#1
When I was 20 I was a shift manager on the front end of a retail chain. My little sister (16) worked sales floor on weekends. We got a new cashier who was around 24 or so, and not knowing she was my sister he immediately called me over and said 'who is she I'm going to date her?' I said 'she's a minor and she's my sister you will not.' He said, 'you can't stop me.' He was super creepy like the Discord moderator stereotype complete with body odor. At home that evening I asked her if he said anything to her and she said, he asked her age and told her she was pretty and it made her uncomfortable so she just ignored him. I told her if she wanted to I would go to HR with her but she said she was afraid to cause drama and she only worked 2 days a week usually on the floor so it was fine she'd just ignore him if they crossed paths.
A few weeks later they scheduled her at the customer service desk and when he saw her over there he asked the then on duty shift manager if he could go up and learn with her so he could cover breaks and lunches. They said yes and when my sister came home she let me know he was really creepy, tried to hold her hand a few times, and kept standing so close to her he was touching her. I asked her if she told anyone and she said no again she didn't want drama she'd just post any customer service shifts she got and try to trade for sales floor work.
On my next shift I walk in to him looking at her schedule and then sifting through the schedule book trying to find people on the floor scheduled at the same time so he could trade with them even though he'd never even worked floor. I immediately went to HR to complain and was asked why it wasn't her coming forward. HR said since I wasn't there that day I had no proof that there were any issues and she'd need to be the one to say something. They also said he was welcome to trade with who he wanted.
Later in the day I overheard him telling another employee during break about how he was in love with my sister and he was going to 'make her his submissive princess.' That s**t made me snap after we got back out on the floor I went over to him and quietly said 'f**k off and leave my little sister alone you disgusting creep or I will ruin your life.' I got called into HR the next day and was asked if I threatened him I very innocently said, 'no of course not. I did coach him because a customer complained that he said a racial slur towards her and I told him it wasn't appropriate to use that language.'
HR then said, 'well did you hear it?'
I said, 'no that's why I didn't bring it to you since I wasn't present near him when it occurred and I know you can't do anything about situations where there is no witness.'
He got fired.
#2
A very big boy in the grade up would just NOT leave me alone. Dancing around me calling me "kindergartner" right in my space.
Because of the rough home life I had a lot of anger and I snapped one day and side kicked him right in the groin... Above a half flight of stairs. He fell down backwards and got hurt.
He never told anyone, I think because it would have looked really bad on him.
At least he avoided me after that which was what I wanted... Just to be left alone.
#3
Everyone has secrets at some point in life — yes, literally everyone. Some are tiny and harmless, while others are the kind that quietly sit in the back of your mind for years. In fact, according to an estimate, the average person is carrying around 13 secrets at any given moment. That’s a lot of hidden thoughts, feelings, and stories people keep tucked away from the world.
Some people are naturally good at hiding things and moving on as if nothing happened. But for others, keeping a secret can feel emotionally exhausting, stressful, and even isolating. After all, constantly filtering what you say, what you reveal, and what you avoid mentioning can become mentally draining over time. And honestly, the heavier the secret, the harder it often becomes to carry alone.
#4
#5
#6
She said yes. (God bless this woman.)
They were the best fish and chips we ever ate.
And it was the first time that both of us had ever been full.
The waitress that fed us, taught us a valuable life lesson.
It was more than any one of the CCD teachers ever did.
What’s fascinating is that researchers have actually found that secrets can physically affect people too. Studies suggest that carrying around a heavy emotional secret can genuinely make people feel weighed down — almost like their body is responding to the burden emotionally and physically. Researchers discovered that when people were thinking about important secrets, they tended to overestimate how difficult physical tasks would be. Simple things like walking up a hill, carrying groceries, or completing an activity suddenly felt more exhausting in their minds. It’s almost as if the emotional weight of secrecy tricks the brain into feeling physically tired too.
#7
Super long story short, I grew up in the country. Sometime people from not in the country think that country people are easy targets for thefts and robberies because of their distance to the police. They never seem to think that the distance to police is also not in their favour because the farmer will defend themselves. I am also in Canada.
In the early 80s, one of these fine city folks thought it would be a good idea to rob one of our neighbours. He was alerted to what was going on by his dog barking. So he went out to investigate. He found said city folk in his garage trying to steal his truck. The city folk decided it was in his best interest to try and confront my neighbour instead of fleeing. Being a city folk, he maybe did think that because it was Canada, that my neighbour would be armed. Well he was. He ended up with a ping pong ball hole in his chest, and a basketball sized hole in his back.
Instead of dealing with the police and all of that stuff, my neighbour decided it was easier just to take care of it himself. So he fired up his backhoe, wrapped the guy up in a tarp, put him in the front end loader, took him out to the middle of his back 40, dug down a solid 15-18 feet, dropped him in, filled the hole back in, and nobody could ever tell that he was buried there.
That field was seeded, plowed and harvested every season for the next 40ish years until he passed away. His kids found a note that he wrote explaining what happened and what he did. They went to the police about it and they did nothing. They didn't even come out to the farm to investigate.
#8
While studying for his doctorate he was front desk check in at a high end hotel in Kirkland. I was a hostess at the restaurant across the lobby. Our hotel got shut down for flooding and we all went out all over Seattle to commiserate and party. I woke up in the early morning hours in his bed, no recollection of getting there. I asked him for water and he gave me a glass full of gin. I gagged and puked over the bedside. He forced himself into me while I was getting sick, while I cried, and continued after I passed back out.
I was chafed and sore for a while after that. Less than a year later he messaged me that he was getting married and she was a virgin and needed to know if I had any diseases. Anyways, he’s a very successful family practitioner in the Seattle region now.
Edit: thanks for the supportive comments. His first name is George. This happened summer of 2012, about a month after my 15 year old brother k****d himself. I was spiraling. Not trying to defend why I was such a mess but this incident really f****d up an already horrible time. I can’t remember if he’s specifically in Kirkland anymore. I am a single mother now, I don’t have the resources if he came after me for defamation or something.
#9
So why do people keep secrets in the first place? Well, according to Slepian et al.’s 2017 studies, researchers identified 38 different categories of secrets people commonly keep hidden from others. Some are things people may eventually share with a close friend, therapist, or family member.
But others are deeply personal topics they may never openly discuss with anyone at all. Many secrets revolve around relationships, money, personal ambitions, mental health, family issues, betrayals, fears, or hidden regrets. Sometimes people stay silent because they fear judgment, embarrassment, or conflict. Other times, they simply don’t know how to explain what they’re feeling. And in many cases, people keep secrets because they believe protecting the truth feels easier than facing the possible fallout of revealing it.
#10
Being related to someone so evil is something I have struggled to come to terms with. Its like mourning a person you spent your whole life loving while they are still alive.
#11
#12
I've never been religious, am more of a scientific type, try to reason things out, but I know what I experienced.
One surprisingly common type of secret is having a hidden ambition or personal goal. This could be anything from secretly wanting a career change to dreaming about moving abroad, starting a business, losing weight, writing a book, or leaving a relationship. A lot of people choose not to share these goals because they’re afraid of failing publicly or being mocked before they even begin. Sometimes keeping a dream private can feel safer than hearing someone else’s doubts about it. Other people stay quiet because they don’t want unnecessary pressure or expectations attached to their plans. And honestly, many of us have had that one secret goal we quietly worked toward without telling anyone until it actually happened.
#13
Then one of them dared a girl to drop her pants and streak the room.
A minute later she was naked and running quietly through our mats and giggling away....then she passed me and we locked eyes. I closed them fast but it was to late, she knew I saw her.
Nap time ends, lights go up and she walks over. She bends down to my level and whispers that if I tell anyone what I saw she would come to my house and k**l my parents and my dog leaving me to be an orphan (we had just watched Annie so orphan was a new word for me).
She was fired 6 months later for putting on the movie Motel Hell for all of us to 2 watch one morning.
#14
#15
I won't say where exactly, but in the mid-nineties, my buddies and I used to go out along a major aqueduct and fish.
In one area, the access road dips down and is roughly level with the waterline. We could pull out fish by the dozens. The problem was, to get on the access road, you had to have a key for an electronic lock. We would just unscrew the junction box at the bottom of the pedestal, short two wires, and the arm would come up.
One night, very late, we were down fishing where the road dips down and saw headlights at the entry arm, about 200 yards from where we were. Where we were situated was about halfway between the entry gate and a pump facility. Anyway, they came through and closed the gate. We were stuck.
Up the road just a bit was a little shack with a large electrical enclosure. I opened it, and it was full of controllers and terminal blocks, mostly labeled. We were kinda panicked and wanting to get out, so I started looking at the labels. I found GATE 1 and shorted it. My buddies watched the arm on the road at the top of the hills, and shook their heads. I tried GATE 2. Nothing. GATE 3. Nope. Toward the bottom I saw something like SOUTH ENTRY. I shorted it and the arm lifted up. My friends thought I was McGyver. We jumped in my truck, hauled a*s up the road with the lights off, and got away.
The next day, we all found at that GATE 1, 2 and 3 were GIANT gates that emptied millions of gallons of water overnight into a farming field. TL;DR, my friends and I created a lake that lasted for the better part of 6 months in some poor farmer's field.
Family secrets are another huge category people tend to keep hidden. And let’s be honest, families can be complicated. Sometimes people hide things because they feel embarrassed about their family situation, while others stay silent to protect loved ones or avoid drama altogether. These secrets can involve hidden relationships, addiction, financial struggles, betrayals, long-standing conflicts, or painful childhood experiences people rarely talk about openly. In many cultures, there’s also pressure to “keep family matters private,” even when those situations are emotionally difficult. That silence can make people feel stuck between loyalty and honesty. And while some family secrets may seem small from the outside, for the people carrying them, they can become emotionally overwhelming over time.
#16
#17
#18
Apparently it was not vacant, and the people living there called the police who caught her in the act. My eldest son had to pick her up from the police station.
My youngest daughter informed me about this just an hour ago, but made me swear not to bring it up with any of her siblings. I find it hilarious. I had to tell someone. This reddit thread seemed like a good place.
Financial secrets are also incredibly common, even among close friends, partners, and family members. These can include hidden debt, secret bank accounts, overspending, gambling habits, inheritance money, lying about income, or pretending to be financially stable when struggling privately. People often keep financial secrets because money can feel deeply tied to self-worth, success, and social status. Some fear being judged as irresponsible, while others simply don’t want loved ones to worry. In relationships especially, financial secrecy can slowly create tension and mistrust over time. At the same time, many people hide money-related stress because they feel ashamed or pressured to appear “fine” on the outside. Money can be an emotional topic, which is exactly why so many people quietly avoid talking about it honestly.
#19
Started out as a one-off drunken hookup... Then it happened again... Then it became almost daily.
We both became paranoid about getting found out and the damage that would come out of it and decided to end it.
She passed away a few years back and took our secret to the grave.
Still the best head I've ever had.
#20
