| It must have been about 15 years ago that I first considered the notion that the world might end at the turn of the year 2000. I�m not sure who or what it was that distilled the notion in my head; it could have been Nostradamus, Jean Dixon, In Search of�, or any other number of sci-fi movies or books that I had read about the end of the world when the clock ticked past the fateful doomsday hour at 11:59 P.M. on December 31, 1999. Regardless of how I achieved such a disillusioned state of mind, I was pretty confident that the turn of the millennium would bring death and destruction to all mankind and end all life as we know it. At the time, I even liked the notion. Hell, I even looked forward to it. �Y Two K, all the way�, I would say whenever the topic arose. When any good natured optimist would try to convince me otherwise, I would spew enough facts, calculations and Biblical prophecies to have him lose sleep for at least a night thinking about it. I mean, 2000, what a number. It�s been hovering over the last half a dozen generations as the dark cloud of certain doomsday, the cure all end for all the ills of humanity. Why not 2000? Seems to be a good enough number. Technology has gotten way out of hand. War, suffering, and pollution reign the earth supreme, and now we have even begun to clone living organisms. It was about time that something took control and straightened us all out. One big cosmic, genocidal reality slap. But as the years went by my attitude began to change. After I got a little wiser, straightened myself out a bit, and got married, the notion of Armageddon seemed to slowly fade away. How foolish of me to think that the world could end at the stroke of midnight at the end of the millennium. If it were true, which time zone would be the starting part? Where would the end begin? Eastern central time? How would it happen? How could it happen? I realized what a fool I had been. The worlds not going to end, I was just young, frustrated, and pessimistic. Now that I was older and a had a better grasp on reality, I had a whole different outlook. All that sunny optimism changed a bit when I heard of Y2K, the millennium bug. Doomsayers and prophets prophesied the end to come at the stroke of midnight when all the worlds computers crashed, plunging the world into dark, orderless chaos. I ignored most of it until the realities of it�s potential was realized by computer engineers, scientists, and even governmental and religious authorities. Naaah, nothing�s going to happen�it�s just a farce I tried to tell myself. As Judgment Day approached, something began to take me over, and one week before the fateful hour, I had a horrible revelation; maybe Armageddon meant only the end for me and my existence as an individual! Maybe all those feelings of doom that I had when I was younger were a glimpse into my own destiny. How fitting! I had a queasy, uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when I thought of the coming New Year�s Eve�what would 2000 bring? The last week of December was filled with news reports of emergency procedures; how to survive with no power for a week or more, how to prepare for an uncertain end. They advised to stock up on canned food and flashlights and batteries and water and medication and if you didn�t own a gun, you better get one because you might need it to ward off the marauding bands of post-Armageddon nomads who will be coming for your wife, children, and personal belongings. As fate would have it, I was scheduled to work on New Year�s Eve from 8:00 PM until 4:00 AM, right through judgment hour as a poker dealer at Foxwoods Resort and Casino, the largest, most successful casino in the world. This boast was significant because rumors began to circulate that Foxwoods was a prime target for terrorist activities on New Year�s Eve. I had first heard these rumblings in the cafeteria amongst what I thought were just paranoid coworkers, so I did my best to ignore them. The next day I heard that they had busted a Saudi Arabian man at the U.S. border with a trunkful of explosive devices, similar to those used in the bombing of the World Trade Center. Then word was really getting out; CNN had declared Foxwoods as the second most likely terrorist target in the whole world, being second only to Times Square, NYC. In lieu of this fact, Foxwoods sensed the fear in their 11,000 employees and posted bulletins around the entire casino, stating that �Foxwoods is one of the safest places in the world�, but what bothered me was the sentence a few lines underneath it that read �We have been preparing for this for this all year and have taken every available precaution.� What have they been preparing for? What the hell are they taking precautions against? I began to really worry. Foxwoods scheduled almost every employee that they had to work New Year�s Eve, anticipating not only 80,000 guests, but also expecting a large percentage of it�s employees to call in sick or just not show up at all. To persuade those of brave enough to come to work and stare death in the face, they offered double time and a half, free gourmet foods, raffles, prizes, foolish party hats, and as a final coup de grace, they threatened those who did not show up with possible termination (not that it would really make any difference if the world were to really end). As the clock ticked and the impending day approached, the knots in my stomach tightened. I had done nothing to prepare for Y2K. No extra food or water or gasoline. Nothing. I didn�t even check to see if my own computer was Y2K ready. What did it matter? I chose to work my poker shift as scheduled, figuring that if it were meant to be, it was meant to be. I was not going to escape destiny if that�s what it really had in store for me. There was no escape. It was almost as if I had accepted my fate�plus if I was wrong, I really needed the job. New Year�s Eve day had arrived, a cold, cloudy day like any other, but with the unmistakable aura of finality. My wife had the day off, and she just planned to visit friends up the road. Although I did not share my fears or feelings with her, I kissed her goodbye before I went to work like it might be the last time. As I drove in, I looked and admired the acres of trees and the beautiful landscape; getting a good, long last look. I reflected on past times and old friends and memories and smiled. I had been lucky enough to have experienced enough in my short life to say that I lived a full one. When I got to work, I walked willingly into the poker room like it was the green mile. There were a lot of people. Not as many as I expected, but still a swarming mass of half drunk gamblers wearing goofy hats and glasses, losing their money to the casino and obviously enjoying it. There were so many extra dealers scheduled to work that it was overkill, but refusing to send anybody home, management dispersed us throughout the poker room onto empty tables, where you are just supposed to sit like a poised statue and look professional. My three table rotation was in the far corner of the room, where five or six of us rotated the empty tables every twenty-five minutes. The mood between us dealers was rather somber. The only topic of conversation between us in hushed tones was what was going to happen at midnight. A bomb? Power outage? A hostile takeover? One kid said he had his guns in the trunk of his car in case of trouble. Others said the first sign of fire or explosions, they were out the fire exit like lightning. At about 11:00 one of the floor managers came around and handed out little cards to all of us that explained the emergency procedures should something go array at midnight. Shortly afterwards, another came around with a pen flashlight for each employee, uttering something nervously like �Um, just in case�be ready�. Of course, all this did nothing to reassure me that I was working in a safe place, in fact, it just confirmed to me that it was quite probable that the end of the world was going to come in less than 1 hour. 11: 30 had arrived as I pushed into table fifty-six were I would remain until the final moment of the 20th century. I had a good view of the entire poker room. People were playing, laughing, drinking, unaware of the impending doom around them. I was surrounded by fellow dealers doing the same as me, just sitting there, watching the clock, worrying and looking somewhat professional but certainly uncertain. As I sat that I pondered the thought of who the hell would want to spend such an evening in a loud, smoke filled casino playing poker; didn�t these people have anything to do? Loved ones to be with? Confessions to make? I sat tight until 11:50. Mike, the brawny dealer next to me, fresh out of the military, said to us �OK, if there�s any trouble, follow me out the fire exit, I�ll lead the way�and stay close�. I gulped a nervous breath. They made an announcement over the loud speakers saying to finish the hand or game in progress and direct your attention to one of the hundreds of TV monitors to watch the countdown from Times Square live on TV. It was at this moment that I saw the man� He was small, somewhat Asian looking, but with dark, Mediterranean skin. He was sweating and looking very nervous. He walked quickly passed us and to the corner of the room. It was then that I saw he was carrying a large brown gym bag. He placed it discretely in the corner behind the corner of the poker coordinators desk area. He looked around shiftily and then quickly left. I was dumbfounded for a moment, feeling like I had just watched a scene from a Die Hard movie. Did I just see what I think I saw? I looked to Mike, who was looking in the same direction. �Mike, did you just see what I saw?� His answer was stern and swift, �A man just placed a suspicious looking bag in the corner over there.� �I saw him too,� said a nervous female dealer. Here it was. There is a bomb in that bag. No question about it. The end is here. It is less than five minutes before midnight. We probably don�t even have time to get at a safe distance. See? I was right all along. What a way to go. At least we will go down in history as- �Get someone over here in look in that god damned bag!� said a seated dealer looking like he was about to bolt from his chair with the Devil on his heels. We yelled over to the woman at the poker coordinators desk and she came over, looking annoyed. We told her about the bag, her eyes bulged as she drained to white and said �Hell no, I�m not looking in it!� and she immediately called for a pit boss to come over. Now, the worst offense a poker dealer can make is to leave his table unattended. The result would be instant termination. We were all glued to our seats, none of us willing to get up and look in the bag, for fear of this termination (whether it be of our jobs or from our lives). I believe I heard someone reciting a prayer. The entire room was rising to join in the countdown into 2000 when the pit boss came into our area. Seeing our distressed faces, he asked �What�s the problem?� �A man just placed a duffel bag in the corner over there and took off!� I quickly said. His eyebrows perked �Really?� �Check it out!� we all chimed in chorus pointing down to the corner behind us. He walked down and saw the bag and paused. We could not see his face, but I could imagine it being that of a person who was about to lose bowel control. Less than two minutes to midnight� He walked over, kneeled down, and took a breath as he reached to unzip the bag. It all played in slow motion, and I am sure that, for at least a moment, my heart stopped and my life flashed before my eyes in a blinding instant. So here it was, Armageddon. My own personal Armageddon. I prepared to meet my maker. Ready to learn all the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life and all it�s profound wisdom. I�m ready! Let�s go! Let�s- �Yuck, it�s a bunch of dirty gym clothes!� cried the pit boss from the corner. What? Dirty gym clothes? No bomb? No explosion? No fire and brimstone? No hell on earth? For a brief instant I was almost disappointed. Sighs and nervous laughter began to echo all around me. �What the hell, you guys scared the shit out of me� he said walking back by us, shaking off sweat. �You can all stand up and join in the countdown if you�d like.� The others stood up, looking rather pale. I stood up to realize that my legs were weak and numb. The countdown from 30 had begun. Alas! We are not out of the woods yet! Armageddon could still come! Another bomb! An asteroid! A hoard of locusts! Earthquake! Tidal wave! Alien Invasion! It can�t be this damn easy! Ten�nine�eight�this is the moment�seven�six�five�we tightened out grips on the flashlights �four�three�all eyes on the exit door�two�one�I closed my eyes and forced a pleasant thought. �Happy New Year!� I opened my eyes. Lights. Power. People kissing and shaking hands. I waited for the rumble of explosions, the sound of gunfire or any sign of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse �nothing. I looked around, my fellow poker dealers were congratulating each other, with huge smiles of relief. I shook Mike�s hand and we both sort of laughed. For the next minute or so I shook a lot of hands and received a few kisses while in a lifting fog of shock. I slowly started to realize that maybe Armageddon had postponed it�s arrival for another time, and I might just actually live to see my wife, friends and family again. I remained at work for another two hours, and was allowed to go home early. I had worked six hours and hadn�t dealt a single card. As I drove home I had renewed sprit and vigor, happy to face the world and the new challenges to come. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that our home looked very dark. Is there any power? Is my wife OK? Then, as I turned off my car, I saw the outside lights flickering on and off happily. The front door swung open and I saw my half naked wife smiling and waving cheerfully at me. As I entered the warmth of my home and into my wife�s arms I realized what a fool I had been, swept up into so much hype, hysteria and superstition. More importantly, I had beaten my own destiny and survived the end of the world, all in a single evening. I had had my bout with Armageddon, and although it may come calling on us again someday, for the time being, I had won. WRITINGS |
| MY BOUT WITH ARMAGEDDON |