Summerabbacat

This one was spectacular @Libby Drew, again read in the early hours of the morning whilst not feeling well (read directly after 'Spark'). A minimal number of characters, minimal interaction between those characters and minimal dialogue, but a very powerful "message" delivered loud and clear (for me at least). I have commented elsewhere (on 'Great Restorations' at least) that I am an Australian. Given this, I cannot relate at all to a White Christmas. Christmas is invariably 40C+ and the day is spent eating and drinking far too much and often a dip in the swimming pool or a visit to the beach in the sweltering heat (if I am lucky). I hate cold weather and frankly have no desire to EVER experience a White Christmas. I don't know if it was your intention @Libby Drew, but the weather experienced by Jamie, John and Marion was the perfect analogy for what many people experience at Christmas time regardless of the prevailing weather conditions, particularly those who have been shunned by their families as Jamie has seemingly been. Christmas Day for many is a time of despair, isolation, unhappiness and misery, not helped by the mass-consumerism of the season and the media portrayal of people playing happy families. “Hello? Can I help you?” Jamie started, turning toward the voice where there had been nobody just moments before. The man behind him flashed Jamie a crooked smile. It did little to soften his size and appearance. His black, curly hair stood up in tufts, framing a scruffy, but youthful face. He shook out his arms, shedding the rain droplets that had beaded on the sleeves of his coat. “Hi,” Jamie said, then cleared his throat when the word emerged as a croak. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d said something out loud." OMG Libby, this last statement has to be one of the saddest things I have ever read in print. I was wracked with sobs for several moments when I read this, particularly as I believe for many it is the stark reality of Christmas Day, in fact the entire festive season. Unlike 'Spark' this one "finished right" Libby. "John snorted. His one hand found Jamie’s cheek; the other he snuck around his waist, reeling him close. “I can deal. Ready to call it a day and head home?” had me sobbing again, but this time for a very different reason, hope for a happier future for not only Jamie, but for John too. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Christmas as so often portrayed in the media, particularly in movies, is a cliche and stories depicting Christmas as a time of misery ending with a beacon of hope often fall into the same trap. Your story did not.

Unlike many of the other readers who have commented @Libby Drew, I had no idea Derrick was a ghost until "he stepped into the abyss". The fact I read the story in the early hours of the morning and am unwell at present may have something to do with it, but this cannot be the only reason. The story was not like anything I have read that I can recall and whilst I once again admired your literary talent, I ultimately was a little disappointed because the story was so sad and the resolution so final. My mother would say "I did not like it because it did not finish up right i.e. happily ever after".

@Libby Drew this is the first of your "back catalogue" I have decided to visit, and what a profoundly moving visit it has been. Aaron and Chris, superficially with nothing in common but a love of baseball. Aaron from a seemingly privileged background, in reality a life of isolation from two parents whose primary motivation is cultivating the appearance of a successful and harmonious family. Aaron's father is a belligerent bully, although he at least appears to have some concern for Aaron's welfare, as misguided as that concern is. His mother is the polar opposite, completely divorced from her son and from reality, vain and self-centred. She barely acknowledges his existence, such is her frigidity. Chris, from a children's home, without any of the perceived advantages that Aaron has. The one thing Chris has that Aaron lacks is a "parent" who cares. Mr Dickson. What a contrast to Aaron's father. His quiet resolve in addressing the arrogant, unjustified and ignorant accusations made by Aaron's father against Chris were a joy to witness Libby. I do so love a fight for "the underdog", and this case Mr Dickson was the Chihuahua against Aaron's father the Rottweiler. Apart from the sheer enjoyment of the story itself, it was a rewarding experience to observe the literary talent you possessed from the get-go. I can see a little of Marc in Aaron and a little of Sawyer in Chris. If you are ever inclined to revisit this story yourself I would encourage you to do so as there is much to like about Aaron and Chris and Mr Dickson at least. I believe a little wander down memory lane from time to time is good for the soul. You could think of it as your "Voyage", although please don't stretch it out to 40 years like ABBA did.

I am glad you enjoyed it @raven1. I think Aunt May may have enjoyed such a celebration too, particularly knowing it was not to the liking of her ungrateful niece and her odious husband. She was no fool; she knew exactly what her niece was like, rejoicing the day Marc came of age so she could completely disinherit her. I think Aunt May saw through the downtrodden doormat persona carefully cultivated by Maggie.

I had almost identical thoughts as I read of Marc's generous offer @drsawzall, particularly because I am still not convinced Jonathan is telling the truth about his and Maggie's humanitarian work. I had a great chuckle when for a moment I took your comment literally regarding neutering Jonathan. As much as I like your idea @drsawzall, I think @drpaladin had one which is even better. If Marc were to do as @drpaladin has suggested, the children who are to be the alleged beneficiaries of "Jonathan's generosity" will derive the benefit, and Jonathan will be denied the recognition and acclaim he so desperately covets. He is truly an asshole of the greatest magnitude. As for Maggie, I cannot bring myself to have any sympathy for her. Unlike many of my fellow readers who appear to have believed she is a downtrodden doormat, I regard her as spineless and pathetic. In fact, I think I despise her even more than Jonathan. I would love to have seen a confrontation between her and Simone, with Simone bitch-slapping her into the middle of next week. I was also warmed by the reaction of those present in the diner who gave their unequivocal support to Marc. He derived the benefit of being a good person, one who was raised "proper" by Aunt May. Although he has suffered from the rejection of his parents, it could have been so much worse. He could have been raised by them and become a replica of what they are; shallow, self-centred, self-righteous and dishonest. Like many others have stated @Libby Drew the showdown between Jonathan and Marc in public, particularly in Rachel's diner, was a stroke of genius. Marc won the support of the town's people; their affirmation of him a welcome gesture, and in many ways, a quiet acknowledgment of the extraordinary woman known as Aunt May, something which I think Marc would come to appreciate. Jonathan was publicly humiliated, reduced to less than nothing in the court of public opinion; his ego shattered (or at least given a good bruising). By extension, I think the town's people made their feelings clear on Maggie too. Get out of town bitch and don't show your skanky hide here ever again. Now my final comment, a celebratory parade in Edgewood to honour Aunt May. Marc in drag lip synching to Gloria Gaynor's anthemic 'I Will Survive' and Sister's Sledge's 'We Are Family' followed by his "real family" in outrageous costumes, his work team, Sawyer, Finn, Rachel and Bruce, the latter dressed in drag ala Sylvester in his music video for 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), with the town's people showing their appreciation for the entertainment and Jonathan and Maggie forcibly watching (and outraged).

@gdaniel I had a vivid image of Charlie "flapping his wings" ala Kate Bush as a bat on the rear cover of her wonderful album "Never For Ever". Unlike Kate, Charlie did not remain airborne and met a nasty end. A befitting demise for a scumbag like him. I have but one question, were the broom handles splintered? Tanner survived his mother and her boyfriends, their drugs and raucous sex. I am confident with Ms M watching over her sons, he and Brian could have overcome their separation. Matthew and Tommy had a triple wedding with Linda and Megan and Alexander (I cannot recall Matthew's father's birth name ever being mentioned so I am naming him Alexander) and Yaakov Liberman (his Sephardic boyfriend born in Spain, raised primarily in Costa Rica who moved to New York City as an adult).

I like @weinerdog assumed Dad had the same-sex attraction. What a truly remarkable man, husband and father. The oft quoted adage "if you love someone enough you will let them go" I have always thought such bullshit, likely written by someone who had never experienced love. In this case it proved to be true. When Mum mentioned Nancy @weinerdog I assumed it was a typo and should have read as Megan. Perhaps @gdaniel can clarify this for us. A delightful conclusion (almost) to this story. I look forward to the epilogue, which I will read shortly.

@gdaniel I certainly knew at the age of 12 that I was not attracted sexually to girls at all, but was attracted to boys. At the time my parents were married to each other and my father was, and still is, very religious so I knew it had to be kept a secret. I was not engaging in any sexual activity with other boys as it was rural Australia and it was only 1976 and I was somewhat naive, not to mention dorky with glasses, braces on my teeth, acne and body hair, the latter of which very few boys my age had to the same extent as me. Music was a safe haven, although in hindsight my musical tastes were stereotypically gay too e.g. ABBA, Donna Summer, KC & The Sunshine Band, Silver Convention and anything else with this slightest hint of disco to it.

I loved and continue to love it. I had already seen the video for 'I Still Have Faith In You' and wept profusely at how beautiful the song and video were. Frida has always been my favourite member of ABBA and to hear her wonderful, heavily accented vocal (one of the most appealing aspects of ABBA for me) on a new track, was something I did not think I would ever hear. I watched many Youtube videos of people reviewing and commenting on the new album, and the one thing they all had in common (apart from being ABBA fans) was that they wept with joy, which of course turned my bucket of tears into a torrent. I think 'Voyage' is a natural progression from 'The Visitors' which I thought was a masterpiece, on par with 'Voulez-Vous' and almost as good as 'Arrival'. I bought it on CD (2 copies) and on black vinyl. I was a little surprised by the inclusion of 'Just A Notion', an outtake from the 'Voulez-Vous' recording sessions as it does not really "fit" with the rest of the album, but I did not care as anything by ABBA is welcome. I have two disappointments with the album; the first being that the gorgeous 'Just Like That' was not completed and included on it (I have the incomplete outtake of this song on the 4CD boxset 'Thank You For The Music' and have always believed it to be a song with major potential); and, the second being that the album is only 37 minutes in length. I have consoled myself with the fact that it is 37 minutes of sheer perfection, rather than a few good songs and the rest being filler. I shall stop writing now as I could go on forever about the impact the album has had. Suffice to say, it is my favourite album since the release of 'The Visitors'. ABBA and Donna Summer were the absolute pinnacle of joy for me as a teenager growing up in rural Australia. ABBA were more popular than God in Australia at the height of their fame. The reverence expressed for them in 'Muriel's Wedding' and 'The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert' I remember well as a teenager. Before their resurrection with 'ABBA Gold' I regularly attended ABBA nights at a popular gay pub in the gayborhood in Sydney. I had one friend in particular, now deceased, who worshipped them like I did. He met Frida when he went to Sweden in 1982 and he said she was delightful. He had some lovely photographs of her too with him and a friend, also now deceased.

Whilst reading this chapter I had a song from my youth on constant rotation in my head. The song, 'I Like It Both Ways' by Supernaut, was a massive hit in 1976 in my native Australia by a band from Western Australia. At the age of 12 I knew what the song was about, but had no appreciation for the potential "difficulties" faced by persons in such situations. It was all about the sex at that age of course. When one reads a story such as this one can observe the potential "difficulties". In this story, someone is likely to get hurt as not all parties are aware of what is going on, and it looks like it is going to be Nancy. Well written as usual @gdaniel. You do have a way with teenage angst.

Marc please arrange for a police guard on Simone. Nothing would surprise me as to how low Jonathan and Maggie may stoop. I think the "real" Maggie will emerge once she and Jonathan are confronted with the news Marc is May's sole beneficiary. The downtrodden doormat wife dressed in those fucking peasant skirts and blouses (what a wonderful stereotype @Libby Drew, almost as good as Jonathan in his cream linen suits 🤮🤮🤮) is a facade. Simone's comment Maggie is an "ingrate floozy" keeps ringing in my head. It will not surprise me if Maggie is the brains behind the operation (humanitarian work puhlease) and when confronted with the truth her true colours will be shown. Sawyer's mother sounds like a piece of work too. Something else Sawyer and Marc seem to have in common. Both spawn of selfish, self-centred "mother's". How terribly sad for Paul; he was obviously aware of his daughter's indifference (at best) and yet he still helped her. I hope Sawyer appraises Finn of what their mother is really like; she has seemingly been far more successful in manipulating Finn and turning him against her father than what she has been with Sawyer. She may also find herself friendless, or at least, both her sons may have some questions she will not like having to answer. Brilliant chapter @Libby Drew. The anticipation of success built slowly and reached near "boiling point" before Bruce's wonderful exclamation about finding "this little ditty". I thought this was such a clever move on your part, end the tension with a dash of humour and frivolity, and who better to deliver both in spades than Bruce. The best news though was the finding of a "missing" chapter, with two more to go plus an epilogue. The best surprise since the release of Abba's first album in 40 years in 2021.

You must have been speed reading @Dan South, either that or you are retired and snowed in wherever you live. That is very impressive. I certainly appreciate your sentiment; when I started reading it was addictive (like good quality dark chocolate, my favourite music or cuddling a feline). @Libby Drew is certainly a very talented and entertaining writer.

Several of my fellow readers have expressed the hope that Maggie has a copy of the new will and that she will deliver it at the last moment in an attempt to repair her relationship with Marc. I cannot help but remember Simone's description of her as "an ingrate floozy". Simone did not strike me as someone who would harshly judge another without justification, therefore, I cannot see Maggie "turning over a new leaf". I think Maggie's number one concern is Maggie. I doubt she is the doormat she appears to be; I suspect she is no more or no less than Jonathan. It was pleasing to see a thawing in the relationship between Sawyer and Finn. I daresay Sawyer's revelation that it was their grandfather who pulled Finn from the water and prevented his drowning will be the catalyst for some soul searching on Finn's part. Perhaps their mother is not what each perceives to be either. A relatively tame chapter @Libby Drew, but enjoyable nevertheless. I am still quietly confident the will will be found, although it may be by accident rather than design, especially if it is hidden in the red photo album or the secret room in Sawyer's home.

I am convinced now @danalford is correct. There is a signed copy of the will in the red photo album. Donna Summer visited me again @Libby Drew during this chapter. This time it was 'Love To Love You Baby', the perfect first-time-fucking (whatever that may entail) song for any gender combination of more than one person. Now for my first negative comment regarding this story. There are only three chapters left. This will just not do Libby. Your literary talents have created a vast hunger and thirst in your readers', a hunger and thirst you have sated to date, but it is not a hunger and thirst we will be to "just turn off". It, the hunger and thirst, needs continual replenishing to keep us alive.

Aunt May and Paul Steinbrick. Well I did see that coming, but I thought he was the "great love that got away". Rick proved to be far more than the sum of his parts. His comment about the internet being for more than just watching porn is one I have made on occasion to deliberately shock some very uptight, prim and proper, acquaintances. Even the men feigned shock, which I thought was total bullshit. Simone has a wonderful sense of humour as evidenced by her description of Maggie as that "ingrate floozy niece of hers" and of Aunt May "she was old Marc, not dead". What a hoot. I also loved the comment she made in passing at the end of their visit; clearly she was wise to the true nature of their relationship from the get go. What a vital and enchanting woman. I still think @danalford may be correct. Check the red photo album Marc and Sawyer, the will could be hidden there somewhere. This very amusing chapter was a welcome respite from the intensity of the past couple of chapters @Libby Drew. I feel quietly confident that justice will prevail and Marc will be able to kick Jonathan and Maggie to the kerb, just as Simone hopes he is able to. I hope she has at least a guest starring role in several of the remaining chapters. It is easy to see why she and the pistol, Aunt May, would have enjoyed each others company. And I looooooooooooooooooooovvvvvved the fact Simone was growing pansies in her garden. I think they are the most undervalued flower commonly grown. They come in such a vast array of colours and have big bold flowers for their size. I love them, much as I do fuchsias and hibiscus. My grandmother grew them in rural NSW, Australia, when I was a child/teenager and I have wonderful vivid memories of them, much like the memories of my grandmother whom I adored.

Another brilliantly written, believable and wonderfully entertaining chapter @Libby Drew. I am betting that if the more recent will is found, and I think that is almost a near certainty, Heidi Strobler will rejoice. When Marc revealed the nature of his relationship with Sawyer "her lips turned up in a small smile". My fertile imagination immediately went into overdrive. Heidi Strobler "petite middle-aged woman in a dark blue suit and matching pumps.... Wire-rimmed glasses framed a sharp face with large, shrewd eyes" in a professional capacity by day; bare-breasted, tattooed, leather-clad dyke on a bike in her private life by night. If Heidi is by chance a lesbian I hope she reveals this to Jonathan and puts him in his place, or better still awakens Maggie's inner lesbian and she leaves Jonathan (and she can ditch those fucking peasant skirts and blouses too). Such delicious irony. I think @danalford may be onto something. The red photo album well may be a place Aunt May has hidden a copy of the more recent will. I'm also revisiting my previously raised speculation that Sawyer's grandfather may have been Aunt May's lover. Some comments she made regarding him in the first chapter and the fact she referred to him as Paul, seem rather intimate to me now. She also told Marc that her lover returned to Edgewood after having been away for some time and reconnected with her in the hope he could change her mind. He may have left Edgewood and returned with his young bride, who ultimately left him because she was aware his love belonged to another. I too think Marc's predicament may bring Sawyer and Finn closer together. I am sure fault lies on both sides regarding their fractious relationship. I am more convinced after this chapter that Jonathan's humanitarian work is a fabrication. He is a property developer who has invested heavily in China and owes a significant amount of money to some very shady lenders i.e. the Chinese mafia. The real estate boom has burst in China and his very life is dependent on more cash to pay off these shady lenders. Maggie is a doormat certainly, but don't let that pathetic downtrodden wife in a peasant skirt and blouse fool you. She knows exactly what is going on. It would not surprise me at all if her intention is to take the money and run, leaving both Jonathan and Marc penniless. A very strong visual image emerged in this chapter for me @Libby Drew as opposed to the musical soundtrack of the last two chapters. The witches from Hamlet were chanting in my brain at various times "Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble", hopefully as a precursor to the ill wind which will envelop Jonathan and Maggie.

O.M.G. @Libby Drew Kate's 'Get Out Of My House' was playing in my head at such an intense volume at the start of this chapter it almost caused me to fall off my dining chair. What a showdown between good and evil, truth and dishonesty, humility and arrogance, beauty and ugliness. @Doha expressed my sentiments perfectly "Marc's father is a single-minded, domineering man. His mum is a doormat." Given Jonathan's behaviour I find it difficult to believe, although not impossibly so, he is so altruistic. Unless Marc has witnessed his parents engaging in humanitarian work, I am very sceptical this has been the reason for their prolonged absences from his life. Perhaps I am reading more into this than what you intended @Libby Drew, but I believe it may be quite telling that you have written "Marc understood that his parents had dedicated their lives to humanitarian causes, but their work had done nothing to temper his father‘s controlling nature. He didn‘t have a humble bone in his body". The word understood implies to me that this is something Marc has been led to believe is the case, hearsay in fact, when in fact it may not be. Sawyer, Sawyer, Sawyer! What can one say about his "performance" in this chapter, but sexy, sweet and all so sassy. He was magnificent in his interactions with Jonathan and Maggie, his acerbic responses worthy of Rosalind Russell as Auntie Mame. She came to mind very quickly as Sawyer's responses barely disguised the contempt he felt for both. And what a surprise (NOT), Jonathan is a narrow-minded bigot when it comes to homosexuality. Sawyer is going to have fun with that; perhaps he can invite Bruce to join them. And if Finn proves to be the ace up Marc and Sawyer's sleeve that others are predicting, then we are in for fun times. I want to see Jonathan and Maggie working in the equivalent of Wal-Mart and living in a trailer park in Texas. They will be able to do their "humanitarian" work a little closer to home. I hope Marc turns his back on both of them, permanently.

O. M. G. @Libby Drew you have surpassed your previous high standards with a chapter so rich with colour, language and provocations, my head feels like a whirling dervish. A myriad of emotions awash with a soundtrack of beloved songs had me swooning whilst reading this chapter. "MARC woke to a dark room, lit with the pale light of a crescent moon. The house was quiet, but something had awakened him. Not a noise. A presence. When a shadow in the doorway shifted, Marc smiled. “I thought you‘d never get here.” For just a brief moment I envisioned Stevie Nicks at Marc's door, resplendent in lace and calling forth 'Rhiannon'. Marc's revelations regarding Aunt May, the man who loved her and she him, and the sacrifices she made for his own mother and for him, saw Stevie joined by the incomparable Lana Del Rey. She and Stevie harmonising on Lana's epic 'Beautiful People Beautiful Problems' was the perfect backdrop to the discussion. Marc and Sawyer's sexual exploration, particularly its crescendo, galloped at the furious pace set by Donna Summer's seductive vocals on 'Could It Be Magic' (yes I know it is a Barry Manilow cover and Take That had a big hit with it, but for me IT IS, WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE DONNA's song). The arrival of the unwanted found Kate Bush's ear-splitting, feral (a compliment on this occasion), banshee-esque vocals on her masterpiece 'Get Out Of My House', shattering the languid retreat from the ecstasy accompanied by Donna. And they are sooooo exactly what I imagined they would be, she in "a long, flowing paisley skirt and peasant blouse. A thick mane of curly, blond hair fell halfway down her back" and he a rude prick. I can almost smell the fucking patchouli oil on him. I always know when I have read something extraordinary @Libby Drew when music starts to play in my head or I feel a change in body temperature as a result of what I am reading (the latter always happens when I read Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'). And on a "lighter" note I don't know if it was your intention, but the statement “You seriously didn‘t just ask that, did you?” Marc surged forward and kissed him, swallowing Sawyer‘s soft exclamation of surprise" had me laughing hysterically. For a brief moment I thought "Sawyer's soft exclamation of surprise" was a euphemism for cock which Marc initially kissed before swallowing.

Such a heinous crime deserves the death penalty. Not only oak, but wide-plank oak to boot. I can only but imagine what a beautiful backdrop they would provide to my family of felines. Sheer purrrrrrrrfection.

I have pondered this too @weinerdog. People react to grief in many different ways, but surely there must have been some history of mental instability, alcohol and/or drug abuse on the part of Tanner's incubator before his father died. The only historical information we have is that Tanner said he and his brother loved each other and their father, and that the three of them had a great time together. I don't recall him mentioning what his incubator was like before his father and brother's death, which struck me at the time as somewhat odd. I think it is a very safe assumption Charlie will continue to deal drugs, he may just change schools or deliver them to children outside school hours. I envisage a scene where he and Tanner's mother drink, snort and/or inject just a little too much one time, or he in a crazed frenzy attempts to rape her and he kills her and then suicides, or he attempts to rape her and she kills him and she then has an epiphany at what she has lost and she suicides. Oh well, shit happens. Kudos to Ms M. She is one badass motherfucker, a word which on this occasion is most befitting.

I was thinking more along the line of STD's or HIV infection @gdaniel. I had not thought of the pregnancy risk because I thought perhaps she have been too old to get pregnant. Now that I examine that again I guess she could get pregnant as she may only be in her late 30's, an age when many women are now having their first child.

Why limit it to a throuple @pvtguy. Add Rachel to the mix and it could be a quad. In all seriousness a throuple of Bruce, Karen and Tim is more likely, although how that would work for Karen and Tim when they are work colleagues my be problematic, at least on Karen's part. I admired Rachel greatly for her candour. “You know what hurts the most about all this?” Could his mouth get any drier? Speechless, Sawyer shook his head. “That I won‘t have a convenient hiding place anymore.” She sought his gaze again. Sawyer was no coward. He met her stare. “But that‘s pretty unfair to Marc, isn‘t it?” I have thought from the very beginning the relationship between Marc and Rachel was not as it seemed, that it was to an extent a cover for both. I do believe both have a genuine affection for each other, but a lust driven frenzy it was not. "And Marc…he’s got a bit of the same, okay? Part of him is always going to be that little boy that wasn’t wanted, no matter how hard he tried to be perfect. Just keep that in mind.” Marc's parents have really done a number on him. If they have the audacity to show their faces in town again I really hope they have a 'Come to Jesus' moment with the ghost of Aunt May. I am still undecided regarding Rick. I think perhaps he is a little envious of the others in the team that they seem to bond with each other far better than he. He may well be a little lonely and this latest episode will only reinforce that sense of isolation. Then again he may be a bit of a redneck and have a problem with Marc being gay.

I agree with @pvtguy: Aunt May's death will be the catalyst for the real Marc to emerge. If there is any gossip or backlash I think Reba and most likely Rachel will sort them out. Reba was not at all surprised to find Marc and Sawyer in a "position" of amore, and whilst Rachel was I don't think she will be as upset as what one might have expected. I think her feelings for Marc are more akin to that of a good friend. He was her confidante, a shoulder to cry on. I envisage she will emerge as one of his biggest supporters, particularly if there is any small-minded behaviour by any in the town. I think Rick may be surprised, but I really don't think he is a homophobic redneck; he is just a little crude as suggested by @weinerdog. If Marc's sperm donor and incubator do return to town I don't think they will be welcomed by anyone with open arms. Methinks they will be as welcome as what Finn was. If Sawyer is made aware of their behaviour they had best watch out as I don't think he would have any qualms in telling them exactly what he thinks of them. I like @weinerdog's suggestion of what Marc could say to them. I am intrigued now by who Aunt May's mystery paramour was. I hope we get to find out who he is/was @Libby Drew (hint hint). At first I thought it might have been Sawyer's grandfather, but then realised Marc would surely have known him by then as Marc attended the party as a child at the age of 10 at which Sawyer was present.

When Charlie entered Tanner's bedroom and made the accusations he made and then started coming towards him, I feared Tanner was going to be raped by him. When his mother subsequently entered his bedroom two nights later I was almost certain he was about to be raped, possibly by Charlie while his mother watched or by his mother alone. What his mother did to him was certainly horrific, but I feared it was going to be much worse. Tanner's mother needs to spend time in prison for what she did, although I would much prefer it if Brian's mother was able to exact retribution beforehand. I am aware of the biblical proverb "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" @gdaniel and on this occasion justice meted out in such a fashion would not trouble me. The baseball bat used to inflict the injuries on Tanner could be deployed again, although on this occasion I would like to see it well splintered first. If used effectively Tanner's mother may not get to experience the "pleasures" with her boyfriends again and Charlie may not be able to sit down for a very long time if ever.

A delightful chapter, with Matthew and Tommy enjoying each other as something more than just friends for the first time. Perhaps if they share this within the group of friends it may be the impetus to propel Brian and Tanner into action. Matthew's dad is a star, just like Brian's mother. Kissing. Mmmm I am with the boys on this one. Love it as long as there is no facial hair (not always practical of course) as I hate getting "beard burn".