Lucky Tom

Tom doesn’t have a real home. He works here and there, carrying stocks, selling papers, having all kinds of one-day jobs. All he earns he spends on his basic needs. He sleeps in shelters and different places where good people let him stay overnight.

The only things he owns are his clothes and some coins worth a lottery ticket that he keeps in a small wallet hanging on a thread on his chest.

“I know that if I ever buy this ticket, I will win the jackpot.”

He passes by the lottery cabin every day, stops for a second, and then walks away.

“I was never really hungry and I usually find a place to sleep. I need no luck to mess with my life. If I win out of nothing I will not know whom I owe it. Now I’m thankful to myself for what I have and feel good about it.”

I asked him once, “Why don’t you spend those coins then?”

He answered, “Then I will have no choice to make.”