Leo nearly choked on his coffee when he saw the enormous delivery truck pull up right in front of their gate in San Pedro, Laguna.

Two sweaty men got out and unloaded a giant box made of thick wood.

As a freelance graphic designer who was always in front of a computer, Leo knew everything he bought online by heart. He hadn’t expected a parcel this big, especially one that was almost as tall as their door.

When the delivery rider called him and had him sign a thin piece of paper, he frowned. The delivery was indeed named after him: Leonardo Macapagal.

There was no return address, only a stamp from an expensive appliance store in Manila could be seen on the side.

He tried to ask the delivery people what was inside, but they just shrugged and said it was their job to deliver.

The truck immediately drove away, leaving Leo staring at the wooden box.

The gossipy neighbors started to come out, whispering about what the young man had bought.

Leo’s mind went back to what he had seen on the news. Maybe someone had sent contraband or explosives using his name to escape the law.

Nervousness slowly crept into his chest.

He thought about calling the barangay guard to have the suspicious item checked.

But before he could get his cellphone, his seventy-five-year-old grandfather, Grandpa Kiko, came out of the house.

Grandpa Kiko was known throughout the village as the stingiest old man; he counted grains of rice and got angry when an electric fan was on even when no one was around.

The old man frowned when he saw the giant box blocking the path.

Grandpa Kiko began to lecture about the waste of money that today’s youth are wasting on useless things.

He told Leo that he should have just saved the money in the bank instead of buying unnecessary equipment.

While his grandfather continued to pound, Leo quietly took out a hammer and a crowbar.

He was determined to find out what was inside. Just in case it was a bomb, that was it.

In situations like this, he often remembered what he read in

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

where ordinary days suddenly change due to unexpected events.

Slowly and carefully, he removed the nails.

Every clatter of the hammer made his heart beat faster.

Several neighbors also came over to be curious.

When he removed the last board, they were confronted with a lot of bubble wrap and styrofoam.

Leo forced it away until a very shiny, black, spaceship-like device was revealed.

An ultra-luxury, high-tech, full-body massage chair with built-in speakers, a heater, and leather seats.

Leo’s eyes nearly popped out.

He was familiar with this model because he had seen it in a mall in Manila; it cost almost half a million pesos!

Leo looked at his grandfather, ready for another round of lecturing because he would think he had borrowed a huge amount of money just for a luxury.

But when he turned around, he saw Grandpa Kiko gaping, his lips trembling, and his eyes widening.

Instead of getting angry, the old man suddenly grabbed the receipt stuck to the side of the massage chair.

Grandpa Kiko read it, and then slapped his own forehead.

Suddenly the old man laughed out loud, a laugh that Leo had only heard in his entire life.

Grandpa Kiko approached Leo and tapped him on the shoulder.

The old man confessed that last month, he secretly participated in a grand national bingo tournament in town and won the jackpot prize.

Since he had saved up for his family all his life, he thought of giving himself and his entire family something that would relieve their fatigue.

He ordered the most expensive massage chair online.

The problem was, because he didn’t know how to use the internet, he asked the salesperson at the computer shop for help and accidentally put Leo’s name in the shipping details so that it wouldn’t be noticeable at home!

Leo’s fear disappeared, replaced by great joy.

The neighbors couldn’t believe that the stingiest person in their neighborhood had bought the most expensive appliance they had ever seen.

That afternoon, everyone in the house was the first to try out the high-tech massage chair.

Grandpa Kiko sat down first, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the massage of the machine while his favorite song played.

What was thought to be a scary delivery turned out to be the happiest day of their family’s life.