Newly married? Listen to your wife.
Back in 2000, just before Laurie and I got married, I was taking a business trip to Las Vegas. I am not a gambler. I look at it like this: any money I bet is money I’m going to lose. I don’t ever envision winning. I’m just not wired for it. So I don’t gamble.
However, I’ve always wanted to play Roulette. So, before I took my trip, I asked Laurie (who was then my fiancé) what number I should play. She told me a number (I don’t remember it now).
Off to Vegas I went. I bought some chips and headed off to the gambling floor. I got to the Roulette table and there were three older men there looking rather beat up. It seemed to me like they had been there all night. They were putting chips on various numbers and colors. I simply put a chip on my single number. Spin…spin…spin…not my number. So I did it again. Spin…spin..spin…not my number. This went on for about five minutes. I started to get nervous. I have firm feelings about how pointless gambling is as the odds are always against you. OK, one last time. I put $10 of chips on my number. Spin..spin..spin…not my number. That’s it! No more!
What happened next is something I will never forget. I decided to hang around and see what would happen if I didn’t bet. Spin…spin…spin…MY NUMBER! Not only was it my color, it was my EXACT NUMBER! The first spin after I stopped betting. The three men that were there playing looked at me as if to say, “Welcome to our world, have a seat and stay awhile”. No way was I going to stay there. I turned away from the table, walked away, and cashed in my remaining chips. I took my leftover money and had something to eat.
If I had stuck with it and listened to Laurie, I would have won a considerable amount of money. I should have played until I was all out of money. I did not have faith in my soon-to-be wife and it cost me. I have let this lesson influence my entire marriage with Laurie. While not always right, I do not make major decisions without consulting her. Between the two of us, we usually get it right.