All Comments on 'Man in the Mirror Ch. 03'

Never connected with any of these characters. Too much whining and inspecting of navels for me. Everyone was thoroughly unlikable. A good story needs someone likable. This didn't have it.

What was the point of this story? If you're a big enough loser you might turn out to be a winner? I have no idea. I hated the main character, the wife and everyone else. Not an ounce of brainpower in the lot of them. The writing is okay, just a bad story.

But if he were being honest, he was equally at fault. Yes she cheated on him, yes she gave up on him but it's because he gave up on himself and for all his moralizing, for all his whining, he never acknowledges his part in their failed marriage.

How could she respect him when he had no respect for himself or for her. She stalled because she didn't want to give up, she dragged her feet because she wanted to stay a family but he was so full of himself, so hell bent on getting over her that he refused to see it. He didn't want to see it.

And in the end, that is why he is a failure. Not in getting a divorce but for blaming her for it.

Not even close. In fact, this was just not worth reading. I hope I never meet any of these people, especially the protagonist. That guy just doesn't have much going on upstairs, like he's made out of soggy cardboard.

entertaining throughout, well edited (not just grammar and shit, but really well edited)

not easy writing believable dialogue but most of it rang true and flowed well

good work

At the end of chap. 2 , I was really worried where you were taking him . But you took him to the one place that he truly needed to go , Adulthood.

Everyone has their own set of insecurities , and then to have yourself eviscerated and emasculated in one fell swope by the person who you signed up to share your life with would definitely be a hard hurdle ( or fucking Mountain in this case ) to overcome.

Glad you carefully steered him from the rocks he was about to crash upon .

I both liked the dramatic scene with Jerry , but that part also felt just a bit forced on your part as well . I honestly thought you were trying to aim your pass there . That's the Money scene of this whole series , IMO , and I felt you should have relied a bit more on muscle memory , instinct , and repetitions there . ( pardon the football references , it's the hardest time of the year for a true fan , lol ) . This was really the only little thing I found in this last installment . And it's really not much of a problem, just giving you my own personal Non-Author , Monday morning Quarterback coaching , lol .

All that said , I enjoyed the ride . I think you are really getting better with each post .

Thank you for sharing with us .

This is not so much a comment on the story or stories, as on the comments made. It is for the writers and those who make the comments. A deepest need of writers, is to write. Trite, not really, it's just inherently apparent. It's not a need for commentary that's a way to mark impact and breadth of story told.

Writers; comments are generally about the emotional impact your story had on reader vocalized! Take how you crafted the story and use it to do it agin on issues you mean to have that impact. It is not a comment on you personally or your story. Well mostly, some are, you know which are actually about true improvement. DON'T give me shit on grammar I'm doing this with no nerves left in hands on touch screen!

Good story. Great effort. Your final notes put it over the top for me. 5*s

Its hard to pinpoint my disquiet about this story but here goes

1) FIRST I want to acknowledge and thank the author for doing his level best to write a quality story gratis.

2) javmor79 strives ( to purloin Fox News slogan ) to present fair and balanced close-up of seemingly every character and give us the wherewithals of their characters. No enigma left unsullied. It's as if the magician explains the illusion to every trick as he performs it. Sometimes the bitch is best off portrayed as bitch and not some insecure sweet soul with secret heart of gold that must be displayed for audience to "ewwww "and "ahhh" at.

2b) Did Shakespeare use flashbacks to show 7 year old Richard III getting mocked for hunchback , steadily seething in envy at his goldenboy brother Clarence ? Sometimes you gotta commit to power of main plot instead of playing backstory CSI for supporting roles.

3) I also want to say upfront I've read close to everything this worthy author has written, might be getting jaded. I'd be VERY curious of review stemming from first time javmor79 reader.

4) Where's the star ? This story was literally all supporting character roles chewing scenery, the narrator's story would have been excellent as adjunct plot running parallel to more compelling main figure. I liked Artie ( except for Wal-Mart higher up gig , definite dramatic potential left on vine in that iffy avocation ) . bottom line : He didn't deserve 3 installment main spotlight. Just a guy , you see everyday , say " how's it going " and hope he doesn't take that query literally.

Once again this author is a grinder and loves to write about his kind. Is it becoming schtick ? Maybe. ..maybe not . Maybe in next story javmor79 will breakthrough and find an angle to show us something so old , we will think it's new.

The story was indeed very well written, so why didn't I like it more? I asked myself that question and came to conclude: First I agree with the previous comments stating a dislike for (or at a minimum a lack of connection with) any of the characters. Second, I had to admit to myself that I read Lit. stories to ESCAPE from real life, not to read about what could well be the true life story of my neighbors!

...and well worth the wait. Thank you for the story, javmor79. This was a fine tale of redemption. I enjoyed it a lot.

Cog

Excellent conclusion. Just as I hoped. First, many cheating wives lose the thrill of sex when the husband knows, thus the asshole lover loses interest and they split. Second, the husband re-invents himself, takes his wife's criticisms and turns it into a positive attitude to improve, with help, of course. Third, of course the now alone wife, seeing him as a new person wants him back. She now sees what she wanted. Fucking cheating cunt. Yeah, she sees it but didn't try to help him get in shape herself. She just found another cock.

Of course in the process he meets someone who was treated the same way he was. Now they are happy together. Now the ex is alone and miserable. Karma bitch.

How 'bout that! Three chapters in one paragraph. However, they were three great chapters and well worth the wait. It may not be original but it's the best type of LW tale I enjoy reading.

Keep up the good work.

Five Stars

In real life, things usually don't turn out like in this story. The betrayed fat belly husband doesn't change, he continues living in his whining misery, the errant wife doesn't regret her actions but has a lot of fun with her lover and probably marries him. But THIS is a story is worth telling, because here the characters evolve, better themselves with hard work and this is how life is supposed to be. Nicely done.

Exactly correct, the only person a writer competes with his himself

All of the characters acted like they were high school kids. Artie is a self-centered idiot. How can he manage a bunch of stores and their problems when he is so clueless? Jerry spent monts working with him as a trainer/guru and Artie has no appreciation. The conversation with Coleen should have happened when he first saw her at the gym.

My biggist problem with the story is the depiction of Artie's family. He says that his kids are the most important thing but he doesn't do anything with them. Checking their homework when he is babysitting during Paige's dates doesn't count. It took 2 years before Paige and Artie have a serious conversation. If she wanted him back she would have started earlier and been more suttle. Starting with family dinners, family activities and the like. Artie is so clueless he would not see it coming ,

reasonable man

A very good story with the best ending... with this story @javmor79 showed that sometimes it isn't necessary to BTB...she will do it to herself...And as some comment said: "It was well worth the wait"! 4*

I am not going to go long because I have a tendency to swing around into criticism.

Yes, he has no self-respect, but that isn't his fault! It's the fault of his parents, and yes, Paige.

She didn't want to give up? You have to TRY before you can give up. Simply staying married isn't enough, she has to TELL him what is wrong, urge him to correct it and encourage him when he gets discouraged!

You DO realize that those stories get the "Oh, that's so unrealistic," or "That could never happen" criticisms!

they just relate to whats on the other side. TK U MLJ LV NV

Glad I did. Great character development. I think the inner dialogue really serves to drive home the emotional impact of the story. Thanks. *****

didn't click with everyone s that it seldom veered into fantasy land where hubby beats the hell out of the lover and finds a younger woman with bigger tits. It did have another woman and some revenge in that the wife finally realized what she lost. That's pretty mundane for us LW readers that already know how the real world works and come here for a fantasy or two.

That's why we get those "fag cuck shit" comments. The commenters are having a fantasy that hey have the balls to look a man in the eye and say what they think. Lit is a world built on fantasy, both for writers and readers. I enjoy all sorts of stories if they are well plotted and written. Some people ask why a person would read a story by some writer named 'wants to be a cuck' and then call him a cuck. It's because of the reader's fantasy. Something innate draws him to the story and then he dislikes himself for reading it and lashes out, proving in his mind that he's a 'real man' and thus giving his fantasy wings!

Well done and thanks for the hard work.

I feel that this chapter shows well the dedication you put into wrapping up loose ends and giving your readers closure even IF the characters are still progressing on their journey. As a matter of fact, there are new and exciting adventures still waiting to happen, but this chapter of their lives has found the correct amount of completion.

As a reader only, I do realize how hard this is to achieve convincingly. I think you should be happy with your results, no matter the scores for this story series. No matter what, this HAS shown (at least to me) the evolution of your skill as an author (and YES, the talent has always been there....)

Thank you very much, I enjoyed it!

thanks for the eye opener

Way to FINISH your story. Seems to many authors just kind of end things. You took time to tie it all together. Well done and thank you for a great story.

Please ignore all of lsd's trite comment, especially the openly atagonistic dig that was his last sentence.

In lsd you have someone who believes owning a thesarus means you have to use its most obfuscative terms.

I recall lsd defending one of his comments on another author's story by stating a number of authors cherished his insights and corresponded with him. I took his rant to imply he had printed them out and had them framed.

I mention that comment because he named you as one of those authors.

While I may not like the ending to some of your stories, I have always had high regard for your talent.

Lsd believes he has formula for great literature, he certainly has vocabulary, but he has yet to submit his own.

Instead he fantasizes he is the New Yorker literary critic.

However even that magazine for the pretensious by the prentitious and of the pretentious is not that pretentious

What he said. In spades.

I thoroughly enjoyed all three chapters. Your characters were well developed, and the story line was easy to follow. Never having written anything myself (yet) I can't complain about the time between chapters. (even though I anxiously looked every morning hoping to see the next installment) I think you did a great job!

BDEarth

This is about characters I don't find at all interesting, telling a story I don't find at all interesting and there isn't anything remotely erotic about it. A dull story about dull people I wouldn't like in real life.

I am a person who enjoys revenge stories more, but this one actually made me realize that no one is perfect. You could see his faults on how complacent with life he was and how he treated his brother. Thank you for writing this so well. I don't know if I can go back to perfect husbands who get cheated on horribly and then want to burn the bitch!

It's not hypocritical of him to be mad at her snooping! He had a reason to snoop on her, he caught her cheating, for her to be snooping on HIM now is hypocritical!

Just wanted to write a quick note to say what a great story, well written, very realistic.

I think a good test of a story is what your first thoughts are upon finishing it and mine were "I enjoyed that".

Keep on writing you have a talent.

on the way out.

And don't worry about the door banging your arse on the way out. Literotica has a revolving exit door for people like you.

that entitled princesses and princes do to people that they said they'd love, honour and cherish, but must have kept their fingers crossed during that part of their wedding vows.

The man in the mirror was, "responsible, loving, smart, hardworking, loyal, and a good father." That may have been what he saw in the mirror, but that is not what I saw in the story. I saw a self-pitying, whining, complacent and utterly boring man with little connection to any of the superlatives he applies to himself.

Had he any of those redeeming qualities, he would likely still be married to his first wife, who seemed to want exactly that sort of fellow, but didn't find it in him. Not my sort of story, or the sort of people I'm interested in, and especially not interested in reading about in a story.

"Derrick and I stopped seeing each other a while ago." - So, she doesn't have Derrick any more, so she expects to just waltz back into Arthur's life?

"It was getting difficult to think with him making his desires clear." - Despite all the jokes, men DON'T just think with their "little head!" If he doesn't want this he can push her off!

"Don't let your pride answer for you." - The "pride" thing again! Isn't he entitled to his pride? Particularly after she shit all over it!

"This is the you that I've been wanting you to be all along." - Forgetting for the moment the self-centeredness of that statement, when did she tell him that he WASN'T the Arthur she wanted him to be?

Which became a two star story after the writer's little rant at the end about "rights." You have the "right" to equal protection under the law, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. You have no "rights" to do anything on a privately owned internet site except the "rights" the owners give you. They "allow" people to post stories here. No one has the "right," to post stories here.

I liked it 5* worth.

Always a good day when we have a Jaymor and Carvohi posts. But this was well balanced, thoughtful, dialogue well done. I wont mention the long gap requiring a partial reread/skim of the previous submissions....

Nothing bad, but nothing very good, either. Didn't really like anyone in the story.

In this case his points are valid. That said, the ending was better than the beginning parts.

That I find a new Author that I can look forward to reading more from. This one made me think. Got to love a story that shall i say gave me a more direct way to phrase what I aLready thought. Good Read

Great job on the whole story. It's cleaner than most of your stories. Not in terms of editing, but it's just better composed. It's real and relatable, like most of your stories. Please keep writing and contributing to the site.

This is arguably the most powerful story you've written. You have a gift for creating characters that we actually care about. When your characters experience a particular feeling, I feel it myself. That's incredibly difficult to pull off. Major kudos.

I also appreciate the final note. It would be nice if we could all just get along and show some appreciation for the people who provide us with free entertainment. But then, it would be nice to have peace in the Middle East. We're unlikely to see either happen in our lifetime.

I was afraid this series would turn into RAAC... IMHO the hurt was too deep to overcome, so the ending makes sense. Probably not credible for the wife to want him back, but it sure makes for a good fantasy. Excellent series with well-developed characters.

Just wanted you to know that I went through something similar after my first wife left me for another man. I wasn't fat, but the effect to my ego was the same. It took me awhile to get my erection to work again and the help of a very loving woman.

So thanks for being such a good writer and sharing your talent with us that care about things like this.

Sincerely yours,

Santacruzman

It looks like a real life. This happens all the time.

People cheat and find excuses.It is always someone else fault. When you cheat,you cheat on your whole Family and dont blame it on your spouse.

If you dont like something about him/her then talk about it. People cant read your mind.

When someone cheats on you they cant be your friend. Simple as that.

So in which future story does he find out that his brother fucked his ex-wife, and maybe is the biological father of one or both of his children? Cynical, but it just makes so much sense. Would help explain the ex-wife's complete disdain and disrespect for him while they were married.

I hope it doesn't affect his relationship with Colleen. That's a relationship worth keeping. Thanks for a good story.

. . . and I felt that the ending was absolutely perfect. Your writing was clear, for the most part, and the characters were nicely developed. His ex thankfully got what she deserved without any abuse or revenge on his part. Well done. 5*. And, slightly off the subject, but referring to your comment about Legend's Day, I enjoyed that story selection tremendously with one exception. Tex Tall Tails has kept all his readers hanging for an unacceptable amount of time waiting for the ending of his contribution, "A Town Without Honor." Not a nice thing at all.

I enjoyed this story so much and kept looking each day for part 3...and it is finally here. Thank you for taking the time to write this story for us to enjoy. I enjoy reading stories on this site so much and even tried to write one of my own. For all out there that like to rip up people's work...they should try it and see how hard it is to write a story....yeah some are better writers than others...and some might not meet your taste but without them..there is no site. This story is a winner in my book..5.

Thanks for the story and please keep on writing!

"Buckeye Fan"

Thank you for your time in writing this . No used condom eating for you ! Looking forward to seeing what you will write next 5 stars here

Some excellent characters. I even give Paige some leeway. She tried to get Arthur to change for the better. He is responsible for his sloth like ways. He was able to get is act together and did it for himself. He shouldn't fault her for wanting her lazy husband to improve. However, once she cheated, she deserved to lose everything. I think she will be a better person for the experience in the future but might not find a gem like Arthur and will have to settle for something less.

I have a Masters in Psychology and I have never read a better description of self-esteem, self-confidence, recognition of self-worth than in this chapter. It absolutely defined the transition of the protagonist into a reality oriented man. His ability to counsel his brother was beautiful. Keep writing. You have a wonderful skill as a storyteller.

I have a Masters in Psychology and I have never read a better description of self-esteem, self-confidence, recognition of self-worth than in this chapter. It absolutely defined the transition of the protagonist into a reality oriented man. His ability to counsel his brother was beautiful. Keep writing. You have a wonderful skill as a storyteller.

Hits very close to home.

An unusually good account of reality and some convincing dialogue to support it. A believable plot like this might have flowed even better with a bit more swish in the writing but that said, I enjoyed the story.

Well played and pretty realistic. The only question that came to mind was the technical divorce papers. Usually when kids are involved so is Child Protective Services and lawyers on both sides. It's almost a requirement. And in this case it would have prevented Paige from dragging her feet. Glad to see Paige suffering from the realization that she gave up a good man. Some justice was served. But it's still the kids that will suffer in the short and long run. Good story telling. I especially liked the "Author's Final Notes". Everyone deserves a voice and the right to not be shouted down. No matter what their voice is saying.

5 stars

Great story Javmor and your notes at the end hit home too. Thank you for that. Enjoy your work and thats it

I haven't commented lately and haven't given out a 5* rating either. Good stories are not lacking but this is the best I've seen in a while.

Thanks,

Bill1104

while many will agree that Arthur is a disgusting whiney little shit it is clear that your grasp of the story is severely distorted. If Paige had asked him to change -either his personality and or his physical appearance or some combination thereof and he had not -- THEN then your defense of page... that she was not at fault and she is not responsible for her own actions... might have a little validity.

But since none of that happened I can only conclude that you are a serious fucking idiot

As writers we tend to made mistakes with the endings of our stories. I feared this one might be brought it a less than successful conclusion but it turns out I was wrong! Nice job. I enjoyed it.

A personal note, Paige's reaction to our protagonist's going out with another woman. I was thrown away by my first wife. She literally said she didn't love me anymore. We separated and prepared for divorce. Funny thing was, she was happy as hell screwing her boyfriend but her reaction when she saw me with another woman was almost shocking.

I heard through the grapevine, but no longer cared, my soon-to-be ex was separated from her boyfriend. Big fucking deal. I was asked out on a date by a woman I knew from work because frankly, I didn't care for the opposite sex at that time. Like our protagonist, I was scarred, scared and in full retreat. Asked out on a date was fun!

My ex, still my wife, happened to be in the restaurant when we arrived. I saw but ignored her, to me she was the enemy. Janie and I took our seats but within minutes, she was uncomfortable and asked me about the woman glaring at her. I turned and saw it was my wife and explained it to my date. She knew I had an ex but hadn't saw her before. Her reaction was priceless and I was the recipient of a fun girl! Janie went overboard and made it seem like I was her knight in shining armor! Our evening was brought to a quick conclusion when my ex dumped a full glass of water on Janie. We still laugh about it today.

Helen was jealous beyond belief. She thought I would always be there to come back to. To see me with another woman hurt badly. Over the next weeks I got calls where she apologized and then tried to make subtle amends. I wasn't having anything to do with it and played dumb as our divorce wormed its way through court. Helen offered to stop it but I would cavalierly brush her offer away.

It didn't take long and each time I pushed her away, Helen would take it out on me by finding another man. Over a year of her taking her time with the divorce, she must have screwed two-dozen or more men. She came to my house the night we received our final papers and blamed me for everything. All she wanted she said, was for me to notice her more. I thank God above my love for her died because she did everything Paige tried in this story and more. In the end I married Janie and Helen is still whoring around. I find it fitting.

Excellent tale of self awareness! Realize that the main character was hard to like at the beginning (most beaten down people are tough to like) but it was interesting watching him grow into a respectable individual. Congrats on a well written journey!

Killian

And at the same time, I agree with SwingerJoe. (Maybe less surprise here.)

Kimi said: "I saw a self-pitying, whining, complacent and utterly boring man with little connection to any of the superlatives he applies to himself." I saw him too.

Joe said: "When your characters experience a particular feeling, I feel it myself." I felt it too.

Wouldn't it be lovely if we were all self-confident, self-aware, and all those other good self- things. Very few of us are, and I thought Javmor created a realistically flawed character in Art.

LSD suggested that Shakespeare didn't try to justify his characters with back stories. True -- psychological knowledge is relatively recent and it would have been interesting if what we know today about the influences on human behaviour had been known back then. But the Bard did base all his great tragedies on the main character's fatal flaw.

Javmor's character Art was also flawed, but thanks to others it wasn't fatal.

Lue

Javmor79 is a really good writer but I don't think he will ever be a great writer because he doesn't understand some basic ideas behind storytelling. He goes out of his way to show that everyone in the story has flaws and idiosyncrasy and personality quirks. That in real life ...when a marriage dies... it is rarely all one persons fault.

There is a lot of truth behind that perspective. But this often... in going down as road in every story that he writes ...Javmor seems to come to the conclusion that because EVERYONE contributes to a marriage breakdown ...nobody is really the cause of it.

And that my friends is 100% absolute bull shit.

Arthur is one of the most miserable self centered weak repulsive little bastards I have ever come across LW genre. And that is saying something given the way that Matt Moreau develops his male / husband characters.

For a grown man to actually hold the idea in his head that a weightlifting trainer motivational coach does not have real life problems ..or doubts... shows Arthur to be a deeply ignorant self centered ...delusional ... and very unlikable and Shallow. It is almost like Arthur is a 10 year old boy and one day he comes across his father being upset / crying about something. Many young boys have very high opinions of their father early in life and often go through a period of adjustment as they realize that their father has flaws and weaknesses and emotional angst.

There are times in chapter 2 and 3 e I want to reach into my computer and kill that waste of human zygote known as Arthur.

There are times in the story when I was actually cheering for Paige the lyng cunt whore wife. That is how deeply repulsive a person like Arthur is.

Speaking of the character development of Paige ...the wife was quite well done throughout the story. She is simply unable to see why other people and or her husband should live up to her expectations. To her credit Paige openly admits that she never really considered the idea that once she threw away Arthur nobody would ever actually have an interest in him for the rest of his life. .

That show a LOT about her mentality and how she interacts with the world and her grasp on reality. While it does make her real person - there are a lot of people who think like that - it doesn't change the fact that she detestable repulsive human being. If she was hit by a car and put in a hospital for six months she would get no sympathy from me.

I think the best thing about the story is the interaction between brothers. This are probably the most realistic aspect of the story. Arthur never realized that even though his brother Lance was getting all the attention the implication of that of all that attention meant that the parents were worried about how Lance was going to develop into adulthood. And lance saw Arthur as guy who had achieved a lot and was always passing judgement

I was amazed at how rough so many of the comments have been.

They don't care about the characters or Arthur in particular give me real pause.

Giving that much attitude means they must care quite seriously. You don't attack something without reason. It has to be scary or trigger a predator response. The protests seem like denials. It doesn't hurt. Just a flesh wound. Wriggling around without arms or legs and threatening to bite kneecaps. These attacks seem slightly defensive.

I have to echo FatherSin's comment. When I read the early chapters of this tale, I felt pity for Arthur. It seemed impossible not to pity him. Yet many others were angered by him and found him repulsive. The difference, I think, is that the latter group identified a little too closely with this character and recognized something about themselves in him. Their anger isn't directed toward this fictional character, but their realization of their own weaknesses and insecurities.

I'm beginning to understand the psyche of the BTB group a little better. Maybe all of that rage is really nothing more than fear of abandonment and rejection masked in macho bravado.

Then again, I'm no psychologist. It's only a working theory.

Neither character deserve respect and happy end. Even after he gained self confidence he still blamed his ex in failure of their marriage. But great writing. Thx for your effort

And swingerjoe also picked up on. These characters were created as deeply flawed individuals who experienced personal growth and self-awareness -- some more than others. So for those commentors who live in glass houses.... well, you know the rest.

Thanks, Javmor, for this journey through the lives of characters who aren't particularly likable. Sort of reminds you of real life, eh? Looking forward to more from you.

I love reading your stories. I find it to be a treat to read about characters from other stories, and I think it's so neat how they mesh into other stories without changing their persona, and even expounding on their history. I'm curious as to what you do next.

art annoyed me in the begining, walking away from confronting the cheaters and then physically attacking his brother smacked of cowadice to me. however he had just had his heart ripped out so who knows how to react till it happens, thinking about it getting away is probably the most sensible course of action, who want to go to jail and be bubbas bitch for the forseeable future. what redeemed him in my eyes was not fucking her in that last confrontation, he hadn't forgiven her, he'd moved on! he showed indifference! in my eyes indifference is the greatest revenge. realistic and nicely written, thankyou.

******************************************************************************************

"I have observed groups with different tastes attacking each other's stories. In my opinion, all the serious authors here offer something to Loving Wives. Some use humor in their stories, others tell a tale that gives a sense of justice and attempts to right a wrong. Some authors provide escapism,"

i could't agree more, i can read anything thats not voluntary wifesharing, humiliation fetish, as long as it's "grown up" and not written by the overly macho woman haters that seem to go about writing "fag cuck shit" on everything that doesn't have murder, guns and knives and navy seals in it, save that for terrorists you overly macho juvenile dickheads.

theres no need for great writers to constantly look for "new ideas", every decent writer on here could write a " wife trades up" story like this and each one would be a good readable story, the difference comes with the writers skill and development of characters. ive said this before, we all like beer but all beers are different, it's the brewers (writers) skill with all the little extra ingredients and time taken that makes us like or dislike the "brew".

thankyou to all the great "loving wives" writers for your time and effort. more please!

cabbage

Nice well developed story. The truth is that this chapter tells the whole story well.

But we took a right cross to the chin in the first chapter! Thank you!

I'm mystified at the hostility and/or contempt shown for Arthur. He's a successful guy who works 60 hours or more a week -- not uncommon for a lot of successful people.

He's let his marriage stagnate, but that is equally true for Paige, so they both lose points there. But he didn't cheat and he is no more or less negligent than his wife for the state of their marriage.

When he finds his wife cheating, then gets to experience her vicious verbal demolition of him as a man and as a lover; he is naturally SHOCKED, not to mention hurt, confused and pissed off. He gets depressed and, no doubt, whiny for a while. It also takes a while to get over it.

His wife, however, when things are no longer exciting and hubby puts on some weight, latches on the the first bright and shiny object that shows interest in her and fucks away her marriage. What a role model. A male character who dumped his wife for getting fat would be hung up for a verbal crucifixion.

None of this should be big news. A LOT of recently separated/divorced people become depressed, lonely or unhappy. It has nothing to do with being a baby about it.

The reader in this case feels like s/he is hearing too much about his problems, and they are tedious. But it's just normal shit he has to go through.

Also: Once a guy discovers where a clitoris is and what to do with it HE DOESN'T FORGET HOW.

That's all well and good but you are leaving out that women are biologically incapable of personal responsibility in anything they do. It is clearly Art's fault that she couldn't communicate the problems she was having in their marriage. In fact she had no recourse but to take a lover because of Art's failings as a human being.

You just can't fight biology.

Excellent work.

I've always found it annoying how an authors story is despised and ridiculed simply because some didn't like the subject matter. No one authors writing style is like another. If you don't like a story move on. Constructive criticism is valued but to rip a story apart because you don't like it is childish.

Thank you!

Great story.

You nailed the ending. Nailed it!

Folks, Jav is a good friend and I have provided some minor assistance to several of his stories. He works hard at them. Hard! He wants to get it right. Often he spends the time to finish it before even posting the 1st chapter. This time he wasn't sure he'd finished it right and he rewrote portions. He thought about them. I talked to him about it and perhaps others did too. He took longer to complete than ever before. And I think he killed it. I think it was a great, realistic, thoughtful and well written conclusion.

So, those of you who want to call him names cause you don't like what a busy, successful man does for free, but still tries his best to get right so that his readers can appreciate (which is not the same as like) it - well, you are entitled to your opinions and comments. But if you cannot avoid insults and personal attacks - then fuck you.

Great job, my friend. Really great job. Your work is getting better. I just reread a lot of your stuff, and your growth is obvious. Kudos.

I always read the comments first, to see if I think I’m going to like it. I don’t like to waste my time reading something sucky. I also don’t read stories until they’re finished. There are a few people I watch for. If swingerjoe likes it, that means it blows and I’m not reading it. He liked this one.

If HDK comments and likes it, I usually give it a shot, or if Kimi likes it I’ll give it a shot. Neither one of them comment on cuckold or bad stories, usually.

If Kimi likes it, that usually means it’s a good story, unless the writers say something to piss her off. She can be kind of cranky. It could still be a good story but with something she didn’t like. She didn’t like it, and LSD didn’t like it. HIV didn’t like it, but a couple of other good commentators did. HDK is usually on the money. That threw me off.

Weird. So I read the first page of chapter 1. I should have paid attention to the swingerjoe blow factor. Ignored the LSD factor and paid attention to Kimi and HIV. HDK, just got this one wrong. Bottom line, story blows. Waste of time. Boring sniveling character without a spark of ambition or respect for himself or anyone else. Spends all his time either having tantrums or feeling sorry for himself or giving moral lectures. No, not in my world. Don’t know who thinks this sound “real,” but you live in a shitty neighborhood and need new friends.

I know the author worked hard and wrote a long story and I give him credit for that, but he needed a better story to work on. This wasn’t it.

This story is all about Arthur and his growth as a man. He's hard to love when he's down but by dint of hard work he transforms himself into someone who can love himself and others, and is worthy of their love, too. Paige changed too, but only because circumstances overwhelmed her. She is a short-sighted and immature woman who, in the end, was not worthy of her husband --and they both know it. In so many of these stories the interloper is given too much credit and importance, so I'm glad to see Derrick's role was kept minimal as he was only a symptom of a marriage in trouble.

Strong work, javmor79! I hope to read more from you!

I want to thank you all for reading. The comments here have shown an audience who is mature enough to give honest opinions, yet remain respectful. It was nice to see.

Every writer has a niche and a voice. My voice is about growth. Many readers enjoy reading about a main character that is already where he is supposed to be. A bad situation happens to him, and he has the fortitude to deal with it. That is a character that they want to identify with. Nothing wrong with that.

For me, I enjoy writing and reading about the journey that a person takes to get to that place, especially in the longer stories. I enjoy watching him grow. In order to do that, I have to give him a place to start from. He may be whiney, immature, or weak willed in the beginning. Through trials and tribulations, good choices and bad choices, I want to make the character become the person he should be. The downfall of my voice is that often people don't want to identify with this character. I get it. No harm, no foul. I still appreciate you reading anyway, and giving me your honest opinion. Like I said in the author's notes, I enjoy seeing how people interpret my characters. The reason why I enjoy reading HIV's comments is that he ALWAYS interprets stories 180 degrees out of phase with me. Doesn't matter the story (mine or someone else's). Not saying that he's wrong or right. Just a complete different mindset than my own.

I also wanted to take another opportunity to thank Nonethewiser. He is a true friend, and he always helps bring out my voice in my stories. He doesn't just tell me that my stories are good. He lets me know the good and the bad. All writers should find someone like him.

Javmor is one of my favorite writers but this story missed. Just like Bill and Debbie, the fat husband caught his hot wife cheating on him and took a hit to his self-esteem. Both Bill and Artie got in shape and a new girl. WWWM featured interesting conversation and a depiction of the effect of the affair on the family. This did not.

I appreciate that you don't make your characters perfect but please make them appealing. Better luck next time.

your proving a point to everyone, you didn't like it? well boo hoo, not every story can have gung ho he men as the main character, arty came across as a bit clueless and wimpy at first so why read further? and then slag it off.

it is realistic, how many wives have strayed because they saw hubby as something less than they married? thousands? millions?, hands up who hasn't put on a pound or two or fallen into the rat race and lost their way a little.

personally im a big fan of wimpy characters who "grow" i like matt moraeu moraeu moreua fuck it MM stories, his wimpy little cucks are infuriating but also funny, theyre caricatures, cartoons but yet he gets death threats?! his writing style is brilliant, you just have to be comfortable in your masculinity to appreciate them and not some juvenile goon who uses cheating wife stories to satisfy his woman hating revenge fantasies.

in my opinion the best characters are just regular blokes who happen to have been fed a figurative "creampie" by their "loving" wife and then slowly claw their way out even though the hits keep coming ending up in a place where they can be happy. i often think the true wimpy characters are the gung ho mr perfect types who need guns and knives and gangs of navy seals, PIs, shark lawyers and baseball bat wielding mates to deal with a domestic incident.

Good read ... always enjoy the wronged spouse surviving the ordeal to a better place.

Very well written and entirely believable. The characters are well drawn and thanks for not introducing too many of them so that it is hard to keep them straight. "5".

This was a well written story, the main character's growth seemed real. Keep up the good work - I'll look forward to future stories. And thanks for the suspense - whether he'd get back with the ex or not, and thanks for having him shut her down - nice ending.

One of my favourite authors. 5*

...being fallible human beings in a world filled with them.

Many are lost and alone in the midst of lifetimes half-spent, but unfulfilled.

Why is that? The answers are probably nearly as varied as the responders.

It was said by someone I admire, that "The toughest investigation any of us ever conducts, is the one of the person behind the face in your mirror each morning."

I thought, "Oh, crap! I've never bothered to look.....really look. I've never second-guessed myself on anything that mattered and very few trivial things. I hope I don't end up hating the asshole in my mirror.....when I take that first good look."

Well, there was much to like, and a few things that had to go. That first morning of sincere introspection was one of the worst days of my life. It got worse when I solicited comments from several people I loved, admired, respected or feared (mostly various combinations of those). The answers were often softened for fear of hurting me, and hurt the worse for it....because I saw between those words, far more strident criticisms. Those that didn't pull punches, were better in some ways than the others, but far worse in other ways. In the end, I took nearly six months away from my family and circle of friends and other social and work connections to have my little pity party, my angry dance, my thoughtful phase, and finally the decisive, active responsive part of my re-thinking my life....and my part in it.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I don't personally know anyone else that has actually taken something like this on.

My best friend from my childhood frankly stated, "I can't imagine why you'd do such a damn fool thing. I know I won't like most of what I see, so I'm not looking inward...until I absolutely have to."

Nine years later, he's going through a very ugly divorce and taking a beating I wouldn't wish on anyone.....some of it self-sourced.

It is often a hurtfully stated truth that does the most harm. Not because of the truth itself, but that the giver has apparently been glossing over their convictions with a thin veneer of civility (maybe it's a spouse, best friend, mentor co-worker, family member, parent...whoever), but it's the target's vulnerability to that person that opens them to the deepest cuts.....and the most challenging recovery.

Well done, expressive sir!

Oh, and I especially appreciated your afterword. While I do have my preferences, I find many contributions here to be far more worthwhile than the comments they garner. Somehow, some folks, not having a face in the forum, think they have no obligation to civility. I've seen it since bulletin-board days (my first experience with text forums), but I'm still often stunned by how low some will go...at least in part, I believe, because they have a certain anonymity in cyberspace they don't have at home among friends and family. Sadly, it also reveals a surprising lack of character in far too many people. I am left to discount such as unhappy souls, diverting their self loathing to others....perhaps to hide from their own fears, failings and/or predilections, perhaps because they like to feel important by trashing other's efforts to express or entertain.

In truth, I am often more critical of contributors that don't seem to care enough about their work to do the appropriate housekeeping on a piece.

Really, would these same people send their child to school with no shoes or breakfast if they had the means to provide? Poorly presented stories are children released into the world, ill equipped to cope with conditions and with those they will meet there.

Thankfully, you seem to put at least as much effort into the actual writing (as I often call it 'presentation'), as you do the plot, storyline, characterization, etc.

So we are not burdened with stumbling prose, broken expressions and indecipherable spellings, cloudy meanings and excesses of expression.....at least most of the time.

In any and all cases, however, ....I thank you for your insight and your compassion....as well as your stories.

It's all hypothetical, but I've sometimes felt that I'd rather be the dumper than the dumper, due to empathy issues. Sure, when you are dumped you fell terrible and worthless, but hurting someone from the other side of the equation hurts in a different but still very painful way. Trading places in this last chapter is tough, and I wish I could have seen the wife get back on her feet and move on so I could feel good about everyone in the story. Excellent overall story, on a normal type of story line but executed very well. I enjoyed it.

her fuck buddy got away with it!! Eat shit annony!

Well done and worth five stars, but a bit predictable and sentimental. I was hoping for a little more drama.

well done a easy 5 star ratting

Loved this story through and through.

Nice to read something where the whole usa armed forces did not take revenge on the cheating wife and her dick.

Thank you! This was such an enjoyable read. Loved the ending. I did feel for Paige because I was her. However, my incredible husband was able to take my sorry cheating ass back. I see Paige as a woman that was feeling trapped and vulnerable. When your communication breaks down any relationship flounders. She was portrayed as selfish and that was too bad. I find her stupidity her greatest fault. If you're going to have an affair you don't do it in your house. That was a fife star blunder.

Great writing. Thanks again. I haven't posted a story yet because those Anonymous critics are brutal only using the secrecy of anonymity to hurt someone. I like what you said at the end About respect of authors.

Well written, top dollar nuf said.

Seemed very realistic to me; the feelings, dialogue, the recovery process, all of it made sense. I figure all of us, metaphorically speaking, have been kicked in the 'nads by someone we really cared for during our dating years; relationships ending suddenly and unexpectedly. So even if we've never been divorced, we can still feel empathy for this protagonist, we vicariously sample his pain and challenges, relishing the taste of his small victories and ultimate conquest.

We don't always have the option of retreating through a door we've opened. Paige has finally learned that you can't always fix the damage done; you've no choice but to move forward and make do with what remains. Great story, as usual. Thanks Javmor!

I've probably read about half of the cheating wife stories and seen many of the anonymous BS comments about being a wimp or weak cuckold. I have my preferences but always accept the that everyone is as different as every relationship is and can see different points of view. Even those that want to hang an author out to dry could in fact succumb to what they rail against if the situation is right and I think that is what they fear. Your story was written with feeling and I praise you for that.

'nuff said

Enjoyed the series, well done.