The Lottery (4 page)

“Why you would want clothes that are one hundred plus years old,
I will never know, but to each her own.” Sam slid the elevator door shut and
hit the button for the ground floor.

“One day, you will find your niche and you will explode on the
scene and be a rich and famous painter. Then you will learn to appreciate
vintage stores, my dear. You are much too creative to wear the bags the old
broads wear. And eventually you will have to grow out of bib overalls and
jumpers.”

“And like I keep telling you, Sam, I am not everybody. Give me a
comfy pair of overalls, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, and I am happy. I can buy a
lifetime supply of those with what you pay for one suit, retro or not. Plus,
paint is on everything I own anyway, why spend a ton on one piece?”

Before Sam could reply, a boy on a hoverboard nearly ran them
down as they exited Karlyn’s building. Luckily the two jumped out of the way just
as he flew past.

“Why on earth would a father allow his son to roam the streets of
the city alone? I mean, that kid is probably only fifteen or sixteen, but he is
still old enough for some of these crazy lonely women.” Sam shook her head,
looking back towards the direction the boy went as they walked down the
sidewalk to Karlyn’s favorite restaurant.

“I swear I don’t know why women make such a big deal about the
shortage. It’s not like there is anything that men can do that we can’t. Between
vibrators and artificial insemination, what purpose is there to have a man?”

“Coming to join my team?” Sam smiled over at Karlyn.

“I may not see the purpose of having a man in my life, but that
does not mean that I will become a lesbian either. Plus, I am so not your
type.”

The women entered L’Rossa del Tierno and approached the hostess
station. Once seated at the table, Sam asked, “Type? I have a type?”

“Of course you do. Tall, leggy, and blonde. Big boobs and little
waistlines. I wouldn’t say stupid, but I wouldn’t say smart either. I suppose
beauty queen would be the best way in which to describe them. Hell, the last
one’s teeth were so white she almost blinded me, especially when it reflected
off the glow of her fake tan and the peroxide platinum hair. By the way,
whatever happened to her?”

“She wanted to get married and start a family. I’m not ready for
rugrats.”

“Or commitment,” Karlyn said over her menu.

“Touché. But coming from a woman who has never even had a
relationship, that’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

Karlyn paused as the waitress approached and got their order of
portabella stuffed ravioli and their best bottle of merlot. She then turned to
Sam to answer her remark.

“We both know the reason why I have never had a relationship, and
it has to do with the fact that there are twenty women to every one male. I am
neither model gorgeous nor rich, so I cannot afford to have a man. I can’t even
afford to buy one for a night.”

“Damn, maybe that’s what I should have bought you for your
birthday instead of this.” With that, Sam thrust an envelope her way. “Open it
carefully; we don’t need prying eyes seeing what’s inside.”

Karlyn looked up from the pale blue envelope at her best friend. “What
the hell is inside that I should hide it?”

“Just open it.”

Peering back down to the envelope in her hand, she set it on her
lap, just under the table and ripped it carefully along the seam. She saw the
metallic corner of the ticket and slapped the folds closed again. Staring at
her friend in numb surprise, it took her a few moments to gather her thoughts
as to what her reaction should be.

Sam smiled over the table, bouncing in her seat. She had bought
Karlyn what she thought was probably one of the best gifts she could give her,
and Karlyn was afraid she could not accept it. The silver Federated Lottery
ticket sitting in her lap was a very pricey one way ticket to prison time if
anyone ever figured out Sam had bought it for her. And Karlyn wasn’t sure if
she was more afraid of incarceration or winning the prize – a year’s service
from a real, living man.

“We could both go to jail.” Karlyn whispered over the table.

“Get real.” Sam whispered back. “Do you really think the
Federated Lottery checks the payment identification? I doubt they ever do,
unless there is someone who claims the ticket was stolen. And I won’t do that.”

“But here is the other issue. What the hell do I do if I win the
man?”

“Ummm…you get to ride the baloney pony? I don’t know, I can’t
imagine what anyone would want with a man, but considering these women spend a
fortune on a ticket to get one, I figure there has to be something to having one.
So, why not give you the one thing you couldn’t have gotten yourself.”

“Couldn’t? More like wouldn’t. Can we be serious for one minute
here? Do you have any idea how many paints, brushes, and canvases I could have
bought with what you paid for this non-transferrable ticket? And who said I
needed a man? Have I ever asked for one, or suggested I needed one? I have a
wonderful best friend and my art. I really don’t need anything else in my
life.”

Sam leaned in closer over the table. “Okay, all kidding aside as
per your request. All anyone has to do is look into your eyes and see how
lonely you are. Take that into consideration along with the fact you are one of
the greatest people I have ever met, you deserve a little happiness in your
life. It might not be forever, but as the old saying goes, ‘It is better to
have loved and lost…’”

Karlyn rolled her eyes. “Love? It wouldn’t be love, as soon as
the guy took one look at me, he’d bolt for the door.”

“Damn it, woman, I hate it when you say that. The sad part is
you
believe it. You are nowhere near
plain when you are at ease, when you smile, or when you are painting. You are
so unsure of yourself, and you refuse to stand up for what you want and because
of that, all people see is the shy little mouse. It is a true pity that almost
no one sees that side of you.”

Letting the words sink in and not knowing how to respond, Karlyn
was thrilled the server placed the plates in front of them. She had an excuse
now for not responding to Sam’s words.

Digging in, she savored the earthy flavor of the mushrooms, or as
much as she could with Sam’s words rolling around in her head. Sam seemed to
understand her silence, and allowed it to continue with few comments while they
ate.

Once the plates had been cleared and Crème Brule and another
bottle of wine were ordered, Sam broached the subject again. “You will accept
it, won’t you? Think about it this way. Not only would you have the chance to
see what being with a man felt like, but you could get
Lydia
off your
back for a little while and have some piece. How would your mother’s face look
if you walked up to her front door with a gorgeous piece of man candy on your
arm? She couldn’t call you a failure anymore if she thought you could afford a
stud.”

Karlyn picked up her wine goblet and swirled the liquid around
the inside, watching it intently while she considered her answer. She really
shouldn’t because if she did, she was breaking the law – those tickets were
tightly guarded and purchasers had to prove they were financially and mentally
stable enough to purchase one. But if she didn’t accept the ticket, she could
alienate the only best friend she had ever had in her life. It wasn’t like she
would win anyway; she didn’t have that kind of luck. Thousands, if not more,
bought these lottery tickets. So what would it hurt?

Chapter Three

Ethan pulled his shriveling cock from the older woman; his eyes
still squeezed shut as hard as he could, not wanting to see what he was really
doing. Every time he came to the clinic, he did what he needed to do to help
pay the bills, he was lucky Dr. Reding accepted his body for payment of her
medical services. He couldn’t stomach this much longer though. His sister
needed these doctor visits, as her health continued to decline, and their money
was running seriously thin.

After the death of his parents, Ethan had found both the depths
of his father’s depravity and the heights of his gambling addiction. Will
Spears had owed a lot of people. If Ethan’s mother had known when she was
alive, she’d never seemed to show it. Of course, their holdings were bolstered
by his mother’s income. A famous surgeon, his mother had been the family
breadwinner, and between the loss of her income, and the outstanding debts of
his father, the money left to him and his sister faded quickly. By seventeen,
he sold himself to the sex trade, while his little sister had moved in with
their cold, heartless grandmother.

The money Ethan had earned on his back had barely kept the estate
up or paid living expenses for Bailey. After Ophelia had him blackballed, he
had spent the past four years trying to contend with near bankruptcy as his
means to make more income was now gone, as men were not allowed to take regular
jobs within the community. Men were chattel, plain and simple. Selling off
parts of the family estate had been painful, and dealing with his sister’s mysterious
illness had nearly broken him. Doctor’s visit after doctor’s visit had come up
with no answers as to why she was fading away into nothingness.

Dr. Reding finished dressing, as he stood back and covered
himself. She turned around to smile at him, but he could not bring himself to
return the gesture. He could barely look at the woman in the face.

“Why don’t you go on out to the waiting room? Give me a few more
minutes and then bring Bailey back here. We have much to discuss today.”

Ethan finished dressing and scrambled back into the waiting room,
found Bailey and sat down beside her. He struggled to look at her. After a few
moments of quiet, Bailey rested her head on his shoulder and linked her arm
through his. They sat there together for a few minutes, her nuzzling his
shoulder with her head and face, in what he took as a silent thank you of
sorts. He finally let out a deep breath and stood.

“It’s time to head back. Dr. Reding should be ready to see you
now.” He grasped her slim hands and helped bring her to her feet. She looked
particularly pale today, more so then she ever had, and the circles under her emerald
eyes were darker, her pale yellow hair almost white. He ached inside every time
he looked at her and saw the vivaciousness fading away. The stresses of their
life took their toll on her, and she did not look like a twenty-five year old
with the whole world ahead of her.

A long time ago, he had been jealous of her. She had been the
perfect sister, the perfect child, the perfect everything. There was nothing
she could do wrong. His parents had adored her, and she had been their
favorite, even though they said repeatedly that there were never favorites
amongst children. He knew they lied to protect his feelings, though. At the
same time, he couldn’t hate her.

Bailey
was
perfect. She
was beautiful from the moment his parents had brought her tiny body into the
house for the first time when he was seven, and her beauty had never ceased. Even
now, sick and pale, she was the most delicately beautiful being he had ever
seen. Her halo of blonde hair against creamy skin only allowed her shining
green eyes to glimmer all the more. She was kind, caring, and she held wisdom
beyond her years. She had been about to enter the university when his parents were
killed by a drunk driver.

She had taken off that first semester; the tragedy had been too
great. He had pulled as many strings as he could to be able to afford her first
year of school. By the time the second year began, he had realized there was no
money left to pay for school. The pair had done everything in their power to
salvage their former lives to some degree over the past couple of years. All
the stress had seemed to take out Bailey’s fire for life. She was tired all the
time, and slept so much.

What had seemed like depression had started lasting much too
long. Constant dizziness and vomiting followed, and as the light in her eyes
died, Ethan had forced her to go see Dr. Reding. Bailey had fought, knowing
they had little funds left, but the fear that he would lose her was too great
and eventually Ethan prevailed. Crystalline Echoes, Carbon Scans and Magnetic
Ionic testing followed, which exhausted what little they had managed to save.

The pair walked down the lengthy corridor, back to Dr. Reding’s office,
Ethan carrying most of Bailey’s weight. Finally, inside the small room, Ethan
led her to a chair and helped her sit and then sat down beside her. Ethan
sensed an electric current filled the air, making the hairs at the back of his
neck stand up, and he took a moment to steel himself to the news he dreaded.

Dr. Reding slipped in through the door, and came around the desk.
Ethan eyed the piece of furniture with disdain, repulsed each time he was
forced to talk over it as if nothing had happened on it but a few moments ago. Dr.
Reding sat down in the large overstuffed chair that sat behind it. She smiled
at them both, but the pity the smile held made Ethan hold his breath as he felt
his stomach turn over. He knew for certain things were horribly wrong.

“I won’t beat around the bush. I believe the truth can be hard,
but ultimately it’s necessary. Bailey, you have three small malignant tumors in
your brain. We need to get you into an operating room as soon as possible
before the cancer spreads any further. And even with an operation, there is a chance
we may be too late. I normally could simply eradicate them with photon surgery,
but each tumor is deeply imbedded in the cerebellum.”

No one spoke in the room. It was so quiet; it even seemed that no
one breathed. The weight of those words took long moments to sink in. Ethan vision
blurred as his eyes began to water, but he refused to cry in front of Bailey. He
had to be strong for her. Bailey reached over to Ethan and clutched his hand,
but she had to peel his fingers from the white knuckled grasp he had on the arm
of the chair.