The Statistics of Winning Read online

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  She met Henry at the hardware store Monday at 4:20 as agreed. As soon as she entered the shop, she saw old man Miller stocking the shelves. Miller was a throw back from the days when the small town hardware was the place everybody bought their electrical and plumbing supplies. Now with all the big depots in town, they came to him for the off-the-wall items that they needed right away or just to support the old man, knowing it was just a matter of time before he closed his doors. He didn't really need another person on his payroll, but he hired Henry for all the manual labor he could no longer do himself.

  She went up to him and introduced herself.

  "Hi Mr. Miller, I'm Mila, is Henry around?"

  "He's in the back, but you can't go back there, insurance purposes you know. I'll go get him. I think he's expecting you." Mila liked the old man, he was friendly and treated her with respectful, therefore he must be okay.

  "Hi, Mila, boy, that's great, you're right on time. Say, Mr. Miller can I take a break. Mrs. Fairchild will be here in a couple minutes.”

  "Sure, Henry, I won't need you for awhile. Go out back on the patio and when Mrs. Fairchild arrives, I'll show her where you are."

  "I gather he knows the whole story."

  "Yeah, I figured it was better that way. It shows I'm trying to get myself square."

  "I agree. It sounds like he doesn't have a problem with it."

  "Nah, he's cool. I think he likes me, though he would never say so."

  Mrs. Fairchild arrived promptly at 4:30 as scheduled. Henry introduced Mila. "Mrs. Fairchild I would like to introduce you to the best thing that has happened to me since the judge gave me probation instead of jail time. Meet Mila Liebovich. "

  "Why Henry that's wonderful. Mila, it's a real pleasure. How did you two meet?"

  "We don't live that far from each other and we had a couple classes together before I dropped out of school." Mila put her arm around Henry's waist and gave him a big squeeze.

  "I think he's the best thing since the world started putting peanut butter and chocolate together." She gave Henry an adoring look to add more emphasis.

  Their meeting was short. "Well Henry, this has been a delightful visit. I am so glad things are going well for you. I will see you next month. It was a pleasure meeting you Miss Libervich. I wish you both well."

  "I think that went very well don't you?" Mila grinned.

  "Better than expected. You were a star. Now I've got to get back to work."

  "I do have a have kind of a favor to ask you." Mila said.

  "And what would that be? I hope it's nothing illegal." Henry was smirking.

  Mila punched him in the arm. "Don't be silly. It's not a big deal. I'll call you later." She left the store and headed home.

  Mila sat in her bedroom with the door closed jamming to the Night Flyers tape through her headphones and did not hear the knock on her door.

  June Marie, her older sister opened her door and shouted to Mila, "Damn, girlfriend, you're going to go deaf if you keep that up. Turn that noise off, please; I want to talk to you."

  Mila and her sister got along only when they had to. They were polar opposites and put up with each other over the years. When June moved out last year to move in with her boyfriend, her parents were mortified. Mrs. Liebovich with her strict Catholic upbringing would not accept their cohabitating without the blessings of marriage. Mr. Liebovich, being a ‘yes dear’ kind of parent went along with whatever his wife wanted.

  "I just wanted to let you know that Clyde and I are getting married next June. Thought that would be an appropriate month, don't you?"

  "It doesn't matter what I think. What to the parents think? Mila was only mildly interested in what her sister had to say. She was reading her English homework assignment when June entered her bedroom, and would rather have been reading than listening to her sister's chatter.

  "Mom couldn't be happier. You know this was her ultimate goal in having children. She'll want grandchildren next. I just wanted to let you know to be prepared. I'm having a rather large wedding and I will of course want you to be my maid-of-honor."

  "I suppose that means I'll need a dress and the whole works." Mila hated dresses.

  "Yeah, but you've got time to save up your money. We can try to save some money on the design if you like. I will be having one other bridesmaid so you will have to get with her and agree on it. Of course I will have the final say." June was not interested in saving money, she picked the most expensive clothes growing up and her mother would indulge her.

  "How big is big?"

  "Only about two hundred, Clyde comes from a large family."

  "I suppose mom and dad will be paying for the reception."

  "Yeah, most of it. They said it was no problem; they would start saving the money. They said they could borrow some money against the house if they couldn't get enough. I'm not worried about it. They will figure out something."

  "Great. It sounds like you have it all figured out. I guess there isn't anything else to say at this point."

  "No. just thanks. I'll keep you posted on the dates. Might be a good time to try to take off that extra ten pounds you put on over the summer.” June left and Mila sat stone faced and cross-legged on her bed. She took a deep yoga type breath and did her best not to let their conversation bother her. It wasn't working.

  She continued sitting in a trance-like state, going over what had just happened. Not believing but knowing that it was fully within the capabilities of her sister to be that cold hearted. June Marie had always been self-centered and unfeeling to the needs of her family and this was just another stake in the heart.

  She picked up her phone and called Jenna. "Hey, sis, I need to talk. I'd say, you won't believe what just happened, but knowing my sister, you would."

  "Go ahead, tell me." Jenna had always been a good listener, which made her a great friend.

  "June Marie just dropped the bomb that she is getting married next spring and I am expected to purchase my own gown with all the works. In addition, of course it has to meet with her approval so you know it won't be cheap. That means that I need to find some money somehow. My meager babysitting jobs aren't going to cut it."

  "Have you thought of what you're going to do?" Jenna was knee deep in her math homework and had not given Mila's problems her undivided attention. She put down her books and tried to help her think.

  "I'm too distressed right now to think. Let's talk about it over lunch tomorrow. I always think well after I've slept on a problem. Who knows maybe I will have a revelation in my sleep. However, if you have any suggestions, I need all the help I can get. I cannot put this on my parents. She is expecting them to pick up a huge chunk of the costs and I know they don't have it."

  "I will see what I can do. Talk to you at lunch tomorrow."

  After she hung up the phone, she called Henry. If anybody could come up with something, he could. He was a master of the money schemes. The problem was every time he tried to implement one of them, he got himself in trouble. It was as if he had radar on him and if he stepped out of line, there was the long arm of the law breathing down his neck. He could think up the schemes, he just couldn't implement them.

  After discussing her problems with him, they decided to meet after school on the bleachers during football practice to discuss it further and come up with a plan. Mila was exhausted from the whole day's affairs, decided she couldn't do any more homework and needed to get some sleep. She studied yoga and meditation on her own, over the summer and took up the butterfly pose to try to clear her mind before retiring for the night.

  The next day brought no consolation for Mila. Her attitude was lousy and it seemed that the teachers were all out to get her. She met Jenna for lunch in the lunchroom and Mila sniped at her. Before lunch was done, however, they realized what was happening and decided to just walk away from the problem, give it some space and regroup. They agree
d to meet with Henry after school on the bleachers and maybe three heads would be better than two would.

  Mila and Jenna met up after school and walked over to the football field and the bleachers. Henry was already there and they joined them.

  They watched the practice in silence for a while before Henry spoke. "I hear the Bearcats are looking for some more good players. Their quarterback is okay but needs a lot of training; never played before, a transfer from Warren High."

  "If they don't get some better players, and get their stats up, it's going to be a miserable year for the school." Mila began watching the game with mild interest.

  "Yeah, Mila's been studying the rules, stats and odds with me. She's pretty good." Jenna gave her a friendly punch on the arm.

  "If you are good with stats, maybe you should take odds on the other team. You might not be popular with your classmates, but you could pick up some spare change." Henry gave her a sly look o let her know he was only joking.

  "Don't laugh, you two, I probably could. Who knows, I might just do that. Henry, you know any bookies?" Mila was serious and showed it with her intense stare.

  "I do, but I wouldn't let you get involved with him. That’s serious stuff, besides I was only joking."

  "But if I did want to put a bet on a certain team, you could help me?"

  "I could, but would I?"

  "If you pointed me in the right direction, you could stay out of the equation. I would never put you at any risk. All I want is a name."

  "I'll think about it."

  "Don't think too long. From what I've seen of Warren High, they are going to tromp the Bearcats at the first game. No joke, this is going to be a pathetic year for us."

  "Norm Lederman, works at the drive thru convenience store. Don't abuse it." Henry gave her a card with his phone number and name on it.

  "I won't, I promise. Just going to do it once to see how it works. I'm more curious than anything."

  "On second thought, he won't do business with you unless he knows you, meet me in front of the store at 6:00pm tomorrow and you and will meet him. He needs to know your okay before he will do business with you."

  That was the closest it got to solving Mila's problem. They sat and watched practice for another half hour then decided the team was bad and decided to leave the school grounds.

  Mila and Jenna headed for Burger Heaven, their favorite hamburger joint for a soda. "The general consensuses is that the Bearcats are going to lose, based on what I'm hearing. The odds were four to one with a six point spread against them last time I checked." Mila was listening to the conversations around her.

  "Are you really going to bet on that game?" Jenna said.

  "I am. Since you have been kind enough to explain all the nuances, the ins and outs the theory behind the statistics, I feel that I have the knowledge to predict, with pretty good certainty that Warren High will win that game." Mila was pleased with herself and didn't mind Jenna knowing it.

  The next day Henry introduced Mila to Norm. Norm stood about 5 foot 2 inches without shoes, strawberry colored crew cut trimmed hair, rimless glasses and a shirt that looked like he purchased it second hand. He was extremely thin and fragile looking. This was not at all, what Mila expected.

  Mila put down her twenty dollars from babysitting and placed her bet. If she won, she would make a tidy sum; if she lost, she would have nothing. There was nothing to do now but wait.

  They met and watched the game Friday night together. As predicted, it was a slaughter. The Bearcats' lost by ten points. The game was so bad that many people left early.

  "So when can I collect my money?" She asked Henry.

  "Tomorrow, if you want."

  "Suppose I decide to place another bet, say on next week's game?"

  "Norm knows you now; he'll do business with you over the phone."

  "I was hoping you'd say that. I thought it might look odd, showing up at the store all the time." Mila said.

  "When you are ready to collect, agree on a spot and time and you collect. He doesn't deal with just anybody." Henry always felt the urge to protect Mila.

  The Bearcats picked up-tempo over the next few weeks and there games improved. Mila spent hours going over their stats as well as stats of other high school teams. It paid off financially; she doubled then tripled her original investment. Her biggest problem was keeping up her studies for school. It was getting increasingly hard to juggle chores at home, schoolwork and social life. She was, however, very pleased with her multiplying purse.

  Several weeks after her first bet where she doubled her bet and doubled her money, Bert Henderson, the captain of the Bearcats, approached her in the hall of her school between math and her study hall.

  'Hey Mila, we got study hall together, mind if I sit with you today?'

  "Sure, I was just headed that way. See you there." Jenna walked up to hear most of the conversation.

  'What do think of that?" Mila asked Jenna.

  "I don't know, but I doubt its love." Jenna watched Bert as he walked away and joined his other teammates and a couple groupies.

  "Cute. You know he wants something, but what?' Mila was also watching the same scene.

  Mila and Jenna picked a table in the far corner that was empty. They barely sat down and spread out their books to look like they were studying when Bert and his sidekick Sammy sat down without a word.

  Mila stared at Bert and waited for him to make the first move. When he realized what she was doing, he spoke.

  "Word around school has it you`re pretty good with football stats and can pick up a few bucks doing it." Bert was trying to keep his voice low and was leaning into Mila`s comfort zone.

  Mila leaned in to match him. "Seems that word around the school may be just guessing."

  "I don`t think so. That`s why I wanted to hear what you have to say."

  "And if it's true?" Jenna was so proud of Mila. She was playing it cool all the way.

  "I`ve been accurate, so far, what's it to you?" Mila was getting her back up now. She was trying to figure out how the word got around and so quickly.

  ''I need to pick up some quick cash. If you can get me six to one odds on the big game on TV this week with a six point spread, you can keep ten percent of the winnings." Before she could say another word, he shoved a fifty-dollar bill under her English book, got up and walked away without waiting for a response.

  "Now what are you going to do?" Both girls sat in silence while the tables around them stared hoping to be able to pick out some of the conversation.

  "I don`t know. However, he sure has ruined the rest of my day. That shoots my studying." Mila just stared into space.

  "Can you do it?" Jenna asked.

  'Yeah, I can do it, but do I want to. I could just return his money. He`s got a lot of nerve assuming anything."

  "And if you do it?" Jenna was concerned.

  "I have to review the stats first. I need to know what I`m up against. Come on, it`s time for sixth period."

  That night Mila got out all her charts, looked up on her computer, ran the numbers and realized that if she bet the way Bert wanted, she could pick up a quick twenty dollars. Now the question was should she? She made a call to Henry and as expected, his only comment was 'be careful'. She decided she was tired of being careful all the time. She would make the bet. She liked having spare bills in her pocket for a change. The wedding money already set aside, now she worked on a few luxuries for herself, like a new smart phone and Bluetooth headphones for her stereo.

  The game netted her the profit she expected. In addition, she collected her reward with grace. Bert asked her if she would be willing to do it again for next weeks' game. She hesitated and told him she would think about it.

  Before the day was over Madeleine Hart approached her from PE. She heard what happened and wanted to know if Mila would place a bet for her. Before she got home, Nelson Smart called with the same request. Unfor
tunately, Mila knew she was good and that she could make some quick money so she agreed. She told them though that she would not do it for anyone else, so do not spread the word. Before the week was over, she had ten clients. She hadn't done a lick of schoolwork all week and was getting further and further behind. Her mother was getting suspicious because new clothes were showing up in Mila's closest. She lied and said that this girl at school gave them to her because she had gained too much weight. Mrs. Liebovich did not buy it but she decided not to argue with her for now.

  During the second week of Mila's new adventure Madeleine approached her as she was walking out of the school at the end of the day.

  "There's someone in the parking lot looking for you." She pointed to the visitors parking area.

  "Did they say what they wanted?" Mila and Jenna looked at each other sheepishly.

  "No, but he didn't look friendly. Said he wanted to talk to the chick that does statistics on games. It sounds a little strange to me." Madeleine wasn't the smartest kid in the senior class, but Mila figured she should pay attention to what she had to say.

  "Thanks, Madeleine. If you pass them again, tell them you haven't seen us. Jenna, what am I going to do? I don't dare go over there. Look, they don't look friendly. That SUV has the darkest windows I've ever seen. They probably aren't even legal. They don't look like cops. Come one, we're going to take the long way home." Mila grabbed Jenna by the sleeve of her blouse and headed her around the school buses.

  "I've got to take the school bus, Mila, mom expects me home early today to help her do some baking." Jenna protested. "I'm sorry."

  "Fine, I'll just get off the bus at a different stop, if I see them. I know one thing; I have no intentions of talking to them."

  Once in the safety of her own bedroom, she called Henry. "I think I'm in trouble. There were a couple of men waiting for me at the school and they looked mean."

  "I'll do some checking with the locals. Something must be up. Norm skipped town. I hear he just walked off the job and he hasn't been heard from since."

  "That doesn't make me feel any better. Call me back as soon as you hear something." Mila's voice was quivering.

  "Until I do, I want you to keep a low profile. No more bets and stay close to home and school. I don't think you should be wandering the streets until we find out who these guys are." Henry disconnected quickly while Mila still held the phone to her ear, sat frozen in place.

  Jenna called to check on her. "You okay, sis?"

  "Yeah, but I'm not sure what to do next. I'm staying home tonight and actually doing some homework. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

  The next day at school, it seemed that every one she passed in the hall was either staring at her or appeared to be whispering behind her back. Mila was not sure if she was right or it was her imagination. One way or another it didn't make her feels any better. She met Jenna in social studies during sixth period.

  "I still haven't heard from Henry. I hope he's okay. I'm not sure ‘no news is good news' applies in this case. She pulled out her phone and found a text message from Henry. "Stay close, nothing yet."

  When the dismissal bell rang, the two left the building and kept watching for strange men in strange cars. There it was the same car from yesterday, in the visitors' parking lot.

  "What do we do?" Jenna grabbed Mila's arm.

  "Let me think a minute." Mila saw the tall bulky man leaning against the black SUV with his arms folded Indian style. He was wearing aviator sunglasses and a bomber jacket that was out of place for the August heat wave they were having. His hair greased back in gangster style.

  "One thing is for sure, I don't want to talk to them. I'm just not sure how to get away from them. Come on; let's head over to the bleachers. There is safety in numbers." Mila grabbed Jenna's arm and led her in the opposite direction.

  Football practice was ready to begin and the crowds were thin. The team was losing support every day. They had lost a lot of support because of the miserable losses they had sustained already this year.

  They picked seats as high up as they could get to be able to view anyone approaching. When practice was over, they had no choice but to leave. They felt certain that the men had left. Walking cautiously past the parking lot, not seeing the SUV they thought they were home free. Much more carefree they started joking and laughing until they got three blocks from the school and felt, they were home free. Jenna slowed down and without turning her head, said, "Don't turn around, but I think we are being followed."

  "Then we can't go directly home. If they find out where we live, we could be dead." Let's side track and head downtown." At the next corner, they turned left instead of turning right and headed in the direction of the business district. They did everything in their power not to increase their pace and give away the only edge they had at this point. As soon as they reached the hardware store where Henry worked, they went inside. Luckily, he was still on the job.

  "Hi, Mr. Miller, it's good to see you again. Can we have a word with Henry? We promise not to keep him long?"

  "Sure, he's over in the PVC section, stocking right now."

  The two walked over and greeted Henry. Jenna kept an eye on the front door. "Henry, they followed us from school. I'm afraid to go home. What should I do?" Mila was breathing heavily and her eyes started to mist.

  "Let me take a look out the front and see if I can see them. You both stay here." Henry went to the front window and looked out. He made it look like he was checking the display. He opened the front door and rearranged some wheelbarrows that were on the sidewalk. He straightened and looked up and down the street. Then he spotted the SUV cruising Main Street. Behind the heavily tinted windows, it was impossible to see the driver, but the brake lights tapped frequently. He spotted the license plate, committed it to memory and walked casually inside.

  "Leave by the back door. Weave your way home. Be careful and don't be followed. They are out there but it appears they do not know who you are or where you are at this moment. I got their license plate number. I'll make some calls. I know someone on the force who owes me a favor. Keep in mind that they could find out who you are at any time. It only takes one student to spill the beans."

  Before they left, they each called home and tried to act as if nothing was wrong and to advise their parents that they were downtown and would be home shortly.

  The trip home took them almost an hour before they felt they it was safe. "Mila, call me if you hear anything, anything at all. This is a nightmare."

  "They are not after you, sis. We need to split up until this is settled. I do not want you involved anymore than you are right now. Tomorrow, we will talk by phone, but please don't come near me for now. Okay?"

  "Okay. But I don't like it."

  "No, neither do I, but that's the way it's got to be. I promise I'll be careful." Mila was sweating and had a volcano erupting in her stomach.

  Friday was here and still nothing had been resolved. Mila decided that she had enough. She wasn't going to risk the safety of her family and friends any longer. After sleeping on her decision, she decided that if they were there today, she would confront them while on school property, to minimize the possible damage they could do. There were no guarantees, but she feared for Jenna and Henry's welfare, not to mention her parents.

  The final bell rung for the day, she spoke to Jenna briefly before she left the safety of the front doors of the school. Jenna did not like the plan but agreed to go along and take the bus directly home and wait for her call.

  There they were, like fixtures that were supposed to be there after all those days. Mila's throat went desert dry and her stomach churned. She got her ‘mad look’ on and thought ugly thoughts to get her in the right frame of mind. She would be damned if she would go down without a fight or a whimper on her lips.

  "I understand you've been looking for me?" Mila tried her best to sound like an
adult with no fear in her voice.

  "Yeah, we got a message for you." The voice was low, throaty and threatening.

  "So, what is it?" Mila crossed her arms to match her opponent and tried her best to match his tone, without much luck.

  "Stop your operation of making bets now and no one will get hurt. You're stepping on peoples' toes."

  "Not a problem. It was just a school project anyways. I accomplished what I wanted to. You have my word that there will be no more bets. And I would like your word that no one will get hurt." Mila's only thought was, ‘oh, I must be watching too much TV.

  "You've got a deal." He got back into the vehicle and left the premises

  Mila turned her back to them, walked to the edge of the parking lot, and stopped. The SUV was long gone and the visitor's lot was empty of other cars. Tears proceeded to flow from her eyes without any effort and liquid ran down between her legs. She had never known such fear and hoped she never would again.

  She walked the long way home to give her time to absorb all that happened. ‘Oh my, that was probably the best performance of my life.'

  About the author:

  Her thirty-five year residency of Florida is evident in her stories. Her stories are about ordinary people having extra ordinary occurrences in their lives. Hopefully, these stories will please the reader as much as they pleased her to write them.

  She may is recently retired but still active artist. She dabbles in painting, photography and macramé for relaxation. She has been writing poetry and short stories since her late twenties. Most of her poetry survived, but her short stories kept evolving. Through study and reading, she now is able to spend the time to improve her craft and share it with an audience.

  How A Prank Turned Into a Crime

  Last House on Flamingo Road

  Now You've Done it

  Pirates Demise

  Shame on You!

  The Cat's Dowry

  The Last Straw

  The Sum of Who I am

  Two for the Price of One

  Where Rubber Meets The Road

  You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

  A Flash In the Pan

  Connect with Yvonne online:

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/yvonne.remington

  Blog: https://yvonnemremington.blogspot.com

  email: [email protected]