Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 11:34:58 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, chapter 18

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 (Yng-Friends).    Copyright 2004 by billwstories
Chapter 18 - Celebrations.                        May 2004

Thursday afternoon I picked up the Yukon and drove it over to pick Jesse
up, however, he didn't recognize me when I drove in.  As I got out of the
vehicle and walked toward him, he grinned and then looked at the SUV.  I
could immediately tell he approved.  He was very excited as he climbed in
beside me and he spent the whole trip between the elementary and middle
schools checking it out.

Andrew had a similar problem, of not noticing us drive in, so I sent Jesse
to go get him.  I watched as a grinning Jesse walked up to Andrew,
momentarily startling him.  Andrew obviously hadn't been looking for Jesse,
because he hadn't seen the van pull in.  I saw Jesse point toward the
Yukon, letting Andrew know how he arrived, and then they made their way
toward me.

Andrew had a lot of questions to ask about the Yukon and where I got it,
before he spent the rest of his time looking it over.  He and Jesse sat in
the middle seat, where they could investigate more easily, so I didn't
interfere with their visual exploration.  The only noise on the way home
was the hum of the engine, but there was a great deal of movement, as Jesse
and Andrew pointed out various features to each other.

Of course, once the high school boys arrived home and saw the SUV in the
driveway, they wanted to know what was up.  After explaining to them that I
had traded in the van for the Yukon, they raced back outside to check it
out for themselves.  However, I wouldn't let any of them take it out for a
test drive, even though several of them were pestering me to do so.  They
weren't happy about my decision and they even asked if they could use the
Yukon to go to school the next day, suggesting I could drop Andrew and
Jesse using one of the other vehicles.  I declined their offer, which
displeased them even further, but I would let them have their turn at it in
time.

Friday seemed to fly by, and that night I made sure everyone got his things
together, so we could go visit Dustin the following day.  In the middle of
all this preparation, I received a phone call.

"Hello," I answered, picking up the phone.

"Hi, Dad," the voice on the other end responded.

"Frankie, great to hear from you," I told him.  "To what do I owe this
honor?"  I heard him try to stifle a little laugh.

"You make it sound like I never call you," he protested, "but I call when I
can.  I even had to get special permission to call home this time, because
it was kind of an emergency.  We found out a couple of weeks ago that our
graduation ceremony from basic training will be on Friday, May 14th, but I
forgot to tell you.  I really meant to the last time I called, but I had so
much else to tell you that it just kind of slipped my mind.  I really do
feel bad about not letting you know this sooner, and if you can't come,
I'll understand," he added, trying to take me off of the hook.

"Not come?" I shot back.  "I'd never hear of doing such a thing.  I will be
there, but I'm not sure whom else I might allow to join me.  What time will
the ceremony be held and where?"

"It will be held in one of the theaters on base at 10 a.m.," Frankie
informed me.  "Are you sure you're really going to be able to come?  I
mean...you don't really have much time to make plans."

"Frank, calm down.  I'll work things out," I assured him.  "I'll call
tomorrow and start making arrangements and I'll see you on your graduation
day.  Do you think you'll be able to spend any time with us that afternoon
or over the weekend?"

"Oh, yeah," Frankie answered.  "We won't be starting A.I.T. (advanced
individual training) until Monday, so we'll be free immediately after the
ceremony.  We're not moving into our new barracks until sometime Sunday
afternoon, so I'll be free until then, unless they have a bed check each
night."

"Well, I'm glad to hear we'll get to spend some time together, even if
there might be some limits to it," I reiterated.  "However, we'll have to
leave around noon on Sunday, so we'll be able to get back here in time for
school Monday.  That's one of the reasons I'm not sure which boys, if any,
will be coming with me.  We'll have to leave after school on Thursday, to
get there on time and not risk missing the ceremony, so they'd have to be
absent from school on Friday."

"I understand, and none of you have to feel you have to come," Frankie told
me.

"I know, but I wouldn't miss this for the world.  I'm sure some of your
brothers, if not all, would like to be there for you too, so we'll see what
happens.  The only thing stopping me from bringing all of them is that your
graduation is very close to their finals, and I'm not sure they can afford
to miss any time now.  There will be research papers and projects that will
be coming due and they'll be in the middle of their review classes.  To be
absolutely honest with you, I'm not sure who wouldn't suffer by taking the
extra time away, even if it's only a single day.  You have to remember,
Cole, Trey, Nick and Vinnie are all seniors and can't afford to slip now,
and Dion and Graham are juniors, and the grades they get for these classes
will affect which colleges might be willing to accept them.  I'm not saying
they can't come, but I'll have to think this through.  I promise you that
I, and possibly some others, will be there."

"I know you will, Dad, and thanks."  That basically ended our phone call,
but now I had some more planning to do.

Saturday morning I got everyone up early, so we could set off to spend time
with Dustin.  The trip took just under three hours, so we arrived before
noon.  It was kind of unusual that we could all fit into one vehicle, but
it was kind of nice too.  Jake rode in front beside me, while Cole, Graham,
Trey, Dion, Vinnie, Nick, Sammy, Andrew, and Jesse all rode in the back of
the Yukon.  It was a little cramped, but the boys didn't seem to mind,
because they all wanted to ride in our newest vehicle.  They said we could
always use the Suburban when we got to Dustin's campus, if we need more
space, because I'd let him take that back to school with him the last time
he was home.

Once we got there, we stopped at Dustin's dorm to pick him up and take him
out to lunch with us.  Dustin fell in love with the Yukon too, claiming it
was much nicer than the Suburban, but that was probably because the
Suburban was a few years older.  The boys all squeezed in the back, and
Dustin held Jesse on his lap, in an attempt to get to know his newest
brother better.  Jesse thought that attention was pretty special and ate it
up, finding a new appreciation for this older brother.

After lunch, we headed to the mall, to let Dustin pick out a couple of
things for his birthday.  We told him he'd get his big gifts when we held
his party, after he came home for the summer.  He was more than satisfied
with that and picked out some name-brand clothes - something new to wear
for the final month of his academic year.  Once we had completed our jaunt
through the mall, we dropped Dustin back at his dorm, to change for dinner,
and then we went off to find a place to stay for the night.  We also needed
to clean up and change, and once we were all more appropriately dressed, we
picked Dustin up again and set off for the restaurant.

It was a nice place, though nothing too fancy.  Dustin said it was a
favorite place for students to bring their parents, when they came to
visit, and several of his friends had recommended it to him.  They told him
it was very nice and the food was excellent, which we soon verified, as we
all enjoyed a very special meal.  During the evening, Dustin chatted with
all the boys, but he spent much of his time talking to Jesse.  When he
asked Jesse what he liked to do best, Jesse pantomimed riding a bicycle.
Dustin understood his meaning and tried to find out more, so Andrew took
over and explained about their almost daily adventures on the bikes.  Jesse
was glowing as he listened to Andrew filling Dustin in about their
activities, and it was obvious how much these outings meant to Jesse.

The cutest thing happened when Dustin asked Jesse whom he liked best,
because we all assumed he'd point toward Andrew.  However, after looking
around the entire table, he moved his arm around, until he had pointed
toward each of us, one at a time, including Dustin.  This made us all crack
a smile, before Dustin wrapped his arms around Jesse, so he could give him
a big hug of approval.  I think we all appreciated knowing that Jesse loved
and felt a special connection to each of us.

After dinner, we all went to see a movie, and we all agreed to let Dustin
select what we would see.  He seemed pleased by this simple gesture,
because going to a movie was never that simple for us and a single boy
hardly ever had total say in the matter.  When the movie was over, we went
out for some ice cream, before I told them it was time to head back to our
rooms for the evening.  Dustin asked if we'd take him by his dorm so he
could pick up a few things, because he wanted to spend the night with us.
I told him it would be pretty crowded, which prompted him to ask which of
us were sharing rooms together.  I advised him that Dion, Trey, Nick and
Vinnie had asked to be in one room, while Cole, Graham, Little Ricky and
Sammy requested another.  I went on to tell him that Jesse, Andrew, Jake
and I were in the last room, and then explained he'd have to ask permission
from the guys in the room in which he wanted to stay in.  Hearing that, he
whispered to Jesse and Andrew, "Do you mind if I share a bed with you?"

Both boys seemed excited by this idea and they quickly agreed to his
request.  Once he had their approval, Dustin turned to Jake and me.  "How
about it?  Do you mind if I share your room and bunk in with the boys?"

Of course, we had no problem with that, so we took Dustin to pick up a few
items, before we returned to our rooms.  The five of us did stay up a
little longer, talking and watching a little television before turning in,
but I got the biggest kick out of watching Dustin with the two boys.  He
sat on their bed to watch television, with his back propped up against the
headboard, and soon he had a boy tucked under each arm, cuddled up tightly
against him.  Jake and I did the same on our bed, but we spent more time
watching them, than the program, because it was more entertaining.  It was
a picture of pure contentment.

When we did finally decide to go to sleep, the boys informed Dustin that he
had to sleep in the middle, so they could both be close to him, which
didn't bother Dustin in the least.  In fact, I think he had hoped it would
turn out that way.  The boys were happy, Dustin was satisfied, and Jake and
I were pleased to see them getting so close.  Of course, Andrew and Dustin
had had contact before, but never quite on this level.  I know Andrew
always admired Dustin and Dustin thought the world of Andrew, but I think
Dustin felt Andrew had Sammy, Graham and Cole to rely on, so he didn't push
him to get close back then.  I do remember he was there for Andrew after
the incident in Houston, where Andrew was nearly molested, and he was there
to help make sure Andrew didn't have any ill effects from that traumatic
event.  However, after Andrew had dealt with the lingering effects of that
day, they had drifted apart, but now he was back.  I think Dustin was
remorseful about not having had more contact with Andrew, and this probably
affected how he was dealing with Jesse.  After hearing about Jesse's past,
I'm sure Dustin just wanted to make sure he felt loved, rather than
abandoned, and wanted to show him that he had many family members who would
always be there for him.  This just made me even prouder of my oldest son.

The next morning we got up, dressed and went to church, after which we all
went out for brunch.  The boys ate well, and then we went back to collect
our things and check out, before taking Dustin back to his dorm.  Jesse and
Andrew gave him a special good-bye, hugging him and kissing him
affectionately on the cheeks, before everyone else made sure to bid him a
fond farewell too.  After Jake and I said good-bye to Dustin, we loaded up
the Yukon and set off for home.

The trip went by quickly and we were home well before dinnertime.  After we
unloaded our things, the high school boys announced they had posters to
finish, so they went off to work on them.  These posters were to announce
the date and time for the organizational meeting of the gay-straight
alliance and the boys wanted to be able to hang them around school
tomorrow.  They hoped to get the alliance started before the school year
came to an end, which would happen in about a month, and they preferred to
have the officers elected and everything ready to go when school started
again in the fall.  I told them their intentions were admirable and I
looked forward to seeing what they had planned.  After they left to do
their thing, I set about getting some of my own chores done.

A few minutes later, Andrew and Jesse came up to me and asked if they could
go for a bike ride, but this time they insisted I go with them.  I told
them I had to prepare dinner first, but Jake jumped into the discussion at
that point and quickly took away my excuse, by volunteering to fix dinner
for me.  His offer put me on the spot and left me with no reason to deny
their request, and I knew it would look bad if I tried to think of another
reason why I couldn't go with them.  Therefore, I told them I'd join them
this time, which thrilled them both.  We all had to change first, and get
into something more comfortable for this type of activity, and then we went
out to get the bikes.  I'm not sure whose bicycle I used, but the seat
seemed awfully small and hard, and I felt like I was sitting on top of a
picket fence.  Unless my memory is playing tricks on me again, I think the
bikes I used to ride had more comfortable seats than this.

Anyway, the boys took me along one of the routes they liked to follow, and
I must admit it was a very beautiful ride.  As we journeyed out even
farther into the country, we passed scores of trees, hundreds of wild
flowers, multiple pastures and fields, and at one point we even pedaled
along the upper bank of a ravine.  Although there was a considerable drop
off, it wasn't that dangerous, because there were guardrails along the
roadway to prevent someone from hurtling down the embankment and into the
creek at the bottom.  Although the incline was steep, probably around a
sixty or seventy degree angle, it was not a sheer drop to the bottom.  I
just warned the boys to be careful when they took this route in the future.

Eventually, we went about as far as the boys planned to go, so we did a
u-turn and came back along the opposite side of the roadway, until we got
back home.  The boys were elated that I had gone out with them and both
hugged and kissed me in appreciation, after we put away our bikes.  Right
away, Jesse began indicating that he wanted me to go with them again
sometime and I readily agreed.  The fact was, I found the ride lovely and
stimulating, even though my butt was disagreeing, and I was sure the
exercise was good for me too.  I only had one small change to suggest
before we did this again.  Next time, I wanted to make sure Jake went with
us.  Not only did I want to include him in on this bonding experience, but
I also thought he could use the exercise too.

The rest of the night we just took it easy.  The older boys wanted to show
me the posters they had made for the gay-straight alliance and I was
excited to see what they'd done.  Upon first glance, I found their work to
be very creative.  They had utilized a wide range of pictures of guys and
girls they had cut out of magazines, to attract as many of their fellow
students as they could.  I was impressed with what I saw, so I was certain
their organizational meeting would go well and they'd have the alliance up
and running by fall.

The following morning, those four high school boys were extremely excited
about getting to school, so they could put their posters up.  This
eagerness was out of character for most of them, as very few of my boys
were morning people and had this much energy after waking up.  Most
mornings I would have to push and prod them, to keep them going, so they
wouldn't be late for school.  In contrast, this was a nice change of pace
and I wished they would have something to excite them more often.  When
they finally arrived at school, they all set off in different directions,
to put their posters up in areas they deemed as key locations.  These were
places where the traffic flow was the greatest or areas were students spent
the largest percentage of their free time.  They had identified these
locations beforehand, during one of their many planning sessions, and they
had designed each poster specifically for the types of students whom you
would normally find there.  Although each poster announced when the initial
organizational meeting would be held, they did so in a way that would be
most likely to attract the types of students who would be there.  By
hanging the posters up now, they would also give everyone enough time in
between to be able to make plans to attend the meeting.

Even though the boys had a very narrow focus, only having to worry about
organizing the alliance, this was just the beginning of three very
maddening weeks for me.  First of all, besides conducting the normal,
hectic end of the year activities, I also had to make plans to leave
Thursday afternoon, to attend Frankie's graduation from basic training.
The following week would be just as crazy for me with other school related
issues, but on top of that, the college boys would be returning home as
well.  In addition to those things, I was also supposed to go out to the
farms that weekend to see how things were going there.  On top of that, I
had planned to hold Dustin and Danny's birthday party on Sunday, since
Dustin had agreed it would be best to hold one party for both of them.  The
weekend after that would be the high school graduation, so not only did I
have to perform my duties as Superintendent of Schools, I also had to
fulfill my role as father of several members of the graduating class.  If
that wasn't enough, interspersed throughout the times in between, there
would be additional meetings, awards dinners and other activities I would
be involved in and required to attend, as well as my usual responsibilities
at home.  It would truly be a very trying time.

To alleviate some of my burden for the month, I asked the high school boys
to pick Andrew and Jesse up from school each day, because I wouldn't be
able to leave work at the usual time.  I would be staying later than normal
and I didn't want the younger boys to have to hang around their schools
waiting for me.  My drivers agreed to do as I requested, but not until I
had threatened to take away their vehicle privileges unless they did.  They
opposed this at first, because they thought it meant they would be tied
down having to watch their brothers until I got home, but I assured them
that would not be the case.

Once we had that settled, I told Andrew and Jesse that I was going to trust
them to be on their own, so the older boys wouldn't be tied down and could
still do the things they had planned.  Immediately, Andrew wanted to know
if he and Jesse could continue going out on their daily bike rides after
they got home, which prompted me to address some concerns with them.  After
we discussed in detail what would and wouldn't be allowed, both boys agreed
to my demands and promised to be very careful and to be home by dinnertime.
Satisfied, I gave them my permission to continue their outings.

That week was so busy that it seemed to fly by, and before I knew it,
Thursday had arrived.  I would be leaving for Missouri later in the day and
I was actually excited about seeing Frankie again.  One of the things that
I was looking forward to was discovering what he would look like in his
uniform.  Maybe it was kind of childish on my part, but I find it true that
there is something fascinating about guys in uniform.  Not that I had a
crush on him or anything like that, but there was something sensual and
alluring about seeing a military man in his dress uniform.  However, that
was only a minor reason I was looking forward to this trip.

Jake wasn't going to be able to go with me, because he couldn't get time
off from work.  The older boys were also staying home, because this was the
crunch time of year for them, and I thought it best they concentrate on
their schoolwork and finals.  However, I had agreed to let Andrew and Jesse
go with me, which would leave Jake alone with the high school boys.

After lunch, I picked both boys up from their respective schools and we
were on our way to the airport.  I had driven the Grand Am today, leaving
the larger vehicles at home for family use.  The three of us had packed
everything into the trunk the night before, so we didn't have to return
home before we left.  The trip to the airport was smooth and uneventful and
we arrived in plenty of time for our flight.  I even made sure the boys
grabbed a quick bite to eat and a drink while we were waiting, because I
doubted we'd be offered anything on the plane.  All of us downed a burger,
fries and a soda before we boarded and I felt that should hold us until we
landed.

This was Jesse's first flight and he was very excited about it.  Andrew was
an old pro on jets, so he spent a larger portion of his time explaining to
Jesse what flying would be like and what he should expect.  Jesse asked me
if he could sit by the window, so he could see what was going on outside
the plane, and neither Andrew nor I had any problems with his request.
When we were allowed to board the jet, I kept an eye on Jesse, mostly to
catch his reactions.  Passing through the cabin door, his eyes bulged from
their sockets when he saw how large the interior of the plane actually was.
After containing his awe, Jesse made his way to the window seat, anxious to
get underway.  Our seats were slightly behind the left wing, so once we
were in the air, he would have a fairly decent view of the ground below.

When the plane started to move, Jesse pressed his nose against the window
and watched the ground go by.  When the plane began to rise into the air,
he momentarily looked away from the window and over at me, and I wasn't
surprised to notice his eyes nearly popping from their proper place.  He
pointed at the window and I merely nodded in response, letting him know I
understood his fascination, so he went back to peering through that small
portal again.  He became so intrigued as we climbed higher that he kept
trying to get Andrew's or my attention, so he could share his moments of
wonder.  He spent much of the flight focused on the world below and once we
leveled off, he would signal Andrew or me about the size of the various
things we were passing over.  He would hold his finger and thumb barely
apart, letting us know that everything looked so tiny and then he showed us
how the mighty rivers appeared to him, by placing one of his shoestrings on
the flight tray.

The trip lasted a couple of hours before we touched down in St. Louis.
After making our way to the baggage carousels, we collected our luggage and
went to pick up the rental vehicle.  I would now have to drive from
St. Louis to Fort Leonard Wood, which would take us a couple of more hours,
traveling along I- 44.  About halfway there, we stopped for something to
eat, because it was getting late and the boys and I were all getting hungry
again.  After filling our tummies and making sure we relieved ourselves
before we hit the road again, we began the final leg of our journey.

It was quite late by the time we got to our motel, so we went directly to
the front desk to check in.  Once I was given directions to our room, we
retrieved our luggage and went to settle in.  We turned on the television
briefly, while we got comfortable, but I knew we wouldn't be staying up
much later.  After a half-hour or so of channel surfing, I turned the
television off and tucked the boys into bed.  I kissed them good night on
their foreheads, and then I went to the bathroom to clean up.  I hopped
into bed a short time later, as exhaustion began to overcome me as well.

The next morning, I was up early and I finished dressing before I woke the
boys.  After getting them bathed and clothed, I took them out for
breakfast, before we left for the base.  After checking in at the gate, I
asked permission to drive around, so we could see some more of the area.
The M.P. retrieved a map and used a highlighter to trace the battalion area
and other areas we would be allowed to visit.  I knew better than to ignore
his instructions, as he warned me access would be limited due to terrorist
activities, so we kept to the designated area.  The base was obviously
quite large, but it was also very nicely kept.  The barracks for basic
training almost resembled college dorms, at least on the exterior, and
there were several movie theaters spread across the base.  There were also
other areas for the trainees to hang out, including the PX.

As it approached the time for the ceremony to begin, we drove over to Baker
Theatre and parked the car.  After entering the auditorium, we found
multiple military personnel who were there to direct us to our seats.  All
the visitor's seats were located in the sections on either side of the
theater, so we got comfortable and waited patiently for the ceremony to
begin.  It was another twenty minutes before things actually got underway
and it began with a small military band playing some very rousing
renditions of Souza marches and other patriotic favorites.  While the music
was being played, the graduates marched in, looking splendid in their dress
uniforms.  They maneuvered down the rows of the center section, until they
were in front of their designated seat, and then they faced forward and
continued to stand at attention.  They stayed that way through the playing
of the National Anthem and invocation, and then their Senior Drill
Instructor gave them the command to sit down.  It was impressive watching
them all lower themselves downward in unison.

Once the trainees were in position and the noise from the spectators had
died down, the Battalion Commander gave a brief greeting to everyone in
attendance.  After he finished his comments, he introduced the keynote
speaker, the Post Commander.  He was a one-star general and a very
dignified looking man, and carefully he placed his notes on the podium in
front of him.  It was a pretty typical address, about duty, honor and what
lay ahead for these new soldiers, and thankfully it was also quite short.
After the general's comments were concluded, the awards were given out.  An
N.C.O. (non-commissioned officer) read off the name and rank of each
trainee, followed by any award or awards he had earned.  That person then
walked across the stage, accepted his 'diploma,' followed by a handshake.
After that, he was given any medals, ribbons, or plaques he was due.

I was more than pleased when Frankie's name was called, because it was
announced that he was receiving multiple honors.  Not only had he received
the highest score on the end of cycle PT (physical training) test, but he
also earned his marksman's badge, the highest qualification for weapons, by
having the third best individual score in his company.  He also earned a
promotion, going from PVT Currie (private E-1, with no stripe) to PVT
Currie (private E-2, with a single stripe), which was temporarily pinned to
his arm.  I was very proud of him, because only a handful of the graduating
class had done as well, or better than Frankie, which earned them their
promotions.

Once all the graduation awards had been given, various cadre members were
presented citations for achievement as well, before one final award was
presented.  It was announced that Bravo Company, Frankie's basic training
unit, won a trophy for setting some kind of record for end of cycle
training.  The company commander accepted the trophy on behalf of everyone
and held it in the air, which elicited some sort of practiced cheer from
those under him.  The rhythmic chant must have lasted for thirty or forty
seconds, but it was quite entertaining - and loud.

Once the ceremony was completed, the graduates marched out of the
auditorium, responding to and echoing a cadence call offered by one of
their drill sergeants, who stood just in front of the stage.  Row by row
they exited the building, only to reform again outside.  They stood in
formation until all of their friends and relatives were able to form in a
horseshoe in front of them.  At that point, they did another cadence chant,
but this one was done to the tune, 'We Will Rock You' by Queen.  They'd
changed the lyrics to reflect the uniqueness of Bravo Company and it was
quite amusing and well done.

At that point, the Senior Drill Instructor made another announcement.  "You
men are free until twenty-one hundred hours, at which time you are to
report back to your barracks."  Next, he turned around to address the
crowd.  "For you civilians that's nine, zero, zero p.m."  Those of us who
had been in the military just chuckled at his comment, but I'm sure some of
the others appreciated the clarification.  Having shared that information,
the company was dismissed and after Frankie ducked through the mass of
bodies, he made his way toward us.  I reached out my hand toward him, to
congratulate him and not ruin his macho image, but he ignored my hand and
wrapped me up in a mighty hug.

"Hi, Dad," he greeted me.  "I'm so glad you made it," he added, with a huge
grin splitting his face from ear-to-ear.  Once he broke his hold on me, he
looked down at Andrew and scooped him up, giving his little brother an
equally energetic embrace.  While he was holding Andrew, he glanced down
and noticed Jesse, and a confused expression crossed his face.

"Is this Jesse?" he asked, never having seen our newest addition.  I had
only told him about Jesse in letters and during our brief conversations on
the phone, so I was eager to introduce them.

"Yes, it is.  Jesse, this is another of your older brothers, Frankie or
Frank."  Without hesitating, Frankie scooped Jesse up in his other arm, and
stood there holding both his little bothers.  They looked so cute that way
I just had to ask them to hold that pose while I snapped a couple of
pictures.  Before long, Jesse had Frankie's dress cap on, which covered his
head to below his nose.  It was hysterical to see that small boy in that
large hat, and obviously others thought so too, because I saw several
flashes, as the people around us snapped his picture in Frankie's arms as
well.

Before everyone went their own way, Frankie introduced me to a few of the
young men he'd made friends with during basic training and his friend from
back home was there too.  They all seemed like really nice guys and Frankie
took great pride in introducing his little brothers to them as well.  Of
course, this got some strange looks, seeing the age and ethnic differences
between the boys.  Some of Frankie's friends also looked at me, as if they
were wondering if I wasn't too old to have such young children.  Frankie
had a good time telling the others how large our family was and how we came
together.  I'm not sure if the look on their faces were from disbelief,
horror, admiration or a mixture of all three.  I also wasn't sure if they
thought me a hero, a dupe, a lunatic or just insane, because it took them a
while before they found their tongues and began asking questions.  I
actually felt kind of uncomfortable during the interim, not knowing for
sure how they were going to react or if this might affect Frankie's
relationship with them.  I needn't have worried, however, as they all
seemed to accept us into their tight-knit little group.

Before we left to go out for lunch, I advised Frankie to explain to
everyone about Jesse's inability to speak.  He said he would, so I excused
myself and took the boys back inside to use the restroom.  It was merely an
excuse to prevent the younger ones from overhearing what was being
discussed, as I didn't want Jesse to be embarrassed or feel out of place.
I was also afraid Andrew would take it wrong and jump to Jesse's defense,
and possibly make enemies of Frankie's new friends.  By the time we
rejoined the others, everyone had been brought up to speed and was aware of
the situation.

Two of Frankie's friends, including his friend from back home, had no one
come to the ceremony on their behalf, while one of the other guy's
girlfriend had attended and the last one had his parents with him.  They
all agreed we should go out to eat together, so it would give us time to
chat and get to know each other even better.  I wasn't sure my two little
ones would like this idea, seeing they'd be the only ones under 18 in the
group, however, I miscalculated.  They soon became the center of attention
and were doted upon by all of Frankie's friends, so they were truly in
their glory.  I don't think Jesse had ever had so much attention paid to
him, so he was eating this up, and he even began to clown around for the
older boys, using gestures and making faces to get his point across.

After lunch, our new soldiers wanted to take us over to their day room, to
show us around.  Once we got there, they played ping-pong and shot pool
with Andrew and Jesse, while I chatted with the other parents.  We also
spent some of our time listening to one of the other boys play the piano.
He was really quite talented and he played everything from Billy Joel to
classical music, with a few show tunes, jazz pieces, swing music and rock
numbers in between.  It was very enjoyable listening to him play and
sometimes the other boys would take breaks from their games to come over
and listen too.  Not only were WE fascinated by his awesome talent, but he
also drew a lot of attention from others who were wandering in and out of
the building.  My personal favorite was when he played Beethoven's
'Moonlight Sonata,' as it is one of my all-time favorite piano pieces, but
I enjoyed his rendition of 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel too.

After we decided to leave there, Frankie wanted to show us around a little
more, so we started to say good-bye to the others.  They didn't want us to
leave, so they made us promise we'd meet back at the day room at 6:00, so
we could go out to dinner together.  It seemed that everyone was enjoying
the time we'd been spending together and didn't want it to end just yet, so
they thought this would be the best way to keep the good times going.  The
guy with the girlfriend said they'd make reservations for us, and we were
happy to let him have that task, so we said good-bye and then went off on
our own.

Frankie not only wanted to show us around his company area, but he wanted
us to see a bit more of the post too.  He even showed us where he'd be
during AIT (Advanced Individual Training), starting on Monday.  He was
excited about it and we could tell that by everything he said or did.  I
think Jesse was beginning to develop a case of idol worship with his older
brother, and I can't blame him, because Frankie looked impressive in his
uniform and had a distinctive air of leadership about him.  I think that's
why these other guys were drawn to him as well, because of that quiet, take
charge attitude he had developed after he came back to live with us.  After
Frankie was sent away, shortly after he came to live with me, he came back
and took it upon himself to protect all his brothers and make up for his
misbehavior that first time around.  He always felt bad about what he'd
done, and I'm not sure he'd ever forgiven himself for those deeds, although
the rest of us had.

Going out to dinner turned out to be another very enjoyable experience and
it began with a little surprise.  A couple of Frankie's friends had come up
with some army clothes for Andrew and Jesse to wear, and the pair was
thrilled with these gifts.  The guys must have run over to the PX and
bought these things for them, which was very thoughtful, but I'd quietly
see about reimbursing them later.  Andrew and Jesse wanted to wear them
immediately, so I took the to the men's room, so they could change.  When
they came back out, they strutted their stuff and paraded around like they
were part of the graduating class.  It was very comical to watch.

Their new uniforms also got them special recognition from the hostess, once
we got to the restaurant.  She playfully 'thanked them for protecting our
country,' and the boys just giggled, snapped to attention and saluted her.
After she led us to our table, she brought the boys a soda in a wine glass,
with a little American flag stuck through the cherry she had placed in it.
Both boys thought that was really awesome, especially when they learned
their drinks were 'on the house,' not that they were paying for anything
anyway.

We had another nice meal and the conversation was quite stimulating.
Frankie and his friends told us stories about their training, including
some rather comical incidents that happened during their training.  The
first such occurrence happened out on the rifle range.  It seemed one of
the other trainees, who apparently lacked basic coordination and focus at
times, accidentally fell into a foxhole and broke his leg.  No one was
laughing over the fact he had gotten hurt, but the boys said his accident
was understandable, since the foxholes were camouflaged.  Once they
explained this meant they were painted a bright yellow, it sent the rest of
us howling, picturing that young man walking into one of those pits.  We
could all picture it happening, but that also made us wonder if he might be
a danger to himself or others, if he were ever put in a combat situation.

Another funny story they told us was about an incident that concerned one
of their drill sergeants.  They said they were out doing their mile run one
morning and the drill instructor was running beside them, when he started
to run backward, so he could see if there were any laggards at the rear of
the formation.  He had only taken three or four steps in reverse, when he
stumbled over a rough patch of ground.  Realizing he was going down, he
tried desperately to catch his balance, but failed miserably and landed on
his back.  The jolt he got from hitting the ground caused his hat to come
off his head and it flew in the air, before landing in a ditch filled with
muddy water.  No one dared to laugh, as he picked himself up and retrieved
his soggy headgear, but everyone knew he would be in a foul mood for the
rest of the day, or at least for most of it.  They said he also took a
ribbing from the other drill instructors when he got back, which didn't
improve his disposition, but eventually he began to see the humor in it
too, and began to release his anger and embarrassment.

After dinner was over, we walked around for a brief time before our troops
had to report back to their barracks.  Frankie asked me if we wanted to go
to church in the morning and I told him that would be nice. Knowing he
would expect that to include a meal, especially since he'd do almost
anything to avoid army chow, I explained we'd have to eat before the
service this time.  I told him that Andrew, Jesse and I would have to rush
to catch our flight, so there wouldn't be time to eat afterward.  He said
that would be fine and suggested we could all go to the post chapel, if we
didn't mind.  I said that would be fine and informed him what time we'd
pick him up.

After driving back to our motel room, I had the boys take their showers and
I was surprised to see Jesse emerge from the bathroom without his towel
this time.  I wasn't sure if he was becoming more comfortable about his
body, or whether he did it because there were only the three of us there.
There was also a chance that he was so caught up in the excitement of the
weekend that he merely forgot what he was doing.  Whatever the case, he was
cute to watch.

After getting a good night's sleep, we drove to the barracks and picked
Frankie up.  After downing a quick breakfast, we attended the church
Frankie had been going to for the past eigght weeks.  It was a standard
service, but we enjoyed being there together, and once it was over, we took
Frankie back to his barracks and said our good-byes.  After a few hugs,
especially between Frankie and his little brothers, we were off.  We'd all
really enjoyed ourselves, but now I was anxious to get back home and back
to my routine.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.