Almost Winning The Lottery

Almost Winning The Lottery

Perryville, MD

February 2017

There aren’t many of us in this convenience store this late at night. The store clerk is replenishing the coffee serving area. I’m filling up on my last cup of coffee for the day. An old man is leaning against the counter, scratching away at his stack of lottery cards. He lets out a yelp and announces to the crowd, “You won’t believe what I just won. Dang, you won’t believe it. You don’t have enough store money in your drawer to pay me”. He is so damn happy.

The clerk responds, “you don’t know what junk I have in my drawers. You don’t know what I can do.”

He isn’t paying attention to her.   He is so damn happy. He dances a little bit and announces,” I just won me $10,000. Can you believe it. $10,000. I’m so happy”. He does a little jig for all of us.

Without any sincerity, the store clerk response, “I’m so happy for you. Really. I’m so happy for you”.

I ask if she has to pay him right away or does she have to send away for that amount of cash. . She doesn’t respond to my question.

“Let me look at the ticket”, she insists. So, the man hands over the ticket. He is a bit reluctant as he does not want to let go of his good fortune.

 She instructs the other store clerk, “put it through the scanner. Let’s see if you really won.”

“I won alright”, he assures her,  ”just look at the ticket. $10,000. It’s all mine baby.”

The store clerk scans the tickets and the four of us hover over the machine with great anticipation. We can hear the buzz as the ticket is read and then in faint’ flickering  lettering we all read, “Welcome to Maryland lottery. This ticket is not a winner.

“What, shit! That ain’t right. It says it right here! I won me $10,000. Give me back my ticket. I want to show you”. He is agitated now.

The woman begins to explain to him why he didn’t win the $10,000. But he doesn’t want to hear that. He wants the ticket back to show her that the machine is wrong.

 “Give me the tickets. I know I won $10,000”.

 “No this crown here don’t mean anything. You didn’t win just cause you got this crown,” she tells him without any empathy.

“No I went on the numbers. I won me $10,000.” He examines the ticket with such intensity that it is sad to watch him.

 It’s at this point but I decide exit. It was already too difficult for me to see this man transform himself from a happy go lucky leprechaun to a sad sack a loser.