The Lottery

by D. K. Wall

  “Ask Ronnie.”

  Nathan sucked in his breath. “I can’t do that.”

  “Would you pay him back?”

  “Every penny. Plus interest.”

  “Does he know that?” As Nathan nodded, Danny continued, “He would do anything for you and anything for Jacob. And I think he would be mad if you didn’t ask for his help when you needed it.”

  Nathan wrung his hands and rocked on the stool. “I hate it, but I’ll ask.”

  “Good. You go do that, and I’ll see if I can meet Donna. I’ll call you when I know more.”

  They packed up their dinner and drove back into town.

  25

  Nathan parked his truck at the curb in front of Ronnie’s house. A light was on in the den, and the glow from the TV flickered through the window. He walked up to the dark porch and knocked on the door. The porch lights came on, and Ronnie peeked through the curtain covering the glass. He opened the door and ushered Nathan into the small den. “What brings you here on a Saturday night? Anything wrong?”

  “I want to catch you up on my day and then ask a couple of favors.”

  Without hesitation, Ronnie waved his hand at the couch as he shifted a TV tray out of the way. “Sit.”

  “Frozen dinner?” Nathan spotted the familiar packaging, a long-running joke about Ronnie’s lack of kitchen skills. He and Charlie had learned some basic meals and cooked dinners growing up out of sheer necessity.

  “My favorite recipe. A microwave is all a man needs.” He picked up the remote and turned the TV off as he settled onto the couch.

  Nathan filled him in on the events of the day, including the story of Hank’s genetic testing. Ronnie listened attentively, asked an occasional question, and nodded at Danny’s theories. After Nathan finished the tale, the two sat in the dim light of the den.

  Ronnie rubbed his chin and asked, “So you need a good attorney?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I could suggest a couple that I’ve dealt with from work. Not sure if they handle divorces or not, but they can guide you to the right person. But something tells me you are here for more than a name.”

  “Yes, sir. I hate to ask, but…” Nathan licked his lips before plunging ahead. “I don’t have the money for one.”

  “So you need to borrow some money? Of course. That’s easy. Whatever you need.”

  “I promise to pay you back.”

  “Of course you will. I can’t imagine you not.”

  Nathan paused and studied Ronnie’s face for any sign of hesitation or resentment. “I feel bad asking.”

  “Son, it’s okay. In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never asked to borrow money from me once. Not ever. So you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t really need it.”

  “I know things are tough at the plant and you could lose your job, so I don’t want to put you in a bind.”

  “I’ve known for a long time the plant was going to close, so I’ve been saving for years. Why do you think I eat those things?” He waved his hand at the congealing dinner.

  “Because you can’t cook?”

  Ronnie ignored the comment and continued, “And I still have the money saved to help pay for Charlie’s college.”

  “I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.”

  “Easy. I don’t care what Hank’s genetic test says or even the fact that you and I aren’t related, I think of that boy as my grandson. So work out something good and bring him around here when you can.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  With a flick of his hand, Ronnie dismissed the topic and moved on. “You said ‘a couple of favors.’ What else?”

  “No, I couldn’t. Not after asking to borrow money.”

  “What is it?”

  Nathan paused and swallowed. “Danny’s going back to work at his family’s store. They want me to reopen Abe’s old garage.”

  “That’s terrific news. I’ve really missed that place, and it would be great for the town for it to be open again.”

  “But that would mean leaving the plant.”

  “I get that, and it makes it even better news. You deserve the opportunity.”

  Nathan looked down. “But I would be leaving you when you really need the help at the plant.”

  “Son, you aren’t leaving me. I’ll see you all the time because you’ll be bringing Jacob around. And I’ll finally have someone I can trust to keep that old Buick running. I expect a family discount, of course.” His eyes twinkled with mirth before he continued, “I’ll call Carl tomorrow and see if he wants to come back. He’ll jump at the chance so he can be home with his family again.”

  A loud knock at the front door interrupted them. Ronnie joked, “More company than I’ve had in years,” before opening the door to reveal Donna and Matt standing under the porch light.

  Seeing them, Nathan leapt to his feet, fearing the worst. “Is Jacob okay?”

  Matt assured him, “He’s fine. Colette is back at the house with him. He and Luke were sprawled on the den floor, watching a baseball game when I left.”

  Donna stepped through the doorway. “Danny told me all about today, which connected some dots for me. He suggested we get together tomorrow, but I didn’t want to wait. I mean, if you’re willing to talk to me after all I’ve done.”

  Nathan stepped forward and offered his hand. “Of course. Let’s go find somewhere to talk and let Ronnie have his house back.”

  “Stop it,” Ronnie protested. “It’s not like I have a bedtime or something. Y’all come right in here and talk.”

  He started pushing the door closed when Donna stopped him. She pointed outside. “We can’t leave him out there.”

  Ronnie stepped out onto the front porch and spied Danny as he sat in his chair at the base of the front-porch steps.

  Danny raised his hands. “It’s okay. I brought them here to talk to Nathan. I’ll wait in the van.”

  “Danny—“ Ronnie began.

  “No, it’s fine, Mr. Mills. I’m the last person you want in your house.”

  Ronnie studied him for a second and called back over his shoulder. “Matt? Nathan? Come out here and grab that chair. Lift it up on the porch so he can come inside. No guest of mine is waiting outside.”

  Nathan and Matt walked down the steps and lifted the chair.

  Danny whispered, “This is a really bad idea. I should have called you and met somewhere else.”

  Nathan replied, “You’re here. And I’m not telling him no right after he helped me out, so you’re going inside that house. Deal with it.”

  They settled the chair on the front porch. Nathan held open the front door and waved his arm in a dramatic welcoming fashion. Danny rolled his eyes and pushed through the doorway into the den. Ronnie carried in kitchen chairs to create enough seating in the small den.

  Donna settled into one of the chairs and looked around. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Matt sat in the other chair, looking around more nervously than even Danny. An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

  Danny cleared his throat. “I guess I get to direct traffic since I’ve heard all the pieces. So first things first, Donna has already called the police department to ask about lifting the restraining order. It’s not quite as easy to do as you would think, but she’s making it happen. I’m just saying she understands the problem with being in the same room with you but wanted to come anyway.”

  Donna looked into Nathan’s eyes. “I’m so sorry about the whole restraining order. You were never a threat to me and certainly never to Jacob, so I wouldn’t have asked for one.”

  “You didn’t request it?”

  “No. The doctors had given me some strong pain meds, so when we got home from the hospital Friday, I went straight to sleep. I had no clue that Hank had called the police and told them about you showing up at the hospital. He convinced them to issue the order and promised I would come in Monday to give my statement. But when I found out about it, I decided to tell them the whole thing was unnecessar
y, but I couldn’t do anything until Monday. It didn’t even cross my mind when I came up to you at the park today.”

  Nathan swallowed and looked around the room. “So where is Hank?”

  Donna shrugged. “Back in Atlanta, I guess. I told him to leave after Jacob’s ballgame. I was furious at him.”

  “Furious?”

  “We had a fight before the game, but I really lost it with what you said at the park. I tried to stop you and ask about it, but you took off running before I could open my mouth. I didn’t understand what you meant about a stolen lottery ticket. And that comment about not having a son hurt so bad, and I had no clue what it meant. I was so confused and demanded Hank tell me everything. He told me enough to infuriate me, so I told him to go away. Danny filled in the rest after he left, or I might have punched him in the nose myself.”

  Donna reached into the pocket of her sweater, extracted a small sheet of paper, and handed it to Nathan. “That’s your lottery ticket. I got up this morning before Hank and started doing chores. I picked up your jacket to wash it and went through the pockets. Found the lottery ticket and laid it with your clean clothes. Later, when Danny called, I packed everything in your duffel but never thought about the ticket. First time it ever crossed my mind was when you said it was stolen. I confronted Hank about it, and he just reached into his pocket and handed it to me.”

  He looked down at the sheet of paper. “This is the winner?”

  Donna chuckled and shook her head. “No. It’s worthless.”

  “You’re sure it’s mine?”

  “Look at the time stamp. I know it’s not Hank’s because, well, he was with me then.”

  The printout showed the ticket was purchased at the time Nathan was in the store. “But you didn’t know it wasn’t the winner when you put it with my clothes?”

  “No, we hadn’t even heard someone had won until after Danny picked up your clothes. I was more surprised you had bought one. But even if I had realized the ticket was the winner, I still would have given it to you.” She looked at everyone’s bemused smiles. “Oh, please. Don’t make me out as some saint. I still would have gotten half in a divorce.”

  The chuckles around the room relieved some of the tension.

  Nathan stared at the paper and said, “But I thought he won.”

  “He did. I saw the ticket myself. Bought at nine fifteen Friday morning, just like all his other tickets. He showed it to me to prove he hadn’t stolen it from you. But I pointed out that he still had your ticket. A thief is a thief. And a stupid thief because he stole it long before we even knew a winner was out there, so he didn’t know if it won or not.”

  “So you told him to go home because he stole a worthless lottery ticket?”

  Donna wrung her hands. “No, if it had just been that… I couldn’t figure out what you meant about not having a son. Hank wouldn’t tell me, and I knew he was keeping secrets. I didn’t find that out until Danny came over.”

  She looked up. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Something happened even before I found out he stole your lottery ticket.”

  As they all watched, she took a deep, shaky breath. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue and began, “Right after Danny left with your clothes this morning, Hank heard on the radio that a lottery winner was sold from Abe’s. He gets all excited and starts rooting through his suitcase. He comes up with the tickets and compares the numbers and started yelling and screaming. He’s jumping up and down and hugging me and shows me the ticket. I can’t believe it. It’s the winner. I see it with my own eyes. All that money. And then…”

  Tears flowed down her face, and she tried to mop them up with the tissue, but it was too soaked and worn. Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, neatly ironed by Donna after the last laundry.

  She nodded her thanks and continued, “We’re dancing around the room, celebrating, and he says, ‘We’ve got to amend the prenup for this, don’t we?’ and then races out of the room to call Matt.”

  The room had gone totally silent. Donna’s voice grew very quiet, but her words were clear. “It had bothered me before that he wanted one. I mean, you and I argued about money sometimes, but neither of us thought, This is my money, and that’s your money. We were in it together. But he said a prenup was just normal and expected. But for that to be the first thing he thinks of after finding out he won all this money… the first thing.” She sank her head into her hands. “It made me realize how utterly selfish he is. So unlike you.”

  Nathan reached over and held her hands as she cried. Only as her tears slowed did he ask, “So does that mean it’s over with him?”

  She wiped her eyes and grimaced through her tears. “God help me, but I love him. I don’t like him very much, and I think he’s an ass for everything he’s done, but it still hurts that he’s gone.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “Figure out how to stop loving him. Or how to live with the fact that I do love him, but I can’t be with him because of the type of person he is.” She patted Nathan’s hand. “It’s not fair, I know. You’re a good man, but I don’t love you. At least not in the way I need to for us to be a couple. I’m really sorry for that.”

  Nathan grimaced but left his hand in hers. “So where does that leave us?”

  “Friends, but not married. I mean, if you’ll have me as a friend. I know that might be too awkward, but we were always great friends.”

  “We can try.”

  “I think what I need right now is to live on my own. Try to be my own person. I’ve never done that. Can you deal with that?”

  “Yeah, I can.” Nathan nodded, with tears in his own eyes. “So does that mean you’re going to stay in Millerton?”

  “Oh, I never told you.” She smiled through her tears. “Right after you left for work Friday morning, I called over to the McDonald’s. They were ecstatic I wanted to come back and gave me the job on the spot. I start back next week as an assistant manager. If you can help me by watching Jacob while I’m working, of course, because I have to work weekends and nights.”

  Relief poured through Nathan, and his tense muscles relaxed. “You bet I can help.”

  Ronnie piped up. “And anytime he can’t, Jacob can hang out here.”

  Matt added, “Or with us. Luke loves it when he’s there.”

  Everyone bubbled with conversation, but Nathan sat silently, thinking through the day. He raised his hand to quiet everyone. “But that still leaves Hank as Jacob’s father. He could petition for custody.”

  Donna pointed toward Matt. “I seriously doubt that, but this is Matt’s part to tell.”

  Matt sighed. “Before I start, let me be clear I love my brother. I agree with Donna—he’s an ass sometimes, but he’s still my family.”

  Nathan squinted his eyes. “Please tell me the Russian story is made up.”

  “Oh, no. It’s true. Absolutely rocked his world when he found out.” Matt took a deep breath and continued, “Mom was already in the hospital by this point, and we knew she wasn’t going to be around much longer. Hank comes racing in with these printouts, throws them on her bed, and demands to know what they mean. I’m trying to get him calmed down—you know how hard that is to do—and we suddenly realize that Mom is just staring at them. She just looks up and says, ‘I’m sorry.’

  “You can only imagine how stunned we were. We knew our old man—well, I guess it’s my old man—was a piece of work. Ran off with another woman when I was in third grade and Hank in fourth. After that, he never sent money, never called, nothing. But still, to find out that he wasn’t even Hank’s dad… that sent me reeling. You can only imagine what it did to Hank.

  “You know what he was worried about? The first thing he thought of? He was scared they were going to find out at his work that his dad was Russian. The owners of the security company are two Green Berets who were in Vietnam. They rant about communists all the time, and so in Hank’s mind, being half Russian was just like being a commie. Mom kep
t trying to tell him the guy was American, just from Russia, but Hank went nuts about it.”

  Matt stared at the ceiling as he thought for a minute. “Guess he finally figured out a way to turn it into an advantage.”

  “So Jacob is his kid.” Nathan slumped in the couch and leaned his head back against the cushions.

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “But the test?”

  “I wonder about that. When he got his own DNA test results back, he couldn’t stop talking about it. But never said a word about Jacob’s.”

  Donna interjected. “Not to me either. First I heard about testing Jacob was when Danny told me the story a little while ago.”

  “You think Jacob’s test shows he doesn’t have Russian blood?”

  “I don’t think he’s ever been tested at all. It’s just the type of stupid story Hank would tell.” Matt smiled sheepishly and continued, “Remember, I heard this for the first time tonight when Danny told Donna. It just sounded really weird, so I went outside where the boys were tossing a Frisbee around under our floodlights and challenged them to a spitting contest. They laughed like it was the silliest thing they had ever heard. Colette thought I had lost my mind. She’s probably still wondering what I was up to.

  “Anyway, I had them going for distance first. Had a tape measure and everything. Then I pulled out a jar and said we had to go for accuracy. They were giggling, and I said, ‘What? You’ve never spit in a jar before?’ They both howled with laughter and screamed, ‘No!’ Jacob never said a word about a spitting contest with Hank. Don’t you think a twelve-year-old would remember that?”

  Nathan felt a weight lift off him, and he relaxed. But the more he thought about Jacob not having taken the test, the more the pressure came crashing back down. “Without a test, we really don’t know whose son he is. It’s still possible Jacob is his kid, right?”

  Donna took his hand. “I wish I could tell you for sure, but I can’t. I’m so sorry for that.”