Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 02:31:24 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, chapter 19

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 19 - Much to do on the home front.        May 2004

As soon as I arrived back home from my trip to see Frankie, the high school
boys cornered me and began telling me about problems they'd had while I was
away.  They informed me that the posters they'd put up on Thursday were
either destroyed or had bigoted slurs scribbled on them and they were quite
upset about it.  Though I feared there might be incidents and repercussions
after the flair up at the board meeting, I was hoping it wouldn't start
immediately.  Unfortunately, we weren't about to get any breaks.

"What do you plan to do now?" I asked them.

"We've made more posters since Friday," Nick advised me, "and we're
planning on putting them up tomorrow."

"Okay, that's good," I responded.  "I'll make sure your principal alerts
the faculty and staff to keep their eyes open to see if we can catch the
culprits."

The boys seemed satisfied with that answer and it put an end to their
concerns for the time being, but we were all still fearful of the beast
lying beneath the surface, waiting to rear it's ugly head.  I had a strong
suspicion this was just the beginning of our problems, although I was
hoping these acts were being carried out by a very small number of
students.  No matter how many had been involved, I was sure they weren't
about to give up easily, especially since they had been able to do all this
without being caught.

Monday morning, after I got to my office, I called the high school
principal to talk to him about what had happened and inform him that the
boys were putting up more posters, to replace the ones that had been
defaced or destroyed.  I asked him to see if he could discover who was
behind the vandalism and slurs and he promised me he'd do everything he
could to assist in this investigation.  I thanked him and then moved on to
my own work, because I had a lot to do.

That night, even though the high school boys had put up their new posters,
they were not in a very good mood.  Nothing had happened that day, but they
weren't so sure the situation was going to improve.  Sammy seemed to be
particularly bothered by what had happened, but I couldn't get him to talk
about it.  I wasn't sure why he was more affected than the others, but he
told me he planned to walk home from school the next day, although he
wouldn't tell me why.  All he would say was that he had something to do,
but he wouldn't explain.  I suspected he was going to stakeout some of the
posters, to see if he could discover who had defaced them.  Being fairly
positive he wouldn't confront the suspects alone, I felt it would be all
right for him to do this, so I didn't object to his plans.

Later that evening, I had to go back out to attend a meeting, but before I
left I reminded Jake and the boys that the following evening we had an
awards banquet to attend.  I advised them that they should plan on being
there a little early, as the tables were not assigned and the best ones
would go fast.  I also told them I wouldn't be coming home before hand, as
I had other duties to attend to, but I would meet them there as soon as I
finished up.  Andrew and Jesse were concerned that the banquet would
interfere with their bike ride, but I informed them they'd only have to cut
it a little shorter than normal, rather than not being able to go out at
all.  Reluctantly, they agreed to this, but only after getting me to
promise that they could go out for a longer ride the following afternoon.

The next day, after I got to work, I received a phone call from the high
school principal.  He informed me it had been brought to his attention that
a couple of the newly hung gay-straight alliance posters had slurs written
on them, but no one had seen it done.  It must have happened sometime
between the end of school yesterday and the start of classes today, but
there had been no reports of anything suspicious during that timeframe.  He
advised me that the damaged posters had been taken down, so my boys could
fix or replace them, and then he added the surveillance would be increased
in an attempt to catch the offenders.  That prompted me to ask what had
been written on the posters this time and he told me one poster had 'fags
must die' scrawled across it, while another had 'gays will burn in hell'
added to it.

It was not surprising, yet still disturbing, and I'm sure whoever was doing
this had picked those views up at home.  I think the manner of inculcating
bigoted attitudes might have been best expressed in a song from South
Pacific, one that is often not used when doing this musical, because of its
controversial nature.  It was titled "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught"
and the lyrics go like this.

You've got to be taught to hate and fear You've got to be taught from year
to year It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear You've got to be
carefully taught

You've got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade You've got to be carefully
taught

You've got to be taught before it's too late Before you are six or seven or
eight To hate all the people your relatives hate You've got to be carefully
taught You've got to be carefully taught

It was originally written to address bigotry against Orientals and Pacific
Islanders, but I think one more verse could have been added between the
second and last verses...one that goes like this.

You've got to be taught to really despise The boys who tend to love other
guys To spread all that hatred and tell all those lies You've got to be
carefully taught

The subject of the posters was also one of the main topics discussed when
we got together again at the awards banquet later.  The boys were extremely
upset that someone had messed with their posters again and they were trying
to understand why anyone would continue to do such things.  After debating
this point for many minutes, I tried to remind them this was the reason
they were organizing the alliance in the first place, to educate others
about gays and to build tolerance and respect for those who are different.
After going into a little more detail concerning this, the boys began to
calm down a bit.  They were still upset about what had happened, but they
were beginning to hope they could get enough others to understand that gays
were no different than anyone else, except for the fact they were attracted
to members of their own sex.  They also began to think they could change
the attitudes of enough of their fellow classmates to improve the
situation, but I warned them that it would be a long, hard struggle to
counteract years of ingrained misinformation.  They said they understood,
but they still wanted to give it a try.

I could tell Sammy wasn't as enthused as the others and I attributed this
to the fact that he was probably upset that he hadn't been able to discover
whom the culprits were who were doing this.  Once again, I tried to draw
out of him what was wrong, but he still wasn't willing to share that
information with me.  The only thing he would say was that he'd be walking
home from school again tomorrow.  I figured this was to give him another
opportunity to try to discover who the vandals were, and although I was
becoming leery about his obsession, I concluded there was little harm in it
for now.  I also calculated that if I gave him enough time he'd either give
up his search or open up about what was bothering him, so I dropped the
topic and gave him his space.

The banquet began with a very nice meal.  After we finished eating, the
awards were given out and each of my graduating sons received some
recognition.  To my surprise, Cole accepted the first of these honors when
he was given the award for 'Outstanding Performance in the Trades Program,'
for the mechanical and body work he had done to fix up the thirty-year old
Mustang GT Fastback he'd purchased.  The high school principal winked in my
direction when he noticed my amazed look, and it was then that I realized
he had intentionally kept this information from me, so he wouldn't spoil
the moment.  Actually, I was grateful he had done that, because now I could
truly respond to Cole, as I should, once he returned to his seat.  We were
all genuinely pleased and proud of him and we let him know that when he
returned cradling his plaque.

After that, Trey was called on to receive an award for his writing and
another for having the highest average for four-years of English.  Neither
of his honors came as a surprise to any of us.  When he was presented his
writing award, the high school principal also noted his past
accomplishments and reminded everyone that Trey had received honorable
mention for his play at the national level the previous year.  After a nice
round of applause, he also returned to his seat.

Another mild surprise came when Nick's name was read and the president of
the Rotary Club acknowledged his accomplishments.  The president told those
gathered that besides having been chosen to go to Brazil as exchange
student during the previous year, Nick had earned the highest grade on the
Spanish competency test.  Not only that, but he was also given a special
award for achieving outstanding proficiency in Portuguese, as acknowledged
by the school he attended in Brazil.  Again, this was something that had
been kept hidden from me, but I swelled with pride as I watched Nick go up
to accept his plaques.

Not to be outdone, Vinnie was recognized for being 'The Most Inspirational
Member of the Student Body.'  This was a special award, created by the
Student Council, and the presentation read as follows.  "This award is
given to the student who most inspires us.  Vinnie Rydell has overcome
physical handicaps and the loss of his parents on 9/11, yet he always
remains positive, upbeat.  He is always willing to offer a helping hand and
has a smile for each of us.  If only more people were like Vinnie, then the
world would be a better place in which to live."

This was something else we were not expecting and I think Vinnie might have
been a little embarrassed when he returned to the table.  Although he liked
to be noticed by his friends and he enjoyed being the center of attention
at times, he was not one who liked to be recognized in a public forum,
especially when his medical condition was brought up.  I could sense his
discomfort, but fortunately the banquet ended shortly after that
presentation, so he didn't have long to suffer through his uneasiness.

Once the banquet had concluded, each of the boys received congratulations
from their friends and others in attendance, while I went around the hall
to congratulate some of the other recipients as well.  After the crowd
began to thin out, we gathered up our things and went home, happy to call
it a day.

Thursday the college boys arrived back home, lugging all their possessions.
They seemed to be happy about being home for the next couple of months and
I knew they were relieved their finals were over and another academic year
was behind them.  However, the most excited member of the group seemed to
be Shannon, who was not only happy to be home to see his father and
everyone else again, but he seemed extra pleased to be reunited with Nick.
Of course, Nick was probably more excited than Shannon, since he'd been
pacing the house all week, waiting for his lover's return, but I'm not sure
Jake was as thrilled about their getting back together.  He was being good
and keeping his mouth shut and he had continued to be friendly toward Nick,
but I could still tell he was uneasy about their sexual relationship.

As soon as they felt it was safe to do so and they wouldn't be deemed
impolite, both boys slipped off to their room to get reacquainted.  As soon
as they were alone inside, they decided it was safe to be themselves again.

"Damn, I missed you," Nick told his lover.

"Have you been a good boy?" Shannon teased back.

"Yep, totally," Nick responded.

"You mean you haven't done anything since I've been gone?" Shannon
clarified.

"Not with anyone...well, except for my own hand," Nick answered.  "And it's
been pretty busy.  I've missed you so much."

"Well, if that's true," Shannon responded, "then I think you've earned a
reward.  What would you like?"

"Just to hold you, kiss you, and feel you close to me again," Nick told him
and immediately Shannon wrapped him in a huge embrace.  Before long, the
boys made their way to the bed and were passionately kissing and running
their hands over each other's clothed body.  Once they were lying beside
each other on the mattress, Shannon expected Nick to ravage him, but that
didn't happen.  Instead, Nick merely continued to kiss Shannon and run his
hands all over Shannon's exterior, but he didn't make any overt sexual
moves.

"Is something wrong?" Shannon asked him.

"No, nothing," Nick replied, confused.  "Why?"

"Then why aren't we undressed yet?" Shannon commented and, finally, the
light went on in Nick's head.

"I told you," Nick began to explain, "that I've learned there is more to
love than just sex.  Sex is just the dessert, but the main course is being
close to you and holding you, and I've really missed being able to do
that."

"Are you sick?" Shannon asked, placing his hand on Nick forehead, as if he
were testing his temperature.  Finding Nick's head felt 'normal,' he
continued.  "Wow, you are serious, aren't you?  Did my dad threaten to
castrate you or something, if we had sex again?"  Nick let out a nervous
little laugh after hearing that.

"He might have thought that, but he's never said it," he confided, "but I
guess knowing how stupid I was going after sex all the time really scared
me.  Did you see where that porn star had unprotected sex filming in
Brazil?  He became HIV positive and has infected some of his co-stars too."

"Yeah, I heard about that and I did think of you when I did," Shannon
admitted.  "But you've tested negative, right?"

"Yes, I did, but the doctor also said it might not show up right away,"
Nick conceded, looking away instead of at Shannon, as he did so.

"Is that why you don't want to have sex now?" Shannon asked him, directly.

"Not exactly, but that is a concern," Nick responded.  "I just know I'd
rather have you, even without the sex, than to have sex with anyone else."
I think this comment floored Shannon, as he never expected Nick to say
anything like that.  Sex had always been the key motivating force for Nick
and now he was saying it wasn't his main focus any longer.

"You've decided this all by yourself?" Shannon wanted to know.

"Not exactly," Nick admitted.  "Pop has had me seeing this guy about what
he calls 'my obsession with sex.'

"And it's helped?" Shannon asked, surprised that he hadn't heard about this
before now.

"Yeah, I didn't think it would, but it really has," Nick responded.  "We've
talked about a lot of things and he got me to see that I always wanted sex
because it made me feel good and I kind of thought it meant I was loved.  I
guess you know that I didn't think my parents loved me when I was younger
and that's why I ran away.  But this guy showed me that sex only made me
feel good for a little while, so that's why I had to keep doing it more and
more, kind of like someone addicted to drugs.  After a while the same dose
doesn't have as strong an effect on you, so you have to take more or do it
more often.  Now, I don't feel like I need to have sex all the time.  I
mean, it was nice and made me feel really good, but now I know I'd rather
be loved and love someone else, rather than just to have the sex without
any feelings."

"How long have you been seeing this guy?" Shannon asked him.

"Ever since my doctor's exams," Nick responded.  "Pop worked it out so the
guy comes to meet me at school two to three times a week, during my study
hall time."

"And this hasn't bothered you?" Shannon wanted to know.

"Nope, not at all," Nick answered.  "In fact, I'm kind of glad he made me
do it.  It's made me see a bunch of things about myself that I never knew
before."

"You have changed," Shannon gasped out, not knowing what else to say.  He
just looked at Nick, as he thought about how he wanted to approach this
now.  "You know, I still want to have sex, though," Shannon finally
admitted, before he decided to add something more, to see how Nick would
respond.  "You're not afraid to do that with me now, are you?"

"No, I'm not afraid to," Nick told him, "but we do have to be very careful.
I don't want you to get the genital warts and I certainly don't want to
expose you to HIV, if I was dumb enough to get it myself."

"Okay, so we'll be very careful and always use rubbers, but I don't want to
do without the sex.  I've missed doing things with you while we were apart
and I was looking forward to us being intimate again."  Later, I heard a
rumor that Nick might have blushed at this point, but Shannon didn't let up
and pushed him down on the mattress, kissing him aggressively and slowly he
began to remove Nick's clothing.  Nick tried to protest, but that was hard
to do with Shannon's tongue sticking in his mouth, so he just moaned and
began to respond to Shannon's persistence.  Before long, both of them were
naked and ready for more.

"Just don't touch my dick unless it's in a condom.  Okay?" Nick insisted,
worried about his partner's well-being.

"Come on.  It can't be that bad," Shannon insisted.

"Yes, it can.  You can get the warts really easy and they won't go away.
So, please, promise me," Nick pleaded.

"Okay.  Okay.  But that's going to be hard," Shannon agreed.

"It has to be hard, to stay in the condom," Nick joked back, which caused
Shannon to give him a playful punch in the shoulder, before he ran off to
get a couple of prophylactics and the lube.  When he came back, he handed
the items to Nick, who quickly slipped a condom over his own erect member,
and then he put one over Shannon's engorged shaft as well.

"What's that for?" Shannon asked, puzzled.

"We have to protect you too," Nick stated.  "Not only can you get it from
my dick, but you could get it if I gave you a blow-job or we made love."
That seemed to be enough to satisfy Shannon's curiosity and they went back
to concentrating on what they were doing.

Shannon did notice that Nick was more affectionate and spent much more time
on the foreplay than in the past, which only confirmed what Nick had
already told him.  He really had changed, and because of that, the boys
spent a long time together, enjoying each other emotionally, as well as
physically.  Shannon liked the idea that Nick seemed to be taking pleasure
in just being with him, instead of looking forward to the
wham-bam-thank-you-man type of sex.  In fact, Shannon almost had to beg
Nick to get to it tonight, as Nick was more into pleasing Shannon than
himself.  However, once he finally committed himself to the act, no matter
how concerned he was about exposing Shannon to whatever he might have
contracted in Brazil, he gave it his all.

Slowly, Nick slid his sheathed shaft into his lover, which caused Shannon
to moan and shiver in delight, especially since he had been looking forward
to this moment for many months.  Lovingly, Nick consummated their love once
again, but this time with more kissing and focusing on other areas of
Shannon's body as well.  After many minutes of their rhythmic dance, Nick
exploded in a powerful orgasm and then collapsed on top of Shannon, only to
switch places and return the favor later, after they'd had a chance to
recuperate.

The next morning, we could all tell by how both boys glowed and pranced
about that they had finally ended the temporary celibacy they had been
forced to endure.  Even though he didn't say anything or react in a way the
boys would see, I knew it still bothered Jake deep down that Shannon might
be exposing himself to various potential threats to his own health.  I was
certain he felt the boys were practicing safe sex and taking every possible
precaution, but it's a father's prerogative to continue to worry about the
welfare of his child, even when it contradicts the evidence.

Before long, the younger boys and I headed off for school, while the
college boys slept in.  I had a full day ahead of me, not only with school
related issues, but I also had to firm up my arrangements to visit the
farms tomorrow.  I was going out to inspect the changes that had been made
and then make sure both farms were running as they should be.  My final
duty would be to check on the children who lived there, even though Sally
or one of the other caseworkers looked in on them regularly.  I decided not
to take all the boys with me this time, as they'd be going out at the end
of June to help with the haying, but Jake would be joining me.  I was going
to take Little Ricky too, as he used to live there and had mentioned
several times that he wondered what his old home looked like now.  I felt
he needed to see what was happening there, as it might give him some peace
of mind to know that his father's death and mother's disease had brought
about some good, not only the sadness and pain it had caused him.

Both sets of house parents were expecting my call, so I told them Little
Ricky, Jake and I would be coming out between nine and ten the next
morning.  That night I advised Little Ricky about our plans, so he'd be
ready to get up earlier than normal for a Saturday morning.  I was a little
surprised by how excited he seemed about joining me, but I was glad to see
him react so positively to the news.  However, this night had another
surprise in store for me, but this one had nothing to do with Little Ricky.

This one happened when Sammy asked me if he could go to the movies with
some friends, something he rarely did.  Not only that, but these were boys
I never even knew he was friendly with.  The entire group he would be with
had shaky reputations and did not come from the best of families, so this
concerned me even more.  However, seeing as I've always preached to the
boys not judge a book by its cover and to give people the benefit of the
doubt, at least until they'd proved they weren't worth the risk, so I
didn't nix his plans.  I did, however, tell him that I expected him to act
in a way that would bring them UP to his level, rather than seeing him
stooping to theirs.  I'm not sure if the look he gave me meant he was just
surprised I had brought this up or if they might have had some plans that
were on the shady side, but he said he understood.

Sammy also told me he wouldn't need a ride home afterward, as one of those
boys said they'd drop him off on their way home, so against my better
judgment, I said okay.  Some of the other boys were planning to go out too,
so I asked them to keep their eyes open, just in case, as I just wanted to
make sure nothing was going amiss.  They said they would, which made me
feel a little better.

After dinner, while the boys were getting ready to leave, Jake and I helped
Andrew and Jesse clean up the dishes and put things away.  Those two boys
were staying home with us, so they volunteered to do the clean-up tonight,
but while we were working together, Jesse prodded Andrew into asking Jake
and me to go out with them on their bike ride tomorrow.  After explaining
to them that we had things to do in the morning, but we'd be happy to join
them sometime in the afternoon, both boys seemed quite pleased.  They left
excitedly after we finished our chores, so they could plan the route they
wanted us to take.  As they disappeared, I dragged Jake off to the living
room, for a little time alone.

I decided this was a good opportunity to spend some quality time with him,
and I also hoped it might help keep his mind off Shannon and Nick.  They
had gone out too, along with almost all of the older boys, and I didn't
want Jake to spend the entire evening worrying about his son.  We began
watching a movie and before long Andrew and Jesse returned to join us.
They both sat off to my right side, as I sat with my arm around Jake, and
when the commercial came on, Andrew began to explain where they hoped to
take us tomorrow.  It was in the opposite direction from the way we went
the last time I rode with them and I told them it sounded like fun.  They
seemed happy with my response, but they were even more pleased when Jake
informed them that he was looking forward to going on this bike ride too.

We flicked through the channels after the movie ended, watching a variety
of other programs, and then some of the boys began to return home.
Needless to say, many of our vehicles were out and about this evening, so
the boys didn't have to wait long for rides.  Kevin and Vinnie were the
first to arrive home, in the 4Runner with Trey and Dion, who had gone out
with them.  I was surprised to see they had Sammy with them too, as I
thought his friends were giving him a ride home, but they all just said
'hi' when they walked in, and then the two couples disappeared to their
rooms.  Sammy came in to sit with us, but he didn't appear to be in a very
good mood.  I wasn't sure if his evening didn't go as he wished or if
somehow his brothers had interfered with it by bringing him home early.  I
felt I'd wait to see if he mentioned anything, rather than pushing him to
find out what was up, but he remained mum, so we went to bed without my
finding out what was troubling him.

Jake and I got up early Saturday morning and Jake began to fix breakfast,
while I went to wake up Little Ricky.  After downing a decent meal, the
three of us took the Grand Am and drove out to the farms.  Although it was
only a little after 9:00 when we arrived, all the children were up and
active, unlike at home, where everyone except Little Ricky, Jake and myself
was still asleep.  Our first stop was at the Becker's old home, and I knew
before I arrived that the renovations had now been completed.  The place
looked really nice, but everything had changed, both inside and out, though
the basic structure had remained essentially the same.  A few minor walls
had been removed, to open things up, but the house had also been insulated
and vinyl sided, so it really looked fantastic.

After checking out the house, we went out to the barn, to look at the
improvements there.  We discovered many boards had been replaced, both on
the sides of the building and in the flooring, in an effort to repair and
strengthen it.  In addition to that, the barn had received a fresh paint
job too and looked as if it had just been built, belying it's nearly one
hundred year age.  The boys who were working there were just finishing up
the milking or busy cleaning the barn floor.  As soon as the milking was
completed, the cows were led out to the pasture, so they could graze for
the remainder of the day.

I counted seven boys living at the farm currently, ranging from about
twelve to seventeen, but I noticed not all of them seemed enthused about
being there.  Two of the boys, the youngest and another who was about
fifteen, seemed happy enough, but the other five appeared to be going
through the motions of doing their chores only because they had been forced
to do so.  I could tell by the way they were going about their duties that
they couldn't wait to get away from the barn, but maybe that was to be
expected.  Not only was the work hard and dirty, but I guess a little
rebelling is to be expected from boys of that age, especially from those
who had been in trouble with the authorities or shuffled around from one
place to another.  I made sure I got to chat with each of them for a bit,
although the seventeen year old didn't seem to want to be bothered.  I
wasn't sure if this was just because of his age, seeing older teens don't
often want to share things with adults, or because there were deeper rooted
problems, but I would try to find out.

When I got back to the house, I asked the house parents how things had been
going and they told me quite well.  They said they'd had a few minor
problems, but nothing serious with the boys, and I was pleased to hear
that.  All in all, it looked as if things we're working out well here and I
was happy about what was being done with the Foundation's investment.

Once we finished up there, we drove to the second farm and found similar
encouraging results.  At this location there were three younger children, a
girl around three and two boys about four or five, and then there were two
older girls, one maybe fourteen and the other about sixteen.  The
renovations had been completed there as well and the house and other
buildings looked just as impressive as the changes at the old Becker farm.
Once again, I took the opportunity to chat with the children, although the
little ones didn't give me much in the way of useful information.  Instead,
they told me about the animals and what they'd named them, before filling
me in about some of the things they do for those animals.  The children
appeared to enjoy being on the farm and I was pleased to see they were so
happy.

The older girls both told me they had been hesitant about coming to the
farm, when they were first offered this opportunity, but then they went on
to explain they were glad they'd given it a try.  Both of them told me they
had more freedom here than any place else they had lived before, possibly
because it was so isolated, and they enjoyed being around the younger
children and helping to take care of them.  The girls said they were
treated fairly, although they did have lots of chores to do and some of the
work was hard.  I thanked them for their honesty and help, and then Little
Ricky, Jake and I said good-bye and headed home.

When we got back, Andrew and Jesse were chomping at the bit, anxious for us
to return so we could go out for our bike ride.  After fixing us all a
quick lunch, we went to the shed to get the bikes.  Little Ricky even asked
if he could join us.  Andrew and Jesse both said that would be fine, so we
dug out another bike and took off.  The boys were riding ahead of us, with
Jesse leading the way, while Jake and I brought up the rear, chatting as we
pedaled along.  I know we shouldn't be riding two across, but there wasn't
much traffic and we always dropped back into single file whenever any
vehicles approached.

I think Jesse and Andrew had taken me too literally when I told them Jake
and I could use the exercise, because the route we took today had more
hills and was longer and more difficult than the other rides I had taken
with them.  Although it was very scenic and quite enjoyable, it was also
quite strenuous.  There were times when Jake and I were both panting and
struggling not to fall behind, but we did manage to keep up.  The boys even
suggested we take a short break before we turned around to head back, so we
stopped at a convenience store to purchase drinks.  This gave us a chance
to catch our breath and regain our strength, in addition to being able to
replenish the body fluids we had lost due to the exertion.

On the way home, the boys took turns riding next to Jake and me, asking how
we were enjoying the ride and other things.  Everyone seemed to be having a
good time, including Little Ricky, which kind of surprised me.  Being
sixteen and a junior in high school, I didn't think he'd find this as
enjoyable an activity as the rest of us, but I was wrong.  When he rode
next to me, he thanked me for letting him come on the ride, but I told him
he should thank Jesse and Andrew for that.  He said he would, but then he
told me how happy our trip to the farms had made him feel, knowing some
good had come out of his father's death.  He thought it was great that the
Foundation was using his old home to take care of others who had found
themselves in situations similar to the one he had been in.  He advised me
that he had also noticed the sign as we entered the property, stating it
was the 'Albert and Arlene Becker Farm Home for Youth,' and he said that
almost made him cry.  After getting this all off his chest and out into the
open, I think he felt better and we continued to pedal along.

I was glad when we finally reached home, because I was getting tired and
already quite sore.  I knew the soreness would only get worse over the next
few hours, so I would have to think of a way to counter that problem before
long.  After dinner, Jake and I found the solution we were looking for,
when we hopped into the hot tub to let the water soothe our aching muscles
and joints.  We were only in there for a few minutes before Jesse, Andrew,
and Little Ricky came sauntering in, carrying their towels.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Little Ricky asked, speaking for all of them.
"We saw you heading in here and figured this was what you were planning to
do.  I know I'm a little sore from that ride," he added, dropping his not
so subtle hint, "so it will help us too.  Please, can we join you?"

I looked at the three boys, standing there looking anxious and flashing us
their cutest grins, but I knew Andrew and Jesse probably weren't hurting as
much as the rest of us.  After all, they'd been doing this for a while on
their own, so they were more accustomed to it.  However, I gave in.  "Come
on, you little weasels.  Hop in," I told them, which caused all three to
immediately strip down and jump in the tub with us.

For nearly an hour we sat in there talking about our bike ride and other
things, but basically just relaxing and letting our bodies recuperate from
all that physical activity.  The boys did ask if we'd go out for a ride
with them every weekend, and after Jake and I exchanged a few furtive
glances between us, communicating telepathically, we gave in again and
agreed we would do it as often as we could.  The boys seemed satisfied with
that response and didn't push for a firmer commitment.

After getting out of the hot tub and drying off, the boys talked us into
watching a movie with them, one the older boys had rented for the evening.
We made our way to the living room, popped the movie in and then got
comfortable.  It was a suspense/horror flick and it wasn't bad, although
the title escapes me at the moment.  When the movie ended, Jake and I
decided to turn in, so we bid all the boys sweet dreams and left them to
their own devices.  Jake and I knew we'd have another busy day tomorrow, as
it was Danny and Dustin's combined birthday party, and we'd need all the
rest we could get to be ready for it.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.