All Comments on 'Rapprochement'

But he would need to continue proceedings. Buyers remorse is what she is suffering from not genuine remorse or seeing she was wrong. He can keep sleeping with her till the cows come home(wear a rubber get her checked) if she wants more tell her to take the train

Short and sweet. Nicely done. 5 stars.

Honest approach about long term love and the thoughts and pathways they generate after many years together. 5*

Won't go down well with the btb crowd, but this, I think because I've never been there, is exactly how I would behave. Thanks.

I think that I like this. No I'm sure I like.it. Very good effort.

But they will never be completely together. She destroyed the bridge, shit on her husband. So now in the back of his mind will always be the doubts and lack of trust. He will lie awake at night and know that she cheated on him. Better to just walk away..

A nice well-written flash story and realistic too.

The reality at 40 is a middle-aged woman is over the hill and directly competing with girls in their 20s and 30s. They'll still be able to get fucked, because women always can if they're willing to lower their standards enough, but it's slim pickings for decent guys (where are all the good men? Still married... to women smart enough to value what they've got).

By contrast, a professional man in his 40s has loads of options, from hot young women looking for a sugar daddy, broody thirty-somethings, to lonely divorcees in their 40s. For a post-divorce husband who keeps himself in shape and has some money, the world is his oyster.

This is a conscise but powerful story that felt real. Thanks for your work. I can't remember so many good stories in one day!

reasonable man

of two lonely people struggling to redefine their lives and rediscover the emotional connection she'd she'd broken. Tender and sad but hopeful, and deeply affecting. Well written. Thanks *****

Nope.

This seems like a far more realistic outcome than the usual LW fiction. That's why so many people will probably dislike it.

Very good... as someone ones said: one with no sin can throw the first stone!

For those of you who don't know what I mean: You are lost already!

5

You sure can write! Thanks for sharing and exposing the story to the many trolls in LW. LOL

Nice economy of words. Well done.

But it was interesting enough to want the whole thing and not just a taste.

Sure, she wants back now that "what's out there wasn't all THAT," but what if it was? She never would have looked back.

I'd continue with the divorce, keep her as a regular booty call, have the occasional "hot young thing." Maybe in a few years when he can't keep up with them, he can get back with the ex.

The obvious question is not: "should he take her back?" or "will he ever be able to trust her again?" which is the theme of many LW stories. The real question is whether human beings are entitled to a mistake a time or two in their lifetimes. Some mistakes are probably unpardonable and all are subject to review, but after 20+ years a serious error of judgement is not the end of the world. It is possible that a person can talk themselves into justifying almost any kind of behavior and then, seeing the really poor return on the investment in betrayal can be completely cured of doing it again. But two strikes and you're out!!! It's madness to expect forgiveness for the same mistakes more than once....and we all know the old definition of madness. 4*

You think it is, sure looks like it and feels like it, but when you get up close and reality sinks in.................

I'm not really into reconciliation stories, but you did a great job here.

I cannot recall another story specifically focused on this type 'partial' recon following a typical "we need to talk about me finding myself" break-up. Tightly written.

Loved it - real people, real situations, real emotional insights and not a word about their respective physical 'attributes' - great! The trolls who abound in LW must hate it!

I liked this story. Apart from the fact that it was extremely well written with (as others have said) an economy of well-chosen words), the situation was one I haven't seen explored before in a LW story.

It was so different from the plague of BTB stories in which a mistake is seen as an opportunity to wreak revenge on the mistake-maker.

Well done, OBB.

Lue

it wasn't hard won raac, but SEEMED sincere.

the real problem is her, 'loving you more than ever' came at the COST of him, 'loving her far less than before.' and that's the sad truth. i also doubt all she did was a lousy handjob and w/e other things she said.

My wife told me about a 'friend' of hers that did just this to her husband. Like 70% of divorces, she initiated it for 'reasons'.

Well...she found a lot of bangs, but not a lot of rings. (My wife has made sure that I am never in the same place as her... coincidently I am sure)

Well, the alimony didn't give her the high end life (half a piece of pie is less than a whole piece of pie, no matter how much more of a piece you got), and so she put out feelers to hubby.

Ahem.

It did not go as romantically as this did. Middle aged MILF is still looking, alas.

Here? I would not let her give up the expense of her apartment, no matter how often I let her stay over. And as a final touch, I would redecorate the house without her input. Just as an exclamation point on exactly where that new relationship was starting from.

Yes, Commenter Ximand is right ... but ... didn’t OBBigger also acknowledge exactly that? Why a liw score for the STORY? Hell, even Hubby deserves more than one star! Hubby is portrayed as now knowing Sweetie is capable of not focusing on Hubby’s best interest, and also that he will continue treating Sweetie as capable of being that way in the future. And Hubby is also portrayed as knowing that Sweetie has a better grasp of reality vis-a-vis her ‘opportunities.’ The other important factor is that Hubby is now enjoying a sex-life AT LEAST as good as (probably better than) he had on their honeymoon, and with a woman who is being frank with him!

Additionally, Sweetie knows she made a major mistake and probably has figured out that she will NEVER be back where she was (at any point in their relationship) before making that mistake.

In other words, the STORY deserves a much higher score because it displays a facet of an adventurous wife’s marriage very clearly, and with a realistic amount of conflict within Hubby’s decision-making process ... very realistically and consistantly. Whether Ximand or I would make those same decisions is (or should be) irrelevant to the scoring of how well HUBBY’S story was presented to We-The-Readers!

5*

Be careful , these fuq's around here will call you StangStar ! It's galls the fuq out of quite a few here to ever see the guy come out Not on the losing side . Even a draw will piss them off if he doesn't suq creampies like these sissy's insist upon .

Personally I'd like to have seen him make her watch him fuq those younger , non-cottage cheese ass havin Hawtie's .

Bitch didn't know she had it so good .

Or maybe not? The indecision is what makes this a lousy ending. It's another man that's been dropped on his head, considering taking his wife back. He admits to knowing he could find a better life. He admits to knowing he'll never forget what she did. How much she hurt him. How does any man live with that? Every time she goes shopping or visits with a friend, he'll wonder what she's really doing. That's no way to live your life. He needs to not let his little head do his thinking for him and move on to what he KNOWS will be a better life. But that's not how the story ends. It doesn't end. For that - 3 stars.

One of the things that moves me to thought is this: Wouldn’t the fact that she is suffering from buyers remorse be a recommending factor for reconciliation? Is remorse less powerful if it is of the buyer’s type? It would seem that she now knows the value of what she had and deeply desires to return to as close to that as she can.

Also, if you know you have been a fool, how much more tightly will you bind yourself to the one who recognizes your remorse and forgives you? (If not entirely, then perhaps enough.)

But, still, I would agree with you and sbrooks103x that the husband should proceed with extreme caution…

Probably the best one page read ever!

Hey, she may have just come back from leaving him for the express purpose of experiencing sex with others, but she totally learned all her new bedroom moves from a book! She only got fingered, once! She swears! Like, practically a marriage vow level swear! You have to believe her! Also, since she came totally clean about what she'd been up to, you know she's telling the truth about how she'll work so hard to make it up to him and be such an amazing wife!

But seriously, this character just needs to make sure to stay on the lookout for better alternatives. She's already proven that's what she'll be doing.

Thanks for the story.

Cog

Five stars, great story, well written and all but I don't buy her.

If she had found a middle age Don Juan or twelve to bang her brains out, hubbie would be so far out of the equation they'd have to come up with a whole set of new algarisms for him.

Things didn't work quite the way she hoped, so she's falling back to Plan B?

Fuck. That.

Walk away, hubbie, NEVER be the Consolation Prize in a relationship..

Well written short story. I could feel the emotions of both of them. Enjoyed it and the angst as well.

she may be having regrets over her decision or figured out that's there's more to a relationship than sex but the fact that "Her enthusiasm and repertoire had improved a lot" doesn't happen if all you did was go out 4 times and as I quote "one hand job, one intense finger-banging, and a half-assed tittie-suck." she learned her new tricks somewhere and if she's lying now how can you trust anything she says when you know she's lying to your face again.

Still like this story very much, but it goes much deeper than on first read. Agree with several other commenters about buyers remorse on her part being a big motivator. Obviously, she doesn't want to be alone, so she wants husband back. FD45's comments are straight on, husband shouldn't go all in on the reconciliation. She might want to shop around again.

Well told, lots of story in a short space, with emotions, pain, doubts and love. Taking it slow is the only option and there will always be problems rebuilding what they had, but it's a start. 5*

You'e taken a familiar theme -- the post-children, Is There Something More Out There" spouse -- which is, in real life, a common psychological condition -- and shaped it in a different yet realistic way. You've added some subtle extensions to the two characters that provide food for speculative thought. Which, to me, is a high purpose of fiction. The deep neurological and psychological trauma of rejection and the deep emotional pain it evokes produces a survival response that is correspondingly deep and of permanent recall. These are real-life fundamental realities of the human condition. How do we deal with them? You offer some factors in the dynamics.

In my comments I try to take the author's plot and characters as presented rather than to try and rewrite the story according to my own preferences. I'm a reader, not a writer.

Good story. Thanks.

He should of course complete the divorce, she killed the marriage. If after the divorce they want to date, fuck, fall in love, remarry, why not? After the divorce and some counseling they can examine why the first marriage failed and determine what their future might look like.

Starting over doesn't have to mean repeating the same mistakes. One or both just might meet somebody new and better. Maybe that could be part of a sequel?

Anyway, thanks for your time and effort. It was an interesting and somewhat original story.

but there are far too many questions left unanswered - 3 being did she cheat? (she'll always deny this now); really, where did she learn her new tricks? (she'll always maintain books and internet) and finally what happens next time she gets bored or itchy feet?

Have to wonder with him still asking these and still feeling hurt for what she did if now is the right time to restart, maybe a clean break for a while and think about it after that.

Alternatively, he could just be keeping her sweet by giving a little of what she wants all the while the sex is good and looking for some really long grass to kick her into :)

One of the better shorts out there and while others have mentioned a sequel I think a prequel from her POV might be interesting too, either showing that she's lying her arse off or going through the failed attempts at finding something better and all her remorse at what she has done.

. . . that divorced or divorcing partners get together for some NSA nookie. There was always something there, or they’d never have gotten married in the first place. Being divorced/divorcing can rekindle the flames that got them married in the first place, flames that the duty of sex in marriage can let burn down to just embers.

Does remarriage ever really work? I suppose it does, very occasionally, but then they devolve into the same marriage they had before.

Where was the story?

Can't understand why he wouldn't continue with the divorce? If she pulls this again, she leaves with nothing. Meanwhile, he is free to do as he wishes as a reminder to her that this is what he SHE demanded and got. For some things, there are permanent consequences as a reminder of the cost of foolishness.

This was a very different type of story usually published here. It was quite introspective with the case that as life goes by, children leave and life continues. Where are we both in our lives and sex lives modulated by children, work and life in general. She tried an experiment, he responded in his own way and they both learned something. Do they really reach a conclusion?

Very well done!!

Tiny Tim

He obviously loves her but she fucked up. I’d never be able to trust her again . Now Tashel admits to playing with four guys with no penatration but they still used her sexually. Who were they ? Did they know him? Does she work with them ? Way to many variables for me . She realizes these guys are all out to just use her sexually. It’s hard enough to get pasted her fucking guys before they met. Let’s face it you know a guys mind and they will try make every girl they fuck a porn star .

Very engaging. I can see how a couple might drift apart until she thinks that a separation is the only way to break the stagnation. When that results in a reality check, then a reconciliation makes sense. They both have to realize that they have to fully re-commit.

This was magnificently done. What an emotional story. Having loved something somewhat similar you’ve really captured that pain, that push-pull between pride, loneliness, and love. This was a heart-wrenchingly great tale.

Really well written. Thanks for sharing. Five-Star.

The story is well conceived and written. Initially it’s not clear who his bed partner is, and that’s a key to why the story works. It’s a fairly common scenario: the couple drifted apart as their children grew up and left. Splitting happens a lot, its happened to friends of mine. Sometimes it works and they both move forward in a better place. Buy how often is the split actually a mistake? I’d bet more often than most realize. Then when one realizes the mistake, how often is the other open to reconnecting? I’d bet that pride and bitterness prevent a lot of reconciliation.

So IMO, this story nailed the key issues, the emotional baggage, and presented what often turns out ugly, in aa very realistic manner. Good job!

Lovely story about an older couple putting a mistake behind them. That really was lovely. And, she was a foolish, foolish woman!

Interesting story, but as others have pointed out he should keep her in a short leash.

I’m a believer in the permanence of marriage, and am heartened by RAAC endings in LW genre. Marriage is hard to sustain for many (myself included) so I appreciate stories in which commitment is ultimately honored! Thank you for this sweet message.

I took My Ex back Once ... 3 Weeks later I caught her again . She said all the usual things .. it was just Sex -- I didn't love him Only You -- I would Never Hurt You -- After the second time I put everything in Big plastic Bags .. I Was surprised how much that Honda Civic held ..

Lots of emotion and tensions sitting on the fence, teetering back and forth. Which way will they fall? Still not sure, and that's just fine.

Thank you for an excellent flasher.

=Alextasy

Not a bad wife. A least she doesn't come across as one. After decades of marriage, she wanted to experiment. She doesn't get very far in her experimenting before she realizes it wasn't one of her best decisions.

The husband meanwhile actually gets laid a couple of times during thier time apart. What is hurting him most now is her desire experience other men (which flops for her).

I could see this couple coming together again. There is no real viciousness at play between them and they seem to communicate well.

Here is the tricky part. The husband actually got laid a couple of times while the wife didn't. For the wife, that must hurt a lot. That knowledge could really eat away at a person.

Sure, it was her idea, but now she has to live with the fact that because of her short sighted decision, her husband who she really does love has had sex with other women outside thier marriage. Too bad you say?

Flip the roles each played in this middle age crazy stupidity. Not sure the husband in this story would be able to reconcile with his wife.

Enjoyed the story. Looking forward to reading more from this author. 5 stars.

This was done unbelievably well. I could feel myself in that bed with a warm body pressed against mine. I've had important women in my life, and every one of them had taken my hand and pulled it over their shoulder to rest it against their breasts just the way you describe it. A big 5 from me.

Older OBB Comment Re: Remorse vs Buyer's Remorse. To me, the difference is that with "remorse," the person is TRULY sorry, whereas with "buyer's remorse," the person is only sorry because the grass WASN'T greener on the other side. If it was, they wouldn't be sorry and would never look back.

i think she is probably going thru a life crisis and wanted out of her mundane life. she wanted to explore and found out there was nothing better offered and is probably afraid of being alone. if there is a another part to the story, he better either make her work for it or just divorce her because all it takes is some young, handsome and smooth talker and shes gone again.

Well written, liked the idea for the story but the cliched "she didnt get shit for better sex but booooooy did he".

Old worn out cliches are old and worn out for a reason. This story works on the heartless bitch who thinks with her pussy crowd (far less of them then men, kids).

Would have worked even better if he hadnt been virtually fucked to death. Its that whole "She was a slut, he was a stud" mentality of the little boys who see women the way men are.

Other than that a good story

It’s about even Steven now easel, even steven

I loved that final line . . .

A good writer can convey so much of the angst and indecision we face when making hard choices. This small jewel gives us the nuances of the interior conflict hubby feels, when his mind supplies visions much worse the the reality of his situation.

Will he be happy? The author will have to let us know!

I’m going to read more of your work.

I do not believe in second chances in a relationship. If she screws up once, she will do it again. It's just a matter of time.

Probably best to continue as FWB.