Matthew and the Stone by Bob Blanton

Author:Bob Blanton [Blanton, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-10T07:00:00+00:00

A Day at the Races

Matthew’s mother got home at 2:00 to take charge of Jessica and he got ready for the races. He decided he’d wear white slacks and a green polo shirt with his deck shoes. He was waiting at the curb for Simone at 2:20. Simone drove up in her Honda Civic at 2:30 on the dot.

“Hi, Matt, are you ready?” She made a U-turn and pulled up beside him.

“Definitely.”

“I’m glad I found a sitter for Jalin. I decided that Mama needed to have some fun at the races today.”

Matthew climbed in and they sped away to Del Mar. They arrived at the racetrack just as the third race was being called over the loud speaker. “And they’re off. Jet Away takes the lead with Go Flyer ….”

“This is so exciting!” Simone grabbed Matthew’s arm.

Matthew paid for their tickets, spending the extra to get into the Turf Club. “Let’s go scope out the betting windows.” They walked into the area under the grandstand and stopped to gaze at the lines of betting windows.

“Wow, they sure have enough betting windows.”

“I guess so; they obviously don’t want you to leave any money in your pockets.”

“We should put some money down now.”

“Why the hurry?” Simone asked.

“We don’t want anyone noticing us betting on him. If we hurry, we’ll be able to catch the fourth race.”

“Sure, what do you want to bet?” Simone asked.

“I want to put $500 on Skywalker to win.”

“Whew,” Simone rolled her eyes. “$500, you sure you want to put that much money on one horse?” Simone was surprised at how much money Matthew wanted to bet.

“Yeah, that’s a week’s pay, so I figure I can afford it. Besides if he goes out at ten to one, I’ll win five grand.”

“That sounds like a lot.”

“It’s not that much when you consider all the medical bills my mom’s still paying.”

“Okay, I’m planning to put $50 on him. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, just remember there are no guarantees,” Matthew cautioned.

“Don’t you worry about Simone; if anyone understands no guarantees it’s me.”

“All right, why don’t you do three windows in here, your $50 and $500 for me. Place your bet at one window, then split my bet between another two. Then we can watch the fourth race.”

“All right, let’s get out there. But first, I need a drink.”

Simone got a beer and they headed out to the viewing area. There weren’t any seats available so they found a spot close to the finish line where they could stand and watch the race. “I put some money on Betonme to win. I couldn’t resist the name.” They perched on the rail as they waited for the race to start.

“I hope you didn’t bet too much on just a name.” Matthew was amazed that she would bet on a horse just because she liked the name.

“Don’t worry, I just bet $5 to make it exciting. You’ve got to care about who wins or it takes all the fun out of it.”

“And they’re off. Betonme races to the rail leading by a half-length, followed by Dramatic Show and ….

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