CNS –
An Illinois man recently discovered a hidden treasure behind a wall in his childhood home. Tim King, owner of T.King Construction Services in Lombard, told PEOPLE that he was helping his parents with a home renovation project when he found a Christmas present with his name on it behind a bathroom wall.
“We took out a medicine cabinet before we drywalled, and I thought, ‘I’d better just look in there to make sure nothing’s back there,’ ” King, 53, tells PEOPLE. “And then there it was!”
“My mom wasn’t awake yet, so we waited to open it in front of her,” he says, noting that his mother has no recollection of ever buying the gift.
King explains that his parents used to hide gifts in the attic, and the box likely fell into a crawl space without anyone ever noticing. He estimates that the toy would have been new in about 1978, which would have made him around 6 years old at the time.
And as to how King feels about the belated discovery?
“So I have one sister, and my mom has always been very picky about getting us the exact same amount of gifts,” he says, adding with a laugh, “so we’ve been joking that I’ve been screwed out of one present for 46 years.”