Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:35:33 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 2, chapters 5-6

Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 5 -- Patrick.

**Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read
this.

We were several weeks into the school year, when my secretary announced I
had an important call.  I took it in my office, wondering if its nature was
personal or professional.

"Hello, this is Josh Currie."

"Hello, Mr. Currie.  This is Judge Steven Shay.  I don't know if you
remember me, but I'm the person who presided over family court when you
adopted your sons."

"Of course I remember you, Your Honor.  It's nice to hear from you again,
but I suspect this is not a social call."

"Quite right," he admitted.  "I have a favor to ask of you and your family.
Earlier today, a young man appeared before me on a minor offense and I'm
not convinced that his misdeed deserves confinement.  I suspect this young
man is primarily a product of his environment and would benefit greatly if
he were simply removed from the temptations he is currently surrounded by.
I suspect he would prosper under the right tutelage, but my only options
are to place him in juvenile hall or foster care.  I've talked to Ms.
Swathhout from D.S.S. and she's explained the spots she has available would
not be particularly suitable for this young man."  Listening to his
explanation, I felt like I was being set up for a sting and that Sally
might also be involved in it.

"You have the best foster home I've ever had the pleasure of knowing,"
Judge Shay continued, "and if a boy can't flourish with your guidance and
the help of your new sons, then that would tell me this young man belongs
in a more regimented and confined environment.  I wish to give him this
chance to prove himself, but I need your help to do it.  If you would
agree, I would like to place him in your custody, so I can see how he
adjusts to the change.  If that isn't possible, then I will most likely be
forced to have him locked up."

I hesitated for a few seconds, as I thought it over.  I just couldn't
condemn this boy to being locked up without at least considering taking him
in.  After thinking about the boy's options, I was pretty sure I'd probably
give in to the Judge's suggestion, but I wanted to be certain first.
"Before I give you my answer, is there more you could share with me about
his situation?"

"Yes there is," Judge Shay began, sounding please that I at least
considering his request.  "His name is Patrick Murray, he's fourteen years
old and in the ninth grade.  Perhaps I should say that he has been placed
in the ninth grade because of his age, but he is taking many remedial
courses, even after he was forced to attend summer school.  I must admit,
most of his academic problems are probably due to the fact that he's had a
very chaotic and unstable childhood.  Patrick's parents divorced when he
was three, so his maternal grandparents took him in and raised him.  He
lived with them until he was approximately ten, when they became too old
and feeble to be able to cope with his needs.

"When that happened, he returned to live with his mother, but that was not
a very stable household.  His mother got kicked out of several places,
mainly because she didn't pay the rent or failed to take care of the place
well, so they were constantly packing up and moving.  Since his mother
didn't like to be without a man, multiple lovers wandered in and out of
their lives.  Most of these men even moved in with Pat and his mother,
until she took up a new residence and moved on to another guy.  At some
point, Pat ended up going to live with his father, but his dad had too many
of his own problems to deal with to be able to raise a young boy properly.
Therefore, Patrick only ended up staying with him for a couple of months.

"After things didn't work out there, an aunt and uncle took Patrick in.
This was his father's sister and her husband, but they moved around quite
frequently, supposedly to follow various seasonal jobs.  I suspect there
was more to their nomadic wanderings than just employment opportunities and
this may have compounded Patrick's problems.  Since leaving his
grandparents home, he has never been in the same school for longer than
three months and, therefore, his education has been a collage of
unconnected pieces.  His teachers find him to be a bright child and I
believe he would blossom in a stable home.

"His family only moved into our county at the very end of the last school
year, which was too late for Patrick to be enrolled in regular classes.
That's why he was forced to sign up for summer school, because he had
missed so much of the previous academic year.  While taking his summer
courses, he also met and fell in with some of the less desirable members of
our local society.  What brought him to my attention was an incident that
happened while in the company of these individuals.  I believe he was most
likely pressured into doing what he has been accused of and I'd like to
give him a break.  I believe that if he were removed from the care of his
aunt and uncle, separated from the influence of his new friends and placed
in a loving and caring home, we might discover a much different young man.
That is where you and your boys come into the picture.  Do you think you
might be interested in taking him in?"

I had been anticipating this request, so I was prepared to answer him.
"The boys and I have talked about the possibility of being asked to take in
others who needed help, and with that in mind, they made me make them a
promise.  Before they let me adopt them, I had to swear that I would never
refuse to help any other boy who needed our assistance.  They have each
expressed to me, in their own way, that we have to help as many of these
young men as we can.  They have more or less told me they feel that coming
to live with me has been the best thing that has ever happened to them, so
they want me to give every boy who needs our help the same chance I gave
them."

"Well, I see that they not only adopted your name," Judge Shay commented,
"but also your kind, loving and compassionate spirit as well.  I knew when
I first met your family in my courtroom that you were all very special
individuals.  I want you to express my gratitude and admiration to each of
them, on my behalf.  You are all very fortunate to have each other."

"Thank you, Your Honor.  That was very kind of you to say.  I look forward
to meeting this young man.  When should we expect him?"

"Would today be too soon?" he asked, apprehensively.

"Not if 5:30 will meet with your approval.  Some of the boys have sports
practices and other activities and it will take me that long to round them
all up, brief them about this new arrival and get them home so we can
welcome him."

"Good thinking.  I suppose that's why you're such a successful parent.  You
look at all aspects of the situation before you make your decision.  I will
bring Patrick around myself, because I'd like to see the boys again too.  I
would like to congratulate them for turning their lives around and for
making the most of their present situation.  I would also like to express
my gratitude for their most mature attitude about helping others in similar
situations."

"I'm sure they will all appreciate seeing you at that time.  I look forward
to your visit around 5:30 then, judge.  Good-bye."

Once school let out, I went around and collected all of the boys.  During
the ride, I informed them about Patrick and explained he would be joining
us shortly after we got to the house.  Suddenly there was a steady hum
behind me, as the boys started to discuss various things amongst
themselves.  However, there were so many overlapping conversations going
on, and most of them were being conducted in whispers, that I couldn't make
out what anyone in particular was saying.  I wasn't sure if this was a good
sign or not.

When we arrived at the house and I pulled into the driveway, all the
various conversations came to an abrupt halt.  As soon as the van stopped,
every door flew open and the boys raced toward the house, so they could
clean up and change before Patrick got here.  I wasn't in quite as big of a
hurry and merely strolled up the sidewalk behind them.  I was only about
halfway to the front door, when Ricky came bolting back out of the house
and approached me.  He quickly asked if he could speak with me privately,
so we moved onto the front porch.  It was then that Ricky made a
suggestion.

"Dad, since there is only one open bedroom left, Patrick won't have a
choice of where he wants to be, like the rest of us had.  I want you to
show him the open bedroom and my room, so he can choose the one he wants.
I can move in with Cole and Graham if I need to, since I'm there most of
the time anyway, and they've already agreed to it as well."  No matter how
many times they do things like this, these boys never cease to amaze me.

"I'm sure they did, but I'm not sure if it would be wise of me to allow
such a move," I began, and my words elicited an immediate confused and
worried look from Ricky.  "I believe it might be to my detriment if I
allowed my 'three stooges of pranks' to share a bedroom, thus giving them
even more opportunity to make plans on how to best torture the rest of us."

After hearing the rest of my comment, Ricky grinned and then flashed me his
fake injured expression.  "Ohhhh.  That hurts, Dad.  Do you really think
we'd do something like that?"

I didn't answer with words.  Instead, I looked him in the eyes and raised
my eyebrows as high as they would go.  "Okay, so don't answer that," Ricky
shot back.  "Maybe we have done some things that were a little wild, but
I'm still your favorite son, aren't I?"

"A little wild?" I mocked.  "Let's put it this way, Ricky.  Would I be your
favorite anything, if I did those same things to you?"

Ricky flashed me another pained look.  "That's low, Dad.  That hitting
below the belt and it really hurts.  I'm beginning to think you don't love
me any more."  He flashed a half- grin as he said this.

"Of course I love you, Ricky.  Not because of your little pranks and
instigative abilities, but because of your thoughtfulness, like offering
Patrick a chance to select your room.  I also love you because of the
compassionate and patient help you bestow on Cole and Graham, but most of
all because you were my first new son.  That alone will always make you
special to me, but it's all those special, wonderful qualities you seem to
exhibit at times like this that make me love you the most."

Ricky wrapped his arms around me in a powerful bear hug and I quickly did
the same to him.  When we broke our embrace, I scooped him up, threw him
over my shoulder like a large sack of potatoes and carried him into the
foyer.  The other boys wanted to know what that was all about, and Ricky
and I just smiled at each other and giggled.

"It was caused by a thoughtful little suggestion your brother made to help
the new boy," was all I told them, trying to be honest, without divulging
all of the nuances of our discussion.  After I set Ricky down again, the
boys quickly went about their business.  Those who had homework went off to
do it, which meant there was a boy on each of the computers.  Seeing they
were occupied, Kevin offered to help me with dinner.  He went to set the
table, while I set about fixing the food, and I reminded him to include two
extra settings for our guests.  I wasn't sure Judge Shay would join us, but
I wanted it to appear as if he were truly invited to stay, if he wished.

When he was finished with that task, Kevin came out to see if he could
assist me with anything else.  I was just finishing preparing the chicken
and was about ready to put it into the oven, so I informed him he could
either help me fix a salad or make some stuffing to go along with the
chicken.  He opted to do the salad and was getting everything out, when the
doorbell rang.

The sound of the door chime served the same purpose as the starter's pistol
at a track meet.  It caused the boys to come racing in from all directions,
so they could check out the new kid.  Graham was at the door first, since
he was walking through the foyer at the time the chime sounded, so he
opened it and welcomed our visitors inside.  I hastily wiped my hands and
came out of the kitchen, so I could also greet both of our guests.  I
offered to shake each of their hands and then led them into the living room
to chat.  All of the boys crowded in behind us, and once our guests were
seated, they flopped down in various places, so they could be privy as to
what was being said.  Graham squeezed onto my lap and Ricky took a seat on
the arm of my chair, which brought a gleam into Judge Shay's eyes.

Once we were comfortable, I proceeded to introduce all of the boys to
Patrick and then each boy took a few seconds to give him the short version
about how they came to live with me.  After they had finished, some of the
boys also began to tell him what it was like to live in our household and
about some of the things we had done together.

Patrick seemed to listen intently to everything they said, but he never
uttered a word in response.  Instead, he sat stone-faced and rigid,
occasionally looking toward Judge Shay or me, to see what we were up to.
After the last of the boys had finished speaking, Judge Shay congratulated
all of them on their successes, both academically and athletically, before
complimenting them on their concern for the welfare of others.  He briefly
mentioned our conversation earlier and teased them about requiring me to
make an oath, before agreeing to the adoption.

"I want to tell each of you that the day I participated in making this a
true family will always stand out as one of my most cherished highlights in
my career as a jurist.  I was impressed with you then, but I'm even more
impressed with you now.  This family will always hold a very special place
in my heart."

After the judge finished speaking, I sent the boys off to show Patrick
around the house.  However, before he left, he informed all of us that he
preferred to be called 'Pat'.  We quickly assured him we would honor his
wishes, and the boys went off as a pack, while I invited the judge into the
dining room for coffee.  We had just finished our second cup when the boys
came back in.

"Well, Pat," I began, "I take it that the boys have shown you around the
house by now"

"Yes, sir.  They've shown me the house and we walked around outside for a
while too.  This is a pretty big place."

"Yes, it is," I agreed.  "So, you've seen your choices of bedrooms?"

"Yes, sir.  I have," he answered, briskly.

"Well, I just want to let you know, before you make up your mind, that if
you choose the spare bedroom, I will have it remodeled to suit your needs.
That is the only bedroom that hasn't been redone since our new family
started forming.  Some of the other boys have had the opportunity to select
their own wallpaper and other items before they moved into their rooms, and
you would be given the same opportunity."

"I was going to choose that bedroom anyway, sir," Pat told me quickly.  "I
wouldn't feel right chasing Ricky out of his room."

"Oh, don't worry about that.  He doesn't spend much time in there at all,"
I teased.  "You will soon discover that Ricky, Cole and Graham are attached
at the hip and spend most of their time dreaming up diabolical pranks to
pull on the rest of us.  You may not understand this now, but I'm sure
you'll come to fear this as much as the rest of us, once you've lived here
for a week or two.  I'm certain they will show you little mercy, just
because you're new to our home."

"Oh, Dad," Ricky complained, "you're going to have him thinking we're
rotten and he won't trust us at all."

"Exactly," Danny shot back.  "If he learns that early, he might even
survive the exploits of Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Frankenstein and Igor."

"Yeah, and he'll learn to sleep with his door locked," Dustin added, "if he
doesn't want any unwelcome surprises during the night or in the early
morning hours.  We're not all like them, Pat, but you've really got to
watch out for those three.  They have a knack for waking people up by
scaring the crap out of them."

Pat was laughing, as Ricky looked pained.  Cole had his hands on his hips,
feigning disgust, and little Graham began pouting.  The judge was doing all
he could to contain his laughter.

"Dad, they're going to have Pat think we're evil or something," Cole
complained.

"Well, would they be wrong?" I asked in return.

"Dad!" the three of them yelled in unison.

"Well, you boys have pulled various pranks on each of us, multiple times.
I think your reputation is well deserved and we should give Pat the benefit
of our knowledge."

"Some family this is," Ricky huffed.

"We still love you," Kevin added.  "It's just that none of us trust you any
more."

That did it.  Judge Shay and Pat couldn't contain their mirth any longer
and both burst out laughing, loudly.

"I'm sorry," Judge Shay apologized, "but you boys really act like brothers
who have spent their entire lives together.  Don't worry, we can see that
all of these little pranks were done with the utmost love and weren't
malicious in any way.  It's just comical to see how you all feed off of one
another and how you each have your own endearing qualities.  Patrick,
excuse me... Pat, I hope you will learn to appreciate their good natured
ribbing and let yourself become part of the fun."

"Yes, sir.  I'll try," Pat responded, trying to look as serious as
possible.

"Then you think you'll be all right here?" Judge Shay pressed.

"Yes, sir.  I think this might even be fun," Pat assured him.

Hearing that, Judge Shay excused himself, explaining that he had to get
home, as his wife would be holding dinner for him.  We let him know that he
was welcome to stay and eat with us, if he wished, but he politely
declined, saying his wife would kill him if he ate somewhere else, without
warning her in advance.  He thanked us for our hospitality and for the
evening's entertainment, before advising Pat to make the best of this
opportunity.  Everyone said good-bye to the judge, individually, and he was
soon backing his car out into the street.

"Pat, let's move your things upstairs," I suggested.  "For the time being,
you can sleep in Ricky's room and he can temporarily bunk in with his
partners in crime.  You can go with me to the home improvement store
tomorrow, after school, and help me pick out supplies for the renovation.
I'll call my contractor in the morning to set up a date for the work to be
done.  In the meantime, you'll stay in Ricky's room, while Curly, Larry and
Moe share the jungle room.  I strongly advise the rest of you to be on
guard against attack."

That comment brought another round of chuckles from most of the boys and
another round of protestations from my trio of pranksters.  I ignored the
boys and went into the kitchen to check on dinner and then advised them we
would be eating in approximately fifteen more minutes.  I suggested they
all go wash up and then meet me in the dining room, if they planned to eat.
Kevin was kind enough to take Pat with him, to show him where he could
clean up.

As we ate, Pat began to open up a bit about himself.  He told the boys
about growing up with his grandparents, his time with each of his divorced
parents and then a little about his stay with his Aunt and Uncle.  He
didn't give us any real details about any of these situations, but merely
gave us an impression of what he liked and disliked about each of the
places he lived.

"My grandma and grandpa were old, but they were nice," he admitted.  "It's
just that they woke up early and went to bed early and I hated that,
because they made me go to bed early too.  Luckily, I was still pretty
little then, so it wasn't as bad as it would be if I lived with them now.
The problem was, I was just more than they could handle any more, so they
sent me back to live with my mother."  All of us were listening intently,
as he told us this, but no one interrupted his story.

"My mom was okay too, but I know she really didn't like having me around,"
he continued.  "She was barely making enough to keep herself going and
generally had a guy living with us to help out.  The other problem was,
having me there with her meant she couldn't do much else, except come home
to be with me.  I stayed with her until my father said I could come live
with him, but I later found out he just wanted me with him because he
thought it would hurt my mom."  I think each of the boys understood that
remark quite well.

"I agreed to go live with him before I knew that, but I decided to go with
my dad mostly because I thought it would make it easier for my mother.
When I realized he didn't really want me there either, I didn't know what
to do.  I was hurt to think he didn't want me around.  I guess I thought he
offered because he really loved me and then I found out it was mostly just
to get back at my mom.

"My dad would leave me by myself most of the time, and that's what got him
into trouble.  When the welfare people told him he had to have someone with
me at all times, he called his sister and asked her to take me.  She
agreed, but I think she did it mostly so I wouldn't end up in a foster
home.  I don't think she really wanted me either.

"I like my aunt and uncle, but they didn't have any children and I really
don't think they ever wanted any.  I think this caused some fights between
them and I didn't want them to get divorced too, just because of me.

"I moved around a lot when I lived with them.  They said it was because my
uncle did seasonal work, but I think there might have been another reason
for it.  I wasn't sure what, but things just didn't add up.  We never
stayed in one place more than a few weeks and sometimes they didn't even
bother to put me in school, because we weren't going to be there for very
long.  Actually, after I left my father's house, I hardly ever went to
school any longer."  We all listened intently and looked at each other as
he revealed more and more details about his life.  I now understood why he
needed remedial help.  Not only was his schooling inconsistent and
sporadic, but there were also periods when he didn't attend at all.

Once Pat finished his story and dinner had been completed, Dustin and Danny
volunteered to help me clean up the dining room and kitchen.  Pat stayed in
the dining room and watched what everyone did, but he did not offer to lend
a hand, which was all right.  I didn't need to put him to work his first
night with us.

When we were finished, we moved into the living room, where I continued to
observe Pat and started to make mental notes of his appearance.  He stood
about 5' 3" tall and had a solid, but not overly muscular build.  He had a
handsome, but not pretty face, dirty blond hair, blue eyes and a distinct
cleft in his chin.  He carried his body as if he was always prepared to
ward off an attack and never seemed to let himself fully relax.  This may
just be the result of being the new kid on the block and not feeling
comfortable with his situation, but I suspected there might be additional
reasons for his posturing stance.

After all of the boys had made sure that their homework was completed and
their chores were done, they joined Pat and me, to watch some television
before going to bed.  Some of them decided to also shower and prepare for
bed before joining us, and before long there was a parade of naked bodies
roaming into the living room.  Pat saw the boys entering and a look of
horror came over his face.

"Are you guys a bunch of homos?" Pat screamed out, surprised by the
seemingly nonchalant attitude the boys had about being nude.  "I'm not
living with a bunch of fucking queers!" he shouted, which caused the rest
of the boys to react to his outburst.

Too late, I remembered I had forgotten to forewarn the boys not to do this
until Pat had a chance to get comfortable with us.  Not only that, but I
also failed to prepare Pat about this nightly ritual, after having
forgotten to tell the boys to hold back on this activity.  Now, I wasn't
sure how I was going to correct the problem, which resulted from those
oversights.



Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 2 by BW
Copyright 2009 by billwstories
Chapter 6 -- A Bump in the Road.

I felt terrible and didn't know what to do.  He had only been with us a
short time and already I began to question if this arrangement was going to
work.

"Just because we aren't ashamed of our bodies doesn't make us gay," Dustin
informed him, while positioning himself, in case Pat decided to attack him.

"Yeah," Kevin added, "it's just more comfortable and cooler this way.  We
see each other and other boys naked in the showers all of the time and none
of us feel we have anything to hide."

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to," Danny added.  "It's just
that we don't stop anyone else who does want to do it."

"Well, it's not right and it ain't natural," Pat shot back as he stormed
out of the room and raced up the stairs.

"I think I better go talk to him," I told the others, before I left the
room too.  I walked up the stairs and knocked on Pat's closed bedroom door.

"Go away," he shouted.

"Pat, it's me and I think we need to talk," I told him.  There was no
response for several seconds and then the door slowly opened.  "What do you
want?" he asked me.

"May I come in and discuss what just happened?"

"There's nothing to talk about," he answered defiantly.

"I believe there is and I think there is more to this than just your
objecting to the other boys being naked.  I think we need to talk about
what triggered that outburst."

"It's nothing.  I'll just stay in my room when they start running around
without their clothes on," he informed me, hoping that would make me go
away.

"That would probably prevent future flair-ups," I agreed, "but I don't
think it would solve the real problem behind what just happened.  I believe
it would be best if we took some time to discuss this."

"But there's nothing to discuss," Pat protested.

"Pat, people don't react in that fashion or to that degree without some
underlying reason," I explained.  "I think that's what we need to talk
about."

"I guess you're not going to go away until we do," he responded, apparently
still annoyed, "so you might as well come on in."

I walked in, sat on his bed and made a hand-signal to indicate I wanted him
to sit next to me.  Hesitantly, and very reluctantly, he joined me on the
bed, but he wouldn't look me in the eye.  He only stared at the carpet, so
I began the conversation.  "Pat, I can understand if you are uncomfortable
about the boys running around without their clothes on, but I think your
reaction was a bit severe."

"But why would they want to do something gay like that?" he pressed, still
unable to comprehend the reasoning behind their actions.

"Pat, there are many nudists, or naturists as they prefer to be called, who
are not gay.  They just don't believe it's necessary to hide their bodies.
Even if the boys were gay, they wouldn't try to force you to doing anything
you didn't want to do.  We are very open and accepting here.  We try to
respect each other for who and what they are and we don't try to force our
views on each other.  We're not trying to tell you that you have to do the
same thing, but in the same token, we don't want you telling them they
can't do it either.  You don't have to look at them if it bothers you, but
you also don't have to hide alone in your room.  The human body has always
been viewed as a work of art and there are many fine paintings and
sculptures to verify this fact.  People spend a great deal of money to
purchase these masterpieces, and here we have equally attractive works of
art parading around in front of us for free.  I don't think there's
anything wrong with that.  Do you?"

"I don't know," he answered, half-heartedly, "but it just doesn't seem
right."

"Okay, I can accept the fact that you view things differently, but I don't
think you need to call the boys names or raise such a fuss about it.  We
are still in the dying throes of summer and it is quite warm at times.  The
boys feel cooler and more comfortable without their clothes on and I've
never seen anything wrong with letting them express themselves in this
manner.  The house is very isolated and they have time to go and put
something on, should we get company.  We keep the blinds and shades drawn
on the windows that might expose them to view from the outside world and
they don't parade outdoors that way unless it is in secluded areas, such as
the swimming pool.  That area is fenced in and the boys wear towels to and
from the pool."

"You mean we can go skinny-dipping here?" Pat interrupted me.

"Yes.  Here that is the norm, rather than the exception," I admitted.

"I used to do that with some of my friends when I was little and it was a
lot of fun," he explained, with a dazed look of happiness appearing on his
face, as he recollected those fond memories.  However, his sudden change of
gears momentarily confused me.  I looked at Pat and tried to unravel this
apparent contradiction in attitude.

"I'm sorry, Pat," I informed him, "but I don't understand.  One minute
you're complaining about the boys running around the house naked and now
you're excited about possibly going skinny-dipping with them.  I'm not sure
I see any difference between the two."

Pat suddenly became morose again and dropped his head toward the carpet.
"I don't really mind the boys being naked, I was just worried that it might
mean other things would happen."

"Like what?" I pressed.

Patrick turned his head away from me and I began to hear him sniffle.  I
put my arm on his shoulder to comfort him, but he quickly jerked away from
me.  "What's the matter, Pat?  I just want to help."

"I'm sorry.  It's not you.  It's just..." His words died off and he looked
toward the window, as his body shuddered from the sobs that were now coming
from him.

"Whatever it is, you don't have to worry about it here," I tried to
reassure him.  "I'm willing to listen, if you need to get whatever it is
off of your chest.  Sometimes it helps to just tell someone else what's
wrong."

He turned and looked at me, trying to size me up and determine if he felt
he could share this secret with me.  After several minutes of internal
debate, he gave in and told me the basis for his problem.

"It happened when I was living with my mom.  She had this boyfriend who
lived with us and he would make me run around naked whenever she was gone
or if she was passed out from drinking.  Then he would do things to me and
would make me do some of those same things to him too.  The worse part
about it was that I enjoyed some of the things we did, but I couldn't stand
the others.  Some of the things he tried hurt me a lot, but he wouldn't
stop doing them.  I was afraid that was going to happen here too, just like
then."

"That certainly won't happen here," I countered, in as soothing a tone as I
could manage after hearing his story.  "How old were you when this
happened?"

"I think I was twelve," he replied.

"Did you ever tell anyone else?" I asked, wondering if he wasn't believed
or if no one cared.

"No," he responded, looking guilty that he never spoke up about this until
now.  "I was afraid if I did, my mom wouldn't want me to live with her any
more and I didn't want to leave."

"So this guy was never arrested for what he did to you?" I continued.

"No.  Nobody else knew what was happening," he informed me.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through something like that," I told him with
all of the heartfelt emotion I could manage, "but nothing of that nature
will ever happen to you here.  We may touch each other to show affection or
to let each other know how much we care about them, but we would never make
you participate in any unwanted sexual activities."  He looked up at me and
studied my face.

"Do you really mean that," he countered, "or do you do things like that
with the boys too?"

"No, Pat.  I've never had sexual relations with any of the boys," I
admitted honestly, "and if I touch them in an area such as that, it's only
for legitimate reasons."

"Like what?" he pressed, thinking I might be hiding something with my
response.

"Like when Kevin told me he thought he had a lump on one of his testicles,"
I explained.  "I checked it out to see if that was indeed the case, and
then took him to the doctor, to have it tested."

"Oh," he nearly whispered, apparently relieved.  "I'm glad to hear that.
You know, the one thing I've never been able to figure out is why I enjoyed
some of the things he did to me?"

"It was because he was sexually stimulating your body, at a time when you
were physically maturing and just becoming aware that such feelings could
be pleasurable.  Under those circumstances, your body would enjoy some of
what he did to you, whether you agreed to do them or not.  I must tell you
that some of the boys do experiment and try things like that with each
other, but only with those who want to do them.  It is a hard, strict rule
here that nothing of that nature happens, unless everyone agrees to it and
wants it to happen."

"Oh, okay," he replied, while considering the implications of my statement.

"If there were things that you enjoyed and wanted to do again," I
continued, "it's possible you might be able to find a partner here, who
would be willing to help you.  The difference is, you will never HAVE to do
anything you do not wish to do, at least not of a sexual nature.  You may
be asked to do chores or help out when you don't wish to, but nothing
sexual will ever happen without your consent.  If it does, you just have to
tell me and it will end immediately."  At this point, I wasn't sure which
Pat felt the most, relief that he wouldn't be forced into anything or guilt
over his earlier outburst.

"I'm glad you made me talk about this," he began, after a brief lull in our
conversation, "and I'm sorry that I was such a jerk earlier.  It's just..."

"There's no need to explain further, Pat, and I'm sure the others won't
hold your little tirade against you," I informed him.  "Would you mind if I
gave you a hug, to make you feel better?"

He looked at me and a slow grin began to spread across his face.  "No.  I
think that would be all right.  In fact, I think I might even like it.  I
haven't had anybody hug me just because they liked me or wanted to make me
feel better for a really long time.  After that guy did those things to me,
I guess I tried to make sure no one else would touch me again, for any
reason.  I think it might be nice to get a hug without having to worry you
want me to do something in return."

I immediately reached out and pulled him toward me, slowly squeezing his
body against my chest.  I felt him stiffen at first, as his reflexes kicked
it.  It was obvious his instincts hadn't caught up to his brain's
reasoning, but eventually he began to relax.  At that point, I felt his
arms slide up my side, until he wrapped them about my waist, and then he
hugged me back.  After that, I left it up to him to decide when he wanted
to break this embrace.  Eventually, he let his arms fall back to his side
and began to pull away from me.

"You know, I kind of enjoyed that," he admitted a little sheepishly, "but
now I have another problem."

"What kind of problem?" I asked, worried that another monster was about to
rear its ugly head.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to end up living here now," he began, "but I
don't know what I should call you.  I know that the other boys call you
'Dad,' but I guess that's probably because you adopted them.  What do you
want ME to call you?"

"That's up to you, Pat," I added quickly, yet not overly forcefully.
"There are several possibilities, which I've gone over with all of the
boys, at one time or another.  My name is Josh and you can call me that if
you wish, but many of the boys called me 'Dad' long before I adopted them.
You could also do that, if you wish, or you can use another option I
offered the others.  I told them they could also call me 'Uncle Josh' or
you could do like some of their friends and call me 'Pop'.  It all depends
on what you're comfortable with.  I'll let you decide about this by
yourself, because it's an extremely personal decision."

"Do you mind if I think about it for a while first?" he asked, while
waiting to see how I was going to respond.

"No, take your time," I assured him.  "I'm going to go back downstairs with
the other boys and you can either come with me now or join us when you're
ready."

"I'll be down in a minute," he announced.  "There's something I kinda need
to do first."

"Okay, take your time," I agreed.  "You can join us whenever you're ready.

I walked back to the family room and joined the other boys.  They
immediately began to fire questions at me, as soon as I entered the room,
but I only told them that Pat seemed sorry about his outburst and had some
personal issues to work out.  I then explained that I thought there
wouldn't be any further problems concerning their continuing with the nudie
hour, and no sooner had those words spilled from between my lips, a
bare-assed Patrick entered the room, paraded over to the sofa and sat down
next to me.

"I'm sorry about earlier, guys," he began, "and I thought you might accept
my apology easier, if I joined in the fun.  I'm sorry if I insulted anyone
or hurt your feelings."

After getting over their initial shock at his sudden change in direction,
the boys all assured him that everything was fine.  Almost immediately, the
room filled with the sounds of boys being boys, as they began to frolic and
enjoy each other's company.  Patrick was soon accepted as part of the group
and his 5" circumcised pole became a welcome addition to the parade of
dicks that waved back in forth as they moved about the house, like the
trunks of elephants, swaying lazily in front of each member of the herd as
they meandered across the African plains.

When the TV shows were over and the boys headed to bed, I pulled Pat aside
and told him how pleased I was that he was able to work out his feelings so
quickly.  Not only that, but I expressed how proud I was of his ability to
let down his guard and join in with the others, after having utilized that
particular survival skill for so long, to prevent future abuse.  He
apologized, again, for his earlier outburst, but I told him not to worry
about it.  I did tell him that I was available if there was anything more
he wished to discuss, either about that topic or whatever else he might
wish to get off his chest.  After thinking this over for a few seconds, he
hinted he might just do that, but he wasn't ready quite yet to divulge
more.  I accepted his hesitance and informed him that I'd be there,
whenever he decided he was ready.

Everyone slept well that evening and the house was very quiet.  I had just
opened my eyes and noticed that the lighted display on my clock read twenty
minutes before six, when I heard a scream from the next room.  I jumped out
of bed and raced to the room where Pat was bunked, figuring he might have
had a nightmare or had awakened and not realized where he was.  I had just
passed through his doorway, when I observed the actual cause for this
disturbance.  My three little monsters were on the bed with Pat, tickling
him and smacking him with pillows.  By the time the rest of the boys came
along to investigate the disturbance, the first four were all laughing and
having a good time frolicking upon the bed.

"I can't say you guys didn't try to warn me," Pat admitted, grinning.
"They nearly scared the shit out of me when they all pounced on my body at
the same time.  The worst part was, they also interrupted a really great
dream I was having.  You're right, they are evil," he added, with a smirk.

Cole responded to his accusations first, by slamming him in the head with a
pillow.  Seeing this, the other two immediately joined in this new assault.
Before I knew what was happening, the other boys ran into my room and
grabbed pillows off of my bed, so they could help Pat battle my three
little devils."

"Hey, that's no fair," Graham chirped up, after discovering they were now
outnumbered.  "There's four of you and only three of us, and you're
bigger."

"But you guys started it," Dustin added, just before he got belted from
behind and knocked on top of the others.  While they were bickering, I had
slipped into the jungle room and grabbed a pillow for my own use and then
came back to even out the teams, not that I was trying to encourage the
incorrigible.

"All right, Dad's on our side," Ricky shouted, with an ear-to-ear grin.

"Only to even out the numbers," I shot back, with just a bit of sarcasm
dripping from my voice. "I don't want you to assume this to mean that I
don't think that you three deserve exactly what you're getting.  You
antagonists deserve every bit of grief they can give you, just to make up
for SOME of the wicked things you've done to us."

"Aw, Dad," Ricky countered.  "We only do it to show you that we love you."

"Then we'd rather you didn't love us at all," Danny shot back, with an evil
smirk on his face -- an expression that was soon replaced by a pillow,
which Graham had swung.

"You little devil," Danny scolded, as he attacked and tickled Graham's
lithe frame.  "Now we'll see how you like the way I show my love for you."

"No, no," Graham screamed, as he wiggled beneath Danny's dexterous fingers.
"No, stop or I'm going to pee on Pat's bed."

"Make him," Pat shouted.  "It's really Ricky's bed, not mine, and I'd like
to see you make his little thing squirt all over."

Everyone was laughing hysterically, as I heard the alarm go off in my room.
I went over to shut it off and then I came back to halt the activity.

"Okay, it's time to stop and start getting ready for school.  Pat, you can
use the bathroom in the master bedroom with Danny.  Kevin and Dustin use
the one down the hall and the three brats here can use the one downstairs."

"We're not brats," Cole pouted.

"Maybe not, but you're not angels either," I countered, which elicited
similar reactions from the other two.

As the boys set about getting ready for school, I went down to the kitchen
and started whipping up a huge pan of oatmeal and a large quantity of
toast.  The ones who wanted dry cereal could get it out of the cupboard for
themselves, but the hot food would be there and ready for whoever wanted
it, by the time they reached the kitchen.  I helped myself to a small bowl
of oatmeal, a couple of slices of toast and two cups of coffee, and had
nearly finished all of it, before the last of the pack began to chow down.

While they were eating, I went up to my room to take my shower and dress
for work.  Once everyone was ready, we all loaded into the van and I
dropped them off at their various schools.  I let the high school crowd off
first.

"Pat, you'll need to inform the guidance office about your change of
residence and you can tell them that they may phone me at my school, if
they need any additional information."

"Thanks, I will.  Bye, guys," he told the ones who were continuing on with
me.  "I still owe you for this morning, so don't think we're even yet," he
warned them.  I think he just threw that comment in to keep at least two of
the terrible trio on edge and make them wonder what he was going to do to
get back at them.  It worked because they spent the rest of the trip
discussing what they thought he might try to do to repay them for this
morning's wake up call.

The school day went smoothly and I went around to collect the rest of my
boys after the day's class schedule had been completed.  When I arrived at
the high school, Pat was sitting on the ground, watching the three older
boys going through their soccer drills.

"Do you play any sports?" I asked Patrick.

"No, I've never been in one place long enough to play on any teams and I
think I'm too old to start now."

"Maybe and maybe not," I told him.  "What sports do you like or might you
want to play?"

"Actually, I like to watch almost all of them and I don't know which ones
I'd like to play, because I've never actually had a chance to try."

"Well, why don't you explain your situation to the three who are out on the
practice field after we get home," I suggested.  "They might be able to
start working with you in the evening and on weekends, and then you could
see if you might be interested in trying out for one of the teams next
season.  Those guys aren't bad athletes themselves and they're very patient
teachers.  I've seen them work with the younger ones.  Actually, Danny
helped Ricky become quite good at soccer, but I think Ricky is going to
give it up after soccer season, because he wants the extra time to help
Cole and Graham with their studies.  They are having a little trouble with
their school work."

"They really do a lot for each other, don't they?" Pat commented.  "I don't
think I've ever seen a group of guys who were willing to help each other
out like they do.  They really do seem to love each other."

"Yes, you're right.  They do love each other," I agreed, "and they are very
supportive of one another.  They might also be willing to help you, if you
let them know what you need."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," he admitted.  "I think I might try it.
Thanks."  He started to turn back to watch the practice, when he changed
his mind and turned back toward me.  "You know, I think I'm going to like
it here with you guys, if you don't mind me staying."

"Mind?  Heck, we're counting on it," I confirmed with a wink, which
garnered a huge grin from Pat, in response.  I think we've made significant
progress here.


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