Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 11:23:39 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, chapter 15

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.

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 8-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2004 by billwstories
Chapter 15 - Fitting in.                          March 2004

It was late Monday afternoon and we still had not taken the college boys
back yet.  I had decided to let them stay home one more day, so they and
Jesse could get to know each other better, and it seemed to be going well.
However, it was getting to the point where they'd need to return to their
campuses, but Jake and I were both too exhausted to think about making
those long drives.  Out of necessity, I had an idea.  I went to discuss it
with Dustin and Jake.

"I know you are both wondering what this is about," I began, "so I'll get
right to the point.  I was planning to get a couple of vehicles next year,
so you and Danny could drive all the college boys back and forth," I told
Dustin, "but I think we'll speed up the process a bit.  To save Jake and me
from making those long trips tonight, I'm going to let you take the
Suburban and drive your brothers back, if you don't mind.  We'll buy
another vehicle during the week, but we can survive with the van, Grand Am
and 4Runner for now.  What do you say, would you be willing to do that?"

"You're going to let me keep the Suburban on campus with me?" he asked,
amazed.

"Yes, until you come home at the end of the semester."  He had this huge
grin on his face.

"Thanks, dad.  This is going to be awesome."

"Just don't abuse the privilege," I warned him.

"I won't," he stated, to reassure me.

"I know it will probably be a little cramped this time, but we'll correct
that situation before next year.  When you boys come home for the summer,
you can rent a trailer to haul behind the Suburban, so you can carry your
other belongings in there.  Would that work for you?"

"Oh, yeah," he responded, flashing me a toothy grin.

"Okay, go explain everything to your brothers and then get on your way.  I
know this is a lot to ask of you, and it will be a long trip, but I will
make up a driving route for you to follow, while you are loading up the
Suburban.  I'll set it up so you can drop everyone off in one big loop, to
make the trip as short and easy for you as possible."

"Thanks, Dad, but don't worry about it.  I don't have any classes until
11:00 on Tuesdays, so I'll still be able to get enough rest after I get
back.  Besides, it will be worth it, just to have a vehicle around," he
added.

Dustin left and went back upstairs, but before long I heard a scream and
shouts coming from up there.  I wasn't sure what it was all about, so I
figured I'd better go up and investigate.  When I reached the top landing,
I saw Dustin carrying a struggling Andrew toward me.

"Okay, what's going on here," I asked.

"I found out who's been playing all those jokes on everyone," Dustin
announced, with everyone staring at Andrew.  "I got back to my room and he
was messing with my suitcase.  I think he was trying to put a couple of
water balloons in with my clothes, so they'd break and everything would get
wet, before I had a chance to unpack."

"Okay, you've caught him, and now you know who's been pulling all those
pranks.  I guess that should end them for now."

"It will, after we punish him for everything he's done," Dustin announced,
bringing a panicked look to Andrew's face.

"What are you planning to do, Dustin?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted
to know the answer to my question.

"You'll see," he said smugly.  "Some of us have been talking about what
we'd do to whomever had been playing all of these jokes on us, so we have
an idea what needs to be done," he informed me, and now some of the others
moved into position to assist him.  While Dustin held Andrew about the
chest, the others began to undress him, first removing his jeans and
underwear.  This troubled Jesse and he clung to me, so I had to reassure
him that Andrew was all right.

"Don't worry, Jesse.  They aren't going to really hurt Andrew," I
explained.  "They're just going to pay him back for all the jokes he's
played on them."  Jesse was shaking his head and tugging on his own shirt.

"Oh, you're worried about them undressing Andrew?" I asked him, getting a
nod.  "Don't worry, the boys see each other naked all the time and that
won't bother Andrew at all."  Jesse looked startled, but he did seem to
relax a little, while the rest of Andrew's clothes were removed.  He was
looking at Andrew and gawking now, and then Jesse tapped my arm and pointed
at Andrew's groin.  At first I wasn't sure why, but then it dawned on me.

"Oh, you're wondering about Andrew's penis, aren't you?" I stated, drawing
an immediate nod from Jesse.  "Andrew isn't circumcised, but I'd guess you
are, by your reaction, but we'll explain that to you later, if you want."
He nodded his head again, and then we turned to see what the boys were
going to do to Andrew.

"First," Dustin announced, "I think we need to 'flush' all of those
terrible ideas out of Andrew's head."  I had a feeling I knew what was
coming next, so I decided it best that I just try to keep Jesse calm,
because I knew the boys would do nothing to harm their little brother,
Andrew.  They only wanted to make him regret having challenge them as he
did.  While I was trying to reassure Jesse that Andrew would be fine, the
boys carried Andrew into the upstairs bathroom.  With Dustin holding him
upside down by one of his legs and Pat the other, and with Ricky and Cole
each holding one of Andrew's arms, my little jokester was dangled
precariously above the toilet bowl.  Slowly he was lowered downward, with
his head easing past the porcelain rim and dropping toward the water.
Andrew began to apologize and plead with his brothers, telling them he was
sorry and he'd never do those things again.  Watching Andrew's plight,
Jesse grabbed my arm even tighter, so I bent over and reassured him that
Andrew would be just fine.

The boys continued to lower Andrew, until the top of his head was in the
water, just about up to his eyebrows.  That's when one of the boys reached
over and pushed down the lever, flushing the toilet, in a symbolic gesture.
When the bowl began to fill again, they lifted Andrew out, and someone
grabbed a towel and dried his head for him.  I wondered if that was all
they were going to do to him, but quickly discovered it wasn't, because
they carried him back to his room and tied him spread-eagle to his bed.  I
was worried about what they had planned for him next, but I did trust they
wouldn't do anything I'd object to, so I stood back and watched.  Soon,
Dion walked into the bedroom carrying two large jars of jelly, and he kept
one and gave the other to Danny.  The two boys started smearing the jelly
on Andrew's body, causing him to squirm and scream in reaction to the cold,
so I guessed those two jars had come from the refrigerator, not the pantry.
The older boys rubbed some on Andrew's neck, his armpits, his chest and
stomach, all over his genitals and on the souls of his feet, and then
various boys moved into position, so they could lick this sweet substance
off those sensitive areas.

Jesse's eyes were as large as saucers, as he watched what they were doing
to his protector, but I held him back and kept him from getting involved.
As the older boys began to lick the jelly off of Andrew, Andrew began to
writhe and giggle, because they had made sure they had put the jelly on his
most ticklish areas.  Andrew was laughing so loudly and so hysterically
that it was becoming contagious, and soon some of the others, who were
standing around watching, were beginning to laugh too, including Jesse and
me.

Suddenly Jesse started pointing at Andrew and then at himself, and I
understood what he was asking me.  "Boys, I think Jesse would like to do
that to Andrew too," I advised them, getting a vigorous nod of agreement
from Jesse.  It was obvious Jesse had concluded Andrew wasn't being harmed
in any way and wanted to be part of the action.

"Sure, come over here," Dustin offered, while taking one of the jars of
jelly and smearing more of it on Andrew's tummy.  "You can lick the jelly
off him here."

Jesse jumped into the act with great relish, flicking his tongue out and
lapping up the sweet coating, but I could tell he was wiggling his tongue
around more than was necessary, trying to make it tickle Andrew as well.
Most of the other boys had stopped what they were doing momentarily, to
watch Jesse's initiation into the family, and they cheered him on, egging
him to do more and more.  Finally, they couldn't resist completing their
own little revenge, so they went back to what they were doing, licking all
of Andrew's various body parts and sending him into even greater fits of
laughter.

After several more minutes of this torture, I finally called a halt to it,
thinking Andrew had endured about all he could.  After his brothers made a
few more comments and warned him that future pranks would draw a similar
retribution, they untied Andrew, and I sent him off to the shower to clean
up.  I wasn't surprised to see Jesse following him like a loyal puppy, and
Andrew noticed this to, so he turned to look at me.

"Daddy, would it be okay if Jesse took a shower with me?" he asked.

"I think you should ask Jesse that question first," I advised him, "to see
if he's even interested."  Jesse's head was jerking up and down so quickly
and so hard, I thought he might snap his neck, if I didn't give my
approval.  "Okay, but no horseplay," I warned them

"We won't, daddy," Andrew assured me, before turning toward his sidekick.
"Come on, Jesse.  This is going to be fun."  I watched the two boys
disappear into the bathroom, the one Andrew had just had his prankster's
baptism in, and they shut the door.  As soon as we heard the water running,
Cole made an observation.

"Dad, you didn't seem surprised to learn that Andrew had been doing these
things, when you come up here.  Did you know that already?"  Damn, I'd been
caught.  Now, I had to get out of this gracefully.

"Ah, well, I did catch him doing something a while back," I admitted.

"You knew and didn't tell us," Ricky stated, astonished.

"Well, I never told on you either," I reminded him, "and besides, you boys
are all old enough that I don't have to do EVERYTHING for you."  I received
some nasty looks and comments from them, after saying that.

"Were you just protecting your baby?" Brandon wanted to know.

"Well, I think he's proven he's not a baby," I pointed out, "and I protect
him no more than I have any of the rest of you."  They all thought about
that for a minute or so, and must have agreed that was the truth, because
no one said any more along that line.

"Well, I was surprised to see Jesse get into the act already," Trey
admitted.  "I guess he's starting to feel like part of the family."

"I don't think he'd have done it, if it was anyone but Andrew," I corrected
him.  "Those two have really bonded, and I think it was more about WHO it
was being done to, than WHAT was being done."  The boys finally agreed with
this, but Little Ricky had one more observation to make.

"That's still a good sign, Pop," cuz it's hard to feel comfortable and do
things like he did, when you don't feel like you fit in or belong.  I think
he feels good about being here and that's why you can't send him away to
the farm now.  You have to let him stay here with us."  I looked at him
thoughtfully.

"Yes, you're right," I told him.  "I think I have made up my mind to keep
him now.  I believe he and Andrew will be good for each other.

After chiming in their agreement and thanking me for deciding to keep Jesse
with us, the bathroom door opened and the two boys came walking out stark
naked, carrying Jesse's clothes.  I was startled to see Jesse do this,
because if he'd been abused, he would most likely be very shy about
exhibiting his body this way, but he seemed to be fine with it.  I don't
think it was only because he saw Andrew naked earlier, or because I told
him the boys often see each other naked either.  I'd be willing to bet
Andrew had something to do with this, and he probably filled Jesse in about
a bunch of things while they were cleaning up.

I also got to see what Andrew meant about him not being little down there.
Jesse definitely had a pre-pubescent circumcised penis, but it appeared to
be quite a bit longer than was the norm for a boy his age. I got a kick
about how it flopped back and forth as he walked, and it reminded me of how
Dion's penis swung back and forth when he moved about naked too.  Who
knows, maybe Jesse is going to end up being as blessed as Dion is in that
department.

"Hey, little bro," I heard Pat say, causing both boys to look up.  "Did you
have fun doing that to Andrew?"  I think Jesse was surprised that Pat had
called him 'little bro' and he just stood there, not responding.  Sammy
must have picked up on this to, as I judged by his next comment.

"You are going to be our brother now," Sammy advised him, looking at Andrew
and smiling too, "so you'd better get used to hearing that.  So, did you
like licking the jelly off Andrew?"  Jesse's head began to bob up and down
again.

"Great!" Vinnie told him.  "Just remember, that's the kind of thing that
will happen to you too, if you listen to Andrew and start doing things like
he does."  This brought a big grin to Jesse's face, learning the boys were
accepting him as an equal and he didn't have to feel like an outsider.

"Come on, Jesse," Andrew interjected.  "I'll grab my clothes and we'll go
down to our room.  I don't want to be around these bullies any longer," he
teased, which caused Graham to give Andrew's butt cheek a swat.  The sting
of Graham's hand on his cute little derriere made Andrew jump and turn to
see who had done that to him.

"That's for the prank you played on me," Graham admonished him, "and we
aren't bullies.  It's just that you eventually get paid back for what you
do."

Faking hurt feelings, Andrew led Jesse down the stairs and slowly everyone
began to filter back to their own rooms, to finish what they had been up to
earlier.  The college boys had to hustle and get on the road, as it was
starting to get late, and when they came downstairs, Jake addressed the
group.  "Look, I'll drive the van and take you guys to Philly and the
colleges near there.  It's too late tonight for Dustin to try to take you
all."

"Are you sure?" I asked him.  "You won't get back until after midnight if
you do that, and you have to work tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," he advised me.  "I'll get five hours sleep minimum, and
that's enough for me."  I looked at him carefully, to see if he was telling
me the truth, and he grinned at me.  "Don't worry.  I know what I'm doing,"
he assured me.  I just shrugged my shoulders in response, knowing I had to
trust his judgment.

Before all the college guys were ready, Nick and Shannon came up to Jake
and me and asked to speak with us privately.  We agreed and took them to
the living room, shutting the door behind us.  "What's up?" I asked them,
to get things started.

"I just wanted to let you both know that I've been keeping my promise and
Shannon and I haven't had any sex - at all.  I brought Shannon with me, to
back me up, just in case you didn't believe me," he added, while scanning
our faces.  Jake happened to look up at Shannon at that instant and Shannon
merely nodded his head to confirm what Nick had said, I don't think Jake
meant to seek this confirmation.  After he received it, though, I could
tell Jake felt bad that Nick thought we wouldn't have believed him on his
own.  However, he didn't know what to do to correct this misconception.

Nick wasn't finished yet, so he continued.  "Even though we haven't been
having sex, doesn't mean we haven't been spending lots of time together and
I think I've learned to love Shannon in a whole new way."  We weren't sure
what he meant by that, but we didn't interrupt him, and he continued.

"I've discovered there is more to a relationship than just sex and we've
spent most of our time just hugging, kissing and just being close.  I know
that in the past I've felt that the most important part was the sex and
seeing how many guys' pants I could get into, but after the sex was over, I
was usually left alone and the thrill of what happened faded fast.  Now,
it's different.  Even though we can't have sex, we still spend all our time
together, and I'm happier now than I think I've ever been.  The funny thing
is, not having sex doesn't seem to bother me as much as I thought it would,
because we do other things instead, and just having him here all the time
is much more important now."  Jake and I both looked at him, absorbing the
impact of what he was telling us.

"What I'm saying is, you don't have to worry," Nick added.  "I know I
messed up in the past, but I won't do that again.  I love Shannon too much,
and I don't want to risk losing him, and when you tell us it's okay to be
intimate again, I promise I'll never do anything with him without using
protection."

I think his last statement left Jake and me speechless, at least
momentarily.  I even took this opportunity to look Nick over carefully, to
make sure it wasn't someone else speaking.  Finally, Jake found his tongue
and responded.  "I won't say I misjudged you," he began, "because I don't
think I did, but I may have been hasty in my assessment that you couldn't
or wouldn't change.  I know my son loves you, so I'll trust his heart, but
I'll also trust your word that you will never do anything more to put him
at risk or harm him in any other way."

This brought an ear-to-ear smile to Nick's face, because Jake was finally
accepting his relationship with Shannon, and soon the three of them were
entangled in a huge embrace.  Shannon started it by hugging his father, in
appreciation for what he had said, but soon Shannon had also signaled Nick
to join them.  When Nick got close enough, Shannon brought him into the
embrace too, hugging both of his men tightly.  When Jake became aware that
Nick was there too, he wrapped his other arm around his 'son-in-law,'
squeezing him as robustly as he was doing to his son.  I was relieved to
see they had buried the hatchet and I looked forward to their building a
relationship of their own.

After we broke up our little meeting, Jake and Shannon headed out to the
Suburban, as the others were all waiting for them there.  The rest of us
went out to say good-bye to the college crowd, and after they drove off, I
told the remaining boys to settle in for the rest of the evening.  They had
school tomorrow, and I wanted them rested and ready for their return.  Just
before bedtime, I went into the guest room to see how Jesse was doing.  He
and Andrew were sitting on the bed, listening to some CD's.  "Is everything
okay in here?" I asked them, getting an immediate nod in reply from Jesse.

"Do you think you want to stay here and live with us?" I followed up, which
caused his face to light up and a big smile to spread across his lips, and
he nodded even harder.  I saw Andrew also looking at me, expectantly,
wondering if I was going to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Well, I guess you'd better start considering this your home and us your
family then," I informed Jesse, which caused Andrew to leap to his feet,
stand on the bed, and walk toward the edge of the mattress.  He reached out
and pulled me toward the bed, so he could wrap his arms around my neck, and
he gave me a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, daddy.  I love you so much," he told me.

While Andrew had been doing this, Jesse must have taken the opportunity to
stand up on the bed too, and now I felt another pair of arms wrapping
around me and another rather wet smooch being applied to my other cheek.
This touched me deeply.  Now, I informed both boys it was time to sleep, so
I gave them both a hug of my own, tucked them into bed and gave them each a
kiss on the forehead, before I left their room.  This is going to be quite
a pair.

The rest of the night was quiet, as most of the boys and Jake were on the
way back to their campuses, so it gave me time to reflect back over the
past few days.  A lot had happened, and not just Jesse showing up either.
During that time, we've had to deal with Nick's test results and Shannon
and Jake's reactions to them.  Duck had come to visit and we tried to make
him feel as if he were part of the clan.  Andrew finally got caught pulling
one of his little stunts and received his comeuppance for it.  And then
there was all the work the boys had done so far, so they could start a
gay-straight alliance.  From what I understood, they're going to start
getting petitions signed tomorrow, because they wanted to make their
proposal to the principal the following week.  They are going to make the
appointment with his secretary tomorrow too, so they'll be ready to meet
with him, once they collect as many signatures as they can.

Getting back to Jesse, we had made a lot of progress in just a couple of
days, but there was still soooo much more work ahead of us.  He may seem
happy and it appears as though he's bonded with Andrew, but I'm sure there
is still a great deal of unresolved issues bubbling below the surface and
I'm wondering when any of those will start to come into play.  This kid saw
his father murdered, was abused by his stepfather, abandoned by his mother,
and left with a group of strangers.  Although I do think his mother did a
fairly good job about preparing him about coming to live with us, I'm not
sure what she told him or how she did it.  However, I do attribute his
rapid adjustment into our home with what she must have done, before she
left him here, so I did owe her for that.  Maybe someday I'll be able to
thank her in person and discover what she did to prepare him.

I went to bed fairly early that evening, because I was physically and
mentally drained.  It had been a long weekend and it had exhausted me.
Also, with Jake gone, there was nothing else to do, and I slept soundly,
until I felt Jake getting into bed beside me, sometime later that evening.

"Oh, you're home," I mumbled, acknowledging his return.

"Yes, it wasn't that bad," he told me, though he sounded tired.

"Well, get to sleep," I advised him, "and you can tell me all about it
sometime tomorrow."  He cuddled up against me and soon we both dozed off.

The next morning I got everyone up and ready for school.  Jake left early,
as he had a big run to make, and I had to take Jesse over to the elementary
school, to enroll him.  As I thought about it, this would be my first son
in the elementary school since Andrew had spent a brief time there.  Most
of the other boys had at least been in the middle school, my old school,
when they came to live with me, so this was a rarity.

After dropping off Andrew, I took Jesse with me to the elementary school,
and he worked his hand in to mine as we entered.  I guess he felt a little
intimidated at this point.  I led him to the main office, where the
secretary greeted me at once.  "Hi, Mr. Currie.  We didn't expect you to
visit today," she stated, looking a little bewildered.

"Oh, this is for personal business, not official," I informed, adding to
her confusion, so I thought I should explain.  "I've picked up a new son
over the vacation and I need to enroll him.  This is Jesse," I told her,
while positioning Jesse so she could see him.

"Well, hello, Jesse," she greeted him, "and welcome to our school.  What
grade are you in?"

"He's in fourth grade," I quickly told her, "but there's a little problem.
Jesse doesn't speak.  Hopefully, he will soon, but a traumatic event from
his past has left him speechless."  I knew this was a little evasive, but I
didn't think she needed to hear all of his history now, and I didn't want
to cause Jesse any embarrassment by going into detail.

"I understand," she said, soothingly, although I knew she really didn't.
It was nice of her to say that, however, and I realized she was doing it
more for Jesse's benefit, than anything else.  Therefore, I would give her
that much credit.

"Is your boss in his office?" I asked her, trying to discover if the
principal was there or somewhere else.

"No, Mr. Currie.  He's out walking around the school, greeting the children
and making sure everything is running smoothly," she advised me.

"That's what I suspected," I countered.  "Would you mind if I sat here with
Jesse and waited for him?  There are some things I would like to apprise
him about, concerning this placement."  I intentionally made this vague,
hoping she got the message, but it would go over Jesse's head.

"That will be fine," she answered.  "He shouldn't be gone much longer."

Her assessment was right on the money and a few minutes later the principal
walked through the door.  A concerned look spread across his face when he
noticed me sitting there, and I'm sure he was worried he had forgotten a
meeting or something was wrong.  "Calm down, Dave," I said, in a friendly
tone, trying to let him know there was no problem.  "I just have a new son,
whom I need to enroll here."  He appeared to start breathing again.

"Josh, congratulations.  Another son, huh?"  He chuckled.

"Oh, yes," I agreed, "but there are some things I need to discuss with you,
concerning his placement," I continued.  Dave raised his eyebrows slightly,
before responding.

"Why don't you step into my office and we can continue this there."  I
nodded in reply.

"Jesse, would you sit here and wait for me?" I asked him, getting a
frightened, open-eyed glare in return.  "You'll be fine waiting here with
Mrs. Smith and she will keep you company.  All right?"  Jesse looked at her
and she nodded her head that everything would be okay, so he looked back at
me and nodded his agreement.  I thanked him and then followed his principal
into his office.

"Dave, this is not going to be your typical placement," I warned him, once
we were both seated.  I handed him the folder with Jesse's school records
in it, as I continued.  "As you'll see in there, he is an above average
student and not a behavioral problem, but he doesn't talk.  He witnessed
his father being murdered, before he turned five, and he hasn't spoken
since.  He should be able to handle the fourth grade curriculum, but he'll
need an understanding teacher and class that will be able to accept him for
who he is and be able to adapt to condition."

"I know just the classroom," Dave assured me.  "I think you're well aware
of Mrs. Robinson's credentials and she has an outstanding class this year.
I think your newest son will do well in there."

"Thank you, Dave, and his name is Jesse," I added.  "I'm arranging for him
to have a physical and eye and dental exams, but I'd like for you to set up
some testing for him, with the district's psychologist.  I want to see what
he has to say about Jesse, so I'll have a little better understanding about
what I'm going to have to deal with."

"Understood, Josh, and I'll make sure that gets done."

I thanked him and went back out to talk to Jesse, informing him that the
principal would take him to his new classroom and introduce him to his
teacher.  Jesse looked concerned, but I told him he'd do fine and I'd pick
him up at the end of the day.  He seemed to like that idea and I told him
to wait in the office, until I came to get him.  He nodded his
understanding and then I watched as his principal led him down the hallway,
to meet his new teacher and classmates.

When I reached my office, I checked in with my secretary to see what was on
my schedule for the day and then I got to work.  Later, I gave her the
names and phone numbers for the pediatrician, optometrist and dentist we
used and asked her to set up appointments for Jesse with them, at their
earliest possible convenience.  Of course, she wanted to know who this boy
was, so I filled her in about his sudden appearance and problems.  She knew
all of my boys and was very good to them, so I thought I owed her that
much, and then she did as I requested.  Later in the day, she handed me a
slip of paper with the appointments listed on it, and I thanked her for her
help.

I also went out to run some errands during my lunch hour, going out to see
a gentleman I knew at the local car dealership.  I explained to him about
my predicament and the types of vehicles I wanted to purchase for the boys.
Buying new vehicles would be too expensive, so I explained that I wanted
used vehicles, which he quickly informed me were now referred to as
'pre-owned.'  I also advised him the vehicles had to be in good shape and
have low mileage.  He said he would do some searching around and keep his
eyes open for me and then call me, if he found anything suitable.  I
thanked him and went back to my office.

After school, I went around to pick up the boys.  Generally there is just
Andrew from the middle school, unless Sammy walks over to ride home with
us, because he doesn't like to be the fifth person squeezed into the
4Runner.  This time, however, I decided to pick Jesse up first.  I didn't
want him having to wait around for me and I was curious to learn how he
made out.  He was waiting for me in the office, as I had asked him to do,
and he smiled at me, when he saw me enter.  "Have a good day?" I asked him,
receiving a positive response in return, even though it lacked enthusiasm.

"Do you like your teacher?" I followed up, getting a little stronger
affirmative reply this time.

"Did you make any new friends?" I continued, hoping to discover how he made
out with his classmates.  This time he gave me a non-committal shrug of the
shoulders, in response.  I wasn't quite sure how to interpret this, but I
decided to delve into this more deeply.

"Did you have problems with anyone?" I continued.  He immediately shook his
head, making sure I understood that didn't happen.  I then began to think
that maybe it was too soon for anything to happen or possibly his
classmates were still a little uncertain as to how to approach him.  After
all, it was only his first day with them.  I'd give them the rest of the
week, before I checked in with his teacher, to see if she had picked up on
anything.

We drove from there to the middle school and Jesse got very excited when he
saw Andrew again.  It was obvious these two were going to be tight, so I
hoped Barry's joining us on our vacation didn't create problems between
them.  Damn, thinking of the vacation, I'll have to call and set up another
reservation for Jesse.  I hope I can still squeeze him in, at this late
date.

Once we were home, I sent the boys off to do their homework, while I
started dinner.  I hoped this would be a nice quiet evening, giving all of
us a chance to rest and unwind, because things hadn't been all that calm
for us lately.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.