Kitt

Quite the growth chapter. Will gave Brad the chance to say what he needed to say, while still slapping Gathan down and informing him in no uncertain terms to keep his nose out of Wills life. Brad managed to get through the conversation without turning it into a power struggle with his son like he did so many times in the past. Zach figured out Wally and Clara love him and do want the best for him, even if they were hanging on a tad too tight, and Tony ... well, he seems to be making progress, but I think i need to wait a bit and see if it is real progress without relapses into asshole-ism. Just seems like too much progress too fast and that usually results in backsliding. Why is it every time things start going along so smoothly I get the feeling I need to find a nice solid table to hide under while watching the next plot twist unfold? Thank you for yet another wonderful chapter. You have moved beyond addictive writing, you have managed to make these characters feel like family to a lot of readers. Granted we all react differently to them, but then, what family doesn't do just that?

Well then sit yourself in a comfy chair and enjoy the edit silly! Everyone has their favorite parts.

That's only half true Wayne! I wrote one that fits BOTH last weeks prompts, but also fits the fall antho theme. When I asked you said put it up as an antho! So you just have to be a little more patient to see it.

Have a happy day with your family and friends around you! And Happy Hanukkah to those of you who observe that as well!

Dang it! I was up to my elboes in cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie baking and the like and didn't see this till this am! On the off chance that Mann may come back and answer more questions ... Have you ever had a reader berate your work and how did you handle that?

Jimminy Cricket guys! I take a couple days off to start the holiday cooking and it takes me an hour of reading to catch up! First off - I hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have a wonderful meal with family and friends around you. Also to those who celebrate it a Happy Hanukkah. I hope your first night celebrations last night were all you wanted them to be. Now - You all are missing a fairly important point regarding 16 yr old Zach being given a car. While he might have a drivers permit at this point - he cannot get a licence until he turns 17 in the state of NJ. The only way to have a licence at 16 ( being allowed to drive without a licensed driver with him) is to get a farm licence, and even that is restricted to farm registered vehicles between dawn and dusk and only on farm business. So at this point having a car is a moot point. Without a licensed driver with him he can't drive it. And yes I know he can drive in Ohio, but you cannot transfer the licence to NJ. Wally and Clara may not be the swiftest train on the rails, but I can completely understand why they would want him to get a licence first. What ever their reasons however, we should all keep in mind that parents are human too, and as such make mistakes. My own father disagreed so vehemently with a decision I made at the age of 20 as to go to great lengths to try and reverse it, including attempting legal action. Many years later he apologized to me and admitted I had been right, that he had not been "acting in my best interest" as he claimed at the time, but had reacted to the fact I had made this major decision without his help. People keep referring to Zach as a sociopath. Did I miss a plot twist? The word is defined by Websters New Collegiate Dictionary as "having a psychopathic personality" and psychopathic is defined as "a mentally ill or unstable person". When was he diagnosed as having a mental illness? I admit it has been a long time and they were only freshman psych classes, but being a self centered brat wasn't a mental illness back then. I get that Gathan and Zach have an unpleasant history. Somehow I can't help but think that even considering placing him as trustee is a mistake, no matter how responsible he is capable of being. I cannot picture being put in that position with my brother and not have it cause problems. We think much too differently, and we have none of the bad blood Gathan and Zach have yet to get past. I think Zach has good reason to believe he will not see a penny for quite some time. Which raises my other question about the trust. If he has a $20k allowance, how is he supposed to access that money? Are there restrictions on what he may buy and how? Do Wally and Clara have to approve every pair of jeans he wants? $20k isn't a whole lot of money, even back in '01, and while controls are usually a good thing ( witness Gathan's excesses when he first had his trust) there is a limit as to what is reasonable. As for a 16 yr old "needing" a car? Aside from the fact he cant drive it until spring, even if NJ Transit buses were 100% on time and reliable (Ha!) it gets damn cold in NJ in Jan and Feb. If i had a million dollar trust fund and was told to take the bus i would be pissed too! But still - even with the relatively low annual income from the trust, if he is judicious and puts money into an account he opens in a local bank no one could stop him from buying the car himself once he turns 17 - like so many of us not-rich kids did. And it isn't impossible to get good grades, play sports AND work a part time job. I never had a problem with my bosses working around my school schedule.

I don't think family heirloom jewelry counts as re-gifting does it? If it does then I have been re-gifted many times over the years and have passed on pieces to my daughter as well. Other than that the only one who has ever re-gifted in giving to me was my mother in law. Someone had given her this upright food mill thingy that she couldn't even figure out how to assemble, let alone have the inclination to use. I however have used the hell out of it! LOL So much for her "white elephant", it turned out to be one of the better things she has given me over the years.

All my dogs are welcome at the foot of the bed - problem is they were on a par with Woobie and the dang bed just isn't big enough for three!

May your day be full and active All the things you love in life! And your night be warm and cozy and oh so free from strife Happy Birthday (not sure where i saw that but i cant take credit for it)

lol I know a guy who used to follow that recipe. Once the oven came out of the bird he showed up at a friends house - barefoot in the snow.

Some day the words "homosexual", "Heterosexual", 'Bisexual" and all the rest will become obsolete and people will realize we are just "sexual". I doubt we will make it in my lifetime, but once people realize that the bodily parts involved only dictate HOW we show our attraction to one and other, and its really the person under the skin that you fall in love with, all the terms will become superfluous. Here's to the day when we all learn to live with each others choices!

I'd let the dang dog sleep in with me first!

At £1.462 = 1$ wouldn't that be in the ball park of $2500????

Don't you have a mini doxie? At 11 inches off the floor what will you say when she hides under it?

Didn't that time frame have a recurrence of the "Miami Vice" look? pastel tees under suit jackets and no socks? Or is that what someone referred to as an 80's revival?

LOL K-Mart seems to be pushing the envelope this year. But as I said before - the commercials are making an impression!

Actual measurement, based on sales, or on polling of customers?

Not fair making me chose one of the three options in the poll. I like all three but voted for the best choice IMO. Welcome to prompting Daemok!

For your confusion and frustration: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/15404/ Are they kidding?

Hey - the add did exactly what it was designed to do - How many of you will never forget that Joe Boxer produces a line of novelty undershorts?

I',m always conflicted about how much of what I have to say belongs here and how much in the forum discussions. This much I KNOW belongs here - I enjoy your writing and look forward to every word. Thank you for another great chapter! Love that Will is trying to look objectively at Zach and his apparent changes. He seems to have a pretty good handle on the fact that people CAN change but sometimes only appear to have done so. I can understand why Will found it annoying that the entire family seems to be lining up against Zach, and treating Will like he is incapable of seeing the truth. Blind spots are odd things - what they seem to think are Will's may just turn out to be their own. We shall see where that one leads. It's odd how Will can be so caring and insightful as to be taking such good care of Brad - something several family members seem to have noticed, yet they still think he is in need of being protected from Zach. Just what is so bad about a teenage boy wanting his own wheels? Admittedly it has been a long time since I was that age, but i clearly remember everyone, guys and gals alike, begging, pleading, working and saving for cars of our own. Gathan had one at that age and used it to slight Zach when he left for college by leaving it to a better liked younger cousin if i recall. Gathan isn't the saint everyone currently seems to think right now. I can see there being a basis for Zach's belief that Gathan is going to be more than difficult about his trust. And then there is the whole "I am not gay" angle. Some guys may understand their sexuality early on, others have to figure it out. I seem to remember a time when Gathan was saying about the same things while sleeping with Stef, playing around with Will and professing to love Kristin all at the same time. What is so different that he gets to condemn Zach for the same thoughts? Ok - I have rambled on about things that probably should be in the forum long enough. Thank you for another wonderful chapter. I love when you set things in motion and leave us to speculate for a bit as you have done here! Well done sir!

Have a wonderful day!

Why Thorn! Whatever do you mean? Aren't the press SUPPOSED to sensationalize things and critique in a way to influence our opinions? Honestly - I miss the days when news was news, not bs over someone being offended by an add, and the facts were just reported and we were allowed to form our own opinions as opposed to things being presented so as to evoke the reactions someone wanted!

OK - if we get kelley to take a topic my december will be officially booked solid!

Did I do that? (said in my best Urkel whine)