Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:59:22 EST From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 4, chapter 33 - 34 Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 33 -- For All of the Special People in My Life. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. Wednesday, I met Jake at the putting green and we practiced for nearly two hours. He reminded me of all the little nuances of that fine art that I'd forgotten, like how to read the greens, judge the speed of the putting surfaces and use the proper stroke and alignment. By the end of our time there, I had improved greatly from my earliest attempts. I wasn't necessarily at pro-tour ability, but I could two-putt from nearly anywhere now and that in itself was a big accomplishment, at least in my opinion. On the way home, we stopped and had a couple of beers, while we discussed my progress and debated about what we would try to accomplish at the driving range the next day. The boys had a great many questions for me when I got home, as they seemed to want to know everything we did, including where we went afterward. I thought it was a bit strange that my sons were so interested in what I was up to, but I was a bit flattered by their attention too. I thought it was quite nice they cared enough to not only inquire, but also seemed excited by what I told them. It actually made me feel terrific. Later, they told me they had also talked to Shannon and he had told them Jake was really enjoying these outings together too and seemed to be in a better mood because of it. What I didn't know was that Shannon was giving his father much the same information about me, supposedly facts he had acquired from my sons. The boys seemed to be taking their matchmaking roles quite seriously, and Jake and I were totally in the dark about what they were really up to. Thursday afternoon, Jake and I met at the driving range again and each hit a couple of buckets of balls. I hit one bucket using my woods (the one, three and five woods), working on my distance and trying to hit my shots straight down the middle. The other bucket I used to practice my irons, working on distance with the lower irons (the one, three and five) and accuracy and distance with the upper irons (the seven and nine irons, as well as my wedges). Once again, I wasn't performing at competition caliber, but I had improved enough to feel comfortable about going out and playing eighteen holes with Jake and his co-workers on Saturday. This time, when we stopped for a couple of beers on the way home, Jake used the opportunity to tell me about the guys we'd be playing against. He filled me in about some of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as telling me what they'd do to get into my head if the round was close. It seemed as if this pair was very competitive and didn't like to lose, so they often did things to distract their opponents and give themselves the advantage. I thanked Jake for the information and told him I'd been worked over by tougher guys than that when I was really into the sport, and this caused him to laugh and assure me I'd do just fine then. Once again, the boys quizzed me when I got home, repeating many of the same type of questions as before, and I told them much the same information as I had then. Later, they relayed more information from Shannon, about his dad's take on the day, but once again I didn't quite catch on to their intentions for this grilling and insider information. I guess it just never dawned on me that they were actually trying to fix me up with Jake. Why should it? I mean, how many children actually try to set their fathers up on dates? Well, I guess not many of them have to, but I was just naïve where this was concerned. Besides, how many try to fix their dads up with another guy? Saturday morning, I was out of the house by six, anxious about our 7:00 a.m. tee time. I used the extra time to practice my putting and to loosen up before we began. The other three were there early as well. I guess they all take this pretty seriously. We teed-off right on time, and I was pleased with my first drive -- straight down the middle of the fairway and not a bad distance either. The other two guys started ribbing Jake about bringing in a ringer, and he played right along with their accusation. I did have my moments of glory on the front nine, but there were other instances that I would have preferred to forget about completely, and we were down three strokes when we went into the clubhouse for a quick break. We used the restrooms and had a drink, before we went out to begin the back nine. I played much better on this side, having worked out some of the kinks from my earlier game, and we started our comeback. We were doing really well until the seventeenth hole, when Jake sliced his tee shot into the woods and had to take a penalty stroke for it, while I ended up three-putting the green. We wound up losing the round by one stroke, with each of us trying to accept responsibility for blowing it, but it was fun and our opponents invited me to join them again the following weekend. Unfortunately, I had to explain I already had other plans for the following two weekends, and they told me we could set something up for another time then. I was pleased they wanted me back, because I didn't think I had played very well, but I did have a great time. We went into the clubhouse and had a couple of drinks together, rehashing some of the highlights of the round, and then I headed home. As I pulled into the driveway, a couple of the boys came out to meet me and wanted to know why I was home so early. I thought this odd, but explained to them that we had played our eighteen holes and had a couple of drinks before we left. They told me I should have stayed longer and maybe even played another nine. When I told them eighteen was plenty for my first time out and I was a bit sore and tired from the exercise, they gave in and left it at that. I went inside and soaked in a hot bath for a while, in an effort to alleviate some of the soreness, stiffness and cramps out of my old muscles. I wasn't able to stay in there long, however, as our local community was having its annual field days activities, and I had promised to take the younger boys to this traveling carnival after lunch. The festivities were complete with rides, games and other activities, which usually meant a fun time for all. We stayed there until dinnertime, which gave the boys plenty of time to ride the rides, play the games and eat their share of junk food before we left. By the time we arrived home, the older boys were just about ready to go out on their dates. While we were gone, they had spent much of their day just kicking about the house, before preparing to go out. I only talked briefly with them before they hopped in the Suburban and took off. Seeing they were all going to the same place, Dustin had agreed to drive everyone around to pick up each of their dates, before heading to the field days. Everyone seemed satisfied, and the gay boys were also going with their partners, so everyone was happy. Mark had a date too and asked if he could borrow the Grand Am again, which I told him would be fine. Even though he didn't say where he was headed, I suspected he probably wasn't planning on going to the same place as the others. He seemed to be getting quite attached to this young girl whom he worked with at the bank and I hoped neither of them would get hurt when it was time for him to go back to college in Arizona. When the boys got to the carnival, they basically went their own way. Some had decided to do the rides first, enjoying the thrills of having their dinners mixed repeatedly from the spinning, whirling and up and down actions of the various rides, which would occasionally bring them to the point where they could almost experience the tastes of their meals once again. Others decided to try their hands at the games first, to see if they could win some desired prize for their current significant other, which might help them get a step closer to reaching the next base in the mating game. Over the course of their time there, they shot baskets (but the hoops were much smaller than normal), knocked over bottles, shot at targets, pitched items in or around other objects or gambled on games of chance. Some were successful, while others failed miserably, but they all seemed to have a good time trying. The final group took their partners for a treat first and enjoyed one of the many delicacies that could be obtained from one of the numerous carnival vendors. Some of them purchased candy or caramel apples, cotton candy or a snow cone, trying to win their loved ones' favors with something sweet. All in all, they each had their own ideas about how to get what they were after -- and you can apply that toward whatever you're thinking about at this time. As the evening wore on, Dion and his date disappeared for a while, finding their way to some dark and isolated location of the fringe of this gathering. There they started to make out and Dion began some major exploration of his own. He managed to get his hand up under her shirt, feeling up her breasts and playing with her erect little nipples, before he was able to work his way under her waistband and started fingering her hot hole. After several minutes of this activity, he had her all hot and agreeing to let him go further, and she helped him undo his pants and lower them, exposing his erect pole. That's when she suddenly got cold feet. Seeing Dion's monster standing tall and proud in front of her, she changed her mind, after concluding something that big couldn't go inside of her without causing a great deal of pain. I suppose something like that could cause a virgin or inexperienced person to fear it, but Dion tried his best to convince her he'd be careful, go slowly and be very gentle. His pleas fell on deaf ears, though, and his chance at glory had now ended. After having this lengthy and heated discussion, they finally made themselves presentable again and went back to the lighted areas of the carnival. Dion was left feeling very horny, frustrated and confused, and his date was a bit more aloof for the rest of their time together. His disappointment was visibly showing by the time he got home, but he wouldn't discuss anything with any of the rest of us. It was Trey who finally made him feel better and got him to open up about what had happened there. When they got back to their room, Trey began to show him some attention, stroking him and kissing various parts of his body, until Dion began to respond. Once Dion became horny again, he asked Trey if he could make love to him. Trey rapidly agreed, so Dion slipped on a condom, lubed up and drove his throbbing penis home, all in one smooth thrust. Being accustomed to having Dion inside of him, Trey felt no discomfort -- in fact, quite the opposite. Knowing the young man he loved was firmly implanted in him sent Trey into overdrive and he used his ass muscles and extensive experience with his boyfriend to give him a pleasurable time. After Dion climaxed and had recovered, he kissed Trey passionately, before discussing what they had just done. "How come you can take my rod so easily," Dion began, "but she got scared by it?" "Maybe it's because I love you so much, am used to it and want it inside me," Trey responded. This caused Dion to grin and kiss him some more. "I know you do and I love you too," he confirmed, "but I just need to find out what it's like with a girl," he cautioned. "I know you don't like that idea and will still be here for me regardless, but I have to learn for myself if it's better, worse or there's no difference." "I know and I didn't just do this to make you want me again," Trey assured him. "I did it because I saw how you were hurting and knew how much you needed the release. I just wanted to make you feel better. That's all." "I know and I appreciate it," Dion confirmed. "I'm sorry if I'm causing you any pain, but this is just something I still have to do." Trey understood and had no regrets about what he had just done, but his kindness had also eliminated most of the frustration that had built up in Dion earlier. Now that the air was cleared, Dion confided in Trey about the details of what had happened on his date. Although he was secretly thrilled about Dion's rejection by the girl, Trey continued to play the understanding brother role and tried to console Dion by convincing him he'd do better with the next one. By this time, Dion had pulled out of his funk, while being thankful he had Trey there beside him. It was a masterful strategy, executed perfectly by Trey, and it helped to pull them a little closer to each other and give them a different type of bond than they'd had before. Nothing much happened after that until the following Wednesday, which was the Fourth of July. We held our annual cookout and get together, but due to the fact of how the date fell this year, my older children didn't attend. However, everyone local did and the house was filled with people, including the Shays, Spences, Beckers, Curtises, Sally, Jake and Shannon. In addition to those guests, the boys, including Mark, had also invited their dates, while some of the younger boys had asked a few of their friends from school to join us. Dion had invited a new girl to this outing, after the other girl had grown a bit distant and cold after their last encounter, and Dion's new love interest didn't do much for Trey's partying mood. He was a brave trooper though and put up a good front, not letting anyone else see how much he was actually hurting inside. I did question him a couple of times during the day, trying to see how he was doing, and he unequivocally let me know how he was still bothered by all of this, but would do his best to get through it. I felt deeply for him, but was proud about how he was handling it, and I tried to reassure him as much as I could. He thanked me and went out to hang around with some of the others, but I could tell he was watching Dion out of the corner of his eye the entire time and was extremely jealous that he was not the one with him. Besides all the food and drinks we provided for this gathering, we also set up some activities to help entertain our guests. We held our own games, complete with prizes for the winners, and had a variety of activities geared to both the young and old. We had a sack race, a three-legged race and a wheelbarrow race, which were geared toward the younger crowd, but we also had a birdseed relay, an egg-toss and a pie-eating contest, which the older participants would also enjoy competing in. The birdseed relay was done in teams, with each group having a tablespoon and a container of birdseed at one end, and an empty cup at the other. The idea was to scoop up a spoonful of bird seed, hurry to the other end without spilling it all, and then dump it into the empty cup before returning to hand the spoon off to the next person in line. This wasn't so much about speed as it was about patience and steadiness, and we used birdseed so we could throw it around after we were done, in order to do something constructive with it and not litter the yard. It seemed to be quite a big hit with everyone. After all of these activities were concluded, we ate and then sat down to play Bingo outdoors, which was a new experience for some of our younger guests. I take it that people tend to ignore these older and simpler games nowadays, seeing they have so many electronic and computer activities to keep them occupied, but it was nice to see everyone enjoying something from another, maybe gentler time. After playing several games of Bingo with us, the Beckers excused themselves, telling us how they had to get home and take care of things on the farm, so we bid them farewell and thanked them for joining us. Shortly after they left, we started cooking again, because it was nearing dinnertime and everyone had worked up another healthy appetite. After eating for the second time, we did things individually or in small groups until dark, and then loaded up in several vehicles, to head for the nearby park. Our community had scheduled to set off both a ground and aerial fireworks show there and we were all anxious to see what they had in store for us. It was quite a show, with many different types of displays to watch, combined with the noises and the shockwaves from the explosions. It got me reminiscing about my youth and reminded me of some of the Independence Day celebrations I had been part of as a boy. I guess, without planning it that way, we had enjoyed an old-fashioned Independence Day observance, one that could have taken place thirty, forty or even fifty years earlier. As we were leaving, many of our older guests made comments that they'd also experienced feelings similar to mine, before telling me how much they had enjoyed the day and how it had caused them to relive so many memories of long forgotten times. Overall, I think it was a very wonderful day and something none of us would soon forget. Before they left, I also made sure Jake and Shannon were going to join us the following weekend, when we took the Beckers to Philadelphia to catch their flight to Orlando. I told Josh and Shannon the rest of us were planning on spending the weekend sightseeing in Philadelphia, mostly for Mark's benefit. They readily accepted my offer, but Jake questioned how all of us could go in one vehicle. After discussing this further, we agreed that I'd drive the van and Jake would follow in the Suburban, splitting the passengers up between the two vehicles, so everyone would be more comfortable. It sounded like a great plan and everyone looked forward to it. I don't know whether the boys were happier that Shannon was going or that Jake and I would be together again, but either way they seemed thrilled. We spent the rest of the week getting our things together and planning what we would do while we were there. It was also Ricky's birthday-weekend, so we'd have to make some special plans for that, as well. Jake took Friday off from work, so we could leave earlier in the day, and he and Shannon also spent Thursday night at our place. That way, we were ready to leave as early as possible in the morning and pulled out from our place just after dawn. We were going to pick up the Beckers on the way and they would join us for our Friday and Saturday activities, and then we'd all stay at a motel near the airport, so we could see them off on their flight Sunday morning. The Beckers were all excited and a bundle of nerves when we arrived, as they hadn't been on a vacation in ages and none of them had ever flown before. While they were fidgeting with last minute instructions to the workers who would be looking after their farm in their absence, the boys, Jake and I loaded their luggage in the rear of the Suburban and under the seats. Once they were ready, we got everyone situated and headed out for the big city. We arrived in Philadelphia just after mid-morning and picked up Carlos, seeing he was going to be joining us. His mother had declined our invitation, since she had to work, but agreed to let Carlos stay with us until we returned home. Even though they lived in Philadelphia, they didn't have the money or opportunity to do the things I had planned, so I felt it would do him good to learn about the city he lived in as well. After picking him up, we decided to stop for brunch, so we could start our sightseeing without having to worry about finding a place to eat again. We were all kind of anxious to see some of the historic places in the area and I had everything we were going to do planned out in my mind. The boys often tell me I'm very anal about such details, and they might be right. I'm not fond of flying by the seat of my pants, since that usually means we would waste valuable time debating what we were going to do, when we could actually be visiting some place. Even though the boys and I had flown out of the Philadelphia airport a few times in the past, we had never taken the time to go into the city to see what was there. It was strange, but we had seen more of other locations around the country, than we had of those closest to where we actually lived. We began our first day with a visit to the US mint. Even though they had tours seven days a week at this time of year, we wouldn't be able to see the actual production process on the weekend, so I determined Friday was the best day for us to come here. It was really a very interesting tour and Little Ricky was intrigued with seeing how money was made. He was at the front of the group for every stop we made along the way and always ready to ask questions whenever he didn't understand something. It was an audio-guided tour, so I was left to try to fill in the gaps for him, with substantial assistance from the other adults. Our tour began with an explanation of how the original designs for coins were made, including the special state quarters that are currently coming into use. It all began with an artist's drawing of what the coin would look like and then the design was made into a clay sculpture, before it was turned into a plaster cast. After that, a rubber cast was made, followed by a hard epoxy cast. Once the epoxy cast was examined and approved, it was taken to a transfer-engraving machine to make a small metal copy or die, which would be used to make the individual coins. The process of making the die would take three days, but once the die was completed, it would be thoroughly examined for any flaws, before it was used to make the new coins. We even got to see several examples of these various early steps, including seeing various types of casts used for many of the different coins. "Man, that's big money!" Little Ricky exclaimed, when examining the casts, which caused some of the older boys to chuckle. "Think how big the vending machines would have to be to take those coins," Big Ricky joked back. "Or your pockets," Carlos added, catching everyone else by surprised. He was usually the quiet one and didn't get involved in these types of conversations, but it was good to see him coming out of his shell. Now, it was time to learn how the coins actually were made. This began with large metal rolls, with each one being the length of five football fields when unrolled. They were fed into one side of a machine that would punch out blank metal disks, using a similar principle as a cookie cutter. These blank disks were then heated and cooled, before they were given a bath and dried. Once they were all clean and shiny, they were run through a machine called the 'riddler', which separated the good disks from the bad ones, and the good ones then were forwarded to the next station. "What do they do with the bad disks?" Little Ricky wanted to know, which caused me to surmise he was hoping to get one as a souvenir at this point. Unfortunately for him, I had to inform him the ones that didn't pass inspection were sent back and melted down, so they could be used to make a new metal roll. He was visibly disappointed, but accepted the explanation and we moved on. The good blanks were then sent to an 'upsetting mill', which raises a rim on both sides of the blank. Then the disks are sent through a press, which contained the die that was made earlier, and the blanks are then pressed into actual coins. After that process, the coins are checked for quality, counted and put into bags. These bags of coins were stacked on a dolly, loaded into armored cars and finally taken to Federal Reserve Banks, which would then circulate them on to the various banks in their area. Overall, the tour took just under an hour, but it was very interesting and worth the time. As I said, Little Ricky was constantly asking questions about the various procedures and commenting on what we'd seen. He was as excited and animated as I had ever seen him. Seeing him like this now, I could hardly imagine what he would be like when they reached Disney World and started that whole experience, so I hoped his parents were well rested and ready to keep up with this little dynamo once they get there. After we left the mint, we stopped to get ice cream and drinks, to cool us off, and then we went to take the 'American Trolley Tour'. This tour took us to see three of the most popular sites in 'old' Philadelphia. First we went to see the Liberty Bell, which is kept in the Liberty Bell Pavilion. "Hey, I thought the Liberty Bell cracked because it was rung so long and hard after the Declaration of Independence was signed!" Brandon bellowed, after reading something in the brochure he'd picked up. "So did I," I agreed. "At least that's what my grandfather always told me." "Well, that's not what happened," Brandon advised me. "It says here the Liberty Bell was cracked during its initial testing process. The crack was resealed in 1753, but reappeared later, and is now kept wedged open now for people to see. It also says the bell was taken to Allentown in 1777, when the British occupied the city, to prevent them from melting it down and using it to make ammunition." I, along with some of the others, was now in shock. We had just learned something completely contrary to what we had always believed about it. Not only that, but I was completely floored after hearing 'the rest of the story', as Paul Harvey loved to say, but was happy to now have the accurate information at my disposal. These little trips really are educational. After that stop, we went to see Betsy Ross' house, because she was the one who supposedly sewed the first American flag. This stop took all of five minutes - well, maybe it did take longer than that, but it was a very quick tour. The house was neat to visit and all, as it was completely furnished according to the period, but there wasn't really all that much to see in it. "That was kind of a gyp," Sammy announced as we left the building. "They should have had a model of her sewing the flag or something." "I agree," I told him. "The sewing room even lacked the feel I expected from it. I had kind of hoped they might have had a woman there pretending to be Betsy Ross and hand sewing another colonial flag." Although the others nodded in agreement, unfortunately, that wasn't the way it was set up. >From there we went to Franklin Court, which had once contained the home of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was one of those true Renaissance persons, as was Thomas Jefferson, and benefited the fledgling country serving many different roles and make an impact in many different fields. "Okay, what do you guys know about Benjamin Franklin?" I asked, to get the ball rolling. "He was the guy who flew the kite and discovered electricity," Andrew quickly shouted out. "I'm not sure I'd say he discovered electricity," I countered, "but he made many theories about it and invented the lightning rod, to prevent buildings from getting struck by it." "And he made some funny glass and a stove to heat home," Little Ricky quickly chimed in. "Yes, he was both a scientist and an inventor," I agreed. "Anything else?" "He printed an almanac and put all kinds of famous sayings in it," Brent chimed in. "Yes, he was also a printer and a philosopher," I confirmed. "Do you know any of the sayings he was famous for?" "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," Pat quickly answered. "Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today," Dustin chimed in. "There never was a good war nor a bad peace," Danny added. "How about this one, I used to hear all the time in the other foster homes I lived in," Pat began, and then continued in a mocking tone. "Eat to live, and not live to eat." I could tell there were some bad memories about that one, but didn't have time to ponder it as Dion spoke up. "A penny saved is a penny earned," he quoted, but then quickly added, "so a penny must have been worth a lot more then." That caused everyone to titter, until Mark added one of his own. "I think he also said, 'in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,' so I guess not a whole lot has changed since then." I could see Jake and the Beckers nodding in agreement, after Mark finished. "And then there's my personal favorite," I added. "He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals." I did have to explain that a bit to the younger boys, but the older ones caught on to its meaning immediately. "Okay, so do you know anything else about Mr. Franklin?" I asked, before we moved on. "Didn't he help Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence?" Nick asked. "He was part of the 'Committee of Five' responsible for drafting it and made several small changes to the draft, but Jefferson wrote most of it. However, when it was signed, Franklin urged those representing the various colonies that, 'We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.' In other words, they had to see this through or they would all be hanged as traitors if they failed." I think the boys were impressed by that. "He was a diplomat, statesman and loved the women," Mark volunteered after a brief pause and then winked in my direction. I guess the straight boys would admire Franklin for that tidbit. "While looking at colleges I might want to go to," Kevin chirped in, "I learned he helped to found the University of Pennsylvania." "And he suggested using the wild turkey as our National bird," Frankie offered, "since it lived in the original thirteen colonies, unlike the bald eagle." "Very true, but he was overruled on this point," I countered, "but it makes me wonder what Thanksgiving might have been like if his idea had been accepted. What would we be eating instead of turkey?" That comment caused everyone to chuckle and make various retorts about eating Eagle or other things, including venison, but I think we'd had fun with it and learned a bit in the process, as well. When the tour was completed, we went to check into our hotel rooms, so we could get cleaned up and changed for dinner. Tonight we were going to go to a pretty famous jazz club, called 'Warmdaddy's', for dinner and to listen to the live entertainment. It was my understanding that they served great southern home-style cooking and the music was fantastic. I had told the staff it was Ricky's birthday when I made the reservation and ordered a large, special cake for after dinner. I discovered upon our arrival that the manager had also arranged for the musicians to play a jazzed up version of 'Happy Birthday' in his honor. After a wonderful and filling meal, the cake was brought out and the band did their thing. It was truly a remarkable rendition and the other guests also seemed to get a special kick out of this and many offered Ricky their own birthday wishes. We took our time there and ate our dessert slowly, while sitting back to enjoy the atmosphere and music. During that time, Little Ricky came over and apologized to my Ricky for not having a present for him, but quickly offered to bring something special back for him from Disney World. Ricky told him that wouldn't be necessary, but Little Ricky insisted, seeing how Ricky had bought him something special for his own birthday. After that, we went back to our rooms and watched a little television before turning in. Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 4 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 34 -- The City of Brotherly Love. Saturday morning we went out for breakfast together. We sat and read our placemats while we waited for our food to arrive, and they were loaded with information about the city. From reading them, we learned that William Penn had founded Philadelphia in 1682, and by the time of the American Revolution it was the second largest English- speaking city in the world, right after London. "Hey, it says that some of the old city streets are still paved in cobblestones, to give it the original feel," Cole noted. "Will we get to see any of them?" "I think we just might," I answered. "Neat," was Cole's only comment in response. "Hey, I didn't know Philadelphia was the capital of the United States!" Graham added, after reading another section. "It was, from 1790 until 1800, when the capital was moved to Washington, D.C.," I agreed, after glancing over the same area on the place mat. After we finished eating, we made our way over to Independence Hall, our first stop for the day. This building was very important in the annals or early American history, as it was here that the Second Continental Congress had been convened, in May 1775, and it was where the US constitution was drafted in 1787. Just being in that building, you gained a sense of that period of our history and I think we came away with a better feel for what it was like for our founding fathers. "So that's where they decided on how the country should be set up and run?" Brent asked. "Exactly," I confirmed. "Many important things originated from there including the famous preamble to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." "What's the preamble thing?" Little Ricky asked. "It the first lines of the U. S. Constitution," I informed him. "Do any of you know it?" None of them could come up with more than 'We the people,' until Mr. Becker spoke up. "Maybe I can help with that. 'We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.' It was something we had to memorize when I went to school," he added, after impressing the boys with his impressive and dramatic recitation. >From there, we made our way over to Congress Hall, which housed the first congressional sessions. The House of Representatives originally met on the first floor of this building, while the Senate held their meetings on the second floor. The structure has been restored to that time period, to give visitors an indication of what the early days of government had been like, and you could almost imagine those early legislators standing up to argue the various issues that were presented to them. "In addition to this building housing Congress," I told the boys," George Washington was inaugurated for his second term here in 1793, and then four years later, he passed the power of the executive branch over to John Adams in this very same place." I hoped this would give them a better picture of the significance of the place, but once again for me, it was like taking a step into our historical past and I was touched by the role this building had played during our country's early years. After leaving Congress Hall, we decided to stop and have lunch and it didn't take us long to find a suitable place to eat. As we ate, we talked about some of the things we had seen thus far and then Mark made a comment. "You know, until this trip, I have never felt such a sense of history before. Living on the west coast, the history there is limited to a later period of time, except where Native American history is concerned. I've never really felt much of a connection to either colonial or Civil War era history before, but now I find it exciting to see all of these places from those earlier periods. It changes everything for me." After saying that, he thanked me for arranging this excursion and including him on it, and then he thanked the boys for inviting him to join us to see the Grand Canyon, when we were on vacation last year. He explained to them that their invitation was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, as he not only made new friends, but also became part of another family at the same time. Before things got too mushy, I told them it was time to take off for our next stop, and we took off for the Old City Hall. In addition to providing the function for which it was named, this building also had housed the US Supreme Court during the early years of our nation. The high court had been held in the first floor courtroom, which it shared with the Mayor's Court, and some of the first decisions concerning how the country should operate had been made in that very place. After the federal government moved, the building was just used for city business, but during the 1890's Philadelphia became a major immigration location, so many new citizens also attended their naturalization ceremonies here. At this point, I tried to have the boys think back to what they remembered of their family histories, to see how many had heard tales about their ancestors immigrating to this land. Then I told them that some of their relatives might have come through this very place or Ellis Island, which we would visit when we went to New York City. This simple suggestion seemed to have a great impact on the boys, as most of them had been told that someone in their past had come here from another country. Now, they could see their relatives proceeding through this place, having their papers checked and getting physicals to make sure they were healthy, before they were allowed to stay. "Except for the Native Americans and those who arrived before the country was formed, entered illegally or were brought here as slaves," I informed them, "the rest of our families would have had to come through a location such as this before they were allowed to become American citizens." This gave the boys a great deal to consider. First, they thought about how those immigrants had left nearly everything and everyone behind for a chance to have a better life and realized it took a great deal of guts and determination on their part to do that. Many of my sons acknowledged they had people like them to thank for the benefits they enjoyed today, and we did take some time to reflect on that as well. On the other hand, we also considered those who were dragged to this country unwillingly, ripped from their families and forced to endure unbearable hardships, as they were thrust into the service of human masters. Even the boys who had already endured much pain, loss and deprivation during their young lives still couldn't comprehend the anguish those slaves must have had to bear. I looked over and noticed the expression on Dion's face and guess he was probably wondering if any of his ancestors had been included as part of that bleak legacy. Once we left the Old City Hall, I took everyone over to the 76 Carriage Company and arranged for us to take horse-drawn carriage rides around the old city. I had planned to put an adult in each carriage, but the boys had different ideas. They wanted the Beckers to stay together and they insisted that Jake and I go in the same coach, so the older boys and Mark split up in the other carriages, to help watch over the younger boys. It was a lovely ride, slow and very relaxing. This was partially due to the gentle rocking of the carriage, as we weren't going that fast, and we listened to the melodic clippity-clop of the horse's hooves striking the pavement as it stayed the course. If this had been later in the evening, like after dark, and the boys hadn't been there, this might have had romantic possibilities... well at least for the Beckers. I don't know, maybe I was beginning to have some feelings for Jake too, and the boys seemed to be making sure we were placed together as much and as often as they possibly could. The thing was I couldn't be sure if he felt the same way about me. When the ride ended, we went back to the hotel to clean up again, and then we left to go eat in the hotel's restaurant. Once dinner was concluded, I planned to take the boys to the Chestnut Cabaret, where they featured a variety of famous and semi-famous rock groups. I felt the boys would enjoy even more than the previous night's visit to Warmdaddy's, although I had the feeling they had enjoyed the jazz too, or were very good at disguising their feelings if they hadn't enjoyed it, but I was fairly confident tonight's selections would be even more to their liking. I had told Mr. and Mrs. Becker about my plans and they decided to sit this one out, preferring to spend a quiet evening in their room instead. I respected the Beckers' wishes and Jake and I took everyone else out for a good time. It was all live entertainment and I wasn't familiar with any of the performers, but the boys seemed to really get into what they were playing and enjoying it immensely. Out of our group, Jake and I were the most out of our element, but we still had a good time watching the boys get into the music and smile broadly. We also enjoyed watching them sing along with the lyrics to the songs they knew and, overall, I guess I would say it was an enjoyable evening -- more so for some than for others. Sunday morning we got up early and ate a substantial breakfast, before we took the Beckers to catch their flight. Little Ricky was bouncing around the place like the little silver ball in a pinball machine, because he was so excited about this trip. He continually found it difficult to stay in one spot for very long and was dancing around like he had a colony of ants crawling around in his underwear. It was very cute to watch. We happened upon a small church near the hotel we had been staying at, so we decided to attend the early service, since neither the Beckers nor I wished to pass up our weekly devotion. When the service ended, we went back to our rooms, gathered up our belongings, loaded them into the vehicles and set off for the airport. The drive wasn't very long, although the traffic made it seem farther and take longer than the same trip would have taken back home, but we still arrived with plenty of time to spare. We were a bit chagrinned to see the various ways the airports have had to tighten up security, due to the threats of terrorism, because it prevented us from taking Little Ricky up on an observation deck, so he could watch the other planes take off and land before their departure was announced. That's one small thrill his generation may never be able to enjoy, as extremists have slowly managed to change our habits for years to come. While the Beckers checked in for their flight and learned which gate they'd be leaving from, we made sure their luggage was adequately tagged and sent off ahead of them. Once that had been accomplished, we all sat down and talked, until it was time for them to go to their boarding gate. The boys spent their time trying to prepare Little Ricky for what his first takeoff and landing would be like, so he wouldn't be so scared. However, from the glowing look on his face, I say he was secretly looking forward to the new experience. I mentally pictured him sitting in his seat and staring out the window, while desperately attempting to see and enjoy every detail of what was going on. I think his parents were more likely the ones who might be in need of a tranquilizer or stiff drink before they left, as they seemed a bit more anxious than their younger counterpart. As I was studying them, an announcement was made to inform everyone that the flight to Orlando would be temporarily delayed. Confused about the reason for this, Mr. Becker went to the ticket counter and asked what the problem was. That's when he was told that a minor mechanical malfunction had been discovered and would need to be repaired before the flight could takeoff. After he pressed for more information and sought to learn how long the delay would be, the airline representative told him the flight would most likely be delayed until at least 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. That was because they needed to have a part brought in and it would take at least that long to make the necessary repairs, especially on a weekend. Once he relayed the news to me, I had him inquire about switching to another flight, but he was told that all flights to or connecting with Orlando were already overbooked, so the only option would be to wait out the delay. After checking with the service counter again and talking it over amongst ourselves, we decided to have the Beckers join us for our afternoon activity and then we'd bring them back later to catch their flight. I took a few minutes to make some phone calls, to make sure I could include them in our plans. After a little finagling and some negotiations, the arrangements were made. No one, except I, knew what our next activity was going to be, although many of the boys were teasing me to tell them. Somehow, I managed to get them all back and into the vehicles again without having to do so, and then we set off for Veterans Stadium. I had made arrangements for us to watch the Philadelphia Phillies play a game against the Montreal Expos. When we got to the stadium, I made my way over to the ticket office and collected the tickets I had ordered in advance and recently changed, as well as the extras I had purchased when I phoned in from the airport. Once I had everything, I led everyone to the place where we'd begin a walking tour around the stadium. Mark seemed to be the most excited about this and I soon discovered it was because he had never attended any sort of professional sporting event before or been in such a large stadium. He was quite thrilled by the prospect and asked my boys numerous questions about other games they had seen in other stadiums. After we walked around and toured all the public areas of the facility, we made our way to our seats. They were located on the lower level, just about even with first base. Our original seats had been even closer to home plate, but when I called to request three more seats, I had to do a little juggling and pay a premium to swap seats with others a little further down the first baseline, so we could all stay together. In the end, I felt it was worth it, so we wouldn't be separated. While the Beckers, Jake and I went over to sit down, the boys went to see if they could talk to any of the players or get them to autograph their programs. Yes, I had also shelled out a bundle to get everyone their own program, but I was more than paid back when I saw the looks on the boys' faces when they showed me the autographs they had been able to get from players on both teams. Even Mark carried on like a child half his age when it came to that, and he made sure to point out to me every player who had been kind enough to accommodate him. Jake and I talked a great deal while the boys were doing their thing, although I was keeping a close watch on the younger ones the whole time. The older boys were looking after their younger brothers too, as I certainly didn't want a repeat of what happened in Houston -- or worse. All of the boys had all been advised to use the toilets in groups of no less than four, just for safety sake. I didn't want any of them to be overpowered or taken by surprise, while being in a strange location. While Jake and I chatted, I found out that Jake was a big sports fan, which meant he watched nearly any sport, and he had lettered in three sports in high school. Even though we had talked about other things before, every time we chatted I learned we had even more in common. I invited Shannon and him to join us again the following weekend, when we picked up the Beckers after they returned. I explained we were going to go to New York City first, since we wouldn't have to pick the Beckers up at the Philly airport until late Sunday afternoon, which would give us Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning to do some sightseeing on our own. Jake said it sounded like a great idea to him and he'd take next Thursday and Friday off too, so we could have even more time to get around. I thought that a fantastic suggestion and decided I'd contact Mark's boss, who was also my friend, on Monday, to see if I could get him off work for both days as well. Jake and I finished ironing out the details about what we might want to do in NYC and I had a pretty extensive itinerary planned, by the time the first pitch was thrown. While we were sitting and discussing these things, Little Ricky was asking Big Ricky if something was going on between Jake and I. He had seen us sitting together the whole time and suspected we were more than just friends, so he pestered Ricky for the details and asked him if Jake was my boyfriend. Ricky told him he and the rest of the boys hoped so, but they didn't know yet. That's when the little devil thought he might be able to speed the process along and came up with his own plan. Pretty soon he was standing in front of us going, "Uncle Pop's got a boyfriend, Uncle Pop's got a boyfriend," in his sing-song voice. The other boys heard him and began to chuckle, not knowing that Little Ricky had asked Ricky about the situation. They just thought it was funny that Little Ricky had caught on when Jake and I hadn't, well, not exactly. I made like I was going to grab him, and he squealed and ran off, now standing two rows farther away, starting a new little chorus. "Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Uncle Pop with a..." He stopped there, realizing the lyrics weren't quite fitting the situation the way he thought it should. It didn't take him long before he started anew, however this time he adapted the childhood rhyme to fit his purposes. "Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then a kind of marriage, then Uncle Pop puts Ricky in a baby carriage." He turned around to find Ricky, so he could point at him and laugh. The other boys were getting a big kick out of all this, and their laughter was only encouraging our little comedian even more. Ricky feigned shock and anger over being included, distracting Little Ricky long enough for Jake and I to work our way over the seats until we were in reach to grab him. His eyes bugged out of his head as we gripped his arms and lifted him in the air, and then Jake let me take a hold of both of his arms, while he grabbed both legs, and we started tugging on him like it was a taffy pull. He was squealing in delight, and even some of the ballplayers were getting a kick out of our antics, and after a bit of this torture, we put him down and started tickling him. "That will teach you to pick on us, you little rascal. Is it still funny?" I asked him. "Yep," he blurted out, between giggles. Then he started reciting that verse again, but we tickled him harder, until he was forced to stop. Finally we called a truce, giving us all a chance to catch our breath, when some of the boys started trying to get Little Ricky's attention. The ones who wanted him were still standing down by the field, so Little Ricky went down there to see what they wanted. Our little devil quickly discovered that one of the Phillies' players had asked the boys to call him down, because her wanted to give Little Ricky one of their practice balls as a gift. He did this to thank him for the little diversion and entertainment he had provided with his shenanigans. Little Ricky was all smiles at that point, as some of the other fans also congratulated him and my boys made a big fuss over his souvenir. After the attention began to die down, Little Ricky took the ball over to his dad and asked him to hold on to it for him, because he didn't have any place to keep it. His father agreed, and Little Ricky happily went off with some of my boys again. Once batting practice ended, the boys made their way back up to their seats and told us all about what happened with the players, like we hadn't seen it or anything, and then they sat down and stayed with us for the rest of the time. As soon as the game began, everyone became interested in the action on the field and the other antics came to a halt. A couple of the boys were Phillies fans and took a keen interest in the game. Although the remainder of my sons liked the Pirates, Mets, Yankees or Orioles better, they were enjoying the experience of being in a major league park, or at least a different one than they had been in before. Since nearly all of the boys' favorite teams were somewhat close to where we lived, we were able to see many of their games on TV and able to keep track of how they were doing. It also made it easier for the boys to maintain an affinity to the players on those particular squads and build an animosity toward the teams that gave them the most trouble in their division. Anyway, the boys were all having fun and everyone seemed to have something different they were focusing on during the game. Some of them were keeping score in their programs, while others sat on the edge of their seats, ready to chase after any foul ball that came in our direction. Other boys focused primarily on a specific player or players, while others concentrated on how a certain position was being played. Frankie was having a good time watching the umpires, studying how they took control of the game and kept things moving, while still managing to joke around with some of the players and fans. Personally, I was interested in the different managers' strategy and challenged Jake to see which of us could predict what either of them would do in various situations, such as call for a hit-and-run, a pitchout, a bunt, bring in a pinch-hitter or call in a reliever. As the game went on, neither of us was doing very well, although we still thought we were calling a better game than either of the bozos in the dugouts. Too bad we didn't get paid their enormous salary for doing a better job from the stands. During the game, Danny did manage to come up with a foul ball, even though it got a bit scuffed up bouncing off the upper level, before ricocheting back in our direction. Wisely, he handed it to me and asked if Jake and I would hang on to it for him until after the game. It seems he didn't want to worry about someone else trying to wrestle it away from him later, while he was focusing on the game. We agreed and he went back to join the others. Besides my sitting next to Jake, Mark had talk the other boys into letting him sit in the seat on the other side of me. I could tell Mark was having a great time, just from listening to the comments he was making about the game. He even got involved in Jake's and my competition and would ask why we thought one team or the other should do whatever we predicted during that particular situation. Before long, the three of us were in a very deep discussion about the finer points of the game and arguing strategy. We happily amused ourselves this way, while we watched the players carry out their part of the chess match on the field. After getting up for the seventh inning stretch and singing 'Take Me Out To the Ballgame,' Andrew came over and crawled onto my lap. He was getting bored, since he wasn't really into sports, and also a little tired. He spent the rest of the game cuddled up against my chest, just barely able to stay awake. Every now and then the crowd would cheer about something that happened on the field and Andrew's eyes would pop open for a second, only to slowly close again. Overall, it was a pretty good game and fairly exciting, as the Phillies won 8 - 5. We had all been filling up on junk food during the contest, so no one was particularly hungry at the moment and we decided to take a nice leisurely drive to take the Beckers back to the airport. We would then wait with them until their plane took off, just in case the flight was further delayed or cancelled. Once we arrived at the terminal, we were chagrined to notice their flight number still had the word 'delayed' listed beside it. When we went to the ticket counter to make another inquiry as to how much longer it would be, the listing changed and a departure time was suddenly posted. It now said the flight would be taking off in less than an hour. Knowing their flight had been held up due to a mechanical malfunction, the Beckers seemed slightly more nervous about flying. However, by the time they were ready to board, they had calmed down considerably. This might have been partially due to the fact that we had done our utmost to distract them, so they couldn't dwell upon the problem for very long, but it also might have had something to do with the fact they were all growing quite weary after the long day we had spent in the hot sun. When their boarding announcement was made, we gave them hugs and wished them a safe trip, before watching them pass through the metal detectors, while their carry-on luggage went through the x-ray machine. Once they were on the other side, we bid them a final farewell and told them to keep in touch. They promised they'd let us know if any changes were made concerning their return trip, and then we watched them until they disappeared from sight. As soon as they were gone, I led everyone else out to our vehicles and then Jake and I drove to a spot where we could watch a few of the planes take off. We weren't sure if any of them was the Beckers' flight, but liked to assume the last one was. Satisfied, we started off for home, only stopping for potty breaks and a quick meal after that. It had been dark for a few hours before we arrived home and everyone was pretty exhausted. After dropping the boys off at our place, so they could shower and get ready for bed, I took Jake and Shannon back to their place, because Jake had to work the next day. When I returned home, Mark was waiting to thank me again for what he called 'a fantastic weekend', but I felt there was something more on his mind. Knowing he might not blurt it out on his own, I invited him to join me in the living room, where we could sit and talk for a while. Eagerly, he followed me there and then opened up in a way I never expected. "You know, when I was little, I always dreamed of doing things like this with my father," he began. "I always thought someday he'd show up and take me to a ball game or on a vacation, but nothing like that ever happened until today. Sure, my mom did everything she could for me and we went places together, but it was never the same as in my dreams. Since Mom wasn't into sports, I never pestered her to take me to any ballgames, so I hope you can understand how special this weekend was and always will be to me." Mark paused for a brief second after saying this and looked me squarely in the eyes. I could tell how emotional this moment was for him, as I could see the moisture building in his eyes, but he wasn't finished yet. "Today it was like you were my dad and I was finally able to do some of those things I was beginning to think I'd never get the opportunity to do. I owe you so much, and not just for the time in Arizona, or for my job, or for bringing me here to stay with your family, but for also filling the hole in my heart that I had begun to believe could never be mended. After spending this time with you, I no longer feel a bottomless void in my soul or envy other people for what they had that I didn't. Nor do I feel like I've missed out on anything any longer. You and your sons have made me feel like I'm actually part of your family. Thank you so much for all you've done, and I really mean that, from the bottom of my heart." At that point, I was not only fairly speechless, but also had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Seeing I couldn't find my tongue, I just leaned over and gave Mark a hug and hoped he could find my answer in that embrace. Before I knew what was happening, he was hugging me as hard as I was hugging him and I could feel a definite connection to him. When he finally broke our emotional embrace, he merely stood in front of me, for a few seconds longer, staring into my eyes. Tears were now flowing freely for both of us and it took a few seconds more before either of us could get our mouths to work, but Mark regained his composure first and spoke to me once more. "Thank you," he reiterated, while looking squarely into my eyes. "You don't know how much your hug means to me or how it makes me feel. You just seem to know what I need, even when I'm not sure of what I want myself." "Hey, it's just an instinct I've gained from having so many sons," I teased. "Even though too many fathers and older adults don't believe in it, sometimes a boy just needs a hug from his dad or special male friend, to let him know he is important and worth the affection." Mark just nodded at me for a few seconds, while once again choking back his emotions. When he finally regained his composure, he spoke to me yet again. "You know, I've wanted to hug you like that before, especially after I'd seen you do it with the other boys, but I wasn't sure how you'd react. I am quite a bit older than they are, and I wasn't sure if you'd be offended if I did it to you." "Never!" I chided him, but enthusiastically enough to let him know I meant what I said. "Remember, you're one of my sons too, even though it's not official. You have my permission to do anything the other boys do when you're with us, so don't even think twice about it." "Does that mean everything you let them do?" he asked, still a little shocked about what I'd just told him. "Of course it does," I agreed. "As long as you're with us, you can do whatever any of the other boys are allowed to do. You are part of our family, so you're no different than anyone else here. If you have any questions about what things that might include, just ask one of the other boys or me. They can pretty much give you the answers too." "Okay, thanks, and I will," he assured me. "I'm glad I've still got another month to go then." "Me too," I added, and then hesitated. It took a few seconds before I spoke again, as I considered the implications of his last sentence. "Aren't you going home to see your mother before you go back to college then?" "Of course I am," he replied. "I'm going back to spend my last week with her before I return to classes. But that still leaves me a month and three or four days here, and I plan to make the most of it." "So do I, starting with next weekend," I announced, shocking him yet again. "Why? What's next weekend?" he wondered. "Next weekend we pick up the Beckers on Sunday and bring them back home," I informed him, "but the rest of us are going to spend a few days in New York City first, so you can see the sights there too." "That sounds wonderful," he gushed, "but aren't you spending a lot of money on all of this?" "Money's no object when it comes to one of my son's happiness," I quickly replied, while locking eyes with him. Mark just smiled after I said that and reached out to give me another hug. Now I realized I would have to make some small changes in next weekend's plans, to make it even more special for him. I'll make those calls tomorrow and get things set up, because I really want next weekend to be extra memorable for everyone, but especially for Mark. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.