Grandpa Digs Up His Garden and Finds a Baby’s Trunk That Has Been Untouched for 46 Years When He Opened It
A grandfather who enjoys gardening with his grandchildren finds a 46-year-old baby chest while digging in his yard one day. Curious to know what’s inside, he breaks open the latch.
Victor was 72 years old, and his favorite pastime was tending to his small garden at the back of his house with his granddaughters, Lily and Beth. Building the garden behind their house was his late wife Georgina’s idea, and Victor loved her so much that he planted new flowers there every month in her memory.
One day, Beth and Lily were helping Victor plant peonies in the garden. Beth was digging the ground with a small shovel when she suddenly heard a clink. “Grandpa!” she cried to Victor, “I can’t dig anymore! There’s something here!”
“Oh Grandpa, did you find a treasure?” “Will it be a lot of money if it’s a treasure, Grandpa?” Victor burst out laughing, “We’ll see about that, honey.”
Victor dug the ground completely, but what he found inside wasn’t treasure. It was an old baby chest with the digits “1976” etched in large writing on top, and it had a huge lock on the front. Victor broke the latch with his shovel and was startled to see baby boots and clothes inside. They were perfectly pressed and in order, as if nobody had ever touched them.
“Whose clothes and boots are these, Grandpa?” Victor replied, “Oh dear, I have no idea.” Sorting through the contents of the chest, he discovered a sheet of paper inside. He recognized the name. It was a document containing Georgina’s best friend Sylvia’s medical records. Sylvia, according to the records, had lost her child in 1976.
Victor had no clue that something so unfortunate had happened to Sylvia. What puzzled him even more was why the chest was buried in his yard. There were several questions he wanted answers to, so he decided to find Sylvia and asked his friend Detective County for help.
Almost two weeks passed, and there was no word about Sylvia from the detective. Victor had started to give up hope of ever seeing her until Detective County dropped by his house early one morning to tell him he’d found Sylvia’s address.
Victor proceeded to the address only to find himself in a run-down cottage. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, and Sylvia emerged from inside. She exclaimed, “Victor?” surprised to see him after so many years. For a brief moment, Victor didn’t recognize her. She looked pale, weak, and malnourished. She nodded lightly and showed him the way inside.
As he settled on a wooden chair, Victor took the chest out of his bag. “I discovered this in my backyard a few weeks ago. I’m sure you recognize it.” Tears began to gather in Sylvia’s eyes. She went up to Victor and hugged him and couldn’t stop crying, “Oh, I totally forgot about that. Oh, my child,” she cried.
Victor asked her, “How did all this happen, Sylvia?” “I had no idea the box was buried in my yard,” Sylvia said. “I left them there secretly because of my husband. He changed radically when we lost our baby. He wanted to get rid of my baby’s belongings that I had bought with love. How could I possibly think about getting rid of them? I knew they would be safe with you and Georgina, so one day I buried the box behind your house. But because I was embarrassed, I never told you. Now that Paul’s no longer alive, I can keep this to myself. Thanks so much, Victor!”
Victor hid his tears in front of Sylvia when he left her house that day, but deep down, he felt terrible for her. He saw that she was not over her past yet. Since then, Victor began secretly visiting Sylvia’s house with his granddaughters and planting flowers in her garden.
One morning, Sylvia woke up to a huge flower garden outside her window and couldn’t believe her eyes. Then she saw Victor standing outside, smiling beside the marigolds, and she knew who was behind it. Sylvia returned his smile, feeling deep down that she was now ready for a new beginning. She was in love again with Victor and his garden. In the end, she was finally able to get rid of her child’s belongings and move on with life.
What can we learn from this story? It takes time to get over grief, but you must let go of the past. Sylvia has been through a lot in her life, but after meeting Victor, she decides to move on. A small gesture can change someone’s life. The beautiful garden Victor planted for Sylvia gave her hope for a new life, and she decided to move on.
