Life & Living: A lucrative evening at the track … long, long ago.

 

Here’s a happy memory … and hopefully a funny story … from the summer after my freshman year in college.

 

My first serious girlfriend was 2 yrs younger than me.  A pretty blonde with bright blue eyes and great legs.  A straight A student.  A well-off family.  Stylish with great taste.  Yeah, I know, out of my league.

 

One hot and humid day, I had just gotten home from my summer job climbing telephone poles.  My girlfriend called me and told me to get to her house as quickly as possible and bring all the cash I had.  No time to explain, just get here.

 

I did as instructed.  After a quick shower and clean clothes, I got to her house.  We jumped into a big Chevrolet station wagon, her Dad driving, she in the middle, and me riding shotgun.  We were on a very tight schedule to go the 35 miles from Hagerstown, MD to the horse racetrack in Charles Town, WV.  By the way he was driving, it was clear that arriving in time for the 4^th race was important.

 

Her Dad was a big, tough, taciturn, dark-haired Polish American, maybe originally from NJ.  He was a self-made man who had built a quite successful small business.  One story was that someone had threatened to kill him.  I don’t know why.  He said, OK, I’ll be at the town square at noon on Saturday, come and get me.  He showed up as promised; the would-be killer did not.  Even before I heard this story, he scared me.

 

We made it to the track just in time.  Her Dad’s simply said :  bet on one specific jockey to win in the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th races.  (I’m not naming the jockey.  I will disclose that he was also a Polish American, unusual rural Western Maryland and probably among jockeys.)  

 

I was skeptical but suspected maybe her Dad knew something I didn’t.  So, I made only a $6 combination bet ($2 each on win, place, and show) on “our” jockey in the 4^th race.  He won. 

 

I upped my bet in the 5^th race.  He didn’t win, but placed, and I won again.  

 

Now a true believer, I went all in … all of $20!! … in the 6^th race. He won.  

 

On 3 races in maybe an hour, I won $180!  To put that in context, I made ~$80 a week for ~70 hours of telephone pole climbing.

 

Her Dad sent his innocent-looking daughter to cash in his bets.  I guess to avoid the tax authorities.  I later learned he’d won enough that night to pay for an entire year of college for one of his other daughters.

 

When our jockey won the 6^th race, her Dad dragged us to the winner’s circle in the infield.  The 3 of us got our picture taken with the jockey and horse.  Then the horse’s real owner showed up.  He was supremely pissed; who in the hell are you guys and why are you getting your picture taken with my horse?  

 

We just walked away and drove home, missing the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th races.  Our jockey wasn’t up on a horse in any of those.