My Lucky Unlucky Day

My Lucky Unlucky day

Damn, I can't believe my car broke down again. This is the fourth time this month. I could really use a miracle right now. I'm going to be late for work too! Again! I'll be lucky if i don’t get fired. This is great. I guess I'll be walking the 5 miles from the highway onramp back home. And if that isn't bad enough my phone is just about dead.

The snow on the side of the road is so deep I either need to walk in the road or trudge through the snow in heels. Welcome to my life.

As I walked down Narragansett Rd in western Rhode Island I mused about the recent events in my ever unlucky life. I just wish that something great would happen to me, even something almost great. I joked to myself anything that can drag me out of this crater.

I tried repeatedly to phone family and friends for a ride but no one was home or available to help. I tried calling a cab but my phone died in the middle of the call. As I walked I looked for anywhere I could sit for a while, warm up and charge my phone.

At least I was able to call work to let them know what was happening, and that I probably wouldn't make it in today. Jeez I wish I still had my auto club membership.

Finally, there’s a donut shop ahead thank God. a nice hot coffee would be amazing right now.

I walked in and sat down at a booth the furthest from the door. I've got to maximize the heat I thought. It's early only 5:30 am there's no one here. I've got the place to myself. I ask the waitress for a hot coffee and a donut as I remove my coat and hat. My long brown hair is soaking wet from walking in the snow/freezing rain. Ahhh New England, what I wouldn't give for a vacation somewhere warm and sunny I mused to myself as I made my way to the bathroom. I was using the hand dryer to try to dry myself off a bit and as I bent over to dry my hair I noticed a small black notebook sticking out from behind the trash can.

Against my better judgement I reached behind the trash can (yuk) and pulled out the book. The black cover was worn as if the notebook had a very long life. I decided to wash my hands and return to my coffee before opening the book. The anticipation was eating away at me but I had a strange suspicion this might be the start of a huge change in my ever so boring life.

I set the notebook in front of me on the table and slowly sipped my coffee. After a bite of donut and a little more coffee I decided I was ready to open the notebook.

I slowly flipped open the cover and on the first page there was an image of a black horse rearing back, hoofs in the air getting ready to run. That's exactly how I feel, I joked to myself. I slowly flipped through the pages but aside from a few random single numbers scattered throughout the pages and a couple of pages that were ripped out the notebook was otherwise empty.

Damn I thought, I don't know what I had expected but this definitely isn't it. I pushed the notebook aside and sipped my coffee slowly as I watched the morning weather on the television across from me. I was quietly daydreaming and trying to figure out how i would get home, and get my car home and get my car fixed when the lottery numbers from the previous day caught my eye. I don't normally play the lottery but the numbers themselves caught my eye. I glanced back at the notebook and had a thought. I think I'm going to play those numbers. I mean what have I really got to lose.

I just felt that I had found the notebook for a reason and maybe just maybe I would get lucky. I finished my coffee and donut and decided to go next door to the convenience store to play the numbers I found in the book. Four single digit numbers spaced randomly throughout the pages became my first ever lottery ticket, 6791. I placed my ticket inside the book and walked back to the coffee shop to have another cup of coffee and try to find a ride home.

After another hour or so of waiting a work friend came to rescue me also using their auto club membership to have my car towed to her mechanic. My day was beginning to improve. Home at last. First a hot shower and some warm dry clothes and then the wait for the daily numbers to come out. The anticipation was killing me. I made myself some hot soup and a hot cup of tea and sat in front of the television staring but not really watching. Waiting for those news and then the daily number.

As I sat waiting I flipped back and forth through the pages of the notebook looking for anything else it might be hiding. A name or other identifying markings but i found nothing, at first. I set the notebook down on the table in front of me and just stared at it willing it to tell me something, to give me something. Shaking my head in defeat I walked into the kitchen to wash my dishes, on the way back to the couch something small caught my eye. There was a small raised outline on the spine of the book. How did I not notice this before? I bent the covers of the book backwards so they were opposite the pages allowing the spine to bend out, and low and behold a key slid out onto my lap.

I flipped the key back and forth in my hands examining it. I know this type of key. I've seen these at the casino where I used to work. I need to go there and check this out but first my daily numbers.

I sat in anticipation as the young college girl pulled each number so slowly I wanted to reach through the screen and pull those numbers myself. 9 …..1….7….8! Aaaarrgghh no! I guess this was not meant to be. I suppose the key will be a dead end too.

After an hour or so of feeling sorry for myself I called my sister for a ride to the casino. Half an hour later I was standing in front of locker number 6791. I slowly inserted the key into the lock and it turned easily. My blood pumped, I looked at my sister and opened the locker. Inside there was a small black bag. I pulled the bag out and again very slowly opened the bag. We gasped simultaneously inside the bag there was money stacks of money. I counted $20,000. In total. I tried to hold my composure but let out a tiny girlie screech. And laughed out loud.

Reality set in quickly as I knew I needed to do the right thing and report what I had found. Security was nonplussed in their opinion the money was mine to keep. They had absolutely no way to tell whose locker that was and as a result whose money it was. They were able to tell me that the bank on lockers it was in hasn’t been used in years and they were surprised it had not been cleared out. After some back and forth with the local police department it was decided that I was $20,000. richer.

As we drove home I offered my amazing sister half the money. Being the amazing woman she is, she told me to keep it. She knew how much I really needed it and she really did not. After paying for her gas and buying us sundaes and fries at a local fast food drive through she announced I had paid my evenings debt to her. She hugged me as she dropped me at home and drove away.

It may not be enough to make me rich but that afternoon's find was enough to give me a good night's sleep knowing my vehicle and some other financial hurdles would be cleared. And that really was enough for me.