A Discovery Under the Tub
A week spent in bed with a fever and cough was finally over. Rebecca stretched in bed and smiled. For the first time in what seemed like ages, she felt genuinely well. The morning started with sunlight streaming through the curtains. Rebecca was filled with energy and determination.
“Time for some coffee and a good clean-up!” she cheerfully told herself, getting out of bed.
In the kitchen, her husband, John, was already drinking coffee and scrolling through the news on his old laptop.
“Morning,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Morning!” Rebecca replied enthusiastically. “I’m feeling like a million bucks today! I’m planning to do a thorough clean-up. I’ll start with the bathroom using that new cleaner I bought before I got sick.”
John just nodded, clearly not sharing her enthusiasm.
“Can’t it wait? Why use my day off? You’ll suck me into it, and I just wanted to relax…”
“Don’t worry, love, I’ve got enough enthusiasm for both of us!” assured Rebecca, as she finished her coffee and polished off some avocado toast.
Humming to herself, she slipped on some rubber gloves. How nice it was that the kids were grown, and cleaning didn’t have to happen so often! Her daughter got married a year ago, and her son started university in the autumn and now lived in a dormitory… She must give them a call! Rebecca grabbed a jar of the new cleaning paste, which promised shine and freshness in minutes. Her post-illness sensitive nose picked up no chemical scent, only a hint of lavender or something similarly pleasant.
She began with the sink, proceeded to the toilet, and then tackled the bath. The paste worked wonders, filling the room with the aroma of meadow flowers.
“Wow!” she exclaimed in admiration, looking at the gleaming surface. “You’re as good as new!”
But her enthusiasm didn’t wane there. Rebecca decided that since she had started cleaning, she would finish the job properly. She knelt down and peeked under the tub.
“Blimey, look at all that dust!” she exclaimed, grabbing a cloth.
Then her eyes fell on something shiny. Rebecca reached out and pulled out a glass coffee jar. Inside were neatly folded banknotes.
“What on earth?” she wondered, opening the jar.
Rebecca walked out of the bathroom with the jar in her hands. John was still at his laptop, but he noticed her expression and looked up.
“John, what is this?” she asked, showing him the jar.
He froze for a moment. Then a nervous twitch crossed his face, but he quickly composed himself and shrugged:
“No idea. How would I know? Maybe it’s your stash?” he said, swallowing hard, and looked at the jar as if it held the last piece of bread on earth.
His gaze was filled with poorly hidden anguish, but Rebecca didn’t notice. She had already opened the jar and, with amazement, extracted the money.
“My stash?” Rebecca laughed. “I wouldn’t hide money under the tub. This is definitely your doing.”
John raised his hands in surrender, swallowing hard.
“I swear, I have no idea where that came from. Maybe the previous owners forgot it?”
Rebecca squinted.
“We’ve been living here for five years. I doubt they’d leave money behind.”
John tried to appear casual, closely watching Rebecca’s every move. She decided that since she found the money, it was now hers. She counted the notes with a smile, her eyes alight with healthy greed.
“Well, if no one claims it, then I got lucky,” she said.
John attempted to intervene. He spoke in a mellow voice, struggling to control his emotions:
“Maybe we should buy something useful? Like a new laptop? This one’s barely breathing. I’ve got my eye on one with a powerful processor…”
“A laptop?” scoffed Rebecca. “What do I need your laptop for? I’ve thought of something better.”
The next day, Rebecca returned home with a lovely little box. Inside were a set of jewelry: earrings, a ring, and a delicate pendant. She proudly showed them to John.
“Well, what do you think?” she asked, putting on the ring and beaming, feeling like a modern-day Cleopatra. “Don’t I look fabulous?”
Her expression clearly told John: “Just try to say otherwise!”
“Beautiful,” he replied readily, trying to hide his disappointment and bitterness. “You’re the best, though I fear someone might whisk you away now.”
Rebecca spent the entire evening parading around in her new jewelry, telling everyone about her find and happy purchase: her friends, her mom, and her mother-in-law. Before bed, at ten o’clock, she carefully arranged her treasures on the nightstand, so she could wear them to work in the morning.
John couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, unlike Rebecca, who was out like a light within fifteen minutes. Knowing his wife’s sleep was deep, John quietly slipped to the balcony door and ventured outside. There, in a box from an old juicer, he found a hidden pack of cigarettes, alongside a packet of mint gum.
He lit a cigarette. Although he had quit some time ago… Rebecca insisted because of his frequent bronchitis and pneumonia. Indeed, he hadn’t had a single seasonal illness all year! A bit calmer from the nicotine, John took out his phone and dialed a friend’s number.
“Hey, mate,” he said, “I won’t be back in the game for a while, you’ll have to manage without me… Yeah, the wife found my stash. Six months of saving, finally got enough together. And she went and bought herself jewelry.”
“That’s tough,” his friend commiserated. “But no worries, you’ll save up again.”
John sighed and glanced toward the bedroom. Rebecca was sleeping soundly, her new jewelry on the nightstand beside her, shiny and utterly useless to him, but they made her so happy.
“Yeah… At least she’s perked up. She even said she might lose a few pounds for such jewelry, as they don’t look flashy enough. Well, I’m glad she’s made herself so happy.”
The following morning, Rebecca was once again in a brilliant mood. She put on her new earrings and pendant, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
“How do I look?” she asked John.
“Wonderful,” he replied, trying to smile sincerely, admiring his wife’s shining eyes.
Yes, indeed, a woman needs to be indulged occasionally! But deep down, he was already planning where to hide his next stash. It definitely wouldn’t be under the tub this time.
