Sorry for the last minute rescheduling last week. I don't know where my head has been (please do not offer up suggestions for where you think it has been).
So, let's get back to our tour of
Coming To Terms. This week we're talking about Alta Hensley's contribution "This Moment".
"This Moment" by Alta HensleyNeely and Caine love each other, but after
three years of marriage, they feel like strangers living in the same house.
Caine's discipline has lost its edge, and Neely feels neglected and lost. In
hopes of rekindling the passion and intimacy they once shared, they set off to
spend a week in a lakeside cabin. Just as they began to resolve some of their
problems and start to explore erotic spankings again, the demands of Neely's job
put a damper on their vacation. Caine hasn't punished Neely in a long time, but
he's sick and tired of being pushed away. Will a
real session over his
knee be enough to get Neely to finally open up?
"This Moment" gives us a glimpse of Neely and Caine from
Traditional Love. When I finish a book and then later think "I wonder what happened to those two?" I know the book was good.
Apparently things didn't go as well for Neely and Caine as might have been expected, but they figured it out and want to get things back on track.
At the end of this story, Neely decides that she wants to have a baby and be a stay at home mom. What did you guys think of that? What if she'd loved her job or if it had been Caine's suggestion? Would you feel differently?
For those who read Traditional Love, were you surprised that things had gotten off track for Caine and Neeley?
Any other thoughts?
I can definitely relate to the things getting off track thing in a relationship. Live plows forward and we don't always have time to recalibrate with each other. Suddenly one day you realize you really need to come back together before you drift too far apart.
ReplyDeleteooh, well you know if you ask a feminist question, what kind of answer you'll get from me, right?
Despite the passion with which I loved my babies, it took me a while to come to terms (ha ha) with whether to stay at home with them or continue a corporate career. Ultimately, I think it has to be the woman's choice, just like the choice of how to birth or how to feed her babies. Knowing you have the unconditional support of your partner helps you make the best choice for yourself and your family.
It was so was interesting to see how my husband stepped forward when I stepped back as primary bread-winner. He'd been perfectly content having me be the go-getter for years, but as soon as I took a back seat, he jumped into the wage-earner role with aplomb. No archaic gender roles defined our path, simply a balancing and re-balancing of each other's needs and desires, the constant calibration of yin with yang...
Thanks, Renee! Some great points.
DeleteI always had a love/hate relationship with the stay at home moms. Sometimes I'd look at them with envy and other times I'd think "hey, get a job!". I finally found a decent balance by working part time or working from home, but not everyone has that option.
I think I would have felt differently in this story if it hadn't been Neely's idea to begin with. If I felt like she was being pressured by Caine to stay home, then I would have been bothered.
I totally forgot it was Friday! I love getting my nerd on in book club! First off, I had no idea these were characters from a book, this is some awesome info because I really liked them and will have to read it now.
ReplyDeleteI liked the basis of the story that they were off track and were trying to get back onto solid ground. I think a lot of times I end up reading all these romance novels where everything is always great (really it's what I pick out to read), it's nice to read something a little more true to life because relationships aren't easy. Its easy to lose track of what you started out as if you're not paying attention to each other.
As for Neely deciding to be a stay at home mom- I actually read your question and thought "Should that have bothered me?" I really didn't give it a second thought. I think it just worked because she hated her job and it was her own idea. It probably would have felt extremely different if it wasn't her idea.
Isn't working mom vs. stay at home moms always a hot button topic? I agree with Renee that it's different for everyone and needs to be your own thing. A lot of people don't have the choice. I am hoping by the time we have kids I'll be able to make a decision based on what we want and not just what we can do financially. I also don't have a career right now, I have a 'job' which I am not too wild about and what I make there wouldn't even cover daycare costs. But at the same time I know by husband would ultimately let me decide what I felt most comfortable with and I think that is the important thing.
Getting my nerd on....that made me laugh! Thanks Casey!
DeleteOne of the things I like about writing spanking/dd stories is the opportunity to explore issues w/in a marriage vs. the HEA of a more traditional romance (which I also like), so the getting off track aspect of this story was really interesting, I think.
I was surprised that the marriage/DD had gotten off track because This Moment/Traditional Love are fiction, and Neely and Caine seemed so solid. However, I realized that getting off track runs true-to-life and was realistic.
ReplyDeleteI think if women want to stay at home with their children, they should. And if they want/need to work, they shouldn't feel guilty about it. It would be a much harder choice I think, if you loved your job.
I agree. If it had appeared that she was being forced to leave a job she liked to stay home, I would have been bothered by that, but leaving a job you hate? I'm all for it!
DeleteSorry I missed this! I've been naughty and playing in the sun on vacation. Love you Celeste!!
ReplyDelete~Alta