I don’t know why I took this job. Sometime I stand here for hours and just walk back and forth from one entrance to another, watching for anythang that don’t look right. I help people out when they can’t find the bathroom or they drunk and can’t remember where they parked they car or can’t remember what casino they in. That kinda stuff. Don’t nothing exciting ever happen in here. That’s why I ain’t got no gun, just this uniform. But anybody looking at me should know I couldn’t catch ’em if I had to. I mean, I’m still walking every day and starting to enjoy lifting a few of them barbells, but I couldn’t do no sprinting if you paid me. I’m only bench-pressing a hundred pounds. I seen girls in there lift more than that. The way I figure it, something is better than nothing.

Is that my name I hear over the paging system? Naw. Who in the world would be paging me? I start staring at the roulette wheel for the hundredth time and try to guess a number which don’t come up. In all the months I been working here, I only got one number right. It’s hard to win when you gamble. I done finally figured that out. I done lost too much of they money and mine, and it ain’t even fun no more. Matter of fact, I’m seriously thanking about trying to reopen one of the Shacks, depending on how much we get for the house.

“Would Cecil Price please report to the security office? Cecil Price to the security office.”

I heard it that time. That was my name. I ain’t never heard it announced that loud before. It kinda make you feel important. Like everybody should stop doing what they doing and look around to see who Cecil Price is. I hope they ain’t fixing to tell me that the IRS is taking my check. I hope that ain’t what this is about.

I open the glass door and see Billy, the head guy, sitting behind a desk. “Somebody was paging me?”

“Yeah, Cecil, you got a call from a Loretta. She asked you to call her as soon as you came in. Here’s her number.”

“Did she say what it was about?”

“Nope. She just said it was important and to call as soon as you can. She didn’t sound too happy, if that’s any help to you.”

It’s Viola. I know it is. I can’t thank of no other reason why that woman would be calling me at my job. When was the last time Loretta called me anywhere? I look down and he still holding that pink message slip. I thought I took it from him already. “Thanks, Billy.”

“Hope everything’s all right, Cecil.”

“Me, too.”

“You can use that phone over there if you want to, or go on into that empty office, if you think you might need some privacy.”

“I thank I will.” I don’t know why I don’t turn the light on, and by the time I press the last digit of that telephone number, something tell me that Viola’s gone. And if she is, it’s my fault. I shouldn’ta sent them damn divorce papers over there the way I did. I shoulda known they would upset her, and when she get real upset she can work herself right into a attack. I pray to God that that ain’t what’s happened. Please let me be wrong.