The Windfall Read Online Free PDF Page B

ticket.”
    My mom’s eyes widened and I waited for the onslaught, knowing she wasn’t going to enjoy any part of my story I was about to offer her. “It wasn’t my fault,” I rushed on. “The line was long and the cashier was passing them out left and right. I tried to refuse it, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. So, I was stuck with it.”
    Her mouth formed a tight line, and I forced myself to blink. “Cooper,” she started. “You know that is a waste of hard-earned money to be buying those things! Before you know it, you could become addicted and be like the rest of those fools out there, spending their money on a dream. People like us, we don’t win things like that.”
    “I know,” I replied, feeling ashamed. I should have balled up the ticket and thrown it away or even refused to pay for it, but there was no way I could tell her why I couldn’t have caused a scene. That reason would only have her worrying and in her health, she didn’t need the added stress of what might happen. We already had enough stress as it was. “I’m sorry. I made the money back in tips last night.”
    She sighed then and reached over, patting my hand. “I’m sorry, too. You’re a good son with a good head on your shoulders. I shouldn’t be so hard on you. Lord, you’re a man now, free to make your own decisions and here you are, stuck with an old woman in a tiny apartment. You should be out, enjoying the world. I wish I could give you that, I really do, son.”
    “I don’t think of you as old.” I winked, getting a laugh out of her to lighten the mood. I knew she tried. We couldn’t help what we had been dealt anyway.
    I stood, my mind made up on what I was going to do to relieve my mind of this ticket. I was going to destroy that thing and never give it another thought. It was going to be the first and the last one that would be in my possession. “I’ll be right back,” I told her, walking to the bedroom to retrieve it out of my pocket. With the crumpled up piece of paper in my hand, I entered the kitchen.
    “Again, those numbers are 45-6-27-2-9-16. If you have any of those numbers at all, you might have won a hefty prize. If you have all of those numbers, well, I would urge you to get it turned in as soon as possible. You are now a billionaire.”
    I looked down at the paper, the blood rushing to my ears as I realized I had the first, then the second, and finally the third. “W-what were those numbers again?” I asked softly, my hand starting to shake at the thought. Surely not.
    “What? Oh, my, Coop. Sweetie, you’re white as a sheet,” Mom exclaimed as I pressed my hands against the table, my breath coming in short pants. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? Do I need to call 9-1-1?”
    I looked up at the screen again for visual confirmation. “They match,” I forced out past the lump forming in my throat. Holy hell, they all matched . I was holding the winning ticket. I was a billionaire three times over. Suddenly the two-dollar loss didn’t look so bad.
    “W-what?” she asked, her voice catching. I looked up at her with a grin on my face, holding up the piece of paper that just a few seconds ago had been so shameful. “I… they all match.”
    Her hands went to her face and I yelled out, shaking the paper wildly. We weren’t going to have to live in this dump anymore! My mom wasn’t going to have to work that dead-end job and I wasn’t going to have to either. We could move anywhere, do anything, buy whatever we wanted!
    “You, mean, oh my,” she exclaimed, standing and grabbing me around my neck. “Oh my God, Coop, this is our lucky day!”
    “It’s more than luck, Mom,” I laughed, grabbing her around the waist. “It’s a miracle.”
    She hugged me tightly and laughed herself, pulling back so I could see the tears in her eyes. “This is going to change our lives,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “So much, Coop. I am sorry I was so hard on you about the ticket. It seems like it