A Pleasant Surprise
Lily mentally cursed fate for the terrible hand she'd been dealt. She had always been broke despite how hard she worked. Taking care of three kids and an ungrateful husband—life was just too much for this woman to handle. Little did she know, she was in for a "bag full of surprises."
The man sitting next to her had conveniently forgotten his suitcase, and despite her woes, Lily wanted to make sure she returned it. However, once she peeked in the bag to find details for the owner, all thoughts left her head as she saw the large stack of bills in the case. Was this the answer to her prayers?
The Subway
“I’m tired of living this life! No one appreciates me!” Lily shouted, unable to contain her anger. The commuters in the subway looked at her with a mixture of pity and annoyance. Lily buried her face in her hands, holding back the tears.
The unhappy woman got onto the train like she did every day and wondered how her family would get by now. Her husband's wages weren't enough, and now her client was unhappy with her. As she stressed about her situation, a handsome man took a seat opposite her. She didn't know it yet, but he was about to change her life!
Her Mundane Life
Lily woke up at six every day so that she could make breakfast for her husband and kids. Her two boys were in middle school, and baby Leah was only in kindergarten. She didn't mind doing things for the children, but her husband constantly insulted her, even though she tried her best. Lilly was beginning to grow tired of her current life.
She wanted a change of lifestyle and often envisioned herself leaving her husband. But she really loved him and knew the kids wouldn't have a good life if they lived off her meager salary. So she kept going on. But her luck was soon about to change in the best way; the only question was, would she keep a stranger's money all for herself?
Everyone Unhappy
"This is what you made for breakfast? The dog wouldn't even eat this! You should call my mother and ask her for some tips!" Her husband Mark greeted her in a similar fashion every day. According to him, she never did anything right.
But Lily knew the real reason behind his anger, and she wasn’t willing to give him what he wanted. “I’ll just have to try harder to find the happiness in life,” she thought to herself. She wished the family was rich. Wealthy people never had unhappy families. Well, let’s see how she deals with her new money situation.
Making Dinner
Before leaving for her work, Lily had to cook dinner for her family because she knew she would get home late from work. Her dedication towards her family was something else entirely, and destiny has its own way of blessing people like her.
Once the food was prepared, she left for her second job. She didn't like this one any more than her home situation, but she knew she had to do it!
Cleaning Business
After Leah was born, her husband's salary wasn't enough to comfortably take care of the family. That's when Lily knew she had to make her own money—Mark detested this idea. Lily decided to start a small cleaning company and services people in her neighborhood.
Her low prices, coupled with her sense of perfection, landed her more jobs in the area. She was now so busy that she often came home very late. Her clients were always satisfied with her work, but for the past few days, she'd been cleaning the house where a wedding was about to be held. Unfortunately, the bride didn't have nice things to say about Lily.
Bad Day at Work
"The garden is a complete mess! And just look at the water marks in the shower!" Lily knew the woman was under a lot of pressure, but she was tired of explaining that she wasn't hired to clean the outside and that showers got wet every time you used them. She also didn't think the guests would want to use the shower.
She quietly took the woman's abuse and assured her she would do a better job. Once the day was finally over, Lily headed to the subway to make her way home. She already knew her husband would be in a lousy mood and cursed the universe for being so cruel.
A Dream
Even though Lily sat in a dark and dingy seat, she imagined herself in a place with lots of grass and clear blue skies. She saw the happy faces of her kids in her head and hoped one day they could have such a life.
While Lily was immersing herself in her own peaceful thoughts, her life’s turning point was only a few minutes away. How would she react to this?
Drunk Passenger
She couldn't catch a break, as a young drunk passenger soon took the seat next to her. His foul odor was making her eyes water, and her peaceful state of mind was now gone.
She kept her guard up around this stranger and now couldn't wait to get out of there. Luckily her stop was near. Would she make it out of this situation unscathed?
The Drunk Man Stops Lily ... But Why?
Once her stop appeared, she hurriedly got off the train. All she wanted now was to get home to her sweet kids and maybe have a nice cup of coffee. But before she made it off the platform, someone grabbed her hand!
“Hey, lady! You’re forgetting your bag!” the drunk passenger told her. She felt a wave of nausea hit her when his breath reached her face. Lily grabbed the bag and hurried off the train.
Stranger's Bag
It was only after she was far from the station that Lily realized she didn't bring a bag! "Oh no! I've just committed a crime!" she thought to herself. She hurried home and placed the bag inside her wardrobe where no one could find it.
Lily had never committed a crime before and was unsure what to do. She knew her husband wouldn't help her, so she'd have to come up with a plan herself. Maybe she could find the owner and return the bag? But what was inside?
Lots of Money
Lily hoped the contents of the bag would help her find the owner. Maybe there was a name tag or loyalty card in there. As all sorts of possibilities ran through Lily's head, she never imaged it would be this!
Cold hard cash! And lots of it! Lily was too stunned to speak. She brushed her hands through the notes—they were real! What would she do now? Perhaps this was a gift from the universe to help her out.
Hiding the Cash
Lily wasn't ready to part with the money, she needed some time to figure out what she was going to do. Even though a small part of her felt this was wrong, she was still desperate for the money.
She took the bag out of her wardrobe and hastily buried it outside in her backyard. It felt wrong to keep it in the house! Plus, she couldn't risk the kids finding it. Would she tell her husband about it?
A Pissed Off Husband
“What took you so long to reach home? I have said it time and time again—you should stay at home!” Her husband shouted at her as soon as he saw her. The kitchen was full of dirty dishes, and the dining table was a mess.
Lily’s head was already occupied with the bag of money, and she didn’t respond to her husband’s nasty comments. Sometimes the best way to avoid an argument was to remain silent. Would it work this time?
The Argument Soon Escalates ...
Despite the fact that Lily wasn’t replying to him, Mark kept saying horrible things to her. “I had to pick Justine up from the school again because you weren’t available!” Mark again shouted at her.
Lily couldn’t hold back this time and yelled, “he’s your son too, Mark! You are also responsible for him!” Lily banged the door and left the room. Her mind immediately went back to the bag. She had a decision to make the next day.
Lily’s Dilemma
Lily loved her husband and money seemed to be getting in the way of a happy family life. Mark's nasty attitude started the day she took a second job. If she kept this money, she could have a perfect life.
Lily was stuck in a dilemma. She desperately wanted the money, but she never wanted to feel like a thief; besides, what if the person who owned the bag was currently out looking for it. She went back and forth about what she should do until finally coming to a decision.
Work Call
She decided to find the owner of the case, but then something happened to make her second guess her choice. The horrid bride called again and said she was "utterly disappointed with Lily's service," the woman then fired her!
Now her situation was dire. Her business's reputation would be ruined. How could she help her family now? She looked at the bag again and slowly opened the zip.
Opens the Bag Again
Seeing all the money confused Lily. She wanted to do the right thing, but how would finding the owner benefit her? Then, her eyes noticed something besides the money!
Contract papers were laid neatly over the top of all the cash. There were some contact details mentioned in the contract. Will Lily listen to her conscience, or will she end her financial dilemma once and for all by keeping the bag with her?
Lily Calls The Number
As it turns out, Lily did listen to her conscience and decided to call the number after all. The contact details mentioned in the contract papers revealed a name—Paul Sandberg. She wondered who he must be to have so much money.
Lily dialed the mentioned number and got the address of his organization’s location. When she was about to leave to hand over that bag, something stopped her.
Second Thoughts
When you have lived most of your life saving every extra penny, your husband doesn’t earn that much, and you have three children to feed, you are bound to have second thoughts before handing over such a massive amount of money.
Lily was having second thoughts too. She stopped for a minute and pondered over what she could do with the money. “We could easily spend half of our lives with ease.” Such thoughts scrambled inside her head.
Lily Reaches the Location
Instead of surrendering in front of her impulse to keep the money, she quickly got up and left for the location. After all, what if the person actually needed it!
Lily might have thought that she would just hand over the money and leave, but the noblewoman didn’t have the slightest clue that it wasn’t going to end right there. Her destiny was about to take her on a roller-coaster ride, and she wasn’t prepared for it. At all!
Arrogant Receptionist
The location was a massive corporate building that had a giant reception on the ground floor. When Lily reached out to the receptionist to ask about Paul, she received a rude response.
“What do you want with Mr. Sandberg? Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked Lily in a very stern and arrogant manner. Why was she so unprofessional? Lily wondered if she made the right decision.
Waiting and Waiting and Some More Waiting ...
At first, Lily was taken aback by the receptionist’s reaction, but she pulled herself back and replied, “I just have to hand this package over to Mr. Sandberg. That's all.”
“As I told you, he’s busy at the moment and won’t be available for a while. You should leave now.” The receptionist replied even more nastily. Lily knew that she wouldn’t have the courage to hand over that package again if she left, so she kept on waiting.
The Receptionist Calls Security
It seemed like the receptionist had temperamental issues because there was no stopping her. After giving Lily plain threats, she finally unleashed security upon her.
Lily was patiently sitting in a corner, waiting for Paul’s arrival, which she wasn’t even sure about. She looked calm on the outside, but her heart was racing! When she heard the receptionist summoning the security, Lily grew scared. She wasn’t prepared for what was in store.
Paul’s Arrival
The security guard arrived and insisted Lily leave their office, but the door opened again, and a suave gentleman arrived on the scene. He looked annoyed by the disturbance.
“What’s happening?” He authoritatively asked the security guard. “Sir, this lady isn’t leaving. She is so adamant about meeting you!” The security guard replied while Paul scanned Lily from top to bottom. Lily’s worry grew multifold as she clenched the bag even tighter than before.
Running Away
When Lily explained the whole incident to Paul, he patiently listened to her and called one of his associates to count the money.
“The package is short of the amount that we had agreed upon. Could you look into it? Give me some time.” Paul uttered to his associate and walked away, ordering Lily to wait in the lobby. Lily started overthinking about the missing money and fled the scene because she didn’t want to be blamed for the screw-up.
Lily Receives a Text
Lily’s hands were shivering like she just fled a crime scene even though she knew damn well that she didn’t take even a single buck out of the package.
While she was rushing towards her home, she received a text from her bank that a huge amount of money had been deposited in her account. Her happiness knew no bounds, but she wondered how this happened. She still didn’t have any idea that there was more to come.
Paul Calls Lily
After a few days, Lily received a call from an unknown number. When she picked up, a familiar voice answered the other end. It was Paul!
“Hi, Lily. This is Paul. Is it a good time to speak?” Lily couldn’t make sense of it at first, but she replied in affirmation anyway. “Could you please drop by my office tomorrow at around 11? I need to discuss something.” Paul said in an authoritative tone.
The Job Offer
Lily agreed even though she was nervous. She arrived at his office the next day, wondering what would happen. Surprisingly, Paul greeted her with a smile and made her sit comfortably in his luxurious office.
“Would you be willing to work with us? I was really impressed by your honesty, and that’s why I decided to reward you. I also deposited some money in your account the other day; I hope you received it!” Lily was dumbfounded. What job could he offer her in this huge place?
Great Salary
“I want you to work with me as my receptionist. You have the qualities I am looking for.” Paul said this and wrote her salary on a piece of paper and slid it in front of her.
Lily’s eyes grew wide when she flipped the paper and saw the salary amount offered to her. Needless to say, Lily instantly agreed and took the job. She was about to break the news to her rather unsupportive husband. Her life was about to take yet another unexpected turn.
Lily Tells Her Husband
“I’ve got a new job Mark, and the pay is really great! I guess our financial troubles are finally coming to an end.” Lily reached home with a wide grin on her face and broke the news to her husband and kids.
She expected her husband to be happy about her new job too. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Mark Gets Furious
“What the heck, Lily? You will earn more than me? That is so unacceptable on your part. This is not done in my family!” Mark’s rage could be seen dripping from his bloodshot eyes.
Mark was of the archaic belief that his wife shouldn’t earn more than him. He took it as an insult to him rather than being happy for their whole family. Their marriage was about to hit a very rough patch.
Mark Gets Jealous
Mark’s jealousy could be witnessed with each and every word that was coming out of his mouth. “But Mark, it is beneficial for our family as a whole, if you think of it in that way. It doesn’t really matter who earns more because, in the end, we are a family!” Lily tried to make her point.
But it was of no use because Mark remained furious at her for agreeing to take that job. What happened next was about to shock both of them.
The Divorce
Lily had had enough of Mark, and she made the toughest decision of her life to divorce such a toxic husband. “I’m done with this marriage.” That is all she had to say after Mark’s childish reaction.
She packed her stuff, took her kids with her, and left home to stay with her mother for the time being. The divorce papers arrived at Mark’s doorsteps a few days later.
Her Struggle Finally Pays Off
Despite giving her heart and soul to Mark, he was always angry at her. Now, she went on to live the life she always secretly imagined with her loving kids and a decent paygrade.
If you have hit a rough patch in your life, too, just hang in there. You have no idea what life and destiny have planned for you! Just be good, be kind, and, more importantly, be honest!