R.I.P. Vince, my mentor in the bookies and a good laugh
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:51 pm
Most people in the bookies are scum. I mean the ones who sit around all day, nothing better to do, etc.
Today I was in a bookies playing something when I was hearing this big fat black guy talking about this guy I know, Vince. He was Jamaican, no more than 50 and a proper good laugh. I was wondering why this guy was talking about him... I feared the worst... the last time I had seen him I had told him to look out of key bet pots for me and to call me if he found anything above a certain amount... but he never did... but that was nothing to do with this...
He had told me he wasn't having a great time of things physically, that he felt quite unwell... but this was months ago. He wasn't one of these people who stuffs their face with fat filled junk like me, he ate reasonably healthily - for what he could afford.
No, Vince was not rich. But the thing was, he was rich - in knowledge but not in a financial sense.
I know you guys don't know him but try to picture this...
He was of average build, Jamaican, worked in England for most of his life, he didn't have much money, wasn't really educated but would take on manual labour jobs. He would be very cheeky in the bookies but everyone knew he wouldn't mean anything nasty by his comments. He would always say I love 'flashing lights' and I couldn't resist the machines... I was "Machine Man Med" He would call me "Med" and I would call him Skintce as he was always after a cash injection for one of his perm patents or goliaths. He would always say I knew nothing about racing, I was not in his class... but as I said, he wouldn't be that nasty about it, it was all tongue in cheek.
Highlights were how he would cheer on his horses (or mine when I told him how much I had on), "Go on you good ting!" If he or I had a win worth over £100 we would call it a 'hot ticket' and throw it in the air as if it was too hot to hold.
We joked together about "Machine Gun John" who would only come in on Saturdays and always think he knew the horses better than anyone... he'd sit at the main table, grab hold of it with increasing grip and hold his breath when races were reaching their climax points... he would then make noises like "Mmmmm mm mmmm mmmmm mmmm MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM!" whilst shaking the table as though he was the jockey and the table was the horse... You had to see it to believe it.
We went out once to what used to be Yates's in Ealing Broadway, Ken was with us (his old pal, also a bookies mad guy but from Grenada) and witnessed a 'gangsta girl' get glassed in the face by a guy.
As time passed, we kind of saw each other less. I spent less time in bookies and he wasn't really local to me. He didn't really believe ni the fruits.
OK so he was a bit of a scoundrel but I think his heart was in the right place. I am guessing he would have sorted everything out.
I honestly felt awful today. Reasons?
1) he has several kids
2) he was always chasing big wins but tried in vain. He did once pick 8 out of 8 but the prices were so crap that £25 stake only paid £1400.
3) he was a hard worker and a grinder, not well off...
Today I was in a bookies playing something when I was hearing this big fat black guy talking about this guy I know, Vince. He was Jamaican, no more than 50 and a proper good laugh. I was wondering why this guy was talking about him... I feared the worst... the last time I had seen him I had told him to look out of key bet pots for me and to call me if he found anything above a certain amount... but he never did... but that was nothing to do with this...
He had told me he wasn't having a great time of things physically, that he felt quite unwell... but this was months ago. He wasn't one of these people who stuffs their face with fat filled junk like me, he ate reasonably healthily - for what he could afford.
No, Vince was not rich. But the thing was, he was rich - in knowledge but not in a financial sense.
I know you guys don't know him but try to picture this...
He was of average build, Jamaican, worked in England for most of his life, he didn't have much money, wasn't really educated but would take on manual labour jobs. He would be very cheeky in the bookies but everyone knew he wouldn't mean anything nasty by his comments. He would always say I love 'flashing lights' and I couldn't resist the machines... I was "Machine Man Med" He would call me "Med" and I would call him Skintce as he was always after a cash injection for one of his perm patents or goliaths. He would always say I knew nothing about racing, I was not in his class... but as I said, he wouldn't be that nasty about it, it was all tongue in cheek.
Highlights were how he would cheer on his horses (or mine when I told him how much I had on), "Go on you good ting!" If he or I had a win worth over £100 we would call it a 'hot ticket' and throw it in the air as if it was too hot to hold.
We joked together about "Machine Gun John" who would only come in on Saturdays and always think he knew the horses better than anyone... he'd sit at the main table, grab hold of it with increasing grip and hold his breath when races were reaching their climax points... he would then make noises like "Mmmmm mm mmmm mmmmm mmmm MMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM!" whilst shaking the table as though he was the jockey and the table was the horse... You had to see it to believe it.
We went out once to what used to be Yates's in Ealing Broadway, Ken was with us (his old pal, also a bookies mad guy but from Grenada) and witnessed a 'gangsta girl' get glassed in the face by a guy.
As time passed, we kind of saw each other less. I spent less time in bookies and he wasn't really local to me. He didn't really believe ni the fruits.
OK so he was a bit of a scoundrel but I think his heart was in the right place. I am guessing he would have sorted everything out.
I honestly felt awful today. Reasons?
1) he has several kids
2) he was always chasing big wins but tried in vain. He did once pick 8 out of 8 but the prices were so crap that £25 stake only paid £1400.
3) he was a hard worker and a grinder, not well off...