A Ticking Gift: Should Josh Forgive or Forget?
It all started on a quiet morning. Josh had just taken our little daughter, Emily, for a walk around the garden when the doorbell rang, loud and clear, slicing through the peaceful day.
“I have a package for you,” the delivery man said as I opened the door.
I quickly signed for it, thanked him, and carried the box into the kitchen. It wasn’t unusual for packages to show up—Josh loved surprising me with little gifts, especially with our third wedding anniversary coming up.
“I just want to surprise you, Kate,” Josh had told me one evening as we snuggled on the couch. “It’s just the little things, you know?”
So, naturally, I assumed this was another one of his sweet gestures.
I grabbed a pair of scissors and sliced through the thick tape carefully. Inside the box, nestled like a hidden treasure, was a beautiful, embroidered pillow. It was stunning — the colors would match our living room perfectly. Beneath the pillow, a small note peeked out.
I smiled and pulled it free.
Happy Anniversary, Josh and Kate! – Taylor.
My smile froze. My heart gave a strange little thud. Taylor? Josh’s father? That didn’t make sense. Josh hadn’t spoken to his father in years — by choice.
“Hey, what’s this?” Josh asked, strolling back into the kitchen with Emily sitting proudly on his broad shoulders.
“Did we order something?”
I hesitated. “Well… it’s a gift,” I said carefully. “From your father.”
Josh’s smile dropped immediately. He grabbed the note from my hand, scanning it quickly, his expression darkening.
I watched him closely, feeling the tension in the air grow heavy. Their relationship wasn’t just strained — it was broken. Completely.
When Josh was a kid, Taylor had abandoned him and his mother. He chose another woman over them. Just like that.
“A father is supposed to choose you, Kate,” Josh had once told me during a dinner date, his voice filled with hurt. “But he went ahead and left us behind so that he could start a new life with his mistress. That’s not how this works.”
I could never forget the sadness in his eyes that night.
Taylor hadn’t just left emotionally — he was into shady business too. Josh had told me about it one night when we shared a whiskey by the fireplace.
“He said he needed to be happy, that Mom was too strict with him. He had a job, but he was always pulling scams on the side. Gambling. Money laundering. God knows what else,” Josh said grimly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
After Taylor left, he completely disappeared from their lives. Josh grew up without him, learning early that some people just aren’t dependable.
Years later, when we got engaged, Taylor somehow found out and tried to sneak back into Josh’s life, acting like nothing had happened. Josh shut him down immediately.
“I don’t want him around us on our special day, Kate. It’s not going to benefit anyone. And if anything, seeing him will spoil everything for me,” he had said firmly while we were folding wedding invitations.
“And you don’t think you’ll regret it later?” I asked, folding another card carefully.
“Not at all,” Josh answered without missing a beat. “For all we know, someone will come crash the wedding because he owes them money.”
That was the end of it. We moved on.
Even after Emily was born, Taylor had tried again — trying to play the “proud grandpa” card.
“I don’t want him around us. I don’t want him around our child. Please, Kate, don’t fight me on this one. This man is bad news,” Josh said, rocking our newborn gently in his arms.
I had respected his wishes.
Which brings us back to today.
Josh picked up the pillow, feeling it carefully. Suddenly, his face went pale.
“Sweetheart, we can’t keep this pillow!” he said urgently.
Before I could even ask why, he bolted toward the back door and threw the pillow out onto the garden!
“Josh! What’s going on?!” I gasped, quickly securing Emily in her high chair with some fruit slices.
“It’s ticking, Kate! There’s something inside! He’s up to something!”
My heart hammered in my chest. “Ticking? Are you serious?”
We both rushed outside.
There it was — the pillow, looking so harmless among the garden flowers. But when I bent down and listened carefully, my blood ran cold.
There was a ticking sound.
“Oh my gosh,” I whispered, stunned. Maybe Josh wasn’t overreacting after all.
“Record everything,” Josh said. “Just in case something happens.”
I grabbed my phone, hands trembling, and started recording.
Josh, with a determined look, ripped the pillow open — and there, inside the torn fabric, was a small metal box… with a blinking timer!
“What the hell is that?” I murmured, fear creeping up my spine.
Josh’s jaw was set tight. “Let’s find out. Call him.”
I fumbled for my phone and dialed Taylor’s number.
The call connected immediately.
“Hi, Kate,” Taylor answered cheerfully. “Did you get my package? I didn’t know what to get you, but I knew I had to send something.”
“There’s something inside the pillow,” Josh said, grabbing the phone. “A box. It’s making a sound. What is it?”
“Please be honest,” I added, my voice shaking.
“It’s a gift,” Taylor said calmly. “The ticking? It’s a timer. It’s supposed to open on your anniversary. There’s something inside for you.”
Josh wasn’t buying it. He snatched the phone from me.
“Do you really think we want anything from you?” Josh growled. “What’s really in the box, Dad? Is there something illegal?”
“Please, Josh,” Taylor pleaded. “It’s just a gesture. I mean absolutely no harm.”
“If you truly mean that,” Josh said coldly, “then stay out of our lives.”
“Wait, Kate,” Taylor said quickly. “Just open the box, okay?”
Josh sighed and ended the call without another word. I could tell he was torn — part of him still curious, part of him furious.
“What do you want to do?” I asked him softly.
Josh held his head in his hands. “I don’t know.”
“Let’s open it,” I urged. “If he wanted me to open it, then maybe he’s not trying to hurt us.”
Josh hesitated, then gave a small nod.
“But record it, okay?”
Phone ready, I filmed as Josh carefully pried open the little box.
Inside, lying there like a secret, was a check.
A check for $100,000.
Josh stared at it in disbelief, his face going through about six different emotions at once.
“What is he playing at, Kate?” he asked, voice shaking. “There’s no way this is clean money.”
Before we could even process what to do, the phone rang again — it was Taylor.
I answered, feeling frozen.
“We found the check,” I said bluntly. “Why?”
Taylor’s voice changed. It was softer now, more real. “Because I’m dying, Kate,” he said quietly. “I’ve made my mistakes. I know Josh hates me. But that money is for you guys. And if Josh doesn’t want it, keep it for Emily. For her future. No one needs to know it came from me.”
I swallowed hard. My mind raced. Dying? Was this really happening?
I walked back inside, heart pounding, to check on Emily — who was, thankfully, happily munching on fruit.
Josh followed me in.
“Dad,” he said after taking the phone. “If you’re serious about your health… we need to talk. No more games.”
“Thank you, Josh,” Taylor said gratefully. “You tell me when.”
We arranged to meet at the park a few days later. A public place. Safe.
When the day came, Josh was visibly tense. His hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting.
We sat on a quiet bench, Emily playing nearby, waiting.
Finally, Taylor appeared, looking much older and frailer than Josh remembered.
“I’m so sorry for everything,” Taylor said immediately. “I was a terrible father. I don’t have much time left, but I want to make things right.”
Josh clenched his fists, then slowly let out a breath.
“It’s not easy, Dad. But I’m willing to try. For Emily’s sake. So one day she’ll know her grandfather cared enough to help her future.”
I set up the picnic I had packed, feeling like we needed something normal to cling to after everything.
As we sat together, a fragile peace started to form.
And as we walked back home later, Josh squeezed my hand tightly.
“Maybe it’s good that pillow showed up after all,” he said with a small, hopeful smile.
Maybe this was the beginning of something new.
