All Comments on 'Somewhere a New Life Awaits'

Hmm, well I'm glad that Cal became curious. To hell with Mel.

Meant to hit 4-stars, accidentally hit 3-stars

Unhappiness in married life likely could not come to a more deserving adult male than the MC in this story. He is retired in his late 40's due to inheriting property which sold for 2.4 million dollars, a nice sum of money but not an amount that requires daily management. He is decidely middle-aged so quitting a job he did not enjoy once earning a salary became less important is understandable. Doing nothing with his time that benefits others or adds value to the world, however, is selfish and slothful. He is the prototype of the guy you don't want to have as a neighbor knowing he will take every opportunity to hang around your pretty wife (formal, common law or otherwise) all day. Its not surprising he can't organize a plan to confront his wife about her infidelity and deal with it responsibly.

The blatant immorality of his sexual involvements with Sherry and Nancy is damming. Only a self-absorbed idiot would begin an affair with a woman who has a violently jealous spouse. To have sex with her in the house she shares with that dangerous fellow lowers our hero to the level of fool. To leave his lover alone with Doug, knowing he had picked up a gun and started drinking when he found them having sex in his own bed, was completely craven. If death was required for justice to be served, the first life lost should have been that of our noble MC.

There is no chance Cal has a bright future awaiting in a new life. His character determines his choices and those choices will always lead him to ruin. His fate is well deserved but sadly there likely will be others who are destined to become collateral damage of his self destruction.

Thank you for the story, Clans57, and welcome to LW. Please share another with us soon.

Thank you for the indepth analysis of Cal, my storyteller. There was never any intention to make Cal a saint, but not sure he was as bad a guy as you describe. Do you believe he would have started sexual relationships with Nancy or Sherry had he not seen his wife in the throes of passion with another man? He had never fooled around on her previously during a rather long marriage. His immediate reaction to her infidelity should have said more about who he is. His lust-filled appreciation of his new neighbor was meaningless and harmless without action (and normal male behavior at times). Mel's adultery ended the marriage - not Cal's immoral and selfish existence. Happens all the time. He was just a man starved for intimacy and love and guilty of thinking with the wrong head because of it. And you shouldn't discount the fact that he provided for Mel financially for the rest of her life before he left. The Cal you describe probably would not have done that.

Thank you for the comment. You saw more than I could have imagined, and I'm certainly not saying you are wrong about anything you wrote. I wish you had commented more on the writing itself as it is my first, and only, story. Perhaps I should have developed the characters more, but found myself concerned about the length of the story. Thank you again!

120 x20g= 48 million?. You must have attended U OF M.

The story clearly says "48 million nickels.". Where did you go to school?

48,000,000 NICKELS. Just as the sentence reads.

Whatever his grievances were, it's on him that he didn't hustle Sherry out of the house when he could. They could've shacked up somewhere else on her way out of town. That guilt is well-earned.

Couldnt buy into this one at all.

I'm not sure what I think of this story. He certainly didn't take the high road, or even confront her honestly. And he inserted himself into a virtual marriage, if there is such a thing. It's impossible to find anyone in this story to like.

Characters here can not be liked. Well written however the world (even in storyland) is better off without any of them.

It would be an interesting story if Cal met Mel 20 years later. Could Mel put together what happened to her marriage? Mel had to have seen Cal around Sherry and he was at home most of the day. If she gets Nancy to fess up then she can start to put together the part she played in the destruction of her marriage. Her actions was a catalyst which got the ball rolling. Cal was a gut less wonder - who leaves the woman he loves with a crazy guy with a gun? So a story 20 years later would be interesting.