She held the winning numbers and all she could think was...

A/N. Part ONE of TWO SHOT...maybe tissues...who knows?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

On a whim, because the day was so nice and she had nothing else to do at the moment, 'Why not?' she asked herself as she eased into the little Mom 'n Pop grocery on the corner and bought herself a lotto ticket. No one ever noticed her and if they did they stayed far away, acknowledging her with a tip of their head. Mostly, it was as if she was invisible, unobtrusive, which she preferred anyway.

Proudly she pushed over her change to get the piece of paper in the grocer's hand. If anyone needed some good luck and cash money, she certainly did.

FLASHBACK...

'Count your many blessings one by one,' she told herself. It was something her dear and beloved mother often sang ardently to her in an off key tune.

It didn't matter if it was a school day or not, she'd sing that song to her children every day, until she could sing no more and was laid to rest under the big oak tree that held the family's plot. That song became her mantra and helped her face an uncertain future.

Looking back on her life, she realized her parents had paved the way for her to learn as she got older, that family did matter. This heartened her and kept her strong.

So did sticking to the principles that were ingrained in her very soul from the moment she could remember. Principles and ethics and living within your means helped her counter many of life's hardships to come her way.

Blessings did happen to her family, she acknowledged to herself. Summer times were the hardest on the family and their finances, as both of her parents had been teachers. While her brother was a couple of grades above her, she was always happy to see her Mother in the hallways in between classes. Her brother preferred to be more unobtrusive about it.

Between planting their vegetable garden as a family, the next best time was going to the beach and having a picnic there. Fresh home grown vegetables were a delight for her, making her smile fondly as she remembered how excited she was picking her first tomatoes and strawberries. Picnics at the beach were simple and of course included their home grown delights. Playing in the sand, running up and down dodging the waves, building sand castles with fortress-like walls and collecting seashells and starfish washed ashore, brought another smile to warm her heart.

Her Mother's favorite question, which she posed when it was allowance time was: "Is it a need? Or Is it a want?" After figuring out her weekly tithe to the church, as a result most of her money was saved for something big.

Real big.

They were thrifty and prudent with their money and her parents instilled that ethic in their children and were not the kid of folk who would spend needlessly. Thus, saving was prioritized over spending.

Hidden away from everyone's eyes, the money grew and grew. Her parents took both children to the bank to make a deposit in their savings account. They were in charge of keeping their own ledger and each Saturday evening, they'd already have their money out for the tithing for the next day at Church.

Until...

...the fire that ripped through the house, taking everyone with it but her. It was with a heavy heart that she had to withdraw her savings to bury her entire family, taking their ashes under the big oak tree. She did so with a stoic demeanor, which covered up the pain and anguish she was feeling inside. A simple white cross marked the spot where her family now lay to rest.

As a result of the fire, she received severe burns to her face and upper body because of her desperate yet courageous efforts to pull her Mother out of the flames that blazed so ferociously, destroying everything that was held most precious. By the time the neighbors arrived to help tamp down the flames, she was the sole survivor.

At the time of her family's demise, she was only 16 and had nowhere to live. Social workers were assigned to offer guidance and assistance. However, in those days, they didn't look too hard into living situations, as long as you went to school. There was no support. there was neither actually compassion nor concern for her welfare from these social workers. Sadly, this was a major turning point in her life. Tragedy, grief and misfortune befell her at such a young age, still a child, now an orphan. She was left to fend for herself.

END OF FLASHBACK.

She clutched the ticket in her tight fist, making sure to never put it down. It was all she had in her life, that one piece of paper. Material things mattered naught for her, here today and gone tomorrow.

Going over to her regular spot for a bite of lunch, she crossed herself before entering the church, Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow. Ironic how her place of worship reflected her circumstance.

It was an historical church in Trenton, witnessing all kinds of burials, weddings, communions and christenings. Never mind the Confessional booth. Father Matt kept busy as the only Parish Priest along with two others who made up the committee heads.

Today it was Chicken and Rice on the menu. She spied her favorite friend in the serving line, ready to dish up a warm helping of food for everyone, where no one was turned away from having seconds.

Leaning over, while motioning her to come closer, she whispered confidentially, "I need to see you when you have a minute or two to spare."

Nodding her head, her friend said, "Give me a while and I'll come over to your table."

Finally, when the lull in the lunch line slowed and settled, she came over and sat down beside her friend with two cups of coffee, fixed just right.

"What do you need? Is there anything I can finally do for you? Now remember," she told the older woman, "I've asked, for a few years now, what I can do to help you. You know that. So by you asking for help, you've got it. Whatever you need, I'll help you with."

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

A/N2. Not mine. All belong to what's her name, Janet.

See you on the flip side on part two...Many thanks to Ms. Kim aka MMBabefanmmm who is my beta. As well as co-author on all these one shots.

This is my favorite story I've ever written...you'll see why in the second part of this two shot.

Well, and Inspector Matt. :)