All Comments on 'I Should Have Known Better'

Nice to read a piece outside the popular LW tropes. I’m working my way through the 2018 O. Henry winners, and thought a couple might be well adapted to, or serve as inspiration for Literotica pieces. Thanks much

he'll read a newspaper article about Jeff beating her to death, dumping her body as he runs off with her 15 year old daughter. She's a freaking idiot

Maybe her second husband won't beat her?

And should be in prison. Enough said.

I liked this story very much. Everyone of the adult characters' various dysfunctions were delineated in five star style.

Ergo the obvious score

Full marks *****

. . . but still didn’t get the girl. That’s different. Thing is, he spent a lot of time in Texas, where “He needed killin’” is a legitimate defense.

Well that was depressing. Laurie ending up with the asshole Jeff totally ruined the ending.

Just lust.

Frankly, if he can’t find the balls to aske her out then he diednt deserve her.

Anytime I want to get into a new relationship, the first thing I think of is to eliminate the competition. So, kill of the ex. Good thinking.

This was just a leap too far. Suspension of belief is one think but this bordered on idiocy.

** Sorry B&K...better luck next time

5*. He played himself for a chump. And got the ending he deserved.

I agree with @Huedogg2...he always had and always will have delusional thinking...As soon as she fucked the abusing husband in her new house, she would be out of the equation...But after what he did to the child and she condone it, he should have run away from her...3*

But in a way such a sad ending. So it shows that she had a certain "type" of bad boy she preferred and good guy Sam didn't fit the bill. He is probably better off this way as if they did get together she would most likely dump him later on.

And a good reminder not to get involved in stupid.

Thanks BillandKate for the lesson.

4 out of 5 from me.

This read like a scene from Dexter the tv show. Thanks for the read

Never go full Captain Save a Hoe.

This is a story that leaves the reader with a profound hollow feeling.

A modern Shakespeare tragedy.

I thought, "Don't kill him. It'll ruin the story." By the time the MC was stuffing the body into the crab pot, I was a believer.

As usual, well done. 5

As soon as Sam decided to murder Michael the relationship was doomed. There was no way Sam could ever tell Laurie what he did and the secret would have been a wedge between them. Although I found it interesting that it did not take Laurie long to find another dominate male to replace her ex. Sam was probably better off in the long run.

But, I think with the ending doesn't really fit into this category and really screws up the tale.

A little too close to reality. What he did was a good thing. Michael was a monster whose violent behavior was escalating. Laurie was an idiot, but "...you can't fix stupid..." and we all know people that fit that adage.

He counselled Laurie as best he could, but as an adult she had the right to choose to remain in an abusive relationship. I choose to believe that Sam allowed Laurie to make her own choices until those choices harmed her child. Killing Michael most likely saved Michelle from further serious physical and emotional harm.

Most often the children are the biggest victims in an abusive relationship.

Moron should have cut her off the first time she took him back

If he really wanted he he knew what buttons to push, he could have made her his before the first time Micheal came crawling back

That women was always making excuses for him. A sick way of thinking. They have a word for that. If he wanted her he should have approached her. As she succumbed to a fellow worker. He loses. There is no excuse for his vigilantes behavior.

And good stories often have a lesson.

It's true that people often end up with an abusive mate out of just terrible luck and the person really gave no signs of being abusive beforehand. But it's also true that some people are drawn to broken people like that. For the people you created in this story, I think Sam dodged a bullet.

That would be a very dark secret to carry around the rest of your life. He did it for the woman but did not pursue her. The woman wasn't worth the effort. Very strange story indeed. *****

. . . Jeff was abusive, but that’s never stated. All we know is that Jeff recognized Sam, and all other men, as competition.

good cautionary tale. Avoid women who love losers like the plague.

Not a usual BillandKate story. He murdered for a woman who showed no romantic interest in him. I'm still processing this story and will come back later to read it again. I have no problem with the violence. It's that the story is just a bit off the beaten track. Thanks for sharing.

Anyone who doesn't think BillandKate are at the top of their game hasn't spent much time reading LW recently. This was a good story about a good man going too far to try and save a woman who wouldn't be saved. He guessed correctly that Laurie would never be able to separate herself completely from Michael without drastic help. He removed the immediate,visable threat, but didn't account for Laurie's submissive personality. A new man who can control her steps in and Sam realizes his mistake. A "real life" Sam would never be able to fully recover from what he had done. Strong story that couldn't have a happy ending.

Plenty of women out there who quite happily take abuse and violence,say one day he will change , trouble is daughter s see this behaviour and think it's normal to live like this .

There is a comment I think is very true, "every choice has a consequence". Both Sam and Laurie had made decisions and we saw the consequences. In all the cases, the intent was good (in their eyes) but we got the results.

This was a good but different LW story.

T.T.

For me the moral of the story is that you need to strike while the iron is hot. You snooze you lose. The MC should have let Laurie know he was interested, but that out of respect for her situation being in limbo with the divorce he's going to be patient.

The people that are able to achieve extraordinary success in life (both business and personal life) are the ones that look past impediments and go for what they want. There is too much competition out there to have the luxury of being hesitent. It's like driving on the Freeways. There is a reason why almost no one follows the two second rule in how much distance you should leave between yourself and the car ahead of you. Because as soon as you do that someone will pull in between you. The MC followed the rules (conventional rules about what's proper) and kept that distance and Jeff drove right in between.

Just because Jeff didn't want Laurie to continue contact with Sam (I think that was the MC's name) doesn't make Jeff abusive, like Michael. Obviously, he realized Sam was interested in Laurie as more than friends, even if Laurie was being naive about it, and he was just trying to get rid of that competition. That fact alone is not indicative that he is abusive.

Giving the story 5 stars, but this one is based on your laurels. It's not as interesting as your usual, but they can't all be gems.

At least he can honestly say that he never stuck his dick in crazy

maybe I saw something different in the story than others did. Yes the story said he had a crush on Laurie. Yes he stuck his nose where he shouldn't. What I saw that at the time of my commenting was that he also had feelings for Michelle. Even after meeting Michael he stayed out of the picture. He only did something when Michael attacked Michelle and ripped some of her hair out and Laurie would do nothing.

Yes murdering Michael was extreme but what would all of you be typing if he stayed out of it and Michelle had been killed.

As far as Jeff is concerned I could see where someone would think he is Michael 2.0. Laurie had lived by Sam for almost a year and Jeff viewed him as competition. If he was the same guy from before, who she had complained about, he seemed overly possessive for a fist meeting.

Maybe a better title would have been, 'Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose'.

And definitely really well written- as your other stories. Wasn’t expecting the twist in this one - at least for him to outright not get the girl. No jail time, no commandos, or political conspiracy, he just didn’t make a move. Brilliant!

She hoped he would reform himself. She didn't want to give up on Michael because of his childhood. She just didn't know any better. She might have had an interest in Sam if he had expressed his interest in her. She seemed sheltered by her religious family ("...still married in the eyes of the church.") and her having only had one relationship in her life. As for a real life Sam: I *think* he might have dealt with killing Michael a little easier than some. Sam said his Cop friend had to kill to save his own life and regretted the killing. Sam though witnessed an abused CHILD and killed because Michael threatened to come back and kill them BOTH. Michael *might* be able to weigh Michael's life against Michelle's life easier than if he was defending himself. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Bravo

I have to add another name to my shortlist of people who write better than I?

Great story! 2 items though. First, only Coroners and MD's issue death certificates. Organized crime and governments , well, just organized crime then, issue death warrants which is the term I believe you meant.

Also, I would have off'ed Michael for him. You views on killing are true But I lost my sensitivity to that on 27 Dec 1969. Remember, before taking a life first you dig 2 graves.

Regards,

C

that was depressing lol well written as always not really my type though, now i gotta read or watch something funny

I liked your idea that he could have admitted his interest, while also telling her that he would back off until she was ready. That way she can make an informed decision. Maybe she still chooses Jeff, but it's not for lack of other options.

She has an issue with a "type". She needs that firm handed, controlling man. Jeff isn't and will never be that guy. He's better off not getting any closer to her than he is.

Had neighbors once, he'd beat her, could hear how scared she was. Cops would come and she'd bail him out and fuck his brains out. Nothing anyone can do till she wants to make the change. It's self preservation to force yourself not to care too much.

Didn't renew the lease.

Very nice story . . . compact, tight, well-crafted plot with a definite but subtle, indirect overhang of one of those enduring, perplexing conundrums of the Human Condition. You lined up all the clues with Laurie's consistent self-destructive responses to Michael's bullying. The comments you gave her about Michael's upbringing were classic! And then her little speech about "old fashioned" Jeff nailed it. Fact is, the odds that Jeff is another woman abuser are 0.9999999 to 1, That is the grim, sad, statistical reality. Clinical insanity lives here dressed up with "If I just love him enough he'll change!" or "I know he loves me, he just has trouble showing it!" etc. Oh really? The Lauries of the world rarely respond well to psycho- or behavioral therapy -- simply because they can never bring themselves to accept the truth of the first condition for a successful theraputic outcome: "I, me, right here! I have a serious problem and it's this _______ and I must change it. I'll do whatever it takes to do so. " Of course, getting to that is a lot more difficult than it takes to say it.

Good job all around. Your story; my injection into it!

I think this is an excellent short story, and, honestly, it's refreshing to see a story where the main character doesn't end up knee deep in money and Playboy centerfolds, all fighting for the honor of having his babies. This is more like real life.

No problems with the price our MC exacted from the craven wife-beater. Anyone that rips the hair out of the head of a little girl; yeah... screw 'em. If the law won't, or can't, handle the problem, then it's time for someone to stand up and take action. Letting him continue to hurt the child, physically and mentally, is NOT an option.

Her mother wasn't anything to brag about, so I think he dodged a bullet when she left with another man. If she wants to get slapped around by her boyfriend, that's her choice. But once you have a child, you're responsible to keep her as safe as possible. That's on the parents.

Well done, I enjoyed the story. Thanks for posting.

There was nothing keeping Our Hero from telling Sweetie that he disagreed with her mother’s position. However, he also acknowledged that decisions about her life were hers alone to make and he would abide by those because he respected her. Finally, if conditions changed, he thought there was significant potential for their relationship (including Michelle) to develop.

Men who aspire to develop a ‘Love’ relationship with a female need to appreciate that getting caught in the ‘Friend’ role is deadly ... getting pigeonholed there is very difficult to change. It is a very comfortable niche into which women will file a decent man who does not quickly demonstrate that he finds her desirable.

Men will usually be persistent in pursuit of a woman who does not seem to reciprocate the interest ... even past the time she is actively discouraging the pursuit. And they will not move those women to ‘Friend’ status once they finally understand their suit is in rags. ‘Ice Queens’ are just ignored or (more likely) besmirched.

Very complex situation, but when he went to another turn at the wind farm his chances

evaporated. Constant light pressure from shortly after Michael disappeared was required.

But I suspect that the murder was all for nothing, because she is clearly a submissive and he wants a partner.

To the accolades. Great concept

Sad story.

A little off the beaten path, which adds to it's allure. Think it does belong in LW since all motivation is the LW type. Pretty sure Sam got lucky when she took up with another guy. She seems the personality that is attracted to a type of the opposite sex with certain traits. In this case it would be men with inferiority complexes that are inclined to beat wives and children to prove their manliness. Any woman who would stand to see her child injured and do nothing about it is just too weak to be a good wife and mother.

And some people are too broken to be permanently repaired, the cracks remain and small pieces are lost forever. He is better off without a woman who does nothing to protect her child/children. I've seen it up close and intimate, as it was said here and as I've said myself, you can't fix stupid. The sad thing for me was what might be in store for Michelle, nothing was explicit that Jeff was abusive in any way. If he was would she dare to send him a Christmas card every year? But the fact is abused people often tend to go from one abusive relationship to another. One of the abusers tactics is to isolated their victim from family and friends, I saw that up close and intimate also. "Jeff doesn't think it's right for a married woman to have a male friend. He's old-fashioned that way; kind of like Michael. When I asked if we could invite you to our wedding, he didn't think it was a good idea..." Not explicit but a pretty obvious clue, to me implied. This story is fiction but it's also true life, sadly. Signed: BTW

I like how our hero dodged a bullet. Woulda been interesting to see her new dude cheat, since the old smirk sure seems to lean him that way.

Laurie seems to have a flame for control freaks, probably good he didn't end up with her.

Good story that doesn't go down the clichéd routes.

Excellent moral to this one. There is no fixing stupid, turn away, grab a beer and let them burn themselves down. If everyone looked after themselves no one would need another’s interference.

She has living together with an abusive drunkard. At some point the guy hit rock bottom and changed his live. Went to AA, saw a therapist, sober...

At that point his woman left him and went to live... with another abusive drunkard.

True story sadly.

Great story, probably too close to real life. Luckily for me I've never known anyone like this.

Great story of why not to get involved. Sam should have seen the writing on the wall when Laurie refused to call the cops even after what Michael did to Michele. Sam took a big chance when he killed Michael, but in the end he would have to live with that. Irony of the story after all was said and done Sam didn't get Laurie and ended only up with the memory he killed someone and maybe some day that would come back to haunt him. Well done 5 stars

not realistic for me, but a great story nonetheless. thank you.

Not a bad story, but some things stick out to me as being too much. Why murder the guy when there are much better ways to handle the situation. He should have had her call her brother, and talked to him about what was happening, then had Laurie pack bags for both of them and taken them to a shelter. Then call the cops and report the domestic abuse. The people at the shelter can help her realize she needs to report him, and the cops can remove his from the equation. No sense taking chances like he did.

THIS LAURIE CHARACTER IS A FUCKED UP BITCH WHO ACCEPTED THE SHIT FROMHER ABUSIVE HUSBAND BECAUSE SHE WAS TOO FUCKING STUPID

This is not another story of a knight in shining armour… they lived happily ever after. Good

Michael was an abuser. He beat her and the stupid bitch did nothing. The last straw was when he hurt Michelle. Even at 4 1/2, she's still a baby. He got his, that rotten bastard.

It was a good story, UNTIL the murder. Never a good idea, especially when unrequited romance is involved.

A very sad and traumatic story ending with the loss of an everlasting forever and ever love that should have happened.

How does one go from falling in love with two beautiful mom and daughter ladies, murder for the sake of freedom and Hope, and yet not have the balls to express his heartfelt love and desire???????

Obviously he wanted both and a family soooo bad, and yet - Texas?????

He got exactly what he deserved, nothing!!!!!

This emotional tale started sad and just got worse.

So disappointing and actually upsetting for both of us!

What occurred in your life that even prompted your thought process to create and write this expression of despair?

This is NOT a Loving Wives story. NOT even close! What were you thinking?

Maybe in the Blinding Light Of Poor Decisions And Lost What Could Of And Should Have section!

We read this why????

Lacks some detail; Did he wear gloves handling the body, bag, truck. Was it put into the crabpot with the bag and ties. Why didn't he call Laurie weekly, at any rate, working 12-16/7 or not. Maybe I should have only offered a 4... glaring oversight and all.

So he was a complete and total pussy who years after the fact is still fixated on what could of been if he actually stepped up?

I am guessing the author wrote the ending to make sure the MC got no reward of his unrequited love for murder. The story were downhill fast with the murder. Not the answer.

What a simp.

He didn't really want her anyways. How easily she is manipulated? He doesn't think it's okay to be friends with a man? But he was her friend before they dated so how do you reconcile that inconvenient truth? She went from one abuser to another. The overarching lesson here unfortunately is you never wanna be the guy she cries on the shoulder of, unless you are in a relationship with her, or have absolutely no romantic interest in her. If you want a shot, don't be her rock and listen to her sobs. I'm telling you as a sociologist.

Buzz the “sociologist” commenting directly before my comment: If you ser this, please re-read the story.

“Michael” in the story thought men & women could not be friends without sex, not the MC, per my reading of this excellent fictional story.

Craig

Well, that was slightly depressing. Still a 5 stars tale. DMW aka

I wanted to like this, but all it got was a one and a "You'll do better next time".

What a chump. Probably best for it to end the way it did because if Laurie ever found out , I'm betting she would turn him in. She just seemed that screwed up. Still enjoyed the story.

Well written and told...I recognize the woman in this story...they are out their everywhere, along with the assholes they are trying to "love' and "reform".

That's just sad. Well written and realistic though.

“Jeff doesn't think it's right for a married woman to have a male friend.”

/

Jeff is absolutely correct. The MC didn’t want to be “just friends”

/

ZK

5 stars of depressing. But life can be like that at times

Laurie didn’t deserve Sam. He was too good of a man for her.

Shame he should have just left along. I miss reading your stories

@xhristianj

"what could HAVE been" not "what could of been". Could've is a contraction for "could have", even though it sounds like it could be "could of". Someone whose predilection is mindlessly ripping authors should at least have a fundamental knowledge of proper English usage.

Three stars. By the way, I can see the murder rating at his soul as he ages.

/

JPB NOT BOB