El boleto de lotería

Every week, Luis buys a lottery ticket at the store in his neighborhood. He always chooses the same numbers: his birthday, his daughter’s age, and his house number.

Today he goes into the store after work. He says hello to Marta, the shop assistant, and puts a coin on the counter.

“One ticket, please.”

Marta looks at the machine and presses a button. The screen goes dark.

“I’m sorry, Luis. The machine isn’t working.”

Luis looks at his watch. The drawing is tonight, and the store closes in ten minutes.

“Can you fix it?” he asks.

Marta opens a small door on the machine and sees many wires. She doesn’t know what to do. Luis waits by the counter. Then he looks at the store door and thinks about the stationery shop on the next street. Maybe he can still buy his ticket there.

Marta looks up and asks him:

“Do you want to wait with me, or would you rather go now?”

Luis looks at his watch and decides to wait a little longer.

“Five minutes,” he says. “Then I’ll go to the stationery shop.”

Marta looks at the wires again. She finds one that is loose and connects it again. The screen lights up. Luis smiles.

“It’s working now!”

Marta presses a button, but the machine makes a strange noise and stops.

“Now it needs paper,” she says.

Luis checks the time. There are only four minutes left before the store closes.

“Do you have more paper?” he asks.

Marta opens a drawer and looks for a small box. She finds some coins, a pen, and many bills, but she doesn’t find the paper.

“I think there’s another roll in the storeroom.”

Marta goes to the storeroom door. Luis hears her footsteps. The store is almost empty, and the clock keeps moving forward. Then Marta comes back with a box in her hands, but she isn’t sure it’s the right one.

Marta opens the box and smiles.

“Yes, it’s the right paper.”

She puts the roll in the machine. Luis looks at his watch: there are only two minutes left. Marta closes the small door and presses the button. This time, the machine works. The paper comes out slowly, with a soft sound.

“Your ticket!” Marta says.

Luis takes it and checks the numbers. They are the same as always: his birthday, his daughter’s age, and his house number.

“Perfect,” he says. “Thank you very much.”

Marta checks the time and starts closing the store. Luis carefully puts the ticket in his wallet.

“I almost didn’t get my ticket today,” he says.

“But you waited,” Marta replies. “Sometimes five minutes can be important.”

Luis laughs and says goodbye. It is already night outside. He walks home calmly. He doesn’t know if he will win, but he has his ticket for tonight’s drawing.