Man Buys Old Storage Unit for $1.2M, Wife Taunts Him Until She Gets inside - Story of the Day

Peter had long abandoned his dream of owning a children's bookstore. He had settled with running his in-law's old gas station. However, after buying an old storage unit, he learns that dreams come true.

Peter's mind drifted as he slouched despairingly at the gas station counter he had worked at for the last 15 years. Through the window, he watched a family of a mother and two children walking hand-in-hand out of the bookstore across the road.

The children were both of a tender age. He couldn't help but think of how these children were exactly around the age he had hoped to cater to if life had gone his way. It was as if the universe was mocking him, showing him the inner child and dreamer he had allowed to die over the years.

He had always loved children and dreamed of opening a children's bookstore. When he was younger, he found some of the greatest joy in his local children's bookstore. And now there he was, operating his in-laws' run-down gas station as he literally watched the embodiment of his dreams walking away from him.

"Oi!" a faint voice said. "Hello?! Are you deaf?" the voice said louder.

There was suddenly a loud bang! Peter finally snapped out of his daydream to find an irked man standing before him, waving money in his face and banging his hand on the counter impatiently.

"What's wrong with you?!" the man asked in vexed confusion.

"Uhm… Sorry about that, sir. It's been a long day," Peter apologized. "How can I help you?" Peter said, feigning a smile.

"A long day? Join the club, jerk!" the man said. "I said fill me up on lot two!" the man said, flicking the money in Peter's face and storming off.

Peter didn't take the man's words to heart. For him, it was just another day at work. The small town his gas station was situated in was pretty secluded. Aside from the few locals, they would come across all sorts of folk on their way to presumably somewhere better, as Peter always assumed.

Some customers were kind, some rude, and some just crazy. It came with the territory. But the day was always the same. He would later go home to his wife Jackie and report on how the gas station did that day over dinner; she would tell him how he needed to do better, then they would separately go about their evening.

"You have to go after your dreams. Otherwise, one day when you're my age, they'll haunt you. You don't want to live in regret, champ."

Peter's dreams weren't the only form of passion that had fizzled out over the years. Similarly, the passion in his marriage had also grown dim. He still loved his wife, but he feared they had both forgotten how exactly to do that; love each other.

"So, how did we do today?" Jackie asked flatly as she sat at the dinner table with her husband, Peter, in their humble abode. The atmosphere in the room was dreary as they sat at opposite ends of the table with their gazes toward the food in front of them.

Peter sighed heavily as he pondered his answer. "Things aren't looking great. We're no better than yesterday or the day before," he said.

"Hmm… And what do you plan on doing about that, Peter?" Jackie asked nonchalantly.

"Honestly, sweetheart, I'm not sure anymore. We aren't getting as many people passing through the town anymore. With just the locals, it's almost impossible to break even," Peter explained.

Jackie scoffed, carelessly dropping her utensils on her plate with a sharp ping. "Peter, that's all you ever say!" Jackie snapped, looking at her husband for the first time.

"What do you want me to say, Jackie? Should I lie to you?" Peter retorted, trying to keep his cool as they finally met each other's gaze.

"When my parents gave us this gas station, I assured them you could take it to new heights," Jackie said.

"And while I appreciate your confidence in me, you know very well that this was never what I wanted to do. But I did it for you," Peter explained.

"What did you do for me, Peter?! Huh? What? We're still barely getting by. This isn't the life I signed up for," Jackie said, grabbing her plate and leaving. Peter held his head in frustration.

Later that evening, Peter and Jackie said goodnight to each other as they both went to bed in separate bedrooms. Over the last couple of months, this had become their new normal. Jackie would sleep in the main bedroom, and Peter would take the spare bedroom.

As Peter got into bed, he saw photos of him and Jackie on their wedding day at the bedside table. They were so young and in love. Who would've guessed they'd end up where they were now. Next to that photo was a picture of his parents, and then the last photo was of him and his grandfather.

Peter and his grandfather, Brian, were extremely close. He was the one person who had always encouraged him to follow his dreams. It had been a while since they'd talked. So, Peter decided to give his grandfather a call.

"Hi, grandpa. Thought I'd give you a ring before going to bed," Peter said.

"Peter, my boy," Brian said softly, coughing. "It's always a pleasure hearing from you," Brian said, wheezing.

"Are you okay, grandpa? You don't sound too well," a concerned Peter exclaimed.

"I'm alright, my boy. Just old age. It gets to us all. So, when are you inviting me to that bookstore of yours?" Brian asked.

"Unfortunately, I never quite got to that, grandpa. Jackie and I run the gas station, remember? That's what I do now," Peter explained.

"Oh, my boy. Your path is your own. But here's a little advice from an old man. You have to go after your dreams. Otherwise, one day when you're my age, they'll haunt you. You don't want to live in regret, champ," Brian explained, fatigued.

Peter and Brian stayed up for almost hours on the phone. Peter insisted that his grandfather let him cut the call so he could get some rest, But Brian would have none of it. They weren't just grandfather and grandson, but they were old friends. Little did they know, this would be their last conversation together.

And apparently, one of Brian's neighbours' has already made a $500,000 offer for it,"

Early the next morning, Peter's mother called him in tears. "He's gone, Peter. You're grandfather's gone," his mother cried in a stammer. Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just like that, his grandfather was gone.

Peter drove to his grandfather's house the following week to pay his respects. He was still in disbelief. While his grandfather was at a ripe old age, the idea of how quickly life flies by still baffled Peter.

After a small, intimate funeral ceremony at Brian's home, Peter decided to stick around after everyone left to have a moment with himself and reminisce. He went through Brian's old stuff, looking for his photo albums with all their captured memories.

As he flipped through the pages of one particular album of him and his grandfather, he came across Brian's unfinished will. It read:

"To my grandson and dear friend. If you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. I do have something I would like to leave for you. It's very valuable and could make your dreams possible again. You'll find it in a storage unit at the address written on this will. I love you, and keep dreaming, champ!"

By the time he had finished reading the short note, he was on the floor in a weeping mess. He looked at the address with determination as he wiped away his tears. He was determined to find whatever his grandfather had left for him.

Peter drove to the address but couldn't get anyone to assist him. He eventually called Brian's lawyer, who had seen him at the funeral earlier and asked about the storage unit.

"I'm sorry, Peter. That storage has just gone up for auction," the manager informed him.

"Auction?" Peter asked in disbelief.

"Yep. And apparently, one of Brian's neighbours' has already made a $500,000 offer for it," the lawyer explained.

"Do you know who this guy is?" Peter asked.

"I'm sorry, Peter. I can't help you there," the lawyer concluded.

Peter was completely devastated. This was one of his grandfather's last wishes, and Peter had no power to fulfill it. He went home that day in a dejected state, only to be met by an enraged Jackie. Peter opened his front door to find Jackie at the dinner table sorting through some company files.

"Peter, why didn't you tell me things were this bad?" Jackie barked the very second Peter entered the room.

"Love, I told you things were rocky," Peter said, defeated.

"Rocky? We're drowning, Peter!" Jackie retorted.

"Please, Jackie. Not now," a fatigued Peter pleaded.

"Then when, Peter?! This is our livelihood!" Jackie insisted.

"Jackie, I just came from my grandfather's funeral. Could we please do this another time?" Peter said more firmly.

"I loved grandpa too, Peter. And you know that very well. But you have to do something about this business. My parents didn't hand it over to us for you to run it into the ground. I wish there was a better time to tell you this, but there isn't, Peter! Our ship is sinking!" Jackie said, storming off.

Peter was extremely exhausted and devastated by everything that had transpired that day. So, just like every other night, Peter went to his bedroom and Jackie hers.

"I'm sorry, grandpa. I've failed in my business, my dreams, my marriage, and now I've failed you too," Peter said, welling up as he looked at the picture of his grandparents on his bedside table. He gazed at the picture a little longer, remembering his grandfather's words:

"You don't want to live in regret, champ,"

Peter sighed deeply with a newfound sense of determination. "You're right, grandpa. Don't worry, I won't fail this time," Peter said, kissing the photo. "I promise," he concluded.

The next morning, drove around town trying his best to track down the mystery bidder in hopes of trying to persuade him to change his mind. But the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. Even if he could tell him his story about his grandfather's will and convince him to remove his bid, someone else would just take his bid.

Peter realized his only hope was getting that $500K. The worst part was that he knew exactly how to get it, but it would leave his life and marriage in shambles. But he had no choice if he wanted to save his grandfather's storage unit. He had to mortgage the gas station for cash. There was no other way.

As Peter got the money from the gas station's mortgage, his grandfather's word's kept him hopeful; "It's very valuable and could make your dreams possible again."

Peter's faith in his grandfather's words kept him throughout the process of getting the mortgage money from the gas station to outbidding the stranger and winning the auction. His grandfather had never lied to him. Whatever was in there was worth it.

By the time Peter had finally bought the storage unit, the bank had already notified Jackie about every transaction. She got the address to the storage unit and immediately made her way to the storage after Peter failed to answer her calls. Jackie arrived at the unit to find Peter trying to unlock the storage door.

"Peter! Are you insane?!" Jackie cried, rushing towards Peter in a huff.

"I'm sorry, Jackie. I had to," Peter said, still tugging at the stubborn lock.

"That's our business, Peter! Do you want us on the streets?!" Jackie yelled in tears.

"Just trust me, Jackie. I know my granddad. He wouldn't lead us here if there wasn't something of value," Peter said, tugging harder.

"What does he have to do with this? You're not making any sense, Peter!" Jackie yelled.

"Just trust me," Peter said, finally unlocking the door.

Peter swung the door, and his and Jackie's faces lit up in awe at what they saw on the other side. The jaw-dropped couple walked into the storage unit, filled with gold items, jewelry, and a parked Retro Duesenberg car.

"Peter, what's all this gold stuff? All this jewelry?" Jackie asked, grabbing some jewelry from a nearby jewelry box.

"Grandpa used to talk about his father, my great-grandfather, finding some gold during the Klondike Gold Rush. He never quite told me what happened to it. But I guess now we know," Peter said.

"Is it real?" Jackie asked in disbelief.

"I think so," Peter said, approaching the car. "But this is the real jackpot. This car must cost a fortune today," Peter said, inspecting the car. Jackie joined him, puzzled by everything that had happened.

"Peter! There's a note," Jackie said as she opened the glove compartment. She handed it to her husband.

Peter read it out loud, tearing and choking up with each word. "The one thing I want for you is happiness, my boy. I believe we can only find happiness in doing what we love. You have to follow your dreams, Peter. I dreamt about this car, so I built it piece by piece with my hands. I hope this helps you do the same."

"Peter… This is all ours?" Jackie asked, welling up.

"Yes, my love. I believe so," Peter exclaimed, hugging and kissing his wife with passionate, relieved joy.

Peter and Jackie eventually decided to sell the Retro Duesenberg at an auction, making them a hefty amount of money. With the profits from the sale, Peter could finally open not just one but a couple of children's bookstores.

As a result of doing what he loved, Peter was happy and fulfilled. He brought more love and joy into his marriage, and Jackie reciprocated this sentiment. Their marriage grew stronger as they learned how to love each other again.

Being happier in her marriage and life, Jackie became less obsessed with making their businesses thrive and more focused on using them to help others. She used the proceeds from their stores to set up an NGO to assist struggling families in their communities.

What can we learn from this story?

• Always follow your dreams. Just like Peter, we must learn to follow our dreams, no matter how far they may seem.
• Happiness comes from doing what you love. Peter found his joy and happiness from finally following his dreams. This act even helped improve his marriage.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who finds a stack of money under her floor then learns that her husband quit his job a few months ago.

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