All Comments on 'Oh Brother'

This was a great story

Instead of inviting her into their home,Tara should have moved into the expensive storage unit, helping her sister while the horribly insecure husband was at work. Rather than telling his parents she was moving to the same city as their estranged son Tara could have told them she was moving to help her sister, no additional information was needed or deserved.

It was also interesting the way Jamie hedged her answers and praise while in bed: "God, that was great. Those boys that did that to me before were nothing compared to you." Missing from her comment was how much she enjoyed the women doing it to her while skating for Disney.

I hope it works out for them but getting to know someone is usually a better way to develop a loving relationship than the "love by touch" school of romance.

I loved how his mother used his "history" of wrong-doing, that only existed in her mind, as proof of his guilt in the latest misdeed.

She definitely needs to grow up if she expects every day to be filled with "intense emotion".

"Jamie waited patiently while I took a quick shower and changed into something more appropriate for our eventual destination" - I can understand changing clothes, but he hadn't already showered?!

"We quickly found our way to a dance club and we didn't even find a table or a spot at the bar" - Didn't she have a purse? Did she hold it while they danced?

"Hey man, the little lady was here all alone and we were here first" - Even if she WASN'T with Henry, there's no "waiting in line" at a club, the lady goes with whomever she wants, even if it's the last guy that asks her!

"I guess he thought better of it and just walked away." - What about the other guy?

"would things have been different for Tara and I if I had actually proposed" - I don't think so; you both knew that marriage was on the horizon, I don't think a ring on her finger would have changed things.

"Do you prefer pussy shaved or unshaved?" - LOL, maybe I'm getting old, but I don't believe that line for a second! After he's seen it, and if he's bold enough to express a preference she can go along with it if she wants, but to just blurt it out like that? No way!

I don't buy that she needs more help through the pregnancy than Henry can provide. Help with the baby, yes.

"You're the only son I have left now" - Gee, thanks! Now that "Golden Boy" is dead we'll settle for you!

I'm sorry, maybe I'm just a hard-hearted bastard, but the Lifetime Channel ending was too much for me! Was that battle the first time he realized what a "band of brothers" was? I doubt it, yet he STILL stole his brothers girlfriend! And where did he get the idea that big brothers are supposed to treat their little brothers like crap? Pick on, sure. Tease, you bet. But they're also supposed to have their little brother's back, and to repeatedly make him take the blame for things that he didn't do, to the point that he had such a "history" of bad behavior that he was no longer trusted to tell the truth was just wrong!

Sorry the Marine had to die, especially before brother got his letter. Good story, really enjoyed it.

What kind of father allows one son to be treated like crap by his wife? A weak one.

The story was interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed the first part but it started to weaken as soon as Jamie showed up-so unlikely that a highly experienced beautiful woman would go after her sister's ex, she must have had so many better options. She really was a plaster saint. The reconciliation with the family was just Mills and Boone. All too mushy and unbelievable. If Michael hadn't died would anything have changed? His mother would probably have forgiven him for cheating on Tara and he would have had another run at Jamie.

I'll always read your stories because I enjoy them. Now, one nitpick; look up the word 'disinterested' . It doesn't mean 'uninterested' and so the way you used it in this story made no sense at all.

With a family like that, most sensible people would just stay away from them.

Have just found your stories and really enjoyed them. I like the attitudes expressed and like your characters. I hope you have more to share. Cheers

Thanks for sharing.

Perished Marines are not sent home unless requested by the family, they are at Arlington.

Ignore my previous comment, it was completely inaccurate, though it shouldn't be.

So now that he's their only son they love him?

How peachy.

If he could be that consistently bad to his real brother would he treat his 'band of brothers' any better?

Loyalty was not one of his strengths.

Nor was honor for that matter.

Makes me wonder if his real cause of death was being fragged.

His father wasn't weak?

He let his son be treated badly for over twenty years by both his wife and his other son rather than rock the boat.

That's pretty definitive weakness.

the guy was a door matt all his life, No way, I would have been out of there as soon as I found a job and another place to stay. I quit school and left home when I was 16 and had a job and had my own place. but I did go back and get my GED later in years. hard to believe anyone would put up with that kind of crap he was going through for very long.

For personal reasons, this story has made me remember many things from my past,

Especially the loss of my parents (I know this is not the story of this story, but it presents many similarities for me and my relationship with my brother and sisters), since we hardly spoke to us.

I has like a good story, and the forgiveness, after those years, is makes necessary.

This is why I have given you 5 stars.

Good Job!

The writing style is stilted, and makes a decent story boring. It is also very long. The author takes a long time trying to bring all the pieces together, but falls short in the end. Oh, the hero is really 6 feet tall.

This story was abysmal. The protagonist was a spineless, doormat and a big time push-pull. What a complete waste of my time.

A convenient storyline.

My older sister treated me like crap when I was growing up. When she dies I won't attend her funeral. Henry's brother treated him worse than my sister treated me, so I fail to see why Henry would ever forgive either his brother or his parents. His parents are only sucking up to Henry because golden boy is no longer alive.

My brother was 5 years older than me, and persecuted me mercilessly. Got angry at me -- I was 7 at the time -- and threw a playing dart into my face. Missed my eye by about an inch. My parents told me I "had to have done something to make him that angry." No, he was just that big an asshole with a total lack of impulse control.

Since my parents wouldn't protect me, I waited for him to come around the corner of the house, and threw a rock that hit him in the head and put him into the hospital. My parents were not happy with me, and he said he'd get me back. I told him that he'd started it, and that he had to sleep sometime. And then I smiled at him. He got the message, and never got physical with me again. Even our oldest brother, home on leave, told him to "leave me the hell alone or the next time might be worse." My oldest brother always was the smarter of the two.

Of course, fast forward about 20 years, the asshole is a divorced drug addict stealing from our parents -- the same ones who enabled him. Me ? I'm a VP at a Fortune-50, happily married to a doctor, with 2 well-mannered kids. So it evens out in the end.

I liked the story, but just cuz' the brother died doesn't make him a saint. I would not have attended the faithless shithead's funeral.

Really liked the story. For people who think that the protagonist was spineless, moving away from one's own family is not easy. It is not only a physical move but also means growing from conditioning that has taken place since childhood.

Read your story and enjoyed it. Gave it a five but...

killing the older brother off was a little drastic. He could have sustained a life threatening wound.

Still a five, still a goo story.

Jedd Clampett

I have 2 older sisters that have turned into something out of a bad greed movie.

With one even going so far as to be the indirect cause of my mothers death.

All in the name of greed to the tune of $250,000.00 or so. So you see there are more than one ways that your SIBLINGS CAN AND WILL FUCK UP YOUR LIFE. Sometimes there is no way to forgive. In the case of this story to pay respects and bury someone who given there life for there country is not only the right thing to do it is THE ONLY THING TO DO.

We who have served have a saying. SOME GAVE ALL. ALL GAVE SOME.

MASTER SARGENT H.G. USAF RET

SAC PEACE WAS OUR PROFESION

I like this author's work but this one leaves me cold. He should have refused to have anything to do with his parents. As for Tara, how the hell could he be pleasant to her? I know he is in a relationship with her sister but to have her in the house after what she did to him makes him a real saint. Come on, she screwed his brother a day after meeting the shit. Beats me how could he bear to be near her. I still hate a girl who cheated on me when we were in our mid teens! And that is many years ago.

So on page two Jamie made two basic promises for the relationship going forward. On page three she breaks the second one, even helping Tara corner him alone in a room, and on page four the two of them gang up to shove him off back to his parents breaking the first promise..

So what is the moral of this story supposed to be? The woman is always right if she has "good" intentions? Utter bull.

I may sound like an a...... but forgiving a mother like his i just couldn't,she only asked forgiveness because his brother died and she didn't have anyone else,she must have known trough tara about the birth of her grandchild yet not a word as long as the brother was alive

As for Tara going to live with them bofore the birth i don't understand either,was she experiencend with pregnant woman ? No, so what exactly was she doing there ? looks to me like some scheme to reunite the sisters i'm sorry but to me it looks like the guy was being played

Your story is well written,the plot is mostly acceptable and for that i give you 4****

I grew up in a family situation much like this story, only my brother was younger and never tried to steal my girl. Mother always favored him over me and always favored our three sisters over us. I left home at 18 and only visited from time to time after that. Once Dad died, I had no reason to see them at all and today I only keep in touch with my youngest sister - I haven't seen the rest of the family in over 11 years - and I have absolutely no plans to change that. We don't talk, we don't write.

We've all seen in stories on this site, the protagonist, trying to decide on divorce or reconciliation, asks himself the question, "Is my life better off with her or without her?" In my case, I'm better off without the family issues and I think this guy would have felt the same - that's why I'm very disappointed in the ending.

Again we see where your story has the protagonist almost immediately, as in just a few minutes within meeting her, falling in love with the "new girl" - and vice versa. A sister of the girlfriend who caused him so much pain, shows up out of the blue, practically begging for his hand in marriage because her sister told her they'd be perfect together - and of course he has fallen in love with her before the meal is over. From reading your stories, we know that as soon as he's in love again, all the other issues are out the window. Those who helped hurt, humiliate, and cuckold him are now welcomed with open arms.

All is sweetness and light, tip toeing through the tulips, rainbow dust and unicorn kisses. He moves his cheating ex-girlfriend INTO his apartment and then, once his traitorous parents lose their favorite son, he drops everything and rushes home, all is forgiven and forgotten, sweetness and light, etc., etc., etc.

The circle is complete: this wimp was a fallback boyfriend for ex-girlfriend Tara while she searched for a "passionate" love. Now he's fulfilled his destiny as the fallback son for his parents, who only offered the olive branch after their favorite son died.

The sweetness and light reigned supreme, and they all lived happily ever after.

Biguy I have read hundreds of stories on here since the 1990s, and yours are well written, have content, and a few times hit very deep. Many a brother in arms are in

my past so this story dug deep... thank you very much.

I didn't.

Had a great story with Henry and Jamie. Then you brought back the fucking cheating slut Tara and force a unbelievable reconciliation. Worse still you totally broke your own characterization of Michael and shoved that garbage down the readers throat.

From 5* romance to pure shit via RAAC.

Fucking waste of time to read this shit.

Nailed my sentiments exactly! This story was a constant Deus Ex Machina. Author had a pretty believable story going until Jamie showed up. Then he turns Henry into a completely unbelievable spineless wimp. Just too bad you the author couldn't stick to your characterizations.

Sorry author, 5 stars for a strong character Henry, that is until you emasculated him = 1 star for a RAAC story.

And now the crickets.

You write very well.

Wow, what a variety of opinions. I could relate to the family relationship part. I thought you did an excellent job of telling the story and giving substance to your characters. I was happy that the main character found happiness along with others. While one reviewer thought you wrote crap, I enjoy your efforts and thank you for sharing. BK.

Should of told Jamie to blow chunks and get lost, moved someplace else, and changed his name. Do whatever he had to, to be someone else, someplace else.

another tear running down my cheek!

Maybe Just Maybe Michael did Henry a favor showing Tara the trash slut she is! But I suppose it still is a kick in the teeth what they did! But I think the Parents mainly Mom's favoring of Michael was the camel that broke the Straws back! All in all a pretty good read? Finally I like to thank all the brave men and women who serve to keep us safe THANK YOU ALL! Love you all! GREG. OH 100 % OF READING ENJOYMENT BYE.

is an asshole whether he is a dead hero or not. Michael seeing the light two days before he is killed is a trite ending to what was otherwise a very good story. Parents do tend to have favourites no matter how they try to be even but to believe one and punish the other for every infraction without even a cursory investigation is unbelievable.

This one was ok

While you are a decent story teller, you lack empathy for your own characters. If u dont care for Henry why should I

This story shows what a death of a family member stirs in oneself. Emotions cans be controlled for a while but, something will break them free. Your Emotions will rule you let a Fireman rescuing a Girl Scout in a forest fire, they just take and rule your ass! Everything comes out wether you want it or not, any bad feelings or hate just fizzles out. Your idea that Micheal saved him the trouble of finding out that Tara was wrong for him is debatable.

Death can get you to forgive the unforgivable in my opinion!

5 Stars!

Still got a taste for shit. Can you please enlighten me on what ass play has to do with this story?

Although this story follows your usual template, lead guy gets betrayed by sibling taking wife or girlfriend. Family sides against lead guy. But then sister of ex-girlfriend restores his self-esteem. Death of brother brings family back together particularly rebonding mom & lead man. This story rises above others by the influence of Tara & her sister to bolster lead man to the hero position in which he deserves. Best in this story amongst many of your others with similar themes. Redemption is for the hero in a happy marriage with children, reconciliation with family & a bright future.

WindySwimming

i don't buy this sob story for a minute. the little slut sister of tara the whore has zero right to mess with a hurt man. there is zero reality to what you describe. if mommy had met him unawares he would likely said lady go fuck yourself. that is reality not this sick tale of let's all just get along. or you can change the introduction of your story. your hero is a fucking wimp deserving all he got in the end it seems...

cold, cold heart. that's what i would feel for my (un)family if they're like this to me.

They'l never see their nieces and nephews, their grandchildren and great grands. fuck them all.

That's what i did to my own.

You are Batting 50/50 in the Comments. as far as Family Not Speaking to each other. I understand My Dad did not talk to his brother for 10 yrs. over me and my cousin arguing over truck's. My uncle grabbed me by my Shirt my Dad seen that and told my uncle put him Down. my uncle tried to tell my Dad about me and his Son. and my Dad said put him Down or you will go Down. My uncle was a New Cop. But he knew his Brother would have Snapped his Neck. the only reason they talked after 10 years was because Grandma their Mother was Dying and asked the two to Drop it. My Grandma was a Great Woman but until her Death Bed could not get them to give it up. Me and my Brother and Sisters are the same way.

will you ever spare the time. TK U MLJ LV NV

Was abusive. He was lucky to get out and he'd be wise not to invite her back into their lives. She won't change. Especially now that her favorite son is a martyr.

That letter at the end was the ultimate cheap shot as an author. Completely unrealistic

given Michaels' treatment of his brother for their whole life, I call BULLSHIT!

Good old mom? Well there is a abusive, neglectful, bitch of a mother. Dad, well abuse comes in many guises, one of them is silence when speaking out is called for. Tara, a backstabbing, cheating slut, let her be around my wife and children...Not A Chance In Hell! If Jamie wants Tara in her life she can fucking well do without me.

I spent 25 years in the Corps, retired a MGySgt and thinks it's a shame for this author to pull out a returning body card, a shame on the author and disrespectful as hell to all the real Marines who gave their all in service to their country.

AUTHOR, you can go to hell and I hope someday you burn.

Is to never read comments on Literotica. It always manages to amaze me to know how many cynics are out there. The story is excellent and the letter brought him closure if nothing else.

Maybe one day you'll become a good plot writer, let me point you mistakeson this one:

1- "We thought we'd start with just the three of us, but they've agreed to be ready to come over if we called and if you were amenable to it."

"Fine, I'll go talk to mom just to get this over with."

- Hell no!! Why do you always make the family take the cheater's side? You know it usually doesn't happen this way. So when you write things in a twisted way there must be a reason.

- All your males are weak and dominated by women (or trying to be), especially the fathers figures.

- All your mothers are bitches.

2- I walked out of the house planning to never speak to any of these people ever again. It had been this way my whole life and I was finally tired of it. They say you can't choose your family; well, that may be true, but I could certainly choose to be rid of them.

- How long his purpose will last? Knowing you, not much. You'll find a way to make him a stupid wimp by the end of the story.

3 - "Mind if I join you, Henry?"

I knew the voice well. I didn't even need to turn around.

"Sure Tara. Have a seat."

- No, no, no. Fuck off you slut! What are you going to say that will change what you did? Some lame excuses from the cheater's handbook? There are no marriage to save, no children, no logistic, so fuck off!

4- "You look beautiful as always."

"Thank you, Henry. You're a hard man to find."

- Really? Seriously? The slut cheated on him with his brothers and praise her legs? These are the first words you put in his mouth after what she did. You really have a problem with your male characters. Would you react like this in real life? Do you picture that you'll react in the same if you were in the same situation? I'm asking because I can't find a reasonable explanation why you wrote this scene like this.

5- "They were actually together for a few months before she found out he was cheating on her."

- Duh! He has no moral, no values, he stole his brother's girlfriend. So now we know why the slut came looking for him. He is Plan B.

6- "Your mother thought it was romantic and was so glad"

- Ditto about most of your "character's mothers ".

7- "You were kind of harsh to Tara when she came to see you. That's not saying she didn't deserve it, but she had hoped to apologize and try to make amends."

- Harsh? Hey, he praised her legs! He shouldn't have talked to the slut at all. Apologize? The won't change anything. She came to see if he up to be plan B.

8- "She thinks she was taking you for granted"

- So help me here: Did she take him from granted or was she worried about the lack of passion in their relationship? Didn't she say he was a safe bet but that she didn't love him?

9- "I've been talking a lot to Tara since I've been back, and she said the same thing then that's she's saying now. She thinks you and I would be a good match. So I came here to, well, to see if she's right."

- We're entering fairytale land here. She's gorgeous and succesful. Why is she still single? Why did she come to look for him? Is she so desperated to find a boyfriend to quit her job and look for a guy she never met before based on a line her sister wroite in an email? Am I the only one finding it weird and unbelievable?

10- "I got a feeling, I guess, is the best way to say it. I felt something when you came over and introduced yourself.

"You know, I felt something too, like, well, like we were meant to be together. Are we talking about the same thing?"

- I laughed really hard on this one. Another mistake you repeat over and over in your stories. Love is something magic that happen almost at first sight. You should read a bit more about real love and how it really happen. If you think that to fall in love with someone happens as you write in your stories, then I think you have no idea about it.

11- "Even when I started seeing your sister and we weren't exclusive officially yet, I was."

- Wait, wait, What? They were not exclusive? Really? I understand he is pissed with his brother, but why is he pissed with his "not exclusive" girlfriend then? I think you made a huge mistake here and ruined the story for good.

12- "Yes, Henry, I've had sex with women before, but it's not something I need. It's just two people taking care of each other's needs."

- Bullshit. You won't see too men taking care of each other's needs at least they are gay. She tried it and didn't like it. But to me this would bea red flag in the relationship. Again, if you're not going to make her a lesbian opr cheat on him with a woman, why do you bring this kind of things to the story?

13- "Henry, Tara has offered to move here and help me through the rest of the pregnancy and to be here to help with the baby."

- No chance in hell. Where do you want to be served? Really? Another "sperm donor" moment? Here it comes the moment when you pussify your man thinking he is taking the high road or doing the "right thing".

14- "You two need to have a real conversation. I'll be in our room, baby."

- No, we don't. Period. Man up your male characters just once please!

15- "You know, Tara, I've actually forgiven you. Having to date my asshole brother and getting cheated on yourself is probably punishment enough."

- No, it's not. She's a cheater. Do you want that kind of influence around you wife?

16- "Henry, he was killed."

- Great, let's go to celebrate. Dinner's on me. One asshole less in the world. This is your "someone-died-and-things-change" moment, like the one you wrote in the lesbian sister story. Death doesn't change anything. It doesn't change what his parents. It was wrong in so many levels!

17- "No use holding a grudge against him anymore, I guess" ... "Can we try and put this behind us, Henry? You're the only son I have left now

- Ok, they apologized, but it's too fucking late. In the second line we find the real reason why they are doing this. Selfishness. The good brother died, let's settle for the dumb one. At least he'll give us grandchildren.

18- "I won't keep you from your grandchildren, mom,"

- Why not? She's even a worst influence than Tara. What if she pick a grandchildren over the others like she did with her sons?

19- "Henry, I know you probably think your father was a weak man." "Do not mistake his kindness for weakness"

- Yep, me too. He is weak. That's how you wrote him. I don't mistake them, he's weak. Otherwise he shouldn't have let her treat him like she did. He never said a word about it. So, he's weak or worst, he didn't care. He stood for him sdo many fucking years late that it doesn't matter anymore.

20 - "I really did feel something special for her. I didn't set out to be with my brother's girlfriend; I really did feel that connection and I was in love. Of course I screwed that up just like I did everything else"

- Yes, he did set out to be with her and he didn't care for his brother as he always did. The right thing to do was talk to him about his feeling, to come clean, but he was an asshole. Sorry but being dead doesn't make him a better person. A dead asshole, is still an asshole.

21- "Henry, you probably don't believe this, but I love you."

- You're right. I don't. Love is shown with actions, not with nice words. Again, please inform yourself about what love really is.

You really have talent a writer, but I can't let go these kind of things.

An asshole is an asshole. Dying does not erase all past sins.

AND DADS THEIR DAUGHTERS! (My opinion may differ from yours)

Sad to think their parents treated him that way! One thing that stuck in my craw was his mom said that his Dad was Weak (That part is way wrong)

You know he definitely got the better sister (being a horn dog myself Maybe you could have Tara making wife number 2 or a threesome at least)

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS FANTASTIC STORY WITH US!

LOVE YOU ALL! BYE!

OH 100 % OF READING ENJOYMENT BYE. ................GREG!

But still a good read. Thanks.

I am spending the day reading a ton of BigGuy stories in order and just finished 'Of All People' and now 'Oh Brother'.

I have to ask what the difference is between the sister in that story and the brother in this story except that she had an 'innie' and he had an 'outie' and she was MINUTELY better at interpersonal relationships.

The situation is the same, but because she's a girl, we are supposed to go 'aw shucks' and because he is a boy, we are supposed to question his loyalty.

Well, here's the newsflash. Both of them are cunts, including the sister. Except the author wanted that as a sweet 'understandable' betrayal and this as not so much.

Because both 'felt' something for this 'soul mate'...except one was a boy and one was a girl.

Well written good story all ends well what's not to like

An interesting story of betrayal and redemption.

One thing that struck me right away was Tara telling HENRY to "stop pawing" her while letting Michael keep touching her and touching him back!

"we never got a chance to talk about what happened and why." - What in the hell is there to talk about? Would YOU want to talk if you caught him fucking your sister?

"They were actually together for a few months before she found out he was cheating on her." - Was that before or after Tara tracked down Henry?

As Henry said, if they felt this great "connection," she should have broken up with him rather than cheat on him. How in the world they thought this "explanation" would soothe things over is beyond me.

"she had hoped to apologize and try to make amends." - How could she possibly apologize and/or make amends for what she did?

Regarding Michael's size, two brothers never saw each other naked?

While it's cliche, I have no huge problem with Jamie showing up and them falling in love, but the meddling with his familial relationships, and his acceding to them is a show-stopper for me.

There is NO WAY IN HELL I would let Tara be involved with my family! He already agreed to not keep Jamie away from Tara as long as he didn't have to deal with her. Women have gone through even difficult pregnancies without their sisters moving in!

You can paper over the Tara situation with platitudes about how she has "grown up," and he's mellowed with his new family, but the whole "family healing" crap? Fuggedaboutit!

This last deployment wasn't his first, was it? So he NEVER had a "band of brothers" moment before?

Definitely lost me and at least one star with the ending.

I seriously didn't like the fact that he forgave them so quickly. In my opinion the guy should have just shown her a big fat middle finger right on her face.

Would their parent's have treated Henry's daughter the same way or would they've show favoritism towards Michael's child?

In "Of All People" many of us wondered if his parents would have been so accepting if his BROTHER stole his wife.

I guess this story gives us BG's answer!

I'd of told Jamie to get lost, I don't want ANY family or friends of members from either family, mine or Tara's, to be around me, contact me or be in the same state as I'm in.

... did he not mean? “Dead brother? What brother?” I guess he didn’t really mean it.

If I had gone to the casket I would have probably spit on it. Then flipped off my mother.

And this BS about “thank you for your service”? Michael didn’t do it for service to the country. He did it because he got a kick out of it; his usual selfish self. And in reality Henry would know this.

And this shit about ‘I got in a fight and suspended defending your honor’? Three days school suspension vs YEARS (quite literally) of punishments by mother? Not even a comparison. And most likely mom was all over Michael for how brave and good a brother he was for protecting Henry.

Also, on a different note, what’s with the terms of endearment by day 2 between Henry and Jamie? That’s just ridiculously fast. It’s one thing to have that “spark” immediately (I’ve certainly felt it before), but you still don’t “know” her/him yet. So “baby” this and “honey” that on second day seems ridiculous. Maybe he/she hates that term. You just don’t know, yet.

Utterly so but thanks for writing it.

This must be your "utterly disgusting" period. When you tried to write the most revulsive RAAC possible. Well, congrats! This story and "Of All People" ranked in the first places. Once is to give people second chances (when they deserved and earned them of course) and another very different thing is to lose all self-respect, to chop your own balls and act like a wimpy faggot.

Truly disgusting. I hope you got the help you need.

This one was solid . There were a couple eye-rolling scenes but I expect that from amateur story. There's too many praiseworthy aspects to note BUT to concentrate on one - the sea change in main character's ability to set aside grievances was paced very well. I honestly marvel at those people who can cut their parents dead or freeze them out for life.

Whatever wrong they did as you were growing up - they changed your shitty diapers for 3 years ( average ) , fed you for 18 years ( average ) and got you to a point where you fend for yourself. Mistakes were made , quite likely grievous ones along the way . So you grieve ...simmer and stew in your resentment. ... that's fine but barring molestation or physical abuse, there's a shelf life to being entitled not to forgive.

Shit. Starting to sound like Oprah. There's a lot of ways that TV icon and I part ways but Google what she says about this subject if you're on the tipping point. Excellent writing on delicate and touchy subject .

Full marks * * * * *

never would have forgiven my brother for fucking my girl and generally lording it over me all my life nor the cunt mother.

You hadn’t had the romance with Jamie be so fast or so cheesy. I loved everything else even if I’m not sure I would’ve been so forgiving to the mom. I get letting go with the brother. He’s dead it’s over. I thought that letter was bullshit and rang of crap but the only flip side is that might have been as sincere as the asshole was capable of.

I would never of gotten involved with any member of my ex's family after being treated that way by her.

I don’t know if this is what you meant to get across but holy shit the mother’s apology was wasted. What I took from her speech was she was apologizing so she could see her grandchildren not because she actually understood what she did wrong. The line she repeated that her husband said to her about grandkids implied to me that that was the reason she was apologizing. That’s honestly pathetic and if that’s the best apology I got for a lifetime of neglect then fuck her.

I agree with people who say the letter from the brother felt false but I think it was as honest as the asshole could get.

Good story but the Jamie romance was too fast and I didn’t like the dialogue with the mom.

Better ending.....

Say an eulogy.

Bring up what a smarmy cheating lying backstabbing brother he was.

Then piss on his grave. Say Fuck you to mom dad and tara. "Mom now you only have one son left. Bet you are wishing now you had treated me nicer. Bye. Have a sad life"

Leave the scene skipping and singing.

Just cause he is dead doesn't make him any less of an asshole. Or your mom any less of a bitch.

One star for the usual wimpy male.

His mother was WRONG (on many, many levels) his father was WEAK NOT KIND!! He had to have seen what his wife was doing to the kids and he needed to MAN up and take responsibility for his part in the parenting. Instead he just let it ride and look how it turned out. Might not qualify as child abuse but it was a long, long way from good parenting!! If he had stood up to her while the kids were young things might have been much different.

Henry should not have reconciled so completely. It should be a good while before his parents see their grandchild again. He should not have given his address to them. After all they were in no hurry to reconcile with him. Even after the supposed 'big fight' nothing really changed. They did nothing to reach out to Henry. Jamie and Tara can send pictures every now and then and Henry should not be in them. Maybe after their second child turns two or three Henry can consider his folks seeing the kids again. Maybe by then both his parents would have grown up and started acting like responsible adults. Their explanations/weak apologies are much too little and much too late. You may not be able to pick your family, BUT you are able to pick whether or not to spend any time with them.

As to Michael, well we can't say a lot of good about him. Was he a good Marine? Yes! Did he give his all for this country? Again, yes. Should he be honored and remembered for that sacrifice? YES, of course. BUT!! That's all he should be remembered for. As a commenter said on another story: we remember and honor them for what they have done. They don't get a pass on the other aspects of their lives. How many people in Hollywood do we praise for their acting ability but as human beings they are FAR BELOW average. How many athletes do we praise on the field but off the field their behavior is abhorrent. As a brother, Michael was an abysmal failure. He spent most of his life tormenting Henry and didn't think twice about cheating with Tara. Why would Henry want to be around people like that. Was Michael going to change? We'll never know. But even if he did it would take years to repair the damage he did to Henry.

We can all be glad the author didn't have Henry planning to name one of his kids after him.

He should of wiped it out at the Funeral and pissed on the Casket

Really good story. Well thought out kept me interested the entire time. Keep up the good work.

Only wants a relationship with him, now that golden boy is dead. Fuck off old woman, I don't know you, or your corpse son.

That at the moment the mother learned of Michaels death, for an instant (or longer), she wished it was Henry instead. You can nearly bet on it.

They're fictional.

Blame sissy BG33. He is apparently a cuck or wannabe and enjoys passive spineless men.

Write what you know I guess.

I don't see how this story can be viewed as any sort of a Cuck thing. He did everything right. He dumped them all and bailed out.

Short of going on a shooting rampage ( I knew a guy who did that, killing his cheating wife, her lover, and then himself and leaving 2 young kids parentless), what else should he have done?

I admired the way he did it and the best "Revenge" was hooking up with the sister and have the "Fairy Tale" family and life. BigGuy was able to show the love his wife had for him thru the writing. That's a fairly rare gift.

"part of me reasoned that I had done you a favor. Hadn't I helped by showing you who she was, I thought to myself"

If she hopped in the sack with him that fast, it could have just as easily have been some dude in a bar.

So his brother dies and everyone is now forgiven. I don't think that's possible. With the hate that Henry felt, that was deep down inside of him. There is just NO WAY he could forgive anyone. Just not possible.

Why frustrating? You can write. I mean you're a good author. You have the technical aspects down and your characters and dialogue draw the reader into your stories. But for Christ's sake! Can't you give your lead male characters some spines or backbones? There's not a single man on the planet that doesn't send Jamie packing after she explains who she is and what she wants. If he's willing to move far, far away, end his relationship with Tara, end his relationship with Michael and his parents, what on Earth would make him want to have anything to do with Jamie? Even a moron knows that if he's seeing Jamie, she's talking about him to her sister. He has to understand that, down the line, Jamie will want to see Tara. And that she will, like any woman, try to fix his relationship with his Brother and his parents. It's who women are. It's ingrained in their DNA. So even dating Jamie is a horrible idea. Then you went and did it. They date, they marry, they have a kid. And he gets sucked back in. Now you tried to soft soap it, make it look like everything was going to be all happy, happy, joy, joy. But that's complete bullshit. It will never be okay. He maybe talks to them, but he will never forget all the years that he suffered. Truly an awful ending to a story that had great potential. And THAT is why you're such a frustrating author. Start out good, end bad. UGH!

After being a bastard all his life, he suddenly becomes St. Michael by dying?! What a cynical son-of-a-bitch to think he was doing Henry a favour by showing Tara as a slut! 'Any man knows that by seducing another man's woman he's dealing him a mortal wound. Michael was a cad with no moral fibre and was encouraged to be such by his mother, throughout his life! Henry dumped them and they should have stayed dumped!!!

The courtship with the sister does not fit. She shows up and everything is settled?

Then when will you people forget that thing “defend my country; fighting for freedom”? Where is your enemy? Freedom from what? (I am in Europe as you might guess).

Apart from that I like most of your stories.

Finally a story that knocks these scum bags off their pedestal.

So after there favorite one dies, they go to the runt. Another one ruined by a stupid ending. Waste of time reading this. Why do they start good then fuck up the ending?

"Jamie, you know the baggage I come with. I'll have nothing to do with my family, and I have no interest in seeing your sister ever again. Can you live with that?"

"I'm not concerned about your family, Henry. That's your business. I would prefer to have in-laws but it's not a deal breaker. Now I love my sister, in spite of her faults, and I won't be cut off from her. Having said that, I won't expect you to visit with her; I just expect that you won't stop me from doing so."

***So, no then, well Jamie have a good life, consider yourself on the same list as my family and your sister

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"It's Michael," Tara said.

"Is that all? You bothered me at work for that asshole."

"Henry, he was killed."

***Again, why are you bothering me with this?

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I got a chance to meet Tara's sister, Jamie, when she came to town. I heard you guys got married and that I'm an uncle to a little girl.

*** Umm Jamie? You want to let me know how you managed to meet my brother when you agreed not to meet any of my family, also any idea how my dead brother knew you were pregnant before I did?

To forgive a whore of a Mom and Brother? I don't think so. I can respect honoring a military members sacrifice, but that doesn't forgive the whore that he was or his Mom.

Your a great writer.....you really are. And your stories start off great.......but they all end in the same way.

With the guy losing any semblance of pride or self respect and taking his cheating wife or girlfriend back. And to add insult to injury the family who betrayed him.

Sorry but its just to much

Can you write a story where the guy walks away without listening to the crap of those who betrayed him?

Where the guy walks away with his pride?

No, blood does not matter above all. There is no reason to maintain any sort of relationship with people who betray you. That a family member would do it only makes it worse. How can it be healthy to subject yourself to being around them?

Meh!

I almost stopped after Tara slept with Michael but I'm glad I finished it. When Henry told his family he was done with them was a great but writing, I always wonder why no one seems to give their characters a backbone. Great story all the way around.

I can never get why some readers trash really well written stories like this one. Is it a need to make yourself feel superior?

If you want to prove to me that you are, put your name on the comment so I can click on you and read one of your offerings to see what a superior story looks like.

Or is that the deal? Never written a thing, but gets off putting down those that do?

Good work BG, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

5*s for this one.

Ironically this story was about people,namely Michael,Tara,and Henry,and sure both Tara and Michael betray his brother it shows they're only human,and nearly ruined their family,but thankfully Tara and Michael and Henry's Parents saw the error of their ways and tried to fix it after Michael's death.

Sadly Michael never got the chance to make amends but the letter he sent to Henry before he died was like his deathbed confession,and Henry forgave Michael.Now Tara realized how much she hurt Henry and accepted her loss of him,but she wanted to make it up to him by helping her sister Jamie and Henry fall in love and having a wonderful family.This story was truly emotional and sad but also happy that the family came back together somewhat.

I agree that family betrayal is the worst , if not best friend or spousal betrayal. Basically unforgivable. But of course , family requires some room for moving on. The brother , even with his poignant letter , was never going to completely get back in his heart. Glad that his mom and dad did. Feel Tara was given an easy ride. Didn't need to see her burn , but she betrayed him so quickly without communication. You used the same trick as in the sisters betrayal, that the love they had was more of some friendship; there was no magic there. Implying that they were just marking time until something better came along , even if that wasn't what they thought they were doing. I realize for the story to be short this had to happen in a few scenes , but it felt false. As did his reconciling with Tara. I mean , like his parents and his brother , they needed some slack, but , as is so popular in these stories , forgive but not forget. Understand that Tara became important because he loved her sister, and hate isn't worth holding on to. But trust is.

"Protecting the world"... Is that what you actually think the american army is doing??

You're a decent writer... But you won't b3 a really good writer until you stop writing for the purpose of pats on the back... Your stories flow as if you're checking the boxes as you write... "Ok... People like to read this... Check 2... People like to read that"... And as a result your stories come across as contrived... And give the impression that you have nothing real to say... Other than these cliched plots... Until you stop writing what you think people want... And start writing the stories from your core... Regardless of what people think... You'll never really be good... No offense... But I think the word that is used... Is hack... As always... Jmo

-jaye-

I first read this story on YouTube some time ago. It was posted in 2 parts with the first part telling of Henry's split from his parents and finding a relationship with Jamie. The second part started with Jamie being pregnant, St. Michael's death and Henry reconnecting with his parents. The second part was taken down early on, so Gopher Broke wrote an ending based on only the first part. For those that are curious, you can read an alternate ending at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kczy4VkFK7s

My second comment is: Did you know we have a mind reader in our midst? (see anonymous comments from 8/4 20) Don't you wish we all had that kind of insight into an author's mind as he was writing a story? Maybe we would rather not come off as half-brained blowhard. Maybe anonymous should quit reading minds and publish some of his stories on these pages, so we could all read his mind as to what he wanted when he wrote them. This guy needs to GET A LIFE. I really liked this story with either ending. 5 stars. Great job. Thanks for sharing. CC

Thank you BG33. This is another example of good writing and an uplifting message. Five stars ⭐️ for this one!

I think Henry would have gotten together with Michael if he had come home. Michael grew up. Tara did too. Strange that for both of them their parents were the ones that kept them from maturing emotionally. I like to think Michael and Tara might have gotten back together.

Read this on YouTube years ago. There are several more chapters...

So even in death Michael leaves the world as the better brother, Henry now has to contend with a fallen hero brother who now has an unassailable reputation, any further impeachment of Michael’s behaviour and descriptions of Henry’s treatment growing up at the hands of his brother will be treated as mealy-mouthed sour grapes.

Quite mercenary of good old mom to want to apologise now she only has the one son left. He will always be second best ‘Oh Henry’s nice enough but Michael was our heroic man of action look at all these medals’ as mommy gets a far off look and a wistful smile crosses her lips.

Such a wonderful family.

Read this story on You Tube. That one ended where Jamie met Henry and they had their first talk. Another writer picked it up and 6 chapters later he finished it. Your ending was different but I still enjoyed it. You Tube dropped the writer that wrote the first part and this is the first time I was able to read it again. Though both stories ended different I enjoyed reading it all the way to the end. Thanks.

Good story! Thank-you

I always find it gross when the wronged party ends up with the sibling