Winners
Sophia Gilbert
Who knew scanning a slip of paper would change one families future into the unimaginable. It began on what appeared to be another ordinary day for the Wahlberg residence. Katie, the mom of two toddler boys, was vigorously sweeping the kitchen while simultaneously cooking up breakfast. You’d think she was about to lose her mind when she begged her husband Mark to go on a grocery run before he left to work. He had on an expensive looking tux bought half off at the local H&M, and wore matching slacks that came down just above his ankles. He wore black and white sneakers and had sandy blonde hair streaked with some grey. He sighed and said, “Go ahead honey.” Katie walked fastly out the front door and sighed with relief. She walked down three steps and looked up into the trees with her big brown eyes. It was a gloomy friday in mid February for the small town Eugene, Oregon. When Katie arrived at the Albertsons down the block, she went up to the customer service desk to swipe her Megabucks lottery ticket she buys weekly. Expecting to win zero to five dollars she gasps and drops her keys on the counter with a clash. The screen flashed winner and she was in disbelief when it told her she had won the top prize of $15 million. dollars. Her big brown eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. She then ran out of the store without buying any groceries. The gloomy day suddenly got brighter. She swept through the front door to her home and shook Mark’s shoulders showing him the winning ticket. He screamed like she’s never heard him do before and hugged her tightly with his muscular arms kissing her face all over. Mark said, “Looks like I’m not showing up to work today.” The family had always been able to pay their bills. However, they never had extra money to buy anything for pure entertainment. Wasting no time Katie claimed her prize and already had countless ideas of what their new found wealth should go towards.
Mark reasonably suggested, “Honey, let’s put college funds for the boys aside first, before we get carried away.”
“That’s a good idea, but let’s not worry about that now. We can do that later,” Katie replied unable to wipe the crazy looking smile off her face.
Mark asked, “Well then what are you wanting our first move to be?” He was never good at sticking up for himself, and tended to follow his wife’s wishes without question.
“It’s time for us to get out of this crammed, average, and unsatisfactory home. I want us to live a bit more lavish. I want us to take pride in our home,” Katie started to sound delusional. However her husband obediently cleared his schedule to begin house hunting.
Weeks passed and it was March. The Wahlberg’s were propped up in their new $5 million mansion now. They had a five car garage with a complimentary new car for each spot, and an abundance of unnecessary toys scattered in every room of the house. They had marble floors and a modern kitchen with only the sharpest looking appliances. The house smelled like windex, for Katie demanded a house cleaner be hired. Running out of money was never a serious concern, and Katie proceeded to plan expensive vacations. Mark’s suggestion to put money aside for the boys to have a college education had been thrown out the window. It seemed nothing was good enough for Katie. Although all she wanted was her family to be happy, that happiness only lasted a short while after each purchase and left an unsatisfying feeling. In addition, Mark and Katie started growing apart because of the different lifestyles they had envisioned.
By April 16, 2016 the Wahlberg family had filed for bankruptcy. Day after day Mark spent hours on end in hopes to find some financial security for the family. However, they were set back even more than they were before. Katie was unable to speak she was so distraught with her choices. “It’s all my fault,” she would sob, and that’s all she could get out.
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