Dodger

Thank you @SolarMaxx I like to think that Robbie has matured a bit since joining the Taylor family although I'm not willing to give Don and Sue much credit for that. Like most kids; he has been able to figure things out for himself and learn from his mistakes. I think that we've all come up against the occasional Mitch in out lives and you're right they are in every part of the world. It's difficult to know how to handle them. Robbie did the right thing because Mitch was just showboating and when it came to the crunch, he was forced to back down but I can understand Nathan's concerns also, because it was a risk. It's a situation however, that they shouldn't have been put in at all.

This particular theory seems to have a lot of support, but would Tom just turn up unannounced? Thanks @Stix

Well spotted JP. Was Nathan about to say 'I would have gone with Alex'? or was it just a meaningless sentence. If it was a near slip of the tongue, he got away with it because Robbie didn't seem to notice.

Thanks @Wesley8890. Robbie's father was an alcoholic who was killed in a car crash in Canada when Robbie was 11 and living in England. So it's not him

Yes, although I'm not sure if it was a conscious decision to stand up for himself or if he just lost his temper and it paid off. That can be a dangerous game to play but in this case it worked out well. This guy, as we now know, is just a coward, hiding behind his friends and trying to act tough. We've all met people like him but in this case it backfired. Thanks @Israfil

It was a sunny day in Cobourg and the beach was busy for the final Saturday of August and the last week of the summer break. I had finally plucked up the courage to go for a swim in the lake and was wading back to the beach when a girl jogged towards me in the shallow surf. I recognised her from a few of my classes at school and said hello, but as usual, her name eluded me. “Hey Robbie, I heard you got out of the hospital.” She had a pretty face and a slim body which was barely covered b

I agree, other than a minor, understandable hiccup, Daniel has been fairly solid throughout. Confident about his sexuality and loyal towards his friends and family. He deserves to have a bit of fun too although I wouldn't particularly wish Naomi on him. We will have to see what the boys cook up in the next chapter.

Thank you for your in-depth comment @daveymars I love these. It's no secret that I was adopted in a similar fashion to Robbie although mercifully under different circumstances. Unlike Robbie I didn't have a large trust waiting for me when I turned 18 either, so I'm not entirely sure what control Don and Sue will have over the money. We all know that Don is a rampant, homophobic, manipulator, but he's an honest rampant, homophobic, manipulator. Money is not his motivation here, he is financially secure and the thought of somehow cashing in on his nephews inheritance probably wouldn't even cross his mind. On the contrary, Don's answer to family problems in the past has been to throw money at them rather than deal with the actual issues. It's his traditional family values as you say, that are the real problem here. You never know, Don may just fall in the Niagara River.........This has given me an idea!!!

I don't think that Canada is much different from the States as far as adoptions are concerned and this is an excellent point which hasn't been mentioned that much. Robbie has a significant amount of money in a trust fund, although I'm not sure how much control Don would have over this even after the adoption. A lot has been made about the possible financial benefits to Robbie in the long term but of course it can work the other way as well, although I don't quite see Don and Sue doing this for gain. Thank you so much moggy, for reading and commenting.

Thanks for reading and commenting @1brokNangel

Thanks @Benji If there were a vote among the readers then there would be an overwhelming majority against the adoption. There is a compelling case to support caution, but Robbie, of course, doesn't have the benefit of such advice. Things are about to get a little hectic in the Taylor house.

Thank you @Kjamieson I'm glad that you haven't fallen by the wayside. Not long to go now!

Thank you @SolarMaxx. They were taking a few too many chances; thinking themselves invincible. They were lucky it was Daniel and not Don who surprised them. Maybe this will be a wake up call for them to get their act together. Rory is a nice character and as I mentioned in the story, he's been Robbie's closest friend (obviously I'm not including Nathan or Daniel in this) since arriving in Canada. Maybe we will get a chance to see them all together at the same time, Alex as well? That may be a little too much to ask.

Thanks @Dahawk Yes, there are reasons for Daniel's questions, whether or not Robbie will be able to work them out, remains to be seen. Nathan and him need to be more careful and respectful of Daniel for sure. He has been an important ally for them. Thanks for your comment as usual.

Hey Tim. Ha ha ha. All I can say is that you're absolutely right....Robbie should have just been honest about it to Nicola. He should know that she's not going to use it as gossip. He has been prudish throughout; it's one of his traits, I'm afraid. Nicola was just being a bit of a devil but meant no harm. At least they can laugh off their disagreements nowadays. As for the hidden contents @droughtquake taught me how to do this. They don't call me Dodger for nothing!

You may be right here and it's interesting that you point out his mental health, which is something that even nowadays, is often overlooked. This is particularly true when it comes to young people. Thank you for your comment @tesao

Probably not but this story may still be running come the next ice age.

Yes well if they're successful then it may take some of the heat off them, but really they need to be more careful and stop thinking with their dicks. Okay, so that's not likely to happen anytime soon. Thanks for your comment @Butcher56

Thank you @Sweetlion I'm hoping that it will all make sense soon. Walter may still have a part to play.

Who am I to stop you from 'tilting at windmills'? It sounds like it could be a little dangerous though. The adoption issue has caused a fair amount of debate here and most people seem to think that it's a bad idea. Rory's comments seem to have fanned the flames of a smouldering fire but he has been the only one of Robbie's friends to warn him about it. Maybe if Robbie had the benefit of reading these comments he would change his mind? Oh but he does, doesn't he? Or does he? If he does then this has already happened and you can't change history can you? Or maybe you can? This is very confusing but as you can see, I'm trying to dodge the bullet here and use as many cliches as I can to do it. Thanks @droughtquake

Yeah, they're up to something alright. Robbie should not allow himself to be carried away by this calm approach. Don hasn't suddenly changed his opinions. Robbie is right to be wary of him. Thanks @BlindAmbition JP.

Hey @Wesley8890. I guess they feel as if they owe Daniel in some way. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Just as in England, the closer it got to the end of the summer break, the quicker the days seemed to pass and there were now just two weeks to go before the start of the new school year. I wasn’t dreading going back, but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it either. I would be a different boy from the one who left in the back of an ambulance in mid-June. I would have a new name for a start. In fact, I would probably have a few new names, now that everyone knew about me and my relationship with

This is interesting. Obviously, I would only use the **** word in dialogue and certain characters demand it because that's how they talk. A lot of them are based on real people, but I still wouldn't use the word as often as they do in real life. There are a couple of words which I hear quite a bit, which I will never use in any story but **** is necessary. Because I'm sad and got nothing better to do, I checked a story and I've used the **** word or variations of it, 184 times in 40 chapters with a total of 227,000 words. I don't know whether this is good or bad but I do know that I need to get out more!

Stick to the writing Deme, and leave the cooking to the chef.