2nd Chance by Mark Arbour

[Graeme]

2nd Chance by Mark Arbour

Two old guys go on a cruise, and what starts out as a "last hurrah" ends up as a new beginning.


:nuke: :nuke: Spoilers Below!!! :nuke: :nuke:

[lin]

Simply wonderful,Mark.

[Nephylim]

Just perfect. I love this story. It is touching, funny, sad and surreal... and the storytelling skill is not hidden behind a flood of sex. Awesome work hun

 

 

[Riley Jericho]

That was great - left you guessing all the way. Thanks for writing

Riley

[Toast]

Wow, you really know how to pull me in. Maybe I should just talk about how well written it is or maybe I should just say I really liked it. Thank you for a great story.

[nightsky]

I have a complaint about the story.

 

 

 

It was too short.

 

(I s'pose that's more a commentary on how I feel about stories in anthologies in general... but really. I wanted to read more about their story!)

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it though! It was kind of bittersweet, with a nice twist.

[Mark Arbour]

Thanks everyone!

[Graeme]

Leaving aside the ending, the story raises some interesting questions about end-of-life decisions. Was Tom right to do what he did? There is no doubt he loved Pete, and he framed his good-bye note in that context, but was he right?

 

In this story, it all turned out right in the end, but in real life, how many people have to agonise over that decision? I'm hoping I'll never be in that position, because I honestly don't know what I'd do. Stories like this help make the process more human, and for that I have to thank Mark.

 

I'd thank him for giving us a great story, too, but I don't want to swell his head any more than it is already, so I wont

[Procyon]

This was a really nice story to read, both because they found love at a stage in life when they thought they had no chance of that anymore, and -- of course -- because of the ending...

 

I agree with Graeme, though -- what a thing to do! To jump without asking, without consulting the other's opinion (which might of course be the only way since one would know that the other would say no) -- but I reacted very strongly to that while I was reading. Especially since he left his partner on his own, unable to walk. How selfish is that? But then I chose to believe that he somehow knew that his wish would come true already before he jumped...

 

Thanks for a good story!

[Mark Arbour]

This was a really nice story to read, both because they found love at a stage in life when they thought they had no chance of that anymore, and -- of course -- because of the ending...

 

I agree with Graeme, though -- what a thing to do! To jump without asking, without consulting the other's opinion (which might of course be the only way since one would know that the other would say no) -- but I reacted very strongly to that while I was reading. Especially since he left his partner on his own, unable to walk. How selfish is that? But then I chose to believe that he somehow knew that his wish would come true already before he jumped...

 

Thanks for a good story!

 

I appreciate what both of you are saying. I don't think Tom could have ever guessed what would have happened, so it was purely a final decision. It would be a tough thing to do, to make that decision, and a really tough decision to implement. I think that if it was me that was left behind, I would wonder if my own behavior had cheated my partner from confiding in me. Was I so intractable about it that he or she couldn't raise the issue without counting on me to hear the arguments and be reasonable?

[Procyon]

I appreciate what both of you are saying. I don't think Tom could have ever guessed what would have happened, so it was purely a final decision. It would be a tough thing to do, to make that decision, and a really tough decision to implement. I think that if it was me that was left behind, I would wonder if my own behavior had cheated my partner from confiding in me. Was I so intractable about it that he or she couldn't raise the issue without counting on me to hear the arguments and be reasonable?

 

Yeah, this is a very interesting question, because I think I'd get too upset in a situation like that to just hear the arguments and be reasonable. I read an article about a man whose wife planned to commit suicide and told him about t beforehand so he could go to the library in the meantime, for the sake of getting an alibi... (she had a very painful terminal disease as well, of course) and I couldn't stop thinking of how terribly it must have been for him to be there and know he'd never see her again, and to know that he could still save her (she took an overdose). Of course one doesn't want to see a loved one die a painful, slow death either, but still... so definite, irreversible. Imagine the loneliness afterwards.

[C James]

I like the dilemma this raises.

 

Thanks Mark, for a good and thought-provoking story.

[Conner]

Fantastic story, Mark!

 

Given all the circumstances, I had no trouble whatsoever in accepting Tom's decision. It was his decision to make. Was it a selfish decision? Of course it was. He couldn't conceive his life with Pete having to endure another round of chemotherapy. At the very least, it was honest.

[methodwriter85]

Does this remind anyone else of the end of Titanic

I like that they're spending eternity with each other the way they want to be. (They both died, right?)

[NightOwl88]

A very good story. The end was nice but it was the start that go me to be honest. I think the idea of being old, and alone is something that everyone can identify with. A very nice story.

[Kev de Cauchery]

I find this story extraordinarily moving. I teared up big time towards the end.

 

Wonderful story, Mark!

[Canuk]

a beautiful story wonderfully told.

 

Graeme was concerned about superlatives increasing the size of Mark 's head - not sure that's a problem ((and there are so many places a clever writer could go with that statemnet), however provided he keeps writing his head can get as big as he (or anyone else) likes!!!

 

suicide is a selfish decision, however in many ways it is just as selfish to tell someone not to commit suicide due to the hurt it will cause the surviviors.

[Hamen Cheese]

That was incredibly sweet. For some reason, I always find "old people romances" more real and moving. You know it's not about the sex but the companionship which is great.

 

I'm glad they got a second chance.

[Mark Arbour]

Thanks! It seemed to be the ultimate fantasy for those of us who are aging: to go back and relive our youth with the knowledge we now have. Not wisdom, knowledge.

[Canuk]

Thanks! It seemed to be the ultimate fantasy for those of us who are aging: to go back and relive our youth with the knowledge we now have. Not wisdom, knowledge.

 

 

I am not so sure - I can certainly see some benefits, but also some of the great times I had when I was young were in part because of the utter innocence (ignorance?) with which I approached life. I still see it when talking with 25+ year olds who use their dangerousy small amount of knowledge to provide refreshingly new perspectives.

 

(mind you, at my great age, I do find my ability to maintain my interest in this new and refreshing perspective is greater if the speaker is not only 25+ but also male and cute!!!)

[Percy]

Really enjoyed this story and admire the way it smoothly transitioned between the narrator's present and past.

[methodwriter85]

I am not so sure - I can certainly see some benefits, but also some of the great times I had when I was young were in part because of the utter innocence (ignorance?) with which I approached life. I still see it when talking with 25+ year olds who use their dangerousy small amount of knowledge to provide refreshingly new perspectives.

 

(mind you, at my great age, I do find my ability to maintain my interest in this new and refreshing perspective is greater if the speaker is not only 25+ but also male and cute!!!)

 

Part of me would give anything to go back to when I was 16 years old- I'd redo high school and my college years and fix a lot of my mistakes. But then again, if I hadn't made those mistakes, I wouldn't know not to make them again.

 

I have an online friend named Austin who got into this mentor role with a younger guy, because he saw parallels with this kid's life at 18 and his own life, when he was 18. Austin wanted to befriend the guy and stop him from making the same kind of mistake that Austin did when he was 18. In the end, it wound up a mess, and the thing that I got from hearing about my friend's story was this. You gotta let someone make their own mistakes. You can't try and relive the past through someone else, and try to vicariously re-write your own history. You can offer guidance, but at the end of the day, people have to, in the words of Mrs. Frizzle, "get messy, make mistakes!" If you try and shield them from that, they'll never learn and grow up.