Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:19:55 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 7 - 8

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 7 -- Getting Into the Swing of Things.

The next day, after work, I hopped on my computer to check my mail.  I was
pleased to note that in addition to the normal junk, I also received an
email from Frankie.  I quickly opened it to see what he had to say.


Dad,

I've been working at Guantanamo for a while now, and I'm sort of shocked by
the prisoners they've got here.  I can't say much, because you know how the
army is about giving away information.  Right now I'm just observing and
assisting the more experienced guys, but all I can say is it isn't quite
what I was expecting.  I'm pretty sure I won't be able to use much of what
they're doing here, once I get back to civilian life.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I was okay and keeping the country
safe from these terrorists, but looking around, I'm not positive that's
quite what I'm doing.  Say hello to everyone for me, especially Jake.  I
hope you told him I missed seeing him at my graduation, but I understand
why he couldn't make it.  I hope he and the rest of you are well and I'll
contact you again, when I get another chance.

My Love to All, Frank


After reading his message, I was convinced it was the most cryptic email
I've ever received from Frankie.  What the hell was he insinuating when he
said he wouldn't be able to use the techniques he was learning there?
Weren't investigative and interrogation techniques fairly standard and
universal?  And what did he mean when he said he wasn't sure if he was
keeping the country safe from terrorists?  Isn't that how we got into this
mess in the first place?

I know he probably wasn't able to come right out and say things, because of
the military censors, but this email was really out there.  I thought back
to the old World War II expression that 'loose lips sink ships,' which
meant when people talk, the information can reach the enemy and cause
losses, but I didn't see anything in his message that would do such a
thing.  Could it be possible that the censors had deleted some things and
that's why Frankie's message seemed so obtuse?  I guess it's possible, but
I really would like to know what's going on.  Maybe he'll be able to say
more in his next correspondence.

Since I hadn't been able to tell him about Jake's bout with cancer before
this, I thought I would do so in the return email.  I would also tell him
about everything else that had happened, including the fact that Marie was
pregnant, although I've yet to hear what she had.

Back on the home front, tomorrow night was the first home football game and
the boys were busy double-checking to see if they had ordered or picked up
what they needed to pull this off.  They were also contacting the other
students that had signed up to work, to make certain they were going to be
there.  By the end of the evening they were pretty calm and felt all the
bases had been covered, until someone mentioned about not having a cash box
or getting change for it.  They quickly jotted down what coins they would
need, along with a sufficient quantity of ones and a few fives, so they
could break larger bills, if necessary.

"Dad," Dion began, when he came up to me, "I know students aren't supposed
to leave campus during the day, but I was wondering if you would write me a
note so I could."

"Why do you have to leave during school hours?" I wondered.

"To get change for the concession stand," he stated.  "I'm afraid we'll get
busy with taking the items down to the stand after school and the bank
closes early.  It's kind of an emergency, so I really need to do this."

"Do you know what you need and do you have the money for it?" I followed.

"Yes, here's the list and here's the cash," he responded, while holding
both out where I could see them.

"Why don't you give them to me and I'll get everything for you on my lunch
hour," I suggested.  "I don't want to set a precedent for this or have
others believe that my sons can get permission to flaunt school policies."

Dion thought having me do it would be fine, as long as they had what they
needed, so he handed me the list and money.  "Thanks, Dad," he told me,
before leaving.  "I think that takes care of the only thing we'd forgotten
to do."

Friday afternoon, I did run out on my lunch hour and went to the bank.  I
got everything Dion had requested and took it back to my office.  I put it
in one of the cash boxes we kept on hand for various school activities and
planned on giving it to him after school.  He was going to stop by and pick
it up, so they could get everything ready for the game.

I attended the game too, to show my school spirit and support, and went to
the concession stand at halftime, to see how things were going.  Everything
appeared to be running smoothly, even though the lines were quite long, as
everyone tried to grab a little something before the second half began.  I
was also pleased to note the crowd seemed favorable to what they were
offering and about how long they had to wait in line before being served.

After I got what I wanted, along with something for Jake, Andrew and Jesse,
I went back to my seat.  Andrew and Jesse were the only ones sitting with
us this evening, since the others were all helping out at the concession
stand.  I guess I might as well get used to the fact that nearly all the
boys are at college and three more would soon be following suit, with Sammy
going off the year after that.  It certainly is different, as the house
continues to grow more and more quiet, but I knew that's what had to be.  I
just wasn't sure I could handle taking on any more responsibility and any
new boys.

After the game, when everyone had returned home, the boys told me they were
pleased with how things went and didn't foresee any problems for the other
games either.  They also told me how much profit they made, which wasn't
bad for just one night.  They also informed me many of those same people
were going to be in charge of running the concession stand for the next
game, so they could concentrate on the dance.  The dance was going to be
held following the next home game and the boys were excited that it was
going to be open to everyone and their partners.  Although I wasn't sure if
any of them would be dancing with another boy, they merely seemed thrilled
that the stigma might finally be lifted, so others could feel free to enjoy
themselves in public.  Maybe, just maybe, we might have come a long way,
baby -- but I'll reserve my final decision about that until after the dance
has been held.

Saturday was a pretty laid back and relaxing day for us.  We didn't have
anything special planned and I think we were all enjoying this break from
the hectic schedule we had been adhering to.  Just after lunch, my cell
phone rang and I noticed it was my son, Robert, calling.  I couldn't
imagine what he wanted, since I had spoken with him just a few days prior.
Nonetheless, I answered, to see what was up.

"Hey, what's going on?" I began.

"I take it you knew it was me?" he teased.

"Yes, I saw your name on my caller I.D.," I replied.  "So what's up?  I
didn't expect to hear from you again so soon."

"You should have," he responded.  "I told you I'd call if I learned
anything about Marie and the baby."  How the hell did I forget that?

"So she called you?" I asked.

"No, I called there and Adrian told me she had a little girl on August 19,
the day after your birthday."  I was thrilled, but my joy was somewhat
tempered.  After all, Marie and Adrian hadn't decided to share this
information with me and I was convinced I might never get to hold this
granddaughter.

"Do you know anything else?" I asked, after a slight hesitation.

"Yes, the baby weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces and they named her Kylie
Marie," Robert answered.

I was somewhat stunned he had so much information, but maybe I shouldn't
have been.  After all, they were upset with me, not him, and Robert was
Kylie's uncle.

"Pop, are you still there?" Robert wondered, aloud.  I had been lost in my
thoughts and hadn't responded, so he thought we might have lost the
connection.

"Yes, I'm here," I confirmed.  "I was just thinking about the baby and
wondering if I'd ever get to meet her."

"I'm sure you will," Robert assured me.  "Marie even asked if I was going
to call and tell you.  When I didn't immediately tell her, she whispered
that she hoped I would, so I think she's pushing Adrian in that direction."
My heart leapt when I heard this.

"Really, she wanted you to tell me?" I questioned.

"Yes, she did," he stated.  "I think she wanted to call you herself, but
Adrian might have been against it.  Just give them time and I'm sure she'll
work something out."  I wasn't as optimistic as he was, but I agreed to be
patient.  What else could I do?

Robert and I talked for quite a while longer, about world events and life
in general, but nothing really specific or earthshaking.  Before we hung
up, I thanked him for calling and sharing the information about Kylie with
me and told him it was the best news I could have received and would only
have been better if I could get to see the baby too.  He laughed and said
I'd be able to do that in time, so we ended the call on that very positive
note.

After I relayed this information to Jake and the boys, the boys wanted us
to take them out, so they could buy congratulatory cards to send to Adrian
and Marie.  I thought it was an excellent idea, so I picked one up too.  I
thought by extending this peace offering, of sorts, it might be enough to
push Adrian a little further in my direction.  After all, I didn't think it
would hurt to congratulate them on the birth of their child.  I wouldn't
put in a request to see them or the baby, but I wouldn't stop the boys from
doing it.  After all, it was their niece too.

When we got back to the house, we dropped the boys off and told them Jake
and I had a couple more errands to run.  They wanted to go with us, but I
explained this was something we needed to do on our own, without explaining
why.  They only protested slightly, before Jake and I drove away.  I didn't
want them with me, because Jake and I had to pick up a few things we had
previously bought for Jesse, but hadn't picked up yet.  We were also going
to purchase a few other smaller gifts, to complete what we were going to
give him.  This was going to be Jesse's first birthday party as a member of
the family and I wanted him to remember it.  He wouldn't be turning eleven
until Thursday, but I elected to hold his party before then.  Since some of
the extended family already had plans for today, so I'd set the party up
for tomorrow.  I knew it would come as a big surprise to Jesse, since it
was a few days early.  I just didn't feel it would have the same impact if
we waited until next weekend, after his birthday had actually taken place.

Since the members of our extended family had shared with me what they were
going to get for him as well, I now knew what else I should pick up, to
fill in the gaps.  With that in mind, Jake and I went shopping and picked
up several new items, in addition to everything else, which we stuffed into
the Yukon.  On the way back, we also stopped at the grocery store and
picked up his cake, as well as the ice cream and a few other things we
needed.  When we returned home, we'd make it look as if at least part of
our trip was to do some grocery shopping, hoping that would keep them from
trying to pry into what we had been up to.  We left the cake and presents
in the car and would smuggle them into the house later, when the boys were
busy doing other things.

In the meantime, we brought the groceries in and put them away and Jake
snuck the ice cream into the rec room and put it in the large freezer
there.  Later, he also snuck in the cake and put it in the spare
refrigerator in the rec room, because the boys hardly ever went to get
anything out of it.  It was mainly for the extra supplies that need to be
refrigerated and we couldn't fit in the refrigerator in the kitchen.

I hadn't told the boys what I had planned either, since I felt they might
give the surprise away.  Therefore, Jake and I did all the preparations for
the party, which we would hold after we got home from church.  When the
boys went out for their bike ride and Andrew was in his room, Jake and I
brought all of Jesse's presents inside, and stored them in our room.  It
was kind of hard to keep them all out of sight, especially the one gift,
but we managed and felt it would only have to work for a single day.

For the rest of the day, Jake and I stayed away from our room and tried to
make sure the boys were occupied with other things.  I started a
conversation with them about what they were planning for the dance and then
discussed what activities they had planned after that.  I was hopeful there
wouldn't be any problems at any of these events, but I couldn't shake my
concerns that there might be a few students that might try to disrupt the
dance.  We were going to have quite a few adults there to guard against
such an occurrence, but even the best plans can still fail.

Later, when we turned in for the evening, Jake and I were relieved we had
made it through the day without things being discovered.  We would get up
early and go to church, and then we'd have the party once we returned home.
Sally and Steve both have spare keys, which they use to check on the house
whenever we are away, and I told them to let themselves and the others in
before we got back.  I told them they could hide in the family room and I'd
send Jesse in, once we got back.

I even told Steve to have everyone meet at his place first and then he
could drive them all up in one of our vehicles.  Mary could drive Steve up
before then, so he could pick up the Suburban to use for that purpose.  I
told him where I'd leave the key and then he could drive everyone to our
place in it, so there wouldn't be a bunch of other cars parked in front.  I
know this was getting quite elaborate, but we were all excited to see how
Jesse would react, once he became aware of what we were doing.

The next morning, after we got the boys up, we told them to come down for
some breakfast, before we went to church.  They all looked at me oddly,
because this wasn't our normal routine, and one of them finally spoke up.

"Why?  Aren't we going out to brunch afterward?" Sammy inquired.

"No, we're going to have a cookout after the service," I explained.  "I
heard it was supposed to be a nice day, so I thought it would be a good
idea to do that instead, before the weather starts to turn colder.  I also
know the food always seems to taste better when it's cooked on the grill
and we eat it outside, so I thought it would be nice to do this one more
time."  No one disagreed and happily did what I'd asked.

The service seemed to drag on today, possibly because I was so anxious to
get back and spring our little surprise.  Once the pastor gave the final
benediction, I took my time leaving and stopped to chat with him, and
several others, on the way out.  The boys were getting antsy and wondering
why I was dallying today, since I usually hustled everyone outside and into
the Yukon, so we could go to brunch before the rest of the crowd got there.
They couldn't figure out why I wasn't doing this now, since we still had to
get everything ready for the cookout, but I was trying to give our guests
time to get there and hide, before we showed up.  I certainly didn't want
to get there before they did or arrive before they were ready, because that
would totally spoil the surprise for Jesse.

Finally, we loaded up the Yukon and were off, but I drove a little slower
on the way back.  Graham commented about this, saying I was 'driving like
some 80-year old on his once a week trip away from the house.'  I thanked
him for pointing that out to me, while responding as if I were an old
geezer and didn't have any teeth.  The other boys laughed at my impression,
but Little Ricky had his own observation.

"So that's how you're going to sound next year, when you're eighty?" he
teased.

"You better believe it, you young whippersnapper," I replied, "and you're
definitely sleeping in the doghouse tonight."

"But we don't have a doghouse," he shot back.

"Too bad for you then," I countered. "I guess you'd better start building
one pronto, unless you just want to sleep in the yard, under the stars."
Now the other boys were laughing at him and calling him 'Fido' and 'Rover.'
They also warned him it was going to get pretty cold outside, when winter
arrived again.

It was at that moment I pulled into our driveway, but the boys continued
ribbing Little Ricky.  "There's a nice spot under that tree," Andrew
offered.  "The ground's not too hard there and it might keep you drier when
it rains."

"He'd be better off under the front porch," Dion countered, "and that would
keep the snow off of him in the winter too."

"Yeah, if all the snow doesn't pile up outside and trap him under there,"
Sammy pointed out.

The boys were all laughing as we got out of the vehicle and headed toward
the front door.  I had my arm around Jesse as we made our way there and
Jake unlocked the door for us.  I guided Jesse toward the family room and
he didn't seem curious as to why, until I opened the door and everyone
yelled, "Surprise!"  I think Jesse first thought that this was for me,
until our guests began wishing him a happy birthday.

"Today's not my birf-day," Jesse informed me.

"I know.  It's on Thursday," I agreed, "but we always have parties for the
boys on the weekend, usually the one before their birthday."  Suddenly,
Jesse started crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.  "Isn't Thursday your birthday either?"
After a few seconds, Jesse looked up at me and answered.

"It is," he confessed, "but I haven't had a pah-ty since I was seven.  John
said I'd have to ask, if I wanted one, but he knew I couldn't."  Jesse
started crying again, after telling me this, so I tried to comfort him.

"Well, you don't have to ask while you're here," I began, "although you
could, since your speech has improved so much.  Don't think about John any
more and just have a good time.  Today is just for you."

Andrew had already come over and put his arm around Jesse's shoulder, as he
wished him a happy birthday too.  The other boys followed, as well as our
guests, and Jesse was now the center of attention.  I don't think I've ever
seen a happier kid in my entire life.

Jake went out and fired up the grills, while the boys, as well as a few of
our guests, helped us carry everything else out.  Andrew was busy
explaining to Jesse that we would never have considered NOT having a party
for him, although he confessed I had kept this a secret even from him.
Jesse just smiled and hugged him, and then they went around to spend time
with everyone else.

After we finished eating, I called Jesse over so he could begin opening his
presents.  There was quite a stack of them and his eyes bulged out from his
head.

"Those are all for me?" he wondered.

"I don't know anyone else that's having a birthday today," I quipped back.

"That is more than I ever got for Chriss-mas," he told us, while pointing
at the pile.

"Well, you may not get this much every year," I explained, "but we want to
make your first year as part of the family special."  Jesse merely smiled
and thanked us.

Jesse received several packages containing new clothes, which he
desperately needed.  He had grown a little since he'd been with us, but he
was also filling out and putting on some weight.  For those reasons, he was
quickly outgrowing the things he currently had.  He also got a nice
backpack, which he could use for school, and a few things to play with, but
his final gift was what he loved the most.  After he had opened everything
else, Jake emerged from the house with Jesse's last present, which we had
hidden under the bed, at least most of it.

"A new bike?" Jesse asked, as his eyes shot open as wide as they could get.
"Is that for me?"

"It is," I confirmed, "and the doctor says Andrew should be well enough to
go riding with you again by next weekend.  He may not be able to ride as
far and might have to stay where it is fairly flat for a while, at least
until his leg gets stronger.  When you do go out together, you'll now have
a new, and slightly larger, bike to use."

Jesse hugged me, then Jake and finally Andrew, when he realized what this
meant.  His best birthday present of all was that he was getting his best
buddy back, so they could do everything together again.



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 8 -- Problems, Problems.

When Thursday rolled around, we still acknowledged Jesse's true birth date
and wished him a happy birthday again.  The boys also gave him cards and
small presents or gift certificates, because they felt bad they had nothing
to give him at the party, since I'd kept it a surprise.  It was very
obvious that Jesse appreciated their gesture; although he did tell them
he'd already received way more than he expected.  In turn, the boys told
him they always did something for their other brothers, so he should just
get used to it and enjoy what he got.  Jesse thanked them again and I could
tell he truly felt special and an integral part of the family now.

That night, after they went to their room, Andrew gave him an additional
present.  Since we'd returned from the cruise, the boys pretty much stopped
doing those types of things for a while, because Andrew knew I had
originally wanted to keep Jesse out of those activities for now.  However,
he felt tonight was different and he used it to give Jesse a special treat.

As soon as they were in bed, Andrew rolled over and began licking Jesse's
nipples, before continuing down the center of his chest, until he reached
Jesse's bellybutton.  Once there, Andrew let his tongue drift in and out of
the tiny depression, which got Jesse giggling, so Andrew started to move a
little lower.  When he got to the point where his tongue touched the
waistband of Jesse's underwear, Andrew hopped up on all fours.  Then, he
reached over and began pulling Jesses underpants off.  Now that Jesse was
naked, the real fun could begin.

Andrew quickly bent over Jesse's prone body and began running his tongue
around Jesse's immature penis, which immediately sprang to life.  When this
happened, Andrew slid slightly lower and ran his tongue over Jesse's
scrotum, but he also took time to allow each little marble to pop into his
mouth, so he could lave it further.  Once he released Jesse's little pouch,
he licked up and down the throbbing shaft, before allowing his tongue to
circle the head.  This slow, erotic oral bath had Jesse squirming on the
bed, which let Andrew know Jesse was now ready for the payoff.  Andrew
eagerly slipped his mouth over the knob and swallowed Jesse's wand down to
the root, before he began bobbing up and down on it.

By now, Jesse was beside himself with pleasure, as Andrew hit all the spots
he knew Jesse received so much enjoyment from.  Jesse's little butt was
bouncing off the mattress, as he met and mirrored each of Andrew's actions,
and their cooperative effort worked as flawlessly as a well-oiled engine.
They kept this up for a couple of minutes, before Jesse began to feel the
tingling sensations building in his groin.  Even though it only signaled
the beginnings of a dry-orgasm, the intensity of the feeling was nearly as
powerful as any climax the older boys might experience.  Once his cock
stopped twitching and his body settled down from the orgasmic convulsions
it went through, Jesse lay motionless on the bed.  Andrew merely looked up
at Jesse's face, while sporting his own enormous grin, because he could
tell how much Jesse had enjoyed what he had just done for him.

Once Jesse returned to his senses, he sat up and informed Andrew he wanted
to do the same thing for him.

"You don't need to," Andrew explained.  "That was just an extra birthday
present from me to you -- something for you to enjoy, but you don't have to
return the favor."

"But I want too," Jesse countered.  "I like doing it to you as much as
having you do it to me.  Pweeeeeze.  Let me do it to you now."

"Jesse, are you sure?" Andrew asked, to verify Jesse truly felt this way.
"I mean it, you don't have to do it to me too."

"But I weally want to," Jesse replied.  "I didn't like doing it so much
when I had to do it to John, but I liked it a lot when I did it with you
and Barry.  Pweeeeze.  Won't you do it as another part of my pwesent?"

Hearing Jesse put it that way, Andrew wasn't about to refuse.  Actually,
once Jesse brought it up, he was looking forward to having it done to him
too, but he just didn't want Jesse to feel he was obligated to return the
favor.  Now that he understood Jesse actually wanted to do this, he was
more than happy to allow him to have his fun.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Andrew said, and almost before the words
escaped his lips, Jesse was tugging down Andrew's briefs.  Andrew wasn't
sure if this was because Jesse enjoyed it so much or if he was afraid
Andrew would change his mind, but either way, Jesse was on him, like a cat
on a mouse.

In fact, Jesse skinned back the extra flesh and exposed the head of that
little mouse and toyed with it, like the cat with its victim.  He was all
over it, moving it back and forth, sliding the skin up and down, and
swiping at it with his tongue.  This action caused Andrew to become erect
within seconds, and Jesse soon grew tired of playing these games and
swallowed his prey.

Jesse was attacking Andrew's dick, like a man on a mission, and wasn't
about to stop until Andrew received as much pleasure form his actions, as
he had felt from Andrew's.  He was nodding up and down on that bad boy,
while fondling Andrew's nuts with one hand and tweaking one of Andrew's
nipples with the other.  This multi-pronged stimulation had Andrew writhing
and moaning on the mattress and frantically clawing at Jesse's head.  Oh,
not enough to hurt him, but enough to let him know the effect Jesse was
having on him, and Jesse swelled with pride, knowing how much Andrew was
enjoying this attention.

After a couple of frantic minutes of this sensuous and rhythmic dance,
Andrew's body stiffened and then arched upward, as his torso shuddered with
delight.  His body was tingling from head to toe, as a powerful dry orgasm
overtook him and then he crashed back to earth, with the mattress
swallowing up his backside once again.  When he was able to speak again,
his thank you to Jesse came out as one very rapid and hectic run-on
sentence, during which he didn't stop to breathe, even though he must have
gone on for nearly two minutes.  Jesse merely smiled, knowing he had
brought as much satisfaction to his best bud, as Andrew had done for him.
Once things settled down, the boys cuddled up beside one another and
drifted off into a deep, blissful slumber.

Friday, during the day, was fairly routine and uneventful for us.  We did
have plans for later that evening, because we were all looking forward to
attending the second home football game.  In fact, this time when game day
rolled around, the boys had everything they needed to open the concession
stand and make sure it would be up and running.  However, the concession
stand was not their only, or primary, concern this week, because the game
was going to be followed by the gay-straight alliance dance.
Unfortunately, they still had a number of things they wanted to finish
before the dance began.

You see, other than running the concession stand, this was going to be the
first major activity the club had sponsored and the boys wanted it to be
perfect.  Each of them was running around like a chicken with its head cut
off, as they tried to put the finishing touches on the projects they were
working on.  In fact, they were so worried they weren't going to finish in
time that they even decided to skip going to the football game altogether,
so they could use the time to finish getting set-up for the dance.

Even though they were just planning on playing CD's to provide the music,
they were still working on which songs to play.  They had put their CD
collections together for this event and noted which songs would be
appropriate and appreciated by their fellow students.  With this in mind,
they made a list of the songs they were going to use from each CD and got
them set up in a fairly organized fashion.  A couple of the boys were also
working on putting up a large sign showing the gay- straight alliance was
sponsoring the dance and welcoming EVERYONE to attend.  They had put up
multiple posters around school during the week, which basically said the
same thing, but the boys wanted a larger sign for everyone to see as they
entered.

I kept checking on the group running the concession stand and they were
doing a marvelous job.  Once the third quarter ended, they closed down and
began cleaning up, so they could leave and help the others get ready for
the dance too.  My boys finished up what they needed to accomplish shortly
after the other group arrived, so then they merely waited for the crowd to
show up.

As soon as the game ended, I said good-bye to Jake, Andrew and Jesse,
because Jake was taking that pair home.  Neither Jake nor I felt it would
be appropriate for them to be at the dance too, so we felt this would be
best.  Once they had departed, I began walking toward the high school and
was soon joined by several faculty members and a horde of students.  We
were all moving in the same direction, so it looked as if the boys would
have a fairly sizable crowd and the dance would be a success.

The policemen that had been there, to oversee the game and make sure there
weren't any fights or incidents during or after the event, had also agreed
to help with the dance.  They were going to stay outside the entrance to
the gymnasium, to prevent any problems and help control the crowd.  I told
them they would only have to stay until most of the students were inside
and then they could leave.  Before long, though, one of the policemen
approached me, to bring something to my attention.

"Mr. Currie, there's a small group forming outside and it looks as if
they're planning to protest the dance," he began.  "What would you like us
to do about it?"

"Let me check it out first, and see what they're up to," I answered.  "I
believe I might know who is responsible for this and can surmise what
they're trying to do."

I then went over to the door and looked out at the scene unfolding a short
distance away.  I wasn't surprised to discover our disgruntled board member
and four or five others carrying signs and shouting homophobic slurs.
Knowing what was going on and anticipating how far they might be willing to
go, I turned to the policeman and responded.

"Such conduct is not allow on school property, because their actions are in
violation of school policy," I began.  "Tell them if they want to protest,
they'll have to do so on the public sidewalk and not on school grounds.
Unfortunately for them, the sidewalk is about thirty yards from where they
are currently standing.  If they give you any trouble, you have my approval
to arrest them and the district will file charges."  He nodded and went
back to inform the other officers.

I was hoping this group would just move and do as they were told, and most
did.  The only exception was the pain in my backside, our bigoted board
member.  When he was told what the officers were ordering them to do, he
became verbally abusive.  He referred to the policemen as 'Gestapo agents'
and called them 'Storm Troopers.'  Since he wasn't cooperating, the
officers tried to forcibly guide him to the area I had designated would be
appropriate for them to continue their activities, but this provoked the
angry board member even more.  In response to the policemen trying to move
his demonstration, he ended up pushing one officer and then tried to take a
swing at another, after the second officer had stepped forward to restrain
him.  Once that happened, he was arrested and taken away in a squad car.
Seeing what happened to their leader, the others with him quickly moved to
the area indicated.  They must have lost heart, without him there to lead
and egg them on, because they only stayed around for another fifteen to
twenty minutes.

Once they departed, one of the officers returned to the school and advised
me about what had happened.  He said I could file a trespassing and
unlawful demonstration complaint, but the guy was definitely going to be
charged with assaulting two police officers.  He said the first officer had
shown considerable restraint in not reacting to the guy initially,
especially after he got in the officers face and started calling him names,
but he continued to be uncooperative.  After several requests to move to
the appropriate area, the officer tried to guide him to the location and
that's when the board member turned and pushed him, which knocked the
officer off balance and he fell.  When another officer ran forward to get
in between them and get the man to do as requested, the board member threw
a haymaker punch at the cop.  The policeman ducked the blow, grabbed the
man's arm and brought it behind his back, so he could put him in handcuffs,
before placing him in a patrol car.  They took him off to jail after that,
where he would be booked and charged.

Although I was dismayed to hear this report, I thought it would only serve
as another nail in this guy's coffin, since he was running for re-election
now.  Even those sympathetic to his arguments would be less than favorably
impressed by his subsequent actions.  This was a very law abiding
community, for the most part, and any assault on a police officer carrying
out his duty would be looked down upon.  I think that's why his other
supporters left a short time later, once they realized he had gone too far.

I went back inside and the rest of the evening went very well.  No one at
the dance, other than the officers outside and a handful of chaperones I
told about the incident, knew what had happened.  I don't think any of the
students realized what had taken place, but they had heard the board member
and his followers ranting against allowing gays to dance with each other.
However, none of them were outside when the altercation and subsequent
arrest happened.  I was fairly certain something would appear in the
following day's newspaper though, and then the entire community would soon
know what had occurred.

During the remainder of the evening, I wandered around the gym and chatted
with some of the students, as they enjoyed themselves.  I did see a couple
of girls dancing with other girls, which isn't that unusual, except when it
also happened during the slow dances.  I was disappointed that I didn't
notice any guys dancing with other boys, but maybe I was expecting too
much, too soon.  My sons were busy playing the CD's and making sure
everything was going well, so they didn't get a chance to do anything like
that either.  Even if they could have, I'm not sure any of them would have,
since I think all four consider themselves bi.  Yes, Dion plans to stay
with Trey, Sammy might be interested in Ted and Graham and Little Ricky had
also been involved with each other, but I'm not sure any of them, except
for Dion, saw himself as spending the rest of his life loving another male.
I may be wrong and they might dance with each other if they are given the
chance, but I'm fairly positive Dion would only dance with Trey, if he were
to dance with another guy.

Once the dance ended, Dion thanked everyone for coming and said he hoped
they'd had a good time.  The student body then cheered their appreciation,
which let the boys know they had, indeed, enjoyed themselves.  Once the gym
cleared out, the boys packed up their things and we all went home.  Other
than the problems caused by the adults outside the building, there were no
other incidents.

We talked about this later and each of the boys seemed pleased with how
things turned out.  They weren't surprised to learn what had happened with
the board member and chuckled over the fact that he got arrested.  They
said it served him right and he probably should have been arrested earlier
and charged with inciting a riot, although I wouldn't exactly call what
they did a riot.

Monday, it was the talk of the school.  Several people, including my
secretary, approached me and shared their own views concerning what had
transpired.  No one seemed to be supporting the actions of our board
member, so I also hoped this was the way the rest of the community viewed
his actions, as well.

When Captain De Luca from the State Police called me at school on Tuesday,
I figured it was about the incident at the dance.  However, I didn't
understand how he would have gotten involved in that, unless the local
authorities wanted him to investigate it, to make it appear impartial.
Anyway, I picked up the phone and spoke to him.

"Josh, I have some news for you on the John Wells case," he began,
referring to Jesse's stepfather.  It hadn't even crossed my mind he might
be calling about that.  It's funny how the obvious things can sometimes
slip out of sight.

"It seems he accepted the plea agreement and was released on bail," the
Captain continued.  "He was made to wear an ankle monitor, confined to his
home and was set to plead out today.  When a couple of deputies went over
to pick him up and take him to court, he answered the door and asked them
to wait a second, while he finished getting ready.  He then went into his
bathroom, and a few seconds later, they heard a gunshot.  They pulled their
service revolvers and ran to the door, unsure what had happened.  It soon
became apparent Wells had shot himself in the head with a handgun.  He was
pronounced dead at the scene."  I was too shocked to speak.

"Josh, your son's problems are over," the Captain continued, when I didn't
respond.  "The guy took care of the situation himself and now Jesse doesn't
have to deal with him any longer, except to forget it ever happened."

"That's going to take some time," I finally answered, "but what about
Well's wife, Jesse's mother.  Did he do anything to her?"

"No.  A deputy went to contact her at work and informed her about the
incident," he replied.  "She was planning to leave him anyway, once she
discovered what he'd done to her son, but I think it came as a complete
shock and was too much for her to handle.  She collapsed after hearing the
news and had to be taken to the hospital, but the doctor's said she'd only
fainted.  She should be released shortly and the doctors say the incident
was the result of delayed shock and extreme stress."

I was glad to hear that, because I didn't want anything to happen to
Jesse's mother.  Although she hadn't protected Jesse at home, she had been
wise enough to get him away from there before something worse happened.
I'll give her that much credit, although I'm not sure what she's going to
do now.

I thanked Captain De Luca for the news and also for his help with this
matter.  He responded that he was just doing his job and I should continue
to contact him if anything else arose.  I thanked him again for everything
he had done for my family and then sat back to think if I was going to
share this information with Jesse.  After all, I didn't want him to feel
responsible in any way for his stepfather's death, but I did want him to
know the situation had been dealt with and he didn't have to worry about
the man any longer.  I had to resolve this before I went home later, in
case it aired on the news.  It wouldn't be a local story, but a child
molester that committed suicide rather than facing his punishment might
make the national news.

When I got home, I didn't address the situation immediately.  Instead, I
waited to talk it over with Jake first, to see what he thought I should do.
After speaking with him, I finally decided how I was going to handle this,
but waited until after we finished dinner before I pulled Jesse aside.
When he was about to leave the table, I asked him to come with me for a
second and took him outside on the porch.  Andrew followed along, so I
debated if I should send him back into the house or let him stay.  After
considering it further, I decided Andrew might be an asset, rather than a
hindrance, since he might be able to help Jesse work through this later.
Therefore, I sat a boy on either side of me, as we took our places on the
porch swing.

"Jesse, I think you'll remember that I told you the State Police were
looking into what your stepfather did to you," I began.  "Do you remember
that?"  Jesse merely nodded his head.

"Well, he was all set to take a plea agreement today, which would have
meant he was going to spend quite a bit of time in prison," I continued.

"Do I have to tell what he did to me in court?" Jesse asked, looking
panicked.

"No!  By accepting the plea agreement, he would admit to what he did, but
you wouldn't be mentioned by name, nor would you have to testify," I
explained.

"That's good," Jesse replied, while breathing a sigh of relief.

"The thing is," I continued, "he never went to court."

"Why not?" Jesse asked, quite loudly.  I could see he was worried about
this now.

"Jesse, there's no need for concern and he'll never bother you again," I
told him, as gently as I could.  "Instead of going to prison, he decided
he'd rather commit suicide.  He's dead, Jesse."

"But how?" Jesse wondered.

"It's my understanding that he shot himself," I answered.  "I guess he was
just afraid of being locked up behind bars for what he'd done.  He knows
the other prisoners look down on those that hurt children, so they might
have done bad things to him, to make him pay for what he'd done."  Jesse
looked thoughtful for a few seconds and then his eyes shot open in fear.

"What about my mom?" Jesse screamed.

"She's fine," I assured him.  "She did faint when she was told about what
your stepfather did, but other than that she is doing well."  Jesse seemed
to relax, after I told him this.

"Will I get to see her?" Jesse wondered.

"I'm not sure," I answered.  "I guess we'll have to wait and see if she
contacts us.  If she does, I'll talk it over with you and see how you want
to handle it."

"Does this mean Jesse is going to go back and live with his mother now?"
Andrew asked, deeply troubled.

"Andrew, we don't know about any of that yet," I replied, "but if it comes
up, I'll talk it over with Jesse and see what he wants to do.  I know it
will be a very difficult decision for him to make, so I hope you won't make
it even harder for him."

"But he's my brother now and I don't want him to leave," Andrew confessed,
while looking at Jesse.  I could tell both boys were bothered about this,
but for different reasons.

"I understand that, Andrew, but in the end we're going to have to do what's
right and best for Jesse, not for us," I explained.  "Let's not worry about
that now though, because nothing has been said about it.  Who knows, his
mother may just want to be able to meet with Jesse from time to time,
rather than having him come back to live with her.  However, we won't know
for certain until she contacts us."

This seemed to help reduce some of the tension each of them was feeling and
they relaxed a bit.  It doesn't mean they aren't still concerned about what
decisions might still have to be made and what was going to happen, but
they looked at it as something that would happen in the future and not as
something that was going to take place today.  Once I was certain they were
okay with this, we went back inside, but I made sure they understood they
could each come to me if they had any more questions or concerns.  After
agreeing that they understood, I let them go off on their own.