Discovery Under the Bathtub
A week bedridden with fever and a lingering cough was finally over. Suzanne stretched in bed and smiled. For the first time in ages, she genuinely felt well. The morning warmth seeped through the curtains, filling the room with light. Suzanne felt invigorated and determined.
“Time for some coffee and a good tidy-up!” she cheerfully announced to herself as she got out of bed.
In the kitchen, her husband, James, was already sipping coffee and browsing the news on his old laptop.
“Morning,” he muttered, not looking up from the screen.
“Good morning!” Suzanne replied, her voice full of cheer. “I feel like a million pounds today! I’m going to have a spring clean and scrub the bathroom with that new cleaner I bought before I got sick.”
James only nodded, clearly not sharing her enthusiasm.
“Could we maybe do it another day? It’s my day off, you know. I just wanted to relax, and now I bet you’ll rope me into helping…”
“Don’t worry, darling; I have enough energy for both of us!” Suzanne assured him, finishing off her coffee and a toast topped with avocado.
Humming to herself, she slipped on some rubber gloves. How wonderful that the kids had grown up, making it less of a chore to keep the place tidy! Her daughter had married a year ago, and her son went off to university in September and was living in halls… Must ring them! Suzanne picked up a jar of new cleaning paste, promised to leave surfaces sparkling and fresh in minutes. Her still-sensitive post-illness nose detected no harsh scent, just a hint of lavender or some other pleasant fragrance.
She tackled the sink first, then the toilet, before finally getting to the bathtub. The paste was miraculous, filling the room with a meadow-like floral aroma.
“Wow! Look at this shine!” she exclaimed with delight. “It’s as good as new!”
But Suzanne wasn’t done yet. Feeling inspired, she decided to finish the job. She got down on her knees and peeked under the bathtub.
“Gosh, there’s a lot of dust under here!” she exclaimed, grabbing a cloth.
It was then her eye caught a glint. Reaching out, she retrieved a glass jar that had once held coffee. Inside, neatly folded notes lay.
“What on earth is this?” she wondered, opening the jar.
Suzanne emerged from the bathroom, jar in hand. James was still glued to his laptop, but he perked up when he saw her expression.
“James, what’s this?” she asked, showing him the jar.
He froze for a second. Then a nervous twitch crossed his face, but he quickly composed himself and shrugged:
“No idea. How should I know? Maybe it’s your secret stash?” he said, swallowing hard and eyeing the jar like it held the last piece of bread on earth.
His gaze was full of poorly hidden tension, but Suzanne didn’t notice. She was already opening the jar, astonished at the sight of the cash.
“My secret stash?” Suzanne laughed. “I wouldn’t hide money under the bathtub. This is surely your doing.”
James raised his hands in surrender, again swallowing a lump in his throat.
“I swear, I have no clue where that’s from. Maybe it was left by the previous owners?”
Suzanne squinted at him.
“We’ve lived here for five years. Doubt they left money like that behind.”
James tried to appear casual, keenly watching Suzanne’s every move. She decided since she’d found the money, it was hers now. Grinning, she counted the notes, her eyes lighted with a healthy sense of good fortune.
“Well, if no one claims it, lucky me,” she declared.
James tried to intervene, his voice oily with forced calmness:
“Couldn’t we get something useful? Like a new laptop? This one’s on its last legs. I’ve seen a good one with a powerful processor…”
“Laptop?” Suzanne scoffed. “Why on earth would I want your laptop? I have a better idea.”
The next day, Suzanne returned home carrying a pretty little box. Inside lay a set of jewelry: earrings, a ring, and a delicate pendant. She proudly displayed them to James.
“What do you think?” she asked, slipping on the ring, radiating with satisfaction, feeling like a queen. “Do I still have it or what?”
Her expression left no room for disagreement: “You dare say no!”
“Beautiful,” James replied promptly, masking his disappointment. “You’re the best, just hope no one steals you away now.”
Suzanne paraded around in her new jewels all evening, excitedly sharing her find and her splendid purchase with everyone: friends, mum, and mother-in-law alike. Before bed, at ten o’clock, she carefully laid her treasures on the bedside table, ready to wear them for work the next day.
James couldn’t sleep for ages, though not Suzanne – she was out cold in fifteen minutes. Knowing her to be a deep sleeper, James stealthily crept to the balcony door, slipping his forlorn self outside. There, hiding in a juicer box, he found his stash of cigarettes, accompanied by a packet of mint gum.
He lit up a cigarette first. He’d quit for ages… Suzanne had insisted because of his frequent bronchitis and colds. Funny, no seasonal illnesses last year! Feeling slightly calmed by the nicotine, James retrieved his mobile and dialed a friend’s number.
“Hey, buddy,” he said, “looks like I won’t be joining the game for a while, you’ll have to hold the fort without me… Yeah, the wife found my stash. I’d been saving for months, just had enough put by. And she goes and spends it on jewelry.”
“That’s rough,” sympathized his friend. “But you’ll save up again, don’t worry.”
James sighed and glanced towards the bedroom. Suzanne slept peacefully, with her new, sparkling jewelry useless to him but making her so pleased.
“Yeah… But hey, she’s perked up. Even saying she’ll shed a few pounds to make the jewelry look even better. So I’m kind of glad it made her happy.”
The next morning, Suzanne was in top spirits again. She put on her new earrings and pendant, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
“How do I look?” she asked James.
“Wonderful,” he replied, trying his best to smile sincerely, charmed by his wife’s sparkling eyes.
Yes, a woman certainly needs pampering now and then! Yet deep inside, he was already devising where to hide his next stash. This time, definitely not under the bathtub…
