All Comments on 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness Ch. 02'

anyone notice that with regard to his relationship wity Molly the New Jack Tompkins is doing everything the old one did.?

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recall how he was so proud of himself when Molly called? How he thought he was cold and tough?

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a new job better diet lost weight and new clothes has NOT changed his relationship with Molly at all.

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sorry but this is BORING. Look as a romantic love dovey story this is great but that is not where we were headed to at the end of chapter 1

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she says lets talk. He says sure

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she says come over. He says sure

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she says lets fuck he says sure

I agree with Harry. The old Jack is back. Molly has him wrapped around her finger. He seemed like a weak individual in the first chapter and he appears even weaker in the second chapter. Is he going to grow some backbone and at least ask her why she threw him out and maybe even find out what Molly really wants from him? Better yet does he have enough self-respect to know what he wants? This guy has no emotion at all. Plus he has very little self-respect for himself. This chapter left me with a lot of questions and shaking my head while trying to understand the actions of the main character.

Based on previous work by this author and this chapter, it would seem he is heading for an 'everything is forgotten and things are better than ever' ending, but its not for sure yet. There is still the woman he is working with about the co-op students. She may be a red herring but the husband may decide that his new life is good without the ex and make a move on her. <p><p>

I didnt really like that the husband told the wife she did what she had to do because he was such a loser though. He also seemed to give her credit for the way his life had turned around. Seems to me that she didnt do anything to help him. She new he was miserable in his job/life so she cut him loose. She wasnt there when he fixed his work, health and happiness issues by himself. She was at least as responsible for their unhappy life before the split as he was and she didnt try anything to make it better (i.e. getting a job so he wouldnt be stuck doing something she knew he hated, trying to spice up their marriage and keep the spark alive - he said she dressed frumpy and wasnt very exciting, etc).<p><p>

It is too early to say if the author is going to get them back together but if he just forgets everything and shoves them back into the marriage, it will be disappointing imo. I hope it doesnt happen. <p><p>

As for the story so far, without guessing about part 3 - it wasnt as strong as part 1 imo. Besides what I mentioned above (husband taking blame for her being forced to leave him, giving her the credit for his turn-around), there was too much wandering. If the husband does just forget getting fucked over by the wife in part 3, then part 2 was a lot of padding just to extend things (not all of the chapter but some of it). If he does decide that things are better without her, he backslid into being too passive and weak to be likable in this chapter. I understand you cant turn off 30 years of shared history in an instant, but he is bending over way too much when it comes to being reasonable and understanding imo.<p><p>

Anyway, thanks again for writing. Looking forward to part 3 and seeing which way he jumps.

i had thought at least ONE of the main characters was going to be resolute, even if it hurt. <p>

but, no, the whole exercise was for Jack to look better after losing weight,,, and the nonsesnse about him not wanting Molly to know what he's doing, what his job is, where he's staying,,, what is this, lile 2nd graders playing hide and seek in the basement? <p>

did he come to inherit $100million? won the super lottery, so there's a definite need to keep Molly clueless? no! it's all to make her jealous, wanting to go back on her words which burnt him terribly, he said! <p>

and now after no more than a few months, "Molly, I sense you want us to try again. Is that right." Yes. "Well, I've been thinking the same thing, too. You look so good in that dress of yours, Molly." <p>

total gibberish dialogues. no plot to speak of. no characters to really like or hate... just two bumbling 50 something with IQ's no higher than 85.

Well no drama yet, and I suppose there will be non.

threw him out,and now she realises that he is doing well without her,she wants her share of the action.Tell her to fuck off,and date Janet instead(why stick with an old model,when you can trade in for a new one?)

There was SOME reason for them to stick together through 30 years. That's a lot of trials and tribulations. He wished (when she kicked him out) that they could have life like it was when they met. Now he MIGHT be able to. He hasn't committed to anything but to try dating Molly again. It may not work out, and he still may go for another. But would the lady from the school necessarily be an improvement? She only knows him as a business success. Would SHE stick it out through the tough times? Sex is very important, but there's more to life than bagging the next hot chick who comes down the path. Let's see where the author is taking us! All except Harry, who is bored, but for some reason, keeps reading....

At one time or another we wish we had done things different or that our life had gone a different way. We wonder "is this all there is?"

This story is quite realistic. There are so many couples that have fallen into this kind of rut, yet can not find a way to get out of it. They become complacent in their security. Routine is comfortable even if you are unhappy because change can be so frightening, especially if you are older. Maybe she was cruel when she shook our our hero out of his safe, but boring life. Maybe it took this kind of radical event to shake him out of his routine into a better, healthier life. But she did. Now they have to decide how much he/she contributed to the situation and see if there's something left of this marriage to salvage, so that they do not fall into it again.

They were BOTH responsible for the unhappiness that encompassed this marriage. They know have to decide what is best for them as individuals because both have changed. Is there enough to build on? Is there any love and passion left? Or is it just memories, companionship and familiarity that is bringing them together?

Good Writing. It could be a different plot

or different characters. I personally find

Jack an admirable creature and certainly what

he is doing in the business world demonstrate

depth and potential.

So why so many carping critics? My only complaint

is that I wish that this was the second of ten chapters!

Unfortunately this will be over in the next chapter!

Good Writing. It could be a different plot

or different characters. I personally find

Jack an admirable creature and certainly what

he is doing in the business world demonstrate

depth and potential.

So why so many carping critics? My only complaint

is that I wish that this was the second of ten chapters!

Unfortunately this will be over in the next chapter!

I didnt mean that the story was unrealistic or that the wife didnt have anything to do with his turn-around. All I said was that it seems odd to me that he would get over his hurt as quickly as he seems to. I think there should have been more resentment (whether misplaced or not) and soul-searching on his part before he just docilely came trotting back when she decided she made a mistake. <p><p>

I dont think they shouldnt reconcile, just that it shouldnt be a sweep everything under the rug type of reconciliation. I also dont think that the husband would would be in the right mindset to recognize her pov this soon. They havent hardly spoke for months after what had to have been a very traumatic event for him but he seems intent on just forgetting their problems and going back to the status quo.<p><p>

By going back without fixing things first, he is taking several steps backwards and is hardly admirable for it. He is willfully disregarding how miserable and unhappy he was before and after the split and just hoping things will be better this time around. Not a very positive behavior imo.<p><p>

I said it was too soon to tell and that still holds though. Maybe the author will have them fix things before getting back together in part 3. Maybe they will decide that they cant be happy with each other and split for good. Either way would be good. All I dont want to see is another overly accommodating male character who has no real personality or flaws, jump back into a crappy situation without dealing with any of his issues. It sorta happened in the story where the wife abandoned the family for months and only came back after she had no choice. The husband/kids just gave her a free pass and didnt seem to have any lingering resentment whatsoever. In an ideal world, people can act like this but nobody I know irl is able to so completely divorce themselves from their own emotions. Real people get hurt feelings and resent being shat upon. <p><p>

Still think there is lots of time for the author to fix things between the couple even if they have backslid because of 30 years of inertia. I just hope they both come to their senses and realize how unhappy they were before they reconcile so it has a chance of being better this time around.

It’s okay if they reconcile – just not this way.

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The new Jack, thoughtful, decisive, deliberate, somehow blames himself for her behavior. Since she had to do what she did, it’s fine to pursue getting back together – if she’ll have him. Was he only decisive because he was angry? If so then I guess he’ll devolve into the same nobody he was when she was forced to throw him out.

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And who is the “new” Molly? The old Molly threw him out because she had to look out for herself; to salvage the remainder of her life. If it hurt him, no big deal because her interests came first. The new Molly realizes her decision made her life worse so she is anxious for them to get back together because she has to look out for herself; to salvage the remainder of her life. Can you see the profound difference between the old Molly and the new one? She lost a few pounds.

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The new Jack that had been portrayed until he melted away at the end of this installment would have been more decisive. If he decided the new Jack and the new Molly had date to get to know each other, he would have taken off his ring to establish the process as exploration as opposed to reconciliation. They would have been free to date others.

The story is wonderful. I read it all in one sitting. Well done. What I find amazing is that many readers decide how a story Should go and then act like the author wasn't listening to them when we sat at out computers writing. I read for enjoyment. Good fiction touches me at some emotional level. This story did that. thanks.

I enjoyed the story, however I, like others am disappointed that Jack <i>(from whom I didn't see much decisiveness)</i> appears headed back into the personal black hole that he had the once in a lifetime good fortune to have been tossed out of. Get real, he has nothing to make comparisons with, if the sex is even slightly better than tepid he'll stay with her. It is true he had begun making changes in his life, but he hadn't solidified them yet. Too bad, so sad.

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-- srgeek --

Complete idiot! She treats him like SHIT and he chews then swallows her line of crap.

how does one categorize which ones to save. TK U MLJ LV NV

I'm not against the reconciliation but why rush ? He should wet his feet in the pool & so should she. THEN maybe mesh again: it's not about exacting vengence but fully examining their options.

Choose to reunite out of strength, full knowledge & not due to Holiday sentimentality, habit & initial impressions of positive changes in each other.

Ok, I have a few nagging issues with this story/characters; why are they reconciling? It makes no sense. She told him she no longer loved him & she was positive that he no longer loved her, so why are they reconciling? Loneliness isn't a good enough reason to stay married, in the wife's little speech regarding giving their marriage another shot I didn't hear a single thing about love, all I read was "I'm lonely" not I miss you I still love you but I just lost track of that love. She was cold & calculating that fateful day when she sprung divorce papers on him. I don't care for the wife, I think jack is better off without her, they were married for 30 years, if she wasn't happy during that time why didn't she try to work things out instead of jumping straight for divorce, she even obtained employment & let him know that she doesn't need him or his money. I think it'll be a mistake to give this marriage a try, she didn't want to be with him so why the sudden change of heart? I think jack's life is finally starting to not suck & he should move forward not backwards, if the marriage wasn't all that great for the last few years why would any sane person go through the bullshit all over again? I don't trust Molly I think she's a scheming ass bitch. Jack needs to go out on dates instead of dwelling on the loneliness. Being lonely isn't the same as being in love & I haven't read nothing about love in this story, all I've read was a woman who no longer wanted to be married to her husband any longer but realized she's lonely & now wants the husband she kicked out regardless of his attempts to hold onto his marriage. So I'm a bit confused as to why they should reconcile if there isn't any love just loneliness?

Gross. Remember buddy, this was a woman who sat you down at the table and handed you divorce papers, said she didn't love you any more and also got a job in preparation for dumping your ass. It was premeditated and she didn't give a shit about you. She just told you. And now you reward her for it.

Horseshit.

and empty fridges never add up as company, TK U MLJ LV NV

While I have SOME sympathy for Molly, the problem I have with her is that she never talked to him about her concerns, just tossed him out like yesterday's garbage, and as he said, said some very hurtful things.

When she reached the point of getting a job in preparation for leaving him, she should have spoken to him and maybe got some counseling.

Maybe it wouldn't have helped, maybe he NEEDED the kick-in-the-ass to spur himself into turning his life around, but if she had at least made an effort to fix things first he might be more receptive now to a reconciliation.

“I was lonely when you were there and now I'm still lonely. It doesn't make any sense."

It makes PERFECT sense! She never TALKED to him about how she was feeling, to give them a chance to work TOGETHER on their problems. She just took unilateral action on what SHE decided was the problem – HIM! When it is becoming more and more obvious that the problem was with THEM.

Why should they try again just because she is now realizing that maybe she made a mistake? Just because she was maybe right to some extent about him, to cast him out without giving him a chance to work on the problems is just too cold. We’ve already seen that she apparently wasn’t perfect either!

Just because her throwing him out was the catalyst for him turning his life around doesn’t give her a pass for what she did. I guess it’s his life, and if he can find it within him to forgive her and to try to rebuild a relationship, that’s his business, but if it were me, I’d tell her, “Thanks, but no thanks, and have a good life.”

“I was impressed if not a little disturbed that he could find out so much about my life with just a couple of phone calls”

Where did it say Aser just made a “couple of phone calls?” He said he “did a little background digging.” That can cover a VERY wide territory, from a “couple of phone calls” to a full background check!

No way would I have Christmas dinner alone with her! I MIGHT consider it if the whole family was gathering. For that matter, where are their parents and kids on Christmas?

I CERTAINLY wouldn’t tell her about the new job – she ALREADY obviously wants to get back together, why give her a financial incentive as well? In any case, any reconciliation better come with a post-nup to protect his new resources! It’s risky because if you get back together without protection she can rip off your new success.

Again, just because her throwing him out turned into a good thing, doesn’t excuse her doing it!

If they MUST try again it should be with a clean slate - that is, they should finalize the divorce and get together as two SINGLE people, free to see others, and to walk away cleanly if that is what either of them desires.

How you know she won't quit again next time she's unhappy?

She throws YOU out of YOUR house, takes half the money and savings, takes half of the profit from the sale of the house, and now wants to come back to you.

There is a two word answer to this and the second word is OFF.

I agree schwanze, She said a lot of seriously bad things to him when they broke up. It really seems she is just in it for the coin, not the love of a long time relationship.

She shredded him and never tried to talk then comes back and wants to say sorry and alls forgiven. NO fucking way

I'm generally OK in some cases for reconciliation, but... "She did the only thing she could do"! Bullshit!. How about talking as a start before pushing the red button to blow up the marriage. To say nothing about how mean and abrupt she was about it kicking him out.

Maybe she called it quits because he's so self centered. I mean, everybody here (readers) wanted her to explain herself. The main character didn't care a bit. He just wanted to tell his story, then *he* explained to *her* why she did what she did.

I hope it went like this, because he deserves it:

Her (thinking): Well it's time to confess I wanted him out of the house so I could fuck the crew of the HMS Famagusta, just docked at port.

Him: I was fat, you had no other option. I understand you completely!

Her: Uh? Oh! Yeah, that was it. Totally. Yes.

What a bullshit story. She's a selfish evil egotistical piece of crap, who delighted in hurting her husband, didn't bother telling him she wasn't happy; told him a bunch of hurtful things, and stole half of his money (although the man-hating author makes it pretend like she was being "fair").

The fact that the author chose to make him think that it was somehow his fault for not being a perfect male specimen; and to re-engage with a selfish evil bitch instead of finding a good woman to spend the rest of his life with; is remarkably sad and annoying. 1 star, and wish could give this -1.

I had high hopes after Part 1, but the author chose to take this story in an awful direction on many fronts.

Nice story,i like it