"No one ever wins them."
"What a waste of time!"
"You'll spend more money on stamps than any of the junk you may win from them."
My Dad heard of all of these statements of wisdom lots of times, but he was convinced that someone would in fact win. He also knew someone would be him.
It was a Sunday like any other. We woke up early, went to church, went out to breakfast as a family. Nothing was different. Nothing except my Dad smiling. He wasn't a big smiler. Maybe he had a good night's sleep. Maybe he was excited about a basketball game that would be on later that afternoon. Maybe he was thinking about his breakfast order. Two eggs over easy, well done potatoes, sausage patties, and Greek toast. (It was the same every week.) It couldn't be anything out of the ordinary. Or could it?
Table for four.
We sat down and my Dad pulled out a newspaper with that smile still on his face. He didn't usually bring a newspaper to breakfast, but maybe he wasn't feeling overly social. That was possible too. At this point my mom was also smiling. Something was definitely up.
TJ was the first to ask. "What's up with you two?"
Dad passed him the paper. I leaned over to see what was on the page.
The Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Blackhawks would like to congratulate Tom Hull of Brookfield, Illinois
Our Grand Prize Winner
He wins:
1999 Chevy Blazer
A Personalized Chicago Blackhawks Jersey
Tickets for 2 for the 1999-2000 Chicago Blackhawks Season
"And I was only trying for tickets to a Hawks game..."
Months later, my lucky father and our whole family went to the Blackhawks game. He was invited down to to center ice and was presented with the SUV. The goofy smile never left his face as he was driven off the ice in his brand new car.
(My Dad and Mom at center ice. Dad is in the red jersey)
Great slice! At the beginning, it seem like he would be winning something. But, I didn't think real people actually won things! So cool!
ReplyDeleteHe won lots of stuff. Mostly alarm clocks, bags, and silly things. This was his big win and he was definitely proud of it!
DeleteThat is awesome!! Loved how you built suspense until the very end!
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty awesome. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteWell, as they say, "you can't win if you don't play"...
ReplyDeleteHe knew his lucky ticket was coming someday!
Great story.
Very true! I always hope that his luck will rub off on me a bit. Still waiting. Thanks for the comment. :)
DeleteGreat story. I am a skeptic and would certainly have been one of people saying "No one ever wins them."
ReplyDelete"What a waste of time!"
That's all he heard from us. After he won though, we changed our tune.
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