All Comments on 'A Policeman's Lot'

I wondered about that policeman's story from your last one. Thanks for writing it.

For the read.

It's always interesting to read what characters think they can do without discovery. There's always someone willing to throw away everything for one hour being reported in the headlines, it seems. Good job telling the tale. Full marks from me.

Story was about as boring as watching British TV channels too.

That was an entertaining read.

Nice flow, good timeline, a bit short & meek.

Thanks again.

That cheating bitch was cold-blooded. Just a shame her prick married lover didn't give her a disease. However, our hero made it to the top of his profession and his prospects for the future are promising. As for the cheaters, to hell with them.

Five Stars

Thanks for sharing, Mr. Black.

It's always a bit weird reading well written stories set in foreign (for the reader) countries. It's like someone opening a small window to another world and letting you poke your head through and take a look around.

Thanks for providing the view and a tale of someone who threw away their future for cheap lies and empty promises.

Very civilized, And very British. No guns, no beatings, no death.

Just a very dry and staid, no quibbles, kick her to the curb.

She realized to late what she gave away and destroyed.

And life goes on

..."Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way"(from the Pink Floyd song "Time")

Gave you ***** Matt. Love the lesson in English culture.

I like going to different times and different places. It's always enjoyable to retreat somewhere there are no smart phones.

But as I don't know of a Mallory Habred case, a couple of lines about its nature would have been helpful, to appreciate Richard's state of mind.

But somewhat dry.

That British spin to the story was wild! The way Richard and Jennifer spoke about her cheating and wanting to leave him was painful to read. It was like listening to an autopsy of their relationship, all fairly calm and almost formal instead of what it actually was. It was a vivisection of Richard!! Stiff upper lip or not, she was brutal and he had to be devastated!

Glad Jennifer didn't ride happily off into the sunset with that jerk. Hopefully if she is fortunate enough to find a good and decent guy (not that she really deserves one) she will treat him a lot better and be thankful for having him. Maybe she has learned that there are more important things to have in common with a spouse than 'compatible intellects '. Maybe honesty, loyalty, fidelity, respect and love might FINALLY count for something with her. All those little things she spit on and carelessly discarded like So much rubbish in her first marriage. By her remarks to Richard It really doesn't appear that she loved him very deeply. She better hope that the universe doesn't need to further balance the scales.

It was great that Richard finally came around and started dating. He didn't deserve a

life sentence just because Jennifer was a foolish and cruel slut. Was kind of hoping Richard might get with Donna, but didn't really know how big an age gap they had. Thought it was in the ten year range, plus or minus a couple. But at least he was looking to be with someone.

Quite so.

A good story, I would have liked it to have had more character development, especially how the headmaster wriggled his way into Jenny's life.

Simple no nonsense drama lacking story. 3 stars.

I enjoyed the story, thank you. However, I kept waiting for the police to prosecute them both for exposure to a student. After all, that's a serious crime. 5 stars anyway, it's only fiction and a good read.

complained that this dry, very British story was a little dry. Hmm, water is wet, sunshine is bright, and a dry, highly mannered, terribly British story was dry. Will wonders never cease?

Look, not everyone enjoys dry, or wry, or dark, or absurd, but criticizing one of these stories for being exactly what it aimed to be is more than a little silly.

He sees his wife having sex with another man but doesn't get aroused? Not buying it.

Nicely done. Thank you.

Do schools in Britain really all have big metal fences around them now?

its a shame all the old remedies have been outlawed, TK U MLJ LV NV

Why would he get aroused, there was no signs of mental sickness in his character that would get aroused from something like that. Only the diseased or insane would be aroused by that vision. Most would be either sickened or enraged or both.

yes

"Doffing" a hat is taking it off, not putting it on, which is what he appears to be doing.

She's "sorry" that he had to see that or "find out that way," but not sorry that she did it?

She's "trying to work out her feelings" by FUCKING him? I suppose if he wasn't a good fuck their intellectual connection wouldn't mean anything?

These two "intellectuals" are so brilliant that they fuck in a school with students around and don't think to lock the door?!

Thanks Matt. Enjoy reading the slightly different writing styles of US, UK and Aussie authors.

Killian

great hope ther is more to the story what about him and donna do they get together and get married or do they go there own way

The deputy headmaster and the French teacher (she WAS very pretty!) were found having sex, when a pupil opened the supply room door to get some papers. They'd forgotten to lock the door.

Why do these women always end of fucking the guys that they couldn't stand?

Words of warning to LW husbands: If your wife stops talking/complaining about a co-worker, be afraid, be very afraid! She's probably fucking him now!

the British vernacular. Almost every sentence has words or references with which I was unfamiliar before reading the story. For me, his stories are educational as well as entertaining!

A myth.

Thanks Matt

The brother is "doing" Open University lectureRs on the Internet? Kinky.

a little short but not drawn our but pretty good 5 stars

Matt is just British to his core, the characters exude a quiet dignity and stoicism you only see with British culture. It's weird, but after having made dozens of native british friends and consuming way too much british television, I have to say Matt nails that feel in every character.

Don't get me wrong, an American CAN be stoic, there's enough history there. But we tend to lean more passionate, especially during sudden emotional turmoil. Even the romance europeans tend to be more passionate. I don't know if it's uniquely British, or they simply adopted antiquity roman culture, but there is something fun and different reading about characters from that region.

The wife just....decided to cheat. Like it was a carefully thought out 5 year plan bulletin. She obviously didn't think it through every angle, but it's just so very quirky to me. Thanks for the story Matt.

I really enjoy your stories from a British perspective. This is another stupid cheating slut story. Getting caught having sex with her asshole lover in an open school classroom. Good to see that both cheaters suffer consequences. I thought he was heading for a relationship with the young sergeant.

donkeys years ago a married female PE (physical education) teacher in her late 30s was caught having sex with 2 16yr old lads in the boys changing rooms.

at the same school a married male chemistry teacher was caught boning our sexy biology teacher up against a wall, on a school trip.

all i felt at my age 16 was jelousy!

Others have said that Matt's story was well-written and nicely British, sentiments I wholeheartedly agree with.

My 'except' occurs through the latter part of the story where I had the feeling that the author was tidying up loose ends rather than telling the story.

It seems to me rather stilted when a story has the injection of paragraphs such as:

"Jennifer's solicitor saw the writing on the wall and decided to force her hand. There would be no trial and she agreed to the divorce on the grounds of adultery."

"Jennifer realised that she had been played by an expert and so she moved to a village just outside Chester. She worked as a secretary at a local aircraft works, because suddenly teaching held no attractions for her."

There were several more paragraphs like this, which I thought would be better handled through dialogue or a character's response to what was happening rather than a description of outcomes.

But I liked the first page a lot.

Lue

A decent little story that felt a bit like a rough draft. Could have been something special with a little more meat on the bone. I really enjoyed the line about him thinking about skipping at the end, but I would have enjoyed it more if we'd maybe had a little scene with Karen first. It would have had more oomph if we'd gotten a glimpse at their brooding romance in a scene between the love birds rather than off-handedly alluding to it in a conversation with a third party. Since most of the telling was so dry, that sweet ending line felt almost tacked on, like it belonged in another story. For all that, this was one of the better recent reads around here.

Thanks for the story.

Cog

Enjoyed your STORY. But as a yank, I would have liked to see a more emotional side of the cheating slut wife. I wish you had explored the marriage a bit more deeply and what was going on in her head. She had a really great guy for a husband. And yet she fell under the spell of a true scumbag loser. That tells me she wasn't really very happy in her marriage to begin with and she was ripe for the picking. That's sad.

You grow on a person. The more of your stories I read, the better I like them. I do love dry wit, and you are among the best at that. You have a talent for understatement, and I love your characters. Thanks for writing, Randi.

Don't get me wrong, I liked this story, but some of the exchanges!

I realize this supposed to be "veddy, veddy, British." all "stiff upper lip" and all, but this conversation is so stilted it might as well have been Data on the holodeck of the Enterprise!

"I suppose I was, and I'm sorry for that, it wasn't fair on you. And I can see that, now. Can we still be friends after this?"

He shook his head. "No. I don't think that would be appropriate, Jennifer. I don't think I'd particularly like to be a friend with someone who could treat me as shabbily as you have treated me."

She nodded. "Fair enough, Richard. I can see why you'd say that."

Jennifer definitely got kicked in the arse by the" Good Doctor ".....I thought the story was " Sad "....Yeah I enjoyed the Show....★★★★★ WOOF!

Another great tale, Matt!

... but just one or two too many, “This was before the time of...” It started to seem too contrived. Sort of like hearing grand dad’s, “Back in my day...” Once or twice is historical. Three or four and it’s reminiscing. Much more and it becomes simple complaining.

And did Jennifer really think it was better to trial Bob in the classroom, during lunch? Rather than having a “meeting” with him some early afternoon? Is she grabbing at excuses, or is she really that stupid? Or “back in the day”, being caught in an unlocked classroom, during school hours, was a smarter way to go than be caught as a married woman in a bachelor’s apartment?

Also, having put so much of my own “emotional” investment in Jennifer, I’m curious what else happened to her? Did she eventually find someone else? Did she cheat on them too? (Once a cheater...) Or did she learn her lesson, and now been happily married 10 years, with twin boys. Having even more invested into Jennifer than me, and being a DCI, I’m sure Rich could have kept some tabs on her.

And the “Mallory Halbred Case” comes out of nowhere. Was it a historical and famous case? It doesn’t show up in google. Or is it made up? Is it divorce? Murder? Blackmail? Kidnap??? I dont have a clue.

It’s implied, but I suppose selling commercial insurance “commission only” is a bad thing? I knew a father of a friend, who sold golf equipment on commission only, and asked my friend about it once. He said his dad made more a year on a higher commissions percentage than he would salary plus lower commissions percentage. It just depends on how good a salesman you are.

Not a perfect story. But a nice story. It would be a better story if a few of the loose ends were tied up.

Basically he got a good BTB out of it and did not let it interfere with his career.

He did not waste five years at all.

marriage as an arrangement of opportunity, convenience, and solace. Comfortable, but nothing too emotional or intense. Really.

I think all the basic emotions, thoughts, and reactions are there, but their expression and volatility are muted by the culture. Jennifer was shallow, selfish, unethical, and stupid. She is not suited to be anyone's wife until she matures. Richard was too casual in his vetting of a marriage mate, and too distant from his wife's emotions and feelings. He will always be a cold fish. They are both better off apart so they might meet an actual compatible mate.

Well told if too cool and precise for my taste. Thank you for a good effort.

As Luedon and others mentioned, it petered out near the end. Less showing and more telling, which kind of makes it feel like reading an outline. It was somewhat unresolved, but then I like nice tidy endings.

I found Jennifer to be an interesting character with a strong pragmatic bent.

Would there be a chance at a follow on story with these two characters?

Nonetheless i loved the description of fucking as splitting her whiskers.

your characters are like robots....no feelings at all....story very dry

2 starrs

The character developement seemed quite appropriate in a reserved manner. I spent several years in England and found the telling to be very believeable. Perhaps his controlled manner is why Jennifers found Robert alluring but in the end she overlooked the real love she had from the beginning of her marriage.

you did a drama story, with three lines of unsipid mentions about sex, in an erotic website.

as a story, the general plot is not bad. but your characters don't have feelings.

MattblackUK is an outstanding writer who produces five star stories. He always comes up with an unusual setting for his story. I loved this one.

Billy Lines.

This story is flawed.She would not have her own office for the sex to take place.Jacobs would have to be interviewed for the job and he is unlikely to travel from Aussie on the off chance he would get the job.Even if he did,at the interview he would have to disclose family information,therefore it would be common knowledge he was married.If this did not happen ,it would still come out as he would have to enrol his kids at the school.Plus the fact he would be seeking or living in family size accomodation.

a departmental head would almost certainly have had their own office.

Why was this story so long? After he caught her the rest was just trite with nothing to add to the character of the story. And the character of the people here were not realized either. Because the way his wife was portrayed either she was dead or didn't have a care in the world. not even when her lover turned out to be married. there was no emotion from her. He didn't show much emotion either, just that he was going to dedicate his life to police work? And there hadn't been any mention of no sex from her either until he went and sat down to talk to her. There just wasn't much body to this story. You could of at least tried to have the wife try to get back with him. or show remorse for getting caught. Something!!

She is portrait as an emotionless bitch devoid of regret. I think that she should have suffered more retribution and pain.

Why wasn't she given a BTB punishment? Because Richard didn't give a tuppenny dam about her. He didn't care what happened to her after he divorced her. And yes, the correct usage is dam, not damn. It's an Indian coin and is Quote from Rudyard Kipling.

No real redemption in the wife. The way she dismissed him while she was still on her back says a lot. It was fun to read the many British expressions. Thank you.

I.love reading Mattblack, Brittease, and Wanderer, just to learn to speak "English". I plan to visit soon and enjoy learning the language. The British cool and restraint are amazing.

26thNC could not have said it better

I've read several of your stories and they all seem to be left short. No real conclusion. No real finish. No real completion of the story. Rated as a 1!!!! Finish the stories!

So prim and proper and very British..LOL... enjoyed it. Gave it a 5

This story lacks any sort of ending. Did he start seeing SGT Donna. What happened to the bi*ch wife. She deserves a lot of misery in her life after her lack of sorrow for what she did by making him a cuckold. Sorry. Please finish work.

I have one error that somehow jumped out to me. I am not a grammar nazi, but: finding "verbs for "slut" is going to be hard. I know that British English is different from American English but I cannot find any dictionary that provides another (slut around being the only usage I can find) verb for Slut -- only nouns or adjective (slutty).

I do appreciate and agree with your opinion of a BS over a BA, and I prefer my MA over an MBA. Another small aside that added to the story.

I like reading your stories and appreciate the British English, but that one just stood out.

Again, thank you for all your good work.

I am Anonymous only because I cannot log into my membership because of some Lit snafus.

Alternatives to slut? I love playing with words. there are (amongst others) Tramp, whore, floozy, harlot, hussy, tart, vamp, Jezebel, painted Jezebel, slapper, strumpet, prostitute, trollop, doxy, nympho, bimbo.

As for a BSc being better than an BA? That's an own goal, as I am the proud holder of a BA (Hons) in Creative and Professional Writing.

Why no proper ending, just left up in the air. To be a good story you need a good ending, this hasn't got one. Only 3 Stars..

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Jennifer." Comically weak response, but not all that unexpected from a Brit. A nation of Betas.

So the young woman outs herself for having used a double negative, and then does worse by saying "It was him who saw them". Students these days!

Average . That 's it. AA++

Wow, a 50-year old reference, Donovan.

I'm bored.

Can you stop writing about us Brits this way. Why do you need to write us as Complete faggy weak pussies? I've never met anyone who you describe. Come up the East End and actually do some research and within 5 min you'll realise that you haven't got a clue.

I think that the police, would have filed some charges against both of them, for having sex in a place where minor children were likely to witness it. Also, he was in big trouble for threatening the boy, not to out him. Besides that, it was a good story, gave it a 4. The clarification that this took place prior to the Information Age, was helpful, as well. After all, what woman doesn’t stalk a man online, who she interested in? THAT would hav def came out. However, does not matter what side of the pond you live on. Narcissist sluts are as common, as Bighead carp in the Illinois river.

Very good story- well developed characters and enjoys the British slant. Great job

As an American I don't always enjoy stories from a British setting but this was very nicely done. Apparently cheating slut wives are about the same in England as they are in America!

So the MC had to suffer in his relationships as a consequence of a cheating skank wife and in whichever small village she is in, may already be having a good relationship with someone!! Abrupt ending!!

He and Sgt Donna would be a better match

Very well done. The cheating skank could have landed in Newbury, Berks, where I was stationed from 66 to 69, in the USAF. I thank Randi for pointing me to your stories.

No real finish, good story without acceptable completion

Finish the fucking story.

I can't tell you why but it just doesn't feel right to me, I liked the plot but you didn't fill it out enough.

Not a very complete story. Why do you have the M/C meander away with no conclusion. Kind of a mopey thing?

Don't know why I missed this one. Great story!

5

One of the worst fallacies of Western thought is that idea held by most women, and many men, that emotions are uncontrollable. That we “ fall in love”. This is, of course, nothing more than balderdash!

Love is a choice, and an action. The slut CHOSE to open her heart to another man, which leads her to open her legs for him as well. The idea that she was helpless to her feelings, and therefore not responsible, is repugnant!

ZK

Where is the next part? -Only three-and-a-half Stars without it, maybe 5 with?

We all want to know the significance of the somewhat strange repitition of the Jenny-Jupe song?

Don't wait too long, or someone else will no doubt, write it for you!

R.S.