All Comments on 'Another Love: Lost'

This story stands on it's own as a great tale. Certainly RichardGeralds monstrosity isn't in the same league. That story was the worst story ever written by an otherwise decent writer. This is the story of humans. That was the story of incomprehensible people doing inconceivable things. I don't think I have ever read a more satisfying story than this one. Five stars, and I wish I could give more.

A treacherous group of people, unable to see and understand just how bad they are got what all people like that should get. All decent people turning their backs on them and shutting people like that out of their lives. She doesn't get to grow old and live her life with the man she stabbed in the back for so many years. Every day of her miserable life she'll have to live with what she is.

Credit to RichardGerald for letting you write the story the way he could have written it. Was that a little shout out to your girl with the new daughter? Full marks. You're a great writer.

This one is much, much better. Better than the original, in every way.

Thanks so much for this. Balance. Very good writing.

Brilliant story, George. As always. I really hope you keep writing. Your stories are among the best in this site.

Great writing, as usual and a soft landing for Rob. I especially loved the whole episode that started with the Salvation army. Very nice, George. Thank you, Randi.

Love RG's writing, but like you, thought his ending too much. Who would accept being treated that way in his home over Thanksgiving? Who would tolerate the damaging of his relationship with his sons? Yes, the original character was socially impaired and could have tried to find out why his familiar relationships were strained; but it would have taken someone completely cowed or stunted to accept that treatment.

Very good resolution to the story, thanks.

Long winded and he was still a wimp.

His wife, kids and the frogs are such awful people that you must hate them. Nothing to like. They are caricatures of evil people. They keep digging and digging at him. He is a broken guy. Who would react like him? Not a human being. Liked the carly and wish there was more of that and less of his wife and frogs.

Richard Gerald has a nasty habit of trying to turn the most disgusting people into some kind of heroes. Especially women, and he seems to be a closet racist, too. Usually the sluts go after black cock.

You cleaned it up and made the guy an actual human instead of a cartoon. He was so completely disgusting in RG's original and the women were just some of the most awful characters ever created. This made sense and I gave you 5 stars.

I’m sure there will be some who complain of the length but I enjoyed it. It was tedious to re-read the discussions with Karen but it also felt real, solidifying the fact she did not feel she was wrong and nothing said could change her mind. The relationship with his sons was sad but he ended up with a more appreciative family and extended family in the end. It might be well to note that Phillipe’s behavior had to have been created and nurtured by his mother. A couple of good spankings might have changed that bastards life. Ultimately, however, Carly and Randi were given a life of love and prosperity making the pain and story oddly worth it. You did this plot a respectable service.

RG and the racism, but plenty of bigots know their way around a keyboard

GA, You did something very difficult. You wrote a sequel redirected the plot line but kept the feel of the characters exactly like the original story. Well done. I liked the original because I did not like how it turned out. It was testament to the skill of the writer that I was so invested and yet unhappy with the ending.

You did an excellent job of changing the ending but still keeping the reader invested in the story.

Thank you

a standard closet cucky tale, edit this mofo down to three pages

this is a depressing story about a cunt wife, and a spineless man. the story has been shuffled around until it makes no sense. I think Avril and Karen both need a damned good ass whipping. as for the man, well pathetic is the best I can offer.12FB

Thank you so much, a very good and enjoyable read. I was hoping that Simone would give her mother and Karen some much needed grief. I'm glad the art show was a major bust and am happy that Rob found love and a loving surrogate family.

Thank You again George*****

I was always more than a little uncomfortable with RichardGerald's original story. This version showed me why. While remaining true to the characters and keeping the atmosphere and the pace you found a way to bring the story to an end much more agreeable to me. Keep up the good work.

Sorry RG is a bit better than MM but only slightly, so I don't go reading their stuff unless I stumble on it.. The wife was a whore and tried to rationalize it.they all lied and tried to turn it on him, SO they are the scum. I may write my own to put this to bed, not a hardcore BTB but certainly harsher than anything ive seen thus far Theres no way any self respecting man would take as long as he did to cut them all loose, Id have slapped that old cunt toasting him at my table that's a fact.

Excellent. People who've lived escaped the lying crap called "infidelity" understand better than most what a farce the characters were in the original. Successful polyamory, statistically, is less than a blip. I get it: It's Erotic. It's also essentially non-existent. At the end of the day, lies make for detente, not relationship. The original author is a really good writer who almost sold his tale by his excellent writing. But it clearly left that bad taste. Like a great chef telling you that creamed manure is really mousse. It still tastes like, well, what it really is, no matter how well you package and present it.

By the sick for the sick morons who get off to this.One star

. . . like the first anony just can’t understand how a man might love his wife enough to at least try to get past her cheating, so they don’t finish the story because it offends them so much that the cheated upon husband doesn’t just kill the bitch, regretting only that Phillipe is already dead and can’t be killed again. One wonders if they’d have been the ones who’d have thrown the first stone, being sinless themselves.

This story actually belonged in the Romance section, where the author should be writing.

I grew up listening to Al Michaels and Joe Nuxhall broadcasting Reds games on radio, so I appreciated that part of the story. Too bad the Reds have been so bad lately, because the Big Red Machine was so great. Who could ever forget a team with a player named Cesar Geronimo? Best name ever!

5

I hate a weak man and rob was a PUSSY‼️ He was such a fucking loser he disgusted me. The wife is a whore who is trying to justify 20 years of betrayal. What the fuck is there to think/talk about? I couldn't finish the story... I was so disgusted. His sons knew and actually considered the asshole family.. My god this story was horrible. I didn't like any of the characters. The man was so weak and pathetic he just let everybody walk all over him. I didn't give this bullshit any stars. It doesn't deserve one. I think rob should just kill himself and do the world a favor. Weak pathetic cuck loser

The divorce! He gives her the freehold house and all the investments. WTF! He is now about 50 and has to start over again. With no money. Ridiculous.

Plus, Phillipe took his wife from him... for 20 years! What did he take from his wife and the arsehole? Nothing. What would really have hurt his wife and Phillipes's legacy and the lovers's slut wife... would be to have crept back into his marital home and, with a spray bottle of bleach, sprayed all the paintings they were getting ready for the exhibition. Particularly the one of his wife. That would have taken away something of Phillipes... his life's works! But he did NOTHING.

At the end, he now has a much younger wife, a teenage child and a house with a mortgage and he is around 55 -60 years old. Financially, he's fucked.

Better ending than the original.

RichardGerald is a uniquely original storyteller, and I’m a big fan of his stories, however discomforting they frequently are. And I think “Another Love” had quite a “wow” ending. Not very gratifying, but definitely a head scratcher! That’s a good and brave thing from an artistic standpoint. You remember those works that leave you off balance. Thanks and a nod to RG.

And that it inspired you to reimagine his story is a great thing. I think “Another Love Lost” is a thoughtfully executed and compelling piece of writing - your best, in my humble opinion.

I recently read “Jane Steel” by Lyndsay Faye, a retelling of “Jane Eyre” wherein Jane is a serial killer. Nominated for an Edgar Award. I think it’s a valuable artistic exercise to “borrow” ideas and premises and reinvent them as your own. And I think you have.

My only regret is that you didn’t give us more of Carly and Ronnie. Maybe Carly deserves her own story! Great baseball scene though. Brings to mind Malraux’s “Catching Colleen”.

Thanks for a great story.*****

This melodramatic mush would be fine for the Hallmark Channel but it’s about as erotic as a trip to the dentist.

One redeeming feature of the story is that you cast a mentally disabled man as the main character. He’s more than a bit annoying but portraying someone with such severe mental disabilities as the “hero” of a story is brave.

No one 'gets past' cheating? It happens all the time! About ¾ of all married men cheat at least once, and it seems that most married women have to 'get past' cheating, at least once. More than ½ of married women cheat, at least once, and a whole lot of married men have to 'get past' her cheating, at least once. That's real life.

I read an article, about a month ago, about the different ways men and women react to cheating. Women have the hardest time with emotional cheating, a husband who has real feelings for the woman he has been screwing, and far less of a problem with the physical aspect. Women are much more able to get past the fact their husbands have had some mostly emotionless sex on the side.

Men, on the other hand, have a much harder time with the physical aspect, that some other male has trespassed on 'their' territory. It's kind of like walking my sister's dog: he's always rooting around, trying to smell where some other male dog has pissed, and then piss on top of it to mark 'his' territory.

And that's what so many of the anonys here are like: the idea that someone has trespassed on their territory is what pissed them off the most, even though that, in this story, Rob's biggest problem isn't that Philippe got Karen's pussy, but that he got her heart. If Karen had been able to banish Philippe to being just a memory, Rob would have taken her back; she couldn't, so he wouldn't.

The reactions to this story are so much who 'won' and who 'lost.' Mr Spencer sees Rob as having lost, and Karen having won, I suppose, because Rob basically walked away, leaving Karen the house and investments, and he didn't deface Philippe's artwork, he didn't "hurt his wife and Phillipes's legacy and the lovers's slut wife."

Mr Spencer concluded, "At the end, he now has a much younger wife, a teenage child and a house with a mortgage and he is around 55 -60 years old. Financially, he's fucked." Given the career outlined for Rob, he's still in pretty good shape, as houses around Cincinnati aren't nearly as expensive as in the Hudson Valley. He's got a new wife, and child, who apparently love him, and, assuming that he and Carly display the same common sense in buying the house that they have otherwise, they didn't buy more than could be easily afforded.

Who 'won' and who 'lost'? Clearly, Rob 'won,' coming out ahead in the end. And, despite the fact that he left her the house and investments, Karen 'lost,' because she still loved Rob; she just wasn't burned, the way so many would have liked.

A husband working to forgive his wife of 25 years for a one time or brief affair is understandable, but this sequel is not about an interlude.

The wife allowed a despicable serial seducer to replace her husband not only in her life but that of his sons.

You and thecarolinadreamer are obsessed with your ''cast the first stone'' mantra. Same as richardgerarld is adamant that ''commen men'' should genuflect in adulation and thanksgiving before the societal scions that seduce their wives.

In this story, the husband offered reconciliation if wife burned the portrait. (Something husband should have done himself upon unwrapping it) The wife refused, even to keep it out of the exhibition, and insisted on publically humiliating her husband in front of entire world.

Demanding that only ''he without sin'' can punish the wicked or seek retribution is a fool's philosophy extrapolated from a singular incident with a specific hypocritical audience.

Reconciling with a unfaithful spouse is a painful arduous task. Made more so because human nature is such that having been forgiven once the expectation is that forgiveness will be granted again after future such acts.

In my late teens and early twenties, I had two serious, long term relationships. Both ran around on me, broke up with me, then asked for another chance, then another...Fool that I was I loved them deeply and forgave them only to in the end be unceremoniously dumped.

Those two betrayals forever changed me. Them not so much. Both were married and divorced multiple times for acts of infidelity.

Lastly, one must truly be contrite and ask for forgiveness to be forgiven. The wife in this story did neither. Alone after death of her lover she wanted only the financial security her husband could provide. She and her lover's wife were willing to prostitute themselves to acquire that security. Thing is, the lover had been replaced in the wife's bed by the lover's wife. The affair continued by proxy.

But his wife and her lover's family were publicly humiliated and were denied what they cherished most. That his legacy was destroyed and no one but they were interested in viewing his art.

Instead of Gerald world wide fawning, the lothario was publicly exposed for the vile beast he was, and the ex-wife and the vermin's family lived out their lives in bitterness.

Much better ending than original.

I really enjoyed the ending to this story!!! Ignore those who spew anger at your writing; it is they with the problem dealing with a story...fiction.

Thanx for the effort to provide me a good read.

BDEarth

It seems that you and I agree: Rob wanted to forgive Karen, but Karen couldn't put Philippe out of her heart, even though he had gone to his eternal reward. He sought reconciliation, but not reconciliation at all costs, and it turned out that any reconciliation came at too great a cost.

Good actually. Well done George.

I would have liked for Karen and all of Phillipe's psychotic family along with Rob's moron sons to be somewhat dealt with.

They were evil in the worst way. They were unashamed of their evil, arrogant in it and were not above attacking and rejecting any disapproval of their calling evil good.

It is one thing to do something wicked, know it is wicked, and be ashamed, remorseful and repentant.

Karen and her ilk were vile to the core. I have a need to crush evil like that because that level of evil destroys what is good.

I gave it 4* because you did not crush that level of evil even though you gave it a small black eye. LOL!

Your writing was quite good however and I wish I could rate your writing a 5 while rating the story differently.

Be an interesting idea. Two rating slots. One for writing ability and another for plot/storyline.

Fantastic

Shame on you for your teasing with Carly's story.

Coming soon?

and so the betrayal continued, the hits kept coming and still he did nothing of any real effect, i'm no rabid revenge fan but found this a bit unrealistic as was allowing them all to take over his home and gifting her the house etc in the divorce. hands up who wouldn't have drawn a strategically positioned cock and balls complete with spurting cum on that fucking painting?

To be able to keep the tone and characterization from the original is a real skill. I tip my hat in your direction sir.

Thank you so much! Your version of the ending to this story touched this old man's heart.

Bravo! This was a great story. While I admire Richard Gerald's writing and think the world of his stories ("The Bridge" is one of my all-time favorites), I hated "Another Love." I just didn't see how the husband could live with his wife's two decades of betrayal and lies. It was especially awful because Karen tried to make him the bad guy - as if every spouse left behind by a service person was entitled to cheat. This sequel hits the nail on the head. Karen never was sorry for what she did, always chose her lover over her husband, and involved the kids in lying to Rob. If anything, she got off too easily. At the crucial point, I thought she might destroy the offending painting in order to reconcile with Rob - but she showed her true colors and dismissed the idea, showing Rob he would always be second in her life. I would have liked to have heard more from her, however, It seems that Avril did all the talking in the final confrontation scene. --JRZ

But it sure as hell would never have been seen by the public.

Actually you are laughing at a number of profilers also.

As for getting past cheating...marriages may survive but that does not mean they flourish. The unfaithful act is never really forgotten.

It is no so much that males think about it being their territory.

Males are only recipients of females act of giving access to them.

When female marries she vows she will give of herself - physically and emotionally - only to her husband. When a wife cheats she gives a gift which is no longer hers to honestly give. Some disagree, that is fine.

The fact remains she has chosen to replace her husband.

The fact that our culture now proclaims that ''it is just sex'' with no special significance to the act means the specie has de-evolved. No longer ''human beings'' of higher intelligence capable of rational and emotional thought but merely rutting animals. Only difference being the act has nothing to do with procreation - so we are now even lower than other animals.

Thus the explosion in the ranks of lawyers as our words mean nothing

Great piece, heart breaking, I hurt for rob. When I say reconciliation, I mean rob becoming whole. He has been destryed. He should return to the scene of the crime and burn down the house and everything in it. Perhaps, he should allow the residents out first or perhaps not

This story bothered me when I first read it and this sequel still bothers me. The fact that the wife just didn't see the damage she had done and continued to inflict on Rob was almost too much to accept. She turned his sons against him, favoring the Du Montes. I had a hard time with the premise of the story, but I also couldn't stop reading it. I'm glad Rob got his life back, though I do with Karin and Avril and most of the Du Monde herd had to pay a great penance for what they did to our hero.

When I read, I try to immerse myself. Too often, the author throws me some bit of mental bullshit which forces me to jump out of the story because there is a violation of suspension of disbelief, a logical flaw, or a jump cut which was poorly done.

You only did that twice. Once was a poor transition about Canadian Thanksgiving (he was staying there and suddenly he wasn't. It seemed there were a few missing paragraphs from a fight at the apartment to him suddenly working on the Jet) and once was when you cut out the story of Carly. (COME ON! my inner muse screamed, outraged. I get the reticence but wanted MORE! A good thing for a writer.)

Okay, once I hit those speed bumps, I once again dove into this. Some of your early continuations of other's stories were...hit and miss. For example, YOUR continuation of Edrider. Not your best work. Here, your talents have grown and you nailed it. And not only nailed it, but while you did not imitate the voice of RG, you offered an equally immersive and descriptive story.

Right now, I am searching for flaws and coming up with quibbles. This is so much more satisfying a resolution than RG's conclusion. It must have taken you 3 months to do this to this level of sophistication and skill. Probably longer.

When I opened the Lit page today, I was very happy to see someone take a stab at Edriders story. That was good. Coming to this one, I hoped it was nearly as good.

I was woefully wrong. To use your preferred baseball metaphor, you knocked it out of the park!

Very nicely done. My most fulsome compliments.

I am sure, in later years, I'll find a quibble or two. Ignore that. I tend trollish. Enjoy this moment. This is fine work.

Of course he was, he was weak and kinda needy like real people are. Just as she was weak. How different would her affair have been if she hadn't had such an extensive support system around her (the Canadians)?

I also noticed that, at Thanksgiving, he wasn't sat at the head of the table. I guess that tells the whole story.

To me the biggest betrayal for him was the loss of his sons. That was taken away from him. The joy, love and respect that a father and son relationship should have was gone for years and he wasn’t even a placeholder. It was shown his son didn’t love him or even respect him and what is worse is that he was treated with contempt at times and worst of all indifference. That is the heart wrenching part.

I kind of feel like the Carly story at the end is tacked on to fulfill the necessary role of not leaving the main character worse off for having done the necessary thing. You got the tone correctly, but the Carly portion at the end feels rushed. But this is a loving wives story and not a romance.

I always find the stats people give about cheating to be dubious, and 3/4 of men and 1/2 of women is definitely so. Worse, even when you look up more accurate values for this, it's all based on self-reporting, which is generally inaccurate as well. Coupled with what people consider cheating or not cheating (OMG he danced with another woman, that's cheating! to He only sucked his dick, that's no cheating!) they're basically unreliable. People cheat more often that people would like to believe, but less often than we're told they do, and monogamy is effective both as a parenting strategy and for ensuring continuity of genes and of the social community, which is why despite people saying we're naturally polygamous creatures, history shows that we're not. We're social creatures. Lots of primates will have similar outcomes; people think there should be one dominate male eating all the food and impregnating all the females, but the 'tyrant' will end up getting killed by a group of weaker males if the disparity is too much. People into multiple partners will try to justify it by saying it's just nature, but the truth is that it's really just narcissism, and most people are naturally monogamous (even if they are serially monogamous).

I liked the original story but always found it unrealistic, even for an 'artist'. This seems much more likely.

The only slightly 'dubious' part I could see is that when offered, the main character doesn't take the opportunity to revenge-fuck his wife and her lover's widow. That does mostly seem in character and fit at the time, but I could have easily accepted his rage overtaking him and him taking it out on them sexually. I could have also seen him throwing Avril off his lap angrily and stalking out of the room, or smacking the old grandmother or throwing the family out of his home, especially at that toast.

Which, btw, felt like turning the 'artist family you just don't understand' into a caricature. Don't get me wrong; it fit the original archetype for the family and was certainly believable in the story, but it wouldn't be believable in reality. Then again, this whole story is full of things that wouldn't be believable in reality.

It's still very good.

One thing that had me chuckle: Vet's groups boycotting some obscure author's work.

First, was that both veterans who live in NYC?

Second, since when were Vets such huge froo froo art supporters

Third, most New Yorkers would see his stuff just to spite the vets.

George, I think you live in the Midwest.

artist, not author.

Always thought that “the portrait” should have been adorned with the word “whore” right at the outset though.

I think this is one of the greater stories I have read.

Your skill as a writer was in evidence. I, as a previous comment noted, thought the original was one of the worst stories ever written. Not the actual writing, but the attempt of the original author to portray the woman as, to use his words, "I wrote her as a good wife." One of the most obnoxious statements ever made here.

You took the story and made it credible. It was not, as written. The second half of this could have easily been a stand-alone story. Great writing, but ultimately, you were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Five stars for the effort.

Social media would spread the story nationwide, and the wife would become the equivalent of those politicians who cheated while their wives were being hospitalized for cancer. It's true that some people would support the show, but it wouldn't be the people they wanted (the ones who could afford to buy the art), because anyone with that kind of money in today's USA would either be a conservative who would agree with the vets or someone who wouldn't want their business on the receiving end of veteran/conservative wrath.

The one flaw is, that placard should have been more explicit about the husband not knowing about his ex-wife's affair and that he had divorced her over it. And maybe named her, though that would've come out anyway.

This seemed to take forever to get where it was gong, but I suppose that it was necessary to bury the husband under such a huge pile of crap from everyone who was supposed to love him before he saw his path out because of how weak a character he had been in the original story.

Imagine disabled vets in wheelchairs wearing their uniforms and medals carrying protest signs out side the gallery. Accompanied by their non-cheating SOs denouncing the ex-wife for disgracing all those who faithfully await the return of their partners in uniform. And someone who had served with the husband saying he wouldn't be there today if not for what that guy had done.

Another Love its without question one of the most infamous/famous works in LT, yes was well crafted and aimed to stroke a emotional torrent of responses of the readers. It has its flaws, mainly Rob acts like in autopilot, we see the life of this man crumble right in front of him... and his emotional responses were lacking, Karen its just a cunt, sorry i dislike in the original and will dislike in any alternative version or side story that will be written. And then we have the end, "Wow" factor apart, it doesnt feel lacking, it was lacking, the author give us an emotional rollercoaster and then in the moment of climax we ended with a poor Deux Ex Machina excuse.

This time the housband was actually a person, we see his pain, dispair and struggle to come to terms with the fact that his wife was not longer his, at least not for the last +20 years, what its even worst, his own children not only were dragged in the mess, they were only children at the beggining of the affair, and the mother manipulated in to keep the secret, mainly saying that they have the father permise (thats were Karen went from cheating wife to total unrepented/unredeemable bitch, making their children, sorry "her" children part of the betrayal) but at the end they share the warped view of the mother... thats the real tragedy for Rob. He was robbed of everything that he cherised and loved one time. And he doesnt have the opportunity of fight back, because already knows that its a loosing proposition.

Several moths ago we have another alternate end to this, more in synch with the consequences and BTB crowd, was a good try, it really was (specially with a novice writter) but certainly doesnt have the depth of this one. I think that you nailed the emotional tone of the original, mantain your take on the characters as close as the original present them, and then you give them a more fleshed personalities... well Karen and Avril still are unrepented cunts specially the first one, she its living in a bubble were everything its okay if you say that "im sorry and i love you", but fuck her. At least this time he meet someone that helped to heal (he helped her to heal) and ended up with a new family, a new biological daugther, one adopted... and even he ended up getting "adopted" by the daugther of the scumbag and her family.

Things to consider, the Scumbag family save Simone and her husband, are that, scumbags like him and yes for moment it is feel that they are somewhat a parody/spoof of the enlighted liberal intellectual that despise the military, yeah toasting about the scumbag in the presence of Rob, after was clear that he was in the dark for 20 years was too much. Karen its painfully blind to the heartbreak that she causes to Rob with her adamant defense of the scumbag (and for a moment when he ask to her to destroy the paint, i think that she finally see the magnitude of her faults) that agree with other, she basically scapes free of any wrongdoing, i mean yes someone boycott the exhibition of the scumbag works but honestly, she and the cunts (husband & wife) deserve more... and yeah i think that destroy the paints its the perfect simbolic revenge... the pardon can come, because yes its for Rob spiritual/mental health rather for Karen, but only after justice its served not before. And of course his sons... i was hoping more about he and his sons, i think it is possible that they can reconnect but he have nothing on them.

Overall was a great job, Thaks for share it with us.

P.S. Sorry for any mistakes, english its not my first language, and i dont use to writte in english for that long.

I really liked this ending, the other was too unforgivable. Thanks for the alternate ending !!

Does being cuckolded make a man brain dead? After everything this "woman" (women like these make me ashamed of my sex) does to him he tucks his tail between his legs and gives her his house, savings and 1/2 of his investments? WTF? It was one thing when he was in the dark about being cuckolded but afterwards he financially supports his wife and her new lover (what man in his right mind would let this woman move into HIS house); and willingly takes disrespect by having the man who cuckolded him family staying in his house. You are a good writer because you got me to read 8 pages with the hope that on the next page he would redeem himself...but he never does

This is the ending that this story deserved.......tho I still think I would have burned the picture right in the living room.......

I have read every one of those all the stories and he is without a doubt one of the top 5 best talents I have ever come across in this category.. this story was absolutely perfect in every possible way.

But what is really amazing is that the author was very consistent with the wife Karen's inability to understand what she did as being wrong or why was a problem for the husband.

I suppose one could make a case that in the end the wife kind of understood why the husband was upset but she never saw what she did as being wrong.

And the depiction of all those French motherfukers is equally well done. One of the reasons why France is and always will be a loser country his cause it doesn't get to the core of the issue and its culture or it's politics.

The fact that a lot of Americans are somewhat puritanical when it comes to the sexual relations and marriage is true. But that doesn't give you the right to deceive for 20 years your spouse.

Truly outstanding story in every possible way. This will be one of my favorites for decades

This is, for me anyway, a far better ending than the original from RichardGerald! In my comment about the original story, I said: "If there was ever a bitch who deserved to burn in hell, it's Karen. The RAAC here is disgusting! May she eat glass and die!" Your alternate still doesn't BTB, but it leaves me a lot happier than the original.... ;-)

Gonna drop this one into my Favorites right now! Thanks again!

Karen was a self centered uncaring bitch that wanted her cake and eat it too. She could spin it anyway She wanted but the bottom line was she is a cheater, adulteress, and not worthy enough of any man. I hope she burns in hell.

Much better than that of Richard Gerald. This shows character and integrity. Two hurting people led each other to happiness...... 5*

Well this story is becoming the next 'Something we have to talk about ' by Nici , or 'How high a price' by the Troubador in the number of sequels or spinoffs !

There have been many ways tried , my good friend Steve103x , was the first I think . He and most others have tried to deal with the fact that Rob needed to basically even the scales somewhat. I felt the same way myself about this story that RG birthed .

Here GA goes for the self healing and life well lived tact , the fact that Karen or her partners in the whole sordid affair go basically unscathed is no doubt the most mature and probably the truest to real life ending , it's not the most physiologically appealing to most readers of fiction. ( or maybe it's just me ! Lol ) .

But , anyway you had Rob to pack up and leave town with nothing but his retirement intact , move away only to find a Woman who is the hybrid cross between TxTallTales 'Charity begins next door ' and Qhml1's ' An unexpected reaction ' Females .

So , part of me says ' Great Writing ' ( which it really is ) , while the other part says ' Get me the Pick-Ax handle ! ( for using on the portrait , of course) .

I enjoyed the writing. Thanks for sharing this with us .

What a fucking wimp.

Because we veterans have each others' backs, the show was a flop. No one bought the paintings and the world now knows what a scumbag he was. Karen and Avril will now mostly just have each other and they deserve no better. Their house is a shrine to a philandering bastard that treated both as chattel. Rob gets a better woman and family. The rest are just pathetic. Good job. I absolutely hated RG's original ending. So disrespectful to veterans. Maybe he should be like his loser counterparts in the NFL and take a knee for awhile instead of writing.

Than the other version. Still kind of a whimp though. No worries, still worth 4 stars

This is only the second 5 I have given to a Literotica story. I really enjoyed it.

and well written. 5 stars. What more can I say.

A brilliant conclusion to a really messed-up original. This restored the believe in the man (confident, cool under fire, knowledgeable, instinctive and a leader who cared about his staff), who eventually got over the inconceivably painful loss off the loss of the love of his life, his family, and half a lifetime of deceit and lies. Definitely 5 stars, thank you for removing the bad taste of the original.

continuing from before George did ok just seemed too long for what to me was cut and dry. she lied betrayed him and they all try to paint him as the villain. I did like the fact they got burned by his exhibit being trashed and not getting good PR. That was a bit of justice. Ive a feeling a part about them finally seeing what they did, being ashamed and his moving on and not giving two shits wouldn't go amiss. anyone like this idea I'm mulling over writing it myself . and no I wont be upset if I get torched by the RAAC crowd. I just don't care

Richard Gerald is one of the better writers on Lit. George Anderson's alternative ending makes this story far more real. Not self respecting man would take a wife back after such deceit.

Even better and more interesting is his relationship with Georges/Simmone almost as an alternative family and relationship he should have with his kids, but does not.

Very nice job of showing him how to forgive, build a new life and find a woman who loves him and a new family.

I was tired, I was emotionally wrung out, and I was sick of the whole mess. That's my excuse for saying what I said next.

"Look, you're the one who says I can't see a problem in a relationship without a guide dog. You tell me."

I knew before the words were out of my mouth that they were all wrong. Karen fled the room in tears, slamming the door behind her. I felt like a heel, with good reason. I trudged wearily back down the stairs.

I found them in the main parlor. Karen sat in her pretty pink dress, huddled into a ball, crying her eyes out while Avril held her. Avril glared at me before turning back to Karen. I wanted nothing more in the world than to take my wife in my arms and tell her it would all be okay, but at that moment, I didn't think anything would ever be okay again. I knelt before them both.

"Karen, I'm sorry. That was a rotten thing to say, especially after you reached out to me. I never should have said it, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

A little clarification. Did you tone down his dialogue during some edit, and forget to change the rest? What did he say that was so out of line?

A very nice story George. The wife was clueless and the husband a too passive for my taste, but he did no harm.

His sons were rats, but the wife created that mess.

Lucky the artist was dead, otherwise, if it were me, he and Grand mother would be at the bottom of Lake Erie sharing a cement block tied around their necks.

This alternate ending is so much better than the original.

It warmed my heart...5*

5 stars all around. I would like to see an alternate ending where Rob finally gets fed up with the bullshit and puts his foot through the damned painting. At the black tie opening of course! But that's just me.

I thought that it was impossible to save Bob but he came out of it smelling like a rose.

"No wonder the poor kid started feeling uncomfortable around me; he must have been afraid he might accidentally spill his mother's secret. No wonder we lost the closeness we'd had before I was deployed." - Yep, I think I said something similar in comments on the original, and used it in my alternate version as well.

Regarding Avril's finances, I thought her husband was very successful, weren't they planning a big exhibition?

So, because he hasn't come around to her point of view, that means he hasn't given it any thought?

I'm sorry, if Kevin can't see the wrong done, and continues his relationship with the Du Montes, then he can forget about his relationship with his father. Christ, if he hadn't kept his mother's secret there wouldn't BE a relationship with the Du Montes to continue! Looks like he should cut off Oscar, too!

"Look, you're the one who says I can't see a problem in a relationship without a guide dog. You tell me." - Why the fuck is he apologizing? He's right!

"when you had left her." - Sigh, He didn't "leave" her, he did his duty.

Avril said she never chose, but every time Karen left Rob to go to Philippe in Montreal, she was choosing him over Rob, and yes, taking from Rob.

"And she always, every time, comes home to you." - She wouldn't HAVE to "come home" to Rob if she didn't leave in the first place!

It's telling that when HE wants to talk, they're too busy from him; probably working on Philippe's exhibition!

"My son took your woman. Made her his lover and you a cuckold" - At last, some honesty!

"as I grew older I could see clearly that at least when she was with us, she was my father's woman, just as much as my mother was." - More honesty!

"It was as if I had to clean out the stuff from my first marriage, both the good and the bad, so Simone could move in." - Except that Karen and Avril won't let him "clean out the stuff," they want him to move in with it all!

He should have sat with Simone and Georges at dinner!

Interesting that Karen and Avril are the "hosts," given that most there want him back in the fold.

I loved his reaction to the toast, and was a little surprised that nobody noticed that Simone and Georges didn't drink to the toast. Since Karen and Avril want him back, berating him isn't the smartest route to take!

I don't see why he and Lisa can't remain friends, just because the project is over.

"I also knew I couldn't survive living with Karen if she still loved Philippe absolutely," - I would be concerned about her lying! With Philippe dead, she's got nothing to lose by saying that she no longer loves him, if that's what it takes to get Rob back.

"I want you to come home to me" - Interesting that she doesn't mention Avril; it seems every other time it was going to be the three of them.

"How can I prove to you that at this moment, right now, you are first in my heart, my first love?" - He's only first because Philippe isn't there! He's her consolation prize. Can she say that if Philippe walked in the front door at that moment that she would send him away? Why should he care what it means to Avril?

He's giving her the paid for house AND half of their savings and investments? He should take the value of the house, then give her half the remainder.

"I don't know how she could do something that terrible to you, if she loves you." - Ah, and there's the rub! She COULDN'T do something that terrible, IF she loved him. She DID do something that terrible, ergo, she DIDN'T love him! LOL, even the kids get it!

"She's family, Marie." - Only by the loosest of standards! There's no blood or marriage, she was their grandfather's mistress.

"I am not sorry for deceiving you" - WTF? She's not sorry for stealing twenty years from him?

"I still believe that what I did was the best for all three of us." - She's still delusional! Maybe it was the best for her and Philippe, but seeing what it did to Rob AND their marriage, how can she say it was for the best for Rob, and to a certain degree for her?

I think Sara-Marie needs to worry more about the wedge that SHE'S driving between her and Simone, than anything that Rob might do!

Will the paintings be sold at the exhibition? If not, how will Karen benefit financially? I believe that generally museums exhibitions are just that, that paintings are sold at gallery art shows.

How could she expect him to publicly approve the showing of the painting when he had told her that the BURNING of the painting was a minimal requirement of any reconciliation effort.

I don't agree with forgiveness for someone that won't admit that they need forgiving!

It seems like a lot of time has gone by since he arrived with no real progress on the team except for Andy. I keep expecting him to pull Lisa in.

After rescuing Randi, Rob said that a "thank you" would have been nice, but Carly DID say thank you!

"she said that my grandfather was the most wonderful man she ever knew" - Boy, I'll bet THAT makes Rob wish that he didn't divorce her!

I would have liked at least the Readers' Digest version of Carly's story.

RG is a post modernist writer, at least he comes across that way. So 'good', 'evil', doesn't exist. Just people acting however they want and leaving their abused spouses to deal with the aftermath. Maybe a threesome or stockings will 'make it up'.

Unfortunately there are people who are NOT post modernists and hold that vows matter, that actual remorse matters, that being trustworthy matters.

So when he tried to square the circle of having hubby change his mind...those conversations have to be off stage. What can he say that anyone would actually buy? "Gee honey, we still worship at the Alter of Philippe's Cock, but we will consolation blow you, so isn't that great?"

Um...no.

Nor did RG seem to have any idea at the blatant amount of disrespect it was to move all those Quebecois into his house to bully and outnumber him.

Here, the morality was aligned to how people who are NOT New York so called Sophisticates actually think. Karen was crying so she should get her way (a theme which played out in Crime and Punishment, was alluded to in 'On the Lam', but he eschewed in 'The Bridge'...coincidently one of his highest rated stories)

The deft bit that I liked was the hubby seeing the familial scene, with the rampant bonhomie...and he craved it! This was the family he wanted...but that family was all Philippes. VERY nicely done.

Quite a bit of the praise for this story is based on the comparison of how to do that story horribly wrong.

Who did the placard on the painting and the social media post? It had to be someone who knew the details of the cheating. Was it family? Lisa or someone else from Rob's team on Persephone? And how did that veteran's group manage to call off their boycott without the account of Karen's cheating continuing to spread virally until her name and phone number was scrawled on restroom walls in every VA facility in the country?

@FD45 - Yes, I had meant to comment on that abrupt transition as well, and also commented on the lack of Carly's story.

I certainly don't understand the comments calling him spineless! Yes, he made SOME effort so that nobody could accuse him of not trying, only to be humiliated in his own home, and to have his wife refuse to make the smallest gesture to respect his feelings.

@realisticendings - I also thought that he was far too generous in his settlement.

One thing that GA had here, which I think has been commented on, but I don't think that RG had in the original, was her lack of support when he came back hurting.

@Crkcppr - Hey, my friend, it's sbrooks103x, LOL! Unfortunately my version got pulled here, but is available on the other site.

Call me mean, but I would have loved to see Karen and Avril come apart - maybe Simone and Georges decide that Avril's relationship with Karen was too much and told her it was Karen or them!

But (some people are just never satisfied), I'd also like to read an ending where Karen comes to realize that she was wrong in what she did. It could be over a period of time as she's alone with Avril, or the realization could come because of a specific even or incident.

A tab bit more believable than the original ending.

...stories I have read here in recent years, and far more satisfying than the original.

His BTB moment was when he was asked to make a false statement that he knew and approved of his wife's affair with her artist lover and his reply was "no." I suspect there are more than a few reading here who would have at least given an interview in which they talked about how his belief that he had a faithful wife and family supporting him was the only thing that had kept him going while he was at war and how he returned home to discover that they had all stabbed him in the back and expected him to accept it. Would admittedly have been a humiliating experience, though.

I too, as the author related, enjoyed the first chapters of the original story but was disgusted with the ending where after being so thoroughly deceived and humiliated, the answer was to forgive, forget and join in GROUP GANGBANGS! Good grief. Hated it. This was far more enjoyable reading and understandable from all parties. 5* all the way. Thank you for a enjoyable distraction.

Samson

Thanks for your story. Much more satisfying ending than Richard Gerald's original one. I still wish the hero would have cut the damn painting into shreds. Symbols are very important and actions speak louder than words.

I was disappointed at the original ending. I had loved the characters but it hadn’t seemed real. This felt very real. I wish you had spent a little more time on the happy stuff at the end but that was just me enjoying this story.

I almost quit reading before I finished the first page. Another poorly done alternative, I thought. Boy was I wrong! I’ve read some of your other works, and you seem to understand the subtle differences in how women typically view and justify their relationships, not only with their husbands, but with illicit lovers as well. Women are survivors by nature, much more so than men, and more easily drift to another port (man) than men do when confronted with loneliness. You express that well. After all we can’t help who we love.

Someone desecrating both the painting & Philippe's grave.

Having read the original sometime ago (and, no desire to try to read it again); I forget if the cause of Philippe's demise was ever coveted. Although, wether it was from a well particular social disease or another betrayed husband; it was definitely well deserved.

Unremorseful sots deserve a most horrid death; too bad the majority of his family didn't see it that way.

But, I guess this ending follows the old adage: the best way to get back at someone is to forget them and live a happier, better life without them.

But, gave this ending high marks over the original. The unremorseful, unrepentant characters are just ones you have to hate.

But still loaded with Schmaltz.

Thank you!

He showed remarkable restraint when the old bitch showed pride in her dirtball son. Had he still been living , he would have got his ass whopped royally . The divorce was inevitable. Surely French Canadians are not this morally bankrupt.

Best scene in the story was when he threw the wine glass during that awful toast. FD45 made a good comment about the New Yorkers - they wouldn't have cared about dissing a combat veteran. The comment that the wife was well written - she never did see anything wrong with what she did - was correct.

After all that reading and you still make this into a cuck story!

I would have given you a 5 if that fucking painting had been destroyed by the wimp husband. There should have been an immediate divorce. Wimp author wrote 8 pages of cucky garbage. Man up!

The 5* story righted some wrongs.

Glad he found a woman of integrity to hold his heart for him.

A very well-written addition to the story.

I think this was a mistake too. There was no reason to depend on the original story good as it was.

This was so well written you could have changed the plot some and made it your own. 5*

My favorite ending by far.

The original story from Richard Gerald was so insulting to men that I wished that there were a selective brain memory cleanser. Your alternative ending was expertly written and I want to thank you with full 5*. However when you include the following;

Karen changed the subject deftly. "Rob, we need to think about Avril for a moment. She's lost her husband; you saw this morning how she is suffering. I feel I owe her. She's putting together an exhibition of Philippe's work: a memorial to him, to get him the attention we feel he deserves. We want to open in New York in mid-January, with about 150 pieces. I want her to live here while we work on it together. If that hurts you, I'm sorry, but Avril needs this, and it's what I want to do."

Why on Earth would Rob agree to this arraignment? Yes Avril lost her husband but - Rob now knows he lost his wife 20 years earlier. At this juncture this re-telling of the story could have been Rob telling them both to get out of his house (yes I know the 50/50 stuff) and continue the tale with Karen and Avril playing catchup in the eventual marriage devastation.

Your story is pretty compelling with the exception of giving Karen and the Du Monte clan his savings and house to live happily ever after. That is the second thing I would have suggested as an editor that you change to make Karen fell some pain for her total disrespect for Rob over their complete marriage.

I loved that Rob moved away and met another love but the fact that the "factually" uncaring Karen got off scot free and is still living in her dream house with her lovers wife and elders just gnaws at me.

BTW - I already told RG this but the descriptions of the area are spot on since I grew up in that area in the 1950 and 60's. Rob and Lisa could have been having lunch at the Knotty Pine restaurant.

This sort of predator (that is what he was) would have all sorts of victims. Some of the women would have been forced, believe me, and what about other husbands. My opinion is that the placard would have been the little stone, women would have started to complain the sob had ruined theirs lives, there would have been at least one suicide, I have seen this to many times in my practice. Then the publicity would have made it impossible for his "work" (which was a cover anyway) to be shown. Galleries and collectors would have been forced to remove and return or destroy his work to protect their reputation. In the end, he would have destroyed the only thing that Karen and Avril cared about, his reputation. The sob would have been publicly branded a predator and his work would be savaged as mediocre, common, unworthy, second rate, etc. In the end, it would be a BTB worse than it was especially for Karen and Avril and the old crown, destroying their first love forever even after death.

You still left him a wimp. I would have torched that painting for sure.

George, I am a fan of Richard Gerald. He develops his characters and his stories are well crafted. I reread his story before beginning yours.

You also took time to develop many of the same characters and your story was exceptionally well developed. Here the similarities stop. Your story , to this elderly male, provided a more realistic ending. The unknowing "cuck" was unwilling to accept the "love" of two manipulative women;one of whom was an unrepentant , unfaithful wife.

Trust is essential to any successful marriage and trust was totally lost.

Thank you for sharing

Ed