2934. Just in case © Bruce Goodman 14 December 2023

Ernst had taken the same numbers in the lottery every week for over nine years. Tricia his wife had said to imagine how much money he would have saved if he’d put the weekly fifteen dollars aside all those years. The arithmetic is easy; 15 x 52 x 9 = $7,020. The most he had ever won was eighteen dollars. Ernst thought about it and decided to give up taking a weekly lottery ticket. He wouldn’t put the money saved aside; he’d simply not spend the cash. The next time the lottery was drawn on television was unbearable. He couldn’t watch it. What if the numbers came up? He left the room and told Tricia to call him once the drawing was over. “And don’t tell me the numbers when I return.” It was like being weaned, or like withdrawing from an addiction. In fact, it was an addiction. The desire to check the numbers intensified as the hours passed. He couldn’t bear it any longer. He peeked. His numbers came up. Ernst was devastated. This was almost grounds for divorce. Tricia had gone strangely quiet. There was no nagging now about wasted money. This was a disaster. “I have a confession to make,” said Tricia. “I couldn’t bear the thought of the numbers coming up, so I bought a ticket secretly, using the numbers.” The next morning, once he’d sobered up a bit, Ernst went out and bought a lottery ticket. Just in case. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story