Homeless Man Finds Old Couch in Dumpster, Turns Cushion over and Sees a Large Zipper — Story of the Day

A homeless Alex finds an old couch in a motel's garbage dump. He discovers a tiny bag of diamonds hidden in the old furniture and flees with it to start a new life and reunite with his estranged family. But things turn into a deadly knot for Alex when the owner of the diamonds tries to hunt him down.

A deep sigh escaped Alex's dry lips as he stood in the dimly lit alley behind the Rosy Grand Inn. He would visit the dumping grounds behind the motel every evening, hoping to find food scraps or discarded items.

For a homeless Alex, another man's trash was a treasure. However, this time around, fate had been a little kinder to him. Alex was drawn to an old couch dumped beside one of the overflowing trash cans...

The couch looked decent. So Alex ran his fingers over the fabric. While it wasn't in the best condition, Alex decided to take it with him. At least he would no longer have to shiver on his old, tattered mattress.

But as Alex looked closely at the cushion, he noticed a blood stain. "What's that thing?" he wondered, sniffing it, only to scrunch his nose in disgust. It smelled awful.

Alex removed the stained cushion, and just as he held it, he felt a large zipper underneath it.

"A hidden pocket?" Alex exclaimed and opened it, only to freeze in shock.

A wallet with $1000 inside plopped out. But what Alex found next was nothing short of breathtaking, and his hair stood on end.

"Diamonds?!" he gasped.

Alex took a glimmering diamond and breathed on it. He had read somewhere long ago that real diamonds don't fog up for long. His silly trick worked, and the shiny stones in his hands were indeed real diamonds!

"Jesus! I'm going home!" Alex exclaimed in joy.

It had been four years since his wife had divorced him and kicked him out of the house because of his gambling addiction. Alex lived 120 miles away from his family, and while he yearned to visit them someday, he didn't have the money until...this unexpected find.

Just as Alex was lost in deep thought, a voice startled him from behind. "Alex? What you doin' here, man?"

It was John, Rosy Grand Inn's janitor, and Alex's good friend.

Alex quickly slid the diamonds into his dirty coat pocket and turned around.

"Uh, nothin', man! I was just looking at this couch. I thought maybe I could take it to that old factory where I'm crashing these days...the cold has been killing me..."

"Sure thing, pal. The motel staff wanted to throw it anyway," John replied as he handed Alex a few trash bags of leftovers.

"Thanks, man! By the way, there was this weird stain in one of the cushions...stinks like crap!"

"Oh, that...you wouldn't want to know what it is," John replied. "...since you're gonna sleep on that thing, I don't want to spook you up by telling you the story behind it."

But Alex insisted. "No...tell me, man. what is it?"

John sighed. "Well, a guest who had been staying over for the last few weeks was attacked this evening. Some whacko slashed his throat."

"God...did he die or somethin'?" Alex's eyes widened in shock.

"Nope. Nobody knows who this guy who almost died was...turns out he hadn't submitted his ID at the reception during check-in...somebody heard the commotion in his room and called the cops."

"The attacker fled the scene. This guy was attacked and passed out. But before the paramedics arrived...even he vanished. We're guessing he jumped out the window in his room and fled. The motel staff discarded this couch after that."

"Man...that's creepy," Alex gulped. "I think I'm better off with my old mattress. This thing's got bad vibes, pal! See you later...and thanks for the food."

Having bid goodbye to John, Alex strode to the abandoned factory to crash for the night.

Just as Alex approached the back entrance of the dilapidated building, he noticed a silhouette of someone standing there. He was about to bolt but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"John? Man...what you doin' here?" Alex asked, noticing John looked terrified.

"Man...did you find any diamonds inside that couch?" John asked Alex.

"This guy...remember I told you about the anonymous guest who was attacked tonight...he came to my house. And threatened me that if I didn't tell him where his diamonds were...he would kill me. The diamonds were apparently hidden in that couch."

Alex stepped away, pretending. "What diamonds? Man...I left the couch there...I didn't take it or anything."

"I know, Alex. But this dude was menacing, and he is definitely gonna kill me if he doesn't find those diamonds. He told me he saw me bringing that couch out...and he's after me now, thinking I stole his diamonds."

"Man, you gotta relax," Alex consoled, swallowing hard. "If I knew anything, I would've told you. Maybe it's in the trash."

"Yeah…I'm gonna go check it, man."

As soon as John left, Alex knew he would have to sell the diamonds soon and decided to take them to the pawn shop first thing in the morning.

Alex crashed for the night at a cheap motel that night. The following morning, he took a shower, trimmed his scruffy beard and hair, and wore the thrifty clothes he had bought with the money he had found in the wallet. He thought that nobody would recognize him now and headed to the pawn shop.

"Yes, sir, how may I help you?" the pawnbroker looked at Alex.

"I wanted to get something appraised," Alex said with a confident grin. "I'm starting a business and need more money."

The pawnbroker raised a brow as he examined the diamonds. "Can I have a receipt or any proof these diamonds belong to you?"

"A receipt? What are you trying to tell me? These diamonds are mine...look, if you don't want them, I'll take them back," Alex retorted.

"I never said I didn't want them, sir. I can contact a customer now. But it's only normal for us to ask our clients about the items they bring here...we don't take risks. No matter where you take them, they will ask you the same thing."

Alex rubbed his chin. "These diamonds are my late grandmother's...a family heirloom passed on to me after she died."

"Alright," the pawnbroker nodded as he walked away and talked to someone on his phone. A few minutes later, he returned to the counter.

"We have a buyer on the black market...He'll be here in 20 minutes."

Alex nodded with a smile, and around 30 minutes later, a man in a black suit walked in.

"He's here!" the pawnbroker told Alex.

"Alex?" the buyer approached Alex. "Hi...you can call me Robert."

"Nice to meet you," Alex shook hands.

"Can I see the diamonds?" Robert asked as Alex handed the bag of diamonds over to him.

"Gorgeous! So, Alex...the thing is...I didn't bring cash with me now because I didn't feel safe carrying so much money around. So if you can come with me to the bank, I'll pay you in cash there."

Alex agreed and got into Robert's car. But as he fastened his seatbelt, he noticed a bloodied scar on Robert's neck that made his heart race.

He recalled what John had mentioned about the guy who was attacked at the motel. And Robert's scar was at the exact same spot where he had been slit in the throat.

"So Robert...He's the guy…the owner of these diamonds!" Alex's heart pounded, only to realize that Robert had already started driving.

Fear gripped Alex. He had to escape, but there was no way out now. Suddenly, the car pulled over as the signal turned red, and Alex knew it was the perfect chance to run.

Unstrapping the seatbelt, Alex bolted out of Robert's car and vanished into the bustling street. He knew he had no choice but to come clean to John because Robert now recognized him...and he would go to any extremes to take back his diamonds.

"John...it's me...Alex. Open the door," Alex banged on John's door.

Moments later, the door swung open. "John...man...I don't have much time. You have to help me, please," Alex panted. "I have those diamonds."

"The man you were talking about...the guy who threatened you...he knows I have them. He can identify me now. If he comes here asking about me, please don't tell him anything."

Alex then reached into his pocket to give John a diamond in exchange for his silence.

But John refused and was furious. "Take this diamond and leave," he barked.

"...there's no point now. You freakin' lied to me. And you know what...I already gave that guy your details. He was here, Alex. He threatened me at gunpoint. And now he knows everything about you...and your family...and I advise you to visit them faster because he's already on his way to them! Now OUT from here."

John slammed the door shut in a shocked Alex's face. Terrified about his family's safety, Alex bolted from there and ran to the highway to hitchhike a vehicle back to his hometown, where his wife and daughter lived.

Several minutes later, Alex convinced a delivery truck driver to drop him off at the city in exchange for $100.

"So...what's the hurry, pal?" the driver asked Alex as the truck rumbled down the highway.

"A family member has a medical emergency," Alex lied, his gaze drawn to what looked like talisman beads hanging from the truck's rearview mirror.

His exhaustion caught up with him, and Alex dozed off on the seat using his old backpack as a pillow. Two hours later, he woke up with a start.

"Are we in the city?"

"Almost...we're at the city's entrance," the driver replied.

"Oh, okay!" Alex smiled, reaching into his backpack to feel the tiny bag of diamonds. "Everything's okay," he sighed, realizing the bag was still there.

Around ten minutes later, Alex got off the truck and thanked the driver. "I'll never forget your help, pal. Thanks!"

"No problem, pal! Hope whatever's up with your family is sorted out soon!" the driver waved at Alex and sped away.

Sighing a deep breath, Alex arrived at his old home only to notice the door was ajar.

"Lisa? Kayla? Guys...it's me...anyone home?"

But there was dead silence, and Alex's heart dropped. He checked all the rooms, but his wife and daughter were not there.

As Alex kept looking, he found a note on the kitchen counter. His voice choked up, and his nerves froze as he read the message aloud:

"Call this number if you want your family alive."

Shivers ran down Alex's spine as he dialed the number on the phone beside the fridge.

"Hhh...hello? Look, I know you want me and those diamonds. I'm ready to surrender. But please don't do anything to my family," he nervously spoke.

"Calm down, Alex," a familiar voice answered. It was Robert.

"I'll be waiting for you ten miles from the gas station on the northern highway. Don't try to act smart and involve the cops. I'm sure you won't...coz you're a smart man! Time's running out. If I were you, I'd hurry," Robert's menacing tone sliced through Robert's racing heart as he hung up.

Alex pulled out the tiny cotton bag from his backpack. But it felt heavier than before.

"What the hell...No...No!" he gasped.

There was not a single diamond in that bag. Instead, it had the talisman beads he'd seen around the truck's rearview mirror during his ride to the city.

Blood drained off Alex's face as he stood speechless. He had only two options now—to risk his life and save his family...or to leave everything behind and start a life from scratch.

Alex shook his head and stormed out of the house, bolting toward the kidnapper's location.

He arrived outside a dilapidated building where his wife and daughter were held captive. "Open the door...I'm here," he screamed.

The door burst open, and Robert appeared, pointing his gun at Alex. "Quit screaming, will you? Come in...."

As Alex entered, he knew that Robert would kill him, Lisa, and Kayla if he learned about the missing diamonds. His eyes darted anxiously, and that's when he saw a brick on the windowsill.

Alex grabbed it and whacked Robert in the face. But in the heat of the moment, a gunshot shattered the stillness around.

While Robert collapsed to the ground and passed out, Alex clenched his stomach, trying to stop the crimson liquid oozing down his shirt.

"Alex? Can you hear us?"

"Dad? Dad...wake up...."

When Alex opened his eyes hours later, he heard faint beeping sounds. Once his blurry vision cleared, he saw his wife and daughter standing beside him. They were in the hospital.

"Oh, Alex...you're awake," Lisa cried. "...how are you feeling?"

"Looks like I'm alive!"

"You could've not come to that house...and started your life from scratch," Lisa said as Alex cut her off.

"No...I couldn't..."

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