This is a nicely structured classic short story. It reminds me of the ones I would find in a short story collection purchased from a book club in Junior Hight. It involves a rather fragile marriage between a recently widowed woman (quite attractive) and her rather serious husband. She lives in a nice house, though it has its shortcomings. She wants a heated bathroom, but he keeps bringing up the future and the investments he has made. He wants her to look at the big picture. They are living partly on the money from an insurance policy her first husband had. When the former, a rather irresponsible man with a gambling addiction, wins the Irish Sweepstakes and a 133,000 dollars, post mortem, the couple begins to search for his ticket. Of course, it was buried with him in his favorite blue suit. What I liked about this episode is that the wife is much more practical in many ways and goes about getting the ticket back in a safe, legal way. However, the husband has his own agenda, and that's where the fun starts. The neat thing is that there are several twists and turns along the way, and there is a really satisfying conclusion.
By the way, at one point I predicted that the husband would light a cigar with the winning ticket by accident. He talked about telling off his boss and using a ten dollar bill to light a cigar. I'm glad I was wrong.
By the way, at one point I predicted that the husband would light a cigar with the winning ticket by accident. He talked about telling off his boss and using a ten dollar bill to light a cigar. I'm glad I was wrong.