A
GIFT HORSE
By
Michael
Edwin Q.
New Cambridge
is a sleepy little village upstate New
York. No one ever came to New Cambridge; there’s no
reason to. In the winter we have heavy snow, but the hills are low. There are
much better areas for skiing. In the hot summers, Hour Glass Lake has a low water level and the mud
is knee deep, a poor lake for swimming or fishing. In my senior year of high
school, I dreamed of going to college, just so I get out of that
one-horse-town.
So, you can image what a
shot-in-the-arm it was when Tony Reynolds, retired stockcar racer, announced
his intention to build a racetrack in New Cambridge. Everyone would benefit
from it, the construction workers, the wood, metal, and hardware suppliers, the
food suppliers, the hotels, motels, and restaurants. He hired nearly every one
in my senior class to work the summer, with the intention of opening Labor Day
Weekend.
But the town got greedy. Knowing
Tony’s needs, the local suppliers nearly doubled their prices, trying to cash
in another man’s situation. Tony was forced to buy his goods from out of town.
The Mayor and the town leaders warned Tony about not buying local. He told them
that if the townsfolk didn’t start charging reasonable prices, he’d have to buy
from out of town. They told him if he didn’t buy locally, they’d to everything
in their power to make his life a nightmare, and they did.
The cost of city permits
skyrocketed. He had to put in special plumbing for the restroom, special
cookers for the café. And because they wouldn’t grant him a permit to dig, he
had to buy special bleaches that need to be cemented in place. Finally, despite
all the hardship heaped upon him, it was the day before Labor Day, and Tony was
all ready to open the next day.
I remember standing next to Tony
when a long silver Cadillac stopped with a screech in front of him. The power
window went down; it was the Mayor.
“Reynolds, you think you’re going
to open tomorrow. Well, you got another thing comin’. I’m goin’ to do
everything in my power to make sure you don’t,” said the Mayor.
Tony bent low to look the Mayor in
the eye. He waved his arm across the complex. “Mayor, you see all this. It’s
everything I have in the world. If I don’t open tomorrow, I lose everything I
have; I’m done for. I’ve got to open tomorrow. I’ll tell you what, Mayor, I’ll
make a deal with you.”
“What’s that, Reynolds?”
“It’s a simple deal, Mayor.” Tony
opened his suit jacket, exposing a gun at his side. “I’ll tell ya what, Mayor.
I don’t mind goin’ to prison, if you don’t mind dying.” Tony smiled and walked
away. The power window went up and the Cadillac sped away.
Twenty years later, if you’re ever
in the area of New Cambridge, check out Reynolds
Raceway Park for a great day of fun, food, and fast cars. Tony Reynolds
Junior runs the place, now; and he’s a good ole boy.
THE
END
Don't forget I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS by Michael Edwin Q.
