‘You staying about? I’m going downstairs to watch Dad’s speech.’
Jackson spoke to Cooper as he stood in one of the hallways of the Executive Residence.
‘Too damn right. Listen, you don’t get away with beating me at Monopoly that easily. You’re eleven to eight up, but I put it down to my mind being somewhere else.’
‘Coop, you’re tripping, man. I’m eleven up on this round alone. How many rounds have we played over the years? You’ve never managed to come better than third, and you only came third that time because Dad was attending the G8 summit.’
Cooper shook his head. ‘No, that’s not right. It was more than once. There was that other time last year. Remember?’
Jackson grinned. ‘You’re not serious? You have to be kidding me. You came third that time because Beau had an angina attack. Literally. When he was moving his piece around the board.’
‘He rolled five. He would’ve landed on my property.’
‘Well yeah, he would’ve done if he hadn’t been rushed to hospital.’
‘Do you know how much he would’ve had to pay? I had four houses on it. If you ask me, Beau rolled the five, saw the properties, and then decided to fake it. Don’t you think it’s funny how he had an angina attack seconds before he landed on my property?’
Jackson roared with laughter. It was so good to see.
‘You need to step up those tactics of yours, Coop. You got it all wrong. Buying the expensive dark blue properties, Park Place and the Boardwalk is not the way to go. Buy the stations and then aim for the reds and yellows. They’re the ones you gotta hit. Kentucky Avenue, Ventnor Avenue, those are the good ones. The hotels are cheap and the building costs are low.’
‘Well let’s bring it on. After you’ve come back from watching John’s speech, let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is.’
Jackson went to walk away, but he stopped and turned to look at Cooper. ‘Coop, I want to say thank you.’
‘Thank you for what?’
‘For sticking around. For the things you said at the hospital about getting some help. It means everything.’