He was sitting in one of the best restaurants in the city.
The duck à l’orange was cooked to perfection and the oaked chardonnay was an excellent year. He was waiting for the man who would bring him the news in person; his accountant. The money he had made by taking an outside chance on the stock exchange would set him up for life. It had been a risky investment, but the results were truly staggering. He started writing figures on his napkin. He could well afford to be generous, a million here and a million there. For himself, quite apart from the new house, he had always wanted a Lamborghini Gallardo. Now, nothing could be simpler…
As the ideas for his latest story faded, he came out of his reverie chilled. Yes, this was good, he thought; I’ll type it up now before it goes. He pushed the skimpy bedding to one side and sat on the edge of his bed. He looked around at his tiny attic room. It was a hovel. He sat shivering. Then, he thought about the small electric fan heater he’d seen on sale. If I saved up for a couple of weeks, he thought, I could buy one!