Carlos Hazday

Pam gets more leeway than others would because she's Owen's mother. CJ might be showing some restrain, but his patience isn't infinite. They have been in town for three days, and Pam's managed to have misteps every single one. First, it was about how to deal with Liebe, then she added complaints about their decor, and now CJ's behavior. The woman's a klutz. I'm trying to remember if she screws up in the next chapter. LOL Presidential Party coming up.

Rubio could ask his marketing company for a list of everyone participating in development, filming, and focus groups; he might put 2 and 2 together. CJ's come a long way from when we started. Each experience he learns from only makes him more formidable. When they initially met the reporter, he admitted to screwing up by agreeing to only one interview about the Oscar. It might be something small, but the fact he admits to it and obviously felt bad about it shows he realizes he's not perfect.

I think CJ toned down the hits on Marco out of respect for Nelson and the location. And his takedown of Pam was gracious because she's his husband's mother. But as we see at the end, Owen's ready to take her down himself. Thanks for reading and for all your help, Wolf. Ready for more?

Like most boys his age, CJ follows sports, and getting the chance to watch a game at Wrigley had to be a highlight. I'll use the ballpark as a setting once more in an upcoming story. I think it was while CJ was in college.

Chicago's a great town. My brother and his wife live in the burbs, but I haven't been there since they moved. I think it's time I went to visit my nephews.

Current politics have always been an integral part of my stories, and I plan to continue using my platform to call out assholes. Not sure if you recall but in Ripper Christmas, Spencer--Owen's brother-- called their mother a cunt for being a bossy, meddling pain. He did it behind her back, but CJ would do it to her face. CJ and Owen's relationship with Brett and Cesar's quite different. They have disagreed, argued, shouted, and called each other names, but CJ's parents always fought with the guys in private. Pam has yet to realize she'll destroy her relationship with the guys if she continues to treat them as children, particularly in fron of others. You noticed those dark clouds on the horizon, eh?

Have I mentioned the DNA profile's title? "Washington's New Power Couple" Pam's listening; she reacts. But she's not hearing what everyone else is. Geoff does, and whether he likes how CJ and Owen live their lives, he accepts it's not his place to interfere. The summer of 2022 will be pivotal to CJ's political career. He and Owen agreed on their future plans, weddings in Michigan and Rhode Island provided an opportunity to meet powerful people, and their time in DC will allow them to grow their circle of contacts. A younger CJ may have screamed at Pam, but I wanted to show his growth by having him say what he might have ranted and raved about in the past in a calm, logical manner. Don't worry, he's still has the potential to explode.

New competitive sport: Marco Rubio trashing. LOL The man's a spineless coward only interested in what little power he has as a senator. I'm looking forward to writing about CJ's confirmation hearing as ambassador to Cuba in 2024. Marco sits on the foreign relations committee. He better realize CJ's going to outshine him whenever they meet.

In the past I tried to show Nelson as the ultimate professional, striving to make club members comfortable. He's still defending them. In his position and due to his longevity, I can see him not worrying about dismissing anyone. Senator or not. CJ met a lot of movers and shakers when he worked on Clinton's campaign in 2016. He kept a low profile while in college and during the two years he worked at the State Department, but the gloves are now off. It would be too convoluted to arrange for it to happen, but I'd love to watch him go after Florida's governor in person. I'd pity Ron Desantis. Whether it's residual grief or the effect of meds, Pam's clueless, living in a fog. Even Geoff acknowledges politics will be an integral part of CJ and Owen's lives. I imagined him tiptoeing around her not wanting to aggravate her condition, but CJ, and apparently Owen, have no such fears. If Pam continues to disrespect them, Geoff may have to step in and try to salvage any sort of relationship she might have with them. The foot-in-mouth syndrome's gonna bring her pain.

Pam seems unable to accept her little boy's all grown up and married to a man with a strong personality. As much as CJ's shown restraint, I fear at some point she'll push too much. You're right, he won't phisically attack her, but I fear a tongue lashing might hurt even more.

Thanks, Cris.

Thanks, Mark. Although I've evolved CJ over the years, his basic personality has remained constant. He's a smart ass who can turn on the charm, but he's ruthless when confronted. I pity anyone who runs for office against him.

Go ahead and enjoy it, it's sugar free so no cavities and no wight gain. LOL

Thank you. Albert. Writing dialogue for a bunch of teens was helped by listening to my nieces who, are a year older and a year younger than CJ. Even though he spent the summer hanging with the older men, I wanted to show him fitting in with people his age once he started school.

Dope? LMAO You're emulating a 15 yo hyperactive kid? Just so you know, Harley quickly became a reader favorite.

I'm glad you found CJ too, Albert. I know my writing improved over time, but I tried to maintain the same approach, depicting the family's life with touches of humor and at time a drop of sadness. Harley can cheer anyone up, though.

Let's hope Adriano finds peace. His words tell me he'll be in pain for a while.

“No!” Liebe kicked at the white, satin slippers in her grandmother’s hand. “Quiero los tacones rojos.” Pam looked confused while Owen grinned. Although the terrible-twos tantrums did not manifest themselves often, Liebe was opinionated and headstrong. At CJ’s request, she agreed to wear the same white sundress she walked down the aisle at the Michigan wedding in. Her fathers simultaneously shrugged when they looked at each other after her footwear complaint. “What the heck, mate; it’

Thanks, Albert. As you can see, I managed to make something good come out of the confrontation with Tom's parents. His son calling him after so many years can only mean there's hope for a reconciliation.

Thank you, Albert. All those phone calls the police chief got after CJ was detained will be fresh in his mind. He probably realizes although the family may not be in the headlines all the time, they have powerful people they can call on. I think the chief will bend over backward to satisfy whatever requests they make.

I don't think they counted on meeting an opinionated, well-spoken but foul-mouthed kid with the guts to stand up to them. They opened up a can of worms and they'll come to regret it.

This chapter, and a couple of future ones with sad events, were not my favorite ones to write. I prefer a lighter approach, but sometimes I have to follow what I started and deal with unpleasant events.

After a summer of regular workouts and lifting, CJ's put on a few pounds of muscle and grown stronger. Pissing off a teen with anger issues, who can kill with his hands, is probably not smart.

With over 500 named characters in the series, I've been recycling some old ones recently. I need to consider bringing back those two cops to see how CJ deals with them at 25. Those 10 years have seen him mature and become even more self-assured.

LOL I may or may not have used incomplete endings again, but haven't left this many open threads since. If you read through my replies, you'll see this was an experiment. I think it worked, but it wasn't something I wanted to do again. However, to this day I continue to try new approaches. Part of lerning how to write better stories.