Chapter 21

As I lay there, I started remembering parts of my past. The past year had been like a dream. Someone once said money can't buy happiness. Whoever it was didn't know where to shop. Tamara triggered those thoughts when she told me about having sacrificed so much that it was time to be happy.

I had sacrificed seeing my kids grow up. I wasn't there to tuck them in. I wasn't there for some of my son's sports. I wasn't there for my daughter's first boyfriend. My ex and I had grown apart. We divorced when Michael was six and Marie was two. My ex began dating her now husband soon after I moved out. Marie has known two daddies most of her life. Michael got along with his stepfather, but he stayed closer to me than did Marie.

I did not do them justice as an every other weekend father. I loved them dearly and I did the best I could. My ex and I stayed friends throughout the years and I was never denied any time with them.

I had to move away for a job and the distance was very hard to overcome. They would come out to see me and I would fly to see them. I saw them on the major holidays and such, but I didn't get to just pop in and check on them. I always swore I would make it up to them if I ever could.

Then I won the lottery. You never know how many long lost friends and relatives you have until then. I tried to go back to where the kids were. It didn't work. Everyone constantly hounded me... except my kids. They still loved me but didn't have time for me. I moved close to them but they were always busy with their friends and other activities.

I was miserable except when I was with them and that wasn't that often. So I made the decision to move back to New Mexico. I could fly them to me when they had time or I could schedule to see them.

I set up a college account for both of them. Michael just finished up his second year. My ex controls the fund I established. She doesn't give him too much at a time. I bought him a new SUV after I came into the money. I told him that I would put him to work when he graduated.

Marie's fund was growing. Her birthday was in two weeks. She would turn sixteen and get her license. I promised her a vehicle for her birthday. I was looking forward to seeing her.

My ex has been very good to the kids, so besides the child support, I give her and her husband a gift of $10,000 last year. She never asked me for any additional monies when I won. Of course, I didn't give her time to do that. I immediately paid the full value of the child support. I then set up a maintenance account for her to use for Marie.

Some people have questioned why I have limited the amounts I gave to my kids. I usually answered with "values", unless you learn the value of things, you would never be able to control money. I wanted my kids to get through their college years as normal as possible. I have promised them positions in Kegler Enterprises when they graduated. The one stipulation was that they had to have graduated and their jobs would be in the field of their degrees. I was tough before I came into money and I was still tough (mostly).

My mother was so good to me while I was growing up and through my early adulthood. I promised myself that if I ever came into money, she would never want for anything that my money could provide. I have kept that promise. She doesn't know about Tamara yet, probably because she was in Europe. I sent her, her sister, and brother-in-law on a three-month vacation. I gave her $250,000 and promised it would never run dry. Uncle Sam took his share of the gift but I kept filtering money to her and the IRS would never be able to trace any of it.

Last Christmas I gave my immediate relatives money, some of them got pissy because they felt I should have given them more or invested in their pipe dreams. I knew which were deserving and which were not.

I have three charities I gave to last year. I didn't do it for tax right offs. One was a shelter for battered women. I've had George scouting for a new building for them. Another was an orphanage; I started a charity drive event the previous year and planned on continuing each year and would match all donations.