This one was poignant. I could really feel for Sam, as he was torn between two lovers. One who showed that they cared, and the other whom Sam couldn't resist.

Sam's discomfort and confusion came over clearly, as did Jonah's shallow contempt for anything other than a physical release. But I think it was Rob's quiet pain that got to me the most. He gave Sam a chance. As he said, Love is blind.

But not stupid....

Sorry, this is going to sound callus:

THANK GOD ROB DUMPED SAM!

The little jerk had it coming. I was so irritated and disappointed in him when it looked like he was just going to let it all slide. It's good to be forgiving, but come on, have a little self-respect. Thank goodness he wised up. (It seemed like) He deserves better than someone who'll throw away his love and trust every time his ex rolls around.

Jonah was mean and selfish...but Sam was mean, selfish AND STUPID so I don't feel particularly sorry for him. Again I know this sounds harsh, but in my opinion, if you let people manipulate you like that, and betray someone who really does love you (purposely and without regard to his feelings), you get what you deserve.

Just my thoughts,
Kevin

I hated Jonah as well! Ugh, that little jerk when Sam confessed his love. Kevin's right; they were both selfish people--Sam to Rob, and Jonah to Sam--so in some odd way, it was kind of ironic that Sam got screwed in the end, with Rob leaving him. I'm glad Rob left him also. I was a bit surprised when it appeared Rob was going to forgive Sam so easily, with that big grin. But I guess Rob had already made his decision, hence no anger, more like resignation and resolution and just left without discussing it over with Sam. Then again, he didn't have to discuss anything with Sam.

And Sam is so weak! Ugh, he took his relationship with Rob for granted, it was a stable and safe relationship, but insignificant to the one he had had with Jonah. And Jonah, why did he come back to just screw Sam's life! And why did Sam let him?? Was that really love or some serious lust?

The ending was great. A simple line that explains it all, pretty much. Take that Sam!

Well done again Menzo. If you have readers ranting and asking so many questions, it means you've written another masterpiece.

Well done!

I started off disliking Sam, and ended up really disliking him. What a jerk. He and Jonah are two of a kind.

Rob is the sympathetic one on the story; definitly the injured party. I liked the way the final line was done; it just... fit.
CJ

Well said, Tiff!!

So I'm the only person who felt that Sam was the sympathetic one? My poetically tragic character trapped between who's 'right' and who he loves, was not supposed to be a cad.

Tiff, Rob leaving just a note was not an angry or resentful gesture, it was one of understanding. Earlier in the story, Rob says that he doesn't understand Sam's obsession with Jonah, but he trusts him. The note showed Sam that he finally understood.

I must say, I am a little disappointed by people's perceptions of Sam. He's not a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but he was supposed to inspire sympathy and compassion for his plight.

Menzo (who knows first hand what it's like to be unable to say no to Jonah)

I'm probably too idealistic on this point to have the clarity to look beyond my visceral reaction.

If it's any consolation I will say that I enjoyed the story and found the characters realistic and multi-layered.

Also, I don't mean to imply that there are no redeemable qualities in someone that cheats, only that I personally wouldn't put up with it.


-Kevin

Hey, I said that I felt for Sam! Seriously, I did. Maybe it's because, as a gay married man who was only out to himself until recently, I can understand what pressures can build up on a person when their desires struggle against their sense of what's right. It doesn't make what Sam did okay, but I certainly felt how much he was torn, and how much he had trouble resisting Jonah. I, too, have had those struggles, though in my case it was just to resist having any sort of gay relationship, rather than a particular person.

Apparently, you are

While I can sympathize with Sam for being torn and wanting things to work with Jonah, it was extremely selfish of him to expect Rob to be there for him. Sam didn't love Rob, Sam used Rob to try to fill the emptyness that Jonah left in Sam.

It wouldn't have been fair to Rob for Sam to return and take him back...luckily Rob new that too and made the right decision for both of them.

Sam deserved what he got. Hopefully he'll live a lonely life regretting his mistakes.

P.S. - Good story, I really enjoyed it.

I've highlighted the part that I disagree with. Sam did love Rob -- I thought that showed clearly. That love was different to the love he had for Jonah, which was more a physical and psychological lust, but it was still love.


I agree with this, though some people would have taken him back, and it could have been the right decision for them. It depends on the personalities involved. If Sam found someone who accepted that there's another love in Sam's life, and that that love would crop up from time to time, then it would right for them to be together. Rob knew there was another love in Sam's life, but once he understood the power that love had on Sam, he wasn't able to accept his position in Sam's life. There's nothing wrong with that -- I thought Rob was very tolerant the first time Sam came back -- but Sam has to realise that he's going to have trouble with any relationship if he can't put Jonah aside permanently, or if he's not upfront about Jonah's place in his heart.

Agreed, Sam did love Rob, but he didn't love Rob.

Love in the passionate sense that Sam felt for Jonah....Rob was a 'Seth'...loyal, dependable, comfortable, nuturing...But Sam's passion was for Jonah.

We don't know that for sure, but I think you're right in that the level of passion Sam had for Jonah was higher than he felt for Rob. Since we only see Sam and Rob together when Jonah's in the background, we don't know how passionate Sam was with Rob before the start of the story. Once Jonah showed, up, Rob and Sam's relationship was overshadowed.

However, even if the level of passion for Jonah was higher, Sam's love for Rob I think was broader -- Jonah was too much of an a**hole for there to be much breadth in that relationship.

I think I said it best here:

I don't know about anyone else, but I've had points in my life where the thought of a relationship that can never work holds far more appeal than a peaceful, fairy-tale romance. I know what it's like to pick the one person who just isn't right knowing full well that he's not right.

Menzo (who's glad to have other perspectives on this)

If both parties enter into the relationship with that expectation, then I don't see a problem with it.

However, if you enter into a relationship with this expectation, knowing that you might bail out when something better comes along, how fair is it to the other party who fully committed?

You my friend scare the bajesus out of many of us looking for relationships

Vic (who uses the word friend sincerely )

When it comes down to it, Sam did get what was coming to him. I'm sure that, given time, he'll realize that.

However, because he got what was coming, I don't feel the need to condemn him. I've been there, too, on all sides of that triangle.



I don't think Sam was looking to get back with Jonah, until near the end of the story. He just couldn't stay away from Jonah, kept hoping that Jonah would suddenly say "I love you too!", which would validate all the time waking and sleeping that Sam put into loving Jonah. That's the dangerous part about exes that break up with you.

So yeah. I have a certain amount of sympathy for Sam. He knew he was being stupid. And he did it all anyways.

Though my experience is no where near as dramatic as Menzo's tale, I can draw enough parallels to my own to make it hit home.

For me this story elicited such a strong reaction because I've been in Rob's shoes. And I have zero sympathy for Sam because I'm channeling all the anger I have towards my Ex to Sam.

Thanks again Menzo for sharing.

..........Let's see Sam loved Jonah and loved being comforted by Rob, Jonah loved Jonah and loved to torment Sam. Rob deserves better and I hope he finds it.

I really liked the story, and I have to say...I actually liked Sam the whole way through. Now I feel kind of silly that I'm almost the only one. I felt bad for him that Rob left, and I honestly thought that Jonah leaving would mean Sam would get like, a happy ending. Maybe I'm just stupid.

......Try as I might it was hard to like Sam, he came in with a lot of baggage, and Rob was understanding. I had hoped he (Sam) would have had the guts to tell Jonah off, and quit running back to him. Evidently Rob felt the same, but when Sam showed his insecure and immature feelings to a pathetic lost love, who cared for nothing in return except for a 'romp', it was clear that Sam couldn't make that break. Rob deserved a lot better.

I think people are beating Sam up too much. How many times have we heard it said, "You can't help who you love." No matter what, Sam is always going to truly love Jonah. This story, like some of my other favorites, seems to touch on one of my favorite elements, irony. Great job, Menzo!

........Sorry Tiger, but I couldn't beat Sam as much as he is beating himself up right now. He lost his "Love", who didn't care anything about him. And he lost Rob, who cared very much about him. He is now alone, and didn't have the balls to do the right thing.

... .......I'm not sure how I just did that (triple post)...must be catching what Bk has. Sorry!!

I deleted the extra ones for you

Some people are going to be more sympathetic to Sam than others. Sam cheated on his boyfriend, which will make some people think the worst of him. Other people have been through that temptation and know how hard it can be to resist, and they'll be more sympathetic. There's not going to be a consensus on this issue

.........Thanks Graeme I'm guessing my computer sneezed . As for Sam, he plain F-cked up!

Sam is a flawed person, but he changed, and the great irony/tragedy of the story is the futility of his decision regarding Jonah. Maybe Sam's changes weren't enough to resist Jonah's next return, should it come, but there seemed to be some growth in Sam.

The tragedy is that Rob didn't have the patience to stick by Sam and perhaps lose the longer-term relationship that could ensue. He couldn't foresee the change in Sam that was about to be made, fragile as it might be, and he made his decision. Though one might love only one time, the first, that doesn't mean that the second and successive times can't end in a more realistic and enduring love. There may always be flames from the first love, and those may be a permanent part of Sam, but the memories can fade to the background.



That's my view, but the excellence of the story lies in the varied reactions of the readers.

Not to split hairs, but there does seem to be a slight consensus, and it seems that Sam screwed up


Did he? I certainly didn't get that impression.


I think he definitely would have fallen into Jonah's 'trap' the next time as well. As such it's my opinion that Rob made the right decision. It looks to me like Sam is stuck in a permanent, unhelpful, hopeless cycle.


True enough, it just didn't seem to me like it was going to fade into the background and stay there.

While I did think Sam made some dumb choices, I´m somewhat amused by general reaction, i.e.



Since we´re such nice people, I´d have thought the more approprite response would be to give Sam a hankie and advise him to see a counsellor. Yes Sam did something stupid, yes people were hurt by his actions, but he wasn´t malicious, and it´d be a slight more productive to try to help him overcome his problems than to condemn him vindictively. In-love-ness is related to obsessive compulsive disorder. What Sam needs is a little valium. Or something.

Anyway, the story itself -- we´ve got Menzo´s trademark sketches of disconnected, antiheroic characters. We´ve also got the trademark prose. As with some of Menzo´s other work, the story is jerked between ascetism of character and super!duper!lush verbiage. Sadly, I missed out on the ending because I don´t know French and I didn´t read the blurb. And, my absolute favorite line: "the crowds parted before him as the sea before Moses." You don´t get too many Biblical similes these days.

The ending, for those of you who don't know, means 'You only love one time: the first.' I don't like the way it sounds in English, so I left it in French.

Menzo

LOL, well I hope you don't think I'd say to a real life Sam, "Thank God he dumped you, man! You're such a stupid prick! You totally deserved that."

No, if Sam were someone I knew in real life (or internet life) of course I'd be more sympathetic and supportive. As a story character I don't expect him to read my comments, so I don't feel bad being blunt and opinionated.


I liked that line too, actually though I hear quite a few Biblical similes on a regular basis...it's probably just the company I keep though.

For a while, whenever I'd think of the phrase "First loves are forever" I'd feel an urge to bang my forehead repeatedly into a nearby hard surface, whispering, "stupid, stupid, stupid."

This is possibly because that was the exact reaction I had when I realized I'd fallen for one of my friends. In any case, furniture is now safe from my falshbacks, but I think I'll keep the French version in mind, since it is less provocative. Not to mention sexier. Ah, Latin based languages. How you rock.



Kind of random, but you just reminded me of something. friend of mine (well, two of them, but it was the one's idea) for a while attached the phrase "in the biblical sense" to anything anyone else would say. Not constantly of course, just whenever it would cause a laugh. For instance:

in the biblical sense.

Sterling.