You never know whether a secondhand piece of furniture will last you a few years or it will fall apart the minute you’ve took it home. Maybe you discover why it was given away, and this is what some students found after they brought home a used couch they bought from a Salvation Army store. Living in New York, the three college friends had no idea that refurbishing their apartment would end up a viral story across the world!
Getting a Couch
Reese Werkhoven, Cally Guasti, and Lara Russo had moved in an apartment in New Paltz, New York and all they had been missing was a couch. The empty space in the living room would perfectly fit a couch, so they decided to go hunt for one that would be the right dimension and the right price. Little did they know they would bring home more than just a secondhand piece of furniture!
Good Friends
Reese, Cally, and Lara had been good friends ever since they were in high school. Now Reese was in her third year at SUNY New Paltz, majoring in geology, while the other two had just graduated. Their lives had just begun, and we know how tough is that first year. However, they had each other and for them it was good enough.
Looking for a Couch
Knowing they had a strict budget, the three roommates headed to a Salvation Army secondhand store. They had the measurements and started looking for a proper couch. That’s when they saw it. It didn’t look great at all, but at least it fit their living room and was cheap. So instead of not having a couch, this eyesore would have to do. This was going to be the adventure of their lives and they were clueless of what’s to come!
An Eyesore
The three young adults agreed this was the ugliest couch they had ever seen. It was used, drab and it wasn’t even comfortable. But for $20, it was a bargain! Reese, Cally, and Lara thought some reconditioning would help, but when they opened it, they started to panic…
Old Furniture Comes With Risks
The odds of discovering pests hidden in secondhand furniture are quite high! Some owners have went through even worse discoveries, but these roommates would soon realize that their discovery was unlike anyone had expected. Their lives had completely changed after they found out what was wrong with that couch!
It Had Lumps on It
The roommates just had to deal with the eyesore of a couch which became the ugliest centerpiece of the living room. After a month of suffering and sitting on the uncomfortable couch, the trio decided they had to recondition it. The pillows were lumpy and sitting on that couch to watch a movie was excruciating.
Bonding Time?
You’d think that watching a movie together will help the three roommates to bond and discuss the plots, but most of their discussions were about how uncomfortable the couch was and that they really had to find some spare time and deal with that issue. So one day, they finally decided to do something about it…
Repairing Furniture
A trio of young adults aren’t exactly what you’d call repairmen, but they had to at least see what was making this couch so bad! There were lumps everywhere and they theorized that the couch had to be opened up and see if they could rearrange the filling or replace it. They just had to figure out what to open up first. That’s when Reese found a zipper!
Good News
The good news was that the lumpy couch arm had a zipper and they could at least find out if there was a chance to repair the old couch or not. After a month of use, the $20 couch was no longer seen as a bargain find. It was the couch from hell! But as Reese opened the zipper, she soon realized there was more to this couch…
A Strange Item
The couch was indeed filled with lumps, as was the couch arm. Although Reese thought the stuffing was probably all clumped together and created lumps, she spotted a piece of plastic. As she reached out through the wads of stuffing, she started pulling and realized she was looking at bubble wrap.
Is There Something Inside the Bubble Wrap?
Was there something hidden in that bubble wrap or was it just an improvised part of the filling? Reese unrolled the bubble wrap thinking maybe it could have hidden a fragile artifact or a secret item, when she discovered an envelope. There was one way to discover what was inside it. The three roommates held their breaths and when they saw it, they were shocked!
The Hidden Treasures
Remember all those times when you lost the remote control and you discovered it behind the pillows of the couch? There’s been stories of the strangest things that have been lost in couches, and the most common ones are those with lose change. Well, what Reese, Cally, and Lara found that day was mind-blowing!
The Envelope Did Hide a Treasure
The three roommates had no idea that the arm of the couch was hiding an envelope that contained a fast stack of cash! Reese was excited and couldn’t believe they discovered so much money. As they began counting it, they realized this couch had brought them a very big profit - $4,000, to be precise. But this was just the beginning of their adventure…
One Single Lump
The arm of the couch was lumpy and the reason was that envelope filled with cash. The roommates realized that if the entire couch was lumpy, then it could mean there were more envelopes! They quickly opened up the rest of the couch and looked through the stuffing and every nook and cranny. They were right!
A Fortune
As they looked through the whole couch, the roommates discovered even more envelopes! Hours later, they were left speechless as they opened each envelope and counted the bills. They had so many questions about this couch and the previous owner. They counted the cash and stacked the bills. The end result was jaw-dropping!
$41,000 Inside a $20 Couch!
The hideous $20 couch was hiding $41,000 in cash. The three roommates couldn’t stop but scream and jump after discovering so much money. Everyone was thinking what they’d do with their share. But there was one more secret this couch was hiding…
What To Spend The Money On?
Discovering $41,000 by mistake makes your mind racing and you start thinking what you would spend the money on. Reese thought he’d buy his mom a new car. The students also thought of paying back their student loans and then travel for a while. Then, they found out what else was hiding in that couch and their dreams had suddenly disappeared.
A Strange Turn of Events
Cally took another look at the envelopes and discovered that there was a piece of paper inside one of them. Maybe they had overlooked it when they were excited and counting the bills. She looked at the paper and saw that it actually was a deposit slip from a bank. And there it was, the deposit slip had a name written on it… Their happiness soon faded away.
The Discovery Was Less Exciting Now
Those dreams of using the money soon vanished as they discovered who may have been the owner of both the couch and the bills… This discovery soon became less exciting and the roommates faced a tough question. Will they keep this a secret or will they search for the person that lost all these envelopes? Lara called her mom for a second opinion…
A Moral Dilemma
The three roommates had to face a moral dilemma. Lara called her mom and explained the situation, asking for advice. They would return the money, but what if the owner stole that money? Her mom told her that she shouldn’t return the money if they felt that person didn’t deserve it. The three roommates were so confused and had no idea what to do. Still, they had to reach out to that person and see how things go.
They Began Looking for the Owner
The trio began searching for the woman whose name was on the deposit slip. Reese’s mom helped them and Reese called the woman later after he came home from work. He explained on the phone what happened and the woman on the other line asked “What?”, sounding shocked and strange. She said she indeed had money in the couch and needed it back. However, Reese felt like something was off…
The Woman Seemed Strange
Reese was left with the impression that the woman he had his phone conversation was too short and not very happy someone found the money in the couch. Did she deserve to get the money? The phone conversation was awkward, but the roommates agreed to meet the woman and see for themselves. The story gets quite complicated when they meet her!
They Had an Uneasy Feeling
What if they were doing the wrong thing? Keeping the money would have been better and the woman didn’t sound sincere on the phone. Still, the roommates were plagued with questions and the only way they could get answers was to meet the woman. They reached the woman’s neighborhood and looked at the house that has seen better times…
An Old House
Reaching the address, they knocked on the old house after a moment of hesitation. The moment of truth was there, and as the front door opened with a creak, the three roommates knew they took the right decision. They were greeted by two women, the daughter and granddaughter of the woman that answered the phone call.
The Owner of the Money
The two women welcomed the students inside and took them to the owner of the money. The grandmother burst into tears when she saw the cash. She started telling them how the money ended up hidden in the couch.
They Did the Right Thing
It turns out the students did the right thing by contacting the woman. It wasn’t all about the money, but about the sentimental memory. You see, the old woman was a widow. Her husband had died because of his heart condition but before passing away, he made sure to leave his wife some money…
Caring About the One You Love
Knowing he will one day die, he decided to give his wife money every year and she had to store it away and use it in times of need. She put it in the cushions of the couch and they had been stashed away for 30 years! All those years, she slept right on top of them, which led to a very strange turn of events.
She Was Taken to the Hospital
The woman’s back suffered a lot from the very uncomfortable couch, so she had to be taken to surgery. Meanwhile, her daughter went to her home and spruced out the place. That included giving away the old couch that led to her mom’s injury. She had no idea the couch was so valuable.
A Lucky Woman
The grandmother felt so lucky now that the three young students came to her door with the money she had lost. All her savings were now back and she decided to reward them with $1000! They deserved it since they could have easily kept all the money for themselves but instead they came to her and did the right thing.
Student Loans
They may not be able to pay their student loans with that money or buy a car or travel, but the experience was worth it. The three roommates felt great and good about their decision. Their story got viral when word got around about their deeds.
Winning the Lottery?
On the night they took a look at the couch and discovered the money, the neighbors could hear them scream with joy. Did they win the lottery, they asked themselves? An online student newspaper reached out and wrote about them and then the story went viral! Their act of kindness resonated with people all over the world!