won!”
“That’s right!” The enthusiastic radio announcer said. “Leah Hudson, you have just won an exciting cruise for yourself and a friend to—are you ready for this?—Alaska!”
The chipmunk voices sang out again. “You won! You won! You really, really won!”
“What do you have to say, Leah Hudson?”
Leah was speechless.
The announcer jumped in. “You’re on the air, so go ahead and tell all the listeners what you think of the hottest station in the nation playing all the hits all the time.”
“Um, I, ah, the number I dialed … it’s …”
The announcer broke in with deep laughter. “I think our winner is in shock, folks. Winning the WPZQ jackpot can have that effect on a person. Nevertheless …”
The chorus chirped in with, “You won! You won! You really, really won!”
“But, you see—” Leah tried to explain.
“Now you just stay on the line,” the announcer said, “and Tina will tell you all about the fabulous cruise you’ve won.”
After two clicks, a female voice said, “May I have your name and phone number, please?”
“Actually … Tina, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Tina, I was trying to call a patient from our hospital who left this as his phone number. But I think I misdialed the number.”
After a pause Tina said, “What number did you think you dialed?”
Leah repeated the number she was trying to reach, and Tina verified that was the number for the radio station.
“What area code did you dial?” Tina asked. “This is 203.”
Leah began to laugh. “Well, that explains it. I meant to dial 503 for Portland, Oregon. Sorry to have troubled you.”
“No, wait!” Tina said. “Don’t hang up. You won the cruise.”
“But how could I? I don’t even live … where is your station located, anyhow?”
“New Haven.”
“New Haven what?” Leah asked.
“Connecticut,” Tina said.
Mary, who had just returned from lunch, slid her purse in the bottom drawer of the desk, giving Leah a curious look as Leah echoed, “Connecticut?”
“Look, you won the cruise,” Tina said. “We just announced you live on the air. We can’t go back and say the last winner was a hoax. Nothing in our rules says you have to know you’re entering the contest to win. Or that you have to be in Connecticut when you call. You were caller number nine. You won the cruise, whether you want it or not.”
“I can’t believe this,” Leah said.
“Would you be so kind as to give me your name, phone number, and a fax number for your travel agent? We deal directly with travel agents for all our arrangements.”
Leah figured she might as well give Tina the information. Reaching for the telephone book, Leah looked up the number for A Wing and a Prayer, the only travel agency in Glenbrooke.
Mary stepped closer to Leah’s desk and mouthed the word “What?”
“Thank you,” Tina said. Then sounding as if she was readingfrom a card, Tina continued, “Congratulations, Leah Hudson, on winning the WPZQ jackpot. All prizes are for promotional consideration only and cannot be exchanged for cash value. We hope you will keep on listening to the hottest station in the nation, playing all the hits all the time. Enjoy your cruise.”
Leah hung up the phone and turned to Mary, who asked, “What was all that?”
“I just won a cruise to Alaska. Via Connecticut.”
Word of Leah’s trip spread quickly at work, and everyone agreed Leah “deserved” the cruise. She didn’t know how she “deserved” anything. She had dialed a wrong number. It was all pretty crazy in her opinion.
One of the ER nurses had been to Alaska, and she was eager to tell Leah all about it. The woman even went home on her lunch break and brought back four travel books on Alaska, a large photo album, and two home videos of her trip, which she told Leah to watch that night at home.
Leah left work at 4:30, as usual, and drove directly to the travel agency for her 4:45 appointment.
Alissa, the owner and only
“That’s right!” The enthusiastic radio announcer said. “Leah Hudson, you have just won an exciting cruise for yourself and a friend to—are you ready for this?—Alaska!”
The chipmunk voices sang out again. “You won! You won! You really, really won!”
“What do you have to say, Leah Hudson?”
Leah was speechless.
The announcer jumped in. “You’re on the air, so go ahead and tell all the listeners what you think of the hottest station in the nation playing all the hits all the time.”
“Um, I, ah, the number I dialed … it’s …”
The announcer broke in with deep laughter. “I think our winner is in shock, folks. Winning the WPZQ jackpot can have that effect on a person. Nevertheless …”
The chorus chirped in with, “You won! You won! You really, really won!”
“But, you see—” Leah tried to explain.
“Now you just stay on the line,” the announcer said, “and Tina will tell you all about the fabulous cruise you’ve won.”
After two clicks, a female voice said, “May I have your name and phone number, please?”
“Actually … Tina, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Tina, I was trying to call a patient from our hospital who left this as his phone number. But I think I misdialed the number.”
After a pause Tina said, “What number did you think you dialed?”
Leah repeated the number she was trying to reach, and Tina verified that was the number for the radio station.
“What area code did you dial?” Tina asked. “This is 203.”
Leah began to laugh. “Well, that explains it. I meant to dial 503 for Portland, Oregon. Sorry to have troubled you.”
“No, wait!” Tina said. “Don’t hang up. You won the cruise.”
“But how could I? I don’t even live … where is your station located, anyhow?”
“New Haven.”
“New Haven what?” Leah asked.
“Connecticut,” Tina said.
Mary, who had just returned from lunch, slid her purse in the bottom drawer of the desk, giving Leah a curious look as Leah echoed, “Connecticut?”
“Look, you won the cruise,” Tina said. “We just announced you live on the air. We can’t go back and say the last winner was a hoax. Nothing in our rules says you have to know you’re entering the contest to win. Or that you have to be in Connecticut when you call. You were caller number nine. You won the cruise, whether you want it or not.”
“I can’t believe this,” Leah said.
“Would you be so kind as to give me your name, phone number, and a fax number for your travel agent? We deal directly with travel agents for all our arrangements.”
Leah figured she might as well give Tina the information. Reaching for the telephone book, Leah looked up the number for A Wing and a Prayer, the only travel agency in Glenbrooke.
Mary stepped closer to Leah’s desk and mouthed the word “What?”
“Thank you,” Tina said. Then sounding as if she was readingfrom a card, Tina continued, “Congratulations, Leah Hudson, on winning the WPZQ jackpot. All prizes are for promotional consideration only and cannot be exchanged for cash value. We hope you will keep on listening to the hottest station in the nation, playing all the hits all the time. Enjoy your cruise.”
Leah hung up the phone and turned to Mary, who asked, “What was all that?”
“I just won a cruise to Alaska. Via Connecticut.”
Word of Leah’s trip spread quickly at work, and everyone agreed Leah “deserved” the cruise. She didn’t know how she “deserved” anything. She had dialed a wrong number. It was all pretty crazy in her opinion.
One of the ER nurses had been to Alaska, and she was eager to tell Leah all about it. The woman even went home on her lunch break and brought back four travel books on Alaska, a large photo album, and two home videos of her trip, which she told Leah to watch that night at home.
Leah left work at 4:30, as usual, and drove directly to the travel agency for her 4:45 appointment.
Alissa, the owner and only
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