Dodger

I don't think Sue had much choice other than to stick up for Robbie as she could see no physical signs of drug abuse and no evidence to suggest he was lying. If Don was behind this, then these are desperate measures from a man who is looking increasingly unstable. If anyone needs therapy it's Don.

Robbie could have done with meeting Jo earlier, she may have saved him from the adoption, but his life wouldn't have been a lot better.

It's clear now that Don is creating a poisonous atmosphere in the house which is effecting everyone. Sue still holds out, probably because she doesn't want to see the end of her marriage but she is flogging a dead horse. The sooner she realizes this the better for everyone.

Don is not blessed with redeeming qualities and he's never really needed them up until now. He's a bully who is used to getting his own way. He also pays most of the bills which gives him a lot of clout. He likes playing the big boss knowing that everyone relies on him to pick up the tab. Everyone except for Robbie. It's another reason for Don to dislike him. Daniel has played an important role in Robbie's integration into the family. His willingness to give up half of his room and most of his privacy to a troubled and moody stranger was absolutely key. It could have been so much worse had Daniel not been so laid-back, especially after discovering his new brother was gay and dating his best friend. Not everything has worked against Robbie.

Okay. Not much I can add to that. I've been sitting here for ten minutes trying to think of something positive to say about Don, although I but know why I feel the urge to defend him. The best I can come up with is he doesn't swear a lot, or hardly at all, actually. He's pretty good in that department. Everything else about his character is gut-wrenching and vile.

Two hours of positivity and healing was wiped out in a blink of an eye. Almost instantaneously, the stomach cramps returned, and I started to feel sick. It seemed like all of Jo’s hard work was reversed in one sarcastic sentence by the man who I had been almost ready to forgive. As he stood in my way, waiting for an answer, Sue was quick to defend me. “Robbie didn’t mean anything bad, leave him alone.” I felt her hand on my shoulder, but my eyes were fixed on him. The large man in fr

This was very refreshing. Well-written and entertaining for children and adults. Illustrations would be good for kids, but I quite liked the detailed descriptions which allowed me to form my own mental images of the characters. I thought it added to the fun.

Thank you for your comment, @Arran and for following the story. Sorry it has taken a while to respond, sometimes it's difficult keeping up with the comments. To answer your question, the story is nearing the end now. There have been several detours to the original story which has more than doubled the length but we are now back to the first version if that makes any sense. It's been a long journey and probably more like a soap opera than a story, but it needs to have an ending. I don't want to give too much away.

My verdict. Without doubt this was a great achievement and it's a shame not everyone is able to recognize it as such. I've yet to see a single piece of legitimate evidence that suggests these were faked. As good as NASA were at the time, I don't believe they had the kind of technology it would have taken to pull off such a brazen stunt. Not under the scrutiny of the entire world, and with such keen interest from the Soviet Union. It would have been far easier to simply do it for real. Also, for many of those directly involved, the temptation to come forward and expose what would have been the world's biggest scam, would surely have proved irresistible. With supposedly 300,000 people involved in the Apollo project, we would have had more whistle-blowers by now than a Caribbean street carnival. Finally, if they did somehow manage to stage such a hoax, then it would have happened only the once. No way would they have attempted it further six times with so much to lose and little left to gain. That's common sense, but you're only cool if you believe it was a conspiracy.

Poor old Tom. No wonder he's confused. No one seems to know for sure which way he swings including him. He has claimed to be straight, bi and gay at various points in the story, but can't seem to make up his mind. I think it's safe to say he swings both ways. We will see what happens with don, but I agree, it doesn't look good.

This is a great comment @Israfil Well spotted. Ginny has indeed got some serious mental issues and that's the reason for the long stare. Maybe she recognized some similarities. She could see Robbie was blagging and so could Nathan. Don is a control freak. He sees himself as the head of the family. It's his house, his family, and they do things his way, because he knows best. Things started to go wrong for Don when Robbie arrived and particularly when he announced he was gay. He brought Nathan- the boy he despised- back into the house and now he's turned his family against him. You're right about Sue's subdued reactions.

Thank you, Tony. It's been a while since the last cliffhanger so maybe we were overdue.

I don't think Don will be too happy when he sees Jo. It's likely he will jump to conclusions and I can see him trying to get Symmonds involved again. I don't think Jo will allow that and she won't be impressed if Don interferes.

Congratulations @northie. On a well-deserved promotion. My money has been on you for quite a while.

I love the Star Wars music and the Imperial March is very apt fo Don's character and his untimely return. Nathan sounded quite genuine and obviously still thinks a lot of Robbie. We've seen this before. Underneath all that bling, he's still a caring, thoughtful guy. As for Tom, It's a nice to believe that one day they will find a way to overcome the distance between them, but that may be a little too Hollywood for this story. At the moment there doesn't seem to be a way this can happen and Robbie thoughts confirm this, but he can still dream.

I think Robbie was ready to talk to the first genuine person who he felt he could trust. He had too many issues bogging him down. thanks @chris191070

Alex will not be allowed to go back to the house and it's likely now that the police will be informed of the assault. If this becomes public knowledge then Robbie will another big hurdle to overcome. He's doing good at the moment but he still has a long way to go, and even with Jo helping him, it won't be easy.

Nathan was genuinely concerned about Robbie. His friend Ginny is no stranger to depression, so he's aware of the potential dangers even without the rumours. Robbie is making excellent progress but will he have enough in the tank to stand up to Don?

Robbie has completely opened up for Jo, but it's been on the cards for a while. He needed to get these things off his chest and maybe now he can start to feel better. The little chat with David may come back to bite him.

I think Don has been a perpetual problem for Robbie and probably for Sue as well. We shall see if Jo can make a difference.

Let's hope that Robbie is able put this nightmare behind him. I can't see Don doing him any favours unless he's forced to.

He shows up like a bad penny and at the worst possible time for Robbie. Don is a bully who's used to getting his own way, but when you play with fire.....?

The first snowfall of the winter dumped over a foot of the crisp, white stuff in a vast swathe across Southern Ontario. The power was back on, and the house was warm, but I was in no hurry to drag myself out of a comfortable bed. With Daniel still asleep on the other side of the room, this would have been prime wanking time for any normal sixteen-year-old, but not me. The sudden loss of my sexual appetite had left me with a shocking amount of free time on my hands. More time than I needed fo

Fifty years ago today, two American astronauts became the first humans to set foot on the moon. I missed it by sixteen years, but I’ve always been fascinated by space exploration and particularly the moon landings. I think it was a fantastic achievement when you consider the technology available at the time but I’ve been disheartened by the number of people who believe the whole thing was faked. Before this week I thought it was only a tiny minority, but now I’m almost tempted to believe the opposite is true. I don’t always believe what I’m told. I’m not convinced JFK was killed by a lone assassin and I think it’s highly probable the Royals killed Diana, but I just don’t understand how NASA could have possibly faked the moon landings. Conspiracies seem to be the in thing these days but I wonder how many of these people have actually bothered to think it through for themselves. Are they just jumping on a popular bandwagon or do they really believe, for whatever reason, that we’ve all been the victims of some elaborate scam? Maybe you’re one of them. If so I want to know why you think it was hoaxed and what gave it away. I’m interested to know what others think of these conspiracy theories and why so many people feel the need to trash one of humankind’s greatest achievements.

Probably best that Koi stays at home. I'm interested to see how the brothers interact twenty years on.