Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 13:01:07 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 7, Chapter 1

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

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

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

I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with
this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their 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.

                 * * * * * * * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I apologize for the long delay before getting this book out to you, but I
hope you find it worth the wait.  I send each of you my sincere thanks for
being so patient and for your continued support for this story.  Bill

                 * * * * * * * *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 7-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2003 by
billwstories Chapter 1 - Picking up the pieces.  June 2003

We had just arrived back home from Cody's funeral, and I was surprised at
how many people were waiting for us.  The Shays had informed me earlier
that some of our friends wanted to come to the house for a while, and I
assumed he meant that would include the Spences, the Beckers, Sally, his
wife and him, and possibly a couple of others, but I never imagined I'd
find the sort of gathering that greeted us when we arrived.  Our home was
overflowing with many other friends, co-workers, and extended family, and
it was nice to see so much support, concern, and love as was being
generated throughout our home at this time.

At first I suspected they came by to see how we were holding up or to offer
their sympathy, but it seemed they had more than that in mind.  They also
brought food, so we could have a meal after the service, and they brought
not only enough for us, but there was more than enough for everyone who
showed up as well.  Our friends took care of all of the preparation and
other details, including cleaning up afterward. It was extremely kind and
thoughtful of them, and their efforts were greatly appreciated and seemed
to soften our grief.

Even though Cody's passing wasn't quite as devastating as Brent's death had
been, it had still been hard for us to deal with.  Brent's passing had been
the result of an accident, and not something we had been able to prepare
for, but being able to anticipate Cody's demise did not make it any easier
to deal with.  Even though we had prayed for a miracle, we knew Cody was
fighting against very gigantic odds, and I think we had all begun to resign
ourselves to his fate, even before the end came.  Still, that doesn't mean
losing him affected us any less than when we lost Brent or that our grief
wasn't as deep, but we all were somewhat relieved to know he was now out of
pain and in a much better place when it was finally over.  In both
situations, there was still a grieving process to go through, and we leaned
on those near and dear to get us through another rough period in our lives.
My biggest regret, however, was that it took such a solemn occasion for
people to pull together and show their love and support, or for the rest of
us to realize how many true friends we actually had.

I made it a point to move around the house during this time, so I could
speak personally to everyone in attendance and thanked each of them for
their concern and support.  I wanted to let them know how much I
appreciated their friendship and emotional support, and to thank them for
bringing the various dishes they prepared to feed those who stopped by.
Although it may not seem like anyone did that much, but due to the size of
our family alone, not to mention the number of friends who had gathered
together with us, each person must have spent a considerable sum to provide
the amount of food they supplied to feed this small army.  I had spoken to
about half the people in attendance when I came upon the Beckers, and I was
anxious to chat with them, seeing I hadn't seen them since the previous
Christmas.  I guess that was partially due to the fact we had all been so
involved with Cody's medical condition and parental issues, but I felt I
needed to apologize for my oversight.  I slowly walked toward them saying,
"Albert.  Arlene.  I'm so sorry I have been so lax about keeping in touch."

"Josh, no need to apologize.  We understand," Mr. Becker began, " so don't
think twice about it.  It's partially our fault too, as we've been quite
busy ourselves."

"Oh, Josh," his wife added.  "We're so sorry about what happened.  He was
such a cute young man and we didn't really get a chance to know him very
well."  Mr. Becker looked at his wife as she spoke, and he seemed to be
making some odd facial expressions as she continued.  I wrote it off as a
figment of my imagination, due to the recent stressful events I had been
through.

"Thank you for coming and showing your support," I told them.  "It's times
like these when our dearest friends and family are most important to us.
I'm sorry you didn't get the opportunity to know Cody better, because he
was a truly remarkable young man."

"To have gone through all he did and still remain optimistic about his
chances, as he did, he must have been a truly unique individual,"
Mr. Becker added.

"I know none of us will ever forget him," I added, "but it will take us
some time to adjust to his loss.  It's hard to explain how someone who had
been part of your life for such a short time could have had such a huge
impact on you."

"Just be grateful that you had him for as long as you did," Mr. Becker
consoled me.

"Were you related to the boy who died?" Mrs. Becker asked me, taking me
aback.

"Arlene, this is Josh Currie and that was one of his boys.  You know that,"
he told his wife very softly, but there was no spark of recognition in her
eyes and there didn't seem to be any connection to our previous
conversation.  Looking confused, she just stared back at her husband.

"Josh, I'm sorry," Mr. Becker added, apologetically.  "We've been battling
with our own problems for the past several months.  Arlene has been
diagnosed with an Alzheimer-like disease, and she isn't always lucid.  I
don't think it's Alzheimer's, as she doesn't ever get violent, but
sometimes she's aware of what's going on around her, while at other times
she has no idea where she is or who others are."

"Albert, I'm so sorry to hear this, and I can only imagine what you've had
to endure.  Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Josh, you have enough to handle with your own family, and we'll be fine.
It has been a little rough on me, while Richard was in school, as I've had
to cover both my wife's chores and mine and still try to keep an eye on
her.  However, now that Richard is on his summer vacation, he can help me
do her chores and take over some of the responsibility of helping me care
for her."

First of all, I immediately noticed he had called Little Ricky Richard, and
I realized his son might be outgrowing his nickname.  I wanted to inquire
about this, but due to everything else going on, I felt I would have to
pursue this some time later.  However, I still had to respond to him about
the current situation first.  "Albert, don't let your pride get in the way
here.  My boys and I would love to help you and your family in any way we
can.  Besides, it might be good for us too, to keep our minds occupied, so
we don't dwell so much about having lost Cody."

"I'm sorry, Josh.  I didn't mean to offend you, and we would be happy to
accept any help you wanted to give.  Just don't go out of your way and end
up neglecting your family in the process."

"Don't worry about that, Albert.  We're all survivors and we would be happy
to do what we can to ease your burden too."

"Albert, who are all these people and what are we doing here?" his wife
suddenly asked.

"We're at the Currie's home, Arlene.  You remember Josh and his boys, don't
you?"  She stared back blankly at him, and I shared his pain.  I could see
how much it hurt him that his devoted partner no longer traveled on the
same plain of reality as the rest of us.

"Josh, would you excuse us, please?  I think I need to take my wife home
now."

"Certainly, Albert, and I'll be in touch soon.  The boys and I will set up
a schedule, where a few of us will come to the farm to help out for a
period of days.  We'll keep rotating the boys, so you'll have plenty of
help.  I know this is a busy time for you and we'll be there as much as
possible.  To ease your doubts, I promise I'll only utilize the boys who
volunteer to do this."

"Josh, you and your family are so very special.  Even at a time when you're
dealing with your own problems, you still think of others first."

"Not entirely, Albert.  I'm doing this for us too.  I think it will help us
to get through the next few weeks more easily, by not allowing us to spend
so much time to focus on our loss."  He nodded, and then we parted company.
Mr. Becker took his wife and Little Ricky home, while I planned to discuss
this situation with the boys, once the rest of our guests had departed.

Over the next hour or two, all our other guests began to leave as well,
although Steve, Mary, Sally, and the Spences stayed until the very end;
continually picking up, putting things away, and washing what dishes were
dirty.  After everything had been taken care of and the hour began to grow
late, they also took their leave, but not before letting us know that all
we had to do is contact them, if there were anything else we might need.
After that, I went into the family room to relax and spend some time alone,
so I could clear my mind and think more about how we could best help the
Beckers.  My time alone didn't last long, as my older son Michael came in
to see me at that point.

"Dad, I know this isn't the best time," he began, "but I really need to
speak with you alone about something.  Do you mind?"

"No, we can go into my room and talk there, seeing people would be less
likely to venture in, if the door is closed."  We got up and headed for my
bedroom, and he shut the door behind us.  I wasn't sure what this was
about, but it seemed to be important to him.

"Dad," Michael began, "I'm not sure this is the right time, and I'm not
sure how to say this, but is something going on between you and Jake?"  I
was stunned by his question and didn't answer right away.  After a few
moments of reflection, I finally responded.

"Why would you ask that in the first place, and what difference would it
make if there was?"  He just stared at me at this point.

"Well, the question came up while Andrea and I were using your room this
time.  When we first arrived, we went to hang some things in your closet,
and we couldn't help but notice that your things and Jake's were in there
together.  We knew some of those clothes were Jake's, because we'd seen him
wearing those same items during some of our other visits.  So, what's the
story here?"

"The story is, I'm an adult and I don't need to explain myself to you, my
other children, or anyone else.  Whether anything is going on or not is my
business, and not yours, so I think we should end this discussion now."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't.  I'm pretty sure about what is happening
here, and I just don't understand it.  For God's sake, you were married to
mom all those years, and together you had us four kids, but now it turns
out you're gay?  How could you disgrace her memory like this?"

"Michael, I was married to your mother for all those years, and they were
very good years too.  We had four beautiful children, who have in turn
given me three beautiful grandchildren, and I wish she was here to enjoy
them too, but that was obviously not meant to be.  I met Jake when some of
the other boys helped his son out of a threatening situation, and they have
since become a part of this family as well.  Jake and I have a great deal
in common, and it's nice to have someone nearer my own age to talk to once
in a while.  Beside that, he also helps me manage this mad house and take
care of the boys, and I think that's all you need to know."

"But are you're gay?"

"No, Michael, I am not.  If you must put a label on it, then you might say
I'm bisexual, not merely gay."

"But you're sleeping with another guy."

"You don't know that.  You're only speculating."

"Well, unless you are willing to swear to me that you aren't, and tell me
directly that I am wrong, I'm afraid my wife and I won't be coming here any
more...and my children won't be either."

"Why?  I'm no different now, than I was before."

"Maybe not, but I don't want my family to be part of anything like this,
and I don't want my children exposed to seeing their grandfather cavorting
with another man.  I've talked to Marie, Adrian, Robert, and Elizabeth, and
we've all suspected that some of our new brothers might be gay, and we've
learned to accept that, but we can't accept the fact we now have a gay
father."  I just stared at Michael, as I digested his comment.

"So you're telling me that the others all feel the same way you do?"

"Yes, Dad, I am."  We just stared at each other for a few moments, before I
found my voice again.

"Why don't you go get them, because I want to hear it out of their mouths."
I wasn't exactly sure why I demanding this, as I felt I might be setting
myself up to get hurt even worse, but it was already done.  Michael nodded
and left the room, soon returning with his siblings and their spouses.  I
studied their faces as they entered, and immediately realized this
situation probably wasn't going to turn out in my favor.

"Michael tells me that unless I deny that Jake and I are involved in any
way, he and his family won't be coming here any more.  He also told me the
rest of you agree with him about this and will follow his lead.  Is this
true?"

No one answered, and my two daughters just let their heads drop to their
chests, as they began to stare at the floor.  "Well, I guess I have my
answer then.  No matter what you think, and I will not deny or confirm any
of your allegations, but I will only add that I have not changed in any way
since your mother died.  You will always be welcome here, but I take it I
won't be seeing any of you again soon.  You do what you think you have to
do, and so will I, but I am disappointed that you're taking such a hard
line, narrow-minded view of things."  Having said that, I left the room and
continued out the front door.  I didn't know where I was heading, but I
knew I had to get out of there and clear my head before it exploded.  I
merely began walking up the road, with no destination in mind.

When I returned, maybe forty minutes to an hour later, I merely sat on the
swing on the front porch for a while, not ready to be confronted again.
However, I wasn't alone for long, for that's when my younger son, Robert,
discovered me.  It seemed he felt he needed to talk to me, so he could
clarify his position.  "Dad, I don't agree with Mike, and I don't care
what's going on between you and Jake.  Mike told us what you said, about
you're both consenting adults and all, and I agree.  You obviously don't
flaunt whatever it is you might be doing, and we only discovered it because
of some innocent snooping, so to speak.  If being with Jake is what makes
you happy, then I say go for it, but I'm afraid I might be the only one
among my siblings who feels that way.  Don't be angry with them, Dad,
because I think they'll change their minds once they consider this more
fully.  I hope this is merely something they've decided in haste, and they
will eventually come to realize you're still the same guy we've always
loved.  I'm hoping once they have had time to think this through more
fully, they will realize how foolishly they've acted.  I know you raised us
to be open-minded, but that's not the view our peers shared, and I'm afraid
my brother and sisters were more greatly influenced by their friends, than
by you and mom.  The way I see it, unless they are willing to approach this
subject logically and dispassionately, and realize there is nothing wrong
in what you're doing, they will all eventually regret the price they are
going to have to pay for their narrow outlook on life."

"Thanks, Robert.  Your support means a great deal to me, and I'm glad to
know not all my kids are deserting me over this issue."  At that point he
wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug.

"I love you, Dad, and nothing will ever change that."  I thanked him again,
before he left me and went back inside, but I wasn't alone for very long.
Almost immediately, Marie, my older daughter, came out to speak privately
with me too.

"Dad, I don't agree with Mike," she informed me, "but unfortunately my
husband does.  Rather than fight him and possibly jeopardize my marriage,
I'll go along with him for now, but I wanted you to know I still love you.
I will talk to Adrian and try to get him to see he's wrong in his beliefs,
but it may take some time.  Until then, I'll probably only talk to you on
the phone or online.  I'm sorry it turned out like this, but Adrian's is
like his parents, very conservative, and sometimes bigoted in his beliefs.
I'm afraid this is one of those times when it will make things difficult
for all of us."

"Thanks, honey, and I appreciate your support.  I also understand your
dilemma, so you do what you have to do, and don't jeopardize your family
over me.  I don't want to be responsible for creating any turbulence in
your marriage."

"Oh, I think we'll get past this, or at least I hope we will.  I have a
feeling your grandson will drive my husband crazy, if he's not allowed to
come visit you and his other uncles any longer.  I'm pretty sure Robert
sees this the same way I do, but I think Elizabeth and Mike also see pretty
much eye-to-eye on this issue."

"Thanks again, honey, and I've already talked to Robert.  Too bad he's
single, because now this will affect my relationship with all my
grandchildren too."

"Don't worry, Dad.  This will all blow over in time.  Just hang in there
until it does."

"Okay, honey, and thanks for being so supportive."  I kissed her and she
went back inside, and I thought I'd have some time to digest all that had
happened, but I had only a short time alone, before Jake found me next.

"Josh, I think we need to talk," he began.

"Not now, Jake," I told him, trying to put him off for the time being, but
he obviously wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Josh, we have to talk now.  I've overheard a little bit about what's going
on with your children, and I can move into Shannon's room instead, or
Shannon and I can find our own place now.  No matter how much I love you,
I'd rather not be the one who causes a rift in your family and keeps you
from spending time with your grandchildren."

"No, Jake, I'm not going to coddle them.  It's not you who is driving this
wedge between my children and me.  They are the ones doing this and it is
their acceptance of a bigoted, narrow-minded viewpoint that's splitting the
family.  I will not allow you to leave and nothing is going to change,
because I could not stand losing you on top of everything else that has
happened.  If my children can't accept what we have together and decide to
shun us, then I don't want them in my life either."  I just looked him
squarely in the eye, trying to let him see how much he truly meant to me.

"Josh, you know you don't mean that and that's not what you want.  There's
no way you'll be happy without your grandchildren in your life, and I know
you won't be able to handle not seeing them in the future.  However, that's
exactly what will happen, as long as I'm still here.  Josh, I will do this
for your sake, and we can still be close, even if we aren't sharing the
same bedroom."

"NO! Fuck them and they can all go to hell.  I'll handle whatever I have to
handle, but I know I couldn't handle it if you and Shannon weren't still in
my life.  In time, maybe they'll change their minds, but if not, then I no
longer need them.  I will not be told what to do, like some misbehaving
child.  I am their father, and they're not mine."  I hoped my last
statement would be the end of the discussion, but Jake wasn't going to let
it drop that easily.

"Well, I won't be able to deal with knowing I came between you, your
children, and your grandchildren.  Maybe you can pretend this isn't going
to effect you, but it is already having an impact on me.  I will not be the
cause of your not being able to see your children and grandchildren in the
future."

"Jake, if that happens, you will not be the cause of it, by any means.  The
cause of that happening will be the right wing, conservative, back-woods
outlook expressed by my grown children.  I know they've accepted the fact
some of the boys might be gay, although we never confronted them directly
with that issue, but I guess they draw the line when it comes to me.
Robert and Marie seem to be okay with it, but Adrian is forcing Marie's
hand.  The other two seem to have drawn the proverbial line in the sand, so
they'll have to be the ones to cross over it, if anyone ever does."

"But Josh." I cut him off.

"Jake, they're old enough to make up their own minds and that's the way my
wife and I raised them, to be strong, independent individuals.  However, I
thought we also taught them to make educated and enlightened choices,
though I guess we failed them there.  They will have to justify their own
actions and live with the consequences that result from their decisions;
such as I've had to do for the many choices I have made in my life.  I
think it's best we just put this subject behind us, and move on with our
lives.  I don't want to dwell on this matter any longer."  I wasn't sure I
had convinced him, but he didn't argue with me further, and eventually he
went back inside.  The next thing I saw was my older children loading up
their belongings in our vehicles, so our drivers could take them to catch
their flights.  I didn't even bother to get up to say good-bye to them,
figuring that if they didn't feel a farewell was in order, then neither did
I.  Robert was the only one to come over to me to say anything.

"Don't give up, Dad.  Maybe they'll see the light yet," he told me.  "I
still love you and I'll be in touch, and I think you'll hear from Marie as
well."

I thanked him again for his support and told him I had chatted with Marie
as well, and then he made his way back to catch his ride.

Once my older children had left and my drivers had returned, we went inside
and settled in for the night.  Some of the boys began to ask me questions
about snippets of conversations they had heard between their oldest
siblings, and I think they were even more upset than Jake or I were about
what had happened.  I tried to downplay the events that had transpired
earlier, by explaining to the boys that everyone is free to make up his own
mind, and each of us has to do what he thinks is best for himself and his
family.  Although they agreed in principal with what I had said, they were
still upset about what this meant for me, and I could see the wheels
turning in many of their heads, as they hoped to figure out a way to defuse
this crisis.

To get their minds off my problems, I talked to everyone about Mrs. Becker
and her health related issues.  It seemed as though the boys had also
noticed her swings in lucidity and confronted Little Ricky about his
mother's condition.  Even though he was a bit embarrassed by it, and even a
little ashamed, he filled them in on some of the things that had been going
on.  I told all of them that Mr. Becker and Little Ricky could use a break
from their workload and suggested we could take turns going out there to
help them out.  I explained that we could go out in small groups, of maybe
two, three, or four at a time, and stay for up to a week, to do what we
could to help.  The boys all seemed to think this was a good idea, and they
all volunteered to participate.  I told them I'd let them figure out who
would go out with whom, and asked them to start making up a schedule we
would go by.  Once they had finished that task, I called Mr. Becker to
confirm the arrangements.  Jake or I would drive the groups out and leave
them for the week, figuring this would take some of the pressure off Albert
and Little Ricky, and give them a little respite.

Over the next few days I was approached by various members of my family, as
they came to offer me their own unique take and give advice about how to
handle the situation with my older children.  I listened to their
suggestions about how they thought I could resolve this problem and then I
would thank them for their input.  Although I tried to be polite and let
everyone express their point of view, I was getting tired of listening to
others tell me how I should handle my own life.  Finally I announced that I
would discuss this situation no further, and finally everyone left me in
peace - that was everyone except Jake.  He still felt he had been the cause
of this situation, and therefore also felt that he should be a part of the
solution as well.  I decided I owed him at least that much, to ease his
conscience, but Jake was the only one I would continue to discuss this
topic with.

Now that I had issued my ultimatum about butting into my personal problems,
the boys seemed to focus their attention on how best to help the Beckers.
They established their work groups and set up a rotating schedule for them
to go to the Beckers' farm.  Once they had presented their plan to me, I
called Albert and got his approval to have the boys come stay with them to
help out.  He thanked me numerous times for our offer, and told me he
thought this would help Little Ricky the most, as his son was becoming very
concerned about what might happen to him, if his adoptive mother lost touch
with reality completely.  We agreed to have the boys dropped off in a
couple of days, on Saturday, and we would switch groups every weekend
throughout the summer.

The first group to go work on the farm was Danny, Brandon, and Andrew.  The
college boys thought they should go first, but they also split up according
to size and work ability as well.  That way some of the boys could do the
physical labor, while the other(s) could take care of the less taxing
chores.  It seemed like a good plan, and on the weekends, when we changed
groups, we'd all stick around to help out.

During their stay at the farm, the boys not only helped the Beckers out
with the daily chores, but they freed Mr. Becker up to spend more time with
his wife and take care of her.  They began by helping out with the normal
summertime duties, such as the haying, but they also helped take care of
his crops and animals as well.  In the fall, they would also help
Mr. Becker harvest his modest assortment of crops, which he grew mainly for
his own use, but he would also share the excess with his friends, put a
modest amount up for sale at his roadside stand, or sell it to the local
stores.  The boys were all quite pleased that they were able to make an
impact on lessening the workload for our friends, but they also enjoyed the
time they got to spend with Little Ricky, in between doing all the chores.

As we approached the end of June, our hectic routine began to become
familiar to us, but I still hadn't forgotten what had happened concerning
my older children.  It still pained me deeply to think they were so
intolerant about sexual issues, but I hoped it was only because it had to
do with their father, and wasn't merely a general bigotry towards gays.  I
continued to try to push it out of my mind, but it would pop up again when
I least expected it.  The one thing that hurt me more than anything else,
was that their decision was going to greatly alter my relationship with my
grandchildren.  Otherwise, I think I might have been able to work my way
through what was going on.

One thing that did bring me out of my funk, at least temporarily, was when
Nick called me from Brazil (or should I spell it Brasil, as they do down
there?).  He was very excited, and he seemed to like his host family a lot.
They happened to have two sons, one about Nick's age (Will) and one younger
than him (Marcos), so that didn't hurt either.  I immediately reminded him
of the concerns we went over before he left, though I knew my comments were
probably falling on deaf ears.  If I were a gambler, I would bet that Nick
would probably be in both boys' pants before the week was out, if he hadn't
been already.  I sometimes wish he wasn't quite so sexually aggressive.

He also told me about the school he was attending, the people he'd met, and
the area he lived in.  He informed me he was quite fortunate to have gone
to the family he had, as there was basically no middle class in Brazil, and
the people there were either quite wealthy, with servants and all, or
fairly poor.  Fortunately for him, his family was quite well to do, and he
was going to have it quite easy while he was with them.  He was very
excited about all of this, and he mentioned once again how cute he thought
the two sons were, before I reminded him one more time about being careful.

We then went on to discuss other things, like how everyone was doing here,
before I let him chat briefly with some of the other boys.  When they had
finished their conversations, I got back on the line and we talked a little
more, before I finally said good-bye to him.  I reminded him to keep in
touch, and he promised he would, and then I told him I loved him and missed
him, before I hung up.

The next item on my agenda was to finish planning for our vacation.  Most
of the arrangements had been made previously, but then put on hold during
Cody's illness, but now that he was gone, I saw no reason why the remainder
of the family shouldn't enjoy some of their summer.  I had spoken with
Mr. Becker's neighbors, about getting some of the young men from the area
to cover for my boys while we were away.  I would pay them more than
adequately for their help, though most had claimed I didn't need to
compensate them for doing the 'neighborly thing.'  Nonetheless, I would
make sure they were rewarded for adding to their own workloads, as the
majority of them would still have to work on their family farms while
helping out the Beckers.

Frankie and Mark had informed me they'd only be joining us for part of our
trip, as they couldn't afford to spare an entire month away.  Mark would
take his two-week vacation and join us for the first part of our trip, but
that's the most time he could possibly be away from work.  Frankie was
going to go with us for the same two-week period, but it wasn't due to his
limited time off.  Frankie had been looking hard for a job since his
graduation, and he felt he couldn't be away for any extended period of
time, just in case a job offer came through.  He also offered to help out
on the Becker farm while we were continuing our vacation, and that way he'd
be able to check for messages or possible job offers duringg that period.
I agreed with both of them about their plans and then set about confirming
everything we would need for our time away.

                 * * * * * * * *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
at 'BW's Rainbow Youth Connection,' at http://bwsryc.gayauthors.org/ You
can also locate my stories by clicking on the Nifty author link and
scrolling down to "BW".  This will give you the links for everything I have
posted there.

I also love to hear from my readers and get their reaction to my stories.
If you don't mind, please share whatever information you feel comfortable
with, because it helps knowing my readers better when I decide what to
write or how to gear it.  Please email me at bwstories8@aol.com and let me
know what you thought, so I can do even better in the future.  Thanks,
Bill.