Summerabbacat

Mary, Raelene and Sharon, the bogans known as Maz, Raz and Shaz are striking out left, right and centre. So far all the men they have lusted after and/or hit on have been gay. They have been gracious in defeat though, with none of them spouting the oft said "what a waste". They may have thought it, but not said it, at least not "on screen". A "Gran-free" chapter @Wombat Bill did not have anywhere near the usual humour, but was very enjoyable nevertheless. She really is quite a feisty woman, with a renewed zest for life due to her Sonny boy. I would like to see her come up against the odious Rani, Rajani's bitch of a sister. Gran would tear strips off the nasty little spoilt princess.

Although the music, opera etc is all a bit high brow for a pop philistine like myself, I am enjoying the characters and storylines you are developing as is always the case with your works @Robert Hugill. Neil is one of your more "challenging" characters, quite a mystery thus far. Shy, very private and often apologising for his behaviour, a little like young Matt from Not Just Another Summer.

I am somewhat facetiously referring to him as Boris. He, Boris, is 58 years of age now, but looks much older. He has been married three times and has a number of children by wives/girlfriends/one night stands and has been in jail too. When a popular tennis player he seemed so wholesome, but seemingly he was either a good actor or he made too much many and succumbed to too many temptations.

Maybe they could reclaim the word poofter and be the Port Mac Poofters. Or one especially for you, Friends Of Kylie.

Now I see. When @Mark Ponyboy Peters mentioned Babe Ruth above I thought it must have had something to do with baseball (I have heard of him), but failed to make a connection between baseball and a candy bar. In Australia we would not refer to it as a candy bar either, it would be referred to by its name and classified as a chocolate.

Wow! It is a tough call as to who is the bigger drama queen. Carmen or Leo. Carmen is loud, loquacious and unnaturally effervescent, especially at 8.00am. She is best taken in small doses, preferably whilst wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Leo is unrealistic, demanding and behaving like an entitled millennial princess. He revealed to Noah he has been attracted to him for sometime, whereas for Noah his attraction to Leo is brand new. Leo has demanded they announce their "new" relationship to friends and family alike forthwith, a very selfish demand I think. Firstly, we do not know in which nation Leo and Noah live. It may be all sunny and pleasant weather wise, but what are its laws as they relate to LGBTQI citizens? Are its citizens conservative by nature, brainwashed by religious dogma and/or violent towards anyone different? Secondly, Leo and Noah have only kissed to date (or have I forgotten sexual activity between the two). If and when they have sex, one or the other or both may not enjoy it and realise they wish to remain just friends. If they declare their "new" relationship and then it goes nowhere, both will look like fools. Leo needs to calm down so he and Noah can explore a relationship without being pressured by anyone other than themselves. Having said all this, I do like Leo and Noah may need a little push, but not straight away. As for Noah's father, he is like a broken record. You should be more ambitious to make more money which is the ultimate goal in life, or at least should be. Oh just fuck off Peter. A very enjoyable story thus far @ObicanDecko.

Caleb's naïveté surprised me somewhat given his significant involvement at school in the identification of the online grooming of a younger student. Furthermore, he recognised Olivia was interested in him for something more than friendship, but not Kevin who was far more blatant than Olivia. Kevin surprised me somewhat with his rash behaviour. I suspect he must have slipped a roofie into Caleb's glass of "rehydrating" water for Caleb to have been affected so quickly. In an enclosed environment like a cruise ship, particularly after having been hit on by Maz and disclosed he was not Caleb' father, Kevin's behaviour was incredibly stupid. Maz is to be congratulated for her quick thinking in this situation, the outcome of which could have been so much worse for Caleb. In one respect it is beneficial the incident occurred as it did. If Kevin had behaved in the same manner in the world at large, Caleb would likely have been in far greater danger than he was in the enclosed environ of the cruise ship. I imagine Caleb will be far more wary from now on. I would not like to be in Kevin's shoes if Gran gets a hold of him. He may find himself gelded. Kevin is an idiot and Olivia is a rather spoilt and self-centred princess @Wombat Bill. I am not fond of either.

I still don't get it. A possible pregnancy did not occur to me because in the previous chapter Kevin stated ‘I’ve been seeing this girl, on and off, for a while now. Her name is Ruth. Nothing too serious, we’ve fooled around a little . . . haven’t actually had sex . . . but we’re still in touch." Kevin has no reason to lie about this, so a pregnancy is very unlikely, at least one where he is the father. My immediate thought was Ruth has somehow discovered Kevin may be bisexual, but then dismissed this as very unlikely. My next thought, which is still my current thought, is Ruth has met someone else and/or has realised she is a dyke. Jack's appearance in this story surprised me somewhat @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I assumed, quite wrongly it would seem, that Something In The Water was set some time in the past, but it appears to be current. I have to wonder if that story was a segue into The Third Generation i.e. Kieran, Charlie and now possibly Kevin, becoming part of a larger gay group including The Second Generation i.e. Luke, Matt, Tim, Guy, Scott Justin, Tony and Aaron, linked by Jack's "connection" to Tony. I shall have to hold my horses and see if this transpires. If it does, Tropical Fruits has already been taken as a possible "group name". Perhaps Mac Harbour Marys, although the boys may be a little too young for this moniker.

Apisai may have been the first born in his family, but Gran wasn't born yesterday. She quickly cottoned on to the fact Apisai was taking them on a shopping tour of Lautoka, and the shops he was recommending as having the best of this and that were owned by family members. The gratis he collected from the shopkeepers for his deceit were the only "tips" he got; his plan backfired when Gran's tip was something other than monetary. LOL. The beach as pictured above proved to be a disappointment, more like something one might see in the UK. Very bleak looking, not at all conducive to a beach walk or swimming. The teaser for the next chapter indicates Gran is going to be pissed off again. Acid Alice may emerge again. LOL.

Methinks Olivia will be disappointed when she learns Caleb is gay, although if my reading of the teaser for the next chapter is correct, they may form a friendship, even if it is one for the duration of the cruise only. As for the other part of next chapter's teaser, I hazard a guess Gran is going to encounter a taxi driver in Fiji who will either try to rip her off, or who will treat her like an idiot because of her age and/or gender. If so, he will rue the day he messed with Alice. “That’s Olivia coming over now in the red bikini” “Umph, I don’t suppose I can compete with that in my beige one-piece, even if it covers my stretch marks….That is unless you’d prefer experience over youth” “I’m not sure I’m looking for either” “Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll leave you to your teenybopper” “And besides, I’m gay” Maz was laughing raucously when Olivia arrived, but that was extinguished rapidly when Olivia asked “Is this your mother” “Well, I never” Maz exclaimed “Good luck bedding this one girlie”. This scene was the highlight of the chapter, very amusing. I assume Olivia was being deliberately bitchy, if not she is not the smartest of girls. If Maz is Caleb's mother why would he be in foster care with Craig and Justin. And speaking of Caleb being in foster care with Craig, Rodney did not bat an eyelid when Gran revealed this. I suppose he may think Craig's partner is a woman, but he may also not. Most amusing chapter @Wombat Bill. I am intrigued as to where Gran and Nigel had their farm. I am thinking somewhere between Taree and Coffs Harbour as Gran mentioned catching the train to Sydney and going through Taree and Gloucester. I daresay it is a town or near a town I have been through on many occasions as a younger lad. The XPT still stops at Eungai, Macksville and Nambucca Heads, but I don't think it stops anymore at Urunga and Nana Glen.

I don't think you did need to give us more of Claude's history @Lee Wilson. Even if only one parent was a bigot, especially akin to Phil Lassiter or Rodney Quincy Sr, it would likely have been enough to influence Francois and consequently Claude. The latter certainly influenced Rodney Quincy Jr who was intelligent, so what hope did Claude have as I don't think he was particularly bright.

Claude was 5 years old when he started bullying Myron, Callum and Ed. His brother Francois was 8 or 9 years of age and already homophobic. Where did Francois learn the word "fag" and what "fags" are? I would say more than likely from his parents, unless they had an older sibling. Although Claude was to some extent a victim himself I found I had no sympathy for him when Ed murdered him. Like the obnoxious Marie Louise, Claude had no redeeming features.

Our emotional responses are sometimes unpredictable @Lee Wilson. I am very often moved by tragedy, especially if non-human animals are involved, but I shed no tears over the death of James' father. Good riddance I say. I felt a sense of relief for James that one substantial negative has been removed from his life, a negative which would have continued to upset and drain him whilst ever his father remained living. The sense of relief is tempered by a sense of foreboding though, as his father's death has left James in a precarious position in relation to his mother. Her statement “Don’t leave me alone in this, James,” she said softly. “Please.” has me concerned she will be like a noose around James' neck, at least until the funeral is over, the will, assuming there is one, read and the estate finalised. After that she may have no further use for James, unless she is skint. The revelation Sam was retrenched rather than being promoted as he stated to his parents has forced his mother to face some home truths. If she tries to make an excuse for him that it must be a misunderstanding on either James' part or her own part, James should remove himself from the family immediately. He won't of course, he will be there to offer assistance to his mother, particularly when the wolf known as Sam starts to circle for his share of the estate. I will not be surprised if James has been excluded from his father's estate, that his estate has been left entirely to his wife. If this occurs I can see Sam turning very nasty, which is what the story's synopsis appears to indicate. Evan's continuing support for James is paramount as I believe Sam's true colours will be shown for all to see, especially once he knows his lies regarding his "promotion" have been uncovered.

Only four chapters in and these characters are growing on me rather quickly @Robert Hugill. I think there is definitely an attraction to Alex on Neil's part, but I doubt he has any idea of how to alert Alex to this. On face value they appear to have little in common, little to attract one to the other, but stranger things have happened in the Hugillverse before, think Vaughn and Dante. In the interim, Neil is certainly very obliging, offering to help move Alex into his new home in Winchester. Given Neil's occupation, I will not be at all surprised if he knows where to buy good second hand furniture, and if any repairs are needed thereto, I will not be surprised if he not only offers, but insists on making the repairs. Perhaps his obliging nature is what will alert Alex to his attraction to him. Lila is a good friend to Alex, one who was there to support him through difficult times, when all he had worked for appeared lost. Good friends like this are hard to find, and even harder to keep. I think she has quickly warmed to Neil. Perhaps she will be run a little interference in the future to get the two together if there is a hesitation on their parts.

I found it interesting Gran took an instant dislike to Kevin. I wonder what caused this? Did she immediately recognise his true intentions towards Caleb? Caleb appeared oblivious to Kevin's flirtation, therefore Gran may have to cock-block him and clam-jam Shaz, Maz and Raz, the thirty-something cougars, from hitting on her beloved Sonny boy. Hopefully Caleb will meet up again with the Barracudas for another game of water polo. It would be most amusing if he does so and the 'az' cougars try to hit on any one or more of the team, in addition to Caleb. I can just imagine their predictable response, 'what a waste'. I think Gran could do with some attention of her own. Perhaps the senior gentleman whose table Gran and Caleb are to join for dining will prove to be a widower whose eye Gran captures with her warmth, charm and delightful sense of humour. There is plenty of life left in Gran yet, a little romance to spice up her life even more is well deserved.

Time is of the essence, a pre-pubescent Theo has been conned by an evil-force which flattered his ego, something which brought adult Theo undone on several occasions in the past, which in the current environment Jack and Vince find themselves, is the future. Perhaps Jack and/or Vince should stroke the ego of a 10 year old Tasmanian devil to prevent a catastrophe, or should Jack consult his cards or call to his friend, the Moon Goddess for help. Whatever Jack and Vince have to do to save the day, they need to do it without further ado. A spine-tingling chapter @Laura S. Fox.

In this chapter we learned something of great importance, Russell's green Les Paul guitar is named Louise. I wonder if naming a guitar, at least for a male performer, is like naming a ship or a hurricane/typhoon/cyclone (until recent years), in that the name must be a recognisable female name? Only one unpleasant character in this short story @Lee Wilson, the boy who caused the death of Russell. This must be a record for one of your stories. I daresay you will make up for this omission in A Bullied Boy Breaks. I imagine we will be in for some of your "darkest" writing yet to learn what triggered Ed's breakdown.

A Natasha-free chapter is one to celebrate for the "cast" and we readers alike @Paladin. She was not even mentioned in passing, hence the lack of turmoil and the buoyant mood of all. I fear though that one chapter free of the spawn of Satan means she is plotting her next move, and she will be even more irrational and hateful the next time she makes an unwelcome intrusion into the lives of Martin, Benjamin and Justin. I assume Natasha knows where Martin lives. It would not surprise me if she follows Justin to university and/or his workplace one day and causes a scene, shouting obscenities and accusing him of being a paedophile and/or a rapist. We have already witnessed on several occasions that she is a liar and is more than happy to humiliate and hurt any one who gets in her way. The engagement of Mitch and Eddie to do a feasibility study on the groups' hotel holdings to determine if any are suitable to promote as a gay or gay-friendly establishment is a good idea. Depending on their location, there are some which well may be suitable. There are parts of Sydney though where such an establishment would not work, and even if one were to open, it would be too dangerous for the clientele if word got out about this. There are parts of Sydney which are amongst the least accepting of, and most violent towards, LGBTQI persons in all of Australia.

It is perhaps Thompsonville - The Third Generation, although the age gap between The First Generation of Danny, Jake and Nathan and The Second Generation of Luke, Matt, Tim, Guy, Scott and Justin is much larger than between The Second Generation and The Third Generation of Kieran, Charlie and perhaps Kevin. Given your comments of when Patrick moved to Sydney he must, I think, be a similar age to Danny and Nate and a little younger than Jake.

I remembered you mentioning the Peters family "connection" to the Woolnough family when I posted I Go Rio with comments on a chapter of Kandanga Falls. I seem to recall you mentioning he used to play the piano in the Ladies Bar at the hotel you frequented, and something about a location known for blowjobs, LOL. I neglected to comment above that the visit to, and visit from, Patrick also appears to have had an effect on Charlie. Charlie was overwhelmed at Christmas when he was openly welcomed as Kieran's partner, not only by Kieran's immediate family but his extended family too. It appears to me the welcome Patrick received from those same people has strengthened Charlie's belief he is genuinely a part of a much larger family now, something he never knew when it was just his mother and himself. I have said it before but I believe it bears repeating, I am soooooooooooo glad you have taken what was a limited edition Traditions (2 chapters only) and re-released it as a full @Mark Ponyboy Peters experience. These characters are such a delight and deserve to star in a story of their own. One thing I would like to see if I may be so bold as to suggest it, is a bigger role for Toby.

It was wonderful to see Patrick enjoying his short visit with his cousins, his laughter infectious at his farewell lunch. The longer he spent with his Aunty Rose, Uncle Max, his cousins and their families, the more he seemed to settle. The visit to, and visit from Patrick, has given Kevin the courage to share with Kieran his recently awakened suppressed desires. He disclosed to Kieran that as well as being attracted to women he has long held an attraction to his own sex, but only recently had it reared its head again when he bumped into an old school friend, Nathan, whom he always thought was gay and did ask him out once. Kieran gave him sage advice, be true to yourself and don't worry about labels. @Mark Ponyboy Peters your fellow Armidalean (?), Peter Allen, recorded a wonderful song in 1980 about Kevin's "dilemma", bisexuality.

Hopefully it is still mortgaged to the hilt.

As the ship crashed down, Gran exclaimed “Jesus fucking hell!” “Gran!” “Oh no need to be so prissy, I have been saving that for a special occasion and this is definitely it. That was the worst one yet”. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Gran is such a character. She and Caleb were able to calm each other with her telling tales of her youth and he listening with enthusiastic intent. I sensed Gran was going to reveal Farm Boy was Nigel. She was crafty leaving the revelation until she finished the story AND after relaying he proposed to her on stage. And we have another story featuring Australian characters and their "passion" for Tim Tams. Gran would get along very well with a number of characters featured in stories written by your fellow Aussie @Paladin @Wombat Bill.

Maybe Gran will push her overboard?

You were right @Lee Wilson. There was a tissue moment. WTF was the boy doing? Dropping metal parts onto the road to kill people for a thrill? He is one sick little fucker.