jenni

The Senator really screwed up, but I think Wade is kind of glad that he did so he could come out. I'm kind of curious about Konrad's reaction and Turner's assumption that Matt was with him. JP and Stef were awesome, as always! Brian seems pretty beat down. He's bound to either going to sink lower or come to his senses and try to straighten out his life. I wonder which it will be? The interview and following reactions should be great. Can't wait!

This situation is horrible. Writing to my congressman would be a waste of time and postage, but I am writing to both of my senators.

I can only talk about Christianity, not because I think it's the only religion with "good" in it, but because it's the only one with which I'm familiar enough to reply. This is a broad question, so I'm going to focus on how it can affect society rather than the individual. The Bible can be used for good or for ill. When relied upon in the best ways, it teaches how to treat each other better. 1. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to look beyond races, nationalities and other prejudices we might have towards other people and help when we are needed. 2. Jesus befriended the harlot Mary Magdalene to the chagrin of some of the disciples, which is another example of how we should spend a lot less time judging each other and more time caring about each other. 3. Jesus showed by example that we can be forgiven, but we must also be able to forgive others. 4. The Bible lays the foundation for good morals that speak to how we treat other people, such as not lying, not stealing, etc. The problem with that is that people sometimes focus too much on that aspect and not only take certain passages too literally, but forget to couple it with Jesus' example of not judging and forgiving. 5. The Bible says we were made after God's own image, which implies not only that we have worth as individuals, but that all humans have worth and need to be treated that way. This was the basis of the Quakers' abolitionist views.

Wade and Matt are so perfect together! Like Matt, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop in this chapter. I can't decide if I'm happy that it didn't or not. Of course I want them to be happy, but I don't want the story to end yet! It's a very good sign that Wade is considering Matt's feelings about sleeping with women at parties. I was also glad that Cole is up and around and interacting with people again. I was worried that staying holed up at Escorial might not be good for his depression, but he seems to be doing well. Matt's Mom is a piece of work. She and her husband kick Matt out of their lives and cut him off financially while he's in school, and then are surprised that he would embarrass them? That's pretty minor compared to what they've done to him. Even JP's parents handled it much better, and that was 30+ years earlier.

I voted for Scottish. With Craig Ferguson's crazy sense of humor and his sexy accent, I could listen to him 24/7.

Great chapter. The country club scene was lots of fun, and Robbie *sigh* I just love him! Who wouldn't want to have such an awesome father! It's funny to think that he makes a living doing what Greg used to do because their personalities are so different and IMHO Robbie has his priorities in life straight. Hmm I wonder what Wade has been up to back at Escorial?

The Light in Your Eyes is another one of my favorites. Also, you might check out Literotica.com - the gay male section might surprise you if you haven't already looked. There are a lot of good writers there who write substantive, real stories. And, which is a real plus considering what you are looking for, the site requires that the stories not have sexual scenes involving minors, so you can be assured that all the stories are about adult relationships. Another plus of the site is that using the "Top Rated" section helps a reader separate the wheat from the chaff pretty easily. One story there that I like and I think fits what you are looking for is When Irish Eyes are Smiling. I also recommend almost anything by ingarlm.

I picked Wade, Cole and Cam, but honestly I have no idea who it will be. I think it would be hilarious if the whole group went. Stef would be great. Oh and now that I think about it, it would be great to see Stef playing the part of Matt's lover because not only would people be surprised by Matt being gay, but by him being the boytoy of some rich, much older man!

That was a really fun chapter! Matt was brilliant during his confrontation with Wade's father. My favorite part was when he started yelling, "But I'm a U.S. Senator!" I also loved the scene with Cole. I'm glad they were spending some time with him, and it was funny that he was teasing them about being an old married couple. Can't wait to see what happens in Cleveland! That should be a riot.

I love Christmas movies. A lot of my favorites are sappy, but I love sap especially this time of year. 1. Christmas Vacation 2. It's a Wonderful Life 3. White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye 4. Home Alone 2 - Lost in New York 5. A Charlie Brown Christmas Incidentally, for those in the States, AMC is running Christmas Vacation every night this week. If you haven't watched it, this is your chance!

I have no clue what any of that meant, but I'm glad it's funny to New Englanders! There are a few things all Hoosiers would know that others wouldn't, I suppose, like the name of the real town that the movie Hoosiers was based on (Milan).

I couldn't agree more! When it comes to child molesters, I really don't care about what has caused the abuser to molest, unless it is for the purpose of research to prevent it from happening in the future. There is simply no excuse for doing that to a child. If the Senator started molesting Wade when he was twelve, then he has no qualms about molesting young kids and I would be surprised if he hasn't also molested Beau. I wonder if Wade will come out to his brother by the time they head to Escorial? I'm really glad Wade's anger at Matt didn't last too long and that he's willing to go along with Matt's plan. I was afraid Wade might be harder to convince. I will feel much better once the trio of boys is safely away from Washington. It's true. I say I live in Indianapolis so everyone has an idea where I am, but I am really out in the country near Indy. My husband works in schools as a consultant, and even in some of the most small town, rural, backwards areas it is almost a popular thing to come out as gay. I'm not saying that's true everywhere, but it's not just the "fashionable" places by any means.

^^ To some degree, Robbie and Brad had to deal with that in Be Rad and Man in Motion. By the time Robbie got out of prison in the latter story, Brad had to be pretty rough with him to get Robbie off, as I recall. Brad didn't have to exactly recreate a rape scene, but couldn't be gentle, either, and that was because of Robbie being repeatedly raped in high school and prison. I don't think Wade's going to react that way, but he's going to have a hard time getting over what's going on. He may even be mad at Matt for finding out.

Well, I have had my thoughts on that, too, at least from Wade's point of view. I think Wade is protecting his younger brother from their father. Wade thinks if he is always around when his brother is (since his brother goes away to school, too) and doesn't fight his father too much, then his father won't do anything to Beau. That's why Wade goes into a trance during sex, so he can mentally deal with it and not fight it, even when it is repulsive to him.

LOL My husband has to bandage my cuts when they are bleeding too badly because I have such a weak stomach, so I don't think anyone has anything to fear from me! I'm just worried for all our members with their high scores.

Hopefully family members are still full from Thanksgiving turkey and leftovers so our members won't start disappearing too quickly. Plus, they will likely want to keep you around long enough to get a Christmas present from you. January could be scary around GA.

OMG I feel old! Kind of like when we were little and used to ask our parents if they had to drive the horse and buggy to school when they were young! Yes, I had my first mobile phone in 1994 when I was in college, and by 1996 when I got married I had a small one that wasn't too dissimilar from what we have today, except a bit bigger. Well not too dissimilar as far as the actual phone functions went, but no cameras, internet, games, etc. In post #707 Mark said we'd know in two chapters what was going with Wade, and that was before this last chapter was posted, so I think we should know something in the next chapter, even if it's not the whole story. I agree with calling this a cliffhanger. Inquiring minds want to know!

I was really hoping for Matt's sake that his parents' first reaction to the news he was gay was merely an attempt to control him, and that when that didn't work and he didn't come crying to them they would back off some. Apparently not. That would take a heart of stone to make plans excluding your only child from Christmas and then not even talk to him about it. Yeah, cutting off the money was harsh too, but that again could be about control. Not wanting to see your son at all - very harsh. I really liked how everyone, parents and grandparents alike, are now contributing to Matt's finances. Money isn't love, but I'm sure it's helping Matt to feel loved by all of them. I'm afraid Matt's going to need more support tomorrow when he watches that tape.

If Matt was going to be outed to his parents, it's kind of good that it happened at Thanksgiving when there were so many people around him to offer support. Brad and Robbie were just awesome. Matt is really lucky to have such a lot of people who love him and care about him. And of course, Wade is at the top of the list so it was wonderful to see them reunited!

I pretty much like them in the order they were written, with CAP being my least favorite (but still very good!) and If it Fits being my favorite so far. Bloodlines could surpass it by the time it is done, but I just adore Stef and JP so their story will be tough to top! I don't know if Mark just gets better as he goes along, if I get more emotionally tied to the characters the more I read, or if I like the stories with the more modern settings.

I think you have good taste judging by your list! One of my favorites is Second Wind by Mickey S. The two main characters are adults and I think it fits the bill of what you're looking for. I've read it so many times I've lost count.

I'm going to play a little bit of devil's advocate here because I don't think that Adam's kiss should have been censored and I agree with him about there being a double standard with regard to girls kissing on tv and guys kissing on tv. However, that being said, Adam did that without consulting the people behind the show (I think it was a Dick Clark production) or even letting them know he was going to do it. I don't think it was quite as spontaneous as he claims. If I were producing a big awards show that was going to be aired nationally and my butt was on the line, I would want to know everything that was going to happen, especially from the performance standpoint. Even though I personally don't think the kiss should have been censored, I would probably be mad at Adam for doing that without my approval or knowledge. I guess the people at GMA just didn't trust him after that to commit to another live performance. There is free speech in America, but sometimes you have to live with the ramifications of your speech and and actions. I think Adam is right to be upset about the double standard and the censoring, but I can also kind of see the standpoint of a producer who just can't be quite sure what Adam will do on live television now.

^^ Matt's parents met his California family when they visited him before school started.

Very handsome, Camilo!

It seems like everyone at Escorial is having a fun Thanksgiving so far! I'm really interested in seeing how things work out with Cody and Max. Is their connection strong enough for Max to feel comfortable sharing Cody with others? It will be interesting to see. Max is such a great guy that I hope it works out for him. I know Matt's parents aren't the most accepting people in the world by any means, but it seems like they are trying to accept Matt's biological family. I don't know if it's because they care about Matt and want to see him happy, or because they don't want to upset Matt's potential organ donors. I hope it's the former. If so, maybe there is hope they will take Matt's coming out better than he fears. That chapter was great fun and I'm looking forward to the next one!