A Good Run

Val has been on a winning streak with her scratchers. On Thursday, I bought my regular two $5 crosswords at the Gas Station Chicken Store. I was happy with the results:

That's a $100 winner. I had six words, and the "double" symbol of the money bag was in one. It's the top puzzle. I had across words of: RED, ACE, SORRY. And down words of: BOARD, BUS, and SOY. The last of which contained the "money bag" symbol to double the win.

I was quite happy with that ticket, and thrilled to take it back to the Gas Station Chicken Store on Friday, to show my favorite cashier, and redeem it. But NO! She wasn't there! She was bitten while breaking up a dogfight. But the Woman Owner was behind the counter. So I handed her the ticket, telling her it was a $100 winner. 

Well. Woman Owner refused to take the ticket!

"I'm sorry. Our lottery system is down. We can't check any tickets to cash them in. We've called for support, and apparently all the workers are at a convention right now! I'm sorry that we can't cash in your ticket."

"Oh. Well. It will cash in tomorrow same as it would today. I didn't bring in my money. But I still want to buy tickets. I'll go out to my car and be right back."

Thankfully, nobody was in line to buy tickets. Nobody was in line for anything. I caught them at a lull. I returned with my money, and bought my crosswords, and a $10 ticket that I had planned to squander my winnings on. I was dismayed that the $10 ticket shot right out into Woman Owner's hand. Obviously, the last ticket on the roll. I had gambled on it being in a new roll. They had two different rolls of the same ticket, but I had decided before I left home that this was the roll I wanted.

Good thing I stuck with my plan! That's a $200 winner! I first thought it was nothing, when I didn't match any numbers. Then I scratched off the bonus symbols up top, and was rewarded on the last one:

Yep! $200 on a $10 ticket. I can't complain. Then the next day, I won $100 on a $3 ticket. A winning streak is always nice. But it doesn't last forever.