Parker Owens

Oh, god, Tim, I got bushwhacked by this. So sad, so melancholy. I ache with the grief and the unhappiness left for me to live with.

Yet we also know that Uncle Ray and Andy's father haunt his dreams and his consciousness, frequently and consistently. You are right to be curious. Thank you for your perceptive reading and review.

I am glad you see Monica as doing her best in an odd (read: difficult) situation. Andy is bound to be very different from her other two sons. And how to parent in a few weeks what she's tried to instill in Zander over a lifetime? I this she must go to bed knowing the mistakes she made in a give day, and shake her head. She might lose sleep over it - we know she checks on the boys now and then. I hope that she is doing everything in love - at least, I think she is. Many thanks for your perceptive remarks and for keeping faith with Andy and Zanderf.

That you love this story makes me so very happy. It inhabits me still. I worked hard at this chapter, so I am glad it came off. You are most welcome, and I thank you for keeping faith with Andy and Zander.

I am very happy you have come to love the story as much as I have. As Andy learns to be more open, he gives himself the chance to heal, however long that might take. Unlearning his instinct to hide, which you point out so very well, will surely take time. That Zander loves him, and that Monica and Garrett will let the boys be in love, surely has helped - even as the parents insist on keeping them healthy. On the one hand, Monica is kind of rough in her persistence; on the other, she is a living example of the kind of honesty Andy can expect and learn. Poor Monica is doing her best, but she'll make mistakes. Andy's running has to be improving with al the encouragement Kaz has been giving him. Encouraging coaching is always better than the baiting or goading that sometimes passes for coaching these days. Sorry, my own personal axe just got ground, there. Thanks for your perceptive remarks and for keeping faith with Andy and Zander.

I am glad you thought so much of this chapter; it went through a lot of rewriting I am glad you smiled. Monica is clearly flawed, clearly trying to adjust to a brand new member of the family who happens to be in lover with her teenage son. She is indeed a stubborn mom. I hope the tensions you perceived don't exhaust you, too. Thanks for reading with Andy and keeping faith with him and Zander.

Slowly, slowly the healing begins. Monica is like every parent who has to accept and deal with their children's sexuality. Not every parent also gets to question their child's prospective partner. You very adroitly point out a big stormcloud still looming over Andy; he must think about exactly what you have mentioned. Thank you for your insight, and for continuing to read with Andy!

Andy was probably too numb or battered or scared to face anything in his dreams until now. Dr. O'Shea has been good for Andy to this point. Monica trying to explain gay sex must mirror the experience of any straight parent trying to come to grips with wanting to love and protect their children, but being unable to speak from experience. Add on the layer of unfamiliarity with Andy, and, well...I tried to feel both her embarrassment and Andy's. I hope it worked. Kaz is unquestionably persistent. He and Terry must get along because they share that trait. I am so very glad you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for your comments and for keeping faith with Andy.

That Andy can talk about his life with Dr. O'Shea more and more freely could mean he might actually have a chance to heal. Anger and frustration can loosen someone's tongue; Zander didn't mean to come out, but he sure wasn't going to back down, either. Thanks for this review, and for keeping faith with Andy.

I am glad you sense the tension; there are unresolved issues for Andy, but they will take time to surface and be handled. Thanks for your kind comments and for reading Andy's story.

February 19 The busy-ness hasn’t really let up. Living with a family – especially a family with Zander in it – is exhilarating and exhausting. For one thing, the appointment schedule has been unceasing. How Mrs. Stevenson (I’m still getting used to calling her Monica, like she wants me to) managed to keep it all up, I have no idea. That is, until I discovered she’s been taking time off from work to take me to all these things, and to show up for meetings. I feel bad that she’s had to do that,

That was sweet and fun. Thanks for a great first chapter.

Silver silken snow reflects the waning crescent moon and every star while smooth crystal drifts whisper hot humid secrets of bodies on grass.

Maybe this once David ought not to plan for the event, but plan for contingencies. Plan for supporting Twoey, no matter what his heart tells him. Now Twoey is calling David 'Angel,' so David had better get his heart set about Twoey. Does he really want to be Twoey's Angel? Because if he doesn't I suspect he's going to be Matty's latest conquest.

I read this through. Then read it again. And then again a third time, before I could absorb it all. It's brutal, honest and very, very, hard. And yet, there was light and love waiting for you on the other side of hell. I admire you for your strength and courage. I admire your honesty. I admire you more than I can say for being able to share your story. AC has it right when he calls you one of the strongest people out there. We should all be as strong as you.

Oh, my trepidation is real enough. I feel like such a fraud as a writer sometimes. When that happens, I bet anyone can see through me - I'm just a schoolteacher masquerading...

Thanks for your kind thought. That's my strange math sense of humor coming out...

Thought you'd get a kick out of that. Thanks, Drew!

LOL, QED! And our humor now we see.

Oh Dragon of few words, thank you.

Tanka #1 With fear and trembling I submit my words; wider audiences to read my fool's ephemera. Can mathematics teachers do anything besides count?

"Red Running Shoes" had me hooked very early, and remains a story I look at over and again. Thank you for some additional insight in to Jonah, who I loved reading about. Many thanks, Dark, for organizing this.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind encouragement. That you care so much about these characters makes me very happy. It was a pleasure in writing to see Andy emerge and change as I wrote; he seemed alive as the text was set onto the screen. The tension with Dr. O'Shea between what Andy feels he can say and what he might need to talk about is consistent with everything he's told us in his journal to this point. She appears to make him comfortable enough - more comfortable than the medical doctor, at least. I thank you for continuing to read A to Z, and for your perceptive and kind words.

I am happy you liked how their Valentine's Day turned out. I think Mrs. Stevenson had gotten caught up in the business of taking Andy in, forgetting that he might need to be a part of all that, too. When the to-do lists get lengthy, that can happen. The final part of this chapter was such fun to write. Thank you so much for continuing to read A to Z and for your encouraging remarks.

If I were Zander, I'd never want to let Andy out of my sight. If I were Andy, I'd know I need to be near Zander. Valentine's Day was a perfect day for them to be that way; a good day for Andy to reveal more of what may be his real, sweet nature. Thank you so much for reading A to Z and for your kind, encouraging words.