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Congratulations, Mrs. Williams,\u201d said Janet Patterson, the claims officer at the sterile government lottery office. \u201cAfter taxes, your lump sum comes to thirty-eight point four million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded politely, but my mind was already made up. I\u2019d had four sleepless nights to plan. Overwhelming wasn\u2019t the word I\u2019d use. Liberating was more accurate.<\/p>\n
My first stop was Westfield Financial to open accounts. My second was Henderson Real Estate. \u201cThe oceanfront property on Lighthouse Drive,\u201d I told the agent, Beverly.<\/p>\n
She raised her eyebrows. \u201cMrs. Williams, that\u2019s a very expensive piece of real estate. The asking price is two-point-eight million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see it today, if possible.\u201d Her demeanor shifted when I mentioned I was a cash buyer.<\/p>\n
The house was everything I\u2019d dreamed of during those years of penny-pinching: a sprawling contemporary home with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlantic. \u201cI\u2019ll take it,\u201d I said, standing on the deck, listening to the waves crash below. \u201cFull asking price.\u201d<\/p>\n