What wouldn't we sometimes give to find out a secret or two? In a sick twist of fate, some secrets come out to us totally accidentally and even at times when we least want them to. When it comes to the workplace, 37% of American employees say they have come across confidential information at work about their colleagues, like salaries or bonuses.
Turns out, loads of people have found out certain things involuntarily. One minute, you're snooping through family Christmas stockings to find some sweets. The next, you're finding out about your parents' preferences in bed against your will.
Bored Panda has come across some disturbing and hilarious answers to the question, "What was something you saw you were definitely not supposed to see?" that someone posted online. So, scroll down and find out what knowledge and sights traumatized these poor folks.
#1
I was about 8 or 9 and my parents were going to be out of town so they had me and siblings stay with a family from our church. Once we got to the house (which was really nice BTW) they had one rule, you can play wherever you want but the basement is off limits. I was snuck down there first chance I got and was supremely disappointed to only find rows and rows of plants growing under lights.
92points
#2
My dad’s AA chips. Learned it’s why my parents got divorced. Proud of him for being in recovery though.
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90points
#3
When I was a young teen I was once leaving my house to go do something in the neighborhood. As soon as I got out of the door I heard my parents at the garage. My mother seemed to be in her car, and my father...was sitting down behind her car, and pleading with her not to leave. My parents were divorcing, and I saw a few scenes that I wish I never had. Not really horrific, but seeing your parents in emotional pain can be rough.
71points
A lot of the stories on this list feature someone sneaking up on people who are being unfaithful. According to a 2015 study, 90% of people in relationships would want to know if their partner is cheating. But a common dilemma people who witness someone else cheating face is whether to tell the other person that their partner is cheating.
According to intimacy coach Georgia Grace, it depends. Here are some things to consider:
- How sure are you about the infidelity? Did you just hear about it or witness it with your own eyes? If you have proof you can present to the partner and are absolutely sure, it's more likely they'll believe you.
- What's your relationship with the partner? Are you friends or just acquaintances? People are more likely to believe people they have known for a long time. So, telling on someone you're only vaguely connected to might backfire – the partner may accuse you of stirring the pot needlessly or even of jealousy.
#4
I once arrived early to pick up a girl for a first date. She was renting a small garden apartment behind a bigger house. It was just after dusk and I walked around the corner. The sliding door was standing open and she was inside walking around, brushing her hair, wearing only her underwear. She did not see me, so I just walked back around that corner and waited another 10 minutes. When I walked round again she had a dress on. I never told her.
edit: Since a few asked. The date went well. I only got to see her underwear again several weeks later.
edit: Since a few asked. The date went well. I only got to see her underwear again several weeks later.
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68points
#5
I was working part-time at a library for a school subject. One day, they made me enter the data for new books into the library's computer system. As I worked, I did something (don't know what), that made Windows Outlook display onto the PC screen, along with some e-mails by the librarian's director to my teacher and to the other librarians. The e-mails basically said that I was really good at my job and very hard-working, and that the collaboration would be very beneficial both for me and them.
I wasn't supposed to read those messages, but they made me feel really happy.
I wasn't supposed to read those messages, but they made me feel really happy.
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65points
#6
My dad's face as he was listing off all the friends that he lost during Vietnam. He never talks about it because of PTSD. He's talked to my mom a few times when they are alone.
This time I was a teenager coming in to borrow the car keys. I just walked right in cause the door was open. Then I realized my dad was reciting names. I looked over and saw the pure anguish on his face. Tears streaming. I realized I had overstepped and my mom threw me the keys.
My mom told me that later he started reciting names again and went for over 20 mins and this is on top of what he said before.
I still love him despite giant personality flaws. I wouldn't wish the pain I saw on his face upon anyone in the world.
This time I was a teenager coming in to borrow the car keys. I just walked right in cause the door was open. Then I realized my dad was reciting names. I looked over and saw the pure anguish on his face. Tears streaming. I realized I had overstepped and my mom threw me the keys.
My mom told me that later he started reciting names again and went for over 20 mins and this is on top of what he said before.
I still love him despite giant personality flaws. I wouldn't wish the pain I saw on his face upon anyone in the world.
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60points
Grace recommends talking about such a delicate topic as cheating in person. Don't do it over a phone call or a text. "Deliver this information to them in a safe and respectful way," she says. She also suggests mentioning something about it to a mutual friend. That way, you can check if there's really something going on, or if your suspicions are unfounded.
At the end of the day, it's an incredibly complex issue, and even if some people say they would like to know, they may feel completely different once they're experiencing it. "You should really never place your values or opinions or ideas on any situation," Grace explains. "However, it's vital to create a safe space for people to come to their own conclusions based on the information that they've got."
#7
So I'm fresh out of school and taking a gap year before starting university. I'd managed to get a job working for the USAF at an airbase in the UK (details of the job aren't important).
So, about 2am on this particular night in early 1988 the runway lights that are normally off come on briefly, for perhaps 30 seconds then go off. That's when I hear something clearly landing on the runway and off to the right of the runway one of the larger hangars opens its doors. In the pitch black, the light from that hangar is quite spectacular. That's when I see it, a small black triangular aircraft rolls straight into that hangar and within seconds the doors close behind it.
This was my honest thought when I saw that, "I was DEFINITELY not supposed to have seen that." I put my cigarette (hey, I was young and dumb) out and walked back into my building.
A few weeks later we got our first pictures of the F-117 Nighthawk followed by a confirmation it existed. I smiled a little and thought to myself, "Already knew about that...".
So, about 2am on this particular night in early 1988 the runway lights that are normally off come on briefly, for perhaps 30 seconds then go off. That's when I hear something clearly landing on the runway and off to the right of the runway one of the larger hangars opens its doors. In the pitch black, the light from that hangar is quite spectacular. That's when I see it, a small black triangular aircraft rolls straight into that hangar and within seconds the doors close behind it.
This was my honest thought when I saw that, "I was DEFINITELY not supposed to have seen that." I put my cigarette (hey, I was young and dumb) out and walked back into my building.
A few weeks later we got our first pictures of the F-117 Nighthawk followed by a confirmation it existed. I smiled a little and thought to myself, "Already knew about that...".
57points
#8
A bit boring, but I found an engagement ring in a closet six months before my boyfriend popped the question. In those six months I kept going back to the closet to put the ring on my finger and admire it.
55points
#9
Hard drive failed on my dad's computer.
The data recovery software did a pretty good job really, but I could have done without it recovering lingerie shots of the various women he's been cheating on my mother with over the years.
The data recovery software did a pretty good job really, but I could have done without it recovering lingerie shots of the various women he's been cheating on my mother with over the years.
50points
Another common topic on this list was confidential breaches in the workplace. What do you do when you accidentally find out something about other employees or even your boss? If someone sent it to you by mistake, be sure to inform them immediately so that they're aware and don't make the same mistake again. The next step is to inform HR or the IT department about the breach. Perhaps the most important thing is not to copy, share, or save the information that you saw.
#11
The salaries of everyone working at the company I was working at - it was a smaller, start-up digital ad agency with about 60 employees total, and someone from HR was making copies of a document that listed everyone’s salary, and left the original on the glass of the copier. I found it, and turned it back in, but not before I went through that list to see what everyone else made, and discovered that a couple new hires working the same position as me were making more than me. So after turning it in, I met with my manager and used my newfound knowledge to my advantage to successfully negotiate for a raise (along with a tacit promise that I wouldn’t divulge what I knew to anyone else in the company).
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49points
#12
Leaving work late one evening, I saw the HR director and CFO in a dark office shredding papers (no, that's not an euphemism). I didn't say anything but quietly walked on down the hall. Two weeks later we were raided by the SEC and several people were charged with cooking the books.
46points
Finding out a secret can put a person in an incredibly awkward position. Some of the stories in this list might make you cringe or shake your head in disbelief, but we're curious to find out about your experiences, Pandas! Have you ever witnessed something you definitely weren't supposed to see? How did it go? Let us know in the comments, and while you're here, don't forget to check out other unexpected times people saw something they weren't supposed to!
#13
My severance check. Apparently someone at the payroll company addressed it to me instead of HR. Opened it at my desk and laughed, packed up my things and left.
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46points
#14
I tend to have a way of finding things out that I’m not supposed to due to my inquisitive nature, but one that comes to mind was when I left my last job. My general manager wasn’t exactly a warm wooly person and was not pleased that I was leaving. I had to get something out of the managers office and saw my name in an email on the desk. She had told the other two managers to wish me the best of luck in my future career and that I would be missed. I was shocked because she actually took the time to send that out to them. Never heard that from any of them, but seeing it showed that she actually cared.
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44points
#15
The code to open all the doors in my primary school at the time. A lot of power to open any locked door for an 8 year old.
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40points
#16
Went to visit grandma and grandpa. The front door was locked so I went around through the back and found them gardening totally naked.
40points
#17
My like 3rd job I had, at 17, was at a pizza place.
I had 2 managers, 1 male, 1 female, and they were both married to other people.
Well, I went to hand in my drawer at the end of one shift and walked into the office and there they were just making out with some heavy petting.
Their spouses found out. They left their families, and then those 2 managers got married to each other. As far as I know, they’re still together.
I had 2 managers, 1 male, 1 female, and they were both married to other people.
Well, I went to hand in my drawer at the end of one shift and walked into the office and there they were just making out with some heavy petting.
Their spouses found out. They left their families, and then those 2 managers got married to each other. As far as I know, they’re still together.
38points
#18
Was a little kid, went looking for something in the house. Opened a closet in the basement that I usually never looked into and found a huge stack of Christmas presents. Walked over to them and saw they all said “from Santa”.
Why would Santa deliver presents 2 weeks early? And why would he leave them in the basement closet?
Oh.
Why would Santa deliver presents 2 weeks early? And why would he leave them in the basement closet?
Oh.
35points
#19
I found invitations to my big surprise 18th birthday just lying on the floor a few weeks before the event, I had to act surprised when the time came to walk through the door to the party, which I did. The only thing is, my twin brother also knew (which I didn’t know at the time) and lets just say his acting skills are really bad...
So we both found out in different ways about the surprise party but neither of us knew that we found out about it. So when I walked through the door for the ‘surprise’, I could tell from his reaction that he knew...
So we both found out in different ways about the surprise party but neither of us knew that we found out about it. So when I walked through the door for the ‘surprise’, I could tell from his reaction that he knew...
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33points
#20
An email from my Dad's mistress on his computer.
Mentioned it to my Mum and that's when she told me my Dad had been having an affair for the past 7 years and I have a half sister because of it.
Mentioned it to my Mum and that's when she told me my Dad had been having an affair for the past 7 years and I have a half sister because of it.
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33points