PowerBall: Claiming the Prize

PowerBall: Claiming the Prize

The PowerBall prize was worth 613 million dollars and Cheryl and I had won. We had confirmed this with our attorney in Las Vegas, yet there still remained a problem.

The winning ticket had been purchased in Port Angeles, Washington and had to be redeemed in the state where it was sold. This meant we had to return to Washington, which doesn’t seem to be a great deal. The problem remained that this was Thursday afternoon and Cheryl had to return to work on Monday morning.

Ben ask us to hang on a second while he pulled a cell phone from his desk. When he got no answer he left a voice-mail:"Ben Gregory and need to speak to you, urgent." He told us he had left this message for a friend in Seattle and was certain she could be of assistance. He advised we fly to Seattle on the next flight and be there in the morning. He was certain he could have something set up for us by then.

Then he had his secretary make immediate reservations for Seattle. The earliest she could get us out was at nine o’clock that evening. She had also made reservations at the Airport Marriot. When I thanked him, he assured me it would be on his bill and we could afford it. As we stood to leave, I ask about a financial adviser. Ben said he would be glad to recommend someone on our return.

Back home we began to pack for the flight to Seattle. With nothing firm on the other end of this trip, both of us were a little edgy. Wehn Ben called and affirmed we had an appointment, it was a great relief. The next morning we had an appointment for nine o’clock with a Loretta Furr. They had contacted PowerBall and informed them that she would now be representing us. He advise we carry some nice cloths because he was sure PowerBall would want some publicity out of this even thought we wished this to remain private.

When the taxi stopped in front of the address we had given him, it reminded me of Las Vegas. We were in what had at one time been a residential neighborhood that was now commercial. All the houses remained, but now were offices of lawyers, financial firms and studios. The sign in front of the house we stopped at read: Furr, Furr and Furr Attorneys of Law.

When we entered the front door we were met my a young lady in her early twenties. "You must be the Fletchers." When we acknowledged we were she ask us to sit. "My grandmother is on the phone and will be out shortly. This is the part of this job I hate, but she requires a retainer of 1800 dollars."

As I gave her my credit card I told her no one expected her grandmother to represent them without some fee changing hands. She laughed and told us her name was Molly as she ran my card.

Shortly the door to another room opened and a squat lady, in her mid sixties emerged. Her hair had much more salt than pepper, yet she walked as though the world was her oyster. Shaking my hand she introduced herself as Loretta Furr and ask if we would like some coffee or water. When we told her water would be fine, she ask Molly to bring three water into her office. When we were seated in her office I committed that her granddaughter must be extremely good to be the only receptionist for three attorneys.

"The sign. I should change it but just can’t bring myself to do that. This firm was begun by my father and then my brother joined. They added the third Furr when I graduated from law school, though I never came into the firm. I chose academia instead. After my father passed, my brother, whose health was not great, convinced me it was time I got my hands dirty in the actual practice of the law. I left my position at the UW Law School (that’s where I came to know Benjamin Gregory, I was his faculty adviser) and entered the firm. My brother passed two years ago and I lost a number of clients and refused to accept new ones. Your being here is just a favor to Benjamin."

When I told her how grateful we were, she insisted we get down to business. Her first question was how we stood in the cash flow department. I told her that her retainer had maxed out our credit card and now we had about three hundred in a savings account. Then she informed us that it would most likely take more than that before we could take complete ownership of the winnings. PowerBall had informed her that it sometimes to up to two week to complete all the paperwork necessary.

"I’m sure Molly told you I was on the phone when you arrived. Well, I was talking to my banker at Wells Fargo, and I see you used a Wells Fargo credit card. That’s good. I have arranged for a ten thousand dollar, thirty day loan for you."

When I ask about the bankruptcy, she said that would be no problem since she had arranged to cosign the loan if necessary. "Let me call the PowerBall office here in town and confirm our one o’clock appointment and then we will go to the bank. Also, I’m going to want another 3200 when this is finished. Think you’ll be able to afford it?"

On the way to the bank I ask if there were no other Furrs to continue the practice. No, she was the last and she was semi-retired. She had three clients on retainers and only came to the office for few hours a day. Molly was a one time deal since she didn’t know us.

When we left the bank she ask what company we had our cell phones through. "Some advise: Open a new account under another name; get new numbers and give the new numbers to those very close, including family. Keep the old phones and numbers so you can monitor the calls you want to accept."

Back at her office for lunch Loretta ask if we had a financial adviser. She was glad that Ben was going to recommend someone once we returned to Las Vegas. "Know in general what you want to do and don’t follow someone’s lead, follow their advise. You do the leading."

At the PowerBall office we were informed that since there was only one winner, this could be completed in less than a week’s time. They did want us to be here Monday and Tuesday of next week. When we informed them that Cheryl had return to work, some found that funny: after all we had just won over 600 millions dollars. I assured them that with our generation, this was the right thing to do, regardless of winning a large amount of money. Somewhat disappointed, they preferred both of us in their publicity, they could make do with just me.

Loretta and Molly gave us the residence’s tour, no charge, of Seattle on Saturday. We lunched at the top of the Space Needle. Cheryl flew home Sunday afternoon. I had my ticket changed to an open end.

Back at the Powerball Seattle offices on Monday morning, Loretta and I signed a large amount of papers. I did my interview which I was certain would be most difficult. When the lights came on and the interviewer introduced me I was surprised at how calm I was.

The first question was: "What is it like to suddenly be 613 million dollars richer?" I thought for a moment and then answered that nothing of this magnitude happened to me before so there was nothing to liken it to. Then they ask how I felt. I told them I was still running on adrenaline and to be honest I was wondering what I would feel like once the adrenalinne high subsided.

Then they wanted to know about Cheryl and why she had chosen to return to work. "This is something our generation does, regardless. We have respect for our employer." It was easy to tell everyone in the room thought this ridiculous.

Then they wanted to know what was the first thing that went through my mind when I knew I had won. Everyone looked eager for my response. This one I didn’t have to think about very long. "Now I will be able to visit all the places in Europe where the Navy took me in 1959. Now I would be able to enjoy them for what they really are."

"What’s the place you are looking most forward to seeing again?" That was another easy one. Without a doubt it would be Athens Greece and the Acropolis. "I just wonder how close we will be able to get to the Parthenon today?"

Then they wanted to know about the family. "Just how large is your family and do you plan to include them in you good fortune?" I told them that I was sure that it would be much larger once this was out. I told them that our immediate family consisted of four children, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild. As to how we would include them in our grand fortune, we haven’t come to any conclusive decision.

They also thought it odd that I hoped none of them would learn about this until we had come to some decision and was able to control how they learned about it. I did assure that the immediate family would be included in our great fortune, but the extended family, we owe them nothing. Naturally they wanted to know why the estrangement. "Private family matters."

Then they wondered how often I played PowerBall. "I live in Nevada which doesn’t allow lotteries. Many years ago I did play some scratch lottery in Colorado, but this is my first experience with PowerBall. I had four dollars change coming to me and the clerk said I should get two PowerBall tickets since the prize was approaching 600 million. I just bought the tickets on a whim."

"What of the odds of such a large win on you first experience with PowerBall?" I just laughed and related a story I had read about some years back. This couple was leaving Nevada going into California. They stopped at a casino on the boarder for a bathroom break. The lady put a dollar into a Mega Bucks machine and hit it for over 300 million. I guess I now have something in common with her. After I informed them we had chosen to take the cash value of 337 million the interview ended.

The next morning Loretta and met with more lawyers from PowerBall and the IRS. PowerBall transferred $84,287,500.00, twenty-five percent of our winnings into an IRS account. I assured them that I understood that the IRS would tax the full amount at forty percent and I would be responsible for the remaining fifteen percent. Earlier I had established an additional account with Wells Fargo. PowerBall deposited into that account $252,862,500.00.

When we had finished there Loretta and I went to Wells Fargo. There I opened another account and transferred the additional fifteen percent tax ($50,572,500.00) into that account.

Then Wells Fargo issued me another credit card. When they started to tell me the limit, I told them I didn’t want to know. I paid off the ten thousand dollar line of credit and wrote a counter check for thirty-two hundred dollars, which Loretta deposited into her account.

Back at Loretta’s office I booked a flight for that evening to Las Vegas. Seems most major cities on the west coast have some airline with a direct flight to Vegas every evening. The adrenaline high was starting to subside and I wanted to be home when it was gone. Also, I called Ben’s office and got an appointment for late Wednesday afternoon.