Dodger

Haha, I like the last line. It would have been perfect. I think it's more a case of Stephanie and her parents not liking the idea of abortion, than wanting to have a baby. This could be due to religious beliefs, but there are plenty of people who are opposed to abortion. It sounds like she is being influenced by her parents, so maybe they're the ones who are opposed. There are other options, of course, like adoption, that she may want to consider. If she decides to keep the baby, it will be difficult for Robbie to avoid having any contact considering it is his sister's friend, and such a small town. He can't really move away.

Unsurprisingly, Nicola hasn't won too many friends in this chapter, Mr Lube probably even less. Maybe they're made for each other.

I can't see Robbie being coerced into marrying Stephanie or vice versa, but Robbie could turn out to be an okay dad.

Thank you, @Scary That has to be the biggest compliment I've ever had. Most of the chapter was written a few years back and was part of the original story, but it was always my intention to include it in the longer version when the time was right. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I often worry about adding a bit of humour, because it can easily fail, and I know I haven't always got it right. Sometimes real-life can throw up some funny moments, even in difficult circumstances and that's what I've tried to show through Robbie's eyes.

This may be his biggest challenge to date, because it will affect the rest of his life. He has the opportunity to walk away like his dad, or play some kind of role, however limited. I think we all know what decision he's going to make.

It's difficult to predict Don's reaction to this news. He probably won't be happy even if it does seem to backup his claim that Robbie isn't gay. He may try to get Robbie to marry Stephanie, but there's no guarantee she's going to agree. Maybe years ago this would have been the case, but not nowadays. She would be completely mad to marry Robbie, even if she liked him in that way, which isn't certain. There will be other, more suitable guys out there, and not all of them will be dissuaded by a child. I think Nicola was starting to feel betrayed by her friend and brother. She was jumping to conclusions and now she knows the truth she may calm down a bit, but we know she can be a bitch!

Well, at least Robbie knows for certain now and if Stephanie is true to her word and she doesn't want anything from him, then it must be good news. It could have been much worse. He will be more concerned about Don's reaction to Nathan.

Don's only been gone for a couple of days and he may wish hadn't gone at all. If he finds out Nathan has been invited back into the family, he might not be concerned about Stephanie.

It seemed like Amy was right after all. I did get married to Nathan, and it was a grandiose affair held on a hot summer’s day in the middle of Cobourg beach. Mr Andrews performed the ceremony in front of a crowd of family, friends, and well-wishers, including a contingent from the UK. People who I hadn’t seen since I was a young boy. Tom and Daniel were the best men, and everyone was kitted out in their finest beachwear. Shorts, t-shirts, and swimsuits were the order of the day, with shoes and s

I thought you might have something to say about the Maple Leaf comment. It pained me a little to write it, but the story is set a few years ago when they really were shit and had definitely seen better days. Mitch first appears in chapter 91 'Feeling the Heat' when he picks a fight with Robbie and Nathan at the beach.

Yeah, they can still find time for some clean fun.

She has to be sick, for sure. But she could be working her way through the whole family for all we know.

Anything is possible. We will find out next weekend.

Thanks @Israfil Unfortunately, every school cafeteria has its share of Mitch like characters. Lets hope Stephanie comes to her senses.

I think everyone would like to see Don implode although I'm not quite sure what it means.

Well, that puts Daniel in the frame too, which would be a bit of a shocker, but plausible. He's straight and maybe Stephanie has a thing for younger guys. He's underage, of course, so she may be in a bit of trouble there. Ironically, despite an obscene age gap, Don wouldn't be breaking the law, although it would certainly end his marriage, and his kids would likely never talk to him again.

A happy weekend of family bonding would be the perfect antidote to the poisonous atmosphere Don creates, and provide Sue with all the incentive she needs to finally show her husband the door. But life is rarely that perfect and Don's like a bad penny.

Sue seems pretty certain that things will be different and Robbie has to believe her. Yes, it is about time.

Now that would really throw the cat among the pigeons!

Don tends to rub most people up the wrong way. Thanks for your comment and for loving the story,@Modified Cub

Whenever Don was away, everyone seemed to get on a lot better, and it was noticeable almost immediately. The tension that hung in the air when he was there vanished the moment he walked out of the door, and even Sue’s surprise statement about Stephanie failed to dent my optimism. I was able to get a worm’s eye view of my sister’s friend as she watched me pick up the pieces of Don’s broken mug, and she didn’t look any different. But even if Sue was right, and Stephanie was up the duff, I was

My mistake, but I think it was fairly obvious even before this chapter.

Okay, here's the Toronto contingent and I'm angry after just watching the Leafs lose to the Jets. That's a pretty cool story though, Steve. I was a late arrival to Canadian sport and it took me a while to appreciate hockey. By that time 'the great one' had long since retired, but he was well-known even in England where they have no NHL coverage at all on the regular channels. My first love was soccer and I still watch most of the Arsenal games on TV. However, my stubborn refusal as a teenager to accept North American sport didn't last long, and I soon started cheering for everything Toronto. I love baseball and used to watch the Blue Jays regularly at the Rogers Centre before they moved to Buffalo, but tickets for the Maple Leafs in Toronto are ridiculously over-priced. In the states, Tom Brady would probably be considered the greatest QB.

The Carry on films, were a series of English comedy films that featured the same group of actors playing different roles in a variety of settings. I don't know if I've explained that too well, but they are a good example of British comedy from the 60's 70's and 80's. It's Benny Hill type bawdy humour with a lot of slapstick and double entendres. Some of the humour is very close to the mark and just about acceptable for a family audience. They were well-loved in the UK and regularly repeated on TV, although I'm not sure if this is the case anymore in the era of political correctness. According to google there were 31 movies in different settings. Carry on Doctor, Carry on Sergeant, Carry on Cowboy etc. I loved these movies as a kid, especially the naughty bits.

She obviously saw something she didn't like. Maybe Robbie should have been more honest with her about Conner and Nathan.