All Comments on 'Brownwood: A Long Goodbye'

Quite original, I'd say.

Five stars easily.

This was so sad and so well written. I just don't know what to feel about this...you have earned your 5 stars and then some.

that is a very hard decision to make when a loved one becomes like that. its the hardest on the one that still remembers who they are and have to watch as the one they love goes away from them in mind. that is so hard to see good writing

Why on earth did I read that? That was incredibly heartbreaking and you could only weep for Nathan - and yeah, I ended reading in tears. To think one day you could endure that from your spouse, without malice or contempt - purely innocent but no less destructive. Then her final words...

I don't know how you wrote that story, it was perfect, and empathetic and isolating and sad as hell.

That was a very sad truthful story. The same happened to one of our Supreme Court justices.

Tragic and heartbreaking but very well written.

This is going to sit in my head for the rest of the day. Well paced and a damn good read, worth every damn star I could give it.

My father was recently committed to an institution as he suffers from advanced Alzheimers. The scenario described is truthful in its pain and anguish. Watching one you love deteriorate is heartbreaking. Knowing when to give up is perhaps the hardest thing of all.

Thanks for the read.

One of the saddest and truest stories I have ever read. It broke my heart.

Damn, that hurt to read. I can't imagine living through it.

is one of the most terrible mental diseases known to men,it can only get worse,never better and in the end leaves the patient like a child with no memory not recognising family ,friends,husband or children

It is so heartbreaking reading well written storys like this one

5*****

Well written but so sad.

I read the comments before I read the story. I should have just given this story 5 stars and walked away. I didn't, and now my allergies are acting up. Damn dust.

Excellent story!

Wonderfully written and quite sad. Very well done

Bloody horrible story. Don't want to read anything like that again.

Oh, and it gets a five star

Great and different story. Deals with a difficult subject and one to certainly provoke some thought. Enjoyed that your story was absent of the same tired plot lines of strange car in the driveway, etc. Also noted there were no "bad guys" in your story. All were victims of varying degree.

I cared for my Father as best I could for nearly 15 years. Alzheimers is a bad way to go. The patient can be impossible to deal with. This story was uncomfortable. But that's not to say it wasn't a good story.

I face the same situation, sad to say. It has killed most of my older relatives. A bullet is much kinder. Plain fact.

when I heard about his Alzheimer's I felt differently. I recall reading an event wherein he was walking through his ranch house and espied a miniature of the White House. He was alleged to have looked at Nancy and said, "I know that has something to do with me, but I can't remember what it is."

Your story was so sad. It doesn't belong on a web site like this one. Then again, this web site does have an audience for this.

Thanks. I voted a five, but somehow it seems like the act of voting for something like this tarnishes it.

Please keep writing and sharing your thoughts.

Jedd Clampett

within the husband between his sworn duty in his vows for his wife, and his own mental health and self-respect. Knowing she was sick was the biggest part of the problem. Were her infidelity and faithlessness to him the result of choice or malice, that would be one thing. Having them result from her illness is quite another, and it amplifies the level if his inner turmoil exponentially.

Such a quandry, and it is understandable that exhaustion and familial strife would necessarily be a part of the package. Knowing that she was acting out of ignorance would be little or no balm to salve his wounded heart and mind.

Still...is divorce the right answer? It is entirely inappropriate for anyone but him to cast a material vote. The stakes involved are his own heart and mental well-being. Repeated exposure to ongoing heartache at the hands of one whom you love so deeply could in the end cost him in a myriad of ways: his health, sanity, emotional well-being, even his life. Nobody should envy him his situation - or hers - nor their family/children.

The woman who intervened - ever so lightly - did so in probably the best way possible in the circumstances, and her level of empathy, clarity, and moral character showed her in the light of a person wise in the ways of heart and mind.

I liked the say the author approached the story, and the tale was well told. I should have given it 5*, but slipped when clicking and it got only 4 - sorry.

A real story with powerful emotions. You wrote a concise and pointed tale. That's how it's done.

sad tale but so many times a true to life tale. what do you do when someone

you care for no longer knows who you are? do you just stop living and

wait till they die to live again? I try to remember who and what they were

before they went into their own little world .

Here's a sentence at the start of the story:

I'm a cuckold, he thought to himself. I would've never imagined that possible.

Considering the context of the story, that his wife is suffering from Alzheimer's, this struck me as a bizarre thought to have. No doubt, some people may have such a thought, but nothing else in this story justifies it.

If anything, it only cheapens what the story is really about. The poor man is suffering from a disease-driven loss etc.(not a morally wayward partner) and he fully understands the circumstances.

Possibly the author wrote this as a way to introduce a moment of ambiguity into the story, followed by a 'twist' that the wife is in fact ill. The story is too short for this sort of twist. It would have been more than adequate to deal directly - and only - with the genuine suffering of people in these situations.

I don't think so. And I think that would be the last thing on the mind of a man in this situation. Despite that poor opening this is a very well written story of pain and loss. You really stuck the knife in us with Eva's desperate plea.

By the way the tags for this story are wrong; Eva is not a cheating wife, there is no betrayal in the story. As for adultery perhaps in the technical sense but not in any real way. I hope you can fix them.

for making me think so much. I've enjoyed your other works but this one made me think about Nathan and Eva and of the future possibilities and the sadness for their lost past life.

I wrote a sad story (Stone Cold) about a man losing his wife and not being able to deal with it. But your tale pulls on my heart strings more strongly. I think my character had the easier time of it.

I can read how Nathan feels and understand it logically but I can't begin to feel the depth of his misery. Your story made me slow down and think about Nathan and Eva's horrible situation. ESPECIALLY THE LAST LINE.

Thank you for what I consider one of the master pieces on this or any other site. Please continue writing and frequently.

Thanks

Woodmanone

We live and die, this disease and cancer take a terrible toll.

It's a sad story about how cruel life can be...Thank you for it...4*

Not anything I expected, some have done similar themes, and have scored quite high (qhml, dtversion, oshaw) but not quite like this. Alzheimer's is a brutal disease, and you captured that perfectly. Which means the story was quite sad.

Good piece of writing DFW but not too many more of these. 5*

really erotic, thats precisely why I came to this page. to get more bad news

Not only sad but frightening. It could be any one of us one day.

Was it cheating? Her mind is locked in the past. Her grip on reality is weak. What's a loving husband to do? She doesn't even recognize him. Sad really. Do you divorce her, knowing her condition? Does the phrase "In sickness and in health" apply here?

Talk about a sad, sad tear jerker. Well written and so, so frightening to us older folks especially. What the hell would you do in his shoes? Crap--not the story, just the idea of the pain involved in this loving relationship.

It is a love story for now.

Beautifully written and thought out

When she could no longer remain home by herself, I remember walking into my grandmother's room at the nursing home and she recognized my son right away yet she had no idea who I was. Plus for the last eight years of her life, I dealt with my mother's worsening dementia as her home caregiver. It's so sad to see someone you've loved all your life fading away mentally before your eyes. It has to be much worse when it's a wife.

While it's sad, this is a wonderfully written story.

And evocative.

Thank you for this food for thought.

reading the loving wives section as an anonymous, I finally became a member after reading this story. It touches me emotionally, even the story line is very well narated. I cannot agree with the protagonists decision, but understand it very well. I'm interested in the comments of the other well appreciated LW authors. I agree that this story doesn't belong on this site, but where can you otherwise publish it ? This is perhaps a fantasy for tde DFWBEAST, but it is very realistic in my life.

5 stars

Timely and brilliant, and so well written. It's evocative of what I understand former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor went through with her husband when he no longer knew who she was or that he had a wife. The effects of this disease are hideous and all too often unbearably long-lasting for everyone involved.

Thank you for sharing this story

The problem of his suffering is grave and once she was put in an Institution it

was a rapid losing of his bond to her. This happens. My wife started in the end to call me Dad since from her point of view I am an old man and she is young. I do believe that we were lucky in that when it crept up on us we were both retired and had a reasonable amount put away. Therefore I have nurses 24/7 plus a lot of cuddling.

My day gets brighter when grabs my hand, pulls it up to her mouth and kisses it.

I thought this was very well written. The one part I did not understand was his statement:

"After the divorce is granted," he hoarsely whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "After the divorce is granted, I'll apply for an annulment."

I can understand the divorce. Maybe even not visiting ever again, but making the marriage as if it never existed? I just can't fathom this.

A grim little tale. I am surprised that mental institutions allow sex between inmates and more so when one or both is married! What kind of a fucked up world is this? Clearly they are not competent to make their own decisions - that is why they are there in the first place. Now, her husband, the most important person in her life is cut off from her and her care in the future. Is that in the best interests of the patient? If this is reality, it is horrible.

One of the saddest I have read in a long time.

but the pieces dont' fit together well enough to make it either a true story, or truly sad.

@sugna - It's a nursing home, not a mental institution.

@frazod - if you're catholic, you just can't get a divorce and get remarried. You have to pay to have the church annul your existing marriage first.

Not sure this site was the best spot for it. Certainly no fun to read about her loss of memory. And what was the annulment about? Was he Catholic and already planning to remarry? Did he feel he needed an annulment so he could be remarried in the Church? That seemed really odd. And having watched my Grandmother pass away under similar circumstances I'm here to tell you that they don't let their patients run around having sex with other patients. I guess that while this was well written, it simply wasn't entertaining. It felt completely out of place on a porn site. Not good.

I hold that committing to an institution is a way to speed up the loss of your

connection. Maintaining them at home and surrounding them with love makes

for personal satisfaction.

There was a movie with Julie Christie made in 2006 with a similar plot, based on a short story by Alice Munro titled "The bear came over the mountain". I mention this only to note that the plot here is actually very realistic. Very well done.

I had to deal with two parents in this condition. One day they treated me like I was still in elementary school, and the next day as the adult child that had to take care of them. It appeared that in this condition, their mind was consumed with negative thoughts and actions. Life insurances were cashed in without my knowledge. I had to take out burial insurances, and pay for them out of pocket. "Agency on Aging" people were ran off the property. My mother started two fires because my father did not want to eat my sister's cooking. I can't criticize the action any person takes who has to deal with this situation.

Emotionally compelling. I think the slow reveal (whih was needed in order to produce a full story from the premise) made it a little harder to love, because half the story is behind us by the time we are able to say with certainty what the full situation is and how we feel about it.

But very engaging.

What did the doctors advise him? Was the illusion good for her or bad for her? If he really thought his wife wanted him to move on, then what did he want for her? Death, loneliness, coma? His wife was gone. He should have understood that the woman fucking the current Bobby of the month was not his wife, Not His Wife! She was not betraying, not cheating, not abandoning him. He no longer existed in her world. He Was Not Her Husband. If she had some other disease and was in excruciating pain and they gave her narcotics that essentially made her unconscious, would he deny her that since she would then be unavailable to him as his wife? She was living her last years in a world of blissful ignorance. The divorce was for his sake, not hers. His last note was a lie. He cannot giver her freedom, only death will do that. She is a prisoner inside a mind that no longer functions, and thank God she has the illusion that she is in paradise, with her lover. How could a man who loves her and understands her illness not forgive her, even be happy for her. I'm sure he could stroll around the institution and see many other men and women in actual suffering. He should be grateful she thinks she is happy.

A very sad story, not of a cheating wife, but of a husband too selfish and egotistical not to let her go. It appears he may have a second chance at true love and happiness. He should dig within his love for his wife to find some gratitude that she too has moved on to what she thinks is love and happiness. They were happily married until death did them part, mental death. Its time to let go and wish her God's speed to her next life, and his.

When the one you love and plan to grow old with is only there in body but not in mind. Thanks for the read. 4*

An NO, the institutions would never allow this.

It's always hard to watch love wither and die. No real winners in this stor, just people trying their best to survive and find happiness wherever they can.

I am often amused when any of these stories evoke such harsh response as some readers deliver. These are not factual accounts..only fictitious renderings. This was sad, having experienced dementia both in my mother at the end of her life, and my daughter as well before losing her fight with cancer. Was also reminded of "The Notebook". Writer must have had a sad experience to have been able to write this.

So sad. In the end all the confused ex-wife had was a distant memory of someone who must have been important but she could not recall who he was. As for our lost husband he was never a cuckold, as a person has to be of sound mind to put someone in that position. And we know she was forever lost. I'm happy this is fiction because real life is too sorrowful to have to live through.

m sad. would love to see the next part or another version of this tale. please do write the next part . rated five star

Akkkk, the feels!!!

. . . of extreme sensitivity to a loving relationship. This one is exquisite in its sensitivity. I have known, as a nephew and son, some of the agony of dealing with loved ones with Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, whatever you choose as label. I have not had to inflict that pain on anyone myself yet, my brain still functions as body is breaking down in certain places.

One hell of a good job of storytelling DFWBeast.

This woman is sick. She deserves no slings and arrows. Nor does she deserve the heartbreak that she got hit with in the end.

Almost all of the second page is about convincing this guy to ditch his SICK WIFE. Honestly, it would have been a more interesting story if HE had committed adultery...because in an instance like that, I think we could show a cheater compassion.

But no, instead we have to shit on a mentally disturbed woman as if she were in her right mind.

I did not like this story, not because it was badly written, nor because it was badly conceived, nor because it was unrealistic. I have experienced Alzheimer's in my own life and that she was treated...honestly, shabbily.

I know you tried to make it seem like he was only protecting his heart, but the inference was pretty damned pointed.

So well written. Left a horrible taste in my mouth.

Not a fan of this one, although, I must admit it is brilliantly written. I prefer the intensity of a more traditional loving wives story, This one is so sad!

This is a great story, but the comments were better and more enlightening.

Nearly everyone has had, or is having, an experience with Alzheimer's. Experiencing it through your parents is very hard, particularly when the patient becomes abusive. The concern for the well parent's safety, embarrassment, humiliation, heart-break and anger is overwhelming. Of course you, your siblings and others are experiencing the same emotions.

It is even harder when, as you grow older, you see the same issues in yourself. Will I be a burden? Will I embarrass my wife, children and grandchildren? What is in the future?

What a hideous exploitation of a illness that is heartbreaking for millions of american families for a cheap pop. You're just a disgusting person. Maybe kharma will catch up with you. Disgusting comments too.

The author has accurately captured the heartbreak that relatives of those suffering from advanced dimentia must endure. There comes a point, sometimes very early on, when the person the relatives knew no longer exists. As the doctor for a relative told me, "Do not grieve for her. She is happy in her world. You have to be able to move on and find your own happiness. You do not exist in her world." This story brought me to tears.

This read as a perfectly ordinary and even pedestrian tale right up to the last two paragraphs. Those last two paragraphs earned you five stars. Well done, sir.

What an amazing and realistic story.

Bravo!

Thank you and Please keep writing!

I probably missed the point of the story but the mental disease aspect of the story hit to close to home. Not sure why you would put it in the light of cheating and maybe it was clarified later but to hard to finish. The title of a long goodbye only makes it worse but insensitivity to others is the norm these days.

Difficult situation, what do you do... For better or worse, in sickness and in health...

The missery this man must have suffer.

....of course reaped the heartbreak of one of the manifestations. It seems a little unusual, but not outside the reach of possibility. In any event, the story was well told and captured the situation many families find themselves struggling through for those final years.

Thank you. It was a tough topic, told with a certain kindness and compassion rare here.

Obviously sad . You really went overboard with this heart wrenching story DFW Beast !!

My first point is the ending . Yeah it really ups the impact but it is false , If you are trying to stick to realism . So it doesn't work.

As others have stated you never get better with Alzheimer's disease. My father had it . His last years in an institution were happy for him. Once he forgot his wife , children , grandchildren... he lived happily in his mind and 50 or 60 years in the past.

Here in this state as long as a patient responds lovingly to the spouse's attention , observed by the nurse and they are still married, a conjugal visit is allowed and even encouraged .

Enough with the lecture . Gave you 3*s . I just felt manipulated . Still keep writing I generally enjoy your stories . Warts and all, lol.

AMerryman

For anyone who has had a loved one go through this it captures a bit of the heartache.

So I gave it 5*

Truly thought provoking and touching.

This story was power and painful. Strikes too close to home for me to be able to enjoy it or judge it properly. Please excuse my earlier comments.

Someone expressed surprise at the idea of getting an annulment after a divorce. These two were Latino which probably means they were Roman Catholic. Perhaps a Roman Catholic in the crowd can verify, but I suspect it has to do with Catholics not being able to marry again in the eyes of the church as the church does not recognize divorce. I think an annulment solves that problem as "they were never married".

I give it a 5

The same situation happened to my late mother in law. Her husband was admitted to an enclosed mental care facility. In the ward he was admitted to was also a woman who sought out, as confused as she was, male company. While most male occupants rejected her advances, my gentle minded but very confused father in law allowed her to more or less claim him. Despite the family's urgent requests the facility refused to seperate them and place one of them in another ward, as this situation was very painful for his very frequently visiting, disabled wife. They only conceded to our urgings after this woman struck my mother in law hard in the face with a towel. These institutions only seems to take interest in the well-being of their guests, showing utter heartless neglect of the pain and distress (earlier) loved ones have to endure over such a heartbreaking situation.

Although the main players can't help themselves due to their mentaly devestating desease, many institutions completely loose sight of the overall picture, thus completely neglecting their social resposibility to properly address family tragedies, as deseases like Alzheimer and the like cause, as they should for ALL involved and prohibit painful situations like this to develop.

For this very accurate perception of situations like these there is only one reward: 5 *.

I have to give it 5 stars. I put myself in Nathan's place with tears in my eyes as I felt his anguish and sorrow. Fortunately there was someone there to restore him once his grieving was at an end.

Not sure low score was the issue. Story has a little red H by it. (hmmm doubt fragile ego but I guess it's possible if author expected it to Top 250) Author's bio said he'd posted a story that was too close to home, pretty good bet it's this one.

My mother has had Alzheimer's for 5+ years, so this story hits me hard. My father is 89 and is now living in the house I bought for them by himself; my mother is 77 and it was tragic that she was so much younger and succumbed this early. Mom is now in care but she still knows she's not home and is not a happy camper most days. The big fear with the families of Alzheimer's patients are those moments of lucidity when the loved one feels a loss of family. The last lines in this story bring back that fear back to me.

Wonderfully written and quite heartbreaking.

Easiest 5 stars ever.

Far too painful but well written.

WTF! Divorce her? So she gets put in a home that has even lower standards thn this clap-trap joint which lets rapes and rampant patient abuse occur? Nearly every court in the US would reject such a divorce action. She no longer had capacity, if the son tried to sell her down the river, a competent judge would appoint a guardian ad litem to protect her interests. And divorce is not in her interests! Lost Social Security, lost, pension interests, etc, and the state might seek to intervene as the costs of her institutionalization if hubbby books will ultimately fall on the state, which will seek a lien interest in the husband's/wife's little 200 acre casa.

Divorce? I dobn't think so!

And annulment? DWFBeast, I've read several of your excuses for stories, and you have to be one of the most legally uneducated people on the planet!! In the USA, a person can obtain an annulment if, AT THE TIME OF THE MARRIAGE, there was a legal impediment to the marriage!! Such as, one or both parties: were married to someone else, were under the minimum age to lawfully marry, were unable to produce children and concealed that (impotence, barreness, etc.), committed fraud to induce the other party to marry, were insane or not mentally competent at the time of the marriage (note: drunkeness at the time of marriage will not be a basis for an annulment, after 30+ years of living together as married, and producing several children), and these are just the rules for American civil law. Some commenters have speculated that the reason for an seeking annulment would be under the aegis of the Roman Catholic Church. Again, he has no basis unless he lies under oath to the Church and claims he never had a valid sacramental marrige to begin with! Since she has a right in that process to present information and argument in favor of validity, and since the Roman Catholic Church appoints a third party to argue IN FAVOR of the validity of the marriage, I suspect most diocesan tribunals are not going to declare the marriage a nullity when one of the parties can no longer explain whar happened when they married so many years ago!

The protaganist may be hurting but to seek divorce and annulment shows him to be the lowest form of verminous scum!

DWFBeast, please stop writing!

As painful as it was. 5*. Thank you. You touched me.

Shut up retard, and retake your place in the zoo!

Having first hand experience of this physical and mental terror this story rings heart breakling true. A well written gut wrencher and definitely 5 star.

If you are >50 this is a 'fear' that touches all of us. We all know, as of today, this is a progressive incurable one-way trip that will hurt our love ones. If it hits me I've given instructions to my family, I need to clean my pistols and for all of them to take a 2hr shopping trip.

This story is similar to the movie 'The Notebook', that was just too sad....

To bad you're not allowing scoring on this story -- five star. Wow. Well told, no too fast or too slow, just enough detail to keep it rolling. XLNT

Love this story

Really well done. Different, real great dialogue.

This brought me pain. I love my wife more than I can express and I could not imagine having to go through this. Well, I couldn't until I read this. How do you protect your reason to breathe from something so insidious?

I know that writing, like all art, is to inspire emotion and thought. This story did that in spades. It was dark and dreadful emotion but emotion nonetheless​.

what is the other to do. TK U MLJ LV NV

It was well written, no question about that.

But this is a porn site and nobody is looking for a sad story to remind us that the real world is a cold, harsh place and that bad shit happens.

Please don't do this again.

Please accept the fact that not every story is going to be erotic. even if the sitemIS called Literotica.

You're not going to change things by complaining!

Many people complain about different things here, to no avail. It is what it is, if you can't accept it, look elsewhere.

No its not, its a literature site dedicated to erotica. But since a good 85% is stroke story crap I can see where you'd make that mistake.

truly sad story.Very brave to post it.I bet you will get a roasting from most of the anonymous critics.I however thought it well thought out and very moving.

GREAT LOVING WIVES STORY. YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART.

and tragic , with true love , good stuff.

why are people whinging there's no sex in it? you really wanna read about sex with mentally ill people? you sick fucks! go read something else.

But I am so Frigigin depressed now! Bummer story plot, however, extremely well crafted and written. I think we deserve a happy ending in a coming story? Thanks for sharing.

I don't know where that burst of emotion came from, but you just broke my heart with this tale...

I've read this before and so once I realized it was the story and what it was about (no spoilers here), I just skimmed it, waiting for the part at the end (though I'd forgotten the precise phrasing) I knew was coming...

And with only a few sentences to go, you tore out my heart...

I read a lot of "threw away love" stories hoping to see the person who did it punished for THAT crime and for their victim to recover...

But seeing love hurt when no one's to blame just feels so much worse (though I love these stories too)... after all, who do you punish in those cases...? How can you feel good for their pain in the end...?

But a very good story not withstanding...

not sure what's the big deal is , being a cuck is wonderful.