Summerabbacat

My bad @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I thought Father Costas was Catholic because he is called Father and he was described as a Catholic priest in chapter 3 of Traditions by Keiran before they attended midnight mass. Certainly his beliefs would appear to be more in keeping with someone from a non-denominational community church.

"Levi endured them all with a blank expression. When one woman reached out to hug him, he stepped back. Matt saw the hurt on the woman’s face, then watched Luke smoothly step in with a quiet thank you and with enough warmth to soften the moment. That was Luke all over. Always noticing the emotional tripwires before Matt did." One more "incident" like this @Mark Ponyboy Peters and Luke may need to be beatified, whilst he is still alive. I believe Matt will have to build up his reserves of patience as I expect Levi is going to express at least some resistance to being raised by two gay men, particularly with other gay men in the extended household. It appears the "cherry pickers" have instilled the oft quoted passage from Leviticus into Levi's mind, possibly whilst conveniently overlooking the reference to not eating pork or wearing mixed fabrics. It may be that Matt and by extension Luke, will have to acquaint themselves with at least some parts of the bible so they have some idea what Levi is talking about and can mount a counter argument if necessary. We don't know as yet what denomination of Christianity Levi has been exposed to, although it may not matter all that much. When they return to Thompsonville, perhaps Matt and Luke could make the acquaintance of Father Costas, although none of the guys may be aware of him. If Levi is Catholic, Father Costas would be the obvious choice to approach, although if none of the guys are aware of him they will not know he is a moderate man who is capable of independent thought, one whose mind has not been poisoned by dogma. Matt is doing a fine job thus far, acting on instinct more than anything else. There may come a time when this is not enough. If so, I hope he does not take it as a failure on his part as what he is about to embark upon his no small feat, even putting aside Levi's beliefs about same sex relationships.

I too suspect Brett is not going to cease his accusations of Colt and Noah's involvement in his accident. Hopefully a miracle will occur and it will emerge something else caused Brett's accident, or maybe he was breath tested and was found to be DUI. He may have a genuine grievance against Colt and Noah, but he is still an arsehole and I don't have any sympathy for him at all. Brett's belligerence may convince Noah that the plan to murder George should not proceed. I think Colt's resistance to the idea will have been reinforced by Brett's behaviour, and there is next to no chance Noah will carry out the murder himself.

Maybe the shooters are not very bright and got the wrong house @chris191070. Perhaps Trevor was the intended target for an investigation he led which resulted in the arrest of a significant crime figure, someone who has decided payback is warranted. Or maybe Jerry is involved in criminal activities and the shooters are from a rival "gang". Or maybe Jerry has a vengeful ex-spouse who has decided he needs to pay up. Given it is an offering from @Lee Wilson, the scenarios are limitless, and that is at least half the fun. As other readers have noted @Lee Wilson, we have received more "bang for our back" than we could have anticipated in one short chapter.

I know next to nothing about cars but I assume if the brake line is cut and the police discover this they will know George has been murdered. I hope something happens to George before this as I don't think Colt will cope having George's death on his conscience. I was surprised at how easily Noah changed his mind and allowed Colt to fuck him. Colt's previous request to do so was denied and Noah seemed genuinely terrified, but on this occasion it was full steam ahead. I have to agree with my fellow reader(s) who have previously indicated Noah is somewhat manipulative, but then I guess he has learned this from George.

Is the tall dark zombie-like wolf the real killer of Theo's pack? Is this wolf the evil Wisdom Tree in disguise perhaps? Are Jack and Vince fighting the good fight for nought? Is this entire story a bad dream Theo, Jack or Vince is having after drinking too much champagne at Ryder and Danny's wedding? Is @Laura S. Fox rolling on the floor laughing her arse off as we mere mortals dissect and speculate each chapter with our puny minds and imaginations? More puzzles @Laura S. Fox with only my feeble mind to examine them.

Charlie is 23 going on 9. Oaf, millennial princess, tantrum-throwing toddler, berk, take your pick, it describes his behaviour in this chapter. I can understand him not wanting to convalesce with his mother as she sounds like a royal pain in the arse, but Margaret's offer is ideal. I doubt she will put up with any of Charlie's nonsense like his mother undoubtedly would have. I had glandular fever and hepatitis A at the same time in the winter of 1991 when I was 27. It was very draining, with recurring fevers and constant shivering, and it took me some time to recover completely. I would have relished some TLC, and I did not have a cat then to console me. Charlie needs to get over himself and graciously accept the offers of help, which from Margaret are very generous and come with no strings attached. Another "appearance" by my favourite Hugillism, anyroad. Quite simply, another fine addition to the Hugillverse @Robert Hugill, even though Charlie behaved summat childishly and annoyingly.

As there has been no appearance by Nathan's father since his stabbing I am assuming he is either deceased, Nathan's mother divorced him or Nathan was raised solely by his mother. I cannot recall what Bertrand's marital status is, but I vaguely recall he is widowed. With the appearance of Bertrand and the holiday Carol is taking in Sydney, I am wondering @Paladin if you are setting up a modern day take on a popular film from 1969. Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, is now Bert and Carol and Martin and Nathan. Now Nathan has met Bertrand and it is obvious he is a man of significant financial means, I think it unavoidable Martin will have to reveal his family "secrets", at least as far as he did not know of Bertrand until after the death of his mother, and that they only met recently for the first time. Martin has already let it slip Bertrand is a Lord, but it may not be necessary yet to reveal the full extent of his wealth and the resulting increase in Martin's own wealth. I am assuming we will see Thomas again in some capacity @Paladin. Perhaps he will be offered a job as a chef in Sydney at one of the new gay or gay friendly establishments to be developed at the hotels owned by the company.

I am sure he knows Noah is being abused, but I doubt he knows the full extent of it. If he was aware of the sexual abuse I think he would act on it without hesitation. He and Marcus both strike me as very principled and kind.

I imagine Vincent is a similar age to George and Bill, Brett's father. He may have even grown up with them and faced taunting from them as teenagers. If so, he has withstood any harassment and made a life for himself and his partner, Marcus. Frankly, they would make far better parents for Noah than George, and possibly Pamela too. Vincent's warning to Colt was just that; he softened its accusatory tone with the comment "You know, I’ve seen a lot of young people make decisions they can’t take back. Good kids. Kids with good hearts who got angry at the wrong time and did something foolish.” I think Colt will certainly heed his warning, whether Noah will remains to be seen. If Noah murders George I for one would not blame him after what George has put him through. My greatest fear is that if he does so he will then commit suicide because of misplaced remorse.

A triple penetration. I saw that performed in a porn video once. It looked very awkward for the tops, but the bottom seemed to have little difficulty. I don't think it was trick photography either, it looked real. I cannot remember the bottom's name, but he was a big muscle mary. I think it was a prison scene.

And being serious, you have written a good story or two of your own @Gary L, stories with principle, without being preachy; stories from which I learned something about Spain, a nation which I “admire” because of Almodòvar and loathe because of bullfighting. A narrow view certainly, but if I was not an Aussie I would detest Australia for its treatment of kangaroos and brumbies, and its pro-big ag policies. And we still have at least one Sea World I am aware of which uses dolphins for “entertainment” and breeds polar bears in captivity. WTF.

He is mirroring George’s behaviour @VBlew. Bring on Bubba, Bigga, Bugga, Fista and Slugga and see how George feels. Can you organise that @chris191070?

With a blunt rusted instrument. Welcome to sepsis George, now you may have some idea how your stepson felt after the repeated rapes.

You have other fine achievements of which to be proud @Gary L. Sophisticated sommelier, dachshund whisperer, an elite member of Almodóvar's inner circle and Spanish royalty.

I am not convinced Rylee's acceptance of Colt being gay is genuine. She may prove me wrong, but at this stage I am very sceptical. I think peer pressure was the motivation as I don't think she is honest and/or genuine about anything. I think she demonstrates why retrospective abortion should be legalised. Everything is about her. The demand to ride shotgun in the van, the demand to be driven so she could submit her job application for the diner, her refusal to do anything to assist in the transport of the donated couch. Every time she opens her mouth I hope one of her friend's will put their fist in it. Colt is conflicted, understandably. His lies to his mother about Noah are motivated by his desire to protect Noah from further harm, although I don't think Colt fully believes Noah cannot be helped escape the hellhole in which he is living. I am hoping something is going to make Noah's mother finally snap and it will be she who takes action, swiftly delivering justice by either killing George or somehow incapacitating him. I would like to see the latter as he deserves to pay dearly for his long-term abuse of Noah.

I have kept a record of top 10 placings for another author on this site which aroused my curiosity as to how many you have had @Robert Hugill. I cannot guarantee this with 100% accuracy as I missed a few for the other author when I was reviewing your "chart history", but by my count, you have had 38 top 10 placings since I started getting weekly GA Genre News e-mails on 05/07/24. A very impressive achievement. Your stories have performed as follows: Those Left Behind 12; The Art Of Living 10; Not Just Another Summer 6; Crossing The Line 3; Ralph: Breaking Free 3; Brian & Gordon: Living In Threes 2; They May Not Mean To But They Do 1; Alex & Neil: Moving On 1.

The Pink Singers with lead vocals by you, could do a cover of this anthem @Robert Hugill. If your profile picture is you then you have the beard covered.

Another well deserved placing too @Robert Hugill. You must be getting close to having had as many top 10 hits as Cliff Richard by now. Will you have the Christmas #1 this year? Will you beat Mariah, Slade and Wham! for that honour?

@pvtguy's observations of Luke mirrored mine "to a t" in this chapter. "After a while, she looked toward Luke. ‘Can I talk to you?’ Luke glanced at Matt, surprised. ‘Of course.’ Matt’s parents quietly excused themselves, and Matt followed them out into the corridor, even though every part of him wanted to stay. Levi remained where he was, stiff and watchful beside the bed. From the hallway, Matt couldn’t hear what Julie said to Luke. He only saw Luke standing near the bed, head bowed slightly, listening. Once, Luke reached down and took Julie’s hand. Matt’s mother stood beside him, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. ‘She likes him,’ she whispered." My hay fever hit with cyclonic force when Julie asked to talk to Luke alone. This for me was the most moving interaction of what was one of the most emotionally challenging chapters you have ever graced us with @Mark Ponyboy Peters. It was evident that, to me at least, any resentment Julie had for Luke was long ago discarded, she clearly recognised Luke has done for Matt what she could never have done. The age old adage "behind every great man there is a great woman" sprang to mind. Although the gender is different, I have long regarded Luke as Matt's essential lifeline, he calms him, has a steadying effect on him, reassures him when he needs reassurance. In this emotionally overwhelming situation, Luke is Matt's buoy in an ocean of uncertainty and fear of what lies ahead for him as a father. I also suspect Julie sought reassurance from Luke he would love Levi as if he was his own child, and support Matt as a new father. One word from Luke was I imagine enough to convince Julie her regard for Luke was not misplaced. I think the emotional rawness of this chapter was the closest yet to the chapter in The Seventeenth Summer when Danny and Jake departed Thompsonville and the impact it had on both Danny and Nathan. A significant hay fever challenge for this reader. A superbly written chapter. On a side note, congratulations are in order Mark for Traditions first top 10 placing for the week ending 05/06/26, #6 in the General Fiction genre. Thoroughly deserved.

Fuck, @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I will write more when I can breathe more easily and see a little better. At the moment the hay fever is all consuming.

Let us hope it reveals some very useful information.

Five! That hypocritical motherfucker has been molesting Noah since he was five years of age, and he has the audacity to tell Noah he is disgusting and worthless. Noah's mother may well be frightened of George, but it is about time she stepped up to the mark. I hate guns, but in this case, obtain a gun and blow his fucking head off in bed while he is asleep, or stick the barrel of the gun up his arse and pull the trigger. And if the sheriff, the county judge and anyone else know what George has been doing to Noah, the chair for them. If George is coaching a Little League team I wonder if he has molested any of those boys too? If so, it might only take one boy to speak up and a domino effect could take George down. I must say @mastershakeme whilst I am not surprised by what George has been doing to Noah, the fact he has been doing it since Noah was five years of ago shocked me. Surely his mother has not recognised there is a sexual content to George's abuse of Noah too. I wonder if George married her because he saw Noah as a weak boy he could manipulate and abuse.

Neil is certainly making rapid progress, after a hesitant start, in becoming comfortable with his newly realised gay self. Give him time and he will be watching re-runs of Absolutely Fabulous and The Golden Girls, listening to everything from Kylie and Britney to Ethel Merman and Dame Shirley Bassey to Judy Live At Carnegie Hall, and reading novels written by @Robert Hugill, the UK's answer to Armistead Maupin. Neil exhibited a playful and romantic side to himself at the open mic night. Whoever would have thunk him capable of such behaviour as recently as two chapters ago. Both he and Alex seemed to enjoy themselves immensely during and after the open mic night. A reconciliation over a naked bum took place again. A sense of de javu.

What about your "old faithful", a piece of 4 x 2?