Summerabbacat

Perhaps Vince could donate some of the furniture, if suitable and with Gray's agreement, to the Horniman Centre or Sandra and Matt may be able to use some. There is some merit in what Peter said that there may be some valuable, or perhaps some embarrassing, furniture or personal items buried in amongst the junk in the two rooms upstairs. Maybe some love letters from MacDonald Philpott to a secret lover, or from his father to a secret lover. Who knows MacDonald or his father may not have been as straight as thought, maybe Gray and now Vince aren't the only gay male Philpott family members. Or perhaps there is information about Aunt Marjorie, a scandalous affair or mistreatment by MacDonald or his father. Intriguing chapter @Robert Hugill. I cannot help but feel that something scandalous or unpleasant will be revealed about MacDonald Philpott or his father when the two rooms upstairs are cleared of their surplus furniture and assorted bric-a-brac.

Sweet, innocent, demure Calvin? Was that just an act or has he undergone significant and rapid character growth, his sexual assertiveness increasing with an increase in confidence of his desirability? I am beginning to think he may have "used" Jordan, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to make Alan jealous, which appears to have worked. His flirtation with Brady is likely to ramp up Alan's jealousy and possessiveness even more, unless Alan partakes of a little or more "beef" at the party. The party appears to be very well organised and regulated, with health checks of both the workers and the party attendees, payment of workers regulated, and a police presence in Brady. Trevor's warning about not engaging in any activities which could be construed as prostitution and Brady's warning about taking illegal drugs, further indication of a well organised and regulated event. I have looked at a USA map online @KKirk and note New Mexico and Arizona are neighbouring states. Am I correct in assuming Albuquerque must be within a couple of hours drive of the Arizona border given both Billy and Brady work for the Arizona Public Service and Arizona Police Department (?) respectively?

If I were a betting man I would bet you are "on the money" @Philippe, but I think he will do it for himself more than anyone else, or is that my wishful thinking.

My learned fellow readers have already offered their "two bobs worth" or more in some instances, and raised some very salient points. The only comment I can offer which I don't believe anyone else has raised is that, I do not think we should underestimate Dallas' mother. It appears his father is not going to take the news of a relationship between his son and JJ well at all, in contrast to his mother who is not only unfazed by the prospect of a relationship, but is fully supportive of it, is rather delighted in fact. She strikes me thus far as a woman who is capable of holding her own, and if need be will not shy from challenging her husband's beliefs if they are at odds with hers. If push comes to shove, I strongly suspect Dallas' mother will support him, even if it costs her her marriage. Another sterling effort @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I sense a relationship between JJ and Dallas may have an impact on the relationship between Dallas' parents, perhaps lending another interpretation of Beyond Salvation.

Agreed @pvtguy and this may prove invaluable if Dallas' father is as opposed to a relationship of any kind between Dallas and JJ as what Dallas and his mother believe will likely be the case. If he is vehemently opposed to it, Dallas' mother may be able to persuade him to at least be civil, even if he never accepts a relationship between Dallas and JJ. 🤞🤞🤞🤞

I fucked it up again @Al Norris, and forgot to quote you before making the comment below, and GA is so unforgiving of idiots like me who make this mistake. Spot on @Al Norris, which is why I think Dallas has tried to subdue JJ's excitement about a relationship between he and JJ. I think it very likely Dallas' father has made negative comments about gay men previously, in fact, he may have done so when the boys were younger and very close friends. Daddy dearest may have been concerned then the boys were developing "unnatural" feelings for each other. The comments made by Dallas' mother to JJ about her husband's reaction to a renewed friendship between Dallas and JJ, and Dallas' belief his father will go ballistic when he finds out that he and JJ are more than friends, does not bode well for their relationship, even if it is to be limited to friendship. JJ's father is totally unfazed, so perhaps a word from him in Dallas' father's ear may be of benefit.

Some idiots also think all vegetarian males are gay and vegetarian females are butch dykes, or at least left-wing communists @weinerdog. I am not a fan of men having long hair generally, but Brad Pitt was smokin' hot in Interview With A Vampire with long hair, but then we are talking about Brad Pitt. Johnny Depp had that emo-esque look in Edward Scissorhands and he looked hot, but then when is Johnny Depp not hot.

I have read several of @Dabeagle's works and enjoyed them immensely. A collaboration between the two of you sounds like a match "made in Baltimore".

"Ryan left to get his bag from the car. Amy waited to let Ryan back in. She wasn't sure, but had a feeling Ryan was gay. She liked him, but wasn't going to try anything right away, in case her suspicions were confirmed. She did question Dr. D, out of concern for the boys. "Dr. D, I, um, don't know exactly how to say this. I, um, I think Ryan might be, um, gay." "It's not for me to confirm or deny, but I will say, regardless, I trust Ryan. He spent a lot of time with them when they were at his father's hotel. The boys confided in me that they used the pool naked, and that's probably why Larry mentioned it about the hot tub. If Ryan was like that, he would have had plenty of opportunities to do something, and he didn't." "OK. I just wasn't sure." Have I read this conversation correctly @Lee Wilson in that both Amy and George Sr equate being gay with being a paedophile? Billy and Todd both have loose lips, loose lips that are going to sink ships, the ships being The Billy, The Todd and The Marie-Louise. The Ross' may be able to contain the fall out so the police do not become involved, but it is going to be a struggle for them to manage the situation. All three children need to be punished severely. Regardless of whether Ryan is gay or not, he deserves someone better than Amy if he is heterosexual and if she equates being gay with being a paedophile.

Some of your mother's have not had given names that I can recall e.g. Mrs Hamilton, and for those that have, you have always given them an ordinary name spelt in the usual manner, thereby making them believable rather than some ridiculous caricature. The only mother's names I recall with certainty are Catherine (Rafael's mother), Pamela (Grayson's mother?), and of course Margaret, the hideous Monolith. The only father's names names I recall with certainty are Peter (Justin's father) and that was because he was an arsehole, and Phillip (Rafael's father). I am surprised I cannot recall off the top of my head what Grayson's father's name was given he played a more significant role in the story than what your father's tend to. The only way I could remember the names of the secondary characters would be to record them on a spreadsheet. How do you remember the names of all your characters when you are writing a new story?

I think you stated somewhere @Mark Ponyboy Peters that you wrote and published this story elsewhere some time ago. If my memory serves me correctly, I am glad you did not change JJ's mother's name from Karen to something else, or if my memory is crap and it is a recently written story, I am glad you named her Karen and refused to bow to the court of "popular opinion" that all women named Karen must be middle-aged, selfish, right-wing nutters. If her name had been Nancy, Lauren or Marjorie that would have been quite a different matter (LOL). In all seriousness, I know several women named Karen who are in their 50's and 60's who are all pleasant women.

For the cost of the underwear I would want them to do a little more than just be "better for balls" @Philippe. Perhaps an inbuilt "tongue"? They are very appealing though, and organic cotton does feel very soft and soothing to the skin.

Timmy may have feared the reception he would receive from Dallas if he visited, and rightly so, but it is indicative of the depth of their "friendship" that not one of them visited Dallas. There has been nothing to date to suggest Dallas "rules" the goons by fear either, they are merely hangers on. @Mark Ponyboy Peters has allowed us "free rein" to wander where, and how far, our minds would like to wander contemplating the dreams JJ had @weinerdog. I am sure they were very wholesome, and not fit to be repeated only because they were so wholesome. JJ lovingly tending to Dallas' wounds, fully clothed and in a very professional manner. JJ picking fresh vegetables from the garden and cooking Dallas highly nutritious meals, tofu stir fries, plant-based bolognese, beetroot and black bean burgers on sourdough with fresh salad, to restore him to full health. Then again, maybe JJ had a "purple" moment. I wonder if he was similarly attired in his dreams to his "Royal Purpleness". I think if Dallas were similarly attired, the climax of JJ's dreams would have been explosive.

"Becky? What happened to Charlotte, and Crystal, and Samantha?’ I teased". No Miranda or Carrie @Mark Ponyboy Peters? Thank Felix for that. Miranda was just a little too career-minded and cold-hearted, and Carrie was a self-centred pain in the arse. Charlotte was delightful (most of the time) and Samantha was a gay man in a woman's body (and utterly fabulous).

The orange Brillo pad has some support in Australia too. Our saving grace is we are a much less religious nation by and large, abortion is not illegal and has widespread community support, marriage equality is widely accepted (even by some prominent members of the major religions) and gun laws are tighter. It is not perfect by any means, our environmental laws and animal rights laws still leave much to be desired, but it is better than many others.

I understand and wholeheartedly agree with your statement regarding the current climate in the USA. We had a Federal election in Australia in May 2025 which I greatly feared was going to result in a shift to the right as your leader inspired similar sentiments in Australia, including a brand new party which even "honoured" him in its name, Trumpet of Patriots. Much to my surprise and relief, there was a huge backlash against such sentiments and the Labor Party (the more left leaning of the two major parties) won in a landslide, with the Trumpet of Patriots winning no seats. It was a very comforting moment.

If he is as unkempt as what has been stated on a few occasions now @drsawzall, pruning shears may be needed to trim the thicket before the razor and shaving cream can even be contemplated for deployment.

Have we just met the killer, the killer who despised Ira for his treatment of his son, the killer who was angry with Caleb because he felt used by him, used because his feelings for Caleb go far deeper than the "friends with benefits" it appears Caleb thought was the extent of their friendship/relationship, the killer who wants to punish Caleb for not having deeper feelings for him. The dinner with Judy and Jake did not go well. It appears Jake has "loosened up" considerably since he and Judy moved to California. Drugs and random sex apparently his closest companions, just as Judy suspects. Another chapter seemingly awash with those red herrings @Josh Aterovis, raising more questions than providing answers. Finnegan Byrnes is a puzzle, much like Caleb himself. Is the reason he is reluctant to go to the police to clear Caleb's name because he is the killer and he wants to frame Caleb for the murder? I shall have to be patient to find out the answer(s).

Gavin's wise words of counsel helped Rory's self-confidence immeasurably, and appear to have taken seed in his mind for how he may choose to live his life. What a shame he does not have a similar relationship, or any relationship for that matter, with his own father. One of your cleverest and funniest descriptions of male swimwear/underwear in any story to date @Robert Hugill: "..... and when Jason appeared his bits were hidden by a smear of fabric across his thigh, leaving a lot of hair open to the air." You explore family relationships in all their forms so well @Robert Hugill, and this one is no exception. Well done as usual.

The B-side of the single One Of Us, one of many masterful B-sides - remember Happy Hawaii, the B-side of Knowing Me, Knowing You, and of course, Rock Me which was the B-side of I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, which was flipped and became a hit in its own right (#4 and 28 weeks on the chart, a bit like A Good Place for longevity which was #2 last week).

Pleasing to see you back online and making your comments @Al Norris. If Dallas ignores Timmy when they return to school that will probably cause Timmy more upset than anything else. He may find himself on the outer I suspect.

I did too @KKirk and am still very fond of them. Fortunately we did not experience the anti-disco backlash that infected the USA in the early 1980's. Can't Stop The Music, album, single and movie, were amongst the biggest hits of the year in Australia in 1980; and disco, renamed but essentially the same, soldiered on and continues to be popular.

The word is out, Dallas has more in common with JJ than anyone, including JJ, would ever have believed. Dallas appears resolute with his statement he wants a relationship with JJ which is more than just friendship, but he has some catching up to do. No one knows he has same sex attraction, and amongst his friends this will not be popular. We also don't know how his parents will react, particularly given he appears to be any only child. His mother may have some idea given she is still friends with JJ's mother, and they both perhaps had some suspicion of their sons' feelings for each other, but his father is an unknown quantity. Understandably, JJ is concerned Dallas may ultimately decide it is all too hard to have a relationship with JJ, even though he has stated his determination will ensure this happens. Tough times ahead for both boys. JJ has the advantage of supportive friends, and a surprisingly supportive brother. Realistically and charmingly written @Mark Ponyboy Peters. JJ and Dallas live in town about the size of the one I grew up in in the 1970's/early 1980's, a town in which news will travel fast, with or without the participation of those fuddy duddies.

"As Connor reached for the keys and started the car I looked down at my AC/DC t-shirt and daggy jeans, not knowing if I should laugh or cry." Fabulous Frida, summing up JJ's dilemma with a beautifully accented Nordic vocal.

All three of them I predict @drsawzall. It seems the man in uniform may have short circuited Calvin's memory, in addition to his nether regions. Alan who? Jordan who?