It's a Not Very Big World After All

Isn't that a catchy title? Somebody could write a song about that, and maybe market it to theme parks to play during a ride...

That's not as good as Season 5, Episode 4 of The Middle, though. It was their 100th episode, and the fictional town of Orson had a celebration which included Ron Cougar Mellencamp, singing "I Was Born in a Teeny Place."

Anyhoo...Wednesday, Hick drove us to the city to cash in my $1000 scratcher at the lottery office. It's in a really out-of-the-way place. Like an industrial park. As I was getting out of A-Cad, putting on my jacket, and grabbing the folder with my precious and the claim forms, Hick said,

"I know that guy."

"What guy?"

"Behind us. Getting out of that car parked in front. Hey, bud!"

Yes. Of course we drove 90 minutes, to an out-of-the-way place, for Hick to know one of the only two people there! This guy lives in Sis-Town. A couple of blocks from Sis, herself. He had just cashed in HIS $1000 winner (what was my theory about winners not being random at all, but hitting in clusters around the state every month), and was going back inside for their bathroom. They have really clean bathrooms at the lottery office.

Anyhoo...after lotterying, we went casinoing. Not on the same money, of course! More on that adventure another time. Because I must tell you what happened when we went Goodwilling.

We'd driven about halfway home when Hick hit the exit ramp. It was pretty clogged up, for then being just after 3:00. The city rush should not have been this far south yet.

"Wow! Who knew there would be so many people out today, cashing in their $1000 lottery ticket, stopping by the casino, and heading to Goodwill!"

"Yeah. Seems to be a lot of them." Said Hick, for once getting a joke.

He turned into the mini mall with the Goodwill, turned up a parking aisle, passed a couple empty spaces, and parked.

"Huh. Will you look at THAT! What are the odds?"

It was a van from the company Hick USED TO work for, BEFORE he was lured away to start a competitor from scratch, with just an office manager and president. Where he just retired from a couple years ago, having made quite a business out of it, from the ground up, taking an empty facility and wiring it and filling it with machines that also make saw blades for butchers.

"Heh, heh! I wonder if I'll see anybody inside Goodwill that I know."

Turns out, he did not. I saw a dude get into that van. Open up a snack bag of some kind. Take a couple bites, and drive off. Hick was disappointed. But conceded that maybe the driver had been in the grocery store next door, and not the Goodwill.

Yes, it's a not very big world after all.