Chapter 1

I’ve been playing the lottery off and on for a few years. I know the chances are somewhat less than being struck by lightning. However, I guess that, if you stand out in thunderstorms with a long metal rod often enough, you will be struck. I always used the same numbers for whatever that might or probably might not be worth.

I was watching the drawing. “Oh, shit! I won!” Mark, I won! Those are my numbers!”

My roommate, Mark, looked up from his book. “What are you talking about, X?”

“The lottery! I won the freaking lottery!”

I pulled out my ticket to double-check it. I was right. I was a lottery winner!

Mark said, “Now, you have to think through this crap.”

The jackpot was three hundred seven million dollars and I had selected the lump sum. For the first time, I began to read through the requirements for winners. There weren’t too many. I was suddenly glad my number wasn’t published in any books since it was a cellular phone. Finally, it was Wednesday night so I had to work tomorrow. I went to bed stoked.

I went in to work and made my calls. I also called the lottery office and made an appointment to go by there the next day, Friday, and start the claim process. I told my boss late that afternoon that I had a personal emergency that had to be handled tomorrow morning but planned to be at work in the afternoon. He shrugged an “okay” to me. I went home and took it easy through supper.

Mark said, “Have you quit yet?”

“No. I go in tomorrow morning to start the process. I expect that it will be next week before anything happens. I’m not telling anyone. There’s no one to tell anyway.”

“What about Helen?”

“What about Helen? She broke up with me. I didn’t spend heaps of money on her nor did she seem to like sex with me that much. She thought I was too demanding and gave too little.”

Mark said, “I guess she’ll change her tune when she finds out your worth now.” He chuckled.

“Don’t tell her. Let her find out on her own. We won’t be getting back together. I can do better in so many ways.” Mark grinned.

When I thought about it, I realized I was more right than I knew. Mark was, too. Helen would be all over me when she found out I was rich. I didn’t want her. There were better looking women who were more willing sexually. I wouldn’t have to look very hard to find them either. We went to our beds after watching the news to see that only one ticket had won and it had been purchased in our town.

In the morning, I went to the lottery office and started the process. They wanted a lot of information on their form. Some wasn’t relevant and I refused unless it was required to get the money. I knew I would get my few minutes of fame whether I wanted it or not. I wanted to minimize the interruptions to my life. By the time I left, I had had my picture taken with the “big check” and knew that my net winnings would be wired into my bank account Tuesday morning. The wire amount would be one hundred thirty-one million, four hundred thirty-five thousand, one hundred seventy-two dollars and eleven cents. As I left, I thought to myself that that is an obscene amount of money!

I planned to spend a quiet weekend. I saw Helen at the pool but she ignored me. She did show off her body to anybody who would look. It wasn’t bad. Mark wanted to say something. I convinced him to be quiet. My win would be in the news this evening. I expected it would be interesting then.

It was on the six o’clock news shows though they didn’t have much. I had decided to refuse all requests for interviews. Mark agreed to do the same. I said, “Mark, if you will help me over the next few weeks and not talk to people about me, I will pay you a million dollars. You handle the taxes.”

He agreed.

It was about seven when my phone lit up. It was Helen. “Hello, this is X.”

“Xavier,” Helen breathed, “I want to see you.”

“Helen, you saw me this afternoon at the pool.”

She said, “I want us to get back together. I was wrong to break up with you.”

“No, you were right. I will help you stick with that decision.” I hung up on her. Mark was laughing.

He said, “I knew she would call when she found out you were rich.”

“I know. It won’t do her any good.”

By eight, some news reporters had gathered outside. We stayed inside even ignoring their knocks on the door. Mark said, “I wonder how long they will stay and wait for you to appear.”

“Hopefully, they will give up after this evening. I’m not that newsworthy.”

We saw Helen walk up just after nine. I put on my best fiendish grin. “Mark, go out and tell her that if she wants to see me, she must strip completely and crawl to the door.” Mark grinned. “I don’t think she will but who knows?”

Mark laughed. “Only the shadow.”

He went out and talked to her. She left. “It was a nice try.” He continued, “She even thought about it. If all the newsies hadn’t been there, I think she would have done it.”

“That’s my thought, too. We now know she’s a gold-digging whore.”

Mark asked, “On a different note, are you going into work Monday?”

“Yes, but I won’t stay. There are a few things to wrap up. I liked sales but not that much.”

Mark chuckled. “I guess you’re just going to be a man of leisure.”

“I don’t know. I will find something to do but it will be different.”

“Okay. It should be an interesting ride to watch.”

“Thanks. I’m going to bed.”

We slept in as usual. When we got up, I figured we would have brunch like we usually did on Sunday. I mentioned that to Mark and he nodded. He had looked outside. “No one is out there waiting. Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

We left in my car for one of our usual Sunday brunch spots. We enjoyed our meal. I paid. We returned to our apartment to find Helen waiting for us. I muttered, “Shit!”

Mark said, “What are you going to do with her?”

“Humiliate her until she leaves.” We got out of the car. She started to run to me. “Helen, stop! Mark told you what to do!” As I talked, he and I walked to the front stoop of our townhouse.

Helen’s mouth gaped open. “You can’t be serious!”

“As a heartbeat.”

She looked around and saw no one, took a big gulp, and began to strip. I whispered, “Mark, video her!” He pulled his phone and began to video her as she removed her skirt, bra, shoes, and panties in that order. He had missed her blouse. She then knelt down and began to crawl to the front door where we waited. I opened the front door and walked in.

She noticed that Mark didn’t follow and then that he was videoing her actions. “No!” She screeched. “He’s videoing me on his phone!”

I said, “You can always leave. If you do, Mark will erase the vid.”

She had stopped. She took an even bigger gulp and continued to crawl. Mark turned as she went by to catch her butt. She came far in. Mark continued to stand at the door recording her on video the entire time. The door was open. “Xavier, please tell him to stop. It’s embarrassing.”