Date: Sat, 8 Feb 2003 20:32:31 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-Book 6, chapter 4

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 to Art for proofreading it for me.

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.

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The new character in this chapter is dedicated to a very
brave and special young man, who touched my soul and brightened the lives
of all who knew him.  Seeing he claimed this series was his favorite, I
decided to honor him by making him part of it.  We all love you and miss
you, Cody, and I hope you can appreciate this.

Bill

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 6-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 4 - Endings and beginnings.               August 2002

When I awoke the next morning, I had a boy tightly pressed against each
side of me.  One was Nigel's fourteen-year old cousin, Will, and the other
was Graham.  For a kid who could communicate with the dead, he often let my
stories affect him, which kind of surprised me.  Maybe with his knowledge
that the dead do sometimes move among us, possibly this gave my stories
more credence that such a thing might possibly be true.  Who knows?  I
certainly don't.

The second day was pretty much like the first, as we spent much of the time
at the lake, and then the boys played games of their own device.  My boys
taught Nigel's boys about a game called capture the flag, and they used a
red and a purple t-shirt, tied to sticks, to be used as the flags.  It was
wild sitting back and watching the boys sneak, crawl, creep, and slither
through the woods, trying to capture the other team's flag, but it was one
of Nigel's boys, Kjetil, who finally did so, thus ending the game.

That night I let Nigel tell the boys stories about English ghosts, to keep
them happy, including the tale of two young princes, murdered by their
uncle, who are still rumored to roam the Tower of London.  He also told of
a couple of Scottish ghosts, who were a bit more rambunctious and
troublesome, and he also told of a Welsh ghost, rumored to have driven
people out of the country estate that it haunted.  The boys listened
carefully to Nigel's lengthy rendering, and then it started to drizzle,
just as he was finishing his stories.  We all began to hustle to get to our
tents, after making sure the fire was out, and I reminded the boys to try
not to touch the sides of the tent tonight, as that would allow the
moisture to seep through.  They acknowledged that they understood, as we
moved out of the rain and into our shelters.

Three of the boys, who were sleeping in a small two-man mountain tent, came
into my tent about halfway through the night.  Apparently as they tossed
and turned during the night, they inadvertently dragged their hands across
the nylon fabric of the tent, thus allowing some of the rain to leak in.
Soon they were getting damp, so they rushed out of their tent and into
ours, to get away from the water.  Understanding their dilemma, we squeezed
them in between the rest of us, making it a bit cramped, but not
uncomfortable.  Thank goodness our uninvited guests were three of the
smallest of the boys in the group.

By morning the rain had stopped, but we decided to wait and eat breakfast
once we got back in to the main area.  We packed up our gear, drying as
much of the wet items as we could, and then made our way to our rented
living quarters.  When we got back, we discovered that there was going to
be a dance in the Clubhouse tonight, after dinner.  It was primarily for
the younger people to have something to do, and to give them a chance to
get to know each other better, but the adults were told theey could
participate too.  My boys who were interested in the girls liked this idea,
but my gay boys began to ask me if I thought they might be able to dance
with their partners too.  I told them that I would discreetly inquire and
let them know later, but they shouldn't build their expectations until I
found out for sure.  They seemed to be satisfied with that response, and we
went about our planned activities.

During the day there were other activities planned, including pool,
ping-pong, and shuffleboard competitions for the kids.  Ribbons were going
to be given out to the winners, and the boys thought it would be fun to
take part.  While they were doing that, I found the resort director, and
asked him a few discreet questions.

"Because of the dance tonight, I just had a few questions that I need you
to answer for me.  I know that there aren't enough young girls here,
compared to the number of boys, and some of my boys wondered if people
would think it odd if they danced with each other?"

The director looked at me, thought for a moment, and then replied.  "Well,
I'm not sure I've seen anything like that happen here before, though I've
seen some of the girls dance with each other, but I don't see where that
would be a problem.  I'll even make an announcement about something like
that, so the other guests won't question it either.  Is that all right with
you?"

"That will be fine.  Thank you for your understanding."

After the various competitions were over, and the ribbons had been awarded,
I told my boys about what the director had said, though I warned them not
to be too affectionate, as that might draw adverse responses.  They seemed
fine with this.  At least now they could dance with each other, something
they couldn't do at most other places.  I think they were learning to take
the little victories wherever they could find them.

During the day, some of my boys had approached the girls they were
interested in and asked if they could be their date for the dance.  After
all the giggling and blushing, each of the girls accepted, and my boys were
thrilled.  As they showered before dinner, they paid particular attention
to their hair (on top of their heads - I knew what you'd be thinking), and
they even borrowed the one bottle of aftershave I always kept in my travel
kit.  It was a bottle of Brut, and the boys didn't think that was too bad,
or only for old men to use.

Dinner was an interesting time, as my boys and the girls kept exchanging
glances during the entire meal.  It was almost as if they were racehorses,
waiting in their individual compartment for the gate to open, so they could
gallop away that nervous energy.  I could almost smell the hormones filling
the air.

It seems as this was not the first dance held here, and the staff was well
aware of what two naked bodies grinding against each other might cause, so
the vast majority of the songs played were of the faster variety.  Only a
handful of slow songs were played, and they didn't seem to last as long as
I thought they normally would, but other than griping about that, the boys
all seemed to have a good time.

I had noticed a few stares, as people noticed some of my pairs as they
danced together, so I made my way over to those individuals.  I would
introduce myself and then comment about how there weren't enough girls to
go around.  I would also explain that my boys wanted to practice their
dancing skills before school started, so they'd be ready for the school
dances, which were always a part of the early school year.  After that, no
one seemed to give my boys a second notice, and everything went quite
smoothly from that point on.

We only had one day left at the resort, and we decided to spend it just
relaxing and enjoying the end of our summer holiday.  Nigel and his boys
would be going back to our place for one day, before we'd take them to the
airport, for their trip back home.  I know some of the boys had been
fooling around with each other, and it was going to be hard for them to let
each other go when it was time, but life goes on, and these friendships
would be long lasting.

When the bus showed up that last morning, we loaded up and prepared for a
nearly nonstop drive back.  The bus had a toilet, so we only stopped for
fuel and meals along the way, and we arrived home during the late evening
hours.  The boys were quite happy about the entire trip, and the two groups
had grown even closer during that time, and Nigel and I promised that we
would reunite the groups again in the future, possibly taking a trip to
another country together.  That night we all went to bed, many of the boys
clinging to a friend who would be parting from us shortly.

Our last day together was spent in the pool, playing soccer at the high
school field, and then I took everyone out for a large, farewell dinner in
the banquet room of our favorite restaurant.  Everyone ordered from the
menu, so they could have whatever they wanted, but we also allowed the boys
to each have some wine, as we made toasts to each other and our continuing
friendship.  I think we were all kind of shocked, when Nigel's oldest son,
Padraic, and Danny asked to make a toast of their own.  They took it upon
themselves to toast Nigel, Jake, and me, thanking us for giving them such
wonderful, loving homes, a place where they could feel safe, secure, and be
themselves.  They concluded by telling us that we'd forever hold a very
special place in their lives and in their hearts.

I'm not sure about Nigel, but that one almost brought me to tears, and I
knew Jake was a little choked up for having been included in it as well.
The boys had come to accept and think of Jake as a second father, which he
truly was, but I think he was still somewhat awed that the boys considered
him in such high regard.

Again we used a bus to take Nigel's group to the airport, and we all
promised to keep in touch.  We stayed and waited for them go through their
departure gate, and then we went back and boarded the bus and headed for
home.  I reminded the boys that when we got back, the boys would have to
start getting their things together for school, as the college boys would
be dropped off at their respective schools the following weekend, and the
others would be returning to class a few days after that.  They all
groaned, though I knew many of them were looking forward to the new school
year, but I think they wished for a couple of extra weeks before they had
to start up again.

When we returned, I was immediately faced with three situations, each of
which I would have to deal with.  The first problem was the candidate the
school board had offered the superintendent's job to had turned it down.
It seemed he was also offered another superintendent's position, and he had
decided to accept the other position instead.  This meant that our district
was still going to be without a permanent superintendent as school began,
extending my temporary role in that position.

Second, we had an unexpected visitor shortly after we returned back home.
Danny's mother showed up at our door, posing another problem for us to
handle.  Fortunately, neither Danny nor Brandon was home at the time, and
once Danny's mother introduced herself to me, and we exchanged the usual
pleasantries, she got to the reason for her being there.

"Mr. Currie, I don't want to cause any problems for Danny or you," she
began, "but I heard about what happened when one of the mothers of your
other sons showed up here.  I have a friend who works at the courthouse,
and she told me what happened, and how that woman is getting to meet with
her sons again.  I'd like to be able to do the same thing, but I was hoping
we could arrange that on our own."

Once she had started, I was afraid this was where she was heading, but I
had let her continue.  Now I had to respond.  "Mrs. Roma, before I can
agree to anything, I'd have to talk it over with Danny.  He's a young man
now, and old enough to make his own choices."

"Mr. Currie, don't get me wrong.  I don't intend to try to take him from
you, I just want to be able to see him, spend time with him, and get to
know him again.  It was his father who threw him out, and I was forced to
go along with that decision.  I never agreed with it, and I certainly
didn't like it, but he is my husband.  He has mellowed over the past few
years, probably because he's been very ill and had to think about his
mortality, so I don't think he'd care if I saw our son.  I know he isn't
ready to accept what Danny is yet, but I love my son and I've missed him so
very much.  I hope you and Danny will allow me to get reacquainted with
him."

"As I've said, Mrs. Roma, I will have to discuss this with Danny, and I
have no idea how he might react to any of this.  My question to you would
be, will you be able to accept him for who or what he is, and will you be
able to accept and respect the decisions he might make about his life?"

"If you're referring to his being a homosexual, yes, I think I can handle
that now."

"And what about his future partners?"

She hesitated before she answered.  "It won't be easy, but I think I'll be
able to handle that too."

"If that's the case, leave me your phone number, and I'll call you when
Danny makes his decision."

"Ah, I'd rather not have any of you call my home just yet, in case my
husband should answer the phone.  What if I called you, to find out if this
is all right with Danny?"

"Fine, but give me a few days to approach him, and give him time to think
this over.  I don't want to force him to rush such an important decision."

"That will be fine, and thank you for listening to me."

We said our good-byes, and now I had to wait and talk this over with Danny.

The third situation concerned a new boy, and was brought to my attention by
Sally.  It seemed she had a colleague in another community who brought this
situation to her attention, and of course Sally thought of me to help this
boy out.  All she would tell me right now was that this kid had announced
to his foster family that he was gay, supposedly because he didn't want to
live there and he knew his foster parents would want him to leave if they
realized he was gay.

I told her that I would meet with the boy, to see what he was like, and let
him meet the other boys and get to know more about us, but I told her I
couldn't promise anything.  Whatever happened would depend on the boy, and
whether he felt he would be comfortable with us.  If he did, I told her
we'd give him a trial run, to see how it worked out.  Sally told me she'd
set it up, and call me back to give me the details, and I told her that
would be fine.

By the time I got to speak to Danny, and tell him about his mother's
re-emergence, I had a chance to organize my thoughts and present this to
him in a calm, rational manner.  I called him and Brandon into my room,
because I knew it would affect both of them, and I believed Danny would
want Brandon to know what was going on.

"What's up, Dad?" he asked me, with a big smile on his face.  I think he
thought it had something to do with his going away to college.

"Danny, something happened recently, something that is going to affect
you."

"Really?  What?"

I didn't know how to do this delicately, so I decided to just go ahead and
tell him.  "Danny, your mother showed up recently, and she's asked if she
might meet with you and become part of your life again.  I told her that
would have to be up to you."

He looked shocked when he heard this, and he looked at Brandon, before he
looked back at me.  "Why?  After all this time, why does she want to be
part of my life again now?"

"It was the incident with Cole and Graham's mother that sparked this.  She
heard about that happening, and decided that she'd like to do the same
thing."

"But why did she wait so long then?  Why didn't she want to see me or help
me before, when I needed her more?"  Danny was starting to get both angry
and emotional now.  Brandon put his arm around Danny's shoulders, but Danny
didn't seem to notice.

"I think it was because she was afraid of your father, and she didn't want
to face his wrath.  It wasn't because she didn't love you or want to help."

"But that doesn't make any sense to me."

"Danny, think for a minute.  Your father is very old world and set in his
ways.  He thinks of himself as king of his castle and master of his domain.
He believes his word to be law in his home, and everyone living there must
obey.  Those who don't are dealt with accordingly.  Isn't that why he threw
you out, because you couldn't conform to his norms and rules?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"And your mother was used to following his rules, no matter how insane she
thought them to be, and she didn't want him to turn on her physically or
throw her out of the house at that point either."

"I think I can understand that, but why didn't she help me when I needed
help?"

"Because she was just as scared, threatened, and isolated as you were.  She
couldn't help you, because she couldn't help herself."

"Okay, I think I can understand that now.  So, what do YOU think I should
do?"

"Danny, that has to be your decision, not mine."

"I know it does, but can't you tell me what you think?"

"Would that make a difference?"

"Yes, it would.  I value what you think, and I think it would help me
decide on how to deal with this."

I merely looked at him, and studied his face.  Then I turned toward Brandon
and spoke to him next.  "What do you think?  Should I give him my opinion,
or just leave you two alone to talk this over?"

"Well, I'd like to talk to Danny about this too, but I know if it were me,
I'd want you to tell me what you thought as well."  I looked at him, and
studied his face for a minute, and then I smiled and looked toward Danny.

"If you want my opinion, then I'll give it to you.  I think you should give
your mother a chance and see how you two get along now.  She is your
mother, and I know some day you'll wish you had this chance, if you don't
take it now, so give her the benefit of the doubt.  You know that it was
your father's idea to kick you out of the house, and he was against your
being gay.  She just didn't have the courage to stand up against him, but I
don't think she ever stopped loving you or thinking about you.

"Look how it's worked out for Cole and Graham so far.  I know it was hard
for them to accept their mother back into their lives, especially since she
had been such a poor mother and neglected them so badly, but I think
they're all beginning to see each other in a new light now.  They have had
time to heal those old wounds, they've kept open minds about what the
future would hold, and I think they are all glad they did that.  I don't
think Cole or Graham would ever want to go back and live with her, but I
think they're glad they took the time to get to know her again, and to
forgive her for her past mistakes."

He thought about this for a moment, before he responded.  "Yeah, I think
you're right.  Okay, I'll see her, but it depends on what she has to say or
what she does, as to whether I'll see her more than once."

"That sounds fair.  She's supposed to call me to see what you decided, so
if she wants to meet with you this weekend, would that be all right with
you?"

"I could do that, but let her know I want Brandon with me the first time.
I'm not sure I could handle it by myself.  And I want us to meet somewhere
in public, where there are other people around.  I don't think I'm ready
for her to come here to see me yet."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea, and I don't think your mother will
object, as long as you're willing to meet with her."

"Thanks, Dad.  I'm glad I have you to depend on, to help me think these
things out."

With that said, he and Brandon took off, and I just had to wait for his
mother to call me back.  It really didn't take very long, and she called
back the evening of the second day after we had talked.  I guess she really
was in a hurry to find out what had been decided.  After we exchanged
pleasantries, I told her what had been decided.  "Mrs. Roma, Danny has
agreed to meet with you, but he wants to do it in a public place, and he
wants to bring Brandon with him when that happens."

She hesitated briefly, and I wasn't sure what she was thinking.  I knew I
should let her work things out in her own mind, without any comment from
me, so I waited for her to respond.  "Well, if that's what he wants," she
finally told me, "but I was hoping to talk to him alone.  I thought maybe
he'd want you there for the first meeting, but who is this Brandon?"

"That's a boy Danny is very close to.  His parents moved to Texas, but he
lives with us.  His parents agreed to allow him to do that, so he could
finish school here."

"Um...ah...is he...ah...Danny's you know...um...boyfriend?"

"Yes, you could say that.  Does that bother you?"

"Uh...well, I suspected he might have one, but I didn't
think...well...ah...that I'd be meeting him so soon."

"Well, he is a little nervous about this meeting.  It's been a few years
since he's seen or talked to you, and I think he just wants Brandon there
for moral support.  Is that going to be a problem for you?"

"I guess not.  I do want to see my boy, and if that's the only way he'll
meet with me, then I guess it will be okay.  They're not going to kiss or
anything, are they?"

I had to restrain a chuckle.  "I'll tell them to hold back on the mushy
stuff, if that will help."

"Yes, I'd appreciate that."  After that was agreed to, we chose a location
and a time for their meeting, and I told her I'd pass this message along to
Danny.

Danny seemed pleased when I told him about the phone call, and from things
he and Brandon had said, I take it they had done some talking and made some
plans of their own.  I did tell Danny that I wasn't sure his mother would
be comfortable with him being too affectionate with Brandon in public, and
he informed me that he had already guessed that and he and Brandon were
planning on staying apart while they were with his mother.  Danny said that
he would sit next to her, and Brandon would sit on the other side of the
table from them, when they met at the restaurant.  I looked up at Brandon,
to gauge his reaction to this announcement.  He was still smiling, and he
winked at me, to let me know he approved of that arrangement.  I was
impressed by both their attitudes concerning this impending meeting, and I
told them so.  They merely responded that they were doing what they thought
was best for them, and also for Danny's mother, and Danny admitted that he
was a little excited about seeing her again.  I was glad that he felt that
way too.

That weekend, Sally brought the boy she had told me about, for a visit.
Even though I try very hard not to paint any pictures of the boys from
information I'd been told beforehand, I did get more of a surprise in this
case.  He was twelve, almost thirteen, a little on the short side for his
age, slender, but not skinny, and as cute as a bug in a rug.  He had dirty
blond hair, a cute little nose, and the most wondrous shade of blue eyes
I'd ever seen.  He came up to me, reached out his hand to shake mine, and
gave me an impish little grin.

"Josh, this is Cody Reynolds," Sally told me, just as we started to shake.

Nice to meet you, Cody," I told him, "and welcome to our home."

"Where are all your sons?  Mrs. Swarthout told me you had a whole bunch of
sons, and some of them are gay."  Now a broad grin covered his face,
stretching from ear-to-ear.

"Yes, that's correct, and all the boys are waiting to meet you, but I
thought we might spend a few minutes alone, so we could get to know each
other a little better.  Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, that's okay."

"Well, maybe you could tell me what you're hoping for.  I know you must
have some ideas about why you're here to meet us."

"Yeah, I'm hoping this might be my new home."

"Why would you want that?"

"Because here I wouldn't be different, and I wouldn't get picked on, just
cuz I like other boys.  I heard how you took all these boys to live with
you, even if they were gay, and that sounds like the kind of place where
I'd like to live.  I hated my other homes, cuz they were mean to me,
because they heard I liked boys.  At some of those homes, they even called
me names or let the other kids do things to me, just cuz I wasn't like
them."

"That's terrible, and I promise that won't happen here.  My boys are all
very close and care about each other, whether they're gay, straight, or not
sure yet.  They've even fought to protect each other from outsiders."

"Wow!  Really?  I wish I'd had somebody to do that for me."

"Why don't we go meet the boys, so you can get to know them a little
better?"

Sally and I walked Cody into the house, and I introduced him to my boys.  I
didn't expect him to remember all the names.  Heck, sometimes I even have
trouble keeping them all straight, but I knew he'd remember at least a few.
As he met each boy, he studied them, I think maybe trying to figure out who
was gay and who wasn't, but he never asked any of them.  Once he had met
them all, we went into the family room to talk some more.

"Well, what do you think so far?" I asked him.

"I think it's great here.  Everyone seems so nice, and you know, I think I
can tell that some of the boys might be gay, but I'm really not sure.  They
all seem about the same."

"They are.  They're all young men who love and care about each other."  He
just grinned at me.  "Why don't I have a few of the boys show you around,
and Mrs. Swarthout and I will sit here and talk, while you do that?  Would
that be okay with you?"

"Yes, it sounds great."

When I asked for volunteers, Cole, Graham, Sammy, and Andrew said they
would like to show Cody around, so the five of them took off, and Sally
filled me in on some of his background.  Much of it she hadn't even learned
until today.

"Josh, this boy's been through a lot already, but of course most of your
other boys have been too.  His mother was a hooker, and she died of AIDS
just over 2 years ago.  They were never sure who his father was, but his
mother told others that she suspected it was one of her regular Johns or
her pimp.  Neither choice is very good.  The customer is now a three-time
felon, serving life in the state penitentiary, and the pimp was a
gang-banger, who also pushed drugs for more spending money.  Heck of a way
for the little guy to come into this world, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, that's a great deal of baggage to have to be toting as a child.
Unfortunately, it happens to more kids then I'd like to believe."

While Sally and I were talking, I didn't see Cody enter the room, and he
ran from my extreme right, leaped in the air, so he would land on my lap.
I thought that was sweet, but he managed to crush the old family jewels in
the process.  I groaned and bent slightly forward, and Cody began to
apologize immediately.  Sally had a look of shock on her face, and I could
hear some of the other boys giggling and groan from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Currie.  I didn't mean to do that, but when I talked to the
boys, they told me how nice you were, and how they sat on your lap
sometimes.  I just thought it would be a neat thing to do.  I'm really
sorry I hurt you."

"Don't worry about that, Cody.  It wasn't that bad."  Of course, I was
telling a little white lie here, to spare his feelings.  "You're fine, and
I'm glad you feel that comfortable with us already."

"Are you kidding?  This place is great.  I almost feel like I've died and
gone to heaven.  I didn't know that a place like this really existed."

"Well, I think we're all glad you approve."

"Then I can come live here?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Heck, yes!  I want that more than anything else."

"And what do you think, Sally...I mean, Mrs. Swarthout?"

"I think my hands are tied.  I think this young man has made the decision
for me."

"Then I can come live here?"

"Yes," Sally told him, "I think I can arrange for that."

Cody turned and gave me a great big hug, and a kiss on the cheek, and then
he got off my lap and did the same to Sally.  After that, he ran off with
the boys, whooping and hollering, like he was at a high school pep rally.
It looks like I just acquired a new son.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.