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by Geoff Wijesinghe

I was doing my morning stroll along Galle Road earlier this week, when I met my friend of over 40 years Arthur Jayawardena.

Arthur, who lives down School Lane, Kollupitiya just a stone's throw away from Bambalapitiya junction, lives a lonely life. His fond daughter is now married and in the Middle East. His wife has gone to her eternal rest, and Arthur Jayawardena lives alone in a downstairs flat.

He had a dog for company, but being a dog lover he often freed the half-breed from his shackles. Many a resident and a passer by were attacked and bitten by the crossbred fox terrier. In fact, I escaped on one occasion when I called out "Arthur, Arthur" from the gate. But, unfortunately, Arthur was in the toilet, doing his morning ablutions, and as a result I was greeted by the vicious little devil, who chased me right upto Galle Road.

I was then in my fifties. But, Arthur's pet was my bete-noir and I bolted up the lane as if the devil incarnate was cashing me. And my fear made me run so fast that I managed to elude the little mongrel, who was bent on snapping at my heels.

When I met Arthur the other morning, he was in a very agitated state of mind. And at first, I really did not know what he was gibbering about. I finally gleaned that Arthur was claiming that he had been diddled out of 10,000 rupees by a sharp-witted bookie. Arthur is short and stocky with an enormous belly bourn of too much of communing with Bacchus. It kept gyrating as he became more and more agitated.

Listening patiently to his outburst I discovered that Arthur had placed a bet of 1,000 rupees on dog but had not named the race in which it was running. Well, the dog won, but since Arthur had not mentioned the race in which he had participated, the bookie drew a fine line and refused to pay him.

My friend had then pleaded, cajoled and finally gone into tantrums and abused the bookie in the choicest Billingsgate, but to no avail.

The thoroughly disturbed Arthur told me that for well nigh a decade, he had placed his bets with this same bookie. But, from now on, he was moving to another, as he claimed he was a crook. Another friend of mine had a similar experience with the same bookie and this time his bet was 10,000 rupees.

This friend of mine who hails from a wealthy racing family, spends around 20,000 rupees a month on betting.

He, of course, planked his money on a horse, a rank outsider, as was his wont. He spends a couple of lakhs a year on horseracing, and according to him, he wins once a year, a goodly sum of money anything between 60,000 to 100,000, with which he settles some of his debts and with the rest, he has ball - wine, women and song.

Being from a wealthy family, he has a trust in his name and receives around 30,000 rupees a month for his upkeep. But, that's a far cry from what he needs for betting, which he has identified as an addiction, as much as alcohol and heroin. I too, have had quite a flutter. My first bet for 50 cents was placed at the Firewood Depot at the top of Edward Lane where there was a small bookie. One of the horses I bet on for my 50 cents was Jai Lanka, and I received a payment of 2.50 rupees.

Later, I went to the races at the Racecourse in Colombo and believe it or not I won as many as four races, including both doubles. But, not knowing the intricacies of betting, I backed individual races and at the end of it all, I had the princely sum of 72 rupees.

Inebriated with my success, I dropped in at the Blue and Gold Carnival run by Donovan Andre, and won a further handsome sum in addition to downing a few whiskies.

On my way out I had 500 rupees. And for my bad luck, there was my neighbour, Donovan's nephew, bunny Ferdinand operating the Crown and Anchor. He challenged me to bet.

And bet I did, until I was left with only five rupees to return to my home, which was then at Dehiwela.

There are also the methodical punters who set aside a certain amount of money for betting on horses.

Win or lose, they don't shift one bit from their budget. This they do, merely for pure entertainment as say, one would see a movie. And they are quite happy and content, win or lose.

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