There is nothing more stressful then unspoken pressure from a perfect stranger. Take for instance, going to your bank ATM. I feel there is an unstated rule that if you are in line, you remain a respectable distance from the person conducting their transaction in front of you. If you are close enough for me to hear you breathing, you’re too close. No sighing, no foot shuffling, and definitely no licking of lips. I should not hear any bodily noises from you while I’m managing my money.
Don’t get me started on Redbox movie rentals. Most of the time, I have an idea on what I want to rent but occasionally check to see if there is anything I could waste my time watching. The worst is when I’m scrolling through and someone walks up behind me. Panic sets in. (If you follow my blog, you probably realize by now, panicking is sort of a go-to reaction in most situations.) It’s during these moments I make one of two choices. I give up all together and let the person behind me take over or I make a quick decision and end up regretting it later.
Hence the reason I came home one day with Smurfs: The Lost Village.
I found myself in a similar situation today, only in this case, it cost me money. These days’ retailers make gambling easier on the average consumer. Grocery stores now have machines that take cash and eject lotto scratchers like candy. So when the credit card offered me cash back after buying my groceries I made the executive decision to get $20 and drop it into to the lotto machine on my way out. Basically, I was feeling bored and thought winning $10,000 would change that.
Half way through my selection, a stranger walked up behind me and started to show her impatience with her body language. Since I was in a squatting position in front of the machine clicking and collecting each card, I hit the button and a CROSSWORD scratcher came out. At first, I thought the machine had given me a free card and I was giddy. Then I realized I’d somehow hit the wrong button under pressure because the annoying lady behind me was sighing and pushing her grocery cart closer and closer to my head. What’s your rush lady?
I’ve never been good with crosswords so that selection couldn’t have been worse. Now, I have to actually “work” if I want to win. Ugh! In addition, the price of the crossword left me with only a dollar to spend and I was clueless about $1 lottery tickets. The pushy pants behind me had just extended her wait. Served her right.
The machine clearly states no refunds so I was stuck with $6 in lotto cards I didn’t want in the first place. As far as I’m concerned she owes me six bucks. I played the $1 Lucky 7 and won nothing.
Maybe one of my prized BINGO cards will redeem my loss and if I can ever understand the directions on the Crossword card, maybe I’ll end up with whatever jackpot it offers. On top of that, if I do win I would actually have this annoying woman to thank. Either way, this is not a win-win situation for me.
The moral of the story: Don’t gamble.
Curious if I win money on the Crossword scratcher? Leave a comment and I’ll let you know.
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