Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:50:06 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grean Reopening - Book 3, chapters 19 - 20

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 19 -- A Time to Unwind.

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

Steve Shay was there to meet us at the airport when we arrived.  He had
driven my van to pick us up and was waiting at the arrival gate when we
strolled into the common area.  Uncle Steve was greeted warmly by everyone
and followed us to the baggage claim area.  Once we had all of our
belongings, we followed him out to the van, loaded everything into it, and
set off for home.

On the ride back, the boys were busy telling him all about our trip.  They
gave him a detailed account of our time in Arizona and in Texas, and they
even informed him about the incident with Andrew.  Steve was concerned
about this last experience and advised me he would contact the authorities
in Houston, to make sure things were being adjudicated appropriately.  He
announced he was planning to represent Andrew's interests in this matter
and would make sure the offending individual would not be allowed to accept
a plea-bargain that didn't include a suitable punishment, which meant
prison time.  He wanted to make sure the guy could never be able to do that
to another child.

When we arrived home, Aunt Sally was at the house waiting for us.  She had
been taking care of everything while we were gone, to make sure nothing
happened to the house or our belongings while we were away.  Sally also
picked up our mail and there was a whole tote full of it sitting just
inside the foyer.  It looked like it would take me some time to get through
that mess.  In addition to everything else she had done, it was quite
obvious from the wonderful smell filling the house that Sally had also
prepared us a meal.

"What is that delicious aroma?" I asked, while sniffing the air.

"You and the boys go wash up and you'll soon discover what it's from," she
informed me, while smiling broadly.

"Steve, go call Mary and have her come over," I quickly advised him.  "I
want you both to join us for dinner as well."

"That's not necessary," Steve countered, "I'm sure Mary's already started
our meal.  Besides, this is for you and your family."

"Oh, there's plenty enough for everyone," Sally advised him.

"So go call Mary and ask her to join us," I insisted.

Steve did, and it just so happened that Mary was just getting ready to
start their dinner, so she quickly agreed to drive over and join us
instead.  The boys and I were just coming down from cleaning up when Aunt
Mary pulled into our driveway.  The boys raced out to greet her and
escorted her into the dining room, as I helped Sally bring the food to the
table.

We had a wonderful meal, consisting of roast beef, roast potatoes, carrots,
a tossed salad and chocolate pudding for dessert, and we all thanked Sally
for her tremendous effort.  While we were eating, the boys filled their
'Aunts' in about our trip and both women were getting a kick out of our
adventures, until they heard about what happened to Andrew at the Space
Center.  Steve reassured everyone he would take care of everything
concerning that matter and we all went outside to enjoy the beautiful
evening.

The boys went off to play a game of kickball, while we adults chatted some
more.  The women asked me more details about the situation with Andrew and
I gave them a full accounting of what had transpired.  Sally asked how
Andrew reacted to the incident and how he's been acting since.  I told her
all I could, stating I thought he had handled it quite well.  She advised
me to keep an eye on him until we were ready to leave for England and that
I should call her if I noticed anything unusual.  I thanked her and we went
on to discuss other things.

After that, I told them about Mark, our college student waiter, and
explained he would be coming to work for me next summer.  They all laughed
and said they had expected that, from the first moment I had mentioned him.
Then I told them about Nick.

"Are you going to bring the strays home from England too," Steve teased.

"I will try to resist the temptation, but I can't make any promises," I
joked back.

Steve also gave me some advice about how to handle the situation with
Nick's parents, once Nick arrived here, so I would protect myself legally.
Sally then offered her assistance, if I needed help with anything
concerning Nick.  She graciously volunteered to do whatever she could to
aid me, whether it meant helping me keep Nick here or reuniting him with
his family.  I thanked them both, before we moved to the next topic.

I was still filling them in on some of the finer points of our trip when
the boys returned, having finished their impromptu game.  At this point we
switched our discussion to our trip to England and Steve quickly told us
about his favorite places, from when he and his wife had vacationed there.
Of course his wife had different favorite places, so we made a mental list
of things to look for.  It was approaching 9:00 p.m. when our guests
announced they would have to leave, since they had to work the next day.
We bid them all good night, thanked them once more for all of their help,
and walked them to their vehicles.  We all waved at them as they drove off.

Before we went back into the house, I announced I'd have to recruit
volunteers to do some of the chores that needed to get done.  The six
little ones offered to rinse off the dishes and load the dishwasher, before
I even asked.  I thanked them and they went off to do their job.  Next, I
asked for volunteers to tackle the enormous mountain of laundry we would
have once we unpacked and Pat, Carlos, Trey and Dion quickly informed me
they would take care of that.  The next group would have to help me with
preparing the meals before we left again and Danny, Brandon, Dustin and
Kevin volunteered to help with that duty, since they'd been spending time
learning the basics of cooking from me.  They informed me they thought this
would be a good opportunity for them to practice their newly acquired
skills.

At that point Ricky looked at me and asked what he could do.  I thought
about it for only a minute, before I suggested he could help me take Jay
home and then do the grocery shopping tomorrow.  He seemed satisfied with
his job, so I sent all the boys up to unpack, put their things away and
bring their dirty clothes down to the laundry room.  After that it would be
bath time and then we could relax until they wanted to go to sleep.

After Ricky and I returned from taking Jay back to his parents, I went into
the office and started sorting through the mail, while the boys set about
their tasks.  By the time they came back downstairs, I had everything
sorted into categories and was ready to join them.  We all went into the
television room, but I told them I had some mail to share with them before
we watched anything.

First, I had two letters from Mark and another from Mr. and Mrs. Spence.  A
few of the boys had forgotten who they were, so the other boys reminded
them of the older couple we had met on the flight to Arizona.  Suddenly, it
was as if a light bulb went off for them and they began talking excitedly,
wondering what the Spences had to say.  Eager to end their curiosity and
interested in discovering what each had to say, I quickly read the three
letters.  Mark's first letter was mostly a thank you for the fun times he'd
had with us and for the invitation to come to our home next summer.  The
second letter was to ask Danny and Brandon about the second half of their
vacation.  I handed them the letter, which caused both of them to blush,
and I knew I wouldn't have to remind them to respond to it.

The Spences' letter also inquired about our vacation, but they also asked
if they could come visit us some time.  The boys were really quite excited
about their request, since they had taken quite a shine to this couple, and
each one of them wanted to write a letter in reply.  I told them they could
all write what they wished and I would mail them off a few at a time.  This
seemed to satisfy them and they would start their various letters tomorrow.
Tonight, however, we settled in to watch a movie.

Before very long, I saw pairs cuddling up with each other and the four
little ones found their way over to me, either sitting on me or snuggled up
against me.  I also saw Cole and Graham move over to sit on each side of
Ricky, leaning up against him, and I concluded they felt bad that Ricky
seemed to be the only one without a partner at that point.  Once he saw
that Cole and Graham were going to sit with him, he was as happy as anyone
else there and when the movie was over, we called it a night.

Sammy and Andrew asked to sleep with me, which I had no problem with, while
Jordan and Nicky joined the terrible trio in the Jungle room.  Before long,
all of the boys were asleep and Andrew looked as relaxed and peaceful as I
had ever seen him.  Maybe he would make it through this without any
long-term negative effects.  After all, we interrupted the guy before he
really had a chance to do anything and Andrew had seen large penises
before, with the older boys running around nude so much.  I certainly hoped
that would be the case and Andrew would have no trauma attached to the
experience.  It would have been much different and far worse, if the guy
had actually penetrated him, but I now suspected he'd be fine.

The next few days were a blur of activity.  We were all busy doing chores,
writing our letters, having some free time and planning for our next
adventure.  I had spoken to each of my older children, confirming the
details of our joint vacation, and everyone was quite excited about the
trip.  I had made all of the arrangements, with their approval, of course,
but much of what we were going to do there would be a surprise to them too.
They had some idea what we would be doing, but the order and exact details
would still be a mystery.  I think, by now, everyone was used to my
propensity to want to surprise them on these trips and they accepted that
fact.  It always added to my satisfaction by being able to see the pleased
and surprised expressions on their faces when they discovered what I had
planned or learned what we were going to see.

I also called Nick to see how he was doing, now that we weren't there, and
he was fairly upbeat about his situation.  He said the O'Haras were very
nice, but kind of boring, although he had found a pool nearby and told me
there were lots of cute boys who hung out there.  I think that was his
signal to me that he would do fine until we returned and he was able to
rejoin us.  I know most teenage boys are controlled by their hormones, but
Nick seems to have more than his share of testosterone, so I knew I would
have to have a little chat with him about this, once we were together
again.

Over the next few days we finished our preparations for England and each of
the boys wrote to the Spences, some more than once, and Danny, Brandon, and
I all wrote letters to Mark as well.  It was just about time for us to
leave again, when we received our responses.  The first letter came from
Mark, addressed to all of us, so I decided to read the letter to everyone
at once.


Hi, Pop and all the rest of you guys,

I was really happy when I received your letters.  It's been kind of lonely
around here since you all left.  It never really bothered me before, but
since I saw how much fun I could have with your family, I really have felt
kind of alone now.  I'll be all right, though, as long as you keep writing
to me.  I can't wait until next summer, when I can come and join you.

Business has been really good at the restaurant and I've been making quite
a bit of money.  I'm saving it like I should and I'm really getting anxious
for classes to start again.  I'm going to switch a couple of my courses, so
I'll be more prepared to do my job for you next summer, so don't worry,
Pop.  I'm also going to ask my advisor to tutor me on the types of things
I'll need to know in order to work for you too.  I'll do a good job, I
promise.

Well, you must be all excited about going to England, because I know I
would be.  Please take my address with you and send me some postcards from
there.  That way I can brag to some of my classmates about my new family.
By the way, as of the end of August you'll be able to email me at
Mark8@narizu.edu.  I won't have access to a computer until classes start,
though.  Then maybe we can chat more frequently.

You guys have a good trip and make sure you send those postcards and email
me when you get back.  I wish I had been able to go with you.

Your new big brother, Mark


The boys were all interested in the letter, but Danny and Brandon were
especially moved by it.  They, too, felt bad that Mark hadn't been able to
join us.  I quickly let them know he would be included in all of our plans
next year, since he'd be with us.  Danny took the envelope, with Mark's
return address on it, and ran upstairs to put it into his suitcase.  He
wasn't about to forget it when we left.

A day or so later, we got a letter from the Spences.  I read that one to
the boys as well.


Dear Josh and boys,

My husband and I would like to thank you for sending all of those wonderful
letters telling us about your trip.  It sounds as if you had a wonderful
time and that you're looking forward to your next trip to England.
Enclosed you'll find a check from us and we want you to use it to do
something special while you're over there.

Josh, if it wouldn't be asking too much, we were wondering if you'd mind if
we came to visit you and your family around the holidays.  We have no
family and wish to share at least part of that time of year with people
whom we care about.  We would make reservations to stay at a hotel, but
we'd like to see all of you whenever you're willing, if that would be
possible.  Your family is such an enjoyable and refreshing change to what
we've encountered these past few years that we'd really like to get to know
you all better.  Please think it over and let us know.

We send you all our love and best wishes, and we want you to have a
splendid time in England.  We shall think of you daily while you're gone.

Fondly, Margaret and John Spence


I looked back in the envelope and found a check made out to me for $500.00.
The boys couldn't believe that Mr. & Mrs. Spence had sent so much,
especially since we had known them for such a short time, and they
immediately began to try to talk me into letting the Spences come to visit.
I had already decided I was going to write and tell them they were more
than welcome to come see us any time they wished.

The boys told me to make sure they stayed at the house too.  They could use
my room, downstairs, and the boys would share one of their rooms with me
while they were here.  I agreed with their proposals and told them I'd jot
the Spences a quick note.  I would invite them for both Thanksgiving and
Christmas, allowing them their choice of either time or both.  The boys
were happy and each went to write a quick thank you note to the Spences,
for sending them the money.  They all agreed to buy something special with
it, to help them remember their trip.

Steve Shay called me a couple of days later, to inform me that he had been
working with the Houston authorities on Andrew's case and it was now
settled.

"It turns out the guy had two previous felony convictions for assaulting
young boys," he informed me, "and had only been out of prison for a few
weeks."

"And no one was monitoring his activities?" I asked, startled.

"He'd just been released after serving a 5 to 7 year sentence for his last
conviction, so he probably had to check in with his parole officer," Steve
responded, "but they can't be with him every minute of every day.  Most of
the parole officers have so many cases assigned to them that they usually
just contact each parolee once a week and possibly check in with his
employer or landlord every couple of weeks too."

"It's a shame they can't monitor them better than that," I suggested, "but
at least he won't be out there for a while now."

"That's for sure," Steve replied.  "He knew he was screwed either way, so
he accepted a plea bargain from the District Attorney's office, but it
wasn't much of a gift.  He agreed to serve a 15 to 25 year sentence, rather
than take the chance of getting hit with a 25 year to life sentence, if he
were convicted as a three-strike felon.  The judge and the DA are both
recommending he serve the full 25 years, which would make him fairly old,
before he's on the street again."

I thanked Steve for all of his help and told him I would let Andrew and the
others know the bad man was locked up for a very long time.  I also told
Steve he was a very dear friend for handling this for us like he had.  He
responded that it was his pleasure to make sure that creep wouldn't be able
to get to another kid for a long time, before adding that he always took
care of family members.  I just smiled at his last comment and thanked him
again, knowing he had just paid us a very great compliment.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 20 -- Feelings.

It was nearly time for us to leave on our trip now, so we were moving at
full speed, trying to make sure we got everything done in time, without
forgetting anything important.  Steve had agreed to drive us to the airport
again, in fact he had insisted on it, and Sally was going to watch the
house and take care of everything for us while we were gone.  In an
appreciative gesture, I suggested we all go out to eat on the final
Saturday night before we left.

The party started out as being a birthday celebration for Ricky, who was
turning fifteen on July 17th, but the boys also had some special plans of
their own.  I made reservations at the finest establishment in the area and
the boys all dressed in suits that evening.  Steve followed us in his car,
with Sally riding with him and his wife.  When we arrived, they were all
surprised to learn I had reserved the private dining room for us, so we
could have a good time and not disturb the other guests.

"Josh, this must be costing you a small fortune," Steve whispered in my
ear, as we were heading into the facility.

"Nothing's too good for those we love," I replied.  "Besides, it's my money
and I'm thrilled to be able to do this."  Steve just nodded.

I sat at the head of the table, with Mary and Steve on my right and Sally
on my left.  The boys had already agreed who would be sitting next to whom,
so they went to their places, once the rest of us were seated.

After looking over the menus, we placed our order, and soon the salad,
appetizers and dinner rolls were being delivered to the table.  We began
with shrimp cocktails, mozzarella sticks and a tossed or Caesar salad.  The
adults also had wine, while the boys had sodas, as we slowly enjoyed the
first course.

After each of us had finished those items, we had a chance to talk for a
bit, while the dishes were removed and we waited for the main course.
Since everyone had ordered their own entrees, there was a variety of food
now being placed around the table, but it was all quite delicious.  I kept
looking up and noting how the older boys were fawning over and assisting
the little ones, and noticed that Steve, Mary and Sally were also taking
note of this seemingly inconsequential act.  It showed a great deal of
maturity and caring on the part of the boys who were being so attentive to
the younger ones and I can only say that I swelled with pride, as I
observed them.

We managed to stuff ourselves and were quite full, when two cakes were
delivered to the table.  I was expecting the one, but was surprised by the
other.  In addition to my having ordered a birthday cake for Ricky, it
appeared that Sally, Mary and Steve had called ahead and ordered another
cake, which read, 'Bon Voyage, Curries.'  Since Ricky's cake was chocolate
and the other was a yellow cake, it gave us a choice, although I suspected
the boys would have a piece of each.  The waitperson quickly cut and served
the cakes to each of us, and after we each had been served, we all settled
down to chat for a while and enjoy some after-dinner drinks with our
dessert.

After we relaxed, Ricky was given his gifts to open, which he did quite
rapidly.  He received clothing from Sally, Mary and Steve and some games
and CD's from his brothers, but he also unwrapped a very special gift from
me.  I had bought him a high quality digital camera he could use on the
trip.  He was thrilled with his little party, as well as his presents, but
was also a little preoccupied about the surprise his brothers and he had
planned for this evening.

After things quieted down, Ricky thanked everyone for their gifts and all
of the boys thanked their 'aunts and uncle' for the cake, before setting
their own plan in motion.  At that time, a few of the boys excused
themselves to go to the men's room, but when they rejoined us, they came
back carrying a collection of packages.  At that moment, the rest of the
boys stood to join them and they all came down to the end of the table
where the adults were seated.  They had planned this at home previously and
picked their spokesmen to represent them, so Ricky spoke first.

"All of us boys decided we wanted to do something really special for you,
because of everything you have done for us.  Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary and
Uncle Steve, we just want to let you know how much we love you and
appreciate all you do for us.  Everyone of us chipped in some of our own
money to buy you each a little present."

"Before you say anything," Dustin continued, from where Ricky left off, "we
know you're going to tell us we didn't need to do this.  We know that, but
we wanted to do it anyway.  It's just to let you know how special you are
to each of us."

"We know that one of the presents is bigger than the others," Graham
stated, in his high- pitched, youthful voice, "and there is more in it than
the others, but we spent the same amount of money on each of you."

"But we all agreed on what to get you," Danny added, "and we wanted it to
be something you'd really like."

"It wasn't an easy choice," Dion told them, "but Dad helped us decide and
then we all went with him, to pick it out."

"So," Cole concluded, "here are our presents to you."

At that point, Sammy and Andrew handed Steve a large box, while Jordan and
Nicky handed Aunt Sally and Aunt Mary smaller packages.

"Go ahead and open them," Trey urged them.  "We want to see what you think
of your presents."

The ladies got their presents opened first, each finding a matching earring
and necklace set.  The boys had selected them themselves and spent a few
hundred dollars on each of them.  These were not cheap costume jewelry sets
and the women realized that fact immediately.

"Boys, you shouldn't have spent so much money on these," Mary told them,
while admiring the fine items in the small box she was holding.

"She's right," Sally scolded, mildly.  "These must have cost quite a bit of
your savings and you shouldn't have spent your money on us, like this."

"But it's still not enough to repay you for all you've done and what you
mean to us," Trey countered.  "Heck, most of us would never be here with
Dad, if it wasn't for you."

At that moment, Steve finished unwrapping his present as well, discovering
two top quality dress shirts with French cuffs, and a box containing a very
sharp looking pair of cufflinks, tie clasp and collar pin to go with them.

"You boys shouldn't have done so much," Steve quickly added, supporting the
women.  "It's a nice gesture, but we already knew you appreciated the
things we do for you."

"We wanted to do it, no matter how much it cost, because you all do much
more than that for us," Pat advised him.  "You take all those hours to
drive us to the airport and then pick us up later and Aunt Sally and Aunt
Mary have been almost like mothers to us."

"We do appreciate your thoughtfulness," Mary told them, "and your presents
are just lovely.  Therefore, I will accept it in the spirit in which it was
given."

"Yes," Sally continued, "they're absolutely beautiful and I will be more
than happy to do the same."

"And I'll wear these to court," Judge Shay advised them, "so that will make
me the best dressed guy in the entire courthouse."

"You're all sharp dressers all of the time anyway," Brandon retorted.  "You
three always look like you should be posing for some magazine."

"Well, thank you for such a lovely compliment," Sally replied, looking
quite pleased by the attention.

"You boys certainly are something special," Mary told them.  "I thought
Steve was exaggerating the first time he told me about you, but I've come
to learn that if anything, he was downplaying how absolutely terrific you
all are."

"Yes, and every time I hear people bad mouthing your generation, I just use
you boys as an example of how great kids your age can be," Steve advised
them.  "You might not know this, but your dad gave me your last family
portrait and I have it hanging on the wall in my chamber.  I use it to show
others how truly great young people can be."

"I don't get to see you as much as the other boys," Carlos interjected,
"but I think you are all pretty great too."  Everyone could tell that it
took quite a bit of courage on his part to come out and admit that, since
he was usually shy around others.  I think that made his remark even more
special to the other three.

We all basked in the love that engulfed the room for a while longer and
then the boys urged the ladies to try on their new baubles.  The boys were
quite excited to see these items on them, so both women went to the ladies
room, to put the jewelry on and see how they looked in the mirror.  The
women returned and happily informed the boys that the jewelry looked even
better on, than it had looked coming out of the box, and the boys were very
pleased to hear this and were proud of their selections.  We stayed a
little longer, talking some more, before we all headed back to our place to
end the evening.

At home, the boys sat around their aunts and uncle, chatting about
everything under the sun, and the adults seemed to really be enjoying this
all too infrequent time together with them.  I made some coffee, so the
other adults came out to the dining room to join me for a cup.  The boys
went up to their rooms to get out of their suits at this point, giving us
adults some time alone.  It was then that my peers wanted to know if I'd
set this whole thing up.

"No, actually it was all their idea," I informed them.  "I did help them
select the gifts, but they told me what they wanted to buy and how much
they were willing to spend.  Although I was amazed to learn that each of
them had chipped in $100 of their own money to do this for you, I could
also tell it was very, very important to them to make sure it happened.
For that reason, I wasn't about to do anything to try to discourage their
generosity."

"You shouldn't have let them spend that much money, Josh," Steve scolded
me.

"As I said, this was all their idea and they really wanted to do something
special for you," I countered.  "They knew it would be hard for us to take
these kinds of trips without people like you back home supporting us and
realize how much time it takes for you to drive us to and from the airport,
how much your wife gives up by letting you do that for us and all the time
Sally spends checking on the house and collecting our mail.  No, I was not
about to talk them out of it, because I agree with their reasoning.  They
chose how much they wanted to spend altogether and I merely took them
shopping and helped them select appropriate gifts.  In fact, if anything,
I'm very proud of them for realizing how much you help us.  Even Sammy and
Andrew understand how important the things you do for us are."

"It's not that we're unappreciative, Josh," Sally added, "it's just that
$100 each is a great sum of money for boys their age."

"The boys have a good appreciation of how much that is," I assured her.  "I
help them go over their own accounts on a monthly basis, so each one knows
how much money he has in his savings account and in his mutual fund.  They
may not understand exactly how those things work yet, but they do know how
much money they have, what it will buy and what I'll allow them to use it
for.  This was well discussed before any decisions were made and the final
agreement on the amount each would contribute was unanimous.  Some had even
argued to spend a little more than that, so be assured they did understand
what they were doing."

When the boys returned, the three adults thanked them as a group before
giving a personal thank you to each and every boy, and the boys felt really
good about what they had done.  It was nice to see them learning it's
important and rewarding to do something nice for others.  I knew the warm
feeling they enjoyed from this evening's generosity would stay with them
for quite a while to come.

By the time Sally, Mary and Steve left, we were all quite exhausted, both
physically and emotionally.  Since the little ones had all announced they
were staying in with various groups of older boys, I thought I'd be
sleeping alone, but soon discovered that would not be the case.  I was
somewhat flabbergasted when Pat asked if he could stay with me tonight.
Figuring something was on his mind, I agreed.

I didn't want to push him to find out why he decided to do this, but it
turned out I didn't need to.  As soon as we were in bed, he cuddled up
against me and whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, puzzled.

"When we were at Six Flags in Texas and those boys started in about Dion,
Carlos, Sammy and Andrew," he began, "I realized that could have been me,
if you hadn't made me see how wrong that was.  Seeing how they acted made
me feel ashamed that I was once like that too, so thank you for making me a
better person than that."

I was choked up from hearing his comment, so it took me more than a few
seconds before I could respond, but I did.  "Pat, I may have shown you the
path, but you were the one who had to choose to walk it," I informed him.
"What I did was easy, but it was you who did the hard part.  You have
turned out to be a wonderful young man and I really and truly love having
you as a son."

He hugged me again, but I realized he was probably too emotional to talk
right now too, as I was beginning to get another lump in my throat as he
embraced me.  However, I do know we both spoke from the heart and meant
every word that was said, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was
thrilled to be a part of this mélange we call a family.

The rest of our time at home went quickly and it was soon the night before
our departure.  The boys had packed their own suitcases, again splitting
their things with their partner, and I double-checked each one against my
checklist, to ensure they had the things they would need.  Once this was
finished, we took everything downstairs and loaded it into the van.  I also
loaded my carry-on, with all of the hand-held games and batteries, and we
would have nothing more to add before leaving, since we had packed new
toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, etc., for the trip.

The boys took their showers and then came down to the TV room to join me.
We talked a little before we went to bed, discussing some last minute
information about this journey.  First, I reminded them this flight would
be longer than their previous flights, as it would take about 7.5 hours to
get there.  I also told them there also wouldn't be much to see, as most of
the trip would be over the ocean and that we'd be flying out of Pittsburgh
in the early evening, as the flight was scheduled to leave at 5:30 P.M.
Tomorrow we would have time to recheck everything after breakfast, and
later we'd go out for lunch.  We'd leave for the airport shortly after
noon.  We were going to pick Steve up at the courthouse at that time and
then we'd be on our way.

The boys were a mixture of nerves and excitement.  With the notoriety of
recent plane crashes and near accidents, they were more nervous about
flying this time, than they had been on their earlier trips.  However, the
excitement generated over visiting another country effectively negated that
problem.

We ate breakfast at home, cleaned everything up and put it all away.  The
boys were flitting all over the house, as their nervous energy and
excitement wouldn't allow them to sit for very long.  As it neared the
lunch hour, I called Steve and asked him join us for lunch, so we could
leave directly from the restaurant.  He agreed, so we went to pick him up.

There wasn't very much conversation during the meal, since the boys didn't
know what else to say.  We merely filled our bellies and prepared for the
drive and flight ahead.  It wasn't long before we'd finished our meal and
were on our way.

Most of our trips to the airport had been made during early morning hours,
but this one was considerably later, so the boys could see the areas we
passed through this time.  There was some discussion about different things
they observed along the way, until they began to see the planes taking off
and descending in the distance.  The closer we got to the airport, the less
talkative the boys became, because I suspected they were growing more
nervous AND more excited.  By the time Steve stopped in front of the main
entrance, the boys were as quiet as church mice.

We quickly unloaded everything, went in to register and check in our
luggage, and said good-byes to Uncle Steve.  All of the boys gave him a
hug, even the older ones, and he told us to have a good time.  He watched
as we went into the terminal, before getting back into the van and making
the long trip back home alone.

I herded my flock through the terminal and toward our gate, making sure the
older boys had a hold of each of the younger ones, and we sat down to wait
until our flight was announced.  The boys were still subdued, sitting
quietly together or huddled up around me, and we stayed that way until two
of my older children showed up, since they were flying out with us.  The
other two were flying from locations closer to their own homes and we would
meet them in England.

The boys now began talking to their older siblings, telling them about our
other trip, until our flight was called.  We made our way onboard, took our
seats and waited for something to happen.  It was thirty or forty minutes
later before the plane began to taxi into position, and I noticed some of
the boys tensing up.  I guess that's a normal reaction for fairly
inexperienced fliers.

It was nearly 6:00 p.m. when the jet's engines began to roar, signaling we
were about to take off.  A few seconds later, the plane lurched forward and
the craft started down the runway, as it prepared to lift into the air.


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