Sundays are white hair, Benadryl, and small talk. To some people I'm sure I am just "a cashier," but to others I am "the LOTTO expert."

At Deforest Pharmacy, my mind switches from this world of words and letters to the world of numbers, as I become the LOTTO master. Take 5, Win 4, Pick 10 - You name it! For Mr. Kunz, it's a dollar on number 301. For Tony, it's a Take 5 quick pick. For Mr. Tocchino, it's 295 for fifty cents.

Mr. Lockhart, on the other hand, is our LOTTO quick pick for Wednesday and Saturday. He tells me, "If I win, we'll split it!" He is old enough to be my grandfather, yet he flirts with me as if he were seventeen.

Mrs. Kelly, a strong woman of seventy, bets $20 dollars on LOTTO and spends the rest on medicine. I hope she wins someday.

While these people are picking, playing, and praying, they tell me about their lives, their families, and their jobs. In return, I find them more than cute little creatures with poor posture. Listening to them complain about their diarrhea, back pain, or arthritis, I appreciate my good health. To them I am a glimmer of their past, the light of youth, and maybe even their hope for the future. -