Adam Phillips Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Chapter 30 of Crosscurrents has been posted. I think this is a chapter that some readers have been waiting to read. Thanks for your patience. Link to comment
Anya Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 (edited) Beautiful. Edited March 21, 2011 by Anya Link to comment
Skovodog Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 words of hope, possibility and beauty for all of us "soccer boys." thanks Link to comment
terrywhitt Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Adam: Quite a chapter! After a lot of catharsis the two have seemingly agreed to make it work. I hope Angie will be understanding in the long haul of things. Thanks for the story. terry Link to comment
myskatinstar Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Chapter 30 of Crosscurrents has been posted. I think this is a chapter that some readers have been waiting to read. Thanks for your patience. Adam...I am one of those readers, thank you. I thought I would be ready if this chapter came, but I was so wrong. I cried and then cried some more. This was so touching and honest and sincere, the hurt these two expressed to each other. Amazing chapter~Amazing characters. Awesome I cant wait to see what comes next. For now the story feels right, its in a happy place... lets hope Andy can deal this time around Link to comment
MikeL Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Thanks for another great chapter, Adam. It is certainly what I have been looking for. Indeed, it would be a perfect ending to the the story. I'm glad to know that it isn't. Link to comment
Anya Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Such a great chapter. I bawled my eyes out XD I've been wodnering though.....if Matt is in love with Andy too...why can't he imgaine himself as his life partner? Why only have something....like...well....they are having now? ;p Link to comment
Adam Phillips Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Such a great chapter. I bawled my eyes out XD I've been wodnering though.....if Matt is in love with Andy too...why can't he imgaine himself as his life partner? Why only have something....like...well....they are having now? ;p It's all in there. Go back and take a look. And even if it weren't, what you know about Matt (and Andy) should enable you to come to the answer. If you're still stumped, I'll bring in my man Jeremy to 'splain it to you. He gets it. Link to comment
Anya Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 (edited) It's all in there. Go back and take a look. And even if it weren't, what you know about Matt (and Andy) should enable you to come to the answer. If you're still stumped, I'll bring in my man Jeremy to 'splain it to you. He gets it. Jeremy...? ;p Anyway...I actually think the story could have ended after this chapter ;p But I'm excited to see what happens next. I felt soo sorry for Matt. It was about time he gave Andy a piece of his mind lol. Anyway...it was beautifully written Adam. It moved me to tears Edited March 22, 2011 by Anya Link to comment
Guest oldernotwiser Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Adam, Wow, what a chapter and you are such an engaging writer. This really brings about what one would have wished for such a long time. It appears that this could lead to most beneficial accommodation possible for these two friends (lovers). I am sure that many longed for Andy and Matt to become "life partners" but that is not what this story appears to be about. What a powerful love and friendship exhibited by these two. But their "orientation" based on the prologue will provide them with conventional marriage and its happiness, but hopefully this reunion will enable them to express their desire to be the very closest of friends. If you keep to your original forecast, we are nearing the end of this story. You have kept many of us spellbound. You have an intensity to your writing that I hope will continue to be expressed in your future stories. We will see where this chapter leads into the future. We can hope for the best, but this is your story and you should be very proud of it. Even if there have been times when Andy was so lost. It appears that at this point, Matt had to force the issue with Andy, and one wonders of the true agony in his heart and why neither could bring themselves to reconciliation for over two years. But, Andy was receptive and wanted this to happen, just lost on direction. Well, I will be sitting on the edge of my chair awaiting the next chapter. Thanks for this story, OlderNotWiser Link to comment
methodwriter85 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) If you're still stumped, I'll bring in my man Jeremy to 'splain it to you. He gets it. Okay, this is basically my reading.... Andy and Matt want and need to be best friends who are so close that the bond involves a sexual dimension. They want to hold hands in public, they want to have weekends where they wake up holding each other, and they want to be lovers on top of being best friends. However, both Matt and Andy need wives. They don't want each other in terms of setting up a home and a family. For each of them, setting up a home and a family means doing that with a wife. Andy wants to do that Angie. Matt is still looking for the woman to do that with, because again, they don't want to be each other's husband. They want to be each other's bud, with a friendship that just happens to involve a sexual dimension. Maybe if Matt and Andy had grown up in a time where being life partners raising kids wasn't so outlandish they might have considered becoming husbands and set up house in Cedar, but I don't think so. Neither of them would be fufilled if they went without a woman for the rest of their lives- they need that. That is the way they are configured- there's no choice between the man or the woman for Andy. He has to have both. For Matt, he is straight except for where it comes to Andy, and he would also need a wife. Andy has pretty much found the perfect future wife in Angie; now all Matt needs to do is to find a woman who could accept the sometimes-physical aspect of his friendship with Andy. This is happily-ever-after for Matt and Andy- living a couple houses down from each other in the same neighborhood, having wives that become good friends as well, having their respective off-spring(I'm betting Andy names his firstborn Matt if it's a boy) play in the yard while having Sunday barbeques. And having weekends "down at the condo" every summer. THAT is happily-ever-after for Matt and Andy. Happily-ever-after for them is not getting married in Massachusetts, moving to an adorable house in the suburbs of Dallas, and raising kids they procured courtesy of a surrogate. It's not how they're configured, and it's not the way they want to live their lives. It would be great for Kyle Kessler, but not for Andy. Edited March 23, 2011 by methodwriter85 Link to comment
Anya Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Thank you Jeremy ;p But still...I would have thought at least Andy would want that kind of life with Matt. Oh well...guess I was wrong ;p Link to comment
theschnauzers Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Anya, in this chapter, the events are dated to the year 2000, and two years before was dated to 1998. No jurisdiction in North America had legalized same-sex marriage in that period, and Vermont only granted recognition of civil unions later in 2000. So I doubt there could have been any mindset for a civil union or civil same-sex marriage. Not to mention that both Andy and Matt saw themselves as being married to women. I think it's very important to keep the timeline dates in mind in discussing the relationship Andy has with both Matt and Angie at this point. It colors how what Andy sees as feasible in his life, and where. Link to comment
Sasha Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Why is it so important for Andy and Matt to become "life partners"? The beauty in their relationship is that it precludes all such notions. The love they share rises above such labeled entities. What they feel for each other is a strong bond that has little to do with sexual preferences or societal constructs and everything to do with how they feel about each other. The depth of their love is a result of a lifetime of growing up with someone, building a strong friendship together, getting to know that person through many stages of your life and knowing that person at times better than they know themselves. Then taking it a step deeper in a transcendent manner and demonstrating that love through a physical dimension. This is where it becomes mucky and throws you for a loop – society teaches us now to place a label on this relationship or categorize the bond they share in some form of a socially acceptable manner. Either they are “life partners” or just best friends, there is no gray in between that addresses the beauty of a friendship so deep it needs to be expressed lovingly in a physical manner. Neither does it give leeway for Andy and Matt to require more to feel “complete” outside of their friendship. It teaches us that this should be enough - what more is needed? It does not take into account that both Andy and Matt cannot be fulfilled without having to explore other equally weighing aspects of their desires and needs – wives & kids. Both men recognize the importance of a female presence in their lives. Andy needs Angie in his life just as much as he needs Matt. He has loved her just as strongly as he has loved Matt, just in a different capacity. Matt is straight, and though he loves Andy, he too understands that he won't be “complete” without the female companionship he strongly desires. In many ways, they are life partners - just with different requirements. No one will ever be able to replace Matt in Andy's life, or Andy in Matt's life. The love they have for each other is exclusively theirs, and this bond will not be changed/broken if they choose not to build a home life together. In short, they have the best of both worlds, lucky guys! =D 1 Link to comment
JLK9N Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 This is a wonderful story I have completely enjoyed since I stumbled upon it many months ago. So my hat is off to Mr. Phillips for giving a truly rich and resonant voice to his work. Since the story is told from Andy's point of view, this won't happen, but it would be interesting to get more insight into what is really going on in Matt's head and heart. I did find it heartbreaking (and not typical of a straight guy) to describe himself as listening to a specific song every night and crying himself to sleep while thinking about his best friend. That's deep emotion. This is trite and tired and I apologize for it in advance, but - to me - the way Andy describes Matt and relays what he says, it's like he simply accepts and expects Matt to be straight, whereas the actions taken by Matt seem to be of someone on a path that may not necessarily lead to being straight. My .02. But no matter what, this is a wonderful, wonderful story. Link to comment
stonerboy Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Wow... 18 days without a comment: giving the people what they want is evidently a really good way of bringing conversation to a close! 1 Link to comment
Adam Phillips Posted April 20, 2011 Author Share Posted April 20, 2011 Wow... 18 days without a comment: giving the people what they want is evidently a really good way of bringing conversation to a close! Haha. You may be right. Seriously, though, when the author's not around to reply and stir things up...it's natural that conversation lags. I had intended to have 31 posted by now. But it's been hella busy here, and early this week a good friend of mine from high school who still lives here in Dallas was killed in an accident, and it has us all reeling just a little bit. I have been working on Chapter 31 bit by bit, and it should be ready to be posted by the end of this week, depending on my proofreaders' schedules. Link to comment
Guest light secret Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Haha. You may be right. Seriously, though, when the author's not around to reply and stir things up...it's natural that conversation lags. I had intended to have 31 posted by now. But it's been hella busy here, and early this week a good friend of mine from high school who still lives here in Dallas was killed in an accident, and it has us all reeling just a little bit. I have been working on Chapter 31 bit by bit, and it should be ready to be posted by the end of this week, depending on my proofreaders' schedules. Adam, that would be so cool if the next chapter will be posted very soon. I just finished reading the 30th Chapter of the book. At first I thought that was it, that it's done, especially when Andy said "I was home". Wow, I couldn't stop reading this story, it's so intense. I hope this will be made into a movie. The confrontation between Andy and Matt, was beautfully written, literally I had tears in my eyes, I can feel all the emotions that these two characters were pouring out at the beach. Specifically, this dialogue "You hurt me" "Matt". "Oh God Drew...." it's so beautiful Adam. Am just excited for the next chapters to come. Wow, this story deserves to be published, Congratulations, am a fan now Adam. Thank you for this story, am so feeling it. Link to comment
PrivateTim Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Not sure why there needs to be a chapter 31. I think just a nice Epilogue about how Matt and Andy stayed friends, Matt was the best man at the wedding, is the godfather of Andy and Angie's first born, etc. would be fine. We knew from the Prologue in the first few paragraphs that Andy and Angie were getting married so we knew Matt and Andy weren't going to be life partners, but there was no reason in 1998 or 2000 that they couldn't have had that expectation. The gay marriage debate started seriously in the 1980's and was so serious by 1996 that Congress passed, and Bill Clinton signed, the Defense of Marriage Act saying that the federal government wouldn't recognize gay marriage and that other states didn't have to either. Lots of states and cities had domestic civil partnerships so two men making a life together was certainly something that was possible and not a foreign concept. I cried too, but mostly over the time lost between Andy and Matt and not so much the scene itself. Adam made me care about Matt, Angie and Andy. 1 Link to comment
Adam Phillips Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 Not sure why there needs to be a chapter 31. Well, Tim, because that's not the story I'm writing. There are at least 4 more chapters to go, and possibly 5, depending on how the story writes itself. And anyway, just for the sake of literary-aesthetic purposes, a happily-ever-after ending isn't going to work if the Prologue's to have any literary integrity at all, right? That being said, I promise there will be no wrist-slitting on the part of readers once they've read the last word of the story. This story is not a tragedy. Just got some bittersweet to it. Like life, right? And for what it's worth, for reasons that I may go into later, there will be a short (maybe 10 chapters? We'll see) sequel to Crosscurrents that I'm going to call Finding Home. It will pick up where Crosscurrents leaves off, it will be narrated in the first person, and Matt will be the narrator. I'm thinking, though, that I may not take that up as my next story. You know, kinda like Dom Luka's done occasionally. I got other characters and happenings that want to see the light of day, and I think Andy and Matt need a break. Why is it so important for Andy and Matt to become "life partners"? etc. Very well said. I think you've about nailed it. Link to comment
methodwriter85 Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 (edited) That's some good points, Tim. I think though, that you gotta factor that they live in Texas, where gay marriage isn't a distinct possibility NOW, let alone in 1998 or 2000. I have serious doubts that Andy and Matt know gay men who have settled into partnerships, and I think it'd be somewhat of a foreign concept to them. Something they've read about, judging by Matt talking about life partners, but not something that they've seen in their world. Still, even if had been a possibility, I don't think they would've gone for it. I think that's what so hard to understand about it- I mean, I get it, but I don't fully get it because I'm not wired the way Andy is. He wants to build a life with Matt just as much as he wants to build a life with Angie, but not in the life partners way. Which is probably just as confusing for him as it is for us. You know what would be cool, though? If Matt and Andy had sons who looked just like they did, and those sons fell in love with each other and got married. That would be so cool. Not sure why there needs to be a chapter 31. I think just a nice Epilogue about how Matt and Andy stayed friends, Matt was the best man at the wedding, is the godfather of Andy and Angie's first born, etc. would be fine. Something tells me that Andy, being Andy, things aren't nearly so settled as you seem to think they are. Andy has this tendency to over-think things and pre-emptively battle problems that might not even be there, so I can see that making things a bumpy road. Plus Matt still needs to meet his own woman that he can settle down with. And has to be cool with the physical dimension that his friendship with Andy has. Edited April 30, 2011 by methodwriter85 Link to comment
PrivateTim Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Well, Tim, because that's not the story I'm writing. You think I don't know that? I WANT it to end at Chapter 30, I've cried enough already. 1 Link to comment
Adam Phillips Posted April 30, 2011 Author Share Posted April 30, 2011 You know what would be cool, though? If Matt and Andy had sons who looked just like they did, and those sons fell in love with each other and got married. That would be so cool. Look here, you. Matt's and Andy's sons are gonna be straight, dammit. They may play on the same football team, and they may be good lifelong friends...but they ain't goin' through none of this shit. Oh, no. No way no how. Link to comment
methodwriter85 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) You really think that Andy and Matt's sons, coming of age in the early/mid-2020's(I'm guessing that Andy and Matt will have their kids at close to the same point in their mid/late 20's, meaning they'll be born somewhere around the mid/late 2000's) will have the same kind of conflict with being gay? Didn't you once tell us a story about how you were shocked when you watched a modern-day jock get kissed on the hand by a flaming gay guy and it wasn't a big deal at all to the people who watched it? Add another twelve or so years to that. I'm thinking that Andy the II, if he is indeed wired the same way or gayer than his dad is, won't have the same kind of inner conflict because of how much society changed by the time he's 18. You're already getting readers who can't fully understand Andy's inner-homophobia because they're never experienced it. Imagine what'll it be like when there's been gay marriage in Massachusetts for twenty years. Plus, you never know. Andy and Matt's sons could be lacrosse players instead of football guys. Lacrosse IS a fast-growing sport, I hear. Edited May 1, 2011 by methodwriter85 Link to comment
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