Take a ch-ch-ch chance
Agnes looked at the front page of the Press in her Taurus, while she was waiting for her taquito from Whataburger.
"Despite it all," she thought "I got to admit that Lynndie England is really a nice looking girl."
She turned to page two, paid the girl and got her bag and got out of the parking lot and onto the freeway to work.
"Nothing going to ruin my day. It's going to be the best birthday ever for me."
She changed the radio station to the soft rock station (Her son joked that music was meant for the last ten minutes of your life.) from that crap Bobby had on when went to the grocery last night.
After the 7:30 news update they gave the birthday wishes and she heard ?Happy forty-something to Agnes. ?
Then her cell rang.
"THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY."
"WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"
"I'M GLAD IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY."
"I'M GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME."
"Happy birthday, Mom."
Agnes turned into the parking garage.
"I hope that not the only gift you got me."
"No, we're going to Ruth Chris and chow down on some cow."
"Bobby, having your friends Ruth and Chris serve me a Whopper would have been funny a couple of years ago. Do you know how much that place costs?" Agnes had processed enough expense reports to know the whole menu without ever seeing it.
"No, you're buying."
"Thanks, big spender." and she hung up on him.
As she got ready to get out of the car, she noticed the taquito had fell out of the bag and the grease was seeping into the newspaper.
Before her normal gloom caught up to her, she started singing "Take a ch-ch-ch-chance , Birthday."
Before she reached her cube, she was asked by Paula the receptionist where she wanted to go for lunch.
"Leo's"
Paula wrinkled her nose.
"Too bad," Agnes thought "I like my enchiladas on the greasy side."
When she reached her desk, she saw that the obligatory department birthday card was on her chair. While she opened it and she hit the message light on the phone to see which vendors wanted some money from the company.
After punching her password in (24824 or BITCH) the detached voice droned "One message 7:58 a.m. today"
"Mom, call me back. I'll tell ya why you're buying."
Agnes settled in her chair and hit the speed dial #2 and Bobby picked up on the first ring.
"Why did you hang up?"
"The cell cuts out sometimes when I get in the garage."
"Well, are you sitting down?"
"Yeah."
"I bought your lucky cash 5 numbers last night. And they came up."
Agnes tried to lower her voice and said, "All 5?"
"Yep."
"You got the ticket?"
"No, I stuck in your little old lady change purse."
"Happy Birthday, Agnes." It was Robertson, the Sales VP.
"Thank you," she said as she was digging in her purse.
"Seen my expense report?"
"What?"
"Have you put in my expense report for payment?"
"No, are you sure your Boss has approved it?
"Mom?"
"Call you right back."
"I don't know," the VP answered.
"I gotta get to work. See you this afternoon."
"Bobby, I love you."
"I love you too." Click.
"Well, happy birthday Agnes."
"Thanks. Sorry I couldn't help you."
Agnes looked at the taquito.
"Rosie, you want a taquito?"
"What kind?"
"Since when does that matter?"
"Yeah, thanks birthday girl."
As she lifted the breakfast taco from the newspaper she peered into the grease spot.
CASH FIVE ( May 21) 2-4-6-8-10
She stood up and leaned over into Rosario's cubical and dropped the food on her co-worker's desk.
"I'll be right back."
"Okay, thanks again."
Before Agnes made it to bathroom , she endured two birthday wishes, one back handed compliment from the boss?s daughter (I hope I look that good when I?m 46.) and the traditional birthday grope from Harold from Engineering.
As she closed the stall door, she wondered if Harry was getting better at his hug or was it the thirty grand ticket in the bag she held?
Or it could it be even closer to fifty?
She had a feeling that something was going to happen. And then it did. Last night?s dinner of Hungry Jack Casserole splashed beneath her.
She just giggled for about few seconds then cleaned herself up and opened the purse and pulled out the folded piece of paper.
2-4-6-8-10 Even numbers. She folded the ticket and placed back it in the purse.
As she washed her hands, she remembered her affirmation from the parking lot.
"Nothing going to ruin my day. It's going to be the best birthday ever for me."
The rest of the birthday went well. No hassles with the vendors or the computer system . Leo?s enchiladas verde were fantastic and the sweet lady in the kitchen who has worked with Leo since day one brought her a large slice of tres leches. Robertson?s expense report showed up at the end of the day unapproved. Walked it back to his boss?s inbox and emailed the Controller to cover her 44 year old butt. And telling not a soul about her wonderful good fortune. Bobby walked into her office at 4:30.
?Hello, Mom. Ready to go??
?Yeah. Rosie, I?m leaving. This young man is going to take me out for my birthday.?
?Roberto, treat her nice okay. ?
?I am not going to ruin the Queen?s day.?
?Bye?
?Adios?
?See you tomorrow.?
They got in the elevator by themselves.
?Can we make it to the lottery office? ?
?They close at five. Cut through the park and go up North Hoover.?
?Then what??
?Go down the feeder to the 2525 building.?
As Bill the security guy waved them into traffic, Bobby asked, ?Well what are you going to do??
?I have hundreds of ideas running in my head.?
?Well, Dad must be smiling down at us today.?
After a moment, Agnes replied, ?Today is the first day I haven?t thought about him.?
Not another word was said as they reached the building at 4:55.
Fortunately the state office was on the first floor and they made it in just as the supervisor was to lock the front door.
Agnes dug out her purse out of her handbag and handed her the ticket and her ID..
The clerk ran the ticket in the machine to verify. She took the small slip of paper that the machine spit out, walked over to another machine fed the slip of paper into it and a laser printer whirled out of a 8x11 piece of paper.
The clerk slid the check and ID back under the glass.
?Have a good evening.?
?Wait. This for $459.00 ?
?That?s right. ?
?NO. THAT?S NOT RIGHT!?
The clerk passed under the glass a small piece of paper. Agnes recognized it immediately. It was the slip the lottery dispenser prints to show the winning numbers of the game and how many people won each of the prizes.
The top part of the paper read
CASH FIVE
MAY 21, 2004
2-4-6-8-10
5 OF 5 88 WINS PAYS $459.00
?Mom??
?Let?s go kill a cow ."
Agnes looked at the front page of the Press in her Taurus, while she was waiting for her taquito from Whataburger.
"Despite it all," she thought "I got to admit that Lynndie England is really a nice looking girl."
She turned to page two, paid the girl and got her bag and got out of the parking lot and onto the freeway to work.
"Nothing going to ruin my day. It's going to be the best birthday ever for me."
She changed the radio station to the soft rock station (Her son joked that music was meant for the last ten minutes of your life.) from that crap Bobby had on when went to the grocery last night.
After the 7:30 news update they gave the birthday wishes and she heard ?Happy forty-something to Agnes. ?
Then her cell rang.
"THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY."
"WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"
"I'M GLAD IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY."
"I'M GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME."
"Happy birthday, Mom."
Agnes turned into the parking garage.
"I hope that not the only gift you got me."
"No, we're going to Ruth Chris and chow down on some cow."
"Bobby, having your friends Ruth and Chris serve me a Whopper would have been funny a couple of years ago. Do you know how much that place costs?" Agnes had processed enough expense reports to know the whole menu without ever seeing it.
"No, you're buying."
"Thanks, big spender." and she hung up on him.
As she got ready to get out of the car, she noticed the taquito had fell out of the bag and the grease was seeping into the newspaper.
Before her normal gloom caught up to her, she started singing "Take a ch-ch-ch-chance , Birthday."
Before she reached her cube, she was asked by Paula the receptionist where she wanted to go for lunch.
"Leo's"
Paula wrinkled her nose.
"Too bad," Agnes thought "I like my enchiladas on the greasy side."
When she reached her desk, she saw that the obligatory department birthday card was on her chair. While she opened it and she hit the message light on the phone to see which vendors wanted some money from the company.
After punching her password in (24824 or BITCH) the detached voice droned "One message 7:58 a.m. today"
"Mom, call me back. I'll tell ya why you're buying."
Agnes settled in her chair and hit the speed dial #2 and Bobby picked up on the first ring.
"Why did you hang up?"
"The cell cuts out sometimes when I get in the garage."
"Well, are you sitting down?"
"Yeah."
"I bought your lucky cash 5 numbers last night. And they came up."
Agnes tried to lower her voice and said, "All 5?"
"Yep."
"You got the ticket?"
"No, I stuck in your little old lady change purse."
"Happy Birthday, Agnes." It was Robertson, the Sales VP.
"Thank you," she said as she was digging in her purse.
"Seen my expense report?"
"What?"
"Have you put in my expense report for payment?"
"No, are you sure your Boss has approved it?
"Mom?"
"Call you right back."
"I don't know," the VP answered.
"I gotta get to work. See you this afternoon."
"Bobby, I love you."
"I love you too." Click.
"Well, happy birthday Agnes."
"Thanks. Sorry I couldn't help you."
Agnes looked at the taquito.
"Rosie, you want a taquito?"
"What kind?"
"Since when does that matter?"
"Yeah, thanks birthday girl."
As she lifted the breakfast taco from the newspaper she peered into the grease spot.
CASH FIVE ( May 21) 2-4-6-8-10
She stood up and leaned over into Rosario's cubical and dropped the food on her co-worker's desk.
"I'll be right back."
"Okay, thanks again."
Before Agnes made it to bathroom , she endured two birthday wishes, one back handed compliment from the boss?s daughter (I hope I look that good when I?m 46.) and the traditional birthday grope from Harold from Engineering.
As she closed the stall door, she wondered if Harry was getting better at his hug or was it the thirty grand ticket in the bag she held?
Or it could it be even closer to fifty?
She had a feeling that something was going to happen. And then it did. Last night?s dinner of Hungry Jack Casserole splashed beneath her.
She just giggled for about few seconds then cleaned herself up and opened the purse and pulled out the folded piece of paper.
2-4-6-8-10 Even numbers. She folded the ticket and placed back it in the purse.
As she washed her hands, she remembered her affirmation from the parking lot.
"Nothing going to ruin my day. It's going to be the best birthday ever for me."
The rest of the birthday went well. No hassles with the vendors or the computer system . Leo?s enchiladas verde were fantastic and the sweet lady in the kitchen who has worked with Leo since day one brought her a large slice of tres leches. Robertson?s expense report showed up at the end of the day unapproved. Walked it back to his boss?s inbox and emailed the Controller to cover her 44 year old butt. And telling not a soul about her wonderful good fortune. Bobby walked into her office at 4:30.
?Hello, Mom. Ready to go??
?Yeah. Rosie, I?m leaving. This young man is going to take me out for my birthday.?
?Roberto, treat her nice okay. ?
?I am not going to ruin the Queen?s day.?
?Bye?
?Adios?
?See you tomorrow.?
They got in the elevator by themselves.
?Can we make it to the lottery office? ?
?They close at five. Cut through the park and go up North Hoover.?
?Then what??
?Go down the feeder to the 2525 building.?
As Bill the security guy waved them into traffic, Bobby asked, ?Well what are you going to do??
?I have hundreds of ideas running in my head.?
?Well, Dad must be smiling down at us today.?
After a moment, Agnes replied, ?Today is the first day I haven?t thought about him.?
Not another word was said as they reached the building at 4:55.
Fortunately the state office was on the first floor and they made it in just as the supervisor was to lock the front door.
Agnes dug out her purse out of her handbag and handed her the ticket and her ID..
The clerk ran the ticket in the machine to verify. She took the small slip of paper that the machine spit out, walked over to another machine fed the slip of paper into it and a laser printer whirled out of a 8x11 piece of paper.
The clerk slid the check and ID back under the glass.
?Have a good evening.?
?Wait. This for $459.00 ?
?That?s right. ?
?NO. THAT?S NOT RIGHT!?
The clerk passed under the glass a small piece of paper. Agnes recognized it immediately. It was the slip the lottery dispenser prints to show the winning numbers of the game and how many people won each of the prizes.
The top part of the paper read
CASH FIVE
MAY 21, 2004
2-4-6-8-10
5 OF 5 88 WINS PAYS $459.00
?Mom??
?Let?s go kill a cow ."
