The pavement melted into the street like a giant piece of cheddar. Under the shed, the two men in their thirties slumped in dented plastic chairs by the no less dented table outside a small canteen. The washed-out A-board beside the entrance read: LUNCH AT MADDY’S — CHEAPER THAN CHEAP! A girl in a striped apron appeared and took their order for a single small beer. “Look at all these fools wasting their time and money for a worthless piece of paper” George said, nodding towards the crowd outside a post office across the street. “If I had money, I’d never do anything as stupid.“ Jack fidgeted in his chair. “Everyone got a lottery ticket at some point in their lives,” he replied cheerfully and took a drag. “Me – never,” George scoffed. “There are better things to waste my money on than to give it to those who rob labourers of their bread.” “What?” The cigarette fell from Jack’s open mouth. He looked back at George in disbelief. “You have never bought a ticket? Not a single one?” George shook his head. “Listen,” Jack picked up half of a cigarette and stubbed it gently to save for another time. “I know how it sounds, but you should try. Just one ticket; could be your first, could be your last.” George wanted to laugh, but when his eyes met Jack’s, nothing was left of that cheerfulness from just a moment ago. The question hung in the air. It was then that the girl in the striped apron brought the beer. When she retired, Jack glanced at his yellowed wristwatch and said: “Let’s make a deal. We go now, and you buy a ticket; the prize drawing starts in five minutes. If you win, you owe me a beer. If you lose, the beer is on me for the rest of the month. How’s that sound?” George hesitated. He didn’t fancy giving his last fiver to the government in this dubious venture, but the beer for the rest of the month (and it was only the tenth) sounded too good to refuse the deal. He took the sweaty glass from the table and swallowed it without looking at Jack in one go. “Prepare to buy twenty more,” George said to his friend. After paying the bill, they hurriedly crossed the road to a post office, where a couple of dozens of people with tickets were jostling impatiently in front of the black and white TV in the corner of the room. Jack and George made their way through the crowd to the counter, where a short man with a moustache was counting the money. At the sight of him gladly swiping the banknotes in his giant hairy palms, George felt nauseous. The man lifted his round head and said merrily: “In for a ticket, eh? You’re lucky: only one’s left. Today, the big prize’s a hundred grand!” Jack nudged George and whispered: “This is your big chance!” But George was preoccupied with looking at the people who surrounded him. Sweaty and nervous, they all had the same desperate look on their dull faces. George glanced at an elderly gentleman, squeezed between two workers, staring at the ticket, whispering something to himself. George shook his head. What if he buys this lottery shit and wins, say, only enough to get him going for another week? Will he be hooked like all these people, each Saturday here at the office, spending more and more until he is so finally broke he is desperate? “So you're buyin' or not?” The man at the counter interrupted. George turned to Jack and said: “I can’t do this. Let’s go.” But Jack didn’t move. “If you don’t want it, I’ll buy it then,” he said, smiling. George sighed. “I’ll wait in the back.” A loud jingle filled the stuffy room, and the voice of the television host announced the beginning of the drawing. George couldn’t see the screen from where he was standing, but he could hear the numbers being read out loud: 58…17…86…44…7. A couple of people swore silently and left the room. And then again: 62…37…11…23…12. And then it was over. Someone screamed, and George didn’t realise at first that the scream belonged to his friend. “I can’t believe it! I WON! A HUNDRED FUCKING GRAND!!!” Jack screamed almost in one breath. People burst into applause. Some laughed and patted Jack on the back, congratulating him. “Hey, your friend has won!” Someone told George, shaking his shoulder. The sound of George’s laughter echoed through the room, but his eyes remained cold and distant.