Paternity

[rjo]

With this last chapter (61), we see a very embattled Brad and his sidekick Robbie. The whole family, lead by Claire and JP, sided with Will. I am sure it was a very painful moment for Brad. It is like a general leading his troops and NONE followed. It happened before, JP dealing with Brian. However, this seems more complete. What I mean by that it that JP made one action ( giving Brain $5000) once but Brad did a number of things over a longer point of time. Brian forced his leadership of the family. Now he is suffering from that action. I really think this is only the first act. I think Brad may have lost his son and his leadership place in the family. That is huge! Both Brad and Robbie have failed to understand the situation.

[centexhairysub]

Okay, I have read the latestes chapter three times now and I still just shake my head and say, Damn... I am not going to get back into the argument of what lead up to this but will say that I am moving more and more firmly into Will's corner. I really am starting to wonder if Brad isn't having a breakdown. We all know about the mental issues that his mother suffered and some mental issues have genetic components.

 

I have never been a huge Brad fan, I thought he was an ass in Be Rad and almost sociopathic in a couple of the more recent stories. JP has exhibited muderous tendencies to protect those he loves but Brad seems to have gone well past anything JP ever did. Robbie is what a few have accussed me of being on here, an enabler. Robbie needs to take a look at what is happening and realize that Brad's behaviour is tearing not only their nuclear family but their extended family apart. I was hoping that JP and Claire by their actions would jar Brad enough to realize what he stands to lose but I am starting to think Robbie maybe his only salvation; damn, he is in trouble.

 

I don't think Brad realized it yet but it appears we are close to a palace coup in regards to dynastic succession. Brad needs to understand what is happening or he could lose his position as successor to JP in the family. I don't think that Claire ever really wanted that role, but I have always thought she was the best suited for it. Claire is all about family, in the end I don't think anything matters to her more; Brad has always been more ego driven. While Brad is concerned for the family; it has never been his top priority. Brad has always been about winning but sometimes with family other concerns have to top the drive to be the best.

 

Mark, I don't know what you are doing right now but stop everything but writing. Wondering about how you are going to have this playout is killing me...

Edited August 25, 2012 by centexhairysub

[MJ85]

I don't think father-son incest was ever on the cards. He and Brad, however, did nearly go there.

 

Ohh, OK - I remembered it was one of the two (Brad/Robbie), but didn't have time to check before work this morning. Doesn't change my general point, though.

[B1ue]

I wonder what Jeff thinks. I also wonder what Wade really thinks. I wonder what any kid who has really suffered at the hands of bad or brutal father would think about Will's perceptions of his father. Have Brad's decisions really been bad or is Will being petulant that he wasn't consulted? Was the decision to just give Michael severance and send him on his way that bad of a decision and is there more to that dismissal than we know? The Pat thread has been dropped from the story (or so it seems), but was dismissing Pat a bad decision? For the life of me I can't see the mountain of bad decisions that Brad had made that make him a bad father and certainly not compared to kids who really have had bad fathers.

 

None of these were actually bad decisions, of course. Or, rather, I don't see good ones that were available to Brad. Though, since you mention it, I'm curious why Pat being accused of having sex with a previous client "forces" Brad to complete the shitcanning his career, but Mike gets to walk away when he knows the...person was taking nude photos of his sons. Perhaps it was the public aspect of it, that is, Pat was accused in a public manner that Brad was forced to take official notice of, but Mike was sly enough to not be caught by anyone outside the family? And while a later chapter disproved my question if JJ knew what Mike was doing (or proved JJ is a slicker actor than we've all been giving him credit for), how did Jeanine know to go to him for the pictures? Plausably, Mike may have just reported the entangment and offered the photographs as proof, and Jeanine didn't think through the implications, but was that it?

 

Anyways, for my mileage, Brad's bad decision has been that he hasn't included anyone else in his decision making when they involved other people. Sidelining Stef, Claire, and JP is playing with fire, since they're all willing and able to interfere directly with his life, Stef especially, should he piss them off. But not involving Will, lying to WIll after Will had already run away from home once was just stupid. People have argued that Brad, as his father, has the right to make decisions that affect Will's life. The problem is that, like with any child, that only works as long as the child in question is willing to let the parent get away with it. Will already proved he wasn't so willing.

 

And while I do think Will is making a mistake with this step, I do see why he is making it. Though instead of a "mountain" of bad decisions, I just see one: forcing Will to interact with Jeanine as her son. That one is enough.

 

Ohh, OK - I remembered it was one of the two (Brad/Robbie), but didn't have time to check before work this morning. Doesn't change my general point, though.

 

While you probably have a point, a good one, regarding Matt's latent attraction to Brad tilting him towards favoring their side, I think it's more that Matt has little invested in Will, and instinctively respects parental authority to a degree that none of the other characters do.

Edited August 25, 2012 by B1ue

[rjo]

I agree Brad over the years has changed to a person who must win at

all costs. I don't know if Brad will have a break down. It maybe coming close. What is sad is the person who could help, Robbie, has become a yes man. This is the reason there are no winners. Like after the fight with ABC. Even Brad who won must have thought was it worth winning at such a cost. The same is true here.

Edited August 25, 2012 by rjo

[PrivateTim]

But not involving Will, lying to WIll after Will had already run away from home once was just stupid. People have argued that Brad, as his father, has the right to make decisions that affect Will's life. The problem is that, like with any child, that only works as long as the child in question is willing to let the parent get away with it. Will already proved he wasn't so willing.

The trouble is parents ARE expected to make decisions for their 14 year olds, 14 year olds really don't have a lot of options other than following what directions parents give them. Parents are responsible for their children up to the age of 18, legally and morally and have no obligation to involve children in that decision making process.

 

Parents are also under no obligation to be truthful with their children, they tell them what they think to know and it is their call on what that entails.

[MJ85]

I kind of hinted at this before - when I stated that Brad is essentially, no longer even a person. Even with regards to family - "it" is no longer thinking in terms of family, but rather in terms of problems to be solved. There's no traces of humanity at all, anymore. I'm seeing comments here about coming around before it's too late - I'd argue that, it's already too late. If "Brad" is going to stand against the rest of the family, then they might as well parlay that to its natural conclusion - cast the bum out (even if only temporarily)!

[B1ue]

Parents are responsible for their children up to the age of 18, legally and morally and have no obligation to involve children in that decision making process.

 

That is correct. However, it is correct only to the point that a child is willing to let their parent have that power, as it is with any other relationship. Will is not willing, and IS willing to do something about it. The law might be against him, usually. But if you're willing to take the consequences attached to the actions, the law becomes mighty flexible. As Will, and Brad, are discovering.

 

Look, this is what it boils down to. In every way except legally, Will is no longer a child. He doesn't act like one, doens't look like one, doesn't see himself as one. He may not make the best decisions all the time, but I've never met anyone that did. He may have more growing up to do, but I haven't met anyone that didn't. He has proven capable of handling situations that would crumple many adults, and he's still resiliant enough to decide, on his own, what is and is not right.

 

Treating him like he's a child is worse than useless, because it's forcing Will to prove in tangible ways that he is not a child.

Edited August 25, 2012 by B1ue

[PrivateTim]

That is correct. However, it is correct only to the point that a child is willing to let their parent have that power, as it is with any other relationship. Will is not willing, and IS willing to do something about it. The law might be against him, usually. But if you're willing to take the consequences attached to the actions, the law becomes mighty flexible. As Will, and Brad, are discovering.

 

Ummm, no. The child doesn't get to decide if the parent has that power or not, the state has already made that decision for them. The law is rather inflexible and it is incredibly difficult to terminate parental rights. Ask any CPS worker in LA how many times they've seen children sent back to or left in incredibly abusive situations and it'll make you physically ill to hear the tales. Look at what Josh Powell did.

[B1ue]

Ummm, no. The child doesn't get to decide if the parent has that power or not, the state has already made that decision for them. The law is rather inflexible and it is incredibly difficult to terminate parental rights. Ask any CPS worker in LA how many times they've seen children sent back to or left in incredibly abusive situations and it'll make you physically ill to hear the tales. Look at what Josh Powell did.

 

Oh, fuck THAT. I, apparently, have quite a bit more experience here than you do, The state will try, but it cannot enforce that kind of situation without some measure of consent on the part of a child. I actually have listened to CPS workers that have tried to enforce that. I've literally seen them try, in my own family.

 

So what if the state tells me I have to live with my parents. They have to find me first. If I cut myself, bleed myself enough times, bash my head against the wall enough times, they'll stop, because stopping me is costing more than letting me go. Yes there are legal, real consequences attached to my actions. What you seem to not be considering is that sometimes, I wouldn't care. That I'd knowlingly, WILLFULLY, take those consequences rather than return to a situation I cannot live with. So what if I get thrown in juvie, or rehab, or foster care? Sometimes that's not worse, and yes, I do know exactly what all three places are like. I also know what the alternatives sometimes are.

[Daddydavek]

Parents have power. Their offspring can always decide to leave and from the statistics, thousands do every year. Some by running, some by suicide or suicidal gestures and some just become husks and mentally shut down. People who want parents to be responsible for everything forget that free will doesn't start at age 18.

[Mark Arbour]

You all have done a fantastic job of delineating the conflict here. That's why I've said I don't see a pure right or wrong here, and why I don't think Brad is a bad person. Or that Will is. I think the issues are more complex than that.

 

But when the family rallies around Will, I can't help but visualize that it has a lot to do with Brad's decision making, as B1ue mentioned.

[methodwriter85]

I can understand why Matt sides with Robbie; he feels like Robbie is the only reason he belongs there at all. However, Matt of all people would have understood and applauded Will's sluttiness in Norway.

 

You gotta factor in that, after Jeanine and Tiffany, Matt is JJ's biggest supporter. If Will's sluttiness in Norway hadn't bothered JJ and made him feel like he was being overshadowed it, Matt would have applauded it. But since JJ very likely cried on his cell to Matt about how Will ruined his competition, Matt's not going to feel all that friendly towards Will.

 

As for whether or not Will can handle adulthood...I think he can, but the biggest thing that Will has to get, and that I haven't seen Will demonstrate, is that there are sometimes negative consequences to your actions, and being a adult means you have to live with the choices you make. Seriously, what negative consequences has Will had to deal with?He gets drunk and high on a school camping trip, and the headmaster goes easy on him. He torches his parent's property while drugging up his Pop, and everyone bends over backwards to make him feel better. He sluts around on the Norway trip despite knowing full well that he could put his friends in serious career danger without using a hint of discretion, and he manages to blackmail the USFSA to get them to shut up.

 

I think at some point I'd like to see Will live with the consequences of his actions, with things not turning out exactly the way he wants and having to live with that, anyway.

 

And while a later chapter disproved my question if JJ knew what Mike was doing (or proved JJ is a slicker actor than we've all been giving him credit for), how did Jeanine know to go to him for the pictures?

I'm telling you man, that threeway in a 5th Avenue penthouse with Godspell's Hunter Parrish and some other Broadway actor to celebrate his 26th birthday is soooo in his future. JJ and early 2010's Broadway, here we come!

 

 

It'd be beyond fucked up if it turned out that Jeanine knew what Mike was doing from seeing JJ's pictures, and then told Mike she wouldn't turn him in if he got pictures of Will and Shane.

Edited August 26, 2012 by methodwriter85

[GLH]

At the risk of oversimplification:

 

Yes, our children are supposed to be the jack-booted little minions we insist on them being, carrying out our every edict with goose-stepped precision. Unfortunately "Kids do/say the damnedest things", and that old saying didn't just fall out of some random parent's ass one day for shits and giggles.

 

Thanks for the great chapter, Mark. I still feel that Will has been backed into this corner and that Brad, once he gets past his self-righteousness, will be inconsolable. Or not. Seems lately he's lacking any strength of character and may not get beyond his shallow self.

[methodwriter85]

From reviews:

 

I think that mental illness can take many forms. In this case, I think Jeanine got out and was thrust right back into a very toxic situation. I really hope that JJ figures out how he all but pushed her into it, so she can do better when she gets out next time

Wait, JJ pushed Jeanine into becoming a psycho stage mother who would do anything to make sure that he shined on top? I really disagree with that. I think they had a toxic, enabling relationship, but JJ didn't "push" Jeanine into anything she hadn't already made her mind up about. She thought Shane was an obstacle, and getting him out of way while sticking it to Will just seemed like a win-win to her. JJ's whining about Will and Shane didn't help, but I don't doubt for a second that this still would have happened even if JJ had been shut his mouth about it because Will getting the attention over JJ still would have been a cardinal sin in her eyes.

[MJ85]

You gotta factor in that, after Jeanine and Tiffany, Matt is JJ's biggest supporter. If Will's sluttiness in Norway hadn't bothered JJ and made him feel like he was being overshadowed it, Matt would have applauded it. But since JJ very likely cried on his cell to Matt about how Will ruined his competition, Matt's not going to feel all that friendly towards Will.

 

As for whether or not Will can handle adulthood...I think he can, but the biggest thing that Will has to get, and that I haven't seen Will demonstrate, is that there are sometimes negative consequences to your actions, and being a adult means you have to live with the choices you make. Seriously, what negative consequences has Will had to deal with?He gets drunk and high on a school camping trip, and the headmaster goes easy on him. He torches his parent's property while drugging up his Pop, and everyone bends over backwards to make him feel better. He sluts around on the Norway trip despite knowing full well that he could put his friends in serious career danger without using a hint of discretion, and he manages to blackmail the USFSA to get them to shut up.

 

I think at some point I'd like to see Will live with the consequences of his actions, with things not turning out exactly the way he wants and having to live with that, anyway.

 

I think, given what he's already done so far, probably the only consequence likely to stick is the one that calls for a "skull-and-crossbones" emoticon.

 

Then again, I'd say there's a difference between a "consequence" and "things not turning out exactly the way he wants". A prime example would be, if he got his desired emancipation and started at Menlo School...only to discover that he's so so miserable there that he's practically begging to go back to H-W. Something like that, versus a consequence - like if he'd gotten his original drinking punishment instead of what he did get. Basically...a consequence would be something intended to work against him, while things just not turning out would just happen that way by chance.

[rjo]

Well guys, I can tell that passions run as high here as in chapter 61. I have tried to look at this from Brad outlook. He loves his son and wants to protect him. So he says. However, his actions are not that of a loving father but more like a ruthless business man. That win at all costs attitude, is what Stef warned him about. Brad has driven Will away. Tim says that parents have the power. That maybe true but children are not like some thing you can buy and sell, or throw out when you're unhappy with them. I hope Tim's parents weren't like that and I hope if he has children he doesn't practice what he preaches. I believe that children are a gift to be chrished not controlled. Brad has not been doing that. What is a child to do when the situation becomes impossible. Will ran away once. Somebody said, sorry if I forget who, that Will has not learned his actions have reactions. I live with someone like that and he is 45. My friend was been in and out of prison for the last 14 years. Will has a lot more sense than my friend. Will is smart and super organized. I think he's a lot smarter than Brad at this point. We could go through all that has happened to Will since Paris. It is more than what most people could live with. Will has survived with very little help from his dad. Robbie has turned into a doormat. Jeanine is nuts. Both parents (Robbie and Brad) are too busy for the kids. That never happened with JP. He was always there. Not Brad. Who has broken very promise he made to Will. If you can't trust your parents who can you trust? If any of you have ever been in a relationship where trust has been broken you know what I mean. In life and relationships trust is next to love. I am not sure if one can exist without the other. Brad has a long, long way to rebuild the trust he had with Will.

Edited August 26, 2012 by rjo

[centexhairysub]

I need like ten more likes today, hate that I only have five a day...

 

I have worked with so many young adults, mostly ages 15 to 24, that have parents that really believe " because I said so " is something that makes sense and is right... I have rarely if ever had that turn out to be true. Tim is right about one thing, even more so in Texas than California, your parents can basically kill you and get away with it because they are your parents... I have always believed that is the dumbest idea possible. I personally believe that no one should be allowed to have a child until they can prove that they are physically, financially, emotionally, and mentally fit to have a child; of course, the population growth would drop to damn near zero under those conditions but...

 

Several people have pointed out that Brad loves his children so much that he killed people in a previous story to protect them; well, I think that is laughable. Brad killed them because he was going to win at all cost and they got in his way. He may have even convinced himself that he was doing what he was doing to protect the kids but in reality; Brad decided that he was going to " win " no matter what the cost was. For me, this is how Brad's actions truly differ so much from JP's actions for me. Yes, JP has had people killed, but he did so truly to protect his family or those he loved and cared for. Brad did it to complete a victory over an opponent that was already beaten.

 

I really believe the fact that so many people care so deeply about not just this story, but the whole CAP saga, is a sign of the immense talent that Mark has as a bard. A bard is so much more than a writer or a storyteller. Historically, a bard had a place of honor among the highest of the high and was truly revered. I really believe Mark has the talent and deserves the title of bard...

[samjones1]

I think Centex makes an excellent point (sorry for no quote, but I'm using my phone to reply and can't seem to quote with it). I've heard it said in these fora that the shift in Brad's and Robbie's personalities has been swift and unanticipated. I disagree wholeheartedly. Clearly Brad has been on a downward trajectory with his mental well being since his battle with the Carmichaels. Start with the mental stress of the battle and add to it the knowledge that he ordered the assassination, torture, and/or framing of people involved in the plot. Soon after he had an attempt on his life in the Texas factory and a kidnapping where he was forced to deal with the potential torture of his son. Ever since then, his desire to maintain control after being violated so deeply, coupled with only recent counseling for his ordeals, suggests to me a mental environment ripe for some erratic behavior. I think Brad has as much to be traumatized over as does Will. I think we are going to see Brad explode alright...I just think its going to be in despair over his own trauma and not so much in anger at Will.

 

Thank you, Mark, for another great chapter!

[Westie]

Ummm, no. The child doesn't get to decide if the parent has that power or not, the state has already made that decision for them. The law is rather inflexible and it is incredibly difficult to terminate parental rights. Ask any CPS worker in LA how many times they've seen children sent back to or left in incredibly abusive situations and it'll make you physically ill to hear the tales. Look at what Josh Powell did.

 

Forgive me Tim, but you talk only in terms of the law and what the law permits. But this is not the whole extent of a child's power. A parent can "decide" in a legal sense, but without some measure of cooperation and agreement from teenager, this can become very difficult. Especially when it turns out the parent has failed (twice) in their duty to protect their offspring.

 

For example, a parent might "decide" that a kid is grounded, but that doesn't mean the kid has to cooperate with that... He can sneak out. You seem to have a slight "blinker" when it comes to legal framework...

[PrivateTim]

Well guys, I can tell that passions run as high here as in chapter 61. I have tried to look at this from Brad outlook. He loves his son and wants to protect him. So he says. However, his actions are not that of a loving father but more like a ruthless business man. That win at all costs attitude, is what Stef warned him about. Brad has driven Will away. Tim says that parents have the power. That maybe true but children are not like some thing you can buy and sell, or throw out when you're unhappy with them. I hope Tim's parents weren't like that and I hope if he has children he doesn't practice what he preaches. I believe that children are a gift to be chrished not controlled. Brad has not been doing that. What is a child to do when the situation becomes impossible. Will ran away once. Somebody said, sorry if I forget who, that Will has not learned his actions have reactions. I live with someone like that and he is 45. My friend was been in and out of prison for the last 14 years. Will has a lot more sense than my friend. Will is smart and super organized. I think he's a lot smarter than Brad at this point. We could go through all that has happened to Will since Paris. It is more than what most people could live with. Will has survived with very little help from his dad. Robbie has turned into a doormat. Jeanine is nuts. Both parents (Robbie and Brad) are too busy for the kids. That never happened with JP. He was always there. Not Brad. Who has broken very promise he made to Will. If you can't trust your parents who can you trust? If any of you have ever been in a relationship where trust has been broken you know what I mean. In life and relationships trust is next to love. I am not sure if one can exist without the other. Brad has a long, long way to rebuild the trust he had with Will.

 

Seriously this all cracks me up.

 

What has Brad done that was more like a "ruthless businessman" than a loving parent? Firing the accused child molester body guard? Hiring the Marine was only a mistake in hindsight, but he was vetted and following Will's actions on the raft trip on the heels of his other bad decisions in Rome bringing in someone who it seemed would bring some discipline to Will wasn't a bad idea. The only place Will had personal discipline was in school work, his life decisions up to that point and in the ensuing weeks were not great decisions.

 

Other than hiring the Marine where did Brad ever try to control Will? Will has always been free to do as he wished with Brad even to the point of undermining Jeanine's authority and Will played that game very well. Who ever supposed that Brad didn't cherish Will or JJ and Darius for that matter, but cherishing is not the same as allowing a young teen to engage in any behavior he chooses, including going to college parties, getting high, having sex with adults, naked dancing and ejaculations in gay clubs and more.

 

Will is hardly smarter than Brad, but he is better at manipulating the family and taking advantage of situations than Brad is. Are we really given to believe that this man-child who is supposed to be the size and demeanor of someone 17-18 (5'10", 170lbs?) was in any danger from his mother who is probably a good bit shorter, lighter and considerably weaker physically? No, Will just knew how to play the wounded child.

 

How about we list all that Will has done on his own since Paris as a yardstick of how mature and how ready he is to manage his own affairs?

[rjo]

Tim I could spend forever and you would not change your mind. Let's go back Brad had two people killed and pinned it in his step mother. If that ever got out he would be in prison for a long time if not life. So Brad can and has been ruthless. That is beyond question. Next has Brad broken his promises to Will? Go back to the previous book and you will find Will and Brad agreed that Brad would include Will in all decisions that effect Will. Brad has broken that so may times I can't count. Even Stef who has been Brad's supporter for almost Brad's whole life told Brad he was wrong and Brad was treating Will like a business deal not like a father and a son.

 

Now let's look at Will. Going back to Paris, he and his father are kidnapped. Will is raped. What does Brad do? Leave Will and return to home. Will got no or little help from Brad. The group goes to Rome and Will finds Roberto. Stef and JP believe that will help him forget and heal. Then Stef's big mistake letting Will go to the gay club. I blame that on Stef. After they go home, Jeanine seems like she could care less about Will. Even Brad and Robbie's reaction is odd. Don't you think that some of Will's behavior could be caused by the kidnapping and rape? What help does Will get? None that I can see. Going to the college party, could be wrong but it is nothing that any kid Will's age wouldn't had done. I am sure Brad would have done it without thinking. If we look, Brad was into a lot more in just a few years later. Now we come to the float trip. Will takes the blame for his friend, because he thinks his father will believe him. What is Brad's action to this. Hiring Martin. Then leaving the day after. Showing Will that Brad's birthday trip was more important than he was. In Will's mind, his father the person he loved the most in the world, didn't love him anymore. How would you feel? Alone! Alone with the likes of Martin, a sadist. You can disagree with Will's plan but it is masterful. If Martin would not have beaten Will, Brad and Robbie's cars and clothing would have not been harmed. Maybe just maybe if Brad would have cared more about his son and less about business and himself none of this would have happened. After Will returns Brad again, makes promises, which he again breaks. Then where is Norway. A mother who is totally wacked out, totally out of control. Brad again makes promises, some of the same promises he broke before and only a few days later breaks them again.

 

Last, Is Will smarter than Brad? Yes, because Will has learned from the past. He is controlling his temper, and learning not to trust his father's promises. He is planning his future since he can't trust his father. What has Brad learned? Nothing! He makes the same mistakes over and over again. Is he controlling his temper? His son. his beloved son, the person he would have died for just months ago, is now nothing but his foe in a battle of control. That Tim, that is the saddest of all! It is my hope that none of us never will be put it that position. Left alone rejected by the person we loved most in the world.

Edited August 27, 2012 by rjo

[PrivateTim]

Forgive me Tim, but you talk only in terms of the law and what the law permits. But this is not the whole extent of a child's power. A parent can "decide" in a legal sense, but without some measure of cooperation and agreement from teenager, this can become very difficult. Especially when it turns out the parent has failed (twice) in their duty to protect their offspring.

 

For example, a parent might "decide" that a kid is grounded, but that doesn't mean the kid has to cooperate with that... He can sneak out. You seem to have a slight "blinker" when it comes to legal framework...

 

Yes, but if the child is caught breaking his grounding and they ship him off to military school, or take away his iPhone, car, and other privileges, etc the child has no recourse. Yes they can continue to defy and rebel, but they can not win long term as long as they are a minor.

 

Tim I could spend forever and you would not change your mind. Let's go back Brad had two people killed and pinned it in his step mother. If that very got out he would be in prison for a long time. So Brad can and has been ruthless. That is beyond question. Next has Brad broken his promises to Will? Go b

Yes Brad can be ruthless when it comes to dealing with people who mess with his family, but where was he ruthless to Will? That was your assertion.

 

I'd say that given how Brad has dealt with people who messed with him and his family that the giving to Michael a generous severance could have been a prelude to Michael having an unfortunate accident so as to not attract attention to himself. But Will by blowing up the issue may have made it impossible for Brad to carry out his plans. If that was in Brad's plans, was he supposed to share that with Will?

 

Brad has broken promises to Will, Will has broken promises back. It is not always possible to keep your word when faced with conflicting priorities.

[PrivateTim]

Okay.... weird..... none of that response from RJO was there when I started my reply....

[rjo]

Just to let you know, the system cut me off before I was done, so I had to edit it to finish it.