The Best Reddit Updates We Found That Tie Up All The Loose Ends

From Redditor u/nodinnerinvite:

She had me when she was FOURTEEN. And I (24M) was given up for adoption. My parents told me about her growing up. I still have the letter she wrote me that she asked if they could give it to me if they wanted.

It’s crazy reading it sometimes and knowing it was a literal child who wrote it saying she’s sorry she couldn’t be my mommy but she hopes I’m happy. She was open to having contact, but we moved for my dad’s job when I was 11 and then it seemed impossible to find her.

But luckily I did.

She’s working at this small restaurant and I keep going, but she doesn’t know it’s me. We talk sometimes. And she seems like a nice lady. Sometime when she says something like “do you want a refill, honey” or uses another term like that I wanna tell her. Idk why it makes me nervous. We talk sometimes and she seems really genuine. If it’s not super busy she’s more open to talking about random stuff. I literally drive two hours to come eat at this place just to see her. And it’s like she knows me already because I’m there once or two times a week for the past three months so she always says hi with a big smile.

But man if only she knew.

Update:

Well… I did it. I told her. And yeah it was pretty heavy. My heart was even beating fast. I kept trying to think how to tell her. Many of the comments on my last post here mentioned writing her a letter just how she wrote a letter for me. Originally that was the plan, but for me it felt like I needed to say it.

Oh, really quick I wanna say thanks to everyone for their love and support. Mostly to all the birth parents out there who shared their stories with me. That’s what really helped push me to have the courage to confront her. It meant so much, so thanks.

Everything happened day before yesterday btw.

I did wait for her to be done with her shift and that was when they were closing the restaurant already. And waited in the parking lot. We said hi when she saw me first, but then I told her there was something serious that she needed to know. First told her sorry for keeping it from her this long. She didn’t react until I actually pulled out her letter.

And she started bawling from there. Like screaming and crying at the same time, and didn’t even have to finish the whole “I’m your son” speech. She just saw it and knew. It was crazy. Next thing I know she’s hugging me instantly, but then she pulled back and asked if it’s okay to hug me. [Of course] it is and we’re just there hugging and crying in the parking lot. It hit her hard though. Her legs gave out for a second so I had to actually hold her up while she’s still hugging me for a [minute].

What really got me was her saying to me, “Look how big you got.” Also, hearing her cry made me cry too. She went back to open the restaurant up (she wouldn’t take no for an answer), we had coffee, ate a slice of their pie inside, and talked. Soooo [much] stuff we talked about. She told me the second time I came to the restaurant she got a feeling, but for her it was hard [to] believe it was me. So that feeling she had was pushed way down.

Because she told me for years after I was adopted she saw kids that would be my age and used to think they were me. Then she would be crying in public. It f***ed with her mind a lot and made her depressed so she didn’t want to do the same when she saw me, getting her hopes up like that.

She says I look so much like my biological dad when he was younger though. We talked about him too. They stayed in contact with each other in case I ever reached out to one of them so it would be easier to contact the other. I didn’t have hope about finding my biological dad since he was never mentioned, so I’m glad they both planned for this future scenario. She told me about how they wanted to keep me. Especially my biological dad; he didn’t want me to be adopted. But he knew they had to because they were just kids. It took him a long time to get [past] it after I was born, she told me. That’s why he didn’t leave anything because he didn’t wanna believe he might not see me again.

We talked for hours. Till almost 2 in the morning (they closed at 11). She just wanted to know everything about me, but her main thing was “am I happy.” Were my parents good to me. Did I have a happy childhood. And I did. I told her thank you for helping to give me this life. We both cried again. She cried the most. Everything was very emotional for her. Sometimes she would look really happy but then get sad again.

After my 18th birthday she was hoping I would find her; that’s why she stayed in the same city. But since I didn’t she always thought maybe I resented her, wasn’t told I’m adopted, or maybe had decided it was better not to have her around. It made me feel bad for not telling her sooner. She told me it’s not my fault and I did right going at my own pace. Honestly, she’s so sweet. The way she kept looking at me with the biggest smile, it made me emotional sometimes. Makes you think how can someone who’s been a total stranger [your] whole life look at you with so much love. It’s wild. We learned so much about each other. She asked me if we could have dinner soon to keep talking. And if at some point in the future if I’m interested come over to her house so I can meet her husband. That all sounded really great.

We exchanged numbers. After I left she sent a text telling me thank you for giving her this gift that she didn’t know if it would ever come.

My girlfriend came over and she hugged me while I cried. I wasn’t sad btw; these were happy tears. Everything went better than I expected. There was still emotionally heavy stuff but I’m still glad that we got to open up to each other.

From Redditor u/liberalfilmnerd76:

My bio parents put me (15M) up for adoption when I was born, so I was always in foster homes until I was 12. I had a teacher, Janice (33F), who was my homeroom teacher.

Janice found out about me being a foster kid and how I wished I had a family. Janice had also been a foster kid growing up, and so long story short she then became my foster mom and adopted me.

Janice is the best mom I could have ever asked for. She has been so unbelievably kind and loving to me and I absolutely adore her. The problem is that I don’t call her Mom; I just call her Janice. I want to start calling her Mom but have no idea how to without making it awkward. Please help me, internet strangers.

Update:

So… was not expecting this big of a response. Thank all of you for responding, and some of the ideas made me really tear up. Anyway, this morning I went to Janice and I said “good morning Mom”; she just looked at me and started crying, then came over and hugged me and kissed my forehead. I hugged her back and she said I could call her whatever made me comfortable and that she loves me more than anything. I just replied with, “I love you Mom.”

So yeah hope this update makes someone’s day because it certainly made mine. Have a great day.

Also, made a typo I’m 15 not 16 lol.

From Redditor u/DeadDrone999:

Not sure what to do. Earlier today my neighbor came pounding on my door screaming obscenities and shouting at me. When I finally got him to stop yelling I found out that he was flying his drone in my backyard again and this time my dog finally managed to catch it and destroy it. He claims this was a $900 drone and I had to pay him right then and there. I refused and closed the door in his face. A couple hours later police showed up to retrieve the drone – it was still in my yard, but my dog completely ignored it once it stopped buzzing – and ask about the situation. The said neighbor called them stating that I refused him access to my yard to get it. That’s not true; he never asked.

I’m worried the neighbor will try to press charges against me for destruction of property or sue me. Will he have any legal standing if this does go to court?

He has a history of flying his drone low over my yard to tease my dog. I have asked him to stop several times, which he always refuses, telling me that I don’t own the air above my yard. I have called the police to complain once before; he was doing “flybys” over my dog and getting very close to hitting him. The police didn’t say he couldn’t fly it in my yard but did ask him to stop doing so in order to avoid conflict. That only seemed to egg him on.

Update:

A small update to my neighbor flying his drone in my backyard and attacking my dog:

I was served a summons by a sheriff’s deputy; neighbor decided to take me to small claims over his drone. My MIL is a paralegal secretary, so I was able to get a free consultation with a lawyer where she works to ask some questions about what to bring and how to prepare. He seemed genuinely amused that my neighbor was even trying to sue. He also suggested I countersue and how I could possibly add in more damages.

He also told me that my neighbor and I technically live within 5 miles of an airport, and even though it doesn’t have a tower, technically that falls under FAA regulations. I called the hotline from Google and spoke to them about my neighbor’s hobby of flying out of line of sight, flying several thousand feet in the air, flying near an airport, and made an inquiry into if he was registered to fly drones, saying he owned two very large drones (he already bought a new one; this one is almost 5 feet across). I don’t know the weight of his, but it definitely is at least a few pounds. They took my information and have called me back once, so I know they’re investigating but don’t know anything else. Not sure if they’ll tell me anything anyway.

I brought both police reports to court, as well as several photos of my backyard, photos of our shared 8-foot-high privacy fence, medical bills for my dog, and a few short videos I had of him doing flybys over my dog in the past. His main argument to the judge was that I “maliciously installed a table to allow my dog to jump high enough to catch his drone, which I (somehow) trained him to do.” Which, yes I had recently bought a new picnic table, but only so I have somewhere to sit and eat outside. I argued that his flying was causing my dog anxiety and that’s what provoked it, and thanks to y’alls advice, that my dog could have potentially died from ingesting part of the drone or if the drone hit him. In the end, he now has to pay me just under $2,000 for various vet bills (X-rays, dental exams, sedation, medication, etc.). He is also banned from flying over my property, and I installed trail cams… just in case. He seems pretty upset with me, so I wanted to be careful.

The only thing that could make this better is if the FAA finds a reason to fine him or take away his drones.

From Redditor u/One-Fudge3629:

Just found this subreddit and HAD to share this story. My husband (43M) and I (31F) have been married for three years, together for six. Obviously there is an age gap between my husband and I, which has never been an issue for us. My MIL, however, has always greatly disapproved and likes to talk to me like I am a rebellious teenager instead of her son’s life partner. A big issue for her is the fact that I have tattoos.

I love all my tattoos; they are well done and a huge part of my identity. I can’t imagine myself without them and my husband loves how they look on me. MIL made a few comments while we were dating but my husband told her privately to drop it.

Three years ago, my husband and I hosted our families for my birthday dinner. It was our first big get-together after getting married and everyone was nice enough to bring me a gift. I was going to open them after everyone left but MiL handed me an envelope at the dinner table and insisted I open it immediately.

Inside was a card and a gift certificate to a local tattoo removal business for $500. I was confused and asked her what this was for. She said that since I was a married woman now and planning to have kids, she assumed I would want my tattoos removed. Both my husband and I were kind of taken aback and stunned. I half-heartedly thanked her and the party continued. Later, my husband called her and told her off. He insisted she take it back and get her money back. She absolutely refused and insisted I would want it someday.

Three years later, her $500 is sitting in my kitchen junk drawer and I’ve added three more tattoos to the collection haha.

Update:

Thank you so much for all the great suggestions on what to do with the gift certificate. I actually have a friend who is the director of a restorative justice organization. I asked her if she had any clients with hate symbols they would like removed and it turns out she works with a guy who has a swastika on his arm that he hides every day because he is so ashamed. This is particularly significant and powerful for me because I’m Jewish. Anyway, I am dropping it off today and I’m really pleased that something that started as a disrespectful slight from my mother in law turned into this. Thank you Reddit!

From Redditor u/jimothyisyouruncle:

I’ll try to keep this short. I had a 1967 Impala four-door that I bought in February 2019. A couple months ago I bought my first house that had a 2.5-car garage. I moved the car in and started tearing it down for a complete restoration. I had the body in one bay and the chassis in another, plus the whole garage filled with parts.

About two months ago my girlfriend came to live with me during this whole crisis and the whole time has hated that car. She wants to park in the garage, but I have 2 acres of land with a lot of nice places to park under shady trees, or hell, even in the barn if it has to be inside. I tell her tough luck – it’s my house and it’s not like I can just throw it back together real quick.

Anyway, I was out of town for a couple days on a business trip for the small local company I work for. When I got back, my girlfriend was all smiles. Making me food all the time, doing all the chores, all that. I though maybe she just was happy to have me home, but then I realized that I didn’t see her car in its usual spot. I asked her where she parked so I could make sure I mow that area and keep it clean, and she said not to worry because she parked in the garage. I asked how and she told me to go check it out.

Turns out that while I was gone she hired some people to come over and move everything related to that car, including the drivetrain, body, and chassis and all parts, and take it to the local dump/scrapyard. I was absolutely dumbfounded. I had spent over $11,000 on that car including new parts, services, and the car itself. I told her that I was going to be taking her to court for that and she brushed me off like I was being dramatic. I told her that it’s done between us and to pack her things and leave.

I admit I was… really angry, but I did end up getting a lawyer, and as I have all the receipts for all that money spent, and I have her on my house’s security cam footage letting the guys in and watching them take it all, I think I can win.

Her family and friends are absolutely blowing me up saying it’s just a stupid old piece of junk and that she cannot pay back all that money I spent, and that I should just let it go. But I have been putting all my time, effort, and money into that car for a year and a half now and goddammit if I am not going to get justice for what she did. AITA?

Verdict: NTA

Update:

Went to the police station last night; was told to come back in the morning. Just got back and filed an official report against her for grand larceny and grand theft auto. I showed them all the receipts I had for the car and the footage of her letting the guys come and take it as well as the title for the vehicle in my name. They said they will be in contact with all three parties (me, ex-gf, and junkyard guys) soon and they will hopefully be able to recover some or all of the car. Just have to wait now.

HUGE UPDATE: THEY FOUND MY GODDAMN CAR!!

The junkyard guys apparently were in the middle of hiding it when the police came to ask them questions. It was on a forklift and they were gonna put it on top of a pile of cars that was hidden behind more piles of cars. They said it was theirs and they had the title, but obviously didnt have the title for it, and since they matched the VIN on the chassis and body to the VIN on my title, it was obviously mine.

I know at least one person there has been arrested; I think he was in the camera footage I talked about earlier but idk if it was the boss or whomever or even his specific charge. They also told me they would be looking into this specific junkyard for any other vehicles reported stolen. They said they haven’t been able to get in contact with my ex just yet but they’re working on it. I’m just so glad they found my car.

Luckily I made quite an album of pictures detailing me tearing down the car… so I can use that to prove what parts they had were mine, so I can hopefully get most or all of it back. Police haven’t let me take it back home yet as they say it is evidence or something, so hopefully I can get it back eventually. Thank you all so much for the support and advice! SHE’S GONNA BE ALL RIGHT.

From Redditor u/ThrowRA-doistink:

I have been with my boyfriend for over a year and everything has been great except for one thing. Every single day, at least once, he will tell me that I stink and smell of b.o. ( body odour).

When we met I showered every day, applied regular deodorant in the morning, brushed my teeth three times a day. Now I am so paranoid about smelling bad that I shower at least twice a day, I apply new industrial strength deodorant every few hours (I have a reminder on my phone), perfume, and I brush my teeth any time I eat or drink something that isn’t water.

I feel like I’m going crazy. I didn’t think I smelled bad in the beginning and I don’t think I smell bad now, but I obviously smell bad to him, right? Im that weirdo that keeps “sneakily” smelling their own armpits. I have been to the doctor and he has said there is nothing medically wrong. It has honestly gotten to the point where I literally shove my armpit in friends’ and families’ faces asking if I smell bad; they all say I don’t smell like b.o. at all. One friend even said I smelled too clean, like a Lush store.

I am getting so paranoid. He won’t cuddle or anything when he says I smell. I really don’t know what more I can do?

Update:

I waited for him to make a comment this morning so I could talk to him. It was less than an hour after waking up that he said, “God you stink.” I had already showered and put on deodorant. I snapped and asked what exactly was he smelling because at this point I’m one of the cleanest people on the planet and if I still smell bad to him then we should just break up.

He got all panicked and upset. I eventually got out of him that this is what he father always said to his mother. Apparently his father told him that is was a surefire technique to have a woman never leave you because “she will feel too low to cheat, will love only you, and will always be clean.”

Needless to say, his father is wrong. He’s packing his things and moving out of my house today

From Redditor u/throwrawhythehell:

I’ve been with my fiance for three years, engaged for a little over a year. My best friend and I have known each other since freshman year of college (we are all in our early 30s). This morning, I woke up to a long… text from my guy best friend that he had sent around 6 am.

Basically, it was him pouring his heart out. He said he’s been in love with me for years, but always hoped I’d end up breaking up with my fiance and finally noticing him. He asked me to call off the wedding and run away with him (??). It said, “I needed to tell you before it was too late.”

I just feel gross. And sad. I have no feelings for him beyond platonic love. I’ve drafted a response and deleted it, over and over.

I haven’t even told my fiance. I don’t want him to have to worry about me so soon to our wedding. I know I need to, but I don’t know what to do or how to phrase it. What’s worse is that he’s become my fiance’s friend, too. I’m also pretty pissed that my friend chose such an unfortunate time to cause me such distress. There were so many times over the years he could’ve just bucked up and told me how he felt. But waiting until right before I’m married? Like I would just cancel my wedding and leave my fiance because of a goddamn TEXT?

I want to tell him to not come to the wedding. I can’t trust that he wouldn’t try to pull something. I don’t even know if I want to talk to him again, but the thought of losing my best friend is heartbreaking. Hell, the thought of not having him at my wedding is really painful.

He’s put me in an uncomfortable, impossible situation. I wish it wasn’t on me to deal with his feelings for him. I wish he had either stopped being friends with me when he realized us ending up together would never happen, or had told me a while ago. I don’t want to kick him while he’s down, but I need to make it clear that I have no feelings, the wedding is still on, and I don’t want him to attend. We have been friends for over a decade. I’ve been crying over this all day. I feel almost disgusted, knowing that this whole time he had ulterior motives.

How do I even go about dealing with this? I’m supposed to get married in under 48 hours…

Edit: I’ll be showing the text to my fiance after he gets home from his brother’s. I won’t send anything until he’s here with me.

Update:

My husband (I love being able to say that now) and I got back from our honeymoon yesterday! I turned on my phone and opened the Reddit app and it was still signed into this account, so I had an “oh yeah” moment and figured I’d post an update.

So a lot of people here really helped validate the icky mess of feelings I was having. Thank you for that. Posting here really helped put my thoughts into words.

So that night my fiance got home from his brother’s. I let him sit down and then I showed him the text. He read it and I watched his eyes get bigger and expression angrier.

Of course, I started apologizing like an idiot and he told me I didn’t owe him an apology for anything. We talked and he told me he figured the guy had a crush, but kept it respectful. And really, he had. We were close, but beyond a side hug during greetings and goodbyes, there was no physicality. I even let him read out past messages just to see that there was no emotional affair or me leading him on. I never even vented about my fiance when we would have arguments because I knew better than to do that. I’d talk to my mom, lol.

So my fiance asked me what I wanted to do. And I said that while it did sadden me, I didn’t want him at our wedding. I was afraid that he would try some nonsense.

We typed up a very brief message. It said: “[Friend], I’m sorry that you mistook my friendship for something more. The wedding is going to happen, and it’d be best if you didn’t attend. To be clear, I let [fiance] read this message and he stands by my decision to uninvite you.”

We wanted to make it clear that it was me who wanted him to not come, not just my fiance. Knowing him, he’d probably claim that fiance forced me to uninvite him.

He read the message and left it on read for a while. I honestly started getting pretty anxious over it and fiance asked if I wanted to block him. Part of me wanted to, and part of me wanted to hear him out.

And when he finally responded, the text was so long that I had to click on it to read it. It was horrible. He called me a liar for leading him on for over a decade, that he hoped my fiance left me and that we were infertile. It was just horrible thing after horrible thing and I started crying.

Fiance took my phone into the other room while I sobbed. I think he called him, but I’m not sure. What I do know is after about an hour he came back in, handed me my phone back and told me that friend was now blocked on everything, would not be attending, and the best man and my maid of honor knew of the situation and would handle it for me.

It was like a weight lifted off of my shoulders, honestly. After reading that message, I really wasn’t so sad that friend wouldn’t be attending anymore.

And our wedding f***ing ROCKED. We had the time of our lives, surrounded by people who loved us and we loved them. It still feels like a dream, to be honest. And if friend tried to show up, I never heard anything of it.

I guess that’s the update! It’s not nearly as dramatic and crazy as what people hoped for, I feel like, but I’m happy.