All Comments on 'Strange Car in the Driveway'

Lol, people complaining how this is still cheating and how the wife hurt her husband, when that's the point. People read cheating stories because they want the fantasy of cheating on someone, or being cheated on. You guys can't separate fantasy from reality.

Btw, I love the character of the wife, it seems like she have done all of this, because she still has some mental issues and wanted to test if her husband truly loves her, and if he would really forgive her. If he forgives her, she will be reassured about his love, and if he won't be able to trust her again, she will be punished for her bad actions, which is something she also feels she deserves.

garyr19680 made a GREAT point that I never thought of - they ALREADY performed this for the class, and got a standing ovation, so what was the point of acting it out in real life, except to torment him?

What a despicable person.

I like the story, well written, different, but very cruel to a loving husband. He didn't deserve that, but I am not sure the marriage survives, it was left high up in the air. If it survives is it as stable as it was?

Neurotic psychopath who manipulated her husband in such a evil way, I just can't see doing that to my worst enemy. My first reaction would be to gather all this crap up as evidence and bring it to a lawyer. I would leaving my workplace, apparently his boss knew all about it, and perhaps was reluctant but all the same did it. That was akin to emotionally raping someone. The only reason why I would have brought in the lawyers, because in our society that's the only acceptable way to get pay back. This story sorta perfects the term MIND FUCK...

Only problem is that I would hate the woman who would do this to me. No forgiveness.

????

I have read this before. Maybe I have lost my sense of humor. My first instinct is to get the sharpest blade in the kitchen and slice every piece of upholstered furniture in the house including the mattress. I would break every mirror and bust the wooden furniture. Then I would go away for a week without any communication and let her worry. This is just a cruel and indulgent joke that should never be played. When I returned, it would be a cold house for a damn long time.

Many comments have have been directed to Vera's cruelty and called for a divorce.

But we should not give low marks because we disagreed with the story, at least unless the story promotes criminal or immoral behavior. The story here was fresh, different and well-written.

The comments also overlook Vera's rationale that the couple never had to forgive each other in all their marriage, and she wanted for both of them to "get to experience the feeling of being the forgiven and the forgiver." I can see Vera's cruelty that requires forgiveness, but, even by the author's writing, the story is incomplete. Now, the husband has to do something that would require Vera to forgive him, or else, the marriage is not balanced out.

Finally, as in many other comments, I regret the comments that immediately call for a divorce where you children are involved. Divorces hurt children, and ultimately are not financially beneficial to either party to the divorce. Where children are involved divorce should be the last, not first, resort, and so some forgiveness is necessary.

Anyone so foolish to bring the private life of an employee into the workplace deserves to lose "their best manager". The same could be said for the person who leans so severely on forgiveness. When you take someone for granted or deceive them to such an extent as is written here, you call all hell upon yourself. There is no place for such deceit in marriage. It needs to be a place of solace not intrigue and mystery - that is what television and the internet are for.

Divorce and quitting his job are the best option for this person. There is no hope for reconciliation with a person who would go to such troubles to fuck with someone they "supposedly" loved.

Smokepole

Since she's being so cruel, maybe he should return the favor. Put the envelope back, and destroy the house, and burn all pictures including the wedding album. She made a choice to surprise him with this, so she needs to live with the consequences.

Incomplete

I would leave my wedding ring on the table right by my cell phone and quickly leave straight to the bank and clean out all accounts, then go straight to my job and file suit against my boss and leave town. Leave the bitch wife to tbinl about it for a while.

Great writing but horrible character. Divorce her ASAP.

Would of been 5* but their really was no ending, you just left it in the air.

I really want to say he would leave, but I don't think her will, it will be much worse for her though.

He would not be the same after this, his mindset will change, most if not all trust would be gone, especially someone as 'loving' as her would set him up on purpose because of a play! that would be the icing on the cake.

I wouldn't even comment about anything to her, silent treatment to begin with, sleeping on the couch or if they have a spare room, living for the kids and not caring what she does in the mean time.

Turn down the promotion straight away, the boss went through with it either way, she didn't have to do that, wouldn't of considered her a good boss afterwards, look for another job elsewhere.

Smash the room up, destroy all the equipment that the lovely reg set up, smash most of the photo's of them both.

Reg would need a few digs to his face, body and nuts, simply for wanting to 'cuck' him even if their was 'nothing' being done.

At the end of the story, no one was sorry, because they went through with it. All she needed to say was 'this is a difficult story but it's just a story, please read it and I'll let you answer all your questions that you have, but please know it's just a story' but she didn't and wanted his opinion in real life.

I want an ending to this so i hope you do find time to write it

I would have beaten her with a baseball bat for lying. She used him. If it were me, I would never get past this.

Just another cheating wife who believes that she is a lot smarter than her husband. This type of woman is why there are so many murder/suicides in the world. They just don't look past their own wants. jmo

In this case I'm talking about the commenters that think he should quit his job, leave his wedding ring behind and take off, First off, there is no indication given the the boss knew the full context of what the prank would entail. If it were me, I would be pissed at the prank on one hand but relieved that that was all it was. I'm glad that I don't have any friends with such a hair trigger to destroy contents in the house, file for divorce, quit my job and take off over a stupid prank. Just my 2 cents. QuietCritic AKA CC

Not someone any decent person should be married to.

Quite honestly if he didnt spend at least a week in a motel alone making her sweat her nasty ass off he's a walking waste of flesh.

No person who truly loved and cared for someone as she claimed, would do that. Literally they would not.

Gave you ac2 for not finishing the story

She has ruined him ever being able to trust her again. This was overly cruel and he should at a minimum spend a week away from home with no contact with work or any other person remotely involved with this fiasco. Return and spend a month with pure coldness to her and still consider more permanent payback or revenge.

I can't imagine this situation ever occurring but if it did I guess the husband would feel incredibly angry at being used like this. It might well destroy the marriage depending on the character of the husband and whether he could get over being used in this way. The wife and his boss were obviously in it together and that's why his boss sent him home. That would bolster his anger.

Interesting storyline.

And probably didn't leave a comment then, I expect everything that I'm thinking now has been expressed ad nauseam. So I'll just say this in the spirit of not having a finished ending, I hope the A Plus was worth it. Signed: BTW

But you showed that was true. Gave it the lowest score for not writing what the husband did.

Well I know how he feels & you get 1 star. Ecause that’s how I feel about what you had your characters do in the story.

& I’d never forgive the bitch!

Bill

what there no ending , divorce the nasty whore and move on or you are a wimp .

I would Divorce the Cow . And make sure That I find myself some new friends . You can always load up the car and leave the house . I know that is what I would do

Sorry I would Dump Her like a old rag No Man would put up with this Crap including Me even if it was done as a Joke It would not have been a Good Idea for them to Be waiting for Me at Denny's Gun Bat Tire Iron or the sledge Hammer they would all be dead and the Courts could only give Me the Death sentence one time .

I felt pain. Guess that's what you were going for. Worse is no ending to guide us as her letter was supposed to guide him. I would never forget such an action, and most likely never forgive.

First I'd be sure to pack and move out. Empty closet when she got back. A note that said "do you remember I said there were things I could not forgive"? Next I'd ask my boss if my promotion was effective immediately, then I'd be tuning up my resume. She'd try to apologize for her role and I'd pretend to accept it. I'd have my divorce lawyer draw up the papers without letting anyone know my plan. I'd have my soon to be ex served in front of her class and submit my resignation letter to my ex boss, letting her know she was no longer my friend. I'd move on to a better job in a far away town.

That’s something I could never forgive.

A well written story, but without Gary’s reaction it ultimately falls flat for me.

My own plot has Reg as the husband of Gary’s boss. She knows of the affair and sends him home early so he can discover the truth for himself. Her anger and frustration isn’t directed at Gary, but at the destruction of her marriage to Reg and the role Gary’s wife plays in bringing it about.

A wife capable of such calculated deception is by definition a sociopath as proven by the simple fact that there was no reason to punish her husband. The performance of the play and its (her) success or failure did not depend on the unwilling, unknowing participation of Gary. The play was a seperate event and ultimately a tool used to eviscerate her husband’s love and trust.

Overall, a good story, but again, we’re left to infer from the title that Gary is able to escape her psychosis and I find that this ending, open to interpretation, is a poor choice. I would prefer a firm resolution one way or the other.

I feel sorry for her children. Can you imagine what games she will play with their unconditional love?

One more...

The fact that Vera (and the author) felt it necessary to hide Gary’s gun so he won’t kill himself tells the reader that she knows how much she has damaged her husband.

It now seems obvious to me that the marriage cannot survive, although I suspect the psychosis which has driven Vera’s actions, has also prevented her from recognizing even the possibility that Gary will not be able to forgive her. The title of the story, therefore, is in fact the last line of the story, and spoken by Gary to his remote wife, which is a nice touch as it is the physical manifestation of their complete seperation. There is no physical contact or emotional connection in her communication to him, which reads as a cold, dispassionate analysis of her motives.

She’s also quite proud of her achievement, as well, which we would expect from a sociopath, but it still saddens me. Vera should have been diagnosed and hopefully treated long before starting a family, but no doubt she is a very able mimic. It will be much more difficult now, and it’s almost certain that she will cause more harm in the future to those who try to love her.

Now I’m satisfied. Thank you.

Utterly cruel and NOT funny. NOTHING justifies using Gary's response to grade her play! He should pack his bags and leave! Someone who professes love for a spouse, does not do this to him, just to evaluate her play. She had already been given an A+, what more could she want?! Miserably and utterly cruel and not the work of a loving wife. Horrible!!

That was rather cruel. How do you justify that?

That is really a fucked up story. So the wife actually really got off on feeling guilty and wants forgiveness but WTF?

In my humble opinion he should dump that bitch as fast as possible and run to the hills.

Broom her. What a horrible wife. I wouldn’t believe she didn’t cheat.

Wow. It's like Woody Allen meets Joseph Heller, and they smoke some meth. Style points for creativity. 5/5!

If she came home and found him gone and he didn't return until the next day, or two??? Turn the tables on her. Grouch6977

Someone needs to write another ending to this story, where he throws her out of the house and files for divorce. This was absolutely cruel!

I think she is bat-shit crazy

FUCK HER!!!!!

I can't even imagine someone doing this to someone they supposedly love or even someone they care anything about.

She knew it was wrong but did it anything. Her letter meant nothing.

Thank you very much. a really great idea and also a very good implementation. many are of the opinion the man should leave his wife. i was also of this opinion. after long thought and 2.times reading the story in english and in german. i think her husband should give her a 2nd chance. to love does not always include trust in the "partner". love is to give the other the space to return. if he does not give her the chance to change her viewpoints, he does not really love her, he only loves an image he has of her.

What the fuck! She’s a cunt and the least you the author could have finished the fucking thing.

This is a very GOOD story. 5/5 on points and thank you.

My ending to this story would be,

Gary never open the door to the bedroom, but went back down the stairs and got back in his car and drove towards Denny's and was crying the whole time and failed to see the lights change was hit by a truck and died in the middle of the street with his wife, Reg and his wife in tears.

Thank you again

Stupid author trying to get his rocks off. Crappy story minus 10 stars.

Great concept, well told. I think i would have ended it with Gary packing and leaving.

A good story. For me it contains two truths. 1. Love is not intentionally cruel. 2. Forgiveness is for the benefit of the wronged party. It neither absolves the guilt nor preclude consequences.

HATED IT!

Interesting story I think. Could have been done a little different. AAA++

I liked the story , but I think you stopped it short. I would of liked to see something from the husband. You ended it with the wife being the hero. All she did was shit on her husband without him having a chance to find out what happened. If it was me I would of kicked her ass out of the house and started throwing her closes out the window. It was cruel what she did. I could not of taken it. I would of destroyed the marriage on her silly prank and play using me as the characters in the play. How do I know they have not been fucking all along. Just my take.

Hated it!!!

We’re she my wife she’d be gathering her things from the front lawn.

Inexcusable! One star only because there isn’t a negative option.

Bill

Fucked up... if I were the husband, I'd pack a bag and leave. Never look back. I would leave my ex one note. It would read, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." This was the shittiest story I have ever read.

Cleverly written and well-plotted. Interesting characters and an original concept. But I hated almost every minute of it. Vera plotted with another man to completely humiliate her husband. She succeeded. He'll bear the scars for the rest of his life. Why? For some dumbass play for a dumbass class? Really sorry I found this story and read it.

Interesting variation on the cheating theme. Clever and well written. Suspicion is an insidious beast which the husband nurtured without any real evidence and deserved to be made to face the consequences of his behaviour.

LA

Sorry but this is a fucked up story with a horrible ending. You just left it there with nothing but that silly-ass letter.

Wow! That was some of the most creative writing I’ve ever read! I was so deeply pulled into this entire story and didn’t see the setup coming at all. Great job!!

DIVORCE!!! the only ending. Who the fuck would want to be married to this psyco bitch. That was a horrible BS thing to do. They are all laughing at what a loser he is. She now has the perfect cover up for her heartless cheating. Stupid ending 1* for this POS. If he has any balls, his answer to the CUNT would be packed bags and gone before she got home. Then on to reck some Reg ass. But then that would take the writer to not being a worthless CUNT

Stick a fork in her, because we're done.

A fucking psycho, I don't see any reconciliation

If she already got an A+ on the project, why is she doing this to her husband? Am I missing something?

You didn't really finish this story did you? Does he forgive her vicious and gratuitous cruelty or leave? She puts him through hell to get his 'honest response' of her writing? Really? So she, Reg, and Penny are sitting at Denny's listening to him? Pretty damn sick.

Her claiming the high ground because he did not share his suspicions is bs. Vera told him she saw them in a coffee shop. Okay. But he does nothing inappropriate. He does not start to make accusations. He makes up the dream story when she askes him what's wrong but he maintains his cool. He doesn't get crazy over 2 coffee house meetings when she is working with her class partner.

But then she hurts him cruelly just so she can get his 'honest response' to her writing? And sits with Reg and Penny listening to his reaction? Damn cold. It seems to me that she manipulated him into saying he would forgive her for anything except for infidelity and then wants to test that? This woman needs counselling.

Bottom line whether he stays or goes I think she has broken the marriage. How could you live with someone who can do this to the person she is supposed to love more than anyone else? I would be in a white hot rage and 15 minutes would not be near enough time to begin to cool out. I would definitely be gone before she gets there. And I would tell me boss to shove it. Don't try to buy me with a promotion.

Again, someone is going to pay.

I'd just pack a suitcase and walk after reading that letter for a few days make her worry .

OK, I’ll concede that the plot was somewhat creative but it left me cold. The husband was subjected to gratuitous humiliation by his wacko wife and her numptie ‘boyfriend’ (even if their relationship hadn’t yet been consummated). The husband should be seriously worried about her lack of self awareness and her ‘boyfriend’. Weird. 3 stars.

This was the first and best Edrider story I have read ( what's the moral of the story, it went over my head). When I read it I knew nothing about him, now I know a lot more, but still I don't know what makes him tick. He is a wonderful person but I steer clear of his stories, they leave me bewildered

Begs for a second chapter.

Pack my clothes, leave cellphone and ring on kitchen table...stay gone for a couple weeks then file for divorce on grounds of mental cruelty.

devious Bitch. Read part 2 first

1 star no comment - too weird

Clever, original, compelling, and an emotional roller coaster. What more could anyone want from a story?

/

Oh, and it is complete as-is.

I just found my comment from 5 months ago & realized I still felt the same.

She would be toast. Break off wrong keys in all the outside locks & transfer all her possessions to the front lawn.

Horrible bitch!

Bill S.

How is this type of gratuitous intentional mental cruelty something that a marriage can survive? Why should he even believe that something didn't happen and this is the wife's way of trying to cover it up? Why does she expect her husband to forgive him for tearing his heart out? Why would he continue to work for a boss who did not give him the heads up on this? What boss who valued an employee not tell him what was happening? At a minimum, I would move out because I would have so much to think about. How could I trust a wife who would do this for a "creative writing" class? She could have had him attend the play performance and tell him in advance, "this is just a play, fiction. Here is what I was thinking when I wrote it." The performance would have been hurtful to him but writers are not writing about themselves but about fictitious characters. But this is just cruel, deceitful, unforgivable. They ultimately might stay together because they have children, but the relationship will never be the same. I gave it 3*** for the writing, though if I rated it solely on whether or not I liked it, I would give it 1*.

Read again. Destroy her laptop, the speakers and ALL her shit.

Well written story. Could use more of an ending.

Intentional, extreme cruelty. Believe this is in the unforgivable category. Time to call the divorce attorney. No discussion needed. Not so perfect marriage anyway. Start looking for a new job; who wants to work with such a boss.

Hasta la vista babe!

I would ditch my wife if she did this; pure emotional sadism and she is laughing at him and making him a laughingstock for every person who ever hears this story and many people would learn of it. It gets 4**** for good writing and very interesting premise but what a bitch!

What a stupid bitch. If you really love him you would never put hm through something like this. He should leave and never speak to you again.

Grab the kids and get the Divorce or leave the country. Talk about Mental Cruelty . Wow this One makes a person think about Payback in different ways . I would Quit the Job and Thank My Boss for always being a good Friend to Me Take all the Money I could get and make like Casper and become a Ghost . I could home School the kids for at least 3 years . I Also agree She is a Stupid Bitch to do this to some one you Claim to Love

Very interesting and dramatic story. This was a very cruel and brutal prank she played on her husband. The fact that she did it as a school/class assignment to make/write a play that the class and teacher would believe is no excuse. I’m a man, a husband and father of two. I do not think I could forgive my wife if she had done this to me. The hurt I would feel (I feel a little nauseous from just reading the story) would be substantial. I really don’t know what I would do, but marriage counseling and a possible divorce would be at the top of my list.

Les

I think I would lose control of my emotions. I would be gone when my wife got home. I would deal with my boss the next morning and I wouldn’t have a job when I was finished. I would do my best to get full custody of my kids.

Funny how someone says they love someone but can play such sick head games

Talk about a typical "arty" ego pushing its luck.

She already bet on the first part of his reaction as to when the bedroom door would become history and even knew there could be more when she hid the gun, provided a sledgehammer, suggested he might trash the car and the bedroom but asked him not to harm himself.

Then she lightly suggests that once he's worked out his anger at her vicious trick he might then like to join her with everyone else in a happy meal out.

He should have given her ego the kick in the ass it deserved by, at the very least, disappearing for a few weeks and letting her stew in the mess she brought into existence. Let her explain to everyone just what happened.

Two can play at mind games.

Kick her to the curb after you burn the bitch.

How could anyone who loves you cause that much pain to another? Sorry, 5hat marriage would be at minimum, on very shaky grounds, most likely be done.

Well written story as it brought multiple emotions out and also a desire for resolution. Initially I was going to give 2 stars as it pissed me off, then I gave it 5 as he did what a good story should, it caused my emotions to be involved!

Wow I would gone before she was home

Next step we would be separated

Good fiction. Really cruel. I don't care for the cruelty, but I rate the story highly.

Ed

Would have been a great story if you finished it. What happened to him?

Great story, though not impossible to guess the outcome.

There is no way to forgive such an infraction.

Cruel, but unless he is a flaming idiot with a bruised ego that overrides his brain, it should bring them closer together.

I liked it. Just hope hubby is not stupid if you do another installment.

I dislike what she did to him, not your writing.

The writing is very good. The wife character is vile.

I hope the A++ grade made the wife happy, as it lost the trust her husband had in her. That she might not get back...ever. While he will probably forgive her, the trust they had will take a very long time to get back. I hope it was worth it to her, as her "joke" ended up humiliating her husband by going too far. Something she claimed she would never do, along with involving others in her "joke".

If this had happened to me, I'd probably take some of my stuff, and head over to a motel/hotel for the next few nights and let her squirm. Or maybe even do like someone else suggested and turn on the radio, and shoot thru a book into a spot where the bullet went into the crawl space under the house, and then fake a body "dropping" on the floor sound (since they're listening thru the I-pad). Then quietly leave for the night or 2 (hotel stay) and just quietly disappear for a short while. Either way, he'd be justified.

Good, but it feels unfinished. 5 stars

Light a match, and walk away.

Wow I would gone before she was home

Next step we would be separated

lc69hunter is an idiot

I read the story thought what an f'ed up place to end the story. Then I thought why would she put him through this?!? It's such an elaborate extreme to go to just to get his 'honest' opinion of her writing ability, when you consider their past and the whole loyalty and honesty of their relationship. Justifying, by her manipulation of recent conversations... And taking his answer to her 'what if' question was stupid on her part. Glad I don't usually read UN-'loving wife' because they just frustrate me and raise my blood pressure (but not in a good way) it's written well so I won't vote on it and lower the score,

Wow I would hate to see what she would do if she did not love him. To cruel to be even remotely close to forgivable.

You wrote well and creatively. You are a great storyteller. I would have packed some things and left for three days. What she did to him was cruel and horrible. Let her think he left her over it. She has shown that she's heartless.