bingo outlaw by Lynda Celentano

March Prompt: Are you feeling lucky?

​“Are you feeling lucky?” asked Babs.
“I’m at a bingo hall, so no.”
“Come on, Leanne. You have to admit, it’s kind of fun.”
“If by fun you mean being the subject of death stares from all the regular players, then
yes.”
“N-23,” announced the caller.
A muffled shout came from across the hall. “Bingo!”
Babs pounded her fist on the table, toppling over her good-luck charm, a pink-haired troll. “Serves you right!” she said to the troll. “You’re supposed to make me win! You’d better come through on the next one. We’re playing for the Clubhouse.”

Leanne smirked and nodded her head, then turned her head and rolled her eyes. Dear Bingo Gods, please let this night go by quickly, she thought.
As the caller commenced reading out numbers and letters, Leanne amused herself by creating her own silent game. I-23, she thought. I would rather be soaking my twenty-three paper cuts in lemon juice than playing bingo. O-62… O how I wish I was at home right now binge-watching sixty-two Netflix shows. It made the next fifteen minutes fly by.
“G54,” said the caller.
Babs looked over at Leanne’s card and shrieked. “Oh my God! Leanne, look. That gives you a diagonal win. You won the Clubhouse.”
“Well look at that. I guess I did. Perfect timing too. I could use a sandwich. So, where do I get my Clubhouse?”
Babs smacked Leanne’s arm. “It’s not a sandwich, you dummy. You won two hundred and fifty bucks.”
“I did?” She looked down at her card. “I guess I did.” An attendant rushed over to check Leanne’s card. She scanned the room. The other players were staring at her with narrowed eyes. Leanne whispered to Babs from the corner of her mouth. “Why do I feel like an outlaw that’s about to be run out of town?”
“They don’t take kindly to strangers in these here parts,” Babs said with a southern drawl.
The attendant confirmed the win.
“Grab your troll, Babs,” said Leanne with a wink. “I’ll grab the loot and meet you out back. We ride at dawn.”

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​Lynda Celentano is an emerging Italian-Canadian storyteller and humorist. In 2018, her comedic essay The Crease was chosen for the Emerging Writers Showcase at The Edmonton Public Library (EPL). In 2022, her short story, “The Power of Seven” was included in EPL/Capital City Press’s second online anthology and she was recently interviewed with one of her writing mentors by CBC Radio-Edmonton AM. Her public readings in the Edmonton community have been well-received. She is currently working on a collection of short stories and a screenplay.