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Nick & Carter Holiday #19
Veterans Day, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
It's a misty, rainy Veterans Day in San Francisco.
Nick Williams (83, almost 84) and Carter Jones (86) are getting ready for their annual shindig at the Top of the Mark.
For the past few years, they've invited LGBT veterans to join them for lunch while the usual parade is happening on Market Street.
It's a special event that honors the men and women who've done their duty under fire even when their country hasn't fully honored their service.
This year will turn out to be even more special than the ones before, however.
A retired Navy corpsman stops by for a quick chat and Nick realizes this kid might be very special, indeed.
Uncle Paul said there would be five.
Four are in place...
Could this be the last of the guys Nick and Carter have been waiting for?
Welcome to a year of holidays with Nick Williams and Carter Jones!
This is the nineteenth in a series of short stories and novellas all centered around specific holidays.
Each story is a vignette that stands on its own and takes place from the 1920s to 2008.
This is a short story containing about 15,200 words.
It's a misty, rainy Veterans Day in San Francisco.
Nick Williams (83, almost 84) and Carter Jones (86) are getting ready for their annual shindig at the Top of the Mark.
For the past few years, they've invited LGBT veterans to join them for lunch while the usual parade is happening on Market Street.
It's a special event that honors the men and women who've done their duty under fire even when their country hasn't fully honored their service.
This year will turn out to be even more special than the ones before, however.
A retired Navy corpsman stops by for a quick chat and Nick realizes this kid might be very special, indeed.
Uncle Paul said there would be five.
Four are in place...
Could this be the last of the guys Nick and Carter have been waiting for?
Welcome to a year of holidays with Nick Williams and Carter Jones!
This is the nineteenth in a series of short stories and novellas all centered around specific holidays.
Each story is a vignette that stands on its own and takes place from the 1920s to 2008.
This is a short story containing about 15,200 words.
- GenresGay
53 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2020
6 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Frank W. Butterfield
123 books106 followersFrank W. Butterfield, not an assumed name, loves old movies, wise-cracking smart guys with hearts of gold, and writing for fun.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
Although he worships San Francisco, he lives at the beach on another coast.
Born on a windy day in November of 1966, he was elected President of his high school Spanish Club in the spring of 1983.
After moving across these United States like a rapid-fire pinball, he currently makes his home in a hurricane-proof apartment with superior water pressure that was built in 1926.
While he hasn't met any dolphins personally, that invitation is always open.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 13, 2020
Veteran’s Day, 2006 (Nick & Carter Holiday #19)
BY Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2020
Five stars
As I expected, this one did make me cry. The action, such as it is, all takes place on Nob Hill, either in the Williams-Jones mansion or across the park at the Mark Hopkins Hotel, where Nick and Carter host their annual LGBT Veterans Day celebration for any and all—including homeless veterans.
But, as is true with all these holiday books, the action isn’t really where the action is. Nick is nearly 85 and Carter is 86, and not only do we—all those people who love them—have to come to grips with them as truly old, we also have to watch them deal with the inevitable future they face together.
The greatest comfort is that this isn’t really news—if you’ve read other parts of Frank Butterfield’s oeuvre, particularly the Whit & Eddie adventures, you already know a lot of what will happen between 2006 and 2020 (I have two Whit & Eddie books on my backlog, which I realize I really want to read NOW). What is strongest in this particular story is all the stuff that goes on in Nick’s head, the exact nature of which I don’t want to reveal, other than to say that it’s the part that made me cry.
I don’t know the demographic details of Nick & Carter fans; I just know where I am in my life. Nick and Carter, as I’ve mentioned, could be my parents. Could have been my parents’ friends. Their stories resonate through my life in ways that make for a different experience from readers at different points in their stories. That’s one of the marvels of Frank Butterfield’s narratives.
BY Frank W. Butterfield
Published by the author, 2020
Five stars
As I expected, this one did make me cry. The action, such as it is, all takes place on Nob Hill, either in the Williams-Jones mansion or across the park at the Mark Hopkins Hotel, where Nick and Carter host their annual LGBT Veterans Day celebration for any and all—including homeless veterans.
But, as is true with all these holiday books, the action isn’t really where the action is. Nick is nearly 85 and Carter is 86, and not only do we—all those people who love them—have to come to grips with them as truly old, we also have to watch them deal with the inevitable future they face together.
The greatest comfort is that this isn’t really news—if you’ve read other parts of Frank Butterfield’s oeuvre, particularly the Whit & Eddie adventures, you already know a lot of what will happen between 2006 and 2020 (I have two Whit & Eddie books on my backlog, which I realize I really want to read NOW). What is strongest in this particular story is all the stuff that goes on in Nick’s head, the exact nature of which I don’t want to reveal, other than to say that it’s the part that made me cry.
I don’t know the demographic details of Nick & Carter fans; I just know where I am in my life. Nick and Carter, as I’ve mentioned, could be my parents. Could have been my parents’ friends. Their stories resonate through my life in ways that make for a different experience from readers at different points in their stories. That’s one of the marvels of Frank Butterfield’s narratives.
November 12, 2020
I thought this tale on Veteran's Day was the best one of the Nock and Carter Holiday. I think the author handled the way Nick and Carter were facing their own demise was outstanding. I will read this book again.
November 16, 2020
Okay, yes, I did indeed like this one, but boy oh boy it made me sad and happy...
November 17, 2020
This episode was one of the best to date and I'm guessing it is because it provided a glimpse into their lives towards the end. It was anguish inducing and tears provoking, and yet showed a future where their legacy would yet live on.
November 11, 2023
What can I say that hasn't already been said in my reviews of this deliciously fun Nick & Carter Holiday short story series? Not much but I'll give a try😉.
I wasn't sure just what to expect in this entry with the 2006 year setting. Nick and Carter would definitely be older than the rest of the series which on one hand you'd expect the MCs to be in a limited capacity as to their activity level but on the other hand it's Nick and Carter, I can't imagine there ever being a down time before their last breath. It was that "other hand" that had me a bit worried going in and that worry hung on a bit when I realized Nick was once again seeing his deceased loved ones in his dreams. Was that a sign of the end? For that answer you'll have to read Veteran's Day, 2006 yourself.
Between the time they have yet together looming, the visits by past cherished friends, and the Veteran's Day setting I think I can safely say 2006 is my favorite holiday adventure yet(I only have one to go so I'm thinking it'll retain that moniker). War time and/or patriotic holiday settings have always tugged at my heart more and left many a tear fall more so than "typical" dramas. Perhaps it's the heartache that follows loss, separation, friendships forged under fire, or maybe it's because I was Baptised on Veteran's Day that left an unofficial connection to my soul. Whatever the reason I'm always prepared to be left teary eyed going in to stories like Veteran's Day, 2006 and a few tears were shed during this leg of Nick and Carter's journey. Don't get me wrong there were many of the happy, quirky feels that go hand-in-hand with a Nick & Carter adventure that make this an all around grand gem.
One last mention: a brief bit of convo reveals that Carter didn't feel like he completely fulfilled his wartime effort as a firefighter left to protect the homefront versus serving on the frontlines as Nick did. Nick of course tells him how untrue that is and that it's a disagreement they've had many a time over the years. My grandfather did not serve partially for health reasons but also, he and his youngest brother-in-law were told their services were best needed here as farmers to feed the homefront. Too often this aspect can be overlooked and so I want to make a special shout out of Thanks! to Frank W Butterfield for those few lines of dialogue helping people understand that not everyone served on the battlefield but still provided a much needed service to their country.
I wasn't sure just what to expect in this entry with the 2006 year setting. Nick and Carter would definitely be older than the rest of the series which on one hand you'd expect the MCs to be in a limited capacity as to their activity level but on the other hand it's Nick and Carter, I can't imagine there ever being a down time before their last breath. It was that "other hand" that had me a bit worried going in and that worry hung on a bit when I realized Nick was once again seeing his deceased loved ones in his dreams. Was that a sign of the end? For that answer you'll have to read Veteran's Day, 2006 yourself.
Between the time they have yet together looming, the visits by past cherished friends, and the Veteran's Day setting I think I can safely say 2006 is my favorite holiday adventure yet(I only have one to go so I'm thinking it'll retain that moniker). War time and/or patriotic holiday settings have always tugged at my heart more and left many a tear fall more so than "typical" dramas. Perhaps it's the heartache that follows loss, separation, friendships forged under fire, or maybe it's because I was Baptised on Veteran's Day that left an unofficial connection to my soul. Whatever the reason I'm always prepared to be left teary eyed going in to stories like Veteran's Day, 2006 and a few tears were shed during this leg of Nick and Carter's journey. Don't get me wrong there were many of the happy, quirky feels that go hand-in-hand with a Nick & Carter adventure that make this an all around grand gem.
One last mention: a brief bit of convo reveals that Carter didn't feel like he completely fulfilled his wartime effort as a firefighter left to protect the homefront versus serving on the frontlines as Nick did. Nick of course tells him how untrue that is and that it's a disagreement they've had many a time over the years. My grandfather did not serve partially for health reasons but also, he and his youngest brother-in-law were told their services were best needed here as farmers to feed the homefront. Too often this aspect can be overlooked and so I want to make a special shout out of Thanks! to Frank W Butterfield for those few lines of dialogue helping people understand that not everyone served on the battlefield but still provided a much needed service to their country.
December 22, 2020
This (like Pearl Harbor Day, 1991) is a trifle melancholy - Nick and Carter are both in their 80s and Nick is preparing to move on. At the annual Veterans Day gathering he meets a former serviceman who seems to be the fifth and final person needed for when he goes... Melancholia aside this has all the good qualities of the series - and Nick and Carter, despite the former's increasing frailty are still very much in love...
October 19, 2025
Touchingly Romantic
This short vignette combines history, conjecture, and emotions in a series of short scenes centered around Veterans Day and a casual business gathering afterward.
This short vignette combines history, conjecture, and emotions in a series of short scenes centered around Veterans Day and a casual business gathering afterward.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews