All Comments on 'The Wrong Side of Smart'

5 stars - and just because I have read several of this writer's stories - I read only the first and last pages.

I skipped past all the verbiage, the anger, angst and misery in the middle.

I got the gist of the story and that was enough.

Have a nice day.

Wow! one of the top stories that I have read on this site. Keep more coming on similar 'psychology' lines. Five stars from me.

This is the story for anyone questioning a marriage. It was descriptive and, over time, built the motive around the spouse's destruction of the marriage. It needed the 'happy ending' for the husband and it needed the in-depth 'self-assessment' of the wife and needed every word on these pages to do it right! Great job!

Great story! Yes it was wordy, but most of it was on point except for the author's stupid political views. The characters were very well drawn, and the character development was obviously amazing. Just very clear and well plotted.

The grass wasn’t greener for this idiot. What a wonderful ending to this epic story. You surprised everyone with that.

An anonymous cro-magnon SQUEEEEAAALLLEEEEDDD: "This is an indictment of liberalism "

ROARS WITH LAUGHTER AT THE ILLITERATE!

I guess because education wasn't offered in your cluster of caves, you never learned what "liberalism" actually means. It is tragic that so many Americans like the cro-magnon have zero critical thinking skills.

The husband was "constructivist", the wife was just a self-centered pig, and not one single thing in this entire story "indicted" any political viewpoint.

Although the author has a very unhealthy obsession with Priuses, it doesn't change the impact of the story.

Now, anonymous, go find some bandaids for your knuckles.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I honestly felt bad for January at the end of the story. It's like... if only Tina had come back sooner... is what I'd like to say, but then again, I'm not certain about that. Jan did a really excellent job of basically being a monster not just to Jeff, but her own children. You can see how she jettisoned her family in favor of her dream life, trying to rationalize it as in their best interests. It's astounding actually, because you can SEE the numerous rationalizations she gives herself for her behavior as the story progresses. Quite well done actually.

<>

I have mixed feelings about Jeff getting married so shortly after his divorce, especially coming out of an 18 year long marriage. It seems shot sighted of him, but I suppose it was done to hammer into the reader just how badly Jan screwed up and to make her have to live with her bad decisions. Still, I wish it had just come down to Jeff simply not wanting to revisit the relationship on the grounds of simply what was the best for him.

<>

Anyway, I have a lot of sympathy for Jan. Being someone who is both very smart as well as more than a touch neuroatypical, I'm quite familiar with self rationalizations in support of all sorts of undesirable, and often self destructive, behavior. I got past this years ago (and for the record - happily married for almost two decades here) but I do recall the thought process and I know how alluring it can be to be able to convince yourself (and often other people!) that you're pretty much always right and everything wrong is simply someone elses problem. Like Jan, I had to create a problem (or problems) that were so bad that I was more or less forced to address my behavior, but unlike Jan, I didn't nuke a long standing marriage over it (thankfully). In this little fictional world you've created, I sincerely hope that Jan goes on to learn how to foster empathy for the people around her, especially her children.

<>

Overall, this was an excellent story and I'm so happy I stumbled across it.

really good engrossing story. Actually felt sorry for the MC at the end(january that is). Felt sorry for jeff at the beginning but didnt really know much about him except for his faults as enumerated by MC. An anonymouse made the comment that lots of women shld read this story before making "a life-altering mistake", hes right, prolly applies to many men too if they cld reverse the feelings and situation. Thank you also, for writing and sharing. rk

There are a HUGE number of wives who should read this before making a life-altering mistake. Thank you.

A very good story about what it's like to be "the modern woman".

Very good story but just several pages too long. We all knew she was a self-centered Bitch from page 1. I liked 10 days at sea much better.

Top notch!!

very well written story

A brilliantly done story about a self centered narcissistic woman. I don't usually like stories this long but it was done so well I never even noticed...A big 5 Stars..

So, this is probably one of the best written stories on this website. I really like the storyline, character development and the dialogue. The thought processes of the MC were excellent. 5 Stars from me.

Excellent. So it's long. So what. I read through with minimum interruptions. I liked the character development, even though I wanted to interject here and there to say: "But, hang on, that's not quite..." I also like the way the plot unfolds. (So maybe he could have become Vice-President of the company? Ok, maybe not.) A really good read.

It's an agonizing, long, and drawn out story that I couldn't put down. She's done a good job of shitting in her mess kit and the best way out is to take off parts unknown and start a completely new life where no one knows her.

Well, that was a different perspective. Very well written character evolution, yet I think I’m somewhere between Syzyguy and rbloch66 on this one. Found myself wishing it would hasten along a bit on occasions, at other points I was intrigued as to when and in what form the realisation would finally penetrate her consciousness.

5* though, because you do write better than many / most.

Jim

Wow. I see my wife in Jan. Well written..

5* I've just re-read this and the way you develop Jan's self-awareness is excellent. You really seem to get inside her head. It is very well-paced. You take the space to explore her life and attitudes without letting the story slacken and you let her reveal herself to me, the reader, throughout the story. you use Tina's meeting to pull her back towards reality. I hope that now things will be better. Will she reconnect with the children? Will she reconnect with Tony? Has she really changed? I don't need those questions answered - she has had her eyes opened about herself and it's up to her to take it forwards. The fact that I am making comments like this means that she comes across as a "real person" and that I care about her and that reflects your excellent writing. Thank you for posting it..

Character depth is off the charts! I feel like I know the MC. Her evolution was a wonder to witness. The ending is appropriate. - This was quite the story. I can’t tell if it was planned or if it just got away from you, but I can’t decide if the wordiness of it actually enhanced the character or not. Great story, but very long. Still, I’m ñà

A good and very important story.

This is an indictment of liberalism and infantile selfishness

that the West is sick and disintegrating from it.

Could have written shorter...

Contradictorio, Jan dice en la pag. 2, que ella no podía enseñar ecuaciones simultáneas a Drew, lo hacía Jeff ¿Quien era más inteligente entonces?. Jan presume de tener gran inteligencia, en este caso racional, si fuera cierto hubiese encontrado métodos de solución antes que destrozar su familia, usando la inteligencia emocional, de la cual evidentemente, Jeff estaba mejor dotado. Al margen de los test de IQ, están las diversas clases dee inteligencia, ella presume de ser analítica, pero su análisis es egoísta y direccionado de antemano, al final la hace hundirse en el fango y casi arrastra a su propia hija. No se ve por ningún lado muestra de mayor inteligencia por parte de Jan, solo egoísmo barato. Bien por Jeff qué superó todo ello, incluso a Jan.

Simply one of the best “comeuppance” scenes in all of LW history! Did she really learn?

.

5 *****

Nice story. But basically 13 pages of repetition. A selfish self centered woman. My way or the highway. I’ve known one or 50 in my life. Tough though when it’s a wife.

I had never heard the phrase - wrong side of smart before. But it’s a great phrase. I’m not expert but I actually believe that to be truly successful in a major way, one has to be self centered, single minded with tunnel vision.

About 10 pages of meaningless repetitive words. 2*

Good god there are a bunch of fucking morons making comments here.

They read THIS story and their big takeaway are a few off-hand comments about Trump? Uhhh...these comments were made by the MC female who lives in the liberal bastion of Seattle. Was the author supposed to write the lead female character as a huge Conservative Christian Trump fan? Born and raised and living in Seattle? Really? That would have been a believable fiction story?

Geez-fucking-Louise. I'm a lifelong Reagan Conservative, but even I can recognize what a total douchebag fuck up Trump actually was. Here's a little advice when reading FICTION. Recognize that's it is fiction...and plot devices and writing perspectives of characters requires artistic license to write a variety of viewpoints that you are not supposed to always agree with. Just like there is a variety of people in the world with different viewpoints. So. Why don't all of you "offended" just STFU. Go choke on an orange dick maybe. And let the grown ups have a discussion.

I thought I had read everything Jezzaz had published in this category? But came across this one today. It was a little long. But damn...it was really really good. Pushing into the excellent territory for me.

Thank you.

How dare you write something to make your readers think? WTF?

Really good first person narrative, with growth and maturation and realization and just minimal reconciliation, with only a bit of self-BTB

Good read, thx

Five for you

Good story, sad she learned what was really wrong so late.

But CNN is “news” and Fox isn’t? Well that’s a real laugh. And the vaccine statement may need editing. Turns out that’s an ignorant statement as well.

Stopped reading at the Orange man comment. Won't read anymore of your liberal spew.

Very good - apart from the comments about Trump and vaccines.

It must be wonderful to be a superior being.

Absolutely loved the story! Beautifully written, excellent character development, good plot. Please keep writing!

Sometimes, I look at the word counr and ask is it w.orth the time ?

This was worth the time.

DAZZY D

I like the last line. Nobody really ever changes

Well written story about a deluded and entitled woman. Her journey of discovery could be a lesson for SO many people - female or male. Thanks for the effort.

Very well written and appreciated the ending , The thing is why do you feel the need to inject your politics into a story that has nothing to do with some of the comments made in the story . Like most performer/ writer / entertainer you have a need to inject what you think is superior attitude into you work .Did you ever think that you are alienating 50% of your potential audience with those snarky remarks . I enjoyed a couple of you stories but if this what I should expect reading other stories I will pass . BTW I never post as anonymous, so please feel free to respond to my comments . Good luck with your writing

Brilliant story.

Glad the husband found his way.

I'm still bruised mentally by the game series, felt they needed to reconcile, sad aren't I, but I'm glad this played out as it did, asking him back was the most disrespectful thing she could ever have done, perfect story of self entitlement.

Simon_Masters

Really liked this story. Not the ending so much. While I understand the end and why it happened that way, my innate romanticism wanted a happy ending. Well written, and the psychology of it was very good.

I was majorly put off by the length of the story when I first saw it but after a couple of pages I couldn't stop. I have to admit that i skimmed thru some paragraphs after ascertaining the subject.

I'm currently trying to decide whether to make this long story a favorite. It would have easily been if the possibility of a reconciliation were possible.

A very entertaining story. Well written and conceptually interesting. One of the better stories I have read on this site. Thank you.

One of the best stories I read here! Captivating!

5 stars - Bitch got exactly what she deserved.

Frankly, this positive story was a bit of fresh air given that 99% of the usual BTB crap in LW is so negative.

Thank you for this story and please keep writing.

Wow. Jan is a really narcissistic bitch, isn't she? I dated a girl in college that was just as narcissistic, but for the most part without the bitch part. She was the bullet that I dodged. Unfortunately the one that hit me is the one that Im married to, and she has a lot of the same traits that Jan does, albeit not nearly as bad. I'm hanging in there for the kids, but I'm also tempted to let her see how green the grass really isn't on the other side of the fence. I'm not by ANY stretch of the imagination perfect, but I'll have an easier time finding someone new than she will. Once men find out what she's REALLY about, they're run like hell.

Very long story. I thought for a long time she'd wake up from a nightmare and be home in bed with Jeff, especially when she kept bringing up the Pirus time after time. Anyway, a lack of communicating in a relationship is a disaster waiting to happen.

Yeah... Jan still hadn't learned a thing... still a self-induglent entitiled narcissist... and, you can't effectively and honestly do the twelve steps without a higher power... it will never be you. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

just simply class xx

It's a shame that it took Tina 3 years to get in touch with her sister, after that call.

Wow, so well written I had to stop reading it a time or 2 mostly because I recognized a few traits January and I may share I sure hope I am not as far gone as herself but, daNG that's disconcerting if I made a few different choices i could see myself headed down that path.

Well written, but it would have saved a lot of time if the husband had just punched her in the face, at least once, really hard.

one of those rare ones which I could safely christen as a "masterpiece", I guess ....

Extremely well written. Interesting change of pace to be in the mind of the spouse who burns thr marriage. Though she didn't technically cheat and had no prior relationship lined up, she spent a ot of time setting fire to her marriage, justifying it to herself to do nothing other than watch it burn by only focusing on the negatives and Jeff's (albeit minor to tiny) faults. Tina's pointed takedown of the MC in the restaurant was amazing and dead on. Indeed the MC was intellectually smart but her emotional IQ was woefully low. This makes for a poor combination. Might work for a researcher at a government lab in the American Southwest calculating the next term in a logarithmic expansion from quantum field theory, but is a piss poor combination for a spouse with kids. Combine this with arrogance and selfishness and you end up with a person who is borderline nuts. Jeff must have been a daint all those years or things just got worse once the MC got her latest job. Yes ahenwas unhappy. That is what she felt. And that can't be dismissed, but instead of discussing this, getting support, making changes, or seeing a therapist, she attacked all aspects of Jeff after 18 years of marriage in order to fly away to an illusionary, happier life. She almost seems like someone who isnone step away from bipolar but uses her intellect to craft personal rationalizations to keep her from seeing other people's perspectives. Still some of the dialog, outtakes, and cynical thoughts were hilarious. Unfortunately with the brutal realization of what she lost and how much she absolutely destroyed her family to pursue her selfish dream, I am not optimistic she will find what she wants and achieve happiness. As evidenced by the very last paragraph. But maybe a leopard can change its spots. Refreshing to see a story on loving wives with no adultery. As an aside, only 17% of married American adults who have never struggled with infidelity are divorced. This story showcased one of those 17%. most of those are issues over money, marital abuse, addiction behavior, or mental health problems. One can make a strong argument that the MC had issues with the last one due to the crippling mismatch between her IQ and emotional IQ while being selfish and arrogant. A toxic mess for sure. Hence my pessism she will find what she wants. Maybe therapy will help her to turn the corner. Her abandonment of her kids was quite telling.

Thefirst part of the story was a great description of my ex wife, totally selfish and unhappy with me for whatever reason. I'm just a dumb mechanic and provided for her anour two kids expecting only a family to love and carefor. Like she did to her ex, mine just walked away to see what was out there, end of story and a 13 year marriage. Some sunshine did show up and a good woman with four kids tombled into life that lasted almost 40 years. Very goos tory 5 stars.

Lop off that ridiculous last paragraph. It embarrassed what went before it. Other than the end being ruined, very good job.

This story is like a treatise on Dealing With Narcissistic Women – The Female Psychopath . The female narcissist is the true personification of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Narcissistic women aren’t using outright aggression and violence to terrorize their victims. Instead, they use manipulation and covert bullying to terrorize the people in their life. She appears in the form of a sweet, innocent girl, a kind-hearted mother, a vivacious, energetic, joyful woman, a kind, old grandmother—yet her motivations are often sinister and dark. Deep beneath that sweet exterior lies something much more sinister: there lies a desire to destroy, hurt, and manipulate. Narcissistic women want, in no order of preference: power, dominance, control, wealth, status, resources; and, most disturbing of all, a desire to inflict pain on others, which leads to a sense of fulfillment and deep satisfaction on the part of the narcissist.

Narcissists are not constrained by society, nor do they care what other people want. They don’t feel guilty about this and they don’t feel shame. The narcissist doesn’t want to confront feelings of shame because shame is an attack on their ego and valuable sense of self. Narcissists distort reality, believing themselves to be perfect. It is everyone else who is wrong and evil. By far the most obvious narcissistic traits are arrogance and entitlement. The narcissist woman believes that she deserves the best treatment, favoritism, and that she should be “worshipped” by others.

Great read. Held my attention all the way through and I would love more of the story. Added to my favourites.

A great read !!.........................

When I read something like this it reminds me how unbelievably fortunate I am to have found a loving, patient woman. We’ve been together 39 years. She’s given me two wonderful sons and a life far beyond what I deserve.

Excellent tale and well told, a bit long but it held my attention for hours, it's now 2:38am. I do hope there is another part where Jan finds new lasting love. I walked out on my husband, and I have regretted it since.

a bit too long but I did read it all. Yes, she has finally seen herself, but the last line makes me think she really won't change her views on life

what selfish Bitch. episode with Tony asking her to Elks Awards Dinner and SHE thought he was going to propose! Perfect example of he twisted mind.

Loved the read. Except for the too smart part of it, that could have been my ex-wife.

Long but highly entertaining tale. One of the most thought provoking from the author to date. Having grown up with a parent with NPD, I immediately saw the narcissistic tendencies in Jan's behavior and sense of entitlement. Still quite creative and a unique story.

P.S. what are with the comments calling Jeff a 'cuck'? Is that just troll bait?

Maybe a bit long but you told an incredable story. I know what it's like to have angry eyes glaring at me as she says everything wrong in her life is my fault. She left and became a drunk and slut. About every 3 years she comes to me and I get her dried out and human again. I refuse the sex, but the love and caring is still there and we are still good friends and I don't give a shit what others think.

I was highly entertained by this story, looking at it from the screwed point of view of Jan. She may be in tears now, but I think she's actually in a good place and, finally, I'm sure she will get what she needs.

Jeff is a cuck, a weak example of a pathetic man, right till the end

Little long but thought provoking.

A lot of low IQ morons commenting on this, complaining about "politics" and equating the politics of the made up characters with that of the author. I don't know what political leanings Jezzaz has, nor do I care. But I do know that just because he created a character with certain views, that doesn't necessarily reflect his own. It's called "fiction" for a reason.

Or do those morons really think JK Rowling has a real functioning magic wand.

I couldn't put it down!

Jan is intelligent, highly motivated and severely narcissistic. I put Amber's life expectancy at less than one year unless she gets out of the picture, clearing the deck for Jan's pursuit of Jeff. Amber will just disappear one day and never be heard from again.

I have a short attention span and rarely have the patience to get through more than 4 or 5 pages. I couldn't stop reading this one. Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone? 5 stars.

That closing line. Somebody's bitter, alright.

Great writing; great story.

Can't believe whiners complaining about 1 or 2 political sentences in a 13 (literotica) page story! Really?!!

SleeperyJim comments are on point.

Well done.

CNN, anti-Fox, wanting to dictate endings, government as charity, or more likely, godvernment, small g God, convinced she alone knows all, with NO self reflection until the end. This selfish, self important person is the epitome of a liberal. Enjoyed the read!

Great story!!

I am of an age where I could watch the news and never know what way the news anchors voted .

You could read books and articles and see balanced views.

My dad works for a digital irish newspaper and one way he interviews is that he will ask aspiring contributors to come up with 5 reasons to vote for party A and 5 reasons not to.

Always throws activists off their game but not real journalists.

I don't come here for activism...just good writing. Please leave politics out.

TC Ireland.

I never understand comments like "you should leave politics and religion out of a story."

You created a character that was so detailed, I could practically smell her sweat when she was at the gym. She had views on so many things, but those were part of what made her that particular person. For instance, her physical appearance is part of her, but it's such a small part of anyone, that trying to create a character purely at that level is almost pointless. She has a personality, and it's made up of all her experiences, desires, fears, loves, hates, prejudices, preferences and dislikes - even in politics or religion. As the writer of this story, you aren't proselytising, you are describing - and doing it superbly. A character may think that the South should have won the Civil War and slavery is preferable, or may imagine that all white people should be hanged for their history. It doesn't matter. It isn't a matter of being right or wrong - it's what they think and feel that delineates who they are in a story.

I think many readers probably know someone like your narrator -- a person who will almost automatically adopt the opposite view on any point that arises, because winning an argument is, to them, more important than being right. (Just one aspect of her personality, mind you.) Because the world is made up of multifaceted personalities. Personalities are what draws us to or push us away from other people. So, at the end of the day, it's the only thing.

But it's still just a character. If you wrote a story about a serial killer, it doesn't make you or the reader a murderer. Or that you are pro or anti murdering people. (Hopefully the latter, mind you.) How can a hero, or even just a narrator be perfect ... without flaws? You've described those carefully here, and to leave parts of her personality out because people might be uncomfortable or even offended by those views just negates the whole process of creation. To leave out parts of her personality in such an intimate look at her would be like leaving the tyres off a carefully restored classic car and driving it that way, simply because someone might not like the make of them.

What you created is an intensely personal examination of a flawed personality (just like most of us), at a certain period of her life, and to read that and be so close takes great writing chops.

I salute you, sir.

Her problem isn't intelligence; it's narcissism. All the way to the end of the story.

I'd like to say a bit more, I found the story interesting you didn't just include sexy bits you told an actual story. The characters in the story actually grew as the story went on and it didn't have a cliche happy ending. I guess I'm not that observant in terms of the politics in the story to be honest I don't really care. You told a good story and it was well written (at least as far as my novice eyeballs could see). I did notice that the main character had a hatred of Priuses for some reason. 😂 I guess that's because some of the drivers think they're better than everyone else. The point is you wrote a really good story and I wanted to give more commentary on it because I've seen people give some more detail reviews. I'm no critic so take what I say with a grain of salt. As far as I'm concerned you wrote the story and you posted it on here, so forget what everyone else says.

This was a good story well done. 😁

Agree with Nonsequitour below. Author should have left the snarky political jabs for his Twitter posts. Intellectual watering hole for the left.

Jan sounded like a karen but a smart one. Too bad Tina was not there at the beginning to slap (figuratively speaking) Jan awake.

I've been reading Literotica for about a year now. I tend to not comment unless I'm positive, have something positive to contribute. I've complimented about three other stories as my favorite or the best I've read. I now need to tell all of them that they are second best. Thank you for your work.

I got ¾ of the way through this before I realized I had read this a little over a month ago.

This time though I’ll give it a 5 star rating.

A truly insightful story that causes introspective thoughts in the reader—thoughts that might allow one to see themselves.

Excellent!

Bill

It didn't take too many paragraphs to summarize this as What. A. Bitch. Way too long; long enough to spout atheist and political blather more than once. I prefer to read stories, watch movies, listen to music, or watch sports w/o the lens of the politics of the author, actor, musician, or jock. The last 3 groups make orders of magnitude more money than anyone of their intelligence/information level (which is a nice way of saying stupid rich famous people); which they think makes their opinions of greater weight. Not too smart to piss off a large percentage of your (potential) audience. Hell, I read LitRot to distract me from politics. Spare us.

But since you stir up politics, the only thing I can add to the post 5 back is a question of today, 8/22/21. Why the hell didn't any US citizen in Afghanistan make plans to GTFO in April???

I agree about the Prius. I have twice laughed like a hyena when I saw a driver of one getting a speeding ticket.

It's a nice extremely aerodynamic package. I wondered from day one if years down the road someone would produce conversion kits to install a used IC engine/trans cheaper than buying a new battery. It would probably get better Hwy mileage w/o the battery weight. For the same weight you could carry enough gas for Miami-Seattle nonstop.

Tony Stevens was the 2-finger bass player for Foghat; but Jan might have thought of a choreographer.

On pg. 8, Jan complains about Tony's obsession with reality tv. At the story's beginning, she complained about Jeff's mockery of HER reality shows.

The concept of "My Uncle's House" sounds like the teaching toys from the future in Lewis Padgett's "Mimsy Were the Borogroves". (The movie a decade or so ago was poor.) I knew instantly it was Jeff's idea.

Where are those deserts? I have been all over the world and never seen any of them.😁

Too much angst left for a 5, but that’s probably because I was sucked into the story so hard & just wanted an ending that couldn’t be.

I xcellent work. Your stories are written so well I wish they were shorter rather than taking up an entire day to read them.

Well done. & hell, I need to change it to the 5 stars it deserves.

Bill

Brilliant. 5* for a relationship 101.

So many things are taken for granted on both sides because, as the poor sod here learned, the good is masked by the ugly, even though the former outweighs the latter.

Thanks for sharing.

Boring, monotonous, aggravating, frustrating, and agonizingly painful… yet… caustically clever, boldly precise, piercingly honest, and excruciatingly illuminating… a truly grueling in-depth understanding of a pathological narcissist’s thinking and its devastating consequences - the death of a marriage and destruction of a family - surely a cautionary tale of the highest magnitude… if only the adolescent political rhetoric and biases had been eliminated.

I was hoping that, for whatever reason, he would say NO to Jan. Even better that it turns out he’s married.

You managed the storyline so well, that we were beginning to feel somewhat sympathetic to her plight not remembering the callous, cold-hearted, arrogant bitch she was.

Women control relationships and particularly the sexual aspect. They have the ability to effectively destroy a man simply with a few words. It can take years to get over it. More often than not the husband, partner, SO never fully recovers and remains physiologically scarred for life. Great that he found a woman who loved him, supported him and with whom, he could form a loving partnership.

They imagine that the grass is always greener and they suspend reality and start to believe the current misandrist rhetoric.

Well written with an interesting storyline.

Good story and I enjoy reading most of your contributions. But I don't like one sided politics in my stories just like I don't one sided politics in my news sources, sports, movies etc. But just to show I can be political too how is Biden working out for you? Do you like BLM? If you are white are you now appalled at your skin color? Is your mother now just a birthing person? How about your daughter. Is she now less than a man? My wife and I are 67 and we now have no concern for where our country will end up. We will live out our lives and could care less if the U.S. survives. The corruption and loss of any moral values makes the survival of the American dream pretty much trashed and gone for forever.

“…aided on CNN and NPR, and then being forced to watch FOX News…” (paraphrased).

Yeah, out of one lopsided frying pan and into another….

Fox is sliding left, CNN is nearly bankrupt for making themselves irrelevant over their propagandizing against Trumpy.

This was a really great story…..well written and engaging, but….I don’t know why you people can’t tell a damn story without throwing your little political zingers in. I mean why salt a wound that’s still bleeding?

And I’m neither republicrat or democan. What I am, is American and I hate the invective spewing from both groups.

Clearly our hero is a self-absorbed, narcissistic, high intellect, capable of ruining any happiness that come her way. Too bad she saw through part of her self delusional blindness too late to regain some of what she’d thrown away. Too bad she was still so blind, she was never able to just look at the many beauties and wonders in the world around her and accept and recognize that there is something……organized about the world and the universe. I can’t say what I don’t understand, but I can acknowledge what I sense and as your character says so eloquently, “…none so blind as those that will not see…..and even worse none so tragic as won’t even open their eyes…” (paraphrased).

Nice storytelling….please continue!

Honestly despite everything, I hold out absolutely no hope for Jen whatsoever. She's a narcissist. She may claim and/or believe that she is a recovering narcissist but at this point why does it even matter any longer? Granted it is good that she is finally taking responsibility for her actions and willing to mend fences at all, and it's also very likely that she's finally learned her lesson. However, judging purely by the last line of the story, she's far from being completely cured, mentally anyways.

An absolute 5 to the fifth power. Perhaps jezzaz' all-time best, which is really saying something. One request. Please, still waiting for the story in which Ryan (from "Live From The Game") finally gets his happiness.

No idea what Previous Anonymous is talking about...

What is this squeamishness around cutting to the chase. If someone is extremely selfish and arrogant consistently, they are a bad person, a bad partner even a bad mother. They may not be bad forever, they may realize they're mistake like Jan did but while they have those traits they are bad people period.

I'm also glad they didn't reconcile but I don't have much hope for Jan. It seems she's still relying on other people to make her happy. And asking for another chance after what she did shows she doesn't fully grasp what a stark-raving bitch she was. She can't even give the poor guy space to be happy with Amber.

Great story BTW. 5*

I'm glad they didn't reconcile. Not because Jan was a bad person, she wasn't. Extremely selfish, but not bad. A reconciliation wouldn't have worked simply because of the baggage behind them. It may have worked, but more likely they, mostly Jan, would have fallen back into old habits. Familiarity breeds contempt. Better to move forward. For both of them. Jan needs to start a fresh with someone new, putting to use the lessons she has learned. I think she will actually have a great second marriage, now that she has had a long overdue mental growth spurt, and a kick in the ass from her sister.

As for Tina? What a great character she was. My favorite in this by far. She reminded me of all the best aspects, all the things I love about my own 'big' sister. She's a force of nature in all the best ways.

Overall not a bad story but felt too long. Probably could've done it with 5 less pages and still have the same results

She burned the coal , she pays the toll

Too f#king long!

I'm a sucker for reconciliation (not RAAC) and while I hoped that would happen I found the ending well done. A long story but well worth the read!

A really great story so wanted it to continue. In some ways I had hoped that they would reconcile but also realised that she had hit him with a cruise missile and totally destroyed any chance she had. For a while I also wanted Jan to have a miserable life but at the end I felt really sad for her and that she realised what a bad person she was too late.