Free Licence to Dream by Anna Jacobs Page A

I don't know what's got into you lately. You aren't looking after yourself. If you get any thinner, you'll fade away. Are you turning anorexic on me?’
    ‘No. It’s not that.’ Meriel sat down in a visitor chair and told herself to calm down.
    Rosanna stopped scolding and perched on the desk beside her, asking in a gentler voice, ‘You feeling better now?’
    ‘Mmm.’ But she didn’t tell her friend the real reason for her faintness. She didn’t want the rest of the office to know anything yet. The Lotto coupon was tucked away in her handbag and she wouldn’t feel certain about the money until she had presented it to the Lotteries Commission and had her win confirmed.
    Rosanna's voice was still blaring in her ears. ‘I'm going to take you home, feed you and put you to bed. This can't go on.’ And from that decision she refused to be moved.
    Meriel trailed back to her office, worrying about how badly she was handling this.
    Her boss, John Repping, came to stare at her and insist she go home ‘And let someone else drive you. You’re as white as a sheet.’
    ‘All right. Thanks.’
    A few minutes later Meriel buckled herself into the passenger seat of her own car and directed Rosanna to drive her north to Osborne Park. ‘I have some things to pick up. It’s urgent.’
    When they got near the Lotteries Commission, she told her friend to stop for a moment, then got out of the car. ‘We need to go into the Lotteries Commission. The reason I nearly fainted this morning, Rosanna, is that I think I've won Lotto.’
    ‘Yeah? Which Division?’
    ‘Division One. All six numbers.’
    Rosanna's shriek stopped two passers-by dead in their tracks, but the sight of her beaming face reassured them and they went on their way, smiling. She grabbed Meriel and gave her a big hug. ‘Hey, that's marvellous! Congratulations! Oh, wow!’
    Then she held her at arm’s length. ‘Look, I'm coming inside with you. You might faint again when they confirm it! Are you sure you double-checked all the numbers?’
    ‘I must have checked them fifty times, at least.’
    Inside, Rosanna took the Lotto ticket from Meriel's shaking fingers and brandished it in the receptionist's face. ‘My friend just won the First Division.’
    The woman beamed at them and pressed a button. ‘That’s wonderful. Let me show you to the Winners’ Room.’
    The ticket was validated then Meriel was asked whether she wanted a cheque or the money paying into her bank.
    ‘Paying in directly, please.’ She didn’t want to risk anything happening to a cheque.
    Once she’d given them her details, a woman came up to her. ‘I’m a member of the Corporate Communications Team. Would you mind having a chat? We like to find out about our winners. And we need to know whether you want to remain anonymous.’
    ‘Definitely.’
    ‘Do you have any idea what you’ll do with the money?’
    ‘Yes. Give up work and become an artist. I’ve been training part-time and saving to take some time off.’
    They chatted for a while and Meriel was given a pack with guidelines on making the most of her good fortune.
    Rosanna chuckled when they did that. ‘She’s an accountant. I think she’ll know how to look after her money.
    The woman smiled sympathetically. ‘That’s good. Take the pack anyway. Some of our past winners helped us put it together. The main advice we offer is not to rush into anything.’
    ‘I won’t.’ Meriel closed her eyes for a moment. Coming here, being fêted, had made it all feel real and she felt overwhelmed. She stood up. ‘You’ve all been very kind, but what I need now is some peace and quiet to get used to it all.’ She’d won enough to give her the freedom to do what she wanted with her life.
    As she and Rosanna walked outside, she stopped to say firmly, ‘You're not to tell anyone about this when you get back to the office.’
    ‘But . . . ’
    ‘I mean that!’ She spoke fiercely. ‘I don't want anyone at work to know about my win