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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

To Move Forward - 10. Nice Guys Finish At Last

“Come on, come on!” Ben called out of his car window.

I was uncomfortable enough wearing a suit without being rushed. I parked, ran over and tossed my bag in the back seat. He shifted into reverse; I stopped.

“Get in, get in!” The panic in his voice was immediately negated by the wide grin.

I jumped inside and Ben pulled away out swiftly.

“Are you going to tell me where we are going yet?”

“Nope.” He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips. “Trust me.”

Same story all week; he wasn’t telling.

“Am I dressed ok at least?”

“You look fantastic.”

He was too excited or happy or both. He drove fast, but not recklessly.

“Sorry about running late. Traffic was terrible.”

“It’s ok. We should make it on time. Don‘t worry.”

“I wouldn’t if you would tell me where we’re going.”

He thought a moment. “If I told you, you might not want to come.”

I grunted. I didn’t like it, whatever it was, but it was important to him. I could deal with whatever it was as long as he was nearby.

“Just stick by me.”

He chuckled softly and squeezed my hand. His was sweaty. Whatever it was, he was worked up.

“Of course. We are in this together.”

I melted as I had all week, every time I got a text, e-mail or call, as I had done during the last months and years. We passed through the old neighborhood and memories. We came to my parents’ old house.

“Yuck!”

“I know, right? Odd shade of green now, but look, see the tree we planted. It’s still there.”

We had dug up a sapling from a park and replanted it. We thought it would die in the first few months, but it came in strong the following year. The tiny sapling behind us was now fully mature. Before my parents moved, we had carved our names into it so everyone would know who planted it. I wondered if our names were still visible. I doubted it. Maybe we could sneak a peek someday.

Before long, he slowed the car and turned into the parking lot of a large school with a church attached to the far side. Ben hadn’t mentioned Darrin’s school. I frantically tried to remember if he had told me about events coming up.

“Hurry, let‘s go.” I barely made it out of the car before he rushed us to the side door. I didn’t have time to think, as I sprinted to keep up with him trotting down the halls, and didn‘t try to figure out how far or where we were going. We finally turned a corner to see Darrin standing in front of a pair of large closed doors.

“You’re here!”

“Just barely,” Ben huffed. “Tell them so we can start.”

Darrin rushed away.

Ben turned to me and straightened my tie.

Something wasn’t right. “Was Darrin wearing a suit too?”

Ben nodded and tucked my shirt. I glanced around the lobby; a large open entryway opening out to a full parking lot. I turned to face the other direction and saw stacks of flyers on a ledge with a beautiful cross on the wall above. Had we come all the way to the church side of the school? I spied another cross above the doors.

Ben smiled and leaned away to check me over.

“Where are we? What‘s…”

He stretched up and kissed me. “You look great.” He opened the door and pushed me in.

I was horrified.

The church was set up for a wedding and the guests were staring at me. I heard a few giggles and reddened. Ben took hold of my elbow and guided me gently up the aisle. I knew he could be impulsive, but this? This?!

“Umm…” I whispered, “I don’t know if I’m ready…” I tried to walk straight and not trip. Faces all around me peered at our progress with each step. The sweat rolled down my back and I was glad I was wearing the jacket so no one would notice.

We continued ahead and I concentrated on not passing out. This walk was becoming the longest of my life.

We approached the front and my heart pounded wildly.

Ben stopped and gestured to the side.

“Here.”

Everything in my head froze.

I thought my chest would explode.

He pointed to the pew again and pushed gently on my arm.

We stood at the second row, marked “Reserved.“ As more of a reflex, I slid in and Ben sat next to me leaving room on his other side. I heard a short laugh. I balled my hands and tried to calm down and think. I didn’t have the time.

Music began and I directed my attention to the rear of the church.

Annie walked slowly towards us arm in arm with a man I knew from somewhere. It was Mitch, from Darrin’s birthday party! They walked past us and gracefully, separated and proceeded to opposite sides. Joe stood beside the pastor.

Darrin followed with a small girl by his side. She tossed flower petals and he tried to walk evenly. At the front, below the steps, both he and the girl turned around. The music changed and we stood up.

Emily, with Kurt on her arm, appeared in the doorway. She was in a simple white dress, he in a suit. With rehearsed grace, they proceeded down the aisle and dismissed Darrin and the flower girl. Darrin came running over to sit next to Ben.

“How did I do?”

“Real good,” he whispered.

The music faded and the ceremony began. Kurt gave Emily away to Joe before sitting down in front of us.

“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Emily and Joseph…”

With all the attention focused on the couple, I stole glances around us. We were seated on the bride’s side directly behind Kurt, his family, and on the far end, Rob. I felt some heat in my face when I saw him. He appeared the same, no visible expression, paying close attention to the ceremony.

Across the aisle, I didn’t recognize anyone in the first few rows. I dared not turn too far to see behind me, but I could feel the presence of many others.

It had been ages since I had been to a wedding. This one was fairly short and concise. I caught Rob spying on me; his mouth formed a hard, straight line.

The row in front of us started out and Rob appeared to try to catch Ben’s notice. There was none. When it was our turn I could recognize more people, Drew and his family, Greg and his. Kathy waved at me while she impatiently waited to leave.

We shook hands with Mitch and Annie then Joe and Emily. Each thanked me for coming before Emily leaned in.

“Thanks for bringing Ben,” she winked. Joe nodded in agreement.

Darrin ran into the growing crowd behind us. We filtered out to the far end to watch and wait.

“We’ll head over to the reception in a few minutes.”

“Reception?”

“You can’t have a wedding without a reception.”

“I didn’t RSVP,” I said flatly.

“Ben plus One. You won’t get out of this that easily,” he chuckled softly.

“It was a good thing you didn’t tell me where we were going.”

His hand strummed my back and I felt like I would survive.

“Hello Ben. Patrick.”

Ben immediately dropped his hand.

“Hi Rob.”

“I hadn’t expected you to show. It’s not usual etiquette for the bride to invite her ex to the wedding, much less…” Rob trailed off glaring at me.

“I believe this was discussed already.”

“Many things and many people get discussed.”

“Yes they do,” Ben said with some grit, “How are your new offices?”

Rob’s face cracked and his eyes flashed. “The offices are fine. I think I may finally have enough space to expand and hire another assistant.”

“Good, you need one. Maybe then you can devote more attention to the products you have.”

Rob froze for a moment before he morphed into the serene, benign presence he had displayed before.

“Of course. The remaining ones are so much more superior anyway. Without the dead weight, I can really get some work done…”

“Hi Rob, peeing in the pool I see,” said Drew smarmily.

Rob rolled his eyes at Drew. “Did you like the ceremony? Or were the words too big?” He nodded graciously and slithered away.

I didn’t know what to say or feel until Drew’s wife laughed.

“Just in time.” Ben shook Drew’s hand and kissed his wife.

“Speaking of which, cutting it a bit close there, you were almost late.”

“That was my fault,” I blushed.

“You still made it. That’s what’s important. Reception?”

Ben responded first. “He wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good, see you there.” They walked away and out the doors.

“What was all that about?”

He hesitated. “I fired Rob about a week ago.”

“What?!”

“Well, not fired exactly, discontinued his contract. Rob won’t be representing my company anymore. I had him move his offices out of my building.”

“You’re kidding…”

“No sir-re. I helped find a new space and arranged the move myself.”

“Wow. No wonder he was bitter.”

“I thought the whole thing was pretty civil, for an eviction that is, even if I do say so myself.” He grinned.

“I think I like Drew.”

“Good. He’s my best friend. He likes you too.”

“Just don’t leave me alone.”

“Stop it. You can take care of yourself. I’m going to look for Darrin, be right back.”

I waited quietly in the hall feeling better Rob was gone, then I heard Greg’s voice.

“How are you doing Patrick?” He gave me a playfully rough punch on the arm.

“Great, how about you?” I punched him back.

“Good. Can’t wait for the reception. Are you going?”

I nodded.

He grinned widely and opened his eyes wider, “Am I allowed to have a drink there, Dad?”

“I think that would be fine… this time.”

“Thank God. I’m dying for a something strong,” he looked at me strangely and smiled. “You’re ok, Patrick, Ben needs someone like you.”

He punched my shoulder and strutted out. I guessed this was as close to Greg saying “you’re in” as I was going to get. I was pondering what Ben could possibly need from me, when I felt a tug on my arm.

“Have you seen Dad?” Darrin asked.

“He was looking for you. You can wait with me, he will be back soon.”

He stood with me and searched for Ben. Before long, we saw him talking to a couple across the way.

“Do you like my dad?” Darrin asked out of the blue.

“Of course.”

His brow creased. “I mean, do you like my dad?”

“Uh…” He expected only one answer, anything short of that, and he would never understand.

“You know.. like, like.” He persisted.

I peered down. How innocent was this question? What does a boy of his age know? Ben better get over here fast.

“Yes, I... umm… like… like your dad. I like him very much.”

He took a few moments to think, then turned and looked into my eyes.

“That’s good. He really like, likes you.”

That simple confirmation told me he knew a lot more about life than most kids his age.

I glanced up to see Ben across the foyer. He caught me grinning at him and returned the smile.

“I think he really like, likes me too.”

***

The reception was in a large, private room of a restaurant. I saw people having cocktails and milling around making small talk. Darrin immediately dashed off toward a group of kids on a small dance floor in the corner.

I felt a now familiar punch. “The bar is over there, going to go find my table,” Greg said before walking away.

“How come I’m not surprised he found something to drink before he found his seat?”

“Let’s find ours first,” Ben said.

We were placed respectfully away from the family but, considerately not next to the door. Drew and his wife were seated with us and I instantly felt better.

“You want a beer?” Ben asked.

“I could use it, yes.”

He walked away towards the bartender.

“How’s it going?” Drew asked.

“So far so good,” I leaned in closer, “Please tell me Greg isn’t sitting around us.”

“No. He’s way, way, way over there,” he pointed across the room.

“Thank God.”

“I don’t know what you are worried about. It seems like you know how to handle him just fine.”

“He’s exhausting.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope I don‘t.”

We laughed. His wife excused herself and left us by ourselves. Drew checked around before continuing.

“Have you talked to Ben about the chat with Rob earlier?”

I nodded.

“Good. I had been telling him to talk to you about all that. He can be so secretive sometimes. He tries to handle things himself. No mention or bragging or anything, but that makes him who he is, I guess.”

Ben returned with my drink, Drew‘s wife following. I wanted to ask Ben more about Rob‘s dismissal, however, it was a private matter and would have to wait till later.

I could see Rob near the front with Kurt and Kurt’s family. There were some others I recognized but couldn’t remember from where, maybe the birthday party or volleyball game.

I brief announcement was made for everyone to return to their tables. Aside from Ben, Drew and his wife, there was only one other couple with us. Ben introduced them as neighbors from when he and Emily were married. It sounded like Emily kept up with them and Ben had fallen out of touch. They talked mainly to each other and I forgot their names immediately.

The wedding party was announced. With less than formal fanfare, they came in and seated themselves at the head table. Waiters rushed in with the appetizers.

“I reserved the prime rib for you,” Ben said softly, “Will that be ok? Or do you want my chicken instead?”

“No. That will be great.” I picked at my salad.

Ben shifted suddenly and pulled out his cell phone which vibrated violently.

“Excuse me, I have to take this.” He grinned and left the table.

“Must be really important,” Drew chuckled.

I was embarrassed. As the CEO of his company, he occasionally got calls on the weekend and late at night. At least his phone was on vibrate. My plate looked even less appealing now. I continued poking at it.

“Patrick, Ben wants you,” Drew pointed at the doorway. “It looks like good news.”

Ben gestured from the door. I approached cautiously. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hallway.

“What’s going on?”

“I have been working on a project for work and I just got word the deal is going through!”

He jumped up and down like a kid and hugged me.

“I know I don’t normally get into this stuff with you, but this time it’s different.” He grabbed my hand. “I don’t know if you know, or what I may have told you, but, I have been wanting to expand my business for a long time. We are solid but could be doing better. I just got word that I can sign the papers for a new building on Monday.”

“That’s huge. Are you going to move the whole company?”

“No, no, I’m going to keep this one here as the hub. The new one will double our space and the location will make the shipping cheaper and more efficient.”

“Where?”

Ben squeezed my hand and gazed into my eyes. “Just outside of Chicago.”

“Chicago? Near me?”

“It makes sense. Cargo going in and out of there will be cheaper. I will be closer to O’Hare airport, which will make meeting with buyers easier. It also doesn‘t hurt that I found a great deal on the building.”

“Wow. That’s so sudden! How did you find it?”

“Well, like I said, I had been thinking about this for a while, then I met this guy a few weeks ago who works for a freight forwarding company,” he observed me mischievously, “He found it for me.”

Met this guy!?

He giggled and couldn’t contain himself. “Alec! Your Alec found it for me!”

I blushed and choked on air. “I’m going to kill him when I get home! I can’t believe you were able to keep this a secret! Both of you!” I hugged him. “With part of you business there, we can see each other more often. Not just weekends… you can stay at my place whenever you want.”

Ben shot a smile at me. “As a matter of fact, I was thinking of moving my office to the new facility… permanently…” He waited and blushed when I forgot to speak.

“Do you want to live with me?” It came out wrong. “Please, Ben, move in with me.”

“Are you sure?”

I kissed him. “I’m sure.”

“I was hoping you would ask. I love you.”

He kissed me. “We better get back in there or we will miss dinner.”

I frowned. “Really?”

He laughed and pulled me to the door. We sat down at the table to our waiting entrées.

“Everything ok?” Drew asked not making any eye contact.

“Everything’s great,” we answered together.

Drew hid his expression down into his meal.

“Drew knew all about this too, didn’t he?!”

They giggled like schoolboys. Far from being embarrassed, my heart nearly pounded with excitement. I had a hard time eating, I was already full… of joy. I shifted in my seat and leaned my leg against Ben’s. He reddened.

Near the end of the main course, the music faded out and Mitch stood up.

Drew whispered to Ben, “I hope he doesn’t use that joke he ran by you.”

“Just make sure to laugh if he does,” said Ben quietly.

“Hello everyone! I know many of you, but for those who don’t know me, I’m Mitch, Joe’s best man, and I would like to say a few words.”

He waited a few beats.

“I know, I know, don’t worry, I’ll make this brief, trust me, I want to get to dessert too…”

I heard some polite laughs, Ben’s among them. His face was alive and happy.

“I met Joe many years ago when we were young men just starting college. Back then…”

Ben and I had met a long time ago too, in school, when we were young…

“…later Joe told me about this wonderful woman he had just met…”

The caring, loving and handsome man, my Ben, my Enge…

“…then I met her and her kids, Annie and Darrin…”

Both loved their dad, they could grow to love me…

“…I could see that love and knew where this would go, maybe even before he did…”

I had known then, maybe Ben had too. We both knew now…

“…so let’s raise our glasses to Emily and Joe…”

Ben and Patrick…

“…two people who took a long time to find each other…”

Twenty some years… I leaned closer to him…

“…and made a some mistakes…”

Stupid, crazy mistakes…

“…but are now ready…”

I was finally ready…

“…to move forward.”

I whispered, “I love you.”

March 2013 (Enlarged Type April 15, 2013)
Any and All feedback is welcome.
Thank you in advance.
Copyright © 2013 Randomness; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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The end of the story is like a breath of fresh air where the reader finally is relieved as all the loose ends come together.

 

An open letter to Ben

Hi Ben. At last your search for happiness is over. I know that you will give Patrick everything and more. I Remember at the beginning when everything was on tender hooks, and Patrick left you standing on the grass in just your underclothes. I remember he threw out his cowboy hat. I thought, oh hell, this is really a hopeless love. You proved me wrong. I wonder if you thought the same way. I can imagine how you must have cried. I would have. You seem to be at your best when the love of your life is around you. I think you rock.

 

An open letter to Patrick

Hi Patrick. When i first met you i remember thinking, oops, sensitive man, please pass. Maybe i had forgotten how i had fought for someone in my life. How certain things niggled me and caused me to step back. I rber them now amd your actions like mine, brought him closer. So yeah, sentimental about those things. I am really over the moon about your decisions. And the last line, well, that made it all the better for Ben. He knows now that he has always been the one and at last you can move forward. Way to go bro

 

I hope you have a fabulous life together.

  On 3/8/2013 at 1:36 AM, Mann Ramblings said:
There are times when a fairy-tale happily ever after is very welcome. This is one of them. What a nice, satisfying ending. Well done. :)
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... and they did not even need a "Fairy-Godfather"!

 

Truly, I am pleased to hear the ending worked and was satisfying for you. Endings (for me) are the worst to write. I think it is because it is so hard to let the characters go.

 

Thank you for reading and writing Mann! :-)

  On 3/8/2013 at 6:48 PM, LJH said:
The end of the story is like a breath of fresh air where the reader finally is relieved as all the loose ends come together.

 

An open letter to Ben

Hi Ben. At last your search for happiness is over. I know that you will give Patrick everything and more. I Remember at the beginning when everything was on tender hooks, and Patrick left you standing on the grass in just your underclothes. I remember he threw out his cowboy hat. I thought, oh hell, this is really a hopeless love. You proved me wrong. I wonder if you thought the same way. I can imagine how you must have cried. I would have. You seem to be at your best when the love of your life is around you. I think you rock.

 

An open letter to Patrick

Hi Patrick. When i first met you i remember thinking, oops, sensitive man, please pass. Maybe i had forgotten how i had fought for someone in my life. How certain things niggled me and caused me to step back. I rber them now amd your actions like mine, brought him closer. So yeah, sentimental about those things. I am really over the moon about your decisions. And the last line, well, that made it all the better for Ben. He knows now that he has always been the one and at last you can move forward. Way to go bro

 

I hope you have a fabulous life together.

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LJ,

I told you once that I lived in the present and only in the present, maybe that is not really true after all. The past and future are what I am living for now. My past and future with Patrick. It is funny to hear you say that at last my search for happiness is over. I think I have always known where it was. (And, as a good friend of yours, I will never let you forget that I was right: once you got to know me, you would like me!)

BFF, Ben

 

LJH,

When I finally told Ben that I loved him, it was the brightest day of my life in the shadows. Finding out that Ben was working towards me the entire time gave me the security that I needed to make that final step. He was always the one and he always will be. I promise to trust more and never let go of him again. The next twenty years will be the best, heck, the next sixty will be!

Your Friend, Patrick

 

 

Thank you for getting to know us. Even if we didn’t always do exactly what you thought would be for the best, knowing you would stand by us through thick and thin really made a difference. Your heart-felt concern and gentle prodding helped us to move forward. Sharing our joy with you, has been a privilege.

Hugs Always, Patrick and Ben

So, my quota for likes ended at chapter eight, I wished there were more. I loved every bit of this story, I figured it would be better to write one long review. Mostly, I was too eager to get to the next chapter to pause... I think this is a real love story, real in the sense that Patrick and Ben are dealing with such real situations in life. All their questions, insecurities, mistakes and how much they can make you miss so much, I love how irrevocably real they are. This is a lovely story, and I love the ending. I couldn't help laughing through the part where Ben was dragging Patrick down the aisle. I was imagining a wedding had been planned without Patrick knowing. Wouldn't that have been fun?...lol..

 

Anyway, on a side note, the final chapter could use a larger font. Maybe a twelve. Other than that, thank you so very much for sharing Patrick and Ben's story. It is lovely.

And beautiful story. Yes it might have taken twenty years for them to finally get together but without those twenty years they wouldn't have Annie, Darrin. Granted there wouldn't have been the pain and loneliness either. The fact is they happened but Patrick stepped up and made that first step back to Ben and he didn't back off again. Without the past they wouldn't have the friends and family they do now. Now they have the present and the future together.

  On 4/15/2013 at 8:23 PM, lilansui said:
So, my quota for likes ended at chapter eight, I wished there were more. I loved every bit of this story, I figured it would be better to write one long review. Mostly, I was too eager to get to the next chapter to pause... I think this is a real love story, real in the sense that Patrick and Ben are dealing with such real situations in life. All their questions, insecurities, mistakes and how much they can make you miss so much, I love how irrevocably real they are. This is a lovely story, and I love the ending. I couldn't help laughing through the part where Ben was dragging Patrick down the aisle. I was imagining a wedding had been planned without Patrick knowing. Wouldn't that have been fun?...lol..

 

Anyway, on a side note, the final chapter could use a larger font. Maybe a twelve. Other than that, thank you so very much for sharing Patrick and Ben's story. It is lovely.

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“…I love how irrevocably real they are.” I teared a little reading that.

 

I wanted Patrick and Ben to be relatable. They could be your friends. Sometimes they listen to you and sometimes they don’t. That what makes characters real to me. Thank you for feeling the humanness in them.

 

About the wedding: you got it! It was supposed to be funny and you thought exactly what Patrick did! Big Hug to you for that!

 

(Also, thanks for bringing up the font size. I just made it larger.)

 

I cannot say it enough: Thank you!

  On 4/16/2013 at 2:55 AM, Daithi said:
And beautiful story. Yes it might have taken twenty years for them to finally get together but without those twenty years they wouldn't have Annie, Darrin. Granted there wouldn't have been the pain and loneliness either. The fact is they happened but Patrick stepped up and made that first step back to Ben and he didn't back off again. Without the past they wouldn't have the friends and family they do now. Now they have the present and the future together.
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It is cliché but, I see people as a sum of their experiences: good, bad, full or empty. That may be the crux of the story and indeed life: the past plus the present equals the future.

 

Thank you, thank you for reading and writing!

  On 5/3/2013 at 5:37 AM, TMcCallahan said:
I fully & completely enjoyed this story. You did an exceptional job with your characters, your point of view, and your plot. I'm quite impressed. Overall, very well executed. Kudos to both you & your editor. This was an excellent piece of work. Thoroughly satisfying.
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:-) Thank you. Knowing that you enjoyed TMF really does mean a lot to me.

 

I was extremely fortunate to have the talented LJH on my team.

 

Thank you again and again for both reading and writing. Your kind words feel like a big warm hug. Right back at you!

Wow! I was so frustrated with Patrick and how he needed his friends to sort him out. And what incredible friends he had. They were the best ever. I failed to see Ben's story and was mad with him for being such a prick to Patrick, but then had you told Ben's story I would have thought Patrick was the prick. And then Jeff. He was really nice and he had another story too. I was sorry Patrick didn't get with him, until the final chapters told the real story of Patrick and Ben. Your story drew me in more and more. The circle of Ben's friends was so interesting too and so well done. It was a typical gathering of parents drawn together by their children and all so different. Well done for a very interesting and entertaining and realistic story. It gave hope for all us hopeless cases who have wasted long years of our lives in the wrong place. Ben's kids, especially Darrin, were so delightful too. I loved it. Thanks! I see you attracted some great author/readers too whose stories I have so enjoyed reading. Good job, man! I like the title of the last chapter too, by the way!

  On 9/6/2013 at 12:12 PM, Jaro_423 said:
Wow! I was so frustrated with Patrick and how he needed his friends to sort him out. And what incredible friends he had. They were the best ever. I failed to see Ben's story and was mad with him for being such a prick to Patrick, but then had you told Ben's story I would have thought Patrick was the prick. And then Jeff. He was really nice and he had another story too. I was sorry Patrick didn't get with him, until the final chapters told the real story of Patrick and Ben. Your story drew me in more and more. The circle of Ben's friends was so interesting too and so well done. It was a typical gathering of parents drawn together by their children and all so different. Well done for a very interesting and entertaining and realistic story. It gave hope for all us hopeless cases who have wasted long years of our lives in the wrong place. Ben's kids, especially Darrin, were so delightful too. I loved it. Thanks! I see you attracted some great author/readers too whose stories I have so enjoyed reading. Good job, man! I like the title of the last chapter too, by the way!
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I mean this sincerely, thank you so much for reading and writing.

 

I wanted it to go at a real-life pace to make it feel as real as possible. I kept thinking that by taking away what Ben was thinking and doing, the reader would be in the same place as Patrick. Ben would be the “dark horse” and come through in the end, hopefully to the surprise and delight of everyone. Thanks for understanding that.

 

You may be the only person to comment on the chapter titles, thank you. I wanted them to be both fun and appropriate.

 

Lastly, in the dark recesses of my computer is the story of how Alex and Grant got together. It was written years before this one. I need to get off my butt to revise and publish. I hope to bring you along on that ride too someday.

 

Thank you again!

  On 9/6/2014 at 5:17 AM, Suvitar said:
Lovely story with a happy ending :wub:
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I had hoped the guys would have a happy ending, and we all got there together!

 

Thank you so very much for reading and writing. It touches me deeply when people enjoy the story.

 

I see you have started Without a Manual, Jeff has been looking forward to his own story. I hope you like that one as well. See you over there. :-)

I'm so relieved that all of Ben's secrets were nice ones and went over well with Patrick. And that Patrick finally said those three important words to his man. Cool little Darrin had me laughing.

But I'm a little upset you ended the story here, even if it was cutely romantic. How about an epilogue to see them living together, having fun, making up to years of missing out ? Oh well at least I hav Jeff's story to read now - I'm wondering if he gets together with Rob, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. In any case I want him to find someone nice.

  On 9/20/2014 at 10:33 AM, Timothy M. said:
I'm so relieved that all of Ben's secrets were nice ones and went over well with Patrick. And that Patrick finally said those three important words to his man. Cool little Darrin had me laughing.

But I'm a little upset you ended the story here, even if it was cutely romantic. How about an epilogue to see them living together, having fun, making up to years of missing out ? Oh well at least I hav Jeff's story to read now - I'm wondering if he gets together with Rob, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea. In any case I want him to find someone nice.

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Considering I am not great with kids, I am pleased with Darrin. Thank you for seeing him for who he was and thank you for letting me know he made you laugh. It literally took Patrick the entire story to say I love you. It was important for him to say it, he needed to.

 

I know… I grappled with ending where I did. I did not want to drag anything out or end too quickly. I prefer to think of them as a pair of friends that we knew for a little while. Life is not perfect but does go on. They had lives before us and will after us.

 

Jeff practically begged me to give him a story. We (you, me, and other readers) all want to see him happy. His route will be different of course. Without a Manual is an evolving work as To Move Forward was. I heartily invite you to read and comment and question me. Private Message if you like. The more I hear, the more possibilities there can be. I definitely value your opinion and look forward to hearing from you.

 

Thank you so very much for reading, writing, and caring.

  On 12/28/2014 at 4:24 AM, Headstall said:
Perfect ending. I am so glad that I read this again...cheers...Gary
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Once again, thank you so much Gary. I said it before, but it really does mean so much to me that you found TMF again and took the time to comment. I am also extremely pleased that you found the final chapter satisfying. Leaving you happy makes me smile. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Gary!
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