Good To Know, But I Wish I Didn't

I was walking into the Gas Station Chicken Store on Tuesday afternoon, passing the area where I found three pennies and a bullet. A man had just come out the door. He was headed for his truck, but turned and came towards me. He motioned to the winning scratchers I had clutched in my hand.

"I notice you buying lottery here and at Casey's. I just wanted to tell you that my stepdaughter won $10,000 yesterday at the School-Turn Casey's!"

"WHAT? That's GREAT! What ticket?"

"It was a $20 ticket. She bought three. The first one won $500. The second one won $100. On the third one, she won all the prizes. As she started scratching them off, every prize was $500. She called me while she was scratching it, telling me the amounts. She was crying! She couldn't believe it."

"I'm really happy for her! Was it the new $20 ticket?"

"I don't know which ticket, just that it was the $20 tickets."

"That's great! I usually don't buy the 20s."

A girl on her way in had stopped to listen to the story. "I won $50 this morning on a $3 ticket. I've never won more than $100."

"Me either."

"I've won $1000. But never anything higher. That's fantastic! Just to know that it's possible to get a big winner around here."

Funny how I was in the School-Turn Casey's on Sunday, and actually bought one of the new $20 tickets. Loser. That jackpot wasn't meant for me!

Back home, I told Farmer H the story.

"Was he a big guy?"

"No. Kind of medium size. Not fat."

"But tall?"

"Yeah. He was pretty tall."

"And hunched over?"

"Maybe a little at the shoulders."

"Drove a silver truck?"

"Yeah."

"I KNOW THAT GUY! He used to be a wrestler a long time ago."

"Huh. Well. I'm happy for his stepdaughter. I hope she's one of those people who really need it."

"It that's them, yeah, they really need it."

She probably has a star by her name in Even Steven's ledger...