How much can you trust whether somebody who you think is close to you really is close to you? Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr.’s been thinking about that question since a recent visit with some of his childhood friends in Sierra Leone. (37 minutes)

When guest host Tobin Low was looking for a husband, he got opposing advice from two of the most important people in his life, his mom and his best friend.

Amy Bloom tells the story of her husband, Brian, getting Alzheimer's and wanting assisted suicide. Her search to find a way to do that led her to Dignitas, in Switzerland.

Writer Emily Flake’s young daughter tries to make up her mind about whether or not she has a crush on a boy in her class.

A reality show contestant tries to game the system. (20 minutes)

Actor Daniel Radcliffe reads a short piece of fiction, “The Present,” from Simon Rich’s book of short stories, “The Last Girlfriend on Earth.” (10 minutes)

A guy in Key West makes a series of grand gestures, each one more outrageous than the last. He goes so far that we need to say that this story, from Miki Meek, is not for kids.

Howie Chackowicz tried a risky combination when he was little, kid logic with puppy love. He used to think that girls would fall in love with him if they could just see him sleeping, or if they could hear him read aloud.

Host Ira Glass interviews author Alain de Botton about why so many of us choose the wrong spouses. Botton is the author of the new novel The Course of Love.

A short story by Lydia Davis about trying to calculate the cost of a love affair. The story is read by actor Matt Malloy.

We have an update on a man in his 70s who planned to propose to a woman. We first spoke with him for time in our episode The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants.

Ira talks to a man in his 70s who’s about to travel across the country to tell a woman he loves how he really feels, despite some very real signs that doing so might be a bad idea.

Julia Lillis talks to Ira about the huge, romantic move she made after a break up, and how it was both crazy and worth doing.