I Hate Hog Slat...

Thursday night, maybe it was over supper, the Hubster told me that we'd be, most likely, going to the Reverse Raffle that the local fire department was holding Friday night.  I'll be honest with you, I was less than thrilled at the idea of spending my Friday night in a dark, loud, uncomfortable banquet hall straining to hear over the music, so I could hear what the person standing beside me was saying.  But, as with most things where the Hubster is concerned, I didn't get my way.

We got to the Reverse Raffle late.  Late enough I was positive that our names were already drawn out and that we'd be able to leave and eat real food, instead of the finger foods that the Fire Department was offering, real soon.  We get in the door and my in-laws tell us that we are still in the drawing for the $10,000 bucks.  I can't lie, I was little disappointed because I was hungry and I didn't want to have to stay... after all, the Hubster won one year already so what's the chance of him winning again?

You see, the whole point with a Reverse Raffle is to not have your name called out.  If you're the last name called, you win... and you could win a lot of cash.  It is a pretty fun fundraiser, in my opinion, except for this night, I just wanted to go back home and veg out on the couch while watching TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta."

So the band stopped playing and the firemen started calling out names.  Amy Richards... Greg Holland... Tom's Tire and Auto... etc., etc., etc.  I was surprised that our name hadn't been called.  The announcer stopped at the last 10 names and said the band would play one more set and then the winner would be announced. 

At that moment I realized we were still in it and we possibly could win!  I got nervous and I started to regret that I had ate so many cucumber sandwiches earlier in the night.  I was pretty muched sucked in at this point.

The Hubster and I quick conferenced... if we get in the top five we'd split with the remaining names and go home with $2,000 bucks.  $2,000 bucks sure would replace all that money we spent on a second set of house plans this past summer and there probably would be enough money left over that the Hubster could finally buy (guilt-free) the pair of boots he's been lusting after for as long as I've known him.

After what seemed like an eternity, the band stopped playing and the firemen came back to call out the rest of the names.  Richard & Carmen Jones... Paula Vann... Erin Winbourne... Brinkley & Bob Zornes... Josh Peters.  We were in the top five.  They called the Hubster up along with the other four ticket holders.  You could see them talking and I could see the Hubster saying "split."  I just knew that we'd be coming home with $2,000 dollars and suddenly I didn't really care that all I had had to eat all day was a bad sandwich at work and 3 cucumber sandwichs and cheese cubes at the drawing.  Suddenly I started thinking about how wonderful it would be to put back the money we spent this summer into our savings account.  Suddenly I was just in the very best of moods... and then suddenly the annoucers said, "Well, the rules say, ladies and gentlemen, that if one ticket holder refuses to split then we've got to keep going on with the drawing, and Hog Slat's representative says she won't split, so we've got to keep drawing out names.  Sorry folks." 

Hog Slat is a local company that has millions upon millions of dollars and they now are my least favorite company in the world. 

We were all standing back, praying that the next name out would be Hog Slat and then they could split.  But it wasn't.  We were now in the top four.  If the next name out was Hog Slat, then we'd be going home with a little more than $2,000 dollars.

It all happened really fast.  The announcer spoke clearly and fast.  Rest assured, it was our name and we were out.  The Hubster took the walk of shame back to where I was standing, disappointed and mad.  Hog Slat made it to the top two and luckily lost out to a much more deserving couple. 

I stayed mad well into the next day.  I was pretty much on my 3rd cup of coffee at my Daughters of the American Revolution meeting at the country club Saturday moring before I was even fit to be around.  Y'all I really hate being right all the time, but I'd been so much better off on my couch Friday night completely clueless as to what was going on at the drawing.  No more Reverse Raffles for me... I can tell you that Hubster.  And Hog Slat, you'd better just figure that y'all won't be getting no business from any of mine for a good long while.