Summerabbacat

Dare I say a blossoming friendship between Phil and Colin, with their roles shifting back and forth between confider and confidant. What a joy and catharsis to share their stories of young love. Similarly to many of my fellow readers I believe Stanley could benefit from their life experiences as marginalised persons, regardless of his own sexuality. Phil apparently resembled a young Paul Anka. I must say the only song of his I was familiar with was the evergreen My Way (and I have not heard his version that I can recall). I searched the 'net and found some photos of a young Paul Anka and some were of a very handsome man. I also recalled Tab Hunter was a singer/actor from that era and found some photographs of a young Tab Hunter. As a young man he was certainly handsome and like Marvin Gaye he improved with age. As a 30 something he was absolutely sizzling. Woof. I admired him for his courage too, he refused to bow to pressure and marry a woman to appease society. Poignant, the perfect adjective for this chapter @Ronyx. Teen angst and drama may be what you are renowned for, but I have to say I am as impressed, if not even more so, with your writing examining adult relationships. Beautiful writing and great story telling.

Wow! Just wow! What a wonderfully written chapter @Paladin. Although the interviews with both Ollie and Andre were largely superficial as written, the underlying trauma of what both had experienced resonated. As I stated in my comments on the prior chapter, a clever writer is able to inform and move the reader without resorting to excess melodrama and histrionics, and that is what you did again in this authentically written and very moving chapter. Good news for Mamma was welcomed by all and helped improve the day for them. And my favourite statement, and not just because of my love for such a dish: "Our serves of Lemon Lime Tart arrived. It summed up our day; bittersweet.”

A task for your "to do" list perhaps @drpaladin?

It is very clear both Alec and Finn still have a strong connection. Is it love or perhaps regret for what was not? I suspect the former, but it will take time for both to overcome the distance that time has brought to their lives. I doubt Finn will leave Sunnyside (so not an appropriate name), but Alec may surprise and return, although not before Mae is given a lonely send off. She has as much chance of changing her pious ways as I have sleeping with a woman. Milo, still blunt and full of life. His reference to Alec as "Jailbait" when he was a teen irritated me, but now he is older I can see it for the term of affection it apparently is. His disclosure that the whole family worried when Alec moved to California was genuine as I don't think Milo engages in small talk or platitudes. Nina seems well suited to him, with a wry sense of humour and an obvious care for his health without being smothering. Superb chapter @Demiurge, setting up a return for Alec and a relighting of the Alec/Finn fire. Aarrgghh the cool soothing voice of Dan Hartman with the scorching vocals of Loleatta Holloway, Relight My Fire.

It can only be but one person and I did think of her before "inventing" Luciana. Claudia, due to her spunky attitude would not tolerate Vincenzo's homophobia, nor would she be impressed by his flashy manners and ostentatious displays of wealth. She could give him "numbnuts" with a withering look or a subtle put-down. I could not remember if Claudia had met Cosmo either. I was very impressed with and greatly appreciated Cosmo's positive appraisal of Marco's looks, but completely forgot to comment on this because I was so incensed by Vincenzo's behaviour. His disdain for the simple gift Cosmo gave him irritated me too. I was hoping when he left Cosmo injured and upset that he would tread on a shard of the broken ceramic dish and sever a vein in his foot. Hopefully he will get his comeuppance (perhaps his brakes will fail on a hairpin bend and he will be forced to ride a Vespa too).

You could always switch your car nav on James, assuming you have a car (I don't and never have). And I have just realised this does not really work as you have a second r. Have I not noticed this before? I am not sure if I have or if I am suffering from temporary insanity (I don't have enough hair left anymore to be blonde).

Hopefully Alec's truth-telling will also have an impact on his father and he will finally grow a spine too. Let Mae die alone; a lonely, bitter and twisted woman, who drove away with hate and scorn those she should have loved. River stop smoking. It is a filthy, unhealthy, disgusting and very expensive habit. You are too good for smoking. I have but one thing to say @Demiurge and it you better work, Supermodel. Mae, long may you suffer and rot, bitch.

You should be careful making any comment which could be construed as anti-Russian @weinerdog. It could result in you being Putin an uncomfortable or very dangerous situation.

The little girl is Finn's niece. Veronica is still a nasty bitch. Alec's mother has not changed any more than his father has. I am looking forward to Alec's showdown with her. If she is her usual spiteful self I wonder if Alec's father may finally snap. Maybe he will pull the plug on her. Good riddance if he does. There is no doubt Alec has mental health issues, but then so do both his parents. His mother believes her self to be blessed, but she is surely addicted to piety and religious zealotry and has lived in a fantasy world for all of Alec's life at least. His father is weak-willed, nothing but a doormat for the hostilities and irrationalities of the odious woman he is married to.

LaKuntia has erased all evidence of her son. What a devotee to zealotry. Perhaps she thinks it will be her safe passage to "heaven". And Henry as we now learn is his name. It seems his balls still have not dropped. How did he ever manage to father a child. Perhaps he is not Alec's biological father. And Veronica, still a bitch. I heard her condescending catty tone as she spoke to River and Alec. Spiteful nasty harridan has not changed at all. And Finn, well I expect the next chapter will reveal much about him.

“I don't want to go back.” Alec muttered angrily, “They made my life hell for seventeen years.” “She's still your mother.” “She's still a bitch.” Alec lifted his head to glare at the empty bottles that sat in front of him on the glass. “That she is.” River leaned back, head turned in his direction, “Are you going to regret it if you don't go?” If Alec returns and it appears he is going to, and if his mother pulls her usual stunts and I cannot imagine she won't, he needs to be brutally honest with her, tell her how much he despises her, how much she hurt him, and deliver the ultimate fuck you to her, I have made a success of my life bitch despite your best efforts to ruin it. Hopefully she is suffering greatly and his visit only increases the suffering for her. River has not apparently changed in the 10 years since they left Sunnyside (how inappropriately named it is). Full of support for his best friend, but still capable of telling him how it is without sugar coating: “I don’t remember anyone asking you to weigh in on my dating life.” Alec glared at his friend. “Or lack thereof. I don’t remember ordering a wake-up call at four in the morning, but here were are cupcake.” Alec will of course run into Finn. I wonder if Finn perhaps resents Alec a little for having the courage to leave, something Finn perhaps yearned for but felt compelled not to by a misguided sense of obligation to his family. Time will tell. Well it is obvious LaKuntia did not get run over by that out-of-control semi-trailer @Demiurge. Maybe her "God" had bigger things in store for her. Hopefully the putrid pastor and vicious Veronica are still around too for Alec to ignore. Hopefully the latter is living in a trailer park, single, grossly overweight and working in WalMart.

Devastatingly sad chapter. Alec's lack of clear communication skills and discomfort with expressing his real emotions has never been so impactful. Finn's emotions were too raw because of Milo's situation to act as rationally and calmly as he usually does. A recipe for disaster from the start of their conversation, a cocktail of anger and bitterness against others fuelled their rage and discontent and exploded at each other, the one they love the most. Neither had the skills or experience to cope so their relationship lays shattered, ripped from its foundation by a hurricane of hurt. @Demiurge where is that fucking out-of-control semi-trailer whose brakes have failed? Order its appearance now, but not before Alec's pastor joins his mother and vicious Veronica for a coffee. Given the propensity for some Americans to make up the names of their children I am going to make up one for Alec's mother. I have named her LaKuntia. Three deaths in a town of 2,000 would make a difference too. What truly vile people.

Religious zealotry is the root cause of so many of the problems of the world today, just as it has been throughout the history of the human race. It is like a toxic poison or cancer eating away at the fabric of the community, condemning many to a life of captivity and suffering. Sheer fucking madness and arrogance. And humanity regards sheep as stupid. Laughable. Alec's mother should be euthanised and his father castrated, although it seems as if his mother has achieved the latter without and any implements or an anaesthetic. She is evil and his father a coward. Finn's life will almost certainly take a new direction as I cannot see him ever leaving his family whilst ever Milo is alive and/or cannot care for himself. Finn's relationship with his family appears to be very close without being claustrophobic. Another good chapter @Demiurge. Alec's mother is a classic example of why I support retrospective abortion. I bet she is a registered Republican. Truly evil c..t.

He and @James Carnarvon are holding the flag high for your birth nation @Gary L; both setting a very high standard indeed.

Indeed they do.

Now don't be greedy @drsawzall, there looks like there is plenty to go around (and around and around and around). Join the queue and if you get there first make sure you share with your fellow readers.

Vincenzo, trailer trash with money. What an over-inflated ego. I suspect the girl who was "totally giving him the eye" earlier on in the evening was Elisabetta. Cosmo's description of her suggests her appearance could be described as an "emo chick". Now to Luciana ("ferry girl"). I hope she is lesbica, and from the comment Cosmo shouted at Vincenzo this is a possibility. Whether she is lesbica or not, I hope Luciana is as enamoured with Vincenzo as he was with Cosmo and she delivers a wound to his pride and joy such that he is literally "numbnuts". I hope Vincenzo's assault on Cosmo (and that is exactly what it was) somehow becomes known and he is ostracised for it. I also hope Cosmo does not suffer any ill after effects of what was/is a mild concussion. I have to agree with my fellow readers that Vincenzo's heterosexuality was obvious. His macho bullshit poured forth like molten lava on more than one occasion. Methinks he may be full of it, his obnoxiousness a cover for a pene piccolo. Poetic justice if he is. Figlio di puttana. Cosmo's appreciation of the life essence of the sea water on his skin recalled fondly many joyous times from my teen years, twenties and thirties @James Carnarvon. I spent a lot of time at the beach (tanning myself as we Aussies were prone to do in the 70's, 80's, 90's and early 00's) and I found the salt water the very best of panaceas for my unattractive and painful facial acne. I also love to swim, and the aroma of coconut oil suntan lotion is still one of my favourite aromas of all time. Exotic and very sensual. Well written again @James Carnarvon. The lemons and lemon-themed ceramics made a welcome appearance. I for one think lemons make a very attractive decorative feature on plates, kitchen ware and bed linen. And Lemon, one of only a handful of songs I like by U2, but what a great song.

Eating arse and a three-way. A match worth watching (on repeat) @Anton_Cloche

Or certified fruit fly. I am pessimistic regarding Mike's mother's future too. I like @drsawzall's idea of the spare room being set up for Mike's mother's recovery if this indeed what eventuates. A squirrel's orgasm @drsawzall; think a hybrid of Donna Summer's orgasmic moans in Love To Love You Baby and Barry White offering a 'oh baby baby' in any one of a number of his aural delights. Mike's cluelessness is driven by his low-self esteem, believing no one could find him attractive, particularly after the incident at his prior school. It appears Liam is genuinely fond of him, but is it a hormonally driven "for now while he is available and up for it" fondness. Is it merely coincidence that Mike shares is his given name with Liam's father? Was there, in contrast to what I believed would be the case, a "thing" between Mike's mother and Liam's father? Intriguing chapter @Arch Hunter.

Thomas, a man after my own heart, and my second given name as well. Yes; it is those tight, shorter than short, shorts which for me are one of the main attractions of Aussie Rules. It is also the athleticism of the players, kicking with precision, leaping high into the air, mid-air pirouettes like a male ballet dancer at times, and of course the shorts (again). Very very very hot. And as a teen living in rural NSW (not Aussie Rules territory) I recall a hugely successful song on the pop charts in 1979, a one-hit wonder by Mike Brady Up There Cazaly (Cazaly was an Aussie Rules players), the same year as another one hit wonder by The Mojo Singers (sessions singers) with a song about the bloody cricket, C'mon Aussie C'mon. Aarrghh, the halcyon days of my youth, dominated by music, especially ABBA, Donna Summer and just about anything which was inherently disco, funk and soul. Den, a loud-mouthed ugly bigot. The rest of the "guys" sorted him out though. Keith found out who his true friends were and they were more plentiful than his haters. Well done Keith and a fuck you to Den. Similarly to Owain and Colin, Keith and Thomas are enjoying the mundane in life, tasks which would usually not be enjoyable, but are amongst the necessary evils of modern life, like shopping. Another winner @Robert Hugill. Have you ever thought of a cross over for any of your stories? It may be too difficult to do, but I can envisage Keith and Thomas would integrate well with the slightly older Owain and Colin. A stroll across the moors, aurally pleasured by the English wonder known as Kate Bush. Running Up That Hill indeed.

You will not regret it Chris. @James Carnarvon is a fellow Brit and all his stories feature a bevy of wonderfully drawn characters set against the backdrop of southern Italy. Replete with references to the beauty of nature, delicious food (even food for vegetarians like me), gorgeous weather and the most enchanting of characters, the scraping cicadas (LOL). I find James' writing quintessentially English which is one of many reasons I have so enjoyed all his works. I have often mentioned Kate Bush in my comments, perhaps because like the immensely talented Kate, there is a certain earthiness to his work. His works are consistently of a high standard so I think you will be greatly entertained.

I do believe @drsawzall this is one of the most profoundly moving comments I have ever read on GA, made all the more moving because of your recognition of our little mouse's true worth. I recall I did not like him when he first appeared in Dani's story, but changed my views radically thereafter. He is in my top 3 favourites of all of @James Carnarvon's characters along with Gianni and Dani, and perhaps even my favourite just ahead of Gianni and Dani.

This same thought occurred to me @MRJT79. Lust/love can be a powerful motivation and Otis' appears to have at least one, if not both, of these in spades for Hudson. There has to be a reason why Otis had that one-off shooting session with Missy and displayed such prowess; surely it wasn't just to satisfy his increasing lust for Hudson. I want to see him go all Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen in Goldeneye) and start orgasming as he is massacring Angel, Watkins, Keres and the club goers. Now that would be carnage worthy of an entry ticket. @Laura S. Fox I really hope you intend to reveal Otis' life story before he met Hudson as it certainly appears to have been a struggle, one which he had the fortitude to overcome. He is an intriguing character whose simple pleasures in life are to be admired not pitied (think the little crystal seahorses which gave him such joy). He has managed to make something of and for himself from seemingly so little. If only more of humanity could be satisfied with so little and feel themselves blessed because of this.

This chapter was a very challenging read @James Carnarvon; the darkness is already making its presence felt and it is unsettling. Luca did not present well to me in this chapter. It appears he resents Cosmo's intrusion into his life and his demeaning of him was less than attractive. When Marco challenged him his response was condescending, thoughtless and unkind. In fact, his behaviour was so thoroughly unlikeable that he is easily my least favourite of all the main teen characters who have appeared in the "Ravello Chronicles". In prior books I have, at times, been less than fond of Giacomo, but I don't recall him ever being so rude and unpleasant as what Luca was. Giacomo has at times been thoughtless and unkind, but I don't recall his motivation was ever intentional or malicious, it was usually because he was so self-centred that he had no concept he was hurting the feelings of others (you can rebuke me for this @James Carnarvon as I may have forgotten, whereas your memory appears to be razor sharp). Marco's sense of self-worth does not appear to have blossomed having Gianni and Angelo as his foster parents as I hoped it would. In all honesty, I was clearly delusional and hoping for a miracle, and such things rarely happen. After having been downtrodden and unloved by his sperm donor and incubator it is hardly surprising he feels as he does. He is also small of stature and ordinary in both looks and persona, like the bulk of humanity I think. He is also deep thinking, very self-aware and his own worst critic. Perhaps you can find a mechanism for him to be introduced to another boy of a similar age who has artistic leanings @James Carnarvon as this seems to be an endeavour in which he excels and may find a kindred spirit. Gianni and Angelo are a "good fit" for Marco and he seems less unhappy and less downtrodden with them. He may well be a person who will always be drawn to melancholia. I have often been reminded of one of my favourite Madonna album tracks when Marco is in a melancholic or sad mood. The lyrics of Love Tried To Welcome Me from Bedtime Stories have always resonated with me and I think them rather fitting for Marco. As I have stated on many occasions @James Carnarvon I adore the little mouse and hope one day he finds a voice to roar, drowning in desire, being desired and awash with happiness. He deserves nothing but the best.

Parents raising concerns about their children sharing a locker room with a gay student. Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Kansas? What a bunch of hateful nutters. I wonder if those same neanderthals would be concerned about their children sharing a locker room with a student carrying a gun. It appears to me there are more parents than Alec's who need to be spayed and neutered in his town @drsawzall. I too have a sense of foreboding regarding Milo's impending departure into a war zone. I don't know what the statistics are for deaths in the American military, but he must surely be facing danger. @Demiurge please delay the appearance of the out-of-control semi-trailer whose brakes have failed until Veronica and nagging Noreen (Alec's mother) have a get together to discuss the moral depravity of Alec and Finn, and then WHAM!, two splattered ho's to be hosed off the footpath. Too bad so sad, NOT.