Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:03:12 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 4, chapters 41 - 42

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 41 -- Diversions.                                        

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

Tuesday was a fairly quiet day and Brent and Kevin spent most of it
together, alone.  They took a walk into town together in the morning and
then they took another walk into the woods in the afternoon.  After dinner
they sat cuddled up on the couch together, watching television, and then
they disappeared up to their room.  Once the door had closed and they were
completely alone, Brent handed Kevin his card and present.

Kevin opened the card first and read it, and then he began to weep.  It was
a lovely card to a special brother, and Brent had added some other more
personal messages of his own, about Kevin being his lover and his friend.
When Kevin had finished reading the card, Brent encouraged him to open his
present, even though Kevin was having trouble seeing much of anything
through his tears.  When he finally got it unwrapped, he found two silver,
heart-shaped picture frames, which were hinged together in the center, and
Brent had cut two different pictures of the two of them together from our
Valentine's Day party.  He had put a great deal of thought into selecting
the right pictures and then carefully trimmed them so they would fit into
the frames.  He did a very good job and the pictures looked wonderful
together like that.  It was his way of letting Kevin know that he did care
for him, even though he was going on this trip, and he didn't want anything
to change when he returned.

Moved by that thought behind his gift, Kevin hugged Brent, kissed him and
thanked him for the present.  That's when Brent informed him he had one
more special gift for his birthday, as he was going to let Kevin make love
to him tonight.

Kevin and Brent had only tried anal a couple of times before, so Kevin was
quite surprised by his announcement.  Although Brent had seemed to enjoy it
whenever they did it before, he was never the one to suggest it, so Kevin
rarely brought it up either, since he was concerned that Brent was only
doing it to please him.  However, tonight Brent was the instigator and
assured Kevin that he really wanted to do this, but not just because it was
part of Kevin's birthday gift.  He wanted them to be intimate, so he could
show Kevin how much he really loved him.

Kevin was deeply moved by Brent's words, but ecstatic about what Brent
wanted to do.  With only a slight hesitation, Kevin leaped out of bed and
started to race to the bathroom, in order to retrieve the KY and grab a
rubber.  However, Brent stopped him before he got very far, much to Kevin's
amazement.  Fearing Brent had changed his mind, Kevin stopped, only to have
Brent lead him over to the nightstand that was on Brent's side of the bed.
Slowly, Brent opened the drawer and Kevin quickly noted that his lover had
already put everything they would need in there.  This made Kevin also
realize that Brent must have thought this out quite carefully, since he had
made certain to cover all of the bases in his preparations.

Trembling with excitement, Kevin kissed his soul mate and slowly undressed
him, something Brent allowed him do without comment.  It was evident Brent
was going to let Kevin do whatever he wanted with him tonight, but Brent's
body was also quivering in anticipation.

Once Brent was totally naked, he returned the favor and undressed Kevin,
before they laid down on the bed together and started making out.  After a
few minutes of French kissing and heavy petting, Kevin put some lube on his
fingers and started to work them into Brent's backdoor, while he continued
to kiss him deeply.  After a few minutes of working his way from one finger
to two, and then three, Kevin slid lower and began to suck on Brent's
nipples, while steadily working his digits in and out of Brent's chute,
slowly preparing him for their lovemaking.  One thing was for sure, and
that was that Kevin didn't want to hurt Brent, but intended to make sure
this was something he would not forget for some time to come.  Finally,
Brent told Kevin he was ready and he could go ahead, so Kevin greased up
his condom-covered penis, placed a pillow under Brent's hips and moved into
position between his partner's legs.  With great tenderness, Kevin lifted
Brent's legs, until his thighs were nearly touching his chest, and then he
had Brent hold them in that position, while he leaned forward and kissed
Brent again.  Now, the stage was set, so Kevin guided his throbbing pole
forward, until it was touching the outer lips of Brent's opening.

Brent's body stiffened slightly when he felt Kevin's swollen head pushing
again his anal ring, but Kevin reminded him to relax, breathe deeply and
then push out, at which point Kevin would try to slip inside of him.  Brent
followed those instructions and soon felt Kevin's glans pop past his
sphincter.  Sensing this intrusion, Brent's anal muscles automatically
tightened, so Kevin remained frozen, until Brent's body relaxed and allowed
him to continue.

Kevin showed great patience and deep concern for his partner, while also
watching Brent's face for signs of distress, as he slowly inched his way
forward.  Once he was fully inside Brent, Kevin remained motionless for a
while longer, to give Brent time to adapt to the feeling and adjust to his
size.  When he saw Brent smile, Kevin kissed him passionately and stroked
his hair, to let him know they were making love, not merely having sex.

When Kevin felt Brent was ready to continue, he slowly started easing
himself in and out of that tight channel, very slowly at first, but then he
tried to build a steady rhythm.  This sudden change in his situation
obviously didn't seem to bother Brent, and his hands were all over Kevin,
as he stroked Kevin's athletic frame.  At first, Brent's palms merely
glided over Kevin's back, before sliding upward, so he could grip Kevin's
head and pull him in for some more kisses.  Eventually, though, Brent let
his hand slide down Kevin's back again, until they reached his lover's ass
cheeks, and then he tried to pull Kevin further inside him on each downward
thrust.  After holding him like that for a time, Brent encouraged Kevin to
start going a little faster, because Brent was really getting into it now
and his good feelings intensified proportionately with the pace.

Within seconds, Kevin began to look like a jockey riding in the Kentucky
Derby and urging his mount to give everything he had, as he made his way
toward the finish line.  In a matter of moments after starting that
frenzied charge toward his climax, Kevin's body stiffened and he tried to
push as far into Brent as he possibly could, as he felt his juices flood up
his shaft and explode through the tiny slit at the end, until he had
emptied everything he had to give into the condom.

As Kevin was riding his steed to victory, Kevin had also worked Brent up to
his own climax.  During Kevin's frantic race to orgasm, his penis had been
constantly stimulating Brent's prostate, by continually grazing against
that sensitive button, which brought Brent to his own powerful climax,
without either of them touching his dick.  It was precisely what Kevin had
hoped would happen.

Both boys were still panting heavily and Kevin was also sweating profusely
from his workout, totally spent.  Finally, Kevin's body gave out and
collapsed on top of Brent, as exhaustion overcame him.  Once he realized
what had happened, Kevin quickly rolled off to the side, skillfully moving
Brent's body in unison with his, in one fluid motion.  He did this so he
wouldn't crush his lover, but would still be able to keep his dick inside
of Brent for as long as possible.  As soon as he felt he had recuperated
sufficiently, Kevin resumed kissing Brent, as they both slowly came down
from their post-orgasmic highs.

Once the two boys had recovered, Kevin told Brent he wanted him to do the
same thing to him.  This brought another smile to Brent's face and he was
more than willing to do whatever would make Kevin happy.  Kevin was soon
reminding him about what he needed to do to get each of them ready, and
then nature took over and Brent was totally on his own.  He was like a dog
humping the leg of some unsuspecting visitor, as his primal instincts
kicked in, and all too quickly for Kevin, Brent was spewing his second load
of the evening inside the condom, which was deep inside Kevin's love canal.
Brent was tired, yet still excited when it was over, and he kissed Kevin
repeatedly, while telling his boyfriend how much he loved him.

Later, while they were lying side-by-side, still resting up from their
lovemaking, Brent admitted he wished he wasn't going now, but promised to
make it up to Kevin as soon as he got back.  A few minutes later, the boys
went to the bathroom and cleaned up, before returning to their room and
crawling into bed.  They quickly cuddled into each other's arms and were
soon asleep.  It was a special night for both of them and confirmed how
deeply they were committed to one another.

The next morning Jimmy and his parents showed up around 8:00 a.m., and I
found myself feeling relieved when I saw them pull into the driveway.  They
were driving a fairly new, dark green Ford Bronco.  A vehicle that size
would protect its occupants in crashes with most other vehicles, so it
reduced my concerns about Brent getting hurt in an accident, knowing he'd
be sitting up higher than the normal crash impact point and surrounded by
all that bulk.  Maybe this would ease Graham's conscience a bit as well,
once he discovered what Brent would be traveling in.

I helped Brent carry his things out to their vehicle and said my good-byes.
Kevin had said his farewell to Brent in their room, because he was worried
one or both of them might break down and cry in front of the others.  He
thought doing that might make Jimmy or his parents wonder what was up and
why they were reacting in such a manner and Kevin didn't want any of them
to get suspicious about Brent or worry about what Brent might do while he
was with them, so he opted to play it safe.  He and the other boys did come
out to see Brent off, and they all looked happy for him, that is, everyone
except for Graham.  I assumed even seeing the SUV hadn't allayed his
concerns at all.

Graham hugged Brent and told him to be careful, but then deftly moved to
the back of the crowd and looked very apprehensive as he watched Brent get
into the vehicle.  I prayed Graham wasn't correct this time or I would be
haunted by the memory I might have been able to prevent whatever might
happen, if I had only listened to him.  I started to become overwhelmed by
those thoughts, so I tried to push them out of my mind.  Luckily, Jimmy's
father helped me do that to an extent, when he began filling me in on their
travel plans.  He informed me he wasn't exactly sure which day they would
return, but it would be somewhere between Wednesday and Friday of the week
before school started up again, depending on the weather and how good a
time they were having.  I told him that was close enough and then advised
them to be careful and have fun.  I smiled and waved at the four of them as
they drove away.

I did corner Graham later, asking him if he still saw the shadow around me
and he said he did.  He also confirmed it wasn't black, like the one he saw
around Brent, but both of them were still there.  I did ask him if he saw
any shadows around Jimmy or his parents, but he admitted he hadn't, and
this information only confused me even more.  Graham told me he was still
worried about both of us, so I explained to him it was unlikely anything
would happen until Brent returned, because it looked as if we had to be
together, or at least in close proximity, for something to happen to both
of us at the same time.  Therefore, everything should be fine for at least
two more weeks and then I promised him I'd keep a close eye on Brent after
that, until the shadows went away.

Graham didn't seem convinced by my logic, but he stopped his protests.  It
was mostly due to the fact his arguments would no longer have any effect,
since Brent was already gone.  In an effort to make him feel better, I
wrapped my arm around his shoulder, gave him a quick hug and then walked
beside him as we went into the house.  Before long, everything seemed to
return to normal… well at least whatever normal is for us.

The next couple of days went by quickly.  That was because I was busy
caring for Pat, including taking him to see the doctor again, taking
Frankie and Kevin out to practice their driving and getting everything
ready for Kevin's 17th birthday celebration.  The boy that had caused the
accident that injured Pat returned to visit again, which made Pat very
happy, and I allowed them to sit and chat a while this time, as Pat was now
talking again, although still trying to limit the extent of his facial
movements.

By the time Kevin's birthday party rolled around, we had everything in
place for the arrival of our guests, but this time Pat was anxious to go
out and socialize with us -- for the first time since his most recent
operation.  During his last appointment, the doctor had removed the
bandages and there was no longer anything noticeable or obtrusive to draw
attention to his condition.  Therefore, Pat informed me he wanted to do
this, but he was still a bit apprehensive about being on display.  However,
he shouldn't have been.  His face looked very good and was mostly healed,
and there was only one small patch where any problem was even noticeable.
However, that spot would be taken care of with the laser treatment, just as
soon as the rest of his face had finished healing.  Pat was beaming as
everyone told him how great he looked and then felt even better after they
informed him they would never have known he'd been burned by acid by just
looking at him.  The only lingering sign from that ordeal was Pat's blind
eye.

Pat was very pleased by all of the compliments he received and was thrilled
about being with everyone again.  I did remind him to put on his sunscreen
and hat before he went outdoors, because this time he wanted to eat with at
the picnic tables with the rest of us.  He still wouldn't be able to
participate in the other activities, but felt that was a small sacrifice to
make, after regaining most of what he'd thought he'd lost forever -- his
vision and good looks.

Since it was Kevin's birthday party, there were no girls invited this time.
It was just our extended family and a few of Kevin's male friends and
teammates who were there.  Kevin did get depressed at one point, but only
for a few minutes, when he remembered Brent wasn't there.  As soon as we
discovered what was bothering him, the boys and I did everything we could
to take his mind off of that fact, and we even enlisted some of his aunts
and uncles to give him their birthday wishes and get him talking about
other things.  This ploy soon worked, and once they began to run out of
things to say, I decided it might be wise to get the games started.

When I had first talked to him about his party, Kevin had told me he wanted
to play soccer, instead of football, so that's what we did.  We used the
orange, rubber cones I borrowed from school to mark the width of the goals
and then we'd guess about the height.  Everyone seemed okay with this, so
we picked up teams and got started.

The boys were much quicker than Steve, Jake or I, but we still had a good
time trying to keep up with them.  The one thing that helped even out the
teams was Mark's unfamiliarity with playing this game.  Mark had never had
much time to compete in sports, since he was generally out trying to earn
some extra money to help his mother out, but he still had plenty of stamina
and fairly good coordination.  As had become common practice as of late,
Mark had been paired on the team with Steve, while the boys made sure Jake
and I were also together.  I got the feeling they thought we'd be mad if
they split us up, but I'm not sure what had given them that impression.

Kevin's team ended up winning the contest, although I think there was some
intentional slacking on my team's part, so the birthday boy would be
victorious.  I think this might have had something to do with the fact that
the boys all realized Kevin was a little down already, due to Brent's
absence, so they didn't want to complicate the issue or depress him
further, if he were to lose.

Once the game ended, we went in the house and relaxed for a while, as we
waited for the meat to cook.  Within the hour we were loading up our plates
and stuffing our faces, laughing and talking as we ate.  Nick was also
being extra nice to Kevin today, and I was glad he was being sensitive to
Kevin's needs.  I quickly noticed that Kevin even seemed to be clinging to
Nick again, like he had when they were going together, and it more than
likely he needed the emotional support that Nick was temporarily supplying.
I was pleased Kevin had found a port in the storm and someone who could get
him through this unsettling time.

After taking another brief respite to allow or meal to digest, we sang
'Happy Birthday' to Kevin and then watched him open his presents.  He got
some pretty nice things, although I don't think any of them came close to
matching what Brent had given him before he left.  Kevin thanked everyone
for their gifts as he opened them and appeared genuinely happy each
individual was here.  Once he opened the last of his gifts, we had the cake
and ice cream, before the boys went out to play some hoops in the driveway.

In order to make room for this to happen, some of the older boys came
inside and asked if they could pull the cars out onto the street, to make
room for them to have their game.  I was pleasantly surprised to see each
of the owners happily turn over their keys, so the boys could move the
vehicles for them.  Besides saving the adults the time, trouble and
aggravation of doing it themselves, it also proved to the boys that
everyone trusted their driving ability.  It wasn't that it was such a
difficult thing to do, moving the various cars such a short distance, but
some of our guests drove fairly nice, and expensive, automobiles, so it was
a big deal for my drivers.

As the boys played their pick up game, the rest of the old fogies and I
were content to go inside and chat.  We used this opportunity to catch up
on other things and to learn what the others had been up to since we'd last
seen them.  During this time, I discovered the Castaway Charity had
received several additional, and substantial, donations as of late, and all
from private individuals.  It seems the publicity was paying off and we
were getting recognition from multiple sources.  Sally even told me that
one of the national organizations she belonged to, which represented many
professional people, including social workers, college professors and those
serving in the private sector performing similar work, was preparing to do
an article on the charity in their upcoming newsletter.  This would bring
even more attention to the Fund, especially from people who were in
positions to make referrals and offer other types of assistance.  Sally and
Steve also informed me they were nearing the finalization of several other
adoptions, which had been brought about with the charity's assistance,
meaning several more children would soon become part of a loving family
thanks to the Castaway Fund.  Life was good and the Spences were thrilled
by what their generosity had wrought.

As the party was drawing to a close, Jake and I asked Steve and John
(Mr. Spence) to join us golfing sometime, and they both jumped at that
suggestion.  Like myself, they were both eager to get back to enjoying the
sport again, as they had also drifted away from playing regularly.  We
quickly agreed to go out the following weekend, but they were also going to
join Jake and I at the putting green and on the driving range during the
week, so they could limber up and not look quite as rusty on the weekend.
I was really looking forward to this outing, as these were three people I
really admired and felt extremely close to.

While we were discussing the details of our plans, I heard Sally and Mary
ask Margaret (Mrs. Spence) to join them on a shopping trip that same day,
and she was thrilled by the idea of spending some time with the girls.  It
looked as though all of us now had plans for the following weekend, doing
things we would each enjoy.  I told Jake that Shannon could spend the day
with my boys, so he wouldn't be left home alone, and Jake quickly confirmed
he was certain his son would like that idea.  All of the details seemed to
be worked out, so now we just had to wait a week for it to happen.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 42 -- An Unexpected Treat.                                        

On Sunday we went to church together, as we normally did, and I said
another prayer for Brent.  I didn't want to believe what Graham kept
telling me, but he had been correct about similar situations a couple of
times before, even though he didn't quite understand it at the time.  Since
I didn't want to dismiss his concerns too hastily, it became important for
me to face my fears in church, where I always felt a great sense of peace
and comfort.  I felt it was especially necessary now, since I was also
beginning to experience more and more bad feelings about Brent's safe
return as each day passed.

When the service ended and we began to make our way out of the church,
several people stopped us to compliment Pat on his 'new look' or to talk
about the start of school.  Although I hadn't been overly focused on that
upcoming event, over the next couple of weeks I would have to spend a great
deal of time at school, in preparation for opening day.  There were new
students' folders to be gone though, preparations to be completed for the
staff meetings, building checks to perform and other last minute details I
would need to take care of.  Yes, suddenly I was reminded things were going
to be getting very hectic for me again real soon.

Brent called home Sunday afternoon, to let me know he was all right and had
been having a great time.  He told me about the ride down and then gave a
detailed report about the cottage they were staying at, which was located
right on the beach.  Finally, he told me how much he enjoyed swimming in
the ocean and how well Jimmy and he were getting along.  I told him I was
glad he was having such a good time, but I also reminded him to be careful.
He assured me he would, and then I called Kevin to the phone, because Brent
wanted to talk to him too.

I let them have a few minutes alone, to say hello and whatever else they
thought they might be able to get by with, seeing Jimmy and his parents
were probably within hearing range of Brent's end of the conversation.
After giving them sufficient time, I reminded them that Jimmy's parents
were paying for the call, so it was time to say good-bye.  Kevin nodded his
agreement and told Brent he had to go, but I could see how happy he was to
have the opportunity to speak with Brent at all.  In fact, that kept him
fairly upbeat for the rest of the day.

The next week was also hectic for me, but I did find it quite relaxing in
some ways.  You see, I began by getting up early and would go into school
to get as much done as I could, and then I'd come home for a late lunch,
around 1:30 or 2:00.  After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I'd take Frankie
and Kevin out to drive for a while, and after we got back from doing that,
I'd often run out to meet Jake, or one of the others, to hit a bucket of
balls or practice putting.  I was really beginning to enjoy being with
adults once in a while again and was gradually getting closer to Jake.  We
had a lot in common, enjoyed each other's company and he was becoming like
a younger brother to me.  I'm glad things had worked out the way they had
for us.

Brent called again on Wednesday, to let us know he was still all right, but
I think he called primarily to speak with Kevin, because he asked for him
almost immediately.  While those two were chatting with each other, I
mentioned to Graham that it was Brent who had called and he was still doing
well.  Graham just looked at me and said something about Brent still being
away for a little longer and he wouldn't be able to shake his feeling until
Brent was back home with us.  I thought that knowing Brent was well would
ease Graham's feeling of foreboding, but it now appears that wouldn't
happen until Brent was safely back again.

Thursday and Friday were merely repeats of the previous days, but before I
knew it, it was Saturday morning and time for me to play golf with my new
foursome.  Jake dropped Shannon off at our place, to spend the day with the
boys, so he rode with me and we picked up John and Steve along the way.

After trying out the putting green and then limbering up, it was time to
put our skills to the test.  The first tee is generally the most difficult,
because you're not completely loose waiting around and watching those ahead
of them, but we got off to a pretty good start.  Our tee-shots were all
fairly straight, although they weren't necessarily overly impressive or
breathtakingly long, but we were all satisfied with the results.  We played
the first couple of holes much the same way and were feeling pretty good
about our games and ourselves.  However, just when we thought we were
sitting on top of the world and had this game licked, we were quickly
reminded how vulnerable we actually were, as each of us began to experience
our share of difficulties, one at a time.

John actually held out the longest, although he had also been away from the
game for the greatest amount of time.  Even though he didn't have a great
deal of distance on any of his shots, he was the most consistent and stayed
in the fairway -- until we started the back nine.  That's when he began to
tire and his game started to go to pot.  On the tenth hole, it took him an
additional stroke to get to the green, and then he duffed his tee-shot on
eleven.  Over the next few holes, he consistently began to lose even more
distance on each of his shots, and gradually he lost out on what would have
been a decent round for him.  We were still fairly satisfied with what we'd
accomplished by the time we finished and returned to the clubhouse, even
though we hadn't burned up the course.  We did have a good time and felt we
would improve with time we played, so we agreed we'd try again the
following weekend.

By the time we dropped Steve and John off at their homes and Jake and I got
back to my place, we were pretty exhausted.  The boys were busy playing
ball outside, so Jake and I went in to get some lunch, enjoy a beer and
rest our weary bones.  After a while the boys came in to ask us how we did,
so we sat and talked with them for a while and told them how we had all
self-destructed.  They were sympathetic and told us we'd do better next
time and then informed us they would fix a special meal for us tonight, so
we could just enjoy ourselves and relax.  They just asked us to be cleaned
up and be changed and ready to eat by 6:30.  Sounded fair enough, so we
quickly agreed.

As we thought about their unexpected offer, I concluded it was really sweet
and extremely generous of them to do this, and Jake was impressed that the
boys were going to take care of the dinner duties and make a nice family
meal for us all to enjoy.  We both thanked them again for their considerate
offer and confirmed we were looking forward to what they had planned.
Before they left us alone, Shannon also asked his Dad if he could spend the
night with us, and Jake told him it would be fine with him, as long as it
was all right with me.  I quickly confirmed it was, as long as Shannon
wouldn't mind going to church with us the following morning, and Shannon
had no problem agreeing to that stipulation.  Jake then suggested he could
bring Shannon's clothes and things with him when he returned later, as he
wanted to go home to shower and change, since he didn't have any other
clothes with him.  Therefore, everything was all set and everyone was
happy.

The boys began to busy themselves in the kitchen and began their
preparations.  After Jake left to return to his place, they encouraged me
to do whatever I wanted and enjoy myself.  This was a pleasant surprise, so
I quickly decided to take full advantage of it.  I went outside and began
to putter around with some things I'd been planning do out there, and after
spending an hour or so doing that, I finally went back into the house to
shower.  It was now nearly 4:00, and after I told the boys my intentions,
they encouraged me to take a little nap after I got cleaned up, so I'd be
rested for later.  They told me they'd wake me up around six, so I'd have
plenty of time to get dressed and ready for dinner.

That sounded wonderful to me, so I agreed and went to my room.  After
shutting the door, I stripped, adjusted the water temperature in the shower
and stepped into the stall.  I enjoyed a long, luxurious, hot shower, which
drew some of the soreness and stiffness from my newly rediscovered muscle
groups, which was just what I needed.  When I noticed the water was
starting to cool, I ended my shower, dried off and hopped into bed for a
power nap.  I must have fallen asleep quite quickly, because I don't
remember lying in bed for very long before I felt one of the boys gently
shaking me.  It was Sammy and he was being very tender in the way he roused
me, and as soon as my eyes opened, he urged me to get dressed for dinner.
Once he saw me get out of bed, he left the room again, closing the door
behind him.

I put on a pair of slacks and a nice short-sleeve dress shirt, and then
went out to join my troops.  I got a bit of a surprise when I walked into
the dining room.  The leaves of the dining room table had been taken out,
which shrunk it down noticeably, and I couldn't understand why the boys had
done this.  We seldom have the table like that, but even more curious was
the fact that it was set with only two place settings, but that wasn't all.
There was also a lit candle adorning the table and a bottle of wine in an
ice bucket, which was setting beside my usual place at the head of the
table.

"What's this?" I asked, having come to the conclusion that something was
definitely up.

"It's for you and my dad," Shannon answered.  "Just a nice, quiet dinner
for the two of you."

"But where are you boys going to sit?" I wondered aloud, since I saw
nothing else set up to accommodate them.

"Oh, we ate a little while ago," Ricky told me.  "This is just for you and
Uncle Jake."

Suddenly, I began to see the picture they were painting -- very clearly and
for the first time.  After missing the true intentions of their
suggestions, plans and schemes for the past several weeks, I now realized
these boys had actually arranged this as a date between Jake and myself.
Just as I was about to challenge their devious little minds and discover
what else they had up their sleeves, one of the other boys yelled out that
Uncle Jake had arrived.  As if on cue, music started drifting out of the
dining room, and I was only mildly surprised that it was a love song.
Shannon bolted for the door, so he could welcome his father, and then he
led him in to join me.  Jake's face told me he was just as surprised about
this as I had been, and he looked at me to supply the answers.  I just
shrugged my shoulders, to let him know I was just as befuddled as he was,
but that's when the boys led us to our seats and urged us sit down.  As the
boys walked into the kitchen, I leaned over and spoke to Jake.

"I didn't know this was what they were planning," I confessed.  "I think
we've been had and our sons have their own ideas of what they want for us."

"I hope you aren't upset about this," he told me, looking worried that I
thought he had played some part in the planning.

"No, Jake, not at all, but I hope you aren't either," I countered.  "If
this doesn't bother you, it certainly doesn't bother me, but I must admit
the boys aren't being very subtle with their hints."

"They're about as subtle as a brick through a jewelry store window," Jake
joked, and then we both laughed.  As the humor of the moment began to fade,
Jake remained quiet and looked pensive for the next minute or so, before he
finally plucked up the courage to say something more.

"You know, it really is kind of nice of them to do this and they may just
have hit upon something," he suggested, while gauging my reaction to his
statement.  When I merely looked up at him and didn't respond negatively to
his comment, he continued.  "I mean, we do get along really well, have
quite a bit in common and I've enjoyed the time we've spent together, so
maybe our sons are actually on the right track here.  I mean, the fact
they've tried to set us up like this doesn't bother me at all, as long as
you're all right with it."

"Well, I'm not about to complain or put a stop to it," I teased back.
"You're the younger guy here and I thought it might bother you that they
were trying to fix you up with someone so much older.  I've really enjoyed
your company on the trips and spending time golfing with you, I just
thought you'd probably want someone closer to your own age is all."

"Hey, I don't see age as a problem," Jake quickly informed me.  "I just see
someone I enjoy being around and can have a good time with.  Besides, I've
been married and have a son.  That can be a liability to a gay man looking
for a partner.  Not many guys I meet want to play mother to my teenager."

"Then they don't know what a special kid you have," I countered.

"I agree with you, but not everyone sees it that way," he confessed.  "I'm
really kind of glad the boys set this up tonight.  I've been thinking about
asking you out for dinner or something more romantic for quite some time,
but I kept chickening out, thinking you probably wouldn't be interested."

"I'm not sure why you would have thought that, but I surrender and you and
the boys win.  However, I must be honest with you.  I have been secretly
hoping we might eventually get a little closer too."

After I made that comment, Jake and I rudely discovered the walls had ears,
and many teenage ears at that, when a loud cheer erupted from the kitchen.
Jake and I looked at each other and started laughing, and then a few
seconds later, Shannon and Kevin came in to serve us our salads.  Their
broad grins told us all we needed to know and they didn't have to say a
word.  Graham was right behind them with a basket of freshly cut Italian
bread, and Pat came in and opened the wine for us. As he poured out two
glasses, Frankie was busy changing the CD.  He put on a song that I was
only vaguely familiar with, but I could tell immediately it was being
played for a reason.  I found out later the song was titled, 'Your
Everything' by Keith Urban, and we both listened to it carefully as it the
melody wafted into the room.  They lyrics went like this:

	The first time I looked in your eyes I knew
	That I would do anything for you
	The first time you touched my face I felt
	What I never felt with anyone else
	I want to give back what you've give to me
	And I want to witness all of your dreams
	Now that you've shown me who I really am
	I want to be more than just your man, I want to

	Be the wind that fills your sails
	Be the hand that lifts your veil
	Be the moon that moves your tides
	The sun coming up in your eyes
	Be the wheel that never rusts
	Be the spark that lights you up
	All that you've been dreaming of and more
	So much more, I want to be your everything

	When you wake up I'll be the first thing you see
	And when it gets dark you can reach out to me
	I cherish you words and I'll finish your thoughts
	I'll be your compass baby when you get lost, I want to

	Be the wind that fills your sails
	Be the hand that lifts your veil
	Be the moon that moves your tides
	The sun coming up in your eyes
	Be the wheel that never rusts
	Be the spark that lights you up
	All that you've been dreaming of and more
	So much more, I want to be your everything

	Be the wind that never rests
	Be the spark that lights you up
	All that you've been dreaming of and more, so much more
	I want to be your everything
	I want to be your everything
	I want to be your everything.

Yes, the boys were being very subtle -- NOT!  While the song was playing,
Danny and Brandon brought out our meal and then just as quickly disappeared
again.  Before they left, one of them dimmed the lights a little more, so
the candlelight was even more obvious than before.  I was willing to bet
most of them were lurking in the immediate vicinity, so they could witness
what would happen next.

Knowing we were being spied upon, Jake I ate merely ate and talked,
enjoying both the food and the company.  Shortly after we finished the main
course, Sammy and Andrew brought out two slices of Black Forest Cake, which
led me to believe that one of my sons had made a trip to the bakery
earlier, probably while I was napping.  As Jake and I sat enjoying the
dessert, Nick brought out a pot of coffee and poured us each a cup.  It had
been a very lovely affair, or maybe I should have said the boys hoped it
was the start of an affair, but everything had been well planned and
executed.  The food was delicious, with just the right touches, meaning the
wine and dessert, and the atmosphere was outstanding.  I would definitely
make certain to thank each of them tomorrow.

When Jake and I were ready to get up and leave the table, Dustin suggested
that Jake and I go out for a couple of drinks, to put a nice finishing
touch on our evening.  We silently looked at each other, exchanged 'what
the hell' expressions, and then agreed.  Dustin told us he'd drive us
wherever we wanted to go and all we had to do is call him when we were
ready to come home and he'd pick us up again, since he remembered how I
always harped on them about the dangers of drinking and driving.  I thought
that was another nice touch and agreed to his offer, so Jake and I went out
for few drinks and did some serious talking.

We didn't stay out very late, since I didn't want to keep Dustin waiting up
for us, but we also had church to attend in the morning.  Originally, Jake
was planning on going back home tonight and then would meet us the
following morning at our place of worship, since Shannon was going to stay
overnight.  However, since he had no way to get both he and his car home,
without imposing on one of my boys or driving under the influence, he
decided to stay over too.  Then he'd just get up early, drive home and get
the things he needed, and then come back to meet us again.  I thought that
sounded very logical.

When we pulled into the driveway, we noticed many of the curtains and
blinds were moving, as many pairs of eyes spied to see what we were going
to do next.  Dustin immediately took off for the house, since he didn't
want to impede what we might decide to do next, but I think everyone,
including our driver, was a bit surprised when we both just strolled inside
instead.  I think they wanted to see how we were going to say good night,
but no one said a word as we entered the house.  Possibly, this was done so
they wouldn't break the spell or ruin the mood, but I think I heard a few
titters, as Jake followed me into my room.  One of these days, Jake and I
will have to get them all together and let them know just how special they
are to us -- if they don't already know.


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