.
She found a shilling
down the back of the sofa
and gambled it on a horse
called ‘Bonnie Bethany’
in the 5th race at Carlisle.
.
It duly obliged at 5/1.
.
Her family gave
a collective WOOP
when she presented
a vinegar-lashed takeaway
fish and chip supper
accompanied by
lemonade for the kids
and a bottle of brown ale each
for herself and hubby.
.
For weeks on end,
they regaled each other
with exaggerated recollections
of the occasion
and as life unfolded,
her 5th child was born
nine months later
to the day.
.
The baby’s name?
Bonnie Bethany, of course.
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Lives Well Lived
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