My Elderly Neighbor Died — Two Days Later, I Dug Up the Secret He Hid Under His Apple Tree for 40 Years

After Richie left for work and the girls went to school, I grabbed a shovel and walked next door.

The apple tree stood near the fence where it always had, its branches crooked with age.

I pushed the shovel into the ground.

The soil was soft.

After a few minutes the blade hit something hard.

A dull metallic sound echoed through the quiet yard.

My heart started racing.

I knelt down and brushed away the dirt until the edge of a small metal box appeared.

It was rusty and heavy.

Old.

I pulled it out of the ground and wiped away the mud.

For a moment I just stared at it.

Then I opened it.

Inside were photographs.

Old ones.

At the top was a picture of a young man in a hospital room holding a newborn baby.

When I looked closer, my breath caught.