Part 1: The Bet

It began a few weeks before the big game. My younger sister Sandy liked Football about as much as she liked getting holes drilled in her head. But since I was a Giants fan she HAD to root for the Patriots.

"Everyone knows that the Patriots are going to win 'cause the Giants suck!!!"

"Come on Sandy you don't even know what your talking about. You wouldn't know a Blitz from a hole in one!"

"Sure I would!." Sandy said defiantly, but the effect was spoiled by the way her eyes darted aside. She never was very good at lying.

"Well then lets bet on it. Name your stakes."

"Hmmm..." Sandy stalled, then her Eyes lit up. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea I thought.

"Well, I know you don't have any money, but ... how about this, If My team wins I get your Car!"

My car was she nuts. She had just gotten her learner's permit a few months ago, there was no way I would let her have my car. But, she knows that, she's was obviously bluffing, thinking I would back down and she would get to claim a minor victory by saying I was chicken. Time to call her bluff and raise her.

"Alright You got it. If that Pats win you get my car, But if the Giants win, You will be my TOTAL slave for a year!" that ought to get her. No way would she go for that. I win.

"You got it Bobby, Be sure to have MY car washed and gassed up before the game is over."

She smiled and started to flounce out of the room.

"Hold on there Sandy, let make this official so you can't wriggle out of it if you lose." I grinned And got out a pad of paper and a pen. "Just let me write this up and we will both sign it!" That will shut her down, if there was one way to make sure something was for real in our family, it was to put it in writing. Dad had been a lawyer before his death and that was his best line "put it in writing!". So In our family, if it was on paper it was LAW. Now she would back down for sure.

"Oh, for god sake like anyone could read your handwriting. Give it to me." and Sandy took the pad and started writing, after a few moments she handed the page to me and I looked it over...

Should the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl Game
on February 5th 2012 then Robert C Fletcher will sign over
Title to his Car, a red 2007 Nissan Maxima, to His sister
Sandra M Fletcher. However should the New York Giant win
Said game Sandra M Fletcher will give herself to
Robert C Fletcher to be his Total Slave for the period
of One Year no more no less.
Signed on this date January 12 2012 by
Sandra M Fletcher ––––––––––––
and
Robert C Fletcher–––––––––––––––––

Sandra took the page back and signed it with an unnecessary flourish. Then handed back and looked at me expectantly.

What else could I do, I took it and signed on the line she had made for me to sign. Then I took it in the study and put it in the all-in-one printer and hit copy. I gave her the copy and kept the original.

"I hope your sure about this." I said.

"I'm sure that you had better have that car cleaned out before you give me the keys." she answered and stomped out of the room.

I felt kinda bad about making her put it in writing, I was sure she would have backed down, but stubbornness is one thing we both inherited from Dad. It was her pride that made her sign the bet, by that point we had both gotten so mad, neither one of us could admit it had gotten out of hand.

Part 2 »