Montana Jake

Today seems like a good day for some pool. I have returned to my home town, after being gone for 4 years going to college. I was at a local pool hall, bar, and restaurant combination like you will have in these small Nevada towns. It even has a casino in it. I have just beat 2 college boys, that thought they would be better at playing 8 ball than I was. I was even playing with a very crooked pool cue, and barely beat them or so they thought. We were playing for $5 per person per game, with the winner getting the pot. I had won $30 from them.

While we were playing, the owners daughter Gena came in. She is one sharp pool player. She has just finished college as I have, and she is proud that pool put her through college. We have both just turned 21 years old. She has one standard bet. The man puts up $100 and if she wins, she gets the $100. If she loses, he gets to take her to bed and take her virginity. Guys that can hardly hold a cue stick take her up on that, as they all figure she will screw up and lose someday. In past 5 years she has been making this bet someday has never come, as no one has beat her. She will play anyone that wants to bet, good or bad player. And she has played some of the best, and always won.

As we both finish our last game, she looks over at me and says, "Hi Jim, long time no see. Want to play someone besides those suckers?"

To tell you a little about us. My name is Jim Jorgenson. My grandfather on my mothers side was Jacob Jennings, the sole owner of Conner Industries. He was better known around the pool circuit as 'Montana Jake'. He had won all of his industries by playing 8 ball in big tournaments and Multi-Million Dollar, match games. Conner Industries was the first factory he won, and he put all additional winnings into that one name. When he died, he was worth about $500,000,000. I am his only heir, but it has never been announced as the industries were to be managed for me till I was 21. My grandfather died 6 years ago, and though I own everything no one in town knows it except for a few select people that had been sworn to secrecy by my grandfather. He had always kept our relationship though very close from the people in town to let me grow up without everyone trying to challenge me at pool.

My parents died when I was 7 in an auto wreck with a drunken driver, and I was raised my other grandparents the Jorgensons. These grandparents owned a big ranch which bordered Montana Jakes ranch, and I would ride my horse back and forth 2 miles between the houses. These grandparents died 4 years ago, and that was the last of my family. I have not been home in the meantime letting the trust managers run everything for me. I am now home to live permanently. I have a degree in business, with a second major in computer programming, and on Monday it will be announced who owns Conner Industries, and I will become the Chairman Of The Board and CEO over everything. I am 6'3" tall, and considered reasonably good looking. While in college, I had a very nerdy look to not stand out, and it worked as I never had even one date and am still a virgin.

About Gena: She is the daughter of the local pool hall owner where many of my grandfathers games were held. He was one of my grandfathers best friends. I have played pool with him many times at my grandfathers when I was growing up beating him every time the last few years. He is one of the few people in town that know who I really am, but has never told Gena at my request. She is 5'11" tall, and a gorgeous red head, with a body that every man wants to take to bed. I have been in love with her since I was about 10, and tonight I want to win my bride and get married before it is announced I am rich.

I look at her and say, "You know I can never beat you at your game. You are the best. Is it true that Montana Jake taught you how to win at pool?"

Gena: "He sure did, as he would come in here to see my father and give me pointers on how to win every game. Does that scare you, or don't you have $100 to gamble with?"

Me: "If you think you are so good, why don't we raise the stakes. Instead of a $100 sucker bet, lets make it really worth my while. I will put up my stake of $10,000 (which I lay on the table) which is yours if you win. If you lose, you of course have to let me have your virginity and for your information I am one too. But you make that bet with anyone who has $100, so we need some more anti from you. Before we go to bed, we have to go down and get our marriage license, and go to the chapel of your choice and get married. In addition you and I will then both give up playing pool for money or for sex, and just retire from competitive pool with anyone, with one exception. We would be willing to play for a charity to raise money for a needy cause, where we would put on pool demonstrations." Want to bet with those stakes?"

Gena: "Are you crazy, why would I want to take that kind of a bet and be expected to marry you?"

Me: "Knew you would never take on a real bet. You just play for suckers that are so horny anyone could beat them as all they think of is getting into your pants when you play. You are so unsure you can beat me, you are afraid to take the bet. I know your creed that you will never welsh on a bet, so if I win you would marry me if we played. The thing is when a real bet comes along, you cannot take the chance that you are not as good as your opponent. You only make small bets against suckers you can hustle."

Gena looked at me and suddenly started to smile. She said, "Now I know what you are trying to do by making such a crazy bet, is to fluster me to make me lose if I play you. Wrong sucker, hand my $10,000,000 to my father to hold for me. That bet is on. I have no fear of losing to you." I tossed the stack of bills to Glen and said, "If I win don't give me the money back. Put it in that big collection jar you have for the local little league fund. If I lose give it to Gena."

I then went into my ritual the same as my grandfather did. I took off my suit coat, folded it neatly and placed it over a chair, and removed my tie. I unbuttoned the two top buttons of my shirt, and rolled up my sleeves two exact turns. I shook talcum over my hands, then said to Glen, "Glen get my special pool cue out of your safe please."

Gena is standing there staring at me. She is seeing a new and very serious me, and she has seen this same routine before by another man, my grandfather. Glen brings over a very old leather pool cue case that is in immaculate condition, and hands it to me. I open it and there sits a very old African Ivory 2 piece pool cue. It is hand carved and has open fret work to lighten it. The areas the hands will come into contact with, are smooth and highly polished. It is a true work of art. A real museum piece. I start putting it together, and Gena can take it no longer and says, "I know that pool cue. Where, and how did you get Montana Jake's pool cue?"

I turned and smiled at her and said, "One evening my grandfather had a few of his closest friends over when I was 12. On that evening he challenged me to a 3 game set as we are playing tonight. He told me, he thought I was ready to do what he had done with his father when he was 22. If I can beat him, he will retire from competitive pool and the stick would then be mine. If I was to lose, I was to practice another year before we played again. I think your father who was there, should finish the story."

Glen: "Jim and his grandfather Montana Jake, bowled for the break three times so they would know which games they would break on. Jim bowled down to the other end of the table, it came back to his end and then went back to the other end without touching the 3rd cushion as the bowl for the break requires. Jake did well landing within 1 inch of the other end 3 times which as you know is almost impossible to do. Jim bowled and stayed within ½" and won all three breaks. Jim ran the table twice, and was setting it up for the 3rd game, when Jake did something he had never done before he said, "You have won the first two games, so no use rubbing it in that you are now the master. Here is the cue you so richly deserve."

Jim put the cue back into this same case, and handed it to me. He told me not to tell anyone he now owned it, and to hold it for me in his safe until he would call for me to give it to him, when a game important enough to him that he could not afford to lose came up some day. I guess this is the game that is important enough to him, to bring out his cue. It is the first time he has touched it since that night."

Gena: "You learned to play from Montana Jake, so did I. What makes you so sure you can beat me?"

Me: "Grandpa Jake taught you a lot, but he did not teach you everything he taught me. Gena I have been in love with you most of my life. I have long dreamed when you would be my wife. As you will never welsh on bet, I felt this is the only way I could guarantee you would marry me. I am sorry, I should never have done this and if you want you can call the bet off."

Gena: "If you love me that much, prove it. Take me in your arms and kiss me. I can tell from that kiss how you really feel about me." I stepped over to her, and put my arms around her. She put her arms around my neck and we kissed. It stared out kind of mild, but soon turned into a loving lustful kiss. Not sexy, but true loving. "The bet is on. It is crazy, but I have always had a thing for you too. If you feel this way about me, why have you never asked me for a date?"

Me: "I have watched how you turned down the others I saw ask you out. I have just remained a friend not making any move on you, waiting for you to show you may be interested in me. I finally figured out I had to do something crazy to get you to marry me."

Gena: "If I had known I would have sent you some kind of signal that I was available for a date. Wow. If I win this game, I win $10,000 and if I lose it, I win a husband. You have put me in a very hard spot. Dad, how do you feel about me playing for a husband or $10,000?"

Glen: "Honey I have known for years how Jim feels about you, and have felt that this game was going to happen someday. If I did not approve, I would have stopped him from playing here today, as the way he was dressed as Montana Jake I knew today was the day. I had already dug the cue out of the back of the safe and had it setting just inside the door of the safe before you came in. Jim is one of my favorite people in the world and I know him even better than you do. I would be proud to tell people I watched him win your hand in marriage in a pool game."

Gena: "You bowl first, the 1, 2, and 3 balls on the right side of the table, and I will bowl the 4, 5, and 6 balls on the left. The one closest to the bumper without touching it first breaks that game."

I picked up the three balls, and bowled them. They all were within ½ of an inch from the bumper. Gena said, "You know I will never beat that. I am good, but not that good. You are going to win just as with your grandfather, as I will never get to even try to win one game, aren't you?"

Me: "Darling. There is too much at stake here. I can't let you shoot, as you can do that as well as I can when your game is on. I have to win this game, it is for the love of my life."

Gena: "I will do the same as Montana Jake, and concede. If I cannot beat you, there is no use playing. Here is my personal cue, which I give to the winner just as your grandfather gave you his."

I turned to Glen and said, "Here are our two cues, both retired. I will pay for it, but have a special break proof case made and put them over your bar on permanent display. You can tell the story, of how Montana Jake the third, won his wife and retired those pool cues. You can even get the story on T.V. and in the papers which can be good publicity for you." I was right, it was in the press all over the country and on TV as a human interest story. He got a huge new following at his bar, restaurant, and pool hall coming in to see those pool cues.

Gena held out her hand for me to take and looking at her father said, "Dad, get your relief to take over the bar and pool hall. You are the only family either of us have, and we want you to attend our wedding. We will go get our license which I am glad that being in Nevada we can get in a few minutes, and we will be back to take you with us to our wedding."

Glen walked his daughter down the aisle that afternoon, then moving over to me he was my best man. On short notice Gena got her best girl friend to be her bride's maid. It was a small, but for us memorable wedding. We went back to the bar which had an excellent restaurant in it, for our wedding supper. A friendly baker, even had a beautiful cake for us when we got back.

Friends came in all evening, to toast us, and hear from Glen the story of the pool games that were never played. No one had ever beaten Gena at bowling for break, and asked how I could do it so well. Glen would smile and say, "Didn't you know. Jim is Montana Jake the 3rd. I was there the night he won the cue from his grandfather beating him at bowling for break, and have held it all these years in my safe waiting for this one game which never got played."

When we left the pool hall, I took Gena home to get her personals and pack a bag for the weekend. When we left her house, she asked where we were going for our wedding night. I told her I was taking her home to my home, which is now our home. I had one of my employees from my home bring out the Montana Jake limo. It is a 1937 Rolls Royce custom limo which looks as good as the day it was made. My grandfather only rode in it, when he was going to and from an important pool match as part of his Montana Jake image. He always said, the secret of winning was to awe them with the Montana Jake Mystic. I told Gena this limousine was taking home the most important thing that any Montana Jake had ever played for and won, my wife.

She thought I was going to my other grandparents ranch where I had always lived. Not tonight. When we got to my Montana Jake's mansion she could hardly get her breath. Everyone in the area had heard about it, but only a select few had ever seen it. It sits 5 miles off of the highway, behind a very ornate iron gate with huge stone posts and the Montana Jake Emblem on the gates. I don't know if you have ever seen a stone home with 24 huge bedrooms each with it's own separate bath room, but that is what I have. It looks like one of the English Manor Country Homes you see in English movies. It has a full time staff of 8 people to take care of the house.

She looked at it and said, "My God if you own this, you have to be rich. Very rich."

Me: "Darling, we are very rich. You have heard that the heir to Conner industries was taking over the companies on Monday and will be the new Chairman Of The Board and CEO. That is me. We own everything. This is the reason I had to win my wife in a pool game tonight, as I did not want anyone including you to know I had money till after we were married. No one can call you a gold digger as I won my wife playing pool, without her or anyone else in town even being aware I was rich.""

She looked at me and said, "My father knew didn't he?"

Me: "Yes he knew. He is part of the inner circle that knows everything about me. He was sworn to secrecy by my grandfather. He knew how much I have always loved you, and kept everything from you at my request. If you wonder how much your father knows about me, he has been the vice chairman of the board of trustees that manage my trust since my grandparents died. He is my best friend in the whole world. He kept this from you, as he did not want his friendship with me to influence you when I asked you to marry me." She kissed me and we got out of the car to go home.

We went into our mansion and up to our bedroom suite. Gena was suitable impressed with it all. We made love all night, and found we were very compatible in bed. To this day, Gena and I have never lost our spark for each other in bed. We are totally in love, and our entire life shows it to each other.

Over the years, the Montana Jake mystic grew and grew, as our businesses prospered and grew. I was very successful in business, and our businesses quadrupled over the years. Don't try to look up how rich we are, as it is all hidden in a Cayman Island Trust and not made public. We had 4 wonderful children, who now run everything and are doing a fantastic job of it. I never played another game of pool for money or other stakes in my life. I had won the most important game of my life, and never wanted to risk my record of never losing a game as Montana Jake. The two pool cues have been returned to us when Glen died a few years ago, and now sit in a place of honor in our corporate museum.

When they were young, my wonderful wife and I taught our children and grandchildren to play pool Montana Jake style. I also taught them to never gamble. They used to ask Gena if I was really better at playing pool than she was, and her answer always was/is, "That is something even your father/grandfather will never know. When he gave me the right bet, and I could graciously lose the game on the bowl for break, I was not about to take the chance I would win and thus lose the most important match of my life.

I had already won, and was not about to lose it all to satisfy my pride by beating him if I could." Then she would always bowl one ball for break, and would come right up next to the 3rd cushion without touching it. Then she would just smile. I will always wonder if I was hustled that night by the one person in the world that could beat me, or if I won those games fair and square. That is one question I never want to know the answer to.

I kind of feel sometimes, I can feel my grandfather looking down over us and saying to Glen, "I taught those two just enough that they are very equal at pool and at life. I knew the two of them would one day challenge each other to a very special game. I knew the only way they would ever get together in life, is if they each thought they could win a pool game with the other one. I taught both of them enough to make them cocky enough to make that bet and to play that game. I am glad I never taught them the rest of the Montana Jake techniques, or they may have never have played that one game. The fact they got together as they did, is a testimonial of I was right and did the right thing for them."

We both love and thank you Jake.