Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2012 11:25:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 58

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories

Chapter 58 -- Giving Thanks.

As we entered the week of Thanksgiving, I thought I had
ironed out the final, and most significant, detail for our
holiday gathering.  The primary issue that had kept me
preoccupied was making sure we had a bed for everyone
who was coming.  As the family continues to grow, the
house feels as though it's getting smaller, so I'd begun to
fear we weren't going to be able to find sufficient space for
everyone.

To make matters worse, my younger grandchildren are all
old enough that it is no longer appropriate to have them
bunk in with their parents.  In order to alleviate some of
this problem, Megan and Kylie are going to share a room,
the same as their brothers have been doing, and Lucas will
stay with Joshie.

Some of the others have also come forward to assist me
with this problem.  Cole and Dustin have each agreed to
have one of our guests stay in their spare room and Mark
and his wife would be staying with his mother, Susan,
while Duck and his wife would be staying with Jesse's
mother, Alice.  Sally and the Shays have also offered to
take in any of our overflow guests, so I think we've got
more than enough room for everyone who is coming.

On top of everything else, we are also having an additional
houseguest this year.  After Ian asked to spend the
weekend with us, Elliot asked Noah to stay in with him
over the holiday, so Ian could use Noah's room.  Elliot
thought Ian might be more comfortable if they didn't have
to share a bed, because he still isn't convinced Ian is gay.
Elliot felt it would be best if he took things gradually and
then had that discussion with Ian some other time, rather
than expose a potential problem.  Seeing this temporary
arrangement is fine with Noah, our additional guest is all
set too.

Many of our visitors began to arrive on Wednesday, but a
few of them didn't show up until Thursday morning.  We
greeted everyone when they got here and helped each one
get settled in.  What I didn't notice was that Elliot had
managed to pull Ricky aside for a heart-to-heart chat.

"I want to call a truce," he began.  "Will you please
promise not to pull any pranks on Noah or my friend, Ian,
while he's with us?"

Ricky feigned a look of hurt and surprise, but Elliot knew
it was just an act.  Seeing Ricky still hadn't given him an
answer, Elliot continued to press him for a response.

"Promise!  No Pranks!" Elliot insisted.

"Do you think I'd do something so insensitive?" Ricky
asked innocently, continuing his little game.  Elliot
frowned and spoke to him again.

"Judging from your track record, YES!" Elliot confirmed.
"That's why I'm asking you to please promise that you
won't do anything to Noah or Ian."

"Okay, okay.  You win.  I'll be good this year," Ricky
confirmed, "but you have to promise not to pull any
pranks on me either."

Ricky's request brought a grin to Elliot's face, as his
thoughts drifted back to the pranks he'd pulled on Ricky
the previous year.  He'd only done that to get even with
Ricky for the pranks he'd pulled on him.

"Fair enough," Elliot agreed.  "Shake on it?"

They shook hands and then went in opposite directions.
I'm not sure if they completely trusted each other, but
with the house being so crowded, I think we'll all enjoy
the holiday much more if their truce holds.

When the O'Haras arrived, Elliot and Noah raced out to
greet them.  After Elliot introduced Noah to Brandon's
parents, they enthusiastically welcomed their newest
grandson to the family.  The boys then carried their
grandparent's luggage to the room where they would be
staying and helped get them settled in.  When Patrick and
Brenda came back out, Brandon and Danny greeted them
and they chatted for a few minutes, before allowing the
boys the opportunity to spend more time alone with their
grandparents.

The rest of us spent Wednesday night and much of the
next morning catching up on the various developments in
each of our lives since we last saw each other.  Eventually,
the kids went off to spend their time doing things
together and this gave the adults a chance to visit,
uninterrupted.  Of course, everyone wanted to see and
hold Wyatt, so he got passed around nearly as much as the
Thanksgiving turkey.

Frankie also received a great deal of attention, once he
and his girlfriend arrived, because this was the first time
most of the family had seen him since he'd been
recognized for his heroic deeds.  Now, they proceeded to
tell him how proud they were of what he'd done and then
explained that they'd received many wonderful comments
from their friends and colleagues about his actions too.
They then added that this made them realize how
fortunate and honored they were to be related to him.

Kevin, Danny and Brandon went on to tell Frankie how the
news of his accomplishment had helped their businesses
as well, which I think surprised him.  In order to make
light of this additional information, Frankie asked if this
meant they were going to give him a cut of their profits.
Hearing his retort made everyone laugh, while our
entrepreneurs momentarily tripped over their tongues
while trying to respond to his query.  It also helped
Frankie to suffer through his time in the spotlight until
the conversation shifted to other topics.

We sat down for our Thanksgiving dinner at 3:00 and
began our meal by sharing what we were thankful for.  A
lot has happened over the past twelve months, so
everyone had plenty to say.  The various lists included
items such as Noah and Wyatt's addition to the family, the
boys' new businesses, Frankie's extraordinary deeds and
the fact he survived his injuries, as well as for everyone's
continued good health and that we were all here for
another year.

There was plenty of food, so everyone was able to eat as
much as they wanted and we were all stuffed by the time
we left the table.  I had been holding my breath and
expecting some kind of prank to be pulled before now,
since I didn't know that Elliot had called a truce with
Ricky, but I was glad when nothing like that happened.
All in all, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day.

A couple of hours after we finished eating, I summoned
everyone back to the dining room to celebrate some
birthdays.  Since we hadn't had a true family party for
Noah, he was one of the birthday boys, along with Jake,
whose birthday was the previous Friday, and Dion, whose
birthday is this coming Sunday.  After I announced that
Noah is now 12, Jake is 45 and Dion will be turning 24, we
let each of them cut their own slice of cake.  When they
had the size piece they wanted, we served up the rest of it
and dished out the ice cream.

On Friday morning, Ian's parents dropped him off at the
house and then hurriedly left for the airport.  They were
flying to Florida this afternoon and then attending the
football game and other festivities tomorrow, before
returning home on Sunday.

As soon as he arrived, Elliot took Ian around and
introduced him to the rest of the family.  Even though he
had warned Ian that we'd be having a lot of company, I
think Ian was somewhat bewildered by how many people
were staying at the house and how many more showed up
before we ate.  This was probably due to the fact that Ian
comes from a fairly small family, so this probably felt
more like a reunion to him, rather than a holiday
gathering.

Since Ian already knew Jesse, Noah and Joshie from his
time with us before Halloween, he felt comfortable with
that group.  He also quickly warmed up to Jordan, Nicky,
Lucas, Megan and Kylie.  With all of the kids getting along
so well, Danny, Brandon and I were able to focus on
spending time with the others.

Not only was Ian amazed by how many people had shown
up for dinner, but he also commented about how we had to
rearrange things so we'd have room for everyone to sit
down to eat.  He was in awe that we utilized the dining
room, living room and foyer and set up tables in all three
areas to accommodate the troops.

"Jeez, this is more like the annual swim team banquet
than dinner with the family!" Ian exclaimed.

The rest of us could only agree with his observation.  Noah
probably related to Ian's reaction the best, since this was
his first holiday with us too.  He had been equally awed
when he saw how we set things up yesterday, but the basic
difference was that Noah had entered the day with a better
idea about how many people would be showing up.  He was
just amazed at how we made room so everyone could join
us.

After dinner, the younger group entertained themselves
and spent most of their time out in the rec room.  They
played games, listened to music and just spent their time
catching up.  The adults, however, either remained at the
various tables to continue their discussions or retired to
the family room to relax.

When it got near bedtime, Elliot explained to Ian that he
would be sleeping in Noah's room.  When Ian asked where
Noah would be sleeping, Elliot explained that Noah would
be bunking with him.  From what Jesse told me later, he
said it looked as if Ian was disappointed that he wasn't
going to be staying in Elliot's room instead.  When I asked
if Ian had said anything about this, Jesse said he hadn't,
but he could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't
exactly happy with the arrangement.  This might just
mean that Ian wasn't comfortable sleeping alone in a
strange house, but it did make me wonder if more was
going on here than met the eye.

We kicked off Saturday by holding our annual Currie
family touch football game.  At first, Ian was going to sit
this out, because he didn't particularly care for football,
but Elliot wouldn't allow him to do this.  He informed Ian
that he wasn't much of a football fan either, but if he had
to play then Ian did too.  Elliot then added that this was
just a friendly game and assured Ian that he'd have a good
time, regardless of his skill level.

Elliot also explained that he's quick on his feet and
doesn't mind putting in the effort to catch a ball thrown
to him, so he's agreed to play end for one of the teams.
After hearing this, Ian offered to play lineman.  He figured
that position wouldn't require him to be proficient in any
particular skill set, but it would also allow him to line up
next to Elliot.

Noah, on the other hand, was excited about playing.  When
they picked teams, he wound up being an end on the
opposite team from his brother.  The boys even let Joshie
run the ball a couple of times and make some sizable
gains, although they refused to let him score.  That would
just be asking too much from them today, since this was
still a fairly competitive event.  Come on!  The winners
will have bragging rights until next year and they always
take great enjoyment out of rubbing salt into the wounds
of the losers.

I won't say it was a great game or that any of us played
very well, but I think we all had fun.  Ian even commented
about how surprised he was that he'd enjoyed himself,
considering it wasn't one of his favorite pastimes.  Once
the game ended, he even went around and thanked the
others for making it so enjoyable.  I think he was referring
to the number of laughs he'd had over their stumbles, falls
and lousy plays, as well as the unscripted gags my troops
played on each other.

One stand out moment was a particular pass play.  Elliot
was going for the ball, but so was Ricky, because he was
playing defensive back at the time.  Neither saw the other
until it was too late, so they ended up crashing in a heap
just as the ball reached them.  As they were ending up on
their butts, the ball ricocheted into the air and was caught
by a very observant Noah before it hit the ground.  As
Noah was celebrating his catch, the other two were
scurrying to pick themselves off the ground.  I'm not sure
which was bruised more, their pride or their backsides.

Throughout the rest of Saturday, the kids spent most of
their time together and only joined the rest of us for
meals.  While it was still daylight out, they opted to enjoy
the late fall air by taking Ian on a hike, so they could show
him how much property we owned.  They also took him by
the tree house and Joshie was eager to tell Ian about the
games they'd played up there on other occasions.  Ian
took it all in and told Joshie it sounded like fun and he
hoped he could join them sometime, much to Joshie's,
and probably also Elliot's, delight.

After hearing about the ravine, Ian was eager to see it and
the others were only too happy to oblige, so Jesse led the
way.  When they reached the edge, all of the boys gathered
as close to it as they dared -- except of course for Elliot.
This caused him to endure some light ribbing from Jesse
and his cousins, but it was Ian who managed to upset him.
When he noticed Elliot's discomfort, Ian leaned over the
edge and pretended to be frightened.

"It's really high, Elliot," Ian teased, unaware of Elliot's
condition.

"If I fell would you save me?" Ian added, as he pretended
to be losing his balance.

Elliot turned away, mostly disgusted with himself.  He
didn't understand how he could climb to the top of a ten-
meter platform, do a handstand and then launch himself
into the pool, yet he couldn't get near the edge of this
drop-off.  He knew that if Ian or any of the others did fall,
he wouldn't be able to help them.

Although Elliot didn't see what happened next, Ian
appeared puzzled by Elliot's reaction.  He was also
concerned, because he didn't wish to jeopardize their
budding friendship.

"Ummm, I'm sorry," he apologized, as he moved toward
Elliot.

In an attempt to defuse the situation, Jesse suggested
they should start heading back and the others quickly
agreed.  Before they started back, Ian put his arm around
Elliot's shoulder, as a friendly gesture and to apologize for
his antics.  However, when Elliot glanced over and looked
at Ian's face, he thought he sensed something more hiding
behind the smile he saw there.

Later, as the daylight began to fade, they came inside and
played table tennis and air hockey in the rec room as they
had done the previous day.  Once they tired of that, they
moved to the family room and competed on the Wii,
listened to music and watched a DVD.  Joshie also talked
Elliot into playing some songs on the piano for him,
starting with the Peanuts Theme.

While Ian was playing games against Jesse, Jordan and
Nicky, it gave Elliot and Noah an opportunity to spend
some of their time with their Grandma Brenda and
Grandpa Pat.  I was glad to see the boys hadn't completely
forgotten about their grandparents and found a way to set
aside some time to spend with them too.  It was obvious
the O'Haras greatly appreciated the boys' thoughtfulness,
but they also understood that Noah and Elliot wanted to
spend time with the others closer to their own age.
Therefore, the O'Haras made the most of the time they
had with their grandsons and then sent the boys back with
the others.  After that pair had gone, Brenda and Patrick
spent the remainder of the day with Danny, Brandon and
the rest of the grown-ups, so the boys wouldn't feel guilty
about leaving them.

That night, Ian spent most of his time hanging out in
Elliot's room, chatting with the other boys.  When it came
time to go to bed, Jesse told us it appeared as if Ian was
reluctant to leave again, so he assumed Ian was hoping
Elliot would ask if he wanted to stay with him tonight
instead.   To Ian's dismay that didn't happen and he
wound up sleeping alone in Noah's room again.

The following day, our visitors began to say their goodbyes
and head home.  We knew we'd be seeing a few of them
again at Christmas, but this would be the last time we'd be
seeing most of them this year.  For that reason, many of
the farewells were very emotional and difficult to make,
but we all got through it in fairly good fashion.

Ian stayed with us the rest of the day, since his parents
wouldn't be back until that evening.   It wasn't a problem,
since he fit in so well, but unbeknownst to us, Ian had
something on his mind and was simply biding his time.
After Jordan and Nicky had gone home with their parents,
he asked Elliot if he could speak with him alone.  Even
though Elliot wasn't sure what he wanted, he agreed and
took Ian up to his room.  Once they were inside, Ian made
sure the door was shut first, before he began to speak.

"I've really had a good time with your family and want to
thank you for getting your family to let me stay," he
began.  "I've been watching you with your dads and
everyone else, and well, I think I can tell you something
I've been keeping to myself."

Ian paused momentarily after getting that much out, but
Elliot wasn't about to interrupt him.  Instead, he decided
to remain quiet, because he was worried that if he said
anything it might cause Ian to lose his courage to
continue.  Therefore, he merely waited to see what Ian had
to say.

"Look, what I'm trying to tell you is... well, I'm gay," Ian
finally blurted out.  "I thought it would be easy to tell you,
given your family and all, but it was still hard.  I've never
told anyone else before, although I think my parents
probably suspect.  I just hope I can trust you to keep my
secret."

Elliot didn't say anything for a few seconds, as he
considered how he wanted to respond.  Ian was growing a
bit apprehensive, until Elliot stood up and hugged him.

"It was very brave of you to tell me that," Elliot began,
"and just so you know, I'm gay too."

This revelation caused Ian's jaw to drop and he stood
gawking at Elliot for a few seconds.  Finally, he regained
his composure, found his tongue again and spoke.

"Seriously?" he responded, rhetorically.  "I was convinced
you were straight.  I kept sending you signals, but I wasn't
getting anything back.  I only decided to tell you because
I've seen you with your family and thought you wouldn't
have a problem with it."

"Sorry about not catching on sooner, but I was a little
dense at first," Elliot admitted.  "I've never flirted with
anyone before and was afraid I was just seeing what I
wanted to see.  I didn't want to ask if you were gay and
risk offending you, so I talked it over with Jesse instead.
He suggested I try flirting back and see what happened."

"So Jesse knows too?" Ian asked.

"Yeah, I told him I thought you were checking me out
after practice," Elliot confessed.  "If I hadn't gotten such
good advice from him, I never would've worked up the
courage to start talking to you or asked you to help with
the haunted house, so we wouldn't be here now."

"Then I'm glad you talked to him about me," Ian agreed,
and then he paused again.

"So do you think you might eventually be interested in
being my boyfriend?" Ian asked, as he blushed a deep
crimson.  "I mean, I think you're cute, in case you're
wondering."

It was Elliot's turn to blush, before he answered.

"I think you're cute too and I would be thrilled to be your
boyfriend," he continued.

The boys sealed their new relationship with a kiss.  Elliot
suspected it was Ian's first, so he wanted to make it
special.  First, he hugged Ian tightly and rubbed his neck
soothingly, as they tilted their heads and pressed their
lips together.  It was a soft, sweet kiss and they held it for
as long as they could.  When they broke apart, they panted
for breath amidst a steady stream of giggles.

"I wish you'd told me this when you first got here," Elliot
teased.  "I had you sleep in Noah's room because I was
afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself."

"Damn, if I'd known that I would have told you at
Halloween," Ian laughed.

They kissed again and both boys were thrilled at the
possibilities this new aspect of their relationship would
present them.  For Ian, there would be many firsts.  For
Elliot, he would be able to feel the deep emotional bond
that develops with the one you love.  Sure, Elliot had
kissed other boys and done just about everything he could
do with another boy's penis, but none of that had warmed
his heart the way Ian's slightest touch did.  Elliot hadn't
felt like this since he'd developed a crush on Nicky, but
after Nicky rebuffed his love, he hadn't felt it again until
now.  It just felt right as they kissed and convinced both
of them that this was meant to be.

They were still kissing in Elliot's room when Ian's mother
and father arrived a short time later.  Since I was unsure
what they might be up to, I sent Jesse upstairs to let Ian
know that his parents were here.  A minute later, Ian
brought his things downstairs and got ready to leave.
Jesse told me afterward that the boys had been giggling
like a couple of schoolgirls when he'd knocked on Elliot's
door.

Before Ian and his parents left, they each thanked us for
letting him stay and Ian confirmed he'd had a wonderful
time.  We then advised them Ian was welcome to stay with
us any time and they thanked us again before they headed
home.  After they'd gone, the rest of us found ourselves
alone for the first time in days.

It certainly didn't take Elliot long to pull Jesse aside, so
he could tell him what Ian and he had talked about.  Jesse
was thrilled that the two of them had finally gotten things
out in the open, but was surprised by Elliot's next
bombshell.

"After he told me he was gay," Elliot continued, "Ian
asked if I wanted to be his boyfriend.  Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, it's fantastic!" Jesse agreed.  "I'm so happy for
you."

"Thanks, I'm kind of excited myself," Elliot agreed.  "Ian
said that he figures we'll be able to find time to get
together over the Christmas break, if we can't do it before.
He's eager to try some things, but we both want to take it
slow, you know to make it more romantic."

"Awesome, but does this mean we won't be messing
around any more?" Jesse wondered.

"Nah, I think we can still get together from time to time,"
Elliot replied.  "I don't think it's cheating if I'm open with
Ian about it and there isn't any romantic love involved.  I
mean I love you, but not in that way."

"I know and I love you too," Jesse agreed.

"Of course if I'm open with him then it means he'll know
we've been having sex," Elliot confessed.  "You don't
mind, do you?"

"I don't think that will be a problem," Jesse agreed.  "Ian
seems trustworthy... and he's cute, so I wouldn't object to
a little three-way action."

"Let me get him beyond kissing and feeling each other up
first, before I spring that one on him," Elliot laughed.

"I'm glad you still want to mess around with me," Jesse
responded, with a grin.  "I'd hate to have to go around
with blue balls for the next few months."

Elliot giggled at Jesse's comment and then gave him a
hug.  He might have done more, but he hadn't locked the
door and realized Noah was just down the hall and could
burst in at any moment.  He did give Jesse's butt a firm
squeeze though and promised they could play later.

With Thanksgiving now behind us, we were now officially
into the Christmas season.  This means there will be lots
of baking, decorating and loads of shopping to do, as well
as numerous concerts and parties to attend.  I decided to
start with the decorating first and asked the boys to help.
The first thing we needed to do was to rearrange things in
the rec room, so we'd have plenty of room for the
Christmas tree and still leave enough extra space for the
presents.

We started this process by taking some of the larger items,
such as the ping-pong and air hockey tables, down to the
basement.  Then, we rearranged the remaining items,
before we assembled the tree.  I've stuck with the artificial
tree again, because so many family members have allergies
and I didn't want them to suffer while they were here.
After I was satisfied the tree looked good and there were
no large gaps between the branches, I had the boys help
me string the lights and hang the ornaments.

As soon as all of this had been accomplished, Elliot
suggested that we let Noah place the angel on the top of
the tree this year.  When Noah heard his brother say this,
he was ecstatic and eagerly agreed that he'd like to do it.
Since he was so short and I didn't want to go fetch the
stepladder, I simply lifted him up so he could place the
angel in its special location at the very top of the tree.  He
was absolutely thrilled that he'd been given this particular
honor and I'm glad Elliot was the one to suggest it.  I
think that helped make this privilege mean even more to
Noah.

Once we were finished hanging the decorations, we all
took a few moments to stand back and admire how lovely
the tree looked.  Then, the boys called everyone else back
to the rec room, so they could check it out too.

Over the following couple of days, I had Danny, Brandon
and Jake help me hang the outdoor lights and put up the
other external decorations, such as the wreaths, our
lighted nativity scene, the inflatable snowman and Santa,
with his sleigh and reindeer.  When we finished setting
everything out, the exterior of the house looked quite
festive too.  I just hope the neighbors don't complain
about the excessive quantity of lights and decorations
we've used this year.  We usually don't put so many lights
on the house or decorate more than one tree, but since
this is Noah and Wyatt's first Christmas with us, we went
all out to make it special for them.

Wyatt is totally fascinated by the colorful lights and
Joshie enthusiastically explained to his brother what each
of the decorations is.  Not only are the boys excited, but
Noah is also proving that Christmas is a very special time
for him and he's actually much younger at heart than his
actual years.  Although he may be too old to still believe in
Santa, it's clear he's desperately attempting to cling to
the magical aspect of Christmas.  He knows the holiday
season is a time for miracles, and although I'm sure Noah
feels he's already experienced one miracle -- when Danny
and Brandon came to his rescue and gave him a place to
live when his mother died, I believe he's hoping there
might be more to look forward to.

Now that the decorations are in place, the next thing on
the agenda is to start baking the Christmas goodies.  Over
the next couple of weekends, I recruited the boys to help
me make several batches of Christmas cookies.  Since
Jesse, Elliot and Joshie had done this with me last year
and had such a good time, they eagerly told Noah what a
blast it had been.  Once he heard this, he was excited to
lend a hand with this too.

After we got started on this project, I once again noticed
that a rather substantial percentage of the ingredients
wound up covering the boys and never made it to the
oven.  My assistants, however, did prove to be very helpful
in completing this activity and we got a lot accomplished,
so there will be plenty of cookies to go around, both prior
to and during the holiday.

Since the boys had worked so hard, I allowed them to
sample some of the goodies after they came out of the
oven, had time to cool and were decorated.  I also
permitted them to lick the excess icing off the utensils
and out of the bowls before we washed them.  This seemed
to be reward enough for everything they'd done, but it also
gave them bragging rights for when these items were
eventually offered to the others.

While everyone was at work and school, I was busy
checking my various lists and going to a wide variety of
stores to purchase all of the things that we required.
There was food to buy for the holiday meals, supplies that
were needed for the assorted holiday activities and
parties, plus plenty of gifts that needed to be procured.  It
seems as if everyone is asking me to look for specific
items that they want to give to one of the others, since I
have more time to do this than they do.  Of course, I
readily agreed to help out, but unlike Santa, I don't have a
bunch of good-natured elves to help me pull this off.

I was somehow able to accomplish a little more every day,
but it was clear this process was going to take a while.
With a little bit of luck, I'll be able to get everything done
before Christmas Day, because if not, there will be a lot of
unhappy campers when it comes time to open the gifts.

Now that all of this is being taken care of, the next thing
on the list is an assortment of holiday parties.  Each of
the boys will be having a party at school, Jake and their
fathers will be having similar celebrations at work, I've
been invited to a get-together with some of my former
colleagues and the Shays will be throwing a party for the
family.

Last, but not least on the list, are the boys' concerts.
Although Noah doesn't play an instrument, I've discovered
that Dion managed to talk him into joining the middle
school chorus, so this means we'll have three concerts to
attend this year.  Joshie will be participating in the
elementary school concert, Noah in the middle school
concert, under Dion's direction, and then Elliot will take
part in the high school concert, since he's agreed to play
with the orchestra and accompany the chorus again.

Those in charge of planning the district calendar always
do their best to ensure these events are spread out so no
two are scheduled on the same evening.  They have to do
this because quite a few of the parents, like our family,
have children participating in activities at more than one
school.  Since those in charge don't want to force these
parents to have to choose which child they'll support,
they do their best to avoid these types of hassles.  Even
though it's not always possible to avoid all of the
scheduling conflicts, especially when it comes to the
sporting events, they do pay particular attention to the
special activities, such as concerts, award ceremonies and
graduations.  For this reason, we should easily be able to
fit each of the boys' concerts into our schedule

One day, prior to the first of these activities, Noah came
home all excited.  He wouldn't tell me what was up, but he
wanted to know when Elliot would be home.  I told him
Hayden's mother should be picking him up within the
hour and then bringing him home shortly after that, and
this information seemed to suffice.  After our brief
discussion, I concluded that whatever had excited him had
more to do with Elliot than the rest of us.  It might even
have something to do with his upcoming concert.

When Elliot arrived home later, he said hi to me and then
took his things up to his room.  Since I had forgotten
about my earlier encounter with Noah, I failed to mention
to Elliot that Noah wanted to see him.  Hopefully, Noah
will correct this oversight when he's ready.

Once Elliot was in his room, he threw his belongings onto
the bed and turned on his music.  A few seconds later, the
door to his room opened and Noah walked in -- stark
naked.

"Look, you have to see this!" Noah exclaimed, all excited.

"I've seen you naked before," Elliot teased in reply.
"You're cute, but I don't think that's what you mean."

"No.  Look!" Noah added, and he rushed toward Elliot.
"I've got hair."

"You've got lots of hair," Elliot joked.

"I mean I've got hair down here," he stated, while pointing
at his groin.  "See!"

Elliot had to bend down to look, because it certainly
wasn't obvious, but there were a few scattered hairs on his
pubis.  None of them were very long or dark, but Noah was
obviously very proud of them.

"Great!  See, I told you," Elliot replied, once he'd seen
them.  "You'll have a lot more hairs soon and then other
things will start to happen too."

"Yeah, my dick will get bigger, or at least I hope it will,"
Noah agreed.

"It will.  You don't have to worry about that," Elliot
confirmed.

"I know and I'm glad I have you around to tell me these
things," Noah admitted.

"You'll be much better off when you realize your big
brother is always right," Elliot smirked.

"That's why I asked you, because I figured if anyone would
know about dicks it would be you," Noah giggled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elliot asked, slightly
nervous.

"Well, it takes one to know one, doesn't it?" Noah teased,
as he stuck out his tongue.

Elliot was both shocked and relieved.  Shocked that Noah
had zinged him and relieved that Noah hadn't been
alluding to something else.

"Ok, that's it.  You're dead!" Elliot threatened, jokingly.

Hearing this caused Noah to dart from the room, so Elliot
gave chase.  The boys quickly made it into the hallway,
where they promptly ran into Jesse.  When he saw them,
he reacted as if he was totally shocked by their actions.

"Dear Penthouse, I was walking to the bathroom when my
nephew came running out of his brother's bedroom,
naked..." Jessed mused, as if he were composing a letter.

Both boys blushed and then Elliot sent Noah back to his
room to put on some clothes.