The Last Bet
by William Falo
It never failed. Every time I quit gambling, the call came. A sure thing. A guaranteed winner.
“Jake, this is straight from the stables. Stargazer is ready to run the race of his life.” Scott told me.
“You talked to the trainer?”
“Yep.”
“I told Emily I quit gambling.”
“Make this your last bet.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you at the track parking before the race.” I needed to gather money. A big bet on a long shot means a big payoff. I could get the video game I’m developing into the market; maybe developers would jump onboard. The first stop was the bank. I drained our joint accounts. I used the cash advances on our credit cards. I ran home and took the money we saved for emergencies.
I looked up at the entrance pillars and a horse and jockey statue on top of one of them in the parking lot, and I felt lucky.
Scott waited in his car. I got in and gave him all my money.
“This is it, buddy.” He set up his laptop.
I hesitated. Online gambling made it seem easy and almost like it wasn’t real. It was like we were just playing a video game, and the games were my life work. Once he clicked the enter key, there was no going back. All the money Emily and I saved was on the line.
He hit the key and placed the bet.
What did I do? We watched online as the bell rang, freezing all the betting. Scott turned up the volume, and the announcer yelled. “They’re off.”
The horses thundered around the track, and I struggled to see Stargazer. When they turned for the final stretch, a few bumped into each other.
“Foul,” I yelled.
“They never object to that here.”
The number 3 horse raced ahead of Stargazer right before the finish line. I lost.
“No. No. No.” I stormed around the house. “It was rigged.”
“Let’s wait until it’s official,” Scott said. Obviously, he didn’t bet all his life savings.
I glared at him and stormed out of the car. I headed to a wooded area nearby. I kept a rope already tied in a hangman’s knot in my trunk. Emily said if I gambled again, she was leaving me. There was nothing else to live for. I let go of the branch. The rope held. My phone fell out of my pocket and landed on the ground facing me.
My eyes blurred. The phone buzzed, and a text message appeared. I made out the words; an objection, winner disqualified, Stargazer won. I tried to grab the rope as I fell into darkness.
I heard the creaking of wheels. I thought a group of demons was rolling me into hell.
A hoarse voice spoke. “Hold on.”
I saw something sharp like a knife, then I hit the ground so hard I blacked out.
When I opened my eyes, a man stood over me.
“Are you okay?”
“I think.” My neck burned, and my head pounded. I saw my phone near the man’s foot when I looked around. I crawled to it, grabbed it then shoved it in my pocket.
He turned to roll the shopping cart away. A small dog inside the shopping cart barked. “It’s okay, Tinker. He will be okay.”
“Wait. Thank you.” I reached into my pocket, but I had no money.
He rolled on. “What’s your name?” I called out.
“Peter.” He started to walk away then turned back.
I tried to stand up but staggered. My mind raced ahead, and I planned to put all the money back.
###
One month later
I stared at the entrance to the track and saw Scott. He got another hot tip, and I agreed to meet him outside the track.
I walked toward the gate until I heard a creaking sound. I saw the shopping cart and the small dog inside it. Peter looked worse than before, thinner, weaker, and he walked with a limp.
I rubbed my neck. It still burned.
“Peter,” I called out.
“Hey.” He stopped. “The tree hugger.”
I laughed and petted Tinker. She let me. The love that came through the small dog’s big eyes made me not want to stop.
“You’re back to the track?”
“I. No.” I lied. “I have to thank you again. My life has changed since you saved me. A game I was developing was picked up by a big company. I even hired some workers.”
“Good for you.” He rolled the cart away.
“Wait. Do you want a job?”
“I don’t know much about video games.”
“That’s why I need you. The young people I hired know nothing about real life. It’s a perfect match. You can help them set up the characters.”
“We’ll. I could use a job, but Tinker is my therapy dog. She comes with me.”
“Of course, I need therapy too. Everyone in that office does.” I still have suicidal thoughts, and I struggle to handle triggers like the temptation that brought me to the track again.
“Okay.”
“I know where there’s an empty apartment you can live in. It’s near the office. I’ll pay for it.”
He smiled, unsure to believe me or not, but I would do it. I waved goodbye to Scott and took out my phone. This was like the birth of a new life, and I wouldn’t throw it away again.
I took out my phone. “Emily, I have to tell you something?” It was a gamble. My last bet, but I had to tell her the truth. Peter nodded, and he rolled the cart with Tinker in it alongside me. He gave me a second chance at life, and I hoped that Emily would give me one too.
“Yes, I will get professional help, and I already know a therapy dog,” I told Emily.
Peter smiled at me, and he rolled his cart toward my car.
William Falo lives in New Jersey with his family, including a papillon named Dax. His stories have been published or are forthcoming in various literary journals. He can be found on Twitter @williamfalo and Instagram @william.falo.