All Comments on 'Best Man'

Ah, a truly satisfying revenge for a horrific and tragic event. Times like this, I'm reminded of the 48th Rule of Acquisition: "The bigger the Smile, the sharper the Knife." I can tack on Rules 62 and 76, while I'm at it, as I think they apply: "The riskier the road, the greater the profit"(62), and "Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the Hell out of your enemies"(76). Mad props to Tom, for having the fortitude to stick with his wife through those dark times, truly living up to the vow "In sickness and in health", while biding his time for the perfect opportunity to have his vengeance.

For my taste, the story has 'way too much gratuitous, overly descriptive sex, but that's just me. 3 stars.

Ken in Texas

TWO small stars.

This is heavily based on NonCon, and is bad even there.

Give more thought to what the message of the story sends!

I would’ve killed the couple but I suppose this is almost as good of an outcome.

It's a 3 in my eyes, it coulda been higher but waay too much useless sex talk. Maybe the author got horny and was beating his meat while writing the story but I had to skip page after page of breathless sex talk.

Funny thing for a pervert like me to say but damn ......

Too many cunts like Tom who neglect their family to build a business and too busy to notice things falling apart!!

The author needs to rectify the errors at the bottom of page one.

Merlin, SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Great story, emotive stuff, liked Merlin's well thought out comments.

With any story that affects me mentally or emotionally, I just have to read all the comments. Often, as with this one, there are a lot of well thought out and considered responses. I really enjoyed them. They cover story critique, personal emotional responses, and desired judgmental action…just to generalize. There is nothing I can add in these areas that would be of value to such a wonderful detailed consensus. Thanks for your efforts!

However, there is perhaps something else worth considering, and that is the “value” a story has, both to the reader and the author.

• For the author, if he is serious about what he is writing, he must understand as much as he can about the actual story line, but more importantly, the thoughts, feelings and resultant actions of the people in the story. This will often require quite a bit of work, or the story will very possibly be full of holes, errors and poorly expressed emotional feelings or reactions. In short, the author must understand what real life is about, both thoughtfully as well as emotionally. This enlightened path of searching and learning, as well as the fun of writing, and challenging the reader, are the author’s benefits, in my view.

• For the reader, he is presented with, hopefully, an enjoyable read that he can relate to, and will envelope him in emotional feelings that have personal meaning. Additionally, he may actually learn something. (Well, anyway, that is what I want from these stories…ahem, fwiw.)

There is one other thought not often mentioned, and that is the challenge to the reader brought about by the author’s effort (if he is actually doing that,) to expose issues we all deal with in real life. Issues that are rarely thoughtfully considered, or discussed. Issues that are assumed to be truth or simply part of human nature…accepted as reality, and not to be questioned.

For instance, issues raised for me, from this story:

REGARDING

• Caring or love of others beyond ourselves:

Both Billy and Tom lived out this caring and love. Both risked and suffered by doing so. Where do we draw the line on the relationship we have with other people? Should we care for, and lovingly help, people who are not family or friends? Even strangers?

• Friendship:

How well do I understand what friendship means, (did Tom?) and do I actually understand how I should be a friend to others? If “friends” are being, mean, hurtful, destructive or unlawful…what is my responsibility. What should I do and when? Should I act or do nothing? Where do I draw the line?

• Marriage:

Should marriage be based on rules (or vows), be they personal, religious, or government imposed? If so, why? If not, why not?

Should a marriage, or any relationship, be based on one person “owning” another’s actions?

• Sexual relationships:

Do I have the right to judge others sexual choices if I can see no damage being done. By this I mean consenting: open relationships, swinging, påolyamory, polygamy, approved public nudity, gay marriage, etc.

• Revenge:

Do we unquestionably have the “Right” to exact revenge…either personally or as a community?

Revenge is based in hate and personal ego…not love. How is revenge justified?

Do I understand the effects my revenge will have on other innocent people, like children or uninvolved family members, (politically called collateral damage.) Do I have the “Right” to damage them? If so, justify that.

These are, no doubt, just some of the questions and thoughts posed by this story, and I’m sure you can add more.

Finally, it should be considered, (when judging a story,) that in order to get the reader’s attention, a straight forward, normal, and realistic approach may not be the best way to achieve that. Rather, an exaggerated, over the top, or in-your-face story may stir up the reader’s reaction better, and make him think. Is this exaggeration what the author intentionally did? If as a result, we reader’s challenge ourselves and each other, (via the comments, for instance,) we just might learn and grow as well as enjoy. For me this story, and its fantastic comments, has done that!

Thanks to all!

Merlin

Some great elements. But such an awful tale, overall. An awful, however deserving guy, getting huge prison time due to being set-up, really really disturbing. 5-1-1-1=2.

Really the husband waited years to exact revenge? Any red blooded heterosexual male I know if they found this shit out would be over there the next fucking Day.

[27.08.22]

Epic and Excellent yarn!

11/10!!!!!

I might have misinterpreted but it claims that she had not given him a blow job in 18 years marking the time of the rape soon thereafter. So they found out four years into her therapy. The husband knew then. The aborted wedding was a year earlier than the last scene. So husband and wife knew about what had triggered her mental breakdown 13 years earlier? Am I misunderstanding something? Or did her mental breakdown have a large time gap after the rape? Didn't appear that way on the first page. Dunno

Pretty awful. So many years lost (6+11?). Harsh. Her mind snapped under the rape. Really depressing. No revenge can make up for the lost time and the mental anguish of her and her family. And the husband Tom was a saint!

Fairly mundane fare; no newness, no surprises, just low-key and even keeled. If you've got nothing better to do than clean out the garage ...

Wow, what a story!! Really felt for Nancy!!

The two rapists Tina and Gary needs more shit to happen to them

Good overall story concept, but wat too long.

You don't wait 2 years after you found out what your next door neighbor did to your wife to cause her psychosis hoping you will get an opportunity for reprisal, and you certainly do not allow you daughter to have anything to do with them or to have access to influence her after you found out the source of the problem... utter nonsense.

Agree 5 stars;started rough but wow!

5 stars. This was, at first, a tough read, but I kept going. Really glad I did. Well written, sad, happy, sexy, humor (at times). Anger at Gary and Tina. Knew people like them many years ago. Stopped hanging around with them when I figured them out.

Just keep writing, please. Thanks.

excellent !!!!!!!!

story good, need more story less sex scenes

Loved the story. I have read several of your submissions and found all of a high caliber work. Thank you

Revenge took a while, but left no survivors. Great story.

Terrible, just what the hell was that? Just can't believe that Tom would take her back after all of that.

Awesome story! It just hits the right notes on so many levels! Thank you!

The blue waters of the Atlantic will never be seen around the Cayman Islands, since they are in the Caribbean

Not a fan of RAAC... Tom is basically a CUCK!!! Not enough punishment for ANY of the cheating threesome!!!

This is simply a good story very well told. I proudly gave it 5 stars.

This is one of the very best long game revenge stories ever in LW. Mr Straw wrote an epic story of total destruction.

The actual plot is about 1 page. The rest is redundant sex. The premise is interesting if implausible but regardless, this had potential to be much better than it was. I love a good sex scene but this story was maybe 1.5 pages of actual plot. It wasn't good.

Another read. This is the author’s best and one the very best “long game”, total revenge stories ever in LW. One of my favorites.

When I read Chagrined's critique (criticism) [08/20/06] in which he over-analyzed the story so much he could not enjoy it, I thought to myself, "jack_straw is the Best Man."

Entertaining, interesting, well-written story.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Paul in Oklahoma

Your stories would be a page, maybe two long, tops, without the gratuitous amount of suck and fuck that is inserted (pun intended), and rather hilariously done and not erotic at all. It's comedically sad.

Try write actual stories, with actual content, and garnish it with sex, as opposed to forcing your non story telling cock down our throats and trying to drown us with bootiful buckets of seed-laden sex scenes that inspire laughter and scorn rather than bones.

The way you use sex as exposition, both to establish characters and move the plot forward, is exceptional and terribly rare on this site. There are writers, and there are WRITERS.

As someone who has been sexually abused, I found the first page to be particularly poignant. A lot of people don't understand that sexual response is mechanical, and past a certain point, unstoppable, even when it's happening to them-I know, something similar happened to me and it fucked my head up. I went from a normal young perv trying to see some boobs to a sexually confused, timid hermit porn addict for years until I got counseling and accepted the fact that it was something that happened to me and not something I did, and I'm still fucked up and closed off to this day, but I'm trying! But imagining it happening while I'm in a depressive episode, from the best friend of the person I love?

My God, my God.

I cried for Nancy, because somewhere in the world there is somebody who really is going through this and they don't have a Tom to carry them through. That's my only complaint about this story-there couldn't be enough revenge for what they did. They raped her, they fucking BROKE HER and they never would have said a fucking word! She spent years locked in her head, right in front of and a million miles away from everybody she loved, because she was guilty about what THEY did to HER... The only way I could've been satisfied with this story would have been Greg and Tina straightjacketed in wheelchairs, drooling in their sorry ass laps. Either that or paralyzed and scarred for life from a house fire! Fuck them. Such a good story, though, five stars!

Standing fucking ovation!

Man what a masterful tale !

I would have cut it in half, kept the story and some sex. 2 pages of sex is redundant. This doesn't deserve the score it has. Its a 3 at best.

Great story enjoyed

Had me worried for awhile but came out great

By most of the way through page one I was like "... Ah, this isn't one of those ones where she finds she's addicted/into it during or after the fact. Bitter, but... refreshing?"

Then Billy aided getting her help, and YEARS pass with Tom doing what he can and I'm like "This is a take I don't think I've seen done before," and then Mandy had her... thing.

Then it was page 3 and I was like "Oh no, how long is this, gotta stick it out at this point." Page 4, oooh page 4. Haven't read it personally but by all second and third-hand accounts this was Count of Monte Cristo levels of "Fuck You." Like, if revenge porn was my kink, I think that would have been the crown. But /then/ space is still allowed for an after-action report and 2 more scenes? Outstanding,

The four-days between Sweetie leaving her home (in inclement weather) and being found by Billy the Kindly Bum was at least awkward. The four + two years of treatment is clear, but the most unnecessary time transition was after the two young ’besties’ went from 12yo to about 22 yo. There is a brief indication that ‘some’ time had passed before Evil Bestie took on her Bad Boy, but it felt like the kids shoulda been about 13 to 15. That there was that much gap became an easy adjustment, but it didn't need to have happened.

The ten-twelve year period in which Good Hubby AND Sweetie knew their ‘best friends’ were despicable is beyond belief. Maybe Hubby coulda done it, but Sweetie’s tenuous hold on her recovery would have been compromised early and severely by going over there, as a couple*, to maintain a semblance of friendship.

* Not addressed, but implied. Sweetie never went over alone, and by the time she was home, she did not have to escort her daughter. But when they were invited to parties or simply to visit, it had to be distressful. Not at all realistic for that long ... also, could Evil Sweetie have not been tempted to renew her mission to convert Sweetie?

4*

Author's best story. Love the long game and the total revenge. Great story.

Sex is manifestation of intimacy, that engages our animal brain. There is allot of unspoken communication going on there. There is allot of trust in a marriage, with that trust gone, it's hard to get it back. By saying the act of sex outside a marriage shouldn't break a marriage is childish, or wishful thinking. Hell marriage has been around for a long time, infidelity at one time was grounds for murder not long ago, not justifying it just saying it had some serious effects on our great grandparents. So by you saying it shouldn't mean anything, history begs to differ.

Not about this story but about cheating after 2o yrs and burning things down, unless he was neglectful, abusive there's NO REASON for a wife to cheat NONE. you say the man in this situation never loves the other and it was all about him as the premise for the statement, the first part is false, because in the stories the husband usually is faithful to the full, and trusts her completely. The second part is its all about HIm is true in a way because the husband usually is faithful and devoted to the wife to a large degree he himself having continued in a job he hates, trusts her and respects her fully. When someone betrays you in that situation its done. you did everything right and DEMAND you be treated the same way. the stories usually have some BS it didnt mean anything its only you i love yadda yadda. the trust and respect are done at this point by the wifes actions in the story. The husband could stay with her, but why everything that was good and solid about the marriage is shot, and she obviously doesnt respect him enough to keep her legs closed. why stay with someone like that. i cant see why you would

Well said. You are spot on. Thanks

He took his time, planned, and then took Gary, Tina, and Mandy down hard. Poor Tony got , probably, the worst hit of all. He didn't really do anything other than help make the revenge complete. Really strong story.

Nancy's dreadful experience stemmed from her total inebriation and her loose talk about her husband! Her psychosis was brought on by the fact that she enjoyed the sex; then the unbearable guilt floored her. She couldn't deal with what she had allowed to happen, by putting herself in that situation. Well written and a good plot, if a little graphic. Five stars.

Ridiculous that Tom would keep close to Gary, the man who raped his wife. Even more so that he would trust a rapist with his daughter, and wait so many years to do anything about it.

Nancy getting a psychosis and apperently spending years comitted, and permanently on antipsychotics was simply over the top.

This author shows a distinct lack of restraint, and could use a dose of common sense to tone things down, and to have his characters act and react in a way that feel realistic.

Lately I've been addicted to these LW stories. When I first started reading them I would very strongly feel against the cheating wife. But over time, seeing so many of these stories where the wife is portrayed as a perfect loving wife and mother for 10, 15, 17, 20, 25 years and then she cheats and all of a sudden the man goes nutso and burns her to the ground, fucking the wife, himself and his family over to the applause of many silly men in the comments section.

This story makes me realize once again that perhaps we put wayyyyyyy too much emphasis on sex and what it means in a marriage. Tom obviously loved Nancy, Nancy obviously loved Tom, and they had a great daughter. Nancy is raped one night and out of guilt loses her mind. But let's say it wasn't even rape or heavy coersion. Let's say she had only A BIT too much to drink and actually enjoyed the sex. But then felt guilty and went through all that tragedy. What a waste of time, energy, family health. All for what? That she lost a little control (although this case was rape, I'm just saying even if it wasn't rape). Obviously, Tom loved her so much that he put up with a wife that was mentally ill for 6 plus years. A loving husband cannot put up with a wife that is weak and cheats? Which would have been preferable for someone like Tom? A wife that had a short term affair and then snapped out of it and was a good wife and mother again, or a woman that was in and out of hospitals for 6 years and then wasn't really fully herself again? Then why do so many men say he is such a good man for putting up with a mentally ill wife, but the same men want him to burn the same woman and fuck up his family and daughter in the process, if she dared to have sex outside the marriage in a meaningless affair.

Believe me I have as much, if not a bigger, male ego than most men. But reading these stories and being a third person not emotionally involved I can see how destructive that male ego is. Even in the start I never condoned major BTB, unless of course, those stories where the woman is an evil bitch who goes out of her way to not only cheat, but do everything she can to try to destroy the husband. But the more I read these stories, even when they are designed to be BTB stories, I realize how silly it is to say you loved this woman for 20 years, but then she lets another penis into her vagina and now she is the devil incarnate and you want to destroy that person. Obviously, you never truly loved her and only loved what she did for you and now that she hurt your male ego you want revenge. It was always about you and never about her!

a little too graphic for me, but I get your point. Just my preference. Nice job overall.

You did however, have a character roll out one of the great in-truths of Literotica:

"Not many men would have stood behind me all these years, putting up with what you had to endure."

Life is full of people who stick by a marriage through illness, mental illness, childlessness, financial ruin, NO SEX, etc.

Birds of a feather flock together, If one finds no such people in their life, might be time to get new friends.

I don't often encounter a new premise in LW, but am always delighted wben I do, especially when done by a good writer.

A fantasy story. Not going to happen like this writer wrote it in real life.

i know it's erotica, but you beat those sex scenes to death.

I would say that allowing his daughter to associate with the predators was wrong. And you forgot to note how many years Gary got. And Tina the real sicko got away with it and never paid the price.... Not much revenge satisfaction there.

JS to your writing style. Are you writing crotch novels or stories with a theme/purpose.

In that you seem to need to go into the minutia of detail of the sex acts to the point it become boring and predictable and distracts from the story. >Some time less is more<, point the reader in the direction but let them fantasize the details. It seems that your focus is on describing lurid gutter sex just to keep the story alive.

JS you have some interesting stories but the sex is just too boring with too many details distracting the reader from the story's theme. 4*

Three words:

Suspend Your Disbelief

And my heart goes out to Nancy and Tom. They clearly deserve all the joy their lives can bring them.

The saddest thing to me is the excessively long time that the predators remained at large. How many other women and/or couples did they rape and destroy through the years? Tom's revenge was sweet, but delayed far too long.

Another terrific read, thanks!

The daughter should not have been allowed anywhere near these predators. They raped the mom and seemed to get away with it. What would prevent them from drugging the daughter and raping her? Big flaw in an otherwise good story.

Just painfully ridiculous.

AT THIS TRUE LIFE STORY. BASIC FACTS ON Facebook profile of dearbornmt@yahoo.com.

Female college instructor in Helena Montana lost job because Facebook facts and much more including sex photo was given to administrator. She is tattoed breat implanted serial cheater who liked being degraded during sex - begged to be urinated on

Called a whore wanted take that bitch facials-went home to husband with lover's seed rubbed into her face

and all that's left is the warm after glow of the burned perps.

Good story; well told.

Because they should have been imprisoned for rape instead of allowed many years of freedom.

I would have killed them both slowly and fed their bodies to wildlife.

Good reading.

I don't think I could have waited as long as Tom did for my revenge. Nor would I have dared let my teen aged daughter stay at their house. As crazy as they were , it's a wonder they didn't do to her what they did to her mother.

Wedding scene was nice , but really kind of stretches the imagination.

Still though , I really enjoyed it.

4 *'s

For all they did to his wife, they got off easy.

i ve read this story countless times and enjoyed it as much as the first thank you for your time tell the shitheads to f--- themselves steve

It's neither good, nor bad, it just... well, it's dull. It reads like a newspaper, no real investment in characters or emotion. Just the facts, and little more. Plot wise? Let's just say that I wasn't stunned by it's originality, and leave it at that. Like I said, it's not a bad story, but it is eminently forgettable.

deserves some reward, doesn't he? If he doesn't guide Nancy to shelter and get help for her, she dies.

yes, there are some up moments, but few. I can't imagine sitting for all those years if he had the evidence. Nor would I consider allowing my daughter in their home unescorted.

Man this is a great story and whoever the nameless pussy is whose comments are always the same. That person has some mental issues of his own.

Stars,nuff said

thanks for a well told story. great

I was very close to abandoning this story by the middle of it but I'm glad I didn't now.

A very good story !

IronDragon's comment reflects what I think about your story.

So to me it's worth A galaxy of stars

I don't know if I could wait that long for revenge, or if I would have the neighbors daughter over for a sleepover with mine and burn their house down in the middle of the night.

One of the exceptions to the rule of Zero Tolerance is right here. Wifey was raped by the Asshole and Asshole's Wifey. She was coerced by people she trusted, and wasn't in her right mind. I felt bad for her and what she had to go through.

In Mandy's case, I almost felt sorry for her. Like parents, like daughter. She'd been brought up in a toxic environment, but ultimately, she still had a choice. She chose wrong. So almost, but not quite.

The second best part was the revenge. Personally, I wouldn't have been able to hold back as long as Tom did. Hell, I probably would have gone to jail for what I would have done to the 2 fuckwads. He's a better man than I am when it comes to his temper and channeling it correctly.

The best part was the sex scenes. VERY hot, except for the first one. That one was kind of tainted by the fact that they were in effect raping Nancy.

Still a great read from start to finish.

5 Stars.

The motherfuckers got what they deserved!

@fanfare If somebody is the member of the 20% of the people he/she will not understand the others. The 80% of the people read novels or watch movie with that method, that he/she imagines/projects himself/herself into the plot. If you are the 20% of the people, who can read novels or can watch movie without any projection or imagination into the plot, you are lucky to read reports without emotional from Stalninist Work camps, Red Kmer working camp state, Ruanda mesacre or Nazi deadcamps.

First Jack this was an interesting creative description of a slice of modern life. You imagineered a fictional situation that entraps a fictional character into a fictional mental breakdown.

Then you methodically layout the plotline, step by step of fictional revelation that will result in the fictional confrontation between your fictional characters. Finally resulting in a fictional fairytale ending that actually works for this fictional story. In my opinion strong endings are the most difficult effort to accomplish when writing stories.

Now for the peanut gallery. Hoo boy! Too much sex on a porn site! Too much sex on a porn site......Too much sex on a porn sit? I'm sorry, I'm really having a hard time getting my head around that one.

Praying for the recovery of a fictional character with a fictional medical condition in a fictional story? I never could understand why believers pray for stuff such as health or wealth or victory. The point of prayer is to praise the deity of your tribe. And if you're going to be praying for benefits at least have the good sense to ask favors that would benefit real people.

It baffles me that people lacking in reading comprehension, unable to separate fiction from fact and lacking in empathic compassion bother to interact at all with their fellow humans even through the severally restricted and filtered medium of a computer.

I liked the payback but I still would of had to beat the shit out of my friend and his wife for what they did. They'd been lucky to not be killed slowly. The story was not predictable so that made it better for me.

Good Modern Figaro Type Revenge Story with Romantic Revenge epiloge.............

I seems to me that some of the worst people who ever lived were in this tale. Some of the best also. Six years of Nancy's life taken away because of the seduction. Great revenge against the perpetrators. And their offspring. Great tale.

i remembered this one - i liked it a lot! payback is a bitch.

He handle every one just right. Every body got theirs in the end. Dworcuck gave it a one because his mom gained 30 pounds and couldn't slut around any more.

Then I skipped to the end and rated it 1*.

Please show me the man who would put up with what Tom had to put up with, execute such a plan and at the same time stay sane.

Jack you almost always write a great tale, and this was one of your best! Thank you for all of your work in behalf of your readers; especially those of us who have become fans.

I have to agree with many of the other posters, the timeline was just to long. He took 20 years to get revenge while putting up with some crazy bitch of a wife and seeing the people who fucked her up on a frequent basis? I'm sure he could have gotten the same evidence much earlier and hell, who would put up with some crazy ass wife for so long. What kind of idiot would stand by and wait out 6 years in and out of mental institutes? 18 years of essentially no sex? Exposing the daughter to known sexual preditors and a crazy wife? Hell, divorce her and move on. He should have done that in the first year or 2. The daughter certianly doesn't need some crazy bitch as a mother, and he could have done better for a wife.

you need someone to edit your comments or get off the booze.

Great story thanks for sharing it with us 8-)

STORIES I've read on this and other sites and believe me I've read a lot of them. The only question I have is, why in hell you aren't writing for stage and screen. This plot is a lot better than a lot of the movies I've watched on cable or rented. Of course, you would probably have to tone down the sex scenes which would be a shame because unlike most you are pretty good at making those seem believable. Thank you for the entertainment

everything was wrapped up nicely. mandy's immediate embarassment/humiliation may have been short lived,

but sometimes memories can linger with such things.

evil that some do can bite them in the ass.

I have read a couple of your stories here but this is by far the best one that I have ever read from beginning to end. Well done sir, well done!!!

Strong plot, gripping melodrama, hot sex--all the ingredients for a good read. Best, Ken

Maybe one of the best lw-stories I've read at Literotica.

Catching moles at the neighbors’

Readers have taken different positions on the question of the nature of the activities of Gary and Tina, Nancy and Tom’s “friends”. Was it “merely” a cunning seduction of an unsuspecting friend or a full blown rape? On one thing, I believe, most would agree though. After their less than fully consensual sexual liaison with Nancy (remember Gary’s ‘memorable’ male guideline per sexual predatory “license”? - “penis has no conscience”) - the title as ‘friends’ could come only bracketed with ironic quotes. Should a less sophisticated husband than Tom happened to hear a recording of Gary’s, ‘pearl of thought’, he might have come at his neighbors’ house with a gun and quoting Gary, he could have added: ‘You forgot one part of your admirable modus operandi: Penises AND GUNS, my friend, do not have consciences’ as he would follow his neighbor’s logic to its ultimate end. But that was not Tom <P>

My position is that the implied author have actually left this question somewhat ambiguous, and in this way directing the reading to where he wished us to focus our attention. Whether their activities with Julie amounted to rape or not, they were immoral to the extreme. Each of them had violated twice (against each of their “friends”) one of the most essential codes of conduct in any civil society – that of the ethical code of conduct implied by the social institution of “friendship”. Each of them had violated the implicit social ‘contract’ which amounts to the maxim: ‘Among friends, one friend should never intentionally hurt another’. So much of our life is based on this assumption that I believe, it becomes transparent to most. As well it should, that is when friendships work as they should, and all parties respect the implied conditions of the social institution of friendships. We all render ourselves so much more potentially vulnerable by exposing ourselves to the trusting relations of friendship but we do it knowing that we are just as safe if not safer due to this relations. <P>

But nothing in reality works under perfect performance assumptions, and this story shows us what happens when friendship fails. The kind of failure it shows though is not one of the more benign and acceptable types, like the cases of friendships which grow weak and distant or those which grow apart or fray or even fall on their face due to a fight. This one is one of the most toxic and most threatening types. It reminded me of the devastating damage of a double agent, AKA the mole. He/she pretends to still be on your side while in reality is acting either in the service of your enemies or worse - he/she IS IN FACT YOUR ENEMY. <P>

The elusive and covert nature of those moles is usually going together with two qualities which make those detestable creatures both dangerous and hard to catch. One: they are smart calculating and cautious and two: they suffer from no “moral baggage” i.e. they would do what ever it takes to promote their need and goals, no matter what the cost (to others) is. <P>

Bearing this in mind, one can only appreciate even more the admirable qualities of the true best man, Tom . He first takes care of the needs of his core family wife and daughter. I am in agreement with those readers who pointed out that per this story (not according to any standing rules of intervention for social services once cases of sexual abuse are brought to their attention. I believe that this story does not aspire to be an illustration to those agencies detailed intervention manuals) Tom was being both conscientious and careful in handling Julie’s safety and overall wellbeing. <P>

The fact that Gary and Tina were either and/or Jerks; sociopaths; swingers does not mean that they were dumb by any account. All this categories of people –if they stay out of jail MUST be very intelligent, and handle their particular “affairs” or lifestyle (swingers) in a very careful way. The “friendly neighbors” must have suspected a connection between what happened at that fateful night and what happened immediately after that and from that point for so many years. They must have suspected Tom’s change of attitude and behavior towards them as well as Nancie’s once she was bask. Moreover, the lack of a major inquiry in their direction should have alerted them to take their stuff and run as quickly as they could. It’s like what precedes the Tsunami – a terrible withdrawal of any water just before the huge waves come rushing back to devastate you. One must assume that they were waiting for several years for the other shoe to fall. If any thing they would be the model neighbors from that day on. Doing ANYTHING remotely out of the ordinary even in the vicinity of Julie would be like an invitation to wake sleeping dogs – the last thing they would want. Being smart survivors they would have to take this into account. <P>

But the fact is that they were trapped. The only safe thing for them would have been to move to another country. I can see though, how after biting their nails and nothing happens, they lulled themselves into the illusion that they got scot free from this disaster. That mindset was exactly what Tom was working on. He was now free to choose the time and the weapon. Yes, ‘not fair’ according to the rules of setting a score in a dual, but then again that WOULD be the ultimate justice, as his “friends” were not burdened by any rules either, first to sacrifice Nancy for the price of slaughtering their friendship. At the end, in all fairness – they could not cry foul against Tom, they were the original violators of rules and trust. A nice symmetry of crime and punishment. <P>

I read some complaints about over zealotry in the punishment/revenge which included Mandy. I do not see it that way. Mandy followed her parents’ footsteps (BTW, author: what was that fault- pas of the daughter presumably following her MOTHER’S act? Was Gary a saint?). Mandy was already well on her way on setting up a world of pain and heartbreak (it was just a matter of time until her illicit liaisons would be exposed one way or another) for her “friends” and “loved ones”. Would those who felt that Tom somehow overdid it, felt better if he let Mandy get married and let the clueless husband on or worse, cooperate in misleading the whole community with the charade that this dangerous ticking bomb of a family was to their circle of friends and family? <P>

Maybe none of this family was a criminal. But for sure they were all menaces to society; heartless emotional users and abusers. Today I am their victim tomorrow it will be you who is being hit with no warning from anyone. At that point in time, the typical moralist of the: “Mind your own little business and gaze onto your naval alone” brand, usually wakes up and with no awareness to the self irony in his/her words would haste to add: ‘Why for heaven’s sake you have not warned me; I assumed that you would not stay silent it if it came to your knowledge that some danger was coming in MY direction’ Nope, the uber “individualists” still don’t get the concept of society protecting itself by mutual care. As an aside, that is the same kind of reasoning which explains why the U.S is the ONLY developed country in the western world which does not get the concept of a universal health care for all as a promoter of the performance and the moral standing of the society as a whole. <P>

As a whole it was a very impressive work of composition. You were able to put many themes into one thread, weaving them in and out of the narrative in the correct timing. As a result, you were able to teach more than few lessons through the story. It is not only the deep wisdom of “what goes around comes around”. It is also the benefits which come in the way of those who bind their time and plan ahead. It shows us what short vs. long term satisfaction can be, and of course it is a mini seminar on the subject of friendship.

I was so proud and happy for tom and nancys victory i loved when Tom got his revenge on Gary and tina and especially mandy when they screwed the love from nancy and tom they didnt deserve the treatment that Gary and Tina gave Nancy i cried for Nancy and i pray she is getting better.

Pat

Atlanta,Ga

i remember the story about the man who was give a check for a million dollars,he got mad and wanted cash.a good or great story somebody wants something different.i would like to see kanga and chargine write more with their writing skills.good day mate from north carolina.

if you really do hate being abusive, there's an easy answer - dont be!

Had you bothered to read the whole comment, maybe your verbal diahorrea could have been lessened.

It was four years before Tom knew what caused Nancy's problem, so Julie had already frequented Gary's place for that time also.

If possible, stop and think for a few nanoseconds.

Tom was in 'security'. He gathered damning evidence in Gary's workplace. He filmed Mandy and whoever the other turkey was. Do you really think he didn't know every single thing that happened to Julie at Gary & Tina's house after he found out about them? He didn't strike me as a man who is so silly he wouldn't have taken some precautions.

I didn't say it was a sensible decision, just that it could be reasonably arrived at. With precautions and his revenge in mind, it was likely a low risk option.

AND, that's how it turned out in the story.

For me a stranger quirk of the plot is, if Julie ane Mandy were such close friends, how did they end up so different? And even more so, if Julie was such a 'nice' person, how/why did she remain friends with Mandy? Now there's a far better question than her visiting with Mandy or not when they were young, if you're searching for credibility issues.

As for the alpacas, I doubt that a human would interfere with their prize bloodlines or do them any harm.

So, I take it, anyone who doesn't conform to your view of 'normal' is a pervert to be pilloried?

I doubt life is quite so black and white.

where-the-fuck-ever it makes sense. But in the Western US we believe an ounce of prevention is worth a fucking pound of cure!

By Kanga's explaination it is perfectly reasonable to take the attitude of "He raped my wife. But I know my kid is safe because rapists rarely change their Modius Operandi. I know that even though he or his tramp wife showed an ounce of restraint or character, it is OK! No harm no foul. "

Is that what you expect someone to believe? I hate being abusive but that has to be one of the stupidest, lame-brained explainations I have ever heard! If that was the reasoning that the author was trying to convey, the husband is damned lucky he still HAS a daughter and I now feel sorry for Mandy!

would it be okay if he liked fucking animals but usually only sheep, would you send your prized herd of Alpacha over there?

That is just pitiful.

C

exclusive.

Not always, there is usually the exception to be found. But paedophiles are usually not interested in raping or forcing older, more perceptive people.

I know plenty of ‘gay’ people for whom the last thing they would imagine is molesting a child.

Just because people are into the swapping or swinging lifestyle does not mean they would consider molesting children.

There are known cases of rapists and murderers in gaols attacking child molesters.

My point is that one form of sexual preference, fetish or whatever, definitely does not pre-suppose a person will consider or do some other sort of sexual practice.

In the story I read, Gary and Tina wanted Nancy and, hopefully, Tom involved in swapping:

“Gary and Tina had long cast a greedy eye at Nancy, and to a lesser degree, at Tom,…”

and took the opportunity of Nancy’s vulnerability with Tom absent to, in their minds, seduce her, so she would join in their lifestyle. Yes, it WAS rape, but they didn’t think so as they did it.

“Now that they had gotten to her once, she (Tina) was anticipating drawing Nancy, and then Tom, into their circle of swingers.”

The swinging thing was also tied up with Gary’s desire to have Nancy and have ‘one-up’ on Tom.

Nowhere in this story did I see any reference to Gary and Tina wanting to have any sexual liaison with young people.

Nowhere in life is there nexus between someone being a swinger or a rapist of mature persons having an interest in youngsters.

So, Tom’s decision, though it is unlikely the one I’d make, is quite reasonable, both in the circumstances of this story and in reality.