All Comments on 'Reaching Toward Freedom'

I've read this before. Did you take it down?

Beautifully written, great atmosphere, and the sailing metaphor was artfully used and worked well from beginning to end.

Wonderful read!

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Yes they're incidental, but "George" and "Why" keep popping into mind. Perhaps his non-understanding drives my wanting to see inside Sheila.

Great story!

5

Thoroughly enjoyable. Very much like Ghost in the Wind, but a la Patrick O’Brian. Now there’s a hard lesson in nautical terminology, albeit dated a couple hundred years.

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Thanks for the nod to Doc and the boys. My favorite Steinbeck’s also. It’s been decades since I’ve thought of Cannery Row and Tortilla Flats, et al.

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I hope, like Ghost in the Wind, you might grace us with a (romantic) sequel to Bill’s renaissance. I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for a happy ending!.

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Thanks very much for another superbly written story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ great tale.

Really enjoyed that.

Like your other stories it was well written and though provoking. I understand why it wasn't in LW, but honestly I wish you had put it there. If only because it would be read more frequently in that category and this deserves to be read.

I love this story. I completely get his need to get away (divorce) and then needing some space to work through what happened, why, and how he needed to prepare for life going forward. I struggle with complacency, and envy those that are able to stir the pot just enough to keep life fresh vs. simply enjoyable.

I really liked your philosophical quote, but only the first part - "we cannot live our lives in complete safety. We select our crew, set our course, and prepare for what may come, but there is always a danger lurking and a man needs a good crew and a solid boat to manage the dangers..." Depending on your view, we never return to port, we are always at sail, which is why the crew and boat are so important.

Like others have mentioned, I do wish we had a bit more from the wife. This is 1st person, so we cannot know her behavior prior to George unless she tells us, but apart from that minor niggle, this was very good.

Thank you for a great read.

Five stars, excellent story. Love a road trip, even on the waves.

As a sailor myself, I enjoyed the MC life comparison with his sailing effort spiked with the terminology. I can’t wait for the snow to melt now to go sailing.

I didn't mind the length at all, felt appropriate to me. I did quick read a lot pf the nautical terms and stuff as he sailed, just imagined that he was doing sailing things I've seen in movies. It's anice tale of one man's journey, and his sailboat is aptly named. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent story and writing. I agree that the length is appropriate- you’re describing a man’s stream of consciousness. Bill handled the ordeal with dignity and class. To his credit, he got lot of help and support by unconsciously surrounding himself with good people.

I kind of would like to hear what happened between Sheila’s sister’s marriage, but that’s another story. How do you trust a spouse who protects a cheater?

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to your next story.

Enjoyed your story and thanks for your details on boat terminology and sailing. I was born and raised in the mountains and know little about boating. Found that to be interesting. I would have liked to have seen George suffer at least a couple of muggings gone wrong. Too bad at few one of Bill's friends didn't know some people in low places. Thanks for posting and looking forward to your next story.

Excellent story. Well written and easy to read. The length was ok. When I enjoy reading something the length does not get in the way. 5stars

Great read! Loved it so much I couldn’t put it down to sleep… just had to finish it. Thanks!

Well done. Thanks for taking the time to do it right.

Thank you.

Great story. Your sailing knowledge is appreciated.

Really well done, the best revenge is a life well lived.

A great story. A protagonist who rises from the ashes and gets on with life. More realistic than most of the LW drivel. 5*

5 stars - for a unique story. I liked the logical and well thought out process, without very much anger and/or any physical pain - just moving on to a new life. I was happy you spent very little effort trying to justify the SLUT ex-wife's position and thoughts - who really cares why? She did what she did and nothing can change the end consequences. I was also happy to see the children just took it in stride and adjusted their lives to the new normal.

To me this was the kind of marriage ending process I would probably mimic. However, with one exception I am an aircraft kinda of person and bobbing on the surface of water always made me feel sick. To each their own,

Just beautifull. Thank you.

Well done and thank you, Just_Words! 5 stars.

Hard to get to longer stories. This one well worth the wait.

No apology needed, I loved the story, even if I'm not into sailing. It's nice to have friends that understand and support you when life deals you a crappy hand. Thanks.

A great and soothing tale of nautical healing and transformation. Loved it.

Well written. 5 stars from me.

It was definitely well written. I didn't like it, because basically the ex wife won. He's alone (otherwise, at least the epilogue would say different), lost more than half of his assets and income, and had to uproot and lose his friends and kids, as far as being around them even if not the relationships themselves. She lost basically nothing of value to her and wasn't punished in any way. I didn't rate it because the author honestly warned about it upfront; but honestly, it would have been easy to dramatically improve it from being such a downer, by just adding upbeat epilogue.

As it was, the whole painstakingly and well written emotional and physical voyage was for naught. he's still lonely and lost out; and other than lowering probability of seeing the ex; gained literally nothing in exchange for all he lost and sacrificed. OK, the experience of a journey - but THAT didn't require uprooting.

Yep... You warned us. A three page story filled six. It is your story so you tell it however you want. I learned more about sailing than I ever wanted to know. I finally realized that the story is about sailing and the break with a past life is just a side note. The writing is good, but not what I read literotica for.

Loved every minute and was sad to see the end. As an avid sailor, your prose transported me back to many a fine day and evening on my old boat. I enjoyed single handing my 35' sloop here in the Cape Fear region.

Your story was really good. I like the span and scope of it and I could almost feel the wind and salt spray.

Sometimes this reader just doesn't need the gruesome details of the cheaters' jollies. and how greatly they enjoy destroying their old life, and their childhoods and the in-laws et al. And we also don't need to know all about the rest of all the characters' futures, and their cousins' futures, and everyone else's in the world's futures. Too many of the writers here can't seem to help it; they write as if it's all obligatory scenes in a kabuki play!

It was a story by you that I thought I'd read before. Never thought you copied someone else's story. Yep, Ghost on the Wind.

Since I skimmed over most of the nautical stuff, that didn't define your story to me. It was the ghosting.

Great stories. Thanks.

Way to much sailing and not enough story..

I haven’t heard those sailing terms since my teens and early 20s. Though we moved to NH when I was a teen, I was born on Cape Cod and spent many a summer racing Widgeons and Day Sailers at the Orleans Yacht Club. Great story.

A lot of the cheating spouse stories I love are escapist, "pulp fiction" approaches. This was more literary. No feel good vindication, no BTB, just humanity in a myriad of colors. Well done!

NOT TOO LONG!

I love the sailing (to balance pinto931). I sailed a cruise /w CVS33 awhile back 😀

Had a meeting with Gordon Cooper out near Oahu.

5🌟

Nice story 5 stars.

I'd have divorced her, in general I believe in reconciliation, but her lack of remorse or any understanding of how it hurt him would make that impossible. I am not a sailor, but I am a hiker. I think the experience can be similar, on a. long hiking trip you are dealing with nature, weather, being comfortable and keeping yourself safe. It's a great way to reflect on what is really important in life, and put relationship and other problems into perspective. From this account sailing can do the same. No BTB, that is good, much better to live the life you want to live, and not worry about revenge.

It was excellent and caused me to delay my soup until I finished it. In my humble opinion both Shelia and George got off too easy.

I don’t comment very often. This was a good journey for me. No BTB, no RAAC, just a man reaching a decision and acting upon it for his own sanity and self worth. Well paced and easy to read. Not a lot of esoteric sailing stuff. I could actually feel him healing through this journey. You left us seeing the possibilities in front of him without leaving him mired in the past..

Great job!

I like the slower pace of your story. She needed her freedom and she got it. More importantly he got his

Excellent story and very well written! Worthy of 5 BIG ASS FUCKING HUGE FLAMING NOVA STARS and of course a big thank you!

Eine sehr gute Geschichte, die mich quasi mit an Bord genommen hat. Vielen Dank!

the trip was a wonderful way to allow him to come to terms with what happened. I'll admit that I want a part 2, so we can find out what happened to his ex-wife

Enjoyable.

Well done!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very good read, my friend! Thank you!

Great Story, Great Writing, a great way to get over the broken heart of betrayal by a long-time wife. Thank You 5 big stars for a lovely story. I love a happy ending. Thanks Buster2U

The two themes intervened with each other. Like trying out operatic music and a football match simultaneously.

But that's on me.

The voyage part was the real deal.

Nah! To long? Not at all.

A truly well written short story.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Brilliant. A complex story told with so much class. I love the sailing detail and in depth knowledge of singlehanded sailing. I do hope we will, soon ,have chapter two .

This is a great story. You have nothing to apologize for. (Bad grammar, sorry.) I was throughly captivated and it exceeded all my expectations. *****

I adore this story. You have nothing to apologize for. Thank you for this story. 5 stars!

A really well written story. Bravo!

I am happily married, but I read and write LW tales dealing with cheating wives. I have thought about how I would choose to live my life if my wife cheated and your story depicts my every move. Oh, except there's no way I'd head North, I hate fucking cold and rainy.

An excellent, well-told story about a real man doing what a real man needs to do.

I like the no nonsense and I hope that financially it came out fair where she does not get the house or the full value. Sell and split is the best solution. Let her go to live with George.

As a New Hampshire resident I agree up here in New England is best and NO! You do not put Old Bay on Lobstah.

Wow! That was very enjoyable.

Nice. A quiet little story that I quite enjoyed

That was a great story! I think Sheila and George should have had way more consequences, but, it was your story. And they deserved some pain too!

Oh, I’m from the south, and if I could put Old Bay on everything, I would!

One of my favourite shorts I have read, I was going to say on this site, but truth is one of the better I have ever read period. Would love to see a continuation of the story, there is so much to work with. Hell, just messing with George could be fun or from his perspective might be fun if she claimed an open marriage, and he had no idea she was going behind his back. The kid's interactions with sheila could be a story unto itself.

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Another Martian Slut Ray Plot?

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So Sheila went from loyal loving faithful wife, for 25 years, to arrogant deceitful contemptuous whore, and the cuck never knew until she revealed herself? Another shallow tepid distant marriage that, absent the children, apparently had little substance or meaning, at least to the wife. And the husband didn't see it. And who's fault is that?

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Isn't it ironic, when you consider how astute, perceptive, sensitive, discerning of signs that a successful sailor has to be, yet this poor poltroon suddenly found his marriage on the rocks before he had any clue it was in peril. It is difficult to connect those dots in the character you crafted; it doesn't make sense, to me. I hope others can relate to such a failed relationship, such a poor job of captaining the ship. Let's hope he does better on future voyages in the ocean of life, and pays more attention to the mate he joins with. A boat doesn't sink itself, and neither does a marriage.

Excellent! I have some experience with sailing, at least enough to appreciate the detail you put in. Five well-deserved stars!

Too much on sailing for me, but that is just for me. However, I would really like to know more about his ex and her lover. Did she live happily with him and how did the children confront her about her cheating?

I am not a sailor but I am from near the bay on the eastern shore side. I actually like the introspective of these type of stories and would not complain if you wrote more of them.

Thanks, SpunkyAndSparky, I'm trying.

I absolutely LOVED it. I have always wanted to sail, ever since I was a little girl out on her uncle's small motorboat. His parents had a small summer home in East Matunuk. Out back there was a cove that was perfect for quohoging. I remember walking out there, using our feet to dig into the muddy sand waiting for our toes to feel the ridges of the shells. We would sleep on the floor of the small mobile home that was decorated in New England coastal kitsch. Some people hate the smell of low tide but it always brings me back to those weeks during the summer when I got to sit on my uncles lap driving his motorboat. Running around with the kids from neighboring homes, kissing a cute boy for the first time when i was 12. Then there was that afternoon my uncle took us out on his boat and let me handle it alone. I buried the bow by accident and got my aunt completely soaked. :) lol.

Thanks for the story JW, it's one of my favorites. I am in such a good mood now.

Just wonderful! Long? Hell, I wanted it to be longer!!! E.G. —- have the kids visit him; have him meet a new love; have Sheila suffer from damaged relations with her kids, and have her love life crater. BTW — was disappointed that when Craig told him about the wives ripping into Sheila, he didn’t say anything about how Sheila reacted 😟

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“Ghosting” or “Flight not fight” stories are a favorite of mine, and this one is as top shelf as it gets.

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5 *****

Lovely story.

Loved your story….but if it was me…I take every bit of cash, forge her signature to get the brokerage accounts, convert everything to gold, burn the house to the ground & sail to an island that doesn’t have extradition with the US….well, maybe just take a sledge hammer to all the walls and fixtures, a fire might injure an innocent fireman. But, then, I’m an asshole.

10 stars.

What can I say other than great writing⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At first I thought there was far too much detail about sailing, an activity in which I have never had any interest but as I read on JW made it interesting and by the end I was completely caught up in it all.

A little disappointed that we never got to learn more about George and his relationship with Sheila or hear her warped perspective on the matter but that didn't stop this from being a five star read.

Just to add my $.02: Reaching can be further subdivided into close reaching, beam reaching, and broad reaching.

I remember asking for Old Bay at a seafood restaurant in Port Hueneme, CA. When the waitress looked at me with a blank expression, I knew it was time to come home.

Nice story.Would have liked to know what happened later when his kids got married and came in contact with Sheila.

One of your best, actually.

Wonderful story. Very definitely not a long story. In fact I don't think it was long enough at all. For myself I'd have loved it to be twice as long with some more detail about what happened when the other wives called on Sheila, who George was, what the kids said to her, what happened with his new life etc. Overall I really enjoyed it even though I'm not a sailing person. It was nice learning new terms. Overall one of your better stories. BardnotBard

I'm not sure if this was a story about sailing that just happened to contain marital woes, or the other way around. Still a good story but would have like equal information about his marriage, wife, children, coping with infideility, etc.

A long tale, mire about the travel sailing than necessary. No payback or even expression of regret by the wife. No real start to his new life or "what's next" with friends, family and new people. Disappointing! The first Divorce to Maine was much better, probably due to the Part 2.

Thought is was great. A long story which mostly took place in solitude on a boat. Yeah, that kind needs to take awhile. If you rush it you'll never get the idea of being on a long solitary cruise. And the length is never a problem when someone has the talent to pull you through it with no boredom. Thanks for the entertainment.

I don't like sailboats ...