Greetings Everyone!

One Moment Chapter 13 is now available for your reading pleasure.

Excellent Job as usual Vance!

Happy Scrolling,

GaryO

That was the most poignant chapter yet, Vance! I was moved to tears in quite a few places.

Conner

This was pehaps the most emotionally moving chapter of any story Vance has written. I was moved to tears thru the whole chapter. GREAT work Vance. Thank you

marco

Mark and Matt have that one thing in common, Still hoping for Danny to come back or for Matt to see his grave if it gets one.

Wow Vance, What a chapter.

I had tears in my eyes at the beginning, Tears of rage. That was his best christmas ever?!?!?? If I had my way, Matt's real parents would have a date with my shotgun.

That is all.

Hey that is why I am glad that my shotguns were stolen over 35 years ago. The odd on shooting my self or someone close to me would have bee high. And I bet I am more reflective than most. But there have been times when there is no question in my mind that it would have been a possibility. There is that point in time when even good people take terrible actions. They aren't all the evil assholes we read about here. Extreme levels of need to control others, inability to care or lack of knowledge of parental expectations, and substance abuse are where I have seen it the most in my career. I have probably only met 15 really evil people at most in my career ther rest fall under those sad but not really evil catagories or others not mentioned above.

Pax Steve SV Gandalf Sevilla

Then I wouldn't have raised foster kids, neices, a nephew and my own daughter. Nor had a good professional career and sailed a boat across the ocean.

Despite Mark's protestations of wanting to be able to do what he wants when he wants to do it being able to go home and laze in front of the TV, I can see him adopting Matt (And Danny as well, if Danny is ever found). More than wanting to be able to do what he wants, Mark wants to not be alone, and to be able to care for someone else. As Mark says, "Besides I like spending all the time I can here with you guys. I don’t feel alone at all.”

It's good to see Matt and Mark bonding over the holiday. I'd say Matt is almost ready to be sprung, if he can live with Mark by night and come to school by day, if the institution can deal with "outpatient" status. Probably my wishful thinking--we'll se what Vance has in store for us next week.

--Rigel