Crazy Luck

In high school I had two lucky weeks which started from a drawing to own our ex-cop, disciplinarian Vice-Principle as a slave. The first name he drew was one of the most popular and mischievous kids. He threw that ticket in the garbage. He then pulled out my name and one of the secretaries said I was a nice kid, who stayed out of trouble, and he said, “I’ve never heard of him, so he’ll do.” When he was my slave I placed a soft recliner from the drama department on a trash cart and had him wheel my throne into the cafeteria announcing me. I told him to set the cart next to a table of boys, including the popular kid he rejected. I ordered him to say “good morning Mr. so and so” to each. I hand cuffed him to the cart and pulled out a bull whip. Of course I didn’t hit him but the whole place roared.

A week later I got into a fight. A kid was picking on all the other kids during P.E. When we went into the locker room to change I started talking trash. He tried to politely calm me down, but I wouldn’t stop threatening. He punched me and I fought back. After a minute I had a righteous black eye. He apologized and tried to walk away, but I hit him again. He had no choice but to keep fighting. Eventually the other boys broke it up. I attempted to go back to class with my face more than a little rearranged. The Vice-Principle smiled at me, then at the circle of boys around the other kid. He and I both got A.E. for two weeks.

A week later our high school basketball team played an exhibition at The Summit, home of the Houston Rockets. I went with my Uncle and Sister. My Sister got angry because my ticket was between her and him. She threw a fit and insisted we trade. My Uncle said “okay, but that means you have to swap tickets.” I didn’t fight back because I didn’t care. At half time they had a drawing and pulled my new ticket number. My Uncle laughed at her as I headed down to take three free throws and a half court shot for $25,000. When I walked out, my entire senior class, who were in the same area as my Uncle and Sister, realized it was me and went wild because even the nose bleed section could see my shiner. I made the third free throw and thousands of fans exploded because the kid with the black eye, who they also knew was from the visiting high school, made one. I didn’t make the half court shot.

The next day at school, the popular kid whose name was originally drawn for the Vice-Principle, put his arm around me and said, “This has got to be the most exciting two weeks of your life.”