(After getting married, my husband and I moved in with his Grandpa, whom we call Pop, in the country. I am very nervous around him because I don’t want to make him dislike me so I try not to be alone with him. Pop has been nothing but nice and just wants us all to spend time together. Despite this he still kind of scares me. I get home one night from work and my husband isn’t home yet. I get out of my car and see Pop standing in the middle of the garage. It’s pitch black outside except for a flickering light overhead in the garage.)

Me: “Oh, hello, Pop. What are you doing out here?”

(I then notice he is dressed in a suit and fancy jacket.)

Pop: *turns and looks at me* “Ah. Hello.” *holds up a revolver*

(All kinds of things run through my mind. Why is he in the garage? Why does he have a gun? Why a suit? I’m trying not to show I’m scared.)

Me: “Uh, Pop, what’s going on?”

Pop: “Gotta take care of something.”

Me: *backing up to my car slowly* “What kind of something?”

Pop: “Seems an opossum got in here. He won’t leave.”

(Sure enough there was an opossum curled up in the cat bed on a table. I just nodded, white faced, and went inside to wait for my husband who came home soon after. He told me the possum had come in a few days ago; he was probably hurt so it was best to put it out of its misery. As for the suit, Pop had just gotten home from church. But I never did stop being scared of him.)

We’re a queer couple (I’m trans FTM) on our honeymoon, and it’s several hours’ drive from home to the national park where we have a cabin booked.

A couple miles before the park gate, my car starts to seriously struggle, and we limp up to the gate an hour before the park rangers are due to leave. They recommend a tow truck and garage and actually call for us since we have no cell signal, then try to also call the law enforcement officer to get us a ride to our cabin, only to discover the tow truck is also up there looking for his vehicle in distress.

One of the park rangers stays with us a little past closing to wait until the tow truck arrives, offering to give us a ride to our cabin in case he won’t. In the end we ride with the tow truck driver through thick fog to find the law enforcement officer’s vehicle and hitch that up as well, and the officer helps carry our luggage into the lodge for us. Later, a different park ranger gives us a ride down a no-public-access fire road all the way to where the garage is, and the mechanic’s own wife picks us up to take us to the garage itself to pick up our car.

Throughout the entire trip, everyone tells us congratulations on our wedding, treats us like a normal couple, and goes out of their way to help us get where we need to be.

Next time you’re in a national park, thank a park ranger. They are amazing people.

This story is part of the National Parks-themed roundup! This is the last story in the roundup, but we have plenty of others you might enjoy!

23 Hilarious Stories About Customers Versus Mother Nature

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(I’m applying online for a job at a chain pet supply store. There’s a pretty exhaustive application process, including a long list of statements you have to mark on a 1-5 scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Most are pretty typical for an entry-level retail job. For example, “I work best as part of a team” or “I appreciate constructive criticism from my superiors.” And then…)

Application Questionnaire: “When I look at the world around me, I feel little or no hope for mankind.”

(For the record, I marked “moderately disagree.” I never did hear back about that job, and not taking a screenshot of the question is one of my great regrets in life.)

(My friends and I are all big Harry Potter fans and love talking about the little details of the series — especially the darker ones. We’re currently finishing up lunch and waiting for the bell for next class to ring.)

Me: “Yeah, when you think about it, the love potions are pretty terrifying. One person has the ability to make you completely obsessed with them, consent or none, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Friend #1: “So true. Remember when [Character #1] accidentally ate those chocolates [Character #2] spiked?”

Friend #2: “And the worst part is no one batted an eye. She bought them at a joke shop for God’s sakes. The stuff isn’t regulated at all!”

Friend #1: “It’s kind—”

Friend #3: *who’s been mostly silent but is now shouting enthusiastically* “DATE RAPE DRUGS! *scurries off to class just as the bell rings*

(I am manning a self-checkout area with eight registers, three of which are down with mechanical problems. A line is forming six or seven people deep waiting to get into self-checkout. Meanwhile, several regular registers nearby are open, some of which have one or two customers, and some which are completely empty.)

Me: *announcing to the line* “Folks, self-checkout is a little backed up right now, but there are several other registers open that may be able to check you out faster.”

Customer: *fifth in line* “But they have lines!”