Summerabbacat

That generous G&T sounds more to my liking.

Not a fan @Gary L, apart from Queen’s A Night At The Opera, although I could listen to an album by Maria Callas.

I had the same thoughts as you Philippe. Jake was the lover Paul had met, either in a professional capacity to begin with or on a dating app or in a club. I am certain Fenton Black aka Neal is the killer as Paul had found evidence of crime(s) he was able to link to him. The red herrings have grown considerably in size @drsawzall, they now more closely resemble whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. I know the story is complete @Josh Aterovis, but I will still indulge myself a "fantasy finale". Howie joins forces with Killian and Chris when he learns it is Fenton Black who was responsible for the murder of Paul. Deranged by grief Howie slowly strangles Fenton after drugging him, accompanied by the stunning and apropos vocals of Julie Covington, with "aterovisian" laughter in the background courtesy of Killian, Chris, Micah, Tad, Adam, Steve, Kane, Jake and Judy. Speaking of Judy, I hope the "death" she feels coming is the death of Fenton.

It might have to be guests rather than guest @centexhairysub, unless Brian and Gordon loathe opera but young Toby surprises all and likes it.

Well it does not appear it was Buttwipe Benevetti who has paid Shane a visit or two @weinerdog, but it could easily be colleagues with whom he hangs out. A bigwig cop is one of the regular johns whom the boys service, along with a well known football player and friend, and a TV newsreader. A mixed bag, with the bigwig cop the one whom I would be most concerned about. And then there is Gus, Jarvis' stand over man who likes very young boys. I hope when he is sent down he rooms with Colin "Cannon Cock" Crusher who has a passion for tearing virgin buttpussy a new one literally. Gus impaled on a footlong without the benefit of any lube. Fucking scumbag should be taken for a "swim" in Botany Bay and see how he likes it. I sensed Rick was thinking of Martin's parents as a possible getaway for Jimmy and Shane. I imagine Rick has maintained some type of relationship with them, particularly if they did become his surrogate parents as I suspect they may have. It is pleasing to hear they have fostered boys after the brutal murder of Martin; I daresay it has provided them some degree of comfort or solace. "How about we give you a couple of minutes to have a read of that before we talk?’ I offered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as I did so. He looked up at me and tried to smile, but the tears that I could see forming at the corners of his eyes kept holding him back. ‘Th-thanks,’ he eventually managed to say, before turning his attention back to the letter and quickly ripping the end from the envelope. I stepped away from him and joined Helen outside the doorway, glancing back just once and seeing him wipe his eyes with the back of his hand." This chapter needed to a tissue warning @Mark Ponyboy Peters, with moments like this bound to herald a tear or two. And what of Constable Plod? Unless he was off having a dump, he needs his arse kicked to Woollomooloo and back. You don't leave your post on a job like this dickhead. I hope Helen read him the riot act.

I had the same thought @Davide. To have his hopes raised so, only to be dashed at a time when he is consumed with worry and fear about his mother and their future, would be a crushing blow. His already low self-esteem would take a battering. His only saving grace is his mother, tenacious and surprisingly positive given what life has thrown her way, even when Kris' father was still alive. Dishonest Dean, not only lying to himself but also to Leah. He needs to grow a pair, become the man he wants to be, especially to spite his odious father.

I NEVER thought I would describe Russ as endearing when he first made our acquaintance @drsawzall and @Robert Hugill, but he was just that in this chapter. He has charmed his nephews with the offer to make cake again (even though he is not really into football), he has charmed Lisa with his stories of his and Connor's childhood and his urbane manner, and most surprisingly, he has managed to form a connection with Connor, one which does not appear to have ever been as strong or resilient. “Do these names mean anything to you?” Russ looked at his phone. “Spontini, Marschner, and Balfe?” Con laughed. “Sounds like a dodgy firm of solicitors.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 It sounds exactly like a firm of dodgy solicitors, the sort Mel Brooks would mock mercilessly. And the weather is still bloody awful Robert.

I was going to say was this back in the day when you were known as Travolta Sawzall, but it could not have been as it was early 1977, almost a year before Saturday Night Fever exploded. I have never made it a secret of my love for disco in its many forms and would have relished watching Soul Train in the 1970's if it had been shown on TV in Australia.

But it’s not a Hawaiian shirt @drsawzall:

It sounded much more “sophisticated” than “Joshuan” or raucous, and almost looks like a real word.

The lads have "called" it early on this one @Robert Hugill. Nothing but praise for this latest "hugill". Just in time for the festive season. Perhaps as a "treat" for the faithful, you might release the "deluxe edition". It's bound to be another chart-topper for you again.

I don't know any teenagers in today's world, but my limited observations of them would support your assessment @Josh Aterovis, although contrary to @Seraph28's assessment, Killian appears to me to be far less self-absorbed than the average teenager. He also appears to have far more commonsense and not as reliant upon technology to tell him what to do, how to behave, how and whom to relate to, and to keep him constantly entertained. I may be harsh though as I invariably am, grumpy old so and so that I am. You have hit on the characteristic I admire most about him @Josh Aterovis, his strong desire for justice, which motivates him to help people. The two are inextricably linked and motivate each other. I don't find him vain, in fact, quite the opposite. Jake struck me as troubled even before Todd butchered their entire family, so it is little wonder he deteriorated mentally after that. I was pleasantly surprised he admitted he is in too deep with Fenton Black aka Neal as this bodes well if Killian is able to help him. Had he not admitted this he may have resisted any assistance Killian may be able to offer. And now to the mystery man himself. I fucked up big time assuming Fenton Black was a journalist after Micah's comments in the last chapter. I heard the very loud "aterovisian" guffaws emanating from Baltimore all the way over here in Sydney, Australia, when I read this chapter @Josh Aterovis. Killian's detection of a slight accent when he spoke with Neal was spot on if Fenton is in fact from Argentina. If what Micah believes about him is true then he is nothing more than a common criminal, a thug, a bully. The escort business is likely a little plaything to amuse himself. I won't be at all surprised if he tried to force himself on Paul and was rebuffed. I daresay he is not a man who accepts the word 'no' from anyone, and therefore he murdered Paul in a fit of rage. I will be more than satisfied if there are no more murders @Josh Aterovis, and will be exceedingly, deliriously happy if either Jake or Killian end Fenton in self-defence and it is witnessed by the "powers that be" so that they are not charged with a crime. The headlines would read: FENTON FINALLY FUCKED FOR FORNICATION AND FELONIES

Jack's childlike naĩveté fascinates me. It is as if he has lived under a rock, totally oblivious to the world around him and its fascination with sex. It appears he has had no sexual urges though, which may mean he has been asexual up until now. Will his first foray into mansex with Vince unleash the beast hidden within? Will his appetite explode overnight resulting in him changing from Joan of Arc to Joey Stefano? Will Vince be able to keep up with him? Will Theodore be man/alpha enough for him? Will his "little thingy" be perpetually hard from now on?

Perhaps he has "performance anxiety" issues or is prone to premature eJACKulation @drpaladin? We already know he is a "ball licker", perhaps he also takes rimming to a (w)hole new level and is embarrassed by his insatiable lust. Maybe he does not just "eat arse", but devours it, with a tongue that puts Gene Simmons to shame.

Only if Coop could get him away from the fabulous Sue Ellen, that: I know you have mentioned the "cuteness" of Christopher Atkins before. I put him in the same category as Leif Garrett (back then not now), a bit too twinky for my tastes even then. He is 64 years old now, the same age as Leif Garrett. He looks a helluva lot better than Leif though; he has had major drug problems over the years and it shows, a bit like Jan Michael Vincent (I thought he was very hot when I was a teenager).

Come on Eileen Oh, I swear (what he means) How are Lilibet (?) and Greta @Gary L? Has the former managed to bankrupt you yet?

"You need to get out of that bloody flat, Louis. Say goodbye to all those other shit leaseholders and live on your own." As soon as I read this statement and then the name Eileen Garner I thought to myself, this is that woman who was so rude to Gray. And I was right, it was she who remarked “Good.” She nodded. “Ruth here”, she gestured at her companion who remained silent, “had a family event nearby and luckily for you we decided to look up. I have to say”, she looked around the room, “you’ve surprised me. It isn’t shit. It isn’t shit at all.” She nodded. " It appears her use of the "brown" word was nothing out of the ordinary for her, one might say shit is to her as fuck is to Gordon Ramsay. Farouk LaForge, more infamously known as Farouk Joski, appears to be a thoroughly unpleasant character, one who will make Andreas Schmidt and Jasper (I cannot remember his family name, if he even had one) appear to be novices. It appears we readers are in for a very different ride into the Hugillverse on this occasion @Robert Hugill. Whatever the ride I am certain it will be an amusing, interesting, and more than likely educational one, with a sprinkle of Hugillisms along the way, in fact, this chapter had one already, oik. Never have I seen this word before and what a wonderfully colourful and expressive little word it is.

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! You're no fun @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Who shot JR? Is Bobby Ewing really dead or was it all a dream? Has Shane been kidnapped or worse still is he dead? I perceive a theme emerging here Cliff, and it ain't bloody Richard.

We are in late spring @Bft. Yesterday it was about 30°C in the city (about 35°C out in the Western suburbs). Glorious weather for me. Today it has only been about 22 or 23°C and I have been feeling really cold, doona pulled right up under my chin, with both cats snuggled up to me in bed. A few weeks ago we had a weekday when it was 38°C in the city. I loved it.

Police Commissioner Terry Lewis. DS Roger Rogerson. I hope the corruption Helen suspects may be present is not to the same degree as associated with those two convicted criminals, both of whom are now dead, @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Given Rick's comments he can relate to Jimmy's situation of having been thrown out of home for being gay, I think it a certainty he suffered the same fate @CincyKris. I am going to hazard a guess it may have been Martin's parents who took him in until he completed high school at least. I base this speculation on the fact Rick is still clearly grief stricken over Martin's murder, and I also sense he feels some degree of guilt, a guilt which may have been exacerbated because he was already living with Martin. Perhaps Rick feels guilty it was Martin who was murdered and not he, guilty because he should have observed a change in Martin's behaviour prior to his murder and did not, guilty Martin may have gone looking for sex elsewhere because he was not yet ready to "go all the way", guilty because they may have had an argument and Martin stormed off and was never seen alive again. Could it be Martin's parents whom Rick is thinking of as a possible hideaway for Jimmy and Shane? Perhaps such action on their part may bring them some comfort too. "Just before we were ready to leave, Jimmy returned to the kitchen and asked Megan if she had an envelope, then once he had been given one, he hastily stashed his folded piece of paper inside, then scribbled across the front. Somewhat shyly, he came to me and asked if I could give something to Shane for him when we went there, before offering me the envelope, with Shane’s name scrawled untidily across the front. I took it from him and tucked the envelope into my shirt pocket. ‘Thank you,’ he said to me, then, quite surprisingly, he hugged me briefly, before releasing me and stepping back, his face flushed with embarrassment." I assume Jimmy has penned a "love letter" to Shane and asked Rick to deliver it to him. I hope it does not prove to be the last one Jimmy ever has the opportunity to write to Shane before he, Jimmy, is murdered by Jarvis or one of his goons. I will not be "happy Jan" if this proves to be the case @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Mind you, Shane may not get to read the letter if the conclusion of this chapter results in the obvious, which I don't think it will. I am hoping you have thrown in a "red herring" @Mark Ponyboy Peters to trick us all, to raise our blood pressure for a few days, until we learn the police guard has accompanied Shane and his physiotherapist to another room to do some light exercises to aid in his recuperation. If however, that Benevetti bastard has been to the hospital to "visit" Shane @weinerdog I fear the worst.

And we thought John Holmes, Chad Douglas and Jeff Stryker were well-endowed @weinerdog. Not even the most voracious power-bottom could accommodate such proportions. The fries may be the only thing I could eat, although knowing my luck they would probably be cooked in animal fat. Nick and Jack's "first time" was enjoyed by both, with ecstasy peppered by moments of laughter and awkwardness. How real and how delightful. Neither was under the influence of any mind-altering substance so they got to experience the pleasure unadulterated. Perfect. I was a little disappointed, and surprised, when Nick referred to his family as a family of three. Overlooking Mr Bojangles is almost unforgivable.

This fine chapter touched on so many scenarios and emotions, all commonplace, some of which were exacerbated by the lockdown due to COVID. The loneliness of isolation and the disconnect many in society feel, particularly members of marginalised groups and even moreso the aged within those groups, is something which in western countries we are only now starting to address. Of course when you have a regime in power which is openly hostile to anyone who does not fit their narrow view of which humans they deem worthy of acknowledgment and consideration, the problems increase exponentially. Calvin was very fortunate to have a supportive family, particularly his father who not only embraced his sexuality but was open minded regarding his sex work. Momentarily I thought his mother and brother were going to be a problem, but fortunately this was not the case. His sister, well suffice to say her response was true to form; shallow and clueless. His grandmother was a breath of fresh air too. Parental and filial support for LGBTQI people is often lukewarm or worse, which in of itself can lead to many, many problems, some of which can never be solved, no matter how good the intentions. I found it interesting and quite amusing that after all the male-on-male sex Alan so obviously enjoyed he chose the heterosexual life when he became engaged to Kaitlyn, unless she was also bisexual or at least very open minded. This of course assumes Alan disclosed any of his prior life to her, which I am in two minds as to whether he should or not. I found the final chapter very moving @KKirk. These characters, particularly Calvin, had really grown on me. I can understand your reluctance to "let them go" too. A comment from me is not complete without the posting of a song. I have chosen to post my favourite song from the 1980's as I think its meaning is rather apropos for this story, and it's a masterpiece. From my absolute favourite band of all time, my favourite artist of all time (even better than Blondie, The B-5's and Bananarama, all of whom I adore), whom we in Australia adopted as our "own" back in 1975. I loved them then and that admiration has only grown stronger in the intervening 50 years.

I don't like their music at all @Lee Wilson, but my brother is a huge fan who recently saw them in concert here in Australia. He raves about them so I read a little about them and if true, have much to admire at least three of them for. I was very pleased to learn several of them have made disparaging remarks about the clown in power (and I am not referring to the leader of Metallica), whom much to my dismay my same brother admires greatly. I was pleasantly surprised when I informed him of this it did not rile him as he and I have had heated arguments about the clown in power.

As a non-American on the outside looking in I understand what you are saying @Flip-Flop. I have never understood the "excuses" Americans' come up with to justify gun ownership, even those who are liberal-minded reasonable Americans.

Perfunctory, a great word @KKirk, it described Calvin's sexual tryst with Charlie to a T. Sex without any passion, quite mechanical, Calvin may as well have been a blowup doll. Charlie should not be thought less of though because of this, it is likely his way, and he has possibly never experienced nor desired to experience sex as anything other than dumping his load and rolling over to sleep. The weekend love-fest in Santa Fe was idyllic, quite appealing, apart from the bearskin rug. That would be a huge turnoff for me, a deal-breaker. The emotional impact of the weekend is one which I don't think Calvin had dared to hope might eventuate. Methinks a pivotal moment in the relationship for both Calvin and Brady. And as a "nod" to Calvin's mother's talent for penning "bodice ripper's" and to his father for being a great Dad, and having a name associated with "sexy" (at least for this reader), I give you an overlooked gem from "the Marvin". I could have posted Sexual Healing or Let's Get It On (surely one of the sexiest songs ever) or the lesser known but no less outstanding After The Dance, however, I am posting this # 1 smash which just oozes sexy, much like the man himself. Pheromones set to music.