And That's Why We Drink - Listener Stories: Vol. 95

Episode Date: September 1, 2024

Two neurodivergent podcasters diverged in a wood... Zeptember is here which means it's officially Fall! At least we think it should be. This month Eva dug deep into our inbox to find an a-moose-ing collection of stories about fate, that include love, psychics, disappearing moose loving strangers, and grandparents who are friends in the afterlife! And Amanda M, Kristin M, Maria, the man who loves moose in a puffer jacket, if you're out there let us know... and that's why we drink!How is it September already?! We absolutely cannot WAIT to bring you our BRAND NEW ghosty footage - get your tickets to our kick off live shows in Newark, NJ and Tarrytown, NY!! andthatswhywedrink.com/live

Tis the season of September. It's happening. We're back. The pumpkins are out. If you live in Los Angeles, you still only have two more months until maybe it starts getting cold. Until you can put a hoodie on maybe at night. But it is no longer summer.

I guess, I mean, I don't know the actual calendar date, but I've always assumed September means fall. Yeah, I know. It's too late in September. I argue it's when September starts. When September starts is when, um, when fall begins. But I think technically it's like, I always think each of the three is just its own season. Like I agree.

I think it's kind of silly that we say it's all the way in the end of September. When September ends. Okay. Um, how are you, Em? in the end of, when September ends, okay. How are you, Em? You caught me in a yard. Oh my Lord. How am I? Stressed, but only incredibly stressed for like another 48 hours, so.

I thought you were gonna say only incredibly stressed, not unbelievably stressed. I was like, oh, I didn't know there was rankings to those words. I would love to know them. There's certainly rankings, I don't know what the rankings are. I know. Just oh, I didn't know there was rankings to those words. I would love to know them. There's certainly rankings. I don't know what the rankings are. Just like, I don't know the months, but.

Well, I, it's a, you're on the, you're at the climax of your stress, I think, right? Like for, for moving? For moving, yes. Oh, okay. I mean, other things in my life, obviously. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I mean, the stuff that you and I are both stressed about, I know, we're just starting, baby, but your personal stuff. We're good. We're going to be fine. I never have a doubt between our neurodivergence. We're going to get it. That's going to get sorted. We have diverging.

What's that Robert Frost poem? Two neurodivergent, diverged in a wood. The road was traveled? Yeah. Two neurodivergent podcasters diverged in a wood and then it's because Christine got lost and was very stubborn about how she thought was the way to get to the cabin. That also implies that we're gonna end up in different places because...

No, no, no, eventually we find our way. It might take a few years or, you know. Okay, well. This is not a good analogy. Let's change the subject. This is our listeners episode. Oh, we're going back to it? Your turn.

Oh, okay. I was like, I'm ready to talk about Robert Frost some more, even though I literally know nothing except that poem. Hi, we are here to tell you stories. These are listener stories that you submit to us. And Eva likes to, well, I don't know if she likes to, but we make her hand select a handful of them every month for us to read.

This month, apparently, I had requested stories about fate. Do I remember that? Not even remotely, but I'm sure if you're binging this, you're like, that just happened two hours. Well, I guess with the length of our episode, it'll be like 10 hours ago, but still. Three hours ago, yeah. Three hours ago, but I did apparently.

So I'm excited. And again, props to past me for just knowing what I'll want in the future, you know? Do you have any fate stories that you would like to kick this off with? A fate story. I mean, sometimes I think we, this is gonna sound stupid,

but I think we were fated to cross paths in a wood, in a diverged wood. Fated or cursed? Okay, well, now you're talking, we gotta really hammer down on the differences between all these words. I agree, to be fair. Up in the air, TBD. But I do think it is cursed. Uh, but no, I think there's...

It's too odd how things happen for us. It's a little too odd. The synchronicities sometimes get a little too undeniable, you know? I smell a conspiracy, and I don't know who to go to about that. I like how you're like, it's cursed and it's a conspiracy, and I'm like, it's our love story and we were meant to be.

I always like how people in interviews are like, tell us about how you came to be. And the first thing I have to talk about is how desperate I was for friendship that I saw whoever I knew. Em literally was like, we have no choice, but to be friends. I was like, oh, okay. Sure, yeah. And you know what?

I was apparently fated to say that, so you are welcome. Okay, I guess that's my fate written in stone. Anyway, we have fate stories this week. Do you want to go first? Sure. It's up to you. Sure. Although this also feels like a curse because our first listener is Megan.

Oh, no! I did not do this on purpose, I swear. Do you know how many Megans who are Scorpios have approached me, who like to just come up to me to tell me that their name is Megan and they're a Scorpio? I do, because a lot of times I'm there, because it's a lot of times at a show. I don't know how many they do nowadays, but when we were touring and doing meet and greets, it's almost like the Megans were the ones who paid extra to tell us that. And nothing more Scorpio than getting a meet and greet ticket just to tell me that you and I got problems.

Exactly, to pay extra. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That you and I got problems. Like you might as well just come up to me and roll up your sleeves in a back alley like we're ready to tussle. Instead, why didn't they just meet you in the back alley?

They had to pay to come meet you instead of like actually committing to the bit. Okay, don't ever wait in an alley for us, please, Scott. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to encourage that behavior, I swear. Anyway, this Megan who so far has not stated they're a Scorpio, but you know, time will tell. Poor Megan.

Sorry, Jack, that one came out of nowhere. Oh God, I just burped. Are we okay? Okay. No. I promise I'm excited to be here, my body's just not ready. Megan, who uses she her pronouns,

thank you for normalizing pronouns, says, hi Eva, Christine mentioned in the May listeners episode that she's like- I thought it was just hi Eva and Christine. I was like, wow, you're fucking dissed. It's giving Megan. It sure is. Christine mentioned in the May listeners episode,

so this was a while ago, no wonder we don't remember. Oh. But she would like to hear some fate stories. Okay, so that was 3,000 hours ago. Okay, that makes me feel slightly better. Ding, ding, ding. Yeah. Mine isn't true crime or paranormal,

but it is directly related to the podcast. Another listener, let's call her Kay, and I connected last year on the Facebook Patreon group and we were both going to your Raleigh show. I'm an introvert and have always happily gone to plenty of shows and concerts by myself. However, when I saw a post asking if anybody wanted a buddy to see the show, to see the show together,

I felt the uncharacteristic desire to respond. And so Kay and I decided we'd attend together. I was really nervous as... I'm so sorry. I keep like interrupting, but I feel like her like guardian angel's like, do it, do it, do it. Click it, click it, click it. You know, cause normally she wouldn't.

Yeah. That's so cute. I have also had uncharacteristic behaviors to befriend people. But I've had some where they end up being stinkers. So I'm like, was this just like karma? The devil on your shoulder is like, do it. Someone was like, you need to have a bad day.

So go do this thing. That's nice. I was really nervous as I stood in line for your show and waited for Kay to arrive thanks to social anxiety. But as soon as I got there, I instantly, we instantly felt like good friends. The conversation flowed easily.

We had found, we had plenty of hobbies in common and also are both witchy in similar ways. We clicked so well that as we were laughing together at our table before the show, a woman shared our table asking how long we'd known each other and she was surprised to learn that we met in person just an hour before. Oh, I love when that happens.

And at some point in the conversation, Kay asked me if I'd like to virtually do a tarot card pulled together the following day. Fuck yeah. That's precious. I admitted that I didn't have a deck yet, though it was something I was interested in learning about and incorporating into my practice.

I'd been looking for a deck that I felt connected to, but I hadn't come across one that I felt like was meant for me. Now, my friends, here is where fate comes in. Kay then asked me, do you happen to like Edgar Allan Poe? I was a little confused by the change in subject, but I replied, yes, I love his works, and my cat Poe is named after him. Oh my god.

I would have been like, oh, your cat's named after the main character of Kung Fu Panda, that's really cool. I was like, oh, your cat's a Teletubby. That's crazy. Yeah, we're so dumb. We're like both animated children's shows. Kay then asked me, oh, Kay then said, ah, perfect, I was drawn to buy a tarot deck a while ago

that is Edgar Allen Po themed. Shut up. Even though I knew at the time that it wasn't for me. I must have bought it for you. Can I be friends with this person? I mean, also you Megan, but I'm like, this person seems to have like tricks up their sleeve. Like, you know?

Yeah, you're getting charmed. Your pants are off. You are charmed so well. You know what I'm saying? Whoa. Charming your pants off? No? Oh, I was thinking in a more sultry way.

I was like, wow, okay. I didn't know that we were heading that way. I was floored and so honored. She mailed the deck to me once she got home. And yes, it absolutely could be just a synchronicity, but I chose to believe it was fate. I love the deck and it has served me well. I always write down my intentions at the start of my meditations. Then I pull a card and it's honestly wild how often the meaning of the card literally

contains the same keywords as the ones I'd used when writing my intentions. I feel so connected to the deck and I'm so grateful to Kay for her generosity, her friendship, and her intuition. Thank you for all you do. I absolutely adore the podcast and the community you've created. Wow. That's very precious. That is always weird when you get a- That's so special. all you do, I absolutely adore the podcast in the community you've created. Wow. That's very precious.

It is always weird when you get a- That's so special. I'm imagining on Kay's side, buying something and you're like, I don't know what this is for yet, but I know that I need this. And I've had that more than I've had the friend feeling. I was gonna say, well, you and I do a lot of purchasing at random gift shops.

So yeah, I think we're primed for that feeling. Definitely. A lot of times it ends up being Em who I need to give it to. There are, yeah, it's weird when you buy something you're like, it's this is going to be useful. And then when it happened, when the day comes, you're like, oh, I knew it. You're like, oh man, look at me go past me, killing it, nailing it. Did you ever have an aha moment with a person or anything like that? Or you know what I did. And I don't think I've ever talked about this. Oh God, I'm getting nervous now. Oh God. Okay. There was this girl in my undergraduate program or class and her name was Amanda.

And she and I did some group project together. I forget. And I remember we were in the, like I'm afraid to say this, cause if she ever hears this, I'm so afraid she's gonna be like, you're gonna be such a freak. What a freak, yes. Because I remember thinking like, oh my God, I have known this,

like it was almost uncanny. Like we were, the inside jokes, like we were so in sync, it was like a little bit freaky. And then I went off to Germany for study abroad and we kind of lost touch. And then I was never able to reconnect with her again. And I remember thinking when we first met,

like this is gonna be like a lifetime friend. This is our love story. Yeah, like I'm, this is like a ride or die, like new bestie. And then I moved away for like two and a half, three months. And I just, I lost touch. Something weird happened, I don't know. Like we'd occasionally see each other, but it was always kind of like,

we just were in separate places now. It was very strange. And I still to this day, I'm like, man, there was nobody. Like I remember laughing so hard, I was like peeing my pants. And I was like, that does not happen. Like usually the day you meet somebody, you know? I've had that, I had that with someone.

What if it was one sided? I don't know, you know what I mean? Like maybe she was like, please get away. Stop peeing your pants in front of me, you freak. But anyway, Amanda M, if you're out there, I would love to get back in touch. I don't know if you're around or where you are or what you're up to, but if you are, hi, it's me.

That's how I feel about a Kristen M. from sophomore year of college. It was like right when I needed a friend the most, I was like going through a breakup and I wasn't really sure about like my place in college yet. And, or I was just kind of really going through it. And this person like truly felt timeline wise, like it was fate.

She transferred in that semester. And then when I was kind of growing and didn't like... I wasn't as insecure anymore, she transferred away. And then I tried to keep in touch with her. And she just never... That's exactly it. It's almost like they just stopped materializing. You're like, wait, how did that happen? My mom had that with a...

Right before she met her current husband. She it was like her first. I don't know if they were officially a boyfriend, girlfriend, but it was the first guy she was dating, going on multiple dates with. And she remembers him like so well, and they really clicked. And like they were having a lot of fun. And she remembers all she remembers now is like kind of what he looked like and that he had like two twin boys. That's all she

really remembers. Whoa. They had like they went on so many like wonderful dates where it was just exactly what you needed in the moment. And then like, like, I don't know where he just fucking honestly, probably like maybe ghosted her, I guess, but just faded away just like there was like, like just never heard from him again. And she was hard back then because you're not able to like stalk them on Facebook. You know, it's like, if they ghost, they ghost. I guess so. I mean, this was like 2018.

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you meant like before her like first husband, like way back. No, her current husband. Oh, I understand. Okay. But he like, but that was what made it even weirder is that like she should have been able to like look him up. But he just kind of like faded away. away And I usually I would imagine that would have hurt her feelings because he must have like ghosted her But she remembers thinking like no that was exactly what I needed in this moment

I think I'm ready for my next relationship and a week later. She met Tom. Oh My gosh, that is we're like it's like some people are just like and it sounds so objectifying but it feels like sometimes people are just like, and it sounds so objectifying, but it feels like sometimes people are just like, like filler people for like something you need in that moment and then just evaporate. And you know what though, I don't even know if it's objectifying because it's almost like she might've been that for him too. You know what I mean? Like maybe they were both that for each other.

That's so wow. Wow. This is no wonder I suggested this 80,000 years ago. What a great topic. Okay, wow. Well, thank you, Megan, for that. This story is from, let's see, Becca. Hi, Becca. It's called a workplace story and a fate story

that involves love, psychics, and the podcast. These are all just so, what do you call it? Self-serving. We're like, it's fate, but it's always about us. This is long, so let's get to it. My first story is about workplace creepiness. I used to work in the same school district where Ronald DeFeo Jr. went to school.

My students were obsessed, I know, get this, my students when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school,

and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school,

and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school,

and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, and then when I was in high school, I was in high school, but not when I'm there. Typically, but not if it's Professor M coming through. But not if I'm having a great time doing it. The next day I walked into my room and noticed my smart board. Do you know smart boards? We didn't really have them. Okay, we had a smart board for the last like half of senior year.

And I remember thinking, this isn't gonna be a thing. And apparently not, so obviously I thought. It always felt like that, like when a new technology came through. Yeah, smart board. So for those of you who don't know, Becca says, let's see, a computer chalkboard, basically. And so they walked into their classroom

and noticed that the smart board had red markings all over it. No one goes into the classroom after we leave, aside from the janitors, and these markings were random and sporadic. I brushed it off and thought it was just a glitch. The next few days, the same thing happened, red marks all over the board.

I would change the color of the markers and I would still get red. Oh yeah, because this is like a technology thing. This is like, it's not like someone takes a marker. Well, my first thought is remember when Smart smart board, maybe it's still like this, but I've definitely remembered that first chunk of time when there was a smart board, every teacher forgot that they couldn't just use their Expo marker on it or they couldn't use like a Sharpie. Like people would always mistake Sharpies. Yes. Oh, yes. Yes. Like you would forget what

marker you had in your hand. And they were those small ones. Yeah. Like they were expo, but they were like the little ones that look like Sharpies. Yeah. And so people would always be... Is that what it was? Vis-a-V! That's it! Holy shit.

You just blew my mind. Yeah, because you know what Vis-a-V pens were for? Projectors. Exactly. Which I know the kids don't use anymore. Remember when they would wipe them off with those brown paper towels from the bathroom? Ugh, I know.

I'm like, they're just crusty and dry. But there was always something so beautiful about watching your math teacher spray the projector and just watch it wipe away. That's probably where we got our first ASMR inklings as millennials. The kids these days would never know what a vis-a-vis and a bottle of spray would do to you on a projector. Yeah, they're like, well, I can just go on TikTok and probably watch 40 different people do it.

Well, you know what? It was special because we got it rarely. Anyway, I thought that I would imagine the red marks would be someone mistaking a vis-a-vis for an expo marker. Classic mistake. And then it's just stuck on the board. Yeah. No, I thought that same thing. But it looks like it's like part of the actual text.

Like the screen is. Yeah. Glitchy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I brushed it off and thought it was a glitch. The next few days, the same thing happened. Red marks all over the board. I would change the color of the markers and I would still get red. Then things started to move around my room. For example, I had tiny frogs everywhere.

I would find- What? I like that, okay. I thought that was- Is this a science class or? I thought it was going to be, well, you know, they're probably like one of those quirky teachers who collects things and then all the students

bring them more frogs. Okay. Oh, you didn't, did you think real frogs? Yes, I thought like this is like a magical, magic school bus episode where the frogs all show up. So we all got on the bus and went inside the frog to figure out what was the problem. And then the frog went inside us and it was like very meta. Yeah. It was it was all really beautiful. No, I was thinking, oh, my God, is this like a plague situation?

Like one day you walk in and there's little frogs everywhere, like locusts, but no, apparently the frogs had already pre-existed, as Eva just said earlier, a pre-existing condition, these frogs. Okay. I see. Let's see. For example, I had tiny frogs everywhere.

I would find them inside my fake candles on top of bookshelves. Places students wouldn't go, like inside my locked closet on the shelves. The last straw was that my board started glitching during a lesson one day. It was turning off and on. I asked the students to come forward

if they had a remote. Oh God, that, I have not experienced that, but classic, just turning it off. As one of the students. Yeah. I asked the students to come forward if they had a remote. No one did. I went through all their stuff.

No one had one. That day after school, I said, whoever you are, leave me alone. And I never had another issue. I have since left that district, but will never forget that experience. I don't know if it was Ronald DeFeo, but it was odd timing.

Ugh. I feel like if I lived so close to Ronald DeFeo, or part of that legacy, I'd blame everything on it. I'd go, well, you know how it is in Amityville. I know, me too, it's easy. And also, he fucking deserves it, right? It's like, whatever, just take it. Yeah, yeah.

He's a ghost, he can handle it. The next story is about my husband and I and how we were fated to be together. I did just tell the story on Jim Harreld's campfire. Okay, that means I for sure heard it already oops, but it felt fitting for the fate theme Christine requested. One thing about me is I love psychics but I am not gullible and I do my best not to give away information during readings. Oh my god I remember this story from Jim Harold's campfire. One day I went to a

psychic and she started to talk about my future husband. She explained that he would be younger than me with tattoos and a beard. He would have a military connection. Someone with a G name would introduce us, but we had already known each other. And there was a big red script letter A attached to him. Okay, wow, this is wild. This feels like a psychic.

It's too specific. Yeah, very confident, you very confident in her abilities. I feel like if I were a fraud, like a fraudulent psychic, which I would be by the way if I were doing this. You aren't until you start charging people and then all of a sudden status shifted. I feel like you can really get away with a lot if you're as vague as possible, but that is... This is, yeah, hyper, especially to say this is your husband. Like, you'll marry this person.

Yeah, that's like next level shit. It was then that she mimicked the A she was seeing in her mind. I thought it was interesting, but again, I didn't put too much thought into it. A year or so later, I went to another psychic, no connection to the first. She proceeds to tell me almost the exact same details

down to the red A. So in that case, you're either finding only really credible sources, or your husband is like crazy powerful and really coming through. Or your fate connection is so strong that like it's just met, it's like a spotlight for the psychics.

You're probably like the dream client for a psychic that gets just right there. They're like, what a breath of fresh air. I can actually see what's going on here. Yeah, just describe it. Easy peasy. Yeah, I had the exact same thought. I was like, either I have to go to this town where you're finding all these psychics and figure out what is in the water or this

connection is so strong. It's just like, obvious. Undeniable. Yeah. I was shocked, even a little nervous that someone else had clearly seen something like this. A few more years had gone by and my sister was coming into her own psychic abilities. I am fiercely private and do not like to share my readings with people. I like how as I read this aloud to all our listeners. Yeah, I'm pretty private, but anyway, here you can read it publicly. But this is my love story.

I do not like to share my readings with people. What if they don't happen? I would look foolish. My sister was practicing on me and I kid you not, she shared the exact same details. She even went as far as to mention a military connection being a Marine. Oh, so your sister's like one step up

from the other side. She's like, I got more intel actually. Actually, this is my first time and I'm just practicing but I'm better than them. Beginner's luck, I guess. She also mentioned the big red A. This is so weird. She then said, you are going to see him again soon

by the beginning of summer. I was stunned. I asked her if she had heard me say that as I had no recording and didn't write it down. She swore she hadn't. Regardless, two other psychics had said it. So how could all three have gossiped about me? Now that would be quite a sight.

A few weeks later, the end of May, 2019, I went to my cousin's birthday party. I didn't want to go, but my mom was insistent. I go and I see this guy there who I had not seen since we were kids. His father and my mother grew up as next door neighbors and friends, so we had seen him when we were younger, but stopped when we were about 12. We started talking and ended up talking all night. During this time, I discovered that aside from the obvious beard and age gap,

I knew he was a bit younger than me, that he had tattoos and a military connection to the Marines. All of his friends were Marines. I was freaking out a bit, parentheses, this guy could be my husband, which must be so trippy. What if you like, what if you like- That's when you sneak a picture to your sister

and you're like, is this it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say yes or no, because otherwise I'm wasting my time. I need to go to bed. Yeah, that must be so much pressure. Like, uh-oh. What if you like cockblock yourself because of your psychic readings? You're like, three mediums have said something. Yeah. You are psychics. I have to learn. What is the difference between medium and psychic? Medium communicates with the deceased and And psychics are curvilands. They have claribilities, they have sight into like the present, somebody else's life, for example,

the present circumstances or future past. Well, if three psychics all told me the same thing, I truly would just, if I found someone attractive and they didn't match that criteria, I'd be like, do I wanna fling tonight or no? And just keep moving. I know, it would be so, it would really like shape how you thought about

interactions with people, yeah. Oh my God. Yeah. But I kept my cool. There was no A and I couldn't figure out the G name connection. That's when he explained that his nickname was Quincy because his first name is John and his middle name is Adam. He said, you know, like the president

and did a letter A in the air with his finger. Shut up. Like Quincy, like A, oh my God. I almost peed my pants. Yeah, well, you have to. I at this point on that you didn't. The fact that he did the A, like the first psychic drew out the A with her hand

is pretty weird. Eerie. The fact that they all kept saying, I don't know what it is, it's something like this. And you, like it had to be, they almost had to do it because they knew it would be difficult to understand. Yes, oh my God, yes.

Also like, what a weird thing to do because like A isn't the first thing I would think of to, I mean, I guess A like Adam, but I wouldn't have thought of all the things to finger mime in that moment would be the letter A. The letter A. It's like, oh, you know, like the president, A. Like, what? He did like a president and he did...

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I don't either. That's so weird. Whatever. It was meant to be, so I'm gonna shut my mouth. I guess maybe know. I don't either. Whatever, it was meant to be, so I'm gonna shut my mouth. I guess maybe his guardian angels were like, draw the A just so she really gets it.

They literally grabbed his hand and went, A! Yeah. Hey! Seriously, I mean, he must've just had to, I don't know, be divinely inspired. Okay, we figured out later that the G connection was our grandparents, because they ended up being best friends and even share a cemetery plot. So their grandparents introduced them.

That's very precious. So it feels as if it's divine from your grandparents doing- It does, doesn't it? Oh my God, you're right. It's them in the afterlife. Yeah, so your grandma was the one making you do the A. And then, and your grandma was making you, was holding your face so you'd stare at the A.

Yes, and the fact that, yeah, his grandma was holding the hand, yeah, that's so funny. And the fact that- They're just Pinocchios, kind of the anger one. Yeah, is that all our lives are, honestly? I don't think I trust my grandmother to do that for me, but okay.

I'm just gonna use that next time I'm a bad driver. I'll be like, grandma, get off. Grandma, God, I thought your license got suspended. Yeah, the fact that also like you'll be introduced by someone with G and it's like grandma, grandpa, grandma and grandpa, like no wonder this is such a strong message for psychics. Wow. That's so wild, dude.

Okay, sorry, let me finish. We figured out later that the G connection was our grandparents as they were best friends and even share a cemetery plot. We have been destined for quite some time as they had always wanted their children to be together. Yes, that's become very obvious. Yeah, we figured that one out.

Yeah, we figured they have their hands in this one. The connection to the podcast is that the same weekend you guys read my story about getting lost in the back rooms of the hospital I volunteered in, I got engaged. Oh gosh, now we're part of the problem. You're welcome. We were on a plane traveling to Tennessee when we both listened to the episode, listener stories, July, 2021, I said, this weekend can't get any better. And then he proposed. Oh, I'm gonna cry. It's a tiny cameo in this story.

Don't worry, we'll take it. We'll take any cameo we can get. But I like to think you guys brought the good vibes to that weekend. I love that we're just attached to everybody's lives. We did, yeah, you're welcome, by the way. Sorry for the long stories. Love you crazy, coots, attached to everybody's lives. We did, yeah, you're welcome by the way. Sorry for the long stories, love you crazy,

coots and all that you do, stay amazing, Becca. Wow. So, that's lovely. Also, how did you not, well, I guess, how would you totally know your grandparents, best friends, grandkids? Well, she said they had met, remember? She said like, we knew them in high school,

we were like, kind of, which feels not to be a huge weirdo, but here we go. It feels like you and me were like, we were in school together, but we like, and there were only like 15 kids or people, adults in our class, students. Not even remember someone dropped out on like week one. Someone dropped out.

Yeah. And then someone else did. Yeah. I think there were like probably 13 of us and you and I lived on the same street. Like we were the only ones who lived across the street from each other and we still like weren't really friends. And then we went to LA and it was like,

now you can be friends, you know what I mean? That feels like this where like the first psychic said, you've already met this person. Her sister said, it's someone you know. You know, there's so many things like, so they had known each other, but only like in passing. Speaking of like grandparents and fate and, you know, very sweet relationships, that happened in my own family

with my grandma and grandpa. They have this best friend couple that they were best friends with for decades. I wish. That would be so fun. Can you move over here so we can be best friends? No, but you're too far away. Come here. Come play with me. But so my grandparents, they had this best friend couple forever, and my grandparents were big party throwers, and they loved hosting, and so they would do like crazy themed parties, and they would were big party throwers and they loved hosting. And they would do crazy themed parties and they would hire a videographer.

And picturing a luau. You name it, they've done it. Big roast pig. They would hire photographers and videographers. They would make home videos out of them and everything. And that was some of the videos that, I don't know if I mentioned this, I must have when I was at the time, but there was a long period last year

where in all my free time, I was digitizing home videos for my mom's Christmas present. So I got to see a bunch of the videos of my grandma's parties. And anyhow, my grandma and her husband, he has a son that has been single for a little bit and he ended up meeting this woman

and it's like his true love, he's never been this happy and the whole family heard about it and he's like 65-ish I think and the whole family still is like, this is the one. And it's like- The bachelor, he's finally settling down. Well, I guess her parents already passed away so he never got to meet them and he was like, well, what were they like blah The bachelor, he's finally settling down. Well, I guess her parents already passed away, so he never got to meet them.

And he was like, well, what were they like? And it ended up being the best friends of his parents. Shut the fuck up. And I have like video footage of all of their parents like partying together now, but I got to show them. So wait, when did that happen that he met her? How long? Truly within the last few years.

Oh my God, that's like a current thing. Yeah, so it was so weird because he was describing this woman to his parents and like never using her last name because it just didn't come up. So his parents were still alive. Yeah. Okay, wow. Oh, wow. And he just kept saying like, oh, this woman, I really like this woman, I really like this

woman. And then they met her and they were like, holy shit, you're my best friend's kid. Like what are the odds that you two would find each other? Like the things I've seen your parents do at a party in the, in the bathroom, you would never even believe. It's like if I had a kid and then died and then Leona and this kid fall in love one day and like brings my kid to your house after I'm gone. You're like, I know you why the fuck is this happening? I'd be like get the fuck out now You're banned from this property. I banish you. That's what I'm making Leona and my kid the little Pinocchio strings

I'm like oh, yeah, that's when your dumbass spills wine all over me, and I'm like great. Thanks Anyway, I love when it's When it feels like kismet that people find each other. That's very sweet. I totally agree. I'm still looking for my childhood friend Maria. Remember one time on Patreon I did like a shout out. I've been looking for my friend Maria since we were little and we said we would reunite and then we never did.

So my friend Maria, I think she moved. She lived in North Avondale with me in Cincinnati. So if anyone knows Maria who moved somewhere in Pennsylvania, in my mind, at age four, Pennsylvania was like another country and I actually thought it was Transylvania. So for a long time, I thought she had moved to Transylvania until I got older and realized Pennsylvania is like four hours away. So you know, maybe she's out there. So yeah, I'm looking for Maria and Amanda.

Can you, you have a blue Chevrolet parked out front. I need you to come see me at the DJ booth. Kristen M. Kristen M. can come too, yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I truly don't know where she went, but I hope she's okay. Cause I- I wonder if, do you think every Kristen M.

and Amanda M. and Maria are out there like, is it me? Every single one of them, but the one we're looking for probably. Okay, my Amanda one, okay. Amanda went to American University and was graduated, whatever, I don't know, high school in 09, I think. Then Maria, what do I know about Maria?

She liked SpaghettiOs. Okay, that's what's up. Is that helpful? Her mom was named Josephine. I do remember that. And then, what's the other one? Oh, what's your... Oh, Kristen M. Kristen M. Is there like one like kind of vague identifying factor?

She was a cutie pie with a lot of tattoos. Oh, okay. Wait, oh yeah, yours was later on. You're sophomore year college, right? Okay. I was back on my Maria four-year-old. I was like, holy shit. But here's the thing.

I did find her on TikTok. She fell onto my feed. And then I tried commenting to be like, hey, it's me. I don't think she knew who I was because I look so different than I did from college. Yeah, sure, of course. But I don't think she realizes that I found her

and I'm trying to reconnect. I think she just thinks a stranger just reached out. What did you say? Did you say something like vague or was it like? She like, well, that's how I found out that she's like is a mom now because she posted a video about like having a baby. And I just felt like, oh my God, you're a mom now, congrats.

So I like to think- And she's like, who the fuck are you? Yeah, I don't know, whatever. Okay, well, she's a mom now. We know that guys. All right, so. So. I don't even know that much about the other two.

Next story we have is from Brandy, who uses she, her pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns. So, I don't even know that much about the other two. Next story we have is from Brandy, who uses she, her pronouns, thank you for normalizing pronouns. And the topic is Fate Love Story. We know we like this already. With a little spooky, it says. Oh, yes.

So Brandy says, hey, oh, long time listener, first time caller. I've been listening to the podcast since episode four and absolutely adore y'all. Wow. So Christine asked for faith stories and I always loved telling mine. My husband and I spent our lives

in close proximity to each other but never officially met until we were adults. I love these stories where they're like just so many missed. So close but so far. Yes, yes. That was you and me. Okay. We were both born in the same city in Arizona,

then moved away to a tiny town in Arizona. Hang on now. We were both born in the same city in Arizona, then both moved to a tiny town in Arizona, way up in the mountains. I moved around a lot as a kid, but always kept coming back to Snowflake, Snowflake, Arizona.

Oh yeah. Always forget there's a town called Snowflake. I love it. When I was 18, I moved back and after a terrible situationship, I met my lovely husband. It was pretty instant and we married after eight months. And we of course, we had of course spoken about our lives

and the funny coincidences where we could have met but never did. Wow. And his brother was on a mission for the LSD church when we could have met but never did. And his brother was on a mission for the LSD church when we eloped and when he got back... Wait, the LDS. Oh, it says LSD. Oh my God. It does. Wait, no, maybe it is LSD church. Listen, I don't know. I think you're right though. I think it's LDS. I love that their phone was like, I got you girl. I know you're trying to say LSD. Why would you try to say LDS? I know you. Uh, and when we got back, I knew that I knew this guy, but couldn't remember where from.

We soon realized that we had known each other at school, and my husband and I realized that for years. But, uh, we had ridden the same school bus and never knew each other. And this is maybe not the craziest story, but crazy and cute to me. My husband and I are both very sensitive to other worldly things, including one trip when we were dating to an abandoned gas station in the middle of the mountains of Arizona

where something tried to lure my husband into a dark room calling with my voice. Ew! What? I was on the other side of the gas station and Chris still talks about how sad the voice seemed when he refused it Thank God he refused it though. Thank God though, seriously. And then it still tried to like mimic her and like taunt him What does that mean? We also have a haunted painting in our house of a little girl in her protector She hides stuff occasionally and I've seen her once or twice, but we just cohabitate. That's lovely

I don't know if I could do that. Love y'all and our parasocial relationship. Can't wait to see you on tour again. I also love our parasocial relationship. So, wow, wow. That's a doozy. That also makes you wonder, I mean, maybe just me, because I'm nutso,

but like with the voice coming from the bathroom and like they've already been like faded to me, like what does it mean? Is it a different parallel dimension where it is her in the bathroom? I don't know. Also like are, does it all come from the same energy or do you happen to have good energy around you

but you can still experience bad energy? I never, I would always be in my head that everything was like all coming from one source. And then I would feel scared that I couldn't trust it. Whoa, dude. That's freaky. Or I guess if you're at a random gas station, I guess you're fine.

But still, why? Maybe it's the gas station. Maybe the gas station has like an entity that mimics people. I feel like at a gas station, like ghosts should know that women already are just trying to tolerate human creeps. You don't need to be doing all that.

But I think that's why they're there. They're like, it's easy. This is our stomping ground. Yeah, yeah. Classic. Sick. Classic, I mean sick. What was I gonna say? I don't know. Okay. The next story I have, let's see, yours was from Brandy, right? Okay. This is from Kenzie and I love

this subject line. This is my brain. Fate, maybe? Two question marks there. M. Christine, hello, I might just have a story about fate for you. Like, are you still very unsure, Kenzie? I might have a story about fate. I might, I don't know, you tell me. Jury's out. Last October, I started running

because of my mental health. I realized there were easier ways, but it's what my friends were doing. So, you know, peer pressure is real. I signed up for a half marathon for this June in the Grand Tetons, and to help keep myself on track, I've signed up for little races almost monthly. Oh my God, is this what I'm supposed to do for mental health?

Well, then I'm screwed, because that's not happening. I think I'm actually, I think either I'm so mentally unwell that I could never do any of that, or I'm actually so mentally well that I don't need to do that. Yeah, you know better. Yeah, maybe we're not at the point yet.

Rob Bonham will be when we start running marathons. Whatever my mental status is that keeps me from having to run, that's where I am. It's like a, there's like a switch that needs to stay in place. Good for you. I mean, Kenzie, to be clear, I'm deeply impressed. I just wish I could be more like you.

Let's see. I signed up for a half marathon and to help keep myself on track, I've signed up for little races almost monthly. Also, quick side note, I have heard actually that running is like a very good way because you get endorphins and shit. I just have never quite experienced that for myself. As someone who formerly ran, I can confirm I would be in a better headspace if I ran.

I see. Okay. So, the jury is in that it is probably a good thing to do, but we're just... Yeah, I just don't love myself enough to keep it back. I'm skipping that one. Yeah. Cool. In January, I picked the coldest race I could find.

Definitely not on purpose, but I live in Utah, so everything is cold. It was in Bear Lake, which is a little tourist spot in northern Utah. My lungs burned after I ran and I decided I wanted to find some warm food. I found this little diner where I was the only customer. The hostess sat me at a table in the middle of the room. From this spot I could see the front entrance and the kitchen. There was a door frame right by the entrance where if you turned left it took you to the restrooms and right took you out the door to the parking lot. I could see the whole place.

The waitress took my order and left to grab me some water. Not even seconds it felt like after she left this man walked over to my table. Ah! Red flag. I'm like already afraid. He had a winter coat on and was maybe around 80 years old. He then started talking to me about moose. Oh, he told me how he thought they were, the oh was from me by the way, sorry.

I was taken by surprise. No, I understood. I agree. I'm reading. He told me how he thought they were beautiful animals. And if you were to see one, you were so lucky. I told him I loved them, that I watched them all year behind my house.

And right then, the waitress walked out of the kitchen, carrying my water. The old man looked at her and said to me, "'Well, it's my time to go,' and walked to the front and turned left towards the bathroom." Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. "'The waitress barely missed the guy,

but she acted as if he was never there. I got up immediately and went to the bathroom. There was nowhere for him to go. I walked into the bathroom, legit just walked in. I didn't care, like in the men's room we're talking. He was not in there. This man had nowhere to go. I could see the front door and he did not leave,

yet he was not anywhere in the restaurant. I went back to the booth to eat, but you know I watched those doors. I was not going to miss this guy leaving, but he never came back. I paid and started the 45 minute drive home through the mountains. Halfway through the drive, I looked on the shoulder of the road and anyone want to guess what was right there? A freaking moose.

Which feels like he's still in the car with you. You think? I feel like, like, what are the odds? I feel like he orchestrated that in some way. And he just wanted to sit there and watch as it happened? To be like, ha ha. I guess, I mean, I feel like it would, it was orchestrated at some point.

For sure. Part of you would feel like someone was in the car with me in that moment. Yeah, that's a good point. My visual is immediately like from angels in the outfield when he's like winking in the clouds. Oh yeah. That's my visual. Like he's up there like, you see a good point. My visual is immediately like from angels in the outfield when he's like winking in the clouds. So like that's my visual. Like he's up there like you see the moose.

But that's probably in 90s. That's probably from the 90s. That's why. Okay, blah, blah, blah. I look to the shoulder of the road and anyone wanna guess what was right there? A freaking moose. Now to anyone, this is such a random, weird conversation,

but me, I freaking love moose. When I had my bridal pictures done, there was a moose who had just walked into the background. That's amazing. I love this, it's like you're your animal, aw. I always associated moose with my grandpa and after his passing, I feel like more moose keep showing up, but I have no idea who this man was.

But I wish with everything I could find out. I wish, can we find out? Okay, we're looking for Amanda M, Kristen M, the man who loves moose in a puffer jacket. Come on. I do, like, was he an older man, you think? Cause, or was he- Well, she said 80.

Okay, cause I was gonna say, maybe it was like your grandpa like in disguise, but also maybe it was just like your grandpa's friend who was like, I got nothing going on. We've learned a lot about grandparents who are friends in the afterlife. Maybe this is grandpa's best friend. Yeah, maybe he was like, you're busy doing something else today, but like I'll drop down and say something. I'll tell her about the moose.

I'll tell her. Also, like, I wonder what if this guy, it freaks me out about like dads that love that love trains or something, because it's like, did this man just love moose and he decided to not go to the afterlife and just stick around this diner? Oh, no, I was thinking. He could sense others who love moose just so we could talk about them one last time. He's like, I just want to tell you about the moose you're going to see later. Oh, you're going to be so excited. I can't tell you, but you're going to see something really cool.

But if it's a moose, just know that you're really lucky. Yeah, it does feel that way. I was thinking, what if it was just an older man who had a hyper fixation on mooses, just like people with trains and they will stop you and be like, let's talk about trains. And you're like, please no, you know, maybe that's this guy in moose,

but he just picked the right person to talk to. That's what I was also gonna say is like, what if he does this to everyone and you're just lucky that you love Moose? I love that and you were so open and then you saw a Moose that day. That's pretty damn cool. Yeah, that feels totally orchestrated to me.

I love this story, Kenzie. I do wonder, I'm with you, Kenzie. I can never understand when people write stories and then they're like, anyway, I wonder who that was, but oh well, I love that Kenzie's like, I need to know who that was. That would be me. I would be obsessed with figuring out who that was. But there's probably-

Maybe that area had like a former moose wrangler or something and he died doing what he loves. Oh yeah, Billy Moose. I've heard about him. We all know him. Good old Billy Moose. Do you remember Morris the Moose, the book? That's really familiar.

Yeah, did he like- That was one of my favorite books growing up. Ian, let me look it up. Oh, you know, I feel like I must've read that, but I don't really remember it. Oh, you gotta read that to Leona. It wasn't a staple in my house, but maybe I'll get Leona a copy.

When I, I think it was so special because the book that I had was already like a several generation hand-me-down. It's from like the 50s or 60s. So when I was a kid, it was the first book I had to already like a several generation hand-me-down. It's from like the 50s or 60s. So when I was a kid, it was the first book I had to be like gentle with. So it's like a very old book in my head. Is that why next to your bookshelves,

you had those white satin gloves that your mom made you wear? Yeah, but I would have that little moose ghost come read it to me every night. Oh, that's nice. So that was helpful. Anyway, if you need a book recommendation, I think. There's also if you give a moose a muffin. I read that one. So many options. Yeah. Well, thank you so much. That was a great story. That was really, really,

really fun and cool. It was very amusing for sure. Our next listener is Sarah, who uses she or pronouns. Thank you for your amazing pronouns. And the story is a queer story about how I fell in love with my roommate on a trip aboard. Wow. I thought I was really hoping it was a queer story about moose and I was really excited. One can dream.

We've got a lot to read still on this. That'll be my next request. Can anybody who has a story, a queer love story about moose and I was really excited. But one can dream. We've got a lot of, we've got a lot to read. So that'll be my next request. Can somebody, anybody who has a story, a queer love story about Moose, send them on in. Okay, so this is from Javi, who's a She Her Pronouns. Thank you for normalizing pronouns. And the subject line is sending this in while in line for your last live show in LA.

Shut up. That was the spring, right? Yeah. Well, that's really sweet. Okay, well, hey, it worked. So Javi says, hello everyone. I am typing this back up while in line to watch your May 2nd LA show.

I started listening back in 2017 right after I moved away for several years on my own. So listening to your podcast kind of felt like you two were my only friends for the longest time. I just heard the latest listener story and you asked for fate stories. So here's one about a stranger, how a stranger saved my life

by having a really terrible day himself. Content warning to people, this is attempted suicide and mentions of blood and light injury. Okay, so the story goes, I used to be diagnosed with manic depression as well as anxiety, which devolved into paranoia alarmingly quickly. During this period in my life, which lasted almost a decade, there were two years in which I actively tried my absolute best to unalive myself without a single hesitation. I tried drinking cups of bleach,

cutting myself very deeply, and I would try to overdose with sleeping pills and painkillers. At the time, I had been getting prescriptions for high amounts of high dose Vicodin and morphine pills, which were definitely not great for a teenager's unhealthy body and mind. Though I had six serious attempts before my last one, I would always walk away with a

slight stomach ache after drinking harsh chemicals. My deep cuts would clot immediately, regardless of me being a literal anemic, thin-blooded, always freezing person who can't even get kitty scratches to stop bleeding. And I always, always woke up from my massive doses of pills with just a headache and stomach ache. Whoa. My seventh attempt was my final one because it was the one that made me realize

that I could also hurt others by losing the battle against suicide and depression. When I was 14, I went to a state park with big trees on a school day by taking a Greyhound and then a local bus. I was far away from people alone and it was cold and drizzling in the park area. I was so sure that I would be alone. I climbed this massive tall tree with a lot of difficulty intending to jump down. I couldn't tell how high up I was, but I climbed for so, so long I could feel the swaying of the trunk and I could see other treetops around me.

Whoa. Well, I am clumsy by nature always and still. And before I even reached the very top, I slipped and lost my footing. I hit something on the way down and passed out. I woke up in a big shared room at a hospital, but had no idea where I was or what had happened. There was a curtain between my bed and the bed next to me, and the two beds were empty across the way. The curtain beside me was drawn open,

and it was a young man. He had a cast for both of his feet to his hips, a weirdly colored cast from his right shoulder to his hand, a cast from his left elbow to his hand, and a neck brace. He was all bruised up and part of his face looked swollen, even had a big patch of gauze on his forehead. He looked over at me and said, you know, you would have died already

without you forcing it if you were really meant to. Whoa. Wow. So it's like if you were supposed to die, you would, I guess. I guess, yeah, without force. Okay. I wasn't in much physical pain because all I had was a slight sprained ankle and a few

minor scratches and bruises. That was it. I remember that I began crying so hard and that I was trying to say that I was so, so sorry. He later told me that something had made sure that he got to the state park that day without it being his actual intention to, but that he knew why the moment he heard the crashing. He had just been turned away from the Marine Corps

earlier that day as he was 17 and underage, and he was on his way back home on the bus. During the ride, the bus tire blew and they had to wait for nearly an hour on the side of the freeway in the middle of a long stretch of nothing while they waited for a new bus to take the commuters while the tire was swapped on the other one. The second bus did not go in the same direction he was going at

all and it hopped onto a different freeway going northeast winding up yet another long area of nothingness. At first he had let them know that they were going the wrong way for everyone on the bus but one of the commuters from the original bus said calmly, no no this is the direction I was going in. Confused, he sat back down and figured he would catch the right one at the next station. He told me that he had suddenly felt a strong pull to just hop out and wander or walk around, so he hopped off at the next bus stop, right outside of the state park that I was in. He started walking around the pines in the gentle rain when he then heard something big cracking the branches in a tree right near him.

And he was near enough to run underneath to try to break the fall and he broke my fall. Holy shit. We became very close and amazing friends and his dream of being a Marine was realized soon after he finished physical therapy after my having literally broken most of him. He was 20 by the time he joined and served and we were amazingly close up until he passed away overseas unexpectedly.

Shit. To this day, I thank him and fate for having saved my life that day. I miss you so much. You are my perfectly timed hero and friend." And that's the story. Oh, God. Now I'm getting emotional. I mean, and the fact that he's since passed away at such a young age. It just feels like what a powerful life he lived in that short period of time. That's just incredible. Yeah. Saved your life. It's a big one. I like how if I hear crashing in a tree, I'm running the other way.

He's like, here I come. I know I would have absolutely ran the other way. I can't imagine but kudos to him to catch you. Yes. Unbelievable. Okay. So this is our last one. This is a queer love story about how I fell in love with my roommate on a trip abroad.

It actually says Abberad, but you know what? We've got LSD, we've got Abberad. Things are exciting today. This is from Sarah, she her. Hello everyone. I've been a listener for the past three years. I am a chaotic listener who listens to all, no, I know what you're gonna say,

to all the old episodes out of order. Well, that's on you. It's your loss, man. I'm finally caught up and can now say that Sundays are my favorite day of the week because it means new episodes. I found you guys when searching for queer friendly podcasts. That's nice. I wonder where you could search that.

Like maybe Spotify or something? I don't know. Wherever you maybe need to. Maybe Reddit? Y'all have really become like friends to me, which feels weird to tell you because you have no idea who I am. Well, we do now. I've always wanted to send in a story, but I don't have any paranormal or true crime.

I do, however, have an epic love story about fate and realizing that I am indeed not straight. Welcome. So the story starts in November 2019. I was in a not-so-great relationship with a guy who was more like a half-ass friend than a boyfriend. Before I realized just how shitty the relationship was, I booked a trip for us through a travel agency to go to Amsterdam, Paris, and London with a group of random people from around the US. One of our mutual friends was planning on coming too. That mutual friend invited his friend named Sam, she her. I'd never met Sam before.

Since we were booking with a travel agency, the rooming situation was girls had to room with girls and boys had to room with boys unless you wanted- Twist my arm. Unless you wanted to get your own room for $800 while they're really just asking you to be gay here. So I'm saving money and kissing girls? That's crazy. That's amazing. Oh my God, what is this?

Travel agency. Which I was not doing because number one, I was a broke college student and number two, I didn't really care if I shared a room with my boyfriend or not. Anyway, it was planned that Sam and I would room together. I told her mutual friend that I wanted to meet Sam before the trip since I was going to be her roommate

for two weeks. So our friend planned a bonfire at his house and invited all of us so that we could meet. Okay, quick question for you, Em. Would you prefer to meet them before knowing you are, like, you have to spend two weeks in this room with them, either way. Would you prefer to, like, meet them up

before you go on the trip first at, like, a social gathering? Or would you just be like, I don't want to know because otherwise, if they're terrible, you wouldn't want to know? Yeah, because then I'm driving it. Yeah, I think I would rather just go into it blind. Because also, if you meet in advance, let's say you're really not vibing,

but they really like you, they could try to make additional plans with you. And it's like, I can't get out of this yet because they know that I also don't know much about this trip. So if we meet at the hotel or whatever, or meet on the trip, then if things aren't going well, at least I can constantly excuse myself out of the room

or like we gotta go do our own things. I mean, obviously that's not what's gonna happen here. We know guys, but like, I'm just curious out of personality. Unless the fate is they become mortal enemies. Yeah, right. Oh, interesting. Yeah, no, I think I'd be the same way. Maybe that's why we were never friends.

We were like, let's not even meet each other. I was like, I don't even wanna risk this. Yeah. Yeah, wait till we're desperate for friends, then we'll meet. Okay. Anyways, it was planned this... Okay, so bonfire.

Flash forward to the night of the bonfire. I walked in my friend's backyard where everyone was sitting and I had this feeling in my gut that something was about to happen. It was like this giddy bubbly feeling I had never felt before. That's really sweet. When I hear a feeling that something was about to happen. I'm like I get that all the time, but it's not giggly bubbly. It's just anxiety. No, yeah, it's just like, cool, here comes the apocalypse. Just dread, just existential dread. The first thing I saw when I walked up to the group

was Sam's long blonde hair, blonde legs. Sam's long blonde hair. Okay. I thought I was gonna say legs and then it said blonde and I went, oh, nevermind. Sam's long blonde hair. I remember thinking that it was beautiful. Then I heard her laugh.

It was the most intoxicating sound. It felt like I was physically being pulled toward her like I was no longer in control of my body. I couldn't stop staring at her either. You know how Edward Cullen told Bella Swan, you are like my own personal brand of heroin? Well, I now fully understand what he meant. Everything about her was so attractive to me.

I introduced myself to Sam trying not to act weird as weird as I felt because my boyfriend was standing right next to her. I just remember instantly thinking, I want to kiss her. Wow. This thought- Okay, as you should. Yeah, this thought startled the hell out of me

because I had never had this type of thought towards anyone before, especially a girl. I had dated guys all my life, but I had never felt an instant attraction like this. She didn't say anything profound that night, but I hung on every word she said. Before I met Sam, I would have said that I was a free-loving type of person. Love sort of always just came to me and I embraced it. I never chased after anyone, I never made the first move, but my instant feelings for Sam made me question if I ever

even liked anyone before. It was so intense. I let myself think all of these wild thoughts, then tried to bring myself back to reality. You are dating someone, you are straight. I felt so guilty for the thoughts I was having, but as hard as I tried, I couldn't deny fate. A week later, I opened up to my best friends about my new revelation of liking a girl. I decided to talk to my boyfriend to end things. When I told him that I didn't think we had a normal relationship, he very bluntly told me,

yeah, I realized that a year and a half ago. Okay. Okay. Douche. This guy had been stringing me along for over a year, purposely being terrible so that I would break up with him. I hate people. Okay. Douche. This guy had been stringing me along for over a year, purposely being terrible so that I would break up with him. I hate people. Classic. I hate people. Classic. I felt so stupid, but at the same time,

so relieved and free. At the end of the day, I realized that this is my life. No one should have the power to tell me how to live it. I decided that despite my messy breakup, I was going on my trip. I was going to be roommates with Sam and I was going to follow my heart, which is exactly what I did.

Three days into our trip, the tension between us was unbearable. So I told Sam how I felt about her. Luckily, our feelings were mutual. Sam and I made the most out of every moment on that trip together. Okay. Ah!

It felt like we were in a movie exploring the city, sneaking around like a couple of teenagers. Right, especially because they're supposed to be like rooming with only, you know, to keep the romance at bay. Oh my God, oh my God. With all of the freedom in the world, meeting Sam turned my world upside down in the best way possible. Our wedding was on April 20th

and it was the best night of our lives. So that is how I fell in love with my roommate on a trip abroad and ended up marrying her. How could we have lived in the same small town with the same friends, but never met until the perfect time? The only answer is fate. Eva, even if you are the only one who sees this,

thank you for taking the time to read it. Emma and Christine, if you are reading this, then holy shit, please come back to South Louisiana. All of the love from my big queer heart, Sarah. Very nice. Wow, wow, you got my heart beating here. This is quite a romance you've laid out. I know.

I like how when you actually- Why? When I accidentally what? When you accidentally, when you first skipped the email five with this story and you said aboard and it turns out it was abroad because they misspelled it. So you read it as a board and I read it as a fraud. Because at the end I went, wait, abroad? I thought it was a board.

Okay. Anyway. Sorry. Yeah. thought it was aboard. Okay, anyway. Sorry, that's all. Yeah, like maybe like on a ship, whatever. I thought maybe it was like a cruise, yeah. Yeah, either way it was abroad technically. Yes, it was. I feel like all of them were love stories. Did all of them become love stories

or friend stories at least? Well, not the one where they saved the life. That was more- Maybe became friends. Oh yeah, but not a love story, sorry. Yeah, but not, you mean like friend stories? I think they were all relationship fate stories. Yeah, is there another kind?

I mean, I'm trying to think of what a not relationship fate story is, me and Lemon, I guess. I mean- That's a relationship. I would say like careers are like, you're meant to like find this thing or something. No, that's true. My brain like couldn't even get my head out of that thought of framing it in relationships,

but yeah, you're totally right. Also, Fate could be like, oh no, that would be a relationship. Yeah, career, yeah, that's true. Like finding something. Yeah. Finding a moose. Oh yeah, that one didn't really become a friend story.

I mean, unless you're that guy who really wants to be friends with moose, you know? Yeah, well, he's just waiting for the day he himself gets to see a moose, sounds like. I feel like in the afterlife, he's just riding the moose, you know? Aw. Speaking of moose, I'm wearing a moose shirt right now.

You are? Wait, look at that. You didn't notice that till now. That's hilarious. The sweet of moose, I'm wearing a moose shirt right now. You are? Wait, look at that. You didn't notice that till now. That's hilarious. The sweetest moose. Oh, that's actually really cute. Is that vintage? No, I've worn it in front of you before. It was in Maine, the chocolate moose.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. I've seen it before, but I just, I didn't know what it was for. I thought it was just like something, you found it. It's a candy store in Maine, but they have, I think, the world's largest chocolate mousse, but it's a literal chocolate statue of a mousse. That's right, that's right, I remember the mousse.

So it is the sweetest mousse. That's very sweet. Anyway, I hope to the mousse person, hope you enjoy that. Maybe me wearing this today was fate. Well, that's fate, oh my God, you're right. Maybe that guy also Pinocchio stringed me into putting the shirt on this morning, you know?

Oh yeah. Well, thank you everyone for your stories and happy September, is September as we know it. Happy September. And I hope everyone's having a good time. I will not make any predictions because that has gotten me into some trouble. Thank you.

But happy September and happy autumn, because I officially for me, once it's September 1, it is no longer the summer months and therefore it is fall. I'm exactly the same boat. I will sign the petition. Which means we're officially only 60 days away from... Ah!

Halloween. Whoa. I hope, so that means the next listener's story will be our Halloween spooky October month. Oh my god, it's happening! And it's Leona's birthday on the same day as it is every year and I always forget. Precious. I mean, I don't forget her birthday, I just forget it's on our... It's only happened like twice so far.

I know. That's true, that's true. The pattern hasn't even been established. No, you still have a lot of time to fuck it up. Don't worry. That's true. All right, well, thank you everyone and we'll see you next month.

And- That's- Why- We- Drink.