raven1

Oh so tragically true Myr. I love the gif you paired with the sentence.

I was surprised that you consider this a sad chapter. To me there were some very happy things that are happening and a hope for a new beginning. I do have to laugh a bit when I realized at the end of this chapter I knew as much about Brent in one chapter as I have learned about Hank in the prior 11 chapters. First great thing is that Chase has finally been able to get rid of the baggage he gathered when his mother died, and created for himself by his actions that broke up his relationship with Hank. I also felt it important that he truly feels that poisoned relationship has ended. It would have had many difficulties surviving all the baggage and weakness both Hank and Chase had at the time. Now the new and improved Chase has a chance at moving forward to a much better life and a strong relationship with a man he truly loves. Hank had ended the relationship already, and now is about to embark on dealing with his own demons and hopefully with be able to also get rid of all the baggage he has collected. Charles is ready to help them both. This chapter gave me the hope for them both. I forgave Dawson's impersonation of Hank in the last chapter. He is at least smart enough to take his own advice and learn from past mistakes. His excitement is very contagious! What Dawsom is doing is right for both Brent and Dawson. I am happy that Chase understand and is happy for them. It also knocks the last prop from Chase and forces Chase to be completely independent. Great and happy chapter from my POV.

I must have quit commenting the first time I read this. By this time, my emotions were very raw, and any criticism of Hank or Kevin really set me off. That said, I am very happy with most of this chapter. Dawson lost a lot of my respect, however. I know his motivation and goal was right. What felt ugly to me was that his delivery was exactly the same as Hank's, full of hate and accusations he couldn't prove. This time Kevin and Hank were the victims, not Chase. The other irritation was provided by Chase as he also started in on Hank and Kevin. At least Chase had the dignity to finally apologize for his bad behaviour. They may have went further than just a kiss, but with their history, that didn't surprise or disgust me one bit. I was pleased that they are no longer together. Charle is an amazing force, and I was impressed at his attempt to reunite the family. The things revealed about the rings show how much Hank loves not only Chase, but this family that has adopted him. I now feel that the depth of Hank's anger at first was for the loss of not just Chase, but the feeling of despair he must have felt as he felt his family being ripped from him at the same time. His love for Christine was just a deep as the others, but the others were unaware of how her death affected Hank. I hope that this is a turning point for Hank that will reunited these two again. I am hopeful that Hank will reach out to his mother. This was a very comforting chapter.

Since I didn't comment after the first read on two chapters in a row, I was probably binging the story. I did love this chapter and feel that some progress has been made with Hank. I feel that Dad returning will benefit both Hank and Chase. Hank will have a very important person, Charles, to provide additional and desperately needed support.

I have to say I find the my reading this time of these comments to be amusingly ironic, since you were stripping this past week. Wallpaper of course.

I check for my comments from the first read, and found I didn't make a comment for this chapter. I remember it well, so I must have been binge reading, too tire or lost in space. Best bet is the last excuse. This started with an 8 beer hangover and an overly active imagination creating the perfect pity party for Chase. He was strong enough to recognize where that could lead and got himself to work. Dawson came to Chase's rescue again to end the dark party. The best thing was the arrival of Dad. I love this chapter because of the love and healing the family has had. It is a celebration of what a family should be and why they are important to Chase. From the stories they told about growing up in the home with their mother's love and support, it is very evident why Chase is making such a rapid recovery, in spite of a few stumbles. It seems that Dad is back in full force and will be able to support Chase and Cindy. This is another lovely chapter.

Reading the story this second time, many of my basic understandings have changed since the first read. I no longer feel my comment on this chapter are correct. Starting with Chase, I realise that I had assumed him to be much more damaged by his depression than was the case. Chase is not the demanding drama queen that uses his illness to focus others on him. Hank is not the self sacrificing individual I put on a pedestal the first read. Dr Chorney didn't give Chase a miracle cure for depression. Instead, he build on the progress that had been made and help Chase develop the skills and attitude he needed to lead him back into a normal existence. I was in awe of Chase as he finally stood up to Hank and made Hank pay attention. I was a bit upset that Chase at the end started to revert to childish accusations. However, it might just be what Hank need in order to reinforce to Hank how deeply Chase loves him and has been hurt also. This time I did read @Marty's comments. He has made excellent points on the story and reader's reactions to the story. I agree with him 100%. This is how I have felt much of the time while reading this story and remembering many of the comments that upset me the first time I read the story. As for what happens at the cabin, that is entirely up to Kevin and Hank. I have a feeling that it will be much more like Marty's last suggestion and continue the parallel behaviors I have seen between Hank and Chase in past chapters, including the kiss. This is really a great chapter and I hope it will lead to progress. Of course I'm still waiting for Chase to rally support for Hank. He still seems to have only Kevin actively helping him. This is one of my favorite chapters so far.

Beer, whiskey and soda combos, and a new favorite introduced by our German friend, Patisse and coke.

Tamales, hot chocolate and Arroz con Leche for me. It's so hard to find great tamales in Thailand. I can get most of the stuff to make it, but don't have the skills or recipe. I do agree, Drew's mom would win the competition. Of course if she did enter the competition, Drew wouldn't have any food incentives over us. (Of course we all know we will never get the incentives anyway.)

I'll blame it on Aod. He had a few of our friends over for drinks. That didn't end until way after midnight. At least I was still reading and posting instead of getting sloshed. 😜

Again, I do stand by what I said in the comments for this chapter. I admire the courage it took to write this chapter, as well as the writing and especially the dialogue. It is extremely difficult to write a character that readers can bond and accept when we don't know what his is thinking except thru hearsay and assumptions which are often of minimal value. I have no problem with Chase or Hank. Dawson and Kevin are also excellent characters. What a lot of the readers failed to consider is that neither Chase or Hank are emotionally ready to talk. The time is just not right. Another thing that seems to be missed by most comments are that both Chase and Hank are mirrors for each other. To clarify, what happened at the storage building and again in the park were substantially the same with the roles of Hank and Chase switched. Both men reverted to immature defences and gained nothing as a result. Also, Chase's survivor's guilt is balanced by Hank's abandonment issues. Neither can talk until both have dealt with their own issues. Chase is ahead in this race. I hope he can be patient and wait for Hank to get the support Hank needs to deal with his issues. My hope is that Chase does for Hank what Hank has already done for Chase. Chase should call all their friends and ask them to reconnect with Hank, and provide Hank with support he needs to deal with his problems. Chase knows what Hank's problem is and should get busy doing what he can to help Hank. He also needs to follow the doctor's advice to limit contact for a while. Again if anyone thinks that Hank is being unfair, they should read the comments and see some very unfair judgements made based on assumptions and a little information about Hank that most readers don't seem to understand. Both Kevin and Dawson are caught in the middle and there is no reason for readers to judge them differently. I do love this story, and realise some of the issues I had before were about the unfair and unkind comments made about Hank. This is a really well written chapter!

Not going to feed your pervy mind Clo! As for the flooding, it was very inconvenient, but at least not too dangerous for those of us in the immediate neighborhood.❤️

Sorry Clo, but stubble tickles too much. I much prefer skin to skin contact when the face is involved.The carpet is fine and I would never want that removed.

I'll definitely check to see if I can import them. ❤️

I hope you get a laugh from this, Gary. When I read this: I suddenly thought of Dirty Pool and how Kelly would have a solution for this! Trust is the most important possession to have and the hardest to get back when it is lost. I hope that Chase realizes it is on him to rebuild Hank's trust with actions and not just words. He has a very herculean task before him. Hank appears as if he has moved on. He hasn't, and Kevin is definitely unfairly caught in the middle. He is a very nice guy who feels a close affinity to Hank and is at the very least providing support for Hank that other friends have withheld not wanting to take sides. Hank does not have the same support for all the baggage he personally had, plus what Chase added. There is no Cindy, Dr. Chanrey or the newest support of Chase's father. Kevin has at least helped Hank to not feel alone and abandoned. Their common experience of being betrayed has created a bond. Once again, Chase choses to run away rather than face the challenge of facing up to Hank when given the opportunity. I do understand why, but also understand both Kevin and Hank's feelings and behaviors. This is a very difficult situation for very good men trying their best, but failing miserably. No fault for anything, just regret for all. You do write with great skill these difficult situations with powerful emotional impact. Awesome chapter!

Thanks Albert! Great recipe, I will need to find substitutes for the pepper listed as they are not available in Thailand. I am sure I can do that with all the multitude of different chili peppers here. I also need to figure out what kind of tomatoes. The difference is water content is important to something like mole sauce. I am very relieved that I won't have to sell my soul now!

I said many things in my first comment that are no longer what I believe. First is that there is not a codependent relationship between either Hank or Chase. Further, Chase is trying hard to heal from the survivors guilt he feels and has such a negative impact on his family. What struck me was what Hank did. He left Rex in the house for Chase. At least subconsciously if not planned, he knew that Rex would want to go to the park and exactly where Rex would go. His sitting on the bench seemed a deliberate invitation to have Chase approach him and maybe talk. Of course, Chase feels too guilty to do that. Hank probably once again feels Chase has rejected him as Hank did when Chase sent him home before. Missed communications are only compounding a bad problem. Dawson seems a nice guy. I wonder what Hank would think about Chase refusing to accept Dawson's invitation? Of course, what will Chase feel if Hank finds a friend to do things with. It's a two way street that will definitely cause problems if either Hank or Chase start to associate with other men. Not very hopeful for reuniting the two. It's the one piece of advice from Dr. Chorney I don't think was very good. I don't think Chase could handle Hank doing the same thing to him that Chase did to Hank. I pity whoever gets caught in the middle.

OMG! I didn't know she has a whiskey named after her! I am sooo impressed!

@kbois's impersonation of Statler and Waldorf. Speaking of which discussions here remind me of this quote from the two muppet critics. Statler: The internet is a completely different culture isn't it. Waldorf: You said it. Everything here is immediately followed by sarcastic comments and nasty responses." Statler: Yup, we're finally where we belong.

Hey Spike! Nice @drpaladin shirt! Where did you find that?

Just to update you, I have read two more chapters of Endings. I definitely have a different take on some of the things so far. Not a great many, but some are fundamental. I am looking forward to upcoming chapters.

Hi Drewbear! You can have him. He'd be perfect except for the very scratch chin. Maybe you can send him to Spike for some artistic hair removal. 😄

And you definitely deserve it also. You have worked so hard for others both before and in the aftermath of Ian. Thanks for sharing your vacation stories! I hope your bosses appreciate all you are doing to help the people in the community.

It was very sad. One crazy father killed his wife, kid and himself along with 28 others, mostly kindergarten aged children. It is way beyond sad!

I'd love to dance in the middle between these two!😉