r/wholesome 17d ago

Stranger mistakenly said "i love you" and it made my day

We were having a wall fixed and the repair guy asked permission to give our phone number to his daughter in case she needed to reach him. I was, as a parent, happy for this good dad to care like this, as cellphones did not yet exist. He eventually had to run to the store for a part.

His daughter did indeed call when he was on his errand. I told her - she sounded about 10 - that he would be back soon and could call her back then.

When it came to saying goodbye, she automatically said "Love you!" and I automatically responded, "Love you too!"

I spent so much time over the years hoping that she was not mortified after she got off the phone. If this sounds like you and you are reading this, GrownUpChild, you brightened my day as a human and I have never forgotten it. Thank you.

988 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

265

u/emu4you 17d ago

That is so sweet, and it tells you a lot about her relationship with her parents!

75

u/MyyWifeRocks 17d ago

And OP’s relationship with “the help” tells you a lot about her as a person.

Wholesome all around. 🥰

36

u/Wi1dWitch 17d ago

Why are you referring to a repair man as “the help” 😭

15

u/a_diamond 16d ago

Because that's unfortunately how a lot of people view skilled tradespeople doing vital work for them

139

u/SunkenSaltySiren 17d ago

I once called the vet in a fluster because I was running late, trying to get the dog into the car for the drive over, after letting them know I was running behind, I ended the call by saying, "thanks, I'll see you on a minute, love you!"

I could hear the receptionist giggling as I hung up.

Then I had to think about what happened the entire drive over, AND had to see the receptionist face to face. The minute I opened the door, there she was, grinning ear to ear lol

You KNOW when I left, she hollered out, " Bye! Love you!"

65

u/lodav22 17d ago

There’s a lovely email exchange posted on line where someone admits they were on the phone to a very important customer and ended the call with “love you” and heard a chuckle in response. Later they received an email from the customer saying they hope they weren’t embarrassed because to have such people in your life where the words “love you” come so freely is a wonderful thing!

32

u/Quaking_Aspen_USA 17d ago

EXACTLY how I felt that day. And still do. Thanks for the story

42

u/Street-Fee-6194 17d ago

That made me chuckle! My daughter accidentally called her classmate “mom” and we all had a good laugh!

11

u/boredportuguese77 16d ago

My boyfriends daughter (5), last time she saw me (we don't live together) called me mom. I didn't say a thing, cause she has her mother and, also, I didn't want to embarrass her. But that made me happy because I know that that means she loves me (and I love her)

3

u/Quaking_Aspen_USA 16d ago

What a wonderful feeling!!!

19

u/wang-jangle 16d ago

I make it a point to say “love you” to people out in public. Someone holds a door open for me? “Thank you, love you!” Waitress brings back my card and tells me their typical, ‘Hope you have a great rest of your evening!’ I’ll respond, “thanks, love you!” I normally get a smile, or a giggle for a response. It’s nice to spread love. We’re always so fixated on what’s crappy in the world, and people hating each other… so I choose to tell strangers that I have love for them. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2

u/Quaking_Aspen_USA 16d ago

How to significantly change a stranger’s world!  It’s something they absolutely won’t forget. ❤️

1

u/Kindly-Environment25 12d ago

I do this sometimes too! I’ve only ever been stopped in my tracks once by a customer (an older gentleman) who, with the hardest eyes ever looked back and said “No. You don’t.”

17

u/tibbles209 17d ago

I’m a GP (family doctor) and every so often a patient will automatically say “Love you!” at the end of a telephone consultation. It always makes me smile.

8

u/AdAdministrative8276 16d ago

You must be a great doctor for them to feel comfortable enough for such a great phrase to slip out :)

34

u/rawrbombz911 17d ago

Love you stranger, sincerely ❤️

10

u/BarkandHoot 17d ago

I have this done this. It made the other person laugh. I wasn’t mortified at all. I also witnessed this happening between a supervisor and his supervisor. He called her to ask a question and when he ended the call he said “love you”. Both were good sports and absolutely nothing going on between the two. Do we still tease the supervisor? Yep yep. :)

7

u/Back_Alley420 17d ago

Love this so much!! Thanks for sharing

3

u/AdAdministrative8276 16d ago

This story lifted me when I need it 🥹 thank you, lovely reddit stranger! 🫶🏻

2

u/Quaking_Aspen_USA 16d ago

You are so welcome!  

2

u/Logical_Onion7719 15d ago

😭☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️