I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on the series and I appreciate it. I also want to thank those who've donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption.
Many people have told me this story started a trip down memory lane for them and I think that's a good thing. Some were pretty close in time and place to the story. I'd like to share a couple bits of feedback. I've edited them to keep names consistent with the narrative.
Lisa - we quoted classics a lot more - our way of showing how grown up we were - it probably came from Mom. Michael and I grew up with classic literature and old movies and it spilled over to our friends. It was constant.
Fallon - Sept/Oct were the toughest two months of my life. I went from the best month of my life, both personally and as a musician and then straight into a fight with jealousy of my best friends. I don't think I've ever really suffered from depression but this was close. I can't imagine if things had turned out differently. Tina got me through September and Lisa and Lu got me through October. I was pretty pathetic.
LuAnn - Orange county is so overpopulated now, that it's hard to recognize some of the locations in the story. The Holy Jim is not so remote. Nothing is and it's sad. Lisa got the short end of the stick in the telling. She was not just my best friend - she was all of our best friend. re sex scenes. "I wish"
Tina - half way through October I thought I might not end up with Michael. Tough realization. He set a high standard for me and I really didn't date much until college. Glad of that. Happy for Fallon. They belong together, obviously. Regarding sex scenes - no comment.
Michael - I was goofier than you made me. It's a good thing you didn't try to include SoCal surfer slang. I know this was about me but the adults in this story were so important. My folks and Fallon's especially but Jadok and Carla were just beginning their influence on our lives and it was huge. Working with foster and adoptive parents, the influence they have on the next generation can't be overstated. There so many opportunities for people to have a positive impact on our next generation and the rewards far exceed the cost. I'm thankful for the opportunity to share lessons learned in an unexpected arena and hope your readers will look for opportunities to have a positive impact. It's Friday - a good day to reconnect with the Musketeers and go dancing. Tina's hubby is out of town so I'll have more than enough time on the dance floor. A shame that neither The Roadhouse or Shaw's are still around.