In 2010, Grandpa Joe, always curious about new technologies, invited his teenage grandson, Kevin, into his study for a serious conversation.
Joe: "Kevin, I’ve come across this fascinating thing called Bitcoin. It’s the future of money, they say. I bought 2,000 Bitcoins for $50 and stored them safely on this USB drive. It’s your legacy—keep it secure."
Kevin, just 15 at the time, looked at his grandfather with mild amusement. “Sure, Grandpa, I’ll take care of it,” he replied. But in his mind, he dismissed it as another eccentric idea from an older generation. "Bitcoin? Sounds like some online Monopoly money. What does Grandpa know about tech, anyway?" he thought to himself.
Years passed, and the USB sat forgotten in the depths of Kevin's cluttered desk drawer. Fast forward to 2024, Kevin, now an adult, saw a breaking news headline: "Bitcoin hits $120,000 per coin."
The coffee mug in his hand slipped slightly as his eyes widened in shock. The words echoed in his mind. “Wait… didn’t Grandpa give me some Bitcoin years ago?”
Suddenly panicking, Kevin raced to his room, his heart pounding. He rummaged through drawers, tossed aside papers, and dug through boxes. Finally, there it was—the USB, dusty and buried under a pile of old notebooks. Relief washed over him as he plugged it into his laptop. The wallet file appeared on the screen, and with trembling hands, he opened it.
But as excitement surged through him, he noticed something odd. A faint smell of burnt plastic wafted from the USB. His heart sank as he inspected the drive more closely. Then the horrifying realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
Three years earlier, Kevin had used the USB to stabilize a shaky table in his dorm room. He’d snapped it in half without a second thought when it wouldn’t fit perfectly. That “junk” USB had been thrown into a drawer and left to gather dust.
Kevin sat motionless, staring at the ceiling, his mind unable to process what had just happened. "Two hundred and forty million dollars… destroyed to fix a wobbly table," he whispered, his voice hollow.
From that day forward, Kevin avoided family gatherings, unable to face Grandpa Joe, who still casually asks, "Kevin, have you kept that USB safe like I told you?" The shame was too much to bear.
