Canuk

this is one train wreck of a family. and no one is getting any help whatsoever. Jon is typical for his age, a bigot about everything and a bloated idea of his importance to the world, Suzanne is possibly the most normal, Simon is in a nightmare situation of trying to sort his own sexuality, having a friend that helped him through his mothers death and his family, and finally Jeff with post war/battlefield stresses, losing a wife, bring up three children without any idea how and verging on alcoholic. This is going to take some sorting! They are going to need some outside support, and I don't see where this is going to come from, at this stage. Great read, amazing characters that its possible to feel real empathy with.

However good the teachers are their inability to understand their students and see what is in front of them is alarming. The girls in the school are in for a shock when real life is not like this at all; while they wont be raped or abused their whims and fantasies won't be tolerated at all.

Interesting discourse on relationships. The comments on the differences between hetro and ss relationships spot on. Good idea not to make people dependent on Frankie by giving them $5m. I think it adds to cohesiveness if you have people who want to be there rather than have to. They need a scapegoat for the deaths..... i have this idea they my find one, just to make the police job a little easier!😆

I think someone just made their point, subtly, and not so anyone would notice, but yes, just a hint....

Well, theres the upside to offline, back on line is twice the pleasure! Perfect new chapter. The actions of the police are sadly not complete fiction. How do we move beyond that? The gap between people who feel they own the law and those who feel frightened by the law enforcers is a very sad endightment of the the law and its enforcers. Unless people trust the law is fair to all and that law is enforced based on facts and evidence and not prejudice and parochialism, we cannot survive as a society.

Jeez, you go off line for a few hours and everyone who is anyone posts..., some twice! 😆 Yes, great chapter. Nice to see plans moving forward (wish I could say mine were...) Love the house. Bit too close to Sydney for my liking. Glad Sylvan has escaped and found refuge. Still worried about the dead... they do talk, sadly. Now I'll read the next chapter!😍

Great story! Snake sounds quite a character. Little concerned that despite the act in the bar, the lack of bodies is going make people suspicious where the thugs disappeared to.... and presumably their families/business colleagues knew where they were going and why. I love the description of the house. Sounds almost like it could have been Lachlan Macquaries architect, whose name escapes me at the moment...😆 I spent a brief part of my youth on a property like that. They resumed it to incorporate into a state park, whereupon they chopped down a whole lot of trees to "improve the view". Even back then we thought it strange!

Back to more traditional Rigby! Nothing like a good lecture on the evils of modern society over coffee! Makes it so much easier to step out and become part of the machine every morning😆😆😆😍 The point you make about charities giving to "people I dont like" is the very reason I think basing a society on personal philanthropy is both anti social and a way to reiforce prejudice. While I admire much of what the Gates foundation does with its rather large stash, but imagine (and I know he doesnt, but allow me to hang myself here for a minute) that he disliked gay people and so would not look at anything to do with Hiv, Aids, STIs, etc. Would this be , oh! Well, his money he can do with it what he likes, or is there /should there be an ethical obligation to spend money on areas of greatest priority? (Which may or may not be STIs). I have no problem with wealthy people donating and getting a reward so so doing, but they should not be allowed to pick and choose where the money goes. If its good enough for taxpayers money to be allocated on the basis of an election every x years, why not philanthropists? Now Frankie, i think people who see that land as "ripe for development" will pressure local councils to make that land very expensive for Frankie to hold, even with the $50m stash, he's going to have to be very strategic to keep it. I disagree re gold. To me thats wasted opportunity. Yes banks are rapacious, immoral, unethical animals with many issues, but $50m is enough for the tail to wag the dog, particularly if you pick you own advisers. $50m is also enough to "treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen"; advisers are only human... Fine, enough with the lazy clichés! I am worried about Prosperos statement re Wills. Does this mean he has rapacious rellies in the wings? They could cause trouble Thanks, enjoying this!

Fine, I have suspended my sense of doom, for the moment.... The play sounds interesting. Your writing does make me feel I am being gently guided in a direction of your choosing.... Looking forward to the stories continuation....

You spin an amazing tale! Sylvan is in a difficult situation. I do hope he takes up the boys offer and gets help. Frankies school is interesting. Not sure how a play featuring naked pupils will go down. We did "Lord of the Flies" manymany years ago at the school I attended. Whilewe wore body stockings for that last act, there was criticism we were "naked". Of course we had a great time! I suspect Fankie is going to need to get back to some clean air open spaces rugged hills and forests at some point. Enjoying this, although, as usual, I read your stories with a sense of impending doom...😆😍

You know our author only too well. In the gospel (trans:story) according to @Rigby Taylor, There is no happiness without pain, suffering, misadventure and deprivation!😆 Even if the heaven, sky and earth are about to combust, I am glad our hero has found some one who will help, without trading his body, mind or soul. I hope, albeit faintly, that all continues on this path of happiness and enlightenment.😯🤗😇

Southern Tasmania is not my idea of heaven (I was born there, so some idea of how bloody cold and wet it is, also the magnificence of the forests, the coast, and lakes), but he seems to have survived. Hopefully the ranger will be able to start him on the path back to his true love.

Brought back memories of when I naively took "financial advice" from a bank. While I didn't end up bankrupt, it was bloody close. When I asked about the "advice" after we had sold up, I was told that the adviser "had to look after the interests of the bank". I supposedly wasn't told this at the time "as it may have affected my decision making". Iam glad australia has tight gun laws otherwise he would have been dead and i would be about to be released from gaol! I do hope Frankie gets something out of this. At least enough to start again. Different chapter. Interesting tale. Thanks

I hope this is rock bottom...if not, losing his house will be the least of hiis problems, he'll lose his family.

Ingenio does not seem quite as wise as he thinks he is. Bright kid, loveable even, but.... I think trouble brews...

I think Frankie is only a slight exhaduration of many students. I on the other hand was the complete opposite, find out exactly what the teacher wanted, give it to them, then do what i wanted to further my own education! Another interesting beginning to a great story.

The problem both of you ( @Timothy M. and @Rigby Taylor ) are addressing is communication. So many straight couples seem to have trouble talking to their partner, someone who they love dearly, but who they make assumptions about but never discuss real issues. Not that gay couple are immune rom the same issue, but somehow it seems easier for intimate ss couples to talk than it is in opposite sex couples. Socially I think this reverses. So many conversations I have had in non-intimate male groups are beyond boring; sport, sexual achievements, work (stupid bosses) or the sexual/athletic prowess of their sons, princess like behaviour of daughters. In mixed groups conversation tends to be far more mixed and interesting. The effect is multiplied in work places. A workplace of str8 men only is nightmare-ish! All women is just as bad. The best offices I have managed have been a mix of gay blokes, straight women and the token str8 bloke!! As for the thought @Rigby Taylor, that you may have ANY negative thoughts about women based on your characters, never ever crossed my mind! I am astounded that you would have even thought this was an issue....😂😆😍

Computers and the aged; you do highlight a huge issue. And while hopefully anyone under say 65 now probably spent enough time on computers to use them as they age for basic stuff. Older than that and for many its a foreign world. Enjoying the read. Thanks

Ember is his own worst enemy; at some point you just have to let the past go and look at the facts of the present. As for Pix, I can see why he is an asset in a children's ward. While children's doctors tend to have a better bedside manner that adults' doctors, they are still "the doctor". Pix would be the sort of nurse that distracts you from there here and now of whatever the child is going through. Great chapter. Thanks

WHO'S JONI MITCHELL!, [he passes out from embarrassment] Fellow GA readers, not all Australians are so differently focused as our beloved author. Trust me on this!

Well that went south very quickly! I hope Carlos or his mother saw what happened. I was wondering about the piercings at their age, but bit of a moot point now....

Well, you proved me wrong, there was no last minute hitch. I am glad. The vengful part of me would have like to hear some of the mages squirm, plead and cry with self pity, but hey! Cant have everything.... Thanks, great read, the entire cycle. Just remind me not to get on your bad side🙂😍

Great chapter. The balance of the conversations between the boys, the game, the dance then the images all really well done. Thanks.

And I thought I was slow on the uptake! I know its hard as a single dad, but at some point you have to put youself out there.... Enjoying the slow torture of the story! Brings back memories of my time as a not quite as instant single gay dad (30 years ago!) Thanks.

Reading this suddenly The Weather Girls, "Its Raining Men" popped into my head... The pressure our heros are under is immense. "You dont get this powerful by being stupid"; never a truer sentence.... just hope they can hold it together. One thing does concern me; ch 11 seems early for a "happy ending", so I feel there will be more chaos, before culmination and success... or have you just made me unconsciously move to the dark side where history is a down ward spiral ? 😉😆