Every weekend, an elderly gentleman purchased a National Lottery ticket from a newspaper stall, entered someone in his family’s birthday into it, and began to wait. But his strategy failed one day. Denis Fossit is over the age of 80. He’s had a weekend ritual for many years: he goes to the newspaper stand and buys a one-pound lottery ticket. He enters the birth dates of members of his family in six small windows: his wife, children, or grandchildren.

Then it is agreed to wait for the results to be announced. Despite the fact that he had never won a substantial sum, he did not give up. But his system failed him one day when, after purchasing a lottery ticket, he realized he had left his glasses at home. Denis couldn’t enter the numbers because he couldn’t see the white squares where they needed to be entered without his glasses.

He then decided to rely on chance. He requested that the girl selling tickets give him a ticket with an automatically generated number. The elderly gentleman was overjoyed when he returned home. “I have a feeling we’ll be very lucky today,” Denis told his wife Emily. To win the lottery, at least three of the numbers from 1 to 49 entered in the windows must match the balls that will be thrown out of the car during the lottery draw.

More matches mean more money. However, the odds of winning the jackpot — 116,500 pounds — are one in nearly 13 million. Fantastic fortune! Denis and Emily hugged after matching three numbers. They couldn’t believe their eyes when five matched. They nearly died of joy when the sixth ball rolled out and revealed the same number as their lottery ticket.

There was no loud victory celebration, no popping champagne corks into the ceiling, nothing like that. Emily knocked over a glass of sherry while Denis drank a drop of whiskey. They had planned a lavish party for the entire family, but due to the pandemic, they had to celebrate alone with each other. The lucky ticket was hidden in the closet, among piles of laundry, until it could be exchanged for a cash receipt.

Denis and Emily did not argue about how they would spend such a large sum. First and foremost, the gardener will be paid — Denis adores the front garden, but he can no longer work in it because his back is sore. The couple also agreed to renovate the house and purchase a larger television. Emily wishes for a comfortable mattress and a high-quality new stove. Everything that remains will be passed down to grandchildren.

“We’ve already lived, and it’s now their turn,” Denis says. They have two adult daughters, two boys, and a granddaughter. Now, an elderly couple hasn’t seen their relatives in a long time due to the pandemic, but when it’s over, they intend to organize a true family holiday to surprise the younger generation with a gift.