Parker Owens

I love the swallows, and delight in their return. Thank you for writing about them.

I’ll let you judge by next week’s chapter if you’re ready to be done with Gus and Rick. Right now, Rick seems done with standing in the shadows and letting other people decide his fate.

It’s great to know the suspense and tension that Rick felt on his several hundred mile dash to Chicago came through in this chapter. I’m only sorry that I may have run you out of Cheetos. Rick found Gus in the end. Now, as one reader put it, it’s time that Gus and Zoltan disentangle. But that may have to wait a bit. Thanks very much for your encouraging comments and for reading this chapter.

I'm glad you liked the chapter's ending line. Rick may have no idea about what is to come, but he isn't afraid of it, either. Helene's character is not one I had time to develop, but in her one-dimensional way, she clearly thought she and Gus had something that never existed. Delusional? Possibly. Or maybe she knows that he's the one who is the real talent when they play together. You're quite right that Zoltan and Magda would very much like the pair to appear to be a "normal" couple, if only for appearance's sake. It placates certain audiences, apparently. Thanks for reading the story, and especially for your comments.

You are very kind in your comments. You're right about Marta - she must have been thoroughly pissed off by her parents' confiscation of her phone and for the abrupt end to her connection with Jared. Rick has clearly broken with Heinrich, as you noted. He is making independent decisions without the old man, even if the business' days may be numbered. I'm glad you liked the one-sided conversation he had with his father. If the description of the drive to Chicago and the hunt for Gus put you there in Rick's shoes and in the van with him, then my hopes in writing this chapter were fulfilled. Thank you very much for your responses and for reading the story!

I like the way you put it: now Gus must disentangle himself from Zoltan. Zoltan seems to have forgotten that Gus is an adult, and one who should be accorded respect and independence. Having Rick with him will let them both find their own way together. I'm glad that the frustrations and the discomforts of the long drive to Chicago came through in the writing. We can all the more easily put ourselves in Rick's shoes. Thank you very much for your comments, and for reading the story.

You are very generous in your comments. You have hit upon a key facet of this chapter - it illustrates Rick racing away from what is secure and safe into something that is unknown, but which is clearly more his own and more what is meant to be than anything he has ever experienced. I hope you have recovered from your ordeal of driving in major cities - I have done so, too, though not entirely willingly. I felt a sense of accomplishment and victory when I found a place to park! I couldn't help but channel that when writing about Rick's frantic search for a parking place. The next week and the penultimate chapter will be here before you know it. Thank you for your patience in reading the story and for your comments.

I'm glad you got a laugh from the final line. I hope you are uninjured. Things certainly look sunnier for Gus and Rick now that Rick has found his boyfriend again. Thank you for reading and for your thoughts!

I'm glad you thought that a chapter which spent most of its time confined behind the wheel of a van could hold your interest. It took a very long time to get through writing it. Thank you for the film tip: I will be looking for this film as soon as I can. Many thanks also for continuing to read the story.

Zoltan will certainly get a shock from seeing Rick in the doorway. It will test the older man's mettle to see how quickly he reacts. We'll see if he really needs a trip to the dry cleaners later. I'm glad the description of Rick's journey into urban traffic let you see, feel and hear what he experienced. That old van probably just made its most heroic emergency trip ever. However, I can attest that there were no stowaways on this particular journey. Many, many thanks for reading, and for your thoughts.

Rick's journey began long before his dash to Chicago; it began when he he first encountered Gus, and when it began to dawn on him that there might be a chance - a real chance - for something better than living in the shadows of his father and his past. The old van will have to hang in there for a little while longer, at least. Rick has to find a way return to earning his bread. However, the traveling classical music groupie thing may sound attractive in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. Thanks very much for your thoughts and all your help.

What an enchanting story! I could picture everything perfectly in my mind’s eye. And how lucky Liebe was to witness the baby turtles scurrying to the sea. That sight will stay with her forever.

I enjoyed this latest installment. #15 was most powerful, and a stinging indictment of the unthinking, superficial judgement we engage in when we think we're all grown up; #18 appealed, particularly as I liked your characterization of adjectives; #19 was a perfect description of our erratic springtime - who ever said our seasons were predictable? #21 strikes an almost elegaic tone; you transported us to that time and place, and we could see and sense your experience in that time so many years ago. Thank you for these.

Rick is learning that his doubts aren't necessarily a reflection of reality, but a connection to his fears. May he grow in his newfound confidence, born of his connection to Gus. I'm glad you thought the drive to Chicago was well done. It's hard to maintain focus when the drive is so long. Driving in an unfamiliar city with one-way streets which make no sense must have been intense. At least, I've felt that way when I've had to do it. Thanks very much for reading and for your comments.

Gus and Helene performed very successfully as a pair. Gus has also done very well as a soloist. Neither Gus nor Zoltan alluded to the nature of the disagreement which resulted in Gus' fracture, however, I doubt Zoltan would have encouraged a reconciliation without Helene having undergone some kind of therapy or counseling. You're right that she should never have broken his wrist; it's interesting to note that conductors, opera singers, and band members have suffered injuries at the hands of other performers. Arturo Toscanini, the legendary conductor, was sued for injuring other musicians in rehearsal more than once.

Your comments are very generous. Indeed, that poor, much-maligned van performed admirably. If ever there were a mechanical hero, that old hunk of metal would qualify. The other thing that makes me smile is how you noted Rick overcoming doubts which would have sent him into full retreat even a month previously. Gus has had an enormous effect on Rick; he's more than a mere infatuation. I sincerely hope you remain in good health to enjoy next week's chapter. Thanks a million for reading, and for your observations.

Alas, I fear I must wait for next Thursday to post the penultimate chapter. I am very glad to hear this chapter communicated tension and excitement, even though so much of it was spent in the driver's seat of a car on the interstate highway. City traffic drives me nuts, so I had to think of Rick, whose frustration must have been triple of anything I've ever felt. Thanks so much for reading, and for your comments!

You're right - for Rick, that was the drive of a lifetime. His innate sense of direction may have helped, but driving in the city must have been an eye-opening experience, enough to set his heart racing. That is, if the prospect of rescuing Gus wasn't excitement enough. Thank you very much for reading and commenting!

You can be proud of Rick for many things - keeping that old van in good enough shape to make the journey; for his immediate (precipitous!) decision to drive to Chicago, forgetting money, clothes, or even the right car; and most of all for having changed in himself. Even a few months prior, Rick might have given into fatalism, and shrugged off the pain of losing Gus. Not anymore. I hope you have fun explaining your grin to everyone you meet today. That thought alone makes me smile. Thank you very much for reading, and for your comments.

I'm very happy the end for this chapter appealed to you. I confess I chuckled to myself as I wrote it. Thank you very much for reading, and for your comments.

You're very kind. Thank you so much.

Marta did some excellent thinking. Undoubtedly, she was inspired by the hope of seeing Jared once again. Zoltan and Magda must not only worry about losing control of Gus' star power; they may also be on the hook for the cancellations his injury may have caused. That must have concentrated their minds, too. To hear Gus call him a 'wonderful man' snuffed out any chance Zoltan's nasty words back in Eagle Lake could be thought of as true. That must have given Rick additional courage. The drive to Chicago must have been both tense and eternal for Rick; if that came through in this chapter, then I am pleased I accomplished setting the mood well. Thank you very much for your comments and for reading.

I loved your cheer for Rick. He did more than drive hundreds of miles to Chicago in pursuit of Gus; he traveled a distance from his old self, from his once-upon-a-time existence, to a something wholly better, wholly new. For a complete amateur, Rick has made quite an entrance. Thanks a million for reading and for your comments!

I’m struck by your comment “... Zoltan said "You do not have a choice.You will do as I say." It's like he still thinks of himself as Gus guardian....” is exactly right. Zoltan must think of himself as a kind of guardian; he and Magda have done a lot of guiding, parenting and providing over the years, along with the quite obvious exploitation. He has real trouble seeing Gus as an independent adult. The contract between them must reflect this, and it’s possible Gus has never had his own lawyer. Marta is definitely more than smitten with Jared; she must have given herself away to her parents somehow. They can’t possibly approve of Jared. As for Willy, he has plenty of his own problems now. How long he can stay out of bankruptcy is a matter of what assets he may still possess, and how fast he can sell them. Thanks again for reading and for your thoughts!

Gone. Gus was gone. Cedarcrest basked under the warm July sky, but the lodge stood empty. The Takács family had disappeared, and Gus with them. But where? They probably just went out for a shopping trip. They’ll be back any minute. No need to get bent out of shape. Rick walked over to the garage. A brief period of experimentation determined the doors were shut tight and locked. If they went shopping, they wouldn’t lock the garage, would they? With a sense of dread