Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:43:53 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 5, chapters 19 - 20 Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 19 -- Love is All Around. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. February held other surprises for me as well. While I was able to see some of these coming, others caught me completely unaware. The first was that the boys wanted to have another Valentine's Day party, but this was one of those things I kind of foresaw. They skillfully and diplomatically told me how much they enjoyed that special event the previous year, but then let me know that this year they wanted to do most of the planning themselves. They insisted they wanted to keep it as close to what we had done the year before, but they had some of their own touches they wanted to add this time around. To their surprise, I had no problem with this request. I think they expected me to feel slighted about them doing it on their own, but since I felt I had used up most of my ideas on the first go around, I quickly agreed it would be better if they relied on their own suggestions this year. Once I consented, they immediately informed me they also wanted to select the menu, choose the music and take care of all of the decorating and other details too, so I gave them my blessings and stepped aside. The couples involved with this were very busy, and I think they were intentionally keeping Vinnie in the dark about what was going on, so it would be more of a surprise for him. I only helped out when they came to me for a suggestion or to work out a problem they encountered, but for the most part this was their baby. As the big day approached, I was glad to see they were responsible for 99% of the planning and execution of what was going to happen. They had drafted and sweet-talked their younger brothers into helping them again, serving as waiters and to be responsible for keeping the music playing, but I could tell those boys were pleased to be able to help out. As Valentine's Day grew closer, everyone was a bundle of nerves and worried they had forgotten something important, but this was just the typical response to planning such a big event. When Valentine's Day finally arrived, everything became quite hectic. After helping the straight boys who had dates handle the little details before they went out to dinner, and then attended the dance at the school, Brandon came to me in a very agitated state. He was almost in tears as he asked me if I'd take him to the store to pick up some last minute items, things it seemed he had forgotten. It was nearly 4:30 already, and the dinner was scheduled to begin between 5:30 and 6:00, but Brandon was convinced he needed to do this, or the evening would be a bust for him. "Pop, you've got to take me," he told me. "Please? I'm too nervous to drive myself right now, but I forgot to get one CD with a song I want them to play for Danny tonight and I can't find the card I bought for him, so I'll have to get another one." "Calm down, Brandon. I'll take you," I assured him. "Come on, we'll take the car and be back before anyone misses us." Before I left, however, I asked Vinnie to join us on this little excursion, so he wouldn't see what the others were doing as they went about their preparations. This was something I had planned on doing anyway, since Kevin had asked me previously to find an excuse to get Vinnie out of the house for a while. Seeing this seemed as good an excuse as any, I asked him join me. At first Vinnie seemed confused by my offer, since he had already purchased Kevin's card and gift, but that soon changed. After thinking about this briefly, he decided it might be a good opportunity to buy something extra to surprise Kevin with, so he eagerly agreed to join us. As we entered the store, Brandon decided he wanted to find the CD first, so we followed him over to that department and watched as he pawed through the various packages. However, he was having a great deal of trouble locating what he was looking for quickly. It was quite a few minutes before he finally put his hands on it, and then we had to pay for it there, before we went over to the card section. The cards had been pretty well picked over by this time, so once more he waded through the various selections, reading each one carefully, until he found one he liked. While Brandon was pawing through the cards, Vinnie managed to find some sweets for his sweetie, a little something extra to make the evening even more special for them. Now that everyone had what they wanted, we went to the checkout to pay for our purchases. By this time, we had been gone for nearly an hour, and now I was worried about getting them back in time to get ready. Brandon seemed more relaxed now, even though he was going to be a little late for his date, so I guessed the relief he felt from finding those two items made him forget about the time. When we walked into the house, I was the one to be surprised. Jake was standing there, all dressed up, holding out a single red rose, a card and a small package. Now, it suddenly occurred to me that Brandon's 'emergency' had just been a sham, one designed to get me out of the house and catch me off guard. Kevin and Danny also stood there, all dressed up, holding out similar items for Vinnie and Brandon. However, judging by the look on his face, I think Vinnie was even more overwhelmed than I was. I took the various items from Jake, put the rose in water, read the card and then opened the gift. It was a little brown teddy bear, holding a big red heart, and on the heart was pinned a handwritten note that read, "I wanted to make sure you had a spare, because I don't ever want to lose you." Needless to say, this got me very emotional and all I could do was give Jake a big hug and a kiss. Now I felt bad, because I had only bought him a card and a box of chocolates, which would look somewhat hollow and superficial when compared to his gift. I also understood why the boys had decided to plan this event and had kept me in the dark, for the most part. I had never suspected they were planning on including Jake in on this special night. I thought it was solely for them. When I looked over at Vinnie, he was hugging Kevin as hard as he could, but then he would smother Kevin in kisses, whenever he would ease up on the embrace. It was plain to see that Vinnie was becoming very emotional due to this totally unexpected surprise. Although he knew we were going to have a party, he had no idea how elaborate those plans would turn out to be. Suddenly, we three broke away from our lovers and hurried to our rooms, so we could get cleaned up and changed, and soon we were re-joining the others, while noting that everything else had already been arranged. The boys began the meal with some appetizers. They had three offerings, which our little waiters passed around, so everyone could take a sample of each. There were two very large onion blossoms, with a horseradish sauce to dip it in, mozzarella sticks with a salsa dip, and little cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon and a biscuit. I caught the boys making some lewd and provocative antics with the wieners, licking them seductively and sliding them back and forth between their lips, which caused their partners to respond in much the same manner. This merely added to the erotic nature of their use and it was quite obvious what this might lead up to later. Our little waiters were dressed in the same outfits they wore the previous year, but the garments appeared a smidge tighter on them this time around. However, this only added to the ambiance, so to speak. The boys had also asked Jake to purchase some wine for the occasion, a sweeter one for them and a nice dry wine for us. As we sipped our gifts from Bacchus, or if you would prefer, Dionysus, the meal was served. Once again, this had been delivered to our home by one of the finer local establishments and they did a wonderful job. We began with a nice Caesar salad, followed by jumbo stuffed shrimp and a pasta primavera. The food was very tasty and the boys had even ordered extra, to make sure everyone had plenty to eat. After we finished the main course, the meal was topped off with a very nice Crème de Menthe parfait. Jake told me later that this was designed to help cover the bad breath caused by the onion blossoms, in hopes it wouldn't deter the possibility of a romantic evening for those who had indulged. After the meal was completed, the room was cleared of furniture and the music began to play, but this year's selections were songs I wasn't all that familiar with, definitely a generational difference. The first song that was played was N Sync's 'This I Promise You', from the CD that Brandon had found it necessary to run out and buy. Now everyone began to sway back and forth to this lovely song, while getting close to his partner so they could kiss or he could whisper sweet nothings in the other's ear. Since I was unfamiliar with this particular song, I listened carefully to the lyrics and was quite impressed, once I made out what was being said. 'When visions around you, Bring tears to your eyes And all that surrounds you, Are secrets and lies I'll be your strength, I'll give you hope, Keeping your faith when it's gone The one you should call, Was standing here all along… And I will take You in my arms And hold you right where you belong 'Til the day my life is through This I promise you This I promise you I've loved you forever, In lifetimes before And I promise you never Will you hurt anymore I give you my word I give you my heart (give you my heart) This is a battle we've won And with this vow, Forever has now begun… Just close your eyes Each loving day (each loving day) I know this feeling won't go away 'Til the day my life is through This I promise you This I promise you Over and over I fall (over and over I fall) When I hear you call Without you in my life baby I just wouldn't be living at all… And I will take (I will take you in my arms) You in my arms And hold you right where you belong (right where you belong) 'Til the day my life is through This I promise you baby Just close your eyes Each loving day (each loving day) I know this feeling won't go away Every word I say is true' This I promise you Every word I say is true This I promise you Ooh, I promise you… After that song ended, the next one played was a sweet love song by LeAnn Rimes. As I looked about the room, I could see the boys holding each other tightly, some even singing the lyrics of this tune into their partner's ear. As they danced they sang… I don't like to be alone at night And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right And I don't like to have the rain on my shoes But I do love you But I do love you I don't like to see the sky painted gray And I don't like when nothing's going my way And I don't like to be the one with the blues But I do love you But I do love you I love everything about the way you're loving me The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when you sleep And I love to kiss you in the rain I love every thing you do, oh I do And I don't like to turn the radio on Just to find I missed my favorite song And I don't like to be the last with the news But I do love you But I do love you I love everything about the way you're loving me The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when you sleep And I love to kiss you in the rain I love every thing you do, oh I do I don't like to be alone at night And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right And I don't like to have the rain on my shoes But I do love you But I do love you But I do love you But I do love you The boys seemed to hang onto each other a little longer after this song ended and I saw a few kisses being exchanged during the interlude. It was so uplifting to see them enjoying themselves in this manner and not have to watch what they did or said, since they were in the privacy of our home. Here, they could enjoy each other's love and companionship, while expressing themselves in ways they couldn't do in public. It's a real shame the world is like that. My thoughts were interrupted when the next song began. It was also a pretty sounding tune, but as I listened to the lyrics, I wasn't sure it was appropriate for tonight. It was 'Fallin' by Alicia Keys. Maybe Trey had suggested this one, to let Dion know how he felt from time to time in their relationship. I got this impression after hearing verses like this. I keep on fallin' In and out of love with you Sometime I love ya Sometimes you make me blue Sometimes I feel good At times I feel used Lovin' you darlin' Makes me so confused I keep on Fallin' In and out of love with you I never loved someone The way that I love you It came to me that these lyrics might be Trey's way of expressing what it was like to have to deal with Dion swinging both ways and enjoying both sexes with equal relish. I may be wrong, but that was the impression I got once I'd heard it. The next song was nice too, 'God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You' by N Sync, as it featured some nice lyrics like… I never thought that love could feel like this, Then you changed my world with just one kiss… How can it be, That right here with me, There's an angel, It's a miracle After that, we all danced to several other songs, including 'Cruisin', by Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis; 'Don't Laugh at Me', by Mark Willis and 'Turn Out the Lights', by Nelly Furtado. The boys seemed to have a wonderful time, but I know for certain that Jake and I did. When the final song ended, those who were left began to head to their rooms for some private time together. I said 'those who were left' because I had seen various pairs slowly disappearing for the past half hour or so. I was certain that tonight there would be a considerable amount of lovemaking going on, not just sex, and we wouldn't be seeing any of these boys again until morning. I think Danny and Brandon were the first to slip away, because I noticed them making their way up the stairs and toward their room while the rest of us were still dancing. I discovered later that Danny had a special surprise for Brandon and he talked him into going to their room early, so they could have some privacy. Once they were alone, Danny handed Brandon a small box, which Brandon opened hesitantly, because he was unsure about what was going on. Before long, he was staring at a very expensive man's gold band, inset with a diamond, and he looked up at Danny, while trying to formulate what to say. However, Danny did it for him. "Brandon, this is my way to pledge my love for you and let you know that I am committing myself to this relationship completely. I'm also asking you to spend the rest of your life with me. Are you willing to accept me as your partner for life?" Brandon was in tears at this point, since he hadn't been expecting anything quite this special. Seeing he was too choked up to speak, Brandon merely nodded his acceptance, which made Danny beam in response. When Brandon finally regained his composure and was able to respond, this is what he said. "Danny, you know I've always planned to, you know, spend my life with you, but I really didn't expect anything like… like this," he stammered, while gazing at the ring. "I love you so much, Danny. Of course I want to be your partner for life." Once this had been agreed upon, they began to kiss and hug each other, while slowly moving the action over to their bed. Each was thoroughly enjoying these precious moments of being alone with each other. They must have continued on like that for a half hour or more, before they helped each other get undressed and moved to the next level of lovemaking. This time, Brandon took the initiative and was able to arouse Danny first, by using both his lips and tongue to stimulate as much of his lover's body as he could. Then he used his mouth to make sure that Danny was completely hard, before Brandon turned and lifted his butt erotically in the air, wiggling it seductively in the process. Reflexively, Danny took this as his cue and did what he felt he had just been invited to do. Once Danny was fully inside of his partner, he began a slow steady rhythm, making sure each of them enjoyed this very special ride. While Danny was slowly and passionately making love to his soul mate, he was also alternating between running his hands over Brandon's back and chest. He was working hard to stimulate those areas as well and make the overall effect as pleasurable as he could. After many minutes of this slow, seductive ritual, Danny deposited his love deep inside of Brandon, and then they took a slight rest, before they continued. It wasn't really a rest, merely a chance to kiss and snuggle a bit, before Danny returned the favor to Brandon. Willingly he gave himself to his lover, in much the same manner as Brandon had done for him. After paying attention to all of Brandon's other needs and stimulating those places that made him feel so good, Danny laid on his side, and lifted one leg up, slowly pulling it toward himself. This was done to allow Brandon easy entry. In this position, while Brandon was stroking his poker into Danny's hot interior, the pair could continue to kiss and do much more than just having sex. Obviously, they were not about to hurry or race through this, because they wanted to savor every wonderful moment of this night before it ended. Brandon's juices were already flowing freely and coating his erection, thus eliminating the need for artificial lubrication. Once he had entered Danny, they made slow, passionate love. After Brandon reached his climax and spewed his seed inside his partner, they continued to hold on to each other for the rest of the night and remained as close as two bodies could possibly get, without becoming one. Down the hall, Trey and Dion had also slipped into their room, but they weren't ready for the magic to end either. They were both more than satisfied with the evening and where their relationship stood at this particular moment, and although Dion still had occasional trysts with female partners, he had also attempted to make it perfectly clear to Trey that they would be together for life. Although Trey wasn't totally happy with these brief affairs and they probably hurt him in ways Dion couldn't fathom, he understood it was probably best not to push the issue and jeopardize his future. He was convinced Dion was going to remain true to his word, so he was willing to ignore these brief flings to appease his lover. Now, after all of the tender kissing and touching that had occupied their time on the dance floor and aroused them completely, they finally were alone in their room. Immediately they undressed each other, before Trey took his position on the bed, pulled his legs up to his chest and offered Dion the ultimate prize. Nearly drooling at the sight, Dion quickly moved into position and worked his long slender rod inside of his true love. Over the course of the next many minutes, the duo made mad, erotic love to each other. Since Dion knew what Trey liked best, he reached down and grasped Trey's organ and slowly stroked it to the same rhythm he was using while sliding in and out of his love canal. He did this so they could come off together, in one powerful explosion. When Dion finally reached the point of no return, and emptied his love inside of Trey, as Trey erupted too, spewing his juices between them -- cementing their love for each other. In another room, Nick and Shannon were doing a repeat of Shannon's first night with Nick, but from what I heard later, Nick was not the aggressor this time. It was Shannon who made all the moves and suggested what they could and should do. Somewhat uncharacteristically for him, Shannon took charge once they were alone and managed to subdue the usually assertive Nick. In fact, I also came to understand that Nick seemed to enjoy the role reversal and being the pursued, instead of being the pursuer, so possibly this relationship might turn out differently than the others. I don't think any of us counted on that happening, though, especially Shannon, but he did manage to make the most of his evening. Not only did he enjoy making love to Nick and then having Nick make love to him in return, but he also seemed to revel in the closeness they shared as a result of it. However, as you might suspect, those boys were not alone in their after party activities. At some point, Kevin and Vinnie also disappeared and made their way to Vinnie's room, which was located on the first floor. Kevin was a perfect gentleman and made sure he didn't move any faster than Vinnie wanted, mainly due to the fact that he didn't want to scare Vinnie off or otherwise lose another lover. After undressing Vinnie and helping him onto the bed, Kevin slowly showed Vinnie all the erotic spots the body had to offer, before he prepared both of them for even more. With Vinnie lying prone and his erection covered in latex, Kevin straddled Vinnie's hips and lowered his body down until his love canal swallowed up Vinnie's penis. Now that he was in position to do so, Kevin gave Vinnie his first lesson in the wonderful pleasures of male-to-male intercourse. This proved to be a bit more than Vinnie could handle, and he quickly surrendered to the warmth, tightness and other wonderful sensations that now engulfed his entire being. That's the reason it didn't take long before his loins exploded and his body shuddered from the most powerful orgasm he could ever remember having. >From that moment forward, he lay as limp as a rag doll on the bed, while enjoying the wonderful afterglow that resulted from losing his virginity. Once he'd recovered, Vinnie made sure to get Kevin off too, but he did him orally, since he wasn't sure he was quite ready for anything more than that. However, each of them was satisfied and happy concerning the way things had turned out. Therefore, they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms and content with this new arrangement. I also heard that our four waiters spent the night together in one room, now that they were fully inspired from watching everything that went on during the evening. They helped bring each other off a couple of times before they went to sleep too, although it was all done either manually or orally, but they each of them got a good workout before it was over. In fact, Sammy didn't even do anything with Andrew, and instead allowed both Graham and Cole to take turns bringing him off instead. Sammy spent time with each of them too, while knowing that he and Andrew would have plenty of opportunities later. I was pleased to learn that the boys had all gotten along so well. And yes, I know you're curious about my evening as well. Once we were sure that everyone was safely tucked in for the night, including the straight boys, Jake and I also shared some special time together. After apologizing for not being as thoughtful about the holiday as he had been, I tried to make up for it. Although he insisted it wasn't that big of a deal to him, I allowed him to make love to me, with us both getting off in the process. Even though we might not have had as much energy as the boys, we did enjoy ourselves and had a wonderful time alone. We continued to bond even more closely than we had up until this moment, and we both knew this was going to be a lifelong commitment -- truly until death do us part. I'll have to remember to thank the boys tomorrow for that wonderful evening and their thoughtfulness in bringing Jake up to speed on what they had planned, so he could follow suit. Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 20 -- Love and Hatred. The day after Valentine's Day, Danny and Brandon came to talk to me, to explain about the ring and their commitment to each other. I was thrilled for both of him, especially since I knew how much they truly cared for each other, and I gave them my best wishes and my blessings. That's when they decided to tell me there was more to this commitment than met the eye. "Dad," Danny told me, "we've also made some other promises to each other too, things that are going to affect you and everyone else." "Really?" I responded, due to his pausing at that point. "That would have to be a major decision of sorts, to affect all of us?" "Well, it is," he agreed. "We, I mean Brandon and I, have decided that after we get through with our studies, we're absolutely going to come back here and help you take care of all the boys." "I know, you told me that before," I reminded him, "but most of the boys will be grown by then." "I know, but this time we're making you a promise," he stated, quite adamantly, "and this means you can take in other boys, since Uncle Jake is here too and we'll be coming back to help. Not only that, but we'll also give everyone free medical and dental treatments and help support the family, as well as taking care of everything else. That means we'll also take care of the house and the grounds, with the younger boys' help of course, so you won't have to worry about it anymore." "Hey, I'm not dead or decrepit yet," I replied, with a touch of sarcasm in my voice. "You're almost making it sound like I'm 80 or 90 and can't look after the boys or myself any longer. I know I've had a heart attack, but I'm not that bad off." I added a little chuckle after I said this, so they would know I wasn't upset or anything. "We know that," Danny insisted, very sincerely, "but we want to help take care of you too, so we can make sure you'll be able to help as many boys as possible, like you've helped all of us." "Yeah, Pop," Brandon added, "without you who knows what would have happened to any of us, even me. When you let me stay here after my parents moved away, it allowed Danny and me to stay close. We might not still be together if it weren't for you and we just want to make sure others have those same kinds of opportunities, so they can be who they are and not what others want or expect them to be." "Well, I appreciate that, boys," I assured them, "and I'm sure your brothers will too, but is that what you really want to do with your lives? I mean, it won't give you very much privacy if you stay here and it will certainly take up most of your time outside of your jobs." "That's okay, we'll be surrounded with love and we really don't care how much we'll have to do," Brandon concurred. "Danny and I have talked about this a lot and agree that this is what we want to do. We know we won't be able to have any kids of our own, so this will allow us to be like parents too. We can help raise the boys that are added later and be more than just big brothers to them. We both think this is the best thing for all of us." "Hey, if you're both sure, I won't turn down your offer," I told them, sincerely impressed by their reasoning and the thought they'd given this. "It's not like I wouldn't appreciate your help and enjoy having you here, because I know I'll benefit from both." I paused momentarily after saying this, so I could look directly into both boys' faces, as I tried to assess if they truly understood what they were getting into. Once I was fairly confident they did, I continued. "You know, this does something for me too, besides just getting rid of some of the work. It will also give me some peace of mind." "You mean because someone will always be here with the boys?" Danny asked. "Not just that, because Jake has assured me that he'd take care of all of you, if something happened to me," I explained. "However, you boys will be doing something even more than that for me. You will be providing my legacy." "Legacy? What do you mean by that?" Brandon wondered. "Well, I think many people get to a point when they get older," I began, "where they begin to wonder if their life has really amounted to anything. What I mean by that is, when you reach a certain point in your life you begin to wonder if your time on this earth has left any lasting impression or been a benefit to anyone but yourself. What I'm talking about here is making a contribution that lasts long after you're gone, and not merely for just a few years after you die. Although not everyone feels this way, there are still many of us who hope that somewhere down the road, say seventy or even one hundred years from now, that the things we did while we were alive will have a lasting impact and be remembered by at least a small percentage of future generations. Well, I guess I won't have to worry about that now. If you two are really certain you want to help others like I have and want to come back here so we can take in more boys and do whatever we can to make their lives better, then I will bequeath you everything you'll need to carry on. That will be my legacy. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" "I guess," Brandon replied. "I think you mean others will remember what you've done here because we'll be carrying on what you've started." "Exactly," I agreed. "Now I'll know the progress we've made here won't stop with my death. If you and Danny continue this after I'm gone, then maybe someone else will do the same thing, once you two are no longer capable of doing it either. That gives me hope that one day people will recall everyone who had been a part of this endeavor, which would give added meaning to all of our lives." "Wow, I never thought of it like that," Danny told me. "No, and we never considered anything about that when we decided to move back and help, after we got out of college," Brandon added. "Yeah, we only wanted to do it to help you and some other boys," Danny continued. "We don't care if anyone remembers us later." "Well, I didn't do it to be remembered either," I responded, "but knowing this won't die with me gives me a sense of pride and some peace of mind. Now, I no longer worry about what will happen to the rest of you boys, if something should happen to me in the near future, and I won't have to turn down taking in others for fear I won't live long enough to get them established on their own." "Don't talk like that, Dad," Danny scolded. "You're going to be with us a long, long time and we're going to help to make sure that happens." "Yeah, Pop," Brandon added, "and maybe we're being selfish here, but we just don't want to lose you and…" he hesitated, trying to decide how he wanted to word his next comment. When he knew how he wanted to phrase it, he continued. "And maybe we want to be like you. Almost everyone around here likes and respects what you stand for, so we wouldn't mind having others think as much of us, as they think of you." To say I was stunned, yet extremely honored by his last comment would be a vast understatement. So much, in fact, that I wasn't sure how to respond to it. Since I was undecided about what to do next, I merely reached out and drew Brandon toward me, so I could give him a tremendous hug. Before we broke apart, we pulled Danny into the act too, since he was also a big part of their decision. After we finished our embrace, demonstrating how much we cared about each other, Brandon whispered something else in my ear, before he moved away. "I'm going to get Danny a ring for his birthday, but it's a surprise, so don't say anything." He winked at me after saying this, and I nodded in response, which caught Danny's attention. "Hey, what are you telling Dad?" Danny wanted to know. "Oh, nothing," Brandon teased, while trying to play innocent. "I just thanked him and told him I loved him, that's all." Danny wasn't sure if he believed him or not, especially after Brandon winked at me and Danny had seen that too, but he let it drop, because he knew he could trust him, especially on important matters. Later that night, once everyone was in bed, Jake and I had a private conversation of our own. Jake quickly reiterated his desire to take care of the family, if ever I wasn't able to, but at the same time he confirmed how impressed he was concerning Danny and Brandon's offer. "You know, I am just amazed that anyone as young as those two would be willing to volunteer for such a long-term commitment," he told me. "I guess it must have a lot to do with their upbringing," he added, while grinning in my direction. "Well, I only raised one of them, and I didn't get him until he was already a teenager," I argued. "No, you raised them both, whether you'll admit it or not," Jake scoffed, "and although they may have only been around you for a short time, you've obviously made a lasting impression on them." "Come on, I can't take credit for that," I countered. "You can, because it's true and you deserve it," Jake argued, and rather than continue this discussion until morning, I merely leaned in his direction and kissed him. This, of course, led to something more, so you might say we both went to bed relaxed and with our biggest concerns behind us. Now that the big day was behind us, we began to move on to other things, and the first of those was the winter Olympics. Although the opening ceremony and some of the events had started before Valentine's Day, we had been so consumed with planning for that special evening that we didn't have the time to get involved in watching the games until the holiday for lovers had passed. Starting the very next day, though, a large part of our family immediately became addicted to watching the telecast of the various competitions and greedily focused on nearly every event being contested. We had a great deal of fun viewing the various sports and there was a lot of excitement throughout the final ten days of the winter games. It was also nice to be able to do this as a family, so we could share the excitement. We also enjoyed watching the various countries interact with each other and took note of their ability to compete aggressively against one another at one span, yet for the most part still remain friendly and willingly give each other his due, regardless of the outcome. For example, after the controversy in the skating competition, it was reassuring to watch the Russian and Canadian dance pairs maintain a close relationship and interact so nicely, especially during the final skating event. It helped to reaffirm that the athletes were more focused on their love for their sport, rather than about the politics of the Olympics. It's unfortunate that such posturing can ruin or cast considerable tarnish on such a noble competition. For some of the boys, it was also their first opportunity to watch some of the more unusual sports, such as the luge, skeleton and curling, but they also got to see other seldom broadcast competitions, such as snowboarding, ski jumping and cross country skiing. We not only enjoyed these activities, but we were also totally engrossed by these nightly spectacles and remained glued to the TV each evening from start to finish of the coverage. The younger boys were even willing to take a short nap after school, so I'd allow them to stay up to watch all of the televised activities. That was fine with me, since it allowed us to enjoy them together and cheer as a family unit. The end of the games was also the start of something else for our family. It came about when Trey and Nick announced they had both decided to come out to their friends. They explained that this had not been an easy decision for them, as they knew it would probably cast aspersions on the rest of the family, once their sexual preference was out in the open. Similar things had happened in the past, when it was just assumed that different members of the family were gay, including Shannon, and some sort of repercussions usually followed these supposed revelations. The boys were acutely attuned to this fact and didn't want to make matters worse for anyone else, but they felt they had to be true to themselves and let the chips fall where they may. Trey had asked Dion to come out at the same time and announce he was bi, but Dion wasn't ready to make that move, at least not just yet. Even though the shadow might also fall across him, he felt he had enough success with female companions that any rumors alluding that he was gay wouldn't last for long. He assured Trey it would not change things between them, but he just wasn't ready to make such an announcement just yet. Maybe some day, but this wasn't it. The pair started disseminating this information slowly at first, by telling only those they felt might be most open to accepting them for who they were. Ironically, most of these friends were female, and those girls didn't seem to have much of a reaction about the boys' announcements, other than to indicate they were wondering how long it would take them to finally admit it to them. They explained that they had suspected for some time about each of them, but gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited for them to open up on their own. Now, they felt satisfied, because it had finally happened. The general response from the male friends who had been told about this was 'whatever floats your boat' or 'hey, you've never tried anything with me, so whatever makes you happy.' The boys were thrilled it was going so well at the start, but they knew this good fortune wouldn't last forever. They knew somewhere down the line waited a bigot or other narrow-minded person, who wouldn't accept anyone who was different from himself. However, they were happy to enjoy the good times and take a wait and see approach to what might happen somewhere down the road. As February came to a close, Trey came to me asking my opinion about an altogether different matter. He had two different teachers that were requiring a major project from each student before the end of the semester. He explained that he had an idea about how he could combine the two projects into one, so he could satisfy both course requirements at the same time. Once he explained exactly what he had in mind, I advised him on a few minor points, before I told him he would now have to run this by both of his teachers, to see if they would agree to accept his idea as well. I think he was hoping I would intercede on his behalf with the faculty members involved, but I explained to him they were his courses, it was his idea and they were his teachers, not mine. Therefore he would have to convince them on his own, and not rely on someone else to do it for him. Trey wasn't fully convinced he could be persuasive enough to pull it off, but he made appointments to meet with them anyway. After speaking with each of them individually and explaining what he had in mind, they agreed to allow him to do one project to meet the requirements for both classes. They also told him they would need to monitor his progress along the way, to ensure he was staying true to their particular requirements. He agreed to this stipulation, so now he could begin. The two courses were English and history, and what Trey had proposed was this. He wanted to write a play, which was immediately acceptable to the English teacher to meet the writing requirement. The play, however, would be about a black American World War II sailor and a Japanese pilot who had been marooned together on the same small island. He promised the history teacher that he would research the time period and keep all the details authentic, so his history teacher also agreed to his plan as well. He was going to use the play to show that bigotry and preconceptions can be overcome, even during times of great stress. He told me privately that he hoped this concept would be translated into other areas of life too, such the current state of affairs with racial equality and gay rights, themes he and Dion were very concerned about. I promised to help him with any problems he might encounter along the way, even agreeing to proofread it for him, but the work would have to be his own and I wouldn't do it for him. He said that was exactly what he expected me to say, but he just wanted my support, because he knew this wasn't going to be easy to pull off successfully. He had decided to try it because he enjoyed writing, since he'd written several stories for his English classes before and all had been well received. He then concluded he could use the historical setting to hopefully kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, without also killing his grades. I told him I admired his ingenuity and knew he would do his best, and then he went off to do his research into the historical aspects of this assignment. In very early March, I got an email from Nigel and his boys, happily accepting our offer to have them stay with us, so we could take them on short trips. They also gave me the timeline for their stay, so I could start planning what we might do during that time. When I informed the boys of this, I asked for volunteers to help me figure out what we could do while they were here, and then we set about arranging things for their stay. Of course I included Jake on the planning committee, along with four of the boys, the four who had formed the closest attachment to Nigel's sons when we were together in England. This meant Danny, Brandon, Ricky and Kevin would be helping Jake and me plan what we'd do during their stay, since they knew the other boys' interests better than we did. They had maintained contact with them in between via email, so they were more in tune with what they might like to do while they were here. A few days later, our first problem occurred, concerning Trey and Nick's coming out. Someone had scratched a message on Nick's locker, which read 'death to all faggits'. The spelling error was that of the author of the profound insult. Obviously he wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack. I was chagrined to learn about this, not from Nick, but from Shannon. In speaking with Nick about this later, I learned he felt it was an isolated incident and it would be best if it weren't made into a big deal. I finally conceded he might be right, but I still chided him for not informing me about what had happened. He apologized for not doing so, and then promised he would not make that same oversight again, and he would tell me if anything else like that were to occur. After dinner I called one of the night custodians at the high school, one I knew personally, and filled him in about what had happened. Without hesitation, he asked me for the locker number and told me he'd scratch out the rest of the message, before he repainted it. He promised it would be done before the boys returned for classes, and by scratching it out first, it wouldn't show through the fresh coat of paint. I thanked him and advised him I now owed him for his help. He laughed and said this one was a freebie. I didn't tell Nick about having done this, however, since I thought it was best to let him think it was someone else's idea. In fact, I was actually glad I did keep my involvement a secret, because Shannon told me Nick was both pleasantly surprised and appreciative that someone had gone out of his way to cover up the offensive graffiti. Although Nick was pleased, I was wondering how long it would be before something else happened. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.