Summerabbacat

Doesn't he just @pvtguy. Although the source of the angst may often be the same (he likes me, he likes me not, he likes me, he likes me not), teenage angst is so fast and furious whereas mature age angst seems to move at a much more leisurely pace. The revelation of Phil's HIV status did not surprise given the revelation of the cause of Dwight's death in the previous chapter. Phil has certainly been fortunate to have survived for such a long time with a high T-cell count and undetectable viral load. I assume @weinerdog Phil still owns his home, giving it up meant having to move into care and lose his independence. He has mentioned in a prior chapter his accountant takes care of the house and pays all the necessary taxes on it, so I believe it is sitting unoccupied, waiting for Phil to return with or without some "guests". Colin, grow some balls honey (regardless of what Betty White said @drsawzall) and admit to your mother Jason is your boyfriend. If she does not like it, erase her from your life.

@Robert Hugill has a real talent for this @Doha, and for we mere mortals who are not wealthy or Greek gods, life is not just all about parties, drinking and fucking. "Real life" does get in the way sometimes and that is often when relationships fizzle. Keith and Thomas have much in common in many ways and both have shown a great willingness to compromise and respect each others need for space at times. I realise I am like a broken record, but each chapter they grow on me just a little more. I now think of them as Owain and Colin: The Next Generation.

I suspected this may have been the case @Paladin, particularly as Ollie felt such a strong connection to his father at his gravesite. He is quite the remarkable young man and this connection he felt really surprised me for someone so young. Perhaps it is my naïveté which led me to surprised by this as I cannot comprehend feeling any such connection to someone deceased as I have never experienced it, not even with my beloved cats who have passed (and believe me I have yearned for it). His reference to Uncle Chris and Uncle Andre as his two dads was terribly moving. You outdid yourself yet again with this chapter. It was wonderful, profoundly joyous and profoundly sad.

Now if Billy Porter was wearing it he would totally own it and be fabulous. Anyone else, mmmm, maybe not.

One of my friends once referred to me as a "violent vegetarian" as when it comes to humans who do horrible things to animals and children I have no qualms about wishing horrible things befall them. Whilst I don't think I could inflict the violence myself, I am not disturbed when others do, so bring on the violence for 'Crackhouse Chrissie' @Paladin. A shotgun, a ride-on lawn mower, a cricket bat, anything to inflict pain on her. Better yet, sic Beverley Sutphin aka Kathleen Turner onto her with the family station wagon, a window air conditioner, a large cut of meat or a blow torch. No wonder she was "flaky", coked to the eyeballs more like it. Where did the money go for her murdered husband's headstone? Up her nose, in her veins or did she have to pay-off his killer? What a low-life bitch. “She lied. She lied to dad. She lied to me.” I realise Ollie was very upset when he made this statement, but I am intrigued as to when "she lied to dad". Does he mean she lied to him as she had promised him, Ollie's dad, she would ensure he had a headstone or is Ollie aware of other times she lied to his dad. The more that is revealed about her the more unlikeable she is. Murderess, maybe not, but I won't be surprised if it comes to light she was involved in her husband's murder. On a happy note, Ollie had a wonderful birthday and was totally surprised. The gifts he received, especially the guitar and the quilt, had a very special connection for him. I don't recall if you have ever mentioned Ollie's specific age before @Paladin. If you have I have clearly forgotten this as for some reason I had it in my mind his birthday was going to be his 15th not his 13th. He is remarkably mature for a 13 year old, perhaps his mother's neglect has resulted in him being more self-reliant.

OMG it looks like something some wannabe celebrity would wear to the Met Gala to draw attention to themselves.

My goodness @pvtguy, you may be even more suspicious than @drsawzall and I. Paola may well be a ruthless, hard-nosed, super-bitch ala Alexis Morel Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan (without all the ex-husbands, but perhaps many lovers). Italian intrigue.

Perhaps I am too cynical but I would not trust Suki to be genuine in her praise or criticism of any person or artwork. I had a good laugh when she remarked to Vaughan "I know it’s very infra dig to ask a critic what he thought”. My immediate thought was nothing would be beneath her if it led her to getting what she wants; she strikes me as very superficial, but maybe I am just a nasty judgmental bitch. I wonder what ruffled her feathers when Vaughan mentioned "visiting the Nemon palazzo and the Scarpa intervention" and commenting on the Pontormo "how lucky they were to be able to acquire it from Francis Heyward". It appears several of the faithful @Robert Hugill, including myself, were not correct in our assessment of Ercole's motives, it seems his flirtation with Vaughan and Dante was only for a sexual tryst after all. No art smuggling or authenticating art forgeries, but I still don't discount something underhand. Perhaps Vaughan and Dante should check their luggage to ensure he has not slipped any cocaine therein. Paola T may well be a legitimate business after all @drsawzall, but I remain unconvinced. Short and sweet @Robert Hugill, maybe prefacing the shit hitting the fan.

Indeed he would @weinerdog, but he would prefer they not to be in the bag in the first place unless it is their choice to do so. My youngest cat who is in her 12th year hates the cold as much as I do. With only one "sister" left now who has no interest in snuggling with her, she often tries to hop in any bag left open and has taken to getting under the covers in my queen size bed which she and her "sister" graciously allow me to share with them (it was very toasty warm when I still had 6 and usually at least 5 of them were in the bed in winter). She is also fascinated by my CPAP machine and occasionally tries to pull my mask off.

@chris191070 and @weinerdog both speculated after reading chapter 2 that Justin's suicide attempt was/may have been motivated by him being gay and not able to handle it. This could well be true, but I suspect there may be more to it (and it is just a suspicion as I cannot remember for certain the reason(s) for his suicide attempt). He is the younger son and his brother has gone into the army. I wonder if he feels his brother is the favoured son, whilst he Justin is a disappointment. If this is the case and if he is gay, you have the "perfect" situation where a 14 year old may feel worthless and unloved, enough for him to attempt suicide perhaps. Unless his parents or his brother have expressed extremely homophobic views, I cannot understand why he would refuse to disclose his being gay was the motivation or part of the motivation for his suicide attempt though. Peter Black has been through hell as no doubt has his spouse. One has to admire their tenacity and strength as sometimes situations like this lead to the breakdown of a marriage too. Scott appears profoundly disturbed and upset by Justin's suicide attempt. Given this, will he be objective enough if he tries to help Justin? I wonder if his masturbatory fantasy at the conclusion of this chapter is the first time he has ever fantasised about Justin? Mrs Richards, another of your authentic creations @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Back in the day she may well have been referred to as an "old biddy". I can just picture her at bingo with a bunch of other "old biddies" gossiping about her neighbours and friends, about who is doing what (or whom) and why. LOL. The jury has delivered its verdict @Mark Ponyboy Peters, this was an outstanding chapter, but please no "cats in bags".

Joshua is an ignoramus of the highest order. No wonder Alex is so disconnected from him. I can only speculate why Joshua apparently has sole custody of Alex rather than his mother having at least joint custody of him. Perhaps she had serious drug or mental health problems or she did not want custody of him, although I find the latter hard to believe as Alex has not expressed any ill will towards his mother. Perhaps she is a lesbian and the presiding judge in the divorce case was a homophobe who awarded custody to Joshua and she did not have the resources to challenge it. The worst case scenario is that Joshua screwed her over so badly in the divorce that she subsequently committed suicide. This would be reason enough for Alex to dislike his father intensely. Lindsay is in a difficult situation. Alex is clearly hostile to her because she is potential stepmother material, but she is doing herself no favours with the high pitched girly voice, unless of course it is her natural voice, in which case I imagine it would become grating very quickly. She also appears to be trying just a little too hard to be "cool" and be a friend to him. Blair and Alex appear to have relied very heavily on their friendship with each other to sustain them, the former because he only has his sister as family and the latter because his home life is anything but happy. Their friendship was perhaps a little too intense, which may be why they are both acting so irrationally now they have had a falling out, and with nobody else to confide in or help them navigate through this challenge to their friendship. Although it is some time now since you posted the original of this story @matcha, I seem to recall it sufficiently to recognise this rewrite is very different. I know it is early days yet but you appear to be giving we readers more background on Blair and Alex at least, in this rewrite.

Gorgeous weather. Send it my way please @Gary L.

Your weather at 35°C with high humidity - glorious just glorious @drsawzall. Our weather at 16°C - arctic and not at all comfortable. I hate the cold, anything less than 27°C is cool for me. I love tropical weather so Australia's most northern capital city, Darwin, would suit me well as the daytime temperature rarely drops below 28°C all year round. The only drawbacks are the cyclones, the crocodiles and the air pollution from Indonesia.

I do recall that comment @Bft but was not at all surprised it was made as it came from the mouth of a controversial Liberal Party politician. In Australia the Liberal Party (one of the greatest misnomer's of all time) is anything but when it comes to animal rights, progressive social issues, the environment, and climate change (all the things which are very important to me). I shall refrain from commenting on what they are liberal with as it may breach GA rules, but suffice to say it is things I oppose.

I will gladly swap you the stifling humidity of the gym @drsawzall with the frigid cold of winter chilling my bones to the core, laptop aching limbs resembling the rigidity of Robocop. My heating bill this season will be astronomical as both of my remaining felines also seek out the warmth of the heater and the electric blanket. I feel guilty for enlarging my carbon foot print with heating, but console myself with the fact that I rarely using aircon for cooling, unless the temperature goes over 40°C, which in Sydney in summer is relatively uncommon in the inner city, and the felines are uncomfortable.

Like the seaside in Eastern Australia where much of this story takes place, the story itself is like fresh salt spray air, or the relaxing sound of the waves reaching their destination onshore, or floating on a warm summer breeze accompanied by the aroma of Tropical Blend Coconut Oil (SPF 4 only please). It is not all sunshine, sex, surf and the sweet things in life though, the protagonists are faced with some challenging and distressing events, events which ultimately enrich their lives. A story with a relatively small cast, mostly likeable, with one notable exception, a hate-filled aunt of one of the protagonists. The characters are well written by the author, @Mark Ponyboy Peters, with a refreshing authenticity that is sure to bring to mind family, friends or acquaintances each reader has known at some time during their life who bear a resemblance to any one or more of the characters, even the hate-filled aunt. Devour the story with a voracious appetite or read it at a languid pace like that balmy summer night. Whatever the pace at which you read it, you won't be disappointed. A delightfully entertaining, enriching and energising read from start to finish. A true 5 star experience with just the right amount of "sexy" at times too (sexy which is soooooooo seductively written).

Beautifully written @Talo Segura. Your comment, like the revelation itself, very moving.

Well said @pvtguy. You shared my feelings, although at opposing ends of the day. As commented above I loved the humour in this chapter, some of which I found delightfully whimsical, something which @Robert Hugill has excelled at before in other works too.

They run out of Tim Tams? On a serious note, I hope 'Crackhouse Chrissie' does not take the opportunity to gatecrash the party in an attempt to reconcile with Ollie. Having said this, I think it unlikely this will happen as to date you have not relied upon melodrama to keep your reader's entertained and eager for more @Paladin. I am going to assume (and we all know what this can lead to) it would be very difficult for 'Crackhouse Chrissie' to obtain information regarding with whom Ollie is living. She could perhaps follow him from the school to his home, observing him from a discreet distance, although given Logan's comment she was "flaky", stealth may not be something she possesses. I suspect what she lacks in intelligence though she may more than make up for with cunning and heartlessness. I hope she does not have kidnapping on her mind.

Another entertaining chapter @Robert Hugill, one which was particularly welcome this evening. I was in a foul mood when I commenced reading it (having just finished work and having repeatedly had to restrain myself throughout the day from hurling the cheap and useless work laptop from the top floor of my apartment), but within moments I felt myself relaxing and finding much of the chapter whimsical and humorous. When I am tired I often find myself thinking the oddest things and so it was with this chapter. "Luckily a large sign said Wentworth Ladies Club, and following it to the rear of the building, getting wafts of whatever the kitchen was cooking for supper, Keith and Thomas found themselves in a handsome room seemingly full of middle-aged and elderly women, most of them clutching a glass of wine." I imagined the women, desperate for some entertainment for the evening and having consumed a few glasses of wine, eyeing Keith and Thomas and thinking "Thank God the strippers have arrived". "She was around Keith’s age and had a rather breathy, eager manner; it turned out that her interest was the British Pop Artists of the 1960s, rather than Atkinson in particular". For a fleeting moment I thought how wonderful, Charlotte may be interested in Dusty Springfield, Shirley Bassey, Petula Clark and Sandie Shaw, but alas I quickly realised I had had a blonde moment and she was referring to artists who shared something in common with Andy Warhol. "One woman rather sharply asked whether it wouldn’t better for it to be looked at by experts (she didn’t say, rather than by a mere electrician but it was implied)". The only negative response Keith received to his presentation was from prissy Primrose, the bitch who thought herself a little better than he (her girdle was way too tight and her sensible knickers were giving her a wedgie). I loved the comments from the school governor, Frances "that she’d never look down on her son’s obsession with Meccano again" and "the good ladies of Yorkshire are rather scary en masse aren’t they.” I liked her sense of humour. Keith proved to be such a hit that Isobel Bonner stated she would be in touch. Alison stated Isobel is rather fond of him. I suspect he charmed quite a few of the women and part of that charm is the fact he does not realise he possesses it.

I remember the shock of reading Justin's revelation the first time I read this story. A handsome young man with apparently everything to live for who is profoundly saddened and/or disturbed by something. I would like to say I recall all, but I don't. Even if I did I would not reveal it as to do so would spoil the story for others who have not read it. You write characters with such authenticity @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I like the emotional depth you infuse your major characters with, and even the minor characters like Mrs J seem familiar. Perhaps it is because we are of a similar age and both grew up in regional NSW, but I can recognise people I have met in the course of my life who resemble many of your characters. I remember spending several school holidays at caravan parks at Old Bar, Blackhead and Forster as a teenager. I loved the sun and the beach so have fond memories of all such holidays.

I remember going to an NRL game once @Mark Ponyboy Peters with my father and brother when we were visiting the paternal grandparents in Sydney. I think it may have been in 1974 and I remember Easts were playing Manly. I followed Easts, although I have no idea why. I even remember some of their players by name like Artie Beetson, Ron Coote, John Brass, Mark Harris, Russell Fairfax and Ian Schubert (I think he was from Wauchope). I remember Easts thrashed Manly and my father and brother were not too happy because I who knew nothing about the actual game had picked the winner. It's funny what one remembers, but I distinctly remember a drunken male member of the crowd who was not far from where we were (standing I seem to recall) yelling out at Bob Fulton "aarrgghh Fulton ya poofter". My father who is very religious tried to shield my brother and I from the "foul language". I don't think I even knew what a poofter was then (I would have been 10).

I have little interest in football @Mark Ponyboy Peters, especially the NRL, but I was surprised when I read earlier this week about the then unnamed Cronulla player who had been given an ultimatum to remove two offensive tattoos from his legs, one of which says "eat shit faggot". Being the cynic I am I wondered if this and the other tattoo were only considered offensive because they apparently can be easily seen and would reflect poorly on the team's image if seen on TV. I personally find the word "faggot" far more offensive than "poofter" even though they mean the same thing. Perhaps it is a "cultural" thing, if you are going to abuse me at least do so with a non-American word. I also remember a relatively well known Sydney gay activist recounting a story about being abused once and called "poofter" to which he responded "that's Miss Poofter to you" thus reclaiming the word. He was a well-built guy who was no shrinking violet. I also recall back in the day Ian Roberts being abused and called "poofter" by unruly members of the crowd. It would be a very foolish person to call him that face-to-face unless they were armed. I vaguely recall it was well known by other players he was gay and few if any had a problem with it, or if they did they were smart enough to keep their opinions to themselves. He got into quite a few brawls on the field and was not one to shy away from a brawl. I don't have first hand knowledge of any of this, it is only what I have read. I did see him once at the Capitol Theatre and he was a very imposing figure, one you would not want to challenge in a fight.

Further proof Jeff Stryker, Rick "Humungous" Donovan and Chad Douglas are the exceptions rather than the norm. I have heard of the film The Outsiders but have never seen it. It certainly had an attractive cast, most of whom are a similar age to us now @Mark Ponyboy Peters, apart from C Thomas Howell who is 3 years younger. All have aged well, apart from Leif Garrett and of course, Patrick Swayze. I checked out its contemporaries and found very few films released that year which I saw then or at some time since, and only two of which are "must haves", Yentl and Careful He Might Hear You. The latter is an Australian film which was very successful in Australia and I believe had some success in the USA too. One of my favourite Australian films of all time, with a stellar cast led by the late, great Wendy Hughes and Robyn Nevin.

The baseball analogy was somewhat lost on me when the discussion turned to innings. I do like an early gay porn film about "baseball" directed by William Higgins titled These Bases Are Loaded though. Some very fine "acting" in that early classic. The veracity of your second statement above is so obvious @John Henry, yet it is one which has completely gobsmacked me. Bryan was the protector of both Kenny and Caleb, as the latter attested to most recently when he confessed his feelings of worthlessness after being assaulted. Now Bryan is "under attack" from the onslaught of Calvin's frivolous application to the Court and he is not equipped to protect either himself or Caleb in a tactical manner, hence his outbursts which have cost him dearly. His "tough guy" persona has slipped further and further as the story has progressed and he is incapable of seeking help as he does not know how too, and is understandably reluctant to rely upon anyone for fear of abandonment. Even moreso than Diego, I think Steve holds the key to Bryan's acceptance that he needs help and a willingness to accept it graciously when offered. I like @weinerdog believe (or is it merely hope) Bryan and Kenny will reunite when the case is over. I eagerly await the arrival of Calvin Sr, Billy's final nail in Calvin's coffin (and whilst you are it, can you please arrange for Miss Diesel Tailpipe to be placed into the same coffin as Calvin @John Henry). I liken his arrival to that of Joan Collins aka Alexis Morel Carrington at the end of the first season of Dynasty (or Oil as it was then imaginatively titled), without the large hat, dark glasses and latest fashion (or perhaps with, being the biggest surprise of them all). Excellent writing again @John Henry. Another top 10 placement coming up for you at the end of this month I should think.