Summerabbacat

I don't think @Mark Ponyboy Peters has detailed Levi's educational background @weinerdog, but I assume he went to a Catholic School attached to the Church he attended, as Father Michael seemed to know him quite well when Levi visited to chat to him after Julie's death. Levi's understanding of the joke surprised me greatly. He is clearly an intelligent and observant teenager, perhaps moreso than his peers because he has had to entertain himself without the aid of a mobile phone and/or computer/laptop and/or video games, and grow up fast to look after his mother, particularly as her health declined.

Tearing up you say @dboggs9700. I was sobbing (bloody hay fever again), but unlike Levi, I did not have Matt to console me. 😭😭😭😭

You don’t need it @drsawzall. Just show him your old Volvo station wagon (with a new mattress in the back) and you’re in like Flynn. Play him some ABBA too; he has some Swedish and Australian descendants i.e. ABBA-worshipping genes.

Cole aka Ryder @weinerdog, mild-mannered, golden-retriever loving insurance agent by day (Cole), leather-clad, motorcycle-riding, Raging Stallion wannabe supermodel by night (Ryder). Probably not, but Cole may prove to be a good friend. It is somewhat spooky how often your thoughts mirror mine @weinerdog, particularly given you are a “dog” and I am a “cat”. As soon as Owen’s mother “volunteered” him for V.B.S. and @drpaladin informed me what this was, I envisaged a scenario where someone involved in the organising of V.B.S. or the parent(s) of one of the children becomes aware of Owen’s sexuality, and makes a false accusation against him because of this. The only “good” I could see coming of this is I think Aunt Beth may lend him her support, as I have a suspicion she may know he is pretending to be something he is not.

Thank you @pvtguy; you are usually so mild-mannered and non-judgmental. I am glad I am not the only one who did not like Nora, even though she is only 8 (going on 15 I think).

Such is the power of @mastershakeme’s writing, especially her characterisations @weinerdog. Fertile ground for an overactive speculative mind like mine. And you are right, Nora did fix Max’s fish, but what was her motive for doing so? She has already shown she knows how to manipulate, so did she do it for him or herself? I know she is only 8, but she is beyond that age intellectually.

Like I have said before - very bad shit.

It appears Cole is a winner @mastershakeme.

I had no idea you could buy a mobile phone for $200.00. I bought my i-Phone 16 when it was on sale. I am useless with technology and find Apple products more intuitive for dummies like me. I also had a very good experience with my first Apple Mac laptop which was still going strong after 12.5 years, and only got replaced because it no longer updated. When I was unable to pay my council rates because they had obviously updated their system and I could no longer access their website, I bit the bullet and bought a new one. I am like this with white-goods too. I have a Miele washing machine and dryer which I bought nearly 25 years ago I think and both are still going strong. I paid nearly $6,000.00 for the two of them, but I have certainly had my moneys worth.

So the "non-traditional Mystery" will essentially be solved by chapter 13, after which I assume (and I know what that may do) Levi will start living with Matt and Luke as his parents in Thompsonville. I cannot remember if it has been stated if Matt is listed as Levi's father on his birth certificate. If not, I hope Julie's will attested to this otherwise Matt may have to adopt Levi. It is apparent Levi has no other relatives, but it would only take one busybody or self-righteous zealot like the Monolith, to question Matt's, and by extension Luke's, suitability as parents for Levi, to cause further disruption to Levi's life. I am by nature a glass half-empty person, but it has been my experience that our species often cannot be trusted, and too often causes mischief for no other reason than it pleases them to do so. Matt has already experienced this kind of bullshit before courtesy of the Monolith, so he certainly does not need it again.

I hate Nora; she is 8 years of age and has already graduated from brat to bitch. A future young Republican and president of her local chapter of Moms For Liberty. Levi needs to be sedated before he breaks something or someone. Cole is promising, a safe option for Owen for a first time encounter. Too bad he already has @drsawzall on his radar. Better beware though @drsawzall, he may not be at all like he has stated in his profile. He may be something entirely different, 50 years of age, a heavily tattooed member of an outlawed motor cycle gang, a self-loathing gay man who likes to beat up other gay man due to his repressed sexuality, and he hates Volvos.

"Don't look so worried, Levi. Matt tends to get like this sometimes . . . a little over enthusiastic, so to speak,’ Luke said, which elicited a chuckle from the boy. ‘But you probably should have a computer – for school – so just leave that one to me, mate. We don’t want you missing out . . . assuming, of course, that you do want us to help you with catching up when it comes to all the things you’ve missed out on so far.’ Levi reached for the gold cross that hung around his neck, as if seeking reassurance. ‘I . . . I’m not sure . . .’ he nervously replied. ‘Well, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in the bible about not being able to use computers, mate,’ Luke offered. ‘So just think about it, okay? Now that you’re getting a little older, having a computer at school would be quite useful, I would think." Having a tech-savvy stepfather will be helpful to Levi when he first starts using a computer/laptop for his school work, and for watching porn when he is released from the burden of his piety. "Hey, I don’t know about you, but I reckon it’s time for a break. What’s say we blow this joint and go do something else for a bit? We can grab an early lunch, just the two of us, and share some stories?’ ‘W-what about Luke?’ ‘I’ll call him and tell him we just need some time to ourselves. He’ll understand.’ ‘I . . . I don’t want him to be mad at me . . .’ Levi said quietly. ‘He won’t ever think that way, mate. You can trust me on that." With this one comment I felt Levi made a giant step forward in his acceptance of Matt and Luke as his future parents, and perhaps some concession as to the nature of their relationship. Even if he is still uncomfortable with their relationship, he is at least respectful, which is more than can usually be said for zealots.

I wonder @Mark Ponyboy Peters if you could have placed this story into the Mystery genre as well as the General Fiction genre. Certainly Levi's first 15 years of life are at present a Mystery and Matt as his Dad remains a Mystery for Levi at present too, or am I interpreting the word Mystery too literally?

She will want to have a damn good "excuse" for holding such views. If it is solely because Luke "stole" Matt from her, it will be somewhat disappointing that she behaved so.

I did not get one until I was 50 @Lynx003, but I only used it randomly for a few months. When COVID hit and I had to start working from home in March 2020 I had to get another one, an i-Phone 6. Last year I replaced my i-Phone 6 with an i-Phone 16. I tend to only use it now but still have a landline in case I lose the mobile.

“Oh honey, where did you get that dress? It does nothing for you.” LOL. A typically bitchy queen's remark from Liam which had this chapter off to a rollicking start @Robert Hugill. I had to have Lila's remark explained to me too as I was unaware of Pan's People. They were certainly a little raunchier than the Solid Gold Dancers as shown in the clip from Top Of The Pops below: Another shorty @Robert Hugill, with the successful introduction of Neil and Liam. What surprised me most was that Neil was so moved by Neil's Song, his tribute written by Alex. It appears underneath that gruff exterior there beats the heart of a summat (I think I can use it here) romantic. I don't recall ever hearing condoms referred to as Johnnie's before, apparently named after one Johnny Milles who sold them in 17th century London. The English, or at least some of them, have been using condoms for over 300 years and yet some humans have supposedly still not heard of them, resulting in unwanted pregnancies still.

Theo, the child wolf, was separated from his mother and the other cubs because of his bravery. This may be the point at which Theo loses all knowledge of what happened to his mother, the other cubs, and the adult wolves who are outside fighting off the Black Forest. Theo sunk his teeth into the rotten wood of the branches destroying his home, tasting ash and charred bones. Will he perhaps be overcome by a toxin emitted by the rotting wood, hallucinating that all his pack are dead when in fact his mother and the cubs fled to safer ground together with the surviving adult wolves? So many possibilities. Jack and Vince have been separated, but hopefully it is only momentary. This chapter illustrated your extraordinary imagination once again @Laura S. Fox.

He may be looking for a Daddy from New England, a gentleman with refined tastes and habits.

The poor lad is probably too "frightened" to even masturbate in his own bedroom, thinking his parents may have bugged the crucifix so they can hear any "unnatural" sounds coming from his bedroom and burst in to stop it if there is. "I kicked off my shoes by the door and went upstairs, careful to avoid the third step that creaked. Not because I was sneaking. I was allowed to be coming home at this hour. I just didn’t want to trigger a conversation with my dad through the bedroom door. A “how’s Margot” or a “don’t forget about VBS tomorrow” or any of the other questions that were really just check-ins disguised as casual interest. I made it to my room without incident and closed the door behind me." Owen is also refreshingly naïve. He thinks behind closed doors his parents are watching Fox News or the latest wholesome TV show on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network). No they are not Owen, they are watching "filth" like Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Real Housewives Of Ohio and Bi Bi Birdie, a hardcore bisexual remake of the 1963 movie, this one starring a trio of enormous dicks, a couple of vans and a bevy of bodacious, buxom dykes.

I must ask @Gary L what the role of women was in Franco's Spain? Was Franco a misogynist, with the role of women restricted largely to mother and wife, and if so was this typical of Spanish society at the time? Did the Catholic Church still exert great influence or at least attempt to exert great influence regarding the morality of the populace, especially their sexual morality?

Owen is anxious, introverted and has low self-esteem, but he is also astute and has an appealing sense of humour. "Luke was in a shower thinking about me and I’d just told him I had the sexual experience of a library card.", self-deprecating and very funny. The description of Owen's bedroom was depressing. It appears to have nothing personal in it, it could just as easily be a nameless bedroom in a chain hotel group. No sporting posters, movie posters or posters of favourite singers or bands. Just a crucifix strategically placed by Owen's mother to give him the evil eye and watch over whatever activities take place in his bedroom. Owen needs to perform an exorcism of his bedroom, a "cleansing" to flush out the suffocating piety and purity. Roll a joint and let it smoke (even if he does not inhale), put up some posters of Kylie Minogue, Ricky Martin and Ru Paul, and movie posters for The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Queer As Folk.

The Resting Bitch Face Show, hosted weekly by former cabinet members with an axe to grind, for whom intellect and integrity (which they are not acquainted with) will not get in the way of a "good" story of misery, despair, corruption and/or destruction (all of which they are acquainted with).

Quite so @weinerdog. "Problem" addressed by @weinerdog @mastershakeme; it is not as dire as you thought. If someone other than a family member outs Owen he can always say his phone was hacked and the hacker must have set up his profile. After all, he has the perfect "girlfriend" in Margot and she will support him all the way. Owen and Margot's lavender relationship suits both well; each has as much to lose as the other if their cover is blown. Margot is very fortunate she has such an understanding girlfriend in Jules, a woman who is prepared to support the pretence of the Margot/Owen relationship and remain on the down low. Speaking of Jules, her parents are a marvellous stereotype (and this is not a criticism @mastershakeme), the liberal New Englander's from Vermont who held a party for their daughter's "coming out" as a lesbian rather than her "debut" into suitable society, as would be more likely to occur in the circles in which Margot's and Owen's families move. Margot's parents appear to be as unsuitable as Owen's, their brains left at the door to the church each time they attend for a session of dogmatic therapy. Kevin and Kathleen Brennan need a reality check @mastershakeme. Perhaps one of their other children might prove to be a train wreck, becoming involved in a relationship worthy of expose on a TV show akin to Jerry Springer.

Oh fuck. That is worse than I thought @drpaladin. Very bad shit does sum it up well.

Very polite @andy cannon; I would say she is a fucking bitch, and she will cause Ximo and Gerardo no end of grief for sure. The only saving grace I can see is Ximo's father, whom I believe is aware of the nature of his son's relationship with Gerardo and is not bothered by it at all. I also believe he will do his utmost to support Ximo, even if it means going against his wife. In fact, I think he rather enjoys ruffling her feathers, I believe he invited Gerardo to lunch, at least in part, to goad her. Once her dreadful parents are dead, she may find herself on the outer with her husband and with no one to support her. I also believe Ximo's father is appalled by his father-in-law's support of Franco. If I remember correctly he is independently wealthy, with any luck, he may even divorce his wife after his father-in-law, at least, kick's the bucket. Exquisitely written chapter @Gary L. Angst, animosity and anger deliciously captured. I am so enjoying the irreverence of Ximo's father. I think (at least hope) he will give Ximo's mother hell when the time comes. And if she ever strikes Ximo again, she may find herself on the end of a stinging slap. It would serve her right.