Andy and Sarah had given up their guest bedroom to store her parents’ possessions for five years. After learning they were expecting, the couple asked the older couple to remove their possessions, sparking conflict and a surprise reward.

Five years ago, my in-laws wanted to downsize. So they searched for the right tiny cottage for two.

“We have too much space and too many things,” commented my father-in-law Greg.

They asked to store some of their items in our house for a bit.

“It’s just the things we want to keep, darling,” Greg informed Sarah, my wife.

We didn’t mind and had a guest room we didn’t use.

“Sure, Dad,” my wife said. “You have the guest room temporarily.”

Temporary is key.

But guess what? They never returned their items. They just kept coming more.

Sarah and I joked about how our guest room had become a storage unit. After moving the bed to the corner, the room was full of boxes and old furniture.

“Where should we store the vacuum?” When we got a new vacuum, Sarah asked me.

“Toss it into the storage unit,” I said, making my wife laugh.