Summerabbacat

Did Vickie really suspect Tyler raped Caleb or was it just another opportunity she seized for blackmail? Vickie was a parasite, therefore, I believe it was another opportunity she seized for blackmail. I have to wonder if she had a personal vendetta against Councilman Archer. Did she believe he had something to do with her mother's death? Or perhaps she thought he was her biological father too. Miguel exposed how lax the psych ward's security is, prior to extracting the information from Caleb that Vickie lied about Tyler. I have to believe Caleb is telling the truth as he had no reason to lie.

You're welcome. Laughter and sunshine have such extraordinary healing powers; tomorrow you may be invincible.

The likes of Shayna's mother, whom I thought of as Dixie Mae, are a dime a dozen. Religious hypocrisy is a very powerful force as it unites the intelligent and the stupid, the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural, men and women, black and white, with a common purpose. It is a sad indictment on humanity that such negative attitudes are perhaps one of the most unifying forces known to mankind.

I shall never be able to listen to the Dixie Cups again without substituting "goin' to the chapel, and we're gonna get married" with something a little more risqué. Obviously fornicating even abbreviated to fornicatin' is too long, so it shall have to a good old fashioned "fuckin' in the chapel, and we're gonna get married". Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector may not be amused, but @Summerabbacat is.

Inspired by the Dixie Cups Chapel Of Love, one of the many great songs by "girl groups" from the 1960's.

I am not feeling optimistic either @sandeman. I don't think there will be a mass shooting, but anything else is possible. I think both sets of parents will attempt to level the blame for the abominable behaviour of their offspring on the temptation presented in the evil form of that boy who rides a motorcycle and smokes, and that girl, who looks nothing like a girl because of her masculine attire and masculine features. The parents perfect world will be turned upside. Suzanne Donnelly who has the personality and intellect of plasticine, Kathleen Brennan the doyenne of drudgery, Thomas Donnelly who in another life would have made the "perfect" African or Eastern European despot, and Kevin Brennan, who is so insignificant that we know bugger all about him, will discombobulate.

With a hot pink or papal purple mohawk as a surprise for Owen. And Jules in a tuxedo, something akin to what k.d. lang wore on the front cover of her album Drag, with no lipstick or earrings.

I was very disappointed in Owen in this chapter; his comments: “You don’t understand,” I said, and I heard my voice go tight and thin and I hated it. “You don’t understand what it costs. You can stand there and tell me to just walk in and just pick up the papers and just be myself because you already lost everything. Your family threw you out. You’ve already paid the price. There’s nothing left for you to lose. But I haven’t lost anything yet, Ryder. I still have a family. I still have a home. And the second I walk into that office, I start losing it.” were very insensitive. I expected better from him. The old phrase "you hurt the one(s) you love the most" rang true. He has taken his frustrations with his parents, with Eric, and dare I say with himself, out on Ryder, the one person who has listened to him, who has encouraged him to be himself, who has leant him extraordinary support given the length of their relationship. Thomas Donnelly is a prick, but I think Suzanne is worse. She appears to delight in tattling on Owen, and reinforcing her husband's iron fist with glee. Her behaviour reminds me of a hyena, attacking, retreating, attacking, retreating. As for Eric, I have some sympathy for him as he has expended a lot of time and energy on his dream, which he thought Owen shared, but he also is not averse to tattling on Owen with a little too much enthusiasm. They need a hearse @drpaladin, one in which they are a "passenger", not the driver. Horrid people. Owen has described himself as a prop on a number of occasions, a very apt description.

I have to say I agree with you @pvtguy. It is disrespectful to Paige and extraordinarily arrogant, Margot wanting to be the centre of attention yet again. I do not understand why Margot feels compelled to have a venue large enough so she can disclose to all "their church friends" the engagement was a sham, that they were duped by Margot and Owen into buying them gifts for an engagement which would never eventuate in marriage, at least not to each other. It is really none of their church friends business as to why Margot and Owen intend to end their engagement, and unless they plan to remain in Zanesville after they graduate, who will even know they have moved on to more suitable partners. I doubt either set of parents will proudly share news of their lives, so why do their church friends need to know. I too was shocked when Margot disclosed she had never met Jules in person. I thought Margot was a little crazy before and Jules completely grounded, but after that bit of news I thought they both must be a little crazy. Luckily for both they seemed to be as well matched in person. I can just imagine the horror the Donnellys', and more than likely the Brennans', would express meeting a female with a nose ring and one side of her head shaved, AND wearing a flannel over a tank top. In comparison, Margot wearing sweats is positively girly.

Colin and Ryder appear to be physically and emotionally alike. No overt emotional displays upon reconnecting, a simple "hey" and then into the physical activity of playing ball with each other, with plenty of teasing from each regarding the other's ball playing skills. It appears Colin would like to see a reunion between the family, and he believes it can happen. His desire is admirable, but I think he is being very naïve. Unless his mother is prepared to stand up to his father, I cannot see this happening. The fact she has photographs of Ryder hidden, and that his father has apparently forbidden even the mention of Ryder's name, is I believe indicative of a man who does not think he has done anything wrong, or if he does, refuses to admit to it as he may be seen as weak. The description stubborn fool to comes to mind. The impending summit has the potential for subsequent fireworks which will make the 4th of July fireworks seem like child's play. As much as I dislike Thomas and Suzanne Donnelly and Kevin and Kathleen Brennan, they are I believe entitled to feel pissed off at being deceived by Owen and Margot. I doubt this will be their only grievance though, and I doubt very much they will entertain the idea they may have been the cause of the duplicitous behaviour of their children.

Wise. Add that to your resume.

You are perhaps naturally more mild-mannered @Tris, a peacemaker, a diplomat, and the world needs plenty of those. I was very surprised to find myself feeling something akin to warmth for Margot in this chapter. I have felt nothing but mistrust, disgust or anger towards her for most of this story, so these positive feelings for her were somewhat "alien". I am still wary of her; was her acquiescence genuine or does she still plan to try to convince Owen to continue with the charade. The fact she agreed to have the meeting with Ryder in attendance suggests to me she may have been subject to some gentle admonishment from Jules. "There were flowers around it, small arrangements, the kind people send when they don’t know what else to do, and a stuffed animal sitting on the closed lower half. A bear. Brown. Worn at the ears." The text in bold did me in. It made the dead child "real" rather than just a concept. Very well done @mastershakeme.

Colin Justin Novak? He likes to keep everyone on their toes, using his given names interchangeably.

And after that session of sexual ecstasy with Ryder "Madonna" Novak, Owen is: And Ryder "Madonna" Novak is:

Emerald Fennell.

I did not expect humour in this chapter, but it came by way of this most amusing of exchanges between Owen and Ryder: “You never told me! You’re just Ryder. You’ve always just been Ryder. Like Cher. Or Madonna.” “Did you just compare me to Cher?” “Or Madonna.” I had a great laugh at this @mastershakeme. I am a fan of both Cher and Madonna, although as an actress Madonna does not possess the talent Cher does (I can be "nice" sometimes @weinerdog). I tried to think of some males who were mononymously well known, and could only think of two, Prince and Jesus. You could probably include Bowie and many would know of whom you are speaking, but he did not present himself mononymously. I agree with all my fellow readers who have suggested Owen should speak to his Aunt Beth before revealing all. I think she would be a good ally for Owen to have, and I sense she is capable of having and expressing independent thought, unlike Suzanne Donnelly who is the epitome of the Stepford wife. Unlike a number of my fellow readers, I don't sense any support would be forthcoming for Owen from his cousin, Eric. Eric is much like his Uncle Thomas; he immediately thought less of Ryder because he was riding a motorcycle, and he has the perfectly manufactured Stepford wife in Lauren. Just press a button and she utters the same drivel as Suzanne Donnelly, who irritates me as much as Margot. Eric will also not want to do anything, like supporting his ungrateful gay cousin whose wonderful life was mapped out for him, to jeopardise his future at Donnelly & Sons, even though it does seem to be assured. I think Margo Channing's oft quoted prediction is now very apropos @drsawzall.

Are you sure ........... Vickie. LOL.

I hope his opera had more going for it than the 2026 hatchet job.

I think it is something Ryder has been striving for from the moment he learned what a sheltered and suffocating life Owen has been leading @drpaladin.

Seemingly so @drpaladin and @Jjeffalch, but what if the comment was written by vickie morrison rather than @Topher Lydon. Vickie may have been blackmailing the author too, her biggest con.

Garth is his family name @Nahrung, a family name which carries no social status in the eyes of the pretentious Anton.

I agree with you @weinerdog. Tyler is the victim of an ambitious and ruthless father who appears not to care tuppence for him as a person; Tyler is merely an accessory to his success, an accessory which has jeopardised his reputation. I am not certain Tyler raped Caleb either; just because Vickie said he raped Caleb does not make it so, she was after all an opportunist and a parasite, perhaps quite like Councilman Archer. The fact Councilman Archer knows Diana is abusing Caleb is disgraceful as you have commented. I still struggle to understand how she has managed to get away with this when it appears to be Grey Harbour's worst kept secret. Has Diana got dirt on most of the town? Did Vickie Morrison take a leaf out of Diana's book when she started her blackmailing "business"?

"Neil had some basic idea about Art Nouveau furniture; the subject had come up in our discussions. But Evan had spent time in Nancy and seemed to have a familiarity with styles of carving and furniture-making based on natural forms that intrigued Neil". I assumed you had created a fictitious location to amuse we readers @Robert Hugill. Imagine my surprise when I researched and found a city named Nancy in France, and in the historical region of Lorraine. Who would have thunk it. Many of my fellow readers have commented on the delightful relationship Alex and Neil have developed and continue to develop. I could not agree more. What pleased me most in this chapter is the sense of humour and teasing Neil displayed, even a sexual double entendre or two. Totally unthinkable early in their relationship. A lovely "relaxed" reading this chapter, much like most of this story, one of its many charms.

Assuming he is the father. If he is only relying upon the word of Diana he is Caleb's father then he is a fool. He should insist on a DNA test to prove it.

I want to reach into the pages of this story, grab the fucking cigarette out of Elena's mouth and shove it and the entire packet where the sun don't shine. I cannot abide people who cry poor and yet spend a significant amount of money on cigarettes. I have spoken with many over the years in my cat rescue work who said they could not afford to neuter their cat, whilst puffing away on a cigarette. I was always so tempted to grab the cigarette and stab them in the eye with it. Now I have finished venting, Elena has once again proven herself to be fierce, particularly when it comes to protecting her own. It appears she may have had an unpleasant experience with the Archers' or know of the themburying evidence of a prior wrongdoing. Manuel is as fierce as Elena, he is just much quieter about it. His response to Elena that they should give the discovered contents of Vickie's notebook to Blanchard because he is Caleb's advocate really impressed me. Billy showed extraordinary vulnerability and shame over Caleb's rape. He is so not the bully Caleb's stupid and vicious mother accused him of being.