KevinD

Brad is due for some major good karma...

Carmichael...hmmmn, seems like Brad has joined JP & Stefan in the unknowing incest club?

I happen to agree with Mark's comments about why he writes the stories the way that he does. I can also empathize with Carlos' feelings. At the end of the day we are each entitled to our own opinions that have been formed by our individual life experiences. I personally believe that we have become in many ways, way too sensitive - obviously my personal feelings and not meant to discount Carlos or others that share his viewpoint. All we can do realistically is agree that we will disagree on many areas. Everyone has the right to their own opinions and should share them in a civil manner, but at the end of the day with a topic like this, the only thing that any of us can choose to do is simply not read/view material that we find objectionable. Thank you Mark for your writings and I can only hope that you do not take any criticisms or comments personally, and that you will continue to entertain the vast majority of your readers that have been following your stories…

A really beautiful chapter with unexpected characters coming together in a potentially explosive mix. Seeing/hearing a couple of attitude changes as Will's words hit home was gratifying... Heartbreaking that Carullo lost his love after only reuniting with him...and I though we were about done with the tears... Thanks Mark -

KevinD Yesterday, 04:57 PM (Chapter 44 Review) Well worth the wait… Have been looking for this since Saturday! Reply from Mark Arbour (author) I'm so glad you weren't disappointed! Thanks for the review. Damn, you guys are a demanding bunch. :-) WE JUST LIKE TO BE "REGULAR" as time advances. regularity is good!

Well worth the wait… Have been looking for this since Saturday!

While I cannot exactly remember the lyrics all that was running through my head during this chapter was Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing".. Of course all of that sexual healing came after a few tears… Thanks Mark!

Another great chapter with content that helps us deal with the storyline and the aftermath. On a personal level, Baxter's counseling would have been useful several months ago. Though "late" for me, still useful. It's great when you get double value... ;-)

Well Mark finally got to me – while I may have sniffled a bit during the phone call between Robbie and Brad it wasn't till this chapter the tears truly came. I don't know what Memorial's there will be but I'm sure they will be almost as tough to get through as this chapter was :-( Very touching closing scene with Brad joining JJ and Will, taking us back to more innocent days that may have been long past but perhaps not gone - until the events we've just relived... In the meantime between this chapter and last, I've gone back to Be Rad to relive their initial meeting and subsequent first "days" together. A new appreciation for what they had was gained going through those first several chapters again... Thank you Mark!

I woke up to my radio alarm and remember laying there for a couple of minutes and it dawned on me that the radio announcer was jabbering about some plane hitting the World Trade Center. At the time I thought it was just a silly joke because sometimes they were prone to doing things like that, so I just got up and got into the shower. It wasn't till after I came out of the shower and having shaved that I went into the family room and turned on the TV, only to see it there. Later as I was getting ready to walk out the door for work is when the second plane hit. I just sat down and really could not believe what I was seeing. It probably was about 15 minutes before I had to leave as I had meetings that day that had to take place. The office of course was just a buzz of confusion and constant utterings of disbelief being heard all around. Many clients canceled calls that day for obvious reasons and I just remember that the entire day was just so surreal. By the time I got home early evening the news channels were replaying maps of the radar images showing the airspace being cleared. I had also heard of the plane hitting the Pentagon and of course then we knew of the plane crash in the field in Pennsylvania. I'm sure like everyone else I was wondering what was going to happen next. As bad as all of that was, one of the things that struck me the most in the aftermath were the televised images of people in the Middle East. To see them out in the streets cheering and dancing and shouting and carrying on...

Well in some ways this was a happy surprise – meaning two chapters in one day… Very poignant, all we can hope for is that by some miracle Robbie, Hank and Jeannine make it out. I don't know if my memory is correct but I seem to recall there was a story of a few people that survived the collapse in the stairway. Maybe will be so lucky as to see our family (that's what they become) be part of that miracle...

It's funny, I never even thought about Senator Danfield being at the Pentagon. If the Senator dies Wade will likely really have his hands full with his mother... Robbie… Hopefully he'll meet Jeannine and Hank coming down and still be able to make it out of the building and away from it in time. Robbie's words to Will about his dad were really something. Even if Robbie makes it and Brad doesn't fall apart, it would seem to be enough there for Will to hang onto to see his father in a new light, allowing them to work out their issues and be stronger than ever. We can only hope...

All I can say is I feel the same as I felt when 9/11 occurred. The same anxiety and the same feeling of initial disbelief...even though this retelling in within a fiction story. It speaks to either the original emotions and/or the skill with which it is being retold in the story - In any case, a great job!

Well, all that remains to be seen is how long Mark will keep us tied up in knots - hopefully only for very short time… Thank you Mark and team for giving us two 9/11 chapters over the Labor Day weekend!

The next few chapters sure should be interesting. The only fear that I have for major characters during 9/11 is Hank. Will she be on duty the morning of 9/11 and will she answer the call to go up and rescue/evacuate the towers, only to be lost? Or perhaps Hank will take Jeannine for an early morning breakfast at the top of the towers/Top of The World (name?) restaurant on that fateful morning…

I have to agree with all of the comments posted by the folks that beat me to leaving a review. The only observation I can add the no one has yet noted is this – isn't it amazing how some people can be so astute in some areas (Stef's business acumen) and yet so clueless in other ways. Or perhaps it's just that sometimes we don't treat those that are closest to us with the same level of attention or care that we pay to those that are not our family… Thanks Mark for this ongoing story and the way that you have written these characters… As one other poster has already mentioned it is so hard to remember that this is "just" a work of fiction...Kudos to team Arbour!

Yes, a very nice Father's Day chapter! I guess we know that will will buy the house and the question is how long will it take for Kai and Will to become friends? I can see the competitive edge and mutual passion for surfing driving them together in the end, at least as far as a friendship goes…

So, Arthur the future Duke of Wellington, makes an appearance and gets knowledge of our Granger. What a fortunate turn of events and one can only wonder how this will benefit Geroge down the road? If my identification is not correct Mark, please don't let it stand...thanks for the hard work you and you team put in to make us happy!

Other than adding my thanks to CJ and his magnificent team that have spent a few years giving us Circumnavigation, what else is there to say but "wow"! ...and of course, very sad that this tale is essentially over - sniff... Report

Yes, quite a bit of mystery cleared up with this mini-chapter.

Well thank goodness that Mason was able to make the rest of Will's trip physically & emotionally satisfying for both of them. The question is, will the planted seed (pardon the pun) set the stage for a friendship that will grow despite the distance?

Other than adding my thanks to CJ and his magnificent team that have spent a few years giving us Circumnavigation, what else is there to say but "wow"! ...and of course, very sad that this tale is essentially over - sniff...

A very interesting chapter with at least one aspect being handled…meaning Dana, but I'm sure we've not seen nor heard the last from her. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to out Tony to his family. Tony's family could be quite interesting since I seem to recall Tony's mom having been somewhat resigned or perhaps aware of his dad cheating on her with men. Certainly a lot of potential with that part of the story and how it plays out into Tony's future… As for the camping trip itself I feel like it's possible that Tony could get inadvertently outed and then have to deal with his friends reactions. And the question is, will they catch him in the act with Will or Mason or Rick? Mason is somewhat doubtful since Rick and Will are Tony's main (identified male) involvements to date. If you put the potential outing on the camping trip together with Dana's (presumed) attempted outing of Tony to his family, that could be a real double barrel blast for Tony to deal with... As always to Mark and his team – what a great job you all have done with this story and the ones that preceded it – thanks for hours and hours of entertainment!

It has been a while since I've had to time sign in and make comments sharing how much I appreciate these "short shots" of Second Shot, Sr. Year. It's always fun to see the continuation of a story that kept me totally absorbed. On the other hand, having to only get a page, maybe couple pages of story at a time is almost too hard to handle… LOL Personally I think Matt is jealous, yes jealous. Can we say heretofore unknown closet case?

If Mark were another author popular on this site he would be accused of leaving us with a very substantial cliffhanger ending! But as Mark doesn't look like or smell like an old crusty goat then he's not left us with a cliffhanger ending. Merely a pausing place to reflect on how important George is to so many people... ;-)