Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:05:11 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 31 & 32

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW		
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 31 -- Brave New World.                                                    

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

Saturday evening, there was another breakthrough, of sorts.  It came when
Trey had asked Dion to join him again for their nightly shower.  Dion
agreed and the boys were using the upstairs bathroom to clean up.  While
they were in the shower, Trey started the ball rolling.

"Dion, do you ever jerk off?" he asked, surprising his shower mate.  Being
caught off guard, Dion was barely able to stammer his response.

"You mean… like… play with myself?" he finally gasped out.

"Yeah, that's another way of putting it," Trey confirmed.  "Well, do you
ever do it?"

"No.  My grandma told me I'd hurt myself if I did that," Dion responded,
never having questioned his grandmother on that point.  "She told me to
leave it alone, until I was older."

"Grown-ups sometimes say things like that, but it isn't true," Trey
announced.  "My brothers and I do it all of the time and it feels great.
Do you want to try it?"

"I don't know," Dion hesitated.  "It will still feel wrong for me to touch
myself like that.  I mean… I've always believed what my grandma told
me."

"What if I did it for you?  Would that make you feel better about it?" Trey
asked, hopefully, while at the same time realizing his effort might not
work.

"I don't know.  It just seems wrong somehow," Dion told him.

"Look, if I do it for you, it will give you a chance to see how you feel
about it," Trey almost pleaded, in an effort to get him to change his mind.
"If you like it, you can return the favor by doing it to me.  What do you
say?"

"You really think it's okay?" Dion asked, giving Trey the first glimmer
that this might work after all.  "I know you say you guys do it all the
time and it feels good, but I'm still… well, I'm not sure."

"Look, you just stand there and I'll do all of the work," Trey explained.
"You just lean back and enjoy.  All right?"  Dion hesitated briefly, before
he responded.

"Yeah, okay.  I'll try it once," he confirmed, so Trey moved in quickly, so
Dion didn't have time to change his mind.

Dion leaned back against the shower wall, as Trey started to massage the
large piece of meat that dangled between his legs and the loose nut sac
that hung beneath it.  Dion started to moan almost immediately, as his rod
filled with blood and rose to its full length, just about seven inches.
Damn, and the kid was only twelve!

Trey was in awe as it continued to grow, but he still managed to wrap his
hand around it and began pumping it, as soon as Dion was totally hard.  He
looked at Dion's face and could tell he was in heaven and enjoying every
second of this new thrill.  Dion's eyes were glazed over and rolled back in
his head, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and he was making noises
that sounded like purring, as he encountered this new sensation for the
first time.

Since this was his first masturbatory experience, Dion was overwhelmed by
all of the powerful, tingling sensations that were coursing through his
body.  This rapidly brought him to the pinnacle of release, which caused
him to groan, just as his body stiffened and he sprayed his first load of
boy-cream all over the place.  That included coating himself, Trey and the
shower.  He was panting heavily, as if he had just finished soaring with
the eagles, and his legs suddenly became rubbery.  He continued to lean
against the shower wall, until he regained his strength and his orgasmic
afterglow began to fade.  Once he had recovered, he looked up at Trey and
flashed a huge grin.

"Damn, if I had known it would feel like that, I would have been slapping
that thing silly all of the time," Dion admitted.  "No wonder my grandma
wanted to discourage me from doing it.  She must have known that once I
started I would never want to stop.  She would have been right.  That was
so cool that I want to do it again, okay?"

"Well, it will take you a few minutes to recover," Trey explained.  "We
could try it again in a little while, if you still want to."  Dion looked a
little disappointed.  "Would you like to do that to me now?" Trey offered,
more for himself than for his partner.  However, it brought Dion out of his
funk.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, "but I have to ask you something first, though.
Okay?"

"Sure, anything," Trey told him.

"I wanted to ask you before, but I was scared that I'd hurt your feelings,"
he admitted.  "But now I think it will be okay.  I just wanted to know why
your dick looks so funny?  Do you have some kind of disease or something?"

Trey let out a little laugh.  "No, Dion.  I take it that you've never seen
an uncircumcised prick before.  Yours looked like this too, when you were
born, except your parents had the doctor cut off the extra piece of skin
that I still have.  If I pull my foreskin back, my dick will look just like
yours, except not quite as long."  The boys looked up at each other and
grinned.  Dion was proud that Trey had acknowledged that his penis was
bigger.  Trey reached down and pulled his foreskin back, exposed his shiny
helmet, and showed it to Dion.  Dion was fascinated.

"It does look the same," he exclaimed, "'cept it looks like it's wearing a
turtleneck!"

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it," Trey chuckled.  "You can check it
out for yourself, if you'd like, and then you can make me shoot my load.
What do you say?"

"I'd say that sounds like fun," Dion agreed.

Dion didn't even hesitate, as he reached out and grabbed Trey's uncut pole.
It was on its way to growing to its full six inches, but Dion couldn't wait
for it to finish.  Eagerly, he pulled the foreskin back and forth several
times, fascinated with how it worked, and then he began to seriously stroke
it up and down.  Trey was watching Dion's reaction as he played with his
boyhood, noting his curious expressions and the glow of discovery he
radiated, as he continued to stroke his plump sausage.  Dion was so caught
up in the moment that he was stroking it very rapidly, like a piston in a
speeding automobile.  This was bringing Trey quickly to the peak and soon
his engorged dick exploded, sending the contents of his testicles flying
everywhere.  Dion continued to pump on his rod until Trey reached down and
stopped him, as his glans became overly sensitive from the attention.  As
soon as he had recovered, Trey gave Dion a hug and thanked him for the
great job.  Dion just smiled and said he had enjoyed it too.  Then Dion
asked Trey if he would do him a second time.

"Oh, God!" Trey exclaimed.  "I've created a nympho."

"What's that?" Dion wanted to know.

"A nympho is short for nymphomaniac.  That's somebody who can't get enough
sex."

Dion smiled at Trey.  "Yep, I guess you're right.  You have created a
nympho.  Now, will you do it for me again?"

"Yeah, sure," Trey giggled, as he reached out and started rubbing his hand
over and around Dion's sex organs again, trying to bring him back to a
state of full arousal.  Surprisingly, it didn't take very long before Dion
was ready for round two.  Trey thought about giving him a blowjob this
time, but he decided it might be too soon to suggest that.  Instead, he
just kept stroking Dion's long, slender erection.

Dion's mouth hung open and he was panting hard again, but this time he also
started thrusting his hips to meet Trey's hand movements.  Man, he was
really getting into this for a novice.  Between their combined actions,
Dion was rapidly approaching his second climax within a matter of minutes.
His hips were thrusting back and forth, like a rabbit in heat, and he was
making more and more throaty noises, as he enjoyed all the electric
currents that shot throughout his slender frame.  He was trembling from
pleasure as Trey moved behind him, jerking him off with one hand and using
his other hand to manipulate his balls.  Trey was also helping to hold Dion
up, too, as his legs were beginning to grow weak again.

Dion had now reached the point of no return and it looked as if rigor
mortis was setting into his young body.  He stiffened, arched his back and
released his second load of spunk, although it was not as thick, nor
abundant as the first time.  Trey made sure he drained Dion's cock before
he released it and then cleaned up the evidence of their little tryst.  He
also helped Dion get out of the shower, since he was still slightly weak
kneed, turned off the water and began to dry Dion's body with the towel.
About halfway through this, Dion regained his composure and awareness,
suddenly embracing Trey in a very powerful hug.

"Thanks, man.  I owe you for that one," he confessed.  "That was super…
really great.  I'm glad you talked me into doing that."

"You're welcome and thanks for doing it to me too," Trey offered,
sincerely.  "Remember, some of the others might be willing to do the same
types of things with you, but no one does anything unless both people want
to.  That's why I made sure you really wanted to do it first.  Nobody cares
what we do with each other, as long as no one is forced to do things.  Do
you understand?"

"I sure do and I'm really glad Aunt Sally brought me here," Dion replied,
bubbling with delight.  "I like this place a lot, and I like everybody in
it even more."

The boys finished up and came downstairs.  As soon as I saw them, I could
tell from their satisfied expressions, the length of time they'd been gone
and their red, tender looking cocks that they had been up to something.
Trey merely grinned in my direction, before he sat down next to Dion.

The following Saturday was Trey's birthday and I had to get him out of the
house, so the other boys could get ready for the party.  Seeing it was his
first birthday since he came to live with us, the boys wanted this to be a
surprise party for him.  I felt kind of cruel in helping them arrange it,
since none of us could even acknowledge his upcoming birthday for fear of
giving the surprise away, so nothing was said about it for over two weeks.
Every time Trey would try to drop a hint that his birthday was approaching,
the comment would get lost in some sort of a ruse one of the other boys
would instigate, which was designed to make us stray from that topic.  I
could tell Trey was getting very frustrated by our failure to acknowledge
the approach of his special day.

That morning, around ten, I told Trey to get dressed, because I was going
to take him out to eat for his birthday.  He smiled and asked if he should
tell the others, but I quickly told him not to, because I wanted this to be
just the two of us.  I saw his smile fade rapidly, once he discovered no
one else was going to join us, but he got ready nonetheless.  I asked him
where he would like to eat and he said Pizza Hut.  So around 11:30, he and
I got into the van and headed out alone.  The look on his face was making
me feel like a heartless rat, but I knew the party would more than right
this wrong.

We both ordered personal pan pizza, salad and a cold drink.  His heart was
only half into our lunch and I tried my best to keep him talking about
minor things, just to keep his mind from his disappointment.  About forty
minutes later we finished and got back into the van.  I told him I had one
more stop I needed to make and his face brightened a little.  It didn't
last long, however, as it faded when I pulled into the car dealership.  He
got out and went with me, while I ordered the largest van they made, with
seats enough for fifteen passengers and then added options that I wanted.
Our current van was getting a little crowded with our new additions, plus
when Brandon and Jay joined in, there was hardly room to even wiggle
inside.  The salesman told me I should just order a customized bus and skip
the van, and I seriously thought about that idea for a few seconds.
However, it didn't take me long to decide I couldn't see driving something
like that around the local streets, just to go shopping or whatever, so I
stuck with the van.

Trey was still trying to smile weakly, as we got back into the old van and
headed home.  He kind of dragged himself into the house, once we returned,
and almost immediately started for his room.  Seeing what Trey was
planning, Dion asked him if he would shoot pool with him and Trey agreed,
although not enthusiastically.  When they entered the rec room, everyone
jumped out from their hiding places and yelled 'surprise'.  There was a
banner with Trey's name on it hanging on the wall, his cake was placed in
the center of the pool table, and Brandon, Jay, Sally, Steve and Mary had
also arrived while we had been out.  Trey was so surprised and excited that
he confessed to me later he had almost peed his pants.  I did see him slip
out quietly for a minute, so now I know where he went.

The boys picked everything up and we moved the party into the dining room,
where it belonged.  Once everything was set up, each of them went over to
give him a personalized 'Happy Birthday' and Trey now looked like the cat
that had swallowed the proverbial canary.  We lit the candles on the cake
and sang to Trey, and after we finished, he blew them out and made his
wish.  He was glowing, as we served the cake, dished out the ice cream and
then gave him his presents.

The boys let Dion give Trey the present from them.  It was an envelope.
Trey opened it and it was a $200 gift certificate for the Barnes and Noble
bookstore.  The boys had each chipped in $20 apiece from their own money to
get it.  They knew that Trey liked to read and this would allow him to
select books he would enjoy, but would also avoid duplicating any books he
had read before.  Trey was thrilled and told his brothers that it was the
perfect gift for him.

Brandon and Jay went in together and bought Trey a couple of CD's they knew
he wanted.  Trey thanked the pair enthusiastically, giving them each a very
energetic hug.  Trey also got some nice clothes from both Sally and Steve
and Mary.  I had guessed that Steve and Mary were planning on doing that,
since they'd asked me for Trey's sizes when I invited them to the party.
Finally, it was my turn to give Trey his gift.  He tore off the wrapping
paper that I had decorated it with and his eyes popped open wide when he
saw what it was.  I had given him a notebook computer.

"That's to keep your journal on, so your entries aren't on the communal
computer upstairs.  I want to try to prevent any further incidents like we
had with Frankie, so keep your private stuff in there and you can keep it
under lock and key in your room.  It might also encourage you to start
pursuing your dream of becoming a writer."

Everyone was smiling and Trey came over to give me a hug to thank me.
"Thanks, Pop.  I never expected anything like this.  I was even thinking
earlier that everyone forgot about my birthday.  That was kind of mean, the
way you guys did this, but I forgive you."  He then gave me another big
hug.

The adults sat around and talked, while the boys went off to listen to
Trey's new CD's.  This gave Sally, Steve, Mary and me time to talk about
the boys and go over my progress concerning the next round of adoptions.
Steve just laughed when I told him that I was adopting all five of the
newest members of our little group.

"Damn, Josh.  That's six the first time and five this time," he announced.
"Don't you think you should go out to find another boy, so you can make it
an even six at both ceremonies?"

"Don't give Sally any ideas," I warned him.  "I'm sure she's likely to come
up with another boy before we get to your part of this process."  Steve
laughed again and Sally just grinned at me.

"Hey, I don't seek them out, they seem to find me," she explained.  "I'm
just fortunate to have such a wonderful guy to turn to when the going gets
tough.  You've done wonders with Dion, Josh."

"Not me.  You've got to give Trey most of the credit for that one," I
informed her.  "They're almost like two peas in a pod.  They like many of
the same things and get along well.  Trey sort of took the problem right
out of my hands and has done much of the work himself."

"Which he wouldn't have done without your example," Steve added.

"I don't know about that," I confessed.  "He's not as shy as he used to be
and he's a very caring young man.  I don't think he's been here long enough
for me to take credit for all of that.  I think his parents did a great job
before they were killed."

"Maybe so," Sally came back, "but I'm sure he's also learned a lot from
watching and living with you.  I just tingle all over every time I see how
well the boys are doing.  Ann has told me several times that she can't get
over how quickly Sammy and Andrew bonded with you.  They were even calling
you 'Dad' in just a matter of days."

"I really think that can be attributed to the fact that most of the others
do too and they just tried to fit in," I suggested.  "Trey, Brandon and Jay
call me 'Pop', but the rest of the boys call me 'Dad'.  It just worked out
that Sammy and Andrew decided to do that as well.  They did get some help
from Ricky, Cole and Graham before making that decision, though.  I just
hope those boys didn't pressure them into it."

"It certainly doesn't look like anyone's arm was twisted from what I can
see," Steve joked.  "The boys are calling you that freely and you can see
in their faces and eyes that they really mean it.  I don't remember ever
being in a home where I could feel so much love.  Not just with you and the
boys, but also between the boys themselves.  I can see different older boys
who have taken the younger ones under their wings.  I can't tell you how
wonderful that is to see."

"Steve, I'm not trying to change the subject, but have you heard how
Frankie's doing?" I asked him.  "I still feel bad about not being able to
get through to him."

"Actually, I spoke to someone from the youth center just the other day," he
confirmed.  "He's not having an easy time there, from what she told me.
His attitude is still defiant and he's been bumping heads with some of the
older, bigger boys.  I had to give him a year and he's either going to give
in, settle down, abide by the rules and change his ways, or he's going to
come out twice as tough as when he went in.  I hate to send any boy there,
and it's always my last choice, but he left me no options.  I hope he's one
of the success stories and not one of its failures."

"Me too," I added.  "I still think about him a couple times a week,
minimum."

"I could tell," Steve responded, "if only by your gift to Trey.  Like I
told you before, quit kicking yourself over him.  Even if Trey had the
notebook computer back then, something else would probably have happened
and I'd have bet there still would have been the same result.  You've done
and are doing too much good to let that get to you, so concentrate on your
achievements."

"I do," I informed him, "but I still can't forget about him."  We let the
discussion drop after that, because the boys came racing into the room,
having listened to both CD's.

"Pop, I hope you're not mad at me." Trey said out of the blue.

"Why would I be mad at you?" I wanted to know.

"Well, I kind of let it slip out that you ordered a new van earlier," Trey
admitted.

"That wasn't meant to be a secret.  I was going to tell everyone later," I
informed him.

"Great," Trey said, relieved.  "I thought I blew it this time."

"No, it was just one of my schemes to keep you out of the house long enough
so everyone could get here and they could get everything ready.  It was
your brothers who chose the surprise party."

"You rats," Trey said with a grin.  "I thought everyone forgot about my
birthday, but I'm sort of glad you did it that way.  I've never had a
surprise party before.  It was really neat when you all jumped out at me in
the rec room, although I nearly peed my pants when you did."

We were all laughing now and the boys decided to go outside and play some
games.  Sally, Steve and Mary said their good-byes to all of their
'nephews' and then got ready to leave.  The boys all said 'so long' to our
guests and Trey thanked all of them for coming and for giving him such nice
gifts.  They told him he was more than welcomed and the boys walked them to
their vehicles and then went off to play.  I said my farewell to them too
and told them I'd keep in touch.

The boys stayed out and played for quite a while, before coming back
inside.  After dinner, Brandon came up and explained he needed to talk with
me - alone.  Curious as to what he might want, I took him into the other
room.  He sat down beside me, swallowed hard a couple of times and began to
speak.  "Pop, I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure thing, Brandon," I agreed.  "You know you may ask me anything."

"I'm glad about that, because this is a really big favor."  He took a deep
breath, swallowed hard again and continued.  "Can I live here with you
until I graduate?"

Of all the things I might have suspected, even in my wildest thoughts, I
was not anticipating that particular request.  "What brought this about?" I
asked, trying to clarify the motivation behind it.

"My dad told us a few days ago that he was being transferred to Texas,"
Brandon announced, giving me my first clue.  "I'm a sophomore and I don't
want to transfer schools.  We're not moving until summer, so I'll be able
to finish this year, but I want to spend my junior and senior years here,
too," he explained.

"Have you told your parents this?" I immediately wanted to know, since I
wasn't about to give him a response and become party to a family problem,
unless they knew what Brandon was up to.

"I told them I didn't want to go, but I didn't have any options to give
them," he admitted, looking hopeful.  "I wanted to get your permission
first, before I asked them if I could stay here."

"Brandon, you know you're always welcome to stay here, for as long as you
need, but only if it is okay with your parents," I informed him.  "If they
agree, then it will be fine with me.  I imagine you'll most likely just
bunk in with Danny anyway, so it's not like I'm going to have to add a room
or anything."

"Yeah, you're right," he admitted, now smiling.  "I already told Danny
about this and he liked the idea."

"I'm sure he did," I agreed, thinking of all the benefits he was looking
forward to, like nightly sex.  "I can't imagine having to try to deal with
him, if you were suddenly gone.  I'm sure he'd be quite moody for months
after you left.  So, when do you plan to ask your parents?"

"I'm going to ask them when I get home tomorrow," he told me, "if you're
sure it's all right?"

"Of course.  I'd have suggested it myself, if I'd have known about the
situation," I replied, "providing your parents agree, of course."

"Thanks, Pop.  I knew I could count on you," he added.  "Besides, Danny
told me that you'd never say 'no,' if I asked you."

"So you guys think I'm that easy to figure out, do you?" I prodded, in
jest.

"Yeah, when it comes to us boys, you are," he replied, smiling broadly now.

"Well, I guess that's not such a bad thing then," I responded, with a
twinkle in my eye.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW		
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 32 -- Some Hills and Valleys in our Lives.                        

Saturday night turned out to be one big free-for-all.  It started with the
boys doing a little wrestling in the family room, but soon spread
throughout the entire house, and was followed by major pillow fights.  To
make matters even worse, the rest of the boys were in collusion in an
attempt to scare the piss out of Sammy, Andrew and Dion.

It all started after the wrestling and pillow fights died down, and Danny
started telling one of my ghost stories in the living room.  Just as he was
getting to the scariest part of the story, Ricky and Cole pressed their
faces against the outside of the two living room windows, with grotesque
Halloween monster masks covering their heads, and turned on flashlights
under their chins, right on Danny's cue.  If that weren't enough, they were
also making all sorts of loud noises and banged on the window, to make sure
they had their victims' attention, to heighten the effect.

It seemed Ricky and Cole had been able to slip out unnoticed by those three
earlier and I hadn't even been forewarned about this event.  Therefore,
when I heard all the screaming and hysterics, I came running into the room,
to determine what was going on.  I actually thought someone had been
seriously injured, at least judging from the noises I heard.  Shortly after
I burst into the room, I saw the older boys begin doubling over in
hysterics, as the other three were screaming and trying to get away.  Once
the younger ones realized they'd been had, they began punching everyone in
range, as payback.

Once that uproar quieted down, the boys started getting ready for bed.  I'm
sure there was a great deal of hanky-panky going on in the bedrooms that
night, but there were too many boys for me to keep track of.  However, I
did notice some things, like the fact that Cole and Graham let Sammy and
Andrew stay with them.  Sammy and Andrew were still a little shaken from
some of the earlier scares, so Cole and Graham agreed to let that pair stay
in the jungle room for the night.  I had been assured they wouldn't pull
these boys into their sexual escapades, after I broached the subject,
because I wanted those boys to let us know when they are ready for such
things, not be dragged into them.  This left Ricky and Jay alone in the
younger boys' room, which didn't bother them in the least.  In fact, I'm
certain they appreciate the privacy, for a change.

I let the boys sleep a little later than normal the next morning, before
getting them up and ready for church.  After our usual Sunday brunch, I
took Brandon and Jay back to their homes, but obviously not for very long.
Sunday evening Brandon and his father showed back up at our house and I
suspected I knew why.  I invited them in and Mr. O'Hara immediately
apologized for the intrusion.

"Josh, I hate to bother you, but we have a family situation here," Patrick
started off.  "Since Brandon tells me you might be able to help us with it,
I suspect you know what I'm referring to."

"I might at that," I replied, "but you are family, as far as we're
concerned.  Why don't you come into the living room and have a seat, so we
can talk comfortably, just the three of us."

"That sounds fine," he replied, so we went in and got settled.

"Josh, here's the problem," Mr. O'Hara started off.  "My company is
transferring me to Texas and we'll be moving in June.  Brandon has told me
several times he doesn't want to go and this afternoon he said you'd agreed
to let him stay here, until he graduates, if it was all right with my wife
and me.  Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," I assured him, hoping I was helping the family by agreeing to
this and not setting up a roadblock.  "Brandon mentioned the move and his
feelings about it yesterday.  He asked me if he could stay with us and I
told him he could, if you and your wife were agreeable to the idea.  He's
been like a member of our family anyway, so there were no problems on our
part."

"My wife and I really don't want to leave him here, but we know how
strongly he feels about it," he admitted.  "Besides, I've not heard very
many favorable reports on the Texas school systems either.  Those in my
company who have lived there at various times tell me the school districts
spend ten times more money on high school sports than they do on academics.
I'm not sure how accurate that is, but we were starting to worry about it."

"I think I might too, if the situation were reversed," I agreed.

"Yeah, but I don't think I could handle your brood," he joked, before
getting back on topic.  "I'm concerned most because the next two years will
be critical for Brandon's future.  Many colleges base much of their
admission policy on what happens academically in a student's junior year.
I'm also certain they weigh the various states differently too, depending
on their national ranking in education.  That's why my wife and I feel it
would probably be better for him to remain here, although it doesn't mean
we're thrilled about him staying here without us.  However, we also know
he'd be in good hands."

"Thank you for that compliment and I assure you that if he stays here,
we'll take good care of him," I announced.  "He will be treated just like
all the others."

"I know he will, since that's the way he's always been treated here,"
Mr. O'Hara emphasized.  "We're not worried about that in the least.  We'll
send you a monthly check to cover his expenses and we'll provide everything
else he needs."

"Please, keep your money.  I certainly don't need it," I informed him.
"Put that monthly check into Brandon's college fund and I'll handle the
rest.  You can give him what you'd like, but I'll take care of whatever he
needs, without having to bother you about the petty stuff.  The only thing
I would ask is for you go down and sign guardianship papers at my
attorney's office.  I can call him and have him draw them up.  That way I
can sign for any trips or other permission slips the school might request
and I can authorize emergency medical treatment, if it's needed.  I don't
foresee anything like that happening, but I'd rather be prepared for the
worst, just in case."

"Of course, and that will not be a problem for us, either," he conceded.
"We will supply you with whatever legal papers you need.  We really
appreciate your willingness to do this for Brandon.  We've always felt very
fortunate that you treat him so well and include him in the activities with
your children.  Being our only son, he gets lonely sometimes, but he's
always so happy when he can spend time with your family, especially with
Danny.  I still feel indebted to him for what he did for Brandon."

"That's appreciated, but not necessary," I told him.  "Brandon's part of
our family and we're proud to have him.  Everything is set, as far as I'm
concerned."

"Thanks, Josh.  That takes a big load off my mind," he confessed, while
shaking my hand.

"You're welcome, but it's our pleasure," I replied.  "Brandon, why don't
you go and find Danny and tell him the news.  I'm sure he's anxiously
awaiting your report."  Brandon leapt from his seat and bounded from the
room.  I waited until he was gone, before I spoke to his father.

"I wanted to speak to you about the summer, without anyone else around.
I'm planning on quite a lengthy summer vacation for the boys and I'd like
to include Brandon in all or part of those plans.  I don't want to
interfere with your time with him, so I wanted to work this out just
between the two of us."

I told Brandon's father about our vacation plans and he quickly suggested a
slight alternative, so Brandon could go with us and still be able to spend
some time with them.  I agreed with his suggestion and everything was set.
A few minutes later, I called Brandon back to join us, as his father wanted
to get back home.  As they left, I thought about what I'd just done, by
adding another temporary boarder to the 'Castaway Hotel'.

My week started off smoothly, but that radically changed on Wednesday, when
I received a call from my attorney.  It seemed while trying to clear the
path for my being able to adopt the boys he'd hit a little snag.
Mr. Yamada's parents, who still lived in Japan, wanted to see and talk to
the boys, before they were willing to sign off on any claims to their
rights as grandparents.  He explained he'd been informed that they'd like
to fly here and visit the following week, if I would agree to the idea.
Seeing it was the only chance I had to convince them, I told my attorney to
go ahead and set it up.  I'd break the news to the boys later tonight.

I wasn't sure how this was going to go over with them.  From what they'd
told me and from what I'd learned from Ann Getz about this case, the
grandparents never even knew the boys existed, let alone met them.  They
had disowned their son when he left for the States and had no contact with
him or his family since.  It looks like they were suffering from the onset
of delayed guilt or making a desperate attempt to reach out to the
grandsons they didn't even know they had.  I've always had a strict rule
about interfering with a family and its relationships, unless it had been
proven they were incompetent or unfit, but I also wanted to make certain
that whatever decision was reached was in the best interests of the boys.
I will fight before giving them up, if I don't see more than just blood
ties between them.

That night, I took Sammy and Andrew aside.  "Fellas, I have some news for
you," I began, and they both looked at me apprehensively.  "Your
grandparents are coming to see you."

"But I thought they weren't allowed," Sammy replied, immediately.

"Oh, not your mother's parents," I correct.  "These are your father's
parents."

"I didn't know they were even alive," Sammy informed me.

"Daddy, they aren't coming to take us away from you, are they?" Andrew
asked.  He looked very nervous and crawled onto my lap.

"They've just learned about you, when they were told about your father's
death," I explained, "so they want to come and meet you."

I then went on to explain what I knew about the relationship between their
father and their grandparents, as a way of explaining why they had never
met or heard about them.  By the time I finished, I think both boys were
excited about finally getting to meeting them, as long as they could still
live with me.  I told them nothing had come up about anything like that,
and it hadn't, although I did suspect something like that might happen,
since their grandparents actually had the stronger legal claim.  Even
though I had my doubts about how this would turn out, I assured both boys
they would definitely have a home with me, unless something beyond my
control happened.  This didn't alleviate either boy's fears, but I didn't
want to give them false hope either.  That could damage their trust in me
later, if things didn't go the way we hoped.  I'd rather help them deal
with an uncertain future than try to regain their trust later, especially
if they thought I had lied to them.

Their grandparents sent word to my lawyer that they would be arriving next
Tuesday and staying until Friday.  They would fly into Philadelphia, so
we'd send a limo to pick them up, and then arrange for a room for them at
our finest hotel.  I wanted them to know I spared no expense in making sure
their grandsons were cared for, even including a first- class visit from
their grandparents.  I was hoping that a favorable impression might bolster
my case to be allowed to keep the boys.

By the time Friday evening rolled around, both Sammy and Andrew were a
bundle of nerves.  That night they insisted on sleeping in my room with me,
as they didn't want me out of their sight, for even a minute.  Every time I
turned around, I would trip over one, the other or both of them.  Every
time I sat down, they'd either climb onto my lap or squeeze so tightly
against me that I was afraid to move, for fear of crushing them.
Therefore, I did what I could to help assure them, without neglecting the
others.

That Saturday was also the start of the high school wrestling tournaments,
which would lead up to the state tournament.  Both Cole and Dustin had
managed to qualify for the early rounds, but Dustin was also ranked among
the favorites for winning his age bracket at the state level.  I was
thinking Cole might be a little disappointed that he hadn't received the
same type of recognition, but he enthusiastically embraced his brother's
ranking and never complained about his lack of acknowledgement.

That morning, I got everyone up early and drove the entire family to York
College, where the district tournament was being held.  Neither Sammy not
Andrew ever wandered very far away from me for any length of time, even
when their brothers wanted to take them somewhere, such as to the
concession stand or to check the place out.  I think this caused all of the
other boys to begin worrying about how the impending visit from their
grandparents was affecting both boys.

Once the action started, however, everyone seemed to put those other
concerns in the back of their minds, as they cheered for their brothers.
Cole and Dustin won their first and second round matches, although Cole
barely squeaked by his second opponent.  Amazingly, both of them had now
reached the semi-final rounds.

Cole went out in his next match and amazed all of us, when he quickly
pinned the young man he was facing, but we were less surprised when Dustin
did the same thing.  To my great astonishment, both boys were now moving on
to the finals.

During his last match, Cole put forth an amazing effort, but ended up
losing on points.  Although slightly disappointed in the outcome, he was
pleased to come in runner-up in his weight class and still enthusiastically
cheered his brother on, when it was Dustin's turn to wrestle.

Dustin's match took a long time to complete, as a couple of brief breaks
where called when Dustin's opponent was injured.  First, they had to stop
the match briefly when the boy's nose started to bleed, after his face hit
the mat hard when Dustin took him down.  After cleaning up the blood
splatter and stopping the bleeding, the match continued, but not for long.
A short time later, another brief time out was taken, as the other boy
injured his shoulder while in one of Dustin's holds.  The tournament
officials had the doctor examine the young man and he was soon given the
okay to continue, so the match resumed.  In the end, Dustin won on a large
point differential and would now move on to the state tournament.  We were
all quite proud of his accomplishment.

After our two athletes cleaned up, we took them out to celebrate, with a
late dinner.  Most of them were still in a raucous and upbeat mood by the
time we reached home.  However there were some exceptions, as Sammy and
Andrew were still greatly concerned about their grandparents' upcoming
visit.  Throughout the entire day, Sammy and Andrew hadn't been quite as
absorbed in the wrestling tournament as the others, since they were
consumed by these other concerns.  That's why all of the other boys now did
everything they could to keep the pair from worrying about what might
happen.  They played cards and board games with them until they went to
bed, but they weren't done yet.

Sunday, the others took Sammy and Andrew outside to play kickball again,
and when they eventually came back inside, they played other games with
them.  They even talked me into taking all of them to a Sunday afternoon
movie matinee.  Even with all of this activity, the two boys clung to me
like glue much of the time.  At the movie, Sammy sat beside me and Andrew
sat on my lap, as they each wanted to keep in physical contact with me.  By
the time Tuesday evening rolled around, they were just a bundle of raw
nerves.

Tuesday after dinner, the limo pulled up in front of our house and the
grandparents got out.  I had also hired a Japanese interpreter from
Philadelphia, who had ridden here with them, so he could assist them
throughout their entire stay.  Since I wasn't sure how much English they
spoke, I opted to play it safe.  It turns out it was a good thing I had
done that, since their grandfather only spoke very limited, yet broken
English and the grandmother spoke none at all.  Any conversation had to go
entirely through the interpreter.

We started by introducing the boys to their grandparents.  Their father
must have taught them some things about their Japanese heritage, because
both boys bowed respectfully to their grandparents, after they had been
introduced.  The grandparents looked pleased and bowed in return.  I let
the four of them talk amongst themselves, through the interpreter of
course, and I merely monitored the conversation, so I would know what was
happening.  They visited with the boys for nearly two hours, speaking with
them through the translator, before they returned to their hotel room.  I
hope the language barrier might be enough to convince them they would have
a difficult time raising the two boys in Japan, since both boys only knew a
handful of Japanese words and phrases.

The scene repeated itself throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, but
I did ask them to join us as I took Sammy and Andrew out to lunch on
Thursday.  They agreed and we went to Chuck E. Cheese, where the boys
happily played the various games and crawled through the tubing.  Their
grandparents refused to eat there, but watched in amazement as their
grandsons darted from one place to the next.  I thought it was important
for the grandparents to see how energetic the boys were, before they made
any decisions about possibly wanting to raise them.

We spent our final time with them on Friday morning, as they were leaving
that afternoon.  The limo was taking them back to Philadelphia, where they
would catch their flight back home.  Even when we bowed and said good--bye
to them before they drove away, they never gave us any impression about
what we might expect beyond that point.

The following Monday, however, my lawyer called again, this time to inform
me the grandparents were asking that the boys be allowed to come and stay
with them for a week, in Japan.  My attorney figured I'd humor them and go
along with this request, so he suggested the week of spring break, in
April, so the boys' schooling wouldn't be interrupted.  After outlining his
reasons, the grandparents agreed to that schedule.  Now, I would have to
prepare the boys for this trip.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to accompany them on this
journey.  I would arrange for someone to stay with the other boys during my
absence or I might even decide to take them all with me, I wasn't sure
about that part yet.  However, the impression I was getting from this turn
of events was not making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  It looked as
if the grandparents wanted to get them to see their homeland and possibly
prepare them for relocating there.  I didn't think they would have gone
this route, if they didn't plan to file for custody of the boys.  I didn't
tell the boys about my suspicions, but it was now also my biggest fear.

Two days later, I finally made my decision about how I was going to handle
all of this.  Robert was already planning to come home for that week, so
I'd ask him to watch the boys for me while I was gone.  I was pretty sure
he wouldn't mind, after realizing I trusted him enough to leave them alone
for a limited amount of time.  I had made this determination because I
wasn't sure I could handle watching over all of the boys in unfamiliar
surroundings, especially with all of the drama that would be playing out at
the same time.

Convinced this was the right thing to do, I called to make reservations for
our flight.  I also made accommodations at a local hotel, where we would
stay while we were there.  As long as I was dealing with my travel agent, I
also decided to confirm our summer vacation plans at the same time.  I
still kept Sammy and Andrew in the headcount for this trip too, even though
I was beginning to doubt they would still be with us when the time came.

This whole situation was getting very difficult for me, as I had grown very
close to the duo in the short time we had been together.  They were still
young enough to want to cuddle and be affectionate, and would often curl up
against me or crawl onto my lap when we were together and I eagerly
anticipated having more of these little snuggle sessions with them.  Losing
them, especially since they would be such a great distance away from us,
would be devastating for me.  It would almost be as if they had died or
been killed, because I'd probably never see them again.  The chances of my
having any further contact with them would be slim to none and I knew,
beyond any doubt, that I'd miss them both greatly.

This suddenly made me wonder about something else.  How do parents ever
cope with the loss of a child?  It would be enough to rip my heart out and
I've only been with my boys, and these two in particular, for a much
shorter time than if I'd raised them from birth.  What do parents do when
they've spent years with their child and then they're suddenly dead and
gone from their lives?  Fortunately, I've never been confronted with that
type of a situation and, hopefully, never will.

The next weekend we had to drive Dustin to the University of Pittsburgh, so
he could compete in the state-wrestling tournament.  He was excited, yet I
could tell he was also nervous, although Cole kept telling him he was going
to be the state champion in his weight class.  I actually think this was
adding pressure on him to do well, even though Cole didn't mean to do that
to his brother.  He was just so proud of Dustin's ability that he felt he
couldn't proclaim any less than the top spot for his brother.

Once we arrived at the facility, Dustin had to leave us to get weighed in
and then stay with the other wrestlers.  We walked about for a while,
checking the place out and locating all of the facilities, such as toilets,
concession stand and other points of interest, before taking our seats and
preparing for the various matches.  It would be a long day of watching many
young men whom we didn't know, but at this level, their abilities were more
than sufficient to make up for not knowing them personally.

It all started with the lighter weight classes and progressed until it was
Dustin's time to wrestle, in the 152-pound weight classes.  Dustin first
opponent was from the Erie area, and Dustin pinned him in the second
period.  Dustin didn't wrestle again for a couple of hours, but his next
match pitted him against a boy from a Pittsburgh suburb.  The match was
fairly even, but ended with Dustin winning on points, 10 -- 6.

It was fairly late in the evening when Dustin wrestled again and this was a
really tough match for him.  In fact, it was decided in overtime, with
Dustin winning on points, 3 -- 2.  I think that match took a lot out of
him, but gratefully if was his last contest of the day.  Once his coach
released him, he went with his brothers and I, as he was going to stay with
us at the motel for the evening.  Everyone was busily congratulating him on
his matches, but Dustin played it down, saying there was more wrestling to
be completed tomorrow.  The boys took the hint and stopped pressing the
issue.

Everyone turned in, after we grabbed some snacks, to tide us over.  We
hadn't done much eating all day, just grabbing items from the concession
area whenever we had a chance.  I think everyone slept well that evening,
after they cleaned up.

The next morning, after a modest breakfast, we returned to the arena.
Dustin went back to the locker room, to weigh-in again and check when his
next match would be.  He wrestled about an hour later, against the top
ranked wrestler from his weight bracket.  It was a very hard fought
contest, but unfortunately, Dustin lost, 4 --3.  He would wrestle in the
consolation match later, having missed reaching the finals by a whisker.

Dustin was very determined when he took the mat for his final match, and
ended up beating his opponent, 10 -- 3.  That meant he finished third in
the state, losing only to the eventual tourney winner from his
weight-class.  All in all, I think he was pleased with his performance and
we were all very proud of his accomplishment.  Cole didn't let up, telling
him he got robbed in that match he lost and he should have been the state
champion.  Dustin merely smiled and thanked Cole for continued faith in his
abilities.

We didn't arrive home until after dark that evening, after stopping to eat.
All of us were exhausted, but I reminded the boys they needed to finish
whatever homework they had left undone, since they would be returning to
school tomorrow.  After listening to a few groans of complaint, they did as
I asked and we tried to unwind until bedtime.


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