Adam Phillips

I have some news that will shock all fans of Jeff who hated to see what Mark seemed to do to him in 1968: He's still alive! I know it's impossible to believe, but Tiger figured out that Steven Schluter and Aaron Hayes faked their deaths and are still alive and well, if in their golden years, on some tropical island...and after that bit of sleuthing it was child's play for me to follow his lead and discover that Jeff found out about the ruse and decided to do likewise, and start a new life on that very same island. https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/topic/26343-the-box/page__st__375 Mark's done a really good job of getting us to mourn for all these guys (even in advance for Aaron and Steve!--well, sort of), but we got your number, Mark. I mean, you gave it away anyway in one of your comments on my blog where you said you preferred happy endings. Man. I'm so relieved.

Oh, man! Yeah. Of course. That's the ticket! And also, Jeff's there too! Like...he discovered the box first, right? When he was back at Claremont disgusted with what he'd become. And he read the journal, and the very last entry was about Aaron and Steven faking their deaths and moving to a tropical island. Steven also left a map in the journal, and Jeff realized that he needed to start over fresh somewhere...so he took the last pages and the map with him and put everything back just like he'd found it, so nobody would know it had already been opened...and he decided to go to that island and meet Aaron and Steve, who were by now much older and would be living that life that Aaron had promised Steve. So, inspired by the boys' ingenious deception, he also faked out Sam and what's-his-nerd by staging a "suicide." Got one of his friends from back in HS who worked for the ME to drive the ambulance that transported his "body," etc., etc., and then when no one was looking... I mean, this kind of shit happens all the time in soaps! Right? I'm so relieved. I thought Jeff was dead this whole time! Wow. I didn't know you were that clever, Mark. I'm liking 1968 better already!

Chapter 6 of Crosscurrents has been posted. In this chapter, we see Andy well on his way toward falling-in-first-love. Remember those days? Oh, the agony; oh, the ecstasy! ... Oh, the melodrama! Looking back on adolescent first-loves it's easy to smile at how life-or-death serious we took them. But I wonder if, behind the smile, we don't also retain the feeling that there was something deeply significant about that first venture into those waters.

Uhh...this is, you know, kind of like...uhh...going to a Star Trek convention. I think I'll just read the story.

Yeah. Me too. I don't know what kind of stick Jeremy has up his ass about Aaron. He's a great guy. I like him better than Steve, even. Not that I have anything against Steve. Chapter 13 was nicely written, Mark. I enjoyed it a great deal.

No. Opening-my-eyes-to-facts much. Prejudice would be if I wanted to spit on him because he was a figure skater. Or maybe what you meant was "Stereotypes, much?" To which I'd have to reply "Guilty as charged." I'm sure there might be one straight figure skater out there in the history of the...uhh...sport. Oh, yeah. Elvis Stojko. Whom gay people love so much.

I want one so bad I can taste it. I'm just waiting for the dust to settle and a winner (for me) to emerge. The IPad's not in the running for me. Don't want all that other capability, and anyway it's backlit. And bigger than I'd like for an e-book reader. I like the idea of e-ink technology, where you can read it outside at the beach. I plan on getting one within the year. Right now I'm leaning toward the Kindle. The idea of being able to haul multiple books along with me in such a small space is enormously appealing. If civilization were to collapse I'd just go back to real books, and I guess I'd lose all those books I had in my e-book reader. Somehow that's not sufficiently disconcerting to cause me to factor that into my considerations, LOL.

Yeah, right. He's a figure skater. That's like saying you found some triangle with four sides. Oh, I don't know about that. There are a couple of people here in the Forums who may disagree. Isn't that the same camp where they do the circle jerks?

Well, yeah. I mean, when was it ever an open question? What, you can't love somebody just because they're gonna die? You people haven't watched near enough chick flicks.

Odds are, it was something rude about Jeremy. When I end up deleting a post at my Yahoo group, it's usually because I've said something rude about Jeremy. Although not lately.

Heartless woman. Good thing I love your musical tastes. Well, and also the fact that you got my back whenever I've needed it...

I wish there were a way to delete posts here. Especially after you've said something lame.

Interesting. I'd never have thought of him as the male version of Tonto. I love Tonto, and find her considerably more interesting than Stefan. But you're right. Everybody reads with different eyes.

As I said in the first part of that two-part reflection on sexual labels, "everything I've experienced in my own life, and in hearing from some of my readers, and from research and reading I've done, suggests that sexuality is much too complex and nuanced to be adequately captured by the labels 'gay,' 'straight,' and 'bi.' " On the other hand, the labels are attempting to get a conceptual fix on something that's real, and there are times when we need them. We do need to recognize that the labels are reductionistic and obscure important realities and distort others, but as long as a person recognizes this, I think they have legitimate uses. Thanks for your post and your reflections!

Thanks for the reply, Eros. Crosscurrents deals with much of what we're all talking about here.

You think it's sad?? Boy, you don't know what sad coulda been... Right, Mark?

I like Stefan just fine as a character. At the same time, he's not particularly interesting to me. Not compared to the head-case who is JP, or compared to some of the younger narrators. --Adam

Hey...give me a massage and I'll follow you anywhere. So I'd say it's a definite "hell, yeah."

Except, of course, that since "point of view" in literature refers to the author's decision regarding how the story is narrated (first person/second person/third person) and not necessarily who narrates it, there's nothing inherent in the Bridgemont series that would keep Mark from, say, putting one of his stories there in the first person. Or second person. I'd like to see that.

Oh, man. Talk about an embarrassment of riches. Where to start, and what decade to focus on? Or try all of them? I'm gonna interpret this as a challenge to pick bands from my daddy's era. Damn, what a great period for music. And I gotta limit to five? Okay... 1. Cream, "Sunshine of Your Love" --once you get that opening guitar lick in your head, it'll never let go. 2. " probably one of the most arresting musical portraits of addiction ever penned, and John Kay's vocals are gut-wrenching here. 3. ," I almost linked to the obligatory "Piece of My Heart," but I love everything she ever did, and this lesser-known one really delivers the goods. Easily the most tortured and earnest vocals anybody ever ripped from the depths of their heart. 4. Jimi Hendrix, "Fire" Again, how to choose? I'm going with this one since it's not played quite as much as "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze." 5.The Beatles, "Hey Jude" and everything else they ever did. Honorable Mention: (sorry, couldn't hep myself) 6. So raunchy. So classic.

If you ever figure out how to do that and let me know, I'll buy one.

You're right. Andy and Matt are very different. Matt's had some hard knocks. But Andy goes into his head far too quickly. He's said as much, and explained why, in his narration. He got a scare as a little kid and the lesson he learned is that he always has to be calculating risks, always has to be wary of the other shoe dropping so he can get out of its way, always has to have the mental machinery running, always has to put on a brave front, and always has to be ready to fight, even if it means being prepared to go down fighting. I've tried to present them as an interesting study in contrasts. I'm glad that's coming across.

Felt like it to me, too! I'm glad--relieved, even--to be back on it. I appreciate your willingness to take in reruns, lol, and I'll keep 'em coming weekly in 2010 until it's all finished. Thanks for reading.

Yeah, it's a funny little moment in the M&A saga. So typical, really, of best buds at that age. Prolly 85% of young adolescents with a best friend have done it. The other 15% are lying. As for angst, well, it's pretty much a given from the tone of the Prologue that you sign on for that with Crosscurrents, right? I promise all my readers, though, that by the time the thing is done you won't want to slit your wrists. You do understand that from the tone of the prologue, and recognizing that the story's all told in flashback, that a nice, warm happily-ever-after story isn't going to be a possibility, right? That being said, once it's all done you won't feel like doubling up on the Prozac. Man, do I remember the days. And am I glad they're over. Good luck with all that. And hang in there; it's an endurance contest more than anything. I'm assuming you have to defend orally as well down the road, right? That's another whole subject.

Both my hitlist and my hit parade, Jeremy. But seriously, it's been my experience in life that when people can take shots at you without having to be identified, then all of a sudden they're "courageous" about it. Fire off and go hide in the bushes. But if they're out in the open, well, then, the shot ain't cheap, right? It comes at a price. Anyway, The Land Whore. I'm never crazy about it when Stefan narrates. I find myself liking The Box a great deal, even though he does, because the bulk of the narrative is the first-person account from the WW2 era. And I don't care what you say, J--I'm current now, and I effing love Aaron. Although...uhh...I guess that comment belongs in another thread. And by the way, don't sell A Summer Love short.