KELLY

I was reading a story on the British Broadcasting Corporation's website recently and it sent me to dreamland.

The story related the growth of a European lottery (based in nine countries) where the potential payout was about £97 million! Now that's a hefty figure, but do a little mathematics (multiplication to be exact), with me now. Calculate that sum into Jamaican dollars.

Give or take what the pound is going for at the time, you are looking at anything in the region of J$140 billion! No matter how times are hard, you are not supposed to be in need when the bills come around each month. You can pay them in advance! Can't exactly look at the beggars now and say, "Bwoy mi nuh have nutten today!" I could get a swimming pool and fill it with water imported from Dubai or somewhere. Local water would seem so passé, no true?

Custom made car

With that kind of dough, you don't go to the local manufacturers and buy a new car. Hell no! You call the parent company in the United States or Europe (better yet fly there yourself), and have one custom made. If the sales folk start giving you any trouble, just calmly walk out and go somewhere else. Hopefully, the manager sees your picture with the lotto headline and promptly beats the cheeky sales rep senseless for letting you get away.

House? Pshaw! Just name your price! Mom and dad would be criss and no relative you knew BEFORE this would be in dire straits ('cause you know everybody would become a relative). Plus, you can't leave out the charities (well those that'll take the money anyway).

But then I started to second-guess myself (as usual). Would I be really be happier? Would I become like the arrogant bastards I despise? Or would I go crazy thinking about how I could spend it all in a lifetime? Let's face it, you'd have to be a real spendthrift to blow all that! The more I think about it, the more I feel I probably wouldn't want to win anywhere near that much. Give me J$10 million and I'll be fine. Between investments (not th ones in the news though) and the regular bank and credit union, mi cyaan bruk again!

But still, billions are billions! And if used properly, you can help a lot of people, some of whom you won't even get to meet. Plus, you could set up your children and family line for years to come. So while I don't know if winning over a billion dollars would make me better off, I'd love to find out!

Join the lotto line with me at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com.