Plot twists are commonly used in literature, film and television as a way to "shake things up" and keep the public hooked. Big reveals, changes, or jaw-dropping twists usually happen somewhere in the middle or towards the end of the story and they're often used to prevent audiences from predicting how the story is going to end.
But you can find the biggest plot twists in the real world, too. Just ask these Reddit users who shared stories of huge plot twists that completely derailed their lives.
High School Bandit
Reddit user FaveFoodIsLesbeans knew a guy in high school that had his whole life set up for what was going to be an amazing ride towards a great future. But one minor mistake sent him spiraling towards a mediocre existence.
“A guy I knew in high school got a full ride to a very prestigious, expensive private university for basketball. The summer before his freshman year at university, he was caught breaking into a car. That car happened to belong to the dean of the university he was going to be attending. The scholarship was pulled, he was expelled from the school and now he works full time at Harris Teeter.”
Not the Father
Most people grow up assuming that the man that raised them is in fact their father, but Reddit user GO-Kart discovered that his mother had lied to him for years about the man who pretended to be his old man.
“Up until I was 9, I thought my step-dad was my real dad. Parents got a divorce and I was pretty torn up. I wanted to live with my step-dad, but I couldn’t, and my mom wouldn’t tell me why. One day, I was going through my moms stuff (I was a nosey little bastard) and found a newspaper article for my father’s obituary. He died in a car crash when he was 24, and I was barely 18 months old when it happened. I still to this day don’t know why she lied to me about it, and I don’t even know if I should ask.”
The Big C
Reddit user Junk-in-my-trunk was told that the lumps in her breast were nothing more than benign cysts. But a year shy of her 30th birthday, she discovered that there was nothing benign about the lumps.
“At 29 years old I was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer which had already spread to my lungs and some ribs. Certainly changed the course of my life! Funny thing is I went to the doctor to have my lungs checked because I was having trouble breathing on my long runs. For 6 years prior to that the lumps in my breast had been passed off as cysts and dense breast tissue. “Nothing to worry about, you’re so young!””
Childhood Friends
Reddit user crazyrockerchick had made a cool new friend at school, but she had no idea that her newfound friendship was going to reunite her mom with someone from her past.
“This is kind of mine, and kind of my mom’s: When I was a kid, I moved to a different state, and eventually made friends with a girl at my new school. We eventually ended up having a sleepover at my place one night. In the morning, her mom came over to pick her up and get to know my mom and me. When our moms got to talking, they discovered that not only were they from the same state (that nobody involved had lived in for at least 10 years), but that they had played together as kids at the same church.”
Coming Out Confused
Reddit user AlbaDdraig wasn’t sure why his parents broke up or why his dad wasn’t in his life anymore. But a few years after coming out of the closet, he decided to give his biological dad a ring to tell him he was gay. And his response was even more shocking.
“Parents split when I was little. Came out to my mum and stepdad when I was 13. Phoned my dad up when I was 16 because it was time I had to let him know. “Dad, I’ve got something to tell you.” “Whatever it is, I love you.” “I’m gay.” “So am I.” “Whaaaaat?””
Cat Siblings
A deleted Reddit user considered his two cats to be extended members of his family, but as it turns out, his cats already had a genetic family member in their lives and they were under the same roof.
“Had two cats. Adopted them at different times, and they were the same age or close to.
They both got sick and had to be taken to the vet. He took blood tests on both of them, said he noticed similarities and then ran them against each other. I don’t understand what exactly he did but it revealed that they were related. Yep, brother and sister. They were adopted years a part, one as a kitten and one at 2 years old. Barely lookalike either. Honestly couldn’t believe it."
Uncle Daddy
Paternity test drama is a major plot twist on the talk show “Maury” and on a lot of popular soap operas. But Reddit user mike7seven felt like he was trapped inside a real-life soap opera when the truth about his father was revealed.
“My Uncle is actually my Father. I’m not referring to my Mother’s brother.
Backstory: My Mom slept with two brothers (at separate times). In the 70’s they could only give a blood test for paternity. I didn’t find out until I was 14 when we all took a DNA test who my actual Father was.”
The Nip Twist
For most of his young life, Reddit user ThisWormWillTurn assumed that what he had on his torso were two odd-looking birthmarks. But a closer inspection from his significant other revealed an interesting twist.
“For 17 years I thought I had two birthmarks on my torso. That is until my then girlfriend was curious about them and took a very close look at them. Turns out I have an extra set of nipples. Tiny but fully formed with areolas and all.”
Sister Mom
Reddit user sm4k worked with a guy who spent his whole life not realizing that there was something really messed up about his family tree. Then he ordered a replacement birth certificate to get a new passport and that’s when he learned the truth about his biological mom.
“I used to work with a guy in his early 20s that, at the time of the story, was getting ready to go with his family for his first trip out of the country. He was pretty excited and we were getting the play-by-play of all the things—where they were staying, what they were going to do, how he was preparing…
Specifically, he needed to get a passport, but his birth certificate had been lost. When the replacement one arrived, Mom’s name isn’t the woman he’s called Mom his whole life; it’s his sister. Turns out his “sister” had him super young, and his grandparents basically took him on and raised him as their son and no one ever told him the truth. So Sister was actually Mom, and Mom and Dad were actually Grandpa and Grandma. Real dad is unknown.
He took a few days off work to sort himself out, still went on the trip, still apparently had a blast.”
Single White Female
Reddit user WaymoresBlues thought she had gotten rid of her high school stalker long ago, only to discover that the man who eventually became her husband was once married to her stalker.
“When I was a senior in high school, there was freshman girl that “Single White Female”-d me. She would follow me around and tell me how cool and funny I was. She asked what hair product I used, what body spray, where I bought my clothes, etc.
I was not funny or cool, and honestly, it was flattering at first. She styled her hair like mine but it was high school in the ’90s and we all pretty much did our hair the same. Then she started dressing like me. Then she got involved in all the activities I was in. Then she started telling people we were cousins. She found my home number in her phone book (again, the ’90s) and would call me all the time. It was weird. I just went out of my way to avoid her.
After my graduation ceremony, she found me on the field and hugged me. She was sobbing—big, ugly, snotty sobs—telling me how she was going to miss me and school wouldn’t be the same without me there. I left and then completely forgot about her.
Flash forward nine years and I’m just beginning to date the man that is now my husband. We’re going through old pictures and I see this girl from high school. And I’m like, “Hey! I know this girl! She was this weird chick that stalked me in high school! Why do you have a picture of her?”
It was his ex-wife.”
Never Apart
Reddit user larriedbutmooking had landed a job on a tiny island, which was a dream come true because it meant that he could finally get away from his horrible, cheating ex-wife. But unfortunately for him, the fates brought them back together in the most interesting way.
“I graduated and got engaged to the girl I had been with through university. We both applied for the same graduate program and ended up working in the same office in Canberra.
Three months before our wedding, I found out she was cheating on me with our mutual boss, and I broke it off with her. Long story short, it got really, really ugly and the two of us ended up in a very bitter court case over property.
Canberra is a pretty small city and the legal world is pretty small there, too, and everywhere I went I bumped into my ex. It was beginning to seriously get me down (her too, as it transpired), and I applied for an Australian government overseas development job in Tuvalu, a Pacific island with about an 11,000 population. It’s quite a prestigious job to get, with only two positions offered for a two-year contract on a rotating basis.
I was successful in the application and moved on-island to start my posting. To discover that my ex was the other successful applicant.
I spent the next two years sharing a tiny office on a tiny island with the person that I quite honestly loathe more than any other in the world.”
Birthday Surprise
Reddit user antnunoyallebttr was ready to break up with his girlfriend because she was giving him some serious vibes that indicated it was over. And as it turns out, she really was plotting something behind his back, but it wasn’t what he had initially assumed.
“I dated a girl who lived in a city I had recently moved away from. On my birthday, I drove out so that we could be together/go out to dinner. The entire time we were at dinner she was distant and constantly checking her phone, sending texts, etc. There was virtually no conversation and her constant texting was uncharacteristic and started to give me the vibe that she was either cheating on me or just not that into the relationship anymore.
When we finish eating she asks if it’s ok if we stop by a mutual friend’s house to pick up some herbs. I reluctantly agreed, thinking it was a pretty selfish request considering it was my birthday and I don’t do that kinda thing.
As we’re walking up the steps to our friend’s apartment, I’m running through different ways for me to break off the relationship up until the door opens and I realize she had planned a big surprise party with a ton of my old friends (many of which she didn’t even know). All of the texts and lack of attention that I had been attributing to a lack of interest in me turned out to be the exact opposite. She’s a beautiful person.”
Hit the Mailbox
Reddit user pmw1981 recalls a time when one of their classmates arrived late to school because he had to fix his mailbox which someone had hit. But things got really interesting when the student overheard the one responsible for the accident talking about it in class.
“A guy I knew in high school English class was talking one winter day about how he was late to school because someone hit his mailbox. His folks made him fix it up before he went to school, so he missed his ride & had to walk instead, but the school staff was cool about it & didn’t punish him.
A few minutes later, another girl comes into class & she’s talking about how her morning sucked; she lost control going down a hill & hit someone’s mailbox. She freaked out & drove off before anyone witnessed it & described a few details of the house.
Mailbox guy puts 2 & 2 together & blurts out “You hit MY mailbox!” He wasn’t super mad about it & she turned beet red—it was hilarious at the time the way they both reacted.”
Grandma’s Boyfriend
Everyone thought Reddit user turnsouthewasreal’s grandfather was seeing an intruder in his house that wasn’t actually there. This wasn’t much of a surprise since the old man had dementia. But years later, they discovered that the grandfather had been right all along.
“During the last year of my grandfather’s life, he had dementia and was having trouble keeping track of reality. Before he was placed into hospice he kept complaining about a man that was in his house; he would say that he would come around at night and that he was taking his things and using his stuff. Grandma, of course, kept reassuring him that she was the only one there. His doctor increased his medications because he was losing touch with reality so badly.
Fast forward to my grandfather’s funeral and a man showed up that wasn’t known by more than a few people in the family. Turns out he was an old friend of my grandmother’s who showed up to give his support. In a small town like that, it wasn’t exactly an unusual thing to have random people show up to the funeral home who knew the person at some point.
Well, about a year later my grandmother lets slip that she is seeing someone, the guy from the funeral. At this point nothing too odd, they got to talking at church and we thought it was sweet.
Then a bit later, sweet innocent old grandma mentions that it’s their 3rd anniversary.
Grandpa passed away two years prior. This man was the person that Grandpa saw in his house every night. He was the reason that everyone thought Grandpa was going crazy, he was the reason that my grandfather was medicated to the point of being a vegetable for the last horrible year of his life.
Grandpa thought he saw someone in his house before he died, and turns out it was grandma’s boyfriend.”
Balance of the Universe
As a paramedic, one Reddit user discovered that fate is always looking to restore the balance of the universe. This became apparent when they saved a patient who nearly died, but soon encountered one of their loved ones who wasn’t so lucky.
“I’m a medic and one morning we had a call for an older woman, 70s if I remember right. She was having cardiac issues and was in compensated shock from a very low heart rate. From the time we got to her home to the time we were in the ambulance, she had gotten much worse. We paced her heart, and she was doing good the rest of our hour ride to the hospital.
About 16 hours later we get called for a rollover car accident. Get there and we have one male in the vehicle, unresponsive. The vehicle is upside down off the road. We get him out, he is in very bad shape. Wasn’t breathing, so we intubated him and off to the hospital we went.
We’re almost to the hospital, which is 30 miles away, and he goes into traumatic cardiac arrest. He was gone by the time we got to the hospital.
While we were on the way to the hospital we found his wallet, since we didn’t know who he was. Saw his badge: retired police officer and I remember from the morning, our patient’s husband was a retired officer.
He was on his way to see his wife. Unfortunately, he stopped somewhere else first first.
While it wasn’t my job, I went with the nurse to talk to the wife and let her know what happened. She thanked me for being there for her family so much that day.”
No College Required
In 2008, Reddit user WeWorkWonders found himself down on his luck, so he went looking for better opportunities in the land down under and what he found was so much better than anything he could have imagined.
“When the economy crashed in 2008 I lost my house, job, girlfriend, car broke down, and dog died all within a span of 2-3 months. No one would hire me (I didn’t complete college) and I didn’t have a “trade” or “skill.” I was broke, jobless and living at my parents at age 30 and very depressed. I sold off the broken car and used it pay for a one way flight to Australia (where the economy was good and I heard min wage was $15 hr).
I arrived with two duffel bags, no home, no job but confidence to get some job to last me until I could afford to fly home… At the least. Ended up getting a job. And upgrading jobs continually for 6 years. I’m now back in USA as sale director for a software company. I earn nearly 7x more than my wage when I left for Australia. All without a college degree.”
Love and War
A horrible encounter with a rude United States soldier during World War II led to an epic love match between Reddit user McMumbles’ grandmother and her future grandfather at a bakery in a small town in Australia.
“I’ll share my grandma’s (one of my favorites). As a young woman, she worked at a humble bakery in a small town in Australia. American soldiers were stationed in her town as they readied for deployment in the Pacific War of WWII.
One day, a soldier from NYC came in and tried to order something not on the menu. His accent was very thick and she (being a Scottish immigrant) could not understand him.
She was very embarrassed, but kept trying to assist him. After a couple minutes like this, the soldier got very impatient and started cussing and insulting my grandmother, the bakery, the town, etc. Well, my grandmother, a proud woman of small stature but surprising strength, came around the counter and punched that man hard in the chest. (I’m told she broke one of his ribs but that seems extreme…) She definitely knocked him over.
Fellow soldiers lifted the stunned soldier off the ground and back to the base where they told their CO the story. The CO panicked about ruining relations with the town and pointed to the nearest man. He asked where he was from (Illinois), and hearing no accent, sent him back to the bakery to apologize on behalf of the army.
The man did a wonderful job and made a good impression. And he went back to that town after the war. And he married my grandma and they lived happily ever after. They eventually moved back to the states but she refused to ever visit NYC.”
Permanent Disability
Being injured at work and ending up on permanent disability is the last thing most people want. But Reddit user longleglady was making the best out of a bad situation and best of all, the boss she despised got what she deserved.
“I was transferred to a division, within a few months my new supervisor and I hated each other. She was incompetent and I spoke up when she screwed up. She made my life difficult and finally decided to give me a job that she thought would make me quit.
I packed up my stuff in a box and asked for help moving to my new desk, she said she didn’t have anyone to spare. I was carrying my box and didn’t see a spill on the floor, ironically, just outside her office. I slipped, fell, and broke my knee.
I am on permanent disability, very legitimately, received a huge settlement, lifetime healthcare, retired early. She was demoted, then fired, partially due to the way she handled my case.
This all happened a few years ago, recently when my husband and I were grocery shopping, I saw her in the store. I didn’t want to see her, but my husband caught her eye and gave her a big “thumbs up”. She looked furious.”
Green With Envy
When Reddit user deadtomsdead started flirting with her cousin’s high school crush, the envious cousin retaliated and told everyone she was a teen bomber on the rampage to get him to lose interest in her. But in the end, she was the one who had the last laugh.
“I was a little goth girl in high school and secretly had a mad crush on an upper classman that was a wrestler and did cross country. My cousin, who was Miss Socialite, also had a crush on him and hit on him constantly. He and I were complete opposites. We rode the same bus and I was pretty sure I was invisible to him.
So one day his friends start picking on me, he gets up from the front of the bus, moves to where his buddies and I are, sits down next to me, throws his arm around me, and they stop. This ticks off my cousin as he and I become friends and he constantly ignores her advances. She later on goes on to have me expelled by saying I had a bomb and was going to blow up the school because she didn’t like this.
This ruined every friendship I had, except the one with my/her crush. He and I remained friends even after he moved away and then closer friends when he moved back. Today he and I are going on 4 years together, we bought a house and car, had a daughter, and are working on plans to build our next and probably permanent home. 10 years later the cousin is still greener than a Granny Smith apple.”
Misdiagnosed
Never trust a doctor’s first opinion. Always seek out a second opinion like Reddit user Laryethan did. She was told from an early age that she wasn’t long for this world, but as it turns out, the doctors were wrong.
“When I was around 8 I was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and some severe heart issues, everyone kinda just assumed I would die any day after that. Well come 8 years later I was still here and my doctors pretty much gave up on figuring out what is wrong with me so my parents decided to get a second opinion.
We went to mayo clinic and I was easily diagnosed with postural orthostatic tacacardia syndrome, something that is easily treated through exercise (in my case, pots varies a lot and can be much more difficult to fight for others), the opposite of what my doctors told me to do.
After that I was just like wow, now I have to plan my future.”
Twin Mix-Up
Reddit user mindovermacabre had fallen in love with one of her customers, but was disappointed when she discovered he was taken, or so she thought. It turns out that she could have had a shot at happily ever after with this guy if she had just known the truth about the person she had assumed was his fiancé.
“I was a Starbucks barista before the whole “names on cups” thing was big—or at least, it wasn’t really practiced in my tiny store.
There was this very cute guy who came in maybe 4-6 times a week. A little often, but nothing out of the ordinary. I flirted like mad. He flirted back. It was all great. Then he comes in with his fiancé. I was betrayed and treated him coldly from then on.
A month later, the two of him come in together and I find out that they are twins and I’d shot down any chance I had with the single one.”
Abusive Husband
Generally, when a husband acts like a jerk, there’s a really good chance that he is one. Reddit user Torein0 knew a woman who was married to a jerk. But it wasn’t until they divorced and he died that she learned why he was the way he was.
“I knew a woman who was going through divorce proceedings with her husband. He was always argumentative and borderline abusive towards her, certainly always shouting and demeaning.
Then, just as the divorce was entering its final stages he very suddenly passed away.
His autopsy showed that he had a massive undiagnosed brain tumor which had been physically altering his personality. His wife felt all kinds of guilty afterward and took it out on everyone she talked to and lost a lot of friends in the process.”
Grandpa’s Secret
Reddit user achybreakyballs thought he had his grandfather all figured out, but at his funeral, both he and everyone else in the family discovered that he had a secret family that only grandma knew about.
“My grandfather’s funeral. He was always a fairly reserved and distant father as far as I understood. Would fit the stereotype of a northern dockworker who comes home expecting dinner to be on the table and then goes to hang out with his friends all evening.
Anyway, an unsurprising heart attack later, we’re all gathered for his funeral. We’re a big but close family so we know everyone, including his friends. However, one guy turns up, about the same age as my dad and his siblings who nobody knows.
Long story short, turns out it was my grandfather’s son. From another family. From another marriage. That went on for as long as his marriage to my grandmother. My grandfather had maintained two marriages over 40 years, having 7 children with my grandmother and just the one with this other woman. They knew about our family and kept away and apparently, my grandmother knew about them but kept quiet.
Turns out he wasn’t going to hang out with friends every night.”
Birth Father
Although Reddit user aaareed had been adopted, he was pretty bummed to learn that his birth mother had passed away. But he took comfort in some of her belongings which he had received after her death. But while sifting through some photos, he discovered that his birth father had been with him all along.
"I was adopted from South America to the US when I was a toddler and have no memory of my birth parents. I had an older friend/mentor I met in college; I knew him as Mike. When I learned that my birth mother passed away, I got a few of her belongings including some pictures. Who was in these pictures? Mike. He was my birth father.”
Surprise Wedding
Reddit user RockG was in tears at his friend’s engagement party. Then again, so was his friend Jen’s fiancé after she walked out dressed like she was ready to get married. Spoiler alert: she was!
“A few years ago I got invited to a friend’s engagement party. They were throwing a huge bash because they were planning on a very small destination wedding. Later in the evening, my friend’s fiancé takes the mic and starts thanking everyone for being there. “Sorry, Jen will be out to thank you guys in a minute, she’s just having a wardrobe malfunction.”
He goes on to tell the story about how they met, how they were best friends and decided to get engaged and finished along the lines of “We wish you could all be there and that we could get married right now. So we’re going to.”
Out walks Jen in her wedding dress.
Engagement party turned into a surprise wedding.”
The Girl’s Address
Some people are so ashamed of what their home or neighborhood looks like because they’re afraid their date will judge them. But Reddit user armzz-110's friend found a back door solution to this problem... until she got caught.
“This girl I know was embarrassed by her home, so whenever her boyfriend would go pick her up she’d run to a subdivision like 5 minutes away from her house and wait at the end of the driveway for her boyfriend, and when he would drop her off she’d just walk into the backyard of the house and say that she goes in through the back door.
Her excuse was that her roommates were nosy so she didn’t want him to come in. She did this for almost a year until he knocked on the door of that house unannounced once and an old lady was confused.”
The Secret Sister
Reddit user CousinDarell always assumed that she was one of six children in her household. But when her dad revealed a deep dark secret, she discovered she was actually one of seven children.
“A few years ago my parents kept calling me trying to meet up so we can talk. I’m one of 6 to give you an idea. So they kept calling trying to meet up, but I kept avoiding it because I feared the worse. So finally my dad calls and ask if I can come over to his buddies house after work to help him move something.
I got off work and was walking to my car, and I see my dad standing by my car... he tells me to get in his car and says we need to talk... before he said anything I said I think I know what this is about, you and Mom are getting a divorce aren’t y’all? He said no and told me that I have another sister who was adopted out when she was born, due to their Financial situation at the time. Remember I’m one of six, well now one of seven. I was about 22 when he told me, I’m 27 now.
She’s 26.... how did none of us know my mom was pregnant?! Guess we were young, I mean I was around one and the oldest of us was maybe around 4-5. And two weren’t born yet.
Tldr; thought my rents were splitting, I have a sister one year younger than me, and she knew about us all along, and none of us kids did...”
Dodged a Bullet
Reddit user losingyourwords was ready to be in a committed relationship. Unfortunately, the guy she was seeing wasn’t, or so she thought. Then she saw him post something on social media that made her realize she dodged a bullet.
“I was seeing a guy for a few months and then he told me he didn’t think he was ready for a serious relationship yet—fair enough. Then he posted about his new girlfriend 3 days later, and now they are expecting in November. Plot twist or dodged bullet?”
Speedy Romance
As a Lyft driver, Reddit user LMBH1234182 was used to picking up all types of crazy passengers, but the engaged couple he had picked up seemed fairly normal. Then he learned how long they had been together and his jaw dropped.
“While driving for Lyft, got two people who had just gotten engaged. They were going back and forth about how much they love and trust each other. On and on. About 20 minutes into the ride, I found out that they met two days ago.”
Dad’s Separate Apartment
Reddit user AWildLexiAppears thought her dad was joking when he told her that he had a separate apartment. Then she and her mom discovered that he wasn’t joking at all.
“My dad joked to my mom and me about having a separate apartment. He also said he was certain I would pick him over my mom to live with (this was days before we moved into our new home). Turns out he really DID have an apartment and ended up leaving us.”
Keep It in the Family
Reddit user OutgrownShell was horrified when he learned that one of his relatives got engaged to an estranged family member they had never met before.
“Boy meets girl. Girl and boy fall in love. They are young and impulsive. They elope.
They’re related.
Turns out the dad and his family were estranged and the children never met each other…until they were adults and ran into one another. They both thought it amusing they shared the same last name. Imagine the tension and horror when the dad goes “Um…you’re the spitting image of my jerk brother, whom I have not spoken to in over 20 years. Y’all related.””
Egg-celent Plan
Reddit user UnexpectedMuscleMan put a plan into motion that caused his friends to start egging each other. The prank got so out of hand until things got violent and the cops were called in. But no one suspected who the culprit behind the sinister events was.
“Willy and Devin egged each other’s houses. Devin also egged Tristan’s house.
Events that happened after (in order): Devin egged Willy a second time because Willy did it once. Willy called the cops on Devin but nothing happened. Tristan keyed Devin’s car. Devin egged Willy once more in retaliation and even punched him, thinking it was him. Willy called the cops again, and Devin got fined heavily (I heard he got arrested but not sure about that).
None of them actually egged each other the first time. It was me.”
Worst Friend Ever
Reddit user Neil2250 thought he had one of the best friends in the whole world because he was helping him get over a horrible break up. But then he discovered that his best friend was really the worst friend he had ever had.
“My best friend started talking to me about my ex and my problems with her. I thought he was trying to be sympathetic for the first time in his life and trying to help me overcome my depression!
Turns out he was dating her the entire time! Gasp!”
Children of Divorce
Reddit user Octagore felt awful for one of their friends whose parents were in the midst of a nasty divorce. But they had no idea that they were soon going to need a shoulder to cry on, too.
“I found out my friend’s parents were getting divorced, and I thought “Oh my goodness, that’s crazy. I can’t imagine how bad that would be! It would suck to be him!” Then I found out my parents were getting divorced the next day. I was in 4th grade.”
Dead Camel
Reddit user SafariNZ discovered that one of his Saudi co-workers was inconsolable when he arrived in Saudi Arabia for work. Then another friend arrived and told an off-color joke, and the co-worker's response left him very embarrassed.
“While working in Saudi Arabia, I arrived at work to find one of my Saudi workmates very upset. An Australian mate arrived just then and ask jokingly “What’s happened, your camel die?” The Saudi workmate then burst into tears and said, “Yes, how did you know?”
My Aussie mate nearly died of embarrassment.”
Voodoo Husband
Reddit user TV_Fan recalled a story of a man who lived across from his grandparents who seemed to be the most devoted husband ever. But shortly after he left his sick wife, the neighborhood learned he was using the dark arts and something else to get rid of his wife.
“This is the short version of the story. My grandparents lived across the street from a very lovely couple who had their own successful business. The wife started to get sick. The husband insisted on taking care of his wife and making sure she had her milk every evening. She kept getting sicker and her sister comes to help take care of her.
One day the husband up and leaves. It turns out he had been poisoning his wife via the milk, in the garage he had a voodoo doll of her with the eyes scratched out, he had another family, had forged her signature on multiple documents for the house and had taken all the clients from their shared business. No one would have guessed the guy was capable of anything like this.”
That’s My Mom!
When Reddit user curiouscast1999 saw a guy being so chivalrous with his date, he was sure the couple was made for each other. But he later learned that there was a valid reason why their romance would never work out.
“I once saw a guy being really polite to a girl—pulled her chair out, held the door for her and offered her a drink…me and my friend were rooting for him to kiss her and when he didn’t, she left. We were like “Dude, why didn’t you kiss her?!” He goes, “THAT’S MY MOM.””
Life’s a Circus
Most people head to college to work on a degree that will help them become successful, but Reddit user kimataxyoku discovered that one of the smartest girls in his school took a radically different path that was loads more fun.
“A super smart girl in my high school—got straight A’s, scholarships, cute boyfriend. When it comes time for high school graduation, she’s doing speeches. She had made so many paths available for college. And then she ghosted.
No one has heard from her for a year. Then, at a local fair, we find her. She used some of her college fund to start a circus. She does fire spinning, acrobatics, hoops, everything. She got herself a group to travel with her. She’s been doing good. It’s been about seven years since she graduated and she’s honestly more happy now.”
Ghosted for Years
Reddit user 2PartridgesinaPetri thought she knew her best friend very well, but it turns out that she didn’t really know her at all because she was suddenly ghosted by her. Years later, she ran into her and discovered the shocking reason why she had pulled away.
“One of my best friends in college got engaged and married at the same time as me. We helped each other plan our weddings, look at houses, constantly talked about when we would both have kids, the four of us got together all the time and were really close. After my wedding (a few months after hers) she told me she was pregnant. We had lost touch for a couple months and I was thrilled and hoped this would bring us closer together again.
Then she goes completely no contact for months, won’t return my phone calls, messages, nothing. I was heartbroken and felt I had lost a family member. I tracked her down years later and around the time her baby was born she divorced her husband and moved in with her girlfriend. They now raise her baby together. We were close friends for years, still did not see it coming.”
The Embezzler
Reddit user EvieAnn’s mom had a co-worker who was like an extended member of the family, or so they all thought. But eventually they all learned that the woman was not who she appeared to be.
“My mom worked with this woman Debbie. She was nice and had no family herself, so she hung out with us a lot—she was with us on Thanksgiving. One day, Debbie disappears. Turns out, Debbie isn’t even her real name, and everything she ever said was a lie, and she had done this several times, pretending to be different people and scamming them.
She took my mom’s boss for about a half million dollars, embezzling from his company. They found her months later, after she had passed away. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in real life.”
Two Wives
A friend of Reddit user meditatorBear was stunned to learn that her great-great-grandfather who fought during World War I had managed to keep two wives a secret without anyone knowing.
“In primary school, we had a WWI memorial lesson and we were asked if anyone had any relatives who fought at the time. My friend brought in a picture of his great-great-grandfather with his wife.
A girl also brought in a picture of her great-great-grandfather with his wife.
The teacher said they looked similar. She put them side-by-side and looked shocked. We gathered around, and it was the same man who had kept his two wives a secret. Both had been married privately.
They were cousins and didn’t know.”
Never Went to Haiti
Reddit user HouPoop thought her sister’s boyfriend was a really cool guy. Who could blame them? The dude went to Haiti to help rebuild people’s homes after a devastating natural disaster. But a few months later, they discovered that the guy was not the saint everyone thought he was.
“My sister’s boyfriend decided that he wanted to do more with his architecture skills, so he gave his two weeks notice and moved to Haiti to help rebuild after the earthquake. They stayed together. He had bad phone service, so they mostly kept in touch through emails. He would send her long emails with photos and stories of what they were doing. This went on for a couple of months.
One off-handed tip from a co-worker and a week of sleuthing later and it turns out he never went to Haiti. He moved to Seattle to be with his fiancé and partner of 9 years.”
Not Wealthy
Reddit user sigshane felt a little envious whenever he saw one of his co-workers flaunting his fancy clothes and expensive watch on his wrist. But he later discovered that the guy wasn’t wealthy. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
“There is an engineering professional at my workplace that likes to wear pricey articles of clothing – he even sports a Brietling wristwatch (priced from $3000 to over $17000!) as his work timepiece. Turns out that he and his wife are buried beneath a mountain of credit card debt, and while I do not look down my nose at him, I definitely view his attire and accessories differently knowing that fact.”
Meanie With a Heart
Reddit user Bn_scarpia thought that his wife’s co-worker, who’s a lawyer, was a total dirtbag. But during a church-sponsored project for a women’s shelter, he discovered that the dirtbag had a heart.
“My wife, a defense attorney, has a work colleague who is the biggest jerk you will ever meet. A blowhard who revels in winning at any cost and brags about the snarky things he does to really twist the knife. He’s known as a sharp legal mind, but I get the sense that he likes to try to screw weaker ADAs or other counselors and loves it when he catches them in some technicality. He makes all those stereotypes about lawyers seem valid.
My church had a sort of habitat for humanity-esque service weekend where we were rehabbing an old warehouse into a new space as a temporary women’s shelter for battered women. The offices were already up, but the individual rooms needed to be refloored, the bathrooms re-tiled, sheetrock needed to be hung and primed. To my surprise, I saw the [jerk] there with a toolbelt helping to install a sink.
Long story short, he donates his legal services to that one shelter– helping to set up restraining orders, divorces, custody, etc. for abused women trying to get away from their abusive partners/family.
At first, I wondered if this was some sort of court-ordered community service. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had done something to deserve it and then peeved off a judge somewhere. But no, the coordinator for the shelter who was working with my church says that he had been doing that for the past few years. Apparently, his wife’s previous husband was an abuser and he has a real heart for people in that situation.”
Wife’s Secret
Reddit user we_deal_in_lead knew that his wife was going through stuff and figured it was primarily related to post-partum depression. But then her psychiatrist forced her to tell him the truth which sent his life spiraling.
“I just found out yesterday that my wife (29), a teacher, started an affair with a student (18) of hers about 2 months ago. We have been together for 10 years and married for 4. We have a 4 month old daughter and she threw it all away, career, marriage, and family.
I had no idea anything was wrong until 6 days ago when I found her crying in bed and she told me she was depressed, no longer in love with me, and suicidal mostly because of my drinking habits. I took sole responsibility, swore off drinking, and had us signed up for marriage counseling the same day plus got her in contact with a postpartum depression group.
6 days later she is sent to a crisis center by her school and I find out everything after the psychiatrist there makes her tell me the truth when I show up to bring her home. My life is so messed up right now that I can’t even sleep and I’m holding a 4 month old baby trying not to cry while her cheating mother is 5 miles away in a hospital room. Safe to say I will never see my wife the same way again.”
Undead
Finding out that one of their classmates had died during brain surgery was devastating to the entire school, but then Reddit user Ky303 discovered that reports of their classmate’s horrible death had been greatly exaggerated.
“Early this school year, one of my fellow classmates went into brain surgery and didn’t make it due to complications. An email was sent out to parents, people were posting on social media, there were flowers placed in front of the sign to the school, etc.
Well, today I learned from a friend that he’s alive. I have no idea how this mistake was made but he fell into a coma after complications but made it out okay. I’m baffled and can’t believe I went almost a year thinking he wasn’t alive.”
Rich Like Him
Reddit user captdet’s friend had made a horrible mistake picking his first wife, who just wanted him for the money. But when he found love again, he discovered that his new fiancée was also harboring a secret.
“Bill was a self-made millionaire by the time he was 18 yrs old. That was in the mid-eighties. He has been one of my best and certainly most influential friends. 25 yrs ago he married a girl that I did not like or trust. I told him as much but he married her anyways. A few years ago she ran off with a guy she met at a ROLLER-SKATING rink. He apparently wooed her with his zooming around or whatever and Bill was single again.
He met a girl and insisted I meet her. Bill remembered that I had not approved of his ex. We met for lunch at one of those awful buffets. This girl was BEAUtiful. She used English like a scalpel. Working on a PhD. She was awesome.
But I noticed little things about her. She had obviously been to finishing school. Then why did she have fingernail polish on her cuticles and a dress from a 1985 resale rack. There was just a lot of details that didn’t add up and Bill was getting ready to marry her. I told Bill that I thought she was hiding something but I didn’t care. This gal was high class and high bred. I told him she was great.
Bill hadn’t met her parents till the wedding. It was at their beach house in Destin. It turns out that she was richer than he was, and kept it quiet until the wedding because she didn’t want anyone marrying her for her money. Ironic.”
Sick Boyfriend
Reddit user ifyouwanttosingout was having a great time with her boyfriend in the UK, but he got sick just as she was about to head back to the US to attend college. She was then forced to choose between her education and her man.
“Was visiting my long distance boyfriend, having a great time. He got the flu and I thought that really sucked, our last week together being spent with him being too sick to get out of bed. Then two days before I was supposed to go back to America (he lives in England) he had to be admitted to the ICU and the doctors told his dad and I that he might not make it.
They said we should call any family or friends in case they needed to say goodbye. I had a flight home planned, it was the end of winter break and I was supposed to be at college the next week, but I had always said I’d be there for him and I meant I was going to be there for him. I canceled my flight, took leave from school, his wonderful dad let me stay at the house.
I visited my partner everyday, it was like a full time job. I doubt he knew I was there, but the doctors said that sometimes patients can hear you so I had to try. I went in and held his hand and read to him until the nurses kicked me out (I usually was able to stay for an extra hour of visiting time if they had nothing they needed to do immediately).
After 7 weeks he was moved to the HDU, two days later to the general ward, and two weeks later he was home. When I saw him without a ventilator connected to him I felt like I was going to explode, I was so relieved. He said he was surprised that I didn’t go back to school. I’m going to graduate a year late, but there is no way graduating on time would have been worth not being by his side. He’s my partner and I’m going to be there when he needs me. That’s how it works.”
Revenge Tactic
Reddit user Miroudias had the worst father ever. As if having a deadbeat dad wasn’t bad enough, his father lived next door to him and didn’t even acknowledge he was his son. But if you think that's sad, wait until you find out what this Redditor discovered about his father when he dug around a big deeper.
“I never really knew my father growing up. Sadly, he lived right next door for most of my adolescent life. There is exactly one time I remember him acknowledging me. I was standing on my front porch and he was going up the steps and into is. I was a kid. I waved. He waved back. That is the only contact I remember with my father as a child.
Still though, I’ve always wondered about him. It hasn’t really ever been about anger or anything, but more so why he chose not to want me. I’ve wondered about him for over 15 years.
Way back in the day they released a bike called the Sonic 6. It was a glorified Huffy w/ a big blue shield on the front and a gear stick in the dead center to change gears. I got it for my birthday and of course I was ecstatic. That thing was so cool.
As luck would have it, as I was riding w/ a friend a guy walking past me the opposite way cold cocked me and knocked me straight off the bike. I got sucker punched like you wouldn’t believe. The dude was huge. Like obese huge. I was a kid, how powerful was I? The guy simply jumped on my brand new bike, told me to stay down and peddled off. I chased him, but I didn’t get very far. He was gone in a flash.
15 years late I learned that my real father had paid that guy to beat me up and steal my bike as a revenge tactic against my mother. I mean, what kind of person does that? What kind of father does that?
Sad, really.”
Surprise Pregnancy
A Reddit user had all the symptoms of being pregnant, which she assumed was impossible since she was on birth control. But it turns out that she was actually expecting a baby. At that time, the Redditor and her boyfriend were certain that they wanted to give her up but that all changed after a medical emergency.
“Earlier this year I went to the doctor to get some medication for my acne as my skin had been really bad. For the medication I was going to go on I had to take a pregnancy test. No worries there, as I was on birth control, or so I thought.
The pregnancy test came back positive but I was so convinced it was wrong I honestly didn’t care too much at that point. After a few blood tests to try and see how far along I was it looked like I was miscarrying, the hormone levels were all over the place from where they should be for early pregnancy.
The doctor ordered a scan and I went along fully prepared to see an empty uterus and be told I had miscarried. At the scan they found that I wasn’t miscarrying, and that I was actually 27 weeks and 5 days. That’s like 6 months pregnant.
Obviously I was pretty shocked, honestly I almost passed out and vomited. I just didn’t know how to process that information. Luckily my boyfriend was with me and somehow managed to calm me down. We talked about it and decided that neither of us were ready to be parents. Obviously at that late stage in pregnancy there wasn’t a choice of terminating but we decided we’d adopt.
A week or two later I woke up with cramps so went down to the ER just to check things out. Sitting in the waiting room I felt a sensation like my waters breaking, but when I looked down it was all blood. After being rushed in to surgery and multiple blood transfusions later I woke up to the doctors telling me that I had a little girl and that she was fine.
She was kept in NICU for 8 weeks which gave us enough time to get our heads around everything and decide that we couldn’t give her up. Now she’s a little happy 6 month old and my life is completely different!”