It was the whoop\nof joy that sent a perplexed and curious Celia trotting down to the living\nroom. Julia was in high spirts, maybe her son had proposed, maybe her daughter\nwas finally pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as Julia\nleapt around the room Celica heard the TV throb with the bombastic hum of the\nnational lottery. She then saw the jackpot numbers flash on screen and spied\nthe grubby ticket clenched in Julia\u2019s fist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI won,\u201d Julia laughed \u201cI won, oh good god in heaven, I won the lottery.\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a dazed\nCelia sat down, she realized she had known Julia for ten years, but she never\nsaw her as a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFive\nmillion,\u201d squealed Julia \u201cfive million sterling. Oh, oh!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She fanned\nherself as she collapsed on the sofa before grabbing the remote to mute the TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy boy and\ngirl might beg me for a little,\u201d she explained as she gave one of her devilish\nsnorts \u201cbut they\u2019re much too old to be clinging to me, and I\u2019ll be sure to give\nit all away to charity on my deathbed of course. Wouldn\u2019t that serve my kids\nright?\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She giggled,\nalmost gleefully before noticing the politely smiling Celia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell done,\u201d\nCelia stammered \u201cyou\u2019ll be living the good life. A penthouse and a limo and all\nthat.\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as was\ntypical for Julia, she didn\u2019t answer Celia\u2019s question. Her face, hauntingly beautiful\neven at forty-five turned sadistic. Her eyes seem to shine as she gave her full\nattention to the mousey Celia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cCelia darling,\u201d she said, \u201cremember when your little bug was keyed?\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh yes, this\nWednesday would be was the two-year anniversary of Celia leaving the house to\nfind that her trustworthy Volkswagen beetle had been battered to a wreck. A\ncinder block had been flung against the bonnet and a golf club had shattered\nall the windows. Celia had sunk to her knees, felt her jaw quiver and her eyes\nwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t\nthat she loved her car, it was just the complete mystification that someone out\nthere would be so needlessly malicious. She did no harm to anyone and yet the\nsame unthinking cruelty inflicted upon her by school bullies, had returned in\nmiddle age, which was a point in her life she thought she wouldn\u2019t have to deal\nwith\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was me,\u201d\nsaid Julia snapping Celia out from her melancholy thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI did it,\u201d\nreplied Julia with an innocent expression that all but invited Celia to join\nher in a good laugh \u201cyou were on autopilot, pure monotony so I decided to shake\nup your routine. Worked didn\u2019t it.\u201d
\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And she\nlaughed again at Celia\u2019s goldfish expression, the poor girl was a baby at heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Celia\nwhimpered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Julia now an\naristocrat showed no shame. Just some justified air, that she was in the right\nand Celia the simpleton deserved what she got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s\njust something about you,\u201d she said, \u201cthat really pisses me off.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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