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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. 

18 Weeks of Twoey - 108. Week Sixteen Wednesday, December 17, 2014: Turning Points

He that has and a little tiny wit--

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,--

Must make content with his fortunes fit,

For the rain it raineth every day.

 

 

King Lear - WS

 

 

***

 

 

Last night’s dream was a little upsetting. Surprisingly, it wasn’t about Burch or fish or even Donny. I was sitting out on the grass somewhere. I could only make out that people were walking around me, like in a circle, with me at the center. There was a mist or fog which kept their identity and number mysterious, but I could hear them. I couldn’t make out any words, but from the tone of their voices, I knew they were taunting me.

As the mist slowly cleared, I became aware of Gary and then Nels. I tried to ask them what was wrong, but I couldn’t make myself speak. Then Mel came into view, followed by Lauri. Finally, the last two appeared. I could make out they were Sam and Deena. So my friends and their girlfriends were walking in a circle around me, jeering at me. It was a familiar sing-song-like taunt, little kids use on a playground.

I could feel myself being very sad at that moment in my dream, as I should have been. But then, I saw another figure come into view, approaching this merry-go-round of melancholy. Suddenly, my spirits were buoyed, when I realized it was Tommy. I thought he would certainly break through that ring of rejection to join me and comfort me. But he did not. In fact, he joined the circle, and joined in the jeering.

This increased my fit of depression. I did not know what to do. Then I heard a giggling above me. Looking up, I saw Danny’s sweet smile as he flew, in loops, above me. He motioned for me to follow him. I didn’t know how to do it. I wanted to go with him because he was the only one who wanted me, but he was flying. Sensing my frustration, he lowered a rope. When the end reached me, I saw it had a loop in it and I could only grab it while stretching on my tip-toes. He yelled down to place it around my head, and I did. Then I was pulled up into the air and toward Danny, only being supported by my neck in that noose. And then I woke up.

I’m not stupid. I knew exactly what this dream meant. I also knew my subconscious mind was thinking about this, even though my conscious mind abhorred the thought. And that’s why this dream was so unsettling. Was my mind my enemy now? Then a chill went through my body. When your mind was your enemy, wasn’t that the very definition of crazy?

I ran into the bathroom and hurled. After, while I showered, I realized I could not be with my friends today. I could not be in school today. I went downstairs to see Aunt Sarah. My father was there too. I told them I threw up this morning and couldn’t go to school.

“But don’t you have tests in all your subjects, before the vacation? You shouldn’t miss any tests.”

“No Dad, the tests are all tomorrow. We’re only going to be reviewing today and I can do that just as easily at home.”

“What about your appointment after school?”

“I will definitely meet Dr. Keating today. We’re going to talk about a lot of important stuff. But I want to talk to you, too, after supper tonight. I think we have a lot to talk about. I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“OK David. I think this talk is probably long overdue.”

And so I was home for the seven hours that usually found me in school. I decided to be orderly about it. I studied and reviewed for each subject until about noon. I spent about a half-hour or so with Aunt Sarah, over lunch.

After lunch I decided it would be Danny-time. I entered meditation, naked on my bed. After counting down several times, I mounted the stairway to my healing place. As usual, I took a moment to enjoy the view of that seashore below me with the waves crashing into big offshore rocks. I figured it had to be Oregon, I place I had never visited.

Danny was waiting for me on the sofa. As soon as I sat down, he was in my lap.

“Things are starting to stir up here in your head. Thoughts you have sealed away are beginning to escape from their compartments. Speaking of which, what emotions did you feel in Donny’s room yesterday?”

“Desire and lust. I lost all control for a few minutes. I was sort of embarrassed right after that happened.”

“Did you feel love?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, I like Donny a lot, but I don’t think I even know what love is.”

“Did it feel like you felt with Twoey?”

“No. Not even close.”

“What do you suppose would have happened if that had been Twoey returning those kisses like Donny did?”

“Probably everything we could do, we would have done. The power of the lust I felt toward Donny plus the power of the feelings I feel toward Twoey would have overloaded any barriers we could have put up.”

“OK. But now let’s focus on your abuse. You finally realize what happened to you when you were younger, but your memories are still tightly sealed. You know, you can’t force those boxes open but, eventually, they will open. Pray they open before New Year’s.”

“That’s my deadline, huh?”

“Yes it is. And it’s close.”

“If they don’t open, will I join you?”

“Not necessarily, but you will be at very great risk.”

“Why?”

“Because all the remainder of your hidden feelings are breaking out. Without the ability to remember, all your anger cannot be focused on what it should be focused on. Instead, you will focus on yourself. You will be at war with yourself. That war will produce both emotional and physical casualties – all of them from you. If it gets to be too much to bear, I’ll be here waiting for you. You know I won’t abandon you.”

Then I was instantly awake.

I spent the rest of my time thinking about my upcoming meeting with Dr. Keating. I thought I had the abuse pretty well worked out. I still could not believe how it was not affecting me. It felt like it was something that happened to someone else. Maybe I should mention that to him. Although, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the abuse did, in fact, happen to someone else. Someone I did not even know. It happened the seven year old David. So did that mean when I remembered him, this would affect me differently? That was an interesting thought to have as I dressed and left for my appointment.

There are moments in your life when you know things have changed. I mean, really changed – turning points. You know from that moment on, your life will be different. When I first met Twoey, my life changed – probably forever – but I didn’t know so at the time. Today, though, I had another such moment in Dr. Keating’s office and I knew, at that very moment, my life had changed.

When I entered his office, after I sat down, I explained in great detail what Donny and I had worked out last night. I only referred to him as a friend. Dr. Keating took rapid notes and let me describe what happened starting with the daymare, when my ‘friend’ was on my lap Sunday at the lake, through my reactions to Alex trying to kiss me, the breakup and finally to my ‘friend’ and I realizing that Burch probably rubbed my penis to erection when I was seven. After I finished, Dr. Keating said he was impressed that I was able to work this all out from only the flashbacks of Burch and the fishes.

“Well, I’m not so sure I would have worked it out on my own. The fact my friend could look at it from the outside, gave him a different perspective and that little advantage I didn’t have. He was the one who mentioned suppressed memories and made the connection. By the way, I’ve really been thinking about those dreams and I’m starting to believe maybe Burch was calling my penis a little fish. Once I suggested that to myself, the dreams and my reaction to the fish in them, made so much more sense to me. I still haven’t worked out the friendly barracuda though. The ones who killed Burch in my dream. But I did realize that killing him in the sewer pipe made sense, because he drowned in a toilet.”

“Very interesting. Well, from what your father told me, you certainly could have made contact with Burch as a young child because he accompanied the pastor on his visits with your mother, all those years ago. Your father told me that both you and your sister had complained to him, but not with any specifics. It was then that he removed you from the house whenever they visited, and ultimately prevented them from visiting again.”

“He may have thought he prevented Johnson from visiting, but I had proof Johnson visited often, right up to the end. He was having an affair with my father's wife, and now my father knows it too.”

“Well you can see this is a lot more complicated than the usual abuse we encounter. But your sexual abuse is not complicated. It’s laid out pretty plain and clearly before us. It’s only the extent we don’t yet know. But we need to treat the trauma you are now experiencing.”

Dr. Keating and I talked about all this for quite a large part of today’s session. It was so unusual, because we were discussing it. He was actually participating, although he never volunteered information I had not already talked about. Sometimes he asked for clarification, but the whole thing seemed like an unusual session, anyway. He ended with an even more unusual aspect, where he sort of explained a lot of things to me and warned of what I might experience in the future. I only realized why, when he explained he’d be leaving for Europe in a few days. I really think he was worried about me. Anyway, this is how the session ended:

“David, I would normally not discuss so overtly what we are going to discuss right now. Normally, even when I have a pretty good idea, these things are better left to emerge through your own memory, on your mind’s own timetable. But in your case there are some unusual circumstances. The first one is that you have already, on your own, figured out what most likely had happened, even though your mind has not yet allowed your memory to fill in the details. That, by the way, is still a little startling to me.

“Another circumstance is one of timing. We can only meet Thursday and Friday of this week, then I’m travelling to Europe for the few months or so. Don’t worry, I’ll have something worked out for you. I’ll know for sure by Friday’s session. The point being, we don’t have the luxury of moving at the normal pace.

“So here’s what we have. We are pretty certain you were abused as a boy of about seven years old. We believe one aspect of the abuse happened because this Mr. Burch had access to you when he and the pastor visited often, early in your mother’s growing enchantment with their church. We don’t know how many times this happened, or if it went beyond stimulating you to erection. We do know you may have complained to your mother, but if so, she probably reacted like she did when your sister complained, whom she did not believe and even called a liar and sinner. You also complained to your father, but never told him what had happened. However, he was concerned enough to get you and your brother out of the house when they visited, and eventually made them stop their visits. We can wish all we want that you had told your father specifically what had happened, but we can’t turn back the clock. And don’t forget, you were only seven years old.

“Unless or until you begin to remember, we think this experience has prevented you from admitting, what appear to be, gay feelings. I can’t tell you what your orientation is. Only you can know. But let’s just say this suppressed memory is a barrier, preventing you from fully understanding this nature, whichever it is. Does what I just described make sense to you?”

“Yes. I have to agree and, in a way, it makes my confusion a little less confusing. Everything is simply a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances.”

“Great. Well put, by the way. But now we come to the bad news. There are going to be physical effects from all this. There will likely be some serious reactions as your mind begins to slowly reveal to you what it has so carefully protected you from. I can’t predict what they will be, only warn you against them. Every abuse or suppressed memory of abuse is unique, after all. You may become ill. You may become irritable. You may turn against those trying to understand or help you. You may have panic attacks. I had one patient who would suddenly run from the room, screaming, ending up in her room curled into a ball for some time, until it wore off. Most of the time she was just fine, acting normally. You may try to be alone, to isolate yourself. You may harm yourself, cut yourself, injure yourself or at the very worst, you may lose the will to live. I’m not saying all or any of this will happen, but these are things that have happened to others. What’s worse, you have no person to focus your anger on. Burch is dead. You might instead focus your anger on your friends or even yourself.

“You’re a pretty smart young man who understands what is going on, so I’m hopeful you will recognize the signs if any of these feelings tries to overtake you. But the mind is an unpredictable opponent. That’s why I hope to have things worked out for you by Friday, so you will have someone to help you as you navigate your way through the minefield which may lie ahead. Remember that your friend’s mother, Ginny, is a qualified professional who only lives a block away from you. If you feel overwhelmed, visit her right away. She will be able to help. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Our time is up. Any questions?”

“No.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow after school?”

“Yes. I’ll be here. Maybe we can talk about sexual orientation?”

“It’s a deal.”

I didn’t want to run into anyone at Kory’s, so I went straight home.

I had some time to consider what he told me. It was quite shocking to think he felt any of those bad things he mentioned could happen to me. I mean, none of that sounds like me. But then I remembered the head pains that came out of nowhere, and what they did to me. I’m sure they were caused by those suppressed memories trying to block the physical action with Alex and Donny. But then I remembered my pains and collapse at Sam’s house. there was no physical stimulus there. That even sounded a little like the panic attacks Dr. Keating mentioned. So I guessed I wasn’t immune to any of the stuff he mentioned. Like he said, the mind is an unpredictable opponent. And Danny said I will be at war with myself. I didn’t think there would be any body armor available to fight in this war. My turning point was the realization I was now in a war with myself, on a very tight timeline, where my very survival was at stake. What would be my key to victory? What would victory even look like?

During dinner, Tommy kept treating me like I was going to explode or something. I wished he would go back to saying funny things at my expense. It was how we always were. But I just sat there quietly eating Aunt Sarah’s nice meal. After dinner, we went to Dad’s little den and he shut the door.

“OK Dad. Before we begin, let me tell you what we’ve worked out.” And so I recapped pretty much everything Dr. Keating recapped to me. I didn’t mention Donny or Dr. Keating’s worst case scenarios of things I might experience. That was all pretty theoretical, and I didn’t want to distract my father from the issue that was starting to bother me very much.

“That’s what we think happened. Remember, I have no memory at all of my life before I was about seven or eight. Everything we concluded is from those nightmares and circumstances. What I want to know from you is, what happened? Why were those two here, and why did Liz and I need to be involved with those visits? And, most importantly, where was Tommy?

“Let me give you some background. This incident happened after your mother and I had been married for about eleven or twelve years. During the first years of our marriage, your mother flitted from one fad to another. I called her my little psychedelic butterfly. She was a flower child, born forty years too late. But it was sort of charming, and harmless, in its own way.

“Then Johnson arrived and started his church. If I even knew it existed, I would never have expected her to be interested in it. It was really not her kind of thing. And so when Johnson and Burch arrived at the door one day, and began preaching to her, I took no mind. How could you take them seriously, after all? In my mind they were just another twosome, wandering the village, preaching their sect. We certainly got enough of those around here.

“To my surprise, she had them return a few times. In a way, I was pleased because at least they were Christians, which was rather unlike her previous fads. To me, they were harmless, just proselytizing. You kids were there because she was your mother, and you usually hung around that time of day. There was absolutely no way I could have expected either of them to interfere with you children while they were trying to convert your mother. I’m still having difficulty understanding how Burch got you alone, unless Johnson and your mother went off together, leaving him in charge. While I could not understand that happening then, I do now, from what I have since learned. When you did complain to me, I got you and Tommy away from that creepy babysitter. It wasn’t long before I threw them out. When that happened, your mother didn’t talk to me for over a month. I think it’s when her cooking got so bad too.”

“But Dad, why did you let her force us to go to that church? You were there, you saw what it was really like. You should have stayed home and let us stay with you.”

“What can I say beyond ‘I’m sorry?’ I took the easy way out to avoid a confrontation with your mother, who by then had become totally involved with the church. I had no idea what they were into beside the few causes Johnson always preached about.”

I found myself getting angry with my father. I mean, anyone can make a mistake, and I didn’t want to say anything stupid, so I just told him I needed to go to bed.

I needed to get away from him.

 

 

Twoey

Today was a little unsettling. I think there was a turning point in my relationship with Erik.

First, the assholes in my English class seemed to be getting even more obnoxious. I didn’t want to tell Erik because I’m already so dependent on him. I needed to be myself! I’m a strong guy. I could handle things on my own.

Second, when we got to his house – it was Wednesday – I decided the time was right, before we got into any sex, to mention Syracuse on Saturday.

“How about taking a little road trip to the big mall in Syracuse for a little Christmas shopping?”

“That sounds like fun. Great idea, Twoey. Let’s do it!”

“My old friend Mike called and suggested we come up. He wants to meet you anyway and I can even do some shopping without you around, if you get what I mean.” I gave him my most coy smile.

“Well, I’m not sure I want to spend the day with someone I don’t know.”

That's when I started to explain all the reasons why he needed to meet Mike. I went through my background, the 'coming out' and subsequent snubbing Mike gave me, but then how we re-established our friendship after the shooting incident. I kept talking, trying to bring in a thousand reasons why this was a good idea: the shopping, the connecting with old friends, introducing him to an earlier part of my life he knew nothing about. He tried to interrupt a few times and I guess I just kept talking over him ...rattling on and on ...getting more stressed and emotional ...maybe it was the assholes in English ...maybe I just wanted to see Mike ...I'm not sure, but I just kept going and going until ...

SMACK!!!

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

He SLAPPED me!

Erik HIT me!

I held my cheek and looked at him in disbelief. In that instant, I could feel my life change. Tears started pouring down my face.

“OMG NO!! I’m sorry Twoey! I didn’t mean to do that!”

He tried to hold me but I was pushing back. Finally his greater strength won out and he wrapped me in a giant hug, pushing his head into my shoulder. He kept repeating, “No ...no ...no!” He acted like he was an emotional wreck, but I was still stunned.

He pleaded with me to forgive him – said he just wanted to interrupt me when I wouldn’t let him say anything, but he didn’t mean to slap me. He said he could never hurt me. He said of course we would go to Syracuse Saturday. He said he wanted to meet Mike. He asked my forgiveness again ...and again.

Well what could I do? Of course I forgave him. I apologized for ranting on, which I can see now caused him to snap. I’ll never do that again, but his reaction upset me. No matter what he said, how could you hit someone you loved?

Anyway, what followed was the most gentle and wonderful lovemaking we have ever had. I was fulfilled in every way. It was the greatest tenderness I’ve ever felt from my boyfriend. Later, he took me out to dinner at Applebees and just kept apologizing all night long.

That evening, as I was getting into bed, I turned my phone on just long enough to text Mike that we’d meet him at noon by the fountain at the mall on Saturday morning. I certainly didn’t tell him about the slap.

I had a hard time falling asleep. Things were now different. I mean, anyone can make a mistake, but I decided I needed to pay closer attention to how Eric treated me. All that pushing me toward the car when he wanted us to avoid people I knew, suddenly had a different feeling. At the time I viewed it as hustling us off to do something nice, like making-out, as though he couldn’t wait. But now, I’ll have to pay attention and resist any of that type of contact.

Yes, things were different.

Copyright © 2016 skinnydragon; 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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And so it begins. :( the physical abuse as the next step up in the escalating and very typical scenario of hurting and being contrite. It's time Eric gets taken down. Twoey may not tell Mike, but he should tell Ginny. Of course he won't since he knows deep down, she will immediately forbid him to see the boy he 'loves.' So sad... :no:

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And now we see the real Erik emerge for a brief moment. But that seems to have woken Twoey up! I wonder if he will confide in anyone, although I'm thinking that Mike, who's known him for so long, will figure it out when they meet in Syracuse. Should be an interesting trip!

 

Dr. K's trip to Europe is the perfect accelerant that explains the coming urgent self-examination and therapy. There are only 15 days left before the deadlines - both Danny and Matty have mentioned New Year's as the date... but with totally different goals in mind. The race is on. And about time that dear old Dad started to open up a little about how things were in that family for the first 7 years of David's life. If it helps our hero to untangle his memories and unlock some of those safety deposit boxes, well then that's all to the good. David seems to be accepting (on one level, at least) that he might be gay, and isn't freaking out about that. Progress!

 

But we still don't know why Gary was getting into Mel's father's Cadillac, if it *was* Mel's father. :-) I still harbour a suspicion that we haven't heard the last from Uncle John, although I can't imagine how he (or Mel's dad) will figure in the next two weeks of David's life. Just have to wait and see! Thanks Skinny, you do know how to keep us guessing!

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Amazing chapter, Skinny.

 

I think we all knew something was going to break today between Erik and Twoey. I'm glad he is wanting to pay more attention to what's happening to him now, but I can only hope it isn't a case of too little, too late. Why do we not educate our children well enough that physical assault is NEVER harmless in a relationship, and sets a dangerous precedent. Of course, Twoey isn't going to tell Ginny about this... I'm scared for what is going to happen to him on Saturday (let alone the rest of the week!).

 

David made substantial progress today, even if a lot of that progress is further steps down the pathway to personal hell. It is incredibly disturbing that Keating is leaving at this juncture. I really do hope that David is able to respond well to whomever he is sent to (please!), and that he really will be able to run to Ginny if he is in desperate need. I'm glad David is at least able to admit that the physical symptoms he's already shown are exactly the kinds of things that Keating was talking about. I guess now the question becomes what things will emerge, and when? David has a series of tests tomorrow, and even if he is a great student it is still a stressor. What will happen when he sees Twoey tomorrow in math? With the guys at lunch?

 

Wonderful, awful tension. :D

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SLAP.
Nothing more needs to be said. For Twoey, this may concentrate his mind far more than Erik ever imagined.
For David, the loss of Dr. Keating for a month or two is a real blow. He is making progress, but certainly needs more help and attention. If Ginny is willing and can feel professionally detached enough to step in, that is fine, I suppose, but can she really do that? And wouldn't Dr. K have had someone to fill in for him while he was gone? But perhaps he doesn't think David would trust his replacement as much.
David's dream would have disturbed anyone, and I am not surprised he heaved. Danny's rope is no escape.
Eagerly anticipating the next chapter.

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I think once again, what all the characters are exhibiting is a lack of willingness to communicate when it really counts. Maybe I don't have enough experience with people, but I only have my own experiences to go off of. All I can say is, in my own life, when I look back on something that has gotten really screwed up I usually see where I fell into a pitfall and do my best to avoid that the next time.

 

These characters don't ever seem to do that. Except perhaps David to some degree. His father though, is one of the most useless excuses for a father I think I've ever seen. That might be exaggerating, because he could be actively hurting David. His negligence though is totally unforgivable. Maybe it's the flippant response to having someone ask how he just sat back and allowed that to happen to his family. And this just shortly after finding out that his son was sexually molested by members of that selfsame church that nearly murdered him scant weeks previous. David, finally disgusted with his father walks away and says nothing as per usual. Why? To what purpose? Before he'll say something he might regret? At what point will be regret it? You can't damage a relationship that the other party has no desire to maintain. I can't imagine David trying to be close to a man who has so little regard for his own family in the years to come. It would have been nice for David to just say one thing about how ridiculous this is. Does his father care about him at all? I'm not seeing it. "Oops I'm sorry you were scarred for life because I wanted to avoid an argument." Disgusting.

 

As for Twoey, he's not wholly dependent on Erik, he could easily get out of this situation if he'd only stand up for himself and ask for help. But he won't, and everyone around him who knows he's in danger will continue to wring their hands and watch while his parental unit completely ignores the issue. It's what happened to David right before the beating all over again.

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That slap may have woken Twoey up some. Hopefully enough to where he doesn't completely fall for Erik's acts of contrition. I wonder if this is not Erik's first go round. He has the role down.. It would be even better if Twoey would say something, but that's not likely to happen.

 

That dream would shatter anyone's state of mind. His core group abandoning him including his brother, and Danny who is dead is on his side. That's a nightmare! It also shines a light on Danny's premonition with regard to David's state of mind.. Everything is out of order..

 

I don't know that Dr. K could do otherwise with his upcoming trip. Actually, I'm sure he could. David is in crisis. He is a practical and smart thinking kid. He understands he might be gay, but the larger issue of abuse is lurking. He did great this session, but when things really start to come to a head, will he feel abandoned by the doc too. A new doctor in place is common, but David has trust issues. Ahh.. I hope he will go to Ginny, but this doesn't bode well.

 

Speaking of trust.. Dear old dad could have used a slap himself.. (Not condoning violence) But geez. He remains so passive about what happened to David. How does David not rage against the man. There's your person to blame right there.. What more can I say but sorry? Really that's all.. Sorry will never make up for the crap he put those kids through.

 

Anyhoo, great chapter as usual SkinnyD....

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Wow! Another amazing chapter, Skinny! I hope that the SLAP combined with Ginny now becoming aware of what's going on with her son might be the beginning of the end of Eric. I had a manipulative bf once and it was very difficult when that relationship ended, although it was the best thing that could have happened to me.
I'm hoping that the end of Eric will bring David back into the home and care of Ginny and Twoey. It won't be easy, but David seemed to be happiest when he was there.
Thanks for a wonderful chapter. Can't wait to see how this turns out... this is one story that I'm hoping for a happy ending for most of the characters!

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Well, Dr. Keating sure seems involved with his patients. Yes, he told David some of the things he could expect, but nothing really that he hadn't already figured out...he'd better have more plans about getting David to see someone else regularly, rather than just saying 'Call Ginny' should he need to talk. WFT? He is pretty hopeless if he thinks David won't need a real person on a regular basis to help him.
And now, the physical abuse starts. Maybe it's Twoey's wake up call, but I think he's in for a lot more before it's over. He may be more watchful, but he's going to find excuses to explain it away.
As for David's dad...what a loser he still is. Even now, he's still not really concerned about his son's experiences, and Aunt Sally seems to be an almost identical copy of him.
Sigh. Seems to be a depressing week so far--in another story I'm reading, one of the two lovers was killed in an accident, and his boyfriend is going through hell. Alas, I know about that all too well, though it was suicide rather than an accident in my case.

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On 06/29/2016 07:08 AM, Timothy M. said:

And so it begins. :( the physical abuse as the next step up in the escalating and very typical scenario of hurting and being contrite. It's time Eric gets taken down. Twoey may not tell Mike, but he should tell Ginny. Of course he won't since he knows deep down, she will immediately forbid him to see the boy he 'loves.' So sad... :no:

Thanks Tim!

 

Erik seems to have that little reaction down pat, doesn't he?

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On 06/29/2016 07:58 AM, jess30519 said:

And now we see the real Erik emerge for a brief moment. But that seems to have woken Twoey up! I wonder if he will confide in anyone, although I'm thinking that Mike, who's known him for so long, will figure it out when they meet in Syracuse. Should be an interesting trip!

 

Dr. K's trip to Europe is the perfect accelerant that explains the coming urgent self-examination and therapy. There are only 15 days left before the deadlines - both Danny and Matty have mentioned New Year's as the date... but with totally different goals in mind. The race is on. And about time that dear old Dad started to open up a little about how things were in that family for the first 7 years of David's life. If it helps our hero to untangle his memories and unlock some of those safety deposit boxes, well then that's all to the good. David seems to be accepting (on one level, at least) that he might be gay, and isn't freaking out about that. Progress!

 

But we still don't know why Gary was getting into Mel's father's Cadillac, if it *was* Mel's father. :-) I still harbour a suspicion that we haven't heard the last from Uncle John, although I can't imagine how he (or Mel's dad) will figure in the next two weeks of David's life. Just have to wait and see! Thanks Skinny, you do know how to keep us guessing!

Thanks jess!

 

Yes, the real Erik--shudder

 

Has Donny added a new runner in the race to Dec. 31? Maybe he'll be the dark horse who wins. :o

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On 06/29/2016 08:52 AM, Lux Apollo said:

Amazing chapter, Skinny.

 

I think we all knew something was going to break today between Erik and Twoey. I'm glad he is wanting to pay more attention to what's happening to him now, but I can only hope it isn't a case of too little, too late. Why do we not educate our children well enough that physical assault is NEVER harmless in a relationship, and sets a dangerous precedent. Of course, Twoey isn't going to tell Ginny about this... I'm scared for what is going to happen to him on Saturday (let alone the rest of the week!).

 

David made substantial progress today, even if a lot of that progress is further steps down the pathway to personal hell. It is incredibly disturbing that Keating is leaving at this juncture. I really do hope that David is able to respond well to whomever he is sent to (please!), and that he really will be able to run to Ginny if he is in desperate need. I'm glad David is at least able to admit that the physical symptoms he's already shown are exactly the kinds of things that Keating was talking about. I guess now the question becomes what things will emerge, and when? David has a series of tests tomorrow, and even if he is a great student it is still a stressor. What will happen when he sees Twoey tomorrow in math? With the guys at lunch?

 

Wonderful, awful tension. :D

Thanks lux!

 

David will have more exams tomorrow than he anticipates!

 

Dr. Keating's solution might actually end up hurting David in ways he can't understand. :(

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On 06/29/2016 01:41 PM, Parker Owens said:

SLAP.

Nothing more needs to be said. For Twoey, this may concentrate his mind far more than Erik ever imagined.

For David, the loss of Dr. Keating for a month or two is a real blow. He is making progress, but certainly needs more help and attention. If Ginny is willing and can feel professionally detached enough to step in, that is fine, I suppose, but can she really do that? And wouldn't Dr. K have had someone to fill in for him while he was gone? But perhaps he doesn't think David would trust his replacement as much.

David's dream would have disturbed anyone, and I am not surprised he heaved. Danny's rope is no escape.

Eagerly anticipating the next chapter.

Thank you Parker!

 

The slap may actually, ultimately have been good for Twoey--details on Saturday. :)

 

David isn't finished with disturbing dreams. :(

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On 06/29/2016 02:57 PM, spikey582 said:

I think once again, what all the characters are exhibiting is a lack of willingness to communicate when it really counts. Maybe I don't have enough experience with people, but I only have my own experiences to go off of. All I can say is, in my own life, when I look back on something that has gotten really screwed up I usually see where I fell into a pitfall and do my best to avoid that the next time.

 

These characters don't ever seem to do that. Except perhaps David to some degree. His father though, is one of the most useless excuses for a father I think I've ever seen. That might be exaggerating, because he could be actively hurting David. His negligence though is totally unforgivable. Maybe it's the flippant response to having someone ask how he just sat back and allowed that to happen to his family. And this just shortly after finding out that his son was sexually molested by members of that selfsame church that nearly murdered him scant weeks previous. David, finally disgusted with his father walks away and says nothing as per usual. Why? To what purpose? Before he'll say something he might regret? At what point will be regret it? You can't damage a relationship that the other party has no desire to maintain. I can't imagine David trying to be close to a man who has so little regard for his own family in the years to come. It would have been nice for David to just say one thing about how ridiculous this is. Does his father care about him at all? I'm not seeing it. "Oops I'm sorry you were scarred for life because I wanted to avoid an argument." Disgusting.

 

As for Twoey, he's not wholly dependent on Erik, he could easily get out of this situation if he'd only stand up for himself and ask for help. But he won't, and everyone around him who knows he's in danger will continue to wring their hands and watch while his parental unit completely ignores the issue. It's what happened to David right before the beating all over again.

Thanks spikey!

 

If it's any consolation, David seems to have dismissed his father. Will he start calling him "the man who lives in my house?"

 

Not ALL Twoey's friends are gonna sit around wringing their hands. Thank God. :)

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On 06/30/2016 04:28 AM, Defiance19 said:

That slap may have woken Twoey up some. Hopefully enough to where he doesn't completely fall for Erik's acts of contrition. I wonder if this is not Erik's first go round. He has the role down.. It would be even better if Twoey would say something, but that's not likely to happen.

 

That dream would shatter anyone's state of mind. His core group abandoning him including his brother, and Danny who is dead is on his side. That's a nightmare! It also shines a light on Danny's premonition with regard to David's state of mind.. Everything is out of order..

 

I don't know that Dr. K could do otherwise with his upcoming trip. Actually, I'm sure he could. David is in crisis. He is a practical and smart thinking kid. He understands he might be gay, but the larger issue of abuse is lurking. He did great this session, but when things really start to come to a head, will he feel abandoned by the doc too. A new doctor in place is common, but David has trust issues. Ahh.. I hope he will go to Ginny, but this doesn't bode well.

 

Speaking of trust.. Dear old dad could have used a slap himself.. (Not condoning violence) But geez. He remains so passive about what happened to David. How does David not rage against the man. There's your person to blame right there.. What more can I say but sorry? Really that's all.. Sorry will never make up for the crap he put those kids through.

 

Anyhoo, great chapter as usual SkinnyD....

Thanks Def!

 

David, trust issues?? :P

 

Maybe David's dreams tell us more about him than HE does with his narration. And everything IS out of order, which, to an in-control person, must seem very unsettling.

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On 06/30/2016 05:23 AM, FlyOnTheWall said:

Wow! Another amazing chapter, Skinny! I hope that the SLAP combined with Ginny now becoming aware of what's going on with her son might be the beginning of the end of Eric. I had a manipulative bf once and it was very difficult when that relationship ended, although it was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I'm hoping that the end of Eric will bring David back into the home and care of Ginny and Twoey. It won't be easy, but David seemed to be happiest when he was there.

Thanks for a wonderful chapter. Can't wait to see how this turns out... this is one story that I'm hoping for a happy ending for most of the characters!

Thanks geoff!

 

I think we can agree the end-of-Erik is approaching. Maybe the slap will really have been a good thing--for Twoey.

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On 06/30/2016 09:51 PM, ColumbusGuy said:

Well, Dr. Keating sure seems involved with his patients. Yes, he told David some of the things he could expect, but nothing really that he hadn't already figured out...he'd better have more plans about getting David to see someone else regularly, rather than just saying 'Call Ginny' should he need to talk. WFT? He is pretty hopeless if he thinks David won't need a real person on a regular basis to help him.

And now, the physical abuse starts. Maybe it's Twoey's wake up call, but I think he's in for a lot more before it's over. He may be more watchful, but he's going to find excuses to explain it away.

As for David's dad...what a loser he still is. Even now, he's still not really concerned about his son's experiences, and Aunt Sally seems to be an almost identical copy of him.

Sigh. Seems to be a depressing week so far--in another story I'm reading, one of the two lovers was killed in an accident, and his boyfriend is going through hell. Alas, I know about that all too well, though it was suicide rather than an accident in my case.

Thanks CG!

 

Sorry about your experiences, both in real life and in reading. Maybe David will get it turned around.

 

He seems to have dismissed his father, much like you have. Without needing to rely on him, hopefully he's find someone more reliable.

 

But it might get worse before it gets better.

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I just got through reading all the reviews and your responses, Skinny. What I'm worried about, regarding Twoey, is that when Twoey finally comes to his senses and kicks Erik to the curb, Erik is not going to go that easily. I see Erik becoming a stalker. Erik probably knows some kids are picking on Twoey and he's glad he's there to protect him. Once Twoey breaks up with him, I can actually see Erik as sort of bullying Twoey also. I'm anxiously awaiting Saturday in Syracuse. Maybe Mike will be able to talk some sense into his friend.

 

What a shitty time for Doc K to be going on vacation!!!! Just when David needs him the most! I agree with everyone else about David's feeling of betrayal. I also don't like his nightmare about all of David's friends and Tommy taunting him and making fun of him. He feels so alone. Except for Donny and Danny. Also...speaking of Danny -- why does he think David's going to implode on New Year's? Why that specific day?

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On 08/13/2016 11:06 AM, Lisa said:

I just got through reading all the reviews and your responses, Skinny. What I'm worried about, regarding Twoey, is that when Twoey finally comes to his senses and kicks Erik to the curb, Erik is not going to go that easily. I see Erik becoming a stalker. Erik probably knows some kids are picking on Twoey and he's glad he's there to protect him. Once Twoey breaks up with him, I can actually see Erik as sort of bullying Twoey also. I'm anxiously awaiting Saturday in Syracuse. Maybe Mike will be able to talk some sense into his friend.

 

What a shitty time for Doc K to be going on vacation!!!! Just when David needs him the most! I agree with everyone else about David's feeling of betrayal. I also don't like his nightmare about all of David's friends and Tommy taunting him and making fun of him. He feels so alone. Except for Donny and Danny. Also...speaking of Danny -- why does he think David's going to implode on New Year's? Why that specific day?

Thanks, Lisa!

 

Yes, at this point Twoey is at risk if he stays in the relationship and even if he gets out. What he needs is some outside help. Maybe from Syracuse?

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OK! Eric actually did it! I really didn't think he would have but he did! Twoey what are you doing? Eric really is a massive asshole, I really thought the speculation from Mike was nothing until this Chapter. Eric couldn't just listen to him?

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