Mancunian

It's easy to feel critical of both lads, but it is also easy to feel for them and understand where they are coming from. Guy has some experience and had time to accept who he is and his feelings, no doubt he has had more freedom in that respect. On the other hand, Tim has lived a sheltered life hiding his feelings afraid of backlash from his family, his dad for the most part. They need to talk properly to each other, this is the key and there is not enough of the right type of talking going on. Hopefully, things will work out for them but they won't until they have that important conversation.

Thank you @ReaderPaul for reading and commenting. And a special thank you for bringing me back to this story, it is one of my favourites.

I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for reading and commenting throughout.

Thank you for your continued support in reading and commenting, it makes it all worthwhile. But let's not count our chickens just yet, the job is not quite finished and we don't want to tempt fate, do we?

You could be right about the word Techspert, I honestly do not know. As for Benjamin, well, the questions have been asked but we don't know the answer. It's down to our own Techspert's.

Keep your hopes up and say your prayers. Hopefully, your prayers will be answered. But if they are I don't know how they will be answered.

Thank you, I'm hoping that Benjamin will receive the love, hope and help that he needs. He has met good people.

Thank you @ReaderPaul, this was a difficult chapter to write. I didn't want to upset any of my readers with graphic descriptions of violence, and believe it or not, it made me emotional as I wrote it and it still does every time I read it. The drafts I consigned to the bin were too horrible to post.

I don't think we will have to worry about Joseph having a sensitive stomach, Shamira is a good cook and likes to present varying dishes to her family and guests. As Joseph meets more people throughout the story he gets a flavour of a few of the foods he will encounter and I'm sure that Ian and Kevin will want to continue eating some of Shamira's tasty dishes after they return to the UK. If Joseph is like most youngsters of his age he is more likely to get an upset stomach from overindulging.

The exact quote in at least one version of the musical was -- “Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It's not worth a thing unless it's spread around, encouraging young things to grow.” -- Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!" Since I have not yet read the original version or the rest of this one, I will throw some wild speculations around: Spec 1 -- It is learned that Joseph has a younger brother -- additional paperwork needed. Spec 2 -- It is learned that Joseph has a sister -- new complications to the plot. Spec 3 -- "John" finds that DNA "evidence points to Kevin and Joseph being fourth cousins. Now he has a UK connection via bloodline. Spec 4 -- Other. I love both versions of the quote from Dolly, there is a lot of truth in them. I also love the quote from Auntie Mame, I believe 'the who' is more valuable than 'the what' if you get my meaning. As for your speculations @ReaderPaul, all I can say is one of them is correct. If I said any more I may incur the wrath of @raven1 and I'm not about to upset my good friend.

Fascinating indeed, sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know that makes the difference, even if you don't know that at the time.

You are right about Joseph feeling insecure, in his position that would be a natural response. I think he may still grieving for his Avi Emmanuel and is in awe of the men he is introduced to as Ian and Kevin also saw Manny as a father figure and loved him. I think there would have been an element of hope and disbelief in his voice during the closing exchange;- “Do you mean it? You...you will be my Ahkh? My brothers?” “Yes,” was whispered into each of Joseph's ears as the grip tightened.

The other driver makes another appearance later in the story, we then learn his name and a few minor details about him. As for the rest of your comment, I can't say anything.

You raise a good point, it hadn't crossed my mind when writing this. I think we can assume that Joseph is a typical boy in this respect and is currently going through the stages of puberty.

It looks like the kids are settling nicely with Uncle Brendan and having more fun than they have ever had before. Let's hope they get more time like this before the court case starts as that is bound to put them all on a downer. Hopefully, the court case will not last too long and they can get back on with recovering and having a life.

I wonder if Joe was holding anything else back from Joey, I guess we will find out later, if they meet again. Ricky's idea for a new musical sounds like fun, I'll be looking forward to when it makes its debut.

Sven and Brett got it on, and Bill and Teddy got it on, but did Joey and Ricky get it on with the dancers? You never did finish what was going on in that hotel room. I'm not surprised that so few turned out for Randy's funeral but it must have hurt his parents and I think it's a shame they felt so embarrassed by their son's actions that they sold up and left New York, they are not responsible for his actions and should not feel the need to move away.

Samantha does have her suspicions, but she is just keeping them to herself for now. Jason may have some suspicions, not because he has seen anything other than Tim's reaction to their dad's comment and like a typical younger brother he's checking what mileage he can get out of it. As for mum, well she is a mum and mums know their children. It looks like both couples are enjoying letting things develop between them, Guy and Tim are heavily into each other as are Ben and Samantha.

I'm a bit late coming to the party with this chapter, but I notice that my fellow readers have covered just about all there is to say about what has come to light. After what the kids have been through it's a wonder they can talk to anyone about their experiences, that being said, I'm sure there is a lot more still to be brought out into the open. I'm wondering if the reason it took Nick so long to land on his uncle's porch is because he kept trying to go home until one of the older kids told him about his uncle and where to find him. I'm hoping it's something like that and not because of being in a daze after being assaulted by the kids at the burger joint. All of the kids need thorough medical examinations and a lot of ongoing psychiatric treatment which will take some time, possibly into adulthood. If the justice system doesn't pay for it then the POS parent's house and other assets should be sold to cover the cost.

I hope your appointments went well. I went to my hospital appointment on Tuesday and only got home today! After a bucketful of antibiotics from a drip and keyhole surgery to remove stones, I'm home with a big bottle of anti-biotic pills (to add to the daily mountain of pills) and a few stitches, I'm at home recovering. I should be used to it by now, but I just wish it would all stop. Sorry guys, rant over. I just needed to get it off my chest.

We go on a cruise and watch two couples as they face a pressing issue in their relationships. Each couple is different and although on the same cruise, so are their journeys. Read and enjoy as each couple discovers the true meaning of love and relationships in this smoothly-written story.

Love doesn't have a chance until you give it a chance, then the world is your oyster. This comes through loud and clear in this wonderful story where two couples have their issues to resolve. Each couple has their own journey before realising this. It's not the cruise that opened their eyes, it's the opportunity it gave them to see what was in front of them. I come away from this story feeling good for these two couples who no longer hide their love.

I'd say that I'm sorry to hear about Randy, but I'm not. What happened to him was bound to happen with his attitude. It's good that Joey and Ricky have been honest with each other about their encounters, I hope it doesn't cause problems in their relationship but I fear that Bill's jealousy could rear its ugly head unless he falls for his blind date or another guy.

I liked the atmosphere of a nice romantic evening, out in the open getting close and...well you get the picture. The come down after arriving home would be enough to scare anyone shitless, but I'm sure it's not Tim's dad or brother because he locked his bedroom door. My money is on Ben wanting to talk after the revelations earlier in the day.

I'll second that. 😃