Dodger

Thanks @Gary L I was desperately trying to limit the word count on this one. I often worry about the length of the chapters and sometimes I manage to cut them down a bit, but in this case I was forced to leave it pretty much as it was.

I agree, Nathan is a pawn, although he kind of played into their hands. Don may or may not be involved but he's rubbing his hands together at Nathan's downfall. It was a real gift for him.

I think you sum up Daniel quite well and in many ways he's the complete opposite to Robbie, who often seems to thrive on confrontation. Nicola looks as if she's giving up on trying to save her parent's marriage and maybe Sue has too. Don hasn't changed like he promised he would.

Thanks @Shaggy_93 Don't write off Daniel just yet.

I agree about Daniel. I think it's too soon to write him off as a mini Don. It's worth remembering the times in the past when he has defended Nathan and even Robbie. He may be impressionable and feel some loyalty towards his dad, but he certainly doesn't share his homophobia. It's difficult to see how Don will be able to turn Daniel against his lifelong friend. I suppose a lot will depend on the drugs and whether Nathan is lying or telling the truth.

There's no doubting the mutual attraction between Robbie and Nathan, but it's a volatile mix that seems likely to end once again in acrimony. It's whether the boys can resist the initial temptation. At their age, it's probably unlikely, but it will put them on a collision course with Don and Robbie may not have the fight left in him to take that chance. Your second point would be the best and safest option.

To avoid getting grounded he will need to try to curb his temper, which seems to be getting worse.

Robbie seems to be more in-tune with his sexuality now and he may need to be with the sudden attention of the pastor. It would be a huge shock for Don if Robbie manages to re-ignite his relationship with Nathan. I doubt if Don even considers that a possibility after showing Robbie that he's prepared to look the other way as far as Conner is concerned.

Wankers indeed. Let's hope Robbie isn't fooled by the pastors attempts to be friendly.

It was the first weekend in February, and according to the weatherman, Southern Ontario was as cold as the artic. Heavy snow, high winds, and low temperatures made driving difficult and put an end to my planned visit to Conner’s farm. His mom didn’t fancy the journey, and I didn’t want to spend the night in that cold farmhouse, so my boyfriend had to endure another weekend without physical contact. I wasn’t grounded anymore, but the freezing temperatures kept me indoors, so I spent most

Well-done, Wayne. You don't have to tout yourself today, everyone else is doing it for you. Congratulations.

I think your sentiments will be shared by many of the readers baying for Don's blood. He has consistently refused to accept that he may be wrong, and in doing so risks losing the family he claims to be protecting. It could have been so different had he not allowed himself to be poisoned by bigotry and scared by something he didn't understand.

"I decided to put her mind at rest that evening, but she didn’t show up, so maybe it wasn’t such a big deal after all." Admittedly it's an easy one to miss tucked away at the end of the last paragraph. I think a few people were confused by this.

I never get togged up, but I wouldn't mind occasionally.

A great question and some encouraging responses. The general theme seems to be that writers will find a way to write and be creative, even if the rest of the world is upside down. I've also been creative. I've become very localized, focusing on the small community where I live and staying away from the big city. My income has taken a battering, but I've got to know my neighbours a lot better and made a fascinating discovery.

If Don was to paint himself as a rainbow, march at the head of pride, donate all his money and free time to gay causes, and somehow discover the cure to Coronavirus, I still don't think most of the readers would be prepared to forgive him. As for Alex. We know he's a bully and he may even have reason to dislike Nathan, but I doubt if he would be capable of such a vicious assault. If you annoy Alex you're likely to end up with a black eye and maybe missing a couple of teeth but not in the hospital with those kind of injuries.

The last thing he needs for sure. Robbie is nowhere near mature enough to be a father, but we don't know for sure if this is the case.

It may be too late now for Don to redeem himself with his family. It's hard to see how he would be able to do that. Perhaps he will see the error of his ways and choose to go down with his ship, or he could simply implode as Jo suggested.

There has been a definite power shift in the house and the kids have played a big part in this, particularly Nicola, who, it seems has now thrown her weight behind Robbie. The fact that Don can no longer buy her allegiance represents a significant blow for Don's futile attempt to control his family. He may not be a thoroughly bad person. Maybe he's not as bad as Robbie wants him to be. We don't know yet, but we know Don has made some fundamental mistakes and allowed ignorance and bigotry to destroy the family he wanted to protect.

It sounds crazy but Robbie would have preferred Don to find something. Jo had prepared him for it and he knew what to do. This probably means that Don isn't involved in any attempt to set up Nathan, which complicates things. Just when Robbie was starting to get the better of him. Don has lost a lot of his bite recently and thanks to Jo, Robbie has become increasingly confident when dealing with parents. His newfound confidence has resulted in him becoming more confrontational, as you rightly point out, to the point of stupidity and that highlights perhaps his biggest issue. Robbie doesn't know his limitations. Most people know how far they can push someone. There's always a line you can't cross, but he has no natural understanding of where this line is, so he keeps pushing until the person he's pushing snaps. He's done it with everyone, not just Don and Sue, or people in authority, but also his friends and even boyfriends. This is an issue that will need to be addressed if he's ever to hold down a long term relationship.

I'm guessing it's searching through Robbie's stuff without just cause and then not bothering to apologize when he couldn't find anything. Nathan's honesty may cost him in the short term but be beneficial in the long run. Perhaps Robbie should take note.

I doubt if anything Robbie does will make Don douchecanoe happy and he doesn't deserve to be happy either.

While I slumped in the armchair, resigned to an outcome that seemed no longer in doubt, Sue was sitting on the couch opposite leaning forward with her head in her hands. She looked as though she had at least thought about what I said, and the fact that she hadn’t dismissed it outright provided a glimmer of hope. It would have been asking a lot of most people to believe their partner was capable of something so despicable, but she didn’t laugh at me or shout me down. She didn’t do or say anyt

Thank you for your kind words. Glad you've enjoyed it. I can promise a chaotic but entertaining ending.