AquariusGuy

They say you can't pick your family but I sure wish I could. Between my immediate family and my mom's extended family I would trade the whole bunch of them in. The family dynamic between all of us is dysfunctional and that is putting it nicely. Many many moons ago my great-aunt asked me why we don't address my my aunt's and uncle's by such titles and just use their names. If she were here now she would probably tell me to be respectful but how do you be respectful to people who treat you like crap and don't deserve it? That great-aunt was my paternal grandmother's sister and that side of the family gets respect but the maternal side I wish I could just wipe the slate clean. It is a situation between my aunt and my mom that has gone on for far too long and some people are hard headed about it. My mom being the bigger person apologized but my aunt can't seem to let it go. They are separated by 16 years and my grandparents became grandparents before they were ready and were still raising kids themselves. This played a big piece in who we were treated by my grandparents. My mom's sister is only 9 years older than me and 6 years older than my brother. We were there when she was growing up and they all seem to forget that. My Mom's siblings are what I would call toxic narcissistic people. They use you for what they want and to get information about you about others. My younger sister talks to them quiet a bit and frankly I think she lies to us when she said she hasn't told them anything. I avoid the bunch of them like the plague ever since my grandfather passed away. I was thrown over the coals then and I haven't really spoken to them since. I lost a lot of respect for them at the time and they have done nothing to gain it back. My maternal great-aunt was surprised when I didn't show up at my cousin's wedding. It was my subtle message that I really don't care what they think. My great-aunt asked my mom why I wasn't there as my grandmother told her it was because of my allergies but my great-aunt didn't believe her. When she found out about all that has been going on after she broke up the fight between my mom and her sister at my cousins wedding my grandmother won't talk to my mom. Apparently my great-aunt cornered my grandmother and confronted her on a lot of things and my grandmother was not too happy. Especially since she told my grandmother why I really didn't come. My grandmother probably told everyone which is why I've gotten comments from my cousin who's wedding it was that me not being there really sent a message to some others. The reason I bring this up....When I get the job offer I am going to be moving across the country to the Mid-West. It looks like it will be in West Des Moines, Iowa, where I don't know anyone, My mom's family will then come out of the wood work and pretend that they care and I know I will get tons of Facebook requests from them as they are nosy. All will be rejected because I really don;t care about them any more. It is sad and yes they are family but I couldn't give a rats ass. I am going to take the Iowa job for many reasons. One is to get away from my immediate family. My parents I will miss but my siblings not so much. Over the course of the last few weeks they have all been fighting and arguing over stuff. My youngest sister was in 2 accidents and spun the car and last night my brother spun the car. They both say its the car and my parents disagree and told them both there is more to the story and they aren't telling. My brother was given a warning by the cop who witnessed it but my sister was alone when it happened. My direct younger sister is a manipulative person. She gets what she wants and my mom provides her free day care and has been helping her with her bills and all. My sister takes advantage of the situation and my mom never gets a break. I've called my sister out on it but she doesn't care. She is very much like my mom's sister which is probably why they are friendly with each other. Me on the other hand I've got nobody. So I am going to start over somewhere far away where there is no family to intrude. I might get lonely but hey I am in a house with 6 other people and I am lonely all the time. My one friend is mad that I am moving and the other she is busy planning her wedding and finishing up her last semester in college. So I sit here and write this long winded blog to say I really don't care for any one in my family and can't wait to disappear.

You know I completely forgot about Matt being Robbie's son. He is going to be through a lot and now Wade may have to face the same thing. Al least they all are supportive of each other in crisis. I do agree you need to make us all stop crying Mark. Great chapter and just so you know we need the next one just as fast.

Mark, What a truly emotional chapter. I bet it was hard for you to write with deciding everyone's fate and what would happen. You probably killed a box of Kleenex or two. I know it gave me the chills just reading about it. I always get that way when I think about what happened. Both chapter's were stunning. One minute Robbie is on his way down and the next on his way back up. I am glad he got the chance to say goodbye to Brad. It was like he knew it was his time. I think Brad and Will are really going to need each other and Robbie telling Brad not to let a fight go past midnight was a wonderful suggestion. Just as Will was starting to come to a good place with his mother it got ripped away from him. They all have a long road ahead of them. Great chapter Mark!!!

So going into 9/11 the family is divided, more so than usual. The fact the Claire and her family don't go is going to be interesting. I can only imagine the toll this will take on them. It will take them hours to get a hold of them to find out who makes it and what has happened. I remember phone lines and everything being so inundated that you could only make calls from landlines. I remember that day just like it was yesterday and I will never forget where I was and how I was watching NBC at the time the Pentagon was hit and how the whole set started shake then they lost signal. I also heard from family that I had never heard from in my entire life and had never met. They knew how close to DC we were and wanted to make sure everything was ok. You have set a very interesting stage Mark. It is something a lot of people won't talk about or address, although it had a huge impact on everyone's life. Just don't keep us waiting too long. Happy Labor Day!!!

Marie is looking for a nuclear war. Did she forget what Will did to Robbie and Brad? I know Will seems to have grown up a bit but I don't exactly see him taking Darius' advice; it not like him at all. I hope he takes Stef's advice and talks to JP. It's interesting to see how much Will is like Brad, JP and Stef. What an interesting combination that is. Poor Noah is going to get caught in the middle. He wanted Marie she rejected him and now she's all over him. He also doesn't seem to be the sharpest tool if he doesn't pick on what is going. It appears Marie, Ferris and Kyle are all using Erik and Noah as pawns. Erik doesn't seem to beileve it but it sounds like Noah took it hook line and sinker. It will be interesting to see how the the drama unfolds in the next couple of chapter's. We are approaching 9/11 and Marie is a ticking time bomb. Mark you definitely know how to keep things interesting. Great Chapter.

Congratulations on 5 years of writing and to many more!!!! Will apparently got a bit too trashed and I am still perplexed as to how he made it home. John must have helped in some way. It looks like Will and Brad could potentially be heading for another head butting. Even though those around them have tried to diffuse it with two stubborn people you aren't going to get any where. It was nice for JP to return the rings to both JJ and Will. I think JJ was just surprised to his back and Will definitely thought he wasn't getting his. I loved JP's theatrics with making it look like he wasn't going to return it. He and Will definitely have a understanding of each other and they have a good bond. The divorce has seem to take some by surprise but I think the marriage proposal at the end out did everything. Good for Frank and Isadore. You have set the stage for a 9/11 event for Hank and Jeannine. Can't wait to see how you play it out. Congratulations again Mark!!

It looks like Matt and Andy are going to be potentially tying another Knot. Andy may need someone other than Matt and his parents to talk to, While he sees it as being consensual it doesn't seem like it to me. It also sounds like there is a deeper problem. Matt seems to have had his eyes opened in this last chapter. Hopefully things get better before they get worse. Great Chapter.

Will seemed to take leaving Kai behind better than I expected. It shows he's learned a lot since Berto and Tony. It was nice of him to let Kai keep the key. Even though he said it was to allow his dad to watch Kai surf I think it may have had a deeper meaning. It was good to see Will apologize to Isadore and Claire. When he was talking with Claire it was like no one existed in the room until they were laughing at what he was saying. Now according to John it sounds like there maybe a hurricane brewing with Marie and it sounds like she's dragged in Ferris. It sounds like Marie may have a tough lesson ahead of her. Great Chapter.

I really like what Will did for Kai's dad and it shows how much he cares about other people, This made me love Will even more. He is such a kind hearted kid. It sounds like Stef still hasn't picked up on what JP was talking about how he is betraying his trust with Will by talking about things with other people that he came to tlak with about. I think you nailed it with symbolism with the steel door that only Will has the key to and now he is free to what he wants with the room. With Malcolm feeding Stef information it is not helping. Great Chapter Mark!!

Thank you CJ for finally bring this story to a wonderful close. It was quite a ride and adventure. You've left yourself some big shoes to fill.... unless this story was written by a goatwriter...

Will seems to have a passion for bringing elephants into the room. The first one with Kai being a hustler seems to have been taken care of but in true fashion the elephant of where he is from 6-11 is going to be sticking around. I have a feeling its going to be something interesting. Maybe he works the closing shift at his mother's restaurant either as cook or server. They maybe a "hole" in the wall restaurant but if the food is good people will come. As for Tony it seems that the writing was on the wall with how he was around Rick. It was a matter of time before something came between Will and Tony and it seems that everyone Will starts to enjoy their company another person swoops in and makes a move. Maybe he should go to St. Louis and spend more time with Mason before school or fly Mason out to Hawaii for some fun. As for the emails.... the first one was a how Will truly felt and he let his temper get the best of him. The second one was his inner turmoil to address the situation and apologize for his bluntness. That's one thing I love about Will is that he knows when he has done something wrong he will apologize. Thanks for the wonderful chapter. I expected you to post it on Bastille Day..... in celebration of the actual day. Maybe another chapter today?

So.... its been over a week (almost 2) since I've last heard from a really good friend. It's kind of put me in a funk. Last time this happened with someone else I never heard from the person again and this person was there to help me through it and now.... gosh its a real pain in the ass. I just wish I knew if he was still sick, out partying for his birthday with his boyfriend (I know they were having a party), did he just decide to give up on me all together or did his pyshco ex-boyfriend do something. I guess I just don't take rejection to well... case in point. I had come out to my mother a few month's ago and she said she really didn't mind. I should have known better and read between the lines because now all we do is argue about my life and my choice. It first started when I had met someone online and we were going to meet in a public place for dinner. She did not want me to go all she could keep saying is I was meeting the person for sex. I told her that's not going to happen especially since I don't think the people at Red Robin would be too happy. Well that guy bailed on me after meeting and I learned a lot about him after the fact and how much of a liar he was. I am glad that things stopped because I probably wouldn't have found out about his lies for a while. I then made a new friend and of course my mom didn't like it. He is older than me and lives several thousand miles away. I have been talking to him until he decided to up and disappear too. My mom didn't like the fact that he was older, she thought he was some sort of predator, even though he is the same age as my aunt and my cousin. He is also old enough to be my dad but he would have had to gotten started really early and been into women for that to happen. So he is the person I mention at the beginning that I haven't heard from. This unfortunately has made my mom happy since I am not constantly texting or online all the time anymore. I don't know why she cares about my texting habits since I pay my own bill since I get my phone through Verizon. Things over the last several weeks have escalated between us which is sad since we were close. I was telling her about how my friend George went to DC pride at the begging of June and had asked me to go but do to an obligation I already had made I could not go with him.I told him I would go next year for sure. My friend Jason told me that He, his boyfriend George, my friend George and I should hit DC and Baltimore pride,. My mom just about him the rood when she found out that I told George I would go with him next year. Neither of them know about Jason's offer. She started going on and on about how I would go to hell and that the government would use secretly taken pictures from the event to round up people and do away with them. What really hurt out of the argument was when she said being gay was a choice. I told her it was not a choice and we argued some more about it. I told her if it was a choice maybe she should go out and date a lesbian, which she didn't take so well. That night I stopped the argument by walking away and staying away from her for the rest of the night. Now my sexuality seems to come up a lot and has been the butt (no pun intended) of several jokes. Everything seems to be crashing down and I don't know what I am going to do. I had my aunt grilling my sister over my friend George since he was with me when I dropped my niece off to her and my aunt was visiting. I know my aunt better than my sister and I am glad my sister chose to ignore my aunt's Inquisition despite her trying to get information. Besides my family issues.... there was a point where I thought I was going to be fired from Verizon. I have exhausted my FMLA and had used more than allowed and was unaware of this until well over the limit. I was sick for a long while and it turned out to be a combination of things. One was a medicine I was one, second was finding out that I can not tolerate fructose or lactose (which includes high fructose corn syrup) and lastly gluten. While all my celiac test were negative I still can't tolerate more than a small amount. So I was on edge about my job which made things even more stress full. I did have an interview with another company and I am still waiting to hear back since it was right before the holiday and he needed to interview some more people. Verizon excused the days that I went over through and internal program but they were reluctant to do it. So the job is safe for now but I am continuing to look for something I really want to do. End Rant.

Thank you for taking the time to write this wonderful story. It was well thought out and planned. You kept the story action packed. Looking forward to the epilogue. Well done CJ!!!

It was interesting to see Tony finally stand up to Dana. It probably had something to do with knowing that Will and Rick could land up hooking up and he doesn't want that to happen. The whole thing with Mason was interesting. He picked up on the glances and things between Will and Tony but maybe Mason has feeling for Tony too. Boy it does sound like a roller coaster of a ride. Let's just hope that it doesn't break down and get stuck. Reading through your responses Mark I see some foreshadowing.... Coming from the author it speaks for itself..... Dana "may" sounds like she is going to. She is a cold hearted bitch and she's not going to go away easily. Great Chapter Mark.

Tony shows Will a good time and then Dana shows up? I wonder who tipped her off unless she knew Will was going on the trip. It is obvious how much distaste Tony's family has for Dana. I thought it was funny that Tony thought that Will sent his mother upstairs. Tony's mom reminds me so much of some of my older family members. Ask if your hungry and when you say no they still stuff you. Kind of like in my Big Fat Greek Wedding. Are you hungry? No. That's OK I'll make you a sandwich. Now it definitely sounds like everyone including Dana is going on this float trip. How jealous is Will going to make Tony. Does Rick have any clue what he could be in for? Great Chapter Mark!!!!

So if you read my status you will see that I have had a real rough last 2 days. Yesterday I found out that my job in in jeopardy because I have exhausted my family medical leave time. If my doctor doesn't fill out the papers for short term disability for time I was out and if Verizon doesn't excuse the days through another program I will be terminated. Mind you they are medically excused absences and Verizon doesn't care. Use more time than you're allowed they will fire you and since Maryland is an at will state good luck on that. I've talked to my boss and MetLife. I've called my doctor but he has ignorant people working for him so when I see him on May 29th he and I will be having a conversation. I also applied for a new job last night and they had the application less than 24 hours before dumping it. So this whole debacle landed up derailing my plans for the weekend for an escape for a much needed vacation. I planned to meet my best friend Melanie and go to Deep Creek Lake out in far western Maryland. Since I now have to account and save every penny that is out as an option. My second blow was today did not go as planned. There was a fight amongst several family members and I had to play referee. It also didn't help matters that it interfered with my nieces 4th b-day. I would expalin more but its complicated and hard to follow. Third blow came today... I blogged about a new friend Matt at the end of January beginning of February. He and I hit it off very well and were talking quite constantly. He then one day stopped answering my text. I had no other way to reach him since I had no email and we met on Tumblr and his account was closed due to violating terms or some crap. We talked after that and even met up since he lived close by and we had tons in common. When the texting or should I say iMessaging stopped I was curious as to why. He couldn't say he didn't get the message because my phone showed me delivered and read. I basically wrote him off and posted in here about people not being able to tell you they no longer want to talk. That is how I made a new friend who I talk to constantly and have an open chat with right now and I know he will read this so here is my shout out to harcallard (gosh I hope I got that right.... don't want to use your real name people might not know who you are). He and I have become real close as friends and I know I can tell him anything. He was good at lofting my spirits and I do the same for him.... at least I hope. So.... a week ago I stumbled upon Matt's new tumblr. I didn't know what to think. I talked about it at length with Harcallard and wasn't sure what to do. Do I stalk him, confront him, forget him what? Let's just say I've done everything but directly confront him. I wrote a quick note on my tumblr (marylandguy1982.tumblr.com it is nsfw fyi) tonight about after discovering there were something about Matt that were a complete lie. I can understand people who are closeted and insecure in their sexuality as I have been there myself. What irks me is the fact that a whole lot of what happened was a lie. If you are not comfortable being friends with people then you really should go and hide. I am recently out of the closet to my immediate family and it did not go over so well. Matt knew this and was there for me when it happened. To find out a lot of what he told me was a lie is what really hurts. Harcallard is trying to talk me out of tp'ing his trees and egging his house, not that I ever would. So life decided to dump a shit load of lemons on me and did give me any sugar for my lemon-aid. I have to sit back and figure out what I am going to do about work and for now on will avoid Matt if he bothers to try and contact me.

It was very intriguing to hear from JP. Should have picked up in the last chapter that the next one was either going to be from his perspective or Stef's. JP made some very interesting points to Isadore and Claire. All they could see was everything being Will's fault when they were just as guilty in their behavior as he was. Will voiced his opinion and I don't quiet think that Clair and Isadore got what Will was saying and the points JP was making. It sounds like they hear him but didn't hear him. Having Marie turn over her ring was a very symbolic move on JP's part. He knew what needed to be done and Marie was/is headed for her "better than thou" princess behavior. That can only lead to trouble and there is never a shortage of the in a CAP story. I am glad Will called JP to apologize. He probably agonized over the whole situation during his flight. It was also good to hear that Will will still go to Clairmont to be there for the celebration. I wonder if that is something he choose to do or if Stef or Brad asked him to go? I think even though Will was uninvited to the party he and Noah should have their own party. Great Chapter Mark!!!

If things between Will and Marie weren't tense before they definitely just got there. It sounds like Marie lead Jack and Claire to believe that she apologized to Will. Will called her out since she deliberately removed Noah and he knew it. Marie is such a snob but now she is dragging more family down with her. Will seems to be really disappointed in everyone but the shock is they really don't seem to care. Their responses to the accusations is quite surprising and they don't seem to care. Will brought up a lot of good points and really painted everyone as snobs. I was surprised to see how quite Stef was during the interaction. JJ and Will removing their rings was a very symbolic gesture and it looks like it may take a lot to get them to come back. A very interesting chapter Mark!!

It was a very interesting chapter. Will letting Tony know where they stand is kind of don't ask, don't tell situation. Now that could backfire, but maybe not right away. It will be interesting to see what happens on the float trip . I am starting to like Hank. She sounds like a great person. Hopefully she doesn't meet her demise in 9/11 but we will see. I thought will buying her the truck was a really cool idea and even better making it from all the boys. Everything seems to be working out for most of the CAP family... but as we know.... the shit must be hitting the fan sometime soon. Great Job Mark!!!

Apparently we all knew it was Berto !!! It was great to see Vinnie and Will be so civil and actually talk about the problem and not fight about it. Its good to see that Tony admitted to Will he is gay, but I don't see things with Dana ending smoothly. It sounds like Will and Tony are off to a good start. Great Chapter Mark and what a way to build suspense by not answering feedback. Edward

Great Chapter Mark!! It was good to see that eventually Hank and Will were able to get along and talk. Maybe Hank isn't as bad as she was in the last chapter or does she have a motive??? Good to see that Will went to Rome alone. Having family with him would have cramped his style. It was good to see a changed Tony and for him to finally admit that he loves WIl. I wonder where their romance will go. I was expecting some kind of cliff hanger in regards to meeting his cousins boyfriend... I just hope its not Berto.

What a way to keep people on their toes. At the end of the last chapter I was sure it was Trevor that didn't have a heart beat.... but Shane being the unlucky crew member was quite the twist. I am glad that Bridgette appears to be out of the picture. I only say that because in the past some people have had a way of creeping back from the dead. Hopefully she has met her maker in Davy Jones Locker. It was a very good chapter CJ. I agree it was cliff hanger free because saying other wise is a waste of time. Even though you have been the King of cliffs.

Great Chapter Mark! It looks like Will and Hank will have an interesting relationship. Hank maybe the one to cause trouble and push Jeanine to do things she doesn't want to. Hank is now in everyone's radar so she better watch out. Will is still cocky like always. He handles some situations better than others. At least he will be able to escape to Rome for a bit. I think if Hank and Jeanine go there could be trouble. I suggest Will go with JJ and one of his friends and leave Hank and Jeanine behind.

A very interesting chapter. It looks like Will's assumption at the end about him and JJ being friends is right on track. In the last CAP story they began to rebuild their bridge that they both burned with each other. Hopefully they can keep moving in a postive direction. It is interesting how Marie doesn't think its her fault.She would rather blame Will for him being with someone he knew was in a relationship. She probably knew Erik would overhear the conversation. It was apparent that both Claire and Jack were uncomfortable when hearing that Marie and John were talking about Will like that in the open. Jeanine dating a cop to be strange. Considering some of the actions other CAP members I find this could cause some interesting conflicts. The cop and moving to New Jersey definitely would play a part in the 9/11 theme. I don't think Will would be happy having Maddie so far away. Great Chapter Mark!

Welcome back to the CAP characters. It was a very interesting way for Will to start of the story. A broken nose.... I hope this is a wake up call for him about being the 3rd wheel in a relationship. I hope it leads him to think about Tony and his relationship because that one can get messy too. We don't need a roughed up Will. It will be interesting to see where this part of the CAP series takes us. I see you haven't decided on a narrator yet... Jeanie or JJ would be interesting but definitely need Will to be narrating. Great chapter Mark. I can't wait to see where you take the story.