THE STORY: The scene is the Las Vegas boarding house of Daisy Stoddard, who came to town some years earlier to obtain a divorce and decided to stay on. Her guests are kindred spirits: Jerry Mazlish, a former college professor now a would-be blackjack dealer; and Louise Elliot, who is steeling herself to appear in court for her final divorce decree. All are losers who would like to be winners—and somehow the glitter and fast action of Las Vegas seem to offer hope that better times are ahead. But as Jerry quotes poetry, Louise recites the horrors visited on her by her psychiatrist husband, and Daisy dreams of hitting that one big jackpot, we are aware that most likely their futures are already mirrored in their pasts.
A touching and funny study of three “lost souls” who came to Las Vegas to obtain divorces and have stayed on in the vague hope that their lives are sure to take a turn for the better.
Included in the collection
In Place and The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.
