Bimql chhetry.

Not long ago. I had a first date with someone I met on a dating app. Texting was fine before the meet. Not great but normal enough that I thought it would be okay in person. We met at a coffee shop and the first few minutes were fine. Basic introductions, small talk, nothing unusual. But then something weird started happening. Every time one of us said something, it just died there. Like I would ask a question, she would answer. Then silence. She would ask something, I would answer. Then silence again. No natural flow, no follow up, no “building” on anything. Just question, answer, pause. We both just kinda laughed awkwardly at one point cause we obviously noticed it. We tried to get it going but it felt like we were forcing every sentence Total 30-40 minutes but felt much longer. Nothing bad happened, no argument, no weird moment. Just two people who couldn’t find anything to connect on. We both said it was nice meeting each other and left. And that was all. It was not the worst date...

Commercial longline fishing is a miserable way to make a living. You live in a state of constant, grinding exhaustion. The boat smells permanently of rotting bait, and frozen brine. You work twenty-hour shifts, pulling miles of heavy monofilament line out of the freezing water, unhooking the catch, rebaiting the hooks, and stacking them back in the holds. It breaks your back and ruins your hands. I was the new guy. The crew consisted of just three of us: the captain, an older, heavily scarred deckhand who had been fishing for thirty years, and me. We were working a very deep, isolated stretch of the ocean. We had been out for ten days, and our luck was terrible. The holds were mostly empty, and we had caught a few small swordfish and some low-grade tuna, but nowhere near enough to cover the cost of the fuel and the bait, let alone make a profit. The tension on the boat was thick. The captain was pacing the deck, chain-smoking, glaring at the dark water. The older deckhand worked in gr...

​ I drove the same bus route for nine years. Route 12. Forty-one stops. One hour and eight minutes end to end if the lights cooperate, which they don't. You see the same people every day on a bus route. They don't know you notice but you notice everything. The woman who does her makeup between stops 4 and 9. The teenager who falls asleep and always wakes up exactly one stop before his. The man in the yellow tie who gets on at stop 17 and gets off at stop 23 and always looks like he's already late. And then there was the old man at stop 31. Every morning at 6:47. Never a minute early, never a minute late. Small guy, big coat regardless of the weather, always carrying a paper bag from the bakery two blocks away. He'd get on, pay cash — always exact change, always ready — and ride to stop 38. Seven stops. Maybe twelve minutes. He'd get off and walk toward the park. Every single day for six years I watched him do this. We had an understanding. I'd open the doors an...

​ I'm a waitress at a mid-range Italian place. Nothing fancy. The kind of restaurant where businessmen take clients when they want to impress them but not too much. Last Tuesday, a man sat alone at table 9 for three hours. He ordered the cheapest pasta on the menu and a glass of tap water, and then he just... stayed. My manager kept giving me looks. I kept pretending not to see them. Around the second hour, I sat down across from him. I don't know why. I just did. "You waiting on someone?" I asked. He smiled, kind of embarrassed. "My daughter," he said. "It's her birthday." I looked at the empty chair. The bread I'd brought had gone cold. "How old is she?" "Twenty-six today." He straightened his fork. "We haven't spoken in four years. I sent her a letter last month. Asked if she'd meet me here." He glanced at the door. "She didn't reply. But I thought — maybe." I didn't say anything. ...

29M , my wife of 5 years cheated 3 months ago and we didn’t sign a prenup so half of my shit is gone. Moved out the house got a shitty small apartment because I have to rebuild my whole retirement fund again. I still have my job but I’m basically capped. My salary only increases with inflation and have to wait for seniority to get into management, I’ve tried to job hop but it’s the same money different company so I don’t pull the trigger. And I don’t want to change fields and start from zero again. Oh and let’s not forget my ex wife aborted our kid in which we were planning to have. I have almost 0 contact with my day 1 friends because of location and a few still in the military. But the worst part about all this now, it’s the fucking boredom man. I’m am so fucking bored. Been at this job for 10 years, no one to come home to , little contact with friends and living under my means again. Only thing I enjoy as of rn was watching the nfl draft and excited for college football im a fan. A...

Me and my girlfriend have been together for 3 years. At least, that’s what I’m inclined to believe. Lately, it’s been kind of a struggle. I remember the day we met. Not to sound corny or cliche, but honestly, it felt like love at first sight. Like the moment was meant to be. It was at a little get-together my family had put on for my 21st birthday. I didn’t question why she was there. All I could focus on was, well, her face. She was beautiful. And to think that she wanted me of all people. It was damn near intoxicating. We danced the night away to a live cover band of The Beatles, and the entire night felt like a fantasy come to life. Nobody seemed to recognize her, though. All night, it was just me and her, staring into each other’s eyes underneath the clear night sky. No interruptions whatsoever. When the party began to wind down and people started to go home, we both agreed that she should stay the night with me. Together, we jetted back to my apartment while I tried to focus on t...