The Number Runner's Notebook

It was just laying there next to the trash bin. I hate it when folks miss the mark, although the lid is heavy and awkward to lift – a poor choice for a 55+ complex. And to add insult to injury, a notebook should be in the recycle bin, not the trash bin. The condo is fussy, and I don’t blame them! Since I have my “trash gloves” on, I just picked it up to take to the car. At least the trash bin is in my parking lot. Yes, I know I could walk to the recycle bin in the next lot, but it’s on the way to the main exit and I can recycle it in on my next trip. Next trip, that’s a laugh! If the coffee shop delivered, I’d never leave the condo.

Well, why not look at the damned thing first. Nice lined black notebook in pretty good condition – no name or ‘belongs to’; simply pages of three-digit numbers with initials next to them. If I had found this 50 years ago and if this had been my old Detroit stomping grounds, I would swear it was a number runner’s book. For my suburban neighbors, us city-folk played the numbers by giving a three-digit number to a numbers runner – a guy (always) in the neighborhood. He would write it down and put the slip in a small envelope. The winning daily number was based on the betting take at the Detroit Racecourse. So, if $789,345 had been total bet that day, the daily number was 345. Our runner was at the local Coney shop – as in coney island hot dog – a dangerously delicious dog with chili, chopped onions and mustard. I’m sure Philly had the same set-up, not a coney shop of course that’s a Detroit thing, but a hoagie or steak shop. It was probably the take at Garden State Park Racecourse.

Anyway I digress, numbers paid off big! You got $600 for playing it straight and if memory is correct, about $125 for a box. Playing it straight means the numbers come out in the exact order. A box is any combination of the three numbers. So, a box could get you $125 if 345, 354, 453, 435, 543, or 534 came out. In the Jersey lotto (yes, I’m now a 73-year-old Jersey girl) that would be a $40 win, but at least you’d know it sooner. With the numbers you had to wait for the Racing Times although sometimes a day’s take might be on the radio! Also, the lottery is less of a toll on the digestion – remember the coney shop – although WAWA (my local lottery shop) has its own temptations! Come to think of it I suppose the lottery led to the end of number running. Can you imagine how hard that was before computers – compiling all the bets on the small slips, listing them, calling the winners, or waiting at the coney for them to come by?

Lotteries started around 1972-73 – at least there were mainframe computers then. No handy scanners, but always the nightly news! Once the lottery came out and there were multiple places to bet and you didn’t have to make small talk with the runner, this became the choice for ‘numbers’ and we became our own runners.

Wow, that notebook set me off on a betting riff. It’s clearly not an old numbers book - no gray pages or mustard stains. Nor a list of the daily lotto numbers, at least here in Jersey. I looked. Online. A quick check showed online 3 pick play is possible for PA, NJ, DE, NY, and even Michigan and that was only on the first result page!

But the initials are not state abbreviations. So most likely not a winning number list from random states. Random people? This guy (now I’m assuming it’s a guy because, well just because) must have a lot of friends! This is getting obsessive. Googled random three-digit numbers to see if any explanation. Thank you, University of Oregon, for the free random three-digit number generator. I can make my own list now. Again, no idea of initials, but it seems that the University uses it to generate codes for students – I suppose to keep them anonymous for bias-free grading or???. At last – one explanation for the codes and initials. None of the neighbors in our block are educators – we do have a beautician, oops he prefers colorist, but I don’t think he would want his customers anonymous. Everyone else is retired.

I decided to put up note on the dumpster – “I have your notebook. If you want it back ring bell at 1005.” Although they did try to throw it away once. The note sounds pretty gangster-ish. Clearly still under the influence of number runners thinking. Our numbers runner didn’t look like a gangster – although in Detroit in the 50s and 60s the local runner was most likely an ex-cop or factory worker making money on the side. Johnnie, our coney runner worked at a tool and die shop that made car parts. Detroit, remember? All runners were Johnnie, Lukey (we called him Lucky), Maxie, Billy - any male name with ‘ie’ or ‘y’ after it. I liked Johnnie the best. For some unknown reason he always quoted poetry or what I remember as poetry – “Oh should your horse have wings!” was a favorite of his. There were a few times (few and far between as my dad would say) when we did win the straight bet. My dad was the gambler. When I was in high school, we would go to the Detroit Racecourse after the 7th race as you could get in free. My dad loved playing the ponies, only the thoroughbreds, never the buggies as he called harness racing. If we won, it was dinner at the House of Beef, a cafeteria style beef place with a Western theme – wagon wheel chandeliers and waitresses in white high neck ruffle blouses with red aprons and a black Western bow tie. Bonanza themed dining at its best! Going to the track spoiled me; I don’t like online betting. Because of COVID, I tried it for the Kentucky Derby and it just wasn’t satisfying, even with snacks of sloppy joes and chicken wings. (Still linking betting with food!).

Well, trash day is tomorrow again; no doorbell rings yet and I’m sure the trash folks will be taking down the sign. A forever mystery. I’m going to keep the notebook. Who knows, it may turn into a big payday! I did have a big payday once from a trash find. My spouse Connie has a cleaning business and was doing a clean out for a renter who wanted to make sure to get the rental deposit back. There was a large amount of stuff she wanted tossed. She told Connie to take what she wanted and donate or toss the rest. We took a lovely small, hooked rug, and several unopened cleaning products. Cleaners know that those who pay to do clean outs will usually have what we call “good intention supplies.” Always the best stuff: Swifters; gallon sized window cleaners; special stainless steel cleaning supplies, and so on. Never used but always on hand. A genuine bonanza. She also had a painting. It was a signed oil of a baby with reddish hair with a spit curl on the top; green eyes looking straight ahead; a white ruffled, high neck top; and an open mouthed, somewhat surprised expression as if waiting to be fed her favorite food. The baby was surrounded by a very pale green background and the painting was in a gold somewhat understated frame. We hung it on the porch in our old house. Folks coming to visit thought it was me. I did have red hair as a child and do have green eyes. One friend commented that it looked like the Gerber baby. Google confirmed the painter was not the one attributed as painting the Gerber baby, but we decided to take it to have it appraised. Chalk it up to Antique Road Show syndrome as there are unexpected finds that turn into unexpected funds! It turns out the painting is worth about $5,000. It was painted with a unique mix of oils not in use now that makes it valuable. It was also a good luck omen. We sold our house for $15,000 over asking price! Our realtor told us the buyer liked our antiques and commented on the baby paining which now hangs in our condo’s office so it’s in the frame for my Zoom meetings.

I think I’m going to frame the notebook as a reminder of the days when folks did oils of babies and bookies talked of horses with wings.