Short Story Sunday: Suspicious Package

A man walked into the post office last week and asked to ship a letter with $10,000 insurance. These are my guesses as to what was in the package:

1. It’s a receipt. His mom was never a good cook, but she made the best damn lasagna. It was the Wednesday night dinner, a fan favorite among the fam. She copied the recipe off the back of the noodle box onto the back of a Kroger receipt, and kept it taped to the side of the fridge. As the youngest sibling, he was the last of the kids to move out and go off to college. A day before he boarded that flight to the Miami University in Ohio, he snatched that receipt off the fridge, tucked it in his bag and forgot about it. He had all these plans to impress his first college girlfriend with a homemade meal, but ended up dating a vegan. No cheese allowed. A few times, his mom called to ask if he’d seen that recipe anywhere, but he just couldn’t bring himself to admit to the theft. Now, its 20 years later, and he’s mailing back that same receipt to his mom. It’s priceless, but the max insurance at the post office is 10k.
2. It’s love letter, obviously. Years ago, this man found himself seated next to this woman on a plane headed for Denver. He was on a business trip. In the time before personal screens and entertainment, the two had no choice but to make conversation throughout the flight. They got to talking about anything and everything. One of those instant connections you hear about on in teen vogue. There were no cellphone numbers to exchange, no emails. Instead, she wrote her address down on a napkin and he promised to write. He never did. Throughout the years, he would often think about this missed connection, it never really left him. Today, he wrote her that letter. He’ll never know if she still lives at that address in Denver. He can only hope for a letter back.
3. It’s a lucky charm. One of those beaded bracelets or red threads that one gets from a shaman type figure on a spirit quest through Asia. He wore it around his wrist throughout his travels, and experienced incredible luck. Before it got too tattered, he packed it in an envelope and stuck it in a drawer, with other momentos from his trip. He quickly forgot about the envelope but brought along the contents of that drawer with him as he tmoved from city to city. Today, his son is about to embark on that same trip, and he just might need a little luck. This one’s for you kid.
4. It’s an expensive gesture. A few weeks ago this man called American Airlines customer support and found love. The agent was so warm, so helpful. Much like rihanna, he found love in a hopeless place. I don’t know how, but he found her address, and this envelope contains a ring. He is proposing. He can only hope she’ll say yes.
5. Or maybe, it’s just 10,000 in cash. Maybe he’s buying a tractor.

I should also mention that he asked how much it would cost to ship overnight, but ultimately opted for regular 2 day.

Artist rendering (crayola, printer paper)

Note: If you have other theories please comment them below.