[yvanleterrible]

The afternoon preceding the Big Game, Vera Wayne was seated at the bar facing the entry. The events of the last few days had left her kind of shaky and resentful of being handled in such a violent way. She’d come to Cuba expecting to play poker, not to be tied meat. She’d never backed down from a fight but that succession of events was too wild even for her tastes. So she spent the remainder of the week before the poker game between her room, the restaurant and the bar. The bar was pretty empty at the moment with only a few rich European customers discussing in a corner and the barman catering to her glass. Even so, at every sip she took she’d instinctively survey the room.
-I must stop feeling so paranoid- She thought.
At that moment, an old man came in the bar from the lobby and looked around at the people inside. As he saw Vera, he froze. She’d seen his look.
-Crap! If he comes over here he’ll get the nutcracker job...-
She quickly averted her eyes to signify intent on protecting her privacy. No luck, he was still there gawking. And then from the corner of her eye she saw him approaching, immediately awaking survival reflexes, shifting slightly on her stool, setting up for a pre-emptive strike.
As he got to a safe distance, he stopped. As he felt that she knew he was there he said;
“Carole?... Is that you?...”
Vera was startled and lost her focus.
-What’s he blabbering?- She thought
She looked up to face him square and said:
“No!”
As she said it she noticed the old man was getting pretty pale for an attacker, if he ever was one at all... Letting all guards down she said:
“My name is Vera, my mother’s name is Carole”
The old man seemed stricken, even paler and his knees were clearly wobbling.
“Then it’s true!” He uttered in half voice.
“What? “ Said Vera.
At that point the man fell to his knees and said:
“You ... have... a sister...” And fell taking the surrounding chairs with him as he crashed down, unconscious.