What had happened was… I agreed to go on a couples safari thinking it would be romantic. You know—sunsets, elephants, cute hats, and luxury tents with mosquito nets and wi-fi. But what I got instead was a lion’s stare, a stalled engine in the middle of nowhere, and a pack of wild dogs with nothing but bad intentions.

In this story set deep in the South African bush, I find out the hard way that nature has zero interest in your relationship goals. It’s all dust, danger, and a safari guide named Mapalo who might be the calmest—or most emotionally detached—human I’ve ever met.

This isn’t just a near-death experience. It’s a lesson in humility, terror, and how quickly romance turns to panic when the food chain suddenly gets real.

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Every Monday, we drop true-to-life tales full of twists, tension, and the kind of storytelling that makes you yell, “There’s no way that happened.” But it did. Because what had happened was… life came for me with teeth.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts

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What had happened was… I signed up for a luxury cruise, not a floating panic attack in the Aegean Sea. In this sun-soaked, wave-smacked episode, I recount the chaotic journey from cruise ship to Santorini via tender boat—a ride that felt more like survival training than sightseeing.

What should’ve been a quick, scenic transfer to one of the most iconic islands in the world turns into a salty mess of rough waters, screaming passengers, stroller panic, and the very real question: is this thing going to flip over? The crew? Unbothered. The waves? Disrespectful. The memory? Permanent.

This is a story about vacation expectations, ocean betrayal, and why some moments are better viewed from the safety of the ship buffet.

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We drop new episodes every Monday. Real stories, wild turns, and the kind of tension you can feel in your seatbelt. Because what had happened was… you just had to be there.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts

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What had happened was… I was just out grabbing overpriced juice, minding my business, when the universe did a full reroute. One unexpected turn. One awkward conversation. One woman in oversized sunglasses and a scarf pulled just-so over her head. Couldn’t be. Right?

What unfolds next is a surreal, borderline spiritual, possibly delusional encounter at a sidewalk café involving a spilled green juice, one very specific quote, and a voice I’ve heard a million times—but this time, she said my name.

In this quick-hit story of chance, awe, and the question of whether the moment even really happened at all, we explore how close you can get to greatness… and whether or not that changes you. Or her.

Was it really Oprah?

I guess we’ll never know.

But I know what I felt.

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Each week we bring realer-than-real stories with just enough chaos to make you question everything. New episodes every Monday—because what had happened was… life doesn’t give you warning signs, just plot twists.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts

What had happened was… it was supposed to be a peaceful afternoon at the park. Just a dad and his son, a Bluetooth speaker, and the sweet sounds of Stevie Wonder filling the air. But when a seemingly harmless song choice sets off a chain reaction of subtle stares, unsolicited parenting advice, and a performative mother who just won’t quit, things spiral fast.

In this story about joy, judgment, and the racialized tension hidden beneath polite parenting spaces, we sit with one father’s simmering restraint—and the moment he decides to stop swallowing his words. Stevie still plays in the background, but the melody turns into something deeper.

This isn’t a story about confrontation.

It’s about choosing when not to make others comfortable.

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Weekly stories that hit deep, land hard, and linger long after the episode ends. New drops every Monday—because what had happened was… life’s a mess worth telling.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts

What had happened was… I went to therapy to deal with stress—panic attacks, tension, just trying to hold it together. What I got was a therapist who crossed the line, asked questions he shouldn’t have, showed up in places he didn’t belong, and made himself visible just enough to keep me scared—but never enough for anyone to stop him.

When I confronted him publicly, I expected justice. What I got was silence.

This is a story about power, manipulation, and being Black in a system that still asks for patience when all you’ve got left is fire.

Based in fiction. Rooted in reality. You’ll feel every second of it.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts #WhatHadHappenedWas #NotYourPatient #TherapistGoneWrong #NarrativePodcast #BlackStoriesMatter #PowerDynamics #StalkingSurvivor #PsychologicalDrama #PodcastFiction #Confrontation #AbuseOfPower #FictionThatHits #NarratedByJameel #PodcastSeries #TherapyHorror

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What had happened was… I served aboard a U.S. Navy submarine during the height of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I was good at my job. Kept quiet. Kept my secret even quieter. But all it took was one fainting spell, a kind Navy doctor, and the wrong sailor overhearing too much—to put everything I’d built at risk.

This is a story about silence, surveillance, and survival. Of what it meant to be proud to serve, even when you couldn’t be proud of who you were.

There’s no scandal. No justice. Just the slow pressure of water and men, trapped together in metal, pretending everything was normal. Until one moment wasn’t.

Fictional. Powerful. Unresolved.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts #WhatHadHappenedWas #SilentDepths #DontAskDontTell #LGBTQHistory #MilitarySecrets #NarrativePodcast #PodcastDrama #ClosetedAndServing #UnderPressure #QueerHistory #SubmarineLife #PodcastFiction #EmotionalSurvival #NarratedByJameel #NoWayOut #PsychologicalTension

What had happened was… four former college friends reunite for a luxury European cruise, but the only thing first class is the drama. A missing watch, buried betrayals, and one explosive masquerade ball later—only one of them leaves with their pride. The others? Well, let’s just say they won’t be tagging each other in group pics ever again.

Narrated by Jameel, this high-conflict, no-redemption tale cruises into chaos and ends with a permanent ban.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

🔗 Connect + Watch:

• 📸 Instagram → @what.had_happened.was
• 📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts #WhatHadHappenedWas #PodcastDrama #Deck9Drama #CruiseGoneWrong #StorytimePodcast #ToxicFriendships #MasqueradeMess #VacationVengeance #LuxuryShipwreck #PodcastFiction #DramaSeries #NarratedByJameel #PodcastLife #NoHappyEndings #CruiseCatastrophe

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What had happened was… I agreed to babysit for a friend while she went to a concert I wouldn’t sit through even if I was paid. The plan was simple: cartoons, bedtime, maybe a little wine with my boyfriend after the kid fell asleep.

But then the baby monitor turned on by itself. A lullaby started playing. The toddler sat up and pointed at something that wasn’t there.

What followed was a night of locked doors, ghostly footsteps, strange drawings that vanished by morning, and something that copied the baby’s voice from behind a door.

This story is panic, paranoia, and survival in a house that did not want us in it. And we still don’t know what got in… or if it ever left.

100% fictional. 100% terrifying.

✨ About the Show ✨

What Had Happened Was is a storytelling podcast where every tale feels real enough to hurt, funny enough to heal, or messy enough to feel like your own. Mostly fictional, sometimes too honest, always unforgettable. Stories blend heart, humor, identity, and chaos—no matter who you are or who you love.

Hashtags:

#StorytellingPodcast #FictionPodcast #LGBTQStories #QueerVoices #AudioDrama #PodcastLife #PodcastRecommendations #WhatHadHappenedWas #InclusiveStorytelling #PodcastOfTheDay #FunnyPodcast #EmotionalStories #FictionalNarrative #MessyButTrue #BingeWorthyPodcasts #WhatHadHappenedWas #BabyMonitorHorror #BabysittingGoneWrong #SupernaturalStory #ScaryPodcast #GayFiction #QueerHorror #ParanormalPodcast #HauntedHouseStory #FictionPodcast #NarratedByJameel #PodcastSeries #GhostStoryVibes #DoNotOpenTheDoor #CreepyMonitor

🔗 Connect + Watch:

📸 Instagram → [@what.had_happened.was]

📺 YouTube → [youtube.com/@what_had_happened_was]

💌 Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a rating if it made you laugh, cry, or text your ex.

Mentioned in this episode:

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