03/02/23
Shenker and Shenker
The next morning, I got up at the crack of dawn and sat alone in the living room of our small apartment.
I was drinking black coffee as I watched the lights on the Strip twinkle off with the rising of the sun. I
reflected on life decisions that had me in a jail cell in Turkey in 1974, and today I will be in the executive
office of the owners of The Dunes. I was curious, more than intimidated. I would be sure to include my
Dad’s Teamster membership if the opportunity presented itself. I appreciated my parents raising us in a
way that we resented, while in the midst of it, but we are thankful now. A big part of our training was
how we spoke at home versus talking at the neighborhood playground. Church and family trips were an
extension of the home. We learned how to behave in public. My decision to leave the Air Force had paid
off. My initial fantasy was that I would win a super jackpot and become a professional gambler. After my
experiences in the slot departments of two major casinos, I figured on just stealing a fortune. Today is
the beginning of the jackpot that never ends.
I spent the morning helping Maggie with Adam and running errands. The biggest errand was to try and
find a larger place. We had made reservations for her mother at a motel near the casinos, because
things were crowded at the apartment. I had told her about my appointment, and she had not been
impressed, or she hid her excitement well. I took her took to lunch at her favorite buffet, at the Palace
Station. I seated her at the table and brought her a tray of her favorites. Adam had fallen asleep and
was happy with the large pacifier in his mouth. A server had been kind enough to brink my tray along
with our drinks and I made a mental note to over tip. Why not? I could afford it now. Over lunch I was
able to find out why Maggie was acting the way she was. Her mother’s visit worried her because she
didn’t think we would get along and I would breakup with her. The closer the time came, the more

anxious she grew about it. I promised her that even if her mother hated my guts and didn’t speak to me,
I would kill her with kindness and treat her with respect. She laughed and we were able to enjoy lunch
and a couple of draft beers afterwards. She fed Adam and promised to take a nap when she put him
down later.
I got to the Dunes in time to enjoy a smoke before heading in. I took the usual elevator to the Executive
Floor, but turned to the right when I left elevator. A stained one-way glass door instructed me to push a
button on the side of the door to gain entrance. The receptionist answered and buzzed me in when I
gave her my name. I entered a large waiting room that led to three small doors and a double door with
the stencil:
Morris R Shenker
Chairman of the Board
Dunes Hotel and Casino
The receptionist asked if I wanted coffee or water, which I declined.
Moments later, the double doors opened, and a matronly secretary motioned for me to enter. Mr.
Shenker was seated in an overstuffed leather chair, behind a desk overflowing with documents. To his left
was a liquor station which also held his private phone. He was dressed in a dark blue three-piece suit
with a matching tie. To his right, Lillian Shenker sat in a double, plush Ottoman, which probably cost
more than I was making a year. She was wearing a pinstriped black and white dress suit, with bloused
sleeves and a huge black Bow Tie under its solid white collar. He rose to shake my hand and the
secretary wheeled in a leather chair, placing it so I was able to face them both. Mr. Shenker spoke with
a thick Russian Jewish accent. He asked how things were going and I thanked him for the opportunity.
They had both heard of my exploits in the Slots Department and my catch of the dealer paying a losing

bet. Mrs. Shenker spoke for the first time, “I never did like that bitch, I always thought she was cheating
me.”, Ignoring the fact that she was not allowed to play at her own casino.
“Yes ma’am, I followed her and the player the rest of the shift and nothing else happened. I told them
about my brief college stint and my time in the service. I also mentioned growing up in Ohio and Morris
said, “Well that’s another good find for us. Did you know George is from the Cleveland area? Youse guys
coulda been neighbors.” The secretary returned and reminded Mrs. Shenker of another appointment. It
signaled the end of our meeting and Morris held me back for a second. He handed me an envelope
containing some photos ‘If you ever see any of these guys in my place, you call me, then call the police.’ I
thanked him again and went to my shift in the surveillance room. The guys teased me and asked if I was
ever going to wash the hand that was shaken by the mighty Shenker. I settled in for my shift, ignoring
the comments and determined to catch more than a mistake.
Richard and Mrs. Torrez arrived on Friday afternoon. We went to the motel to help her settle in and
meet Richard. Her Mom gave her a hug, grunted at me to help Richard as Maggie followed her to the
room, carrying Adam. Richard loosened up, after they went in.
“Hey Bro, don’t mind her, it was a long trip. You want to hit a joint with me?”
“I’ll have to take a raincheck; I have to be at work in an hour.”
We carried the bags in, just in time for Maggie to say that her mother was ready to go to the casino and
could we drop her off on the way to work.
We said our goodbyes to Richard and dropped off her mom and Maggie took me to the Dunes.
“That wasn’t too bad.”, I said. I gave her a peck on the cheek and got out of the car before she could
answer.

Three days turned into two weeks, and Mrs. Torrez had no plans of slowing down. She would start with
twenty dollars and win a hundred. Then she would put the $150 back into the machines and pull out
another twenty. Maggie was able to hide some of her winnings by offering to cash in a bucket of coins
and holding some of the money back. At the end of the first week, I offered to give her money for her
mom, we were already paying for her extended stay and the occasional times we good get her to go eat
with us. The woman lived on coffee, cigarettes, and whatever she could find sweet from the motel’s
vending machines. She never refused to watch Adam if we wanted to go out we took advantage and had
a couple of nights out. One with Tony and Lola and one solo. Tina was finally ready to go home when she
regained the thousand dollars she had brought with her and about four hundred extra. That was enough
for gas on the trip home and to buy souvenirs for the folks back home. She had warmed up to where she
was cordial to me but seemed to flinch whenever she saw me interacting with her grandson. She
surprised me with a hug before climbing into the car with Richard, and I promised we would go and get
her whenever she decided to come back.
Maggie was overjoyed that things had gone as well as they had but was still skeptical about me going to
Roswell. I was looking forward to the trip.
I settled into my job in the surveillance room and Maggie took on a bigger role in being a homemaker
and mother. Her cooking was passable, and we ordered out more often, but I also continued to freeze
meals when I had time to on my off days. We spent more time going to the park, trips to Mt Charleston,
and to Lake Mead with Nola and her family. Nola had started as a cocktail waitress at the Gold Coast
Casino, and Tony had settled into a job that enabled them to buy a house in a new subdivision. It was
much better than the apartments they were used to. Two weeks later we moved into a three bedroom
with a pool, and I told her it was time to make the trip to Roswell. She didn’t want to, but I insisted.
Adam was walking and beginning to talk and the longer we were together the closer we grew. He
started calling me Baby, the affectionate name Maggie used to address me, and we both thought it was cute.

He could sit in front of the TV set for hours watching, Sesame St and other kids programming. Then
he started mimicking commercials, repeating the words verbatim, without any understanding of their
meaning. I was going to school in order to collect money from the VA and the semester was ending. I took
a week off and we left to go to Roswell, New Mexico.

To be continued…………..

Barron Broomfield