Bimql chhetry.

I grew up in a town where football wasn’t just a sport—it was pretty much the center of everyone’s life. Population was around 7,000. We had one Walmart thirty minutes away, one movie theater an hour away, and if you wanted something to do on a Friday night, you either went to the football game or you stayed home. Everybody knew your parents. Everybody knew your grandparents. If you had a good game on Friday, the cashier at the grocery store would tell you Saturday morning. If you had a bad game… You heard about that too. My name’s Mason Carter. I played wide receiver for Westbrook High. I wasn’t one of those freak athletes who could run a 4.3 forty or jump over defenders. I wasn’t the tallest receiver either. I was about 6’3”, 195 pounds by senior year. What I did have was hands. I caught everything. Didn’t matter if it was thrown behind me, over my shoulder, or six inches off the ground. If I could touch it, I was bringing it in. My quarterback always joked that I’d catch a brick if...

When my mother died, I told everyone I was flying to Japan because Aunt Sachiko shouldn't have to grieve alone. That wasn't really the whole truth. The truth was I didn't want anyone asking why I wasn't going back to work after the funeral. I'd already been laid off a month earlier and still hadn't found the courage to tell most people. Oliver knew, of course, but even with him I'd started pretending things were better than they were. Every morning I'd open my laptop, send out a handful of applications, get another rejection or, more often, no response at all, and by dinner we'd somehow be talking about my mother again. Grief has a way of swallowing every other problem. Losing your job feels selfish when you've just buried your mom, so eventually I stopped bringing it up altogether. Japan gave me an excuse to disappear for a while without having to explain why I needed to. Aunt Sachiko had lived alone since my uncle died nearly twenty years ago....

Tell me some stories from your life's that will send shivers down my spine.

My wife Becky has been distant recently. Coming home at strange hours. Secretive over her phone. I thought she was cheating on me, but it's worse. So much worse. It all started 6 months ago. I asked why she kept coming home so late. She told me her “company was busier than ever.” I was a little relieved at first. So many companies nowadays are looking for reasons to fire you and replace you with an AI chatbot. At least for now, it looked like her job was safe. For the next few months, she came and went as she pleased. Then came the calls. Her phone kept ringing at all hours of the day. Last week, she was in the shower when her phone rang. I picked it up. No one answered. All I heard was static and the sound of someone breathing down the line. She again denied it. Saying it must have been a cold caller. Even cold callers don’t phone at 1 am. Finally, I had enough. It was time to follow her. Catch her in the act. I had to know what she was doing. This morning I left early. Rented a ...

Me and my boyfriend started dating around 6 months ago. It was the first relationship I’ve ever had. I had never been so happy. It was like we were meant to be. I met him at a coffee shop I frequent. I started noticing him there any time I went. Sometimes I’d catch him staring, and he’d look around all embarrassed whenever I did. I thought it was the cutest thing. After a while, I found myself silently hoping that he’d come over and ask to sit with me. We’d been playing eye-tag for a couple of weeks, smirking and laughing at each other, but neither of us had taken the extra step of introducing ourselves. When he finally did, I felt butterflies start flapping around in my stomach like never before. His smoldering blue eyes, that curly black hair, and his cute little freckles. I’m not afraid to admit that I was smitten. Our relationship grew from there. We were seeing each other every weekend, catching movies, having dinner, playing some mini golf. I knew it was a honeymoon phase. I jus...

My husband has always wanted kids. We’re just, I don’t know… I feel like we’re just not old enough yet. We got married young. Fresh out of high school. He works with his dad as an electrician, and I’m still in college, studying to become a teacher. Needless to say, it’s not kids that I have a problem with. I just want to make sure we’re both in a position to raise our children the right way. He knew that when I agreed to marry him. He seemed supportive of it at first. I told him very clearly that I wanted to wait until we were at least 30. For the first 2 years, it seemed like everything was fine. I didn’t know just how agitated he was getting with my refusal to get off birth control. Every time he asked, it was like a stab to my heart. We started arguing a bit. We’d bicker about little things like any other couple, but when it came to kids, it turned into full-blown screaming matches. “I can take care of a baby.” “You can still do school.” “We’ll find a good daycare.” It became clear...