Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:28:12 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 5, chapters 33 - 34

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 33 -- The Up Side of Life.              

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

Now that the court case had been handled and things began to settle down
for us again, I realized I had forgotten to call Mark at college and
arrange for him to come here to work for the summer again.  He was going to
return again this year, to continue handling some of my personal accounts,
as well as some of those from the Castaway Foundation.  My friend, who had
been working as Mark's mentor, was planning to give Mark some tips on
handling other types of investments, especially the riskier varieties.  He
planned on showing him how he approached these investment vehicles, and
then work with Mark as he attempted to handle a limited number of funds of
that nature.  I felt it would be a good learning experience for Mark and I
was willing to allow him to use some of my money to practice with.

Besides that, I also wanted to warn Mark about Nigel's impending visit.  I
thought he should know that Nigel's boys and mine might be doing some
things he wasn't accustomed to, and probably wouldn't feel comfortable
around, in case he wanted to make arrangements to stay with his girlfriend
or boss while they were here.

"Mark, it's Josh Currie," I announced, when he answered his phone.  "I'm
just calling to verify your plans for the summer."

"Hi, Pop," he replied, in his bubbly voice.  "Wow, I was just thinking
about you.  This is really strange."

"Well, I was thinking about you too," I admitted.  "So do you know when
you'll be leaving to come here?"

"Kind of," he agreed.  "I want to spend a couple weeks with my mom first,
but I thought I'd fly out there at the beginning of June, if that would be
okay with you."

"Of course it would," I confirmed.  "I'm looking forward to seeing you
again and I know the others are too.  Some of the boys have even been
hounding me about when you'd be arriving.  I'd have contacted you sooner,
but I got sidetracked by other matters."

"Nothing serious, I hope," he replied.

"Not any longer," I explained.  "There was some tension around here for a
while, but I'll tell you more about that once you're here."

"Okay.  I'm glad whatever it was has been resolved," he consoled, "and I'm
looking forward to seeing all of you again too.  How is everyone?"

"Oh, they're all doing fine, but I'm afraid Ricky won't be here," I
informed him.  "He's leaving to be an exchange student to Australia before
you get here, but I'll warn you, that doesn't mean the house will be quiet.
We're going to be having some other visitors joining us in August, a family
we met in England.  They're coming over to visit and they'll be staying
with us for a couple of weeks.  We'll be taking them on some short trips
and you're invited to join us for any or all of them, if you want."

"Really?  That sounds cool," he replied, instantly, "but I'll have to
work."

"Well, most of these trips will be taken on the weekend, maybe sometimes
making them extended weekend trips," I explained, "so I think you'd be able
to go on at least some of them.  We'd really like for you to join us,
unless you and your female friend at the bank have other plans."

"Well, Pop, we just might," he admitted.  "We've kept in touch ever since I
left there at the end of last summer.  Do you think she might be able to
join us on some of these too?"

"Well, I'm sure we could include her on one or two of these trips," I
confirmed, "but I'm not sure she'd enjoy all of our plans."

"Why's that, Pop?" he wondered

"Well, Nigel and his boys are naturists," I admitted, "so we are planning
to go to a naturist camp on one of these trips too, but I didn't think
you'd want to join us for that one."

"You mean like a nudist colony?" he wondered.  "Where no one is wearing any
clothing?"

"Yes, that's what some people call it," I confirmed.

"And all of the boys are going too?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes, they've all been to similar places before," I explained.  "In fact,
that's where we met Nigel and his boys, at one of those places in England."

"Really?  And they don't mind running around naked in front of other
people?" he followed, and I could tell his curiosity was getting the best
of him.

"They don't seem to have any problem with it," I informed him.  "In fact, I
think most of them enjoy it.  Most of the time, they tend to run around the
house that way too."

"Doing it in front of your brothers is one thing," he explained, "but being
naked in front of strangers, especially strangers of the opposite sex,
that's different."  He paused briefly before he continued, and I didn't
interrupt him, because I knew he was just collecting his thoughts.  "Well,
I have wondered what it would be like myself.  I saw the boys skinny
dipping in your pool last summer, and I really wanted to join them, but I
was afraid they or you might get upset if I did."

"And why would you think we would have done that?" I asked.  "You're just
as much a part of this family as anyone else, so you may do whatever you're
comfortable with."

"Do you mean that?" he asked, amazed.  "I am a bit older than them.
They're mostly minors, but I'm considered an adult."

"That doesn't matter and of course I mean what I said," I confirmed.  "The
boys didn't ask you to join them because they weren't sure you'd want to be
included in some of the things they did.  I must admit, I think they are
all unapologetic exhibitionists."

"Man, I would love to try things like that," he admitted.  "I always wanted
a brother or two, and I've always thought that being able to go skinny
dipping and to do things like that would be so neat."

"Then plan on letting your hair down while you're here and having some fun
this year," I urged him.  "I'll let the boys know you're up for something
different, and when Nigel's boys get here, there'll be plenty of naked
bodies running around the house, so you won't feel out of place."

"Hehehe.  That sounds like fun," he joked.  "Thanks, Pop, and I'll see you
in a few weeks.  And I think I might go with you to that naturist camp too,
if you don't mind."

"Not at all, and I'm sure I've got a couple of boys here that won't be able
to wait for that to happen," I teased.

"Do you mean about going to the camp or seeing me naked?" he wondered.

"Both," I answered, and then chuckled.  I think Mark knew which boys I
meant, too.  When I hung up, I thought I had just discovered a new side to
his personality.

When the last weekend in May arrived, Kevin and I traveled to attend the
scholarship banquet by ourselves.  The invitation only included the
finalist and his or her parents, so we couldn't bring anyone else along,
not even Vinnie.  Vinnie was pretty good about the fact he couldn't join
us, although Kevin and I could both tell he would have preferred to be
there.  He did wish Kevin the best of luck before we left, and I think I
could see the reflection of tears in his eyes as we were driving away, but
that was to be expected.  This was the first time the two had been apart
since Vinnie had come to live with us.

Once we arrived at the building where the event was taking place, Kevin and
I made our way to the banquet room, where representatives from the
sponsoring group greeted us.  After they introduced themselves, they
welcomed us and congratulated Kevin on having made the finalist list, and
then we were encouraged to mix with the other finalists, so we could get to
know them too.

There were probably a dozen or so young men and women wandering about,
although most of them were not doing much mixing.  Unfortunately many of
these kids, as well as their parents, seemed to prefer the company of their
own families and didn't try to get to know any of the other finalists.

We spoke to a few of them and exchanged names and where we were from, but I
could tell no friendships were going to arise from these encounters.  Too
many of the adults didn't seem to want to have anything to do with us,
either because they thought us inferior or they were only interested in
learning if their child had won a scholarship and nothing more.

The ones with their noses in the air were dressed to the hilt, with the men
and boys in tailored, hand stitched suits, while the women and girls were
dressed in expensive evening dresses.  It's too bad they thought their
enormous incomes or inherited wealth made them better than the rest of us,
but it also made it clear this wasn't a needs-based scholarship.

On the other hand, most of those who were only concerned about their child
being successful at winning a scholarship would be very disappointed and go
home empty handed.  Since it was obvious there were more students than
scholarships, this would mean the vast majority would only be able to say
they came close, even if their parents considered them young Einsteins who
deserve this honor most.  With such a narrow focus, they would be the only
ones to lose out, yet I hoped they didn't take it out on their child that
they didn't win the grand prize.

After a few more minutes, a young boy came over to us and began to chat
with Kevin.  "Hi, I'm Jeff," he announced, undeterred.  "I see that you're
here with just your dad."

"Yeah," Kevin answered, "my dad is the only one I had to bring."

"Me too," the boy responded, enthusiastically, "but not my dad, just my
mom.  My dad took off when I was little and we haven't seen him since."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kevin told him, trying to sound sincere.

"That's okay, I've gotten used to it.  It's no big deal any more," the
young man informed us.  "What happened to your mother?"

"I'm adopted, and Dad's wife died a few years before he adopted me?" Kevin
explained.

"Really, he was all alone, but he still adopted you?" the young man asked,
amazed.

"Well, he wasn't exactly alone and he didn't adopt just me," Kevin replied.
"I have several adopted brothers too."

"Wow!  How many did you say?" Jeff asked, unable to contain his surprise.

Kevin went on to explain to the boy about our family, including my
biological children and grandchildren, and the young man seemed truly
interested.  I was thrilled to see someone who wasn't stuck up or
self-centered and was actually hitting it off with my son.  While Kevin and
Jeff were talking, I went over and introduced myself to Jeff's mother and
we got to know each other while our sons continued to bond.

"Wow, I always wished I had a brother," Jeff told Kevin. "Sometimes it can
be a kind of lonely being the only child."

"Yeah, having brothers is really great, but sometimes it's really hard to
get some time to yourself," Kevin admitted.  "I guess we both have our
problems, just the opposite ones."

The boys continued chatting until an announcement was made, asking everyone
to be seated.  As luck would have it, we were seated together, at a table
for four, as all the other tables were prepared for groups of six.  It
might have been just a numbers game, or maybe they thought single parent
families would have more in common, which would give them something else to
talk about.  It didn't matter, since none of us were about to complain
about the arrangement.

We had a nice meal and continued to chat while we ate, getting to know each
other even better before the presentations began.  While Jeff's mother and
I talked about a variety of topics, the boys began to talk about why they
wanted to become pharmacists.

"Man, I hope I win this scholarship," Jeff told Kevin, "because I'm not
sure we can afford for me to go to college without it.  My mom has to work
hard, just so we have food, clothes and things like that.  I have a job too
and work after school on Friday and then on the weekend.  I got it so I
would have money to buy the extra things I want -- the stuff my mom says
she can't afford to give me.  I've also tried to put some of my money away
for college and I have saved a bit -- just not enough to pay my own way."

"This is really important to you, isn't it?" Kevin asked him.

"You bet it is," Jeff agreed.  "Not only do I love chemistry, but I know I
could make enough money as a pharmacist so I could help take care of my mom
and make it so she won't have to work so hard any more.  After all she's
done for me, I really want to be able to do that for her."

"Well, I hope you win the scholarship then," Kevin told him.  "I think you
deserve it."

When the meal was over, the president of the association went to the
podium, asked for our attention and got things under way.  First, he
introduced all the finalists and had them stand up at their table for
recognition, before he introduced the members of the committee that had
selected them.  Once that process was completed, he got down to the
business at hand.

"This is a very select and impressive group," he began, "and I know you
will all make tremendous pharmacists in the future.  The committee had a
very difficult decision this year, even more so than in previous years.
You all have excellent credentials, which meant we had to look hard to
distinguish between your academic resumes, but was made a little easier
knowing that this year we have an extra scholarship to award.

"There are the three partial scholarships, for one-thousand, two-thousand
and three- thousand dollars per year, and then the grand prize, a
full-scholarship to any Pennsylvania School of Pharmacy, but this year
there will be an additional scholarship awarded.  It came about due to a
donation from an anonymous member of our association, and although it isn't
quite a full-scholarship, this person has contributed enough money to cover
tuition and books for a typical four-year program at any Pennsylvania
School of Pharmacy."  At this point, there was a round of applause,
signifying that everyone approved of this generous, additional opportunity.

"As I said, the final selections were quite difficult.  Each of our
finalists has an outstanding GPA and received numerous glowing letters of
recommendations from his or her teachers and guidance counselors.  Since
each of those letters are so positive, the judges were forced to scan them
with a magnifying glass and read between the lines, in order to uncover the
little things that indicate why one candidate is slightly more qualified
than the next, or possibly just more motivated.  It is not an easy process,
but once that step is completed, we narrow it down to five candidates and
then turn to the essays each individual wrote on his own behalf, telling us
why he or she wants to be a pharmacist.  Although each of those essays were
very impressive, two stood out and those two individuals turned out to be
the recipients of the top two scholarships, while the other three
individuals will received the fixed-amount scholarships.  We'll start by
awarding the one-thousand dollar a year scholarship first."

Both boys were now holding their breath.  Although the first three
scholarships would be helpful, I think we all knew Jeff needed one of the
final two to be able to actually further his education.  We listened
intently as the first three scholarships were awarded, but none of them
went to the two young men at our table.  Although they were a little
disappointed, they were still hopeful that their names would yet be called.

"We will now award the partial scholarship next," the speaker continued.
"This recipient of this award has a 3.97 GPA and is highly motivated.  He
claims that he not only loves chemistry, but it is also his best subject.
He also states that he wants to help people, but claims he isn't a very
outgoing person, except when he's talking about things he really enjoys.
However, one comment he made in his essay really moved us and gave us an
indication that he was as motivated as he was intelligent.  This young man
states that he wants to become a pharmacist so he will be able to take care
of his mother and return the love and support she has given him up to this
point.  This, coupled with his extracurricular activities, which includes
being a member of the debate team, science club and captain of the chess
club, and a very strong desire to succeed, has made him our unanimous
choice for this award."

Before the president had even finished what he had to say, those of us at
our table knew who the winner was, and Kevin and Jeff could hardly contain
their excitement.  When Jeff's name was announced, he stood up,
straightened his tie, and walked very purposefully toward the head table,
where he received the document signifying his prize.  After getting his
award and shaking the president's hand, he was allowed to say a few words
of thanks and then returned to our table, where his mother hugged him and
Kevin and I shook his hand.

"The next person will receive the full scholarship," the president
continued, once the applause for Jeff had died down, "and this person had
impressive qualifications as well, but an even more unique reason for
wanting to become a pharmacist.  I think I should read a part of this
essay, so you can appreciate what I'm saying."  He now began to read from
the paper he was holding.

"There are many reasons for my wanting to become a pharmacist, including my
desire to be part of the process that will help make people well.  Although
it is the doctors who prescribe the medications, it's a pharmacist that
fills those requests and is responsible for getting it right.  The
pharmacist is also able to catch errors and prevent lethal combinations of
drugs from being taken, thus also helping to preserve and save lives.  I,
as well as various other members of my family, have benefited greatly from
the skills of many pharmacists, so I hope to be able to return the favor.
You see, I am a cancer survivor who has benefited from chemotherapy, so I
think this is a wonderful opportunity for me to take my place in a very
beneficial profession.  Regardless of the outcome of this competition, I
look forward to being able to do my part to uphold its fine traditions.

"There is, however, another, more important, reason why I want to become a
pharmacist, and maybe this is a bit more selfish on my part.  I have
discovered that a pharmacist's average salary is more than adequate and I
want to make enough money so I can help my dad raise my brothers and maybe
even adopt more.  My dad is a great man, who has helped many people over
the years, including all of my brothers and me.  I just want to make sure
he has the money he needs, so he can continue to help them, and maybe even
more boys like us.  If I am able to help him with the financial end of
taking care of so many people, I hope he'll be able to help even more and
do the same things for them that he's done for the rest of us."

At this point, I think both Kevin and I, and probably even Jeff and his
mother, had figured out that he had won the big scholarship.  As he looked
over at me, I noticed his face had reddened, most likely because he hadn't
anticipated anyone reading his essay aloud and he wasn't ready for the
amount of attention this would now thrust upon him.  When his name was
announced and he was asked to come forward, he did so, but he moved quite
reluctantly, almost as if he was embarrassed to have won this honor.  I
felt for him, but knew he'd get over it in due time.

As I watched him walk forward, I suddenly realized there might have been
another reason why we had been paired at the table with Jeff and his mother
-- as it had now become the primary winners' circle.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW                    
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 34 -- A Selfless Act.              

Once Kevin reached the podium and before he could say anything, the
president asked him to explain about his family, which caused Kevin to
blush again.  I think he was hoping he'd just be able to say 'thank you,'
accept his award and then rush back to join us at the table.  However, his
hopes were now dashed.

Although he appeared reticent to discuss this in front of the others,
especially those who had been unwilling to do more than introduce
themselves earlier and didn't appear enthused about hearing his story now,
Kevin was also in no position to refuse such a politely asked request.  In
that light, he gave those assembled the short and sweet version of our
family's history and stopped just as soon as he felt he had met his
obligation.

I think most in the audience could identify with Kevin's uneasiness and
this led to a rather unexpected side effect.  Kevin's apparent modesty and
discomfort seemed to be an endearing quality to those who were actually
listening to his explanation, which made it less difficult for them to
accept his having been chosen over their loved one.  When he finished his
narration, Kevin thanked the association for this wonderful honor and then
received a nice round of applause from most of those in the audience.

As soon as he was close to us, Jeff jumped up to shake his hand, while
beaming with enough pride for the both of them.  I think Jeff's mother and
I were equally proud of our sons.

Shortly after Kevin returned to our table, the ceremony ended and those in
attendance began to leave, some quite abruptly.  Jeff told Kevin he was
pleased the two of them had won, as they appeared to need the scholarships
more than the others.  This caused Kevin to look even more sheepish, since
he knew he was in a far better financial situation than his new friend,
maybe even better than most the others who had been finalists.

At that point, Kevin excused himself and told me he wanted to go to speak
to the president of the organization.  I thought he was doing this to thank
him personally, or merely get away from an awkward situation, but he got up
and walked forward, leaving me to talk to Jeff and his mother while he was
away.  It was a just a few minutes later when Kevin returned, and I saw him
pull Jeff aside.

"I just talked to the president and got him to agree to let us switch our
scholarships," Kevin announced.  Instead of looking happy, Jeff seemed
confused by his statement.

"But why would you want to do that?" he challenged.  "Your scholarship is
way better than mine."

"I know, but I also have quite a bit of money put away for college," Kevin
informed him, "so I can afford to pay for at least part of my expenses."

"No, that's not fair," Jeff objected.  "You won fair and square, and you
should have the better scholarship."

"Please, Jeff.  I want to do this for you," Kevin pleaded.  "Even though my
dad adopted so many boys, we have quite a bit of money for the family and
Dad made sure all of us boys had accounts in our own name to use for
college or start a business.  I actually have enough money to pay for
college on my own and I didn't even apply for this scholarship.  One of my
guidance counselors put my name in for it and then told me to write the
essay about why I wanted to become a pharmacist.  I didn't even really know
what it was for and didn't even remember that I gave it to the counselor to
send it in, until I got the letter telling me that I was a finalist."

"But you didn't even talk this over with your dad first, before you went up
and talked to the president about it," he pointed out.  "What is he going
to say?  Isn't he going to be mad?"

"Heck, no," Kevin replied, almost chuckling.  "He'll understand and approve
of it.  I know he will.  You just watch."

At that point, Kevin walked over to me, got my attention and then proceeded
to tell me what he had done.  I knew he must be waiting for my reaction, so
I just smiled, hugged him around the shoulder and told him that was a very
generous and selfless thing to do.  Then I told him I was proud of him.

Jeff seemed shocked by my attitude, so I reached over and extended my hand
to shake his, telling him to use the scholarship wisely and make the most
of it.  After he got over his shock, he promised he would, and then his
mother made sure to thank both Kevin and myself for having done this for
her son.  In fact, she even did something else.  She gave Kevin a hug and
then kissed him on the cheek.  After she released him, Kevin shared some
other news with us.

"The president told me all the publicity has already been sent out, so any
articles we might read about this will state that I won the full
scholarship and Jeff had won the partial," he explained, while looking a
bit nervous.  I think he suspected Jeff might get upset about this fact.
"They're still willing to let us switch them otherwise, so I hope this
doesn't bother you too much."  He was looking at Jeff as he said this,
while trying to gauge his reaction.

"No way.  You should get the credit anyway, since you really won!" Jeff
exclaimed, eliminating Kevin's concern.  "I can't thank you enough for
doing this for me, though.  I was happy to have won the partial
scholarship, although I knew it meant I would have to work while I was at
college, so I could pay for my dorm room and other things.  Now, this will
let me concentrate on my studies and I'll only have to work a little, for
spending money and such.  I hope we end up in the same place.  Do you know
where you're going yet?"

"Yes, I've been accepted at Temple," Kevin told him.

"Really?  That's great," Jeff gushed.  "I've been accepted by both Temple
and Pittsburgh, but I haven't made up my mind which one to choose yet.  I
told both places I had to wait and see about this scholarship before I
could decide if I could afford to go," Jeff explained, "and both places
told me that was fine, as long as I let them know no later than the first
week of June.  The thing was, I knew I wouldn't be going to either place
without some kind of help and I had to win a scholarship to make it
happen."

"Well, now that's settled," Kevin replied, "have you decided where you're
going to go?"

"Yes!  I'm going to tell Temple I want to go there now, so we can be
together," Jeff announced, hopefully.  "Is that okay with you?"

"That would be fine with me," Kevin told him, "if that's where you really
want to go."

"Well, both places have very good departments to study pharmacy," Jeff
admitted, "so I would have been happy going to either one.  Now, I prefer
Temple, if it means we might be in the same classes."

"Great, then maybe we can see if we can also become roommates," Kevin
suggested.  "Possibly I can get my dad to pull some strings for us, since
he knows lots of important people."  I cleared my throat when I heard him
say that, to let him know he shouldn't give Jeff any false hopes.  After
all, to my knowledge I knew no one with any connections to Temple
University, no matter what my son thought.

However, neither boy seemed to catch my drift and both were looking at me
with those pleading puppy-dog faces.  I immediately told them I couldn't
make any promises, but I'd see what I could do on their behalf.  The boys
then hugged each other, while Jeff's mother thanked us both again, and then
Kevin and I walked them out to their car.  As we said our good-byes, I
invited them to visit us sometime, and then all of us headed to our
respective homes.

On the way back, I told Kevin once more what a wonderful gesture he had
made and how proud I was of him.  That's when he told me it was just his
way of helping someone else, like I had helped him and his brothers.

"Dad, look at it this way.  It wasn't a tough decision for me," he
explained.  "I'm going to college whether I have that scholarship or not.
In fact, I've been planning on going to Temple and paying for it myself,
even before I knew I was even in the running for it.  The difference was,
Jeff might not have been able to go in the first place, or maybe he would
run out of money before he graduated and have to drop out.  But now that he
has the full-scholarship, he won't have to worry about anything but his
grades.  I just wanted to make sure he had every chance to improve his life
too, and the partial scholarship will be more than enough for me."

I thought about this and realized he was right, yet I was still very proud
of him for having reasoned it all out on his own, and then act upon it.
Therefore, I told him so, once more, and then we rode the rest of the way
in silence.  As I drove along, I continued to think about his good deed.
Maybe people are right when they say that one random act of kindness can
take root and will end up multiplying and spreading from one individual to
another.  I guess this was Kevin's way of making sure he passed his share
of kindness along too.

Kevin and I drove straight home that same evening, since tomorrow was going
to be another full day for us.  He was going to graduate the following
afternoon, along with Danny and Brandon, so I wanted to get home as quickly
as we could.  I was so proud of the three of them, as they had all done
very well in their classes, and although none of them were valedictorian or
salutatorian, they were all in the top ten percent of their graduating
class.

Kevin was able to get some sleep on the ride back, but only for less than
half of the trip, as he was still too wound up from winning the scholarship
and thinking about what he had done for Jeff.  It was well after midnight,
by the time we got back to the house, but I woke Kevin up and helped him
inside and to his room, since he was still a little groggy.  I helped tuck
him into bed next to Vinnie, who woke up and wanted to know the details
about what happened.  We told him he'd get the whole story in the morning,
so he just cuddled up next to Kevin and prepared to go back to sleep.  I
kissed them both before I left the room, and then I went to my own room to
get some rest.

Jake also woke up when I entered, although I think he might have awakened
when we came in the house, but thought it best to just wait until I came to
bed.  Since I was so tired, I merely told him Kevin had won a scholarship
and he'd get the full story over breakfast.  He must have realized I was
beat, so he didn't protest at all, and I crawled in next to him and dozed
off pretty quickly.

I did sleep well, although I also had many dreams that evening, mostly
about the boys.  During my slumber I relived the moment Kevin receiving the
scholarship, thought ahead and pictured the graduation ceremony and then
had a vision about what the house would be like next fall, with so many of
the boys going away to school.  When I awoke the following morning, I was
experiencing a mixture of emotions, ranging from pride over the boys'
accomplishments, gratitude for the example they had set for their younger
brothers, love for all they have meant to me, and a tinge of sadness,
because I realized they would all be leaving me before too much longer.

This caused me to wonder if I'd be going through this same dilemma every
year, as more and more of the boys went off to school, and then I
speculated how much worse it would be when the last of them left the nest.
I had gone through something like this before, as my older children left
home, but the thought of having to live through the separation- anxiety
again was not a comfortable feeling.  However, I made it through once and
was sure I could do it again.

Once Kevin was awake, I let him fill everyone in about what happened at the
banquet and that he had been awarded the scholarship.  As he spoke, I
watched the reactions on his brothers' faces.  They were all beaming with
pride over their brother's accomplishment, but nearly every jaw dropped
open suddenly, and a couple of the boys nearly fell out of their seats,
when he told them about having swapped scholarships with the boy at our
table.  I think the younger ones thought he was nuts for doing that, but
once they got over their initial shock of swapping a full scholarship away
to a total stranger, it appeared the older ones not only understood, but
agreed with his actions.

"You know, that was a super move you made," Frankie told him.  "I guess
that must mean you think like Dad and put those less fortunate ahead of
yourself."  He looked at me and smiled, then winked.  All I could do was
mouth a silent 'thank you' in return, before adding more that the others
could hear.

"Too often people are only concerned about what they can get for
themselves," I began, "whether they're businessmen, politicians,
professional athletes or merely everyday citizens.  No matter how much they
have, they're always looking to get more, even when there would be no way
for them to spend and enjoy their accumulated wealth.  Not only that, but
the majority don't care whom they hurt, whom they cheat or what means they
have to use to get what they desire.  I believe a major reason for this is
that many people no longer believe in God or a higher power and these
individuals doubt there is life after death, where they'll be required to
account for their misdeeds.  If they are right, then they'll have the last
laugh.  However, if they're wrong, their short stay on earth enjoying their
material gains will seem like an abbreviated rest break, as compared to
spending an eternity suffering for their greed and lack of a moral
compass."

"All you have to do is read the newspaper to see that," Brandon scoffed.
"If it isn't some politician trying to get something for himself or a
businessman screwing the public or taking advantage of some loophole, it's
some celebrity going for even bigger bucks, even though they already have
enough for three lifetimes."

"I guess I might have done the same thing Kevin did," Danny told us.
"After all, Dad has made sure we'll all be able to go to college, so why
should we deprive some other kid of the same chance?  I agree with what
Kevin did and I think he might have made a life-long friend by doing it."

This comment seemed to bother Vinnie, who had already begun to consider
himself Kevin's life-long friend, if not more, but it got a bit worse after
that.  Once Vinnie learned both boys were now going to Temple and wanted to
be roommates, that little green monster called jealousy started to rear its
ugly head.  He wasn't happy they would be alone in a small dorm room on
campus and began imagining what they might do there.

As the rest of us left the table, I saw a lot of whispering going on
between Kevin and Vinnie.  I envisioned the problems this might cause and
hoped Kevin wouldn't end up with another failed/broken relationship.  I was
getting very tense about the situation and was wondering if there was
anything I might be able to do to help, but then I saw Vinnie relax
slightly.  At that point, I assumed Kevin had found a way to reassure him
that he and Jeff would only be friends and let the matter drop after that.
Heck, none of us even knew if Jeff was straight, bi or gay, so this would
not even be an issue, if he turned out to be straight.

After breakfast, everyone was busy getting ready for the ceremony, so I
made my rounds to make sure each of them had what he needed and was dressed
appropriately for this occasion.  While we were finishing up, Brandon's
parents arrived at the house to join us.  They had flown in on Friday night
and had been staying with other friends in town, as they thought we were
already too crowded for them to join us.  They had also taken Brandon and
Danny out the previous evening, while Kevin and I had been at the
scholarship banquet, and had a quiet dinner with the boys.  Now, they were
here to pick up Brandon, Danny and Kevin, so they could get them to the
school on time.  The graduates had to be there an hour before the rest of
us, for final instructions and to make sure each of them was there to
participate.

That gave the rest of us a little extra time to accomplish everything we
still needed to do, which included getting the graduation cards and
presents out, while some of the others hung the banner congratulating our
current celebrities.  Of course, we were also planning a party in their
honor as well, so we got some of those items taken care of before we left.

Almost as soon as they arrived at the auditorium, the graduates went off to
join their classmates and don their caps and gowns, in preparation for the
big event.  Mr. and Mrs.  O'Hara went to stake out the best seats and save
enough for the rest of us.  When we arrived, they spotted us and began to
wave to get our attention, so we could join them.  I guess they'd received
some flak about taking up so many places and felt the mild harassment would
end if those seats were occupied.

As soon as we were comfortable, Jake and I began to chat with Brandon's
parents and found out how they'd been doing since we last saw them.  Once
they filled us in, we told them about some of the things that had happened
to us during that same time, including the near disaster with Cole and
Graham's mother, Trey's video success and Kevin's scholarship.  They both
seemed intensely interested in everything we had to say and thanked me,
once again, for allowing Brandon to stay with us until he graduated.  They
were so thrilled he had done so well and had been accepted to attend such
an outstanding institution as the University of Pittsburgh that they
thanked me several more times.

Before the ceremony began, we also finalized plans for Brandon to join them
in Texas in a couple more weeks.  Brandon's mother had originally wanted
him to come and spend the entire summer with them, but he had too many
other things he wanted to take care of before he left.  Besides, he didn't
really want to leave Danny for that long, since they were already going to
be separated as soon as the semester started, so that idea was quickly
nixed.  After much more negotiation on the topic, Brandon and his parents
finally settled on having him join them in June and then staying through
July.  He'd return to Pennsylvania in early August and remain with us until
he left for college, a week or so later.  Neither he nor Danny was thrilled
about it, but that's what was going to happen.

It seemed as if it took forever before the ceremony began, and it did start
twenty minutes later than scheduled, but there was no explanation given.
Some of the boys were growing restless and bouncing around in their seats,
but everything settled down quickly, once Pomp and Circumstance started to
play.

I snapped off a few pictures of the graduates as they marched past where we
were sitting, and I used the zoom lens to get a couple more photos of them
as they sat on the stage.  I also made my way forward to take a few more
snapshots of each of them as they received their diplomas, and again as
they marched past us on the way out.  Once the ceremony was over and we
were together again, Jake and I took all kinds of pictures, with the
graduates together, of them with their parent(s), them with their brothers
and various other combinations.  We must have taken at least sixty pictures
before we were through.

When we were done with that, we went back to the house to set up the final
items for the graduation party we were throwing for them, while they
whooped it up with their other friends.  The boys had invited nearly all of
their classmates and much of the faculty and staff, and I made sure we had
plenty of food and drinks to go around.  We had a variety of non-alcoholic
beverages for the graduates, to eliminate the temptation, but there was
also a keg for the adults.  Frankie and Dustin were in charge of keeping an
eye on the keg and the only thing I asked them, besides making sure only
those of legal age were allowed to drink, was that they made sure anyone
coming to fill up could tell them who their designated driver was.  I
figured that would help to prevent any problems later.

Even before any of this started, I knew this was going to be a long day.
Even though the party began around mid-afternoon, it lasted late into the
evening.  The surprising thing was, there were no problems, no one got
rowdy or carried away and everyone seemed to have a good time.  If only
everything could go so well.


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