I Forgot My Son’s Lunch Money—His Unexpected Solution Left Me Stunned | Story of the Day

Caleb discloses that there is a hidden money cache in a cereal box after Jess forgets to leave lunch money for him. How? Why? Why would her husband keep this from her when the family has been having financial difficulties? Jess seeks to learn the truth.

Before I left the house, the morning had already taken a turn for the worst.

I mean, my head was still heavy from not getting enough sleep, and I had woken up before the sun. It was stressful enough working the morning shift as chief baker, but I was barely able to handle my second job later that day.

The enormous to-do list for the day—bills, shopping, laundry, breakfast, and more—was all I could think about. But I didn’t realize that until I was halfway through the dough shaping process.

My kid Caleb’s lunch money had slipped my mind.

I cursed quietly as I wiped the flour from my hands and fumbled for my phone. Naturally, a text message from Caleb appeared on the screen as I reached for it.

No lunch money, Mom?

My stomach dropped right away. I called him instead of responding to his SMS. I needed to hear his voice and realize that I was wrong.

Caleb said, “Hey, Mom,” in a voice that was too quiet for a twelve-year-old who ought to be more concerned about his favorite video game than his lunch money. “Yes, I texted you. Lunch money is nonexistent today.

Feeling guilty, I leaned against the counter. Caleb had to eat cafeteria food for lunch since I was unable to prepare him any homemade meals, which made me feel awful already. I was barely keeping up with everything, and lately I had been forgetting things more and more.

“Caleb, I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” I replied. “I totally forgot. Before I had to go, I just wanted to finish the laundry.

Everything seems to be falling between the cracks lately. Particularly the most important stuff. The batch of babka I was cooking made me want to cry.

“It’s okay, Mom!” Caleb spoke in a composed tone. “I’ll just look in Dad’s money-keeping cereal box. Anyhow, I don’t require much.

I went cold.

“What?” I inquired.

He said, “You know, the cereal box,” again. “The Cheerios? Sometimes Dad keeps money there. Sometimes beneath the box, and other times inside.

I was momentarily at a loss for words. Is my husband concealing funds? I nearly asked Caleb to elaborate, but I didn’t want to cause trouble. At least not until Caleb had finished his school day.

“Right,” I replied. “You do that, then! And, my love, I’ll see you later. I adore you.

“Okay, love you!” I stood in the back of the bakery, my head spinning, as Caleb chirped and hung up.

A box of cereal containing cash? Within my pantry? Why?

The remainder of my shift was nearly impossible for me to complete. As I took bread out of the oven, my hands worked automatically, but my thoughts were racing.

Marcus has been hiding money for how long? And why? Every dime was carefully counted as we barely made ends meet. Marcus mentioned that we didn’t have enough money to spend, so I got Caleb his new pair of sneakers from a bargain store.

I was working two jobs to keep us afloat, the car needed maintenance, and we were behind on our expenses. As the head baker at the bakery, I made all of the sandwiches for the 24-hour deli across the street after most of my workload was over.

I was dying of it. During my pregnancy, my back hurt more than it had ever done.

How could Marcus hide this kind of money from me?

Still in shock over what Caleb had said, I went to the deli after my shift ended because the bakery was deserted. I couldn’t stop thinking about the envelope hidden inside a cereal box and how I had been unaware of its existence.

Later that night, I eventually arrived home, but I didn’t even bother removing my shoes. With my heart racing, I headed directly to the pantry. Indeed, it was there. Beneath the Cheerios box was an envelope.

My hands shook as I took it out.

There was more money inside than I had seen in months. Perhaps hundreds.

When I forget about it, it’s not simply Caleb’s lunch money fund. No, it was sufficient to pay the rent, fix our car, and most likely even pay some of our bills.

I stared at the pile of money, trying to take it all in.

I was working twelve-hour days and breaking my back while sitting on this, believing that we were about to drown.

I heard Marcus on the phone in the study, but I could have called out for him. I didn’t want to bother him because it sounded like he was in a meeting.

Instead, I tossed some broccoli and tomatoes onto a roasting dish and took out a couple pieces of hake. I had to give my son food.

That night’s dinner was tense. I didn’t confront my spouse, even though I could hardly look at him without my blood boiling.

Not quite yet.

I had to see out how far he would push this.

I therefore raised the automobile while maintaining a steady tone of voice.

“We need to get the transmission looked at, Marcus,” I replied. “It’s only going to get worse.”

Marcus didn’t look up from his plate at all. Rather, he covered his fish with hot sauce.

“We’ll have to wait, Jess,” he acknowledged. “We don’t have the money right now.”

I was frozen in mid-air as I gazed at him. He spoke with such ease and naturalness, as if he truly believed that there was no stash in the cereal box. Something broke inside of me.

After working at the bakery the following morning, I did something I never would have thought to do.

I made an appointment by calling a posh spa. a complete transformation. Hair, manicures, massages, etc. I didn’t care that it was careless, impetuous, and most likely extremely irresponsible.

I was going to use the money that was there.

The entire day seemed unreal.

I thought about the envelope, the restless nights I’d spent kneading dough before dawn, fretting about finances, and the ongoing pain in my back while the stylist worked on my hair.

Marcus was there, sitting on enough money to just ease our problems, while he quietly pretended that we had nothing.

I hardly recognized myself when I arrived home.

My nails were painted a rich, deep crimson, and my hair was fashioned in lovely waves. I appeared to be a well-adjusted individual who wasn’t struggling to get by each day.

When Marcus noticed me, his eyes widened as he entered the room.

He inquired, “What did you do?”

“I found the money in the cereal box,” I said. “I deserved a day to myself.”

He lost the color in his face.

“You ought not to have wasted that money. This is not what it was intended for.

The wrath flared up again.

“So, Marcus, what was it for? Because you’ve been hoarding some sort of hidden stash that I’m unaware of, while I’ve been working myself to death, believing that we’re barely making ends meet.”

“I wasn’t attempting to conceal it from you, Jessica. I simply didn’t want you to be concerned.

“Worry about what?” I insisted. “I only do that! I’m constantly worried. Almost anything!”

Rubbing his face, he slumped into a chair.

“My manager made a suggestion that layoffs might occur shortly. Just in case, I wanted to have something ready. I didn’t want to discuss a topic that might never come up.

“So, you lied to me?”

“I didn’t lie,” he informed them. “I just didn’t tell you.”

I had always been open and honest with Marcus. I believed we had, however. I inhaled deeply in an attempt to relax. However, I was wounded.

Really, really hurt.

His face softened as he glanced up at me.

“Marcus, we must be forthright and truthful. You ought to have had enough faith in me to be honest with me.

“You’re right,” he concurred. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you even aware of how this appears? While you’re hoarding money for some fictitious future catastrophe, I’m over here believing we’re broke and working two jobs. How could you have kept that from me?

He added, “I didn’t want to make things worse,” and shook his head. “I thought keeping it to myself would be easier.”

“You thought this was easier, Marcus?” I gave a thunderclap.

He remained silent.

“And what if you were laid off tomorrow? Then what? ‘Oh hey, by the way, I’ve been saving this all along,’ was your plan to reveal your hidden treasure trove?

“No… Yes, I mean it. Perhaps. I’m not sure. All I wanted to do was keep you safe.

“You don’t protect me by keeping me in the dark, Marcus.”

I could tell that some of what I had said had taken hold. However, I wasn’t certain Marcus truly understood.

I wasn’t sure he realized how I felt about all of this.

“Marcus, we work as a team. Or are we not? I inquired.

His words were, “We are, Jess,” “I promise we are.”

The weight of everything hung in the air as we sat there for a while. I began to calm down slowly. I could see that Marcus truly didn’t mean to hurt me, even if he had made a mistake. Still, I was wounded.

However, we still had a long way to go before the trust was completely restored.

He vowed there would be no more hidden caches after I made a commitment the following morning that I wouldn’t steal cereal boxes without permission.

Even if we were having trouble, at least we were now tackling it together.