All Comments on 'Conversations 20'

20 excellent stories and an amazing contribution to Lit. Thanks for sharing your talents.

Can’t trust the person you love. You don’t love them, they are just a possession. I don’t blame her for what she almost did. I have trusted my wife for 50 years and never had a moment’s doubt. If I didn’t trust her, I certainly wouldn’t love her.

I’m a BTB person, but do like a well thought out and written RAAC. But your story was different and I liked it.

Scores 5/5 from me.

But this little essay was wonderful too.

Damn shame, I’ve enjoyed this series tremendously, it will be missed!

Thanks for the efforts thus far, looking forward to your next post.

Wow. That was thought provoking. I'll be ruminating over his clearly hard earned assessment of the human character for quite a while. At first what seems to be crippling cynicism ultimately proves to be a strangely liberating realism. Acceptance of her fundamentally flawed nature, and expectation that without vigilance, it will manifest itself in hurtful and/or selfish acts, allows him to lower her from the pedestal of idealism and embrace her as the (innately flawed) human being she is. A strange but fitting and necessary compliment to the humanist world view. And remembering some of the previous 'Conversations' (05 and 17 are my favorites, and now 20), a perfect coda for the series. Plus I'm always a sucker for a happy ending. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. Many thanks.

Not up to your usual standards. Three stars only

A very interesting and thought-provoking story.

I'm glad it worked out for them. I got the sense that she'd never be motivated to try cheating on him again, now that she finally understands the man she's married to.

The whole "Conversations" series has been great and I've really enjoyed reading them all. I think my favourite is #17 because the classroom setting and dialogue were unique... plus it has a happy ending! The hardest hitting was #18 though, as the way you wrote his feelings of betrayal, abandonment, and despair was very powerful. You could tell the guy really loved his wife, but she'd ripped his heart out with her casual and senseless infidelity.

Thanks for taking the time to write all of them and I'll look forward to whatever you come up with next!

The story started with him catching her about to cheat, OK, interesting. Then went on to describe the most boring, obnoxious man on earth. Unfortunately I gave up halfway through and wishing she had cheated, at least she'd have had a little bit of fun as reward for putting up with this asshole.

Well written and a decent premise but spoilt by a nasty, unfriended and throughly unlikeable character.

Really enjoyable read and something different

An outstanding series. Thank you for posting them.

Different. Not bad. Not great. But at least different.

He should probably turn in his resignation at work, though. I doubt he'll be effective at his job after this. As they say, there's one born every minute.

Really enjoyed your series, will look for more of you stories to come!

There were certainly no bubbles of stupidity pricked here!

Thank goodness there are still writers like you around that can write with simplicity, lucidity,and sympathy on the major underpinnings of love.

My vote is for 5 pointy things for your laurel !

Great series!

My thanks for giving us

all those interesting Conversations.

They really have been food for thoughts.

The "food" here was love and trust.

The story could've been understood

in the way that they are constants.

But are they?

Is his trust in her unchanged after her betrayal?

How about his love?

What does her betrayal say

about her love?

I get that he doesn't trust anyone.

But there's a big difference in that

and knowing someone isn't trustworthy.

Is love (weaker or unchanged) enough

to justify that relationship?

4 out of 5 from me.

´å+009400+

If you marry someone you don't trust, you invite trouble.

Not really erotic but it delves deeply into the idea of love and broken people.

He has a very dark past and he has been twisted by it. His personality has been irrevocably shaped by it. He is hyper analytical and observant, especially in matters of untrustworthy behavior. It is a form of obsessive compulsive behavior but he has learned to harness and direct it to mostly good purposes.

There is a flip side to the coin of not trusting anyone, it doesn't necessarily make someone he meets a bad person. Deception is a part of EVERY personality and he cannot help but seeing it. He seems to have reached an accomodation with this reality. No, no one is completely trustworthy but you can still interact with, like, and even love some of them.

His mistake in this situation was hiding his abilities/reality from his wife. He justifiably thought that knowing that he could not trust her would hurt her but failed to recognize that his unexplained behavior could be interpreted as an absence of love. Her mistake was misinterpreting his behavior and seeking a "solution" that solved nothing.

Now they both know.

Fantastic series. You have a good grasp on the human condition. Camus and you would certainly be friends

Different, but very good...Thank you...4*

I really liked this episode!

Do you know how truly tiresome it is to never be trusted, to be always questioned and challenged? I do and I would never go back to that misery. I didn't cheat, I did dump the dead weight. I'd sooner be punched in the throat than go back. The husband isn't nearly as repulsive but it's enough to make my eye twitch lol. Cheating is never the answer but fuck... I can't score this lol. I want to shake the wife. Lol

Very interesting, an example of how the incidents of our life can make a personality of a human, reminded me the movie Meet The Parents, atleast there was a circle of trust though very fragile but here it is extreme than that. Just to light the mood, what happened with the overnight bag of her, that rope remained open, Santa took it with him or the lady from cleaning stuff next morning or our stars get back later , the bag was with explosive stuff which can be a plot for another story 😁😁

Thanks for your efforts.

Thanks for your efforts.

Story started well enough, husband about to catch wife before she cheated, then it all went to shit, husband confirmed to be the most boring, self-centred, obnoxious excuse for a man. Lost all interest in his angst, was wishing wife would just get up and walk away, just skipped to the end, and lo and behold, he gets his way, have enjoyed these stories, but this one, dismal

Wonderful writing and word choice

"It was that lack of trust that got us into this position in the first place," - So, because he doesn't trust her, she does something to confirm his lack of trust?

/

"I needed someone who loved and believed in me." - So leave him and go find that person, DON'T cheat!

/

I would think that by the time someone has earned your love they would have earned your trust also.

/

Why not confront the mechanic now? By the time it fails again, there'll be no way to prove the parts were used. It might already by too late.

A first of your series I didn't care for. Deep dialog but she appeared to me to be the type that would confront him rather than plan the cheating. And if he knew so much already why was the part of him gearing the conversation such a surprise?

I can get the love without trust as I believe that occurs. I can get her acceptance as she never knew when he was watching anyway so what would be different? But for him to say she can keep trying and as long as he stops her he will stay? That is just stupid.

Very thought-provoking story and I really liked it. The way she picked up on his mistrust subconsciously and how it pushed her away and left her feeling unloved were a good explanation for her planned actions. Upon self-reflection he came to the same conclusion that he was partially to blame for that. Even if she didnt plan to cheat on him it would have been just a matter of time until she would have divorced him. Because she equated his behaviour as not loving her. It doesnt excuse her actions but it gave a good explanation wich is missing in most LW stories. Both were interesting characters and their actions fitting their background and history. 5*

Makes one reconsider the whole trust issue. Is trust something owed to you or that you owe to others? Is trust just lazy?....

5*

Very weird and entertaining!

Thanks.

Another great story.

This story is me.

I am this guy word for word .

Just wonderful. 5*

Even a deeply flawed man gets to love sometimes.

I especially like the lack of trust issue, as so many stories use that lack as a reason to dump a loved one.

Excellent story. Excellent writing. Fantastic series that should be published in one book. I’m in awe and thank you for sharing your talent.

I obviously have no idea who you are, but you combine fine writing with the ability to develop unique characters and highly creative, deep plots. Many of the other writers here who can write fluent prose, GA for example, slather it over incoherent characters and cliche ridden plots. I make it a point of reading everything you write. FWIW, I believe you could write a very fine novel. Thank you for your efforts.

An interesting, disturbing, and thought provoking conversation. I've enjoyed your work a great deal, and this was an excellent example of your skills.

I also enjoyed hearing you talk about your work on the podcast last week; yhamk you for sharing your talents and insights!

An 5* story. If I could score it higher, I would.

A very different take on.the cheating wife story and trust and how it works. Interesting thought that not trusting the other could be a sign of life,asy to see how the wife would confuse that with not loving her . I have to think further about this but given in a sense he doesn't need to trust when he can detect betrayal,. Can validate without trusting, it could work,and if the wife can see his lack of trust doesn't mean he doesn't love her means likely she will be trustworthy. Intelligently written and worthy of thought,about his only mistake was not being honest about his lack of trust from the start.

Your a great writer and you have shown that time after time. This for the most was a lot of boring conversation.

The concept of love without trust seemed so very unbelievable to me, yet your MC proves it could exist. Granted, the poor guy is hopelessly twisted but he seems to have found a way forward in his life. I foresee a long and happy life for this couple.

Thanks, I’d just about given up on LW as it seems to be sliding into either a huge cesspool of Cuckold humiliation or viscous BTB mayhem. I guess I like at least a modicum of believability in my fiction.

I have mixed feelings about both these characters. He is broken, but maybe she can learn to read him better now that she understands his history. Her willingness to cheat does not bode well, but people can grow. Maybe she understands herself better now. In the end, we must live by our own moral code even when others disappoint us, so the cheating was on her. Interesting and believable conversation.

Great original writing. Great series. THanks.

great story he needed to deal a little more with santa and show he should not chase married women or try to bed them

Once the husband became vulnerable they began to finally communicate. This story is a gem.

Interesting story! Thanks for the read.

I find it curious that these two have been together for five years and married for three years and yet the wife knew next to nothing about him. Such as being abandoned by his mother and left in a park in the middle of the night as an infant and growing up in a series of foster homes. Also, she knew very little about the details of his job and employment. Was she such a self absorbed person that she never took the time to really get to know the man she'd been in a relationship for more than five years and has been married to for at least three of those five years. She complained that she felt that he'd never loved her because he didn't trust her while claiming to love him when she knew very little about him and had never made an effort to get to know him. How can she claim to love him when she doesn't even know him?

Loved the series sorry to see it end.

This was the best of the conversations and it was a great way to end. It showed what is so important in all relationships...communication.

Thanks for all these stories.

Fantastic story. I was totally immersed withIn a few lines and the pacing kept me engaged. Some vivid and wonderful descriptions throughout.

I ENJOYED THE STORY. IT WAS WELL WRITTEN. GIVE IT A 5.

Great story - made me think and take an introspective look at myself. Seems I might be him - not sure if I ever 100% trust anyone, likely because I've let myself down a few times in my life and I consider myself pretty trustworthy. Thanks for the series and I DO look forward to more interesting tales from you.

You took a clever story and turned it into just another pathetic RAAC tale.

Do you mean "moron?" So far as I know "maroon" is a deep reddish color while "moron" is what Rex Tillerson called Donald Trump.

I'll join others in saying I'm sorry to see this series end. You created a complex, flawed, and very interesting male protagonist here, and let us watch him finally, after five years, risk being vulnerable to his wife. (I think that's what she really missed, by the way: she sensed that he was keeping himself invulnerable from her.) The only thing I'm left wishing for is a bit more insight into the wife's character, and what she sees in the husband.

Great job; a pleasure to read.

GA

Like many other commentators I will miss this excellent series of work, as someone else said these have been an excellent contribution to Lit. This was once again a well written tale, serious and thought provoking. Well done and thank you SleeperyJim.

I don't normally read series or multiple chapters, because I'm an old guy and can't remember the characters. Or sometimes the story.

This, I took a chance on because of it's high score. That might have increased a fraction because I gave it a 5.

I'll also test myself by reading No 1. Who knows? This one story might have changed my life!

Fairly well put together. I like reconciliation but this was a little weird. Would be more apropos if she also took on the no trust of him to level the table.

You're an amazing storyteller. This was such an awesome series of stories.

Very clever. And entertaining. I have loved all this Conversations series.

I feel sorry for the narrator! He's flawed enough that he may never trust anyone.

5

Sounds a lot like me. Its what the system does to you. Foster care/orphaned, etc is basically the same way of living. I don't really trust people like this guy, So since I know what he's saying I loved it. Thanks.

Thanks for a very original story. Started liking it. Wanted to keep liking it. In the end, I just didn't like her or him. On top of that, the story felt like it went on too long. Three stars.

The hits keep coming today. I wonder what kind of psych profile the MC would have? Can't remember the last time I gave out fives, three times in a row.

Love it each time I've read it.

A Twisted, Skillfully Written, Long and Winding Road to Lagom Nirvana

One of these days I need to submit to Literotica a list of the top twenty creme de la creme Christmas stories that are unladen by wearying, faux Holiday sentiment and yet have a lucid element of mercy. This would be one of them.

Ergo the obvious score

Full marks *****

Well thought out and very well put into words.

Awesome!

the question, Why? Thank you for the effort.

Unfortunately your analysis fails upon close examination: it makes no sense.

Andrea claims her adultery was driven by a desire to be loved, and trusted. But its quickly obvious that Andrea does not love, nor respect, the asshole she had arranged to fuck. Her arrangement was certainly going to get her some strange cock, but the author showed no love between the two cheaters. In fact Andrea appeared to be instantly uncaring for the asshole who was planning to give her the love she claimed to be desperate for. And exactly how do you acquire trust from a man with whom you have conspired to cheat with on your marriage?

If Andrea was so desperate for love, where's her lover? Where's the man she wants to devote herself to? Why does she define the love she's seeking as being found not in her lover's heart and soul, but at the end of his dick?

The following examination of love versus trust was interesting, it simply had no relationship to the actions of the cheating whore. She was so detached from the husband she claimed to love that she knew almost nothing about his childhood, his profession, or his inner strengths and weaknesses. It read like they had just started dating a few weeks ago, and her main squeeze just learned that apparently they were not yet exclusive. But its OK, she was going to come back to her husband the next morning, returning to her prison of unwarranted distrust, after a night of cheating on her marriage. Yeah, the whole premise makes complete sense.

I do appreciate the effort, I just wish it was successful.

Just kidding..... sort of. Excellently done. Great ending. 5*.

I almost think I understand the emotions involved. It gets to the very core of so very many elements of any human's life.

- She defined "love" as "trust" while he defined "love" as, well many things, including "expectation". How one defines emotional ingredients drives their behavior.

- No person can truly KNOW how any other person incorporates an experience into their life's emotional framework. People say, "Oh! I know how you feel!" But they CAN'T! Not really truly. Some talented people may acquire a close approximation, but cannot ever truly understand.

- Fiction frees the soul. It allows for freedom in the writer's expression of things deep inside of themselves while it allows readers to give themselves permission to experience - to a degree - things they would probably never experience any other way.

Well done, Sleep-J. Very well indeed.

= Ringil =

Great way to end the series, which has been great. So many interesting themes running through this story. Childhood fucking him up. His deep need of love, and the pressure that puts on the person he needs that love from. His fear of abandonment that you often see by foster children who never had that stability of parental love. The deep distrust from that really fucked up childhood.

His likely inability to change, because it's so hard wired in him from childhood. Although, now that he has given his issues voice, over time even without focusing on it or psychoanalyzing it there is potential for major change that happens subconsciously.

It has to be so exhausting to be him, and so exhausting to be her having to live with him. She could only stay with him if she truly loves him, and has the patience of mother Teresa. For him he has no choice but to want her. Someone like that is extremely dependent on her to make his world right.

Great ending to a great series.

Who would want to be married to someone like that? A smug know-it-all that trusts no one? BTW - people like that are some of the easiest people to scam. Their belief in their ability to "see" thru everyone and everything is their downfall. She needs a divorce.

And 3 years of marriage is about right to figure out you’re actually not meant to be together.

I say let them divorce, maybe they’ll meet someone they can actually enjoy being with.

A woman who thinks everything is about her, and a guy who has a ego about his abilities and is willing to bet his life on it. Love is strange, even for these two characters. Well written and thought out. The only plot hole that I could see, and is easily covered, was the fact that they have known each other for at least 5 years, yet she had not known that he was adopted, but I guess that she didn't care, cause it had nothing to do with her. But she seemed to come to a epiphany in the form of a nuclear explosion. For it to be that radical she should have a stroke. I guess the author was hoping for people like me to have one instead, grin.

@robinhod, you will soon find that these are all separate stories, not chapters in one long story.

not sure what that says about me.

when people say, 'trust, but verify', they are alluding to this man's worldview. it's

very logical, it's very in control, and i admire it.

i do believe trust is earned. but blind trust is a silly concept.

i also believe in love, but unconditional love is a very silly concept.

we love, and we trust others. but we don't ignore signs of betrayal. we don't reward toxic behaviors or red flags with more love and more trust. no one ever earns unconditional love nor unconditional trust. people seem to understand how silly unconditional love is faster than unconditional trust. if a spouse is showing disrespect, and distancing, then it goes without saying they'v lost some of the trust currency they'v build up over the years. trust isn't something that you earn forever and ever. it can be earned, and it can be lost. people seem to believe you can only 'break' trust with a huge betrayal. but you can ever more easily lose tiny amounts of it with tiny amounts of suspicious behavior.

It doesn't matter if you BTB or SAVE TB, the story keeps you wanting to read the next paragraph! I appreciate your talent.

A really good story, told in a really exciting way. Although I don't trust you not to pull off some devious thing after all! Have a nice Advent and an even better Christmas for you. I hope to be able to read one of your stories again. But you can't be trusted either!

Did not expect that kind of story. Interesting as a story but not my favorite. Anyway a 4 as a new twist to the story line in that you traveled a less busy road.

Not your standard story in LW or in this Conversation series. Overall an interesting twist that kept me reading. MC is definitely screwed up in the head but has made it work. Crazy but whatever works and is plausible and made an interesting story. Well worth the time to read. I did give it 5 stars

Please do keep writing and I will keep reading.

This series has covered so many issues and cliches...please don’t stop

And innovative. Really enjoyed it. My world doesnt spin like any one elses,, so I appreciate this story. 5

(and himself.)

He trusts that he knows her well enough to anticipate and deal with her emotions and ventures. He keeps things on track, ensuring the marriage.

Great idea, great expression. Thank you Sleepery Jim!

Can't remember what the movie was, or the character name. Let's say it's Joe.

"You can't trust Joe. But you can trust Joe to be Joe."

Great story to end one of the few long story threads worth following. Another interesting conversation between the almost cheating wife and hyper vigilant husband. Happy ending for the penultimate conversation. I’m looking forward to you next post and wouldn’t mind another series.

...your submissions are top shelf stuff.

If this is the last 'Conversations', I feel sorrow that it's come to a close. Whenever I see that title, from this author, I know that I am in for a treat.

Ah well. Everything comes took an end... not just 'all good things'.

I still look forward to any submissions that you provide, and as you've stated there will be more stories, I am not too despondent.

It's just that submissions to this site, that carry the hallmarks of insight and intelligence... not just derivative action and response to the base human condition, are rare.

For an author posting to an amatuer erotica site, you are a notch above. There are other authors here more than worthy of respect, but you have planted your feet soundly in that group.

When, and if the inspiration occurs to create another insightful tale, please, please don't hesitate.

Not that it really matters, but what do you think? 5 stars? You bet your bottom dollar.

From a fan.

This is a treatise on the human condition. Emotional reaction have so much truth to them. ( I can relate to the not trust growing up with a mother whose sisters told me they were surprised I grew up. Gave me observational skills I have used in my chosen profession) This story could not be written better. Don't like to compare since a comparison always denigrates one part of the comparison. This is just suburb craftsmanship showing the gravitas and danger of being alive. Of living in a world in which everything feeds on something else. Fear then is a constant for all species be they seemingly conscious or not. This story through excellent plotting, great character development and believable dialogue catches all of what we as pack animals in this world suffer through to have some love and connection. Wish I could give it a higher grade to make up for some who will not read it with an open mind about author intent. A hundred is about right.

Aw, shame. Was a great series, even when it was painful.

At least it stopped on an upbeat note with this one. If the last one had been 18, for example, that'd have been a real bummer.

This one is the best in the series. I could relate to it.

She'd better run for the hills and find a sane person to build a life with. This little peaceful episode will end sooner than later. Maybe after 15 years of therapy and some heavy duty drugs, he'll turn into a human being. Maybe not. But she'll be shot to hell by that time. Get while the getting is good! Don't let him ruin the rest of your life.

R.

...she really needs to find someone else. It just isn’t a fun, rewarding, or healthy existence being forced to live as a suspect 24/7 and it can certainly be interpreted as a particularly cruel form of emotional abuse. A dollar says he ends up eating a bullet, but only after he loses his prisoner, er...I mean wife.

Interesting psychosis, though. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.

A friend of my father had that same problem. I thought he was my uncle until I was about twelve, he was probably one of my dad's best friends. Old Uncle Bill, he was a postmaster. But he was almost forty, I think, and became very paranoid. Not like cowering in a closet or wrapping tin foil around his head, but just suspicious of everyone. he couldn't relax. He couldn't believe what his wife or kids, or even his own parents would tell him. He would get very upset and finally, he actually started to physically hurt people. He would imagine they were lying or stealing, or somehow hurting him by being dishonest, and if he found even the smallest shred of evidence that he might be right, he would fly into a rage.

He ended up hospitalized and once released, actually he was kind of in and out for several years. But he was pretty drugged up and I saw him a couple times, usually at family functions, the odd wedding or funeral, etc. I just felt so sorry for him, and his wife whom we all adored, she was like my aunt, really. But she took so much abuse because he couldn't ever trust and if he wasn't outright accusing her of something, he watched her like a hawk. It put her into a terrible depression. And he started out gradually, like the guy in this story. It didn't go off the deep end all of a sudden, but over years.

So, this story really hit home. I get it's fiction and fantasy, and just a story, but there are people out there like the husband in this story and the suffering they can bring on themselves and their loved ones isn't fantasy. It's a very real nightmare.

I enjoyed the writing, but I didn't enjoy enjoy the the story. Put it that way.

I really liked the way it ended. There are enough Grinchy endings in real life.

...it’s original, and interesting, and very different. Yet, it was awkward. Maybe it was intentijnal, as he’s an awkward kinda guy, but it made it difficult to read (at least me), so I give it 4-stars...

... and Favorite because of the originality

Have we met? I feel like this guy is me. A lot of people are talking about how unhealthy he is and throwing around paranoia accusations, but understand that some of us grow up with NO foundations-no parents, no family, no friends, nobody they can rely on or have faith in-and we didn't make it to adulthood by blindly trusting people, we made it because we don't trust anything we haven't verified!

Here's another way to look at this: if I don't trust you, ever, why would I let you into my life-my house, around my things, sleeping over, dating and getting married-if I didn't love you SO MUCH that I was willing and eager to have you there? Here's a story about a man who cares about his wife enough to check up on the quality of her clothes and clothier, take apart a just-fixed car to check the mechanic's work and keep her from making a mistake that would ruin their lives, if you don't want that level of care from a spouse because they have trust issues then you just don't want to get married!

Is really the same as 'don't trust-anyone'. I grew up with great foundation, great parents, great and large family. But I learned very early that you are much safer to not trust anyone. That way you aren't angry or disappointed when it happens.....

Original, congratulations

Beautiful story. thank you very much.

ElioCechet from Milan

Not everything has to be a BTB in LW. Thanks for using your imagination. KS

A very unusual take on the LW story. Enjoyed it a lot, thanks.

Unusual take on an RAAC story...

Nicely delivered and a new way of looking at things. A BTB would not have worked nor would it have enhanced the story the way your ending has. Thank you for a great story. 5*s.