Tuesday, August 5, 2008

What Would You Do?

Note: Names have been changed to protect identities. :) 

Jack and Jill were together on and off for about five years. Jill learns something about Jack. He vehemently denies it. Jill freaks out, doesn't believe him, and never talks to Jack again. She's left devastated. This particular moment ends the relationship and friendship forever.

Fast forward eleven years. Jill is happily married to someone else. Jack has also moved on. Ironically, Jill finds out she was wrong by complete accident. Jack was telling the truth the entire time. Does she contact her ex to admit she was wrong even though she hasn't talked to him in eleven years? Or should Jill stay mum and attempt to forget about it? 

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever made a life decision based on one event? Then, years later you found out the circumstances that led to that life decision were false. 

What would you do? If you were Jill, would you contact Jack? If you were Jack, would you want to Jill to fess up? 

SCREWBALL NEWS: The amazing Beth wrote a wonderful in-depth review of SCREWBALL. Check it out here

PRETTY TOUGH TUESDAY: I'm over at Pretty Tough blogging about the Back Softball campaign. 

Have a great day everyone! :)  

18 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm not sure what I would do...but I know that would be a great book!

I can only think of this happening once in my life. My best friend told me that my boyfriend hit on her--and wanted to cheat on me with her. I didn't believe her. I knew she was jealous, and I knew she'd done stuff like this to other friends before...and we were drifting apart by that time and she was becoming needier and needier since my interests started diverging from hers. In the end, I dropped the friend and stuck with the boy. Five years later, he's my husband and she's in jail for theft. I still think I made the right decision...but that was definitely a time in my life where I had a life-changing decision to make!

Unknown said...

PS--Thanks for linking to my review :)

PJ Hoover said...

Whoa! This is deep. Have I made a major decision based on one event and then found out I was wrong?
I don't think so, but, if so, I'm happy not knowing.
Would I contact Jack? I guess if I thought it would help a bad situation. If it wouldn't help, I wouldn't.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

I agree with Beth, I also thought immediately, what a great book.

My thoughts about Jack and Jill are this... Real life and book life are totally different. In book life I would say make your character confront her passed because we like to test our characters and put them in awkward situations - see what they'll do. But in real life... then I would say maybe it's best to leave it alone. I am sure after 11 years he has moved on. Instead, I would see if the Universe presented an opportunity for me to apologize instead of creating one myself. If I was meant to apologize that I would find myself with Jack suddently in the gorcery store, etc. I would also think of my husband. He probably wouldn’t want me to contact Jack. I sure know I wouldn't want him to contact Jill.

Sheri Perl-Oshins said...

woops, typo... "past" not *passed* sorry...

Dru said...

It's in the past and I would leave it alone.

mimi said...

Depends on how big the big girls pants are. If I were feeling particularly strong, I'd apologize and leave done. But I think I'd most likely go into the kick-myself-for-being-an-idiot cycle and brood and do nothing.

Alyson Noel said...

Has this ever happened to me? No.
But if it had, I think I'd apologize.

Keri Mikulski said...

Hi, Beth - Wow! What a story. Now, that's a great book. OMG - Can you imagine if you believed your friend? Yikes. Yes, I'm definitely storing this idea away.
And you're welcome. Thanks for the review! :)

Hi, PJ - Tough call. Yes, I wouldn't want to know either.

Hi, Sheri - Yes, I agree. I'm all about fate. If the opportunity presented itself and if hubbies and wives were okay with it. But, I wonder if Jill have enough guts to say something if she was caught off guard? :)

Keri Mikulski said...

Hi, Dru - Interesting. :)

Hi, Mimi - LOL! Love - depends on how big her pants are. :)

Hi, Alyson - Me too. :)

Oh and Sheri - An error right back at you - "would have" instead of "have". :)

Stephanie J said...

It guess it depends. If Jill could contact the person but do it anonymously (like sending a small note saying something like years ago Jill judged their character and Jill was wrong and apologizes) then I'd do it. Clears the conscience and might be a welcome piece of information to Jack. On the other other hand, if the relationship was "on and off for about 5 years" the "off" part is what stands out to me and I'd question...why pursue? Plus, I could see the view point that Jill shouldn't contact Jack at all if it brings up any emotions from the past since Jill is happily married to someone else. Plus, is the husband (Jerry? haha, bad joke) okay with contact? Jill should find out.

There are so many decisions I've made that could have changed the course of my life many times. I think I'd drive myself nuts thinking about them so I choose not to. :)

AudreyO said...

I don't believe I would contact him. The relationship is in the past. Unless you wish to have a future relationship, there is really no point in contacting him. Instead learn the lesson that sometimes things are not what they seem.

Keri Mikulski said...

Hi, Stephanie! I like the anonymous note idea. Yes, I know what you mean. I hate when I start dwelling on something that makes me nuts.

Hi, Audrey! Great point.

Angela said...

Keri;
If I were Jill the only person I would talk to would be myself. I would remind myself not to jump to conclusions in the future (or present) and also remind myself that everything turned out cool anyway. There is no point in contacting Jack it's been 11 years!

But if we happened to bump into each other somewhere I would smile as though we were old friends and I hadn't acted ended a relationship/friendship on a impulse years ago. If he brought it up "hey jill, u were so wrong about me way back whenever it was." I'd fess up. "Yeah dude. I was wrong. But it's all good now."

I agree with beth....good book idea.

TJ Brown said...

No, I don't think I would unless it would somehhow help.

COngrats on the great review!
Teri

Keri Mikulski said...

Hi, Angela! I agree... That's what Jill should do. Lesson learned. :)

Hi, Teri! Thanks. Welcome back!

Vivian Mahoney said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vivian Mahoney said...

Great story, Beth! And I'm with everyone else, Keri, this would be a great book.

Sounds like this is something big that causes Jill much guilt. Is she worried that Jack's life has gotten out of control because of her accusation? If so, send a letter of apology and Jack can do with it what he wants.

If it's because she just wants to see Jack, she should stick with her husband and remember how her life changed--or at least her guilt and regret-- when she meddled in something she shouldn't have.