Charlie and the Lotto

Charlie And the Lotto

We were on our way to our yearly family vacation, on Accomac Island, along the east coast. Family was me, my wife, and two daughters. We have been going here for years, and love it. It's a sleepy little island, population around 5000. There is little to no traffic, unless you come the week of the Fireman Carnival, the Accomac Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser. There isn't much to do- one small amusement park, really just a glorified Putt Putt 18 hole course, with a few other attractions. You can sample all of them, twice, in a few hours. The island has a movie theater, but only shows 20 year old, or older, movies on Friday and Saturday nights, with Saturday afternoon matinees if it rains. What we come for is the beach, and the peace. With so little to do, the beach is very popular. There are walking trails, a small nature area, and lots of seafood.

Once we arrive, we check into our hotel, unload, drive around a bit to see what has changed, shop for some groceries, and get dinner. I was quite surprised to find that since last year, the only convenience store has closed. I don't know why, but this hit me hard. There was a grocery, but it was hard to get to, limited parking, and run by snooty people.

The convenience store was just a few blocks from where we stayed, The kids could safely walk down for ice cream and candy. I could stumble over for a six pack, plus, it was a good place to get beach provisions like snacks, drinks and ice, to name a few things.

The closing of the store shouldn't have been a big deal to me. We only used it one week out of 52. It was just the idea that I felt Accomac needed a convenience store.

I started thinking about the problem, as I saw it. We have been coming to the island for over 15 years, and it seems every year, one business or another closes in the offseason. Most times, they were not replaced. For weeks, the more I thought about it, the more I rued the decline of Accomac. I wanted to end that decline, and thought maybe I could do my part, and find a way to buy and re-open the store. Reality struck quickly. There was a realtor's sign on the property, so I looked it up. It turned out the store was in a small 2 story building. The building had a second shop, A seasonal rental, that sold beach things. The second floor was a 4 room apartment. The owner wanted $750,000 to buy the building. Inquiries about possibly renting space to re-open the store fell flat. The current owner wanted rid of the whole building and what it contained. Although my wife and I both work, and have a few annuities, we didn't have enough savings to cover even a 20% down payment.

That didn't stop me from obsessing about it. It took me a few days, and I was devoting way too much time to this idea but, I finally decided I had to win the Lotto. I started playing several games, just a few dollars a day to start, until I figured out, after a few months, I was spending as much as $80.00 weekly, with not much to show for it. I had to force myself to limit myself to $50 for the week. I was also doing some silly things when purchasing tickets. Trying different stores, and different times. Spreading purchases out by distance.. Mixing up how much I paid each day, as if I had a hunch.

Where I really lost it was, late at night, I started thinking how much I would need to win. $5 million minimum would do it. I had big, big plans. None which I shared with my wife. I was going to win the lottery, buy the Accomac building, reopen the store, keep the help, pay them more for starters. I should've known I was on a slippery slope, but, couldn't stop myself.

Then, one day, I saw an old pickup truck advertising a business. I instantly wanted the same for “my new business”. I decided I would need at least two vehicles for the store, one to advertise from, preferably something older as an eye-catcher, another truck or van for getting supplies. I also decided I would need to replace all our personal vehicles, since we would be spending more time driving to the beach. 4 wheel drive truck for me, replace my electric car with something not a Tesla. New car for the wife. So, I started looking at online vehicle sales, as much as an hour a day.

Then, as I was thinking and rethinking my idea, I wondered, “should we live above the store, or buy our own house, and rent the apartment for more cash. I started looking on island realtor websites, for both purchasing, and rental prices for the apartment. It took away from researching cars, but needed to be done.

Just about everything I saw was a reminder of buying the store. I drove past a church that was holding a food bank, and I thought to myself, Self, you could help fund those with Lotto money. I started looking up charities on Accomac.

Now I was spending all my spare time, and then some, on this idea. Not watching much sports, or exercising. Completely given over to winning the lottery and purchasing this store. I was getting my house chores and my tasks at work done, barely. I was very distracted. As mentioned, I was thinking about this all day, into the night. I was driving distracted often. Luckily, no accidents, but enough close calls that I had to start limiting my thoughts on the store to non driving times. I still didn't know this much daydreaming wasn't healthy.

And, I was having trouble keeping things to myself. Many times when someone spoke to me, I was in such deep thought that I almost responded with what I was thinking, not answering what was asked.

Then, just like that, BOOM, I was blown up. Someone had bought the store out from under me. It took weeks before I came back to reality, and stopped doing all that research.

I'm still playing the Lotto, though. Not spending as much, but, as they say, you have to play to win.