Woman reveals how a random stick brought her divorced parents back together after years apart
'Oh, you like her. You still like Mom,' Rachel Gaede said
Divorce may sound like a final decision, but what happens when one person still loves the other? Rachel Gaede (@gachelraede) shared how her parents, who had been divorced for almost half her life, got back together. On October 26, 2026, she showed her followers "the stick" that reunited her parents after a long separation. The video has had over two million views, more than 99,200 likes, and 550 comments.
Curiosity didn't kill the cat
During the time Gaede's parents were separated, she visited her dad at his "divorce dad apartment." One thing she noticed was that the apartment was bare. She elaborated, "He had no decorations. Like, it was a couch, a TV stand, and then a lamp." But one day, out of nowhere, she noticed a stick sitting on his TV stand. When she asked him about it, he said it was "nothing." But his answer piqued her curiosity further. She added, "So obviously, we're like, 'Okay, it's something we need to figure out."
The story behind the 'stick'
Gaede pestered her dad with questions about the stick over and over again till he gave in. He finally admitted, "It's just a stick from a vacation I went on with your mother." That was all she needed. Gaede's reaction to her dad's answer was, "Oh, you like her. You still like Mom." When she got home, she told her mother all about the stick her dad "dedicated" to her at his apartment and convinced her to call him. Six months later, Gaede's parents were back together.
Gifts from old flames
Some couples realize their mistakes after the papers are already signed. But again, divorce is not final. A 2025 study by Susan L. Brown found that couples who were divorced after turning 50 tend to reconcile with their partners within a decade. The research revealed that men were more likely to go back to their spouses compared to women. 7% of women and 11% of men. As for the stick, a 2024 survey from Neighbor found that 65% of respondents admitted they still held on to an item from a previous relationship.
More than half of the respondents reported holding on to such items for more than five years. Gaede did not reveal her parents' ages, but said her parents had been divorced for almost half her life. It was the "stick" her dad kept that made them get back together.
'Stick of yearning'
Viewers were fawning over Gaede's story about her parents reuniting. A few others shared similar stories in the comment section. @rqcha shared, "Broke up with a guy in 2016 but kept a pack of cigarettes he had left at my apartment. Moved three times and never threw away these stale a** cigarettes. Anyway, we’re now married with a baby." @flyawaystanleybefree joked, "No. We need more details. Why did he save the stick and not the marriage?"
You can follow Rachel Gaede (@gachelraede) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.
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