The Gambler

Numbers are funny things. For example: six years, nine months, thirteen days after Ghostbusters, Inc., opened its doors for business, Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz announced their engagement.

To say the rest of us were stunned would be an understatement.

While Janine had fallen hard within days for my best friend, and made no bones about it, Egon had slid into his affection for her slowly and methodically, like he does just about everything. We'd all known that the day would come eventually that love would win out over the scientific method, but after the second year of their odd courtship I'd thought that maybe it wouldn't go any further. Hell, for their fourth courtship anniversary the rest of us threw them a party.

Oddly enough, I'd been six when I first realized, truly and deep down, that people weren't to be depended on. It was the year I'd asked Santa to send Dad home for Christmas, just like Dad had promised. Let's just say neither one came through and leave it at that.

Nine months is a significant number in anybody's life.

And thirteen? That's a gambler's lucky number, and despite my reputation a gambler I'm not.  I always know the odds going in and coming out, whether it's my life on the line or one of the guys', and I never risk anything I can't afford to lose. If that means I have to step between a dangerous situation and one of my buddies, risking my life for theirs, then so be it. Like I said, I always know exactly what I can afford to lose.

Egon's love. Janine's trust.

Neither are anything I can afford to lose, so I'll never mention that the first time she ever snarled back at me, all I saw was the way her eyes snapped sparks and her lips parted to suck in air while she laid into me. I know it's the got to be the same way she looks with a man's hand on her. Too damn bad for me the only hand she wants belongs to my oldest friend.

Coming up from the evening containment check I can hear them celebrating upstairs, Ray chattering a mile a minute, Winston's deeper tones now and then mixed with that totally unexpected girl-giggle of his. I don't really want to go back up, celebrating isn't really something I'm in the mood for at the moment. Besides, Egon's been throwing me looks for the last hour, I think he's planning on cornering me and making sure I'm okay with the situation. And what would I tell him?

Janine's love. Egon's trust.

The one I'll never have unless I gamble away the other. Like I said, it's a matter of knowing what you’re willing to lose.

It's a nice night. Think I'll take a walk.