Authors: Calvin Wade
Dad eyes were transfixed to the screen. He answered hurriedly.
“
Yes, that
’
s because jockeys don
’
t normally bother getting back on
the bloody horse, that
’
s why! They
’
re normally too concerned that the
horse might be injured or because the rest of the horses are already two
fences down the track by the time they catch theirs, but there
’
s nothing
wrong with Quartz Starr and he
’
s still in the lead, so we
’
ve still got a
chance!
”
Just as Dad said this, Mistral Flagship jumped the second last . The
tortoise was now beating the hare.
“
Turn him around,
‘
Fingers
’
!
”
Dad urged along with a dozen other
punters in the bookmakers who we
re showing a renewed interest.
Mistral Flagship was moving further and further away, probably
leaving a trail like a gastropod, carousel horses moved faster. Quartz
Starr did not appear to like the sight of another horse passing by, he
turned around and with
‘
Fingers
’
now back on board, they shot after
Mistral Flagship like Tornado and Zorro. Mistral Flagship jumped
the last fence like it had done a third circuit of the Grand National
course.
“
We
’
re going to catch him!
”
Dad shouted.
“
WE ARE GOING TO CATCH HIM!
”
So much for keeping a low profile!
With every stride, Quartz Starr was gaining ground, but it was hard
to tell whether it was all too late. Quartz Starr jumped the last fence
awkwardly but at speed. The commentator sounded like he was going
to have a heart attack. Several people in that bookmakers looked likely
to die with him, including Dad.
“
Quartz Starr is closing on Mistral Flagship here!
‘
Fingers
’
Marling
is not looking his normal self-assured self as he pushes Quartz Starr
along and rides for dear life! He only has one foot in the irons and it
looks like his saddle has slipped too, boy will he be sore when this
one
’
s over! Quartz Starr is gaining g
round though! Mistral Flagship
can see the winning post, he has less
than half a furlong to go, but
he is looking like he
’
s on a treadmill, everything is moving, but
he is
not going forward! Here comes Quartz Starr, it
’
s going to be close,
it
’
s going to be ever so close! Both jockeys push their mounts forward,
they want this win! Here comes the line
…
.MISTRAL FLAGSHIP,
QUARTZ STARR
…
..QUARTZ STARR, MISTRAL FLAGSHIP!
IT
’
S TIGHT! PHOTOGRAPH! PHOTOGRAPH!
”
Everyone in the bookies breathed out simultaneously! What a race!
Dad was convinced we
’
d won it.
“
He
’
s won. Won by a nose!
”
Caroline was equally sure Dad had it wrong!
“
Your horse only went past mine after the line! Mine won!
”
I had absolutely no idea which one had won!
“
I thought it was a draw! Can you have a draw in a horse race, Dad?
”
“
You can, it
’
s called a dead heat.
”
“
Do we still win if it
’
s a dead heat?
”
“
Yes, but not as much.
”
“
Enough to get me to Singapore?
”
“
I think so, hopefully we
’
ll find out in a minute! Just stop asking
questions, Richie, or we
’
ll miss the announcement!
”
Within seconds of hushing me, the commentator announced,
“
The result is coming through from Wincanton. Number 3, Mistral
Flagship, beats Number 2, Quartz Starr.
”
Dad
’
s head sagged. I smiled a rueful smile. Caroline rubbed her
hands and cheered in that deafening high pitched tone of hers! I knew
my dreams of going to Singapore were over. My immediate thoughts
were for my father though, not for me, he looked visibly shaken as he
said a hasty farewell and rushed back off to work, no doubt trying to
catch up on the several hours he had missed. That was the least of his
worries now though, until he paid that money back, I knew he would
be constantly looking over his shoulder. He would certainly be making
no shortcuts through unlit passageways!
Caroline offered to take me for a pint of Guinness in
“
The Buck
”
.
“
You were going to lose anyway,
”
she explained,
“
whether I had the
other horse or not was immaterial. At least I have enough money to help
you drown your sorrows now!
”
Once our stomachs were lined with about three pints of Guinness,
I angled the conversation away from Donna and her bust up with
Caroline and told her where Dad had found a hundred pounds from to
back the two horses.
“
Kiffer! Dad borrowed money off Kiffer! Does he have a death
wish?
”
I shrugged.
“
Looks like it!
”
“
They
’
ll beat him to a pulp until they get that money, you know
that don
’
t you?
”
I nodded. Caroline looked down at her handbag that was sat
on the table.
“
You want me to give Dad the
£
150, don
’
t you, Richie?
”
“
I don
’
t want you to do anything. I just think it would be safer to
owe you money than Kiffer.
”
“
But I
’
ll never get it back!
”
“
You
’
d never get Dad back if he was made into a kebab or an ice
cube!
”
That night, when we got back to Mum and Dad
’
s in Aughton, after Mum had gone to bed for a read, Caroline slipped Dad the
£
150. She
was at liberty to point out,
“
I have completely saved your arse, Dad! Listen to this, because I
mean it, if I ever, EVER want to come to the bookies with you again,
I expect to
be welcomed with open arms, OK?
”
Dad gave Caroline a hug.
“
That would be fine, love, but I
’
ve learnt my lesson today. Me and
the bookies have gone our separate ways.
”
Caroline went back to Durham that weekend and patched things up with Donna. Donna continued to be possessive and Caroline continued
to hate it, but, as I kept telling her, we all have our faults, we either
learn to accept them or move on to someone who has other faults that
are more tolerable!
Quartz Starr went to the Cheltenham festival the following March
and despite his fall at Wincanton, he went off favourite again. This
time he fell at the second fence and
‘
Fingers
’
Marling did not have the
opportunity to get back on board. Two years later, once Paul Mullins
sorted out his jumping, he won the
King George on Boxing Day and
the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. Dad insisted he did not have a
penny on either time, although Dave at the Dog & Gun
’
s son, Joe, won
an absolute fortune!
The afternoon of the failed double ended my gambling career as
soon as it had begun. I also conceded that my pursuit of Kelly was over.
What I didn
’
t appreciate, on that day of the gambling disaster, was that
every cloud has a silver lining and although the pursuit of Kelly was
over, the pursuit of Jemma had just begun!
“
Oh my God! Who was that? That absolutely reeks!
”
“
Eugh! Was that you, Danny?
”
Danny did not confirm or deny that he was
the perpetrator of the
vilest smell that I had ever been subjected to. The worst thing was, I
was several hundred feet up in a cable car, so there was just no escaping
it. I covered my mouth and nose in a similar fashion to three of the
four Londoners in their early twenties, that I shared the cable car with,
whilst the fourth, Danny, an unshaven, dark haired, unattractive guy,
just sat back with his arms folded, admiring the odour his backside had
produced. His three friends laughed through their gagged mouths, they
thought it was hilarious! Laddish humour was beyond me!
I was in a particularly bad mood as my body was aching! I had
been in Singapore for over six months now and had decided it was time
to move on. It was a wonderful place, spotlessly clean with amazing
shops that I could not afford to shop in, but I had managed to get a
job in a backpackers hostel just off Orchard Road, the main retail and
entertainment area of Singapore, so had survived without eating into
my savings. The majority of the backpackers that came through the
hostel had been over to Sentosa Island during their stay. Sentosa was
meant to be a beautiful island full of entertaining tourist attractions and
fantastic beaches. I particularly wanted to see
‘
Fort Siloso
’
, one of the
restored coastal gun batteries from World War II when British ruled
Singapore was trying to defend itself from the Japanese. Before I left
Singapore, I knew I must to check it out. The reason I was aching was
that I decided to head over there by cable car, from Jewel Box, the iconic
hilltop destination at Mount Faber. I thought I was in fairly good shape,
but the torturous ascent up Mount Faber had proved me wrong!
Once I arrived at Jewel Box, I took five minutes to grab a bottle of
water and sit in the shade out of the blazing Singapore sun, then bought
my return cable car ticket to Sentosa Island. Trust me to then share a
cable car with four idiotic Southerners who were spoiling my enjoyment
of the lush greenery and stunning coastal scenery below, by acting worse
than chimps at a tea party. To further darken my mood, halfway across,
at its highest point, the cable car stopped. After five minutes without
moving, the chimps grew restless.
“
We
’
re going to be stuck up here until we starve or die of dehydration,
”
one said positively,
“
they
’
ll get it going again after a few weeks and once
each cable car gets to Sentosa, the doors will open and a load of skeletal
remains will spill out!
”
“
I know how to get us out,
”
genius Danny said and began rocking
from side to side, making the cable ca
r rock forwards and backwards.
“
Cut it out, Danny, you dickhead!
”
said the quietest of the four, a
guy who
’
s black hair was poking out of a New York Yankees baseball
cap.