Powerball Ch. 01

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We agreed that I would follow him and we left to take a tour of his land. I was happy to note as he stopped in front of a gate and got out to unlock it that we were only a couple of miles from my sisters place. Once inside the gate he stopped and went back to close it before stepping up to the window of the SUV my sister and George had let me use during my stay. I had yet to purchase a new vehicle for myself as until the last few days I wasn't really sure what my plans were.

"Why don't you park here and come ride with me and I will show you around?" he asked.

"Sounds good," I said turning the engine off. Getting out I made my way to his truck and climbed in.

"First we will head for a hill top near the center of the property. It will give you a pretty fair view of the land."

As we drove he asked what brought me to this part of the country and I explained to him that my sister lived nearby and how I had come to love the area and would like to settle down here. I didn't mention the fact that I had won the lottery. Once we reached the spot he had talked about we got out to have a look. He was right, the view from here was great. He pointed out where the property lines basically ran and then suggested we drive down to the lake. I was pleasantly surprised when he stopped at a small cove that was surrounded by rock bluffs with a small inlet from the lake.

"Waters pretty deep here. I've always figured this would be a nice sheltered place for a boat dock," Jim said.

I agreed with him as I looked around, my imagination creating an image of how a boat dock would look here.

On the way back to my vehicle Jim stopped at a couple more places to point out things of interest. Then he stopped to let me out at the gate again. He pulled out what looked like a business card and wrote something on the back of it.

Handing it to me he said, "That's a ballpark figure I'm hoping to sell for. My phone number is on the other side. If you're still interested after you've had time to consider it give me a call."

Shaking his hand I thanked him for his time and assured I would call him one way or the other after I had time to talk things over with my sister and her family. Parting ways I drove the short distance back to my sisters home feeling somewhat giddy with the prospect of purchasing this property. The prospect of the cove and a boat dock made it even more enticing. It would sure make going fishing much easier.

That evening I didn't say anything to the family until just before we were finished with dinner. "Folks I would like to discuss something with all of you after we've finished cleaning up here."

Mel gave me a quizzical look. "Sure, Mike. We can all go to the den and talk. Girls if you're through help me clear the dishes."

George and I went to the den where I accepted his offer of a beer and then sat merely discussing the weather until the my sister and nieces joined us. As my sister took a seat on the couch next to her husband she looked at me and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all," I assured her. "It's just that the time I have spent here with you has given me a great appreciation for this part of the country. I was thinking about maybe finding a place and settling down here. I was just wondering what you guys would think about that."

My two nieces clapped their hands together crying out, "Yes, yes."

"That would be fantastic, Mike," Mel said. "I was hoping you would stick around."

"Have you found someplace you like?" asked George.

"As a matter of fact I have." I then proceeded to tell them about my meeting up with Jim and the tour of his property. George's eyes lit up when I told him about the cove and how it was perfect for a boat dock and he would be more than welcome to dock his boat there too. George owned a nice fishing boat which he kept docked at a commercial marina for a hefty fee. This would be a lot closer for him too.

My sister just shook her head at that. "Boys and their toys." But she smiled all the same. She and the girls also enjoyed going out on the lake with George.

After the girls went to bed I asked if they knew someone who could let me know if Jim's asking price was a fair one. Not being familiar with the area I didn't know what the property values were like. Mel told me that she and the real estate agent they had used to buy this house had become friends and was sure she would be willing discuss it with me.

I went to bed that night with images of what kind of home I would build running through my head.

The next evening when Mel got home she told me she had talked with her friend, the real estate agent. She suggested that we all take a tour of the property this Saturday if I could arrange it with Jim. I told her I would call him and see if he was agreeable.

After dinner that night I called Jim. "Jim, it's Mike Johnson. I've been talking about the property with my sister and her family. I am interested but would like to have them look it over too. Would it be possible to give them a tour Saturday?"

"Well Mike, my wife and I are going to be out of town visiting friends Saturday. But, if you can meet me at the cafe in the morning I will let you have the key to the gate and you are more than welcome to take them out there. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great Jim. I'll see you in the morning."

I told Mel about the arrangement for the key so we all planned to head over there Saturday morning.

On the day of the tour, Mel's friend, Renee, drove over here and we all loaded into the SUV I had been using and drove the two miles to the prospective property. I followed the same route Jim and I had taken, stopping first at the hill top where we all got out to take in the view. I found it as enticing the second time as I did the first time. The others were impressed as well. From there we made our way down to the little cove. George and I talked about how we envisioned a boat dock while my nieces laughed and played along the shoreline. My sister had packed a picnic lunch for us and we agreed the cove would be a great place to eat. While she and George got everything laid out, I discussed the price Jim was asking with Renee. She told me that it was a little on the high side but with the lakefront as a bonus was within fair asking range.

With that my mind was pretty well made up. I would call Jim Monday morning when he returned and start the process.

Two weeks later I was the proud owner of fifty acres of beautiful Texas hill country. I had decided that the hill top with the wonderful view was where I would build my house. It was large enough and for what I had in mind. Once again with Renee's help, I set out to find a custom builder. I met with four different builders before deciding on the one I would hire.

I told him how I imagined the house would be. Two stories with three bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, and a den/game room on the bottom floor. The upstairs would have the master bedroom with an office/sitting room and a home gym. Outside I wanted an infinity edge pool looking over the hill side along with a matching hot tub. The builder took my ideas and a couple weeks later had a preliminary set of plans. With only a few tweaks made here and there a final set of blueprints were produced and they were ready to break ground.

My intention was to build an eco-friendly house. To this end I insured the insulation would be to the highest standards with triple pane windows. To help with energy needs I arranged to have a wind turbine installed on an adjacent hill top and solar panels on the roof. For drinking water I would harvest rain water and for irrigation for the landscape I would have a pump installed at the lake. The up-front costs for all this was a little steep but would pay itself back many times over in the future. And it made me feel good to do my part to reduce my carbon footprint.

For the next ten months I would make daily trips to the site to watch the progress being made. I also used this time to study up on what plants did best in this area as I would design and oversee the landscape installation myself. The first thing to be finished was the floating boat dock and George happily moved his boat from the marina to its new home.

Finally the last day of construction came. And with a final walk through meeting my approval all that was left was for the landscape to be installed. I had contracted a local company and given them a set of plans. One week later the landscape was finished .

With the help of my sister I had picked out the furnishings and had it all delivered and set up as the final step. As was evidenced by her own home she had great taste and having grown up together she knew how to chose the things to make me feel at home.

I was now ready to move into my home. It had been expensive and I had spent a large portion of my first years winnings but I felt it was worth it. Besides, it had almost been a year since I had cashed in the winning ticket and my account would be getting a big boost again with the second years installment.

I had kept my sister and her family away for the last month of completion as I wanted to see their reaction to the completed project. The day came when I loaded my things in the pickup I had bought once I knew I would be staying. When I was ready, sis and her family loaded up to follow me. As we pulled up the look on their faces said it all. They were amazed at how it turned out. The house was a combination of wood siding and native stone that blended perfectly with the landscape. We then made a tour of the house to the oooohs and aaaahs from the girls. I showed the girls where their rooms were anytime they chose to spend the night. Then we went out to the back deck which overlooked the pool and hot tub. George was particularly impressed with the barbecue I had installed.

As I really wanted to have family about on my first night there I had convinced them to stay the night. Yeah, I know they only live two miles away but this was a special day for me and I wanted to share it with them. Mel took the girls to the supermarket to load up my kitchen with things I would need. I told her to pick up some nice steaks as I wanted to break in my new barbecue. This was met with the approval of all.

While they were gone George and I went down to the boat dock to check his boat and then back to the house where we sat out on the deck sipping a few beers watching my dogs running to and fro, happily exploring their new surroundings. I had only landscaped an area of about an acre surrounding the house. I had a fence installed around this area so the dogs would have a lot of yard to romp in but not able to get too far away. The pool and hot tub were likewise fenced in so I didn't have to worry about them falling in.

The girls returned a couple hours later laden down with groceries and we spent another hour bringing it into the house and putting things away. Mel had done a great job making sure I had everything I would need. I had already had all the pots, pans, silverware, plates, glasses, etc. delivered and stored in their proper places so I was now fully stocked ready to cook. For lunch Mel and the girls made us all sandwiches and chips which we consumed out on the deck. Then as the day warmed up my nieces wanted to go for a swim. I told them to go put their suits on and chuckled as I watched them happily skip off to their rooms to change. While the girls swam George, Mel, and I sat on the deck sipping margaritas keeping an eye on my nieces.

With late afternoon approaching Mel and I went to the kitchen. She to prepare a salad and some side dishes while I prepped the meat for the barbecue. Forty five minutes later we all sat down to enjoy the meal. The steaks were great even if I do say so myself. After dinner and once the kitchen was cleaned we retired to the game room to watch my nieces play video games on my new giant flat screen TV.

"Mike, you have done a wonderful job designing your home. You must be very proud," said George.

"That I am. But I could never have done it without all the help and support you guys have given me in this last year. And the credit for the great decor goes to sis for her impeccable taste." I could see my sister blush as I said this. "I will never be able to repay you for all the kindness you have done for me."

"Oh, baby brother," my sister said in a choked voice as her eyes moistened. "What we did, we did out of love. It was a gift not a debt to be repaid."

"I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. Now what say we put the girls to bed and take a turn in the hot tub," I said.

And so we did spending an hour basking in the warm water under the stars before we all agreed it had been a long day and we should all turn in. As I made my way to the stairs up to the master bedroom I peeked in at my nieces peacefully sleeping. I shook my head and chuckled as I saw each had a dog tucked under their arms also lost in slumber.

I slept hard that night and woke later than normal to the delicious aroma of breakfast being prepared. I slipped on my robe and made my way to the kitchen to find my sister busy at the stove preparing one of her wonderful breakfasts. There was eggs, ham, sausage, hash browns, toast, and juice. A breakfast fit for a king, which I felt like in my new home.

After breakfast sis and her family loaded up to return to their home. After watching them drive off I went back inside realizing how quiet it was now. After almost a year living with Mel's family, living alone was going to take some getting used to. Both dogs came over and sat at my feet looking up expectantly.

"Well," I said to them. "How about we go exploring."

We spent a good part of the day wandering my new property getting to know the place.

A couple weeks later the lottery deposited the second years winning to my accounts. It was now time for me to decide what to do with my time and money. The last year had been busy with all that happened, building the house and all. But now I only had time on my hands. Yes I would still visit my sister, and attend my nieces soccer games , but I needed to find something with purpose. One thought I had was that I should donate some of my money to worthy causes. So with that in mind I began to research the web for worthy causes.

This brings me back to the beginning of my story. That is how I happened to be at the charity dinner for abused animals. I had spent my first year in my new home finding worthy causes and making donations, usually anonymously. But, occasionally, I would get out and attend an event or two. Despite the fact that I was often lonely with just my dogs, even with frequent visits to and from my sister and her family I still had not gotten over the betrayal of my ex-wife. As a result, I never sought female companionship. I just didn't feel I could put my trust in a woman again. So I used these occasional events to get out and socialize with others.

As I was driving home I had to stop under the freeway underpass for a red light. It was rather late and I was looking forward to getting home. Over the sound of the radio I heard a woman screaming. I looked around and over in the shadows I saw what appeared to be two men accosting a woman. Without really thinking I reached under my seat and pulled out my 9 mm. I had taken the course and was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Holding it behind my back I got out of my truck and carefully approached the trio.

When I was about fifteen feet away I yelled, "Leave the lady alone."

One of the men turned and snarled, "Mind your own business."

I repeated again, "Leave the lady alone."

This time one of the thugs turned and started towards me. "I told you to mind..."

That was all he got out as he watched me raise my gun and aim it right between his eyes.

"Whoa there buddy. We were just leaving. Don't do anything rash," he exclaimed rapidly back peddling. The other thug turned and saw the gun in my hand. He quickly released the woman and took off running. At the sound of his cohorts retreating steps the man who had come at me turned and rapidly sped off.

Looking around and seeing no other immediate danger I slipped the pistol into the waistband of my pants and approached the woman who had collapsed to the ground sobbing. Kneeling down next to her I spoke softly. "You had better come with me. I don't think those two will be in a very good mood when they come back."

Slowly she looked up at me and stuttered, "What."

"I said you better come with me so I can get you to a safe place before those two thugs come back."

"My daughter," she said pointing up the embankment.

I stared into the gloom to where she pointed and could just make out some dark shapes. Standing I began to walk to where she had pointed. As I neared the dark forms I could hear a low whimpering. I realized it was a young girl trying to hide behind a couple bags of what must be their belongings. She was huddled on a ledge obviously terrified.

Once again I spoke in a soft and I hoped calming voice. "It's going to be alright sweetheart. Go to your mother. I'll get your things and take you somewhere safe."

The little one jumped up and scurried down to her mother as I picked up the two bags. Reaching their sides again I told them to hurry and get in my truck. In an obvious daze they both followed to the passenger side and crawled in when I opened the door for them. I tossed the two bags into the bed of my pickup and jumped in quickly putting the truck into gear and pulling off. I wanted out of there in case those thugs returned with friends.

"Do you want me to take you to the police?" I asked.

The mother gasped, "No, please, no police."

"Okay," I said. "Is there someplace else I can take you where you will be safe."

The woman just stared at the floorboard and shook her head no.

"How about the woman's shelter?" I tried again.

"No, please. He might have someone watching there."

"Who is 'he'?" I asked.

"My boyfriend. He beat me and threatened to kill my daughter."

Despite wondering what I was getting myself into, I knew I wasn't going to turn my back on these two people who were obviously in need of help.

"I know one place you will be safe for the night. I will take you there and then we will figure something out in the morning."

I knew at least at my home they would be safe for the night. Tomorrow in the light of day I would figure out what to do afterward. The trip home was a good forty minute drive even with no traffic at night. After twenty minutes drive time I looked over at my passengers to see both sleeping. I don't know how long they had been on the run but they were obviously exhausted. Another twenty minutes and I was pulling into my garage. As I shut the engine off the mother sat upright looking around with obvious fright in her eyes.

"It's okay. This is my home. You will be safe here for tonight, I promise. No one will harm you here."

She studied my face for several seconds and then nodded in resignation. I knew she had no reason to trust me but she had to figure this couldn't be worse than what I had just saved her from.

I got out of the truck and went to the passenger side. As I was opening the door I saw the woman gently shaking her daughter. "Lisa, honey. Wake up. We have to get out now."

"Where are we, mama?"

"Well, we're at this nice mans house. He is going to keep us safe tonight." This she said looking at me with pleading eyes.

"That's right little one. Come on. Let's go inside and get you something to eat. I bet your hungry," I told her softly.

She looked up at me and nodded then blushed looking back at her mother.

"Alrighty then, I will lead the way and you two can follow me to the kitchen."

I turned and walked to the door leading into the house and then watched as the pair of them tentatively stepped down from the truck. Shutting the door they slowly approached eying me warily. As they neared I opened the door to be greeted by my two dogs bounding out yipping in delight that I was home. Upon seeing the two dogs little Lisa squealed in fear and jumped behind her mother. Seeing the two unexpected guests, Toby and Suzy scampered over to make friends.

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