After purchasing a used couch, man felt something hard in cushion—it led to the discovery of tens of thousands in cash
Second-hand finds are often the best. Sometimes, because the deal is good, other times because the product might be a winning vintage find. There are also times when these used items become a stroke of luck for their new buyer. A man named Howard Kirby thought nothing of a used couch he purchased, per WNEM. He might have considered it a good deal for a good couch. A little while later, he began to find it hard and uncomfortable. When he checked it out, he was left stunned. Kirby purchased the couch from Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Owosso, Michigan. He paid $35 for it, as revealed by ABC News.
While everything seemed to be great, the man soon realized one of the cushions of the couch felt hard. It kept feeling intensely uncomfortable and he decided to check it out. His daughter opened up the couch and was shocked at what she saw. She pulled out a box and the family finally knew what had been causing the obstruction all this time, CNN reported. Now it was time for the second mystery: to figure out what was inside the box. “I still have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming or something,” Kirby said. Inside the box, Kirby found over $43,000 in cash. It was as though the family had struck gold. It was unbelievable to have tens of thousands of dollars in hand just like that.
Instead of keeping the cash as a lucky catch, they knew what to do. Kirby stood firm on the fact that the cash was not his to keep and belonged to the original owner of the couch. Despite his attorney informing him that he had no legal obligation to give away the money, he was adamant. He contacted the store to find out who donated the couch and got a name — Kim Fauth-Newberry. The couch originally belonged to Kim’s grandfather and was given away. Kirby immediately decided to head over to find the woman. Rick Merling, the store manager of the Habitat ReStore, noted that the family was mind-boggled. "I think they were hoping there might be some pictures. They would have never dreamed that it was money," he said. “It’s just crazy,” Kim said.
Her husband, Mike, added that there was no recollection of the money being there. “Why he’s got money in cushions, I don’t know,” he remarked. Merling was impressed by the man’s selflessness and integrity. There was so much he could have done with those many dollars. Instead, he decided to do what was honest. “To me, this is someone who, despite what they’re going through, despite their own needs, has said, ‘I’m just going to do the right thing,’” Merling noted. As for the customer, he has kept the couch for himself as it is what he purchased. "Someone said, 'Are you gonna give the cushion back?' And he said, 'No, that's a $43,000 cushion,’” Merling recalled. For Kirby, it is a decision well-taken. “I always thought, ‘What would I do if that ever happened,’ and now I know and it makes me feel good,” Kirby said.