pvtguy

The house was completely silent, I found Vince sitting in the hall on a sofa, looking tense. Vince was worried that his surprise gift to Gray would not be welcome, perhaps? Yet, this wonderful present was a moment of closer bonding between the brothers. And a proper "fuck you to MacDonald Philpott" too! Vince's encouragement to Freddie and Arvid is also another manner of bond-building between him and the boys. Another wonderful chapter!

Sad to see how Hearst's father has so shaped his and Wen's outlook on life! It is evident to any person who works with young people in any arena - schools, youth groups, sports teams, etc. The real question: can Hearst break loose of his conditioning?

Beautiful chapter!. However, my mind does see something that may portend a problem: Smiling to myself, I acknowledged that this really was a good place that I was in right now. Everything I had ever wanted was finally coming together. I could only hope and pray that there would be nothing that would come along and fuck that up for me. Uh oh!

They do indeed!

Wow! You've covered quite a spectrum of topics and feelings in these wonderful poems. April 22: The fish's enjoyment of spring is cut short by being baited to become someone's meal. And yet, there is a question that was raised , at least, to me: does the writer feel that he fell for bait and reeled in to stop his enjoyment of life prior to that? April 23: Who's luckier - the bird or the worm? Each keeps their life, but one is bruised and the other is hungry but alive and still in search of food for itself and/or its offspring. April 24: As one reflects on mortality, especially as one grows older, there is a choice to look at the end of life with sadness or as the culmination of joy and peace. April 25: The generosity of the young man to assist the embarrassed elderly man is heartwarming. Would that we could all be that generous and respectful of others! April 26: The beauty of sunrise and the life it brings with it as the world wakes up is amazing! April 27: We can't just stand by when injustice is going on around us! We must unite and stand up to this perversion of "justice". April 28: This hits me right now: I'm trying to thin out books that I've collected over the years that hold such dear memories of the time that they were obtained and read/experienced. I, too, want to share them with other who would enjoy them! Thanks for evoking such powerful reactions tonight as I ponder the nearing evening of my life.

Another loaded chapter! Still, a lot of good seems to be happening in spite of, of because of -I’m not sure which - the seemingly negative and complicated situations. Aaron and Tony are about to have the “money “ talk and the imminent party and visit to see Tony’s brother and sister will be interesting. Add to that the visit with Harry. Great reading!!

But you do them so well!

Anthropomorphic furniture! Great idea and development!

Would that all families were so supporting and accepting! Now to learn about cousin Patrick and, hopefully, find him and mend fences!

Most know that the harder parents try to limit their teens, many teens will find that the impetus to rebel even more strongly. Likewise, over permissiveness often breeds teens who turn into more restrictive adults. It will be interesting to see how Arvid responds to his parents' demands. Vince is more permissive, but it seems he does set limits based on respect and responsibility.

It's time for the teenage hormones to settle a bit. Nathan needs to leave for his movie and Robbie needs to continue mature. Robbie has grown beyond Nathan. I don't know what will happen with Rory, if anything, but it's definitely time to move on.

Things are moving along. Tony and Aaron are in a much better place than even before, as they are finally being fully honest with each other. I still think that Jess and Mike could move into Tony's place in Brisbane and Tony can move back with Aaron! Now, after the meeting with Harry, there will be an interesting talk with Aaron!

Am I reading this correctly: Brad Parsons was simply the host for the alien. Therefore, technically, he wasn't the murderer, but simply the means through which the alien was able to "feed" itself. Good story!!!

This semi-apocalyptic tale challenges the reader to consider what would one do if one day you awakened to find you seem to be the only one alive? Luckily, there are others who survive what initially is a mystery. Questions abound: how do you survive? When is taking what one needs for survival not stealing? What happens when the majority of the elected government is wiped out at once? All these questions are dealt with in this relatively short story. It does not answer all the questions raised in the story, which I find satisfactory as life does not answer all questions, but rather challenges us to find the answers as we live the experiences which form our lives. Of course, this allows for an author to write sequels....hint! Lee Wilson is a gifted writer. it is definitely worth reading and pondering this story and the questions it raises.

Is Wen the "employee" that Angus referred to? Or was Angus simply lying about firing an employee? Jamie has foiled the plan of LiveFeed, apparently, but is there another shoe to drop? It seems that the story is coming to a head...

The brief visit to China and North Korea resolved that issue, but still leaves the question posed: if General Chen was reluctant to use prisoners as test subjects, how could he justify the indiscriminate killing of thousands? It's as though those lives didn't count. Of course, the result was elimination of the military capabilities of the two governments. As for the resolution of the other parts of the story, well done! All is good.

A very lovely chapter which shows the passion and joy between Brian and Gordon. Deidre is surprisingly very accepting of Brian's marriage and is proving to be more a friend. It would seem that Jasper may well be out of the picture...

I do know the small town atmosphere of everyone knowing your business! Still,the positive side of that is when one feels that one belongs and is loved and supported. Likewise, the opposite can also be true and be the catalyst to either move, work to show the nay-sayers that they are wrong, or fall into a very negative existence of alcohol or drug fueled existence. Thankfully, Aaron chose to make something of his life, as Tony recognized and reinforced. Wonderful chapter with some seeds planted for a future for them as a couple.

The story seems to be winding down to a satisfactory ending, and is indeed filled with positive emotion. In the midst of tragedy, hope was found and people responded positively.

Vince is, like us all, a complicated human with many sides that make up the whole: legalistic, caring, strong, vulnerable, certain yet confused, yet finally dropping the defensive walls to enjoy life so much more! Gray has been the catalyst to allow him to open up. His response is to finally trust himself. Gray is also maturing - allowing friendship to develop before a potential relationship. That he and Vince are really bonding is a response to their father, who seemed to like to divide. It just goes to prove that relationships develop because of or in spite of the efforts of others!

I actually like that Aaron took the first step towards reestablishing a physical expression of their love for each other. Tony is holding back, but I do believe he has now been given "permission" to move forward! As to why it wasn't reciprocated, they had a lunch reservation and didn't want to be late. Plus, I do believe Aaron wanted to set the pace. This was a really lovely chapter!

I, too, especially liked Sun Ray in that it points out that resurrection/hope may show itself in a totally different manner than we expect. Therein lies hope! All are excellent with your carefully crafted wordsmithery!

I do like that you're not simplifying what's happening with this situation by showing that politics continues to rear its ugly head! Like the others, I can't believe that the guests at the hotel can't be responsible for cleaning their own messes made through their entitled expectations.

Beautiful chapter! All went swimmingly. I do hope we have many more chapters...I'm not ready to leave this group of people just yet!

All positive signs toward the building of a much stronger relationship. Aaron can have the landscaping done properly and Tony can have his inspirational view! But, as in all of life, it's going to take work on all fronts: emotional, physical, etc. Great chapter!