Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:25:27 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 7, chapters 35 - 36
The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 35 -- Solutions.
**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.
Little Ricky did have a few rough days after the funeral, but eventually he
began to cope with his grief and loss. He also went to visit his mother
every day, no matter whether it was a good or bad day for her, and I got
him transferred to the local school district, so he could start attending
classes.
The transition wasn't totally without its problems though. Little Ricky
had some bad dreams during those first few nights and also thought his
classes were much harder than at his old school, but we knew he'd soon
adjust. Little Ricky was a survivor, as I had told him before, and after
all he'd been through in the past, he would learn to cope with these
changes too.
I also called the Lawrences, Nick's parents, to tell them about Albert.
They apologized profusely about not calling me when they got back and
expressed their regrets about Albert. They explained things were very
hectic at their jobs when they returned and they got wrapped up in their
problems. Unfortunately, these situations made them forget they were
supposed to call me and let me know how their trip went. Belatedly, they
filled me in on their visit with Nick and told me much of the same
information as Nick had put in his email. Once they felt they'd caught me
up with their exploits, they once again expressed their regrets about
Albert and we said good-bye.
It was also time to take the college boys back to school and there were a
few emotional partings before we could get away. Even though not all of
them were starting class the following week, we didn't want to have to make
this trip twice, so they all went with us. The others could do what they
wanted for the week, but they would have to do it on or around campus.
Danny and Brandon had a rough time saying good-bye, seeing they were at
different colleges and wouldn't be seeing each other again until school was
out in May. They had enjoyed their time together over the holidays,
especially their intimate sessions, since they would miss those activities
until they were reunited again.
Little Ricky was also having a tough time letting Ricky go, since he'd
begun to look to him as a protector and confidant. They spent a great deal
of time together, while Ricky had been home, so I knew this would be hard
for each of them. With that in mind, Ricky talked to Peter and got him to
agree to watch out for Little Ricky for him and Peter happily agreed.
Jake was also having a tough time dealing with Shannon leaving again. Even
though he'd be dropping Shannon off and would have a couple more days to
spend with him, it still wasn't easy. I'm glad Jake had spent so many
nights with Shannon over the past couple of weeks, while Ted and Little
Ricky were with me.
Although those separations were rough, the most difficult parting was
between Vinnie and Kevin. Vinnie was having trouble being separated from
his lover again, but this was possibly because he was still a little
fearful of losing Kevin to a college man. Realizing this, Kevin had given
Vinnie a key to his dorm room as a Christmas present, attached to a lovely
silver chain. Kevin did this so Vinnie could visit any time and prove he
had no secrets, but it still wasn't enough to remove all of Vinnie's
doubts.
Vinnie tended to be very possessive at times, although not in a bad or mean
way. It's just that he liked to share all of his time with his lover and
the rest of the world didn't matter when they were together. That pair had
spent more time alone and away from the rest of the family while Kevin was
home, yet Vinnie was still having a tough time dealing with the fact that
it would be four and a half months before Kevin would return. Unless Kevin
decided to spend spring break at home, which was highly unlikely, this was
the last time they'd be together until school was out for the summer. This
was more than Vinnie was willing, or able, to bear.
Vinnie asked to ride with us when we dropped the boys off, and seeing we
were using two vehicles again and splitting the route we'd have to take, I
saw no reason to deny him this courtesy. However, I did warn him that he'd
have to leave when I said so, with no whining or any emotional outbursts.
He readily agreed and sat next to Kevin during the entire trip back.
When we dropped Kevin off, Kev took Vinnie and showed him his dorm room.
He also introduced him to his roommate, who had arrived before him. Then,
I gave them a half hour alone, before I announced we had to leave. That
seemed to help, but Vinnie was still a little reluctant to go, so I slowly
guided him into the van.
After we dropped the last of our college boys off, Vinnie and I had a nice
long discussion about his feelings. I hoped getting it out in the open
would help get him through the long dry spell until Kevin returned. By the
time we got home, he seemed less emotional and maybe even a bit hopeful.
It was possible that meeting Kevin's roommate had helped, but whatever had
caused this change made things a little easier for all of us.
That weekend I also got a phone call from Ted's Aunt Jane. "Josh, I'm so
sorry for not calling sooner, but I had lots to do here with my brother and
sister-in-law," she explained.
"No need to apologize," I told her. "How's Ted doing?"
"Josh, he's a different kid now. You're a miracle worker," she gushed.
"He talked about you and the boys the whole way home and he's not so
embarrassed about what he is now."
"He shouldn't be, because he's a wonderful, loving young man," I replied.
"And I wasn't the only one who was involved in helping him to figure this
out, because he spent time with some of my boys too."
"So I heard," she giggled, like a schoolgirl telling secrets about her
girlfriends and their beaus. "I heard about Sammy and Graham. He told me
he got to try some things with them." She released another schoolgirl
giggle, after admitting this to me.
"I hope that wasn't a problem?" I asked, somewhat concerned.
"Oh, no," she assured me. "He needed that, to see if he was really gay.
Now that he knows he is, he's better able to accept it and himself."
"I'm glad you see it that way," I told her.
"I do, and I can also see he loves you more than my dumb ass brother," she
added, with a bitter tinge, "but we're making progress on that front as
well. I've finally convinced him Teddy had no choice in whom he is and he
didn't choose to be this way. After showing him some articles that backed
me up, he's finally beginning to accept Teddy's sexuality. He's still not
happy about it, but he's no longer making derogatory remarks to Teddy. I
even saw them having a civil conversation the other day."
"I'm really glad to hear that," I admitted. "Ted really loves his father,
but he was just hurt by his perceived rejection."
"That's what I told my brother, point blank," Jane confirmed. "I hit him
squarely between the eyes with a lot of shit, to wake him up, and I think
it worked." I hadn't realized how feisty Jane was. I'd seen her loving
and nurturing side, but now I saw she wasn't the type to take crap from
anyone, not even her brother.
"Well, I'm glad things have improved," I admitted. "I had the feeling Ted
might consider running away, at one point."
"He won't run away, but I'm sure he'll want to come back for more visits
with you," she informed me. "That is, if you don't mind."
"Why would I mind?" I asked. "Ted is a wonderful young man and we all got
along very well with him."
"Josh, both of us really appreciate what you did for him," she added. "He
told me you even spent time alone with him and did things for him his
father had never done. You helped heal some of Teddy's longstanding wounds
and got him moving on with his life. I truly believe he wouldn't be able
to bury the hatchet with his father right now, if he still felt those holes
in his soul, but you helped fill them in for him. I think that, more than
anything, convinced Ted the problem wasn't with himself, but with his
father. Once he figured that out, he could accept everything and cope with
it."
"Jane, I'm really happy for them and that's what I hoped would happen," I
explained. "Even though Ted had asked about coming here to live, I knew it
would be better for him if he could work things out with his father first.
If that hadn't happen, I might have considered taking him in, but only if
that was what was best for him. I was hoping, if it came to that, things
could be worked out amicably to get him here."
"You've done more than either of us could have hoped for," she added. "You
also encouraged me, whether you knew it or not, and I finally did my job
straightening out my brother. I let him know, in no uncertain terms, what
an idiot he's been. Teddy and I both thank you, from the bottoms of our
hearts."
"You're more than welcome," I told her, "but like I said before, I really
didn't do that much. I just spent a few wonderful days with a truly
remarkable young man."
"And I think his father is beginning to see Teddy that way too," Jane
informed me, "although you certainly did more than just that."
The phone call ended shortly thereafter, and I told Jake and the boys that
things seemed to be going better for Ted at home. Everyone seemed happy to
hear it, except for maybe Sammy and Graham. Although they wanted him to
work out his problems with his family, I think they both harbored hopes he
would be coming back to live with us, so they might have a chance to get
closer to him. Being slightly disappointed that wasn't going to happen
now, I wondered how they'd greet our guest on his next visit.
I didn't have time to dwell on that concern, however, as I had many other
things to deal with as well. As executor of Albert's will, I had the
lawyer arrange for me to become legal guardian of not only Richard, but
Arlene too, as most times she wouldn't be considered legally competent to
make the necessary decisions. We cleaned up all the issues in the will and
then moved on to the next item on the agenda: the farm.
The plan for the farm was coming together nicely too. The Becker's
neighbor, whom I'd talked to at the funeral parlor, had agreed to take the
job of running the farm and supervising a home for children. I had both
farms appraised and then showed him and Little Ricky their offers. Both
seemed pleased with the amounts, even though I knew Little Ricky would have
been happy with almost any sum. However, since I was also his guardian, I
had to make sure it was a fair price for the property.
Little Ricky did tell me in private that he thought he should take less,
seeing he would still be able to work on the farm and be around the kids
who were placed there. I eventually convinced him that wasn't necessary
and he should accept it all, to ensure his future. Besides working on the
farm, I also knew Little Ricky would make sure the supervisors made the
farm-home a loving and safe place for all the children, not just a
self-sustaining farm.
The final documents for the sale of both farms were signed within a couple
of weeks, seeing the Foundation was paying cash for the properties. The
money for the Beckers' farm was immediately set up in a trust fund for
Little Ricky, which would be handled entirely by Mark, with my approval and
oversight. I had decided on letting Mark handle this, because I was so
pleased with the way he'd been handling both the Foundation's and my own
money. I doubted I'd ever disagree with his suggestions, at least not in
the near future.
I also heard from Nick again. He told me a lot of things, including what
plans he had, before returning home.
Hey Pop,
How's everything there? Glad to hear Danny, Brandon, Pat and Shannon were
found not guilty. I knew they'd never do anything like that. And thanks
for the Christmas gifts and my extra supplies again. hehehe I'm sure
they'll come in handy.
Mom and Dad told me about Mr. Becker. Would you please tell Little Ricky
I'm soooo sorry. I'm happy to hear he'll be coming to live there and I
can't wait to get back to see him. Until I do, please let him know how bad
I feel about his dad.
I'm going to stay with my host family until near the end of February and
then I'm going to do some traveling. I'm going to start with another trip
to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. That's a really big thing here. I hear
it's like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but even bigger. It's a four-day
party and I hear Rio is like THE place to go for carnival. It starts on a
Saturday and ends on Fat Tuesday, and sounds really wild. I can't wait to
take part in it. I bet there will be lots of cute boys hanging around.
That's for sure.
I'm going to spend a couple of weeks there, checking out the beaches, and
then I've got a couple more trips planned, before I go back to my host
family. I'm taking a trip up the Amazon and I'm going to take one other
trip to see Iguacu Falls, which is on the border between Argentina,
Paraguay and Brazil. My host brothers suggested those trips, so I hope
they're right about them, but from what they told me, they do sound neat.
After my trips, I'm coming back here for a while, so I can say good-bye to
everyone. It's going to be really hard to say good-bye to my host
brothers, cuz I know I probably won't ever see them again. It's not like
when I left you guys, because I knew I'd be coming back. I feel really sad
about this, but I hope we'll all have some memories we'll never forget. I
told them we'd keep in touch, both online and by phone, and maybe they'll
be able to come visit some time or I'll be able to come back here.
Well, I'd better be going. Love you all and can't wait to get back and see
you again. I have so much to tell everyone and I sure do miss my brothers.
Please give Shannon a hug and kiss for me. I really miss him the most and
I hope we can still be close when I get back.
All my love, Nick
I thought that was an interesting email. It wasn't so much what he said,
but what he implied. He is excited Little Ricky is coming to live with us,
probably so he can have sex with him. I'm pretty sure he's had sex with
more than his share of boys in Brazil and this might continue during his
trips. Then, before he leaves, he'll go back to have a final fling with
his host brothers, as sort of a parting gift. Surprisingly, he still sent
Shannon his love and hopes they can still be close. Is that chutzpah, or
what?
For those of you who don't know what the Yiddish word chutzpah means, I was
told it would describe a man who killed his parents and then begged the
court for leniency, because he was an orphan. I don't think what Nick just
did is too far out of line with that description, only that his chutzpah
was in a sexual context.
During this transitional period, Frank was taking Little Ricky out to the
farm every day to do the chores. Some of the other boys would join them
from time to time, to help out. Before Ricky went back to college, he
would always accompany Little Ricky, but now the other boys split the
duties. They rotated who would be going out to the farm to help out and I
was amazed they were able to keep things going for most of that time alone.
Sure, the neighbor we had hired was helping out too, but it was primarily
Little Ricky's private mission to keep the farm running.
The boys were determined to help him with his dream and worked really hard
to make it happen. Soon, responsibility for the farm would be lifted from
Little Ricky's shoulders, even though he still wanted to be connected with
it. The farm was still a very special place to him, where he had spent
some of the best times of his life. However, from this point on, he would
be able to work on the farm at his leisure, without having all the worries
and responsibilities he'd had to bear in the past.
The end of January also produced another surprise, when law enforcement
finally caught the guy who actually assaulted David Hubbard. Locating him
happened totally by accident and it all started when the cops busted a guy
for drugs and searched his car. That's when they found a bloodied bat in
his trunk. After running DNA tests on the blood, it proved an undeniable
match to that of David Hubbard and then the rest of the story came out.
As we learned later, Hubbard had sold this guy some drugs, except what he
sold him wasn't what it was supposed to be. Hubbard had ripped him off by
substituting another substance and claiming it was the drugs the guy
wanted. When the sucker discovered the fraud, he was furious, not only
that he had been cheated, but also because he lost a sizable amount of cash
in the process. It was then that he began planning his revenge. When he
heard the rumor about Hubbard throwing a party, he hid out in the woods and
kept a close eye on Hubbard, while waiting for his chance to make his move.
When his opportunity arose, he snuck up behind Hubbard and beat him
senseless with a baseball bat. He also took all the cash Hubbard had on
him at the time. The cash was never reported as stolen, because then
Hubbard would have had to account for how he came up with such a large
amount of greenbacks. It was that omission that misled the investigators
and sent them chasing ghosts.
Even Hubbard's friend, Tim Wood, didn't know about the drugs or money
either and really did think my boys had assaulted his friend. He later
admitted he had never seen the car or them and had made that story up,
after Hubbard told him it was the Curries who had beat him. Unfortunately,
he didn't realize he had just admitted to perjury by saying this, so he
ended up being sentenced to six months in jail for that crime.
All in all, everything worked out and the right person was convicted.
Although Hubbard couldn't be busted on a drug charge or fraud, since there
was only the assailant's account of what happened, Hubbard had been dealt a
different form punishment -- a lifetime in a wheelchair.
The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 36 -- Another Problem.
As January drew to an end and February loomed on the horizon, the boys made
it known they wanted to hold another big Valentine's Day bash at home.
They also determined this year it would be a mixed affair, with the
straight/bi boys having the opportunity to invite their girlfriends, while
the gay/bi boys would be able to include their boyfriends.
There wouldn't be many boys at home this time, since a large number would
still be at college, so I wasn't sure what was going to actually happen.
The boys who wanted to invite girlfriends were told they had to explain the
uniqueness of this celebration to their dates first, to make sure they'd be
comfortable with the boys who were dating each other, as well as with Jake
and I. They were also told that if the girls couldn't handle this, then it
would be best if they made other plans for the evening. We didn't want
anyone to attend if they might cause an uproar, either at our house or
somewhere else later. Once everyone understood the conditions and agreed
to abide by them, I let them proceed with their plans. However, I did make
another suggestion first.
I recommended the boys who 'volunteered' to wait on tables, take care of
the drinks, etc., shouldn't be dressed as provocatively as they had been in
the past. I was afraid the overt sexuality they displayed would be totally
inappropriate, under the circumstances. I suggested the female guests
might find this offensive, but some of the boys disagreed with my logic.
They thought their dates would think it was sexy to see these other boys
dressed as they had been in the past and would think we had done it for
them. Considering their viewpoint, I told them to discuss it with their
dates and get their opinion and I'd hold off on making a final decision
until we had more input into the matter.
I also asked who might be willing to do the waiting and other duties this
year, as I wasn't sure if any of them would want to be tied up with those
responsibilities. Each of them was now old enough to join in the fun and
might opt to do that, so I felt the point might be moot anyway. It turned
out that no one volunteered immediately, but some did suggest they might be
willing to do it, if they couldn't come up with a date. After talking it
over with Jake, he and I decided we could do most of the work this year and
still mange to find time to dance and unwind with the boys later on in the
evening. With the major issues decided, we left the details up to our
sons.
Now, the boys began discussing which songs they wanted to play and whom
they were going to invite. Cole was mustering up the courage to ask a girl
in his class, whom he's had a crush on for ages. Graham surprised all of
us when he asked Little Ricky if he'd be his date. After thinking it over,
Little Ricky accepted, so Sammy asked if he could call and invite Ted to be
his partner for the evening.
After thinking this over, I told Sammy it would be fine, but I'd call Ted's
Aunt Jane first, to give her a heads up before he asked Ted. She might be
able to smooth the way for him and get her brother to agree to let him
attend, so Sammy was ecstatic over the prospect.
Of course Trey and Dion would be together, and Mark said he was going to
bring his girlfriend to join in. She already knew about the boys and was
cool with it, so I immediately agreed. When I told him I looked forward to
seeing her again, Mark seemed quite pleased.
Frankie had decided against inviting anyone this year, because he'd be
going away for training in a little over a month after our Valentine's Day
bash. He would also be gone for quite awhile, so for that reason, he
didn't want to form any attachments that might be difficult to deal with,
when it was time to leave. With that in mind, Frankie volunteered to help
out and do some of the work, to free the rest of us up to enjoy ourselves.
When Mark's mother found out he was going to bring his date to our house
for the evening, she offered to help too, so she could see her son and his
girlfriend. Mark had no problem with this, and neither did I, so that
split up the duties even further and would give Jake and I more time for
each other.
Andrew surprised me by saying he had a boy in his class he wanted to ask,
someone he was close to and whom he didn't think would mind such an
invitation. When he told me the boy's name, I agreed the boy's parents
would probably be cool with it too. I knew them all from when the boy
attended my school and the entire family was very liberal and accepting.
Therefore, I thought it might just work out for Andrew.
The only one who wasn't excited about this shindig was Vinnie and I
understood why. Kevin wouldn't be home, so he'd be alone and it wouldn't
be much fun for him. Once things started to come together, Vinnie began to
pester me about an idea he had.
"Pop, would you let me go to Kevin's college and surprise him for
Valentine's Day," he began. "It's on Saturday this year, so I could leave
Friday, after school, and then spend Friday night and Saturday with him.
Then, I could come home early on Sunday and still have time to do whatever
assignments I have. What do you say? Will you let me do this?"
I thought about it briefly and saw nothing wrong with what he was
proposing. The only concern I had was with him driving in city traffic,
but if he left after school, he'd arrive in the city after rush hour, so it
shouldn't be so bad. There were also no other impediments to his proposal,
since he had his license back, we had a new insurance policy, which covered
him too, and I'd also replaced the 4Runner, after we got the insurance
settlement. It turned out that another witness had come forward later and
helped prove the other drive had been at fault. This meant the offending
driver's insurance company had to fork out to cover our loss.
I also concluded Kevin and Vinnie would probably be able to get around
without using the vehicle much, while Vinnie was there. Either that or
Kevin could drive, seeing he was more experienced with city traffic. By
returning home on Sunday, Vinnie should have clear sailing then too. With
all that in mind, I decided to give him my okay, but I had one more
question to ask him first.
"Are you going to let Kevin know you're coming?" I asked.
"No. I want this to be a surprise," he replied. "I'm going to try to pick
out a special present for him, along with half a dozen roses, because I
want to see the expression on his face when I just turn up. It will prove
to him how much I really love and miss him."
"You'll be taking a risk he won't already have made other plans before you
get there," I warned him.
"If he does, I'm sure he'll change them, once he sees me," Vinnie replied,
confidently, but I wasn't convinced.
"I think you're taking a big chance," I reiterated. "He may be out with
friends at a party or something when you arrive. I doubt he'll be on a
date, but college guys do party on the weekend."
"I know, but he tells me he hardly ever does that," Vinnie stated. "In
fact, he told me he'd stay in his dorm and call me both Friday and Saturday
night, so neither of us would have to feel alone for Valentine's Day. It's
our special day and he promised."
"Okay, if you're sure, I'll give you my permission to go." Vinnie was
delighted, and even though his legs weren't totally cooperative, he did a
little dance for me on his crutches. After that, he got down on the floor,
ditched his crutches and did an imitation of Tom Cruise in 'Risky
Business'. He had me going, as he started shimmying across the floor and
singing the opening refrain of 'Old Time Rock N Roll.' You know, the Bob
Seger lyrics that go:
'Just take those old records off the shelf, I sit and listen to them by
myself, Today's music ain't got the same soul, I like that old time rock n
roll.'
It was a stitch, as I watched him do this, and Vinnie soon attracted a
crowd. Everyone was cheering for him, as he put on his little performance,
and they offered him their congratulations, after his little exhibition was
over. You might say he was a happy kid, but I think that would have been a
gross understatement. He didn't do the whole song, because we all got the
point quickly, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was excited
about his planned pilgrimage to see his boyfriend.
Over the next few days, Mark's mother, Susan, worked with the boys on the
menu and volunteered to do all the cooking for the event. It was
immediately obvious this menu would be different from anything we had done
in the past, since Susan was making most of the suggestions. By the time
it was finalized, it appeared we would be having Duck L'Orange over a bed
of rice, an asparagus soufflé, creamed potatoes and for dessert, small
heart-shaped chiffon cheese cakes, with a choice of cherry, strawberry or
blueberry toppings. I also learned Susan planned to surround the desserts
with Hershey kisses, the ones specially wrapped in red foil. It sounded
not only unique, but quite appealing too.
Since this was being taken care of for them, the boys kept busy with the
other details. They went over their song selections again and the order
they'd be played in. The boys wanted to start off slow and romantic, work
up to a sort of frenzied pitch, and then taper off to slow and romantic
again. They felt this would put their partners in the 'mood' by the time
our little party ended. I warned them not to expect too much and to be
careful otherwise, and they all said they knew I'd say that.
Frankie had decided he was going to make this appear to be a very formal
event and had decided to dress like a waiter at an exclusive restaurant for
the evening. He also planned the table layout, seating arrangements and
all of the other trivial details on his own. Susan would also dress
accordingly, as a cook, but she had also volunteered to take care of
serving the drinks and making sure only the appropriate drinks were
consumed.
Vinnie, on the other hand was planning his trip and trying to figure out a
unique and memorable gift for Kevin. Vinnie also ordered the roses
locally, so he wouldn't take the chance of not being able to find any when
he got to Philadelphia. He would take them in a cooler, to keep them fresh
until he could give them to Kevin. Unfortunately, his dinner plans would
have to be left up in the air, until after he arrived. He prayed he'd be
able to get a last minute reservation at a fairly decent restaurant, so the
night wouldn't disintegrate into a disaster.
Vinnie continued to think hard about a Valentine's Day gift for Kevin. He
wanted it to be something that would be practical, yet reflect their love
and devotion. After thinking about this long and hard, Vinnie decided to
buy Kevin a silver ID bracelet, with their initials engraved in a crossing
pattern. The initials KMC, for Kevin Michael Currie would go horizontally
across the front, with the initials AMRS, for Alvin (Vinnie) Mitchell
Rydell-Shay, going vertically across the first set. That way, the two sets
of initials would share the M and form a cross.
A
KMC
R
S
When Vinnie told me about his idea, I let him know I thought it was
perfect. If you remember, Vinnie had decided to keep his parents last name
when he came to live with us. Then, when the Shays adopted him, he just
hyphenated it, hence the additional initial.
I think Vinnie decided to do this, because he had a psychological block
about having a relationship with a brother. Even though we had all tried
to convince him there would be nothing wrong with it, since they weren't
biologically related, he remained adamant on that point. He even went so
far as to have the Shays adopt him instead of me, so it wouldn't happen.
We all honored his request and happily went along when the Shay's offered
him this alternative.
Now, as the big day approached, he was beside himself with excitement. He
was looking forward to seeing the expression on Kevin's face when he gave
his present to him and concluded Kevin would love it. I had to agree.
On Thursday night, before Valentine's Day, Vinnie packed his suitcase with
everything he wanted to take with him. On Friday morning, he put the
suitcase and a cooler in the 4Runner, before he went to school. He planned
to leave directly after his last class, but would take time to pick up the
roses before heading off to Philadelphia. He wanted to get to Temple
University as quickly as he could.
Vinnie was extremely distracted and accomplished very little in any of his
classes. It was a good thing he didn't have any quizzes or tests to
contend with, because he might have failed. Fortunately, for him, the day
ended and he ran all of his errands, before setting off on his long drive.
Vinnie was on the road by 3:30, but still had a three to four hour trip
ahead of him, depending on traffic.
When he finally approached the campus, Vinnie was almost beside himself
with anticipation. He was consumed with imagining Kevin's reaction and the
long wonderful night of lovemaking they were going to share. As soon as he
parked the car, he hopped out, grabbed the jewelry case and put it in his
shirt pocket. He held the roses in his left hand, pressed securely against
his crutch handle, and began to motor off to Kevin's room. He remembered
the way from when we dropped Kevin off after the holidays, and as he
approached the door, his heart was pounding wildly.
Vinnie could hear music playing inside the room as he drew near. It
appeared someone was listening to the type of songs his lover liked, so he
was pretty sure Kevin was there. Carefully, he lifted the chain from
around his neck, the one with Kevin's dorm key attached to it. Slowly, and
as quietly as he could, he slid it into the lock. After pulling the
bracelet from his pocket, he was now ready to open it and surprise his soul
mate.
Slowly, he pushed the door back and scanned the area for Kevin's familiar
face. That's when it happened and his plans began to fall apart. Vinnie
spotted Kevin on the bed, sixty-nining with another boy.
Vinnie's heart sank to his toes and almost stopped beating. A lump formed
in his throat and nearly choked off his air supply. His eyes were watering
so badly that he could no longer see clearly and he was so angry that he
felt he might be tempted to kill them both. Without realizing it, Vinnie
dropped the jewelry case and roses from his hands, before he wheeled
around. He had to escape this nightmare as quickly as he could. However,
as he did so, one crutch hit the doorframe, which made a very audible
clunking sound.
Hearing this, Kevin looked up and saw the open door. He also caught a very
fleeting glimpse of Vinnie as he left. Kevin pulled off the other boy's
penis, terrified by what he knew had just happened.
"Oh, my God!" he shouted, which confused his current partner.
"What's wrong?" his sexual cohort asked, as he also took his mouth off
Kevin's organ.
"My boyfriend was just here and saw us!" Kevin exclaimed, as he jumped from
the bed. He grabbed some clothes and quickly threw them on, and as soon as
he was modestly covered and appeared decent, he ran after Vinnie. Kevin
jumped over the clutter in the doorway and quickly reached the parking lot,
only to see Vinnie driving away. Kevin chased after the 4Runner for a
while and screamed for Vinnie to stop, but Vinnie never did. Finally,
Kevin gave up and went back to his room.
When Kevin returned, he picked up the roses and the jewelry case and went
inside. The first thing he noticed was the note on the flowers, which
read: 'To Kevin, my love, my life and my soul. Please accept this, with my
utmost devotion and love, on our very special day. I'm yours forever.
Vinnie.'
Kevin felt even worse now, once he realized the amount of planning Vinnie
had put into surprising him. Hesitantly, he opened the jewelry case and
saw the bracelet inside. It only took a few seconds to realize Vinnie had
their initials intertwined on this special gift. By this point, Kevin was
sobbing hysterically, as the impact of what he had been caught doing and
what followed sank in.
"What have I done?" he asked himself.
Kevin knew full well that his momentary lapse in judgment, which led him to
give in to his sexual needs, might have cost him the person he truly loved.
He'd have to call Vinnie, so he could explain and beg for his forgiveness.
He did so immediately, but no one answered. He would try again, in a
little while, and then again tomorrow, if he still hadn't gotten a
response. However, he wasn't even sure Vinnie would talk to him or listen
to what he had to say. He had to try to find a way to make it happen or
he'd go home the following weekend, to see Vinnie in person.
While Kevin was trying to determine a course of action to work his way out
of this mess, Vinnie was heading home. He heard his cell phone ring and
figured it was Kevin, so he didn't answer it. It was way too early to
discuss this and Vinnie had to think about what he might do next, before he
took his call. Instead, he got on the Interstate and headed home.
The tears were streaming from Vinnie's eyes and making it very difficult
for him to see, but that wasn't his only problem. The pain in his heart
was also making it hard for him to concentrate on his driving, so he knew
he couldn't continue on this way. Vinnie quickly looked for a rest area,
where he could park and regain his composure. He figured once he calmed
down, then he'd continue on home, but it might take a while before that
could happen.
Several minutes later, Vinnie saw a sign telling him there was a rest area,
a mile ahead. He slowed down and moved the car over, until he eventually
got into the right-hand lane, so he could take the exit when he came to it.
Once there, he found a place away from the other vehicles and parked. Now,
he sat alone, weeping and thinking about how his whole world had just been
shattered.
Early Saturday morning the phone rang, and seeing I was the only one up, I
answered it.
"Hi, Dad. It's me Kev," the voice responded. "I'm sure you've heard all
about last night and I'm really sorry, but I need to talk to Vinnie. Is he
up?" To say the least, I was confused.
"Up? He's supposed to be with you," I replied.
"He didn't come home?" Kevin asked, sounding panicked.
"NO! What happened?" I followed.
"Uh, he came to my room and let himself in… and he kind of caught me and
another guy sucking each other off," Kevin admitted. "He dropped his
flowers and present for me and drove off. I just figured he was heading
home."
"Oh, Kevin," I sighed. "How could you? But that's not important right
now. Let's not panic. Maybe he slept in the 4Runner and will come home
later. He might even come back to confront you. If he shows up here, I'll
call you, but I want you to call me, if he comes back there or if you don't
hear from him by noon. Either way. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dad, and I'm really sorry," Kevin responded. "I was just lonely and
horny and, well, I let the little head do the thinking for me. Please tell
Vinnie how badly I feel and that I really do love him. Tell him nothing
like that will EVER happen again, if he'll forgive me. I promise." He was
sobbing as he told me this.
"Kevin, we'll work on that later, but for now I need to know where Vinnie
is," I advised him. "I can't concentrate on anything else! I'm sure he
was just hurt and confused finding you like that, so I pray he just stayed
up there somewhere. Let's just wait until he contacts one of us, before we
try to mend fences."
"Okay, Dad, but I am really sorry," Kevin reiterated. "You can't believe
how badly I feel about all of this."
"I know, but first things first," I suggested, quite strongly.
I hung up, but I was truly worried.
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