23 Comments
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Cara Rappaport's avatar

God, you're so fucking amazing!

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you, Cara. That's very kind of you to say. Thank you.

Oge  Igboegbunam's avatar

Loyalty and detachment are mutually exclusive. I was able to glean this from reading your article, Helen.

I believe that in the face of a person's intense need for involvement, the object of the aforementioned's attention recoils by practicing detachment. However, what the two parties concerned need are devotion and loyalty, which more than compensates for the emotional intensity of the association that bring detachment in its wake.

Powerful write-up, Helen. The unique perspective in this piece is exactly what I need.

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you so much, Oge. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and insights. I'm very grateful.

Oge  Igboegbunam's avatar

Another day, another miracle performed, Helen. I'm just doing my part to stay on your good side. For the record, sharing my thoughts was absolutely no trouble.

Neural Foundry's avatar

Powerful micro-fiction! The brevity here amplifies the emotional weight - sometimes the shortest stories cut deepest. The title "Beholden" perfectly captures that tension between obligation and authenticity in relationships. Contemporary fiction excels when it distills complex emotional landscapes into crystalline moments like this. The theatrical staging you've chosen as imagery reinforces how we perform our relationships even when we know the script is wrong. Brilliant work.

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you so much. I am genuinely so flattered by what you’ve written here, and thank you so much sharing it with me. I’m a bit speechless really. Thank you.

Kate Curry's avatar

So beautiful I could FEEL it.

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you, Kate. I appreciate you saying so.

sheo ratan Agarwal's avatar

MS.HELEN,the famous Relationship/Love expert in her engaging article—Fiction: Beholden —We both know this isn't love—shares the art of Loving Power: standing up for yourself while cherishing your partner in the same breath.

MS.HELEN convincingly guides us on relational empowerment with quotes and her own expert takeaways of the Top literacies from history.

MS.HELEN article is very timely as we’ve never wanted more from our relationships. Gone are the “companionship” unions of our parents and grandparents generations…Today, we yearn for a lifelong romance: to be deeply known, truly loved, and passionately desired by our intimate partners for life.

MS.HELEN’s article makes me picture those persons who have sacrificed their needs for years just to please their partner. And, despite their compliance, the resentment within them grows and grows.

Well,why it’s so ?

I may be wrong,yet as of now I subscribe to what I read in a book that connection gives us a deep sense of ease. But we also know from experience that few things can trigger us or make us go crazy like our intimate relationships can.

Love is like a Roto-Rooter—it will push every button you own; it will bring up to the surface every unhealed wound and fissure that has lodged inside your body. Nothing stimulates hurt quite the way love does.

Helen Higgins's avatar

As always, Sheo, I’m so grateful for your time and interpretations of my work. Thank you so much.

Félicité Tantrique's avatar

Wow!! Just wow!!! Such a powerful piece, thank you for sharing❤️👏

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you for reading it. I really appreciate you doing so.

carlos delos santos's avatar

Thirteen words that twinkle as stars! Sparkling bright. Eternal flame.

"I know this was never about having him. It was about being beholden."

Helen Higgins's avatar

Thank you so much, Carlos, for reading this and finding a line that stands out. I’m very grateful.

Lily Jenewari's avatar

You write for me…Thank you

Helen Higgins's avatar

I’m so glad it resonated, Lily. Thank you so much for giving your time to it.

James Ballantyne's avatar

Beautiful writing Helen, hoping your rest and recovery is going well...

Helen Higgins's avatar

Hi James. Thank you so much for reading it and giving your time to it. Thank you. The recovery is slow… and I’m an impatient person that’s used to being independent. Still, it will all come together in the end. Thank you for asking.

Ethan Mizara °`•-v's avatar

Lovely post

Devan's avatar

We both know this isn't love.

Still we pretend and carry on for full life

Helen Higgins's avatar

Some people do, that’s true Devan. Thank you so much for reading this.