Mrs. HM Lost $14 On Scratchers

You may not realize the significance of the title. You may ask yourself, "Surely Mrs. HM has lost more than THAT on scratchers before. So why the drama now?"

Here's the deal. On Monday, The Pony had two winners on the $2 scratchers I bought for him. One was a $4 winner, the other a $10 winner. As usual, he declared that he wanted me to cash in the tickets, and buy him more. He didn't care what tickets. Only something that caught my eye. My eye is pretty good, you know, at picking winning scratchers.

Monday night, I told The Pony to hand me his winners. He scratches them at the cutting block or kitchen counter, then throws away the losers, and leaves the winners on the counter by my glasses case. I was sitting at the kitchen table, and wanted him to hand them over the sink counter, so I could put them in my purse with my own scant winners.

"They're not over here."

"What did you do with them?"

"I left them right here on the counter. Like I always do."

"I remember seeing them there when I made my salad. I didn't move them. Did you throw them away when you made your supper? I know you were using the whole counter, making your pasta."

"No. I didn't throw them away. Did you put the somewhere else?"

"No. I don't think so. If I did, they'd be right there by the sink. Where I can reach them from over here. Look around."

"Not here."

"Huh. They're not in my purse. There's nowhere else they could be! Unless in the trash. Not THAT trash! The trash Dad took out on his way to the auction. To put in the dumpster up at the end of the driveway."

I looked all over the kitchen. That night, and the next morning. Those winners were GONE!

That's a terrible way to lose money on the lottery.