Page 18 of Birds of a Feather

‘While you were in the chemist, I bought a lotto ticket to prove her wrong.’ I felt the words rush out of me. ‘I wanted to prove that we make our own luck and that things don’t just land in our lap because they’re predestined to.’

I took a big sip of my beer.

‘Except I didn’t. Prove her wrong, I mean,’ I continued eventually.

I paused, waiting for a sign that the penny had dropped. The room was silent until the kitchen wall clock ticked over.

‘Do you mean …?’ she began. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I don’t know what you mean.’

‘I won lotto,’ I blurted. ‘Second division! I won $264,412.51.’

I slapped my hand across my mouth.

‘Oops, I wasn’t meant to tell you how much I won,’ I mumbled from behind my fingers.

‘Beth!’ Gran gasped. ‘Good heavens. Congratulations!’ She pushed herself up off her chair to embrace me over the table. ‘When did you find out?’

I told Gran about checking the ticket, driving to the Lottery Head Office and the excruciating days that had followed when I’d deliberated over what to do with it.

‘What are you going to do with it?’ she asked. ‘Goodness, Beth. This could set you up for the rest of your life.’

I’d had a few days to get used to the idea of my win, but seeing Gran’s reaction renewed my sense of shock about the whole thing.

‘Well. I’m still deciding. I’ve bought a new car, and I plan to buy a couple of other bits and pieces, and then I’ll pay a chunk off my mortgage, and I might go on a trip somewhere.’

‘A new car,’ Gran exclaimed excitedly. ‘That is good news.’

I couldn’t ignore that her reaction to my getting a new car was more animated than her reaction to the win itself.

‘I’m also planning on giving some to Mum and Dad, and Jarrah and Elijah,’ I continued. ‘I was going to tell them on Sunday, which is why I got so annoyed when Jarrah told us she’d quit her job. I know this money was never mine to begin with, but I just couldn’t bring myself to hand over a cheque for her to fritter away on living expenses while she works out what job will “nourish her soul”.’

Ahh.’ Gran nodded her head in realisation. ‘I see.’

‘So, I think I’ll just sit tight until I’ve had some more time to think.’

‘Well, sweetie,’ she said, reaching for my hand. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled for you.’

‘Thanks, Gran,’ I said, my stomach tightening at the thought that sharing details about my lotto win was just Act One. ‘But that’s actually just the start of it.’

I let go of Gran’s hands and took another sip of beer.

‘Do you remember when I asked you whether there was anything you wish you’d done, or somewhere you’d wished you’d been?’

Gran nodded.

‘Well, that was actually a fact-finding mission. I was trying to work out how I could share some of this win with you in a way that you’d enjoy. I figured handing over a cheque would be a bit meaningless.’

‘Oh, darling,’ Gran tsked. ‘I insist you don’t give me a penny; I want for absolutely nothing.’

‘Except that’s not 100 per cent true,’ I replied, knowing that there was no going back from here. ‘Is it? You told me you wanted to know what happened to Gerry Burnsby.’

Gran flinched slightly.

‘What happened to Gerry Burnsby,’ she repeated slowly. ‘Oh pet, that’s ancient—’

‘I looked her up,’ I blurted.

‘Her?’ she reiterated cautiously.

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