Mancunian

Pack your f*****g bags

Give me my keys!

Hi Gary, it's always good to see family. I'm happy that you enjoyed your day.

Aloha Albert, I hope all is well with you and Steve.

G'night B, sleep well.

Forget technicalities and labels, to quote @JamesSavik, We are an inclusive community and all are welcome. Relax among new friends and enjoy reading the offerings of other authors, as you are an author we look forward to reading yours when you decide to post. If you need any help check out the help section or just ask, one of us will answer your questions. Some of the hints and tips given to @BentedWreath recently may answer some of your immediate questions. Welcome to GA, I hope you enjoy being part of our community.

And you deserve everyone, my friend.

You lose more than I do! Okay, that's six words, but I've enjoyed saying them.

Danny has put Brad firmly in his place, let's hope Brad remembers that. Things do seem to be developing between Danny and Jake, even Danny's friends are curious about it so I hope they are careful, very careful. Is Nate only interested in the $50, or could there be more to it? Will the next chapter answer any questions?

This is a powerful story of the dark days of the AIDS epidemic that evokes the emotions of the reader. It brings home to us younger readers the stark reality of those times. This is one of those stories that could easily be used for educational purposes and shows off the writing skills of @Headstall. This should rank as one of the most recommended stories that GA has to offer. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

The first time I read this I couldn't comment as I couldn't see the keyboard after reading, the same happened on my second reading of it but this time I've remembered to come back and comment. I wasn't directly affected by the epidemic back in the eighties and nineties, that was when I was growing up. I do remember seeing my father's tears when he mourned the loss of friends who were caught up in it, each time he hoped and prayed there would be no more. Luckily today there are medications available to control HIV so that it does not become AIDS, improving quality and length of life. There is still no cure but the right medication can repress HIV until it is no longer detectable and for those that do not know, undetectable equals untransmittable slowing down the spread of HIV. This does not mean we can stop the research, it needs to continue until there is a cure and it is beaten as the virus is still mutating. Thank you Gary for this touching story that evokes so much emotion in your readers. Like many I shed tears reading it, they started as tears of sadness and went through a few phases ending as tears of happiness and relief that Michael pulled through and survived. I'm sure that the support and awareness that he raises for others is valued and appreciated. Your writing skills bring the reality of those times home to the rest of us.

This is a heart-wrenching chapter, but it is not the end of the story. As this is the first in a series I think this is a good place for this episode to end, remember I said episode, not story. The ending has created a perfect start to the next in the series, but what form it will take is up to you @vanalas. Will there be a book each for Carter and Jeremy until they meet again, or will it be one book with chapters alternating between Carter and Jeremy's intertwined story? Either way, I'm looking forward to what comes next, hopefully, I'll still be around to read it.

Thanks for commenting, every comment is valuable to me. I love firework displays, I think they are very entertaining, but I advocate for professionally organised displays only. Home firework displays can be good but unfortunately too many go wrong due to a lack of proper planning with some causing avoidable injury. Then we have the irresponsible purchasers who do not care about where, when, or how they set the fireworks off, some even thinking it funny to do so in a way that causes alarm and distress to other people and animals, and let's not forget the damage that gets caused to property. Fireworks can be dangerous if not handled correctly.

Thank you @ReaderPaul, it's good to know you're still enjoying the story.

They are well deserved my friend.

Hello Gary. Rejects! Rejects! Yep that about covers us, lol.

Aloha my friend, I wish you and Steve an enjoyable weekend.

We all need the occasional short sweet story with a HEA to lift our spirits. Well, this is it, read and enjoy.

Right when I need it, a delightful short story with a HEA, thank you for sharing this Gary.

This is a beautiful thought-provoking story that does not challenge religion, it challenges those who govern it respectfully. Open your heart, open your mind and read to discover that love can, and sometimes does, conquer all. This a short and powerful story that will stay with you for a long time, I know because this is my second read and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time.

I've just read this for the second time, it hit me the same as it did the first time. It made the hairs on my arm stand on end and brought a tear to my eye, not a sad tear a happy one for Colin and Daniel. Then I read the comments and it took longer to read the comments than it did the story! But that doesn't surprise me, a good thought-provoking story like this will illicit good thought-provoking comments. I think we are similar people in some respects, I find religion a hard pill to swallow but I do try to live by good Christian standards. Recently I heard it called SNBR, spiritual but not religious, I'm not sure if it is accurate but I do like the term. Over the years I have met many 'Daniels', some of whom have become like Daniel in this story, my only regret is that not all have had the inner strength to become that strong. I've met many like William too, they tend to be good people who 'go with the flow' but when the chips are down they show themselves to be staunch supporters of what is right not what they are told. Unfortunately, I have also met the 'Hilda's' of this world, most tend to be stuck in the rut of believing and sticking to the strict unbending rules they were brought up with and have never questioned. Some of them, when challenged and shown a better way, have changed or at least made an effort, but not all have. We can all make a difference and it is easier than most think. If we have the courage, strength and conviction of Daniel, and/or the loyalty of William and/or the open heart of Colin and the majority of the congregation in this story a lot can be achieved. Thank you, Gary, for this beautiful and thought-provoking story, I love it.

What is Jake up to? Is he genuine in what he says or is it a ploy to get Danny into bed? Either way, he is playing a dangerous game and Danny should think about what he is letting himself in for, does he really want pictures of him nude floating around somewhere that he has no control? They could come back to bite him on the bum, figuratively speaking, at some point in the future. As for his stepfather, what is his game? Danny should take action to put a stop to his behaviour now!

A great chapter with a lot going on behind the scenes, so to speak, and the comments are as interesting as the chapter with so much speculation going on. I can't speak for either Danny or Jake's intentions or what may happen with Jake in town, but I do know they need to be very careful. I don't know what the age of consent was in Australia at that time but I'm sure that being gay was a criminal offence in itself. I'm also concerned about the cliffy, while it is romantic I worry that Nate could come storming in at any time and what trouble that could cause.

I can only guess that with Brad spending so much time on the road, they have never had the chance to bond and create a real father-son relationship, or could it be that Brad has always seen Danny as an inconvenience that he accepted as some step-fathers do? Danny and Nate's convoluted story about Jake is inspired and will do for now, but for how long will it work? I got the feeling that things were a bit strained between Brad and Danny during their conversation, this worries me for Danny, how will Brad react when he discovers that his stepson is a 'poofter'? I don't see that going well, unless the wink is because has some designs on Danny and I do hope I'm wrong on both of these counts.

Okay, so the old fogeys are right, but they don't know that, yet. Danny and Jake appear to be sensing a connection, Jake is thinking about being an advisor and friend but is he also thinking about more? Danny is looking for a friend he can confide in, is he thinking about More? If either of them are it could spell trouble so I hope they are careful regarding a friendship. Nate maybe sensing something but whar will he do and how will he react? Is it possible he is harbouring similar feelings for Danny? I'm off to the next chapter hoping to find out.