Summerabbacat

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).

I am glad The Major pointed out to Kevin and Ian that they should visit Joseph before proceeding with attempting to adopt him and bring him to the UK as this may not be his wish. Given his background he may not wish to be adopted by two gay men as who knows what kind of nonsense his head has been filled with regarding "such people". If he is agreeable to be adopted and come to the UK to live he should do well with Ian and Kevin (and he obviously does). I am intrigued now as to how Benjamin becomes a member of the family as I seem to recall he is also originally from Israel (or did I imagine this).

Damn @Mancunian. I don't even like children, but my allergies are playing up again. In all seriousness, although I do not generally like children, I hate those who abuse or abandon them, for much like non-human animals, they have little chance of fending for themselves in circumstances such as Joseph Emmanuel Goldstein finds himself. It appears Manny was to the very end a man of extraordinary generosity and compassion. He is rightfully still held in very high esteem by Ian and Kevin. I am very pleased Ian and Kevin chose to honour him by retaining his name in the name of the business.

What horrible biological families Ian and Kevin must have had. Fortunately for them they met The Major who in turn introduced them to Christian. Their relationship with The Major in particular has been mutually beneficial. I am looking forward to reading more of the lives of Ian and Kevin @Mancunian as they are both such likeable men and have great strength of character to have survived what they have. Their respective strengths seem to compliment each other very well.

Through great personal loss and emotional suffering for one so young, Christian aka John emerged triumphant ready to help others less fortunate than himself in honour of his adoptive father's ethos. A modern day Jesus in some respects if the account of his life is to be believed.

Simon and Carl, two peas from the same pod. Leaches both, they will probably end up like Bill unless they become very wealthy and "buy" their friends and lovers. I fear Phillip is dead and this is what Christian will find upon returning home. Phillip a workaholic and now possibly an alcoholic, a recipe for a potential fatal heart attack. I hope I am wrong. I am sure Gary and Eduardo will make a charming couple, seemingly with the approval of papa Jorge.

I have met several "Simon's" in my life too, although I gave none the opportunity to use me in the fashion this Simon used Christian. I recall one Simon I knew who used a former flatmate of mine and left her in dire financial straits from which she has never recovered. He was a blood sucking leach whom I am hoping karma caught up with, if the coke did not get him first. Another terrible loss for Christian and I fear more to come in the short term as I doubt Phillip will recover from the loss of his wife. If his life does not end by is own hand I suspect he will lose the will to live and die from a broken heart, which happens more often than what one could imagine.

Phillip and Emily proved themselves worthy of being the parents of John now known as Christian. I don't now yet when their demise will occur, but I do hope Christian has them for the rest of his teens.

Emily and Phillip were rewarded for their patience with a new business premises and seemingly a beautiful new home, but the piece de resistance surely must have been the "I love you, I love you" from the mouth of their new foster son. My damn allergies played up again reading this or perhaps it was the joy of seeing my Kiki eating well after having been sick off and on for the past week. Delightful chapter @Mancunian.

Welcome to the Edwards family Christian, the child soon to be formerly known as John. As if the death of his parents wasn't enough to cope with, the poor lad has his first wet dream, soiling the bed linen and his underwear with his sticky emissions. I recalled my first wet dream and how I announced at the breakfast table that I had "spunked" in my pyjamas and the bed. I was 11 or 12 at the time and my mother admonished me not to mention such things in front of my brothers who would have been 3 and 8. I suspect it may have been when I learned how to use the washing machine too. Another enjoyable chapter @Mancunian as we learn more of what motivated the adult Christian/John to devote his time and wealth to those less fortunate than himself.

Given the characters introduced thus far I assume that young John is adopted by Phillip and Emily Edwards and changes his given name to Christian, perhaps as a sign of affection for Christian and/or to "divorce" himself from his former life and the tremendous sorrow due to the death of his beloved parents. My curiosity got the better of me and I checked the 'net for what constitutes a full English breakfast. With no disrespect meant to you @Mancunian or any of your fellow citizens, it astonishes me that anyone could manage to eat so much for breakfast. If I were to eat such a breakfast I am certain it would have the same effect upon me as it did on young John. Putting aside the meat and eggs which I would not eat, the cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans and toast (so long as it is multigrain bread) are something I could eat and enjoy, but not for breakfast. Intriguing start to this story @Mancunian. Young John is already showing the signs of awkwardness, shyness, withdrawal and low self-esteem that he exhibits for most of the The Boot - Three Years On.

After reading his back story my respect for Ox aka The Major aka Alex has grown even more. His flaws are many but his qualities of loyalty, integrity and a desire to help and protect "the underdog" outshine his flaws. No wonder he was, and continues to be, beloved by so many. I have said it before and I shall say it again, he is anything but a stereotype, cliche or caricature. Befitting conclusion to the story which charts Ox's descent into alcoholism and homelessness @Mancunian.