Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 09:33:25 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 7, chapters 27 - 28 

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW         
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 27 -- Ted Beckham.   

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

A couple hours later those boys reappeared and asked if the three of them
could speak with me in private.  I was a little concerned about this at
first, but once I found out what they wanted, I began to calm down.

"Dad," Graham began, "you have to explain to Ted that there's nothing wrong
with being gay or bi.  His father has told him all the wrong things and you
need to tell him that he's not evil or going to hell."

I looked at Ted and saw him swallowing hard.  This let me know he wasn't
sure if he wanted this to happen quite this way, but I understood what I
needed to do.

"Ted, first of all, I think you should know that it's my opinion you were
born the way you are and you didn't have any choice in the matter," I
explained.  "Although there is no scientific proof to support my belief,
over the years I have talked to many bisexuals and gays, and every one of
them has told me they knew at an early age what they were.  To me, that
indicates they didn't have a choice in the matter.

"It seems being gay is a trait they were born with," I continued, "such as
their eye color, skin color, being tall or short, a gene making them
susceptible to or giving them a certain disease, a predilection toward
alcoholism or even the quality of their eyesight.  Only bisexuals have any
choice about whom they can actually choose to be with, although others have
tried and failed.  I think it's a bigger sin to try to be what you're not
and end up hurting someone else in the process, by pretending you love him
or her, when you really don't.

"As far as going to hell is concerned," I added, "I believe in the New
Testament and the loving God, not the vindictive God of the Old Testament.
What few verses I've seen in the Bible against same sex relationships are
far outweighed by his doctrine of love, acceptance and not judging others.
In fact, this occurs so often that I think those who condemn and persecute
others in God's name will have far more to answer for than anyone else.
Although I'm not your father and I have no say in how you are raised, I can
only tell you not to be ashamed of who or what you are.  If you do, I
believe you will only come to regret it as you grow older."

We discussed this for many more minutes, with the other boys asking me
their own questions.  Graham and Sammy tried to voice some of the concerns
Ted had told them when they were alone earlier.  Overall, I think he felt a
little better once we were done, but he did ask to speak to me alone,
before we were finished.  This startled, and possibly even bothered, the
other pair.  I wasn't sure what it was Ted wanted to discuss with me, but
it seemed important to him, so I offered to listen.

"Mr. Currie," he began, but I stopped him.

"Why don't you just call me Josh?  That's fine with me."  He looked
confused by my request.

"Are you sure?" he asked.  "My father would NEVER let me call an adult by
his first name," he told me.

"And I tell my boys the same thing, unless the adult has advised them to do
otherwise, as I have done," I explained.  "Besides, your father isn't here
and it would make me feel better if you were less formal.  Okay?"

He smiled and nodded.  "Okay and thank you," he continued.

"Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked.

"Well, I feel really strange having to ask you this, but I can't ask your
sons," he began.  "I'd be too embarrassed just yet.  Anyway, I think you'd
be less likely to laugh at me or make fun of what I say, but I just have to
know."  He stopped for an uncomfortable duration of time after saying this.

"What is it you need to know?" I prompted, hoping to get him started again.

"If I'm normal," he finally stammered.

"Normal in what way?" I countered, since I didn't understand what he was
asking.

"Well, I hear guys talking in school about how big they are and they say
like seven, eight or even ten inches," he explained, "and I'm not nearly
that big.  Is there something wrong with me?"  He looked really concerned
about this.

"No, not at all," I assured him.  "Although some of those boys MIGHT be
that big, I think most of them are probably exaggerating their physical
assets.  If you actually saw them in person, it would most likely be a bit
shorter than they claimed.  According to studies, the average male is
between five and six inches in length."

"Really?"  He looked relieved.  "Cuz mine's only about five inches, maybe a
little more."

"Yes, really.  Then you're average."  I smiled at him, but waited to see if
he had another question.  It took him a few more seconds to get up the
courage to ask it though, but he finally did.

"I'm also pretty hairy… not my chest, but the rest of me is," he
confessed.  "My legs almost look like I'm wearing fur pants."  He looked
down at the floor after saying this, almost as if he was embarrassed about
that too.

"Heck, lots of guys are hairy, but that's not such a big thing," I advised
him.

"It is for me and I hate to even wear shorts, but I'm forced to wear them
for gym class.  That's when everyone makes wisecracks about my legs.  And
my privates and butt are almost as bad," he added.

"Well, I'm sure it's worse in your own mind and you think about it a lot
more," I suggested.

"No, I'm telling you it's awful," he advised me, and then he quickly
dropped his pants, so I could see for myself.  It was obvious his legs WERE
hairier than any of my boys and most men I had ever seen, but I felt I had
to offer him words of encouragement, not confirmation.

"Well, there are ways to solve that problem, if you want to go that route,"
I advised him.  "You can either shave your legs or there are other ways to
get rid of the hair, if it bothers you that much."  Even though he appeared
encouraged by my comments, it still looked as if he still had some issues
to deal with.  Finally, he got to those too.

"Will that work on this too?" he asked, now dropping his boxers and showing
me a dense tangle of hair on his pubis and scrotum, before turning around
to show me his butt.  I also noticed he had a rather diminutive flaccid
penis, although it was cut and nice looking.  I wasn't sure how much bigger
it got when erect.

"Yes, some of those ways will work there too," I said soothingly.  "In
fact, some of the boys might be more than happy to help you with your
personal grooming."  I grinned and winked at him, to let him know I thought
the others might even like the idea of doing it for him.

"You really think so?" he asked, amazed.

"I'm almost positive, at least about the two who've been trailing you all
around and were just in here with you.  In fact, I bet if I do this," I
began, swinging the door open, "they might even be listening in."  And
there they were, looking sheepish at first, but then they openly gawked,
when they saw Ted standing there with his boxers and pants around his
ankles.

"I don't think Ted would mind if you came in," I urged, as Ted scrambled to
pull his clothes back up.  "Don't worry, Ted, and don't be embarrassed," I
said shutting the door behind them.  "I'm sure you'll all be seeing each
other's goodies before long anyway."  He still looked a little humiliated
about the boys having seen him like that, so they quickly scrambled to
rectify the situation.

"Hey, you don't have to be uncomfortable about us seeing you that way,"
Sammy told him.  "We often run around the house nude.  Here, we'll do the
same thing, so you can see what we look like too."  Now that pair dropped
their trousers and exposed themselves to our guest, as if that now made
them all even.  However, Ted just gawked at the pair, his mouth slightly
open.

"Damn, is there something else wrong with my dick?" he finally blurted out,
looking at the uncircumcised penises before him.

"No, Ted," I began, "it's just that these two boys are uncircumcised or
uncut, which means they didn't have their foreskins removed when they were
younger."

"Yeah, watch," Graham told him, "we can make ours look just like yours,"
and then the boys both retracted their foreskin.

"Wow, neat," Ted kind of cooed.  "Are all the other boys like that too?"

"No, it's about half and half here, half cut and half uncut.  I'm sure
before you leave you might see a few of them parading about the house
without clothes on.  None of them are very modest."  After this comment, I
thought Ted's eyes were going to nearly pop out of their sockets.

"You're kidding me," he gasped.

"Nope, he's not," Graham chimed in.  "We've even gone to nudist camps and
spent weeks without our clothes on," he laughed.

"In front of other people?" Ted asked, completely amazed.

"Yep," Sammy told him.  "Old and young, guys and girls.  We all ran around
with nothing on."

"Dang," Ted responded, "my father would kill me, if I did anything like
that."

"Well, as I said earlier," I reasoned, "he's not here and you can do
anything your comfortable with in our house."

"And that includes sex," Graham added, with a bit of hope in his voice.
This last comment just caused Ted to stare at me, so I thought I should
explain.

"I allow the boys to do things with each other," I told Ted, "as long as
they both agree to it and no one is forced or hurt.  I do make them use
protection, so if you decide to join in, the boys will show you what you
need and how to use it.  If you have any questions you may ask them or me,
and we'll answer you as honestly as we can."

"But I've never done anything before," Ted blurted out.  He almost looked
as is he wished he could take those words back, almost as soon as they were
out of his mouth.

"We all have to have a first time," I conceded, "it's just that some got a
chance to start earlier than others."

"But you don't think there's something wrong with me, because I've never
done anything," he asked his two new friends and admirers.

"Nope," Sammy said, bluntly.

"We'll be gentle and take good care of you," Graham added, "so don't worry,
if you want to try anything."  Hearing this brought another smile to Ted's
face.

"You sure you wouldn't mind, Mr. Currie?"  Ted asked me, which caused me to
frown at him.  "You would, wouldn't you?"

"No, that's not why I gave you that look," I responded.  "What did I just
tell you to call me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Then you sure you won't mind, Josh?" he repeated, looking
hopeful.

"Not as long as you all agree to what you do and no one is forced or hurt,"
I reiterated, which gained me a huge smile in response.

"My aunt was right about you," he added, "especially when she told me you
could help me feel better about being gay."

That was the first time I'd heard him use that word without stammering or
trying to dance around it, so I concluded half the battle was already won.
The other boys took this chance to pull up their own pants, so they could
go on their way, and I was sure Ted was about to get his first sexual
experience.  Of course, I was correct in my assumption, as the three of
them headed upstairs to Graham's room.  This is what I found out about it
later.

Once they were alone, the three boys all agreed to take off all their
clothes, so they wouldn't be hindered.  Once this happened, Sammy and
Graham told Ted he could touch their bodies or do whatever he wanted, until
he got comfortable with them.  Hesitantly, he reached a hand out and
touched both their penises, fingering them gently.  This was the first time
he'd ever done anything of this nature and acted as if he were afraid they
might break.

After a little encouragement, he began to slide their foreskin back and
forth, to see how it worked.  Of course, this activity caused both boys to
get hard, which made Ted beam, and then he asked my pair what he should do
next.  They told him it was up to him, but when they saw the indecision on
his face, they suggested maybe they could do some things to him first, to
show him how it was done.  Not knowing what else to do, Ted agreed, and the
boys had him lay on the bed, with one on either side of him.

Once they were in that position, they began to double-team him, as they
mimicked each other's movements on their side of his body.  They started on
his nipples, to teach him those weren't only meant to pleasure the female
body.  Next, they licked their way down his chest, before taking turns on
his navel.  By the time they reached his waist, he was already rock hard,
so they licked both sides of his shaft, which caused him to make a few
little throaty noises and begin breathe really hard.  At this point, the
boys communicated wordlessly, so Graham crawled between Ted's legs and
began to lick and play with Ted's balls, while Sammy took Ted's cock in his
mouth and began to perform fellatio on him.

With Sammy bobbing up and down on his knob and Graham playfully toying with
his nuts, Ted was soon riding a high he'd never experienced before.  All of
these new sensations soon swept him to the precarious point between
enjoyment and release, and then his body began to tremble and quake as the
juices rose up his shaft and painted Sammy's throat with that marvelous
nectar.  These sensations not only caused him untold enjoyment, but the
release also relaxed him so much that he actually fell asleep afterward.

Sammy and Graham, not knowing what else to do, just cuddled up beside him
and waited for him to wake up.  It took about twenty minutes before Ted
opened his eyes again, and then he began to apologize profusely.  He
suspected he had just committed a major faux pas, but the boys reassured
him what he did wasn't so unusual.  This helped to make him feel a little
better, but then he wanted to do something for them.  They both suggested
he just jerk them off this time, which he did, one after the other.  Once
they both had their release, my pair went and got the electric hair trimmer
and my electric razor, to take care of Ted's unwanted hair.

Once Sammy and Graham had finished grooming Ted, one of them came and got
me.  Sammy eagerly dragged me up to Graham's room, and as I went inside,
there stood Ted, stark naked and with the biggest grin on his face I'd ever
seen.

"So what do you think," he wanted to know.  "Does it look better?"

"It's not what I think," I told him, "but are you happy with this 'new'
you?  What do you think of it?"

"I love it, but my dad will freak, if he sees me like this," Ted confessed.
"I'm not worried though, cuz he never sees me naked.  I guess he thinks it
would make him gay or something."  After telling me that, he let out a
nervous little laugh.

"Well, I think it looks awesome," I told him, admiring his handsome,
youthful body.  I also began to wish I were his age again, so I could join
in the fun.

I was mildly shocked he was so open and unabashed about showing off his
body to me, both downstairs and now, but I think part of it was his
overcompensating for his father's attitude.  I think he saw me as someone
he could come to, as if I were his father or a father substitute, so he was
eager to do the things he might have done with him, had he been more
open-minded.

Since Ted realized it didn't bother me that he was showing off his body to
me, he spun around and even posed a little, to give me a better look.  He
also told me what the three of them had done, sexually, like I was just one
of the boys.  I guess this meant he accepted me on several levels, not just
as a father substitute, which pleased me even more.  I knew I had another
boy now, even if he didn't live with us, and his Aunt Jane would make sure
we stayed close, even after he returned home.

The rest of Ted's stay was a whirlwind of activity, both in and out of bed.
He seemed to enjoy having all the boys around with whom he could talk, play
games or do all kinds of other things with.  This made even more sense
after he explained he didn't have a lot of friends at home.  The boys were
sympathetic to this and went out of their way to make him feel comfortable
with us.  I also think Ted was more than pleased by the abundant amount of
flesh he got to see parading around and even started to do the same
himself.  Eagerly, he pranced around to show off his shaved physique, but
he also began to feel comfortable doing many other things.

His new boldness got him noticed by some of the others too, so Ted had more
than his share of sexual encounters.  He performed mutual masturbation with
some, including Andrew, who wasn't about to be left out.  Even though Ted
came to me and questioned whether he dared do this with my youngest, as he
felt a little ill at ease with Andrew's lack of physical maturity, I told
him Andrew had done much more than just masturbate with his brothers and
was eager for additional experiences.  Hearing this, Ted gave in and
treated Andrew just like he did the others, which also helped to remove
more of Andrew's insecurities.

Ted also got to try giving oral sex and Sammy and Graham let him take them
anally, although no one pressured him to do the same.  In fact, they even
told him to wait a bit and practice with other objects first, when he
suggested maybe he wanted to do it too.  When he agreed they might be
right, the boys took some of the smaller dildos and used them on him, which
was about all he could handle at this point.  Seeing that, they told him to
continue practicing on his own and then on his next visit they'd try with
the dildos again and maybe he'd be ready to do it for real.  This seemed to
satisfy Ted, or maybe it was the dildos that made him realize he wasn't
quite ready yet, but he didn't push the issue further.



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW         
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 28 -- Welcoming Another New Year.      

As New Year's approached, we fine-tuned our plans for the evening and
altered them a little, to accommodate our guest.  We not only wanted him to
enjoy himself and have the best New Year possible, but we also intended for
him explore the nonsexual side of being gay.  We planned to show him there
were other things you could do with a partner, besides having sex.

None of the boys objected when I told them what I was up to.  I think a few
of them even liked what I had in mind.  This would give them an opportunity
they wouldn't normally have and I think they intended to make the most of
it.

When New Year's Eve arrived, we began our evening by going out to dinner,
with many of our extended family meeting us at the restaurant.  The only
ones who were missing were the Becker's. Albert had called to tell me that
he and Richard had discussed joining us, but decided they would rather
spend a quiet evening at home.  They explained Arlene hadn't been doing
very well the past few days and I interpreted this to mean that they were
afraid of what she might do at the restaurant.  It also meant that Albert
hadn't been getting as much sleep as he needed, since he had to keep a
closer watch on her, so now he was worn out.

Hearing this, I once again offered our assistance for the next few days,
until the aide schedule was restored, but once more Albert refused my help.
He told me they only had a couple of days left on their own, but did admit
he regretted Richard wouldn't be joining us.  He informed me he had tried
to encourage his son to go with us and assured Richard he could watch
Arlene on his own.  Of course, Richard refused, and I believe he was
emulating his father's stubborn streak, so both were now going to stay home
with Arlene and spend a quiet evening alone.

Although I was chagrined they wouldn't be joining us, we went to the
restaurant without them.  We filled nearly half of one of the dining rooms
by ourselves, but we were far from being the center of attention.  Everyone
was in such a good mood and having too much fun on their own, so they
didn't pay any attention to us.  They were either busy socializing with
their friends or listening to the band the owner had hired to play in an
adjoining room, so we were a non-issue tonight.  That suited us just fine
and we enjoyed a wonderful meal in relative peace and anonymity.

Once we finished eating, we enjoyed a few after-dinner drinks and I even
allowed the boys to have a glass or two of wine with their meal and
dessert.  Once we finished, we invited the entire family to come to our
house, for a private party.

Except for Mark and his girlfriend, who had made plans with some of their
friends from work, everyone came to join us for a while.  The Spences
warned us, in advance, they no longer stayed up until midnight and would
probably leave early, but that was fine with us.  I was surprised some of
the boys who chased skirts hadn't tried to get dates for the evening,
either to take somewhere, bring home or go off on their own, but they
decided they'd rather stay with the family.

When we got back, I set up an impromptu bar in the kitchen and our guests
enjoyed their drinks while sitting and talking in our dining room.
Occasionally, they would go back to the rec room to dance or watch the boys
with each other.  My sons had moved everything out of the way to create a
dance floor after I first told them about my idea.  They had also set up
their best sound system to provide the tunes, so various combinations
started to unwind.

Although the boys preferred to play slower songs they could snuggle to as
they danced, they did play some faster numbers too.  They were considerate
and also played a few songs especially for the older crowd, so we could wow
them with what some would call the Lindy, jitterbug or swing dancing.
Steve and his wife got into it, along with the Spences, and I took turns
with both Sally and Mark's mother, while Jake danced with the one I wasn't
with at the time.  We were all having a great time and the younger crowd
even commented on our dancing prowess.

"I've never seen my mum and dad dance like this," Peter stated, "but it's
quite nice.  Could I learn how to do it?"  Immediately, Susan went over and
began to teach Peter the basics.

The other boys seemed interested too, so the rest of us also attempted to
instruct them how to do these dances too.  Even my straight and bi boys
were dancing with each other, so they could perfect their skills and
impress their next date with their graceful prowess.

I was also pleased that no one had any problems with our couples cuddling
affectionately during the slow dances. I was a little concerned about how
Mark's mother might react, since this was actually her first time being
involved with something of this nature.  However, I guess I needn't have
been, because she just smiled and nodded when she saw what they were doing.
She also gave me a knowing wink from time to time.  I believe this was to
let me know she could see the love these young men shared with each other.

The boys were also taking turns dancing with their honorary aunts --
Margaret, Mary, Sally and Susan, which thrilled the older women to no end.
It also gave John, Steve, Jake and I a chance to sit out a dance or two.
Jake and I even danced a few slow songs with each other, which got some
catcalls and whistles from the peanut gallery, but it was all in good fun.
Hell, I even had a dance with Steve and John Spence, of course at their
wives' playful urging.

To my surprise, Ted even asked me to dance with him, but not until he'd had
time to practice his skills with Sammy and Graham first.  He took this
opportunity to tell me this was the most fun he'd ever had.  He said he
didn't realize how right it would feel for him to do all these things, even
with his father's usual admonishments nagging at the back of his mind.  He
went on to say he just wanted to let me know how much this meant to him and
how it was changing his life.

Although he wouldn't openly defy his father, he would no longer be
intimidated by his father's harsh words and abusive attitude.  He'd now
know in his heart there was nothing wrong with the way he felt or who he
was.  I told him I was glad we could help, although he probably owed more
thanks to his Aunt Jane for setting the visit up for him.  Hearing that,
Ted assured me he'd give her a special thank you when she picked him up.

Everyone continued to have a good time, even though the Spences left about
10:30.  The rest of us stuck it out for the big celebration, and as
midnight approached, we all went to the family room to watch television, so
we could see the ball drop.  We counted down as zero hour neared and
eagerly anticipated the big moment.  After exchanging our Happy New Year
greetings with each other, we also shared more than a few hugs.  I also
noticed a good deal of kissing going on, which included the one Jake
planted on me.

A few minutes after midnight, we got a call from Albert and Richard.  They
wanted to wish everyone their own New Year wishes and let us know they were
with us in spirit, if not in body.  About twenty or thirty minutes after
the call ended, the party began to break up.  Steve, Mary, Sally and Susan
announce it was time for them to leave, but thanked us for the wonderful
time.  Once we said our good-byes, the boys began to head to their rooms,
although I was certain not all of them were planning to sleep.  As it
turned out, my assumption was correct.

A few of us got up early enough the next day to watch some of the parades
on television, but most of the boys slept in.  Ted was one of the first to
get up and he seemed invigorated by all the wonderful new experiences he'd
enjoyed the night before.  Jake and I were sitting on the sofa when he came
downstairs and he immediately came in to join us.

Ted sat on the other side of me, but got as close as he could possibly get.
Even though there was more than enough room on that side of the sofa, he
never tried to move away.  I knew this probably meant he was craving a
little attention from me, as his substitute father, so I lifted my arm,
placed it over his shoulders.  I then hugged him tightly against my side
and he beamed his approval.  He did look over to see how Jake was reacting
to this, so when Jake didn't respond negatively, Ted began to speak.

"My dad would never hug me like this," he announced, with a tinge of
sadness in his voice.  "In fact, I don't remember him ever hugging or
kissing me, not even when I was little."

Although it was a pathetic commentary on his family life, it was not
unusual for very macho, homophobic males to treat their sons this way.  For
some reason, they believe showing affection, which they feel is an
effeminate tendency, might 'turn' their sons gay.  Although in my mind the
notion is ridiculous in the first place, it did persist among this group.
Therefore, they continued to act accordingly, which caused many of their
sons to think they were unloved and possibly unwanted.  This was probably
not true.  In my profession, I have observed that most fathers seem to have
an overabundance of love for their sons, but by not showing it, those boys
always doubted their father's affection for them.

We spent the rest of the day watching a procession of football games.  They
were all very good and quite exciting, which caused those of us watching to
get a little rowdy at times.  This was due to the fact that not all of us
cheered for the same team and Ted got a kick out of how we teased each
other.  This would happen when our team had the advantage or the other team
made a mistake.  He was also impressed with how much good-natured ribbing
we were willing to endure, when our team was under-performing.

Sitting safely next to me, since he thought I would protect him if the
others took him too seriously, he got into the act as well.  The boys just
gave it back and treated him no differently than anyone else.  At first
this shocked Ted, but then he began to realize this meant he was being
accepted as part of the family and no one was going to give him any special
quarter from the abuse.  Feeling braver, he even started in on me, but I
got even by tickling him, something he wasn't prepared for.

Jake and I had been taking turns getting up and working on dinner, but the
last time I went out to the kitchen, Jake followed me.  He told me he'd
take care of the meal and suggested I should go back in and spend time with
Ted.  He said he could see how much the boy needed me at this point and
said my time would be better spent with him.  I thanked Jake for his
understanding and told him I knew Ted would thank him too, if I told him
what Jake was doing.  However, Jake didn't want me to do that, as it might
make Ted feel uncomfortable and he didn't want that to happen.
Understanding his concerns, I honored his request and never mentioned a
word of this to Ted.

When I went back into the family room, Sammy and Graham had already taken
their positions beside Ted, so he looked confused when I returned.  I knew
he wanted me to sit with him too, but didn't want to hurt either of his new
friend's.  Graham picked up on this fact immediately.

"Dad come here," he told me, before telling Ted to "stand up for a second."

Graham then directed me to sit where Ted had been seated and then told Ted
to sit on my lap.  This caused Ted to stop and give me a look that said,
'is this okay with you?'

Once I nodded my approval, Ted sat down and both boys cuddled up against
us.  I think this solved Ted's dilemma better than he could have hoped for.
He leaned back against me and made sure our bodies were in nearly total
contact the rest of the time.

We watched quite a bit of the next game in this fashion, before Ted had to
get up to pee.  Once he was out of sight, the boys filled me in on
something I did not know.

"Ted told us this morning that he wished you were his father and he could
live here forever," Sammy announced.

"I knew he felt comfortable with me, but I didn't know it had reached that
level," I admitted.

"Oh, yeah," Graham seconded.  "Even though he likes us, it's you he wants
to be close to.  He told us he's tried to get close to his father but was
always pushed away.  With you, he can do all the things he's wanted to do
at home."

This made me begin to consider what I was going to do when Ted came back or
what I might say to him later, before this escalated out of control.  I
didn't want him to refuse to go back home when it was time for him to
leave.  However, I didn't have very long to pursue these thoughts before
Ted returned.  This time he sat across my lap, with his head resting on my
shoulder.

"This is so awesome," he whispered in my ear.  "I could stay like this
forever."  This propelled my mind into high gear.

"Well, we'd have to separate when nature called," I joked, since I wasn't
sure what else to do, but he merely replied he already knew that.

"Ted, I have to admit I enjoy this too, but I don't want you to start
building unrealistic expectations about what might happen," I hinted.  "No
matter what any of us might wish, we have to deal with how things are,
which means when your aunt comes, you'll have to return with her."

"I know," he said, looking up at me.  He nearly broke my heart with his sad
expression.  "It's just that this is the first time I've felt loved and
accepted for who I really am.  My mom loves me for who she thought I was or
who she wants me to be and I'm not sure if my dad loves me at all.  But
here, you love me for who I am and so does everyone else.  You can't know
how good that makes me feel."

"He knows," Graham told him, before I could think of a response.  "He's
done that for us too, because hardly any of us came from very loving or
caring homes."

"Yes," I added, "and we'll all be here for you from now on, so it's
imperative we don't do anything that will cause your parents to keep you
from seeing us in the future."

"But they couldn't stop me, if I lived here," he announced, as a ray of
hope radiated from his face.

"You're only seventeen and still under your parents control," I reminded
him.

"Maybe I could get them to make Aunt Jane my guardian, and then she'd let
me come here to live," he suggested, nearly beaming.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I reminded him.  "First of all, you're
not sure your parents would agree to any of this."

"I'll have Aunt Jane help me convince them," he offered, in rebuttal.

"Even if they did, we're nearly in the middle of the school year, and
transferring at this time could be rough on you," I pointed out.  "Are you
a junior or a senior this year."

"A junior," Ted answered, curtly, thinking I was trying to dash his dreams.

"And there are many other things that would need to be considered," I
advised him, which caused him to get a serious look on his face.  After
sitting quietly for nearly a minute, his face seemed to brighten and he
spoke again.

"Oh, don't worry.  I'll get a job and pay my own way," he informed me.  "I
promise I won't cost you any money."

His face was pleading with me at this point, which nearly caused me to give
in to him, no matter what obstacles we might have to overcome.  Instead, I
locked my arms around him, gave him a squeeze and then responded to what he
had said.

"It's not the money I'm worried about, Ted," I countered.  "It's coming
between you and your parents.  No matter how bad things seem, I'm sure both
your mother and father love you in their own way.  So, I'd hate to ruin
whatever connection you might have.  It's still possible for you to work
your way through this with them, with your Aunt Jane's support and
assistance, so don't give up on your mom or dad yet.

"This is a pretty drastic solution you're recommending," I continued, "and
one these boys didn't have to make.  They didn't even have a choice in the
matter.  In their cases, their parents either died, were deemed unfit or
threw them out of the house, and none of those things have happened to you
yet."

I think Ted interpreted this to mean I didn't want him now, which wasn't
what I was saying.  I could tell this by the defeated look on his face, but
I didn't want him to think that, so I continued.

"Ted, if any of those things ever happened, I'd bring you here in a
heartbeat," I assured him.  "Unless something does, maybe you should make
an attempt to improve your situation at home and try to work things out
with your parents first."

"If I tell my dad I had sex with a boy while I was here, then he'd throw me
out," he offered, missing my point, "and then I could come live with you."

"If he doesn't have me thrown in jail first for corrupting the morals of a
minor," I pointed out.  "Not only that, but maybe he could have all my boys
taken away too."  Ted's eyes were now as big as saucers, as he considered
what I'd said.

"He couldn't do that, could he?" he asked, as if he thought I was just
joking.

"It's a possibility, depending on what court and which judge ruled on the
matter.  There are still a lot of people who are afraid gays are recruiting
young boys into the lifestyle and the wrong judge or jury might just do
something like that, out of fear or ignorance."

"I don't want that to happen!" Ted exclaimed, sounding sincere.  "I just
want to live here with you, that's all."  He looked as if he was nearly
ready to cry.

"Why don't you wait and discuss this with your Aunt Jane and get her
reaction to it first," I suggested.  "She knows your parents better than
any of us, so maybe she could give you a better perspective about how this
would be received or what problems it might create."  Looking slightly
better than he did seconds before, he spoke again.

"Okay, I can do that, because I certainly don't want to cause you any
problems," he confirmed.  "You've been so nice to me that I wouldn't want
anything bad to happen, just because I'm trying to get my own way."

"We've survived worse," I confirmed, "but let's go slow and think
everything through before we act."

Ted said he would, so I let the topic drop, but I still continued to hold
him cuddled against my chest, just as if he was still a small child.  I
knew he felt safe and loved this way.  It was also something he'd always
wanted to happen, but never received, so I wasn't about to push him away
and hurt him any more than he had already been.

Ted spent the rest of the day near me and never moved farther than an arm's
length away, except when he went to the toilet.  This began to make me feel
like a mother duck whose ducklings had just impressed upon her and wouldn't
leave her side.  He even followed me to the bathroom a couple of times, but
waited in the hallway until I was finished.  It was almost as if he were
afraid I wouldn't return if he wasn't there waiting for me.  I was
flattered, although somewhat perplexed about how to deal with this, but I
decided to let him work his way through it.  Hopefully, he'll wean himself
without my assistance.


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