Summerabbacat

Hudson's sole mistake was underestimating Jackie. Like me, Hudson has assessed Jackie as being not terribly smart. It seems Jackie is not as stupid as Hudson (and I) believed. As much as I dislike Jackie, I hope Hudson has not broken his neck and does not plan to eliminate him. I don't believe he will, but I am wondering what he is going to do with him as Jackie will not remain silent, regardless of what Hudson threatens him with, particularly if he believes Hudson's investigations are likely to jeopardise Watkins, for whom he feels an obligation, misguided as this may be. What I want to know is how Jackie discovered Hudson is Otis' boyfriend. He has either deduced this based on Otis' physical description of Hudson, particularly the tattoos, or he has followed Otis home from the restaurant. I think the latter is more likely. Hudson is either going to have concoct a story to cover his arse with Jackie or disclose the truth to Otis. A pivotal chapter I would say @Laura S. Fox. Jackie's discovery was inevitable; Hudson is going to have to convince Jackie of an "alternative truth" to protect his undercover mission and his burgeoning relationship with Otis. Whatever the outcome of this event with Jackie, I do not believe Hudson wants to end his relationship with Otis.

I had not thought of that @Cane23 until you pointed it out. I have to now add arrogant to my description of Andre in this scenario.

Owain and Colin have settled into a comfortable, easy going, mutually beneficial relationship which is a joy to witness. Given the drama of their family relationships, particularly Colin's which are current, their relationship with each other must be like the most relaxing massage, a tonic for the nerves. They learn more about each other whenever they get together and seem to relish their time together even if they are doing nothing exciting. A truly adult and rewarding relationship. An outstanding chapter @Robert Hugill with Colin's outfit finally revealed. The very short shorts surprised me; it appears he is relatively comfortable with his physique from the waist down, it is above the waist that he is uncomfortable with.

@Paladin I believe you must be doing something right as your writing in this chapter has provoked some very strong reactions from my fellow readers. Although I do not share the concerns of @Cane23 (and this is no disrespect to you @Cane23 as I understand why you have these concerns), I had concerns of my own with an earlier event. Perhaps I am showing my age and am unfairly judging Andre, but I thought his comments about Chris' bedlinen were rude and insulting (although I probably would have at least had similar thoughts at his age). He is NOT living with Chris and is therefore still a non-paying guest in Chris' home. He could have at least waited until he has moved in with Chris to disparage his bedlinen and even then could have been a little more diplomatic in his comments. I thought his comments presented him as an "entitled shallow millenial princess". And now it is my turn to be a self-opinionated overbearing old queen in response and state to Andre "Sheridan used to make excellent quality bedlinen and towels when they were manufactured in Australia. Unfortunately, they are now predominantly if not exclusively manufactured in India and the quality has deteriorated significantly, however, their prices, even at outlet stores, are still significantly higher than many other brands. In short honey, they are overpriced crap". It will be interesting to see if Chris/Andre and Michael/Jamie become close friends now it has been revealed there exists a prior connection between Chris and Michael. Their relationships seem to have a similar dynamic, a quieter more mature partner (Chris and Michael) and a more gregarious younger partner (Andre and Jamie).

Lachlan is so not the stereotype tradie bloke as evidenced by his discussion with Chris: “Yeah, we’re just ordinary people and we don’t all fit into a perceived stereotype.” I had another mouthful of my beer and felt comfortable to ask. “Lachlan, another question. You have parties that you invite your team to. I’ve been to a couple and seen them with their girlfriends or wives. How many brought their boyfriends?” Another pause. “Well there was . . . no he didn’t, and . . . You’re right Chris. I don’t remember any of the gay guys bringing a boyfriend.” “I’m sure you stressed to the team that their girlfriends and wives were welcome. Did you include boyfriends?” The answer was immediate. “No Chris I didn’t and you’re right, I should have.” Lachlan's response to Chris was refreshing and sincere. He appears to like Chris too, even going so far as to ask when he and Andre would be "shacking up" together. This bodes well for the future when disagreements arise between Andre and Chris as I believe Lachlan will not automatically side with Andre. Andre is quite immature in comparison to Chris, primarily due to their respective life experiences to date, so I believe disagreements are inevitable, although Chris does seem very easy going. I have but one question for you @Paladin, does Lachlan display the obligatory builder's crack when he is on a job?

It has to be said Chris and Andre have shown inordinate patience in getting to knowing each other over a period of 12 months before moving their friendship beyond friendship. They seemingly have quite different life experiences to date; Chris lives alone and is financially independent whereas Andre still lives at home with his parents (hopefully he is at least contributing towards household expenses if not board/rent too) and has seemingly had to do little to fend for himself. I grew up on the Mid North Coast of NSW (Taree) in the 1970's and went on the obligatory school excursion (at the time) to Old Sydney Town. As an adult I moved to Sydney almost 40 years ago and have been to Gosford once to have lunch with a friend from Cardiff. Apart from this, I have never been to the Central Coast, although have been through the various towns on the XPT train service. I have heard of Erina Fair and have of course seen the Deepwater Plaza at Woy Woy from the train. I have worked with various people over the years who commuted from the Central Coast each day to Sydney, but being an inner city creature who does not drive (I have never owned a car), I have never ventured to the Central Coast on any other occasion. Perhaps I should rectify this omission. This story is off to a good start @Paladin.

@Robert Hugill perhaps you should send Val's mother off to Bournemouth with Deirdre and Jasper. They may be joined by Nathan, Miles and Colin's mother for a night of piety and delusional thinking hosted by a visiting female neanderthal from the US coven of neanderthal women known as Moms For Liberty. I doubt Marina would be welcome by the aforesaid harridans; she would be considered a liberal undesirable for even entertaining her second son may also be gay, just like his brother, Gabriel. Thank goodness for women like Marina who are capable of thinking for themselves, that don't have to rely upon fairy tales published in books written thousands of years ago when humans thought the world was flat. Gordon has a wonderful and at times biting sense of humour as evidenced by “And she has such a balanced view of sexual matters?”. Both Brian and Toby have landed on their feet with having Gordon as husband and step-father respectively. Although they may appear a little "eccentric" at times, Evie and Drew are just what they need in in-laws and step-grandparents too.

Excellent suggestion @raven1. Perhaps you should mention it to Kevin for him to determine if Spencer has the financial capacity to undertake such an enterprise at this point in time.

I am finding virtually all of your works, with this one in particular, inviting a musical reminiscence @Mancunian. When Charlie met Brad for the first time and both were somewhat tongue-tied and awkward with each other I immediately thought of Shy Boy by Bananarama (my favourite UK group of all time and together with Kate Bush, my favourite UK act of all time). I just adore, Sara, Keren and Kate. Speaking of Bananarama, I note that Last Christmas by Wham! has finally made it to number 1 on the UK Official Charts this year (it has charted many times before, but never reached number 1). I loved Wham! and George's solo albums were magnificent (Faith is my all-time favourite album by a male soloist).

A most enjoyable chapter again @Mancunian. Joe's enthusiasm for project 'Restoration Mini Cooper S' will no doubt look good on Charlie's resume, but more importantly it will bring both he and Harry great joy. I hope once it is completed Harry decides not to sell the car or donates it as a raffle prize for 'The New Boot' fundraiser in acknowledgment of his son, Michael. I was very pleased that Missy was invited to the surprise party and that she was popular with one and all. Her life with Harry was likely somewhat "barren" before his heart attack. Although it is not good that this happened to him, much good has come of his hospital stay. He has been given a new lease of life and Missy lots of attention. The surprise party was a success. The choice of Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday a good one, but it reminded me of another song with the same title released at roughly the same time by the Scottish new wave/post punk band, Altered Images. I immediately Googled it and found a video clip for it and their other big hit, I Could Be Happy. They were hugely popular in the UK, South Africa and Sweden and my homeland of Australia. I thought they were wonderful, part of an avalanche of outstanding pop music by singers/bands from the UK in the early 80's, most of whom were enormously successful in Australia too (Bananarama, ABC, The Human League, Yazoo, Kim Wilde, Tubeway Army/Gary Numan, Ultravox, Visage, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Wham, The Cure, The Pretenders and Simple Minds). Happy New Year (by the way a great song by ABBA from the album Super Trouper) to you @Mancunian and @raven1. My Christmas and New Year have been amongst the best ever, solely because Kiki and Zelda, two of my four cats, are still with me. Zelda was diagnosed with terminal cancer in early August and given only 4-6 weeks to live and Kiki has had a number of health issues in the last few months, mostly related to the fact she is almost 17 years of age.

Colin is adorably awkward and bashful. Perhaps it was the mention of them going clubbing later, but I had a sudden image of Colin and Owain being joined by Jimmy Somerville and the latter planting a big kiss on Colin in full view of the public and daring anyone to make a negative comment (Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy was on a loop in my head at the same time). I think Owain's joie de vivre will encourage and support Colin becoming more comfortable in his own skin (he may even build the confidence to tell Miles to go fuck himself). Italian is my favourite cuisine. Similarly to Indian (which I also enjoy), it offers plenty of vegetarian options and heavily features two of my very favourite foods, tomatoes and garlic. Yum yum yum. I loved Colin's "occupational hazard" when assessing the quality of the shower in their hotel room. I have no handyman skills at all (I can barely change a light bulb), but am able to recognise shoddy workmanship. As previously stated I am looking forward to Colin's outfit being revealed. Perhaps his outfit will accentuate his "plumber's crack" so as to delight Owain. Another entertaining chapter @Robert Hugill.

As much as it was painful for Benjamin, I think the right choice was made for Ariel. I understand why quarantine laws exist for non-human animals, but why the excessive time in "boarding"? And if COVID has taught us anything it should be that we are more at risk from viruses, infections and diseases carried by fellow human animals than from non-human animals. I was surprised to learn Benjamin is straight @Mancunian. It seems the relationship developing between he and Joseph is nothing more than brotherly affection, perhaps strengthened exponentially by their individual perilous circumstances which brought them together.

The news for Benjamin is all good, except for him having to leave Ariel behind. I am in two minds as to what is best for her, joining her human Benjamin in a new country after having had to make a trip to get there (and probably confined to the cargo hold, which I view as barbaric and completely unnecessary and unacceptable) or remaining in Israel with her sons and new humans. I am certain if I were faced with the prospects of having to leave Kiki, Frida, Zelda and Missy behind to emigrate to a new country, I could not do it. Ian and Kevin will make good parents. Benjamin and Joseph will have an extended family, and in the case of Joseph at least, one worthy of their devotion.

"Please". Damn those allergies suddenly flared up again @Mancunian. It certainly pays to have "friends in high places". I just hope that there will be no repercussions for Joseph, Ian, Kevin or Isaac in the future regarding the forged documents. It will be interesting (to say the least) what story Ben's contacts are able to concoct for Benjamin which will allow him to migrate to the UK too.

What has led to Benjamin living in a dangerous place with only Ariel, Jedidiah and Zachariah for company? Where are his parents? Has he too been "thrown away" by his presumably Jewish parents (the dogs names suggest he is Jewish) for being gay? I am hoping all will be revealed @Mancunian before Benjamin is taken into the Johnson and Cole family.

I was wondering when Benjamin was going to make an appearance and voila he arrives. I was ready to loathe the person who abandoned Arieh (meaning lion) and Velvel (meaning little wolf), but when it was revealed what was provided for their immediate care and the reason for their abandonment, I softened my detestation of this person to some degree. I still think what Benjamin did was foolish at best, but his remorse was genuine, and he made an effort to ensure they were likely to be taken care of. @Mancunian when you wrote of the puppies’ abandonment and the circumstances which led to this my allergies suddenly "exploded" again. Benjamin's reduced circumstances were such that he would not have been able to adequately care for the puppies and he must be commended for recognising this and for his attempts to address this. It was fortunate for the puppies that his choice of potential family proved to be a good one. I look forward to the events which result in him migrating to the UK too.

May Joseph's parents suffer from a multitude of painful health issues for their appalling treatment of him. Ignorant, stupid and arrogant trash. Joseph's journey to physical and mental well-being will no doubt be arduous, but with Ian and Kevin and his UK extended family he should triumph.

I assume those employees at Associated Executive Car Services are working on fabricating documents for Joseph to establish some kind of filial connection to Manny and/or Ian or Kevin to enable him to be adopted and removed to the UK to live. What truly horrible "Christian" birth parents he must have had; brains poisoned by religious dogma no doubt. May they rot in their piety. The thing which struck me most about this chapter @Mancunian was that an accident in the kitchen could just as easily have been some kind of attack on the Lehrer family. I cannot imagine living in a society where terrorist attacks are commonplace.

Manny was a fine example of a Jew who regularly performed mitzvot as part of the process of tikkun olam in a quiet and unobtrusive manner because he recognised it was the right thing to do. The extent of those who benefited from his mitzvot may never be known, but we know for sure Isaac, "John", Ian, Kevin and Joseph have all benefited greatly. The thing I find the most revealing of Manny's character is that of these five men/boys the only one we know for sure who is Jewish is Isaac. Manny's kindness was blind to man-made concepts such as religious affiliation and sexual orientation. He set a fine example to those who benefitted from his mitzvot, an example that is being followed by all five. @Mancunian I am a gentile and do not subscribe to any organised religion of any faith, I do however find some Jewish prayers, particularly when put to music, beautiful to listen to, the best example being Avinu Malkeinu. A compelling chapter @Mancunian. Isaac's mitzvot to do right by Joseph the result of Manny's mitzvot to him. What a wonderful concept.

I "feared" Joseph felt he was to become the equivalent of a servant to his "brothers" when he moved to the UK to live. It appears he has been disavowed of this notion, but I daresay he will not fully believe it until he experiences life in the UK. I love the heat and the humidity and we have both in Sydney, Australia. I have aircon but the only time I ever use it for cooling is if I have to close the doors due to rain and it gets too steamy inside for my cats. I don't even have any trouble sleeping if the temperature is 35°C with humidity of 90%.

What I want to know @Mancunian is, where is Harry or has he gone off somewhere to meet Sally? It appears The Major and his military connections may be instrumental in achieving the outcome Manny desired in bringing Joseph back to the UK. If it is so, I doubt he will reveal anything to Ian and/or Kevin and it is perhaps best they don't know if the law has to be broken to achieve the said outcome.

I have an image of Jacob resembling Richard Kiel, who was not Jewish but was 7 feet 2 inches tall, a little taller than Jacob. His appearance in two Bond films is well remembered; he looked menacing even before he opened his mouth. Isaac and his secretary are proving to be worth their weight in gold, seemingly.

It appears Isaac is very competent and also well aware of those who are associated with the "shadier" side of the law. Given this, he should be able to expedite Joseph's adoption with a greater chance of success than had Ian and Kevin attempted to do so from the UK. Initially I was somewhat disturbed by Joseph's serving Ian and Kevin breakfast in bed; it was almost as if he expected this would be his role in their home should he be adopted by them. I think my initial reaction may have been misguided, or I at least hope that it was.

I assume it was Joseph's birth family who beat him and left him on the roadside to die. I cannot say I am at all surprised. It was fortunate for him he was rescued by a Jewish man capable of independent thinking, not one beholden to ancient story books purporting to know "the truth". Now I understand why Manny was motivated to adopt Joseph and bring him to the UK. Very well written chapter @Mancunian, one which enraged me, fuelling my abhorrence of the evils of organised religion, of which there are many. Thankfully Manny's observance of his religion did not cloud his mind such that he lost his humanity and any sense of reality as is so often the case.

I have to wonder if some of the "red-tape" in such processes exists solely to exhaust and repel all but the most persistent of applicants. Whilst I believe there is some merit in this tactic, it runs the risk of alienating some whom would be very suitable to adopt children, but for the lack of financial capacity or the "right team" to assist them in navigating the whole process. Of course many, if not all, these issues "disappear" if you have sufficient coin (think female singer and actresses who have adopted children from other nations far and wide).