Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:08:56 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 23 & 24 Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 23 -- I'll be home for Christmas. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. A few days before Christmas, all of my older children began to arrive home for the holiday. It was great to have them all back again. Everyone would be there, except for Robert. As soon as the last of them arrived, I briefed everyone on the sleeping arrangements. We were all excited that this year there were plenty of rooms to go around. I had moved Graham and Cole's old twin beds into one of the rooms that were created from the upstairs master bedroom and picked up a double bed to go in the other room. Now, we'd just have to do a little finagling, in order to make sure everyone was settled. This is how it worked out. Michael and Andrea took the bedroom with the double bed and Marie and Adrian took the room with the twin beds. Pat volunteered to bunk in with Danny, so Elizabeth and Tim stayed in his room. As everyone suspected, my grandsons announced they wanted to sleep in the jungle room, with Ricky, Cole and Graham, on the old master bedroom's king-size bed. Since their parents were happy to have them out of their hair, and the two little ones preferred it that way, the adults happily agreed to the idea. Now, we just had to make bathroom assignments. Michael, Andrea, Marie and Adrian would share the old master bathroom, and the other upstairs bathroom would be reserved for Elizabeth, Tim, Danny and Pat. The Fabulous Five, which now included my grandsons, would share the downstairs bathroom, while Dustin, Kevin and Trey shared my new master bathroom with me. Everything was now settled and we were ready to start enjoying ourselves. During our first group discussion, my older children wanted to know how we had decided on drawing names for buying presents, so I gave the boys their due. After all, it was their idea and the others told them it was a fantastic suggestion and helped them immensely. Not only didn't they have to lug a lot of little presents with them when they came, everyone would benefit by not getting a lot of smaller gifts, usually things a person wasn't overly fond of in the first place. The boys were all quite pleased that their older siblings approved of their idea. After that discussion ended, all the different groups filled the others in on what had been happening in their lives since we had last talked. It was a wonderful discussion and we all felt closer to each other when it was over. We were just one humongous, happy family. I had also taken the easy way out and made dinner arrangements for that evening, so we were soon loading into multiple vehicles, to make the short drive to the restaurant. I think the people at the establishment had thought we were some kind of office party, when I made the reservation for seventeen people, because I could read the shocked expressions on their faces, when I announced who we were. It was a wonderful meal and we all had a great time. My four-year-old grandson sat next to Graham and the five-year-old sat between Cole and Ricky. Their parents didn't mind the break from having to deal with them and the older boys were happy to cut up their food and do whatever else was needed. Those three uncles were absolutely great with their nephews and everyone noticed it too. Of course, once we were ready to leave, I picked up the tab. After we got home, my grandsons couldn't wait to take their baths with their barely older uncles. Graham and Nicky took a bath together, while Ricky and Cole took Jordan into the shower with them. Of course, everyone knew they would have to wear at least shorts and a tee shirt around the house for the rest of the evening, so that wasn't a problem. However, the fabulous five were thicker than thieves for the rest of the night. We did a lot of other things over the next two days as well, such as playing games with the kids, some last minute shopping, taking the boys to a movie matinee and just enjoying each other's company. Christmas Eve the ladies helped me prepare a big dinner, before we retired to the family room. The tree had been set up and decorated previous to their arrival, so we all joined around it to sing Christmas carols and then I and Michael read Christmas stories to everyone. He and I shared the parts when reading 'A Christmas Carol,' but he let me read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' all alone. It was a good, old-fashioned Christmas celebration. After the boys went to bed, the rest of us surrounded the tree with presents. The packages filled about half of the room once they were displayed. It was a good thing we drew names to buy gifts or there wouldn't have been enough space in the room for the people. I stayed up after my other children and their spouses went to bed too, so I could sneak their presents into place. I know I could have done it while they were there, but I guess I'm still a kid at heart when it comes to Christmas surprises, and didn't want them to see their gifts in advance. The five holy terrors had the whole household up shortly after five the next morning. Slowly, the rest of us dragged our weary bodies into the family room, where some of the older boys were trying to restrain the younger ones from getting into the gifts prematurely. I assigned my two son-in-laws, Adrian and Tim, as official package deliverers and within a few minutes everyone had a present to open. Before long, there was wrapping paper scattered all over the room, as the collection of presents was opened, and it was difficult for me to see and keep track of who got what. After everyone had opened all of their gifts, we readily agreed that each of us had received more than enough for one holiday. I had purchased a collection of hand-held computer games for the boys to share, and each boy was given his own 'personal' CD player. They also received some clothes and other items from me as well, and I had purchased an air hockey table for the rec room, which all of them could enjoy. Pat and Trey got one additional gift that the other boys didn't. They received the same type of certificate I had given the others the year before, pledging I would adopt them, if they so wished. I guess they did, because I was soon covered with kisses and hugs, and they were surrounded by choruses of 'see I told you so'. Between Christmas and the following Saturday, we more or less let the boys entertain each other, which gave the older couples a chance to go out and do things alone. I think that, by itself, was the best Christmas gift we could have given them. Sometimes they would just go someplace with their spouse, while on other occasions the couples might go out in pairs or as a group. When they did things with their sons, they always included the uncles their sons were so closely attached to as well. I'm not sure they could have gotten their own sons to join them for any of those excursions, if they hadn't. My older children stayed until the following Friday and then left to go back home. There were a couple of reasons for this decision. First, they could celebrate the New Year at home and still have an extra day to rest up and recuperate before they returned to their jobs. The other reason was just a precautionary measure. Since we'd be ringing in the year 2000, and with all the dire predictions about all the catastrophes this would bring -- including planes falling from the sky, my children felt it might be best to reach their homes before New Year's Eve. It's not that any of us put much stock in those rumors, but they felt it was best to err on the side of caution, just in case. Before they left, however, I had also made arrangements for my grandsons to come and stay with us as soon as school was out in the summer. My older children and I had also discussed and agreed upon our joint vacation plans, two additional weeks this whole mob would spend together as a family. It had been a wonderful week, but I think it had been more than enough to tide us all over for now. It's not that we didn't enjoy our time together, but it had also been very hectic, as well as being pleasurable. It also gave us all time to bond with the other members of the family, those whom we didn't see nearly enough. Brandon and Jay came over too, between Christmas and New Years, while my older children were still there. When they did, Trey would go in and join Dustin and Kevin in their room, so Pat could use his bedroom, in order to give Brandon and Danny some time alone. Sometimes the three of them would stay together, but I knew that had to be a tight fit on the double bed. However, once the others had left, there was plenty of room again and all of the boys could go back to their regular routines. Brandon and Jay literally moved in to take their place, from that point on. Friday night there was also plenty of sexual activities taking place in the various bedrooms. The boys had managed to hold off for as long as they could, while my older children and grandsons were in residence, but now they were making up for lost time. During their stay with us, Jay opted to stay with the terrible trio, but whenever Danny and Brandon invited Pat to join them, Ricky and Jay would take over Pat's room for the night. This also allowed Cole and Graham some private time to entertain each other, which they hadn't had much of, in recent times. The first time Danny and Brandon asked Pat to join them, I was somewhat surprised. Although I hadn't anticipated anything of that nature happening, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that Brandon was willing to share Danny with Pat on these occasions. I think we all had viewed Brandon as the jealous type, but in reality, he was the one who suggested they should consider including Pat, so he wouldn't be alone. Brandon obviously wasn't threatened by Pat's presence with them. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the extra person. That left Dustin, Kevin and Trey to enjoy their time together, and I knew there would be no breaking up of that threesome at this point, now that all of those past battles were behind them. Brandon and Jay also joined us for our private New Year's Eve celebration. Their parents didn't mind, as they had plans of their own, which didn't include their children. This way, they would know where their sons were and what they were up to, or at least they thought they did. All of us, including Brandon and Jay's parents, Steve Shay and his wife, Mary, and Aunt Sally all enjoyed an early dinner together. We invited Steve and Mary Shay to join us, not knowing if they would or not, but they quickly accepted our invitation, without hesitation. Steve told me later that he had wanted Mary to get to know us better for quite some time, especially after all the things Steve had told her about us. I was looking forward to this opportunity to get closer to them too. Needless to say, we had reserved nearly half of one of the small dining rooms at my favorite restaurant, since there would be eighteen of us. We meet there at 6:00 p.m., so we could spend an hour or so together first, before splitting off to go pursue our other plans. The staff had set us up at two long tables, with a break in between, but there was plenty of room to get up and move about, so we could spend time with everyone. The boys immediately took to Mary Shay, who was very delightful in her own right, although she preferred to stay in the background when it came to her husband's professional life and obligations. I was actually quite impressed and pleased, when about halfway through our time together, the boys started referring to the Shays as Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary. In fact, I think they were also thrilled by this simple gesture and I knew they would now remain an inseparable part of our extended family. Once dinner was over, we said our good-byes and parted company. I took the boys home, since they had planned their own elaborate New Year's Eve entertainment. First, they had set up two activities to start. Some of the boys chose to conduct a pool tournament in the rec room, playing eight ball, while the rest gathered to play a cutthroat Monopoly game on the dining room table. To make the Monopoly game more interesting, the boys playing agreed to split the winner's chores among them for the entire month of January. This game suddenly became intense. An hour or so later, we had our winners. Brandon won the pool tournament, and he doesn't even have a table to practice on at home, while Trey won the Monopoly game. He may be quiet, but he was ruthless when it came to wheeling and dealing on the board. After those two events were over, some of the boys went into the family room and set up their own video game tournament on our large-screen television. There was definitely a lot of yelling and screaming coming from that room, as the earlier rounds were concluded and some of the boys eliminated. The noise level was deafening in that room as the final three contests took place and they ultimately crowned their champion. It was Ricky who outlasted them all and whose manual dexterity had eclipsed that of his peers. In the dining room, I set up a high stakes poker game. Each boy was given $250,000 in poker chips, strictly without any real currency backing, and we played a sky's-the-limit game. I only served as the dealer and didn't participate myself, as I didn't think that would be fair, since I had much more experience at the game than they had. I was there to provide judgments about who had the better hand and to settle any other minor disputes as they arose, so no one could be accused of cheating. It actually turned out to be a very exciting experience and the boys became very adept at betting, bluffing and calling. Some of them still had to work on their poker faces, however, although some of the ones who lacked that ability used it to their advantage as well. When bluffing, and knowing that the others could read their expressions, sometimes they showed a greater enthusiasm for their hand than it really warranted. That often worked to scare off some of the others and increased their odds at winning the hand. The poker game was eventually won by Dustin, who told us later that he had played a great deal of strip poker with his old friends, before he moved in with Kevin's family. With the skill he displayed, I assumed he was seldom naked in front of the others. It was now nearly midnight, so the games ended. We turned on one of those big time New Year's Eve celebrations on the tube and I went out to the kitchen to get my special little treat for the gang. I brought in a tray with a bottle of Champagne and the appropriate number of glasses, so each boy could have a taste of the bubbly as we welcomed in the New Year. When the witching hour arrived, it was welcomed with streamers being tossed to and fro, noisemakers doing what they were made to do, and boys shouting and making other irritating noises. In our own way, we brought in the New Year in grand style. We carried on with our little revelry for another half hour, before the boys went up to the bedrooms for some private celebrations of their own. Ricky, Cole, Graham and Jay went to the jungle room and locked the door behind them. Once naked, the boys split into partners for a little sixty-nine action. Ricky took Graham first, while Jay and Cole teamed up. Pretty soon there were mouths wrapped around penises and the sounds of slurping and moans of enjoyment filled the air. Graham was eagerly swallowing Ricky's cut pole, while Ricky was bobbing up and down on Graham's uncut boner, after playing with his foreskin for a brief time. On the other side of the bed, Cole had been toying with the extra skin on Jay's cock, before he crammed it into his mouth, and Jay was busy licking and sucking off Cole's own circumcised erection. Soon the boys were shooting their loads into their partner's mouth, as they panted and groaned in pleasure. After they recovered, Ricky and Jay changed partners and the boys were soon going at each other once more. This time it took a little longer than before, but eventually each boy reached his second climax during the early morning hours. After they rested for a while longer, Jay and Ricky paired up, while Cole and Graham worked on each other. The final loads of the morning were much smaller in quantity, with Graham's orgasm being nearly dry, but they did manage to crawl into position to go to sleep, after they had all cum that one final time. Cole and Graham were situated between the two older boys, and before long the four of them cuddled into one large mass of flesh, until later that morning. In a room down the hall, a second group had a different way to achieve the same results. These three had formed their bodies into a triangle so they could begin with a little oral sex. Trey took Kevin's uncut hard-on into his mouth, while Kevin swallowed Dustin's circumcised monster and Dustin bent over to nibble on Trey's generous foreskin, before he began nodding up and down on his mast. The trio continued their actions until they had each received a generous reward of thick cream for their efforts and then they swung back around, in the opposite direction. This time Trey worked on Dustin's large sausage, Dustin was presented with Kevin's familiar stalk, and Kevin got to enjoy Trey's long, slender joystick. They were more aggressive in their actions this time around, knowing it would take a greater effort to achieve that second orgasm, but soon they were swallowing another's load of male-milk, as their partner's juices exploded into their oral cavities. They took a brief respite before they continued, making a quick run down to the kitchen to get drinks, but eventually they came back to their room for one final encounter. This encounter would include full penetration. After the boys had loosened each other up and greased their partner's holes, Dustin knelt down near the head of the bed, so Kevin could crawl up behind him and penetrate his rosebud, while Trey moved in behind Kevin and slipped into him. After they were in position, the boys then worked to develop a smooth rhythm, which all of them could enjoy. Kevin would first make his thrust into Dustin's backside and Trey would make his thrust every time Kevin withdrew his tool from Dustin's butt. It took a few tries to get used to this method, but soon they fell into a smooth pace until both boys' cocks swelled and erupted into their partner's bowels. When they had recovered from this joint effort, Kevin rested on the bed while he watched Dustin slip into Trey's willing opening and pounded away until he doused the fire in Trey's intestinal tract, when his extinguisher shot out its syrupy contents. The boys were now exhausted after having deposited three strong loads this morning, so they positioned themselves for sleep. This time they made sure that Dustin was in the middle and the other two wrapped themselves around his sturdy frame and slowly gave into their weariness. Soon their breathing became less labored, their heart rates slowed and the three of them drifted off into oblivion. They crashed like that until sometime after the fiery four had made their way downstairs for breakfast. In the other front bedroom a whole different scene was taking place, but for the same reason. Danny, Brandon, and Pat had agreed to play a slightly different version of the game monkey-in-the-middle to get their sexual release. The three circumcised boys had agreed to this in advance and now they got into position. For the first go around, Danny took his position on all fours in the middle of the bed. Pat climbed up in front of him and inserted his cock in Danny's mouth, while Brandon moved in from behind and slid his meat home in Danny's rear. Now, Brandon and Pat began their rocking motions back and forth, slowly fucking Danny in both ends. Pat was in front, easing his weapon in and out of Danny's throat, as Danny used his tongue to add to his pleasure. Every time Pat slipped his cock into Danny's mouth, it brought back memories of that first night of consensual boy-on-boy sex that they had enjoyed together. He had been hesitant to try it, because of the forced sex he had been made to have with one of his mother's old boyfriends, but it had been so wonderful that he had never regretted making that decision. Now, here he was working his way closer to his next release, and the suction that Danny was applying was pulling him over the edge. He felt that powerful surge building up in his groin, so he arched his back, drove his penis deep into Danny's throat and unleashed his torrent of boy seed into Danny's mouth. Pat felt every spurt, as it left his prick, and became weak as the last of his juices left his body. He managed to maintain his balance and remained upright as he slowly recovered from his orgasm. While Pat had been enjoying himself upfront, Brandon had been plowing Danny's ass with his steady strokes. Danny was voluntarily contracting his rectal muscles every time Brandon's pecker would start to withdraw from his sheath and the intense pressure was causing Brandon to reach his flash point earlier than he would have wished. Knowing he was close, Brandon picked up his pace and jack hammered Danny's anus. Within a few more strokes, Brandon buried his hot poker as far into his friend as he could and bathed Danny's satiny lining with his boiling spunk. After a final couple of thrusts, to finish draining his weasel, Brandon fell forward onto Danny's back. When he had recovered from the exertion, Brandon pushed back and withdrew his deflating love muscle from Danny's backside, with an audible plop. The boys all took a few minutes to collect themselves, use the toilet, grab a drink and clean off a bit, before they switched around and got into the next arrangement. This time Brandon would get the center position, with Danny at his head and Pat working on his tail. When the boys finally agreed they were ready to resume, they moved into their assigned positions on the bed. Danny moved up in front of Brandon, but he was no longer erect. Brandon steadied himself on three appendages while he used his extra arm and hand to grab hold of Danny's peter long enough to lick and suck it back to its maximum length and hardness. Now, Brandon could use that arm and hand to keep his balance steady, as he started lunging to and fro on his lover's wand. Brandon's mouth was extremely full as Danny's monster slid in and out, and he could only work his tongue on Danny's tip when that was all that remained in his mouth. Brandon would suck hard, as the weapon was withdrawn, and flick his tongue at the slit quickly before that tube slammed back inside. Brandon's ministrations were working Danny into a sexual frenzy and Danny was rapidly nearing the summit of that mountain. As the highest peak in that range neared, Danny shuddered from his head to his toes, released his slushy concoction into Brandon's mouth, and slouched backwards, as Brandon sucked the remaining juices from his hose. Pat was being no less effective, as he enjoyed the feeling of Brandon's warm, moist lining, which engulfed his own boyhood. Brandon had learned how to contract his rectal muscles from Danny and used that technique to squeeze Pat's light pole each and every time it tried to withdraw from the depths of his bowels. Brandon's whole body was rocking back and forth, meeting Danny's thrusts when he leaned forward and matching Pat's thrusts when he slammed back. Pat was in seventh-heaven from this combination of movements and was soon racing toward his own finish line, as he slammed faster and harder into the lanky blonde. Pat was huffing and puffing from the exertion, sometimes sounding like a steam driven engine climbing a steep grade, and his heart was beating so rapidly that he thought it was going to pop right out of his chest. Suddenly all of the muscles in his body went rigid and several strings of his sticky, alabaster liquid gushed from his dickhead and filled the hollow cavity deep within Brandon's body. He kept his hands on Brandon's hips, to keep himself from falling forward, and remained like this until he finally release his cock from Brandon's grip and rested up for the final round. This time the three boys lay panting and limp on Danny's bed as they waited for their bodies to recuperate. It took slightly longer for Pat this time, as he had just enjoyed his second climax of the wee-morning hours, and Danny and Brandon were very patient with him. In the end, both boys gave Pat plenty of time to regain his strength, but they then took a short break to run to the toilet, get another drink and wash off a bit, before they returned. When they did, they were all more than ready to get started again. This time Pat would be the middleman in this trio, with Brandon enjoying his mouth and Danny plowing his boy pussy. Brandon was only semi-erect when he hoisted his body up in front of Pat's head, so he guided his own pecker forward, as he waited for Pat to use his tongue and lips to bring him back to a state of full arousal. In less than a minute, Brandon was once again rock- hard and ready for business. Willingly, Pat let Brandon's rod slide between his lips and over his tongue. Once he was fully in, Brandon pumped his hips back and forth, working his member inside Pat's oral cavity, as Pat applied a vacuum-like suction. Even though he'd had a breather since his first release, it still didn't take Brandon all that long to reach the point of no return. Soon, every fiber in his being told him he was ready to spew forth his load and his body reacted accordingly. Brandon threw his head and shoulders back, as he jerked his hips forward, driving his steel girder into the depths of Pat's oral cavern, before hosing him down with his pearly white custard. After the last of the six volleys spurted from his granite pole, Brandon's legs gave out from under him and he crumpled onto the mattress, like yesterday's bath towel. Danny had been very careful to enter Pat's fairly inexperienced love canal slowly and easily. He didn't want to tear the boy open with a rapid assault, so he let Pat adjust to the intrusion gradually, as he slid his beast home. Even though Pat was fairly busy at the time, he still appreciated Danny's care, after having previously been the victim of a rape- like assault. That is why Pat had reacted so strongly to the groups' nudity that first evening, as the mental and emotional scars he carried sent fearful warnings to his psyche. It actually took a great deal of effort on his part to overcome that learned behavior. Now that he was past it, he reveled in the feel of Danny's tool sliding back and forth in his intestinal tract, more so each time Danny's prick brushed against his joy button. Every time it happened, it caused Pat to moan on Brandon's cock, which passed along the pleasurable sensation. Danny took slightly longer than Brandon this time, as he had just cum in Brandon's mouth on the previous grouping, and it was just the two of them when Danny finally finished up. Slowly, Danny continued to increase his pace, until he looked like a dog on a bitch in heat. Frantically he would piston into Pat's opening, until he made that final thrust and flooded Pat's gut with his gooey jism. Once he was certain every drop had been deposited into the vault, Danny slowly let his cock slip out of Pat's tunnel. The withdrawal of his penis from Pat's tight chute caused a wet-fart sound upon breaking free and then the duo fell onto the bed, along with Brandon, swooning in the ecstasy of their labors. The boys took their time enjoying the afterglow from their multiple orgasms, but eventually worked their way around on the bed so their heads were on the pillows and they were spread out, side-by-side. Those three slept soundly, until just before noon the next day, and their sexual needs had not only been met, but totally surpassed from that session. What a hell of a way to ring in the New Year. The next morning, I met each group as they staggered downstairs and supplied them all with a big breakfast to start their day. The boys watched a couple of football games together, before Brandon and Jay had to return home, but they all echoed their sentiments that this was the best New Year's Eve celebration they had ever had the pleasure of taking part in. The boys unanimously agreed that one of our New Year's resolutions should be that we would have another private celebration again next year, one that would be as good, if not better, than this one had been. Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 24 -- Looking Through a Crystal Ball. It was Sunday, January 13th, and some of the boys were reading the Sunday paper on the dining room table. "Listen to this," Danny said, referring to a headline he was reading. "It says here that a 'Father of two kills wife and self.' I've got to read this story to you." "SCRANTON- A Japanese immigrant, who had married a US citizen, killed his wife and then himself shortly after noon Saturday. Another man was also injured in the attack. There were reportedly several witnesses to this crime. According to police reports, Fumitake Yamada, 33, went to visit his wife Debra, 31, at her job. When he arrived where she worked, he entered her office and apparently discovered her having sexual relations with another man. He reportedly left the building, went out to his car, retrieved a revolver from his glove box and then he went back to her office. According to witnesses, he burst into the room the second time, screamed at both of them, then shot his wife once in the head. He then shot the other man, Steven James, 30, also from the Scranton area, once in the chest. James is reported in critical, but stable condition at the local hospital. After Yamada had shot both his wife and the other man, reports indicate he then turned the gun on himself and fired a single shot through the side of his head. He and his wife were both pronounced dead at the scene by Joseph Bertini, county coroner. Mrs. Yamada worked in a family owned and operated business, which police are also investigating. According to informed sources, while at the crime scene, investigators discovered the family automotive car care business was merely a front for a chop shop. This garage was being used to cut up stolen vehicles into parts, so those items could be resold on the black market. It is estimated this ring cleared hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from this illegal activity. Government files indicate Mr. Yamada first came to this country to attend college and reportedly met his wife during that time period. After the two dated for a while, he suddenly dropped out of school and married her. He was currently employed as the produce manager at a local grocery store and had worked there for the past several years. Mr. Yamada has no previous police record and those who worked with him described him as a very likable and competent person. The couple is survived by two children, ages nine and eleven, who were taken into custody by Child Protective Services later the same day. The children will remain wards of the state, until suitable placement for them can be made." * * * "Daddy," Graham said as Danny finished reading the article, "you've got to call somebody and get them sent here. They need our help." "Whoa there partner. They're in a totally different part of the state," I informed him. "I don't even know if it would be allowed, even if I did make the offer." "But they need us, Daddy," Graham insisted. "Their parents are dead and they have no place to live. They need us to take them in. I just know they do." "I'm sure they are feeling very badly about losing their parents," I admitted, "but they do have other relatives in the area. It said so in the paper." "But they're in trouble too, Daddy," Graham persisted, "and the police aren't going to let them have the boys." "How do you even know they ARE boys, Graham?" I pressed, totally perplexed by this whole situation. "The newspaper article didn't say anything about their sex." "I don't know how, but I just know it, Daddy," he replied. "Promise me you'll call Aunt Sally and have her check to see if they have a new home. I just feel they don't and need us to help them." "I'll tell you what, Graham. Tomorrow morning, after Aunt Sally and I are both at work, I'll call and ask her to check on this for us. Will that make you happy?" "Yes, Daddy. I just need to know they're okay," he agreed. "I just have this feeling they're not." After this little discussion, the boys went off to do their own thing, but I began to wonder about Graham and the passion he felt about this situation. He was so insistent about what he wanted me to do and it was as if he had some information the rest of us were lacking. It almost made me wonder if he were psychic or something? I was definitely going to check this out with Sally, as I was curious to see if Graham's intuition was correct. The rest of day was somewhat strange, as Graham would mention other things about this family from time to time, before reminding me about my promise to check on them for him. After continually reassuring him I would, he finally let it drop. Monday morning, after classes had begun and everything seemed to be running smoothly, I went to my office so I could call Sally. "Sally, it's Josh. How are you today?" I began. "Fine, Josh. How are you and my favorite group of young men doing?" she asked, being polite. "Everything is going quite well right now and the boys are fine," I agreed. "Thank you for asking. The reason for this call, however, is that I have a favor to ask of you." "Well that sounds fair, after all of the favors I've asked of you," she joked. "What may I do for you today?" "This favor involves a situation the boys read about in yesterday's newspaper," I explained. "It was an article about a murder-suicide in Scranton. The column stated that the deceased couple had two children, nine and eleven. Graham made me promise to check on the children's current status with you, to make sure they had a home and decent family they could live with. Graham seems to feel they need our help and he wants them to come live with us. Would you be able to check on this for me? I know I'm asking a lot, but this is very important to Graham." "Certainly, Josh, I'd be happy to help," she assured me. "It just so happens I have a friend who is head of the children's unit in that office. We once shared a room together at a professional conference and have stayed in touch ever since. I'll call her immediately and then get back to you." "Thanks, Sally. I wouldn't ask, but it was so very important to Graham," I told her. "It was as if he had a sixth sense about these kids. In fact, he said they were two boys, even though the paper didn't give that information." "It's no problem, Josh. I'd like to chat with Ann anyway," Sally replied. "Even if this turns out to be nothing, it's a good excuse for me to call her at work." "Thanks again, Sally. Please, call me as soon as you learn anything," I added. "I will, Josh. Good-bye," she stated, before hanging up. Well, now I'm covered. If I happen to run into Graham in the halls, I can at least tell him I've spoken to his Aunt Sally and she's agreed to check into the matter for us. Damn. I suddenly realized the boys have BOTH Sally and me working for them. It was after lunch before Sally called me back, and I was curious to discover what she had learned. "Josh, you won't believe what I found out," she began. "Graham was correct. The children are both boys and they most certainly need your help. Ann was delighted that I called, and she was ecstatic when she learned that the family she had been reading about in a magazine and admired from a distance, was one of my foster homes. Are you definitely interested in taking in these boys, because Ann would love your assistance?" "Well, yes, Sally. If they need us, we'll take them in," I agreed. "I'm confused, however. The paper said they had relatives in the area. Why aren't the children being placed with them?" "They do have relatives there, but according to Ann, the whole extended family is under investigation for illegal activities and the authorities want to remove the boys from their influence," she explained. "In fact, when Ann had the chance to send them here, she jumped at it. They wanted to move the boys as far away from that group as possible, at least until they determine their fitness to raise the boys." "Then this would be a temporary placement?" I asked, as I wondered if I wanted to become involved in something short term. "It's possible," she admitted. "We just won't know for some time. Ann was wondering if you might be able to travel there this Saturday, to meet her and the two boys? If things go well, she indicated you might even be able to bring them back with you when you return." "That would be fine, Sally," I agreed. "I'll drive up Friday after school, with all of the boys, and we'll spend the night in Scranton. That way we can meet them fairly early, spend the day with the boys and make our return trip on Sunday." "Josh, you and your boys are amazing," she told me, sappily. "I can't even begin to tell you how many people are indebted to all of you for your generosity and caring nature." "Sally, you're making me blush," I teased. "If you would just ask Ann when and where she would like to meet, we'll be all set. I'll call and make the hotel reservations in Scranton." "I'll call her back, and then I'll let you know what she has to say," she confirmed. "Thanks, Josh, from both of us." Now, I just sat in my office and thought about the remarkable coincidences between what Graham had said and what turned out to be the truth. The children WERE both boys and they DID need our help, even though they had relatives in the area. How in the world could he have possibly known that? The first question Graham asked me, when he and Cole met me at the van after school, was if I had checked about the boys. I told them that I had followed-up on that and would tell everyone what I found out at dinner this evening. He seemed satisfied just to know that I had called, and was willing to wait and learn what I discovered at the same time I told his brothers. It also made me wonder if he somehow already knew what I was going to announce. After we got home, I prepared our meal and puttered around in the kitchen for a while. When we sat down to eat, Graham was about at the end of his patience. "Daddy, what did you find out from Aunt Sally?" he pleaded. "Okay, here's the whole story," I began, before telling them how I had called Sally and how she, in turn, called her friend. I explained there WERE two boys involved and that the local welfare agency didn't want the children to stay with their relatives, at least for now. Next, I informed them that we would drive to Scranton on Friday evening, spend the night there, and then meet the boys on Saturday. I explained we would spend most of Saturday with the boys, stay overnight again, and then return home on Sunday, possibly with the boys. Everyone was excited about the trip, but they were totally in awe of Graham and his 'ability' to sense all that from the newspaper's account of the tragedy. Suddenly, Graham found himself held in much higher regard by his brothers, but it seemed not to affect him at all, since he was incredibly focused on the plight of the two young boys, whom he had never met. By Friday, I had all the boys excused from all of their other commitments for the weekend, so there would be no conflicts. When the final classes ended, we loaded into the van and were on our way to Scranton. I had planned out our trip the previous evening at home and calculated it would take a few hours for us to drive there from our home in south central Pennsylvania, not including a stop for dinner. After an exhausting drive, we rolled into the parking lot of our hotel sometime after nine that evening. We unloaded from the van and took the suitcases to our rooms. I had the boys get their things together Thursday night and pack them by room assignments. Once they had completed that task, I immediately asked them to put their luggage into the back of the van, so we wouldn't have to fool with it in the morning. Ricky, Cole and Graham would be staying together in one room, and therefore shared a suitcase. Dustin, Kevin and Trey were in another room, so they had their own suitcase. That left Danny, Pat and me to team up in the last room, so we packed our things in the final piece of luggage. I had also arranged for me to be in the center room, so I could also monitor the others' activities while they were in their own rooms. We were all very tired by the time we arrived, so we merely freshened up a bit and relaxed for a short time, before going to bed. The next day we were up, dressed and ready for our 10:00 a.m. appointment, with plenty of time to spare. After enjoying a substantial breakfast, we drove to the county office building and had just barely exited the van, before a red haired woman, about my age, greeted us. "Hi, I'm Ann Getz, and you must be Mr. Currie," she began. "Yes, but please call me Josh," I informed her, which caused her to nod, signifying her understanding. "If you don't mind my asking, I'm interested in knowing how you concluded I was the person you were waiting for?" I asked this question rather naively, as it turned out. "Well, I had seen your pictures in the magazine, but even without that I would have figured it had to be you," she sort of chuckled. "Either that or I'd discovered the Pied Piper, with all of those boys following you." I should have realized, before I even asked the question, we were not the type of family that could blend in, unseen, into any community. "Quite right. I guess my question was rather silly," I confessed. "I'm very happy to meet you, Ann. Sally told me a little about you." "It's nice to meet you and your boys, Josh. Sally told me about you, as well," she countered. "Needless to say, I've been hoping for this opportunity since reading about you and the boys in the magazine article that was published a few months ago. You're all celebrities of sorts, especially with people in my profession." "Not too loudly, Ann. I've just managed to get the swelling in their heads to go down, so they can fit into their hats again," I joked. "Oh, Josh, I find that hard to believe," he countered. "They look like such wonderful young men. If you don't mind, I'd like to meet and chat with them all later, but for now, I need to speak with you alone. We need to discuss some background information about this case, in private. The boys may remain in the waiting room, if they wouldn't mind?" "They certainly wouldn't and that won't be a problem," I quickly assured her, before informing the boys about what was expected. They had brought along the hand-held video games I bought them for Christmas, so I knew they'd keep occupied. Once they were situated, I followed Ann into her office. "I was thrilled when Sally called me," she began, "and told me about your offer. It couldn't have come at a better time. I had just left a big meeting, where we had discussed the dilemma about placing the boys. The consensus of the agencies involved with this situation was that we did not want them to move in with their mother's relatives, as we were concerned those people might try to flee, in an attempt to evade criminal prosecution. They still might take off, but this way they won't have the boys and won't know where the children are, either. I just want to make sure you and your family hit it off with Sammy and Andrew, first. Those poor little creatures don't need any more unhappiness in their young lives and I want to be certain they fit in with your other young men." "A wise precaution," I offered, "but I don't foresee any problems on this side. Hopefully, Sammy and Andrew, I believe those are the names you just used, will bond with my boys when we go out later." "That would be wonderful," Ann exclaimed. "Maybe I should start at the beginning and fill you in about what we know. This whole mess started because their parents had been having marital problems. From what we've discovered from other sources, that afternoon Mr. Yamada went over to where his wife worked, to make amends and ask her out to lunch. When he arrived, he went directly to her office and opened the door cautiously, in order to surprise her, but he was the one who was surprised. When he glanced in, he saw this other guy and his wife having sex on her desk. The husband left as quietly as he'd entered, and there is no indication his wife or her gentleman friend had even known he'd been there, before Mr. Yamada went out to his car, got his pistol out of his glove compartment and then burst into her office the second time. "Apparently, the two lovebirds jumped off the desk and tried to cover the evidence of their indiscretion. According to witnesses, Mr. Yamada screamed at his wife, telling her that she had shamed herself, her family and him, before lifting his weapon and firing a single shot into her head, right between the eyes. The other guy tried to flee, but Mr. Yamada shot him in the back as he attempted to bolt through the door. The bullet did some damage, but he did survive. Maybe now he won't be so quick to mess around with a married woman. "Back to the story, however," Ann interjected. "Mr. Yamada then lifted the pistol to his own head and pulled the trigger. One of the employees in the shop raced to a phone and dialed 911, but by the time the police and ambulances arrived, it was too late to save either him or his wife. The paramedics managed to stabilize the other man and transport him to the hospital, while the police went around taking statements from the employees who had witnessed what had happened. "As an officer was interviewing one of the gentlemen who worked in the shop, but had been in the office at the time of the attack, he recognized an expensive vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier in the day. It was sitting in the back of the shop, only partially covered by a tarp. He called the station and had some detectives sent over, with a warrant, to check out his find. When they arrived, the investigators discovered another stolen vehicle and some other assorted property that had been reported as stolen from throughout the surrounding area. "The business was immediately closed down and seized by the police department. One of the detectives then went to court to get an injunction to freeze all of the family's assets, until things could be sorted out and the case was presented in a court of law. If the various law enforcement agencies now involved in this case can prove any of the business' assets were acquired due to illicit activities, then nearly everything the family has could be confiscated by the state. "It was left up to my agency to decide what to do with the two boys, who were now orphans. The mother's family was immediately excluded as undesirable and unfit, some because of the current allegations and others because of prior criminal records. We tried to find out what we could about the father's family, only to discover he had left Japan against his parents' wishes and they had disowned him and still mourn him as if he were dead. They've had no contact with each other since that day, so his parents don't even know they have grandsons. "This meant the boys were now wards of the state and under my supervision. We were debating their future when Sally told me about you and your offer. The two boys are in an adjoining office, with one of my caseworkers, and I'd like for them to meet you and your sons. If you're willing, they are prepared to spend the rest of the day with you." "That's sort of what we had planned on too, Ann," I admitted. "My boys are looking forward to meeting them." "Great! Let's go out in the waiting room and I'll fill all of you in about them." 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