Al Norris

That might be fun if neither of them gets seasick. I hope Matt doesn't leave Ben alone with Justin! I trust Justin, um, sota. I don't know if I trust Ben.

Once again, a Thompson shows up. Seems that tribe has to do things to make them seem bigger than they are. This one is a real character though. Unlike his Uncle or Pappy (whichever it is), this one has to hide his mischief. It's gonna take a few bucks to replace the headlights and lenses, not to mention that grill!

Holy Crapola! Jake is what, 15, 16? And how old is Sam? Don't they call that jailbait? I don't have a clue what's up with Sam and JP, but to go and fuck Jake? And I don't much care if Jake tried to throw himself at Sam. Sam should know better than that.

Coming in rather late here. One thing I'm happy about is that the comments have toned down quite a bit on what happens in the future of the series. I feel much better about reading the comments. It gives hope for future readers of your stories, Mark. It's been both a pleasure and hell reading things from Stefan's point of view. The heartbreak is palpable. I don't have to think hard about his choices, as I lived through that era myself. I made my choices, good or bad, and plowed through the consequences. Much as Stef did. Stef has ended up in a much better place than I ever did (I finally admitted to myself and my wife that I was gay a few years ago). A captive of the fifties and sixties, I made the only choices I thought I had. Bravo to you, Mark, for showing the many new kids that we had it very rough. It's still not a bed of roses, but they have it much better than we did.

Every time I read this, tears come into my eyes. I know firsthand the emotions you put into this tale, Mark. I enlisted in the Marines in 1968. A very good friend enlisted with me in what was called the 'Buddy Plan.' We found out that all this really meant was that we went through boot camp together. After that, we were separated. We tried to keep in touch. Letters were far and few. They finally stopped and I never knew what happened to him until after I came home from the jungles. He didn't. So then, when I read this story, I tear up as I remember my friend. Thank you, Mark.

They say that 'War Is Hell,' but whoever said that has not actually been in the throes of battle. Because it is much worse than anyone can describe with a single word or phrase. Here we find Davy and Jack, who against all convention have fallen in love with each other. Two young lads, a year apart in age where Davy, the eldest, must go off to fight a war, halfway around the world. Instead of telling the tale of Davy in that war, Mark spins the yarn of Jack. Jack who is waiting to hear about his love, Davy, and dreads the time when he turns of age and must go off to fight himself. This is a story as old as time itself, regardless of gender. It is told with the fear and heartache of one who has stayed behind, waiting for those awful words of a telegram or the coming of age to enlist. For those who went to war or those who waited for word of their loved ones, Mark gives us a glimpse of that horror. A glimpse of the emotions that can and do run through our minds. Well worth the read.

Hmm, @weinerdog, you might have skipped right over these paragraphs... I guess some would call that, Bi-curious.

Poor Ben! Yeah just gotta laugh when some guys are so clueless. I've known several straight guys who were adventurous and simply wanted to know what it was like to have sex with another dude. And that was all it was. Simple curiosity. Yes, there are people like that. Is Ben one of them? Who knows...

Because this is 1973. You are either straight or you are gay. Those who claimed to be Bi were hated by both groups. They would tell you to your face that you needed to step onto one side of the fence or the other. Otherwise, you were just a chicken-shit asshole. In the cities, Democrats and Republicans both hated gays. In the rural areas, being gay was nearly a death sentence.

Brad is starting to have sexual feelings, even if he can't name them. Stef sorta sees this. JP has no clue. It's gonna shock the hell outa them if Brad decides to experiment with an adult. I don't think Josh will be able to ignore Brad. Stef will want to know how far Josh went with Brad. JP will want to kill Josh.

Poor Jacob. Caught between his Skai identity and his Nave love. If I had to guess, I believe that Jacob summoned Soullen. They do have some sort of bond and maybe that was enough.

From what was said, I'm glad that the kid wasn't raped, as that was what I expected! Another Thompson... Must be either a brother or more likely Frank's son. SMH! That clan needs a good wackin' upside their heads and then a boot to the A#&! Perhaps someone(s) should just take them out!

I'm really loving this story. It is so full of love. When combined with the mystery of the unknown and exploration of the universe, how could I not?! Those android bodies do speak of a way to a kind of immortality. I wonder how it will all fit together.

Don't we all wish we had the amount of sex that Marc has? Rather, I almost wish I was that young again to have that amount of sex! I say almost, 'cause I want to know what I know now and be that young!!! LOL! 😁

Somehow I suspect these two things are connected! I sure hope what I'm thinking isn't true...

Sometimes that danged HIPAA law can be useless when things like this story happen. I'm guessing we will find out how this affects Devin's classes in the next chapter.

More Crap that new readers simply don't need to know.

I was one of those boys, but later in 69.

I was wondering if anyone else had picked up on that. The public wouldn't know about it for another couple of days, although I think the first official reports were the next day, Oct. 16, 1962.

That was my thought a couple or three chapters ago. Remember that JP goes back to Tonto's house and Stefan and the Tutor are still there? JP thought it was weird that the Tutor left as soon as he showed up. Yeah, I remember those comments. sigh.

Bullies are bullies, whether physical or academic. I'm afraid I would have handled Jensen the same way I would a physical bully. Perhaps pistols at ten paces would suffice (They are professors of History, after all)?

1962 - For a quarter, you could get into the movie house. Double feature plus a cartoon! The better ones even had a serial going (Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, Captain America... anyone?). For another quarter, you could get a large buttered popcorn, a candy bar, and a medium drink. Go around the alleys and you could pick up soda bottles (glass bottles - no one recycled back then) and turn them in for cash! Two cents for every bottle you brought back to the local store. A bottle of soda costs 10 cents plus the two-cent deposit.

Hmm, wasn't Tim just saying something about Ben?

It seems that certain fans just have to include spoilers in their comments as they reread the stories. We new readers just have to learn to either ignore them or not read the comments.

Thank you for that back-handed prompt for the future of the series! 🤣🤣😁