All Comments on 'Did You Really Mean It?'

I've read this several times, saw it in recent comments and decided to read it again. I had a pretty good memory of it, but not 100%. When Lori told him about his wife cheating, it started coming back to me and I got a little misty. When he sent that first email I started to get choked up. By the end I was fighting back the tears. A little embarrassing for this 70+ old guy!

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I would have loved to see Lori's friends meeting him, maybe bringing them up for the wedding.

As always, you’re a great storyteller and I enjoy the experience of reading your stories.

Can I just say, constructively, that with this one I found myself wanting just a little more from the ending. Apart from that, totally enjoyed the story!

Thank you.

you do tell a good story

Now this is how to finish a story! Hard to figure why the married their spouses in the first place but I guess if they hadn't this story would have been even shorter than Building A Love Life! Thank you for this story.

I wish I was as good with words as you Q. At this point what could I possibly say that others and I haven't already said about this and your other stories. You, Randi, E14 and a couple others leave a 60 year long lover of reading in absolute awe. There are many other good writers but there are you 5 that are and always will be the cream at the top of the pitcher of whole milk. Many people write stories, you write classics. Thank you ALL!

( BTW for the same but different reasons will always be JPB.) somewhere east of Omaha

Really great I enjoyed it all.

As for why they married their worthless spouses the answer is simple. When people are courting they want to be their best so they can land someone. Both her Husband and his Wife were gorgeous people no doubt with charm coming out of their asses. Of course they would land a spouse, and only later would their faults become apparent.

That's the way the courting game is, you hope you pick the right person and go for it. This is why it's wise not to rush into things, take your time even live together for a while so you can see more and learn more. It's the only way to have a chance to avoid Divorce, otherwise you're just playing the lottery and hoping you're both going to work out the differences you didn't know you had and not end up with nothing except the poor kids who always get hurt.

We all think of the old days when people got married young and did their best, but the dynamic then was different, times were different, maybe even the values though I think it wasn't so much values as practicality. If you were some pioneering couple on the frontier not so easy to be selfish and cheat now is it? Adversity can forge families just as easily as love.

Good story.

I know something had to be amiss, but I didn't anticipate Janie canoodling with that douchebag Ron (there's no accounting for taste). Nice plot twist.

Four stars. No, I had to deduct a star for the clichéd alpha-male rumble. Three stars.

One of the loveliest stories that I have ever read, wonderful end. This writer is amongst the best, his way with words and emotions. Two loving people ending up happy, what more can an emotional woman like me want.

through this one. Just as beautiful this time!

Nice... very nice! Mistied eyes and all! Great story! Thanks

There is nothing like a happy ending to turn the day around! And I liked the simple confrontation - no electronics, didn't wait until they were naked, just stopped them at the top of the stairs. It was simple, clean, and lovely. Great story!

Good story but why did Janie cheat. Did I miss something in the story. I initially thought that Janie had found out about him paying for the women's abortion and thought that it he was having the affair and Janie decided to get payback but that's not the case. So why was this bit about the abortion it didn't add anything to the story and doesn't make any sense including it.

Short Story

Or long, Q always has style and grace in every one. I know I've read this one before and may have commented, I haven't looked. But beyond the exceptional skill of his words I come back to this - "The trouble with dealing with stupid people is, well, that they're stupid." I've said it before and I guarandamntee that I'll say it again "You can't fix stupid. *****'s Signed: BTW

If all stories could be this good! Thank you! 5 stars

Great story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks

Entertaining read. Some quibbles : Ron, as is the norm for the Other Man in LV tales, is a one-dimensional heel/clown. He must have had some appealing qualities in order for such a sensible person as Lori to fall in love with him, but we never see those qualities.

And also : the classic LV story structure is like a murder mystery, but instead of the murder we have the affair, and the mystery is not a whodunit, but a whydunit. Why did Janie, who apparently loved her husband, carry on an extended affair with a man she knew to be an asshole?

A great love story! Thank you so much! I loved it. 5 stars.

Nice story...well written as well. I liked it very much. I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

Wouldn't Be Great

If more LW's men had friends like Lori who cared enough to tell them the truth when they first know his spouse is cheating even when they believe it would cost them the friendship? Of course it would tend to change, shorten or eliminate most of the stories in LW's. Jace might never have found Amanda if Aida hadn't let him know Becky was cheating. She was the newest friend he had, really the only one he had at the time as it turned out, she had class just like Lori. *****'s Signed: BTW

4 Stars would have given 5 if it was longer and had an epilogue at the end.

Great story,5***** despite not having an epilogue. Keep on writing I enjoy your work

Needs an epilog for completion. Good though.

A pure ten. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Too bad there isn’t a star override.

Bill

4 STARS,,, 5 if a proper ending was posted ,, Still thoroughly enjoyed reading this story....

What people don't get is that everyone has their own way to end a story - thank you for a great story with a perfect ending! 5 stars

somewhere east of Omaha

Excellent

First a cheating tale then a love story. It doesn't get any better.

A rather delightful romance springing from the jaws of heartbreak and betrayal.

LA

No REAL altercation with the ass-wipe.

Didn't buy Janie's characterization. Lori has been Janie's best friend since childhood, and had no idea that she was a shallow narcissist? Dan also, married to Janie for years, and had no clue as to her true character? That's just bad writing.

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A good LW story should be constructed like a mystery -- but instead of a whodunit, the classic LW tale is a whydunit. What led Janie to cheat? Why do so with Ron? How long? Was Ron the first? All these questions are glossed over.

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This story was at heart a romance, rather than a LW story. And as a romance, it was sketchily developed. We're told that Dan and Lori love each other, but we don't experience it until the end. The end was corny, but effective enough.

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Overall an entertaining story, but could have been more.

A nice story though a somewhat predictable and routine one.

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It is qhml1's story and he can write it how he wants, but, this story as many others on LW overuse a similar trope. The one where the wife's lover is beat up with no retaliation to the husband. All kinds of men take up with someone else's wife, not just weakling assholes. There are those who know how to fight, ( former soldiers, as an example), who when they are, unexpectedly, confronted by the husband, do not fold and can give as good as he gets or even prevail. Who, if ambushed, would be willing to not get even but et ahead. I get the desire for vengeance on the interloper, but making it a one-sided affair, makes for a predictable, thus, a dull story.

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Do not get me wrong, I do like the bulk of qhml1's work. He is acknowledged as one of the better writers. He is better than me, for all I can write are commentaries. But, no one is perfect.

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Pasqual

This author writes good stories, but this one could have been a page shorter. Lori leaving town because she is destroying his life by being the bearer of bad news is nonsensical, especially waiting a year. She should have been waiting for the decree to step in.

Great story! This must be the fifth time I’ve read it and the end ties it up so nicely. ~ 5 ~

Cheaters, there is no explaining them. What do they want? Why do they get married? What is really going thru their minds when they cheat? Do marriage vows mean absolute nothing? This was a good story even though it wasn't BTB one. The 'why' was never answered but there can never be a true 'why' because there can be no real justification for cheating. You are either married and faithful or don't get married. If you are married and not happy talk about it and find out why. Life is too short to remain in an unloving, un-faithful relationship.

Holy smoke! This story is better every time I read it. Lori is the big prize, and Dan won.

I have been reading LIT stories for maybe 2.5 yrs now. 74 yrs and just started reading erotic sex stories. I attribute that to being married for 44 yrs to a most wonderful woman. Cancer took her from me 5 yrs ago. Started to watch porn 3 yrs ago and don't know why, just lonely I guess. Wife and I made our own brand of porn so we didn't need any outside stimulation. Shit! I'm rambling.

This story is one of my favorites. The cheating part was dealt with more as justice than a BTB and there is a sweet side romance going on in the same story line. To Me this is believable so thank you for such a nice story.

Why can't there be more lovely stories on lit like this. It made me feel so warm, so happy, life shouldn't always be about sadness. Thank you it was so very good.

Interesting story. A good story Jamie’s affair is a loose end in my mind, though I think she is probably a serial cheater just careful and lucky until now. The grandmother visits just shouted check on this to me. The back story in the email gave some insight into the character of Jamie,but just not enough for me. Though it does not distract from the story sufficiently to warrant a rating downgrade.

Something in my eye. I like these tales because I have seen them in real life. Man and woman marry the person who "seems" apt, looking for that normal good life, and then find out that this person is weak and has become self-pitying, and through it that delightful combination of bully and victim that seems so common in societies based on equality. Self-pitying bullies always cheat, even if not sexually. They may simply deprive you of real affection. If the good get their heads out of their asses, come to understand each other, and get each other in the end, it makes for a great story and the best outcome, sort of like a Candida Crewe or Jane Austen novel. Maybe nature really is only about reproduction, but not all bodies are equal, and you have the greatest hope when the good ones find each other and have (mostly) good kids. One area where we differ in opinion: "They say the most erotic part of a person is their brain." I don't think it's the brain; it's the soul. The moral fiber, the desire to pursue beauty and truth, all of that. Maybe the soul is in the brain? I don't know. I really don't know. Christianity says no, science says yes but unsteadily, and alcohol says hell no. God(s) help us all.

I enjoy all your tales Q, many times each. Thank you!

somewhere east of Omaha

I gave it a 5. That being said, I can’t believe the way women have changed over the years. 100 years ago, it still took a woman the good part of the day, to do laundry, cooking, etc. Sex did usually result in pregnancy, so a woman was very choosy on who she shared her body with, and it was usually after marriage.

50 years ago, was the 70’s. It’s the decade I came of age. Even though birth control was becoming more widely available, girls were extremely worried about becoming pregnant, due to the social ramifications from society. Men were instilled, that you had to make something of yourself, if you wanted to attract a good woman. The “ sexual revolution” of the 60’s hadn't really changed things, yet. In fact, in some ways those of us who came of age after Vietnam, were more like our parents, then our older brothers and sisters.

Flash forward to today- There are no longer any expectations placed on young men and women, by society. Gender roles are non existent. Women are free to do whatever they want with their bodies. If they do it once married, and after starting a family, the courts award them for it. Broken families are a norm. Young men no longer aspire “ to make something of themselves”. Most are just happy, somehow skimming thru life. Most men realize marriage isn’t what it used to be, and shy away from it. If a woman does somehow become married, and then divorced in her 40’s, there is a slim to none chance, she will ever replicate it, in another relationship. So... I bring this up, because of all, the stories on Literotica, about women throwing away good relationships, for flings. I think it boils down to this- A man does not need you to be happy. A woman does not need you to be happy, either. Children are unruly and disrespectful. At the end, you can risk something, and throw it away, if it holds no value to you. THAT is what we have become. THAT is what the marriage contract has become. “ You’ve come a long way baby” . Hope you find, whatever you think, you are looking for.

A very good ending, but it left me with a desire to know how the rest of their life went. Think about it, please.

Anonymous is dumb - the comment/11172947 sys men dont have any aspirations anymore and that marriage isn't useful. Look up the 80s then. The 80s destroyed unions and wages went down as a result and american corporate profits went up. It began to create a new rising power in the form of China and good for them - global trade is good. But the American oligarchy didn't manage the side effects on society well - wages haven't kept up with living costs or inflation. Medicare is shite. That's not even counting racial and religious discrimination since! And the wars...

American society is managed by a criminal oligarchy that puts profits over society and that is why the family unit has been destroyed! And it will get worse!

Very romantic railway station book for women but it is nice to read.

this one was a 3 pager that felt like it should've been a 5 or 7 pager. still 5 stars.

I’ve just read some of the recent comments & thought to reply to them.

I grew up in the ‘40s & 50’s in a small town where we played outside until the street lights came on.

Lost my virginity on my 22nd. birthday, kept it mostly by choice & didn’t give it up until I was in love—or thought I was anyhow.

I graduated college in 1971 when The sexual revolution was starting but in a conservative college I found a couple of virgins, dated & married one.

As for Medicare being shite, I love it. Of course I stayed in the military for 24 years so I have full medical coverage. That’s worth more than my pension.

It’s always bee about personal choice. I saved & worked for years (mostly at 2 jobs) to have a great retirement.

The same was available to others like me & if they didn’t want to work hard it’s totally up to them.

Of course “you reap what you sow” is too hard on many & they refuse to see it was all on them that they didn’t take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

Oh yeah, I took advantage of the G. I. bill & got a BS degree while serving in the reserves. Allowed me on my modest salaries to amass a 7 figure nest egg.

Sorry, but the great American dream is still there, you just have to look for it & work for it.

Bill S.

Generous. Rated average.

Where do authors get crazy?

Chested for 6 months and is ongoing.

Burn both and get on with life.

No kids etc. What a wimp

He was way too nice to his ex-wife. She burned him bad and he let her off way too easy and even with some money. I don't get it. Her's was a horrible betrayal of both him and her best friend.

It's not very credible that Ron told his wife Lori that he was having an affair with Janie... he had to know that would get back to Dan... and, then carry on the affair knowing he would have a good chance of getting caught... just doesn't make sense at all.... Also, you need a proof reader, bad... your grammar, left out words, wrong words, misspellings, etc. is unacceptable... at least reread the story yourself and see if it makes sense or not... then make the obvious corrections... there are many.

Damn dust.

Even though there's a lot of missing words also misspellings. I can't deny you, your five star rating. Very good and lovely story. Thank you. Definitely a 5 star 🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟🌠🌟

It felt like the ending was a little abrupt. Normally, most of the stories tend to be too wordy, but yours needed bit more. Not just more words, but more substance at the end. Even so, 4 stars

Your stories are enjoyable, but you really need to work on your endings. It's almost like you hit a point in your writing where you are in a hurry to just end it instead of bringing things together in a satisfying conclusion.

Almost all the stories of yours I've read seem to end abruptly with no real closure. If you can figure out how to do that, you have the capability to be a 5* author.

Jamie's character didn't really seem bent out of shape when she got caught. Great punishment for Ron, I liked the flow of the story. Some constructive notes: Character development could have been in more depth. Ex: Jamie, why did she seemed much more distraught about Lori then her divorce? Year or so lapse of time after the Dan caught the cheater seemed a bit like time lapse photography...a bit too rushed. Might Dan have called and talked to Lori? I want to end with a positive note and say the story had enough non-stereotyped actions to make it a good read. BTRH

Average for being such a wimp after finding out her cheating.

. counseling or btb.

No hem haw around

Another good love story

Very good,very emotional!

I am so tired of the repeatedly stupid lw trope where hubby cannot resist having great sex after he already has found out wifey is a slut for six months, a year, five years whatever. Poor hubby is so helplessly overwhelmed by the skank he just cannot help himself and so on....just so ridiculous, but I guess it was taught in lw writing 101, so all these writers do it.

Good story, I enjoyed it a lot.

Where is the snashing? I’m off for good lovey-dovey stories but we need more sex. What are you guys thinking? Come on now get these people together all of them.

Very emotional, I dried my tears several times. I do wish there had been more though. Thank you.

What world do some of these people live in? Their comments that people wouldn't do or say something as stupid as written only proves the opposite! People ARE that stupid! Really good tale, only wish it were longer. Thanks Q

somewhere east of Omaha

Love the story. AAAAAA++++++

Lovely!!!!

5/5

I'll never understand why Danny boy after finding out wiffy was doing the horizontal mombo with the asshole would go to bed with her.

Incredable storytelling. You hit me right in the feelings. I actually wish it was longer.

Well I guess I don't have to say I wish it was longer as so many others have already said it.

Thanks for a well told story with a wonderful ending.

I am going to say it anyway, I wish it was longer.

I'm a suckered for a good romance story. Consequently I don't often read one. But lately I've read few, here. This one tops out as one of the best. Well done. An easy 5.

Applying my normal logic, I think there are a couple of things that don’t make sense.

Ron- The guy wasn’t rich, and it was never mentioned he had a 10 inch dick. He was also, a serial cheater. I understand WHY HE would go after Janie, but....

Janie- Lets see. I am going to throw away my marriage, to a stable, financially well off man, with a great future. My prize for doing this, is some mediocre sex, with a cheating loser. Who is not rich, famous, or even especially good looking. Who is also, my best friends husband. The most important thing to a woman going thru a divorce, is to win the propaganda war. No way, Janie can spin this, even slightly in her favor. I don’t see it happening like this. 3 stars.

Excellent story. I was also happy that Ron ended on hospital. Where did Lori end up?

5*

BJ

Great love story well written. I love the heartache turns to happiness genre. Also liked the completeness of the story; solid beginning, middle, & end. Endings are especially under developed by even the best writers but this one was simple yet complete. Wasn’t character driven like some other good ones, the story used the characters for its own purposes rather than building the story around strong characters. Both are good when well done but we just don’t see a good one done this way as often. 5 stars

A great story, I am a sucker for a great romance, particularly as I am in one myself right now.

Good story

Second or third reading and still a very good story and no real criticisms but there is one paragraph I can't get straight in my mind about the abortion: "I paid for the abortion, saying nothing to Janie about it. Ironically, Lori lost her child four months in, spontaneous abortion. Lori confessed to me she though it was because she had helped end a life, karmic revenge. It must be awful to bear that much guilt." First it says he paid for the abortion then it says she lost the baby and then it says it was karmic the she lost the baby because helped end a life??? I'm confused! Good story though.

Dan was a stupid cuck!! He should have burned the cheating whore wife and the sod!!

Why is there always some drooling knuckle dragging dickbag that can only spout ignorance. Great story and done so well. I cheated and lost my husband and our friends.

Makes me wish I could have found my true love, of course; I suspect that many of your readers have the same reaction. It's a marvelous story—especially the Greek chorus of Carol, Cindy, and Julie—with no BTB other than Dan removing himself from Janie's life and no RAAC necessary.

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@dfergie Lori didn't get the abortion, Ron's girlfriend did.

Hallmark Channel quality, almost made me shed a tear! 5 stars to writer. I love a happy ending!

Good story, but missing a great ending.

Great story and a tear jerker as well.

Damn this story, it got something in my eye. Must be allergies. 5/5

Nato_

Loved most of the story but thought he was too klnd to the cheating wife. She deserved to be burned.

dgfergie, the abortion Dan paid for was to Ron's mistress for getting knocked up while with Ron (Ron was cheating on Lori with her). It was called out later when he reflected on the money he removed from his trust to give to Lori to pay for the other slut's abortion. Lori had a miscarriage around the same time frame that terminated the baby she was carrying.

Yes, I really enjoyed this one, as I must have gotten something in my eyes too. ;-) I gave it 5 stars.

A top author? Not a guess! It is a fact, proved by this story.

Damn you, Q! You made me cry, Again! Another 5*! What is this the third or fourth time I've read this one.

Heart Warming, Tear Jerking, GReat Writing, Great Story. 5 stars to writer. Happy ending I love!

Well written, a real pleasure, thanks.

Nice tear jerking love story. I can’t believe Janie would cheat especially with Ron . That make no sense .you could have brought another character into the picture . It would have made it more real and worked better.

Love all your stories, thanks for writing.

Beautiful.

Still a few tears, even for a second reading. Must remember LOVE is a four letter word. Life is full of choices. Sometimes we make less than good choices, other times it seens life makes the choices for us and we try and make the best of them, at least some of us do....

True love exist.Thank you for reminding us😊

5 stars - I like this story.

WHERE are the TAGS??????????

This was a beautiful story, but I found the ending too abrupt and incomplete. I would have liked to see the story continued to beyond their marriage with maybe a kid or two. And it would have been terrific if you had put a little karma action happening to Janie, that slut. Anyways, I really enjoy your writing and look forward to reading more in the future.

Guess I am a sad for a good love story. 5*s. 😍

Nicely Done!

Great love story. Thanks.

Ed

What a beautiful story

Just read this again and loved it as I did the first time. I have to agree with @muddman74 that it is an abrupt ending. It’s a great story and build up of two people finding their way to each other and as a reader and fan of yours, I would have loved to have known just a little more of how they went.

Anyhoo, thanks again for sharing your wonderful stories with us. Ciao

Guess it's true when they say that cheaters never win and winners never cheat. Worked out, at least in this story. I agree, the ending was kind of short but Dan had laid out their future when he wrote his email. Loved the story.

Don't leave us hanging, finish the story.

A fan, lee