from Kayla: I never want to speak to you again.
Someone saw me getting into Taylorâs BMW and driving away from the school and reported it to Kayla. I could see what she was thinking.
I called her cell to explain, but as I started to talk, she had only two words for me. âFuck off,â she said and hung up.
I tried calling back but she didnât answer. Then I found myself going back to my inbox and beginning to read the flattering e-mails from my admirers. More unreality. Thatâs when I noticed the list of names by my computer. Right. Carverâs âhomework.â
So I Googled the first name on the list.
Desmond Williams. Desmond Williams won eight million in the New Jersey Lottery and his girlfriend sued him for half of what he won. His brother, Vic, hired a hit man to try to kill him in hopes of inheriting the wealth. Desmond had his own share of legal problems and ended up in jail after smashing his car into the front of a bank while driving impaired. Within three years, he was living on his own and bankrupt.
I blinked at the screen, not sure if this was a joke or not. So I Googled the name again and found the same story on a number of sites. Next up on the list was Molly Reilly. She won $5.2 million in an Ontario lottery and within two years lost all her money betting on horse races and gambling in casinos. âWinning the lottery isnât always what people think it would be,â she said. She lost her house once she was bankrupt and ended up living in a trailer. âOnce the money was gone, all my friends deserted me,â she had told the papers. Poor ole Molly.
I was beginning to get the picture.
Number three: Renata Collins. She won $2.2 million in 1997 in Texas and invested most of it in the stock market. Unfortunately, her hotshot financial advisor had picked the wrong stocks. When her nephew came down with a serious illness (and no health insurance), Renata had to liquidate her losing stocks to help him, costing her over a million dollars in medical bills, and before it was all over, the winnings were gone and so was the meager $30,000 she had previously saved toward her retirement.
Number four. David Nobel won a million in California in 2006, quit his job, divorced his wife, and married a much younger woman. They moved to Hawaii and within less than a year, she was divorcing him and taking half of what he had won. After that, depressed and alone, he gave away what was left of his money randomly to people on the street, until all he had left was enough money for airfare back to California, where he got his old job back as a car mechanic at $20 an hour.
Next up was Boyd Carson who won four million, only to get himself addicted to crystal meth. He murdered his drug dealer and ended up in prison.
In 1999, Sylvia Jackson won a cool $12 million and began to give it all away, bit by bit, to environmental organizations, charities for orphans, research for cancer, and almost anyone who asked or who was in need. Unfortunately, she didnât protect any of it for herself and ended up losing her home and filing for bankruptcy.
Dean Smith was another winner from British Columbia whose $5 million win led to divorce, various lawsuits, and family alienation.
Poor Jim Davis won ten million and was almost immediately kidnapped and held for ransom. He was murdered before the police could find him and the murderer was never found.
And finally, Brad Stermer, at age seventy, won an incredible $21 million in an Arizona lottery. He was more than generous to his family, giving away two million each to his four sons, two daughters, and his seven grandchildren. Sadly, one of the teenaged grandsons used his newfound wealth to get addicted to crack cocaine and died of an overdose. Bradâs wife left him and many in his family stopped talking to him. He ended up turning to drink for comfort and watched his life go down the toilet.
I guess I could have kept up my research and looked for more.
Someone saw me getting into Taylorâs BMW and driving away from the school and reported it to Kayla. I could see what she was thinking.
I called her cell to explain, but as I started to talk, she had only two words for me. âFuck off,â she said and hung up.
I tried calling back but she didnât answer. Then I found myself going back to my inbox and beginning to read the flattering e-mails from my admirers. More unreality. Thatâs when I noticed the list of names by my computer. Right. Carverâs âhomework.â
So I Googled the first name on the list.
Desmond Williams. Desmond Williams won eight million in the New Jersey Lottery and his girlfriend sued him for half of what he won. His brother, Vic, hired a hit man to try to kill him in hopes of inheriting the wealth. Desmond had his own share of legal problems and ended up in jail after smashing his car into the front of a bank while driving impaired. Within three years, he was living on his own and bankrupt.
I blinked at the screen, not sure if this was a joke or not. So I Googled the name again and found the same story on a number of sites. Next up on the list was Molly Reilly. She won $5.2 million in an Ontario lottery and within two years lost all her money betting on horse races and gambling in casinos. âWinning the lottery isnât always what people think it would be,â she said. She lost her house once she was bankrupt and ended up living in a trailer. âOnce the money was gone, all my friends deserted me,â she had told the papers. Poor ole Molly.
I was beginning to get the picture.
Number three: Renata Collins. She won $2.2 million in 1997 in Texas and invested most of it in the stock market. Unfortunately, her hotshot financial advisor had picked the wrong stocks. When her nephew came down with a serious illness (and no health insurance), Renata had to liquidate her losing stocks to help him, costing her over a million dollars in medical bills, and before it was all over, the winnings were gone and so was the meager $30,000 she had previously saved toward her retirement.
Number four. David Nobel won a million in California in 2006, quit his job, divorced his wife, and married a much younger woman. They moved to Hawaii and within less than a year, she was divorcing him and taking half of what he had won. After that, depressed and alone, he gave away what was left of his money randomly to people on the street, until all he had left was enough money for airfare back to California, where he got his old job back as a car mechanic at $20 an hour.
Next up was Boyd Carson who won four million, only to get himself addicted to crystal meth. He murdered his drug dealer and ended up in prison.
In 1999, Sylvia Jackson won a cool $12 million and began to give it all away, bit by bit, to environmental organizations, charities for orphans, research for cancer, and almost anyone who asked or who was in need. Unfortunately, she didnât protect any of it for herself and ended up losing her home and filing for bankruptcy.
Dean Smith was another winner from British Columbia whose $5 million win led to divorce, various lawsuits, and family alienation.
Poor Jim Davis won ten million and was almost immediately kidnapped and held for ransom. He was murdered before the police could find him and the murderer was never found.
And finally, Brad Stermer, at age seventy, won an incredible $21 million in an Arizona lottery. He was more than generous to his family, giving away two million each to his four sons, two daughters, and his seven grandchildren. Sadly, one of the teenaged grandsons used his newfound wealth to get addicted to crack cocaine and died of an overdose. Bradâs wife left him and many in his family stopped talking to him. He ended up turning to drink for comfort and watched his life go down the toilet.
I guess I could have kept up my research and looked for more.
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