Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:26:16 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 4, chapters 3 - 4

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 3 -- Doing Christmas Our Way.                                                            

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

Monday the boys and I went back to school, but I broke away from my normal
duties to attend a luncheon meeting with Steve, Sally and the Spences, so
we could begin to address some of the issues concerning the establishment
of the Foundation.  It was at this meeting that I was first informed we
were talking in terms of having several million dollars in seed money.
Once I got over the initial shock of the size of the Spence's gift, we set
out the rough goals, objectives and procedures to dole out assistance
through our charity.

One of the first things decided was that our little group would comprise
the core of the Board of Directors and then later we would add additional
members to it, as we saw fit.  Sally agreed to assume the title of
Director, before we named John Spence the Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
and then we agreed to begin a search for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO),
hopefully assigning Mark as his assistant until Mark was capable of
handling the reigns alone.  This would be the perfect opportunity for our
friend from Arizona to gain valuable experience in the field, while also
providing him with some additional income.  Not only that, but he could
continue his education while doing the job, since he didn't need to move
locally to perform his duties.  He could contact the CFO via phone, the
Internet or even fax, and he could do the investing electronically from
nearly any secure location.

One of the other things the Board decided during that meeting was that we
should be an international charity, open to anyone with biological children
or those who had adopted or were planning on adopting needy children, even
from overseas.  I suggested this while thinking about Nigel Barstow and his
family, hoping we could encourage others from that part of the world to
follow his example.  We would take most of the recommendations for
assistance from social service groups, churches, educational groups and
adoption agencies dealing with hard to place children.  We would launch a
media campaign to get recognition, asking some of the national news
magazines for coverage, and we would direct all potential contributions to
a special account, which would still have to be established.

As the meeting progressed, I decided it would be best to ask Mark to join
us after Christmas and stay for the remainder of his winter break, so he
could work with whomever we came up with as our CFO and help set up all of
the necessary accounts.  I hoped by then we'd also be able to define Mark's
role in the process and possibly send him back with a firm grasp of what
was going to be expected of him.

The Spences were happy with the parameters we'd established, as well as
being thrilled about their role in overseeing what happened and being
included as working members of the group.  Steve was going to draw up a
draft of the by-laws and set the Foundation up as a corporation, to be
officially known as the 'Castaway Foundation and Charitable Fund'.  This
was surely one Thanksgiving none of us would ever forget.

The remainder of the week included other meetings, during which we ironed
out some of the remaining details, but by the end of the following weekend
the majority of the process had been completed and we were on our way to
becoming an officially recognized charity.  I asked a friend of mine, the
President of our local bank, to serve as our CFO and help train Mark to
eventually take over the job.  He happily agreed and Mark accepted the
opportunity as well, when I phoned him to tell him the news.

We also got a good response from the magazines that had covered the family
after the first round of adoptions had taken place, and they agreed it
would be a good follow-up story to their original articles.  Sally spent
her time contacting many of the people she knew whom she thought might make
a contribution to our cause, in either a financial or professional
capacity.  Much more quickly than I ever suspected was possible, we had
professional contacts established across the country that would help in
making referrals and evaluating those in their areas who were being
considered.

Some of the more trivial minutia was also taken care of next, such as
streamlining the application process, establishing criteria for selection
and outlining guidelines for the range of financial assistance that would
be given out for the various situations we were planning on dealing with.
It was a great team effort to get so much accomplished in such a sort time
and all of us were pleased with the end results.

In fact, I was so busy working on the Foundation that week that I almost
forgot about Dustin and Cole's first wrestling match.  I felt badly when I
realized my oversight and apologized to the boys profusely.  They both told
me it was no problem and not to worry about it, but I still felt terrible
that I'd forgotten.  As the boys got their things together, I also got
ready to go, along with the boys who also wanted to attend.  Not everyone
was interested, but I did notice one definite surprise.  Pat wanted to go
watch his brothers compete.  I thought it almost ironic, after Dustin and
Pat almost had a knockdown drag- out battle over that girl.  Possibly it
was Pat's way of making amends.

It turned out that it wasn't much of a contest, as the other team wasn't
very good, and both Dustin and Cole won their matches quite easily.  I was
once again impressed by their conditioning, compared to that of their
opponents, as well as being mildly embarrassed over how their singlet
emphasized their packages.  It left no doubt in anyone's mind that these
boys weren't European, if you get my drift.  No wonder Dustin was so
popular with the young ladies, after displaying his attributes so boldly.

That weekend the Spences left us and went back home, although their
departure wasn't easy for them.  They were sad to leave, but looking
forward to rejoining us for Christmas.  The boys were depressed about their
departure as well, so a lot of kissing and hugging took place before they
said their final good-byes.  Watching Margaret, John and the boys interact
with each other, you'd think the Spences had always been their
grandparents.  Both John and Margaret had tears in their eyes as their
driver shut the limo's door, once they were seated inside, and then we
sorrowfully watched the hired car drive away.  The boys continued to wave
and throw kisses to both of them, until they were finally out of sight.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was even more hectic than the
Thanksgiving holiday.  Not only did we have the normal routine and
Christmas shopping to do, there were also all the typical school and church
related concerts, pageants, and other special services.  Plus, there was
the big holiday cotillion, for which the boys would have to rent tuxes and
their dates dress in formal gowns, and the boys would be shelling out for
dinner and corsages too.  All of the straight and bi boys were taking their
dates, so Danny and Brandon hesitantly agreed to take a couple of girls as
well, who weren't the same girls they had first dated.  Those relationships
had ended after several weeks, when both boys began to feel they were about
to be pressured into having sex with them.  They felt it would be best to
break up with them before it actually happened; rather than have the rest
of the school believing that was why the split had occurred.

Neither Danny nor Brandon was exactly thrilled about attending, but they
were still happier than Trey, who was once again distressed because he felt
that Dion and he were being left out.  It didn't seem to affect Kevin and
Nick in quite the same way.  I must admit that I was mildly shocked, yet
pleased, that the two of them had stayed mainly with each other since they
had gotten together.  Not only that, but they hardly ever did anything of a
sexual nature with any of their other brothers either, at least for the
past month or so.  I think Nick remaining monogamous was my biggest
surprise of all.

As Christmas drew nearer, we prepared for everyone who had been there for
Thanksgiving to return, as well as having Sammy and Andrew's grandparents
from Japan join us.  Everyone was anticipating the big day, when everyone
would finally be here, but I hardly had time to think about any of it.  My
days were filled with not only all of the activities at school, but also
with more meetings concerning the 'Castaway Foundation.'  On top of all
that, we were scheduled to do two magazine interviews, about the family and
the charity, the very week before Christmas.

Of course, I invited the Spences to stay with us for the week before
Christmas and then stay through until the week after New Year's.  They
eagerly accepted and I was happy they'd agreed, as I knew the boys would
appreciate them being there.  I also wanted them to be here for the
interviews for the magazine articles, because I wanted their generosity
highlighted, in hopes to encourage others to do similar things.  Although
the stories wouldn't appear until late January or early February, this
would get the ball rolling.

Margaret and John Spence appeared ten to twenty years younger when they
arrived for this visit, and quickly informed me it was mainly due to the
fact that they finally had some meaning back in their lives.  The creation
of the charity with their money had been part of it, but they felt most of
their resurgence had come because they felt needed and a part of our
family.  Of course, my sons were to get the credit for that, since they
were just as fond of the Spences.

While John and Margaret were with us, the boys went out of their way to
give them special attention and the Spences eagerly filled the role of the
grandparents many of them had longed for, but had never known.  All of them
loved John and Margaret, and it didn't have anything to do with their money
either.  Each of them had taken to the Spences on the plane and had enjoyed
their company each time we had been together or talked on the phone, and I
knew the Spences felt the same.  It was truly a melding of souls.

John and Margaret enthusiastically read stories to the younger ones, told
all of the boys stories about their lives, with particular emphasis on
letting them know what it was like for them when they were the same age the
boys were now.  In their own inimitable way, they let the boys know how
much the world had changed during the course of their lifetime, before
emphasizing how lucky my sons were to have the opportunities they had now.

In return, the boys told the Spences stories about their own past, which
the older couple only had an inkling about prior to this, and both of them
were shocked at some of the conditions the boys had been forced to endure.
They were especially moved by Cole and Graham's story, not understanding
how a mother could starve and neglect her children.  It was quite an
emotional time, as each of my young men told his tale.

Sammy and Andrew's grandparents arrived next and I was somewhat surprised
they didn't have an interpreter with them.  As I wondered how we were going
to communicate with them, I received my answer, when Mr. Yamada spoke to me
in broken English.

"We study your English since we last see you," he announced, quite proudly,
"so we no need help to speak with Tsukimo and Furuhata," he added, using
Sammy and Andrew's Japanese names.  "We spend much time in class using only
English, so we can come here without assist."

"I am pleased and you are doing very well," I replied, knowing he'd meant
assistance or having a translator in his last sentence, but I got his
point.  "The boys will be thrilled they can speak with you directly."

I then went on to tell them who would be joining us and I think they were
quite amazed upon discovering how many houseguests we'd be having.  I then
went on to give them a little background as to how some of the others were
connected to the family, but it seemed a bit more than they could handle at
the time.  However, I do think they began to realize how fortunate their
grandsons actually were, having so many people who cared about them and
spent time with them.

Over the next hour or so, Sammy and Andrew took their grandparents around
and introduced them to all of their brothers, sisters and nephews, before
they introduced them to their 'other' grandparents.  John and Margaret
swelled with pride, hearing the boys introduced them in this manner, but I
think this momentarily confused the Yamadas.  Eventually, the boys
explained the situation to them, and then the Yamadas bowed toward the
Spences, as a sign of respect.  Instinctively, John and Margaret did the
same.

By the time Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve showed up, the Yamadas
had met most of the others.  Now, they were introduced to these newcomers
too, just before the O'Hara's arrived from Texas.  The O'Haras came in and
asked several of the boys to help them unload their rental car, and the
boys returned lugging a couple of suitcases and a ton of packages.  I later
discovered that Patrick and Brenda had flown into Pittsburgh, rented their
car at the airport and then drove around the area doing their Christmas
shopping there, since they didn't want to drag the numerous presents
through the airport and onto the plane.  It was a very wise choice.

The Lawrences landed in Philadelphia and agreed to pick up Carlos and his
mother while they were there, so I wouldn't have to make that round trip.
I had given them directions and notified Carlos and his mother of this
change.  Carlos' mother was a little unsettled about riding with someone
they'd never met before, but Carlos' and my constant reassurance eventually
convinced her this would be fine.  They were the last group to arrive at
the house and the boys eagerly introduced them to anyone they didn't know,
while making sure they also understood how each of us was 'related.'  With
everyone accounted for, we began mingling with our guests and the house was
filled with love and laughter.

We had set up the Christmas tree in the living room right after
Thanksgiving, and it took up a large corner of that room.  It looked great,
but once all the presents were displayed under and around it, at least half
the room would be unusable for anything else.  Therefore, the boys decided
to sleep together in the recreation room this time around and laid out
their sleeping bags and pillows accordingly.  Jordan and Nicky immediately
turned the ping-pong table into a tent, by draping blankets over it and
weighting them down on the top.  They planned to sleep underneath it, with
Sammy, Andrew and Graham, marking it as their own private retreat.

The rest of the boys broke up into different groups and staked out a
section of the room for themselves, so we could spread the guests around in
the various bedrooms.  The Spences were given my room again, and everyone
else was assigned a bedroom upstairs.  Each of our guests was satisfied
with his or her room assignments and then I also told them which bathroom
they would be using and whom they'd be sharing it with.  The boys were also
split up between the bathrooms, but they were told to shower during the
early evening hours, so they would be out of everyone else's way during the
later evening and early morning time periods.

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a large meal at home, prepared by the boys and
myself, before all of our guests agreed to join us when we went to our
church, so we could participate in the Christmas Eve service together.  We
took the Suburban, the van and two other cars and managed to fit everyone
inside comfortably.  It looked like an invasion when we arrived there, as
everyone got out of the vehicles and entered the church en masse.

It was really fantastic having the extended family together on this special
day, but I also noticed a few other memorable moments as I looked about,
which made it even more special.  Nick was happily sitting between his
parents, along with Kevin, and Nick was grinning like the Cheshire cat.  It
appeared this might have been the best Christmas present he had ever
received.  The Lawrences seemed very pleased by this as well, and even
graciously accepted Kevin's relationship with their son.  At various times
during the service, one or the other had an arm wrapped over Nick or
Kevin's shoulder or around their waist, and after standing during one
particular song, the boys traded places, so they would be sitting next to
the other parent as well.  I couldn't begin to describe how happy I was for
all of them.

Brandon and Danny sat with the O'Haras and Patrick and Brenda seemed quite
pleased that both boys had decided to be with them.  Danny and Brandon sat
between them, as Kevin and Nick had done with Nick's parents, and both boys
were sharing stories about what they'd been up to since we'd last seen
them, while they waited for the service to begin.  This alone probably made
the whole trip worthwhile for Brandon's parents.

Since this was the first Christian service Sammy and Andrew's grandparents
had attended, they were a little overwhelmed and confused about the meaning
of this holiday, but they tried to absorb it all.  Their grandsons sat
between them as well and did their best to explain everything that was
going on.  However, not being Christians themselves, the Yamadas were
having a little trouble grasping the significance of this event.

Graham and Cole had asked the Spences if they could sit with them, as those
two had grown very close to this couple over the past few visits, and John
and Margaret were honored that the boys wanted to do this.  Gleefully, Cole
sat alongside John, while Graham sidled up beside Margaret, and all four of
them glowed from this closeness.

The rest of the boys spaced themselves out among the older brothers and
sisters and their aunts and uncles, so no one would feel left out.  Ricky
sat between my oldest son and me and leaned against my shoulder during much
of the service.  I'm sure some of the onlookers might have wondered why a
boy his age would sit this way, since you would think it would be something
a younger child might be prone to do, but I felt it was because Ricky still
felt a special connection to me, since he had been the first member of my
new family.  I certainly wasn't about to discourage his actions, because I
enjoyed it as well and also felt a very special connection to him, for the
very same reasons.

It was a very nice service and many of us enjoyed singing along with some
of the more traditional Christmas songs, like Come All Ye Faithful, Oh
Little Town of Bethlehem, We Three Kings and the First Noel.  The minister
kept his sermon short and on point, while reminding us how important it was
for all of us to put Christ back in Christmas.  Everyone felt exceptionally
good after the service ended, as we had just been reminded about the true
meaning of this special holiday.  After going back outside, we loaded into
the vehicles and went back to our place.

The boys were sent to bed shortly after we arrived, so Santa Claus could
come and visit.  Although the mention of Santa might detract from the
religious significance of the day, I didn't want to disappoint any of the
younger boys by omitting him.  Almost immediately, the older boys started
to protest about having to go to bed too, so I quickly reminded them about
how early the little ones would be getting us all up.  After thinking about
it for a while longer and remembering how early that would be, it seemed to
be enough to convince them to make the best of this situation.  I think
they also took a few minutes to remember how special Christmas Eve had been
when they were younger, after coming to live here, especially those who had
still been young when they first arrived.  Happily, they played along with
the little ones and were soon reminding Nicky and Jordan about Santa's
visit.

Unbeknownst to the boys, almost as soon as we had returned home from
church, my second son had dressed up in a Santa suit and slipped outside.
He was now peeking through the family room windows, which I excitedly
pointed out to everyone.  I quickly let them know Santa was checking up to
see if they were asleep, so he could drop off their presents.  This
immediately sent Nicky and Jordan into a complete panic, as they thought
Santa wouldn't leave them anything, because they had still been up when he
came.  After I explained that Santa would check twice and would leave their
gifts off the next time through, if they were all sleeping by then, they
began to settle down, before racing off to their space beneath the
ping-pong table.  Even as excited as they were, they slipped into their
sleeping bags and soon fell asleep, making it one of those priceless
moments you often hear mentioned.

After the boys were all asleep, we adults got busy getting the presents
from their hiding places and displaying them under and around the tree.
Steve took the van and loaded up with the things I had stored at his place,
as well as his own gifts for my family.  I had decided to keep many of my
presents at his house, where the boys couldn't snoop and find them.  My
oldest two sons went with him, to help him retrieve everything, and I was
extremely grateful they had offered their assistance.  The rest of the
night was spent wrapping the remaining presents and assembling those items
that claimed… 'some assembly required.'  Yeah, right -- some assembly
indeed.  My two older sons and I were up until after 3:00 a.m. putting
together various gifts for the boys, most of which were for the youngest
members of the group.

The first boys awoke around 5:00 a.m., but Danny and Brandon were able to
restrain them and keep them quiet until nearly 6:00.  They did this by
walking them down to the living room and letting them peek in at all the
presents, but I was surprised this didn't backfire on them.  Although the
smaller boys were very excited and anxious to see which presents were for
them, they were able to contain their curiosity and excitement for another
hour, until they couldn't stand the suspense any longer.  At that point,
Danny sent them to wake me up first, so I could decide what to do next.

Once I gave them permission to wake everyone else up, they did so by
running up and down the halls and going in and out of rooms yelling,
"Santa's been here!  Santa's been here!  Come downstairs and see what he
left us.  Come on.  Hurry Up!"

Slowly and groggily, the adults dragged themselves downstairs, trying to
come to their senses as they went. The boys were all sitting in the living
room waiting for the rest of us to join them and for someone to start
passing out the gifts.  It was a strict rule in our house that no one was
to grab their own gifts and that one of us, generally myself or one of
their older siblings, would pass the gifts out.  Once everyone had a
package, we'd open it, before the next set of packages would be
distributed.

As soon as the boys were given permission, wrapping paper began flying
everywhere, as each hurriedly sought to discover what he'd been given.
This was followed by shouts of joy, once they saw what was contained
within, and a quick thank you, directed to the person or persons who had
given the present.  It took nearly two hours before all the gifts were
open, but everyone was able to see what everyone else had received, as well
as enjoying their own treasures.

There had been a multitude of special presents from the boys, which had
been distributed to the adults.  Most of these had been gift certificates
or a collection of nicely framed portraits of them, each accompanied by an
elaborate card the boys had made especially for the recipient on our
computer, with a personal note about why the boys loved them.  I believe
those cards were probably appreciated the most, because the greeting came
straight from the heart.

When the last of the presents had been passed out and there was nothing
more to open, John Spence stood and walked around, handing each individual
a card.  Inside was a check, made out to that particular person in the sum
of $10,000.  He told my grandchildren and boys, including Carlos, Nick and
Brandon that this money was to be deposited into their accounts and used to
pay for college or for starting them out in a business later.  He even had
an additional envelope for Jay, who would be joining us later in the day.
Once he had finished passing these out, each boy made sure to not only
thank both Margaret and him, but all of them gave each of them a kiss and
hug as well.

John then did the same for my older children, even though they quickly
assured him he didn't have to include them on this gift.  After explaining
that his wife and he wanted to do this, he informed them they could spend
this money any way they wished: on themselves, their houses or to continue
their education.  Each of them was grateful for his generosity and thanked
and hugged or kissed them both.

When he handed me an envelope, I was dumbfounded, and didn't respond
immediately.  After waiting for a few seconds, he encouraged me to open it.
Inside I found a check made out for $20,000.  He told me this was not for
the foundation, but for me to use to take the boys on mini-trips or to put
toward our next summer vacation.  I told him I would do that and thanked
both of them for everything, especially their generosity to my family, and
for helping us to establish the Foundation.  If there truly were a Santa
Claus this Christmas, it would have to have been John and Margaret Spence.

Once all of the presents were opened and all the wrapping paper had been
picked up and put in trash bags, Nick and Kevin ran upstairs to get their
guitars.  When they returned, we all sang along with the Christmas carols
the boys played for us, which made the day even more special.  I was mildly
surprised by how well each boy did, while also noticing Nick was playing
the actual notes for the various songs, while Kevin was strumming out the
chords.  They must have practiced very hard together, to be ready to do
this for us.

Around 10:00 I received a phone call, which was very surprising since I
thought everyone was here with us, but it was from Mark.  He and his mother
were calling to wish us all a Merry Christmas and to thank us for our
Christmas present to them and tell me how much they had enjoyed spending
the time together.  You see, I had purchased Mark a plane ticket and
arranged for him to fly home and spend the holiday with his mother, telling
him it was our Christmas present to the two of them.  I told them they were
very welcome and then chatted with them for a while, before some of the
older boys pestered me about being able to talk to Mark and his mother too.
Once they were finished, I took the phone back from them and talked to Mark
a little while longer, before I said my final good-bye to them.  It was
definitely a nice surprise.

Christmas dinner was equally as wonderful and enjoyable.  I took care of
the turkeys and ham again, while everyone else prepared their best/favorite
dish to go along with it.  It was a huge success and featured the very best
everyone had to offer.  The Japanese grandparents got a good helping of
American home cooking and an indication of how the holidays were celebrated
here.

I might have forgotten to mention this earlier, but they were also given
numerous Christmas gifts from the others, ranging from special portraits of
their two grandsons, tickets for them and their grandsons to go to both a
symphony concert and a musical while they were here, in addition to some
special chocolate candies and petit fours and a collection of American
Express gift checks, so they could buy their own souvenirs to remind them
of their American Christmas vacation.  They were quite thrilled with the
variety of gifts, but a bit embarrassed they had not purchased anything for
everyone else.  After an explanation from the rest of us that it wasn't
expected and we certainly didn't lack for gifts, they finally relented and
said they would make it up to us when we visited them, and they'd be happy
to host the others too, if they ever made it to Japan.  That was the best
present from them that any of us could have asked for.

Due to the fact that Christmas had been on Monday this year, my older
children had to leave the next day, to return to their jobs, but my
grandsons stayed behind.  Their parents would be rejoining us the following
weekend to welcome in the New Year and the boys would go back home with
them then.

The Lawrences and the O'Hara's had both spoken to me, between Thanksgiving
and their arrival for Christmas, and told me they'd like to take a week of
vacation and spend it with us over the holidays, if we didn't mind.  After
assuring all of them I'd be happy to have them spend the entire holiday
with us, both couples announced to everyone else that they would be staying
through New Year's.  Both sets of grandparents were also planning to spend
that entire period with us as well, so I quickly began making plans for one
very special New Year's Eve celebration.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 4 -- A Baltimore surprise.          

The week between Christmas and New Year's was quite hectic and passed by
quickly.  Not only were the boys busy enjoying their new presents, as well
as getting to enjoy some of their brothers' new presents too, but the
Spences, Yamadas, O'Haras and Lawrences were also spending time getting to
know all of them even better.  At the same time, the adults, especially the
Spences and myself, were busy overseeing the work of setting up our
charity.  By the end of the week, all of the necessary tasks to establish
the Foundation had been almost totally completed, so Mr. Spence began
making arrangements for the money to be transferred, just as soon as we
were ready for it.

Also during this time, a big holiday wrestling tournament was taking place
and Dustin and Cole were each competing in it.  I had to take them down
early that morning to get weighed in, so I dropped them off with their
coach and teammates and then a group of us drove down to watch them compete
later.  I think those who had never seen them in action were quite
impressed, especially with Dustin's performance.  Not only did he defeat
each of his opponents, he pinned most of them, on his way to becoming the
tournament winner in his weight class.

Cole did well too, winning each of his contests, up until the finals.
During that match, he injured his shoulder while trying to make a move and
that hampered his performance throughout the remaining two periods.  He
ended up losing on points, but it was still very close, and all of the boys
told him he would have won, if he hadn't sustained that freak injury.  Even
Dustin congratulated him and told him how well he'd done, which seemed to
mean more to Cole than everything else combined.

Now that the wrestling tournament was behind us, the reporters and
photographers began to show up and started taking notes and snapping
pictures.  They took quite a few shots of my family, including some of the
Spences with my boys, in order to show the benefactors with the group that
had inspired them.  Both reporters took very detailed notes on the Spences'
life histories and what motivated them to make such a large gift.  John and
Margaret were very honest and open and concluded by saying they 'hoped to
allow other children to enjoy the love and support that my boys had
received since coming to live with me.'  During his interview, Nick even
told them how we had helped him and about how we also helped the family
from Arizona.

After learning about this new bunch, the reporters asked if they could
contact them, to see if they could add their experience to this story.  I
told them I'd have to call them first, to see how they felt about it, but I
would let them know just as soon as I did.  Nick was thrilled when the
family agreed to participate, since he was the reason we'd run across them
in the first place, so his involvement would get mentioned accordingly.

We also got to give our input as to how we would like to see the article
slanted (more toward the charity than about our family) and both reporters
said they would send us a copy of their story via email, so we could peruse
it and give them our comments, before they submitted it to their editors.
We thanked them for their time, effort and cooperation, before they were on
their way.

There was still one additional surprise the boys didn't know about.  When I
had talked to Mark about spending Christmas with his mother, I'd also
mentioned the Foundation and the possible position for him and he seemed
very interested in it.  After making a suggestion and having him talk it
over with his mother, he agreed to fly out after Christmas, so the other
members of the Board could meet him.  He would spend the remainder of his
winter break with us, so he could meet the CFO and spend some time with him
learning his new job.  It also meant he'd be there to participate in our
New Year's celebration as well.  This way, not only would the trip offer
him a chance to gain some professional experience, but it would also give
him time to party with us and spend some quality time with the boys.  I was
picking him up at the end of the week, but I only told the boys the day
before.  Danny and Brandon were very excited to hear about this little
surprise, although the rest of the boys seemed eager to see Mark too.

Mark flew into Baltimore on the Friday before New Year's, so I'd be home on
the weekend and have some time to relax before the big celebration.  Danny
and Brandon had asked to go with me, so they joined me in the Grand AM to
go pick Mark up.  I don't know why I happened to have him fly in and out of
Baltimore, because we'd never used that particular airport before, but I
think it had something to do with the timing of the flights.  It wasn't a
problem, since it was about the same distance away as either Philadelphia
or Pittsburgh, and it did give us another option for any future trips.

The rest of the family stayed at home, with the older boys in charge, as I
had promised.  It was a somewhat boring trip, but Mark was excited to see
us, so that made it all worthwhile.  Mark eagerly hugged all three of us
and thanked us for thinking of him like this.  I gave much of the credit
for this to the boys, telling him it was their idea to utilize his talents,
but he said he also knew that it wouldn't have happened without my backing.
He also thanked me again for flying him home for Christmas and then
supplying him with the airline ticket to fly here and then back to college.
I told him it was our pleasure, before we went off to collect his luggage.

While we were waiting, an announcement was made stating there would be a
slight delay in getting the baggage from his flight to the carousel.
Undaunted by the news, we left that area and went to get a drink at the
snack bar, until the airlines got things squared away.  By the time we got
back, Mark's suitcase was the only one coming around the carousel, which
seemed to indicate everyone else had picked up their luggage and Mark's bag
had been aimlessly riding the carousel for who knows how long.  Almost as
soon as Mark verified the suitcase was his, Danny grabbed it for him and
carried it out to the car.  He stored it in the trunk and then we set off
on the long ride back.  The boys let Mark ride up front, with me.

There were no major highways between Baltimore and our home, unless we
wanted to go the long way around, so we traveled some of the older state
and county roads.  We were tooling along, laughing and having a great time,
when Brandon yelled for me to stop.  I slammed on the brake and then asked
him what was wrong.  He then informed me that he wanted me to stop so we
could pick up the young boy who was hitchhiking -- the one we had just
passed.  I told him I hadn't considered doing that, since we had a full car
and there really wasn't any room for him, but Brandon quickly responded the
boy could sit in the back, with Danny and him.  He suggested they would
squeeze together and give the kid enough space to be comfortable.  Once
Danny agreed, I gave in to his request and started backing up.  When the
boy saw what I was doing, he began running in our direction.  We met him
part way.

The kid was a little on the dirty side, but it didn't hide the fact that he
was cute.  I imagine that's why Brandon had screamed for me to stop.  I was
wondering what Danny was thinking about the situation, but I could also see
him eyeing the boy out of the rear and side windows, just like his
boyfriend.  The kid appeared to be about 5' 7", had blond hair, blue eyes
and an athletic build, which meant he was muscular, but not overly so.  The
boy ran up to the car and quickly looked inside.

"I can give you a ride, if you don't mind squeezing into the back seat with
my boys," I told him.  He eyed Danny and Brandon and then grinned.

"That would be fine," he announced.

"Let me put your things in the trunk first," I suggested, while getting
out.  "It will make your ride less cramped."  He agreed, threw his things
in the trunk and then moved around to the side again and started to enter.

 "I'll sit in the middle, 'cuz I'm smaller," he suggested, as a way of
justifying his move, but I don't think either Danny or Brandon were about
to complain.

"Where are you headed?" I asked, trying to figure out what he was doing
hitchhiking on a mostly deserted stretch of highway.

"Oh, as far as you're going," he responded casually, not giving me any more
information than he needed to.  However, I wasn't about to let that answer
go.

"But where exactly are you going?" I asked, pressing the issue.  "It's
possible that we're going farther than you'd wish to travel."

"I doubt that," he replied, still being cryptic and mysterious about his
destination.

"Where are you coming from?" Brandon asked him, since he saw I was becoming
a little annoyed with the boy's evasiveness.

"Baltimore," the kid stated, succinctly.

"Really, us too," Brandon informed him.  "We just picked our friend up at
the airport there."  Even though Brandon was excited about the coincidence,
the information didn't seem to faze the boy and he didn't respond.

"What's your name?" Mark asked him, figuring possibly the young man might
respond to him.

"Brent," was all the kid said.

"How old are you, Brent?" Mark continued, as he tried to learn more about
him.  The boy hesitated before he answered.

"Fourteen.  Why?" he shot back, acting worried.  I think he thought we were
getting a little too personal.

"Just wondering.  I didn't mean anything by it," Mark told him, trying to
assuage his concerns.

Analyzing everything that had gone on up to this point, Danny summed up the
situation and decided it might help to tell the kid about us.  First he
introduced us all, and then he gave him the short version of how we became
a family.  The boy instantly became interested in what he heard and started
asking questions of his own.

"You adopted all of those boys?" he asked me, surprised, after hearing the
tale about our family.  "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because they needed someplace to go where it was safe and stable, and I
was able provide that for them," I explained.  "Besides, I knew I would
enjoy their company too."  Brent looked at me and took a few minutes to
think about my response before he said anything more.

"Are you still adopting boys?" he asked, quite bluntly.

"I guess that would depend on the situation," I replied, "but I would never
turn down a boy who needed my help.  In fact, we have just started a
Foundation to help children in need to find good homes or help their
parents to be able to provide for them adequately."

He thought about what I had just told him and I felt he was considering
something more.  "What if it were me?" he asked, after a few minutes of
thought.

"I can't answer that without knowing more about you and your family
situation," I responded, hoping that might help to loosen his tongue.  "I
can't make a wise decision without having all the necessary facts to base
it upon.  I get a great deal of satisfaction from assisting boys who truly
need my help, but I also try not to be used by those who have merely had a
minor squabble with their parents or are just rebellious."

He hung his head and thought about it some more.  "I'm not like that and
I'll tell you all about me, if you're really gonna help me.  But I don't
want to tell you all of that if you're just gonna say no."

"I'd never say no without a good reason," I explained, "and even if I
decided I wouldn't be able to do anything for you myself, I would try to
find other ways to help you instead."

"But I'm not sure I'd want those other choices," he almost whined, "but I
do think I'd like to see what it's like at your place."

"Well, why don't you tell us about yourself, while I continue driving
toward home," I suggested, "and then I'll be able to give you some
choices."

A strange expression came over Brent's face, which expressed the fear and
uncertainty he was feeling.  He quickly studied the reflection of my face
in the rear-view mirror, before deciding on his next course of action.
Having finally made up his mind, he spoke.  "I don't think I'm ready to
tell everyone in the car, but I'll tell you, if we can find a way to talk
alone."

I gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.  "I'll tell you what.  We could
all probably use something to eat, so what if I stopped somewhere, then you
and I could sit alone and discuss this further?"

Brent looked suddenly relieved, like he had finally found someone who
understood him.  Feeling better about his current situation, he flashed a
small grin and answered.  "Yeah, that would work."

We drove a little farther before I found some place that looked acceptable.
It was a small diner that from the outside appeared to be clean and not too
busy, so I eased into the parking lot.  Once we were inside, I had the
other boys sit in one booth, while Brent and I went to another booth
farther down.  We made ourselves comfortable, looked over the menu, decided
what we wanted to eat and gave the waitress our order.  Once that had been
taken care of, I finally spoke.  "Are you ready to tell me now?"

"Are you sure you aren't going to turn on me because of what I have to
say?" he asked, and I could almost read the fear in his eyes.

"Believe me, I've heard almost everything imaginable from my sons," I
assured him.  "You wouldn't believe some of the stories they told me about
the way they were treated before they came to live with me, so don't worry.
I won't hate you because of what others have done to you."

Brent thought for a minute before he replied.  "But what if it's something
about me… something you don't like?"

"Maybe I can offer you some reassurance," I announced, in as soft a tone as
I could manage.  "I don't dislike people for who or what they are.  My boys
are from different races, different religions, different backgrounds and
even have different sexual preferences, but I love them all equally."

Brent seemed to pick up on something I had said and a shocked look came
over his face.  "Do you mean some of your sons are gay?" he asked,
incredulously.

"Yes, some of them like boys, while others like girls and some don't seem
to care which sex they date," I informed him, having guessed this might be
the issue he had been referring to.

"And that doesn't… well… um… bother you?" he stammered.

"No!  Should it?" I asked, while giving him a wink.

"I don't think it should, but it does bother a lot of people," he
explained.  "They don't think boys should like other boys that way."

"I know some people feel that way," I agreed, "but I also know many people
feel they didn't have a choice in how they feel or which sex they're
attracted to.  Is that why you ran away?"

"I didn't tell you that I ran away," he shot back, looking scared again.

"I think that fact was pretty obvious," I informed him.  "Why else would
you be out hitchhiking on such a desolate strip of highway?  Now, do you
want to tell me WHY you ran away?"

Brent looked a little embarrassed that I had figured out his situation and
let his head droop toward the table.  After a few seconds, he finally
answered.  "My mom and dad found out I was gay and tried to change me.
When that didn't work and I continued to want to be with other boys, they
told me I had to leave.  They said they weren't about to have any fairies
living under their roof."  He hung his head again and I could see the tears
streaking down his cheeks, so I wanted to make sure he knew I understood
his situation and didn't feel the same way.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," I began.  "I don't understand how parents
can treat their children that way.  If you don't mind me asking, how did
they find out you were gay?  Did they catch you with another boy?"

"No, nothing like that," he quickly countered, with a look of surprise.
"It was just my stupidity that got me busted.  I was going to join the
Gay-Straight Alliance at my school, so one of my counselors asked me if I
was gay.  Foolishly, I told her I was.  Then she asked me if anyone knew
about that and I told her only a couple of my best friends.  She asked
directly if my parents knew I was gay and I told her no, so that's when she
began insisting I tell them.  I explained that I wasn't ready to do it just
yet and she questioned me about why I didn't want them to find out.  After
explaining my reasons to her, she told me she strongly disagreed with my
arguments, but I told her I wasn't going to change my mind.  Later that
night, she called my house and told them herself."

"That's unbelievable!" I exclaimed.  "She had no right to breech your
confidence that way."

"I didn't think so either," Brent nearly sobbed, "but now my father knew
about it and I wasn't sure what was going to happen next.  At first he
wasn't too bad or very upset, but he did tell me he was going to send me
away to one of those camps where they'd fix me.  That actually happened the
week before our Thanksgiving break.  Since I didn't see anything wrong with
the way I was, I didn't cooperate with the people running the camp, so
things got very bad.  They treated me awful, made all kinds of threats and
made my stay there a living hell.  Eventually, they gave up and sent me
back home, telling my parents I was a hopeless case.  That's when my father
really got angry.

"He started swearing and screaming at me, saying I was a sick and
disgusting pervert.  After he did that for a few minutes, he yanked off his
belt and started whipping me with it.  I think he might have killed me if I
hadn't managed to slip away from him and run out of the house.  He followed
me out the front door and kept screaming at me, telling me that I was never
to come back, because I wasn't welcome there any longer."

"That sounds absolutely awful," I commiserated, "but maybe he's calmed down
since then and changed his mind."

"No way!" Brent almost screamed, drawing some attention to us, before he
calmed down again.  Once Brent felt the other customers and employees were
no longer staring at us, he continued.  "I called him the next night to see
if I could come back home, and he told me he no longer had a son and that
he never wanted to hear from me again.  I cried all night after I hung up.
I always loved my dad, so I couldn't understand why he no longer loved me?"

"I think he still does," I suggested, "but he's confused and unable to cope
with such things.  What about your mother?  Does she feel the same way?"

"Uh huh," he answered, sounding like a frightened little kid.  "The next
day, I called her where she worked and she told me never to call her again.
She said she was ashamed to have a fag for a son and would help my dad beat
me to a pulp, if they ever saw me again."

I thought this might just be their misguided attempt at 'tough love,' as
they tried to let their son know he wasn't welcome back until he was
willing to change, but it evidently backfired.

Brent was really sobbing now, so I led him back to the men's room to allow
him to wash his face and calm down.  I said everything I could think of to
reassure him, but it took some time before he was ready to go back out.  By
the time we returned to the booth, our food was already waiting for us, so
I told him we'd eat first, before we continued.  This would give him some
time to regain his composure and enjoy the food.  Besides, I didn't want
his meal to get cold or him to choke on it, due to his agitated state.
However, he only took a few bites of his meal before he continued telling
me his story.  I didn't stop him, because it seemed very important for him
to clear the air.

"I waited around the neighborhood for about a week, hoping my parents might
change their mind," he whispered.  "I slept wherever I could and ate
whatever food my friends could sneak out to me, and then I tried to call
home again, but the same thing happened.  The next day, I slipped into my
house and packed up as many of my things as I could.  By this point, I had
already decided to run away, but knew I would need some of my clothes and
other stuff, or I wouldn't get very far.  I was almost done loading up my
backpack and duffel bag, when my mom passed by my room and saw me.  I
thought she'd be working later than that and hadn't heard her come home
early.  I guess she was heading for her own room to rest, after coming home
sick.  She started screaming at me and then slapped me, before she ran to
her room to phone the police.  I heard her tell them she wanted me arrested
for breaking and entering and for stealing from them.  I grabbed everything
I had packed and got the hell out of there.  I hid out for two more days,
until I felt the cops were no longer watching for me, and then I started
walking and hitchhiking.  That was yesterday, but you can see I haven't
gotten very far.'

"Did you have any particular destination in mind?" I asked him.

"Not really.  I just took the first road I could hitch a ride on," he
replied.

"Wasn't that person suspicious, when you didn't tell him where you were
going?" I pressed.

"But I did tell him," he explained.  "I told him I was heading to the next
town to visit my grandparents.  He dropped me off there, in front of a
house that I pointed out to him, and then I pretended to go up to the front
door as he drove off.  As soon as he was out of sight, I went back to the
road and started walking and hitching again."

"That's quite a story and I'm sorry you had to go through that," I told
him, as I placed a hand over one of his.  "You don't have to worry now,
because I'm not about to leave you here alone.  Would you like to go home
with us and give me some time to see what I can do to help you?"

"Would you really do that?" he asked, excitedly.

"Of course I would, if that's what you want," I assured him.  "I won't make
any promises other than we'll make sure you're well taken care of and
safe."  I squeezed his hand gently, so he knew I meant it, and he began
bouncing in his seat.

"That would be great!" he exclaimed.  "I won't need much and I can sleep on
the couch or even on the floor.  I won't eat much either and I'll take care
of myself.  I'll help with the chores and I won't cause any problems for
you…" I cut him off.

"Whoa, slow down there, champ.  Why don't you just enjoy your meal and
we'll talk about the rest of the details later."

"Will I have to tell the others about all of this?" he asked, looking
concerned.

"Not if you don't want to, but they've all been in situations as bad or
worse than your own," I explained.  "I know they'd understand and not think
badly of you because of what happened, but it's your decision."

"You really think they'd be okay if they knew everything?" he pressed,
still looking worried.

"I do, but I'll let you get to know them first and then you can decide for
yourself," I suggested.

"They're not going to be upset that I wouldn't tell them what I told you,
will they?" he wanted to know.

"No, they understand that everyone needs privacy and there are some things
people don't feel comfortable sharing with strangers.  They won't even give
it a second thought."  He nodded his head in understanding and went back to
his meal.  Now that he felt a little more relaxed, he attacked his food
like he hadn't eaten in a while.  When we were finished, I paid the bills
for both tables and we squeezed back into the car.


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