A husband mocked his wife for buying an old couch for $100 at a flea market. But minutes after moving it inside, he found a tiny zipper and discovered something shocking inside.
A thirty-something mother, Lorraine Gilbert found small pleasures in buying secondhand items at affordable prices. But some of these items were certainly not very pleasant to look at, which is why her husband, Harry, often mocked her and called her purchases “crazy.”
However, Lorraine didn’t care about her husband’s words. After taking care of the entire house and their six children, she devoted her time to shopping, just to treat herself a little.
Lorraine found the sofa at a flea market. | Source: Shutterstock
One day, when she spotted a $100 sofa at a flea market, she knew she had to have it. Although its cushions were sagging and there were some paint stains on the back, Lorraine thought it would be a welcome replacement for her old sofa, which had springs sticking out of the tattered fabric.
So she went to the elderly man selling it and bought it before anyone else could. “Excellent choice, ma’am,” he told her with a smile, as she handed him a hundred-dollar bill. “I bet you have taste for this kind of thing.”
Lorraine’s cheeks flushed. “Oh, well, I’m interested in this kind of thing. I can spot a good deal quickly,” she said, pleased she’d made the right choice.
However, when she asked Harry to help her bring the furniture home, he started snapping at her. “AGAIN? Did you go shopping again?”
“Oh, Harry! You won’t believe what I found at the flea market. A couch! And for just 100 dollars! And it doesn’t look that old!”
“$100! Are you out of your mind, Lorraine? You’ve been had again! Damn it!”
Lorraine loved shopping at flea markets. | Source: Unsplash
“Oh, come on, Harry. It’s not as bad as you think! You didn’t even see it. Now help me, please. I can’t carry it by myself.”
“I know this bitch would be just like all the other stupid stuff you buy, Lorraine! I can’t believe I have to leave work for this! I swear this is the last time I’m giving in to your awful purchases!” he scolded her before hanging up.
Lorraine was happy. She looked proudly at the sofa, thinking she’d made the right choice. But when Harry saw it, he lost his temper. He mocked her all the way home, telling her she’d wasted all their money and calling the sofa “rubbish.”
As he moved it into their living room, he aggressively pushed the sofa into a corner, still furious at the waste of money.
But his gaze was drawn to a small zipper hidden underneath. He opened it out of curiosity to see what was inside and discovered a pair of earrings—a sparkling piece of diamonds and pearls.
“Lorraine!” Harry shouted. “Come here!”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, rushing out of the kitchen.
Harry started laughing. “Your stupid obsession made us rich! Look at these, they look like diamonds! We can sell them and buy ourselves a new car.”
Lorraine and Harry found diamond earrings in the sofa. | Source: Pexels
Lorraine gave him a disapproving look. “Well, Harry. I’m sure they’re very good copies. I’m an expert at second-hand goods, and I’ve found several pieces that look exactly like the real thing.”
“But what if they aren’t? We need to take them to a jeweler to have them checked!”
“They’d make us pay, Harry!”
“Who cares? Think of the money we could make if they were real diamonds!” Harry wouldn’t listen to his wife. He forced Lorraine to go with him to the jeweler, and it turned out she was wrong.
“Well, they’re real diamonds,” said the jeweler, examining them.
“And the price?” Harry asked excitedly.
“Well, we’re looking at something worth thousands of dollars…”
Harry’s eyes widened. “THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS?!”
“$30,000, sir,” the jeweler said with a smile, “and that’s the minimum. The design is unique, the details are intricate, and let’s not forget the natural pearls inside.”
Lorraine and Harry couldn’t believe what they had just heard! As they left the jewelry store, Harry recommended that his wife sell them and buy a new car. But Lorraine had other ideas.
The jeweler confirmed that the earrings were made of real diamonds. | Source: Pexels
“I’ll return it to the man who sold me the sofa, Harry.”
“What? Lorraine, are you crazy? Think about the bright future that awaits you! You can’t be that stupid!”
“Well,” she said, snatching the earrings from him. “I don’t want to live a better life at the expense of others. So I’m giving them back!”
Harry wasn’t happy with Lorraine’s decision, but she didn’t care. She returned to the flea market to look for the elderly man, but he was nowhere to be found. She asked the other vendors if they knew who he was, but to no avail.
Lorraine was disappointed, thinking she would never see the man again. But when she approached the end of the street, she saw him enter an old house.
“Excuse me, sir!” she shouted.
The elderly man turned around and recognized him immediately. “Oh, you! Aren’t you the one who bought me the sofa?”
She smiled. “That’s true, and I found these on the couch,” she said, showing him the diamond earrings.
Lorraine decided to return the earrings to the old man. | Source: Pexels
The man, named Peter, smiled, and his eyes lit up. “Oh, my God! They’re here! They’re my late wife’s earrings. I’ve been looking everywhere for them. I hid them from my greedy sons, who sold almost all of her jewelry for money. Thanks for bringing them back, but you know what? They’re yours now. I think they’ve finally found a new owner.”
“No, sir. I can’t keep them. They’re very valuable, and…”
“Please, I insist.”
Lorraine didn’t want to accept the earrings, but Peter insisted, so she gave in. That evening at home, she told Harry about it, adding that Peter lived alone in an old house and had no one to take care of him.
Harry felt terribly sorry for his selfish behavior and apologized to his wife. The next day, they visited Peter to thank him and made him an offer.
“Actually, sir,” he said. “We’re wondering if you’d like to move in with us. We have six children, but since Lorraine and I are orphans, none of them ever had a grandfather. We would love to welcome you into our family…”
Peter found a loving family. | Source: Pexels
Peter couldn’t help but cry when Harry said that. “I don’t know what to say. My sons abandoned me a long time ago, and then you’re here, welcoming me into your family. Thank you, children. God bless you both!”
This is how Lorraine and Harry welcomed Peter into their home. Peter was delighted to become the grandfather of six adorable children and to have a loving family.
What can we learn from this story?
- A family is built on love and care . Peter’s sons had abandoned him, but Lorraine and Harry treated him as if he were a member of their own family.
- Love is a contagious disease. Touched by their love for him, Peter couldn’t refuse Lorraine and Harry’s invitation to live with them.
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