Teach
01-04-2008, 12:38 PM
"Could you lend me a twenty? I’m good for it. You know me," the voice said. It was Dougie. I knew him well. He was a regular. I’d seen him at the bar many times. He usually had a beer in one hand and the racing form in the other. His eyes were always glued to the monitors.
"Sorry, Dougie," I said. "I’m having a terrible day," I continued. Dougie then walked away; I suspect to try to put the touch on someone else. Frankly, I wouldn’t have lent him the dough, anyway. I figures that if I give him a "double-saw," he or one his friends would be pestering me every day. I didn’t need that, besides...
When I was in my early 20s, I was already going to the track on a regular basis. Suffolk Downs, Rockingham Park, the Massachusetts Fairs; there were even trip to "the Spa," "the Big A," and Belmont, not to mention the visits to harness tracks.
Well, one Labor Day, over forty years ago, a bunch of my buddies and I trekked north to New Hampshire’s Rockingham Park. Labor Day was a big day of thoroughbred racing at "the Rock." It was the closing day of Rockingham’s summer meet. In a day and age before simulcasting (how did we ever survive!), there were fourteen lives races: five in the morning, and then nine in the afternoon. It was a fun time. We’d yuk it up, drink beers, eat hog dogs and burgers, and talk about the races.
I can’t tell you how I did that day, but I can tell you about an incident that I’ll never forget. There were five of us. One of the guys was a friend of one of my close buddies. I’d didn’t personally know Mike him that well; yet I’d seen him around the neighborhood. Everyone who knew him said he was "a good egg."
As the afternoon was wearing on, Mike suddenly came up to me an said, "Walt, could you lend me ten dollars?" I remember saying, "I’d like to, but I won’t be the the neighborhood for a while because I’m leaving tomorrow to begin a teaching job on Long Island. I remember Mike saying, "Don’t worry, I’ll give you a check for $10; just don’t cash it for a few days until I get paid." I looked at the blanck check and said, "OK, fill it in for ten dollars and sign it. I’ll cash it later next week," I added.
The next day I was on my way to Long Island. I arrived in the apartnent I was renting and began teaching that week. Later in the week, I went to a local bank and opened up a checking account.
I gave the teller some cash, and the check that Mike had given me at the track.
Well, several days went by as I got myself acclimated to my apartment and my new teaching position. Oh, about a week or two had gone by when I received this communication from the bank. In so many words the bank indicated that the check that I had deposited had "bounced". At that momment, I was fit to be tied.
The following weekend, I drove up to Boston. I immediately looked for Mike. I found him hanging out at one of the bowling alleys. I confronted him. I remember Mike saying, "Hi Walt, how ya doing?" "Not too well," I replied. "You know that check you gave me at Rock on Labor Day, well it "bounced."
Well, Mike says, "Let me explain, I decided to change banks and cleaned out that account and started a new one someplace else. I didn’t know where you were living," he added, "so there was no way I could get in touch with you." At that moment, I felt like I was in school and listening to one of my students explain to me why he couldn't turn in his homework.
I then recall saying to Mike, "Just give me the ten bucks you owe me, and we’ll forget about it." I recall Mike reaching into his wallet and fishing out a $10 bill. He hands it to me. "Sorry about that, Walt," he says. I just turn and walk away. I would never lend money at the track again.
"Sorry, Dougie," I said. "I’m having a terrible day," I continued. Dougie then walked away; I suspect to try to put the touch on someone else. Frankly, I wouldn’t have lent him the dough, anyway. I figures that if I give him a "double-saw," he or one his friends would be pestering me every day. I didn’t need that, besides...
When I was in my early 20s, I was already going to the track on a regular basis. Suffolk Downs, Rockingham Park, the Massachusetts Fairs; there were even trip to "the Spa," "the Big A," and Belmont, not to mention the visits to harness tracks.
Well, one Labor Day, over forty years ago, a bunch of my buddies and I trekked north to New Hampshire’s Rockingham Park. Labor Day was a big day of thoroughbred racing at "the Rock." It was the closing day of Rockingham’s summer meet. In a day and age before simulcasting (how did we ever survive!), there were fourteen lives races: five in the morning, and then nine in the afternoon. It was a fun time. We’d yuk it up, drink beers, eat hog dogs and burgers, and talk about the races.
I can’t tell you how I did that day, but I can tell you about an incident that I’ll never forget. There were five of us. One of the guys was a friend of one of my close buddies. I’d didn’t personally know Mike him that well; yet I’d seen him around the neighborhood. Everyone who knew him said he was "a good egg."
As the afternoon was wearing on, Mike suddenly came up to me an said, "Walt, could you lend me ten dollars?" I remember saying, "I’d like to, but I won’t be the the neighborhood for a while because I’m leaving tomorrow to begin a teaching job on Long Island. I remember Mike saying, "Don’t worry, I’ll give you a check for $10; just don’t cash it for a few days until I get paid." I looked at the blanck check and said, "OK, fill it in for ten dollars and sign it. I’ll cash it later next week," I added.
The next day I was on my way to Long Island. I arrived in the apartnent I was renting and began teaching that week. Later in the week, I went to a local bank and opened up a checking account.
I gave the teller some cash, and the check that Mike had given me at the track.
Well, several days went by as I got myself acclimated to my apartment and my new teaching position. Oh, about a week or two had gone by when I received this communication from the bank. In so many words the bank indicated that the check that I had deposited had "bounced". At that momment, I was fit to be tied.
The following weekend, I drove up to Boston. I immediately looked for Mike. I found him hanging out at one of the bowling alleys. I confronted him. I remember Mike saying, "Hi Walt, how ya doing?" "Not too well," I replied. "You know that check you gave me at Rock on Labor Day, well it "bounced."
Well, Mike says, "Let me explain, I decided to change banks and cleaned out that account and started a new one someplace else. I didn’t know where you were living," he added, "so there was no way I could get in touch with you." At that moment, I felt like I was in school and listening to one of my students explain to me why he couldn't turn in his homework.
I then recall saying to Mike, "Just give me the ten bucks you owe me, and we’ll forget about it." I recall Mike reaching into his wallet and fishing out a $10 bill. He hands it to me. "Sorry about that, Walt," he says. I just turn and walk away. I would never lend money at the track again.