He kept a random 'dumpster' photo of a couple on his work desk for 24 years. After it went viral, the 'couple' reached out but with a surprise

Social media is genius, for it allows people at two ends to connect with a click on a device. That's exactly what happened to a man from Austin (u/udontknowmemang) who shared a couple's picture on Reddit on October 25. The man, who goes by Tommy, spoke exclusively to Scoop Upworthy in an interview, sharing that he picked it up "on a whim" because the randomness of it made him laugh. He couldn't answer people when they asked him about it until 24 years later, when the same couple reached out to him with a surprise.

For context, Tommy lived in Austin, Texas, and found the picture on the ground next to his apartment's dumpster. Curious, he picked up the photo, wondering why it was discarded. Although he had no answers, he was just too invested to let the photo go. So, he framed it and put it on his desk at work. "It usually sparked passing curiosity. People laughed, joked, and wondered if one of the strangers in the picture would ever come through as a trainee," he told Scoop. "I've moved to NYC; this came with me on the desk as always," he confessed.

Two days later, Tommy returned to Reddit to share an update on his last post. Surprisingly, he had found the guy in the picture. He explained that he and the woman in the photo had broken up, but were doing well in their respective lives. "In a cruel twist, he is returning the favor by putting one of my high school photos on his desk," he wrote. He further informed his audience that the car in the photo, a Lexus LS, was most likely still running. "So all 3 stars of this photo are still going strong," he added.

Michael, the man in the picture, saw the post and confirmed that he and Lesley had lost contact after high school but reconnected on Facebook. They were married to different people and had kids, he added. But how did the author find Michael? Well, someone who had attended the same school as Michael gave him the lead, and then he searched for him on Facebook. "I messaged him asking (but of course it went to his spam folder). At the same time, a professor he knew from Ohio saw the thread and messaged him asking if this was him. So he popped up in the comments stating it was him," Tommy said. Once Michael realized it was indeed his picture, he informed Lesley. "When he confirmed it was him, I was mostly relieved—he was so pleased about the whole situation," Tommy told Scoop. 

Finally, on November 13, Michael (u/some-seaworthiness17) shared a photo of himself and Lesley recreating the moment from high school. "Let's be honest, neither of us is in our high school bodies, and I do not have a suit that currently fits, and Lesley also does not have a dress of a similar type available. So, please excuse the wardrobe change," he wrote. They couldn't find the original car, so they used Michael's current vehicle instead. He was also surprised to find that Lesley lived quite close to him, and hence they could recreate the picture. He also had a message for Tommy. "Perhaps, he'll update the photo on his desk and have a whole different set of stories to tell!" Michael said. A few days later, as Tommy told Scoop, Michael sent him a message again that said that "they had decided to recreate the photo, which gave the entire thing a Hollywood ending."

People were invested in the whole story since the very beginning. They loved how Reddit made it possible for the OP to connect with the couple in the picture and even recreate it. For instance, u/awkward_ly commented, "This is what the internet should be for... this is like the best set of coincidences I've ever known. It just makes my heart smile for some reason." u/awinnipegguy wrote, "Every day I contemplate bringing down the entire internet myself, and then great stuff like this pops up to justify its existence. Thanks for taking the time to bring us the rest of the story!" u/murfburffle commented, "That's hilarious. Well done, I hope this photo lands on someone's desk too."

Reflecting on it all, Tommy told Scoop that the whole journey didn’t change his worldview as much as confirm it, "We all share a nostalgic bond with these small things. The post blew up because everyone loves a good mystery, but here was a memory frozen in time, almost forgotten, that a stranger enjoyed and shared with the world. I think there is some magic to that."

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