Summerabbacat

I have no trouble believing the party-goers stood back and observed Dylan as somewhat of a freak for reacting to Angela's seizure, firstly for actually caring something was happening to her which required immediate medical attention, and secondly for attempting to take action to assist her. As @Al Norris commented, a hypoglycaemic attack is not to be taken lightly. My first cat was Type-1 diabetic for most of his life and had insulin injections twice a day for almost 10 years. He had quite a few hypoglycaemic attacks during his life, one of which would have certainly resulted in his death had I not been late in going out for dinner. I so wanted Dylan (or better still Liam) to pour alcohol on the party-goers who pulled out their iPhones to film Angela's seizure, and then throw a match at them. What the fuck is wrong with these parasites. Now if Liam were to go all psycho and beat on them it may have been worth filming and I for one would have cheered. And now after all the drama of the evening Jake and Liam are going to have a dick-measuring fight. Who has got the bigger dick and is therefore more worthy of Dylan's affection. If I could find fault with any of Dylan's behaviour in the past few chapters it would be the lie he told Jake that Liam was not the straight guy who was the object of his unrequited love, although if this and the last chapter are any reflection on the "real" Liam, I am not sure one can say he is 100% straight anyway. Outstanding writing again @Avogadro1001. Liam's description in chapter 1 of his high school as "Montgomery High was a toxic place." was perfectly illustrated by its abhorrent attendees in this chapter. C u next Tuesday describes many of them accurately.

I estimate this story is taking place in the early 2000's @weinerdog as the "cast" are still using landlines and the internet has not featured in the story thus far. Back then I think most Australian households were still receiving a telephone book(s) for their city/region and almost certainly directory assistance would still have been available too. I got a shock recently when I was walking somewhere between my apartment and the city centre (a distance of about 5km) and not only did I come across a public telephone booth but it had not been trashed (although I don't know if it worked). I suspect Jonathon may be at least a little bi-coastal (and I have refrained from attaching the video for this great disco song by The Boy From Oz @Cane23 and @Al Norris) or is at least curious and he thought Tim would be a "sure thing", especially with Guy away. The big lug gets more adorable with each passing chapter. He is missing Samantha and to his credit he is not embarrassed to admit it. He is a wonderful paradox, not at all the boofhead one could be forgiven for thinking he might be, more the thinking woman's crumpet. I daresay Samatha would enjoy spreading him with honey. Apart from the "Jonathon incident" a rather tame chapter emotionally compared to its immediate predecessors @Mark Ponyboy Peters.

Adam has spoken of Nan with such adoration previously, but on a more abstract level. In this chapter he revealed a great deal more about her, her physical appearance, habits and strength of character. She was clearly a formidable woman and her passing left Adam understandably devastated. Adam was very fortunate she instilled in him a true sense of his worth, regardless of his sexual orientation or quieter intellectual nature. What a delightful woman. The mistress of the household has two servants at her beck and bark now, as it should be. I cannot recall if she has been on her humans' bed before, but if she has she will undoubtedly love the new bed, particularly the "bounce".

"Then, eight and a half months later, this amazingly adorable little red-haired, green-eyed boy was born." OMG, this physical description of Levie brought to my mind a little leprechaun. If Maddox was not such a vile creature I would not dream of making such an insensitive and bitchy comment, but isn't the following a blatant exaggeration @Ticklishboy30, "He began to caress and fondle his stiffening manhood". In chapter 3 the exaggeration first arose with the comment regarding his "three-inch pencil-thin manhood", if nothing else he is guilty of false advertising. Dinky dick with yellowing rotting teeth. Poor man, I almost feel some sympathy for him. Almost. Triton will love having the trio to "love on" when they move permanently to the farm.

I still hope Triton gets the opportunity to kick Maddox's arse @Ticklishboy30 or some other form of punishment (and not just a little tickle either, a full on arse kicking).

Between the tears and the "memories" was one box enough @drsawzall?

Thank you @pvtguy and @Carybr; "snark" is so easy when one has a "target" like Therese. And to @CincyKris, my sentiments exactly regarding the 'Note to Therese'. The twins are already showing signs of "quiet" rebellion against Therese's puritanism. When reading this chapter I had a great chuckle as I imagined Jane and/or Alisa revealing to Therese that they have more in common with Beth than being vegetarian. This revelation on top of Ralph revealing he is gay may be enough to force Therese to become a cloistered nun. Oh what a blessed day that would be for all concerned.

My learned fellow reader from California, @weinerdog, speculated Liam may have a brain tumour. I had the same thought when Dylan observed: “Dylan, I didn’t know,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know about... About the...” He held out his hand and his shaking fingers pressed against my stomach. In other circumstances he might’ve seemed sincere, but boy, oh boy what a poor choice of words that was. “Do you want me to repeat myself?” I asked, grabbing his arm and doing my best to twist it away. “I fucking hate you, you god damned motherfucker.” His eyes snapped back at me, as if I just slapped him. “You didn’t know.” I repeated really to myself more than to him. “You didn’t fucking know...” I began laughing and he bit his lip. God, this guy acted better than DiCaprio in Revenant." I know next to nothing about meningitis other than that it can be fatal. In chapter 1 Liam revealed how ill he was when he had meningitis and how long it took him to recover, a recovery largely aided by his best friend at the time, Dylan. Is it possible Liam has some kind of neurological damage which makes him aggressive, and after the bouts of aggression he does not recall them. It sounds very far fetched, but I have a friend from my school days whose now deceased first husband had a motorbike accident in which he sustained permanent damage to the part of his brain which "controlled" acceptable social behaviour. He went from being a devoted husband to a complete manwhore whom she ended up divorcing. He spent the final years of his life living in a cave and dying from cancer. I found my attitude towards Liam seesawing back and forth in this chapter with each new revelation to Dylan and Dylan's reaction thereto. I was beginning to feel some genuine empathy for Liam until he uttered "But you will forgive me,” he breathed out. “Because you’re mine.” This comment appeared as the ultimate in arrogance and aggression, when only moments before Liam appeared barely hanging on by a thread and at his most vulnerable. He is an enigma and I am not as certain now that he is the psychopathic bastard he appears to be, or if he is that he is in full control at the time or aware of it afterwards. I cannot find fault with Dylan's response to Liam in this chapter. He is only 17 after all and has only ever had one person, Jake, reveal and act on an attraction to him. He is drunk and not in full control of himself, which given his slight build and inexperience with alcohol is hardly surprising. His judgment is clouded and Liam has revealed something so shocking to him, the revelation that he, Liam, knew Dylan was in love with him all along. One can hardly fault him for being completely blindsided by this and perhaps dare I say even feeling somewhat vindicated in his former love for Liam. Liam's plea to Dylan to beware Jake is difficult to gauge. Is it the plea of someone genuinely concerned for Dylan's welfare because he knows something about Jake or at least about Jake's father which is inconsistent with his "sainted" reputation, or is it the spiteful bitter plea of someone jealous of what Jake has in Dylan, someone determined to take what he believes is his "because you're mine". Observing that statement again is very fucking creepy. The party was not all drama, teenage angst and drunkenness though. Elle revealed herself to be a true friend to Dylan yet again, a good judge of character, and a woman with a great sense of humour when she uttered "Jesus Christ, I can see her snatch from up here!". This comment about the odious Jessica was for me one of the highlights of the story to date, only equalled by Dylan himself in an earlier chapter when he said to the equally odious Trish “I’m sorry, who are you again?”. Jessica and Trish, spiteful nasty trash, much like Chrissy and her pack of hyenas from Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Brilliantly written chapter @Avogadro1001, worthy of at least five 🥑, crushed with a squeeze of lime juice, splashed with some sweet chilli and served on organic tortilla chips or piping hot crusty sourdough baguette (and perhaps accompanied by a glass or more of margarita).

My apologies to any Evelyn's who may read this, but Lanny's mother is one ignorant, deranged, battle-axe. Was her name inspired by the character Evelyn Draper from the film Play Misty For Me @Lee Wilson? For the sake of Lanny and to protect himself and the children from any vindictive backlash from Evelyn Harper, I believe Brendan should have reported her behaviour to CPS. Hopefully the police will make a record of their visit and the aggressive behaviour she exhibited towards Brendan. I suppose he also has Jack as a witness to her aggression. I wonder if she is perhaps friends with spermie and the incubator. I have to wonder if Lanny has been subjected to the same groping he subjected Jill too. Is it that Evelyn is not just ignorant and deranged, but also a child molester. Or perhaps @weinerdog's speculation Lanny groped Jill to compensate for unwanted gay feelings has a valid basis. If Evelyn regularly rails against gay men with the same degree of vehemence as she did towards Brendan perhaps Lanny's groping of Jill was to prove to her he is not a "fucking faggot". I fear Brendan is playing with fire if he intends to pursue a sexual relationship with Skylar. And Skylar is a fool; he has shown himself to be indiscreet in revealing details of spermie's sister's drug addiction disqualifying her from being a possible guardian for the children. Wow! You have a talent for writing these hateful characters @Lee Wilson. The truly "scary" thing about characters like Evelyn Harper though is that they are very believable. One only has to look on the internet for examples of this extreme behaviour demonstrated by any number of women, albeit usually against other women. You have some there in the USA in the political landscape and we have one here in Australia, also a political "conservative" who has at times behaved in public like a rabid dog.

I see old habits die hard @Robert Hugill; another well-written, engaging and inevitably humorous chapter, all of which because it is taking place in the Hugillverse. In this chapter we are introduced to Ralph's colleagues, Ivor and Beth, the latter of whom is a lesbian and whose partner's brother is gay. And if I were a betting man I would say that she knows or at least suspects Ralph is gay too. Ivor and Beth are very likeable, he with his ghastly sandwiches (ham and egg mayonnaise) and she with her delicious Tofu tikka teriyaki and spicy lentil soup (the latter home-made is a regular for me during the winter months). And I have to sing Ralph's praises here for making a concerted effort to take his daughters' vegetarianism seriously. Therese upon second "examination" did not improve, if anything she is even more repellant. "Ever since the scans, when we found out it was twin girls, Therese was planning everything in detail. Her daughters would be the perfect little ladies." She needs an enema because she has clearly already had a lobotomy. Maurice, the CEO of a potential new client, Iverson's, has requested a face-to-face meeting with Ralph. He is apparently the driving force behind a campaign for the "pink dollar", with swimwear designed specifically to appeal to gay men. He has retained the services of a designer who works for a "gay lifestyle store". This has the trio intrigued, with Ralph also somewhat disconcerted. I think Beth may have picked up on this given her comment "You comfortable with the Iverson's job? You know, all those bits and bobs." Will it be Maurice who will motivate Ralph to start to "break free"? Or will it be the designer from the "gay lifestyle store" or if Ralph wins the lottery, a hot swimwear model who becomes besotted with Ralph, likes Jane and Alisa, and loathes Therese. Whatever the outcome of Ralph's meeting with Maurice, I sense the temperature (and quite possibly the swimwear) is about to rise. I look forward to @Gary L's comments again. What are all you "hotties" wearing in Spain on the beach this summer? Something "smaller, more revealing and preferably with your bits highlighted." Aussiebum swimwear perhaps?

Perhaps heavily soiled litter deposited at their front door in lieu of a good slapping. Vile creatures.

Thank you @Avogadro1001. It is a pleasure to record observations regarding well written, entertaining and enjoyable works, even if at times they enrage one with the behaviour of one or more of the characters.

It appears many of my fellow readers share my skepticism regarding Jake or at least Jake's father, which may impact upon Jake too. My suspicions of his father are of financial impropriety and/or financial malfeasance. Jake is not obviously manipulative, but in subtle and devious ways he has been "grooming" Dylan to make him a more "suitable" partner at best or accessory at worst. An occasional gift would appear genuine, but the frequency and generosity of the gifts has me doubting his motives are entirely selfless. Although it appears Dylan is totally "over" Luke, clearly he is not. He seemingly has not resolved the abandonment he felt when Luke not only rejected him, but physically abused him. If one were to attempt to interpret his dream about Liam from which he has awoken shaking and sweating, it may be that he still has a physical and/or emotional attachment to Liam despite the appalling suffering he has suffered at Liam's hands, both figuratively and literally. The relationship between Dylan and Liam and the aftermath of its destruction is a complex one @Avogadro1001, one which you are presenting with startling authenticity. It is easy to be objective and assess that Liam is an arsehole, Dylan a fool if he resumes any kind of friendship or relationship with Liam and Jake to be good to be true. I can only but imagine how suffocating it would be to be in a situation like Dylan finds himself.

A second "Kodak moment". I cannot take any more of this perfection. If I was wearing eyeliner I would look like a raccoon. My eyes are watering again and I cannot just blame the gas heater or allergies. A heart-warming story from beginning to end @Ticklishboy30.

I meant what Triton did to Maddox.

OMG what a "Kodak moment". Michie is a very lucky boy, he is going to have an extended family and his beloved grandfather, Brad, to guide him through life after such a shitty start to life.

It is good to know I did not miss anything. The aftermath of the assault on Troy in the 2024 revision is so very different from what I remember in the prior edition of this story that I thought I might have somehow missed reading an entire chapter.

Michie's reason for adoption was horrifying, even moreso because I can only but imagine such a scenario has occurred in "real" life on many an occasion. His grandfather, Brad, did a wonderful thing. A moderate Republican you say @Ticklishboy30; it certainly appears Brad is socially progressive which would likely render him unsuitable to run for President in the "real" world.

The Waltons, I remember it well. A cathartic chapter for all five boys, with bonds forged stronger than ever. Mean Mama has not revealed her surprise yet though. Perhaps the next chapter all will be revealed.

A little ominous. It could be many things, perhaps Dakota being formally "adopted" into the Carter/Knight families, something to do with the odious Janice, marriage vow renewals, the possibilities are endless. I will just have to read the next chapter NOW to find out what awaits the boys.

I read this story some time ago on Nifty and it is well worth the read. I have read a number of stories on that site by the same author and all without exception were very impressive, well written, interesting, with excellent character development and well developed plots.

I assumed it was Mad Maddox too @Paladin. That is one thing which puzzled me @Ticklishboy30. Troypop did not seem to be aware that he had been assaulted and left for dead before being found, and no one seemed to question why Maddox's whereabouts were unknown, or did I somehow miss something when I binge read the first 10 chapters?

Damn. I thought the last chapter was sad, but this one was even more so @Mark Ponyboy Peters. There was however, some fine moments of humour, particularly the teasing of Ben and how Samantha has him "under her spell", a spell which he acknowledged is true. There is no indication however she is attempting to seriously change his behaviour to suit her wishes. The "Benantha" relationship appears to have a solid foundation, which will be needed if it is to survive the separation of the next 12 months before Ben makes his way north to Macquarie Harbour as he indicated is his goal. Once again the disparity between the social acceptance of a Benantha relationship and a Timguy relationship was glaring. Social acceptance of same-sex relationships, particularly in rural towns, may have improved somewhat since this story was written but one still has to be mindful of where one is. There are many parts of Sydney where such relationships are not tolerated and to "flaunt" such a relationship would be inviting verbal abuse at the very least. Although very sad @Mark Ponyboy Peters I nevertheless enjoyed this chapter. The enjoyment was tempered somewhat by the news of the death of the great Black Caviar yesterday. I am a former horse-racing fan and was certainly enjoying the spectacle still when she was gracing the turf. Just writing of her passing has brought tears to my eyes.

A delightful chapter @Lee Wilson. The banter between Brendan and Jack was amusing and I loved the complete flip you did of the typical "and he walked her to her front door at the end of the date and sealed it with a kiss", with "At Andrew's house, Jill walked with him to the door, looked toward the car, Brendan looked away, thinking she may have wanted to give him a kiss, which she did. That was proven to Brendan by Nick's 'ewww." Until the trials of spermie and the incubator are concluded at least I think it very unwise for Brendan to get involved with Skylar, the children's new case worker, particularly if things develop and then subsequently sour between the two.

Dylan's response to Sebastian infuriated me @Avogadro1001, much like he did when he seemingly felt some degree of responsibility or sympathy for his father who was forced to live elsewhere and pay alimony after his mother divorced him for beating Dylan senseless. Sebastian is stupid and spineless and shallow, much like Trish Collins and yet Dylan felt some sympathy for him just as he did for her. Please don't Dylan, "Darcy up" and at least ignore these cruel and shallow people. I have to eat my own words too. To learn that Liam seriously beat Dylan a second time, seemingly without having been spurred on by Trish, was shocking. Liam is rotten to the core or as Dylan so succinctly described him “There’s just nothing inside you. Nothing at all. You’re pathetic and sad, and empty.” I said quietly. “One day, you will end up in jail, Liam. I wish I had thrown you there myself, but I lied to everyone to protect your sorry ass, because I couldn’t hurt your mother.”