Mark Arbour

Thanks Edward! Darius likes to claim the moral high ground, and he's also a traditionalist, in that family is important to him. As far as I can tell, he's the only Schluter still driving a Chrysler product. (SMILE). So I think that's why Will not being invited to a family function grates on him the wrong way.

The succession rarely skips a generation, but that is an interesting idea. On the other hand, Darius is also showing some pretty strong leadership qualities, and Marie seems like the kind of independent person who could be a good leader as well.

I think that Will is going to continue to hook up with pretty much every hot guy he can until: 1. He turns 30. 2. He gets a real boyfriend. Can't say that I blame him for that at all! I think that with JJ, consequences are real and tangible to him. He's being a very bitchy little diva, but when push comes to shove, he'll tow the line. Remember, he's conditioned to do that, yielding to authority, in his sport, and he doesn't have the luxury of creating a ruckus like Will did. He has to worry about his image.

You and Tim have both made this point, and I totally agree with you. Within a few chapters, you'll find out that you're not the only ones who are unhappy about this. I think it's easy to be frustrated with Robbie, because Robbie is probably really frustrated with this whole situation. He's trying to do what he thinks is right, by reaching out to JJ. In essence, he's trying to step in and fill Jeanine's shoes, only JJ and Jeanine had a really twisted relationship, so Robbie's being sucked into that same vortex. It's so easy for us to see it looking from the outside in, but from his perspective, things aren't as clear. He feels the need to envelope, protect, and nurture JJ along, and because JJ's current modus operandi is to lock everyone else out of his life, Robbie ends up relatively isolated, alone with JJ. Raising kids isn't easy.

You know, get you away from your right-wing craziness, and you're one smart guy. :-) I think you'll find that you're not the only one who feels that way.

Hey mm! Glad you liked it! I really have tried to make Will similar to Brad (as many sons are to their fathers) but with very distinct differences. I'm glad you see that. Means I'm doing my job.

Darius was a great choice, since the key person to convince was Robbie, and he and Darius had a close relationship in the past, even though it's strained right now. I"m sure Robbie was thinking this may be a way to help repair that, by showing Darius that he had confidence in him. It would have been so easy to write the Tony-Will thing from a sappy, teeny-bopper point of view, but I think this works so much better, and shows how much the crucible Will has gone through has helped him to mature.

I think that all of these guys have gotten themselves to a place that is frustrating and scary, and they were willing to grasp for a solution that could make things better. All of them except JJ, who just wants what he wants. And thank you for your kind words!

I'm sure there are future pitfalls awaiting our handsome young narrator. :-) This is CAP, after all. I think Will's solution to have Darius take over is consistent with one of his strengths: he's shown excellent problem-solving and planning abilities.

As a former denizen of the Bay Area, I have to agree with you. I'm glad I haven't lost all of my area knowledge yet! I think that as bratty as he's been as a young teen, those traits will make him a much better and much more interesting older teen/adult.

I think that's probably because WIll is liking himself better. He's fiercely independent, so now that he has that, he feels secure, comfortable. Makes him less spastic.

MacBook Pro, iPhone 4, iPad 3.

December 7, 2000 Malibu, CA Will I had some of my best ideas in the shower, and this morning was no different. My mind was focused on this conflict over my mother, and I was as frustrated as everyone else, trying to find a solution. Only this morning, I’d had an inspiration. I called Robbie first, since he’d be the toughest sell. He didn’t answer his cell phone, so I hung up and called again. He still didn’t answer, so I hung up and called again. “What?” he demanded.

And he's like it.

It is a tragedy to lose someone so young, so vibrant, and so vital.

Good point. Sometimes characters serve their purpose, and then it's time for them to vanish into the woodwork for a while. They don't necessarily have to die. I agree that it's important not to repeat the past exactly. That being said, things are rarely the same. For example, Sharon longs to have JJ run over with a bus. I think she visualizes the bus slamming into him, knocking him down, then accidentally running over him, then, as the driver freaks out, backing up and running over him again. I've never done that before. Tony doesn't have to be absolutely gay. I think that the fluid sexuality you describe can work for someone like Gathan, or even Ryan (who's just horny), but I think Tony is gayer than that. And Will is certainly capable of challenging any social more.

I went to a pretty good college for my undergrad years. In my junior year, I assessed the workload (onerous) and the effort it would require to get A's and B's in my classes. I contrasted that with the effort it would require to get B's and C's. So I had this basic decision to make: Would I be an uber-student and have no life, or would I enjoy the hell out of the last two years, and get mediocre grades. I chose the latter. The college years were the best years of my life. The thought of wasting those years on incessant studying instead of enjoying them seemed idiotic then. Today, it seems even more idiotic. I'd make the same decision all over again.

You actually have a contrast here between the two types that you outlined in the second paragraph above. You have Tony, who represents a classic closet case, a guy who is gay, but doesn't want to be. Add to his psyche the shit with his father, and he's got some serious issues to work through. Will, on the other hand, is the vanguard of "the new gay guy" who didn't live in the uber-oppressive atmosphere, and can be openly gay and quite comfortable with that. I would suspect that many of the older guys in here (like me) can relate to Tony and his challenges, while younger guys will see Will's attitude as being relatively normal. I think it's really hard to predict what Tony will be like in 12 years, even tougher than it is to picture Will at that age. He has a lot of personal growth and evolution to go through. If he stays in the closet, I think he can end up as you described. If not, I can see him eschewing his traditional views. Possibly. I like your description, of Brad moving people around like chess pieces. You're right. Will doesn't do that at all. He isn't that nuanced. He tends to charge right at the problem. I agree. i think that Robbie is very important to Will, but WIll doesn't suffer fools lightly, and Robbie is definitely acting like a fool, at least in his eyes. Will tends to be impulsive, something that may fade as he matures more, but Robbie is emotional, as you have noted. It makes for a volatile mix, and not a whole lot of real listening. True, but I don't think they'll be able to escape from this problem without some damage to their relationship. You can't fight a pitched battle on opposite sides of the battle lines and recover like nothing happened. I think you're right about the friction between Brad and Will, and that's been the case with JP and Brad as well. Brad has come a long way with Will, and is learning that each kid is different, and all of his pre-conceived notions about how to handle them are just so much bullshit. Stuff that worked for Darius won't work for Will, and his approach to JJ will need to be decidedly different than how he deals with either Darius or Will. JJ probably needs a more conventional approach. He's the kid who will probably do what he's supposed to do, and will actually put up with lines like "because I said so." He almost has to, because of his sport and how he's been trained to subordinate himself to a coach.

What a great review. I think that you really nailed the issues that Robbie is dealing with. I think that, as Jeremy has pointed out, Will is absolutely adamant that he be in control of his own life. Brad was, and is, much more focused on influencing others. I suspect that JP sees that, and is pleased. it's a manifestation of one of those key California credos: live and let live. Will can do that. Brad...not so much.

Whenever I delve into topics like this, I worry that they'll evoke some bad memories from readers. I hope yours weren't too bad. Robbie really isn't a bad person, he's just convinced he's right, and doing the right thing. It must be really frustrating for him to be so convinced of that, yet to have his own partner join the fight against him. It goes without saying that this isn't good for Brad and Robbie's relationship.

One of the things that is fun to do is to have characters like Alistair who can re-emerge later on in the saga in a more meaningful role. Or not. :-)

It's funny that really sharp businesspeople can become completely flummoxed when it comes to parenting. Brad's learning, but Robbie's still relatively oblivious.

I agree with you about WIll with Alistair. Will's probably a little lonely, staying at the hotel all by himself. I think that even without the sex, Will would just enjoy having someone to hang around with.

Trebs, you may be biased, but it's justified.

December 3, 2000 Escorial, CA Will I was sitting in my room at Escorial, working on my homework, when there was a knock on the door. I got kind of excited, hoping that it was Tony. It bothered me that he hadn’t called me back. It bothered me that I thought about him so much. “Come in,” I said. The door opened, and my hopes were dashed away when Dad came walking in. “Looks like I’ll be staying up here for a bit,” he said. “We can still do dinner if you want to.” “Aweso