All Comments on 'Driving Home for Christmas'

The best story I have read on this site. Thank you

I have really enjoyed many of the author's stories and this was was maybe his best yet.

5 stars, 'nuff said!

Very nice. I kind of wished you hadn't been so cagey with Percy/Sephie's identity on the ride. It was obvious, so concealing it was a bit cheesy. But that's a very minor point. A fine story. 5 stars.

and do gooders try their best. TK U MLJ LV NV

The only detail for me that sounds a bit wrong is that domenescu was blacklisted there where penny wasn't ,doesn't sound very real

A loveley story by the best author on the best site. Nothing else to say really.........

Which I've had for about...um...one story...that the basis of all British drama is their intrinsic emotional constipation and I've held this belief for a long time (since the train scene in Catterick)

So, allow me to think the Brits for their sacrifice of suffering as they let their emotional hang ups create some incredible literature.

More rational creatures actually deal with these things (sometimes in unhealthy ways: see France Italy and um...various motel rooms in America) and their literature suffers as a result. ;-)

Interesting story

Thank, not 'think'

So that lets you off the hook for that waste/waist, site/sight issue which kept cropping up.

I do it too.

Lovely story with the misdirection on who was with Drew. And I know it was not mentioned (or if it was, I missed it), but by the way the drive was going and her having to make frequent bathroom breaks and the comment about "seeing their faces", she's pregnant isn't she?

Always seems so lame for the British reticence to communicate and be open about ones feelings being used as an excuse or plot device for wrong choices. Wife is lonely but too proud to tell husband. But not too proud to start fucking her assistant? And not too proud to lie about her affair? Too proud to say she's lonely, but not too proud to fuck up the rest of her life. He's too insecure to tell the woman he loves that he loves her? She's drops hints that she wants to spend the rest of her life with him? And yet maintains some sort of relationship with queer boyfriend? Too much of your plot hinges on the right words and feelings not being communicated at critical points in the story. If he or she had just said this or that, it all would have turned out entirely better. Good God, say what you think, and ask for what you want! Blessed are the meek, for they shall get what falls in their lap, and nothing more.

Good plot and story, but maddening characters. Hope you are proud of yourself!

A perfect holiday story in other words. It takes a very good writer to purposely depart from the usual formula and veer to excess and make it come out right. Timing is everything. In August, I would have dismissed this as treacle and pablum . But with holidays din amping up to annual dull roar ? Full marks. *****

She needed him and he had a choice. Show some compassion or be a vindictive prick and hound her to the grave. He chose the latter. No heart, no guts, nothing but bitterness and revenge. All the worst British traits.

But a good yarn, nevertheless, and way, way better than the competition.

Think it's the best you've ever submitted here. Reminds me of DG Hear and Harddaysnight back when they were good.

A well executed story. Deyaken in his own imitable way tells a great story. I liked most of it except the timetable for him and Sephie, felt wrong, and I guess it is attributed to the stubborn English mentality so prevalent in the style by the writers from across the Atlantic.

The play on her name as a misdirection didn't work.

On a five point scoring system an easy five. On a 10 point a 9.

Maz

And what's more, it's set where I grew up. I know the exact route described here, I like driving through Wingham too!

Such a long long way from Arizona.

Great story, well written.

outstanding thanks 5

I was sad about Penny's death .... And that she was ill when it happened but guess that is life. Glad he got back together with Sephie!

I enjoyed the journey you took us through

...so I skipped ahead to the end and then went back and read the middle. The story was compelling just a little long for my tastes. I really appreciated the story telling as well but have had a long attachment to British authors even though I don't understand British sensibilities about many things. I'm probably not refined enough. Drew is certainly a better man than I and much more tolerant than I could have pulled off had found myself in Penny's company after her betrayal.

I wish that I could offer sage comments and suggestions re: the prose but frankly I enjoyed every word. Please don't try to write "American", your English is terrific as it is. 5*

Frustrating how you did not describe the fantastic aromas that must have been present in the truck when people have sex after a lack of bathing for quite some time.

Just a kink that would have made the story more enjoyable for me.

Well worth the time you spent writing and the time I spent reading.

5*****

Thanks for a well crafted story.

The story from start to finish kept me on the edge of my seat.

Well Done.

Thank You

I really enjoyed the story. I surmised a twist or two but the ending was great. You and your 'helper' missed a few typos from around page 8 but that is understandable. Assuming this is not a true-ish story it was very good and I would think you have the makings of a proper book within you. 5 stars from me and I will add you to my favourite author list. If you want someone to proof read any further stories, I am happy to help.

You did a great job.. On the one hand I did not want it to end but on the other I wanted to know what was going to happen. Well done.

What a fantastic story! I enjoyed this more than I have enjoyed another story in quite some time.

I was scared though, afraid he was going to take the cheating cunt back, especially when she seduced him the first time. But he kept saying 'that ship has sailed' and I was becoming more certain than ever, it was heading back into port. I'm sorry to have seen her die, I'd rather she lived to see him marry Sephie and watch him live a happy life with someone else.

She had NO excuse for what she did.

One of your best stories! Sometimes it may be impossible to forgive a betrayal. I usually think it's not a good idea for spouses to work long distances from one another. It's very risky to make surprise visits. You never know what you may find and may not really want to know.

Boyd Percy

Thoroughly traversed emotions, relationship issues galore and yet no confusion or doldrums present to the fully engaged reader. Impressive at the end combined with the enjoyment of reading quality work.

BRAVO!!!

I'd read!!!!!

I read it to the end, and certainly enjoyed it. Apparently though, not as much as most readers, who generally are very enthusiastic.

It was a bit too long and typos exist. A more stringent edit would have improved it in my view.

We got the, not unusual, 'site' for 'sight', 'waste' for 'waist', and most amusing, 'internment' for 'interment'. (To save you looking it up that is confining for burying).

Still a good read and I thank the writer.

It was clear that the passenger in his car was a mystery. It could have been a new woman but most likely it was Penny or Percy. I'm glad it was Percy.

My one dissatisfaction with the story was him getting back together with Penny. He did everything right and told her it was just friendly sex with no possibility of more but that doesn't matter. She expected more and that was pretty predictable. So he spends some time with another woman and Penny is broken up, going into depression. Are we supposed to feel sorry for Penny? Is he a jerk? The outcome of her getting hurt was pretty certain but I don't feel sorry for her. He WAS stupid because it was certain to end up badly. It was then convenient for Penny to die and provide an act of God solution to the problem. At last she was at peace. Come to think of it, Ion death was an act of God type solution as well. It kept Drew's hands pretty clean of a unfortunate end to both of them.

At that point I expected Percy to pop back up and guessed the ending.

Nice read.

Maybe, MAYBE, her affair could be excused or at least not be totally destructive.

But when she blows of CHRISTMAS with her CHILDREN, even if she doesn't care about her husband, then LIES about went on, then blows off Easter, too, she has lost all rights to any consideration.

And frankly, I can understand the kids wanting to maintain a relationship with their mother, she didn't cheat on THEM, even if she did blow them off for the holidays, but for their daughter to go and at least tacitly endorse her new marriage, is really disrespectful to their father.

Maybe by the end I'll feel differently.

Very realistic plot. Some minor spelling issues like waste for waist or site for sight but other than that a full 5*

DYK thanks for such a good story. You really got a feel for the time and place.

How human the characters were.

An excellent combination of character development and an very well layed out story.

A solid 5!!

The feel good hit of the winter.

Good story......5*****

Very good mirror.......Drew and Sephie met same problem....good author idea.

I don't understand the comments about who the passenger was, it was fairly obvious.

I know it was necessary for the plot, but why neither one could bring themselves to ask the other to commit is beyond me!

Lots of ups and downs left me wondering what was going to happen. It all came out in the wash, though. Great story...I hope you have more. Thanks for sharing.

Good captivating tale of woe and a hoe.. Haa haa. Good to see the good guy come out ok or even better..... Pretty damn good landing, a hottie military nurse... Yeehaa!

Persephone? May be a common name in the U.K., but it's a new one to me. EEww! Drew was a wronged arseluk. Because he let Sephie get away. Life is too friggin' short. Otherwise good reading and writing. Cheers!

That was absolutely brilliant. Normally I don't enjoy the UK stories as much, but this one was amazing.

but i wouldnt have changed anything... loved it ... 5*

this was a good story. I have never seen him make so many errors in spelling and grammar as he did in this story. It was good, but could have been great. 'You're' and 'your', 'waist' and 'waste', and quite a few other odd mistakes lessened the impact of the story. I hate when a guy grabs her 'waste'. Yuck! My bigger problem is an issue that seemed to have no solution was solved by death. I felt his pain. I felt her pain. I was emotional trying to determine how I wanted it to play out. She just died. Game over.

1. Penny always loved him? Really? I don't think that fits the facts. She was a bored with her marriage and her family. She wanted to start a new life. She took the second year in Romania intentionally to get away from her family. It is NOT what a person who loves their family would do - ever. It goes against the very definition of caring for your husband and children. In the back of her mind she was planning this all along. She didn't care enough about them to make the trip home for Christmas? She wanted to stay and fuck the kid. (who anyone, even an old bitch in denial should have known was just using her) Love is a thought, a word and finally and action. She lied, she didn't love any of them. Even if she was luke-warm on her husband - her kids should have been enough for her to keep her cunt in her pants. She cheated all of them.

2. It is impossible to live with a person for 20 years and not know that they do not really care about you. Anyone who says differently is in denial or just lying. He should have know this was coming and he should have been ready when it happened.

3. He had no trouble bouncing from cunt to cunt after he found her out. Was he hypocritical or did he just jump on her bandwagon and figure casual sex was acceptable? Either way, why be upset with her if he was going to go the same route? In which case why not have an open (meaningless) marriage and avoid the divorce? 4. What about the other ladies? Was he just using their pussies like Ion used his wife?

5. When he shacked up with his pathetic mentally disturbed wreck of an ex-wife - what was he thinking? It was clear that she was desperate for what she had thrown away. His words did not lead her on but his actions did. He contributed to her death - the death of his kids mother and his grandkids grandmother. Proud moment, eh?

Penny was a troubled, selfish, woman. Drew was a troubled, selfish man. Neither were sympathetic characters. In fact, really no one except Bonnie had much sympathy from me, and that was because she was stuck with a turd for a master!

The deceptive things about these stories is that the writers so frequently take nice normal seeming, middle class characters and then have them act like ignorant, uneducated trash. People who spend a lifetime "doing the right thing" do not suddenly change. They were either doing the wrong thing all along, or they had a serious mental breakdown. The cheaters that I have met were all predictable from day one. They were always clearly selfish, shallow individuals. They also usually are not too bright. The women are frequently are better than average looking. The men usually have a bit of power or money. They both seek a sense of power and control through using their assets to seduce other people. They do this because they do not have much else going for them and they do not value love, family or in fact themselves.

Wonderful character driven story. Fantastic to see the high scores it deserves the hall of fame. You went a bit Stangstar on us with the eleven pages and I felt it could have been cut down and had even more impact. Still I can only dream of putting one like this together. Congratulations 5*

1. Penny wanted to start a new life? I don't think so; it was plainly stated that she was lonely. Now it is true that she brought the loneliness on herself by ignoring her husband's wishes and staying by herself, but that is a different issue.

3. He had no trouble bouncing from cunt to cunt after he found her out. Was he hypocritical or did he just jump on her bandwagon and figure casual sex was acceptable? Either way, why be upset with her if he was going to go the same route? In which case why not have an open (meaningless) marriage and avoid the divorce?

Because she did it first! It was not something he wanted or would have chosen if give the choice!

4. What about the other ladies? Was he just using their pussies like Ion used his wife?

I may be forgetting one or two, but I believe his ladies were well aware of his situation and were using HIM as much as he was using THEM, plus he wasn't "using" them for anything other than sex. Ion wasn't even interested in the sex, was using the sex with her to get into England.

5. When he shacked up with his pathetic mentally disturbed wreck of an ex-wife - what was he thinking? It was clear that she was desperate for what she had thrown away. His words did not lead her on but his actions did.

Sorry, I simply disagree with your take here.

While I didn't WISH for Penny's death, I have little sympathy for her.

1) She stayed in Romania against her husband's wishes, and despite the warnings for unaccompanied women.

2) She was "lonely" and Ion made her feel attractive. Again, the loneliness was her own doing, and I'm getting kind of tired of these "Loving Wives" using the "I was feeling old and unattractive excuse!"

3) I mentioned it earlier, but abandoning her family for Christmas and Easter, and the lies, despite promising to come home.

4) She keeps trying to lure him back, despite his REPEATED assurances that the BEST she could hope for was "Friends With Benefits" arrangement.

I completely agree with item 5 in your post. Cheating is more an emotional than a physical betrayal. Once John allowed Penny to live with him, regardless of how many times he said they are just friends with benefits, he knew her feelings were different. In the end he was a cheater as much as she was, perhaps more blatantly so.

On one hand, Penny's betrayal did not warrant forgiveness. On the other hand, he still had strong feelings for her and she seemed genuinely repentant. How does the author resolve the dilemma? Just eliminate Penny and no decision has to be made.

I didn't want to be sandbagged by DeYaKen.

Didn't want to read about a wife getting the husband to raise a couple of kids that belongs to her boss. She doesn't birth any children by the husband. She died and the idiot, moron husband thinks he was a winner.

Anyway, some of his other stories are okay. Even a couple of good ones.

It sounds like the cheater dies in this story. Maybe it's a good one. But with DeYaKen that is NO guarantee!!! LOL

AMerryMan

I gave up after page 7. Even breaking up into two or more chapters would not have save this long winded rambling. This is several stories in one. The last three pages are jumping from one plot to another. The story should have ended with the divorce, and Derek hooking up with "Percy." Had to give two stars.

who apparently don't understand the great writing has to be about real life, and real imperfect people who are capable of making serious mistakes. C'est la condition humaine.

But for fuck's sake man, get a decent editor. Those stupid errors (waste for waist etc) prevent this from being great writing. But it's very close. So five stars from me.

Great story told in an interesting way with the Christmas songs woven into the story line. At times I wanted to scream at the idiot to get his head out of his arse (British term you know) but realized he couldn't hear me. But, in spite of his failings it all ended well. Ahh, not for all I guess, but there has to be some penalty for being both a bit stupid and unfaithful.

I thought we were going to end up with RAAC - should have known DYK wouldn't do that to his characters. Glad hubby ended up with the correct woman - sure took them a while! Five stars for sure.

Look a great story and a good ending . When he let sephie get away without telling her he loved her , it kind of dragged on to the conclusion. He had gotten enough information and let it slide away. Then the ex wife is in the picture who he resumes a sexual relationship with no intent of commitment . Then he finally shoots her down , so of course her hopes and dreams are ended and she became depressed and suicidale . So after all those yrs gone by he is set up to see sephie and this time he asks her . What a loss of years and now he is an old man . But still a great piece of writing

brilliant construction,interesting credible story that ticked all of the category criteria. Could have done with afinal check for capitalisation and the odd typo but compared to a lot of the dross over the last few weeks, it stood head and shoulders above them.

excellent storyline and a well written story

Thanks for sharing it with us

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your story. Thank you...

"I hate when a guy grabs her 'waste'. Yuck!"

Now that I know the story is fun, I'm gonna read it.

But unlike KarenE, I'm not gonna stop halfway to make comments. I'm gonna finish the HOLE story, first, and, THAN, make idiotic comments... I've been waiting for a long-ish LW story to read QUITELY into the night, so hopefully this is it... (Of course, if I stop half way to make comments, then I means I've not enjoyed it and won't continue reading it)...

But I just thought HDK's little comedic criticism on spelling was just TWO funny to pass up!

Confession: I can NEVER spell Mediterranean correctly. I can't remember whether "occasion" is spelled with a "c" and 2 "ss" or 2 "cc" and an "s".

(I noticed that, yes, spelled "occasion" incorrectly, but Literotica has an auto-spell-check, so it was immediately corrected; somehow I managed, for the first time, to spell "Mediterranean" correctly here, since whatever I typed stayed without any spontaneous magical activity on the screen! There's always hope, especially when I know the difference between "then" and "than" and "there" and "their" and "they're" and "your" and "you're" and "quiet" and "quite" and, most important of all, WAIST and WASTE...)

Anyway, yes, I will consider touching a woman waist, if permitted; but under NO circumstance would I touch her waste... even if my life depended on it!

I loved this one. It had Christmas, it had drama, tension, a sense of justice and eroticism. I'm glad he didn't take Penny back. She was a liar and a cheat. If she turned to Ion because she was lonely for Drew she would never have turned down coming home to be reunited with her true love. If it were just for companionship or sex Ion never would have been allowed to move in with her, she could have fucked him and sent him home. She turned down her husband and kids that fateful Christmas to get more alone time with her lover. There is no way Drew or anybody could take her back.

She should have quit her job as soon as Drew sent divorce papers. Maybe she would have proven to Drew that she wasn't with Ion and that Drew was the most important man in her life, instead she stayed in Romania with her lover and used tactics to delay the divorce that were doomed from the start. In the end she confessed that she would have dropped Ion if Drew gave her an opening. How could he if she was still with fuckwad.

She proved that everything was more important than her marriage. I would never take a job that separated me from my family. They are more important to me than money or career.

Penny never was honest or logical. Why would she ever be rewarded with a good life? Five stars easily! Such a great author is DeYaKen

Beautiful story, with lots of drama and enjoyable teasing all the way through. Well done, I loved it!

I am a bit emotional as I write this, to your benefit. Didn't like a lot of what was going on, but the way you kept the tension flowing, and ebbing up and down, really wonderful.

Dont know why but I always thought it was Penny in the car on the way home with him, and the ending did surprise me a bit. Nice job tying it all together.

I have read some of your other works, enough to get excited when I see you posted this, and you did not disappoint. Going to make a point of reading your entire portfolio.

The best LW story I've read this year. Sure, there were some spelling problems that caused a momentary snicker. Of course we knew who was in the car all along. But the story was captivating and I was sad to see it end. Thank you DYK.

Your writing is brilliant and your storytelling is enough to make me very jealous of your talent. Yes, there were grammar issues from time to time and it was pretty obvious that the woman in the car with him was not Penny, but it didn't matter. You told the story with consistency and it held together to the end.

Absolute top, no doubt about it. More of this quality please.

Maybe I am reading too much into this BUT... to me what's really interesting about THIS story is that it shows a cultural divide between our British Cousins and Americans. There is a really nasty underlying theme which is common in these English/ British LW stories. Sometimes this trend is subtle as it is in this particular story when the author is very good and very skilled... But sometimes quite blatant ( for example stories from britease) .

Why does the husband take all the SHIT in the story? He takes CRAP from his own mom and dad he takes it from his GROWN adult kids . In almost every single instance ... The husband gets blamed ..at least initially ...for about everything.

For example after returning home from Bucharest and his shocking discovery that his wife in fact does not want to have Christmas with him that wants to FUCK younger men .. He tells his family.

And they of course immediately blame him. His own mom and dad and his own intelligent grown adult children ALL call him a liar ?

Then when the wife finally returns back to the UK... Immediately everybody believes the wife once again. Not until the husband y shows the pictures do perceptions begin to shift. And of course does anybody actually apologized to the husband for not leaving him? noooooooooooooo of course not.

This trend continues throughout the entire story and it's quite nauseating

"You still love her don't you Daddy. I know she loves you. Can't you just hop on plane, go out there and bring her back?"

Seph goes to Germany and its HIS fault for NOT wanting rushing into his next marriage? Does his feelings or mindset get ANY consideration at all? NOOOOOOOO

then even WORSE when Penny gets drunk... who catches hell? sure enough the husband.

Like I said it is a pretty good story and maybe I am reading too much into this but this is a trend which you see with a lot of British LW stories. To be sure when a person tells you something which is so shocking that you question it many times... well that IS part of human nature. But it would be nice in some of these stories is some are correct to say... " you were right I am was wrong for doubting you. I am sorry"

Loved every nook and cranny and forked road in this tale. All the great words have been said and I second the opinions.

I hope that another story of this caliber is still in you.

Thanks for a wonderful read.

With such a well-written story I can easily forget about some little spelling errors. And since exactly these (waste - waist, site - sight) have got so common on this site, please be tolerant and honor this author's excellent output.

I seldom cope well with stories that long on LIT, but this time I read it all through in one session and re-read some passages again today. It was amazing; thank you, DeYaKen!

This is a wonderful "short story" that is well developed, written and contains both sad and happy endings. This story ranks with some of the best in LW. A full story develops with good and bad decisions made and consequences, good and bad, result. Write a bit more often. A well-deserved 5!

Tiny Tim

This is one of the best stories I have ever read and in my mind can even see a movie made from it.

Love the feeling behind all the characters.

Love the complex emotion that is told and felt throughout.

absolutely love it.

Excellent! *****

Great story, loved the characters and their development, enjoyed the twists and turns til the end.

BDEarth

And I say that in spite of a few little annoyances like "she put her arm around his WASTE". Did he poop a big pile on the bed that she hugged? Someone as good with words as this author surely knows that the part of the human body is spelled waist. Thank you for a terrific story DeYaKen. Five stars is all I can give, wish I could give more.

Thanks!

I really enjoyed this tale; it had some humour, pathos, real life situations & a lot of good old fashioned romance. A very well balanced story, not perfect, as there were some spelling mistakes but hell, the positives greatly outnumbered the negatives, thank you. 5 * * * * *

most stories and read this one, loved it, but you have to admit you had no competition only a bunch of sick fucks.

I agree with Harry, the protagonist suffers from a great excess of passiveness and even submissiveness. I would have told everyone to go to Hell, but he knew he had aces under and calmly presented them. Now that is English.

He seemed unwilling to interfere in the life of others after the terrible Christmas. How did he manage to get married in the first place? Now Penny was truly stupid. As they say "Pride goes before a fall" and she took many of them. She did not seem too quick on understanding male motivation. Very sad tale!

Okay, I'm a sap for happy endings. That said, this tale was a delight throughout. My Christmas gift to you, however, would be a new proofreader.

At the first confrontation with his wife, he breaks Ion's nose, pulls his wife's rings off her finger, and strides out the apartment. At the second confrontation, with his family present, it turns out he made a thorough inspection of the apartment, complete with pictures.

... A really great read. Excellent intertwining of real time with flashbacks. Without much doubt, a top ten all-time and probably even a top five. I would normally give an extra star for NOT submitting this story in five or six parts over a week or ten days but I'm afraid that I can't add a star to a 5 star rating. Great job, maybe your best.

... If you're not going to read the story, why would you want to make a comment. Clearly, Drew, after head-butting lover boy, walked into the apartment while Penny consoled Ion. It's right there in the story at the bottom of page 1 and the top of page 2. Often it is better to remain silent and let people wonder if you're a dumb ass than to speak and remove all doubt. Or something like that.

This story reminded me of GaryAPB’s classic, Back to Bristol. Like him, you weave a very good yarn. Also like him, the story was much too long and laden with storytelling quirks.

For example, the constant references to songs playing on the radio detracted from the story. You can use this device a few times, but do not make it a standard intro to each chapter. That plot device was overdone. The time you spent doing this could have been spent on character development for Penny, Ion, and Sephie.

Likewise, the constant changes in time for the scenes was initially confusing. There were no transitions, just crude jumps. Were the characters conversing in the present or retelling an incident from the past? Fortunately, I was determined to stick with the story, otherwise I would have abandoned my reading after a few chapters.

I for one was upset that Penny died. She gave a plausible explanation for her adultery. She was wrong, but her circumstance should not have been beyond forgiveness. What swayed me was the cavalier attitude of Andrew toward bedding Sephie who was involved in a relationship with another soldier. Their encounter made Sephie no better than Penny in moral equivalency.

In my opinion, when you kill off characters you need to have laid a strong foundation as justification. You did not give enough of a reason for killing off Ion. He might have been an opportunist, but did his action merit death? No.

Likewise, the character of Sephie seemed as opportunistic as Ion. I know that wasn’t the intent, but you failed to provide us with more insights into what made her tick. Her final liaison with Andrew seemed predicated on her age and sexual openness. There wasn’t enough depth here to make a marriage.

Of course the making a couple of Sephie and Andrew was all too predictable, and for that I could rate the story no higher than a 4. You had a lot to work with, but your characters were a bit too flat for my taste.

Nowhere near too long. It pulled me in from beginning to end. If I were to be critical at all it would be that Arsehole should have pressed charges of head-buttery once he was exposed during the press conference. Whatever.. A great story and excellent writing!!

skimmed... and even though he didnt end up with the wife, he still ended up with the other chick who dumped him for another guy... same as wifey.... and this is your ending... congrats... self cuck = shit= sucks the ass= fuck off= 1 out of 5

decent story all thrown out the window due to another worthless ending.

Finished " Driving Home for Christmas " liked it.

With all of the characters , all of the places described , the dialogue , and the actions did not find the story too lengthy. In fact DeYaKen left out stuff. A meaningful description of the drug rep. Drew was sleeping with, why does lady Caroline control the army' s logistics , was she a general ? Why didn't Sephie ( Percy) keep in touch with Drew, her close friend ? Never a phone call nor visit. What is Boxer day? The day after Christmas ?? And a lot more......

Even with the missing details and the different languages ( English english versus American english ) I enjoyed it .Gave it 3*s .

I know DeYaKen writes to satisfy himself but I am glad he didn't make this a reconciliation at any cost ( RAAC ). Overall a decent read, thank you DeYaKen.

AMerryMan

Thank you for your work. It was a long story but I never wanted to stop reading it. It is hard to believe that Penny could not give up her lover to visit her family for the first Christmas. That holiday is so important to her family that she wouldn't give it up. She is so selfish, she would have her cake by going home to enjoy her family and then return to her "important" job and family. If her work was so pressing, you would expect that the family would have gone to visit her. The Percy character is hard to believe. What did she see in Drew? He was an overweight depressed middle aged man who was much older than her. Her choice of lovers was a gay doctor and an old depressed academic. How sad.

Harry's comment is spot on. Drew's mother's attitude is hard to believe but she is rewarded by Penny's role as her final caretaker. I liked the story and gave it 5 stars.

reasonable man

The first commenter was right, her not coming home for Christmas was the key point which her husband didn't discuss with her. A fling is one thing, but a woman not seeing her children and husband so as to be with her lover, in her mind she was divorced.

I found the protagonist so inarticulate at relationships trite and tiresome. But is was a prodigious work, and the writing quite good, but would have been a better, tighter story at 2/3 the length.

still a 5

Chilley

five stars. May be your best ever. This was well developed, engaging and had multiple layers. A deep tale.

I'm only half way throughout this story and had to comment

Can't believe they reconcile. Also. Seems a shame he didn't make it work with Sephie!

i always like to take the author's statements at face value. She seemed sorrowful for her actions and desperately committed herself to her ex-husband in an effort to get him back. On the surface, her explanation seems plausible. I wouldn't leave my wife for a year - strange things happen. However, the one detail that she left out of her eventual explanation of her behavior, was glaring. Not sure if it was an oversight on the part of the author, or a clue as to her true self. She didn't bother to explain why she blew off Christmas to stay in Romania with her lover - and hubby didn't call her out on it. She said she fell into the affair because she was lonely, missing her husband. And yet, here was the opportunity to go see him and reconnect. Nope. There was no guilt or remorse on her part. She stayed with lover boy because she had fallen in love with him. He mattered more to her than hubby and kids. When he shows up at her door, she is affectionately calling for lover boy to come back to bed. When she attempts to get hubby back, she lies to him and denies the very things he saw. When he rejects her and calls her out, she returns to Romania and marries the kid. Again, if she was remorseful, she wouldn't want anything to do with this guy. He was the reason her marriage fell apart. She should have nothing but contempt for him. Nope, she marries him. All these clues seem to suggest that she was not genuine in her sorrow, that only really surfaced after lover boy dumped her. But, I am conflicted about whether these were clues to her true character, or merely overlooked details on the part of the author. After all, hubby never calls her out on these details, and she does seem genuine in her attempts to reconcile. I just don't know what to make of it.

I'm not one for long stories but this just pulled me in and was very impressed by your writing. You are a very talented writer.

The author did a masterful job of "hiding" who the present-day wife was. I wanted Drew to wind up with Sephie. So, every step he and Penny took toward RAAC (and the closer the author got to page 11) made my happy ending seem that much more unlikely. This story was a perfect vehicle for the constant switching between the past and the present. I can't imagine the story being effective if was told in chronological order. The editor/proofreader could have done a better job; there were too many recurring errors, but I'll share that directly with the author.

@Drbeamer3333

Penny only really wanted to reconcile after life with her boytoy went to hell and she discovered he played her for a fool from day one to get the entry visa. She had completely moved on from her family when she was living with the dipshit when her affair was first discovered which was only barely mentioned during the confrontation. She also blew off the family dinner at her son's graduation to have dinner with the scumbag so for me her true character is pretty evident.

Long but well done he could've saved himself a lot of heart ache if he just talked what he really felt. Sad how the ex died even if she really fucked up the whole family. If people really thought how fucking around on their spouse would hurt so many people, maybe more wouldn't cheat.

Had a feeling a couple of pages in but kept me guessing till the end. Long story but well worth it. Thanks

This is one of the best stories. I really enjoyed it. Thank you very much!

One of the most enjoyable reads for a while. Your story kept me in suspense until the end. Couldn't stop reading. It made me really think about relationships and communication between people. Your best story yet.

You have my vote. I loved the story and I loved the twists and turns of the plot.