All Comments on 'Boston to Birmingham Ch. 02'

Well, sounds like a real good start to a story. Ya know, don't mess with the tigers tail til ya know what you're gonna do with the tiger.....sounds like more than one fishing hole is gonna be outta bounds....fact is, some folks are plain mean, and no one messes with them. Kinda reminds me of a great uncle of mine here after WW2. East Texas was a hopping with all kinds of rackets....Those old boys simply didn't fear the Sherrif, and he didn't want to get shot. As for the fight, well, I was rootin' for Crystal Anne.....Can't wait for the next chapter!

This ranks up there with some of the best out there

Nothing like a good catfight in the creek to get the juices flowing. Looking forward to the next chapter, so let's get a move on feller!

Ok ! First the good news . The characters are starting to transcend the suddenly shakey story. Gwen is treading the path to redemption & the author did a masterful job in creating tension and suspense for ensuing fireworks that will go off when she & Hardy finally meet and speak.

I loved the understated menace in the cousin phone conversation post Gwen's abortive involuntary detainment. Hardy came out Top-dawg without breaking a sweat. Now in terms of narrative: the story is hop-scotching back and forth from character vantage points, time frameworks rear up 2 decades apart and physical locations continents apart.

The author is treading a shakey high wire with trying to infuse a lot of back story and maintain a concise and focused narrative. He failed " this time " in that regard . Yet I care about the characters qhml1 has created and want to know their fate.

These people have real flaws but own compensatory strengths. The separated couple hew to the long term fundamentals that make a reader sympathize with their plights. It augurs well towards a potential reconciliation ( much to the disconcertment of the BTB faction who slashed their pillow for feathers & had barrel of tar boiling to mix , match & adhere to Gwen's fair body).

Personally I thought it very well conceived that the author had Hardy seek counseling for his Hades-rooted rage issues and am surprised that Gwen is not as susceptiable to seeking guideence for her recreational drug propensities.

Addicts never stop being addicts : they need to replace negative habits with positive ones. Long work hours are commendable but I didn't see the inherent maturity needed to do a complete 180 degree transition from self-indulgent workaholic heiress to repentant wife. That girl needs guidance & I don't mean Oprah reruns.

Mega- thanks to author who clearly is battling in telling convoluted and ambitious saga. Though intermittent signs of strain have shown themselves in the process . I'm optimistic that this Qhml1 has the skill and heart to make this story merit rereading by his fans ( of which I am one ) with profit and pleasure.

I hope he takes whatever time deemed necessary to hone this tale to wonderful, initial cutting point and not be rushed by those harrying cries of scalawags like Hard Day's Knight who incite other fellow authors to publish on timely basis and yet let their Hall of Fame short story resumes lay fallow for this publishing season!

Rarely do I enjoy a read as much as this one. You captured the essence of real Southern culture and the way they talk very nicely. The family relationships and the respect for the women is a delight to read about in your story. I think that I can see where this is going and have no doubts that I will enjoy the journey.

Five stars.

Fuck this was good... I'm soooo hooked now! Want more! LOL

Having fun with this one

Makes the whole story a load of crap.

Dont make us wait as long this time for Chapter 3...

Being from this area of Bama and being very similar to the main character makes this a great story. May be the best that I have read on here.

Well, QHML1 & LSD each get a fiver from me. My main quibble is that there was NO rhubarb pie at either family picnic the readers have been invited to! Chocolate pie but no peanut-butter pie? I will forgive that the 'greens' did not include poke salat!

I hope Harry doesn't get into too much hot water with the 'Capo' because everyone has to know Hubby was ready because of Harry!

The editing was light in areas, but the story line is riveting. Action, drama, suspense, and bigger than life characters. This is a blast!

i am waiting for the next chapter..i am loving this story. great writing as it holds my interest.

The characters were so typical, cheating/stupid wife, mild mannered husband who secretly was a badass in the military yada yada yada. BUT, you have completely fleshed out your characters and given them a depth I wasn't expecting. I'm curious to see what the resolution will look like.

Well done.

but then you have language, customs, cultures and try to reinvent the past, TK U MLJ LV NV

I've loved your other stories but this is putting you into the league that Rehnquist and DQS1 are in.

While StangStar is up there, lately he hasn't changed his formula and miss some of the fire tongue'd dialogue of my female hero's in his stories: Amanda from The Art of Divorce, Kath from O.I.N.D. GILF, and Evie from Carefree Highway. Love those girls! Your character Crystal Anne has some promise in that and I'll love seeing you flesh her out.

I didn't like the way your 'Sell the Bitch's Car' started in the 1st two chapters, and I thought it was finished. Then you came back and, well, it's like you were a different writer! Everything since has been killer good.

The way you have developed your characters with so much detail and emotion in them is a big plus in my opinion. I also like that you don't dwell on the 'burn the bitch' mentality that so many aspire to in their comments on this site. It may seem appropriate in certain stories but it seems there are a lot of people who throw rocks, forgetting about the glass house they live in themselves. Also, while a 'good' flash story can be good, I like to savor a story and love a longer, well developed story. While DQS1 has done that, it's so far to the extreme that there still has been no closure, over 2 1/2 years later. You seem to be able to put detail into it and finish it.

So far, nice work with this. March on and knock em dead!

Rob

it seems to be going wrong. The whole thing is becoming one big hackneyed cliche. Hardy is the worst of all. You've turned him into the classic tough as nails badass who none the less is anxious to bend over and take it up the ass for his cheating wife. It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up apologizing to her for interrupting her fuck fest with her old flame and offer to make it up to her by licking her next lover's cock clean and then sucking his cum out of her cunt. You don't have to worry about his PTS, its the schizophenia that will be the problem. And while we're on the topic of cliches, what's with the cast of Hee-Haw coming on the scene?

she should go into a toilet and cut her own throat.

This is a winner. You've got the law, criminals, crumbling marriages, love and lust. People that seem to be one thing but get deeper and more real as you get further into the story. Where have I heard that before? All kidding aside, this one gets better as you go along. Being as I am a sucker for happy endings, I find myself rooting for the spoiled heiress and the bruised former bad guy turned hard nosed good guy to make it back together. And I love the southern flavor. I'm a son of the south, by way of a LONG detour internationally, and I know some of what you've illustrated here. You might have laid it on a little thick with the Corn Pone, but as a Southerner I find most treatments of the South in literature and film are prejudicial and stereotypical. If you have a Southern drawl you are by definition a little slow, or best cute like a speckled puppy. Which is BS. It was good to see Southerners treated as real people, almost as real as Yankees. I don't know how long you're going to run this thing, but this is an intriguing story and I'll follow it.

Another very readable effort! I enjoy stories where the main group of characters have redeemable qualities and/or significant growth even though they may not achieve their stated intentions within the story itself.

The central figure does seem to have too many conflicting traits and reactions.

The "slut" has an interesting personality and there is always the question of whether she would resist the next wolf. Worth reading. Fine writing

The story has southern charm, great characters and a story worth reading as it meanders along.The btb crowd and there is no such thing as redemption crowd will call it wacc snd do forth but this has the potential to be a very human story.

But I really hope hardy doesn't take the skank back... I'm sorry but all her efforts in trying to be a loving & faithful wife is too little too late, she had him, she willingly fuck'd him away so I hope hardy just moves on to someone worthy of him. Crystal sounds promising . Gwen is a spoiled brat who thought that she'd be able to manipulate hardy into staying with her cheating ass. I get that the second time she was drugged but that doesn't justify the first time she cheated on hardy. I'm confused as to why they married, she doesn't seem to know much about hardy & she's just know meeting his family... Her own father knew she was/is a cheating slut who just can't seem to say NO to some strange dick. Hardy wasn't the first man she cheated on, & he won't be the last. She can't keep her twat close. I don't even understand why she wants hardy back? She wasn't even sure she loved him. I think he can do much much better... But I can see where this story is heading, hardy will take the cum slut back...

This is a great story. I like the way Gwen is adapting to Alabama and Hardy is reclaiming his toughness with intelligence behind. I don't think Gwen is going to like what's coming up but that is just my prediction. Can't wait for ch. 3.

It would seem to me that the author does not know what PTSD is or how it affects someone. The likelihood that our hero would take his abuser back while suffering PTSD, for the exact same reason he left her is ridiculous. We are talking years of therapy here. We have both trust and lost issues. His mother died because she could not keep her legs closed. His father died because of his mother's actions which precipitated his killing her. The boy saw the murdered body of his mother and her lover. And you expect him to take her back? Sorry only in fiction. She is lucky that his PTSD worked in her favour in that his initial reaction was not to kill her as his father had his mother. It is more likely that would have been the outcome in the real world. I want to give you a good score but this stretch of reality to bring a happy ending is just to much. I also do not want to give a bad score because the actions of the slut post incident show that she is actually trying to repair what she has destroyed. To bad he has PTSD or it may have worked.

I am a southern boy with more roots in the south than most people have to their mother and father and when the women join forces there is nothing than stand up to them. Until that happened I would have thought it wod have taken a burst of 6 in her chest to save him to get back together. She is a cheating slut but no way he will not get back unless she died.

Good understanding of the south. 6

a lying cheating adulterous spoiled slut and a honest man

No way in hell

She already struck out now you want to give her a free turn at bat get real

The ONLY thing I have a problem with is Hardy, (crawling with an bayoneted AK hanging from his back?) He's not a man, he's Superman on black kryptonite. I really think you went a tad overboard there.

Other than that though, I love this story. Can't wait for the next chapter.

I read about a woman beater and criminal (Hardy). I mean the guy beat his own sister.

An asshole father who want the wife beater to win over his own daughter.

I don't like cheaters but an asshole who beats women is way worse and those that defend them should burn in hell.

Great writer shitty story so far......hopefully gets better in chapter 3.

It's like you're stripping Hardy of any sympathetic characteristics whatsoever, and trying to do the impossible - make him even worse than his soon-to-be cheating ex-whore. Is this intentional? I mean really, all the shit he has done AFTER leaving the military that was supposed to have FIXED him of his Redneck Mafia ways, among those things, so far he has

brutally beaten his own sister for cheating on her husband

brutally beaten his sister's unknowing husband for being cheated on (wtf?)

committed at least one murder

threatened his 6 year-old niece with death

threatened his teenage niece with rape

actively counsels his cousins on how best to commit and not commit crimes

lied to his new wife about his past

endangered his new wife's life by not telling her crucial details about his past

basically broken his marriage vows with that huge laundry list of lies/ommissions

assaulted his wife for being raped (pre-Paris information)

We're apparently supposed to judge less harshly for his shame over the unprovoked assault on Gwen, but the threats against his nieces took place AFTER that.

Hardy never reformed. He's still a vicious piece of shit, and you can't whitewash shit. You can hide it, but eventually the lies come out. What was he going to tell Gwen when she eventually found out about his sister? "Oh no big deal, honey, she had it coming." Right.

It feels like you're trying to put Gwen and Hardy on even footing to facilitate an eventual reconciliation, and while I'm down with them eventually forgiving each other and moving on with their lives, they're both horrible people, and worse still, a horrible match for each other. Hardy's never going to be honest, and he's never going to stop being a vicious animal. Gwen's never going to stop being a drug-abusing whore, one year of clean behavior or not. These are deep character flaws. Love doesn't fix them.

More importantly, even if you eliminate those horrific basic flaws, Hardy clearly wants a submissive wife who will stay barefoot and pregnant at home in a nice little Southern townhouse, while Gwen wants a trophy husband to love while she jetsets around the globe, pursues a high profile career in a sleek apartment or mcmansion and maybe pops out a kid who will be relegated to a live in nanny rather than a real mother.

Divorce goes through, please. Both of them need other people to help fix them, and they're no good for each other.

The story would be a really nice one, except the author made Hardy waaaaay too vicious. Hardy should be in jail for life, just on some of the things we know about him so far. I don't see any way to undo that, either. This is kind of like a love story involving Hannibal Lecter - why would anyone root for the vicious murderer?

Too bad. Had his viciousness been toned down (for instance not having him kill his sister's lover), this story has all kinds of positives. But, as with another poster pointed out about the PTSD issues brought up, this story goes too deep into psychopathic issues that can't be resolved easily in a realistic manner. I don't agree "once a cheater always a cheater," but once a vicious killer who killed lots of people... there's no way that can be undone.

I've lived in the South most of my adult life, mostly because most of the military bases where I was stationed were located there. I've known a lot of guys like Hardy. I also spent a few years as a drill sergeant. The simple fact is that if a recruit beat up a drill sergeant the way Hardy did, NOBODY would have covered it up. In the real world, Hardy would have been on a one-way ride to Leavenworth doing 20-30 with a dishonorable discharge waiting for him at the other end. I've seen it happen for lesser acts, and even testified at one of the courts martial. People like Hardy don't make good soldiers, except in fantasies. Being a soldier these days is all about being part of a team, ESPECIALLY on the special operations side of the house, and Hardy is way, way too much of a lone wolf.

Now let's look at some times and dates here: 9/11 happened in 2001, and we first deployed troops into Afghanistan in November of that year. So it's been eleven years, more or less, since that war started. Completing college takes four years and law school three years. So if Hardy did a four -year hitch right at the beginning of the war, came right out of service and right into college, he'd just now be getting ready to graduate from law school next June. No time to make his rep in the Birmingham office, no time to move to Boston, no time to fall in love with and marry the boss' daughter.

And if he'd already completed some or all of his college before he got nabbed for GTA, well, he wouldn't have been given that option to join the service or go to jail by the judge. That option gets offered to kids (17-19 year olds) whom the judge figures haven't grown up yet, and who need the self-discipline that military service teaches. God knows I served with enough kids like that over the years. A man who was smart enough to get into college would be presumed to know better, and simply wouldn't have been offered the deal.

So, there are some MAJOR issues with plausibility in this story. At least from my point of view.

That having been said, it was a good, engaging read. You got the flavor of a big southern family about right, and I'm starting to think that just maybe Gwen might grow up to be an adult after all. So, despite my qualms, I'll likely keep reading.

This writer may have hit upon an acceptable reason to take back a cheating wife. That reason is the combination of her vastly improved character and the obvious flaws in Hardy's character. He really has done some very bad things and was forgiven by the law and by the military. How can he do less for a woman that learned her lesson? Yes, every part is over the top in this story, but it's sure fun!

Your best piece of writing in this category! Thanks very much for sharing this gem of a story with us lowly readers :)

Good story line, but less hero action it would have been enough.

It's usually the small details that break the suspension of disbelief.

You need a bit of research into military terms. You had Hardy refer to his Drill Instructor as "Top." That is a Marine term. Us Army folks call them First Sergeants or Sergeant Majors. Further, Drill Instructors are sergeants or staff sergeants, not first sergeants. Also, you had the D.I. mention being drummed out of "The Corps." That's the Marine Corps. And in case you haven't heard of inter-service rivalry, no one in the Army would EVER refer to it as the Corps. For Dog Faces, it's "the service." Jarheads call it the Corps.

I know you are referring to the Army, because Long Range Recon is Army. Marine Recon is the Marines. Also, Ft Stewart is Army, there is no Marine Post in Savannah, Georgia. By the way, Long Range recon was during Vietnam, they call that Ranger School now, or Sniper School at Ft. Benning, GA.

Finally, the Army doesn't take delinquents in lieu of jail anymore. They are a lot more strict in recruiting, because they can afford to be. It's an all-volunteer force these days, has been since the 1970's. They have had far too many incidents of civilians being hurt or killed to ever put someone with a borderline personality into intensive combat positions. Particularly unsupervised positions, they wouldn't chance the bad press. As far as needing someone capable of violence, there are plenty of folks with no criminal record or even criminal behavior that are quite capable of violence. The Police Forces are full of them already. In fact, anti-social personality types are much less effective because they tend to get emotionally involved. Sadists do not make good professional killers.

And you need to look at physics a bit more. The weight of an AK-47 hanging from a bayonet sticking in a person? Ever hear of something called "Leverage?" It's enough to break ribs if it was wedged between them. I realize the story is fiction, but you were the one that established that it happened in the world we live in, which is inclusive of the rules of physics that we are all aware of as existing in our world.

If you aren't familiar with appropriate military terminology, and you don't want to research it, then you should be more general in your descriptions so that the details don't shatter the picture you're trying to draw. Or, do what every other writer seems to do, and make him an ex-Navy Seal...

I've been entertained, and thanks for that. A lot of work went into this, and I appreciate that.

In giving it a 4*, I am overlooking several editting mistakes (the use of "of" rather than "off" in the first sentence was annoying). The story is a little light on the drama.

The story is clearly fiction (I don't mind suspending disbelief for an enjoyable ride, as here), and kind of jumps around a bit. The almost-abduction scene was entertaining, perhaps a little too convenient.

I thought the heroine's realization (maybe she really did love him) was unnecessary-the author had already established that fact, it should have been a surprise to no one. I like the fish-out-of-water set-up, but it doesn't seem to have been taken advantage of (she ingratiates herself into Hardy's family and her work pretty easily, it seems). Seems like the story could have used some tightening up with outside editorial help. A little more of that, and this would have been an easy 5* from me.

That said, it is a very fun story, and I actually find myself caring about the characters, as cartoonish as they are.

A couple other points: I would also say that the historical time-line of various events was confusing to me-and maybe inconsistent?

I also couldn't help but think that the wife, after getting the low-down on Hardy, might want to just get the fuck away-he is a midly-successfully recovering psychologically-disturbed sociopath with extreme violent tendencies (just saying). Daddy didn't want her to be with him before, gotta think he would have even more reason for that now-yet he is helping the reconciliation process along...why?

That said, this is in a different category of story-telling from what we usually see on this sight. Someone else compared it to DQS1 and Renquist. I agree, except their stories are better-editted. I am a fan.

What can I say? This story is riveting. This is the only story on LE that I have read twice. It is that good. As far as some of the other comments I have read, I love that both these characters are deeply flawed. Her past led her to cheat, and his past is affecting the present as well. I also love the fact that she is fighting for her man, even though she is the one who fucked up. This reminds me of the Lazy Lemon Sun by Rehnquist - one of my all time favorites. Pleeeease! I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment.

Great so far. captured my interest. on to the next chapter.

A few problems, mostly stuff an editor would catch.

One gaffe: In Chapter 1, Daddy arranged for her to work for his old friend as ADA of Franklin County; here, her boss is DA of Jefferson County.

Needs another pass through the word processor, but shaping up to be a good series.

I'm really enjoying this story, but there are some problems.

I'm a former active duty Marine, and you seem to be mixing services here. Another comment by rphinney hit on most of them, but here are a couple more, just for future reference.

Marine Drill Instructors will comprise one Senior Drill Instructor and several Junior counterparts. The Junior DIs will be anywhere in rank from a Corporal to a Sergeant. In my platoon there were three of them. The Senior Drill Instructor will generally be either a Staff Sergeant or a Gunnery Sergeant at most. A "Top" is a Senior Non-Commisioned Officer, think Sergeant Major. No way a Marine of that high a rank would be a Drill Instructor.

Another glaring error, is that Marine recruits are trained to speak in the third person form while in recruit training. Take this line from the story as an example. "No sir, Top, I'm not. I respect you, but I don't fear you." If you are a recruit, all Hell will come down on you if the word "I" comes out of your mouth when speaking to a DI. The term "Top" is also out of place, not only because a Senior Non-Com would not be a DI, but because "Top" is an affectionate term that a recruit would not be allowed to use. It's too familiar. Fine for a Fleet Marine, but not a recruit. So the line should be rendered in the following fashion:

"Sir, no Sir, Senior Drill Instructor! The Private respects the Senior Drill Instructor but does not fear the Senior Drill Instructor, Sir!"

As you'll note, the first and last words out of your mouth will be "Sir" and will, as mentioned, be in that third person form always. This pattern of speech is expected right up until the day you graduate. Technically, you are not a Marine until the graduation ceremony is completed. Until then, you are a recruit, a "grabasstic piece of amphibian shit" and you are less than human. This speech pattern is so engrained as a matter of fact, that it is easy to spot a new Private or Private First Class fresh out of recruit training, as it is hard for them to stop using that third person form even when they are no longer expected to.

Other than the noted exceptions, I am drawn into this tale. I like the characters and cannot wait to see where this thing winds up.

A good story with strong characterizations. Grats !

And don't mind those nit pickers telling you about the navy sergeants or army senior chiefs... this story is not about who's who in the military.

Uh did none of you fuckers notice he was supposed to have done 2 tours in "Iraq"(mentioned in last chapter, I think), while here he's killing Talibani insurgents in caves on his 2nd deployment??

While I have no idea about Iraq's geography, there might be caves in the warzones for all I know, but the last I heard Taliban was exclusive to "Afghanistan" and majorly Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

funny thanks

The great cat fight followed by her last sentence... The descriptions of rural southern life... Superb character development. Excellent reading. I usually don't like RAAC but Gwen seems to be growing up and she is SO cool now...

New location(s). New jobs. New personalities. New background and reputation for Hardy.

And, don't you think a bit of his past might have come up when looking at all the battle scars? Certainly more than just the tattoo.

It could be interesting to see "who" we meet in the next chapter.

“How could she wish her well?" – Should be “How could YOU wish her well?”

“I always wondered why you didn't come” – LOL, because she is, or at least was, a selfish cunt!

“but he should have stayed and fought for her.” – He shouldn’t HAVE to fight for her! She was his WIFE he had already WON her, SHE was the one who should have fought for THEM, starting with telling Allen to fuck off, and continuing by fulfilling her promise to have a family!

I’ve read this before, but don’t remember how it turns out, but given his background, with his mother and sister, any reconciliation strikes me as very false.

“I always wondered why you didn't come [to the reunion], but no matter.” – But it DOES matter! It speaks to her selfishness that was at the root of the problems in their marriage even BEFORE the cheating!

Gwen accuses Crystal Anne of messing with her “husband”. Well, they might still be LEGALLY married, he is in the process of divorcing her for cheating on him, so she doesn’t really have much of a claim on him.

“It'll be over in the next month, then we can go back to our lives." – Like their lives had been so wonderful BEFORE Paris?

“This was a particularly good vintage, nearly impossible to acquire.” – He’s going to waste good champagne on mimosas?

Even if she was drugged, it couldn’t have happened if she didn’t let Allen into the house, especially when she was expecting Hardy.

It's as good as the first time I read it, a great story, maybe the best I've read on this site.

Yes she was a dumbass bitch. Hardass needed the military to grow up into an admirably character; Little Miss Ritch Bitch had to loose her man to manage that feat. A little pain and suffering seems to be good for her soul. Whoever doesn't need forgiveness has died really young. Cast stones if you dare.

DHL

The Roy-Ron line was good too.

They were cooking whole hogs, chickens, even a side of beef. Four cookers were going full blast when she got there, and the smell was unbelievable. Joshua was watching for her arrival. Hopefully he was glad to see her, but it could be the five cases of beer, St. Pauli of course. She had gotten him hooked, and he almost started a riot with the guys tending the kegs when he said it was better than Bud.

2 hogs, 2 chickens, side of beef, enough meat for 500-700 people. 4 cookers? you're kidding, right? You can't cook a whole hog or a whole side of beef on a cooker. They are way too heavy and oversized to fit. It takes a special barbecue pit setup.

Write about what you know, or ask someone that does know how to barbecue. That type of mistake seriously takes away from the story.

"That's better. Thanks so much for coming. There ain't nothin' better'n family. Before we eat, make sure you thank the cooks, some of them have been at it for hours. And thank the ladies for the side dishes and great looking desserts."

well, again, write about what you know. To properly pit barbecue a pig, or anything that size, generally takes all night long, not "a few hours". We set up around 10 pm, and cook all night for the eating at noon the next day.

I was having a pretty bad day until my friend called me up and told me to read the last two comments. He was laughing his ass off, talking about all the fund raisers, political rallies and parties we had cooked for over the years.

I deeply apologize for offending your purist sensibilities, but dude, it's just a story. Ninety-nine per cent of the people reading it had no idea what it takes to make good barbeque, and would be bored to tears if they had to hear it.

And I never roast a whole pig, or even just half a pig, the density of the meat would mean some of it got done a lot quicker than others, and if you're not there pulling off strips as it cooks you end up wasting a lot. I use Boston butts, every good chef, no matter what they cook, will tell you the only way to achieve optimal flavor is if everything is roughly the same size. I hand rub and refrigerated for two days before bringing it to room temperature. Only then is it ready for the grill.

And I use cherry wood, because I like the flavor better than hickory, and I must have better than a hundred cherry trees on my property. And by cherry I mean the old time Southern wild cherry. Low and slow, of course.

I hope you sleep better tonight with this knowledge.

Q

Only two chapters in...but seems to me what you're cookin' up here

is a male equivalent of a Romance novel.

A fun read...but not to be confused with reality.

You oughta buy a style guide...for commas, and especially apostrophes?

desSert...

Was supposed to intelligent. An intelligent person would know that drinking and drugs are part of the problem and would stay away from them.

I'm still waiting for why she cheated in Paris. She admitted it was done voluntarily. If it was me that would be the end. No trust for her ever, no matter how much I loved her. Can't have a real marriage without trust. If she does it once deliberately there is no way she won't do it again.

A lawyer, actually two lawyers, trained to keep cool in a courtroom, totally lose it at a family reunion?

Yet for some reason has EVERYONE on her side manipulating Hardy and the situation to get them back together.

Gwen is is supposed to be smart, yet she keeps proving how dumb she is. Alcohol again? You would think she would realize by now that she should stay away from alcohol and drugs. But no.

Why would anyone want to get back together with a deliberate cheater is beyond me. Absolutely no trust, ever again. You can't have a marriage without trust, no matter how much you love someone.

I've really started to feel bad for Hardy with how he's being railroaded into taking a cheater back.

Seems to me that he should have smelled the machinations a mile away and put a stop to it.

Especially his own lawyer stabbing him in the back.

She back in game still on tenderhooks for deliberately cheating

Oh my this is too much, the trolls that never had a southern family have no IDEA what machinations are. This is so like my clan back in the day I laughed so hard I almost snorted my drink during the fight. 5 stars.

Story is so good. Reminds me of my mother’s side of our clan in the Tenn hills. Bravos.

It is a great story but we all now that she would never start a fight, ever. Not even when she was very drunk. I think she never was in a fight, till now. She probably never even witnessed one.

I don’t u derstand the high ratings for this drivel

It is absolutely painful to read

It reads as a series of he did/she did steps from an author’s outline

Truly boring

to the basic wank, cuck, and btb fare. This is very fine writing. What a pity qhml1 isn't writing still.

I am sensing an RAAC/ Cuck story coming in the next chapters?!! Hope not. She is clearly a spoiled, cheating slut. No reason to reconcile. Take the 40 million and RUN!!!

Daddy? oops!

Great writing. Too bad Hardy becomes another CUCK!!!

i smell RAAC

and i am displeased

Honestly, I'm getting a tad confused with the timelines.....

A few comments on this story:

Southern families are not matriarchal, at all. Old family women are listened to and minded but the families are always patriarchal and everyone defers to grandpa or the man who runs the family. This is not to say that Southern Women are not tough as nails because they are, it’s just that appearances are not always as they seem.

Secondly, superglue is very easy to remove. Pour some acetone on it and it dissolves very quickly such that you won’t even notice it was there. You can buy acetone at a hardware store or even buy fingernail Polish remover with it. Medical personnel would know this, which made that scene a bit unrealistic. There are not many glues you could use that acetone would not dissolve almost immediately. It’s a very strong organic solvent with numerous laboratory and industrial uses. It’s also not particularly toxic to people and you can get it on your skin with no adverse affects beyond it drying your skin quickly.

This tale is one of the reasons Q is one of my go-to-writers when I want/need a good story to escape with. California born, midwest raised I spent many good years living in the south, Alabama in particular. You can argue crap till the cows come in, let the guy write. This is FICTION and you can make what ever points you wish when you WRITE YOUR OWN DAMN STORY!

At the time this was written, not as much was known about super glue, etc and who cares. As far as families go, you are right AND wrong, people are people where ever they are.

Why bring up and argue stupid shit. You will enjoy a story far more if you are not looking to pick at it. I have tried my hand at writing, it isn't easy but made me appreciate even more what a good writer has to go through. I will never argue things with a writer, just folks who make meaningless comments.

My words are more to encourage people to enjoy the words instead of dissecting them.

Thank you Q for your tales, they enrich the days for many of us. I can't count the times I've read this great story.

somewhere east of Omaha

This series keeps getting better.

I love it!

Great job! Enjoy all your work. Hope you keep writing.

Read the series again. This is one of the top stories on this site.

Gets better

Living in the South with real people. You might get the crap beat out of you, but at least you know where you stand with them. Well done! Finn

Good story so far. One thing I don’t get. Hardy’s been out of the military for years, but the Army sends him a ‘report or else’ letter? Unless he’s in the reserves or he was an officer, they have no standing to require him to do anything or go anywhere. And I speak from experience: my local Marine Corps reserve tried to strong arm me into attending reserve meetings, until I showed them my discharge papers. After that it was “Oh, never mind “. Like I said, maybe I missed a plot line, but it bugs me. Still looking forward to chapter 3 tho.

This is just utter dreck. The author is trotting out every stale trope of the south known to literature, and has no nearing on reality. Plus, almost every paragraph has a grammatical or formatting error. This is unreadable crap.

Hope Hardy continues to reject Gwen ... forever

5*

BJ

Love it so far, for second time!

To arsenelupine yes there are some stereotypes big time but there is a kernel of truth to nearly every stereotype. I was raised country, I spent years working along the gulf coast, my moms people were from the hills. And yep I have in person ran into nearly every stereotype mentioned in here and loved it. The author dudnt even get to half of them. As a 6’3 45 year old inch white man I was homered to be in a store and an elderly blacl lady said “ honey chile , would you fetch that down off the top shelf for us? “. I got it with a smile then saw her teen age (great grandson?) look and saw the power his elderly Gma had. I think she did it just to show the young man what could be done with a polite but direct request. If you’ve actually spent time in the south these aren’t stereotypes, they are life. Crawfish are great, alligator is like rubber.

Some my best memories are times with my mother’s people in the central South. Story brings back many of those times. 🙂

Surprisingly, kids can and do get PTSD. It is usually caused by a parent who emotionally and psychologically abuses the child. It doesn’t always get caused by physical trauma. I got left on the side of the road while my mum drove off around the block. Why, because I was crying and I wouldn’t stop. I was 3 years old at the time. Then, when I was about 8, I had my mum threaten to chop of my hand, with the demonstration of the axe hitting the block, inches away from my fingers.

So, it’s highly likely that the trauma caused by his father shooting his mum caused some PTSD issues which caused his anger issues. The whole PTSD but is well written and really highlights how easily people can be affected.

This chapter is a really tough read and I’m only on page 3

Hee hee, ya’ll! Miz city girl done learned how to feed the hawgs and slop the chickens!!

I’m getting into this story…

Well done. Not sure if I'm in Gwens corner or not, just have to keep reading and see how she does.

The gift that keeps on giving......thanks

So far a great story, this author is a wonderful storyteller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this chapter and the series so far. The family reunion reminded me of a cook out I once went to while in Texas. Other than the cat fight, it was just as mentioned here. The food was excellent too. I gave this chapter 5 stars. Thank You for sharing it with us.

5* Loved most of the food but hate all the damn drinking.

Of course he has a post he's a war hero. Still a big personality shift from chapter 1 though same goes for Gwen too. Come on Gwen you can do better than this. Remember my comments in [art 1 about women and hair? The nails were a bit severe though :)

Yes I'm captivated sorry if I'm getting too involved

Just gets better and better. Really loving this. BardnotBard

I loved it, and gave it 5 big stars. This series is one of my favorites.

Makes you feel as if you are actually there watching, good writing on show.

Scores 5/5

Boy, that's how to end an instalment. Now I have to read the next one. 5 again

Am really enjoying this revisit.I

I hate cheaters but for some reason I'm rooting for Gwen.