Escape.
Lucy Moss had done it, at last, she was free and independent.
Free of her useless parasitic lazy partner, free from the drudge of working 12 hour shifts,just to make ends meet, free of the rat race. life
The first time she'd bought a lottery ticket and she had won Β£19,419,747.28 (don't forget the 28p!)
After the first shock of becoming rich and independent in an instant, she'd thought very long, and hard of what to do.
First was to break from Graham (the flat was in his name, he'd insisted). All Lucy did was pay the rent and bills. The only reason she'd stayed was that finding another council flat as a single employed person was nearly, as unlikely, as winning the lottery. So with just a few sentimental treasured possessions, Lucy had booked into a Hotel, This was at the advise of the Lottery company, to keep her out of the media limelight and away from the scroungers and potential parasites, that prey on on lottery winners.
The lottery company had been extremely caring, and professional, providing Lucy with a female financial adviser,to keep everything in control. The number of begging letters from individuals and charities was staggering.
Sack loads and sack loads. The lottery company advised she look at none of the thousands of letters, what the eye doesn't see etc etc.
Lucy's first move was to give her Mum and sister Β£2,000,000.00 each. The interest alone would bring them each Β£80000/annum.
Lucy had always struggled, her Mum had been a single parent raising two daughters and working 2 jobs, just make to ends meet. Britain at the end of the 20th century was still a struggle for many.
The financial adviser had told Lucy that going away for a few weeks, or months was a tried and tested way to adjust, to a huge lottery win. On that advice Lucy's, first impulse was to go away somewhere hot and very tropical; quite by chance she'd seen an advertisement for an island off the east coast of Malaysia, called Pula Ubin.
The travel agent had told her that it was out of the way and very primitive, on Lucy's instruction they'd booked her a private chalet and arranged the journey to the finest detail even down to employing a personal assistant in KL, to help avoid any problems in her new environment.
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From her first class compartment cabin, Lucy watched the Sun rise over KL as the 747, circled to land at dawn, Rubber and Palm plantations showed regimented rows of, dark green as the plane sped over the last few feet to touch down in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With her small cabin bag, Lucy cleared through, VIP first class, customs and walked through to the arrivals gate scanning the waiting relatives and friends of her fellow passengers.
Lucy saw her name on a card held by an extremely attractive elegant, Chinese woman, Lucy guessed she was just slightly taller than herself, but at 5 foot Lucy was small compare to most people. The woman smiled at Lucy and walked toward her.
Tilly Tan a Chinese Malay, woman of 26 introduced herself to Lucy. As they walked toward the Taxi rank Lucy decided she was going like Tilly.
She was bubbly and knowledgable and seemed strong for such a petite woman, it was extremely nice to be almost the same height. Tilly had employed her own driver to carry Lucy's luggage but to Tilly's surprise Lucy had just the one small carry case.
"Miss where your luggage?" Tilly exclaimed.
"That's your first job, Tilly. New clothes. All my clothes in England, were old and out of fashion. So they've all gone to charity, all I have is what I'm wearing. and few bits in here."
"Oh miss we have lota fun, buying you, clothes" Tilly smiled and almost danced with glee at the prospect of buying Lucy new clothes.
"What type of clothes would miss want?"
"Well Tilly..and lets start off right, you must call me Lucy, not miss or madam. I'm just an ordinary girl like yourself, OK?"
"Yes miss... Lucy."
"Just Lucy, OK?"
Tilly a little overawed by Lucy's frankness, blinked clearing her mind, struggling to just say, Lucy, just Lucy. After all, Lucy was her employer.
"OK, but miss, sorry you must understand, that here things, are different. You are my employer, so must be treated with, great respect and deference."
Lucy, although not really happy, agreed to follow local custom and allow, Tilly to use the honourific when addressing Lucy in public. But she insisted they be on first name terms whenever possible.
"What clothes, would you like?" Tilly asked again.