All Comments on 'Eleanor Rigby: The Aftermath'

I am sucker for happy endings, and I loved this story. Great job HDK! You wrote a believable story about the trials a couple goes through when a spouse cheats. Excellent work, now don't take so long to give us another one.

Very well written. It is good to have a happy endng to the story and one that is very plausible.

I realize that her attitude and demeanor had much to do with Ted's final decisiom about her but I think the Priest had a lot to do with it, too. And I thought the dialogue with the priest was excellent.

I could go for another one HDK!?

You set us up for this. There was but one appropriate ending to this story and you delivered. Thank you for a very touching and uplifting ending.

P.S. I did chuckle at the reference to finding foregivenss by helping AIDS victims in some faraway place. Hmmm, I wonder where that came from? :)

You took the almost impossible ending and made it fitting and believable.

Well done HDK.

As someone said below - when is the next story coming?

HDK:

I voted on Eleanor Rigby but I didn't comment because I wanted to see what the sequal would be like. You didn't disappoint. I don't know why I was worried, You never do. A great story with a happy ending. All is right with the world and God is in heaven. Thank You. Ronnie W.

I ask for a sequel and 2 days later you deliver.

Damn you're good!!!

A very good portrayal of the difficult & painful steps it takes to go from betrayal to forgiveness and acceptance. And you were smart to leave out the details of what else everyone did to help them heal the breech.

You deserve a standing ovation.

Huh? Ted forgives Ellie without a confession? Without knowing the extent of betrayal? And, Ted does not ask her? This is unbelievable!

What really happened? Hw did it start? Hw long has this affair been going on? Surely the time Ted caught them wasn’t the only time Ellie and Dan fucked. It’s been an ongoing thing with them. Ellie told Father Mackenzie, “"No!" I practically shouted. "I knew Ted would never accept me having an affair! I just never thought about him finding out. I would never hurt him deliberately." She used the word “affair”. She never said it was a one time thing.

So the questions now is how many times did he fuck Dan? Did she do things to Dan she never did or thought of doing with Ted? What lies did she tell Ted so she can be with Dan? What part did Ellie's friend play? Why is Ellie sorry? Did she plan to stop the affair when Ted caught them? Was it their valedictory fuck? If not, how long did she plan on fucking Dan? What are their plans after casino night?

Until these questions are answered, Ellie will remain the lying, cheating self absorbed bitch. She was sorry she got caught. She was never sorry for the affair until Dan tried to blackmail her. I don’t think forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. Ted should have fought her on the divorce and let the children know the whore their mother really is.

Ok I'm a bit rushed personally right now BUT I would like to leave a comment or three, might come back after I read some more comments later.

1) nice that they got back together. I'm a sucker for romantic tales and this got me.

2) did any one notice the Priest's trick? When he talked to Eleanor, he did it in a way that Ted could overhear. Worked out right well so that Ted could hear her constant 'confessions' at home and maybe heal the marrage. That being the reason Ted could go after Dan.

some minor complaints...and you knew I would have them

1) She just had the afair to feel sexy? She's THAT shallow?

2)Why did Dan and her race after Ted and the girls? Why wasn't it just her? SOMETHING doesn't add up.

But over all I have been chewing up the scenery ever since I heard that this was in Lit's pipeline, and it did not fail.

HDK I wish I knew where you got your ideas from...so I could go there and steal some myself!

as always

The story was great , but the ending sucked. the aftermath was awful. how the hell did that guy forgive that bitch

part one, thumbs up. part two, thumbs down. even tho i love happy endings, way too many unanswered questions. we start out with a husband so paranoid about losing the wife he dearly loves. she bends over backward to convince him how great he is, how much she loves him, and could never find anyone better than him to cheat with. then, she does it. now we have part two, the previous paranoid husband, who no longer worries about the wife cheating on him. did i miss something. she accounts for nothing she did. she just refuses to give him a divorce. says she will never do it again. talks to her priest. talks twice to the ex-lover (for how long, and about what, he is never told). in real life, this bitch would be out on her ear until she figured out what truth, confession, and communications with the spouse are all about. i love your stories, you're one damn good writer, but the second half only gets a three from me. keep up the good work. looking forward to your next one.

DoctorWyldcard raises a good point; let's call it unconventional marriage counseling. It's not just Father McKenzie that does it, but Helen as well. Notice how Helen carries on about Eleanor's weight loss and, as soon as she leaves, Ted joins Eleanor and immediately offers her some ice cream.

HDK didn't explicitly show how Ted was won over, but it is there for all to see. Doubtless, Ted was getting an eye opening earful every Wednesday night.

So there's my 2¢ worth.

Now I know how a junkie feels going through withdrawl and finally getting their fix.

Trying to get the emotions to come through for a good reconcilliation is extremely hard. HDK has shown us the inside of both people. There are some questions that need to be answered, (as some have brought up) but the story has not reached that point. The hardest part is getting the people to make their decisions believeably.

HDK has shown us the clouds parting and the beginning of a rainbow. He has left it up to us to finish the tale. In my own mind, I can visualize the confession and counciling.

Fantastic sequel !

Gus

PS: HDK is this story telling us, 'Love Is All You Need' ?

Are you telling us that Father MacKenzie was worried that Eleanor didn't use a condom? Quick, let's email the Pope!

And yes, the 'going to work with AIDS victims' line was a bit of a back-handed slap at a couple of other Loving Wives stories that had to reach a bit for the wife to find redemption. I thought it was funny.

In a nutshell, Eleanor learned a lesson, was able to change for the better, was able to become a better, far less ego-centric wife. Good story.

Isn't lack of appetite one of the early symptoms of AIDS?

"These early symptoms usually disappear within a week to a month. Most HIV-infected people who experience these early symptoms won't see any more signs of the infection for at least a few years." - health.yahoo.com

Maybe Elenore should get tested. If he has a brain Ted will insist on it. Yeah, she claims they used protection but HIV is not transmitted only by intercourse. And condoms aren't 100% protection in any case.

Pretty good story. Best thing was that I kept hearing the Beatles singing as I read it.

Oh, saving Elenore from the flood cannot really be considered a proof of love. People can and do as much and more for complete strangers.

What a great ending!

Recognizing that I am a sucker for a happy ending, there still has to be true contrition and repentance. There is no question that Elle was contrite and repentant. There have to be consequences, and there were.

You are certainly one of my favorite authors and as almost always you have come through again.

I love happy endings. Although some people think that any cheating should immediately end a marriage they are wrong. Ted has a long emotional tie to Eleanor and there should be a chance to fix the break in the marriage. I do think you could have showed the pain in Eleanor and Ted better, but only in a longer story. I enjoy your writing please keep it comming.

Boy, was he a nice guy. Did we ever really get a reason from her? I guess there wasn't a good one. Thanks for the story.

When you first posted this story I thought it was really a good one. It was one of those that needed a happy ending. I was really surprised when you posted a finish to this story. It was really good. I see that most of your readers agree. Really good finish.

I have been following your stories. You are a gifted author. In my opinion of course.

unanswered questions, and Ted and Eleanor still have the same problem that led up to her affair and to the time he took her "back". They still don't communicate with one and other. The can only talk to each other through a third party and the other eavesdropping.

Don't get me wrong, the story itself was well written, a good tie off piece, but there are still a lot of loose ends that never got tied off.

Like why was she in that car with Dan chasing after Ted and the girls in the rainstorm. Can't see a lover drive his mistress to go and explain to her husband why she was in a locked room with her first love. I just don't see that ever happenend.

The lack of communication between Ted and Eleanor, is one of the major flaws in their marriage. Think you should have let her confess her sins during the award ceremonies or at least to Ted before they got to the banquet.

Being a romantic, I really enjoyed this story. It was good that the wife realized what she had done to her husband. I think that some of the other authors should have Father Mckenzie be their couple's counseler. He didn't pull any punches.

The only problem I had with the story was when she considered her betrayal a "mistake." I hate when cheating spouses use that line. A mistake is not carrying the 2, buying diet soda when you meant to get regular, putting the wrong oil in your car because you were not paying attention. Her "mistake" involved her locking the door, getting naked, watching the man getting naked, working herself and him up and finally commiting the act. This all takes time and effort. Mistakes are made by not paying attention. Mistakes are not long, thought-out plans to deceive another.

Thank you for the time and effort you took in writing this story. I have enjoyed reading most of your stories and I look forward to reaking the next one.

I'm with the people that like the story.

Father MacKenzie could have been an Anglican or Episcopalian(sp?) priest. Negates the Pope who needs to be negated.

AIDS? This is a story. Are we going to get hung up on AIDS. It would have been a detail that could be included---the test for it---or the reader could assume she did get tested. AIDS is not the issue here and this isn't "real" life. In "real" life an AIDS test would be prudent.

And there are some who always have an ugly negative comment like calling Eleanor "the bitch". If the negative comments were witty or rational and made a point--there are negative comments here that do---I respect those comments but guttural words and obscenities---great for the bar after downing 6 to 8 un-Lite beers---are as bad as badly written stories. Maybe a story doesn't appeal but calling a fictional character a "bitch" when that character's vulnerability and contrition are demonstrated by the author seems a little narrow-minded. You may not think the contrition is feasible and you personally would grant no forgiveness to this character---that's okay. That's your opinion but be a little more classy about these fictional characters rather than muttering "bitch".

Now some characters in stories may not deserve or earn a reader's sympathy. It is up to the author to convince the reader of the "reality" or "fantasy" of a story. Stories should be criticized as stories.

I admit that I like "forgiveness" and "reconciliation" over brute judgment and violence but I've said, in the past at this website, some characters need their kneecaps broken. So I'm not above anger and feeling the hurt of the fictional characters. Forgiveness and reconciliation are better than blind brute vengeance. Look at what some so-called religions are doing in the world today---blowing innocent people up---that's reality. It doesn't make a better world.

These stories are melodramas---not Madame Bovary or Anna Karenina. They do engage readers' thoughts and definitely emotions. They are an escape from reality---London bombings, the Iraq War, China's political oppression, North Korea's nuclear swagger, unrepentant killers in the Netherlands who interpret the word of God as a mandate to kill and maim. These stories have some of the same nasty ingredients as reality but are channeled into fictional situations.

I wonder how many readers have gone through the cheating spouse situation. That experience colors a reader's response. Do these stories---like battlefield flashbacks ---inflame some of that intense emotion or do the stories act as a salve and cool some of the hurt and burn? The characters could be surrogates for real life people. I think readers identify with the wronged spouse---if the story is good and that spouse is not a jerk. A jerk? Someone who is fucking and screwing another woman but is hurt if the wife does the same thing. There isn't much sympathy for that character.

Happy to read a story from harddaysknight. Usually good.

An exceptionally well written chapter of a story which imo is about an initially unequal relationship, a disaster waiting to happen, now equalised by the trauma of Eleanor's infidelity and the subsequent astute counsel of the family priest (of whatever denomination!). She has come to realise that her husband is every bit as important in her life as she is in his, where before she took his unquestioning adulation for granted. Therein lies the main reason for her cheating and her relative lack of concern about being caught. She cheated because she could, and as her reaction to getting caught at the end if the first chapter suggests, she thought that that it was only necessary to reassure Ted that she, the adored one, still intended to stick around and all would be well. Now she knows different!

Another chapter? In my opinion this story is complete. There will always be 'unanswered questions' in a story which in any way reflects real life. Personally, I don't think it matters, either to Ted, or in the context of the story's message, how many times Eleanor and Dan screwed before being caught. Or why she was chasing after Ted in her boyfriend's car, which could be for one of any number of plausible reasons peripheral to the story itself. The reference to AIDs, on the other hand, came completely out of left field from my perspective. I know we only have her word for it that she and Dan used protection but I'm intrigued where we end up if we question whether the principal character and narrator in a story might not be being truthful with the readers! As to the idea that the loss of appetite might be an early indication that Eleanor had contracted the disease rather than being the result of the very well described stress she is under - well that clearly is a different story which I haven't read! As always HDK, a thought-provoking story producing comments from people who actually have something to say. Many thanks.

Good job, very good job. A very hard ending to write with passion and feeling. In my opinion, she answered the only question Ted was interested in--did she truely love him and her family? The answer was yes, thus he could forgive her because he still loved her. JimDinMN

Okay, let's get the criticism out of the way, first. Notwithstanding the first couple of paragraphs, and because of the time between the two "Eleanor" stories, an opening reference to the other story would have been helpful for people who had missed the earlier story. That said, enough information was presented in the opening paragraphs to make this story decent as a stand-alone.

This story didn't have much sex in it (well, none, actually); and in this venue, that would usually be a "kiss of death" sort of thing. However, it was a near-perfect wrap-up to an earlier (and equally outstanding) story. I loved it. It's great fiction, it's well written, it's cohesive, it's not predictable, and it's not boring. I was thinking "no! no! no!" when Eleanor started to make a public confession at the microphone, and you pulled that one out as deftly as a professional magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

And, incidentally, I absolutely love the embedded lines out of Beatles songs.

Keep up the good work.

-- KVK

You are one of the best writers on this sight. It is amazing that a story can have no sex and yet hold the attention of so many. Keep up the writing and let the critics be damned.

I have for some reason thought about this story alot over the last few weeks and conjectured how I would end it, and if your ending would be satisfactory. I need not have worried.

You did an excellent job, and I too like the fact that sex was not part of this story although clearly it was the subject of much consideration to the characters. Further, your use of the Beatles characters and some of the lines is a charming touch.

I suspect you have more stories in you than the Beatles have songs and I hope you continue to write here for a long time.

Interesting how the Padre always had the discussions with Elle in the kitchen while Ted worked in the basement. Tricky guy that Padre; allowed him to help Ted/Elle without breaking confidentiality. Nice twist.

And you you all know who you are: You're the ones who come unglued everytime I take a critical look at your writing. Well, folks, THIS IS THE WAY OT IS DONE! Not erotic in the classical sense but certainly inspiring and well thought out.

Grammar good

Storyline linear and well defined.

Holes? Nope, sorry ain't none (but I agree that there should have been a little better transition)

Complete? Yep

Good dialogue

Great heart-warming finish...maybe a little syrupy, but I like maple syrup!

Folks this is the way you write a story. Read this mans stuff. He is good. See Dick Run. See Jane Run. See Spot Run. Spot has Rabies! (just checking to see if you are paying attention. Notince all the criticisms? No bad words? You want accolades like tis, write like this! Yes, you can even has sex in it if it makes sense! HDK, Troubador, K.K. X-Bishop, Velvetpie and Pat51 just to name a few can all do it. Even educated fleas do it! Let's do it, lets fall in love...that was a song I believe???

Anyway, HDK, great job!! In fact, I think I will write a homage to you. Yeah, and I'll call it Daydream Believer...all I need to do is learn how to write...:-(

Very BEST Regards!

chagrined (S)

After an interminable wait for Literotica to post this one, I have to agree with all the others. It was worth the wait.

The only issue (can't call it a complaint) was that the ending was a little soft. Ted just softly slid back into the marraige without much fanfare. Not enough tension for my tastes. But then, you know my tastes....

Typical HDK story. First rate!

Will

One of the finest short stories I have ever read, EVER anywhere, and I do read a lot! not especially erotic and who cares! DH Lawrence writes wonderful. So do you, thjo not as good! but a great article

Your stories tend to pick a single point and then orient themselves around that. This is not a criticism, just a statement. That's why I like your stories. Part 1 is built on Ted's learning that he's the good one. What drives that narrative forward is the question of when she'll cheat - wanting to see if it really is inevitable and then how he'll handle it. In Part 2, Ted disappears, her issue is the entire focus and what drives the narrative is whether Ted takes what she offers.

I don't particularly like the unreality - in part 1, the silliness of her being in a car with the guy her husband just caught her with and the whole car washing away thing, in part 2 the one-armed man beating up the bad guy. Neither was necessary and both are way over the top.

I'll leave aside that the man and woman don't communicate, etc. because that's not how you write.

Until she left Father McKenzie I was thinking, "OK, this is following the first part" but then it took a left turn, negating and contradicting everything that came before. As a stand alone piece and as a follow-up to another story, it was OK, but it just did not fit in with anything -- ANYTHING -- from the first story.

For example, she didn't bother telling McKenzie that she had repeatedly denied Ted's fears about Dan and that she did it anyway. The last part of that story had Ted point out that it was not a simple accident and something that just happened, but something she did deliberatly, as if she wanted to humiliate Ted. This story seems, and just about every commentor, seems to have forgotten that major point. She never acknowledges that or considers it an issue. She had the affair for selfish reasons, and she's fitting for the marriage for selfish reasons. She doesn't want to preserve the marriage for Ted or her daughters but for herself and only for herself.

That was bad enough, but the ending! Having a one armed man beat up another was stretching things very thin, but I'm almost in a sugar shock over the last paragraphs. This is a schamltzy, gooey pile I expect from a Hallmark card.

Hey all, well I STILL say this is a great story.

Was it a bit of a change from Chapter 1? ah yeah! Unless an author PLANS on a next chapter then some things will change. Cause his/her moods will change. HDK had the first story as a great stand alone. But we just HAD to beg/plead/try to bribe him into another ;).

But I feel that the changes here are realistic. Heck we are now seeing things from HER point of view.

Great.

Now to the unanswered and probally things that some ppl wanted.

It seems that most wanted to know

1) How long had it been going on.

2) Why were they in the car racing after him.

3) WHY!?!?!?! did she do it knowing that he was going to be hurt?

Well to Answer 1 'I' feel that this was one of the first times if not the first, could be wrong but hey unless the author corrects me, I can think it!

Answer three... selfishness and selfcenteredness. (is that a word?). At the beginning she's selfish and conceded, that lead to her down fall...Pride ya know.

Then she is brought to reality by the divorce. It's a real shock to her system. She CAN NOT deal with it. Hense(sp) her going to the priest.

As for two...well you got me there!

What I think really helped was when Eleanor 'broke down'. She showed TO HIM true remorse and how sorrowful she was. Yeah he was down stairs but he NEEDED to know that she was really hurt BY HER OWN ACTIONS. That she had changed.

Now I didn't like is 'I was stupid and stubborn' comment but hey that's me.

Did I want more angst? yup. Pain? Yup. for it to come out and there to be more than just four people dealing with it? Oh you bet ya. But this was great (felt like Tony the Tiger there).

Now...the BIG question, when's the next HDK classic coming?

i don't want to read moral shit like this on Literotica. i would have much preferred Ellie falling in love with priest...seriously, this is not Erotica-blah to you!

I am a sucker for happy endings. Granted this part of the follow up story didn't have a lot of "Ram that 14 inch cock in me baby....OHHH IIIMMM CUMMMINNNGGG!! shit in it, but IMHO a truly fine piece of work to be proud of.

First, I want to commend the author for accommodating us and getting out of his way to write a sequel despite his misgivings and the lack of intent to do it.

Second, I liked the story. It is believable. People change and so does the state of their minds. People are so dumb they often commit acts against their better judgement. That often will not and should not be the end of the world. Just like the rest of us, Ted knew that she really loved him and really regretted what she had done. Everybody may act and react diffterently. That is life. Those who have not figured that out should continue to read silently until they can tell which way is up.

Thanks again. Keep up the good job.

for a story intended to resonate and expound on one of life's marital problems and it's consequence it was forgiving but lacked the previous chapter's strong lifelike reality, clarity and ended without true or reasonable consequence.

Author - please take this constructively for another story down the road.

As good - no - very good as the author is regarding imagination, word and setting flow - in my opinion the second chapter is troubling in that it lacked the lifelike communication, credibility and clarity of the first. This doesn't mean that only a public hanging would have sufficed but sleeping in the same bed on the first night home without any recrimination or discussion - cmon - even if he was tired and hurting that wasn't real or close to life was it? Even if the divorce papers were sitting in his briefcase as he slept why or how could he sleep with her???

The second chapter was mostly her point of view and discussions which was potentially good but they never talked about it. She talked to the priest more than she spoke to him about other things. The vent was a cute device to keep him informed but again hardly lifelike as the only way for him to be informed. They needed some dialog. Now I know that in doing so it would have become more difficult and lengthy but it would have been more like real life.

Looking back into chapter one (your words)- several times he heard her talking quietly on the phone - their sex life had disappeared - in chapter two she admitted to the priest of not just a one time but an affair (repeated trysts it seems).

She calms hubby's concerns and then fucks her old boyfriend repeatedly anyway. A first class lier, deceiver and selfish slut it seems - he grasps this truth after his time in the hospital spent thinking about it - delivers the divorce papers - then turns to mush wimpily reversing directions when he has to chose whether to carry through with his decided course of action! Now this period of indecision could be swallowed if he said ok we will try and sets forth conditions. Testing, communications, seperate bedrooms and visits to a conselor - but none of this real life stuff happens - no offense author but why not? I admit that I also lost it when at the microphone he said that he is sorry for being stubborn and stupid - What? - HUH! He apologises for her unfidelity! In time, does she really feel she was properly chastised - does she respect him for his solid stand and apology??? Where are the people from chapter one???

Author - I know you have no actual history to base your positions on (Thank God you haven't) and like many other authors it shows in most stories conclusions.

Lets try this - when I was a child and disappointed my parents there was consequence and there was still love and out of that grew respect and trust each way. As a adult, disciplining my children or puppy was painful but a necessary part of love if they were to grow up realizing that consequences were delt out by life for bad behavior. This wife acted as a selfish child but suffered no real consequence for breaking the law and her vows. Why wasn't there negative reinforcement to cause future thought and affect future decisions?? Hardly fair for either party was it?

A lot of blathering to hopefully cause more thought towards a more perfect story by you or others in this most challenging emotional theme of marital consequence.

Author, you are appreciated and I hope you understand that I am just trying to help you get to where I think you want to. If not my apologies. with high Regard

HDK

An excellent story. You almost threw me there with the priests hardline at first but you tied it together nicely. Anonymous In the Real World had one good point. That being she didn't tell the priest how she had kept denying and misdirecting Ted's fears. However from the way he took it to Ellie he probably had figured that out. Other than that you can tell both this Anonymous and Anonymous "Blah" to kiss off. As for those that commented on two different stories you should expect that since it came from two different POVs. You dealt wonderfully with some things that most of these so called macho men have no concept of - forgiveness and repentance. Bravo sir knight.

Read ya later

Bishop

Having been caught in an affair 20 years ago, my wife booted my ass out of the house, divorced me and a couple months later year married my "best" friend. Having gone through that experience, I was absolutely intrigued with your story. It was everything I had hoped to experience in my own life. Extremely well written, sensitive to the issues, and a wonderful accounting of "love conquers all."

I know it can happen in real life and was pleased to find your story. Incredible!!!

I feel you did a good job HDk with the questions the first story left us with. You were even able to take care of the STD problem with Eleanor admiting the use of condoms, Her going to the prest was a stroke of genus, his comments pulled the two stories together. Great story of course all of yours are HDK

Outstanding craftsmanship and plot development. I thought the change from Ted's point of view to Eleanor's was an excellent shift in the story line. I think there's room for a third chapter here. How 'bout it HDK, does Eleanor stray again even after Ted allows her back to his side? Come on guys. Let's start the drumbeat now. One more chapter...one more chapter... :)

I must say great ending and story as always HDK. :)

I don't think another chapter is needed and while a sequel to the first chapter was great and even needed I think one after this, with her cheating again would just ruin all the development the two characters have made. Maybe a short one with how much better their relationship has become might be good but to do another cheating angle would seriously ruin the entire story. Let it stand I say.

But very disjointed from the first chapter…I guess key characters are muted to explain Ellie’s story.

The faults as I see them.

1] Ellie has not learn from the affair…. As Ellie said ….” I had always had things my way. I used my looks, abilities, brains, and charm to get everything I had ever wanted. I had never known bad times. Breaking a nail really wouldn't count as hard times”. So like a spoiled brat who holds her breathe when she does not get what she wants…she refuses to give Ted his divorce…stops eating [ breathing ] until she gets what she wants….If she truly loved Ted …she should have let him go…she should have allowed him to heal..he, frankly was never the proper space to heal emotionally because what Ellie wants …Ellie gets….you could say she ate her cake and “ice cream” too. Ted’s entire character was too quiet in the sequel…I think at the end he was still more damaged then Ellie who was getting what she wants….again.

2] Helen [ best friend] and daughter Jen appear out of character. They must know what happened [for some reason why did Jen know what Dan’s car looked like] but appear to have changed in character in the sequel…why the change if no one other than Ted, Ellie and Dan know the whole story. It was Helen that mentioned Dan to Ellie…yet she had no follow up with her best friend. And where Jen was loquacious, suddenly was quiet.

3] Ellie’s own words…to Fr Mckenzie…. “I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I

was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag."….AND she did this with a guy that not only took her cherry but fucked her over two years while dating. Duh…how desirable was that to fuck an old boyfriend …doesn’t make sense…she already had experienced him….unless he dumped her while dating and she wanted him back to prove a point…but I don’t think this was the case…

4] Dan was made out to be a bad guy…unfair, but easy to do in order to make the story work…but if he was that bad from the start …Ellie would not have fallen for his lines…in her own words…"Ted! You are afraid I will take up with Dan, aren't you?" gasped Ellie. "That was a long time ago, Ted! I am your wife now. We have two daughters together. I am not going to switch horses in midstream." But Dan, like myself and maybe 99.9 % of males, easily thought he could still fuck a broad he fucked years ago….so his approaching Ellie was normal from a guy’s point and Ted knew this…it was Ellie, that Ted did not know. Dan was Dan..so why demean him.

5] Was the casino fund raiser a success or bust….If successful then Dan should have been credited too after all he co-chaired…if we are to assume the town does not know about the affair…

6] In the Rigby song, Eleanor died and was buried the next day…in the sequel…Ellie’s stellar volunteer reputation should be acknowledged in contrast to a failed [dead] marriage that died and was buried the next day…

All in all, it was a good read…but as I was reading..I was developing side bar issues and story lines that fitted and contradicted what was happening.

Enjoy your work, HDK

‘nuff said.

Andy

They comment by this critic about Eleanor's "claim" that they used protection was a mistake. The statement was not in dialog (where it might or might not be true) but in exposition. Sorry.

Why bring AIDS into it? For the same reason that pregnancy was brought into it. It's already there when bodily fluids are swapped. Realism adds emotional impact.

Does the lack of appetite really mean anything? We don't know, of course. If it just that she was "off her feed" for a while it accomplishes nothing to include it. (Ok, ok... maybe this humble critic watches too much Court TV and reads too many who-dun-its.)

(Actually, I don't quite see myself as a critic. Just a commentator, maybe.)

We're married to such forgiving partners! We could fuck around and then let the tears down like floodgates and they come, all tears, too --- whoopin' us up in their strong arms and kiss us, telling us all things would be okay; that we was just having momentary "weaknesses" hahaha!

For such a forgivin' spouse, I'll hold on to him or her, too,,,, like my life's depended on him/her! "Father, I have sinned badly and I need help!"

We just don't wanna be too overly greedy in our "momentary weakness" activities, lest we might just one day push them over the edge; but frugal and carelly calibrated activities can be done with such loving and forgving spouse,,, Lucky Ellie!

"Child, God loves you and so does your loving husband! Have faith in them both; just don't over do those bad deeds; temperance and self-control are virtues, child!"

HDK, I do happen to enjoy your style and pace in your stories. You create believable characters and plausible circumstances. On that basis alone, I thought this was a very well written story.

However, the story, and resolution, leaves something to be desired. Having been in a similar situation myself (first wife), I can see Elanor's reaction as very realistic. The ubiquitous excuse ("I need to feel pretty") and the characterization as a mistake seems to be the normal reaction. The part I'm having a problem with is the fact that Tom even allowed her back into his life with very little consequences.

Having played the part of Tom in my real life, I cannot understand his reactions. I thought it was perfect at the end of the first installment. While he may have still loved her, Elanor destroyed all of the caring she had earned. By her actions, not words, she had proven that she did not give a damn about his feelings. Yet Tom is supposed to come around and see that her "mistake" only made their relationship stronger. How's that again? He, the injured party, expressed his concerns to his wife, and she lied to cover up her dalliance. By breaking this trust in a relationship, Elanor has forfeited all claims to it.

Her actions after getting caught only server to reinforce her selfish and self-centered nature. From whining to Father Mackenzie, to stonewalling her husband, to her refusal to eat, she continually demonstrates a lack of character. Even the fact that the reconciliation attempts don't go as fast as she wants causes her to react like a spoiled child.

I cannot say for the world how a man should react in this situation. I can only say how I did. My now ex-wife ran around behind me with an old boyfriend. I foolishly trusted her nay-saying. Once I found out, I simply left. I got an apartment, and never spoke to her again. I even arranged to provide her visitation to the children through a third party. Eventually, I found out through mutual friends that she was engaged in rather self destructive behavior, and wound up in the hospital. She would lament to anyone who would listen how much she missed me, loved only me, and couldn't understand why I couldn't forgive her. I never went to visit her. After getting out of the hospital, she moved somewhere,. and neither I or my sons have heard from her again. This is surprising, since our boys are good kids who loved their morther unconditionally. They are older now, but still miss their mom.

An act like this by a wife causes a husband to bring into question his entire belief system. It definitely affects his mannerisms, and his outlook on life. I still love my ex-wife but I no longer care about her. I found someone else to care for, and it has worked out for the better.

What did your lack of character have to do with HDK's story?

Yeah, it my not have been the way you would have done it, and I don't particularly like the ending either but I love the writing and it was logical and "Suspended my disbelief"!

As for my comment about lack of character, any man who can : "simply left. I got an apartment, and never spoke to her again. I even arranged to provide her visitation to the children through a third party." as well as have his ex-wife in hospital, engaged in self destructive behaviors (were the kids around her any during this time), get out of hospital and then just disappear after lamenting about why you couldn't forgive her, is , to be fair, pretty fucking heartless. I am a BASTARD and not this bad. :-) And you wondered about why she never contacted you again?

This isn't the psych ward, but since you aired you dirty linen I think she was as well rid of you as you may have been of her, to be fair.

But in any case, none of that addresses faults within the story just because HDK's character didn't react the way you did. HDK always was a little poofy if you ask me. LMAO! (Just kidding, HDK!)

This sequel is well written but it gets a zero just the same. It gets that mark for an illogical ending, an ending without basis in real life. Ted decided to forgive Ellie with little or no information. Ted didn’t forgive Ellie based on her apology (and what an apology that was!). He forgave her based on what he heard on the “talks” Ellie and Fr Mckenzie had Wedneday nights in their kitchen. What was he thinking? Ellie and Fr MacKenzie are 2 interested parties talking. They are 2 interested parties with the same agenda- to get Ted and Ellie reconcile. Fr McKennzie is in the “forgiving” and “turn the other cheek” business. His job is get them back together, regardless of the gravity of offense. This naturally fits Ellie’s the cheating wife’s agenda of getting Ted back. Simply put, Ted was “conned” into the reconciliation. If Ted just thought about the events he surely would have arrived at the very different conclusion.

I’m amazed what a few months and copious crocodile tears tears can do. 80-90% of those who left comments on chapter1 agreed that divorce was the only way to end the story. Now in chapter2, 90% agree reconciliation is the way to go. These were practically the same people. Come on! You can’t have it both ways. Readers wanted a sequel to know what happened to ellie after the divorce, how the divorce affected the kids and her parents and most importantly her motivation for betraying ted. Obviously the author went another way and have Ted and Ellie reconcile. I usually agree with HDK’s endings, but not today. A little logic and critcal thinking will show why.

Had this been a one time fuck for Ellie, I’m totally for reconciliation. The pain and uncertainty she experienced are payback enough. A punishment that befits the crime as it were. So, was it the first and only time Ellie and Dan fuck when Ted caught them? From chapter2 we hear Ellie telling Father Mackenzie on several occassions, one, "I knew Ted would never accept me having an affair!”. two regarding Dan’s threat, “He insists I take up with him again. If I don't, he said he would be sure the girls hear about our affair." three when ted said, “you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town” Ellie said, “yes, I have”. So there we have it. CLEARLY IT WAS NOT A ONE TIME FUCK BUT A FULL BLOWN AFFAIR!

The next step is to learn as much as possible about the affair. What was that all about? Was it just sex or something more? Sadly, HDK didn’t talk much about it. But that’s ok. No problem. There isn’t a dearth of information where we can find out what real deal was. We can easily draw real life, logical conclusions from what he wrote. Below are the questions Ted should have asked. These are the things that don’t make sense in the story. The answers will tell him what real deal was on the affair. Those answers should figure heavily in Ted’s decision whether to stay with Ellie or divorce her.

This is a life changing decision which Ted shouldn’t have made based on the talks he heard between Ellie and Fr Mac. Neither should he make the decision based on emotions. Besides, Ted may love Ellie but he hates in the same breath at this time, so those emotions cancel each other out. To paraphrase Don Vito Corleone, emotions like love and hate cloud one’s judgement. Ted should use logic, clear and crirtical thinking to arrive at his decision. He’ll surely use them when buying a house or a car why not in this case?

QUESTIONS:

1.) When did the affair start?

This is easy. Elen confessed already. In chapter2 said “you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town” Ellie replied, “Yes, I have”. So there we have it, Dan and Ellie started the affair immediately upon Dan’s return.

2.) Why did Ellie have that affair?

In Chapter2, her official reason is “I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag." Is this true? We’ll see.

3.) Why didn’t Ellie tell Helen of the affair?

From chapter1, we know Ted asked Helen "Can you tell me where Ellie is?" and Helen replied "I haven't seen her lately, but she is probably in the office getting all the games and tickets ready. Want me to look for her?" That doesn’t seem like a Helen knew. Otherwise, she could have found a way to stall Ted and somehow get a message to Ellie that Ted is there. Why didn’t Ellie tell her best friend Helen of her affair? That’s odd.

4.) Why didn’t Ellie pick on Ted’s insecurities? Why didn’t he have sex with him?

When Ellie told Ted of Dan’s appointment as co chair of casino night, Ted says, “I struggled to hide my fear and depression...Then one night, before dinner, it came to a head. ‘Ted, you have been very quiet lately,’ observed Ellie. ‘Are you feeling okay? Is there anything wrong at work? Is there something you want to tell me?’ She was like that. I never could hide much of anything from Ellie. She seemed to know me better than I knew myself.” Ted continues with, “Over the next couple weeks, Ellie was gone to meetings quite often... The idea of her with that slick Wilkins irritated me no end. I really tried to act normal, but I knew Ellie was picking up on my insecurities. Our conversations became slightly strained... We were stressed to the max. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed as though she spent more time on this fundraiser than any of the preceding ones. I caught her talking quietly on the phone a few times... Our sex life disappeared” Why did Ellie choose to ignore Ted’s insecurities? Why did he not have sex with Ted in those weeks?

5.) Why didn’t Ellie think it was wrong to have an affair?

Ellie’s words in chapter1, "Ted, I am so sorry about everything!… Dan was just a stupid mistake. He isn't good enough to carry your shoes…. I have made a serious mistake… Ted! I was wrong! I know that now. He means nothing to me. Please believe me when I tell you that I love only you!” Why didn’t Ellie think having an affair was wrong when she started it? For an intelligent and seemingly morally upright person, it’s strange why she didn’t think it was wrong to have an affair?

6.) Why was Dan driving her home?

Yes, I know this is a plot device. Dan had to drive Ellie home. They had to be swept away so Ellie will know what kind of a man Dan is. If this were real, why was Dan driving Ellie home? Of all the things that don’t make sense in the story this one takes the cake. Ellie rides with Dan home! Why did she ask Dan to drive her home when Ellie had a car? Why were they rushing home?

ANSWERS:

So we have Ellie after 16 years of marriage to Ted wants to have an affair despite Ted being the best friend, husband and lover to her and best father to their daughters. She claims “I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag.Dan comes home and according to the story Ellie has an affair with him almost immediately. She doesn’t tell her best friend Helen about it.

Her husband Ted feels insecure about Dan co chairing the casino and shares these feeling with Ellie. She initially responds by lightly berating Ted, then complimenting him profusely, then swearing to high heavens she will never cheat on Ted. Ted feels better and they make love.

In the succeeding weeks, Ted and Ellie’s relationship is strained but Ellie did nothing to ease the tension. Ted eventually catches them and Ellie rushes presumbly home with Dan. While she was having the affair she never thought it was wrong.

Four things don’t make sense. One, why didn’t she tell her best friend of her affair? Two why did Ellie choose to ignore Ted’s insecurities? Why did she not make love to him? Three, Why did she no think the affair was wrong? Four. Why was Dan driving her home? Why? Why? Why? They don’t make sense based on the Ellie’s reason for having an affair. The key to the unanswered questions lies in the Ellie’s answer to Fr Mckenzie’s question. In Chapte2 Fr Mackenzie asked her "Will he find a woman that loves him more than you do?” Ellie replied, "No! Not now, Father. A week ago, I may not have been able to answer that question as honestly. Ted could never find a woman as totally in love and devoted to him as I am now.” There you go. Put in this perspective, it makes sense now. Her words, deeds and omissions lead us to one and only one inescapable conclusion. The affair was not about sex nor her need to feel desirable. Beyond a reasonable doubt, ELLIE IS IN LOVE WITH DAN!

1.) When did the affair start?

This is easy. Elen confessed already. In chapter2 said “you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town” Ellie replied, “Yes, I have”. So there we have it, Dan and Ellie started the affair immediately upon Dan’s return. Ted hears of Dan that Sunday and in chapter1 HDK writes, “The next couple of weeks were uneventful. I spent every chance I had being a caring dad to my girls and husband to Ellie. I worked really hard at being a great lover for her. I made sure she would have a couple orgasms before I even considered finishing. I took her to dinner and took her shopping´. The affair started in these couple of weeks. So while Ted did his best to be the best husband and lover to her, Ellie shows her appreciation by fucking Dan. The affair started soon after Dan arrived so it didn’t take much for Dan to bed Ellie. Why? Because she still carries the flame for him.

2.) Why did Ellie have that affair?

In Chapter2, her official reason is “I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag." This is is not totally true. Ellie is a very desirable woman. Surely men remind her of her desirability constantly. She didn’t fuck them. Besides her husband showed how sexy he thinks she is during the “couple of weeks” she’s about to start the affair by making sure she had a couple orgasms before he even considered finishing. She wanted to have an affair with Dan period. So why Dan? It couldn’t be about sex as she said “Ted is a wonderful lover. He is very virile” it couldn’t be about being a dead beat dad. Ellie said, “Ted is the best husband and father you will ever find!" again I practically yelled. "He supports us extremely well. The girls adore him.” So why did Ellie have an affair with Dan?

Let’s see who Dan, Ted and Ellie are. From chapter1, Dan Wilkins was a high-powered corporate lawyer. local boy moves on to much bigger and better things" he just over six feet tall with blue eyes and the sexiest smile ever seen on a man? his hairline has receded a tad, but he still looks pretty good!" whlie Ted in his own words “I had never been an athlete or a scholar. It isn't eye catching or even popular, I attended a trade school to learn carpentry, . I never was accused of being a matinee idol. I'm pretty much a regular guy, I wasn't a pretty boy and I wasn't a rich guy. And Ellie, went to college and earned a degree in accounting, almost as smart as she was beautiful, intelligent, athletic, and very personable.

Comparing ted and dan, dan is handsome, ted is not. Dan went to law school and Ted went to a trade school. These two qualities set Dan and Ted apart. Ellie loves Ted but at some subconcious level resents the fact that she married to a trade school graduate. She’s not 100% proud of Ted. She shows this by her dig at Ted in Chapter2. she laughed when she said “I have been your business manager for some time. You are a man of conscience and honor. That isn't always best for business. If it weren't for me, you would be responding to every sob story and emergency tossed your way and never be able to hold a schedule and complete your contracts on time". Ellie feels Ted is not bright enough for her and well, not handsome period. Dan on the otherhand is everything what she thinks her husband should be. Simply put she still has feeling for Dan.

3.) Why didn’t Ellie tell Helen of the affair?

In an earlier comment I asked if helen knew of Ellie’s affair? What part did she play on this? From chapter1, we know ted asked helen "Can you tell me where Ellie is?" and Helen replied "I haven't seen her lately, but she is probably in the office getting all the games and tickets ready. Want me to look for her?" That doesn’t seem like a Helen knew otherwise, she could have found a way to stall Ted and somehow get a message to Ellie that Ted is there. The question is, why didn’t Helen know of Ellie’s affair? Why didn’t Ellie tell her best friend?

Ellie didn’t tell Helen of her affair for two reasons. One is she didn’t think what she’s doing was wrong because she was in love, didn’t feel guilty so no reason for her to tell Helen. Two, because of the conversation she had with Helen. In chapter 1, Helen said, "I wish Stan was like that. He hasn't stopped asking me about old boyfriends since we've been married," complained Helen. "Sometimes he seems jealous and other times he seems to get turned on when I tell him stuff. Now and then I wonder if he is one of those weird guys that wants to watch or something." Ellie replied, "I don't think he'd watch very long before he dug out one of his guns, Helen," Ellie cautioned. "Don't mistake a little curiosity and titillation for wanting you to have a boyfriend. I know Stan and he is from the old school. Shit would hit the fan, big time, if you ever tried it." Simply put, Ellie didn’t want to hear Helen say those exact words to her. In Ellie’s mind, Helen won’t understand because she was in love with Dan and the affair is the real thing for her.

4.) Why didn’t Ellie pick on Ted’s insecurities? Why didn’t he have sex with him?

When Ellie told Ted of Dan’s appointment as co chair of casino night, Ted says, “I struggled to hide my fear and depression..Then one night, before dinner, it came to a head. ‘Ted, you have been very quiet lately,’ observed Ellie. ‘Are you feeling okay? Is there anything wrong at work? Is there something you want to tell me?’ She was like that. I never could hide much of anything from Ellie. She seemed to know me better than I knew myself.” Ted continues with, “Over the next couple weeks, Ellie was gone to meetings quite often. The girls and I had gone through it before, but it had never been so painful to me. The idea of her with that slick Wilkins irritated me no end. I really tried to act normal, but I knew Ellie was picking up on my insecurities. Our conversations became slightly strained. She was working hard and was not getting enough rest. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. We were stressed to the max. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed as though she spent more time on this fundraiser than any of the preceding ones. I caught her talking quietly on the phone a few times. To a man already paranoid, these were all bad signals. Our sex life disappeared.” Why did Ellie choose to ignore Ted’s insecurities? Why did he not have sex with Ted in those weeks?

Ellie chose to ignore Ted’s feelings because she was in love with Dan and Dan was number in her life during those days. The evidence clearly shows this- she spent more time in this fundraiser than the previous ones, meaning she got out of the house so she can fuck Dan more often. She totally disrespected Ted when she talks to Dan on their home phone even when is Ted is there.

Why didn’t she have sex with Ted? Clearly her reason can’t be that she’s tired. If she can talk to Dan on their house phone, she can surely fuck Ted. At the start of this affair she fucked Ted to allay his fears and lull into a false sense of security. She didn’t fuck Ted during those times because she was in love with Dan. Fucking Ted would be cheating on Dan. Whether this was a unilateral decision on Ellie’s part or Dan demanded she not fuck Ted, the message is clear as day, Ellie was in love with Dan and he was number one in Ellie’s life then..

5.) Why didn’t Ellie think it was wrong to have an affair?

"Ted, I am so sorry about everything!… Dan was just a stupid mistake. He isn't good enough to carry your shoes…. I have made a serious mistake… Ted! I was wrong! I know that now. He means nothing to me. Please believe me when I tell you that I love only you!” Why didn’t Ellie think having an affair was wrong when she started it?

Ellie didn’t think it wrong because she was in love. Dan was number one in her life so she in effect saw nothing wrong with fucking him. At that time, Ellie considered Ted an inconvenience in their great love affair. Besides in Ellie’s mind, Dan was the man who get her cherrie and love of her life. Ted was just someone to keep her company til Dan came back for her.

6.) Why was Dan driving her presumably home?

I digress to put this in proper perspective. Form chapter1 ted narrates, “The afternoon before the big fundraiser I had promised to pick up Ellie at the community center where she and her committee were decorating and doing last minute preparations. First, I was supposed to pick the girls up after track practice and swing by to get Ellie. She had gone with Helen that morning. The girls called me to tell me that practice had been called off. I was over an hour early at the community center to pick up Ellie.” So what do know from this. One, in Ellie’s mind, Ted is an hour early and he has yet to pick up the girls. She doesn’t know the girls were with Ted already. And two, Dan and Ellie’s cover for their affair ends tonight. After tonight, they will go back to their “normal” lives hence won’t be seeing and fucking each other as often as they have the past few weeks. Dan and Ellie was making the most of their time together. That’s why they were fucking when Ted walked in on them.

If Ellie’s intent was to go home, apologize and try to save her marriage, Dan is the last person she wants Ted to see. Helen had a car and Ellie could easily have asked Helen to take her home. If Ted wasn’t home, Ellie could ask Helen to stay and wait with her. They could talk about the mess she created and maybe come up with something that may save her marriage. If Ellie is afraid Ted will get physical with her, Helen’s presence would surely have lessened the chances of that happening while with Dan being there, the chances of a violent confrontation is almost 100%. Besides, even in her self centered nature and her firm belief that Ted loves her very much, she knows this issue will take a more than a few hours to settle with Ted. So why would he take Dan, the co chair of the event with her? She knows her evening will be spent convincing Ted to give her another chance, if her intent is to save her marriage.

Another thing that doesn’t make sense is why Dan was drving fast. In chapter1, Ted narrates “, I saw a red BMW shoot past and turn down my street!” If Ellie’s intent was to save her marriage, surely Dan realizes that this may be the last time he’ll see Ellie. It doesn’t make sense for him to drive fast. One, simply because it’s raining very hard. Two, this may be the last time she’ll see Ellie, Dan will naturally want to savor their last moments together by driving as slowly as possible. And three, Ellie knows she’ll have a very difficult talk with Ted when she gets home. The natural thing to do is try and delay that eventuality, tell Dan to drive slowly so she can think of what to tell Ted. Besides, the Ted and Ellie’s arrangement was Ted to pick up the girls first then pick her up after. By Ted’s account, he was more than an hour early at Ellie’s place. Ellie doesn’t know about the cancellation of the girls’ practice so in her mind she had more than an hour before Ted gets home. Why were Dan and Ellie rushing home when they more than hour before Ted get there? This doesn’t make sense if Ellie’s intent is go home and ask for Ted’s forgiveness. Why was Dan driving fast?

Ellie’s intent was not to go home and try to save the marriage. Ellie and Dan weren’t trying to catch Ted. They were trying to beat him home because ellie’s plan was to leave Ted for Dan! Ellie thinks Ted went to pick up the girls so she has an hour to pack what she’ll wear tonight and other stuff. She can go back for what she left some other time. This makes perfect sense. Ellie was in love with Dan. Tonight the cover for their affair ends. They will go back to their normal lives not knowing when they can see each other again. Ted catches them. So the lovers decide it’s time to get real. Time for Ellie to leave Ted.

THE AFTERMATH:

So now we know what the real deal is. Ellie’s in love with Dan. Ellie was going to leave Ted for Dan. They were rushing Ellie’s house to get some of her things when they met the accident. Despite this let’s be fair and examine her actions to see if forgiveness is possible. I’ll use patricia51’s and capecodmercury’s ideas. Her words and deeds should answer the following questions:

1.) How did the affair happen? Was it planned or did it suddenly and unexpectedly take place?

2.) Did she deny Ted sex, affection or time spent together?

3.) How did the Ellie react when caught?

4.) Why is Ellie sorry?

5.) What did she do to earn her forgiveness?

1.) How did the affair happen? Was it planned or did it suddenly and unexpectedly take place?

Dan and Ellie started the affair immediately upon Dan’s return. In Ellie words ““I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag.” Clearly she wanted an affair despite, in her own words "Ted is the best husband and father you will ever find!"

2.) Did she deny Ted sex, affection or time spent together?

Yes to all three. In Ted’s words Our sex life disappeared. Our conversations became slightly strained. She spent more time on this fundraiser than any of the preceding ones.

3.) How did the Ellie react when caught?

The short version of Ellie’s reaction is she got dressed. Rode Dan’s car to pick up her things. She planned to leave Ted for Dan.

4.) Why is Ellie sorry?

Her apology was "Ted, I am so sorry about everything!… Dan was just a stupid mistake. He isn't good enough to carry your shoes…. I have made a serious mistake… Ted! I was wrong! I know that now. He means nothing to me. Please believe me when I tell you that I love only you!”

Ellie never said anything to Ted in the hospital. She said after her father said "Son, you saved our daughter's life, at the risk of your own. I honestly expect no less from my daughter's husband, but it sure is good to see that you are the man I hoped you would be,if she had to depend on that damn Wilkins, she'd just be a fond memory right now." Clearly, she realized her mistake after hearing her father’ words.

So why is she sorry? First, she’s sorry she got caught. Second, she’s sorry she was so taken in by Dan to the point of leaving Ted only to find out what kind of man Dan really is. She’s feeling sorry for herself.. Is she sorry for her actions or the consequences? Clearly she never regrets her actions because she never thought it was wrong. She’s sorry for the consequences.

5.) What did she do to earn Ted’s forgiveness?

1.) she takes a dig at Ted’s shortcomings with, “I know you far too well. Remember I have been your business manager for some time. You are a man of conscience and honor. That isn't always best for business. If it weren't for me, you would be responding to every sob story and emergency tossed your way and never be able to hold a schedule and complete your contracts on time," I laughed. She may think it’s funny but that is the core of Ted’s insecurities. He was just a trade school grad who doesn’t know anything about business. She’ really clueless.

2.) She uses Ted’s weaknesses for her advantage. She narrates: He never considered that I would refuse the divorce outright. That placed him in the position of having to file for a divorce and give reasons. I was betting, and praying, that his feelings for his daughters and their grandparents, if not for me, would make him dwell on the decision for quite some time. It was my only chance.

So where are we now, Ellie wanted an affair despite her knowledge that Ted is the perfect father to their daughters, friend, husband and lover to her. Ted cathes them and her reaction was to leave Ted for Dan. The lovers meet an accident and Ellie discovers Dan’s true character. Ellie apologizes but isn’t sorry for the affair. She doesn’t change a bit during the trial period.

From all this, clearly she has not earned her forgiveness. Therefore reconciliation is an illogical conclusion. There is no way but divorce! Ted is the the same guy who never went to college. Ellie is the same self centered bitch looking for the “right” guy for her. There are a lot of other “Dans” out there so it’s just a matter of time before Ellie finds him. Ted should get rid of her before it’s too late.

The answer to all your questions is very simple--He loves her! Thats it--no phsycobable, no 'what ifs'--no nothing.

Just----He loves her--and that's all that counts.

JimDinMN

Geez, Romaq, why don't you write your own damn story? Your comment was as long as many stories on Lit. But I get the impression you did read the two chapters of ER, but with little or no comprehension.

Your interpretation of things is mostly weird. You made several lists of objections to the story but misinterpreted the events.

__________________________________________________________

You say: The affair was not about sex nor her need to feel desirable. Beyond a reasonable doubt, ELLIE IS IN LOVE WITH DAN!::::

You must be the kind of juror that everyone hates on "Law and Order". Everyone else sees white and you see black. Nowhere is there any hint that Eleanor was in love with Dan. He was her first lover. One could reasonably suspect that she wanted to recapture that first fuck feeling. Love had nothing to do with it.

__________________________________________________________

You ask, why didn't Eleanor tell Helen about the affiar? your response:

Ellie didn’t tell Helen of her affair for two reasons. One is she didn’t think what she’s doing was wrong because she was in love, didn’t feel guilty so no reason for her to tell Helen.:::

You have a logic screw loose. Not feeling guilty about the affair is a reason she WOULD tell Helen, not vice versa! If she wished to hide the affair, she wouldn't tell anyone about it, Helen included. That's what she did. Ergo, she felt guilty about the affair.

___________________________________________________________

You ask: why didn't Eleanor think it was wrong to have an affair:

You answer: Ellie didn’t think it wrong because she was in love. ::::

Are you nuts?? She DID think it was wrong to have the affair! It is obvious that she had the affair for self-gratification and totally selfish reasons having nothing to do with her feelings for Dan. It was all about making herself feel good. She knew the affair was wrong, but she thought she could hide it. Simple as that.

___________________________________________________________

You ask:

How did the Ellie react when caught?

You answer:

The short version of Ellie’s reaction is she got dressed. Rode Dan’s car to pick up her things. She planned to leave Ted for Dan.

Upon what evidence do you base this opinion? Nowhere is there any hint that she planned to leave Ted for Dan. She was rushing home to try to save her marriage, simple as that. Dan was driving her home because she was in a panic to get home as quickly as possible. She undoubtedly demanded he drive her home as soon as they got their clothes in order. She didn't even take the time to think of asking Helen.

___________________________________________________________

Romaq, you put plenty of other totally ridiculous interpretations of the events in your essay. Geez, if you spent the time reading the story that you spend writing your critique you might have something.

you say he loves her. she obviously does not love him else why would she have an affair. where does that love find him? what good does that love do him?

Geez, Romaq, why don't you write your own damn story? Your comment was as long as many stories on Lit. But I get the impression you did read the two chapters of ER, but with little or no comprehension.

---Of course I read and I understood both stories. did you?

Your interpretation of things is mostly weird. You made several lists of objections to the story but misinterpreted the events.

---Weird? is that a fact? nah.. that's your opinion.

________________________________________________ __________

You say: The affair was not about sex nor her need to feel desirable. Beyond a reasonable doubt, ELLIE IS IN LOVE WITH DAN!::::

You must be the kind of juror that everyone hates on "Law and Order". Everyone else sees white and you see black. Nowhere is there any hint that Eleanor was in love with Dan. He was her first lover. One could reasonably suspect that she wanted to recapture that first fuck feeling. Love had nothing to do with it.

-----So, what’s your point? If everybody sees white and I see black. Therefore I’m wrong? That’s non sequitur. think bullet. think.

_____________________________________________ _____________

You ask, why didn't Eleanor tell Helen about the affiar? your response:

Ellie didn’t tell Helen of her affair for two reasons. One is she didn’t think what she’s doing was wrong because she was in love, didn’t feel guilty so no reason for her to tell Helen.:::

You have a logic screw loose. Not feeling guilty about the affair is a reason she WOULD tell Helen, not vice versa! If she wished to hide the affair, she wouldn't tell anyone about it, Helen included. That's what she did. Ergo, she felt guilty about the affair.

---again, wrong logic! of course she's guilty she'll talk to her best friend about it bec she needs her help. if she's not guilty she won't tell. business as usual.

_________________________________________ __________________

You ask: why didn't Eleanor think it was wrong to have an affair:

You answer: Ellie didn’t think it wrong because she was in love. ::::

Are you nuts?? She DID think it was wrong to have the affair! It is obvious that she had the affair for self-gratification and totally selfish reasons having nothing to do with her feelings for Dan. It was all about making herself feel good. She knew the affair was wrong, but she thought she could hide it. Simple as that.

----Huh!?Did you read the story? clearly in chapter1 she said Ted! I was wrong! I know that now. She just knew she was wrong NOW! Ergo, she didn’t know what she was doing was wrong while she was doing it. Very simple indeed!

___________________________________________ ________________

You ask:

How did the Ellie react when caught?

You answer:

The short version of Ellie’s reaction is she got dressed. Rode Dan’s car to pick up her things. She planned to leave Ted for Dan.

Upon what evidence do you base this opinion? Nowhere is there any hint that she planned to leave Ted for Dan. She was rushing home to try to save her marriage, simple as that. Dan was driving her home because she was in a panic to get home as quickly as possible. She undoubtedly demanded he drive her home as soon as they got their clothes in order. She didn't even take the time to think of asking Helen.

---- is that a fact? So you’re the author now? She really didn’t have time to ask Helen? Wow! if you really believe that, there's a bridge i wanna sell you.

__________________________________________ _________________

Romaq, you put plenty of other totally ridiculous interpretations of the events in your essay. Geez, if you spent the time reading the story that you spend writing your critique you might have something.

---- Ridiculous? That’s your opinion. Read what I wrote carefully.

Romaq7705 - You hit the nail on the head!

In my opinion, a lot of people knew of the affair. Ted is in the trades so he has no set hours. He or his trade buddies would have seen Ellie and her car around town, as in, at Dan's place.

Helen and the other women knew. They have women's intuition which is brutally incisive. It cuts like a knife to the heart of the matter. I know from personal experience. All the women saw Ellie and Dan making eyes at each other for the length of the affair.

The daughters knew. Teenage girls know the score. When Ted came back to the car without Ellie and with a look that could kill on his face, they knew. They would have asked "Where's mom?" The growling non-answer they got from their father would finish telling them all they needed to know.

I wondered about Dan and Ellie racing to her home but your explanation that they are going to get her things and she is going to leave Ted before he gets home is the only logical one we have. If the author intended something else, then he'll have to say what he meant.

A great story, well written, but one that has had huge holes in it from the start.

Phil

thanks. sure ted's friend's may have seen ellie's car around town maybe even dan's place. that is exactly what co chairing the fundraiser was all about. they had an excuse for being seen in public. casino night was their cover.

as for helen knowing. i concede she might have suspected but i doubt if she was sure. as for the kids, maybe they suspect. speaking of the kids, a few more questions arise. how did jen know what car dan drives? how did he know dan? i have an interesting theory. will post once i can defend it.

Bravo to the bullet. HDK, this is a truly good short story.

Most of the bullshit criticisms that slam this fine piece are nothing less than dishonesty incarnate, with context dropping and twisting of the author's words used to justify their own preconceived value judgements. Or worse, putting their own ideas/words in the author's story to change it enough to support their view of how the story should evolve.

A perfect example of this type of fraudulent misrepresentation is the very first question in romaq's lengthy assault:

"1.) When did the affair start?

This is easy. Elen confessed already. In chapter2 said “you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town” Ellie replied, “Yes, I have”. So there we have it, Dan and Ellie started the affair immediately upon Dan’s return. "

****************

I went back to the story after reading this since this sounded so fishy (as in, it stunk to high heaven) and found that Ellie NEVER admitted to this.

****************

"'I seem to recall words like that at our wedding, Ellie. Then you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town. Promises are easy. Keeping them is difficult, as you have discovered,' goaded Ted.

'Yes, I have, Ted. I expect you to feel that way. It's logical and you are a very logical man. Words I throw out tonight will not prove anything, or change your perceptions of me.'"

****************

The only thing she is saying here is that she has discovered that it is difficult to keep promises easily made.

Criticisms of an author's work are easy when the critic engages in such tactics. Each such critique that follows this format is nothing less than the critic's own poisonous hatred masking as reasoned analysis.

"Once a cheater, always a cheater," is such an overused, trite phrase as to be meaningless. It is an excuse to absolve the person saying this from thinking. Adultery is a serious offense, not to be taken lightly. Most cases, however, are not easy to judge. You walk a fine line between forgiveness or rejection.

Ted took his time as he walked that fine line. Is it important for the reader to hear all the conversations Ted overheard? No, it is not and HDK wisely left these out as overkill.

I've said my piece; no need to go on huffing & puffing with a self-important pretensious dissertation. To romaq and others who dislike an author's values, I suggest you take pen in hand and write your own contribution and see how you fare at the brutal hands of critics.

Ok here we go. A dabate over an erotic story...who'd a thunk it?

ok when did it start...we don;t know. You have used two lines to express your view BUT there is a slight problem...you left some thing out

The actual lines are

"I seem to recall words like that at our wedding, Ellie. Then you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town. Promises are easy. Keeping them is difficult, as you have discovered," goaded Ted.

"Yes, I have, Ted. I expect you to feel that way.

She not saying that she started the affair right away. She is saying that she Promises are hard to keep.

on to why.. you know you MIGHT actually be onto something. Ted is best for her but little miss don't have any problems might UNCONCIOUSLY be wanting what Dan had.

sad but I think maybe true.

As to the why on the why didn;t she tell Helen I thinkit is less the first part (love, she NEVER says that she felt anything, expessially love, for Dan and we are in her mind so we should have gotten SOMETHING there), then the second. You know Helen berating her about it.

When you are doing something you KNOW is wrong you don't want ppl to remind you of it.

Why didn't she pick up on things? Couse she's self centered. Then she started the emotional side of the affair and got lost. Remember her 'trials' before then were 'breaking a nail'.

Why didn;t she think it was wrong.... see above. Even the Priest points out that she is basicly a shallow self centered person. Though she 'changes' in the tale.

Just wish HDK would ahve shown us some of HOW that happened or how she changed but I digress...

Why dan was driving her home? That is the question.

was she going to leave? I don't think so and there is NO evidence in the stories that can directly back it up.

now to your aftermath.

1.) How did the affair happen? Was it planned or did it suddenly and unexpectedly take place?

Dan and Ellie started the affair immediately upon Dan’s return. In Ellie words ““I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag.” Clearly she wanted an affair despite, in her own words "Ted is the best husband and father you will ever find!"

I've already shot at the first point BUT I agree that the second is probable. She is very concided and the more I read the tale the even LESS I like her. Part 1 or 2.

2.) Did she deny Ted sex, affection or time spent together?

Yes to all three. In Ted’s words Our sex life disappeared. Our conversations became slightly strained. She spent more time on this fundraiser than any of the preceding ones.

Well you got me there. It IS a major point of the tale.

3.) How did the Ellie react when caught?

The short version of Ellie’s reaction is she got dressed. Rode Dan’s car to pick up her things. She planned to leave Ted for Dan.

Eh wrong. There is NO proof of that. Just the fact that they put on their cloths, ah a perfectly normal thing to do. Nudity is illegal in most public places. And he drove fast.

That is the problem here. Why was he. You have your answer, I don't have one myself that I like.

4.) Why is Ellie sorry?

Her apology was "Ted, I am so sorry about everything!… Dan was just a stupid mistake. He isn't good enough to carry your shoes…. I have made a serious mistake… Ted! I was wrong! I know that now. He means nothing to me. Please believe me when I tell you that I love only you!”

Ellie never said anything to Ted in the hospital. She said after her father said "Son, you saved our daughter's life, at the risk of your own. I honestly expect no less from my daughter's husband, but it sure is good to see that you are the man I hoped you would be,if she had to depend on that damn Wilkins, she'd just be a fond memory right now." Clearly, she realized her mistake after hearing her father’ words.

Or she came face to face with it. heck if she was going to leave him she could have in the hospital. But she repeditively says that WHILE IN THE WATER she wished she could have died couse of the pain she had caused.

So why is she sorry? First, she’s sorry she got caught.

aint they all?

Second, she’s sorry she was so taken in by Dan to the point of leaving Ted only to find out what kind of man Dan really is.

yeah a slap in the face.

She’s feeling sorry for herself.. Is she sorry for her actions or the consequences? Clearly she never regrets her actions because she never thought it was wrong. She’s sorry for the consequences.

ah ...50-50 here ...she knew it would hurt ted, thats' why she did a pathetic attempt to hid the affair. But the consequences did do most of the pain. Liek it does all the time.

5.) What did she do to earn Ted’s forgiveness?

1.) she takes a dig at Ted’s shortcomings with, “I know you far too well. Remember I have been your business manager for some time. You are a man of conscience and honor. That isn't always best for business. If it weren't for me, you would be responding to every sob story and emergency tossed your way and never be able to hold a schedule and complete your contracts on time," I laughed. She may think it’s funny but that is the core of Ted’s insecurities. He was just a trade school grad who doesn’t know anything about business. She’ really clueless.

2.) She uses Ted’s weaknesses for her advantage. She narrates: He never considered that I would refuse the divorce outright. That placed him in the position of having to file for a divorce and give reasons. I was betting, and praying, that his feelings for his daughters and their grandparents, if not for me, would make him dwell on the decision for quite some time. It was my only chance.

yeah great lady here. More reasons that I am becoming to hate this gal.

So where are we now, Ellie wanted an affair despite her knowledge that Ted is the perfect father to their daughters, friend, husband and lover to her. Ted cathes them and her reaction was to leave Ted for Dan. The lovers meet an accident and Ellie discovers Dan’s true character. Ellie apologizes but isn’t sorry for the affair. She doesn’t change a bit during the trial period.

From all this, clearly she has not earned her forgiveness. Therefore reconciliation is an illogical conclusion. There is no way but divorce! Ted is the the same guy who never went to college. Ellie is the same self centered bitch looking for the “right” guy for her. There are a lot of other “Dans” out there so it’s just a matter of time before Ellie finds him. Ted should get rid of her before it’s too late.

Now here we agree totally.

Now onto Two other points, why the girls know Dan's car and the Aids issue.

Dan's Car. She picks them up at tiems right? And she is spenidn a ton of time with Dan. So it's not a streach to think that they have meet Dan and seen his car. Mamma showing off her ex boyfriend you might say.

As to AIDS. There is another story on here where a girl does exactly what EG sudgests. "My Biggest Mistake" I beleave. Now I like that story, and love the writer's work, so it aint a slam to me. But at times we writers eather force things to happen OR make these INSANE grandious actions come from our characters to try and get them to be 'forgiven'

eh, comes with the territory. I've done it myself in ways.

Now what do others think? Lets keep this debate going!

ok. that's your interpretation. anyway, did ellie deny ted's accusation that she started the affair " as soon as lover boy came to town". well fyi she didn't so the the accusation stands. the affair started as soon lover came to town. ok?

btw, read my comments on hdk's other works. look at the scores i gave him. ok?

I personally wrote that the story was "great". It just don't get no better than that appellation! I don't think that there has been any attempt to be negative. To be frank, the story has gaping holes that leave the reader with less than a full understanding of what's going on. Most of the "great" ones do, too. E.R. is not alone with this problem.

I think Romaq7705 was attempting to figure out what happened in the story and why it did and to present a reasoned explanation. After all, the author didn't do it and he should have as he knows what he intended to say.

As for Ted's statement that "you took up with lover-boy as soon as he came back to town", she most assuredly did confess. You are correct in that Ellie did not directly address that issue but she did not deny that she took up with Dan as soon as he came back to town. That amounts to aquiescience (agreement or confession) to Ted's assertion.

I am not creative enough to write anything from scratch beyond a grocery list. I do tech writing where logical presentation of facts is the rule. However, I would love to rewrite this and fill in the missing stuff and turn it into a logical whole. I wrote a romantic ending to "Law of the Heart" but there was no interest among the PTB's of the site. And I'm not romantic. Oh, well.

Phil

I hear where you're coming from.

You hit upon the critical element that some readers seem to miss. Even though this isn't great literature, it is still art; a painting in words. This is distinct from technical writing, akin to a blueprint.

In technical writing every detail must be present, there is no room for assumptions that the reader will "get it." Every element must be thoroughly treated.

In literature (art), the details demanded in technical writing would kill the story. We would wallow in minutia if the author addressed every possible contingency and every possible concern. And so when these superfluous details are omitted, some readers go on a feeding frenzy, demanding details where none are needed and filling in imaginary blanks with their own preconceived notions and values. Which, I suppose, is what makes "Loving Wives" such a volatile category. It touches so many people in such a personal way.

In the final analysis, these authors are in a lose/lose position. Put in too many details for some readers, and they're railed for a too-long story; not enough details for other readers and the story fails to address who did what, when, where, & how many times. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

HDK did a great job in presenting the relevant details and the ensuing reconciliation within a broader context. Ellie cheated, how often & when are irrelevant details within the story's wider context. Wallowing in that detail is akin to asking how many times a person is murdered. Dead is dead, as is the marriage. She cheated, so how does she get from there to forgiveness?

The details of her "counseling" sessions with the good Father are not needed. We see in her earlier talks that he takes a firm stand and forces her to see things in a new light. The basic principle is clearly established that serious talks took place. We can also validly assume that Ted overheard what was said by the way he would show up as soon as the Father left.

Or the unwarranted assumption that everyone knew something was going on. This assumes that there WAS something going on; this is no doubt based on Ted's insecurities during the couple of weeks leading up to the discovery. It could just as easily be argued that this was a period of steady seduction by Dan of Ellie while they still innocently performed their duties as co-chairs.

Unlike Longhorn's "Lyin' Eyes 4," which had a serious disconnect from the earlier chapters, there is a smooth, broad-brushed picture dealing with healing & forgiveness here. WHAT she said to earn forgiveness is irrelevant; THAT she said something to turn Ted around is all that counts.

It boils down to technical VS. artistic; the technical viewpoint can find numerous flaws; the artistic will take it at the author's words since he knows what he's talking about.

Romaq wrote:

you say he loves her. she obviously does not love him else why would she have an affair.

__________________________________________________________

Let me clue you in, sir. People have affairs for a multitude of reasons, most of them not having to do with their love of their significant others. It has more to do with boredom, self-indulgence, the excitement of the moment, booze, bad judgement.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here's a confession: over twenty-years ago my wife while out of town on a business trip, my wife had a one night stand with an old boyfriend. She felt guilty and told me about it. Twenty-three years later and we are still together. Perhaps you are correct, Romaq. Perhaps she really loves that old boyfriend and we've been living a lie for TWO DECADES!

Let me repeat, Romaq. You are fuckin' nuts. You really don't appreciate what HDK has done here, looking for your dirty little clues to prove that Eleanor is just another slut wife who Ted should divorce. HDK has shown us a woman who has gone through true remorse. Of course, maybe that isn't enough for you. Perhaps she should kill herself. Then you would agree that she truly loves him.

Romaq wrote:

you say he loves her. she obviously does not love him else why would she have an affair.

________________________________________________ __________

Let me clue you in, sir. People have affairs for a multitude of reasons, most of them not having to do with their love of their significant others. It has more to do with boredom, self-indulgence, the excitement of the moment, booze, bad judgement.

****ok good. thanks for the heads up. of course the multitude includes falling in love. the question is, what happened in the story? i say ellie fell in love with dan.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ +++++++++

Here's a confession: over twenty-years ago my wife while out of town on a business trip, my wife had a one night stand with an old boyfriend. She felt guilty and told me about it. Twenty-three years later and we are still together. Perhaps you are correct, Romaq. Perhaps she really loves that old boyfriend and we've been living a lie for TWO DECADES!

***** well your words not mine. do you might my analysis on your relationship. sure! but i would be needing a lot more than the 4 sentences you provided. are you comparing your wife's one night stand with the story. obviously they are apples and oranges. your wife had a one night stand and ellie had an affair. or maybe you don't agree ellie had an affair?

Let me repeat, Romaq. You are fuckin' nuts. You really don't appreciate what HDK has done here, looking for your dirty little clues to prove that Eleanor is just another slut wife who Ted should divorce. HDK has shown us a woman who has gone through true remorse. Of course, maybe that isn't enough for you. Perhaps she should kill herself. Then you would agree that she truly loves him.

***** i am very disappointed by your "fuckin' nuts" comment. here we are having a lively debate, a healthy exchange of ideas if you will and you say that. am disappointed but amused as well. clearly you have nothing to say on the issues i raised so you attack my person. one word of advice, it is most unwise for an adult like you to advertise your shortcomings. grow up boy!

This is getting ridiculous. I hate these public arguments. Just a suggestion: if you are so sure that Eleanor was in love with Dan, why don't you ask the author? Perhaps he might know the answer.

(A suggestion: read the 2nd chapter which was written in the 1st person from Eleanor's POV. Not a whole lot there about her great affection for Dan, I notice. But then again, I'm sure you are better than me at reading between the lines.)

This is getting ridiculous. I hate these public arguments. Just a suggestion: if you are so sure that Eleanor was in love with Dan, why don't you ask the author? Perhaps he might know the answer.

*****yes. i agree. this is starting to get out of hand. re: asking hdk about my ideas? well, i did that already. i emailed him what i posted. no reply yet.

(A suggestion: read the 2nd chapter which was written in the 1st person from Eleanor's POV. Not a whole lot there about her great affection for Dan, I notice. But then again, I'm sure you are better than me at reading between the lines.)

*****exactly. no great affection for dan. but ask when ellie uttered those words. fyi, after the accident! ellie would naturally hate dan. imagine, she has an affair with him, ted catches them and she decides to leave ted for him. dan repays her by leaving her to die in the stream. wouldn't you feel the same way?

In the final analysis, these authors are in a lose/lose position. Put in too many details for some readers, and they're railed for a too-long story; not enough details for other readers and the story fails to address who did what, when, where, & how many times. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

******* Well I suggest you read DoctorWyldcard’s “The Standoff”. It’s one page. Short, sweet, direct to the point, no loose ends, no clamor for details. Why? Because the conclusion fits the facts of the story.

HDK did a great job in presenting the relevant details and the ensuing reconciliation within a broader context. Ellie cheated, how often & when are irrelevant details within the story's wider context. Wallowing in that detail is akin to asking how many times a person is murdered. Dead is dead, as is the marriage. She cheated, so how does she get from there to forgiveness?

******** I disagree. Details of the affair are VERY RELEVANT if we are to know the gravity of the sin and determine if forgivenes and reconcilation are possible. Ted decided to forgive based on little or no information. Ok, what do we know about the affair? I can only recall 2 things. One, Ted catches them with Dan having “Ellie bent over a desk and had his cock buried to the hilt in her pussy” and two, Ellie telling Fr Mac of Dan blackmail with “He insists I take up with him again. If I don't, he said he would be sure the girls hear about our affair." Other than these, nada.

******** Ok. let me show you why the details are very relevant. I’ll start with, When did the affair start? Let’s say it was just that one time fuck. If that were the case, the ending fits. The pain and uncertainty ellie felt were paybacj enough so forgiveness and reconciliation are possible. What if it started immediately after Dan’s return? That means Ellie was already fucking Dan when Ted expressed his concerns over Dan co chairing the fundraiser. If that were the case we know how Ellie lied and manipulated Ted that evening. Furthermore, if that were the case we know Ellie was fucking Dan during the time she and Ted were not having sex. Now, are forgiveness and reconciliation possible? I say no. Some may agree. Others don’t.

******** In all this time, I was actually being nice and kind to Ellie. Like most if not all who read the stories, I assumed Dan went after her. The theory is Dan was the seducer and she was the “seducee”. Now I ask, What is the basis of this theory? This has no basis in fact. No where in either story will one find evidence of this theory. This theory is based solely on the traditional male role of going after the girl. What if I say that since hdk didn’t give us details of the affair, it was Ellie who seduced Dan. My bases of saying that are Ellie own words, “I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag” and Fr Mac’s words to Ellie, ‘You have always been on top. You've always been a winner.” What Ellie wants, Ellie gets. Ellie WANTS an affair with Dan, Ellie will get the affair with Dan. In this case, that surely hold more water than a mere sexist presumption.

******** With this shift in theory, we can really go to town with Ellie without contradicting the facts of the story. Like I said what if Ellie seduced Dan? What if Dan was resisting Ellie because the reason his wife divorced him ws his affair with a married wowan? What if Ellie has fucked Dan before Helen told her of Dan return? What if Ellie gave Dan her anal cherry on their first time out while constantly refusing Ted’s request for the same thing for 16 years? What if Dan was trying to break it off with Ellie the day Ted caught them and it was Ellie who insisted one more for the road? I guess you get the drift. Ellie could have done any and all of the things written in slut wives stories in LE. Now, if these things indeed happen in their affair, are forgiveness and reconciliation possible? Maybe more will say no.

********** My point is the details of the affair are VERY RELEVANT determine if forgiveness and reconciliation are possible.

The details of her "counseling" sessions with the good Father are not needed. We see in her earlier talks that he takes a firm stand and forces her to see things in a new light. The basic principle is clearly established that serious talks took place. We can also validly assume that Ted overheard what was said by the way he would show up as soon as the Father left.

******** I agree that details of Ellie’s “counseling” with Fr Mac are not needed (but for a totally different reason). If we are to go with the first “talk” Ellie had with Fr Mac, the counseling sessions are not fact finding exercises. Ted needs facts to reach a rational decision. What he overheard are what Fr Mac wants him to hear.

******** I agree. Fr Mac was firm when he talked to Ellie the first time. Ellie was his audience then. When he came to her house for “counseling” Fr Mac’s audience was Ted. Fr Mac is in the “forgive and forget” and “turn the other cheek” business. It’s his job to forgive and make other people forgive regardless of the gravity of the sin. His mission is get Ellie and Ted back together. This coincidentally is Ellie’s mission as well. So, what Ted overheard is a conversation between 2 “interested parties” whose goal is to make him forgive one of the parties. Am sure had it been a fact finding exercise with at least a “disinterested party asking Ellie questions about her affair, Ted would have heard a totally different conversation.

Or the unwarranted assumption that everyone knew something was going on. This assumes that there WAS something going on; this is no doubt based on Ted's insecurities during the couple of weeks leading up to the discovery. It could just as easily be argued that this was a period of steady seduction by Dan of Ellie while they still innocently performed their duties as co-chairs.

******** I disagree. We’ve covered both issues already. You can’t assume that the period where they served as co chairs as the period of steady seduction by Dan of Ellie. First, Ellie didn’t deny Ted’s accussation that she “took up with lover boy as soon as he came back to town.” So the affair started much earlier than the time they served as co chairs. Second, from my responses above you can see that there is no basis to assume Dan seduced Ellie.

And I suggest, LeBroz, that the best response to this commenter, who has successfully bored a clearly exasperated Bullet out of the picture and so has now turned his attention to you, is no response. But that of course is your decision. I am not going to address the endless and, largely, repetitive arguments about the story or whether the ending is justified by the facts (or, in this case, baseless speculation augmenting the facts actually presented by the author). They are just too silly for me to respond to sensibly. What I have is a general point concerning authors who post to this site. Let's face it, most, though, thankfully, by no means all, writers here are merely concerned with running their sexual peccadillos and/ or fetishes up the flagpole to see how many of the readers salute. As long as they get the predictable, usually very few, responses from people who delight in telling the rest of us that "Man. That was hot. My cum is dripping off my nose onto the keyboard as I type.", then they're happy and sufficiently encouraged to write some more. Good luck to them and their adoring readers, I say! Then there are the authors who put time and effort into crafting a story which can be thought-provoking, which is designed to entertain and emotionally involve the readers. I sure I don't need to indicate which category of authors HDK falls into, and he is one writer who consistently delivers in this respect. Do you know what would piss me off most were I such an author? Not those 'critics' who tell me what a load of unadulterated crap my story is and what an asshole I am before they flee, cackling gleefully, back to their lonely hideaways. No. What would really piss me off would be the critic who tells me, the creator of the story, what I really meant to say, or would have said had I the decency to include all the detail in the story that would make me, the critic, feel comfortable with it. By any definition, this critic is asking for, or, in this particular case writing, another story. Which is fine. Write your story and see how you react when someone tells you - great writing but you got the ending wrong because whatever you say, or have the characters say, in the story it's obvious that the REAL facts are these......

I will just say this finally, directly addressing one of the points raised by Romaq. We are invited to compare this story, in terms of its failings, with one penned by DoctorWyldcard. Wouldn't a better comparison be with the recently published and, rightfully, much lauded sumission by Longhorn. A much longer and more involved story, of course, but here we have a wife who commits adultery on a number of occasions, decides, once the affair is over, that she will move heaven and earth to convince the man she loves that she is worthy of him and eventually the couple reconcile. Romaq's comments on that story appear to amount to unqualified approbation, and yet the details of the wife's life after the separation are scanty and provided third hand by her friend 'Lissa's diary entries. How do we know what she was really up to during that period? And, of course, once she manages to inveigle her ex into re-marrying her she will cheat again won't she, because once a cheating slut, always a cheating slut. Right? Just like Eleanor, no individual ever changes their personality or revises their behaviour in response to traumatic events occurring in their lives. Right? Therefore, forgiveness is a futile exercise. Right?

Respond or not Romaq. I won't be coming to the comments section on this story again because I have no interest in any further remarks you may have. After all, if another influential author and an increasingly perceptive commenter can't convince you to cede one single inch, what chance do I have? Shit - why do I get the feeling that I have just wasted 45 minutes of my life? Anyone know a good shrink?

Chapter 1 was and stays one of the best stories I read on this site (76/100 points in my personal "All-Time-Literoticabook"). Like many other readers I tried to find out, what has been written between the lines and I think there are two key points:

1. OUR SEXLIFE DISAPPEARED. For me that means, that Ellie had refallen in love with Dan and was probably struggling what direction to take. And surely she also considered to leave her husband.

2. DRIVING HOME WITH DAN (high speed - only a few minutes after Ted left): Romacq's interpretation is highly probable.

HDK, you didn't give us any explanation about these two main and many other open points. And now you've written a second chapter calling it "The Aftermath". We don't find answers to the open questions of chapter 1, but Ellie's POV after being caught.

Basicly we're informed about:

1. Ted's POV before....

2. Ellie's POV after....

That means there is a lack of 50% in each chapter. Was that your intention, HDK? I don't think so, because people were asking for answers concerning the first chapter. Chapter 1 in itself is a beautiful stand alone story. And even chapter 2 is better when considered as stand alone than an aftermath to something else.

I've also tried to "feel" both chapters as one story and I got the following picture: "Two people were walking in the same direction on each side of a river. There is no bridge, no boat and they cannot swim. And now I'am wondering how they managed to get together? And that's exactly the problem with both chapters as one story. They don't fit together. In chapter 2 are only tiny and very cloudy confirmations of what was done and said in chapter 1. Chapter 2 doesn't communicate with chapter 1 and therefore chapter 1 cannot confirm, deny or give doubts, neither emotionally nor logically.

HDK, if you consider chapter 2 as an aftermath to chapter 1, you did for the first time a bad job, comparing to your capabilities. In fact chapter 2 isn't in any way an aftermath. If you consider both as stand alone stories, story 1 is by far ahead of story 2 (better written; more people are involved; better structured; characters are better designed; we've got a precise frame of Ted, while Elly's becoming foggy and cloudy even after HER chapter 2, and that is absolutely inacceptable in a sequel or an aftermath). We readers don't know what to think after reading both stories. Is he, isn't he...? Did she, didn't she...? Can they?... Can't they...? Is it possible...? Isn't it possible...? In all four dimensions you left everything open. Only doubts everywhere...

Tryin' to write an aftermath, you left your "homebase" as a writer. And in doing so, you made a basic mistake (not a serious one as Ellie) and now it's your task to make it up to us.

I don't want to blame you, because you're a good author. But after reading all those emotional comments of your readers, I thought, going back to the base of writing, could be a support for your future projects.

Sincerly - Bavarian

P.S. I would like to write a sequel to this excellent first chapter but unfortunately English isn't my primary language. HDK, try to convince some good story-analyzers like BDAD, CAPECODMERCURY, ENOVELIST, K.K. or X_BISHOP (and there may be others) to write a sequel to your chapter 1. I'am pretty sure you'll get much more practical input than any theoretical consideration can deliver.

make up you mind boy. your title says "i don't want to get involved in this foolishness". what do you? you write a long commentary about nothing. instead of addressing the issues i raised you take a cheap shot at me. you promise not to return to the comments section of this story again. why are you reading this? come on! do you want to join the party or not? be a man and make up your mind, boy.

All well written material must have a beginning, middle and an end and must be a unified whole. The author is supposed to do this, but, if he doesn’t, the reader is confused, uneasy and left to figure the story out on his own. This is where I am with E.R.

When the reader does come up with a solution that creates a unified whole, he has done as Sherlock Holmes said, once you eliminate what is false, whatever is left, however improbable, is the truth. And the truth is an odd thing; once you see it, you can’t unsee it. That’s where Romaq7705 is; he’s seen it.

Whether the author meant this interpretation or not is irrelevant, as it’s the only interpretation that’s come to light so far that unifies the various elements of the story. Personally, I don’t think HDK meant it this way. In order to create a unique story, he had to get the wife into the river for her to see the difference between the two men. The only way to get her into the river was in a speeding car that couldn’t stop in time. This leaves a lot of WTF’s that bother the reader and detract from the story.

Editing solves the WTF problem. Tom Clancy once said, on air, that the strength of his work was in the editing, not the creation. If it’s good enough for Tom Clancy, it’s good enough for authors here. I contacted H20wader about the WTF problems in “My Biggest Mistake” and he was most gracious in two responses. I would assume no less of HDK.

I look to Octavian’s work and Separate Lives by Longhorn_07 as examples of stories that seem to be complete and leave the reader with few, if any questions. I think HDK is quite capable of writing stories in the “top ten” and E.R. could readily be revised to be there. I’ve read all HDK’s stories and I always look forward to new ones with great anticipation and pleasure.

Phil

In chapter 2, Ellie said in her narration:

I was not on the pill, so Dan had used a condom. I felt relieved and ashamed at the same time. Somehow it made me feel more guilt, knowing we planned ahead enough to have protection.

To me, that suggests it was one fuck. This does not make sense it it gets applied to a full affair or the first time it happened. This paragraph also tells us that she felt guilt about the affair and this fact made her feel more guilty. I think the word affair here refers to the entire seduction, flirtation, sex, so I would not take it literally. Actually the dictionary explains love affair as: a romantic attachment or episode between lovers. That applies to what I said.

In chapter 1, Ted says in his narration:

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but it seemed as though she spent more time on this fundraiser than any of the preceding ones. I caught her talking quietly on the phone a few times. To a man already paranoid, these were all bad signals. Our sex life disappeared.

This suggests to me that Dan was working on the seduction during that time. She must have had conflicting emotions that made her never in the mood to have sex with Ted.

It looks like Dan had finally convinced her to have one fuck for old time sakes. However, this one fuck needed prework.

Riding with Dan can only be explained that she did not expect Ted to know. She just wanted to get home fast. She apparently was not mad at Dan. Afterall she said: "I just wanted to have a little fling, to prove I was still a desirable woman, and not some old hag." The context of this does not suggest she was lying. She said she admitted. So, the intent of a fling was already there. She obviously must have had some fears. Dan helped encourage her and was the perfect candidate for that fling. Therefore, there was really no reason for her to be mad at him. After all, he only did that because he desired her. He had no intention to hurt her. Even when he blackmailed her later, there was no intention to fuck her marriage but to fuck her. That was also a compliment to her.

Why she did not tell Helen? I think it did not last long enough to tell Helen. True Helen must have known that Dan had eyes for her and they were flirting and all, but Ellie could have told her it was only teasing.

I do not think the kids knew their mom had cheated immediately, but I am sure they found out within a week or so.

is good but since the story is nowhere even close to being as ambitiously long as Longhorn's Separate Lives, character development is a weak point; 'tis why he took the lighter approach he did ,,, i

t is, of course, nothing light for a man to see another put his thing in his wife's thing, no, but that's another issue; but over-all the story is lighter than, say, Separate Lives and not as dark as H2Owader's story about the wife Campbell, which I thought was one of the better short stories, though the dramtics by the silly husband (about each of the Perry Mason group of guilties reading their part in the house, with the little old man waiting patiently in the other room until summoned) were plain silly in many levels; it was the suffering of the wife, Campbell, that was real, not the husband's gun-totin' antics which got him smacked on the head!

but as others have pointed out, due to the brevity of the story, we have little clue as to how the husband, within a few paragraphs, was able to get up to be with the wife at the podium: No, Ellie, you deserve this; I am an ass for not forgiving you, I'm so sorry.

I mean, come on, if I saw my spouse bent over a work desk, with her former boyfirend's dick up her thing --- regardless of her "one fling" explanation to test her theory about being or not being an old hag; regardless of the priest's attempts to help --- it'd take me sometime, a long time, to say to that person who has such little regards for me or the marriage: "I am so sorry for being an ass, honey; I have no reason to be so mad at you for all these days; forgive me, please!" but, alas, it is good that it's only a story! ;o)

People will always see things differently. Have you ever heard someone else describe something you both witnessed and you question,(maybe just in your own mind), did we see the same thing. Try asking a cop sometime, how reliable eyewitness's are.

Romaq7705, I agree that there are some weak points, however, you seem to read more into the points then there is to see. (I.E.) Ellen riding in Dan's car to leave Ted. This does not make sense. Ellen was supposed to be picked up by Ted. She had no ride. After being caught in the act, she is distressed and wants to get to Ted and try and explain. Dan is the only logical person for her to demand a ride from.(It is a stupid decision to anyone outside of the affair.) Ted just left her there, is she going to run out looking distressed and ask someone who just seen Ted leave that she has to hurry home? She might as well hang a sign around her neck saying 'Ted caught us screwing.' The only reason that I can see, for the speeding is that Ellen is demanding they hurry, so she can get to Ted to explain. The idea that she is hurrying to get her clothes to leave does not make sense, why hurry to pack her clothes? Ted can not stop her from getting her belongings. If she is leaving him just drive sanely and call the cops if Ted does not let her get her things to leave. Ask any cop or lawyer. Dan is giving her the ride and I am sure he does not plan being in the driveway long after he drops her off. I am sure he does not care if her marriage survives or not, and he would like to keep screwing her, but he would not want to be in the middle of aftermath of being caught.

Romaq7705, everyone has their own view and we have to try and respect others even if we disagree. However, I have to ask, with all times you have commented you keep rating 00. Don't all your votes bring the authors story down? Why don't you vote at least 50 so it is average and not negative? Or do you do this on purpose? Just curious

I didnt think it was as good as the first part though.

I thought the priest was an ok device in one way and hurt the story a bit in another. The first conversation with the priest was pretty good. He asked some hard questions and cut through some of the crap she was using to try to justify herself. In that resepect he was a nice addition to the story. After a while it seemed like there was too much priest and not enough of Ted and Ellie though. Maybe its just me but I eventually felt that the author tried too hard to have an angle and sacrificed the content of the story a bit to keep things a little different.

I dont think a story needs to be 100% different or have a gimic to be good & I would have prefered more interaction between the principles. Writing well is enough to make a story great.

Because this whole chapter seemed to be about Ellie first trying to rationalize away her actions, and then trying to prove she would spend the rest of her life trying to make up for her actions, I had no idea why they ended up together.

- I dont know why Ted loves Ellie so much that everyone (including Ellie) was convinced he would eventually forgive her if she just put in the time & kept apologizing. It seemed like Ted had his blinders removed at the end on Part 1 & from then on, all the revelations regarding Ellie's character have been bad. Why does he want her so much? All we learned about Ellie is that she was shallow, self-centered, vain and just generally an unlikable person.

- even if Ellie had changed her whole personality overnight, why does Ted want a marriage that will now be about her making amends and 'proving her devotion' to him? At the very best it seemed like a marriage that went from the status quo of Ted trying too hard to please her because she was so good looking, to Ellie trying too hard to please him because she realizes that he's the best she can do. Its just a 180 degree shift from what it was & still not much of marriage from the looks of things. Maybe realistic (staying married for looks & stability) but not very romantic imo. Nobody said stories had to be romantic to be good, but I couldnt really tell if the author was going for realism or romance so it ended up being a weird combination of both.

- I wont say that she loves Dan but it does seem that she recognizes that Ted is the better man to be married to. Nothing in this story made me think that she was deeply in love with Ted all of a sudden. I got the impression that she wanted to stay with him for purely selfish reasons (i.e. that he was devoted to her, that he made lots of money, that it let her pretend to be something she wasnt in the town's social hierarchy etc). She still seems like a person who is all about Ellie & its not too hard to imagine her going with Dan if had ended up being a nicer guy and/or could offer her more of the things she seems to value than Ted did (money, social standing, etc).

There was lots of good stuff in the story as well. As I said before, the first conversation with the priest was good. He cut through her platitudes and asked some hard, insightful questions. I also liked that Ted didnt let Ellie throw herself upon a sword at the end. Whatever was left of their marriage would have been even weaker if he had let her confess to everyone or if he had went around telling all their friends and relatives what she had done (not saying telling everyone would have been bad in and of itself - just that it would be a breakup/bad guy loses everything including respect of her family story & not a reconciliation story).

All in all, it was a great story even if I didnt think it was perfect. Much better than I could ever hope to do. Thanks again for writing.

Unless I've missed something, either the reference to Father McKenzie was so obvious that no one mentioned it, or was too subtle and everyone assumed he was just this kindly Jesuit priest!

If you read the comments without reading the story it's like you wrote the story of the SECOND COMING!

This is a nice story, well written (as always!), entertaining, but...

I remember from various literature classes in college students (and professors!) having these ardent arguments about "the author meant this!" "No! The author meant that!" Hey, the author died two hundred years ago!

When I write a story I just... write! People ascribe to me these deep, deep meanings while I just felt like sitting down and writing a story!

Bottom line: You write the BEST stories and I REALLY enjoy them. I do NOT feel compelled to tell you what was right or wrong about your stories.

Hey! Your're great! 'Nuff said!

Please, please continue!

While I'm just reading this story, to me it wasn't as good as the first one.

The husband seemed to feel pretty betrayed in the first story, but you kinda left the door open pretty wide for a reconcilation even before the story was 1/4 of the way into it. I mean Mac truck door sized wide open. I didn't have to finish the story to know how it was going to end.

Well it's your story to tell the way you would like, but it seems pretty unrealistic though. Love is blind, but its not deaf and dumb. You can really love someone, and if they hose you over, there is no shame in moving on. Or atleast building back up your self respect without them first. Life doesn't stop if they aren't in the same room as you. You created a character who had nothing but doubts about his relationship with his wife, and then had him putting it all behind him inside of 2 months. Years of doubts that were suddenly realized, as he watch another man balls deep in his wife, were all put behind him in two months. Really!?!?

And a Bitch slap?!?! Com'on. My god who thinks of that as a fight? Maybe from women, but not from two men. And who cries from that? And the bully didn't follow thru on his threat after being publicly humliated? Really?!?!

I like part one better. It was about a good man who got screwed over and was tired of it. But part Two was really the standard, "Hit the big red 'Do-over' button" story that I guess I'll really always read on these sites.

Oh well.

Re-reading this after having gone back to re-read the first part (and after reading the continuation by writingdragon) just reminds us all what a terrific writer you are.

There is humor, and honesty, and the stories you write always flow beautifully. I don't find this sequel quite as satisfying as the original story--but I'm also aware (including from my own experience) how very difficult it is to craft either a reconciliation or a marital split that feels convincing.

All of us are indebted to you for your great stories!

ohio

When I want to read a story or book I want it to be easy to read, have a good story line and keep me interested. This submission by HDK did that and more. If it contains littery errors, I don't care. If there are errors in the plot, I don't care. I thoroughly enjoyed it and isn't that what we should be seeking? What is the point of reading a story just to find fault. I couldn't find fault as I was too busy enjoying it. HDK, thank you for giving me pleasure.

I came back to this story for the second (or even the third) time for the pleasure of reading HDK's great writing. The humor of the interactions between Ellie and Father MacKenzie are terrific. And I don't have any particular problem in believing that the husband could eventually be won over by a devoted wife, who's trying everything she can to save her marriage.

But boy has there been a lot of ink spilled about this story! I've seen graduate seminars in literature with fewer words! C'mon, all you serious critics: write your own stories, and let HDK continue writing the terrific stories he keeps posting!

ohio

Very well written story. Thought that Ellie got away with blatant premeditated cheating, with just a few weeks of coldness from hubby; even her family didn't find out. Given minimal retribution, I can't help feeling that a continuation of the story would involve her cheating again; taking more care next time.

What? No I can't believe it

I Loved the way Ted kept his Love for Ellie after she cheated on him with that jack ass dan i think this story should get 100 points.

Pat Murray

Atlanta,Ga.

God help me from sluts and Evil priests.

It was a good read, hated the ending. I think wimp stories such as these are dangerous. The story being well written, and plausible makes the "WIMP OUT" ending much more disturbing, and even terrifying to some of the younger male reader who still posses their balls.

Wow - a morality play in the midst of litEROTICA! Guess you can tell who dosen't believe in morals or good over evil (at least sometimes) by some of the negative comments. I loved the old preacher's approach in being very personal and reasoning rather than a "hellfire and damnation" speach.

I strongly think that God moves in great ways he made this story stand out in the winning way by implanting this story in Harddaysknights head I hope God sends more stories to you and i read them again.

Pat Murray

Atlanta,Ga

all she should have done was get him a cpl of escorts and make it up to him...give him a little of what she took away..she fucked what 5 times on him ...so give him 5 fucks with 5 different women ..if i was hubby that would probably appease me ...lol well maybe 6 ...then all even and we could resume our marriage ..all on equal terms

I am a little uneasy with this sequel. Adultery is forgivable, and maybe I would have done the same. But I just have a little problem with it - would not trust her any time soon. Might not ever trust her fully again. Wonder if she would respond to that in a positive way?

This was a pretty major infideleity, nearly as bad as they come. Classy writing. Not as good a aprt 1, but there is not much around that good.

I actually enjoyed this sequel a little more than the first story - go figure! There were several things the author did that lifted it above average:

- Using the old priest to guide Eleanor to redemption

- Using her voice for the sequel

- The lyrical reference to the song itself (which I kept hoping would happen): "Look at all the lonely people ... "

- The predictable ending that worked just fine for me, thanks, but then again, I'm an incurable romantic.

So sue me!

Infidelity is something I personally will never tolerate. However, the authors mastery in describing a woman who made such a mistake, yet has then done her level best over a period of time to win her husband back can only be seen as admirable. My interpretation of the story, had me believing the lady acted with dignity and respect afterwards, and points should be awarded for this. But let's not foget that she also allowed another man's cock into her pussy. It's such an awkward situation, because from a males (or more accurately from the cheated party's) point of view, the one promise that is not meant to broken was totally disregarded, and for no good reason. But in this scenario, the cheater decided to hang on, no matter what... I just don't know.

I did say that Ted was a forgiving man. Thats still true, but in this case I think he was too forgiving. Ted sat down with this stupid women, opened his deepest fears and insecurities to her, very hard for a man to do, handed her his heart on a platter if you like, but instead of kissing it and putting it back where it belonged, she sliced it in two with a cleaver. The more I think about it the less and less I can accept the concept of forgiveness in this case. There is no way that Ted could ever open himself to Eleanor again, even if he could trust her physically, he will never trust her emotionally. You need to be able to talk about feelings and fears with your spouse. Not to denigtate the writer, I like your style and enjoy your stories. I enjoyed Ted's dignity. Rant finished, excuse me, carry on.

Why, why, did Eleanor cheat to start with? That is still the question in my mind.

This sequel was not as good as the original story, in my opinion. I think the first was much "tighter" as stories go. Maybe it was hard to accept the fairly quick reconciliation where Ted forgave Ellie rather easily. OK, maybe he did not want to make love right away, but it was so obvious he forgave her almost from the start of the sequel. The problem is one of credibility, or lack thereof. Also lacking in credibility is the idea that Ted could whip Dan so easily with one arm in a sling (literally, one hand tied behind his back). Forgive me, but Dan was a jock, a star football player, undoubtedly strong and apparently he still kept in shape. Ted was just a carpenter. He may have been strong, but he did not develop any fighting skills, or at least such is not mentioned in either part of the story. I just have trouble believing he could beat up a big, strong jock who got in the first and maybe the second punches before Ted got a chance to blink. Of course, the hero of the story can do most anything; it's just a story after all. Finally, despite the best intentions of the good Father, I think this couple needed professional counseling before their relationship could realistically mend. I know some priests are good counselors and good listeners but I am skeptical that this was enough to repair the deceit and lies Ellie perpetrated on Ted.

The story moved along well, but not as well as the first one. We have to wonder why Ted was such a Wimp. I couldn't figure out why the wife was even allowed in the house while he was convalescing. Or why he'd be nice to her in any way (ice cream). He reconciled, therefore is a wimp.

Yah! i think he's a loser too! Don't get me wrong, i'm not completely against the idea ( as long as it is in a story) to take back a repentant spouse. But in this particular case i don't agree 'cause Ellie was forewarned and did have a clear idea that Ted thought less than worthy of her and was afraid of losing her to a Better man. In a way she did have a clear warning. If she really had loved him she wouldn't have gone and cheated on him. If she fell into a spell without knowing and being seduced (though i don't understand how in the blazing hell could a devoted spouse falls into a seduction when being completely sober!!!!! )her remorse perhaps could be acceptable. But here??? How come Ted bear to slept in the same bed, much in the same house!!!!

In short when Ellie cheated on Ted even after knowing about his insecurities, Ted shouldn't have anything to do about her, except a divorce. You can't love a cheater. You shouldn't love a cheater who in full conscious decieved you!! then you are the worst loser in the world.

What a shame to waste such excellent writing on such a distasteful story line. It's almost as if the wife took it as a personal challenge to see if her husband was right about his concerns. Of course, she proved that just the opposite was true. I would rate it a sure thing that she will look for the opportunity to repeat her actions. Since her husband has shown that he will accept any actions that she takes, she has all of the rewards of infidelity without any of the repercussions.

HardaysKnight I think the story was very well done I still love your stories .

may cast the first stone. And we all know who said that, I enjoyed this story, I myself if placed in the same shoes as Ted would not know what I'd do. I'd like to think that I'm man enough to make a decision that would depend on knowing if it was the first and only time or if there was/were in fact other sessions. Again, enjoyed this story because it just makes one wonder, keep'em coming.

He's a wimp! She's a slut! She still wants old boy friend 'cause that's what sluts are. He will never be good enough for her, wimps never are, that's why she cheated on him. Nobody respects a wimp, least of all their "loving wife."

I really liked this story, the bit with Father McKenzie reading the riot act to Eleanor was a classic. With Frank Downey, HDK and myself all being Beatles nuts, that paragraph was enough in itself. Thank God for the vent into the basement or this family would have never gotten back together. The wife really needs to work on her communication with husband desires for this marriage to ever work. Yeah there were some continuity problems, and a few far-fetched supension of belief issues. So what? This was a great loving story. The cheating was a bit of a problem especially with the forewarning. The reconciliation was far too easy. Again, so what? Deny that it was a fun, literate story! Thanks for sharing!