Charlie Watson of Alexandria lives a simple life.

For the past 15 years hes worked the night-shift as a stocker at the Shoppers Food Warehouse on Route 1, carefully organizing the canned goods on rows of shelves and stashing aside a little of his paycheck each month for the college tuition of his beloved grandson. The grandson who Watson believes deserves an even better life than his own.

I enjoy my job because its simple, Watson explained. Thats why I do it.
Watsons luck changed recently, when he stopped in to check the winning numbers at one of his favorite haunts, the South Capitol Shell in Southeast DC, where goes daily to purchase a few lottery tickets. He also fills up his old beater with gas he said he can barely afford.

$250,000? Really? You guys are joking right? questioned the very lucky Watson while checking his DC Daily 6 ticket, which happened to be worth the top prize amount. 

Watson said that when playing his favorite games like Powerball and DC-4, he sticks with the same numbers hes been playing for years.

When he played DC Daily 6 on May 8, he said he had no idea that those numbers would lead him to the grand prize of $250,000. At first, I thought that I only won $5,000, he said.  When I spoke to an employee at the claim center, she told me that I had won the top prize. I told her that she was joking.

Watson still refused to believe his ticket was worth so much until he received his check from the DC Lottery Commission. I dont have any big plans for myself, Watson said. But, my grandson is in college. We didnt know how we were going to pay his tuition, but I guess thats not hard to figure out now.  

Jeanette A. Michael, the D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Boards executive director, called it an outstanding win. 

No more outstanding than for Watsons grandson, who can now afford the tuition.