Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

Have to re read Dance of a Lifetime, but don't remember if they were life time friends before they met.

Stories I am thinking have the girl and boy growing up together and the girl tells the boy to explore life/sow his oats before they can be together for life.

Somehow they meet other people to live life together/marry.

It's not quite that simple, as the main theme behind those stories is that the girl suggests "get some experience" and that I'll consider you, only once he does, he's already left the girl in the dust, having way more life experiences than she ever dreamed of (the whole big fix in a little pond situation, while the boy becomes a growing fish in an active sea of activities and relationships.

Thus it's a case of their seeing the world from their remote corner of it, thinking their too good for any rubes, never having experienced anything but their own small, limited lives.

But that's a theme in many classical stories too, except there, it's normally the father who sends his son out into the world before rewarding him with their minor kingdom.

Did you end up with your first girlfriend, boyfriend, or possessed toaster?

I thought it was a robot toaster.

Those are called hammers

Still friends with my first girlfriend after sixty years. Only friends(not site) through.

yeah, I've managed to stay friends (or at least friendly) with roughly half of my exes, but chances are the first person you date isn't going to be your long term partner. People grow and change over time and that is supposed to be the focus of coming of age stories so it would be more pronounced there

Or squishy ball.

Will have to read it. Keep seeing his stories pop up, but it never caught me and other stories got in the way.

I met my wife in college, and we married about a year later. After 24 years of marriage and two kids, she told me "I still love you, but for my mental, physical and emotional health I can no longer stay married to you." No reasons/explanation, just the bald statement.

Yep, that was my case ("I love you, I just can't stand living with you anymore.") though we talk almost all the time (hours worth several times a week)—which is more than I can say for most married couples).

When someone needs a break, they'll invent any excuse to get away. The key is to give them their freedom and then see whether they return or not (i.e. giving them enough rope to hang themselves with).