rSlash - r/Bestof I Accidentally Became a Stalker

Episode Date: February 7, 2025

0:00 Intro 0:08 Watching you 7:44 Comment 8:01 Rich and poor 11:42 Survivor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey Spotify, this is Javi. My biggest passion is music, and it's not just sounds and instruments. It's more than that to me. It's a world full of harmonies with chillers. From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime. Welcome to r slash best of Redditor updates, where OP accidentally becomes a stalker. Our next Reddit post comes from r slash Chifu. Today I effed up by telling a dude we've been watching him for years.

So for literally years now, this dude has been running around about a three square mile in my area. The only reason I've ever noticed him was because of his flowing hair that gracefully blows behind him as he runs and the frequency that we saw him out. When he started, he was a little overweight, but dude is so committed that he literally runs in rainstorms wearing trash bags and he's very fit now. So my family and I are watching this guy's transformation happen, which is kind of exciting to me because I'm into fitness. Over the years, I would cheer him on privately while inside my car. I would be like, yes, you got this my dude dude. In an attempt to make my kids laugh, it became a thing.

It was there's my dude or man, I haven't seen my dude in a while. I hope he's okay. Or my sister would say, I saw my dude today. Kind of just an inside joke. But again, this is for years and years. Even after seeing him all that time while driving, I never actually ran into him in person on my walks. That brings me to my Today I F'd Up portion of the post.

I decided to go a different route today. I look up and through the sunlight in the trees, I see a glorious golden mane of hair. I think, oh my god, today's the day I meet my dude. He's getting closer now. I feel incredibly stupid. Why the hell did this my dude thing even start again? He's closer now. He's much taller than I thought and that throws me off as I let him jog past.

I think, ah, I can't just not say anything, right? And guys, I really wish I didn't say anything. I really wish I just went home and called my sister and fake fangirled over walking within inches of this mythical man with the hair. But I'm an idiot. So I turn around and yell, excuse me, and he swishes his marvelous hair around, still jogging in place and just looks at me. I say, I say, we've been watching you for years.

And he's like, huh? And I say, we've been watching you for years. And he's like, huh? And I say, we've been watching you. Like he couldn't hear me or something. Instead of what he really meant, which was probably what the hell? And he's still jogging, like what? I stammer, we've been watching you run. I mean, me and my family watching you run for years.

You look great. Way to go, dude And you guys I gave him an effing thumbs up like a weird Xanaxed up soccer mom. He says oh cool Thanks and just kind of runs away at this point. I feel kind of Betrayed like he's basically a celebrity in my house, and he just says cool He's basically a celebrity in my house and he just says, Cool? How dare he! Then it hit me how effing awkward and creepy and messed up what I said was and how I said what I said.

I tell my husband and he's like, Wish it weren't so awkward, bud. I tell my kids and they're like, Uh, wow, mom. I tell my sister and she cries laughing because of how typical this is of me. To be so awkward, I mean. Like, I literally told a grandma, don't eat the baby the other day at the store while she was nibbling on her grandkids toes playfully. Like, what's my problem? Anyways, the main reason I'm

even typing this, besides so you freaks that like to cringe over others idiocy can read it, is that since I appeared to be some weird version of CIA slash FBI slash Illuminati soccer mom to my dude, he's been nowhere to be found. I haven't seen him running around at all and I feel so bad that I may have possibly kind of weirded him out enough for him to change the entire area he's been running for years, which is awful. So my dude, if you see this, I am so not watching you in any way other than to admire your hair and admire your dedication to fitness. I apologize profusely, and if I ever see you again, I promise I won't say anything." Then one day later, OP posted an update.

Today, I told my mom about my previous post, her read it made her almost Ceased to exist from laughing so hard and then she says yeah, but that guy is pretty weird and I say oh Why do you say that and apparently I'm from a family of freakishly awkward individuals you guys my dad did the same? Thing as me and he just forgot to tell me or my sister about it. Thanks dad, you're great." So my dad ran into my dude at the store and he was like, Oh hey, I see you running all the time. You're looking great. Keep it up.

My dad was a coach so he's got this weird proud dad thing going on. My dude just kind of looks at him and says, Thanks? And slowly backs away. The end. Just kidding. Then my mom proceeds to tell me that she just saw my dude running. Please read the following in stereotypical mom voice. Oh my gosh, I saw him running the other day. His shoes look so bad. I almost stopped. I wish I knew his shoe size so I could get him new shoes. Should I stop and ask him?" Oh my god. Don't worry, I said, don't effing do that mom.

Jesus Christ. Figure it out. So now that I know I wasn't the first person to tell him I've been watching him, I feel really bad. This is my family, ladies and gentlemen. Then one day later, OP posted an update. I've been paying more attention than normal to the sidewalk while I'm driving in hopes Then, one day later, OP posted an update. blowing his hair as I pass. And oh my god, what if I'm walking and I see him next? Will my common sense just leak out of my ears completely? And oh my god, will I pull out my phone, open Reddit,

and grin at him? Will I then awkwardly offer to give him half of my internet gold? Will I make a joke about karma? Probably. I hope not, but probably. So tonight my mom read my post out loud to my dad while I was on the phone with them. In case you were wondering, he ALSO wishes I wasn't so effing awkward, bud. But it's kind of his fault if you think about it. Guys, I know what you're thinking, and don't worry. She successfully censored my curse words, until about halfway through when she was having trouble breathing through laughter. Even then she swore quietly.

Bless her heart. Basically, she thinks that I'm famous now and that I'm going to be on Good Morning America. She's a total mom. After she's done, I'm telling them some of your comments about making shirts and all your ideas about how to get my dude shoe size so that my mom can buy him shoes. Anything from using light sprinklings of salt on the pavement to forcing him to run through plaster of Paris were thrown out there. Y'all are a bunch of snipers. Suddenly, my dad says,

oh, by the way, I've seen him running recently. He's okay. And guys, in this moment, I'm so relieved that I didn't screw up this dude's entire world. I say, oh, good. Where was he when you saw him? The same route? Outside of his house. Wait, you effing know where he lives? Yeah, it's such and such house. I see him leave to run and I see him get back home sometimes when I'm driving. Oh my god, I say. You, you just made it worse, my sister says. My mom is basically dead at this moment. Mom, you cannot buy him shoes and drop them at his house. My mom says, yeah, that would be awkward. So good news, he's still running. Bad news,

we might actually be stalkers now. Down in the comments, we have this story from Sad Playground. My husband would always see an older man walking his little dog while my husband drove to work. Then one morning it was raining and the guy was there in a raincoat holding a little umbrella over the dog who had a matching raincoat. Hubby still calls it the best day ever. Our next reddit post is from r slash 2xchromosomes. I come from poverty. It is what it is.

I had a very rich childhood and always except financially. Christmas was saved for year round and we got one thing to wear, one book and always accept financially. Christmas was saved for a year round and we got one thing to wear, one book, and one fun thing. My husband comes from a family that grossed $300,000 a year and Christmas was always a massive show off. Each kid had $2,000 under the tree. Easy! My husband and I started dating 5 years ago and we've been married for 2 and a half. We've clawed our way up in life. He was not given financial help as an adult.

And this year is the first time that we can spend some decent money on Christmas. He's been wanting a guitar for some time. He's never played and he's expressed interest so many times, but we couldn't do it financially. I did lots of research and from what I saw, beginner guitars were $150 and went from there up to your $5,000 for really nice ones. I agonized over what I was going to choose and I ended up telling him to cut his gift budget for me so that I could surprise him with a really nice gift, or so I thought. My original budget was $500, but I really wanted to go big or go home. It ended up being 900 Canadian dollars plus 200 for accessories. Being able to spend that

amount is just unfathomable for a former poor kid, but I did it because he deserves it. We finally have the means and I was beyond excited to see his face light up. Christmas morning comes and the tree gifts wait until his family arrives. I'm basically giddy at this point with excitement. Our turn comes for couples gifts and I bring the guitar case from its hiding place. He's so excited and opens the case, revealing the guitar and then, Oh, thanks babe, never heard of this brand. Not the overwhelming joy I was hoping for, but it's not about me, right?

His brother says, oh that's nice! A decent cheapie one to start out with! His dad chimes in, having played in his 20s, and says it's known for its lower end models and they'd be happy to chip in for a nice one next year if he sticks with it. I've never felt such a punch to the gut! I assume I'm overthinking as per usual, but I'm still so devastated from this 10 seconds of today that I can't even really verbalize why. It felt like I was 9 years old again trying to be excited about my new Air Apostle hoodie

with my friend that got a MacBook and a Disney trip for Christmas. I think those comments affected how my husband viewed it too because he hasn't touched it since, despite wanting it so badly for Christmas. I think those comments affected how my husband viewed it too, because he hasn't touched it since, despite wanting it so badly for years. Then the next day, OP posted an update. I spoke with my husband this morning, trying to be very calm. I'm not confrontational by nature, so I put my anger aside and went into it with patience and grace. I asked if he was upset about the guitar, either the brand choice, the appearance, or

something. I told him my feelings were hurt when his family made comments, even if unintentionally, that made it seem like I chose a child starter instrument or something. I explained that I'd put a lot of thought and research into the build, the color, everything to make sure that his first experience with the guitar was very positive. He was shocked to hear that I'd been thinking about it that way. He didn't think twice about what his family said. He apologized for the reaction and his, and explained that his comment about the brand

was nothing more than what it seemed. He'd never heard of the brand, that's all. He said he loved it and was just caught up in the craziness of Christmas, which is why he hasn't played it yet. That eased my mind a lot. I guess I'm just used to over the top reactions in my family. Well, this post is proof that money can't buy manners. Our next reddit post comes from r slash traumatize them back.

So for background, my grandma was born in Poland and although she was very young at the time, she remembers basically everything that she experienced. She was hidden and moved around Poland and into France during the entire time of World War II and spent time in a displaced persons camp in Germany after the war. The only way for them to escape Poland was using fake papers and they would eventually end up in Australia where from there she would marry my grandfather in America. Now they're pretty well off and many would consider that they have the American dream coming from nothing. My grandma has an American accent and you would never expect that in her childhood she

experienced some of the worst crimes known to man. So my grandparents are at a dinner with some friends and they're friends. Now the husband of the friends of friends starts talking about immigration and spewing all sorts of nonsense propaganda. Illegal immigrants are taking jobs, bringing over crime, forcing themselves on women and are destroying democracy. You know, a bunch of nonsense. So my grandma, the elegant, sophisticated woman that she is, goes,

Before you continue, I thought there's something I should tell you. I was an illegal immigrant, and I would have been murdered if not for my fake papers. Would you have preferred that I was killed all those years ago? The look on that guy's face. I just wish I was there to see it. After that, my grandma spent like 20 to 30 minutes describing how she witnessed her entire family, except for her parents and sister, get slaughtered, and how they had to live under floorboards for years. They almost got blown up on multiple occasions and hear the deafening screams of her cousins

as their parents were taken away and then cut short with the sounds of gunshot rings. Let's just say the other guy retracted his statements on immigration and started to rethink his entire personal philosophy. Then four days later, OP posted an update. I read many comments aloud to my grandmother and with tears in her eyes, she told me more stories that I thought some of you might find interesting. They're miscellaneous so they aren't in chronological order. Story 1.

My great aunt was born during the war and relatively soon after she was born, the house they were in was bombed. My great grandmother then used herself as a shield, covering her baby, not even realizing that shrapnel had punctured her knee until blood started getting everywhere. It was a Christian who went out and got penicillin illegally and helped wrap her leg. Story 2. One time, my grandmother and her immediate family got caught by a… word that starts with N that I can't say on YouTube that represents certain German people of that time

period. My great grandfather then went to this guy and tried to empathize with him, asking if he knew what it was like having kids. After giving up all the jewelry they had, this soldier agreed to let them go. Story 3. My great grandmother on many occasions said to my great grandfather how she couldn't take it anymore and how they should give themselves up. Every time he just said, tomorrow will be a better day, even though it never was.

On the other hand, my grandmother was very young, born in 1938, so she didn't really remember what life was like before the war. It wasn't until after the war that she not only found out she was Jewish, but realized not every child grew up only whispering and hiding. That children could actually have fun and not worry about their own safety. My family would have never survived if it wasn't for the Christian family that risked their lives and hid them. And although she was scared by the atrocities some committed,

she will never forget the kindness that others have.