Mancunian

After reading this I decided to read Piano Bar before commenting. The result was an even bigger lump in my throat brought about by the emotions displayed in both pieces of work. This is a beautiful narration of a final visit to a bar, not any bar, but one that has special meaning. Your writing style drew me in and I felt emotional. Love, melancholic nostalgia, happiness, sadness, grief, acceptance and finally courage to carry on. We don't know why the narrator and his love are no longer together and we don't need to know, it would probably spoil the enjoyment if we did know. Something or someone died, whether it was the narrators partner in life or the relationship is irrespective, either way the grieving process was necessary. Only then could the narrator look back with love and fondness at what he had and accept what has come to pass. Now he has the courage to look forward and continue with an open heart as love is light-weight that is easily carried into the future. Thank you my friend for sharing another piece of yourself, that is what each of your pieces of work is, a piece of you.

This is not just a poem, it is a written statement that is a testament to a past love. It is a beautifully written expression of a love that is still treasured. I followed the link from Our Bar so I could read this and was not disappointed, the two pieces of work compliment each other so well that either could be the main feature supported by the other. Thank you for sharing.

I'm usually on the machines for a few hours but now it's every other day it takes two to two and a half hours. Then it's off home and have a nap. The nurses are a good bunch but not all of them will let me turn my laptop on as hospital policy states that while on the machine computers shouldn't be used.

I'll be back home later, it's just this bloody dialysis.

I keep dozing off then the machines on the ward wake me up, lol but other than that I'm good thanks. The nurses today are letting me use my laptop.

Aloha Albert, how are you today

A lot is going on in this chapter but there are no answers, only more questions. We found out that Jeremy took advantage of Carter while both were intoxicated. While it's not a forcible rape it could still be technical rape as Carter was not able to give informed consent, but that is if sex did take place which is unconfirmed. I base that on Carter's response as he doesn't remember it and is feeling no after-effects of sex which would leave at least some discomfort since Carter hasn't had sex since his divorce from Elias. As they had been drinking heavily it is possible that no sex took place, as we Brits would say it is possible Jeremy was suffering 'brewers droop', that's where the spirit is willing but the flesh was weak, too weak to maintain an erection. I'm not saying that is what happened, I'm only mentioning a possibility. Has Jeremy had an 'other-worldly' experience, or has he experienced something based on guilt? Guilt from creating the explosive situation that he is in and causing emotional harm to those around him and the turmoil that Carter is being put through as a result. What is happening to Carter after opening his door to Lopez? Is it real or is it a nightmare? I'm hoping it's a nightmare because I'm struggling to see any way out for Carter if it is real. But then our author has woven such a web of intrigue anything is possible and believable. The next chapter will, hopefully, answer these questions, either that or this web of intrigue will become more intense.

It's a pleasure, my friend.

You are more than welcome @dannyportwersburghuk. It is a pleasure to be of help.

A well-written short story that shows the importance of communication, but not just any sort of communication. It's the sort where you listen without cutting someone off or shutting off from them. If you want to know what I mean then read on, this has been written by a skilled author who effortlessly makes everything clear.

Phew, I thought we were about to witness a relationship break up before they had a real chance. This didn't just show us that communication is important, it demonstrated it. There are two sides to communication, the first is talking and telling a partner how we feel and why, without holding anything back, but it is more than that. There is no need to be snarky or nasty when speaking, everything can be said respectfully without causing hurt or at least minimising it so the other person doesn't feel as though they are being attacked. The second, or other, side to good communication is to listen and I don't just mean hearing the words, I mean really listening. That means listening to every word and absorbing all of what is being said without interrupting, not cherry-picking on snippets without listening to all of what is being said, it is too easy to misunderstand or take things out of context if you cut people off or shut off from listening. Listening fully and properly is as important as speaking, sometimes more so. That is one of the things Paul and Chris learned in their heart-to-heart conversation. They are not out of the woods yet, but now they have a better chance if they remember this lesson. This is an excellent short story from a true wordsmith, thank you, Gary.

I want to answer this part of your post first. If you have any questions please ask them, nobody on GA will laugh at you. One or more of us will try to answer your questions and help you. Asking questions is one of the most important parts of learning and if you do not understand the answer tell us then we can try again. Anyone can write stories and some people are indeed better writers than others. A lot of people get better at writing although not everyone does, but that does not mean they should stop writing, if you enjoy writing you should do what you enjoy. Reading will help your English language skills and that is a good place to start. If you are attending English classes to help you learn the English language speak to your tutor and explain the difficulties to them, a good tutor will always try to help you. If there are extra classes you can take your tutor may help you to find them and help you to enrol. Be patient with yourself and do not give up, it can take time to learn the English language and I can tell from your post you are learning and I think you are doing well. I understand that making friends can be difficult but if you can make friends try to speak English as much as possible, that will also help to improve your language skills, good friends will help you and be patient. If anybody does not want to talk to you because of your language difficulties or your accent then they are not friends and you are better off without them. If you are reading stories that you can relate to and they help you feel better please continue to read. All of us authors want people to read our stories and enjoy them. If you like a story leave a comment to let the author know, they will appreciate it and the more you use the English language the more your language skills will improve. There are some authors here who do not have English as a first language but it does not stop them from writing so it should not stop you. Those authors have different ways to help them write their stories, I hope they will share some good ideas with you. If you want to write the stories that you have in your head, write them for your pleasure and enjoyment. I do not know how well this idea will work, but you could try writing in Romanian and then use an online translator to translate it into English, a google search may help to find a translation program. Maybe another author will comment and tell us how well they work. If you have any questions ask and we will try to help you.

So now we know what happened, but Jeremy did not cheat on Ethan in reality, only in his mind. He had sex with Carter while intoxicated, no doubt driven by Carter's likeness to Ethan. But to be blunt, you can't cheat on a dead man, but yes you can feel as though you have. No doubt Dexter will use that to get at Carter, but he hasn't realised that while Jeremy feels this way he hasn't got a chance with Jeremy, no one has. I don't know what Carter will do about it but it will be interesting to find out, the trouble is Carter has more than Dexter against him although he doesn't know that yet. Lopez has the information he needs, now he is going to plan and wait it out. Will Lopez be successful, or will his hatred for Carter flaw his planning? And if Lopez does get to Carter will it affect Jeremy? And if it does, what will it do to Jeremy? I also wonder if Dexter and Lopez become aware of each other somewhere along the way and team up. I hope not because then Carter may not stand a chance. Or is it possible that Jeremy comes to his rescue?

Aloha Albert, I hope you're having a good day.

Brendan is doing a great job looking after the kids and they are coming on in leaps and bounds, but the job is far from finished, all of the kids are still showing some negative signs of their previous treatment. I fully understand the suspicion some readers have of Evelyn Harper, feel the same, maybe Brendan's attitude is keeping his friends close but his enemies even closer, that way he can keep a close eye on her in case of a slip. Steve and Nick's conversation about dick size was comical and typical of brothers, but I didn't like the way the abuse they were subjected to was brought into the conversation, what sick shit was going through their mother's mind to perform oral sex on the boys? Overall a much more settled chapter, I just hope they are ready for the fallout of the trial when it comes around.

This has been a great story of developing relationships, it's good to see that Tim and Guy, and Ben and Sam are still happy couples, although I'm sure they will experience a few 'bumps along the road' in the future. I'd say this is a good point to end the story but it isn't is it? It's the start of a new story for us to look forward to. 😃

I don't know what to say, except, thank you.

Well, that seems to look like many family funerals that I've heard of, you know the ones, where long-lost friends and family creep out of the woodwork just in case they have been included in a will. Or am I being cynical? I don't include Aunty Margaret or Ollie's Nona in that, I think they were there there for genuine reasons. I get the feeling that Aunty Margaret will be a great ally in what could be a clusterfuck of a mess, but the jury is out on why Ollie's Nona has turned up at the shop. I have my fingers crossed that it is with good intentions, although I'm not going to hold my breath while we wait to find out.

Ah, the joys of being young and in love. Wouldn't we all like to go back to those days? Hey, don't laugh, I can dream, can't I?

Welcome to GA, you will find plenty of stories to keep you reading for a long time. I suggest you get comfortable and enjoy reading.

Happy Birthday, Pagey, here's to an enjoyable day and many more to come. 🎂 🍾 🍷 🍹 🍺 🍻 🥂 🥃

I'm doing good thanks, I'm a bit spaced out on painkillers so that helps, lol. How are you and Steve this glorious weekend?

The review is well deserved my friend and was long overdue.

Are any of us surprised at the actions of those incensed by what these people did? No. Are any of us surprised these people are still alive following these actions? Yes. Do we care? No. I could go on like this but I won't. I'd just like the judge to get on with it and sentence them to be fried, or gassed, or whatever the death penalty is in that state. While legally what happened to the kid's parents, I use the term parents to stop me from going off on a rant, is wrong many of us would argue it was morally right. Some may even resort to quoting the bible about 'an eye for an eye' but what is done is done. Personally, I think it a shame that people will be punished for actions that are, in my mind, understandable knee-jerk reactions, I'd go with Nick's reaction and start handing out medals, or am I wrong for thinking that? I'm more concerned that the kids are looked after properly and given the support they need to live as normal a life as possible.

WTF! What happened in that bar, or was it after they left the bar? Whatever it was, Jeremy can't bring himself to say anything other than 'Carter let him down', how did Carter let him down? Whatever it is Carter can't remember, but why? Oh yeah, there was a lot of alcohol involved, that probably explains a lot. Now everybody is wondering what Carter did, and everybody is blaming somebody else for what is happening to Jeremy, but what is happening to Jeremy? Nobody knows, but everybody is blaming somebody because it's not their fault, or is it? Does any of this make sense? Probably not, so we will have to wait for the next instalment to explain, or I hope it will be explained. But this whole mess, the shambles that Jeremy is in reminded me of the following, it may, or probably won't explain something. Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done Ah, there we have it, it's that elusive person we all know but have never met, NOBODY. Now that I've got that off my chest and apportioned blame, I'll continue, rationally, I think. Great writing in this chapter, lots of excitement and tension but no conclusion. Instead we are left with one hell of a cliffhanger. I hope we learn soon about what has happened that Jeremy isn't articulating and Carter cannot remember. Confused? Join the club.