As soon as Katherine sees my aunt, she pulls her into a hug. Then she gives my uncle a quick kiss on the cheek and offers them a cup of coffee, her hands shaking. By the time we’re all settled in the living room, Teddy is practically bursting to tell them the story. The rest of us have arranged ourselves on the couch or pulled over chairs, but he’s still standing in front of the coffee table, ready to hold court.
“So what’s going on?” Aunt Sofia asks. “How can I help?”
Teddy rubs at his jaw, trying to look serious. “Well, like I said, a situation has come up, and I could really use some legal advice, and I know you’re a great lawyer—”
“An environmental lawyer,” she reminds him. “So unless you spotted a polar bear in need this morning, I might not be of much use.”
“I know,” Teddy says, nodding. “But I figured you could help us with all the legal jargon, and maybe you’d know someone at your firm who could—”
Aunt Sofia is starting to look anxious again. “What exactly happened?”
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “I promise we didn’t rob a bank or anything.”
Leo snorts. “Might as well have.”
“Seriously,” Uncle Jake says with a hint of impatience. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know if you saw the news about the big lottery drawing this morning,” Teddy says, beaming at them. “But, well…I won.”
Uncle Jake stares at him. “You won?”
“The lottery?” Aunt Sofia asks, dumbfounded.
I can’t help laughing, because this is now the third time we’ve had this conversation, and it’s gone exactly the same way each time.
“He wonmillions,” I say. “Like, millions and millions.” Ipause. “And millions.”
“All because of Alice.” Teddy smiles at me, and the way he says my name—my real name—sends a jolt through me. “She picked the numbers.”
My uncle looks over at me with wonder. “Well, nice going there, kid,” he says, then turns to wink at Katherine. “I taught her everything she knows.”
“Wow,” Aunt Sofia says, still absorbing this information. She stands abruptly, then crosses the room to hug him. “Teddy, that’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“We’re so happy for you,” Uncle Jake says, popping up as well. He gives Teddy one of those handshakes that turn into a shoulder bump that turn into a hug. “Couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”
“And we’re here to help however we can,” Aunt Sofia says, looking at Katherine now. “Whatever you need. Lawyers, financial planners, anything. Just let us know.”
Katherine has been listening to all this with a thoughtful expression, but now she sits forward. “You’re eighteen now,” she says to Teddy, who grins at this; with all the excitement, his birthday party feels like a long time ago. “And that means the decisions are all yours to make. But I just hope—”
“Mom,” Teddy says, laughing. “Thisjusthappened. No lectures yet, okay?”
“I’m just saying that money comes and goes,” she continues, and it’s obvious she’s thinking about his dad. “I know you’ll want to have some fun with it, and you should. But I hope you’ll be responsible too.”
He nods impatiently. “I will.”
“And I think the first thing we should do,” she says, “is set aside some money for college.”
Teddy hesitates, and I sit up straighter, watching him carefully. He’s always dismissed the idea of going straight to college, and while I’ve been hoping he might change his mind, I also understand his reasoning. He’s spent so many years watching his mom try to get out from under his dad’s debts that the last thing he wants is to take out a loan. But as soon as Katherine says it, I realize she’s right: this is hischance.
“Mom,” Teddy says, shaking his head, “you know my plan is to—”
“I know,” Katherine says, her voice sharp. “Work for a year or two, then apply to community college. But I’m worried you’ll end up spending the rest of your life as an assistant manager—”
“Associate manager,” Teddy says, looking embarrassed to be making the distinction. He’s spent the last three summers working at a nearby sporting goods store, and they’ve promised him the promotion after graduation.
“But that’s just it,” she says, leaning forward. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You have the money for a real college now. One with a great coaching program. And you don’t have to wait.”
“I’m not sure if…,” Teddy begins, then trails off. “My grades might not even be good enough to…I mean, this only just happened, so I haven’t really thought about…”
