The Lucky Ticket

Sal knew the truth.

It had been six years since Vince had bought a lottery ticket. The last time he did, it was half the price he would pay today. But the jackpot at $758 million was just too irresistible even for a skeptic like Vince. He didn’t buy one every week or even every year, just once every half decade.

Vince walked up to the counter at the gas station and asked for the SuperDuperLotto, just one, no extras. He had heard that phrase a few times over the years and he finally got a chance to say it himself. He paid for the ticket, looked it over, and said, “Oh, this is definitely a winner. I can just feel it in my bones!”

The attendant, Sal, held up a finger, pulled out a small notebook near the cash register and made a tick mark on a page already filled with tick marks.

Sal said, “You are number…17 to say that today. Three have said, ‘You’ll never see me again, so it’s been good knowing ya’ and two told me they’ll give me 1% of the winnings.”

Sal closed the notebook, cleared his throat, and said, “See you next time, my friend.”