Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:19:24 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 8, chapters 19 - 20

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 19 -- A Very Unusual Easter.

When our guests began to arrive, I tried to discretely inform them about
Jesse, so they wouldn't be surprised.  I also wanted to apprise them of his
condition, so they wouldn't embarrass themselves by expecting him to answer
their queries.  They all confirmed they understood the situation, so I
spent time with Sally, so I could give her the details about what I knew,
up to this point.  She was very interested and wanted to look everything
over, including the paperwork.

After doing this, she said the documents appeared to be legal and binding,
so I was now officially Jesse's guardian.  Therefore, it was entirely up to
me how we would proceed with him from this point on.  'Fine,' I thought,
'now I'll be the only ogre, if I decide it would be best for Jesse if I
didn't keep him here.'

Steve and Mary Shay weren't with us today, because they were visiting other
family members, but John and Margaret Spence were here and they had brought
Arlene with them.  Mark's mother, Susan, was also present and I introduced
everyone to Duck.  All of them already knew about his role in rescuing
Vinnie, so they all warmed up to him quite quickly.  Arlene was having a
fairly good day and recognized her son immediately.

"Richard, come over here and give your mother a kiss and a hug," she told
him, which caused him to smile.  He always felt better when his mother was
in one of her more lucid states.

After they finished embracing, she quickly dimmed his high hopes for the
day with her next statement.  "Richard, who are all these other people?"
she asked.

This let him know it wasn't going to be a perfect afternoon and he raised
his eyebrows in response.  A few seconds later, he hugged her again and
then answered her question.

"They are all good friends, Mom, and they're going to make sure we have a
nice Easter together."  She seemed to accept his statement at face value
and didn't go into it further, which sent a wave of relief through Little
Ricky.

We had a lovely dinner together, but I kept my eye on Jesse, while he ate
at the other table.  I could see Andrew correcting his table manners from
time to time, before someone else could say something to Jesse about his
crude eating habits.  Andrew was trying to protect him from any unwanted
attention and was teaching him to do things correctly.  I must admit Andrew
was doing an admirable job of it too.  I assumed Jesse either wasn't
allowed to eat with his family when he lived at home or they had no rules
regarding table etiquette, but either way, he was way behind in most of his
basic dining skills.

We all made it through the dinner, which included some interesting
conversation, and Duck got to meet a few more of the other important people
in our lives.  All in all, it was a huge success.

After dinner, we all decided to go out for a walk, since it was such a
lovely afternoon.  We just strolled around our property and checked out
some of the damage the winter storms had done, but we also observed how
nice the early spring weather was.  It had already caused some of the
flowers to bloom and the leaves to begin budding on the trees.

This impromptu tour also provided us a chance to show Duck and Jesse around
the rest of our property and gave them a better idea about where we lived.
Now, they knew more than just what the inside of our house looked like.
Andrew even pointed out the tree house to Jesse and told him they'd go
there some other time, so he could check it out.  By the time we got back
to the house, John and Margaret Spence informed us they had to be heading
home, since Arlene was starting to slip into one of her cantankerous
periods.  After Little Ricky kissed and hugged his mother good- bye, the
rest of us bid all three of our guests farewell and then watched them
leave.  However, once they had departed, some of the others decided it was
time to call it a day as well.

Over the next half hour, we said so long to Sally and Susan, before Duck
announced he was leaving too.

"Man, I really hate to go," he told us.  "I've had such a great time, but I
do have to get back home.  I have laundry and other stuff to do to get
ready for work tomorrow.  I just hope you'll invite me to come here again
sometime, because I really enjoyed my stay."

"Duck, you're a part of this family now," I advised him, "so you can come
back any time you wish.  You don't need to wait to be invited.  As far as
we're concerned," I announced, while motioning toward the rest of the
family, "you're part of this nutty group and condemned to spend as much
time with us as you can stand."

This brought another smile to Duck's face, and then the boys added their
own two cents worth on the topic.  I could tell Duck understood the full
impact of our message, so I knew we'd be seeing him over and over again.

"Great!" he responded.  "I'll keep in touch then and will let you know when
I can come again."

"And don't forget to call me when you get home," I reminded him, "no matter
how late that is."

He agreed, so we walked him out to his vehicle, where we said a final
good-bye.  We all stood and waved, as he drove down the street.

Once we were back inside, we cleaned up the house and put it back in order,
before going to the family room to spend the rest of the evening.  After an
hour or so, I could see Jesse was beginning to get tired, but he was also
fighting to stay awake.

"Jesse, why don't you and Andrew turn in now?" I suggested.  "Tomorrow I'll
take you shopping, but I think you'll need a good night's sleep before we
do that."  Reluctantly, he agreed and the two of them made their way to the
guest bedroom.

About a half hour later, Andrew returned, but Jesse wasn't with him.  I was
curious as to what was up, but I figured I'd find out soon enough and I was
right.  "Daddy, you're going to let Jesse live here with us, aren't you?"
he asked, in his little whiney, pleading voice.

"I still have to do some more thinking on that subject, Andrew.  I haven't
made any definite decision yet," I advised him.

"But you've got to," he begged.  "He's my friend now and I want him to be
my brother too."

"That's sweet," I told him, "but there are a lot of things you don't know."

"I know he can't talk and needs our help," he said innocently, and now some
of the others were edging closer, to listen in on what was being said.

"Yeah, Dad," Danny interjected, "you've never turned down helping anyone
before."

"I didn't say I wouldn't help him," I countered.  "I'm just not sure if
helping him would be best accomplished by having him stay here."

"What could be better than that?" Kevin wondered, although I wasn't quite
sure if he had said this tongue-in-cheek.

"Guys, he's a lot younger than all of you, three years younger than Andrew,
and with all of his problems, I'm not sure we could do him justice."

"He'd do better here than anywhere else," Vinnie interjected.

"He sure would," Little Ricky seconded.  "I wasn't sure how I'd make out
after my dad died, with my mom's problem and all, but this place has been
great.  He couldn't do better than this."  The other boys chimed in their
agreement.

"Guys, I appreciate your vote of confidence, but Jesse is quite young, and
I'm no spring chicken any longer.  I'm also worried about not being around
for him the whole time."  I didn't mean to put it so dramatically, but they
had to know my main consideration.

"Pop," Brandon chimed in, "nothing's going to happen to you, but if it
does, Danny and I will help out.  We planned on coming back here after we
graduated anyway, to help you take care of even more boys, so we'll just
start by helping you with Jesse."  Brandon looked over at Danny and got his
nod of agreement, so I knew they were serious about their offer.

"That's super," I conceded, "but you both have several more years of school
ahead of you first."

"We know that," Danny agreed, "but we'll be home to help for vacations and
summers, in the meantime."

"And I can take care of him too, Daddy," Andrew chirped.  "I did it today,
didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, and I thank you for that," I advised him, "but there is much
more involved than just getting him bathed, dressed and fed," I added.

"But the rest of us will help too," Dustin offered.  "Hell, we owe you that
much, and not just you, Dad.  We also owe it to any other kids who could
use the same type of love and support we've gotten from you over the
years."

I was touched by his comment and Jake put his arm around me at that point.
He did it to let me know he agreed with Dustin's statement and to show me I
had his support as well.

"And I will help too, Pop," Mark added, which really surprised me.  "I
would feel honored to be a big brother to someone like Jesse.  I think it
would be awesome to have a little brother and be able to help take care of
him."

"Thanks, Mark, and I thank all of you for your offers of support," I told
them.  "I was going to talk to Sally about getting him a place at the farm,
but if you all feel that strongly about it, then I'll consider it further,
before I make my final decision.  I think I'd still like to take him out to
the farm and let him look around, to see if he'd like that better.
Besides, I wanted to check on their progress anyway and I know Little Ricky
wants to see what's happened to his old home, as well."  I looked up and
saw Little Ricky nodding his head.

"Dad," Ricky piped in, "it wouldn't be the same on the farm.  The boys out
there wouldn't love him and protect him like we would here and I think
Jesse's really going to need that.  Sure, I might pull some jokes on you
guys from time to time, but I only do that because I love all of you."

"Can I be taken off that list then?"  Pat joked back, which caused Ricky to
feign a hurt expression on his face.

"Guys, I get your point and you've given me a lot more to consider before I
make this decision, but I will need more time to think it over," I
confessed.  "After the things you've mentioned, I'm leaning more toward his
staying here than I was before, but it's still not definite.  I'll let you
know when I make up my mind for sure."

"Don't worry, guys," Jake added.  "I know your dad and I'd be willing to
bet Jesse will end up here, with us."

Hearing this, I shot Jake a dirty look, because I felt he was putting me on
the spot and committing me to something before I was ready.  He was
probably right, but I just wanted to think it over a little more.  However,
this news sent Andrew rocketing off the couch, like a missile shooting
skyward.  Then, he began doing a little dance, which made his brothers
laugh and tease him.  I still wasn't sure if I wanted to accept this much
more responsibility, but with their offers of support, I was beginning to
think, 'how can I say no?'  I guess maybe our family has just grown by one.

Jake and I spent some time alone after that and made a shopping list of the
things Jesse would need.  I had Andrew go back to the bedroom and record
the sizes on the clothes Jesse wore earlier, the ones Andrew had loaned
him, so I'd have a starting point to work from.  I also advised Andrew that
Jesse wasn't going to be involved in anything sexual until he was at least
thirteen.

"He isn't really that small down there," Andrew let me know, "but you're
right.  I had to wait until I was older and he should too, but I did start
before I turned thirteen."  Andrew looked hopefully in my direction, after
giving me something more to think about.

"Then you boys didn't do anything earlier?" I asked, just to be certain.

"No, I just turned the shower on for him, but he washed himself.  I sat on
the toilet and waited for him, until he was done."  I was glad to hear
that.

"Okay, but I can also see he's forming a special attachment to you," I
informed Andrew, which drew a grin, "so I'm going to rely on you the most,
at least to start.  This probably won't be easy, with him not talking and
all, but I'll also make sure the school psychologist evaluates Jesse
immediately.  We need to find out if there are any types of programs or
treatments he might benefit from."

That seemed to end the discussion for tonight, but it didn't end my doubts
as to whether I was doing the right thing.  Yes, I agreed with the boys
that we could help Jesse, and maybe even more than anyplace else, so with
their help, I think I had just committed us to do that.  However, I also
wondered how much longer I could keep this up and be able to be there for
all of my boys.  If Jake wasn't here too, I probably wouldn't have agreed
to do this, but his support had been essential and eased some of my
concerns.

The next day, Jake and I took Jesse to pick out a whole new wardrobe, as
well as a few school supplies and other essentials.  I had decided, for
now, he could use some of his old clothes for play, so we wouldn't need to
buy him those items too.  We also let Andrew join us, to make it a little
easier on Jesse.  When we first arrived at the department store, Jesse had
a tough time getting involved in the process.  He seemed scared to offer
his opinion or tell us what he liked, but he also seemed extremely
concerned about how much everything cost.  After several attempts to
convince him this was all right, I let Andrew take him aside, so he could
speak with him alone.

"Dad has done this for each of us, when we first came to live with him,"
Andrew told him, "and he really wants to do this for you too.  It's okay
and you don't have to be scared."

Jesse didn't seem totally convinced and Andrew was momentarily confused.
After thinking about this some more, Andrew thought he might know why.

"Don't worry, Dad doesn't expect anything in return," he added, which
brought a look of relief to Jesse's face.

Maybe that was the problem between Jesse and his stepfather, I thought
later, after Andrew explained to me what had been said.  Maybe his
stepfather expected favors in return, which Jesse wouldn't agree too.  It
was possible I was reading this wrong, but then again, maybe I wasn't.

Once this had been settled, the boys had a great time picking out the
various items for Jesse and it appeared the poor kid had never been allowed
to help in choosing his own things before.  He was like a kid in a candy
store; with so many choices he didn't know what to do or where to go next.
Andrew pretty much took care of that for him and led him around, from item
to item.

It was cute watching Jesse try on so many different outfits, but we let him
decide what he liked and wanted.  When it came time to select underwear, we
asked Jesse what type he'd prefer and he just shrugged his shoulders.
Then, Jesse motioned to Andrew, indicating he wanted to know what Andrew
wore and liked best.  It didn't take long for Andrew to let Jesse know that
he usually wore briefs.  That was also what Jesse had arrived with in his
suitcase, so after getting Andrew's confirmation that those were okay,
Jesse decided to stick with them.

Once we finished selecting his clothing, we moved to the shoe department,
where we picked out a pair of athletic shoes and a pair of loafers, for
dress.  Jesse was amazed by this too.  I guess the ratty old pair he'd been
wearing when he first arrived had been something he'd owned for a couple of
years as well.  After finishing with the shoes, we went to get him a comb,
a brush and a toothbrush, before we picked up a bottle of vitamins for him.
I also made a mental note to set appointments for him to receive a physical
and have eye and dental exams.  Damn, I forgot there was so much to do for
a new kid.

Once we arrived back home, Andrew made sure Jesse modeled all his new
outfits for Jake and me, as well as for any of the other boys that happened
to be around.  At first, Jesse was a little uncomfortable showing off like
this, but with a little coaching and coaxing from his young mentor, he was
soon posing and spinning around, to give us the full effect.  It was very
cute, but it was also nice to see him loosening up.  Jesse even seemed to
be getting a kick out of being the center of attention.  I wasn't sure he'd
have done this without Andrew's help and encouragement, but whatever it
took, I was glad to see it happen.

I let the older boys to do things with Jesse for the rest of the day,
feeling he might begin to relax even more, once he got to know them all
better.  However, Andrew's transformation was even more amazing.  Out of
all of the offers to help with Jesse, Andrew was taking it the most
seriously and was taking over as a little father to our newest family
member.  Andrew would tell the other boys if they were being too rough with
Jesse and would let them know if he thought Jesse wasn't ready to do
something yet.  Here was the boy who'd been complaining he was a baby, yet
now he was taking charge of a difficult situation.

This development tossed another variable into my decision-making equation,
as to whether or not I was going to keep Jesse with us.  Not only might
this be better for Jesse, but it might also help Andrew.  He would no
longer be the baby of our brood and would have a new role, as big brother
and father figure.  That alone might possibly keep Andrew from dwelling on
all of the other nonsense, concerning his delayed entrance into puberty.

Yes, Jesse's sudden appearance at our home might have been a blessing from
God.  Not only could we help him, but he might be able to help us too.
He's already helped Andrew feel more grown up and caused Danny and Brandon
to verbalize their commitment to come back and help me take in more boys,
once they'd graduated from college.  Jesse also made the other boys aware
of what they could do to help and even gave Mark a chance to become more
involved with the family.  Yes, God does work in strange and mysterious
ways, so maybe this is one of them.



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 20 -- Just Desserts.

It was late Monday afternoon and we still had not taken the college boys
back yet.  I had decided to let them stay home one more day, so they and
Jesse could get to know each other better and it seemed to be going well.
However, it was getting to the point where they needed to return to their
campuses, but Jake and I were both too exhausted to think about making the
long drive.  Out of necessity, I had an idea.  I went to discuss it with
Dustin and Jake.

"I know you are both wondering what this is about," I began, "so I'll get
right to the point.  To save Jake and me from making those long trips
tonight, I'm going to let you take the Suburban and drive your brothers
back, if you don't mind," I stated, while looking directly at Dustin.
"We'll buy another vehicle during the week, but we can survive with the
van, Grand Am and 4Runner for now.  What do you say, would you be willing
to do that for us?"

"You're going to let me keep the Suburban on campus?" he asked, amazed.

"Yes, until you come home at the end of the semester."  He had this huge
grin on his face.

"Thanks, Dad.  This is going to be awesome," he replied.

"Just don't abuse the privilege," I warned him.

"I won't," he stated, to reassure me.

"I know it will probably be a little cramped this time, but we'll correct
that situation before next year.  When you boys come home for the summer,
you can rent a trailer to haul behind the Suburban, so you can carry your
other belongings in there.  Just drive carefully.  Does that work for you?"

"Oh, yeah," he responded, flashing me a toothy grin.

"Before you go, I have something else to discuss with you," I added, which
caused Dustin to flash me a puzzled look.  "It' nothing bad.  It's just
about your birthday.  Since you'll be twenty-one this year, I wanted to do
something special for you, so I've had my lawyer arrange it so you now have
complete access to the account I'd set up in your name.  That money is now
yours, to do with as you please, but don't forget it's to cover the rest of
your college expenses too.  I hope you are as responsible with it, as you
have been with everything else."

"Jeez, Dad, that's awfully nice of you," Dustin replied.  "I know that even
after paying for college, there will still be quite a bit of money in the
account, but don't worry, I won't blow it.  Thanks, Dad.  I really wasn't
expecting you to do this, but I will not spend the money foolishly."

"I was sure you wouldn't," I agreed, "so Happy Birthday."  I then gave him
a hug, to show him how much he was loved.

"Okay, now I want you to go explain everything to your brothers about you
taking them back and then get on your way.  I know this is a lot to ask of
you, and it will be a long trip, but I will make up a driving route for you
to follow, while you are loading up the Suburban.  I'll set it up so you
can drop everyone off in one big loop, to make the trip as short and easy
for you as possible."

"Thanks, Dad, but don't worry about it.  I don't have any classes until
11:00 on Tuesdays, so I'll still be able to get enough rest after I get
back.  Besides, it will be worth it, just to have a vehicle around," he
added.

Dustin left and went back upstairs, but before long I heard a scream and
shouts coming from up there.  I wasn't sure what it was all about, so I
figured I'd better go up and investigate.  When I reached the top landing,
I saw Dustin carrying a struggling Andrew toward me.

"Okay, what's going on here," I asked.

"I found out who's been playing all those jokes on everyone," Dustin
announced, with everyone staring at Andrew.  "I got back to my room and he
was messing with my suitcase.  I think he was trying to put a couple of
water balloons in with my clothes, so they'd break and everything would get
wet, before I had a chance to unpack."

"Okay, you've caught him, and now you know who's been pulling all those
pranks.  I guess that should end them for now," I concurred.

"It will, after we punish him for everything he's done," Dustin announced,
which brought a panicked look to Andrew's face.

"What are you planning to do, Dustin?" I asked.  I wasn't sure if I really
wanted to know the answer to my question, but I couldn't let him get
carried away either.

"You'll see," he said smugly.  "Some of us have been talking about what
we'd do to whomever had been playing all of these jokes on us, so we have
an idea what needs to be done," he informed me, and now some of the others
moved into position to assist him.  While Dustin held Andrew about the
chest, the others began to undress him, first removing his jeans and
underwear.  This troubled Jesse and he clung to me, so I had to reassure
him that Andrew was all right.

"Don't worry, Jesse.  They aren't going to really hurt Andrew," I
explained.  "They're just going to pay him back for all the jokes he's
played on them."  Jesse was shaking his head and tugging on his own shirt.

"Oh, you're worried about them undressing Andrew?" I asked and got a nod in
reply.  "Don't worry, the boys see each other naked all the time and that
won't bother Andrew at all."

Jesse looked startled, but he did seem to relax a little, while the rest of
Andrew's clothes were removed.  He was looking at Andrew and gawking now,
and then Jesse tapped my arm and pointed at Andrew's groin.  At first I
wasn't sure why, but then it dawned on me.

"Oh, you're wondering about Andrew's penis, aren't you?" I stated, which
drew an immediate nod from Jesse.  "Andrew isn't circumcised, but I'd guess
you are, from your reaction, but we'll explain that to you later, if you
want."  He nodded his head again, and then we turned to see what the boys
were going to do to Andrew.

"First," Dustin announced, "I think we need to 'flush' all of those
terrible ideas out of Andrew's head."

I had a feeling from the way he worded it that I knew what was coming next.
Anticipating Jesse's reaction, I did the best I could just to keep him
calm.  I knew the boys would never do anything to harm their little brother
and only wanted to make him regret having challenged them as he did.

While I was trying to reassure Jesse that Andrew would be fine, the boys
carried Andrew into the upstairs bathroom.  Dustin held him upside down by
one of his legs and Pat had a hold of the other, while Ricky and Cole each
had a grasp on one of Andrew's arms.  My little jokester was dangled
precariously above the toilet bowl now, waiting for what would happen next.
Slowly, he was lowered downward, with his head easing past the porcelain
rim and dropping toward the water.  Andrew began to apologize and plead
with his brothers.  He told them he was sorry and he'd never do those
things again, but the others were unmoved.

Watching Andrew's plight, Jesse grabbed my arm even tighter, so I bent over
and assured him that Andrew would be just fine.  I told him the boys were
only having fun with him and no one was going to get hurt.

The boys continued to lower Andrew, until the top of his head was in the
water, just about up to his eyebrows.  That's when one of them reached over
and pushed down the lever to flush the toilet, in a symbolic gesture of
flushing all the wicked thoughts from Andrew's mind.  When the bowl began
to refill, they lifted Andrew out, and someone grabbed a towel and dried
his head for him.

I wondered if that was all they were going to do to him, but quickly
discovered it wasn't.  After Andrew's hair had been dried, they carried him
back to his room and tied him spread-eagle to his bed.  I was worried about
what they had planned for him next, but I did trust they wouldn't do
anything I'd object to, so I stood back and watched.  Soon, Dion walked
into the bedroom carrying two large jars of jelly.  He kept one and gave
the other to Danny.  Before long, the two boys started smearing the jelly
on Andrew's body, which caused him to squirm and scream in reaction to the
cold.  I quickly surmised those two jars had come from the refrigerator,
not the pantry.

The older boys rubbed some on Andrew's neck, armpits, chest, stomach,
genitals and on the souls of his feet, and then various boys moved into
position, so they could lick this sweet substance off those sensitive
areas.

Jesse's eyes were as large as saucers, as he watched what they were doing
to his protector, but I held him back and kept him from getting involved.
As the older boys began to lick the jelly off of Andrew, Andrew began to
writhe and giggle, because they had made sure they had put the jelly on his
most ticklish areas.  Andrew was laughing so loudly and so hysterically
that it was becoming contagious, and soon some of the others, who were
standing around watching, were beginning to laugh too, including Jesse and
me.

Suddenly Jesse started pointing at Andrew and then at himself, and I
understood what he was asking me.  "Boys, I think Jesse would like to do
that to Andrew too," I advised them, and quickly got a vigorous nod of
agreement from Jesse.  It was obvious Jesse had concluded Andrew wasn't
being harmed in any way and wanted to be part of the action.

"Sure, come over here, Little Bro," Dustin offered, while taking one of the
jars of jelly and smearing more of it on Andrew's tummy.  "You can lick the
jelly off him here."

Jesse jumped into the act with great relish and flicked his tongue out.  He
was soon lapping up the sweet coating, but I could tell he was wiggling his
tongue around more than was necessary, as he tried to make it tickle Andrew
as well.  Most of the other boys had stopped what they were doing
momentarily, to watch Jesse's initiation into the family.  They cheered him
on and egged him to do more and more.  Finally, they couldn't resist
completing their own little revenge, so they went back to what they were
doing and renewed their licking of all of Andrew's various body parts.
This sent him into even greater fits of laughter and Jesse nearly fell off
the bed, because he was laughing so hard too.

After several more minutes of this torture, I finally called a halt to it,
thinking Andrew had endured about all he could tolerate.  After his
brothers made a few more comments and warned him that future pranks would
draw a similar retribution, they untied Andrew, and I sent him off to the
shower to clean up.  I wasn't surprised to see Jesse following him like a
loyal puppy and Andrew noticed this to.  That's when Andrew turned to look
at me.

"Daddy, would it be okay if Jesse took a shower with me?" he asked.

"I think you should ask Jesse that question first," I advised him, "to see
if he's even interested."  Jesse's head was jerking up and down so quickly
and so hard, I thought he might snap his neck, if I didn't give my
approval.  "Okay, but no horseplay," I warned them

"We won't, daddy," Andrew assured me, before turning toward his sidekick.
"Come on, Jesse.  This is going to be fun."  I watched the two boys
disappear into the bathroom, the one Andrew had just had his prankster's
baptism in, and they shut the door.  As soon as we heard the water running,
Cole made an observation.

"Dad, you didn't seem surprised to learn that Andrew had been doing these
things, when you come up here.  Did you know it already?"  Damn, I'd been
caught.  Now, I had to get out of this gracefully.

"Ah, well, I did catch him doing something a while back," I admitted.

"You knew and didn't tell us," Ricky stated, astonished.

"Well, I never told on you either," I reminded him, "and besides, you boys
are all old enough that I don't have to do EVERYTHING for you."  I received
some nasty looks and comments from them, after I said that.

"Were you just protecting your baby?" Brandon wanted to know.

"Well, I think he's proven he's not a baby," I pointed out, "and I didn't
protect him any more than I have any of you."  They all thought about that
for a few seconds and apparently agreed it was true, because no one said
any more about it for the rest of the evening.

"Well, I was surprised to see Jesse get into the act already," Trey
admitted.  "I guess he's starting to feel like part of the family."

"I don't think he'd have done it, if it was anyone other than Andrew," I
corrected him.  "Those two have really bonded, and I think it was more
about WHO it was being done to, than WHAT was being done."  The boys
finally agreed with my observation, but Little Ricky had one more comment
to add.

"That's still a good sign, Pop, 'cuz it's hard to feel comfortable and do
things like he did, when you don't feel like you fit in or belong.  I think
he feels good about being here and that's why you can't send him away to
the farm now.  You have to let him stay here with us."  I looked at him
thoughtfully.

"You know, you're probably right," I told him.  "I think I have made up my
mind to keep him now.  I believe he and Andrew will be good for each
other."

After chiming in their agreement and thanking me for deciding to keep Jesse
with us, the bathroom door opened and the two boys came walking out stark
naked, carrying Jesse's clothes.  I was startled to see Jesse do this,
because if he'd been abused, he would most likely be very shy about
exhibiting his body this way, but he seemed to be fine with it.  I don't
think it was only because he saw Andrew naked earlier, or because I told
him the boys often see each other naked either.  I'd be willing to bet
Andrew had something to do with this, which meant he probably filled Jesse
in about a bunch of things while they were cleaning up.

I also got to see what Andrew meant about Jesse not being little down
there.  Jesse definitely had a pre-pubescent circumcised penis, but it
appeared to be quite a bit longer than was the norm for a boy his age. I
got a kick watching how it flopped back and forth as he walked and it
reminded me of how Dion's penis swung back and forth when he moved about
naked too.  Who knows, maybe Jesse is going to end up being as blessed as
Dion is in that department.

"Hey, little bro," I heard Pat say, which caused both boys to look up.
"Did you have fun doing that to Andrew?"  I think Jesse was surprised that
Pat had called him 'little bro' and he just stood there, not responding.
Sammy must have picked up on this too, as I judged by his next comment.

"You are going to be our brother now," Sammy advised him, while looking at
Andrew and smiling in his direction, "so you'd better get used to hearing
that.  So, did you like licking the jelly off Andrew?"  Jesse's head began
to bob up and down again.

"Great!" Vinnie told him.  "Just remember, that's the kind of thing that
will happen to you too, if you listen to Andrew and start doing things like
he does."  This brought a big grin to Jesse's face, now that he knew the
others were accepting him as an equal.  I think he felt good that he didn't
have to feel like an outsider any longer, as if a day is a long time to be
an outsider.

"Come on, Jesse," Andrew interjected.  "I'll grab my clothes and we'll go
down to our room.  I don't want to be around these bullies any longer," he
teased, which caused Graham to give Andrew's butt cheek a swat.  The sting
of Graham's hand on his cute little derriere made Andrew jump and turn to
see who had done that to him.

"That's for the prank you played on me," Graham admonished him, "and we
aren't bullies.  It's just that you eventually get paid back for what you
do."

Faking hurt feelings, Andrew led Jesse down the stairs and slowly everyone
began to filter back to their own rooms, to finish what they had been up to
earlier.  The college boys had to hustle and get on the road, because it
was starting to get late, and when they came downstairs, Jake addressed the
group.

"Look, I'll drive the van and take the guys to Philly and the colleges near
there.  It's too late tonight for Dustin to try to take all of you."

"Are you sure?" I asked him.  "You won't get back until after midnight if
you do that, and you have to work tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," he advised me.  "I'll get five hours sleep minimum, and
that's enough for me."  I looked at him carefully, to see if he was telling
me the truth, and he grinned.

"Don't worry.  I know what I'm doing," he assured me.  I just shrugged my
shoulders in response, knowing I had to trust his judgment.

Before all the college guys were ready, Nick and Shannon came up to Jake
and me and asked to speak with us privately.  We agreed, took them to the
living room and shut the door behind us.

"What's up?" I asked, to get things started.

"I just wanted to let you both know that I've been keeping my promise and
Shannon and I haven't had any sex -- at all.  I brought Shannon to back me
up, just in case you didn't believe what I said," he added, while scanning
our faces.

Jake happened to look up at Shannon at that instant and Shannon merely
nodded his head to confirm what Nick had said.  I don't think Jake meant to
seek his confirmation, but after he received it, I could tell Jake felt bad
that Nick thought we wouldn't have believed him on his own.  The problem
was, Jake wasn't sure what to do to correct his misconception.

Nick wasn't finished yet, so he continued.  "Even though we haven't been
having sex, it doesn't mean we haven't been spending lots of time together.
I think I've learned to love Shannon in a whole new way."  We weren't sure
what he meant by that, but we didn't interrupt him and he continued.

"I've discovered there is more to a relationship than just sex and we've
spent most of our time just hugging, kissing and being close.  I know that
in the past I've felt that the most important part was the sex and seeing
how many guys' pants I could get into, but after the sex was over, I was
usually left alone and the thrill of what happened faded fast.  Now, it's
different.

"Even though we can't have sex, we still spend all of our time together and
I'm happier now than I think I've ever been.  The funny thing is, not
having sex doesn't seem to bother me as much as I thought it would.  We do
other things instead and just having Shannon here all the time is much more
important now."  Jake and I both looked at him and absorbed the impact of
what he was telling us.

"What I'm saying is, you don't have to worry," Nick added.  "I know I
messed up in the past, but I won't do that again.  I love Shannon too much
and I don't want to risk losing him.  When you tell us it's okay to be
intimate again, I promise I'll never do anything with him without using
protection."

I think his last statement left Jake and me speechless, at least
momentarily.  I even took this opportunity to look Nick over carefully, to
make sure it wasn't someone else speaking.  Finally, Jake found his tongue
and responded.

"I won't say I misjudged you," he began, "because I don't think I did, but
I may have been hasty in my assessment that you couldn't or wouldn't
change.  I know my son loves you, so I'll trust his heart, but I'll also
trust your word that you will never do anything more to put either of you
at risk or harm him in any other way."

This brought an ear-to-ear smile to Nick's face, because Jake was
reaffirming his acceptance of Nick's relationship with Shannon.  A few
seconds later, the three of them were entangled in a huge embrace.  Shannon
started it by hugging his father, in appreciation for what he had said, but
soon Shannon also signaled Nick to join them.  When Nick got close enough,
Shannon brought him into the embrace too and hugged both of his men
tightly.

When Jake became aware that Nick was there as well, he wrapped his other
arm around his 'son-in-law' and squeezed him as robustly as he was doing to
his son.  It was reminiscent of the scene I had witnessed earlier, so I was
relieved and convinced they had buried the hatchet.  I was also looking
forward to their building a relationship of their own.

After we broke up our little meeting, Jake and Shannon headed out to the
vehicles, because the others were all waiting for him there.  The rest of
us went out to say good-bye to the college crowd, and after they drove off,
I told the remaining boys to settle in for the rest of the evening.  They
had school tomorrow and I wanted them rested and ready for their return.