Luck

Being a little superstitious, rather than buying the lottery ticket at a corner store, not far from Tammy's place, Gerald decided to walk all the way down 5th Avenue to 66th Street, to his favorite Deli. When he reached the place it was already 7PM. With a $600 million dollars -- this week's winning prize, a line formed in front of the register. A large banner carrying the Lottery slogan, 'Hey, you never know,' hung on the wall behind the attendant. Ten minutes later Gerald was holding a Power-ball ticket in his hand.

He had never been so excited in his life. “This is it!” he called aloud, pulling unintended attention to himself. “This is the winning ticket!”

The Deli cashier smiled. He must have heard ticket buyers say that same line a thousand times, but for Gerald it felt like a slip of his tongue. The information about him winning should have been kept a secret.

He should not have announced it aloud. Looking around nervously he noticed a young man, dressed like a punk, standing in line and staring at him with interest. Gerald felt anxious. He folded the ticket and shoved it into his pocket. Exiting the store, Gerald intended to walk across Central Park to his apartment on the Upper West Side. It stopped raining some time before and the air felt fresh even if damp. Walking into Central Park, Gerald heard someone shouting from far behind, “Hey you!” Being a trained New Yorker, Gerald ignored the call. The shouting persisted, “Yes, you, the would-be winner of the Power-ball drawing!” Gerald felt his heart sink, his stomach contracting in horror. He half turned and recognized from afar the young man who stared at him just a short while ago. “He is after my ticket,” thought Gerald. “But the I-Ching had nothing of this sort predicted. My luck was so favorable. How can it be?”

The man was approaching Gerald quickly. Newspapers headlines of past years, about Central Park murders, flashed in Gerald's dazed mind. A moment later he started running.

Tammy wasn't home and it seemed her mobile phone was off. Gerald felt nauseated. First Tammy is being laid off, then this whole ordeal with the chase, and now Tammy is gone even though she was supposed to be home. Where was his luck? He needed to breathe fresh air. Opening the lobby door, Gerald got back out to the street. The cold felt good. He took a deep breath and turned to watch the East River, his mind entangled and distracted. A taxi was approaching the curbside by Tammy's building but Gerald didn't notice. While the passenger was paying the cabby, suddenly someone tapped Gerald’s shoulder from behind. Gerald turned in a start and found himself facing the young guy from the Deli.

From the corner of his eye Gerald saw Tammy exiting the taxi. “Oh my God,” he thought, “he is going to kill me. Tammy will intervene and he will kill her too!” Gerald quickly dipped his hand into his pocket, pulling a piece of paper and handed it to the guy. “Please,” he begged, “here, take it, it's yours. I don't want it.” By that time Tammy joined them, a puzzled look over her face. “Please take it,” continued Gerald, “just don't hurt us, please.” “What is going on?” asked Tammy looking at Gerald and then at the guy.

“Don't ask me,” said the man, “this guy is crazy. He dropped his lottery ticket at the Deli. I tried giving it back to him but he run away. I felt bad for him since he was so convinced it’s the winning ticket that I ran after him, but let me tell you – he sure can run...”

Gerald looked at the man with total incomprehension.

“I already gave up,” added the good samaritan, “and was heading home - I happen to live not far from here, when I noticed this loco by chance,” and then, turning to Gerald, he pulled a lottery ticket from his inner jacket pocket and handed it over. “Good luck,” he muttered as he turned to leave, “looks like you really need some...”

Gerald stared at the ticket in a state of shock. He then looked at the piece of paper he was about to hand over to the guy. It was a washed-out shopping list left in his pocket from some days before. By the time realization settled in, the young man was about to turn the corner.

“Thanks man! Really, I am so sorry, thank you so much!” Gerald shouted.

The guy, without turning, lifted a hand in acknowledgment and disappeared. Tammy wrapped her arm around Gerald and walked him to a bench overlooking the East River. © 2013 Ronen Divon, All Rights Reserved.