Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:26:55 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 8, chapter 23 - 24

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 23 -- Adjustments.

Jesse's follow-up dental visit started off the week for us.  During this
appointment, the dentist was going to take care of his cavities, which
would put most of Jesse's health related concerns behind us, for the time
being.  Even though Jesse wasn't scheduled to be there until 10:00, I
couldn't allow him to eat much breakfast.  I knew the dentist planned on
using nitrous oxide with him and had been told it would be best to limit
what Jesse ate beforehand.  The dentist explained the use of nitrous oxide
often causes nausea or vomiting on a full or fairly full stomach, so it
would be best to take this precaution.  However, by having to reduce what
Jesse was allowed to eat for breakfast, it started us off on the wrong foot
and the situation wasn't about to get any better.

I could tell Jesse was still nervous about this visit, even though his
previous appointment had gone so well.  I kept trying to reassure him that
this one would go just as smoothly and I even went over what he should
expect to happen, so there wouldn't be any surprises.  After listening to
everything I had to say, Jesse indicated he still wanted me to go in with
him while he was being worked on.  I told him we'd have to get the
dentist's approval first, at which time Jesse made sure to let me know he
definitely wanted me to do this for him.  I assured him I'd ask when we got
there and he seemed to calm down a bit.  It appeared he was confident he
was going to get his way this time, because he hugged me about my waist, to
show me he appreciated my honoring his request.

When we got to the dental office, I announce our arrival, but Jesse keeping
nudging me and nodding his head toward the receptionist.  I understood it
to mean he didn't want me to wait any longer and was urging me to ask the
receptionist if the dentist would give his permission for me to go in with
them.  Since I understood how much this meant to my newest son, I cleared
my throat and looked at the middle-aged lady.

"Excuse me," I began, "but Jesse is a little nervous about this
appointment, so he wants to know if the dentist would allow me to sit in
the room with him, while he is being worked on?"  She looked up and smiled.

"That's not an unusual request," she informed us.  "I will check with the
dentist to see what he has to say, but I don't think there will be any
problem honoring Jesse's wishes."  She then winked at Jesse and a grin
spread across his face.  I cautioned him it didn't mean it was official yet
and we wouldn't know for certain until the dentist gave his approval.
Jesse nodded his understanding and then we sat down to wait.

When the dental assistant came out to get Jesse, she informed us the
dentist had given his permission for me to go in with him.  Hearing this,
Jesse immediately grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out of my seat, to
make sure I wasn't going to stay behind.  I let him struggle a bit, as he
tried to drag my dead weight from the chair, before I decided to assist
him.  He was scowling at me a little, for making him work so hard, but he
was glad I was doing what he wanted.

We followed the dental assistant into the small room where the work would
be done and she placed Jesse in the large dental chair.  Once she had him
in the seat, she put his bib on and then left the room for a few moments.
When she came back, she was carrying a chair for me to sit on.  She placed
it on the side away from where the dentist would be working, but close
enough to Jesse so I could hold his hand, if he wanted me to.  He couldn't
actually see me from where he was situated, unless he leaned to his left
and turned his head slightly toward the rear, so he could look behind his
seat.  This didn't seem to bother him and it appeared to be enough that he
knew I was there.  When the dentist came in, he greeted both of us, before
he looked at Jesse's chart and x-rays.  Once he had reviewed what needed to
be done, the dentist pulled the nitrous oxide tank out from the corner.

When Jesse saw the tank, he became a little frightened and uncooperative.
He was definitely unwilling to let the dentist put the mask over his face,
so he could inhale the gas.

"Jesse, if you don't allow the dentist to do this," I whispered in his ear,
"then you'll feel a great deal of pain.  We really need you to cooperate
with the dentist."  Jesse shook his head, to let me know he wasn't about to
capitulate.  I quickly tried to think of another way to convince him and
came up with an alternative strategy.

"Well, if you don't breathe the gas, then the dentist will have to take out
his big needle and give you shots of Novocain in your gums."  Jesse's eyes
nearly bulged out of their sockets when I mentioned the needle, and now he
was shaking his head even more violently.

"Jesse, you have only three choices," I explained again, "because you are
getting those teeth taken care of before we leave here.  I'll leave it up
to you as to how you want to do it though.  The dentist can drill without
giving you anything, but that will be very painful, or he can use the
needle to inject you with Novocain, or you can inhale the gas and feel
nothing.  Which would you prefer?"

Jesse looked at me and studied the determination on my face.  Realizing I
wasn't about to give in to him on this, he lifted his arm and pointed at
the mask the dentist held in his hand, to let us know he had made his
choice.  The dentist looked at me and winked, to indicate he appreciated my
assistance, before he placed the mask over Jesse's face and released the
gas.  Before long, Jesse had lost all of his inhibitions and the dentist
was ready to begin his work.

Since Jesse's little protest had been dealt with, I leaned back in my chair
and sat quietly in the corner, just in case I was needed again.  I was
concerned that Jesse would panic if I left the room, but the nitrous oxide
had relaxed him enough that he didn't actually need me to hold his hand
this time.  While the dentist took care of Jesse's cavities, I picked up a
magazine and began to leaf through it.  We were in there for about
forty-five minutes, before the dentist announced he was finished.  After he
removed the bib from Jesse, I helped my boy out of the chair and walked him
to the front desk.  He was a little shaky at first, due to the effects of
the anesthesia, so I held on to his arm, just in case he stumbled.  At the
front desk, we were given some pain medication for Jesse to use when the
nitrous oxide began to wear off, and then we were on our way.

I had decided to take Jesse home, rather than to school, so I could keep an
eye on him for a while longer.  This way, I could make sure he was having
no adverse effects to the nitrous oxide and could give him his pain
medication too.  Doing that would give the pain relievers time to kick in
before he returned to school, so he wouldn't be uncomfortable while sitting
at his desk.  This would also allow me to make sure Jesse had a decent
lunch and was able to keep it down, as well.  Slowly, Jesse began to revert
back to his usual self, once his stomach was full and the medication was
doing its job.  Now, we were both ready to head back to school.  The only
unusual thing about any of this was that he wanted to hold my hand as I
drove and also as I walked him to his classroom.  I was fine with his
request and glad to see he actually felt that kind of attachment to me.
This showed he not only needed me when he was scared and upset, but also at
other times, like now.

After I dropped Jesse off, the van started acting up.  It didn't want to
start again and I tried for many minutes to get it going.  It had been
giving me minor problems over the past few weeks, but I didn't think much
of it, because these problems didn't seem to be serious or last very long.
However, this time I knew it was something much worse.  Seeing I couldn't
get it going, I called my mechanic and explained the problem, before I
asked him if he could come and check it over for me.  He said he couldn't
do it right that minute, but would come and tow it back to his garage just
as soon as he could.  He said he'd also make sure to give it a thorough
going over before he went home for the day.  This was all I could ask of
him.  He was always very good to me, seeing he took care of all of our
vehicles and we brought him lots of business.  After making sure that issue
was settled, I walked back to my office, since it wasn't very far away.

Later in the afternoon, my mechanic called and informed me that I had the
start of serious engine problems.  Besides that, he also told me he had
discovered the transmission was beginning to slip too, so it would also
need attention before long.  He then told me he didn't think it would be
worth the money to fix it now, with all the mileage it had on it, but he'd
get it running for the time being.  He suggested we just use it for short
trips, until I decided what I wanted to do.  He also told me he'd drop it
off before I got out of work, and I could stop by to pay the bill when I
got the chance.  I thanked him and hung up.

As soon as I finished speaking with him, I called my friend who ran the car
lot.  He was already looking for other vehicles for me, which the boys
could use for college, so I explained my new problem to him.

"Josh, I think I have the answer for you right here on my lot," he told me.
"In fact, I was going to call you about it and see if it was what you
wanted for your boys.  It's a larger SUV than you requested, but it might
be perfect for you.  It a GMC Yukon XL and seats 9 comfortably.  Why don't
you drop by and take a look at it, and then let me know what you think."

"I will and thanks for keeping your eyes open for me," I told him.  Now, I
had something else to do after work.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and the van was in my parking
space when I left the building later.  I looked it over, but didn't see
anything different, except when I turned the key.  It started up this time,
although grudgingly, and it ran very rough.  Despite these facts, I took
off in it and was soon picking the boys up again.  Jesse ran out of his
school and toward the van, as soon as he saw me pull in.  He actually
seemed excited I was there.  I wasn't sure if he was happy to see me, glad
the school day was over or because something special had happened.  It
could also be that he knew he and Andrew would be together again shortly,
so it might have been what the smile was all about.  Whatever the reason,
he was in a very upbeat mood when he greeted me and it didn't take long
before we were on our way to pick up the other half of the dynamic duo from
the middle school.

Along the way, I asked Jesse if he had a good day and he nodded his head
energetically, to let me know he did.  I asked him if something special or
exciting had taken place, and he shook his head in response, so I assumed
he'd just enjoyed his teacher and the way things went.  After that, I also
asked him if his teeth were bothering him or if he felt any pain, but he
merely shook his head in reply again.  Since everything seemed fine with
him, I didn't question him further, but I was well aware of how he lit up,
the moment he saw Andrew approaching the van.

Once he was seated, Andrew had tons of questions about the dental
appointment.  Jesse was able to answer some of his queries with a nod or
shake of his head, but I had to fill him in on the details of the visit.
Andrew wanted to know everything that happened and we finished telling him
this information before we reached home.  As soon as we pulled in the
driveway, the boys bolted from the van and disappeared into the house,
before I had even finished turning off the engine or unbuckled my seat
belt.  Once I was out of the van, I only went inside for a few minutes, so
I could change my clothes.  I then headed out for my friend's car lot, to
look at the vehicle he told me about earlier.  I informed Jesse and Andrew
they were to stay in the house until I got back, but also explained I
wouldn't be very long.  They wanted to go with me, but I felt they'd be
more of a hindrance than help, so I added that I needed to do this on my
own.  As expected, they weren't happy with my decision and ran off to their
room, as a mild protest.

As soon as I drove on to the lot, my friend came out to greet me.  After
exchanging the customary pleasantries, he took me over to show me the
vehicle he had told me about.  I was impressed with it the moment I saw it,
and after my test drive, I knew it would be perfect for our family.  I told
him I was pretty sure I wanted it, but I'd like to bring Jake down after
dinner, so he could see it too.  He told me that would be fine, gave me the
extra key to the Yukon, just in case Jake wanted to drive it as well.  He
also told me he'd lock his magnetic dealer plate inside, under the driver's
seat, so we could take it out again, if that's what we decided to do.  I
thanked him for his trust and help, and then returned home.

I was puttering around fixing dinner when my two sulking boys reappeared.
They were standing in the foyer, outside the kitchen, but appeared to have
something else on their minds now.  I could tell this because of the way
they were dancing around, as if they had ants in their pants, plus how they
kept looking at me.  Not only that, but Andrew kept whispering in Jesse's
ear and Jesse kept making hand gestures in response, until they, finally,
approached me.

"Dad, Jesse and I want to go out bike riding," Andrew announced.  He was
looking quite anxious, although I wasn't sure why.

"I see nothing wrong with that," I told him, wondering why this seemed to
be such a big deal to him.  "Just don't wander too far away and make sure
you keep an eye on Jesse."

"But there's a problem," Andrew informed me, and then he suddenly stopped
talking and left me hanging.

"And what would that problem be?" I asked, trying to get him to continue
his line of thought.  However, before he could respond, the high school
boys arrived home and came strolling in to join us.  When I confronted them
about their tardiness, they explained they had been talking with friends
about the gay-straight alliance and apologized for being late.  What I
didn't notice was that Andrew was getting upset about the interruption to
our conversation.

"Jesse don't have a bike," Andrew interjected, taking charge again, "and my
bike is getting kinda small for me.  Would you buy me a new one, so I can
let Jesse have mine?"

"Let's see, Jesse DOESN'T have a bike," I repeated, after which Andrew just
glared at me with disgust.  "Andrew, you have a birthday coming up in
September," I reminded him, changing the subject, but this only earned me
another menacing glare.

"Dad!  That's five months away.  Winter will almost be here by then," he
whined.

"Hey," Sammy jumped in, "you can have my bike and then you can let Jesse
have yours.  I don't go riding much any more, so you can just have it, if
you want."  Andrew wasn't sure this was the option he desired and spent
some time thinking over Sammy's offer.

"Will that work for you?" I asked, seeing he still hadn't responded to
Sammy's proposition.

"Yeah, okay.  That will do," Andrew confirmed, although he didn't look very
happy.  "Thanks, Sam.  Can we go out now, Dad?" he wanted to know.

"I don't know.  CAN you?" I asked, which caused Andrew to shoot a look of
exasperation at me.

"MAY we go now?" he snapped this time, as he continued to let his emotions
show.  I decided not to answer him right away and looked toward Jesse.  I
needed to see how he was doing first, before I gave my permission.

"Jesse, are you sure you're feeling all right?" I wanted to know, just to
be certain he wasn't having any ill effects from the earlier dental visit.
He nodded his head in reply.

"Okay, then you boys MAY go," I advised them, "but be back in an hour.
That's when dinner will be served.  If you want to eat, you won't be late,
because you know your brothers won't feel obligated to save anything for
you."  They both nodded in agreement and then went to the shed to get the
bicycles.

Once Jesse and Andrew disappeared, the high school boys asked me when their
petition concerning the gay-straight alliance was going to be presented to
the Board of Education.  I quickly advised them it would happen Wednesday
night, at the next scheduled meeting, and they seemed pleased with my
response.  I assume they'd concluded it would mean they'd know whether the
board was going to support their proposal before the end of the week, so
they wouldn't have much longer to wait.  They also asked if I thought there
would be any problem with it getting approved.  I told them I doubted it,
since most of the time the school board went along with the recommendations
from the principals and me, so this was usually just a formality.  That
news made them even happier, so they went upstairs to begin planning what
they were going to do next, after they received the board's approval.

Andrew and Jesse returned home from their bicycle trip shortly thereafter.
They were on time and very excited about what they had just done.  Jesse
was absolutely aglow and hurriedly wrote me a note, to let me know how he
felt about what he had just done.


'Thank U for leting me go with Andru.  I only got to rid a bike at my
friend howse, but I never had a bike.  This was more fun because I road my
own bike.'


He hugged me around the waist, as I read his note, so I hugged him back.  I
also got a kick out of his spelling errors and misuse of homophones.  After
he broke his embrace, I told him he should be thanking Andrew, not me,
because it was Andrew's idea in the first place.  I also told him they both
should thank Sammy as well, seeing they couldn't have gone if Sammy hadn't
given Andrew his bike.  Jesse nodded his understanding and then he and
Andrew went to find Sammy, before they washed up for dinner.  However, they
didn't leave until Andrew thanked and hugged me too.

After dinner, I took Jake down to look at the Yukon and we took it out for
another drive.  He was as impressed with it as I was, so he told me I
should go ahead and buy it.  I thanked him for his input and advised him
I'd make the arrangements the next day.



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 24 -- Irons in the Fire.

After dropping the boys off at school the next morning, I drove over to the
car lot again, to return the key to the Yukon.  I told my friend we were
going to take it, negotiated a price and then he asked me for the
registration to the van, seeing we'd be transferring the plates from it to
the Yukon.  He also made a copy of my driver's license, so he'd have
everything he needed to do this, before informing me he should have
everything done by the following afternoon.  I thanked him for his efforts
on my behalf, but we weren't done yet.

He also reminded me to switch the insurance over from the van to the Yukon
and gave me the vehicle information, so I could do it.  Then he added that
I'd need to bring the insurance cards with me, when I came back to pick up
the Yukon.  I made a mental note to take care of it, once I got to work, or
else I'd probably forget to do it later.

After calling my local insurance office and giving the agent all the
information that was needed, he informed me I could swing by and pick up
the insurance cards that afternoon, after work.  I thanked him for his
prompt response to my request, and as I was hanging up, I also realized
we'd have to clean the van out this evening and remove all of our personal
effects.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the remainder of the day, but
Andrew and Jesse did beg to go out for another bike ride after we got home.
I told them it would be fine and advised them they'd have a couple of hours
before they needed to return for dinner.  They were extremely happy to hear
this and Jesse was so excited by the news that I thought he might even
begin to speak, but I'm sorry to say it didn't happen.  I am somewhat
amazed that the two boys have been getting so much enjoyment out of doing
so many simple things together, but I'm very pleased to see them growing so
close.

Although I'm glad things are working out this way, I am still mildly
surprised that Andrew is willing to spend so much time with someone younger
than himself.  After all, for months he's been concerned that everyone was
seeing him as a baby, so I figured he would try to hang with the older
guys, just to prove a point.  Maybe by not actually BEING the baby of the
family, it took the pressure off of him, so he didn't feel he had to worry
about it any longer.  I don't know for sure, but that was my suspicion.

While the boys were gone, I took the time to clean out the van and moved
anything I wished to keep into the house.  This included the box of
supplies I kept in the back, which contained extra motor oil, windshield
washer fluid, transmission fluid, dry gas, fuel injector cleaner and jumper
cables.  I realized we'd be able to use those things for the Yukon too, so
I saw no need to let them go with the van.  Once I finished cleaning it up,
I went inside, washed and started working on dinner.  Before long, everyone
else was home and we were ready to sit down and eat.

The meal went smoothly, but I did have to field a bunch of questions from
the boys.  They were more observant than I anticipated and noticed the box
of items I kept in the van in the hallway.  They concluded something was up
and wanted to know what was happening with the van.  I merely told them I
had been cleaning it out, but they didn't buy that for a second.  They kept
hounding me until I finally gave in and told them what they wanted to know.

Grudgingly, I informed them the van was slowly dying, so we were getting
another vehicle.  This made them very excited, but I didn't share any
information about what we were getting or when.  I was looking forward to
seeing their reactions the first time they saw it and didn't want to spoil
the surprise by giving them too many details in advance.  That didn't stop
the boys from pelting me with numerous questions, but I put an end to their
interrogation process by telling them I had already shared everything I was
going to and they'd see soon enough.  Eventually, they realized this was my
final answer and let the subject drop.

After dinner, I called Dustin, so I could wish him a happy birthday.  I
also had the boys sing 'Happy Birthday' to him, when I held the phone out
in their direction.  They really hammed it up and I could tell Dustin got a
kick out of their performance.  I figured this out after I heard the
comments he made about it, once we started talking again.  He also said he
looked forward to our coming to his campus the following weekend, because
he missed the family and wanted to see us again.

I told Dustin we were excited about seeing him too and then I advised him
to look around and pick out a nice place for us to dine Saturday night.  I
explained this would be up to him, since I was unfamiliar with the area,
and he assured me he would do his best.  We continued to talk for a little
longer, about a variety of other topics, which included how he was doing,
both physically and academically, as well as what had been happening at
home.  Dustin really wanted to know more about Jesse and it pleased me that
he was showing an interest in his newest brother.

Wednesday was pretty much a repeat of the previous day, except my friend
called me at school to tell me he had run into a small glitch and the Yukon
wouldn't be ready until Thursday morning.  I told him that wouldn't be a
problem and I'd drive over on my lunch hour Thursday to pick it up.  I also
advised him I'd also leave him the van with him at that time and he said
that would work out well.  I was actually getting excited about changing
vehicles.

After school, Andrew and Jesse went off on another bike ride.  The two boys
really seemed to be enjoying this daily outing, and because it appeared to
be so important to Jesse, I saw no reason why it shouldn't continue.  The
boys always told me where they were going, and since I was familiar with
nearly every route they took, I felt they were fairly safe.

I also understood that by allowing Andrew the responsibility of watching
over Jesse while they were out, it had boosted his self-image and helped to
make him feel more grown up.  Andrew and Jesse also informed me they wanted
me to go out riding with them one afternoon, which I told them I'd be happy
to do, if I could get a bike to accommodate my old, overweight physique.
They only laughed and told me I could use one of the older boys' bikes,
since they were all away at school right now.  I knew I'd been had, so I'd
have to prepare myself to go with them one day.

Later that evening, I had to leave to attend the school board meeting.
Nick, Trey and Dion wanted to join me, and even though I had told them it
wouldn't be necessary, they still wanted to be there.  Noting the
determination on their faces, I let them come along, after advising them
they'd probably become very bored before the evening was over.  I explained
that much of the meeting would be spent handling the mundane issues of
running the school district, as well as other petty matters that were not
very exciting.  Even after hearing me say this, it still didn't deter them.

They hopped in the van with me, as I prepared to leave, and together we
made our way to the meeting room.  The boys took seats in the back, and
after they settled in, I continued on to the front of the room.  I then
took my place at the main table, where the Superintendent and board members
always sit.

As I had warned them, much of the meeting was very boring.  It started off
with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, after which we
went into old business.  This covered several topics, including the budget
for the next school year, as well as various scheduling and personnel
issues.  Among the personnel matters being addressed were the retirement
requests from two teachers.

One was a teacher at the middle school, whom some of the boys had when they
attended classes there.  My sons, along with most of the other children who
were ever in her class, adored this teacher, so she will be sorely missed.
The second request was from a high school teacher who had grown complacent
over the past few years, because he knew he would be retiring soon.  I
don't think any of us were disappointed to hear he was finally calling it
quits, although he was an above average educator, before he went into this
recent slide.

After approving the retirement requests, the topic of the retirement dinner
was brought up.  A complete list of all the faculty and staff who were
retiring at the end of the year was read, to remind us exactly whom we'd be
losing.  There were several other names on that list, of people who were
considered to be valuable members of our school community, so they would be
hard to replace.  Each of them had earned the right to enjoy what years
they had left as they saw fit, so all we could do was wish them well.

Following those issues, the board dealt with requests for the use of school
facilities and grounds for the summer.  The various requests were discussed
and then voted on, before the topic of the approval of two new clubs came
up.  The first was a request from the middle school, to start a science
fiction/fantasy writing club, which was approved very quickly and with very
little discussion.

After that came the gay-straight alliance request and I hoped it would pass
as easily and quickly as the other.  However, one of the board members
seemed to have some questions about allowing this to happen.

"Wouldn't this be tantamount to saying the school is encouraging students
to explore these lifestyles?" he asked me, as Superintendent.

"No, what this does is to allow the sponsorship of a club through
previously established rules.  We would also be following the school policy
of nondiscrimination based on race, religion, nationality or sexual
preference.  By allowing this club to organize, we'd be giving students a
chance to meet and discuss issues of importance to themselves and others."

"But why do we need to pamper them and give them their own club?" he
challenged.  "We don't have anything called a straight alliance, so why
should we have something called a gay alliance?"  It was obvious he came in
with his own ideas and wasn't listening to what was being said.

"It won't be called the gay alliance.  If you had listened to what was said
you'd know that forming a club called the straight alliance would be
redundant," I responded.  "This request is for a gay-STRAIGHT alliance,
meaning EVERYONE is welcome to join and attend."

"That may be true," he countered, "but won't the homos be in charge and
running things?"  I think his comment showed his true colors concerning
this topic.

"The GAY students will probably have some influence over how the club is
run, but seeing it's open to ALL students, I think it would be unfair to
assume who will wield the power.  The club would have to hold elections and
select their officers before we'd know who would be in charge of this
group.  After that, they'd have to begin planning the activities they
decide is best for them, according to the makeup of this group and desires
of their membership."

"Do you really think the normal kids are going to want to be in a club with
a bunch of queers?" he asked, almost acting as if he still expected me, or
the others, to agree with his bigoted view on the issue.

"I do believe many students have already expressed a desire to support the
club, as is evident from the five pages of student signatures that were
attached to the club's request," I told him.  He appeared to get even more
frustrated with my responses.

"Don't you think you're a little biased about this, seeing your boys are
the ones who suggested the club in the first place?" he shot back.

"I think I'm more open-minded about it than you are," I pointed out, "as
your bias against the non-straight population is becoming increasingly
evident."  Our bigoted board member continued to grow even more agitated
with each of my comebacks and I believe everyone in the room could see his
growing frustration.  Finally, he snapped, and attacked me personally.

"Just like you were open-minded about getting the Scouts banned from using
school facilities, just because they wouldn't cater to fags," he screamed.
If he had any sympathy or support from the other board members prior to
this moment, I think he just lost it with his continued homophobic tirade.

"The Scouts are a non-school sponsored organization," I reminded him, "who
were unwilling to comply with school board policies concerning
discriminatory practices.  It was due to their unwillingness to comply with
these policies that they forfeited their rights to use school facilities."

"You had no right to dictate to the Scouts how they run their
organization," he spewed back, "or who they had to let join."  It was
obvious he was totally losing it now.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't tell them to change their policies," I informed
him.  "All we did was inform them that as long as their policies remained
as they were, they wouldn't be able to use school facilities.  They could
continue doing what they were doing, just not on school property."

"It's the same fucking thing," he screamed back.  "You may think a club for
deviates is okay, but not all of us do.  I, for one, don't and I call for
an immediate vote on this so-called club request.  I also want to be the
first to say that I am against it and vote not to allow it."

He was very red-faced at this point and the veins were bulging out from his
neck and forehead.  While I was watching him, someone seconded his motion
to bring the club up for a vote, even if that motion was made in a less
than formal manner.  A few seconds later, the board president was taking a
roll call vote.  When the voting concluded, it turned out the only
dissenting vote came from our vociferous board member, so the club was
officially sanctioned.  However, he wasn't finished yet.

"What is wrong with you people?" he screamed, frustrated by their lack of
support and failure to agree with his viewpoint.  "Are you going to let the
fucking fags and other deviates take over our schools and call all the
shots?  Don't you people have the guts to stand up for Christian values and
what is right?"

"We have stood up for what is right," the school board president stated,
defiantly.  "We have followed school policy and sanctioned a club that is
open to everyone.  As far as the Christian values are concerned, I believe
we've adhered to those too, by doing unto others as we would have them do
unto us and by showing compassion and understanding to our fellow man, as
Jesus would have done."

This comeback and apparent affront, on top of his having been defeated on
so many levels already, seemed to be more than this man could bear.  He
jumped up from his seat and glared at his fellow board members and then me,
before he turned to stare down the people in the gallery.  When he realized
no one was standing to join his protest, he made his way for the door.
When he reached it, he stopped, turned back toward us and screamed at
everybody one final time.

"You're all dupes!  You're being used by the fags and their allies to
advance their cause," he ranted.  "How can you be so fucking stupid as to
not see that?"

No one responded to his outburst, which only irritated him further, but
this was mainly due to the fact that no one felt his screeching merited a
comment.  Two things I had learned a long time ago was, you can't argue
with ignorance and you can't get the deaf to hear - and I don't mean the
physically deaf either.

This man wouldn't have comprehended any statements we might have made to
him, because he didn't care about anyone else's position, if it ran
contrary to his personal beliefs.  That would be the equivalent of trying
to introduce God to an atheist.  The atheist wouldn't believe the one being
presented to him WAS God, even if God really were standing right in front
of him.  This would be due solely to his preconceived notions, which would
be telling him there wasn't any such thing as God.  You see, by that point
in time, both this man and our board member were already firmly convinced
that it was utterly impossible he might be mistaken.

After he left the meeting, there were some scattered comments about his
outburst, but the board president quickly regained order in the room.
After completing the rest of the business on the agenda, he adjourned the
meeting.  As we were heading to our vehicles, the board president stopped
me, to say a few words in private.

"Josh, that's probably not the only opposition you'll hear about the
gay-straight alliance," he warned me.  "His view may not be in the
majority, but I would wager others like him will form a vocal minority."

"Oh, I'm sure they will," I agreed.  "Most bigots tend to be very vocal,
especially when they're trying to suppress something they're against.  They
certainly don't believe in the phrase, 'live and let live.'

"I had a feeling this might happen," the board president continued.  "I'd
seen signs of his attitude before.  He was extremely vocal when the scouts
were banned from using school facilities and made several derogatory
comments about gays in the process."

"I'm glad he showed his true colors in an open meeting then," I
acknowledged.  "Now, I'll be able to get some opposition set up to prevent
his re-election, when his term expires.  I have several friends who would
be happy to make sure he is defeated, next time around."

"Josh, as superintendent, you're supposed to be neutral when it comes to
board elections," he reminded me.

"Oh, I won't campaign myself, but I will let certain people know the types
of things he was spewing tonight, and then I'll let them do what they think
is best."  He just laughed at the implications.

Once I had everyone in the van, the boys had plenty to say about what
happened at the board meeting too.  "Man, that guy was a real ass, wasn't
he, Pop?" Nick asked.

"Well, he did have his own point of view and wasn't timid about airing it,"
I responded, hoping that would suffice.

"Dad, that guy was as bad as David Hubbard and his father," Dion observed.
"If they had their way, they'd see all bi and gay people were killed or run
out of town."

"You might be right about that, but I don't want us to revert to blindly
condemning anyone who speaks his mind," I advised him.  "I don't want us to
become like them."

"Oh, we don't mind people disagreeing with us or disapproving of our being
gay or bi," Trey informed me.  "It's just the words he used to say it and
the fact that he thought everyone else should agree with him."

"I know," I replied.  "He thinks the whole world should think the same way
he does and then gets upset when it doesn't happen."

"I'm just glad no one else agreed with him," Dion added.

"Yeah, I was really surprised when they voted to make us a club," Nick
threw in.

"I wasn't," I admitted.  "I knew we'd get the support of most of the board
members.  There are some damn fine people on the school board and I knew
they wouldn't listen to his bigoted prattle."

"That was certainly good for us," Dion stated, emphatically.

When we got home, the boys told their brothers about what had happened, and
then the others came to me with their own questions and comments.  After I
explained the club was off the ground, but we'd probably not heard the last
of the opposition to it, they began to question me as to what might happen
next.  I told them I didn't know for sure, but I felt some parents, and
maybe even a minority of the students, would still be against the club's
formation.  We'd have to wait and see what form this opposition would take
and how strong it would be, but I made sure to let them know we could and
would get through this together.