I wrote this story and wanted a happy ending. I decided to give alternate ending and let the readers pick their choice. Therfore What is your preference if only one ending existed?
Two things I might mention: If you pick alt #1, remember he didn't know about possibly buying the pills ahead of time.
Also it Alt #3 the accident where he dreamed happened when he went to pick up the wine. I should have been more explecit on that point. Sorry
If I get a number of feedback I will post their choices leaving out their e-mail addresses for privacy reasons.
As always thanks for reading my stories and taking the time to comment.
Your author
DG Hear
by
Anonymous03/10/06
Double endings
A story really loses something when there are double endings. This one is no exception.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
Happy Endings?
I think you prefer "Fantasy Endings" if the last one is your choice.
The ending in which he finally dumped her was the most realistic because he knew by then that everything had been deliberate and permeditated. I also liked that you differentiated between mistakes and choices. She chose to cuckold him and did it all night with two guys. How pitiful for someone to do that to a person they say they love, and then come home and say, "I'm sorry. It will never happen again!" and expect forgiveness. Actions like that are evidence of sick minds.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
hmmm...
well, realistically, i'd have to go with #2, because human emotion usually outweighs any other factor. does that mean i liked it the best? no. the romantic in me liked the first choice -- where he was able to put it all aside, and they lived 'happily ever after.' yet it's far from realistic, especially in today's world.
the 3rd option was a bit too fantastical for me - that he'd dreamed it all up -- altho it would be nice to be able to dream the nightmares away, lol.
i don't understand why she would have happily gone on this trip, having bought the pills beforehand. if their marriage was so secure, you'd think she would have gone just for fun, made the mistake, then bought the pills as soon as she got home -- or maybe darla already had them, since she'd screwed up with dan.
i guess a combination of #2 and #3 would work best for me -- where he blows up (understandably), but they manage to fix it, making their marriage work in spite of it all. it would take a lot of work, and a lot of trust, and a lot of having already had such a strong base... but i guess that would be my choice.
thanks for giving us readers the opp to choose, DG.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
Like your story
Taint no way that # 3 would happen but I agree; I like happy endings. Your story as usual was excellent.
DG, I usually hate multiple ends but you've done a great jobs with this one. Thanks!!!
by
Anonymous03/10/06
gerfer happy endings too
but I could not say which ending I would take if it happened to me. I like the way Grey Eagle 286 requires medical tests amd minimum contract for 30 days regardless. Morning after pill may kill any chance for a kid, but they do nothing for disease.
Plesae keep writing.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
Well Written and Good Endings...
The story is just about another cheating slut of a wife who blames everything on everyone. Yes, she was the one who wanted to go to Las Vegas. She was the one that wanted to get fucked. She was the one that got the morning pills before getting fucked so she was wanting some strange cock. Once she got it, she was depressed, by not too depressed to keep it a secret from her loving husband. There should be no secrets in a marriage and she not only commited adultry, but she lost the respect from her husband by not telling him. She had 3 days to bare her soul and she did nothing but feel sorry for herself.
I will have to say that Ending #2 best relates to the story since she wanted to keep it a secret between her sister and herself. Secrets, like lyes, always surface and the aftermath is so much worse. If she would have told her husband the day she returned, it might not have been such a low blow when the truth finally came out.
If you are married: trust, romance, loving friendship, understanding, compassion and so many other things make up a marriage. If you break one of these, then there is no marriage. If you cheat, once a cheater, always a cheater and no marriage.
I speak from the heart on this and I know first hand how and when a spouse can be hurt and their marriage ruined.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
I'll take 1
I really don't like the multiple endings either ... make the ending happy or sad or fantastic, but just write it well and let the reader gripe or cheer.
I think the first ending, while short and a bit abrupt, was the most realistic. You built the characters up so much to be madly in love, that to have the main character's wife cheat is explainable only by her being under the influence of something. Humans are fallible and not perfect, and people do make mistakes. You can have your characters argue semantics, but the wife's remorseful behaviour before the alternate endings clearly showed she was sorry for what happened. While her behaviour was very sad, it is forgivable ... and to forgive is devine according to the lessons I learned in the church I attend.
by
Anonymous03/10/06
Mixed feelings
I think you should have added at least one more page to the story. I know it’s difficult to smoothly switch the POV (point of view) in a story but it would have been helpful to know what Barb’s thoughts were. It would have been nice to listen to the conversation between Barb and her sister when they were planning the trip. Did they discuss or plan on the possibility of a fling before they went? Did they actually buy the morning after pills before they went? If I remember right, they are sold by proscription only. Did the sister tell Barb that she planned to find a lover and get even for her husbands cheating? If so, how did Barb feel about this? Or, did Barb leave with the intention of having a good time and just enjoying the sights and sounds of Vegas? Did she have too much to drink and get caught up in the heat of the moment? Did the sister plan it out in advance or did she suddenly decide to take advantage of the opportunity when they got to Vegas? We can use our imagination and make a good guess at some of these questions but we don’t really know for sure. The conversation on the recorder doesn’t give enough details.
Ending one is a little hard to believe. Would a normal man really overlook the fact that his wife intentionally cheated on him and not say or do something about it? Even if he did keep her and they lived happily ever after, I think he would at least confront her and let her know if she ever did anything like that again she would be finding somewhere else to live.
Ending two fits if the whole thing was preplanned. I suppose if she was truly repentant, they might have a chance at reconciliation but it would take a lot of forgiveness on his part. The fact that he divorced her and moved on with his life seems more likely.
Ending three is questionable. If he had never suspected or worried that his wife would ever cheat on him, then what is the basis for the dream? From what we know about the relationship, he has never worried about his wife misbehaving in any way. A picture of the perfect marriage is painted. Since he has never worried about the fidelity of his wife, it would be out of character for him to dream about her blatantly cheating on him. Due to the perfect picture, it would be out of character for her to plan on intentionally cheating and risk destroying her marriage.
If we believe the limited conversation on the recorder, then they didn’t go to Vegas intending to find a strange man and get laid. They simply went out partying, had way too much to drink, and things went too far. The sister rationalized it as getting even for her husband’s infidelity. Barb, on the other hand, blames it on too much to drink and stupidity. It appears that the morning after pills really were purchased on the morning after. According to the recorded conversation, she does seem truly remorseful and repentant. She vows that something like this will never happen again. Under these circumstances, the marriage has a chance of survival. She does have to confess, preferably before he confronts her. It would take a lot of work on her part and a lot of forgiveness on his part but continuing the marriage is possible.
Yes, I am one of those that like happy endings. However, the planned infidelity on a faithful partner is a pretty deep hole to dig out of. Getting drunk and caught up in the heat of the moment isn’t quite as deep of a hole for the character to recover from. So, which is it? Do we believe the recorder or do we believe what he thinks happened?
As an afterthought, was this a ‘canned’ conversation between Barb and her sister because Barb knew the recorder was on and her husband would listen to it? Did she realize she couldn’t hide what happened in Vegas and use the recorder in an attempt to cover up her treachery?
Damn-it all to hell, DG! You’ve written a very good story that’s kept me occupied for a couple of hours trying to analyze it. Thank you.
Barb's conduct at Vegas didn't square with the way you had originally developed her persona. There was no way I could see her acting that way.
None of the alternative endings mentioned a worry about STDs. That would have been my first concern, had I been the husband. And if Barb was really contrite, worrying about STD would have been driving her crazy.
Having multiple endings, none of which were without logical problems, was far below your usually high standard of story telling.
A credible story line, but not much for alt ending
I guess everyone has brought up most things to ponder.
The real sticking point is did she buy the morning after pill before hand as this changes the whole story line. The thought of STD is a real thing not gone over.
You did a great job of giving three endings as I’m like many and detest alternate endings.
If he knew of the pill being bought before hand #1 ending is a fiction. In #1’s the case is living with a secret till death bed confessions, and that’s a hell of a conversation as you say goodbye to the love of your life for either one. Wife wonders how you could be so cruel as to not face her with your knowledge and work it out. Secrets of this magnitude in a marriage leave everyone on eternal disbelief. That’s not a loving marriage but a time bomb of mistrust and suspicion. Thoughts go unspoken and love is slowly drained by growing contempt and wondering why and was it better and how do I know it won’t happen again. What other secrets has she hidden from me? No way a love can flourish this way no matter how sincere the effort.
#2 ending is a self-esteem, ego and self-destructive ending. This story line has him not giving any thought to anything but his own awful pain, and he doesn’t want to do anything but live with that pain. This would require at least the effort of therapy and then a decision of what he could live with. Her past and why now would have to be believed by the husband for any kind of reconciliation. His self-esteem would have to be built back and that might not go with staying with her and reliving his nightmares of her. Some men and women can accept more then others. Forgiveness can be easy it’s what the mind holds deep, that’s the real hard part. Lastly true love can be saved by a lot of hard work and truth to the tenth degree, without honesty there is no true love.
#3 ending is too far out there for me to accept. It is a nice ending but I don’t give it credibility in my mind. It’s all too much “Dallas” and convenient for me.
I would take number 2 and at least have the husband get away from her and try and get himself some help before making his final decision. Wallowing in self-pity and looking at her each day is not going to help him make a rational decision of what he can live with or want. She needs to be alone with her thoughts and get help to. Playing the “I’ll do anything to keep you” in front of him isn’t helping anyone.
Very good writing and a story worth reading and commenting on.
Thank you
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Thank you for wonderful story. I would vote for ending 1 or 3. I am also a reader who is a sucker for happy endings.
note from dg hear: That is why each ending changes the story. That was the whole idea. When we make decisions in life we don't always have all the facts, it would be nice if we did. Sometimes you have to go with what you know. That's why each endings evolves into a different story.
Just thought it would be something different for the readers.
Thank you for your comments. Check back and see what your fellow readers have to say.
DG Hear
I'm not wild about any of your endings. I'm a sucker for romance and a happy ending, too, but none of your ending really match the rest of the story - he DID hear the phone message. So ending #3 doesn't work. The other endings don't work either. Would have been better to have had Barb save her sister from what she did, rather than descending into the same abyss. The other issue you did not address is STDs. If I found my signicant other had cheated, the first place I would head would be for a STD test, with follow-ups for months thereafter. Pregnancy is the least of the issues in this day and age.
The telephone conversation, the purchase of the morning after pills ahead of time, and the unprobable dream scene, all conspire to make the divorce option the only realistic one. And LutherT nailed it with his comments about STD's. The women obviously really cared nothing about their husbands because they willingly subjected them to whatever they might have picked up in Vegas, the city dedicated to destroying marriages.
Just like, in real life, the bachelorette babes who fuck some strippers or strangers at their wild last fling party, and then go home to express their undying love to their fiances. (More like dying love). These women surely care a lot for their men, don't they?
Cheers! Or as Gene Autry used to sing, "Happy STD's to You"!
by
Anonymous03/11/06
Very good
As one other mentioned he heard a phone message. Maybe in a dream state he heard the message. Or maybe he heard his wifes sister explaining what went on while he was still uncon. What ever the case I enjoyed your story and like the last ending the best. Keep up the good work.
by
Anonymous03/11/06
number 1 sucks
number 2 is about right ... and i agree 3 dont count it is a dream
by
Anonymous03/11/06
I Both Love and Hate...
these multiple endings. I do thank you for considering your readers by providing these choices. Here goes...
Ending #1 - Of all the endings it struck me as the most fantasy based primarily because of the way the story was set up. The family was trying to recover from Dan's recent infidelity and then the wives go fucking around in Las Vegas. I believe it was Brian who said
Quote
I told her, "Darla, he really loves you and the kids. He made a mistake and is admitting it. Do you really want to end your marriage because of that one time?"
Darla was crying saying she still loved him but didn't know what to do. That's when I told her, if it was her pride, not to let it kill their marriage. If she no longer loved him, then let it go.
End Quote
Now Brian is in Darla's shoes. Unless he deals honestly with Barb how have this true family life of love that he described in the begining of the story? How can he resolve this rift with Barb when he first sensed something wrong?
Every time they were separated he had to wonder what she was doing and with who. No- Brian's character was inconsistent with the "don't ask, don't tell" resolution in this ending.
Ending 3 - Shades of the "Dallas"(TV Show) where the entire season vanished because Bobbie had it as a daydream! Although it turned out to result in a happy ending the ending changes the story completely. If he dreamed this crisis then the solution did not involve him making choices. He only had to wake up!
Ending 2 - This ending was my choice because it was the closest to reality. I thought that he tried harder in Ending#3 to resolve matters with his wife but this not talking to her was stupid. What was the point in being in the house if they were not going to work things out? Although her buying the pills needed an explanation (Her best response was that she knew Darla was going to fuck someone in Las Vegas and she wanted to protect her i.e., Darla was not thinking straight) if Brian believed what he told Darla (see above quote) then he should give Barb another chance.
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Another alternative is based upon what happened to a close friend. He found out about an event very similiar involving his wife, very shortly thereafter; went to her and held her and while he held her he told her (1) he loved her (2) he did not want a divorce (3) he was hurt and (4) they needed to go to counseling so he could understand what happened, she could understand how it hurt him, and to prevent him from trying to get revenge. That was about 20 years ago for them and they are still married.
For those wondering why I have to use my name is because anonymous can only be used once. I'm trying to let you see what the feedback people think also
DG Hear
Selecting choice #1, #2, or #3 is a bit like sticking your naked ass in a no. 10 wash tub full of rattlesnakes: The first one to bite your ass is the one you select. Choice #1 depends on the mental fiber of Barb and Brian. They both have to realize that their small children will be affected by any decision made. If they're going to stay together the two of them are going to have to suck it up and somehow figure a way to make it work. Choice #2 ended the way it did because he is playing the "pity me card," and she's working the,"It was just sex card." That's two locomotives heading towards each other on the same track. Choice #3 seems like it fits right between, "Once upon a time . .," " . . And they lived happily ever after." If I have to make a choice I go with #3 because this Horny 'ol Sailor loves happy endings and I'm also gullible. Whats the tally? Good story. Thank You. Ronnie W.
by
03/11/06
No I won't chose
DG,
I like your stories; however, won't select from multichoice endings. It did raise a smile though for I know, like many of us, the ending is the most agonising part about writing a story. Sorry but you should suffer along with the rest of us...LOL
As you can see the feedback is pretty heavy on this. Most choosing Alt #2, But the romantics that like happy endings are going for #3.
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
I have to say I prefer the 3rd ending. What can I say I'm a romantic!
by
Anonymous03/11/06
Pick your poison
I love your writing DG. I and really enjoyed the alternative endings. The ending seems to be the chief complaint in comments and you took care of that with letting us all choose. That's a nice device. Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
by
Anonymous03/11/06
Number 1
I opt for number 1, only because I like happy endings. I do , however, have to complain that I am a little tired of stories about loving wives, who go to Las Vegas with single and divorced girl friends and get drunk causing them to fall into bed with lecherous guys. Even excellent writers like DG use this tired cliche. Please find a new town or a wife that is not brain dead.Thanks for all your excellent stories though outside Las Vegas. the Ct. Yankee
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Excellent story. Alternative ending 3 is a must for me. Look forward to many more like that.
by
Anonymous03/12/06
Door # 1, please
Good story. I prefer ending #1 because the family stays together and everyone winds up happily ever after (and he winds up well screwed). Ending #3 with the mind-thing kind of threw me -- too much time passed between the Vegas trip and the accident, but whatever. I probably would have voted for a "he puts her through sexual hell and she takes it because she loves him and doesn't want to lose him and one day he finally sees in her eyes how much of an idiot he's been and gets all this behind them" sort of ending more than #1, but that's prob just because that's where my tastes in stories runs.
Any of them work, but I do prefer the happy ending.
How come when she came in snippy ("grow up") and he snapped back, didn't she just wilt like a flower to keep the status quo? Unless she was willing to run the risk of him having the exact reaction he did. She didn't think this through (Then again, yes, it's a story, I know...) That's the only part that didn't seem real. But plasible for sure. Good job!
I agree with you with regard to happy endings being
better. However, in this case you introduced a point
of fact that, in my opinion, negates any attempts at
one. That point of fact is the purchase of the
'morning after' pill BEFORE the morning after.
If we assume that the facts as you presented them are
true then Barbara was, as Brian accused her, guilty of
premeditation. Once that fact has been established
all the crying, wailing and gnashing of teeth about
the situation being a "mistake" is nothing but a lie
and only meant to elicit sympathy. While I can see
Darla wanting to get revenge on Dan, I don't agree
with it but I can understand it, I can see no
motivation for Barb to go along with it. Darla had to
convice Barb the day of the incident that cheating on
her husband was going to be a good thing! If Barb was
as happily married as she and Brian claim how could
she be talked into this so easily, especially when she
saw what cheating had done to Darla's marriage?
Based on the "facts" as you presented them I have to
cast my vote for alternate ending #2 as the punishment
certainly fits the crime. I do have one comment
though. Why is it that the innocent husband always
leaves the house? If my name was on that mortgage
there would be no way I'd be leaving it if I had done
nothing wrong. Barb should have been asked to leave
and go live with her cheating sister Darla, leaving
Brian with the children.
As always, thanks for the story, you always make your
readers think and while I may not agree with your take
on a subject I always respect your opinion.
Ray
by
Anonymous03/12/06
All the 100 ratings top story
With all the 100 ratings be applied on comments this aught to be up there with the top rated stories of all time.
Again a gem of a tale and I really enjoyed the alternative endings. Lack of an acceptable ending seems to be the major complaint in comments but you took care of that by letting us choose. Very clever indeed! I have to say I that really preferred the 3rd ending. I have no excuses I'm simply a romantic and I do prefer 'Happy endings’. Well done DG, again full marks. Keep them cumming! Pete.
Usually I like your stories but you had the X-file
ending for one of the choices. And it wasn't number 3. It was the number 1 choice. She deliberately chose to fuck someone else. She prepared for it and made her own decision. I think the most realistic ending was the number 2 ending and the happiest was the number 3. At least in that one she didn't actually make a "mistake."
by
Anonymous03/13/06
Write one ending or suffer
These multiple endings are a bunch of bullshit.
Also, voting for yourself on all the reposted comments is bullshit.
What happened to the real DG Hear? The one who actually wrote a complete story and posted it.
by
Anonymous03/13/06
Bullshit
You rarely write a bad story but you have done so this time. #2 is the proper ending. I get so tired of writers, and readers, that prefer "Happing Endings" because they don't have the balls to live in the real world. How many others has she screwed? How can he ever trust her again? Has she ever heard of HIV? Is he willing to be a cuck wimp to a cheating slut wife? Does he want this whore for a wife and mother of his children? Are they his children? He knows that she has cheated once. Does he expect her to be faithful from now on? Maybe it's okay to cheat as long as it's in Nevada. I for one don't think so.
I have read, and enjoyed, most of your stories. I look forward to your next submission.
By the way, thanks for writing this story and all the others too.
If you go with your guts we'll deal with the story
Sharing the spirit of some fellow reader, I too felt uncomfortable, but not with the principle of alternative endings, but with what was done with it here. The artistic device of parallel narratives (be it just endings or not), is quite familiar (and intriguing), both from film and from literature. In my opinion it is a challenging format, and In order for it to work well you write as if you compose a symphonic piece, the various instruments would depart at times from the main theme, yet maintain a cohesive harmony.
As others pointed out, it did not work quite so well here. Both the first and the second endings follow a common path, which seems to confuse fiction with some other type of text. It could be very well religiously or morally inspired, I am not worried about the semantics. What bothers me is the fact that they both share a hurried didactic feel, which can’t wait for the lesson or the outcome or the moral to be spelled out for us.
Quick reference on the third ending. The “it was all a dream – yet…” may seem like a good way to square the circle, but essentially you circumvent any conflict worthy substance. As the husband is still confused by the strange accuracy of his dream (albeit with another character), we are left with the third, most confusing embryonic story.
My call to the writer is as follows: choose to forgive; choose not to forgive, but first and most importantly, let us understand the WHY and the HOW of it all. It should be based on building the characters foundation and developing them as they interact with each other, in other words - the bread and butter of the writer’s work. As you hinted, your heart was pulling you in one direction. Your task was to convince us with your heart convictions, not the other way around…
I am afraid that as part of the unintended consequences of your experiment, the energy that should have been invested in building up your case towards where your heart was set all along, got defused in the build up of three parallel vignettes. Each of them might have had the potential to be a good story had you put yourself to that task. Yet, as they stand, each alone and together, they do not provide the sufficient “moola” or literary meat to be convincing. It feels like offering us three half built houses in the middle of the winter…
Tongue in cheek aside, I have no idea why a loving wife would turn on her husband the way your character had in the story. Every human story has its own inner story behind it. Any tautological justification as the common: ‘because it’s just a story’ (therefore, I assume, anything goes) should be considered an insult to any writer who respects him/her self. Surely they would not want to hide behind such an empty waiver. Good story should tell us more than “we are all fallible” or “it’s a virtue to forgive”. For that purpose I have my church, or if I am so inclined my ethics books. This is a story; it has to come from the particular details of the characters not from philosophy or theology. If it means more old style work on the writer’s part as in the true foot work of a writer, like more attention to the details of the plot and less endings so be it. I have no Iota of a doubt that this writer is very capable of doing just that, there is his track record to prove it.
by
Anonymous07/02/06
Too many endings
If you want to have a story that comes out different ways post it as individual stories with a little paragraph about the other versions. The story itself filled half of one page, then the endings filled the rest of the first page, the entire second page, and spilled onto a third page, that's ridiculous.
Oh, and he should have smashed the bitch in the face with a frying pan and walked out of the house as soon as he found out.
when I read the comments on some of your stories, DG. There are always a few people who are ticked off at you when the characters in your stories don't make the choices these people decide are the "right" choices. "The only choice when someone cheats is to kick their ass to the curb" seems to be the most common thread. I wish those people would wake the hell up. IT'S A STORY!
When I read your stories, I always enjoy them a great deal. Your plots are typically well thought out, the characters ring truer to life than most on this site, and whether or not the characters make the choices I would make were I in their shoes, there is always a reason for those choices that fits the characters you have developed.
Keep it up!
by
Anonymous07/12/06
excelent
this is the best of all worlds. If you want revenge you got it, if you want reconcilation you got it, even a Dallas dream sequence
DG, I always enjoy your stories even if I don't like the ending. It's your story, whatever way you want it to come out is the right way. Your never going to please everyone, so whatever ending you conceive should be the one you publish. "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
by
Anonymous03/21/07
Answering machine again?
I love your writing syle and 90% of your plots, but please don't use the tired old cliche of the answering machine that records the entire story of wife's cheating. Nobody, in this day and age , is dumb enough to leave a recording detailing her cheating for spouse to find later on.
60 year old George
by
Anonymous06/07/07
None work
I actually don't like any of the 3 endings. Nothing seemed to be realistic in the way each was written. Especially the last one. To think this was all a dream? It never even mentioned that he had a sister during the main part of the story.
English
Life is good. I do prefer 'Happy endings.'
I do to DG :)
Metzov
Note fro author: please read!!!
I wrote this story and wanted a happy ending. I decided to give alternate ending and let the readers pick their choice. Therfore What is your preference if only one ending existed?
Two things I might mention: If you pick alt #1, remember he didn't know about possibly buying the pills ahead of time.
Also it Alt #3 the accident where he dreamed happened when he went to pick up the wine. I should have been more explecit on that point. Sorry
If I get a number of feedback I will post their choices leaving out their e-mail addresses for privacy reasons.
As always thanks for reading my stories and taking the time to comment.
Your author
DG Hear
Double endings
A story really loses something when there are double endings. This one is no exception.
Happy Endings?
I think you prefer "Fantasy Endings" if the last one is your choice.
The ending in which he finally dumped her was the most realistic because he knew by then that everything had been deliberate and permeditated. I also liked that you differentiated between mistakes and choices. She chose to cuckold him and did it all night with two guys. How pitiful for someone to do that to a person they say they love, and then come home and say, "I'm sorry. It will never happen again!" and expect forgiveness. Actions like that are evidence of sick minds.
hmmm...
well, realistically, i'd have to go with #2, because human emotion usually outweighs any other factor. does that mean i liked it the best? no. the romantic in me liked the first choice -- where he was able to put it all aside, and they lived 'happily ever after.' yet it's far from realistic, especially in today's world.
the 3rd option was a bit too fantastical for me - that he'd dreamed it all up -- altho it would be nice to be able to dream the nightmares away, lol.
i don't understand why she would have happily gone on this trip, having bought the pills beforehand. if their marriage was so secure, you'd think she would have gone just for fun, made the mistake, then bought the pills as soon as she got home -- or maybe darla already had them, since she'd screwed up with dan.
i guess a combination of #2 and #3 would work best for me -- where he blows up (understandably), but they manage to fix it, making their marriage work in spite of it all. it would take a lot of work, and a lot of trust, and a lot of having already had such a strong base... but i guess that would be my choice.
thanks for giving us readers the opp to choose, DG.
Like your story
Taint no way that # 3 would happen but I agree; I like happy endings. Your story as usual was excellent.
Double Endings
DG, I usually hate multiple ends but you've done a great jobs with this one. Thanks!!!
gerfer happy endings too
but I could not say which ending I would take if it happened to me. I like the way Grey Eagle 286 requires medical tests amd minimum contract for 30 days regardless. Morning after pill may kill any chance for a kid, but they do nothing for disease.
Plesae keep writing.
Well Written and Good Endings...
The story is just about another cheating slut of a wife who blames everything on everyone. Yes, she was the one who wanted to go to Las Vegas. She was the one that wanted to get fucked. She was the one that got the morning pills before getting fucked so she was wanting some strange cock. Once she got it, she was depressed, by not too depressed to keep it a secret from her loving husband. There should be no secrets in a marriage and she not only commited adultry, but she lost the respect from her husband by not telling him. She had 3 days to bare her soul and she did nothing but feel sorry for herself.
I will have to say that Ending #2 best relates to the story since she wanted to keep it a secret between her sister and herself. Secrets, like lyes, always surface and the aftermath is so much worse. If she would have told her husband the day she returned, it might not have been such a low blow when the truth finally came out.
If you are married: trust, romance, loving friendship, understanding, compassion and so many other things make up a marriage. If you break one of these, then there is no marriage. If you cheat, once a cheater, always a cheater and no marriage.
I speak from the heart on this and I know first hand how and when a spouse can be hurt and their marriage ruined.
I'll take 1
I really don't like the multiple endings either ... make the ending happy or sad or fantastic, but just write it well and let the reader gripe or cheer.
I think the first ending, while short and a bit abrupt, was the most realistic. You built the characters up so much to be madly in love, that to have the main character's wife cheat is explainable only by her being under the influence of something. Humans are fallible and not perfect, and people do make mistakes. You can have your characters argue semantics, but the wife's remorseful behaviour before the alternate endings clearly showed she was sorry for what happened. While her behaviour was very sad, it is forgivable ... and to forgive is devine according to the lessons I learned in the church I attend.
Mixed feelings
I think you should have added at least one more page to the story. I know it’s difficult to smoothly switch the POV (point of view) in a story but it would have been helpful to know what Barb’s thoughts were. It would have been nice to listen to the conversation between Barb and her sister when they were planning the trip. Did they discuss or plan on the possibility of a fling before they went? Did they actually buy the morning after pills before they went? If I remember right, they are sold by proscription only. Did the sister tell Barb that she planned to find a lover and get even for her husbands cheating? If so, how did Barb feel about this? Or, did Barb leave with the intention of having a good time and just enjoying the sights and sounds of Vegas? Did she have too much to drink and get caught up in the heat of the moment? Did the sister plan it out in advance or did she suddenly decide to take advantage of the opportunity when they got to Vegas? We can use our imagination and make a good guess at some of these questions but we don’t really know for sure. The conversation on the recorder doesn’t give enough details.
Ending one is a little hard to believe. Would a normal man really overlook the fact that his wife intentionally cheated on him and not say or do something about it? Even if he did keep her and they lived happily ever after, I think he would at least confront her and let her know if she ever did anything like that again she would be finding somewhere else to live.
Ending two fits if the whole thing was preplanned. I suppose if she was truly repentant, they might have a chance at reconciliation but it would take a lot of forgiveness on his part. The fact that he divorced her and moved on with his life seems more likely.
Ending three is questionable. If he had never suspected or worried that his wife would ever cheat on him, then what is the basis for the dream? From what we know about the relationship, he has never worried about his wife misbehaving in any way. A picture of the perfect marriage is painted. Since he has never worried about the fidelity of his wife, it would be out of character for him to dream about her blatantly cheating on him. Due to the perfect picture, it would be out of character for her to plan on intentionally cheating and risk destroying her marriage.
If we believe the limited conversation on the recorder, then they didn’t go to Vegas intending to find a strange man and get laid. They simply went out partying, had way too much to drink, and things went too far. The sister rationalized it as getting even for her husband’s infidelity. Barb, on the other hand, blames it on too much to drink and stupidity. It appears that the morning after pills really were purchased on the morning after. According to the recorded conversation, she does seem truly remorseful and repentant. She vows that something like this will never happen again. Under these circumstances, the marriage has a chance of survival. She does have to confess, preferably before he confronts her. It would take a lot of work on her part and a lot of forgiveness on his part but continuing the marriage is possible.
Yes, I am one of those that like happy endings. However, the planned infidelity on a faithful partner is a pretty deep hole to dig out of. Getting drunk and caught up in the heat of the moment isn’t quite as deep of a hole for the character to recover from. So, which is it? Do we believe the recorder or do we believe what he thinks happened?
As an afterthought, was this a ‘canned’ conversation between Barb and her sister because Barb knew the recorder was on and her husband would listen to it? Did she realize she couldn’t hide what happened in Vegas and use the recorder in an attempt to cover up her treachery?
Damn-it all to hell, DG! You’ve written a very good story that’s kept me occupied for a couple of hours trying to analyze it. Thank you.
feedback for DG Hear
message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
number 2 for me if its real... number 3 dont count because its a dream
feedback for DG Hear
message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
number 2 for me if its real... number 3 dont count because its a dream
another feedback
I mentioned I would let you read the feedbacks. Here's another opinion.
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
I thought all of the endings were good. Emotionally, I preferred the last one but it was also the least credible.
more feedback
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
The first ending fit the plot better than the last one. The last ending was a little far fetched. Cheers Roger.
name removed for privicy
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by:
Comments:
Your endings are all realistic. I liked them all.
As usual, you have given us a well told tale. Thank You!
Interesting but ...
Barb's conduct at Vegas didn't square with the way you had originally developed her persona. There was no way I could see her acting that way.
None of the alternative endings mentioned a worry about STDs. That would have been my first concern, had I been the husband. And if Barb was really contrite, worrying about STD would have been driving her crazy.
Having multiple endings, none of which were without logical problems, was far below your usually high standard of story telling.
A credible story line, but not much for alt ending
I guess everyone has brought up most things to ponder.
The real sticking point is did she buy the morning after pill before hand as this changes the whole story line. The thought of STD is a real thing not gone over.
You did a great job of giving three endings as I’m like many and detest alternate endings.
If he knew of the pill being bought before hand #1 ending is a fiction. In #1’s the case is living with a secret till death bed confessions, and that’s a hell of a conversation as you say goodbye to the love of your life for either one. Wife wonders how you could be so cruel as to not face her with your knowledge and work it out. Secrets of this magnitude in a marriage leave everyone on eternal disbelief. That’s not a loving marriage but a time bomb of mistrust and suspicion. Thoughts go unspoken and love is slowly drained by growing contempt and wondering why and was it better and how do I know it won’t happen again. What other secrets has she hidden from me? No way a love can flourish this way no matter how sincere the effort.
#2 ending is a self-esteem, ego and self-destructive ending. This story line has him not giving any thought to anything but his own awful pain, and he doesn’t want to do anything but live with that pain. This would require at least the effort of therapy and then a decision of what he could live with. Her past and why now would have to be believed by the husband for any kind of reconciliation. His self-esteem would have to be built back and that might not go with staying with her and reliving his nightmares of her. Some men and women can accept more then others. Forgiveness can be easy it’s what the mind holds deep, that’s the real hard part. Lastly true love can be saved by a lot of hard work and truth to the tenth degree, without honesty there is no true love.
#3 ending is too far out there for me to accept. It is a nice ending but I don’t give it credibility in my mind. It’s all too much “Dallas” and convenient for me.
I would take number 2 and at least have the husband get away from her and try and get himself some help before making his final decision. Wallowing in self-pity and looking at her each day is not going to help him make a rational decision of what he can live with or want. She needs to be alone with her thoughts and get help to. Playing the “I’ll do anything to keep you” in front of him isn’t helping anyone.
Very good writing and a story worth reading and commenting on.
Thank you
comments about story
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Thank you for wonderful story. I would vote for ending 1 or 3. I am also a reader who is a sucker for happy endings.
note from dg hear: That is why each ending changes the story. That was the whole idea. When we make decisions in life we don't always have all the facts, it would be nice if we did. Sometimes you have to go with what you know. That's why each endings evolves into a different story.
Just thought it would be something different for the readers.
Thank you for your comments. Check back and see what your fellow readers have to say.
DG Hear
Happy Ending?
I'm not wild about any of your endings. I'm a sucker for romance and a happy ending, too, but none of your ending really match the rest of the story - he DID hear the phone message. So ending #3 doesn't work. The other endings don't work either. Would have been better to have had Barb save her sister from what she did, rather than descending into the same abyss. The other issue you did not address is STDs. If I found my signicant other had cheated, the first place I would head would be for a STD test, with follow-ups for months thereafter. Pregnancy is the least of the issues in this day and age.
LutherT had it about right...
The telephone conversation, the purchase of the morning after pills ahead of time, and the unprobable dream scene, all conspire to make the divorce option the only realistic one. And LutherT nailed it with his comments about STD's. The women obviously really cared nothing about their husbands because they willingly subjected them to whatever they might have picked up in Vegas, the city dedicated to destroying marriages.
Just like, in real life, the bachelorette babes who fuck some strippers or strangers at their wild last fling party, and then go home to express their undying love to their fiances. (More like dying love). These women surely care a lot for their men, don't they?
Cheers! Or as Gene Autry used to sing, "Happy STD's to You"!
Very good
As one other mentioned he heard a phone message. Maybe in a dream state he heard the message. Or maybe he heard his wifes sister explaining what went on while he was still uncon. What ever the case I enjoyed your story and like the last ending the best. Keep up the good work.
number 1 sucks
number 2 is about right ... and i agree 3 dont count it is a dream
I Both Love and Hate...
these multiple endings. I do thank you for considering your readers by providing these choices. Here goes...
Ending #1 - Of all the endings it struck me as the most fantasy based primarily because of the way the story was set up. The family was trying to recover from Dan's recent infidelity and then the wives go fucking around in Las Vegas. I believe it was Brian who said
Quote
I told her, "Darla, he really loves you and the kids. He made a mistake and is admitting it. Do you really want to end your marriage because of that one time?"
Darla was crying saying she still loved him but didn't know what to do. That's when I told her, if it was her pride, not to let it kill their marriage. If she no longer loved him, then let it go.
End Quote
Now Brian is in Darla's shoes. Unless he deals honestly with Barb how have this true family life of love that he described in the begining of the story? How can he resolve this rift with Barb when he first sensed something wrong?
Every time they were separated he had to wonder what she was doing and with who. No- Brian's character was inconsistent with the "don't ask, don't tell" resolution in this ending.
Ending 3 - Shades of the "Dallas"(TV Show) where the entire season vanished because Bobbie had it as a daydream! Although it turned out to result in a happy ending the ending changes the story completely. If he dreamed this crisis then the solution did not involve him making choices. He only had to wake up!
Ending 2 - This ending was my choice because it was the closest to reality. I thought that he tried harder in Ending#3 to resolve matters with his wife but this not talking to her was stupid. What was the point in being in the house if they were not going to work things out? Although her buying the pills needed an explanation (Her best response was that she knew Darla was going to fuck someone in Las Vegas and she wanted to protect her i.e., Darla was not thinking straight) if Brian believed what he told Darla (see above quote) then he should give Barb another chance.
Once again an excellent story!
SleeplessinMD
Feedback comment
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
DG thanks for the 3 endings the only one to use is # 2
Interesting feedback
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Another alternative is based upon what happened to a close friend. He found out about an event very similiar involving his wife, very shortly thereafter; went to her and held her and while he held her he told her (1) he loved her (2) he did not want a divorce (3) he was hurt and (4) they needed to go to counseling so he could understand what happened, she could understand how it hurt him, and to prevent him from trying to get revenge. That was about 20 years ago for them and they are still married.
For those wondering why I have to use my name is because anonymous can only be used once. I'm trying to let you see what the feedback people think also
DG Hear
Good
very good story loved getting to pick my ending.
Whats the vote count?
DG:
Selecting choice #1, #2, or #3 is a bit like sticking your naked ass in a no. 10 wash tub full of rattlesnakes: The first one to bite your ass is the one you select. Choice #1 depends on the mental fiber of Barb and Brian. They both have to realize that their small children will be affected by any decision made. If they're going to stay together the two of them are going to have to suck it up and somehow figure a way to make it work. Choice #2 ended the way it did because he is playing the "pity me card," and she's working the,"It was just sex card." That's two locomotives heading towards each other on the same track. Choice #3 seems like it fits right between, "Once upon a time . .," " . . And they lived happily ever after." If I have to make a choice I go with #3 because this Horny 'ol Sailor loves happy endings and I'm also gullible. Whats the tally? Good story. Thank You. Ronnie W.
No I won't chose
DG,
I like your stories; however, won't select from multichoice endings. It did raise a smile though for I know, like many of us, the ending is the most agonising part about writing a story. Sorry but you should suffer along with the rest of us...LOL
My very best regards.
another feedback
As you can see the feedback is pretty heavy on this. Most choosing Alt #2, But the romantics that like happy endings are going for #3.
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
I have to say I prefer the 3rd ending. What can I say I'm a romantic!
Pick your poison
I love your writing DG. I and really enjoyed the alternative endings. The ending seems to be the chief complaint in comments and you took care of that with letting us all choose. That's a nice device. Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
Number 1
I opt for number 1, only because I like happy endings. I do , however, have to complain that I am a little tired of stories about loving wives, who go to Las Vegas with single and divorced girl friends and get drunk causing them to fall into bed with lecherous guys. Even excellent writers like DG use this tired cliche. Please find a new town or a wife that is not brain dead.Thanks for all your excellent stories though outside Las Vegas. the Ct. Yankee
feedback comment
This message contains feedback for: DG Hear
About the submission: What About Brian?
This feedback was sent by: Anonymous
Comments:
Excellent story. Alternative ending 3 is a must for me. Look forward to many more like that.
Door # 1, please
Good story. I prefer ending #1 because the family stays together and everyone winds up happily ever after (and he winds up well screwed). Ending #3 with the mind-thing kind of threw me -- too much time passed between the Vegas trip and the accident, but whatever. I probably would have voted for a "he puts her through sexual hell and she takes it because she loves him and doesn't want to lose him and one day he finally sees in her eyes how much of an idiot he's been and gets all this behind them" sort of ending more than #1, but that's prob just because that's where my tastes in stories runs.
Any of them work, but I do prefer the happy ending.
How come when she came in snippy ("grow up") and he snapped back, didn't she just wilt like a flower to keep the status quo? Unless she was willing to run the risk of him having the exact reaction he did. She didn't think this through (Then again, yes, it's a story, I know...) That's the only part that didn't seem real. But plasible for sure. Good job!
Dear DG
Dear DG,
I agree with you with regard to happy endings being
better. However, in this case you introduced a point
of fact that, in my opinion, negates any attempts at
one. That point of fact is the purchase of the
'morning after' pill BEFORE the morning after.
If we assume that the facts as you presented them are
true then Barbara was, as Brian accused her, guilty of
premeditation. Once that fact has been established
all the crying, wailing and gnashing of teeth about
the situation being a "mistake" is nothing but a lie
and only meant to elicit sympathy. While I can see
Darla wanting to get revenge on Dan, I don't agree
with it but I can understand it, I can see no
motivation for Barb to go along with it. Darla had to
convice Barb the day of the incident that cheating on
her husband was going to be a good thing! If Barb was
as happily married as she and Brian claim how could
she be talked into this so easily, especially when she
saw what cheating had done to Darla's marriage?
Based on the "facts" as you presented them I have to
cast my vote for alternate ending #2 as the punishment
certainly fits the crime. I do have one comment
though. Why is it that the innocent husband always
leaves the house? If my name was on that mortgage
there would be no way I'd be leaving it if I had done
nothing wrong. Barb should have been asked to leave
and go live with her cheating sister Darla, leaving
Brian with the children.
As always, thanks for the story, you always make your
readers think and while I may not agree with your take
on a subject I always respect your opinion.
Ray
All the 100 ratings top story
With all the 100 ratings be applied on comments this aught to be up there with the top rated stories of all time.
Another great story !!
Again a gem of a tale and I really enjoyed the alternative endings. Lack of an acceptable ending seems to be the major complaint in comments but you took care of that by letting us choose. Very clever indeed! I have to say I that really preferred the 3rd ending. I have no excuses I'm simply a romantic and I do prefer 'Happy endings’. Well done DG, again full marks. Keep them cumming! Pete.
Usually I like your stories but you had the X-file
ending for one of the choices. And it wasn't number 3. It was the number 1 choice. She deliberately chose to fuck someone else. She prepared for it and made her own decision. I think the most realistic ending was the number 2 ending and the happiest was the number 3. At least in that one she didn't actually make a "mistake."
Write one ending or suffer
These multiple endings are a bunch of bullshit.
Also, voting for yourself on all the reposted comments is bullshit.
What happened to the real DG Hear? The one who actually wrote a complete story and posted it.
Bullshit
You rarely write a bad story but you have done so this time. #2 is the proper ending. I get so tired of writers, and readers, that prefer "Happing Endings" because they don't have the balls to live in the real world. How many others has she screwed? How can he ever trust her again? Has she ever heard of HIV? Is he willing to be a cuck wimp to a cheating slut wife? Does he want this whore for a wife and mother of his children? Are they his children? He knows that she has cheated once. Does he expect her to be faithful from now on? Maybe it's okay to cheat as long as it's in Nevada. I for one don't think so.
I have read, and enjoyed, most of your stories. I look forward to your next submission.
By the way, thanks for writing this story and all the others too.
If you go with your guts we'll deal with the story
Sharing the spirit of some fellow reader, I too felt uncomfortable, but not with the principle of alternative endings, but with what was done with it here. The artistic device of parallel narratives (be it just endings or not), is quite familiar (and intriguing), both from film and from literature. In my opinion it is a challenging format, and In order for it to work well you write as if you compose a symphonic piece, the various instruments would depart at times from the main theme, yet maintain a cohesive harmony.
As others pointed out, it did not work quite so well here. Both the first and the second endings follow a common path, which seems to confuse fiction with some other type of text. It could be very well religiously or morally inspired, I am not worried about the semantics. What bothers me is the fact that they both share a hurried didactic feel, which can’t wait for the lesson or the outcome or the moral to be spelled out for us.
Quick reference on the third ending. The “it was all a dream – yet…” may seem like a good way to square the circle, but essentially you circumvent any conflict worthy substance. As the husband is still confused by the strange accuracy of his dream (albeit with another character), we are left with the third, most confusing embryonic story.
My call to the writer is as follows: choose to forgive; choose not to forgive, but first and most importantly, let us understand the WHY and the HOW of it all. It should be based on building the characters foundation and developing them as they interact with each other, in other words - the bread and butter of the writer’s work. As you hinted, your heart was pulling you in one direction. Your task was to convince us with your heart convictions, not the other way around…
I am afraid that as part of the unintended consequences of your experiment, the energy that should have been invested in building up your case towards where your heart was set all along, got defused in the build up of three parallel vignettes. Each of them might have had the potential to be a good story had you put yourself to that task. Yet, as they stand, each alone and together, they do not provide the sufficient “moola” or literary meat to be convincing. It feels like offering us three half built houses in the middle of the winter…
Tongue in cheek aside, I have no idea why a loving wife would turn on her husband the way your character had in the story. Every human story has its own inner story behind it. Any tautological justification as the common: ‘because it’s just a story’ (therefore, I assume, anything goes) should be considered an insult to any writer who respects him/her self. Surely they would not want to hide behind such an empty waiver. Good story should tell us more than “we are all fallible” or “it’s a virtue to forgive”. For that purpose I have my church, or if I am so inclined my ethics books. This is a story; it has to come from the particular details of the characters not from philosophy or theology. If it means more old style work on the writer’s part as in the true foot work of a writer, like more attention to the details of the plot and less endings so be it. I have no Iota of a doubt that this writer is very capable of doing just that, there is his track record to prove it.
Too many endings
If you want to have a story that comes out different ways post it as individual stories with a little paragraph about the other versions. The story itself filled half of one page, then the endings filled the rest of the first page, the entire second page, and spilled onto a third page, that's ridiculous.
Oh, and he should have smashed the bitch in the face with a frying pan and walked out of the house as soon as he found out.
It always cracks me up
when I read the comments on some of your stories, DG. There are always a few people who are ticked off at you when the characters in your stories don't make the choices these people decide are the "right" choices. "The only choice when someone cheats is to kick their ass to the curb" seems to be the most common thread. I wish those people would wake the hell up. IT'S A STORY!
When I read your stories, I always enjoy them a great deal. Your plots are typically well thought out, the characters ring truer to life than most on this site, and whether or not the characters make the choices I would make were I in their shoes, there is always a reason for those choices that fits the characters you have developed.
Keep it up!
excelent
this is the best of all worlds. If you want revenge you got it, if you want reconcilation you got it, even a Dallas dream sequence
a crock
both endings suck
Pick one
DG, I always enjoy your stories even if I don't like the ending. It's your story, whatever way you want it to come out is the right way. Your never going to please everyone, so whatever ending you conceive should be the one you publish. "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
Answering machine again?
I love your writing syle and 90% of your plots, but please don't use the tired old cliche of the answering machine that records the entire story of wife's cheating. Nobody, in this day and age , is dumb enough to leave a recording detailing her cheating for spouse to find later on.
60 year old George
None work
I actually don't like any of the 3 endings. Nothing seemed to be realistic in the way each was written. Especially the last one. To think this was all a dream? It never even mentioned that he had a sister during the main part of the story.
Normally good
but the detail around the morning after pill wasn't well handled here,
the last one
Go with the last one
Click here to leave your own comment on this submission! or
Back to What About Brian? or
More submissions by DG Hear.