Winning the Billionaire Read online

  The tables were turned now.

  That lanky boy was long gone and Tyler was the one hugging his mother’s slight frame.

  It was almost comical to see the two of them together. Tyler was the epitome of a country boy. Plaid shirts, t-shirts with the sleeves ripped off or sliced down the sides to keep himself cool in the heat, ripped jeans and dusty worn boots. His jeans were near about threadbare and the Wrangler leather patch on the pocket had come off a long time ago, leaving a dark blue square on the near-white faded blue jeans.

  Mama was a lady to the core. She always wore an apron over her dresses or skirts and modest flat shoes that she polished with Vaseline on Saturday nights for church on Sunday. She never polished her nails because she believed in wearing gloves to service. Her mother had instilled that in her and even now, she wore a simple set of pristine gloves ‘just like Jackie Kennedy’s’. It was her only pair and she was extremely proud of them. She never cursed, never got angry and was the most patient of women. He knew he hung the moon in her eyes and frankly- Tyler loved his mama for it… which explained the nausea he was feeling now at the thought of her worrying about money.

  He started up the truck and drove home, hoping she would be asleep so he could sneak out for work in the morning without her realizing he’d been fired. Driving down the road with the radio off and windows down, he felt peace seep into him. Just keep going, it will be alright, he thought, and knew that somehow things would work out.

  They had to.

  Pulling up to the house, Tyler saw that the kitchen light was on in his doublewide. He took a deep breath and knew that she’d guess or somehow know. He wasn’t supposed to get home until 2 AM when the shift ended. It was barely 11 PM and he was too early to play it off, nor could he bear to lie to his mama. Walking up the rickety steps to the front door, he put his key in the lock and was surprised to see her open it before he could unlock it.

  “Hey mama. Is everything okay?”

  “Tyler honey, you haven’t heard?” she said excitedly, her pale face flushed with enthusiasm. “Sweetie, someone in Eureka hit the jackpot. Just look at Debbie on the screen, she is eating this up. They’ve interviewed her five different times in the last half hour. Some blessed soul in town will be set for life. Now, what are you doing home so early? How was work, sweetie?”

  “It was work,” he shrugged and handed her the Hershey’s, avoiding her eyes and looking away. He hoped to be able to hide the bad news as long as he possibly could. He knew she worried all the time and spent time each Sunday clipping coupons from the paper. That was how they made their grocery list for the week. Pop tarts were on sale? They had pop tarts. Beans were on sale, they ate beans for several nights, making multiple dishes.

  “Oh, thank you honey! You are always so thoughtful and so good to me. Tomorrow, the Wheel is in Hawaii. I bet they show them with those fancy pineapple drinks. Can you just imagine what it must be like there? Ocean breezes, sunshine, and all the tropical flowers. I bet heaven looks just like Hawaii. I wish we could watch the show together on the TV,” she said happily and put the candy bar in the fridge. Wheel of Fortune had to be her absolute favorite and when she saw it, she always admired the way Vanna dressed.

  “Mama, you know heaven looks just like East Texas,” he teased and then straightened up. “Actually, that’d be nice to watch it together, wouldn’t it? Mama, you want some hot tea?”

  “Oh no, thank you though. Oh look! They are going to talk to Debbie, that’s her name from school, right? – they are talking with Debbie again. Let me turn it up, sweetie. Sit down and I’ll get you some water.”

  Tyler sat down in the worn-out fabric recliner and looked down at the armrests where he’d had to duct tape it in order to prevent the metal and wood from poking him. The chair had to be older than he was and the avocado colored velour was long since gone. Listening to the television distractedly, he idly thought of different companies nearby that might have openings. He would need to find a job quickly and could look after work tomorrow at the body shop. The voice on the 24-inch color TV droned on in the background:

  A single winning ticket was sold here tonight in Eureka, Texas, matching all six numbers and the multiplier, bringing the total jackpot over two billion dollars. If you are receiving this broadcast and in the area, check your tickets carefully. Again, the winning numbers are 4, 7, 11, 12, 22, 43 and the multiplier is 45.

  “Oh, sweet merciful heavens,” Tyler heard his mama gasp softly behind him from the kitchenette. There was a tone to her voice, a resonating disbelief that sounded almost horrified that moved him into action. He leapt from the chair in a single bound only to see her pale face moments before she sat down hard at the laminate kitchen table.

  “Mama! You okay?”

  “Tyler, sweetie …you bought a lotto ticket tonight?” she whispered, looking up at him with a strange expression on her face. It wasn’t disappointment, but sheer disbelief. “What’d they say the numbers were again? My ears are ringing badly. Lord have mercy on us, I think I am seeing spots too. Do you see spots when you pass out from shock? Am I having a stroke?”

  “Mama put your head down and breathe,” Tyler ordered in a panic. “Should I call 911?” Her shaking hand pushed the lottery ticket into his face blindly as she put her head down. He took it and lay it on the table.

  “You won. You won,” she repeated quietly over and over again. “Check the numbers, but I think you won.”

  “Are you delirious, Mama? I couldn’t win a frozen turkey if I tried,” he teased, thinking that she might actually be having problems with her sight or maybe her blood sugar. She glanced up at him and he saw the tears on her powdered cheeks, that wide smile that made the laugh lines even deeper at her eyes. “How many fingers am I holding up? You are scaring me.”

  “Sweetie, you won the lottery,” she breathed, clutching his hands in hers.

  “Naww,” Tyler said flatly, feeling her forehead to check for a fever. His eyes met her sharp ones and he realized she knew exactly what she was saying. The truth hit him like a ton of bricks. He picked up the lotto ticket, staring between the small slip of colored paper and the television screen.

  “No, this can’t be right – can it?” he whispered, stunned at the shining hope and happiness in his mother’s face. Tyler fell back on his rear on the linoleum floor hard as his knees buckled out from under him in shock. He stared at her sitting in the rickety wooden chair and they just looked at each other in amazement.

  “Mama, people like us don’t win. There must be a mistake,” he breathed. “I might throw up, right here – right now.”

  “Not on my floor you don’t,” she said quickly, handing him the centerpiece bowl on the table. He yanked the plastic fruit out of it and put it on the floor beside him, breathing into it and trying to calm down. “Did you stop at the gas station?” she asked.

  “Yes. I got the…” Tyler looked up at his mother’s ecstatic face and felt a blossom of hope begin to burn in his chest. He quickly pushed it down as he looked at the lottery ticket again and back at the tv screen in sheer disbelief. Sure enough- the single line ticket he held in his trembling hand seemed to match up. He had to hold the ticket with both hands in order to keep it steady enough to verify the numbers were actually correct.

  “I can’t believe this,” she whispered, falling onto the linoleum floor beside him, hugging him. Tyler stared at the television in complete shock. “We’ve struggled for so long and now we are finally getting a break. God is so good!”

  Tyler understood what his mama was saying; it was just a hard concept to grasp. The thought or idea that things might actually be okay, that they might never have to struggle financially again for either of their lives, just blew his mind. He couldn’t grasp that idea, that concept. He’d only known how to do without for so long that it was second nature. Tyler grimaced as reality hit home.

  “I don’t have enough gas in the truck to get to Austin to cash the ticket until Friday.”

  Figures. />
  2

  August 2016

  One year later

  Tyler felt almost resentful of winning the money. There were so many changes that came around that he’d never expected, some good and some bad. People claimed money didn’t change them, however, he knew now they were lying. He had changed dramatically. He could feel it down to his very bones, the difference in his very soul.

  When he was scrimping and saving every dime, living check to check – there was a desperation and a worry inside of him on how the next bill would get paid. That worry also brought about a resilience in his faith and a freedom of knowing that he had a place in his life – to work hard and struggle. His friends were there, they drank cheap beer when they got together to go fishing, and his mama made his home feel like HOME.

  Money had brought havoc, doubt and extreme loneliness to his life.

  Thinking back, he remembered those first few days in Austin. He climbed the steps to the Lotto Commission building that was surrounded with reporters. Everyone was waiting for the mysterious winner to come forward. Seeing them standing there, Tyler had grabbed his tool-belt and pretended to be there for a job. He wanted to be anonymous. The thought of his face being plastered all over the television horrified him.

  It was approximately four months before he had people flagging him down and recognizing him in town. One of his close friends, Chuck, guessed he was the winner when he put new tires on his truck and surprised his mother with a new television. He’d gotten her a 70-inch flat screen TV for her birthday so she could see her shows easier. They were still living in the mobile home and trying to keep things normal for them, but he couldn’t resist the simple splurge. She’d been so happy and he felt so good about the purchase.

  Chuck worked at the tire store and he’d known him all his life. They played football together in high school. When Chuck saw whose truck he was mounting the expensive, new tires on- it took him all of two minutes before he turned around with a look of shock on his face.

  That was the moment it had all changed.

  “Dude, these tires are almost $1200 bucks,” he’d exclaimed and chuckled. “What? You win the lotto or someth- TYLER HOWE! DID YA WIN THE LOTTERY?” Tyler had slapped his hand over his friend’s big mouth and grinned as Chuck’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He’d been proud for all of five minutes until he was asked for a small loan.

  That’s when it began.

  “Tyler, can you buy the pizza tonight?”

  “How about you pick up the bait and beer?”

  “My car needs a battery, how about you spot me a hundred bucks, Ty?”

  And his favorite request so far: “Emmalou needs braces and she thinks of you like a favorite uncle.”

  Tyler slowly found himself declining to hang out with his friends, distancing himself, but that wasn’t enough. People began showing up at the mobile home park, looking for him and knocking on the door. He came out of his room in his shorts and t-shirt he slept in early one morning to see his mother sitting at the old kitchenette table with four other ladies he recognized from church.

  They were having coffee and chatting like old friends. Tyler didn’t think anything of it at first, until he was pouring himself an orange juice and heard someone suggest that they hire a maid to take care of the house. He set the plastic container of juice down on the counter with a distinct thud, turned and looked at the women hard.

  “Are you implying that we have a filthy home?” he blurted out rudely.

  “Of course not, but my daughter is single and she could keep house for you,” the woman he recognized from church said; he didn’t know her name, and she just sat there preening and blinked her eyelashes at him several times.

  “No.”

  “But your dear sweet mother-“

  “Mama, do you want a maid?” Tyler asked bluntly.

  “Well, I didn’t think so but she made it sound like we should,” his mother hedged, looking decidedly mortified at the thought of entertaining someone with a less than clean house. They might not have money, but you could practically eat off the floors if you wanted to.

  “Do you think the house is dirty, Mama?”

  “Now Tyler, I have never kept a dirty home and neither have you,” she blustered softly, her cheeks indignant as the implication was present. He liked that sweet-spirited temper she had, and remembered it being seen over the years as he had gotten a dressing down from her for acting up in school.

  “Ladies, we don’t need a maid in the slightest. My mother keeps an impeccable home even with me,” he said placatingly with a knowing smile to his mom as he saw the comprehension in her eyes. She was simply too good and trusted so many. The group of women left not a moment later as soon as their failed attempt was realized. His mother looked beside herself as she blinked back watery eyes.

  “You know, I love you dearly son, but sometimes it’s nice to talk to a woman.”

  “I know mama, but they are using you to get to our money,” he said gently, pulling his mother into a hug.

  “Your money,” she corrected.

  “Mama, you’ve always given everything to me – it’s time for me to return the favor.”

  “You’re a sweet man and someday you’ll find a good woman for you.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “I know you will, just be patient.”

  Several days later, while they were eating TV dinners alone at the table together, he saw a flash from the window not far away. Getting up, he walked over and peeked through the yellowed blinds only to see two men jump into a car. He wasn’t sure who it was, but he knew they were up to no good.

  Sure enough, the very next night while watching the television with his mother, a commercial came on for an entertainment tabloid show talking about the “Hillbilly Billionaire” that lived in a trailer park. Tyler snapped his mouth shut, making his teeth click audibly. He flew out of the worn-out recliner and drew the curtains on every window over the mini-blinds. Peering outside, he saw several people milling about the trailer park at dusk and knew they were itching for a glimpse of them. A chance to meet the newly crowned billionaire of Eureka.

  It's a tinfoil crown, he thought.

  Sitting back down, his mind whirled in shock and dismay. How had his world changed so very much from that fateful day? They’d been blessed with a fortune, yet he felt so lost- ungrateful. He felt like himself and even worked a normal schedule simply to keep his head on straight. He didn’t want the money to go to his head because it felt like a dream, like he’d wake up and it would be gone. He felt cornered and frustrated at the invasion of their privacy in the world he’d built and recognized. Now, the media, the public and his so-called friends were taking his world from him bit by bit- forcing him into a new one.

  “Mama, I think maybe we need to think about a new place with a bit more privacy.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. You are a young man that will want a family someday.”

  “You are my family.”

  “It’s not the same, sweet boy.” she told him, laying her hand on his face. “You are going to have a wife and children someday, or at least I hope so – and you won’t want your pesky mama under foot.”

  “I have my priorities straight -and you are one of them.”

  “I know you do.”

  “I love my God, my country and my mother – and not necessarily in that order,” he said with a slight smile that caused her to pinch his cheeks heartily. She pretended to disapprove of him tacking on that last bit, but they both knew that he was teasing her. He’d been raised right by a young woman alone.

  “I know, but you need some space to be the man I know you are. I feel like I’m babying you or smothering you.”

  “No, you’ve always given me space to be who I want- and I think I want a new place with room to be myself, by myself… and I think maybe a plush little apartment or wing of your own would be quite nice too. So that when I find this mythical woman and imaginary children you’ve dreamt up for me
, they can get to know their sweet grandma,” he told her tenderly, winking. “Love you, Mama- trust me on this.”

  “I do, sweetie,” she praised and dabbed a tissue at the corner of her eyes. It surprised him how emotional she suddenly got thinking of grandchildren. It made him feel a bit like a heel because he was twenty-nine and hadn’t thought twice about meeting someone. It had always been work, work, work…and now he craved solitude, space and privacy.

  3

  Rachel Thorpe sat in her car having a slight panic attack. She clutched the peeling steering wheel of her 1996 Mustang and hoped the car would hang on for a bit longer. It had made it through high school with her, college, and the one-way trip from Topeka, Kansas to Corsicana, Texas without breaking down or giving up on her.

  She’d stumbled upon the opening and invitation to join the growing town in one of their burgeoning businesses: real estate. She had her Interior Design license and the office that had pursued her was looking to solidify their stronghold in the area. They had realtors, loan officers, builders, and an architect- and now were looking for design specialists to ensure that they were the cream of the crop to be selected within a two-hundred-mile radius. In fact, that was their slogan

  It was a stupid catchphrase, but obviously worked by the size of the office she was parked in front of. They had almost an entire side of the block and every building had the same layout of signage. They all matched in font, size and coloring. Rachel was going to be an associate in the store garishly labeled ‘Design your Kingdom’.