At 67, She Dug Up Her Secret — and Finally Lived the Life They Tried to Steal From Her (2 of 4)

The next morning, I found her sitting on her porch with dirt still under her fingernails and a strange glint in her eyes. I waved. She waved back.

“Looking for something?” I asked, half-joking.

She leaned forward, eyes narrowing like she was deciding whether or not to tell me the truth.

Then she said, “I’m digging up my freedom.”

That’s how it started.

Over the next few days, she shared bits and pieces. No one else knew—especially not her family. She’d hidden the money nearly 15 years ago, back when her husband passed away. Twenty thousand dollars in cash. Not stolen. Not dirty. Just… squirreled away.

Why? Because she didn’t trust them.

Her children had circled like vultures even before her husband was gone. And once he passed, they wasted no time poking through closets, asking about life insurance, hinting at “selling the house early.” Her grandchildren barely visited unless there was a birthday—and even then, they’d ask if she’d remembered to put money in the card.

So she’d done something bold.

She took the leftover funeral money, sold a few antique coins her husband had hoarded, and slowly turned it all into cash. She stuffed it in waterproof bags, wrapped them in plastic, and buried them beneath the shed.

She told me she’d almost forgotten about it—until last month, when her doctor gently told her that her time was running out.