Taneka looked up at a man that had come to the cash register, “Yes, can I help you?”
Looking dazed the man said, “Is this a winning number?”
Taneka took the ticket from the man and did a double take. It was!
“I have one too!” Came another voice.
“So do I!” Came a third voice as a rising hysteria began to mount within the store.
Taneka stared reflectively out over the gathering crowd. Three winning numbers!
People would flock to her store from all over just to buy tickets! Handing the ticket back she rushed past the man to the door of the shop.
She pushed her way out onto the street past the gathering crowd and looked vainly about for any sight of Desirée. Not finding her she turned her eyes heavenward and said, “You sure does work in mysterious ways Lord! Thank you! I can keep my store now!”
Putting her hand to her heart she then blew it heavenward before turning to go back into the store. “All right simmer down everyone! We’ll get it all sorted out. Just give me a moment.
Regaining her position behind the counter she addressed the longtime customer with the winning ticket before her, “Now James what are you gonna do with that money?”
“Well I dunno just quite yet, but I….”
“Well you had better be thanking the good Lord for it before you go doing anything, because He sure enough gave it to you today! I tell you James if you ain’t got Jesus in your heart that money ain’t gonna do you a lick of good. No sir, it ain’t! The love of money is the root of all evil the Good Book says and it’s true! We need money to live by, but when you let it live your life for you then you got trouble. Now you best get right with Jesus now or you’ll be worse off in the end than you were before that ticket!”
The man named James, who had been a longtime regular of the store over the years, blinked repeatedly as more and more people filed into the store behind him. Finally finding his voice he said, “I never knew you to be a woman of faith before. What’s gotten into yuh?”
“The good Lord’s in me and it’s high time I showz it! Now you’re all gonna hear a sermon and if you don’t like that then you can get out, but from now on this establishment is taking its orders from upstairs!”
Shouts of encouragement rang out from the crowd and Taneka started testifying with boldness before her captive audience of all that God had done for her within the last 24 hours.