Carlos Hazday

There's a core of fans who've stuck with the story from day one. A few have departed for whatever reasons, but they've been replaced by new followers. To this day, I'm pleased with the response and grateful for it.

Six months living with Cesar and Brett has had a strong effect on CJ. He's still a kid, he still has a temper, and at times he'll still be quick to judge, but the influence of those two men can be seen in his actions. If children are our future, it's incumbent upon parents to teach them well and show them the way. Too many parents fail.

@Nahrung I wanted something that would show both Alex and Brad are realistic about their loss. Those two lines and CJ's comment about Willy Wonka always make me smile.

@Will Hawkins Sorry to disappoint you. What I wrote was meant to describe CJ settling on the couch so laid, the act of laying down, would be correct. Ebbits Grill is a Washington institution. Its location attracts lots of politicos and lobbyists and last I read, they still have the oysters special I describe. Great, old-fashioned restaurant.

@Will Hawkins The WTC being built on reclaimed land didn't help its stability. I visited the ESB in 1969 for the first time when my parents took us to NYC for Christmas. My second visit was in January 2009 during a very cold week. I had the place to myself it seemed. My favorite skyscraper in NY is the Chrysler Building. The guy who just bought it toyed with the idea of turning it into a hotel and I was ready to book a room. Next time I go up, I want to stay at least one night at the new hotel in the old TWA terminal at JFK airport.

Teslas aren't as visible in South Florida. Lots of SUVs, pick-up trucks, and Jeep Wranglers. I own a Jeep and so do my neighbors next to me and across the street. There are lots of luxury vehicles around too. Mercedes and BMW predominate but a week or so ago, as I waited at a light to turn, two Ferraris stopped next to me. Will Smith was so right when he sang 'hundred thousand dollar cars, everybody's got them.' I had Thiago use the line when he visited Miami for spring break and it's why I gave CJ's grandparents a Mercedes SUV and a Beemer sedan.

@Will Hawkins Thanks for the praise. I misspoke previously. There are three more instances where CJ visits FLW structures. The Guggenheim, Falling Waters, and Child of the Sun. I don't ignore problems with those buildings.

Who needs to sleep at 22? Some of the whirlwind times are based on personal experience. My brother's birthday and my parent's wedding anniversary are on 12/23, Cubans celebrate the 24th big time, and Christmas Day is Christmas day. Throw in a bunch of holiday parties and the NYE bash I used to throw, and I had something going on almost every night for a couple of weeks at a time. I can't handle that type of schedule anymore.

Yeah, me too. When I went looking for wine for CJ to buy for Owen, I drooled at the description of the one I picked. Way out of my budget. And NYE on Times Square was on my bucket list until they tightened security. I'm never wearing diapers again. Somebody please smother me if I ever get to the point.

Thanks for the compliment. If any of our US readers have ever watched CNN's NYE broadcast, I think they'll recognize Anderson being stoic and Andy being frivolous. I hope Netflix gets them to do guest appearances when the turn CJ into a series.

Good. This chapter was meant to be a fun one. We've had plenty of other tears thanks to Brad recently and I wanted to spread a little Christmas cheer. I wished the chapters would post close to the story dates!

LMAO. I see I've created a bunch of distrusting readers. You happen to be somewhat right. We get a double whammy of drama in the next chapter.

I fell in lust with Bradley Cooper when someone lent me the DVDs for Alias. He did graduate from Georgetown and I've been trying to find the proper spot to use him. When I read he'd bought a place in Greenwich Village with a large wine cellar, I figured this was the perfect time. The sections with Andy and Anderson are a favorite scene. It kinda echoes CJ's appearance on the Ellen show a year before.

Thank you, sir. I did a proposal on TV before but it was during a baseball game and we didn't get to 'hear' what was said. This time I decided to go all out.

Glad you liked it, kiddo.

You live in Manhattan? Now I find out? I could have been bugging you with questions all this time! C&B return in the next chapter with meatier parts.

I know, right? Even the silly Christmas song is a love story! The way I envisioned it, Spencer contacted our guys and asked for help with what he wanted to do. CJ definitely had a hand in doing it on Times Square on NYE but he's too spoiled to forego a restroom for such a long time. Tapping his contacts allowed him access to the ones reserved for CNN staff and guests.

LOL No cliffies around here. Tilda said yes of course. I mean, who wouldn't want to marry a muscular, blond stud destined to run a boutique winery one day?

@Will Hawkins Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I happen to disagree with you when it comes to FLW. Aren't architects designers of structures? There are two more instances in future chapters where his work is discussed in more detail and several scattered references too, The deficiencies, particularly leaking, in his buildings are examined. Personally, I think his work was too advanced for the day's technology. Retrofitting with modern materials and methods has corrected most of the issues. I believe many of them were caused by faulty engineering instead of deficient design. I think by now you've figured out I don't obsess when people disagree with something I write unless they're being stupid. In your case, I don't think you're being stupid. But I still think you're wrong about Wright's talent and his place in American architecture.

“RITCHIE!” “WHAT?” The brothers stared at each other. CJ, atop the stairs, was annoyed; his younger sibling below smirked. Further words were unnecessary. The confrontation was another episode of an ongoing battle. As much as he enjoyed holiday trappings, CJ had manifested his weariness with the barrage of Christmas music heard wherever he went. “If you don’t lower the volume, I’m gonna fuck you up.” “Scrooge! Why are you so cranky? This is a great song!” The tune in question

@Will Hawkins South Florida's a huge megalopolis. Once you get north of the Palm Beach area, there are huge stretches of unspoiled coastline. Canaveral National Seashore's one of them. Same goes for the area north of Tampa Bay on the west coast. Life in those areas is a step slower than in urban centers.

@Will Hawkins South Africa was the first nation to enshrine protections for GLBT people in its constitution. It did not end homophobia or discrimination, but the country's come a long way. As I type this, Mr. Gay World competitors are in South Africa for the pageant and the president himself welcomed competitors this past weekend. Sad when you compare that to how Mr. Trump has been seduced by his evangelical supporters and turned his back on our community. And yet, some gay individuals still support him. Baffling!

@Will Hawkins I've mentioned before the banter is based on how my father, my two brothers, and I always interacted. It drove my proper, religious mother nuts. When conversations are strictly between gay men, inspiration has come from my motorcycle club. Some of those are epic and most tend to be raunchy.

@Will Hawkins I set out to write a light, positive, affirming story. Along the way, in my drive to mirror real life, I ended up writing several sad chapters. None were easy, but I felt they were necessary.

Leave it to fanatics seduced by organized religion. The root of all evil.