Be Prepared--a Lucky Day Could Well Be Drawing Near

For all of you out there plunking down your money and inking out six numbers on the state’s 6/49 Lotto game, feel free to memorize these answers: They go with the questions you will most frequently be asked when you win.

Well, technically, for most of you it’s if you win the lottery. For me, it’s when.

I hit. Lightning struck. The moon rose at noon. The earth moved. I’m here to tell you, fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you.

Herewith the answers: (a) $19,000. (b) yes. (c) I don’t know. (d) about two more weeks. (e) Hardy-har-har, but no.

Now for the questions:

(A) How much did I win? Nineteen thousand dollars, give or take a couple of bucks. (It’s amazing how fast you can go from wondering whether the next payday will ever arrive to tossing off such phrases as “give or take a couple of bucks.”) The $19,000 is a one-13th share of roughly $247,000 won by 14 of us (there were two half-shares). The designated buyer collected $4 a week from each of us after the pool began in March. Most players submitted their “lucky” numbers. Other tickets had numbers picked by the lottery computer. The agreement was that no matter who hit, we all shared. I must say Judi Ortega took it well when it was her numbers that carried all of us to victory. She didn’t even point out that had she kept them to herself, she wouldn’t have had to share the $247,000 with the rest of us.

(B) Is the bonanza taxed? Yes, the federal government taxes the winnings. You didn’t really believe they wouldn’t, did you? In fact, they rake 20% off the top, gone before I see it. How much of that they might refund (fat chance) or how much more I owe will be resolved April 15. The state, however, which runs the lottery as a device to raise money for education, does not take a tax bite, for which I am quite thankful.

(C) How are you going to spend the money? I don’t know. The first reaction--take it to Vegas and put it all on one number on the roulette wheel--was ruled out. My wife’s suggestion is that we each buy at least one thing we can point to and say, “That’s from the lottery.” A compact disc player is at the top of my list. A computer is a maybe. Foreign travel is a possibility. A lot of it goes in the bank. I mean, we’re talking $19,000 here, not $19 million. But hey, I most definitely am not complaining. The question on how I’m going to spend the money remains my favorite. A few days after I got the good news, my boss asked me how I would spend it, saying, “I bet you get tired of being asked that question.” Actually, I’ve found you never get tired of being asked that. It reminds you each time of that lightning bolt of good luck, especially since I have not yet received a penny. Which brings us to the next question.

(D) When will I get the money? It’s been three weeks and two days since the numbers were drawn, and we figure we should see the money in about a week.

(E) How about a loan? (Sometimes with variations, such as, how about paying for a daughter’s education, a husband’s new car, a son’s bail?) Hardy-har-har. No. Read my lips. No. A charity or two will share our luck. We’ve picked them already and no others need apply.

I found out about the win via a Sunday night phone call from the pool organizer/ticket buyer, Dan Wooldridge, announcing “very good news.”

My wife heard only my side of the conversation, but it’s a fact that phrases like “almost a quarter of a million dollars” and “you mean my share is $19,000?” will get a person to turn down the sound on the TV in a hurry.

Well, that’s about it. Got to run now, buy a few more lottery tickets, check the mailbox to see whether the check’s in the mail.