Sooo, this week I remembered earlier in the day to buy my lottery ticket. It was around 6 in the late afternoon, and driving though my little town was quiet and peaceful. The lawns were all cut and neat. The lawnmowers quiet and put away. Saturday errands had all been run and the streets were empty. The atmosphere at my chosen lottery site is friendlier at 6 in the afternoon. The few customers were more relaxed, less anxious to get their stuff and be on the way.
The guy behind me in line noticed the candy “on special” next to the counter had no price. We figured that meant those little two-bite sized chocolates must be expensive. We agreed that paying too much for little chocolate treats was a waste of money and we weren’t going to fall for that trick.
I was unwilling to pay a couple of bucks for chocolate but was waiting to pay $3.00 for a piece of paper with six numbers printed on it – the irony was not lost on me.
The man in front of us was obviously a laborer and did not speak English very well. The clerk was kind and gentle. He gave not a hint that the man needed to hurry with finding the right words, that it was inconvenient in any way to help him figure out our money. I was grateful to see this young clerk treat this hard-working man with respect and dignity.
When I handed the post-it note with my special numbers to the clerk he ask if he could use them too. “Sure,” I said, “I’m positive I will lose enough to share.” He chuckled, “I have a job. A working man is already a winner”.
I hope his parents realize they raised an awesome son.
And yep, I lost enough for both of us – not a single one of my numbers came up.