Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:52:05 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 4, chapters 17 - 18

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 17 -- A Time For Hope.

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

Saturday morning Richard woke me very early, since he was nervous about the
possibilities that awaited him.  Seeing he probably wasn't about to go back
to sleep, I got up with him and we both dressed, before I stripped the old
sheets off of the bed and remade it for our anticipated guests.  Once that
had been completed, I took Richard to the kitchen and fixed him some
breakfast.  As he sat eating, we chatted some more and waited for the
others to stir to life and join us.  We were still alone in the dining room
talking about what was on his mind when the doorbell rang.  I quickly
looked at my watch and discovered it wasn't even eight o'clock yet, as I
went over to open the door.  I was immediately greeted by Richard's
prospective parents and quickly realized these farm people really DO get up
with the chickens.

They introduced themselves as the Beckers and we shook hands.  I called
Richard over and introduced him to them, and both adults commented on how
glad they were to meet him and what an adorable little chap he was.  I
don't think this was quite the politically correct thing to say to a young
man who was nearly a teenager, but Richard seemed to take it in stride.
After the introductions had been made, I suggested the three of them could
go into the family room, where they could talk in peace and get to know
each other a little better.  I wasn't planning on joining them, as I
assumed some of my boys might have been awakened by the door chimes and
would soon be heading downstairs to see who was here, and I didn't want to
disturb their visit with multiple interruptions.  Therefore, I excused
myself and started to leave.

Richard reacted immediately, letting me know he didn't want me to go and
asked me to stay with him, but I explained I'd just be in the other room
and everything would be fine.  I emphasized they all needed this time to
get to know each other better and that could be best accomplished if no one
else was there to distract them.  Richard still seemed unconvinced by my
argument, but after a little more cajoling, he finally relented.

Richard's concerns were probably due, in part, to the fact that Mr. Becker
cast a pretty imposing shadow, especially to someone as small as Richard
was.  No matter how the man looked, I could tell he had a warm heart just
by the way he looked at that little boy when they first met.  It was as if
Mr. Becker had just awakened on Christmas morning and discovered the one
present he wanted more than anything else in the world, in this case an
adorable son.  I learned later that this man was of Dutch descent, but it
was his physical size that was so imposing.  He stood about 6' 2" and
weighed somewhere around 250 pounds, but it was all solid muscle.  Even the
casual onlooker would be impressed by the muscles rippling in his arms and
under his colored tee shirt as he moved about, and the sight of him would
probably have given a lot of street-wise punks second thoughts before they
attacked the likes of him.

Another fact that added to his imposing presence was that he was completely
bald, obviously shaved clean for some unknown reason, and had a moustache
that he had allowed to grow around the corners of his mouth and stretched
down to his chin.  When he spoke, he spoke with authority and I recognized
almost immediately he was probably very trustworthy and a man of his word.
I also got the feeling he was a very gentle giant, after observing how his
wife looked at him in such an adoring way, and would have wagered that his
bark was much worse than his bite.

His wife was much shorter than him, maybe 5' 7", and what the old-timers
would have referred to as a buxom beauty.  Even though she was physically
attractive, I could tell from her calloused hands and firm handshake that
she was a hard worker and probably as valuable as any man on the farm.  She
had a vibrant and outgoing personality, a musical giggle and a smile that
could melt an iceberg.  When I peeked in to check on them later, Richard
was sitting on the sofa between the couple and everyone was all smiles and
talking excitedly.

I gave them another hour before I went back in to speak with them, but
primarily to let the adults know they were going to be in my room for the
evening and could use it any time they wanted to freshen up or change.  I
did this to save them the money they would have spent on a motel room and
allow them to spend more time with each other.  They eventually accepted my
offer, but only after some give and take, and only after I agreed to let
Mrs. Becker fix tonight's dinner for all of us.  This was solely her idea.
I think it was part of her upbringing and an attempt to make sure they paid
their own way.  I finally agreed to her demands, but only if she would
allow me to assist her.  She consented and was satisfied with the
arrangement, but I think she more relieved she'd be able to come up with a
way to repay their debt of spending the evening in our home.

I got up to leave again, but everyone urged me to stay, and Richard quickly
filled me in on everything he had learned about the Beckers thus far.  He
told me they were renting a farm, on which they grew various crops, but
primarily corn, and he lit up when he told me they also had some pigs,
chickens, cows and horses.  I could see from the twinkle in his eyes that
he liked the idea of having animals around and I could see from the way
they interacted with each other that they were already taking a distinct
liking to each other.

We chatted a while longer and then Richard asked if he could show them
around the house and introduce them to the other boys.  I told him to go
ahead, but not to get lost, which was my little joke about how large this
place could seem to outsiders.  Richard looked at me funny at first and
then he started to laugh, saying 'that was a good joke, Mr.  Currie'.

After introducing them to my sons, who were up and slowly moving about,
Richard led them away.  They were probably gone more than an hour and I was
beginning to wonder what had happened to them, when they came back into the
family room to join me.  They quickly filled me in on what they had been up
to and commented about what they had seen.  Richard had given them a tour
of the whole house, including the attic bedrooms, and the couple was very
impressed by the size of the house, the number of boys I had, and how well
behaved and basically neat they were.  They had said 'basically neat'
because I did have a couple of boys who tended to be slobs at times and I
wondered about how their rooms must have looked on this occasion.  However,
I suspected the Beckers were trying to be polite and diplomatic by
downplaying what they saw.

Over the next several minutes, we talked about many different things and
quickly changed from one topic to another.  Even though there was hardly
ever a lull in our conversation, I could tell they wanted to ask me a
question, but apparently didn't want to do it in front of Richard.  Picking
up on this, I suggested to Richard that he should go hang out with the
other boys for a while, so we adults could spend some time together too.
He didn't give it a second thought and raced off to find my sons, although
I would be willing to bet that I'd find him with Ricky later, when I went
to look for him.

As soon as Richard left the room, Mr. Becker turned to me and spoke.
"Thank you, but how did you know we wished to speak to you in private?"

"When you have as many children as I do, you learn to pick up on the
non-verbal signals too," I advised him.

He looked at his wife and grinned.  "I guess we're going to have to learn
to do that too," he told her, before turning toward me and continuing our
conversation.  "When we first came here, we were a little worried that we
might be biting off more than we could chew, by taking on a teenager.  We
had really wanted a younger child to begin with, but after seeing you and
all of your boys, we're more at ease now.  In fact, now we're even
considering telling Mrs. Swarthout we might be willing to take on a second
boy, so Richard won't be alone and would have someone to help keep him
company.  We do live pretty far out and there aren't many neighbors."

"That's terrific," I responded.  "I bet Richard would probably enjoy having
someone else close to his own age and Sally will be thrilled at the
prospect of having a home for another boy, but I think you should take some
time to get to know each other first, before you make that decision.  If
you do adopt Richard, you'll need to spend some time adjusting to living
together and learning each other's idiosyncrasies.  After you've had a
chance to bond, then you might ask him what he would think of that idea and
take it from there."

"You're probably right," Mr. Becker replied.  "I guess seeing all these
boys and watching how well they got along with each other just caused us to
go a little overboard."

"Oh, I'm not saying you're going overboard, I am just advising to go slowly
and not rush into anything," I encouraged.  "I think you'd all do well with
taking on a second child, but I think you'll need to get comfortable with
each other first.  Things happened kind of quickly for us, and I sometimes
regret that, as I didn't have time to get to know each of my sons as well
as I'd have liked, before the next boy joined us.  It was just that Sally
had boys who needed a home then and there, so I didn't have the luxury of
waiting.  I'm very blessed things have worked as well as they have and
we've only had to suffer through a few problems, but I think it would have
been even better if I'd had time to get to know them all a little better
first.  That's why I wouldn't advise anyone to move as quickly as I did.  I
guess my biggest advantage was that I worked with children all day long and
had a pretty good understanding of what I was getting into."  We all smiled
at each other at this point, and I saw them relax considerably.

"He is an adorable child, and so small for his age," Mrs. Becker stated.
"I think my husband and I are already looking forward to taking him in, if
that's what he wants."

"Oh, I think he's taken a shine to you too," I confided, using lingo they
would identify with.  "I could see it on his face and in his eyes when you
were in here by yourselves.  I peeked in a couple of times, to see how
things were going, and it truly looked as if you were all enjoying
yourselves.  I think after a few more visits, the three of you will have a
pretty good idea of what you're going to do."

"I really didn't know what to expect," Mr. Becker said, "when they told me
they had a boy who was nearly thirteen.  I guess I was thinking he'd be
nearly growed and maybe a tad bit of trouble to boot.  I didn't expect to
meet this somewhat small, sweet-faced boy who is eager to please."

"Yes," I responded, "he really is a special young man.  I've only met him
twice before myself, and I'm pretty taken by him too.  He certainly can
worm his way into your heart in a very short time."

His wife giggled and looked at me.  "That's almost exactly the same words I
whispered to my husband when we were alone for a second upstairs.  I think
I've fallen in love with the little devil already."

"I could tell that by just looking at the three of you together," I
confirmed.  "I think I've seen an almost instant bonding here, but you've
got the rest of this weekend and the next to make certain of it."

"And we're both looking forward to it," Mrs. Becker added.

"Just out of curiosity, is someone taking care of your farm while you're
away?" I wanted to know.

"Yes, our hired man and the hired man from the farm next to ours are taking
care of everything for us.  We offered them extra money if they'd do this
favor for us."

"Well, the charity will cover that cost for you and I'm also going to
contact the landowner to renegotiate your rent for you.  Sally explained to
me that it wasn't easy for you to get by and I think I might be able to use
some leverage I have to get you a little better deal.  It just so happens
that I know your landlord and had his children in school a few years ago.
In fact, he still owes me a favor or two, for some things we were able to
do for them at the time.

"I'm not sure if you know this or not, but he's lived in this area most of
his life and only bought that property on a hunch about thirty years ago.
He was under the impression the state was going to construct a new highway
across that land and concluded the farm would be a good spot to locate an
exit that would give access to the nearby communities.  He thought he could
make a killing selling some of the land back to the state and the rest of
it to businesses that would want to set up shop there.  However, the plans
for the highway fell through when the state went through some budget
problems, so he decided to recoup some of his investment by renting out the
various properties.  I think he owns several of the farms around you."

"Yes.  You are correct about that," Mr. Becker acknowledged.  "My neighbors
and I all rent the land and buildings from him.  It's the only way most of
us could have afforded to get into farming in this day and age, since it
can be quite an expensive investment to purchase a working farm.  The funny
thing is that he bought that particular farm from my wife's family, before
we were married.  A few years later, after they had passed away, we used
her inheritance from them to buy the farm machinery we would need to make a
go of it.  We hoped some day we might be able to buy the place back from
him and then leave it to our children.  Unfortunately, the good Lord has
not seen fit to let my wife get pregnant, so that's why we're adopting."

"Although it may seem harsh or even cruel that you could not have your own
children, this may be God's way of letting you have a family after all.
Like our minister told one of my sons after his accident, 'when God closes
a door, he often opens a window.'  This may be your window, so make the
best of it."  They nodded in agreement and I knew they understood my
message.

The afternoon was now nearly behind us, so Mrs. Becker suggested it was
time for her to start fixing dinner.  I told her I'd show her around, while
I also gave her a hand, and then quickly informed her about what meats I
had in the freezer.  She quickly decided to use the chicken and make
chicken and biscuits, so I thawed the meat in the sink, while she told me
what items she would need to put this together.  As the chicken thawed, I
rounded up the items she needed and gave them to her when she asked for
them.  She did everything from scratch -- no shortcuts or mixes for her.
She seemed puzzled concerning my intimate knowledge of the kitchen and the
ease I showed while helping her.  She gave me a curious little glance, as
if she didn't think a man should be that proficient, so I asked her, "Who
do you think cooks for my family?"

"I guess I just figured you had a cook working for you or you ordered out,"
she responded.  "Do you mean you prepare all of the meals yourself?"

"Not entirely," I confessed.  "The boys have been helping me and are
getting quite good at preparing a wide variety of dishes."  This
announcement caused her to display a look of shock, before she regained her
composure.

"I'm impressed," she stated, simply.  "The men I've known would all have
starved to death without a woman to fix their food for them, even with a
pantry full of supplies and a smokehouse full of meat."

"I often helped my wife fix the meals when our children were growing up,
although it wasn't as enjoyable to do it just for myself, after she died,"
I admitted.  "It's just too hard cooking for one, so I ate most of my meals
out during that time.  After I got my first boy, I started preparing the
meals again and I've been doing it ever since."

"Good for you," she responded, emphatically.  "I wish there were more men
who didn't consider the kitchen a woman's world and think it demeaning to
do anything there."

"Well, I don't think any of my boys will feel that way," I assured her,
which seemed to also please her.  I think she could now see herself
teaching Richard how to fix meals too and considered he might not be
spending all of his time with her husband.

Soon the house began to fill with the aromatic smells of a good homemade
meal and the boys began racing into the kitchen area to find out what we
were going to have to eat and when.  I asked a couple of them to set the
table, which they did with more enthusiasm than I'd seen in some time, and
soon we were sitting down to partake of one of the most incredible meals
we've had in a very long time.

Mrs. Becker could work miracles with an oven, a few bowls and some raw
ingredients -- she was a culinary genius.  Each of the boys raved about her
cooking, in between cramming their mouths full with her savory delights,
and this praise seemed to make her glow.  The boys happily pointed out that
her biscuits were golden, flaky, and very tasty, and the chicken was moist
and just melted in their mouths.  I think everyone had at least seconds,
and some even came back for thirds, and I told her I was impressed with her
ability to feed so many.

At that point she burst into laughter and informed me she was one of ten
children and had learned to cook feeding her siblings, her parents and
several hired hands, most of whom could pack away more than my boys.  She
said her biggest adjustment was in learning to cook for only her husband,
their hired man and herself.  We all laughed at that, but I knew she had
scored some more points with Richard because of her down-home cooking.
Food is not only the way to a man's heart, but a growing boy's too.

After dinner, I took everyone to the movies, knowing this would be a rare
treat for the Beckers.  I let Richard and the Beckers pick out what they
wanted to see, and they debated over it for quite some time before settling
on something.  They ended up choosing the film 'Gladiator,' which was full
of action and suspense.  Each of us had a great time, although the realism
could sometimes be a bit much for some of the boys to handle.  Richard sat
between the Beckers, but sometimes I saw him sitting on the lap of one or
the other, whenever the storyline became a bit intense.  By the end of the
movie, Richard was cuddled up against Mr. Becker's chest, which helped to
calm his fears from the more graphic parts of the film and offered him a
bit of security.  As I observed them, I noted each seemed to be enjoying
this special moment.  It was a very touching scene and just another example
of how close they were already becoming.

That night, the Beckers shared my room, while Pat and I slept on the
sofa-bed in the family room.  Richard decided to spend the night with my
monster Ricky and sharing Pat's room in the attic.  Nothing went on between
them, but they did get to know each other a little better, and in Richard's
case, the hero worship was beginning to dig its claws even deeper.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a big old farm breakfast, with Mrs. Becker
assisting me in the kitchen.  The boys were stuffed by the time they needed
to start getting ready for church, and I asked the Backers if they'd care
to join us.  They jumped at the chance and quickly advised us they were a
deeply religious family.  I told them we were too, which they said they had
noticed, and happily got ready and followed us down to the church.  We all
sat together during the service, with Richard tucked cozily between the
couple on the pew.

Today's sermon just happened to be entitled 'Living as God's People,' and
the minister talked about living a life filled with Christian virtues, such
as loving, caring, sharing and faith.  As I listened to the pastor preach
from his heart, I realized the people who best exemplified this concept
were spending the weekend with us.  If there was a couple 'living as God's
people', it had to be the Beckers.  After coming to this conclusion, I
began to wonder if God had suggested this topic to our minister during one
of his prayer sessions or if it just happened to be another miraculous
'coincidence.'  I guess I'll never know.

When the service ended, we all went back to our place to change, before
heading out to spend the day at the park.  The boys were in charge of the
activities and organized many different things to do, but they always found
a way to include us adults in on each event.  Over the course of the day,
the Beckers got a chance to play kickball, for the first time since they
were also children, go for a boat ride, as we rowed rented boats over the
large pond/small lake that was at the heart of the park, and then
participated in a game of 'capture the flag' with the rest of us.  This
wasn't just a little game, as you might have expected.  Instead, the boys
put the flags (which were two of the boys shirts tied to a branch and
driven into the ground) on either side of the small, forested area.  They
chose to do it this way so they could use the cover of the trees to sneak
up and take the flag from their opponents.

The game lasted for over an hour; with each team setting up many diversions
and taking many prisoners, until finally one team captured the other team's
flag and made it back safely to their own area again.  Most of us were
quite tired by the time it was over, so we dragged our weary carcasses back
to our vehicles, eager for the chance to catch our breath and return to the
house.  When we arrived at our place, I immediately urged everyone to clean
up and change again, but this time so I could take us all out to eat.  I
wanted to do this before the Beckers had to return to their farm, so they
could enjoy it with us.  Once everyone was ready, we went to our favorite
restaurant and had a wonderful meal.

When it was over and we were back at the house, the Beckers collected their
things and said good-bye to each of us, so they could reach their home
before it got too late.  Before they departed, we gave them a chance to say
their good-byes with Richard in private, but we all knew we'd see each
other again the following weekend.

After they left and things began to settle back into our normal routine,
Richard came to find me, so we could sit and talk for a while.  He asked me
if he could sleep with me again tonight and I told him he could, and then
he started to tell me how he felt the weekend had gone.  He explained that
he liked the Beckers a lot and thanked me for helping him to find them and
showing them such a wonderful time.  Once he had done that, he made a small
request.

"Mr. Currie, I really like you a lot and told Ricky that last night," he
informed me.  "I told Ricky I felt like I was almost part of your family
too, but wished there was a way I could show it.  Ricky said I might feel
closer to everyone if I called you Uncle Josh, but I wasn't sure what you'd
think about that."  He hesitated briefly, before he continued.  "Would you
mind if I called you that?"

 "Not at all," I assured him.  "In fact, I'd love to have you do that."
This caused Richard to smile and I knew we now had new additions to our
extended family.

When we went to sleep that evening, Richard slept with me, and Pat slept
with Dustin on the sofa-bed again.  Tonight, however, Dustin wasn't just
there to help Pat get around.  "Pat, how long has it been since you've got
your rocks off?" Dustin asked him.

"Other than whacking it a few times in the bathroom when I was finally by
myself, hardly at all," he admitted.

"Well, even though neither of us is really gay, I thought maybe you might
enjoy a little help tonight," Dustin offered.  "I'm game, if you are."

"Yeah, that sounds great," Pat agreed.  "It's been a while since I've
really enjoyed doing anything and I think it might be nice."  Pat hesitated
for a few seconds, before he continued.  "I'm just kind of surprised you're
the one to offer."

It wasn't clear if Dustin was hurt by that comment, but he managed to
slough it off if he was.  After all, he did realize where that was coming
from.  "Pat, I know we haven't always been close and we had our
differences," he said sincerely, "but I'm sorry about what happened and
feel really dumb I'd ever let it get that far.  After all, we're brothers
and she wasn't even that nice, as we both found out later."

"Yeah, I think she liked having us fight over her," Pat agreed.

"I think she might have also had a part in making it happened," Dustin
offered, after which each of them thought about things she told them which
seemed to aggravate the situation.

"You also know I used to be really close with Kevin and didn't mind doing
stuff with him," Dustin went on, "but I couldn't see us being together
forever either.  I don't mind getting off with other guys, because it still
feels good, and I don't mind returning the favor.  So, if you want, I'm
willing to help you tonight too."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Pat agreed, "but who goes first?"

"I'll do you first," Dustin offered, "and then you can do me, but only if
you really want to."

"Of course," Pat agreed.  "I wouldn't leave you with blue balls after you
were nice enough to help me out."  Dustin chuckled over that comment.

"Thanks.  I appreciate that," he confirmed.

Now that they had reached an agreement, Dustin bent over and began
stroking, and then sucking, on Pat's somewhat neglected member.  It
immediately sprang to life and seemed anxious to play, so it wasn't long
before Dustin noticed the telltale signs of his impending orgasm.  Since
Dustin wasn't overly found of swallowing a load, he pulled off when he felt
Pat was about to squirt and then stroked him to completion.  Pat was
panting and covered in his own juices, since it had been a while since he'd
emptied his nuts, so Dustin went to get a towel to wipe him off, while Pat
recuperated.

When Dustin came back, he started wiping up the mess and then Pat spoke.
"Thanks, that felt great and made me realize I can still do things like
this with you guys.  I guess I figured I should sit these things out for
now, which seems silly now.  If you're ready, I'll return the favor."

Dustin said he was, so Pat began to grope around until he located Dustin's
penis and began to pleasure him.  Slowly, he stroked Dustin to hardness and
then bent forward and guided it into his mouth.  He couldn't understand why
he thought he'd be unable to do things like this before and enjoyed
learning that he could still have sexual contact with the others and it
wouldn't be very different than before.  It's just that he would have to
feel his way around more, but he was certain none of the others would mind
that.

While he'd been thinking about such things, Pat hadn't been aware of how
quickly he was bringing Dustin off too, until he began to feel Dustin
thrusting his hips at him, as he neared the brink.  Although Pat wasn't
overly fond of swallowing loads either, he took Dustin's ejaculation into
his mouth, but spit it into the towel later, after Dustin's nuts had been
completely drained.

After Dustin thanked Pat for returning the favor, the two boys settled in
and went to sleep.  Unlike some of the others, they didn't cuddle after
they finished, but rolled over and went to sleep instead.  They were only
willing to help each other find relief and didn't see any need for any
after-play or making out.

Unaware of what was going on in the living room, Richard and I hopped into
bed.  We hadn't been there very long before I felt him inching his way
over, almost as if he didn't think I'd notice what he was up to, if he did
it slowly enough.  It wasn't long before he was cuddled up beside me again.
I heard him giggle a few times, but he didn't make any comments about my
body hair tickling him this time.  It wasn't long after I heard his last
giggle that I could discern the gentle and even sounds of his breathing, so
I knew he had fallen asleep.  He was obviously worn out from a weekend full
of activity and discoveries.

Monday morning Sally showed up while we were eating breakfast, so she could
take Richard back.  While she was there, Sally inquired about how things
had gone and was pleased by what she heard.  After Richard finished chowing
down, Sally loaded him and his belongings into her car.  She would leave
him at his school and then take his belongings over to the group home and
drop them off, before she returned to work.  I think we were all looking
forward to his return visit the following weekend.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 18 -- The Fighter, the Player and the Orphan.

Monday evening, I finally got a chance to spend time with my boys and
discuss the weekend with them, so I could get their take on how things
went.  I was thinking in terms of Richard and the Beckers, but soon
discovered not everyone was focused solely upon them.

Dustin was more than eager to fill me in on some of Pat's accomplishments
over the weekend, events I had not heard about until now.  It seemed that
Pat had managed to maneuver on his own, from the family room to the
downstairs bathroom, and use the facilities during the evening, without
having to wake Dustin and ask for his assistance.  Pat even went to the
kitchen, got a glass from the cupboard and got himself a drink during the
night too.  Although these may seem like small accomplishments to the rest
of us, these were major leaps for Pat.

Obviously, Pat had made up his mind that it was time to be independent
again and not let his blindness defeat him, so this was a major sign that
he was healing emotionally and psychologically, as well as physically.  I
immediately wondered if it had anything to do with our earlier visit to the
school for the blind, but felt Pat would fill me in about it when he was
ready.

As it turned out, I was right, because later that evening Pat asked to
speak with me.  He began by informing me that he was reconsidering Dustin's
earlier offer, to have him stay with him on the second floor, and announced
he felt he might be ready to tackle the stairs and move out of my room.  We
talked about this in more detail privately, until I was convinced that his
motives were appropriate and he was prepared to take this step.  After he
explained how he and Dustin had been getting along, and how they had helped
each other get some relief the other night too, I gave him my blessing to
give it a try, with the appropriate words of caution to go along with it.
I advised him to be extra careful whenever he was around the stairs and to
make certain which wall he was using at night as his reference point, as it
would make a difference in understanding where he was and in avoiding
accidents.

Pat beamed from ear to ear when I gave him my approval and made his way to
me so he could give me a hug, before he left the room, under his own power.
From there he went to tell the other boys about this change.

Later that same evening, I got some other news, but this was of a more
disturbing nature.  It was after dinner when Brent approached me and filled
me in about some things he overheard at school.  It seems that Nick had
been hitting on other students at school and having sexual encounters with
them in the boys' rooms, locker room and in secluded outdoor locations.
Brent explained that one of the boys he was becoming friends with asked him
about Nick and wanted to know if Nick was really like that, as he was
considering letting Nick suck him off.  Brent said he did tell the boy that
Nick did seem to have a big sexual appetite and that Nick had made him
similar offers as well.  I was just finding out that Nick had made his way
to Brent's room shortly after he arrived, looking for a little action.

>From what Brent told me, he and Nick had gotten it on a couple of times,
and when Brent told this other boy that, the boy said he was going to let
Nick do him.  Brent said he didn't mind so much what Nick was doing, but he
was more concerned about Kevin and how Kevin would take the news if he ever
found out.  Brent had heard all the stories about the rough times Kevin
went through with Dustin and didn't want to see Kevin have to endure
something like that again.

I thanked him for filling me in on what was happening, so I'd be ready to
be there for Kevin if he did find out about any of this, but it would also
allow me an opportunity to talk to Nick about his actions, before it became
a problem.  Brent ended our conversation by saying he really liked Kevin
and didn't want to see him get hurt again, but felt it would happen, if he
stayed with Nick.  I told him I would try to cushion the blow for Kevin,
but there wasn't much any of us could do at this point to protect him
completely.  He nodded his understanding, but quickly added it still
bothered him anyway.

Later, as the boys were getting ready for bed, I asked Nick if I could
speak with him alone, so we went into my room for some privacy.  "Nick,
I've been hearing some stories that you're on the prowl again and having
sex with boys outside the family.  Would you like to fill me in on what's
been going on?"

There was a shocked expression on his face, as he had obviously thought he
was being very careful and discreet along the way.  As he attempted to
answer, he began to stutter.  "Well... a... I was... uh... who... uh... who
told you?"

"I do have my sources," was all I replied.  "Did you forget that I work for
the same school district you attend and have many friends, associates and
former students who confide in me?"

"Well... a... no... I didn't forget.  I just... well... uh... didn't think
... well... you know...  that anyone else... uh... knew."

"Nick, I'm sure you're aware this isn't a large city and everyone here
seems to know everyone else's business," I explained.  "People see and hear
things, and then talk to their friends about what is going on.  It's very
hard, if not impossible, to keep a secret in a small town like this.  We've
been fortunate so far, as the boys have kind of kept their activities
confined to our home, so people have only been able to suspect that some of
them are gay, but they've had nothing substantial to move beyond the
speculation stage.  However, you are doing it with others outside of the
family and some of them are bound to talk.  Besides, you're also doing it
at school and on school grounds, and there is a chance that you will get
caught or people will see you meeting with these boys at various places and
speculate about what you're up to.  That's bound to get tongues wagging
around here."

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, somewhat concerned.

"Not mad, just disappointed that you can't seem to keep that thing in your
pants or allow others to do the same," I responded.  "We've discussed about
going outside the family before and I really expected you'd talk this over
with me first, or at least let me know what you were thinking about doing,
before you began including non-family members in your sex-capades."

"What's that suppose to mean?" he shot back, either because he was confused
about why I thought that way or was shocked I assumed he should confide his
intentions to me.

"Nick, I've been well aware that you're one of those boys who's not happy
with just one partner and prefer doing different things with different
people," I began, "but in this day and age it's just not wise or safe.  I
can't say I totally understand why you're like that, but I've known other
guys, both straight and gay, who felt the same way.  However, such actions
not only set you up to be assaulted by those who don't like gays, but they
also perpetuate the stereotype that all gays are promiscuous.  Not only
that, but you also substantially increase your risk of acquiring an STD or
even being exposed to the AIDS virus."

"I know about that stuff," he countered, "and I've been using rubbers
whenever I'm doing things with other guys."

"That's good, and I'm glad you're being careful," I countered, "but that's
not enough.  Condoms are good for reducing the risk of being exposed to
some STDs, but they're not foolproof.  Not only can they rupture, but it's
also been suggested that the latex used to make them can contain defects
large enough for the AIDS virus to penetrate.  This means using
prophylactics just isn't enough..."

He cut me off.  "Then what should I do?" he asked, concerned.

"What you need to do is learn how to control you lust and confine your
actions to a few limited individuals," I replied.  "You're not just placing
yourself in jeopardy by your actions, but you're also exposing everyone in
this household."

"And how am I doing that?" he questioned.

"By exposing yourself to such things with other partners," I explained.
"If you happened to catch anything, you would carry whatever diseases you'd
pick up back to the house, and then when you did something with one of the
others, they'd unwittingly pick it up from you.  Then, in turn, they would
spread it to those they had contact with within the family, and before you
know it, all of you boys could come down with something terrible and I
could lose you all."  I must have had tears in my eyes at this point,
because Nick seemed shocked that I was so emotional about this topic.

"Look, I'll be okay and I'll be extra careful from now on," he informed me.
"I don't want to hurt any of you."

"What about Kevin?" I countered.  "What's going to happen to him when he
finds out you've been messing around with other boys?"

"You're not going to tell him, are you?" Nick challenged, while looking
deeply worried that I might.

"No, I'm not going to say anything to him," I replied, which caused Nick to
relax briefly, "but he's going to find out on his own, sooner or later.  I
think some of the other boys might already have heard the rumors or have
their own suspicions about what you're up to.  I can't tell you how
devastating it will be to Kevin, since he's already had his heart broken
once, and as you probably know, Kevin's a one-lover sort of guy.  He is
only capable of loving one person at a time, and when he does, he loves
them very deeply and gives his heart completely."

"I know and I tried not to hurt him.  I really did," Nick admitted.  "I do
like Kevin more than anyone else I've ever been with, but... well... it's
just that... well... sometimes...  uh... I just get this itch... to do it
with somebody else... and, well... then it's like... uh...  well, I have to
scratch it... you know... before it drives me nuts."

"I appreciate your honesty and the fact that you are taking some
precautions," I replied, "but I think you should find a way to tell Kevin
and let him down as gently as you can, unless you are willing to control
these 'itches.'  You can talk it over with me first, if you want me to try
to help you figure out what to say to him, but I think you'll need to do
this and do it soon, before he finds out about it on his own."

"Yeah, I know you're right, but I don't want to hurt him," Nick reasoned.

"I think it's kind of late to prevent that," I countered.  "Once he finds
out what you've been up to, he will definitely be hurt and it will be very
hard for him to accept it or look at you the same way again.  I just want
to make this as painless for him as we can."

"But how can I tell him, especially after Valentine's Day?" Nick
challenged.  "He acts like we got engaged or something that night."

"I know he did think it was a sign that you really wanted to be with just
him," I acknowledged, "but that doesn't change what still needs to be done.
You'll have to find a way to break this to him as gently as you can."

"I don't know how I'll be able to do that, so I'm really going to need your
help."  I agreed and we talked a while longer, but were unable to come up
with a definite plan.  However, we did make some progress in that
direction.

The rest of the week was also filled with many highs and lows.  Pat was
becoming more independent and handling the stairs and the second floor
better than I anticipated, and he was also doing well with his tutors.  In
fact, he had even discussed the possibility with them about attending
regular classes again and asked if they'd help him talk me into going along
with the idea.  They had even discuss ways Pat could pull this off by
suggesting ideas such as recording his notes on a portable cassette
recorder, so he could replay them later, when he needed to study.  He would
need an assortment of different cassettes, so he would not have to use them
for more than one class, but would also have enough to hold his notes for
the remainder of the school year.  However, he still needed to work out a
way for him to get around the school and move from one class to the next
class, especially in the crowded hallways where everyone seemed to
unconsciously bump into or jostle everyone else.

In the end, the tutors suggested Pat would probably also do better if he
could socialize with his friends and peers again and not feel so isolated.
One of his tutors even told me in private that if I agreed to this idea and
the school was willing to go along with our plan, he would be willing to
find someone to accompany Pat to all of his classes and then he'd come
around each evening, to help Pat with his homework, if that's what the two
of us thought was best.  I told him we'd all have to talk this over in
greater detail, to make sure we had thought everything through and
considered all of the ramifications before we acted.  I didn't want to give
Pat more than he could handle or rush him into things, but I also didn't
want him to feel like an outcast.  The tutor said he understood and we
would all move forward cautiously.

Sometime later, Nick and I discussed his situation again and tossed around
some ideas about how he could best bring Kevin up to speed about what he'd
been up to, without scarring Kevin permanently.  We considered many ways to
do this, but rejected most of them rather quickly, for one reason or
another.  After much talk and many suggestions, I think we'd finally agreed
on how and what Nick would tell Kevin.  The question was when and where.

Nick really didn't want to do this alone and wanted me there when he told
Kevin, but I explained to him that I thought it best if he told Kevin on
his own.  That would leave me to be there to comfort Kevin afterward and
not give him reason to focus on the fact that I had known about this, but
never mentioned it to him.  I was afraid if we told him together, Kevin
would feel I was part of the problem and then refuse to let me help him get
through this crisis when he needed me most.  I think Nick gradually
understood my point and reluctantly agreed to do this on his own.

Nick also told me he wanted to wait until he felt the time was right before
he broke the news to Kevin.  I felt he was taking a greater risk by doing
it that way, and felt there would never be a GOOD time to do it, so I tried
to encourage him to tell Kevin as soon as he could.  I understood Nick was
nervous about confronting Kevin and concerned about breaking his heart by
acknowledging he had let him down, but I believed it would be worse if
Kevin heard this news from someone else.  Nick was still hoping he would be
able to do it when Kevin was in a good mood, rather than when he was
already depressed about something else, since it might not affect him as
badly.  I did kind of feel for Nick's plight too, because I knew he had
tried to make this work, but was unable to remain monogamous with Kevin for
more than just a few months.

My biggest problem was, I couldn't spend all my time focusing on just that
situation, to the exclusion of everything else, since so much more was
going on too.  I was also trying to deal with Pat's requests and helping
him deal with his condition as best he could, but I was also involved in
preparing for Richard and the Beckers returning this weekend.  Although I
wished I had sufficient time to deal with each of these situations on an
individual basis, the reality of life was that I had to do the best I could
juggling everything at the same time.

On Friday, Sally dropped Richard off for the second of his weekend visits
with the Beckers, whom I expected would arrive bright and early the next
morning.  Ricky was more at ease for this visit and involved with more of
the boys than just Ricky.  This time around, I saw him doing things with
Andrew, Sammy, Graham, Cole and Dion too, since they were also the ones
closest to his age.  However, after dinner he came up to me hurriedly, with
a matter of great importance to discuss.

"Uncle Josh, I've been thinking all week about this and I need to tell you
something," he began.  "I just don't feel right calling you Uncle Josh... I
mean, it just doesn't seem right for me to be using your first name like
that.  I also don't think I'd feel right calling you Pop either, like some
of the other boys told me to do."

"Well, what WOULD you like to call me?" I asked, having run out of ideas on
this matter.

"Well, I did think of something, if it was all right with you," he
answered.  "Would you mind if I called you Uncle Pop?"

I looked at him for a minute, thinking this combination odd, but then I
began to like the sound of it.  After a few seconds of thinking about it, I
told him that would be fine and I loved his suggested.  A huge grin spread
across his face, almost running from ear-to-ear, and then he looked up at
me and spoke.  "Yeah, I liked it too and it will be something special for
just the two of us, okay?"

"You bet, sport.  I like that a lot," I concurred.  My response seemed to
make his day and settle how he would refer to me from then on.

The next morning the Beckers arrived just after the crack of dawn, at least
it seemed that way to the rest of us.  They didn't come empty handed,
however, and brought in several bags of goodies with them.  Mrs. Becker
went straight to the kitchen and announced she'd be preparing breakfast for
everyone.  I knew it would be useless to argue, so I just asked her if she
minded if I helped.  She agreed and put me to work for her.

In one of her bags, she had me get out a container of last summer's
homemade apple butter, straight from her freezer, and several jars of
homemade jams she had prepared herself.  She explained she had brought one
container each of strawberry, blueberry, currant and grape jam, because she
wasn't sure what the boys and I preferred.  I thanked her for her
consideration and set the items on the dining room table, so the boys could
use them on their toast later.

>From the next bag she pulled out a package containing ham slices, another
containing strips of bacon and then an assortment of potatoes, which she
quickly began to cut up for home fries.  The third bag contained cartons
filled with eggs from their chickens and she set these out on the counter,
until she learned how the boys wanted their eggs done.  As the ham, bacon
and home fries began to cook and the smells wafted through the house, the
boys began to emerge from their rooms, drawn by the wonderful smells and
driven by their rumbling stomachs.

Mrs. Becker cooked their eggs to order and was very generous with the ham,
bacon and home fries.  I kept busy throwing eight slices of bread at a time
into our two four-slice toasters, before buttering and taking them out to
the troops.  The toast disappeared as quickly as I could get the slices to
the table and the jams were being applied generously before being consumed.
Mrs. Becker seemed in her glory feeding all of the boys and watching them
devour her creations, but then she made me go sit down too and made certain
I had all I could hold.  Finally she and her husband joined us at the
table, since they waited to be the last two to sit down to eat, and I
watched as Richard got up from his place and moved over to stand between
them, talking and laughing with them while they ate.  I could recognize
this was a sincere gesture on his part and not just an attempt at
sucking-up to his possible 'rents, and seeing his affection for them
touched me deeply.

After breakfast, the Beckers asked Richard if he would like them to take
him to their farm today, and then they could spend the weekend there.
Richard seemed excited by the idea, but he looked at me, wondering what he
should do.  I think he was afraid he'd hurt our feeling if they left and
probably suspected I had plans for us all, which I did, but nothing that
couldn't be put off until another time.

"Uncle Pop, do you think it would be all right if I went to their farm?" he
asked me, in order to give me a say in the situation.

"I certainly do," I quickly responded, "and it will be a great opportunity
for all of you to get to know each other even better.  You run along and
have a good time, and the boys and I will clean up here."  Richard ran over
to give me a hug and say good-bye, before he did the same with all of the
boys.  It seemed as if he gave Ricky a very special hug too, before he and
the Beckers went out and got in their car and drove off.  Mr. Becker had
informed me he would bring Richard back fairly early Sunday evening, so
they could get back home by dark.  I said that would be fine and waved at
them as they drove off.

That altered our weekend plans, at least as far as the activities I had
planned to accommodate Richard and the Beckers.  However, it worked out to
our advantage.  Now, the boys and I could take it easy for the rest of the
day and could spend our time preparing for Dustin's birthday party
tomorrow, which we had planned to kick off with dinner tomorrow evening.
He was turning eighteen and would be heading off to college in the fall, so
it was a very important event, at least in my eyes.

The rest of Saturday turned out to be just another normal time for us and
there was nothing remarkable about it.  The boys and I merely kicked back
and concentrated on things we hadn't been able to deal with while
everything else was going on, as well as our upcoming event.  As it turned
out, it proved to be a very productive time for us, so I guess change isn't
always so bad after all.


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