All Comments on 'Garage Sales'

by K.K.

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  • 54 Comments
AnonymousAnonymousover 17 years ago
What's with the double end?

The two aren't contradictory, but did they serve a purpose? Or was this a minor editing error?

At any rate, this was an OK story. It didn't do much for me, but it was well written and the plot didn't have any major holes.

H20waderH20waderover 17 years ago
a very good story.

one of the best i have read in some time. i saw the so called double ending for exactlly what is was. Welcome to world of a recovering alcoholic.

there have been a lot of changes in your writing and your life. I know the effort it took. and i congratulate you.

the writing is moreof a real author not just a writer. the ideas are founded in love and a future.

Good times await and also the daily mantra "I will drink today."

H20wader

wade

PS Dee, your husband loves you and will try to do his best. love him but watch him. talk every day.. it is easy to slip back.

Alvaron53Alvaron53over 17 years ago
Fine story-telling

A sobering tale, no pun intended. Above average writing with excellent character development and a realistic plot. The characters are flawed and human and they act in ways that are believable. The resolution of the central conflict in the main character's life is superbly handled as he grows from denial to acceptance of his addiction. Watching the two characters struggle with the problems in their lives and in their marriage evokes a sense of pathos as solutions are tried and fail. Once than more, I wanted to reach out, do something to help them find an answer and that's fine story-telling.

Excellent fiction this is. This 100's for you, K.K., for story well-told. My thanks.

AnonymousAnonymousover 17 years ago
Great message but weak story

I love the message and your heart felt effort. But the story seemed to be a stalking horse for the message. I can't see the friends telling his wife as a joke that he cheated. If it was a joke how could she be sure what happened. Next, chronologically come her ploy for the golf clubs. Yet in her talk later she said she only did this after he got jealous. Then when she communicates complete disrespect at the Brass Rail, he just goes into wimp mode. Rather than being "smart" and findng out who was the "other man"; he should have stood up and said that he had hoped to see his wife their but apparently a shrew showed up instead. Then he turns into a drama queen.

None of these actions make sense. How could the golf clubs (even if we rearrange the story to a proper chronology) lead to reconciliation? How does being a wimp, help a spouse love her husband? How does telling her he killed another man do anything other than cause more problems? We are supposed to believe that his part not making sense was due to alcoholism; but most of his problematic actions are when sober. Was she also alcoholic.

If the main story had worked better than the first ending would be his wishful thinking and we would accept the second ending as real. Unfortunately even the rehab is problematic. He talked for a long time with the doctor to choose a center but didn't know the visitation policy? He can call her but she can't call him? Thus readers wonder whether the endings are just another mistake.

I hope you can rewrite this into (at least) two stories. The pain of an alcoholic as [s]he hits rock bottom would make a great story. To reflect on the pain caused others, with the spouse at the top of the list. The garage sale part could be a separate story -- perhaps the clubs were part of a xmas share program and got stollen??

Blue88Blue88over 17 years ago
Well Done

I enjoyed this tale. It points up just how fragile relationship can be. I found this to be realistic and thank goodness it had a happy ending - it could have ended horribly just as easily.

AnonymousAnonymousover 17 years ago
Stupid is as Stupid Does!.

Husband gets drunk. Buddies tell lie about his tryst with barmaid and he denies it. Wife believes the worst and gets revenge. Husband get jealous and he takes actions which leads to tragic outcomes.

I found the wife's version of events not credible. Even if he cheated on her while drunk what is so bad about his denial? He was drunk! There was no proof that the incident happened as alleged. So rather than working things out which she claimed to want, she plays these mind games with him.

So the same guy, Carl, she uses to make her husband jealous just happen to be the guy she gives the expensive golf clubs. What a minute! Carl's wife said that the golf clubs were gifts. Dee claims that she was selling them to Carl.

Lastly, to blame everything on alcohol followed by the coincidence of the mugging mistaken for suicide was too much. His drinking causes him to pull this cruel prank (He clearly crossed the line) on Dee but it does not impede his successful coverup of his actions in the minutes before the police arrives.

Bottom LIne: This couple deserves each other. In the end I did not care what happened to their marriage. Even though I did not like the characters you did an excellent job in writing this story.

SleeplessinMD

SalamisSalamisover 17 years ago
A Good reality check

Having grown up with an alcoholic I found this story frightening in its realism.

AnonymousAnonymousover 17 years ago
One day

A law will be made to prevent retarded people from drinking alchol, till then I guess we'll have to put up with mentaly retarded stories

Average-JoeAverage-Joeover 17 years ago
Very good story

Not much to say really - just that I liked this story very much.

Thanks again for writing. I think your stories are among the best on lit and Im always happy when a new one shows up.

AnonymousAnonymousover 17 years ago
wow is the awful or what ....

Typical KK story where ONLY the Husband is one at fault... there are soo many HUGE problems here I dont know where to begin

is there any reason WHY she Beleived the friends with NO proof? presumably she Knows after all this time they have been married that when he drinks heavily he cant perform...

she doesnt care... she Leaps to a conclusion with No facts

second its clear she was really really angry with No evidence. The facts that he kept denying it only pissed her off more.

KK as usually develops a sequence of event that can ONLY lead to one thing.... then twists the facts a round to show she technically she did not cheat.

the way this story is developed the only possible result is that she cheated with CARL. The Gold clubs thing was a mistake But only b/c it PROVED she fucked Karl

JakeRiversJakeRiversalmost 17 years ago
Actually I'm surprised that there are so few

comments on this story. I'm even more surprised to realize that I have commented.

<p>

I've read this several time and always enjoyed it. It's quite well written - there is no question that K.K. is one of the better writers on this site. The story was well constructed and interesting to read. I can see it happening exactly like the story read. There are few (if any) typos and the characters actually talk like adults.

<p>

I don't always like K.K.s plots ... but I always like his stories!

<p>

I can't think of anything I would change but I do get this flash of how much fun it would be to put the golf clubs in their bed with a note that said that her choice was clear and the her would get out of her way ... and disappeared.

<p>

Great job, K.K.- Jack

NucleusNucleusover 16 years ago
Great job ...

Thank you very much. One of my family had a problem with alcohol. I know the reasons and how much effort it costs to get rid of the addiction. I always have deep respect for people who get rid of an addiction. Not many people may comprehend the great effort it costs. (Sorry about my funny english) I'll hope you understand.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 16 years ago
Great Story

Reread it and got more out of it. Mark of a good story is how much you enjoy it the 2ed or 3ed time. Thanks.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 16 years ago
ahh :)

Plausible story almost, especially considering his drinking problems. although I'm not happy with her either. First of all She should have seen his drinking, secondly it was f* stupid to revengef*k even if only pretending. But his drinking really freaked me out... Cheers Yoron

AnonymousAnonymousover 15 years ago
I liked the story!

I liked the story. Alcohol can definitely destroy lives and families. But it did seem though that the wife had a thing going on with Carl. That whole thing with the golf clubs was too convenient and her rubbing herself up against him every chance she got on the dance floor just calls into question what her real motives were. She had to know that her husband was a drunk. Rather than trying to bring it all out in the open and really let him know how she felt, she decided that she would rather fool around with old Carl for awhile to get some payback. The bottom line is, her husband was a worthless drunk but she wasn't blameless. Anyway, good work as usual KK!

AnonymousAnonymousabout 15 years ago
A problem drinker and an out of control wife.

There use to be signs that said, friends dont let friends drive drunk. Wonder what that sign would have said about what a wife would do? She did everything in a negative manner that increased the level of confrontation. And she did it on purpose. She was out of control ordering him out of the bar. She stayed out late on purpose, supposedly to make him wonder, she gave the clubs to her "friend" and lied about who she gave them to. She ran off and refused to talk to him. And from his perspective he was innocent and she was the one raising the ante. She intentionally led him to believe she was having an affair and then got upset when she thought he had killed her "lover". Of course if she worked with Carl she knew he was going away for two weeks. The only person that said she was not having an affair was her. He has no proof she did or did not have an affair but she sure made it appear she was having one. Yes he was drunk and had sex with a barmaid. Wow, it was so good he didnt even remember it. No the problem wasnt him, it was his drinking and his wife. The wife is a control freak and use to manipulating her husband. Would I stay married to her if I was in his place, not on your life. No way to trust her, she destroyed any trust he had in her with her actions, her lies, and her deceit. End of marriage.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 15 years ago
typical good K.K. story

K.K.'s stories are always entertaining, but I found this one irritating, probably because I spent years bartending when I was getting through graduate school and developed a virulent dislike for drunks. Beside the alchoholic husband and the vengeful wife, some of the story was a little over the top--the whole revolver incident amd the alleged hold up that was maybe a suicide? not one of K.K.s better efforts.

the Ct. Yankee

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 15 years ago
both

seemd to take their position a tad far, and being apart the wiser ? his addiction was being addressed and compounded by wife?

nyminusnyminusalmost 15 years ago
No kids...that was good.

I can just imagine a home where the father was an alcaholic

Before people have kids it should be the law that a drunk can't have any kids. More kids have their lives ruined with one or two drunken parents.I really mean it

AnonymousAnonymousover 14 years ago
Good storey,but??

well written story, but the whole revolver incident and the hold and wallet theft did not make any sense or contribute to the story.

60 year old George

bigguy323bigguy323over 13 years ago
Well, I don't see that the wife could definitively conclude he cheated. Heck, HE didn't even know he cheated.

So, her actions are way out of proportion to the known (by her) facts.

His actions resulted in his concluding BEFORE he got shot that alcohol was his problem. So, as far as I can see he still should be extremely suspicious of her slutty behavior.

Maybe she did cheat.

This was fairly well written and I liked the story until the reconciliation at the end. I think he forgave her cheating because he found out about HIS cheating and NOT because he believes she did not cheat.

FD45FD45almost 13 years ago
Well done

I'm sitting gaping at the page as he ruins himself with alcohol and you brougnt it to the forefront.

I liked this story a lot.

His wife is still very questionable. I am not cutting him any slack because he's a guy, but he had no intent to cheat or to hurt his wife. She was cold sober when she made those choices.

emotionnmotionemotionnmotionabout 12 years ago
ohhh

the beer and the belly...

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 12 years ago
well now since his marriage to her is set in alcohol

getting sober and staying sober will probably end that marriage,

RePhilRePhilalmost 12 years ago
Well done

Keep it up

AnonymousAnonymousover 11 years ago

i feel the same way about when a man cheats as i do a woman, He dont deserve a second chance, divorce his ass and let him rot.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 11 years ago
Damned good story.

Regardless of the Troll reaction, I reckon it is a very poignant story and one that should be remembered by all who drink too much.

HP

LordSlamdawggLordSlamdawggabout 11 years ago
Epitome of pathos and comedy cunningly mixed in equal measures !

This is a shaggy, drunk story. Incredible how K.K. has the narrator & us lulled in terms of the true nature of the main problem. Loved how soft spoken the main character's voice stayed, until he made his feckless big move. It's easy to see why his wife ultimately decided to stay with him. Geat read .

betrayedbylovebetrayedbyloveover 10 years ago
Good Tale

Well written. He still cheated. Drinking is no excuse. Oh well.

Drbeamer3333Drbeamer3333about 10 years ago
Enjoyed it

Five stars. Thanks for the offering.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 9 years ago
Good story about alcohol and relationships

You need to learn something about guns though. The mistakes were pretty distracting.

AnonymousAnonymousover 7 years ago
A Couple Of Serious Questions

The police have the gun that he supposedly used to commit suicide. It is not his. They can search the pond and find the .38 that had belonged to his grandfather. Who actually shot him? I think either his wife or one of his drinking partners had something to do with his shooting. Or maybe one of the barmaid's wanna be boyfriends. In all of the accounts of his drinking except the night that he allegedly had sex with the barmaid, he may have been impaired and even drunk, but still cognizant of his actions. Evidence points to the possibility that he had been drugged by someone at Cody's. Yes, she 'let' her husband go out alone to Cody's , but she was always welcome to come with her husband. In fact, it would have pleased him. But, in her case, she was actually upset when she found him at the Brass Rail. This constitutes cheating, even if nothing sexual occurred. Their marriage doesn't stand a chance out in the real world.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 7 years ago
WHO SHOT ROGER RABBIT

My opinion he has a lying cheating slut wife! His friends set him up? Who shot him! His wife all but confessed to her whoring in the kitchen when he had the gun? Love you all! GREG. OH 100 % OF READING ENJOYMENT BYE

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 7 years ago
I don't think so

She's lying through her teeth. Just get sober, get a divorce and move on. Their marriage is toast. Horrible ending.

AnonymousAnonymousover 6 years ago
Whos Kidding Who

So drunk you can't remember and still get it up! I don't think so. More likely his friends got the barmaid to join in with their teasing to make him think he might have.

The shooting would not have looked like suicide. Any investigation would have shown he had a rational conversation with the barmaid then walked two blocks. He also bought a beer yet didn't have his wallet when found. As he didn't see his assailant they must have been behind him - so how could he have shot himself from that angle. I'm sure even a bad detective would have picked that up. As muggers don't leave their weapons behind - the scene would have looked more like an attempted murder made to look like a suicide. Maybe whoever did it thought he was dead. The only person mentioning suicide was his wife immediately putting her in the frame.

I'm sorry it just doesn't add up!

AnonymousAnonymousover 6 years ago
Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!

You folks, who critiqued the story, sure do have some serious trust problems. His wife while quite the manipulator, seemed to be sincere in wanting to keep the marriage going so why do all of you see conspiracy. Never Mind!!!!!!!

The story was well written and carried some dramatic power if you've ever been addicted or worked with addicted persons. I found the story really believable but found your loss of memory hard to take given your acts. Does a man that drunk seek sexual release? I don't know. Good story, well written, happy ending. The end was a little fairy tale.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 6 years ago
Anonymous

There was a comment left here criticising others as having trustworthy problems. Then they mention the women was a manipulator!

Duh!

Of course there are trustworthy problems where manipulation is involved!

AnonymousAnonymousover 5 years ago
The Story Was Four Stars! But the Fascinating Thing is That . . .

. . . Of the double standard that all the commenters (mainly anon) made, accusing the wife of being a chating bitch! Had the sexes been reversed for this story, there would have been hundreds of comments that the cheating wife (who would have boinked the busboy in the rest room) should be hanged, drawn, and quartered, instead of any reconciliation! It just shows how viciously, nastily, and vitriolic the miscogynistic Neanderthals who infest this category ruin it with their preconceived delusions (such as the fool who keeps insistng a woman is a life support system for a cunt)!

Those despcable swine insist on re-writing the story in their malfunctinng brains that the wife cheated--they can't let the author tellhis story HIS way with HIS REALITY OF THE STORY, and give their uninformed, ill-advised and just plain stupid changes to the story, to try to make it just another Burn the Bitch tale!

The anons here are really disgusting!

Old JAG ( lost my account & webmasters won't let me get it back!)

AnonymousAnonymousover 5 years ago
He cheated. Wife was right.

Needs to be BTBastard.

AnonymousAnonymousover 5 years ago
Golf Clubs Problem

I had no problem following along with the story until the golf clubs showed up at the garage sale. His wife must have certainly been aware that the clubs, or anything he received as a buyer, could not be sold or even re-gifted in any way that would bring advantage to him. Even the contributions to the schools/charities would have been done in the name of the store, not his. She knowingly put his job at risk, and her deliberate lie showed she knew she was peculating as well as hiding her lover.

The two alternate endings (?) were confusing. To me, both are part of the story, and are not alternates -- the story just has a time ordering formatting problem. He's getting out of rehab and working on the marriage. Five years later he's still sober. In both sections, he and Dee are still together, and neither section excludes the other as alternate endings normally do.

AnonymousAnonymousalmost 5 years ago
Very good story...

...the strange double ending was confusing. Also, who shot him? Other than that, great writing. Excellent story teller. 5 stars thanx!

Loklie

johsunjohsunover 3 years ago

Interesting story. I like that the MC finally took responsibility. Just shows how bad things can get with drinking - the wife was already at a point where she needed to 'teach him a lesson'.

While I was in purchasing for a time, it was for an industrial facility and. the gifts weren't that great. I do have a nice chain saw and pair of binoculars - twenty five years after retiring.

There were some sales people who actually tried to bribe me. I was young and dumb at that point and turned them down. Too many folks in Sales are sleezeballs.

AnonymousAnonymousover 3 years ago
Got To Say

Certain parts of the story wouldn't pass the smell test in the real world like giving the $1,500 golf clubs to a married man she worked with and the lies she told to do it, him getting shot by 'someone' or the only time he was so drunk that he blacked out in the story but was able to bang the barmaid in the ladies room. That last part sounds more like a drugged setup to me, but suspicions aside, the author wrote the story and that's what we have to work with. Only the facts,ma'am.

Given the circumstances of the cheating in the ladies room and actions of the wife with her not lover, seems to me some blood work would be in order. His would have been done during his stay in rehab, but what about her? I just play the old game of connect the dots.

A unique, clever story line. Signed: BTW

AnonymousAnonymousover 3 years ago

I'm going to have to add this to my list of Literotica Genre Deconstructions, along with Jolene and... Well I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I like it when a story takes the common elements of the medium-the suspicious behaviors, the elaborate schemes, the ubiquitous drink before every move, the first-person perspective-and plays them in a more realistic way-an unreliable alcoholic narrator who can't remember what really happened, has misinterpreted a series of coincidences, hurts people with his drunken antics and pretty much ruins his life before he can admit his faults and do something about it. It's deeper and realer than the normal blue-collar superhero catharsis most writers here pump out, thanks for sharing with us!!!

AnonymousAnonymousover 3 years ago

Began as an interesting story but what followed was pure inconsistent storytelling to shape an ending that isn't supported by the writing.

InfosaugerInfosaugerabout 3 years ago

After the first few paragrphs I knew he was an alcoholic and not really likeable. The stunt he made at home with the gun in front of the wife was cruel.

But when he realized himself being an alcoholic and turned around his life it was a very good story.

AnonymousAnonymousover 2 years ago

This story is to close to home for me. Like most alcoholics I went through my own personal hell. I've been sober now for over 40 years and throughout the hell I went through and put my family through my wife stayed by my side and helped me recover. I didn't go into rehab but went to AA where I eventually became one of the people manning phone lines to help others.

I've read a few of this authors stories and while I think he doesn't get across the real emotions in the stories he does create realistic storylines.

AnonymousAnonymousover 2 years ago

Some pretty stuip things happen hear in this story...All in all...this is a love story...a little different...but Good....

AnonymousAnonymousabout 2 years ago

This story has holes. Carl was going to pay some money for the golf clubs but Dee doesn’t mention anything about Carl giving her money. If Dee gave Carl the clubs for free that opens up a bunch of questions about their relationship since she told her husband that Carl wasn’t even a friend!. Who gives $1500 presents to non friends? Why isn’t there a description of the husband asking his friends when sober about the time with the bar maid. First off you can’t do much in 20 minutes since that included the time to walk to and back from the women’s washroom. There is time required to partially undress prior to the act and redress. The actual time available wouldn’t even get past the making out stage. Also if he was so drunk that he can’t remember then he would have a hard time walking and wouldn’t be able to get hard! When you are that out of it drunk your body does feel any stimulation. Anyone who says that they had drunken sex were only slightly drunk because they remembered the event!

AnonymousAnonymousover 1 year ago

Very creative story. Are we to assume that the gun used by the mugger was also a snub nosed .38? Seems unlikely and ballistics would easily verify that they are different. I assume the mugger took his gun. The golf clubs shenanigans were a bit weird but I don't think thr author is running a double bluff with Dee. That was just separate from the wanting to get her husband mad charade. Not sure why everyone in the comments is upset with the wife for being manipulative and lying. Heck a lot of the cheated on husbands in LW stories lie, intimidate, and manipulate to get revenge or get to the truth of an affair. The alcoholism was serious business. Glad to see he got help. The scene where she shows up and they have a picnic is sweet.

AnonymousAnonymousabout 1 year ago

If Literotica ever gets around to giving out a social significance award, this would be a worth recipient.

A good read! If you are one of the people negatively affected by alcohol, either in drinking or a loved one drinking this is just not a 5, it is a 20.

AnonymousAnonymous4 months ago

Where are all the BURN THE BITCH fanboys demanding the bitch (in this case the dude) be burned at the stake for cheating???

AnonymousAnonymousabout 1 month ago

Why is it the MC has to drink to solve their problems. Think he needs to go to AA.

AnonymousAnonymous18 days ago

Drinking supposedly reduces your ability to procurate.

Difference between a drunk and alcoholic?

Drunk does not attend damn meetings.

LOVE slap-hapy-papy #9

Anonymous
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