All Comments on 'The Magi(cal) Mystery Tour'

As expected, a good story told by an exceptional story teller.

Oh Henry well retold!

Max

One of my favorite authors on this site, and you wrote this shit? Why?

Firstly, even though neither of the couple appeared to do the horizontal mumbo with anyone else, this slut wife was still out there parading her tits to the world. At least the husband remained fully dressed. Justify it anyway you like, but her behaviour does not befit a mother with teenaged kids. Stop fucking justifying it.

Secondly, why the fuck was everyone taking turns belittling the husband? Fucking idiots. That just fucked the story up totally for me.

Thirdly, this plot was so unbelievably predictable, that I read the whole thing through waiting for the punch line or the twist. Neither arrived.

A huge let down from one of my favorite authors.

what kind of logic are we talking here.you lost your dam mind.they say the mind is the first to go.i know you testing us,to see can you write anything and we go for it.sorry this dog won't hunt for me.how far was his head up helen and frank ass.the sister was a fucking feminist.what change with or in you.please tell us you not write this kind of crap from now on,we could count on you to write stories of justice and payback for people being fucked over on this site.thanks for all the other stories.

This is far below par, HDK. This entire effort is quite possibly the worst thing you've submitted to this site for the past 12 months.<br><br>

First of all, the plot was so tiredly predictable that I was writing the end before I even got partway into the last page. That's not a good sign.<br><br>

Second of all, the logic here fails utterly. They're equating an evening of polite companionship, fully clothed with working in a strip club? What kind of morons are they? And no, paying that kind of attention to other women is <i>not</i> equivalent to stripping off in front of strangers. If that were the case, working businessmen who have to wine & dine female executives to land a contract would be obliged to allow their wives to work the nearest pole.<br><br>

The logic fails utterly. Fully clothed platonic companionship for one evening is not equivalent to being a striptease artist, regardless of how celibate she was. Maybe if the husband had been doing a part-time Chippendale act there could have been some sort of equal treatment, but you picked entirely the wrong job this time.<br><br>

A sad contribution, and far from your usual good work.<br><br>

Oh, and that bodyguard deserves to have his knees broken.

your standards. The basic plot idea is very interesting. Which is worst, giving away your body naked images or giving away your soul ( by giving away intimate moments )??

Your exploitation of this idea is WAY below your standards.

And another thing, the idea of giving the above to make money to buy things ?? NO money and NO material gift, can compare the value of the ( body and soul )intimate moments your companion of 20 years can give. Ask anybody who was alone last Christams and you 'll have your answer.

story. The first was where he first confronted his wife in the topless club. Telling her she showed her nude tits for hundreds of people but at home she tried to cover them up from him. Later in the story she implied he could see her bare tits at home any time he wanted. The other was ""Maybe I should have told Della what I was doing, but she would never have agreed, even if I did it to buy her something nice for Christmas,"", at this point he is putting the total blame on himself when she did something worse than he did and didnt tell him. She lied and bared her body to strangers for money. He simply took women out and very few women at that. My real question of the story, the waitress job would be for at least 8 hour shifts, how did she find the time to travel far enough away from home not to meet people she knew and put in the time when she had a family to take care of? And how did he find time to spend evenings out with women and not be at work or at home. There were dumb asses in this story all right. The husband, the wife, the owners of the strip club and escort service, and the loving sister who talks like a topless club dancer. Nope your story doesnt hold water, leaks like a sieve.

okey, who doesnt know the story? my mom made me read it when i was 5. if you think about it, alot of people didnt get the message ( or forgot about it). i guess they just like being in debt.

Hi:

Wonderful Story, refreshed to contempary times.

High Regards: Bill

<p>Anonymous wrote: <i>Telling her she showed her nude tits for hundreds of people but at home she tried to cover them up from him. Later in the story she implied he could see her bare tits at home any time he wanted.</i></p>

<p>Hey anonymous, did you read two lines before the above reference to the husband's words? It said: <i><b>"Jim!" she gasped as she brought her hands up to shield her breasts.</i></b></P>

<p>Do you get it now anonymous?</p>

<p>Your objections are bogus. In order to tell the 'gift of the magi' story, HDK had to set up the situation. Since Literotica is an erotic website, he had to make the part-time jobs at least somewhat erotic.</p>

<p>The wife was a part time waitress. Why are you upset because you felt she had to work an eight hour shift? It is HDK's universe. Maybe in his universe, part-timers only work an hour and a half. And why does it matter to you? </P>

<p>You can't even properly read the story and you object to the contents? If it weren't a Christmas story I might call you a nit-picking moron.</P>

<p>But since it was a Christmas story, Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoyed the presents your wife paid for by being a topless waitress.</p>

Good Christmas story.

<p>You 'critics' who claim the story was totally predictable:</p>

<p>well, duh!</p>

<p>It was evident from the start that this was "the gift of the magi" rewritten for an erotic website. Perhaps the title may have given you a bit of a clue.</p>

<p>If the story weren't totally predicable, O Henry would have rolled over in his grave. (I trust he is long dead.)</p>

<p>Can't people accept these stories in the spirit they are written? Or are they only semi-literate and haven't the foggiest notion who O Henry is?</p>

<p>Geez, would you people lighten up?</p>

a boring story from this writer. Very good sir.

Another excellent work (although I am kicking myself for failing to pick up on the "gift of the Magi" angle until well into the story). Lovely! Write on!!

-- KK in Texas

1st - no one is more looked forward to than you Author but perhaps you misplaced the ingredients of why - or not.<P>

You most always mixed some arousal with marital consequence plus humor in some or more cases. Fairness with reality or close to it. Your approach is always somewhat unique like the titles. And thats a good thing that also endears us to you.<P>

But every now and then da Bullet must rush in with his protective mishmash when you stray from expectation. Bless you da Bullet but sit down and quit embarrassing yourself and HDK.<P>

The mission was or seemed to be to make a warm and cuddly holiday story but didn't deliver anyone to like or relate to. She the super breasted for anyone who chose to look [or fondle?] from his viewpoint [as I would as well think] and he for being more than a bit of a wimp in equating fault - not even close.<P>

He wasn't in a g-string on his paid forewarned companion events showing off his ass and package was he - whereas she was not only offering but showing most of his bought and paid for's. In retrospect a poor comparison except for the blind - both types.<P>

All that was overshadowed by the rabbit punches of everyone except his kids to his initial and continuing sense of fairness and balance which he wimped out on at the end - maybe it was the Unfrankesense and Murrdied water / logic.<P>

Once again however, a mulligan is deserved based on the past regardless of da Bullet's sensitive gentle words.<P>

Author - Please don't be disheartened by constructive comment [meant anyway by most] as we usually speak in frustration to address the apparent erosion of what is looked forward to - that which counters the often insanity of wimpish males seeking humiliation or allowing it at any cost.<P>

However, speaking of erosion, there seems to be an exodus of what is viewed by many of some good writers for some unexplained as yet reason. Why is that? Is the kitchen too hot constructively? Are readers too frivolous or insane in their comments? Probably that and more unclear at this time.<P>

Creativity is to be watered with patience and some care if a newbie wanders or an old stud gets a little off the trail of his or her previously created expectations.<P>

Sometimes a reader point is made too carelessly or in haste. Sometimes there is no point but the anger of evident but unclear offence which serves little purpose to the process here. <P>

However, there are writers here who deserve not a whit of kind word who can stay in the storm or not caused by their clear and consistent intentions. Their loss - not ours of the majority.<P>

Authors and writers need to understand that this is a nearly perfect storm of response to their efforts to stir emotions in a free speech environment engendered by a site management with foresight and understanding of balance. <P>

This site is the best by far in most regards - so far to the more than casual observers. But something is going on - something has changed of late. It may be good and writers may find out that the grass isn't really greener - that their following doesn't want to migrate to a lessor more gross and crude site. Oftentimes the writer is made by the sites readers and there should a more valid reason than a heightened sense of worth to vacate their beginnings and developed following. Perhaps sensitivity is thin due to some obtuse unknown reason.<P>

It would be a shame if some didn't use the tools available to shield their emotions or couldn't tolerate the free speech elements of fair and unfair response to a point they may not have considered or advanced for all the wrong reasons.<P>

Ah enough - HDK you are very much appreciated and looked forward to for all the prior lauds. I apologize for the use of your space to voice another concern.<P>

With Very High Regard - usually - almost always

This is sad.It is a take-off on GIFT OF THE MAGI by O'Henry.However, the era and the sequence of the action of the original have been marginalzed by the author to the detriment of the work.The theme of MAGI revolves around 2 foolish children who are willing to give up the greatest treasures which they possess out of love for their spouse.In no way,shape or form do they consider doing anything immoral or damaging to their to wedding vows.Rather, Della gives up her beautiful hair to the wig maker to buy Jim a gold fob for his watch and Jim sells his watch to buy combes for Della's hair.In doing so, O'HENRY compares them to the Magi who give the first Christmas presents to the Christ Child as He lay in the manger.

Hardaysknight implies that there is some equality in the actions of his characters and those of O'HENRY.This is not the case.HDK's characters are whores.They sell the things that they were to share only with their spouse.Namely, if this clown wants to go out on dates it should be in the company of his wife.In the same sense ,if this woman wants or needs dress provocatively it should be for her husband.In doing these actions that impinge upon the perogatives of their respective spouses for mere money, they label themselves as whores.

HDK's attitude in this matter highlights the problems facing young marrieds in our times.People will do anything to satiate their need for material goods.The old values and vows have no meaning for them.The O'Henry characters are facing hard times because Jim has had a major cut in salary and Della is pregnant.Yet, they do not resort to whoring to solve their problems.It would only take some additional financial mishap for the HDK Della to sell herself given the opportunity she would have in a strip club.Handsome strangers,boose,romanitic lighting and music are a sure fire threat to her virtue.And she could always console herself with the thought that she was doing it for the good of her family.

O'HENRY was right when implied that our perceptions often cloud our judgements.Just because we perceive a gray cat on a gray fence outlined on a gray sky does not mean that our actions must contemplate acts of desperation

I thought you did a great job of using O. Henry's story line in a new vein. I enjoyed it as I do most all of HDK's work. The criticisms of a few as to how well things would fit into the busy time frame of a marriage and who might be the more at fault have forgotten two things. It was a work of fiction and the moral of the story was more valuable than the details.

Perhaps those so critical should demonstrate their literoctica abilities for us?

It is actually pretty funny, but not worth a second look-see. Shame on you.

<p>For the first time today, I just don't have it in me to explain why I just didn't go for the story. It just doesn't feel believeable to me. More like a giftwrapped misunderstanding, where everyone laughs it off in the end.</p>

=(

<p>Sorry</p>

-Risq

Its a bad take on an old story about beautiful hair and a hair brush if I remember correctly.

. . . "Magical Mystery Tour" for a story tittle, it'd be loaded with laughs. Not so. The humor of the story is supposed to come from Jim getting browbeaten by everyone and even "knocked-the-fuck-out" by the goon. So, Jim gets called a "dumb-ass" and rendered unconscious by one punch, apparently, and we're supposed to like this guy? He's excessively characterized as a pushover--a wimp, even. If this were written by any of the other LW story-writers, the bouncer would have been black with a foot-long-schlong and Della would have left Jim to keep on fucking "Ben the bouncer" and pulling trains in the club. However, the Della in this story wants him back for some reason. She's seen her husband insulted and assaulted, but sticks with him, which is admirable. But since this is an erotic stories site, she should have abandoned her life as a wife and mother and embraced a life of debauchery. That's the sort of smut readers of this site enjoy.<p>If Jim were to be at all likeable, he would have walked out of the restaurant and at least have stood man-to-man against the bouncer. The bouncer would still be guilty of assault if he roughed him up, unless of course, Frank and Helen also happen to own restaurant too. But Jim just sits back down like the wimp he is and humiliates himself in front of his wife again. He could have told Della that they'd discuss everything later, just the two of them. But that would have ruined the "Gift of the Magi" revelation at the end. Frank and his goon should have had some comeuppance. Instead, Frank and Helen are revealed to be Jim and Della's secret benefactors. Ol' Frank is just a loveable scumbag--give me a break. Jim's predicament is one that makes it impossible to end up with any dignity: If he stays with her he kowtows to the pressure and if he leaves her, he's a hypocrite. The guy just can't win.<p>Of course this is "just a story" that's good for shits and giggles, but it didn't work for me. I'm sorta dreading the kind of story HDK writes when he uses "Sgt. Pepper's" for a title.

you are one of my favorite writers and almost all of your stories are great this one however seemed to miss the mark to me if MY wife was a topless waitress I would be livid and the fact that she did not tell me even worse! and ok even if I was a male escort( Yeah like I have that kind of body I don't think so) It is just that an escort and as the husband says he does not get his clothes off she does! and he is quite right when their daughter asks what job the mother does it's a case of don't worry I just get my tits out for any one to stare at. How is that going to make her feel. But I do get the idea of this story COMMUNICATION or lack of it, which of course could have killed the marriage but luckily they both had kind hearted frank and helen, one sounds like a pimp the other sounds like a sales woman.

I have a cousin in V.B. who's as big a dumb-ass as Jim. I don't think ever did anything as dumb as this.

Good story as usual.

Boyd

I liked the twist in this story. It reminded me of how important communication in a marriage or relationship is and how important is for everyone to be on the same page in life.

The story was technically excellent and the theme drew me in, keeping me to want to see what happened next. All good elements for a story to have.

Well done HDK.

Whatever happened to the writers on this site that wrote stories about real men that don't take any crap from their whoring wives???? If their wives were whorin' around on them they took care of it and made people pay for fuckin' with them!!! Has everyone gone soft in todays touchy feely politically correct bullshit world??? God help us all!!

I figured this one out almost from the beginning, but that did nothing to keep me from enjoying the new twist on a great old story. Some comments implied that she wouldn't show her tits to her husband at home, but I think that they missed the point; she only covered them in the club because of embarrassment at being found topless in front of a group of men by her husband. Totally natural reaction. Everyone felt that going topless was worse than working as an escort, but we've all heard about escort services,haven't we? Poor judgment on both parts, but they did have to make a lot of money in a short time. The only part I wasn't satisfied with was the ending. It seemed forced. I thought it would have been better if they had lost their "possessions" but had found something better, their love and willingness to do for each other. Not your best story, but very nice nonetheless. Thanks. Paul

I almost always enjoy your stories but this one where everyone is the blame leaves me cold. Jim is a male excort who objects to his wife in a strip club? What kind of idiot do not see that male or female excorting is another form of adult entertainment. So there are women who want male companionship and they are willing to pay for it but no sex? Who are these women who have no male relatives or friends or co-workers? Jim's job does not seem credible..................................................

Now on to Della's part in this fiasco. We are to believe that there is a strip club where there are no touching or sexual contact in the place and it is profitable? Most of the time, bouncers only act if the woman refuses contact. If Della had such a charming nature why couldn't she work in Hooters or a regular bar? Lastly, as to Della's complaint about Jim giving attention to other women, what a silly and shallow position! On one hand Della say that Jim is this good husband and father meaning that he is giving her and his family all of the attention they need but she has a problem when he excorts other women in a platonic manner. Get a life lady! Salemen, nurses, and personal assistants all give one on one attention to their clients. Jim should have told her about his job but it does not compare (given no sexual contact) to strange guys dreaming about getting in your panties. What if a pervert follows her home?.........................................

I realized what you were trying to say with this story about the need for communication but the couple involved seems like total idiots and are not very likeable. Where were the kids during this crisis?

SleeplessinMD

I dont really rate this,in fact a more suitable title would be A Tale of Ponce,but I am certainly not going to get worked up over a daft bit a fiction.

You are absolutely one of my favorite authors, but this one is not up to your standards. I saw this coming from the moment he explained why he was working as an escort. And everyone is calling him a dumb-ass, & no one seems concerned that she showing her tits in public, even his sister. The reactions seemed out of whack, & the premise was not really that believable. Anyway, nice try; looking forward to your next effort.

I'd suggest Humor rather than LW for this story, as I thought it was quite amusing.

Crap!!! This is not worth wasting the time to read...

Keep swinging, you are usually the best.

This is a very good modern version of a story plot by Guy de Maupassant; or was it O"Henry? Well done.

the whole premise is about bastards and whores in escort businesses and the bastard pretends to be shocked that his wife allows others to see her breasts, TOO? <p>

that's SHOCKIN', HDK! lol

Whether or not this well-crafted story is based on the Gift of the Magi is immaterial. What IS important is the abundance of something that is rare in Literotica (at least in this site) and that is emotion and the depiction of personality. All too frequently, stories here never get up from the gutter, perhaps because that is where most authors have formed their perspective on the human condition. Excellent.

say a great deal more about the commenters than about HDK's story. What's wrong with a little recycled "Gift of the Magi" at the holiday season?

It also seems that many have failed to remember that not all of HDK's stories are "realistic," strictly speaking. Sometimes he indulges in fantasy, where people don't speak or act as they would in "real life" (see "Don't Bother Me" for a hysterically funny example).

Advice to all: lighten up and enjoy the ride! HDK is a great storyteller, and this is a wonderful story.

Thanks as always--ohio

But keep in mind that your new year can only get better...even if you don't submit anything for the rest of the year.

Neat O.Henry re-do.

I loved the modern twist to O Henry’s tale.<P>O. Henry (1862-1910) was a prolific American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry's stories.<P>I feel it was a great way to update a tale of humor and comeuppance. Maybe the readers are just too jaded to like a light story of fun and circumstances. I for one loved it, and yes I know the story plot, so no surprises here, just a great twist to an old yarn.<P>Thank you for your great writing ability you share with us. You are without a doubt one of a handful of great writers on this small site.<P>Thank you for the wonderful entertainment!<P>PT

with the plagiary of the plotline, afterall we have the

precedent set by William Shakespeare. HDK did a great job of

transformation and elaboration.

<p>

The thing is that no one mentioned the conflict that he used to balance the battle. The basic question of what is cheating comes up, and that of when someone might be justified in not makeing full disclosure to their partner.

<p> The simple obvious conflict about which was worse, being a topless waiter in a strip club, or being an escort without tricks. Since I am a man I feel that my wife showing the goods to any and all would be almost unforgiveable and I took a couple of seconds to catch on to why the wife was not simply crushed by his discovery or at least after he explained that he was with his boss for a business discussion. Ladies what is your take?

The one thing that did not ring right was why Helen did not immediately stop the bouncer from intervening after all he had to know who she was.

...think that someone who had a temper tantrum when she didn't get her way, pulled her stories, left the site, then came back less than a week later but refuses to write for said site should NOT be allowed in the AUTHOR'S HANGOUT? After all, isn't the AUTHOR'S HANGOUT for AUTHOR'S on Literotica? Of which she is not. Thanks for your time.

A good story well told. Yes it is a rehash of O'Henry, nothing wrong with that. You don't have to agree with it to enjoy it.

A nice little slice of life that makes for a thoroughly interesting read. I enjoyed it. Thanks, pardner.

What a disappointing collection of comments. It’s quite amazing to see how conservative many of the commentators are. I believe that the ‘original sin’ is the oldest formula of the Loving Wives section, in which paradoxically, a “loving wife” is defined as a cheater, and ‘a husband’ could not be worthy of the title unless he divorces his wife first… In other words, this section has become a refuge to all frustrated angry male testosterone; and if you put forth even a light hearted story which clearly wishes to entertain with a season appropriate spirit which diverts from said formula you shall be roasted. <P>

So the moral goes for the authors; no good original story – yes original, even if borrowing from a classic story (almost all the classics honored themselves and the authors they alluded to by using known themes and even plot lines) could be written without its detractors crying foul. <P>

Still, I hope that the encouraging response of enough people will let you HDK and few of the top authors here, to continue impressing us with more stories, more frequently (why do they seem to come fewer and far between?). <P>

I enjoyed the story for its spirit – a humorous tongue in cheek modern fairy tale. A loving, yet woefully clueless couple tries to achieve noble loving goals by getting involved in absurdly and very funny wrong settings. Yes, It was very much fun!

My biggest problem is the lack of support for Jim by anybody who supposedly loves him. Even his sister totally discounts Jim's story waiting to hear how he screwed up and drove his saint of a wife to do what she did and geez showing her tits wasn't THAT bad, was it?

This story proved one thing. There are two rules in life.

1: THE MAN IS ALWAYS WRONG.

2: If it looks like the man MIGHT be right, see rule 1.

Nobody else mentioned it but I sincerely doubt that St. Della got that job without being bent over Frank's desk at least once. Heck she was probably 'consoled' by that bouncer after her mean husband yelled at her.

Personally, Frank and the bouncer should have been shot!

Ray

ms.walking around nake in front of others men and sister said its ok.what wrong with this picture?is this what women want or it what lesbian and gays like for their freedom in lifestyle.this guy acts like a sissyboy or gay.get ten good men and ask them what they would do if their wife was nake in stripper club and they didn't know.this dog want hunt.

For the longest time, I couldn't remember where the plot came from. Mostly not a bad retelling, except: getting hubby bruised rechanneled the story for me completely. Personally, the fact that Ben-the-bouncer didn't end up as toast, before anyone could make hubby feel bad about his negative reaction to finding the missus half-naked in a strip joint, killed any possibility of plausible suspension of disbelief for me. Mostly you are a very good writer. This one isn't one of your better efforts.

It hasn't improved after 12 months.<br><br>

I could repeat all of my criticisms from last time, but why bother. The readers who are total whores for a "happy ending" will dogmatically refuse to see any flaws, and anyone else will already agree with me. I won't waste my time trying to convince the pig-headed or preaching to the converted.<br><br>

Suffice to say that the husband got totally shafted in this horrible rip-off of an old favourite. Load of shite, beginning to end.

What kind of moron goes back to a story he didn't like last year, just to say he still doesn't like it?

Why waste an hour of your day trying to read a story, and then another hour struggling to put a comment together to whinge. Go and get a life, TWAT!

characters 'WIMPS', but this time it is true. The guy is dogpiled by his boss, her slimy asshole husband, his wife, and kept seated by the man who gave him a shiner when he tried to leave with his wife. And NO a guy going on dates with women in a professional setting with no sex/nudity/etc... is NOT equivalent to his wife running around wearing only her shorts and a smile.

I HATE cuckold stories for how sad the man is and how cruel the people around him are. His own sister picks on him for being upset, his wife lays on the boo-hoo guilt, the smarmy boss and the bouncer reminded me of the bulls from the few cuckold stories I have read... hell his boss was the nicest to him and she called him insulting names and basically between her and the bouncer (who needed a chair to the back of the head) imprisoned him at the table. If I found myself in that situation I would have made a scene just to get thrown out of the restaurant so I could get away from the bastards.

While I have loved most of your other stories, and vehemently disagree with most of the 'WIMP' comments regard the reconciliations you have at the end, this is the one time I have to wholeheartedly agree with them. As far as I am concerned the only part missing was the actual sex for all the emotional abuse heaped upon the guy. It was so bad that I wanted to cry over them telling him he had emotionally abused her with his job. That is like having 5 people kick your ass for an hour, then claim you as the aggressor because you stepped on one of their toes!

As someone mentioned, everyone in this story is against the husband and makes him feel like dog shit. Nobody - even the wife- thinks she did anything wrong. He is made to feel foolish, she is treated like a queen with great tits. O. Henry's original plot was far more poignant and loving than this and the "price" paid by the young couple was of equal and loving cost for them. You lost the original's irony and created a caustic, male-bashing fest where all the women in this story are wise and all knowing and all the men are stupid grunts who should shut up and just go along with the program. Bull!

with the last two comments with one addition. A male escort doesn't take a woman to events the woman takes the escort, so it's not like he was taking these women to places that he didn't take his wife. They took him, they paid for it and for him, too. That was the wife's main arguement. Still, the writing style was excellent, as usual, so I had to give you 50 for style and 0 for content.

in the US? I know sitting in India I have a very different approach (a backward view I am told). What would have happened if a colleague of the husband (from his regular job) or a father of one of the child's friend would have seen the wife topless and spread the word around? In a Place like India it would have made life difficult for their children with snide remarks about her being a whore. An Escort who goes to a public place fully dressed can be mistaken as a person out on a business meeting but a topless lady is a topless lady.

For me the problem area of the story is their little or no consideration to their reputation and the effect it could have on the children.

He is a fucking gigolo and she is a topless slut in a whore bar, and they didn't know about their other tryst going on. Are they fucking brain dead, just wandering around in their own personal cloud of funk? I wonder how many times a night that she got her ass grabbed and her tits squeezed. And what about the law suit that he could have against the whore bar owner. Assault and battery to start off with, and the big guy in jail for the assault charge.

Only thing you left out is the endless consumption of drugs by the girls working in those clubs and the alcohol that both he and she would consume. They dont need to stay married, they dont need to divorce, they both need to permanently remove themselves from the gene pool. Their DNA is totally defective.

Most clubs as part of the interview come down with several conditions about employment. One is that boyfriends and husbands are not allowed in the clubs. To many scenes where the waitres/dancer is being felt up or used turns ugly with a protective lover around. In most interview processes the girl has to strip and at a minimum give head to prove they arent adverse to being used. She would have to be there working at the hours demanded which is usually an eight hour shift. She would have drinks bought for her and would, unless the drinks are faked, consume a large amount of alcohol. Most dancers and such at the clubs consume so much dope of one type or another they never make enough money to really live on and become dependent or "sugar daddys" that take care of their living expenses. Believe it or not, costumes even for topless waitresses cost a lot of money for fancy panties and shoes. And the waitresses just as the dancers are used in the VIP rooms if the customer wants and management, whose interest is money, will see that they do get used. Some girls working as dancers make a lot of money, but not for just dancing, and if they can stay away from the drugs are able to get fairly rich quickly even without a high school diploma. ONe young woman actually owned several apartment buildings besides her own luxury home. But those girls are very rare. Most get doped out, sick with diseases, or simply killed by some idiot. The husband in this story needs to sue the club and the bouncer, he would get than enough money to buy the slut her furniture and to divorce her ass. Most judges seeing her employment would take custody of the kids from her.

A short story by O.Henry

oh? what was that stoy about hair and comb's? huuuuuuum?

Being held against my will by Ben threatening me would turn out vastly different.At the end Ben would be in jail.

No wise people here... just fools.

Great story! Gotta luv fools in love. You Were dead on about the strip club and if anyone doesn't believe simply stop by Chez Paris next time your up here in Montreal and if that's not enough ask for Debs in the VIP Lounge. A la prochien Mes Amies (until next time my friends)

...title pretty much said it all.

...

The Gift of the Magi, except this one ends with both getting/keeping their treasures.

Fun story! Still a favorite

O'Henry did a much better job on this theme: he was a gifted writer!

I bet you think if you keep writing like this you will finally get more people to actually think before making up their minds or just reacting - ?????

Yet another story you've written where the husband is the bad guy. Not that he doesn't have some blame escorting is not the same as stripping and as for big Ben I'd leave it a couple of months and then have my revenge with a baseball bat.

Nicely written but still crap.

and both for the best reason of all. TK U MLJ LV NV

I do not like this at all.......

WHY is the husband ALWAYS the bad guy in your stories?

This was well written like everything I have read by HDK, but like other readers I have problems with this one. First, everybody jumps on him, nobody makes anything of what she did. Sure what he was doing looks bad at first, but if they believe the limits he put on his duties, it's not really so bad. To my mind working as a topless waitress is worse. My knowledge of that business suggests that everybody gets groped regularly. My wife's experience as a barmaid also suggests Della wasn't untouched.

To me the worst issue is that they were both doing this behind each other's backs. In the O Henry story they sold things they had a perfect right to sell, in this both of them were selling something that was not their to sell, something that belonged exclusively to the other.

I think that O. Henry's ending was better but I enjoyed this version as well.

The fact that she covered herself when she first saw her husband says EVERYTHING you need to know! If she truly believed what she was doing was OK she wouldn't have bothered!

Her working topless was a violation of the fidelity part of their marriage.

She gave away, at his expense, something that was no longer hers to give away.

His working as an escort is no unusual loss to her. Any job requires you give of your time. Whether you are sitting at a dinner with some woman, or with a woman who is your boss discussing your work, or working machining parts is irrelevant. But letting every man in the city see your tits and being felt up (you're a moron from another planet if you don't think it happens) is another thing completely. Her motive under these circumstances does not change anything. If you want such a wife, go for it. Not me.

Crap story!

yep. O Henry was the first thing that came into my mind too. the story about beautiful hair, hairclip,watch& watchstrap......

they are both employed in the sex industry, whether they fuck or not. I agree the bounced used unprovoked excessive force, he should be jailed and the club sued. This wife is a whore, selling her body without sex as she says, for tips. If he kept her she should have to prove she didnt in any wayh have sex in the club or out of the club. If it was only her smile that earned the tips she could hav e gotten a job in a regular bar and made the tips. The tips were based on her bare tits and exposed ass just covered by a thong, get real. You can rationalize being a serial killer if you want to.

So Helen and Frank are manipulating Jim and Della. Jim and Della are lying to one another. Both are convinced what the other is doing was far worse than what they were doing. And Jim has a giant black eye from the bouncer who is forcing him to stay in a public restaurant. Why didn't he sue Helen, Frank and the bouncer for the black eye? Why didn't he pull loose from Helen's hand and leave the restaurant (He was a bigger man than Helen was a woman right)? Had the bouncer touched him, jail would have been his ending spot for the evening. Go home, pack your stuff, move out and divorce the slut. End of story. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

this was indeed a real piece of shit .....

Nuff said.

But it was'nt funny.

There was a tale about a woman who sold her hair,

to buy her husband a Vest to match his two piece suit

He had, though, Sold his Two-piece suit, to buy her a fancy tiara thing .....

to show off her long hair.

Cheers

Kilroy.

The original was "The Gift of the Magi" by O'Henry. The husband sold his watch to buy beautiful combs for his wife's hair. The wife sold her hair to buy a fob for her husband's watch. It was first published in 1905.

who loves whom the mostest, TK U MLJ LV NV

Funny they did not realize the gifts of love to each other were ruined by the lies and deceit.

While fidelity may be part of love, it is not a synonym for love. It is possible to commit technical infidelity as an expression of love. Actors and actresses fake love scenes, and regularly appear partially and totally nude, all to earn money to support the families that they love, and on some level many dancers and waitresses at strip clubs do the same thing.

Both were wrong, and both were right. It seems that love makes you do strange things and these two characters did just that, strange things. Oh well. A happy ending for all.

Maybe the tale would have been better if she sold something more personal, like her long shining hair, to by a new band for his watch. Maybe if he had also sold something personal, like an expensive watch, so he could by a hair wrap for his wife's hair.

He wasn't taking women to those special places, THEY were taking HIM!

Both of these two should be neutered before they have children. I guess they belong together. They both work in the sex industry and believe that the ends justify the means. They are both working to get something for the other...very altruistic. But with their belief that the end justifies the means, how long before they are sleeping with their customers to buy something for the other. They would get more money quicker. Maybe they do belong together but please no children for them.

dumper her quick

The idiot below.

HDN is one of the best author's in this genre.

Unfortunately this is probably his worst story.

They are both liars and the lie of omission is the most evil

and because you pissed of the asshole annony who hates women and life

The Gift Of The Maji!

... but it reminds me strongly of an O'Henry story about a wife who sold her hair to buy a fob for her husband's watch and the husband who sold his watch to buy combs for his wife's beautiful hair.

First off, for a long time married couple that was supposed to love each other they don't communicate for shit. Next off when the bouncer slugged him, that was assault and battery. And a jury would definitely see it that way. Why didn't he either call or go to the Police? After they both got home that night, why didn't they talk to each other?

His wife couldn't have loved him very much if she didn't even bother to call around to his sister's looking for him. And when Helen called to get him to dinner to pay him the words out of his mouth should have been and would have been - "Mail me the check - I quit". Even if he had gone, when he saw Frank and Della he would have left. He was still pissed off. The threat of the bouncer was laughable. He touches Jim and then the lawsuits really start. He should have left, burned Helen down to the ground with the Police, filed suit against Frank, his club and Ben and then gotten on with the divorce. I love revisionist writing! Good story. I just didn't like the ending.

I'm sorry, but escorting is NOT as bad as being a topless waitress!

MAYBE if he was actually taking the women to those places, but THEY were actually taking HIM!

Spoken like a true closet cuckold - you guys got some weird rules in whatever mommy's basement y'all hang out and fellate each other in.

Husband and wife almost loved each other to divorce court. I commend both for loving there spouse so much that they went way past their comfort zone. But nothing replaces communication with your loved one.

they were both equally in the wrong.. what she did was no worse than what he did