Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:51:35 EST
From: bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - book 3, chapters 35 - 36

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 35 -- Suspicions.                  

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

I arrived back home around midnight on Wednesday.  I tried to be quiet, but
Sally must have heard me anyway.

"I'm sorry I woke you Sally," I told her, after seeing her peek through the
crack in my bedroom door, as she tried to open it inconspicuously and see
who was there.

"Thank goodness it's you, Josh," she sighed.  "I was afraid we had a
burglar or a boy was sneaking in or out."

"Why?  Have you had problems with them," I asked, concerned by her comment.

"Mercy, no," she replied.  "They've been absolutely wonderful," she added.

"Oh, all right," I responded.  "I thought you might have been hinting there
were some problems while I was away."

"Oh, dear, no," she answered.  "The boys have taken care of everything,
including me.  They've fixed all of the meals and taken care of each other,
leaving me nothing to do.  The household ran so smoothly and things went so
well that I wondered why I was even here."

"I'm glad to hear that," I told her, "but maybe they don't need me now
either."

"Don't be ridiculous, Josh," she countered.  "I could tell they missed you,
but were also trying hard to impress you."

"Well, thank you for all of your help," I added, "but you go back to bed
now.  I'll just grab a pillow and sleep on the sofa in the living room."

"Josh, you shouldn't have to do that," she scolded.

"I know and I don't have to," I replied.  "I could always find a place to
sleep upstairs, but I don't want to wake any of the boys.  I'll be fine on
the sofa for one night."

"Very well.  Good night then," she added, before going back inside the
master bedroom.  I grabbed a pillow and a blanket, before going into the
living room.  I fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning I awoke when I heard the boys beginning to come
downstairs.  They seemed happy to see me and the older ones immediately
wanted to know if Aunt Sally had told me anything.  I said she had and that
I was impressed by her report.  Of course their follow-up question was
whether I'd trust them on their own the next time, to which I responded I
would, as long as they promised to call Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary or Uncle
Steve if there were any problems.  They said they would and were happy that
I was now willing to trust them and accept them as young adults.  They were
all puffed up by this announcement and decided to take the next step,
asking me if they could have another driving lesson after dinner.  I
agreed, so the boys went to get ready for their soccer try- outs.

I dropped most of them off at the high school, like before, but Andrew,
Sammy, Graham, Cole and Dion wanted to go with me to the middle school, so
they could play on the playground.  I agreed and they stayed outside, while
I worked in my office.  I accomplished a great deal in the three hours I
was there and now had much more confidence that I was ready for Monday's
meeting with the faculty and staff, as well as Tuesday's first day of
classes.  I went outdoors and yelled to the boys that it was time to leave,
and they quickly ran over and hopped in the van.  We drove to the high
school to pick up the other boys, only to find my Romeos with the
cheerleaders again.  Kevin was looking a little more depressed this time
and not as confident as he was the last time this happened.  I figured I'd
have to speak to him about it later.

Once we got home, everyone was busy doing his thing until dinnertime.
During that time I spoke with Kevin.  "Is something bothering you?" I
asked, trying to get the conversation started.  He looked at me oddly
before he answered.

"I'm beginning to think Dustin likes the girls more than me," he informed
me.  "We're still close at night and he still does sex things with me, but
no matter what I do to try to show Dusty how much I love him, he's still
anxious to see the cheerleaders again the next day.  What's worse than
that," Kevin emphasized, "is that Dusty also seems to have a favorite among
the group… Aaaaaaaaaamy," he sneered, while drawing out her name to
emphasize his point.

"If that's true," I replied, "there's nothing you can do to stop it or keep
Dustin from following his heart.  It would be like you trying not to be
gay."  Kevin looked at me oddly, but I think he got the point.  You are
what you are, as far as your sexuality is concerned.

"Kevin, life can often be difficult to understand and cope with," I stated,
"and love can prove to be a very fickle friend, but we all had to learn
similar lessons while growing up."

"I know," he agreed, but only half-heartedly, "but it doesn't make it any
easier to accept.  I always expected Dusty and me would be together
forever, so that only makes it's more difficult to accept this might not be
true."

I could read the sadness on his face and saw the tears beginning to well in
his eyes, so I hugged him.  "I know, son," I offered, "life has many
painful lessons for us to learn, but I love you and will be there for you,
whenever you need me."

"Thanks, Dad," he told me, before going off stoically, and not in a huff,
as I was afraid he might.  He was growing up and learning to cope with
life's bitter lessons.

After dinner, I took the boys down for their next driving lesson, this time
planning to repeat the last class, before making them back up (go in
reverse).  Almost as soon as we reached the school, Dustin asked if he
could wait by the school until it was his turn.  I told him I would prefer
he stay with us, since he could learn from the things I told the others,
but he began to argue with me and then I realized why -- over near the
school stood one of the cheerleaders.  I almost didn't recognize her
without the uniform.  I thought about this for a few seconds and then made
my announcement.  I would let him go over with her during the first boy's
session, but only this once.  He could explain to her he was busy and would
see her another time, but in the future he would have to decide what he
wanted more, to learn how to drive or time alone with her.  He wasn't happy
with my announcement, but accepted it.  He got out and ran over to the girl
and stayed with her throughout Brandon's lesson, which actually was much
safer for him.

Although Brandon had learned some subtlety about using the gas and brake
pedals, he seemed to forget it when we went in reverse.  When I told him to
start backing up, he hit the gas a little too hard, sending all of us
inside the car flying forward, before he panicked and slammed on the brake,
which yanked us all back against the seats again.  He was totally
embarrassed and apologized profusely, but I calmed him down and explained
that was why we were practicing.  Dustin was so busy talking to the
cheerleader that I don't think he even noticed what happened, although
there was some squealing of the tires in the process.  After Brandon's turn
ended, I called Dustin back to the car and he sat in the rear with Brandon,
while Danny took his turn.  He looked a little upset when he rejoined us,
but I chalked that up to not being able to spend more time with his new
girlfriend.

When it came time for Danny to practice backing up, I went over the
fundamentals with him again, so Dustin could hear them this time.  I told
him to put the car in reverse, turn in both directions, beginning with his
left, to make sure that nothing was behind him or in the way, and then he
could begin to back up while looking over his right shoulder.  Danny
instinctively put his right arm on the back of the seat, using only his
left hand to steer, which I told him was all right as long as he took it
slow.  Dustin didn't appear to be listening and seemed lost in his own
thoughts, so I decided I would not tell him these things again, when it was
his turn.  I would wait and see what he had learned from this before I
decided what to do next.  Danny went through his paces and then he stopped
the car, put it in park and switched places with Dustin.

Dustin got behind the wheel and drove off, doing very well over the first
part.  Then, when it came to going in reverse, he just used his mirrors and
tried to back up that way.  I made him stop, chewed him out for not paying
attention to what I had told Danny and then explained precisely what I
expected from him.  When he tried it the next time, he did much better, but
his heart still wasn't into it.  We practiced a little longer, before he
stopped the car and we switched places.  As I drove home, he was very
quiet.  I wasn't sure if it was because of my scolding earlier, about his
not paying attention, or if he had an argument of some sort with the girl.
Either way, Dustin wasn't quite himself.

When we got home, the boys went to either their own rooms or the family
room, so I took the opportunity to go to my room and do some work.  It
wasn't long before there was a knock at my door and Dustin was standing in
the doorway.  As I looked up at him, he spoke to me.  "Dad, may I talk to
you?"

"Sure.  Come on in," I agreed.  He came in and shut the door behind up.
"What's up, Dustin?"

He hesitated before he spoke.  "Amy said something at the school tonight
that bothered me.  I really need to talk to you about this."

"Go right ahead.  I'm all ears," I urged.  He smiled weakly, before he got
up the courage to speak again.

"Amy told me tonight that she was surprised that some of us were interested
in her and her friends.  She said everyone thought we were all gay."  He
looked at me with a pained expression on his face, but I waited to see if
he wanted to say more before I responded.  He didn't, so I finally broke
the silence.

"Did she say why they thought that?"

He made another face.  "Yeah, kind of."

"Are you going to share it with me?" I asked, after a slight pause.

"She said it was because none of us ever dated and because everyone
suspected Danny and Brandon were boyfriends."

"I see.  And what did you tell her?" I pressed.

"I told her we hadn't dated because you always kept us too busy with things
around the house and that Danny and Brandon were best friends, not
boyfriends."

"And how did she respond to that?" I followed.

"I don't think she believed me," he replied.

"So, how did you feel about that?" I asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, before looking down at the floor, as his body
swayed from side to side.  I waited to see if he'd comment further and he
did.  "I don't want everyone at school thinking we're all gay," he said
meekly.  "It's not that there's anything wrong with it, but everyone will
treat us differently, with some even avoiding us and others hating us."

"What do you suggest we do about it?" I continued.

He thought for a minute and then looked up at me.  "I think it will be all
right if Pat, Ricky, Jay and I start dating some of the girls, but I'm
worried for Danny and Brandon.  If they don't start dating too, then people
are going to know for sure."

"Have you told them that?" I wondered.

"No," he stated, succinctly.

"Do you think you should?" I wanted to know.

"I'd rather you do it," he announced, and I think I knew the reason why,
but wanted to be certain.

"Why's that?" I pressed.

"Cuz I don't want them getting mad at me," he answered, meekly.

"But I wasn't told this directly," I challenged.  "So, wouldn't it sound
better coming from you?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't know how to tell them," he countered, as he hoped
this might be reason enough so he wouldn't have to become involved.

"Why don't you tell them just like you told me?" I asked, hoping to let him
see it wouldn't be so different.

"I could, but I think I'd be scared I'd hurt their feelings," he confessed.
"I've already hurt Kevin pretty badly, and it's only going to get worse
when he finds out I really like Amy, so I don't want to have more of my
brothers upset with me."  I was concerned with his comment about Amy and
how Kevin was going to react, but that was another issue and one I'd have
to deal with later.  Right now, we still had this problem to iron out.

"What if I was with you when you told them?  Would that help?" I asked.

"Would you do that?" he wondered.  I was surprised he didn't already know
the answer to that question.

"Of course I would.  Do you want me to get them?"  He hesitated, before
nodding.

"Okay, then you wait here," I advised him, before leaving the room to
summon Danny and Brandon.  Once we were all together, Dustin told them his
story and then we gave them time to think about it.  Finally, I spoke.

"You two will have to decide how to handle this for yourselves," I offered,
as a way to let them know there wasn't much I could do for them concerning
this problem.  "It's your decision and no one, including me, can make it
for you.  I'll support you, no matter what you decide, and I'm sure the
rest of the family will too."  Both boys looked somewhat panicked and
turned toward me, after looking at each other.

"What do you think we should do?" Danny asked me.

"That depends on what you want to accomplish," I offered.  "I can only see
that you have three options.  You can start dating girls, come out and tell
everyone you are gay or you can do nothing and continue to let things go
the way they've been going."

"What do you think, Dustin?" Brandon asked him.

Dustin timidly looked at me and I nodded my encouragement to respond.  "I
agree with Dad, but if I had to make a choice for you, I'd hope you'd date
some girls, even if you're not really into it," he suggested.  "It's not
that I'm ashamed that you're gay, I'm just afraid of some of the things
people might do to you or say about you behind your backs.  You know how
mean and nasty some of those guys can be."

"We're very aware of that," Danny told him, "but what if we start dating
girls and people find out we're gay because we can't… you know…
perform?"

"You don't have to go that far," Dustin responded.

"But what if the girls insist on it, to get us to prove ourselves?" Danny
persisted.  "You know neither of us is really interested in girls, besides
as just friends.  I mean, it would be awkward kissing someone you don't
care for and it would be even worse if they try to get us to have sex."

"Can't you guys pretend you're kissing each other when you kiss one of
them?" he asked.  "Just close your eyes and make believe.  And you can just
tell them you don't think you're ready for sex yet."

"Will you or the others be telling them that?" Danny pressed.

"Probably not.  But couldn't you just pretend you're screwing each other,
if you have to do one of them, at least long enough to pull this off?"
Dustin asked, hopefully.

"Maybe," Brandon answered, "but we can't be sure until we actually have to
do it."

"Please, just try," Dustin pleaded.  "I'm worried if the rest of us start
dating and you two don't, then everyone will conclude you two are gay and
things will get ugly."

"Thanks for caring, Dustin," Brandon reassured him, "and Danny and I will
talk this over.  We'll let you and Pop know what we decide."  Both boys
went over and hugged Dustin for caring enough to talk to them about it and
then they both hugged me.  We gave them the opportunity to decide this for
themselves, but I know Dustin felt better, just getting it off his chest.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 3 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 36 -- A Visit and a New Boarder.               

When I woke up the next morning, I wondered if Brandon and Danny had
discussed their situation in bed last night and decided what they were
going to do.  I wasn't going to ask them, but I was wondering if they might
come up and tell me they'd made up their minds.  However, that didn't
happen and Friday started out very similar to the previous day.  After the
boys downed their breakfast, I hustled them out to the van, so I could take
them down to their tryouts, before I went on to my school to finish up some
work.  I still had a few of the younger boys in tow, because they wanted to
play on the middle school's playground, rather than hang around the high
school and watched their brothers.  It wasn't a problem for me, so I
agreed.

After we got there, I worked for over three hours before I stopped.  By
that time I had accomplished enough for the day and had everything ready
for Monday's meeting.  I could now relax over the weekend, but first I had
to pick up the older boys from their practice and then take us all home to
eat.  With that in mind, I rounded up the boys who were at the middle
school with me, got them in the van and then drove over to the high school
to pick the others up.

When we arrived at the high school, I immediately noticed that Danny and
Brandon were among the boys with the cheerleaders.  That left Kevin as the
only one not hanging out with the 'scream team.'  As I pulled up, the boys
quickly spotted the van and said their good-byes.  Some merely gave a
little peck to the girl they were with, while a few of the others were
swallowing tongue, but it wasn't long before everyone was racing over to
join us.

I decided not to comment on Danny and Brandon's actions just yet, figuring
I'd let them be the ones to bring it up and tell me about their decision
when they were ready.  I was right, and we weren't home long before the duo
approached me.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you what we decided first, Dad," Danny began,
"but we really didn't make up our minds until after practice."

"Yeah," Brandon added, "we talked it over a little last night, but we
didn't really decide until after we took our showers after practice today."

"Hey guys, that's not a problem," I told them.  "You don't have to explain
all your decisions to me.  I'm always happy to listen if you want to bounce
things off me or fill me in later, but you don't have to apologize for not
telling me first."

"I know, Pop," Brandon replied, "but we did tell you we'd let you know.  We
just didn't think we should waste another day before we went ahead and did
it."

"Like I said, it's not a problem."  I paused.  "So how did things go?"

"Okay, I guess," Danny told me.  "The girls included us with the others and
a couple them were extra nice to Brand and me."

"Yeah, Pop.  This one girl was all over me."

"Well, you boys are good looking, even if I say so myself," I explained.
"If you need anything from me or if you want to discuss the situation
further, my door is always open."

"We know, Dad," Danny said, smiling.  "You're always there for us if we
need you and we appreciate that."

Friday night we had another driving lesson, incorporating the skills the
boys had learned from the earlier two lessons.  I had them spend their time
pulling into empty parking spaces and then backing out again.  Everyone did
really well, remembering their other lessons, and I was pleased with their
progress.  I was also delighted that none of the girls had showed up to
distract us and the boys were becoming more comfortable sitting behind the
wheel.  I congratulated them on their progress and they all seemed pleased.

At home, the boys were enjoying their evening together, doing what they
wanted, since they knew they'd have to be on their best behavior, once the
Lawrences arrived.  That meant no nudie hour, no sex in the rooms and no
going anywhere, except with the family.  I wanted to give the Lawrences a
good impression, so they'd feel comfortable leaving their son with us.

Saturday, we all got up early, in order to make our final preparations
before our guests arrived.  Everything was spotless, including the boys,
who were dressed quite sharply.  Not only that, but the house looked better
than I could remember it ever looking before, which included the boys'
bedrooms.

Around noontime the Lawrences showed up and I began by making all the
introductions.  I was pleasantly surprised that Nick's parents stopped to
chat with each boy after they were introduced, as if they really wanted to
get to know them better.  After the introductions had been made, I had some
of the boys go out to the rental car with Nick and retrieve their bags.  We
put Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence's luggage in my room, and the boys took Nick
upstairs to show him around.  We adults went into the living room to sit
and chat briefly, before the boys returned.

Mike and Julie, as they asked me to call them, told me they were impressed
with the boys and were shocked by the assortment, as I never mentioned we
had a multi-racial family.  They had no problems with it, but they were
also amazed that none of us seemed to even give it a second thought.  I
told them the only time it was even brought to the forefront was when
someone else made a comment about it, either positive or negative.

After a few minutes, the boys came bounding back downstairs and offered to
take everyone on the grand tour of the house.  The Lawrences accepted their
invitation and I agreed it would be a good idea.  Shortly, the boys were
showing them every room and describing basically what went on there.  When
they went upstairs I followed, hoping to learn what Nick had decided about
sleeping arrangements.  As we made our way down the hallway, Nick announced
to his parents that this would be his room and he'd be sharing it with Pat.
I take it the decision had been made and everyone was happy about it.  That
meant I could sleep on the twin bed in the spare bedroom tonight, instead
of on the couch in the living room.  After we finished the tour of the
upstairs, I took everyone outside and we all squeezed into the big van, so
I could show them our town and the school.

Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence rode in front, with me, and the boys got in the rear,
with the smaller ones sitting on the laps of the older ones.  I told them
about each of the places we visited and then I drove them around the
schools and the athletic fields.  The high school was an older facility,
but had always been well maintained, and they could see the community cared
about their educational system.

Before we went back to the house, I took everyone out for lunch.  This
would give the Lawrences time to get to know us better, without having to
worry about what was in the oven.  Everyone seemed to have a good time
talking to each other while we ate and Mike and Julie carried on
conversations with the boys.  Sometimes they talked to the same boy
together, while at other times they carried on separate conversations with
different boys.

All of my sons were eager to tell the Lawrences about their lives, both
before and after they came to live with me, and they were also anxious to
fill them in about our last vacation.  Nick's parents just smiled at me
when they learned we had discovered Nick in Arizona, but never said a word
about it afterward.  I think they were even more impressed with the boys'
tales of our time in England, without the mention of the nude beach, of
course.  By the time we had finished our meal, Nick's parents knew a great
deal about us and had a better basis for making their decision.

After returning to the house, the Lawrences and I went back into the living
room, so the boys decided they would give Nick a look around the rest of
the property.  Of course, they told me what they had in mind and asked my
permission first, so I told them to go ahead.  Mr. Lawrence spoke to Nick
before they left.

"Nicky, please be careful…" Nick interrupted him.

"Dad, I'm too old to be called Nicky any more.  Can you please just call me
Nick from now on?"

"Yes, Nicky… Nick, I suppose you're right about that, but just be
careful out there.  You don't know the area, so stick with the other boys."

"I know, Dad, and I've been on my own before," he announced, before giving
his dad a wink.  His father immediately understood what his son meant by
that comment and didn't say anything more.

As the three of us sat in the living room, I decided it was time to give
them a chance to lead the discussion.  "So, now that the boys are gone, do
you have any questions I could answer for you?" I asked, hoping to get them
started.

"No, things seem quite nice here and the boys all appear to be very happy,"
Mr.  Lawrence told me.  "They also seem to get along quite well with Nick
too."

"And the boys are so well mannered," Mrs. Lawrence added.  "I can't believe
so many of them are able to live together without fighting or arguing."

"Oh, that's not totally true," I admitted with a wink.  "We do have
problems from time to time, but each of those instances has been settled
fairly quickly.  It IS getting a little harder for them to always be in
agreement, now that they're getting older, since bigger boys need more
space to stretch out, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, we know that very well," Mr. Lawrence told me.  "However, the thing
that amazes me the most is, if you hadn't told me some of the boys were
gay, I would never have suspected any of them.  None of them give you the
feeling that they're anything more than normal young men."

"And that's exactly what they are," I quipped, as a way of reminding him
that being gay doesn't mean you're aren't normal.

"Not that it matters, but is Nicky's roommate gay?" Mike followed.  I
wasn't sure where he was going with this, but I was going to be just as
honest with him as I could.

"I don't believe so, since he's going with a cheerleader right now," I
replied

"Well," Mr. Lawrence continued, "like I said, it didn't really matter.
They all seem to be a group of very fine young men."

"They are, they just all don't have the same inclinations," I reminded him.

"You don't have to worry," he continued, "I think my wife and I had already
decided to let Nick try this, even before we got on the plane.  There has
been such a drastic change in his behavior since he's been back, which led
us to believe that you've had a great deal to do with it.  We felt if that
were the case, it could only get better if he spends more time with you.
We would have had to discover you were the Marquis De Sade or that this was
the 'Little Shop of Horrors' for us to change our minds.  If you're still
willing, we'd like Nicky to stay here and go to school with your boys."

"That would be splendid," I responded, pleased they trusted us enough to
leave their son here.  "I'm sure all of the boys will be happy to hear the
news.  I'll take you all out to dinner tonight to celebrate."

"Our treat," Mr. Lawrence insisted.  "Believe me, I don't know how you
survive as it is."

I gave him a brief recount of how we got some of our money and they were
surprised when they realized they'd seen the same magazine article that our
benefactor had, before he left us all of his money.  They just never put
the two things together, even after meeting all of us.  They were quite
flabbergasted by the coincidence.  While they were talking about this
between themselves, I called and made reservations at our favorite
restaurant.  Everything was set for later that evening.

When the boys came back in, they were all breathless from running around
outdoors and having a good time together.  I quickly told them about our
dinner plans and suggested they should begin to clean up now, as it would
take them some time to get ready.  I told them to use the two showers
upstairs and the one bathroom downstairs, but the bath in the master
bedroom was only for Nick's parents to use while they were here.  They all
nodded in agreement and I could see they were already working out the
shower schedule in their minds.  Their cooperative nature impressed the
Lawrences even more and the boys were terrific at explaining everything to
Nick.

When it was time for us to leave, the boys looked very nice and we all got
back into the big van.  We disembarked after parking in the restaurant lot
and were seated almost immediately after entering the building.  Dinner was
very enjoyable and we had many pleasant conversations as we dined.  Mike
and Julie continually commented about how good the older boys were with the
younger ones, helping them whenever they needed it and making sure nothing
went wrong.  I explained that with so many sons, some of the older boys
also had to serve as junior fathers at times and they eagerly accepted the
responsibility.  I then told the Lawrences the boys were even better with
my grandsons, their nephews, and then told them a little about Nicky and
Jordan.

"Ah, and Nick has met those two?" Mr. Lawrence asked.  I nodded.  "Now I
understand why he decided he was getting too old to be called Nicky."

"Does that bother you?" I asked him, mildly concerned.

"No, not at all.  I expected it sooner or later.  I just didn't expect it
today," Mike explained.  "I've always known it would be his decision and
he'd let me know what he wanted when the time came, so I'm fine with it."

"I'm glad to hear that, because I'm afraid I might be partially to blame
for it," I admitted.  "I told Nick that's how we'd refer to him while he
was with us, to avoid confusion."

"It's not a problem.  Really!" Mike insisted.

After dinner, we went home and watched a video with the boys.  I saw the
Lawrences watching each of them throughout the evening, noticing how close
they were and how they did things for each other, such as when Trey and
Dion went out and made popcorn for the whole crew, and then Danny, Brandon
and Pat went out and brought everyone back a drink.  I think they were
flabbergasted at how the boys just got up and did these things without any
prodding and especially without complaining.

Not only that, but they saw how Andrew, Sammy and Graham cuddled up against
their older brothers and how the older boys relished having them around.
At one point Nick even had Andrew curled up on his lap, as they watched the
movie together, and I glanced over and saw his mother beaming as she
watched him.  I knew seeing that had probably cemented his staying with us,
even though they'd already told me they'd made up their minds.

I was surprised to learn they hadn't told Nick about their decision yet.
They told him when the movie ended, which caused Nick to start whopping it
up.  After jumping around the living room and high-fiving the boys, he ran
over and hugged and kissed each of his parents, while thanking him for
allowing them to do this.

"Well, we'd already prepared ourselves for you to go away to school this
year," his father teased, "although I first thought it would be to military
school.  However, I now suspect you'll learn more here and have a better
time, just don't forget to call once in a while and let us know how you're
doing."

"I won't, Dad.  I promise," Nick told his father.  "And I love you both."

Nick gave them each another kiss and hug, and I could see the tears in his
mother's eyes, even through all the activity.  She later confided that Nick
hadn't shown them that much affection for a few years now and it was nice
to have her son back.

Once the commotion died down, the boys all went off to their rooms.  The
Lawrences told me they'd be leaving right after breakfast tomorrow, in
order to make their flight, as they still had things to do at home.  I
assured them I'd see them at that time and then went upstairs to the twin
bed.  As I settled in, I was actually amazed by how quiet the house was,
since there was no fooling around this evening.

It didn't surprise me, however, when I had visitors show up at my door a
short time later, as Ricky, Cole and Graham came over to see me.  What did
surprise me was that they just came over to keep me company and not to pull
a prank.  They brought a couple of their hand held games with them and
challenge me to some contests, so for the rest of the night I was just one
of the boys.


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