A Honda, a Mechanic and a Six-Year-Old Mystery: The Christmas Present One Wife Called 'Magical

A diamond engagement ring that was lost in Richmond, Va., a whole six years ago was finally found this month by an auto mechanic in Greenville, S.C.

The woman it belonged to couldn’t be happier.

“I told you it was in the car!” the ring's owner, Leslie Tiller, shouted in a Facebook video that captured her joyful reaction.

Midas auto technician Brandon Estell found the ring after Jacob Hickman brought in the Honda Accord hybrid for servicing.

After removing the backseat to Hickman's car, Estell discovered the diamond ring.

"Usually it’s like loose change, or you know, maybe a dollar bill or two, but nothing, nothing like an engagement ring,” the mechanic told WHNS-TV.

Auto mechanic Brandon Estell found Leslie Tiller's ring in the back of Jacob Hickman's car. (Image source: WHNS-TV)

Estell put the ring in the car's cup holder and told Hickman about the find. The car's owner had no idea where the ring came from.

"I was completely confused, but he said they found it during the service,” Hickman said. “‘Merry Christmas,' is what he told me. I drove off and could not understand or think about why on this earth would there be a diamond ring in my car.”

It took him a moment, but Hickman figured it out: He and Leslie’s husband, Adam Tiller, are old college friends. In 2007, Hickman, Hickman's wife and the then-engaged Tillers all drove back from a wedding in Richmond.

Leslie Tiller's shocked reaction when her husband, Adam, surprised her on Christmas morning with the ring she lost in 2007. (Image source: WHNS-TV)

It was during that drive that Leslie Tiller lost the ring.

“I had taken it off. I was trying to clean it. I thought it had just fallen in my lap, so I didn’t, I wasn’t alarmed. I just, you know thought, ‘Oh, when we pull in the driveway, I’ll find it,’” Leslie told WHNS-TV.

But after hours of searching, they couldn’t find the ring. Adam Tiller had no choice but to buy a new ring and the couple married one month later.

So what do you do when a long-lost engagement ring is returned right before Christmas? You surprise your wife with it, Adam decided.

“This is by far the most magical Christmas I've ever had. I never thought I'd see that ring again," Leslie said, referring to her husband presenting her with the lost ring.

For his part, Estell is pretty pleased with his discovery.

"I had no idea it was going to be this big, so I feel really good. I'm glad that I could help these guys out and make their Christmas a little more special than usual," the mechanic said.

(H/T: Yahoo! News)

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