I returned early from a work trip to surprise my hubby. Instead of a loving embrace, I discovered him sweating in the backyard, digging a hole, and burying a large black egg. He ignored my request to clarify. My own digging began. My pulse raced when I discovered.<\/p>\n
Not slept in days. presentation after presentation, coffee after coffee, the Chicago business conference dragged on forever. The third day I was exhausted and mentally checked out. After three years of marriage, Nathan and I felt more like coworkers than soulmates. He was usually in his financial firm, while I flew around advising with IT clients. It had been over a month since we had dinner together.<\/p>\n
After my final meeting concluded two hours early, I shut my laptop without hesitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou skipped the VP\u2019s keynote?\u201d My coworker Jenna raised an eyebrow as I closed my suitcase.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, once. I must remember my husband\u2019s appearance at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
She grinned. \u201cRachel Adams choosing love over career? Very new.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s overdue,\u201d I responded, checking my phone for the next flight. \u201cIf I hustle, I can catch the 6:15 back to Denver and surprise him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jenna half-joked, \u201cText me when you land. Surprise visits aren\u2019t always romantic. People sometimes hide things.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had no idea how prescient those statements were.<\/p>\n
I entered our driveway to find the Rockies painted in deep golden by dusk. Our house seemed quiet under a gold wash, and the porch light turned on automatically as I exited the automobile.<\/p>\n
Something felt odd.<\/p>\n
The front door was silent when I opened it. Staged silence, not calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNate?\u201d Calling softly, I placed my bag near the stairs.<\/p>\n
No reply.<\/p>\n
The living room was messy. The table was covered in mail, including three urgent envelopes. Half a coffee mug sat abandoned on the kitchen counter with a thin ring of dried coffee on the lip.<\/p>\n
I frowned. Nathan obsessively ordered. This was unlike him.<\/p>\n
Maybe he\u2019s in the office, I thought. I was drawn to the back entrance. A breeze moved the drapes, bringing home the smell of turned earth.<\/p>\n
I went outside.<\/p>\n
He was digging between tomato rows in our vegetable garden when I saw him.<\/p>\n
He found a huge black egg half-buried in the ground.<\/p>\n
The item was huge\u2014at least two feet tall\u2014and shiny like obsidian. It shimmered almost unearthly under the porch light.<\/p>\n
Nathan rolled up his sleeves and shoveled frantically, sweating. He mumbled about digging deeper.<\/p>\n
Just a little more\u2026 must be deep enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNathan?\u201d<\/p>\n
He jerked like I slapped him. The shovel smashed onto something metal in the dirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel?!\u201d His panicked voice broke. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked gently to the garden. I got home early. I wanted to surprise you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rushed to cover my egg view. Not expected to be here yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly. That\u2019s what?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s nothing.\u201d His voice was defensive and clipped. I mean it, Rachel. Go in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing? Why are you hiding a shiny black object in our lawn like a villain, and expect me to ignore it?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll explain later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, explain now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dirt covered Nathan\u2019s temple as he stroked his hair. He glanced at the street as if someone was observing.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease. Please trust me. I\u2019m handling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Handling what, Nate? My voice grew. \u201cFrom where I\u2019m standing, you either need help\u2014or you\u2019re hiding something big.\u201d<\/p>\n
SAID I\u2019M HANDLING IT! We were shocked by his outburst. We looked at each other in awe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even know who you are right now,\u201d I muttered. I turned and entered.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t sleep that night. The couch creaked under his weight downstairs while I lay awake in the dark. About 3 a.m., the back door clicked open. I crept to the window to watch Nathan patrol the garden like a security guard, searching for the strange egg\u2019s burial site.<\/p>\n
I needed to discover his secret.<\/p>\n
I took a shovel and went outside the next morning as he left for work. My hands trembled as I plunged the blade into fresh earth.<\/p>\n
After over twenty minutes of digging, I found something hard.<\/p>\n
I found the egg. Close up, it looked fake. Unlike shells, it felt synthetic. Plastic.<\/p>\n
After gently twisting it, it broke open like a huge, hollow Easter egg, and I gasped.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
Nothing inside. Just additional black plastic layers.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n
I leapt, nearly dropping it. Our elderly neighbor, Mr. Yamato, was across the fence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw someone in your garden late last night,\u201d he continued. \u201cEverything okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u2014gardening,\u201d I muttered, awkwardly concealing the egg behind my back.<\/p>\n
The doubtful man raised an eyebrow but nodded and left.<\/p>\n
I dragged the egg into the garage, tarped it, and put it behind the lawnmower. I sat on the concrete floor to understand what was happening.<\/p>\n
What was this?<\/p>\n
Why was Nathan rushing to bury it?<\/p>\n
Was he concealing it from me or others?<\/p>\n
Dazed, I drove to work. I needed some sanity to get through the morning.<\/p>\n
The radio interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014breaking news this morning as local law enforcement busts a massive antique collector and upscale hobbyist fraud ring. Many black, egg-shaped plastic containers were peddled as ancient fertility relics, according to authorities. Victims paid thousands or tens of thousands.<\/p>\n
Heart racing, I braked hard and pulled over.<\/p>\n
I knew. I knew Nathan was involved.<\/p>\n
I waited with the egg on our kitchen table like a conversation starter from hell that night.<\/p>\n
Nathan stopped when he entered.<\/p>\n
His briefcase fell.<\/p>\n
Rachel, I\u2014<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d I requested.<\/p>\n
He slumped on a chair, pallid. Fifteen thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes, nauseous. \u201cYou spent $15,000 on a plastic egg.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was real,\u201d he lamented. \u201cA firm employee introduced me to a dealer. Supposedly a Tang dynasty fertile egg. The value will triple in a year, he said.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t think to\u2014oh, I don\u2019t know\u2014GOOGLE IT?\u201d My voice broke.<\/p>\n
He hid his face in his hands. Wanted to surprise you. I thought I could reverse it and take you on that Europe trip we always speak about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trip we\u2019ve saved for? For 3 years? That money was used?<\/p>\n
\u201cI just\u2026 I wanted fixes. Mom\u2019s medical bills. The HVAC fixes. Both of us are stressed. I considered making a grand gesture\u2026<\/p>\n
A little, my fury mellowed. He appeared broken. Stupidly well-meaning.<\/p>\n
I sat alongside him. You thought burying it would help?<\/p>\n
\u201cI panicked. When I heard about the swindle, I was helpless. I thought I could spare you the disappointment if you never found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taking his hand. You fool. I don\u2019t like Europe or antiques. I care about us. But you can\u2019t keep excluding me when things go tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI filed a police report this morning,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI\u2019m not alone. The entire ring is under investigation. I might get some money back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back, saying, \u201cWell.\u201d At least we have a good story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan chuckled and sighed. \u201cThat time I tried to fix our marriage with a fake egg.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could plant it,\u201d I smiled. Properly bury it near tomatoes. Make it a monument to bad decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr a reminder,\u201d he squeezed my palm, \u201cthat trust matters more than any treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n
We sat quietly and close.<\/p>\n
He finally said, \u201cI love you.\u201d \u201cEven when I\u2019m stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cLucky for you, I\u2019ve always had a soft spot for idiots.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I returned early from a work trip to surprise my hubby. Instead of a loving embrace, I discovered him sweating in the backyard, digging a hole, and burying a large black egg. He ignored my request to clarify. My own digging began. My pulse raced when I discovered. Not slept in days. presentation after presentation, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32046"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32047,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32046\/revisions\/32047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}