Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:10:00 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 25 & 26

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 25 -- The Phoenix, Rising From the Ashes.

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

After Ann and I walked out to where my boys were sitting, she sat and
chatted with them for a while, in order to get to know them better.  She
also told them about reading about us in Time and said she admired our
family for the way we handled the interview and what we'd accomplished.
After that, Ann readily gave us a few more details about the orphans.

"Let me tell you about the boys and then I'll bring them out here to meet
you," she told everyone.  "The older boy is Tsukimo Yamada, but he goes by
'Sammy', the English equivalent of his name.  He is eleven years old, in
the sixth grade and does quite well in school.  Both boys are half
Japanese, from their father's side, and half Anglo-American, from their
mother's side.

"The younger boy's name is Furuhata Yamada or 'Andrew'.  He is nine years
old, in the fourth grade and also does very well in school.  Both boys are
quite small in stature and have very oriental-looking features.  They are
also quite meek and very well behaved.  I have no idea about their hobbies
or other interests, but maybe the caseworker that has been assigned to them
can tell you more along this line.  She is with them now, in another
office, and they're waiting for me to come and get them.  Do any of you
have any questions that you'd like answered first?"

"They do speak English, don't they?" Cole asked.

"Yes they do and very well," Ann confirmed.  "They were both born in this
country, attend schools here and are both U.S. citizens."

"Do they know how their parents died?" Trey asked.  I think his question
came about because of the way he had lost his own family and the unresolved
issues he was still dealing with.

"They know that both of their parents were shot to death, but they have not
been told the details surrounding that event," Ann informed them.  "We
didn't think they were old enough to deal with that kind of information
yet."

"I think that was a wise decision," I told her.  "It would be difficult
enough to learn their parents had been murdered, but to discover their
father was responsible might be too much for them to handle."

"Our thoughts, precisely.  Any other questions?" she asked, but there were
none.  "In that case, I'll go get the boys and bring them out for
introductions."

Ann left and returned a minute later.  Following her into the room were two
small oriental youths and another lady.  The boys both had straight black
hair, very dark eyes (almost black), were quite cute and both looked scared
out of their wits.  Ann stood behind them and began the introductions.

"Josh, boys.  This is Sammy Yamada and this is his brother, Andrew."  She
pointed to each boy as she introduced him.  "Sammy and Andrew, this is
Mr. Currie and these are his sons.  I'll have to let him tell you their
names."

Little Andrew looked around the room, his eyes wide and his mouth open.
"These are all your sons?" he asked, totally surprise.

"Yes, Andrew, they are," I informed him.  "They all came to me in various
ways and I have taken them into my home, to raise as my sons."

"Wow," exclaimed Sammy, awestruck.  "I don't think I've ever known anyone
with that many children before."

"Yes, I must admit we're sort of an oddity these days," I confirmed.  "But
it wasn't really that long ago when eight children in a family wouldn't
have been considered quite as unusual.  However, nowadays even four
children is a rarity and considered a lot by most standards.  By the way, I
also have four grown children who are living on their own and two
grandsons."

"You are a glutton for punishment, aren't you, Josh?" Ann said in jest.

"Yes, I guess maybe I am," I agreed.

At that point I introduced all of my sons to Sammy and Andrew.  I told them
their names, their ages and a brief story about how we came to be together.
I could see the two youngsters were fascinated by my account of how some of
the boys had been treated in their former homes and by their families.

"Well, Sammy and Andrew," I asked them after the introductions were
completed, "how would you like to join us for the afternoon?  We will go
wherever you'd like and do whatever you'd like to do, so you can get to
know us better.  How would you like that?"

"Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese?" Andrew asked excitedly.

"If that's where you'd like to go, then we'll go there," I agreed.  "Is
that okay with you, Sammy?"

"Yes, I like that place too," he assured me.  "We have a lot of fun when we
go there."

"Then it's settled.  Say good-bye to Ms. Getz and Ms. ..." I looked at the
caseworker.  "I'm not sure I caught your last name, I'm sorry."

"Weinberg, Sandy Weinberg," she told me.

"Fine.  Say good-bye to Ms. Getz and Ms. Weinberg and we'll be on our way."

As our new little friends said their farewells, Ann gave me directions to
Chuck E. Cheese, before we went out to the van.  I strapped Sammy and
Andrew into the front passenger seat together, and the other boys hopped
into the back, some sitting on the laps of some of the others.  We made our
way through the city and were soon in the parking lot of the establishment,
with everyone scrambling to get out the various van doors.  It was like an
invasion force, as the boys rushed the building and crashed (not literally)
through the front doors.

We decided to eat first, so I ordered three large pizzas and plenty of
drinks.  I also purchased a slew of tokens for the boys to use to play the
assortment of carnival and video type games, located throughout the
building.  As we soon discovered, they would play the games to win tickets,
which could be exchanged for prizes later, so I went to the counter and got
four plastic bags to collect and hold the tickets in.

Once they finished eating, I doled out the tokens and soon there were ten
boys running from game to game to game.  Ricky, Cole and Graham also talked
Sammy and Andrew into going up the collection of tubes and play areas that
shot up from the floor and loomed above the other furnishings.  Only the
younger children were allowed to use this, so I sat and watched as the
younger boys climbed through these translucent, colored tubes, going from
area to another.  Watching them, I projected a visual image of them as
hamsters in their cages, scooting through the maze of tubing that was
provided for their pleasure.  They actually did look like those animals at
play.

The boys played around in Chuck E. Cheese for over five hours.  They were
all having a good time and took turns introducing themselves and taking the
new boys with them for a while.  When we finally decided to call it a day,
we had many, many bags of tickets from the games.  As we got ready to take
them over to redeem them, my boys announced they wanted Sammy and Andrew to
split the tickets between just the two of them and then get whatever they
wanted.  Needless to say, our two new friends were thrilled by their good
fortune, yet amazed that the other boys didn't want something for
themselves.  They couldn't believe everyone was willing to give them all of
their tickets.

After much thought on the issue, Sammy and Andrew each selected what they
wanted from the shelf that reflected the correct level for the number of
tickets they had turned in.  >From watching Sammy and Andrew's reaction as
their prize was handed to them, you would have thought we had just given
each of them a million dollars.  We all sat down and talked a little
longer, before deciding how we were going to spend the rest of the day.  We
agreed we should go out for dinner next, as it had been a few hours since
we'd had lunch, and then we would go to a movie.

I called Ann at the number she had given me before we left and told her
about our plans.  She wanted to know how the boys were getting along and I
replied 'fabulously'.  I then asked her if it would be permissible for them
to stay with us at the hotel, as they could bunk in with my three youngest
hoodlums, and she said that would also be fine.

Before I rejoined the boys, I asked some of the older customers about a
good place to dine with my brood and they happily gave me the name, address
and phone number of a family style restaurant nearby.  I quickly called the
place and made reservations for 6:00 p.m.  That would give us a little over
an hour before we had to go there.  One of the customers had also drawn me
a map, while I was on the phone, and eagerly gave it to me, explaining in
detail how to get there.  I thanked him and led the boys out to the van.

After leaving Chuck E. Cheese, we stopped along the way and picked up a
newspaper from one of those vending machines, so I could look over the
movie selection while we parked along the street.  After telling them what
was playing, the boys let Sammy and Andrew choose what we'd see, so now
that was also set.  Surprisingly, it was already twenty minutes to six, so
we headed for the restaurant.  As we got out, I suspected I looked like the
good shepherd, leading his flock into the building to graze.

The hostess wanted to know if we were some kind of school group or chorus
and I told her no, it was just my family.  She looked at the various sizes,
hair colorings and nationalities of all the boys, and then looked back at
me.  I merely answered her questioning look by responding; "It's because
they don't all have the same mother."

I think that comment just about blew her mind and the boys quickly joined
in the fun by making sure to call me 'dad' whenever they wanted something.
After several minutes of listening to that, as we waited for our table to
be prepared, I think she finally believed me and gave up on the notion that
I was just pulling her leg.

We were seated at this large, basically circular table, in the middle of
the dining room.  I felt like King Arthur with his knights at the Round
Table, although I had some very small and puny knights.  The boys each
ordered what they wanted and we enjoyed a very nice meal with some good
conversation to go along with it.  My boys answered many questions about
themselves while they ate, as Sammy and Andrew seemed to want to know
everything about them.  When they had finished grilling my boys, they
turned their attention to me.

They asked me why I had taken in so many boys, how I had selected the ones
I wanted and then they wanted to know where we lived and what it was like
there?  I answered all of their questions, as we finished dinner and
enjoyed our dessert, and then it was time for me to pay the bill, so we
could leave for the theater.  As we prepared to make our way to the exit,
we received several compliments, from both the help and some of the other
customers, about how well behaved the boys were and how they were such
little gentlemen.  I explained they were on their best behavior tonight,
but were still capable of letting loose, from time to time.  The people
laughed, reiterated they were still impressed and the boys thanked them for
not letting me give them the wrong impression about their manners.

I asked for directions to the movie theater before we loaded into the van,
and we were soon on our way.  We arrived at the theater, purchased our
tickets and went in to take our seats.  After the large meal, no one needed
popcorn, candy or sodas.  The movie was also quite enjoyable.  It was an
animated film that would appeal to all age groups, since there was humor
that only the older and more mature audience would pick up on, while at the
same time there was enough action and slapstick for the kids to enjoy.

When it was over, we headed back to the hotel, much to everyone's surprise.
Sammy and Andrew were thrilled that they were going to be allowed to stay
with us overnight and they were even happier when they found out they would
be bunking in with my three terrors, who were currently on their best
behavior.  I tucked the five of them into the two beds; Sammy slept with
Ricky, while Andrew slept with Graham and Cole, and then I went back to my
own room.  As I drifted off to sleep that evening, I still couldn't get it
out of my mind how Graham had somehow known that all of this was somehow
meant to be.  It made me wonder if the same problems that had cause his
learning disabilities had also given him an additional sense, which very
few others ever share.  I guess I might never know the answer to that
question.

The next morning, I went in and made sure that Sammy and Andrew got cleaned
up before we left.  I gave them each a bath, although they had a tub mate
or two at the time, and they looked good, even though they had to wear the
same clothing they had on yesterday.  They were so cute when they were
nude, as they were so small, fragile, hairless and also uncut.  I would
attribute that last fact to their father's heritage and cultural beliefs.

Once we were ready to leave, the older boys carried the luggage down to the
lobby for me and then loaded it into the van, while I checked out and paid
the bill.  They were all situated in their seats by the time I arrived.  I
had also called Ann before we left our room and she said she would meet us
at her office.  The boys were all singing along to some rock song that was
playing on the radio, as we made our way there.  Ann was opening the door
to the building as we pulled into one of the front parking spaces.  The
boys were still laughing and singing as they exited the van.

"Well, it looks and sounds like everyone had a good time," Ann observed.

"Yeah, we did," Andrew told her.  "Look what we won."  He held up his prize
from Chuck E. Cheese.

"My, that's pretty nice.  What did you win, Sammy?"  Sammy held out his
prize, while at the same time sporting a monster grin.  "Why don't we go
inside and you can tell me all about your visit?"

We all entered the building and made our way through the halls to Ann's
office.  The boys were chatting all the way and Ann was watching them with
the eye of a skilled evaluator.  We filed into the waiting area and Ann
told us that she wanted to speak with Sammy and Andrew first, alone.  The
three of them entered her office and were in there for about twenty
minutes, before I was summoned in to join them.

"Josh," Ann began, "the boys tell me that they had a wonderful time with
you yesterday.  Are you still interested in what we talked about earlier?"

"Definitely, and I know my boys concur," I assured her.

"Well, I'll let you discuss that with Sammy and Andrew then," she replied,
throwing the ball back into my court.

"I think I already know how they feel and what they're going to decide," I
informed her, "but maybe this will convince you of what I am so confident
of."  Both boys were staring at me, confused by what I had just said to Ann
and waiting to see what I was going to say to them.

"Sammy, Andrew," I began, looking directly at both of them.  "I know you've
both been through some very rough times recently and that you are now
pretty much all alone.  That's why we, the boys and I, want to know if
you'd like to come live with us and be part of our family?"

The two boys looked at each other as soon as I finished speaking, quickly
nodded their heads toward each other, while flashing toothy grins, and then
turned toward me.  "Yes," they shouted out in unison, which not only made
my heart leap with joy, but also lit up Ann's face as well.

"We were worried where we were going to live now," Sammy continued.  "Our
father never wanted us to spend time with our mother's family, so we don't
really know them very well.  It didn't matter though, because they were
always kind of mean to us, anyway.  I don't think they liked our father,
because he was Japanese, and I don't think they liked us, because we were
part Japanese.  Besides, they didn't have any children around our age and
we'd rather be in a home with other kids."

"Yes," Andrew continued, "and we know that we'd like it if we could live
with you.  We had so much fun yesterday and we like all of you.  You don't
treat us differently because we are part Japanese or because we look
different than your other boys."

"That doesn't bother us at all," I confirmed.  "We like you for who you
are, not just what you look like.  As long as you both remember that it
won't be fun like that all of the time, we'd love to have you join us.  We
do spend most of our time doing some pretty normal and boring things, too.
The boys all have chores to do around the house and are all expected to do
well in school.  Speaking of school, I am also the principal of the school
you will be attending, if you come to live with us."

"Neat," squealed Andrew.

"Do any of the other boys go to that school too?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Yes, Graham, Cole and Trey all go there as well.  Most of the others did
too, for a while, but now they are at the high school."

"I take it that you are both agreeing to Mr. Currie's offer?" Ann asked
them, just to be certain.

"Yes," Sammy said, "if it's all right with you."

"Oh, that it is," she replied with a grin.

We immediately went back into the other area, to inform my boys about the
decision.  They all cheered when they heard it.

"I was hoping it would work out this way, so I had all of Sammy and
Andrew's belongings placed in the other office, just in case they were
ready to go home with you.  Do you think I can get someone to help me carry
them out to your car, so you can be on your way."

I think everyone of my boys immediately volunteered for that duty, along
with Sammy and Andrew.  Ann was chuckling at everyone's enthusiasm.  "Well,
it looks like I won't have to lift a finger then," she added, while showing
the boys were the items were.

"Thank you," Sammy and Andrew said, first to Ann and then to me, before
bestowing me with a very special hug.

"We'll be very good," Sammy told me, "and we'll do everything you say.
Thank you for letting us come live with you."

"It's my pleasure.  That's why we drove here to meet you," I explained.
"However, you'll have to thank Graham, too, since this was mostly his idea,
after we read about your parents.  He said we had to come here and get you,
so you could live with us."

"But how did he know?" Andrew wondered.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question," I admitted.  "He just had a very
strong feeling about it and insisted we check it out.  So, if you're ready
to go, the boys can start taking you things out to the van, while you say
good-bye to Mrs. Getz.  After that, we'll be on our way."

Both boys gave Ann a hug, a thank you and then said farewell.  Ann kissed
them both on the top of their heads and told them to write or call.  They
agreed and then followed their new brothers outside.

"Ann, thank you for everything," I told her, from the heart.  "They seem
like wonderful boys and I'm sure we'll be able to make them feel right at
home.  I'll keep in touch and I'll have Sally keep you advised, as well.
Thanks again, for taking a chance on someone outside of your jurisdiction."

"No, Josh, I should be thanking you," she corrected.  "I'm not sure what I
would have done without your offer.  There are still plenty of people out
there who would have trouble taking the boys in because of their race.  I'm
not sure if I could have found a home locally, even if we didn't want to
get them away from their relatives.  The worse part about this is, I think
the relatives would only want them so they can get their hands on their
father's accounts and possessions.  I don't think they were ever really
interested in the boys themselves.  No matter what, I want you to keep in
touch.  Here's my business card with my address, phone number and email
address.  I'll let you know about any and all developments concerning them.
Drive safely and take care of my precious little angels."

"I will, Ann, and thanks, again," I assured her, before we left.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 26 -- I win with a pair.

Sammy and Andrew wanted to ride in the back with the other boys, so I let
Danny ride up front with me.  It was another long ride and we stopped only
once, for gas and a late lunch.  Once again, our entrance into the
restaurant caused somewhat of a minor disturbance, as they hurriedly tried
to prepare a place large enough to accommodate us all.  Once again, we were
asked what kind of a group this was, but I didn't have time to answer that
question, as the boys starting firing their own questions at me.

"Dad, may I have this?" or "Dad, may so and so and I go to the toilet?"
were the types of queries I felt were more pressing and in need of my
attention.

The waitress just stared at me, before asking the obvious question, "Are
these boys all your sons?"

"Yes, they are, but they are not ALL of my children," I admitted.  "I have
others who are older and living on their own already."  I was getting a
kick out of shocking people and just couldn't resist adding the last part,
to let them know there were even more to this brood.  I know, it's cruel,
but the temptation was just too great to ignore.  Once she got over her
initial shock about my disclosure, I soon saw her running around,
whispering to everyone about our situation.  The boys were also starting to
really enjoy this little game and made sure to call me 'dad' loudly enough
for everyone else to hear, each and every time we played it on another
unsuspecting group.

After we finished our meal, I took care of the tab and made sure everyone
used the toilet (which took some time), before we got under way again.
After another monotonous drive, we finally arrived home just before 5:00
p.m.  While the older boys were unloading everything from the van, I took
Sammy and Andrew up and showed them their bedroom.  It was one of the two
rooms we had made out of the upstairs master bedroom, the one with the twin
beds in it.  Both boys were very excited they would be sharing their own
room, and later confessed they thought they might be in with up to four or
five of the boys, in a big dormitory like room.  That was because they had
never seen a house with this many bedrooms before.

Ricky and Cole volunteered to help them unpack their things and organize
their belongings into the dressers and closet.  They finished this task
quite quickly and then joined Graham to give the boys a tour of the place,
while the rest of us began to unwind.

Sammy and Andrew were in awe of our house, explaining that one floor of our
place had more rooms than the whole house they lived in with their parents.
I told them it was because we needed that many rooms, with so many boys,
and they quickly agreed.

After fixing the boys a light dinner, since we had such a late lunch, we
watched a little television before bedtime.  Once I informed everyone it
was time to get cleaned up and ready for bed, Graham asked if he could
bathe with his newest brothers.  Sammy and Andrew liked that idea too, so I
filled the tub with warm water and scrubbed them down quickly.  He was
thrilled that both of the boys were uncut, like him, and immediately bonded
with them.  By the time the boys exited the old master bathroom, the other
boys were already parading naked up and down the hallway.  Sammy and Andrew
laughed and blushed when they saw them.

"They've got big pee pees," Andrew observed.

"Yes, they do," I replied, "and they aren't afraid to be seen naked by
their brothers.  They tend to do this a lot, so I hope it doesn't bother
you."

"No," Sammy answered immediately.  "We used to go without clothes at our
house, too.  We even took baths with our parents, in a large tub.  My
father said it was an old Japanese custom."

"I've heard about the Japanese public baths," I admitted, "but I didn't
know some people still followed that practice.  I'm just glad you're both
okay with the fact that the boys like to run around without clothes on too,
that's all."

"Why do some of them have different looking pee pees?" Andrew asked,
looking at me bewildered, so I quickly explained to them about circumcision
and why it is sometimes done.  Their limited knowledge was because they had
never seen any other boys naked before, as their family had very little
social contact with other people.  Their parents never invited anyone from
work or school into their home and the mother's family mostly shunned them.
Even at the school they attended there was very little chance of seeing
anyone else, even on the sly, as there were partitions between the urinals
and around the commodes.  Since the only place they ever went naked was in
front of their parents, they had very little exposure to other cultural
practices.

Now that they understood the differences and realized some of the boys were
like them, while others weren't, they gave it very little additional
attention.  In fact, they didn't act any differently with the boys than
they had when they were all fully dressed.  It was a very refreshing
transition.

An hour or so later, I sent all of the younger boys up to bed.  After
giving them a few minutes to get situated, I checked on them and made sure
they were all tucked into bed.  I gave Sammy and Andrew a kiss good night
and they each gave me a huge hug in return.  I told them they needed to get
a good night's sleep, because I would be registering them in school in the
morning.  They were excited about this and I could tell it would take them
some time before they calmed down enough to fall asleep.  Hoping it would
help settle them down, I decided to push the beds back together, so I could
crawl in between and lie with them for a while.  I stayed with them like
that until they drifted into dreamland and then I crawled back out and went
downstairs.  After chasing the older boys off to bed too, I gave in to my
own fatigue and slipped off to my own room.

The next morning I fixed breakfast and then went up to wake Sammy and
Andrew.  They smiled at me when they opened their eyes.  "I was afraid I
had just dreamed this," Sammy told me, through an ear-to-ear grin.

"It's no dream," I countered, before kissing them both on the forehead.
"You're home where you belong.  Let's get you two dressed and then we'll go
down for breakfast."

We selected the clothes the boys wanted to wear for the first day at their
new school and then went down to eat.  It was then that I realized they
were most likely accustomed to an oriental diet and much of what I had to
offer them might seem strange.  They had eaten other 'American' type foods
while they were with us, for lunch and dinner, but from what they later
informed me, they were mostly used to eating large quantities of rice,
certain cooked vegetables and fish.  They also confided to me that their
mother would also feed them American dishes from time-to-time, when their
father wasn't around and without his knowledge.  They also stated they also
ate the cafeteria food at school most of the time too.  This meant they
weren't totally unaccustomed to some of the same things we ate, but I would
try to be more accommodating and offer them a blend of the various
cuisines, at least until they told me it wasn't necessary

I gave them corn flakes for their first breakfast with us and then made
some scrambled eggs to go with it, figuring those might be a palatable
compromise.  While they ate, the boys told me how the caseworker, with whom
they had been staying on a temporary basis, had handled the problem.  She
had a Japanese friend who worked at the college and asked him to come over
and prepare meals for the boys during their stay.  Therefore, they had been
able to stick to nearly the same types of foods they were most accustomed
to.  It was too bad the caseworker had failed to mention that little fact
to Ms. Getz or to me.

When we arrived at school, I immediately began to fill out the appropriate
forms to enroll them.  I assigned them to the classrooms of two of my
finest teachers and gave the boys a tour of the building.  I showed them
where their classrooms were located, where the toilets and cafeteria were,
and then introduced them to their teachers.  They were very excited and
extremely polite to everyone they met.

Throughout the day, I was pleased to see that the entire school body
welcomed the pair with open arms.  In fact, they were sort of curious, as
we had no other oriental students enrolled.  I checked on them several
times during the day and they seemed to be happy and doing well.

I asked Trey, Cole and Graham to meet them after school and keep them
occupied until I was ready to leave, which they readily agreed to.  On the
ride home, neither Sammy nor Andrew could wait to tell us about their first
day.  They talked as rapidly as old-time auctioneers and their hands and
arms flailed about, as they animatedly spoke about the things they had
done.  They nearly knocked Cole out when they were telling us about a game
they had played at recess, when both of their arms shot out and caught
Cole, one on the chin and the other on the side of his head, at almost the
same instant.  They apologized profusely and Cole hammed it up by begging
them not to beat him any more.  We were all having a good laugh, as we
pulled into the high school to pick the others up.

After dinner that night, I went into my bedroom to work on the computer.  I
wanted to send Ann a quick email telling her about the boys' first day at
school.  I had just sent it off when Sammy asked to speak to me.

"What may I do for you?" I asked him.

"I want you to tell me about my parents," he stated, emphatically.  "I want
to know how they died.  I know people aren't telling us things and I want
to know what they are hiding and why they don't want us to know."

I was afraid this might happen and made impromptu plans for this
possibility.  I held out my arms toward him, so he walked in my direction.
As soon as he was close enough, I reached out and pulled him onto my lap.
I looked into his large, dark eyes, swallowed hard and prepared to answer
his question.

"Sammy, both of your parents were shot and people didn't want you to know
everything about it, because it wasn't a pleasant scene," I explained.
"They were only trying to protect you from the gruesome details of their
deaths."  I could see Sammy thinking about my answer and possibly forming
his next question.

"Who killed them?" he asked, succinctly.  I looked him in the eyes and took
a deep breath before I spoke.

"A very distraught man," I told him.  I didn't lie to him, but I didn't
think he was ready for the whole truth.  "He was very upset and reacted out
of frustration."

"What happened to him?" Sammy pressed.

"He's also dead," I answered, simply.

"Why did he do it?" Sammy continued.

"Sammy, I'm not sure that anyone will ever know the true answer to that
question," I explained.  "Let's just say that all of them were in the wrong
place, at the wrong time."

I wrapped my arms around his tiny body and hugged him against my chest.  I
kissed his forehead, stroked his hair and then spoke to him again.  "You
and your brother are safe with us," I told him, anticipating his next
reaction, "and you have a home here, for as long as you want."

"Are you our father now?" he asked me directly, as he looked up at me with
a sad, questioning expression on his handsome face.

"Right now I'm your foster father," I told him.  "That's the way Mrs. Getz
set it up when we left her.  I'm not sure if you and Andrew want me to be
more than that, but I am willing to adopt both of you, if you want me to."

"I'll have to see what Andrew says, but I think we will want that," he
stated, quite calmly.  "After we found out our parents had been killed, we
talked about how scared we were and how we were all alone.  We didn't like
that at all.  We don't want to be alone."  He sat quietly thinking for a
short time, before he continued.  "I think we will want to be part of this
family and we will want others to know that we are your sons.  Me and
Andrew have already talked about how nice it is to have so many brothers to
help us and look out for us and they have been really nice.  We like you
too and we like it that we can see you all day long at school.  We feel
very good here, like we belong."

"You do belong," I confirmed.  "The boys and I all agree on that."

"We know.  You've always made us feel that way since we first met you," he
agreed.  "You treated us just like all of the other boys.  You never
treated us differently and you always made us feel we were wanted.  Our
brothers made us feel wanted too.  Andrew told me at recess that we are
very lucky and he loves it here.  I do too."  He looked very pensive now.
It was another minute or two before he spoke again.  "Should we call you
'father' or 'dad' now?"

"You may call me whatever you wish, but only if you want to," I agreed.  "I
don't want to make you feel that you have to call me that or make you think
that you are doing anything to dishonor the memory of your own father.
Which name did you use for him?"

"We usually called him the Japanese word for father, but sometimes we would
call him father, too," he explained.

"Look, you don't have to decide this right away and it's probably best that
you talk this over with Andrew first, before you decide anything," I
suggested.  "When you two think you're ready to make up your minds, we'll
sit down and the three of us will talk about it together.  Is that all
right with you?"

"Yes, I like that," he confessed.  "I'll go and find Andrew, so I can see
what he thinks."  I gave him another squeeze and kissed him on the forehead
again.  He smiled at me, just before he got off of my lap, and then he went
to look for his brother.

I thought that went well, but I was still shaking like a leaf from
answering his questions about his family.  While he was grilling me, I was
as tense as an anchor cable during a hurricane, trying to tiptoe with the
truth about what happened.  I was afraid I was going to say something wrong
and make things worse for him.  I'm glad I had gone over some of those
responses in my head, prior to his coming to me about his feelings, as it
had made it easier for me to respond.

When bath time rolled around, Cole and Ricky volunteered to give the boys
their baths this time.  Ricky washed Sammy and Cole washed both Graham and
Andrew.  I think Graham was getting a bent nose about the attention his
brothers were giving to the other two and I'm sure Cole recognized that
too.  Cole did his duty without any fuss and you could see it made Graham
feel a great deal better afterwards.  They all came back to the family
room, sans clothing, and walked up to me.  "Can we sit on your lap?" Andrew
asked me.

"Certainly.  It's definitely big enough for two... or three," I added, when
I saw Graham begin to scowl.  After hearing my addendum, he cracked a smile
and the three of them wasted no time in scrambling into position on my lap.
Ricky and Cole then took up positions on either side of me, once the others
were settled in.  Sammy and Graham rested their heads against my shoulders,
while Andrew rested the back of his head against my chest.  It seemed as if
we spent most of our time just feeling close to each other, rather than
watching whatever was on the tube.  They actually even fell asleep that
way, long before I felt it was time for them to go to their room.

Seeing my predicament, Dustin and Trey helped me get them into position, so
I could carry them upstairs, while Graham, Cole and Ricky walked up with
me.  They gave me a hand laying both boys down and tucking them in and then
the rest of us went back downstairs for a while longer.

The rest of the week passed by very quickly and the older boys invited
Brandon and Jay over for the weekend, so they could get to know their two
newest brothers too.  Sammy and Andrew received a great deal of attention
Friday night and I got a kick out of watching Brandon and Jay carrying the
pair around on their shoulders.  It was as if the boys had been together
for ages.  I was very proud of my 'other' sons.

Saturday morning, I was enjoying a blissful slumber when something landed
on me and made me feel like I was being mauled.  I opened my eyes, looked
around and found what I suspected, but there was an added surprise.  It
wasn't just my trio of terrors plus one (Jay); they had also added to their
membership.  It looked as if Sammy and Andrew were being initiated into the
group of holy terrors.

At that point, several little hands were busy trying to tickle me, as they
tried to suppress their own giggles.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I bellowed, trying to sound mad.

"It's time for you to get up, lazybones," Andrew announced, in between
giggles.

"Lazybones!  Who are you calling lazybones?" I challenged, before reaching
out and tickling him in return.  Once I had him laughing hysterically, I
grabbed Sammy and started in on him too.  I was busy tickling the pair when
a total free-for-all broke out on my bed.  Now, I was busy tickling any and
everyone I could get my hands on, and there were multiple fingers wriggling
around my neck, armpits, stomach and feet, desperately trying to do the
same thing to me.  I finally got my hands on the ringleader, Ricky, and set
about getting even with him.  I straddled his hips with my legs, used my
weight to hold him in place, and began to tickle him unmercifully.

"Dad, stop.  Please, stop," Ricky begged me, but I continued to tickle him.

"I wasn't the one who started this," I answered him.  "What's the matter?
Can't you take it, as well as you can dish it out?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," he said through fits of laughter.  "I'll stop and not do
it again."

"Yeah, sure.  Like I believe you," I mocked.

"Honest, Dad.  I won't ever do this again," he promised, although I
suspected he was crossing something to keep from having to keep that
bargain.

"I still don't believe you, but call off your troops and I'll stop," I
offered.

"Okay guys, no more," Ricky urged and the others quit, at his behest.  They
all stood around my bed and I finally pulled my body from over Ricky's.

"That was fun," Andrew chortled.

"Yeah, do you guys do this all of the time?" Sammy wanted to know.

"Far too often," I told him.  "They have a tendency to do this to me and
their brothers, but their brothers have started fighting back.  I guess
I'll have to start fighting back as well.  We'll see how often it happens
in the future, now that we all have their number."

Ricky looked over at me with a sly grin.  "Yeah, we'll see all right," he
challenged.

I made a move to get off the bed and he immediately fled from my room, soon
to be followed by his cohorts.  This made me wonder if they had merely
retreated to the jungle room or were they planning their next attack?


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