Jack of Diamonds

A bearded man shuffles slowly through the snow
Almost losing his footing
He slips and slides towards the grocery store on the corner of 14th street
Worn boots, that have long since lost ant warmth they may have had
Opening the door with a ‘ting a ling’
“Evening Maurice” calls a voice from behind the cash register
“Good evening Marlene”
“What will it be, the usual?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long day”
“Everyday seems a long one for ya’, you never think a givin’ up workin’ the railroads?”
“Yeah I think bout it every damn day Marlene but what else could I do? I don’t know nothin’ else”
“Well thanks again Marlene, be seeing ya’ around” he hands her a crumpled dollar bill
“Take care a yourself now Maurice”
“Yeah you too Marlene, you too”

Maurice pulls open the door and with a ‘ting a ling’ he wanders of into the twighlight
Railroad men are notorious for drinking burgundy and whittling away the time a day sitting on up turned crates playing cards
Maurice was no different
Watching the freight trains howl by and playing cards
“Jack a diamonds, damnit that’s a hard card” Maurice remarks as Alfred lifts a card from the pack
“What you doin’ lookin’ at ma cards!?, Ya damn cheat!”
Maurice just shrugs his shoulders and takes a sip from the bottle of burgundy disguised in a brown paper bag

The game breaks up and Maurice staggers slowly home
Grumbling that he was just saying that the jack a diamonds is a hard card to play, was just saying that was all
Damn Alfred for being too sensitive, he should take a drink
With his mind preoccupied Maurice wanders into the path of an on coming car
Suddenly with a flash of white light Maurice finds himself on the asphalt gazing up at those insensitive stars
His burgundy bottle rolls slowly into the gutter
He hears a faint voice saying above him “Was the Jack a diamonds”
“Hard card to play, you were right”
Maurice lies dazed as the taillights of the car disappear
As he gets to his feet he notices a card face down on the asphalt were he had been sprawled out a moment ago
He picks it up and turns it over…
“Jack a diamonds, that’s one hard card to play, HA!!”