I think we all have these little “what if I won the lottery” scenarios running through our brains at one time or another. Our minds toy with the possibility of winning millions of dollars, and what we would do with the lucre once we laid our hot little hands on them. This is my personal pipedream.
I find out that we won, say, $6 million. I tell not one living soul other than my bride about our windfall. As soon as the money is in our hands (so to speak) we start making plans to leave Guam. I quietly turn in my resignation at work, telling them that I have found other employment. The wife quits her job, phoning in her resignation.
Within 48 hours, all of the stuff we want to keep is on its way to the Philippines, the apartment is given back over to the building manager (with two month’s rent paid for their trouble), and the car is given to one of my friends to do with as he sees fit. We fly into Manila, spend the night in a very nice hotel, then head out into the provinces not very far from my in-laws. We tell the in-laws that I have taken early retirement from work, and have come to settle down in the place we both plan on staying for the rest of our lives.
The wife and I start the process of finding a modest but comfortable place to build our retirement home. I will have very little input in this process other than location. Knowing my bride as well as I do, I know that whatever decisions she makes about the house will be fine with me. Close enough so that family and friends can easily come visit; far enough away so that they are not in our faces all the time. We like our privacy as well. My only requirement would be for an individual office, a “mans room” where I could hang out in when I need some alone time.
Since she’s not up on long plane flights, I then depart for a couple of weeks, headed for the US mainland. First stop, Texas, where I spend a week with my daughter, her husband, and The Princess (aka, The Granddaughter). Arrangements are made to purchase a home for them along with a couple of new cars, and a trust fund is set up for The Princess so that she can attend the college of her choice once she is of age. After Texas, various other relatives are visited; mortgages are paid off, debts are settled.
The ex-wife is contacted, and a deal is made concerning spousal support. She gets 10 years in advance, cash, and that ends that, financially speaking. She then has enough cash to do whatever she wants to do with the rest of her life.
A quick stop in Portland to see some friends, and then it’s back to the PI. By this time, the Bride has the construction of the house well underway, and we go about looking for something to occupy our time. Starting a restaurant has always been something I have wanted to do, so we start looking around for a good location for that. We also consider starting up our own Jeepney service and other business ventures, just to give us something to do so that we don’t get bored. These businesses would also supply employment for some of the in-laws.
More college educations are paid for, but nothing too crazy or overly flashy. The wife and I quietly fade into our existence, spending time with family and developing some businesses. I take occasional trips to the US to visit with family, maybe a couple of times a year. I also finally get time to concentrate on finishing the book that I know resides inside me.
The key to all of this is to not be flashy with the new wealth. Just live modestly but comfortably, taking care of those we care about. Maybe do some charitable work, but again, not so that we are in the spotlight.
Granted, this is just a fantasy or a dream, but I figure it’s a nice dream to have.
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