Summerabbacat

Sometimes the polished to perfection takes away the thrill of the original, warts and all. I think this is true of music too @Robert Hugill.

Maybe they could come and stay with you and hubby over the Christmas break @chris191070. They could help look after the 13 cats. Do you get snow at Christmas time in Oldham? You could expose them to Slade's Christmas anthem which I understand charts almost every year in the UK (and is much better than Mariah's bloody awful Christmas song). Personally, I love Wham's Last Christmas and Boney M's Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord, both of which were massive hits in your homeland, and substantial hits here in Australia too. And I hate White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

St Vincents has a public and private hospital @weinerdog. I assume Nick works at the public hospital. Depending on the nature and severity of your "illness" you may have to go on the waiting list.

I drink oat milk (only in smoothies though, filtered water on my cereal) and eat soy yoghurt and soy ice cream @Altimexis (ice cream is a weakness). I do buy some processed vegan vegie burgers and plant based chicken schnitzels (made from pea and soy protein) and eat tofu, plus regularly eat cashews, pecans, pepitas, black chia seeds and LSA meal. My processed burgers are essentially various mixed vegetables with chick peas and spices. It is not practical in a single-person household to buy all the ingredients to make such things (and I am way too lazy and hate making too much of a mess, which I then have to clean up). I don' t recall ever buying eggs since I left home at the age of 18. I ate them as a child, but now they repulse me. They smell horrible and the sight of the yolk as it oozes on a plate is revolting. I ate 1/2 an organic BBQ chicken about 6 years, only because I had bought it for my 1 of my 6 cats as she had a stomach upset and was refusing to eat. My vet recommended it because everyone knows cats love BBQ chicken. I was skeptical as I did not think any of mine would eat it, including Zelda (she is my profile picture) and unfortunately I was right. Zelda licked it, but refused to eat it, and not 1 of the other 5 would eat it either. I felt obliged to eat it as the bird had been killed and not to eat it seemed "sinful". I paid for it the next day. I reacted like you, it was like I had gastroenteritis (which I had as a 2 year old, but cannot remember) and vomiting. NEVER AGAIN.

I am the only vegetarian in my family @SorcererImp and the only one amongst my friends. I have been fortunate that no one gives me any "grief" for it.

Superintendent Weinerdog has spoken @Mark Ponyboy Peters so I think it best the Inspector takes on board his sage advice. You may not realise this, but Superintendent Weinerdog is also the 'Soothsayer of San Diego' and has an uncanny ability to foretell the future. Some might refer to him as an empath or a sensitive, whilst others a clairvoyant or a fraud. My immediate response to the uneasy feeling in the pit of Rick's stomach was the same as you @weinerdog, has Jimmy Tan become the latest victim of the Mardi Gras murderer? I hope we are both wrong and Rick's gut is merely having a reaction to a dodgy kebab he ate the night before. If so, let us hope it makes its presence felt before the road trip north to Beth and Tom's home, otherwise Rick's fellow passengers may be in for an unpleasant journey. Nick work's at St Vincents Hospital in Darlinghurst, right near "The Wall", a location where boys like Jimmy and Shane ply their trade on any given night. I lived near there from late 1992 to early 1995, and it was a great place to live. It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but so far I think most of we readers have not given any thought to a link between the activities of Jarvis and his treatment of his stable of boys and the murder of Martin and Alexis. I have to wonder if there is. You were right about those tissues @Mark Ponyboy Peters, the conversation between Rick and Tom proved the beginning of my "undoing" in this chapter. In my defence, I have heavy hay fever at the moment so my eyes were already watering, red and puffy.

Perhaps the green-eyed monster, jealousy, may rear its ugly head @Davide; Dean witnessing what appears to be an intimate moment between Kris and Ethan. Or maybe Leah will tell him to take a hike until he sorts himself out. I think she is aware he has inner demons and I don't think (or at least I hope) she is desperate enough to continue to allow him to treat her in the manner he is. She is not stupid, she will realise, if she has not already, that what her friend Tina saw was not a figment of her imagination. Or maybe, as speculated by @Philippe, Marcus will realise his brother is not all he pretends to be, and will read him the riot act about allowing their dead father to continue to control his life.

Colombia and Columbia, and Colombo and Columbo, seem to get mixed up all the time @LittleBuddhaTW. Americans I imagine are more familiar with Columbia and Columbo than Colombia and Colombo.

Even skipping eating meat or fish once a week can make a big difference to the number of animals slaughtered and to destruction to the environment from factory farming. I am vegan about 50% of the time, but have not been able to find a tasty substitute for cheese. I know the dairy industry is cruel too, so I am a hypocrite.

I think you are right @grinningdog.

Brilliant @CincyKris. I hope you are correct as then Adam may wake up from his coma and Jamie may still be alive.

I know several vegetarians who have admitted that on occasion they crave bacon @Altimexis. This is bewildering to me as I find the smell of pork and lamb being cooked truly repulsive, and the smell of bacon when cooked with eggs (which I also do not eat) has me dry retching. I live in an apartment block and sometimes someone will have a barbecue on their balcony. If it is just beef I can tolerate the smell, but if it is lamb and/or pork I have to shut all my doors as the stench is overpowering. I stopped eating red meat 40 years ago and had no difficulty doing so as I never liked the taste, and the cruelty of raising and then killing these animals is something I find abhorrent. I gave up eating chicken about 15 years ago, but for a short time thereafter I would pass the barbecue chicken counter in my local supermarket and stand there and inhale as I still liked the smell. If I did that now I would be dry retching again. As for seafood, I gave that up when I saw a TV programme about how toxic salmon farming is for the environment, which is a large industry here in Australia. I thought I would crave salmon and flathead, but I had no craving for either as soon as I stopped eating them. I do occasionally think I would like some prawns and/or oysters though, but quickly put it from my mind by acknowledging the cruelty aspect again. I have not however, and never will force my cats to be vegetarian.

I suspected early on in this story death was what would part Adam and Jamie, but as it meandered along I was hoping I was wrong. What remains to be answered without reservation is this: was Adam in a real relationship with Jamie, one in which each disclosed his true feelings, and was Adam in the car in which Jamie was killed if so, then Adam's love for Jamie was not a secret, it was out in the open and many people witnessed it if not, then EVERYTHING Adam has reminisced about is a figment of his imagination and he is truly delusional Of course, Adam could be having a Pam Ewing-like dream and he and Jamie are happy together and attending college in 2025. I think I like this speculation best @CincyKris and @VBlew.

You have obviously been eating your carrots @drsawzall. Like @Philippe, I was very concerned Killian may have handed over all the documents without having a copy, particularly if Evans is on Fenton Black's "payroll". No surprises Fenton is involved in the corruption being investigated by Micah, and that he has murdered more than just Paul. I hope he does not add TJ or Jake to that list of murder victims before the story concludes. The suspense is palpable @Josh Aterovis. I have not forgotten Judy's dire premonition that death is on its way. I hope it is not Jake, TJ or Micah to whom the Reaper will come a calling.

It makes you someone who is capable of rational and independent thought @pvtguy, not a sheeple. I loathe fireworks and get very "strident" about it on New Year's Eve which makes me bah humbug too. And your comment has taught me something, I did not know the bah was spelt as such (I have never read anything by Charles Dickens).

"Russ smiled. “I don’t know, it’s had its moments. And tonight was…” He paused and considered. “Illuminating.” Russ clearly did not wish to upset either Con or Lisa when he made this restrained and somewhat cryptic remark. Initially Russ was physically assaulted by a brain-dead leprechaun in the form of Conn O'Neill and his goons, and now friends of said goons, one of whom is distantly related to Lisa, verbally assault him and state he brought it on himself by "hitting on" poor Conn. Clearly another delusional heterosexual male who has not looked at himself in the mirror, one who believes he is far more attractive than what he is. Yobbos the world over "suffer" from this affliction, many of whom believe they are God's gift to women too. Fortunately Russ' trip has had many positives, including a much improved relationship with his brother, and a fledgling friendship with Jamie and Cathal. Non-pareils aka hundreds and thousands were very popular in Australia in my formative years in the 1970's. We had them on white bread as sandwiches known as "fairy bread". When I think of it now I think how disgusting. They were always sprinkled on icing on cakes too. I am not sure if they are even manufactured now. Of course Bronski Beat released a remix album entitled Hundreds & Thousands shortly after the success of The Age Of Consent. Did you play any part in its recording @Robert Hugill? Another delightful chapter Robert, apart from the appearance of the knuckle-draggers.

If Theodore is not prepared to listen to either Vince or Jack because they are mere humans, then maybe he should listen to the "wisdom" of Samantha Fox, or will he believe she is inferior to him too because she is only a fox and not a wolf. Many Aussies were captivated by Samantha's "wisdom" in 1986 when this song was a massive hit (# 3 for the year). I kept misreading Vince's reading of the "runes" as reading of the "prunes". Reading the prunes may have produced quite a different rhyming message I should imagine. Your imagination is a thing to behold @Laura S. Fox, but can you "sing" like your fellow "vixen" Samantha?

An enjoyable and "easy" read @Lee Wilson, with only a hint of nastiness and an emotionally challenging moment for Darren. Thus far I would refer to this story as Lee Wilson lite, which in no way is a criticism. It demonstrates your versatility in story telling.

Manual labour where "payment" is received immediately upon completion of the task at hand (or mouth or ............). The payment may be tax-free i.e. "cash" in hand (or mouth or .......), or may attract taxes if the manual labour is provided by a professional with "qualifications" in the field of the enterprise. In this instance I assume it was a tax-free transaction @weinerdog.

May I be so bold @Lee Wilson and @weinerdog as to suggest oral orchestration of the ornamental omnipotence.

‘" . . . I just didn’t think it would ever happen,’ he said. ‘I just thought we would all be trapped there . . . working for him forever.’ His voice sounded shaky, as if he were having trouble holding his emotions in check, but given the circumstances I, for one, could forgive him that. ‘No, mate. It’s all over and hopefully, after tomorrow, we’ll have you and Jimmy far away from here, at least for the time being, and you’ll be able to get a fresh start.’ It was then that it all finally seemed to hit home for him, and he totally lost it. Shane threw himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders and sobbing uncontrollably against me. All I could do was wrap my arms around him and hold him, as the built-up hurt from years of being neglected, and of being used and abused, burst forth like a torrent." This conversation slammed me for six @Mark Ponyboy Peters and gave me cause to ponder. Underage boys and girls in this situation have more than likely not completed the compulsory education for their respective ages. They may not have any identification documents, and would be ill-equipped for life once they are thrown on the scrap heap because they are too old to ply their trade. Is it any wonder some resort to a life of drugs and/or crime, or commit suicide at a young age. Scum like Jarvis exist the world over because scum like the clients of the boys exist the world over. It is apparent after this particular scene, Rick's trauma and ongoing grief is contributing to him forging a stronger connection with Jimmy and Shane than what might have occurred without his experience. Both boys regard him highly and have revealed things to him which they may not have revealed to anyone else, not even to Helen. I strongly suspect Helen is aware of this too and is encouraging it, without any sense of jealousy or slight on her part. She and Rick make a great team. Shane's emotional meltdown said more about the devastation of his life than any words could convey. You have written some very powerful and emotionally challenging scenes in your published works to date @Mark Ponyboy Peters, but I don't recall any surpassing this one.

The ruination of Christina Jarvis' social standing may be one of the positive side effects of Jarvis' arrest @centexhairysub. If she is aware of all of her husband's business interests her social standing decline might be the least of her worries. AC Barrett's hysteria may be purely selfish i.e. he may be worried that what has been hushed up about his private life becomes pubic knowledge. If his only "crime" is he has visited gay sex premises and had sex with consenting adults, whatever that sex may entail, then he has nothing to be concerned about from a legal perspective. Of course, I am not naive enough to believe his career won't be affected if he has merely had sex with other consenting adult males at gay sex premises. If however, he has procured the services of underage boys from Jarvis' "stable" I hope he is exposed and convicted.

I hope you and @chris191070 are way off the mark on this occasion @weinerdog. If there is press coverage of Jarvis' arrest it may bring pressure to bear on the case, as in the court of public opinion Jarvis would not fare well (I hope), although I have little doubt his QC will attempt to paint the boys in a very unfavourable light, particularly if he, Roderick Carlton, has ever procured the services of any of Jarvis' "stable". One can only hope the presiding judge does not have a vested interest in finding Jarvis not guilty.

What can I say @Mark Ponyboy Peters, good stories stir a reader's creative juices. I hated this song as a teenager when it was a huge hit in Australia. My tastes have changed over the years and now I think it is a great song from an equally great album (which I also I did not like as a teenager).

Nah, that is mild @Mark Ponyboy Peters. If I really let my imagination run wild I could have come up with something far juicier and more punitive for both Jarvis and Gus.