As Donald woke up, he felt the same feeling had felt yesterday. And the day before that, and before that, and every day he could remember. At least, that's what he told himself. It had really only started since his Dad died. Ever since then, every day felt like it was missing something. Something so big, that it could make walking on the Moon boring. The feeling he had was sorrow. He wanted his dad so bad. So bad that the pain was unbearable. Not the pain that is caused by a knife, but the kind that you can’t see. “Invisible Pain,” he thought to himself as he started walking down the stairs.

“Breakfast!” his mother shouted. Walking down the stairs Donald could smell the scent of golden brown buttermilk pancakes, perfectly cooked bacon, omelets made with fresh eggs, and last but not least, freshly squeezed orange juice. His mom always made great breakfasts in the mornings. It was the only thing Donald actually looked forward to every day. Or just...ever. “Coming,” he announced as he took his last step on the worn out carpet.

 “Smells delicious, as usual.” 

“I made it just how you like it,” his mother replied. Donald smiled and grabbed the maple syrup. He had a tradition before every breakfast where he pours his syrup. He always makes the NASA logo to honor his father. His dad worked as an engineer. You know those robots and rovers you see on the Moon and Mars? Those were built by people at NASA. Including his dad.

As he bit into his crisp piece of bacon, his mom asked him to go find some Christmas decorations. Jacob finished his bite and headed out to the garage. He had no clue where to even start since his unorganized sister put them away last year. He decided to start in the far corner where most of the holiday decor was. There were several shoe boxes full of junk so Donald began moving them out of the way. After moving a few, he picked up an old Jordan 1’s box that was strangely heavy. When he opened it, his jaw dropped all the way down to the Earth's core. Inside of the box they’re was more money than he had ever seen. 

Donald was so shocked that he didn’t even know what to do. He began to shuffle around trying to find some kind of a note or explanation. It made no sense to him. His mom couldn’t have known. Their family had been struggling with money ever since their dad died. If his mom knew about this, she would have definitely used it by now. He quietly thought about it for a moment, trying to decide whether he should tell or not. He knew that his mother could use it desperately, but things just hadn’t been going his way, and this was a lot of money. “What to do!” he blasted in his brain.

Being unselfish, he hurried back inside with the shoebox and told his mom. 

“Mom, Mom, we’re rich!” Looking confused, his mother asked, “What do you mean, sweety?” Donald quickly opened up the box showing it to his mom. With eyes wider than the grand canyon, she screamed. 

“What, where, how!” she blurted. “What is this Donald?” 

“I found it in the far corner by all the shoe boxes, he said, it felt heavy so I opened it and this was inside!” They both jumped up and down screaming and laughing. His mom hurried to get to the bank and see how much there actually was.

When they arrived at the bank, the women at the desk detailedly told them that there was 40 thousand dollars. “40k!” They exclaimed. Donald told them “Thanks” and grabbed the shoebox. As he turned away to leave, the women stopped them and handed his mother a crumpled note inside the box. It read,

Dear Susan,

If you are reading this, something terrible has happened. I’m sorry. I have always hoped you would never read this, but I guess you have. This money is to help you and the kids land back on your feet. I’m so sorry that I won’t be there for you and the kids. I hope you tell them that I love them more than anything, and that I wish I could still be a part of their lives. I will always be there for you guys. 

I love you all so much, Dad

As they both teared up, his mother kissed the letter and put it in her pocket. Then, they went home.