Why Aldi Makes You Pay for Shopping Carts — The Real Reason

When I returned from a week-long business trip, something felt off. A box of tampons was tucked under the sink — and they definitely weren’t mine. I tried to brush it aside, assuming Tom’s sister might have visited or that it was some random mix-up. But over the next few months, more small things caught my eye: faint red stains on the bathroom floor, tissues buried deep in the trash, and Tom growing increasingly distant and tense.

Then, while straightening up our room one afternoon, I found two tampons hidden in his bedside drawer. My stomach dropped. A thousand awful possibilities raced through my mind. When I confronted him, Tom froze. His face went pale, and his hands shook as he motioned for me to sit. “I should have told you,” he whispered. “It’s not what you think.”

He finally explained that he’d been dealing with a medical condition that caused unexpected bleeding — something deeply personal, uncomfortable, and humiliating for him. He had been quietly buying supplies, terrified that I would discover them and think less of him. Every time I almost found out, he panicked, and the shame only grew heavier.

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