Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2010 11:20:18 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 13 - 14 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 13 -- Mending the Family. Wednesday evening, Marie showed up with the kids and what a jubilant time it was. Jordan and Nicky were all over everyone, since they hadn't seen us in such a long time, and I just marveled at how much they'd grown. Megan was a little more reserved, since she had just turned four in September and overwhelmed by the number of people around her, but she was a lot bigger than I remembered too. Then, I spotted Kylie. Our newest little angel was absolutely beautiful and I immediately took her from her mother. I not only held her then, but I continued to hold her for most of the evening, even as I joked around and played with the other kids. Once things began to quiet down, I gave each of the three older ones their presents for the birthdays I'd missed, and then I handed Marie a gift for Kylie, to welcome her into the family. Each of them thanked me, well Kylie didn't, but her mother did for her gift. Then, we all just sat around for a while, as each of them checked out the things they'd received. Yes, even Kylie did, since I'd purchased a swing for her mother to put her in. It would rock her back and forth when Marie couldn't and I remembered my children all enjoyed similar devices when they were little. I can't tell you how great it was to spend time with them and catch up on everything that had gone on since we'd last been together. Although this reunion was still not perfect, since I also missed their fathers and my daughter-in-law, but hey -- it was their loss more than ours. I also introduce Jesse to them, since none of them had met him yet, and then, for the rest of the evening, the uncles played with their nieces and nephews and got to know them again. While they were doing that, Marie, Jake and I sat and talked. Marie happily filled us in concerning all of the details about what the boys had done to their fathers, after their fathers had refused to come see us again. Although I'd told Jake some of this when I filled him in about Marie's call, he still roared when he heard some of the things the boys had done. It was obvious they had plotted together to pull this off and I'm surprised their fathers didn't take away their computers anyway, since that's how they communicated and planned what they were going to do. At various points during our conversation, Jake and I would have to excuse ourselves, as we kept our eyes on the pies we were baking for Thanksgiving dinner. We had to do this tonight so they'd have time to cool and because the ovens would be in use for other things tomorrow. We'll put them back in the ovens and warm them up again, just before we were ready to serve dessert. When it began to grow late and the kids bedtimes were upon us, Marie and I started getting them ready. Jordan and Nicky begged to be allowed to stay up a little longer, so Marie granted them an extra half hour, and then they pleaded to sleep with their various uncles. After Marie gave in, I showed her to the guest room, where she would stay with Megan and Kylie. Jesse and Andrew had moved to Andrew's room upstairs quite a while ago, shortly after Andrew had his cast removed. Since she could stay in the guest room, Jake and I could sleep in our own room and didn't have to hide our relationship. Marie did tease us about it, in a light-hearted and non-judgmental way, and she also joked about how Michael and Adrian would have reacted, if they were here. Once she brought them up, she also made sport of their situation and wondered how they liked spending the holiday without their children. We were all in a good mood and plenty worn out by the time we went to bed. After getting a decent night's rest, Jake and I got up early and began preparing dinner. We had the turkey in the oven and several other things started, when Marie wandered in to join us. I fixed her some breakfast, while she took care of Megan and Kylie's needs, and then we talked, while Jake and I continued working. A short time later, the boys began filtering downstairs looking for food, so Jake told me he was going to take a short break from dinner preparations and fix them something. I had no problems with his suggestion, since I was going to do it if he hadn't offered, but this way I just continued working on the side dishes and other desserts. Duck showed up about 11:00 and all the boys were thrilled to see him again. I quickly introduced him to Marie and my grandkids and explained how we had grown close to Duck over the past few months. Duck was also going to stay until Sunday and Mark had offered to share his room with him, which Duck quickly accepted. I knew it wasn't for sexual reasons, but that pair had grown very close as well, so I knew they had a lot to catch up on and talk about. Around 2:00, the others began showing up and we chatted for a while. Jake and I began putting some appetizers out, in various places around the house, hoping that would tide them over until everyone else had arrived. As usual, we were having a full house, but this time it would be even better, since my grandchildren and daughter were with us again. By 3:00 the last of our guests had arrived, so we sat down to eat. We began the meal with our tradition of going around the tables and letting everyone share why they were thankful this year. I won't share everything that was said, but I will point out some of the things that struck me the most. The first was Little Ricky comments. "I'm thankful for everyone here," he began. "I'm thankful the Spences have helped me take care of Mom and I'm thankful for Pop-One and Pop-Two for giving me such a great home. I'm also thankful for all my wonderful brothers, my sister," he added glancing at Marie, "and my new nieces and nephews. I'm also thankful that Pop didn't beat me up or throw me out after I did that dumb thing that got Andrew hurt. I'm also thankful that Andrew and the rest of you forgave me too and I promise I'll never do anything like that again." There were a few grins brought about by his last statement and then we moved on. The next touching moment came when Andrew spoke. Although I suspected he would say something about Jesse, I was surprised by some of the other things he mentioned. "I want to begin by saying I'm thankful for all Dad has done to help me. I'm also thankful he helped Sammy get out of the mess he was in too and for not getting mad at Richard for the prank he pulled on me. I'm also thankful both Dads and all my brothers didn't get really mad at me because of all the pranks I pulled on them. I have to say, my brothers did scare me when they got me back, but I guess I deserved it. Most of all, I'm thankful for my newest brother and best friend. Jesse, I hope you like being here as much as I like having you here." Needless to say, Jesse gave him a resounding "yes" and the rest of us had to chuckle at their antics and hand slapping afterward. Jesse went next, once they both settled down. "I'm thankful for my new brother too," he said, while punching Andrew in the shoulder, "and for all of my brothers. I'm thankful for both of my new dads too and how they've taken care of me and made it so no one will hurt me again. I'm also thankful because they let me see my mom again and for telling her she could come live close by, so I didn't have to leave here." There were a few shocked expressions as I looked around the table, because I hadn't shared this information with the others yet. I was planning on waiting until after we heard back from Alice first, to see if she accepted our proposal. I was going to say something about this, but didn't, because Jesse started speaking again. "I'm also thankful for what each of you has done to help me talk again and to speak better," he continued. "That helped me at school and now the other kids aren't afraid to hang around me any more." After Jesse finished, Shannon asked to speak next. "I'm thankful for both Dad and Pop and for them helping me work things out with Nick so we could stay together," he offered. "I didn't think that was going to happen, but I'm glad it did, even though Nick isn't here with us today. I still love him, and I know he loves me, and I'm glad Dad and Pop were willing to let us work though our problems and remain together." The next tender moment came when it was Duck's turn to speak. I made sure he had a chance to hear some of the others first, so he could have time to formulate what he wanted to say. "What I'm thankful for is everyone here today. You've taken me in and given me a family again, something I haven't had in a very long time. I just want to thank each of you for accepting me as a family member and doing so much to make me feel comfortable and a part of this wonderful group." When we got to Jordan, he comment was short and sweet. "I'm just thankful to be back here again," he stated and Nicky quickly added, "Me too!" The final statement I'll share with you came from Marie. "First of all, I'm thankful for my family -- my wonderful son, Nicholas, and my precious new daughter, Kylie. I'm also thankful for my father and this wonderful family he's put together. I only hope next year I can be thankful that my stubborn husband, older brother, sister-in- law and sister have wised up and come back to join us too. Finally, I'm thankful that my dad has found such a wonderful person as Jake and I hope they enjoy many wonderful years together." Of course, her final statement brought a tear to a few eyes and choked up a few others, including us, but Jake and I composed ourselves long enough to thank her for what she'd said and then we all began to eat. Robert called Thanksgiving evening, to wish us all a great day. I knew Robert wanted to be here, but he had other commitments that prevented him from doing so. When he asked me if I'd heard from Marie yet, he was a bit taken aback when I told him she was with us, with all four of my grandchildren. He was happy she had done that and spent quite a bit of time talking with her on the phone too, even though they do chat on their own. When they finished their conversation, Robert spoke with everyone else, and it was a lovely end to a nearly perfect day. I have to admit the entire day had gone extraordinarily well, as we enjoyed the meal, dessert and great company. Arlene was even lucid throughout most of the day and only began to lose it when it started to get late. It was also nice to see Little Ricky being able to spend the time enjoying her company again. Friday went just as well, when everyone returned for leftovers. Frankie called and apologized for not calling the day before, but he said the trunk lines for the telephones seemed to be overtaxed and he was having trouble getting through. I told him not to worry and it was just nice to hear his voice again, and then I let him have time to speak with everyone else. Overall, I couldn't have been happier with the past two and a half days. Well, I could have been, if the Michael, Andrea, Adrian, Elizabeth and Tim had shown up too, but I'm not going to let them put a damper on this wonderful holiday. Saturday, Marie and the kids left around noon. It was difficult saying good-bye to them all again, but at least we'd enjoyed what time we had together. Marie said she didn't know when they'd be able to come back, but she promised I would see them all again, so I thanked her. I kissed each of them, as did Jake and all the boys, and then we waved as they drove off. I hated to see them leave, but the great feeling from being with them once more still lingered. A short time later, I drove over to Steve's house, so I would be there when he called Alice. This way I could learn what she had decided concerning my proposal, because Steve put the phone on speakerphone, so I could hear what was being said. "Alice, it's Steve and Josh here," he began, to let her know we were both present. "I'm calling, as you asked, to see what you've decided." "Well, I've thought about what you said when I was there," she began, "and I don't have much here to hold me now, so I'm going to do it. I won't be able to make the move until after the first of the year and can't say exactly when it will be, but I'm going to do it. I just have a lot of things here to take care of first." "That's great," I replied. "What can we do to help?" "Well, I'm not sure how I'm going to get all my things there, without it being really expensive," she said, "so if you know of anything that I don't, I'd appreciate a suggestion." "I have a great one for you," I offered. "I'll order up one of those shipping containers and have it delivered to your place. I think you should have some idea what I'm talking about, since you've probably seen them advertised on television. They deliver the container to any location you specify and you can take your time packing everything in it and they'll also deliver it wherever you request. I'll have it moved here when you're done and keep the container at our place, and then you can take things out of it at your own pace. You'll be able to unpack your belonging as slowly or quickly as you want, until it's finally empty and you have everything in your new place. This way you'll also be able to drive your car when you move here, so you'll have it with you as well. How does that sound?" "It sounds wonderful," she answered, "but I'm not sure I can afford to do it. I'll have to check on the price first, to see how much something like that will cost." "Alice, when I said I'd order it for you, I meant I'd pay for it too," I informed her. "I can't let you do that," she quickly replied. "Yes, you can," I replied. "It's the least I can do to reunite you with your son and thank you for all the wonderful times we've shared with him." She hesitated, before saying anything else. "Okay, if you insist, and maybe I won't feel as guilty about you doing this for me, once I've told you what else I've decided," she offered. "Steve, would it be possible for me to still be Jesse's mother, even if I let Josh adopt him?" "Yes, that would be possible," he agreed. "We could let Josh adopt him and be Jesse's father and be given physical custody of him, and you would still remain Jesse's mother. Josh would see to it that you were given visitation rights as well, if that would be agreeable to you." "It would and I think that's what Jesse wants," she answered. "What if Jesse wants to change his last name to Currie, so he'd have the same name as the others?" Steve asked next. Alice thought momentarily before responding. "I don't see a problem with that," she told us. "We don't have the same last name now and haven't since I remarried. I don't see it being a problem, as long as people know he's still my son." "That can be arranged," Steve agreed. "Although you'll have visitation rights and will be allowed to spend time with Jesse, you won't be able to sign him out of school or anything like that without Josh's approval," Steve added. "But I will make sure you are listed as an additional emergency contact for him," I interrupted, "if that's agreeable with you." "That would be fine and it's actually more than I expected you might be willing to do for me," she confessed. "Thank you for making this easier to agree to and for making it possible for me to be near my son again." "I'm glad to do it," I explained, "because I know it will make Jesse happy too." We ironed out a few more minor details after that, but the call ended on a positive note and everyone seemed satisfied. Since everything was formally agreed to, I now felt comfortable informing Jesse and the others about it, once I returned home. I still had some other things to do to make this happen, like ordering the container for Alice to use and talking to some people I know about finding her a place to live and a job, but overall I felt it was a done deal. I thanked Steve for his help and told him I didn't know how we'd survive without him, but he merely replied that he enjoyed doing it. He also informed me he'd draw up all the appropriate papers and send them off for Alice to sign and would let me know once he received them back. Jesse was thrilled when I shared the news with him, after I'd returned home. He thanked me over and over again, but he also gave me several hugs and as many kisses, and then Andrew and he continued to do their little dance of joy for the next ten or fifteen minutes. Once they settled down, they went off to get ready for their next bike ride, after reminding Jake and I that we had promised to go with them. Sammy and Little Ricky were also going to join us, but then Graham and Dion asked if they could go too. Once we agreed that would be fine, we filled up the canteens and then took off. Some of the other boys made some comments before we left, such as "the tires on your two bikes look a little soft, now that you guys are on them," and "Dang, I didn't know that bike was capable of carrying that much weight." You see, they couldn't let us leave without getting their digs in and weren't about to pass up such an obvious opportunity, even if it did slightly darkened an otherwise lovely holiday weekend for me. The outing was wonderful and we all had a great time. Even though it was quite cool out, we had dressed appropriately and the exertion from riding the bikes warmed us up as we went along. I had to admit that going with the boys on these trips was slowly working me back into shape and I was feeling better because of it. Jake had admitted the same thing, so I think the boys were doing us both a favor by asking us to come along. Come to think of it, maybe I'm not as old as I once felt, at least not yet. After we got back, we spent the rest of the day watching football on the television in the family room. At various times it got a little rowdy in there, since we weren't all rooting for the same teams and everyone had their own take on the action, but the banter was mostly good-natured. When bedtime rolled around, the boys slowly went off to take their showers and get ready, and when they did, Duck came over to speak with Jake and me. "You know, the only bad part about spending time here is knowing I have to leave," he told us. "I'm already dreading tomorrow, because it means this wonderful time is going to end and I'm going to have to drive back home." "Yes, we regret seeing you leave too," I countered, "but Christmas will be here before you know it and you can spend as much time as you want with us then too. You'll also be able to join us for New Year's and you can even bring your girlfriend with you, if you'd like." "Well, she'll be spending Christmas with her family and has asked me to go there with her," he explained. "I think I'll have to do it this time, since I didn't go there with her for Easter." "That's fine, but it doesn't have to be a holiday for you to come back to spend time here," I teased. "The college boys will be home until the middle of January, so you could come one of those weekends too, but what about New Year's?" "I think I can convince my girlfriend to come with me then, so we can celebrate with all of you too," he answered. "Plan on us being here, unless I call and tell you differently." "Great, then I'll make special plans," I replied. We were all feeling pretty good when we went to bed that evening, and after we got up the next morning and had a small breakfast, we all went to church together. Duck really seemed to enjoy doing this with us too and he talked about it a lot when we stopped for brunch. It was nice to see he was enjoying the simple things as well. Once we returned home, Duck started getting ready to return to his place. We had enjoyed his company as much as he seemed to enjoy being with us, and all of the boys made sure to let him know it. A short time later he was loading everything into his car and getting ready to leave, so everyone came out to see him off. They all hugged him, to let him know he was a welcome addition to our clan, but they also managed to slip in a few parting digs, to prove to him that they were accepting him as an equal. Duck understood that and merely grinned in approval, before he hopped in the driver's seat. Each of us knew this separation wouldn't be for very long, at least we hoped not, and we'd see him again when he returned to ring in the New Year with us. We all waved at him as he drove off and the college boys went back inside, so they could get their things together too. They all had to return to their respective colleges as well, but we all knew they'd be back within a month's time for Christmas. Once they left, the rest of us began getting our things together to return to school. It had been a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and one I won't soon forget. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 14 -- December Winds. As you already know, December is always a very busy time for us, and this year was no exception. Even though there were fewer boys at home, it still seemed as if the hectic pace continued. Dion had a very special role in the Christmas concert at school this year and would be singing both a solo and a duet. He would perform the duet with the girl that was taking voice lessons with him at the University of Pittsburgh. Those lessons started up again, once school had resumed, and now his music teacher wanted to highlight each of them. She was giving each one a solo and then having them do a duet together. I knew it was a rare that individual performers were featured this way, but the music teacher explained it was something she felt she had to do. She stated that such talent rarely comes along, and she definitely didn't expect to find two such talented vocalists in the same class, but she wasn't about to squander this opportunity either. I didn't want to spoil the possibility for Dion by pushing the issue; especially since it was so obvious that he and Shelly were looking forward to it. They had grown very close over the past few months, but this might also have something to do with Dion using his singing as a distraction from dwelling on other matters. We all could tell he missed Trey tremendously, since Trey had gone off to college, but even if this had begun as his way of forgetting about that, it had later blossomed into a friendship. I did wonder if his being featured in this way might bring too much more attention to our family, since it seemed my boys had been in the spotlight quite frequently. I just hoped it didn't produce the negative fallout that I feared it might or give the ex- board member something more to hate us for and come after us about. This was also a remarkable and wondrous time with Jesse. He was still young enough to believe in Santa Claus and I was glad that was one thing John hadn't taken away from him. I'm not sure how Jesse had managed to hold on to this innocent pleasure, considering everything else he'd been through, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to use it to his advantage. Jesse was a mass of excitement and childish awe, from the moment we started playing Christmas music and continued through the period when we decorated the house and put up the Christmas tree. He even made me feel young again, and that was quiet a feat. During this period, I approached Andrew and asked him to see if he could find out what Jesse might like for Christmas this year. Unfortunately, I didn't have a clue as to what to buy for him and was grateful when Andrew said he would find out for me. I thanked him for his help and then sat down to figure out what I was going to get everyone else. As we entered the final two weeks of school before the holiday, I spent a great deal of time running to one concert, sporting event and family errand after another. It was nonstop for me, but I did take enough time out so I could enjoy Dion's special night -- and oh, what a night it was. The concert started with the choir performing a couple of numbers and then a traditional Christmas carol, before Dion and Shelly did a duet of "Oh Holy Night." It was simply beautiful and I marveled at how well their voices blended and how they complimented one another. I was also overwhelmed when they received a standing ovation from the audience, because that was indeed a rare occurrence at school functions. After the band came out and performed a couple of selections, Shelly strutted on to the stage out and belted out a beautiful rendition of "Silver Bells." Her sweet soprano voice was clear, crisp and without flaw, and her angelic tonal qualities brought the song to life. Once again, she received another standing ovation when she finished and I saw Dion give her a congratulatory hug as she went off stage. The orchestra performed a couple of selections next and then Dion strode out for his final number. His solo was also the last event listed in the program, so his performance of 'Ave Maria' would close the concert. Knowing how difficult this song is to perform, and after spending several previous Christmases listening to Luciano Pavarotti belt it out on my favorite Christmas CD, I was a little concerned for him. It was not only a challenging piece to sing, but I was also fairly positive the rest of the audience had heard other marvelous renditions of it by famous entertainers, so he also had mighty big shoes to fill. As Dion came out on stage and stood in front of the microphone, his music teacher began the accompaniment on the piano. As I heard her play those first notes and saw Dion open his mouth to sing, I held my breath. I shouldn't have. It was pure magic and he was perfectly on pitch, and from there it only got better. Even before he was halfway through the piece, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and I realized the maestro would have been proud, if he could have heard this too. As soon as Dion finished, not only did everyone rise to acknowledge his masterful performance, but the room was also filled with cheers, whistles and the sounds of thunderous applause. I almost fainted with pride, when Jake turned to hug me and let me know he felt the same way. I think this moment, more than anything else, convinced me how truly talented Dion was and what his music teacher had noted in him, long before I did. I always knew he had a lovely voice, but until now, I didn't realize how absolutely special and unique his gift was. As soon as the concert ended, I rushed to find Dion, so I could hug and congratulate him. I couldn't find words appropriate enough to tell him how marvelously he had done, but I did stumble through it. He was slightly embarrassed by all the attention he was getting, but he thanked me nonetheless, before he asked a question. "Dad, there's going to be a concert party in a little while and Shelly asked me to go to it with her," he rambled out. "Would you mind if I used the Grand Am to take her and then drop her home afterward?" He looked at me and I could read his hopeful expression. "I think you've both earned the right to have a little fun after what a beautiful job you both did tonight," I quipped. "Just don't get home too late. You still have school tomorrow, Okay?" "Yes, Dad, and thanks. I really appreciate you letting me do this," he stammered. "Wasn't she great?" "You both were," I countered, before I hugged him again. Once I released him, he rushed off to find Shelly, so he could tell her the good news. When we got home, the rest of the boys wouldn't stop talking about how well Dion had done and how proud they were of him. They said they knew their friends were going to be telling them the same thing tomorrow, because some already had when they ran into them tonight, once the concert was over. I think we were all amazed and busting our buttons because of what he had done. Dion came home a little later than I hoped, but he did get in before midnight and didn't give me any problems the next morning. By the time I got to work, I found numerous messages on my email account and received several phone calls from people passing along their praise of Dion's vocal ability. There was fallout from his being featured, but it was far from the negative kind that I had feared. It appeared that his outstanding talent had silenced any of the detractors he might have had that would have suggested he only got so much recognition because he was my son. Once the concert was behind us, the time remaining until Christmas just flew by. Before I knew it, school was out for the holidays and all the boys were home from college. Unfortunately, Frankie, Nick and my biological children, other than Robert, wouldn't be here this year. Frankie would be spending this Christmas at Guantanamo, Nick would be with his parents and most of my biological children were still staying away. At least I'd seen my grandkids at Thanksgiving and their parents were now letting them send emails and IM's to us on the computer. Robert showed up on Christmas Eve and I was thrilled he had made it. All the boys were excited to see him too, because Robert was just another kid to them, even though he was considerably older. Since he was still single and didn't have the family responsibilities or an example to set, he usually let loose and played around like he was fifteen or twenty years younger and the boys loved him for it. After he got settled in, we talked for a while, but eventually I had other obligations to attend to. He went with me, as I led him to the family room, so I could do my traditional reading of 'The Night Before Christmas.' I always try to be very dramatic when I do this and had just finished when one of the boys looked out the picture window and announced, "Look, it's Santa Claus," while pointing outside. I knew Jake had slipped out the room and dressed in our Santa outfit, so he could do this. Then, he waited until he knew I was finished with my reading, so he could peek in at the boys. Jesse was all hyped about seeing Santa and started asking questions. "Why is he here already," he wanted to know. "I guess he's just checking to see if you're in bed yet, so he can drop off the presents," I explained. "Come on, Andrew. We've got to hurry up and shower, so we can get to sleep," he announced, as he tugged on Andrew's arm. "Everyone else too. I don't want to miss out on getting things from him just because some of you want to stay up late." He scowled at the others after saying this, as if it would motivate them to do what he wanted. The other boys grinned and started to get up, to do as their little brother had commanded. They all remembered the time when they still believed in Santa too, so they didn't want that to end just yet for him either. I kind of chuckled to myself, as I watched them all disappear. Once Jake came back, changed and joined me, we began taking the presents from our hiding places and putting them under the tree. Thanks to Jesse, we were able to do this a little earlier this year, than we would normally be able to. Although everyone went to their rooms, it didn't mean they all went to sleep. This was especially true in Dion and Trey's room. "So, have you missed me?" Trey teased. "Big time," Dion replied. "And you haven't messed around while I've been away?" Trey followed. "I haven't even spoken to another guy, well except at our gay-straight alliance meetings, but I haven't done anything with any of them," Dion assured him. "So you haven't been hanging around with anyone?" Trey pressed. "I didn't say that," Dion countered. "Shelly and I have been spending a lot of time together, especially when we were getting ready for the concert and all, but she's the only one." "And I heard you two were unbelievable that night," Trey gushed. "I wish I would have been there to see it for myself." "Well, my music teacher did have someone film the concert for her, so I probably can get her to make a CD for me, so you can see it too," Dion suggested. "Oh, yeah. I'd love that," Trey agreed, and then he leaned over and kissed Dion. Of course, one thing led to another, so before long both boys were clawing at each other's clothes, until they were totally naked. Dion then covered his huge shaft with a condom, lubed it and a few seconds later was burying it into Trey. "Oh, God, I've missed this," Trey moaned, once Dion was fully inside him. "Me too," Dion agreed, as he began his long and slow thrusts in and out of his lover. "Is it my imagination or have you gotten better?" Trey asked. "I think you just forget how good I was," Dion quipped back, as he continued his steady rhythm, while slowly working his way toward an explosive crescendo. The pair gradually melded into one combined, rhythmic body, as they carried out this sensual and passionate dance of love. If anyone had been observing, I think it would have been obvious that they were destined to be together for life. Each boy carried out his role, which didn't infringe on the other, and together they fulfilled the desires burning deep within the other's soul. Trey preferred being on the receiving end and Dion was happy to oblige. Dion always saw to it that Trey enjoyed a body-shaking orgasm as well, and was also very happy to be on the giving end. Two creative souls, the writer and the singer, each unique and special, but together they created the ultimate pairing for love. Once Dion reached the point from which there was no turning back, and neither of them had been in any hurry to get there, Dion buried himself as far into Trey's body as he could, embraced his lover and kissed him passionately, as they both exploded in total bliss and reckless abandon. Once again, they had satisfied each other in many ways, not just sexually, as their emotional and psychological well being was also tied to this single event. Now that they were spent and totally satisfied, they quickly cleaned up and then cuddled together for the rest of the evening. Well, at least until a little banshee went running wildly about in the middle of the night, reminding them what day it was. Just as I suspected, Jesse woke up very early Christmas morning, in fact it was only about 5:00, and began running around waking everyone up, starting with Andrew. "Come on, it's Christmas! Get up so we can see what presents Santa left us," he urged. Although Andrew was still groggy and would have preferred to sleep longer, he knew this was important to Jesse, so he rolled out of bed. He even went around helping to wake the others up as well, since he felt it would be better to get this over with as quickly as possible. When they came down to get me up, I resisted the urge of telling him to go back to bed and we'd do this in a couple of hours. I could see how excited Jesse was and didn't want to stifle that enthusiasm in the least. Even the other boys were very good about him waking them up so early, although I suspected a few of them had stayed up quite late getting reacquainted with their partners, after their long abstinence and time apart. Robert was probably the grumpiest, seeing he was never much of a morning person, but he joined us too and held his tongue about how early it was. Once we were all in the family room, we merely chuckled, as we watched Jesse tearing about. "Oh, wow!" Jesse exclaimed. "The room is full of presents. How are we going to sort them out?" I quickly explained how we did it and then Robert and a couple of the older boys began passing the gifts out. They made sure everyone got something during every round and even noticed that Jake and I had remembered to use special wrapping paper for the stuff Santa brought, so Jesse wouldn't ask questions. It was a wild time, as Jesse went around checking out what everyone else received, after they opened their present. He did this with each and every gift, until we were down to the final one. "What's the big one over there?" I asked, pointing to an unopened present way in the back. "I'm not sure," Dustin said, "but it says it's for Jesse from Santa." Jesse's eyes grew wide when he heard it was for him and his mouth hung open, as Dustin carried it over to him. "Jeez, I wonder what that could be?" I asked. We all watched as Jesse tore off the wrapping paper and saw what was underneath. It was a green, two-man mountain tent. "That looks like it might be the same type of tent Frankie uses in the Army," Jake offered, on cue. "It certainly does," I followed. "I guess Andrew and you might have to wear those army clothes Frankie's friends got you whenever you use it." Both boys' faces lit up. "Can we do that tonight?" Jesse wanted to know. "Well, it's a bit cold outside right now, but I'm sure some of your brothers will help you set it up in the rec room later," I suggested. "Then you can get out a couple of the sleeping bags to sleep in tonight, if that's what you want." "Oh, yeah," Jesse confirmed. "Dustin, will you help us put it up? Please." Of course, Dustin eagerly agreed, and then coaxed Danny, Brandon and Pat into helping him. Instead of using tent pegs, they tied the ropes to other things, to keep the tent upright, and they had it up in no time. "Oh, thank you, thank you," Jesse squealed, once he saw it. "Come on, Andrew. Let's get our things, so we'll be ready to sleep in it." "Jesse, we just got up," Andrew protested. "We won't be going to sleep for a long time. Can we at least have breakfast first and then go back to bed for a while, before we do that?" "Okay, we can have breakfast," Jesse agreed, "but I want to get everything ready after that. We can go back to sleep after that's done." Reluctantly, Andrew agreed and then Jake and I went off to fix everyone a big Christmas breakfast. The rest of the day went by in a blur. Most of us did go back to bed for a little while, once the presents were all opened and the boys' bellies were full, and when we got up again later, we spent some time together and talked about what we'd gotten. Later that afternoon, before we sat down to eat again, I received a phone call. It was from Frankie. "Merry Christmas!" he screamed into the phone. "And Merry Christmas to you too," I replied. "I hope this isn't too early or I didn't interrupt anything," he offered, apologetically. "Jesse had us up hours ago, and even if you had interrupted something, I wouldn't have minded," I informed him. "The best Christmas present I've received today is hearing your voice." There was a pause and I began to wonder if we'd been disconnected. "That goes for me too," Frankie confirmed, and I noticed his voice choked with emotion. "Look, I have to make this real quick, because everyone else wants to call home today too and it's been really hard to get through. Tell everyone I wish them a Merry Christmas and send my best, and that goes for everyone who is there or will be there later. I wish I could talk longer, because I have a lot to tell you, but I guess I'll have to do it in an email. Love you, Dad, and make sure you tell everyone else that too." "I will, Frankie, and I hope your next email says more than the last few," I hinted, before he had to hang up. I was hoping he'd call again later, but I wasn't sure he'd be able to. He sounded well and seemed happy enough, so I guess I might have read more into his emails than he'd intended. I then went to tell everyone else I had spoken with him and that he sent his best. They were disappointed that they hadn't gotten to speak with him too, but after I explained the reasons why his call had to be so short, they seemed to accept it. We were just settling down, when my phone rang again. "Merry Christmas, Papa," a child's voice wished me. "Merry Christmas to you too, Jordan," I answered, as I wondered if he had his parents permission to make this call. "Papa, I wish we could be there with you," he added, "but Daddy says we come there next year." I almost fell out of my chair when I heard him say this. "That would be really nice," I replied, "and I hope you can." "Papa, I have to go now, cuz Daddy wants to talk to you too. When he gets done, can I talk to everyone else?" "Jordan, you MAY," I replied, "as long as it's okay with your parents." "It will be, but here's Daddy," he informed me, before I heard Michael's voice. "Merry Christmas, Pop," he began. "And the same to you, Andrea and Megan," I countered. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened in the past, but my son has enlightened me about how foolish and stubborn I've been," Michael continued. "He told me how much fun he'd had there, when Marie took the kids with her for Thanksgiving. She and I talked for a while too, when she dropped them off, and she filled me in about a lot of things. I am really sorry I let that get to me. I'm sure Mom would want to see you happy again and she might find it easier to accept that she wasn't replaced by some cute, young lady." Michael laughed after saying this. "I think you might be right about that," I replied. "Pop, Andrea wants to wish you a Merry Christmas too, before Jordan gets on the line with all of his uncles," Michael informed me. "Speaking of which, I hear we have a new little brother." "You do," I confirmed, "and I'll send you an email and some photos soon, but I won't take the time to do that now." "Okay, here's Andrea and I love you, Pop," he told me. "And I love you too and thanks for calling," I replied. After speaking briefly with Andrea and Megan, Jordan got back on the line to talk to everyone else. When the phone made its way back to me again, all of us wished him a final Merry Christmas by shouting as a group before I hung up. A short time later, we had our big Christmas dinner with the extended family and they were happy Robert was with us too. Not only that, but due to Jesse's youthful innocence, we all enjoyed this Christmas more than any that I remember since my grandchildren were last here. Just as we were finishing, Marie called to wish us all a Merry Christmas too. After this, she began to hit me with questions. "Have you heard from anyone else?" she asked. "Well, Robert's here and Frankie called a little while ago, but then Jordan called. I got to speak with Michael, Andrea and Megan too," I stated. "So Michael did call?" she repeated. "Well, Jordan called, but I did speak with Michael too," I clarified. "And was he civil?" she pressed. "Yes, in fact he even apologized about before and told me Jordan had showed him that he was wrong," I explained. "Jordan even told me his father said they'd come here for Christmas next year." "Great!" she exclaimed. "Now I'm sure Michael will mention that to Adrian and he'll change his mind too, but I'll leave that for another time. Right now, I've got someone standing next to me, begging for the phone. Here he is." "Hi, Papa. Merry Christmas," he told me. "Thanks for the presents. I really like them." "I'm glad, little man, and I hope your sister liked hers too," I responded. "I think she does, but she's too little yet to tell me. She has been playing with it," he added, "and her eyes get all big when it lights up and moves, and I think she likes the music too." I had to chuckle, because I could just picture her reaction to it in my mind. We had a lovely conversation and my day was nearly complete. The only one I hadn't heard from was Elizabeth, but she always was the most stubborn of my children.