Mancunian

What success they have with the computers and mobile phones becomes apparent in later chapters, Jason may be inexperienced about being homeless but he is a fast learner and quite resourceful at times. As close as Jason gets to Jim and Beccy there are some things that he cannot bring himself to share with anyone, feelings of guilt and shame have a lot to do with that.

Hi @Simon41, it's good to know that you are enjoying this and the other stories in The Boot World and that you are invested enough to wan to know more about the other characters. This is the what all authors want to know as it it what gives us the encouragement to continue to write. I hope that the points you mentioned have not detracted from your enjoyment. There will be more stories to come in both The Boot Series and The Lost Souls series, with the possibility of other unrelated stories, all of which are yet to be written and are in the planning stage. The points you have mentioned have given me something to think about when planning these stories. Thank you for your valuable comments.

Danny is a very lovable character and like many lads of his age he still needs looking after, his vulnerability could easily be used against him by unscrupulous characters so now he is in the best place he could be. As for Jason, well he is another vulnerable youngster who I hope gets his life back on track soon.

I'm sure that you have your own thoughts too and I'm always happy to hear them. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

@Dodger is a brilliant writer, he sometimes deals with the grittier stories that most tend to shy away from writing. He has a way with words that draws you in and without explaining anything he helps you to understand the 'moral atmosphere' of the time. I've just read this for the first time, I couldn't stop and read it in one sitting, it's that compelling. I've happily left a review of the story and would suggest if anyone hasn't read it, they should. Just remember that it isn't set in present day and it reflects attitudes of the time in which it is set.

Brutal, gritty and very true to life as it was at the time. This is not a story for the faint hearted or those expecting hearts, flowers and a 'happy ever after', it's not that type of story. It's very well written and a compelling story. Jeff is a man that is a product of his time, brought up when it was okay to be a misogynistic bigot. to make matters worse he suffers from PTSD after fighting in the Vietnamese war. Still grieving after his wife's death he has to deal with his eldest son admitting he is gay. You probably won't agree with him, but you will be drawn into his struggles and how he deals with life and brings some balance to it. It's a compelling and recommended read.

Hi @Simon41, thank you for taking the time to read the story, I hope you are enjoying it, it would be great to know what you think of the story and the other stories in The Boot World. I think you're misreading the date format used on GA, unlike the standard UK format of dd/mm/yyyy the site used the American and Canadian format which is mm/dd/yyyy. The uk date format for when the story was started is 01/06/2022 (day/month/year), the USA/Canadian format is 06/01/2022 (month/day/year), it can be confusing for us Brits but once you get used to it it's easy enough although it sometimes it still confuses me. This chapter was posted November 1st - eight days ago. This chapter was originally intended to be the final chapter bit when it came to editing it was split into two, the next and final chapter will be posted in within the next week if not before. Hope that clears up any confusion.

This sounds like one to read, it's on reading list now.

Never under estimate the smaller ladies, they often are the ones with the most 'fire' in them, especially when they are a ward sister. Judy only has small part in this story and hasn't been featured in any of the other stories... yet. Sometimes life does give us something to laugh at and it has its part in this story. I hope you continue to enjoy.

Thank you again for commenting, please keep them coming they are welcome. As you say with current events there are a lot of changes on the cards that affect a lot of people. All I will say about the changes is that some come sooner than others, some are more welcome than others and some are not as good as others. That's all I'll say so that I don't spoiler your reading.

Thank you for the comments they really are appreciated and welcome. I've tried to keep the characters believable and show that everyone is an important individual no matter what their background or life situation is. There is a lot to learn about The Major, some comes to light in this story, more of his background is explained in his own story, Lost Soul - The Ox, he also appears in Ian and Kevin's story, Goldstein Johnson and Cole, where he has an important role.

As you say the Major is a tough old boot and doesn't go down easily. The lads mean more to him than even realises yet, in some ways he needs them as much as they need him. Kate and Steve are going into fostering with their eyes wide open and realise that it won't be easy and they are looking forward to it. Yep Andy is a bit miffed but John's identity is a guarded secret for good reason, but is it a wise decision, that is yet to be decided.

There are many thousands of people like this around the world who ask for nothing in return. The only 'payment' is knowing that they have done the right thing, they usually receive little or no recognition.

Thank you Terry for the meaningful comments, they are very much appreciated. I have continued to write about The Boot, it has morphed into The Boot World which encompasses the The Boot Series and The Souls Series. The latter is a collection of stories about some of the main characters of The Boot. I hope you enjoy them and continue to comment. Craig

Thank you @Simon41 for taking the time to comment, it's good to know that The Boot Three Years On is still being read and enjoyed and hope the chapter 'head and toes' don't put you off. There are several organisations that still provide hot soup, sandwiches and other occasional hot meals around the city centre, I don't know if Salford University is one of them but all are doing a great job and providing a much needed service that is appreciated by those living on the streets. Most of what I write about are real issues which I try to add a a little levity to whilst at the same time trying to keep it real. I may take a break from writing on occasion but I will continue to write and sometimes use it as a voice to speak up on issues that need addressing.

Well that was a brilliant way to end this story. It was great seeing Jay, Seamus and co kicking Loren's sperm donor and brood mare out before they even got a chance to get in, it was just a small bit of justice. Then a wedding that is sooo Loren, lol, it's a shame we couldn't all physically be there. Then you followed that with a raunchy honeymoon, I'm glad I wasn't there for that, just imagining what went on nearly burnt my eyes out lol 😂. Cousin Camp was a blast, I enjoyed reading about the kids having fun with their two favourite uncles. The ending is a touch of genius, closing the story with finding the child seat in the truck told him, and us, all that is needed to know their future is guaranteed. Thank you for all of your hard work, it is very much appreciated. Now I'm going to have a day or two's break from reading then it's eye's down for the next instalment.

With a chapter full of kids I'm surprised there wasn't any temper tantrums, oh yes there was one, that was Jay's mum at the start. This over possessive mother needs to take some lessons from the kids, take life as you find it and enjoy it. I love the way the tables have turned on Jay, you should never ask for something if you don't really want it, I think Loren is teaching him a lesson there lol.

I loved this chapter from start to finish. I can just picture Jay laying in bed thinking to himself 'I love it when a plan comes together' and rubbing his hands together in glee.

Finally Loren has stopped living in the past, he's now living in the present and looking forward to the future. Jay will not be going to live in Loren's home and Loren will not going to live in Jay's home. This next part is important, they will be going to live in their home and building a future together for the two of them. I know it's going to be all plain sailing, there are bound to be hiccups along the way, but now they will be doing it together.

Everything appears to be going well for everyone, except Jay and Loe. They are all happy in their commitment and impending parenthood, except Jay and Loe. It's no surprise that Jay wanted to talk about their future and living together, what does Loe do? Crawl back in his shell and totally shut Jay down, may be it was out of fear but it was also totally disrespectful in the way it was done. Loe's response, 'I'll make the big gesture and hang the cost who cares about that', he was soooo wrong. Yes Jay wants a big gesture, but not one from the wallet, he wants one from the heart and an honest heart to heart conversation about their future, let's hope Loe gets it.

Nicely written chapter, everything is coming along nicely and Lars is seeing a therapist - which is a positive - then Loe goes and throws a hissy fit. I'm not surprised at Loe's reaction, it just goes to show that he still has his issues, personally I think he still needs his therapist in the same way Lars does.

One of the few things I can agree on with Boris lol.

Great news about the partnership, I'm sure they will do well financially from that. And what an honour to be asked to be godparents, to be asked to be be guardians if the worst ever happened is the biggest honour that any parents could pay someone, after all you wouldn't want just anyone to look after your kids, you'd only want the best. As for Lars and Loe, my heart goes out to them, both have suffered abandonment - albeit of different forms - and have had a lot to deal with over the years as a result. Loe was abandoned, that's a cold hard fact, he had to deal with the reality and with support he built himself a life. The abandonment issues left him with serious trust issues until Jay came into his life, even then he still has his struggles and may always have them. Now, after meeting Lars, he is being reminded of the past and may have to deal with it all over again, hopefully this will help have a positive effect in the long term. Lars was abandoned by the brother he loved, or that's what he was brainwashed into believing. At a young age children can be easily brainwashed by parents and that brainwashing can become so ingrained that no matter what truths are told by others that the child cannot comprehend those truths. Why would they, 'loving' parents wouldn't lie to them or do them any harm, would they? But by keeping him isolated and away from the internet they have and it's been easy. As Lars has got older he's had his doubts but the brainwashing has been so ingrained that it's easier to disregard the doubts and continue the brainwashed 'truths'. My guess is that until he met Courtney he's never pressed the subject of his brother, Courtney has probably been for Lars what Jay has been for Loe. Now he has to deal with the 'false abandonment' issues again and the lies that he has been brought up with. What I'd like to know is how did they manage to keep the authorities away from Lars, that could have it's own legal consequences. And what sick and perverted reasons do they have for what they done to both of their children. It's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds.

Another great chapter. I'm loving the family interaction and the excitement of the kids, shame I can't join them.

nope never have I ever been to Japan