Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:13:44 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 8, chapters 11 -12 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 11 -- Uncertainties. Nick was very quiet on the ride to the doctor's office and I wasn't sure why. Was he pouting about having to go? Was he worried about having contracted something? Or was there something else I was unaware of? I wasn't sure, so I merely drove on, but he was still silent as we walked in and announced our arrival. We took our seats and waited to be called. As we sat in the reception area, Nick finally spoke to me. "You're coming in with me, aren't you, Pop?" I looked at him kind of surprised. "I wasn't sure you'd want me to," I told him honestly, but saw his mildly shocked expression of surprise. "Why? You've seen me naked plenty of times and I want you to see and hear what the doctor has to say. I want to prove to you this wasn't necessary." He had a very determined look on his face and I knew I wasn't going to get away with saying 'no' to him. "If that's what you want, then I'll go in with you," I advised him. He grinned and nodded in response, so we waited to be called. It wasn't long before a nurse showed up and called us back to an examining room, where she weighed and measured Nick before the doctor arrived. Once she left the room, Nick sat on the examination table, while I sat in the chair, and we waited for the doctor to show up. When the door opened and the doctor walked in, he made the usual small talk before asking Nick why he was there. "Pop wants me to get checked out, to see if I picked up any diseases in Brazil," he told the doctor, who immediately looked over at me. "Anything in particular you were concerned about?" he asked, studying me for my response. "Yes, there is," I told him. "Nick is a sexually active young man and I want to make sure he didn't pick up any sexually transmitted diseases while he was an exchange student." "A very wise precaution," the doctor confirmed, before turning back toward Nick. "Don't you practice safe sex, young man?" "I usually do, but there were a couple of times when I didn't have anything to use, and I guess rubbers don't always work anyway." "That's true," the doctor admitted, "so, let's check you out. Why don't you get undressed, so I can examine you? Do you want your father to wait in the reception area?" "Heck, no," Nick responded. "He's seen me naked before and besides, I want to prove to him I'm okay." The doctor nodded his understanding. Nick immediately took off all of his clothes and stood naked in front of us. The doctor had already advised me he thought it best to give Nick a complete physical, and not merely check for diseases, just to be safe. I concurred, so he began by doing the usual things, like checking his eyes, ears and throat, before listening to his heart and lungs, and then he moved down to the genital area. The doctor had Nick lie on the examination table and then he slipped on a pair of latex gloves, before he handled Nick's penis. The doctor lifted his manhood, twisted it around and checked it over completely. He used a magnifying glass to examine the area and then walked over to a cabinet, where he pulled out a battle of liquid and some large cotton swabs. Delicately, he coated Nick's penis with the liquid, and before long a few small white patches began to appear. The doctor looked up and spoke. "Well, it seems you have picked up some genital warts during your travels," he advised Nick. "How could I?" Nick countered. "I was really careful and the only time I didn't have protection was a week or so before Christmas and a couple of times during Carnival." He announced this as if it would clarify everything and prove the doctor's observations were incorrect. "Well, genital warts can take weeks or even months before they begin to appear," the doctor told him. "They are caused by human papilloma virus, or HPV, and genital warts are probably the most common STD in the world." "What was that liquid for?" Nick wanted to know. "Sometimes genital warts can't be detected using the naked eye and I wasn't sure if that's what you had. In some cases, the warts only become visible after they have been coated with a thin layer acetic acid, like I used on you." "You put acid on my dick?" Nick asked, alarmed. His voice was a little louder than normal and even a little shaky. "It's not the type of acid or in a quantity that would harm you," the doctor assured him, "so calm down. It only helps to show us where the warts are." "What do we do next, doctor?" I asked the physician. "Well, let me check him out completely, to see if he might have contracted anything else. Once we've determined the extent of the infection, I'll have a better idea about how I want to treat it." He now swabbed Nick's scrotum in the same liquid, with only one small white patch appearing, and then he had Nick roll over on his stomach. With Nick in that position, the doctor pulled Nick's butt cheeks apart and swabbed the area around and inside his rectum, as he looked for more warts. Eventually, the doctor made his announcement. "Although he does have genital warts, the spread is limited. I think it's best to treat them with podophyllum, which we would swab onto each infected area. It's a cell poison that will start to kill the warts on contact. It will take several treatments in all, but it is usually quite effective, with such limited cases." "First you put acid on my dick and now you're going to rub poison on me? This doesn't sound good." Nick looked incredulous. "Well, young man, you might have been wise to keep it in your pants in the first place then," the doctor countered, which caused Nick to quickly give up his protest. "Will that take care of the problem then?" I asked the doctor. "For the time being," be told me. "Once someone is infected with the virus, you can never really get it out of the body. Even though we can get rid of the warts, there is always the possibility they could return at any time, throughout the rest of his life. It may not happen, but it is a very real possibility. Therefore, it is imperative that he never engage in unprotected sexual activity again, to avoid the risk of infecting any of his partners." Nick and I both looked at each other and then he nodded that he would comply with those instructions. I think he's learned a valuable lesson, but I just hoped it isn't too little, too late. "Isn't there a drug you can prescribe, to keep others from contracting the warts," I asked the doctor, as I thought about the other boys. "No, I'm afraid not," he conceded. "The only way to prevent the spread of HPV is to avoid having contact with an infected person." That wasn't terrible news, but I hoped there might be something we could give everyone else, to keep them from getting the warts too. Knowing Nick, this wasn't going to stop him from being tempted to mess around with others in the house. "What's next, doctor?" I asked, to learn what else we should do. "Well, I'll swab those areas down with the podophyllum and then we'll do a blood workup on him, to check for other possible infections, including HIV," he announced. This news seemed to strike Nick hard, almost as if he'd been punched squarely between the eyes. I was sure Nick would relate all of this information to the rest of the boys, so they might benefit from this more than he would. I just prayed the doctor wouldn't discover anything more serious. After treating the visible genital warts, the doctor gave us some more information. "We'll have to repeat this procedure several times, to make sure we've gotten rid of all of them and more haven't appeared. I'll have the receptionist set you up with another appointment before you leave." Prior to leaving, the doctor informed us a technician would be coming by soon to draw some blood and have Nick supply them with a urine sample. He told us to wait about ten minutes, to let the podophyllum sink in and dry first, and then Nick could get dressed again. He advised me that once Nick was presentable again, I should open the door to the examination room to let the technician know it was all right to enter and do her job. "How long before we know the results of all the tests?" I asked the physician. "We should know something within a few days," he responded. "My office will call you and set up a time you can come in for a consultation, once we have them back. We like to see you in person to do this, just in case there are other issues to discuss." "So you won't tell me over the phone?" Nick questioned. "No. We only do that during a face to face consultation," the doctor confirmed. Nick didn't like that idea, but he knew it wouldn't change how this was going to go down, no matter how much he protested. Therefore, we both thanked the doctor for his help and he left us in the room alone. After he had departed, I looked at Nick and could see the concerned look on his face. "Damn," Nick began, now that we were alone. "I didn't think I had anything to worry about. I guess I was a little stupid, huh?" he asked me. "Well, you do seem to listen to the wrong head most of the time," I advised him. He only nodded weakly in agreement. "I'm sorry," he told me, somewhat sheepishly. "I really did think I had been careful enough while I was there. I guess I'm not too bright about these things." He hung his head again. "You aren't the first and won't be the last person to make such mistakes," I informed him, "although we always hope we can protect those we love from everything that's harmful to them." "I know and I'm glad you made me come get checked out now," he confirmed. "I wouldn't want to be responsible for infecting Shannon or any of the others. Does this mean I can't have sex for a while now?" "Yes, it does. Until your other tests come back, I don't want you doing anything with anyone," I advised him. "Besides that, I hope you paid attention when the doctor said you have to be careful and always have protected sex from now on. It's not just for your benefit, but to keep your partners from being infected with the genital warts or anything else you might have contracted." "You think I've got other stuff too?" he asked, alarmed and shocked. "It's a possibility," I warned, "but we'll know for sure once the other test results are in." Nick gave me another weak nod and then I told him he could get up and get dressed again. As he buttoned the last button on his shirt, I opened the door to the room and then we waited for the technician to arrive. We only had to wait a few more minutes before she appeared and then she quickly filled several vials with Nick's blood. She also gave Nick a bottle to urinate in and directed him to the toilet. Before she left, she told Nick where to leave the urine sample and then advised us we should go to the front desk and see what else we might need to do. Other than paying the co-payment and being given a card with the next appointment date on it, there were no other instructions, so we headed home. Now, we just had to wait for the call notifying us we could come find out the results of his tests. On the way home from the doctor's office, Nick addressed me again. "I'm sorry. I kind of blew it, didn't I?" "Well, let's just hope the warts are the only thing you picked up down there." "I'm going to have to tell Shannon, aren't I?" He was looking intently at me, studying my reaction. "Yes, he'll have to know, so he can protect himself too," I agreed. "Isn't there something he can take to keep from getting them?" Nick asked, hopefully. "No. Don't you remember when I specifically asked the doctor that?" I responded. "No," Nick answered. "I guess I must have been thinking about other things when you did that." He was looking very uncomfortable at this point and I knew there was more on his mind than what we just talked about. Finally, he let me know what it was. "Do we have to tell Shannon's dad too?" he asked, looking very worried. "I think he already hates me and this will only make it worse." "Jake doesn't hate you," I told him, but realized my assurance would not be enough to relieve Nick's fears. I had to try to explain Jake's concerns to him, so maybe Nick could identify with why Jake might have some questions about Shannon and him being together. "It's just that Jake knows you like to have a lot of sex and you do it with many different guys," I continued. "He's worried you might pick something up and then give it to Shannon." "You mean, like this?" Nick wondered. "Precisely," I concurred. "Jake's biggest worry is for his son's well-being, but that doesn't mean he hates you." Nick let out a little snort before he responded to my comments. "Yeah and now he's going to find I DID pick something up, so he really won't want me with Shannon any more." Nick slumped down in his seat and looked very dejected. "I don't think Jake will do that, because he knows how much Shannon cares about you," I confirmed, "but he will probably insist you two be more careful in the future." Nick turned his head toward me now and I saw a glimmer of hope registering in his eyes. However, his body language told me he wasn't quite sure he believed what I had told him. "Look, Jake wants Shannon to be happy," I continued, "but Jake's biggest concern is to keep Shannon safe. That's why I insisted you be careful while you were away and why I sent you all those supplies. I wanted BOTH of you to be protected. If you were monogamous, Jake wouldn't question your relationship with Shannon at all, so that should prove to you that he doesn't hate you." "Monogamous, as in meaning I don't fool around with anyone else?" Nick asked, in an effort to make sure he understood the situation completely. "Yes. Technically, the word means a person would be faithful and only involved with one person," I explained. "More precisely, it means a person is exclusively limited to one sexual partner." "Man, that would be tough," Nick responded, honestly, "but I guess if it meant Jake wouldn't try to split us up, I'd be willing to try. I really do love Shannon and it's not just about the sex either. There's something about him that I haven't felt with the other guys I've been with." I looked in awe at Nick, as he told me this. I was truly surprised he felt this way. "I was thinking about it while I was away," Nick continued, "because it was never quite the same when I was with anyone else. I think that's when it finally dawned on me how much Shannon really means to me and that I really do love him. You can't understand how bad I feel, now that I've found out I picked something up fooling around with someone else while I was away and I'm scared I might lose Shannon because of it." Nick paused briefly and I could see the pained expression on his face. "I guess it also makes me realize how dangerous the things I do really are and that how I act doesn't just affect me," he reasoned. "I mean, I could have picked up AIDS and be dying now, but worse than that, I could have given it to Shannon too." Nick hung his head after saying this and I could tell he was finally coming to grips with the fact that his actions had consequences. Even though he was still very young, he was beginning to realize he was not immortal. I would even wager he was thinking about Brent and Cody's deaths too, as he accepted the fact it's not just old people that die. "I think you're finally beginning to grow up," I told him, "and I don't mean physically. Some people don't actually grow up until they're in their twenties or thirties, while others never seem to grow up at all, so I'm not belittling you here. It's just that the things you've just told me means you're beginning to put other people's welfare on an equal plane, or even ahead of your own, and to me that marks a very big sign of maturity. I'm very proud of you." He looked up and gave me a weak grin. "Thanks, but why didn't you just tell me this before?" he wanted to know. "Oh, I could have told you, and many times I've tried to indicate such things to you and the others, but people don't always learn by being told. Sometimes they have to piece things together for themselves and draw their own conclusions, or else it doesn't have the same meaning. You've finally come to that realization on your own, so now you'll be more deeply committed to living by your decision and not trying to live by what you've been told." "Do you think I can really do this?" he asked, looking concerned. "I mean, I've never been able to limit myself to just one guy before." "I think it's because you've lacked the motivation in the past," I told him, honestly. "However, since you're so concerned about losing Shannon or exposing him to some potentially fatal disease, I think you might be able to do it." His grin broadened slightly, as my words began to sink in. "I'll try my best, because I really do love him," he explained. "You know, I never thought I'd be able to say that and really mean it, but I think I can and do now." That alone shocked and impressed me and maybe Nick was changing and maturing. I'm sure both Shannon and Jake will be pleased to hear this. "Nick, I have to tell you I'm impressed with your change in attitude and have faith that you will do your best to succeed." He smiled and nodded, as his way of letting me know he appreciated my support. "I just hope all the other tests come back negative," Nick advised me. "Now that I've decided I want to be with just Shannon, I'd hate for any of the stuff I did while I was away to ruin it." He did look extremely concerned. "Nick, I hope they all come back negative too," I agreed, "but we will know for sure in a few days, so let's just wait and see." Nick nodded again and we dropped the subject. Shortly after that, we arrived home, so Nick went off to find Shannon. He wanted to inform him he had genital warts and apologize for his cavalier attitude while he was away. I knew this wouldn't be easy for him, but he seemed determined to go through with it. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 12 -- Spring Break. As we entered the house, Nick walked away, to deal with his issues. Knowing he needed some time alone with Shannon, I didn't follow and went to use the downstairs bathroom instead. As I entered, I discovered something I wasn't ready for. Andrew was busy disconnecting the showerhead as I walked in. "What are you doing?" I asked, which caused him to jump. He was concentrating on what he was up to and hadn't heard me enter. Not only that, but he hadn't locked the door either. Realizing I was there, he froze and looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights. "It's you, isn't it?" I asked him. "You're the guy pulling all these new pranks, aren't you?" He didn't answer, but I could tell by the look on his face that I was correct. I pushed the door to the bathroom shut, so I could speak to him without drawing attention or being overheard. "Okay, what's up and why are you doing this?" I pressed. He didn't answer right away, but I think he realized I wasn't giving up until he told me what I wanted to know. "Well," he hesitantly began, "I started doing those things to prove I was just as good, just as smart and could do the same types of stuff the older guys do, but that isn't what happened. When I started doing those things, everyone just thought it was Ricky pulling the pranks again. That's why I did things to him too, so they could see it wasn't Ricky." "Oh, I see," I told him, trying to give him enough encouragement to continue his explanation. "The thing is, you didn't stop there. So, why did you keep going?" "Everyone started saying whoever pulled that off on Ricky must be really good, so I just thought I'd see how good I really was," he admitted. I could tell Andrew was proud of himself and what he'd done, and I also knew he enjoyed how the others perceived him now. Even though they didn't know he was the one who was doing these things, they still admired the ingenuity and planning it took to pull off some of those stunts. "Wait a minute," I continued, after thinking of something else. "Didn't some of those pranks get pulled on you too?" He smiled. "I did some to myself, but mostly I just told everybody it happened to me too, but I was only making it up." "Why did you do that?" I asked, although I assumed I already knew the answer. "So they wouldn't figure out it was me," he responded, honestly. "But I thought you WANTED them to know you did these things, so they'd be impressed by what you'd done." He had a thoughtful look on his face now. "I do want them to know, but not yet," he admitted. "I want to make them talk about all the things I do and go crazy trying to figure out who's doing it, because I know none of them think I could do all this stuff. That way, when they do find out it's me, they'll be even more shocked." He smiled, but his planning and thoroughness really impressed me. "Okay, I can understand that, but what were you doing when I caught you?" I asked him. "I was loosening the shower head, so it would come off when the next person took a shower in here," he admitted. "You know that most likely would have been Jake or me," I told him, and he grinned broadly. "I know," he conceded, "but I thought the guys would really think the guy who was doing these things was really good and had guts, if he would do something to either of you too." I saw the logic behind his plan and was amazed by his audacity. However, I thought I had to do something about it, so I reached out and began to tickle him. He burst into laughter. "Stop, stop," he pleaded, but I didn't let up. "So, you thought you'd get Jake or me, did you, you little twerp," I teased him. "Let's see how you like being gotten." He was squirming about wildly in my arms, laughing hysterically. "Stop, Dad. Please stop," he whined, through his giggles. Finally, I began to let up. "Okay, Mr. Prankster," I continued, "I'll stop if you take Jake and me off your hit list." He looked at my face and pretended to be thinking about my request, so I thought he needed a little more encouragement. I began to tickle him some more, so he was laughing and wiggling about again, while trying to break free of my hold. "Okay, okay," he conceded. "I'll leave you two alone." I started to ease up on the tickling, but did not quit altogether, just to see if he was going to try to pull something else. I was just about to stop completely, when he made another comment. "For now," he told me. That was a challenge, so I wrapped him up in my arms and started rubbing my stubble into his neck, which caused him to squirm and wiggle some more. "Are you sure you don't want to take us off your list permanently" I asked, as a hint as to why I was doing this. He giggled some more and then I eased up on my assault. "You're a cheater," he announced, while looking at me and trying to fake a frown. "Oh, and what you're doing isn't sneaky and underhanded?" I countered, which caused him to smile again. "Maybe," he admitted. "Then we're even," I told him, "so what do you say about leaving Jake and me out of this then?" He feigned a hurt look and then nodded. "Okay, I'll do it," he gave in, "but the rest of the guys won't think it's as good, if I don't get you and Jake too." He looked at me now, as if he were expecting me to tell him I'd changed my mind. "You'll survive," I responded, to let him know it wasn't going to happen. "What if we just pretend I got you?" he pressed. "You can leave the showerhead like this and then take a shower. You can pretend it came off after you got in, but nothing will happen to you. Okay?" I actually considered what he asked, because I hoped it might be the spark he needed to stop worrying about being a baby. "And what do I get out of this?" I followed, while I considered his proposal. "I'll do anything you want," he replied, quickly. "ANYTHING! You just name it and I'll do it for you." "Well, I might just wait until I come up with something really good," I responded, and then paused briefly, for effect. "Something really disgusting!" Andrew initially looked shocked, but then smiled. "I don't care, as long as you do this for me," he confessed. "It will really get the others talking and make me look awesome, especially after they find out I'm the one doing it. I don't care how gross the job is, I'll do it to pay you back." Seeing this was apparently very important to him, I agreed. I told him I'd fix the showerhead later, after I was supposedly gotten. At this point, Andrew hugged me harder than he ever had before. "Thank you, Daddy," he told me, using his little boy persona. However, after this, I don't think I'll ever see him as a little boy ever again. I have to admit this has drastically changed my impression of Andrew, because I would never have thought he had it in him to do something of this nature. I guess I've been misreading him. "Daddy, please promise not to tell anybody it's me, okay?" he pressed. "Not even Daddy Jake." I think he said it this way to butter me up, so I'd agree. I wouldn't have ratted him out anyway, since I thought his stunts were quite comical and harmless. I really didn't have a problem with anything he'd done. "Okay, I promise," I agreed, which elicited a huge grin from my boy. Then I added a kicker. "That is, unless you do anything else to either Jake or me." Andrew looked crestfallen that I had hinted I might use this against him. "I won't!" he exclaimed. "I promise!" I guess that settled it. Later that evening, I went in to take my shower early. I had left the showerhead loose, so I started the water and climbed in. A few minutes later, I finished unscrewing it and dropped it into the tub. Once it made a clanking sound, I screamed and started swearing. When some of the others came running to see what was wrong, I told them someone must have loosened the showerhead and it came off and smashed into my foot. I told them it might have even broken one of my toes. The boys looked shocked, except for Andrew. He was having a difficult time keeping a smirk from forming on his face. I really hammed it up and heard some of the others start commenting about the prankster. As Andrew suspected, they began saying things like, "Whoever is doing this has big balls to get Dad too," and "Damn, this sucker is really good and even braver than Ricky. He never got Dad." I knew Andrew was in his glory now, so after everyone started to disperse. Jake and I reconnected the showerhead and went back to our room. As soon as the door closed, Jake confronted me about something else. "It may not be the best time to bring this up, seeing your foot is probably still sore and all..." he paused momentarily and looked at me. He looked concerned, so I motioned my injury wasn't a big deal and he went on. "I've heard that Nick has genital warts. Knowing this makes me wonder what else he's picked up?" I knew this was leading somewhere and was afraid where he was going. Therefore, I felt I had to respond. "Nothing that we know of, but his test results will be back in a few days," I replied, trying to downplay this a little. "Let's not jump the gun and get all hyper, but we'll know for sure before long." Jake merely glared at me. He had a very hard and determined look on his face. "I'm not sure I want Shannon to be with him any longer," he eventually stated. I understood his concern, but felt I had to point out it wasn't his choice. "Jake, Shannon is old enough to make up his own mind now," I advised him. "You can't tell him what to do. He's not a little kid any longer. You can tell him your concerns, but ultimately the decision has to be his." "Josh, I don't want my son exposed to all this crap," he shot back, as a way of letting go of some of his pent up frustration. "And I can understand that too, but Shannon knows what Nick is like," I pointed out. "If he's willing to accept the risk that comes along with it, then I'm afraid you'll have to learn to accept it too or take the chance of losing him." "Josh, I don't want to lose him either way," Jake explained. "I don't want to push him away, but I don't want to lose him to some sexually transmitted disease either." "Jake, there aren't many fatal or debilitating sexually transmitted diseases any longer, with the exception of HIV. The rest can either be controlled or cured," I reasoned. "I think you'll have to trust your son's judgment on this. You can discuss your concerns with him, but don't try to issue any ultimatums. However, I suggest you wait until all the test results are back, before you start pushing the panic button." Jake finally agreed to follow both of my suggestions. He would talk to Shannon and explain what he was worried about, but he would also wait until all the results were in, before he did anything more than that. Now, we just had to wait for the doctor's office to call. The upcoming weekend was Easter and we were preparing for a big celebration. I had Vinnie call Duck, to see if he was still planning to join us, but he seemed to be having second thoughts. "Are you sure it's okay?" he asked Vinnie. "I mean, from the sounds of it, you're having a whole lot of people over and maybe I should wait until another time." "There's always that many people over," Vinnie admitted, somewhat confused as to why that should make a difference. "No matter when you come, it will always be pretty much the same. It's just that we have a very big family, and now you're part of it, so you'd better get used to it." "But there will be so many people I don't know," Duck protested. "You'll know them after we introduce you, so it's no big deal," Vinnie assured him. "Come on. Pop really wants you to join us." "He does?" Duck sounded surprised. "Yes, he does," Vinnie reiterated. "He wants to introduce you to the whole family. He even said to have you bring your girlfriend with you too." "Tell him thanks, but she's going home to be with her family. She invited me to go with her, but she's taking a week of vacation then too, so she can spend it with her parents. I didn't want to do that, because it's a busy time at work for us." "Well, come by yourself then," Vinnie insisted. "It's not good to spend the holidays alone and you're family now, so come spend it with your family." I think that comment touched Duck. "You really think of me as family?" Duck asked, not quite believing it could be true. "Not just me," Vinnie told him, "but Kevin and Pop too, and the guys who met you on the trip to Chicago. They think of you as another big brother. I'm sure the others will feel that way also, once they get to know you." "Well, it does sound nice," he agreed, but then there was a momentary silence. "Come on," Vinnie whined. "You've got to do this at least once, so you'll know whether you like it or not." "Okay," I'll give it a try," Duck conceded, before adding something else. "Hey, Vinnie, tell your pop I really appreciate this. I haven't had a family in years and I think I'm going to enjoy this." Vinnie could sense the hint of excitement that had crept into Duck's voice and was pleased he had agreed to attend. "Duck, this is going to be soooo great," Vinnie added. "I can't wait to see you again. Why don't you come Friday night and then stay until Sunday? You can leave after dinner, if you need to, but that way we'll still have plenty of time to spend with you. It will also give you a chance to meet my other brothers before the rest of the gang shows up." "Are you sure there's room and it would be all right?" Duck asked. "Pop told me to suggest it, so I'm sure we have the room and it's fine." There was a brief delay, before Duck responded. "Okay, if you say so, then I'll do it," he confirmed. "Actually, I can't wait now." They ended their conversation shortly afterward and then Vinnie came to find me. He was thrilled and anxious to let me know Duck had accepted our invitation. It was obvious how pleased Vinnie was, especially since he had told me earlier that he thought Duck might change his mind about coming. He concluded Duck was somewhat intimidated when he learned about the imposing number of people that would be here for dinner, so that was why I had helped him prepare some arguments to use with Duck. It seems to have worked, so now we were both pleased Duck would be joining us. I only hoped Duck was as happy as we were about this. Seeing this was the week leading up to Easter, we decided to go as a family to see 'The Passion of the Christ.' Even though we had heard a lot of pros and cons about this particular movie, we decided we wanted to see it and judge for ourselves. Before doing so, however, I made sure to explain to everyone that I had heard the film contained a great deal of graphic violence, blood and gore. My biggest concern was about the younger boys: Andrew, Sammy, Dion and Graham. I didn't want to tell any of them they couldn't go, but I understood the vivid portrayal of the torture and crucifixion, as well as the amount of blood involved, had been difficult for even some adults to deal with. However, after going over all of these concerns in detail, they still wanted to see it, so I finally decided to trust their judgment and let them go too. It had been a long time since I had seen a movie with subtitles, and I'm not sure if some of the boys ever had, but I think it added to the realism of what was happening. It was almost like standing in the background and watching the events unfold in person, especially since the dialogue was in Aramaic and Latin, which would have been spoken at the time. I will give you my observations about the movie itself, but I will also tell you it's probably best to draw your own conclusions, if you decided to see it too. First of all, concerning the big hoopla about it being anti-Semitic. I didn't feel the movie singled the Jews out as a race, but merely showed that there are good and bad in all groups, whether it's a nationality, a race or a religion. It also showed there are also certain people who have their own agendas when it comes to specific issues and they do things to protect their own position and self-interests, such as Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest. However, I did not see that as a rap against all Jews. On the contrary, if anything offended me, it was the seeming barbarity and callousness of the Roman soldiers and how they appeared to enjoy inflicting pain. As far as the violence and bloodletting, I think that was way over the top and could have been toned down and still have been effective. First of all, just seeing all the blood that flowed so freely all over the place, I don't think Jesus would have had any left in his body after the flogging, if that had really happened. Second, with the severity of the beating Jesus had to endure, because you could see chunks of flesh ripped from his body by the barbed whips that were being used, I can't believe he could have even stood afterward, let alone carried a heavy cross. I think Gibson could have done that a little more realistically and not lost the impact of the pain, suffering and humiliation Jesus had to endure before being crucified. On another level, I was disappointed that Gibson also stuck to some of the historical inaccuracies that seem to have followed the story of the crucifixion since it happened. The first problem was he made Pontius Pilate look like a weak administrator who couldn't make his own decisions. Although the bible did infer this in one of the gospels (Matthew), history has shown Pilate was a very aggressive and often very cruel governor. He was very capable of using violence, and even death, to his benefit. The second thing I found disappointing was the fact that Gibson had Jesus drag the whole cross to Golgotha, which most likely didn't happen. The most common practice at that time was to strap the cross beam to the person who was to be crucified, as was done with the two thieves. Another problem I had was when the Romans drove the spikes through the palms of Jesus' hands. I think it has been proven that this practice would not have supported the weight of the body and the spike would most likely have torn through the tissue of the palm. I suppose they could have also used ropes around the wrists or put blocks of woods over his palm before the spikes were driven in, to keep this from happening, but that's not what Gibson did. Therefore, the body weight would have caused his hands to rip off of the spikes and the upper half of his body would have slumped off of the cross. As another alternative, most people who have studied Roman practices would agree the spike would most likely have been driven through the wrists and heels, which would have held the body in place. Another thing that bothered me was when the Roman soldier stabbed Jesus in the side with his spear. Although it does mention in the gospels that Jesus' side was pierced with a spear, it also lets us know this was done to assure he was already dead. Therefore, the blood would not have spurted from the body, as was shown in the film, because there would have had no pressure, as it would if the heart had been pumping it. Instead, it would have trickled down his side, using only the force of gravity to drain from the body. The final problem I had with the film was it made it appear as if the crucifixion was the most important aspect of Jesus' death. In reality, it was the resurrection that brought significance to his death and gave us the promise of salvation. I felt this point was way underplayed and, therefore, belittled and overlooked one of the most important aspects of Jesus' life on earth. Although his death was important, the resurrection was crucial, and I was saddened it had so little to do with the movie, overall. Although I still enjoyed the film and thought it made the final days of Jesus life more vivid, I think it could have made a greater impact if the violence hadn't been so overdone and certain aspects were more historically accurate. I think it was a good vehicle to show how much the Son of God had to endure to cleanse the sins of man, and I think the film might even help to create a revival in religious beliefs, but I still feel the impact could have been even greater. I observed others who were watching the movie at the same time we were and noticed some of them react violently to all the bloody scenes. Although I think some of the brutality was essential, as I said earlier, I think a good share of it was unnecessary. All the boys made it through the entire flick, even though I think some of them may have closed their eyes or looked down during certain parts of the film. I believe some of them looked away during the scourging or when the crow plucked out the eyes of the one criminal, but we all agreed that Jesus had suffered greatly before he died. I was glad we had seen it, but I think I would be extremely hesitant to allow or encourage pre-teens to view this film.