For many children in the foster care system, the possibility of being split up and not knowing what happened to your long-lost siblings often ends up being heartbreaking reality.
So when the universe steps in to reunite a family, it can be a truly emotional surprise.
While driving for Uber to make some extra money, TikToker @voycebutler2 intended to pick up one more ride for the night before going home.
He noted that his last passenger's name was "Jaylin" and was taken aback for a moment. His older brother, Jaylen, had been taken and put into foster care when the TikToker was seven and Jaylen was nine. He decided to think nothing more of the similarity and went to pick up the customer.
As they were driving toward their destination, the passenger noted how he had not been in this part of the neighborhood for years and pointed out a street name that was very familiar to the Uber driver.
But then the passenger said that he hadn't been back there since he was put into foster care when he was nine, and the TikToker had to start asking questions, to see if the similarities were real or a coincidence.
He asked the passenger his mother's name, which was the same as his own. Then he asked if he still had a scar from when they played as children, which was when Jaylen caught on and asked if the TikToker's name was Peter.
It was then that the two realized that they were long-lost brothers, separated by the foster care system. Heartbreakingly, Jaylen thought that something had happened to Peter the TikToker, because he'd been unable to find him when he turned 18 and started to look for him.
By accepting one more Uber ride that night, and by choosing to use the service that night, the two men's lives may have been forever changed.
You can watch the video here:
@voycebutler2 He was just another Uber ride… until he said something only my brother would know. #uberstory #mysterytok #emotionalstory #lostandfound #brothersreunited #realstorytime #storytimeviral #viralstorytelling #tiktokstory #longlostfamily #uberlife #reunionstory #foryou #fyp #fypシ
Some fellow TikTokers were deeply touched by the story.
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Others were heartbroken for the pair but grateful they'd been able to reunite.
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TikToker @voycebutler2 said that he and his brother intended to meet the following day, to have lunch, and to catch up about each other's lives.
Since they're now both grown men, they'll likely have a lot of lunches to come with no shortage of memories to talk about and their lives to catch up on.