San Francisco State University - Franciscan Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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You opened, Tommy. What do you say? Tommy looked doubtful. Guess l'll check it. Pete with three of a kind, bet three. Bill saw it. Hayan stayed. Then Tommy put in his three and raised five. They all looked at him in sur- prise. Hmm, a little sandbagging, huh? Pete said. l'll raise you five. Tommy smiled. Well, l'm not backing down. l'll raise you five. Bill dropped out, saying, Looks like you have too much for me. Rayan called. Tommy knew he had Pete topped but was afraid to raise again. They might suspect he was too sure of himself and wonder why. He called, too. Pete laid down his three of a kind and smiled. Three little kings. Beat that if you can. Hayan threw down his two pair in disgust. Tommy knew this was his big moment. He held his cards until they were all looking at him. Then, with a triumphant grin, he spread out his full house. You guys really had me worried for awhile. When Pete raised me for five, I damn near dropped out. Tommy reached forward and scraped in the chips. -Hichard L arrick. .yi ab T, Wil l ,. lx ' 1 3 - . yi: - 'mln un! ily.-5 . I may ,.IVI,.I,p! w', rl tgp? i. HZMMKMH J 1-' A 1, V, 354417. , .4 YD T i ' lil '- ei ik me T if r i l 'fit n lalllnllihl? Mi, 'V 'Ii Am' 1 I-Ti f if it if T f .. . .and this dame A goes to State, see, 24

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answering half aloud, Peeking, I didn't ... What the hell are you mumbling about? Rayan asked, looking at Tommy in surprise. Say, Tommy, are you sick? You're whiter than a spook? A Tommy felt this was his break, at least a way out. Yeah, Hayan, I got hit kind of sudden out in the kitchen. Must be that damn flu. Lemme sit down for a minute, I'll be okay. He pretended faintness as he walked shakily to his seat. Think we ought to break up the game, Tommy? Bill asked. No, fellas. No. l'll be okay in a minute. I just haven't gotten over the effects of flu. There's no need to break up the game. Pete came with the beer. Why the hell didn't you say something in the kitchen? he said. I didn't mean to yell at you out there. I thought you were taking your time and we were waiting to play. A glow of self-importance grew in Tommy. A feeling of brotherly love choked him. Sit down and play, fellas. l'm okay. Honest. Hell, a little flu isn't going to break up our poker game, is it? He said it in a brag- ging voice to show- he didn't care a bit for his own feelings so long as the rest of them were happy. They were all seated now and picked up their cards still giving him concerned looks. Tommy picked up his cards with an intense feeling of happiness. I'm glad that's over, he thoughtg I'd hate to have them catch me cheating. He shuffled his cards, his hands still shaking. He fanned them out and thrilled anew. at the sight of the three queens and two six's, just as if he hadn't known they were there. He was a little an- noyed because he didn't know what Rayan had, but he felt he had to take some chances. He knew he had the other two beat. O . V 'll ff? O T , W - , 23

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ULU PA HS HETUH Tonight Old Pang will return to walk the halls for a last time. That is what Wong, the fortune teller told Pang Shee. Tonight as I sit in my room, I am truly alone. A couple of stools under a card table, an alarm clock and an electric heater, a pot of black coffee and halfa pack of cigarettes, a handful of pawn tickets, two dollar bills, a quarter, two pennies, and a dime, and I, with my only good suit of clothes on, sitting on an unmade bed. That is all of me, everythingl possess. No one has occupied the front room next to mine since Old Pang had a heart attack last month and had to be taken to a hospital. No one is at home in either of the two rooms in back of mine. No one is at home in the whole row of rooms across the hall. ln fact, there is no one in the building tonight but myself. 25