Serendipity...?

Today my life completely changed, and all because of a little black book.

It's not every day that a postal worker from Chicago, Illinois, comes into millions of dollars virtually overnight. That's what makes this all so strange. But let me start from the beginning.

It all started 5 weeks ago. It was a regular day, like any other, as I was making my rounds delivering all the letters and packages to the houses on my route. The regulars stopped to chat and ask about my day. Others just said 'thanks' and closed the door. I don't mind all that much, it makes the day go quicker. Though, I did get to meet Mrs. Albertson's new dog, a gorgeous 6-month-old black Labrador that will be getting daily treats from me.

During my excursion down Michigan Avenue, my cart lost one of its wheels. I sighed knowing my shoulders and back would be aching by the end of the day. As I bent down to inspect the damage, I noticed a small black notebook lying in the street. It looked new, barely-used and in good condition. It wasn't dirty, even though it had been lying in the street. I reached down to pick it up I saw that the pages inside were lightly creased and covered in scribbles and notes. There was no name inside the cover, but the scribblings inside looked like the book belonged to some sort of scientist. The notes were thorough but messy, almost analytical in their design.

I shoved the book into my pocket and carried on with my day. I'd find out who it belonged to later. The hours passed, so did the houses and soon I forgot about the small leather-bound wad of pages in my coat.

When I got home, tired and aching from the day of wandering the streets, I tossed my coat aside and heard a small thunk. I turned and saw the book lying next to my boots, that were now covered in a light layer of mud and dust, on the floor.

I scooped up the book and flung myself into the armchair in the corner of my apartment.

Turning pages carefully, I examined the information contained within. It must've been the third time I'd read it that I suddenly noticed the name Coby White a few pages in. I realised at that moment that this particular page was referring to the Chicago Bulls, but the game it was referring to hadn't even happened yet. It was dated for two days later. Reading further, the whole book was filled with future sporting events, horse and motor races. All of which the owner seemed to have tried to predict the outcomes for.

I tried to put the book aside for the night, intending to just take it into the office tomorrow to figure out who it belongs to, but I just couldn't put it out of my mind. Something about it seemed intriguing. It couldn't hurt to place one small bet, just to see if whoever wrote this thing knew what they were on about. I found the game online and looked up the odds. To bet on the Chicago Bulls, it was 100/1 odds on them winning. And yet something told me to do it. I decided to go for it and place $100 on the Chicago Bulls, with Coby scoring the winning shot.

The next day was just the same as any other. I made my rounds, chatted to the regulars, made my deliveries, and headed home. I relaxed, had a beer, and watched the latest episode of Stranger Things. Once that was done I went to bed, ready for the following day. My usual routine.

When I awoke, something felt different, tense almost. I thought maybe because it was a Friday, I had tomorrow off, but no that wasn't it. It was bigger than that. More important.

It was around quarter past two in the afternoon when I realised that I still had the book in my pocket, then I remembered. The bet. The game was today, in less than two hours. I practically sprinted the final three streets of the day. Eager to get home and watch the game. I raced home, threw my jacket across the room, kicked off my shoes, and leapt into my armchair, and it was there in that chair that I saw the winning point.