Summerabbacat

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.

If Andy's journal entries are to be believed then it appears unlikely his death was suicide, but an accident. Either way, the grief being felt by Ox is overwhelming. Given his appearance and circumstances in The Boot - Three Years On I must assume the army either tired of trying to help him or he refused their help or perhaps it was a combination of both. I am enjoying this story immensely @Mancunian. Ox is so not what one would associate with a career military man; he is so much more complex and interesting. His road to self-destruction is now more understandable after reading this book. His own stubbornness is likely to have been a contributing factor, but that same stubbornness is what helped him to some extent beat, or at least manage, his demons.

I was wondering after reading the first chapter if the publican was Marty who was mentioned in The Boot - Three Years On. The death of Andy was another senseless one attributable I daresay to PTSD. Am I correct in thinking he committed suicide @Mancunian? It certainly seemed as if you were hinting at this with "Each hug that Andy had given his ‘father’ and his friends before he left seemed to last a bit longer than usual. It did not go unnoticed by Marty." I assume Ox will likely blame himself for Andy's death too, which is likely to result in his descent into alcoholism. He is a complex man and a wonderful contradiction of the hard-nosed, insensitive, career military man. He is already exhibiting many of the characteristics he became renowned for in The Boot - Three Years On.

I loved the musical reference in this first book @Mancunian. I am not a fan of The Beatles at all, but I do like some of their songs when sung by others, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds as sung by Elton being one of them. Bunny's name for Andrew as his "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was very moving, and the fact that Bunny not only entrusted Ox with a letter to his love (perhaps a "farewell" love letter knowing death was nigh), but that Ox delivered the letter without hesitation or judgment to its intended recipient, is indicative of Ox's gay-friendly attitude and his integrity. What a wonderful "introduction" to Ox for Andrew. I hope this is the start of a friendship for both, although I fear it will be one which is short-lived given some of the revelations in The Boot - Three Years On.

This is the second time this week I have written a reasonably lengthy comment on a story, only to find later it had disappeared. The only thing I can think of is that I obviously forgot to 'Add Comment' after writing it, editing it etc. Suffice to say I have forgotten most of what I wrote, although I do recall I speculated on what Colin's outfit might be for the evening out at Ten Tons Of Fun - a lurid-coloured spandex body suit similar to those worn by WWE wrestlers, arseless chaps or a spiked cod piece with a leather harness, a tool belt and work boots (with nothing else) or full-on drag with a sequinned frock, wig, make-up and the whole shebang. I echo the sentiments of my fellow readers in wishing @Robert Hugill and my fellow readers a happy, safe and healthy festive season.

And I am still suspicious that Brother Wolf is a front for either a drug making laboratory in the building with the chain link fence around it or it is a major distribution centre for drugs coming in from Latin and/or South America.

Thank you @drpaladin. I do believe your reasoned argument well supports my long held belief that Martina killed Sam.