Dodger

I couldn't agree more if only I could pronounce it!

Yeah, Sue's behaviour is a little odd. The jury seems to be out on whether she's a goodie or a badie, even I'm not sure. Maybe she should concentrate on her own family's problems or is this just some kind of distraction?

Who knows what Daniel heard but whatever it was, he's not likely to tell anyone about it for at least another month!

Hey, @Sweetlion I just noticed this comment, but you make some good points particularly about Robbie's special friendship with Tom. I think with Don it's more a case of ignoring the obvious. I don't think he's looking for a solution unless it's one that suits him.

“Has Daniel left home?” I was sitting at the counter on Sunday morning while Sue was cooking breakfast. “It does seem like it sometimes,” she said. “I’ve told him he has to come home tonight,” said Don from behind me. I swivelled my stool around to look at him as he walked into the kitchen but although he was answering my question he directed his reply at Sue and walked straight past me to kiss his wife and make himself a coffee. This was my third day at home and we had barely said a w

What a lovely message. That has cheered me up and made my day, maybe tomorrow too. Happy Birthday my friend.

Thank you, @tesao There are definitely assholes everywhere in this world and I can say from personal experience that Canada is no exception. I didn't face the kind of problems that Robbie has had to endure but I'm afraid there are bigots and homophobes on both sides of our friendly borders. The consensus seems to be for Robbie to refuse the adoption and, of course, it is his right to do so. The court will interview him a couple of weeks before the set date where he will have the opportunity to say no. It will be up to him whether he wants to use Don's homophobia as a reason for this decision if indeed, he decides against it. Daniel's behaviour is also frustrating, I can understand that but we're all in the same boat as Robbie and we only know what he knows. Thanks for following the story, I appreciate your interest.

Thank you @Rndmrunner I have been taking more time than I used to with each chapter. The story has also gone on a bit of a tangent lately deviating a little from the original version which should have ended by now, so maybe it's a good thing.

Not a lot of difference really. He would have the same surname as the rest of the family but it's more cosmetic than anything else. It may help him feel more like a part of the family and give him the same rights as the other children but he probably already had these. For Don, though it's important that Robbie sees it through!

Thank you croyde. Robbie's situation isn't as bleak as it appears and as you rightly point out the long-awaited adoption, which looked to be a formality, may now present a few problems for Don. Robbie has already agreed to the adoption but will still need to be formally interviewed by a court official--on his own--where he will have ample opportunity to make life difficult for Don and very embarrassing. At his age, Robbie can back out of the adoption at any stage, whether he chooses to do so is another matter.

Thank you, @redwood for your support. Unfortunately, Canada still has its share of people like Don and this is especially true in small communities like Cobourg which is not really suburban. It's too far away from Toronto for most people to commute and more of a retirement town. Very white, middle class, religious, yeah you thought you only had those towns in the States. It's not a bad place though and although I don't live there I often pass through it and this year I noticed that they held their first-ever gay pride march led by the local MP. Not very well attended I'm afraid, but what can you expect from a town of less than 20,000. If it's good enough for Trudeau then it's good enough for the local politicians I suppose but I can't knock him that. We will have to wait and see about Daniel, I think it's more of a trust thing than homophobia, but all will be revealed soon. Oh and thanks for spotting the quotation mistakes, which I haved now put right. I really appreciate it when people point out errors which I have missed. Obviously, I want the story to be as good as I can get it and this helps.

Thank you @wenmale64 I agree with everything you say. Dare I say it, but Robbie's bedside discussion with Don was a much-improved performance over their previous confrontation, so maybe he's learning or showing some signs of maturing. He's been thrown in the deep end for sure but it's a quick way of learning to swim and if he can, as you say, argue his case in a calm and well-thought manner, he holds all the cards. It's not easy at that age when you feel the world's against you but there are a lot of people rooting for him.

Amy is a lot smarter than the adults of the house give her credit for and being relatively new to the world she is able to see things a lot more clearly than those who try to protect her. I'm not sure what they are trying to protect her from though. I would suggest the person who she really needs to keep away from is Don who has been, by far the most destructive influence in the family. Robbie definitely needs to get some sound advice and preferably from someone who carries a bit of weight who Don will have to listen to. Walter, the wise old man, is retired but he would be able to put him touch with someone who could help. The other option would be the principle, Mr Andrews but maybe he's too close to Don's network.

Too many like him in this world I'm afraid. Thanks for your comment @Dahawk

Great comment. The boys did well to stand up to Don and get their message across but their antics as you point out are a reminder of their ages and Nathan is not as mature as Robbie would like us to believe. I've been accused in the past of making Nathan almost too perfect to be real but our only source of information has been Robbie and he has been infatuated with the boy since the day that they first met. According to Robbie, his boyfriend is the smartest, best looking and most talented boy on the planet, but isn't that always the way when you love someone? 'Your cousin banged your friend - this doesn't mean you're doomed to be a third wheel for all eternity' love this line and I'm glad you can relate to Robbie and even see some of yourself in him, that's cool.

You make a good point here because Don hasn't shown any interest at all in Robbie even when it benefits him. Robbie doing well at school reflects well on Don and he accepts the plaudits but it's not as if he was sitting down and helping with his homework every night. Don's answer to most problems is to throw money at them and it has generally worked but the conversation about the bedroom showed how little he knows about his nephew. Amy is the only family member who has been consistently loyal to Robbie, no matter what and she knows more than people think. Thanks, Spikey.

You're not the only one but it's good to see that Don's getting a reaction. Keep an eye on your blood pressure though because he's not going down without a fight!

You know that a Leopard never changes its spots and Don isn't likely to change from a bigoted pig into a fair-minded, accepting uncle. He truly believes that he was right to come down hard on Robbie, who he sees now as a potential threat to his family and way of life. Robbie has a lot of allies who have forced Don's hand but for the time being but Don is a determined man with many resources and some influential friends. He's unlikely to roll over and die. Thanks, Tim, as always.

I think the no touching rule will be almost impossible to enforce. If Don expects them to behave like friends then it would be unrealistic to expect them not to have any physical contact and pointless unless he plans on installing cameras around the house. I think that Robbie realises this and is happy to accept these terms if it means that his boyfriend can visit. Don and Daniel are hardly ever at home, Sue is likely to turn a blind eye and Nicola would probably encourage them. Don maybe coming around very slowly but I wouldn't hold your breath. Thanks for the comment.

Don obviously knew that Nathan and I were on intimate terms but I think it really hit home when he saw it for himself. It was real, there was no denying it. When he walked in and caught Nathan with his tongue lodged down my throat, it must have been crystal clear to him that I was gay. Yet still, this intelligent, successful businessman, with a higher than average IQ, and a soft spot for children’s charities, refused to accept what anyone else would have called the bleeding obvious. When I h

Thank you, @Dahawk Don has a big head, but we will find out if he can do it in chapter 79 which is about to be posted.

Thank you so much for your interest and for your in-depth comment, which is greatly appreciated. It's interesting and very helpful to read what people think of certain characters and very encouraging to receive a comment like yours. That was a lot of reading to do and I'm hoping that you were able to notice a gradual improvement in the writing. I see a lot of mistakes when I read over some of the early chapters and I have been trying to edit them whenever I get the time. Meanwhile, the story goes on and chapter 79 is being posted right now.

Thanks, AC. I will try and catch 'Forgive and Forget'. London, of course, is fairly cosmopolitan and has a large gay community. Andy's colleagues at work are from a working class inner city background which has always and still does stigmatize gay people. They did well in the 80's and 90's and are sometimes referred to as 'Thatcher's children'. Andy's life would be made difficult for him if he came out, but he probably wouldn't face open hostility. They would regard him as fair game and see it as just a bit of fun, but he would face a relentless barrage of abuse in the form of jokes and nicknames, which they wouldn't necessarily regard as derogatory. They would find it funny but it would eventually make it impossible for him to continue in the company.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment Tim, you should know by now that I value your opinion.

For me, it meant waking up so damn late worth it! I have an excuse though, I've been working the graveyard shift. You didn't have to be a budding Nostradamus, or spend your days looking at tea leaves to have predicted this one, my friend. If ever there was a bloody certainty, it was this promotion. The only surprise as far as I'm concerned is that it took so long. You know how much I appreciate your talents, Parker. Big congratulations, this is so well-deserved!