All Comments on 'February Almost Sucked'

Thank you. Thank you. This story has haunted me. I have to think my wife would realize what she is throwing away just for a night with a celebrity. I liked your version. Can you do brown vows now? It haunts me too! Good job!

A nice take I enjoyed it!

Nice take on an alternative to the many variations of this classic story. I think it explores a very realistic process of overcoming damage to a marriage and also the complexities of the cheater’s mind and heart.

He stays married to her after she cheated on him? Yea right.

He stayed friends with the people that covered up and supported her cheating? Yea right.

Another version of Jim where he has no respect for himself.

I think this is one of the most thoughtful versions, The character of Linda fails, on my judgement, to make sense in most of the other versions.

Funny how people bag a genuine effort.

Bipolar was mentioned which is pretty much what it would take for a happily married woman to dump her husband on their special night out.

Or as Narcissistic a person as the big sportsman.

Cheers

This version is kind of like the little kiddie's roller coaster, it takes forever to get up to the top of a 12 foot hill and then it speeds up and then you're not sure if it has enough energy to get to the top of the next 12 foot hill. Also there is no mention of Mark after he barges in to their home and then there is an RO against him. Could have used that for more fodder for this story.

I did like the reference to SaddleTramp's character but you absolutely need to acknowledge an author when you refer to one of their characters, "In one, she was being judged by a Greek goddess who had a penchant for trapping souls of betrayers in photo frames for all eternity."

This version is kind of like the little kiddie's roller coaster, it takes forever to get up to the top of a 12 foot hill and then it speeds up and then you're not sure if it has enough energy to get to the top of the next 12 foot hill. Also there is no mention of Mark after he barges in to their home and then there is an RO against him. Could have used that for more fodder for this story.

I did like the shout out to SaddleTramp's character but you absolutely need to acknowledge an author when you refer to one of their characters "Some of the scenarios were more realistic than others. In one, she was being judged by a Greek goddess who had a penchant for trapping souls of betrayers in photo frames for all eternity."

I'm going to reply to a couple comments here.

First, I appreciate the criticism.

This is not supposed to be a super thorough retelling of February Sucks; I wrote this in a day and a half (actually less than that, since, day job). I just wanted to get the concept out of my head. I don't doubt it could be greatly improved.

At the people disliking Marc showing up at their house. I can see a good argument for drastically changing that. The intent of that moment is to introduce some external conflict, since there really isn't much conflict to be had if Linda wakes up and has a come-to-Jesus moment like she did. There is still some conflict between Jim and Linda, because the whole scene of him leaving broken still happened. But, a lot of these stories re-introduce Marc by having Jim and Linda see him at the same club again, I didn't want to do that. It's not elegantly done. What you should infer happened is that someone told Marc where they live.

@KRD19254 I don't think you get the story, or at least you are failing to read between the lines. Jim isn't a pussy. He allowed Linda to dance, then was lied to and could literally do nothing. Smacking Marc around at his house was way more trouble than it was worth, but he'd have done it if necessary. It wasn't that time. If I devoted more time to expanding this story, it may have become necessary later. (Probably not though, I just wanted Marc to be hot-headed.)

Dee DID have a come-to-Jesus moment. It happened off screen after her phonecall. The whole point of the story is people acting stupid and realizing their mistakes. Linda's realization is told explicitly; other characters it is not.

@Dlh143 Yes, I can. I am working on more substantial original stuff. This got stuck in my head and I wrote it because I thought the concept was novel.

@BigDee44 Geeze dude. Sorry. That's rough.

@Demosthenes384bc I agree. There's a possibility I'll revisit/re-write this some day. I had no real vision for Marc's character and just stuck that in there. As mentioned above, the idea is someone gave him the address... But I don't know where I would have taken that conflict. I think his character could use some balance between arrogant prick and... relatable? I dunno. Again, if I ever re-write this, I need to have something that drives the story beyond drawn out conversations between Jim and Linda. There's a lot to work with there, but I don't know where I would have taken it.

Sorry, Migbird has me confused. I don't remember there being a character called Karen in this story. Who is she and where does she fit in?

Liked the take on this story and the writing. 5 stars.

As to how Marc could have found Linda's address, keep in mind that Marc is a celebrity/sports hero with lots of money. One way could have been to have someone hunt down where the Uber driver drove Linda that night. Another could be from getting the phone numbers that Linda called from the reception woman's phone that Linda borrowed and doing a reverse phone search. I'm sure that the woman, who appeared pretty enamored of Marc, would have given him the information if he asked. These are just 2 ways that come to mind.

Interesting original take on this story. However, it was overly long and a bit contrived. I also did not care for them reconnecting and renewing friendships with their friends. Four stars that frankly edge toward three.

JPB

oh my god ste, linda saw the light ,,,, yeah right

to me the moment she left the club is the end of the marriage no matter what happened or didn t happen after

the disrespect alone is the death of a marriage

you can take a pile of shit surround it in glitter ,,, it s still a pile of shit

to all the raac fans and the cucks if you can accept her behavior ,,,, good luck because she ll do it again

personally i ll take half and see my kids ( if they are really mine ) every 2nd weekend than to spend my life with someone i don t fucking trust

we all know the saying FUCK ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU .... i n not going to let you fuck me twice to put the shame on me

there have been hundreds of takes on this story ,,, some better than others

this story if i had the ability to write would be 1 page long

when dee said she s gone she ll be back tomorrow i would have said ty dee tell my ex that i loved her once and i hope she has a great life walk out of the bar get in my car and start a new life without any characters in this story in it ,,,,, short and sweet

no moping no crying no raac no cucking ,,,, probably boring but more realistic

the writing was great the content sucked

Very pleasant. I appreciate the impulse to give poor Jim & Linda a break: they've been through a LOT, with all the different re-tellings of this premise!

Having Marc continue to pursue Linda (as in George Anderson's original) helps give Linda a leg up on Jim forgiving her. I don't know if you (or George!) thought about that. It's a hint that the author thinks the behavior is REALLY bad, and Linda needs all the circumstantial help she can get to retrieve her marriage. The reconciliation is tougher if Linda can't show that she's rejecting Marc "now", after the weekend.

Very fine & different tale. I'm happy that Linda wised up & stopped what she's doing with Marc + the fact that, after a while, the marriage returned to normalcy. This was one of the rare ones I've read (but didn't read EVERY continuation) where there was reconciliation. "The Bus" was another one... but much different between Linda leaving & the reconciliation. Having said all that... (& nothing to do with this author's version!),

-- I'd love to read one time, after Linda left & Dee, at the table, says "But it's Marc Lav---", Jim says to the affect: "So if he asked you instead of Linda, you would've gone?" If she says no, he replies it's not what you said a few minutes ago, & see Dave's reaction. If she says yes...

... On the phone call, Linda winds up telling Dee for all her enthusiasm, she's not a good friend at all, & their friendship's over.

... After Dee tells Jim that his wife left, etc., he becomes loud & she tells him to relax a bit. "I don't give a shit who hears that my slut wife went off with that asshole 'cause he can't find himself his own woman but has to steal a married one!!"

... Jim, at the table before he leaves, asks the men if their wives left with the asshole, would they be so willing to think it's just a 1-nighter? Oh well, just my thoughts.

The comment that Jim didn't stop Linda from dancing. Well, initially, maybe not. But after 2 dances with the guy, I seem to agree. He should've stepped in, at least for an attempt. Of course, that could bring in another version of the story with a) Linda leaving Marc & he with his teammates react, b) a fight comes where Jim's badly hurt (tangents: with help from his friends or without), or c) Linda refuses her hubby's interference. Jim couldn't stop Linda from leaving, as he wasn't aware that'd happen.

Doesn't change what I feel of this fine story. And this author's 1st shot!!! Better writing than many more established writers in view of punctuation & word placement/ drops. 5 stars. Look forward to other stories. Bob

While my rating remains the same, I neglected to write one huge thing, which almost lowered the rating from 5 to 4. The BBQ.

All his friends were aware of what happened, many even telling Jim it's just 1 night, etc. AND THEY'RE STILL FRIENDS, & MORE IMPORTANTLY, INVITED FOR THAT BBQ?? I don't see that happening at all.

I'm keeping the 5 because of the writing itsself, & not because of the actions within. Again, Bob

Your story is easy to read and certainly has some points that can be recapitulated, but it has a big dilemma: it doesn't correspond to the facts. In GeorgeAnderson's story, Linda goes with the "asshole" and cheats. If you don't let the defining feature of the story happen, then you might as well write a standalone story. Other authors' attempts all have one thing in common, they take GeorgeAnderson's story as fact!

Ah! the "Character matters" version of this story - LONG overdue.

Excellent.

I really liked the story, good twist that Linda walked away from Marc. Not sure why Linda and Jim didn’t call 911 the time he showed up at their house. Also, their so called friends, staying in contact with, they should have been Nuked what they did to Jim especially Dee….. Allowing Linda to have contact with Dee would have been reason to divorce her. The ending where they were with their so called “friends” and Marc showed up. That should have been expanded, maybe their friends stuck up with Jim and Linda against Marc. All I know Marc should have been taken care of in away he would not bother any woman ever again.

4⭐️ Thanks for writing good 1st story.

sorry but she left with him and had her friends stop her husband. She had every intent and had made up her mind. She cheated, even if she didn't finish the act. The amount of disrespect and intentional hurt she cause with the expectation that "He loves me so he will forgive me" is unforgivable. Now the husband will have to be on guard if they go anywhere ever again, if she "has to stay late at work" he will always wonder. No she has poisoned her husbands mind, destroyed his trust and errased his faith. Why, you wonder, because HE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FORGET WHAT HAPPENED, he can forgive it but he will never forget it. Her being sorry she was so weak, that he needs to keep her on a leash.... you really think that will help anything? Their Marrage is broken for the rest of their lives together, in a few years it will be loveless and wretched and then, someone like Marc Levallier (I don't really care if I spelled it right) will show up again and that will be it. Sorry, okay story grammer and language wise, no huge mistakes. that gets you 2/5 but the content of the story let out all the air from the tires.

I thought you did well for your first story, and I agree with most of it. The part where Marc "tracks her down" to their house basically "over night" is hard to swallow, as he doesn't know where they live (she forgot her purse, hence no ID, or phone), so that would hamper tracking her down. Sure a PI would have to try and figure out which Uber picked her up in less than 24 hours. Not an easy job, but it would cost a lot, but still not guaranteed.

I did like it, as it was a different take on the time old classic and gave it 5 stars for original thinking. Thanks for sharing it with us.

One of the better variations on the story, but it kind of fizzled at the end. I did like you having Jim examine her to verify her story. That was a well laid out scene. I had no problem with the reconciliation, as you did a fairly good job of making her redeemable but also making her work for it. However, you set Marc up for a much better retaliation than he got, which was disappointing. I also wasn't impressed with the way the "friends" were handled either. It was very clear that they were not actually friends and should have been left behind for it.

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As to the reason that February Sucks has attracted so many variations, it is quite simple. It's a great premise for a story but GeorgeAnderson fumbled the ball in the open field and screwed his version up so badly that everybody and there dog believes they could write a better version. While many have failed, many others have succeeded.

I appreciate this version but really have trouble with even this reconciliation. Once a wife intentionally leaves her husband at a club through trickery with Dee and gets into a car with a man she met less than an hour before, it’s over. No matter what happened beyond that point, she was deceitful and untrustworthy. Really tough to write a credible reconciliation with that set up.

Actually, I liked this story. It seemed to have just the right amount of explanation to make the story realistic.

Think you did well although the ball player should have suffered more.

Unless you have some kind of agreement , you don't walk off with someone else intending to have sex .

Linda had no such contract with her husband .

Although she recognised Marc , they had never been introduced , but with complicit approval from her friends she sneaks off to enjoy her tryst .

That's the bare bones of this tale , so whether or not sex takes place , Jim was to all purposes abandoned by his wife and their friends in favour of an asshole predator .

So , in reality , you would lose all confidence in your wife and friends . How can you look them in the eye and ever trust them again ? How can you ever feel safe in the knowledge that they are not laughing at you behind your back ?

Trust has gone . Separation is the only way forward . Possible reconciliation , mostly for the sake of the kid's .

Divorce the best option .

To me, the Jim and Linda saga affirms the notion of the multiverse. So many variations, so many people who can't let it go as the story stands.

I think you nailed the reason: her actions aren't logical. Neither are his, truth be told.

The original story, while emotionally engaging, is actually not very good in it's narrative. I didn't like it. I think that is the reason that so many people have felt a need to reinvent it, aside from the invitation by the author to do so.

The reason is that these authors can't let it go, they need to try and correct it to match their own beliefs.

As a first story on here for you, I think it has added another level to the challenge for your debut. There are so many versions of this story that my initial inclination was to forego reading another. I passed it by several times, but I'm happy that I read it. You executed it well, delving into real issues and emotions that would be felt by ordinary people suffering through this experience.

Yours is also the only version where reconciliation was palatable to me, including the original.

The only way of rescuing her was if she rejected the asshole outright... or via the narrative you created, but with that second option, there is still no free pass.

In your story you show the real underlying consequences. She had already broken the bond between them, and already destroyed his belief in her: that link at the level of soul where you are sure of your partner in the same manner as you are sure of yourself.

Without her even consummating it, your story is very effective in illustrating the impact it has had on both of them as individuals, and on their relationship.

All of those issues you so adeptly illustrated, are the core issues that infidelity create. By removing the infidelity you can then focus on those underlying factors alone.

Having her almost fall is very clever. It has created the certainty that those problems exist in their relationship, while at the same time, proves that she is serious in wanting redemption. She broke the rules but didn't get the reward.

She dashed her previous life on the rocks of her actions, but pulled back, despite the fact that it was already too late to pretend the damage had not been done.

This gives them a sound footing to BEGIN to try reconciliation.

By accident or design, your storytelling is very good, very insightful. I'll look forward to more contributions, but let me just say... reconciliation is rarely justified. In my view, most people reconcile because it's the least troublesome path, so they compromise their own values... debasing themselves. But things will never really be the same.

You sold this story well, but I would hate to see every story of yours, contrived to arrive at the same outcome. It becomes a theme, and becomes of as little value as any other oft-repeated trope on the site. I wouldn't want to read your name as author and know what to expect. I'd rather see an honest outcome based on the circumstances of the action.

But on this story, well done.

Not that it matters that much, but you have 5 stars from me.

This story was really about Jim and his own insecurities. He just couldn't appreciate that his wife pulled herself back from the abyss where many other women didn't...She's now going to have to spend the rest of her marriage pampering to his inner Beta ...lol....4 Stars anyway on this never ending story.,

I Amit that I read some other comments. I find fault with them reconnecting with any of the group they were with. NO WAY!

I liked in this version they admitted that just walking out on him was enough to get a divorce.

He should have & then worked from there to see if reconciliation was a possibility.

In this version she still broke him & their marriage but not as strong a break that was deserved.

I’m just glad this was fiction, but as with some others I get so into the story I find myself into their reality.

Bill S.

I am glad someone attempted to write something other than a BTB story. Most people tell me that read this stuff is a waste of time. I see it as an exploration of ones own self. Most of there stories leads the reader to a "what would you do" moment. You can learn alot about yourself this way,

Sadly, all these extra version of this story does little to change my original feeling, There are some things you simply can't take back. can't undo. LOVE and the desire to save the marriage becomes a curse. Any man, with any self-image, would never give her the chance to fix things.

Really liked the end note. It’s sensible and thoughtful and as such seems refreshingly out of place in this land of the angry, bitter venting trolls. This is an incel crowd mostly here, not a book club thought session, but I very much appreciate this otherwise missing version from the February sucks genre.

I personally think that the story resonates because it’s so horrible, and reflects most men’s unarticulated nightmare scenario. And women wonder something to the effect of . . . “could I?” “Could I really”? I think for most of us in real life, there’s be no coming back from the wife leaving and going all the way, right in the husband’s face in the most public of ways.. It’s selfish and demeaning to an evil

exponent. It also attacks a man on an atavistic level to such an extent that even someone like me who believes profoundly in the concept of forgiveness couldn’t in the end swallow what Linda did. It’s just too evil an act, even understanding the notion of being “caught up in the moment.”

And I think that most women, even if delusional and selfish enough to succumb to such a seduction, would understand intuitively after the fact that their actions could not be overcome enough for the marriage to continue. And it’s that element of the Anderson version and it’s progeny that seems too irrationally “out there” to me. That is Linda’s continued after the fact insistence that “it’s not a big deal,” even in the face of the obvious carnage, that I thought was beyond irrational in Anderson land. Even accepting that an otherwise happy wife COULD under a horrifying collision of improbable circumstances do “such a thing,” what seems inconceivable to me is the inability to comprehend after the fact, in the midst of the carnage, that all can never again be well. That’s the most irrational aspect of all of this to me. This version, forgiveness is not only possible, but probable for a genuinely loving husband, insecure trolls be damned.

Really you wrote that rubbish, omg how sad, whats even sadder though is i read it, well skipped through it would be a better description

Yes, I agree with the author's notes that this story is the most realistic, regarding Linda's awareness of the inadmissibility of her behavior and the inferiority of her reasoning about the indispensable forgiveness and acceptance of such a situation by her husband and the unreasonable hope for the absence of any negative reaction and consequences for her marriage. What seems unreal in this story is Mark's subsequent repeated attempts to get Linda into bed one way or another, despite her active reluctance and already openly conflicting with her husband. This is no longer courtship and seduction, it's more like stalking and obsession, with a very likely abduction and rape in the finale.

Two of the three pillars of a true relationship, trust and respect were broken not only by Linda but by all the so-called "friends" with them. Jim should have been more forceful with all of them and made them all pay for the way they treated him, especially Dee who is more trouble than she is worth. She should have been cast adrift straight away.

"Other authors' attempts all have one thing in common, they take GeorgeAnderson's story as fact!"

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Sorry, but ALL of the alternate versions change something from the original. That's what makes them an alternate version instead of a repost...

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Further, there are quite a few who make changes that early, or even earlier in the story. One version went so far as to have "Marc" actually be his body double hired by the "friends" to take Jim down a notch. So, your rant does not fare well when faced with reality.

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As to this particular version, I think it does a good job of maintaining the main premise of the story, which is her getting swept away by Marc's attention and sneaking away to fuck him. Having her come to her senses prior to actual sex makes for an interesting version that hasn't been done to death by others trying to fix GeorgeAnderson's original screw-up.

Loved both your version and you analysis. Definitely well written and well thought out!

I keep thinking I've seen the worst adaption/alteration of this scenario. I keep being wrong.

This story is by far my favorite. I gave it 5 stars. This is what I always thought should have happened but never did. I really enjoyed this.

Was hoping this would have puckered-out by now, but it keeps chugging along.

Have to admit this was one of the better efforts. Well done. Four stars.

I, very much, enjoyed this tale. Well written and paced. 5 stars. DMW aka

Interesting take. The story itself could use some work. Marc stalking her came across oddly, someone that behaved that way would have likely r*ped her that night. Appreciated the nod to Saddletramp. Went a little long. And still not a lot of good answers from Linda other than the obvious she just got to the point of taking him for granted. She's probably still not trustworthy.

Wow. Still in touch with those awful friends? Husband emasculated, again and again. And only a few lines to tell how they got to that point. That''s lame.

It kills the rest of the story. Should've just leave it at less than cordial or cut them off completely. Dee's scene seems like deflection. Should just focus on the main couple.

Excellent writing 5* for that. However, I think the reality is that most husbands would not care whether actual penetrative sex occurred. Leaving with another man would trigger a break up, especially when done in such a spectacular fashion.

Astounded by the comment of 10/04/23.This was pure crap.

When Linda walked out of the club with Mark, that defined the end.

Story was well written, an emotional read, grade average,

Jim is a far better man than me. In my case the end result would of been divorce and Mark would of been hurt in my house.

(My EX is and was a evil person that took advantage and betrayal of me even before Marriage.)

(I was on duty in the military and was keep in the dark) my problem ended in Divorce

1 star for being a boring piece of shit.

Why do authors who do a rewrite of fs seem to find a need to put a large excerpt of the story.

It's like you saw one guy smearing poop on his face before going up a flight of stairs and thought oh i better smear some shit all over me before i go up a flight of stairs otherwise who knows what happerns.

FANTASTIC alternate ending of a great story!!!

My sincere congratulations! You did an amazing job!

5 stars from here!

This is my favorite alternative ending. Thank you for giving the story a new feeling. 5 stars from Xluckylee

Good writing. I really hope someone does an alternate ending to this, where Marc proves his promise right and has her many times after. This IS a SEX story website after all, and so many great writers seem to have forgotten that.

I just finished reading this for the fourth time. It's captivating, but certainly not the same story as GeorgeAnderson's original; but then, one needs to do something like having Linda back out at the last moment, otherwise there's really no hope at all of reconciliation, and all you can write is a divorce or BTB story. And I suspect that this particular offshoot in the multiverse of "February Sucks" will have a few offshoots of its own.

I will probably have a number of comments after I've finished this one - so expect me to comment more after I've thought each one through a bit.

I agree with many of the comments already posted, that the betrayal was simply Linda dancing with Marc when she had promised her dances for the evening only to Jim. That betrayal probably could have been eventually overcome, but even that would have required counseling. And I don't see any way to recover once Linda left the club, and certainly not after she kissed Marc and allowed him to fondle her body. She kept stating how she almost gave her body to Marc, yet that's exactly what she did - lips, tongue, tits, and overall body fondling were all willingly given to Marc. The only thing she didn't allow was penetrative sex. And how is Jim to know she didn't do that? Sure, he did a vaginal inspection, but what's that going to show? There's no semen; so, OK, Marc either used a condom or she douched. There's no puffiness or swelling; Fine, Marc didn't pound her for hours. And she could have been deep-throating Marc during the entire limo ride from the club to Marc's bachelor pad. I don't see any way she can prove to Jim that she didn't do the nasty - and in the case of marital infidelity, is an hour of intimate sex somehow better than an all-night wallapalooza? And that's what Jim has to be thinking - that an hour of sex was sufficient for Linda to get her bragging rights.

Also, like a couple of other commenters, I don't think that someone of Marc's low character would have stopped and allowed her to leave. He has no incentive to do so, especially given all the witnesses to her having abandoned her husband at the club; no one (especially Jim) is going to believe her accusations of rape. Then it becomes like Writewinger's "Unintentional Betrayal"; as he concluded his story::

"We both tried hard over the next eight months to salvage the relationship but in the end it was like "Frosty: melting away until the head finally rolled off and broke apart. Oddly enough I had gotten to a point where I had all but forgotten about the sex, it was the image of her descending those stairs, reaching up to kiss his cheek and the last defiant glance she gave me as she allowed him to put his arm around her and walk her out of the door and, in retrospect, out of my life. Oh! She explained "ad nauseam" how she was angry and did it just to tweak my nose a bit but just the fact that she wanted hurt me that way was more than I could overcome."

..... except in Linda's case, she didn't do it in anger, she simply put Jim in second place, giving him her "second best smile" and discarding the concept of "forsaking all others"

I thought this was an outstanding exploration of the dynamics involved in the scenario set up: Wife publicly deserts husband in front of friends to fuck a celebrity without regard to her husband's feeling or her or their future and family. This treatment was realistic and relatable in the case where she "wakes up". The reactions and emotions were in line with what would be reasonable.

I know this approach was to explore what would it look like if she did leave Marc before actual sex happened. I do think that cheaters in real life in this type of situation would be caught up in their lust and not even thinking about their spouse or family, and would actually physically cheat on their spouse. Unlike in the original story, I think most first time cheaters in this situation would be horribly guilty and would face an internal crisis dealing with the betrayal they participated in. That's one reason that the original story by GA was so hard to take, because Linda was so unrepentant and unreasonable in her response. She was disrespectful of his feelings, of him as a person, and of his position as her spouse.

I really liked this treatment, especially in comparison with the original. Well done!

Big ol nope. The second age disrespected him and humiliated him at the club should have been it. No matter if she fucked him or not.

Not going to hammer it. it's an interesting take on the theme and no more absurd than the original.

The one problem I do have is the sulky nature of Jim and the long time he took to get over it. Being too sulky and taking too long to forgive can be just as damaging to a relationship as cheating.

What I suspect many don't appreciate is that they had two young kids so whatever happened the pair were linked to each other for life, and very closely for the next 10 years or so. It's all well and good blowing up and having a hissy fit, but spending the next 10 years having to socialise with your ex wife and her new fella, knowing the kids spend most of their time with them is a sobering thought, and more than enough to put fragile male egos into their place.

4, a better FebSucks story then some. The reconciliation was appropriate but only just barely, she still disrespected him and still with with Marc while doing things a married woman shouldn't do with another man. Not quite going all the way like most of these stories but still too far by most definitions of being faithful. Honestly in this story my ire is leveled at Dee and the rest of the friends just as they usually are in most of these stories. The fact that they helped Linda try to cheat with not a single person coming to Jim's defense always bothered me. Thats my only real problem with this story is the forgiveness towards them. Linda was "thinking with her vagina", none of the friends even had that excuse, willing to help their friend cheat on their other friend for either some fantasy of their own or some inexplicable unexplained reason. Forgiving Linda is fine, forgiving them I feel is not. Still, good story especially for a first timer.

3 stars on this story . My ex knew the rules and broke them . She ended up with 2 kids by him and expected me to take her back She seemed surprised when I called a slut . One and Done is the way to live

I do not normally support a raac. But in this case, Linda and Jim seemed to do the right thing. After all, leaving Marc’s apartment took a lot of balls.... And she did it without any outside influence. But the friends.... That’s another story. I think Jim deserved, to be able to ban them for life. And Dee? I have yet to read one of these endings, where she redeems herself. I think a Mexican whorehouse, us in her future. 5 stars.

I’ve read most of these alternative stories and I would rank this in the upper third of them all. My favorites usually include Marc getting physically and financially destroyed, and Linda losing her marriage. The fact that she woke up and refused sex with the bastard make the quick reconciliation more palatable. I would not have mended fences with the friends who encouraged her though. That was too much.

Not bad but a few things I didn't get or also didn't like.

First, he forgave his supposed friends, especially Dee. Don't know how he could do that. They clearly showed that they weren't his friends. They either helped or encourage his wife to betray him. I don't see anyway of coming back from that.

Secondly, he needed the marriage counseling ASAP. Don't understand why they waited. And I don't think I would have let her back in the bedroom for a while. Even if she didn't have sex, she majorly betrayed and publicly humiliated him. He forgave her much to quickly in my opinion.

Thirdly, personally, I would have insisted on a very harsh post-nup.

And finally, yes to your point, he was the original fool for letting his wife dance with him in the first place.

Not going to belabor and critique every step of this story. After all, folks, it's a story! I did enjoy reading it and had problems with certain parts ~ but that's on me, that's why you read other people's stories ~ but overall I did enjoy it and gave you 5 stars. The one drawback that does bother me is what a few other readers brought up, and that is the ease with which Jim seems to accept his former friends back into his good graces so easily. Personally (!) I would have expounded more on how Jim refused to acknowledge, befriend, forgive, or associate with his former 'friends'. I would have felt a minimum of 6-9 months, or more, would have been appropriate. After which he would have had them all over for the requisite BBQ and before the festivities cranked up into high gear, he would have addressed them as a whole. 'My friends,(dripping with sarcasm) the last time we were together as a group you all conspired to help my marriage be destroyed. Every one of you, each in your own pathetic way, tried to sabotage my marriage, my self worth, and my self esteem. Fortunately, none of which were accomplished on the long term. But, I will follow the old adage, forgive but never forget. I will never forget how each of you so callously tried to get me to accept the unfaithfulness of my wife on the premise, it's only one night, and, you both love each other so much that you will accept her cheating and just move on. Fortunately, again, she never completed the act and we, after an extremely difficult time, have been able to move forward. But the point of my soliloquy is, going forward, when I am confronted with the adulterous behavior of one of you again, I will no longer feel obligated to let your spouse know what you are doing and with whom. (Then looking each of them directly in the eye and holding it for 4-5 seconds) He concluded, what I know about the extra curricular activities outside of your marriage, of which, at this point, several of you are guilty, I will no longer feel obligated to inform your husband or your wife. So, everyone enjoy yourselves and drink up! And, I don't want anyone to go home hungry! ~ It was Jim's drop the mike moment. He turned his back on all of them and moved over to the grill as Linda stared open-mouthed at all of her friends as each husband and each wife turned on their respective spouses and watched as all hell broke loose.

I enjoyed the story nice change 5*****

Well written, and well done!

Good version.. My favorite story is when Marc gets his head caved with an axe

The introduction of them going to a hotel instead of his home is novel.

Not dealing with the friends without morals is unacceptable. And in my opinion would have moved this from three to four stars.

I don’t know any man who believes that adultery starts with penetration. She ended her marriage the moment she chose another man over her husband. It’s just that simple.

ZK

I really enjoyed this version! The only issue I’m not clear on is why she cheated at all? What insights came from therapy? Without those trust would realistically be hard to reestablish. She has to be clear in those to prevent any future problems!

Not the best version, but definitely above the average. I do think it is hilarious we can now rate FS adaptations on a scale now though.

You walk out of a bar with someone other than who you walked in with, keep walking.

Pure betrayal.

Also I would say the reason people like FS so much, is that it is so universal. Not the specifics, but everyone I know has had that conversation that GA mentions. Maybe not with the women who were being upfront and brutal in their descriptions, but definitely everyone has the "Would you have sex with X famous person?" "What about your SO?" and so on and so on.

Adding the rest, the friends, the kids, and everything else is to give context, and often in a lot of stories they do, but the core is still about the above, and how they all react to it. It hits everyone differently, whether its those who think of Marc and his story, or those who empathize with Linda and all she had to lose/or gain in some stories, and lastly with Jim, the proverbial loser in almost all of them.

There are more reasons why of course, but that is the gist of it from my perspective. I read them all as it is almost like a Marc Lavelliere cinematic universe that way, with everyone's different take on what 'could be' and I enjoy seeing everyone's different writing this way. Lots of good open ended stories on this site, and FS isn't the only, but I would say it is probably the best, and it definitely is the one done the most.

Could have been one of the best but you fucked it up making him a wimp. A few tattoos, a branding, a few sex partners for Jim, and a letter to the editor detailing how gullible and stupid she is, now you have a story!

Easily one of if not the best version I’ve read. No psychopathic ex military from Jim’s past appear to dismember Mark. No black and white views demanding kick her to the kerb as the only course of action for a real man. Nice job.

I have read a bunch of these and this is the best, so far. It is more realistic than the others. The idea that a woman could do that to her husband without consequence is not realistic. Although she failed in part, Linda recovered before she failed totally. And Jim recognized that and was able to forgive her. Liked it!

There was betrayal, not only cheating., so FEBRUARY SUCKED.

I scored this five stars. Even though Linda went too far, she still reacted in salvation of her marriage and relationship. I liked that, after so much anguish, the relationship finally survived and thrived. There was forgiveness and grace. Again, five stars. Well done.

JPB NOT BOB

This is a good follow story,but a tad bit hard to accept her not completing her fantasy considering the play time on the long drive to his place getting worked up to being half dressed in his bedroom.This tale is more realistic than many other follow ups. To me the most unrealistic part in GAs original tale and follow ups is the fact she actually left with Mark.

I think if most of the readers actually thought about it,it would occur to the reader that a woman/wife is much smarter than taking a chance on destroying her marriage by walking out like that. The wife,as in real life, would have exchanged phone numbers with Mark to make arrangements to start a real affair.It is simply the way most wives open contact for a possible affair..4stars..

She went too far before she woke up. She still cheated, emotionally and physically. The fact that she didn’t go through with full blown sex doesn’t change much.

i guess

Finally! A variant where the woman is not completely brain dead, but remembers, albeit a bit late. that she is not single but is a married woman with two small children. Still, no amends were made to Jim in this story. Sometimes, like here, "sorry", no matter how heartfelt, just doesn't cut it. Afterall, she crossed a couple of red lines: the first, and worst to me, was disrespecting and ditching Jim. But I could see how some might find the kissing and titty play worse. Also, her "paying" for her indiscretion is an act of good faith. Say, a postnup giving Jim 60% (you pick the number) of the marital assets. My preference would be she gets to do ALL of the housework for the next 5 years at which time the postnup goes away. Afterall, it's only fair: everyone knows you have to pay to play. )

Just for the record, I call BS on the "would you want to have sex with some famous celeb"

I'm married and so the answer is "no comma hell no." And I'm a guy.

I VALUE my marriage and would never do anything THAT stupid purposefully.

I also feel sorry for y'all who haven't figured out yet that the best loving beats the best effing any day.

This is the kind of story that I love to read because it makes sense and it is realistic and true to the original characters. Jim is understandably tortured by Linda’s infidelity because she betrayed him far too much before realizing what she had done. The only thing that I couldn’t understand was why she had come so close with the infidelity. Leaving your husband alone at a bar to get in another man’s car and to his house is enough of a betrayal that I think goes far beyond a normal loving wife’s reaction. I don’t think her psychological state was adequately explained. However the author deals with it and resolves the conflict in a very satisfactory way. The story was excellent.

When I ended reading, I hoped that you allowed Anon Comments, because of you didn't, I would have knocked the rating down from Five to Four. I now do that every time, reducing the score by one star.

As for the story, I think this is the best FebSux follow-up. One side note, how would Marc's teammates have known that she left him?

Again, five stars for the best follow up.

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JPB NOT BOB

One side note. What sets FebSux apart from so many others is the title February Sucks. The title is one reason so many have liked it and added on.

February Sucks. A master title.

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JPB NOT BOB

Counseling never leads to anything but more insanity.

I loved it. Please write more stories.