Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 08:20:53 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 4   chapter 16

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.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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 16 - For all the special people in my life.         May 2001

Wednesday I met Jake at the putting green and we practiced for nearly 2
hours.  He reminded me of all those little nuances of that fine art, like
reading the greens, judging the speed of the greens, and the proper stroke
and alignment.  By the end of our time there, I had improved greatly from
my earliest attempts.  I wasn't necessarily at pro-tour ability, but I
could two-putt from nearly anywhere now.  That in itself was a big
accomplishment, at least in my opinion.  We stopped and had a couple of
beers afterward, as we discussed my progress and what we would try to
accomplish at the driving range tomorrow.

The boys had a great many questions for me when I got home, wanting to know
everything we did and where we went afterward.  I thought this was a bit
strange, that my sons were that interested in what I was up to, but I was a
bit flattered by it too.  I thought that it was quite nice that they cared
enough to inquire and then seem excited by what I told them.  It was a very
nice feeling.  They also told me that they had talked to Shannon and that
he had told them that Jake was really enjoying these outings together and
that he seemed to be in a better mood because of it.  What I didn't know
was that Shannon was giving his father much the same message about me,
supposedly information acquired from my sons.  The boys seemed to be taking
their matchmaking roles quite seriously, and Jake and I were totally in the
dark about what they were really up to.

Thursday afternoon we met at the driving range again, and we each hit a
couple of buckets of balls.  I hit one bucket using my woods (the one,
three, and five woods), working on my distance and trying to hit my shots
straight down the middle.  The other bucket I used to practice my irons,
working on distance with the lower irons (the one, three, and five) and
accuracy and distance with the upper irons (the seven, nine, and my
wedges).  Once again, I wasn't performing at competition caliber, but I had
improved enough that I would feel comfortable going out and playing
eighteen with Jake and his co-workers on Saturday.  This time when we
stopped for a couple of beers on the way home, Jake used the time to tell
me about the guys we'd be playing against, filling me in on their strengths
and weaknesses, and telling me what they'd do to get into my head if the
round was close.  It seemed like that pair was very competitive and didn't
like to lose, and they often did things to distract their opponents and
give them the advantage.  I thanked Jake for the information and told him
that I'd been worked over by tougher guys than that when I was really into
the sport, and he laughed and told me that I'd do just fine.  Once again,
the boys quizzed me when I got home, repeating many of the same type of
questions and telling me much the same information that they had told me
the day before, but once again I didn't quite catch on to their intentions
for this grilling and insider information.  I guess it just never dawned on
me that they were actually trying to fix me up.  Why should it?  I mean,
how many children actually try to set their fathers up on dates?  Well, I
guess that not that many of them have to, but I was just naive where this
was concerned.  Besides, how many try to fix their dads up with another
guy?

Saturday morning I was out of the house by six, anxious for our 7:00
a.m. tee time.  I used the extra time to practice my putting and to loosen
up before we began.  The other three were there early as well.  I guess
they all take this pretty seriously.  We teed-off right on time, and I was
pleased with my first drive...straight down the middle of the fairway and
not a bad distance for the first drive.  The other two guys started ribbing
Jake about bringing in a ringer, and he played right along with their
accusation.  I did have my moments of glory on the front nine, but there
were other instances that I would have preferred to forget about
completely, and we were down three strokes when we went into the clubhouse
for a quick break.  We used the restrooms and had a drink, before we went
out to begin the back nine.

I played much better on this side, having worked out some of the kinks from
my earlier game, and we started our comeback.  We were doing really well
until the seventeenth hole, when Jake sliced his tee shot into the woods,
having to take a penalty stroke for it, and I ended up three-putting the
green.  We wound up losing the round by one stroke, with each of us trying
to accept responsibility for blowing it, but it was fun and our opponents
invited me to join them again next weekend.  I explained that I already had
other plans for the following two weekends, and they told me that we could
set something up for another time.  I was pleased that they wanted me back,
thinking that I hadn't played all that well, but I did have a great time.
We went into the clubhouse and had a couple of drinks together, rehashing
some of the highlights of the round, and then I headed home.  As I pulled
into the driveway, a couple of the boys came out and wanted to know why I
was back so early, so I explained to them that we had played our eighteen,
had a couple of drinks, and left.  They told me I should have stayed longer
and maybe even played another nine.  When I told them that eighteen was
plenty for my first time out and that I was a bit sore, they gave in and
left it at that.  I went in and got in a hot bath, trying to soak some of
the stiffness and cramps out of my old muscles.

Saturday evening, many of the boys had dates and they spent much of the day
just kicking about the house, before they began to get ready to go out.
Our local community was having their annual field days activities, which
included a traveling carnival - complete with rides, games, and other
activities, and it was usually a fun time.  I took the younger boys there
after lunch and we stayed until dinnertime, so the boys would have time to
ride the rides, play the games, and eat the junk food before we left.  When
we got back home, the older boys were just getting ready to leave and we
talked briefly in passing.  They took the Suburban, seeing they were all
going to the same place, and then went around to pick up each of the dates.
Mark had a date too, and asked to borrow the Grand Am again, but I kind of
figured that he wasn't planning on doing the field days thing.  He seemed
to be getting quite attached to this young girl who worked at the same bank
he was working at over his vacation, and I hoped neither of them would get
hurt when the summer drew to an end and he was scheduled to go back to
college.

When the boys got to the carnival, they basically went their own way.  Some
had decided to do the rides first, enjoying the thrills of having their
dinners mixed repeatedly from the spinning, whirling, and up and down
actions of the various rides, occasionally bringing them to the point where
they could almost experience the tastes of their meals again.  Others
decided to try their hands at the games first, to see if they could win
some desired prize for their significant other, to get them a step closer
to reaching the next base in their mating game.  They shot basketballs,
knocked over bottles, shot at targets, pitched items in or around other
objects, or they took a gamble on a game of chance.  Some were successful,
while others failed miserably, but they all seemed to have a good time
trying.  The final group took their partners for a treat first, one of the
many carnival delicacies that could be obtained from one of the various
vendors, such as a candy or caramel apple, cotton candy, or a snow cone,
trying to win their loved ones' favors with something sweet.  All in all,
they each had their own ideas about how to get what they were after...and
you can apply that toward whatever you're thinking about at this time.

As the evening wore on, Dion and his date disappeared for a while, finding
their way to some dark and isolated location of the fringe of this
gathering.  There they started to make out and Dion began some major
exploration of his own.  He managed to get his hand up under her shirt,
feeling up her breasts and playing with her erect little nipples, before he
was able to work his way under her waistband and started fingering her hot
hole.  After several minutes of this activity, he had her all hot and
agreeing to let him go further, and she helped him undo his pants and
remove them, exposing his erect pole.  That's when she suddenly got cold
feet.  Seeing that monster standing tall and proud in front of her, she
changed her mind, thinking that something that big couldn't go inside of
her without causing her a great deal of pain.  I suppose something like
that could cause a virgin or inexperienced person to fear it, but Dion
tried his best to convince her that he'd be careful, go slowly, and that
he'd be very gentle.  His pleas fell on deaf ears and his chance at glory
had now ended.  After a lengthy and heated discussion, they finally made
themselves presentable again and went back to the lighted areas of the
carnival.  Dion was left very horny, frustrated, and confused, and his date
was a bit more aloof for the rest of the night.  His disappointment was
visibly showing by the time he got home, but he wouldn't discuss anything
with any of the rest of us.  It was Trey who made him feel better and got
him to open up.  When they got back to their room, Trey began to show him
some attention, stroking him and kissing various parts of his body, until
Dion responded and they ended up making love.  This had eliminated much of
the frustration that had built up in Dion earlier and he finally confided
in Trey about what had happened on his date.  Although thrilled about it
himself, Trey played the understanding brother role, trying to console Dion
and convince him that he'd do better with the next one, and Dion slowly
began to pull out of his funk, thankful that he had Trey there beside him.
It was a masterful strategy, executed perfectly by Trey, and it helped to
pull them a little closer to each other and give them a different type of
bond than they had had before.

The following Tuesday was the Fourth of July, and we held our annual
cookout and get together.  Due to the fact of how the date fell, my older
children didn't attend this year, but everyone local did.  The house was
filled with people, including the Shays, the Spences, the Beckers, Jake,
Shannon, and Sally, but the boys, including Mark, had invited their dates,
and some of the younger boys had invited some of their friends from school.
Dion had invited a new girl to this outing, after the other girl had grown
a bit distant and cold after their last encounter, and this didn't do much
for Trey's partying mood.  He was a brave trooper though and put up a good
front, not letting anyone else see how much he was actually hurting inside.
I did question him a couple of times during the day, trying to see how he
was doing, and he did let me know how he was still bothered by all of this,
but that he'd do his best to get through it.  I felt deeply for him, but
was proud at how he was handling it, and I tried to reassure him as much as
I could.  He thanked me and went out to hang around with some of the
others, but I could tell he was watching Dion out of the corner of his eye
the entire time, jealous that he was not the one with him.

Besides all the food and drinks that we provided, we also set up some other
activities to entertain our guests.  We held our own games, complete with
prizes for the winners, having a variety of activities geared to both the
young and old.  We had a sack race, a three-legged race, and a wheelbarrow
race, which were geared toward the younger crowd, but we also had a
birdseed relay race, an egg-tossing contest, and a pie-eating contest,
which the older participants would enjoy.  The birdseed relay was for
teams, with each team having a tablespoon and a small container of birdseed
at one end, and an empty cup at the other.  The idea was to scoop up a
spoonful of bird seed, hurry to the other end without spilling it all, and
then dump it into the empty cup before returning to hand the spoon off to
the next person in line.  This wasn't so much about speed as it was about
patience and steadiness, and we used birdseed so we could throw it around
later, doing something constructive with it and not litter the yard.  After
all of these activities were concluded, we sat down to play some Bingo
outdoors, a new experience for some of our younger guests.  I take it that
people tend to ignore these older and simpler games now, seeing they have
all of those electronic and computer activities to keep them occupied, but
it was nice to see them enjoy something from another, maybe gentler time.

After the games were done, the Beckers excused themselves, telling us how
they had to get home and take care of things on the farm, so we bid them
farewell and thanked them for joining us.  Shortly after they had left, we
started cooking again, because it was nearing dinnertime and everyone had
worked up another healthy appetite.  After eating for the second time, we
did things individually or in small groups until dark, then we loaded up in
several vehicles and headed to the nearby park, where they were scheduled
to set off both a ground and aerial fireworks displays.  It was quite a
show, with many different types of displays to watch, combined with the
noises and the shockwaves from the explosions, and it reminded me of some
of the Independence Day celebrations I had been part of as a boy.  I guess,
without planning it that way, we had enjoyed an old-fashioned Independence
Day observance, one that could have taken place at another point in time.
As we were leaving, many of my older guests made similar comments, telling
me how much the had enjoyed the day and how it had caused them to relive so
many memories of long forgotten times.  Overall, I think it was a very
enjoyable day.

Before they left, I also invited Jake and Shannon to join us the following
weekend, when we took the Beckers to Philadelphia to catch their flight,
telling them that we were planning to spend the rest of the weekend
sightseeing.  They readily accepted our offer, but Jake questioned how all
of us could go in one vehicle.  After discussing this further, we agreed
that I'd drive the van and Jake would follow us in the Suburban, splitting
the passengers up between the two vehicles.  It sounded like a great plan
and everyone agreed to it.  I don't know whether the boys were happier that
Shannon was going or that Jake and I would be together, but either way they
seemed thrilled.  We spent the rest of the week getting our things together
and planning what we would do while we were there.  It was also Ricky's
birthday weekend, so we'd have to make some special plans for that, as
well.

Jake took Friday off from work, so we could leave earlier in the day.  He
and Shannon also spent Thursday night at our place, so we'd be ready to
leave as early as possible in the morning, and we pulled out from our place
just after dawn.  We were going to pick up the Beckers on the way, and they
would be joining us for our Friday and Saturday activities, and then we'd
all stay at a motel near the airport, so we could see them off on their
flight on Sunday.  The Beckers were all excited and kind of nervous when we
arrived, as they hadn't been on a vacation in ages and none of them had
ever flown before.  We loaded their luggage in the rear of the Suburban and
under the seats, and then we got situated and headed out for the big city.
We arrived there just after mid-morning and decided to stop for brunch, so
we could start our sightseeing without having to worry about stopping
again.  We were all kind of anxious to see some of the sights in
Philadelphia and I had everything we were going to do planned out in my
mind.  My boys and I had flown out of the Philadelphia airport a few times,
but we had never taken the time to go into the city and see anything there.
It was strange, but we had seen more of other locations than we had those
closest to where we actually lived.

We began our first day at the US mint.  Even though they had tours seven
days a week at this time of year, we wouldn't be able to see the actual
production process on the weekend, so I determined that Friday was the best
day to go.  It was really a very interesting tour, and Little Ricky was
intrigued with learning how money was made.  He was at the front of the
group for every stop we made, ready to ask questions whenever he didn't
understand something.  It was an audio-guided tour, so I was left to try to
fill in the gaps for him, with the help of the other adults.  Our tour
began with an explanation of how the original designs for coins were made,
including the special state quarters that were now in use.  It all began
with an artist's drawing of what the coin would look like, then this design
was made into a clay sculpture, before it was turned into a plaster cast.
After that, a rubber cast was made, and then a hard epoxy cast.  Once the
epoxy cast was examined and approved, it was taken to a transfer-engraving
machine to make a small metal copy or die, which would be used to make the
individual coins.  The process of making the die would take three days but,
once the die was completed, it would be thoroughly examined for any flaws,
before it was used to make the new coins.  We even got to see several
examples of these various early steps, seeing various types of casts for
many different coins.

Now it was time to learn how the actual coins were made.  This began with
large metal rolls (each roll was the length of five football fields when
unrolled) being fed into one side of a machine that would punch out blank
metal disks, kind of on the same principle as a cookie cutter.  These blank
disks were then heated and then cooled, before they were given a bath and
dried.  Once they were all clean and shiny, they were run through a machine
called the 'riddler', which separated the good disks from the bad ones, and
the good ones went on to the next station.  Little Ricky wanted to know
what they did with the bad ones, and I surmised that he was hoping to get
one as a souvenir at that point, but I had to inform them they were all
sent back to be melted down to make a new metal roll.  He was visibly
disappointed, but he accepted it and we moved on.

The good blanks were then sent to an 'upsetting mill', which raises a rim
on both sides of the blank.  Then they are sent through a press, which
contains the die that was made earlier, and the blanks are pressed into
actual coins.  The coins are then checked for quality, counted, and put
into bags.  These bags of coins were stacked on a dolly, loaded into
armored cars, and finally taken to Federal Reserve Banks, which then passed
them on to the various local banks in their area.  Overall, the tour took
just under an hour, but it was very interesting and worth the time.  Little
Ricky was constantly asking questions about the various procedures,
commenting on what we'd seen, and as excited and animated as I had ever
seen him.  Seeing him like this now, I could hardly imagine what he would
be like when they reached Disney World and started that whole experience.
I hope his parents are well rested and ready to keep up with this little
dynamo once they get there.

After the mint, we stopped to get ice cream and drinks, and then we went to
take the 'American Trolley Tour'.  This tour took us to see three of the
most popular sites in 'old' Philadelphia.  First we went to see the Liberty
Bell, which is kept in the Liberty Bell Pavilion.  There we learned
something completely contrary to what I had always believed about it.  The
Liberty Bell had not become cracked because it was rung so long and hard
after the Declaration of Independence had been signed, as my grandfather
had told me, but it was cracked during its testing process and then
resealed in 1753.  The crack did reappear later, and it is kept wedged open
now for people to see, but I was completely floored by 'the rest of the
story', as Paul Harvey loved to say.  We were also told that the bell was
taken to Allentown in 1777, when the British occupied the city, to prevent
them from melting it down and using it to make ammunition.  Wow, these
little trips are educational.

After that we went to see Betsy Ross' house, because she was the one who
supposedly sewed the first American flag, and that took about all of five
minutes.  Well, maybe it did take longer than that, but it was a very quick
tour.  The house was neat to visit and all, as it was completely furnished
for that period, but there wasn't really all that much to see in it.  Even
the sewing room lacked the feel I had expected, as I thought there might be
some woman there pretending to be Betsy Ross and hand sewing another
colonial flag.  Unfortunately, it didn't happen like that.  From there we
went to Franklin Court, which had once contained the home of Benjamin
Franklin.  Franklin was one of those true Renaissance persons, as was
Thomas Jefferson, and he made multiple contributions to the fledgling
country, and in many different fields.  He began as a printer, but he also
made contributions as a scientist, a philosopher (including his little
adages in 'Poor Richard's Almanac'), an inventor, a statesman, a diplomat,
and the founder of the University of Pennsylvania.  When the tour was
completed, we went to check into our hotel rooms, so we could get cleaned
up and changed for dinner.  Tonight we were going to go to a pretty famous
jazz club, 'Warmdaddy's', for dinner and to listen to the live
entertainment.  They served great southern homestyle cooking and the music
was fantastic.  I had told the staff it was Ricky's birthday when we made
the reservation and I even ordered a large special cake for after dinner,
and the manager arranged for the musicians to play a jazzed up version of
'Happy Birthday' in his honor.  The other guests also seemed to get a
special kick out of this and many offered Ricky their own birthday wishes.
We took our time there, having eaten slowly while sitting and enjoying the
atmosphere and music.  Little Ricky came over and apologized to my Ricky
for not having a present for him, but he told him he'd bring something
special back for him from Disney World.  Ricky told him that wouldn't be
necessary, but Little Ricky insisted, seeing how Ricky had bought him
something special for his own birthday.  After that, we went back to our
rooms and watched a little television before we turned in.

Saturday morning we went out for breakfast together.  We sat and read our
placemats while we waited for our food to arrive, and they were loaded with
information about the city.  From reading them, we learned that
Philadelphia had been founded by William Penn in 1682 and by the time of
the American Revolution, it was the second largest English-speaking city in
the world, right after London.  It also informed us that some of the old
city streets were still paved in cobblestones, to give it the original
feel, and that it had served as the capital of the United States from 1790
until 1800, when the capital was moved to Washington, D.C.  After we
finished eating, we made our way over to Independence Hall, our first stop
for today.  This building was very important in the annals or early
American history, as it was here that the Second Continental Congress had
been convened, in May 1775, and it was where the US constitution was
drafted in 1787.  Just being in that building, you gained a sense of what
it must have been like during that period of our history, and I think we
came away with a better feel for what it was like for our founding fathers.

>From there, we made our way over to Congress Hall, which housed the first
congressional sessions.  The House of Representatives originally met on the
first floor, while the Senate held their meetings on the second floor.  The
building had been restored to that time period, giving us an indication of
what those early days of government had been like, and you could almost
imagine those early legislators standing up to argue the various issues
that had been presented to them.  In addition to this building housing
Congress, George Washington was inaugurated for his second term here, in
1793, and then, four years later, the power of the executive branch was
passed from Washington to John Adams in this same place.  Once again, it
was like taking a step into our historical past and we all were touched by
the role this building had played in our country's early years.

We decided to stop and have lunch at that point, finding a suitable place
to sit down and eat.  We talked about some of the things we had seen thus
far and Mark commented that, until this trip, he had never felt such a
sense of history before.  Living on the west coast, history there is
limited to a later period of time, except where Native American history is
concerned.  He said he had never had any connection to colonial or Civil
War era history, and he found it exciting to see these places now.  He
thanked me for arranging this for him and then he thanked the boys for
inviting him to join us when we were on vacation last year.  He explained
to them that their invitation was one of the best things that had ever
happened to him, as he made new friends and became part of another family
at the same time.  Before things got too mushy, I told them it was time to
take off for our next stop, and we made our way to the Old City Hall.  In
addition to providing the function for which it was named, this building
also had housed the US Supreme Court in those early years.  The high court
had been held in the first floor courtroom, which it shared with the
Mayor's Court, and some of the first decisions concerning how the country
should operate had been made in that very place.  After the federal
government moved, the building was just used for city business, but during
the 1890's Philadelphia became a major immigration location and many new
citizens attended their naturalization ceremonies here.

At that point, I tried to have the boys think back to what they remembered
of their family histories, seeing how many had heard about their ancestors
immigrating to this land.  Then I told them that some of their relatives
might have come through this very place or Ellis Island, which we would
visit when we went to New York City.  This simple suggestion seemed to have
a great impact on the boys, as most of them knew that someone in their past
had come here from another country, and now they could see their relatives
proceeding through this place, having their papers checked and getting
physicals to make sure they were healthy, before they were allowed to stay.
Except for the Native Americans, those arriving before the country was
formed, and possibly those with a slave heritage, the rest of our families
came through a location such as this, before they became American citizens.
It did give them much to consider, how those people had left nearly
everything and everyone behind for a chance to live a better life.  That
took a great deal of guts and determination on their part, and the boys had
them to thank for the benefits they enjoyed today, and we did take some
time to reflect on all of that.

Once we left the Old City Hall, I took everyone over to the 76 Carriage
Company and arranged for all of us to take a horse-drawn carriage ride
around the old city.  I had planned to put an adult in each carriage, but
the boys had different ideas.  They wanted the Beckers to stay together and
they insisted that Jake and I go in the same coach, so the older boys and
Mark split up in the other carriages, to help watch over the younger boys.
It was a lovely ride, slow and relaxing.  There was a gentle rocking to the
carriage, as we weren't going that fast, and we listened to the melodic
clippity-clop of the horse's shoes striking the pavement as he stayed his
course.  If this had been later in the evening, like after dark, and the
boys hadn't been there, this might have had romantic possibilities...well
at least for the Beckers.  I don't know, maybe I was beginning to have some
feelings for Jake, and the boys were making sure we were placed together as
much as they could.  I just wasn't sure if he felt the same way about me.

When the ride ended, we went back to the hotel to clean up again, and then
we left to go eat and then we were planning to go to the Chestnut Cabaret,
where they featured a variety of famous and semi-famous rock groups.  We
knew the boys would enjoy this immensely, even more than last night's visit
to Warmdaddy's, as this was more up their alley.  I think they had enjoyed
the jazz too, at least they were very good at disguising their feeling if
they hadn't enjoyed it, but I knew tonight's selections would be more to
their liking.  This evening it might be the oldsters who have to sit and be
respectful, while the younger ones enjoyed themselves.  It was all live
entertainment, but I was not familiar with any of the performers, but the
boys seemed to really get into what they were playing and they were
enjoying it immensely.  Out of everyone, it was the Beckers who seemed to
be most out of their element.  They did have a good time watching Little
Ricky get into the music, smiling as he sang along with some of the lyrics
to the songs he knew, so overall I guess you could say it was a pretty
enjoyable evening.

Sunday morning we got up early so we could eat breakfast before we took the
Beckers to catch their flight.  Little Ricky was bouncing around like the
little silver ball in a pin-ball machine, so excited that he couldn't even
seem to land in one place for very long.  We found a small church near the
hotel, so we could attend the early service, as all of us felt that we
couldn't afford to pass up this activity.  When the service had ended, we
went back and gathered up our belongings, loaded them into the vehicles,
and took our guests to the airport.  The drive wasn't all that long, though
the traffic made it seem farther than it actually was, but it didn't take
all that long for us to get there.  It's a shame the way they've had to
tighten up security because of threats of terrorism, because I would have
loved to have taken Little Ricky up to an observation deck to watch the
planes take off and land.  That's one small thrill this generation will
never be able to enjoy.  After we got them checked in and found out which
gate they'd be leaving from, we had their luggage tagged and sent off ahead
of them, and then we went to sit down and talk until it was time for them
to go to board.  The boys tried to prepare Little Ricky for what the
takeoff and landing would be like, so he wouldn't be so scared, but I
secretly think Little Ricky looked forward to all of this, and I pictured
him sitting and staring out the window, wanting to see everything that was
going on.  I think his parents were more likely the ones who might be in
need of a tranquilizer or something before they left, as they seemed a bit
more anxious than their younger counterpart.

About that time an announcement was made, informing them that the flight to
Orlando had been delayed.  We went to the ticket counter to check on that,
and that's when we found out that some problem had been discovered with the
plane and it was being repaired.  After we pressed for more information and
sought to learn how long the delay would be, airline officials told us that
the flight was being delayed until at least 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.  It would
take that long to make the repairs necessary, especially on a weekend.  We
immediately inquired about switching to another flight, but we were told
that all flights to or connecting with Orlando were already overbooked, so
the only option was to wait out the delay.  After talking it over amongst
ourselves, we decided to have the Beckers join us for our afternoon
activity and then we'd bring them back later.  I went over and made a quick
phone call, to make sure that was possible, and after a little finagling,
the arrangements were made.

What the boys didn't know at that point was what their next surprise was
going to be.  We were heading over to Veterans Stadium where we would watch
the Philadelphia Phillies play the Montreal Expos.  When we got to the
stadium, I made my way over to the ticket office, to get the tickets I had
ordered in advance and the extras I had phoned in for, and then we took a
walking tour around the stadium.  Mark seemed to be the most excited now,
and he told us that he had never been to see any professional games before
and he was quite thrilled by this opportunity.  After we had made our way
around all the public areas of the stadium, we made our way to our seats.
They were located on the lower level, just about even with first base, and
Jake and I went over to sit down, while the boys went to see if they could
talk to any of the players or get them to autograph their programs.  Yes, I
had shelled out a bundle to get everyone their own program, but it was
worth it when I saw the looks on their faces when they showed me the
autographs they had been able to get from players on both teams.  Even Mark
acted like a little boy when it came to that, and he made sure he pointed
out every player who had been so kind.  During batting practice, the boys
managed to come up with a couple of foul balls, even though they were a bit
beat up, and they brought their trophies back us to hang on to them for
them until after the game.

Jake and I talked a great deal while the boys were doing their thing,
though I was keeping a close watch on the younger ones the whole time.  The
older boys were looking after their younger brothers too, as I certainly
didn't want a repeat of Houston.  They had all been advised to use the
toilets in groups of no less than four, just for safety sake.  I didn't
want any of them to be overpowered or taken by surprise, being in a strange
location.  While Jake and I chatted, I found out that Jake was a big sports
fan, almost any sport, and he had lettered in three sports in high school.
Even though we had talked about other things before, every time I chatted
with him I learned we had even more in common.  I invited Shannon and him
to join us again next weekend, when we picked the Beckers up, telling him
that we were going to go to New York City first and do a little sightseeing
there first.  We didn't have to pick the Beckers up at the Philly airport
until Sunday afternoon, giving us the time before to do things on our own.
He said that it sounded great to him and that he'd take next Thursday and
Friday off too, so we could have even more time to get around.  I thought
that was a great idea and planned to contact Mark's boss, my friend, on
Monday, to see if I could get him off work both days as well.  Jake and I
ironed out the details about what we could do before the game started, and
everything was pretty well set by the time the first pitch was thrown.

While we were sitting there discussing things, Little Ricky was asking
Ricky about Jake and me.  He had seen us sitting together the whole time,
and he suspected we were more than just friends, so he pestered Ricky for
the details.  He asked Ricky if Jake was my boyfriend, and Ricky told him
all the boys hoped so, but they didn't know yet.  Then the little devil
thought he'd speed the process along and came up with a plan.  Pretty soon
he was standing in front of us going, "Uncle Pop's got a boyfriend, Uncle
Pop's got a boyfriend," in his sing-song voice.  The other boys heard him
and began to chuckle, not knowing that Little Ricky had asked Ricky about
the situation.  They just thought it was funny that Little Ricky had caught
on when Jake and I hadn't, well, not exactly.  I made like I was going to
grab him, and he squealed and ran off, now standing two rows farther away,
starting a new little chorus.

"Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.  First comes love,
then comes marriage, then comes Uncle Pop with a."  He stopped there,
realizing that this wasn't quite fitting the situation the way he thought
it would.  It didn't take him long before he began again, however, adapting
the childhood rhyme to fit his purposes.  "Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a
tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.  First comes love, then kind of a marriage, then Uncle
Pop puts Ricky in a baby carriage."

He turned around to find Ricky and then he pointed at him and laughed.  The
other boys were getting a big kick out of all this, and their laughter was
only encouraging our little comedian even more.  Ricky feigned shock and
anger over being included, distracting Little Ricky long enough for Jake
and me to work our way over the seats and grab him.  His eyes bugged out of
his head as we gripped his arms and lifted him in the air, then Jake let me
have both arms, while he grabbed both legs, and we started tugging on him
like it was a taffy pull.  He was squealing in delight, and even some of
the ballplayers were getting a kick out of our antics, and after a bit of
this torture, we put him down and started tickling him.

"That will teach you to pick on us, you little rascal.  Is it still funny?"
I asked him.

"Yep," he blurted out, between giggles.  Then he started reciting that
verse again, but we tickled him harder, until he was forced to stop.
Finally we called a truce, giving us all a chance to catch our breath, when
the boys started calling for Little Ricky.  They were still standing down
by the field and he went there to see what they wanted, only to discover
that one of the players intended to give him one of their practice balls,
thanking him for the diversion and entertainment.  Little Ricky was all
smiles at that point, being congratulated by the other boys and made a big
fuss over, then they all made their way back up to their seats, told us all
about it, and then they stayed there for the rest of the time.

Before the game began, I spotted three young gentlemen sitting in the row
in front of us and went up to make a proposition to them.  I offered them
the three more expensive better seats I had purchased over the phone, in
exchange for their seats, so the Beckers could sit with us.  At first they
thought it was some kind of a scam, so I walked them over to the seats, got
an usher to confirm that they were legit, and then the young men gave me
their tickets.  They were thrilled to trade up and I was happy that the
Beckers could stay near us.  It all worked out and everyone was happy.

Once the game began, everyone seemed pretty interested in it.  A couple of
the boys were even Phillies fans, while others liked the Pirates, Mets,
Yankees, or Orioles, the other teams closest to where we lived.  We could
usually see those games on TV and were able to keep track of how they were
doing, so it was easier to maintain an affinity to the players.  Anyway,
everyone seemed to have something different they were focusing on during
the game.  Some of the boys were keeping score in their programs, while
others sat on the edge of their seats, ready to chase after any foul ball
that came in our direction.  Some of the boys just watched certain players,
while others concentrated how specific positions were played.  Frankie was
having a good time watching the umpires, noticing how they took control of
the game and kept things moving, but they still managed to joke around with
some of the players and fans.  Personally, I was interested in the
different managers' strategy, challenging Jake to see which of us could
predict what they'd do next, be it calling for a hit-and-run, a pitchout, a
bunt, a pinch-hitter, or bringing in a reliever.  As the game went on,
neither of us was doing all that well, though we still thought we were
calling a better game than the two bozos in the dugouts.  Too bad we didn't
get paid what they do for doing the same thing.

Besides my sitting next to Jake, Mark came and joined us, sitting on my
other side.  Mark was having a good time making comments about the game and
asking me why I thought one team or the other should do a certain thing
after I had predicted they should.  Before long the three of us were
discussing the finer points of the game and arguing strategy, happy to
amuse ourselves this way while we watched the players doing their part on
the field.  After the seventh inning stretch, Andrew came over and sat on
my lap, getting a bit bored and a little tired.  He spent the rest of the
game cuddled up against my chest, just barely staying awake.  Overall, it
wasn't a bad game, and it was fairly exciting, as the Phillies ended up
winning it 8 - 5.  We had all been filling up on junk food during the game,
so no one was really hungry, therefore we just decided to take our time and
drive the Beckers back to the airport and wait with them there until their
plane took off.

When we arrived back at the airport, we noticed that their flight number
still said 'delayed', but by the time we went to make another inquiry about
how much longer it would be, a new time was posted.  It now said the flight
would be taking off in less than an hour.  They all seemed less nervous
this time, probably because they hadn't been thinking about the flight and
they were a bit tired from the long day in the hot sun, but they were all
still a bit on edge.  When the time came for them to board their flight, we
watched them pass through the metal detectors, while their carry-on luggage
was sent through the x-ray machine, then we bid them a safe flight and told
them to keep in touch.  We went out and got in our vehicles and drove to a
spot where we could watch a few planes take off, not sure if any of them
was the Becker's flight.  We all imagined the last one was, so we were
satisfied to be on our way home.  We decided to drive straight home
afterward, only stopping for potty breaks and one small snack.  It had been
dark for a few hours before we got home and everyone was fairly exhausted.
I took Jake and Shannon back to their place, as Jake had to work the next
day, while the boys went in our house to shower and get ready for bed.
When I returned home, Mark was waiting to thank me again for the good time
he had this weekend, but I felt he wanted more.  We sat down to talk, just
by ourselves in the living room, and he opened up to me in a way I never
expected.

"You know, when I was little, I always dreamed of doing things like this
with my father.  I always thought someday he'd show up and take me to a
ball game or on a vacation, but none of that ever happened until today.
Sure, my mom did everything she could for me and we went places together,
but it was never the same as in my dreams.  Mom wasn't into sports, so I
never bothered her about things like that, but you'll never know how
special this weekend will always be to me.  Today it was like you were my
dad and I was finally able to do some of those things I was beginning to
think I'd never get an opportunity to do.  I owe you so much, not just for
the time in Arizona, or for my job, or for bringing me here to stay with
your family, but for all of that and for filling a hole in my heart that I
thought could never be healed.  I no longer feel a void in my soul or envy
other people for what they had that I didn't.  I don't feel like I'm
missing out on anything any more.  Now I have you and all your boys, and
you've all made me feel like I'm part of your family.  Thank you so much,
and I really mean that."

At the point, I was pretty speechless, had a lump in my throat, and tears
in my eyes.  Seeing I couldn't say anything in reply, I just leaned over
and gave Mark a big hug, hoping he could get my answer through my embrace.
Before I knew what was happening, we were both standing and he was hugging
me as hard as I was hugging him.  Finally he broke our hug and looked at
me, tears now filling both of his eyes.  It took him a few seconds to find
his tongue, but eventually he spoke again.

"Thank you.  You don't know how much that meant to me.  You just seem to
know what I need, even when I'm not sure of it myself."

"Hey, it's just an instinct, gained from having so many sons.  Even though
too many fathers and older adults don't believe in it, sometimes a boy just
needs a hug from his dad or special male friend, to let him know that he is
important and worth such affection."

Mark just nodded at me for a few seconds, choking back his emotions.  When
he finally regained his self-control, he spoke to me again.  "You know,
I've wanted to hug you like that before, especially when I've seen you do
that with the other boys, but I wasn't sure how you'd react.  I am quite a
bit older than they are, and I wasn't sure if you'd be offended if I did
that to you."

"Never!" I chided him, letting him know that I meant it.  "Remember, you're
one of my boys too, even though I haven't adopted you.  You can do anything
any of the other boys can do, so don't even think twice about it."

"Does that mean everything you let them do?"

"Of course it does.  As long as you're here, you can do whatever any of the
other boys are allowed to do.  You are part of our family, so you're no
different than anyone else.  If you have any questions about what things
that might include, just ask one of the other boys or me.  They can pretty
much give you the answers too."

"Okay, thanks, and I will.  I'm glad I've got another month to go here."

"Me too."  I hesitated a second before I spoke again.  "Aren't you going
home to see your mother before you go back to college?"

"Of course I am.  I'm going back to spend my last week with her before I
return to college.  But that still leaves me a month and three or four days
here, and I plan to make the most of it."

"So do I, starting with next weekend."

"Why?  What's next weekend?"

"Next weekend we pick up the Beckers on Sunday and take them back to their
home, but the rest of us are going to spend a few days in New York City
first, so you can see the sights there too."

"That sounds great, but aren't you spending a lot of money on all of this?"

"Money's no object when it comes to one of my sons' happiness."  Mark just
smiled after I said that and he came over and gave me a big hug.  Now I
realized that I'd have to make some small changes in next weekend's plans,
so I'll have to make some calls tomorrow to get things set up.  I really
want to make next weekend extra special for Mark.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.