Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 07:25:25 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters, 33 - 34

The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW         
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 33 -- Making Our Way to Spring.    

Now that we had entered into the New Year, it was time to 
start looking forward.  Although the college boys were still at 
home, the four younger boys were attending classes again.  
Since they were back in school, it also meant it was time to plan 
ahead and make a decision.  

The next big event on our calendar would be Valentine's Day, 
but I wasn't sure how the boys wanted to handle it this year.  
Since each of them tends to consider himself as bi, and since 
they can now go to the school dances with a partner of either 
sex, I thought I'd better ask what they wanted to do on this 
special day.   I wasn't convinced we still needed to hold a 
private party any longer, so I'd leave it up to them and go with 
their decision.  

When I broached the subject with them, I received only half-
hearted responses.  Little Ricky had partnered with Graham in 
the past, and Sammy had teamed up with Ted, but this year 
Graham and Ted were in college and wouldn't be able to 
attend.  Andrew and Jesse were close and best friends, but they 
didn't see themselves as boyfriends.  Even though they had 
paired up for this event last year, they weren't really interested 
in repeating that arrangement.  Since no one seemed interested 
in doing this again, I scrapped any thoughts of holding a party 
this year and would let each of them do his own thing.  

Although we'd had a little snow back in late November, 
December had been fairly mild and January was starting out 
the same way.  I wasn't sure if this trend would continue, but I 
hoped it would stay like this until after the college boys drove 
back to their campuses.  I guess I was even more concerned 
about it this year, because Shelly was about to start college too 
and would be riding with the boys going west.  Even though I 
hoped no accidents happened, I certainly didn't want anything 
to occur during Shelly's first trip with my sons.  She will be 
attending the University of Pittsburgh, along with Dion, so I 
knew this would be an ongoing arrangement, unless she got her 
own vehicle.  

In the interim, the college boys were taking full advantage of 
their extra time off and being lazy, but that ended a few days 
before they had to leave.  This happened because they had to 
start packing up their belongings, so they'd be ready to head 
back for their second semester.  It was tough for me to say 
good-bye to them again, but it also extremely rough on Dion 
and Trey.  They had spent their entire holiday with Joshie, 
playing and taking care of him, so they were more than a little 
bummed out at the prospect of having to leave him for four 
months.  

During the final two days before their departure, the pair 
hardly ever put Joshie down, because they knew they'd be 
leaving soon.  Although I spend a great deal of my time with 
Joshie when we are alone, I hoped he didn't expect this same 
level of attention from me, once his fathers left.  Joshie 
obviously enjoyed having both his daddy and poppy taking 
turns holding him, but after they left, there would only be me 
for most of the day.  Oh, whom am I trying to fool.  I don't 
have a lot to do, so I'll probably be giving him all of my 
attention too.  

This was also the time when Frankie had to return to 
Guantanamo.  It had been nice having him home with us as 
well and his brothers enjoyed hearing what he'd been up to.  
Not only that, but I finally got the scoop on what his early 
emails had been about.  It seems that some of the interrogators 
he had been observing were using questionable tactics and 
methods Frankie considered to be torture.  Frankie said 
something about 'water-boarding' prisoners, which he 
explained was a way to make the prisoner feel as if he was 
drowning, in order to get information from him.  He also 
informed me he was shown documents from the Attorney 
General's Office that said these practices were not torture and 
could be used, so he didn't have any recourse, regardless of his 
own feelings about it.  

Frankie also said he was having trouble participating when 
these techniques were being used, even though there was 
written documentation stating the procedures were legal and 
therefore allowed.  That's the reason he became so attached to 
the guy he was working with now.  This man was a product of 
the old school and believed in using tried and true methods to 
retrieve the information needed.  He believed these other types 
of practices only produced misinformation and resulted in false 
confessions, so he stuck to methods he felt comfortable with 
and had success with in the past.  Frankie then confirmed he'd 
learned a great deal from this guy and would be able to use 
these types of methods when he got out.  

"Dad, you know what's best about him?" Frankie asked.  

"I'm afraid I have no idea," I replied, honestly.  

"The best thing is, he's a lot like you," Frankie responded.  
"He believes if you treat people like human beings, and not like 
animals, you stand a better chance of getting what you want.  
He does use some methods that may seem a little harsh under 
the circumstances, but he only does this when the situation 
dictates it's necessary.  I believe he has gathered much better 
intelligence, which in turn has led him to retrieve further 
information that he might not have attained otherwise.  The 
other interrogators, who used these other techniques, certainly 
didn't do as well.  Most of the leads they got usually proved to 
be false or only partially true, so I think that proves prisoners 
will say anything to avoid what was being done to them.  It 
certainly didn't produce the types of success that was hoped 
for."  

"I'm glad you didn't have to turn your back on your principals 
and beliefs, before you found some one to teach you how to do 
the job without bending," I replied.  

"Me too.  Now, I've got a good teacher at work and at home," 
Frankie added, and then he gave me a hug.    

Shortly after Frankie left for Guantanamo, we suffered 
through a fairly substantial winter storm.  This time there was 
more snow than ice and the snow was light and fluffy, so it 
wasn't as hazardous as some of the past storms were.  The 
snow did accumulate and caused school to be shut down for 
one day, but no one lost power and the roads were, for the 
most part, clear twenty-four hours later.  

As Valentine's Day approached, I began to wonder what I was 
going to do this year, since we weren't having a party.  After 
some careful consideration, I decided to take Jake out to 
dinner and treat this as a very special night for just the two of 
us, without any children.  With that goal in mind, I asked 
Shelly's mother if she'd mind watching Joshie for the night.  
She was delighted and agreed, since she said she and her 
husband really didn't do much for Valentine's Day any longer.  

Even though it fell on a Tuesday, I decided to take Jake out of 
town, to a family owned restaurant I was familiar with in 
Harrisburg.  I knew it would take a while to drive there, and 
since I figured we'd be having a few drinks too, I decided we'd 
also spend the night there.  I made the reservations and then 
waited for the big day.  

I told Jake about my plans in advance, so he'd come directly 
home after work and have time to shower and change before 
we left.  I also had him pack a small travel case, so he'd have 
everything he'd need for the big day.  

On Tuesday, I took Joshie down to his grandmother's house 
shortly after lunch, and then I got ready and waited for Jake to 
arrive.  When he did, Jake hurried and got ready too, so we 
could be on our way.  

The restaurant was small, but it had a lovely, romantic 
atmosphere.  Jake and I had a wonderful meal and washed it 
down with a marvelous bottle of wine.  After this, we indulged 
in devouring a couple of very fattening desserts and then I gave 
Jake his card.  It read, 'To My Husband on Valentine's Day.'  
It took me a long time to find a card that would fit my needs 
and not seem as if it were from a woman, but I finally 
discovered the right one.  I was somewhat amazed when Jake 
handed me a card too and we opened them together.  It turned 
out to be the exact same card I had given him and we each 
started giggling, once we recognized this fact.  I'm sure 
everyone around us thought we were nuts, since we couldn't 
seem to stop laughing.  

After we left the restaurant, we weren't ready to go to the hotel 
quite yet, so we decided to see a movie first.  We weren't that 
thrilled with the selection offered at the local cinema complex, 
because none of the choices were appealing.  After much 
debate, we finally decided to try a movie called 'Firewall.'  We 
basically selected it because Harrison Ford had the starring 
role and we both admired him as an actor, in addition to his 
rugged good looks.  

It turned out to be a decent movie, with a fairly interesting 
plot, but neither of us thought it would win any major awards.  
The premise was that Harrison Ford's character was the V.P. 
of security at a bank and faced a dilemma.  His family had 
been taken hostage and wouldn't be released until he 
transferred $10,000 from each of the banks 10,000 largest 
depositors.  This meant he would have to transfer a grand total 
of $100 million to the kidnappers account.  This soon became a 
game of cat and mouse, where first the kidnappers and then 
the V.P. gained the upper hand, but in the end Harrison Ford 
rescued his family and killed the bad guy.  What else can I say?  

Once we left the theater, I drove to the hotel, checked in and 
then we spent a lovely evening alone.  There was no baby's 
crying to interrupt our lovemaking and sleep, but we did have 
to set the alarm for early the next morning, so Jake could get to 
work on time.  I did the driving, so he could sleep a little longer 
during the trip, and then he got into his vehicle and drove to 
work.  

I waited until after lunch before I went down to pick up Joshie, 
since I didn't want to cut his time with his grandmother short.  
Mrs. Novak seemed thrilled that she had been able to spend an 
entire day with him, so it all worked out quite well.  

As February drew to an end and we entered March, two other 
events loomed before us.  First, there was Jake's next six-
month checkup, which we were only mildly concerned about, 
and Farrell was trying to get us to come to Chicago again, to 
take part in the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  I had tried to opt 
out of this by telling the boys I had the baby to take care of this 
year, but both Andrew and Jesse keep teasing and insisting 
they wanted to go.  I think it was mostly that they wanted to 
see Barry again, but I knew they also enjoyed being in the 
parade.  

As a way of getting around my problem, I called Mrs. Novak.  
Since she had made it clear that she enjoyed spending time 
with Joshie, I asked if she would mind taking care of him for a 
few days, while we went out of town.  I explained that that we 
had done this in the past, but could skip it this year if we had 
too, and she replied that wouldn't be necessary.  She added 
that she would love to have her grandson for the weekend and 
quickly agreed to the dates.  Seeing Joshie was taken care of, I 
finally gave in and told Jesse and Andrew I'd take them to 
Chicago.  I also talked to Sammy and Little Ricky about 
whether or not they wanted to go.  I told them they could stay 
home if they wanted, since Mark, Dustin and Cole would also 
be around, but they said they wanted to go too.  Go figure.  I 
thought they'd feel they were too old for this.  

Anyway, St. Patrick's Day was on a Friday this year, and so 
was the parade.  Fortunately, the school district had scheduled 
a teacher's workday on Friday, so the boys would only miss 
one day of school.  We'd leave Wednesday night and drive 
there, so Jake decided to take a few days off from work and go 
too.  Then we'd leave to return home early Sunday, so we'd be 
back sometime that evening.  

It was nice seeing the Flannerys again, and Farrell, Katelyn, 
Alannah and Barry all seemed happy to see us too.  Barry, 
Jesse and Andrew took off for Barry's room almost as soon as 
we got there, claiming they were going to play video games.  
After they left, Alannah seemed to form an interest in Little 
Ricky.  In fact, the attraction seemed mutual.  

We spent the evening with our hosts and went out to dinner 
with them, before going to our hotel.  Farrell had offered to 
have us stay there, but I felt the boys would have plans, so I 
explained we'd just get rooms.  Barry teased until Farrell 
agreed to let him stay with us for the night, so the boys all took 
their leprechaun outfits with them when we left.  Jesse and 
Andrew were staying in with Jake and me, but I had gotten a 
separate room for Sammy and Little Ricky.  Yes, I could have 
put the boys all in one room, but since I knew what the little 
ones would probably be doing with Barry, I put them in with 
us.  That way, Jake and I could go down to the hotel bar for a 
while and give them their privacy, but I doubted that would 
have happened in the other room.  

By this time, my fifteen --year old Andrew had sprouted a full 
pubic bush, his penis had reached adult stature and was 
producing semen, just like Barry.  Twelve-year old Jesse had a 
scattering of pubic hairs coming in and could produce a small 
amount of clear fluid, so there would be no more dry orgasms 
for that trio.  

Once they were alone, Barry spent his time trying to convince 
the others to have anal sex.  Since Andrew had prepared me 
for this possibility, because Barry had mentioned the idea a 
few times online, I in turn sat down with Jesse and discussed 
the idea with him beforehand.  Jesse said he wouldn't mind 
doing it with Andrew and Barry, but he just didn't like when 
John did it to him.  I told him I understood, and then went 
over a few things with both Andrew and him.  I listed a few 
precautions I wanted them to take and then set down some 
other guidelines, before I gave them my approval, if that's 
what they decided to do.   After I told him this, Andrew packed 
some condoms and lube in his suitcase, so he'd be prepared.  

After some negotiating with Barry, Andrew agreed to let Barry 
do it to him first, if Barry would allow Jesse to try it with him 
next.  Then Andrew would be the one to have sex with Jesse, so 
he could make certain Jesse didn't freak out.  All the boys 
agreed to this arrangement, so they got started.  

No one had to help Barry get hard.  Just the thought of what 
they were going to do already had him there, so Andrew just 
guided him with putting on the condom and lubing it up, 
before he got himself ready.  After explaining to Barry what he 
should do and warning him to go slow, Andrew got on his 
hands and knees on the bed.  Barry did have a little difficulty 
entering Andrew, until Andrew told him to use his hand on his 
penis when trying to push it in.  After that, Barry slipped into 
Andrew's chute fairly easily.  

Since this was Barry's first time, he got lost in the pleasurable 
feelings and performed at the speed of light.  This meant he 
reached the climactic brink and was falling into the orgasmic 
abyss within a very short time.  This, in turn, meant that over 
the short span of a couple of minutes, Barry unloaded into the 
condom and ended his first encounter with anal sex.   

Once Barry had recuperated, Andrew helped him get ready for 
Jesse's attempt.  As Andrew attempted to loosen him up, Barry 
kept tightening his rectal muscles, but eventually he overcame 
the instinct and learned to push out a little, to accommodate 
the intruder.  Even though Jesse had always been big for his 
age, his penis isn't so formidable that Barry wasn't able to 
accept it.  After a few missed attempts, Jesse finally slid in to 
him and began to hump away.  He didn't go as quickly as 
Barry had, so it took several minutes before he began to feel 
the sensations that preceded his climax.  For this reason, he 
had a much more memorable experience than Barry had.  

Finally, it was Andrew's turn.  He was worried about injuring 
Jesse, since he knew John had hurt him before, but Jesse kept 
assuring Andrew it would be all right.  After making certain 
Jesse was prepared and feeling no pain, Andrew finally entered 
him.  He was slow and loving with Jesse, and Jesse appreciated 
it, but he also knew Andrew was making him feel things John 
never had.  In fact, Jesse was beginning to really enjoy the 
feelings he was experiencing and moved to match Andrew's 
actions.  In the end, both boys were more than satisfied with 
this coupling and hugged each other affectionately, once it 
ended.  

Barry made sure they agreed they'd do this again the next 
night, since he planned on talking his parents into letting him 
stay with us again.  By the time Jake and I arrived back at the 
room, all three young men were still naked on their bed, but 
because they were also all smiling, I knew things had worked 
out well.  

The parade went pretty much like the previous two, except this 
time more local children were taking part.  Farrell had Barry 
recruit some others from his grade and younger, so there were 
about twenty leprechauns in all.  When the parade ended, I 
took the boys back to change and then we spent the rest of the 
day with our hosts.  

Except for when we went out to eat, we spent most of our time 
at the Flannerys' house and everyone got along really well.  
Little Ricky and Alannah would disappear from time to time, 
much to Farrell's dismay, but they'd always return a short 
time later.  I think Sammy was beginning to feel a little left out, 
because the other three boys stayed mostly to themselves too.   

When it came time for us to leave, Barry teased to go with us 
again, but his father was reluctant to let him join us.  Farrell 
felt we might not want to go out of our way to bring him back, 
since it would delay our departure time, but I assured him that 
wouldn't be a problem.  I did this in private and not in front of 
the boys, just in case Farrell had another reason he wasn't 
divulging.  However, after he received my assurance I didn't 
have a problem with it, he allowed Barry to go with us once 
again.  

This time, when Jake and I left the boys alone in the room, we 
went next door to speak with Sammy and Little Ricky first.  I 
wanted to get some idea about what Little Ricky and Alannah 
had been doing when they disappeared.  

"Dad, we didn't have sex, if that's what you're asking," Little 
Ricky told me.  

"I just wanted to be sure," I replied, "in case Farrell called and 
said something later."

"Yeah, I know," Little Ricky agreed.  "We did kiss and we felt 
each other up, but that was it.  She started to take my dick out 
at one time, but then she heard someone coming and stopped."  

"I take it you were both agreeable to this then?" I pressed.

"Yeah, we were, but they live too far away for anything to 
come from it," he admitted.  "I doubt anything more will ever 
happen between us, since I don't know when I'll see her 
again."  His comments put my concerns to rest, so Jake and I 
left and went down to the bar for a while.

In our room, Andrew did Barry first this time, and then Jesse 
did it to Andrew, before Barry got the chance to have his fun 
with Jesse.  To Andrew's amazement, Jesse was really getting 
into it and Barry managed to last quite a bit longer this time.  
Andrew figured Barry might have jerked off first, when he 
went to the bathroom at home earlier.  However he did it, 
Barry lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and Jesse seemed 
to enjoy it as much as he did.  I was glad things had worked 
out so well.  

We took Barry home the following morning, said good-bye to 
the Flannerys and then made the long trip home.  It was early 
evening by the time we arrived at the house, so I took the 
others home and then went down to pick up Joshie.  Mrs. 
Novak said he had been very good the entire time and she and 
her husband had enjoyed having him around.  I thanked her 
for watching Joshie and then took him home.  

The week after we got back, Jake had to go in for his checkup.  
He said it went smoothly this time, probably because he was 
getting used to the procedure and not dwelling as much on how 
exposed he was to the others there.  I was glad, because it had 
been very difficult for him in the past and seemed to bother 
him for several days after the examination had actually taken 
place.  

About a week later, we had to go down to learn the results.  
Once again, it was all good news and the doctor suggested Jake 
might be out of the woods, as far as the prostate cancer 
returning.  He still wanted to keep Jake on a six-month 
examination schedule, just to be safe, and we had no problem 
agreeing to do it.  I think after this, Jake was finally able to let 
go of the feeling that he was going to suffer the same fate his 
uncle had.  

We were now officially into spring and the weather was going 
to start warming up soon.  In a couple of weeks, the boys would 
be returning home for Easter and I looked forward to their 
being home, even if it was only for a long weekend.  



The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW         
Copyright 2010 by billwstories
Chapter 34 -- Commitment and College.    

As we entered April, the weather began to break, so I was able 
to take Joshie outside more and more.  He was developing 
quite a personality now and was a happy-go-lucky person like 
his father.  I would spend hours with him reading, singing and 
sometimes playing silly games.  When we did that, he would 
laugh and laugh, until we both became nearly hysterical.  I was 
having such a good time being around him that I had long 
forgotten about missing my job.  

I would take him to the park some days and push him in the 
infant-swing, sit him in front of me on the teeter-totter (or see 
saw, whichever name you'd prefer) and then hold him on my 
lap as we sped our way down the slide.  Hell, I was almost 
beginning to feel like a kid again as well.  

I also had some inflatable balls I would roll to him at home and 
he was beginning to reach out as they came toward him, but 
that was about the most he could do.  Andrew and Jesse liked 
to sit on either side of Joshie and roll the ball back to me, so I 
could roll it back to Joshie.  We were all having a great time 
together.  

A couple of times a week I would call Dion and Trey to let 
them know what Joshie was doing, since he was changing so 
quickly.  While I had them on the line, I'd hold the phone by 
Joshie's ear, so they could talk to him.  It appeared to me that 
he was recognizing their voices, because he would grin when he 
heard them speak, and hearing me tell them that made both of 
his fathers feel great.  

I would also watch some of the educational children's shows 
with Joshie on television and point things out to him on the 
screen.  He seemed to be following what I did, so I was 
beginning to think he might also be quite intelligent.  When the 
show ended, I might even try to imitate one of the character's 
voices or do something they had done on the show.  This 
usually got Joshie to watch me and occasionally laugh at my 
antics, but I was trying to teach him, as well as entertain.  I 
guess you can take the teacher out of the school, but you can't 
take the teacher out of the man.  

Easter fell in the middle of April this year, so the weather was 
also a little better when we celebrated the holiday.  Nick had 
talked his parents into buying him a plane ticket, so he could 
join us this year, since he wanted to see Shannon again.  It 
wasn't easy convincing them, but he finally did manage to do 
it, so he flew back in time to catch a ride home with the other 
college boys.  He had contacted them via the computer and 
they agreed to pick him up at the airport, before they drove 
home.  

When Dion and Trey arrived, they were anxious to see Joshie 
again.  After letting them spend some time with their son alone, 
I then demonstrated many of the things Joshie and I had been 
doing while they were at school.  They were both quite 
impressed with how Joshie seemed to watch and study 
everything I did and how he reacted to the voices and motions 
I made.  I think both proud fathers were beginning to think 
they had themselves a little genius.  

I also took time to sit down with all of the boys that had said 
they wanted to be part of the group commitment ceremony, 
when college was out for the summer.  The minister said he 
would be happy to officiate again, but he did have some 
questions concerning how the boys wanted to handle this, so I 
asked those questions now.  Since there were so many of them, 
we had to discuss each issue in some depth, but the boys were 
able to reach a consensus concerning what they wanted to do.  
Now, I just had to contact our pastor and let him know what 
they had decided.  

I took the family to the Good Friday service and on the way 
out I stopped and chatted with the minister.  After I took time 
to compliment him on the service, I mentioned what the boys 
had decided.  He thought their suggestions should work out 
nicely, as well as uniquely, but still had a couple of minor 
questions he wanted answered.  I told him I'd get back with 
him, once I spoke with the boys.  

We had a nice meal together and I explained to the boys what 
the minister had said.  They were pleased that everything was 
working out so well, answered the final few questions for me 
and eagerly looked forward to the ceremony, once school was 
out.  

Saturday was pretty laid back and the boys spent most of their 
time just hanging with each other and catching up on what 
they had been up to since they had last been together.  I did 
pull Danny, Brandon and Kevin aside to chat with them 
privately, because each was receiving his bachelor's degree this 
year.  I wanted to discuss their ideas for a graduation party 
and learn what they had decided to do, once they had their 
degree in hand.  

All three said they were planning to continue their education, 
since the field they intended to pursue demanded it.  Each of 
them still had another three or four years of study ahead of 
them and I explained that I admired what they were doing.  I 
also confirmed I was very proud of their accomplishments, 
especially since each of them had already been accepted to the 
appropriate college to further his education.  However, that 
news included one minor surprise.    

"Dad, I'm going to switch colleges for medical school," Danny 
announced.  "I applied to both Penn State and the University 
of Pittsburgh and was accepted by both, but I've decided to go 
to Pittsburgh, so Brandon and I can be together.  We've both 
decided it would be best to finish our education there and also 
take summer courses to do this, so we can shorten the time it 
takes to get our degrees.  That will allow us to come back home 
sooner, so we can help you."  

"I'm glad to hear you've been accepted at Pittsburgh and can 
understand why you two want to be together," I told him, "but 
we all need some down time now and then.  If you're just 
taking the summer courses so you can get back home sooner, 
you might want to reconsider.  I can handle things until you 
graduate, so you don't have to do that.  I think it would be 
better if you took the summers to relax and enjoy yourself 
instead."

"Dad, we've already talked it over and feel we might be able to 
cut one or two semesters off our studies by taking summer 
classes too, so we're going to do it for that reason.  It will also 
get us back here quicker, but we're also doing it so it doesn't 
take us as long to start our professions.  That means this 
summer is probably the last one we'll be spending with you 
guys for a while.  We'll still come home from time to time, just 
not for the entire summer."

"Brandon, have you told your parents about this too," I 
wondered.  

"I called them just before coming here for Easter," he 
confirmed.  "They weren't exactly happy about it, because it 
meant I wouldn't be spending a month with them during the 
summer, but they've agreed to take their vacations and come 
here when I do, so we can still spend time together."

"Well, then it sounds as if you have everything worked out," I 
agreed.  

"You know, that sounds like a good idea," Kevin added.  "I 
have the same problem with becoming a pharmacist, so maybe 
I'll do that too.  It will be worth it, if I can shorten my time by 
up to a year."  

"Hey, if you'll only need one extra year after I graduate," 
Vinnie offered, "I could stay to and work on my Master's 
degree in Education, so we can still be together."  

Well, it sounded as if the boys were working things out so they 
can remain together after the commitment ceremony, except 
for Dion and Trey.  Dion would still be in Pittsburgh and Trey 
in Philadelphia.  

"I wish we could work things out so we could be in the same 
place too," Trey acknowledged, "but I'm not sure how difficult 
that would be.  I know Dion wants to stay where he is, so I 
guess I could see if I'd be able to transfer there too.  I know the 
University of Pittsburgh has a decent liberal arts program in 
English and a good Education Department, so I can still focus 
on my writing and get certified to teach as a backup.  What do 
you think, Dion?"  

"I think that would be great!" Dion confirmed.  

After we sat down and discussed this possibility further, Trey 
agreed to contact the University of Pittsburgh to see if he could 
transfer all or most of the credits he had already taken.  Since 
we had so many family members already attending there, I 
thought the administration might be willing to work something 
out with him.  Maybe all of our couples will be able to stay 
together -- well, except for Shannon and Nick.  

This reminded me, I had to speak with Sammy and Little 
Ricky about their college plans, seeing they were both 
graduating from high school this year.  Each of them had 
already been accepted, but I wasn't certain if they had decided 
upon a major as of yet.  I thought it might be best if I discussed 
this with them while the others were still here.  This way, 
they'd be able to ask the others any questions they might have 
concerning their possible choices.  I got both boys together and 
posed my question.  

"Have either of you decided what you are going to study in 
college?" I asked.

"I have," Little Ricky quickly replied.  "I want to study social 
work, so I can do like Aunt Sally and help other kids that don't 
have a family.  I want to be able to find good homes for them, 
like what happened for me."

"That's very admirable," I informed him, "and I'm certain 
Aunt Sally will be pleased to learned that you wish to follow in 
her footsteps.  In fact, once you graduate, she might also be 
able to help you find a job.  You might even get a chance to 
work with her, if she doesn't retire before then."

"I hope she's still around, because I'd love to work with her for 
a while," Little Ricky replied, and I knew he was being sincere 
with his comment.  

"How about you, Sammy?" I asked next.  

"I was thinking about majoring in History and Economics," he 
answered.  

"And what are you planning on doing with such degree after 
you graduate?" I followed.

"I'm not sure, but I think I'd like to teach," he told me.  "I 
would have other options, but I think that's what I'd probably 
want to do."

"Would you teach at the high school or college level?" I asked 
next.

"I think probably high school, but I'll know better after I get 
my degree," he explained.  It sounded reasonable, so I left it at 
that.  

Shortly after I came out from meeting with that pair, Shannon 
approached me.  "Pop, will you help me with something?" he 
asked, while looking very serious.  

"It depends on what it is," I informed him, "but maybe you 
should ask your father for help."  

"That's the problem," Shannon explained, "because I need you 
to help me talk to him about something."  I thought I knew 
where this was heading, but I didn't want to jump to any 
conclusions.  

"And what something would that be?" I followed.  

"I was hoping you'd help me talk him into letting me transfer 
to Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick," he explained.  
That's exactly what I figured he had in mind.  

"And are you sure you can still get the degree you want 
there?" I asked next.

"Oh, yeah.  They have the Spears School of Business and it's 
supposed to be really good," Shannon replied.  "I looked it up 
already and I can get my degree there instead, if you'll help me 
convince Dad to let me transfer."  

"Shannon, this is one time I'm not sure I should get involved," 
I informed him.  "I think you might need to do this on your 
own."

"But you know how he is about Nick," Shannon continued, "so 
I thought if you helped me, it would make it easier."  

"Shannon, I will agree with you that your father has been a 
little stubborn about the situation at first, but I think you will 
also have to admit that he had good reason to be," I explained.  
"Since then, he has been pretty good about understanding 
what you want and he didn't even object to the idea of you 
having your own commitment ceremony."  

"Yes, I know he's been pretty good lately," Shannon agreed, 
"but I also know he won't want me that far away from home.  I 
really want to be with Nick for the rest of the time I'm in 
college, but I know Dad is going to be hard to convince.  Please.  
Won't you help me sell this idea to him?  Pleeeeeze?" he 
whined.  

"Let's go somewhere we can speak privately for a few minutes 
first," I suggested.  "I want to see if you can sell ME on this 
idea before I agree to anything.  If you can convince me, then 
maybe I'll go with you when you speak with your father.  I 
won't do it for you, but if you can prove to me this is the right 
thing to do, then I'll support you when you talk to your dad."

We went off and Shannon presented his arguments.  I was 
surprised and impressed that he had actually thought this 
through.  He had done his homework and had the facts to 
support his position, so it wasn't just that this would put Nick 
and him together.  He explained he could get a dual business 
degree, in management and accounting, and the only difference 
in expense would be in the cost of traveling there and back.  
Seeing he had all the facts, I told him I would go with him and 
even offered to pay his travel expenses, if his father agreed to 
his proposal.  

Shannon wanted to get Nick to join us, but I told him it would 
be best if just the three of us met to discuss this.  I explained 
that his father might immediately bristle if Nick was included, 
so it would be better to sway his father with the facts first.  
That way, Shannon would have a better chance of winning his 
father over.  After Shannon agreed, we went off to find Jake.  

When we found him, Jake was puttering around in the yard.  I 
stayed put while Shannon went up and asked if the three of us 
could talk.  Jake glanced between us skeptically, and then 
spoke.  

"About what?" he asked, rather tersely.  

"Dad, I want to talk to you about transferring colleges," 
Shannon answered, somewhat evasively.  

"To which college?" Jake pressed, already having guessed.  

"To Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick," Shannon replied, 
and Jake looked at me.  

"And you're supporting him on this?" Jake asked me, directly.  

"I'm here to listen too," I offered.  "Shannon asked to speak 
with both of us, but he just ran into me first."  Jake didn't look 
convinced, but did agree to listen.  

Shannon then went on to explain the idea to his father.  He told 
him about the business school at Oklahoma State, including its 
reputation, what it offered and what type of degree he would 
be working toward.  Shannon then outlined the financial 
situation to his father and discussed the figures, before 
concluding the travel expense would be the only major 
difference.  

"Well, you know the money situation is tight," Jake told 
Shannon.  "It won't be easy to come up with the additional 
funds for you to travel back and forth."  This is when I decided 
to jump in to the discussion.  

"Look, I have a suggestion, if you're willing to listen," I 
interjected.  Jake nodded, so I continued.  

"I'm willing to cover the travel expenses for you," I offered, "if 
you think this would be best for Shannon."  

"Josh, you don't have to do that," Jake protested.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to," I replied.  "Besides 
paying for his ticket there and back, I'll also pay to have you 
go there for Thanksgiving and then I'll buy the tickets to bring 
Shannon and Nick home between Christmas and New Year's.  
I'll even pay to fly them back for spring break too, if that will 
mean I can get you two to agree on this and still make sure 
you'll be able to see each other and spend time together." Jake 
thought about this for a few seconds before he answered. 

"Josh, I really hate to have you spend that much money to do 
this," he offered.  "I'd feel like we'll be taking things away 
from the others if we do this."

"Jake, you don't have to feel this way and I think you know 
better than that," I assured him.  "I'm willing to do this to 
make it possible for you to work the situation out with your 
son."  After hearing my reply, Jake looked at Shannon before 
he spoke.  

"If you really want to do this and can promise it won't mess up 
you finishing your degree," Jake began, "then I'll go along 
with your idea.  However, it will be up to you to make sure 
Oklahoma State accepts you as a transfer student."  Shannon 
immediately began leaping for joy and hugged his father, but 
Jake stopped him.

"I think you should thank Josh for what he's doing too," Jake 
informed his son.  At that point, Shannon released his father 
and came over to me.  

"Yes, Pop," he began, "I owe you a lot too.  Thank you for 
everything and for helping make this happen."  Shannon then 
threw his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug too.  

"Can I go tell Nick now?" Shannon asked his father.

"You may," Jake announced, correcting his grammar.  I guess 
Jake had picked that up from me, but Shannon merely smiled 
and then raced off.  

"You know, you're helping to spoil him," Jake joked, half-
heartedly.  

"You may be right," I replied, "but if it will keep you two close 
and make Shannon happy, then that's all I want out of this."  
Jake merely shook his head and then we chatted about it for a 
few minutes more.  

Shannon, however, had already raced inside the house and 
found Nick.  "Guess what?" he shouted, extremely excited.  

"What?" Nick asked, totally confused.  

"My dad has agreed to let me transfer to Oklahoma State, so 
we can be together!" Shannon announced, but Nick still didn't 
look convinced.

"No way!" Nick responded.  "Are you joking?"

"No, he said if they'll accept me as a transfer student, he'll let 
me do it," Shannon explained.  

"Even though it will cost more?" Nick challenged.

"The only thing that will cost more is the travel and Pop 
agreed to pay for that," Shannon answered.  "When Pop told 
my dad he'd do that, then Dad agreed."

"And how did you get Pop, I mean Dad… Damn, where going 
to have to work something out so we're calling them both by 
the same name," Nick stated, somewhat frustrated by the 
confusion.  "How did you get Josh to agree to do this?"

"I didn't," Shannon answered, "he just offered.  He told my 
dad if it was all that was keeping him from agreeing, then he'd 
pay all the travel expenses."  Now, both boys were jumping 
around, totally happy.  

They then raced off and began looking up what Shannon 
would need to do to apply as a transfer student.  Almost 
immediately, Shannon began doing what he thought was 
necessary to start the process.  It just might work out that all of 
our couples will be together this fall after all.  

Oh, by the way.  Shannon and Nick came to talk to Jake and 
me later, about the confusion caused by what they were calling 
us.  We reached an agreement rather easily.  Since Jake would 
sort of be Nick's father-in-law, both boys were going to call 
him Dad and me Pop, so they would each referring to us the 
same way.