Husband forgot his anniversary — but plans to surprise wife with big NC lottery check
A North Carolina man forgot his wedding anniversary — then the lottery gave him a belated gift.
Ricardo Cabral now plans to show his wife the big check he received after winning $100,000 in a scratch-off game, officials said.
“For the first time ever, we both forgot our anniversary,” Cabral told the N.C. Education Lottery while laughing. “Now I can give her this.”
Cabral is celebrating his windfall after shopping at a grocery store in Morrisville, west of Raleigh. While at the Harris Teeter on Davis Drive, officials said he spent $30 on a ticket for the Millionaire Maker game.
“When I looked at it and I saw I won, I just said, ‘It’s a great anniversary,’” Cabral said in a Feb. 28 news release.
Cabral, a 69-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, kept $71,019 after taxes. Though he plans to pay bills and save some of the prize money, officials said he was also looking forward to surprising his wife with the big check that he received days after their 47th anniversary.
“She’s been with me through thick and thin,” Cabral said in the release. “She will be extremely happy when I tell her.”
It’s not the first time a North Carolina lottery win has coincided with a special occasion.
Earlier this month, officials said a man hit the jackpot a week before his birthday.
And in December, another lucky lottery player considered spoiling his family after scoring a big prize ahead of Christmas, McClatchy News reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen gambling is more than a game
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This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Husband forgot his anniversary — but plans to surprise wife with big NC lottery check."
