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Sorry for the late chapter.
(I dedicate this chapter to gamblers to fight against their addiction and to myself as a reminder.)
3rd POV
"What do you need, Shelly?" Georgie sat across from Sheldon in lounge room, who was busy scribbling in his notebook. Missy leaned against Georgie, lounging comfortably by his side.
"I need a lot of things, but first, I need to access the thrust-to-weight ratios from the FTP server at the Johnson Space Center. Since Memaw refuses to buy us a computer, I just need a modem and internet access... maybe Radio Shack has it." Sheldon explained, glancing at Georgie, who nodded along.
"Why won't Memaw buy a computer?" Missy asked curiously.
"Because she's been gambling." Georgie replied softly.
"Didn't she win?" Missy pressed further. Sheldon perked up at the question since he had played a part in helping Memaw win.
"Well, because it's gambling... and gambling doesn't really let you win. Sure, Memaw won some bets on football games, but I'm pretty sure she's lost money elsewhere." Georgie explained.
"Why?" This time, it was Sheldon who asked. "Didn't she already win a lot of money?"
"You guys know I'm still here, right?" Connie's voice came from the living room, accompanied by Mary's giggles and George's snorted laugh. The three siblings, however, ignored her and continued their conversation.
"Here's the thing." Georgie began, his tone turning more serious, "I believe gambling is fascinating to people."
"Even Pastor Jeff?" Missy asked innocently, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"I can hear you!" Mary's voice chimed in, followed by Connie's amused laughter.
"Yes, even Pastor Jeff. Why? Because he's human too." Georgie replied matter-of-factly, unfazed by Mary's protests. "Anyway, the reason gambling is so appealing is that it embodies all of the seven deadly sins! Nowadays, who doesn't give in to at least one sin? And gambling encompasses every single one of them!".
"I don't get it." Missy said, shaking her head in confusion.
Sheldon took it upon himself to explain. "The seven deadly sins are a catalog of human faults, historically considered significant in ancient theology. Personally, I see it as a list of psychological weaknesses summarized in dramatic terms. They are Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Lust, and Gluttony."
Missy, now intrigued, asked, "I know about the seven deadly sins! But why does gambling involve all of them?"
Both Missy and Sheldon turned their eyes to Georgie, waiting for an explanation.
"You see." Georgie started, "Memaw got the idea to start betting after watching Dad win a football game—which, I have to say, is a rare occurrence."
"I can hear you too, Georgie!" George's voice boomed from the living room, but Georgie continued without missing a beat.
"So, Memaw saw an opportunity. Greed whispered to her, 'You can have Sheldon calculate the odds for the next football game. You know, scores and points—he's over 90% accurate.' Greed convinced her to ask Sheldon to do the math without even paying him."
"Hey! I made cookies for him!" Connie's voice shot back, making Missy chuckle.
"Memaw took Sheldon's calculations and used them to place bets. Of course, she won because of his numbers and calculation. She paid off her mortgage and other debts with that money. But then Memaw saw all the cash she earned so easily. Guess what happened next?"
Georgie's eyes scanned Missy and Sheldon, who were completely engrossed in his story. Little did he know that George, Mary, and Connie were also listening intently from the living room.
"What happened?" Missy asked, while Sheldon nodded in silent anticipation.
"Sloth and Lust showed up to keep Greed company." Georgie continued. "They saw Memaw basking in her success and whispered to her, 'See that? You don't even have to work hard to get this much money!' Sloth encouraged her laziness, while Lust added, 'Remember how good it felt when you won? That thrill? You can have more of that!' And Memaw listened to all three of them as they crept into her thoughts."
"It's true." George said, sipping his beer. He glanced at Connie, who smiled awkwardly.
"He's right, Mom." Mary added, shaking her head.
"Oh, shut up." Connie muttered, brushing them off.
Georgie, undeterred, kept narrating. "So Memaw kept asking Sheldon for stats and predictions, and she kept winning and winning. Greed was still her loyal companion, smiling as she raked in more money. But then Greed got Memaw carried away. He noticed people walking out of a special room at the betting venue, holding huge stacks of cash."
"What room?!" Missy asked, her eyes widening with curiosity. Sheldon's eyes sparkled with the same intrigue.
"The gambling room." Georgie revealed with a sly smirk.
"Ugh!" Connie groaned, clearly uncomfortable with the story.
"Hey, Connie." George chimed in. "Georgie's teaching the kids a valuable lesson about why gambling is bad. Let him finish."
Connie huffed but sat back down. "I'm the bad guy here!" she declared, glaring at George.
"But he's right, Mom." Mary said. "He's teaching Sheldon and Missy, even though I'm not worried about either of them getting into gambling. At least they'll understand why it's a bad idea."
"Fine." Connie relented, though George's follow-up remark made her groan in frustration.
"This is all your fault for not buying Sheldon and Georgie that computer." he said, earning a sharp glare from Connie.
"Oh yeah? Then I'll tell Georgie to charge your school extra!" she shot back, silencing George immediately.
Georgie picked up where he left off. "Greed saw those people leaving the room with all that cash, and it invited Pride, Envy, and Gluttony to join Memaw. Pride whispered, 'You only made this much money? That's it? You should be winning way more!' Gluttony added, 'You've beaten this place before. Imagine how much more you could win in there!' Meanwhile, Envy chimed in, 'That should've been you holding all that money! Youcould buy your grandkids whatever they want with it!'" With a triumphant look, Georgie continued.
"If Memaw hadn't stepped into that room, she wouldn't have lost, would she?" Missy asked, glancing toward the living room where the adults were eavesdropping.
"Technically, yes, she did make a lot of money and beat the game!" Georgie said with pride—not to Memaw, but to Sheldon, who had outsmarted the system. Yet they hadn't realized it, and the credit was inadvertently passed back to Memaw.
That is, until Sheldon spoke up, "Technically, I'm the one who beat the game, because I provided the data and won the match."
Missy nodded, waiting for Georgie to continue his story.
"Yes, that's right. Sheldon is the smartest among us." Georgie said, ruffling Sheldon's hair, still basking in pride.
"I'm smart too!" Missy grumbled, annoyed at Sheldon's smug expression.
"Of course, my little sister and my little brother are smart in their own ways." Georgie reassured her. Missy nodded, satisfied, while Sheldon sighed, still doubting Georgie's claim about Missy's intelligence because to him Academically smart is the real smart.
"Anyway." Georgie continued, "Memaw went into that room and tried her hand at beating the machine and the system there."
"What system?" Missy asked, confused about what Georgie meant by 'system.' even though she knew which machine he was talking about.
"The gambling system! You know every casino has their own system, right?" Georgie explained. "Those casino bosses—those gambling tycoons—know human nature like the back of their hand. They understand the seven deadly sins and exploit people's emotions. They play with people's hearts like a child's toy!"
Connie scoffed but continued listening. She was, after all, someone who'd fallen into that system before. George smirked knowingly at her, while Mary looked at Connie with pity.
"Anyway." Georgie went on, "They understand the ins and outs of human nature. They let new players win at first, making the six deadly sins laugh as people celebrate their first victories. But what those players—including Memaw—don't realize is that they're already caught in the web. And if—I said if—someone manages to escape that trap, that black hole, before the final boss or the final sin pulls them into the deepest, darkest, creepiest pit…"
"Wrath." Missy interjected, nodding in agreement. Sheldon pondered this, then nodded too.
"But why?" Sheldon asked. He was still focused on the 'final boss' Georgie mentioned but didn't fully grasp the point of his story.
"When those gambling bosses designed their casinos, they didn't do it to share their money as charity. That's not who they are! They built those places for one reason: to make money!" Georgie said firmly.
"But… Memaw kept winning, right?" Missy asked, looking from Georgie to Sheldon, who both shook their heads.
"What?" Missy exclaimed, confused by their response.
"I only gave Memaw football game statistics. I didn't know she was gambling somewhere else." Sheldon said, glancing at Georgie.
"I just made this up. I didn't know Memaw was actually playing there." Georgie admitted. "Look, I'm just telling you this so you understand the dangers of gambling! You'll see how the seven deadly sins can destroy you."
"Alright." Sheldon and Missy said together, nodding.
"Anyway." Georgie continued, "those bosses want to make as much money as they can for themselves. That's why they're so smart and dangerous. They won't hesitate to ruin people's lives just to line their pockets. They won't even blink at the thought of getting their hands dirty."
"So… Memaw lost?" Missy asked, her voice tinged with sadness.
"Yes, dummy. Without my calculations, Memaw wouldn't have won. She only had luck on her side—which I don't believe in, by the way." Sheldon replied, nodding as he spoke.
Missy frowned, annoyed at being called 'dummy.' and tried to grab Sheldon, but Georgie quickly intervened.
"Alright, alright, no fighting. Do you want to hear the rest of my story or not?" Georgie asked, giving them both a stern look.
"Well, you already told us the outcome, so I guess you don't want to finish it, huh…" he added teasingly.
"KEEP GOING!" George's voice boomed from the other room, and Mary chimed in, "YOU FINISH THAT STORY, YOUNG MAN!"
"GEORGIE, STOP IT!" Connie yelled, but Georgie only heeded George and Mary.
"Wait." Missy interrupted. "Why is it wrath that pulls them into the dark and creepy place?"
"And why couldn't Memaw stop? Was it because of wrath?" Sheldon added.
"Yes." Georgie said, nodding. "Wrath is the final piece of the seven deadly sins. When Memaw didn't win that game, wrath whispered to her: 'Damn it! You almost had it! You need to get back what you lost—double it! Or maybe even triple it!' Wrath doesn't just act alone. It speaks for all the sins. Together, they hold hands and drag Memaw deeper and deeper into that dark place."
Georgie slammed his hands together for emphasis. "BAM! Until Memaw is completely consumed by the darkness, unable to climb out without someone pulling her back to safety."
"Wow!" Missy exclaimed. "Can Memaw ever see the light again?".
"Of course." Georgie said. "That's what family is for. Not just for Memaw—if any of you ever feel like you're sinking into that darkness, don't be ashamed or afraid to reach out for help. And it's our duty to pull you out. Family is everything. I hope you understand that."
Missy and Sheldon both nodded, looking up at Georgie with wide eyes.
"It's okay." Georgie reassured them. "If you ever need saving, I'll pull you out. A little pinch and punch won't hurt you too bad."
Georgie grinned, though his expression wasn't exactly soft or gentle.
Missy and Sheldon both felt a shiver run down their spines.
"…I get the pinch, right?" Missy asked nervously, her eyes welling up.
"You're my little princess. Of course, all you'd get is a scolding from me." Georgie said with a smile, making Missy beam.
"…" Sheldon, on the other hand, gulped nervously as he listened.