Winner

Mom and I call Michael a winner. He really is. When we went to a casino together in 2007, he won over $7,000 in one pull. Never happened before. Never happened since. He was a winner. Everything he touched paid off. He said if felt great. (It was an Indian casino over a hundred miles away where we went because they advertised a full floor of a smoke free environment. Loved it though we have not been back because it is so far away.)

They asked for his social security number. He has several 56’s and 65’s in his number and either they didn’t hear it with all the noise or they wrote it down wrong. Just before this past Christmas, we received a notice that we had to go to the Social Security office for a form to be mail directly from them to the casino confirming his name and number.

We had already declared the winnings in 2007. Thank goodness!

I was not happy about having to go to the SS office. I had been there a few times. It begins with a horrible parking lot, a horrible waiting room, horrible people, screaming children and is patrolled by the police. Not a happy place.

Michael couldn’t understand why I was not happy about having to go there, having never been there.

We arrive just a few days after Christmas, checked in and proceeded to wait for two hours. By that time, children had arrive but they were charming and having fun playing together, we talked with the people in front of us and behind us and they were lovely, no one coughed, and it was really not horrible.

Once again, I was reminded about the kindness of the Social Security employees. They are the nicest people who talk to everyone with respect and with no attitude. I really could never do their job.

Maybe it all turned out so well because I had Michael, the winner, with me.