CHAPTER 10 - The “Windfall”
Now, I have been with this company in London for 5 years before I got a chance to be a Project Manager with another company based in Oxfordshire. It was located in the business park which is in between Oxford and Reading. The company liked my profile very much and offered me £40,000 P.A. as the salary with benefits. I took a long time to decide on this, pay wise it was a direct jump of about 10,000 pounds and since it is not in London, I can afford a place to my own. Still, I am just an hour from London if I wanted to go there to meet my friend during the weekends.
Considering all pros and cons, I decided to take up the offer. The company also allocated a generous relocation allowance which helped me to rent a one bedroom house and buy a second hand car. The one bedroom house was the top floor of the main house which was owned by Indians. The house owner who is an Indian (from northern India) migrated to UK about 40 years ago and he lives in this house. The top floor was constructed so it can be self-sustained. It had a kitchen, its own shower room and toilet and its entrance was right after the main door. It was quite spacious and cost me about the same as what I paid for the single room in London. I loved the extra space and didn’t have to share the kitchen with others.
It was sad to let go of my firm in London but I had to move on. I wanted to become a Project Manager and not get stuck into development my whole life. I knew I was going to miss London, my old life, but had to take this move. Initially I was miserable and felt lonely but now, I think that is the best move I ever made in my entire life.
First I felt very lonely here in Oxfordshire. Things were quite and relaxed. I bought my first car which was a used Ford Focus and I used to go on long drives all by myself. I used to love going through the drive-through of Mac Donalds or KFC and eat it in my car. Every weekend, I used to go to the cinema all by myself. I remember seeing soo many films all by myself, X-men Last Stand, Hostel, The Number 23, Zathura, to name a few. I really was feeling very lonely and wanted some company. I was the only Indian in this new company, I did manage to make a few English friends, but it’s almost like they disappeared into their own lives as soon as work time ended for the day. The company in London used to be much more social with an after-works drinks session happening every day.
And girls again were amazing and most of them were not single. There was this one real pretty girl and I found out she recently became single. I used to chat to her quite a lot as she used to work in my department. She was very nice and friendly and was curious of India. One day, I decided to make a move and asked her if she was free and would like to go to the movies during the weekend. She told me that she would have loved to go but she started seeing someone new recently. Not sure if she really found someone new or wanted to politely turn my offer down, but I got the clue and wished her all the best in her new relation.
I was really getting desperate and asked my parents to find me a match!! They kept on asking me about marriage as soon as I hit 28 years and I kept on turning them down, but now, I didn’t have any other chance of meeting someone, so I decided to give my parents a chance to find someone for me.
Now, let me tell you some other thing which you will totally find weird and maybe a little incestuous. In our culture, we do marry our cousins and it is totally normal. It is not any cousin but you can marry dad’s sister’s daughter or mom’s brother’s daughter. You cannot marry dad’s brother’s daughter or mom’s sister’s daughter as they will be classed as your sister. I think amongst Muslims, it the exact opposite. I know the whole western world, plus TV shows and movies make a huge scene issue out of it, but I know soo many who have gone down that route. Elders in my family have done that and so did soo many others from our extended family and friends. So, my parents put forth this option to marry one of my cousins whom they favoured a lot. I told them that I will think about it. They even emailed me a few pictures of some other girl who was currently completing her Mater’s in UK and their parents were keen to get her married.
Now before I could proceed any further on this, my whole life flipped upside-down!
This is how it started. The UK has two main lottery games where the draws take place twice every week. I know there are several more, but these two were popular and I came to know about this when I joined this new company. First was called “Lotto” and you have to choose 6 numbers between 1 to 49 (this recently got increased from 1 to 59). If your ticket has got all the 6 numbers, you win the jackpot prize which usually ranged between 2 to 4 million pounds and it was bigger if nobody won the jackpot and the prize was rolled over to next week. Usually, they roll it over for a couple of weeks and the accumulated pot gets allocated to charity if nobody wins. And then a new pot starts over at over 2 million pounds.
Then, there is a bigger lottery called “Euromillions”. Whilst the lotto was restricted only for UK residents, entire Europe can play the Euromillions. The pot usually starts at around 11 millions pounds and when it rolls over, the prize money gets even bigger. I read about a lady from Ireland who won 150 million pounds. For Euromillions, you need to choose 5 numbers between 1 and 50 and then choose 2 more numbers between 1 and 11. So if you do the math, the odds are really high of matching all the 5 numbers and the 2 additional numbers (which are called as stars) for the Euromillion or even matching all 6 numbers in the Lotto. This is unless destiny intervenes!! People are winning this every week and millions of pounds are paid out every month in prizes.
When I first moved to the UK, I used to see hoardings about the lottery but thought it to be some sort of gambling and never gave more attention to it. But when I joined this new job, I came to know that all my colleagues used to play a lottery of their own based on the results of the Lotto lottery. As I mentioned, Lotto consisted of a draw where 6 numbers were drawn, but they also used to draw an additional number called the bonus ball. This was just one number from the 1 to 50 which was not already drawn as the main six numbers. If someone matches 5 numbers and this bonus number, then the prize for this used me in hundreds of thousand pounds. So it was considered as the second tried of prizes.
The colleagues in my company used this bonus ball and played their own lottery. Everyone used to choose a number between 1 and 50 and paid a pound to play. If their number was drawn in the bonus ball, they used will all the money collected. About 30 of them used to play this, so every week, someone used to win at least 30 pounds. If none of the chosen numbers were drawn in the bonus ball, it used to roll-over. When I joined the company, the pot already rolled over for about 5 weeks, so the prize was about 150 pounds. My colleagues did ask if I was interested to play and I went for it. I choose the number 22 (again, more about this later) and paid a pound. The new week, I won the total 180 pounds and was really chuffed about it. I never won anything in my life and all of a sudden, winning 180 pounds felt greet. That is when I started to read about what this Lotto and Euromillions was. I read the rules and stories on how people win big and how their lives changed.
I started to image how great life would be if the worry of money was out of the picture. I finally thought I could do whatever I wanted and can live my life as I always dreamt of. Coming back to our financial situation, we were not extremely rich, we just managed. Even when I started working and got promoted to become a manager, the expenses were quite high and I used to struggle to save about £500 every month. So this way out seemed like a wild dream. Lotto cost a pound and Euromillion £1.50 for each draw and there were two draws every week. So I gave in and started playing. I used to find loads of free time in my new job so I began reading about everything. I really like this free time and some days, I even read novels on my computer at work.
Regarding lottery, I read stories of how people’s lives changed after winning. I r
ead what they did, all the good causes they supported, etc. I also read stories where winners lost their entire winnings. There are people who lived on minimum wage, won big prizes, spent all of it on cars, mansions, drugs, escorts and became penniless again! I read about how people even got killed by their family members out of sheer jealousy. So there were many stories, both good and bad but I made up my mind on how I would never go down the wrong path and how I would make little adjustments so I would never have to return back to work ever again.
I remember the first ticket which I ever bought was at a supermarket and I won about 10 pounds for matching 2 numbers from the ticket. I felt great and thought I would soon win big. You could also buy tickets online but I preferred buying from the same supermarket every time. There was the big Tesco supermarket located outside Oxford. I kept on doing this for years, and the biggest which I ever won was 50 pounds.
Now I kept on referring the 22 till now and I have to tell you the truth about this. This number was something which kept haunting me all my life. It was present everywhere I went and I didn’t even what it to be with me. I remember my parent’s first phone number had 22 in it, my exam roll number had 22, my student number in Masters had 22 in it, heck even my house number in Oxfordshire is 22. If I woke up at nights sometimes and checked the clock, the minutes digit would always show 22. Many times when I was younger, I crossed this off as mere coincidence, until I started paying attention to it when I was living alone in Oxfordshire. I tried to read about this online, I wasn’t the only one and many people reported that they see double numbers as well. Some said it is our guardian angels letting us know their presence, some said it is our very own soul guiding us. Most of the answers were positive so I felt quite happy about it and started thanking this unseen/unknown entity every time I saw 22. And you know what, sometimes when I woke up during nights and thought “Ok, now I am going to see the clock and see 22 again!” and it never used to work like that. I never saw the number if I wanted to see it, it only showed up when I never expected or thought of it.
I know I am religious but not superstitious. I mean my parents are, quite a lot at times. Like if someone sneezes before going out or started something new, they used to stop and wait for a few minutes. If a black cat crosses your path, it was considered inauspicious, they never used to go for a haircut on Tuesday, heck I even remember barber shops in India were closed on Tuesdays! I know people have their own beliefs, I used to obey these rules when I was with my parents, but I really don’t care about them now. But now, after everything, I have to believe that this 22 is my guardian angel or some higher power taking care of me!!
And it was this week where I saw the jackpot on Euromillions was 22 million pounds. I couldn’t help but feel this is what all those 22’s were leading to. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself and bought the ticket for the Tuesday draw on the same day. I kept the ticket in my wallet as usual and forgot all about it. It was Wednesday and I went to work as usual. I used to check lottery results during lunch break the day after, sometimes when I never won anything for a couple of weeks, I wouldn’t bother soo much and checked results later on in the week. But this time, it was different. I got a phone call from some client on my office line. My work line used to display the caller’s number and it had 22 at the end. This instantly reminded me of the Euromillions jackpot and the ticket.
As soon as I got off the phone, I decided to check it on my office desk. My desk was right at the corner of the office with high dividers so no one could see what I was doing. It was the perfect place where I was left to myself most of the times. I took the ticket from my wallet and opened the results screen on my computer. Casually when I glanced at my ticket and my screen, I felt a shiver down my spine! The numbers looked the same. I held it close and began to check one number after the other, they all were same and appeared in the exact order as it was on my ticket. Things began to blur out a little, my heart started pounding and I had the feeling of horripilation sweep through my entire body. I kept on saying “Oh my god, oh my god!!” repeatedly. My hands began to shiver and I didn’t know what to do. I put the ticked down drank a glass of water and then pinched myself so I could feel the pain to make sure I’m awake! It pained and it was real. I checked the prize breakdown section which was showing one ticket winning the entire 22 million pounds. I carefully put the ticket back in my wallet, got up and went to the disabled toilet where I could be all alone. I took out my iPhone and opened the lottery website again and checked the ticket about 10 more times. It was very real, I won the jackpot. I fell down on my knees and began to cry. Not just little, but it was a serious stream of tears. I began thanking all my Hindu gods, I was sobbing like a baby and couldn’t stop. This went on for about 5 minutes before I could come back to my senses. I tired to calm my heart down and control myself. I carefully folded the ticket and put it back in my wallet. I went back to my desk and drank the whole glass of water. I wanted to get out of the office, so I went in and told my boss that I was feeling unwell and wanted to take the day off. He agreed and asked me if I needed any assistance. But I said no, picked up my laptop and bag and left the office.
I sat down in my car and it began to sink in. I still didn’t know if the lottery company would honour my win and pay out the money but I checked the rules and it said to give them a call. Here’s the phone conversation as it happened, I am putting down exactly as I remember it -
Lottery Company - (Brief greetings) .. How can I help you
Me (in shaky voice) - Looks like I won the jackpot for Tuesday’s Euromillions
Lottery Company - Wow, that is real good news, can I please take your name first
Me - Told my name
Lottery Company - Can I check you numbers now please?
Me - Read out the numbers one by one
Lottery Company - Can I ask the date of the draw on the ticket
Me - Told them the date
Lottery Company - May I ask where you purchased the ticket
Me - Told the place and the rough time
Lottery Company - Can you please hold for a minute while I validate this.
Few seconds later..
Lottery Company - Congratulations, you have the winning ticket
Me - Thank you, thank you, can’t really say how happy I am. I don’t know what I am doing or even saying at this moment, but thank you very much
Lottery Company - Please take your time, there is no rush. I know it is a lot to take all this in.
Me - A lot!! This is really really crazy!! God I don’t know what to say. Thank You..Thank you soo very much!!
Lottery Company - (A smile). Now if I may, I need to tell you the most important thing before we get any further. You need to make sure that the ticket is safe. First we recommend writing your name on the back to make it yours.
She then explained more details about how to keep the ticket safe and how important the ticket is. She then scheduled a call back from their finance and payments team half an hour later and congratulated me once again. She also warned me not to go on a spending spree yet and wait until everything is sorted.
I just sat there in my car, praying that all this is still real and not just a dream which I would eventually wake up from. Thank the heavens that it was not a dream! I went home driving very carefully, I didn’t want to crash into something being nervous and all. Still shaking I went home and locked myself in. I took the ticket, put it in a small plastic zip-lock bag and placed it near my small shrine which I made by putting pictures of all my favourite gods t
ogether. I prayed to the lord and thanked him for this and didn’t know if I really deserved it and promised that I will offer as much help as I can for those who are less fortunate.
I didn’t know what else to do, I didn’t want to go out and I wanted to guard the ticket with my life. Just this piece of pink printed ticket was worth more than anything I ever owned or will ever own. The call from the finance team came exactly in 30 minutes.
I spoke to a friendly voice who introduced himself, wanted to check the number and other details again from the ticket. He told me if I was preserving the ticket safely and asked me if I informed about this to anyone. I replied that I did not tell anyone. He asked me if I wanted to keep this win a secret or go public. This is really a very good option, I know that people in the America do not have this choice, but I really feel it is very considerate for the UK lottery to offer this.
I wanted to keep this as a secret and not tell anyone, I wanted to get my head into it, wait for things to calm down and decide what to do next. Besides, I only had a few friends and distant relatives in the UK, whom I speak to once every month and I definitely didn’t want to tell them.
The financial advisor gave me a choice to meet at my home or arrange at a hotel. I choose home and asked him if my owner will know. If there will be any banners stuck on his car or something. He assured me that it will be very discreet and it will be almost like a visit from a colleague or a friend.
After the call, things began slowing down a bit, I realised that I was famished. I didn’t want to go out and wanted be with my ticket all the time. Funny how a single piece of paper was worth soo much money. I didn’t even understand how much 22 million is and what it would do to my life. I knew that it was a lot of money and I would eventually realise its worth.
First thing, I ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut for home delivery. It arrived half an hour later. I paid the delivery guy £10 as tip. He felt very happy and I felt nice doing that. I tired to eat but lost my appetite as all of it was overwhelming. I quickly gobbled as much as I could and then went online. I wanted to read and check how much interest a million pounds would generate. Some posts said I could get about 4% interest, but all banks showed an interest rate which was below 1% unless I lock away my money for years. I wanted to wait and see what advice the finance guy would provide and how all of it would work.
Then I Googled and checked how much houses would cost to own in Oxford, but the main thing on my mind was could I quit work and never ever have to work in my life? A question for which I will know the answer very soon.
Time to be a little extravagant, I mean the most expensive purchase which I made till now was the second hand Focus which cost me about 6000 pounds and I applied finance for that. The most expensive clothing which I ever bought was a suit which cost me 140 pounds and the most expensive device which I paid for was my iPad which cost 600 pounds. I was never extravagant and always stayed in my budget. So, I started browsing websites of cars, I started with BMW, then checked Mercedes Benz and moved on to Audi and Jaguar. It really felt great, I thought I could own whatever car I wanted, but I did want to get too ahead of myself and wait a little and see.
I read about the lifestyle of rich, about lottery winners, found a BBC documentary about all UK lottery winners, kept on reading until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I feel asleep somewhere around 3AM and woke up at 9AM in the morning. It was really going to be the single most important day of my life and I wanted to be well prepared. I texted work saying still feeling under the weather and will take the day off as well. Time to get ready as the man from the finance department would come at 11 -30AM.
And I was all ready for the next step.