Stand Up For Bastards!

Andrewgcraft 1 story

Summary

Jonathan Starling is an Englishman stuck in New York in a hellish marriage and a crappy job with no easy way out- until his debauched and long lost biological father, Jake barges into his life. Jonathan Starling, a Brit stuck in NYC, is dying of quiet desperation. His marriage to AA step Nazi Karen is way past its sell-by date, his part time teaching gig sucks, the novel he's writing is stuck on page one and between endless school runs, homework, laundry and cooking for daughters Madison and Taylor he wonders how his life went so horribly wrong. Starling is blackjacked out of his torpor by a letter from Jake Upwood, an unapologetic rake, erstwhile pornographer- and Starling's biological father. After a lifetime of estrangement he now wants to get to know his son. After they meet it's clear father and son share more than their DNA. and as the bond between them grows Starling's marriage deteriorates further. After Jake points out a skanky massage parlour he once visited, Starling begins a series of bumbling encounters with the world's oldest profession, culminating in a catastrophic divorce. He must dig deep within himself to find a way out of his self-made black hole. Ultimately, a text from a ballet Mom, an entry in Jake’s diary and the voice of one of his students on the radio provide the inspiration for one last, desperate shot at a life well lived.