Lenney

She was getting frustrated. It had been a long day. Heck, it had been a long year! I’m getting out of the house! she thought to herself.

Her mood instantly lifted as she stripped her sweaty clothes and jumped into the shower. She took several slow deep breaths as the warm water glided down her skin in waves. She was learning to appreciate the small things in her life, and as she stepped out of the shower she grabbed a towel inhaling its delicious clean bleachines. She wondered where she might go. Being single at this age had never been the plan! Maybe I'll drive up to the lake she thought. She had to admit to herself that it was fun being spontaneous and free.

She was excited about her adventure and paused for a moment to look at the gorgeous sky. The sun was warm against her face, and a gentle breeze brushed her bangs away as she reflected upon how far she had come this past year. She had finally walked away despite the anxiety and the fear of being alone. Sticks and stones would have hurt less, she thought to herself, But I made it. There was a time after he left that she felt she’d lost everything, but she knew now that she had found herself.

She pulled herself back to the day and turned on the radio. I love this song! she thought as she belted out the lyrics. The hour drive flew by. She was too busy singing and watching the rolling green pass her by to notice time and couldn’t remember the last time she felt this good.

The lake was quiet, and the beach was void of people. She marveled at the driftwood and stopped to admire the smooth rocks rounded over time by the lapping waves. She gazed out at the water and felt the peacefulness of the moment wrap its arms around her. She was warm as the sun’s rays fell upon her shoulders and so thankful for this life she was making for herself. No longer feeling like a prisoner in her life.

Noticing the sun was low in the April sky, she checked her wrist for the time. The breeze had picked up and there was now a chill in the air so she decided to pack up for the drive home. That was nice, she thought as she folded the checkered blanket then headed up the hill toward the parking lot to use the restroom.

As she tossed her paper towel into the garbage on her way out of the restroom, something caught her eye. She bent down and lifted her crumpled towel off the pile below. To her amazement Benjamin Franklin was staring up at her from the $100 bill he was printed on. “What?”she said out loud bending in to reach for it “This is definitely my lucky day.” Pulling the bill out of the trash, she noticed another bill was just below it! $200, she thought as the excitement rippled through every cell in her body. I can’t believe it! This was truly her lucky day.

She got into her car and tossed her stuff on the passenger seat. She opened her wallet to put the two bills inside and paused for a minute to look at her driver’s license. “Madelyn Martin” she said out loud. She liked the ring of her maiden name so much better than that of her ex-husband’s. She was really starting to feel like herself again.

She chuckled as she pulled out of the beach parking lot about finding the $200. She couldn’t believe how things have been working out in her favor so often lately. Not complaining she thought as she reached for the car stereo and started singing at the top of her lungs.

She was so caught up in her imaginary stage performance that she missed her turn. Crap. She thought about turning around, but instead decided to just keep driving. She figured she would find an alternate route and was enjoying the scenery anyway. The sun was low in the sky behind her but still casting a beautiful glow on the landscape ahead. After a few miles she saw a crossroad sign and slowed down to turn. Turning onto Lenney Road she thought about how cool it was that streets were named for people and wondered who Lenney was and where his road would take her.

Lenney Road was long and curvy, slinking around trees and hills, and it was starting to get dark. She wasn’t even sure if she was heading in the right direction anymore. Fear began seeping into her brain, and for a moment, she worried about where she was and where she was going. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally saw a traffic light ahead in the distance. Whew, she thought, Civilization.

Approaching the traffic light, she felt relief because she recognized the route. Route 67 she thought, I know where I am. Making another right made sense. That should take her through Johnsonville, plus she remembered, they had just put in a new Racino. She felt a tingle ripple through her chest as she thought about stopping. She hadn’t been to one in a long time, and never by herself, but she was a new woman!

Madelyn pulled into the parking lot thinking she would never find a spot, but to her amazement a car was pulling out very close to the entrance. My lucky day, she thought. She parked, gathered her things, and opened the car door. She could hear the announcer calling out a track race. The horses are racing! she thought.

The lights and sounds inside sparked her excitement. And the people! She loved to hear the shouts of the winners and the bells and rings of the machines. There is so much energy in here, she thought as she made her way past the bar to the track exit. I’m so glad I didn’t stay home.

A lot of shouting came from the crowd as she made her way to a seat about midway up in the stands. She settled into the coolness of her seat, just in time to catch the end of a race. The shouting was getting louder as a large black horse with an orange number gallantly strode past the leaders to the finish line. Some people seemed elated and shouted with joy as others grumbled and cursed. She never really knew much about the actual betting, but she did enjoy watching.

She enjoyed watching the people almost as much. She could just sit here and wonder for hours about all of the people. Young couples laughing with drinks in their hands, groups of men having what seemed to be serious discussions, elderly men with intent faces watching the boards. Most of them seemed happy and invigorated by the noises and smells of the track.

One elderly man in particular caught her attention. He was sitting alone midway in the bleachers on the other side of the aisle. His aged face serious and with furrowed brows, he repeatedly looked up at the boards and then back to his small black notebook. His hands scribbled into his book as quickly as frail hands can.

She thought about going inside, but then overheard two men below her say there were only two races left. Glancing once again toward the elderly man, she noticed he was making his way toward the window when his left foot caught the bleacher aisle seat and he dropped.

Within minutes the EMT’s had loaded the man on a stretcher and were heading toward the exit. God, I hope that poor man is ok, she thought to herself. Feeling her anxiety building, she decided to call it a night and leave. Turning to head down the aisle, she glanced over and saw the little black book. Oh no! He dropped his book! she thought as she grabbed it and raced down the steps to try to catch the EMT’s before they left. They were just exiting the track so she yelled out, “Your book!”

The old man, seemingly ok, waved his hands in the air signaling her to stop. He began frantically pointing to the betting window. She was confused at first, but then realized he wanted her to bet. Oh my God! she thought to herself as another rush of anxiety ran through her chest. She turned to make her way to the betting window as she flipped through page after page of numbers, calculations, and names, unsure of what she was even looking for.

She reached the betting window just as she flipped to the last page of the book. There it was as clear as day. Resurrection was scrawled in blue across the lined paper. She glanced up at the board to see the horse’s names, and panting she said to the woman behind the window. “I think Resurrection is going to win!”

She fumbled in her purse, grabbed the $200, and placed it on the counter. “All of it?” the lady behind her asked with an expression of disbelief.

“Yes, please. All of it.”

“To win?” the lady clarified.

Madelyn nodded, heart still pounding, and tried to process what had just happened as the guilt of spending her new found money crept in.

Settling into her seat just as the race started, she scanned the mob of horses for Resurrection. She found him, green number 7, just as they turned into the 3rd leg of the race. He was trailing by at least 10 lengths. Noooo! she thought regretfully. When the horses turned the corner for the last leg, however, Resurrection suddenly surged forward quickly outpacing the four front horses. “Come on, Resurrection. Do it!” she whispered. Her heart was racing, faster than any of the horses could ever run. Resurrection had passed three of the leaders and was gaining on the front runner. Here he goes. He’s got it! she thought as the butterflies in her stomach rose.

Moans from the crowd rang out as Resurrection crossed the finish line, ahead by just a nose. Madelyn held in her shouts of joy, not wanting to offend any of the losers, while shaking on the inside. Having no idea how much her ticket was worth, she made her way to the cashier. I hope it’s a lot! Maybe I tripled it? she wondered excitedly.

The cashier took her ticket and scanned it. “$20,000” she said.

Madelyn wasn’t sure she heard her right. “Excuse me?”

“$20,000” the now smiling cashier repeated. “He was 20 to 1. Can I see your driver’s license please?”

Madelyn felt like she might be having a heart attack but couldn’t help smiling ear to ear. This would change her life. My down payment on the house! she thought to herself. She knew her luck had been changing, but this was unbelievable! It seemed the happier she became, and the more trust she put in herself, the luckier she became. “Wow” she said out loud in a whisper.

The next day, she called the old man. His name was scrawled on the inside front cover along with a phone number.

“Hello” he answered.

“Hi. This is Madelyn Martin. I found your book yesterday at the Racino.”

“Oh, yes!” he said excitedly, “Did he win?”

“Yes! He did! How did you know?”

“I have my methods” he chuckled.

“Well, I won a lot!’ she said “I’d like to give it to you. At least some of it?”

“Oh no you don’t!” he replied adamantly “Yesterday was your lucky day! I’ve had my days, and I have everything I need. Finders keepers little lady. You enjoy it!”

She smiled again to herself as she thanked him and hung up the phone. She looked at his name inside the cover of the black book once more. Lenney Stuard.

Sometimes a wrong turn can take you to the right things, she thought in amazement.