When a strange package shows up at Kate and Josh\u2019s doorstep, they are bewildered to see it\u2019s from Josh\u2019s estranged father. The mystery deepens when Josh discovers a ticking box within the gift \u2014 an ornate pillow. This leads to a confrontation and leaves Josh grappling with a dilemma. Should he forgive his father or continue to act as if their relationship is non-existent?\n\n\n\n

Josh had just taken their daughter, Emily, for a walk around the garden when the doorbell rang, signaling the start of the day.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a delivery for you,\u201d the courier said when I opened the door.\n\n\n\n

I signed and brought the package into the kitchen. Our third wedding anniversary was this week, and Josh was always buying me little surprises.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to surprise you, Kate,\u201d he once said as we relaxed on the couch. \u201cIt\u2019s the little things that count, you know?\u201d\n\n\n\n

So, naturally, as I carried the package to the kitchen, I assumed it was from him.\n\n\n\n

Until I used scissors to cut through the thick tape. Inside, I found a beautifully embroidered pillow with a note tucked underneath. It matched our living room d\u00e9cor perfectly.\n\n\n\n

For a moment, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. But then I remembered that there was no way Josh would accept this gift.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, what\u2019s this?\u201d Josh asked, coming back into the kitchen with Emily on his shoulders. \u201cDid we order something?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a gift,\u201d I said cautiously. \u201cFrom your father.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I wondered what he would do. Josh and his father had a very complicated relationship. When Josh was a child, Taylor had abandoned him and his mother.\n\n\n\n

He had been involved with another woman, and when it came down to choosing, Taylor chose the other woman.\n\n\n\n

Josh had been seven, and he never recovered from it. He told me all about it one evening when we went out for dinner.\n\n\n\n

\u201cA father is supposed to choose you, Kate. But he left us to start a new life with his mistress. That\u2019s not how this works.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I understood his perspective. He just wanted his father to be there for him and his mother.\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe said he needed to be happy and that my mother was too strict. He had a job, but he was always doing shady things on the side. So he packed up and left.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d I asked, shocked that Josh had experienced this at such a young age.\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoney, swindling it. Gambling, all that,\u201d Josh said as he picked up his glass of whiskey.\n\n\n\n

And that was it. Josh didn\u2019t speak to him again until a year before we got married.\n\n\n\n

Taylor had heard about our upcoming wedding through relatives and saw it as the perfect chance to reconcile.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want him at our wedding, Kate. It won\u2019t benefit anyone. If anything, seeing him will ruin everything for me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you don\u2019t think you\u2019ll regret it?\u201d I asked as I folded wedding invitations.\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d Josh replied, picking up an envelope. \u201cFor all we know, someone will crash the wedding because he owes them money.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t want to push it. I knew it was up to him to handle it later if he regretted it. I would support him, but I wouldn\u2019t overstep, especially since Taylor seemed like a lot to deal with.\n\n\n\n

When Emily was born, Taylor tried to make amends again. He wanted to reconnect with Josh to fulfill his role as a grandfather.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want him around us. I don\u2019t want him near our child. Please, Kate, don\u2019t fight me on this one. This man is trouble,\u201d Josh said, holding our baby.\n\n\n\n

Josh picked up the pillow, felt it up and down, and even put it to his ear, his eyes widening.\n\n\n\n

\u201cJosh, what\u2019s going on?\u201d I exclaimed, leaving Emily in her high chair with her fruit slices.\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ticking, Kate! There\u2019s something inside. He\u2019s up to something.\u201d\n\n\n\n

We stood over the pillow lying innocently among our garden flowers. I hesitated, then reached down to listen.\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh,\u201d I said, shocked. I had been convinced that Josh had been hearing things.\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake out your phone and record this whole thing,\u201d Josh said as he bent to pick up the pillow. \u201cJust in case something happens or there\u2019s something illegal inside.\u201d\n\n\n\n

With a deep breath, Josh tore the pillow open to reveal a small, mysterious box with a timer.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat the hell is that?\u201d I murmured, dread creeping up my spine.\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s find out,\u201d Josh said, determined. \u201cCall him.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi, Kate,\u201d he said, his voice cheerful. \u201cDid you get my package? I didn\u2019t know what to get you, but I knew I had to get something.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something inside the pillow,\u201d Josh said. \u201cA box. It\u2019s making a sound. What is it?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a gift, Kate. For your anniversary,\u201d Taylor\u2019s voice was calm, almost soothing.\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sound is probably the timer; it\u2019s supposed to make a sound and open on the day,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s something inside.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you really think we want anything from you? What\u2019s in the box, Dad? Is there something illegal?\u201d Josh demanded.\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease, Josh,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a gesture. I mean no harm.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait, Kate,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cJust open the box, okay?\u201d\n\n\n\n

I looked at my husband; he seemed confused by it all. I knew he was curious about the box\u2019s contents but was traumatized by everything his father had done.\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s open it,\u201d I said. \u201cIf he wanted me to open it, there\u2019s no way he\u2019s trying to harm us, okay?\u201d\n\n\n\n

Josh nodded slowly, finally accepting it for what it was. His father had simply wanted to reach out and give us a gift. Maybe it was as simple as it seemed.\n\n\n\n

Josh stared at the check, his emotions changing as he tried to make sense of it.\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is he playing at, Kate?\u201d Josh asked, stunned. \u201cThis can\u2019t be clean money. He must be covering up something.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found the check,\u201d I said. \u201cWhy did you do this?\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m dying, Kate,\u201d he confessed quietly. \u201cI\u2019ve made my share of mistakes, and I know Josh hates me. But that money is for you. If Josh doesn\u2019t want it, keep it for Emily\u2019s future. For school. No one needs to know it came from me.\u201d\n\n\n\n

I walked inside the house, realizing we had left Emily alone for too long. Not that it mattered, because she was sitting quietly and eating her fruit.\n\n\n\n

\u201cDad,\u201d he said, taking the phone from me. \u201cIf you\u2019re serious about your health, then we need to talk. No more games.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, Josh,\u201d Taylor\u2019s voice came through the phone. \u201cYou tell me when.\u201d\n\n\n\n

We arranged to meet Taylor at a park later that week; it wasn\u2019t far from us, and we often took Emily there.\n\n\n\n

When the day arrived, Josh was visibly nervous, fidgeting as we waited on a secluded bench.\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry for everything. I was a terrible father. I don\u2019t have much time left, but I want to spend it making amends.\u201d\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy, Dad. But I\u2019m willing to try. For Emily\u2019s sake, so that one day, she\u2019ll know her grandfather helped her through school.\u201d\n\n\n\n

While Josh and my father-in-law talked, I set up the picnic I had brought along. I figured that if anything awkward happened, we still needed to eat.\n\n\n\n

As we left the park, Josh squeezed my hand, a weight lifted from his shoulders.\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s good that pillow showed up after all,\u201d he mused, a small smile breaking through.\n\n\n\n