He Bought the Farm

He Bought the Farm

The wide staircase yawned before me. I climbed it slowly, knowing what was waiting at the top; my grandfather’s bedroom. The prison he had been condemned to for the last weeks of his life.

When I was a child, I would sit in the huge window with him and look down on the paddocks where the horses would exercise. There were a dozen in all. All day, thoroughbreds would be put through training. They were so beautiful and expensive. Every once in a while, grandfather would say, “You have no idea what these animals cost.” He always looked sad when he said it.

Later, I did know how much was paid for each animal and how much it would ear for the stable. I spent years at college learning the business and more years learning everything about horses. All my vacations were spent down at the stables and track. The trainers and jockeys were my second family. When my father took over, he made sure I would be ready to step into the spot he would eventually vacate. I loved everything about it. The training, the breeding, the racing and all the money and jobs it generated fascinated me. I was proud of all the people we employed. Some families worked at the farm for two generations.

My grandfather was also generous. He hired the son of one of the trainers he competed against when the man fell on hard times. He made sure his children had jobs or money for college. We were all really friendly growing up. But grandfather kept distance between them. I always thought it was pretty snobbish of him.

So, now I was knocking on the door of the old monarch of Officium Farms. He lay quietly in his bed. He looked small and frail, nothing like the robust man who used to pull skittish horses into trailers or stalls. 

I saw him watching me as I crossed to the side of his bed. “Hey, Gramps, how you feeling?”

He looked towards the massive window, “Like I’m dying,” he whispered.

I choked back my sorrow and smiled, “Not today, we have a race.”

“I won’t see it. Sit down, I have a story to tell you.”

I sat, “Alright, what is this story?”

“I stole it.”

“Stole what, Grandpa?”

“All of it, the farm, our lives, all of it.”

I laughed, “What are you talking about? You built this farm.”

He grabbed my hand fiercely, “Listen to me!” His eyes were hard and I started at his anger.

I sat frozen in my chair as he started to speak.

“All of this should have belonged to Tom Kaiser and his family. He was the better trainer and I cheated it out of him fifty years ago.”

I was confused, “You said you got the stake for this place from one big race.”

I did get the stake from that race. But I killed a man and a horse and ruined my best friend to get it.”

My mouth hung open. I couldn’t believe it, “What are you saying, that can’t be. You are one of the most honest..”

“Be still, and I’ll tell you how that can be. Fifty years ago, tom Kaiser and I were trainers at different stables. Tom worked at Emerald fields and I worked for Minuteman Stables. We were friends and competitors. We always tested each other and were very close.

That changed forever on the day of the Golden Purse Stakes. Tom had a horse named Brilliant running and I had Gusto running against him. There was also a longshot named Golden Ticket. He could beat Gusto but not Brilliant. I thought if I could just win a longshot payoff in this race, I would have enough to get this farm. It was a lot smaller then, but to get it I needed a big hunk of cash. My jockey and the jockey for Golden Ticket were less than honest. So, they were open to the scheme I came up with to rig the race and get the money from a big bet on the long odds.

It was meant to be so simple. The track was going to Be muddy. That always makes jockeys a little more cautious. Golden Ticket was supposed to crowd Brilliant coming out of the far turn. Brilliant would back off just enough for Golden ticket to edge ahead and beat him to the finish.” The old man looked down and let a tear drop off his nose.

“It all went terribly wrong. It rained all that morning but, none of the races were called. Already two horses had stumbled in the mud. Both their jockeys were thrown. I went to the Jockey for Golden Ticket and begged him to run a clean race. He refused to call off the scheme. He wanted his money and said he would go to the racing commission. My whole life was horse racing. I couldn’t give it up. I would be banned and never get another training job. I was a greedy coward.

So, I watched as the nightmare came true. The ten horses broke from the gate in a pack. They strung out on the first turn and the leaders bunched together on the back stretch. Brilliant and Golden Ticket were running even. Coming through the far turn, Brillian was on the outside. Golden Ticket started to drift, Brilliant went down. It was a miracle there wasn’t a pile up. Both the horse and jockey were injured horribly. Brilliant was put down that afternoon. The jockey died the next day.  I should have confessed. But I was too weak.

Of course, the finish was challenged but, Golden Ticket was finally declared the winner. The jockey took his payoff and disappeared. His career was over anyway.

I made a bundle and Tom Kaiser lost one of the best horses he ever trained. After that, he lost his love of it. He worked for a dozen more years. Every year you could see his fire dimming. I asked him to come in partners with me. He wouldn’t even consider it. I think he knew what I’d done.  Our friendship deteriorated. Eventually, only his wife, Lydia would talk to me. I hired his son, George as soon as I could and made sure his brother, Ben and sister, Aria had money for college. When Lydia told me Tom had died, we hadn’t spoken in over a year. I know I killed him. I betrayed and cheated him.”

“Does George know,” I asked. “He has been working here for fifteen years. He is part of our family. He loves Officium Farms. Why haven’t you offered him part of it? Did Lydia know? Is that why she never visited?”

“I don’t know, she never said anything,” he said dejectedly.

I was dumbfounded. My grandfather who had always insisted on honesty and hated cheating in any form. He got his dream life by killing another man!

He saw how disappointed I was. “I’m sorry. After I’m gone you can do what you want with this information.”

“Why didn’t you tell Grandma or dad?”

“I told your grandmother and she hated me for it until she died. I told your father and he chose to keep going on the way we were. He did set up a fund for the Kaiser family. But he chose not to tell you. I don’t know whether that was cowardice or shame.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“That is up to you. Your dad will turn Officium over to you soon. Maybe you can figure out how to make amends.” He leaned against his pillows and stared out the window until the sun dropped below the horizon. Grandfather reached for my hand as the room darkened. I held it until he died.

I thought about his confession over the next few months. My father, when he learned that my grandfather had told me the story, decided to hand the farm over to me.

I convinced George Kaiser to become my partner. Our families are close again. Officium Farms is prospering. The past transgressions will stay between me and God until I die.