Gambling Gene pt. 2.7- “Just Like Daddy”
Whenever friends would comment on how much I love gambling, I’d say, “It’s in my genes!” The casino was my father’s second home, and so it was mine as well. He figured the best way to spend time with his two favorite things in life was to combine them. My family visited Las Vegas anywhere from 7-12 times a year.
The framed photo on my father’s desk is of us is in front of Mirage circa 1985. He’s carrying me on his shoulders. That’s probably because I was barely walking. This whole time my mother just followed him every month and the woman doesn’t even gamble. She loses $5 and she thinks about it for the rest of the trip.
I wonder why I was always so proud to be a gambler like my father after seeing how much devastation it brought him and my family. It isn’t the slightest exaggeration to say that gambling ruined his life.
Then why can’t I stop??
The more I lose, the more I love the game and want to go back. Every dollar I spend on other things I think I could of gambled it. This is insane! Of all the things to inherit, why this? My brother hates gambling. What happened to me? Maybe he is the luckier one.
I grew up saying I wanted to be just like my mom. I still do. But I fear that I really am a Daddy’s girl.
