Trips to the Jersey shore were always fun, and the boardwalk was a flurry of betting wheels, games, and other cool things where you try to win that huge stuffed toy that has no chance of ever fitting in the car. The odds were always stacked against the player. But they never knew about Valerie. Whatever it was, call it a 6th sense, ESP, or just really good luck, she would walk the boardwalk and get the urge to play a particular game. As she walked up closer to the game, her pace always quickened, and she would place the quarter down confidently on a spot. Sure enough, she would win. I remember distinctly, when I was too young to be on the boardwalk along, I so wanted Valerie to be the one whom I was with because it always meant I would win something good. I no longer remember what we won, but I do remember one of the first times she walked up to a boxing ring style of game where the ring was made up of many squares of different colors and a large bowl-like dimple in each of the squares. She put the money down on a particular color and we watched as one of the customers tossed in a huge ball in to the ring. It bounced everywhere and seemed to roll on forever as it begun to settle down. It landed on her color, and we won. For her, that was almost the norm. To me, it was just being with Valerie, my sister.