mayday

Ah, there we meet Noah again. I wonder how long he will continue living with his mother after that.

Julian is experiencing something profound which he has been lacking at home: Being respected and seen as a person. His remarkable, open and attentive perception of the totally new world around him is noticed and appreciated. I get the feeling that his father never really did that, never saw him as a person in his own right. I admire Julian's ability to embrace a new world instead of looking back in anger and self-pity. He feels that he can be himself on the ship. Could he ever be that at home with his father? I doubt it.

Bittersweet. I wonder what will Julian await in Hilo. What his father has set up to keep tabs on him - if he has not buried his son in some hopeless place. But if Julian has a chance he will build himself a future. Can't wait.

Beautiful. I, too, am wondering what the future might hold for them. The title suggests to me that there may be a place for Julien, but will it also be for Sam?

These first two chapters sound like a very promising beginning. First the stifling environment of his father's dictatorial control, then the discovery of the faultlines in the family: A smart grandmother, a loyal brother. Julien will get out of his father's claws, but I fear for Miles.

Is Ryder the lifeline Owen desperately needs? According to the story's title, it might make sense...

God. That last sentence sums everything up. Owen's situation. And with Cole's reaction and his first hours with children he cannot hide it from himself anymore. Add in his family's expectation, and this mess can only end in a classic catastrophe unless someone steps in and throws Owen a lifeline.

On reading this first chapter again I am even more impressed than before. How poignantly the family dynamics are there for us to feel during a Sunday family meal, the role Owen is pressed into playing, his aunt perhaps the only one who sees him as a person in his own right and Owen and Margot somehow helping each other to survive in a suffocating and incredibly blind community. I love how Owen's thoughts and feelings are mirrored in the details around him.

Not even about pot roast...

A special chapter again. Somehow the wordless communication between the old man and Oliver beacons to me like a signal. As if Oliver has become closer to his real self. But there have not been many exchanges with other people so far, maybe that is why it stands out to me. Meeting Julien seems meaningful. So far Oliver has planned everything strategically to prevent any deviation from his route. Here he is reminded of his being lost on the plateau and somehow I get the feeling that for the first time in a long while he is handing the rein over to another person. There was that short memory of his walking with his husband (?) who wanted to return early but Oliver stuck to his plan and walked on alone. He has been learning that his body is more than just there for upkeeping his mind and that it needs more. And that you cannot control everything, particularly mountain paths. On day one of my first walking tour in the Italian Alps I arrived at our first stop, a refuge marked on the map, completely exhausted. The building had been partially destroyed by a huge boulder some time before. Feeling defeated and unable to walk on to the new one, one or two miles distant, we spent the coldest night of my life there. Maps are one thing. Nature is another. Can't wait for their interaction on the trail.

Beautiful and heart-rending. Thank you for sharing.

This is promising to become an awesome journey to himself for Oliver. Not an easy one in the beginning, of course. He had no idea what he was facing and he is only starting to understand it now. A great story, very well told! Thanks for sharing!

Great insights. Indeed.

I love this story. And this chapter is a special gift. We can see that he starting to find himself. To learn what counts, what is real. I wonder what his marriage was like. No mention of it. No regret, no grief. As if it never happened. Must have ended in meaninglessness. His memories are like glimpses into his soul. The growth Charles 26 mentions becomes poignant in the comparison of sleep in his bed and sleep in the refuges, where sleep becomes rest. A wonderfol chapter! The GRs in France are worth walking, indeed.

Troy's "killing Tyson" came out of the left field twofold for me: So far the ranch seemed more like an idyllic place to Morgan and now he realises how much drama and danger there was in that family because of one twin, and secondly, Troy did not really kill him, Tyson decided to kill in cold blood, and not for the first time. He ended up dead. It was him or Troy. Troy has a bad conscience, causing somebody else's death should not be taken lightly, just look at how evil and diabolical Tyson sounds when he brags with murdering the helpless older person, who raised him. To me, the contrast to Troy's views of what happened could not be starker. Tyson was a danger to all living beings around him. The ranch has been a safer and better place since he tried to kill his brother, who fought for his life and won. I certainly did not expect such a harrowing family story. We'll see how Morgan reacts. Hopefully soon.

You've hit it: Oklahoma's sons...

Best ending possible to a very gripping and moving story: Taggert has found a home, he has bound himself to those who deserve him. Zane has lost, more than the auction. And we got a glimpse of Randy's feelings. Thank you for sharing!

This writer is far too good at cliffhangers. I am now not surprised at Taggert getting together with Bert instead of James to strategize. After all, Bert is the owner of Nasser Ranch, not his son. Taggert will use his trust money to stop Zane, who won't handle disappointment well, as we know. Then I hope for Zane to have to watch his father's message with a huge audience. No idea if such a feat is possible at an auction. I can't wait for the next chapter. Yet I do not want to read the final one so soon.

My hope as well, but for that Taggert will have to overcome his fear of his father, which seems to be almost too much to ask at the moment. But I am sure they will come up with something. I would love it if James and Taggert came up with an idea as ingenuous as Bill's choice of land for his grandson, perhaps with input from Ash, who definitely is not dumb.

Spot on! Every one of your observations. On reading your comment I wondered how many times I would have had to read to gain your insights.

What a chapter! After the reveal of Bill's stratigically and superbly engineered trust I had to pause reading. Then again, when I saw Taggert's state of mind, his grief, his terror of being found, of facing his father again. Yes, Taggert is right, it was a setup. Carefully planned by a monster, helped by his utterly ruthless enablers, three of them. The vet, the manager and his son. Ash relieving Taggert's fear was like a present to me, too. I could feel his relief across thousands of miles and an ocean. And I was so glad it was Ash who relieved his fears. Branford - what an impressive man! How well he can read people! How humane, kind and respectful in his response to Taggert. There can be no bigger contrast between the two managers. Phew! This bears re-reading more than once.

Phew! What a ride to take us on! A really great story, which kept me on edge with every paragraph. Thank you for sharing with us!

I have read the last two chapters several times today. And another instance of irony has just struck me: it was his mother who made him go to VBS, which made Owen choose teaching. Beth must have spoken at home about him there. How else would Eric have learned about it. And only just now I realised that his parents were never intrested in how his day went, otherwise they might have learned something about their son...

Spot on! Kudos

She cannot understand him. How could she? I am sure the thought her son might be gay has never crossed her mind. And I guess by putting her hand on his arm, she stopped her husband from saying more and worse to Owen. At least she asked her son to stay in contact. That is more than I expected. Ryder's ma could not even do that...