Chester57

It occurred to me that we haven't heard much about the 'folks' lately. I wonder if Blanche and Don and Chester and Mary are still hanging out together after that overnight Christmas party. Maybe they'll grab Hannah and Mike and all six of them will go up to the cabin this summer. I doubt that Jack and Kayla will have time now that both of them are working.

Nice wrap up to the Voyeur Saga as Rhona did a good job of filling in for Dr. Fitzsimmons. She was absolutely right when she said that Jack needs to get more selfish and start looking out for Number One as he heads toward college. Since Iowa State is basically an engineering school I imagine he'll have an easier time than if he went to a liberal-arts university. Regarding Joe Long's observation-- I think the moment of truth for Jack and Rhona will come at the gamers' convention this summer.

That is indeed good news. You would think that after fifty-plus chapters the shine would have worn off SITO by now. Not a chance!

My thoughts are that once Jack settles down and thinks over the situation he'll be okay. I also believe that Kayla will come to regret her 'no sex' decision.

No, it has to do with insane individuals. If you want to rail against our 'stupid gun laws,' there are any number of forums where you can do that.

Sorry to say, but this will continue to happen until our government admits that we are at war and decides to treat it as such. The enemy identifies likely Muslim-Americans, then recruits and indoctrinates them to their cause. This is classic low-intensity guerrilla warfare. 9/11 taught them that a major disaster will get us riled up, so they have switched tactics to 'death by a thousand cuts.' Just my opinion, but I'm sure this will be going on for the rest of our lifetimes. Apologies for being so pessimistic and I am looking forward to the next chapter.

All this hangs on what kind of evidence the police have on 'Don' and the ring-- and I hope that Chapter 52 sheds some light on this. The school administration seemed eager to sweep the whole situation under the rug. 'Don' won't be prosecuted for human trafficking unless some of the girls testify against him. If some of the prostitutes turn out to be current or former students then a certain principal we all know is going to lose his job. Jack has built up a lot of good will and trust with Mary and Chester Hannigan. I think they will be more understanding than his own parents.

Actually, that's more like 3 1/2 months from April 12th (end of Ch. 51) to July 28th (Jack's birthday). Roughly two months left in the school year and then six weeks of summer vacation until Kayla relents. This will be interesting, to say the least. Getting ahead of the story, though-- I want to see how the Voyeur Saga wraps up. And what's going to happen to all those poor, young prostitutes now that their pimp is in jail?

Does anyone think that Kayla's 3-month sex ban is a good idea or will it blow up in her face? It seemed to me that for Kayla to use Jack's age to justify her actions was stretching things a bit. Does she think that her 'second chance/ no sex' policy will stay a secret? Jack won't say anything, but both Amanda and Hannah-- not to mention Mary Hannigan-- will soon know that something is wrong. I wish we had a number of female contributors on this forum to give their opinions on this matter-- unless, of course, Dr. Fitzsimmons wants to weigh in.

"Joanie Loves 'Dick'?" Yes, that was a memorable spin-off.

Speaking of that, I always thought the first two or three seasons of Happy Days were the best-- back when the title song was "Rock Around The Clock." Later years were still watchable until the infamous 'jump the shark' episode. Jack certainly isn't as goody-two-shoes as Richie Cunningham was-- it was the '50s, after all-- but the similarity between the two is obvious. I wonder what Richie would have done about a prostitution ring at Jefferson High? Or what if Joanie had ever wanted sex with him? Oh, hell-- let's not go there.

High School Kinda Sucks: the Autobiography of Jack Matthew Harrison

Definitely. Even if the Old Gin Rummy is closed for the after-party, they still have a liquor license so I'm sure a hundred or more high school students in a bar will pretty much guarantee a close police presence. Craig lucked out big-time that no one was busted for alcohol at his Halloween party. I doubt he'll be so fortunate this time around.

You know what the end of Chapter 51 reminded me of? That's right-- the end of Chapter One. That was the last time Jack really broke down and cried his eyes out. He had just found out that Craig and Kayla were a couple and also witnessed (through a keyhole) his siblings having sex. That was a low point but things started to get better after his dad gave him some advice on how to win Kayla's heart. I have a funny feeling that it will be Amanda who saves Jack's bacon this time.

I think you're missing a key observation-- Jack was born to suffer. He is a modern-day Don Quixote and his White Knight personality is what keeps getting him in trouble. Until he stops trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders not much will change, except that he might lose Kayla.

It will depend on how things go with Kayla. That three month time-out is going to test Jack to his limits and a lot could happen. For instance, what if Kayla is really hurt and decides to accept an invitation to the prom just to teach him a lesson? That would be extreme and more than enough to make Jack crack like an egg.

No, it wouldn't. It also would not help him with Kayla or his folks. Craig would also distance himself. Ah well. it seemed like a good idea.

I'd really love to know what sort of evidence the police have on Don and his enforcers if they felt confident enough to arrest them without filing the assault charges for Jack's beating. Possibly they were close to a solid case due to informants and/or video surveillance, but then Jack blew it for them. The police then had no choice but to arrest Don before he disappeared. In any case, Jack shouldn't take this like a whipped dog. He may have acted like a jerk but he didn't deserve what happened. Know what Jack should do? Hire a lawyer and then kick open the door to the principal's office. "Nichols, you spineless wimp-- either let me go to the prom or Johnnie Cochran here will file a civil suit against you and the school board for my emotional and physical damages which occurred on school property and were caused by a criminal organization you knew to be operating at Brow Ridge. You don't want to hear about me during my senior year? Trust me, pal-- I'm all you're gonna hear about." Well, that's the way I would write it.

Thanks, Joe. We are all anticipating Ch. 51, I can assure you!

That's a good question. I've been thinking about what a break-up would mean-- not so much to Jack and Kayla's friends at school, but to their families at home. The Hannigans and the Harrisons are more than your average neighbors. They spend holidays and vacations together and genuinely love each other almost like in-laws. Their kids breaking up would be like someone had died. Jack and Kayla would both get a ton of guilt from their folks. Not to mention that their college plans would probably be out the window as well. So maybe Kayla is trying to slap some sense into Jack with the threat of leaving him.

A trial separation, one would hope. If they do split for a while I wonder if Nick will make a play for Kayla?

Don the Pimp seems to have a modicum of common sense and intelligence, at least when it comes to his entrepreneurial and organizational skills. He has to know how much trouble he and his two pals will be in once Jack talks to the police. Right now the charges are felony assault at the state level. It can only go downhill from there. If they cross a state line they become federal fugitives. If they completely lose their minds and plant an IED in a school or at a school event then it would be less painful if they simply hung themselves. In my opinion Don will either try to lay low or head for the hills. His two friends will be the ones stupid enough to take revenge against Jack.

Don't worry about it and don't rush. One thing I'm curious about is whether the beating that Jack took was perhaps based on something that you might have witnessed? I've seen any number of playground and schoolyard fights but it was always one-on-one and more along the lines of the Craig-Jack Homecoming fight. The two guys were usually bleeding and out of breath before any serious damage was done. The only beat-down in my personal experience happened around 1978 to a cousin of my best friend. He mouthed off to a carload of the wrong people and took an hellacious pounding a lot worse than Jack did (two months in the hospital and rehab). Like Billy Joel said-- the good old days weren't always good.

"The familiar, excited feeling, the stiffening in my pants, the hollow feeling of my breath in my chest... All of it came rushing back in a second." "This wasn't right! I'd sworn that I would stop this whole prostitution thing happening and here I was, letting myself get turned on by it like usual. That was not how it was going to be." ----------------- Before the saga is over I would love to see Jack have another session with Dr. Fitzsimmons and find out why he is both a righteous avenger and a sexual voyeur. Jack is a 'White Knight' and what else?

Good question. Jack has been re-doubling his efforts after having lost sight of his goals. It's quite common behaviour in our society. No one ever wants to admit to being wrong. Some folks will just tune everything out and charge forward, completely ignoring the evidence that what they are doing is a failure or destructive or hurtful. It remains to be seen whether Jack got some sense beat into him.