Rndmrunner

Hey Benji, I certainly can'y walk in your shoes but your sexuality does not define your relationships. You are 58, (I am 55, so have some idea). if not now when? You've got one life so just make sure you live it. that does not mean forsaking your marriage, family and the rest but make sure that holding in huge chunks of who you are does not close you off from the folks you love. I have it easy, I am out and my partner and i have a kid so we are SO OUT to everyone. It only hursts when a five year comes up to you at your kids school and says `So are you two the grandfathers?`

Funny, its totally gay and the boys are real darn pretty, but there is no sexual energy: erotica without the erotic. maybe i'm too old and want to see that sexxual organ that Zombie was referring to. The French seem to understand the difference between sexy and pretty though - oh and so does Daniel Craig....

I ingnored, or at least loosley interpreted, the part about "the secret" and how it could doom the marriage. In this case the relationship was secure even if the marriage might not be. Thanks for the comments

Hi Andy, just came across this story. I loved the layered culture. You have created a society that is as rich as the characters in your story. A lovely piece of work. Its stands alone perfectly but hopefully is part of a larger work - Rick

Thanks, I was worried that it sounded too much like a diatrabe, which is why I tried to make it all dialogue in the hopes of lightening it up.

Maya was running around in true wedding planner fashion. Funny thing though, she was our daughter and there was no wedding planning but all the same, she carried the sort of authority that only an eleven year old can muster. Given our non-traditional family, it was shocking how conventional Maya could be at times. “Pop! You can’t wear your tie like that! In fact why are you wearing that tie? I pulled out the black tie for you; it goes with your tie pin. Sometimes I wonder if you would really be

Last minute wedding doubts

I find Elijah very engaging. You have captured a youth who seems very mature for his age but seems an emotional child at the same time - intriguing! Its amazing how things that weigh so heavily in adolescence will become less significant once they have been worked through. A lovely dance between Elijah and Chris

Your are great at developing the characters. I like how you are taking your time and not jumping into plot. The relationships have complexity and you are not telegraghing whre things will go. looking forward to seeing it develop and play out

Great start, i like that the main character is a bit of a prat but still likeable. I think I'm hooked.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to get back to the task at hand. More and more, I hated being in this room. The job was two thirds done but was getting harder. I had save the “best” for the “last”. The easy things were already taken care of. I decided to tackle the closet next. A rack, buried in ties hung from the inside of the door. My dad, always a man’s man, was also a bit of a dandy. Ties were one of his vanities. It would have been nice to keep a few but let’s face it, I rarely w

I find the take on this one interesting. The moral question is not Billy's at least in respect of coming out with regard to his parents paying for his education. The moral responsibility lies with the parents who have a responsibility to support thier child's education as long as the child needs that support. Note a 42 year old perpetual student is not a child. An undergraduate college education is what a high school diploma was 30 years ago - necessary to have access to many jobs. This is something you pay forward. Certainly not everyone can afford to pay for a kid's education but that is not what is being discussed here. Billy may certainly choose to stay in the closet if his security is dependant upon it and needs to weigh theat decision on a broader set of moral questions. When you raise a child you have signed on to care for them into adulthood: that includes love, security, a roof over their head and an education to the best of your abilities. IF Billy has a problem about taking the money, he can ensure that some other kid gets an education in the future to pay his own dues

very hard to read. You captured it perfectly. As a Dad you articulated my worst fears - damn you!

Prompt 123: Challenge Mention poetry and see the look of fear on so many faces. Choose whichever kind of poetry you prefer to write in, but it must be about one of three topics. Choose from your favorite season, favorite holiday, or your favorite person. Length is up to you, but it must be long enough to give us a sense of why this is your favorite. Mist at Daybreak Squirrels chattering in the trees Damp bejeweled spider webs cling to my legs as I walk. Slee

A real milestone, let us know where to find it after publication

The interesting thing about beauty is that I find there is objective and subjective beauty. If I know nothing about the individual, I can find him objectively incredibly gorgeous, or not. Once i know someone, the beauty becomes tempered by his personality: the most gorgeous man becomes like the evil queen in Snow White if he is a prick, and conversely an average guy becomes hot if he acts hot and has an attractive personality. A good flirt is seriously hot!

I prefer Characters, I find if plot is the driving force and the characters are neglected, it will take over and disolve into an exhausting race from one drama to the next. Ideally for me, the characters learn from experiences or relationships 9romantic or otherwise) and gorw more interesting

Sun: 480 words A guilty pleasure, perhaps. Guilty, because we refused to share this quiet spot. It really came into its own in August: the cooler nights, the active skies, the abundance of shooting stars. If I was lucky, I could catch a glimpse of the northern lights and. Tonight was one of those perfect evenings: the water like glass and the stars blanketed the inky sky. The air was clearer now, hot during the day and cooler now, the hair on my forearms prickling slightly in the dampening air.

The Gift One of my selfish pleasures is to not book anything or anyone on my birthday. I have reached an age when I am simply embarrassed when friends and family fuss with celebrations. I was reclining on the couch writing when the chimes sounded setting the dogs into Howler Monkey mode. Annoyed at the disturbance, I snapped at hem to for God’s sake be quiet and heaved myself around them to the entrance to turn away whoever was soliciting at the door. Carly jumped back as I snatc

Wrting Prompt exercises

Just came across the "Prompt Me" series, New here and a little confused; do I just post a comment if I want to post an entry or is there a specific resposne area

As noted in some of the other responses, "I love you" has subtly different meanings depending on where you are in the relationship. Early in the relationship, it is a milestone where one or both of you acknowledge that it has deepened and are confident enough to declare your feelings. In an ongoing relationship (well into the second decade here) it has no less meaning but is comfortable and familiar. It means I still love you even when you piss me off. But it differs for everyone, I have friends who have been together forever and never or very rarely say it. I say it to my partner regularly (often when signing off on the phone) and the same with my brothers. Though casually said, it is no less sincere.

Two dads, well I don't know what it is like to be raised by 2 dads but I know what it is like to be one of 2 dads. There are always going to be good and bad parents whehther its a mom and dad, a single parent of either gender, or 2 same sex parents. I do know that gay and lesbian parents (who had children after coming out) make the decision consciously: there are no "accidents". Being gay parents, we also are lucky to know quite a few other same sex parents. For the most part they are great, they enjoy parenting - it is not a chore to them. I don't think that I am alone in also looking at supporting my child in being different: gay or straight my kid is flagged as different and we try to be aware of that. I also know that we are very visible, often people know of our family before we know them. That said, we live in a great area, in a tolerent city and have rarely encountered anything unpleasant or even negative. It is no accident though that we live in our current neighbourhood because there are other same sex families here. Our child, now in grade school, is surrounded by accepting friends and does not find our family unduly different. In moments of pique we have however been told that we are bad daddies and new daddies are wanted. I am waiting to see if this changes in adolescence. All said, we are blessed to have supportive families and friends and live in a tolerent place. For us, those factors affected out choice to have a chld as it is not just our lives that are affected by our decision.

Not really a review here. A powerful story! I am sad that in 2012 there are people who still struggle for acceptance so much that suicide becomes a viable option. It terrifies me even more as a gay dad when I think of my child navigating similar territory in the future and dealing with intolerance. All i can do is ensure that I will listen and have her trust. Its tough ground because I know that I cannot unconditionally promise just to listen I am also humbled as I start embarking on writing that the bar is so incredibly high

I am really impressed by the story and your writing. i enjoy the subtle growth among the characters. Looking forward to future installment of the story and any other works you may post