mayday

At least there is an uncle who cares for him. But how will a young boy recover from such a trauma. Being abandoned by precisely those who were meant to care for and love him. What happened during those days he was on the road? How can Andy regain trust? Even if his uncle is exactly what he should be?

I will keep on reading it, promise!

This story is to me like one from another planet. I am not used to parents choosing their grown-up children's husbands or wives. Not used to the sort of conflict that may arise from having marriages arranged. And then class or caste playing a huge role, too. Obviously, that society is one where wealth tops any other consideration or most of them. To me this sounds like an Indian version of Cinderella's story. I am a bit bewildered by the emotional blackmail (if you love me, you will consent/understand...) and the deference to the parent generation, by the lengths people will go to get what they want (the wealth and luxury they are used to) even up to faking the intent of committing suicide. If Antonio is truly his mother's son he will make Praveen's life more miserable than I can imagine. My only hope for the marriage to work is if Antonio realizes that Bruce is not the one for him. Fat chance...

I like both Haikus best. They are so poignant, so expressive in their concise wording. The news of another careless, witnessed murder by police has shocked me. The fact that his colleagues stood by doing nothing. The fact that bystanders, upset and horrified, were ignored. The fact that .... the list goes on and on and on... And you are only too right: the waste of life and lives You mention the supposed leader. Not sure if his lack of leadership in this is not something to be relieved at.

If there is one holiday that has always struck me as superstitious it is what we here call Maria Lichtmess (= the mass of Mary of the Light or whatever), on the second of February. even as a (very pious Catholic) child I could not get my head around that ritual at church: Crossed candles, lit, and what the hell did they have to do with fish bones in my throat? It is one thing I have never understood. At the moment, so much is different, so much is in question. Living in the present - how does that make sense? As a piece of advice it seems to be useless: if you live in the present, ok, if you do not, how can you ever be forced/ convinced, lured, made to do it???? Either you do or you don't. And how can you live if not in the present??? Life to me in these uncertain times is in the swoop of the blue tits who have taken over one of our birdhouses for raising their young when they fly into the tiny opening. It is the smell of new greens in the garden. The song of the nightingale at night. The sound of the cuckoo during the day from afar. The future is in the blue tits' nest. I have been hearing it for days now, more and more lively. At first I hardly dared believe that there is new life in there. It was. To me, the future is nowhere else. birds' nests. Definitely not anything to do with me...

I never thought I would see Harlan afraid. And would not call him a coward. No way. Knowing how strong and determined he is, I guess he will remember enough of his strength and will to overcome any shyness. I wonder how good-looking and likeable Bailey must be to have such an effect on Harlan. I love the way you are giving us the background information on Rayne which explains his unhappiness and desperation. Not sure if Huck is a lost cause. I'm with Harlan here, Huck is conflicted and I am sure his love for his son will win out in the end. The question is, how to limit the damage that pastor can cause... Sweet family scene at the fire with Elias, Joe and Orson. Another great chapter, thank you!

Take care of yourself, Gary. I am looking forward to whatever you offer to us. Morningstar will be challenging, I know. I cannot imagine how much work, effort and love of writing and spinning tales must have gone into part 1... sequels are tough. Again, be well, take care.

A great happy ending! I do love how they both are full to the brim with feelings for each other and how both really talk to each other now, although I guess this is mainly down to Chase's insisting on it. How big a heart must he have to be able to deal with all of this! Thank you for this great and very convincing chapter, although at the very beginning I had no idea where we were for some minutes. That changed quite fast then. Take your time with an epilogue. I love them, but I cannot forget that at some stage the Malaise was supposed to be Morningstar Part 1... maybe you have changed your mind. If so, then with more stories like endings coming, a happy ending will be in the offing. Great ending!

There is only one reaction I could not tick in the list at the end of the chapter and that is laughing. There is nothing to laugh at in your new chapter, but a lot of dramatic situations which could promise anything for the the future. Rayne's desperation and deep unhappiness at his father's disinterested non-reaction and that he does not even in such a situation seem to be willing to look after his son. Harlan, well, jumping to conclusions does not seem to be his usual way of dealing with difficult situations. He must be very off-kilter if he shoots from the hip without seeing a clear target. He had enough clues, I should have thought, to realize that the video-clip was from from before his facebook entry. But maybe I am now the one who is jumping to conclusions. To me it is clear that he is not thinking straight. But It is Bailey here who is paying the price for Harlan's thoughtlessness. Twisting the knife is exactly what happened here. But it is great to see how the troops on Greg's and Clay's campground rally around those in need. And those who let them. Thank you for another great chapter.

Brent seems to be exactly what Levi needs right now. I hope he has gotten through to the young man whose prospect have been blighted out of pure viciousness and hatred.

Yes, fits that predator: "I thought it was kind of hot myself, though, knowing he saw us getting it on.”

? Why do I not believe you... Trust me, we do not need cliffhangers to continue reading Endings. An ending, I bet, will only come too soon, whenever you give it to us. Another eye-opener to Hank as some comments seem to suggest? Mhm... I am not sure he will now be able to see more clearly what is going on than then. There is a chance, yes, but no more. I wonder why Hank went to the club? Does he miss being with Chase? Why else would he go where he does not like to be? For how long had he be watching Chase? What had been going on within him? Hank should have stayed at home and thought some more about himself and his mom. Did he run away from that? Maybe he realized that he equated what he had observed in the shed with what he had seen in the bar. And I am sure that when you had stuck for many years to the same beliefs and convictions you need more than one or two nudges to find you may actually have been jumping to conclusions. Anyway, I am not sure if what Hand has just witnessed will now make him understand himself and his former lover better or not. Lots of questions that you leave open here, my friend! Yes, maybe Hank needs a friend right now. But so did Chase while Hank was stuck in his projections and judgements.

Great to see this story here. It is one of my favourites of yours. I love how you leave threads open and your readers guessing. Thank you for this chapter.

That's the spirit! What else is there for us to do...

I try not to think about that. I know my friends are careful and keep "their distance", as I do, to shield both myself and my parents, whose caregiver I am, from this danger, as well as I can. But I also think about those who worry now about their jobs and incomes and about the payments they have to make regularly. I am reading about past pandemics, it helps somehow. But reading stories here, which transport me into a different world and time, work much better as a distraction. Reading about e.g. the Spanish Flu makes things easier to understand, makes me think and compare. I try to avoid sensational news and articles. The real information on what is going on and the progress being made is enough to stomach. If nothing else helps I do some gardening or baking and cooking. Much better than trying to do my job home office style, which has actually turned out to be impossible in the long run. One thing is very clear to me: In order to sort out situations like the one between Lilah and Hank (and Chase) we need to meet face to face and in a distance that allows us to touch, take the other's hand. Imagine this meeting online? Impossible.

My thoughts did not go that far. I only saw a desperately unhappy man who sees no way out, hurting, hurting, hurting.

Angry or simply careless and uncoordinated in his movements and then angry at himself and desperate?

You too!

No, it is not on him. Let's not forget that he was 14 when his parents split. He knew nothing about what was really going on. He was 17 when his father died. Again he knew nothing about his person apart from him being a great father. He only ever saw his father. And he only ever saw his mother and his father's wife. Never the persons behind those roles, simply because at first they hid themselves and later he was stuck in his perceptions. His father certainly could not tell him the truth, because he could not face it either. And he refused to listen to Lilah. Ironic that he calls her by her first name now without understanding what person he is talking to. He really should have called her mother, because that is how he has always seen her. And there is something else: He was ashamed of her. And she made him feel shame for his father being made a fool publicly. So it is also about what others think. I wonder, was he ridiculed as a teenager? Or had he just internalised that one should feel shame in such a situation beyond one's control? The less people talk to each other, the less open they are, the easier it is to fill one's gaps of understanding the other by imagining things. And let's be realistic: We tend to imagine the worst. It is just so much more interesting than banal and rational explanations. An evil witch is much more fascinating to us than a woman scared and hurt. And witches are easy to hate. Were there ever open discussions in that family? I bet not. A family life worth speaking of does not seem to have existed either. Was there any trust while Hank was growing up? The problem I see is that he never ever thought he could be wrong in any of this. And the longer you persist in your hurt, the deeper it gets. People like that are like in a deep hollow way, so deep that they cannot see over the edge any more. They need help to get out of that gully. I doubt I could be as reasonable and as full of real empathy as Chase is here. He has come so far from the devastated, insecure young boyman in danger of losing himself we met in the beginning. I like that Chase is so open now to him. That he is so self-assured and himself. And he was perfectly right to remind Hank of his trust issues and Julio's role in him seeing the light. No doubts about how highly Lilah thinks of him. Lilah - how often will she have tried to reach out to her son? I cannot imagine her anguish in realising the mistakes she had made believing to be doing the best for their son. You tell this story simply too well, Gary! And although there is no evident cliffhanger this time I cannot wait for the next chapter! Thanks for this story, especially on a day full of gloom and concern like today for me. It was great to escape for a while. Take care and be well!

Life's struggles indeed...

Here also are those who cry for finance and economy over life. They forget others are living beings, too. Not different from any of us in their vulnerability to pathogens, whatever they may be. What life and human dignity are worth to us can be seen in how we treat others and their lives, especially the vulnerable and those who cannot defend themselves. Treat them like you would like anybody to treat you. I doubt that all those who now prefer the (former?) status quo, the reign of money and shareholders unchained, have ever considered how dangerous this virus may get, even to themselves, if left to go virulent in our societies and mutate further. They must feel so beyond its reach. So invulnerable. I remember a short old fairy tale without magic in it. It tells a story about a young family with a little boy. The grandfather is old, his weak hands tremble and he cannot eat anymore without spilling. He cannot help soup running down his chin. The young couple banish him from the family meals to a dark corner and give him a wooden bowl and spoon that cannot be broken. The grandfather suffers in silence. One day the little boy is on the floor playing with pieces of wood. The proud young father asks his son what he is making. "I am making a bowl for you and mother to eat from when you are old." Then they reconsider and take the grandfather back in their midst and do not shame him for his age and his weakness. This virus has shown us so much stupidity, blindness and arrogance, especially in powerful male politicians and thoughtless airheads, that I need every instance of goodness, love and helpful neighborly assistance there is to remind me that not all hope is lost for humanity.

I don't agree with the idea of Chase paying back anything. I am sure he is just reacting, feelings rather than reason have taken over and I can understand that. He has been made feel guilty so long, had been purposely estranged from friends by Hank and now he finds out that Hank had not really seen him as he is. He is right to be wary. Hank seeing a therapist is progress, but not the answer to everything. I was sure that Hank would need somebody else to see the light. But in Julio you have picked a perfect candidate in my eyes, not anyone they both knew well, somebody who would be neutral, would not take sides because what would be the point? But what good a friend nonetheless! Now I wonder how that conversation will go. And you know what: I have not got a clue. There are so many things that can go wrong here... You are at your cliffhanger best again. Thanks for a great chapter today! And happy Easter - what is left of it!

The earth will not miss us. Definitely not. Yet we might still correct our course and aim for a future, not just a present. We might, though I doubt it. Love your poems!

I agree with many of the above: We will have to wait another week for the next chapter. You are not making that easy! Three wonderful conversations. I love how you give us a look back to the Yukon, the chance to see a a deliriously happy Dawson. I see a real change in Hank during their talk and at last, a lot of surprising new insights into Hank's development and their friends' feelings. Great chapter. Thank you once more.

There is a rhythm to your first two sentences, suggesting hope and spring coming ....