Summerabbacat

@Lee Wilson's fertile imagination on display yet again in this surprisingly uplifting tale, this time with barely a trace of resentment or nastiness from any one character. The premise of the story is one of selflessness, of light and goodness, although the motivator is amongst the darkest, the "evil" of cancer. With beautifully drawn characters Lee seemingly revelled in a story built around nurturing, care and the innate goodness of some of our fellow species. Lee's confidence in his story telling soared with this story, which although fantastical, was imbued with a sense of realism because of the depth of his characters, who in the hands of a less experienced author could so easily have been one-dimensional and lacking any authenticity. Well done Lee, my favourite of all your stories I have read to date.

Another extraordinary chapter from the pen of @empath. Many of my fellow readers have expressed surprise the Cuntess of Chicago is even more despicable than we thought. I was mildly taken aback by her latest revelations, but when I thought about it, the latest revelations did not surprise. This is a "woman" who would no doubt sit in judgment of prostitutes, condemning them for sure, and yet she has much in common with them. The only real difference between a prostitute and the Cuntess is that they work hard for their money, whereas she merely schemes, ridicules, berates and dominates those in her circle to achieve her goal, money. She is completely amoral, without any redeeming qualities, a parasitical cancer which sustains itself on the misery of others. For me she is no better or no worse than all the Cards in the Deck. She is ruining the lives of those around her to satisfy her lust, her lust for money and power. I doubt her father will ever cut her out of his will, but I think his eyes have been opened to what a shallow, vindictive, horrible person she is. The reunion of Jasper and Oliver, and the despair and fear felt by Roland and Miles, were for me the most moving events in this chapter, closely followed by Oliver's military salute. I was very worried Roland and Miles had been removed from the frying pan only to be thrown into the fire, but as soon as Daniel received the telephone call from the colleague in Las Vegas and was delivered the "mysterious" message, I assumed (hoped like hell) Roland and Miles were safe. I look forward to a shoot out, hopefully literally, between the two Q's, Quinton and Queenie, @empath. The language used to describe Roland and Miles and their impending "sale" a stark reminder of the scum which is constantly floating to the surface in this wonderful story.

I was a proponent to a certain extent of therapy for Damian, although I was not perturbed by the pace at which Ludo was attempting to resolve the "Jackie issue". I feel the discussion between Ludo and Damian in this chapter was more therapeutic than any therapy a professional could offer. I believe removing much of the reminder of Jackie from their lives, with the reassurance that this does not mean she is being eliminated completely, had a profound effect not only on Ludo and Damian, but likely on Arthur too. I think your innate distrust of therapy is reflective of the English and also of your generation, which I think may be similar to mine. I am somewhat distrustful of therapy too Robert, although there are other factors at play too, which are gender-related and "guilt"-related. Perhaps we both need a clip over the ear from Lesley.

Much has been written of Madeline's extraordinary gift, her care for all the sick children she saved and by default their families, and her generosity of spirit, and this is at it should be. I would like to draw attention though to her partner in life, the man who as a child "got the ball rolling" so to speak. Colin was behind Madeline all the way, supporting and no doubt comforting her when needed it, his generosity of spirit also repeatedly on display, particularly in this chapter when he reached out to his son's birth parents, the selfless couple who gave him for adoption to give him a chance at life. The old adage "behind every great man there is a great woman" was flipped on its head and the gender roles reversed in this superbly written and heartfelt story. And was Colin's masculinity threatened in any way by this, not a chance. No toxic masculinity in Colin's demeanour. @Lee Wilson, although fantastical (not one character, major or minor, was truly vile, selfish and detestable, although Errol did come close), this story is my favourite thus far in the tales of this most remarkable of families. Beautifully written from start to finish, a gem of which you should be very proud.

@drsawzall it appears the "removal" of evidence of Jackie having lived with Ludo and Damian as a family, apart from a few private mementos to be retained by each, has been the catalyst to move the family forward. Admittedly there is still no evidence Damian is undertaking or is going to undertake therapy, but maybe it won't be needed now. Ludo's statements he and Damian would continue to do things as father and son, he and Arthur would marry and they all four would do things together as a family, and Jackie may still remain in both their lives, albeit in a reduced capacity, particularly if she is imprisoned, appeared to reassure Damian. The promised "adventure" of a visit to Ludo's London office also seemed to delight Damian.

There has been many times Damian has behaved more like an adult than a 10 year old child, such that I have on occasion almost forgotten he is a 10 year old child. I was reminded he is only 10 years of age in the time he spent alone with Ludo in this chapter: “Just you and me?” “That’s right. And Adam will do special things with his Dad.” “But we’ll do things, all four of us, as a family.” The last three words were almost a question." I found this interaction between Ludo and Damian very moving, Damian needing reassurance and Ludo providing it unequivocally. Ludo and Arthur's walk and picnic, some valuable alone time together led to some afternoon delight. It appeared in this chapter, as it has in many prior chapters, that the happiest times between Ludo and Arthur, Ludo and Damian, and the family of four together, are those where enjoyment is derived from the simplest of pleasures. Wonderful chapter @Robert Hugill. A miracle occurred in this chapter too, one which I could never have entertained and am still not sure how you managed to do it without some sort of "witchcraft"; I had a fleeting moment of sympathy for Jackie, recognising how profoundly stupid she was to throw away all she had for the "challenge" of not being caught. Suffice to say, I quickly regained my senses and reverted to thinking she got what she deserved.

I just consulted my musical "bible" and am surprised (and that is rare when it comes to 70's and 80's music, especially disco). You Make Me Feel Mighty Real peaked at #16 in 1979 (a much bigger hit than I recall) whereas Do You Wanna Funk peaked at #24 in 1983. I thought the latter was a much bigger hit here in Australia than You Make Me Feel Mighty Real. I remember Do You Wanna Funk still being played in the mid to late 80's in gay clubs when I first moved down to "the big smoke". He passed away in 1988 from the big A.

Hopefully it is a case of "the hunter being captured by the game" rather than the other way around @chris191070.

Ever the pessimist, I am not as confident as my fellow readers Jonah has landed in an ideal situation and has the support of his cousins, at least not all three of them. Certainly it is unlikely he will want for anything money can buy as demonstrated by the shopping spree in Oceanus, but will that be enough for him. When Jonah was confronted by the rude and pretentious Wintour wannabe, Kelly, Blair and Calvin behaved similarly to Cher and Dionne in Clueless, totally oblivious to what a bitch Kelly was. Only Monty appeared to be aware, or at least care, about the insults delivered by Kelly towards Jonah. If only Edina Monsoon had been shopping with Jonah, she would have put Kelly in her place quick smart with "you only work in a shop you know, you can drop the attitude". Horrid creature. Eric, her handsome assistant, at least appeared pleasant and showed genuine compassion for Jonah. I am also somewhat suspicious of Jonah's notoriety at his new school. It would not surprise me if Cher and Dionne aka Blair and Calvin have dramatised to the max the circumstances which have led to Jonah coming to live with them, promoting themselves as such compassionate, kind and altruistic cousins. They both struck me as somewhat fake in this chapter, consumed with being popular and fashionable, at least whilst amongst their peers. I hope I am wrong and I am being my usual overly harsh self, but neither Calvin nor Blair impressed me as being capable or desiring to be an individual capable of thinking and speaking for themselves if it meant they may lose popularity amongst their peers. Monty however, did not present as such a person in this chapter. Victor putin his snide and aggressive remarks, seemingly jealous that William, who it appears is Victor's boyfriend, had drawn an apparently striking resemblance of Jonah. Monty rebuked him, but will that be enough. The remarks of some of the teachers about Jonah being the fourth Kildare or not another one did not appear to flatter Monty, Calvin and Blair. Is it possible the triplets are not as well liked and/or respected by the teachers as what they are by the students. A very revealing chapter @irivera, with Blair, Calvin and perhaps even Vienna being too much Carrie Bradshaw and too little Samantha Jones. I am also suspicious regarding the absence of Uncle Nolan. I am not suspicious at this stage he is dead, but is it possible he has moved out of the family home for one reason or another.

The oft said "a leopard never changes it spots" appears to apply to Darryl as much now as it did when he was married to a woman. He should be honest with Bob who is seemingly a one man man, before Bob invests more in a relationship which may not be to his liking.

Grayson's discussion with Mr Webster and Mrs Mack proved once again that his employer is taking workplace harassment and bullying seriously. I think it is certain Stinky Shane's behaviour will be reported to his employer, unless of course he is self-employed. Either way, I don't believe he will be delivering to the store anymore. If he is not self-employed he may also find himself in the same unemployment queue as the three boofheads. If this eventuates I fear reprisal against Grayson and perhaps even Rafael if Stinky Shane is aware of their developing relationship. It is possible he may even threaten Mike, seeing him perhaps as a traitor for not sticking up for him. Your description of Chase was so vivid @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Although there is no indication he is African American, I had an instant image of him resembling the late Sylvester who was tall, camp and when interviewed often referred to the interviewer as 'Honey'. Sylvester with hair like a rainbow lorikeet, although the purple is more indigo on said bird. Chase was very professional and competent, at the same time putting Grayson at ease with his effervescence and sense of humour. A pivotal chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, potentially one with far reaching consequences. I hope it is not the last we see of Chase; I can envisage him outside the workplace similarly attired to Sylvester and camping it up like him as in the video below.

"Sophia" has moved in and the house is at full capacity. The bathroom roster appears to be working, but with Bob and Darryl having now progressed to amore the latter may start sharing the bathroom aligned to the master bedroom. Both couples are apparently lusty and loud. Perhaps they should consider recording a gay porn "soundtrack" as another source of income. The "lyrics" are bound to be straight forward, with lots of ad libbing along the way.

Fabulous, frothy and flirty. Great start to another little gem @chris191070.

Way to go @weinerdog. I wish I had thought of this, but I had not. Mary is a pious poisonous prig and will hopefully get her comeuppance before the story concludes. I am worried Lucas will snap and in a rage kill his Granny. If he does his life will be all but over. It does not excuse his homophobia and bullying, but he has not had an easy life. Seemingly Granny resents him which I suspect Lucas realises. Neil is reacting to all the bullying he is being subjected to in a perfectly understandable manner. I feared for a moment he was contemplating hanging himself by his tie but his thought "He couldn’t face option one; and he didn’t have the nerve to carry out option two" indicates this is not the case. I believe Brenda will respond very positively to Neil being gay. Her comment to Jack “I just don’t want Neil going through the pain his father went through.” was truly remarkable, showing what a selfless, caring and compassionate person she clearly is. A wonderful chapter @Ronyx. A real weepy.

Duplicate posting makes me look like an idiot @Lee Wilson. I thought I had already added the comment and went to edit it but it was still showing 'add comment' as active. I did the edit and then added the comment only to find it had already posted. Very annoying.

Perhaps you could introduce this method preparing and serving fruit salad at the school you work at @chris191070. It may encourage the children to eat more fruit if it were served in such a manner. Maybe you could volunteer to perform a similar role to Joshua.

I think I have heard the word before. It sounds like the type of word Benny Hill or Frankie Howerd would have used in some of their TV shows, many of which were shown in Australia in the 1970's.

I was being facetious. He died a number of years before I was born too and I have never seen any of his movies that I can recall. If it were not for the fact he was born in Australia I would probably have taken no interest in him at all.

I was being facetious. He died before I was born too and have never seen one of his movies that I can recall. If it were not for the fact he was born in Australia I would probably have taken no interest in him at all.

I am going to choose to believe Morrie did not lie to Jane and Alisa when he stated his fur coat was faux fur. Perhaps Ralph could send his parents a carpet sample together with photographs of the twins playing football as Christmas gifts. Industrial chic is a very practical and attractive solution, except for winter when I imagine Parborough gets very cold. Another delightful chapter @Robert Hugill.

What do you mean by your "younger readers" @Lee Wilson? We are only youngsters ourselves, spring chickens, babes in the woods.

Errol should have stuck to what he is most familiar with and what he reportedly excelled at, drinking and fucking any adult with a pulse. I think @weinerdog was right. It was Errol he saw at the bar getting shit-faced with Eric Griffin before Eric started his prison sentence of over 430,000 years for negligent homicide. If Eric was able to survive his lengthy time in prison he might get to see Cher and/or Elton and/or The Rolling Stones do their final, the very last we promise, absolutely no more after this, farewell tours. I admire Madeline greatly for her passion and hotheadedness but must acknowledge she has the perfect counterbalance with Colin, the peacemaker, the diplomat. What a formidable team. I had to laugh, before I fumed, at one of the questions thrown at Madeline before she entered the Cancer Centre: "Do you think you're God?" For once I think Errol got it right with his comment: "You actually believe that horseshit?" Great chapter again @Lee Wilson.

I found the description of Tom's parents' outdated home both amusing and reverential. And Tom's recount of his discussion with Catherine, specifically "That is a relief. For me. the lady ship has never even set sail." was very amusing. What a quaint admission of disinterest. It will be interesting to observe how the intergenerational couples relate when they visit Tom's lake house. Both Alan and Mason seem like very respectful young guys so I doubt there will be any discord between the four.

Indignant Irene and her happy-clapper husband Cretinous Caldwell undoubtedly whisked James away quick smart after he was caught in the compromising position with Jonah. It would not surprise me to learn he has been sent off for conversion therapy and Irene has joined her local chapter of Moms For Liberty. I daresay Jonah has fared far better than James as at least Jonah is now living with a family who realise the earth is not flat and the bible is not a non-fiction instruction manual for life. I hope for Jonah's sake he ultimately learns of James' fate even if it is devastating. I am afraid the Calvin Kyle "joke" was completely lost on me. Is this an American thing or was it considered amusing because of its close resemblance to Calvin Klein? This story is very well written and totally believable @irivera. You have got yourself a winner.

I assume Julie Mack, Personnel Manager, is an influential employee, and unless she is a liar, she has already shown she is supportive of Grayson, not only in the workplace, but outside the workplace too. Her comments about Grayson's recent growing friendship/relationship with Rafael were encouraging as was her invitation to fill a vacancy left by the sacking of boofhead #1 (and don't worry @weinerdog, it won't be long I don't think before boofhead #'s 2 and 3 fuck up and join the chief boofhead in the unemployment queue). Shane may find himself on the wrong end of the stick sooner rather than later. Clearly Mike was unimpressed with his aggressive behaviour in the loading dock. Shane's "cry baby" comment deserved him a smack in the face (at the very least) and his grabbing his crotch and taunting Grayson with "looking for a bit more of this" shows how out of touch with reality he is. I have nothing to base this comment on, but I can almost bet Shane smells, all mix of stale unpleasant body smells, enough to make you want to puke. @wenmale64's comments above ring true for me. Great chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Stinky Shane (as I am now going to refer to him) best wash behind his ears (as well as everywhere else) as his behaviour has been noticed by the powers that be and they were likely unimpressed. He may find himself joining the three boofheads in the unemployment queue. Stinky Shane and the Three Boofheads, sounds like a good name for a punk group.