An Unusual Bet

Challenge is a word made familiar today whether it be breaking a record at the Olympics or getting solar energy to work for us. Everything is a challenge. Betting is also a challenge. Here one uses one’s sense of speculation. From time immemorial betting has been in vogue. Betting for fun and profit is not uncommon. In gambling, betting is usual especially in horse racing and in international football. Sometimes there are occasions of unusual betting. There was once a musician who was a tough guy. When it came to a matter of challenge he would rather break than bend. So people who knew him did not dare get into an argument with him. This man had a problem with his roof which was leaking. The tiles had to be removed and replaced and some minor repairs made. So he called a mason and discussed the problem. The mason agreed to do the job provided he was given a certain amount by way of his wages. It was exorbitant and there was a lot of haggling and both parties were stubborn, one demanding a higher wage and the other for reducing it considerably.

In this zigzag affair, the mason threw a challenge to the professional musician. He said that the other might know something about music but he didn’t know anything about a mason’s work and so couldn’t do his job. The musician rose up to the challenge and said that he would show the mason how well he could do the job.

The next morning the erstwhile musician was seen on his roof. He had tucked up his loins, bared his shoulders and was removing the tiles. His fingers which used to keep time now lifted the tiles, which was a hard job indeed. But the musician would not back out. He removed the tiles, cleaned the roof, replaced the tiles in their place with a professional touch and applied cement and mortar to keep the tiles in their place. Thus he toiled and moiled for three days and had done the job to the wonder of his neighbors who were watching the man at his job. People who were at first pessimistic came forward vociferously to congratulate him. They said he was indeed a nut and had shown that he could do anything once he made up his mind. The mason admitted his defeat and thenceforward he became a staunch admirer of the musician. He had lost his earnings by throwing a challenge to a man who meant business.