Mark Arbour

I think that Isidore is looking at the situation with Will through the lens of her own values. When Will called her out for focusing on external appearances, I think he was spot-on. So for her, she's seeing Will's behavior as being rude and obnoxious, something she finds truly reprehensible, and she undoubtedly feels the same way about Brad. In that context, it makes sense that she would be more comfortable with Claire and her family, who probably echo her own values in that regard. JP is very upset over Marie's seeming unwillingness to admit when she's wrong, and to admit it. For him, this is a key concept, and that's why he's being such a hard ass. I'll bet Isidore views these outbursts from Brad and Will with the same type of concern, and feels it is her duty to help reform them.

Scott and Will...you know, I think Will has too much pride, and too much respect for his father, to go down that road. I think a hand job is about as much as far as he'd go, and then he'd have to be pretty wasted to do it. Scott, on the other hand, has no such scruples. Your observations on the differences between Will and JJ are interesting. I don't think that JJ is as hung up on family as Will is, and in fact, I think he looks for excuses to avoid family situations. I think that for JJ, his family comes with obligations that are tedious at times. For Will, it is truly one of his life's key forces.

I suspect that until the dust settles from the whole Bastille Day party thing, Marie will keep her distance, if only to pout. I thought it was pretty classy of Claire and Isidore to actually show up after the party, since they probably had some pretty bruised feelings.

I'm so happy I could have that impact on you. At this age, that's about the best I can do. ;-) I was a bit leery of putting JP's POV in the same chapter with Will's, but I think they are so different that there really isn't much chance of confusion...even if I did use the same font.

July 15, 2001 I’d called my father three times this afternoon, and he still hadn’t answered, which was starting to annoy me. I waited for fifteen minutes, and then called again. “Hello,” he said as he finally answered. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all afternoon. Where have you been?” I demanded, so he’d know I was pissed. “I forgot to take my phone with me when I went out onto the patio,” he said, like it was no big deal. “Remembe

I'm putting the finishing touches on Chapter 17. It should be posted within the next hour or so.

Thanks for your feedback! To be honest, I hadn't really planned on linking up Scott and Will, at least not now. But I wouldn't rule it out if I needed to do it to move the story (not this one, but a future one) forward.

I forgot to answer that. This is one of those errors that actually works out OK. I should have said right hand. However, men of that era, as I understand it, didn't really shake hands as we do. They would sometimes grab both hands if it was a friend.

Thanks. Dude, there is almost nothing about me that is little. That's sometimes a good thing, sometimes a bad thing. ;-)

Alright, I'd like to pose a question to those of you reading this forum. Actually, two of them. 1. Should Will sleep with Scott Slater? 2. If Will does sleep with him, how would Brad react?

Interesting points. I wonder, though, if it is not so much that Brad trusts or does not trust Scott, but that he trusts Will.

We've talked about much of your post in the forums (or we will), but you raise an interesting point, questioning Brad's reaction to Will sleeping with Scott. I have to think that while Brad would be annoyed with Will, he'd be pretty fucking furious at Scott.

Muhahahaha. (That's my evil laugh). I think that Will is expecting Stef and Brad to lose it, and I think he's secretly enjoying it.

You raise an excellent point, and surely JP would be familiar with French philosophy. I think his tendency in this situation is to adopt a more monarchistic/feudalistic style, where he is demanding the loyalty and obedience of his subjects, certainly in a much-watered-down form. Scott is certainly experienced, but I wonder if Will would learn anything more from him than he would from Scott's son, Jeff.

I think that JP probably feels that he's made his points quite clearly, and he knows that merely reiterating the same argument to these people is not really going to impact them, so he's going to outlast them, and force them to come to him. In a sense, this is the only way it makes sense for him, in that he'll see the need for victory (helping get Marie back on track). I think he also knows that until the party is over, Isidore and Claire are unlikely to be real receptive to introspective thoughts...they'll just be too pissed off. There are multiple issues at play here in Will's psyche, and this is surely one of them, the sheer logic of the thing. I think there are other factors as well, and I can't help but think that he's having a teenage regression moment where he evilly derives some satisfaction for totally freaking out his father. You are correct, but as you said, I took some poetic license, because Honolua Bay is a good alternative. Besides, sometimes they get lucky in the Paia area. Creepy never stopped Scott Slater.

I thought it was indeed Lord Blandford. Lord Blankford is George's brother, Freddie.

I've completed uploading all of the CAP Stories to the eBook section. You'll find them under Historical Fiction. It may take a bit for all of them to appear, as they have to be approved first, but that process has been remarkably fast. The only story not uploaded yet is 9.11, because it's not done yet. Here's a listing of the stories, with the approximate year in which they're set in parentheses, and the narrator(s) noted after that: 1. Chronicles of an Academic Predator (1962), JP Crampton. 2. 1968 (1968), JP Crampton. 3. The Land Whore (1973), Stefan Schluter. 4. Be Rad (1980), Brad Schluter. 5. Man In Motion (1985), Brad Schluter. 6. A Summer Love (1991), Marcel Plaquet. 7. If It Fits (1995), Stefan Schluter. 8. Bloodlines (1998), Matt Carrswold and Wade Danfield. 9. The Box (1999 & 1941-1944), Stefan Schluter and Steven Schluter. 10. Millennium (1999-2000), Brad Schluter. 11. Poor Man's Son (2000), Gathan Hayes and Will Schluter. 12. Paternity (2000-2001), Will Schluter and Wade Danfield.

Sometimes they dress that way, or so I am told. ;-)

That makes sense. Will has a rather logical way of solving problems. I could see him doing that, thinking of it in those terms, as opposed to other members of the family, who will see it as Will making a $2million investment without consulting them.

Dewd, no local on Maui owns a tie unless they work the front desk at the Four Seasons! Ok.... feel better now I do find it disappointing that Isidore and Claire haven't spoken to Will yet. I get that it is only two weeks in CAP time (six weeks in real time), but I figured both would realize what complete Massengills they were being by now. That they have not is disappointing, maybe beyond disappoining. I can't imagine my grandmother being like that, nor my mother. I am still looking forward to Will and Kai hooking up You're too funny. Maybe the realtor used to work at the Four Seasons and got hooked on neckwear. As I recall, they wear ties at the Ritz too. :-) I think that Claire and Isidore are too pissed off and outraged over missing the party to think about Will in an objective way. In my mind, they'll have to get through that first.

Why thank you! The Brotherhood is a convenient backdrop for events like this. They're always good for some intrigue!

I've never done a cross-dresser before, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to do that justice by characterizing Granger as a Arab woman. We'll see. :-) I think a dude with a massively huge cock like Jardines deserves some more, uh, depth. ;-)

Thank you so much. This story took some planning, most of it in my mind, but much of the details sort of fell into place. There are times when I almost write myself into a corner, then manage to figure a way out of it. I had originally planned for Chartley to accompany Granger through Egypt, then changed my mind. I also knew that Granger had to run into Jardines at some point, so this worked out pretty well.

Thank you, although I take exception to your "but a reader" reference. This is boring if I have no feedback or comments. It's like telling a joke at a party, but no one laughs.

I try to surprise you. And you never know, things don't always work out like you think they will. ;-)