George Wilson just lost his job and subsequently his home two months ago.  He lives in a poor urban area where there are families who barely make enough to feed their children.  Ironically the city itself is lucrative so one often sees the wealthy drive by the indigent area on their way to the theater or perhaps coming home late from work, without even a thought to how the people there are suffering.

  Three days ago George was at the corner store buying milk for his coffee.  Dazed from just waking up he bumped into a man who then dropped his shopping bag to the floor.  He offered to pick it up for him but the man just waved him away ranting about welfare junkies being a waste of space.  George bought the milk and as he took his receipt he noticed a lottery ticket on the floor.  No one was behind him so he picked it up and put it in his pocket.  As he got into his car, he wondered if the ticket belonged the guy in front of him.  He looked around and saw the man being escorted into a limo by its driver.  He hesitated for a second and then decided to pull away and drive home.

  For three days he dreamt of all the things he could do with the money, first of which would be to move from the slum apartment he lived in.  His home was his identity before he lost it to foreclosure.  Every morning he would walk around, pulling dandelions from the lawn, giving his flowers a morning mist from the hose.  He had the greenest grass in the neighborhood and the tidiest property in the winter thanks to his snowblower.  Now as he entered his apartment he cringed, as he did everyday, to think that he is starting at ground zero at 45 years old.  If he won this money he would buy a home that was solid. Heck maybe he’d buy a dog and buy a house on the water, a nice big SUV and take it easy for a while until he figured out where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.  Then he would think of the man in the store and wonder how much he might need the money.  George worked 60 hours a week and after paying child support could barely afford a one bedroom apartment in skankville, but maybe this man had a sick wife to take care of or parents to support.  Maybe someone in his family needed an operation to stay alive. 

  He walked into his neighborhood bar just in time to see the Mega Millions number being read on the television.  He ordered a double Jameson on the rocks and took a seat, eyes glued to the numbers on the screen.  This is it, he thought to himself.  If I lose I don’t have to worry anymore and all of this stress will have been useless.

  “Sure do wish I could win one of these things,” the girl said as she poured the amber colored liquid into George’s glass.  The room was full of regulars and though the conversations were loud when he walked in, you could hear the clink of the ice as it dropped into his glass when the numbers came up.
  “So once again, tonight’s Mega Millions number is 04-09-31-45-52 with the Powerball number 23.  The jackpot is now at 345 million.”

  George tossed the whisky down, closed his eyes and enjoyed the burn in his throat.  He got up, slapped a $20 on the bar and walked out onto the street.  He traveled  up the road and sat down on a bench overlooking a park.  It was late spring and the grass was a lush green color contrasting the pink streaks in the sunset sky.  The streetlights would come on soon and the sound of mothers calling their kids in for dinner could be heard.

  He took the ticket out of his wallet and slowly read the numbers: 04-09-31-45-52 with the Powerball number 23.  For a minute he felt as though he might faint.  This was it: decision time.  He walked to the corner store and asked the owner if he remembered the guy that was in a few days ago whose bag he bumped into.  “You mean Mr. Markiff?  He was arrested three days ago for running a Ponzi scheme.  That guy took people’s life savings without blinking.  Don’t tell me gave him money too.”  George stood still while the information registered.  “Oh no, I haven’t given him anything.  Nothing at all.”
 
Walking out of the store he looked up at the sky and silently thanked God for  leading him to the store that day while he dialed the number of his lawyer.  He had big plans now and nothing would stop him.