Best $5 I ever spent

I woke up this morning, slightly hung over. Yes, I know I shouldn’t drink during the week and try to function at 100% the next day at work, but things just sort of fell into place last night, and I had a couple.

Ever notice how it takes a headache and a rolling stomach to make you re-think what you thought was a good idea at the time? I swore this morning I was never going to drink again. I was not worshipping-at-the-porcelain-alter drunk or even hung over, but at my age, a headache and a rolling stomach are enough to make you swear off the drinks for a while.

After a shower, getting dressed, gingerly eating two pieces of toast and guzzling what seemed like a gallon of ice water, I was starting to feel a little closer to human again, and decided I was capable of facing this day, if I could just find some aspirin to stop the pounding in my head.

I got in the car to come to work only to see that the gas gage is sitting on E. Not just sitting on E, it appears to be glaring at me. Great. Now I’ve got to stop and put gas in the car on my way to work. Hope they have aspirin at the gas station. Yes, I know I will pay through the nose for them, but I will gladly part with any amount of money to make the drum line in my head go away.

I grabbed a $20 from my purse, put $10 gas in the tank, and decided while I was paying for it, “What the hell, give me one of those $5 lottery tickets” (aspirin completely flew the coop, didn’t even look for them). Got in the car and came into work. Sat down at my desk, scratched the ticket and got to looking and said 'I think I won!' I think I just won $20. No, wait, did I? Oh my God, I think it's $50! No, it's bigger than $50, could it be $75? Holy shit, check this out I think I just won $100!!!! I never win anything bigger than $10 in a scratcher ticket. No way, Maybe I’m reading this wrong.' So, I had 3 other people check it out and they agreed, they all thought I'd won $100 too, so my boss told me 'Run up the road to the gas station and have them check it out!' Sure as shit, I had just won $100! And they paid it out right there on the spot, in CA$H, cold hard ca$h!

The marching band and the drum line that had been pounding away in my head had just magically become a full fledge parade, and I was the grand marshal. The hangover was gone, and nothing could go wrong the rest of the day. Ever notice how $100 can magically make you re-think what you thought wasn’t the best decision you could have made this morning? It was the best tank of gas, and $5 I ever spent.