When I started furnishing my small garage-turned-guestroom, I wasn’t looking for anything fancy — just a simple, comfortable couch that fit my budget. I spent a few weekends browsing yard sales and local listings, hoping to find something with a little character.
On a cool Saturday morning, I spotted a “Garage Sale” sign in a quiet neighborhood and decided to stop. Among the lamps and boxes of books stood a faded floral couch.
Its fabric was worn but inviting, and it carried a light lavender scent — the kind that instantly makes you nostalgic.
The seller, a woman named Kristen, greeted me with a tired smile. She told me the couch had belonged to her late mother. “It’s been in our family forever,” she said softly.
Then, almost apologetically, she added, “I’m selling a few of Mom’s things. My daughter’s been sick — leukemia — and, well, we’re trying to manage the expenses.”
My chest tightened. Twenty dollars felt like nothing in the face of what she was going through.
I handed her the cash, loaded the couch with the help of her teenage son, and drove home with a mix of gratitude and quiet reflection.
When I set the couch in its new spot, my dog Wasabi came bounding in, nose twitching. He wouldn’t stop pawing at one corner, barking like he’d uncovered buried treasure. Laughing, I lifted the cushion and noticed a tear in the lining.
Something told me to look closer.
With a small knife, I carefully opened the seam — and froze. Inside were stacks of cash wrapped neatly in rubber bands. I kept pulling them out until the floor was covered in old banknotes.
Over twenty thousand dollars.
For a moment, I was speechless. That kind of money could have solved so many problems. But then I saw Kristen’s face in my mind — the grief, the worry, the hope she carried.
I knew right then what I had to do.
I packed the money into a bag and drove straight back. When Kristen saw me, confusion flickered across her face. “Is everything okay with the couch?” she asked.
“I think it was your mom’s,” I said, setting the bag on her kitchen table.
“You mentioned she might’ve hidden some savings. I found it inside the couch.”
Tears welled up instantly. She covered her mouth, shaking her head.
“You have no idea what this means,” she whispered.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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