Steiner and the Hypnotic Cue

CHAPTER 15 Duality of Opposites

I returned home to a hero’s welcome. I was in every paper and TV station; Yahoo even had me listed on their news section. I splashed out big time for presents for my friends and family. The money didn’t last long. In the end, I had done a three way split with Scott and David. Hendry received his cut of the top.

Small shakes to him. 

Scott returned to work and that was that.  It sad was to see him finish like that, but he claimed his family came first. 

David Noble  seemed to manage fine, even turning up at Rileys to earn a few bob.

But he was incessant in his organising.

It soon paid off. He managed to secure for me some sponsorship deals. Of course he then requested his cut be raised to 15%. No problem—the  money was rolling in.

A few days later, Hendry called us to his house for a meeting. He had important news.  He wouldn’t discuss it on the phone.

I got the train down from Elgin and David Noble drove up from Dunfermline.

Hendry’s gifts lay in the world of snooker, not words. Still he tried the old, and very tired, “I’ve got some good news and bad news,” speech, which, like all of these openers, had no real ‘good news’.  You would think, wouldn’t you, that someone, somewhere could come up with a better line that than one?

The gist of it was that they were not giving me a tour card. I needed to earn it. I thought I had. But no, that was a non-ranked  competition.

Then, he said, there was a bizarre accusation: Murphy had complained that I had to hypnotised him during the game.  I froze;   a cold sweat trickled down my back; I had been found out. Would I be banned?

But  Hendry told us that it had been rejected out of hand. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Unluckly for me, it had made the Association reticent about  giving me a  tour card. They wanted no hostility or controversy on a Main Tour.

“What’s the good news?” I asked.

“Well … , ” he replied, “the word is you will get an invite to the Masters at the Alexandra Palace … that’s the big one. They have also suggested joining the European Tour as an amateur and getting a tour card in the qualifiers.”

We left.

Thinking time again. I was mad.

So, Murphy had  all but figured it out. Luckily for me, the story was so incredible, no-one would believe it.

What other surprises were in store?  What of Chris and the girl? Chris was fine, but the  ‘Illuminati’ girl concerned me. Would she blab to the others  in the ‘Biggest Coven in Dunfermline?’

I also balanced this against my run of success. Everything I had wanted was coming to pass, despite the hiccups.

Driving to the train station, David Noble could see I was troubled by my thoughts.

“Don’t worry,” he soothed. “I really have got some good news.

“Oh?” I responded with a tone of hope in my voice.

“Listen, I’ve been working for weeks now on setting up contacts and getting things going. Just look at the sponsorship. There’s more to come, let me tell you.”

“Uh-huh. . . ”

“Well, that Brazilian deal wasn’t just a one off.”

“But … “

“I know that it wasn’t great, but I’ve put together a number of deals just like it—with sponsorship to follow.”

“Where about?” I enquired.

“All over the place … all kinds of countries … you are a sensation. You’re famous world-wide. They want to see you play.”

“That’s great.”

“Too right it is. Now if you agree, we leave in about three weeks for  Uzbekistan.”

“Where’s that?”

“Way over there—near Russia—look it doesn’t matter. We’ll be there for about a week and then  Turkey  and then China  …”

“Wow … and then to … ?”

“There’s a few things in the pipe-line—almost about to seal some deals. But, I tell you now, the chances are we won’t be back here before Christmas.”

“And all of them have offered big sponsorship deals?” I asked barely believing the good news—sponsorship—money for nothing.

“Yes, in Turkey a bank there called ‘Garanti’ have offered £150,000 just to sport their logo for three weeks and travel around the country, and play a few games here and there.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“So, up for it then?”

“Oh … Yes.”

I was up for it all right.