When a strange package shows up at Kate and Josh’s doorstep, they are bewildered to see it’s from Josh’s estranged father. The mystery deepens when Josh discovers a ticking box within the gift — an ornate pillow. This leads to a confrontation and leaves Josh grappling with a dilemma. Should he forgive his father or continue to act as if their relationship is non-existent?
Josh had just taken their daughter, Emily, for a walk around the garden when the doorbell rang, signaling the start of the day.
“I have a delivery for you,” the courier said when I opened the door.
I signed and brought the package into the kitchen. Our third wedding anniversary was this week, and Josh was always buying me little surprises.
“I just want to surprise you, Kate,” he once said as we relaxed on the couch. “It’s the little things that count, you know?”
So, naturally, as I carried the package to the kitchen, I assumed it was from him.
Until I used scissors to cut through the thick tape. Inside, I found a beautifully embroidered pillow with a note tucked underneath. It matched our living room décor perfectly.
Happy Anniversary, Josh and Kate! – Taylor.
For a moment, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. But then I remembered that there was no way Josh would accept this gift.
“Hey, what’s this?” Josh asked, coming back into the kitchen with Emily on his shoulders. “Did we order something?”
“It’s a gift,” I said cautiously. “From your father.”
Josh took the note 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 had been involved with another woman, and when it came down to choosing, Taylor chose the other woman.
Josh had been seven, and he never recovered from it. He told me all about it one evening when we went out for dinner.
“A father is supposed to choose you, Kate. But he left us to start a new life with his mistress. That’s not how this works.”
I understood his perspective. He just wanted his father to be there for him and his mother.
Instead, Taylor had different plans.
“He said he needed to be happy and that my mother was too strict. He had a job, but he was always doing shady things on the side. So he packed up and left.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked that Josh had experienced this at such a young age.
“Money, swindling it. Gambling, all that,” Josh said as he picked up his glass of whiskey.
And that was it. Josh didn’t speak to him again until a year before we got married.
Taylor had heard about our upcoming wedding through relatives and saw it as the perfect chance to reconcile.
But Josh refused.
“I don’t want him at our wedding, Kate. It won’t benefit anyone. If anything, seeing him will ruin everything for me.”
“And you don’t think you’ll regret it?” I asked as I folded wedding invitations.
“Not at all,” Josh replied, picking up an envelope. “For all we know, someone will crash the wedding because he owes them money.”
And that was that. Topic closed.
I didn’t want to push it. I knew it was up to him to handle it later if he regretted it. I would support him, but I wouldn’t overstep, especially since Taylor seemed like a lot to deal with.
When Emily was born, Taylor tried to make amends again. He wanted to reconnect with Josh to fulfill his role as a grandfather.
“I don’t want him around us. I don’t want him near our child. Please, Kate, don’t fight me on this one. This man is trouble,” Josh said, holding our baby.
So that was it.
Which brings us back to the present.
Josh picked up the pillow, felt it up and down, and even put it to his ear, his eyes widening.
“Sweetheart, we can’t keep this pillow!” he said.
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 her fruit slices.
“It’s ticking, Kate! There’s something inside. He’s up to something.”
“Ticking?” I said. “What do you mean?”
We both went outside.
We stood over the pillow lying innocently among our garden flowers. I hesitated, then reached down to listen.
Sure enough, there was a soft ticking sound.
“Oh,” I said, shocked. I had been convinced that Josh had been hearing things.
Why would Taylor want to harm us?
“Take out your phone and record this whole thing,” Josh said as he bent to pick up the pillow. “Just in case something happens or there’s something illegal inside.”
With a deep breath, Josh tore the pillow open to reveal a small, mysterious box with a timer.
“What the hell is that?” I murmured, dread creeping up my spine.
“Let’s find out,” Josh said, determined. “Call him.”
I dialed Taylor’s number, my hands trembling.
“Hi, 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’s making a sound. What is it?”
“Please be honest,” I said.
“It’s a gift, Kate. For your anniversary,” Taylor’s voice was calm, almost soothing.
“The sound is probably the timer; it’s supposed to make a sound and open on the day,” he said. “There’s something inside.”
My husband snatched the phone from my hand.
“Do you really think we want anything from you? What’s in the box, Dad? Is there something illegal?” Josh demanded.
“Please, Josh,” he said. “It’s just a gesture. I mean no harm.”
“If you mean that, then stay out of our lives.”
“Wait, Kate,” Taylor said. “Just open the box, okay?”
Taylor sighed deeply, and Josh ended the call.
I looked at my husband; he seemed confused by it all. I knew he was curious about the box’s contents but was traumatized by everything his father had done.
“What do you want to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, holding his head.
“Let’s open it,” I said. “If he wanted me to open it, there’s no way he’s trying to harm us, okay?”
Josh nodded slowly, finally accepting it for what it was. His father had simply wanted to reach out and give us a gift. Maybe it was as simple as it seemed.
“But record it, okay?” Josh said.
I picked up my phone again and began recording.
Josh pried the box open, revealing its contents: a check for $100,000.
Josh stared at the check, his emotions changing as he tried to make sense of it.
“What is he playing at, Kate?” Josh asked, stunned. “This can’t be clean money. He must be covering up something.”
But before we could process this further, Taylor called back.
I answered, hesitant.
“We found the check,” I said. “Why did you do this?”
“Because I’m dying, Kate,” he confessed quietly. “I’ve made my share of mistakes, and I know Josh hates me. But that money is for you. If Josh doesn’t want it, keep it for Emily’s future. For school. No one needs to know it came from me.”
I walked inside the house, realizing we had left Emily alone for too long. Not that it mattered, because she was sitting quietly and eating her fruit.
Josh was right behind me.
“Dad,” he said, taking the phone from me. “If you’re serious about your health, then we need to talk. No more games.”
“Thank you, Josh,” Taylor’s voice came through the phone. “You tell me when.”
We arranged to meet Taylor at a park later that week; it wasn’t far from us, and we often took Emily there.
When the day arrived, Josh was visibly nervous, fidgeting as we waited on a secluded bench.
When Taylor arrived, he looked frail and worn.
“I’m so sorry for everything. I was a terrible father. I don’t have much time left, but I want to spend it making amends.”
Josh took 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 her grandfather helped her through school.”
While Josh and my father-in-law talked, I set up the picnic I had brought along. I figured that if anything awkward happened, we still needed to eat.
As we left the park, Josh squeezed my hand, a weight lifted from his shoulders.
“Maybe it’s good that pillow showed up after all,” he mused, a small smile breaking through.
Things could only get better from here, right?
What would you have done?
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