Comment from Mrs. KT

Excellent

Good morning, Jim,
What a horrible situation for this young man to experience!
Having taught for nearly forty years in both public and private school settings, I know the damaging effects of the "rumor mills" all too well; they have ruined the careers and lives of many innocent individuals...
Diane's "concern" struck me as concern more about what people would/will think of her associating with David than honest concern for David = perceptive on your part.

Looking forward to the next installment!
Thank you for sharing!
diane

 Comment Written 14-Jan-2024

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reply by the author on 14-Jan-2024

Thanks very much, Diane for your perceptive review. You've seen that this sort of thing can really ruin people's reputations. How they bounce back from it and what they've learned from the experience is really what this story is going to be about.

Comment from Wayne Fowler

Excellent

Hmmm. How many beers has he had? "All I can do is present my side and hope folks have enough trust in me to believe me." Get a lawyer? Hire a private investigator to find out who bruised her? Start checking around for another job in another town?
Best wishes.

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 Comment Written 14-Jan-2024

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reply by the author on 14-Jan-2024

Good considerations. He could also talk to his union rep.

Based on this and some other feedback I've gotten, I've actually gone back and added some stuff to chapter 2 to address some of that, but only in my manuscript, so it won't actually appear in FS. Too late for that. I created reasons why 1 and 2 won't work for him, but #3--now you're talking. What he'll decide to do will be coming up pretty soon.

Thanks for your good input, Wayne.

Comment from giraffmang

Excellent

Hi Jim,

Another good, solid continuation here. This is developing nicely and everything rings true, the inner machinations, the dialogue...

Personally I think the house description takes the reader out of the story too much in its current position.

She has long, wavy blond hair - normally blonde for female & blond for male. (although this may be going out of fashion)

Good stuff, my friend.
G

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 Comment Written 14-Jan-2024

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reply by the author on 14-Jan-2024

Thanks very much, G. I debated how much to say about the house. I wanted to make a contrast with his next place, but perhaps it's too much, and I should shorten it. I kind of agree with you, but at least I'm not as bad as Dean Koontz, who probably would have spent a page or two here, rather than one paragraph!

Didn't know that about blond/blonde. Thanks.