MidReal Story
Love's Revelations: Navigating Marriage's Complexities
Scenario: Write a story about. A group of men. Who find out marriage is a scam
Create my version of this story
“Marriage is a scam,” I said, taking a sip of my beer.
I was sitting at the bar with my friends, Mike and Hank.
They both turned to me, their eyebrows raised in surprise.
“Where the hell did that come from?”
Mike asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
I shrugged and took another sip of my beer.
“I overheard a conversation today,” I said, “and it got me thinking.”
“What kind of conversation?”
Hank asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
I leaned back on my stool and crossed my arms over my chest.
“It was between two women,” I said.
“They were talking about how they were going to get married and then divorce their husbands so they could take them for all they’re worth.”
Mike’s eyes widened in shock.
“Are you serious?”
I nodded solemnly.
“Dead serious,” I said.
“They were talking about how they were going to take half of everything their husbands owned, including the kids.”
“That’s fucked up,” Mike said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Which is why I stand by my statement: marriage is a scam.”
Mike and Hank exchanged a look and then turned back to me.
“I don’t know, man,” Mike said.
“There are plenty of people who are happy in their marriages.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“Yeah, for now,” I said.
“But what happens when they get divorced?”
“Then the husband gives up half his stuff and moves on,” Mike said with a shrug.
“But it’s not just about the stuff,” I said.
“It’s about the emotional toll it takes on you, too.”
“I’ll give you that,” he said.
“But I still think that marriage isn’t always a scam.”
“And I think that it is,” I said stubbornly.
Hank cleared his throat and we both turned to look at him.
“What do you think?”
Mike asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
Hank shrugged and leaned against the bar.
“I think there are pros and cons to both sides,” he said.
Mike and I exchanged a skeptical look and turned back to Hank in disbelief.
“What are you talking about?”
I said, “There is no way that marriage has any pros to it.”
Hank shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I’m not saying that marriage is perfect,” he said.
“But there are definitely some perks to being married.”
“Like what?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Well, for one thing, you have someone who will always be there for you,” he said.
“And you know that they’re going to be loyal to you because they made a commitment to be with you forever.”
I snorted and shook my head in disbelief.
“There’s no such thing as forever,” I said cynically.
“And people can always cheat on their spouses, regardless of whether they’re married or not.”
“That’s true,” Hank admitted.
“But at least if they’re married, there’s a financial incentive for them not to cheat.”
“There’s also a financial incentive for them to cheat on their spouses,” I pointed out.
“And they can always cheat with someone who doesn’t care if they’re married or not.”
“That’s also true,” he said with a nod.
“But I still think that there are some benefits to being married.”
“And what about the cons?”
Mike asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“What do you think about those?”
Hank hesitated for a moment and then sighed heavily.
“I guess the main one is divorce.”
“I agree with you there,” Mike said, nodding solemnly.
“The idea of getting divorced terrifies me.”
“Why does it terrify you?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Because my parents got divorced when I was young,” he admitted.
“And it was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.”
“I’m so sorry, man,” I said, reaching out and clapping him on the shoulder in sympathy.
“That must have been really tough for you.”
He shrugged nonchalantly and took another sip of his beer.
“It was rough at first, but I got over it eventually.”
“So, does that mean you don’t believe in love anymore?”
“No, I still believe in love,” he said honestly.
I guess I’m just afraid of falling in love with someone and then losing them.”
I nodded solemnly, understanding exactly what he meant.
“I feel the same way,” I said honestly.
“And it’s not just about losing the person you love, either.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Mike asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“I mean that when you get divorced, you also lose half of everything you own,” I pointed out.
“And if you have kids together, then you also have to pay child support and alimony on top of that.”
Mike’s eyes widened and he turned to look at me in surprise.
“You really think it’s worth losing half your money and possessions just to be with someone who might cheat on you or leave you someday?”
he said incredulously.
I shrugged and took another sip of my beer.
“For some people, it might be worth the risk,” I said honestly.
“But personally, I’d rather keep my things and stay single than lose everything I own just to be with someone who might not even want to be with me anymore.”
Mike and Hank exchanged a look and then turned back to look at me in surprise.
“Is that how you really feel?”
Hank asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
I nodded solemnly and put down my beer on the bar top.
“What about you guys?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
“What do you think about marriage?
Do you think it’s a scam like I do?
Or do you think there are some benefits to it like Hank?
Or does the idea of getting divorced terrify you like Mike?”
They both hesitated for a moment and then shrugged nonchalantly.
“I guess it depends on the person,” Mike said after a moment of thought.
“Some people make great partners and are worth the risk of getting married to them.”
“And some people aren’t,” Hank added with a nod of agreement.
“So what should people do if they don’t want to get married but also want to find love?”
I asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
They both hesitated for a moment and then turned to look at me in surprise.
“Does that mean you don’t believe in love anymore?”
Mike asked, his brow furrowing in concern.
“I still believe in love,” I said honestly.
“I’m just not sure if it’s worth the risk.”
They exchanged a look and then turned back to look at me in confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
Hank asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“I mean that I’d like to find love someday,” I said honestly.
“But I’m also afraid of getting hurt in the process.”
“I think we all are,” Mike said with a shrug.
“But that doesn’t mean we should give up on finding it.”
“I agree with you there,” Hank said with a nod.
“Love is one of the most important things in life.”
“Still,” I said with a shrug, “it seems like a lot of work just to find someone who might cheat on you or leave you someday.”
“Which is why we’re being careful and taking our time before we jump into anything serious,” Hank pointed out.
They both looked at me to see if there was anything else I wanted to say, and I hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“Can I ask you guys something?”
I asked, meeting their eyes with a look of uncertainty.
“Do you think that people should sign a prenuptial agreement before they get married?
Or do you think it’s wrong to sign one because it means you don’t trust your partner?”
Mike and Hank exchanged a look, and then turned back to look at me in surprise.
“Is that how you really feel?”
Hank asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
I nodded solemnly, holding their gazes with a look of determination.
“I think it’s better to be safe than sorry,” I said honestly.
“You never know what might happen in the future.”
“Which is true,” Mike said with a nod of agreement.
“But it also depends on who you’re marrying and how much you trust them.”
“You’re right about that,” Hank agreed with a nod of agreement.
“But still, it never hurts to protect yourself just in case.”
“If anything,” I said with a shrug, “signing a prenuptial agreement can give you some peace of mind.”
A brief moment of silence passed between us, and then Hank and Mike nodded in agreement.
“I think that’s a good point to make,” Mike said, raising his bottle in a toast.
“Cheers to not losing all of our things just to be with someone who might not even want to be with us anymore.”
“Cheers to that,” I said, raising my own bottle in a toast.
Hank and Mike raised their bottles as well, and then we clinked them together and took a drink.
As we put our bottles down on the bar top, I turned to look at them in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
Mike asked, looking at me with a look of concern.
“I’m just not sure what to think about marriage anymore,” I said after a moment of thought.
“I used to think that love was worth the risk.
But now that I know how much it can cost to get divorced, I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Just because you get married doesn’t mean you’re going to get divorced,” Mike pointed out.
“Which is true,” I pointed out.
“But it also doesn’t mean you won’t get divorced either.”
“You’re right about that,” he agreed.
“But still, you have to take some risks in order to find love.”
“I’m just not sure if it’s worth losing half of everything I own just to be with someone who might cheat on me or leave me someday,” I pointed out.
They both looked at me in surprise and then exchanged a look before turning back to look at me in confusion.
“Is that how you really feel?”
Mike asked, his brow furrowing in concern.
I nodded solemnly and put my beer down on the bar top.
“I used to think love was worth the risk,” I said honestly.
“But now I’m not so sure anymore.”
He hesitated for a moment before looking at me with a look of understanding.
“I think that’s fair enough,” he said after a moment of thought.
“My parents got married when they were young and ended up getting divorced ten years later.
