All Comments on 'That Which We Call a Rose'

Great to see you back, thanks for sharing the story.

But it's just another male "put down" story. Oh, and as a member of the category police, this story does not belong in Loving Wives, in my opinion. Non-erotic might be better. The story revolved around male cheating, not female dalliances. And I regret to say, the ending was fairly predictable -- it was evident the unknown male would coincidentally turn out to be Penny's fiancé, considering that it's a small world and all that. I've liked your other stories more. But thanks for writing.

and good to have you posting again. She really put him down and he did not know when to give up. Nice twist at the end, but unlike some I do not think it is correct to reveal the details or the author's twist other than to say it was well constructed. Hope that you will be posting new stories soon..

Almost all the tales here involve a wimp cuckolded husband. So, why not a wimp cuckolded wife? It oughta cut both ways.

no matter who wears it. TK U MLJ LV NV

Good to have you back. <BR>

<P>

I thought early on that Nick could be Dominic, but had forgotten all about that by the end. Nice twist. Good Story.

I liked the reversed situation and he certainly got what he had coming. However, I thought him running into the future husband in the bar was a bit much unless he knew he would be there before hand and set up the situation deliberately, which seems a bit far fetched?

and well-written. Thank you.

Good news! GaryAPB has posted another story. We all hope to read more of your long absent work. Thanks, well done.

A satyr but a sad loser husband.

Nice twist at the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this tale.

Thank you.

Personally, I haven't been stupid enough to "go there", but I know people who have. Nice twist at the end.

Great story.

he got what he deserved....5stars

Penny/Polly gets a raw deal again.

What's the moral, anyway?

Karma is not a bitch. Bitches are real.

as title

GaryAPB is a VERY skilled writer at times a brillant sotry teller. But in EVERY story he has ever written all the husbands are extremely accomplished men that ONLY think with their cocks.

In some ways its absurd yet fascinating to watch... as soon as the male lead characters et another 1 pussy BOOM ...their entire brain totally shuts the fuck down.

I guess in the UK & in Europe every man that isnt a faggot acts / thinks that way. And there sure are a lot of men in the US just like that as well.

Its just that with all this talent GaryAPB has ...one would think that eventually he might develop a lead man/ husband that actually had a brain & a personality

...but nevertheless predictable. 5*

Nice little double twist. I'm truly glad to see you writing again. In 2008 I heard from a couple of mutual friends that you had written quite a story. Even better than "B2B". I don't recall the title or if they even gave it to me. Any chance of you posting it on Lit? <P>

Jenny

to see something new from you

I'm just going to hijack this comment because i've just heard (we're all interested in this sex crime)that Amanda has been set free. I'm British, through and through, yet I TOTALLY back this decision. Fucking flawed and immoral twisted police evidence. That girl and the guy are so obviously innocent. We all know who killed her. You deserve all the good things coming to you Amanda. Any chance of a shag you naughty little slut?....Mancelt.

As much as I looked forward to getting up every morning to read the next installment of B2B, you can write a tight short story. I look forward to your next one, thanks for writing!

Welcome back. I really missed your stories and I am sure a lot of readers in this site share my thought. This is a well written story that happens everyday. It is sad that Tom does not have a second chance and most people do not. However, I hope Tom knows that he saves Penny's happiness with Nick. He might find some peace in his own mind. Life goes on.

Excellent plot elements have been your strength and I'm happy to see you still have it in spades my friend - 5*

Welcome back, great story.

Lots of Love

Kathryn

It is difficult to find good stories and even rarer to find one this good. Thanks for writing.

OhMyGosh Gary, It's so good to see your name here again. I have a hunch I know why you've been gone so long, though. After B2B, you knew you'd have to better yourself with the next story and since that was impossible, you hid out rather than to try!

Whatever, welcome back and thank you for sharing another of your terrific yarns. I really hate to beg, but we'd really like to see more of you around here. The group of good writers is getting fewer and further between as of late. What I'm trying to say is WE MISS YOU!!!!!

I had a feeling that that little twist at the end might be coming. Five Stars!

...and a cautionary tale.

Neat twist there, although 'Nick'/'Dominic' and 'Polly'/'Penny' did make me think before the end.

It's interesting that, morally, her new man is also a prick! He had to be persuaded not to cheat, and this so early in the relationship, so it's in the cards that Polly/Penny will eventually be disappointed again.

Welcome back! I think it was July or August '07 when you posted chapter 22 of your excellent B2B, which I still revisit about once a year. Like fine wine, the story never loses its piquancy.

I hope you will have more for us.

Thank you.

I almost gave up when he admitted that he strayed. I am happy to say I did not.

Welcome back, Gary.

Nice story and a cautionary tale.

I would have thought Nick knew the story already. Penny/Polly would have told it and shown Nick pictures. Maybe I'm assuming too much or didn't pay enough attention.

Saw that coming a mile away.

But he made it up to her. Perhaps. Wonder how long it will take for the moral to wear off for Nick.<P>

Thanks for sharing.

Am glad to have you back and posting again. Well told, well written, full of conflict, tension, and sadness.

Also, I just plain feel sorry for poor Penelope. One complete cad should be enough for anyone, but this poor girl has now been saddled with two.

Missed your writing. Another well written story as always.

For some reason, your name is familiar. I know I wouldn't slog through 20 chapter (except maybe with DQS1), so perhaps I only recognize it from comments. Regardless, I may have to check out your other work on a slow day (of which there are far too many). Please consider posting more vignettes like this, even if I don't particularly care for *any* of the characters here.

Thanks for posting,

Wulf

Thank you Gary APB...I have a wonderful self satisfied grin on my face. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

GaryAPB,

And amazing to have you share another great story with us. Tom' atonement? Penny certainly must be a great gal.

Thanks for sharing on Lit.

x

Wellcome Back

and being pricked is part of the smell. TK U MLJ LV NV

you have talent....keep writting...please

Gary, please, keep writing.

Mikael from Argentina.

Didn't see it coming! Should be required reading before being granted a marriage license (or buying condoms in a gas station bathroom.)

5*

It didn't dawn on me until hours after I posted the prior comment. First, I would quibble with Kirkal's comment that Sweetie went into detail about her failed marriage, including photos of the trysts! The least said to a future prospect about a marital failure, the better!

HOWEVER, she WOULD have told Nick about her FATHER being a senior officer in the Foreign Service (but certainly not his role in data collection...Hubby told THAT to Nick, and Nick would have made that connection immediately. Might, or might not, have interrupted or informed Hubby.

I am also curious about the insistence of Dunk in protecting Sweetie's interests...maybe he is also a friend of Dad's!

Still a FIVE

and I'm so glad that I did.

Superb story-writing! It makes beginners like me despair!

Please write more! Pretty, pretty please?

Very well written. Great twist in the end. I didn't see it coming. The ex-wife deserves a faithful husband and now she will have one, unknowingly helped by her cheating ex. Excellent.

Such a sad story, then an interesting twist at the end. Well done.

Got off too easy. Should have given him HIV

Very enjoyable story.Thanks for sharing.

when confessing to strangers, TK U MLJ LV NV

Thanks for a well - crafted story, had me going to the truly bitter end. If I had read this forty years ago I might not have strayed. I may have been caught at some time but not a word has been said. Lessons to be learned from this one.

No matter men or women cheater deserve all of bad that happens to them...

and telling trade secrets. TK U MLJ LV NV

I knew that Nick was Dominic.

It's interesting how many cheating wives here expect their husbands to accept the same excuses that Penelope rejected.

n/t

This girl had her act together. The acting job when he came home was brilliant. It made him feel what she was feeling since she found out that he was a cheater. I liked how she used the typical cheating excuses on him in her preemptive strike. Finally an intelligent woman on this site. He is a cheater and deserves whatever he gets. Thanks for a creative and interesting story.

story. Excuses are excuses. And a cheater is a cheater. Well played Gary. Fairly predictable but took nothing away from your story.

This, your story was good. I really liked the twist in it. the words of wisdom that was expressed was truly inspiring to the guy to keep him on track with his own marriage, and to find out they were talking about the same woman/wife was really a surprising end. Good job with this story, I really liked the whole thing.

a great moral story.

As bad as Tom was, he wasn't so far gone that he just didn't give a shit. He was able to pull his head out of his ass and feel for someone else for a change. There's hope for him yet. The serendipity of saving his ex's fiancé from following in his footsteps is genius. A big five stars!

Nick knew he was toast. He knew he was a cheater. I think he quit his job and moved far, far away and started over. After awhile he gave no thought to her because there are always more fish in the sea and more women to love. By driving him away all Polly got was what she could net from selling the house. He cleaned everything else out when he left and cancelled the credit cards. She never heard from him again. When her attorney couldn't find him she filed for abandonment. It took over a year for the divorce to come through. Once he knew she wouldn't take him back, he moved on. She was left alone with only her thoughts. The moral of this mess? Cheaters just don't care about anyone but themselves.

Is good .

Your choices of limiting your protagonists in your stories to being happy faithful cuckolds or a lonely old unforgiving kind of suck in your stories.

A vapid little twist, that turns a story from depressing to just plain annoying.

IRONY OR IS IT IRONIC PERHAPS IRONICAL

No matter POLLY OR PENNY OR PENELOPE SURE CAN CHOOSE 'EM

Marries a guy who travels frequently for work. He cheats. They divorce.

Gets engaged to a guy who travels frequently for work

HE WILL CHEAT THEY WILL DIVORCE

As painful as this story is, it was terrifically written and electrifying at times.

Title says it all.

Don't know if it was me or her at the start but...the truth hurts.

Telegraphed the ending waaaay back there in the beginning!

A well-done story with a protagonist who fucks himself over pretty well. RIP.

Very enjoyable

Very good.

Complete dogshit.

I enjoyed the twist a great deal. It's a great change from the usual stuff here. And the story was well told.

Well plotted, with several twists and turns and great finish. Masterful storytelling.

... beyond the obvious.

Not boring, not shallow, and a successful attempt at a morally relevant story. Encouraging and so important

Enjoyed it. Long, but worth the read. Nice twist in the end.

I traveled my whole business life. Some weeks I was gone from Sunday evening until Friday night. I could never count the times I was tempted, even when I was well into my 50s. Once when I had to be on-site for 3 weeks on a major project that I was managing, I fell. I beat myself up over it for weeks and learned my lesson. I loved my wife too much to risk destroying myself and our marriage (going on 58 now).

I hope this well written story stops someone from ruining lives for a few minutes of self pleasures.

detroitdave

I really can't praise you more GaryAPB. You did it!

After reading I am looking at my tablet screen and thinking in my dear wife, the love of my life. Precious!

It pretty obvious that Nick was Dominic in this fine story. The only other thing that comes to mind is "Tom, you asshole." But I do wonder if Nick is going to tell Polly about this encounter. Signed: BTW

Bravo! I never picked up on it until the very end. I guess he really did love Penny/Polly. He had to love her to let her go and still feel the need to protect her.

5 Stars

MC no !! Ex wife Yes bar friend no! Wrote a story that only one is worth it

Nice turnabout in the story, but Polly stems from Mary, not Penelope. Mary sometimes became Molly, and rhyming made it Polly. Sorry.

Interesting story with amazing twist

Great story, even better ending.

1 star - this is just a wretched story.

Great story with a wonderful twist.

Excellent story, and well written, nice twist.

Now here's the shocker for the misogynistic chest thumpers....this story is far closer to the truth about men being cheaters than all those cheating wives stories.

Sadly its going to upset one certain commenter who wets himself while telling us since the 1920's they've been hiding the fact that women cheat more than men do.

Excellent story with a twist worthy of O. Henry. And see? You CAN write a short story!

Great story with wonderful twists. Left me feeling sad and empty, but he got his just desserts

Just Desserts.

Good story. Sad. But Tom made his bed and maybe he taught Nick a lesson. Interesting how many commenters flip out when thr husband is the adulterer. That is more accurate. 29% of married men have at least one extramarital affair by their 50s, vs 19% of women. Ironically 58% of men have an infidelity (of any type) at least once in their life in an exclusive relationship (of any type), while 54% of women.

Anon below is quoting old numbers. Things started changing rapidly in the mid 90’s and now the shift is going the other way, especially among gen x,y,z. The younger folks now have women exceeding male rates . Male rates have stayed stagnant and level for the last decades while female infidelity has tripled. There many other factors in play also, as the ever increasing numbers of submissive males adds cuckolding into the mix, which is almost exclusively done to males, but is not counted as infidelity……

And then of course we have good ole iameasel below who never ever accepts the fact that things have changed and also refuses to accept that infidelity is at parity now by most studies. Naturally, an open mind is well beyond capability, even though number are easy to research. They have been spewing the same drivel for a good long time now without any concept of the changes occurring in society.

This was excellent...

Truly. 90+% of the time in this category it's the wife that strays, but this was a great view from the other direction.

Nice twist at the end with Polly/Penny.

Write another.

Read it through the end, even though I had surmised it long before. Well put together.

That was a well written piece of literature; unique in its focus and powerful in its message. Bravo!

To Drgwng, no the other anonymous who posted those numbers is accurate. Those are as of 2018. Extramarital affairs at least once for women climbed 50% from 12.5% to 19% since 1990s. Look it up. Do the research. Or not and just believe whatever you want. *shrug* no.ome cares.

Anyways good story. The ex husband did his ex wife a solid with her fiance. Unfortunately her new marriage is still probably doomed.

Stories about self-righteous hypocrites are boring regardless of the context.

Good story with a nice twist. Saw it coming but that doesn’t make it less good. Well written and it certainly draws you in. I like your work. Thanks

I didn't see that twist coming! Fucking brilliant! Made a great story a five-star story. Well done.