Money Makes the Mare Go.

A Short Story.

If you’ve got the money honey I’ve got the time,

Bring along your Cadillac-leave your old wreck behind

But if you run short of money, I’ll run short of time

’cause you with no more money honey

I’ve no more time.

“Money makes the mare go” highlights the fact that money has the power to do things versus the lack of it. Money has its functions, we know ever since 40,000 years ago the Mesopotamians introduced the Shekel as the first form of currency eliminating the barter system in a way. Money facilitates exchange as a measure of value. It allows the class structure to stay.

Money alone sets the world in motion. If you’re prepared to pay enough, most people will be willing to do anything. Here’s a short story that I think will validate this point of view.

It’s about a neighbour, several years ago, as I now recount, sitting on my comfortable grandpa’s chair. His creativity it seems had hit rock bottom, his child was ill, and he needed the money. He was a painter, who would wait indefinitely for his art to be recognised. But now this. He had to make it work. He took his art to various offices and agencies, he left his portfolio in places but got no response.

I saw, worried for the child’s treatment I offered him some help. I was at that time earning well. I was not married and had minimal liabilities. His self respect and dignity did not allow him to accept any monetary help.

With each stroke of his brush he created magic! I tried to sell some of his work to friends, who did buy out of sympathy. It barely helped him to get by. His brush nevertheless continued to dance. His days got blurred into each other with the rejections. He even sat at the park earning a buck out of painting portraits.

Finally, just like that one artist and a businessman stumbled upon Harrison’s work and was beside himself with the thrill of a discovery!!

He funded the exhibition in a gallery, it got acclaim and finally Harrison’s stumbling cart gained momentum. His son got the treatment he needed. He moved to a better, bigger accommodation. He helped budding and original masters of art.

His life that was stalled, galloped to success. He did however recollect his days of rebuttal, if his work being refused by uncountable people. The recognition was sweet but the echoes of the past struggle never left him.