Summerabbacat

Heartwarming indeed, but infuriating too. @Lisa expressed her disgust with the behaviour of Jason's mother, a disgust I share. In the "spirit" of Christmas I am going to concentrate on the positive though and focus on the generosity of Tommy and his parents, rather than the loser who was Jason's birthing vessel.

Grandma and Grandpa Morgan may have "fallen in with a bad crowd", perhaps they started attending one of those fundamentalist churches or started believing the bullshit spouting from their local Republican party representative. Wilful stupidity on the part of one or both Brett and Trevor's parents.

My thoughts exactly @Thomas Haworth. And how was it Jack and Lisa were aware of Ken's "proclivities", his "unnatural tendencies" in the first place. Methinks one of the bigoted case workers Ms Schmidt referred to in the previous chapter divulged this information to them, and possibly promised them that Ken would be given custody of the twins over his or her dead body. I suppose it is possible their mother's boyfriend may have insisted they call him "Sir", but given the attitude of the foster parents, it appears more likely they insisted on this. “What is the reason for his absence from their lives, given that he is their father?". This comment incensed me as much as if not more than the bigoted comments. I know it would have been foolhardy to respond, but in a perfect world, Ken could have responded with, mind your own fucking business. Ken has an arduous task ahead of him, but thus far he appears to be doing well considering he is "flying by the seat of his pants".

I believe if I were in Ken's shoes I would have reacted similarly to the assertion the girls needed to be in a nice normal family given the ordeal they have been through. I do however believe Ms Schmidt when she said she had no issue with Ken being gay, and for that reason I think she was guilty of one thing only, a poor choice of the word normal. Being raised by a single father whom you have never met is not the usual scenario for most children, nor I imagine is being raised on a military base. It would also have been prudent for Ms Schmidt to disclose to Ken if the twins had been abused by their mother's boyfriend, in which case it would potentially be frightening for them to be raised by a single man whom they have never met. If however, there is no evidence the boyfriend abused them then this should not be a concern. I generally do not like to bring apparent errors to the attention of the author in comments I make, but on this occasion feel the error is one which is crucial to the authenticity of the story @wolfwriter. In chapter 1 it is indicated Ms Schmidt is based in Maryland, however, in this chapter it is indicated she is based in Virginia, hence Ken's concern about his sexuality being used against him. I am not an American, but was under the impression, perhaps wrongly so, that Maryland is a far more "enlightened" state than Virginia. Other than this error, I enjoyed this chapter immensely, and as you will observe I tried to have some empathy for Ms Schmidt, believing her to be doing her job without any prejudice.

It is easy to conclude that Jane Mason's boyfriend is the one who abused the twins resulting in bruises and bleeding. This may have been why she screamed she was going to kill him. However, the easy conclusion may not be the correct one, Jane may have threatened to kill him because he was going to report her because she was the one abusing the twins. I also find it difficult to believe he was responsible for the twins apparent malnutrition. And, whilst I am fully aware the story is set in the USA and therefore it is realistic Jane had access to a gun, I still have to ask, WTF was she doing with a gun with such young twins. Given the title of the story I am gong to speculate that Ken is not the father of the twins, but will apply to adopt them anyway. This is probably not at all realistic, but this is fiction and if @wolfwriter decides this is the way to go, so be it.

Whilst I sympathise with Alex as I would not want to be in a relationship which involved children, the relationship is clearly not working even without the possibility of involving children, which seems likely given the call from Family Services. Alex's ignoring Ken's phone calls is petty and childish, in addition to being downright rude. It appears if he does not get his way he is prone to tantrums, dare I say behaving like a child himself. I agree with @drsawzall's observation, Ken needs to kick Alex to the kerb, metaphorically speaking (at least at present). An intriguing start to this story @wolfwriter.

Peter handled the interviews with poise and just the right amount of empathy for the local population without sounding hokey or patronising. With the onset of the hurricane hopefully Peter sought confirmation from Avery Sr what colour his aura currently is, particularly if he is going to face possible further danger with fallen power lines. I knew nothing about Corpus Christi other than that it is in Texas and was the birthplace of Farrah Fawcett. I have just researched it on the 'net and it appears to have been "governed" by some incredibly stupid people in more recent times. The A&M University and Art Museum of South Texas both appear to be very attractive buildings in beautiful locations very close to water in a city which experiences such powerful hurricanes. To the naked eye online, it does not appear it would take much for them to be inundated with water, or are appearances deceptive? Another excellent chapter @Lee Wilson. Have you experienced living through a severe hurricane yourself since you moved to Georgia?

This story is akin to heresy @Lee Wilson, a meteorologist who forecasts the weather with uncanny accuracy. Even in the "Wilson World" surely such a creature cannot exist or be sustained for any length of time. An exciting start to this latest instalment in the Life and Times of Avery Noonan @Lee Wilson. Peter seems a very likeable lad, not at all cocky, quietly self-assured and polite. I am sure other TV stations will be clamouring to sign him on after his initial broadcast, or perhaps they will hang on to make sure it was not a fluke.

It was plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, organic, 0% alcohol she was drinking @Paladin, Southern Comfort without the "comfort".

I agree @weinerdog, it appears Benantha will not be returning to the house, well at least not in this story. If Samantha wants to finish her tertiary studies though she well may return, in which case I assume Ben will too. Jack (Red) is a menace, a menace which I am hoping will be dealt with by video footage of him entering the carpark where Matt's Commodore was damaged. If he is found to have damaged Matt's car I think it a certainty he will get off with a fine and maybe an order to pay the damages bill. Will such a lenient punishment change his behaviour? It is hard to imagine it will as he is so stupid. If however, he threatens Aaron again and the boys are able to record the threat, he may face more severe punishment. The best possible punishment for him though would be to be socially ostracised. If Andy is found guilty and sentenced, the Court of public opinion may find Jack guilty by association. Whilst this is completely unfair and is contrary to my principles, I could easily make an exception for someone like Jack. I am disappointed the story is about to finish @Mark Ponyboy Peters, but I guess the outcome of Andy Thompson's arrest is a logical place to conclude it, unless you intend to do a Who Shot JR on us, and leave the outcome as a cliffhanger until the start of a new story. The peasants will revolt if this is what transpires.

@Paladin I guess it is a "burden" I will just have to bear. I am used to being a Beast Of Burden though, serving by day in the Commonwealth public service and for the balance of the day my feline mistresses at home.

"Ben giggled and said, "Good point, Uncle Vince. So, the big news of the evening is that Scarlett and I are dating on a trial basis." The statement left the chuckling adults intrigued. "What's the terms of this trial basis," Julie asked after sipping the cider. "Well, we both feel like we've got a good balance between having things in common and being into different things, but we're not sure if it's the romance of Christmas, so we've decided on reevaluating the relationship after Valentine's Day dance." Are you sure Ben is only 13 years of age @Ticklishboy30? His "evaluation" of his newly minted relationship with Scarlett seems awfully mature for one so young (LOL). "So, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Morgan and Grandma and Grandpa Wakefield were at the dinner, which surprised me." This statement cleared up my confusion regarding Brett and Trevor's parents @Ticklishboy30. I have to wonder why Ben's Grandma and Grandpa Morgan, Ben and Trevor's parents, are so bigoted but Grandpa Morgan's parents seemingly are not. Has Grandpa Morgan become a bigot because of Grandma Morgan's beliefs or the beliefs of her parents, or was he a bigot to begin with? I am intrigued by this scenario. Whatever the reason, it appears Grandma and Grandpa Morgan will "celebrate" a lonely Christmas unless Brett and Trevor have other siblings whom their parents "approve" of. I have never watched a wrestling match in my life, but the running commentary from Julie and Vince did remind me of the baseball commentary by Phil Rizzuto in Meatloaf's song Paradise By The Dashboard Light from his Bat Out Of Hell album, without the obvious sexual connotations.

My prediction for Jordan and Cameron, for the short term at least @Ticklishboy30, is captured brilliantly by the incomparable Aussie singer, the late, great Renee Geyer.

Terrific start @Paladin. Another young gay man with an accepting family who support him. Who "woulda thunk" such things possible until more recently. Jordan and Cameron, both attractive gender neutral names which seem equally suitable to either gender. A lawyer and an architect, quite the professional young couple. Jordan oozes confidence and used that confidence to his advantage with a direct pick up of Cameron in a coffee shop. No sleazy or cliched one-liners from this lad. I loved the exchange between Jordan and his father, particularly the examination of how their mother and wife respectively will react to a new man in Jordan's life. I am also intrigued by the final sentence "Excellent. It's time you moved on", suggesting to me Jordan has had his heart broken before. No songs popped readily into my head when reading this chapter @Paladin. I think the frantic pace with which one scene changed to another it was too much for my old brain to keep up with. As I write these comments though two songs suddenly popped into my head, and given they are by an Aussie singer it seems only fitting that either one of Christie Allen's monster hits Goosebumps or He's My Number One, captured the direction of this chapter. I of course loved them both, sheer pop perfection. Sadly, British-born Christie who grew up in Perth, died in 2008 at age 54 from pancreatic cancer. And check out Christie's "spray on" pants in this video. Ouch.

I just tried to find a video for it on the 'net but could not. I am not familiar with it as the Cher show was not on TV in Australia as far as I know, or if it was we did not have it on TV in rural Australia. There is another duet from Cher's show which I love even more than the one with Tina. It is a duet between Cher and Labelle with Miss Patti almost becoming airborne from the outfit she is wearing and her powerhouse vocals. Cher looks to be really enjoying herself and holds her own with Nona and Sarah, but not quite with Miss Patti. Cher wears an amazing headpiece and her outfit is stunning. The song is wonderful too.

I am not surprised Damian has started to have nightmares. I imagine the first one experienced won't be the last, particularly if he now fully appreciates what his mother's intentions were regarding Ludo, and what she may well have done to him. He is going to need lots of support. Fortunately he has that already from his beloved Dad and from Arthur and Adam, and I think Gordy and Lesley will be there to lend any support they can too. Graham Marcus' warning about what is likely to come echoed Lesley's suppositions. All four, but particularly Ludo and Damian, are in for tough times. I hope the bank they work for is also put under the microscope and is severely criticised. Another riveting chapter @Robert Hugill. Luckily for Ludo he now has a partner who supports him and Damian has a co-parent who oddly enough is there to care and protect him, not one who finds him an inconvenience.

I echo the sentiments expressed by several of my fellow readers @Paladin, I too appreciated the slow build up of the relationship between Jason and Liem, just like a train gathering speed. As I was reading the story I kept hearing snippets of ELO's Last Train To London and The Monkees Last Train To Clarksville. What made this story somewhat different from many others was the immediate acceptance of the burgeoning relationship between Jason and Liem by both families. I have had many co-workers of Vietnamese descent in my 40+ years of working and cannot recall any who were the slightest concerned about me being gay. I was amused by Linh's whispered comment to Susan “I hope Jason is gay.” It spoke well of her acceptance of Liem and her "approval" of Jason as a potential partner for her son. A charming short @Paladin, one which I think you could develop further if you are ever inclined to do so.

Imagine the diva "dummy spits" (LOL). It would be like watching one of those dreadful Real Housewives Of ........ shows. You would never get Aretha to Cher the stage with any of her contemporaries. She never had anything nice to say about them and was a legendary diva, amongst other things. Cher and Tina could recreate their version of Shirley & Company's Shame Shame Shame which they performed on Cher's variety show on 27/04/75. The epitome of fabulousness, Carol Channing, could sing Hello Dolly to herald Dolly's arrival on stage with Donna to sing Starting Over Again, with all three surrounded by dozens of drag queens. Donna could then segue into No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) with Barbra who could then segue into Tell Him with Celine. Judy Garland could perform with Rufus Wainwright (in drag) and do anything from Judy: Live At Carnegie Hall.

Bugger. I got myself so excited Sarge might be Nathan. It was like last week when I won the $100 million in Powerball and had the money all spent/donated, only to be dashed again when I did not win it. I hope I am not getting dementia because I have no recollection of Matt's car having the headlights smashed and the paint damaged. Do you remember what chapter that occurred in? It makes me concerned what else I may have forgotten or did I miss an entire chapter perhaps. The criticism that each chapter is told from a different character's POV is odd. I could understand and agree with the criticism if it disrupted the continuity of the plot or resulted in confusion for the reader as to who said what and when, but this has not been the case (apart from my forgetfulness above).

I think Micah well may be Mary's first experience with what becomes her lifelong passion as seen in the spin-off stories @Cane23. She has already shown herself to be a compassionate and deep-thinking child, the former of which she definitely did not inherit from her birthing vessel, in fact she inherited nothing from Rebecca, for which she is most fortunate. Even if Rebecca is a physically attractive woman, such beauty would be destroyed by her inner-ugly, an ugly so repulsive it must eventually start to show on her external appearance. I have been wracking my brain to suggest something horrible to happen to Rebecca, but have not as yet thought of anything nearly horrible enough. My suggestion above of a terminal illness is a good start, but she must be made to suffer more. She would likely play the martyr if she got a terminal illness. Whatever it is, it must be something where John and the children turn their back on her in her hour of need and she has nothing to live with but her bitter memories. Revenge is a dish best served cold, which in the case of Rebecca is very apt. I just hope it is also a dish best served in abundance, with all those she has wronged smiting her repeatedly.

Reading this delightful comment of yours @weinerdog, particularly the speculation in bold text, I had a very sudden and plausible epiphany. The Sarge is described as middle-aged, which may mean he is any age from 40-55 ish and therefore born between 1948 and 1963. Given this, I am speculating the Sarge's given name may be Nathan, a man born in 1959/1960 who was the best friend a boy named Danny could ever have had. It would explain the Sarge's apparent comfort with all the gay men/teens in the story and his gentle and caring manner with Paul and Aaron. Just saying @weinerdog, and hoping I might be right. And I am positive now I have not read this story as I remember little of what has occurred to date, and I am almost certain I would have remembered Ben's accident and its aftermath, the attack on Aaron and now on Paul, and the sudden arrival of Tony. I am quietly confident Andy Thompson will not be able to buy his way out of trouble. Sarge appears resolute and I doubt he will be intimidated by the Thompson family, particularly if he is Nathan or perhaps even Lachlan. I am also quietly confident Jack will be identified as the culprit who vandalised Matt's car. I have to ask though @Mark Ponyboy Peters, wasn't it Guy's car which had the headlights smashed etc rather than Matt's, or did I miss a vital part of the story and Matt's was vandalised too in the same manner? Tony's maturity and compassion is surprising me no end. He certainly does not get the latter from the Monolith, perhaps he "inherited" it from his father. Excellent chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters with the arrest of Andy Thompson the highlight. I also loved the rhyming in the following sentence which I daresay was unintentional, but was just gorgeous, "Backing out of the parking space we gave Dave a wave farewell".

I had the same thought @Paladin, in fact, I had him pictured as El Supremo, the Jack of Spades, if the Jack of Spades is in fact the El Supremo. The irony would be delicious and a loud slap in the face for Rebecca. I thought it was mentioned Rebecca's parents were deceased when Melissa went to visit her with the gift for Mary's birthday. I just revisited chapter 6 where this event occurred and there was no mention of their parents though, so I must have imagined it or assumed they are dead because they are never mentioned. I don't recall either of his grandparents being mentioned in the spin-off stories about Joshua. As I indicated above, I highly recommend these spin-off stories and they do not reveal anything about the conclusion of this story, although quite a few of the "cast" are featured in the spin-off stories to varying degrees. I assume the Jack of Spades is a person of political, judicial or industrial importance @Paladin, someone with enormous wealth and/or power who leverages their power and/or wealth to achieve whatever outcome they desire, someone who does not entertain the word 'no' when they make a request/demand.

I think the inept interrogation was to lull Rizzo into a false sense of security @pvtguy, a false sense he may be able to share with the Jack of Spades and the Aces who are the lifeblood of the boy flesh porn racket. If he and the others who are the driving force of this racket think the CPD and FBI are onto them they will either move or dispose of the "merchandise". If they believe the CPD and FBI are clueless they are more likely to become careless themselves hopefully.

Unfortunately he is still married to her as late as November 2024 @pvtguy. @empath has written and published two stories about the life of adult Joshua (baby Joshua in this story) in which Rebecca and John Renkin are still married to each other, and she is at least as toxic, perhaps even more so, than she currently is. In those stories, which I highly recommend, she is only mentioned in passing, she has not contaminated them yet with an actual appearance. The mere mention of her name though is like poison to those who have been unfortunate enough to be acquainted with her to any degree.

Pure evil has many faces. Charles Miller, Jason Rizzo, William and Rebecca Renkin. She may not be involved in the child porn racket, but in my eyes she is as equally degenerate as those who are. Her description of Micah as an urchin was even lower than I thought she would sink. Clearly I have underestimated how truly toxic and despicable she is. She has no redeeming qualities, not one. It is perfectly understandable why her husband hates her with a passion and her children are at best indifferent to her. She has nothing to offer anyone which is of any worth. She is an entitled parasite, sucking the lifeblood out of those she should be nurturing. With her wealth she could do so much good, imagine the difference she could make to the lives of the boys, but no they are urchins in her narrow self-centred world. It is unfortunate she is still alive 32 years later, still sucking the lifeblood out of all those whose lives she has poisoned with her presence. I can only hope as Joshua's life progresses she is diagnosed with a terminal illness and all those who under normal circumstances would have provided comfort to her i.e. John and her children, turn their back on her. She is the epitome of a c#*t. I must say @empath there was much to like about this chapter, such as the progress being made in locating some of the boys and Daniel's offer to Qian Chang, but for me everything was overshadowed by the behaviour of Rebecca Renkin such that I am fixated on her.