Summerabbacat

Audrey "disposed" of Henry with a minimum of fuss. Drew and Leo welcomed Uncle Andrew for the first time as their biological father. I doubt it will be long and they will be calling him Dad, after all Henry Pierce has gone and won't ever be coming back. "Positive. Henry wasn't the best husband in quite a few different ways. Maybe you'd like to remind a girl how to be satisfied?" "Well, Brando, you just made me an offer I can't refuse." "Follow me, said the spider to the fly." "Buzz, buzz." I have to ask @Lee Wilson, was Audrey named intentionally as such after a certain carnivorous plant?

Henry joins George in the "dumb as a post or a box of rocks" category. Seemingly Audrey is not perturbed by the possibility Drew may be gay or at least bisexual, which begs the question why she married Henry in the first place. An example of love is blind perhaps. Henry, another of your "horror" creations @Lee Wilson. He and George would have to be two of your stupidest characters, right up there with Kathy Nelson, Abel Kraft and the guy who shot Manny in the bar.

Your stories invite speculation, sometimes the wildest of so, which is for me at least, part of the joy of your story telling.

The teenagers at Matt's school who name-called him "fag" or "faggot" are no better than Marty himself. There is no logic in their thinking @weinerdog, if one can even call it "thinking". I did not understand either how they arrived at their conclusion. I suspect one person made the comment and the rest of the sheep followed (my apologies to any sheep who may be reading this story, whose intellect would likely surpass these morons). Alistair is an unusually direct lad, perhaps a little too much so (I am "guilty" of this on occasion myself). Matt, Reggie and Drew may be a good trio to bring him out of his shell. And I am ashamed to say I did not know who Alistair Sim was as I have never seen any of the films he appeared in @Lee Wilson.

I have to wonder if Reggie's expressed desire for violent retribution against Marty is subconsciously influenced by the guilt he still feels for having stood by and watched others beat Jerry, resulting in Jerry's death. Is his reaction partially compensatory? Whatever the reason, it has upset Matt greatly, possibly moreso because he is now aware of the truth of what happened to Jerry. Marty's resigned acceptance of his fate was very sad @Lee Wilson, an indication of his unhappy home life perhaps. Does he feel any remorse? If so, there may be hope for him yet if he survives adult prison.

So Ramona is not a total loser like George. His son is likely to be sent to juvie and likely prison and George bails. He won't be winning any award for Father Of The Year.

I have horrified you before with my comments I don't like The Beatles @weinerdog, but these three songs as performed by Dame Shirley Bassey, Ike & Tina Turner and Rod Stewart respectively are ones which I appreciate their songwriting talents.

Given Bart's difficulties to date in having penetrative sex, his "pet name" Hammer struck me as somewhat ironic, although I recognise it is likely an abbreviation of his family name. Now he has achieved Nirvana, he well may live up to it if his first performance is any indication. And what of Noah's "pet name", Nomes. I know the spelling is different, but every time Bart refers to him as Nomes I have an image of him resembling a garden gnome in appearance, albeit age and size appropriate. The proposal to cohabit, is it a proposal made in the heat of the moment, and in this case the moment was sizzling 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥? This remains to be seen. Unless the story is set to conclude shortly, @Lee Wilson must have at least one or two "challenges" in his "literary cauldron" to set down for "Hammer" and "Nomes". Double, double, toil and trouble; and I am not suggesting you are a witch @Lee Wilson, but your literary pot when stirred has produced some startling results in the past.

What a marvellous comparison @Carybr, although I doubt Venetia is half as pleasant and intelligent as Emma otherwise. Emma is my favourite of Jane Austen's novel and Emma herself my favourite heroine. It was the first Austen book I ever read, I think I had to read it for high school back in the late 1970's and was immediately enthralled by it. I like all her other novels too; perhaps because Emma was my first exposure to Austen it has remained my favourite of her works. Although I did not know it at the time, I also like the fact that Emma herself is very different in that she is a woman of independent wealth who does not have to marry for survival, and it is her father who is the hypochondriac/fusspot rather than her mother. @Robert Hugill, your works are now promoting discussion of Jane Austen novels. Jane Austen, Kate Bush, David Bowie and Robert Hugill? You are in rarefied company.

A little more progress on the part of both James and Jonah in their relationship was a joy to witness @ChromedOutCortex. The purchase of the coffee machine an amusing jaunt, displaying James' growing comfort in expressing his feelings for the younger Jonah. I doubt Alex will take issue with a relationship between his father and his boxing trainer, after all it's a win-win situation, he gets to see his father becoming happier and he has boxing trainer around more often to give him some more tips/coaching perhaps. I like the pace of this story @ChromedOutCortex; the relationship growth is very realistic, particularly given the ages of James and Jonah.

I am glad to read that @weinerdog had a smidgen of empathy for Marty because I too felt a little sorry for him after the comments his father made about his birth, and his mother's less than convincing statement she loved and wanted him from the time he was conceived. It certainly does not excuse his actions, but it may shed a little light on his aggression and anti-social behaviour.

Thankfully @Lee Wilson and @weinerdog it is NOT St Michael's Hospital, Newark, to which Matt has been admitted, otherwise they may have already admitted him for unnecessary surgery or telephoned his mother to state he was deceased. I assume a rape examination will be performed now it is clear his head injury is not life-threatening. Marty is one step away from the electric chair or a lethal injection if he does not stop this behaviour before becoming an adult.

Excellent chapter @Paladin, the highlight of which for me was the following: "Patrick continued, “My experience with this is that killing someone is not generally their approach. It is usually threats to report them to police or whatever they think will work to keep them silent. I suspect your brother is still alive, but he could be very hard to find.” I so hope Patrick's prior experience proves to be so in this case as well as it is clear Joshua was close to Daniel as well as Adam. "Horse", I wonder if he is involved in heroin smuggling and/or distribution too, hence the nickname. Patrick's annoyance soon turned to something completely different when he discovered the extent of the abuse and the involvement of the QLD Police. Dedication plus. Vanessa is "growing" on me @Paladin.

Even before I wrote the comment above @Robert Hugill, I had been trying to find the first mention of Peter where I thought Vince's description of him and their friendship was a little "awkward" or "forced". I finally found it and it was just as I recalled; when Vince stated in chapter 3 “Dead right. Anyway, Peter’s become a sort of friend, so I go along to help when I can.” I thought it somewhat bashful and cute, particularly after he had already stated with unguarded pride how Peter had turned his life around. Venetia will not be pleased; perhaps she will blame Gray and state he has been a bad influence on Vince, leading him astray with his "unnatural" ways.🤣🤣🤣🤣

Am I understanding your comment correctly @Robert Hugill? Are you saying Vince's name on his birth certificate is in fact Vince and I have imagined it was Vincent?

The "mystery" is solved, Vince's hitherto undisclosed lover revealed. I am not surprised it is Peter as it was evident early on in this story that Vince felt a strong affinity with him. Their mutual goal of helping those who are less fortunate than themselves is a good basis for a friendship at least, but in their case friendship has apparently blossomed into something more. How deliciously ironic, all three Philpott men are gay, and two of them are currently in a relationship of some sort. This just leaves Gray, the only openly gay one of the three, currently unattached. Something must be done about this @Robert Hugill, and not by Venetia bloody Murray. I did not realise that Gray was his birth name and Graham his professional name. I assumed, incorrectly it would seem, that he preferred Gray or his name had always been shortened to Gray just as Vincent's has been shortened to Vince. It appears neither Vince nor Gray has the gay "decorating" gene @pvtguy, in fact, neither appear to be have the gay "fashion" gene either. Perhaps it will be left to Freddie to have at least one of these allegedly "fabulous" attributes. And what of Freddie and Arvid, with Arvid's parents bucking the stereotype of the sexually liberated Swedes. Your description of his physical appearance was very funny @Robert Hugill; an awkward teenage boy "trapped" in the body of a viking. Freddie could most definitely do worse.

Marty may be bigger than his classmates, but an intellectual giant he is not. If his father, George, does not share his son's intellectual capacity and penchant for bullying, then he needs to get Marty some Help, like Yesterday. For the sake of his son he cannot afford to just Let It Be otherwise Marty may find himself on the Long And Winding Road to a life of loneliness and unhappiness. Another well written and sad chapter @Lee Wilson. Teenage drama and angst to rival Ronyx.

Marty Martin? I assume his given name is Martin. The intellect of his parents must be extraordinary. Such cruelty and stupidity in parents is not unknown, but never ceases to amaze me. Whilst I doubt this has led to him being a bully, it could signify that either one or both his parents are cruel to him in ways other than just saddling him with his birth name. Drew certainly proved himself to be a true friend, much to the amusement of Mr Kennedy it would seem. Another fine chapter @Lee Wilson, and another appearance by Bachman Turner Overdrive.

"I understand. Your dad and I talked about it after we got back last night too. We realized how wrong we were for the way we treated Bru. I guess, to some extent, we didn't even realize we were doing that. And we really don't hate black people. They were just kids who didn't know any better. They just as easily could have been white, or any other ethnic group for that matter." I agree with what Carol said to Matt and believe she and Bruce Sr do not hate black people, but the statement in bold I don't buy. Reggie who stood by and did nothing clearly knew what happened to Jerry was wrong. Bruce Jr's reaction to Matt being gay was predictable, particularly the nonsensical statement that he, Matt, had better not try anything with him. Straight men really need to look in the mirror on occasion. A very disturbing chapter @Lee Wilson, particularly Reggie's disclosure he was present when Jerry was beaten. I doubt I could have been as understanding as Matt.

Although it does not excuse their behaviour, if one was to put oneself in the same position as Bruce Jr in particular and his parents, one can at least see there is a very personal cause for their irrational attitudes. And if Bruce Jr is correct in his belief his parents blamed him for Jerry's death, then he has double reason for his irrational attitude. A very powerful chapter @Lee Wilson, highly emotionally charged and very believable in its content and outcome. You have excelled yourself.

Reggie is certainly no shrinking violet, he just oozes confidence. His parents attitude to his open sexual activities at age 14 is astounding, although he is acutely aware others do not share their openness, particularly as it relates to him being gay. Matt is a friendly boy, seemingly without any prejudices, as evidenced by his immediate acceptance of Reggie being black and gay. Is this a reflection of his parents' attitudes? It certainly appears to be at least as it relates to Reggie being black. A disarming first chapter @Lee Wilson. If it is indicative of the rest of the story, I believe it will be another winner.

It was the pumpkin scones, they were laced with a little "magic" which made him very happy and content.

Justin, the gatekeeper of, or is to, Aaron's heart. I like that description very much @centexhairysub, very apt given their shared experiences and emotional fragility. Tony appears to have matured significantly in the time he has been gone, and he has an air of self-confidence that success has brought to him. However, I sense he yearns for the simpler pleasures in life that he had when he lived at Beachside Lane. The joy he experienced when once again exposed to the sounds of the night, the insects, the summer breeze and the waves rolling in onto the beach, only heightened his awareness of what he has lost in his endeavours to achieve what he has gained. Clearly he, and at least Luke, are aware of his need to reconnect with Aaron, his greatest loss, one which he has become acutely aware of in his return home. Will Tony and Aaron, like Peaches & Herb, become Reunited? It seems most of my fellow readers are hoping for this, as am I. Perhaps it might assist Tony's efforts if he was to Shake His Groove Thing to attract Aaron's attention. A very satisfying chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, with Luke demonstrating his nurturing instincts yet again, as he has many times in the past, to calm and soothe any anxieties Tony may have regarding Aaron, and encourage his way forward whilst warning him of potential difficulties with Justin.

Calvin has made his decision, one which I thought inevitable given his reluctance to undertake the nude modelling and "special" appearances at parties. His discussion with his father strengthened his resolve such that the final decision was his own. I can't help but wonder if his decision may be the "nail in the coffin" for his relationship with Alan. I believe Alan will undertake the nude modelling and "special" party appearances, thus exposing himself to a different crowd, people who may appear to be far more exciting than Calvin. He is also likely to find himself more exposed to becoming infected with COVID as I dare say the parties he appears at will not be as rigid about quarantining and mask wearing once partygoers ply themselves with alcohol and party drugs. I am also looking forward to the next chapter, particularly Alan's reaction to Calvin's decision. If he tries to pressure Calvin into changing his mind that may also end their relationship. I think Calvin's father was somewhat skeptical regarding Alan's insistence he is not gay, or at least a little bisexual.

An introduction on GA to the talent of @Lee Wilson, this engaging story bewitched me from the get-go with its well written characters and believable storylines. This story features frequent references to music, particularly southern rock and hard rock, and although I was not familiar with some of the songs and was not fond of many of them, Lee's selection of songs was by and large very suited to the story and the characters whose lives one becomes entwined in. Although there were some profoundly sad moments in the story, the reading of this story was effortless. A very rewarding read, primarily because Lee writes about real people, not caricatures whose lives resemble a soap opera or one of those ghastly "reality" TV shows examining the lives of people who have little or no talent other than to tell all about their lives. Well done Lee.