Carlos Hazday

Monday, 3 May 2027 Barcelona - Balearic Sea Staring at the three-masted vessel, CJ whistled. “Daaamn… Grandpa Cap really knows how to plan a vacation!” “Welcome!” The greeting diverted his attention from the sailing yacht. The shoulder stripes identified the speaker as being in charge, and he assumed the others standing on the pier were the rest of the crew. Young and fit, they looked great in maritime whites; the golden threads in their epaulets shimmering in the morning sun.

@Mrsgnomie You're the one who suggested Dave as a character's name so don't give me crap about it. As for Manchester, trying to avoid the obvious Oregon Coast or the much longer and warmer Florida Coast, I figured we'd throw @Mancunian a bone.

Crossovers? Don't you dislike those suckers? You have me at a disadvantage since I've not been reading your story. How many kids have you got? My stories are date specific and in 2022 I can offer up 2 girls and 1 boy, all under 4. In 2027 we have 3 girls and 5 boys ranging between 3 and 8. In July of that year they all spend a week in Orlando. Wanna go to Disney World? Any joint work must be set in Manchester and feature a character named Dave.

If I had kept CJ in Florida, my stories would trash Desantis regularly.

I've been getting about a dozen contribution requests from both parties every day. I'm allowing them to come through so I can get an idea of what's being said. There's crap coming from both sides, but the Republican requests are full of lies and most come from Trump. I can't wait until this election cycle's over.

@Clancy59 I'm looking forward to your reaction to the next couple of chapters. This turned out to be a complex story since I tried to update readers on the characters' lives while also providing a glimpse into how CJ and Owen are raising their children. The Founding Fathers extolled education as a way of protecting and advancing democracy. The fixation right wingers have on "protecting" children leaves them ignorant of vital information and may lead to a monotheistic authoritarian society. Sometimes I despair of how gullible some of our fellow citizens are, following so-called leaders who care nothing about the country, too focused on achieving power and keeping it.

Thanks, Jeff. To be honest, so am i. Time to cast off.

Not sure if you're aware Florida's governor complained about a bookstore hosting story time for children with a drag queen reading. He suggested parents could be held accountable for exposing their children to whatever it is he thinks is dangerous. That's one thing CJ will bring up.

And it's not only us. France toyed with electing a right-winger and Italy did. The rise of nationalism isn't new and it's usually part of societal shifts. It happened during the industrial revolution before. I think Covid accelerated the process and the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic and now Russia's belligerence may encourage more countries to fence themselves in.

If I pay too much attention to current events, I get depressed. CJ's my outlet. He gives me a chance to show how we can act to improve the world for future generations.

Sad but true. Even politician's have gotten in on it.

Next book: Ethan discovers one of his powers is giving anyone he wants a uterus! Aiden goes into hiding.

Thanks, jeff. My goal's always to entertain, so I'm glad it's working.

My dad was a horrible eater until the day he died. Mom was better, but my brothers and I were not encouraged to or trained to eat well. Just a lot. I think the twins competitive nature, which their parents will encourage, will lead them to trying things out more often. And after all, you can only eat chicken fingers with a top-notch Sauvignon Blanc so often.

@Anton_Cloche I' still playing with how the confrontation goes exactly and whether the reporter's present, but CJ will be harsh. I'm disgusted with Rubio right now. His ads claim the liberal left's recruiting boys trying to turn them into girls. CJ's gonna hear about it before the first ad airs, and he'll share his thoughts. I finally figured out how to realistically get CJ to learn about Rubio's plans. And it's legal! LOL

Thank you, Chris. Glad you enjoyed this one.

So much to see and do and so little time. Two days with three kids is not enough. LOL

Crediting Liebe is probably an exaggeration by her parents, but she'll wield plenty of influence. And it's not only the twins, it's the cousin next door and the one in Australia. I can imagine those 4 traveling together between high school and college. All of them will be exposed to things most kids won't and CJ and Owen will allow them to decide what they like to eat, what sports they may want to participate in, and what else they may want to be involved in. And if they try something and don't like it, the fathers would be fine with that too. Book bannings are not yet as bad in Florida as in Texas, but I'll bring that up too. CJ and Owen will support organizations buying banned books and providing them for free wherever conservatives force them off library shelves. And I think they'll start a Drag Queens Read program.

Don't you want to introduce wolf puppies to your stories?

Just wait until you hear "Suck it up, Grandpa Dave." LOL Thank you!

I'll be touching on that in an upcoming story. CJ and Owen, along with Ozzie's parents, run into Marco Rubio at Forbes Grille. That's the private dining club CJ belongs to. I've not written the scene yet, but Cj will let Marco know what he thinks about Florida's two senators and governor. Geoff and Pam Liston will realize their son-in-law's more than a pretty face.

@Clancy59 Her name's Kimberlynn Jurkowski. And I'm sorry to tell you she was a third-grade library specialist. CJ and I agree if anyone runs into her she should be called out as an antisemitic bigot. Unfortunately, antisemitism's been on the rise and it's not a liberal vs conservative issue. The far left and the far right both speak against Jews and Israel frequently. CJ's desire not to brainwash his kids with religious crap does not mean he objects to others believing or practicing. As long as they don't try to coerce others. He and Owen stood up to Pam in Australia and will do so again if needed.

When I decided to move CJ and Owen out of Georgetown and to Capitol Hill, one of the first things I did was check on the elementary school Liebe would attend. I came across the incident at Watkins and decided CJ would be as outraged as I was. It's the type of tidbit I discover while researching and save because it's too juicy not to incorporate into the story. Same thing happened when Florida passed a law regulating how controversial subjects are taught and an education department bozo told teachers if they discussed the Holocaust they had to present counter arguments. How does one do that? How can we teach anything but outright disdain for murdering millions? Revisionist history has no place in our schools? Okay, off the soap box for a bit.

CJ and Owen will discipline the kids often, particularly the moment they act as if they're entitled due to their wealth. I do see the kids being spoiled in one area and that's exposure to the real world. If at 4 and 7 they have a basic understanding of the Holocaust, as we saw in the last chapter, we can assume anything can be the subject of family conversations. Keeping kids in the dark under the guise of protecting them is plain silly. BTW, going back to the Holocaust, what I described at her school was real. Someone did force third graders to act out scenes and did say Jews killed Christmas. She was fired.

That is one aspect I enjoy about writing. Sharing knowledge about locations and events many of us may never visit or participate in.