Summerabbacat

Simplicity in the hands of a gifted author can be as entertaining, enchanting and rewarding as the grandiose and dramatic. With this story @Libby Drew you have demonstrated this in abundance. A very small "cast" in comparison to most stories, set in a small town with the motivations and desires of the main characters relatively "tame" and "ordinary"; and yet, those same characters, so authentically written, leapt off the page from beginning to end. Another delightful example of your talents in creating characters @Libby Drew as opposed to caricatures. If I have one "gripe" it would be that I would like to have learned more of the backstory of the Professor. He barely made an appearance, but with just a few words spoken, I found him intriguing.

“And after graduation, you didn’t owe it to me to stay, but you did anyway. It made me ashamed.” He cleared his throat and straightened. “The way I acted...” Michael stood to grip his shoulder. “Paps—” “So if you’re wanting my blessing or approval or whatever it is you think you need, you’ve got it.” He raised watery eyes to Michael’s face. “Both of you.” So simply written and yet so poignant @Libby Drew. The sentiments expressed by grandfather to grandson had me sobbing. And the encounter between Michael and the Professor once again challenged Michael's perception of himself as somehow not worthy or capable. I believe he has won the admiration of a man who will become a mentor if he dares to take that leap of faith.

I was a little surprised at Roni's flippant comment to Craig "Here,” she said. “He’s all yours.” I got the impression from comments she made to Seth in the previous chapter she is well aware Craig has some less than attractive personality traits e.g. he is a bully. Whilst his threats to kill Seth may be hollow, we saw him demonstrate physically violent behaviour towards Seth in this chapter, which in addition to the threatening verbal comments he has previously made, paint a picture of a person Seth would be well advised not to expose, whether intentionally or unintentionally. @weinerdog raised a very good point, something which has never crossed my mind, regarding Blake's threats to harm himself. Whilst I think it unlikely he will carry through on his "threat" to kill himself, his behaviour could "be dangerous for other students." His threats to kill himself appear hollow, he would be more likely to do this if he had said nothing, but he is so unpredictable he could do it in a moment of extreme distress or unintentionally harm other students. And I have another comment about the eating habits of the teenagers in this story @drpaladin. Left over chicken, Pillsbury biscuits and grape jelly (which I assume is what we in Australia refer to as jam), not to mention the soda and potato chips, as a meal for a boy who is clearly malnourished. Crap food is not going to help Blake's mental health, but I guess it at least got him eating. If he is frequently starving his body, as appears to be the case, it is not going to help his mind at all. A very disconcerting chapter @Ronyx. Blake's revelations were very upsetting for Seth. His revelation of his "home" to Seth is one of the saddest things I have ever read in a @Ronyx story. It is well known teenagers invariably have mood swings, but Blake's appear more frequent and extreme than the average teenager. I believe his parents are largely to blame, but there may be something even more sinister afoot. I will be very interested to read what GA's other resident doctor, @drsawzall, has to say about Blake's behaviour.

As noted by Seth, Roni is smart. She certainly smelt bullshit when it was presented to her. It is rather ominous she enquired if Craig had forced Seth to have sex with him. Although she appears to like her cousin, it also appears she is aware of his less attractive personality traits. I hope she does NOT attempt to discuss with Craig what he and Seth have been engaging in; this will only cause Seth further grief. I imagine Craig will feel he is being "backed into a corner" and will blame Seth for having told Roni. His threats of violence may only be hollow, but then again they may not. It is extraordinary indeed that Mommie Dearest is well aware of Stacy's behaviour and continues to indulge it @weinerdog. Not only is she being totally unfair to Seth, she is doing Stacy no favours by allowing her to continue to behave as if she is 16 going on 5. Apart from the equally repellent Maggie, Stacy appears to have no female friends, and when Craig finally dumps her she may find herself in need of some. I doubt she will get much sympathy from Maggie as she is equally narcissistic with concern for one person only, Maggie. “Anyway,” she continued, “Your Aunt Marie will be checking in on you each day. She’s agreed to come over in the morning and fix you breakfast before you go to school. Then, she and Uncle Steven will come after they get off work to fix you dinner.” I am puzzled by this statement from Mommie Dearest. I thought Seth and Stacy were 16, surely they are old enough to make breakfast and dinner for themselves. I imagine Seth is likely capable of doing this, and if Stacy is not, then too bad. It is about time she learned how to. Speaking of food, fruit juice and a donut for breakfast. Really, is this what 16 year old teenagers now eat for breakfast. Donuts have no nutritional value at all and should only ever be eaten by obese cops in bad American TV cop shows. Clearly Blake's problems are far more deep seated than what they first appeared to be. @drsawzall has previously speculated Blake may need to be institutionalised, and whilst I still hope it does not come to this, clearly his living with Amber and her parents is not bringing him the stability and happiness he is grasping for. Another well crafted chapter @Ronyx. Seth continues to dig himself deeper into a hole from which it will be difficult to emerge. He is a very poor liar and far too trusting. I look forward to the discussion between Mommie Dearest, Stacy and Seth to set the ground rules for the time she is away. I can hear Stacy's whining already. She will turn on the tears, the tantrums and the pouting. Just for once I hope Mommie Dearest puts her foot down, perhaps she could even slap Stacy hard, very hard, very very hard.

You are only a "spring chicken" @chris191070.

I don't think the difficulty is restricted to any age bracket @chris191070, but at 14 I guess most have had little prior experience. I too hope Kenny is able to understand Bryan as both boys need each other. They share one thing in common, their biological father's abandoned them, although in Kenny's case his father's departure was understandable. It is a shame though that his father is unable (or is it unwilling) to take a more active part in Kenny's life. A very well written chapter @John Henry. The sadness of Kenny's home life cannot be compared to the life Bryan and Caleb experienced with their incubator and sperm donor, but it is a challenge nevertheless. Both Bryan and Kenny appear emotionally damaged; Bryan is unable to declare his love for Kenny and Kenny is seemingly very needy and behaving somewhat selfishly, understandably though I think. I can only but imagine the difficulty a child would likely experience living with a parent who has mental health problems.

Hilarious @drpaladin. When I started to read your second comment I assumed you were going to suggest Seth knee Craig in the balls, but your real intent would be far more effective as the pain would not be short-lived.

I also had the same thought as you and @drpaladin @weinerdog. The older man was seemingly impressed with Michael's knowledge of the Cathedral of Learning. I have been "threatened" with using an iPad at work on a number of occasions @weinerdog. The "threats" have been countered with "threats" of my own, the chief being that I would use it for its only reasonable purpose, throwing it at a wall when I reach the end of my patience in trying to use the frustratingly useless contraption. I am happy to use a laptop, but not an iPad. My one "real" encounter with an iPad was a couple of years ago when I had to "register" my cat using one at an emergency veterinary hospital. I was already stressed enough with worrying about my cat's life-threatening situation, only to be confronted with being forced to use the most useless piece of fucking technology I had used in a long time. Suffice to say I let my frustrations be known on several occasions, particularly when I ended up spending almost $10,000 for a week of treatment for my beloved Kiki. Now I have finished my vent, I was surprised at Michael's reaction to Eric's enquiries. I did not expect him to react like this. His unreasonable reaction was the kind of reaction I would have when feeling as if I was being called out on my bullshit (petulant indeed @drsawzall. I fully understand Michael's reaction, it is motivated by fear and fear alone. I have to wonder @Libby Drew if Michael is a Libran like myself. Another well written chapter @Libby Drew. As the other good doctor, @drsawzall pointed out, sorry seems to be the hardest word.

I can well understand Bryan's dilemma. I was in a teenager in the paleolithic era @John Henry and I still find it far easier to tell people who annoy/enrage me to fuck off than to tell someone I love them (and they may even be the same person on occasion).

Not every one has your "smarts" @raven1. One has to look no further than America's "first family of trash" to observe that some people (in this case the females from two different sires) repeatedly make the same mistakes when choosing fucks/boyfriends/partners. Personally I don't care one iota about them and their trashy parasitical lives, but their latest "failed tryst/relationship/marriage" inevitably appears as a "news" headline online or in print.

Your comment in bold text gave me a good chuckle @gdaniel. All I can say is you must keep very good company. I have known a number of 'Craig's' over the years, friends of flatmates, certainly not friends of mine. And they like Craig were detestable, although not necessarily for the same reason(s). I like Seth too. Although it appears his "weakness" for Craig is solely sexually motivated, the amateur Sigmund in me thinks it may not be that simplistic. The only attention he seemingly receives at home is when his mother and/or sister are bitching at him for one reason or another. He is used to being bullied, these two harridans treat him like this all the time. The only difference between Craig and Seth's mother and sister is that Seth is not having any sexual interaction with either his mother or sister. All three are bullies to varying degrees and all three take advantage of Seth repeatedly, without any thought for how he may feel about it. He craves some "positive" attention and believes, although with increasing doubt, that Craig has some kind of positive feelings for him.

I don't "do" Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram or any other social media (that is if all these things are in fact, social media) so am ignorant if Facebook can be used to trace someone. If so, Bryan should be very careful communicating with Calvin. His final comment may be interpreted by some as being disrespectful, but not by me. Calvin deserves every bit of Bryan's contempt, mistrust and hatred; however, I believe this will only inflame Calvin's determination to force his way into Bryan and Caleb's lives. If only Bryan could be as forthright with Kenny regarding his feelings as what he was with his sperm donor. I think with support from Diego and perhaps even Steve, he will eventually be more comfortable with expressing positive feelings e.g. love as what he seemingly is with expressing negative feelings e.g. everything he feels for his sperm donor. Although the content of his "discussion" with Calvin was serious, I found humour in Bryan's response to him, especially the "And you can go fuck yourself!”. I have never agreed with the school of thought which is that you must love your parents and siblings because of who they are. My response has always been why? Well written again @John Henry. I am sensing something very unpleasant is about to occur sooner rather than later though. Whatever its is, I hope it does not result in any harm to either Bryan or Caleb. The latter I feel is particularly vulnerable and would be easily conned by Calvin.

Un finale davvero meraviglioso, Giacomo (I did not know Giacomo was the Italian equivalent of James until writing this comment @James Carnarvon). I cannot pinpoint any specific word/phrase/expressed thought/action in this chapter which precipitated this change, but somehow you (or perhaps it was Dani) have convinced me there is goodness at the very core of Giacomo, and he is the "right" person for Daniele. My beloved little mouse appears to have accepted this as fact now too, so perhaps his acceptance also influenced me. I have only skimmed my fellow readers comments so far (and I love to read them closely) as my "allergies played up" (similarly to @weinerdog it would seem) from the opening sentence of this chapter until its conclusion. For a brief moment I thought Giacomo had not made it when Elena stated “What’s done is done. There’s no need for you to carry that guilt for the rest of your life. You were there for Giacomo right up to the end – that’s what matters.” If you had a burning sensation in your ears James that was likely from me cursing you. Whoever would have thought I could be so upset at the prospect of Giacomo's death; certainly not me. And Luca and Cosmo. A delightful reunion, one which I had thought (hoped) may be a possibility. Mario and Luisa, what a delightful couple. And James, you could not possibly have concluded this story with a scene more befitting than "They looked at each other in silence for a moment, trying to contain the currents of feeling that were swirling around them, but soon the colourful gardens were ringing with their giggles, which blended and mingled with the scraping of the cicadas in the trees that surrounded them." Love amongst the scraping cicadas. Sheer perfection. And as for the "selfless", many examples throughout the book, but Giacomo's attempt to "rescue" Cosmo and Enzo's actual rescue of Cosmo are the two greatest examples in this book. Selflessness from two unlikely sources @James Carnarvon, which only makes the behaviour so very much more remarkable.

Stacy and Maggie are amongst @Ronyx's most hideous teenage female creations, right up there with Ashley from Losing Kevin and Melissa from Dancing With Madonna. The fact they come as a pair exacerbates their grotesqueness. I know it is unlikely to happen, but I can fantasise they both suffer some unspeakable pain or humiliation which does not end them, but for which they endure ongoing suffering or social ostracisation. As I write this comment @weinerdog I have thought of the greatest initial slap in the face for both these harridans - Seth and Roni are named King and Queen of the Prom.

I have indeed seen Lust In The Dust @raven1, in fact, I think that was the first film I ever saw Divine in as it was released at a similar time to him having a huge gay club hit with If You Think You're A Man. I really liked Lainie Kazan in the film too.

When I read of this "great offer" my first thought was Michael was being set up as a patsy or stooge who management would use to deliver their agenda. I kept hearing, very loudly, the song by The Strawbs Part Of The Union on a continuous loop in my head, much as did when Michael had his previous discussion with Ed, only this time it was at a much greater volume. You captured my thoughts brilliantly @drsawzall. Ed and his ilk are NOT to be trusted; getting someone else to do their dirty work. Michael should jump at the opportunity to go to university and to live with Eric, to get out of "podunk" (great name for a town @drsawzall, what we in Australia would probably refer to as "bumfuck"). A most enjoyable chapter @Libby Drew with the promise of something great to look forward to for all our main cast, and for we your readers, who enjoy the spoils of your literary talents.

It is directed by John Waters who directed the original Hairspray starring Divine in the role John Travolta took in the remake, Deborah Harry (from Blondie) in the role Michelle Pfeiffer took in the remake, Sonny Bono playing her husband and Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad. He has directed some other great films such as CryBaby and Polyester. He is also known for his wit and social commentary. He once referred to Jeff Stryker as the Cary Grant of porn, one of my favourite quotes from him.

Have you ever seen Serial Mom @raven1? If not, Kathleen Turner plays a murderous housewife (with absolute relish) who kills for justice, wreaking havoc on anyone she feels has wronged her family or upset her values in any way. She is very inventive in her "weapons of choice". In my favourite scene she has just murdered her son's teacher and as she drives off in the family station wagon (one of those which looks like it has wood panelling on the side), she starts singing along on the radio with joy to Barry Manilow singing Daybreak. It is hilarious.

@raven1 please don't demean female dogs by comparing them to Stacy and Maggie. They are not bitches, they are both runts with a capital C. I wish someone would either poison, garrotte or punch them both in the face. They are both ugly, spiteful, vapid excreta and should be disposed of as soon as possible. Seth needs to watch Serial Mom and go all Beverly Sutphin on both of them. Craig is dangerous and will stop at nothing to get what he wants and take what he believes he is entitled to take. I also have no doubt he will throw Seth under the bus if their dalliances become public knowledge. Set would do well to arm himself with hardcore evidence of Craig's sexual demands, but I doubt he will as the temptation for dick is overwhelming, robbing him of any commonsense he may have had (which does not seem to have been a great deal to begin with). Well done @Ronyx. I believe I detest Maggie as much as, if not more, than Stacy. Stacy appears easily led and not very smart, whereas Maggie appears to be far smarter, calculating and manipulative. I do not trust her at all. I could easily see her persuading Stacy to dump Craig so that not 5 minutes later she could swoop in and claim him as a prize for herself.

Calvin aka sperm donor is a runt with a capital C. I agree with @Mancunian; whatever the motive for his return it won't be of any advantage to either Bryan or Caleb, it will be all for his own advantage. Perhaps he has got himself involved in an underage teen porn racket and he has promised to supply some hunky teenage boys for porn magazines or movies, or worse still to sell either or both into prostitution. I imagine he could make big money from this. Bryan's comment "Blood may be thicker than water, but so is shit, and Calvin Donaldson is a big pile of it.” was priceless. I suspect some of his animosity towards his father is an attempt to mask his feelings of abandonment. Whilst I have concerns for him, the biggest threat I see Calvin posing is to Caleb. Caleb is vulnerable and naive, we have already observed the latter when he fell for his mother's poisonous charms. I think Diego and Steve need to be vigilant in keeping an eye on Calvin's mental health as well as his physical wellbeing. I don't trust Calvin at all, he may somehow be able to track where Diego and the boys have moved to and show up unannounced. Very well written chapter again @John Henry. I hope Diego has had every 't' crossed and every 'i' dotted on the adoption paperwork for Bryan and Caleb as Calvin cannot be underestimated as to how low he will stoop.

@James Carnarvon the first two PSB references were not intentionally constructed. It was only after writing the two sentences I realised I had used some PSB song titles and those song titles had fitted "naturally" into what I intended to say. From thereon it was contrived, although I do think the contrivance could be read as "realistic" statements. I would love to see Marco take front and centre in a future book, but realistically what could be written about his life leading up to the present which would be of sufficient length and not too depressing. He has already disclosed that life before residing with Gianni and Angelo was unhappy and uneventful. Frank revelations with detailed accounts of his former life would appear to be out-of-character for Marco too. He has to some extent lived his life through others in all the books he has appeared in, somewhat of an outsider looking in. A book about his life since coming to live with Gianni and Angelo and moving forward may well be worth investigating, particularly as he is beginning to gain confidence. I would like to more know about his artistic talents too.

After Dani and Marco's ill-fated kiss I had wondered if @James Carnarvon may have introduced the character of Cosmo for more than just protecting a cache of weapons @weinerdog. Of course such a coupling could always be known as Marcos @James Carnarvon, although that name is probably a little too tainted with corruption and an unhealthy obsession with shoes. If Cosmo has the opportunity to turn his life around, being part of a new Ravello super-couple with such a name, may not be the best career move. I was very impressed with your descriptive language as usual @James Carnarvon, but even I was surprised with this pezzo di magnificenza "Daniele’s breath caught in his throat as an almost physical sensation washed over him: a sense of profound release, as if, somewhere deep inside him, a hidden vessel that had been sickening him for months had finally burst and given up the last of its venom." This described perfectly how I felt recently after battling for 8-9 months with the side effects of the Moderna COVID vaccine. “I hate that there are still people in the world who’d disown their own children just because of the type of person they happen to like… especially on the word of some old book.” With this statement Giacomo earned himself 1,000,000 summerabbacat points, redeemable at his nearest music store in Ravello for albums by PSB, Philly soul artists, Donna Summer, ABBA and Sabrina (got to have the latter, after all they are just boys, boys, boys). One thing I’m clearer about in my thinking is that, after this story, Dani has run his course as the main character, at least for now. I am glad you added the disclaimer at the end of this comment @James Carnarvon otherwise @drsawzall's neighbours may have been visiting you sooner than you think. Now for the cliffhanger. Who shot Giacomo? Was it Sue Ellen (the slut), her sister Kristin or maybe Pam's brother, Cliff Barnes. Clearly it was none of these, but with the end of this chapter it was like 1980 all over again @James Carnarvon. Such violence in Ravello. Who would have thought it could happen here. Sheer pandemonium, with too many people present in the night to know for sure. I want to wake up and not have to face the truth that Giacomo may be dead. Although nothing has been proved yet I am suspicious of the supposedly clean Carabinieri.

I chose the sad emoticon for your comment @drsawzall as you have identified the potentially destructive affect the sperm donor's return will have on Caleb. He has already shown himself to be an emotionally vulnerable boy, the return of Calvin well may undo all the good Diego has done in helping him deal with the disappointment that is his parents. Calvin's selfishness has no boundaries.

I still find myself invariably reading the title as The Summer of the Selfies James even though I know it is not this. I think it may be because the second 'l' is not as distinct as the first 'l' as it almost "hides" under the rounded top of the 'f' and selfies is such a current word (even though I have never taken a selfie and think they are generally vile). And for some reason (read deteriorating eyesight even with glasses) I never notice the second 's' in 'less'. At least I have not mistakenly read the title as The Summer of the Selfish.

I am glad to see you have discovered the joys of @James Carnarvon's storytelling @weinerdog as he leads we readers on a merry dance through Ravello and the lives of its residents. I had noticed you were reading the prior books at a great rate, so seemingly you have been as captivated by Ravello and its residents, both human and non-human (got to love those scraping cicadas and the lemon trees), as told by James as many of us have. There is much joy to be derived from these stories and James paints such a vivid picture of not only the characters themselves, but the physical environment in which they live, both the natural environment and the man-made structures. You have no doubt noticed he has a band of regular followers who are not shy in providing feedback on the stories as they unfold. There is often a great deal of banter and humour in the comments made too, another sign I think of a very talented writer.