18 Comments

"Electricity passed between their flesh, a telegraph carrying decades-old memories."

A beautiful line, Bill. A little gem.

I wonder how many of us would like to be 17 again. I, personally, would prefer going back to age 40 -- when I finally had a little sense...

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Thank you, Sharron.

Yes, I think 17 might be too young to make the trip in time worthwhile. When I was 17, I foundered around a lot.

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I'm so mistrustful of decisions that need to be made at a moment's notice! Poor Quinn.

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Same. The indecisive spirit in me needs lots of time.

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I enjoyed the story (as always). As much as I would have loved the second chance to relive what was gone, I understand his hesitation only because it might mean erasing his present life and thus his children would never have been born. Their lives matter too! 😀

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He so little time to make such a monumental decision. Going back in time would have changed more than his own life.

I'm glad you enjoyed A Second Chance.

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Good story. I empathize with Quinn. As much as I would love to leave my 77 y/o self here, and go back to when I was 25, knowing that, unless I made exactly the same choices, everything I love now - my kids, my Grandkidlets - would cease to exist. I would also have to decline. To everything there is a season. I had mine. It’s someone else’s turn.

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I feel the same way. I'm in a very happy place and time in my life. Now and then (maybe too often) I think about the mistakes I've made and while I wish I hadn't made them, everything I did has led me to where I am now.

I'm glad you enjoyed A Second Chance.

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My Mom turned 90 today… she said to me a few days ago, “I’ve made so many mistakes in my life” as she was discussing this upcoming birthday… I thought about her remark for a minute or so and responded with “but if you could go back and change your decisions you’d lose much of what you love having in your life”… she then thought for a few seconds, got a big smile on her face and said, “you’re right! I guess I wouldn’t change anything.”

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Ninety is an amazing age. I think it's when people are at the pinnacle of wisdom.

Our mistakes make us who we are. Without them, we would be different people, so I'm glad there's no undoing of our past.

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Just as sad as the first time!

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Yes :(. A choice is only good if you make it.

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Oh Quinn, you were so silly. I am in at a similar stage of my life and would give up everything for a second chance with my love.

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Quinn should have. He made the biggest mistake of his life.

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I really liked this one, but I would have jumped right through. A chance to live those same years over again

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I would gone through, too. What a wonderful chance that would have been.

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Loved it and hated it. We all do the “if only” shit all the time. And none of us have a clue whether we would or wouldn’t, should or shouldn’t. Thought provoking, as usual, but a piss off, also sometimes as usual.

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The hard part is "if only" (I think) is when you have to make that decision too quickly.

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