Summerabbacat

This should put the boys in the mood to paaaarrrrttttyyyy @Mark Ponyboy Peters.

“Ah, the vexed logistics. Putting things in there.” She gave an amused smile, “And the damage it can cause.” “And the need for condoms.” Dawn’s laugh cascaded around the restaurant, “On an industrial scale.” “Probably. Peter heroically did the deed. Took Freddie a supply of condoms and managed to get the lad talking about what doing it up the bum actually entailed.” Dawn blinked, “Do I want to know?” Vince shrugged, “Some straight couples go for it. Not sure why. Not sure what the women get out of it.” “Come on Vince. No babies, keep your man happy, and probably tighter too, even if it doesn’t really hit any female G spots.” “Fuck. Are we really talking about the benefits of anal sex amongst heterosexual couples.” Another of your literary strengths @Robert Hugill, one which is very appealing, your talent for creating minor characters of such interest. And quite a number of the more memorable ones have been female. Dawn, Leslie, Evie, Mother (Susan) and Nonna. Dawn has shown herself to be quite disarming on a number of occasions now, a riotous and at times bawdy sense of humour, not shy to offer an opinion or offer words of support. Altogether a welcoming and unobtrusive friend. I am looking forward to the "proper discussion" between Gray and Matt, one during which I hope they will discuss and perhaps even engage in some very "improper" behaviour.

Mayor Artie Thompson, Matthew Harrington Parkes (National Party local member for Petersen), Tara Zillmere (Miss Macquarie Harbour 2010), Jeffrey 'BigBoi' Alcock (local cricketing legend and dildo-inspiration) and Tony. A motley crew @Paladin. Tony will be the only one who is openly gay and who has not slept with a member of the Thompson family.

LOL @centexhairysub, you and me both. I like my creature comforts and lying on the ground for an extended period of time just does not cut it, although I did enjoy the odd summer holiday staying in a caravan park as a teenager (not sure I could handle it now that I am so spoilt).

"You’re more than welcome, Tony,’ he said quietly into my ear. ‘You are like the son that Maggie and I never had, and we’re both very proud of you.’ I was truly touched and when we separated I thought I could see a little sparkle in his eyes that hadn’t been there moments beforehand. ‘I . . . I don’t quite know what to say to that,’ I said to him. ‘That means more to me than you will ever know.’ ‘Yeah, well, not a word of this to Shi-Anne, or my percentage doubles!’ he threatened, while wiping at his eyes using the back of his hand." Harry's heartfelt confession to Tony did not surprise at all. Their playful teasing of each other and easygoing manner mask, to a certain extent, great mutual respect and affection. Each provides the other with something they are unable to derive from anyone else. Harry is a shrewd businessman. His assertion Tony's support of the Nathan Reynolds Trust and the Nathan Reynolds Hostel will be mutually beneficial, is true. Tony's celebrity status, which presumably will increase significantly if more successful movies are made from more of his books, will no doubt raise the profile of the trust and its aims, and attract benefactors. Similarly it will not hurt Tony's reputation if he is seen as a generous donor to a good cause, which should put more money in his coffers. It may seem mercenary or distasteful, but it is an unavoidable situation. I can only speak for myself, but there are a number of musicians and actors I admire not only for their music and/or movies, but also for their support of animal rights e.g. Emmylou Harris, Prince and animal rights warrior, Doris Day. I note @Mark Ponyboy Peters you have now developed the The Seachange Series, and this is the 5th story in the series. A shrewd move I think, did one Harry Preston whisper in your ear this could be good for raising your profile, catapulting you to GA superstardom?

OMG that went well for Uncle Mark. NOT. You certainly excelled yourself on this occasion @Lee Wilson. I had a chuckle when recalling the naïveté of my comment after the last chapter and your rather amusing assessment thereof. Uncle Mark, harvested from the same petri dish as Kathy Nelson and Abel Kraft, even worse perhaps because he was a cold-blooded killer whose murder was premeditated and executed with a degree of pleasure. Not sorry Stephen blew his brains out, literally it would seem. I just hope the aftermath of what he has done does not cause Stephen any long-term mental health problems. His concern for Leon bordered on hysteria, which might be another reason for his post-shooting reaction. Although I am opposed to guns, I have to say in this instance I don't know if Stephen could have stopped Mark from raping Leon repeatedly with the intent of killing him, if Stephen had not shot him.

The Word Is Out, and the word is GAY. Yippee. 🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉 A splendid chapter @KKirk. Calvin and Jordan seem to have much in common, a strong sense of family and an endearing kindness. Will this lead to more than friendship? I guess we readers will have to tune in next time, same bat time, same bat channel.

The vegan restaurant sounds like my kind of restaurant. My diet is not exclusively vegan as I do eat dairy cheese, but at least 50% of my meals are vegan. Delicious fare in a quirky setting appeals greatly to this reader. This story and Not Just Another Summer have many similarities; both stories about unconventional families formed, and growing from strength to strength. Both stories although not devoid of some drama, have largely developed at a leisurely pace, and for this reason have been very appealing to many including myself. Another enjoyable chapter @Robert Hugill. The weather was by and large bloody awful, and the activities not something I would be drawn to I don't think, but you have that delightful quirk of making even the most ordinary sound appealing. One of the many reasons for the enduring popularity of your delightful stories depicting a slice of English life.

Sandy's alleged penchant for booger eating was mentioned in one of the very early chapters @weinerdog, therefore, the insult was nothing new when delivered by Shelly. I am almost certain when I was a child and into my teens (the 1970's) we referred to snot as boogies rather than boogers. The reason I can recall this is because when The Sylvers had their gigantic hit Boogie Fever in 1976 we all thought "how gross". Mind you, we did not think it gross when Silver Convention invited us to Get Up And Boogie in the same year or when the Bee Gees sang about their Boogie Child the following year. Skanky Sandy aka Miss Stinky Twat was certainly a brazen little hussy at the Say Goodbye To Summer dance. If the remarks made by some of the other students were accurate, Melton Dixon aka Baby Boner, would have been lucky to touch the sides with his Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Microscopic Dinky Peenie. I just hope none of the other students slipped in any of the puddles left behind by Sandy as she dripped her way to the exit when she and Melton were ejected from the dance by the chaperones. It was very pleasing to observe the acceptance of Stephen and Michael as a couple by the majority of the students, and that Melton was the only student to negatively comment on Stephen's deformities. The joy he experienced from such a "simple" pleasure cannot be underestimated. And what of his father's response to witnessing Stephen and Michael's post-dance kiss “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re happy. Apparently, you haven’t had much of that in your life.” I turned on the waterworks with this comment, although nothing to rival the drenching Sandy gave the hall floor upon her departure. Uncle Mark's imminent arrival will no doubt cause a great deal of trouble for Leon Jr and perhaps for Stephen too, and the latter may be the recipient of unkind comments regarding his appearance from his Uncle too. I just hope no one shoots him, that he can be contained without such an occurrence taking place. Marvellous chapter @Lee Wilson. So many songs swirled in my head, particularly with the highlight of the chapter, the "girl fight" between 'sex-shy Shelly' and 'skanky Sandy'.

"Office porn"? If the photographs fall into the "right" hands Aaron may have a new career as a model, although his inherent shyness and low self-esteem would likely prove a hindrance to success.

A humorous description of Eva's physique, her fashion choices and passion for music, and her inherently inquisitive and friendly nature, painted a portrait of a woman whom Gray regarded as "annoying, yet delightful. I could imagine being friends." Once again @Robert Hugill, you displayed a deft hand with your description of Eva, understated yet vivid. Gray's brief discussion with Peter on his own provided solace to Gray as he thought he may have offended Peter when he jokingly teased Vince with his comment “Fuck, you are so buttoned up, sometimes I forget you fraternise with the criminal element.” The discussion cleared the air, reinforcing Gray's belief that Peter is good for Vince and that the family unit they have forged with Freddie is one built on trust and respect. The discussion with Kjell although onerous, seemingly achieved a positive outcome. Peter's role in the discussion and his subsequent "talk" with Freddie and Arvid about gay sex, further showcased the active role he is playing in this newly formed family. A delightful chapter as usual @Robert Hugill.

A riveting, although by no means, easy read. Dark, explosive and twisted, like the mind of the murderer. Replete with red herrings and surprising lashings of humour, primarily courtesy of the larger, and definitely louder than life, Nikki. Well-written characters presented warts-and-all, mostly ordinary people experiencing some not-so-ordinary events. The intriguing story title fascinated me from the get-go, and it is one which is so apropos, one which could be applied by the reader in several ways.

If Shelley Reynolds and family are receptive to a documentary being made to raise awareness of the Nathan Reynolds Trust and increase the profile of the Nathan Reynolds Hostel, then they will have to accept that as part of such a documentary, they as Nathan's family will not be painted in a favourable light, at least initially, and nor should they be. I am not suggesting they should be publicly humiliated, rather they should publicly acknowledge and accept responsibility for, the contribution their rejection of Nathan played in his death. "He had his back to me and was walking away from me, his sturdy legs powering along, with his hips and cute arse working nicely as he toiled away. If I’d been angry a few moments before, that anger quickly melted away as I watched him work, mesmerised by his fine, tanned, shirtless physique." Lust was in the air when Tony was rudely awakened from his sleep and beheld a vision in bronze, a blonde-haired, bare-chested, well-toned, glistening god, driving his machine with practiced perfection. The scent of freshly mown grass, saltwater spray and Wagnerian pheromones, were enough to quiet any lingering annoyance Tony had. He went from moaning to boning within the blink of an eye; his sex drive catapulted into overdrive. Hot, hot, hot @Mark Ponyboy Peters; several of we MPB fans have clearly had our "engines revved" by the vision of a shirtless, sweating Aaron engaged in physical labour. Woof.

He may be better off using his whipper-snipper on you @weinerdog, to trim the edges and the hard-to-get-to unruly growth, if any such unruly growth exists.

Hear hear @Bft, and he should be forced to go and buy the cereal himself if there is none in the pantry.

Is it a case of 'out of the frying pan and into the fire', particularly if Etienne is granted an audience with Monseigneur Delanoy and he is a man of questionable motives and morals, one for whom corruption is a way of life. I too wonder if Etienne's foray into unnaturally aggressive behaviour with the beating of Thomas, Henry and Edward, and the topping of Corin, will have any permanent effect. I will be surprised if it does.

“Last night, you showed me what happiness feels like,” Ryder said calmly while he picked up the empty plates from the table and took them to the sink. With slow, methodical movements, he started washing them. He was a dream come true. Danny felt his entire chest caving in inside, pressing hard against his lungs. “Ryder,” he whispered softly, “I think you’re right. Forget silly movies and all that. We should just fool around.” “I’m not fooling around,” Ryder said, his back still turned. “For me, this is more than I’ve ever experienced with anyone else. It’s as if I’m destined to be with you.” Danny had to swallow hard, but whatever had gotten stuck in his throat refused to go down. “Isn’t Theodore your fated mate, though?” “Unfortunately, yes,” Ryder replied. “I realize that I have inconvenienced you by proposing to spend the day together. You are under no obligation toward me. Please, proceed about your day as you usually do.” Ryder may possess an extraordinary sense of smell and acute hearing and night vision, but he is "blind" to reality, albeit by design rather than through ignorance. He should listen to himself, not some half-baked claptrap from a questionable source in Cassandra, whom he has acknowledged on more than one occasion he had trouble understanding because "Cassandra was half-mad most of the time, which was why it was so difficult to get the truth out of her". Perhaps Ryder has interpreted Cassandra's warning incorrectly "The clairvoyant had been clear: this tower belonged to his fated mate, and he lived on the top of it, like a king among humans, superior in every way. The old woman had warned him not to do what he was about to do next, but it was important that he got to his mate before his next heat began. Just any partner wouldn’t do this time, Cassandra the clairvoyant had warned him; he needed his mate more than ever". What if Cassandra was warning him to resist fate, that his fated mate was the one to be wary of. If Ryder's recollection of her warning is correct, I note she did not state it was important he got to his fated mate, that he needed his fated mate more than ever. Ryder has assumed his fated mate will produce a positive outcome, but the word fated can also mean doomed. Of course, there is another possibility, one which I previously speculated, that Cassandra is in cahoots with Theodore Pembroke, either voluntarily or by force, to "deliver" Ryder to Theodore to enable Theodore to kill him and steal the land on which Ryder's pack lives as it is potentially worth a fortune. Much like a murder mystery, I do not feel I am any closer to "solving" this puzzle yet @Laura S. Fox. The unenviable position Ryder finds himself in, all because of an "average Joe" named Danny Wilson, who is anything but average in the eyes of Ryder.

Free loading brat; a perfect description of Keith @CincyKris. I was not entirely happy with describing him as a bludger, free loader is a much better description for what I think of him too.

"I took a breath. “Keith… Can we talk?” He didn’t look up from his laptop. “About?” “You and me.” A pause. Then, grudgingly, he snapped the screen halfway shut. “So talk.” Mutual respect, I reminded myself. Not just my fault. “What can we do to move past this?” “Past what?” His voice was flat. “We’re talking right now. What more do you want?” “Something that doesn’t feel like pulling teeth.” I kept my hands still, though they wanted to fist. “I’d like us to get back to where we were.” Keith exhaled through his nose, the way he used to when I’d suggest a fishing trip he hated. “Why? You’ve got your life. We’ve got ours. This works fine.” He tapped his laptop lid. “Anything else? I’ve got work in the morning.” The dismissal stung, but pushing would only make him dig in harder. “No. Good night, Keith.” “Yeah.” He stood, laptop tucked under his arm like armor, and left without another word." Given the strain of this conversation between Jim and his "5 year old" son, Keith, I think the latter's grunting or silence is almost preferable. Keith is also a bludger. He is working and still living at home. I wonder if he pays Cammie any rent? I imagine he does not. He has not offered to make any financial contribution towards the meals Jon and Jim have been providing to him in his mother's absence, but he has been happy, even if begrudgingly so, to eat the food. And frankly at his age, why is he not capable of cooking his own meals. He has had it easy, on his own terms, for far too long. When his mother returns she should lay down the law to him. He is a complete fucking waste of space, an oxygen thief. The relationship between Jim and Jon is strengthening under adversity, just as I thought it may. Life is too short for Jim to concern himself with the bullshit Keith is carrying on with. Alex and Cammie have accepted his relationship with Jon, so if he wants to pursue it to the point of cohabitation in whatever relationship status he is comfortable with, then he should do it. If Keith does not like it, too fucking bad. A chapter with great gains in the relationship between Jim and Jon, and their relationship with Alex. Most enjoyable @ChromedOutCortex, even if Keith is still a complete fuckwit.

I do not accept Caitlin was mentally ill and therefore not responsible for her actions, unlike Todd from Bleeding Hearts. He had been subjected to frequent beatings and incessant homophobia from his father, and witnessed the murder of his beloved Uncle Rick by his father (and if I remember correctly he was forced to bury him by his father), so it was little wonder he was mentally unstable. As for Caitlin, no, she was a con artist, a narcissist, a purely evil little c#$t, something she had been since the age of 10 at least. For this reason I have no sympathy for her at all. The epilogue does not indicate if she survived or died, although the way Will spoke of her in this chapter suggests she survived his attacking her. I hope she did and that she suffers unbearably for the term of her natural life. "We’ve talked about this before, but I really believe you’d benefit from meeting with me regularly. Do you think you could commit to that?" "Yes," I said, my voice firm. "I'll do it for Aidan." In contrast to some of my fellow readers, I think Will will survive Aidan's murder, and again it will be Aidan who will nurture and comfort him, albeit from beyond the grave. Ironically, the loss of Aidan is the primary root cause of Will's constant dark thoughts and depression, but the love Will shared with him, culminating in their short-lived marriage, will be the memory which I believe will sustain Will. What a fucking mess though. Never has the adage "better to have lost in love, than never to have loved at all" been so relevant. Like all my fellow readers whom have commented @Josh Aterovis, the murder of Aidan has devastated me, moreso because if was such a surprise. The fact that this is so, is testament to the potency of your writing, we readers succumbed to his charms, even if I thought he was crazy for wanting to get married so soon. Readers are only ever devastated by tragedy or loss if they have invested in characters who are something more than a one-dimensional caricature.

If it's Caitlin's funeral, you can "spray" the hole in the wall with the champagne you are drinking in celebration. If it is Aidan's funeral, you can cover the hole in the wall with a large orange brillo pad and use it for whatever purpose best suits your mood at any given time. 💩💩💩💩💩💩🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

I find that very difficult to believe @drsawzall; I am almost certain you are still able to:

Or "bugs and prickles".

I have e-mailed it to you, WINNER.

Not happy Bianca Baltimora aka @Josh Aterovis. I too am hoping the epilogue will prove this chapter, or at least part thereof, was a "Bobby Ewing dream sequence", that Aidan is still alive and Caitlin is the one who is dead. Sadly, I fear I am living in a dream myself. If Aidan is dead I hope Caitlin is not, I want that skanky bitch to suffer big time, a long, slow and hideously painful death, one which Will administers to her by injecting her with some slow killing lethal poison or disease. I was not surprised the story of Caitlin's life as she told it was a complete fabrication. The fact she killed her dog at age 10 for chewing one of her dolls should have been enough for her to be locked up for life. She was either completely deranged or purely evil. One of the comments I made on the previous chapter was "As for the marriage, is it doomed?". When I made this comment I also thought of a song by a long-time favourite of mine, Kate Bush. Her song The Wedding List plagued me as I read the prior chapter, but I told myself @Josh Aterovis would not be so "mean" as to have the killer murder Aidan, but it seems I may have been wrong. The only difference between the outcome of the song is that the bride in the song committed suicide after killing her husband's murderer, whereas the "bride", Will, in this story will survive.