Week 11 Story, Who Really Wins the Lottery

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“No good deed goes unpunished. Shit rolls downhill.” 

Jitters repeatedly muttered the two-phrase litany to a cadence in his head that he found himself skipping to down Washington Avenue. Hoping off the curb, the young man jaywalked to the Catholic Parish gate on the opposite side of the street. 

“Feliz cumpleaños Jimmy,” a small balding man in a collared shirt called to Jitters as he walked through the narthex toward the sanctuary. 

“Oh, hey Padre,” Jitters responded. “Gracias.”

Jitters had been born Giacomo Jose Satra. He was the son of an Italian dock worker and a Latina nurse. To his parents and his priest, he was Jimmy. But to everyone else, he was Jitters. 

The story of his nickname had morphed into multiple stories that ranged from how he approached his dating life to the way his pupils would dance side to side when he was really, really pissed. The namesake origin story was a little more poignant, though. As a young boy, he was often left at home alone at night in his Bronx apartment while his parents both worked third shift. He had developed a fear of the dark that seized him even in the company of friends and family. Someone, at some time, had dubbed the boy Jitters from the way he would tremble as he fell asleep. The name stuck, but no one was ever brave enough or dumb enough to remind him of where it came from.

Today was Jitters eighteenth birthday. As of 12:50 PM the maturing boy was now legally a man. Kneeling on the step below the sanctuary balustrade, he offered prayers and asked for blessings from his patron saint as he transitioned into the new phase of life. After a quick succession of hail Mary’s, he bid the priest farewell and headed down Washington the deli where he worked.

The bells hanging from the storefront door chimed against each other from the strike of the door pushing them out of the way. Jitters walked through the doorway and past the meat case.

“Hey Serg! Ring me up twenty dollars’ worth of Powerball numbers, will ya?”

The plump dark-haired shop owner standing behind the counter quipped, “are you even old enough yet?” Have you even had your Quinceañera? 

“Fuck you, Serg.” Jitters shot back. “Ring’em up! Vamanos.” 

Putting on his apron, he joined the older shop owner behind the counter. Standing beside him, Jitters towered over Serg by a solid foot and a half. The older man looked up at the formidable youth. Without losing eye contact, the round man gingerly slid a folded lottery receipt into Jitters shirt pocket.

“Pick your numbers wisely, you dumb shit,” Serg offered in a fatherly tone. “By the way, Karlo came by earlier asking about whether you are interested in working side jobs for his organization. Be careful about where you find yourself, Jitters,” Serg added. “Remember, no good deed goes unpunished in that world and shit rolls downhill.” 

That following morning, Jitters took his first round for Karlo collecting cash from various businesses around the borough. The following evening, Jitters won the lottery.

“Forty-two million dollars?” Karlo gasped. “Jesus, son. You betta keep working for us or you’re gonna have a hell of a contribution to make to protect your interests.” The midlevel mobster added, “I’m gonna play you straight kid, you should have kept this quiet.”

“Look boss, Jitters mustered respectfully, “I’m donating a large portion of it to the family. I’ve got my parents a nice place down in Florida to retire to. Why can’t I just make payments for some of the community for a while. Some of these businesses are barely getting by.” 

Within three months, Jitters body was found floating below the base of a small hill on the Bronx river.

Author’s Note:

The story of Jitters winning the lottery is my own version of the story of Satrajit and the Syamantaka Jewel. The Bronx represents Dwarka. Karlo represents the jealous side of Krishna. I stop the story with the death of the Jitters / Satrajit character, because I wanted to let the story of how gaining a large gift can lead to ruin.

Bibliography:

 C.A. Kincaid, The Syamantaka Jewel, Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Storie, Source