Winning Odds Trilogy

by MaryAnn Myers

  “For the time being.” Lucy smiled. “Yes.”

  When George and Señor returned, Lucy had the bed made, had some of her things placed on the dresser, and was sitting rocking in the rocking chair. “I love it,” she said. “I don’t ever want to leave.”

  Vicky called up the stairs. “Lucy!”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you want to come down and give me a hand?”

  “Yes, I do!” Lucy said. George and Señor laughed at the enthusiastic way she’d said it. “Coming!”

  “Hey, slow down,” George said. “Use the railing. That’s what it’s there for?”

  Señor thumped the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom. “I hope we know what we’re doing.”

  George laughed. “Ain’t no mountain we can’t climb. Let’s do it!”

  Mim cringed each time she heard the pound of a hammer or the long drawn-out screech of a crowbar. “I think I’m going to go for a walk,” she said.

  “You sure?” Vicky asked.

  Mim nodded. “Not far. Just down to see the horses.” She stood with the support of her cane and walked out onto the back porch, rested for a moment, and then made her way down the ramp. She drew in a breath, as deep a breath as she could, and glanced around. “Oh my,” she said, “Well, would you look at that. Hello there.”

  ~ * ~

  Richard stood facing Dan Gotbert in the dingy lobby of the Family Services building. He shook the man’s hand. “I wonder if we could go to your office and talk a moment.”

  “I don’t have an office,” Gotbert said. “I have a cubicle. What can I do for you?”

  “My name is Richard Spears. I’m the General Manager of Nottingham Downs.”

  Gotbert just stared for a second, then lowered his arm and tucked his hands into his pockets.

  “Are you sure there isn’t any place we could talk in private?” Richard asked.

  “No, this is it. Do you have a case number?”

  “No. As a matter of fact I don’t,” Richard said, with a sardonic smile. “Maybe there’s someone else that can help me.”

  The man hesitated. “That won’t be necessary. Your case has been closed. As of this morning, apparently it never existed.”

  “Well, that saves me filing a restraining order against you, since that was going to be my next stop.”

  The man just looked at him, a myriad of barely controlled emotions coloring his face.

  “RJR Enterprises,” Richard stated simply. “I guess I’ll just head there instead. You wouldn’t happen to know if they have a local office here in the area, would you?”

  Again, the man just looked at him.

  “I guess not.” Richard turned and left.

  The man followed him halfway out the door, careful not to cross the threshold with the security camera pointed right at him. There was something he obviously wanted to say.

  Richard looked back. “Yes?”

  The man shook his head. “Have a nice day at work.”

  “You too,” Richard said, and got in his car. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” He phoned Wendy down the road to let her know he’d be awhile.

  “Any luck?”

  “No.” He told her what the man said. “I guess it was more how he said it that makes me wonder. Is he telling me it would be a waste of time?”

  “I don’t know. I have my own drama going on at the moment,” Wendy said.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Apparently someone shut off the main water line to the grandstand.”

  “What? Did you get it back on?”

  “Yes. But why was it turned off?”

  “All right. I’ve had enough,” Richard said. “I think I’ll go back in for some more surgery now.”

  Wendy chuckled. “It does rather coincide with your return I might say. If I check your car and there’s a big monkey wrench in the backseat you’re in big trouble, Mister.”

  Richard laughed. “I’ll see you later. If the power goes out, don’t call me I’ll call you.”

  ~ * ~

  Matthew walked outside and just stood on the porch for a while, then decided to go for a walk up the road. Mim saw him coming. “Young man! Young man!”

  Matthew waved. The woman was over near the garage next to T-Bone’s Place.

  “Can you come give me a hand please?”

  “Sure,” Matthew said.

  Mim stood supporting herself with her cane and gazing down at her old golf cart.

  “Wow. Now this has been around a while,” Matthew said.

  “So have I,” Mim said. “What’s your point?”

  Matthew laughed. “What are you trying to do?”

  “Well, if we could push it into the garage, I can charge it. It was running good the day I parked it. It must have lost its charge.”

  “Don’t tell my mom,” Matthew said, steering it with one hand and pushing it with another.

  “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Are you Matthew? Oh yes it is you. Stop!”

  “I’m fine,” Matthew said.

  Mim hooked him with her cane. “Stop!”

  Matthew laughed. “Honest. I’m fine. I’m not using my eyes. Watch, see, I’ll look at you the whole time.”

  Mim shook her head. “No, wait. All right. Here, let me help.” The old woman started pushing the back of the golf cart with her butt.

  Matthew could hardly steer for laughing.

  “Are we almost there? There’s a plug just inside on the left. I looked.”

  Matthew was still laughing. “Okay, we’re close. Just another little push. Okay, okay, we got it.”

  “Wonderful,” Mim said, dusting off her backside. “We’ll need a rag too to wipe off the seats.” She looked around the garage as Matthew hooked up the battery charger. “Here’s one. Oh dear, what a dreadful smell. What the hell is that?”

  Matthew took a whiff. “Skunk!”

  “No!” Mim said. She took another whiff. “Really?”

  “Really,” Matthew said. “Stay here.” He turned the hose on and rinsed her hands, careful not to interfere with the way she balanced herself with her cane under her arm. “Use the back of my shirt to dry.”

  Mim wiped her hands dry and stood tall with the help of her cane. “Well, thank you, Matthew. We should be all set now. I’ll find a rag inside. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Matthew said, and looked around.

  “What do you see?” Mim said, studying his sudden sad expression.

  “Not much,” Matthew said. “It comes and goes.”

  Mim gripped his shoulder hard. “Go talk to the horses.”

  Matthew smiled. “What good will that do?”

  “It’ll make you feel good,” Mim said. “And it’ll make me feel good too.”

  Matthew smiled when she persisted and walked down to the pastures.

  “Those three there will be the safest.” Mim pointed to Biscuit, Poncho, and Dusty’s little filly, Bonnie Bee.

  Matthew squeezed between the fence rails and looked back at her.

  “Go on, go on,” she said, waving. “Go on. Talk to them.”

  “Hey, horses,” Matthew said, laughing at himself.

  “See,” Mim said. “You’re feeling better already.”

  Matthew smiled and patted Biscuit on the shoulder, stroked his neck. He rubbed Poncho’s face and combed his fingers through the filly’s mane.

  “They like you!” Mim said. “Sit down. Let them graze around you.”

  Matthew looked at her warily.

  “It’s all right. Dusty does it all the time. Sit!”

  Matthew buckled his knees and sat down Indian style and watched the three horses grazing. The little filly nudged him and he moved slightly to the left. Apparently he was sitting on some really good grass judging from her actions.

  “This is fun,” Matthew said, touching the horse’s face and looking at Mim.

  “I told you!”

  “Thank you!”

  Mim waved and nodded, then t
urned and walked to the house. She stopped to rest, to try and catch her breath, then walked up the ramp and inside the back door, where she stopped again and looked back. Matthew had lain down in the grass and the three horses were grazing all around him. The young man was grinning from ear to ear.

  ~ * ~

  Dusty spread word throughout the backside about the HBPA banquet “Come as You Are” theme and checked back in with Irene. “I’ve gotten a few more,” she said. “Keep up the good work.”

  “Have you seen Junior?”

  Irene shook her head. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. His truck’s here. It’s been here all day; I haven’t seen him though.” The seventh race was about to go off so Dusty walked downstairs and out to the Ginny stand to watch.

  “And they’re off!”

  Dusty smiled. The grandstand was packed; a good turnout today.

  “It’s Buster Bay taking the early lead….”

  When Dusty’s cellphone rang, he answered it and plugged his other ear. “Hello.”

  It was Wendy. “Have you seen Tom?”

  “Not for a couple of hours. Why? What’s up?”

  “Nothing, I just….” Wendy hesitated. “If you see him, tell him I’m going to be a little late. I’m going to stop and look at a car for the boys.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No. Why? I need to get mine back. I can’t keep borrowing Glenda’s. Never mind, here he is.”

  Tom walked into her office and straight to the window to watch the end of the race.

  “And it’s Buster Bay, Buster Bay, Buster Bay, wire to wire!”

  “That’s good. Brickman can pay him now.”

  “Who?”

  “Junior. Brickman’s been stringing him along.”

  Dusty made a point of walking outside the Ginny stand just as Brickman led Buster Bay off the track on the way to the spit barn. “He run good!” Dusty said.

  Brickman nodded. “Yep, he win easy.”

  Tom smiled, even from a distance he knew. “That Dusty’s always on the ball.”

  “I just talked to him. I wanted him to tell you I’m going to be a little late getting home. I’m going to stop and look at a car for the boys.”

  Tom looked at her. “What?”

  “I want my car back. Glenda’s being really nice letting me use hers, but….”

  “You’re not going to let them pick out their own car.”

  “Not unless they plan to pay for it.”

  “Wendy!” Tom laughed. “Honey!”

  “Don’t ‘Honey’ me. This car’s just like the other one they had.”

  “Isn’t that kind of freaky?”

  Wendy stared. She hadn’t thought of that. All she knew was that the make and model had been affordable, economical on gas. “Do you think I’m being…?”

  “A mom? Yes. I gotta go,” he said. “I’m meeting with Pastor Mitchell and Junior in about five minutes.”

  “What for?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll let you know.” He winked at her and stopped short of leaving. “What’s that look for?”

  “You don’t think I should pick out a car for the boys?”

  “No,” he said. “I don’t. Now come on, cheer up. I gotta go.”

  Wendy sat biting her bottom lip.

  “Aw, Jesus,” Tom said. “You gotta stop this shit.” He went over and put his arms around her. “It’s no big deal. I’ll take them and go find a car.”

  “Oh, and that’s different somehow?”

  “Than their mommy? Yes.”

  “Go on. Get out of here,” Wendy said. “Go on.”

  Tom tipped his cowboy hat and left.

  ~ * ~

  Ben was careful to wear sunglasses driving home and was pleased he could see fairly well. He waved to the old-timers in passing. Some were sitting out on the porch. He figured he’d grab a quick snack, don his walking shoes, and go visit with them for a while before dinner.

  Matthew looked up from watching TV when he walked in. “Tell me that’s not what you’ve been doing all day,” Ben said, washing his hands at the kitchen sink. “That can’t be good for your eyes.”

  “Actually I was outside quite a bit today. I was out communing with nature and the horses. Mim told me to….”

  “Well, I’ll be damned.” Ben looked out the window and laughed. “What the hell?”

  Here came Mim down the driveway in her golf cart with Jack in the passenger seat and Miguel sitting square in the middle of the back seat holding on to the roll bars on each side.

  “Yeah, we charged it,” Matthew said. “We took a tour of the whole place. We even rode it around the training track.”

  Ben walked out onto the porch drying his hands and smiling.

  “Hey, Mr. B!” Miguel said. “How you do?”

  “I’m good, I’m good,” Ben said. “Mim. Jack.”

  “Hey, Ben,” Mim said. “Imagine my surprise when I walked outside and found it by the garage. Oh how I’ve missed this dear old thing.”

  Ben laughed.

  “We’re on our way up to the stallion barn. Jack and Miguel haven’t seen Beau Born in years. Hop on.”

  Ben climbed into the back seat when Miguel moved over and off they went. “How fast does this go, Mim?” Ben asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Once upon a time it could go pretty fast. I’d say about three miles an hour or so now.” When Mim pulled up next to the barn and put on the brake, they all piled out. Mim reached back in for her cane the way she’d done a gazillion times over the years, and the four of them walked into the barn. Ben was just about to warn them of Beau’s habit of screaming like a banshee to greet visitors when Beau let out a whinny that could probably be heard for miles.

  They all jumped, Ben included, and then they all laughed. “Well, that’ll get your heart going,” Jack said.

  “Oh look at you,” Miguel said, to Beau Born. “You so beautiful.”

  Beau tilted his head, liking the sound of Miguel’s voice. “I remember you,” Miguel kept saying. “I remember you, you big horse!”

  Beau sniffed and snorted and flirted a little, then went back to eating his hay.

  “He looks fantastic,” Mim said. “I rode down this afternoon and just sat watching him out in the pasture.” She smiled and then heaved a little sigh. “All right, boys, Lucy said dinner was in ten minutes.”

  All four climbed back into the golf cart and Mim dropped Ben off at his house. “You’re not going out on the road, are you?” he asked.

  “No.” Mim imitated the warning she received earlier today from Vicky, “It’s not allowed.”

  “Señor going to make path tomorrow,” Miguel said. “We go now outside of pasture.”

  Ben stepped back and waved.

  Matthew walked out onto the porch.

  “Where’s dinner tonight?” Ben asked.

  “Glenda and George’s.”

  “Good. You’ll be up for a walk, right?”

  “You bet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Tom sat down in one of the front row seats of the chapel and said a prayer. Pastor Mitchell once told Tom the day he started praying with his actions and not words, he had become a better Christian. Tom still liked praying. He’d just given up all his preaching. He said a prayer for Wendy for what she was going through. He said a prayer for himself, hoping he got through it too.

  Pastor Mitchell and Junior walked in together.

  Tom opened his eyes and turned. “So what’s up?”

  Pastor Mitchell motioned for Junior to grab two chairs and the two of them sat down across from Tom. “Junior wants to marry Lucy.”

  Tom looked at the boy. “And…?” They seemed to be holding back something.

  “And I want you to be my best man,” Junior said.

  Tom looked at Pastor Mitchell and sat back. So this was why the man had him meet them in the chapel, knowing full well the surroundings would temper his response. “Why me?” Tom asked.

  “Becaus
e you’re like a father to me,” Junior said.

  Tom shifted his weight. “You have a father, Junior.”

  “Yeah, but he’s not a friend,” the boy said. “You are.”

  Tom stared. Jesus, he thought, why me for sure? “What’s involved in this? What do I have to do?”

  “You stand with him in friendship and support. It’s a lifetime commitment.”

  “A lifetime?”

  Junior chuckled. “You mean like an anchor around his neck?”

  “No.” Pastor Mitchell smiled. “It’s spiritual and it’s concrete. Tom, it means you’ll be there for him in difficult times and in good times. Not all marriages work.”

  “That’s a nice positive note,” Tom said.

  The three of them just sat there for a moment, absorbing the situation. The odds of people staying married on the racetrack weren’t all that good. It was like Hollywood in that respect. “So are we talking about a big wedding? What?” Tom asked.

  “Just a small service here in the chapel. Just a few people,” Pastor Mitchell said.

  Junior was staring down at his hands in his lap.

  “What does Lucy think about all of this,” Tom asked.

  Junior kept his eyes averted. “She doesn’t know yet.”

  Tom just looked at the boy.

  “Junior wanted some spiritual guidance from us first.”

  Us? Tom sighed. “I don’t know what to say, but….”

  “Just say yes, Tom,” Junior said. “Just say yes.”

  Tom nodded, wondering how it is that someone can grow up so fast in such a short amount of time. “All right, I’ll be your best man. But if you screw up….”

  “I know,” Junior said, smiling. “You’re going to kick my ass. Oops,” He ducked. “Am I allowed to say that in here?”

  “Yes,” Pastor Mitchell said, smiling. “And I was a witness to it.”

  “You got that,” Tom said. “We’ll all be watching you now.”

  The boy nodded. “Thank you. I won’t let you down. I’m not going to let anybody down, Lucy, the baby. I want to live a righteous life just like you said, Pastor Mitchell. I want to live a life that will make you all proud.”

  ~ * ~

  Up until about a year ago, dinner at Glenda’s and George’s had always been a buffet-style scattered seating affair. Some ate in the kitchen, some in the small dining room, some in the living room. Then George decided to knock down the wall between the dining room and kitchen, opening it up, and he and Senior made a table that sat fourteen people. Since they had just torn down the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom upstairs at T-Bone’s Place today, the process brought back memories of the reconstruction here. It had not gone “without a hitch.”