MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – A Murrells Inlet man said he asked for the day off work and traveled to Columbia with his wife after winning $250,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket.

“I cried a lot,” he admitted after winning a quarter of a million dollars.

The Murrells Inlet man said he was already at work when it happened. On his drive in, he stopped at the Markette Store #21 and bought a cup of coffee and a Ca$h Blast! scratch-off. A few minutes into his work day, he called his boss and asked for the rest of the day off.

“He was in tears when he got home,” said his wife.  “He told me: ‘We are going to Columbia right now.’”

The couple says they are paying off their house.

“And we are going to take a trip, one that we’ve wanted to take for a long time,” said the winner.

Two top prizes of $250,000 remain in the $10 Ca$h Blast! game, at odds of 1 in 660,000, according to lottery officials.

For selling the claimed ticket, Markette Store #21 in Murrells Inlet received a commission of $2,500.