I started a normal cleaning job, but it turned out to be a web of lies that broke up my marriage. Once used for keeping, the attic became a way to find out more about things.
I finally did the long-overdue job on a cool September afternoon. Jeff, my husband, had thought the items were useless before. He said that his old high school jacket, which was put away, was “trash.”
The jacket ended up in the trash as I went through my memories. It looked like it wasn’t worth remembering because it was faded and torn.
Jeff’s mood changed from calm to crazy that night when he found out I had thrown away “junk.” It caught me off guard how intense he was.
“Where’s my old school jacket?” His voice was low and scary as he ordered.
I said, “I think I threw it,” because I didn’t understand his response.
Jeff’s face turned pale, and he screamed and ran to the dump. I followed him, confused by how desperate he looked.
Jeff quickly looked through the trash at the dump. I asked with a shaking voice, “Why?”
“I had $50,000 hidden in that jacket,” he said, “for a new home for us.”
But his words didn’t make any sense. “For us” didn’t seem right.
As we went back home separately, doubts began to creep in. That night, I heard Jeff’s private talk somewhere else.
“I no longer have the money…” “That lazy woman threw it away.”
My heart stopped beating. “US” wasn’t me; it was someone else.
I asked Jeff directly, “Who were you buying a house with?”
His silence made my worst fears come true.
“I’m filing for divorce,” I said with a calm voice.
After a month, I found the jacket still in its original state while looking through the attic.
Inside, the $50,000 was folded up and ready to go.
I kept the secret this time. What Jeff did had results; now it was my turn.
My journey finished with a surprise boost of confidence, but some people, like Lily, have to deal with even worse betrayals. The fact that her husband hid a lover and child was a painful reminder of how bad the truth can be.
But even in the broken pieces of relationships, there is a chance to grow and change.
