Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:33:31 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 1 - 2

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW         
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 1 -- Getting to Know You.    

I was working on my computer the following afternoon, when I received an IM
from Peter:

     AussiePeter: Pop, are you there?
     JoshC818: Yes, Peter.  I am.  I take it you got back safely?
     AussiePeter: I did, but now I want to c if this gizmo works.  
         Can U webcam now?
     JoshC818: Yes, I'm not busy.  

A few seconds later, I received an invitation to web-cam from Peter,
accepted and slipped on my headphones.  After a slight delay, his face
appeared on my screen.

"It works!" I heard him exclaim.

"I was sure it would," I replied.  "The web-cam, microphone and headphone
are the best one the company offered."

"I know and thanks," he answered.  "This is great.  When I get through
speaking with you, I want you to let the others know I'm on, so I can chat
with them too.  My buddy list is full with just the screen names of your
family."  He laughed after saying this and I also saw the humor in his
comment.

We chatted for a little while longer, and Peter thanked me several times
for all we did for him while he was with us, and then his parents got on to
thank me too.  It was the first time I had actually seen them, other than
in the photos and videos Ricky had brought back with him, and their accents
were even thicker than Peter's.  I guess his might have become watered down
a bit, after spending so much time with Ricky and then staying the better
part of a year with us.

After we finished our conversation, I went to tell the other boys that
Peter was online and soon some of them were chatting with him as well.
Once they started, I signed off and left them to talk without me
eavesdropping.

Shortly thereafter, I also called to make certain Barry had arrived home
safely and his mother assured me he had.  She also reported that he's been
talking, nonstop, since he arrived and has told them everything we had
done.  Well, I'm sure he didn't tell them everything, and omitted what he'd
done with Andrew and Jesse, but I got the idea.  She and Farrell thanked me
as well and assured me we'd all get together again, sometime soon.

As soon as we had all recuperated from our vacation and got our lives back
in order, I informed the boys we had something else we needed to do.  I had
planned we would go out to the farm again and help with the haying, so the
farm-homes could get as much stored away as possible.

Lester explained he had done the first cut with the boys right after school
was out and they were now ready to do the second cut.  He'd do a third cut
between the end of July and before the boys started school again in August
and was going to sell some of the bales from these two cuts to be
transported to areas that had bad haying seasons, due to either a drought
or excessive rain and flooding.  I concurred that would be a good way to
not only help out, but also ensure some additional income and make the
homes more self-sufficient.  I had no problem with his plan, as long as the
farms had enough to meet their needs.  Lester assured me they would, so I
agreed it was a good idea.

When I asked about coming out to help with the haying, I was surprised by
his response.  "Josh, did you forget we got the round baler when we bought
the tractors?  That means we don't need your help with the haying, but if
you want to give us a hand with the other work, we'd be happy to accept
your offer."

I was a little taken aback, because I was thinking we'd be working with the
rectangular bales again, like we had the previous year.  I'd forgotten he'd
talked me into purchasing the new baler and those bales were moved by a
spear, which was attached to the rear of one of the tractors.

"Lester, we'd be willing to help any way we can," I offered.  "We could
come out this weekend, if that would work for you."

"Josh, that would be fine and then I can get some other things done, that
I've been putting off," Lester agreed.  I then confirmed we'd see them
Saturday morning.

I had to work the rest of the week at school, to make up for some of the
time I'd been gone on vacation, but Saturday morning I got the boys up
early and we headed out to the farm.  I left Andrew and Jesse with Lester's
wife, figuring they could help her with the chickens and other chores,
while the rest of us worked with Lester and the guys.

We started out assisting them with the milking first, and after we released
the cows to pasture, Lester gave us a choice.  "I know neither of these
jobs is much fun and sort of messy, but they have to be done," he began.
"We need to clean out both the barn and the chicken coop, so I'll let you
choose whichever you'd prefer.  Then my boys and I will do the other."

He was right.  Neither job was very glamorous and both would be smelly and
very dirty.  However, I've dealt with chicken shit before and would much
prefer to deal with cow patties.  Therefore, I opted for us to clean the
barn.  Lester smiled and spoke.

"That would have been my choice too," he agreed, while flashing a slight
grin.  Then he turned around and took his foster sons off to the chicken
coop.

It was a warm day, but I wouldn't call it hot.  The boys and I sure did
work up a sweat though, while cleaning out the barn.  We finished before
lunch and when Lester came back to check on our progress, he was surprised
we were finished.  Slowly, he looked the area over.

"Not bad, for a bunch of city slickers," he teased.  "I actually came here
to tell you the wife said it's almost time for lunch.  I didn't expect you
to be done already and was just planning to see how you were doing.  Damn,
you and your boys must have really worked hard."

"Lester, we did, but you forget we've done this before," I replied, "and
Little Ricky grew up here.  We used to come out and help Albert and him,
from time to time, so we've had some experience, you might say."

"Yeah, I did forget about that," he confirmed, "but you did a great job.
Now, just head over to the house and my wife will start feeding you, if
you're interested."

"Lester, I appreciate the offer and we are," I confirmed, "but would you
mind if we went out and took a dip in the pond first.  We stink and so do
our clothes."

"Josh, the misses is used to that, so it's not a problem," he assured us.

"Maybe not for you, but I think we'd have a hard time keeping our food
down, if we don't wash up first," I replied.

"Ah, yes," Lester drawled.  "You city folk might know how to clean up a
barn, but you still don't have the stomach for it."  He smiled and chuckled
after saying this, to let us know he was only teasing.  However, he was
right.  Our stomachs would have probably returned anything we deposited in
them, if that smell was around to accompany it.

"Sure and take your time," he offered.  "I'll tell my wife to hold things
up a bit and grab a bar of soap you folks can use to wash up.  The smells
still going to be on your clothes though," he followed.

"Not if we strip down and wash our clothes first, before we wash
ourselves," I challenged.  "We can rinse our boots off too and leave them
outside."

"Then you'll be all wet while you eat," he stated.

"We'll strip down to our underwear first," I began, "that is if the boys
wore any."  After saying this, I glanced around and saw a few guilty
expressions, so I knew I'd hit the nail on the head with some of them.

"We'll wash our clothes first and ring them out, then we'll leave them in
the sun to dry while we clean up our bodies."

"Won't the boys be uncomfortable doing that?" Lester asked.

"No, we've all seen each other naked plenty of times," I answered.  "Living
in a house with only guys, we tend to get a little lax when it comes to
modesty."  Lester chuckled.

"Your family is more farm boy than city slicker, in my book," he countered.
"My brothers, my sons and I had all done similar things over the years.
Hang on a sec and I'll be right back."

Lester ran off and came back carrying a couple bars of ivory soap.  "Here,
you go clean up and we'll meet you back at the house."

About that time, Lester's boys came over and saw us heading out.  "They
going home?" one of them asked.

"Nope, they're going out to the pond to clean up," Lester replied.

"Hey, can we join them?" another voice asked.

"Not sure," he answered.  "Let me check."  Lester then called out to me.

"Hey, Josh," he shouted.  "Would you mind if some of my boys joined you."

"No, they can come if they want," I shouted back, "as long as they're not
modest.  There will be a lot of bare skin out here."  I guess his foster
sons didn't have a problem with that, because more than half of them came
racing out to catch up with us.

Lester had seven foster sons, ranging from twelve to seventeen, and only
the seventeen-year old and one of the fifteen-year olds didn't join us.  I
thought I'd better clarify what we were about to do, as we walked to the
pond, in case they wanted to change their minds.

"Guys, we're going to be stripping down out there, rinsing off our clothes
and then skinny-dipping in the pond, if you're still interested in joining
us," I explained.  "I just thought I'd mention that, so you wouldn't be
surprised or in case you'd prefer to go back now."

"Hell, no!" the fourteen-year old shouted.  "We do it a lot too, well, most
of us do.  The guys that didn't come with us are shier then we are.  I
think they got little dicks or something."  Lester's boys all laughed when
the fourteen-year old said this and my boys soon followed suit.

"Hey, it's all right with us, as long as you're cool with it," I added.

"We are," the twelve-year old answered.  "I wasn't at first, but since I've
been doing this with the others, I've gotten used to it."

"Hell, you should be," the sixteen-year old answered.  "You're hung as well
as some of the others, even though you're younger."  The twelve-year old
just grinned and puffed out his chest, after that fact was mentioned.

Before long we had proof about what we'd been told and noticed the
twelve-year old was quite mature for his age.  In a way, I was glad Andrew
wasn't with us for this, because seeing this boy might have sent him into
another bout of depression.

We rinsed our clothes off first, rung them out as well as we could and then
laid them out in the grass to dry.  However, I told the boys that were
wearing underwear not to bother about rinsing them out too.  I felt they
probably hadn't gotten dirty, so there was no need to wash them out as
well.  Then we all hopped in the pond and washed off the best we could,
with the two bars of ivory soap Lester had given us.  Then, we just
frolicked around in the water for a bit longer, but I herded everyone out
to dry and get dressed.

I was somewhat surprised to see all the foster boys that came out with us
were all circumcised.  I had a feeling some of them might have been uncut,
but that wasn't the case.  However, no one questioned us about my boys that
were uncircumcised, so I figured they'd either seen one before or learned
about the difference in school.  Either way, nothing was said and we all
enjoyed the outing.  Nothing sexual happened either and we merely had a
good time soaking and relaxing.

Our clothes were still a little damp when we put them back on, but none of
us cared.  When we returned to the house, we merely took our food outside
to eat, so we wouldn't get the furniture damp.  It was just sandwiches and
potato salad, but it was good and filling.

When we finished eating, Lester suggested we go over to the other farm, so
we could help them out too.  I agreed and we all loaded up in the hay-wagon
Lester had hitched behind one of the tractors.  That way, we wouldn't get
our vehicles dirty once we were done there.

After we helped clean up the barn at the other farm, we rode back on the
wagon with Lester.  We then went back out to the pond to clean up again,
before returning home.  The same group of boys joined us again and I sensed
they liked having us here.  I don't think any of them were sexually
interested in my boys, but they did enjoy horsing around with others in the
same relative age group.  Everyone got along fine and we agreed to come out
and visit, from time to time.

During this trip to the pond, we let our clothes get a little drier before
we put them back on, so we didn't transfer all that water to the seats in
our vehicles.  The boys with me happily chatted about what we had done and
asked the other boys a lot of questions about themselves, after filling
them in about their backgrounds.  I think some of the foster boys might
have been a little surprised that my boys had been in the foster care
system and maybe even envious.  I think some of them wished they had lucked
out and ended up with us too, but I still believe this group was also
pretty happy being where they were.  I also had a feeling some of Lester's
boys might be willing to try some things with my boys, the next time we
went out there.  I think they might have even been agreeable to it during
this second outing, if I hadn't been there.  I did warn my boys later that
they would have to be careful about doing such things, in case some of the
other boys reacted strongly to what they were up to.

We were now into July and the Fourth was approaching quickly.  It fell on a
Sunday this year, so I decided to have a cookout at home for the family.
Monday was scheduled as the holiday, but the fireworks were still going to
be set off Sunday night, so we looked forward to watching them too.

I contacted Lester and asked if he, his wife and the boys would like to
join us and he said they'd be pleased.  He also told me his boys still
talked about when we came out there, so he knew they'd like to see my
family again.  I gave him a time and he said they'd be there.

I had also invited the extended family, so it would be a very big cookout.
Mark would also be bringing his girlfriend and so would Duck this time, so
the only one who'll be missing will be Frankie.

Before Lester and his boys arrived, I warned my boys not to try to do
anything with them today.  I wanted this to be a day for family and group
activities, so they agreed.  Once everyone arrived, I explained what I had
in mind, and after some slight hesitation, everyone agreed to give it a
try.

I quickly split our attendees into teams, no exceptions.  Well, that's not
quite accurate, since I told John and Margaret Spence they could sit out,
since they were watching Arlene.  She was doing fairly well so far, but we
never knew when that was going to change.  Vinnie and Andrew would be
allowed to do other things as well, because their physical limitations
would prevent them from participating in some of the activities.

As I placed everyone on a team, I tried to split the family units up, as
much as possible.  I did this because I wanted everyone to get to know the
others better and the best way to accomplish this was by cooperating as a
team.

The first activity I had planned was what I called the birdseed relay.
Each team was given a small bucket of birdseed and a tablespoon, and they
had to fill a plastic cup that was placed on one of our picnic table
benches, about ten yards away.  Each person was to scoop up as much
birdseed on the spoon as he could and then race to the other end, without
spilling it, and dump it in the cup, before racing back to hand the spoon
off to the next person in line.  The first team to fill their cup would
win.

Vinnie and Andrew were going to be our judges, since this was one of the
activities that would be too difficult for them.  It was also made clear
that their decision would be final, so my boys wouldn't try to argue and
belabor the point.  I used birdseed for this activity, rather than
something else, because I felt we could just toss it in the lawn afterward,
at least what we hadn't already spilled during the race, so the wildlife
could feed on it.

I placed the boys first in each line, because I knew they were going to be
extremely competitive, so by the time the spoons reached the adults, they
would have no choice but to do the same.  We were having a blast, cheering
our teams on, until Vinnie and Andrew agreed there was a winner.  It was
the team consisting of Lester, Duck's girlfriend, Dion, Graham and the
13-year old from the farm home.  There was no prize involved, but they did
have temporary bragging rights, until we finished the next activity.

The next event would require partners, so we split everyone up according to
age.  Once I had two lines, in descending order by age, with the older
group being in the first line and the younger group in the second, we
paired off.  That way, the oldest in the first line was paired with the
oldest in the second, so it should even out that each group would be
competitive.  This way, there would be a younger, more athletic person to
offset what the older person had lost in physical prowess, due to advancing
age.  Unbelievably, I got paired up with Ricky for the three-legged race
and he started giving me grief right away.

"Hey, old man," he quipped, "you're not going to slow me down and make me
lose, are you?"

"I just hope I don't break your leg while you're trying to keep up with
me," I shot back, before disappearing into the house.

I came back carrying the strips of cloth Jake and I had cut up the night
before and passed them out.  While I was doing this, Andrew took up his
position at the starting line, to get us going, and Vinnie moved down to
the finish line, to declare the winner.

After everyone had one leg joined to his partner, Andrew gave the, 'Ready,
set, go!'  and we were off.  There was some stumbling and a few pairs fell,
some more than once, but we all made it to the finish line.  The winners
this time were Brandon and Lester's 12-year old, but then we quickly moved
on to our next event.

This time, Andrew and Vinnie were also going to be included too, because I
felt they'd be able to handle this.  Therefore, we had to modify the teams
slightly, to accommodate them.  This time we were doing an egg toss.
Vinnie thought he could throw the egg using only one crutch for support, on
the side opposite his throwing arm, and then drop to his knees to try
catching the return throw.  After each toss back and forth, every team
whose egg hadn't broken would take a step backward and increase the
distance.  In the end we had another pair of winners, but this time it was
Mark and Lester's 16-year old.

We kept the same pairs for the next activity, because it was very similar.
However, instead of tossing eggs this time, we were using water balloons.
A few people got wet, but no one seemed to mind, and John, Margaret and
Arlene were having a ball watching and cheering us on.  In the end, we had
a new set of winners.  This time it was Mary Shay and Nick.  She had been
very athletic in her youth and apparently hadn't lost her touch, and she
made sure to gloat about it with her husband afterward.  Steve's balloon
had burst in his hand when he tried to catch it, so he not only lost to
her, but he was also wet from the chest to the knees.

That was the end of the activities I had planned, so after we finished, the
boys went off to play soccer, shoot baskets or just talk a walk around our
property.  Dustin had agreed to lead those who were interested in taking
the walk, because I didn't want anyone unfamiliar with the place falling
into the ravine.  Yes, it was similar to the ravine Andrew fell into when
he had his accident, but otherwise they weren't related.

While the younger ones were involved in those activities, we older folks
sat around and chatted, after Jake and I provided everyone with a drink.
We were all pretty parched by that point and I didn't want anyone getting
cramps from dehydration.  As we talked, I was surprised to hear Mark, Duck
and their girlfriends say how much they had enjoyed the various events and
looked forward to joining us again.  We all agreed it was different, fun
and they got to know each other better, including the boys from the
farm-home.  They were really having a good time with my boys and Lester
congratulated us for making them feel so comfortable.  He said they were a
little reticent about coming today, because they thought it would be lame,
as one of the boys put it.  However, he could tell by how they were acting,
especially since some of them had won some of our competitions, that they
were enjoying it as much as the rest of us.

Now, that things had quieted down, Jake and I fired up the grills and some
of the boys helped us bring the other items out to the picnic tables.  We
now had several such tables for gatherings such as this and I was grateful
I had planned ahead and purchased them.  We used one to keep the food on
and we would sit at the others.

Before it got dark, we drove down to where the fireworks were going to be
held and found a good spot.  It was quite an impressive display again this
year, although most of it was of the aerial variety.  However, once it
ended, the Footes said they had to leave, because the cows needed to be
milked and they had already put it off much later than normal.  I told them
I understood and we all said our good-byes, before they headed out.  Tammy
was the first to thank us for the great time, but then the boys started to
come over too.  One by one, they also thanked us and said they'd had a lot
of fun and hoped we could do it again.  I told them we would, although I
wasn't sure when, and they said they looked forward to it.  Even the
17-year old said he'd had a good time, but he did ask if he could bring a
date next time.  When I told him that would be fine, he looked even
happier.

Shortly after they left, some of the others began to take off too.  Before
long, all that was left was my family, Mark, Duck and their girlfriends.
Duck and his girlfriend were going to stay in the guest room, because
Andrew and Jesse had offered to sleep on the sofa while they were here.  We
thanked the boys for their offer and it took away a problem for me, as to
where I was going to put them.  Mark's girlfriend was also going to be
staying and would be staying in Mark's room, since they were both
consenting adults.

Even though the official fireworks were concluded, I suspected there might
be some romantic fireworks going off tonight as well.  I was certain some
of the boys would be going at it, so I hoped everyone kept the noise down
so Jake and I could get some sleep.  Oh, hell.  What am I talking about?
We'll probably be having our own fireworks display.  After all, as Margaret
Spence once said, we're old, not dead.



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW         
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 2 -- Army Life.    

Now that we were into July, I had to start making arrangements for several
things to happen.  First of all, it was time for Brandon and Nick to go
spend time with their parents, however Nick wouldn't be coming back.  He
would be staying in Oklahoma to attend college and Brandon would be
returning for only a couple of days, before he went back to college too.

I also had another event to arrange for, but first I had to talk it over
with the rest of the family.  I didn't want to commit to anything without
their approval and I wasn't certain how many would want to participate.  I
suspected most would, but I wasn't positive all of them would want to go.

After talking this over with each boy individually, all of them agreed they
wanted to go see Frankie when he graduated from A.I.T.  Since I had spent
so much money on our vacation, I didn't want to incur the additional
expense of flying everyone to Missouri.  Besides, once we got there we'd
have to rent a vehicle anyway, so I considered my options.  It would take a
little longer if we didn't fly and I really didn't want to drive the whole
distance myself, especially since Jake wasn't going to be able to go.  He
had already used up all of his days off and didn't feel he could take off
any extra time off, so he would be staying behind.  Of course, I could have
some of the boys share the driving time with me, but the problem was that
if we drove, we'd also have to take two vehicles.  Therefore, I opted to
charter a bus and use a professional driver instead.

Since Frankie's graduation ceremony was on Friday again, we would leave
Wednesday night and arrive Thursday night.  We'd spend Friday and Saturday
with Frankie and then leave again Saturday night, so we'd be home Sunday
evening.  That way, I'd only have to be away from work for one additional
day, since I'd already been away so long on vacation.

When it came time to leave, I drove the Yukon and Dustin was in the
driver's seat of the Suburban, as we left for the bus station.  We left
Jake the other vehicles and he could use whichever he wanted while we were
gone.  We arrived at the terminal well in advance of our scheduled
departure time and the driver was a very friendly man in his 40's.  After
explaining we were just a family, and not a group, and going to see a
family member in the service, we got underway.

He drove straight through the night and only made a rest stop, about four
hours later.  Of course, there was a toilet on the bus for us to use, but
the driver had to make a stop at a rest area, so he could do the same.
When he did, the rest of us picked up some drinks and snacks, and then
about four hours later, we stopped for breakfast.

After downing a very filling meal at one of those national chain
restaurants, we drove on.  I sat near the driver and chatted with him, so
he didn't fall asleep, as we looked for a motel.  We found one a short time
later and stopped and checked in.  Although the boys and I had slept a
little on the bus, we felt we could still use some place to clean up and
change, and we'd use the motel pool while the driver got some shuteye.

The driver woke up by late afternoon and we boarded the bus again.
Fortunately, we got to St. Louis after the rush hour, so we had few
problems with the traffic.  We stopped for a late dinner once we passed
through St. Louis and then drove on to our motel, just a short distance
away from Fort Leonard Wood.  In fact, it was the same place Andrew, Jesse
and I had stayed when we came here for Frankie's graduation from basic
training.  Both boys pointed out this fact to me, as well as to the others,
and then they made themselves right at home.

Since Jake wasn't with us, the two little ones were going to share a room
with me.  Since there were sixteen of us and we were splitting up between
four rooms, someone else would have to be in with us too, so Sammy
volunteered.  Since we'd be spending two nights here, Andrew and Jesse
agreed to each spend a night sleeping with me, while the other shared a bed
with Sammy.  Andrew told Jesse he could spend the first night with me,
which seemed to please Jesse.

After settling in, we spent some time at the pool, before we retired for
the night.  The ceremony was scheduled at ten the following morning, so
we'd get up around 7:00, get ready, eat and then have the bus driver take
us to Baker Theater.

Andrew and Jesse had packed the uniforms Frankie's friends had bought them
the last time we were here and wanted to wear them to the graduation.  I
thought that would be fine and I figured Frankie would get a kick out of
seeing them in them too.  Some of the other boys teased the pair that they
might have to stay here, if someone thought they were really in the army,
and joked that they might even get sent over to Iraq.  Andrew and Jesse
were enjoying the attention and the other boys weren't getting to them, as
they'd hoped.

Of course, Andrew and Jesse got a lot more attention after we arrived at
the theater and the young man that greeted us even saluted the pair, before
he showed us to our seats.  Both boys thought that was pretty special and
saluted him back, which caused some of the other visitors to comment and
snap a picture or two.  Damn, I didn't even think to do that.

I did notice there were about half as many people in attendance today, than
the last time we came, if you excluded everyone that was with me.  I guess
that's to be expected, but I felt bad for the young men who didn't have
anyone here for them, before they set out to defend our country.

The ceremony was similar to Frankie's graduation from basic training,
except the awards were slightly different.  Frankie was recognized, with a
handful of others in his company, for exceptional achievement and was one
of the few that were also promoted.  This time he received a promotion from
Private (E2, with a single stripe) to Private First Class (E3, with one
stripe and a rocker underneath).  I was extremely proud of him, yet again.

When we met up with Frankie outside, after the ceremony had concluded, he
gave each of his brothers a very warm greeting.  When he came to Andrew and
Jesse, he showered them with even more attention than on our previous trip
and commented how great they looked in their uniforms, which pleased both
boys.

Frankie's friend from home was here with him again, but the other trainees
we had met on our last visit weren't.  They had gone to different forts for
A.I.T., because they were pursuing other specializations.  Frankie did,
however, introduce us to a couple of others he'd made friends with during
this cycle, and since none of them had anyone else show up, I invited them
to join us during our stay.  They were a little hesitant at first, until
Frankie assured them it was all right and promised they'd have a good time,
so they gave in.  They were free until Sunday night, since they had no bed
check on Saturday, so we could do any number of things.

We started off by taking everyone out to lunch and allowing Frankie's
friends to get to know the family better.  Frankie had told them a lot
about us before we'd arrived, so we were able to forgo the typical comments
and questions we would have otherwise faced.  Once again, Frankie seemed to
have made friends with the cream of the crop and we had a very pleasurable
time with them.

Once Frankie's friends began to feel comfortable with us, they began to
tease Frankie a bit.

"Hey, Currie," one of them yelled, "you must be a celebrity or something.
Nobody else got a busload of people showing up for his graduation."

"Yeah, I'm surprised there's no press coverage or anything," another added.
"Shit, there should be a whole bunch of photographers here to snap pictures
of this proud family."

"Hell, the press should be here just to feature our youngest recruits,"
someone else suggested, while indicating Andrew and Jesse.  "Two young
Curries enlisted to defend our country before they were even old enough to
go to high school."  This elicited a smile or laugh from everyone,
including the two boys.

"Man, your family could become the poster family for Stars and Stripes and
its patriotic family of the year," his friend from back home teased.  "The
Curries defend the world from the evil axis.  Heck, maybe we could get them
all to enlist before they go back home."

"Let them finish college, before you start making other plans for them,"
Frankie countered, because he wasn't quite as amused by this suggestion.
He didn't mind committing himself, but he knew many of his brothers didn't
belong in the service and would make their mark in other ways.
  
The playful banter stopped a short time later, and then Frankie and his
friends went to get permission to take us around the base, so they could
show us some of the other areas they wanted us to see.  When confronted by
their request, the company commander called the battalion commander, who in
turn called the brigade commander.  If I knew it was going to cause this
much work and trouble, I would have told them to forget about it.  However,
a short time later we were told we had been cleared.  I was surprised by
this courtesy, but even more so when we were informed the appropriate
parties were being notified that our bus had been cleared for this, so we
should not get stopped or hassled.  Frankie and his friends then got on the
bus with us, and while one of them gave the bus driver directions as to
where to go, the others told us about everything we were seeing.

To my amazement, the rest of my boys seemed very interested in what they
were being told and what they were viewing, as we wandered by their
training areas and a few other locations.  Frankie and his friends seemed
pleased this was going so well, so they began sharing anecdotal information
about their time here.  It wasn't as humorous as the stories we heard about
basic training, but some were cute, even if they weren't hilarious.

That evening, we also went out to dinner together and then just sat around
chatting and having a few drinks together.  We dropped Frankie's friends
off at their barracks, but Frankie wanted to stay with us.  He was going to
stay in my room; since he'd talked Jesse and Sammy into letting him share
their bed.  Jesse seemed just as enamored with Frankie as he had been on
our first visit and I realized he was sporting a huge case of hero worship.
Frankie didn't seem to mind, so I allowed them to spend as much time
together as could be arranged.

The next morning, after breakfast, we picked up Frankie's friends again and
they suggested we go to the Lake of the Ozarks State Park.  It wasn't very
far away and the bus driver agreed to drive us, so we were off.  It was
quite a lovely ride, as we traveled along the Ozark Mountains to our
destination, but I definitely wouldn't want to take this same trip during
the winter.

When we arrived at the park, we started off by taking a swim.  There was
also a nice sandy beach at the swimming area, so after we were in the water
for a while, the boys suggested we could sign out a volleyball and play a
few games, because we had more than enough for four teams.  There were nets
already set up on the beach, at a location farthest away from the water,
yet still in the sand.  I only played in a couple of the games, but the
boys kept going, as the next team challenged the winners to another match.

While the others were continuing their games, I took Andrew and Jesse out
for a ride in a rowboat.  Seeing I was the only thing powering the craft,
it's a wonder we traveled very far at all.  However, that pair seemed to
really enjoy their time alone with me and splashed each other, and me, as
we traveled along.  It was a very relaxing time, since I allowed us to
drift quite a bit and only rowed on the way out and when we were ready to
come back in.

After I turned the boat in, we went back to where the others were still
playing volleyball.  Once those boys began to tire too, we all got on the
bus and returned to the base.  After dropping the others off to clean up
and change, we went back to the motel to do the same, before picking them
up again.  We were all going out to dinner together again and this would be
our final outing as a group, since we had to leave a short time later.  I'm
not sure if the boys were quite as sad about the thought of ending our
visit with Frankie, but I knew it was going to be rough on me.

I had Frankie and his friends pick out the restaurant, and after we got
there, I announced this meal was going to serve several functions.  Since
everyone looked confused, I thought I'd explain.

"The primary reason for this meal is because we all need to eat, but this
will also be the last time we will be dining together, before we return
home.  Therefore, it was serve as a farewell meal and a good luck send off,
as you all go to your various assignments.  However, there is another
reason, which some of you may be totally oblivious about.  This coming
Tuesday is Frank's birthday and he'll be turning twenty-one, so I want to
celebrate that special event tonight too.  I'm afraid the only present we
have for you now is that we're all together, but we'll make up for it when
you get back home."  I think Frankie's friends were all impressed that I
had made a special deal out of this and all congratulated him, as soon as I
finished speaking.

"Dad, you know sharing this with all of you is present enough," he offered,
before he got some ribbing from his buddies.

"What is this, the movie of the week?" his buddy from back home teased.
"Is this going to be shown on the Hallmark channel or Lifetime?  Don't be a
fool, take whatever presents he wants to give you and run!"  Frankie's
other friends began to laugh.

"Yeah, Frank," another chimed in.  "Maybe you can weasel a new car out of
this or something."

"Maybe," Frankie admitted, "and this may sound corny, but having them all
here means more than the rest of you could ever imagine."  Seeing the
sincerity on Frankie's face and sensing the emotion in his words, the
others stopped joking around and realized Frankie meant what he said.

"Hey, we were only having some fun with ya," another added.  "I guess we
might be a little jealous about how lucky you are.  Let's face it, you're
the only one whose family came to see him, even though they all knew we
might be going off to war next."  That comment seriously dampened the good
time we were having, so I thought I'd try to pick things up again.

"Guys, we're here for all of you," I stated.  "If Frank feels this close to
you, then we do too, and we thank you for whatever you may do to protect
the country, and us, in the future."

The rest of my boys quickly chimed in their agreement, to let Frankie's
friends understand I was speaking for all of us.  That's when Andrew and
Jesse stood up in front of their chairs and saluted them.  I think seeing
them do this was almost as touching as seeing John-John salute his father's
casket (President Kennedy) so many years ago.  I don't think there was a
dry eye in the house, since people at the adjoining tables either witnessed
or were informed about what my two little ones had done, as well.

For the remainder of our time there, I spent as much of it as I could
speaking with Frankie and his friends.  Before we parted company, they all
thanked me for a great couple of days and expressed their feelings that
Frankie was lucky to be part of such a wonderful family.  I told Frankie to
give all of them our address and urged each of them to keep in touch,
before wishing them well.  In addition to promising he would, Frankie also
said he'd let me know where he was going to be posted next, just as soon as
he received his orders.

After leaving the restaurant, we dropped Frankie and his friends off at
their barracks, because they'd be staying there until they received their
orders.  After saying good-bye to each of them, I pulled Frankie aside for
a couple of minutes, because I had something else to tell him.

"You know I'd set up an account in each one of your names, shortly after
you first came to live with me," I began.  "Well, now that you're
twenty-one, I've had the account signed over for you to control and do with
as you wish."

"Dad, you don't have to do that," Frankie protested.  "Use that money to
help take care of everyone else.  Please."

"Frankie, I have accounts set up for all of you and I've still had plenty
of money to take care of everyone," I answered.  "Just consider this one of
your birthday presents and use it wisely.  I have plenty of confidence you
will and it may help you get off to a good start when your enlistment is
up."

"I don't understand why you keep doing all these things for me, but thank
you," Frankie responded.  "You've been so good to me and I don't know if I
really deserved it.  I was a real bastard when I first came to stay with
you and I never blamed you for sending me away.  I deserved it, but then I
didn't understood why you let me come back afterward.  You've always been
more than fair to me and I only hope some day I can give you something in
return."

"You already have," I replied, "by turning into the wonderful young man you
are today.  Frankie, I love you dearly, as much as I love any of the
others, and you only got a second chance because you deserved it.  You
proved to me that you were man enough to accept responsibility for what you
had done when you first stayed with us and then apologized to both Trey and
me for your actions.  That is what earned you another chance, so it was
you, along with Trey's approval, which brought you back to our family.  The
only person you have to thank is yourself for turning your life around and
becoming the great young man you are today."

"But I couldn't have done it without you," he pointed out.

"Maybe I showed you the way, but you had to choose to walk that path on
your own," I explained.  "Therefore, you deserve more credit that I do for
what has happened since."  At that point, Frankie merely hugged me and then
took off for his barracks.  I could tell he was choked up and was afraid of
having an emotional outburst in public, so he opted to head inside, knowing
full well that I understood how he felt.

Once I got back on the bus, we set off for home.  Frankie had stopped and
looked back before entering his barracks, so we all waved at him as we
drove away.  He waved back and then I continued to watch him, as he seemed
to grow smaller, until he eventually faded from sight.

Now that we were on the road again, the boys chatted for a while about
their time there and then began to doze off.  I did too, although only
briefly, and then I moved forward to chat with the bus driver.  I knew this
was a long and boring drive for him, since most of it was done on the
interstates, so he thanked me for keeping him company.  While we chatted,
he told me he had been impressed with my boys and complimented me on all of
them, especially Frankie.  He said Frankie was very impressive and it was
easy to see that his friends looked up and admired him.  I thanked him for
his kind words and then we started chatting about other things.  None of
our conversation was earth shattering, but we did discuss where we were on
9/11, about the war in Iraq and whether we thought Saddam had been involved
with the disaster.  We also speculated as to how long we thought it would
take before Bin Laden and Saddam were captured and brought to justice.

During our time together, we also chatted about the economy and how current
events might help to shape the future, before we turned our attention to
lighter topics, like sports, our favorite television shows and what music
we liked.  I quickly discovered he was a big 'American Idol' fan, although
I got the impression he preferred the 'Nashville Star' program more, since
his favorite genre was country music.  I mostly listened to his
observations during this time, because I knew he wouldn't be sleeping if he
was talking, and I didn't really have much to offer along this line.

Our conversation was only interrupted by a brief stop at a rest area, when
he filled up the bus and used the facilities.  Some of my boys also got off
the bus, but most of them talked one of the others into bringing back what
they wanted instead.  They were getting kind of lazy.

The next morning we stopped for breakfast and then rode a little longer,
before stopping and getting rooms.  Although most of the boys had slept on
the bus, I hadn't really, so I made sure some of them watched over the
younger ones, while I took a nap.  From what they told me, most were going
to watch television in their rooms or swim in the pool, until it was time
to leave again.

I went around and located all of them after I awoke and then we went off to
grab a bite to eat.  Even though I didn't realize it at the time, the
driver was also up and eating at the nearby restaurant we walked to.  Once
we finished, we went back to our rooms, grabbed our things and loaded them
on the bus, so we were ready to leave when the bus driver gave us the word.
We drove straight through from that point on and arrived back at the bus
terminal Sunday evening.  After Dustin and I drove the rest of the way
home, we unloaded our belongings and settled in.  Jake was as happy to see
us, as I was to see him, and he admitted the house was very quiet and
lonely while we were away.  I think I made him forget about that, once we
were alone in our room.

The next few days were kind of quiet, after I returned to work.  Thursday
night I received a call from Robert, because he felt it was time to check
up on us again.  He asked about our vacation and I also told him about our
trip to see Frankie.  We were having a very pleasant conversation, and then
Robert dropped a bombshell.

"Pop, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I think you have the
right to know," he began, which made me begin to worry.  I had no idea what
he was getting at.

"Have you been in contact with Marie at all?" he asked next, which confused
me even more.

"I did receive a short email from her, but I haven't really talked to her
since the blowup at the house," I confirmed.  "Why, what does that have to
do with anything?"

"I just asked, to see if she might have contacted you and explained the
situation herself," he replied.

"What situation?" I asked, rather tersely.

"Pop, I happened to call her a week ago, just to see how she was doing and
she happened to mention she was pregnant again," Robert advised me.  "She
says she's due in the middle of August, so you're going to be a grandfather
again.  Hell, this one might even be born on your birthday."

I was taken aback by the news.  Not only was Marie going to have another
child, but it also might be born on the same day I was.  The news rocked my
world in the sense that I was going to be a grandfather again, but it was
tempered by the fact that I also might never see this grandchild.  I didn't
know if Adrian would declare a truce long enough for me to visit or for
them to bring the baby here, but I hoped that might happen.  It was hard
enough not seeing any of them, but not getting to meet my newest grandchild
was more than I thought I could handle.  Damn, maybe that's what they were
hoping for, that I'd fold and give in to their demands.  I won't do that,
no matter how badly I wish to see this child, but I pray they might relent
long enough for a short visit, one way or the other.

I had been dwelling on this development for over a week, while trying to
see if I could come up with a way to improve the situation.  I wanted to
call Marie and speak with her directly, but I didn't want to place Robert
in the middle, by having her know he had blabbed to me.  It wouldn't be
difficult for her to figure out he was my source and I felt she and Adrian
might get upset and not speak with him any longer, if they found out.  I
was still debating this issue, when I received a call.

"Hi, Dad, it's me," the voice said.

"Hi, Frankie.  What's up?" I replied.

"Well, I told you I'd call once I received my orders," he stated.  "So I'm
keeping my word."

"Okay, where are you going and what will you be doing?" I asked.

"Dad, are you sure you are ready for this?" Frankie countered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I followed, while wondering what he was getting at.

"Dad, at first it looked as if I was going to be deployed to Iraq," Frankie
answered, "but that's changed.  I was told my battalion and brigade
commanders fought to have a couple of us get a special posting.  I'm going
to be sent to Guantanamo, that's in Cuba, to work in the prisons there."

"I know where Guantanamo is," I countered, "but I didn't know there was a
prison there."

"Yes.  There is," he advised me.  "I guess in 2003 the military brought ten
prisoners from Afghanistan, because they felt they were too dangerous to
leave over there.  Since then, they've also brought a few terrorists to
join them and I understand there going to be adding a new section onto the
prison in early next year."

I didn't respond for a few seconds, so I heard Frankie's voice again.
"Dad, are you still there?  Are you all right?"

"Yes, Frankie," I replied.  "I was just trying to put this into perspective
and assess what it was going to mean for you.  Even though we thought you
might be sent to Iraq, this changes things.  It sounds as if these are the
most dangerous of the prisoners, so I hope it's fairly safe and secure
there."

"I'm sure it is," he confirmed, "but I was told the CO wanted us to be sent
there for the experience.  The two of us that have been assigned there both
have our two-year degrees and were at the top of our class during training.
I guess they were impressed with us and thought this could help us advance
in our careers."

"That part sounds good," I admitted, "and I guess we should just be proud
that you did well enough to be selected.  The few, the proud…"

"Dad, I'm not a Marine," he teased.

"But what is it going to be like for you when you're not working?" I
followed.

"I guess there's a pretty big base down there, mostly Navy," he informed
me, "but I hear there's plenty of stuff to occupy us.  I've been told
there's a mixed group working at the prison, including C.I.A. and private
contractors.  This is supposed to be top-notch and pretty advanced stuff,
so I'm kind of excited about it too."  This information made me feel a
little better, but I was still concerned.

"Frankie, just be careful while you're there," I advised him.  "These are
dangerous men and who knows what they're capable of, if they get the
chance.  I'd like to get you back in one piece and still breathing."

"That's what I want too, Dad," he confirmed, "but I knew what I was getting
into when I signed up.  I'll be fine, so don't worry."

"Frankie, you know I'll worry, no matter what you tell me," I countered,
"but please keep in touch.  I want to hear from you as often as possible,
whether it is in the form of a letter, email or phone call.  I know you'll
probably have Internet access there, so keep that in mind too, especially
if you can get a web-cam hookup.

"I will, Dad," he concurred.  "I love you and Uncle Jake, plus all my
brothers too.  Please make sure to tell them I said that.  Okay?"

"Of course,' I agreed.  "I'll be happy to pass your message along.  Take
care, son.  I love you and can't wait until you return from there safely."

"Me too!  Bye, Dad," he finished.

Now, I had something else on my plate to think about.