Scratching the Scratchcard

Dear Delyara, I bought a two-pound scratchcard at the corner shop tonight, using a silver coin to scrape away the silver latex coating onto the kitchen table. The gray dust got under my fingernails and left a dirty smudge on the wood. I didn't win anything—just three mismatched numbers looking up at me. I didn't really expect to win, but the five seconds of absolute quiet potential while the silver was coming off was worth the coins.