Chapter 1

"A pack of Camels please."

"Got an ID?"

"Right here."

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

"So you're taking up smoking?"

"No, these are for my brother in law. He said I should make myself useful since I'm now legal."

"It's nice to feel useful. Anything else?"

"How about a six pack of Sam Adams?"

"Heh! Come back in three years. I'll sell you all you want."

"I guess that's it then."

"How about a lotto ticket? Tonight's jackpot is $80 million and climbing. It'll be a lot more by tonight's drawing. Since this is your birthday, I'll sell you the tickets for a dollar a piece."

"That's generous of you. Sure, why not? One quick pick please." I knew they cost a dollar anyway but it would be my first taste of legal vice even though I wasn't feeling lucky. Buying cigarettes for my idiot brother in law didn't count. I stuck the ticket in my wallet and quickly forgot about it.

My brother in law Rick stiffed me for the price of the cigarettes. I guess I was the idiot brother in law for trusting him. And then I found out he discovered the birthday cake my sister bought for me. He and his buddies ate it all up. This was turning out to be a hideous birthday yet typical of every day of my life for the past year. My sister and her husband got into a screaming fight over the birthday cake when she found out. Terrific!

The next morning the whole apartment house complex was buzzing with the news that the winning jackpot ticket for the entire 88 million dollars had been purchased locally at Oki Doki Liquor. My only thought at the time was that it was the same place where I purchased my ticket.

"I wonder if I know the guy," Rick said. "I'd hit him up for a loan."

"Who would lend you money," my sister Kristina demanded. I'm glad Rick chose to ignore her or they'd be fighting again.

"He'll probably be long gone from this neighborhood if he has any common sense," was my two cents worth. "I know I would be if it was me."

"I knew I should have had you to buy me a lotto ticket," Rick told me. I just shrugged my shoulders and kept my mouth shut. I knew I would have been stiffed on that purchase too.

The initial excitement petered out after a week but not the speculation about who the winner was and why he hadn't come forward yet to claim the jackpot. Some thought the winner died of a heart attack when he discovered he was the winner. Others thought he might have lost the ticket or even thrown it away by mistake. Was the winner a wanted criminal and afraid to come forward or perhaps an illegal alien? Even I got in on the speculation.

"Maybe he hasn't checked his ticket yet," I said. That got me to thinking that I had yet to check my own lotto ticket. I might as well. Well, it was quite a surprise when I discovered I was the winner but I didn't jump up and down and shout and celebrate. I think I went into denial for a bit. It sounds crazy but I did. This couldn't be right. Then I got paranoid. People could tell I was the winner just by looking at me and were going to snatch away my ticket. I needed to talk to someone but I couldn't confide in my sister. I didn't trust her not to blab to her husband who I didn't trust at all. I couldn't think of anyone else. I felt depressed. I sat on the apartment house steps and sulked.

"You look like you just lost your best friend." There was a young girl standing in front of me. I knew she lived in the complex but I didn't know her name. She was a short brunette with horn-rimmed glasses and crooked teeth; kind of cute.

"I don't have any friends to lose," I responded.

"I'll be your friend if you need someone to talk to," she said. "I'm Carol."

"I'm John."

"Pleased to meet you, John. Is it girl trouble?"

"No."

"Drugs? Alcohol? Parents? Sexually transmitted disease?"

"Nothing like that."

"Do you need spiritual or legal counsel?"

"I dunno. I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to a lawyer."

"Now we're getting somewhere," said Carol. "I'm going to be a lawyer. If you can just wait until I finish junior high school, high school, college, law school and pass the bar exam, I'll be more than happy to represent you."

"You'll be a good one I bet, but I'm afraid I can't wait that long." Carol would be a great attorney if nosiness and persistence were necessary talents. I didn't mind though. She was already helping me clarify my thoughts.

"You're still in luck. My mother works for a law firm in town. I can get you in to see the top attorney there."

"He isn't one of these guys, is he?" I pointed at the numerous flyers littering the walkway from law firms specializing in defending their clients in drug possession or driving while intoxicated cases and civil matters such as divorce, child custody, bankruptcy and immigration.

"No way! His firm is one the best in the state."

"He sounds expensive."

"Don't worry. I've got it covered. Say, are you in high school still? Are you going to the prom?"

"Uh, I am in high school but I won't be going to any prom. What does that have to do with anything?"

"My sister wants to go to the prom but no one has asked her. I could introduce you. She looks a lot like me only she has bigger boobs."

"I'm not in the position to take anybody anywhere right now."

"That's okay. Maybe later?"

"Yeah, maybe later."

I agreed to meet Carol the next day after school and we took the bus into downtown. She asked me what I was going to talk about with the lawyer but I told her it was confidential. Then she asked me if I thought she was pretty and I said yes.

I was really impressed when we walked into the offices; so much so that I almost walked right back out. Everything spoke of money. You see, I still hadn't accepted the possibility that I was no longer poor and I was totally intimidated. I was just a nobody from the wrong side of town.

"Hi, Carol," said the receptionist. "Do you need to see your mom?"

"No, I need to see Tom."

"Tom? Do you mean Mr. Paine?"

"Yeah, I brought him a new client."

"He's in court right now. Do you have an appointment, sir?"

"Uh, no I don't." I was already feeling like a fool even though the receptionist didn't seem to be judging me.

"That's all right," said Carol. "Tom said I could come see him anytime I wanted."

"Carol," the receptionist responded, "I'm sure Mr. Paine didn't mean—

"Oh, never mind, Donna. He's here now." Carol turned to a man who had just walked in. Donna looked aggravated and I couldn't blame her.

"Tom, this is John. John is our new client." Tom look confused for a moment and then gave me a friendly smile.

"Tom Paine," he said.

"John Dempsey," I said and we shook hands.

"Don't go confusing Tom with the guy that wrote 'Common Sense'. He's not the same guy."

"I won't."

"I was just explaining to Carol that we don't normally see prospective clients without an appointment."

"Perhaps I should come back another time?"

"No, that's all right. I got out of court early. Let's talk in my office." I started following him until I noticed Carol walking beside me and slowed down.

"You're not invited. Go sit down," he ordered.

"Gosh!" Carol exclaimed but she obeyed. Mr. Paine led me into a spacious office past his secretary into another spacious office. He pointed to a sofa and I sat down.

"May I call you John?"

"Of course."

"Then I'm Tom. May I offer you something to drink, John? I have coffee, tea, soda or water. I have the harder stuff too, but I think we should keep our heads clear for now."

"Nothing, thanks." I had the sudden urge to piss. I'd have to hold it until I got outside. Tom sat down on the sofa too. I'm glad he didn't choose his huge desk to sit behind.

"Tell me a little about yourself, John."

"Well, there's not much to tell. I just turned 18 years old and I'll be graduating high school in June. A little over a year ago my father was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a hit and run driver. Six months ago my mother's reserve unit was called up and she's overseas until July.

"Right now I'm stuck living with my sister and brother in law until my mom returns. My sister's okay but my brother in law is a total jerk. He's in construction but hasn't worked in almost two years. My mother left them money to cover my expenses but Rick; that's my brother in law. He used most of it to pay off a lawyer that represented him on a drug possession charge. My sister works as a waitress. She's pregnant by the way. I originally had plans to enlist in the Army when I graduated to help pay for college."

"Has something come up to change your plans?"

"Yeah, I think so. That's what I need your advice on."

"And how can I help you?" I took the lotto ticket out of my wallet.

"I believe these are the winning numbers for 88 million dollars." Tom checked the numbers on a tablet computer he had laying nearby.

"Yes, it appears to be the winning ticket. Congratulations, John. You're a very fortunate young man."

"I don't feel fortunate," I replied. "I feel nervous and scared. I don't know how to deal with it and I just know someone is going to try and take it away from me."

"Like Rick?"

"Like him all right."

"Did you make any written or verbal agreement with Rick to share lotto winnings or did he ask you to buy that particular lotto ticket for him?"

"No, but that won't stop from saying he did. Is there any way I can keep my winning a secret?"

"I'm afraid not. All lotto winners' names are a matter of public record. Of course, I'll be glad to defend your rights against any other claimants if you choose to retain my services. That includes your brother in law. I can also refer you to an investment adviser and a certified public accountant. There are ways to protect your wealth and that will also be part of my job."

"All that sounds great but I don't have the money to retain you."

"Do you have a dollar?" Well, I retained Tom's firm to handle everything for me. The first thing he had me do was to print my name and sign the back of my ticket. Then he put it in a safe.

"It'll be safe until tomorrow. I'll call the lotto officials for an appointment. Does anyone else know of this?"

"You're the only other one besides me."

"Let's keep it that way for now, shall we? That includes Carol."

"That's fine with me. Uh, she's not in any trouble, is she? I mean for the way we just walked in?"

"Not at all. Although we'll have to talk to her about the way we conduct business here, I'm certainly appreciative of Carol bringing me a new client. Some of the young attorneys we have on staff have yet to bring in a dime's worth of new business. I'm seriously thinking of having them take lessons from her."

We walked out of his office together. I was feeling good, more confident than I'd felt in a long while. I saw another woman talking to Carol. She was an older version of Carol and I assumed it was my new friend's mother. Carol looked like she wanted to escape and took our appearance as her opportunity.

"Did you take John's case?"

"I did," Tom replied.

"I told Mom you would so I'm not in trouble, am I. So what's the case about?"

"You're on a 'need to know' basis right now."

"That means you're not going to tell me anything."

"It means exactly that."

"Gosh! How am I going to protect my client's interests if no one will tell me anything?"

"He's not your client. He's my client and protecting John's interests is now my task thanks to you. I'd like you to see John safely home with your mother if you would, please."

"I can do that," Carol said.

"Come back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.," he told me. "Perhaps you can hitch a ride with Carol's mother. Cynthia?"

"No problem," said Cynthia. "I'll get my purse and sign out." She looked relieved. Speaking of relief, I needed to find a restroom.

"John told me I'm pretty, Mom." We were on the drive home. It was rush hour traffic and it was more of a creep home. I was sitting in the front with Mrs. Boyle and Carol was in the back.

"That was nice of him to tell you that, honey. It's certainly true."

"I figured if I looked good to him then Elizabeth would look good to him and then he'd ask her out. Do you have a girlfriend, John?"

"I did have a girlfriend, but we broke up when I had to switch schools."

"You see, Mom? John's available. Let's introduce him to Elizabeth."

"Would you like to meet my older daughter? She's a very nice girl."

"I wouldn't mind." Before my meeting with Tom I wouldn't have felt so social.

"My sister is kind of stand-offish so there's always me if you don't get anywhere with her."

"Your sister is shy, Carol, not stand-offish. And I think you're a little young yet to start dating."

"I wasn't thinking of dating John. I was thinking of sleeping with him." Carol's mother gasped and I couldn't help laughing.

"I can't believe I heard that. You and I are going to have a talk when we get home, young lady."

"He might like them young. You wouldn't kick me out of your bed, would you?"

"No comment," I said but I was laughing again.

"I guess you can tell there's nothing shy about Carol."

"I'm glad she's not. I still would've been sitting on the apartment house steps wondering what to do if she didn't stop to talk to me."

"I'm never going to be shy. There's no percentage in being shy. Say, John, do you prefer older women? My mom's available."

"Carol! Don't embarrass me! John isn't interested in a woman twice his age."

"I don't know about," I said. "You look pretty good to me, Mrs. Boyle."

"Thank you, kind sir, and please call me Cynthia." I think I pleased her with my flattery because her smile was genuine. She reached over and touched my arm briefly.

"She looks even better with her clothes off."

"Carol!"

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight, John? It's usually something frozen or out of a can but it'll give you a chance to meet Elizabeth." I looked at Cynthia and she nodded her head.

"Would you like to?"

"I'll be there."

"I got invited to dinner with some people I just met," I told Kristina when I walked in the door.

"That's nice," she said. "I was getting a little worried when you didn't come home at your usual time."

"I guess I should've called."

"Hey John," said Rick, "when are we going to start seeing some money out of you? Kris can't work much longer."

"Mom wants John to concentrate on his studies. Graduation is only a couple of months away."

"Well then your mom better see about sending us some more money."

"There was plenty of money until you used it to pay that lawyer. I mean, he takes your money and then pleads you guilty. You could have pled guilty without hiring him, don't you think?"

"He says he kept me out of jail. I already told you that."

"Well, if you want some more money, you'd better go find a job. Your unemployment is just about tapped anyway."

"There aren't any construction jobs out there right now."

"Then get a job doing something else."

"I'm not interested in doing something else." Kristina sighed.

"It looks like I'm applying for WIC and food stamps when the baby comes."

"I'm thinking about moving away soon anyway," I said.

"Oh yeah? Where to? How are you going to live? Can I go with you?"

"Don't let me stop you," said Rick.

"I'm going to find and marry a rich woman."

"Heh! That's what I should've done."

"Don't let me stop you."

"Oh shut the fuck up, bitch, will ya?" I thought it was a good time to leave. I wish I could have told my sister that her financial troubles were over but I had to keep my mouth shut for now. Also, I didn't want to share any of my fortune with her as long as she was with Rick. He asked me to buy him a pack of cigarettes on my way out. I ignored him.

The apartment was easy to find. It was in the building next to mine. Carol met me at the door and dragged me in. I sat down on an easy chair then Carol sat on my lap and kissed me on the lips.

"Uh, where's your mother?"

"She's getting ready along with my sister. When I told them I was going to wear a skirt tonight they had to do it too. Only they still had to shave their legs. How do I look?"

"You look beautiful." She wore a charcoal gray skirt that ended a little over two inches above the knee.

"Thanks. I'm not wearing panties. You wanna see?"

"What? Uh, no. I'd better not."

"Mom and Elizabeth are yours too if you want them. Just like me."

"Carol, what are you doing sitting on our guest's lap?"

"I was just being friendly, Mom." She hopped off my lap and said, "Your turn, Elizabeth."

"Very funny, Carol."

"I wasn't trying to be funny."

"You're in my English class," I said as I stood up.

"I'm surprised you noticed." She blushed and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous."

"That's all right," I said. "I'm nervous too." I finally got a smile out of her.

All three women had essentially the same features. They were short brunettes with crooked teeth and wore horn-rimmed glasses. I wondered what genes the girls might have inherited from their father. That could wait. I still hadn't processed Carol's statement about having all three women. Was I supposed to seduce them tonight? Were they going to seduce me? I couldn't fathom why they would want to. They certainly didn't know about my lotto win. I decided to be just as calm as I could.

"You three look lovely. I feel like I'm underdressed."

"Thank you," Cynthia said. "You're dressed just fine. I shouldn't be asking this since your underage but do you drink wine? I've been saving a bottle for a special occasion and I think this is special enough. We don't have guests over very often."

The wine was a California red and it tasted pretty good. I'd had beer before but not wine. Even Carol got a glass. Dinner was ravioli with garlic toast and carrot sticks. Carol tried to wheedle some information from me about my case. I expected that.

"On advice of counsel, I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"I hope it's nothing serious," Cynthia said. I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Dinner was delicious. Thank you very much."

"Chef Boyardee will be so pleased to hear that," said Elizabeth. She blushed again. "My mouth always seems to get me in trouble."

"Mine too," said Carol, "only I don't care."

"You should care," said her mother, her voice rising.

"May I help with the cleanup?" I sensed an argument coming on and I hoped I short circuited it.

"You most certainly may not. That can wait until later. Let's go sit down in the front room."

We talked for a bit about school and generalities. Elizabeth offered to let me see her English notes when she heard I was going to miss school the next day. Carol wanted to miss school too so she could come with us. That got an emphatic no from her mother. I agreed to meet Cynthia at her apartment in the morning before driving in to meet Tom. I got a kiss good night from all three of them. Elizabeth was the shyest but I think the wine helped.

I was too excited to sleep much that night. When I did I had dreams of what I was going to do with all that money, but I also had less pleasant dreams of losing it all.