While managing his handyman business’s monthly reports, Felix heard the sound of a lawnmower. Looking out the kitchen window, he saw Mrs. McAllister battling with her lawnmower, using one hand while balancing with a cane.
Felix hurried over to help her. Mrs. McAllister, clearly exhausted, switched off the lawnmower.
“Felix, is there something I can help you with?” she asked, breathlessly.
“Let me handle this. Your son should be helping you with these chores,” Felix said, concerned.
After several hours of work, Mrs. McAllister invited Felix inside for a lemonade. Felix was struck by the disarray and clutter in her home, indicating she might need more help.
“Here’s a glass of lemonade,” Mrs. McAllister said, placing it on the table. “And I’d like you to have this antique from my family.”
Felix examined the heavy metal box with strange dials and hesitated. “I don’t need anything for this,” he said, trying to return it.
Mrs. McAllister insisted he take it and also gave him a bag of apples for his daughter, Suzie. Exhausted, she sank into her armchair.
Felix asked Mrs. McAllister to call him if she needed help again and left her to rest. Later, Suzie excitedly showed him the box she’d found under the apples.
“Dad, look! I think it has a combination lock, but I can’t open it.”
Felix decided to return the box to Mrs. McAllister. When he arrived, she didn’t answer, so he entered to find her slumped in her chair, having passed away.
Remembering the box, Felix later researched its value and discovered it was worth $250,000. Faced with the need to secure Suzie’s future, he decided to sell it. However, shortly after, he received a call from Mrs. McAllister’s lawyer, Tim, requesting an urgent meeting.
At the meeting, Tim and Mrs. McAllister’s son, Henry, confronted Felix about the missing heirloom. Henry demanded the box be returned, offering $1,000, or he’d involve the police.
Felix refused, stating he planned to auction it. The next day, he took the box to a local auction house where Mr. Whitaker and Ellen assessed it. They needed documentation to verify its authenticity, which Felix didn’t have. When Felix attempted to leave, Ellen blocked his path, and an alarm went off.
Felix fled from the auction house and realized he needed to find the necessary documents. Late that night, he broke into Mrs. McAllister’s house to search for them but was caught by Henry, who threatened to call the police if Felix didn’t return the box by morning.
Determined to protect Suzie, Felix made the difficult decision to send her and his mother away. He gave Suzie the box, instructing her to sell it for no less than $100,000.
As police sirens approached, Felix faced arrest. He spent four months in jail, puzzled by a bail post that Suzie arranged. Upon release, Suzie revealed she had figured out the box’s combination. Inside, she found a certificate of authenticity and a note from Mrs. McAllister, affirming Felix was meant to have the box.
Suzie had sold the box for enough to cover Felix’s bail and still had $100,000 left. Felix was overwhelmed with relief and gratitude as they drove away together, finally free from the turmoil.
