14 Times Reality Proved to Be a Better Screenwriter Than Hollywood Could Ever Be

All of us have probably encountered a coincidence that changed everything. Yet, some stories are so incredible that even the people involved find them hard to believe. We put together 14 real stories that prove: life is the most talented scriptwriter.

• I was on the bus, practically in tears after a breakup. New phone, so I dial my mom from memory. Suddenly, the phone of the guy sitting right in front of me started ringing. He picks up.
  I hear his “Hello” on the bus and in my ear. I say “Hello” too, confused. He turns around, goes pale, and whispers, “How did you get my number?”
  I glance at my screen, then at him, and start mumbling that I must have misdialed by one digit. He calms down and turns away.
  But almost immediately, he turns back to me and says, “If so, how about grabbing a coffee? Maybe it’s fate?” That’s how it all started, and we’ve been together for 5 years now.
• I’m riding the bus alone. At a stop, a guy boards — and sits right next to me. I was surprised because the bus was empty.
  I get off at my stop — and he follows me. I go into a store — and he does too. Now I’m getting scared. I approach my building entrance, and there he’s again. I freaked out and asked, “What do you want from me?”
  He laughed. “I just moved to your city, I live one floor above you. I’m not familiar with the city yet, but I noticed that your office is next to mine. So I follow you, to not get lost.” © Caramel / VK
• Was sitting in a restaurant about 200 miles from where I live telling my mother (who was visiting from a different country) about a trip I had to another country (about 6,000 miles away) with a work colleague. And the lady at the table next to us leans over and says, “I think you’re talking about my son.” Turns out, I was sitting next to my colleague’s parents while showing my mom pictures of our trip. © denkmit / Reddit

• While walking with a friend around the school grounds, I spotted a handsome guy at the soccer goal. A thought flashed through my mind, “If only he were my boyfriend...”
  2 years pass. I’m finishing the 11th grade, deciding to make friends in the neighboring city where I planned to study. Back then, we had ICQ.
  I came across a user with a very unusual nickname — it really caught my attention. I sent him a message. During our conversation, it turned out he lived in my town, studied nearby, lived in a house next to mine, and was into soccer.
  He sent a photo, and his face seemed familiar. Then it hit me: this was the same guy I liked 2 years ago. We started talking.
  We’ve been together for 16 years, 10 of them married. © Yula / Dzen
• My wife and I were in Tucson, visiting my mother, who just moved there. My wife decided she wanted a tamale. We drove around for 2 hours, stopping in restaurants looking for tamales. Couldn’t find one.
  Went back to my mother’s apartment. Literally 2 minutes later, somebody knocked on the door of my mother’s apartment asking us if anyone wanted to buy any tamales. © Unknown author / Reddit
• Once, as a child, my mom and I were on a train going to my grandmother’s, and we met a magician there. He went from person to person, performing tricks, breaking coins with his fingers.
  When he showed me a trick, I almost jumped out of my pants with joy and said I wanted to be like him. The man looked at me sadly and said, “Most likely, I won’t have dinner tonight, so think again.” © Ward No. 6 / VK

• A young man approached me with a clear intention to get acquainted. Back then, I was finishing a technical university, and to shake him off, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind: prove this theorem, and I’m yours. He asked for my phone number, said he would call when he proved it.
  And indeed, he called back 2 months later. Who knew, he was a mathematician who had spent a year working on the proof of that exact theorem. We’ve been married for 3 years. © Intimate stories / VK
• My husband’s mother is Nataly, his younger sister is also Nataly. When he met me, he said he would definitely not forget me. We met in another country, where we weren’t supposed to be at all.
  Then he came to my birthday party, said it was destiny, and took me home with him. Now there are 3 Natalies in the family. © Natalya Kudrina / Dzen
• As a child, I was amazed that my great-grandmother married my great-grandfather, who had the same last name. I used to say, “That can’t be possible!” 25 years later, I repeated her fate — I met a person with the same last name in a city of millions. © anlearttt / Dzen

• My mom came to visit. We were busy with something for about 20 minutes when she suddenly said, “Where’s my phone?” We looked everywhere, but there was no sound, and Mom figured she left it in the car.
  I went to check and decided to call once more on the way. Suddenly, some guy answered and said, “Hi, Dinara!” Naturally, I was shocked and asked, “Who are you? This is my mom’s phone, she must have dropped it.”
  And he responded, “Why don’t you come over to the store?” I said, “Okay,” and went, completely confused, trying to remember whose familiar voice it could be.
  When I got there — can you believe it — it was my ex! We were both in shock! He recognized me right away because my picture appeared on the screen when I called my mom, and he was just blown away.
  He said, “At first, I didn’t believe it was you, then recognized your voice, and it really is you!” We laughed for a few minutes, and I ran back home. Now, he obviously thinks it’s fate, but I know it’s simply because we live in the same neighborhood. © di_01ast / Threads
• My boyfriend cheated on me, and I decided to find the girl he cheated with. I hoped she would be reasonable, believe me, and we would confront him together. Luckily, she did believe me.
  But she also found out he was cheating on her... with another girl. The two of us tracked down the third. She was in shock.
  We decided to wait for him at a café together. As soon as he saw us from afar, he bolted so fast that we didn’t even get a chance to say hello. After that, we grabbed some coffee and became friends. It’s like a soap opera. © Caramel / VK

• I worked part-time as a math tutor in my neighborhood. I had one student — smart, kind, mischievous. After lessons, we often had tea.
  One day, her older brother, who had returned from abroad, came when I was there. He was very handsome. I got flustered and left.
  Later, I noticed he always seemed to be home when I visited. One day, the girl asked to reschedule the lesson due to her friend’s birthday party. I arrived, and there was no one home except the brother.
  Turns out, he conspired with his sister and arranged a date. The feeling was mutual. Now the younger one calls herself the Fairy Godmother. © Caramel / VK
• 2 years ago I was in Tokyo on holiday. I looked on Instagram and saw an old friend post a story showing he was also in Tokyo. We hadn’t spoken in a few years, but I sent him a message letting him know we were in the same city. Not even 5 minutes later, we walked into a bar, and he was standing there.
  This past November, I was in Toronto on business. After dinner, we went to a pub downtown. The first person I saw, when I walked in, was the same friend from Tokyo. We both live in Winnipeg. © ncolegarcia / Reddit
• I’m at home, the phone rings. A friend, “Hi, Nataly, I forgot my crochet hook at your place yesterday. Look near the computer.” We’re both Nataly.
  I’m looking for the hook, she complains about the pattern, I explain the mistakes. I’m searching under the couch now. No hook. I say, “Come over, I’ll give you another one.”
  Then she says, “Listen, go check by the elevator, I think I dropped it there yesterday.” Stunned silence. I live in a house. There’s no elevator.
  We—2 pairs of friends—have the same names, similar voices, the same pattern, and almost identical furniture in 2 rooms. Our phone numbers differ by one digit. We met and became friends. © Mary Black witch on a broom / Dzen

And these coincidences can become a plot for a bestseller.