Summerabbacat

I assumed it was a condom, singular or plural, @VBlew, which he purchased from the vending machine in the previous chapter: "...... he removed the foil-wrapped packet from the delivery slot, calmly put it inside the pocket of his coat, and walked away." I am certain it must have been Ableard who was driving the Lamborghini Countach when spotted by the taxi driver who referred to the event in the prior chapter. Whether it was with or without Anton's knowledge is the question. I suspect he may be sicker than he is acknowledging @Cane23. Ali and Felix do not appear to share the almost supernatural twin "connection" that one often hears/reads of. Ali may be a little "excessive" and demanding at times, whereas Felix appears to be quite stuffy and condescending. No 80's hits popped into my head when reading this chapter @Laura S. Fox but The Best Disco In Town by The Ritchie Family from 1976/1977 sure did. I could not find a quality video clip for it to post though, much to @Cane23's relief I imagine. It was a massive hit in Australia for them and I loved it.

I have never understood the fascination with cars, and have never owned one, in fact I have not driven one for over 40 years. I had no idea what any of the cars looked like. I still only know what the Lamborghini Countach looked like, although I have seen a number of different Porsches over the years. They are I imagine obscenely expensive too, and likely use a lot of fuel. I cannot imagine they are any more reliable than your robust Volvo @drsawzall.

I love your comment about Brooke @Philippe. I have tried very hard to be measured and "nice" with my comments about her, but your comment has emboldened me to say what I really think. She is rather shallow as you have stated, whiny and snarky. I'll just bet she loves Adele (sorry @Gary L).

I expect you will enjoy it immensely @Sunshine. Make sure you have tissues on standby though as there are many very sad moments throughout the story. I love your comment about Mark's stories feeling like "home". That is exactly how I feel too, although I have never expressed it quite so eloquently. I grew up in a town not far from the towns upon which Macquarie Harbour and Thompsonville are based, although I have lived all my adult life (40+ years) onwards in Sydney. The Pacific coast never ceases to delight.

Mother and Alex know Uncle Edwin best, and if they are of the view he is not to be trusted, then he is not to be trusted. He has an odd manner in the way he approaches "delicate" situations, a manner which makes him appear a touch sleazy. The "club" culture is also quite off-putting, and has certainly made Neil and Alex less than comfortable, although Alex is more acquainted with it than Neil. I think Alex has the right idea “We’ll talk through his offer—in great detail. That is, if he makes one and doesn’t change his mind. Then we can have a good think and not jump in.” You have mentioned these "clubs" before @Robert Hugill in this story, and possibly in prior stories. I must ask if one has to be a supporter of a particular political party i.e. the Tories, to be a member, or is the membership generally based on other criteria e.g family name, wealth, business connections?

Casey tell a lie? No, never. LOL. It would be so true to form. Certainly more likely than @weinerdog’s “fantasy” that Casey might feel remorseful.

When I first read your comment, specifically the text in bold, I misread it as JR and Dallas. You unintentionally gave me a good chuckle. And what about Grayson and Rafael? In for a penny in for a pound. And I am still waiting (hopeful) for a return of Jake, Danny (my favourite MPB character) and Nate.

Murder In Macquarie Harbour? The Slaying Of Sister Immaculata? A well known Thompson arsehole (plenty to choose from) who has caused grief for many in the community?

As Jack said, there must be Something In The Water with all these gay men in Thompsonville. LOL.

Zack has been a fan favourite since his brief appearance at the end of A Good Place. I too am pleased to see a return appearance by him. Hopefully we may see a little more of him in this third arc. And Jimmy and Shane; how wonderful to see them appear in adult form, still together and making a life for themselves. When @Mark Ponyboy Peters first mentioned them in this chapter, I thought to myself they may be a couple whom Tony should get to know, particularly if he has established the homeless teen centre at Bayview he was contemplating. Brooke? I know I am being unreasonable as Brooke was hurt by Levis' lies, but I really don't like her. Never have. Jimmy and Dan have "got over it", but not Brooke. Methinks her "relationship" with Levi was more intense for her than it was for him, which is probably why she was demanding and bossy when they were "together". If friendship with Levi is not enough for her she should move on rather than being cold and distant. "Yeah, we do. I agree with your dad that there had to be some form of punishment, but I know you’ve learnt your lesson after what happened. I think he’s being a bit harder on you than you probably deserve . . . but then again, neither of us have any experience with raising kids . . . so I’m going to help you out a bit, provided it stays between us . . . capiche?" Thankfully, I have not had any experience raising children either. I have thought Levi got off way too light with his punishment, so am having difficulty understanding Luke's comments, but then again I am probably a similar age to the age Luke's parents would be in this story. In fact, I am probably a similar age to Levi's late grumpy old bastard grandfather. LOL. I think the physical activity Levi is undertaking when helping Father Costas is doing him the world of good, not only physically but emotionally as well. I am a firm believer that sweat is good for the soul and the psyche. A wonderful chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. The reappearance of Zack, and the introduction of Shane and Jimmy into this story, is pleasing the faithful. Perhaps Shane and Jiimy night even have two visitors come up for the weekend to stay; Rick and Adam (hint hint).

Will Darren be suitable if he has not had any sex scandal(s) associated with him yet @drsawzall, especially one where he has behaved in a predatory manner? If he has not, perhaps he might attend to this oversight at the Year 11 ball; such an event is invariably a haven for bad behaviour, especially if the students smuggle alcohol in, which is almost a certainty. Perhaps he might expose himself to the art teacher, Mrs Hansen, with an introduction "I call this one, Teenage Boys Rite of Passage, teach". Given some of Mrs Hansen's prior comments on Richard's art pieces, she may well comment on the exposure as not being dramatic or shocking enough. I recall Benny and Penny don't go to the same school as Harriet and Richard, but they could gatecrash the ball I guess. Or, Mr Hayes and Kevin might attend as chaperones, and after Mr Hayes slips a roofie into Kevin's ginger beer, Kevin's inner exhibitionist is released. He and Mr Hayes take to the dance floor in protest to the ban on same sex couples attending, and they put on a show which would make a nun blush.

Matt and Luke have never shown any inclination for such dishonesty in the past @Lynx003, so I would be very surprised and disappointed if your speculation has any truth. I have assumed it was Casey and/or one or both of his goons acting under orders from Casey, who torched the car. Casey's comment about the car being torched thereby removing any evidence strengthened my belief. Casey may well have known how much Matt loved his car, thereby providing him further joy in seeing it destroyed beyond repair. We may never know who did it, perhaps @Mark Ponyboy Peters has left it unsolved so we readers can speculate ad infinitum.

Richard appears to be book-smart but "life stupid", at least where Dickoless is concerned. He, Richard, recognised early in the chapter that Lisa and Darren, at least, have lied about their acceptance of Stu being gay. I had not been convinced of their acceptance of Stu; Darren had continued to make comments about "fags" and Lisa's acceptance smacked of tokenism, especially with her ridiculous cliched remark in a prior chapter "why are all the good looking ones always gay". The age old expression, love is blind, certainly appears to be the case with Richard. As noted by several of my fellow readers, Dickoless has fallen into the bad habit of getting drunk quite frequently, even on school nights. This does not augur well for his future, or any future relationship with Richard, even if his feelings for Richard were genuine and those Richard believes he holds. There may be a specific reason or reasons for Dickoless getting drunk, but it is not Richard's responsibility to attempt to determine why or to offer assistance, which is very unlikely as Richard appears blind to Dickoless' excessive drinking too. I suspect both Stu and Richard may be humiliated at the Year 11 ball, which may lead to each seeking solace from the other. Stu already appears to have an attraction to Richard, however, Richard is blind to Stu's appeal because of his obsession with Dickoless. Perhaps Dickoless will get hammered before or during the Year 11 ball, and make a fool of himself by throwing up, maybe even on Carrie.

"If That Lavender Dildo could Talk...!!!" OMG @drsawzall; that is my favourite. Its title reminded me of the movie If These Walls Could Talk. The comparison of the titles is where any similarity ends though. After reading this chapter I realised I should have suggested to @Vcs the lavender coloured dildos also be lavender scented. This would ensure they are easily identified by any playroom participant who is colour-blind, as well as adding a pleasant aroma to the environment, one which is renowned for its "calming" properties. Its calming properties may also prove beneficial for any playroom participant who has high blood pressure and who becomes overly-excited or overly-stimulated by any "games" played therein. I also liked the security phrase chosen by the men. I suggested several and @Vcs suggested several, some of which were quite "naughty", but highly amusing. I think the final one selected was the most memorable, even if it is "hard to swallow". The banter regarding the chastity device from a few chapters prior is very amusing. It did not occur to me at the time, but losing or misplacing the key could be a real issue. I have locked myself out of my apartment on several occasions in recent years, leaving the key in the lock on the inside before extracting it and locking from the outside. It would be most embarrassing to have to call a locksmith to come out to "pick" the lock in such circumstances. I loved the description of Rhett as a "skittish little colt" by Frank. So vivid, all long legs and awkwardness.

I think many, myself included, have been shocked by her death @drsawzall. She still seemed to retain such a zest for life and for helping others. One almost thought she was invincible. I liked her music as a teenager, but was really only familiar with Here You Come Again, Baby I'm Burnin, Two Doors Down and Jolene. The first Dolly album I ever bought was The Grass Is Blue. I particularly like it, Little Sparrow, Halos & Horns and Backwoods Barbie, and of course Trio with Linda and Emmylou.

To be honest I thought Linda Ronstadt was far more likely to pass before Dolly because of her progressive supranuclear palsy. Linda has made a rare public statement regarding Dolly's death. Linda, Emmylou and Dolly together were majestic, and each contributed to songs on albums by the others during their careers. Linda can no longer sing, but Emmylou still tours. Many of our beloved childhood/teenage songstresses are now 75+ @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Dame Shirley Bassey is 89, Dionne Warwick is 85, Barbra Streisand is 84, Patti Labelle is 82, Deborah Harry is 81 whilst Frida and Bette Midler will be 81 before year end, Cher is 80, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris are 79, Stevie Nicks is 78, Agnetha is 76 and Marcia and Pat Benatar are 73. Then we have the next generation of 60+ with Alison Moyet, Sara and Keren from Bananarama, Sheena Easton, Madonna, Kate Bush and Kim Wilde.

What a wonderful memory. Was that in Sydney or BrisVegas?

What beautiful words to describe Miss Dolly, thoroughly deserved. I particularly like Yet she remained humble and caring; giving of her time, money, and notoriety. This above all appealed to me, much like Doris Day, who worked tirelessly for animal rights all through her life. I suspect @Ticklishboy30 will be very upset. You must read these words by @Philippe @Ticklishboy30.

As I am sure are many of your readers @Mark Ponyboy Peters, and other GA authors whose works I admire such as @Vcs, @Ticklishboy30 and @Lee Wilson. Universally admired, as much for her philanthropy and humanity, as for her songwriting, singing and acting.

On a devastatingly sad day with the death announced of Miss Dolly, it seems appropriate to post this song, the title and message of which Matt and Luke have impressed upon Levi ever since he came into their lives. R.I.P. Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Wherever they are rehomed they would soil and spoil.

The “problem” I would face in such a scenario is deciding when to stop.

A minor “oversight” on your paft @Vcs.

If I had a $ for every time I made a similar statement to the one made by your friend I could retire comfortably now. It would have to be a very large island though, one with the capacity to take in more “effluent” each day.