A Dirty Little Secret

I can believe that

where's the supposed problem?
The hardest bit to believe is that if he really is so bitter, he could cover it up so well. And NOBODY noticed?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
But, not totally unbelievable - just extremely unlikely.

It's a good story

but I don't like it.
Pride's a tough pill to swallow,
It leaves you lonely, cold and bitter,

To destroy a family as HE did without finding out what was going on is not commendable. And being so unforgiving to not even consider an explanation from the mother of your children is horrible. His last twenty years had to be a terribly bitter shell. He could have been enjoying a loving family as he had for the first twenty. Just a little forgiveness. One mistake.

all i wanted was a wank

I read these stories for a bit of titalation - now im thouroughly depressed - cheers!

We can only give to others what we have inside us

To hide our pain is to hurt ourselves till we have nothing but sadness in us. Now we have nothing to give to others but our own sadness in all we say and do.
My only other comment is that was a great story!
Thank you for this hard work from your mind.
PT

Somewhat sparingly told

but I can see it happening.

For sure a sad story with too much bitterness.

Regards, DJ

And so Pride Goeth Before the Fall....

His physical death was hastened by the death of his soul and he was too proud to realize it. Her error in judgement was a big one but without considering her needs and feelings about what happened only made it easy to hate her, eat himself inside out, and make a beeline to his own demise! Remember, his injury was her injury so his celibacy became hers. He made the decision to go back to work before he probably should have and he determined when to go off of his meds on his whim! He determined what adjustments THEY would make in THEIR lives for how long he saw fit without bothering to get his own wife's input. He seemed to forget that his wife was a healthy women with the same physical and emotional needs after the accident as before. He also seemed to forget that his wife took on a much bigger role in earning income and taking care of him and the family during his recovery. When he received his generous settlement check and had the opportunity to take real time off to fully recover what does he do FOR HIS WIFE'S SAKE? He forgets the anguish his wife must have felt dealing with the emotional trauma she endured about almost losing him to this accident. He forgets all the sacrifices she made worrying about how to keep him comfortable, happy, and the family going by CHOOSING to load up on pain meds and going back to work before he was anywhere near healed. In the greater scheme of things his work and ego became all important and to hell with what his wife and family needed or wanted from him. In a moment of weakness she sucumbed to the temptation of her pastor, the one individual she should have been able unburden her soul with, and is taken advantage of. Being the selfish SOB he's been up to now he can't even fathom his own complicity in this melodrama so, like a typical 5 year old, he picked up his ball and walked off the field. She should have stood up for herself when HE opted to make decisions on going back to work without consulting her and tell her him "NO, I need you to stay home, help out more with the kids, and get yourself completely better"! "If you cannot or will not do this for ME maybe we should talk about divorce"?! That shot to his ego would have still probaby brought out his same selfish hate but she could have at least gotten a chance to move on with her dignity and self-worth intact while leaving him to wallow in the eventual misery of his own making!

to the ASSHOLE poster in OHIO

how dare you blame the Injured husband and accuse HIM of being selfish

even if one accepts your pathetic premise so what?

You called what she did "a error in judgement.."
No you stupid bastard she was fucking someone else

You said ...." Remember, his injury was her injury so his celibacy became hers...".
what crap

You said...
"He determined what adjustments THEY would make in THEIR lives for how long he saw fit without bothering to get his own wife's input. .."

You dont know this. The story does NOT say he never talked to wife about when go to back to work

then you said...
" He seemed to forget that his wife was a healthy women with the same physical and emotional needs after the accident as before."

so therefore its OK for the wife to fuck another man?

You said...
"He also seemed to forget that his wife took on a much bigger role in earning income and taking care of him and the family during his recovery. "

.... so therefore its Ok for the wife to fuck anothe man?


you said...
"When he received his generous settlement check and had the opportunity to take real time off to fully recover what does he do FOR HIS WIFE'S SAKE? He forgets the anguish his wife must have felt dealing with the emotional trauma she endured about almost losing him to this accident."

........ so therefore its Ok for her to fuck another man?


you said...
"He forgets all the sacrifices she made worrying about how to keep him comfortable, happy, and the family going by CHOOSING to load up on pain meds and going back to work before he was anywhere near healed."

so therefore its OK for here to fuck anothe rman?

You said...
'In the greater scheme of things his work and ego became all important and to hell with what his wife and family needed or wanted from him."

so therefore its OK for the wife to fuck another man?

You said....
"In a moment of weakness she sucumbed to the temptation of her pastor, the one individual she should have been able unburden her soul with, and is taken advantage of. "

how do you know that you stupid bastard? maybe she was the aggressor?!?

You said...
"Being the selfish SOB he's been up to now he can't even fathom his own complicity in this melodrama so, like a typical 5 year old, he picked up his ball and walked off the field. "

No he didnt take his ball and walk off the field you stupid bastard. He did stay with the whore for the sake of the kids and grand kids for 20 + years.
and You call HIM selfish?

fuck you you stupid bastard.

once done, no amount of undoing will undo it

A marriage is over when one or the other takes a lover, or in other words commit adultry. There is forgivness but no having things like they were before. He left her with something that would taint her for the rest of her life...goood ...the bitch deserved it. The preacher? Well the word hypocrit comes to mind.

A sad tale, to be sure

Charlie is to be pitied. He surely endured a life of misery, the sad part is he did for the wrong reasons. He claims that "What I have done for the last twenty years is protect my children."

Protect them from what? The truth? How is denying their right to know the truth protection? The claim is made that "I have continued [to] love my family". It's false because if you love someone, you don't lie to them.

Charlie doesn't love his family. He loves the idea that his family is perfect, that everything is A-OK, just like a Norman Rockwell painting. He doesn't love his wife because, if he did, he'd care about her happiness. He'd work to resolve their problems and, if that couldn't be done, he'd get a divorce. He doesn't love himself because he'd rather be unhappy than happy.

No, Charlie is an evil, selfish bastard who chose a life of misery and deceit. He comes to the end a bitter and unhappy old man comfortable with the idea that lying is acceptable if you do it for the right reason. In other words, the end justifies the means and that is unacceptable.

I gave the story a good mark because it's thought-provoking. Do I like the thoughts that it provokes? No.

To: Anonymous in Ohio

Harry in VA must have forgotten his meds again. The author should delete his intemperate and undeserved attack on a commenter.

A-in-O, your take on the story is reasonable given that the author has not, as Harry pointed out, chosen to include the details in the story.

To expand on your comments, in my opinion, any impotent, understanding husband in his position would have suggested to his wife that he would not object to her taking a sex partner in a discrete manner so as not to embarrass the family. Given the husband’s circumstances, if the wife took a sex partner, it would hardly be the defining issue in the marriage. Her loving care of the family (including the husband) is. If and when the husband regained his potency, the question of extra-marital sex by the wife could be revisited. Obviously, this whole question has arisen in any long-standing marriage where the partners have reached a certain age.

Thank you, leapyearguy, for a good read.

Phil

There Will Always Be Fixers and Blamers Without

credibility but before taking those on - Author - occasionally your talented imaginative mind seemingly functions in another plane by your choice of course and to our pleasure without question.

Sure this was dark but one of life's sure possibles given their prior commitments and their happy and shared life.

Now to the fixers and Blame shifters. Some problems are difficult to fathom and acknowledge as critical by some as they interject their own emotions and solutions to make it better - to feel better.

Anyone with any of life's reality and experiance knows that there are problems or decisions that are life altering and non-fixable / non-smoothable / non-acceptable / non-forgivable. Only those not personaly experiancing the specific can effectively Monday morning quarterback solutions without walking in the others shoes.

Because they believe anything can be fixed - but that is an inhuman expectation in many cases due to the setting and history of those involved that is only known to them (and in this case the author (godlike) sets those parameters).

Enough. Author - impressive work again - thanks for being here to entertain us.

With Very High Regard

20 mesirable years!?

i love my family and they love me too. im sure that if the fact was known, they wouldnt let me live on such misery for the rest of my life. they'll still love their mother but they would be angry for living such a lie and a miserable existence. they would like me to be happy too.

nicely written, pretty provocative story.

Well, I guess you warned up front that it wasn't going to be based in logic and on that you delivered. Given that, though, it could have used more vampires. They would have been a good contrast to the magically retarded coward who spends the entire story justifying his making the last twenty years of his and his wife's lives passive-aggressively miserable in order to not hurt the "kids" (adults do need that protection, they're very fragile) and then completely contradicting himself in his last minutes. Or, given that he apparently only cared about not having to actually deal with the fallout his confrontation would cause and not the people involved, maybe you could have had a gryphon swoop in and fly him to South America so he'd never have to see his family again. 25 points for not making my eyes bleed from spelling and grammar, though.

Interesting

Good story. The only person who suffered was the husband. He should have divorced her and gotten on with his life. He could have waited until his children finished school if he wanted to protect them.

Boyd

It Does Happen

Extremely well written. That kind of sacrifice does happen. I made a similar one that lasted 6 years before my health failed and my wife started to smartened up. It took another 8 years before she fully understood the damage that she had done. The circumstances were different and my wife knew the reasons for my dissatisfaction but really didn't care. She took advantage of my sacrifice for the children until it was too late for my health. Now she supports and takes care of me. I now care about her but the love has long since died.

The nature of an Individual man

While I don't have the strength of charater to do what he did. I understand what a rigid personality must do to cope in a gray world.

Some men must have a very ricid set of morals to live legally in a world of temptations. To accept such an individual closely in your life guarantees that you must accept his morality. If you cannot, for crying out loud don't marry him and definitely don't have children with him.

He is what he is, to behave himself. If that moral rigidity ever breaks, you could easily find yourself in the presence of a rapist or murderer. He needs those unyielding foundations to live with the rest of the world in peace.

Since this man worked like a sob for twenty years for his family, they owe him considerable support, in the few months of recovery. That his wife, knowing of his feelings in this reguard, would choose to have sexual relations wiht another man in the marital bed, means her lack of care for him. From this point on she must have been an unknowing sponge: not seeing the sore backed husband choosing to sleep in an uncomfortable chair, not seeeing the immediate departure of her minister, or the coldness of a previously caring husband.

The strangest miracle was that the husband did not confront the lovers and try to beat the hell out of the minister. That is only realistically explained by his rigid morality.

Most of the readers and commenters want a non violent resolution to these problems. The seem to forget the personal cost of being non violent in such a horrific situation.

good story,but the plot sucks

two wrong don't make a right.stress from the action of the wife took some yrs. off his life.he could have confronted the wife and work some thing out.this was a stupid act on both part.look what he missed and look at the trouble she caused.in this story the wife got over it and the hubby suffer for all them yrs.its' sad how you look at this story.

TiggerToo, what were you thinking?

He should have given his blessing to have other men because she had needs he couldn't meet?

So when he is healthy and they have the talk, these could be issues to which they should agree because needs can't be met:

Her

It's exciting to have other men and you can't be the other man so I need to keep doing this.
I found I love size and you can't provide that.
I found I love more than one man at a time.
I found I love gangbangs.
I'm over-the-top excited risking pregnancy with other men so I want you to wear a condom while they don't.

Him

What you've done got me thinking and I need to have other women, the thought is too exciting to pass up.
You won't do anal and I have a need.
Your blowjobs aren't good enough. I need enthusiasm and skill.
You can't deep throat and I need that.
I need firm breasts and I'll need someone much younger for that.
You won't be with other women with me. I need that.

I need food, water and air. I'll die without them. Other things are not as clear. Some I probably want but don't need. Maybe I need a spouse who is willing to do without if it will avoid my suffering. You are specifying a slippery slope without considering the implications. She could even fall in love with another guy as a result. If she can't control her behavior are her emotions less difficult?

This story didn't show character.

It was the story of a vindictive, paranoid, would-be martyr. Look how old his kids are when he dies and he claims he did it for them. 40 year old men don't need their father to shelter them. He stayed in a loveless marriage more for spite than love of his children. He was deluding himself and a few of the readers. If he sounds like an asshole, acts like an asshole, and smells like an asshole, he's probably an asshole. This story had no winner. (This story needs an editor, big-time!)

Usually I like your stories.

This one wasn't that great. Protecting his children? Were they so neurotic that they couldn't handle what is becoming a fact of life in the world today? Were their minds so delicate that they couldn't process a betrayal without a complete breakdown? To hold all that pain and misery for twenty years and for what? NOTHING!

okay,

so it is just a fucking little stupd story about a dying man who's not loved his cheating wife for 20 years, who didn't want HER to know that HE knew of it for 20 years but who want US to know about it BEFORE he'd let her know that he knew!

he says he didn't give a shit whether we think he's a creampie loving wimp,,, i wonder why the heck he's telling us,,, when we don't really give a shit as to his socalled sacrifices in the name of love and children,,, we walk out the instant his cheating wife is made to walk out,,, as we don't really give a damn about a sick in the head dying man or his body shortly

nor do we care about his slut wife whom he think the kids and grandkids should think was the most honest, loyal, trustworthy mother and grandmother,,, He made his kids and grandkids complete morons for thinking something NOT true! lol

No chickenshit or wimp but martyr

Oh boo hoo hoo, look at how I suffered for my children.

Now one is that great an actor to be able to keep up that bullshit for that long. Unless she is a complete moron, there had to have been times -- probably many times -- she picked up how cold he was to her.

TiggerToo -Morals of dirtbag

It seems that way...

Tigger too says

"To expand on your comments, in my opinion, ANY impotent, understanding husband in his position would have suggested to his wife that he would not object to her taking a sex partner in a discrete manner so as not to embarrass the family. "

Lets me see if I have this straight. Lets suppose Phil--AKA tiggertoo-- is in a car accident and has a back injury. He is bed ridden for several months. Now according to PHIL the wife should be allowed (free and clear) to FUCK anyone she wants... as many times as she wnats... for s long as she wants....

all that talk about sickness and in health and forsaking all others.. means Not very much to PHL...

Tigger too says...
"Given the husband’s circumstances, if the wife took a sex partner, it would hardly be the defining issue in the marriage. Her loving care of the family (including the husband) is. If and when the husband regained his potency, the question of extra-marital sex by the wife could be revisited. "

You see folks... even when the Hubby has recovered and can now function sexually... Phil asserts "the QUESTION could be re-visited."

OMG.... what a low life

In other words according to the morally repulsive PHIL / Tigger too the wife COULD if she wanted to KEEP fucking other men even after the Hubby has recovered his sexual abilities.

-- and who cares what the husband wants? certainly NOT PHIL.

after all the Hubby is the CRIMINAL here since he got hurt right Phil?


Obviously, this whole question has arisen in any long-standing marriage where the partners have reached a certain age.

DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY

EVERYONE LOST on this!!

Lost me

Beginnning was good but then it went south as your main character changed from a strong stand-up guy to a bitter vindictive loser.

Harryin VA: I think I speak for most of us when I say we are tired of your non stop, woman hating rants. Give it up & get over it.

?

Why did you waste your time writing this.
When you start negative with "Don't bombard me", you should know you have written a bomb.
But you wrote it anyway.
You must have a pretty fucked up life.

Stupidity comes in all sizes

a fair story about a very stupid man. I guess you need to tell all kinds of tales if you wish to write. I however prefer a tale about a person who uses common sense and is willing to stand up and face a problem. Not necessarly a hero but a reasonably intellegent ordinary person.

Interesting- a different perspective!

We enjoy your various theme and hard work put into these stories. Perhaps this one was not your best work [not enough revenge on the stupid cunt], but an interesting read. Thanks!

You know leapyear.......

The scarey thing is I know someone where a similar thing happened.

Yes people can feel misguided enough to pull this. I knew a guy where his wife was sleeping with the neighbors, sleeping with his best friend, and the guy who fixed their cars. The husband decided to sit on the information because he thought that it was more important to raise his kids in (what he thought) was a stable enviroment, than confront his wife. Problem was the oldest son pretty much figured out was going on and lost respect for his father for years till he was old enough to see it differently.

To this day, after the divorce his wife asked for when she found out he knew, he says "She was a sick woman who deserves my pity not my anger". Me I don't see it that way. I think he should have ran away from anyone willing to go to swap party by herself then try and sleep with him once she got back. Ewwwwww

Phil (Tigger Two) I gotta go with Harry here, what are you thinking? If a wife is that focused on her "personal" enjoyment enough to not care about the husband, they should get divorced so she can sleep with whoever she wants and not be bound by the rules of marriage. But hey you let your wife do what you want, and I'll ask mine not to do this. Ewwww.

Leapyear, this was a good story, but I don't see the guy as bitter. I see him more as someone who could do what it took to raise his kids, but not destroy their worlds. I mean he pointed out some good things. She hurt him more with her selfishness than she let on, but it wasn't worth the family being split and fighting.

There is something to be said for confrontation, but if you care more about your kids than yourself you might do something like this. Good story I think.

-Risq

Nice Story!

There was a similar story where the husband kicked his lying, cheating wife after the kids left the home. One point this story is trying to make is that there are all kinds of marriages out there. There are marriages where the couples are swingers, couples who treat their relationship like a business, couples who are devoted to each other as life partners, etc.

One thing I have noticed is that many stories on this site point to one issue or event that leads the spouse to cheat. We know that most cheating spouses are men but when women cheat we tend to get more upset. One truth is that like a car accident there are usual more reasons for the cheating actions than just "she had big tits I had to sample." For men, it may be a mid-life crisis + wife is distracted by having to focus on the kids + lonely divorcee who was waiting for the husband to give out the signal that he was available.

One of the things I thought the story needed was more dialogue/background about the wife. Was she this orge who happily raised 3 great kids into being responsible adults?
How can we believe or not that the scene with the Reverend was one time since it is implied that Charlie stopped making love to her for 20 years and she had gone 1 year without it before she was caught? I guess I do not get Charlie's attitude about protecting his "kids" so long. At ages from 40 to 33 with their own families didn't he think that they would have the maturity to understand about martial infidelity, even their mother's?

Lastly, haven't Charlie heard about marital aids (e.g., vibrators, dildos), use of fingers and mouth to please his wife? 40 years ago it was 1966 so both of them came of age during the'60s, the time of sexual freedom and expression. If they had such an active sex life you would think that they would try different ways to please each other.

I felt sorry for Charlie because the hate he kept inside ultimately shorten that life he wanted to spend with his children. As soon as the kids were out and on their own he should have either divorced Sally or reconciled with her. In a way Sally came out of this marriage better because she got a devoted husband for 20 more years and her dirty little secret was still safe.

SleeplessinMD

stupid

People end up blaming God or god alot which is stupid. Yeah he made people stupid to gain Wisdom through Him, but it is not God's fault he made husbands self loathing martyrs, wives sluts and preachers dictomaniacs preying on people they should be helping.

Unpleasant

I read stories on this site for pleasure (!!!) and this one provided none.

It was a well-written, nicely composed downer.

I read it and then got a shower.

I intend no insult -- the author clearly has talent -- but, basically, yuck.

Nice Comments

Though I think the husband a fool for enduring all this for 20 years, my vindictive nature likes that he told her at the end so she can now live with it for the rest of her life.

Many of the negative comments have some merit here, but it is your story so don't take them too seriously.

I feel that had he confronted her initially there might have been a chance to salvage the marriage as a healthy one. I also feel it might have ended and perhaps both could have moved on into healthy relationships.

Now, the real crux of this situation is this. Charleybear likes his sex way too much to go back to the meds and lose that nice boner for 20 years. Damn, that man isn't normal.

Nice Job Leap Year Guy, you got us all talking. Thank you for your efforts.

Charleybear

In contrast to some other comments...

I could well believe this could happen. Men are trained by society not to show their feelings, especially those of vulnerability or hurt. To me it seems totally plausible that a husband could keep such a traumatic discovery to himself for two decades, freezing out his betrayer but never letting her know the reason. Who knows, maybe his hidden anger was responsible for his (obviously) terminal illness. Best, Ken

Another perspective.

Personally, I think that if he had confronted his wife, they may have been able to salvage the marriage, and maybe even continued to love each other as a happy couple. But he did not. So that is the way the story goes.

By the same token she could have confessed the one-time affair to her husband. And again the marriage may have survived, etc, etc…… But she did not. Again, that is the way the story goes.

The question that comes to my mind was….. (Since the author only gave us a very small hint at the end of the story of how the wife felt about the affair.)…….. How did the wife deal with her emotions, guilt, and remorse over the one-time affair? We do not know this since the author did not explore it.

But, think about it she has had twenty years to remember that her last physical liaison was with someone other than her “apparently loving and devoted” husband. She has had to live with her one-time “temptation/liaison” for the last twenty years just like her husband has had to live with it.

Remember, other than the one-time liaison, she apparently has been faithful to her husband for the last twenty years even though there was no physical touching/loving with her husband at all over the last twenty years (as was related to us by her husband). It would be interesting to see those last twenty years from her eyes. We may pity her or we may hate her depending how the writer presented the story. Almost makes me want to write the story myself, it would be my first story submission.

This was a sad story.

Tough One to Read

As others have said, this was a well-written downer. It's very interesting to imagine someone deciding to essentially sacrifice twenty years' worth of personal pleasure to protect the happiness of others and the reputation of one who was undeserving. The implausible part was maintaining the facade of happy but sexless marriage for twenty years - it's really hard to imagine him getting away with that and having the wife suspect NOTHING, especially when her lover up and leaves town after her husband returns right after their only? tryst. It would take a consummate actor or an self-delusional idiot to pull that off. Maybe there was both there.
As for blaming God and the Church for his problems, that fallacious behavior does happen in real life. It's interesting that he made sure that his wife knew not only of his contempt for her, but for his defiance of religion and God in the last minutes of his life. That's a long way to go to preserve the illusions of his children and grandchildren.
Obviously he could have found some way to stop living a lie, either through confrontation, reconciliation, or by simply taking the blame for splitting up, but he chose a twenty-year penance instead.

A clarification - no slippery slope.

My comment about the husband suggesting that he would not object to his wife taking a sex partner is tightly focused on the husband having a long-term (more than a year) medical condition that renders him impotent. Most wives would not do this and would sublimate their desires and concentrate on the family. Obviously, this story might have had a different outcome if hubby and wifey had talked about this more and come to some agreement. There is no slippery slope in sight in my comment.

Every married guy on this planet will become impotent if they live long enough. So, you too will face the situation described in this story. I know a woman who’s father became impotent at the age of forty. She said her mother had a great deal of difficulty living without loving, marital sex. This same woman’s husband has reached the age of impotence. She’s quite sad about the loss of that form of intimacy and her husband has had a rough time emotionally. Enjoy it while you can because one day it’ll be gone.

You’ll find that time may provide life experiences that will bring a certain level of acquiescence to things you thought you’d murder over when you were younger. I’ve met people who have had life and death experiences that make questions of fidelity pale to insignificance. My wife has twice had situations where the question of the greater good had to be decided. Nothing happened in the end but it sure sets you back on your heels and makes you think deeply about your reaction to what, up until then, had been the unthinkable. Life happens.

Phil

Bullshit

This piss-poor trash was posted by a sick motherfucker.

Charlie is a wimp asshole obsessed with money.

He is stupid enough to blame others for his failings.

His slut wife is a worthless whore.

If he loved his children he would have kicked the bitch out.

It is easy to blame God for our mistakes and weakness.

Charlie is gone. May he rest in Hell.

Unrealistic!!!

enough said.

But well written.

I can see a parallel

Your charactor, Charlie, remeinds me of the many evangelicals on this site that can't stand to see a cheating wife. Both Charlie and the evangelicals are very bitter people. They are so consumed by their hatred that they seem to actually enjoy it. Charlie wouldn't dare tell his wife he found out about her because in all likelihood a solution may have been developed and he would no longer be able to feel so morally superior. Meanwhile the evangelicals seem to anxiously wait for another cheating wife story so they can leave yet another moronic anonymous comment to make themselves fell better about their own miserble existences

I thought this was a pretty well written short story and I would have given you a 5 if the wife had whispered back to Charlie, "You mean he was the first one you caught me with? Hell old man I've slept with the whole town. If you want to count the time that I was true to you as the amount of time you had a happy marriage I guess we had a hell of a one week union. Now die old man so I can collect your life insurance." Now wouldn't that have been a kick in the pants to both Charlie and the evangelicals!

Gee Bazzie - Still Under Your Lowly Lonely Rock Eh

Bazzie when you next go to the dictionary look up the word respect. I guaranty your picture won't be there but you will learn something having to do with it and the self respect you also lack.

You strike out at those who ask for a little or a lot of life's realities and the accompanying leveling aspect of consequences where appropriate.

By your words you know nothing of value in life except what you perceptually and selfishly need now without concern for the future. Your freakish words and position reek with self absorbsion without concern for those around you as everyone else's mindset of value is a foriegn absurd notion in your mindless valueless world.

When Bazzie you learn the word respect and its meaning, life will mean more to you - you can't ask for respect as no one gives it to someone who doesn't give it themself. Bazzie -your selfish little sick island will shrink in time to what you deserve and that will force life's realities and self imposed consequence. Then you may actually and honestly self respect yourself - honestly is the key word.

Then you won't feel the need to bring others down to your way of postulating and self imposed lessor level.

Lastly - No one should be here to impose their morals while seeking arousal. It is respect of self and others that we hope for here at least as much as possible anyway - failing that - then we expect some level of consequence. Then it's credible Bazzie. Plus entertaining.

Author - You and your work is appreciated as imaginative and talented. More at interval is hoped for.

They all had to be blind deaf and lame

The concept presented by the story I will call it ‘the parents staying together at all cost’ goes as follows: ‘I am a great family person, except I hate my spouse; yet because of the children I will stay anyway’. With all due respect I take exception. Here goes the competing theory AKA : the modeling theory. Have been around for at least fifty years and widely practiced all over. In its implication to the issue of marital conflict it says: be the best parent by being the best spouse. If ‘no can do’ with current spouse, urgently work on changing current situation, so that children stop absorbing falsehoods and distorted picture of what loving relations between adults mean. And hopefully they do learn what it really means from real loving relations in your new relations.
But that’s not the reason why the story did not work. It just shows that the main character was not emotionally intelligent (believing in arcane and mentally unhealthy family practices) and the story not too realistic (fiction does not have to be realistic) But it has to be coherent. Which it was not.
For the story to work the way the narrator tells it ALL OTHER CHRACTERS had to be both blind and deaf OR very very dumb, something the story never mentioned.
1. Case in point: the exposed preacher. We are asked to believe, would never try to warn the wife so that they could coordinate their stories and do “damage control”. He must be very dumb.
2. The wife never suspects a thing. As she stands next to her husband, next thing you know the preacher/lover disappears with no return address. She too must be very dumb.
3. As soon as the husband comes home and for twenty years NOT ONCE does he sleep, or naps or snuggle next to his wife. Yet she is oblivious. She never notices any thing on his face, no change in his demeanor nothing –for TWENTY YEARS. She must be also blind and deaf, as even mentally disabled people would notice that something is very wrong.
4. The children; the grand children; close friends – NOT ONE notices any thing for twenty years. What water did they drink there to disable their cognitive and sensory systems?
I ask the author to please read OHIO’s recent story. It shows what people do sense and absorb from each others non verbal messages AS ANY ONE WHO IS IN RELATIONS KNOWS TO BE TRUE. If only one percentage of that existed in any of the characters in this story the plot falls. You can’t seriously ask us ask us to believe that every one in the story is consistently so blind and so dumb for such a long time. That’s why the story can’t work

Provocative !!!

A choice so simple . Destroy your family , or not .... I
suspect that there are millions of families doing just that , all over the world ... and for eons too . I know
many , many people who are "civil" to their spouses , and nothing more . Over time , the act becomes so routine , that no one feels any difference . Millions of marriages are sex-less after 20-25 years leaving a sort of politeness behind . The character's refuge in "back pain" made it all possible . I would have preferred an ending like the one in the movie " The Bridges of Madison County" , where the answers to everyones' questions are in a box , opened after the actors are gone . I didn't feel that he satisfied anything by telling her the secret just as he drew his final breath , but I enjoyed this story all the way through..Thanks , Bob R.

ps. If there really are evangelicals using this forum.... they are seriously messed up !!!

he knew his man

it's well he chose to make this huge sacrifice for his family.
what the husband didn't tell us but came out in the end was just how mean spirited and hateful he really was.he probably knew how his children would dispise him for the person he really was.

well told story.

don

Oh I am a martyr

I have lived a lie for 20 years to piss off my wife and make my children whole in a shame of a home. No I dont see this man doing this for his near grown kids. I see a fool with no self esteem and no sense of life. A wasted life is a wasted life. And he wasted his and hers and indicrectly his childrens believing in a lie. Seems more likely he could not take the pain and wanted an excuse to get back on the meds. Being the martyr in his own mind make him godly for taking the pills.

No I figure is is just as weak and pathetic as his wife.

For the children's sake

Well written, but the kids are gonna pick up clues about having a happy marriage from this asshole is totally ridiculous. For the sake of the children is pure hogwash. The damage he did to his kids has probably ruined their lives. Kids can sense when something is wrong. When they don't feel the love their parents should have for each other, they may think this shit is normal.Nuff said. Luis

stupid vindictive bastard.

An unbelievable story about a mean-hearted bastard who first did not trust his wife enough to tell her he was stopping the medication and then refused to discuss her stupid adultery with her. Instead for 20 years he wallowed in his self pity and hatred for his wife while he lived in a loveless marriage.Sorry, I think wife screwd up royally with some provocation resulting from her sexless marriage, but he was considerably worse than his wife living out a self pitying bitter marriage for 20 years. Unbelevable that wife and kids did not realize what was going on.
60 year old George

okay

I think the story was well wrtten--but not well thought out
Iagree with 60 yr old George.

SRIH

That means Sally Rot In Hell Husband gave his whole self to his family and what does Sally do she fucks the revend lets see if the rev and sally get through the gates of heaven now good luck to them.
Pat

Husband story made no sense

Wife got discount, 20 years off with no troubles. Husband punished HIMSELF (???) no one knew about his wasted life
and secret codes except for himself. He wasted his life for nothing. I'd say this guy was in love with one thing - martyrdom