White Trash Tuesday- Chapter Sixty-Six
Carrie was at the convenience store checking the last
of her free tickets. June had made her promise not to
purchase any more. There was a beaming girl in frong ot her
in line.
“Today’s my eighteenth birthday,” she told the store
clerk. She showed him her driver’s licence. “See?”
“So, you want to buy lottery tickets?” the store clerk
said, bored.
“Yes, I’ll get some scratch tickets” she said. “Which
ones should I play?”
“I don’t know,” the store clerk said.
“Well, which ones would you play?”
“None of them.”
“But if you were to play, which one would you pick?”
“Cash for life.”
“Okay. I’ll take two of those, a crossword, and a
bingo,” she said. The clerk took the tickets out from under
the glass for her. She pulled out a bingo ticket, a
crossword ticket, and a cash for life ticket. “Pick another
cash for life for me,” she told the store clerk. He picked
one and gave it to her. She paid for them and then took
them over to the lottery table in the corner of the store to
scratch them.
Carrie stepped up to the counter and handed her tickets
over. The store clerk checked each one, but she did not win
anything, not even another free ticket.
“Thank you,” Carrie said as she turned to leave.
“Oh my god!” the eighteen year old girl shrieked. “I
won!”
“What’d you win?” Carrie said. “Three bucks?”
“No, cash for life!”
“Let me see that,” Carrie said. She walked over and
looked at the ticket. The word “life” appeared three times
in the same box.
“What the fuck?” Carrie yelled. Everyone in the store
was looking at her. The girl’s giddy smiles had stopped.
“I’ve spent so much time and money on fucking lottery
tickets, and you buy your first ticket ever and you just
fucking win cash for life?”
“Um, beginner’s luck?” the girl said timidly.
“Fuck beginner’s luck!” Carrie shouted, her face
drenched with tears. “Where was my beginner’s luck?” She
saw the stricken look at the girl’s face and realized what
she was doing.
“I’m sorry,” she said to the girl. “I’m sorry,” she
said to the other customers. She walked back to the
counter. “I’ll take two cash for life,” she said to the
store clerk. He silently took the scratch tickets out for
her. She picked one. “You pick the other one,” she told
him. He did. She put her hand into her pocket and pulled
out a pile of quarters, dimes and nickels. She slowly
counted out eight dollars and pushed it accross the counter,
putting the rest back into her pocket. The store clerk
recounted it and put it in his cash drawer.
“Have a nice day,” he said to Carrie.
“Thanks, you too,” she said.
When Carrie got home she told June what had happened.
“So I bought two cash for lifes,” she said.
“Why?” June said. “Do you really think that there will
be two winning cash for life tickets in the same store on
the same day?”
“Dammit!” Carrie said. “I didn’t think about that.”
of her free tickets. June had made her promise not to
purchase any more. There was a beaming girl in frong ot her
in line.
“Today’s my eighteenth birthday,” she told the store
clerk. She showed him her driver’s licence. “See?”
“So, you want to buy lottery tickets?” the store clerk
said, bored.
“Yes, I’ll get some scratch tickets” she said. “Which
ones should I play?”
“I don’t know,” the store clerk said.
“Well, which ones would you play?”
“None of them.”
“But if you were to play, which one would you pick?”
“Cash for life.”
“Okay. I’ll take two of those, a crossword, and a
bingo,” she said. The clerk took the tickets out from under
the glass for her. She pulled out a bingo ticket, a
crossword ticket, and a cash for life ticket. “Pick another
cash for life for me,” she told the store clerk. He picked
one and gave it to her. She paid for them and then took
them over to the lottery table in the corner of the store to
scratch them.
Carrie stepped up to the counter and handed her tickets
over. The store clerk checked each one, but she did not win
anything, not even another free ticket.
“Thank you,” Carrie said as she turned to leave.
“Oh my god!” the eighteen year old girl shrieked. “I
won!”
“What’d you win?” Carrie said. “Three bucks?”
“No, cash for life!”
“Let me see that,” Carrie said. She walked over and
looked at the ticket. The word “life” appeared three times
in the same box.
“What the fuck?” Carrie yelled. Everyone in the store
was looking at her. The girl’s giddy smiles had stopped.
“I’ve spent so much time and money on fucking lottery
tickets, and you buy your first ticket ever and you just
fucking win cash for life?”
“Um, beginner’s luck?” the girl said timidly.
“Fuck beginner’s luck!” Carrie shouted, her face
drenched with tears. “Where was my beginner’s luck?” She
saw the stricken look at the girl’s face and realized what
she was doing.
“I’m sorry,” she said to the girl. “I’m sorry,” she
said to the other customers. She walked back to the
counter. “I’ll take two cash for life,” she said to the
store clerk. He silently took the scratch tickets out for
her. She picked one. “You pick the other one,” she told
him. He did. She put her hand into her pocket and pulled
out a pile of quarters, dimes and nickels. She slowly
counted out eight dollars and pushed it accross the counter,
putting the rest back into her pocket. The store clerk
recounted it and put it in his cash drawer.
“Have a nice day,” he said to Carrie.
“Thanks, you too,” she said.
When Carrie got home she told June what had happened.
“So I bought two cash for lifes,” she said.
“Why?” June said. “Do you really think that there will
be two winning cash for life tickets in the same store on
the same day?”
“Dammit!” Carrie said. “I didn’t think about that.”