A Boy, A Bookie & A Bet

"And, even better, he's wiping out your debt. Unca Jake: you're free and clear!"

"Oh, my god. I never thought . . . So you really did it? You actually got him to wipe it clean. Never in my wildest dreams did I think for a minute you could pull off that damned crazy stunt you were running around here talkin' about. I mean, sure, I figured there was an outside chance you might talk Mike into givin' you a shot at a job—cause, let's face it, boy, you do have the gift of gab. In another life you musta been a con man. And to tell the truth that part was good enough for me. He needs the help and you need a job. But the other part . . ."

"I told you I could do it, Unca Jake. Didn't I tell ya? I figured that if I could trick Mike into sparring with me here, I was certain I could get him to bust up some stuff. And if he did, I just knew he conscience would get him, and make him want to cancel your entire debt."

"And you can see how I would think that was the screwiest plan I ever did hear. Nothing in there is worth a plug nickel, let alone the six grand I owed him. How did you get him to do that?"

"OK, well, maybe I didn't totally get him to do it myself. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it was sorta like something Mike decided all on his own. He's a really good man, Unca Jake."

"You're not tellin' me anything I don't already know, Buzzy. Mike is good in ways that even he don't know. And that's why I won't be taking his money, boy."

"You've got to, Unca Jake. We talked about this. You've got to take it, and you've got to make him believe you really deserve it. If you don't, Mike is smart enough to likely see through this whole thing, and it'll go down the drain."

"You're asking me to swindle my best friend, boy. That's something I can't do. Look, the only reason I was willing to go along with this crazy thing was for Mike's sake. He's working himself into an early grave doin' this damn job, and he won't let it go. He needs somebody like you—a smart, fresh, young go-getter with brains to burn—and I'll make sure he don't let you go."

"But what about the rest of it, Unca Jake? You know how I feel about him. If I can't have him like that, then I don't want to work for him."

"He'll see that, boy. I'm sure he will. You're not just a go-getter, you're a great kid, a wonderful kid, just right for him. I'm sure he'll see that."

"Not if he thinks he can't trust me, Unca Jake. I know Mike better than you think I do. You tell him about this and it's all over between us before it ever really starts."

"I know how you feel about him, Buzzy, but you've got to ask yourself a question: Do you really want to start out a life together by lyin' to him?"

Buzz paused and took his time answering. "If I thought there was any other way I'd do it, Unca Jake. I'll take Mike however I can get him. You said it yourself: He's so damned proud and so gosh-darned stubborn, he'll never take a partner without a little push. And so I guess this has to be his push. I've been in love with Mike since the first moment I saw him . . . eight long years ago. I know he didn't see me—all I was to him was just a pimply-faced twelve-year-old kid following in behind his parents—but I sure as heck saw him. I never saw anybody more perfect, and I fell for him—so hard that I've been looking for a way to find my way back to him ever since. This is my chance, Unca Jake, and you've got to let me have it. And I really, really do believe Mike is the one who gets the most. I get a job, sure, and you get your debt cleared out. But Mike finally gets something he never had: somebody who'll always look out for him, no matter what. Somebody who'll accept him just as he is. And somebody who'll always be waiting there for him at the end of the day. If that's not worth a little larceny—what is?"