… saw the empty mount on the wall where his prized 75-inch OLED TV used to be. He looked to the corner—his expensive gaming PC setup was gone. The glass cabinet that held his vintage sneaker collection? Empty.
He dropped his bag, his knees hitting the floor with a thud as he hyperventilated. “What… happened? Were we robbed?” he choked out.
I sat calmly on the couch, sipping a glass of wine while the kids played happily with brand-new Lego sets, eating a large feast of premium sushi and pizza.
“No, honey,” I smiled, swirling my glass. “We weren’t robbed. I just did exactly what you told me to do. I managed.”
I stood up and walked over to him. “See, $20 doesn’t feed three growing kids for three days. Not the way they deserve to eat. So, I looked around at what we had that I could turn into cash fast. I sold your TV. I sold the computer. And I sold those shoes.”
His face went pale. “You sold my Jordans? That collection is worth thousands!”
“Well,” I shrugged, “when you need grocery money within the hour, you can’t be picky about the price. I sold the whole lot to a neighbor for $200. He was thrilled. The TV went for $50 because I needed cash for lunch that first day.”
I reached into my pocket, pulled out a crumpled $20 bill, and tossed it onto his lap.
“We ate like kings all weekend. The kids are happy, the bills are paid, and look at that—I managed so well, I didn’t even need your money.”
“Here is your $20 back. Welcome home.”
