To those who are married,not married and soon to be married read this.

[rlogan 2,036]

No matter how touching, bad information is just that: bad.

The story is absurd. The "lesson" is just as deceptive and untrue as the story itself, reducing the complexity of a relationship down to one sentence; "It's the little details..."

So you have victims of physical abuse, fraud, outrageous infidelities, psychological torture, etc. being told that all they must do is a little "detail" work on their serial-killer husband and life will be like their wedding day.

I wonder how many wives were beaten savagely while basing their false hopes on such a story. How many children were raped. How many babies were conceived out of wedlock while one of the partners insisted waiting yet one more month on top of years in bad marriage while mimicking this ridiculous story.

It is just fine to tell fables about geese laying golden eggs so long as you don't deceive people into thinking they are true.

Think about the mentality of a person passing off such a story when they know it is not true. That deception tells us that the storyteller views people as little children and it is OK to deceive little children because the lesson of the story justifies the deception.

But the lesson is actually ridiculous if you spend any time thinking about it. Marriage is 24/7 and for the rest of your life. It takes work and committment from both parties. Some things take long-term planning and mutual sacrifice that this "lesson" has no bearing upon. Other things are simply wise human relations concepts like showing empathy, learning how to listen, showing support for their interests, etc.

The lesson is deceptive because it offers nothing specific other than carrying the wife through the door, which is again absurd. Naiive people are going to say that the storyteller actually means things like remembering to take the garbage out and so forth. But that is giving too much credit to the storyteller.

Look very carefully at what the wife is told to do in this story: tell your husband who made a sensible divorce offer that you want nothing. Absolutely nothing except 30 days of carrying her through the door.

The husband will of course agree, and you can imagine him going to his mistress and saying "you won't believe this, but my wife wants NOTHING. All I have to do is carry her through the door thirty times and we get all the money."

So a month later the wife has the divorce papers filed, she is penniless and the husband is at a five-star hotel on the Riviera with his young mistress.

I think I've changed my mind now. Spread this story as far and wide as possible. Insist its true. I am liking the real ending, which is far more likely than the fable.

Edited July 14, 2010 by rlogan

[UglyNerdManVJ 7]

beautiful story.

at first i honestly thought it was a joke and you were talking about MountainDew you know... the DEW and i was like... hes leaving his wife for mountain dew? what the heck. But then i finished reading it and i have to say it was great.

I wish my marriage could work out.

[TBoneTX 45,288]

The story is absurd.

Hoorah to R., si man!

[Summer75 16]

Very touching!!

[Krikit 1,164]

Moving from Effects of Major Changes to Off Topic. It is an imaginery story.... not a real life event.

[IndigoSkies 168]

What a pathetic story. This reminded me off those lady preachers on Sunday morning Christian TV networks.

[rlogan 2,036]

I want to thank the Mods for the sensibility to clearly state the story is imaginary and moving it out of a very critical real-world page dealing with major crises in people's lives such as infidelity, abuse, and visa fraud and placing the fable in the off-topic section.

I have tried to discern by PM to the OP author where she got the fairy-tale from initially because I am not smart enough to find it with the search function. I have been unable to discern the original source except to say that it is widespread on the internet and where any mention of source is given, it is "Unknown Author". It would be beneficial to discover the source because it is the fastest and most decisive means of alerting people to the deception when people pose it as a real story.

Whenever you see a story without a clear, verifiable citation to source, your alarm bells should instantly go off.

I am very sensitive to deception and manipulation of emotions based on good intentions because the harm that results is a lot more permanent than the temporary feel-good tears it inspires.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I hate spam that floats around on the internet presented as a real life stories.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

So...a cheatin' bastid has a change of heart and decides to stay with his saintly old lady. Is there a Part 2 in which he gets his violent comeuppance?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So...a cheatin' bastid has a change of heart and decides to stay with his saintly old lady. Is there a Part 2 in which he gets his violent comeuppance?

Yeah...whatever happened to Dew-me?

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Yeah...whatever happened to Dew-me?

I suspect she'll reappear toward the end of Part 2--with a new married boyfriend and grisly consequences.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I suspect she'll reappear toward the end of Part 2--with a new married boyfriend and grisly consequences.

That tramp.

[Mags 112]

This made me VOM on my keyboard. If troubled marriages could be cured by something as simple as this then the world would be a lovely place full of tweeeting birds, rabbits frolicking and flowers blooming.

And to be honest, the "wife" in this was a manipulating old cow-bag, who used her feminine wiles to emotionally manipulate the husband.

He should have buggered off with the mistress whilst the wife didn't want a penny from him.

Edited July 15, 2010 by Mags

[SMOKE 1,426]

true or not. i liked the story & agree w/ the sentiment. it is the little things not the material things that matter.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

And to be honest, the "wife" in this was a manipulating old cow-bag, who used her feminine wiles to emotionally manipulate the husband.

You have to admire her dedication, what with the weight loss and all.