db4530

Adam, Happy new year. I hope all is well with you. I know that sometimes your silence/absence from these boards means that things are not going so well in your real life. I hope that is not the case. Is there a new goal for finishing CC in 2012? I'm not trying to be pushy. I'm just wondering what you think your timeframe looks like. I am excited to read the rest of the story. All the best, db

This is a great point Caedus. While perhaps Angie is not unique in the truest sense of that word, there are not many people in the world who would truly love their "One" knowing that, in addition to loving them back, their "One" also needs to deeply, both physically and emotionally, love other(s). The relationship that Angie has consented to does not fit neatly into the categories that we typically hear of in non-monogamous situations. It is not an open relationship because, as far as I can tell, Angie is not free to see others and Andy is only free to see Matt. It is not a polyamorous relationship because Matt and Angie are not together. It does not seem to do the situation justice to refer to it as a "love triangle" because instead of there being animosity between Matt and Angie, there is friendship, respect and to some degree love. It is almost as if there are two parallel relationships--Matt and Andy on the one hand, and Angie and Andy on the other hand--but neither relationship would be as fulfilling to Andy (and perhaps also to Matt and Angie) if the other one didn't exist. Angie is a wonder and I think you are correct that she deserves her own story to show how she grew to be someone so open to the endless possibilities of love and the beauty that exists when love is found. In addition, considering where we know the story is going based on the prologue, it will be interesting to see which of our three main characters takes us to that melancholy place that none of us wants to see. Based on his past freak-outs, it would seem that Andy is the likeliest candidate. However, there is also the possibility that Matt could end up being the one who backs out on the physical side of his relationship with Andy, perhaps because he meets his "One" and she is not as cool with the whole situation as Angie is. Or maybe Matt's discovery of his "One" causes Andy's next freak-out. Who knows? If Adam really wants to shock all of us, he could make Angie the culprit. However, given her consistency regarding Matt and Andy's relationship, blaming its downfall on Angie seems about as likely as aliens abducting Matt and Andy during their next night camping on the beach.

Adam, What a wonderful new chapter. While all of it was great, I wanted to comment on one small detail. I really love how nicely you captured Matt and Andy's intimacy as they once again said good-bye in the driveway with an embrace and two kisses on the neck. More than any other physical act that the two of them have shared since they became friends (or at least since their first encounter on the beach), two kisses on the neck seems to carry the deepest significance for them. When one of them really wants to get the other's attention--to say that he remembers who they are as a couple, what their history is, how he feels about the other and the deep love and friendship that underlies it all--it only takes two little kisses. It may seem trivial to outsiders, but it carries a whole world of meaning for the two of them. I think most couples have some "signal" like this that reminds them of the close bond they share with each other, but you capture the essence of that intimacy so beautifully. It's just another of those details that makes Crosscurrents a wonderful story, and another example of why I believe the writing is top-notch. Thanks again for sharing this story. db P.S. Why do I think I'm not going to like Julie very much by the end of the story?

I stand corrected. Thanks. I had just started a summer internship after my second year of law school. It was only 11 years ago. In some ways it feels like a million years ago. In other ways, it feels like yesterday. For all those in the U.S., have a great holiday weekend! db

I just realized something interesting. We know that Andy and Matt's first beach encounter happened in September, 1998. That means they graduated in 1999. Two year later, in 2001, they would have just finished their sophomore year. Since the beach weekend in Chapter 30 took place the weekend before Memorial Day after their sophomore year of college, that would have been rougly around May 20, 2001, or so. We just passed the 10th anniversary of their reconnection and the rekindling of their friendship. Happy 10th Anniversary Matt and Andy! I can't wait to learn how the last decade has gone for the two of you.

MarkSen, That's a very interesting comparison. Change the David and Jonathan story to modern times and one can easily imagine a lot of similarities to Andy and Matt. Although based on Adam's previous statements here in the forums, it seems that Matt and Andy's fates should have a happier ending. For others who may be interested, there is a good summary of the David and Jonathan story on Wikipedia. I hadn't really focused on the story of David and Jonathan since my days in religious school--but MarkSen seems to be right on. Thanks for jogging my memory. db

Hello all. I am a first-time commenter, although I have been reading Crosscurrents since JW originally suggested it many years ago. After recently re-reading the story from the beginning, I have an observation that I would like to share. I welcome others' thoughts. It seems to me that from the very beginning, Andy was surrounding himself with good, decent people. I have no doubt that this was not by accident. Andy was, from the very earliest chapters, generally a good guy who had his head on his shoulders about most things--he did great in school, excelled at sports, held down after-school and summer jobs, maintained good relationships with the adults in his life, etc. For someone to accomplish these things, they almost necessarily surround themselves to a large degree with other high-achieving individuals. However, as we have gained a better understanding of how Andy's mind works, I have begun to think that Andy's subconscious recognized the bisexuality "monster" a lot earlier than when Andy first started noticing guys (which I think happened sometime during Andy's freshman year of high school or the summer thereafter). In addition, I think that Andy was drawn to certain people in his life because his subconscious knew that they would accept him for who he was, and help him accept himself, when the time came. The most striking examples of this acceptance are the obvious ones--Angie and Matt. However, there are many other examples of characters in the story that were ready, willing and able to accept and assist Andy as he followed the road from self-discovery to self-acceptance. These include Andy's family (particularly his Dad and Danny), but also less prominent characters like Cole. As a matter of fact, the only two people in the entire story who are described as having a real problem with Andy's bisexuality are Shane and Andy--and Andy helped Shane get over it pretty quickly. I'll get to the point... I think that Andy's subconscious recognized Andy (or at least his internalized homophobia) as a "monster" from which Andy would one day need protection. In preparation for the day when Andy would not be able to deny his true self, and understanding that Andy would not immediately be able to accept himself for who he truly is, his subconscious set about giving Andy the support structure that he would one day need to overcome his self-hatred. Prior to coming to the realization described above, I often thought to myself how beautiful and lucky it was that Andy had such a supportive group of people around him. Matt, Angie, his family, his teammates (both high school and college), Jake, and pretty much everyone else in Crosscurrents (including Chris) are all there to consistently remind Andy that he is ok being who he is, his reaction to Matt's expression of love was wrong, and that Matt would still love Andy when he is ready to accept that love. Given that Crosscurrents takes place in a conservative place like Texas during the 1990s, I believe it took more than luck for Andy to end up in a place where he had so many supporters and so few detractors. Chapters 27 - 30 seemed to be about Andy's realization that his mind was so busy fighting "monsters" that he was, in reality, harming himself. However, if my observation is correct, long before Andy turned Matt into a "monster," Andy's subconscious allowed him to establish the support system he would one day need to overcome his fear of the "monsters" he perceived in Matt (and even more deeply in himself) and finally get to the "home" he described at the very end of Chapter 30. * * * Sorry this is so long. Thanks for reading. I am looking forward to the next chapter(s). I can't wait to see what happens next.