Lucky Lottery

It was a beautiful May morning in East Pennsylvania as Becky walked into the local grocery store, dreading her upcoming shift at the customer service desk. At 27 years of age, Becky had expected to be in a different place in her life than working part time at the local grocery. She had big dreams of writing America’s next great novel, but inspiration had yet to strike. Because of this, she carried a black notebook around with her to make notes of things she came across throughout her days, especially where characters were concerned. The grocery store never failed to provide a wide array of personalities and from her vantage point at the service desk, she was witness to all of it. She had quickly worked from cashier to customer service specialist which brought with it a whole new set of challenges. The service desk was mostly centered around selling lottery tickets and the customers could be very demanding.

She mentally prepared herself for what could be a busy day. With a huge lottery drawing looming that night, Becky knew the lines to buy tickets would be long. She clocked in and smoothed down her uniform blue polo and blue jeans before taking up her position behind the service desk. She dropped her black notebook into the top drawer under the lottery machine, never knowing when inspiration may come walking through the door.

As she predicted, the day was busy, and the lines were long. It seemed everyone was hoping to win the pie-in-the-sky giant jackpot that promised to bring dreams come true and freedom from everyday burdens. All Becky wanted was to go home to her gray cat and the stack of books waiting to be read. Her shift was a full eight hours long and by the seventh hour, she’d had enough of cranky customers looking for refunds and lottery tickets.

She looked up as a booming, yet familiar, voice bellowed, “Hey there, Becky!” It was Mr. Graves. He was in the store at least once a day, sometimes twice, and never seemed to buy much of anything, unless you counted scratch-off lottery tickets. Becky knew, however, that his happy-go-lucky attitude was covering deep pain. Mr. Graves had recently become a widower and without realizing it, Becky had become a lifeline for him. The store gave him a place to come everyday and get some kind words and a reminder that while grief can be overwhelming, happiness can still be found in the little things. Becky had already filled several pages in her black notebook about Mr. Graves.

“Hi Mr. Graves, how are you today?” Becky replied.

He rested his cane against the wall leaned heavily on the desk before responding with a hearty, “I’m great, Becky! Wanna know why?”

She noted the twinkle in his eye and wondered what had him so excited on this Wednesday morning. “I can’t wait to find out why.” And it was true. Mr. Graves was one of her favorite customers and she knew, better than anyone, that he needed some good things happening in his life.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scratch-off ticket. “Why don’t you scan this for me and find out.” He passed the ticket over to her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

She ran the ticket through the machine and did a double take at the payout amount that popped up on the screen. “Mr. Graves. Are you kidding?” she squealed. The screen showed that his ticket was a winner for $20,000. She was in shock and all he could do was smile.

“Yes, ma’am. Twenty big ones!”

“That is the biggest amount I’ve ever seen. But you know we can’t pay that out here. We can fill out the paperwork, but you’ll have to contact the regional lottery office for payout, ok?”

“Yep, yep, I understand. I can wait for that, but I could NOT wait to share the best news ever with my favorite employee. You’ve been so nice to me, Becky, that I want you to know once I get my cash, I’ll be back to give you a nice gift.”

Becky’s heart warmed. She was overwhelmed with his generosity. Mr. Graves was the kindest man she'd ever met and in that moment, she knew no one deserved this more than he. “Mr. Graves. That is so very sweet of you, but you know that is not necessary.”

He took his weight off the desk, grabbed hold of his cane, and stood up straight, his massive frame shifting. “I know, Becky, but you’ve been more accommodating than you needed to be to this old man, listening to my rambling and cheering me up. I just want you to know how much it has meant to me. I’m so thankful for your kindness. You have the soul of a caregiver, just like my dear Mary Anne.”

Becky felt the stinging of tears in her eyes at his comments. She cleared her throat and pulled out the paperwork that needed to be filled out for tax purposes. “So, what are you planning to do with your winnings?”

Mr. Graves took in a deep breath and his face took on a far-off look. She could tell he was in another place. “Well, Becky, you see my dearly departed wife always wanted to drive across the country, but we never got to take that trip before her illness took hold. So, my thirteen-year-old grandson is going to take that trip with me this summer. We’re going to rent a big SUV, plot a course, and set off for adventure.” He leaned on his cane, and Becky could see, for the first time, mischief on his 63-year-old face. She was excited for him and his grandson and she knew how important it was to him to fulfill his wife’s dream.

Once the paperwork was filled out, she handed his copy and verified ticket back to him. “You are an amazing human, Mr. Graves. I hope you and your grandson have an equally amazing time.”

He took hold of the papers and gave her a smile that lit up the store. “I’ll be seeing you, Becky. I’ll be seeing you.”

With that he walked out. She was still emotional for the remaining half hour of her shift. When time was up, she grabbed her notebook and clocked out. After her conversation with Mr. Graves, she knew there would be little time for reading that evening. The inspiration she’d been looking for had finally struck.