Morning all. I don’t know about you but i slept well. And dreamlessly too. Which is weird for me. I almost always dream when i sleep well. It’s like as soon as my thoughts settle my imagination kicks in. But maybe I’m still processing the failed spy school dream. Who knows. So let’s see what this morning’s prompt brings to light. Ready set, write!
huh. I kind of like the idea. You always heave about the excesses of lottery winners but what about those who don’t go to excess and just find the money puts them in a different place than they were. Something to play around with.
Thursday, April 13th: It propelled him into a whole new life.
It propelled him into a whole new life. It wasn’t one he expected or ever thought about wanting. He worked his job, spent most of his money on bills and did his best to save up. His parents were gone, he had no siblings and any family he had was distant enough that there was no contact.
He bought the ticket on a whim and ended up winning. He initially thought it would be a small windfall. Something that might let him use his vacation days for something other than hanging around his apartment in his shorts playing video games for a week.
It wasn’t. It was big money. Life changing money. He hid how much it was and had the lottery people conceal his name. For three weeks he behaved normally and pretended it didn’t happen. The furor died down. Then he was laid off.
There were several others also laid off. All of them were given a severance package. Most looked for work and used it to fill the gap between paychecks. Most of the people laid off with him found work readily. He decided that perhaps he should take some time off. He put his things in storage and let go of his apartment. He paid a year’s rent in advance for the storage and set out.
He left town and figured in a year he might be able to figure himself out. Free of scrutiny he spent some of his lottery winnings on some newer clothes, a haircut and made himself look like a whole new person. He traveled and learned that many vices didn’t appeal to him. He didn’t care for gambling and after trying it once, let the lure go. He signed up for a race car driving lesson and enjoyed the thrill of going fast around the track. He didn’t feel the need to buy fancy sports cars he couldn’t drive like he could on that track.
He didn’t see the appeal of over indulgence in drugs or alcohol. He didn’t seek the company of the party goers, enjoying his own company more than that of anyone he met. He enjoyed the experiences of things and found himself dabbling in a bunch of things, trying them out before moving on.
He spent the year traveling, seeing, trying and experiencing things. At the end of it, he realized that it changed him. He paid another year on his storage unit, but was unsure if he would ever go back. He found himself adrift. While there were more things out in the world than he could ever experience, he found himself tired, wanting a place to rest and think about things. He no longer fit in the place where he started, but he didn’t really fit with the other people he met along the way. While he enjoyed his travels, it mostly taught him that he wasn’t really a part of any of the groups he occasionally saw.
‘So maybe it is time to find a new place to belong,’ He smiled. ‘That might be a fun adventure too.’ He decided.
Ten til Midnight 