my head. The caps do relax a bit after some initial wear, but at a certain point, it ends up being uncomfortable regardless. I don’t know if this is a batch by batch deal or if the cap shrinks differently based on yarn color, but I can say Indie Blue and Black were too small, Yellow was absolutely massive, and Winedark ended up being my ideal.
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After the testing almost ended in me giving up on the Watch Cap, I found that this was a solid and reliable option for my cranium. The merino keeps my head warm, doesn’t itch, doesn’t pill, and doesn’t overheat like cashmere. I’m not sure I can speak more on the excellence of design or construction in detail. I’m not even sure the OUTLIER team really cares that much as Abe has spoken in the past about stocking these for models in photoshoots more than anything. Regardless, this is a great merino cap option and a mainstay in my wardrobe.
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Ultracharge Mag Bandana

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The Ultracharge Mag Bandana is one of my oldest pieces in terms of how long it's been in my possession. Weirdly enough, it didn’t get used much until the last couple of years. Obviously, this is a cold weather banger and the second I moved to a colder climate, this became an everyday essential for four months of the year rather than the occasional winter trip where I packed it to travel (which was a huge benefit of having it in the first place.)
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Supermarine Cap, Ultramag Bandana, Bombtwil Jobjacket, Stronghard Hooded Warmshirt, UFT Cut-3, Bombpaints
This bandana with magnets format is one that the brand has been messing with and experimenting on the design since I have been following them which is interesting to me because I feel like the version I have works perfectly. At its most simplistic, this is just an insulated triangle with a magnet closure to secure it around the neck. It seems the closure is the biggest point of change throughout the years as there needs to be a balance of getting this cozy around your collar and also secure around your face. I never found myself using it across my face enough, but I *can* do it as long as I’m not doing any heavy activity like jogging or biking. I can see why that would be useful to have a tight fit, but if I’m walking against wind chill, the original magnet design manages to get over my nose and neck just fine without sliding down or coming undone.
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Something to consider is that I think OUTLIER has sort of driven it home on their most recent experimental design to achieve balance between active face coverage and neck warmth, but I have no personal experience with it.
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Supermarine 3Bar Cap

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This is my workhorse cap. I’ve worn this to the point of it having a little bit of patina to it. The Supermarine material is an OUTLIER staple at this point and it feels like a smart use to have on your head. The material reactively closes up and prevents moisture from getting through when wet, which is stellar in so many scenarios. Without going into full worship, I have to mention negatives. This is another OUTLIER garment where the fabric is exceptional, but has its drawbacks.
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Supermarine Cap, New Earth Cotton GT, Acottontwill Twopocket, Futureonethrees
The major issue that comes with this is that Supermarine is not very breathable in hot and humid summers. This was a huge portion of my use-case and was not easy to wear during especially hot days in Florida. If you could prevent your head from sweating, the material would breathe a bit better, but the purpose of the fabric *is* to close up when moisture accumulates. Which leads into my second problem: the sizing.
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Supermarine Cap, Nylistic Traveler, Daybreak Cut-2, Futureonethrees
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Once again, moisture pulls this fabric close together which leads to a tighter fit on your head. So when dry, this works out fine, but after a sweaty day or a bit of rain, this shrinks up a bit. I think this would probably not be an issue for most, but I’ve got a huge noggin as mentioned before. OUTLIER did push this a bit and released a “Gen 2,” which increased the dome size a bit. I’m still wearing my “Gen 1” in the transition months, but this leads into the cap that has mostly taken over as my go-to baseball cap in place of the Supermarine Cap.
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Ultra Ultra 3Bar Cap

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This experimental release from a few years back felt like a slam dunk. Using the Ultra Ultra fabric that OUTLIER has been using in a few different, mostly athletic leaning garments was an awesome choice for the 3Bar cap. The fabric has that sort of athletic stretchiness that you might expect from other garments in the category, but also feels much more substantial. It’s not very water resistant, but it will try its best. I have also found this to dry out pretty quickly as well. So what you lose in water resistance and structure is made up for in its breathability and ease of wear.
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Ultra Ultra Cap, Injex Blazer, Daybreak Cut-2, New Way 7-5s
There isn’t much to speak about in terms of difference between these two baseball style caps aside from the fabric. Most important to consider with my most recent history with caps is that this is the easy spring/summer choice. I will reach for something with more insulation in the colder weather. Of course, that ends up being the other two caps mentioned in this review. So in reality, this has not fully replaced my Supermarine Cap, but it has become the more worn of the two.
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Doubleswanhook Belt

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A product I originally laughed at. At a standard $75 entry price for a three pack, I said a hard no to this. When you describe a paracord rope with plastic molded lock, I did not see how that would translate to $75 even for multiple. Luckily, someone in the OUTLIER Discord offered me one of theirs at a more reasonable split and curiosity got the better of me. The rest of my history with this belt is glorious.
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Bombtwill Jobjacket, Acottonflannel Boxford, Sportweight Cut-2, Doubleswanhook Belt, Bombtwill Spraypig Dungarees
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I can tell you that the only time I've worn belts before this was for formal outfits, maybe at work if needed, but it's not my ideal. With how my body is shaped, a belt will usually find a way to dig itself into my gut throughout the day and annoy the ever living piss out of me. Better to buy a pair of pants that fit, or get them tailored. The paracord tension system has somehow dodged this issue entirely. I have now been able to fit into three sizes up on Bomb Dungarees with a paracord belt and it never digs into my stomach. Occasionally, the cord will drift up past the pant waist line, but it never creates an abrasion point on my tummy which is all I can ask for on a functional level.
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Merino Watchcap, Warmform Henley, mucha(c)arne Friedman Anorak, Doubleswanhook Belt, Bombtwill Tumblepig Dungarees
The aesthetic glimmer of the belt is the real draw for me. Maybe I’ve just been absorbed by the OUTLIER design language (which would make sense considering it composes my entire wardrobe,) but having a hit of paracord dangling from my torso line creates a point of intrigue on my outfits that feels wrong to leave out at this point. Even better is the Disrupt pattern that OUTLIER created. There’s something about the composition of this paracord that breaks up my outfit or adds a little bit of IDGAF to the fit. It’s a balance of utility and grunge that feels sort of brutalist in nature? I’m not about to get too poetic on a piece of paracord as a belt, but I think OUTLIER has created something simple but also full of character that will probably be a throughline in my wardrobe for the foreseeable future.
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Honorable Mention: Alienskin Billfold

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As much as this brand is holy to me, it is important to mention the misfires. The Alienskin Billfold was short lived as my daily carry, but did not last. I felt it was necessary to give my take on it anyways. First off, the wallet is mostly fine, but I had major issues with holding cards in it. More often than not, cards would be sliding out of the single card pocket once the billfold was opened. This is probably in part to the Alienskin fabric being so sleek and easy for plastic cards to slide right across. I had to get a sort of muscle memory down so that I could slip the wallet open without slinging four cards onto the floor. I ended up doing a half-solution by cramming a microfiber cloth into the back of this pocket, which would give some friction to the cards and mostly keep them intact, but if I ever felt like using said microfiber, each card would come out with the cloth as well. A frustrating experience to say the least. If it wasn’t for this problem being so persistent, I would still be using this since the fabric is so satisfying to the touch and is so lightweight. It’s an easy everyday carry item, but it did not work for my daily use.

PS...

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This will be a rare moment where I go off the OUTLIER script and give props to another brand. I decided to look elsewhere for a potential replacement for my Alienskin Billfold. Phil from 1733 was kind enough to send over a prototype wallet to test. I won’t spend time speaking on much of the details as it is still upcoming and not fully revealed, but it is safe to say that this wallet combines the utility and focus on function with the luxurious hand-feel and dedication to material experimentation that has made 1733 such an exciting brand to follow. There have been little teasers shown for this wallet that have got some heads turned and I’m eager to chat about the product when it releases.

Anyways...

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Hope any of my words were helpful to you somehow. Thanks again for reading, let me know any thoughts or questions you may have.
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Peace,
Clay

So, at my job we just got new credit card machines. These ones have a touch screen and have the slot to insert chip cards on the side. The place where the receipts print out and the spot where you tap your card are both at the very top of the machine.
It feeks like none of the people over maybe age 50 who have come in in the past week, have understood how their own payment card works. I know that that isn't entirely boomers and includes Gen X, but the majority of the people having these problems are boomers. They're mostly regulars, too.
When they're pulling their card out of their massive black hole of a purse or their over-packed elastic-bound billfold, I ask them, "Debit, or credit?" Way too many of them reply, "It doesn't matter," or "I don't know." How do you not know if your own card is a debit card or a credit card?
I've already had several people tell me "debit," and then try to bypass the PIN entry which causes the transaction to cancel. Then they get fussy with me because they "don't want to put their pin in," or they claim, "it doesn't have a pin." Okay, so then why the fuck did you say you wanted debit, Barbera?
Then when that's settled, I tell them to tap their card "here," as I point directly to the big ))) symbol printed at the top of the machine. At this point, one of any of the following will occur:
A. They'll hover their card about an inch or more above the machine for a microsecond before trying to put it away. Obviously it doesn't work so I have to tell them to do it again. I frequently find myself relenting, reaching over, and gently using my own hand to guide their the card in their hand down against the spot.
B. They do this weird maneuver where they tap their card against the machine for the customary microsecond, (which doesn't give it time to actually read it) and then flip the card over onto its bcak/front and give it a second microsecond tap before trying to put their card away. Like you always gotta tap it on both sides or something? It obviously doesn't work that way so I have to ask them to try again (correctly this time.)
C. They'll start frantically using their card to tap every square inch of surface area on the machine except the spot I specifically pointed to and told them to tap it on. This obviously doesn't work so I'll reiterate where I told them to actually tap it. Usually they do it correctly after that, but not always.
D. They'll say, "My card doesn't 'have a tap.'" And then they'll immediately attempt to use the strip reader. The machine, of course, tells them their card is a chip card and that they have to use the chip. 9/10 of these times, I will try to tap their card myself and it works just fine. They're almost always surprised. You just assumed it didn't tap? Or what?
E. They'll start trying to shove their card into the area where the receipts come out, ignoring the little remnants of receipt paper still sticking out of this slot. Then when I point to the actual place where they should insert it, a decent percentage of them attempt to put their card in sideways (with the longer side against the machine) until I physically guide their card into the slot.
F. They'll say they want debit and then they'll incorrectly enter their pin over and over, causing the machine to make this loud beeping noise and print a longass receipt saying "wrong pin," every time. The line will keep growing as they keep fumbling the numbers. A lot of them swear that it must be the machine that's wrong because "that's my pin!"
I'm not saying all older people are like this. But I've had, so far, none of these issues with our younger customers, besides the one where they tell me "it doesn't matter," or "I don't know," when I ask if they're using debit or credit. That one seems universal. Seriously, how can you not know?
Sorry I just had to rant. It's been happening since we got these new machines on Monday and I am actually not looking forward to using them, despite them being functionally superior to the old machines.
If you're reading this and you're a boomer, please don't take offense. And also, please figure out if your card is a debit card or a credit card before you continue using it! You apparently might be accumulating credit card debt you don't even know about!

“Why are you in such a hurry at this time of night?”
That’s how it all started. I was making my way out of the 24/7 diner that I had stepped into to use the restroom. I was rapidly approaching my 36th hour awake and running dangerously low on vodka shooters in my pocket. I hoped a splash of water to the face would give me the jolt I needed. However, looking at my tired face in the mirror only further reminded me of my predicament. In just 12 hours I’d have the distinct displeasure of saying goodbye to my kneecaps.
That loan shark’s muscle never let me get more than a block away from him and made no attempt to conceal his presence. No, he relished every second of this game. Anytime I glanced over my shoulder and locked eyes with him across the street, he’d put on a big show of tapping his watch and chuckling at how the reminder hastened my steps.
“I don’t have the time to talk about it, man,” I said to the old man warming his hands with his steaming cup of coffee.
“Oh, I think you can make some time,” the old man replied as he scratched his liver-spotted head, “and he doesn’t have you on that short of a leash, does he?”
“How’d you-,” I started to say as I noticed the old man looking directly at my stalker, who leaned against a wall across the street and lit a cigarette.
“Been there a few times myself I guess you could say, besides, you’re not very subtle,” the old man said with a light chuckle as he pointed to the spent scratcher lottery tickets that peaked out of my coat pocket.
“Then you know I can’t be wasting my time here,” I replied, now turning back toward the diner’s exit, “I’ve got better places to be.”
“Actually, I think you’re in the best place you could possibly be,” the old man said with that same chuckle again as he produced an enormous billfold. It looked ready to spring open and rain hundred-dollar bills all over the handful of other patrons in the diner.
I weighed my words for a moment before replying.
“What’s the catch?”
The old man gestured for me to sit across from him in the booth with a hand twisted from severe arthritis.
“No catch,” he answered after taking a sip of his coffee, “I just want to give you a chance to get out of your predicament the same way you got into it.”
“So, a bet?” I said as I settled into my seat opposite him.
“That’s right, but I’ll be picking what we bet on,” the old man said, looking me in the eyes for the first time since our conversation started. In his eyes, a glimmer of youthful vigor ran counter to every other detail of his frail, feeble constitution.
“You know I don’t have any money, so what am I giving you if I lose?” I inquired as suspicion narrowed my eyes.
“How about we play that by ear?” the old man said as a slightly too wide grin broke out across his face.
A shiver raced up my spine as an almost inaudible voice in the back of my mind told me to get out. I almost listened to that voice, but the billfold sitting on the table compelled me to stay.
“Ok, what are we betting on?”
“Whether he hits a double or a single,” the old man pointed with his thumb behind him to the TV mounted on a wall playing a Dodgers game rerun, “you win and you get the cash, I win and I get your shoes.”
The thought of heading back out into the cold, rainy night still in the same predicament, but now without shoes, sounded miserable. However, the money on the table captivated my attention once again.
“Fine, I’m game,” I said as I looked at the screen and sized up number 35 who now took their place in front of the pitcher, “he’ll hit a double.”
“A single,” the old man said with that off-putting grin as he leaned back against the cushion of the booth. Not turning around to watch the outcome of our bet, but instead keeping his gaze fixed on me.
I did my best to suppress the chills his stare conjured in me. I kept my eyes locked on the screen and watched as the pitcher let loose a fastball which number 35 expertly struck, sending the ball flying high into left field. 35 bolted. In no time at all he rounded first base and laid his eyes on second.
I swallowed hard as the camera cut to a different angle, showing the ball launching from the outfielder’s hand towards second base. Number 35 pumped his arms and legs harder and then dropped into a slide. His foot contacted the base fractions of a second before the ball landed in the glove of the defending player.
“Safe!” I cried out, the elation swelling in my chest.
With a thin-lipped smile, the old man pushed the billfold towards me. I snatched it greedily and thumbed through it quickly. There was at least 5,000 dollars in it. I shoved it into my coat pocket. The gears were already turning in my head about how I’d walk a couple of blocks to the casino and with a few hands of cards this cash would soon become at least 20,000 dollars.
Before I could turn to leave the booth, a heavy smack rang out from the tabletop and grabbed my attention. The old man had produced 10,000 in hundred-dollar bills complete with a band holding them together as if he had just reached into a bank vault.
“Again,” he said. His eyes radiated a maniacal joy, and his smile stretched the edges of his mouth tight.
I swallowed roughly, now noticing how dry my mouth had become, “Ok, I won’t turn down free money, what’s the bet?”
“See her?” the old man nodded his head toward the waitress who had just grabbed a fresh pot of coffee, “I bet she’ll spill on that suit over there.”
I craned my head to look at the man sitting in a corner booth. He looked as if he had just stepped off Wall Street in his dark grey and precisely ironed 3-piece suit.
“What’s the wager?”
“You win, the cash,” the old man said while excitedly watching the waitress walk over to offer the suit a refill, “I win, I get that last scratcher you’ve been saving.”
Even bundled up in all my layers, I broke out into a cold sweat. My hand found its way to that scratcher I was saving as a Hail Mary to save me when I ran out of time. It was tucked deep in my pocket and well out of sight.
“How did you kno-“
“You in or not, Alex?”
The turning of gears in my head had now become a terrible crescendo of metal teeth grinding themselves into dust. Before I could ask that terrible question, the old man drew me back to the present with the tap of his finger on that stack of bills.
“Fine, she won’t spill,” I choked out, my mouth now a desert.
I turned and watched as the waitress arrived at the suit's table. The pounding of my heart in my ears kept me from hearing their conversation, but I saw the man nod in affirmation to the waitress’s question. She tilted the lip of her pot down and the coffee began to crash into the man’s cup. A moment passed without incident, and I began to reach toward the stack of bills across for me.
“Wait,” the old man spat out with the tone of a parent reprimanding their greedy child.
A crash broke out from the corner booth as the pot slipped from the waitress’s hand, tumbling into the man’s cup, and ultimately drenching the man’s lap with scalding liquid. The expletives the man let loose on the waitress drowned out the thundering in my ears.
“Ah, that’s too bad, Alex” the old man offered his platitude with equal parts sarcasm.
The old man slid the stack of bills off the table while holding out his other hand palm up, expectantly. Dumbfounded, I fished for the scratcher and placed it into his hand. The old man placed the scratcher on the table in front of him and produced a large, ancient-looking coin from seemingly nowhere.
“How the hell do you know my name?” I demanded.
The old man said nothing and simply held out one finger, beckoning me to wait. He took the coin and began to rub away the paper on the face of the scratcher. After what felt like an eternity of him scratching away, he laid down the coin and presented the scratcher to me. My jaw went slack.
The ticket was a winner for 30,000 dollars, more than enough to cover my debt.
“Well, what do you know?” the old man smirked at me before sliding the scratcher off the table and out of sight.
Whatever this game was, I had grown tired of it. The alarm bells, no longer stifled by the cash he had been waving in my face, rang out louder than ever before. I turned to leave the booth.
“We’re not done here, Alex,” the old man said, that chilling smile finally slipping from his face.
“The hell we aren’t,” I shot back.
I rose to my feet and pointed myself toward the exit, but my breath caught in my chest before I could take the first step. Without a sound, the 8 or so other people in the diner - staff and patrons - had risen to their feet. Even the suit with all his coffee-stained clothes. All staring at me. Unblinking. Not even breathing from what I could see. The thundering returned to my ears.
“Our game isn’t over, Alex,” the old man said behind me.
I ignored him and hazarded a step forward. In response, they all grabbed the sharpest item near them. A fork there. A kitchen knife here. Still staring, none of them having blinked once. I knew without a doubt that I’d be leaving the diner with many new holes if I tried my luck.
“Have a seat,” the old man grabbed my attention, “please.”
I slowly returned to my seat, not daring to turn away from the crowd staring me down. When I was once again seated in the booth, it was like time started again. They all replaced their makeshift weapons from where they got them and returned to their quiet conversations or reading the newspaper.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, unconsciously pressing myself back into my seat, trying to be as far away from the old man as I could.
“I told you, I’m giving you a way out,” he replied.
I said nothing and looked him up and down. Something was wrong, but the specifics remained out of reach. Was it a mole on his cheek where there wasn’t one previously? A few wrinkles out of place?
The old man continued, “Speaking of which, how about a chance to deal with your stalker out there?”
I glanced out the window and saw the man illuminated by a streetlight, still smoking his cigarette. Just as relaxed as ever as if he hadn’t seen the events that had just taken place in the diner.
“Alright then, what do you suggest?” I said, trying my best to suppress the fear that gripped my throat.
In response to my question, the old man produced a die. As ancient-looking as the coin, but of a strange material. It was yellowed and cracked with age. The dimples indicating the number of each side varied erratically in size. If I had to guess, I’d say it was made of bone.
“Even or odd,” the old man began to gently shake the die in his twisted hand, “you win and you won’t have to worry about your fan out there anymore, I win and I get your ring finger.”
“My wha-,” I began to say but was cut off as a large, calloused hand grabbed my right hand and slammed it onto the tabletop.
The cook, a mountain of a man, had appeared at my side without a sound. With his left hand, he kept my hand pinned to the table and in his right hand he held a butcher’s cleaver. No matter how much I attempted to wrest my hand free nor how many expletives I threw his way, he was unfazed. His eyes looked at something a million miles away while also being locked onto my ring finger.
The old man grabbed my attention by shaking his fist, closed around the die, in my face, “Even or odd?”
My hand trembled under the cook’s grip as I stared at the wicked blade that was posed to liberate my finger from my hand.
“Odd!” I gasped out.
“Odd it is!” the old man beamed as he let the die fall onto the table.
The die bounced from corner to edge to face across the surface for a moment that stretched into eternity. Finally, it came to a rest. 3 inky black dots faced up towards the ceiling.
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” I spat out as the cook released my grip, marched back to the kitchen, and returned to cooking as if he had never left his post.
“Well done, Alex, and as I promised,” the old man gestured outside to my stalker.
I rubbed my now sore wrist as I watched the man underneath the streetlight retrieve another cigarette from the pack. At first, nothing happened at all. He just continued to surveil me and the old man. Then another figure wearing a dark hoodie materialized from a nearby alley. He walked with the furtive energy of a junky looking for the next hit. He asked my stalker something who in turn waved for him to get lost.
The hooded man started to walk again but stopped directly in front of my stalker, where he slipped something long and shiny out of his pocket. In a flash, he drove that thing into my stalker’s neck. Dark rivers of blood spurted from his neck and created grim brushstrokes across the cement in front of him. He dropped like a load of bricks and moved no more.
“What the fu-,” the words caught in my throat as I turned back to the old man sitting across from me.
However, it wasn’t the old man anymore. In his place was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. Dark curls framed her angelic face and emerald eyes filled with longing ignited a long-since-forgotten fire in my heart. Those eyes were what caught my attention all those years ago when I first met Grace.
I hadn’t seen those eyes in years, not since our divorce was finalized and she seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. Yet here she was. Sitting in the spot that sadistic old man was in just a moment ago. Before the cognitive dissonance could set in, she spoke.
“Hello, handsome,” Grace said with a smile that deepened the dimples on her face, one of her many features that made my heart skip a beat. My cognizance of the impossibility of the situation washed away like a sandcastle caught by the tide.
“Hi, Grac- umm how um,” I stumbled over my words as my mouth dried out, “how are you here?”
“What do you mean, baby? You asked me to meet you here.”
“No, no I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did dummy. You said you wanted to talk things out and I’m so glad you reached out, Alex.”
“You are?”
“Yes, baby. Honestly, you’ve been on my mind… I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, beautiful. More than you know.”
“You can have her back, Alex.”
That same sadistic twinkle manifested itself in Grace’s eyes. Twisting them. Perverting them. She still wore the same smile, but that twinkle changed it into something cruel. Something that mocked me. Not just in this moment but mocking everything I’ve ever been or done.
“What are you?” The façade had been dropped. The warmth I had felt in her presence crumbled away to an icy anger. Anger at the thing wearing Grace’s face to toy with me.
“It doesn’t matter what I am,” she sneered, “What matters is what I can do for you.”
I averted my eyes. I didn’t want to look at this mockery of Grace anymore. The cracks in the disguise were so obvious once the act was dropped. That thing pretending to be Grace spoke again, grabbing my attention.
“10 years, Alex.”
“10 years of what?”
“Your life.”
I straightened in my seat. The absurdity of the proposition was trivial in comparison to the conviction with which she said it. She continued.
“I win, I get 10 years of your life,” hunger burned in her eyes now, “you win, and she’ll be yours again, the real Grace.”
“Deal,” the words rushed out of me. I knew intrinsically, no matter how bizarre it sounded, that this thing could take those years from me if I lost. It didn’t matter. I’d offer up 50 years just as easily for her.
“Call it,” she said as she produced that ancient coin once more.
“Heads.”
She flipped the coin, and I watched as it turned in the air for what felt like an eternity. Finally, it started its return to the earth. She snatched it out of the air with frightening speed in one hand and slammed the coin onto the top of her other hand, keeping it covered. The hunger in her eyes had become an inferno. Then she revealed the coin.
“Ah sorry, Alex.”
I had barely registered the sight of the tail side of the coin when a razor-sharp pain exploded in my chest. It was as if a dozen icepicks had appeared in my chest, skewering my heart from every angle. I broke out into a cold sweat and my vision swam. Before I knew it, my face collided with the tabletop.
“Grace…,” I choked out between rasping breaths.
A few more excruciating moments later I had regained the strength to lift my head. What I saw baffled me. There was no more diner. No, I was now behind the wheel of a car heading down a dark, twisting road lined by trees. I sat in stunned silence for a few moments. I knew this car. It was mine from 5 years ago. An old beat-up Lincoln. I was so stunned; I didn’t notice the turn coming up. I grabbed hold of the wheel and yanked it to the left, narrowly avoiding flying off into the trees.
“You ok, Daddy?” a small voice called from behind me.
The hairs on my neck stood up and I slowly raised my eyes to my rearview mirror. There he was sitting in his car seat wearing his Elmo pajamas. Luke. He had Grace’s eyes and my hair. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and the most beautiful thing I had ever lost.
Tears welled up in my eyes, “Yeah buddy, Daddy is ok, did I wake you?”
“Yeah, Daddy can we stop for ice cream? Let's get some for Mommy.”
Those words cut into my heart and pulled up that awful memory. I knew this road, Route 45, like the back of my hand and I knew what would happen at one of the turns a half mile away.
“Sure buddy, of course, we’ll get her favorite.”
“I want cookie dough!” he beamed with a gap tooth smile.
I assured him we’d get cookie dough as my foot searched for the brake pedal. When I found it, I slammed it into the floorboard. Nothing. I desperately pressed the brake over and over to no avail. The car had no intention of stopping.
“You can’t change what happened, Daddy.”
I turned my eyes to the rearview window again. Luke was still there, but his pupils overflowed with that same hungry fire. I stared slack-jawed at him. He continued.
“But I can get you the one that took me away from you, what would that be worth to you?”
“Anything,” tears now freely flowed down my face.
He held up that same coin again, looking enormous in his tiny hand, “I win, and I get your soul.”
“Anything,” I repeated with a cold resolve.
“Your call,” he said as he flipped the coin.
“Heads.”
The coin fell back down, and he caught it between his hands. I glanced ahead, that turn was coming up fast.
“It’s been fun, Alex.”
I turned around to look directly into the backseat and saw Luke presenting the coin to me. Heads side up. Before I could say anything more, the interior of the car lit up from the headlights of the car approaching us. Speeding toward us in our lane. The car that took my son away from me. The car that fled from the scene as I held his limp body. The car that ended my marriage and life as I knew it. The light continued to build until it blinded me, and I had to close my eyes.
When I opened them again, I was no longer in the car. Or the diner. I was on my back in the drunk tank of a police station. Staring at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. My head screamed in agony, but I brought myself to my feet and called one of the officers over to ask what happened. He said a patrolling officer found me slumped outside a dilapidated diner and assumed I was drunk, so he brought me here to sleep it off.
I of course asked to be let out, but since it was the weekend, I was out of luck and would be waiting till Monday. That’s alright though. At least I’ve got company. My only other cellmate and I got to talking. He told me he’d been picked up for drunk driving earlier in the night.
I guess he still has a lot of booze in his system since he’s quite loose-lipped. He told me about a time he got away from a crash he caused on Route 45 about 5 years back. He was so proud of how he ditched his car afterward and no one ever came looking for him.
No, I’m not mad about being stuck here for the weekend. I’m exactly where I need to be.