Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 15:04:46 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 4     Chapter 1

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter.

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

              *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

This is just a brief note to thank all of you for your encouragement and
support for this story.  I hope book 4 lives up to your expectations and
brings you as much enjoyment as your emails bring to me.
                                              Thanks,
                                              Bill

              *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 4-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 1 - New horizons.                         February 2001

The school year began very well and things were progressing quite smoothly.
The boys dating the cheerleaders were getting very involved with the girls,
except for Danny and Brandon, but they were still maintaining the
smokescreen to deflect criticism. At first the girls that Danny and Brandon
asked out were leery, until they forced the pair into some make-out
sessions and the boys seemed to pass the kissing test.  They haven't been
pushed toward any sexual acts yet, so they seemed to be pulling it off.
Frankie was keeping his promise of staying out of trouble and doing fairly
well in school.  Kevin and Nick had been becoming closer, and Kevin was
starting to forget about his disappointment in Dustin.  Carlos also kept in
touch, letting us know that he was doing fine and that he was looking
forward to the next time he could be with us again.  We invited him and his
mother to join us for Thanksgiving.

We also heard from the family in Arizona, the one Nick had helped out.  The
parents had been doing well at their jobs, they had both passed their
probationary periods, and they both had received excellent job reviews.
There was even the possibility that they may both be promoted soon, the
mother to a supervisory position in an elementary cafeteria and the father
to an electrician's job, moving up from the custodial job.  The kids were
doing very well in school, they loved their apartment, and they all seemed
to be very happy.  All they had needed was that little break and they
turned their lives around.  The boys all felt great about it, especially
Nick, and now he was looking for someone new to help.

The first weekend after Labor Day we threw a birthday party for Frankie,
even though his birthday had been July 30th.  I think it was the first real
party or recognition he had received in quite some time and he seemed quite
pleased by the attention.  We told him he could invite some others, if he
wished, but he said he didn't really know anyone else yet and his family
would be enough this time.  He said maybe next year he would have others to
invite, then he smiled at me, letting me know that he planned to stick
around.  It was an interesting time, and the boys made sure they picked out
special gifts for him.  First, they bought him his own boom box, similar to
the one he had tried to heist the first time he had been with us.  They
bought him some CDs to go with it, and they gave him some gift
certificates, so he could get more.  Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Steve
gave him some new clothes and a nice diamond stud earring, to replace the
older earring he always wore, as it wasn't in very good condition.  I gave
him some clothes, a gold-chain, as he had admired some of the ones the
others wore, and a promise.  He was now 17 and I told him that I'd include
him with Kevin for the next driving class, which would probably begin next
spring.  He was quite excited by that prospect and accepted eagerly.

The following weekend we celebrated Andrew's tenth birthday, which included
several young boys he was close to at school.  We had a sleepover party, as
was becoming the traditional party for the younger boys, but he made sure
his plans included the whole family as well.  After that, there was a break
until late October, when Cole turned 15, and we had a party for him, as
well.  He did invite some friends from school to attend, but opted out of
the sleepover party by saying that he was too old for that sort of thing
now.  It was his choice and, even though he had been a little immature for
his age, he was beginning to grow up.  It was also the next to last
birthday for the year, with Dion's being the final one in late November.

My three new drivers kept practicing and getting better.  Dustin and Danny
were doing extremely well, but Brandon still had his moments.  Sometimes
he'd try to take a corner too tightly and drive over the curb, he'd forget
about being gentle with the gas or brake pedal, sending the rest of us
flying forward or backward, and he sometimes had trouble with judging the
width or length of the different vehicles.  He was determined to get better
and he worked hard at perfecting these skills, while Danny did his best to
encourage him.  Taking the driver's education course in school also helped,
as it gave him a different perspective or reinforced the things I was
trying to get them all to learn.  The boys even did an oil change for each
of the vehicles on their own and they washed and waxed the Grand AM every
other weekend, doing either the van or Suburban on the off week.  I guess I
knew which vehicle they preferred out of the three.

The sports teams had also kept many of the boys busy and the rest had
occupied their time with schoolwork or helping me make changes around the
house.  We now had three computer hook-ups in the family-room, we had
turned the small office into a bedroom for Frankie and built a closet for
him by extending one portion of the outer wall.  We had also split the old
master bedroom into two smaller bedrooms, and we added another bathroom
upstairs (just a shower stall, toilet, and sink), to help alleviate some of
the congestion in the morning.  There were now three bathrooms upstairs,
the public one downstairs, and the one in my master bedroom.  We also added
another hot-water heater and circulating pumps, so the water pressure
wouldn't drop dramatically when toilets were flushed, etc., eliminating the
chance of someone getting scalded.

The boys were also developing new interests.  Some of the older boys were
developing their cooking skills, as they really liked the idea of being in
charge when I was gone, and they took turns preparing the meals every
night, removing that job from my share of the load.  They had set up a
rotating schedule with the various duties, including the driving (which
they could only do when I was with them), cooking, and cleaning, and I
eagerly let them do all of that on their own.  It's not that everything was
perfect, as there were some squabbles over who got to drive which vehicle
or over the 'need' to switch chores, so they could be free for a date or
other activity.  They usually worked things out for themselves, most of the
time without my having to intervene.

There was one major conflict, however, between two of the new roommates, as
Dustin and Pat had resorted to punches to settle one dispute.  It seems
they had become interested in the same girl and they both thought the other
was being unfair in resolving this situation.  Even though there was nearly
a two-year difference in their ages, the girl was a year older than Pat and
a year younger than Dustin.  They accused each other of interfering in
their ability to change chores when there was a scheduling conflict for
them, by talking the other boys out of switching with the other one.  There
was also a complaint about who got to eat lunch with her or who she would
spend time with after school.  Dustin felt he should have all of the lunch
periods to spend with her, as he played sports and Pat got to spend time
with her after school, but Pat felt they should still alternate lunch
dates.  He said it wasn't his fault that Dustin had chosen to play a sport.
After their little donnybrook, I had to set some new ground rules.  First,
I told Pat that if he wanted to alternate the lunch periods, then he would
also have to alternate the after school time too, which meant he could only
spend every other night with her even though Dustin had sports.  He soon
agreed, on his own, to give Dustin the lunch periods, so he could keep the
after school time.  When the sports season finished, they would alternate
lunch and after school, not seeing her twice in the same day.  Second, if
there were any more problems with switching chores, there would be
absolutely no switching allowed for anyone and everyone would have to stick
to the schedule unless I made the change personally, which I wouldn't be
inclined to do.  Third, if there were any more punches thrown, neither one
would be allowed to date anyone for a month and, finally, I moved Pat to
the twin bed in the new bedroom which had been part of the old master
bedroom, to give them both a chance to cool off.

Things did calm down after that, especially after Pat lost interest in that
girl, finding someone closer to his own age.  The funny thing was that
Dustin dumped her too, a couple of weeks later, as he fell for a girl who
was a few months older.  And to think they were ready to bash each other's
brains out over her just a short time before.  Eventually the two did make
up, but Pat stayed in the room by himself, as he was concerned that there
might be future conflicts between them.  I think Kevin got a kick out of
watching this, finding it amusing that they would fight over a girl, but I
think it was also because Dustin's life was not altogether rosy, especially
after he had broken Kevin's heart.  It's not that he hated Dustin now, he
still had strong feelings for him, but it made him feel good to know that
things were not all that easy for his former lover either.

Halloween proved to be an interesting time, but not because of the
Trick-or-Treating.  It was because of the big high school dance that all
the guys with girlfriends would be attending.  Even Danny and Brandon had
dates for this big event, and the boys even helped Frankie get a date for
the dance.  Kevin and Trey volunteered to help me take the little ones out
collecting candy door-to-door, but I think that was to give them something
to do and help them not to feel completely left out.  Trey did complain
that it wasn't fair that he and Dion couldn't go to the dance as a couple,
and he thought that was discrimination.  When I explained that they could
go, but they'd be setting themselves up for possible abuse, he let it drop.

It was now November, which marked two important events: Thanksgiving, when
we would be having several visitors, and Dion's thirteenth birthday.
Seeing the two events were so close together, it was decided that we would
celebrate Dion's birthday the Saturday after Thanksgiving and he could
invite some of his friends from school to sleep over too.  The house was
abuzz during the week before the holiday, as we spent a great deal of time
cleaning and preparing for the guests.  All of the boys were going to sleep
on the carpet in the living room during that time, giving their beds up to
our visitors.  In addition to their oldest brothers and sisters, there
would be Nick's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Spence (the grandparents they had
adopted), Carlos and his mother (though I was sure Carlos would sleep with
the boys), and their nephews - and now a niece.  Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary, and
Uncle Steve would be joining us for dinner, but they would not be spending
the night.  It was going to be quite a massive get-together.

We also prepared some of the food a day or two in advance, mostly cold
dishes and desserts.  We had two huge turkeys and a full ham, in addition
to many side dishes and sweets.  The women all tried to volunteer to help
prepare the meal for us, but the boys and I shooed them away, letting them
know (politely) that we could fend for ourselves.  The boys were very
pleased when they were ready to serve the meal.  We sat in two large, but
distinct, groups.  Our normal dining room table, with both leaves inserted,
was set for the adults, and two folding banquet tables were set up in the
adjoining TV-room for the kids.  I have had to stop myself from saying
boys, as I now had a granddaughter in the group, even though she was still
young and in a highchair.  The food was put in four different sets of
identical containers, two at the adults' table and two at the kids' tables.

Before we began to eat, I took the time to recount all of the things I had
to be thankful for, especially all my children and friends, and then I
turned it over to anyone else to do the same.  Mr. Spence indicated he
wanted to say something, so I sat down and he stood up to speak.

"My wife and I have been very fortunate through the years, except when it
came to family.  Being included here today and being accepted as a part of
this fantastic group has made us the happiest and most thankful we have
been in many years.  My wife and I have spent a great deal of time
preparing to come here, and we also have a little surprise for you,
something to leave you so you'll always remember us and our love for you.
Seeing we have no family of our own, we were thrilled you, shall we say,
adopted us," he paused here, as many of the boys were giggling at the
similarity to their own situation.  "We have decided to donate half of our
estate to you now, and the other half will be left to you in our will when
we are gone.  We love you all and this is our way of showing you that."

As Mr. Spence sat back down, you could have heard a pin drop in those two
rooms.  We were totally shocked and left speechless by this comment.
Though we didn't know exactly how much they were worth, they had hinted
that they had more money than most people could ever think of using in a
lifetime and that they were multi-millionaires.  After many awkward and
silent moments, I thanked them and told them that I didn't know what to say
by this display of generosity.  After I thought about it for a minute or
two, I informed them that, if they didn't mind, I wanted to use some or
most of that money to establish a charitable fund to help other children or
families, especially families that wanted to adopt needy or hard-to-place
children.  After much discussion, it was decided that it would be called
the "Castaway Charity Fund", Aunt Mary's suggestion, and we asked Sally to
chair it, establish the criteria for assistance, and serve on the committee
that handles the money.  Steve volunteered his services as legal advisor to
the group, and the boys suggested that I should contact Matt (our former
waiter and summer financial advisor) to assist us with investing the money
wisely, in the meantime.  I offered to hire Sally and pay her a little more
than she was making now to run this, but she said she'd do it for free and
still work her regular job.  She explained that she would keep her contacts
and be able to find families on her own that way where, if she only ran the
charity, she would soon become isolated from people in need.  I told her
she would be paid for her services even if she kept her other job, and she
finally gave in, saying that would be fine, as long as she could donate it
back to the fund and take the tax write-off.  We all laughed at that.

We all thanked the Spences and then began to eat, but unfortunately the
food was slightly cold by now.  Even though that was the case, everyone
enjoyed the meal and they complimented the boys on their hard work and
delicious dishes.  This time the women wouldn't take no for an answer and
they shared the clean-up duties, putting away the leftover food and doing
the dishes.  We decided to hold off for an hour or so before we tried to
tackle the desserts, as everyone was quite stuffed from the main course.
While we waited in the living room, we talked about a variety of other
things, before the boys came and asked the various adults to join them for
some fun.  They took the adults in different directions, to join them for a
board game, a computer game (mostly solitaire or black-jack), or a game of
cards (hearts or rummy).  It was quite an enjoyable time, especially for
the Spences, and everyone had fun interacting with each other.  After that
we went and had our desserts, before we collaborated on renting a couple of
movies to enjoy on the large-screen TV together.

Friday started off with the boys fixing breakfast for everyone, though it
was more of a diner-order type of situation, rather than a large family
breakfast.  The boys made a large batch of pancake mix, so those who wanted
pancakes could have them, and they made eggs to order, regular and Canadian
bacon, toast, cereal, bagels, English muffins, or bagel or muffin
sandwiches, upon request.  Steve called me that afternoon, to discuss some
things we would need to decide on to establish the charity, and I talked
the Spences into staying for the entire following week, so they could help
us set up the foundation, especially seeing it was their money that was
funding it.  They were happy to be included and I told them they could stay
in my room, (where they already were) and that I'd sleep in one of the
other rooms.  After some give and take on that point, they agreed.

Friday evening the adults spent time together and the boys entertained
themselves.  Nick's parents had spent a great deal of time talking to
everyone and they were almost speechless by the time they got to me.

"This is quite a family you have here, Josh," Mrs. Lawrence told me.  "And
the Spences' announcement really was a blessing, wasn't it?"

"A blessing and a surprise," I responded.  "Even though we don't really
need all of that money, I'm glad we'll be able to put it to good use to
help others.  Isn't it strange that a chance meeting with them, on our way
to Arizona, has led to all of this?"

"No stranger than another chance meeting benefited our family,"
Mr. Lawrence mused.  "I think your finding Nick was the best thing that
happened to us and I can't believe how much he's matured since that time."

"He has come a long way, but it is kind of ironic that he's been looking
for another family to help, like the one in Arizona, and now we have all
this money to do it with.  He felt so good about helping that other family
that he wanted to do it again.  He is a very caring and giving young man."

"I'm not sure we would have ever seen that side of him," his mother
commented, "if it weren't for you and your boys."

"I'm sure it would have emerged eventually, and that side of him was
nothing we can be credited for.  It's just that once he'd seen how much
good he can do, it was like a catalyst to make him want to do more.  I'm
sure we'll find a way for him to be a part of the foundation, so he can
help feel a part of all of that.  I believe he'll want that more than any
of the others."

"Josh, my hat's off to you," his father said, "and I'm glad that you
allowed him to be here to continue his education.  I don't think I've ever
seen him have better grades, at least not since first or second grade."

"Well, he did that on his own too.  He came here a very determined young
man, intent on proving to you exactly what he could accomplish."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad," his father wondered aloud.  "I guess
it's good that he's determined, but it saddens me to think that my attitude
toward him made him feel that he needed to prove himself to me.  I have
always loved him, I guess I just wasn't very good at showing him."

"He knows that now, but don't put all the blame on yourself.  From what he
has told me, he was a bit hardheaded too, not wanting to see your side
either.  Like I've said, I think it would have resolved itself in time."

"Luckily," his mother added, "your intervention sped up the process.  We
owe you too and we're going to contribute to your charity, and we're going
to encourage our friends and Mike's business associates to do the same.
It's the least we can do to repay you."

"That's very generous, but unnecessary.  I didn't do it to be repaid."

"Think of it as though we're repaying other parents and children in need,"
she said, "hoping they'll be as lucky as we are."

"In that case, I gratefully accept your offer."  After some more talking
and some interaction with the kids, we all called it a night and went to
our rooms.

Dion's birthday turned out to be one of the largest get-togethers we had
held thus far, as everyone from Thanksgiving was there, Jay joined us, and
some of Dion's school friends came for the night.  He got a ton of gifts
and had a blast at his party.  The boys had played around outdoors, but no
team sports, seeing Dion wasn't overly fond of them.  They did play some
tag, had some races, and they even had an egg toss contest, throwing a raw
egg between partners.  The idea was to toss it back and forth, trying to
catch it without it breaking, but that didn't always happen.  Then those
who were left would take another step apart, increasing the distance the
egg had to be thrown.  It did get a bit messy, before we crowned the
winning pair, but they all had fun doing it.  Dion and his friends stayed
in the family room, while most of the other boys remained in the living
room.  His brothers were all willing to give Dion his privacy with his
friends, though Trey, Graham, and Cole had been invited to join them.

On Sunday my older children and grandchildren left first.  Then Nick's
parents left, driving back to the airport in their rental car, and then I
drove Carlos and his mom back to their place. John and Margaret Spence
stayed with the boys, relishing their new role as grandparents, but they
seemed quite bushed by the time I got back.  I guess they forgot how
energetic a group of boys could be.  Margaret also had dinner prepared,
though she had agreed to letting a couple of the boys assist her, mostly to
show her were things were kept.  It was a great meal and the boys all made
sure they told her so.  She beamed like a new bride having prepared her
first full meal.  The Spences went to bed early that evening, while I sent
the boys upstairs to shower and get ready for bed.

That evening, Trey also gave Dion his belated birthday gift.  After they
showered, they went back to their room.  "I'm sure glad we've got our room
back," Trey announced.

"The other was nice, but I'm glad to be back in my own bed."

"And you'll be even happier when I give you your birthday present."  He
shot a wicked little grin toward Dion, who took a second to catch on, but
then started grinning ear-to-ear.  "I'm going to let you make love to me
tonight as a teenager," Trey told him, with the cat-that-ate-the-canary
smirk on his face.  Trey walked over and kissed Dion, grabbing his towel
away from him in the process.  He eased Dion back to the bed, knocked him
onto it, and began working on his body.  He kissed his neck, nibbled on his
ears, and worked his way down to Dion's nipples.  He bathed those with his
tongue, nipped at the rigid little nubs, and then sucked on them like a
starving kitten.  He worked his way lower, running his tongue all over his
firm abdomen and in and around his navel, then he moved lower, bypassing
his penis, but working on his scrotum and inner thighs.

Dion was bouncing around like a hyperactive super-ball, as Trey played with
his testes and licked the sensitive inner thigh and area between the
scrotum and the anus.  Finally he reached over and grabbed a couple of
items, ripping open a condom packet and preparing to place it over Dion's
bone.

"Do we really need to use that?" Dion wondered.

"Yes, we promised Dad that we would from now on.  You know he's right about
that."

"But if it's just the two of us." Dion's voice trailed off, showing how
disappointed he was.

"But you know we still do things with the others, once in a while, so we
have to do this."

"What if we never do that any more?"

"We will, and you know it.  I could live with only you, but you like to do
some of the other things once in a while, things that I don't care for."
Dion knew what Trey meant by this, knowing Trey liked the receiving better
than giving and he wasn't very fond of rimming Dion either.  Dion gave in
and Trey slid the rubber over his lengthy organ, slicking it up with KY
afterward.  Once he had been prepared, Trey straddled Dion's waist, reached
back and grabbed Dion's teenhood, and he guided the head against his
pucker.  Slowly he sat back, feeling the ring pop open and the helmet slide
in, and he waited momentarily before adding more pressing and sliding down
the entire length.

Dion was in absolute bliss, loving the feeling of being in Trey's warm,
tight hole.  Trey had developed very good muscle control and he could
actually massage Dion's shaft even before he began his humping.  Dion was
very appreciative of that skill and he was moaning out his appreciation.
Slowly Trey lifted up, and then he slid back down, beginning to maintain a
nice, steady rhythm.  Dion was really moaning now, his eyes only partially
open and the orbs rolled back into his head, and he was totally oblivious
to everything but the pleasure emanating from his groin.  Even though his
sausage was encased in a thin membrane, it still felt as though that muscle
was being stimulated by a thousand tiny fingers.  He could hardly bear the
pleasure and he soon felt the rising tide of his orgasm coming.  He could
feel the tingling sensation in his balls, felt the sac pulling tight to his
body, could sense the additional blood flowing to his penis, causing it to
swell even more, and then he felt his seed rising up his shaft.  He tried
to hold it back and prolong the sensation, but that proved impossible and
it exploded into the rubber, threatening to blow the tip of the condom off.
Trey kept riding him, milking him for all he was worth, only stopping when
he became so soft that it was impossible to continue.  When that happened
he bent forward, kissed Dion lovingly and passionately, and he leaned down
even further, whispering in his ear.

"Happy Birthday, lover."  Dion didn't have the strength to respond.

Monday the boys and I went back to school, but I had a lunchtime meeting
with Steve, Sally, and the Spences, to begin to set up this foundation.  It
was at this meeting that I first discovered that we were talking in terms
of several million dollars here.  Once I got over the initial shock at the
size of their gift, we drew up the rough outline for our charity.  This
group would form the core of the board of directors and we would add to it
as we saw fit.  Sally would assume the title of Director and we would look
for a financial officer, hopefully assigning Mark as his assistant for now.
This would give Mark valuable experience, an income, and he could continue
his education while doing this.  The job would also allow him to continue
doing it while he was at school, as he could control things electronically.

The first thing we decided was that this would be a international charity,
open to anyone with children or adopting needy children, even from
overseas.  We would take recommendations for assistance from social service
groups, churches, adoption agencies dealing with hard to place children,
and educational groups.  We would launch a media campaign to get
recognition, asking some of the national news magazines for some coverage,
and we would direct all potential contributions to a special account, which
would still have to be established.  At that point I decided to ask Mark to
join us after Christmas, for the remainder of his winter break, to work
with whomever we came up with as our financial officer, to help set up all
the necessary accounts and to be assigned his role in the process.  The
Spences were happy with our parameters, they were thrilled with their role
and being included in the group, and Steve was going to draw up by-laws and
set this up as a corporation, to be officially known as the 'Castaway
Charity Fund'.  This was surely one Thanksgiving none of us would ever
forget.

The remainder of the week meant other meetings and other details to iron
out but, by the end of that weekend, the majority of the process had been
completed and were on our way to becoming an officially recognized charity.
I asked a friend of mine, the president of our local bank, to serve as
financial officer and help train Mark to take the job over.  He happily
agreed and Mark accepted the opportunity as well, when I phoned him to tell
him the news.  We also got a good response from the magazines who had
covered the family after the first adoptions had taken place, and they
agreed it would be a good follow-up story to their original articles.
Sally contacted many people she knew, both for their support and
assistance, and we soon had contacts set up throughout the country, an
application process established, criteria for selection, and guidelines for
amounts that would be given for various types of assistance.

That weekend the Spences went back home, though they were sad to leave us
but looking forward to rejoining us for Christmas. The boys were sad to see
them depart too, kissing and hugging both of them as if they had always
been their grandparents.  The Spences both had tears in their eyes as they
left, having hired a car and driver to take them home.  The boys continued
to wave and throw kisses to them, until they were finally out of sight, and
then we went back into the house.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was even more hectic.  Not only
did we have the normal things and Christmas shopping to do, there were all
the typical school and church concerts, pageants, and other special
services.  There was also the big holiday cotillion, for which the boys
would have to rent tuxes, their dates dress in formal gown, and the boys
would be shelling out for dinner and corsages too.  All the straight and bi
boys were taking their dates, and hesitantly Danny and Brandon agreed to
take a couple of girls as well.  They weren't exactly thrilled about it,
but they were happier than Trey, who was once again down because he felt
that he and Dion were being left out.  It didn't seem to affect Kevin and
Nick, and I was shocked that the two of them had been staying mainly with
each other since they got together, seldom doing anything with any of their
brothers, for the past month or so.

Everyone who had been there for Thanksgiving would be there for Christmas,
plus we'd be joined by Brandon's parents and Sammy and Andrew's
grandparents from Japan.  My time in between was also filled with more
meetings concerning the 'Castaway Charity Fund' and we were scheduled to do
two magazine interviews, about the family and the charity, the week before
Christmas.  We invited the Spences to join us for that entire week and stay
through until after New Year's.  They eagerly accepted and I was happy, as
I wanted them to be involved and their contribution highlighted in the
articles.  The stories wouldn't appear until later in January, but the ball
was rolling.

Margaret and John Spence appeared to look 10 or 20 years younger when they
arrived for their visit, and they told me it was just because they had some
meaning back in their lives, with the charity and our family.  The boys
gave them special attention and they were truly the grandparents many of
the boys had never known.  The boys really loved this pair, and not because
of the money either.  They had taken to them on the plane, they had enjoyed
them each time we had been together or talked on the phone, and I knew the
Spences felt the same.  It was truly a melding of souls.  They
enthusiastically read stories to the younger ones, told all of the boys
stories about their lives, with particular emphasis on letting them know
what it was like for them when they were the same age the boys were now.
They let the boys know how much the world had changed in those few years
and how lucky they were to have the opportunities they had now.  The boys
also told the Spences stories about their pasts, which the older couple had
only known a little about before this, and they were shocked at some of the
conditions the boys had been forced to endure.  They were especially moved
by Cole and Graham's story, not understanding how a mother could starve and
neglect her children like that.  It was quite an emotional time as each of
my young men told his tale.

Sammy and Andrew's grandparents arrived next, and they were quite amazed at
the announcement of the houseful of guests we'd be having.  Over that
extended period of time, Sammy and Andrew introduced them to all their
brothers, sisters, nephews, and niece, before they introduced them to their
'other' grandparents.  John and Margaret were swelled with pride, having
been introduced this way.  When Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Steve
arrived, they introduced them too.  The O'Hara's arrived from Texas next
and they were soon getting to know the others there too.  The Lawrences had
agreed to pick up Carlos and his mother on their way through, as they flew
into Philadelphia on this trip, so they were the last to arrive.  The boys
introduced all of our new guests as they arrived, making sure they got to
learn how everyone was 'related', and soon everyone was here and the house
was full of love and laughter.

The Christmas tree had been set up in the living room, so the boys were
sleeping in the family room this time.  Jordan and Nicky turned the
ping-pong table into a tent, draping blankets over it.  They slept
underneath it, with Sammy, Andrew, and Graham.  The rest of the boys broke
up into various groups, staking out their share of the room for themselves,
and we spread the guests around in the other accommodations.  The Spences
were given my room again, and everyone else was assigned a bedroom
upstairs.  Everyone was satisfied with their room assignments and they were
told which bathroom they would be using.  The boys were also split up
between the bathrooms, but they were told to shower during the early
evening, to keep out of everyone else's way during the later evening and
early morning hours.

On Christmas Eve, we had a large meal and then all went to church together.
We took the Suburban, the van, and two cars.  It looked like an invasion
when we arrived.  It was really special having the extended family together
on this special day, and Nick sat between his parents, looking like this
was the best Christmas present he had ever received.  They seemed very
pleased, as well.  Brandon and Danny sat with the O'Haras and they seemed
quite satisfied that both boys had decided to sit with them, and this alone
probably made their whole trip worth while.

This was the first Christian service Sammy and Andrew's grandparents had
attended and they tried to absorb it all, as their grandsons did the best
they could to explain things.  The Spences had been asked to sit between
Graham and Cole, as those two had grown very close to this couple over the
past week.  The rest of the boys spaced themselves out among the older
brothers and sisters and their aunts and uncles, and Ricky sat between my
oldest son and me, leaning against my shoulder.  I think he still felt a
special connection to me, having been the first of my new family.

It was a very nice service and we all enjoyed singing some of the
traditional religious Christmas songs, like Come All Ye Faithful, Oh Little
Town of Bethlehem, We Three Kings, and the First Noel.  Everyone felt
exceptionally good after the service and we loaded up and drove home from
there.  The boys were sent to bed, so Santa Claus could come, and when the
older boys started to protest about having to go too, I reminded them about
how early the little ones would be getting us all up.  That convinced them
to make the best of it, as they remembered how special Christmas Eve had
been when they were younger, especially the ones who were younger when they
first arrived with me.  They were happy to play the game for the little
ones and were soon reminding the little ones about Santa's visit.  My
second son had dressed up in a Santa suit and strolled back to the outside,
rear of the house.  He peeked in the family room windows, looking like
Santa, sending the little ones into a complete panic.  They thought Santa
wouldn't leave them any presents because they had still been up when he
came, but we explained that he checked twice and he would leave them the
next time, if they were all sleeping.  As excited as they were, they
settled in and soon fell asleep.  It had been a priceless moment.

After the boys went to sleep, the adults got busy, getting the presents and
placing them under and around the tree.  Steve took the van to load up with
things from his place, as we kept many of the presents at his house, where
the boys wouldn't find them.  My oldest two sons went to help him.  The
rest of the night was spent wrapping the remaining presents and assembling
those toys that claimed...'some assembly required'.  Yeah, right, some
assembly indeed.  My two older sons and I were up until after 3:00 a.m.,
putting together various gifts for the kids, most for the youngest of the
group.

The first boys woke up at 5:00 a.m., but Danny and Brandon were able to
restrain them until 6:00, by walking them down to the living room and
letting them peek in at all the presents.  The smaller boys were very
excited, but they did contain themselves for another hour.  At that point,
Danny sent them to wake me up first and, once they had my permission, they
woke up all the others by yelling, "Santa's been here. Come on down and see
what he left us.  Come on.  Hurry Up!"  The adults dragged themselves
downstairs, trying to wake as they went, and the boys were all sitting in
the living room waiting for their older brothers and sisters to start
passing out the gifts.  After that, there was wrapping paper flying
everywhere, shouts of joy when they saw what they got, and thank yous made
to the ones who had given the present.  It took almost two hours before all
the gifts were open.  There were special presents that came from the boys
and were given to the adults, mostly gift certificates, a collection of
nicely framed portraits of them, and cards the boys had made on the
computer, especially for each person.  Those cards were probably
appreciated the most, because the greeting came straight from the heart.

When the presents had been all passed out and there was nothing left to
open, John Spence stood and walked around, handing each individual a card.
Inside was a check, each made out for $10,000.  He told my boys and
grandchildren that this money was to be deposited into their accounts, to
use for college or starting a career later.  There were many thank yous and
a great many hugs and kisses after this.  He told my older children that
they could spend this money any way they wished: on themselves, on their
houses, or on continuing their education.  They were all grateful for his
generosity and they thanked him and hugged or kissed them both.  When he
handed me an envelope, he waited for me to open it.  It was a check made
out for $20,000.  He told me this was not for the charity, but for me to
use to take the boys on mini-trips or on their next summer vacation.  I
told him I would do that and thanked him for everything, especially for
their generosity to my family and for helping to establish the charity.  If
there was a Santa Claus this Christmas, it was John and Margaret Spence.

Christmas dinner was equally as wonderful.  I took care of the turkeys and
ham again and everyone else prepared their best/favorite dish to go along
with it.  It was a huge success and the best of everyone's talents were
offered.  The Japanese grandparents got a good helping of the best of
American home-cooking and an indication of how holidays are celebrated
here.  I might have forgotten to mention this earlier, but they were also
given numerous Christmas gifts from the others, ranging from special
portraits of their two grandsons, tickets for them and their grandsons to
go to the symphony and a musical, special chocolate candies and petit
fours, and some American Express gift checks, so they could buy their own
souvenirs of their American Christmas vacation.  They were quite thrilled
with the variety of gifts, but a bit embarrassed that they had not
purchased anything for everyone else.  After an explanation from the rest
of us that it wasn't expected and we certainly didn't lack for gifts, they
finally relented and said they would make it up to us when we visited them,
and they'd be happy to host the others, if they ever made it to Japan.
That was all the present any of us could ask for.

Although my older children had to leave that night or the next day, to
return to their jobs, my grandsons stayed behind.  The Lawrences and the
O'Hara's had spoken to me beforehand, telling me they like to take a week
of vacation and spend it with us over the holidays, so they all were
staying through New Year's.  Both sets of grandparents were planning to
stay through the New Year as well, and my grandchildren's parents would be
returning to celebrate the New Year with us and to collect their children
and take them home then.  So of course, now we had to plan for a special
New Year's Eve celebration.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at
http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section.
E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.