Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 01:53:32 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 15 - 16 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 15 -- The Days of 'Auld Lang Syne.' Right after Christmas, I received another email from Frankie. Dad, Hope you had a nice Christmas and I sure missed being there with all of you. I'm sorry that my earlier emails were kind of vague, but you know how that goes. I have to be careful about what I write and say. I wish I could tell you that things have improved here, but they haven't. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder what country I'm serving, because we don't seem to be acting in a way that would uphold our national values or improve our image as a nation. I can see why maybe some countries don't believe us. We sometimes seem to contradict our own standards -- I mean I think you've heard about what happen at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, although the situation isn't quite the same here. Again, I can't clarify, but some day I will be able to explain all of this to you. I hope Jesse had a great Christmas. I wish I could have been there and seen him, since this was his first Christmas with the family. I still think about Jesse and Andrew and when you guys came to visit me for the graduation and how cute they looked in their army clothes. One of my friends is here with me and he still asks about them too. They certainly became instant celebrities with my buddies. I'll try to keep in touch as much as possible and I'm quite safe, although not really happy, where I am. I should be home by next Christmas, but until then I know I'm going to miss all of you. Take care and I know you're going to write back. I send my love to all, Frank Again, he is alluding to problems, but I have yet to figure out what they might be. I think he was trying to give me a clue of sorts, by mentioning Abu Ghraib, but I can't see the U.S. doing other things like that, seeing how much furor was generated because of the scandal there. However, it does sound as if he's being asked to do some things that go against his personal beliefs and standards. I'm not quite sure what types of actions those might be or why they would cause such a dilemma for him, but I hope it doesn't get to the point where he has to choose between the two. If it came to that point, it could put him on shaky ground with the military and threaten his future. I wrote back immediately and told him how Christmas went. I explained about Jesse getting the tent, which he thought was an army tent, and how he picked out the army canteen to use on his bike trips. I also told Frankie how the two boys camped out in the rec room, after putting on their army clothes, plus I informed him that once the weather broke and it got warmer, I was certain they'd be doing the same thing outdoors. I knew Frankie would get a kick out of it. I also urged him to hang in there and consider all of his options before he made any decisions or acted in ways that might come back to haunt him later. I reminded him that his army record would follow him through life, so he had to walk a fine line between his own beliefs, the army code of conduct and what he was ordered to do. I told him I'd be here for him if he needed my input, but I knew he already understood that. However, it was all I could think to tell him, since I didn't know the details surrounding his current situation. Knowing Frankie though, I'm sure he'll be very careful about doing what is required, while not lowering his own standards. I did show the email to Jake later and we speculated about what he was alluding to, but there had not been anything in the news coverage of the war, other than what happened at Abu Ghraib, to indicate any such potential problems. There were some unsubstantiated reports that some prisoners were being sent to other countries to be tortured, but I can't believe they'd be doing anything like that on an American base. Of course, if they were, I'm sure the government would try to suppress any mention of it and claim national security reasons for doing so. Oh, I almost forgot. We also received a Christmas card from Peter, which arrived the Monday after Christmas. I guess the boat was a little slow this time of year. Anyway, he seems to be doing well and says he misses all of us. He also said his parents sent their best wishes too and wanted to thank us, once again, for everything we'd done for him. The reason I almost forgot to mention this was that we webcam chat with Peter on a regular basis, at least once a week, so we've pretty much kept up to date about what everyone, on both sides of the world, was doing. I'm thinking about taking our vacation there next summer, so we can all spend some time with him again. On Tuesday, I received a very strange phone call. It went like this. "Mr. Currie, you don't know me, but my name is Chester Pell and I believe I have a belated Christmas present for you, or at least someone in your household," he began and I was totally confused at what he was getting at. "I'm a county legislator in the county where a young man you are raising used to live, one Jesse Cornell. I believe you know he was apparently molested by his stepfather, John Wells, who was a county employee." He paused here, so I felt he was waiting for me to respond. "Yes, Jesse's mother made me his guardian and I was the one who brought that matter to the attention of the authorities," I confirmed. "So you did," he reiterated. "Well, the county has been in a bit of a dilemma about something, but we've finally worked the remaining details out so it will benefit young Master Cornell and maybe make up for some of the suffering he endured at the hands of Mr. Wells. "Even though Mr. Wells committed suicide," he continued, "his life insurance policy, which had been maintained through the county, has been in force long enough so it qualified to be paid out. Since Mr. Wells never changed the beneficiary on his policy, which initially listed his father, who is also deceased, and he had no secondary beneficiary given, we were in a quandary about what to do with the money. "At first, we were planning on giving it to his wife, Alice, but when researching their documentation, we discovered they were never actually married. It appears as if Mr. Wells talked a guy he knew into pretending he was a justice of the peace, so he could marry them. The gentleman worked for the justice of the peace and stole paperwork from the office, which made it look legitimate, but the man had no authority to do anything of that nature, so the ceremony wasn't valid. Therefore, as far as the insurance policy was concerned, there was no next of kin to pay the proceeds to." He paused again, so I felt I should speak. "I can see where that would create a dilemma," I told him. "Yes, it did," he confirmed, "and because the county paid the premiums on the policy, the insurance company wanted to give the proceeds to the county, but the legislature didn't think that was the correct way to handle the matter. Instead, we have selected another individual we think is more worthy to receive the proceeds, so we have convinced the insurance company to pay the money to the young boy Mr. Wells molested. Let's just say we did it to compensate him for the pain and suffering he endured at Mr. Well's hands. The coverage was for twice Mr. Well's annual salary, which was $38,000, so I need to get some information from you as to whom to make the check out to and where to send it." "Wait, you're going to be sending Jesse a check for $76,000," I wondered. "Well, we're putting the check in your name, since Jesse is a minor and you are his legal guardian," he replied, "but we expect you will either use this money to raise him or put in an account until he is old enough to make such determinations for himself." "Of course. I'll set an account up for him, just as soon as I receive the check," I agreed. "Then I'll just double check to see if I have your full name and the correct spelling, and then I'll jot down your address. I'll see to it that the check is sent out to you, right after I have given this information to the insurance company," he announced. "Please wish the young man a Merry Christmas from the county and our apology for what Mr. Well's did to him." "I certainly will," I concurred. "Oh, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too, sir," he added, after taking down the information and before ending the call. What do you know about that? No matter how magnanimous this act might appear, I am convinced their generosity was motivated more as a means to improve their image, reduce future liability and avoid legal action being taken against them, since they had been negligent in how they handled the previous situation. The county, but more specifically the sheriff's department, failed to investigate the claim against Wells when it was brought to their attention and essentially downplayed the entire allegation, so as a result they could be conceived to have acted in a negligent manner in performing their duty. I hadn't planned to take legal action against them anyway, but at least now Jesse will end up with something positive out of this mess. I'm not sure if any sum of money will ever be able to make up for what he had to endure, but it will help provide him with the funds for college and give him a decent start in life, as I have tried to do for the other boys as well. I spent the rest of the week making plans for our New Year's celebration. Everyone would be at our place again, including Duck and his girlfriend, so I wanted it to be special, although not too elaborate. Jake and I brainstormed with the boys to see if we could come up with anything new and exciting, but we ended up mainly relying on the things we had enjoyed in the past. It keeps getting harder and harder to come up with new and unique ideas to celebrate the various holidays. Nick arrived from Oklahoma on Wednesday and would spend the week here with Shannon and the rest of us, before returning to spend more time with his parents. He was thrilled to see Shannon again, and Shannon was equally as excited about Nick being back. In fact, Nick hardly spent any time with the rest of us, before Shannon dragged him off to their room to spend time alone. I don't believe Jake was happy about it, but I assured him that I knew the boys would take appropriate precautions, if they did anything. When the boys were alone, they actually spent most of their time just hugging, holding on to each other and kissing. No matter how strange it may seem, neither of them appeared to be in a hurry to do more. Instead, they were merely enjoying being together again, after six months apart, and were more than satisfied to have the other in his arms and enjoying the sweet taste of his lips. Even though we all realized they would eventually move to fulfill their more animalistic sensual urges, they managed to take their time getting there. This didn't happen until after they came down for dinner and spent some time with the rest of us first. During the meal, Nick filled the others in about what he'd been up to, including the things he'd done with his family at the end of the summer and what he thought of his college and campus life. Nick then assured us, because I think he had already done this with Shannon in private, that he had not been with any other guys and hadn't even had the urge to be. He said that other than focusing on his studies, he has just thought about Shannon and when they would see each other again. Unbeknownst to Jake or myself, the pair had been speaking to each other on the phone and keeping in touch via the Internet, which helped convince Shannon of Nick's sincerity. He figured between his schoolwork and the time they had spent chatting with each other that Nick wouldn't have had much time to find or spend with anyone else. When Shannon and Nick returned to their room, surprisingly it was Shannon that made the first overture concerning sex. "You know, I've been waiting to see you for a long time, so I hope you plan to do more than just kissing and hugging me," he stated, in an attempt to push Nick into a more aggressive role. I think Shannon actually missed Nick being the predator that attacked and nearly molested him in his haste to appease his sexual desires, as Nick had been known to do in the past. "Oh, yeah, I've got big plans for you," Nick assured him, while flashing him a devilish grin. "I hope it includes the big treat between your legs," Shannon teased, "because I've missed it AND you." Nick just chuckled. "Oh, my little buddy has missed you too," he quipped back, while grabbing his crotch and stroking it. Seeing that, Shannon reached out and quickly unfastened Nick's jeans and lowered the zipper. "Wait, hold on," Nick screamed. "You know I have to cover it first." "Come on. Do we still have to do that?" Shannon whined. "Absolutely," Nick stated. "I was foolish before and jeopardized my own health, but I won't do anything to risk yours. Remember, you agreed and promised your dad and Pop that we would always use protection.' "Okay, but hurry up and get ready then," Shannon relented. "I want to feel you inside me NOW!" Since Shannon left no doubt as to his urgency, Nick rushed off and prepared himself for a night of fun. It wasn't long before he returned, with his member appropriately sheathed in latex, and then Shannon literally turned the tables and attacked him. "Whoa, when did you become so aggressive?" Nick asked. "I always thought I was the one that instigated things all the time." "Maybe you used to," Shannon replied, "but since you've started being more interested in just being close, it seems like I have to force you to do things with me now." "Not force, baby," Nick assured him, "but it's just not my only focus, like it was before." "Well, focus on it now, because I need it," Shannon announced, as he grabbed Nick by the dick and pulled him onto the bed. Nick seemed to be getting a kick out of the role reversal and let Shannon take the lead. He even remained the passive partner, at least until he had penetrated Shannon, and then his old instincts took over. Suddenly, he was a beast again, happily ravaging his partner. Oh, don't get me wrong, because Nick didn't hurt Shannon in any way. In fact, Shannon was thoroughly enjoying how Nick was behaving. Nick was loving and considerate the whole time, but the sex was rough and stimulated Shannon beyond belief. In fact, Shannon ended up cumming without anyone touching his dick, at nearly the same moment Nick exploded inside him. Both boys were thoroughly spent, yet satisfied, and they remained together, alone in their room, for the rest of the evening. New Year's Eve Day, while we were resting up and getting ready for the big night, I checked my mailbox and found another email from Frankie. Dad, Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. I'm sure you have big plans for tonight and I hope everyone will be there. I know I wish I was, but I'll be there with you next year -- I promise. So, what else is going on at home? Are my little soldiers on bivouac yet? Hehehe I'll bet they sure look cute doing it, even if its just happening in the rec room for now. Hope the college guys are having fun and glad to be back home for a while too. I know I would be, if I were them. And how's Uncle Jake, after his operation. I know you didn't tell me, but I've been writing to some of the others and they filled me in. We figured you didn't say anything because you didn't want me to worry, but I can handle it. Just let me know if he's going to be all right now. Things are a little better here. I'm only observing and assisting when it comes to the hard stuff and not actually doing very much. I do have to guard the prisoners while they're locked up, but that's about it for now. I did question if some things they were doing might be unlawful, but they answered that question by showing me documents confirming that they were legal. Those opinions came from people pretty high up, so I guess it takes care of what I was worried about. I'm still not comfortable with it, but like I said, I'm just observing and assisting for now. Time is actually going pretty fast. Can you believe I've been here for four months already? I thought the time was dragging, but dang, I'm a third of the way done with this tour. It's supposed to be for a year, but I've heard they've been extending some guys for up to two years and I hope that doesn't happen to me. I think that's mostly the guys in Iraq, but who knows, they may ship me from here to there. I hope they let me come home for a few months in between, so I can be with you for the holidays next year. Well, I guess this email is long enough, so I'll end it for now. Tell everyone I miss them and wish them a Happy New Year. Love you all, Frank Well, that email didn't have him sounding as depressed as the others, so maybe he's adjusting to life there. It appears as if he's resolved some of his problems, so I hope he is able to successfully complete his tour of duty. After replying to Frankie's email, I went back to getting ready for tonight. The boys seemed to be fairly excited about this too, so I was hoping it would go over fairly well. The extended family would be joining us for dinner, but I also told the boys they could invited some of their friends to the later festivities. Duck and his girlfriend showed up just after noon and he eagerly introduced her to all of his brothers. She was a cute young thing and slightly shorter than Duck, but they made an attractive couple. I was sure he had told her all about us, so she wouldn't be shocked when she saw some of the boys holding hands or kissing, and we all spent time chatting with them. The evening began at our favorite restaurant, where I had reserved part of a room for us. In addition to my family, Duck and his girlfriend, we were joined by Steve and Mary Shay, Margaret and John Spence, and they brought Arlene with them, Sally, Mark's mother, Jay and his parents, and Brandon's mom and dad. Brandon's folks had been planning on joining us for Christmas, but his mother came down with something a few days beforehand, so they stayed home until she was feeling better. Since she was now back to her old self, they had decided to join us for this celebration instead, so they could spend a little time with both Brandon and Danny. After enjoying a wonderful meal and some delightful conversation, we all went over to the local Elk's club, where we were going to spend the rest of the evening. I know, it probably sounds lame to you, but I had rented the place out this year for a private party. The Elk's club had tried to throw their own bash the previous year and it was poorly attended, so this year they jumped at the opportunity, when I offered to rent their hall for our family celebration. Since they had a fully stocked bar and offered to provide the snacks and party favors for this joyous night, all I had to do was to hire a DJ to provide the music. I hired a local guy, at the recommendation of my college sons. They said they knew him and he did a great job, so after explaining to him that we'd have a mixed crowd, meaning a wide range of ages, he agreed to provide an appropriate selection of tunes, so everyone would find something they liked. Some of the boys had invited dates and many had invited their friends to join us too. I knew most of them, so it wasn't a problem, at least about them being here. The bartenders were doing a good job making sure that no one underage was drinking, which took a big load off my mind. It was one of my concerns when I agreed to let the boys invite some of their friends, since I felt a few of them might try to get into the booze. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind if the kids have a drink or two -- hell, it's New Year's Eve, but I just didn't want anyone getting drunk and hurting himself or anyone else, especially if it involved a vehicle. We had asked for everyone's car keys when they arrived, even the adults, and the keys were kept behind the bar. They wouldn't be given back until we were convinced the driver was sober and could make his way home safely. We ended up with a fairly decent crowd and, as promised, the DJ played a very wide selection of music. He had big-band music from the forties, classic rock and roll from the fifties, sixties and seventies pop and rock, some disco music from the eighties, and then some pop, rock, hip hop and country music from the nineties on up. I think we all found something to dance to, including the boys' friends, so the dance floor was always packed. All of us spent a lot of time dancing, either with our partner or with someone else. Jake and I danced with each other quite a bit, but we also took time out to dance with Sally and Susan (Mark's mother) too, so they weren't merely sitting by themselves. To my delight, I also saw Mark, Duck, Dustin and Pat dancing with them as well, so both women seemed to have plenty of opportunities and were enjoying themselves. I also received another special treat later in the evening, when I caught Sally and Susan dancing with Andrew and Jesse. It was just so dang cute and precious that I snapped a few photos of them together, so I'd never forget the moment. Jesse also wanted to dance with Jake and me too, so he dragged Andrew over to ask us. We quickly agreed, much to his delight, and I danced with my two youngest angels. It was almost as emotional as when I danced with my daughters at their weddings and I saw Steve and Sally taking pictures of it, so we'd always have the memory to talk about and share. I also spent plenty of time walking around and chatting with various guests, when I ran across Shelly Novak. She and Dion had sung the duet at the Christmas concert and Dion had invited her as his guest. He introduced her to Trey and even danced with her a couple of times. I was glad to see he was making sure not to ignore her, seeing he was spending most of his time with Trey. Arlene wasn't doing too badly this evening and although it wasn't one of her worst times, it also wasn't one of her best. Little Ricky was able to spend some of the time with her and even danced with her a couple of times, before her condition started to deteriorate. When that happened, he took his mother back to the Spences, so they could take care of her, and then he went off to do his own thing. Duck and his girlfriend were spending most of their time with Mark and his date, but they did move around and spend time with everyone else as well. Besides getting acquainted with the others and dancing with Sally and Susan, Duck and Mark often danced with each other's girlfriend too, so they could all get to know each other better. It was nice to see them getting along so well and before the evening was over they each thanked Jake and I multiple times for inviting them. Danny and Brandon made sure to dance with Brandon's mom, which I think Brandon's father enjoyed as much as she did. He had been complaining of some minor back spasms, after injuring himself doing some work around the house. It wasn't a bad or debilitating injury, but it did make doing some simple things painful, and some of the faster dances were on that list. Therefore, he appreciated the boys for taking him off the hook and entertaining his wife when he didn't feel up to it. It was also nice to see Jay and his parents again. Jay had grown into quite a handsome young man and definitely overcome the awkwardness of his early teen years, as well as doing very well in college. He was an architectural major and had just spent his summer working as an intern for a very well-know architectural firm. It was unusual that he got the position in the first place, since most interns were between their junior and senior years of college. He was obviously doing well enough to impress someone with his ability, since he got the internship the summer before starting his junior year. It appears he will do quite well in his chosen field, so his parents and I were thrilled with his achievements. Jay and I did spend some time chatting about some of our past memories, including the vacation we took to Washington, D.C., shortly after Ricky and Danny had come to live with me. Jay surprised me when he confessed that was when he first got the bug about getting in to architecture. He said that after seeing all of the fantastic and beautiful buildings, and then learning about Thomas Jefferson and how he designed his home and the University of Virginia, he was hooked. He thanked me for that, and so did his parents, but I pointed out that it still wouldn't have happened if he hadn't taken the initiative to pursue it, even if the seeds had been planted on that trip. Jay was also going to come to the house afterward and spend the night. He and Ricky had a lot of catching up to do and he wanted to spend time with the other boys too, which he would do the following day. Hell, I could tell from his comments that he was probably going to be at our place almost as much as he would be at home with his parents this break. As the evening wore on and we got closer and closer to midnight, the bartenders turned on the various televisions and put them all on the channel featuring the festivities in Times Square. Nearly everyone wanted to watch the ball drop and countdown with the announcer, so we obliged them. Starting with the final ten seconds, we all counted down together and then began wishing everyone around us a 'Happy New Year,' once the magical hour had arrived. There was a great deal of kissing and hugging going on, and I must say that I also did my share, and then we began dancing as the DJ played 'Auld Lang Syne.' Even though the Spences left shortly after that, and took Arlene with them, the party continued on. The younger crowd didn't seem to want to leave and I can't really say I blamed them. I didn't want the night to end either, but there were restrictions on how long these various establishments could remain open. When the bartenders finally announced last call and told us they be shutting down within thirty minutes after that, the crowd began to thin out. Luckily, no one had gotten carried away to the point where they were deemed unfit to drive home, and the few borderline cases had someone else that was going to drive their vehicle for them. I was pleased how that went. Once we returned home, the boys began to disappear. Some of them had plans to celebrate privately with their partner, while others were tired and merely went to bed. Jake and I didn't doze off right away either, since we wanted to ring each other's New Year's chimes, but we did go to sleep once that had been accomplished. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 16 -- That Special Moment. Once the merriment of New Year's had passed, January ushered in some less than happy moments. It all began on January 5th, when I realized it would have been Cody's fifteenth birthday. My heart ached when I remembered our angel and the short time we had together. This, in turn, caused me to think about Brent, whose birthday would have been in March, when he would have turned nineteen. Suddenly, all of the dark memories concerning the events leading up to their deaths flooded into my brain and I slowly started my descent into a deep depression. It had nearly killed me when I lost Brent, because I'd suffered a heart attack right after his funeral, but losing Cody was certainly no easier. Damn, I miss both of them and can only wonder what they might be like today, if they hadn't left this world so quickly. I struggled to pull my mind away from these gloomy thoughts and pull myself out of the depths I had sunken to, but it was a losing battle. I quickly discovered my memories of them were completely controlling my mind and I was about to hit bottom. No matter what I did to distract myself, it wasn't effective and I gradually became more and more morose. Jake noticed this almost immediately and tried to snap me out of my funk, but his attempts were unsuccessful. In fact, I was so unresponsive and withdrawn that the boys began to question what was wrong, even Jesse. "Why's Daddy so sad?" he asked Andrew, a couple of days after I began to slip into this foul mood. Even though a few of the older boys had figured out what was troubling me, Andrew didn't understand my situation at all. Concerned, he confronted Jake and asked if he knew what was wrong with me. Once Jake confided in him as to why I was so down, Andrew was able to also share this information with Jesse. "Daddy's sad because he's thinking about our two brothers that died," Andrew told him. "Really?" Jesse responded, totally shocked. "You mean some boys have died here?" "Yes, Jesse, they did," Andrew answered. "They weren't very old either. I think Cody was a little younger than I am now and Brent was only slightly older." "But how? Why did they die so young?" Jesse asked, totally bewildered. "Brent died in a car accident, when he went on vacation with one of his friends," Andrew explained. "Cody had leukemia -- that's a type of cancer -- and the doctors did all they could, but he still died too." "Oh, I'm so sorry," Jesse told Andrew, while thinking he had made Andrew feel bad too. "No wonder Daddy looks so sad." Having said that, Jesse immediately took off and came looking for me. I was sitting alone in the living room, just staring off into space when he found me. I almost didn't notice when he entered the room and crawled onto my lap, but when he wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me a big kiss on the cheek, he was hard to ignore. "I love you sooooo much Daddy," he said, once his lips separated from the side of my face. Then he settled in against me, placed his head over my heart and then we just sat like this for the next twenty or thirty minutes. I was confused about what had prompted his actions and why he was so willingly to just sit on my lap, without saying a word. My confusion ended a short time later, when Andrew filled me in about their conversation. It was the combination of these two events that began to pull me out of my melancholy, because I realized the other boys depended on me too and I couldn't let any of them down by wallowing in remorse and self-pity. Slowly, I regained my grip on reality and fought back the tides of despair. Once I was able to do this, the rest of January went much better and flew past us in the blink of an eye. The college boys had spent the first couple of weeks of the month at home with the family, before returning to their respective campuses, but they were gone now too. It had been nice to have them back, because the house had been full and came alive again, so I missed them even more now. Oh, I still enjoyed having the other boys around and I also like having some quiet time once in a while as well, but there are still times when I miss the bustle, laughter, good-natured banter and serious discussions that seemed to abound when everyone is home. In mid-January, I got a call from Jesse's mother, so she could inform me I could have the container moved to our place, whenever it was convenient. She was going to sell everything else off in a garage sale and then hopefully leave to join us before the end of the month. I told her that would be fine and added that I even had a job lined up for her when she arrived. Everything else was going well during this period, so we started looking forward to Jesse's mother's arrival. I had arranged for her to stay with Mark's mother when she first arrived, while I helped her find a place of her own. Actually that didn't take very long, because shortly after we started looking, she found a cute little apartment that she ended up renting a couple of days later. The boys and I helped her move her things to her new place, and once she was unpacked, I told her about the job. I had arranged for her to work in the Middle School cafeteria, because that way she'd be able to see Jesse every day when he came through for lunch. I also told her I had a friend that owned a restaurant and he was willing to let her work nights or weekends, if she felt she needed a little extra money. She thanked me for doing this for her and then we let her settle in, with Jesse going down from time to time to help out. Once this task was also behind us, I began talking to the boys about making plans for Valentine's Day. It fell on a Monday this year, so I thought we should have the party on Saturday. They agreed that would work fine, so I encouraged them to start making arrangements. Sammy wanted to invite Ted again, which I had no problems with, but the boys thought we should also ask Mark and Duck to bring their girlfriends too. I liked that idea, so I told them to go ahead and do it. As for Dion, since Trey was going to be away at college, he wondered if could invite Shelly. I just had a few questions I wanted to ask him first, before I agreed. "Will she have any problems with the boys being with other boys?" I asked. "Heck, no," he replied. "She knows I'm going with Trey and she's cool with it." "And explain to me why you are inviting her again," I pressed. "She's my friend and if I'm with her, I won't feel as if I'm cheating on Trey." After hearing his response, I gave the idea my blessing. When Sammy called Ted, he immediately agreed to come, but then he called back a short time later. He still wanted to come, but he said his Aunt Jane was going to bring him and she wanted to help out this year too. I thought that would work out fine, so I told him we looked forward to seeing both of them again. Once Mark informed his mother about our plans, she called and insisted on preparing the meal again. Since my mother didn't raise a fool, I graciously accepted her offer. After telling her about Jane, Susan said she remembered her from the previous year and the two of them could handle everything. Susan also insisted that all I had to do was to concentrate on keeping Jake happy, so I thanked her and assured her I would. Jake will have his six-month follow-up visit coming up in March, so I wanted to use this holiday to keep his mind off of the appointment. It's not because there had been any problems and everything had been going well so far, but I didn't want Jake to start dwelling on it. Jake always dreaded having to go through these exams, so I intended to take his mind off of it by making this a Valentine's Day he wouldn't soon forget. The boys began making their personal arrangements, while Susan planned the meal and I checked over the guest list. Jake and I would be there, Graham had asked Little Ricky to pair up with him again, Sammy was inviting Ted, Dion was going to bring Shelly, Duck and Mark would be there with their girlfriends and Andrew and Jesse told me they wanted to be there with each other. How cute! It looks as if we'll have a pretty eclectic group. I explained to Susan that the menu didn't have to be elaborate and whatever she recommended would be fine. The boys said they were going to stick pretty much with what they did the previous year, except for changing a few of the songs. I was fine with that, as long as they were, although I did put in a few song requests of my own, for Jake. Dion was going to take care of the music, while still being able to spend time and dance with Shelly. Dion said he had explained this to her, and since they weren't really a couple, she didn't mind. This way, none of the others would have to worry about anything but their partner. The time in between the start of our planning and the special day passed swiftly, as everyone concentrated on what they needed to do for the big night. On the Friday before the party, Ted and his Aunt Jane arrived and she was as chipper as ever. It was nice to see both of them again and Ted was all excited about being here with us. Jane was having fun teasing Ted and Sammy about what they might have planned and kept dropping little comments about it throughout the evening. This continued into Saturday as well, and she made them both blush on many occasions. Even though they scolded her for saying such things, we all knew they didn't really mind the attention. Ted stayed with Sammy that evening, while his Aunt Jane used the guest room. The boys were excited about being together again and Ted couldn't wait to have sex. I noticed he was continually whispering to Sammy, and then Sammy would respond with comments such as, 'it's too early yet' or 'in a little while,' which let me know what Ted was talking to him about. They did eventually disappear, earlier than most of the others, and Jane didn't miss that fact. "I think those little devils are off to have some fun," she said, before following it with her girlish tittering. Once they got to the room, Ted quickly announced his intentions. "I want you to do me again," he told Sammy. "I've been having an itch back there ever since going with you guys on vacation, so I need you to scratch it for me." Sammy agreed, but had his own suggestion to add. "Okay, and then you can do it to me afterward." "You don't have to, if you don't want to," Ted confirmed. "I don't do it often, but I'll do it for you," Sammy told him. "I don't mind and I want you to keep trying everything." Ted didn't object further, so they slowly began undressing each other. In the past, they would have hurriedly ripped off their own garments and then jumped into bed, but even though Ted was anxious to do this, he was still willing to take his time. Sammy said he felt Ted enjoyed taking his clothes off, because Ted would touch or pay attention to each exposed area in one fashion or another. Sammy did the same to him, but most of his attention was done orally, as he kissed Ted's neck and chest, nipped and sucked on his nipples, ran his tongue around and in Ted's bellybutton and eventually lathed his genitals thoroughly, before swallowing Ted's penis and bobbing on it momentarily. Sammy didn't have to do it very long, before Ted blew his load, but this way Sammy knew Ted would last a while, when he moved into the top position. After Sammy prepared both of them, he had Ted get on the bed and lay on his side. Then he sidled up behind Ted and carefully began to poke at his rear entrance. Sammy was surprised at how little resistance there was this time and figured Ted must have been preparing for this to happen since well before he got here. Once Sammy slipped totally inside of him, he asked Ted if he was okay and merely received a very breathy, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine," in response. Hearing that, Sammy began to thrust his hips back and forth and quickly worked into a pretty good rhythm. Ted was even working his anal muscles this time and would tighten them each time Sammy withdrew, which was making the experience much more pleasurable for both of them. Ted was also rocking back and forth to match Sammy's thrusts, so it was also apparent Ted was a quick learner. This also helped to bring Sammy to the boiling point much quicker than during their previous encounters, but it was also much more satisfying. As Sammy began to feel those familiar sensations beginning to well up in his groin, he quickened his pace. Both boys were panting and moaning, so much so that anyone passing by in the hallway knew exactly what was going on behind the closed door. It was a good thing Ted's Aunt Jane had remained downstairs, because I know she wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to bang on their door and tease them about what they were up to. I think Ted might have fainted, at the very least, if she had done that to them. In short order, Sammy arrived at the brink of the precipice and his body began to stiffen, as he drove his penis as far into Ted's netherworld as it would go. Sammy grunted several times, once for each shot of semen that exploded from his dick, while Ted merely cooed in delight and satisfaction. Once it was over, both boys remained as they were and didn't move a muscle, as Sammy stayed imbedded in Ted's warm tunnel. Eventually, he lost his erection and slowly slipped out, at which time both boys gave up an 'awwwww,' due to the loss of their connection. When the moment came for them to reverse roles and Ted had prepared himself, Sammy got on all fours on the bed and got ready for Ted to enter him. Once Ted was fully seated in Sammy's bowels, Sammy lowered his head and chest until they resting on the bedding and then Ted began to piston himself in and out of Sammy's tight channel. Ted did last longer than either boy had expected, but that was probably due to the fact that Sammy had sucked him to a climax earlier. Regardless of the reason, both boys enjoyed it, although Ted was a little tired and winded by the time he had relinquished his load. After resting a few minutes, the sweaty boys got out of bed and sauntered over to the bathroom, where they showered together and got ready for bed. When they returned to Sammy's room, they cuddled up facing each other for a little while and exchanged a few steamy kisses, before Sammy turned over and laid on his other side. Sammy then backed against Ted, so they were spooned together, and that's the way they spent most of the night. Oh, I know some of the others were having a little fun too, but it wasn't as big a deal for them as it was for this pair. I had no idea if Sammy and Ted might one day wind up as a couple, although I doubted it, but they were willing to have some fun, whenever the opportunity presented itself. Throughout Saturday, the boys ran around making sure they had everything ready for tonight. Ted's Aunt Jane, Jake and I each ran several trips to various locations, so one or more of the boys could pick up this or that, but by 6:00 all of them were ready for the big event to begin. Duck and his girlfriend showed up earlier, around 3:00 and Dion took the Grand- Am down to pick up Shelly a little before 6:00. Mark also took off to pick up his date and then my boys started coming downstairs dressed to the nines, to impress their dates. Of course, Susan, Jane, Jake and I all had to snap numerous pictures of the spectacular looking couples, so we'd have a reminder of this wonderful evening. I even had them take some of Jake and me, and then I took a few of Jane with Ted and Sam, as well as some others of Susan with Mark and his girlfriend. Once the photo op had finished, Jane took over getting our drink orders and then delivered the appetizers and Caesar salads to each table, while Susan made sure everything else was ready. Once we had finished the first course, both of them went about clearing the dishes, before delivering the main course, which we all enjoyed. The Chicken Parmesan was moist and very tasty, but it was also set off very nicely by the garlic-mashed potatoes and candied carrots. It was obvious everyone enjoyed the meal; along with the wine we served. Even though we were all stuffed by the time we finished the entrees, we made a little more room for the Chocolate Mousse Susan had prepared for dessert. Once we downed this marvelous treat, we sat back and relaxed momentarily, before Dion got up and began playing the music. It was cute watching the various couples dance, but I got a special kick out of watching Andrew and Jesse together. When I looked over and spotted Dion, I thought he was holding Shelly a little closer and more tightly than I would have expected, and she seemed to have a glow about her. I began to wonder if maybe something more was going on here, than just being friends. I was also glad to see that Sammy and Ted were both dancing with Jane from time to time, and Jake and I each cut the rug with her during a couple of other songs. The same was true with Duck and Mark, as they both took turns dancing with Susan, while Jake and I also took a spin around the dance floor with her as well. Jake and I each danced one dance with both Duck and Mark's girlfriends too, but these occurrences were spread throughout the night and didn't all happen one after the other. In between, it left some special time for us. When the evening first started out, we danced through the first three or four songs, and then Dion made an announcement. "We have a special request for this next song, and it goes out from Josh to Jake, with all his love." As soon as he finished, Dion started playing the first song I had requested, 'Someone To Watch Over Me.' I'm not even sure as to which artist sang it, but I've always loved the lyrics and hoped Jake listened to them carefully and we swayed to it's gentle beat. There's a saying old Says that love is blind. Still we're often told "Seek and ye shall find." So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind. Looking everywhere, Haven't found him yet; He's the big affair I cannot forget - Only man I ever think of with regret. I'd like to add his initial to my monogram. Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb? There's a somebody I'm longing to see: I hope that he Turns out to be Someone who'll watch over me. I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood; I know I could Always be good To one who'll watch over me. Although he may not be the man some Girls think of as handsome, To my heart he carries the key Don't you tell him, please, to put on some speed, Follow my lead? Oh, how I need Someone to watch over me. As the song ended, I whispered in Jake's ear. "I've found him and he's right here in my arms." Jake hugged and kissed me at the point and I think I heard a few oohs and ahs when it happened. We danced to a few more songs, and then Dion spoke again. "It seems as if we have another request and this song also goes out to Jake from Josh, with all his love." After Dion said this, he began to play 'As Long As He Needs Me,' from the musical, 'Oliver!' It was the shortened version that Melinda Doolittle sang on 'American Idol' and intentionally cut out Lionel Bart's darker lyrics about the callous relationship Nancy had with Bill Sikes. As long as he needs me... I know where I must be. I'll cling on steadfastly... As long as he needs me. As long as life is long... I'll love him right or wrong, And somehow, I'll be strong... As long as he needs me. If you are lonely Then you will know... When someone needs you, You love them so. I won't betray his trust... Though people say I must. I've got to stay true, just As long as he needs me. "I'm not lonely any more, now that I have you," I told him, softly, as the last notes faded. Jake merely squeezed and kissed me again. Several songs later, and just before the evening came to an end, Dion made one final announcement. "I have one more request, which is again from Josh to Jake, with all his love." At that moment, Bobby Helm's voice broke the stillness, as he belted out his rendition of 'My Special Angel.' You are my special angel Sent from up above The Lord smiled down on me And sent an angel to love You are my special angel Right from paradise I know you're an angel Heaven is in your eyes The smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine Tears from your eyes bring the rain I feel your touch, your warm embrace And I'm in heaven again You are my special angel Through eternity I'll have my special angel Here to watch over me Here to watch over me (Angel, angel, whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh oh, oh) This time I didn't say anything when the music ended, instead I knelt down on one knee and looked up into Jake's face, while popping open a ring box. It contained an elegant man's ring with a diamond setting. "I know we can't get married, legally, in this state," I began, "but will you join me in a commitment ceremony this Easter, where we will declare our love and commitment to each other in front of our family and friends? Then will you fly off with me to Canada this summer, to have the ceremony performed there? I know that still won't make us legal in Pennsylvania, but we will be able to say we are married." Jake's mouth was hanging open. "Are you serious?" he asked, still stunned. "As serious as I was about adopting these boys and making them my sons," I replied. "Then yes. Yes, I'll do it," Jake confirmed, before I began hearing shouts, screams and some applause. When I looked around, we were surrounded by many smiling faces, some of which were covered with more than a few tears. I was positive I had succeeded in making this one night Jake would never forget.