All Comments on 'What Is Love?'

A very well thought out story, subtle complexity of current and previous relationships.

Now I am really sorry to spoil it but I kind of have to do this with the title

“Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more!”

A well told, melancholy slice of life...

Thanks! 5 stars

No revenge? Getting assaulted by your boyfriends ex is a crime. Deb should have been in jail. Her husband may have followed for entering a house that wasn't his and taking a photo and then sending that photo to Jill. Ignored a few laws you did. Put a bunch of sentimental stuff in at the end to cover it up. But you have to remember that this isn't a literary site, but a porn site where readers are looking for fireworks. Good story, but not my cup of LW tea.

Nice story but the comment made by the author where he expresses the sentiment that the best revenge is a life worth living ….is just crap.

.

Yes there IS something to be said for not letting the poison and the evil of another person ruin your life and moving on and rebuilding your life. But please stop with the stupid semantics.

.

Having a good life and moving on is not revenge

Revenge is Revenge.

Please!!! don't write shit like this .

Very good story!

5

That was a great story. I didn't need the btb. I looked at it as a friend ship story. 5stars

Baby don’t hurt me…no more

Haddaway

“Julie and Barry's betrayal of Larry was soon known throughout the community, and they quickly found themselves unwelcome at every gathering from that night onward and soon moved away."

I wouldn’t call that revenge, rather the correct response. When there is a cancer in the body, you need to cut it out. When there are cheaters in the neighborhood, shun them. If no one enables vile behavior, then there will be less of it!

ZK

Beautiful. Thank you for this.

There is bound to be many readers who will sit deep in thought and introspection, after reading this little tale. A beautiful 5 stars..

I love it! This is a true Loving Wives story. A worthy addition to your canon.

That was a great story! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It was okay, but you tried to cram too much into a tiny word count. The idea for the story was great, you just needed to expand those scenes with more emotions and dialogue.

Great! I would not worry about comments wanting revenge. Life is about living well.

blah 2*

This story is a surprise and a true gem. Well done.

Nice story. Not all ex-spouses are assholes and not all of their new boyfriends need to have their nuts crushed. Thanks for posting this one.

This story is an original take on the dynamic of a divorced couple. It did not have a lot of gravitas, but, it still was an interesting read. Good job.

-

From reading your story I thought the ex-wife's name is "Deb"

-

Pasqual

Thank you so much.

What do you mean "I never named the Ex-wife"? Here it is... "You see, Deb and I married young."

So, unless there was some other wife, her name was Deb. Cheers. Nice story, BTW. Many thanks. Cheers.

Good little story. Agree with you not naming the exwife.

Old girlfriends are still some of my best friends, and the reciprocal goes for my wife. Although one had to stop contact with me because her husband read an article in the news warning of the threat of continued contact with old mates. I guess he read too many LW stories - haha! As always with your work, entertaining and compelling. Thanks very much.

Great story told from a unique point of view, especially for a LW story. Thank you for an enjoyable read.

Different and nice

"Well, if you see her tell her I said hello." - Well, she's his girlfriend, she's there with him, I don't think there's any "if" about him seeing her.

\

Nah, I'd rather that he just be happy with Julie and his ex stay out of his life except for co-parenting.

A lovely helping of sweet and sour.

It would be nice to think divorced couples can act like this. It might happen but it is unlikely .

Nice, tight story. BTW, you DID name the ex-wife. "You see, Deb and I married young." :)

Always good to see another story from one of my favorite writers. My one complaint about him (okay, constant complaint) is that his stories are too short. Seems like they could be fleshed out quite a bit, more than a mere synopsis. This one was as real as could be, and has great potential.

Another good story from a consistently strong author. The plot is unusual, with an exploration of growing maturity. Not everyone is capable of growing up, as is often demonstrated by readers on this site, so watching this author explore one possible experience was worthwhile.

I’ve been remarried for several decades and now my ex am my wife are friends. Sometimes it’s kind of weird, but it makes for much more pleasant family events.

Original -- I like original. 5*

Liked this story a lot, a serious departure from the typical LW stories. Thoughtful, and perfect without the addendum about Julie and Barry. 5 stars

Very nicely done. Fresh and enjoyable. Thank you for sharing this gem.

Well done, although I would have loved to have seen this fleshed out into a much longer story.

10 out of 5 stars. Just a wonderful gem of a tale.

Decent tale clearly written to get a message across, one that you stumbled upon. Unfortunately for me, you rushed the beginning and the endings, keeping me from fully appreciating the characters and their roles. 4*

Got a chuckle out of your "revenge" comments. Enjoyable story. Thanks for taking the time to write.

A Loving Wives story that actually lives up to the category. Hat's off to you!

And from experience, it can be done. My ex and I got along better after the divorce than while we were married, and no, there was no cheating involved. We didn't get along great afterward, but we could at least share a laugh instead of an argument.

this isn't even part of a story. It is a brief synopsis.

Good, but would have been better without the philosophizing. The story spoke for itself.

Good one. 5*.

I could've done without the last sentence :)

Your profession should be a philosoph and not a LW author,

Nice tale, but you did name the ex I think. “Deb dropped her head” !

ignore Anonymous commenters who don't have the ball's to post under their names. Please do write shit like this.

It's good shit...LOL. Love your writing. You're one of my favorites. KUDOS!

I can understand his wanting to dump Julie but was she really the guilty party? By his own admission and from his point of view they were only "getting serious". They never had the "talk" never agreed to be exclusive so what did she owe him?

Oops on the "Deb". That slipped past me. After a time and a lot of edits it does become difficult to read a story with a clear head. I missed that.

.

I must admit that I expected to get some hate on this one. I considered sending it to the Non-Erotic section where I figure I would get a better reception, but I admit to being a bit of a contrarian and Loving Wives could use a few honest happy endings.

.

Anyway, love it or hate it, I found the writing to be an interesting process.

Personal experience ex's don't become friends. This one was probably laughing at him behind his back. In reality.

Folks just need to get a grip. I'm betting 99.9% of the stories on Literotica are pure fiction, like this one. Could this have taken place in real life, probably because sometimes life is strange than fiction. It was entertaining and I liked the last part about the revenge on Julie and Barry being ostracized by the community and having to move. Not a five, but still good enough for a four.

Great story

I’m really proud of Starwolf1961 for using his real name here, though I have a lot of sympathy for him growing up. Kids can be so cruel, but with a name like Starwolf1961 I can imagine that he was the recipient of lots of abuse. Even with such a silly name, he has a point…Just_Words is a talented author. My only complaint is that he had limited room to demonstrate his expertise in such a short story. I did fully appreciate the main thrust of his tale and look forward to future (longer) stories.

I liked the story, but one thing I noticed is that you did name the ex-wife. You named her 'Deb'. About 2/3rds of the way through you stated "Deb dropped her head for a moment and then resumed. "We're worried about you. I want you to be happy."" The only question that I had was what happened with the daughter while they we're watching out for him that night? Was she staying with friends? But overall, a very good story and different from most of the others on here.

I gave this 5, because its a really goad read.

Originality, pathos, and good writing count for a lot. This subject is probably a first in LW. Moreover, the writing is close to the vest, believable, and easy to read and enjoy. In a sea of sameness, this one floats high and proud. 5/5!!

There was a real vein of reality in this (too) short tale that was refreshing. The ex wife obviously was very fond of Larry, but unlike Larry, arrived quicker to the realization that they married too young and without the necessary maturity to make it work. It took the ex helping her friend Larry to finally make the same transition for him to “get it”. And, somewhat amazingly, he did — and found HIS lifetime partner as she found hers in Bill.

.

Well done.

.

5 *****

I agree with "Starwolf1961". You should definitely ignore him for posting under what is very obviously not his real name... LOL!

As to the story, it was a rather hurried attempt that ended up just blah.

They may have divorced but at least his ex wasn't a cheating slut

A x wife & husband sets him straight.shows him a better way. Defends him from a cheating girl friend .

Thanks for your reply, got 4 stars from me anyway.

How did you think this was a happy ending? For who?

I think this is a very good, well thought out story. 5*

Why do people never want to have a confrontation. There should ALWAYS be a discussion to see what can be salvaged. And WHY did he think she did anything that majorly wrong. They weren’t exclusive.

Just a poor story set up and execution.

This goes in to some slightly new territory for a LW story, but it’s just another great story from one of the best the very best authors posting here. Who would expect an ex wife to turn out to be his best friend?

Loved it! And love the fact you put a very original "Loving Wife" story in LW.

This is a original, I liked it. Found the concept interesting, but over all unfulfilled. There was no fleshing out off the characters. This could have been a classic if you spent some time with the characters. Did not feel anything for anyone. Like you said you didn't even give a name to the ex. How do you expect us to give a shit about anyone when you obviously don't.

Great premise, great execution, all around good story. I'm thrilled to read a LW story where the ex isn't evil and isn't out to either hurt her ex husband OR be selfish at his expense.

@anon - she owed him common decency of not being a hoe. SHE WAS AT THE PARTY WITH HIM. Also, if you need to agree to be exclusive explicitly in order to behave that way, you're not a good long term wife or even gf material even without being a bad person.

Anon I can,

She's fucking two men one of whom is the neighborhood jackass. Either of those should be enough to get her dumped.

Baby don't hurt me.

Congratulations on a well-written story. It is no masterpiece, but I'm awarding it five stars, which is an extreme rarity for me and only the second time I have rated a story this high.

There is a definite scarcity of any actual loving wives in the "loving wives" category. Long may you continue to think and write outside the overworked loving wives' scenarios.

Thank you, Just Words!

For me, as with the story, there was no need for revenge. He got lucky and had an ex to heal new and old wounds. That's better than revenge. And Larry's spared future heartache with Julie, assuming that they would get married. Beyond the good, Barry's now exposed, at least to the ex, Bill and Larry as a cheater. Same with Julie. Julie apparently still wanted Larry - why else would she show up to explain - and now doesn't get him. Best thing Larry can do to them, now, is be indifferent to them.

Very original and great story.

Thank you!

A few hiccups in the execution, but a good idea. Nice to see a story where the ex and her husband are good, caring people.

A nice loving wife or even loving ex-wide story, definitely good enough for a 5.

Unusual and interesting.

I really liked the idea and the story.

Top ratings from me.

What is love.

Unique premise, but the whole sullen, wimpy ex husband is beat to death.

Actually, this is more than just a story. I have a therapist friend who has a practice named “Conscious Uncoupling” — basically the art of preserving a positive relationship despite divorce. It’s a beautiful concept and can work extremely well.

While I liked this story, as I generally do of your writing, I felt there was a level of depth of emotions that is missing this time. Both the protagonist and the ex have to evolve from where they were to where they are for events to play out this way and that entire mechanic is absent. How they get from A to B could be intensely interesting.

It sounds like the main character and his wife (the one he married after he reconciled with his ex wife) never have kids? At least the "godparents" thing with no mention of his ex wife and Bill being godparents to his kids seemed to imply that? Kinda sad, if that's the case. Going to try to assume I misunderstood/read too much into it. Nice story, I enjoyed it.

Different idea. Great story

Not really my speed but interesting.

@anubelore - You raise an interesting question. I didn't even think of it. I suppose I just assumed they were young and the kids would come. I was fixated on the idea that he was finally healed from his first divorce by an act of kindness by his first wife and the godparents idea just cemented that healing. If I'd thought a bit more, I'd assume they had kids and his first son became a big brother to the others. That's a nice way to think about it.

It just seemed rushed and had a few holes in it that had me scratching my head by the end of it.

Who did Larry end up marrying??? I assume he got married because you said "we" were asked to be Godparents. Why was she happily banging the biggest A-hole in the neighborhood??? How long had it been going on??? Why was the ex so "invested" in Larry's life still??? How did they know Julie was banging Barry???

This story should have been a couple of pages at least to really allow it to mature into a better story.

First, I really liked the story. The only problem I have, and it's a very small point, was I needed a bit more explanation of Larry's first marriage break-up. What bothered me a bit was the divorce was blamed on them being too young and especially too young for kids. OK, I can go with that, but Larry was very bitter towards her, why? She is never even named. (I went back and looked- I couldn't find any reference except - "my-ex") Why was he so pissed at her for so long? Five Stars.

A loving ex-wife, nice. Thanks for writing!

I was pleasantly surprised by the twist. I didn’t know who the “us” referred to at the end of the second-to-last paragraph. Is it perhaps an unnamed new spouse? Small detail. I enjoyed it.

Said how good and good the ex-wife and new husband are repeating

I found this very patronizing to be honest.

A different take, for sure, I thought you got this right, nicely written from the characters, plot and descriptions.

The last paragraph of this story rings so true!

@Ruttweiler Re: Who is "us?" - "I would eventually meet the woman I was meant to build a life with" in the paragraph just before that one.

\

I agree with those who say that Deb came down too hard on Julie. "We hadn't had "the talk" as yet, ... You know what I mean, right? It's the "Are we getting serious? Are we exclusive? Where is this going?" talk." So they weren't even officially exclusive yet, even if he felt they were heading in that direction.

\

It was good as far as it went, but I like a little more conflict. Maybe this lime,"I always thought that I was a success until two women told me that I wasn't," could have been expanded on, that Deb left him because he wasn't enough of a success, that Julie maybe was looking for someone more on the rise.

?

In mid 30s when married. Had no problem with children and sleep and sex. Friends didn't either.

After USMC Vietnam 4 years of service went to college. GI bill barely covered classes no living expenses. Working full time in factory and going to school full time. Finished in 3 1/2 years. At young age if you can't do everything with little sleep then you must be one who has to have 8-10 hours sleep every night. Really can't understand those people. Never have trouble immediately adjusting to traveling and associated time changes. Some friends do others don't. Military service etc play a part??? 55 when last child born. Still playground etc as younger wife didn't care to anymore. Breast fed kids but I would get up and place kids in bed for wife and return to cribs

excellent

Well done.

My wife & her ex husband had the world’s greatest divorce. We sat together at the kids’ little league games and he attended birthday parties and Christmas Day at our house, eventually with his new wife and their kids. I had gone to school with the guy and had no ill will at all toward him. Like the couple in this story they just got married too young and by the time I entered the picture they had decided to do what was best for the children.

Our families were very fortunate.

Unfortunately, there was no meat on those bones. There was an awful lot of build up that could have gone somewhere very interesting. Sadly it faded off into a summary of nothing. "Oh, wow, I guess my ex-wife was a good person after all." Very ho-hum.

that was a lot of attachment for an ex-wife... it's like she has a lot of feelings for him and a lot of guilt.

Also, that Barry guy needed to feel some justice, even a simple punch in the throat.

Really good story. Sometimes people divorce because they realise staying together would be worse than being apart. That doesn't stop them caring about the other. At some point they loved each other and since neither did anything to betray that love it changed to affection because they are decent people. So of course she looked out for him and was brave enough to show him what was happening and caring enough to help him when needed. I know divorced couples who remain friends after the split. BardnotBard

Not your best. Sorry