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SALT LAKE CITY — Four years ago, Brigham Young University alumnus Max Horsley wrote his wife what she thought was a hate note.
Last week, Horsley discovered the note had gone viral on Huffington Post, reddit, and a number of other news outlets. Ashton Kutcher even shared it on Facebook.
“Dear Stefanie,” it read. “Dinner tasted awful and it smelled so I am leaving you a note. I just have to go. I have taken all my things. Just can’t stand you, I won’t be back. I have had enough. Enjoy your life. Goodbye, Max.”
After 10 seconds of shock, Stefanie Horsley found a second piece of the note, which had been torn and set upside down a few feet away from the first.
When she pieced the two together, it read:
“Dear Stefanie, Dinner tasted awfully good, and it smelled great, so I am leaving you a note. I have to just go to the library. I have taken all my things I need to study. Just can’t stand your being gone. I won’t be back until 8 p.m. I have had enough dinner. Thanks. Enjoy your life cereal as a snack. Goodbye, Love Max.”
Horsley said his wife was browsing on Pinterest last week when she recognized his handwriting.
“It was a really strange morning,” Max Horsley said. “It was such a surreal moment to see a photo you took on Pinterest when you weren’t looking for it.”
It was such a surreal moment to see a photo you took on Pinterest when you weren't looking for it.
–Max Horsley
Horsley said he had written it in the spur of the moment as a joke, and Stefanie found it really funny.
However, many commenters on the Internet found it offensive.
“People have commented ‘Oh, they will probably divorce,’ or ‘He’s probably dead now.’ ”
Despite the negative comments, the Horsley’s have found that humor in their marriage brings them closer together.
“Regardless of what is going on in life, if you were to get a note like that, it’s hard not to feel happy,” Stefanie Horsley said.