Summerabbacat

The arrival of Neil in Bavaria was such a surprise for me, even though @drsawzall at least had speculated it was on the cards. I was on my way home from work on the bus, reading this chapter on my mobile phone, and found myself having a little weep. As is invariably the case with Neil, he dismissed his actions as daft, but Alex was terribly pleased, and rightly so. It was just all too much delight @Robert Hugill for moi to cope with, so I had a torch song moment. Winter weather and torch songs sung by Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Julie London, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald and others too many to list, have been my aural delights of late, but with that comes a price, a propensity for weeping. "Not a bit. Frau Kostner, wife of the Festival Director, had a hand on Neil’s arm and the two seemed to be talking intently about something. She was a big woman, forthright yet charming. “Ah, Alex. I have discovered your lovely boyfriend, Neil.” Neil flushed at the ‘lovely’ comment. “Anna thought I looked a bit lost.” “And then I find he makes furniture.” She beamed. “So I tell him about Mutti’s Schrank.” Frau Kostner, raised on beer and sausages. She sounds adorable Herr Hugill, reminiscent of Marianne Sägebrecht, who will be 81 years of age next month. It does not seem that long ago she radiated onscreen in Bagdad Café, which I cannot believe was released 39 years ago. A marvellous film I have watched a number of times over the years and never grow tired of. Coincidentally she was born in Starberg, Bavaria, and claims to have been inspired by Mad King Ludwig II.

That is as likely to happen as @Gary L listening to my complete set of ABBA, Donna Summer, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Boney M., Silver Convention, KC & The Sunshine Band, Barry White, Chic and a myriad of other disco artists on CD and vinyl (I have albums by the aforementioned acts on both CD and vinyl) and experiencing ecstasy.

I had not thought Margot was callous, but after reading her interaction with Owen again, I must agree with you @mayday. Her response to Owen was perfunctory, a series of platitudes. She may as well have been an AI bot Owen interacted with on Live Chat. Margot is basking in her glory, relishing the attention, her dreams all set to come true (or so she thinks). Her lover Jules, seemingly happy to remain invisible, on the down low, and her charade engagement to Owen wrapping her in a cocoon of heteronormative fairy floss (cotton candy for Americans). She may find her perfect world shatters if she does not start thinking of someone other than herself.

Very profound and sadly very true @drpaladin.

You are too kind sir. Owen is very self-aware and self-deprecating. I believe Ellie is drawn to Owen and he to her because they are quite alike. His one moment of joy in this chapter was Ellie's response and Aunt Beth's observations of his interactions with Ellie. I don't know how Aunt Beth manages to remain sane in an environment where she may be suffocating too. Although her husband, Gerald, and her son, Eric, are not bad people, it must be somewhat difficult living with two adult males who are so rapt in working with the dead, one of whom at least, Eric, seems to get a hard on over arterial injections, cavity treatment and embalming.

"Theo ran at me the second I walked into the gym. Full sprint, arms out, the usual. He hit me at knee level and wrapped himself around my leg and looked up at me with those big eyes and said, “I missed you, Owen.” Thankfully Theo is a 7 year old boy and not a dog as he is awfully fond of wrapping himself around Owen's leg. Owen has the patience of a saint. "A kid from another group walked over. A boy, maybe eight, with the kind of confidence that comes from never having been told to be quiet. He stopped in front of Ellie’s painting and looked at it and said, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, “Why don’t you ever talk? Are you broken or something?” I was hoping for a miracle, something totally out of character, something totally non-VBS, Ellie uttering her first words "Fuck off you little prick and mind your own goddamned business". Alas it was not to be. I hate to say it @weinerdog, but Nora did something in this chapter which made me think well of her. "Nora had noticed what was happening and was keeping the rest of the group away with the silent authority of an eight-year-old who understood things most adults didn’t." Clearly I was wrong about her, she is not a future young Republican as she is far too "woke". "Margot: honestly? i think you should get back on Ember. not to replace him. just to remind yourself that he’s not the only person in the world. talk to someone. anyone. just don’t sit in the dark waiting for a text that might not come". Margot needs to learn a new skill. Silence. She has caused enough trouble already and should just butt out. But she won't of course, because she is all knowing. "I drove home. Had dinner with my parents. Dad talked about work. Mom talked about the engagement party and how she’d already started a guest list. I nodded and smiled and said “that sounds great” and went upstairs and closed my door and sat on my bed and looked at my phone." Suzanne's endless drivel would be enough to send anyone barking mad. When reading of this "interaction" between Owen and his parents I was reminded of the song Ticking by Elton John, a song in which the perfect son has a meltdown, gets a gun and goes on a shooting spree in a bar. A suffocating chapter @mastershakeme. I don't know how much longer Owen will be able to maintain a semblance of sanity before he cracks.

I daresay there would be some in the community, even in a socially liberal community like Thompsonville, who believe these altruistic gay men are taking advantage of these children/teenagers and "recruiting" them into the gay lifestyle. I hope such people would get very little respect from the majority of the townsfolk. I remember one incident when Tony was in a cafe and a woman recognised him and made some inflammatory remarks about him, but was quickly shown the exit by the cafe staff/proprietors. I think it was in A Good Place and he had not long been back in town. I suppose he was more likely to be verbally attacked as he is something of a "celebrity" in Thompsonville and known to be gay. Then there was another incident, perhaps in The Rip or maybe A Good Place again, where Scott and Justin's caravan park fencing was defaced with "faggots live here" or words to that effect. I recall Mrs Hamilton's gay son and his partner (I cannot remember their names though) came by to lend a hand to remove the offensive wording, and an elderly gay gentleman walked past and offered his sympathy. @Mark Ponyboy Peters knows how to take care of such people.

@mastershakeme may have been teasing we readers with Beth's apparent observations of Owen, but if not, I believe she is the only family member who may suspect the engagement is not what it appears to be, and the only one who will show Owen any support once the sham is revealed.

This is my concern for Owen @sandeman. Regardless of what Margot may or may not say when the engagement ends, I fear Owen will be the party whose reputation is in tatters, whilst Margot will be pitied as the wronged woman or the jilted lover. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 This is the funniest comment I can recall you ever making @weinerdog, and possibly the only truly spiteful thing you have ever said in a comment. I love it and am envious I did not think of this. For this comment you are awarded 10 @Summerabbacat's out of 10. Those veterans at the San Diego Retired Marines Community Centre will be proud of you.

I have known a few Shayna's in my time, not biblically. Most have been quite harmless to all but themselves.

Or Speed Bumps Ahead or Warning Flood Zone.

This is the second time I have observed you mistakenly refer to Margot as Maggot @chris191070, or is it a mistake. Whether intentional or not, it has amused me greatly.

Shayna is cosmetically tragic and selectively naïve. Her over-bleached blonde hair and turquoise eye shadow applied with a trowel have an 80's appeal that never was. She is well aware Shir is a dyke and Mannly is gay, but is unaware Jake would more likely be interested in her brother than he would her. Is her naïveté authentic, or is she one of these annoying bimbettes who thinks she can "turn" any gay man with her beauty, wit and charm. If this is her thinking, methinks she is in for a rude shock, as alluded to by Shir. I don't have any Zydeco music in my extensive collection @Vcs as far as I am aware. Perhaps the closest thing I have is an album entitled Adieu False Heart by Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy, performing together as the Zozo Sisters. I shall have to investigate Zydeco, a term I have heard before.

A compelling chapter @Gary L, one which does not bode well for Ximo and Gerardo's future if there is even an ounce of truth to Ximo's father's warning. I also fear for Ximo's father's future. The erratic behaviour of Ximo's mother, who appears to have shifted her allegiances to the Francoist fascists supported by her odious father, may result in her betraying her husband if she has any inkling of his political affiliation and his support for Ximo. I suspect she is a woman of little to no principles and limited intelligence, one who just supports whomever is the latest "thing"or who will benefit her the most.The fur-wearing bitch is not to be trusted under any circumstances. A very strong sense of foreboding permeated this chapter @Gary L, a foreboding which is not merely confined to the impending targeted attack on prominent homosexuals.

I sense (or is it a yearning I am projecting) the engagement party with all its merriment might the final straw for Owen. Wouldn't it be a hoot if he invited Ryder and Ryder turned up, all gravel voiced, motorcycle riding, out gay man.

Grace might be able to help him with that @drpaladin. She was born the daughter of a preacher, before her strong will said enough is enough. Just what Owen needs, a rebel who defied her strict religious upbringing. I wonder if Owen can sing? Owen the disco diva, raunchily singing I Need A Man, My Jamaican Guy or Nipple To The Bottle whilst inhaling poppers.

He needs to ride in on his Harley and have words with Margot, "Bitch you keep your hands offa my man, or there will be hell to pay".

I wonder @pvtguy if Ryder was Owen in a previous relationship and for that reason he is very uncomfortable in considering a relationship with Owen. Margot is out of control. @TimeTraveller's assessment of her several chapters prior has sadly proven to be true.

Depends on who she works for @drpaladin. If she works for any media owned by the nonagenarian who is now an American citizen, I think she will excel. She could be an actress too, but her talents will lend themselves more towards melodramatic soapies I think.

I think she is very aware of what she is doing @mayday. She is taking advantage of Owen's passivity. You may be right, it might take drastic action by Jules to rein Margot in.

@weinerdog the comments to follow are from the real @Summerabbacat, and @TimeTraveller's comments are mild (and sane) in comparison. I have been drafting mine for the last 25 minutes trying to get the rantings of a madman into some kind of legible format. I am not entirely happy and I could have written so much more, but I have decided to spare you. Margot infuriated me @dboggs9700. She was like a rabid dog, she needs to get back into her kennel and quick smart. The only thing she kept “low key” in her ego-driven frenzy, in the church of all places, was the vagina from Vermont who is allegedly her “real love”. I cannot believe I even had this thought, but I would have preferred the company of Nora to Margot during her attention seeking stunt. And who is going to get the blame when the engagement ends? Will she fess up and say she does not like cock or will she blame Owen entirely and say he likes cock. “Everyone settled into the dining room and we had to pull out extra chairs because the table wasn’t built for this many people. Donnellys on one side, Brennans on the other, Margot and me in the middle like the centerpiece of a display neither of us had designed. The room was loud and warm in a way that should have felt like belonging and instead felt like being slowly buried alive.” Keep telling yourself that Owen. Margot may not desire the end result of marriage to Owen, but she is revelling in the drama of the farce which she has been orchestrating for some time now. Never has the fact she is using Owen for her own selfish needs been more apparent. Best Owen cryogenically freezes his testicles and soon before Margot has eviscerated them. And while he is at it, remove that crucifix from his bedroom wall. And what of their parents? OMG I almost got a toothache from all the saccharine comments and melodramatic displays of emotion, especially from Suzanne, she with the personality of a gnat, and Kathleen, Momzilla to the bride who is already moist thinking about planning another wedding. What the engagement party needs is a performance by a real diva, a diva who is able to give the greatest performance of her life, the real DSB @drpaladin and @drsawzall. She will however, require real champagne and plenty of it, not the cheap swill Suzanne and Kathleen intend serving. And she will be dressed properly for such an occasion, something sparkly and fabulous, not a cheap polyester floral frock from Walmart, Suzanne.

She is on a date with Cole, purely platonic. She is consoling him about his recent date "failures". He is embracing variety as the spice of life. A mature gentleman from New England who has a Volvo (@drsawzall) is his next date and he is hoping he might be "the one". If not, join the queue @drpaladin if you are interested.

I imagine he is suffering from a severe case of DSB too @drsawzall, what with the crucifix watching him in his bedroom and crosses wherever he goes. He is living in a very unhealthy environment.

You flatter me @weinerdog.

The first time I ever encountered this acronym was when @drsawzall used it in a comment @drpaladin. Dame Shirley Bassey was my only reference but I knew it could not be her given the context. @drsawzall kindly set me “straight” on the acronym’s other meaning.