The Moth - Taken by Surprise: The Moth Podcast

Episode Date: September 4, 2026

On this episode, two stories about two very different kinds of shock and surprise. This episode was hosted by Marc Sollinger.Storytellers:Susan Rohde is surprised to discover her nine year-old foster daughter making some unauthorized Amazon purchases. Stephanie Rogers’ feels helpless when her son, who lives on the other side of the country, undergoes anaphylactic shock.Podcast # 998

Welcome to the Moth. I'm Mark Solinger. Whenever I'm surprised, I make this sort of, well, the face I make is halfway between a groundhog and a ferret. I sort of wrinkle my nose and give out this weird intake of breath that makes me sound like a character Zach Galfanakis would play in a cringe comedy. I have absolutely no idea why I do it, and suffice it to say I am not that good at poker. But, even though I do look like an absolute weirdo, even though some surprises can't can be awful, on balance, I enjoy being surprised. I think it's the only way your life can change. So, on this episode, two stories about two very different kinds of shock and surprise, both positive

and negative. First, sticker shock. This is from Susan Rody, who told it at a Chicago Grand Slam, where the theme was deal breakers. Here's Susan live at the month. So Annie is nine years old, and she is bright and talented and so independent. Her and her six-year-old brother have been living with my husband and I, the last year and a half, in a temporary foster family situation, and it has been quite the adventure. Last month, Annie asked if she could get a bird. Well, that's a hard no. I am more afraid of birds than I am anything else in the entire world.

And I was surprised she took the no as well as she did. And then the next day Amazon delivered a bird cage, a cover for the bird cage, a bird hammock, a bird swing, a bird bed, a bird water dish, a bird water dispenser, bird food, bird toys, everything for this bird. to live its best life in Forest Park. And I was so angry. And I started towards her room. She knows better than this.

And then I remembered, Susan, you know better than this. Foster kids sometimes don't get all the guidance that they should get and sometimes have to make decisions in care. out those decisions that nine-year-olds shouldn't be making. So yes, it was my job to guide her and to teach her, and that made it easier for me to go in and say, Annie. We need to return everything, everything. Number two, I'm taking Amazon off your phone,

but I'm dying to know, where were you going to get a bird? I don't think Amazon sells bird. sells birds. And what I thought was a wry smile of, oh, I didn't think of that, really meant just wait. And the next day, Amazon delivered a wild bird trap. Later, I bought the six-year-old a water pick. That sounds goofy, but he's got cavities already, and I'm really worried. And I thought this would help his dental hygiene. And I already knew I couldn't bring that home unless I had something for Annie. So I bought special adapters so they could all use the water pick. And I made the mistake of telling Mark, the six-year-old, that this was his. And Annie couldn't stand it. She just

lost it. And I spent so much time illogically using logic to help her understand that she could use the adapter as well. And we would all live happily ever after, and she wasn't buying any of it. And the next day, Amazon delivered a $52 water pick and three electric toothbrushes. walked in there and I'm going to take her phone away and I'm going to ground her for years and she needs to learn and I said no Susan you need to learn these kids have such an emptiness in them because they miss their mom and dad and their family and their family's cooking if a if an electric toothbrush and and a water pick can fill that void for just a couple hours, it's a decision well made.

By her. Not me. So I went back in there. I said, Annie, we got to return all this stuff again. You can't keep doing this. And she cried and she begged to keep just one electric toothbrush. And I really wanted to give in. But I said, no, Susan, she needs a strong, consistent adult in her life more than she needs

an electric toothbrush. So I returned that, but I said, but how? How did you place this order? I know I took Amazon off your phone. And she was real honest. She said, oh, it's still on my tablet. So we went in her room and we found her tablet and I learned two things. First, you cannot remove Amazon from a fire tablet.

It is not possible. And number two, the incoming message, I learned that there would be a delay in the delivery of the motorcycle. 100-d-moder-scycle. I was able to cancel that order. We are on 30 days without any unexpected Amazon deliveries. Doesn't matter. It is such a joy to have these two in my life and an honor to have the ability to take care of them right now.

Thank you. That was Susan Rody. Susan used a bit of her pandemic time to learn the art of storytelling and has appeared at Moss Slams, Grand Slams, and on PBS's Stories from the Stage. Susan works in higher ed is most proud of her family and has been a licensed foster parent for the last 25 years. I've got to say, I am very glad I didn't have access to Amazon

when I was nine years old. I would have absolutely ordered so many Star Trek novels and expensive tennis rackets. Why, yes, I was a very cool child with lots of friends. The most surprised I've ever been, Well, first, I need to give a bit of context. In addition to producing them off podcast, I also make weird audio drama, sort of like TV without the visuals.

My producing partner and I work really hard on these, and we're lucky enough that some of the podcasts we make are pretty popular. We're most well-known for a show called Archive-81. Occasionally, I'll do a quick Google of our shows to see what people are saying. I know you're not supposed to read your reviews, but I'm only human. and on one of these quick Googles, I found something, different than a review, or people talking about the show. Instead, I found a site where a bunch of people had written fanfic of the show I made, which was surprising on its own.

But what was even more surprising was that some of the fanfic was steamy, let's just say. Very steamy. Also, at this point, I should note that in addition to writing and co-producing, the show, I had voiced a character that was sort of based on me and had the same name as me. So, essentially, the erotic fanfic featured me, or the character I played, but basically me. I didn't actually read any of it. I thought it would be awkward, and I genuinely think it's cool that people, you know, use something I made as an imaginative springboard.

But yeah, that is the most of it. surprised I have ever been. After the break, a story about a surprise of a very different sort. Back in a moment. Welcome back. Our next story is from Steph Rogers, who told this at a Chicago story slam where the theme was making waves. Here's Steph live at the morning. It's 333 in the morning when the phone rings, and I see that it's my son calling from California. He's at college, 133 California time, 333 Chicago time. a weird time to call. Hey Charlie, what's going on? He says, mom, I've been throwing up for the last 45 minutes and my stomach is killing me. My son is 6-1. He's super cool. He's a surfer dude in California, but he runs a little anxious too. And I know that if he's having an allergic

reaction, I'll be able to see it because we've been through this. We've been prepared for this, his whole life. I've been there every moment. And I say, Charlie, FaceTime me, let me see your eyes. And he facetimes me, and I see his eyes. And I say, Char, go get your EpiPen. And I'm here in Chicago. My son is in California, 1,800 miles away. And he gets his Epipen, which is epinephrine in a needle,

and you shove it into your thigh, and it stops an allergic reaction usually, but the epipen does not work. So he goes and he gets another epipen. And that doesn't work. And I say, Char, go wake up your roommate. Go get Will. He wakes up his roommate, and before they know it, before we all know it, they're in the car, and I'm still on FaceTime.

So I'm seeing and hearing everything that's going on, and my son is starting to labor, to breathe, as he's telling Will, go left, go right, go up there. And I'm sitting there, helpless, helpless, helpless. They get to the ER, my son gets in, and they immediately can see what's going on, and they rush him in. I'm still on FaceTime, because I'm right there by his side. They put him on the bed, and suddenly the phone is face up, and all I hear is beep, beep, beep, and doctors and nurses and people. Angels, angels, working on my son. his blood his oxygen is dropping

get the mask and they're injecting him with things and I don't know what the hell they're doing it's like I'm watching a movie but it's real it's my kid 2,000 miles away this goes on for about 5 minutes

and I'm panicking and I'm holding my breath and I'm trying to act cool and I know Will is trying to act cool and Charlie's trying to act cool and we're all trying to pretend like this is not a serious fucking situation like Charlie is not in anaphylaxis right now. And that is when his phone dies. And I'm staring at the wall,

desperate in the dark, in my kitchen. And all I want to do is see my kid. So I start looking for flights to California. It's 4.30 in the morning. And I'm not clear-headed. I just want to see him. So I open up my computer and I look at my photos and photos of him when he was little, when he was a little karate kid. And when he was with my mother holding her as if he never wanted to let go, photos of him, Will, the roommate, calls me at about 5.30. And he says, Mrs. Rogers, I think Charlie's turned a corner. They think he's going to live. And I know Will said he's going to live, but I don't know it. Really. I can't see him. I can't see my kid. So I continued to just look at pictures of him and videos.

And I see him there smiling and jumping around and playing tennis and with his little gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free brownie that I used to make for him for every stupid birthday party so he could have a little something with the other kids. And about seven in the morning, Charlie calls me. And he says, hey, Steffie, I bet you were thinking of getting on a plane, weren't you? I spend the day in a day just looking at more photos

wishing I could be near my kid because you know you prepare yourself for these moments parents of allergic kids we are over prepared we are hyper prepared for everything but yet I wasn't prepared I didn't know how to call the hospital

I didn't even know what hospital they were in I didn't know Will's number how do I not know his roommate's phone How do I not know the hospital name? I had let it go because I had let my son go. It's okay to let go when you're a parent, but it's also okay to hold on a little bit. Later that night, he facetimes me,

and there they were, bright, clear, alive, a little worn, a little sad, but there they were, his eyes. That was Steph Rogers. Steph is the producer and creative director of Story Jam, a live-lit storytelling show and podcast, which you can find online. She's also the founder of Story Jam Studio, which offers storytelling classes, workshops, and trainings for companies.

That brings us to the end of our episode. Thank you so much for listening. We hope all your surprises are good ones. Mark Solinger is the podcast producer of the moth, the co-creator of the audio drama, I of 81, a lover of museums, and someone who feels very strange reading his own bio. Susan Rody's story was coached by Larry Rosen. Steph Rogers' story was coached by Kate Tellers.

This episode of The Moth podcast was produced by Sarah Austin-Jonesse, Sarah Jane Johnson, and me, Mark Salinger. The rest of the Mollinger's leadership team includes Gina Duncan, Marina Cluchet, Jennifer Hickson, Jordanale, Caledonia Cairns, Kate Tellers, Suzanne Rust, and Patricia Urreña. The Moth podcast is presented by Odyssey. Special thanks to their executive producer, Leah Reese Dennis. All Moth stories are true, as remembered by their storytellers. For more about our podcast, information on pitching your own story, and everything else, go to our website, the moth.org.