• Home

Luck Of The Draw

Posted on November 19, 2007
Filed Under The Stories |

She had no idea of what to do with the telephone call so she considered simply not telling anyone about it. But her face had gone kind of still so everyone around her knew that the phone call wasn’t a wrong number or a generic business call. The moment she flipped her clamshell shut they wanted to know what happened. She tried smiling it off but they insisted so she had to say, “Apparently, I won a TV.”

Her friend Tara, who was her closest confidante but also her biggest love rival said, “What?” in a tone that seemed to say, ‘Why didn’t I win?’ She forced a smile and further spat out, “What kind of TV?” Sarah made a vague gesture, “I don’t know, some plasma thingie…I don’t know what that means.”

And suddenly Nate was in the fray, “Wait a plasma. You won a plasma? How big?”

She frowned, “I don’t know, like sixteen inches…?”

Everybody’s face sort of crumpled into disapproving frowns. Sarah noticed, “What, is that bad?”

Kelly weighed in, “Sixteen inches? In TV terms that’s like Sean’s dick. Nearly invisible.”

Sean and Kelly had gone through a bad break-up less than six months ago. They had dated for four years so naturally neither side was willing to give up an opportunity to diss on the other. Kelly always went with the ‘my ex-boyfriend has a tiny penis’ attack. And Sean’s response always was, “Yeah fuck you too. Know why I dumped your ass? It’s because you’re a class A bitch!”

Before Kelly could play out her expected rejoinder about how it was her who dumped him something occurred to Nate, “Wait a minute. They don’t make sixteen inch widescreen plasmas.”

Tara asked, “How do you know?”

Nate ignored her and jabbed at the table with his finger to get Sarah’s attention, “I think you’ve won a sixty-inch plasma.”

Sarah shrugged and noticed that all the guys were looking at her very strangely so she said, “What?”

Sean ventured, “You have ESPN right?”

“I guess so…my dad’s always watching basketball…”

“Really? What’s his favourite team?”

She looked at him as if he’d asked if she would consider kissing her own mother on the lips, “You’d have to ask him.”

Brian, who had been quiet all this while, mumbled aloud with a faraway look in his eyes, “Imagine what girl-on-girl action would look like on a sixty-inch plasma.”

All of the guys took a moment to think about exactly that until Tara elbowed Brian in the side and said, “Ew! Gross!”

Brain looked surprised, “What, did I say that out loud?”

All the girls hissed in unison, “Yes!”

He looked around the table, momentarily defenseless and then he said with rounded shoulders and a squared jaw, “Well, I stand by my statement. It’s not my fault you’re all a bunch of thong-baring prudes.”

Tara wanted to know, “What did you win for?”

Sarah shrugged, “Thanksgiving offer on my video rental renewal.”

“Whom do you rent from?”

“This small place on Westchester called Dynamic DVD…? You guys know the place?”

Shaking heads all around the table, “Nope.”

Sean had, “never heard of it.”

Sarah shrugged. She was aware that Tara was looking at her with a thoughtful expression but she tried not to think about it or actually meet her friend’s eyes. Tara had one more question though, “How will you collect it? Do you need a couple of our manly men to help lug it into your house?”

Sarah noticed the expressions of terror that overcame her male friends’ faces and laughed, “No, they said, they’d deliver it. So it’s all good.”

“I really should check this place out. A prize and no hidden costs. That actually sounds like you won something,” was what Tara managed as a sign off on the subject.

Sarah managed a small smile but didn’t say anything.

 

When she got home that evening the television was already there and set up at the foot of her bed. When she switched it on she was amazed at how clear the picture was and how little she remained aware of the fact that she was in her room, lying on her bed. She could be in Ankara with Discovery Travel & Living or locked in a gunfight with Matt Damon…really experiencing the music of Fall Out Boy or getting all the gory details on the latest celebimbette to get caught with her hand in the drug cookie jar.

When her mother knocked on the door the following morning she found her sitting up in bed with her eyes glued to the television. At first Mrs. Rochefort thought her daughter was just ignoring her but it became quickly clear that something was wrong with Sarah.

The first time somebody switched off the television, Sarah went into seizures of the like the doctors had never seen before. It was only when the TV was switched back on that she calmed down. It was a form of catatonia the medical professionals hadn’t seen before. There’s no word on any improvements in Sarah’s condition.

 

Ninety days after Sarah entered the state she has been in ever since, Jimmy Malone in the neighbouring town of Long Harbor found out that he had won a sixty-inch plasma TV.

Comments