Summerabbacat

“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.

The wedding Nathan's arrest and sentencing for rape The revelation the religious bigot fathered a child with another woman AFTER Mhairi and Owain were born and their mother was no longer interested in the "sins of the flesh" as she had "suffered the indignity of sex" only to produce offspring as dictated by her God Said child, now an adult, is only learned of when he/she tries to make a claim on the grandparents estate Miles has an epiphany and becomes a vocal supporter of gay rights; conniving Connie also has an epiphany and haltingly reveals to Colin she is proud of him and his success (OK these two may be just a little too ridiculous) @drsawzall conducts a forensic investigation of the trust established by Mhairi and Owain's grandparents and determines much shenanigans by the former trustees and the Brethren He institutes legal proceedings and Mhairi and Owain find themselves swamped with more money than they can ever hope to spend As a gesture of good will and a fuck you to their parents, Mhairi and Owain make substantial donations to LGBTQI youth shelters and organisations established to help the marginalised in society, including a substantial number of LGBTQI clients, drug and alcohol centres, abused women shelters, animal shelters and animal rescue organisations and PETA (these last three are for me) Owain and Colin travel to my home town, Sydney, Australia for Mardi Gras and Colin spends the night wearing a bright red jockstrap only (without a hint of embarrassment) and dancing lustily surrounded by similarly clad bears, cubs and otters There you go @Robert Hugill; another story for you to work on. Now chop chop. Get to it lad.

Say it isn't so @Robert Hugill 😭 😭 😭 😭 The end cannot be nigh. Not this wonderful story which has so charmed and delighted a devoted and captive audience. And after reading this chapter it is self-evident why you have managed to have such a large following for this story. Norma Rathbone. What a great name for a character. Norma is a name so rarely heard nowadays. Whenever I read or hear it I cannot but help think of that cinematic masterpiece Sunset Boulevard. What a film, what a character and what a performance by Gloria Swanson. Gloria, another wonderful name. I found it very amusing how in synch Owain and Colin were with their assessment of the rings available for purchase in town. Hideous and expensive or both. Their agreement to become engaged without either one proposing to the other was so effortless. Joe's scene was a critical success, with Blessing and Moses performing brilliantly. I thought Blessing such a silly pretentious "Gwynethesque" name when introduced in the prior chapter, but it seemed to suit her when her character was described. And Mhairi was so proud. How sad that she and Owain have childhood memories where any joy derived from an achievement was reduced to the "sin of pride". What totally miserable parents the two had. Their father well may have been a principled pacifist, but this quality was overridden by the fact he was a miserable and zealous sonofabitch.

I could have cited the lizards @drpaladin and then "cool" would have been formed by two animals, one plant and on foodstuff. Maybe Ravello is not just "cool" but is "cooll" (extra cool). I thought of the feral cats too, but find their mention too upsetting.

I am fully supportive of retrospective abortion @Lee Wilson and this is one instance in which it would be very welcome by many.

One man's "bad habits" are another man's joy @James Carnarvon. And you had better not diss "my cicadas", they are the "essence" of Ravello, along with the oleanders, the olives and the lemons, which I have just realised form the word "cool" with their first letter only. Very apt.

And vicious Veronica aka red headed ho needs to go with them for reeducation and spaying. What a malicious bitch. Maisie was adorable. The image of her striking fear into Milo's heart gave me a good chuckle. I imagine she is the only person who is able to exert any control over him at all. I warmed to him a little in this chapter after learning how protective he is of Finn, but I still think he needs to drop the "bro-ish" behaviour with Alec. Referring to him as 'Jailbait', not cool at all. River once again demonstrated why he appears to be universally adored. Wisdom beyond his years and impervious to peer pressure. Alec showed remarkable growth in this chapter. Although I do not fully appreciate his various anxieties, I certainly "get" some of them. He appears to be making more of an effort to combat his anxiety and is more freely acknowledging it too. Now I have but one request @Demiurge. Where is that out-of-control semi trailer and when is it heading towards Veronica with no capacity to slow down?

I know it is unacceptable for a man to punch a woman, but in this case I think an exception should have been made. The red headed ho (RHH) is worse than Brandon and Cody combined. She was far more malicious in the first instance when demeaning Alec and River at Finn's party, and now she thinks she can flutter her eyelids and shake whatever assets she believes she has and Finn will succumb to her feminine charms. I don't think so ho 🤮🤮🤮🤮. River was certainly a star in this chapter, although Alec's performance in shoving Cody to protect River should also not be overlooked. I just hope that the combined efforts of Cody, Brandon and RHH are not enough to dissuade Finn from continuing his relationship with Alec. I don't think they will be, but one should never underestimate the power of peer pressure, although I somehow doubt that RHH has anything to offer which might interest Finn regardless of what her overinflated opinion of herself may believe. Outstanding chapter @Demiurge. Cody and Brandon got a hiding in this chapter. I just hope you had something vile planned for RHH (a lethal dose of the clap would be most fitting).

Very clever and so apt given Cosmo's cynicism. I shall bear this in mind for future chapters.

Alec's mother's behaviour was reminiscent of a hen. Peck, peck, peck and ruffle her feathers. Luckily for her Alec is not Norman Bates in waiting. Very annoying woman, blissfully unaware of the contribution she and her husband have made to their sons's anxiety and social awkwardness. River was brutal in his impatience with Alec and his reticence to attempt to resolve his impasse with Finn. As much as I like River, I am concerned that at some point he is going to say something to which Alec will either snap or become catatonic. “What’s up headcase?” River muttered as he started to drive. Alec shrugged, setting his bag by his feet as he buckled himself in. River turned the music down more, “You look terrible. Are you sick?” “Uh thanks. No. I didn’t sleep well.” “Oh, because you drove your prince charming away finally?” Alec frowned at his friend but stayed silent. River had no problem calling him out when he was stupid or made a mistake. He was thankful for it, but right now it was like rubbing salt into open, angry wounds. When he didn’t respond, River sighed, “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that.” “I know. It’s just…you’re right, River. It wasn’t fair for me to think Finn would always be willing to go out of his way. I turned him down so much when he tried so hard. Then I yelled at him and we had that wreck of a conversation after the party.” “Whine, whine, whine. Do something about it.” River sighed, shaking his head. “He won’t respond to my messages though.” Alec frowned. “Guess you’ll have to do it in person.” River shrugged. Now it was lunchtime and he hadn’t seen the blond since. River was scowling at him across the table where they sat in the library, “Ya’ know, if you address the problem you might feel better. Sulking around all day isn’t going to help anything. It’s only going to make you feel worse.” ”He won’t talk to me. I told you that. Now he’s acting weird too.” ”You might have to buck up and seek him out. I know crap like that is hard for you, but watching you beat yourself up all day sucks.” River was looking at him, frown pulling his lips down, “Also, how am I supposed to enjoy this gourmet tater tot casserole if you’re fidgeting over there, looking like you may cry?” Unlike many of my fellow readers whom have commented, I was not impressed with Milo. He does not know Alec and must surely have been warned by Finn that he, Alec, was anxious and awkward. His "bro-ish" behaviour could so easily have backfired and caused more harm than good. And finally, THE KISS. Hesitant, awkward and concluding with Alec doubting his kissing "finesse". I just hope he has more opportunities to improve and impress. If Finn has anything to say about it I believe this may be the first kiss, but will certainly not be the last. Terrific story telling again @Demiurge.

I had the exact same thought @weinerdog when Marco observed him. "As Marco spoke, the man himself appeared from the tunnel that led out to the main Naples road, where he had presumably just parked his Ferrari. They tracked the young man with their eyes as he sauntered past the colourful flowerbeds at the old stone gatehouse to the Villa Rufolo gardens then turned into a little side street lined with ceramics shops. Vincenzo paused by one of the colourful outside displays, then disappeared inside. “What’s he going into tourist shops for?” Marco muttered, looking a little askance. “Weird.” Drug dealer or drug courier perhaps or involved in money laundering. How did his family make their money and I am a little suspicious that with such wealth they have come to settle in Ravello. Cosmo and Marco; misery loves company. Both have low self-esteem and abandonment issues, however, the former "appears" to be as brash as the latter is timid. I did not feel we were "properly" back in Ravello @James Carnarvon until the scraping of the cicadas was heard by Marco and Cosmo. The air was fragrant, the flowers bloomed, some of the same cast made an appearance, but it was the scraping cicadas which returned us to magnifico Ravello. And how magnifico it is to be back, safe and content in the warmth of its sunshine.