Dodger

I enjoy reading and writing stories set in the recent past, particularly the cold war era of the '50s, '60s and '70s, which I find fascinating. Doing research can be fun and technology has made it a lot easier. The internet has enabled me to find out what life was like before the internet.

Alberta doesn't do average, does it? It's either thirty below or intense heat and raging forest fires. A swing of sixty degrees centigrade in a few weeks is insane, but so is watching the Maple Leafs. I concede they're rubbish, and anyone who follows real football will know what I mean when I say their exit from the Stanley Cup in the week was very Tottenhamesque. Seriously though, as an animal lover, I always feel sorry for the wildlife trapped in those horrible fires. I hope they get them under control soon.

How come you get the International Beer Festival, and all we get is the Maple Syrup Festival?

Winnipeg? Hmm, not much joy there. Perhaps ML will finally win a series.

It’s easy to blame everything on climate change, and anyone who isn’t dialled into this narrative is labelled a denier. The climate is changing; everyone knows that, but it is constantly changing, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Politicians never miss an opportunity to scare the public into believing the world is about to end unless we change our lives, but there is little evidence to support a climate emergency. Climatologists who are not on the government payroll will tell you the planet is warming up because we’re still coming out of the last ice age, and it will get a lot warmer regardless of how much we cut back on fossil fuels. They are looking at the bigger picture, yet we’re prepared to risk our very existence on the evidence gathered since records began. That was only a hundred and forty years ago; we need to go back millions of years to even begin to understand how the planet has evolved and predict the future. Common sense needs to kick in at some point, and the public need to hear the arguments on both sides rather than governments shutting down anyone who disagrees with their narrative. That’s how we learn and can make informed decisions instead of running around like proverbial headless chickens.

I agree. Who wouldn't love to have a friend like Rory?

Congratulations, @mg777. More than 4000 chapter comments have been posted to this story, and I’m pretty certain this is the longest one. One thousand one hundred plus words will be hard for anyone to beat, and you may have even set some kind of record. I feel guilty now for getting you hooked on this story (worse than crack has to be bad), and for keeping you waiting so long between chapters. I know how frustrating this can be. It’s taken me seven years to post 163 chapters, so 22 million may be a little unrealistic. Robbie’s had a good run, and I get the impression that most readers will be relieved when this saga finally draws to a close. I keep telling people it’s not far away, but I can’t tell you exactly when that will be or how it will end, but it will be fairly dramatic. The only thing I can reveal at the moment is it won’t feature Nathan getting plowed by 27 fraternity brothers.

It's a bit of a mess! We'll see what happens on Nathan's birthday.

This will no doubt play on Robbie's conscience. He knows what he needs to do. There's not much that Symmonds can do to Robbie other than tell Don about Nathan, but would it really matter at this stage?

Maybe Robbie should listen to Rory and stay away from Alex and drugs. Then perhaps he can set an example for Nathan, who has fallen back into bad habits. Ginny probably isn't the best person for Nathan to hang around with either. As for Rory, even if he does want to fool around at some stage, I don't think he would want Robbie to cheat on Nathan.

There's no doubt that Sue is aware of Robbie's involvement in the after-game activities, and she managed to find a way of punishing him for it. Ironically, he has Alex to thank for not getting into more serious trouble, even if it was his fault it happened in the first place.

No one deserves it more than Symmonds. Perhaps it's time for Robbie to break his silence.

It's a cult for sure, and they will blame Sue for the failure of Don's marriage. She broke all the rules by questioning her husband's authority, refusing to go to church, and sticking up for her gay son. She also gave the pastor a piece of her mind, which would not have gone down too well. Rory does so much for Robbie it's impossible not to like him. He's a true friend, yet he also frustrates Robbie in a way he will likely never understand. Alex is bad news, and Robbie knows he should steer clear. He can't expect Nathan to act differently until he does that.

Should Robbie tell Sue? After all, he has no real evidence. Nathan has admitted to using drugs and lying to Robbie, but worryingly, he doesn't seem to think either is a problem. Despite all his troubles, Robbie should consider himself extremely fortunate to have Rory as a friend.

So much for Rory’s no-touching rule; my hands were all over my best friend that night and in places where they had never been before, but not how I would have liked. I was kept awake by a dangerous combination of Alex’s drugs and Rory’s inability to stay still. He constantly fidgeted—invading my space with flailing arms and legs, making it impossible to avoid physical contact, and playing havoc with my libido. My mind was too active to sleep, but Rory was out for the count and didn’t stir,

Perhaps Nathan was right to be wary of Rory, but as you point out, it would be out of character for him to take advantage of his best friend. His 'no touching' rule suggests that Rory isn't as curious as Robbie likes to believe, although his actions often give that impression. Alex selling drugs to Nathan would help explain their unlikely and volatile friendship, which may make it easier for Robbie to digest, but it would be hypercritical of Robbie to start lecturing his boyfriend about the dangers of drugs. It seems like both are easily led astray.

Robbie knows only too well how dangerous and unpredictable Alex can be, and this has always been part of the attraction. He may feel he can control Alex to a certain extent, and he is definitely able to push him further than anyone else, but the fact that Robbie feels the need to push him is worrying. After all this time, Robbie still doesn't believe that Rory is totally straight and it's easy to see why. He often crosses a line that even the most gay-friendly straight guys would be hesitant of crossing, and he doesn't seem to be that interested in replacing his girlfriend. Rory, however, insists he's straight, and Robbie is committed to Nathan, so perhaps we're reading too much into this. Time will tell.

Alex must believe he can get away with anything but he's probably pushing his luck. His lifestyle will catch up win him sooner or later and when it does, Robbie should make sure he's well clear. Unfortunately he can't seem to get Alex out of his system. Robbie will be wondering if his evening out with Matthew was worth a morning with Don at the church.

Hello Tim, glad to see you're still onboard. Trouble seems to follow Robbie wherever he goes, or is it the other way around?

All I can say is, this crime will be solved and the assailant revealed.

Particularly when Alex is around. He always seems to be a magnet for trouble and Robbie is easily swayed. At least he recognizes the pitfalls of drink and drugs, but he would be foolish if he believes that he can use them without consequences.

Perhaps Robbie should tread carefully before accusing Nathan. There should be other tell-tale signs of drug use.

When Alex shows up life tends to get more complicated for Robbie, but he can't resist getting involved.

There is something about Alex that attracts Robbie like a magnet. It's not so much a physical attraction like Rory, but something far more dangerous that Robbie doesn't quite understand. He knows better than anyone how volatile Alex can be, yet he seems unable to resist playing games with him and pushing him to his limits. We've seen him do the same thing with Don and Mr Symmonds, two other dangerous characters, and to a certain extent with the pastor. Poking the bear can backfire as he discovered with Alex, but he still comes back for more.

Robbie has always had a crush on Rory and now he has to share a bed with him. He wants to remain faithful to Nathan, but will he be able to resist if his dream boy decides to test the waters on the other side?