4th Sample Story

My father has a difficult personality. As I write, he has chosen to move 1900 miles across country to where he will live just blocks from my house.

My sister, who lives in another part of the country, calls my answering machine repeatedly. She laughs maniacally, and hangs up. These calls are sympathetic.

A Master's degree has not insulated my father against what I suspect to be early Alzheimer's. When the time comes and he needs to be institutionalized, I will shove him into the foulest nursing home I can find. There he can sit in soiled diapers, bite his feeding assistants, and scream vulgarities at people cleaning his bedsores.

Because neither my brother nor I will visit him; there will be no slow to his decline.

It's not like they could sue me for neglect.

Sample Story 03

I'm a very secretive girl. I'm very deceptive and get what I want. I have been hurt many times by guys in the past, but the truth of it all is one simple fact: I always win. There is never a time that a guy could lie to me and me not know about it. I may not have spoken up about it, but I kept it locked in my memory. Then, I stay with him to find out more information and get him to get himself into more trouble, and when the time is right to have the talk, I deceptively pretend it never bothered me.

Months later something goes wrong and he gets caught in some kid of lie. That's when I begin to bring it all up. But I lie about it. I lie about how I got my information, I lie about how I can't believe he would have done that to me, and I play a huge guilt trip on him. Eventually, he confesses. But not only does he confess, he gives me everything I want in return: he starts paying attention to me. And by paying attention, I mean he begins to want me back more than anything in the world, and will do anything for me to get me back...and I let him.

These months that go by with him showering me with attention are the greatest ones of our "relationship". You see, I get to watch this slimy man take every ounce of dignity he has left in himself to confess all of his mistakes and the guilt never leaves him. I sympathize with him and give him another chance. Then, I suddenly up and leave him, leaving him hurt and confused, which is exactly what he deserved. I know that months or years down the road, he will look back and say, "Wow, I can't believe I messed that up".

I win.

Second Sample Story

This secret I’m about to tell has been a major weight on my shoulders for a few months now and I just can’t wait to get this thing off my chest.

I’ve been having an affair.

I never wanted for this to happen. I am very much in love with my wife. I’ve been committed to her for all 15 years of our marriage and 3 years of dating before that.

Now, I don’t know what I was thinking.

It all started about three to four months ago. I felt sick so I didn’t go to work. I took the day off and my wife said she’d try to get home early to take care of me. I’m a pretty big baby when I get sick.

Anyway, I started to feel better as the afternoon rolled around. I called my wife and told her she didn’t need to come home early. An hour later I felt so much better that I noticed how sexy my housekeeper could be for the first time. It was something in the way she bent over to dust the coffee table right in front of me.

After that, when I had sex with my wife, I fantasized that I was doing it with my housekeeper.

It got to be too much for me after about a week. I faked being sick so I could take another day off. It was a day I knew my wife couldn’t come home early because she had a meeting after her shift.

Then I made passes at the housekeeper. She shrugged them off at first and then scalded me because I was so wrong. But when she realized I was a resilient man, not to be knocked off my track by a mere scalding, she started to give in to me.

She took me by the hand and led me to the kitchen and we had the best sex of my life. Nothing with my wife has ever felt that good.

We’ve gotten together a few more times since then, and I crave her when I can’t be with her.

I know it’s wrong, and I want to stop this whole thing, but she makes me weak. She’s like an addiction that I can’t handle.

Honey, if you’re reading this, I love you and I am really going to need your help and your forgiveness.

More Info

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Here's another bit of information you may be interested in: We plan to post a new sample story every Thursday. If that changes we will let you know. So check back each Thursday or sign up for RSS to get your fill of anonymous secrets.

Feel Free

Now that you can see what this project is all about and a sample story that was sent in and approved for publish, please feel free to leave comments.

We'd like to know what you think of everything that's posted here. Anyone registered on Blogspot may leave a comment on the entries here, and you can choose to leave your name or to do it anonymously.

There's also a small icon under each entry. If you find anything particularly interesting or something that someone you know may enjoy reading, you can email that part of the blog to anyone by clicking on the small envelope icon.

First Sample Story

I resent my husband. And, if I told anyone, everyone would hate me for it. He hasn’t done anything anyone else would consider “wrong,” but I certainly do.

He enlisted himself in the US Army. He quit his job and decided that he had a calling, and that calling was to protect his country from terrorists. He said he was ready to give his life for his country.

This was 8 months ago.

To everyone reading this, I’m sure you think that I am crazy and that he is a very strong, courageous, and patriotic man. “He should be celebrated for his valiant decisions,” my mother-in-law said to me at his going away party as she wiped away the proud tears rolling down her face.

Now I want to let you know how it really is.

His calling wasn’t to protect his country, a very noble thing indeed. His calling was his fear of being a father.

I am sitting here alone with my one-month-old son, who I refused to name after the coward he has for a father. That’s what my husband wanted, but I named him after my father instead. My father was a real man.

If my husband makes it back from Iraq alive, I’m sure everyone in town will cheer him on as a local hero. And I will act like I agree with that sentiment. But I know that he is no hero. After all, what kind of hero walks out on his own kid?

FAQ about this project

"Deep Secrets of Anonymous Lives" is the working title of a book that is being worked on. It is like an extension of the popular PostSecret books.

Basically, people send in their secrets, but instead of putting just a few words on a postcard, they are sending in stories, through email. Only stories with at least 3 paragraphs can be considered for publication.

What's the point?
We believe that it is going to be a very interesting read. And, we thought it would be a good idea for people to really share their secrets with details instead of just writing a couple words.

How can I be a part of this?
You can send your stories, as many as you like, to dsoalbook@gmail.com. You may submit them anonymously. That is how they will be printed, anyway. If you include any names in the story, they will be changed to a random, made-up name to protect the privacy of everyone involved.

You can also tell your friends and family members about this site and encourage them to submit something.

If I choose to submit a story, what should it be like?
It should be at least a few paragraphs in length. And, it should be a secret about yourself (a secret joy, envy, guilty pleasure, event, wish, dream, goal, love, etc.) that you want to share. It should not be made up. And, it should be interesting. Best of all, you don't need to be a great writer to submit a story. Everything will be edited for grammar and spelling before publishing.

So what's the status on this book?
As of 7/5/07, there have been a six stories submitted and approved, and there are about 15 more people who have displayed interest in submitting a story but who need some time to write them. This project will probably take another year or so until it is completely compiled. But, when it's done, it will be a huge success.

Do I get anything for submitting a story?
Unfortunately, there is not enough money available to pay for stories. Submitting stories will be strictly on a voluntary basis. No compensation should be expected from anyone who submits. However, you may get the gratification of having your story potentially read by thousands of people and of possibly having touched one or two people in the process.

Can we see examples of stories that have been approved?
Absolutely. As more come in, more will be published right here on this Web site. Check back often to see more new stories.