GREEN SOCKS AND NUTMEGS

I live on a tropical Island in the Caribbean, just like the ones you see in travel brochures with white sandy beaches, coconut palms and turquoise warm sea.

Here I am almost a year into living the life, blue skies and sunshine.

I live with my brother, Steve, he’s been in the Casino business for 30 plus years.

THIS is his story;

Steve’s mobile rang, it was a little after 10am, he had already been at work for 3 hours.

“Steve speaking”

“Starbucks is open” It was John the Casinos General Manager

“Be with you in a minute John”

This was all part of the daily morning, ritual, Steve looked towards the offices, above the gaming floor, and could see, despite the darkened glass windows, that the lights were on.

Inside John’s office he made himself an Espresso and sat in a chair opposite.

John was a seventyish squat little man, sporting a brilliant white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, and a smart casual pair of cream slacks. He always looked immaculate, which was no surprise, the family laundry was deposited weekly at the Chinese run Laundromat and put onto his expense account. Johns Russian wife refused to use the laundry facility at the apartment complex where they lived as she considered using communal machines dirty and a health hazard. Of course the apartment was also on John’s expense account as was his private fuel usage.

Johns fifteen minutes of fame dated back to the 1960,s when he played the ice cream van man in “Summer Holiday” starring Cliff Richard.

“You got the figures for last night Steve?”

“I emailed them to you John about 4 hours ago mate”

“Ah well you see I only left here at 3am and haven’t had time to look at my emails yet”

This was Johns daily retort to Steve’s daily response regarding the nightly business and Steve knew that the 24/7 security videos would, as ever, show that the General Manager had in fact left about 10 minutes after Steve at 12am.

Before either questioning further on how the business was going John looked over his all too large mahogany highly polished neat desk and asked

“Steve do you think you could get me some nutmegs?’

Steve, being a bit of a foodie and always willing to try new recipes was keen to help.

“Sure John. How many do you need?”

“Oh I think 6 will do it”

With that, the daily business was concluded, Steve returned to the gaming floor to check that Wilson, his slot machine technician, was clearing the backlog of repairs.

Wilson had taken several years for Steve to train him up to his satisfaction; however Wilson had a major fault in that he drank heavily on his days off, upset his roommates in the staff accommodation and rarely made it to work after one of his drinking binges. Wilson had also been known to wake up his long suffering work mates by shining a torch at them and brandishing his pen knife, all of which he would deny time after time after time.

Steve found Wilson busying away at the few minor repairs he was left to do, and once again gave him a “kick up the backside” warning regarding his absences.

Victor, the gaming tables Manager, wandered over and greeted Steve. They chatted “business” and were just about to adjourn for another coffee when John appeared.

“Morning Victor. Have you seen Steve anywhere?”

“Morning John. Steve is standing right next to you “

Taken somewhat aback John launched into his General Manager roll.

“Steve I noticed some of the lights are out”

“Really John?” Steve and Victor shot dead pan glances at each other. “Let’s go have a look then John”

As they wandered the floor together John, who was a bit of lighting freak and insisted on decking the place out with fairy lights, stared upward.

“There Steve” pointing at the ceiling “Now that really is not the way it should be, lights out, gives us a bad image”

“John mate, that’s a surveillance camera”

“A what?”

“Surveillance camera, the things we use to keep an eye on the punters”

Since joining the Casino as Slots Operations Director it was not the first occasion that Steve had questioned The Bosses ability to do his job and he knew that one way or another John’s day were numbered.

With the mornings work out of the way Steve left for home making a slight detour to the supermarket to buy Johns nutmegs. Now Steve being a bit of a perfectionist spent over twenty minutes selecting the largest and best looking nutmegs which he would give to John when he returned to the Casino at opening.

LATER THAT DAY

After chatting to staff and a few customers Steve went upstairs to present John with the nutmegs, he felt sure that whatever it was John intended to cook that he would get the recipe, if not a taste.

“John I have the nutmeg for you” He placed them on the desk, John then inspected each one carefully.

“Thanks Steve that’s great. Do you think you could drill a hole down the centre of each one for me?”