Date: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:43:34 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - book 8, chapters 31 - 32

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 31 -- The Lawrences.                  

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

"I had a feeling that's why you were calling," Nick informed me, "but I'm
not going back to live with my parents.  They don't really want me there
anyway."

"So you say, but I'd like to hear that for myself," I acknowledged.  "Our
primary objective here will be to come up with a way to alleviate the
tension between you and your folks, without causing legal problems for me
and my family.  It's time to tackle this problem head on and come up with a
plan as to how we will accomplish this.  I have an idea I'd like to discuss
with you and I hope you'll agree to go along with it, once I've finished
telling you the details."

"Sure, Mr. Currie.  What's your plan?" he responded, more quickly than I'd
been prepared for.  I hoped he wasn't just saying this to humor me and was
prepared to consider my proposal carefully.

"Well, first I want you to call your parents and let them know that you're
all right," I told him.  "It's important to contact them to get the ball
rolling and gauge their reactions."

"I can't do that, Mr. Currie," Nick informed me.  "My dad will want me to
come back home, so he can send me away to that dumb old military school."

"That's possible, but it's important for you to let them know you're okay,"
I urged him, "especially if you're serious about staying with us.  You
won't be able to come live here unless we have your parents' permission, or
else they could have me arrested for kidnapping.  We'll do a 3-way
conference call, if you'd like, and that way I can also hear what's going
on and I'll be able to talk with your father afterward.  Once you've
finished talking to him, I want you to hang up and leave us alone, so I can
talk to your father man- to-man.  Would you agree to do that for me?"

"I guess, but it doesn't sound like a very good plan to me," Nick informed
me, while sounding none to happy about my proposal.

"Just trust me and give it a chance," I urged him.  "If this doesn't work,
you'll be no worse off than you were when we first found you."

"That's not very encouraging," he snapped back, thinking about how it had
been more difficult surviving on his own than he had ever imagined.

"Don't worry, I think I can convince you father to give you a chance with
us," I offered.  "Just be polite and try not to get into an argument with
either of your parents.  If you do, it will only make it much more
difficult for me to succeed and for you to get what you want.  Will you
promise to do that for me?"

"I'll try," he replied, although not sounding very convincing.

"That's all I ask.  Just give me your home phone number and I'll get things
started."  Nick gave me the information and I made the conference call.  I
told Nick he would do the talking first, so he should be prepared to answer
when someone picked up.

"Hello."

"Dad?  This is Nicky," he replied, but his voice was a little shaky.  I
guess this was more emotional for him than he'd assumed.

"Nicky?  Where the hell are you?" his dad responded.  "Your mother and I
have been worried to death about you and have had all kinds of people
searching for you.  Are you all right, son?"  Even though Nick might not be
willing to admit it, I heard more worry in his father's voice than Nick had
led me to believe would be there.

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine," he answered, meekly.

"Where are you and why did you take off?" his father wanted to know.

"I can't tell you where I am, but I took off because I knew you didn't want
a gay son and that I was an embarrassment to you," Nick replied, finally
getting it off of his chest.

"Nicky, that's not quite right," he father replied, in a much calmer tone.
"I just don't think you're really gay.  I think you've just enjoyed some
youthful experimentation and that you've mistaken those feelings for
something more."

"Believe me, Dad, I'm gay," Nick insisted.  "I don't have any interest in
girls and enjoy doing things with other boys.  This isn't a phase I'm going
through and I'm not just playing around.  I'm gay, Dad, and there's just no
getting around it."

"But, Nicky…" he father began, but Nick cut him off.

"Look, Dad.  No matter what you do or say, I'll still be gay and I'm going
to be gay as long as I live," Nick insisted.  "It's just what I am.  And
besides, I don't want to go to that military school."

"Nicky, I'm just doing what I think is best for you," his father tried to
reason, although I assumed his attempt would be unsuccessful.

"If you want to do what's best for me, then talk to Mr. Currie here," Nick
informed him, abruptly.  "He helped me out when I needed it.  Go ahead,
Mr. Currie, talk to my dad."

I wanted to do this alone, so I had to make sure Nick was off the line
first.  "Hello, Mr.  Lawrence, this is Josh Currie.  If you'll give me a
second, I have something that I'd like to discuss with you, but first I
need to take care of something else.  Nick, would you get Mr. O'Hara for
me?"

"Sure, Mr. Currie," he replied.  There was a momentary lull before I heard
Patrick come to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Patrick, I just had Nick get you so I could be sure he wasn't staying on
the line and listening in.  You can hang up now, and thanks for your help."

"Sure, Josh, any time."  I heard the phone click and then Mr. Lawrence
spoke.

"What was that all about?  You mean Nicky isn't with you?" he questioned,
quite agitated.

"No, he's staying with a friend of mine right now," I informed him.  "We
discovered Nick on our vacation and helped get him out of a small jam.  I
left him there at my friend's house, until we got back home and I could
speak with you about his situation.  I have an idea I'd like to suggest to
you, something I've talked over with Nick and think might help both you and
your son solve your differences.  First of all, Nick told me you were
sending him away to military school.  Is that true?"

"Look, I'm not sure how any of this is your business, but that's not very
likely now," he informed me, with a touch of hostility to his tone.  "After
he'd been gone for so long, I had to withdraw his name from consideration.
I wasn't sure if he'd come back at all, let alone in time to start classes,
although I now suspect that was his intention all along."

I understood where he was heading and tried to keep the conversation going
in the direction I wanted. "Would you mind telling me why you decided to
send him there?"

"Like I said before, I'm not sure this is any of your business," he
reiterated, before hesitating and considering what to do next, "but since
you appear to be trying to help my son out, I'll give you an answer.  It
was because he was doing so poorly at his regular school.  He had too many
other distractions there and wasn't applying himself."

"What would you say if I told you I thought I could get Nick to come home,"
I suggested, "and could also give you an alternative to sending him to
military school?"

"I'd say that would require a minor miracle," he replied, sarcastically,
"but if you could do what you claim, I'd be willing to listen to your
proposal."

"I'm sure that Nick would come home if you agreed to let him come to stay
with my family during the school year and attend school here, with my
sons," I began.  "He really hit it off with them after we found him, and we
have a very good school system here.  I'm the principal of the middle
school and we have a very high percentage of graduating seniors going on to
very reputable colleges.  I'll even sweeten the pot for you and throw in a
guarantee.  If his grades don't improve by Christmas, then I'll convince
him to do whatever you decide would be best for him."

"Why should this concern you and why should I allow this?" Mr. Lawrence
asked, and I knew I would probably have asked the same thing if I were in
his shoes.

"Those are very fair questions, so I'll try to answer them for you," I
explained.  "The first part is easy.  Being an educator, I'm concerned
about the welfare of children and right now I've got several sons of my own
who could have very easily been where Nick is now."

"Do you mean your sons ran away or that they're gay?" he shot back, with a
touch of amusement in his tone, thinking I'd gone through similar problems.

"What I mean is they came from situations that were detrimental to their
well being and any one of the boys could have easily chosen to run away
from them.  You see, my sons are all adopted and some came from broken
homes, bad situations or had no family to care for them at all.  Nick is a
very strong-willed young man, and if you hold firm to your stance about
being gay and his falling grades, then I'm afraid Nick won't want to return
home and I won't be able to convince him to change his mind."

"Then you'll just have to have your friend bring him here, willing or not,"
he responded.

"And then what will you do when Nick runs away again?" I hinted.  "You
can't be with him every minute of every day, and just getting him home
won't solve a thing.  You'll need to address the causes that made him run
away in the first place, if you don't want him to do it again."

"I still don't believe he's gay…" he insisted, but I cut him off.

"Believe me, sir, he is.  My friend has also informed me that Nick is not
shy about approaching other boys to get what he wants either.  Does that
bother you?" I pressed.

"I'm not sure.  I've always thought gays were immoral and freaks of nature,
but if Nicky is gay, I know he doesn't fit those descriptions," he
conceded.  "I love my son and want him home, but I just don't know how to
deal with him right now."

"Would you consider letting him come here and go to school with my boys?" I
urged again.  "I'll make sure he keeps his grades up and I'll help him deal
with being gay."

"Are you gay?" Mr. Lawrence snapped back, thinking I must have ulterior
motives.

"No, sir, I'm a widower.  My biological children were grown and on their
own before I adopted these boys.  I couple of my adopted sons are also gay
and I can deal with them all at the same time."

"But I don't know anything about you or your family.  How would I know that
he'd be safe with you?" he shot back.

"Well, he was already with us for a while and I think we took care of him
pretty well," I began.  "However, I'd be willing to come meet with you or
have you visit our home, before you made a final decision.  I just want to
make sure that you're amenable to this, so I can talk to Nick about it.
Would this be agreeable with you?"

"Well, it does sound fairly reasonable, especially if it will help Nicky,"
he concurred.  "It's just that I want him to do well in life, yet I'm not
sure if I can deal with him any longer.  I'm a busy man and Nicky and I
don't seem to have very much in common, now that he's getting older.  If
you think you can help him out, I'd happily accept your assistance."

"I'm pleased to hear that," I informed him.  "I've experienced some of your
frustrations with my own children, as there was a period during which each
of them seemed to drift away from me for a brief time.  Eventually things
worked out and we were fine after that, but it was difficult dealing with
the uncertainty of the situation at the time.  I think it's just a part of
children growing up.  What would you say if I talked Nick into coming home
now and then I'd come out to visit and meet with you and your wife a few
days later.  Then all of you could come here when it's convenient and check
things out, if you decide to take advantage of my proposal.  Would that
meet with your approval?"

There was a considerable pause before he spoke again.  "If you can talk
Nicky into coming back home, I'll agree to the rest of your suggestion.
I'm sure my wife will have no problems with it either, as long as Nicky is
safe and we get to be with him again."

"Fine, I'll call Nick and explain the situation and then have my friend put
him on a plane and send him back home, if he agrees," I concluded.

"A plane?  Where the hell is he?" he father snapped back.

"He's in Texas right now," I advised him.

"Texas?  I thought he was still around here somewhere.  He ran that far
away?"  His father was not only shocked, but I think this proved to him how
desperate Nick was about his situation.

"Yes, he was a long way from your home when we first met him," I explained,
without telling him that I had transported his son over state lines, from
Arizona to Texas.

"And where do you live?" he enquired.

"We live in Pennsylvania," I informed him.

"That sure is a long way from here, but I guess I'm fortunate you were the
one that found him," he conceded, which showed me he was also grateful for
what we'd done for his son already.  "I shudder to think who else might
have discovered him on his own and what might have happened to him.  There
are so many sick and demented people in this world."

"Yes, I thought about that myself.  It does make you wonder," I agreed.

"Thank you, Mr. Currie, for your help," he told me.  "I can see you are
nearly as concerned about Nicky's future as we are."

"Please, it's Josh.  Beside that, you're welcome and I am deeply concerned
about Nick," I summed up.  "I'll make sure he is on his way home, just as
soon as I can arrange a flight for him, and then I'll fly out to meet you
after that.  You can decide what you want to do from there."

"Thanks, Josh, and I'm Mike," he informed me.  This touch of informality
showed me he was sincere about us working together to help his son.  "I
appreciate all you've done for us and look forward to meeting you."

We talked a little longer and he gave me his address and the directions on
how to get there.  I told him that I'd call Nick back, set things up and
then call him once more, to let him know when Nick would be arriving.  By
the time we finished our conversation, it felt like we were old friends.
Now I had to call Nick, explain things to him and get him to agree to this
as well.

At first, Nick didn't want to give in and go back to his parents' house,
but he began to relent when I explained that his parents might agree to let
him come stay with us and go to school here, if he was willing to
compromise too.  I suggested to Nick that he would stay with his folks
until school started, then go back for Christmas break, and then he'd spend
the summer with them as well.  After some diplomatic finagling, I got Nick
to give in and agree to the arrangements.

Within minutes, Nick seemed to have done an about-face and was more upbeat
and looking forward to seeing his parents again.  He was also excited to
think he'd be rejoining us again in a few weeks and actually living with
us, as well as going to school here.  Once I got him to calm down again, I
had him put Mr. O'Hara on, so I could explain to him what was happening.

Patrick agreed to put Nick on a flight for me, as soon as I could book one,
so I finished that call and dialed the airline to purchase his ticket,
putting it on my credit card.  Once the arrangements were set, I called
them back and gave them all the details.  Nick thanked me again and said
he'd see me soon.  I was happy this had all worked out so we could keep him
with his family, even though he'd be attending school here, rather than at
the military school.  It was just a minor accomplishment, but it managed to
keep another family together and on good terms.  I just pray they will be
able to work out the differences between them.

Once all my calls had ended, I went out and told the boys about Nick's
compromise and the solution we had reached.  They all seemed pleased to
know he might be rejoining us and I felt things would work out just fine.
Now, we just had to hope the Lawrences would agree to the arrangement and
then everything would fall into its proper place.

The boys went off, so I started to putter around the house, cleaning up a
little and taking care of some long neglected chores.  It wasn't long
before Pat was beside me.  "Want some help, Dad?"

"No, I'm almost done here, but thanks anyway."  However, Pat still remained
there, looking in my direction.  I knew there was more he wanted, but I
didn't say anything and left it up to him to make his move.  Eventually he
spoke.

"I actually came in for another reason," he said.

"I sort of suspected that.  What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing is the matter," Pat informed me.  "I was just wondering where you
were planning to have Nick sleep when he gets here."

"I have been thinking about that, but I haven't made any decision as of
yet," I told him.

"I have a suggestion," Pat offered.

"What's that?" I wondered.

"He could stay in my room, unless he doesn't want to," Pat explained.  "I
thought since nobody else would be alone, except for the two of us, we
could keep each other company."

"Yours isn't the largest bedroom, but we could get a bigger bed for you to
share," I explained, "if you don't think the two of you would be cramped in
there together?"

"Maybe, but we'll survive," he replied, shrugging off the problem.

"Okay, if that's what you want," I responded.  "I'll go ahead and order a
new bed, but I'll also tell Nick his choices and then let him decide.  Is
that okay with you?"

"Yes, he should be the one to choose where he wants to go," he agreed.

"Then it's settled."  We both started to walk away, but then I stopped.
"Pat, thanks for being so thoughtful," I told him, but he just grinned and
continued on his way.

Even though it wasn't very late, we were all still quite tired, since our
bodies were slowly beginning to adjust to the changes in time zones again.
We decided to make it an early night and all of us went to bed.  As I lay
there thinking about everything that was going on, I reflected over my day
and realized how much I had actually accomplished, even though it seemed as
if I had done nothing.  But tomorrow would be a new day and there would be
many more things to do.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 32 -- Problems and solutions.                    

Monday proved to be a very busy day for me.  First I called and set up the
boys' test appointments for their permits.  Then I called and ordered the
things we would need for Kevin's birthday party.  After that I phoned Sally
and Steve to invite them to the party, before I took some of the boys with
me to choose a bed for Pat's room and shop for birthday presents.  When all
of that was done, I picked a date when I could go and meet the Lawrences
and then called and reserved my ticket.

Next, I called Nick, and then his parents, so I could inform them of my
plans for us to meet up in Oklahoma City.  Everyone seemed satisfied with
the arrangements and I was ready to collapse after I got off the phone, but
I wasn't finished yet.  Now I called the school, to check on some things
pertaining to the restarting of classes.  When I got done with that call, I
went to round up the older boys.

Once I had them all together, I informed them the fall sports physicals
were going to be held Wednesday morning and they would have to decide if
they wanted to play again this year.  Then I told them that tryouts would
begin the following Monday and school would start the Monday after that.  I
didn't hear as many groans as I expected, but I know those I heard were
just knee-jerk reactions.  For the most part, the boys really did enjoy
going to school.

I also informed everyone that I'd be flying out to meet Nick's parents the
following week and would be gone for two days.  Some of the boys asked to
go with me, but I told them I'd have to do this alone.  I explained that I
was planning to ask Aunt Sally to stay at the house with them, help prepare
the meals and keep an eye on things for me while I was gone.  However, the
older boys argued they were old enough to take care of things themselves
and didn't need Aunt Sally to stay over.

Rather than argue with them, I told them I'd tell Sally to do nothing,
except be there in case of an emergency.  She could have my room and spend
most of her time there, and that way they could prove to me they could do
everything for themselves.  Then, if things were successful, the next time
I had to go somewhere, I would be able to leave them on their own, without
worrying whether they could handle it.  It wasn't quite what they wanted to
hear, but after some grumbling, they gave in.  As they were leaving the
room, I asked Dustin, Danny and Brandon to remain, after the others had
left.

"I've scheduled your permit tests for tomorrow afternoon and we can go
looking at cars after you boys get done with your sports physicals on
Wednesday, if that's all right with you."

"Sure, Pop, that sounds great!" Brandon responded first.

"You're still going to let us help with picking out the vehicles?  Right,
Dad?" Danny wanted to know, since he seemed to be most concerned about
these vehicles fitting in with his image.

"Yes, but like I told you earlier, I'll make the final decision about what
we end up buying," I reiterated.  "I'll consider your recommendations, but
I'll have to go with what I think will be best for all of us.  If you don't
like what we end up with, you won't be forced to drive it."

The boys looked puzzled by my response, but then one of them caught on.
"Do you think you'll discourage us that easily?" Dustin wanted to know.
"I'll drive a tractor, if it means I can go places and do things on my
own."

"Why?  Has your social life been that stifled since you've come to live
here?" I asked, jokingly.

"No, but you know that's not what I meant," he assured me.  "It's just that
at our age you don't want your daddy driving you every place.  It's just
not cool."

"I understand and that's why I'm agreeing to this.  There will only be the
two vehicles for you three drivers to use though, so you'll have to be able
to work things out between you and you'll have to team up sometimes.  Kevin
is sixteen now as well, so it will only be a few more months before he'll
be able to get his license too, which means that then there will be four
drivers for two vehicles.  I just want to get you boys to pass your tests
before I start with him."

"We understand and we'll work things out between us," Danny responded.  "I
know you and what you'll do if we can't work things out for ourselves.
You'll just take the keys away to both cars, if we start having fights over
who gets to drive or which car we're going to use."

"You're right about that and I hope you all remember it," I warned them.
"Any problems and the vehicles will be either restricted in their use or
taken away from you completely, no matter how inconvenient it is for you or
me.  And there will be no further discussion or debate, if it comes to the
point where I have to make such a decision.  It's up to you boys to make
certain it never comes to that."

"We will," they chimed in unison.  "So let's just end the discussion here,"
Danny added, sounding a bit like me in the process.

Later that evening Kevin came up to me, broaching a topic I was sort of
expecting.  "Dad, I know you're letting Dusty, Danny and Brandon get their
licenses and Dusty tells me you're going to buy a couple of cars for them
to use.  I'm sixteen now as well, so can't I get my permit now, too?"

"Kevin, you know you can't get your license until you're 16 1/2, even
though you can get your permit at 16," I explained.  "If you don't mind,
I'd rather get this group taken care of first.  I promise I'll include you
as soon as I can, but I even think three is too many to start with."

"But, Dad, why can't I start now too?" he whined.  "Danny and Brandon
aren't 16 1/2 yet either."

"No, but Brandon will be next month and Danny will be in November," I
informed him.  "You won't be that old until February.  That gives me more
time to teach you, after I've been able to work with them.  If it will make
you feel better, I'll let you sign up for driver's training at school at
the same time as the rest of them.  I'm not sure if you'll be able to get
into it for the first half of the year or not, but you'll be able to take
it second half for sure."

"But, Dad, please?" he begged.  "I want to start driving when Dusty does."

"Kevin, I understand what you want and why you want it," I confessed, "but
each of them had to wait a few months after they turned sixteen, before
they could start too.  You'll have to do the same thing and you'll just
have to be patient."

"But, Dad…"

I cut him off.  "Kevin, I know how you're feeling, but it's either that or
you can forget about it altogether," I stated, adamantly.

In response, Kevin gave me a very mean look and stormed off.  I understood
how important it was to him, as I had felt the same way when I was his age,
and I'd also gone through it with my older children, when they were this
age.  I hated to make him feel so badly, especially just before his
birthday party, but he had to learn patience.  Besides, like I always told
them, it was time to learn that life is not often fair.

Kevin didn't speak to me for the rest of the evening and even went to bed
early.  I told Dustin what was up, so he'd be prepared for his wrath too,
in case he redirected it at him.  Dustin said he understood, both Kevin's
position and mine, and would do what he could to smooth things over.  I
thanked him and then he went to bed too, although I think he planned to
talk with Kevin instead.

Tuesday I had a lot more things to do, including going in to school for a
couple of hours first, since I had a great deal yet to do before the
academic year started.  It was actually quite refreshing to return to my
office, if only for a brief time, but it began to get me in the mood for
seeing the students again, which was only a week and a half away.

Once I finished there, I went home, picked up the three boys and took them
for their written permit test.  They had been studying for it since we
spoke about it the first time, at the end of the last school year, but I
wasn't how sure how much they'd remember after our long summer and only a
couple of days of cramming.  I figured at least one of them might fail, and
then they could wait and go through this again with Kevin.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting for them, I discovered they
had all passed their written tests and now had their permits.  It was good
news for them, but I knew that this would do nothing to improve Kevin's
disposition.  We went home and the three of them quickly told the other
boys about their success and everyone seemed to be happy for them, that is,
everyone except Kevin.  He slinked up the stairs and I heard the door to
his room shut behind him.  Other than that, the only other time I saw Kevin
during the entire day was at dinner, and he didn't say a single word to
anyone.  I was really beginning to feel bad about this, as I didn't want
him in this funk for his party, but there was no way I was going to give in
to his childish temper tantrum.  He was just going to have to learn how to
take the good with the bad, since that was what life was all about.

The next day, I ended up taking all of my athletes down for their physicals
and we picked up Jay on the way.  Kevin rode as far back in the van as he
could, not speaking to anyone, including Dustin.  I was very disappointed
in him.  When I let them off, I informed them I'd be back in an hour, and
then went to my school building again, to do a little more work.

When I picked the boys up later, Kevin still wasn't speaking to me, but he
was now mumbling a few words to the others.  I wasn't going to approach him
yet, as I'd give him until tomorrow night to get over his moodiness, and
then give him an ultimatum, if necessary.  I hated for it to have to come
to that, but I wasn't going to go through his birthday party with a sour
guest of honor.  I took the boys back home, but told Dustin, Danny and
Brandon to stay in the van and we'd go car shopping.  I think Kevin was
disappointed that I didn't include him in this as well, but I didn't feel
he deserved it.  However, the others were very excited about this
opportunity and we were soon on our way to look around.

When we arrived at one of my friend's car lots, I told the boys we'd look
for the mini-van first, since that was the vehicle we needed most.  It
seems that as I turned in one direction, the boys went in the other.  I
found a couple of possibilities, a Dodge Caravan and a Chevy Venture, but
they didn't hold as many passengers as I would have liked.  They were only
designed for seven people and, with Brandon living with us now, we had
eight young men attending the high school.  If I purchased either one of
those, it would require the boys drive both vehicles every day, each
carrying part of our brood.

As I was pondering this dilemma, the boys came back and dragged me off to a
vehicle they had found.  Soon I was standing next to a two-year old GMC
Suburban, as the boys pointed out its advantages to me.  My first reaction
was that this was almost as large as our van, except it would be easier to
see out of, having a full spread of windows.  Besides being easy to see out
of, it would also seat 9 boys.

We debated the pros and cons of this particular vehicle some more, although
I still wasn't totally convinced by their arguments.  At that point, the
boys talked me into taking it out for a test drive.  I drove it out of the
lot and down the street, and soon discovered it was a much easier vehicle
to drive than our big old van.  It looked as if I would end up giving in to
them on this selection, but we still had to choose a car.

When I told them I agreed to buy the Suburban, a chorus of satisfied
comments ensued, before we pulled back into the lot and parked it again.
As we exited the vehicle, the boys grabbed me by my arms and dragged me off
again, this time moving toward the area designated for the used cars, and
soon discovered they had been doing their research.  They had been eying
cars online, so they would have some idea about what they wanted, and had
found something they all agreed on.

As we bounced between the numerous rows of cars, like metal balls in a
pinball machine, they finally came upon their choice, a three-year old
Pontiac Grand Am.  I looked it over, checked it out and then we talked
about it for a minute or two, before deciding if I would take it out for a
test drive too.  It was a mid-size car, which would seat five, and it would
be a good vehicle to use to teach the boys how to drive.  I took it out for
a test drive and I liked the way it handled, so we went back to the lot and
I talked to my friend.

We hassled briefly over price and then I bought both vehicles.  My friend
told me it would take a couple of days to take care of the paperwork, get
the vehicles inspected and register them for me, so we closed the deal and
said good-bye.  The boys were just excited that they were going to get both
of the vehicles they had picked out.

Just before we got to the van, all three boys surrounded and hugged me,
before thanking me for listening to their ideas.  Now, they decided it was
time to inform me of their reasons for wanting those particular vehicles.
First, they wanted an SUV instead of a mini-van, since they thought they
were much cooler.  They realized a standard SUV wouldn't accommodate the
numbers we needed, but when they saw the Suburban, they concluded it was a
practical compromise between the two.  As for the Grand Am, they knew it
was the type of car I was looking for, but it was also sporty looking and
wouldn't be looked upon as a 'family car,' at least where their friends
were concerned.  They were excited, I was satisfied and we could start
their driving lessons just as soon as the vehicles were in our possession.

When we got back home, they told the other boys about our purchases.
Everyone seemed pretty enthused about this, except for Kevin.  I think he
felt it was just something else he had been left out of.  That's when I
decided he needed another lesson in life, so I took him aside to speak with
him.  He didn't really want to join me, but I left him no choice.

"Kevin, I would have asked you to join us and help make those selections,"
I began, "but with your attitude of late, I just didn't need or want the
hassle.  If you hadn't have acted so immaturely about waiting to take your
permit test, I would most likely have included you, but I wasn't about to
reward you for acting like a brat."

I think Kevin was shocked to hear me say that and a pained expression came
over his face.  Again I felt bad for him, but it was another problem he had
thrust upon himself, by his immature response.  Even though I know it's
hard for a kid his age to delay gratification, I feel it is important that
he learn this now and avoid other problems of this type in the future.
Obviously he still didn't agree with my logic and soon disappeared again,
going off somewhere to sulk alone.

That night after dinner, the boys wanted me to drive them to school, so
they could have a pick-up soccer game.  Everyone was going to play,
including picking up Jay, and they asked me to play too, to even up the
teams.  When I agreed, Kevin acted like he wasn't going to go, but Dustin
talked to him, rather sternly, so Kevin ended up going anyway.  To make
matters worse, we ended up playing on the same team.  Kevin played only
half- heartedly and we were getting trounced.  Boys from both teams were
getting on him about his attitude, and then the boys decided to stop the
game and just go back home.  Now, nearly everyone was pissed at Kevin and
he'd be lucky if his birthday party didn't turn into a roast, and I mean
that literally, or a one-man event.

Dustin was so mad at him that he asked to sleep in with me that night.
Reluctantly, I said yes, knowing that would probably make Kevin even madder
at me, but I understood Dustin's take on this too.  At first I was going to
suggest he share with one of the other boys, before realizing there was
nobody for him to share with.  Without the double bed for Pat's room,
everyone else already had a full bed.  The only option was for Dustin to
sleep alone in one of the spare rooms, but I wasn't going to punish him
because of Kevin's tantrum.  Therefore, I gave in.

Thursday the new bed was to be delivered for Pat's room, sometime between
breakfast and lunch, so we had to get everything ready.  The house was a
flurry of activity, as some of the boys took down Pat's single bed and
moved it into the old master bedroom, while other groups gave each room a
quick cleaning before the beds were moved into them.  However, none of the
groups asked Kevin to help them.

Kevin tried to act like this didn't bother him, but I could tell this
exclusion hurt him more than anything else.  By the time the furniture
store truck pulled up, all they had to do was carry everything up to Pat's
room and assemble it.  When I went in to check it out, I noticed a mistake.

"This appears to be larger than a double bed," I announced, which caused
one of the two men setting it up to pull out his tape measure and measure
the size of the mattress."

"You're right," he agreed.  "This is a queen-sized bed."

"But I only ordered a double bed," I told him.

"Let me call my boss and see what he says," he told me, before making a
quick call.  As soon as he hung up, he explained the situation to me.  "The
boss said it was his mistake, as he wrote down the wrong number, so since
it was his error and will cost more to take this back to the store and
bring the new one back, he'll just let you keep this bed at the same price,
if it's all right with you."

"Sure, that's fine," I agreed, thinking this would make things even better
in the future.

By lunchtime everything was done, including Pat making his bed, after I ran
to the store to exchange the bedding I'd purchased for the double bed for a
queen-sized set up.  Everyone was happy, especially Pat, and the house was
back in shape again.


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