Water was seeping through the discolored tiles on the upstairs bathroom walls and it was obvious that something had to be done to fix the problem before it got worse. Dave and Robin decided over breakfast that morning that the quickest and cheapest option was to remove the old blue tub and replace the tile with a plastic unit that surrounds the tub.

So they headed to the neighboring town in the old Toyota pickup to try and get the best deal at one of the many construction supply locations. They found a decently priced unit in Rona and dumped the long white cardboard box in the back of the truck and tied it up with a strap.

To celebrate their wise purchase, they rushed to stop at their favorite pub in their hometown for lunch. Once inside, they chose a table by a window so they could see their Toyota and ordered a couple of beers. Robin was puzzled as she looked out the window. “Dave,” he started with a concerned tone in his voice, “I can’t see the white box.” Dave turned around and they both went out to take a closer look. Sure enough, the white box had disappeared! Dave responded with anger and frustration, “Stay here while I go back to look for the edge of the tub.” He got into the truck, screamed out of the parking spot, and headed east in search of the lost package.

Robin returned to the table and drank not only his beer, but Dave’s as well. I might as well play a bit of Kino, he thought aloud. Three was his lucky number and he chose 33. Voila! He won $ 201.00 in his first game, $ 5.00 in the second, and nothing in the third.

Meanwhile, a few miles down the road, Dave saw the white box in the center of the intersection. Upon closer examination, he discovered to his dismay that the box was crushed as a result of several run over vehicles.

He stopped and quickly picked up the package, tossed it into the back of the truck, and ran back to the pub.

Seething with anger, Dave burst into the pub and curtly told Robin that they were going home. Robin followed him outside trying to force him to lunch. He finally blurted out that he had made more than $ 200.00, which was more than the cost of the smashed tub rim ($ 160.00). Dave’s temper heated up enough for them to go back inside to celebrate their found blessings. Despite the cost of lunch and the waste of fuel that came back to salvage the destroyed bathtub rim, they still had $ 5.00 ahead of them!

The next day, Dave and Robin returned to Rona to tell the store clerk their grief story. She sympathized with their misfortune and sold them the same bathtub liner at an employee discount. Their story ended well and they laughed a bit sharing their misadventure with their friends. The moral of the story is this … use two straps, instead of one, to secure a lightweight cardboard box to the back of your truck, on top of your truck or car. Simple advice, sure, but you can be sure Dave and Robin won’t forget that lesson for years to come.