"One More Bet!"

[Teach]

“I just wanna make one more bet,” I said. “One more bet,” I repeated. “I’m sorry, My Son,” the Father said. “You’re not on Earth; you’re in Heaven,” he added. “You mean (hesitation), I made it. I can’t believe it! They took me,” I said, with a note of astonishment. But I was a “degenerate”. “I started playing penny-ante poker when I was in elementary school. I made my first horse-racing bet when I was 15-years old. When I was in high school, I’d ‘cut cards’ for ‘quays’ (quarters). When I was in college, I even bet my roommate how many mouse droppings we’d find in the kitchen. The over-under was 20.”

“But how did I make it?” I continued. “We judge the entire person,” the Father replied. “Yes, My Son, you had your faults, but taken as a whole, you had many redeeming qualities. I recall the time you were at Rockingham Park in Salem, NH. A young boy came up to you and said, ‘Hungry’. You gave him a nickel. Then, there was that time when you were at Suffolk Downs. You generously touted a horse to half the track; it lost. Then there was that time you were publicity director at Foxboro Raceway. You opened your wallet to a down-and-out stranger. You gave him a free pass (just about everyone at the track had one). Your generosity has not gone unnoticed, My Son.”

Moreover, it was then that I asked, “Where are we now, Father?” “We’re over Manhattan. There’s the Empire State Building.” “Can’t we take a little side-trip to East Rutherford. One of my favorite tracks was located there: the Meadowlands. Oh, I recognize everything: the GW, Union City, “the weeds” in Secaucus, the Hackensack River… But Father, what happened to the Meadowlands? I don’t see the track.” “They turned it into a large shopping complex, My Son,” the Father explained. You may remember that in the second decade of the 21st century state governments began legalizing sports betting. There was Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, but then, other states followed suit.

In addition, there was no longer a younger generation - like yours in the 1950s and 60s - to allow horse racing to continue to thrive. There was just too much competition. It used to be just Las Vegas, then came Atlantic City. Now, just about every state has a casino/sports betting. In fact, much of the action today is being handled over the internet.”

“But Father, I want to make just one more bet. One more bet!” I repeated. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, My Son.”

“Walt, Walt, wake up,” my wife said, tugging at the sheets, “you’ll be late for school!” It’s almost 7 o’clock,” my wife said. You know you have to be in the building by 7:30 a.m.”