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[judehaz]

It was 2015. My wife and I were on our honeymoon. Since I was half of the marriage, of course it was in Vegas.

It was the middle of July, in that break between Belmont and Saratoga. At the time you could get a free drink ticket for, I believe, a $25 racing wager at the Westgate Race and Sportsbook. So I was enjoying some afternoon harness track like Monticello or Harrah's Philly with big place bets to get a few free drinks in what must have been a.m. hours in Vegas.

As we sat down, I was annoyed by someone's TV nearby. The audio was definitely at 100 - how rude, right? We almost moved or left altogether. Turns out, a couple carrels away from us was an elderly husband and wife. He had mobility issues and seemed to be mostly blind. She was reading to him (quite loudly) the past performances to a track I don't recall. I believe it was harness - She'd say the horse number, name, driver, trainer, quarter calls, times, etc. - everything - basically an audio version of the PPs. She'd repeat herself on a few occasions at his request until he called out a bet that she went up and placed. I recall him winning more than he lost.

My wife and I were touched to be witnesses to this act of love and connection, and smiled together thinking it could be some future version of ourselves in 50 years. We moved on when the teller reminded me after a few drink tickets that the house didn't exactly have in mind rapid succession place bets for free drinks at the bar.

Making our way across the casino, we dodged timeshare salespeople to catch a few songs from a fat Elvis, who was a fantastic singer. But we'll always remember that old couple from our first trip together in sin city.