He was trashing one skinny kid 4-nill and was chilled as fuck. Duck Face - the trasher - was having a hell of a time being looked at by other guys in the Betting shop as some PlayStation Buddha.
Few minutes later another kid picked up the losing pad and on went another game. Duck Face scored first. Then the new kid scored twice in quick succession. Everyone was silent. By the second half someone started grunting; it was Duck Face. And then he spoke: "Kane pass this pass na. What's your problem? It got closer to the injury time and then came the ultimate PS2 loser excuse: "this pad ain't working!"
Immediately the sharp difference of countenance when losing Vs when winning struck me. This guy, this guy with some really weird facial anatomy was no beast at all. He was just like the rest of us.
Winning brings silence. Silence brings mystery and mystery makes winning appear more seductive.
Talking is about explanation. Explaining yourself. To your colleagues, your mom, girlfriend etc.
Mostly about your inability to get something done.
No one asks for explanation when you score 100% in an essay but you'll be forced to give a speech about what went wrong should you score a grade your parents deem unacceptable.
At around 10 pm, Duck Face was still playing and other kids confidence seemed to have grown. He was having a hard time dispatching them. No one was cheering him again. He did finally beat one but he stood up immediately after that victory, paid and headed home.
He needed it. And of course, he was silent again.