Parker Owens

You continue to have the teen dialogue and speech down pat. Interesting new introductions. The line about not being the kid you wanted is a zinger, and will gut Mom for a while. Jack may come to regret having said that, I think. Great developmental chapter. Will enjoy seeing everyone evolve.

A lovely story building up. Nice cameo scene, too. And the shooting stars! Great.

I am so glad you liked it, and all that technical mambo jumbo didn't put you off. As I said to Gary, I kind of like the challenge of rhyming technical terms. That is the fun part. Thanks for the encouragement and review.

I am so glad you liked it. I remember 8 AM Calc classes. nobody warned me. But will you really take Patristic Theology, too? Thank you for your review, and good luck!

Thanks for seeing the humor and for checking out the rhymes, I have a thing for rhyming technical terms. Why shouldn't engineers get lyrical from time to time? Thanks for your review, Gary.

I am glad you thought Dr. O'Shea's approach to be a sound one. There are almost as many approaches as there are counselors, it seems. Andy appears to be working through some of his issues and experiences, enough to grow and become more of who he was meant to be. I Am also very glad you continue to read Andy's journal, and I am most grateful for your reviews.

David is now channeling strength. This can cut two ways, of course. If he feels too strong, he may make critical errors in judgment. On the other hand, perhaps feeling stronger will help him connect better with Twoey. The dance, the new athletic season, the seating arrangements, and all that other stuff could derail their friendship. The two of them will need to be strong about that. Hope Gary and Mike do okay together, or else David will start questioning his interior wisdom. Maybe we could have another chapter tomorrow? Please, SD? I'll be good, promise!

Couplet Coursework Now begin semester's grinding tussle; now the homework, now the classroom bustle. Calculus, Equations differential make you think your life is penitential. Trig analysis is quite sadistic; while you take Theology patristic. Don't despair, your mind expands like taffy as you solve MacLaurin series daffy. Number theory, methods most Socratic lead you to conclusions most ecstatic.

You write about choice elegantly here, Gary. The metre emphasizes the inevitability of consequences from the choices one makes. Its insistent pace highlights your words and drives home the point that you have no choice but to own all your choices. This poem particularly affected me. So very well done.

I thank you for your continued reading of A to Z. It is a long tale, and admittedly hard going at times. The early chapters are especially difficult, as you say. Stefan maddeningly runs when he should stay, covers up when he ought to be open, shuts out help when he could receive what others would give. The early hard going has conditioned this behavior - but who can tell the reader that early on? Not Stefan, certainly. And he is so, so alone, as you say. Not sure what 'HEA' means, but I'm guessing you mean a happy ending? Like Andy, I'm just going to shrug. In this chapter, the big news is that Andy is less the guest or foster boy, and is instead becoming a part of the family. Of course, means learning about the rest of the Stevenson clan. I am enormously grateful for your encouraging words and for writing responses. I am especially happy you have continued to read through Andy's story. Thank you.

You could easily make the case that Garrett Stevenson distracted Andy. The roads they drove on were pretty quiet - not much traffic, he reported in he he journal. And maybe Garrett was trying to take Andy's mind off being nervous. And yes, the um, phone call took a decidedly interesting turn, but a turn almost normal for a teenage, no? Thanks so very much for all your encouraging reviews and for continuing to read Andy's story.

You are right about the parking lot bit; I wondered about that, but the segue into Andy driving seemed more natural, so I let it go. And Andy does know about driving farm equipment, as you say. Hard to believe fifty chapters have gone by, Harder to believe how far Andy has come in those pages. Thank you so much for your encouragement and for reading the story. Believe me, as I started posting, I had my heart in my throat, wondering if anyone would want to read this. Thanks again.

Thank you for your encouraging words and remarks. Andy emerging as more independent and yet more his own part of the Stevenson family is a mind boggling change for Andy. A departure, of sorts. And a nice change from the drama of the past month or so, really. He could use that. I hope you continue to enjoy Andy's journal.

You saw something new in Andy in this very easygoing and almost 'normal' chapter. Normality is a big, new departure for Andy. And so is becoming a part of the family as he learns more about the family history how far it extends beyond Blackburn. I don't know just how relaxed Andy was in driving - it must have been very anxious for him at the start - but he seemed to grow into it. As you put it so rightly, his insecurities have lost some of their power. And I, too, loved Puppilull's words as especially appropriate to Andy at this point - he is beginning to feel safe in giving in to longing. And he has been longing for so very much. I thank you for your remarkably kind and encouraging reviews, and for continuing to read Andy's story. I deeply appreciate it.

I have tried (not always successfully) to reply to the readers who review anything I post. If they've gone to the trouble to say something (and I've received 99.44% positive reviews), then like Carlos, I feel I owe them that much. Because I have never posted anywhere but in the friendly confines of GA, I can't say that I've received emails from any other source. I guess I like it here too much to bother with anyplace else.

"Safe to give into longing." What a lovely phrase for Andy, and Zander, too. Andy is certainly feeling more a part of the Stevenson family after his talk with Garrett. Zander has made Andy feel increasingly safe and comfortable, too. But remembering can always hurt and make one pull back, too. Thanks so much for your encouraging remarks and for your continued reading of Andy's story.

Sorry about making you worry. The departures here were more subtle ones. Zander leaving for swim finals was the most obvious. Andy getting a learner's permit - becoming a sort of Official Normal Teenager - was a big departure. And his becoming more firmly a Stevenson - not just Zander's Andy, but Andy himself in relation to the constellation of Stevensons - well these are departures from Andy's 'normal' life as he knew it. Again, sorry my deep metaphor misled you. Many thanks for your reviews, encouragement and support.

Zander departs for his state invitational championships. But Andy's departure is a little different; his new foster father takes him for a milestone driver's permit application. This is totally new to him: a parent willing to teach him something - a different sort of departure, if you like. No cruel cliffhanger here, just a day in the life of a teenager. Almost normal, in its way. And maybe that's a departure from Andy's drama, too. Sorry to have alarmed you. Thanks for your remarks and reading Andy's story. I really appreciate your encouragement and support.

So it appears. Zander is away, and Andy misses him terribly. But won't Zander be surprised when Andy can get behind the wheel on his return! Thanks for your comment and for your continued reading and support.

Um, yes. Toys. But how normal this all is. Unthinkable for Andy a year ago, or even a month ago. The family talk only plants Andy more firmly into the Stevenson constellation. I am so very glad you felt this calm, simple stuff to be a good contrast to the drama that has preceded it. I really appreciate your take on these chapters, and thanks for your support. I really appreciated it.

Yeah, that's exactly how it wanted it to feel. I've had to listen - to be in Zander's place - and it is sometimes very hard not to react. Poor Zander got a little ambushed; but he recovered well. And yes, it is wonderful to be able to write about Andy growing into himself. Thanks, Tim for your encouragement and support. Thanks for reading!

What a perfect story for a snowy day. I love the slow, unstoppable mutual attraction and their mutual realization of what it must mean. Beautifully done.

March 10 This morning, I woke before the alarm went off. Zander had tipped over onto his stomach during the night, and I had gone with him. I lay partly sprawled over his warm back. I raised my head to look at the clock. Ugh. Five minutes to go before alarm would scream to get us moving. And we would have to get moving. I lay down again, my ear just below Zander's shoulder blade. I listened to the slow, steady thump-thump of his heart. I would miss this for the next two nights. It seemed lik

You tell your story here in quatrains golden; and to you in verse I'm now beholden. You write so eloquently and irresistibly. I so admire your work here. I have tried sonnets long ago, and threw my hands up in frustration. Thank you Tim!

I think SD is right in that I want to know more about Ethan and Roger now. I am also very scared for Galen. What did he do in his distress that he wishes he'd never done? Found another man to break everyone's heart? Something worse? The worst of all this impending train wreck is that we kind of knew it was coming. Somewhee along the line, Galen lost the ability to make choices about who he wanted, and how his life would work out. Now it seems too late to avoid a tragedy. But what a great tragedy you are writing, Val. Needless to say, I want more!