Tom watts, was a pensioner, he had been retired, for just over two years, living all alone in his two bedroom council house, his little house sparsely furnished, with just the bear essentials . the bedroom, bathroom, including the sitting room, all in a similar style,
how ever he kept his house clean and tidy. but an empty void of other human voices, tom had lived like that ever since his wife had divorced him just over twenty years ago, some time later she re-married, taking their two children john and Sarah, with her to her new husbands home,
over the years tom had finally lost contact with them all, he thought they had been told to avoid making any contact with him ,well thats what he felt,
but in the early years and prior to the divorce tom had worked in the local gas works company, when he had left school he began first as a labourer, later as an apprentice, and over the years ending his time, up to retirement as a foreman,
Each week his routine on a Monday morning was to go to the local post office
to collect his pension, then the gas, and electric company paying his bills as he went round the town calling in here and there , ending back at home by lunch time,
his routine as each day was different, Tuesday the library
Wednesday a little gardening, Thursday cleaning the house, and windows, Friday off to the tip, recycling what the dustmen wouldn't take, afterwards down to the pub for a pub lunch,the week ends were taken up as he travelled on the buses, the bus pass was handy to have and convenient to use, travelling all over the place museums, parks, and boot sales, and to the next town, and back.
slowly and gradually the humdrum of daily routine was beginning to get to him down the routine and boredom starting to get to him, more so because his bills were gradually getting dearer, and what money he got from his pension was shrinking, life was beginning to be a struggle as his saving had begun starting to shrink, being retired was starting to worry him. And he had start shopping more carefully, getting and learning to be thrifty,
It was one day after he had returned books back to the library that as he crossed the road he saw it, it was a five pound note,most likely from some one who had recently left the pub ,which was a few hundred yards up the road, from where he stood, probably dropped by customer probably plastered.or close to it. who knows,
thinking to himself, well finders keepers, suddenly changed his mind as he passed the news agents, he had to get some stamps ,and a paper,and the shop keeper then said after he had put the stamps in his pocket ,what about a lottery ticket.?? why not thought tom, so he left the shop having bought a scratch card as well but it wasn't any good no luck there, but a lottery ticket for Saturday, might do better, and so with a little money left over, he headed for a pensioners fish and chip special, in the nearby chippy.s and so armed with a newspaper, the fish and chips, and the lottery ticket he headed for home,
some time later after he had had his meal, drank his tea, and had washed up, that he sat down in his armchair and read the newspaper paper thoroughly and turned to one section where he read his horoscope, it read,(your life is about to turn a corner, you'll meet people new to you, your life is on the up, )
on Wednesday evening he had listened to the radio a very good play that lasted over an hour and a half, then he watched the news before he went to bed to read his book, then came Thursday, followed by Friday, on Saturday and he had been busy, later the postman called , a few letters, then some phone calls , and later chatting to his next door neighbour over the garden fence filled up his day, later on it rained and heavily and he was pleased he hadn't gone out which he usually did, and luckily decided to stay home,
and ended the evening watching the television, which had absorbed much of the time, and later after the news he went to bed,
On the Sunday morning after his breakfast of toast and marmalade, washed down with a cup of coffee, he suddenly remembered his lottery ticket.
switching on the t.v after the main news he scrolled through the main menu and found a section which had all the lottery numbers,
scrolling down he found the numbers that he wanted and began to check
as he worked his way along the numbers that he had had come up although he wasn't a millionaire but he had won quite a bit of money,£485.000 to be exact, trembling as he re-read over and over again, a number of times pinching himself ,
it wasn't a dream, he really had won,?? not the jack pot but a win never the less,
just over a month later he really had changed, he now had his own house a modest two bedroomed bungalow, a bank account ,cheque book, and even having his bills paid by direct debit,
he had now joined a fishing club, and went fishing most week ends during the summer, and still carried out his routine daily chores but with a difference , as he had begun having driving lessons, and fancied driving himself about for a change, and with some money invested in a high interest account ,
lady luck was with him as three months later he won another £40.000 which he began to think he might have the Midas touch, the horoscope had proved correct his life had changed, and it seemed for the better,
next year he, has booked up for a cruise , and perhaps if his luck is still with him, he might find a lady to share the rest of his life with.
the end,