The Windfall Read Free

hissed, her eyes straying to the office where the manager sat. “You were banned from the store, remember? If he finds you in here, he will call the cops and then you will be in a world of trouble. You and that idiot next to you.”
    I looked over at Felix and he held his hands up, walking away from the counter to the door. “I understand, but I needed coffee for Mom and you are the closest store. Just ring me up, Sarah. That’s all I’m asking.”
    “Hey, what’s the holdup?” the old man asked behind me, invading any personal space I would have had otherwise. “Come on, buddy, time’s a ticking. I’m ready to win!” The line cheered behind him as I turned back to Sarah, pointing to the coffee. “Just please ring me up so I can go.”
    “You got to take the ticket as well,” she argued, shoving the piece of paper at me again. “I’ve already printed it, and I can’t take it back. You gotta buy it, Cooper.”
    “I’ll take it if it means I can get one before the damn clock runs out!” the old man shouted, causing the manager to look up from the TV. “Get out of the way so we can get ours, sonny! Time’s a wasting, and we ain’t getting any younger back here.” Great. Not the in and out I was hoping for.
    Extracting the entire wad of money I had brought with me, I threw it on the counter and grabbed both the coffee and the ticket, giving her a look of displeasure. “Fine. You just made me waste two bucks for nothing.”
    Sarah rolled her eyes and looked to the next customer as I moved out of the way, shoving the piece of paper into my pocket angrily. She had just cost me lunch tomorrow. Now, I would have to make sure I packed an apple or something so I wouldn’t be hungry all day.
    I stepped out of the store and found Felix lounging against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “Dude, that was close. She nearly turned us in. Oh, and that old man, too. If he’d made any more racket, we would have been nailed to the wall by that manager.”
    “Yeah,” I said, tucking the coffee under my arm once again. “I’ve got to get this back home before Mom goes to work. I’ll see ya later.”
    “I’m out,” Felix said, flashing some weird sign with his fingers before walking away. I just shook my head, thinking of the money had I just been forced to waste as I made my way back to the apartment. I should have gone downtown instead of taking the easy way out. At least, I would be two bucks out on a bus ticket and not a worthless piece of paper. Most people would say it was just two bucks, but two bucks was the difference between the rent being paid and us being forced out on the street. It was the difference between lights or sitting in the dark. Eating or being hungry. Two bucks was the world when you were on a tight budget.
    * * * * *
    I made it back to the apartment building without incident and climbed the three flights of stairs, my stomach still churning about the lotto ticket. I hated the fact that I hadn’t pushed back and refused to take it, but my current issues with the manager had prevented me from making a big scene. I supposed two bucks was easier to afford than going to jail.
    Pushing open the door, I heard my mom talking to someone in the other room, her voice happy as she chatted on. There was only one person who would make her that happy. Placing the coffee in the kitchen, I peeked around the corner to find her leaning up against the faded wallpapered wall, a smile on her face. “Oh, he just walked in! Let me put you on speakerphone so you can tell him as well.”
    She pressed the button, and I grinned. “Hey, Aunt Sophie.”
    “Hi, Cooper, my boy. You sound so old on the phone. I’m sure you have just shot up like a root.” My Aunt Sophie was my mother’s only sibling, five years younger and full of spunk. Instead of getting married straight out of school like my mom had, Aunt Sophie had gone on to college and gotten her degree in history before meeting a local business