Got My Lucky Number!

Last night we took a mashutka to a fancy restaurant on the other side of town. Mashutkas are the mini buses that zip around through traffic. They're quicker and more convenient than regular buses or trams. They're cramped and intimate. I stepped on a few toes to pay the driver, who handed me my ticket in between gear shifts. When I sat back down, I did what all Russians do. I checked to see if I had a lucky number. Like many things here, I didn't completely understand this lucky number business. I thought there needed to be a series of three zeros lined up, but it's more complicated than that. You have to add the first three numbers, get the total then do the same for the last three. If the totals are the same then BINGO! It was only my second matshutka. Anyway, last night I hit the jackpot. I got a lucky number! But I didn't realize though, that for my dream to come true I had to eat the ticket. So there in the back of the careening matshuka I was convinced to wad the thing up, stuff in in my mouth, and swallow it. I'm still waiting for my dream to come true...