BigBen

Yikes! Victor is obviously more of a bastard than we already knew. I really feel for Rick, because it's got to be hard to be helpless in a situation like that. I'm glad he had the wits to call for help. And I'm glad they had the courage not to say where Jenny was.

Wow! Didn't see that coming! Good on Jex, though. He's in for a great ride, would be my guess.

I wouldn't mind living in a climate where 2 degrees is "bloody cold"! Here where I live, temperatures around -15 or -20 are not unheard of, in the middle of winter. But we're just beginning our summer here, so today the temperature is a lovely 23! 😊 Of course it will soon be up in the thirties . . . ☹️

I had a feeling there's more going on than we know! I look forward to finding out what it is. 😊

The Kendriks seem like the sort of people who don't expect a reward. Though I'm sure that a reward could be put to good use repairing the station and renovating the airbase.

Thank you for a very sweet story. It was a great read. I like the boys very much, and I'm glad they found happiness.

I'm glad they figured out the reason for the convict's visit. But I'm almost sad that the Russians weren't involved, lol!

Jim's father may never come around; it's a reality many of us have to deal with. My father stopped talking to me for ten years after finding out I was gay. We eventually reconciled, but his opinions about homosexuality never changed. We just don't talk about it. I hear him on the phone with his friends, and his opinions haven't changed one whit over the past forty years. I want to add my thanks for this story as well. I'd love to see a story set later on, when Gramps has retired and Jimmy is running the firm. I'd love to see Jim and Rich with kids, for example. They did a good job raising Nick, after all! 😁 This is truly a sweet, sweet story. I love these guys.

Aw! The boys make such a great couple. I'm glad that Nick's presence isn't putting a crimp in their love-life. I worried a bit during the earlier chapters. Jimmy's dedication to Richie is beautiful (as is Richie's to Jimmy). The way they look after Nick, along with Brandon and Charles, is sweet, too.

I suspect that, in addition to any physical danger from falling into a pit, there might still be sensitive information in one of the underground command posts that the bad guys might like to get their hands on, and that the MOD forgot to clear when they sold the base to Jexon.

This is, literally, addictive thinking. Jake's problem may run deeper than just being confused about what he really wants. I wonder if Jake's father doesn't have the same addiction.

Wait—kids these days are still listening to Eminem? He's old enough to be Miley Cyrus's dad! 🤣

According to a book I read years ago, this is a common pattern among boys that age. If both boys are heterosexual, there's no problem. When one of them is gay, however, the gay boy almost always gets invested in the relationship in a way that the straight boy does not. The problem comes when the straight boy inevitably moves on and the gay boy gets hurt. Such relationships appear to be part of the pattern of reaching maturity, and the fact that Danny and Jake have found themselves where they are isn't necessarily anyone's fault. And let's not forget that the teen years are a very confusing time, regardless of one's sexual orientation. The good part of this particular situation is that the boys have some awareness of what they are doing. It's not a guarantee that no one's going to get hurt, but perhaps they can resist their hormones a bit and not get completely swamped. Well, we can hope, anyway. (sigh)

One thing that strikes me this time around: Hasn't Bob Finnegan ever heard of condoms? Why on earth is anyone having unprotected sex in this day and age? Amber should insist on it; after all, she doesn't know where it's been!

This is a very tender and sweet chapter. I love the scene with the dogs. Being loved by a big dog is an experience. I also like Jimmy's thoughts on love and relationships. I believe he's very wise, especially for such a young man.

It's possibly a way to discourage him from intruding on their relationship. I'm not sure they really want a ménage à trois, and that's probably what will happen if they don't set a firm boundary. On the other hand, they might love him enough, that if he falls in love with them, a ménage à trois might actually work. But I'm kind of getting the impression that's not what they really want.

I suspect the escapee of having some nasty connections, because he appears to have headed almost straight for the airbase after leaving prison (of all the places he could have flown to, why rural W.A. and not to Melbourne or Sydney?). I wonder how this is all going to play out.

The problem should solve itself when Nick meets a girl he wants to be involved with. Otherwise, the guys are going to have to put their foot down, unless they are open to a ménage à trois. If I were Jimmy or Rich, I'd want an exclusive relationship.

Aaron and Jenny, huh? I think I approve, as long as they don't move too fast. Jenny needs love, but she also needs time to heal. I'm sure, though, that with Rick and Aidan watching out for them, they will do just fine. I've got to say it again, I love these people. Thank you for this really sweet story.

"Drinking under the influence of alcohol"—been there, done that!

"Love given equals love shared." Jimmy is a wise and loving man.

I'm glad the story is back, and with new chapters, too. Yay! I suddenly realized that I was so engrossed in the story, I hadn't been liking chapters as I went along, so went back and fixed that!

I like Jimmy's admission that while he may not be gay, he's gay for Rich. That's so sweet. ❤️

In the classical Greek plays, the events that we might consider triggering today all take place off stage. A character then comes on and describes the event, in a way that gives enough distance for the audience to be able to focus on the character's reaction to the event, rather than on the event directly. So Oedipus blinds himself off-stage, we hear about it second-hand, and by the time we see Oedipus again, he's all bandaged up, thus robbing the act of self-mutilation of most of its immediacy. So the question becomes, what is the author's reason for including such a scene in the work? How is it handled, how graphic the description? What response does the author wish to evoke from the reader? Context is all.

The American schoolteacher Rich Lederer has published a series of books containing similar errors by his students. Some of them are quite hilarious. Since the rector of my parish (years ago) was a friend of his, the lines I can remember best came from a Sunday-school context: "The Epistles were the wives of the Apostles;" and "Noah's wife was Joan of Ark." 😁 And as an organist and choir director, I have to say that my favorite church bulletin blooper is "Today's sermon is 'What Is Hell?' Come early and hear our choir practice."