Hall of Infinite Doors
The kids seemed very grown up for their age. They sat quietly and respectfully at the table. With the exception of small conversations to fill the air with noise, very little was said until the farmer came into the dinner room. The farmer came into the room with a relieved expression on his face.
"Good news!", he announced. "Chelsey gave birth to a healthy calf!"
"Oh, thank goodness!", his wife said.
"Oh, can I name it, please?", the little boy asked.
"You got to name the last calf.", the little girl pointed out.
John couldn't help notice the children were almost too young to have been children of the old farmer and his wife. Both seemed to be in their mid 60's and the girl looked around 11 years old. The boy looked even younger, maybe around 8 years old. Knowing it would be extremely rude, John instead asked, "Can I name it?"
Surprised, the family muttered in approval. "She's a girl", the farmer told him, "we usually name them the night they are born, so try to think of something before midnight."
John thought back to the woman who worked the convenience store that cashed his ticket. The young girl behind the counter. He knew her name. He had seen her name tag. He remembered it. "Rita", he said.
The family nodded in approval. They liked the name Rita. It was a good name for a cow. Maybe it was a little debatable as a name for a human, though, he thought to himself. He wondered at how he could possibly have remembered the girl's name, but the memory of that day seemed to stick with him very well. It was the day that had changed his life so dramatically. He wished again as he did every night he knew who threw the ticket into his guitar case.
"Good news!", he announced. "Chelsey gave birth to a healthy calf!"
"Oh, thank goodness!", his wife said.
"Oh, can I name it, please?", the little boy asked.
"You got to name the last calf.", the little girl pointed out.
John couldn't help notice the children were almost too young to have been children of the old farmer and his wife. Both seemed to be in their mid 60's and the girl looked around 11 years old. The boy looked even younger, maybe around 8 years old. Knowing it would be extremely rude, John instead asked, "Can I name it?"
Surprised, the family muttered in approval. "She's a girl", the farmer told him, "we usually name them the night they are born, so try to think of something before midnight."
John thought back to the woman who worked the convenience store that cashed his ticket. The young girl behind the counter. He knew her name. He had seen her name tag. He remembered it. "Rita", he said.
The family nodded in approval. They liked the name Rita. It was a good name for a cow. Maybe it was a little debatable as a name for a human, though, he thought to himself. He wondered at how he could possibly have remembered the girl's name, but the memory of that day seemed to stick with him very well. It was the day that had changed his life so dramatically. He wished again as he did every night he knew who threw the ticket into his guitar case.