Looking at his wife, an innocent smile ran across Samuel's face, just as a child smiles at a bright, colorful object. His wife was smiling too. He also liked the fact that he had only told the series number and did not even try to see the number of the ticket. The hope of possible wealth and opulence is very pleasant and thrilling in itself.
‘This is our series, "Samuel said, after a long silence, ‘I knew this was our chance and we won. I knew this was the time that we will win." It was not only a possibility, but I was sure, it will come true.
"Okay, now look at the ticket number."
‘Wait for a while. Nah, not now. The number is on the second line from the top. So the prize money will be one million dollars. Hey, it is not merely money, but also power and capital. After a while, I’ll look at the list and see that number 26 is there too. Yes, so what were you saying? What if we won the lottery? ’
The husband and wife laughed silently, looking at each other. The hope of winning had made them restless. But the man was a little more excited. He couldn't imagine what he'd do with a million dollars.
"What will you buy? Where will you go?" At that time, only the number of his ticket and one million dollars were in his mind. He could only anticipate the happiness that was coming his way.
If I win, he was saying, then that will be the beginning of a new life, a completely different one. I would surely buy a luxurious estate with half the money first, then spend fifty thousand on urgent needs like new home furnishings, travel, paying off debt, etc. The rest of the money will go to the bank. It would keep earning interest.
‘Yes, it would be good to buy an estate. His wife sat down. Putting her hand on his chair, she said, "We don’t even need a summer house. Apart from this, there will always be more income if we keep all of it in the bank.
New pictures were emerging in Samuel's imagination. Each picture would have been more beautiful and poetic than before. In all the pictures, he saw himself as strong, serious, healthy, energetic, and sensual. "Oh, how pleasant would that be!" he thought as he lay on his back in the warm sand on the beach after drinking a cold soup like summer ice or relaxed under the cool breeze of a tree.
His son and daughter are playing with sand nearby, catching insects in the grass. He is sleeping soundly. Don’t worry about anything. There is no need to go to the office anymore or work overtime. When he gets bored sitting idle, he will take a walk in the green fields, in the mushroom forests, or enjoy fishing. At the end of the day, after taking his clothes off and swimming in the river, where small fish will run around him in the water, and the green wild grass growing in the water will shake its head. After a bath, I will drink cream tea, eat cake, and go for a walk or gossip with the neighbors.
He said, "It would be better to buy a beautiful estate."
She was also wandering in a fantasy world. It was clear from her face that she was getting blown away by the thoughts in her mind.
Maria found herself in the midst of the autumn showers, the cool evenings, and the heat of St. Martin. To stay fresh in that season, he will have to take a long walk in the garden or on the bank of the river. After a walk, drink a can of beer. And then I will drink another glass of wine after eating salted mushrooms and pickled cucumbers.
Children will come running from the kitchen garden with fresh, sweet-smelling carrots and radishes in their hands. She will lie comfortably on the sofa, flip through the pages of a magazine with colorful pictures, or even take a nap while covering her face.
After the summer in St. Peters comes the gloomy rainy season. It rains day and night. Bare trees are seen weeping. The air becomes moist and icy. All the dogs, horses, chickens, and birds are depressed. I can’t go out for a walk. No one goes out, feeling strange helplessness, peeping out of the windowpanes. One has to stay inside the room.
Samuels stopped thinking, looked at his wife, and asked, ‘Maria, do you know I want to travel abroad?’
The thought process began again, "A trip to southern France, Italy, and America at the end of autumn would be great."
"I also want to go abroad," said his wife, "but look at the ticket number."
"Wait a little longer."
He kept circling the room, thinking. He was wondering what would happen if his wife actually went abroad too! There is real joy in travelling alone or with a happy, relaxed, present-life woman, and not with a woman who talks thoughtfully about children throughout the journey, every single moment! "
He sighed and trembled in despair. Samuels imagined his wife was carrying a lot of luggage, baskets, and bags on the train. She was whining about something. She had a headache as she sat on the train, talking about his spending and saying, "You have wasted a lot of money on useless things."
After getting down at every station, one has to run to get water, bread, and butter. Because it is expensive, she will never have a full dinner. "Oh, she is too much money-minded."
He thought, looking at his wife, "She’ll take every penny from me." The lottery ticket is his, so what’s the point of her going abroad?
"What will she do when she goes out?"
For the first time in his life, it came to his mind that his wife had become middle-aged and monotonous. His whole body smelled of cooking. How intoxicating and beautiful she was in her youth! He could have married her again today.
Source
"Of course, it’s all silly," he thought, but why does she want to travel abroad? What would be the benefit to him? I know she will definitely go. Horses and donkeys are all the same to her, no matter where they come from. She will prick you like a thorn throughout the journey. I will depend on her. I know that, like most ordinary women, this money will go to the safe as soon as he receives it. She will spend it on her relatives and make me look like a fool.
Samuel was now thinking about his wife’s relatives. Her evil brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts will come running as soon as they get the news that he won the lottery. With their smooth-skinned, ostentatious smiles in front of us, they will behave like beggars.
Disgusting! If you give something, they will ask for more. On refusal, they will scream, abuse, and give all kinds of curses. Samuel knew he would also get the attention of his own relatives. Earlier, he used to look at them with respect, but now they, too, looked disgusting and unwanted to him.
All of them are crawling insects. He felt anger flare up in his heart as well. He thought, "She doesn’t know anything about wealth. That’s why she is so stingy. I will hand over a few thousand dollars to her and keep everything else in the bank or invest it."
He started looking at his wife, not with a smile, but with disgust. The wife was also looking at him with hatred and anger. He had his own dreams, aspirations, and desires. She knew very well the dreams of her husband. She knew who would try to grab this prize money first. It was clearly visible from her eyes: "It is good to build castles in the air with the money, but you will not be able to do that, dear hubby."
Samuel was able to detect hidden expressions in the eyes of his wife. His mind was filled with joy and happiness as he quickly glanced at the fourth page of the newspaper and said, in a sad tone, ‘Number 1439375317 and not 1439365317’.
Happiness, hope and even hate vanished in an instant. Samuels and his wife saw the room was too small. What they ate for lunch, yet undigested, their stomach felt heavy. The evening had become long and gloomy. Oh no, there was no lottery, and they felt devastated.
Samuels’s mood had deteriorated. He said angrily, "What is the meaning of this? Paper clippings, pieces of bread, and peels are coming under the feet everywhere. It seems like the room was never cleaned, not at all. I will go out. It will probably help me get rid of this hellish torture forever.
Looking at his wife, an innocent smile ran across Samuel’s face, just as a child smiles at a bright, colorful object. His wife was smiling too. She smiled thinking about the fact that he only saw the series number and did not even try to see the number on the ticket. The hope of possible wealth and opulence was very pleasant and thrilling though.
#theinkwell Prompt "Tell the story of someone who won the lottery, the choices that are made and the outcomes."