Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2010 22:09:58 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 5, chapters 11 - 12

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 11 -- Vinnie.                      

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

Late Saturday afternoon, my older kids began to leave and return to their
own homes with their families.  It is always sad to say good-bye to them,
but they were all planning to return for either Christmas or New Year's, so
we would see each of them again fairly soon.  Once they had all returned to
their own lives, the boys slowly moved back into their own rooms.  This
fascinated Tom as well -- that the boys had given up their rooms without
complaint to make space for those who no longer lived with us, as if it
were some big deal.  He later told me that he felt his room was his only
sanctuary and refuge from the unhappiness he felt.  He went on to say that
it was also the only place he could cling to as being just his, so he would
never have considered moving out of it to make room for someone else, even
for one night.  However, he now claimed that staying with us had made him
look at things in a whole new light.

By the time Sunday arrived, the three college boys were feeling sad knowing
they would have to leave soon.  However, first we went to church and then
out for brunch, before it was time for them to head back to their
respective campuses.  Tom, more than the others, found it difficult to say
good-bye.  He thanked all of us for being so nice and told us he wanted to
come back soon, so I immediately reminded him he was always welcome in our
home.  Jake had volunteered to drive Frankie and Tom back, since Dustin had
managed to find another ride, with a friend of his. I happily let Dustin go
with this other person, once I'd met him and was convinced he was
responsible, but it was nearly midnight before Jake returned home, after
making that lengthy round trip.  He didn't have to go to work until Monday
afternoon, so it wasn't a big deal for him, but it did bother me.  Even
though it had taken a great deal of pressure off of my shoulders, I hated
to see him have to make that return trip all by himself.  Maybe I should
have gone along, just for the ride.

Sunday night, before Jake got back, Sally happened to inform me she had
arranged for our mystery boy to visit the following weekend.  He would
arrive Friday afternoon and then return on Sunday afternoon, but she
figured that would give us more than enough time to evaluate his situation.
She then went on to explain she had spoken to her contact on Friday and the
boy on Saturday, so most of the details had already been ironed out.  She
had also made arrangements for his transportation here, so all she had to
do was to make sure her contact arranged to have the boy driven to the
airline terminal, and then Sally would have him picked up and driven to our
house.  I insisted on being allowed to go along to meet him as soon as he
got off of the plane, and after a minor argument concerning this option,
Sally finally agreed to have the driver pick me up first, so I could ride
along with him.

During our conversation, I also discovered the boy's name was Alvin
Mitchell Rydell and he was 15-years old, but would turn 16 on December
17th.  I also learned his hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy didn't come
about until a few weeks after his birth and was the result of having been
exposed to bacterial meningitis.  By the time this was detected, the damage
had already been done and the results would be permanent.  Although neither
of these conditions was contagious and we didn't have to worry about anyone
catching either of these maladies from him, he would be plagued by the
deleterious effects of both for the remainder of his life.

Throughout the following week, I continued my research into each of those
conditions, to ensure I was fully prepared to deal with his limitations,
should he come to live with us.  I needed to know exactly what types of
special requirements each might entail, such as special care or
modifications to the home.  Not only that, but I also planned on coming up
with a list of questions to ask him about his particular situation, before
I would be able to make my final decision.

In preparation for his arrival, I conducted my initial investigation online
and then followed that up with a trip to the library, where I read through
numerous medical books and journals.  After that, I called and made an
appointment with my doctor, to see what other things he might be able to
share with me about both conditions.  I went in as his last appointment of
the day and spent about a half hour discussing the boy's situation with
him, and came away much better prepared to meet the young man in question.

I was a bit uneasy knowing I'd have to ask him many personal details, and
even though I didn't look at it as being an interrogation, I understood he
might view it as such.  Therefore, I had to make him realize I needed to
know exactly what I'd be getting myself into, should I invite him to live
with us, and he was the best source I had to gather the appropriate facts.
Although I figured I already knew the outcome of this meeting even before
it happened, especially if Brent could indeed see in the future and knew
more about this person than we did.  However, I went through the motions
anyway.

That Friday, the driver came by to pick me up, but I was able to talk him
into allowing two of my sons to join us on this venture.  I rode in front,
next to the driver, and we reached the terminal well before his plane
landed, which happened a little after 6:00 p.m.  He was easy to spot, since
he was the only one there using crutches.  They were the metal type of
crutches, the kind that wrap around the upper arm, and not the wooden type
that you place in your armpits.  I helped him retrieve his luggage and the
driver loaded his bags into the car's trunk, but the boy hadn't said very
much to me, at least as of yet.  He was shorter than I expected, only
standing about 5' 6" tall, but he was kind of cute.  He had dyed blond hair
and brown eyes, but he also seemed to have this natural glow about him.  He
appeared to be a happy and well-adjusted person; despite the bad hand life
had dealt him, not to mention having to deal with his current ill fortune.

I had brought Kevin and Graham with me, seeing they were the two most
involved with his being here, even though Kevin might not yet know how or
why.  We struck up a conversation with him as we rode back and he quickly
confirmed his name was indeed Alvin Mitchell Rydell.  When Graham asked him
if he liked to be called Al, the young man replied with an emphatic 'No!'

"I prefer to be called Alvin or Vinnie," he told us.  Obviously the name
Vinnie had come from the second half of his proper name, although I would
never have considered it an option on my own.  "I can't stand to be called
Al," he continued to inform us, "but I guess it's probably just me.  I knew
two other guys named Al, and I despised both of them, so I never wanted to
use that name for myself."

We told him whatever name he wanted to use would be fine with us, and then
the boys changed the topic and began to tell him about our family and where
we lived.  Vinnie was surprised to learn the family was so large, and all
boys to boot, but he seemed pleased by nearly everything he heard.  The
three boys did most of the talking during the entire trip home, and I was
happy to have it that way, since I would have to do my share of talking
with him once we were alone.

Before we had left home earlier, I had left instructions that dinner should
be intentionally delayed until we got back, so we could all eat together
and give Vinnie a chance to get to know everyone.  When we pulled into the
driveway, a horde of boys streamed out the various doors and ran to the car
to greet our visitor.  I thought this might overwhelm poor Vinnie, but it
seemed to have an entirely unexpected effect.  As it turned out, he was
very pleased that all of the boys had wanted to come out and greet him
personally, since he had been afraid some of them might be indifferent, or
maybe even hostile, to his coming.  I guess seeing them come out to welcome
him in this manner had allayed the worst of his fears.

The older boys took his luggage and carried it to my room, as I had
informed them he would be using it during his stay, and I'd use the sleeper
sofa.  Jake also greeted him, once Vinnie came through the door, since he
had been watching over the food as it finished cooking.  However, Vinnie
seemed to be puzzled by his being there.  I think it was because he was
expecting a woman, not another man, but I adeptly managed to sidestep that
issue for now.  I figured we could explain it later, if and when it was
determined he would be coming to live with us.

After that, I showed him where he could clean up for dinner, gave him a few
minutes to himself and then led him into the dining room.  Vinnie was
impressed by how long the table was and that there was enough room for us
all to sit together.  Once I guided him to his seat, on my left, I took my
place at the head of the table.  It had already been prearranged which of
the boys would say grace, as was our custom, and then everyone dug in to
this special meal.  Jake and the boys had certainly outdone themselves with
this dinner, and Vinnie felt honored that somehow they had discovered what
his favorite foods were and then prepared them for his visit.  This
reminded me that I'd have to send Sally and her contact a special thank you
for providing this little tidbit of information.

All through the meal, the boys either asked Vinnie questions about himself
or he was busy asking questions about us.  He wanted to know how each of
the boys had come to live with me and it was interesting to see how he
seemed to relate to some of the stories they told.  This was especially
true when Trey told his tale, since Trey had lost his family in an accident
too.  In fact, Trey's story appeared to give Vinnie a sense of hope and
possibly made him realize that life can continue after such tragedies.

After we finished out meal, I let the boys show Vinnie around the house,
but only after I questioned him privately about whether he could negotiate
the stairs on his own.  He told me that he could walk up them, but when
coming down he would sit on the top step and slide down the stairs on his
butt, as there was too great a chance he could lose his balance and fall
down the entire flight.  I told him that would be fine, and then I had
Danny spread the word to the boys about how Vinnie would negotiate this
obstacle later, so no one would think he was just being silly and make an
inappropriate comment.  Danny did as I asked, and Vinnie's whole tour went
quite well.

After Vinnie got to see the rest of our house, we went into the family room
to relax and we put a movie on for entertainment, although the boys spent
most of the time either talking or playing cards with Vinnie.  When bedtime
arrived, I sent the others to their rooms and showed Vinnie to mine.
Before he got ready for bed, I told him I would like to talk to him, as I
still had a few questions I needed to have answered.  He seemed to have no
problems with this, especially after I explained that I needed to
understand his situation more fully, before I could make a decision.  We
began by discussing his family and how he came to be orphaned, and then I
asked him if he thought he might be interested in coming to live with us.

He hesitated slightly, which began to concern me, but then his lips began
to curl slightly, just before he informed me he'd like that very much.  He
went on to say that he had been pleased by everything he'd seen and how
he'd been treated so far, so he already felt like he kind of belonged here.
Since he was so positive about it, I felt this would be the appropriate
time to discuss the details about his special needs, before I could agree
to finalize the arrangement.

"Vinnie, I see you use crutches, and quite well," I began, "but do you have
to use anything else, like maybe a walker or a wheelchair at times?"

"No, I've never had to use anything like that," he confirmed, "but I do
wear braces on my legs, under my pants."  With this pronouncement, Vinnie
lifted one pant leg and gave me a glimpse of one of his braces.

"Do you wear those all the time?" I asked him.

"Not on weekends, except sometimes if I go someplace," he explained, "but
never around the house."

"That's great!  Does your condition give you any other problems, besides
getting around?" I wondered.  "What I mean is, does it affect your speech,
your ability to eat or do you ever have seizures?"

"No, none of those things," he quickly assured me.

"That's good to hear," I agreed.  "What about any other special items you
might need, like special silverware or pen or pencil holders?"

"Nothing, except my crutches," he confirmed, but then hesitated briefly,
before he continued.  "Well, there is one other thing…" he added,
although he hesitated again and didn't look convinced he should share this
information.

"What would that be?" I asked, trying to encourage him to continue.

"Well, I had mentioned to my parents before they died," he hesitantly
added, "about maybe getting a laptop for me, to help me with schoolwork.  I
even told that to the social worker when she asked me a similar question.
I suppose I could do without it, but it sure would help make things easier
for me."

"Well, we could see what we could do to help you with that," I agreed,
although I didn't make a firm commitment to get him one.  I wanted to make
sure he wasn't playing me first, and asking for this as an added bonus for
coming to live with us.

"How about therapy?" I continued, changing the subject.  "Do you receive
any of this type of assistance and, if so, what kind?"

"I get physical therapy, both regular and pool therapy," he explained, "and
I also do weight training."

"How often do you do this and what does it involve?" I wanted to know.
When I asked him this, Vinnie began to look nervous, almost like he thought
I would think this might be too much to have to deal with.  I instantly
knew I had to reassure him, as I could read the concern on his face.

"I just need to know what kind of things I would need to provide you with,"
I explained, trying to ease his concerns, "not that it would prevent me
from allowing you to come live here."

Suddenly, a look of relief spread across Vinnie's face, almost as if a
weight had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders, and he audibly released
his breath.  I think he had been holding it in since I asked my initial
question, because he was concerned his answer might impact my
decision-making.  In response, I merely reached out, tousled his hair and
gave him a wink, which seemed to help him relax even more.  Eventually, he
began to share these details with me.

"Well, I do have physical therapy three times a week, both the regular and
the pool therapy, like I said," he told me.  "It takes about an hour and a
half to do both, with a half-hour in the pool and the rest out."

"What type of things do you do during those times?" I wanted to know.

"Mostly stretches, to help strengthen the muscles and keep them loose," he
quickly advised me.

"Okay, I see what you're getting at," I agreed.  "I suppose we could work
something out with the YMCA or the school, to use their pool, or could you
do the same things in a Jacuzzi?"

"A Jacuzzi would work fine," Vinnie quickly agreed.
 
"Great, I've been thinking about having one put in anyway," I explained,
"so this would be a good excuse to do it.  We'll build a small addition off
the downstairs bathroom and put it in there."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble," Vinnie quickly countered,
fearing he was already becoming too much of an imposition.  "I can do them
at the Y or at school, if that would be easier."

"Well, you can do them there if you want," I agreed, "but I still think I'm
going to put the Jacuzzi in anyway," I added, to relieve him of his
concerns that he might become more trouble than he was worth.

Vinnie looked up at me and smiled, as he knew I would be doing this mainly
for him, even though I tried to make it sound like I was going to have it
put in for my use.  He had a cute smile and it was infectious, so I
couldn't help but smile back at him.  We sat like this for a few seconds,
just looking at each other and smiling, before I asked him the next
question.

"You also mentioned weight training," I continued.  "What do you use, what
types of things do you do during these sessions and how often do you
workout and for how long?"

"Well, I do leg extensions and toes raises twice a week," he replied, "and
I can use a leg lift or leg extender to do it with."

"What are those?  I'm not sure I'm familiar with them," I responded.

"Well, a leg lift is a bench you sit on and put your leg under a bar," he
explained, "which you lift up with your leg.  The extender is a piece of
equipment that you sit on the seat, put both feet on a surface and then use
your legs to push the seat backward."

"Is the leg lift what a place-kicker or soccer player might use?" I asked,
in order to clarify his description.

"Yeah, the same thing," he agreed.

"Great, then I think I know where they have one," I quickly confirmed.
"Where do you normally do this?"

"My school had a leg lift, so I did it there," he explained, "and then I
would go out and walk around the track for like another 15 minutes."

"Wow, you have to have a lot of discipline to do all of that," I admitted,
astonished by his determination to keep up the hard work.  "I'm impressed."

"Well, if I want to walk, I have to do it," he admitted, "or else I might
end up being confined to a wheelchair.  I don't really have much of a
choice about doing it, do I?"

"I guess not, but I'm still impressed," I confirmed.  "I'm pretty sure the
school has a leg lift, but I'll check around to see who might also have a
leg extender.  If you don't mind, however, I still have a few more
questions for you."

"That's alright," he agreed.  "I don't mind."

"I appreciate it and thank you," I acknowledged, "but this time I would
like to know about the hydrocephalus.  I know the term means 'water on the
brain', so what I want to know is, do you have a shunt in your head for
drainage?"

"Yes, I do," he admitted.

"Does it require any special care?" I pressed.

"Only when it is malfunctioning," he explained.

"What do you do then?" I wanted to know.

"Well, I just go to the doctor and let him take care of it for me," he told
me.

"Okay, that's simple enough," I agreed, "so I guess I'll check to make sure
we have a doctor locally with sufficient knowledge about such things,
before you get back."  I looked up at Vinnie and saw his confused
expression, so I thought I'd better explain.  "What I meant by that,
Vinnie, is I'd be happy to have you come live with us, if you should decide
that is what you want to do."

"Really?  You mean it?" he quickly asked in response, before the corners of
his lips began to curl into a slight grin.  "I think I'd like that too," he
continued.  "I know I haven't been here very long, but I still feel really
comfortable with you guys and you all seem to care about me and want to
help."  Suddenly, he stopped and looked at the floor for a second, before
he looked at me again and continued speaking.

"You know, when I was told I was being sent here, I wasn't sure what to
expect," he admitted.  "Even in my wildest dreams, I didn't ever expect to
find a place like this."  At that point, he began to choke up, as his
emotions got the better of him, so I gave him a little hug and kissed him
on the top of his head, to let him know he had nothing to hide.

At first, he didn't respond in any way to my actions.  I worried he might
pull away from me or his body would stiffen, thus giving me a sign that my
boldness wasn't welcome, but he did nothing of the sort.  In fact, he
eventually gave in to my hug, as his body began to melt against mine.  When
he had totally relaxed and was enjoying the experience, I allowed him to
stay like that for a little while longer, to give us a chance to bond.

Once I felt he'd had a sufficient opportunity to realize he would be
accepted totally, as he was, I suggested it was time for us both to get
ready for bed.  Once he looked up and nodded his agreement, I asked him if
he needed anything special.  He quickly confirmed that he didn't, but I
still explained I'd put a nightlight in the bathroom, since this place was
a strange to him and I wanted him to be able to see where he was going.  He
thanked me for my concern and thoughtfulness, and then I left him alone in
my bedroom.

I came back to check on him before I went to sleep and knocked on the
bedroom door lightly, before entering.  After he told me to come in, I went
over to the bed, tucked him in and asked him if there was anything else I
could do for him, before I also turned in.  He quickly shook his head in
response, so I kissed him goodnight, on his forehead, before leaving and
closing the door behind me.  He seemed to manage and didn't call for help
at any point, and I didn't see him again until he joined us for breakfast
the following morning.

It was now Saturday and the day we were going to celebrate Dion's 14th
birthday.  His birthday was actually earlier in the week, but we felt
Vinnie might get a kick out of being part of this celebration.  As it
worked out, Dion had only invited a couple of his friends from school to
join us, since he didn't want to upset Trey by inviting any girls.  Dion
also called his friends to make sure they knew beforehand that Vinnie would
be there and told them briefly about his circumstances, so they wouldn't
embarrass themselves, or Vinnie, by gawking or asking inappropriate
questions.

Not only would this give Vinnie a better chance to see what we were like,
it would also give our extended family a chance to meet Vinnie too.  I
hoped it might also relieve some of their concerns about what I was getting
myself into.  All in all, the day went quite well and Dion remained the
center of attention, even though everyone took time to welcome Vinnie and
speak to him for a while.  In fact, it was during Sally's time conversing
with him that she learned how he and I had agreed to provide for his
special needs, as well as getting the distinct impression from him that he
was looking forward to moving in.  I think at that point she let go of her
own reservations about the situation and agreed to help make it happen.

Throughout the process of having a good time, all of the boys went out of
their way to make Vinnie feel like part of the family.  Although he
couldn't participate in everything they did, they did make some adjustments
to accommodate him, which Vinnie immediately noted and thanked them for.
Not only that, but our extended family welcomed him with open arms too, so
this turned out to be a great way to get Vinnie involved with everyone
else, and quickly.

Over the remainder of the day, each of us spent even more time continuing
to get to know Vinnie better, and during that process, he got better
acquainted with us.  Over the next several hours, he spent time with each
of the boys, some of it privately, while at other times as part of a small
group, but I could tell he seemed to fit in fairly well with each of them.
Although he still hadn't met Frankie or Dustin, because they were away at
school, I knew that wouldn't be a problem either, judging from what I had
seen of him with the others.  I did notice that Vinnie and Kevin seemed to
be spending more time together than he did with the others, and I thought
back to the clues we received from Brent, when he began informing Graham
about this poor soul who needed us.  Maybe there was more to Kevin's
inclusion in the clues than just the fact that Brent was thinking of him or
that the two of them had been close before Brent died.

I learned later that Vinnie had told Kevin almost all the information he
had told me, some because of Kevin's questioning him, but some on his own
initiative.  Kevin did seem to be taking a special interest in Vinnie as
well, not only as an individual, but also about his special needs.  Maybe
they were bonding because Kevin had suffered through so much too, both
medical problems and the loss of people close to him, but whatever had
caused the bond, I was glad to see it happening.

Late Saturday night Vinnie came to speak with me privately again, after
learning some of the boys were bi or gay.  I thought at first he might have
a problem with this, but he seemed to be relieved by this revelation.
That's when he confirmed that he suspected he might be gay too, not that he
had ever done anything, but he seemed excited by the fact that there were
others like him that had similar interests.  He then asked me if I'd mind
if he asked Kevin to spend the night in my room with him, although he
quickly promised, unsolicited, that nothing sexual would happen.  I told
him that would be fine, as long as Kevin wanted to, and then I explained to
him that nothing ever happened in the house unless both people agreed to
it.  I guess the boys hadn't told him about the sex-capades that go on from
time to time, and I think he took my warning to only mean that Kevin had to
agree to spend the night with him.  Kevin must have accepted, because I saw
them enter my room together later, and I was glad that Vinnie had decided
to live with us.  It would be good for both he and Kevin, from what I could
tell.

>From what Kevin told me later, I guess the two hit it off even better than
I'd suspected.  He informed me that Vinnie and he had cuddled with each
other for a while, and even kissed once or twice, although Kevin didn't
initiate more, in case Vinnie decided not to join us.  I hadn't yet told
Kevin that Vinnie's coming to live with us was pretty much a done deal at
that point, and I began to wonder if that had been a mistake.  Kevin added
that he felt if they had done something, and then for some reason Vinnie
didn't come to live with us, he would have felt as though he had lost
another lover and he couldn't bear to go through that again.  For that
reason, Kevin had decided he was only willing to be slightly intimate, even
though he thought he might be developing feelings for the newest potential
addition to the Castaway Hotel.  I told him I admired his in-depth and
thoughtful analysis of the situation and how he had worked his way through
the options, before choosing the path he would take.  That's when I
informed him I would support whatever decision he made concerning their
possible future together.

Vinnie also came to see me, to discuss the previous night.  Even though he
didn't know me well enough to get into the details of what they had done,
he still basically told me that he and Kevin had hit it off and had gotten
close, but now he was a little confused about his own feelings.  We talked
about the situation in very vague terms, since he didn't seem to want to
get into specifics, but I posed different possibilities to him and made
various suggestions concerning those possibilities.  I think this helped
him out, even in ways I couldn't fathom, because he seemed to be less
troubled once we had finished our talk.  He thanked me for my help,
reaffirmed that he would definitely like to live with us, if it were still
his choice, and then he hugged me.  I guess I wasn't ready for the last
part, as I didn't think he'd known me long enough to do something of that
nature, even though I'd already seen several indications that he was a
demonstrative person.  Encouraged, I hugged him back and told him I'd be
proud to have him as another son, but when I lifted his head toward me to
gauge his reaction, I noticed a tear in the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, I thought that he might have misunderstood my last statement and
thought I was suggesting I was going to replace his parents, so I quickly
made sure he understood this was not the case.  That's when he informed me
he had understood what I meant, but he was touched that I'd offered to be
his father so soon, seeing we had only known each other for less than two
days.  He told me he loved the house, he loved the family and he loved me
personally, before adding he'd be thrilled to come here to live with us.  I
told him I'd make the arrangements, as quickly as I could, but warned him
it might take a few weeks to work out all the legalities, since we lived in
different states.  He said he understood and added it might be better if he
finished out the school semester where he was first, so he wouldn't have to
worry about messing up his grades in the process.  I agreed that was an
excellent idea, so we left it like that.

On Sunday afternoon, Jake and I drove him back to the airport, but we
didn't do this alone.  Kevin was insistent that he be allowed to go along
with us and Vinnie quickly seconded the motion.  Jake and I tried not to
watch what was going on in the backseat, although it was difficult not to
overhear their conversation, but we could tell that each of them was
excited about Vinnie's eventual return.  Before we sent him on his way
home, I assured him that he was welcome to come back and join us for
Christmas, at my expense, because I didn't want him to be alone during the
holidays.  This offer appeared to make him very happy, because he responded
by giving me another hug and kissing me on the cheek, before he moved over
to do the same to Kevin.  We all waved to him as he departed and moved
through the security checkpoint, and I'm certain each of us was hoping we
wouldn't be separated from each other for very long.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 12 -- A Time for Concern and Healing.               

Since I wanted to get the Jacuzzi installed and the other changes made
before the holidays, I got a hold of my contractor on Monday, to see when
he might be able to do the work.  It just so happened that his business was
slow at the moment, so he agreed to meet with me almost immediately.  After
we discussed my ideas for the changes I wanted to make to the house, we
started making diagrams of what I wanted the new rooms to look like, and
then he went to secure the appropriate work permits to begin construction.
A couple of days later, he had a crew working on the foundations, while he
and I finalized the design and fixtures for the two rooms.

The new bedroom would be built off of the family room, while the spa room
would jut out from the downstairs bathroom.  There would be two doors into
the spa, one from the new bedroom and the other through the bathroom.  This
would give Vinnie direct access to the spa and would make it much easier
for him to workout and give him the extra privacy he might need at these
times.  The only problem was, the contractor was going to be on a very
tight schedule to be able to complete all of the work by Christmas, so we
would have to pray everything went smoothly.

I also spoke to Vinnie, Sally and her contact from Massachusetts during
this time, so we could work out the details for his joining us permanently.
He had been able to arrange things with the teachers at his current school,
so he could complete his second marking period assignments either before he
left or they would allow him to submit them via the mail or internet after
he moved in with us.  That way, he would have completed the first half of
his school year there, before he transferred to the local school district,
and this would help make his transition easier.  In fact, I learned later
that most of his teachers went out of their way to help him work out these
arrangements and make things easier for him, since they didn't want to
cause him any more problems; especially after all he'd been through
already.  It was good to see educators who were so compassionate and
flexible.

This, however, wasn't the only thing happening during this time.  Besides,
Vinnie's coming to live with us, Ricky unexpectedly announced he intended
to apply to become a foreign exchange student.  He later explained to me
that there were several factors that had sparked his interest in this
program.  First, he had become acquainted with the foreign exchange
students who had attended the high school during the past couple of years,
but more importantly I believe it was more closely tied to the attractive
young girl from New Zealand who was currently attending our high school
with him.

Another consideration was that Ricky had always been one of my more
adventurous sons, probably because of all he went through before he came to
live with me, and our extensive travels had helped to whet his appetite for
visiting and exploring new places.  After he told me of his intentions, we
discussed the possibility at great length, before beginning our
investigation into what he would need to do to apply and get accepted into
the program.  Once we completed our preliminary investigation, we started
exploring his options, as far as his choice of countries was concerned.

It was during this time that we also got word that Sammy and Andrew's
Japanese grandparents were planning on joining us for Christmas again, if
that was agreeable with us.  It wasn't actually their turn to visit the
U.S., but they concluded it was too soon for me to be making those types of
trips with my family yet, in light of my recent health scare, but they very
much wanted to see the boys again.  I immediately let them know this would
be fine with us, although I didn't let on that it might create one minor
problem, such as where to put them while they were here.  This year, all of
my children were planning on returning home for Christmas and our place
would be bursting at the seams, once my older children and their families
arrived for the holidays.  The others were eager for the opportunity to
meet Megan while they were all here, as well as looking forward to their
seeing the rest us again too.  It would also give them the chance to become
acquainted with Vinnie and for him to do the same with each of them.  I
really hated to think I might have to make any of them stay at a hotel or
motel while they were here, especially any of our out of town guests, but I
was running short on options here.  It appeared that I would probably be
forced to pick one group or another to stay somewhere else, but now I had
to decide whom and then make arrangements for this to happen.

In addition to all of that, I received another surprise of sorts, but this
one had to do with Frankie.  He phoned me late one evening from college
because he was very concerned about his roommate, Tom.  He quickly
explained to me that Tom had met another freshman in one of his classes and
this guy was into AEA, or auto-erotic asphyxiation.  Even though Frankie
had tried to talk him out of it, Tom was now messing with this potentially
deadly game and Frankie was worried about what might happen to him.  What
these guys were doing was to intentionally cut off the blood supply to
their brains while masturbating, to intensify the sensation of orgasm.
This technique lessens the flow of oxygen getting to the brain cells and
thus producing a giddiness, lightheadedness and exhilaration not usually
experienced during ejaculation.  This activity seemed to be an increasing
favorite among adolescents and young adult males, but the problem was, it
was also their feelings of helplessness and self-endangerment that added to
their sexual gratification.

Frankie also told me that one of his professors had explained that doing
this can also weaken a person's self control and judgment, which could then
increase their chance of the session culminating with a fatal result.  He
told Frankie that it was estimated that between 500 and 1000 youths die
annually in the U.S. from this dangerous form of masturbation, and Frankie
could see Tom was more than happy to place himself in such jeopardy.

Frankie's concern finally reached the breaking point, and was the reason
for his calling home, because he had recently returned to his dorm room and
found Tom unconscious on his bed after one of these episodes.  When he
first saw Tom lying there, Frankie believed for a few seconds that Tom was
dead, but fortunately that wasn't the case -- at least not this time.
However, it didn't mean this wouldn't happen sometime in the future.

I immediately told Frankie to discuss the seriousness of these actions with
Tom NOW, and then I'd talk to him too, when I took Frankie back to campus
after the holidays.  At that time, the three of us would sit down and chat
about this potentially fatal game he was playing, and pressure him into
giving it up.  If we couldn't do that, I wanted to get Tom to at least
promise he wouldn't do it when he was alone, so there would be someone
there to step in, if the situation got out of hand.  This seemed to make
Frankie feel a little better, so he promised me he'd follow through with
his part of this assignment, as long as I would have a long talk with Tom,
the next time I met up with him again.

As Christmas drew closer, I also had to think hard about what I wanted to
get the boys this year.  Even though I wasn't trying to spoil them, they
didn't really lack for much and it wasn't easy to find just the right gifts
for them any longer.  Yes, I know that many of these things I've provided
for them are luxuries they have to share, however, they still had access to
them.  It isn't like they are deprived of much, so it was going to be very
difficult to find something for each of them -- something they would
appreciate AND enjoy.  Somewhat panicked, I began to research my options,
while also listening and noticing the boys' reactions whenever they
discussed such things, saw a commercial for something or I dropped the
occasional hint.  Although they were used to this approach from me and
weren't exactly surprised by my attempt at subtle prodding, they also
weren't particularly helpful.  They each had their own ideas about what an
appropriate gift would be and it just made the situation seem even more
impossible for me to solve, since none of the options were inexpensive.
Arrrrrrrgh.

On the sixteenth of December I was able to forget about these problems
briefly, while we celebrated Shannon's first birthday with us.  He was
turning sixteen too, so we did this celebration up big time, since we
didn't want him to think he was any less important than anyone else.
Although I can't claim he was surprised by our efforts, he did seem to
really enjoy his time in the spotlight.  We began things off by taking him
out to eat first, something his father had told me Shannon had mentioned to
him, and then had the extended family came over for cake and ice cream
afterward.  Even though he was also given a chance to invite a few others,
Shannon made it clear that there was no one else he wanted to include.  I
guess that didn't come as a surprise to me, considering the rough start he
had when he first arrived at our school, so it was easy to see why he
preferred to keep this gathering to just those he felt the most comfortable
with -- and that was our family.  We honored his wishes and did as he
requested, and I found out later that he had told his father that he really
enjoyed himself and hoped they'd always be able to live here with us.

The next night I called Vinnie, after I remembered it was his sixteenth
birthday as well.  As soon as he answered, I wished him a happy birthday
from all of us, with the boys hollering their own personal greetings to him
in the background, so I decided to pass the phone around, so everyone could
give do this with him personally.  I think it made him feel good to think
we had remembered his special day, and he thanked us several times for
thinking of him.

Kevin had asked to go last, but then requested we allow him some privacy,
so he could speak with Vinnie alone.  Although some of the boys were
beginning to tease him about the secrecy, I got them all to go somewhere
else, so Kevin could pass along his own birthday greetings without
interruption or interference.  I did ask him to call me back to the room
before he hung up, since I wanted to say a final good-bye to Vinnie.  When
he did, I made sure to tell Vinnie we were looking forward to his joining
us for the holidays and that I'd be picking him up at the airport in a
little over a week, at which time he'd be joining us for good.  After
squealing his delight about how things had worked out, we said our
farewells, with both of us looking forward to the next time we would be
together.

During the interim, work on the new rooms was going well, but moving more
slowly than any of us had wished.  The problems started when we were told
we would have to wait for the Jacuzzi to be shipped from the manufacturer,
which moved the completion date back a couple of days.  This was because
the contractor wanted the Jacuzzi to be in before he closed in the walls,
since he doubted he could get it into the room any other way.  That put the
project in limbo until the Jacuzzi arrived, which was going to take a
couple of days longer than we were first told, due to holiday related
hold-ups.  Once I realized the area wouldn't be completed in time for
Vinnie's arrival, I suddenly had to make other arrangements to accommodate
him while he was here.  Although I could show him what we were doing, that
wouldn't help solve my current dilemma.

After thinking about this for some time, I finally concluded I would have
to let Vinnie use my room again, although I had originally planned to put
my son, daughter-in-law and Megan there when they arrived.  It was obvious
there will be too much activity going on in the house for anyone to use the
sleeper-sofa, since that was also the room where the Christmas tree was
located, so that eliminated another option from my list.  That's when
another thought struck me!  I still hadn't made any arrangements for our
Japanese grandparents.  Where in the world was I going to put them up?

About that time, John and Margaret Spence called to learn what we planned
for the holidays, so I discussed the situation with them fully.  I began by
mentioning how badly things were working out this year, and once they heard
me describe my problems, they immediately came to my rescue.  To my
surprise and delight, they offered to have Sammy and Andrew's grandparents
stay with them and use their spare bedroom, seeing the four of them had
gotten along so well on their previous visit.

I instantly recognized this was a far better alternative than anything I
could come up with, since I didn't want our elderly guests to have to
negotiate the stairs or stay by themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, so I
agreed to accept their generous offer.  Doing this also gave me one less
thing to worry about.  Sammy and Andrew's grandparents would have the
Spences for company, whenever they weren't with us, and they'd be in a home
and not in some nondescript and sterile environment.  Most importantly,
they'd also be with others they knew and liked.  I'd just have to see to it
that Sammy and Andrew went to visit them at the Spences some of the time,
to prevent them from constantly having to come to our place to see their
grandsons.

Shortly thereafter, I also came up with what I thought would be a great
idea for Christmas presents for the boys.  It was practical, a gift they
could use and something I thought they'd really appreciate.  I still wanted
to talk this idea over with Jake first, to get his take on it, especially
since I planned on including Shannon in on this gift idea as well.  I was
pretty sure Jake would agree with my suggestion, but I didn't want to do
anything without talking it over with him first.  After all, we are a team
now.

Ricky also received the rest of the paperwork for the exchange student
program during this time, so I had to sit down with him and help him fill
it all out.  When we came to the place where it asked for his choice of
destinations, he selected New Zealand and Australia as his primary choices.
He did this because he wasn't sure his foreign language skills were good
enough to allow him to function in a country where he would have to rely on
a second-language to survive.  Even though we'd read that his chances of
getting either of those destinations was slim, he didn't feel he had any
other options, so he wrote them down on his application.  Even with the
odds stacked against him, he felt he had to stick to his guns and stay with
those two choices.  I do believe there might have been other factors that
weighed in on his decision, including that cute little brunette from New
Zealand, but I didn't pressure him about changing his mind.

As Christmas drew closer, our family schedule became very hectic.  That was
due to the fact that the boys were in various Christmas programs both at
school and church, so we had to squeeze those events in with all of our
other activities.  Nick had done very well with his guitar lessons and was
going to accompany a few of his friends when they sang in one of the
concerts and some of the younger boys were also in their school's choir, so
we all went to watch them perform when they put on their special holiday
program.

Christmas was also a time of firsts, in this case another first for Andrew.
Although he had been involved in some simple sexual activities with Graham
and Sammy, he had been basically the recipient of much of the action.  Yes,
there were times when he had sucked his partners off as well, but he always
finished them off by hand and masturbated them to climax.  However, for
some reason unknown to the rest of us, he apparently decided it was now
time to try something new.  It happened one evening when he was with
Graham, now that Sammy had finally worked his way through his jealousy over
sharing his brother.

Graham ended up telling me about this incident, because he thought it had
been kind of humorous and he was aware that I wanted to keep track of
Andrew's activities.  It seems that Andrew had made the move on his own to
take Graham orally and Graham wasn't about to dissuade his initiative or do
anything to stop him.  With the aggressiveness of a hungry scavenger,
Andrew swung around and devoured Graham's organ, pumping up and down on it
with his lips, like a thirsty man using an old hand pump to get water.
Graham had merely suspected that once he got close, Andrew would just use
his hand to bring him off, as he had done in the past, so he thought
nothing more of it.  However, this time when Graham warned him he was
getting close, Andrew wouldn't quit his oral suctioning, so Graham gave him
a second warning, and then a third, but Andrew still wouldn't stop.  It
finally reached the point where Graham couldn't hold his ejaculation back
any longer, and due to his extreme state of arousal, he released a huge
load into Andrew's sucking mouth.

It turned out to be an exceptionally large load, as his penis released
volley after volley of his hot cream, and considering Andrew had never
taken a climax orally before, Graham was concerned he might choke on the
sheer volume.  Like a little trooper, however, Andrew kept going and proved
he was up to the task.  When he finally finished his greedy assault on
Graham's pulsing organ, he sat up and looked directly into Graham's eyes,
and Graham told me Andrew had a grin that spread from ear to ear.  He was
evidently pleased about what he had just done, but Graham had to stifle his
laughter after noticing the strands of pearly cum dripping from each corner
of Andrew's mouth and running down his chin.  As Graham studied the
telltale traces of what had just taken place, he told me that he'd wished
he'd had a camera to snap a lasting memento of that special moment, to
remind him just how pleased little Andrew was about his accomplishment.

After this happened, Graham made sure he returned the favor, to show his
appreciation, even though my baby couldn't shoot his own load yet.  Graham
did make sure that his young partner enjoyed a thunderous dry orgasm and
enjoyed watching him squirm and wiggle around, as he felt that special
tingle radiate throughout Andrew's tiny frame.  He then made sure to kiss
Andrew and thank him when they were done, so he would know how special that
experience had been for him too.  I heard that Andrew did the same thing
for Sammy the following night, so there wouldn't be a chance of having any
hard feelings between them.  Even though Sammy enjoyed his brother's
efforts, it hadn't been something Andrew had necessarily been required to
do, in order to keep the peace.  Instead, it was just another way for
Andrew to demonstrate his love for his brother.

A couple of days later, it was time for Vinnie to board his flight and make
the trip to stay with us for good.  Fortunately, he wasn't going to be
encumbered with a great deal of luggage, since we'd arranged for most of
his belongings to be shipped directly to the house, so he would only be
carrying the basic essentials with him now.  This would make it much easier
for him to manage on his own, so he would require only minimal assistance
when boarding or disembarking from his flight.

Kevin again asked in advance if I'd allow him to accompany Jake and myself
when we drove to the airport to pick Vinnie up, while emphasizing he wanted
to be the first person to greet Vinnie when he moved here for good.  I saw
no reason why he shouldn't be allowed to do this, since he was the only
person who had made such a request, but I also felt more strongly that
Brent might have foreseen something happening between the two of them and I
certainly didn't want to discourage it.

The drive was uneventful, except for Kevin's impatience over how long it
took to get to the airport.  He kept bouncing around on the backseat,
constantly asking how long it would be before we got there, which made him
sound much younger than he actually was.  However, I could understand his
eagerness to be reunited with Vinnie again, so Jake and I had a slight
chuckle over his situation, while thinking how cute it was that he was so
anxious to be with Vinnie again.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and had to wait
nearly forty minutes before his plane landed.  When we finally spotted
Vinnie making his way toward us, Kevin sprinted off in his direction and
quickly wrapped his arms around Vinnie and lifted him off of the ground.
This not only surprised Vinnie, but concerned him as well, as he was
worried he might lose his balance when Kevin set him down.  He was also
afraid this might cause Kevin to become unsteady too, especially if he
tried to help keep Vinnie from falling, and was concerned that this would
result in both of them tumbling in a heap together.  However, that didn't
happen, because Kevin was very careful when he eventually placed Vinnie
back on the ground.

Jake and I nearly dropped to the floor laughing as we observed the
spectacle before us, as the contrasting reactions of Kevin's huge grin and
youthful exuberance compared with Vinnie's bulging eyes and worried
countenance.  Once Kevin settled down and Vinnie had regained his
composure, we collected Vinnie's belongings and loaded them into the Grand
Am.

I decided we should stop for lunch before making the long drive back, so I
directed Jake to stop at T.G.I. Fridays, where we were instantly led to a
table in the far corner of the room.  As I watched Vinnie, I could tell he
was more than a little nervous about something, even though I wasn't sure
it was due to the move or because he was sitting next to Kevin.  However, I
figured he'd get over his jitters eventually, no matter what the cause.

After we ordered our meals, I went to use the restroom before the food
arrived.  When I got back, Jake's and my coffee had been delivered and the
little creamers were sitting in a bowl in the center of the table.
Absentmindedly, Vinnie picked one up and nervously played with it, but I
didn't think much about it until I heard a dull 'pop.'  When I looked up,
Kevin had cream dripping from his face and the coat of the lady sitting at
the table next to us was also splattered with similar white spots.  Her
garment was hanging on the back of her chair and Kevin was attempting to
frantically wipe the liquid off his face and her garment, while Vinnie sat
frozen in embarrassment and was slowly turning a bright red.

We apologized profusely to the woman, and I even offered to pay to have her
coat cleaned, but she merely acted as of it weren't a big deal.  Luckily
for all of us, it was a cloth coat and cleaned up fairly easily, so she
wasn't really too put out by what happened.  As I looked back in the
direction of the newest member of our family, I thought Vinnie was going to
slide under the table and die of shame, when the woman suddenly rose to her
feet.  I think he thought she was going to make a scene, but she was merely
getting up to leave and smiled at us, as she said good-bye.  Needless to
say, we didn't say anything more about this in the restaurant, but we
teased Vinnie mercilessly about this, nearly all the way home.

When we arrived at the house, the whole family was there waiting for us.
As I had requested, they had a cake ready to celebrate Vinnie's 16th
birthday, which had unfortunately passed while he was still living in
Massachusetts.  Vinnie appeared quite moved by this small gesture, but not
as much as he was a few moments later.  That's when he discovered the boys
and I had given him a laptop computer as his birthday present, to make his
life a little easier.

After he thanked us all profusely, he gave me a big hug and then did the
same to all of the boys.  Once he settled down from the shock of his gift,
I explained to Vinnie he was going to stay in my room until his was
finished.  What I didn't know was that he and Kevin had already worked out
other arrangements between themselves, while they sat whispering in the
backseat, just before we arrived home.

After thanking me for my offer, Vinnie announced he preferred staying with
Kevin for now, which would free up my room for some of the other visitors.
I questioned him about having to negotiate the stairs, since I was a little
anxious about him taking a tumble down them when he was tired or not quite
awake, but the two boys assured me everything would be fine for the short
time he would need to be upstairs.  After considering their assurances and
knowing Kevin would probably never be far from Vinnie's side during this
period, I gave them my okay and let it go at that.  Now that they had my
approval, they took Vinnie's things up to Kevin's room, so he could get
unpacked.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention one other thing.  The day before, I also
received a Christmas card from Nigel and his boys, the group we had met at
the nude beach in England.  Besides wishing us a wonderful holiday, Nigel
told me he and his family were planning to visit the States this summer,
for a whole month.  They had all been saving whatever money they could, so
they'd be able do this, and they wanted to know if we'd mind if they
visited while they were here.  I wrote him back immediately and told him
not only could they visit, but they were more than welcome to stay with us
and we'd take some short trips together, so they could see at least the
eastern part of the country and save a few quid in the process.  I was
hoping they'd accept my offer and not feel they were putting us out or
imposing, because I felt we'd all benefit from the experience.  Now, all I
had to do was await his reply.


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