All Comments on 'Reciprocal Factoring'

All of the names flying around in such short order, lost me. Too many characters without any description or context. It was easy to get lost in some of the nuanced way your stated things. Pretty good, otherwise. 4/5.

Thanks for sharing...

Fantastic story, very tangible & emotional expressions in the dialogue. A rarity to be savored!

Thanks again for a great read.

***** Love your stories. Love your dialogue. Love the way you write your characters’ thoughts. Love the range of emotions your characters express and the growth and change they experience.

A interesting group of people!

5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Really enjoyed the story. Keep up the great work

Beautiful Story.

Loved it.

She was a true loving wife.

She made the guy go through pain but didn't cheat.

5/5

Felt unresolved..hence a three…

Else it was good going

The flip side of X2-H/P - nicely done. Henry’s an entertaining character. None so self righteous and unforgiving as redeemed sinners. Do Chelsea and Matt get a follow up too?

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Always a good start to the day when a JB44 story posts. Thanks much for sharing your work.

Fantastic! Five stars! Loved it. You’re so right about mistakes and men deserving the right to be involved in their children’s lives. Thanks for sharing your work with us.

realistic slice of life (that word started as 'like', which was appropriate, if inadequate).

Awesome story! Your dialogue is top-notch. Thanks for sharing!

I have no idea what happened except that Michael cheated on his new bride. She got pregnant on their wedding night, 8 months old at the start of this story so they were married 17 months.

Then her dad was royally pissed only for us to find out he cheated on his wife, so now he's a hypocrite.

She’s wealthy. Michael is incredibly good looking. That’s all we know.

Well… I liked it

More of a ‘day in the life’ character piece than a ‘story’ with a big payoff, but I liked it nonetheless

Sad about Faye, pissed at Michael, and a little miffed at Annie for her paternity test to make her point (but I understand)

I can’t really invest in fully following the intricate web of characters from other pieces but I appreciate that this is a fully formed community in your head - and now I’m sort of imagining it as your personal ‘Peytonville’ in your hangar-sized garage…

Didn't like the story. Didn't like the characters. 4 pages of uh....wasted time.

More great writing. 3 dimensional characters. Wonderful style!

5* Another slice of reality by JimBob44. Yes, people do reconcile.

That was painful to read. Not the subject matter or the reconciliation which I am find with but the flow of the story to me was stilted.

Don't get the title, but really enjoyed reading the story. Down home, real, and warm. Yes, there are times that reconciliations work.

Not a BTB, but closer to the truth than many. Well done.

I liked this story quite a bit, I gave it one of my rare 5 stars that I use for Kalimaxos and Saddletramp1956. I'm going to read a bunch of your stories and see where they lead me.

This story is the first of your work for me, which is a bit surprising given how much I enjoyed this story and the believable/identifiable characters. So well paced, so emotionally real and at times painful, but I am a near hopeless romantic so very pleased with the ending. Aside: Interesting to me that so many stories in the Loving Wife category are BTB rants over the behavior of an unfaithful wife, usually characterized as a 1-dimensional nitwit who fails until the end to appreciate her gallantly wonderful husband. Just saying. :) Will read more of your contributions. 5 stars.

I really enjoyed the story overall. We don’t see enough of the aftermath of cheating husbands in this genre and your was well done. The narrative for the first page, page and a half just didn’t flow well for me. It felt like your were going down a checklist of points to get out to set up rest of the story. Once you got into the heart of the take, it was excellent and brought tears to my eyes. I also want to thank you for including my “go to” approach to finding the right path in a troubled marriage. Prayer. Twice in my 30+ year marriage I’ve been in front of a lawyer only to have a couple rosaries pull me back from the ledge. (Our problems weren’t with fidelity so you won’t likely see me write about it here - LOL) 4* overall!

I was left curious about what the hell those brothers were thinking but I really liked this one.

more romance than anything else. That fake DNA test? First thing I thought of was she gave him some info to use against her in the divorce if their state did anything to him regarding his affair. If not 50 50 it could be now. She would be stuck proving it was fake just as he would have to prove she cheated.

Thank you again for all your wonderful stories.

Liked the interactions of the characters. Learning to deal with the anger and betrayal while finding a new normal.

The characters and their pain felt truthful. I really like your writing. Thanks

Nope. Didn’t like it one bit. Meandering all over the place. Incomplete info regarding tneir relationship. And then she jumps on tne RAAC wagon with a dim witted turd.

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Nope. 2 **

Michael should never be forgiven. I mean she doesn't like anal but she willing to let him shove his cock up her ass and cum in her but that's not enough for him. Asshole, and I'm talking about him, not hers.

Outside that, this is just a beautiful story. Characters are richly developed and relatable. Her fathers connection, gratitude and love for her mother is palpable.

I also liked Annie's revenge with the seed of doubt about William's parentage. Very nicely done.

"Annie had at first been a little put off by Chelsea Priestly; after all, the woman was African-American."

If you're going to be this much of a racist, you might as well use the N word. Not much point in trying to be politically correct, we all know what you really mean.

Very good story! Thanks

There was a particularly memorable and powerful moment in the narrative for me. It was when Annie defined the difference between unforgivable and unforgettable. Very well done and thank you.

When at his best—as here—JB44 is as good as this site gets.

This is a fine story and well told. I liked it very much. Although I'm not sure why. It doesn't seem to get anyplace, does it. Nonetheless, better than most...

I knew it was a reconciliation from the get go, so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Well done.

Good story. Definitely see it being very close to actual real life.

Was nice, thanks.

I don't always like reconciliation stories.

But I have liked work from this author before. Not the fastest paced stories. But realistic.

Depict real life. His characters are relatable. Real.

I liked this one. The xheating ex-husband suffered. His life was devastated.

He had to earn everything back humbled and remorseful. That's the only way back in my opinion for a cheater.

Good story.

Different to your usual story’s, would like to see where the characters go in the future, really enjoy how characters from other stories pop in here and there. Do you have a time line of how these stories fit? I tried once but got totally confused.

Even before you told us "miss steaks" was funny. Just didn't like the ending.

Loved these characters and the story, it flowed naturally, some might say slowly, but allowed the reader to go with the flow. 5* from me.

Using local accents and wording is fine but when the enunciation becomes written words, Well lets just say that it really does not add anything to the story. A few to make the point of the accent but not every word in the statements. I really hate RAAC stories, No relationship is ever as strong once infidelity enters bond. It will never be as strong and over 90% of the time will end the same way only it will take longer to kill it. Best to move on, If kids are involved be friends for them but quit hoping for an outcome that won't happen.

Nope. Complete horseshit

I liked it. Well written but the dialogue was sometimes a bit hard to follow when they were speaking with the accent.

Great story JB. You always come through. JimBob44, saddletramp, Ephesus, and Chloe all in one day. This is a Groundhog Day I can really enjoy over and over. JB a *5 all day.

This was one of the most real and heartfelt stories I’ve read in a while, and I think one of your finest.

Outstanding. Love your strong but flawed female characters. Shed a small tear at the final text to her dead mother. Appreciated too judge Roberts airport!! Cheers.

Crap. Terrible writing. No story at all…

Finished the first page....That was a chore.

Skipped to the last page .

Did I miss anything?

Boring and unlike most JimBob44 stories, very little character development.

I'm glad Jim writes for his pleasure, because this wasn't pleasant to read.😵‍💫

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AMerryman

You write good stories... some would be a great movie...

Totally worthless story. After page one I had to slim this mess because the page I read was like a literary toothache. And once tediousness sets in a story doesnt get any better.

But if a barely readable story with some seriously dimwitted people in it was the goal...good on ya!

JimBob, your writing is a treasure, there’s a humanity in all of it that adds real depth to the story. Thank you

Not the easiest author to read, meandering is apt … but the disparate pieces seem to grow together in no particular sequence. Then … We-The-Readers all of a sudden have a story in front of us! But the answer is right there in plain sight … It is all about what is best for the kid!

Another excellent story that had the ring of truth to it. Great job.

"When at his best—as here—JB44 is as good as this site gets"- Anonymous

completely agree

Great story as always. Loved it. Best writer on this site.

Well done.

A warm little realistic story from the US South.

Something that no one does better than JimBob44.

Such beautiful elegant writing.

This is not the first time, while reading a story from this writer,

that my mind wanders to John Steinbeck.

This story was just that well written.

The plot had reconciliation in the making.

Not very popular among us readers here.

But it certainly wasn't a RAAC.

No, there was cost ('C') here.

And just partly paid, at the end of the story.

I can live with that.

When it's this well done.

My hat's off to you JimBob44.

Reading your story was a real delight.

Top rating from me,

Always a treat when a story from you shows up here. 5*

Thanks for sharing

Life is joy and pain.

The trick is to create as much joy as possible and reduce the pain we create to a minimum, since there is no limit on the pain others impose on us

Your tale, shows that it's important to focus on the joy, thus reducing the effect of the pain-makers..

Well done.

I really enjoyed reading this story from Annie’s perspective. Almost all of the stories here, especially in this category, are from a male perspective, unless the female is telling about how she cheated on her husband. At first the story felt like it finished fast, but after thinking about for a few minutes I realized you had it right. You gave us enough clues to tell us Annie, and William are going to be okay, she is a strong young woman, and it looks like she may give Micheal another chance. Who knows if Micheal can be the kind of man Annie deserves, but if not, she’ll still be okay.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read one of your stories, thank you for reminding me what an entertaining writer you are. KS

Worthless and waste of time. This writer does a pathetic job trying to sound Cajun. I’ve been around several in my lifetime and none of them talks they way he tries to portray!

28A to 30B? Since the number is the measurement around the torso under the breasts, that's not likely to change due to pregnancy.

OK, not impressed, just a rambling Payten Place. But it has great potential if you have the balls to go there.

/

How about taking a total different direction? Since Annie divorced him and wants to torture Michael let Annie find a new 'not serious' beau to flaunt. Michael does not see any light to this tunnel compounded with his parents haranguing and loathing him he finally bits the bullet of responsibility for his son.

/

Michael realizes his earning potential is nil with no education and he just lost his job decides Annie is not going to let him back - so he joins the Marines. He cuts off all contact with his past life - he loath's himself and now accepts himself as not a proper father figure for William. Michael does set up a 'Secret-William-Trust' fund and puts 75% of his Marine salary into it much more than any child care divorce requirement. Michael never socializes or spends much on himself, not even owning a car - just training and completing college online degrees. Michael gets into Force-Recon where he excels as a ruthless operator (some might say he has a death wish) at everything Marine swiftly rising thru the ranks with added training and combat missions. Michael only returns home anonymously to watch William's various graduation ceremonies, a few concerts, and football games. Only Matt under penalty of a slow death secretly keeps Michael abreast of William and Annie over the years. When M & M's parent passed, Michael anonymously attends their funerals but remained hidden in the rear with only Matt knowing of his actual presence. Annie and William are appalled that Michael snubbed his parents.

/

Michael rises to the rank of Sgt-Major and earns his PhD in Computer Engineering. Michael secretly attends Williams wedding introducing himself only to his new daughter near the end of the reception when Michael gives her his wedding gift, an envelope with $250K cash - then slips away unnoticed.

Due to the three Purple Hearts (earning him the highest of commendations/metals) and since Michael has a PhD his duty assignment is to DARPA. He finally retires from active service after 25yrs becoming a private consultant. While consulting Michael invents a number items that are patented by him (with no DARPA objections). He sold his Patents to various companies earning multiple $XXM's. Michael funnels $1M into William's-Trust and the same amount into secret-trusts for each grandchild.

/

Michael at the ripe old age of 50 retires to his hidden, gated, Montana lake ranch becoming a recluse and a snow-bird with a private, gated, Villa on St. Thomas. In both homes he has adorned his office walls with the same portraits of what could have been. The portraits of Annie in her wedding dress, Michael holding toddler William, William/wife's wedding picture, and William's current family picture.

/

Michael never dated or embraced another woman since in Michael's mind he was still married (per the Catholic church) to Annie, for life. Michael's only outside activities was with the Shriners Children's hospitals, writing research papers, and posting L stories under a pen-name.

/

Until one day when Matt finally tips off Annie as to Michael's life and the secret-trusts came from. A week later at Thanksgiving Annie rushes to Michael's Montana ranch to confront Michael. She is let into his ranch home by the live-in servants and allowed to browse the house while being told he does not live at the ranch during the winter. Of course Annie finds Michaels office and sees the walls, where she goes emotional and collapses sobbing. But the servants will not give Annie Michael's current location. Michael's health this past year has been fading quickly due to war wounds suffered. The head servant for the past 10yrs steers Annie to each picture on the wall, some are of award pictures, metal ceremonies, and then Annie see's a picture of Michael standing in front of his St Thomas Villa. Annie calls William and they all meet at the St. Thomas airport to ride to the Villa compound. Annie has not seen Michael in over 35yrs. They enter the Villa to find medical personnel scouring around and at a distance from the foyer see Michael on a hospital in his near duplicate Montana office surrounded by the portraits.

/

Upon Annie and William's family entrance into the office Michael sees his almost family for the first time in nearly four decades, smiles at them, and then dies with no words spoken. Michael's vast $XXXM fortune and homes all went to William with a letter of apology for not being the man William needed. And a thank you to Annie for making William's such an outstanding son. In the letter was a picture of every year of William's life to let William know, his dad was there for him but from afar.

/

3*, hooyah, since this story will never happen

Very good,

This is a good story. I'll have to check on some of your other stories.

Thank you.

@sbrooks103x

28A to 30B? Since the number is the measurement around the torso under the breasts, that's not likely to change due to pregnancy.

Where did you come up with that ignorant comment?

Excellently done. 5*

Loved the story! Thanks so much for sharing it. Please keep doing so.

Powerful story well with so many twist! Henry’s attitude and he was a cheater as well was a good twist! Truly well written with great characters and storyline. The way the story appears it is a reconciliation but you really don’t know at the end!

Yes I am splitting hairs but really just tweaking the haters (usually anonymous commenters) that it is not a true RAAC story!

Please do keep writing and I will keep reading!

One of your very best. Thanks for all of your stories.

Authentic Cajun dialogue or not, (see prior comment) JB44 knows how to write dialogue that reveals the characters and moves the story forward. Home run with this one, JB.

A good read

It doesn't matter whether it's an RAAc or a BTB story, the story is very well told and conveyed very sensitively! Just how life goes. Remarkably good for a LW story!

Very good story, and I liked the ending. Young William Henry Prisley needs his father, and his father needed saving. Sometimes it's just the right thing to do. Five Stars.

I am sure there might have been a story in there, but I could not get past the broken speech of "I, uh, I...." in the writer's style. It was very clumsy to read and kept breaking the reading flow.

It's a good thing you write these stories for your pleasure. I personally enjoyed all the stuttering and truncated pointless sentences. Let not forget the meandering lack of an actual story. BTW, who's kid was it? I never saw the DNA results mentioned. Maybe my head just hurt to bad to see that part.

That man is going to be wearing his mistake forever, they talk forgiveness, but it. Ever take ally happens. The mistake will be brought up every time he displease her, her forgiveness will be only skin deep, in her heart she does hate him.

I think Buzzy would have an interesting story to tell! I liked him in "Lunches" and he turns up again here. I like Jason and Bailey also.

Really liked this story!

Thanks for your writing.

SUCH AN ABRUPT ENDING....AN EPILOGUE WOULD HAVE HELPED

No ending. Ouch. Annie is an amazing character. Michael is a dumb ass moron and prick.

Interracial propaganda

While I can appreciate it, the Cajun/ creole dialog made it hard to read.

Works for me, great story. 5 stars, as usual. Thanks for posting, JimBob.

I enjoyed the story, but no ending, or a part 2 killed it for me.

I gave it 4 stars.

Damn, you excelled yourself with this one, had proper tears when the lovely Faye died.

sooo hard to read. I really didn't follow.

I got to say I loved it, well written, exceptional ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Very good! Thanks for writing this. Interesting to find husband cheating and slowly being forgiven, not a typical BTB story.

Fantastic job of transporting the reader to a time and place and situation so few people have experienced

Sucked, could not get through the first page.

Forgiveness doesn’t equal reconciliation nor does it necessarily lead to restoration. We still carry the memories of the hurt done to us as well as the obverse. Only God can separate our bad deeds from His memory. Great story. 5

Doing what you know is right, even though that hurt part of you makes you want to lay about you in rage, is one of the hardest parts of growing up.

Thanks for making me cry. Wonderful story of heartbreak, forgiveness and redemption.