Philippe

With every breath that background wish is for a safe day. Hopefully this trip beyond the wire will be routine…as in no engagement or at least a minimum engagement with no casualties amongst the friends and friendliest. Kent, and Ken, have found their own comforts in this new reality. Now knowing that about the other is added comfort for them both. Likewise, learning the unvarnished truth of Kent’s daily life and those close to him is a part of that comfort too. Randy is still amazingly aware and compassionate about all the sentiments of Kent’s life; what a great friend and fellow soldier to serve beside…and to know that he is by your side.

Back when I was deployed out herding dinosaurs around the world, those calls were very limited but much appreciated, as the costs otherwise was very, very expensive…several dollars per minute. So the conversations where sparse and rushed when they happened. The good side of all that was it was limited more to hearing familiar voices and only most important news..and maybe notice of what care packages to look forward too. But I did have to comfort some younger troops that hadn’t lived away from home and family before the military; it was tougher on them. Whereas I had been away from home for years before finishing college and going active duty.

Yeah, figuring out all the science involved: that rim around the head keeps your hand from slipping off, And that nerd that didn’t put his homework away before shooting, but then patented it when discovering the great holding power…named it after himself too, Elmer’s Glue.

Or Rico exposes them as he runs naked from the bedroom trying to get to the toilet in time before that overwhelming urge to pee has him wet himself; damn, it happens every time just as it starts feeling sooo good.

No, I’m 13 and a half. Is that years or hairs we’re counting there? Oh the age of exploration and curiosity…before peer pressure and biases ruin the game.

Hmmm, 🤔 getting caught or Rico’s brain/mouth filter bypass?? What you kids doing in there? Sucking each others dick… Good, don’t you be smoking them nasty cigarettes!

Yup, young curious and mysterious infatuation, developing into a crush it seems. Nicely conveyed as the way I recall those feelings.

Yes, it’s a double edged sword when waiting later in life to start a family. Life with more freedom has already become the standard, then the rug rats suddenly want all the freedom and demand the attention. Needless to say, the graduation walk is bordering on the retirement phase of life. Life with the empty nest before retirement can be a rewarding experience of freedom with more financial freedom and/or another chance to stock away at the retirement nest egg that may still need a little shoring up. My oldest daughter is battling the biological clock while finding it difficult or biologically challenging to get pregnant. Yet, the clock is still running while they get a medical diagnosis and possible treatment options are reviewed. They are not an exception in later aged parenting. My neighbor boy is a 10yo that loves spending LOTS of time with me and running errands with me constantly. It is strange that many people refer to him as my son, when the remainder refer to him in a more accurate respect to age as my grandson. This reminds me of a great uncle that went to register his youngest son for elementary school. The registrar asked him how old was his young grandson…he thought for a minute and answered 12yo. The lady was perplexed as she looked at the soon to be first grader. She asked again how old this young fellow was…ahhh, the uncle responded, this is my son and his is turn 6yo in three weeks; the great uncle was turning 68yo I believe. Fortunately the family tends to have good longevity and he saw that son graduate and mature into a young man well before he was overcome with age.

Yeah, Owen is his boyfriend of one year yet they are only now committing to moving and living together. Troy explained Owen as comfort, steady, dependable, etc. not the words used to describe the love of partnership, but it sounds more like convenient FWB honestly. Yet the painting slammed Troy heavily into the past, to the night that turned to a morning of devastation. With his heart hammering then a bit of a snap at Owen thinking the painting would be great going with them…while that portrait seemed reserved for Troy or at least for … Nope, Troy still lingers with his heart still keeping one foot in the past with the other accepting Owen’s persistent comforting companionship. His relationship with Miles remains unresolved and love unanswered. Yet Miles still remains adrift and silent YEARS after his departure.

I do miss phone booths; they weren’t for just the privacy of the parties involved but to also show courtesy to others. I’ve had many times in my travels that I’ve had to step out of my hotel room to scold people walking the halls for exercise all while talking loudly with speaker phone blasting during after hours; rude any time of day but definitely disturbing the peace in hotel hallways in after hours. 😢 😈 😠 😡

Yup, everything has it’s own odor…or pheromone, wouldn’t you say boys??

Hmmm 🤔, Get Sky or Wyatt to open up?? Indirectly they may help reinforce what Sky, and even Wyatt, is feeling but I think the magic is the trust Sky is feeling for Wyatt in his lifestyle and his future goals; all honest and without the greed for taking others for a ride.

Kinda done cracked that shell…

Whew, it could have been a circumcision device…

Boiled eggs and broccoli works for some people too; a lower ethanol version??

OMG, that reminiscent of the barking comb dogs performing jingle bells; the barking being the comb teeth draw across some surface edge. Hopefully that performance will be AI generated, otherwise you need to make sure you have the windows open and maybe a good breeze beyond that of the trumpets.

Did someone say draw?

Thank you for taking the comments as criticism of character and not of author. I truly hope you can sell me into being wrong to hold these feelings but that’s also the tough part of dealing with characters were life experiences and personal character have you so invested that it affects you as if it’s real…and it hurts or disappoints you so deeply. That’s one reason a tend to avoid darker themes as it invokes too much for me to find the same satisfaction. Thanks for not taking it personally as an attack on you.

Those brain cells are starting to grow into more adult learned gray matter; it seems rather fitting as his life has become more balanced. Tony is working magic beyond the pen and paper on this one, as it’s more than Levi that gets growth in the coming visit(s).

Hey now, just because someone sat on your trumpet and made it plays sour melodies, don’t be giving all trumpets a bad name.

Ahhhh, that explains the blood stains on the last vintage article of clothing; I originally thought blood stained tears.

Yeah, sitting their reading and suddenly a gust of hay fever ladened wind helps you turn that last difficult page.

Wow, Though I had read those passages with much the same underlying reflection, you highlighted the emotional side to me somehow making the characters even more real; for the boys that is, Father Costas and ABBA already hold a reality position. 😆 I look forward to the boys being able to see and feel they are not pariah, nor are they a super minority, they are and should be able to live as themselves… As their normal.