Gee Whillickers

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rainbow-birthday-calgary-1.6157335 This happened not too far from my stomping grounds. Note the outdoor hockey rink the background, as it mandatory in most community parks in Canada.

Absolutely amazing story. And amazing writing. Douglas has a way of pulling one into the story so deep it takes a while to remember what time it is, and when one last ate, or how long one has been putting off those kitchen chores awaiting one. Very well done. Thanks for writing this wonderful tale, Douglas!

Interesting guy, is David. I like how you've written him so far, Cole. A bit hot headed maybe, but really wants to do what's right. And, perhaps, Nicki might know a bit more about David than David does. I guess we'll see! I'm hoping Nicki comes into the story more later. I like her. As for Jordan, not quite enough to go on yet. Shy, okay. Good at soccer, clearly. Probably a bit shell-shocked with the family situation. I'm looking forward to more, thanks for this one so far, Cole.

I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestions so far. Don't forget 'Please Come With Me' by Douglas. Or 'China Boat' ....actually any story by Douglas.

Yup, me too. Who knows what the reference behind the term 'being on tenterhooks' is? In fact, most folks tend to write this as 'being on tenderhooks' these days because they don't know. Or the literal meaning behind 'bury the hatchet' before beginning negotiations. Or why the term 'big wig' means important person. I could go on. I love the etymology of these old words and phrases, often almost lost in the mists of time. As for cell phones, here in Canada it pretty much mirrors US usage of terms. Except cell phones are so ubiquitous now that most people simply say 'phone'. The 'cell' is superfluous. If you want to indicate an actual hard-wired old fashioned phone you now have to indicate that specifically by saying 'landline.' A young person was calling somebody a little while back (on his cell phone, of course), and managed to get a busy signal. The look of puzzlement on his face as he put the phone on speaker and asked, "What is *that*? Something is wrong with the connection!" was priceless. I explained the concept of busy signals to looks of puzzlement and horror all around. He'd literally never heard a busy signal before, thanks to call waiting and voicemail, etc.

An excellent start to what promises to be an emotional journey of self discovery and relationships. I'm looking forward to more of this one.

Bravo! Very well done. A heartfelt tale of change and growth. My favorite kind. Thanks very much for writing this Alan.

I had to laugh at your notes about your editor's reactions to this story. Not quite the usual Cole Parker story we see here, but every bit as enjoyable. Well done.

I was panicking. I re-read the text message sent from Josh three days ago. “Positive. Sorry. You’d better go too.” I was in trouble, in more ways than one. And I had no idea at all how I was doing to deal with this. So, I dealt with it the same way I deal with all major issues that I have no idea how to deal with. I ignored and procrastinated. Despite my astoundingly poor success rate at this life strategy, it seemed remarkably enticing. So, that’s what I had been doing. I mean, it wasn’t HIV. Or even Syphilis or Gonorrhea or some other STD, thank god. And it probably, almost certainly, wasn’t going to be a big deal to me. Fatality rates for Covid 19 for 15 year old boys were remarkably low. But then I saw a graph on Reddit, and read the article it linked to. And I got scared. I really didn’t want to be responsible for getting Grandma sick. Or worse. And for the last day I’d had a headache. And the thermometer in my mouth told me I had a fever. So I knew I had to tell Mom. The problem was, I wasn’t allowed to see Josh. And hadn’t been allowed for weeks and weeks. Ever since Mom caught us hugging just a wee bit too long when he was leaving, and smiling at each other while looking into each others’ eyes. I mean, it turned out she was right, in a way. But for the wrong reasons. Josh wasn’t, in the end, a ‘good influence on me.’ But not for the reasons she thought. There was no danger at all of him turning me gay. The unspoken concern Mom had. I was already gay long before I hooked up with Josh. But when I found out after the fact what kind of person he was, I decided that was enough of that. But it was too late. We’d already been with each other. In the biblical sense. I mean, Mom didn’t have to know that, but she’d end up knowing I was with Josh. Almost for sure. And then she’d suspect why. No doubt about it. And she’d be, well, she’d be Mom. Not only because of her suspicions about me, but with her going on about ‘social distancing’ for the last week or so. Aside from being a homophobe, she was also a germophobe. I went downstairs. Sweating profusely. And not just from my fever. I found her in her office. “Mom, I’m not feeling well…” She looked up over her computer monitor at me. Her expression was thunderous.

Another fun Cole Parker story. Well done, and I'm glad there was a part 2. Thanks for writing it.

Thanks for the suggestion. Christmas 1940

A new story by Driver?!? I am gobsmacked. And so, so looking forward to reading this. As per the advice in this thread, I began tonight by going and re-reading 'Sudden Storm' Well, I needed a real good emotional breakdown anyway. And my tissue supply needs replenishing. I had forgotten how powerful that story is. As well as the rest of Driver's stories. Now to re-read Falling off a Log and the Quarry...

Yup, I don't imbibe either, but I agree with the legalization. The prohibition was causing *far* too many problems.

Canada is about to become the 2nd nation in the world, and the first so-called 'first-world' nation to have nationwide federally legal cannabis. The federal legalization is significant from an economic, political, legal, and social framework, as it frees up banking, postal, trade, and other hugely problematic issues in places where there is local legalization or tolerance but federal prohibition. Naturally, the news sites, radio stations, TV, etc, all all abuzz on the stone cold effects and consequences of this burning issue. Everyone is in a haze wondering what will happen. Definitely a joint issue for everyone, and it'll be interesting to see how we hash this out from a grass-roots level so we don't end up in the weeds. I think it's a real potluck question about what will happen when the smoke clears. The first pot shop plans to open at exactly midnight in Newfoundland, about three hours from this moment, and the proprietor plans to to be one half of the very first fully federally legal cannabis sale in Canada, by selling some weed to his father at exactly midnight. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/newfoundlander-aims-to-be-1st-independent-retailer-to-sell-legal-cannabis-in-canada-1.4865031