Wayne Gray

Hehehe. Yes. She is a bit of a softie. Though, she doesn't let that particular side out very often.

Ike and Devin had quickly cleaned up and thrown on some clothes. Frank heard them whispering in the hall after they exited the shower and both finally entered the kitchen. Frank and Ben were seated at the small table; Ike and Devin sat down across from their men. Ben stared at Devin. His voice was cold when he spoke. "You broke our agreement. I believed you. I’ll never do more than oral if I’m tempted, Ben. I hated that you’d be fucking tempted, but okay. I love … loved you ..." Dev

He's hanging on by his fingernails. You know it's bad when a strange, auditory hallucination is the only thing keeping you going. And think about it ... when John died, Troy went from in a loving, committed relationship to immediately fighting to keep his house. Then, on losing the house he was kept busy trying to survive on the streets. He never really even had time to mourn. Not truly. He was just moving from one crisis to the next, and then attempting to power through it. What will Grant do concerning the journal? Back when it was a simple book, with no obvious connection to anyone, it was easy for him to just read it. But now, Grant has spoken to the man who wrote it, and he is about to meet him. What will he do? We'll see. Thanks, Parker.

Yep, you were right about T = Troy. He and Grant are definitely going to meet. Despite his wishes, it seems fate conspired to leave poor Troy no choice on the matter. Grant has a lot going for him that Troy simply doesn't. We'll see if he's able to help the guy in any way ... if Troy can accept help, even if it's offered. I'm glad you're excited. 🙂 There are quite a few chapters to this one, so you will have quite a bit to read ...

Thanks, Tom. Grant's just out there living his dream, while Troy is mired in a nightmare. Grant's aware of it, though. The journal gives him an insight into Troy that he otherwise wouldn't have. Maybe that will smooth the way? Or, maybe it'll make him overstep and drive Troy away. With Troy's emotions running on overdrive, just from being near the house again, it has to be hard for them both. We'll see how the meeting goes in a few days.

Thanks, Chris. Life is unpredictable, and it took a tragic turn with John and Troy. Often, those left behind in a situation like theirs are left scarred, withdrawn, and bitter. We'll see what, if anything, Grant can do to help him.

Thanks for the great comment, Danners. It's never a bad idea to remind those who have meaning in our lives of that fact. Actually ... I'll be right back. Aaaaand, thanks to you, my husband got a nice kiss he wasn't expecting. 🙂 It was really painful for Troy. What will help him heal from a wound like losing the love of his life? Perhaps ... knowing the house is in good hands will help. We'll see. Grant does have a lot of empathy. He is a provider, naturally caring, and he's in a unique position ... he knows what it is that Troy has suffered. He doesn't realize how difficult life is now for him, but ... that's likely to come out if they spend any length of time together. Thursday is coming. Till then.

Thank you, Sweetlion. I love how this story turned out. I appreciate the great words.

12 November 2018, Monday 5:12 p.m. "See you tomorrow, Grant," the bespectacled, grey-haired man said with a smile. Grant nodded and picked up his laptop bag. "I'm looking forward to it, Dr. Petrucci. Thanks for your help today." The man made a face. "Call me Russell." The two of them walked down the hallway to a door. Russell pushed the external door open. "And you did a great job today. You had good questions, and the patients were all very comfortable with you. Made it a pleasu

This made me grin, thank you, Kitt. There will be changes here and there. Tighten up a few things, perhaps add a scene or two to better "show" some stuff I "told" the first time around. I think there's something weirdly appealing about the journal ... a tiny bit of mystery to start the story off. I think that gets people interested and reading. The hope is that they stay for the rest of it. 🙂

Thanks, Tom. I wanted the lives these men are living to be at extreme edges, without either feeling out of reach for any of us. Grant is doing well, but so could anyone who had the opportunities he had. Then on Troy's end ... many Americans are three months of unemployment away from being homeless. It could easily happen. Troy's position isn't one that's born solely from my imagination; it's one that people I know people have faced.

This sounds like a rapper. I can assure you, that performance would not be pretty. 😳

Don't let fear of losing you hold you back from finding what you could become at the side of someone special. You won't lose who and what you are. Will you change? I hope that you would. I hope whoever you invite into your world pushes, challenges, and lifts you up. I hope they make you smile when you otherwise wouldn't. Any relationship that requires you to lose yourself to follow in it's wake isn't worth exploring. But, this doesn't sound like such a thing. If he's willing to step into the unknown with you ... take the leap, Fae. 🙂

Thank you, Parker. I had hopes that, with time, my father would come around, and we could have a real, honest and complete relationship. It wasn't to be. He loved me ... I know that. It was flawed, but he loved me. At least I had that.

You know, we tried to come up with a name for a while. Trainwreck stuck ... and now you can see why!

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. 🙂

I'm so very glad you got that with your dad, AC. That's amazing. You're so right - the past stuff doesn't go away. But at least things progressed beyond those darker moments to something just a bit brighter. My loss happened ... but I'm so happy you avoided it. Thank you, AC.

Thank you. I'm sorry too. I would have loved to have had them remain a part of my life.

Thanks, spyke. I'm glad it spoke to you.

You are so lucky, that's true. Awareness of it is good, and you have that. It helps you to appreciate what you have in those who love you, tim and your nephew. I'm happy for you, and anybody who doesn't have to live through choosing to be themselves or to hang on to people who love them only because of a lie. Because there's no winning in that decision.

I thought about it right away, but I did need time to let it roll about in my mind. Your letting me know about WolfM's work, and his poem about his family helped too. Thanks, tim. 🙂

Thank you. The thing is, I actually expected less of him when I said the words. I expected to be rejected entirely. But he'd had years to suspect, and I'm sure he already knew. I never should have accepted this barely tolerated stance, but it was the best I could have hoped for at that time. It costs. But my hope is that it will help others know they're not alone in their struggles with family.

Great work. Thank you for posting it. You inspired me to post the short little poem I wrote concerning my father, and his ... "acceptance." And thanks to tim for pointing me at your poem.

"You can come home, but never bring him." He said as he stared at me. Like a coward, in need of his love, I nod one time to agree. And now viewed through the clear lens of time, I know that was all he had. But I will not trade away my heart, just so I can call him ... dad.

Though there's sadness here, they are still quite lovely. The first ... allowing someone you love to hurt you, in the hopes that perhaps it will help them. The second, I particularly gravitate to the lines the bright beads of happiness ... scattered .. They're there, the beads aren't gone. They could be picked up and cherished ... but they remain unseen. The third ... I will say only that you are not alone. Thank you for sharing.