I Won, I Won the Lottery

                 I Won, I won the Lottery

Suzanne Marsh

I Won, I won the lottery, oh what I could do with nine hundred

million dollars!” Words of prophecy or words of doom? The day dawned beautiful and clear, I

walked to the small store on the corner and bought my first lottery ticket. Like millions of other people

waited for the numbers to be called, the announcer began with; 31, 42, 55, 17, 20 bonus number 24.

My eyes grew wide, I listened again, then my emotions took over, I laughed, then I cried, I had actually

won the lottery, all nine hundred million was mine; to do with whatever I wanted, of course, that was

after taxes!

According to the IRS, I owed them 23,976,000.00, and the remainder was mine: 75,924,000.00. That was going to pay for a house, car, clothes, and shoes, and best of all, I would never have to work again! Welcome to my dream world.

I began looking for a house, that was on the top of my agenda, I did not need anything fancy, just something paid for. I called a realty company, and the woman who took the call said she knew of several houses for sale in a six to ten-figure range, she did not tell me that the range was in thousands, almost a million. I asked what I was going to do with a million-dollar home; she pointed out that I could live comfortably, She painted a lovely picture of a million-dollar home, a pool, pool-house, a five-car garage, and the interior done by a professional decorator for the amazing low sum of 1.5 million dollars. I did some quick calculations, and I could afford it; after all, I still had 73 million left, so why not enjoy life? I moved into the house, the living rooms were huge, there was a grand piano off to the side, a Steinway, I believe it was. I went upstairs to the master bedroom where I fell in love with the red velvet bedspread on the bed. The bath had all the trimmings in it; from a shower that was like a waterfall, towels so soft, a sauna after a long day of doing nothing. I needed a map to find the kitchen and dining room. I was lost inside the house of several hours just attempting to find my way around. This was living my fantasy.

I had needed a car for like forever, the one sitting in the driveway was an old rust bucket, if I kicked it hard I am sure it would have broken in half or shattered. I wanted a more dependable car, no scratch that I wanted the best roadster money could buy. I always wanted a Lamborghini, I began to see myself in a Veneno, a bright candy apple red, only to discover that was the most popular color, I wanted something flashy but reserved, then I saw a gray Veneno with orange wheel rims, I had to have it. I phoned the showroom in Dallas, yes they had one, and the price tag was steep but I had to have that car. The price was 4.5 million dollars, I think my heart almost stopped beating when I heard the price, I could afford it, so I purchased it. I drove it home that night, I had it up to almost one hundred and seventy-five miles per hour. It was sheer heaven behind that wheel, of course, the TXDOT officer was not very understanding. I finally explained to him that I was the big winner in the lottery. He let me off with a stern warning: “Don’t do that anymore boy.” He tapped his Stetson and strode off into the sunset. That was too close for comfort, I had his badge number so I sent a small thank-you gift to the officer; a check for a thousand dollars.

The family began to find me, the family I had no idea existed much less who these people were. There was Uncle Wilbur who required a back brace and fifty thousand dollars. Then there was Aunt Miranda Uncle Wilbur’s wife, who settled into the bedroom closest to the master bedroom. The problem was she snored so loudly that I had to remove her from that room and put her up on one more floor. She was happier there, and I managed to get some sleep time. A cousin appeared on a dark evening, one I had never heard of, her name was Martina. She did not seem like she belonged in our family. My family is mostly blonds and redheads, Martina had the biggest darkest eyes I have ever seen, they were black, like a Cocker Spaniel, she told me she needed help with some bills, I was not convinced she even was a family member. She arrived on a Sunday evening, and Uncle Wilbur answered the door. Uncle Wilbur, quickly determined that Martina was a threat to our happy home. She said she was related to us through our Armenian side. She did know about Anoush a cousin who was killed during World War II. She even had a picture of the woman, but something did not seem right. She demanded I pay her one million dollars, I told her she was not a member of our family and I was calling the police. She backed down, leaving my home a million dollars less than she required. Money does have a way of drawing attention to yourself.

Around this time I realized my money was dwindling, I needed an accountant before I lost everything. I had already purchased everything I could ever want or need. I found an accountant C. Barnaby Roth, a competent man, and I began to consult with him about investing. I also decided I would require an attorney to handle my legal issues as time went on, Mac MacMillian was a good choice.

It has been almost twenty years since I won the lottery. I have done some good by donating to several charities in the area. I have made good solid investments and made money. I am truly glad I found C. Barnaby Roth, he has looked out for me. I have over a million in the bank and am comfortable.

I wish however I had been more understanding of money, and what I had wished for, I wish I had been more cautious. Money is something we all desire but take it from a big lottery winner, don’t overspend. I am fortunate that I still have the Lamborghini and my home, at one point I almost lost both.

The conclusion I have drawn is: be careful what you wish for.