Dodger

Moms can be annoying, but this time, I don't think the boys will be too concerned by her interruptions. There was no mistaking their love for each other, even if Brandon didn't quite manage to blurt it out. This is the first time I have visited this story since Comicality's untimely passing, so forgive me for being so far behind.

A few weeks ago, I lost my best friend and loyal companion. He had just turned seven years old when he was diagnosed with severe kidney disease, and despite several false hopes and attempts to prolong his life, he rapidly deteriorated and succumbed at home in my arms. In these troubled and violent times, it feels somehow wrong to grieve over the loss of a dog, but his death hit me hard and left a gaping hole in my life. I miss the guy more than I care to admit, which is strange, considering I spent the first six months of his life trying to offload him. It wasn't my idea to get a pet, and I was less than enthusiastic when my sister showed up at my door seven years ago with a tiny puppy that peed on my foot. He was the runt of the litter and the only one her friend couldn't sell, so I reluctantly agreed to take him in until a more suitable owner could be found. Having never owned a dog; I was hopelessly unprepared for the carnage that followed. In just a few weeks, this tiny but exuberant creature managed to destroy my house, wreck my social life, and empty my bank account. While he was busy doubling in size, I spent ages looking for the right family to adopt him, but when the opportunity arose, it was already too late. I was hopelessly attached to the guy and couldn't bear to part with him. It's fair to say he outsmarted me from the very beginning. Using nothing but love and loyalty, he became an indispensable part of my world, and I couldn't have imagined life without him. He kept me fit with long walks around town, and on my days off, I took him with me to visit friends and family or to my sister's cottage, where he would swim with me in the lake. He grew into a big dog—much bigger than anyone expected and bigger even than his siblings. Not bad for the runt of the litter, but sadly, his life was to be tragically short. No one told me about that bit, and this is why I will never own another pet. It stands to reason that it always ends badly, and his death was particularly distressing. I told my sister never to do that to me again. I love animals, but I'm not meant to be a pet owner. They're too demanding and expensive, and they cramp my style. But when she left, I cried like a baby. Rest in peace, my special friend.

Will Don be able to get his greedy mitts on the money before Robbie has a chance to blow it all on a big beach party, or will common sense ultimately prevail?

No matter how hard he tries to be the right kind of friend, Robbie will never be able to get Rory out of his hot tub.

Don's an expert at misleading people, he works in advertising, don't forget.

Rory's mom's underreaction to finding her son rolling around with Robbie should tell us that she's not exactly surprised.

Sorry @chris191070 I forgot to reply to your comment. However it turns out, Rory and Robbie are a good match.

Thank you so much, @SilentandBroken, for reading, and congratulations on catching up. I've been following your progress and reading your comments from the beginning, expecting you to lose interest at some point, but you kept going. I appreciate your perseverance and your many comments, which have enabled me to look back at some of the earlier chapters. I hope you enjoy the ending, which I have been promising for some time now and is not too far off.

We know fools rush in, and Robbie is ruled by his heart.

Excellent points in this comment.

Wow, you're almost up to date. Mitch is a nasty character who will reappear a little later, and Rory continues to frustrate Robbie.

Don will likely use this pretext to control Robbie's finances when he reaches eighteen. It sounds like he already has plans for this money.

We will soon see what Don has up his sleeve.

"You know what, Rory? I'm glad you're not my boyfriend. I need a normal friend in my life to do normal friend things with, like watching boring cup finals. If we were lovers, all we'd be doing is shagging all the time, and I doubt if we would have seen any of that rubbish game." My friend switched off the television and collapsed onto his bed beside me. "That was very profound. But it's not like you saw much of the game. You were asleep for most of the second half." I smiled apolo

Jo is an interesting character and exactly the person Robbie needs to help him sort through the mess in his head and get to grips with Don.

Thank you for your incredible comment. One of the best in the story. I'm sorry if this chapter brought back uncomfortable memories and emotions, but shame shouldn't be one of them. Robbie is in a bad way at the moment but as you point out, he has the right person by his side. Nicola has become a valuable and determined ally but Robbie will need professional help as well.

Yes, this chapter was difficult to read, even though I knew what was going to happen at the end. Will Robbie say anything or go to the police? Probably not.

At the time, I didn't see Nathan as a classic narcissist, but I was wrong. Great comment.

I need to start catching up with some of your comments. This was a fun chapter; I enjoyed writing about Robbie and Rory's odd friendship and how it's perceived by others, including Sue. Robbie's arrival in the family has, in many ways, burst her bubble and proven to be a steep learning curve.

It was only a matter of time.

Robbie's in a bit of a hole and he's making things worse by continuing to dig.

You're pretty much spot on with most of the points you make in this comment, but unfortunately, Robbie is too obsessed with Nathan to realize. Thanks for persevering with this story and for your interesting comments. I read them all and do my best to reply.

Yes, Don's presence is always felt in that house even when he's not there, which thankfully is quite often.

This is very true and easy for Robbie to detect.

Tipping is deliberately ambiguous and, therefore, widely abused and unnecessary. It’s often unfair and causes arguments and animosity among staff and customers. Like every business, the restaurant should be responsible for paying their staff a decent living wage and include the service in the price of the meal. If they can’t do that, then they need to increase their prices to meet their overheads. It’s the principal rule of business. If someone wants to reward good service, then by all means, but if this were the case, it would be the exception to the rule and quite rare. It shouldn’t be expected, and customers shouldn’t feel pressured by credit card machines. In pubs and bars, I prefer to collect my drinks from the bar rather than be waited on at a table. This is how it works in the UK, where the bar staff rarely receive financial tips. Instead, it’s common practice to reward good service by buying the bar person a drink—a reward that, by its very nature, is self-regulatory.