Life hadn’t always worked out as intended for Stanley. Stanley had always been fascinated by medical science, so he went to medical school to pursue his passion and become a doctor. Unfortunately, his mother had gotten very ill halfway through his second year. Without a father to help take care of his mother's medical issues, Stanley had no choice but to leave school and fly to New York to take care of her.

Stanley hoped that he’d be able to return to school within a few weeks, but those weeks turned to months, and those months eventually became a year. After a hard year of fighting, Stanley’s mother unfortunately died. This left Stanley in a bad place, as he had little money and would in no way be able to return to school anytime soon.
He stepped out of his apartment and began to walk towards the nearest quick mart for some coffee. He needed something to wake him up before he started yet another dismal morning.

As he walked into the quick mart, he was greeted by a familiar face. It was Alex, the cashier at the small store.
“Hey Stanley,” said Alex, “What do you need today?”

“Oh, I’m just picking up some coffee,” replied Stanley. “I’m all out at my place, and I still need something to wake me up before work.”

Alex had become a close friend to Stanley, as Stanley often found himself in need of one thing or another from the store. Alex was very supportive and always managed to spark interesting conversation. He was one of the few people Stanley felt he could rely on.

“You need anything else?” asked Alex as he began scanning Stanley’s items.

“Let me see…” said Stanley, glancing across the counter for anything he may want. In doing this, his attention is drawn towards the lottery tickets. “I’ll take a lottery ticket also.”

“Taking a chance are you? Good luck,” said Alex with a smile.

Stanley knew that there was a slim chance of him ever winning was incredibly low, and with his luck throughout the past year, he felt his chances were slimmer than anyone else's.

“You never know,” replied Stanley with a sigh. “Anyways, I’d better get going, I’m going to be late for work.”
         Stanley had gotten a job as a cashier in a similar establishment that Alex worked at. While his mother was sick, Stanley needed some source of income. He hadn’t really been able to find any other jobs that were hiring, so unfortunately, it was the best he could do at the moment.

As Stanley walked into the store, the brief moment of genuine happiness that he felt after talking to Alex had faded. Stanley signed in, stepped behind the front counter, sat down, and took a deep breath. It was going to be yet another long day at work.

Stanley didn’t particularly enjoy being a cashier, but for the time being it was the best that he could do. The store was generally busy, but as the hours passed, it slowly emptied out. By the end of his shift, business had slowed down.

“You heading home Stanley?” asked Tim, the store manager.

“Yeah, my shift just ended,” he replied, “Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, have a good night!”

“You too.”

Stanley exited the store and began to walk back home. He placed his hands into his pockets, only to feel the lottery ticket that he had bought earlier that morning. He had almost forgotten about it.

As he entered his apartment, he quickly grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels until he landed on the one drawing the lottery numbers. Stanley leaned in close to the small television and put the volume up.
“Alright ladies and gentleman,” said the announcer on the T.V. “today's first drawing is for $50 million.”

Stanley took out his lottery ticket, and listened closely.

“The numbers are as follows, eight, twenty, thirteen, twelve, and seven.”

Stanley jumped, on his ticket were those exact numbers. A rush of excitement had hit him.

“I can’t believe it!” Stanley screamed aloud, “I’ve won the lottery!”

Stanley immediately called up the lottery companies phone. All he had to do was mail the ticket, and he’d never have to work again. The first thing that came to mind was to quit his crummy job as a cashier.

“Hey T im,” called Stanley.

“Hey Stan, what can I do for you?”

“Oh nothing. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning to work. I’ve won the lottery!”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” said Tim. There was a slight stutter in his voice, as he had just realized what he had said. “For me that is! I’m very happy for you!”

Only one week had passed when Stanley had finally earned his money. At first, he thought about using some of it to get back to school, and finally become a doctor. Instead  however, he realized that he’d never have to work again, and that he could live the lifestyle that he’d always dreamed of.

He started with a nice house, which was enough for him to live happily in for years to come. After the purchase of his home, Stanley noticed that it had barely taken a toll on his newfound wealth.

“Surely I could spend a little more,” Stanley thought.

Soon, Stanley had nearly everything he could’ve ever dreamed of. Throughout his home, one could see many abstract items strewn within the many rooms. Stanley hadn’t necessarily been interested in these items, but the joy he felt when purchasing things often overcame him.

One of the first things that Stanley noticed after earning his fortune, was that he got a lot of publicity, as not many win the lottery. The lavish lifestyle he lived was beginning to become very noticeable to others. Walking on the street soon became a hassle, as there was always someone who saw him and wanted some of his fortune.

Weeks had passed and even more people began to approach him. Weeks turned to months, and those months turned to a year. Every passing day, more and more people bothered him with the desire for his money.
It got to a point where Stanley chose not to leave his home anymore, as the stress it caused him deeply saddened him. He felt as if his life beforehand may have been better, as he dealt with less stress.
Stanley buried his head in his pillow. He was tired, he was stressed, he was done with living in such lavish, yet stressful conditions.