Thicker Than Water - 34. Chapter 34

3 hours ago, Carybr said:

Bryan should understand that Latinx knows no colors.  Most of the people in Spain and Portugal are as white as can be; he would fit right in.  He shouldn't be judging himself by his skin color.  His classmates don't.

That's the problem with self-conscience teens, isn't it?  Emotion overrides logic almost every time.

Another great chapter @John Henry showing more of why Steve as going to be a great 2nd Dad (or stepdad) to the family, including Bryan.

Bryan is having a terrible time fitting in, largely due to his bio-parents continuing to crowd in when it's clear they don't want Bryan. That continues to make Bryan angry, confused and feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere; and frequently teens, especially those with sexuality issues, go to the extreme of trying (too often succeeding) to remove themselves from life.

The next steps for Steve and Diego is clear. Have the court remove Bryan's parents from the situation, as a danger to Bryan. Have Steve adopt Bryan (and Caleb) to give him the family he needs and deserves.

1 hour ago, Anton_Cloche said:

Another great chapter @John Henry showing more of why Steve as going to be a great 2nd Dad (or stepdad) to the family, including Bryan.

Bryan is having a terrible time fitting in, largely due to his bio-parents continuing to crowd in when it's clear they don't want Bryan. That continues to make Bryan angry, confused and feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere; and frequently teens, especially those with sexuality issues, go to the extreme of trying (too often succeeding) to remove themselves from life.

The next steps for Steve and Diego is clear. Have the court remove Bryan's parents from the situation, as a danger to Bryan. Adopt Bryan to give him the family he needs and deserves.

I don't like writing non-realistic characters, so the teens I write about are never two dimensional.  Their emotions are fluid and moves in waves.  I also try to keep things are authentic to age as I can, and teen often bottle their emotions, since they don't know how to deal with them.  Everything happens suddenly, new experiences and feels, and they don't have the time or knowledge to process all that's flooding in.  They get overwhelmed and either take it out on themselves or others.  Bryan is someone who has always taken his feelings out on others as a defense mechanism to prevent people from getting close and hurting him, and it's no different in this chapter.

Steve just happens to be patient and carrying.  He looked at Bryan and said (paraphrasing), "I see you, I acknowledge you, and I love you."  That's all anyone in Bryan's situation wants, and it was enough to break that frozen barrier for Bryan.

I'm not sure if you missed it or not, but Bryan and Caleb were adopted by Diego already.  Donna and Calvin lost their parental rights to the boys, and Diego is their parent.  Calvin is trying to regain his rights and custody, which is what the court battle is over.  Provided Diego wins, he can let Steve adopt the boys if he wants.

7 hours ago, Summerabbacat said:

Bryan is drowning in a sea of anxiety, self-pity, fear and loathing, anger and despair. It appears he is quite a normal teen in that respect, although perhaps a little more extreme. Are Steve and Diego the "right" people to help with the multitude of issues he has, most seemingly caused either directly or indirectly by his birth parents? Steve and Diego's intentions are good and they seem to be doing what conventional wisdom would say is the right thing to do to help Bryan, but is it enough?

I also don't think having Kenny living with Bryan is helping either of them. Speaking of Kenny, when is his mother going to put her big girl pants on and step up to the task of being a mother. Life's tough for her yes, but life is tough for lots of people and they don't shirk their responsibility. Terra has got her sussed out I think. She sounds not unlike Donna (seemingly without the drugs) and Calvin. 

Apart from Steve and Diego, the remaining parents in this story leave much to be desired. Ironic perhaps the gay couple are relatively very good parents, whereas the "normal" heterosexual couples who are either in relationships with each other or were at one time or another, are fucking useless. I know it is only a story, but these circumstances are not at all unusual and this kind of glaring evidence rebutting the theory that children do best in a "normal" nuclear family gives the fundamentalists and Republicans heart seizures (although not nearly often enough).

Very good writing still @John Henry. The character of Steve is one you have developed with authenticity and obvious affection, making him an integral part of the Padilla family now.

 

 

Yes, Bryan is a more "extreme" (for want of a better word) teenager.  He has trauma which makes his usual teenage issues worse, and I'm trying to keep that in mind as I write.  Diego and Steve are do the best they can, but they really need to get him into therapy, which Bryan has resisted or refused to participate in in the past.  Until they can convince him to give it a real try again, they can only do so much as parents.

Kenny and his mom...that's a story for another time....

I wasn't trying to be political when it comes to the gay vs straight parents issue. Lol  However, I agree with you.  Conservatives have no evidence that homosexual couples make worse parents than heterosexuals.  Diego hasn't been a perfect parent, either.  He moved from damaged relationship to damaged relationship throughout the boys' lives.  Steve is really the only healthy relationship Diego has been in.  Diego tries to be the best parent he can be, and Steve is trying as well, without over stepping, and really that's the what every human should aspire to.

Apologies for the 'Oops' in my comment. Some things got left out in post.  I was aware that Bryan and Caleb were adopted by Diego, but despite Calvin and Donna having their parental rights removed by the court, both continue to try and interfere, with Calvin's attempt to interfere. 

Courts need to jail, rather than warn or fine parents for refusing to accept restraining orders. In real life we see to many incidents that have tragic outcomes.

Thanks again for this story.

2 hours ago, Anton_Cloche said:

Apologies for the 'Oops' in my comment. Some things got left out in post.  I was aware that Bryan and Caleb were adopted by Diego, but despite Calvin and Donna having their parental rights removed by the court, both continue to try and interfere, with Calvin's attempt to interfere. 

Courts need to jail, rather than warn or fine parents for refusing to accept restraining orders. In real life we see to many incidents that have tragic outcomes.

Thanks again for this story.

No apologies needed.  Sometimes I use a lot of subtext and whatnot, and I sometimes take things for granted in my writing, which can get lost.  I know what's in my head, but it doesn't always makes it way to print.  I agree with you about the restraining order situation; however, restraining orders are considered civil rather than criminal matters, and the police aren't required to enforce civil situations unless they become criminal first.  Merely breaking a restraining order by proximity isn't enough, which is why so many people get hurt or killed before the cops do anything.

11 hours ago, John Henry said:

Yes, Bryan is a more "extreme" (for want of a better word) teenager.  He has trauma which makes his usual teenage issues worse, and I'm trying to keep that in mind as I write.  Diego and Steve are do the best they can, but they really need to get him into therapy, which Bryan has resisted or refused to participate in in the past.  Until they can convince him to give it a real try again, they can only do so much as parents.

Kenny and his mom...that's a story for another time....

I wasn't trying to be political when it comes to the gay vs straight parents issue. Lol  However, I agree with you.  Conservatives have no evidence that homosexual couples make worse parents than heterosexuals.  Diego hasn't been a perfect parent, either.  He moved from damaged relationship to damaged relationship throughout the boys' lives.  Steve is really the only healthy relationship Diego has been in.  Diego tries to be the best parent he can be, and Steve is trying as well, without over stepping, and really that's the what every human should aspire to.

I had forgotten Bryan has previously resisted therapy @John Henry. I drafted my comments in Word before posting (primarily for grammar and punctuation checking) and had suggested therapy. I must have decided to delete the comment for some reason (either that I did a bad copy and paste job). 

I think you are being a little harsh on Diego or perhaps I have not appreciated the extent of his past relationships. I don't recall any mention of any relationships he had where he was abused (apart from Calvin) and don't recall any mention of any abuse of Bryan and Caleb by any prior boyfriends. He may have had quantity rather than quality, but one could observe the same behaviour in many heterosexual relationships, even fundamentalist Republicans (think two current incredibly stupid, right-wing, female senators from the Republican Party). Bitches make my skin crawl, my blood pressure rise and make me think of many other unspeakable things and I am not even an American. If they believe the bullshit they spout I am surprised they made it to high school. And in both cases one could not even say they have succeeded with beauty rather than brains.

21 minutes ago, Summerabbacat said:

I had forgotten Bryan has previously resisted therapy @John Henry. I drafted my comments in Word before posting (primarily for grammar and punctuation checking) and had suggested therapy. I must have decided to delete the comment for some reason (either that I did a bad copy and paste job). 

I think you are being a little harsh on Diego or perhaps I have not appreciated the extent of his past relationships. I don't recall any mention of any relationships he had where he was abused (apart from Calvin) and don't recall any mention of any abuse of Bryan and Caleb by any prior boyfriends. He may have had quantity rather than quality, but one could observe the same behaviour in many heterosexual relationships, even fundamentalist Republicans (think two current incredibly stupid, right-wing, female senators from the Republican Party). Bitches make my skin crawl, my blood pressure rise and make me think of many other unspeakable things and I am not even an American. If they believe the bullshit they spout I am surprised they made it to high school. And in both cases one could not even say they have succeeded with beauty rather than brains.

I mentioned that Diego had a series of bad relationships, including one guy who wanted to Diego to get rid of the boys.  Steve is the only real, healthy relationship that Diego has had.  There are many ways a relationship can be toxic and unhealthy.  Diego and the boys were never physically abused, and the boys were never sexually abused, but that doesn't mean Diego's past boyfriends weren't manipulative, indifferent, or just out for themselves.  I'm not trying to be harsh on Diego, but I'm not going to gloss over his past, either.  Like every human, he's made mistakes, especially in his taste in men, but he has always chosen the boys over his relationships, which makes him better than a good chunk of parents today, who would rather see their own happiness fulfilled over their children (the real Calvin is a perfect example of the latter, as he is someone who would feed his children ramen while he ate steak (not even kidding)).

If you're talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, I agree with you, but the Democrats haven't been that great, either, with Bill Clinton's sexual harassment and assaults going all the way back to at least the early 80s when he was Governor of Arkansas, and he's just one of many.  Don't like most American politicians, and I'm American.  They all suck regardless of the labels.  Bernie Sanders just sucks the least.

In either event, Diego is in a much better place now.  He's engaged to a good man, who loves him and the boys.  It's all Diego has ever wanted.

35 minutes ago, John Henry said:

I mentioned that Diego had a series of bad relationships, including one guy who wanted to Diego to get rid of the boys.  Steve is the only real, healthy relationship that Diego has had.  There are many ways a relationship can be toxic and unhealthy.  Diego and the boys were never physically abused, and the boys were never sexually abused, but that doesn't mean Diego's past boyfriends weren't manipulative, indifferent, or just out for themselves.  I'm not trying to be harsh on Diego, but I'm not going to gloss over his past, either.  Like every human, he's made mistakes, especially in his taste in men, but he has always chosen the boys over his relationships, which makes him better than a good chunk of parents today, who would rather see their own happiness fulfilled over their children (the real Calvin is a perfect example of the latter, as he is someone who would feed his children ramen while he ate steak (not even kidding)).

If you're talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, I agree with you, but the Democrats haven't been that great, either, with Bill Clinton's sexual harassment and assaults going all the way back to at least the early 80s when he was Governor of Arkansas, and he's just one of many.  Don't like most American politicians, and I'm American.  They all suck regardless of the labels.  Bernie Sanders just sucks the least.

In either event, Diego is in a much better place now.  He's engaged to a good man, who loves him and the boys.  It's all Diego has ever wanted.

I had forgotten about the guy who wanted Diego to surrender the boys. I am going to focus on your comment, which I now vividly recall from a prior chapter, that "he has always chosen the boys over his relationships". I greatly admire Diego because he has never given up on the boys when he could so easily have just got rid of them, particularly when there has been so much drama in his life directly linked to his adoption of them.

I can neither confirm nor deny to whom I was referring @John Henry for fear of breaching GA guidelines. Suffice to say I love hot weather. I liked Obama, although I know little of what he did whilst in power.

11 minutes ago, Summerabbacat said:

I had forgotten about the guy who wanted Diego to surrender the boys. I am going to focus on your comment, which I now vividly recall from a prior chapter, that "he has always chosen the boys over his relationships". I greatly admire Diego because he has never given up on the boys when he could so easily have just got rid of them, particularly when there has been so much drama in his life directly linked to his adoption of them.

I can neither confirm nor deny to whom I was referring @John Henry for fear of breaching GA guidelines. Suffice to say I love hot weather. I liked Obama, although I know little of what he did whilst in power.

 

I didn't want to go on and on about Diego's failed relationships in the beginning, as I assume most would've been with guys who were into him, until they found out he had kids then dumped him.  I believe I mentioned that some were okay with it but didn't last long...or at least I meant to or implied it.  I like keeping to only the most relevant of details and let the rest stay loose in case I need to fill in the gaps later.  It's also likely that I wasn't exactly clear on his past in that regard, keeping the information in my head but believing I put it in print; that's what happens when you don't take notes on your own story.

UPDATE (Jan. 30, 2024):

I'm hoping the next chapter will be released this weekend.  I'm not a lawyer and have very limited knowledge on the law and legal procedures, which will be making up a huge portion of the coming story, and I want to make sure that I'm not taking too many liberties.  While I'm not planning to go to law school for the sake of this story, especially since the setting isn't set in any specific state in the US, I do want to make sure things are as close to real as I can make it, which means delays in chapters.  I will be finishing this story (and sooner the better, to be honest), it just may take longer than I would like.