Mancunian

A wonderful short story with a feel-good factor that will never go out of style. It is brilliantly written and full of emotion. Here @chris191070 highlights homelessness and lets us know that we can make a difference. I recommend this story and give it five stars.

A beautifully written story of a wonderful Christmas miracle. It chills you to the bone but warms your heart at the same time by highlighting homelessness and reminding us that we can make a difference. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.

I am happy that many readers are experiencing the same emotions as me while writing this story. Who is luckier, Harry or the lads? I think it's even.

I want my characters to feel like real people, they can only do that if they do and act like real people. The media's stereotypical cliches are like trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We are all unique and individual and I want my characters to reflect that. Thank you for keeping me on my toes and helping me to do that.

I love that Michael's singing touched you, I wanted readers to feel the emotion, and your comment tells that it is felt. I'm not sure who is luckiest, Harry being adopted as 'Gramps' or is it the lads for having adopted him as Gramps, either way, I think it is a close run thing. I don't know if Harry did feel discarded, but I do know he doesn't feel that now. Thank you for letting us know of the beauty you see in this chapter.

Thank you for the wonderful comment. I love the last sentence, it is so true, 'The beauty of the world and the people is in their diversity'.

Good morning, afternoon, evening all. I'll try to catch up later as I have to dash out.

Thank you for reading and commenting @Summerabbacat, and welcome to the Baxter Boys story. You have nicely picked up on one of the most important parts of the story which is the relationships that people build with each other and the different types of relationships, even if some of them are unlikely on the face of things. Circumstances may bring people together but it is more than circumstances that determine what happens after they meet. What people bring to the relationship has more to do with any successful relationship than what they can get out of it. That said, let's see what happens in this story, but it is safe to say the stronger bond is between Harry and Michael at this stage in the story. Max and Stacy do look like a mismatched pair, but as you point out they have a strong loving relationship, one that encompasses their 'family'. I understand what you say about Wind Beneath My Wings as it is flogged to death by many, but in this story, it fits well and you make some very interesting points regarding the songs and artists you mention. I may use some of it at some point in the future. I look forward to reading more of your comments, they are well thought out and interesting.

You're right, Michael's performance of his mother's favourite song was heartbreaking and heart-wrenching and as you rightly point out it is an important part of his healing. The song from Grease was a good move by Stacy to lift everyone's spirits and lift the mood to help ease the exposed pain. All Max and Stacy can do is to give an opportunity, hopefully, it helps. 🤞 Thank you for the comments, they are welcome and I enjoy reading them.

10 out of 10 for financial responsibility, very commendable. I'm impressed that you have a crystal ball too, and you did get one answer right, the correct answer definitely is .

Thank you, Dan. That means we can all love it twice.

Thank you Jon, all I can say is that I do my best to convey the individuality of people and how they interact with each other. I observe real people's behaviour and try to translate it in a way that can be understood. The group are very different to each other and range in age from 14 to 23, in theory, the group shouldn't work but it does. It is their differences and acceptance of others that make the group work. There isn't much that I can add about Alan Turing that hasn't been said. He was robbed of his life and humanity was robbed of a brilliant computer scientist by ancient, unfair, homophobic laws and that is a travesty. Thank you for the welcome comments.

Thanks for the comments Jon. I'm glad that you think there is nothing ticky-tacky about the chapter and enjoyed it. But it does seem to be an apt description of the road that Harry lives on. The song appears to have struck a chord with a lot of readers for different reasons. You have not turned out ticky-tacky or turned out the same, you are unique and write some unique stories. We will wait patiently for more of your stories.

I think with Harry it's a stubbornness brought about by his independence. And I agree, not all older gentlemen are stubborn and cranky. Some are lovable and endearing which I believe describes you @Bill W. My words about Harry are always said with fondness as I love him to bits, he's Gramps.

Harry will be very pleasantly surprised. I can't say anymore because Harry is a stubborn, independent old bugger, and you know what that means. Thank you for commenting my friend, your comments are always welcome.

It is good news for Harry, he is a stubborn, independent old bugger. But what happens in the next chapter? Thank you for commenting, I enjoy reading what my readers think.

Thank you for commenting, but most importantly, thank you for sharing this song, one that has meaning to you. It has been a long time since I heard it and felt the hairs on my arms stand on end when I listened to it again. It is a moving and touching song. Thank you.

Thank you for commenting, my reason for writing this was to explain why I had been away from GA for a while. Yes, I went through a lot and it hurt, but it hurt more mentally and emotionally than it did physically. I'd like to say that I'm over it all now, but the truth is I'm not, no one ever can be. But I am in a much better place now in my head, if that makes sense. I can live with it without it stopping me from living and enjoying life and what it has to offer. Mt family are important to me, we do have our fall-outs, but then what family doesn't? The best part for me is that I can do things that I enjoy and mean something to me. I am self-employed and only work part-time most of the time. It gives me time to do unpaid work that benefits others who are less fortunate than I am. I am financially stable, but they are not. I have a comfortable home, but they do not. A lot of what I do is administration for the small organisation that helps these people, occasionally I work face-to-face with them. But they give me far more in return, they give me a feeling that I cannot explain but it makes me feel as though I am doing something good and useful. I feel for them when I hear their stories of adversity and the hardships they face and I laugh with them when they show their humour despite everything. I feel proud of them and happy for them when their efforts work out and they find homes and jobs and when they overcome addictions or other obstacles that have been holding them back. I have met so many good people that I feel privileged to know them, some of them come back as volunteers and help out. They are the inspiration behind many of the stories that I write and I will always be indebted to them.

There is nothing wrong with your memory Bill and there is nothing wrong with checking something if it's not clear to you. I happy to see you are still with us my friend.

The liquorice will have been enjoyed, personally, I love it. Generally, it seems to be popular among the older generations, but the younger generations tend to prefer the red liquorice.

The wows are universal and can be used for both, they are taken in context to the comment or chapter they are posted on.

Thank you @Albert1434 for the wonderful comments. If there is a heaven their place is booked and guaranteed, they have good hearts. I'm sure that Harry and the other patients enjoyed the liquorice, and I love the picture you posted to go with it. Wind beneath my wings is one of my favourite songs, thank you for posting the link, my friend, it is appreciated.

This could be something for a future story, I'm keeping notes.

Everything you said @akascrubber, and you nailed it with this! It is magical! I can't argue with either of you and why would I when I love the comment?

Stacy is a talented artist and could belt this out for sure, he may enjoy spicing up some of the lyrics when singing about push-up bras and satin jeans, they are a staple in many Drag Queen's wardrobes.