pvtguy

What more praise can I add to what has been stated so far? You've created a very engaging story with characters that are so amazing yet relatable. Loving this vacation!

I love these characters and their comradery. Good beginning !

Thank you. Believe me, I do see beauty around me daily. Seeing beauty "when the world darkens" is the very definition of hope!

Beautiful word painting! The word "sparkling" reminds me of how e e cummings would write it: "SpArKlInG". As I have lived in Florida for the past 35 years, I no longer experience this same type of Spring walk as I did when I lived up north, especially in Massachusetts. However, there is another type of beauty I have discovered in Florida's fall and spring, however short-lived!

Paulie's mother seems to have some disdain for Ellie! Hope she speaks up - but may not, considering the attitude towards women in that time. Ellie would have to promise to "love and obey" should she marry Paul, and there is little chance that would happen. Still, a small town does not offer the privacy or acceptance that would be needed in this situation. I am eager to see how the story progresses. Good job!

Such a nice warm ending!

Quite an enjoyable chapter! CJ's self-awareness - his political abilities combined with his values - is truly astounding! The relationship among all the family - but especially between CJ and Owen is remarkable!

This story is full of depth as well as the qualities that keep one reading. It is a very accurate picture of an individual with a severe anxiety disorder told very realistically but with a real love story, a journey to healing that is a process worked on daily but with progress supported by true love which has been avoided for a very long time. The characters are wonderfully written. This is a truly engaging story which will keep you looking forward to each chapter. Highly recommended!

What a great journey! Alec is still finding his emerging true self - i.e., he's changing the narrative he has been telling himself for years (yeah, thanks mom!). I love that you didn't just have him totally healed but far on the journey. Finn is absolutely wonderful! Great job!

Growing pains...but they are developing as a couple. Alec is acclimating well. I guess he must be still working remotely. Finn is delightful!

Alec has to learn how to accept compliments - but that will take time for sure! Both need to learn how to communicate more openly - another process! Lots of adaptations!

It's been a busy weekend for me and it's only Saturday evening. I just finished reading this chapter and all the comments. They are spot on. I understand CJ and Owen not following the "Dad-Papa" routine, though I have always had reservations about calling one's parents by their first name: after all, the kids are the only ones who can genuinely call them Dad or Papa and that denotes a special relationship. However, they are not the first parents I've known who preferred to be called by their first names. That said, they are very good disciplinarians and do try to keep their kids cognizant of the fact that while they have benefits other kids don't, they still need to be respectful of others as equals. I applaud that! Thanks for sharing your talent always Carlos! (BTW: I have that image of the Carlos sandwich etched in my brain now!)

Very good chapter. I hope Henry does call Don but it could be in that ethical grey area if he goes to dinner with Don and Noah.

Been there, done that! I rarely use coupons anymore.

And Florida's "education" leaders in Tallahassee are doing the same with all issues LGBTQA.. If a teacher should respond to a student in grades K-3 if a question is asked about why Susie has two dads or two moms, the teacher can lose their teaching license if s/he responds in any way that violates the guidelines set by the State Board of Education.

So, they're trying to look at every angle in regards to Henry...but what difference would it make if he's gay? Does Don think there might be a "blackmail" motive from someone else?

You are definitely a teacher through your educating us simply by telling a wonderful story with characters we feel are family to us all! Thanks.

Believe the reaction you get on an extremely well-crafted story! You interlace family drama with history, geography, and culinary education. The ceremony was described so realistically that I felt as though I were there observing in person! This story could go on for years as far as I am concerned!!

In my career in education, I have met a few Henry's and his parents. Elena is slowly wearing down his protective layer. While slowly moving forward - and this is very realistic as these cases go - there is progress being made. Now to find out who is behind the rumor...

Thank you for another vicarious vacation that has whet my appetite for travel, however impossible for me. I love how precocious Liebe is in both questions and observations. The twins aren't far behind!

You go, Sue!!! It's about time she showed her true grit! Robbie shows more depth here, though it was always present - simply because he acknowledges the love he has for his new family. His melding both his birth mother and Sue together is a great accomplishment! Sue truly has earned it. She is truly the most outstanding character in this chapter. Well done!!

And so a plan is forming, however tentative at the moment.

Elena is doing great analysis of Henry's responses and what she did and did not ask. All possibilities have to be considered until the evidence limits those possibilities to reality. Henry's a smart kid. It will be very interesting to see how this goes.

Very well done! I don't want to repeat the very articulate words already spoken, but just say that shared grief does create strong feelings between those who have gone through similar experiences. My best friend's father was killed in a railroad accident on the evening of the first day of spring when we were in 8th grade. That was 60 years ago, and I still feel it on the first day of spring! My friend has also passed, but we truly cemented our friendship through that shared experience. I see good things happening for Woodrow and Paul.

"She mentioned the story felt like an epilogue, and in a way it is. An epilogue to the entire series. Hopefully, new readers will discover the characters, like them, and decide to tackle the series." I do hope there are more stories about the offspring of CJ and Owen...This could keep you writing, and us enjoying every word, for quite a while! I will agree, @JACC said everything I could have tried to say but not as eloquently. Thank you Carlos for providing such quality reading material!