Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2011 05:20:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 15

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories
Chapter 15 -- Sorting Through the Memories.

Halloween was now behind us and everyone had a blast.
Jesse and Elliot became even closer after Jesse had
offered to let Elliot participate in the Haunted House and
all of their hard work paid off.  The Haunted House was a
huge success and the boys were overwhelmed by the
enthusiastic response and positive comments they heard
from those going through it.  I have a feeling they will
want to do this again, next year.

On Monday, Brandon took Elliot to school, so he could
enroll him.  Brandon even showed his son around the
school before he left, so Elliot wouldn't feel so lost.
Everything was going fine, until they returned to the
office, since it was now time for Brandon to leave.
Suddenly, Elliot became very emotional and grabbed on to
Brandon's arm with a death grip.

"Do you have to go?  Please don't leave me," he begged,
which came as a surprise to Brandon.

"I'm not leaving you here for good.  It won't be like
boarding school," Brandon explained.  "You'll see me at
home tonight."

"But I don't want to be here alone," Elliot countered.

"It won't be bad.  You'll make friends in no time," Brandon
offered, as sympathetically as he could.  "And Jesse goes
to school here too.  He's just not in the same grade you
are, but I'm sure you'll see him around.  You'll probably
even run into Jesse's friends, whom you've already met.
Besides, as I said before, you'll make other friends quickly.
If you have any problems, just go see your Uncle Trey.  If
you've forgotten, he teaches English here and you can go
to him if you have any problems.

Elliot didn't look completely satisfied with this
explanation, but after a little more coaxing, he finally gave
in.  Once Elliot was in his first class, Brandon stayed
behind a little longer, so he could make certain the
principal and secretary understood what Elliot had been
through.  He also told them to call me at home if Elliot
had any further trouble and they readily agreed.

Brandon returned home, since he had more than an hour
before he had to be at his office.  When he arrived, I
questioned him about how things had gone and he shared
his observations with me.

"Elliot didn't want me to leave him there," Brandon began.
"I think it might have just been a touch of separation
anxiety, especially considering everything he's been
through.  I just hope he's able to adjust.  I told the
secretary to call you, if he should have any further
problems."

I felt that was a good move on Brandon's part.

"He might have thought that if you were to leave,
something bad would happen to you too, like happened
with his father," I suggested.

"That might be it," Brandon agreed.  "I'm not really sure
what was going on in his mind, but I do think Elliot was a
little surprised that the school building was so old.  I have
a feeling the private school he went to must have been
more modern, so the difference was a bit unsettling to
him.  He was continually checking everything out, as we
made our way around the building, but didn't say much
about it.  However, I got the feeling it wasn't what he was
expecting.  I can't wait to hear how his first day went, but
I'm also a little worried about how he's going to handle it,
after what happened in the office."

To tell you the truth, I was a little concerned about that
myself.

That afternoon, the boys came rushing into the house
after school.  They were laughing and joking around, but
each stopped to say hi to me, before they raced off to the
kitchen, so they could grab a snack.  I wasn't expecting
Elliot to be in such a good mood, especially after what
Brandon had told me, but obviously he had made it
through his first day and was happy to be back home with
us.  Well, at least he was happy to be here with Jesse.

Prior to his enrolling in school, we had moved Elliot to a
bedroom upstairs, so the boys now flew up the staircase,
so they could change their clothes.  When they came down
a few minutes later, they hurried outside before I got a
chance to talk to them.  It wasn't a big deal, since I wasn't
planning to ask Elliot any questions about his first day.  I
felt it would be best to leave that to his fathers.  Besides, I
didn't want to make a big deal over it and felt it would be
better if the boys went outside to enjoy the fresh air while
it was still light out.  I think the exercise will be good for
Elliot, after being cooped up in the house for the past few
weeks.

Once Danny and Brandon returned home, we all ate dinner
together.  During the meal, they decided to ask Elliot how
his first day went.

"So did everything go all right?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah, it went fine," was Elliot's cryptic reply.  "Sorry I
acted so weird when you got ready to leave."

"I don't think you acted weird at all," Brandon explained.
"Starting at a new school is tough for anyone to do, but
particularly so after everything else you've gone through."

Elliot didn't respond to this comment, other than to look
down at his plate.

"Did you meet any of the other students?" Brandon
prodded.

"Yeah," Elliot confirmed.  "This boy came up to me in my
math class and introduced himself.  His name is Hayden
and I even went to lunch with him."

"That sounds promising," Brandon offered.  "Did you two
hit it off then?"

"I think so," Elliot confessed.  "He seems like a nice guy,
so I wouldn't mind getting to know him better.  I mean, if
that's what he wants to do."

"Super!" Brandon agreed, relieved.

"How did you like your teachers?" Danny asked next.

"They seem okay," Elliot responded.

"What did you think of the work?"  Danny followed.

"Piece of cake!" Elliot answered, with a smile.

"You don't think it's too hard or that you've fallen behind
because you missed so much school?" Danny pressed.

"Nope!" Elliot shot back.  "They aren't even up to where
my old school was, before I left to go on the trip with my
dad."

Since he was indicating the work was much easier here,
than at his old school, I think we were all beginning to
wonder if this might turn out to be a problem.

"I see," Danny observed, "and what did you think of the
school?"

I suspected Danny might ask him this, especially after
Brandon told him how Elliot had reacted when he took
him to enroll.

"It's pretty old," Elliot answered.  "Who founded it?
William Penn," Elliot quipped.

"It's not that old and it's even been renovated a couple of
times and modernized," Danny explained.  "I hope it
compared favorably with what you're used to."

"I didn't know what to expect, since I've never gone to a
public school before," Elliot confessed.  "But the kids were
pretty nice, even if some of them did seemed a little
dumb."

"I'm sure there are some student who probably aren't up
to the standards you were used to at the private schools
you've attended," Brandon countered, "but the district
does quite well, compared to others.  Former students
have excelled in state, regional and national competitions
and the school always rates well when it comes to
standardized test scores and the number of students
accepted to some of the better colleges."

"That's right!  Your Uncle Trey even made it to the
national finals in the Scholastic Writing Competition with
a play he wrote," Danny informed Elliot, which caused
Trey to blush.

"And your Uncle Andrew did extremely well in some of the
art contests and Uncle Sammy did quite well in some
history competitions.  Your Uncle Dion won honors and a
scholarship with his singing talent and Uncle Kevin won a
scholarship to become a pharmacist."

Now, Dion and Kevin were blushing too.

"Wow! That's great!  I didn't know any of that!" Elliot
exclaimed.  "I guess it could be pretty cool going to school
here then.  I'll have to see if I can out do my uncles," he
teased.

We were all amused by Elliot's last comment, as we got a
taste of his competitive side.  We spent the rest of the
meal filling Elliot in about some of his other uncles too, as
well as some other aspects of our family history.  I think
he was feeling better about the situation now and not as
concerned about having to lower his standards.

After dinner the boys went off to do their homework and I
got to spend a little time with Jake.  We were listening to
music and even dancing to some of the songs, when
Joshie came in to see me.  I wasn't sure what he wanted,
so Jake and I stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Papa, my teacher said it would be Thanksgiving soon and
Daddy and Poppy told me all about the Pilbrims and the
Indians," he continued.  "What it was like when you had
dinner with the Indians."

That's when I heard some snickering outside the door.  I
was certain Dion and Trey had put Joshie up to this and
were now having a good laugh as they listened in.  Even
Jake was smirking.

"Joshie, I'm not old enough to have been there with the
Pilgrims," I explained.  "That happened a very long time
ago, before I was even born."

"But Daddy and Poppy told me you were there," Joshie
insisted.

"They were using you to play a little joke on me, because
they wanted to make me feel older than I am," I explained.
"But don't you worry.  I'll get even with them a little
later!" I yelled out, in their direction.  I wanted to be
certain they heard my comment.

Joshie seemed a little concerned when I raised my voice,
so I gave him a wink and a pat on the head.  I also
explained that I wasn't mad at him, but I was certainly
going to make his Daddy and Poppy pay for this.  I'm not
sure he understood what I was saying, but he was glad that
I wasn't upset with him for asking that question.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it reminds me that I need to
start making plans for that big day.  A lot of the family
will be coming home for the holiday and it will also be
Elliot's first chance to meet most of them.  This is usually
an overwhelming event the first time, so we'll have to
prepare him in advance for the houseful of people that will
be descending upon us.

Later in the week, something else came up.  I was home
alone when the phone rang and it turned out to be a very
interesting call.

"Hello."

"Good afternoon," the caller began.  "May I speak with Mr.
Joshua Currie?"

"This is he," I replied.

"My name is Edwin Courtney and I'm the attorney of
record for the estate of the late Sean Kennedy.  I
understand you are now the legal guardian for his minor
son."

"I am, but my son is actually his foster father," I
explained.  "I was made temporary guardian until my son's
application to become a foster parent could be approved.
That should happen shortly."

"Thank you for clearing that up," he responded, "but I will
need to discuss liquidating the estate with either you or
your son."

"Why don't you give me your phone number and I'll have
my son call you back," I offered.

Mr. Courtney said that would be fine and gave me the
information.  Then, we ended the call.

When Danny and Brandon came home, I explained about
the call to them and they agreed to get in touch with Mr.
Courtney the next day.  I was happy to put it in their
hands, but none of us knew what to expect, since Elliot's
previous life was still mostly a mystery to us.

When they called Mr. Courtney back, he explained what
would be involved in clearing up the estate.  They were
expecting most of what he told them, but what came as a
surprise was that the monetary value of the estate was
considerable.  After the various issues had been explained,
the first thing they agreed to do was to take Elliot back to
the house, so he could pick up his things, especially his
clothes.  Although we had bought him a few items before
he started school, he still could use more things to wear
and this would correct that situation.

Danny and Brandon arranged a day off together, so they
could take their son back to the home he had recently
shared with his father.  They also notified the school that
Elliot wouldn't be in that day.  They were a little
concerned at first about having him miss another day of
classes, but since Elliot kept insisting his old school had
been much further ahead of where his classes were now.
Not only that, but all of the papers and tests he brought
home looked fine, so they decided there wouldn't be a
problem with doing this.  Besides, Elliot was the only one
who could decide what he wanted to keep, after they got
there.

Since they also understood this was going to be very
difficult task for Elliot, Danny and Brandon spent some of
the night before they went tying to prepare him for it.

"Elliot," Danny began, "you do remember that we're
taking you back to your old house tomorrow, so you can
pick out the things you'd like to keep.  Right?"

"Yes!  I remember," Elliot confirmed.

"And how do you feel about it?" Brandon asked.

"I don't know.  Maybe a little nervous -- scared even,"
Elliot told them.  "I mean, I know I need to go back and
get some of my things, but in a way I really don't want to
see that place again.  All I'm going to be thinking about is
the time I spent there with my dad, and then I'll start
thinking about what happened again and..." Elliot's voiced
trailed off.

Brandon reached out and drew him close.  He just wanted
Elliot to know he was safe and loved.

"It's okay and you can cry if you need to," Brandon told
him, as the tears began to roll down Elliot's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, but I can't think about him without this
happening," Elliot admitted.  "He was all I had."

"It's all right.  It just takes time to heal, but you're going
to be fine," Danny added, tenderly.

"It's good that you can grieve for him now, Elliot,"
Brandon, said next.  "It's just part of working through this
and being able to accept what happened."

"But if I accept it, does that mean I'll forget about my
dad?" Elliot wondered.

"No, not at all," Brandon explained.  "It will just mean
that even though you know he was taken from you, you'll
keep him in your heart and mind.  Don't worry.  You'll
never forget him."

"I hope not," Elliot added.

Since that had been taken care of, Danny and Brandon got
everything ready to take with them.  This included a
bunch of empty boxes, so they'd have something to pack
Elliot's things in.  After that, the three of them tried to
get a good night's sleep.

The next morning, they got up early and set out for
Elliot's hometown, Fox Chapel, which is a suburb of
Pittsburgh.  They even had time to stop for breakfast
along the way and still arrived at the house ahead of Mr.
Courtney, the lawyer.  When Mr. Courtney showed up,
they introduced themselves and followed him, as he led
them inside.  As he looked around, Brandon realized Elliot
remained on the top step of the porch, peering through
the opening, but not moving.

"It's all right," Brandon told him, while placing an arm
around Elliot's shoulder.  "Danny and I will be with you
the entire time."

Elliot took hold of Brandon's hand, squeezed it tightly and
took a deep breath, as he gathered up the courage to step
across the threshold.  It was a long and agonizing
experience for Elliot, as the memories began flooding into
his mind.  After taking a few moments to collect himself,
they began to sift through the remnants of his former life.
Moving from room to room, Elliot would decide what he
wanted to take back with him now, which things the
lawyer would have sent to our home and which items
would be sold off at an estate auction.  It hadn't been that
long since the funeral and the house still appeared to
Elliot as it might have, had he been coming home from
school for a long weekend.

Once he got over his nervousness, Elliot scoured the
house for every last picture he could find, as his fathers
followed him from room to room.  Danny and Brandon
placed the various selections in boxes and then loaded
them in the Suburban, which they had borrowed from me
for the day.  They knew they could put much more into it,
than they could in their car, and since they weren't
certain how much they'd be bringing back, they felt this
would be best.

"We've got to take the piano.  I can't leave it," Elliot
insisted.  "I play, but more importantly, it's been in my
family for generations.  I think it may have even come
over from Ireland with my great-great grandmother."

"Mr. Courtney, please make certain that the piano gets
shipped to us then," Danny informed the lawyer.

"Certainly," he agreed.

"Oh, and my grandfather's desk," Elliot announced.
"That's been in the family for a long time too."

"Mr. Courtney, please have the desk shipped as well,"
Danny added, which caused Elliot to offer an affirmative
nod.

They packed up most of the items in Elliot's bedroom and
then loaded those boxes into the Suburban too, but the
lawyer would have to see that his bedroom furniture was
shipped with the other items.

Once they left his bedroom, they went to Elliot's father's
bedroom next.  Elliot soon discovered that his father had
kept some of his mother's things, so he decided that he
wanted to keep them too, along with some of the items his
dad had collected during his travels.

"Is that everything you want?" Brandon asked.

When Elliot looked up at him, his face began to contort
and tears once again welled up in his eyes.  Eventually,
the sobbing began anew.

"It's all right, Elliot," Brandon told him.  "Danny and I are
here for you."

"I know," he confirmed.  "It's just that my mom and dad
spent their whole lives collecting the rest of this stuff and
now it's all going to be gone, as if they were never here."

Elliot was weeping uncontrollably at this point, so Danny
bent down and hugged him too.

"I can only imagine how difficult this is for you, Elliot, so
go ahead and cry it out.  It will do you good," Danny
explained.  "I know it's hard to think that some day some
other family will be living in this house and the things you
are familiar with won't be here any longer, but the
important thing is that you have the items that mean the
most to you."

Elliot began to calm down slightly, as he struggled to hold
back the tears.

"Just remember that you're the most important thing
your father had and he would want you to be taken care
of," Danny continued.  "We'll get this sorted out, and once
Mr. Courtney has settled the estate, we'll have Uncle Mark
set up an account for you, like my dad did for my brothers
and me.  Then, when the time comes, you'll have that
money to use for college and to get a head start in life."

"But if my dad thought about all of these things and did so
much to make sure I'd be taken care of," Elliot wondered,
"then how come he didn't also have someone lined up to
take care of me, if something happened to him?"

"I'm not certain," Danny responded, "but possibly he
hadn't gotten around to that yet, thinking he had time to
do it later.  It could have also been that he was trying to
find the perfect people to leave his most valued possession
with and as of that moment he hadn't thought of anyone
he felt was worthy.  No matter why he failed to do it, I'm
certain that your mom and dad loved you and were doing
all they could to make sure you were taken care of.  They
wanted that, more than anything else."

After another minute, Elliot stopped crying and looked up
at Danny.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"I'm positive!" Danny assured him.  "Brandon and I have
only been parents for a few weeks, but I know if anything
were to happen to us, we'd want to feel assured that you
were being taken care of and that your future was secure."

"I know you're right, but it's just so hard to let go of the
rest of this," Elliot conceded.

"It's okay to be sad about it," Brandon told him, "just
don't let it make you feel so badly that you can't think of
anything else or are unable to go on with your life.  Your
parents wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life
dwelling on the past.  They would just want you to be
happy."

"Okay, just get me out of here then.  I don't think I can
stay here any longer," he stated, as he headed for the
door.

Mr. Courtney agreed to arrange for a moving company to
deliver the items Elliot had selected.  He would have them
shipped to our address and then hire an auction house to
liquidate the rest.  Once that was done, Danny would
consult with Uncle Steve and Mark about establishing a
trust for Elliot.  He figured he needed help from both of
them.  Uncle Steve would provide the legal expertise and
Mark would add his knowledge about financial matters,
since he still manages the family's personal accounts and
those of the Castaway Foundation.  Once all of the
arrangements were completed and everything was agreed
to, Danny, Brandon and Elliot set out for their next
destination.

"How are you feeling, Elliot?" Brandon asked.

"I'm just thinking about everything," Elliot admitted, "but
I'll be okay.  I'm glad we came, because it will be nice to
have my own clothes and some of the things that will
remind me of home.  I'm really excited that I'm going to
have my piano back."

"Yes, that was a surprise for us," Danny stated.  "You
never told us you played."

"Well, you don't have a piano and I didn't want to be a
bother," Elliot confessed.  "My dad had me start taking
lessons when I was six, I think."

"Well, I for one can't wait to hear you play," Brandon told
him.

"Really?  You'd like that?" Elliot exclaimed, as if he didn't
believe his foster fathers would be interested.

"Of course we would.  Right, Danny?" Brandon replied.

"Absolutely," Danny agreed.  "Whatever you do, we'll be
there to support you.  We're a family now."

"Okay, that's cool," Elliot agreed, "but I'll need to practice
a bit first.  It's been awhile since I've played."

"No problem," Brandon agreed.  "I didn't expect you to
just sit down and put on a concert the same day it was
delivered."

"That's good," Elliot responded, "because I'm going to be a
little rusty."

Once they left the house, they drove over to Elliot's old
school.  As they passed through the front gate, Brandon
observed a brass plate with the school's name, plus the
year it had been established.

"Benjamin Rush Academy, Established 1890!  Ha, and you
thought our school was old," Brandon teased.

Despite its apparent age, the immaculately maintained
campus, with its Georgian Revival buildings and pristine
landscaping impressed Danny and Brandon.  After they
checked in at the administration building, they discovered
a tidbit of information they had not previously been aware
of.  They now felt they had to step outside, so they could
discuss this with Elliot and let him make the final
decision.

"Elliot, did you know your tuition had been paid for the
entire year?" Danny asked.

"Um, no.  I didn't," Elliot confirmed.

"Since it is, would you prefer to continue going here?"
Danny followed.  "If you did, it wouldn't upset us, and
once your father's estate is settled, I'm certain there will
be enough money to cover your tuition until you graduate.
We would expect you to come home and be with us on
vacations and holidays though."

Unexpectedly, Elliot looked like a deer caught in the
headlights of a car.  Then his complexion began to grow
pale and his body started to tremble.

"Don't leave me here," Elliot whimpered.  "Please, just
take me home with you.  I won't cause any trouble.  I
promise."

Brandon immediately recognized this reaction was similar
to what he had seen when he went to enroll Elliot in the
local school.  Now, he understood that Elliot wasn't
reluctant to be there or afraid of anything at the school.
He was just terrified that if he wasn't with one of us, he
might never see us again.  Considering everything he'd
already lost, it wasn't difficult to understand his fear, no
matter how irrational it may be.

"It's settled then.  You're not going to school here,"
Brandon announced, with a smile.  "We just wanted you to
have the option."

"I just want to stay with you," was all Elliot managed to
get out, but the implication was clear.  He wasn't about to
let his new parents out of his sight for one moment longer
than he absolutely had to.

Now that this had been settled, Danny went inside and
informed the dean of students that Elliot would not be
attending the remainder of the year and signed the
required forms to have his records transferred.  Then they
went to Elliot's old dorm room, to collect his things.

Elliot's dorm was a lot different than the dorms Danny and
Brandon had experienced in college.  This particular dorm
appeared to be a typical, but nice, colonial house.  The
first floor served as an apartment for the teacher who was
responsible for the ten boys living upstairs.  The second
floor consisted of five small, but comfortable, bedrooms,
which were each shared by a pair of students.  There was
also a large living room, so they could watch TV or hang
out as a group.  Elliot told his fathers there were different
styles of dorms on campus, with many of them being
homes like this one, but there were also a couple of
college-style dorms, with several students per floor.

Elliot's former roommate, Thomas, was there when they
arrived and greeted Elliot warmly.  Thomas spent a few
minutes telling Elliot how sorry he was and they talked
about the time they had been roommates.  It was a tearful
and touching reunion.

When Thomas had first been told about what had
happened to Elliot's father, he was also informed that
Elliot probably wouldn't be returning for the term.  Since
he didn't expect Elliot back, he had neatly packed all of
Elliot's clothing into his luggage.  Then, with the help of
the others on the floor, they packed the rest of Elliot's
belongings into boxes, so they would be ready when
someone came to pick them up.

The other boys living in Elliot's dorm had, for the most
part, been sheltered from the harsh realities of the world.
That's why, when the news that one of their own had been
involved in such a brutal tragedy, it became the cause of
great consternation.  By helping to pack his things, it gave
them the feeling that they at least had some control over
what happened and were doing something to help their
friend during his time of need.

Danny and Brandon let the boys have their privacy, as
they helped to carry Elliot's belongings to the car.
Clearly, they had all been close.  Thomas gave Elliot a hug
before he left and told him again that he was sorry about
what had happened.  He then wished Elliot luck in his new
home, which seemed to mean a great deal to Elliot.
Before he left, Elliot thanked each of his friends for their
help and then climbed into the backseat for the long ride
home.

The rest of the trip went fairly well.  By the time they
returned home, Elliot was feeling more upbeat and eager
to tell me about the things he brought back and the items
that were going to be shipped here.  When he finished, I
told him we'd clear space in the family room for the baby
grand and I think that pleased him a great deal.

Danny and Brandon also told me in private how Elliot had
reacted, both at the house and at the school, just in case a
similar incident occurred.  They were worried something
like that might be triggered again when the items were
delivered.  They also were less than positive that the
separation issue had been put to rest and wouldn't crop up
again.  Elliot seemed to be holding up fairly well, although
I could tell this must have been a very rough day for him.
Hopefully, he'll be able to put it behind him and continue
to move on.