All Comments on 'He Said He Was My Friend'

Very nice story. I enjoyed it and don’t have any problem with the way Henry handled the situation. I felt a little sorry for the MIL, she really got between a rock and a hard place. And I really would have liked to have seen Ariel’s explanation of why she decided to cheat. Yeah, her seducer was a player and smooth talker, but it ultimately was her decision. And I really would have liked to hear (or read) how she justified her actions to herself. I still think it’s a 5 star story.

A nice surprise, like a few I thought it was going to be his mate who stabbed him in the back.

I loved David's description of how Henry could climb out of the car to beat the blokes ass, every bloke should have a mate like that, lol

An excellent well written story. One comment about the mother-in-law: she could have told her daughter that she would not cover for her if Henry ever called her; she wouldn't affirmatively inform Henry but she would refuse to be a party to the deception. I am pretty sure that my mo-in-law, who was like a second mother to me, would not have covered for my wife if this sort of situation happened. I know I wouldn't cover for my children nor, I think, would my wife. Anyway, fine story 5*****.

Great story. Sad when unconditional devotion gets betrayed

It was actually Marie’s fault. If she had told her daughter no when she first approached Marie about lying to Henry, Ariel would not have been able to continue the affair.

It had been a year since he had seen '2nd Mom.' Why had he never asked to speak to her during one of Ariel's calls? Engineers are problem solvers. They would be the MOST likely to want facts upon first suspicion. They wouldn't shy away from getting them out of guilt. Facts first, guilt later if there was nothing going on.

Great story, JW!

Excellent, I once wrote a review for this writer, I said yes it was just words. You have improved, good job, keep writing.

This was very well written and a well-plotted story. I gave it 5 well deserved stars.

Excellent! Wish the other authors in this genre had half the command of English as Just Words.

Great story.

Les

So sad what is wrong with these women giving up Utopia for a little bit of strange Keep up the good work (jaybee186)

Marie could have chosen not to cover for her daughter. But the affair had already been going on for quite a while. And mom not cooperating wouldn't have made Ariel love him. She didn't. It was already over.

Knoxhard

Very nice story. Personally I could’ve done without the sermon at the end, but the story was great, Five Stars worth of great. Thanks, J_W.

Good story

Sad but good story. Didn't go the way I expected, thankfully, 5 stars.

It’s nice when you have good life long friends. Marie should not have supported or covered for her daughter. She should have told her to knock that shit off because she wasn’t going to lie for her.

Bull! There is no good ending unless the husband BTB!

Good story but title doesn't match.

You gave us a story that showed the value of true friendship and put the lie to the notion that failure to exact revenge for infidelity is a sign of weakness. Marie probably paid the highest price, because Ariel forced her to choose which of two people she loved to betray. Very well done.

Good story. Of course everyone would like to see the cheaters Tarred and Feathered but this seemed more like real life where there are no winners - only survivors.

From the title I thought the bad guy in the story was going to be the "best friend". Glad that wasn't the case.

Hey, he thought noble thoughts and said noble words and is still alive and stuff.

Having your spouse cheat on you is bad enough, but having it be with your best friend is beyond comprehension. I'm glad that David was a true friend. I almost didn't read this due to the title but happy I did.

The writer writes about MCs who hve the aggression of a tortoise!! Or who are Gandhi incarnate!

I would never help anyone cover up an affair, not even my daughter. To help betray someone I love is unthinkable.

I understand that you portrayed Marie as a loving person but cowardice is not an excuse for what she did.

Sorry, but it's lacking payback on the cheaters.

It is a love story between two men. Still excellent

You’re a good writer. But this was a cheating story with no hot sex, no fleshing out/confrontation/details of the why and what and aftermath, and/or no revenge. Kinda dropped all the juicy, interesting parts. At least one of them would have been very welcome here.

Very well done.

Ariel was a real piece of work.

Here mother should have been wiser than to facilitate her daughters betrayal. Examined, even at a distance, Marie should have realized that eventually the truth would out. There was no win for her in this, but there was a chance to not lose it all.

And Ariel? She sits in the center of the circle of destruction around her is is not really bothered at all.

Pretty much like the drunk that survives the care wreck in which he kills a car full of people.

Very well done.

Also need to add that you made this story

Work very well without sex. Also, it was great to see his "Brother" really step up to the plate and be there when needed.

No need for violence here either. This really is, at its heart, the story a brothers love for his brother.

I don't love it, I hate it, because it rings so true, but it was well worth the 5* because a story doesn't always have to have my personal preference of a cavity-causing (or nearly, I'm not that bad) sweet happy ending to be excellent. This was an example of such a story. Hate it, but it was great. Well done, for what it's worth.

Sometimes a good friend is worth their weight in gold. This story seemed to be one of those times. I felt sorry for Marie, she let her daughter put her between a rock and a hard place. Very nice story, J_W, thanks for sharing.

Thank you for a well written story. I could feel the emotions and the amazing help his brother gave him.

I liked the story, but felt for Marie. Alas the hard life decisions, do I protect blood to betray a love or do I.

This story was very well written, it's certainly creative and really exposes the pain family goes through in divorce. It really is soul crushing for those who care.

Sad story well told.

Well written, nothing over the top and an extremely plausible story. I'm a little surprised at the mother-in-laws ability to cover for her daughter, she should have been more sympathetic to her son-in-law and less willing to cover for her daughter if she had such high regard for him. Good job.

Marie could have stopped it at the very beginning if she had told her daughter that she would rat her out to her husband is she didn’t stop!

Very very good. 5⭐

Thanks.

Usually the best friend steals the woman, here the best friend was the best man.

How the heck did I miss this 5* story? A story of two betrayals and of immense loyalty and true friendship.

More than just words, thanks

This was a good tale.

Nice job Just_Words.

Great Story!! I loved It!!

Marie needed an ass beating. I have a very different perspective on shit like this.

Good lord, you are good! 5 stars only because that’s all I can click on. Definitely worth many, many more.

Thank you for this story and all the other stories and thoughts you’ve shared.

What a great story of loyalty and betrayal. The love and loyalty of a best friend juxtaposed against a cheating spouse. What great examples. 5+*'s

4 stars - because I did not like the fact that the SLUT started cheating so soon after her marriage. Normal people who love each other USUALLY do not cheat for at least 7 to 10 years, if we believe all those meaningless statistics.

I got out of the army 40 years ago, that's only time I had this good of a friend.

Well written. You can be a very talented writer.

This was one of your best. 5-😊😊😊😊😊

A great story but needs to be completed. The ending is too glossed over.

5+.

Please keep writing!

Ughhh! Where's the payback. Should have gone back and beat the crap out of him. Might have saved the story.

Good story, enjoyed it. While I sometimes think that the guy should've had some retribution done to him, the other part agrees with the author about Karma, while another part agrees with the husband: the guy's just not worth it. The only real complain I have- the title: He said he's my friend, but the story wasn't about a friend fucking his wife, but his wife cheating on the husband. Just saying... 4 stars Bob

@Anonymous - the title was deliberate. I was trying to mess with the reader's head and surprise them when the friend turned out to be a true friend. Thanks for the support. I don't require that people like my stories, but it's a real treat when they do.

Yawn...........

Been there, don that. Get the tee shirt to prove it. I DID NOT MAKE A GOOD choise WHEN I got married. DId better the second time, so far.

JOKE OF THE DAY. TALL BOY COMES FROM SCHOOL AND SAYS TO HIS FATHER, I got a part in the school play. WHAT PART DID YOU get? BOY SAYS , I am playing the part of a married 48 year old man. FATHER SAYS, DON`T BE SAD SON, MABE NEXT YEAR THEY WILL GIVE YOU A SPEAKING PART. HAVE A GREAT DAY AN DKEEP SMILEING. MAKE THEM THINK YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO SOMETHING. great story. LEE k.

Clear, concise, realistic characters, plot and dialog.

A pleasure to read. Thank you!

It is emotionally life saving to keep the following in ming. Women, or men, who cheat need to be viewed as damaged trash. THAT person is NOT who you are in love with. What you love is the person she used to be and thought she still was. The "now" women, were you single and considering dating her, is someone you'd avoid like the plague if you knew she has this kind of history. Truly understanding that you love the woman of the past and NOT what she is now, really allows you move on more easily. You will hurt but your grief is for the death of what was and NOT for the heartless, lying slut she turned out to be. That woman is an amoral liar and narcissist. Also, questions of why, how long, who with are not worthy of pursuit as are questioning any erroneous feelings of inadequacy or personal failure. The only thing that is important is she cheated. Accept that at face value and leave. Forget retribution and just leave her as the lying corpse she is. Leave totally, in every way. Get personal grief counseling; anything to heal and rebuild your life. Above all, LEARN from the experience; i.e., the subtle signs of cheating. Listen to your inner voice, and investigate. Don't feel any guilt about resolving your fears. NOTHING is hained by delay. Following that coursevof action will help, as much as possible, a "next time".

interesting what you did there. The title prefaced an expected friend-wife tryst but nope. Been reading Dutch Leonard?

I like this a lot, very realistic characters⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great story. I only have one disagreement. You state that liars and cheats create their own suffering as a reason not to exact revenge. That is only true for those who have no conscience. And those who would have an affair, especially one like the one above who has a long term affair has already dealt with the lie, if only to themselves. I think the reason not to result to fists is not to stoop to their level. In the end, (as you say) they simply aren't worth the effort. Thanks again.

Oh I liked the plot line but felt you put much too much in details of setting it up,

Mother should have knocked some sense into her daughter instead of enabling-reprehensible!

Sure could use a follow up.

What a wonderful story about friendship and a disappointing story about love.

The story is very well-written. The character development, especially for the men (what happened to Billy??) was perfect. Of course I hated Ariel, but loved your work about her.

The story is the most disappointing because it is like a lot of young love, one stupidly betraying the other because they weren’t mature enough when they married. My wife and I have been married for almost 40 years. Have we done things to anger or disappoint the other, of course, but I was 31 when we married, she was a few years older. We were both old enough to not be stupid about those things, about understanding what an affair would do to our marriage and to remember that we love each other. When I was younger I hadn’t learned that lesson yet. Had I married then I would have been divorced at LEAST once due to my immaturity.

To reveal a secret, I have been seeing a therapist, mostly for my own issues for a few years. Last week was one of our monthly sessions. I brought up that we have been getting on each others’ nerves recently. The therapist said, “of course you are. You are humans that are deeply in love. Remember that. It happens with all couples now and then. Also remember the lessons that you learned from the relationships you helped to destroy in your early 20s.” The same applies here and you have captured it perfectly. Thank you for this story. It is a good one for a follow-up from her perspective including her interactions with her Mom when she asked her to cover for her.

Thanks again, I love your writing.

Realistic ! 5*

Well developed plot and well told. 5* from me.

The writer is like an old gabby woman who talks endlessly but says nothing of any worth. If the author wants to tell a story, they need to simply and directly tell it. So much of this story is dribble with no content

I always love it when the cheating wife uses the excuse, "I didn't take anything away from you when I was cheating"... you did... you took away my trust in you, my self-respect, and dignity... also, now that I know, if I was foolish enough to take you back I would always wonder whether or not you were thinking of your lover while you were making love to me... no thanks.

Those two words: "Goodbye, Marie" were more devastating than anything else he could've said. Marie could've put her foot down and told her daughter that she wasn't going to lie for her and that if she didn't stop cheating, she'd tell the MC herself. The fact she didn't made her complicit.

5-stars. Contrary to some did not see a problem with wordiness,

A 5* story, beautifully written and just the right length and content. Cheaters never prosper !

I really enjoyed this story, again. I loved the true brotherhood that developed between the two friends. Yes, I agree karma seems to be a force, but we still have the predators that are prowling about. You could say that karma got Hitler when he committed suicide, but he needed millions of people to "help" him get there. Meanwhile he directly and indirectly directed the death of millions of people, and caused untold uncountable evil and damaging impacts to people's lives. Sometimes action is needed for the safety and happiness of others. I'm saying that "karma" sometimes happens through human agency.

Minor point, and again, excellent story.

Well told story of true friendship and thr devastation of cheating. Ariel sucked. No way to reconcile her planned and dedicated cheating. Marie made a bad choice, but so many mother-in-laws do in such situations. The "Goodbye Marie" was the perfect grenade to drop. She lost her second son and the chance of grandchildren with the MC as their father. She was his second mom. Truly devastating. Who cares about Ariel. She is a selfish, self centered bitch who had no clue what she had done and why it was wrong. She wasn't ready to be married. Henry then betrayed her and her new marriage lasted two years. She will probably be a three time loser. Would have liked to have seen a second chapter. Liked the MC and David.

First rate! D

One of the best short tales in LW, for sure. Read it a couple times, still works even though I know the story. "Goodbye Marie" ..... epic, and devastating.

Many commentators are upset that this story doesn’t have any sex and there is no BTB. What it is, is a great story about friendship and loyalty. His friend passed the test, his mother-in-law did not. Marie must have struggled with her options for a long time. In her heart, she knew knew what she was doing was wrong and that she was failing her daughter and her son-in-law. She didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to stand up to her daughter, and regret will eat at her, the rest of her life.

The writer doesn’t give us a lot of details, but her continued calls, where she apologizes and seeks forgiveness, give a glimpse into her world of despair.

Another sad story. I feel for the mother, caught between a rock and a hard place. We'll never know id she tried to talk her daughter out of becoming a tramp. In any case he is good to be rid of her and fortunately they didn't have any kids.

"Many commentators are upset that this story doesn’t have any sex and there is no BTB. What it is, is a great story about friendship and loyalty..."

I really hope the author doesn't need approval that badly. It was a good story that focused on the MC and his buddy and how they handled the breakup.

the "Bitch" has been burned: she lost what she truly valued. Any other damage is just piling on juvenile.

¡Más perfección del Maestro de las Palabras! Esta historia recibe una galaxia de estrellas. Or, as the Brits might say, "Wizzo, old sod!"

Damn good

Okay, I get it. But I still want his ass kicked.

Someone else has said it "A 5* story, beautifully written and just the right length and content." I'll second tnat and also award 5 stars.

Reminds me of my best friend. Thanks.

BTB, and the grammar...? I just hate it when a beloved MIL has to "whale."

A fairly good story. A 4 Star rating. Still, there's no real ending or resolution. The two cheaters keep on screwing each other while the MC just slogs along...

Gotta agree with Texican. Long-term good feeling or not, the wife’s boyfriend needs a royal ass kicking. Maybe in the long run it might help save someone else’s marriage.

Good story, though, J_W, thanks for sharing.

I truly appreciated that his best friend did not turn out to be the bad guy. Well written, 5 stars.

I'm glad that David was an actual friend and not part of the lie. Yes, a little disappointed the douchebag didn't get his ass kicked, but that's life sometimes. Four stars and thanks.

I enjoyed the story was well written , I found myself to be a bit sad as i read through it , was so nice that David has been like a brother so long , I felt nothing for the wife , but felt bad about her mom knowing what she knew

I was worried that the best friend would turn out to be a rat and then realised he was in fact a true brother by another mother. Poor Marie being put in that position by her daughter I know she didn't do right by her son in law but she was put in an almost impossible position. One only hopes the MC eventually finds love and happiness. Another truly excellent story from a master storyteller BardnotBard

@ Anonymous (BardnotBard) - I confess that misleading the reader was my intent. I've been trying to write stories about friendship and support more often. I'm glad you liked it.

For the note at the end maybe that could be the case in some situations but not in that current situation he should have killed them both for that is what they deserved instead they got off easy so they learned nothing and that's the idea about revenge and punishment to teach them a lesson so even if they didn't get killed like they deserve for cheating they would learn not to do it again

Second story written by this author that I read and second story I love. 5* from me. This author knows how to express the rage and pain that such cheating and disrespect causes. Congrats on a great story, very well written.

I thought paragraph explaining why he didn't cause bodily harm to the boyfriend on point. While hurting him and feeling an immediate sense of justice, the long term feelings of revenge would be non-existent as well as dangerous and precarious to his freedom, both in a legal sense as well as in a mental state of trying to extricate himself from his marriage. Thanks for truly one of the top stories on this or any other site.

Looking little to know payback on the cheaters. No regrets from the ex. Wasted read.

Lol at the critics below clamoring for murder. Grow up! The story wasn't about Ariel the cheater. She had been cheating on her hsuband for years, since like 18-24 months later the wedding. The story wad in part about the betrayal of the MIL, his second mother. But mostly about his friend David, who was awesome, and his brother from another mother. Ariel was just a plot device to explore these other subjects. Who cares if she feels regret or not. She was a long term cheater. She married the asshole and in turn became a victim herself of cheating. Ariel was just a supporting role. Loved the friendship and camaraderie with David. Good stuff.

Can’t understand how MIL who would be part of scheme to enable her daughter to cheat on her husband is viewed with any sympathy. She was under no obligation to lie as she did. While I would never have informed my mother if I was doing some cheating, I’m quite sure if I did she would have told me off and certainly wouldn’t have offered to cover for me.

We don’t really learn about the wife’s point of view. It seems like she lost interest in her husband. Should have just divorced. What was the point of the long term subterfuge?

That's what a death in the family is like. The rest of us limp along with a sense of guilt and that the world may never be right again. I have sympathy for the MIL. She was put in an impossible position where she had loyalty to two people, but could never break loyalty to one. I dunno about forgive or anything of that religious jive, but I would try to understand and accept. She had few choices, none of them good.