Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:14:25 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 5. chapters 23 - 24

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 23 -- Repercussions.

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

April's arrival also brought with it some interesting news.  Near the end
of the first week, Ricky was called and notified that he was among the
finalists for the exchange program.  The caller informed him he now had to
write a short essay about himself, telling in more detail why he wanted to
be an exchange student and why he considered himself the best candidate to
represent our nation while living in another culture.  Ricky was happy he
was being considered a finalist, but he wasn't thrilled about having to
write more about himself.  He knew he'd have to do it if he wanted to be
selected, so with that in mind, he began to write the first draft of his
essay.

Ricky put a great deal of thought into how he wanted to word his statement,
since he really wanted to become an exchange student, but he was also
worried he wasn't the most qualified candidate.  Although his grades were
slightly above average, he understood he was not a great student and
probably not even the best qualified to represent the U.S.  Sure he was
outgoing, but he also liked to goof off and joke around more than most of
his peers, and he suspected this might not be exactly what the selection
committee was looking for.  With that in mind, he understood he had to look
deep inside himself to see what made him special, and then somehow convey
that information to the committee that would select those who would
actually get to go.  When he finished his letter, he gave it to me to look
over.  Here's what I read.


To the selection committee:

I know I am supposed to tell you about myself, so I will.  It's just that I
don't think there is very much to say.  When I was little, I wished my life
would get better, because I wasn't very happy.  Sometimes I even felt sorry
for myself, because my mom used drugs and slept around a lot.  I still
loved her, but I didn't like the things she did or how we had to live.  I
wanted to live in a normal family and do things like other kids, but I
guess I knew that would never happen.

That all changed when my mom died.  At first I was really sad, mostly
because I didn't know what was going to happen to me, because I didn't have
any other family.  Fortunately, I went to live with my principal, because
he was also a foster parent.  I loved living with him right away and a
little later he took in another boy, so I had a brother.  It was awesome.
Later, he even adopted us.  Not only did that make me really happy, but I
also felt safer and more loved than I had ever felt before.

I still don't live in a normal family, because my dad's wife had died
before I went to live with him, so there's no mother.  He's also adopted
many other boys since I came to live with him, which means I'm now part of
a really big family and have lots of brothers.  I like that a lot and I
love my dad and brothers, but now I want to be part of an even bigger
family and get to meet and live with others from around the world.

I know my grades aren't the best, but it's not from lack of trying.  I
wasn't a very good student until I went to live with my dad and he's helped
me do a lot better.  My grades have really improved, but I'm still trying
to do even better, but it isn't always easy, so I hope you won't hold that
against me.

If I'm selected, I'll do my best to represent my school and the country as
well as I can, so you won't be disappointed.  I really want the people
where I go to realize that Americans aren't bad people, no matter what
they've been told.  I want them to see we're just like them.  We can laugh,
joke around and have fun, but most of all I want them to understand
Americans are not just bullies who try to get everyone else to do what they
want.  I hope you think that's as important as I do and one of the things
you'll be looking for in the person you choose to send somewhere.

Thank you for taking the time to consider me as an exchange student.

Sincerely, Ricky Currie


After I finished reading it, I sat down and talked to him about it.  He
quickly asked what he should change and I told him nothing.  I explained it
was from his heart, did what it was meant to do and there was nothing I
could suggest to improve it.  He looked at me funny, like he wasn't sure I
was being honest, but then told me he trusted my judgment and would send it
out the way it was.  I just gave him a wink and said I thought he was a
shoo-in, but he told me I was prejudiced because I was his dad.  I told him
that might be true, but I'd think it was a great letter even if it hadn't
come from my son.  He thanked me and went off to print a clean copy, so he
could send it out.

A couple of days later, I received other news.  I was informed that the
local sheriff's department had picked up the young man who had attacked
Trey and charged him with aggravated assault.  The guy then ended up
spending the next couple of nights in the local jail, which I hadn't
expected to happen.  It seems he spent the first night there because no
judge would be available to arraign him until the following morning, but
his second evening in jail was due to the fact that his uncle couldn't come
up with the bail money.

Even though this kid was separated from the general population, the others
inmates saw him being brought in and noticed his defiant attitude when he
noticed any of them looking in his direction.  He even gave a few of them
the finger, which upset them terribly, so they yelled a myriad of taunts at
him, to intimidate and strip him of his cockiness.  As I understood later,
the inmates usually try to scare any young person brought into jail, as
their method of trying to get them to change their ways before it's too
late, so I guess there is still some good in all of us.  However, in this
boy's case, this was being done more to put him in his place, rather than
scare him out of a life of crime.

In the jail, there was a door between the areas where the boy was being
kept and where the rest of the inmates were housed.  Even though the door
between the two locations was shut, the older inmates' shouts could still
be heard in the other section.  Those who had been incarcerated for some
time used this fact to their advantage and did everything they could to
spook the young man and prove he wasn't so tough.  They began by hinting
that they'd like to get to know him better and even went as far as to ask
him if he'd like a boyfriend.  They teased him, unmercifully, that a cute
young guy like him could have lots of boyfriends in there, if he wanted to,
and made kissing sounds to emphasize that point.

I learned from a corrections officer friend of mine that this treatment
really bothered the boy and he was definitely concerned about what might
happen to him, after hearing those repeated taunts.  Not only that, but his
apprehension was magnified even more by his previous claims that he
despised gays and what they did.  This helped to increase his fears that he
was going to be dragged into some of those acts, even though he'd try to
fight them off, if anyone ever tried anything of that nature.

My friend wasn't certain if the boy responded so drastically because of his
level of anxiety, lack of maturity or minimal intelligence, but he did his
best to try to convince the other inmates he wasn't concerned about their
threats.  In reply, he yelled back his own rude comments and managed to
insult their parentage, and his inability to keep his mouth shut only
fanned the flames of their dislike for him even brighter.  In turn, they
shouted back even worse threats and greater obscenities.  I guess some
people never learn.

Luckily for him, none of the prisoners could get to him for the time being,
but they made sure to let him know he didn't have the upper hand and
promised to tame his foul mouth, if he were ever put anywhere near them.
They also advised him they'd make sure the next time he really would have
something to complain about, like a dick up his ass.  They said they would
request he be allowed to take showers with them, so he could pick up the
soap, and then they all laughed.  I guess that finally deflated the boy's
defiance a little, because the correction officer said he was very quiet
for the rest of the evening.  After spending those two nights in jail, he
was finally released to his uncle's custody, but I think his short stay
there gave him a taste for what it would be like if he got sentenced and
ended up confined there longer for what he had done.  Maybe it would give
him a new perspective on things, especially about how it felt to be
bullied.

During this same time, the school district was addressing the issue of what
action it should take, so I asked one of my friends to keep me informed
about what was going on.  I also requested he try to delay their decision
until the court handled all of the legal issues, and he said he'd see what
he could do.

I knew from watching other cases in the past that this would probably drag
on for a month or more in the courts, but I was hoping the boy might just
accept a plea bargain and get it over with.  I even met with the D.A., to
let him know what we'd consider acceptable, although I wasn't sure he cared
about what I had to say.  Eventually, the D.A.  did make him an offer.  If
the young man agreed to plead guilty to criminal mischief, a misdemeanor,
and spend twelve weekends in jail, then the D.A. would classify him as a
'juvenile offender,' provided he didn't get into trouble again before he
turned 21.  This meant his conviction would be sealed, so it would appear
as though it had never happened.  This also meant it wouldn't show up on
his adult record and, therefore, couldn't be used against him again later,
unless he failed to live up to his end of the bargain.

The young man finally accepted the deal and I believe we were relieved he
didn't try to fight it.  I truly believe the D.A. only agreed to this after
my impassioned plea that the young man not be forced to miss any school
time, since I suspected he might drop out if he fell behind.  Whereas, I
felt if he was able to finish his education, it might afford him his only
chance at having a decent lot in life.  In fact, I emphasized this point
several times by suggesting that if he were given this break, he might not
end up as a repeat offender and this might prevent the judicial system from
having to deal with him again in the future.

In addition to this, the D.A. also agreed to make certain the boy would be
kept separate from the adult inmates while doing his time, but he would be
required to show up each Friday by 6:00 p.m. and wouldn't be released until
6:00 p.m. on Sunday.  This would ruin a few of his weekends, but that fell
far short of ruining his life.

Once this agreement was reached, the situation at the school progressed
quickly too.  I heard the district planned to expel him for his actions, so
I asked to meet privately with the Superintendent and members of the school
board.  During this meeting, I expressed my sincere hope they would merely
give the young man a month of in-house suspension, where he could keep up
with his schoolwork and not be out roaming the streets.  I even volunteered
to oversee this duty, so it wouldn't cost the district anything extra.

The board members were quick to express their surprise that I didn't want
the student expelled, since he had never formally attended any classes in
the district and especially after what he had done to Trey.  In reply, I
explained we merely wanted the young man to learn there were consequences
for his actions, but we didn't want to ruin his life.  I was concerned that
if he were expelled for any length of time he might not return and then
become a burden on the community, in one way or another.  I also felt doing
something of that nature would also increase his bitterness toward gays, as
he would blame them, not himself, for what happened.  After hearing me out,
they agreed to consider this matter further and take my recommendation into
account, before they made their final decision.  I then thanked them for
their time and expressed my confidence that they would do what was best for
all concerned.

The evening the board met to make their final decision, I chose to attend
it alone.  I didn't want the boys there, just in case others showed up to
support this boy and possibly have come there looking for trouble.  It
turned out that very few people, other than the board members and school
officials, had shown up.  There were only a couple of others in attendance,
outside of the boy, his aunt, uncle and myself, but they were there to
speak about other matters.  Once the board told the boy and his guardians
of their decision, his aunt and uncle looked relieved.  However, I waited
quietly until the meeting ended, before walking over to them and asking if
we could speak alone.

"Why?" the boy said defiantly.  "Are you here to pass on more threats from
your other sons?"

"Don't you know when to shut up and listen?" his uncle asked him.  "You're
so much like my brother, all mouth and no ears.  From what the judge and
board president have told us, this man has already done you a couple of
favors, so I think he deserves to be heard."

"What favors?" the boy followed.  "Favors like sending his other sons to
threaten me?"

"Didn't you hear anything the Judge or the school board president told
you?" his uncle wanted to know.  "The Judge said the D.A. had recommend you
do at least 90 days in jail, until Mr. Currie persuaded him to only make
you do weekends.  And the school board president told you they were going
to expel you from school, but Mr. Currie suggested they only give you a
month's suspension instead."

"Wow, big favors," the boy responded, mockingly.

"They were," his aunt interjected.  "After you told us about those first
two nights at the jail, would you really want to spend 90 days in there?"
This time the boy didn't have any wisecrack response, but instead just
glared at his aunt, like she'd just divulged his most closely guarded
secret.

"Let's put it this way," his uncle advised him, "we can either sit down and
let Mr. Currie say his piece or you can deal with me when we get home."  I
think the boy caught his uncle's implication and meekly walked over and sat
down to listen to what I had to say.  Before I could begin, however, his
aunt thanked me for asking both groups to go lightly on her ward.

"Look, we have nothing against your nephew," I informed her, "and we didn't
want to see his life ruined over this one mistake."  I got that much out,
before the boy interrupted me.

"No, you just sent your other sons to threaten me at the mall and make me
look like a fool in front of my friends," he spat out.

"I had nothing to do with that," I replied, "but my other sons were just
letting you know they were going to protect their brother and not let
anyone harm him.  They also used it to teach you what he felt like when you
embarrassed him in front of a group of his peers.  If they had meant to get
even for what you'd done, they wouldn't have just threatened you that day.
They could have beaten the crap out of you and your buddies instead.  You
have to agree several of them are quite capable of doing that, if they had
wanted to."  The boy didn't respond to my comment, and his aunt and uncle
meekly sat there giving him dirty looks.

"If you'll just let me say my peace, then we can all go home," I added, and
his uncle nodded for me to continue.  "Look, I just want you to know that
none of my boys will go out of their way to do anything to you, unless you
decide to do something like this again.  They will defend their own, but
they won't come after you unless you do something first.  I just want you
to understand that none of these boys chose to be gay, bi or straight.
Most people agree the determination for sexual orientation is at least
partly genetic, although there may also be some environmental influences
involved as well.  However, none of them made a conscious decision to be
the way they are."

"Yeah, sure," the boy scoffed.

"Well, did you choose to be straight?" I asked him, bluntly.

"No, man, but I'm normal," he replied quickly, like that was all I needed
to know.

"How about your height, did you choose that?" I followed.  "Or maybe your
eye color or skin-tone then?"

"No, you know you can't choose things like that," he responded, with a
touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Exactly, and people who are gay didn't choose to be that way either," I
explained.  "It's just as they grew up, they discovered they were attracted
to other boys, not girls.  They didn't choose to be like that, it was just
who they were.  If it were a choice, why would anyone choose to be harassed
and become a target for every bigot?"  The young man looked at me for a few
seconds after I asked him this, but could find no words to respond.

"Exactly," I replied for him.  "Some of them even tried dating girls and
wanted to become straight, but there was just no attraction, no spark.  If
they had continued with such a fraud, knowing they really had no feelings
for those girls, it would have been unfair to both them AND the girls they
were with."  The boy didn't seem to really hear what I was saying and tried
to turn away from me, but his uncle wouldn't allow that to happen.  Since
his uncle seemed interested in what I had to say, he was going to pursue
this topic, even if his nephew didn't want to do so.

"Do you really believe this?" he wanted to know.

"Absolutely!" I responded.  "I've spent many hours talking to my boys and
to others about this, and I believe that being gay is in their genes, so to
speak.  There may also be some environmental factors that trigger this
genetic switch, but whatever ends up bringing it about, the boys don't seem
to have any say in the matter."

"I didn't realize that," his uncle admitted.  "I think we've all been led
to believe this is a choice people make, not something that was thrust upon
them."

"Look at it this way," I continued.  "Just as nature makes differences in
how animals look and act, it also makes a difference in whom they're
attracted to.  Even straight people aren't all attracted to the same types
of partners, so why should everyone be attracted to just the opposite sex?
Maybe at one time it was important for the survival of the species, but
that doesn't seem to be the case any more, and history is full of examples,
both in humans and other animals, about individual members of various
species being attracted to members of their own sex.  It's just something
that happens, but they shouldn't be hassled for how they were born."  After
saying this, I focused directly on his son, before I made my next
statement.

"Let me ask you this," I began, while staring directly in his eyes.  "How
would you feel if most of the world was gay and you were the one being
picked on for being born straight?  Would you want them treating you the
same way you treat them?"

He didn't even take time to think before he responded.  "There's no way
that would ever happen!"

"Maybe not," I stated, so as not to tune him out completely, "but would you
want to be made fun of or attacked just because you were different?"  The
boy didn't have a smart comeback this time and I think he might have even
considered what that situation might have been like.  Maybe he was finally
beginning to see my point.

We talked for a little while longer, but most of the rest of the
conversation went on between his guardians and myself.  They made sure he
continued to listen, as one or the other would nudge him whenever they
thought he wasn't paying attention, so I felt some headway had been made.

"Mr. Currie, thank you for your help and for taking the time to explain
things to our nephew," his aunt told me, before we parted.  "We're going to
go home and talk about this more with him and we appreciate your help.  I
don't think you'll have to worry about him repeating his actions.  Please
tell your son, the one who was attacked by our nephew, how sorry we are and
that we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

I told her I would and then we parted company.  Although he might have
learned his prejudice from his parents, it was also possible he was merely
mimicking actions he had seen or heard others make.  His aunt and uncle
seemed pretty open-minded and I felt I might have helped to open a dialogue
between his guardians and him, so they might be able to continue opening
his eyes as well.  There still might be hope for him yet.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 24 -- Responding to Bigotry.

After the situation had been settled with Trey's attacker, we hoped things
might quiet down for a while.  We were still vigilant, especially where
Trey was concerned, but the situation surrounding his coming out was pretty
low-key after that.  We found out later that the second boy who had been
with Trey's attacker when Frankie confronted him at the mall, sort of
deserted him after he was humiliated so badly.  However, the other boy was
his cousin and they lived together, so he didn't have that option.
However, both boys had been unimpressed with how quickly he backed down
when confronted and realized he wasn't as worthy of their adoration as they
once thought.

Not only that, but when the second boy's parents found out about some of
the things the bully had done, they put some pressure on their son to
disassociate himself from his newfound friend.  His parents did this
because they didn't want him ending up in trouble with the law too.

We also heard rumors that the primary bully had also become the brunt of
some jokes at school, especially concerning his time in jail.  Some of the
jocks had jokingly started a rumor that he had become one of the other
prisoner's girlfriend while he had been locked up, which was even more
humiliating for him than anything else they could have said or thought.  He
certainly didn't want anyone to consider he might have done anything of
that nature while he was in jail, but since the gossip had started, it
would be difficult to dissuade the notion he had participated in such
activities.  Not only that, but the shadows conjured up by the rumors would
follow him for years to come -- at least whenever he was around those he
went to school with.  That's not what we wanted to happen, but it appears
you DO reap what you sow.

During that same period of time, Trey worked really hard on his project and
made some good progress on it.  The play was about a young Japanese pilot
who survived his plane crashing into the ocean and then struggled to save
himself by doing anything he could to make his way to a small island in the
Pacific.

At nearly the same time, a young black American seaman was enduring his own
struggles to survive, after his ship was torpedoed.  Once the vessel sank,
he found himself clinging to some debris to stay afloat, but was unable to
locate any other survivors, so it quickly became apparent he was totally
alone.  He spent several days holding tightly to the flotsam that kept him
from slipping below the surface of the water and finally washed up on a
desolate island.

As unbelievable as it might seem, it was the same small, lonely island
where the Japanese aviator had come ashore a few weeks earlier.  Once
they'd discovered they'd ended up in the same place, it created a great
deal of apprehension and distrust between them.  Each had been led to
believe, at least in recent times, that people from the other country were
evil and not to be trusted.  Now, they suddenly found themselves thrust
together at a very traumatic time, but their main concern was for their own
survival.

At first they elected to try to avoid one another, but both of them
considered the possibility he might have to kill the other or defend
against a similar attack upon himself.  After much consideration about this
situation, they independently decided it would be best to cooperate and try
to survive together, rather than perish alone.

Before they could do this, though, the pair had to overcome a couple of
major obstacles.  The first was the lack of a common language and the
second was their natural distrust of each other.  However, since each of
them questioned his ability to make it alone, both concluded their ultimate
survival would hinge on their ability to cooperate.  They both understood
their chance of being rescued was slim, since the island was of no
strategic value and nothing of significance was located nearby.  In order
to survive, they would not only have to provide themselves with food and
shelter, but also find suitable quantities of fresh water for drinking and
be able to protect themselves from any surprises Mother Nature might throw
at them.  This would be best accomplished by working together.

Before this could happen, however, Trey had to effectively show how they
made initial contact and eventually broke down the other's inherent
distrust.  He did this by having each of them signal the other they meant
no harm, but they still had to come up with a way to communicate or this
effort would still prove fruitless.  In order to do this, he showed how
each attempted to teach the other a few words in his own language.  First,
one would point at something and then say its name in his language several
times, and then the other would repeat it until his teacher indicated he
was saying it correctly.  They would practice like this over and over
again, until the vocabulary became second nature to them, and gradually
they built the basis for understanding each other by using an amalgam of
the English and Japanese language of their own design.

In order to make this realistic, Trey used Sammy, Andrew and their Japanese
grandparents.  Mr. and Mrs. Yamada had come over to spend some time with
their grandsons during the boys' spring break and had decided to stay a bit
longer, so they could spend a little more time with them.  Trey took
advantage of their being here, even though he didn't want to take away from
the time they had with their grandsons, but once he explained what he was
trying to do, they were eager to help.

Trey would tell them what word he needed the Japanese equivalent for and
then they would pronounce it several times for him, until he could say it
correctly and write it phonetically.  Once he had mastered that, they would
show him how to spell it correctly using the English alphabet, and then the
elder couple would even show him how it looked using traditional Japanese
characters.  Not only were they pleased that Trey was so attentive to their
instruction, but they were most pleased by how he tried to remain true to
what it might have actually been like, if this had actually happened.  Trey
understood he probably couldn't have pulled this off without them, so
thanked each of them multiple times for their invaluable assistance.

Trey had not only learned a great deal from this project, but he also
managed to keep everything historically accurate.  This included how both
warriors would have been raised during the Great Depression, which was the
period in history that immediately preceded World War II.

For example, once the pair was able to communicate sufficiently, Trey had
the Japanese pilot explain that he had been raised in a fishing village as
a youngster and then had him teach the American how to fish, using a net
the pair had constructed from vines and seaweed.  Along that same vein,
Trey also had the Japanese pilot show his counterpart how to search for
other forms of seafood, like digging for clams and catching crabs as well.

In return, the American, who had been raised as a southern farm boy, taught
his Japanese counterpart how to hunt and trap what few birds, reptiles and
other animal life inhabited the island.  The black sailor had also been a
cook in the highly segregated navy of World War II, so he did much of the
cooking too.  Trey did a very good job showing how they began to trust and
learn from each other and even how they survived a devastating typhoon,
something they might not have lived through on their own.  By using these
adversities, Trey was able to show how they began to let down their guard
and came to respect one another as equals.

As they bonded, each of them began to worry about what would happen to his
new friend or himself after they were rescued, depending on whose troops
were the first to arrive and discover them.  Each wondered if this might
happen before the war ended and if their captors would be generous enough
to take into account what they had done to benefit the other, in order to
live.  In the end, they concluded only time would tell and it wasn't worth
wasting more time worrying about it.

As fate would have it, an American ship discovered them and came to their
rescue, when someone onboard spotted them along the water's edge.  One of
the sailors saw them as he used his binoculars to search for signs of the
Japanese submarine they were chasing.  Once his countrymen came ashore, the
sailor did his best to make sure his new friend would be treated fairly.
Seeing he also had limited rights during this period, he wasn't sure if he
could be effective in ensuring this, but it didn't stop him from trying his
hardest.  Despite the fact he was also discriminated against, he tried to
explain to their rescuers that even the politics of war, which were
formulated by aggressive and egotistical leaders, couldn't prevent ordinary
people from learning to trust each other and even become friends.  It was a
nice portrayal of how the world could, and probably should, be.

After reading his rough draft, I offered a few suggestions for some minor
changes, besides correcting some spelling and grammar usage along the way,
but the story content was entirely Trey's.  I was impressed with the level
of understanding and maturity he showed in writing it, as well as the
detailed research he did concerning the planes, ships, uniforms and other
information he referred to in his play.  It was really looking good, so I
suggested it was time for him to meet with his teachers, so he could let
them see what he had so far.

Trey was a little concerned it might be too soon to do this, but after I
told him it would give him time to make any changes either of them thought
it might need, he agreed.  He was still quite nervous the day these
meetings were scheduled and nearly wet himself as they read their copies of
his script.  However, once they'd finished and looked up and smiled at him,
he knew everything was all right.

Both teachers told him how impressed they were with what he'd done, but his
English teacher even went a bit further with her encouragement.  "Trey, do
you think there might be some way you could do this on a stage or videotape
the story, so it might be shared with more than just our class?"

"Well, I don't know how I'd be able do that," he answered, honestly.  "I
mean, it's set on an island in the Pacific, where they hunt lizards, birds,
snakes and things like that.  Besides, whom would I get to play the parts?"

"Well, I know it won't be easy, and you'd have to pull off a minor miracle
to make this work," his history teacher added, "but don't you have a
brother who's black and another who is of Japanese descent?"

"I do, but they're hardly old enough to play these roles," he cautioned.

"Well, for the time being they might be your best hope," his English
teacher suggested, "at least if we have any chance of getting this done.  I
really think this play is good enough to have it shared with others in the
school.  Won't you please try to do that for me?"

"I agree," his history teacher added.  "This is definitely something that
should be shared with as many others as possible.  You've done a remarkable
job meeting both of our requirements and it would serve as a valuable
example to others."

"Okay, I'll talk to my dad about it and see what he thinks," Trey agreed.
"Maybe he can come up with some ideas to help me out.  He's usually pretty
good in the 'idea' department."

His teachers concurred with his comment, satisfied that Trey and I would be
able to work something out.  When Trey came home and told me what they had
discussed, he asked if I had any ideas that might help him overcome the
foreseeable problems.  I told him I'd have to make a few phone calls, since
I needed to discuss some things with a few other people I knew, but I might
be able to come up with a viable solution.  In the meantime, I suggested he
talk to Dion and Sammy, to see if they were interested in playing the roles
of the two main characters.  He agreed and went on his way.

Trey had no trouble talking Dion into helping him, since they were lovers
and Dion would do anything to help Trey out.  However, Sammy was a
different story.  Sammy wanted to know exactly what he'd have to do, how
long it would take and why he would want to be part of this.  In response,
Trey explained to him about what he hoped to accomplish with this play,
which was to get people to accept others as they are.  Trey explained that
he didn't want people treated differently just because of their
nationality, religion or sexual orientation, and hoped this play might help
to open their eyes, so they could see that everyone was basically the same.
Trey's explanation impressed Sammy so much that he finally agreed to
participate.

I used the next couple of days to contact a few of the people I knew who
might be able to assist Trey with this matter, to see what they could do to
help him pull this off.  During the course of these conversations, I had
some success in getting volunteers for various tasks.  A tailor friend
offered to make the costumes we'd need, while promising to make them look
authentic for the time period, if I would provide the material he would
need to accomplish the task.  Once I assured him that would not be a
problem, I told him Trey would make copies of what he wanted the uniforms
to look like and he assured me he'd complete them as quickly as he could.

I then approached another person I knew, who worked at the local cable
company, and asked him to help me talk their Community Cable Access
Department into videotaping this performance, as well as helping create
whatever sets might also be needed.  Although it was a hard sell and I had
to agree to pay for the materials they would use to improvise the various
props Trey would need, as well as get Trey to give them permission to air
it, once the school was finished with it.  After talking this over with
Trey, he consented, so CCAD agreed to work with us.  It now appeared that
videotaping the play was going to be possible after all.

Even though this part of his project was going well, some other
developments occurred during this same time that weren't as positive.  The
problems began one day after school, while the boys were waiting for Trey
to finish doing some more of his research.  A boy, who was friends with
some of my sons, came running up to them in the hall.  "Hey, do you guys
remember the kid who beat up Trey?" he asked, nearly breathless.

"Of course we do," Nick told him, wondering how the boy thought they could
forget about the other kid.

"Well, I heard him after school asking some other guys to help him with
something," the young man announced.

"Do you know what SORT of thing he was asking for help with?" Danny asked
him.

"Yeah, he was trying to get them to help him trash somebody's car," the
boys stated, rather unemotionally.  "I didn't hear whose car they were
after, but after I thought about it for a while, I suspected it might be
yours, so I came here to warn you."

"Did those other guys agree to help him?" Shannon wondered.

"I don't think they did, but I'm not positive," he confirmed.

"Well, maybe we'd better go out and check on the car then," Danny told his
brothers.

Without hesitating, the three boys headed out to where the Grand Am was
parked, with each taking a slightly different route to get there.  Just as
Nick approached the car, he saw our friend the bully trying to puncture one
of the tires on the Grand Am with a screwdriver or knife, he couldn't tell
which.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Nick screamed at the kid.

The boy hadn't heard him approach and was totally shocked that he had been
caught.  The car was parked in an isolated location, and since he didn't
expect the boys to be out here this early, he wasn't as vigilant as he
probably should have been.  He figured that since they usually stayed until
Kevin had helped Vinnie finish his workout, which he calculated should take
another half hour to forty-five minutes to complete, he hadn't expected
them any time soon.  That was his first mistake.

After hearing the challenge and not yet knowing who made it, he dropped the
tool he was using and leapt up to defend himself.  It was apparent he
wasn't going to get away with carrying out his plan, so he figured his best
defense was a good offense.  With that in mind, he stepped toward Nick and
threw a punch.  That was his second mistake.

Since Nick expected he might try something like that, he was able to
sidestep the blow.  This meant the force of the attacker's swing threw him
temporarily off balance, but he quickly righted himself, before lowering
his shoulder and charging at Nick.  That was his third mistake.

Oh, it wasn't because his charge was ineffective, since he was able to
tackle Nick and slam him backward onto the ground.  However, by the time
that had happened, Danny and Brandon were close enough to see what was
going on and immediately darted to Nick's assistance.  After grabbing the
attacker and throwing him off of Nick, Danny took control of the situation.

"Are you really this fucking dumb?" Danny asked him, rhetorically.  "Don't
you ever learn?"

The boy just glared at Danny and then leapt at him, while throwing his next
series of punches.  Danny took a couple of blows to the body, but was able
to duck the punch to his head.  Instinctively, he countered with his own
quick series of punches, which landed upon the boy's head and face.
Unready for the ferocity of Danny's counterattack, the boy faltered and
began giving ground.  Unmoved by his opponent's situation and vowing not to
show him any more mercy than was necessary to keep this from becoming a
criminal matter, Danny pursued him and landed a couple more punches to his
body, before his final blow caught the kid squarely in the center of his
face.  Dumbfounded and dazed, the boy fell backward and landed against the
car, where he remained while trying to come to his senses and figure out
what to do next.

"Look!" Shannon exclaimed, "The dumb bastard spray-painted the windshield
too."

This remark caused the other two to look up to see the word 'FAGMOBILE'
scrawled in silver paint across the glass.  As they turned to face the
culprit again, they spotted the can on the ground and noticed the small
splotches of silver paint on the fingers of the kid's right hand.  By this
time the boy started to get up again, but Danny offered him a warning.

"Stay right where you are, if you don't want your ass kicked again," he
hissed.

"Don't tell me what to do," the boy protested, as he tried to scramble to
his feet.  That was his next mistake.

Danny wasn't about to back down or show him any mercy, so he hit him twice
more as he tried to stand.  The first blow landed against the side of the
boy's head, while the second connected with his jaw.  It was the last blow
that was responsible for knocking him down again.

"Now stay there this time!" Danny shouted at him.

Stupidly, the boy made another move to get up, but when he saw Danny
getting ready to pummel him again, he thought better of it and stayed where
he was.

"Good boy," Brandon mocked, when he noticed their nemesis remaining on the
ground.

While keeping a watchful eye on him, the brothers talked amongst themselves
to determine what to do next with him now.  Eventually, they decided to
turn him in.

Danny and Brandon each grabbed one of the boy's arms, lifted him to his
feet and then escorted him into the school.  Nick followed closely behind
them, in case the boy tried something else or attempted to run.  However,
the boy merely continued to struggle with Danny and Brandon, while trying
to break free of them.  Since he was becoming tired with the boy's
continued defiance, Brandon twisted his left arm behind his back, in a
half-Nelson, as a way to motivate him to do as they wanted.  At nearly the
same time, Danny was eagerly digging his fingers into the flesh of the
boy's arm, as his way of letting him know that he wasn't about to get away.
When they finally got the perpetrator into the school, they dragged him to
the principal's office, so they could explain what had happened.

"We caught him in the act this time," Danny announced to the principal.
"He was slashing the tires on our car, after he'd spray-painted a
derogatory comment on the windshield.  You can even see some of the paint
on his fingers."  The boy tried to hide his hand, but Danny yanked his arm
away from his body and thrust it out into the open, where the principal
could see it.

"Well, it's obvious you screwed up again," the principal said, while eyeing
the boy, "and I doubt you'll get any breaks this time around."

At this point the principal called a couple of teachers into his office, so
they could watch the boy while he went out to look at what he'd done to the
car.  He was disgusted when he saw the damaged tire and what was written on
the glass, before noticing the materials the boy had used lying nearby.  He
quickly withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to pick up the
knife and can of paint, and then took this evidence back to his office for
safekeeping.  Once he reentered the school, he immediately called the
police and asked them to send someone over, so he could file an official
report.

A short time later, a squad car pulled up in front of the main entrance to
the school and two officers jumped out and strode quickly toward the
principal's office.  After a brief greeting, they jotted down all of the
appropriate information and took statements from everyone who had witnessed
any part of this crime, which included the boy who had overheard the
culprit trying to recruit others to help him.  After they finished doing
that, they went out to the parking lot and took pictures of the damage done
to the car, before returning to the school, so they could bag the evidence
the principal had confiscated.

After all of this had been accomplished, they slapped a pair of handcuffs
on the boy's wrists and led him out to their vehicle, where they carefully
placed him in the back seat.  Before they left, they radioed in and had the
desk sergeant call our house, so he could advise me about what had
happened.  After giving me a few of the details, he asked if I wanted to
pick up my sons or if I preferred he assign someone to drive them home.
After assuring him I'd drive down to get them, he suggested I check out the
damage to the Grand Am first, and then arrange for my mechanic to tow the
car to the garage.  He thought it would be a good idea to have him do a
thorough examination of the damage, in case there were other problems that
weren't as obvious, and then have the mechanic turn in a list of what
damage had been done, along with a written estimate of what it would cost
to repair it.  That way, the authorities could determine the severity of
the charge they would lodge against the young man, depending on the total
dollar amount of the damage.

Once this message was passed along, the arresting officer advised my sons
that I'd be down shortly to pick them up, and then he and his partner drove
off.  As they were leaving, Nick also slipped away to find Kevin and
Vinnie.  It was quite a bit later than he would have normally met up with
them, so he knew they'd be concerned, but now he could tell them what had
happened and let them know where everyone was.

All the boys were standing outside the principal's office by the time I
arrived, so after I finished with the principal, I loaded all of them into
the van and we headed over to fill my mechanic in about what I needed.  The
boys also informed me of the details about what had happened as we drove
there, while admitting they couldn't believe the boy was dumb enough to try
something like this again.  They almost felt sorry for him now, knowing
both the school and the courts would come down hard on him this time, but I
reminded them it wasn't our problem any longer.  We had done our best to
help him once, but this time he'd have to take whatever punishment the
judicial system dished out to him.

As the boys had often heard expressed on television and in the movies many
times before, they understood that he did the crime, so now he'd also have
to do the time.  They just hoped he didn't come out worse than he was
before he went in.


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.