Date: Sat, 10 May 2003 20:52:39 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 6, chapter 17

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, and Art for his additional input on each chapter.

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 6-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 17 - Pomp and circumstance.               November 2002

The next thing on our calendar was Mark's graduation, the second weekend in
May.  I had sent his mother a plane ticket, telling her we'd meet her
there, as I knew her money situation, though improved, was still not that
good.  Seeing our local school wasn't out yet, I didn't think all the boys
needed to make this trip, so I was the only one to accompany Mark to his
graduation.  He told me later that he actually preferred it that way, as it
made him feel as if his father were accompanying him to his graduation, and
made him feel that he wouldn't be so different from the other graduates in
attendance.  Even though Mark is now an adult, and is graduating from
college, the pain and disappointment associated with growing up without a
father has never seemed to have left him.  For that reason, I was glad I
could at least serve as a substitute on this occasion, and ease some of the
hurt he had borne for many years.  However, my part in this would be small,
because his mother would also be there, and she had been his whole world
for most of his life, so my importance would probably end, once she joined
us.

On the plane, Mark was very talkative, and he told me several things I
doubt he had ever shared with anyone else before.  Even though he
remembered next to nothing about his father, he did have many strong
emotions still tied to those early years, when he and his mother were on
their own.  He told me how they had struggled to survive after his father
left, as his mother didn't have many skills and therefore had to accept
very low-paying jobs just to pay the rent and have enough left over to buy
food with.  Then she would work a second low-paying job, to make enough
money to provide what clothing they had to wear, and to cover the utilities
and other bills.  He told me how their church helped them get other things,
including a few simple luxuries they were able to enjoy, and how the pastor
brought them a Christmas basket for several years, just to make sure they
wouldn't have to suffer through the holidays without something special to
look forward to.  This basket would contain food for their Christmas
dinner, a few sweets, a little something for Mark's mother, and some sort
of a game or toy for him.  He said they always appreciated that gift
basket, but as he grew older, Mark became embarrassed that they had to
accept a handout like that.

As soon as he was old enough to work, Mark started taking jobs mowing
lawns, raking leaves, babysitting, running errands, and eventually
delivering newspapers.  He then offered the money he made to his mother,
trying to make things easier for her, but she wouldn't accept his earnings,
so he began to buy his own things, so his mother wouldn't have to.  He
bought his own clothing, his own school supplies, and what few additional
things he wanted, so his mother could use the money she would have spent on
him to purchase things for herself.  He told me he didn't think his mother
ever did that, instead saving that money up, so she could buy him more for
his birthdays or for the holidays.

He told me that as he grew older, and progressed to the middle grades, his
mother began to take courses at a two-year college.  While he was in high
school, she graduated from college, and received her two-year degree.  At
that point, she was able to secure a much better paying job, though she
still continued to work two jobs, trying to put away some money for Mark to
use for college.  She emphasized many times that the key to his success and
future would be a good education, so he worked hard in high school, and
then at college, so he could repay his mother for all her sacrifices.

During those more plentiful years, Mark continued to work, but he would
save all his money now, and add it to his college fund money.  When it was
time for him to attend college, he used that money, combined with what
financial aid he was able to secure, loans he took out, and the money he
made by working part time jobs to pay for his tuition, room, and board.
His mother still continued to send him money, to help cover the costs of
books and other expenses that would pop up, and now he was looking forward
to doing something special to repay her for all of that.

At this point I began to question him about her, finding out what she did,
what she was like, and whether or not she'd be willing to relocate.  He
looked kind of surprised when I asked him if she'd be willing to move, and
I guess he had never considered this option.  I then explained to him that,
seeing he was working in Pennsylvania and didn't plan on returning to the
area where his mother lived, I wondered if she might be willing to move
closer to him, so they could still be together.  That way he could help
take care of her and see her on a regular basis, without having to find
another job.  After thinking this over with him, he agreed it was a
wonderful idea, and he told me he'd discuss it with her after the
graduation ceremony was over.  He thanked me for the suggestion, telling me
it was something he might not have thought of on his own, but he considered
it a perfect solution for this situation.

Mark and I discussed many other topics after that, including his burning
desire to have a father he could do things with, especially when he was
younger.  When he was little, he longed to play catch with his father, go
places with him, or just have his father show him some affection.  He said
for years it hurt him so much, because he didn't have anyone to fill that
role, that he would often lie in bed at night wondering what he had done to
make his father leave him.  Just when he thought he was over all of that, I
came along and fulfilled some of his dreams.  He told me that after we met,
he would tell his friends about me, when they asked him about his father,
and he fantasized that I had been there for him all his life.  He told me
he knew it was a childish thing to do, though I tried to reassure him it
was not, and that many people fantasize about various things in their
lives.  He told me that thinking of me this way made him finally feel like
he belonged somewhere, and it also made him feel so good to be able to
think that he actually had a father he could count on.

He told me he hoped I didn't mind him doing that, and I told him, if
anything, I was flattered.  I assured him he could feel free to use me as
his surrogate father, and I'd love to help him in any way I could.  He
informed me that just coming to his graduation with him, and sending his
mother money for the ticket was more than enough.  He explained that she
had been using all her extra money to help pay for his education, so it was
still rough for her financially, but he knew she would have scraped the
money together somehow, so she could be there when he graduated.  Since I
sent her the ticket, she could still be there, but it wouldn't cause her
any financial hardship.  He explained the best part about it was, because
the ticket came from me, she didn't dare refuse it and send it back.  She
had told Mark that she didn't want to take the chance that she would offend
me, if she refused the ticket, especially after all I'd done for him, like
helping him get a good job.  I laughed at the fact that I had inadvertently
intimidated his mother, and then I told him I have always been glad to help
in whatever way I could, and I would be doing more for him in the future.
At that point, he hugged me and whispered in my ear.  "Thanks, Dad.  You're
actually better than I ever dreamed you'd be."

I was deeply touched by that comment, and after a few tearful moments
together, we settled back to enjoy the rest of the trip.  When we arrived
at the airport, I picked up the keys to the rental car, and then we waited
for his mother's plane to arrive.  Her plane was scheduled to touch down
about forty-five minutes after ours, so we decided it would be best if we
waited there for her, rather than wandering off.  During the interim, I
took Mark to have a beer with me, sort of a congratulatory drink, but also
to help him settle down.  Between his upcoming graduation and seeing his
mother again, he was pacing about like an expectant father, and he had the
nerves of a bridegroom waiting for the wedding to begin.  Seeing there was
still more time before she arrived, we had a second drink, but we kept our
eyes on the arrival-departure screen, as we wanted to know the exact moment
her plane landed.

Mark was actually the one who saw the screen change, denoting his mother's
plane had touched down, so we rushed to the luggage area to meet her.  Once
he spotted his mother, Mark ran over to her and began to hug and kiss her,
before he lifted her off the ground and swung her around, like some sort of
dance move.  When he finished that excited greeting, he set her down again,
and then he dragged her over to meet me.  Although I knew he'd do that, I
was surprised by what he said.  "Mom, I'd like you to meet my new dad, Josh
Currie.  And, Dad, this is my mom, Susan Williams."

The two of us looked awkwardly at each other for a few seconds, and then
she broke the silence.  "It's Sue, and I'm glad that Mark has finally found
someone he can trust and rely on as a role model."  She smiled at me.

"And I'm Josh, and I'm pleased to meet you too.  Thanks for the compliment,
but I'm pretty fond of this young man.  He's done a tremendous job handling
my personal accounts, and those of our foundation, and he's also become a
valued addition to my family.  My boys all think the world of him, and it's
been a pleasure to have him with us, for the past couple of summers."

"Well, I know he's enjoyed it too," she responded, "and I'm glad he's had
such a caring family to spend time with."

After we had exchanged a little more small talk, Mark picked up his
mother's luggage and took it to the car.  We drove over to the motel first,
so we could check in, as I'd reserved a room for her, and another for Mark
and myself.  I wanted us to be able to go to our rooms, so we could clean
up quickly, because I wanted to take them both out to dinner tonight.  The
graduation ceremony wasn't until the following afternoon, and this would
give us time to get to know each other better.

Although Mark's mother was hesitant to let me do this for them, she finally
gave in, and we went out and had a great time.  The restaurant was nice,
the food was excellent, the wine was delicious, but the conversation was
more than outstanding.  I let Mark and his mother carry on the conversation
at first, as he filled her in on everything he'd been doing, told her about
his new girlfriend, and then he brought up the topic of whether or not she
might be willing to move, as it looked like he'd be staying in
Pennsylvania.  He told her he loved his job, made good money, and couldn't
see returning home, and she looked a little sad when he first told her
that.  After a brief pause, for her to take some time to consider his
proposition, she finally responded.

"Mark, the only thing I have in this world that's important to me is you,
so if that is where you plan to live, I'd be happy to live there too.  That
is, if you want me to live that close to you."

"Want?  I need you to be there, so I don't have to worry about you or miss
you all the time.  Then I'll have my mom and dad in the same place."  She
glanced at me again when he said that, so I decided it was time for me to
say something to Mark, about how he referred to me.

"Mark, I don't think your mother feels comfortable with you referring to me
like that.  Maybe you should just call me Josh."  Now he looked at me, and
then at her, but she responded before he had a chance to say anything about
my comment.

"It's not that it bothers me, Josh, but I was afraid it might bother you.
I know how badly Mark has always wanted a father in his life, and it always
pained me that I couldn't do anything to help him in that respect.  I was
happy to learn that he thought that much of you, and that he wanted you to
fill that void for him, but I wanted to make sure that was all right for
you too.  I didn't want him pressuring you into anything you weren't ready
for or didn't want."

"That certainly is not the case here," I tried to reassure her, and Mark.
"I'm honored that Mark feels this way about me, and I couldn't be any
prouder of him, even if he were my biological son.  I have many adopted
sons, as you're probably well aware, but there is always room for one more.
I'm very willing, and very happy to be a surrogate father for him, if
that's what he wants, and, of course, if it meets with your approval."

"Are you kidding?  It's been a secret dream of mine that Mark would find
someone to fill that role in his life, and ease his pain.  I just want to
thank you for being there for him."

"It is certainly my pleasure, and he's done as much for my family and me,
as I could ever do for him.  No, he's probably done more, but I shall try
to make up to him for that."

At that point, his mother stood up, and walked toward me.  As I stood to be
polite, she embraced me with every ounce of strength she had, and then she
kissed me on the cheek.  When I looked down at her, her eyes were filled
with tears, though I knew they were tears of happiness, and she thanked me
once more, telling me that Mark had made an excellent choice.  After that
we sat and talked a little more, over coffee and dessert, and then I even
asked her to dance with me, as there was a small dance floor and a
three-piece band.  I think Mark got a big kick out of this, seeing his mom
and dad dancing like that, maybe fulfilling another of his fantasies.  All
in all, it was a very nice evening.  When it was over, we went back to our
rooms and turned in for the night, because we had another long day ahead of
us tomorrow.

The next day I drove everyone to Mark's graduation.  Almost as soon as we
got there, he went off to join his class, and he looked extremely handsome
in his cap and gown.  After he left, his mother and I went off to find our
seats, trying to select a good vantage point to watch this from.  As we sat
and waited, we watched the other proud parents enter and make their way to
their seats, and this brought back memories of when my own children
graduated from college.  It wasn't much longer before the ceremony began,
and we both stood and applauded when Mark received his degree.  We were
both amazed to learn that he had graduated summa cum laude, which meant he
graduated with second highest honors, as he had not indicated to either of
us that he had done so well.  We were both busting at the seams, waiting to
see him in person and congratulate him.  We both gave him hell for not
informing us beforehand about his receiving honors, but then we praised him
for how well he had done.  He responded to our chiding by informing us that
he wanted to surprise us, and then he left it at that, which was typical of
Mark.

After enjoying a celebratory meal after the ceremony, we all got our things
and headed for the airport, to catch our flights.  Before we parted ways,
we informed Mark's mother to start packing once she got back home, as she'd
soon be moving nearer to us.  I told her I'd arrange for her to stay with
friends, until she had a chance to select a place of her own, and then we'd
help her find a job, which shouldn't be too difficult, considering her
field.  She was a dental hygienist, and there always seemed to be a
constant demand for individuals with that training, at least right now.
She thanked us both, kissed her son good-bye, and then we all headed to the
gates our flights would be leaving from.

Although we talked a little more on the flight home, we spent most of our
time sleeping.  We arrived home Sunday morning, picking up our car and
driving from there.  I had already talked to Mark about holding his
graduation party the following weekend, in conjunction with Frankie's
graduation, and he didn't seem to have any problem with this, seeing we had
celebrated it with his mother while we were there.  Now, we would hold one
big party for the college graduates, and then another big party the
following weekend for the high school graduates, but everyone seemed fine
with that plan.  Even though Mark's graduation might have been more
prestigious than Frankie's two-year degree, I knew it would probably be
Frankie's only degree, so I wanted to make a big deal out of that too.
Besides, Mark didn't know that many people in our area, at least not to
invite to something like this, and this would allow the family to come for
just two, instead of three parties.  I think it was actually for the best,
even though some people would only be able to make it for one of the
parties, but they would congratulate everyone at that time.

When it came time for Frankie to graduate, we all went to the ceremony, as
it was close to home and would only last a couple of hours.  Although
Frankie wouldn't be graduating with honors, or anything like that, it was
quite an accomplishment for him, seeing school was not one of his favorite
things in life.  Frankie had always had to work hard to get through his
classes, and he did well, though not outstanding.  Knowing his personality
and how he applied himself, I knew he would do well in his chosen field, as
he was a worker and didn't give up easily.  I'm not exactly sure what he is
planning to do, now that he had his degree, but I know it will be something
to do with law enforcement.  I have offered suggestions to him, trying to
help him identify what would be best for him, but I'm sure he'll bring a
certain amount of compassion with him to any job, as well as his tenacity.

His graduation took place on Friday night, so we all went out to dinner
before the ceremony.  I had told the restaurant what the occasion was, when
I reserved our usual room, and I knew there would be many other families
going there to celebrate as well.  When we arrived, we discovered that the
staff had decorated the place with the college's school colors, and there
were mortarboard silhouettes and diploma scrolls decorating the wall.  This
would honor all the graduates who came there to eat, but there was
something more they had done, something specifically for us.  When we
entered the dining room, we noticed they had hung a special sign there,
which read, ' A special congratulations to graduate Frankie Currie.'

Frankie blushed a bit when his brothers pointed this out to him, and of
course that was part of the reason he was blushing.  His brothers could be
unmerciful at times, especially when they thought they could embarrass one
of the others over something, and this sign was one of those opportunities.
Although they were proud of his accomplishment, they would not pass up this
chance to make sport of him.

"Should that be graduate Frankie Currie, or Officer Frankie Currie?" Pat
teased.

"It probably should have read, 'brownnoser' Frankie Currie," Ricky
responded, "as I'm sure that's the only way he could get through some of
those classes."

"Hey, that's not fair," Sammy said, coming to Frankie's defense.  "Frankie
isn't dumb.  He probably just threatened his professors, telling them he'd
beat them up, if they didn't pass him."

Frankie knew better than to respond to any of these comments, as that would
just encourage his brothers to keep going.  Instead, he just smiled,
nodded, or made a slight face at their barbs, letting them know that he
could take whatever they had to dish out.  This seemed to work, as the boys
stopped needling him a few minutes later, unhappy that they couldn't get
more of a rise out of him from their efforts.  Now we just sat down and
prepared to order.

The dinner went smoothly, and everyone enjoyed himself, and I was just
preparing to ask for the bill, when the staff brought out a cake, in
Frankie's honor.  I looked at Jake, and he shrugged and looked at me, and
now I knew neither of us had ordered this little surprise.  I signaled to
the manager, and he came over, quickly informing me that this was just a
little something from the restaurant, to thank us for our continued
patronage.  I thanked him, had Frankie thank him, and then we were all
served a piece of cake.  After that I told him to give a piece to the other
graduates dining there, from what remained of the cake after we had our
share.  He smiled, thanked us, and I paid the bill, leaving a nice tip for
their efforts.

The ceremony was the typical graduation variety, except Frankie probably
had the largest cheering section of anyone there.  As he strode up to
receive his degree, all his brothers stood up and whistled, cheered, or
clapped when he accepted it.  I thought this might embarrass him again, but
this time he merely looked in our direction, raised both his arms above his
head, his diploma clutched securely in one fist, and he smiled, and let out
a sort of war whoop.  I think this stunned the college president, who had
just awarded him his diploma, but he smiled too, as Frankie pointed to all
of us, and held his diploma proudly in front of himself.  He had certainly
earned the right to celebrate a little.

Due to the fact that it would be late when the ceremony concluded, we had
decided to hold the party late Saturday afternoon instead of tonight, and
then let it run into the evening.  It wasn't going to be a fancy sort of a
get together, instead being more like one of our cookouts.  Jake had
offered to man the grill for us, to whip off burgers, hot dogs, sausages,
and chicken, but there would also be a table set up, with other selections
on it.  There would be large pans of potato and macaroni salads, another of
coleslaw, and one with baked beans, but that wouldn't be all.  There would
also be bags of chips and pretzels, pickles, olives, hot peppers, other
condiments, and two large cakes, one for Mark and one for Frankie.  There
would also be plenty of soda, and a keg of beer, for those old enough to
drink, although I planned to allow Frankie to celebrate with a couple of
glasses of beer, if he wanted.

On Saturday afternoon, the party kicked off, and the guests began to
arrive.  Both boys were very proud of their accomplishments, and welcomed
the congratulations of those in attendance, and made their way through the
gathering, to speak to each and every one there.  As the day continued,
everyone seemed to be having a really good time, and our guests found a
variety of ways to entertain themselves, and each other.  The party went on
until well after dark, as no one seemed overly anxious to see it come to an
end.  I did notice that Cody turned in before the party wound down
completely, and he did look quite tired, but I knew we'd all had a pretty
exhaustive day, so I wasn't overly concerned.  Who could blame him for
tiring out after such a long day?

After the party broke up, and our guests had left, we picked up the area
quickly, planning to finish up cleaning the rest of the mess the next day.
Jake and I went around the house before we turned it, to check on things
and make sure everyone was all right.  When I went in and checked on Cody,
he seemed fine.  He and Graham were cuddled up together, and he was
sleeping peacefully, maybe just a little warm, but that could have been
just because of the body heat the two of them were generating together.  As
there didn't seem to be any problems, Jake and I turned in too, looking
forward to a little rest of our own.

On Sunday, after we went to church and I took everyone out to brunch, we
began making plans for the following weekend's graduation party.  It would
be for the three high school graduates, Pat, Ricky, and Jay.  All of them
had already been accepted into college, but their majors were as varied as
their personalities.  As you know, Ricky planned to go into marketing, as
we joked it was either that or his becoming a con-artist, but Pat planned
to major in electrical engineering, while Jay wanted to become an
architect.

The following week actually passed pretty quickly, and before we knew it,
it was time to honor our next set of graduates.  This ceremony took place
Saturday afternoon, on the football field, and we all piled into the
bleachers to watch them come out.  As the graduates came marching out to
take their seats, I recognized something immediately, and I knew Ricky had
been responsible for this.  As soon as they sat down, I could read the
message on their graduation caps, that is the caps that Pat, Ricky, and Jay
were wearing.  Each cap contained one word, which when put together made a
statement.  In order, from left to right they read, 'We're', 'Outta',
'Here'.  It wasn't grammatically correct, but we understood what they
meant, and there was no doubt in my mind that Ricky was behind this
farewell message.

I had been asked to hand out the diplomas, as Superintendent, but I bowed
out, explaining that I would rather be with my family at this time, so the
school board asked the high school principal to do the honors.  He seemed
pleased and accepted the responsibility, using the vice-principal to assist
him, freeing me up to be just another parent in the crowd.  The ceremony
proceeded quite quickly, for a high school graduation, including the
keynote speech, which was given by a local state senator.  After the speech
concluded, the diplomas were presented, and Pat was the first of the trio
to receive his diploma.  He was very happy to be receiving his diploma, as
was indicated by the huge grin on his face, and his actions were very
dignified, as he did everything as he had been instructed to.  Ricky was
next, but of course he did a little showboating after he received his
sheepskin.  After shaking the principal's hand, he turned and waved at us,
but that wasn't all.  Before he left the platform, he did a cartwheel,
letting us all see that he had obviously shed the pants he was wearing when
we arrived.  He now had on a pair of shorts, but you couldn't tell
beforehand that he had been wearing them under his gown.  His little
shenanigans drew a few chuckles from the audience, and a look of disgust
from the principal.  I'm glad I hadn't been the one handing out the
diplomas at that point.

Jay came up after Ricky, to receive his diploma, but he wasn't as
demonstrative as my blond-haired whirlwind.  After he was handed his
diploma, Jay merely did a little celebratory dance across the stage,
obviously having been encouraged by Ricky's performance.  He also lifted
the bottom of his gown, showing that he too was wearing shorts at that
point, but the show of Jay's knobby knees and skinny legs brought a little
chuckle from the audience.  Jay's parents were sitting in front of us, and
they were a little surprised by Jay's little outburst, but not upset by any
means.  We all knew our boys, and this really didn't shock any of us.  It
was just another example of the type of things our free-spirited
mischief-makers enjoyed pulling on the unsuspecting, in this case, those in
attendance.  Of course I knew my 'Puck' was most likely the instigator in
this case, although I knew Jay followed him willingly, and knowingly, down
all the winding roads he led him over.

Once the ceremony was concluded, Jake and I left to go get things ready for
the party, taking some of the younger boys with us.  We left the Suburban
with the older boys, so they could drive Pat and Ricky back home, once they
got through clowning around with their friends.  Jay's parents would be
coming to, bringing Jay with them, but they were going home first, to pick
up some things they were going to provide for the party.  We had planned to
hold this jointly, as the two boys were almost like twins most of the time
anyway, and we knew they'd enjoy it more if they didn't have to worry about
running to the other one's party.  Besides, that would leave more of us to
help keep things from getting out of control, not that we were really
worried about that.

Actually the party went very smoothly.  Some of their friends came early,
but told the boys they'd be back later, after they made their rounds, and
some had arranged it so they would come here last, so they could spend more
time.  The boys actually left for a couple of hours, during the middle of
the party, to check out some of the other bashes going on, but we explained
that fact to everyone, and they all understood.  We all knew the boys would
have to visit their friends' parties too, if just for a short time.

The party at our house continued on into the evening.  We had already seen
many of the boys' friends and their parents, and we'd seen many of their
teachers too.  We had talked to all the other graduates when they arrived,
finding out what plans they had, now they were out of high school, and we
were surprised by the variety of responses we got.  Of course many were
going on to college, but some were looking for jobs, while still others
planned on joining various branches of the armed forces.  A couple of the
more adventurous grads planned on taking some time off from studying, and
doing some traveling in the interim.  They said they'd reconsider their
other options, once they were tired of seeing other parts of the country.

Our extended family also had a good time being together again, and they
quizzed the boys about their plans as well.  The boys were more than happy
to fill them in on what they were going to do, telling them where they
planned to go and what they planned to study.  If the questioner seemed
really interested, they'd even explain why they chose that area in the
first place.  These three could be quite well spoken when they wanted to
be, and when they didn't see a chance to torture, embarrass, or get even
with someone else as a more appealing option.

Although the party continued on, Cody came up and said good night to me
some time between 10:00 and 11:00.  I asked him if everything was all
right, and he just told me he was a little tired, so he was going to go to
bed.  Graham was saying good night too, as he was going to go with him, so
I kissed both boys on the forehead and wished them sweet dreams.  I made a
mental note to check on him later, though I wasn't really that concerned,
because I knew we'd all had another long and hectic day.

Our party didn't break up until after midnight, as everyone seemed to be
enjoying himself so much and we had decided to let it continue until the
guests determined they had had enough.  The topics discussed and the things
we did were varied, and we enjoyed them so much, that we were all surprised
at how late it had become, before the party did begin to break up.  Many of
my former pupils were among the graduates, and they each came over to speak
to me personally, at some point, often telling me some little anecdote
about their time in my school.  It was quite enjoyable, and brought back
many memories, and there was only one student whom I didn't have totally
fond memories of, but he had seemed to change his ways, as he grew older.
He and I also had a pleasant conversation, and I was quite surprised to
learn that he planned to go on to college, as academics was never his
strong suit when he was in my school.  He thanked me for not letting him
get away with some of the things he had tried to do, and for standing by
him, when some of the teachers wanted him suspended or expelled.  He told
me if that had happened, he might have turned out differently, and given in
to the other side of his personality.  He then told me he might have even
been in jail by now, if I hadn't had some faith in him and tried to show
him that he could do better.  I was touched by that comment, and I told him
I was glad to see he had grown and matured, adding that if I had any part
in that process, I was pleased I was able to help.  We talked a while
longer, discussing his future, and then he actually hugged me before he
left.  I guess there are some rewards educators receive that can help to
make up for the lack of monetary gains.

When the party finally broke up, Jake, I, and the boys picked up only the
things that had to be dealt with on a timely fashion, such as the food, but
we let everything else go until the following day, when we'd have more
time, and the strength to do it with.  Before I turned in, however, I did
go in and check on Cody again.  He and Graham seemed to be sleeping
peacefully, wrapped up in each other's arms, and I placed my hand on his
forehead, just to see if he had a fever.  He temperature felt normal to me,
so I didn't wake him, and he looked peaceful enough, so I let them both be.
I'd check on him again in the morning, but everything appeared to be fine
for now.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW".  This will
give you the links for everything I have posted there.

E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.