Monday, I was in line at the left lottery machine in Country Mart. I had to improvise, because that machine was not scanning tickets. So my winners I had planned to cash in had to be saved for another day. I had some small bills in my pocket, and was trying to figure out how I wanted to spend them. I was wanting a $3 crossword, a $3 Froot Loot, and a $5 crossword. Yet I didn't want to use six one-dollar bills. I was getting ready to put in a ten and a one. However...
A lady stepped up behind me. More beside me than behind me. She started chatting away. I turned to look at her, in case she was one of the store workers who greet me. She had a name tag clipped to her collar, but I didn't recognize her. Maybe she's a new trainee for when they ever get their deli remodeled.
Anyhoo... when I buy my scratchers, I'm not in a chatty mood. Before or after, fine. But not DURING! Sweet Gummi Mary! What kind of crazy person would do that? THIS crazy person, apparently.
"Are you buying all the winners out of it?"
"Trying to!"
"Oh. You buy the big tickets!"
"I like these $3 tickets. And I love the $5 crossword."
(I don't find those particularly expensive.)
"I play the dollar tickets."
"Huh. I can't win on those. But my son has, when I have extra money in the machine."
"I see those big tickets, and I think of how many hours I have to work to buy them. I never win on the Froot Loot."
"I do."
"A lot of people do! Just not me."
"It's one that usually pays me back. I was trying to cash in a $6 winner, but this machine is acting up again."
"Oh, it'll do that."
With all this chatting, I had fed that cantankerous machine a ten and a five! Dang it! So now there was an extra $4 in there that I hadn't planned to spend. So I pushed another Froot Loot, and a dollar ticket to give The Pony. Then I skedaddled out of there before Chatty Batty could talk my other ear off.
Here's the thing. The tickets I planned to buy were losers. That extra Froot Loot won $9. So I guess I will not begrudge Chatty Batty our conversation. Even though she made me spend an extra four dollars to win nine.
4 comments:
The extra ticket won $9, are you sure she wasn't Even Steven in disguse?
River,
Pretty sure. Her name tag did not say Even Steven! But that would defeat a disguise, heh, heh!
I am laughing so hard! If you were in a store around here and I came upon you, I would probably do the same thing!! Remember that I live in isolation and if I feel the urge to chat up a stranger, watch out! If you gave me the cold shoulder, I might take it as a challenge to MAKE you talk.
Kathy,
NOOO! That's like my best old ex-teaching buddy Mabel trying to hug me! It's a challenge to her. She is only authorized for one birthday hug, and one Christmas hug when I deliver her Chex Mix. But she certainly tries to trick me into more.
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