We all have those memories. We might be having a great day, but then they sneak into the back of our minds and make us feel terrible all over again. Maybe it was a cruel comment or a heartbreaking betrayal, but those painful moments seem to stick with us for the rest of our lives. Some of these stories are hilarious, and some are heartbreaking, but they’re all completely devastating.
1. Get Less Emotional
Best friend stopped talking to me after my dad passed. Took the whole friend group with him. Apparently I was “too emotional.” I was 13. Having my entire friend group walk away from me when I was in such a bad place stuck with me forever.
2. This Outfit Doesn’t Cut the Mustard
In the seventh grade, I got my back-to-school clothes. For some reason, I thought yellow pants and a yellow Hawaiian shirt looked AWESOME. I was excited to wear this new outfit. We were not wealthy, so having new clothes like this was a big deal for me. Sitting in my English class, I received a note. It said, "Are you the mustard man?" and it was signed by Every. Person. In. The. Class.
As I read it, they all burst out into laughter. All of them. It’s a moment in life where you have to laugh or cry, but either way, you die inside. I chose to laugh. Kids are cruel.
3. Double Standards
When I was about 13, my dad took me aside one night and apologized for putting so much effort into supporting my twin brother and so little into supporting me. I didn't quite know what he was talking about, but as he kept talking, my heart shattered. I always assumed my brother was just smarter/physically more gifted. Turns out, my parents had actively and knowingly neglected me in order to encourage my brother’s achievements.
Happened all through my schooling. They paid thousands for his sporting trips and when I had the same opportunities, they just didn’t have the money. Still kills me inside now. I am doing well now and it really only made me a more resilient person. Was a big oof when it happened, but it made me who I am. Surprising how many twins are in the exact same situation.
There was no real reason given in the explanation from Dad and nothing really changed after. At 13 it was the norm, and even now it’s pretty standard. I still love my Dad and my brother. Dad gave me more than most have and he did it as a single parent, so I don’t hold it against him.
4. Not a Good Way to Present Themselves
My older sister got a brand new car as a present for her 16th birthday. For my 16th birthday the following year, all I got was a $20 bill. How in the world did my parents think that this was justified? It didn’t exactly help my self-esteem. Needless to say, I have not forgotten about it and I am still mad about it even all of these years later.
5. Not a Vocal Point
I've always loved singing. Karaoke or musical theatre alone in the house? It's all pretty great. Once, I was in a play where I had to sing a particularly difficult song, and I was straining from the effort of practicing it again and again. The director of the play then says in front of the whole room, "You're a great singer, but boy, do you look ugly when you sing." I don't think I've sung in front of a crowd since. :(
6. Catty Hairdresser
I was either 9 or 10. My mom was getting her hair done, and the salon had a seating area with a couch and magazines. I was thumbing through the magazines and half listening to the conversation between my mother and the hairstylist. The hairstylist remarked that it was a good thing that I was smart because I certainly wasn't pretty. My mother agreed.
She said it in a quiet voice, but she'd smoked for years, and the raspy voice carried in the empty salon. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I was tall, gangly, wore glasses, desperately needed braces, but my parents were divorced and fought over who would pay, had dark frizzy hair, and I had a lazy eye and psoriasis.
I was ugly, no doubt, but no one needs to hear that. I've carried that with me for nearly 30 years.
7. Post-Mortem Anguish
I caught my wife cheating...after she passed from cancer. It was the worst feeling ever. I was caught between unending love, mourning, and absolute anger. I found out through her phone that she was overly protective of during treatment. A week before she passed she took the passwords off her phone so that I could respond to her texts and take care of her business. Maybe a week or two after she passed I explored her phone and found numerous texts, emails, and cheating messages.
8. Betrayal Before the Big Screen
Made plans to go see a movie with my friends for my 16th birthday and planned it weeks in advance. Everybody bailed the day before/of, but I decided to still go see the movie. Ran into my whole group of friends leaving the movie theater while buying popcorn.
9. Brat Fight
I spent about half of my life between ages 13-17 in various placements due to truancy, suicidal thoughts, depression, probation violations, nothing serious. After I'd gotten a full-time job but was still living at my parent’s house, I was there with one of my friends from work, and my youngest sister said, "I can't wait for mom and dad to send you away again."
To this day, I don't remember what she was mad about. But that was 30 years ago, and I still remember her saying it.
10. Three’s a Crowd
When I was 18, I was at a carnival with a group of people I knew from school, including my long-time crush, this super cute guy. At some point, people started dropping off from the group, going on rides, getting food, that kind of stuff. Eventually, it was only me, my crush, and my little sister (little as in almost 16).
I kept waiting for her to leave too, to go find some of her friends or whatever. But then, after hanging out together for another 15 or so minutes, I finally made a heartbreaking realization. It slowly dawned on me that it wasn't him and me waiting for her to leave, but them waiting for me to leave. They became a couple for a few months shortly after. It later turned out that they got to know each other at my 18th birthday party two months prior (they had never met before).
When my sister got back later that evening, she told me that and said: "You don't mind, do you?" I did mind, very much.
11. Wow, Mom
My mother told me she was sick of being with dad. She told me a bunch of things he'd done which made her afraid of him. She asked me to tell a few of her close friends about how she was being treated, because she wanted them to understand why she was leaving. It was such a terrible position to be in, but I wanted to be there for her—I'll never forgive her for what she did next.
She decided to stay with him, so she told her friends that she had no idea what was wrong with me. She literally said they should pray for me because it looked like I was going through something. My own mother stabbed me in the back.
12. Leading a Double Life
I found a picture on Facebook of my husband with a newborn baby, captioned by the other woman, “Handsome husband and cute baby, I’m so proud.” We’d been together for nine years and our kids were six and eight years old.
Public Domain Pictures
13. Daddy Issues
I came home from work one day and found my wife cheating on me...with my dad. It blew up all over Facebook and became a local drama fest where people tried to organize a shunning of my dad and my wife. I know people cheat, but with your partner's father? Come on...
14. Jail: The Ultimate Revenge
My "best friend" and I worked together for three years at a restaurant. I was the night manager and was really cool with all of the employees, but especially her. We hung out outside of work all the time, she went with me to the beach and carnivals with my kids, who adored her. She started dating this guy at work who was slowly becoming a drug addict.
I could see it (my crackhead aunt made it easy to spot) but no one else could. After he screwed up for the 10th time in a week and started nodding out at the sink, he was fired by my boss on a Saturday. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was going to lead to the most terrifying night of my life. The following Monday night, at closing time, he came in the backdoor wearing a ski mask.
I was walking towards the front door to lock it when I was grabbed from behind and felt something cold against my neck. It took me a second to realize it was a knife. He said, "Get me the money,” but I couldn't move. I was literally paralyzed with fear. My brain was screaming at me to move towards the register but my feet just wouldn't move. He screamed, “Give me the money!” again but I was frozen.
He then dragged me to the register, made me open it, grabbed a fistful of 20s, and ran out the back. My best friend at the time this whole thing went down? Conveniently, in the bathroom. I was still in shock trying to explain to the police on the phone what had just happened. When I hung up the phone, she asked what had happened and I told her I had just been robbed at freaking knifepoint.
Her exact response was, "I hope no one thinks I had anything to do with this.” Ummmm what? So long story short, they find the guy (I told them I recognized his voice) and he rats her out on the set up (the "set up" was her texting him an all clear when only she and I were in the building).
He didn’t have to though, she quit the next day. And stopped replying to my texts. When I found out I was heartbroken. This is someone who was around my kids regularly. I was diagnosed with extreme anxiety and PTSD after being robbed and still have flashbacks randomly. If someone comes up behind me and startles me I panic.
The amount of money my life was worth to them? $440 The punishment they received? He got two years in jail, 50 years suspended. One year of probation. She got one year probation.
15. Lost Daughter
I opened the DNA results of my four-year-old little girl and found out she wasn’t mine. Then my wife left me and moved in with the real father and changed my daughter’s last name to his. The old me disappeared back then. Haven’t felt alive since.
16. You’re Home Early?
We were together for five years, living together for around four. I came home from work early. When I got out of my car I saw her peek through the blinds to see who was outside. I walked in the door to her coworker on the couch, obviously uncomfortable and clothes messy and her locked in the bathroom. I wanted to pummel him then and there, but he was a trained mixed martial arts fighter, and I would have left the house that night with more than a broken heart.
I went to a friend’s house for a while. They started dating the next day. It took a while for me to get trust back in relationships.
17. 5 Cents Short
My lowest moment was being a broke college student. I once tried buying a single pack of ramen because I got hungry late at night. I ended up fumbling through my pocket for change and realized I was like five cents short. The guy behind the gas station counter finally said, “Man, just take it.”
18. Tales of the Underwear
My husband went to Hawaii for a business trip without me or the kids. Like a good wife, I packed his clothes before he left and unpacked his dirty laundry when he returned home. I found a tiny pair of white cotton panties (no lace) in his suitcase. He had recently dropped a lot of weight (more than 100 lbs.) and played it off that he had bought them for himself. They had no label and were simple bikinis so theoretically could have been men's as well.
It did sort of explain the pretty brunette that followed him off the plane at the airport and kept looking at my kids and I at the luggage carousel (what a jerk to make his side piece come face to face with his wife and kids). But at least I got an ingenious revenge. I made sure he wore those panties at least once a week for the remaining few months we were together. I set out his clothes every day and he couldn't protest.
19. Creature Discomforts
I had just turned 11 and had friends over for my birthday party. I brought people upstairs to show them my hamster. I get to her cage, look inside, and she’s dead. Devastating for little me, awkward for all my friends.
20. Painful Realization
When I was 16, I came home about 15 minutes late for dinner, and my dad punched me in the shoulder and said he wished he would never had adopted me. Apparently, I was late for dinner more often than I thought or he just had a stressful day at work. I don't know. That was the day that I found out I was adopted.
21. My Favorite Sweater
I was a poorer kid growing up. My parents couldn't afford to buy clothes at Macy's or Bloomingdales, and, in the 90s, it was all about what brands you wore. Thankfully, that's not really the case with kids today. They have their own new set of issues. Being poor, I had maybe 2 pairs of jeans and 4 shirts I'd cycle throughout the week and 4 sweatshirts during the winter.
I remember being in 8th grade and close to graduating sitting in class one day speaking my mind that I had hope things would be different in high school, that people would mature, and that these material things wouldn't define people, and that I was starting to get frustrated with all the hate and negativity. When out of the corner of the room, this girl Jen yelled out, "The only reason you're upset is because you don't fit in...you and your orange sweater!" I don't know why, but that statement hit me like a ton of bricks...I just shut down after that and was pretty isolated until graduation a couple of months later.
Thankfully, I was right about high school! People stopped giving a hoot about what you wore. I mean kids were coming to school with 3-foot-tall green mohawks. Oh, and Jen, she ended up having three kids and works a dead-end job somewhere in retail and drives an ugly old car. I've travelled half the country with my line of work and make great money. I hate you, Jen, and I STILL have that orange sweater!
22. Evil Stepmother
I was seven months pregnant. One night, my husband's phone was going off in the middle of the night. My husband went to the bathroom, so I looked at his phone to see what was going on. I was mortified. It was a text from a girl talking about how excited she was to be a step-mom. Can you believe it? A step-mom, to MY child!
23. Weight of the Battle of the Bands
I was 14 at my first ever gig, which was at a community building where a bunch of high school punk and metal bands played on Friday night, so there were maybe 50 kids tops. My parents had finally let me go with my friends who went often. I spent all my money on new clothes and spent hours getting ready. And while waiting for the first band, this guy a few years older who was in front of me turns around and looks at me dead in the eyes and says, "You really are very hideously ugly." I still hear that voice in my head when I look in the mirror some days even ten years later.
24. Tough Love
When my mother told me on my wedding day not to lose this man because no one could ever love me. Same day telling me in my wedding dress not to gain any more weight because if I have a baby I’d basically be fat forever. When I was 14 and super sick one summer I couldn’t eat. Was down below 100lbs. My mom told me I should go put a bikini on so she could take photos because I’d never be that skinny again.
I had just fainted a couple hours earlier because I hadn’t been able to eat. She just oozed all her own insecurities all over me my whole life. My husband and I have been married almost 16 years. He has spent our entire marriage undoing all of the damage she has done. He’s a saint.
25. Closed Quarters
I owned a house with my fiancé. I woke up in the middle of the night and he wasn’t in bed. I went searching. His truck and another vehicle were in the driveway. I went upstairs and found the guest bedroom was locked. After barging my way in I found him with another woman in bed. That bed happened to be my childhood bed.
He forced me out of the room. He literally grabbed me by the neck and pushed me out and closed the door. I ended up leaving and staying with his parents until dawn. I moved out that weekend and let the house foreclose. Nine years later it’s finally off my credit report, I’m happily married to an amazing man and we own a beautiful home together.
26. Blackout
My lowest point was my last semester of high school/first semester of college. I drove most of my friends away for a long-distance relationship with a girl who I later realized was truly awful to me (we were very much not right for each other). She broke up with me over text. I realized how depressed I was, but was too truly miserable to do anything about it, and too isolated/good at hiding it for anybody to intervene.
Over summer/first semester of college, I indulged heavily in what I like to call my "positive vice" (exercise) and a very negative vice (drinking). For a full semester, I was exercising 2-3 hours a day, drinking 4 nights a week, and keeping up my grades in service of the facade. You can guess what my sleep schedule was like.
Then one day, I finally hit rock bottom. I drank 24 oz or so of the hard stuff, blacked out, and almost choked on my own vomit. I had a dear friend who took their life a year before that and I promised myself I would never do that to the people around me. After that point, I quit pot, quit drinking except for when I feel actually happy, and have slowly built up a better social circle.
I got pushed into a relationship where neither party was emotionally recovered enough for yet by someone who fancied themselves a matchmaker, which recently ended (coinciding with another deep depressive phase). Now is not at what I would call an amazing point in life, but I'm working on developing independent self-worth, which isn't something I've had any of for the past several years, and I think I'm slowly getting better.
27. You Have the Bank of Dad’s Interest
For my 11th birthday, I got my first camera. My dad took me to Argos to pick one out. He said the limit was £70, but the camera little me wanted was £85; it was this little Canon digital thing. He bought it then just came out with, "Happy birthday J, because that camera was £85, you owe me £15." He said this in front of all of the staff, and he continued to pester me for the money for another month before my mum found out what was going on and told him to stop.
28. Bad, Bad Girlfriend
I was in what I later realized was a very bad relationship, but at the time, this dude was like a religion to me. I was crazy about him. My best friend at the time was sort of a "mean girl,” but I wasn't very good at making friends so I put up with her being cruel to people. She would never do anything to hurt me right?
Anyway, that relationship started getting abusive, but I kept with it because you know; I was young and stupid. I convinced myself that if I tried a little harder, everything would just fix itself. It didn't, and after a few months, we broke up. Sometime later I was at a party, and my "friend" was a bit loaded. She told me (laughing the entire time) how she and this jerk were sleeping with each other two weeks after we started dating.
She details how they would sleep together while he was talking to me on the phone and then laugh about it. She went on to detail all of the ways and places they used to sneak around to sleep with each other. And this was the girl I would cry to when my ex would hurt me. She didn't seem to have any idea that what she was saying was screwed up.
She actually thought that I would think it was funny too.
29. Like a Phoenix From the Birthday Ashes
My 21st was like rock bottom. My girlfriend left me, I got fired, and kicked out of my parent's house. It was mostly my fault, but it didn't make it any less bad. My life pretty much fell apart for a while after that. I'm 23 now, almost 24. Thanks to my biological father, an actual social life, and a new circle of friends I wouldn't trade for anything, I'm doing pretty well nowadays.
30. Party for None
My mother had just moved us in with our stepdad. It was summer; they met that winter and we moved in in the spring. Yanked us out of our schools and we went to tiny horrible local schools. It was a miserable time and my new stepdad was VERY unpleasant (and it escalated to emotional torment quickly). I was not allowed to have contact with any of my friends, the friends I grew up with. No email, nothing.
So, they tell me I can have a small birthday party and invite my friends, the ones I miss and grew up with. I’m so excited. They make plans. I make plans. My parents have me clean the entire house and I do it all, happily; I finally felt heard! The day before, after doing yard work, because party, my mum calls me out to the garage and says she’s sorry, but the party won’t be happening.
She’s contacted my friends’ parents and it’s all off. Why?? My stepdad is having a friend to visit that day. On my birthday. I was gutted. The day of? My birthday is not acknowledged beyond a verbal happy bday at breakfast. To the point where when it finally came up during the visit with stepdads’ friend, this friend looked pretty appalled.
He said, “I didn’t know it was your birthday” and seemed so sad and confused. That night, my mum said she and my stepdad were going to a coffee place. I asked to come; maybe a donut? No. “You can stay here, right?” That stupid pleading mom face where they ask your permission not to prioritize you. It sucked. A super sweet 15 lol.
31. Not Everyone’s Favorite
I have always had self-confidence issues because of a belief that nobody could ever like me. I started to get over that feeling at my last job because it felt like I was getting along with everyone, and I began to feel relaxed and accepted for the first time in my life. Then one day, I was talking to one of my coworkers who I thought I could almost call a friend, and when I said something, I heard him say under his breath, "Ugh, no wonder nobody likes you."
I tried to keep a straight face, but this was at least 5-6 years ago, and I still can't accept the thought that I will ever actually have friends.
32. Bullied Where It Hurts
When I was 10, my father was hurt in a work accident and was in ICU for quite some time. It was touch and go for a while. I guess my teacher had a talk with the class and told them to be sympathetic with me. At recess, the class meanie chased me around the playground chanting, "Your dad's going to die! Your dad's going to die!"
33. Marriage Gone to the Dogs
My wife walked dogs for work. She said she was going on late night walks. She's kinda dumb though and had her incriminating pictures synced to the kids' iPad. My daughter asked me, "Daddy, who is this?" So the kids and I left to go see my mom, after my wife denied it up and down. I get a notification from our security system that there's movement in the apartment.
I open the app, and I see that the guy is there and she's taken down all the family pictures. I got to hear and watch them make out. I could only sit and breathe very heavily in anger. I called her, and she denied it, saying she's at work. I found out who the guy was through her Facebook likes. I messaged him all of our family pictures.
He just sent back a thumbs up and blocked me. I also found his business website (he was a life coach!). So I emailed him, and he wrote back a huge apology email saying she lied to him. I tried to forgive her for the kids—not knowing I was making a terrible mistake. So now it's a Saturday morning and I want to take the kids to the park. My wife says she has to work, but she still has her iPad synced to her phone.
When we get back, the kids want to FaceTime grandma. I opened the app, I saw that she called him when she was at work. So now she finally fesses up. There is a huge fight, and she blamed me. She says, “A wife with a good husband wouldn't cheat.” Then she hit me in front of the kids and threw my phone and keys off a fourth-floor balcony.
I moved out. Not a day goes by where she doesn't beg and plead for us to get back together. Now love is trauma for me, and I cannot let anyone love me without me assuming something sinister is behind it. I don't care about her at all, and it makes me want to throw up every time she tries to speak to me. It sucks because I have to deal with her for the rest of my life for the kids.
34. Tummy Problems
I was 8 or 9 and waiting to cross the street to go to a fair that sets up across the street from my uncle's house every year. I was excited as I really love the rides. My mom took the pause as an opportunity to grab a handful of my stomach and say, "No funnel cake for you tonight, big girl." It stuck with me 14+ years later.
35. Icing His Foot
When I was engaged, my fiancé was rarely interested in talking about wedding planning. A couple times I joked that he must not really want to marry me, and he'd laugh it off and say he was just exhausted from work, etc. I was genuinely joking and not reassurance-hunting joking. A month before our wedding, he broke up with me.
I was devastated and pretty blindsided. At one point I asked him why—but his answer only made me feel worse. He said, "You saying I must not want to get married because I didn't want to wedding plan made me realize it was true. You were right; I didn't want to plan the wedding because I don't want to marry you." Granted, it was a break up, so most of what he could have said was going to hurt, but that...that hurt more than anything else. I'll never forget it, and it's been almost 5 years.
36. Snooping for Better and Worse
Best mate from school decided he liked my girlfriend. Her phone went off while it was sitting in front of me one day and I noticed it was from him so I glanced at the message…and my stomach dropped. ”I'm so in love with you too, I just don't know what to tell him but I guess it’s his problem, not ours babe.”
37. Two Much
I had a customer who was holding and examining an awkward, fragile, and expensive item with one hand. I asked her to please hold it with two. She turned to look at me. She only had one arm. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
38. Crushing Blow
When I was eight years old, we took a field trip to the Field Museum here in Chicago. During our lunch break, I decided to wander off to the gift shop and see what they had. I had a huge crush on this girl named Victoria in my class and I saw this ladybug ring on sale for a couple of dollars. I knew she liked ladybugs and I had money my parents gave me to buy something at the shop, so I decided to buy the ring and give it to her.
I was really nervous and kept waiting for the right time to do it. I eventually decided to just go for it and walked up to her near the end of the trip. She was with some of her friends, which made me more nervous, but I finally found the courage to do it—and I couldn't believe her cruel reaction. She looked at the ring and laughed. Her friends joined her and she then tossed the ring in the trash.
I was completely devastated and tried hard to hold back my tears. Even though I'm over it now, that completely screwed up my confidence with girls for a long time. Looking back, I may have embarrassed her too, giving it to her in front of her friends, which is why she reacted that way, but whatever the case, it's probably the most embarrassed I have been in my life.
39. Spelling “D”
Fifth-grade spelling bee. I made it to the school-wide level, which was the third round in. First I had to beat my own class, then beat the other fifth-grade classes, and next was the whole school. My first word was biscuit. Easy. My second word was soccer. Also easy. Except for the fact that I was a bit nervous being up on stage, with the whole school in attendance, including my mom who was there for support.
It got in my head a little bit. I heard soccer and thought, "Okay, this is easy. Remember, there are two C's in soccer. Two C's, two C's..." *step up to the microphone* "C...O..." *instantly knew what I did* *facepalmed myself in front of everyone* *dead inside.* Despite this realization, and the fact I had already lost, my brain kept the letters mixed up as I spelled the rest of the word. "...S-S-E-R." COSSER.
Any COSSER fans here? Or, as you may call it in your country, BUTFOL?
40. Invitation Only
I was a chauffeur for the Guatemalan embassy. I was invited to a dinner with the Guatemalan ambassador and the ambassador’s son had invited me. She walked up to me after I sat down and said, “This table is for my guests. You're not one of my guests. Maybe you'd like to go wait in the car or something." It was the tone more than the words.
I gave the BMW keys to the hotel valet and told the second in charge the ambassador can drive herself home. I quit that night. It was not the first time she insulted me.
41. Wanna See a Card Trick?
In 2014, I woke up on New Years Day in horrible pain. I ended up needing emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder. I was a single mom to two kids under five and had just moved back to my hometown after living out of state. We'd had to leave a really bad living situation and had only been back about a month and I had not found a job at that point.
I had had a really close family friend who had been living with me before I had moved back and he ended up homeless so I bought him an $80 bus ticket and got him back to our hometown and let him stay with me a few days. He quickly found another place to stay, but we had invited him to my youngest son's second birthday, which is January 6.
I was like four days out from surgery and could barely make it down my stairs at this point, so he offered to go and pick up the pizza and cake for my son for me. We didn’t have a huge party or anything. I was on food stamps and had cash assistance since my son’s dad was not involved at all and did not pay child support. Even so, I offered for him to get himself a small pizza to take back to the girl he was staying with since her and her kids couldn't make it over.
So party goes great, everyone has a good time, especially both my kids. A few days later, my grandma was going to go grocery shopping for me, so I go to get my card and realize it's not there. I never got it back from the guy, and I forgot he even had it since I was all doped up on pain meds from surgery. I tried calling him like five times and he didn’t answer, so I get onto my account online to check my balance and he took everything.
I had like $600 in cash (paid my rent and bought my kids the things they needed), and then I had like $750 in food stamps. All of it was gone. He let the girl he was staying with convince him to swipe my money from me. I'd only used the money to buy the bus ticket, and the pizza and cake for my son since I'd been in the hospital for the first four days of the year and only home for two after that.
It is still to this day the most intentionally screwed up thing anyone has ever done to me, mostly because it was such a huge screw you to my kids. Like who takes money from a single mom recovering from a lifesaving surgery, on her kid’s birthday? Especially after I helped him! Like wow.
42. Unleash the Karen
When I went to the pool with my family, my aunt forgot my cousin's activity access card. Basically, in our town you get this one kind of ID card that allows you to get books at the library, prove you live in the town, and in this case, go to the pool for free all summer, otherwise you paid 10$. My aunt, by the way, is usually the chillest person ever.
I assume she's gonna pay the fee and so I take my 10-year-old cousin toward the female side of the changing rooms. Then, all of a sudden, I heard a deafening screaming. "HEY. YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE /insert cousin name here/ UNTIL I FIX THIS WITH THIS WITCH." I turn around. My aunt starts yelling Karen-style at this poor summer worker who must be about 14. She’s screaming that she always comes to THIS pool and it's UNACCEPTABLE to make her pay when they ALWAYS have the card.
My cousin had to stay and WATCH THROUGH THE GATES because she couldn't go in and my aunt just took the car and left. I paid so she could come in with us instead of, y'know, crying her eyes out because her mom can't be darned to pay $10.00. She came back huffing with the card and nearly threw it at the employee before even realizing her daughter in the pool. She didn't even look for her.
I wanted to die.
43. Decorated Mother
I was in hospital recovering from brain surgery a week before Christmas. My mother told me, "You have completely ruined Christmas for me. I haven't even had a chance to write my Christmas cards!" That really hurt especially as she didn't come straight away when it was an emergency and I was admitted because she was doing the church flowers, which were more important.
44. Not the Girl Next Door
I grew up next door to a girl who had the same birthday as me and the same first and middle names as well. Obviously, we got a lot of comparisons, which I didn't usually mind. But in sixth grade, we were in different classes, and a girl in my class walked up to me and said, "Everyone took a vote, and we all decided we'd rather have the other Heather in our class than you."
I've heard some cruel things, but that was so needless. What was the point of that information? Like they all got together and voted like we'd be required to switch or something?
45. Freaky Friday
June 1, 2018. Normal day. A Friday. My husband had kissed me goodbye and gone to work. I was cleaning the house for friends who were coming to stay the weekend. The doorbell rang. There was a man at my door who introduced himself as the husband of a woman who my husband worked with. He was there to tell me that my husband and his wife were having an affair.
He had busted them about six months prior and had told his wife that she had to end the affair. He thinks that she did end it, but only for about three months, and then they started up again. When he found out they were at it again, he called my husband and told him to leave his wife alone or else he would come and tell me everything that was happening. Apparently, my husband thought that he was bluffing. He had no idea what was coming.
I was literally the last to know. My husband never came home again. He got a rental unit and a lawyer. The divorce was December 21, 2018. We had been together for 24 years. Still hurts.
46. Pure Jealousy
My buddy introduced me to a lady-friend of his at a party. I took an interest in her, asked my buddy if he was cool with me asking her out and he told me to go for it. She and I had what I thought was a great date. My buddy called me the next day to tell me that the lady wasn't interested and couldn't see a way to let me down gently, so she asked him to tell me to break all contact.
About two months later, I was randomly calling various folks, decided to call the lady up and ask her why she had blown me off. She said that my buddy had told her that I wasn't interested and that I wouldn't be calling her anymore.
47. Don’t Have to Tell Me Twice
I was crying at soccer practice because my mom had told me that I was "really annoying," and I was telling my best friend what was wrong. She responded with, "Well, sometimes you are really annoying." I was 7.
48. The List
In seventh grade my "best friend" wrote a 10-page letter on all the reasons I should kill myself, and had all but one of my friends sign in agreement after I confided in her that I felt like something was wrong with me (early undiagnosed depression—go figure). The day she gave it to me was arguably the worst day of my life.
It also just so happened to coincide with my parents telling my sister and I that they were considering divorce, and my grandmother passing.
49. Birthdays Suck
I wrapped birthday presents for myself, sang birthday songs to myself with a cupcake that I baked for myself, and then unwrapped the presents and acted all surprised at what I got. Then I just broke down and cried. This is how I spent my 21st birthday and my 27th birthday. I didn't bother celebrating my other birthdays.
The 27th was because I invited people that I thought were friends over but they ditched me. So, I just ended up keeping the little goodie bags I made them for myself and basically told myself I'll never trust or open up to anyone again. So far? Been going better, and I don't regret it at all. Relationships, friendships, and stuff like that in my life have always ended poorly.
I know a saying, "if everyone smells like poop, check under your shoe." Well, I try my best not to be offensive or mean to people. I hope I don't upset anyone but I feel like it’s better if I just don't have friends or connect with anyone. Some people are meant to be alone and I guess and I'm one of them. I had to give up on some hopes and dreams, but if it means I can be happy well, so be it.
50. Plot Twist on the Playground
I had one friend. I was tormented by everyone at elementary school. Because my friend got the same treatment when they hung out with me at school, we only played outside of school. One day a popular kid asked to play with me during recess. I was ecstatic! Until after a while they said, "You're not as bad as 'friend' said you are.”
And that's how I learned the reason for all the torment.
51. Judging a Book’s Cover
On one of my college internships, I was standing in a hard hat and a reflective vest near a co-worker at a drill site next to a high school. A teacher pointed at my co-worker and told some students, "That is why you go to college. You don't want to be standing out there making minimum wage like that guy." My co-worker was a structural engineering PhD with his own practice...we used to have Christmas parties at his mansion in the foothills. It makes me question my own perceptions about people I do not know.
52. Free to Go Away
My older sister and I have different dads. I think my mom was either still in love with my sister's dad who we call Daddy or she just didn't love my dad, Papá, as much as she loved Daddy. Mommy and Papá used to argue a lot when I was younger, and usually he would end up taking me somewhere to get out of the house while my sister would stay with my mom.
One time, it was pretty bad, so he took me to play badminton, and when we left my mom told us to never come back. When we finally did come back, I can't remember if she'd locked us out, but I remember walking into the living room where she was sitting with my sister on the couch. Without even turning to look at me, she said, "It's fine if you go with Papá. I don't need you. I have your sister."
She's apologized for it a few times, but it really bothered me when I was younger.
53. A Dark Visitor
I was at work and a man came through the doors and asked for me directly. I introduced myself and he said, “Hello, your husband has been having an affair with my wife.” I was floored! It was eight days to our three-year anniversary. The affair had been ongoing for six months and this man had a slew of evidence to prove it.
We had lunch together, where he explained everything to me. It was his wife of 12 years, and they had four children together. I confronted my husband that night and he didn’t even attempt to deny it. He wasn’t even sorry. I moved out with our two-year-old daughter that night and we were divorced three months later. It’s been nine years now and it still blows my mind.
54. Slurring Disappointment
A little dark, but when I was a teenager, my dad's sister liked to visit. Normally, I wouldn't see my dad drink at all. He would maybe have 1 or 2 beers if a bunch of relatives came over. When my aunt was around, she would encourage my dad to go to bars with her. She was an alcoholic working as a bartender.
He called me and asked me to pick him up because he knew I try to be a good son, and he’s picked me up when I was underage mess. He didn't care if I drank as long as I was safe about it or told him in advance that I'd need a ride. While I was driving him and my aunt home, she was passed out in back of car, and my dad was plastered.
Totally loaded, he looked at me and said, "I wish you were born a girl, so I wouldn't be so ashamed of such a sissy son." From that point on, I stopped trying to do things to impress and gain his approval and did what I wanted to do.
55. Decade-Late Notice
"I want to get married someday, just not to you," my boyfriend of 11 years and the father of my two children told me.
56. Stealing Bones
11 years ago my husband had a bone marrow transplant. While we were in the big city for this (three months) we had friends and family taking up donations and paying our bills with them. One of these "friends" kept the money for herself and let our bills go in arrears. When I found this out, my husband was basically fighting to live through the worst part of the recovery process of a bone marrow transplant. Made me sick.
57. Bitter Birther
I was 14, and I had just had my daughter alone. My mother was driving us back from the hospital after we stopped to buy the crib, changing table, and more clothes, and a stroller with my own money and got angry about the whole thing all over again. She told me I was no better than my cousin who lies and treats her mother like trash.
She told me her only regret in life was having me and that she would be calling my father to have me live with him. After six months of not speaking to me, my father calls me to tell me I can't stay with him because it'd cut into his drinking.
58. Ring Heist Time
My best friend stole my fiancé from me, just married her using the ring that YOURS TRULY bought. Profile picture now features her holding her hand up with that ring and everyone is pretending he bought it for her.
59. Not-So Pitch Perfect
This happened in my high school theater class. As a final project, we (and a partner, if we wanted), were to choose a song/monologue/dialogue to perform. I had a dear friend, Emma, with a brave heart. She chose the song "All That Jazz" from the musical Chicago, which is a hard song even for seasoned performers.
In Emma's sixteen years of life, no one had told her she was tone-deaf, nor had she figured it out for herself. You could feel how uncomfortable everyone was when Emma started to sing. Luckily, we weren't a bunch of jerks and politely tried to sit through it. We were quite close-knit, and mainly just proud to see our friends perform.
Everyone had chosen their favorites and were so excited. So, we were painfully letting Emma sing her way through the song, until...cue Ms. Ellen. She was hired as a front office person. She answered the phone, took care of attendance and kids whose parents called them in sick, etc. It was her dream, however, to be in the performing arts. So, stupidly, our theater teacher took on Ms. Ellen as an assistant director.
None of us liked her, or this idea, but I still can't believe what she did that day. After the first verse, Ms. Ellen began to sing the correct(-ish) pitch over Emma. I was horrified. She immediately lost all confidence she had and hurried her way through the rest of the song. The second-hand embarrassment was so tangible it was heartbreaking.
60. My Father Once Said
I always wanted to be a pilot like my dad. It was the only career I was interested in. It was my first time driving on the freeway, and I only had my learner’s permit. My whole family was in the car, and I didn't know where I was going. I panicked and cut a guy off while trying to get off at my exit, and then I stopped at the light.
This is when my dad turned to me from the passenger's seat, and with a blank face told me, "You could never be a pilot. You are too emotional under pressure and could never handle an emergency situation." My dream of being a pilot blew up right then and there, and over 10 years later, I am still sometimes hit with paranoia about my emotional control.
61. My Birthday Was a Hit
10th birthday. My mom got a pinata. My best friend was trying to hit the pinata. On his backswing, he clocked me right in the forehead, but on his forward swing, he broke open the pinata. All of my friends saw the candy and immediately rushed to it while I was laying on the ground bleeding with a huge gash right above my eyebrow.
I had to go to the hospital and get five stitches. I got no candy.
62. Fateful Nightcap
We had some visitors one night. It was getting late, so I went to bed, and left my husband and a mutual female friend downstairs drinking. I went down to say one last goodnight, and they were in the backyard. I opened the back door, and they fell on top of me, clothes in the process of being removed, her lipstick all over his face and neck. We’re in mid-divorce.
63. Public School Humiliation
In my sophomore year of high school, I was really socially awkward and found it difficult to make friends. I was also just beginning to get very depressed and lonely and had no confidence in my appearance and just myself in general. I was sitting with some other kids at lunch as it was a small school and we all sat together, and there was this girl I was kind of into there. None of them knew I was there, but a few of the guys were talking to this girl about who she was going to take to the Sadie's dance when I heard my name pop up.
It turned out that they suggested it as a joke, and she went on and on about how weird I was and was the ugliest kid in the school and she'd never go near me. Then she noticed me sitting there low in my seat. I thought maybe she'd at least fake an apology or something, but all she said was, "Ew, there he is! Have you been here the whole time? Why are you sitting with us?" And the whole table looked over at me. I ate most of my lunches in the bathroom after that one and transferred schools later that year. That stuck with me though.
64. Evidence All Sewn-Up
I was suspicious of my husband cheating, as he went to "play soccer with friends" way too often. He always came home already showered as he would sweat playing. One day I sewed his soccer socks together, and when he came back all showered I saw the socks were still sewed together, so I knew he wasn't playing soccer at all.
65. It’s Not You, It’s Him
In high school, I was dating a complete dick. He would pretty openly cheat on me, and then deny everything and tell me that I was being jealous and insecure. That he just had a ton of female friends and that I was imagining things. When people would try to tell me that he was making out with another girl in front of everyone at a party, or sneaking into their sister's bedroom, I would defend him and deny it.
Well, one evening, my dad had to go to school to pick up my little sister from basketball. He came home, called me into the living room, and sat me down. My pretty reserved, quiet father proceeded to embarrassingly tell me that he had seen my boyfriend in the high school parking lot making out with another girl. One of my friends no less. But that's not even the worst part.
He said my boyfriend locked eyes with him, smirked, and waved. I was so embarrassed and ashamed and my dad was so upset. He also got pretty annoyed when he realized that the news didn't exactly shock me. I wanted to sink into the floor, honestly. We usually didn't talk about feelings much in my house, and I had never told them about anything that had been going on with him.
My father just said, "Get rid of him. You don't need that in your life, we both know you can do so much better." He was right. However, my younger sister had seen too, and would always bring it up to twist the knife sometimes. Thankfully, I think everyone has forgotten it by now, but I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed in front of my father.
66. Lone Survivor
When I worked at a movie theatre, there was a woman who was sitting on a bench outside of a theatre crying. I sat down next to her and asked her if she was okay. She was older, probably mid to late sixties, and she looked me dead in the eyes and just said, "All my friends are dead or dying." I'll never forget that. I was maybe 16.
67. Everyone Loves Pizza
I still remember it was in fifth or sixth grade, and I was sitting in class next to one of my guy friends. Being a very young girl, I hadn't cared about my appearance at all up until this point. The boy sitting next to me said, "Why do you have a pizza face? What's wrong with you?" That night I made my mom go to buy me full face makeup, and I wore it every day until around age 20 when I took Accutane. My acne never really was too horrible, but that kid made me start my obsession with thinking it was disgusting.
68. Cruel Matriarchy
I wasn't even present for it, the person who said it is dead, and I didn't find out about it until after she passed. I married my wife in 2000. I was estranged from my family then, mostly from my mother. I cut her out of my life right around that time. Subsequently, my mother never met my wife until there was a family reunion of sorts in 2007 in Washington, DC to celebrate the 90th birthday of my great aunt. I introduce my mother to my wife and all goes well, I think—but I didn't realize the painful truth.
Two years later, in 2009, my mother dies. I recently found out that after the party where my mother met my wife, she, my brother and his wife were in a taxi going back to the hotel. My mother asked what everyone thought of my wife, and they made the usual noises. My mother apparently made a face and said, "Well, I guess there's someone for everyone."
It still infuriates me whenever I let myself think of it. My mother was unable to let anyone else experience joy, ever. My wife has made me the happiest man on the planet, and my mother couldn't stand seeing me happy. There was a reason I cut that harpy out of my life. After she passed, I'd started re-evaluating some things trying to find peace with her and her memory and trying to cut her some slack, I guess, for all the horrible things she did to me and my siblings growing up. After that comment? Nope.
69. New Glue Jeans
I had some "friends" who were always talking smack about me (found out from another good friend). One day I came to school in my brand new jeans that cost around €150 and they put glue on my chair while I was in the bathroom. I sat on it. I asked which one of them did it, none of them said a word. We went to the principal's office and these jerks had the guts to say that I put it there to get them in trouble.
Their parents were called and I earned around €200 and a new pair of jeans.
70. Indecent Proposal
Ex-wife actually asked me for her blessing to commit adultery with another married man. She was shocked when I said I don't support it. She went ballistic (she had severe mental health issues), went and did it anyway, and ended up in a psych ward. Two marriages ended and now the two cheaters are engaged. I was devastated at first, but it was a blessing in disguise.
71. The Worst Part is Not Knowing
Been very good friends for over two years. Their roommate moved out and they asked me if I want to move into their spare room. I was very happy to live with my good friends and I did everything I could to be the best roommate possible. After three weeks they found another source of income and kicked me out. First, they offered to help me find another accommodation but the next day they changed their mind and just told me to leave by the end of the month (it was seven days until the end of the month).
They didn't speak to me ever again. When we met somewhere in town they acted like they’d never seen me before. I have no freaking idea what I did wrong.
72. No Return
I received a set of boxes in the mail with no return address on a Monday morning. When I opened the boxes, I started noticing stuff that was my mom’s; it was her handwriting on notes. This seems to be some sort of care package from my mom! Great, I was in college at the time and could use some free stuff. As I opened more, there were all these documents? I was confused...then I found the note.
My mom committed suicide, but planned it all out. She sent me a list of “things to take care of now that she’s gone.” Now I hate getting packages.
73. Win Some, Lose Some More
My biological father lost his life in a car accident on my second birthday while driving home to the birthday party. Then, on my 16th birthday, my mom and stepfather decided that it was an appropriate time to tell me that they were splitting up.
74. Go Getter Outta Here
I was extremely excited when I started my job, and I came in with a real go-getter attitude hoping to really prove myself and blow everyone away. About 4 months in, I was told that I had been and was still acting very arrogant, and it was leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouth. It genuinely crushed me because of how excited I was.
The whole time I thought I was doing really good, and I was impressing them by catching on really quick in training only to find out it had the exact opposite effect. Now, I have a few people who still look at me that way, and I can tell. I lost my drive for a good while after that. I even started looking around for a different job for a bit before I decided I'm not going to let it get me down. I'm still going to impress everyone just by trying to be humble while doing it, I guess.
75. Surprise Witness
A woman I thought was my friend (we worked together for years, our kids were friends, I helped her and her husband out when he was having mental health problems, she was in my sister's wedding party) appeared in court as a witness for my ex-wife in her bid to gain full custody. THANKFULLY she failed and I now have custody of my kids.
I haven't spoken to my "friend" since.
76. No Texting at the Table
He had the audacity to text another woman at my dad's birthday dinner at the table. He had her name saved as "Sam," which was a work friend of his. I made him come talk to me outside and he lied saying it was an old girlfriend from high school who was going through a divorce and needed comfort. I knew this was a lie because he had no girlfriends in high school. I started crying and he told me to STOP CRYING.
That was when I knew our marriage was over. How dare he be so callous to me when I just found out that he was cheating on me? I found out he had been texting random women and hiring SWs. We've been officially divorced for more than two months now and today would have been our fifth wedding anniversary. Today sucks.
77. Rest Stop Rendezvous
I couldn't find my wife after she got off work one afternoon. I tried to call her cell phone with no answer. She didn't show up to the house until 9:30 p.m. She weaved a tale about getting stuck in traffic. I did some sleuthing and used a driving app that tracks your movements. I found out she had been leaving work early, going to the nearby rest area off of the expressway, and sleeping with a 20-something trucker she met at her previous job.
I decided to interrupt the festivities one afternoon. I showed up to the rest area, parked in front of his rig, and jumped right up to the door. The cabin shade was drawn. I withdrew the shades and saw my loving ex-wife going to town on this guy with a pipe in her hand. He had the gall to tell me to give them privacy.
Seeing my wife with some dude in a semi on the side of the road was horrific. I didn't handle it very well. I called the authorities, they were both taken in for possession, and I promptly filed for divorce. The icing on the cake is that a few months after I left, she cheated on her new trucker friend and is well on her way to her seventh "friend." Godspeed, you wet, musty nightmare.
78. Screw It, Joining the Navy
In high school I was in love with one of my best friends (I'll call her Jackie). Jackie and I dated a little bit then right before prom I found out she was screwing my other best friend (I'll call him Sam). Turned out they were going to prom together and had planned on never even coming to pick me up. I confronted him about it and he spread rumors around the school that I smacked Jackie around and emotionally tormented her.
I found this out when I arrived at the prom and had a mob of people drag me behind the hotel and beat me until I couldn't scream anymore. Nobody ever believed that they lied so I joined the Navy to get away instead of going to the college I had planned on attending with my friends.
79. Looted
As roommates in college we purchased furniture and electronics for the house, the agreement being that when we graduated and moved out that one would buy the other out. The day comes when my roommate begins packing up for his new job in another city. I say my goodbyes and head to work for the day. I return eight hours later to an empty house. Douchebag took everything he could.
80. The Waiting Game
Freshman year of high school, I had a crush on a girl. All year long, we would flirt and talk. I was too much of a coward to ask her out, but not enough of a coward to leave it be. We leave for summer, and I think to myself, “Man, good thing I didn’t ask her out, that would have been so embarrassing!” Just me trying to justify how much of a punk I was being.
Next year begins. On the first day back, I had class with her best friend. As she talks to the girls in the class, I overhear a whisper: “Yeah she (crush) and X (her new boyfriend) have been together for a week. I never thought she would give up on you-know-who never asking her out.” I turn and see ALL of them giving me the side-eye.
Needless to say, I felt like garbage. It was embarrassing to say the least, and honestly a huge wake-up call. Never made that mistake again. SHOOT YOUR SHOT.
81. Don’t Call Me, Stranger
My sister and I got into a heated debate about beating your kids, and I bought up the higher suicide rate. Knowing I have a history of depression and self-harm, she looks me right in the eyes and says, "Well, at least then we'd stop getting calls from the school about you."
82. First(born) is the Worst
Family forgot my 14th birthday. I quietly told them at the end of the day. My dad yelled at me for not speaking up sooner, while my mom denied she forgot and was just "waiting" for the surprise. The surprise was $10 in a brown sack lunch bag. For context, that same year my sister's 15th birthday took place in a country club, and she got a brand-new car she wanted even though she couldn't drive for another year.
I got the last laugh though because I'm 100% independent from my family and happy, while my sister is 39, divorced, and has been living with my parents for the past four years to "save up" although she still spends all her and my parent's money on designer clothes. Anyway, I have a fine relationship with my family now because I never made a stink about this stuff and just moved on.
I eventually figured out I got the better end of the deal.
83. Check up, and Check Out
I went for my yearly check-up and tested positive for chlamydia. Turns out my ex was sleeping around. Neither piece of information I learned that day was good.
84. Insult to Reality
I got a stern talking-to from my dad when I was in my late teens about my attitude, behavior, etc., and I remember he said to me, "Sometimes you talk about things that you haven't the foggiest idea about, and you sound like an idiot. It's embarrassing." It hurt a lot at the time because I realised it was true. But lesson learned, I listen a lot more than I talk now.
85. Going Back Undercover
I was around some girl’s house for an after party a couple years ago, and for some reason or another, a load of us, both guys and girls, ended up in our underwear. It was all just for fun, really. We were all pretty loaded. I walk around the corner in just my underwear, and one of the girls looks at me and just goes, "eww" and walks off. My clothes were back on quite swiftly after that.
86. Rumors in the Hospital
I was in the hospital having my first child. Two of my friends were going around telling anyone who would listen that my boyfriend wasn't the father. My boyfriend never doubted me, and our son looks just like a mini version of him. 15 years and three more kids later, the boyfriend is now my husband and those "friends" have been out of our lives for a long time now.
87. Adopting Resentment
I'm adopted, and periodically throughout my childhood, I would hear the words, "I will never have the daughter I've always wanted," when my mother didn’t approve of something I did. They would both remind me often that I had been specially chosen by them, so this knowledge made my mind boggle even more.
My mother was unhappy with me because I didn't like church, didn't want to sing in the choir, and didn't like piano lessons. Nothing like that good old Christian love and acceptance of all people. It was my mother who taught me religion was ridiculous through her hypocritical behavior my entire life.
88. Deadbeat Friend
My ex-best friend told me he didn't care about me...well, that sucked. Immediately cut contact while he asks our mutual friend how I am because he's worried. Screw off. His right to be worried left the moment he said he didn't care about me. After everything I've done for that guy...This was a while ago, but sometimes it still feels fresh.
It was probably one of his many manipulative games, but it was the last one I could handle from him. After all the verbal and mental torment from him. I'm somewhat proud of myself that I finally cut contact, but I’m afraid that when he tries to crawl back into my life, I'll fall for it all over again.
89. A Ghosting of a Gift
21st birthday. The week leading up to it my (now ex, thank goodness) boyfriend had been ignoring me, typical stuff. So, the day comes, we take a boat ride (not my idea but hey, who cares it's only my birthday). Naturally after we end up at the bars, working our way back home and surely enough I'm loaded by the time we get there.
So, seeing this, he decides that now would be a good time to pick a huge argument with me in the middle of the bar, followed by a dramatic exit so he could smoke a cigarette, or so I assumed. It wasn't until I realized it had been like 20 or so minutes that I walked outside to realize he had left me there.
Yeah. That one definitely takes the cake for me.
90. Major Stomping Grounds
One night, I was telling my ex about how I'd decided to major in microbiology, and in return, he said that I would never be able to get a job working with infectious diseases with a Middle Eastern last name and asked if I really thought anyone would let someone like me handle anthrax. I try not to think about him at all, but sometimes I'll remember that, and it still gets me that anyone could be that cruel.
91. Dads Aren’t All They’re Cracked Up to Be
I was 15. I was supposed to hang out with my two best friends and go to the movies. My dad, who has never been in my life, showed up and guilt tripped me into coming with him so he could do something with me for my birthday. He promised a dinner and to bring me back so I could hang with my friends. We ended up going to some dudes’ house he lived at, where my dad proceeded to smoke crack and fall asleep.
So, I spent my birthday sad, hungry, and basically babysitting my 39-year-old dad. Screw that guy.
92. But My Teacher Said
"You've got to be kidding. No one would ever date you." A high school teacher told me that after she overheard me telling a friend "I'll probably just ask X out" when we were discussing getting a group together to go watch The Corpse Bride. The same teacher later called me a Honky, which I was more confused about than anything as I'm Native American and am tan enough that most people back then assumed I was Latino.
93. No Romance in Rome
My wife and I were in Rome a few years ago on vacation. She got a text while in the shower and I found out she was cheating. I grabbed my passport, phone, and wallet, took a cab to the airport, and flew home without leaving a message or saying a word to her. I went home, packed my bags, moved out, and filed for divorce. I ghosted her the second I discovered it. The last conversation we ever had was she telling me she was going to take a shower.
94. A Simple Exit
Me and my wife were making love. I could tell it was different. I asked her if she was cheating on me. She said yes. We divorced soon after.
95. A Shocking Email
My ex-wife and I moved across the country for her job. I’m a teacher, so I can get work just about anywhere. She decides to get her degree to become a Certified Public Accountant, and apparently there's like eight separate tests. She had a study group Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. Except every Sunday wasn’t a study night at all!
Sundays, I would soon find out, were when she and her boss would frolic at his house while his wife went to her parents'. Some study night. I only found out because she made a typo on her keyboard and accidentally sent me an email with her details of joy of how he pounded her in the hammock the night before. That came as a shock.
96. Your Kids Will be Fine
I had a friend for 20 years. He called me at night to ask to borrow $3,600. It was for his last year of a degree and would get him a raise when he graduated. At the time, I was making quite a bit of money and had lots in the bank. He said he would pay me back in a year. Three years later, after the crash, he still had not paid me back and was constantly giving me lame excuses like, he "needs three vacations a year" and "is saving to buy a house."
My situation had changed and he was still not only refusing to pay me back but still asking for favors and loans. I finally said I was broke to which he replied, "You are stupid, I am never going to pay you back or help you out." I dropped him as friend and have had very little contact with him since. He did hire my wife at a company he manages. I guess I should have seen this coming.
I had just gotten married and had two kids. Another time he said, "Your kids aren't starving!" He always just thought of himself. Could not care about anybody else. I guess I thought he was funny. Listened to his gross stories and finally enough was enough. Last time I talked to him as a friend he was asking me to get him some marijuana. I said it was way out of my way. I was too busy.
He said, "Too much to ask for eh?" I said, "Well, what would you do for me?" When you grow up with a guy, it just seems it is too hard to recognize he isn't really a friend. Kept this inside for a while. Don't have any friends from high school anymore because they were all like this. Should have hung out with a better class really.
97. Unloading a Cartridge When I Was Down
An ex-girlfriend of mine cheated on me and left me. I had to see her on a regular basis. She had gotten three of our mutual friends to harass me via text message, and I had declined to respond. The next time she saw me, she told me that I was, "A pathetic human being who would never amount to anything, a useless waste of space who can't do anything worthwhile, doesn't have a single creative bone in his body that no one likes and would go nowhere in life."
That hit me. Hard. It still hurts. However, that also turned me around some. It's 3 1/2 years later, and I'm known by a lot of my friends for making delicious liquors. I am a Blacksmithing Teaching Assistant on the weekends. My metal work is creative and unique. I'm cooking BBQ that wins the work competitions, and I have a house of my own now. She no longer has anything to say even if she wanted to.
98. Skirting the Issue
Setting: Junior high. Status: Awkward preteen. Style: Liked cats, very shy. I walked out of the school bathroom. Noticed after a bit that the popular girl in school was watching me, giving me a strange look. She then approached me, and wordlessly pulled my skirt out of my underwear that I’d just tidily tucked in with the rest of my uniform.
Then I just walked away to avoid my shame, as I’d just been walking around with my panties showing...
99. Exchange Your Dad for Store Credit
On my tenth birthday, I received a total of $200 from my friends. My neighbor had those electric pocket rockets that I always wanted for myself. So me and my mom went to the store and finally bought it. But when my dad saw it later that day, he said, "What the freak is this trash?" "Return it NOW!" Eventually, he returned it and kept the money for himself.
100. A Shard to the Heart
When I was about 8 or 9, my mom and I were walking the dogs in a park near a ravine. I had this big stick I found, you know how it is as a kid when you find that awesome stick, and I was going around knocking it on trees, rocks, whatever was around. I was just a kid in a park with a stick. Suddenly, I came across this bowl just sitting in the grass.
It looked like it was made of either coloured glass or plastic, and little 8 or 9-year-old me couldn't figure out what it was made of. Curiosity got the best of me and seeing as I had my new awesome stick, I decided to give it a little tap to see. I didn't even hit it that hard or maybe I did, I don't know, I was a kid, and it shattered into a ceramic mess with shards of blue everywhere in the grass.
Out of nowhere, the trees? the creek? Seriously, where. The. Heck. Did. She. Come. From? This lady stomps over and starts SCREAMING at me incoherently. Apparently, she would bring a bowl to the park to give her dog water. I was used to my dogs just drinking out of the creek, so this idea had never dawned on me before I tapped it with my stick.
Now I was a good kid. I stayed out of trouble, had good grades, all that jazz, and I knew it. I knew I wasn't an awful kid. But for some reason, I'll never forget the horrible words that lady said to me: “You're a terrible child. You're nothing but trouble." This was the only time as a kid that someone called me a bad kid, and it stuck with me for way too long. I still think about it sometimes and feel bad for breaking that lady's dog bowl. But not so much for the lady, I don’t care what happens to her, but for that doggo. Sorry I broke your bowl, doggo.
101. Nothing to Do with Appearances
I came out to my mom when I was in the 8th grade. My girlfriend at the time had told her mom who disapproved and threatened to tell my mom. I figured my mom would rather hear it from her own daughter. I come out to her, which was incredibly difficult, and she looks at me and asks, "Is it because boys don't find you attractive? Is that why you like girls?"
It's stuck with me ever since. I have never been able to see myself as anything other than ugly after that.
102. Not Like Mommy
I was a very tomboyish little daddy's girl growing up. Once, while sauced and angry, my mom told me, "The reason your Dad and I decided to have your sister was so that I could have a daughter." That one stung.
103. Must Be This Memorable to Enter
"You're easily forgotten." It was said to me by my best friend after I was the only one in my class not invited to a pool party. I guess she thought that was a better alternative to telling me about my classmates not liking me.
104. At the Host’s Discretion
Once, I had my closest friends over, and we were playing video games as per usual. Then one of the “group leaders” decides we should order pizza, but to his house, which is a five-minute walk away. I was last to walk out of the room because I was tidying up after everyone. My friend turns to me and says, "You can't come. I don't want you in my house."
105. Loose Lips Sink Ships
When we were about 18, my friend told me that his mom had just been caught cheating on his dad and how it was going to tear the family apart. I remember him even saying, "I hate my mom for this.” Later that evening, a few of us went for a drink. I arrived late and got some drinks in. As I sat down, the same lad was telling the group "I hate her,” so I said "Oh, I see you've told them about your mom then? It's so bad that she could do that to your dad." The second I said it, my stomach dropped, but it was too late.
He was talking to them about some girl we know. But now everyone realized I had slipped up about something big and he ended up having to tell everyone.
106. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I was playing video games with two of my friends who are brothers. One of them got killed in the game and the other had made absolutely no effort to rescue him. I was fighting the guys who killed him and we were joking on Comms that the alive brother was useless and I said, "God man, don't you care that you just lost your brother?"
I realized within about two milliseconds what I had just said. Their other brother had passed a month or so previously. Luckily, they laughed it off, but I definitely want crawl into a hole.
107. Living for Two
When I was 17, I was depressed and seriously considering ending my life, except I wanted to know how my mother had passed. She passed when I was two, so I never knew her. Before I decided on killing myself, I wanted to know how she had passed away. So one day in the car, it was just me and my dad and I asked him what happened to her.
He didn’t say anything for like a full-on minute and I was nervous about his reaction, so when I finally looked at him there were tears running down his face. It was at that moment that I felt like a piece of poo for wanting to end my life. What made it worse was that when he finally gathered himself, he told me she had hung herself due to her BPD (Borderline personality disorder).
I felt like an even bigger piece of poo. I knew I couldn't make him feel that way again. So I wasn’t living for myself but to stop him from going through that again.
108. Putting on a Show
I was in Greece, walking back to the hotel at night with this other girl. Some dude drove past and leaned out the window and yelled at us in Greek with a smile on his face. Other girl says they were probably checking us out, but I just brushed it off. We walk for another few minutes when I realize I am having a wardrobe malfunction.
My long skirt, which has a slit at the side, had ridden up and my knickers were on display. Also, they were pretty see-through too, so when the car's lights shined on us, they must have seen quite a lot.
109. Every Rose Has Its Thorns
In fourth grade, my school had a fundraiser around Valentine’s Day where you could buy a carnation for $1 or a rose for $2; it would then be delivered with a message to the person of your choosing. I liked a boy in my class, so I decided to buy him a rose and write a note from his “secret admirer.” I thought it was a baller move.
Well, I couldn’t wait for the rose to be delivered, so I wrote a note and slid it under his book when he got up to go to the bathroom. His friend saw because I’m about as stealthy as an elephant on roller skates. Friend took the note and read it out loud when the boy got back. The rose came not long after—and that's when it got truly horrific. The boy took it, looked at me, snapped the rose in half, and threw it in the trash.
110. It’s Not All Biology
I can still remember what the room looked like when she said it. My dad and I were sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, and his arm was around me. My mom was standing in the doorway with that look in her eye that told me rationality was out the window for the rest of the "conversation." There was an extra flare of schadenfreude as she said, "You're absolutely horrible. A waste. I wish you had never been born. You're just like your father."
She left, and I cried. You feel like an adult at 18, but in that moment, I felt like a kid again—crying into dad's shoulder again, asking why she hates me again, and thinking myself the devil incarnate again. That was the first time I asked him why he married her. He said, "I don't know. I really don't. But I'd suffer through it again to end up with you kids." Thank God I'm more like my father.
