A 50/50 Proposition

Posted on February 25, 2014 under Storytelling with 3 comments

Do you like playing games of chance?  Have you ever bought a ticket on the Lotto 649 or, its equivalent in the United States, Powerball?  How about bingo or do you like to try your hand at the slot machines in Vegas?  Personally I’m not much for games of chance.  My track record is deplorable.

Some days I feel as though I should just go to a manhole cover and throw a few coins in, to be flushed out to sea.

But I do believe in supporting charities and local sports and culture groups, so I don’t mind throwing a few bucks into a 50/50 draw, a fundraising tool that seems to be increasing in popularity.  The local Minor Hockey Association runs a very successful 50/50 draw every week, and the winner’s take is usually in the neighborhood of $15,000 … enough to pay off a few bills and a bit left over for a large pizza.

I recently attended a dinner theatre in support of our wonderful new library, which has become a real hub in the community.  I am on the Board that raises money for the library.  I had agreed to be in charge of the 50/50 draw.  I did not volunteer to de-bone the “hot out of the oven” turkeys.  The organizers must have known that I have desecrated more than one unsuspecting fowl over my culinary career.

These kinds of draws are a pretty easy sell, and I nabbed most people before they even had a chance to get to the bar.  I continued to sell during the three course meal, when the actors weren’t doing their thing.

When I wasn’t flogging tickets I was sharing a table with four lovely ladies, a few of them fellow Board members.  I quickly discovered that I was sitting with a bunch of self-proclaimed losers.  No, not those kinds of losers.  Let’s just call them “non-winners”.   There’s a difference, you know.  No one at our table had ever enjoyed much luck when it came to entering a draw.  Collectively, we won 50 pounds of lobster, a quilt, a leather chair and, for one lucky soul, $500.  Our total ages probably came to about 300 years so our results, on an annual percentage basis, were pretty miniscule.

As I made the rounds with my roll of tickets, I had some laughs and good natured ribbing at a big table occupied by the “red hat ladies”.  I wondered aloud if maybe I should open a kissing booth and charge $5.00, seeing that it was Valentine’s Day and all.  An old friend, Sheila, scoffed at the idea and thought I had a better chance of getting hit by lightning than making any smooch sales.

At the conclusion of the event, I was asked to present $225, the winner’s share of the 50/50 draw.  And wouldn’t you know it, the winner was Sheila.  This is the same Sheila that I nearly knee capped forty five years ago at my one and only attempt at square dancing.

Before I would hand over the money, I asked her to give me a peck on the cheek. I will leave it to you, dear reader, to guess which cheek I meant.

What are the odds of selling one kiss for $225?  I’ll never tell!

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