Dateline Rochester New York

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Seedy Mart

I love Rochester, New York. It’s a dirty stinking town.. I love its grit and determination. I would walk a few blocks to a seedy convenience store tucked in behind a newly constructed transit center. In that store, there was always a group of people gathered around tables, telling stories and playing the lottery. It was the same people every night.

On The Hour

I don’t know much about how the lottery works, but every hour the numbers were drawn from somewhere. The huddled masses would wait with tempered anticipation for their numbers to appear on the screen. They were usually drinking a Dr Pepper or a Gatorade occasionally one would have a Genesee Cream Ale.

Winner Winner What’s for Dinner

20 44 67 9 14 11 5 9 23 34 slowly played out on the screen.

One night, a man in a woolen Weather worn coat yelled the words “I’m a winner.”

I’m not sure exactly how much he won. If I had to guess it would be $80. He slowly walked up the counter, ready to cash in his winnings. The look on his face was priceless. He brought 20 Snickers bars and shared them with his friends.

I walked back to my room happy as the lottery winners can go one of two ways. I love the direction this went.