Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:06:17 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - chapters 37 - 38

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening by BW	
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 37 -- A Bump In the Road of Life.                              

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

Although the boys' transition from their previous lives to living as part
of our new family had been basically without incident, it didn't mean there
weren't any problems.  This became quite evident the week after Labor Day,
when we suffered our first, major school incident.  It occurred when Danny
was walking down the hall at the high school, while speaking with Brandon.
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice
when they strolled past one of Brandon's old nemeses.  He just happened to
be walking in the opposite direction, as they made their way to their next
class.  However, the boy didn't miss seeing them and immediately stopped
and turned toward them.

"Hey, I see our little fag's got a new boyfriend," the young man announced,
loudly enough for everyone else in the hallway to hear.  He wanted to make
sure he drew their attention to the pair.  The boys tried to ignore him and
keep walking, but the kid persisted.  "Why don't you give your lover boy a
big sloppy kiss, so everyone can see how fucking fairies make out."

That immediately drew a response from Danny, who couldn't ignore such a
blatant insult.  "Why don't you go to hell," Danny shot back, extremely
agitated.  He was especially bothered by the boy's smug arrogance, which
seemed to grow after he noticed he was gaining an audience to listen to his
bigoted ranting.

"Oooooh, did I hit a sore spot," he teased, hoping his comment would cause
Danny to back down and prove that all gays were wussies.

"Look, asshole, we're not bothering you, so fuck off and get lost," Danny
shot back, while taking up a defiant stance in front of him.  He hoped this
kid would see he meant business and just walk away, like most bullies do
when they don't have a supporting cast behind them.

"Well, a faggot with balls, how unusual," he smirked, "because your
boyfriend never seemed to have a pair."

"And what makes you think either of us is gay?" Danny challenged him.  "Do
you have a proof or any witnesses to back up your big mouth?"

"I don't need any proof or I certainly don't need anyone else to convince
me about what I can see," the boy barked back.  "Everyone around here knows
he's gay, just from watching how he talks, moves and acts."

"And everyone knows you're a fucking asshole," Danny shot back, "and the
proof of that is how you've been carrying on for the last few fucking
minutes.  Now, go crawl back under that rock you came out from under,
before I lose my temper."

"Is that the best you can come up with?" the young man challenged, in an
effort to mock Danny.

"No, and you'll find out what I'm capable of, if you continue your shit,"
Danny warned him.  "I suggested you get out of here, before you regret your
big mouth and small brain."

"Oh, I'm scared.  I think you're all talk," the boy taunted.  "You may be
brave with words, but I still think you're all talk and no action."

"Then you're even dumber than you look," Danny retorted, hoping this
insults would be enough.  "I'm warning you to shut up and keep moving,
before I do something you'll regret."

"Oh, and what are you limp-wristed gay boys going to do to stop me?" the
boy challenged, but obviously without quite the same amount of bluster he
had displayed previously.

"Something that you may not be ready for," Danny warned, just before he
smashed his right fist squarely into the middle of the kid's face, knocking
him on his ass.  As the bully lay sprawled out on the cold tiled floor,
Danny moved forward quickly, straddled his chest and grabbed him by his
shirt, so he could drag the loudmouth's upper body toward him.  "If I ever
hear you say anything like that again, I won't stop beating your sorry ass
until you aren't able to get back up, even with help."

At that moment, a teacher came out of his room, to see what all the noise
and commotion was about.  He got there just in time to see Danny holding
the shirt of the boy who was bleeding profusely from his nose and mouth.
The teacher immediately took hold of both boys and announced he was
escorting them to the principal's office.

A crowd of students followed them there, and once in the principal's
office, Danny stated his case, while the other boy was taken to the nurse's
office to be tended to.  While he was away, the principal also questioned
several of the students who had witnessed the incident and then followed
the boys to his office, as they were interested to see what was going to
happen next.  Most of them were eager to support Danny's account of the
story, especially Brandon, but the principal still wasn't about to condone
the physical assault on another student.  That's why I received a phone
call, a few minutes later.

It was brief and too the point.  I was told my son had been in a fight and
had hurt another young man, but I wasn't given any other details.  Even
though I felt this was totally out of character for Danny, I knew I had to
go there to discover the rest of the story.  I hurriedly arranged for
coverage, confidently relying upon my secretary and the assistant principal
to pick up the slack while I was out.  I drove directly to the high school,
parked in a 'visitor's' parking space and walked as quickly as I could to
the principal's office.

When I got there, everyone was still seated around the principal's desk,
including the other boy.  He had gauze stuffed up his nose and his shirt
was still covered in blood, but he wasn't quite what I expected.  He was
taller than Danny and weighed considerably more, although much of it was
flab, rather than muscle.  Looking at the young man, I began to wonder if I
had underestimated Danny's physical attributes and his potential to harm
someone else, if he so desired.

After listening to the principal, and then to the teacher who had brought
both boys to the office, the other boy was given a chance to speak.  He
told me, in very nasal tones, that Danny had sucker punched him, for no
reason.  Hearing his altered speech, which was caused by the gauze pads
protruding from his nose, almost made me chuckle.  He sounded as if he were
the main speaking part in a 'cold' commercial, where the poor ailing victim
asked the pharmacist where the cold medicine was located, but the severity
of the charges prevented me from bursting out in laughter.

Once the other boy had finished, Danny was given a chance to tell me his
side of the story.  He told me precisely what happened, directly
contradicting what that other young man had said.  I was impressed that he
never hesitated in accepting responsibility for his part in the fight, if
you could call it that, and also willingly accepted his detentions, without
a word of protest.

After Danny finished, the principal advised me that several other students,
who had witnessed what had happened, had supported Danny's account of what
had taken place.  He said, other than the detentions, no further action
would be taken against Danny.  The other boy would serve the same amount of
detention time, but they were waiting for one of his parents to arrive,
since they had to also be called at work.  I thanked him for his handling
of the situation and then had Danny get his things, so he could go home
with me.  It was close enough to the end of the school day that I thought
it would be best for him not to be the center of attention for what time
was left.

As we walked to the car, I thought about how I was going to approach this
with him when we got home, since neither of us said a word to the other
after we left the principal's office.  Although he had been provoked, I
would make it clear to him that it still wasn't acceptable behavior to
fight during school hours and on school grounds, no matter the reason.  I
think Danny was fearful about how I was going to respond once we were
alone, because I saw him keep glancing at me, out of the corner of his eye,
as we finished walking to the car and drove home.  I went there, because I
wanted some time alone with him, before we picked up the rest of the boys.

As we sat down in the living room, we began our discussion.  "Danny, I can
understand how you might lose your cool in such a situation, but that's
still not an acceptable excuse for your behavior.  I think you need to work
on developing better self-restraint, so you can avoid similar situations in
the future.  Most of all, I sincerely hope you never display that kind of
violence at home."

I think this comment totally shocked and hurt Danny.  He looked up at me,
through his sad, dark puppy-dog eyes, and spoke.  "Dad, I'd never do
anything like that, but this guys really pissed me off.  He just wouldn't
quit, even though I gave him several chances to shut up and walk away.
Please, Dad, you can't blame me for this.  I had to stand up to him or it
would have gotten worse.  If you don't stand up to guys like that, they and
their buddies will just make your life a living hell.  He's been doing that
to Brandon forever."

"I understand, Danny, and I certainly don't blame you or love you any less
now," I assured him.  "I may be a little disappointed in your actions, but
at the same time I'm proud of the way you stood up for your friend.  I
guess it's one of those times when I can't feel just one way or the other
about what happened, but you can't continue to fight on school grounds."

"I know," he admitted, "but I'll bet he won't bother either of us again.
And I bet the rest of those guys will think twice before they make a
comment about us being gay."

I agreed and gave him a hug.  I also doubted there would be any further
incidences of this nature, now that everyone knew Danny also packed a hell
of a wallop.  "Danny, I just ask that if there is a next time, will you
trying using your head to outwit whoever is bothering you, before resorting
to your fists."  A small grin broke out across his face.

"Sure, Dad, and thanks.  I was so worried you might want me to leave after
this, especially after you wouldn't speak to me on the way home.  I was
sure you were going to tell me to pack my things once we got here, while
you called Aunt Sally."

"Never, Tiger.  I will always love you and be there for you, even if you
sometimes disappoint me with your actions.  If you truly love somebody, you
will love him no matter what, even if at times you don't like what he may
do.  Do you understand that?"

"I think so," he answered, but his smile told me he was relieved that his
worst fears weren't going to come to pass.

Once we finished our little discussion, we drove back down to pick the rest
of our brood up.  The little ones were cheerful, but confused as to why I
had left and why I had Danny with me already.  I told them that something
had come up, but that was the only reason I gave them.  However, when we
reached the high school to pick up the older boys, everything became quite
evident.

"Way to go, Danny," Kevin yelled, as he jumped in the van.  "I bet he won't
ever say things like that to you again."

"You were there?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Heck, no, but everyone in school's been talking about it, ever since it
happened," Kevin told him.

"Yeah, I think you changed a lot of people's minds about their gay
stereotypes," Dustin added, "because all afternoon everyone kept talking
about how you certainly didn't hit like a fag.  Oops, sorry about the fag
part, but that's what they were saying."

"It's okay," Danny assured him.  "I know how they talk about us."

"Not any more you don't," Dustin corrected him.  "You're kind of a hero
now, for standing up to that fat ass like that.  I think everyone was quite
impressed.  I think Brandon's problems would have ended long ago, if he
could have done that for himself, but I don't think either of you have to
worry any more.  I think people will be looking at both of you in a whole
new light."

Although Danny was pleased about the newfound respect, I think he was also
a little chagrined to think that it took something that drastic to get the
other students to realize that gays weren't really that different from
them.  Yes, some could be a little swishy or effeminate, but so could some
straight guys, but they were now beginning to appreciate, that other than
whom they chose to love, they were all basically the same.

After a conversation filled dinner, when the older boys filled the younger
boys in about what had happened earlier, I tried to get them all to settle
back down.  I didn't want them spending the entire evening rehashing the
details of the big fight.  Ricky, however, keep things going, as he would
pretend to shadowbox with Danny, and then fall down, like he had been
knocked out.  It got a lot of laughs and kept the others wound up for a
while longer.

Later that evening, things had just begun to quiet down, when Brandon's
father drove over to our house, with his son in tow.  I greeted them at the
door and invited them both inside.  Mr. O'Hara was quick to get to the
point and explained he had heard about what had happened at the school,
earlier in the day.

"I don't know if you realize this or not," he told me, "but that young man
has been harassing my son for nearly a year now.  He goes to our church and
was in the same scout troop as Brandon, and that's why I think Brandon
stopped going to either place.  I've done everything I could think of to
try and stop it, but nothing has worked.  I spoke to his parents, but their
attitude was that boys will be boys and it was their problem to work out,
not ours."  Mr. O'Hara was looking very exasperated, but I knew he wasn't
finished yet.

"When it also began happening when Brandon went to the high school this
year, I brought it to the attention of school officials, but they only told
me they'd keep an eye on the situation, but couldn't do anything unless the
boy attacked Brandon physically.  I guess they didn't feel verbal assaults
were enough.  When that didn't work, and since Brandon couldn't stop going
to school, I filed a complaint with the police.  Their response was to tell
me to have Brandon call them the next time it happened and they'd talk to
the boy then.  I've been so frustrated and Brandon has remained the brunt
of his taunts."

I assured him I understood how he felt and couldn't understand the school's
handling of the situation, since the district did have a strongly worded
harassment policy spelled out in the student and administration's
handbooks.  It was put in a few years before, to deal with racial and
religious slurs that were becoming quite frequent.  I was sure it applied
to sexual harassment as well.  He asked me to look into it for him, as he
turned to Danny.

"I want to thank you for what you did for Brandon today," he told him while
reaching out to shake Danny's hand.  "Today you accomplished what I haven't
been able to do over many months.  You shut the bastard up."  His choice of
words made both boys look at each other and grin.  "I could never have
hoped for or selected a better friend for my son.  You, and your family,
are truly the best thing that has happened for Brandon in a very long time.
You will always be considered a friend and welcomed in our home."

Danny blushed at the praise, but he appreciated Brandon's father's kind
words.  I think Danny understood that now Brandon and he would never have
to worry about Brandon's parents trying to come between them in the future.

At that point, I invited Pat to have coffee with me in the dining room, so
we could talk some more.  He agreed, so while we were talking and sipping
our java, Brandon and Danny snuck away for some private time alone.
Brandon wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to show Danny his
personal gratitude for defending his honor.  And people say Chivalry is
dead.

After the boys came back to join us, Brandon's father announced it was time
for them to go back home.  Once they had departed, I had time to reflect on
all that had been said.  I now knew our families had become inseparable,
bound together by the love these two young men felt for each other.
Although both families had been close prior to this, mainly because
Brandon's parents appreciated everything we did for their son and how much
Brandon enjoyed himself when he was in our company, I think today's events
help to forever cement that bond.  Over time, I knew our strong
relationship would prove advantageous for all of us.

The next morning, as they were having breakfast, the boys wondered what
might happen when they returned to school.  They weren't particularly
worried about any sort of retaliation, but more curious about how everyone
else was going to react to them throughout the day.  It wasn't very long
before they discovered that fate was smiling kindly in their direction.  As
it turned out, the kid who had started the trouble didn't show up for
school that day.  In fact, he never set foot in that high school again.  A
few days after the incident, the young man's parents transferred their son
to another nearby school district.

For most of that day, Danny was hailed a conquering hero, for his handling
of the situation.  Just to make sure it didn't go to his head, I brought
him back to earth by warning him about the consequences he would suffer,
should another such action ever occur.  Looking at my expression and
listening to my harsh tone, he knew I meant business, but that didn't
completely prevent him from enjoying the attention of his peers.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening by BW	
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 38 -- Autumn Memories.

Things quieted down substantially when thoughts of the incident were
replaced by more pressing and current issues.  But as Danny's
fifteen-minutes of fame fell by the wayside, his athletic prowess became
highlighted, along with that of his brothers and the other members of the
soccer team.  The school suddenly sat up and took notice, as their season
neared its end, as the JV team was on a tear and finished 11-1.  An
assembly was held to applaud their accomplishments, which meant Danny,
Brandon, Dustin and Kevin all got to be acknowledged for their
contributions to the team's success.

Jay and Ricky's modified team didn't do quite as well, but they still ended
up at 7-3 and were proud of what they had accomplished.  All of the boys
were not only satisfied with how their teams had done, but also with their
personal efforts and progress throughout the season.  However, their
attempt to hone their skills didn't stop there, as they continued to kick
the ball around at home and played pick-up games on the weekends, so they
would be ready to advance to the next level.

Somewhere during that time something else happened, but this breakthrough
occurred with our latest arrivals.  One night, while we were enjoying some
quiet time together, Cole made a comment.  "All the other boys call you
Dad," Cole said, while studying my reaction.  "Do you think it would be all
right if me and Graham did that too?" he wanted to know.  I could tell he
wasn't sure what my reaction was going to be, so I winked at him, before I
answered.

"I would like that very much," I agreed, "but you will both have to
continue to call me Mr. Currie at school," I added.  "All of the other boys
have to do that too."

"I know," he stated simply.

"You're both my sons now too," I continued, looking at both of these young
men in the eye, "just like the others, and they'll also be your brothers.
It doesn't matter if we have different last names for the time being, we're
still one big happy family.  We all love each other and will look out for
each other, and that will never change.  You'll just have to get used to
having four more brothers."  That must have been exactly what they hoped to
hear, because both boys wrapped their arms around me, Cole around my waist
and Graham around one of my legs, and I think they were even crying.  Tears
of joy, I hoped.  It was another sign that they appreciated being here with
us.

The next big date on our calendar before Halloween, that is, just happened
to be Cole's birthday.  He was going to turn fourteen on October 22nd.  One
evening after dinner, I sat him down and asked what he wanted for his
birthday and what kind of party he would like.  After thinking about this
for a few minutes, he rattled off a litany of ideas for gifts, but he was a
little slower about addressing the question of what he wanted to do at his
party and whom he wished to invite.

"This is hard," he admitted, after a while.  "I'm not sure what to do.
I've never had a party and the only ones I've been to, except for Kevin's,
are the ones they hold in class, when it's your birthday."

Once more, my heart broke, as I listened to another story of neglect from
his past.  After I got past my emotional reaction to this information, I
gave him some ideas for what he might like to do for his birthday
celebration, trying to help him narrow it down and make this a special
event for him.  I also suggested that we should hold his party on Saturday
the 24th, which would give him the whole day to enjoy this special event.
Once he agreed, we then went on to discuss if there was anyone special he
wanted to invite.

"You know I want all seven of my brothers to come," he informed me, which
meant he was including Jay and Brandon in on the count.  I nodded my head
to assure him that I knew they were to be included too.  "I also want Aunt
Sally and you there, but do you think I could ask two of my friends from
school to come too?  I mean, we hang around together all day through our
classes and breaks, but we never get to do anything together besides that.
I think it would be fun to have them come to the house and meet everyone."
I told him that would be fine, so we spent the next few minutes ironing out
the remaining details.

Watching Cole's behavior leading up to his birthday was worth a thousand
times what this party was going to cost me.  I had never seen him so happy
or excited since he came to live with us.  He began strutting around home
and school, as if he were someone important.  It was almost like watching a
monarch during the days preceding his coronation.  Cole was instantly the
king of his world.

Besides continually asking me how many more days were left until his party,
Cole took great pleasure in preparing his invitations and he gave each of
us one.  However, he was especially careful about how he worded the ones
for his two friends from school.  He wrote the information neatly, but made
sure to add to theirs that 'no gifts are needed.'  He felt he had to
include that information, so the boys wouldn't stay away, if they or their
family felt they couldn't afford to buy him a present.  He just wanted them
to come and was ecstatic when they told him they would be happy to attend.

When that Saturday finally rolled around, I followed the agenda Cole had
helped me lay out.  We started by taking everyone to tour the local cider
mill, as part of the party plans.  Only Jay, Brandon, Kevin and Dustin had
ever been there before, which came as a major surprise to me.  I thought
nearly every elementary teacher took their classes to the cider mill around
Halloween, to see the process and sample the treats, but most of my boys
had no idea how to even get cider from apples.  Therefore, I was immensely
pleased to see them all enjoying this visit and having a good time.

After we had seen everything, I bought several gallons of cider to take
home and a candy apple for each boy, Sally and myself, before we drove back
to the house.  Once we unloaded, the boys stayed outdoors, so they could
play a game of kickball, while Sally offered to assist me inside.  As I got
the grill ready to cook up some hot dogs and hamburgers, Sally helped put
the finishing touches on the other items and then assisted me in carrying
everything out to our two picnic tables.

After calling the boys to eat, Sally and I stepped out of the way, as the
stampede came charging in our direction.  Watching them approach reminded
me of a swarm of locust landing to devour some poor farmer's crops, as the
boys began eating everything in sight.  I nearly lost a finger or two in
the deal, as I handed out the meat.  To my great delight, this eating
frenzy also included Cole and Graham, who had been steadily building a
healthy appetite and putting on a few, well-needed pounds.

After everyone finished the meal, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Cole.  He
seemed pleased, yet embarrassed, from all of this attention and I wondered
if anyone had ever sung to him on his birthday before.  Once that
concluded, he went around and took orders of the flavor(s) of ice cream
everyone wanted, while Sally cut the cake and I scooped out the various
requests.  After everyone was given an ample share of the treats, Cole
finally sat down to enjoy his own choices.

Once everyone was done, I told Cole it was time to open his presents.  The
first gift he grabbed to open happened to be from the boys and me.  We had
purchased a CD player for him, similar to the one Kevin got for his
birthday, because Cole had commented several times how much he liked it.
We also bought him a few CD's of his own, which he could keep in his room.

He opened his gifts from the others next.  As expected, Sally gave her
typically wonderful gift, which Cole showed to everyone, with as much gusto
as he could manage.  After thanking her several times, he also gave her a
kiss on the cheek.  I think that meant as much to Sally, as her gift had
meant to Cole.

His friends had also brought him presents, which Cole thanked them for, but
even though he didn't know it, he wasn't done yet.  Once he had opened his
other gifts, I had Dustin bring out his last present.  Cole's eyes lit up
the minute he saw it and I thought he was going to do back flips and hand
springs as he ran toward his new bike.  Instead, he raced around and hugged
each one of us, as his way of saying thank you.

He was one happy and excited kid, and we were all very pleased for him.
However, I also took a moment to think ahead, birthday-wise that is, and
considered Graham's birthday.  I realized it would be the next one we'd
celebrate, but that wouldn't happen until the following March.  I hoped he
could hold out until then and not become jealous about Cole temporarily
having more than he did.  I would discuss that with him later, when I could
get him alone.

Cole enjoyed his special day and it helped to cement his friendship with
his two young friends.  These were the first people he had shown any
interest in, outside of our family circle, and that, in itself, was a huge
deal.  This was because Cole was very shy at school -- a situation brought
about by a combination of factors.  The first, of course, was his past, but
the second was due to the fact that he also had some learning disabilities,
which sometimes became a focal point for ridicule.  From time to time, Cole
would admit to me that some of the other kids teased him about being dumb
or derided him about not being able to read or do math as well as they did,
so it was nice to see his two friends who were willing to look beyond his
limitations.

Of course, I knew who these boys were before they came here, since they
also attended my school, but I must admit I don't remember ever meeting
their parents or knowing very much about them, other than the fact that
they weren't troublemakers in the classroom.  I wasn't sure where they
lived or much about their background, but they seemed quite nice, were very
good to Cole and got along well with the others while they were here,
especially with Graham.  All in all, they fit in well and I thought the
party was a huge success.

Since that event was now behind us, the next big occasion was Halloween.
Only Graham, Cole, Ricky and Jay decided they wanted to go
trick-or-treating this year, as the others felt they were too old for such
things.  I let each of the boys decide what type of costume they wanted and
then helped to provide it for them, by either purchasing it or helping them
to make their own.  That evening, we ate early and then the boys donned
their 'ghoulish' attire, so I could take them, door to door, around the
neighborhood.

It didn't come as a surprise when Graham and Cole said they could only
remembered doing this a couple of times, but only when they were really
little.  They said they didn't know why their mother stopped taking them
out, but they thanked me for allowing them to go trick-or-treating tonight.
They also made sure to let me know they never had as nice of a costume as
they were wearing tonight and it made them feel really good.  Hearing this
pleased me immensely, but the other information they'd just shared merely
gave me one more reason to despise their mother.

The other boys didn't merely sit around home that evening, because they had
made plans to go out with some of their other friends to mess around.  They
still wanted to have some fun, but just didn't think it was cool to go from
house to house begging for candy any longer.  They felt they were too old
and sophisticated for such things.  I didn't have a problem with this and
told them they could have a good time, but warned them not to get into
mischief.  Over the past few years, I'd heard about some older kids
stealing the younger children's candy, spray painting houses or doing other
damage, so I made sure to point this out and warn them about getting
involved in such things.  I reminded them there were tricks that were
amusing, but others were not, such as vandalizing someone else's property.
They said I didn't have to worry, because the worse they might do is toilet
paper some trees or spray each other with shaving cream, so I told them to
have a good time.

Once Halloween was behind us, the next few weeks seemed to fly by.  The
boys moved on to their next sport's season, with Danny, Brandon, Kevin, Jay
and Ricky all trying out for their respective basketball teams.  Dustin and
Cole followed their own hearts and decided to wrestle instead.  Graham
would also try his hand at basketball, but the fifth and sixth grade season
was much shorter, so that would allow him to wrestle too, after we got back
from Christmas break.  The elementary program intentionally split the
winter season into two halves, so the children could participate in both
sports.

Not only did we sail through the early weeks of basketball and wrestling
season, but Thanksgiving was also upon us before we knew it.  This is
always a very special time for me, since my older children come home either
for Thanksgiving or for Christmas.  Most of them now live too far away to
come home for both, so they generally alternate the holidays with their
in-laws and me, at least the ones who are married.  The single ones might
come home both times, although sometimes the expense or hassle discouraged
this from occurring.

This would also provide the first opportunity for the boys to finally get
to meet the rest of the family.  This year, my older daughter and both of
my sons would be joining us, along with my two grandsons.  My younger
daughter and son-in-law would be spending time with his family this year,
so the boys wouldn't get to meet them until Christmas.

It was quite exciting as they arrived, with two of them coming in Wednesday
evening, while the third showed up early Thursday morning.  After the
introductions were made, everyone sat down and got to know each other
better, breaking off into small groups and filtering around from one to
another.  I spent much of the time fixing our special dinner, with rotating
sets of helping hands filtering in to assist me on a nearly constant basis.
I was pleased with the amount of support everyone was giving me.

Dinner went well and everyone was getting along fantastically.  Brandon and
Jay also came over, after eating dinner with their families, and spent the
rest of the evening with us.  They had managed to talk their parents into
letting them come over to meet the rest of my family, after their family
celebrations started to die down.  They were even planning to spend the
night and share a room with one of my boys.

My older children eagerly welcomed their new brothers with open arms, and
the boys seemed thrilled by their reaction.  Not only that, but they took
great pleasure in taking the time needed to get to know each other better
and learn the details of their life.  The boys also took great enjoyment in
spoiling their nephews and we all got a kick out of watching them
roughhouse and play games with each other.  I was very proud of all of
them.

Later in the evening, my elder son pulled me aside, so we could speak
privately.  "Pop, what you're doing is really wonderful," he began.
Hearing him call me 'Pop' again, like Jay and Brandon do, also gave me a
special feeling.  He had done this since he was little, although I was
never sure why, as had my other son.  The girls, however, had always called
me 'Dad.'

"I suspect you know that we, my sisters, Robert and me, all talked about
this after you first told us about taking the boys in to live with you," he
continued.  "I must admit, we were all kind of relieved when you broke the
news, but it was only because we'd all been worried about you living alone.
All of us had thought we noticed signs that you were becoming depressed, as
time passed after mom's death, so we were pleased to hear the excitement
return to your voice, as you began telling us about Danny and Ricky."

I knew he was right and I had lost much of my zest for life during that
time, but I think I might have blushed a bit as he continued.  "You've
always been good with children, and we think that's how you came to select
being a teacher in the first place, and then a principal.  We've also
always been proud of you, even when we attended your school.  It was kind
of neat to have the other kids recognize that you were our father." I think
I blushed some more.

"The more you told us, the happier you sounded, but we called or IM'd each
other after you told us about taking in Dustin and Kevin, and then Cole and
Graham.  We were afraid you might be going overboard, taking in so many
boys in such a short period of time."  I was getting concerned now, waiting
for the other shoe to drop.  I thought I detected a negative tone in his
last statement.

"However, after meeting the boys and hearing the stories of abuse they'd
been through before coming here," Michael continued, "we are positive
you're doing the right thing.  In fact, I think we're all beginning to
enjoy having more little brothers, and I know both my son and Elizabeth's
sure like having younger uncles.  They're both pretty tired right now,
after playing so hard with their new uncles all day long."

I thanked him for his support, and told him I'd thank the others as well,
just as soon as I got the chance, but he had more to tell me.  "We also
looked toward the future a bit," he informed me.  "We discussed that we
each have our own careers right now and are all doing quite well,
financially.  We also know the credit for much of this is due to your
guidance when we were younger.  Therefore, we've also decided that we want
you to use your money on the newest members of our family and not worry
about us.  There's no need for you to continue buying us things for our
birthdays or Christmas, but we won't mind if you want to do a little
something for your grandchildren, because we know how much you like to
spoil them.  The rest of us will be happy with phone calls from time to
time, an occasional card and the possibility of spending more time with you
and the boys."

That last part really touched me.  I thanked him again, impressed by how
much thought he and his siblings had put into this.  It was nice to see
that the nurturing my wife and I invested in them as they were growing up
was now paying dividends.  They were obviously able to think of others, and
not just about themselves.

Now that worry was behind me, juggling the sleeping arrangements for the
four-day holiday was my next big challenge.  Jay and Ricky suggested they
could sleep with me, so my younger son could use Ricky's room.  Danny and
Brandon offered to sleep on the sofa/bed in the family room, so my older
son and daughter-in-law could use his room.  That left my older daughter
and son-in-law in the guest bedroom, while my two grandsons, ages three and
five, teased their parents until they agreed to let them sleep with Cole
and Graham, in the jungle room.

These four had become very close over the short period of time they had
been together.  Even though I had stopped bathing Cole and Graham by this
time, they asked me if I would do it again, while my grandsons were here,
so they could each bathe with one of their nephews.  After talking it over
with the boys parents, they all agreed that would be fine and I think I got
as much pleasure from that time with them as they did.  I loved watching
them interact and playing in the tub and I think this was probably better
for Cole and Graham, than the littlest pair.  They had never had an
opportunity such as this before, since they were still kind of weak and
unable to derive any pleasure from my bathing them, after they first came
to live with me.  Now, however, they were able to focus upon just being
kids and using my grandsons as a pretext to also play with the toys in the
tub.  I marveled at their innocence, as they uninhibitedly frolicked like
boys much younger than their years.

The holiday seemed to pass by too quickly.  Jay and Brandon went home on
Friday, but came back to spend Saturday night with us too.  Rather than be
constantly fixing meals, we would go out to eat, parading into places like
some social group on an outing.  It was remarkable seeing how others
observed us, once we entered each facility.

The boys and my grandsons continued to grow closer, as they spent more time
together.  The boys were very good about finding activities the younger
ones could also participate in, including pulling out old, well-worn
versions of 'Chutes and Ladders' and 'Candy Land' games my older children
had played with when they were little.  Throughout the weekend, they also
gave their nephews, 'horsey' and 'piggy-back' rides and took them out to
play in the leaves and enjoy the nippy, late-fall weather.

When it came time for my older children to return to their own homes and
lives, there were quite a few tears shed, as we exchanged our sad
good-byes.  My grandsons were especially hard hit by having to leave and
asked their parents when they could come back again.  They told the boys
'soon,' even though the little ones pressed them for a more specific time,
but that was the best response they got.  After giving hugs and kisses all
around, everyone departed and the house went back to being its old, quiet
self, but as you might remember, it was never really all that quiet.


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