When a mysterious package arrives at Kate and Josh’s house, they’re confused to see the sender is Josh’s father, with whom they have a complicated relationship. But things get even stranger when Josh finds a tick-box inside the gift—a beautiful pillow. A confrontation ensues, and Josh finds himself grappling with the truth. Should he forgive his father or pretend their relationship doesn’t exist?
Josh had just taken their daughter, Emily, for a walk in the garden when the doorbell rang, signaling that the day was about to begin.
A person holding a baby’s hands | Source: Unsplash
“I have a package for you,” the delivery man said when I opened the door.
I signed and carried the box into the kitchen. Our third wedding anniversary was this week, and Josh was always ordering things for me.
A person with a brown cardboard box | Source: Pexels
“I just want to surprise you, Kate,” he said one day as we lounged on the couch. “It’s just little things, you know?”
So, naturally, as I brought the package to the kitchen, I just assumed it was from him.
A couple on a sofa | Source: Pexels
Until I took a pair of scissors and cut through the thick tape. Opening the package, I found a beautiful embroidered pillow with a note peeking out from underneath. It would have been a perfect match for our living room decor.
Happy birthday, Josh and Kate! – Taylor.
A package with a pillow inside | Source: Midjourney
For a moment, I reveled in the kindness of the gesture. But then I remembered there was no way Josh would accept this gift.
“Hey, what’s this?” Josh said, coming back into the kitchen with Emily on his shoulders. “Did we order anything?”
A man carrying his daughter | Source: Pexels
“Well, it’s a gift,” I said cautiously. “From your father.”
Josh snatched the ticket from me, his eyes scanning the paper.
I wondered what he would do. Josh and his father had a very complicated relationship. When Josh was a child, Taylor had abandoned him and his mother.
He was seeing another woman, and when it came down to it, Taylor chose the other woman.
A mother and her son | Source: Pexels
Josh was seven years old and never got over it. He told me everything one night when we went out to dinner.
“A father is always supposed to choose you, Kate. But he went ahead and left us behind so he could start a new life with his mistress. That’s not how it works.”
A couple having dinner | Source: Pexels
I understood his point of view. Of course, he had just wanted his father to be there for him and his mother.
Instead, Taylor had other ideas.
“He said he needed to be happy and that my mother was too strict with him. He had a job, but he was always doing illegal things on the side. So he packed his bags and left.”
A man with packed luggage | Source: Pexels
“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked that Josh had been exposed to something like this at such a young age.
“Money, scams. Gambling, all that,” my husband said, picking up his glass of whiskey.
And that was it. Josh didn’t speak to her again until a year before our wedding.
Taylor had heard about our upcoming wedding from other family members, and he thought it was the perfect opportunity to try to work things out between them.
A person holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
But Josh refused.
“I don’t want him there on our wedding day, Kate. It won’t benefit anyone. And if anything, seeing him will ruin everything for me.”
“And you don’t think you’d regret it?” I asked, folding wedding invitations into envelopes.
“Not at all,” Josh replied, taking out an envelope. “For all we know, someone will crash the ceremony because they owe them money.”
A wedding invitation | Source: Pexels
And that’s it. Topic closed.
I didn’t want to push it. I knew it was up to him to deal with it later if he regretted it. I would support him, but I didn’t want to push it too far, especially because Taylor seemed to have a lot on his plate.
A couple kissing | Source: Pexels
When Emily was born, Taylor tried to get back in our good graces once again. He wanted to reach out and try to work things out with Josh so he could play his role as grandfather.
“I don’t want him anywhere near us. I don’t want him to be able to bond with our child. Please, Kate, don’t argue with me about this. That man is bad news,” my husband said, holding our baby.
A newborn’s feet | Source: Pexels
That’s how things happened.
Which brings us back to the present.
Josh took the pillow and felt it up and down; he even brought it to his ear, his eyes wide.
“Honey, we can’t keep this pillow!” he said.
A shocked man | Source: Pexels
Without another word, he rushed over and threw it out the back door.
“Josh, what’s going on?” I exclaimed, leaving Emily in her high chair with some fruit slices.
“It’s ticking, Kate! There’s something inside. He’s up to something.”
A person cutting fruit | Source: Pexels
“A ticking?” I said. “What do you mean?”
We both went out.
We stood over the pillow that lay innocently among the flowers in our garden. I hesitated, then reached out to listen.
Of course, there was a soft ticking sound.
Yellow garden flowers | Source: Pexels
“Oh,” I said, shocked. I’d been convinced Josh had heard things that weren’t there.
Why would Taylor want to harm us in any way?
“Take out your phone and film this,” Josh said, bending down to pick up the pillow. “Just in case something happens or there’s something illegal in there.”
A woman holding a phone | Source: Pexels
Taking a deep breath, Josh tore open the pillow to reveal a small, mysterious box equipped with a timer.
“What is this?” I whispered, dread creeping up my spine.
“Let’s find out,” Josh said through a tight jaw. “Call him.”
I dialed Taylor’s number with shaking hands.
A man holding a box | Source: Unsplash
“Hello, Kate,” he said, his voice cheerful. “Did you get my package? I didn’t know what to get you, but I knew I had to get something.”
“There’s something inside the pillow,” Josh said. “A box. It makes a noise. What is it?”
“Please be honest,” I said.
“It’s a gift, Kate. For your birthday,” Taylor’s voice was calm, almost soothing to me.
A woman on the phone | Source: Pexels
“The sound is probably the timer; it’s supposed to make a sound and open on the appointed day,” he said. “There’s something to it.”
My husband snatched the phone out of my hands.
“Do you really think we want something from you? What’s really in the box, Dad? Is there something in there that shouldn’t be? Something illegal?” Josh asked.
Angry man on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Please, Josh,” he said. “It’s just a gesture. I mean absolutely no harm.”
“If you really mean that, then stay out of our lives.”
“Wait, Kate,” Taylor said. “Just open the box, okay?”
Taylor let out a deep sigh, and Josh reached out to disconnect the call.
I looked at my husband; he seemed disturbed by the whole thing. I knew he was curious about what was in the little box, but he was traumatized by everything his father had done.
An expressionless man | Source: Pexels
“What do you want to do?” I asked him.
“I don’t know,” he replied, holding his head.
“Let’s open it,” I told him. “If he wanted me to open it, then there’s no way he’d try to hurt us, darling. Okay?”
Josh nodded slowly, finally accepting the situation for what it was. His father had simply wanted to reach out and give us a gift. That maybe everything was as simple as it seemed.
A man holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
“But record everything, okay?” Josh said.
I picked up my phone and started recording.
My husband opened the box, revealing its contents: a check for $100,000.
Josh stared at the check, his emotions flying across his face as he tried to make sense of it.
“What’s he playing at, Kate?” Josh asked, stunned. “There’s no way it’s clean money. He must be trying to cover something up.”
But before we could dig deeper, Taylor called back.
An uncertain man | Source: Pexels
I answered hesitantly.
“We found the check,” I said. “Why did you send that?”
“Because I’m dying, Kate,” he confessed quietly. “I’ve made my share of mistakes, and I know Josh hates me. But this money is for you. And if Josh doesn’t want it, then keep it for Emily’s future. For the school. No one needs to know it came from me.”
A bank check | Source: Flickr
I walked into the house, realizing we’d left Emily alone for too long. It didn’t matter, as our daughter was sitting quietly by herself, eating her fruit.
Josh was right behind me.
“Dad,” he said, taking the phone from me. “If you’re really serious about your health, then please, we need to talk. No more games.”
A man talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Thanks, Josh,” Taylor’s voice said through the phone. “Tell me when.”
We arranged to meet Taylor at a park later that week; it wasn’t far from our house and we often took Emily there.
When the day came, Josh was visibly nervous, fidgeting as we waited on a secluded bench.
When Taylor arrived, he looked frail and worn.
An isolated park bench | Source: Pexels
“I’m so sorry about everything. I’ve been a terrible father. I don’t have much time left, but I want to spend it making amends.”
Josh takes a deep breath.
“It’s not easy, Dad. But I’m willing to try. For Emily’s sake, so that one day she’ll know that her grandfather carried her to school.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Pexels
While Josh and my stepfather talked, I set up the picnic I’d brought with me. I figured if something embarrassing happened, we’d all still need to eat.
As we left the park, Josh squeezed my hand, a weight lifted from his shoulders.
“Maybe it’s a good thing the pillow came after all,” he thought, a small smile on his lips.
Things can only get better from here, right?
A picnic setup | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
If you liked this story, here’s another one |
Leighton, after seeing how her parents celebrated their anniversary, is sure of one thing: when she gets married, she’ll do exactly the same thing. But when her birthday arrives, her husband skips their romantic dinner and lies about a reunion.
A newlywed couple at the beach | Source: Pexels
Curiosity gets the better of Leighton, who follows Josh, only to find him in a motel with the first person he ever loved. Is there a hidden truth, or is the story exactly what it seems?
Read the full story here.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Để lại một phản hồi