Mancunian

I wish I could say a lot of good things about Jeremy for looking for and trying to help Carter, but let's be honest, he is only there because he doesn't want to upset his children not for any altruistic or other good reason, but at least he is there. But to be fair, he is better than Laura, she would prefer Carter to die. Terrified, Carter is running for his life knowing that if he is caught he will suffer a torturous death at Lopez's hands, I'm hoping he succeeds or is found by Jeremy in time, but what will the future hold for him? Will it be a happy future or one where he is continually running from Lopez? I fear that Carter has more suffering ahead of him before he finds happiness.

There is no reason for you to feel like an idiot and nothing for you to be scared about. Let me tell you something about all of the authors on GA, we had to learn too. We all had to learn about adjectives, verbs, adverbs and nouns, some have learned more than others and some are still learning so you are not on your own. We also had to learn about sentence structure, grammar and how to use punctuation, some have learned more than others and some are still learning. Some authors use computer programs to help with these things, while others don't. I use a program called Grammarly which is a great help, there are other computer programs and apps that do the same as Grammarly does. A lot of authors have people to help them, they are called beta readers and editors, they do not write the story but they do help an author to get it right. A beta reader will read a story and point out parts of the story that do not make sense or tell the author about other errors in the story. An editor will check for mistakes in spelling, and the wrong use of adjectives, verbs, adverbs and nouns and tell the author about them so the author can correct them. The editor will also help the author with sentence structure, grammar and punctuation. Sometimes it is a bit like having a teacher checking your work and authors do learn a lot from beta readers and editors. Authors are human, we make mistakes and sometimes we need help too.

As the author I can confirm that Michael is definitely straight, although I cannot reveal my sources, lol. Knowing that you are enjoying the story is music to my ears and the reactions you leave are greatly appreciated. I understand how real life can sometimes get in the way of doing many things that we want to do. Any comment that you can leave will be as valued as all others and I promise to acknowledge and respond to them, recommendations and reviews will also be valued. Thank you for your support.

I'm sure you will smash that soon, there are more of your stories for me to read and there are other readers who love your stories too.

I don't know how @headstall does it, but he did it again. He drew me into the story and made me feel the emotions of the narrator as he thought back to happy times and a relationship that was full of love. If you haven't experienced the pull of Headstall's stories you are missing out. There is a lot packed into this short so be prepared, read and learn about love and grief, no regrets, there is no room for regrets in this story, it is beautiful.

I was at the hospital earlier and posted my comments before I had finished writing them. I'm back at home now, dialysis is done for today, so I can finish and tell you something that happened at the hospital. We always value what we have, but sometimes we don't appreciate its true value until we no longer have it. After I read this two of the nurses came to ask if I was okay because they had seen me wipe a few tears from my eyes. I couldn't explain to them how I felt or why so I showed them what I had been reading, one of them walked away unable to speak and swallowing as if she had something stuck in her throat, and the other asked for the web address for GA and your profile name, she wants to read more. So you have made an impact on more than me today, now I can leave a review.

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.