Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:04:09 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 9 - 10 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 9 -- September Memories. As September rolled around, so did the school board election. Our district likes to hold the election at the beginning of the school year, when the interest in the district seems to be the greatest. This way, we can seat the new board by the end of the month and then they'll be in place for the rest of the school year. The friends I had spoken to about the one board member had had recruited their own candidate and he came with great credentials. They decided to oppose the current board members re-election because they were shocked at the way he had reacted when the gay-straight alliance had first come up for approval. They concluded from his actions that he wasn't the type of person they wanted in such a crucial position. I had only spoken to them one additional time, after our initial conversation, when they informed me about the guy they wanted to run against him. They also promised they'd do all they could to make certain the current member was ousted. They were emphatic in their belief that he didn't have the appropriate attitude or background to hold such a sensitive and influential position. Before the election, another candidate also came forward and threw his name into the hat as well, so now we had four people running to fill the two seats. There were two incumbents in the mix, along with these two newcomers. The other person that was currently serving on the board was a female and had held the position for three terms, or six years, already. She was very good at asking probing questions in private and came to the meetings well prepared. Her only concern was what was best for the district and the students, so I hoped she'd retain her seat. It looked as if this was going to be a hotly contested election and the two debates held prior to the voting were extremely interesting and highly enlightening. The three other candidates had done very well and made the other incumbent, the one that had given us so much trouble, look like an ass. They pinned him down about facts he was unsure about and details about school policy that he didn't know. In the end, it appeared as if this man had only one topic in his repertoire, and that was attacking the gay alliance, as he called it. I thought he had pretty much sealed his own fate during the debate, especially when he couldn't respond intelligently to many of the questions put to him. I was also fairly certain that his run in with the law wouldn't help his re-election bid either. The story about the incident at the dance had become the next day's lead headline on the local page. He spent the night in jail because of his actions and was arraigned the following day. He was then released on bail, but he still had big legal problems ahead of him. I think his continuing legal woes could sway some voters, since they might prefer someone that would be able to concentrate on school related issues instead of being consumed with upcoming battles in court. They might also be against having someone serve on the school board that couldn't control his temper. On the day the votes were to be cast, the turnout was quite heavy for a school board election. I was glad to see it, because it meant we had generated some interest this year, although I hoped it wasn't in support of the old board member's stance on the gay-straight alliance. If a lot of these people were in his corner, then the club and I would be facing a lot of heat to disband. I'd know before long if this was the case, but it did concern me, at least in the short term. The voting was held in the conference room at the district office, so I could see the people as they came in and recognized a good number of them. That cheered me up a little, since I knew most of those I recognized to be levelheaded, honest folks that were willing to look at issues in a rational manner. Many of them even knew some of my boys were gay and never seemed to have a problem with it, so I was hoping this would work to our advantage. A television reporter from the local station was conducting an exit poll in front of the building and was doing everything she could to get a scoop on the local newspaper. She would ask people if they'd mind sharing how they voted, and many of them cooperated, so by noontime she had a fairly good idea how things were going. I decided to watch the noon news while eating my lunch and learned she was predicting a tight three-way race and reported the only candidate that seemed to be out of the running was my arch-nemesis. I wanted to do back-flips right then, if my aging body would have allowed it, and I couldn't wait until the votes were verified. The school board president had been watching the same broadcast and called me immediately, so he could share the information personally. He seemed a bit disappointed that I had already seen it, because he wanted to be the one to give me the good news. He and I were both thrilled that we might not have to prepare for further battles with this gentleman as a member of the board. We might still have to deal with him as a concerned taxpayer and parent, because he did still have one child in school. She was a sweet young thing and a senior this year. I sometimes wondered how she turned out as well as she did, considering what her father was like. Regardless of our optimism, we wouldn't know the actual results for a couple more days. The rough tally should be in by later tonight or early tomorrow, so we should have a pretty good idea by then, but it looked as if my sparring days with this jackass might be nearing an end. I literally floated through the rest of the day and was in such a good mood when I got home that everyone wanted to know what was up. After I explained the situation to them, the high school boys also became excited and made comments like 'that's one less ass we'll have to worry about.' I told him his losing the election didn't mean it would be the last we'd hear from him, because knowing his type, he'd still be out there swinging for the fences and trying to get things to go his way. I believe that night I slept about as well as I had in months. It was almost as if this huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I was able to walk upright again. Although I knew, as I told the boys, this guy would probably still try to cause problems with the gay-straight alliance, I felt his arrest and the elections results may bring him crashing back to earth. I just hoped this is what would actually happen. I woke up the next morning refreshed and rearing to go. I reached my office and my secretary greeted me with a smile, before explaining she had placed the unofficial results of the election on my desk. I thanked her and then hurried in to see them, hoping they'd turned out as I'd hoped. As I scanned the sheet containing the numbers, my eyes grew wide. The board member that had been a thorn in my side hadn't been defeated -- he had been totally destroyed. I could hardly believe the information that was on the paper. He had not only received the lowest vote tally of the four people running, but he had also received less than three percent of the total votes. I couldn't help but shout, "All right!" When I looked up, my secretary was standing in the doorway, with a huge grin on her face. "I thought you'd be pleased to see that," she commented. "Even a recount won't save him now." I nodded in agreement. She was right, even being unofficial, there was no chance he would be back in an official capacity. The winning candidates had just under forty- three and thirty-seven percent of the vote, respectively, with the other incumbent receiving the largest vote total. Even the other loser had received just under eighteen percent of the vote, so the pain in my ass came in a very distant fourth in a four horse race. I immediately got on the phone and dialed the board president, so I could share the news with him. He seemed as happy as I was about it, although he also cautioned me it was probably not the last we were going to see of this guy. I agreed with him, but pointed out it wouldn't be as bad to deal with in the future, since he wouldn't carry any official weight, as he had in the past. The board president concurred and then we both went on with the rest of our day. By the time I got home that evening, I was nearly bouncing off the walls, but they already knew why. They had either heard the numbers for the election results at school or saw them on the early news. I did call my friends that had recruited the new board member to congratulate them and then I placed calls to the two people that had been elected, so I could congratulate them personally. Now, I could focus my attention on the next event on our calendar, Andrew's birthday. Andrew's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so I had arranged to have his party at that time. Since Jesse was also aware that Andrew's birthday was coming up, because Sammy had clued him in about it, he insisted he wanted to help me get things ready. I told him that would be fine and then gave my 'assistant' the task of deciding what we were going to buy for Andrew for his special day. Jesse accepted and discharged his duty with great zest, while keeping it totally secret from Andrew. He asked the others if Andrew had mentioned any things he wanted and jotted their suggestions down. He then added some of the things they'd mentioned to the list of ideas he had about what Andrew might like, and then came to me with the composite list. Jesse then accompanied me when I went to pick everything out, because he wanted to be certain it was exactly what Andrew wanted. We even spent a long time in the card aisle, as Jesse read through the numerous birthday greetings until he found the one he thought best indicated how he felt. I was impressed by the lengths he had gone before choosing his card, so I made a point to praise his efforts. Of course, we'd be having another cookout and the extended family would be invited, but somehow I knew the day wouldn't revolve solely around Andrew. A great deal of attention would be focused on Jesse, as well, since he had been involved in nearly every detail of the planning. Not only had he helped with the presents, Jesse had also played a very substantial role in nearly everything that was done. He picked out what type of cake we would have and then explained to the decorator how he wanted it to look, before selecting which ice cream flavors would be served. He even chose the decorative plates and napkins we'd use, so they'd all tie in together with the theme he had in mind. I had very little to do, except drive him around. When the big day came around, Jesse took Andrew out for a bike ride after we got home from church, so the rest of us could get things set up. We were certain Andrew knew we were having a party for him, so it wouldn't come as a surprise in that regard, but Jesse didn't want him to see what we were doing. I thought that was a nice touch. While that pair was gone, the rest of us got everything ready and the guests started to arrive. By the time the boys returned, nearly everyone was here, so we all came out front and wished him a 'Happy Birthday,' before he and Jesse went inside to clean up and change. When they came back out to join us, everything was ready and Andrew's eyes began to sparkle. The plates and napkins on the table had 'Tour de France' scenes on them and then Jesse went on to tell Andrew some of the differences he had insisted on for the meal. Instead of hot dogs and hamburgers, we were having cheese-brats and hamburgers. We were still having steak, but instead of BBQ-chicken, Jesse had insisted we marinate the chicken in the red sweet and sour sauce that Andrew liked so much, whenever we ate Chinese. Instead of having our normal potato salad, Jesse had asked us to switch to a Southern potato salad, which used more eggs and had a totally different taste. He also asked us to make a salad consisting of cherry-jell-o and whipped cream, which he knew Andrew also liked. All in all, the menu consisted of only items that Andrew enjoyed, but it was a nice changeup for the rest of us too. When it came time for us to have cake and ice cream, Jake brought the cake out and Andrew saw it for the first time. Not only did it have the typical birthday greeting, it featured two boys riding bicycles, with big-bro written under the larger figure. Andrew just grinned and then hugged Jesse in appreciation, when I explained nearly all of this had been Jesse's ideas. For ice cream, Jesse had selected black cherry, chocolate chip and Dutch apple ice cream, but I also saw to it that we had the typical vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, in case someone would prefer those instead. Andrew thought it was great and couldn't figure out how Jesse knew he liked all of those flavors, since he'd never had any of them since Jesse had been around. That's when Jesse told him he found out by asking the others, and Andrew began to realize how much effort Jesse had gone to, in order to make sure this day was special. When it came time for Andrew to open his presents, he got several new articles of clothing, many of which Jesse had personally picked out for him. His brothers also gave him some videos they knew he wanted and a few other things, and then Jesse handed him a card, just from him. When Andrew opened it and began to read, I could tell he was trying very hard not to become too emotional, but it became a real struggle for him. I had seen the card in advance and knew what it said, so I understood what he was going through. It was a semi-humorous card that went like this, and each phrase had a picture that corresponded with it. Some guys end up with brothers that pick on them... Others have brothers that aren't much fun... Some have brothers that would rather be with their friends... While others have brothers they wish they could trade in... I was lucky, because I have a brother who is also my best friend... So I wanted to wish him Happy Birthday on his very special day... And thank him for being him. Jesse had signed it, 'To my big brother and best friend, with all my love. Jesse' If Andrew didn't cry when he read it, I'm certain some of the others did when he passed it around for them to see. Once Andrew thanked Jesse and gave him a very special hug, Jesse went rushing inside to get Andrew's final gift and came back pushing a bike. Andrew thought it was Jesse's bike and figured he just wanted to go out for another ride, but then Jesse explained it was a new bike for him. It was exactly like the one we had picked out for Jesse's birthday, only it was a size larger, and then Jesse went to get his bike, so Andrew could see them standing side by side. After Andrew thanked all of us for his gifts, I explained to him that Jesse had done most of the work, so Andrew thanked him again. In fact, after the others left, not only did Andrew thank him again in the privacy of their bedroom, but Jesse also gave him another special present, one he knew Andrew would love. Even though I didn't suspect either boy was truly gay, what they did that night would have put real gay lovers to shame. I heard from Andrew later, as he told me about that night, and I must say I was impressed. During one of our many trips, Jesse had me buy one of those air fresheners that you plug in, so he'd have it for this purpose. I believe he chose the vanilla scent, but he also had me pick up a special candle, which he lit and placed on the nightstand. That's all the light they had in the room, as they undressed each other, slowly kissing each area as it was exposed. Once they were totally naked, the boys hoped into bed and cuddled. They just held each other for quite awhile, enjoying the soft touch and his delicate fragrance, which was a combination of boy, soap and shampoo. Once they had held each other for several minutes and their souls had essentially combined as one, they slowly moved around until they were in position to sixty-nine. Gently and lovingly, they took a hold of the part that made the other boy male and tenderly suckled on it, as a newborn would nurse at the breast of its mother. After more time elapsed, they eventually brought each other to their own dry, yet totally satisfying, orgasm. Once they had both experienced this wonderful release, they cuddled against each other again, with arms and legs draped over and about their best friend and brother. Gradually, they drifted off, into a pleasant and restful slumber, while Morpheus helped them relive those glorious moments. When Jake and I went to bed, I explained to Jake how impressed I had been with everything Jesse had done. Seeing how important doing this was for Jesse, I realized those two would be close forever. They may not end up as lovers, but they will always be brothers and best friends, I had no doubt about that. This also made me realize it was also time to talk to Jesse, to see what his thoughts were concerning his mother. I wanted to get a feel as to whether he might prefer to go back and live with her or if he wanted me to adopt him. Over the next two days, the boys went out at least once a day for a bike ride, and Sammy and Little Ricky often accompanied them. Graham and Dion weren't really into the bike riding, but would go out with them from time to time, depending on what else was happening at the moment. Dion and Graham almost always went out when Jake and I got roped in to joining Andrew and Jesse and it was nice to see all of the boys were bonding through this activity. At the end of the week I received another email from Frankie and this one left me trying to figure out what he was alluding to, because it was just as cryptic as the one before. This is what he said. Hey, Dad. What's up? I hope you guys are having a better time at home than I'm having here. I'm really wondering if I did the right thing by enlisting and I sometimes have trouble seeing how this is going to help me get a job in law enforcement. I don't believe the things I'm learning here will have much relevance or use once I get back and I'm not sure if my superiors are even going to leave me in this position for much longer. I may end up getting transferred to an infantry unit or something, because I'm having a hard time adjusting to what they want me to do. Dad, I've seen some things here that are hard to describe. I've also been asked to do some stuff that I've had trouble forcing myself to do. When I'm asked to do those things, I think back to how you taught us to respect ourselves and to respect others, and I don't feel we're making the world better or safer by what we're doing here. I'm sorry, Dad, but I think living with you and my brothers has given me a different perspective than some of the others have, and if this is the way it's also going to be when I get home, I may have to choose a new career. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest and now I want you to tell me what's going on at home. I think about you guys all the time and can't wait to see you again. How's Jesse doing? Is he continuing to talk better and did Andrew get the cast off yet? How is everyone else? Did they get the gay-straight alliance started and, if so, how is it going? How are you and Uncle Jake doing? I hope he's doing all right now and no one is sick or anything. Have you heard from our older brothers and sisters? I hope they've stopped being so selfish and have gotten in touch with you again. Well, I'd better get going, but I want you to know that I love all of you, but especially you, Dad. I don't know how or what I'd be doing right now, if I didn't think about what you'd do, if you were in my place. I'll write again soon. Frank As I said, Frankie's email was just as confusing as the one before. What was he talking about? What did he mean when he said he's having a hard time doing the things he's been asked to do and may get transferred to the infantry? What was he referring to when he was talking about me teaching him respect for himself and others or about switching to a new career. Damn, his email raised more questions than it answered again, but at least I know he's well. The next thing on our plate was the Homecoming football game. The boys were involved in getting a float ready for the parade and they wanted to make sure it truly represented the gay-straight alliance. They asked if I'd pull it with the Yukon, and I told them I would, so they set out to put their ideas together and design the float, with the assistance of the other club members. The homecoming game was going to be held on Saturday afternoon this year, instead of Friday night. The boys also had the concession stand to run and worry about, as well as being included in all the other festivities. Jake and I volunteered to help them out with the concession stand, along with Andrew, Jesse and a couple of the club members that weren't interested in doing any of the other things. The boys happily accepted our offer and then spent their time pursuing other concerns. When it came time to drive down and hook up their float to the Yukon, I was quite impressed. They had done a nice job with the float, but I hadn't seen it until this moment. All the work was done at the bus garage, and it was also stored there, along with the floats from the other clubs. Of course, it had a rainbow above the gay-straight alliance name, but below the rainbow it said, "Under the rainbow we are all equal." I had never heard it put this way before, but I thought it was very appropriate. They also had several other items on the float, which symbolized various aspects of school life, but they were all tied together by the theme. The parade wasn't going to be held until halftime, so we settled in to watch the game first. A few faculty members stayed at the bus garage, so they could watch over the floats and insure no one tried to damage any of them. After some of the recent activities at school, we felt that would be prudent. Our school was actually leading by a touchdown at the half, but that was probably to be expected, since the athletic director had picked one of our weaker opponents for this event. To kick off the celebration, an announcement was made over the P.A. system welcoming everyone, before asking them to rise and participate in the singing of the alma mater. Once that was completed, the announcer asked all former athletes, cheerleaders and graduates of our school system to rise. This was done by calling each group separately, such as the football players, soccer players, on down through the various sports, until finally all the graduates were asked to rise. Some people had to stand numerous times, since they were members of several different groups, but it was nice to be recognized once more by the school system. Once this was over, the floats were driven on to the track and pulled around the oval that surrounded the football field. I drove the Yukon personally, since I didn't wan to chance one of the boys having a mishap, and I was proud to be dragging the gay-straight alliance float behind me. The entire event went off very well and with no problems, and then the drivers took their floats back to the bus garage, before returning to watch the rest of the game. Before the game ended, an announcement was made welcoming everyone, including former graduates, to attend the homecoming dance in the gymnasium, which would be held a little later in the evening. The homecoming king and queen would be crowned at a point during the dance and it was stated that everyone and their partners would be welcome, without exception. Hearing this made my boys feel fantastic, since it meant even gay couples were welcome, and this dance wasn't even being sponsored by the gay-straight alliance. In the meantime, several other activities were planned for everyone to enjoy and we took advantage of those too. We did go home to eat after the other activities ended and before the dance began, as did everyone else. By the time we drove back down, there was already a fairly nice crowd and it kept growing for another thirty minutes or more. I actually did see some girls dancing with each other and even a few guys dancing with other guys, but I wasn't sure if they were actually partners or just doing it as a joke. Jake and I took the two little ones home with us, shortly after the king and queen were crowned, but the other boys stayed behind. It was a pretty typical homecoming event, except for the fact that same sex couples were encouraged to participate this year, as opposed to the past. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and I never heard any negative comments. In fact, there were absolutely no incidents even remotely similar to what had happened at the previous dance. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 10 -- One Strange Board Meeting. Since I had my suspicions that the board member who had been arrested at the dance and just lost his bid for re-election would show up at the next board meeting to carry on his battle, I intended to be prepared. I spent a good share of the day doing research and jotting down notes containing facts, figures and other information I thought I would need to refute his claims and expose his self-righteous agenda. By the time I left work, I felt I was sufficiently prepared to tear apart any argument or justification he might present. By the time I got home, Jake and the boys could tell I was in one of my heightened states and worked up for a good battle. They had seen me this way before, and since they knew about the board meeting and what I suspected was going to happen, they all wanted to go with me so they could watch the fireworks. Even though I appreciated their support, I told them I'd rather not have them in the line of fire and wanted to take care of this matter on my own. I reminded them the board meetings were always recorded and shown on the local access cable network at various times, so they could view it the following evening. Since they realized I was unlikely to budge from my stance, they didn't argue, although they made comments such as they'd prefer 'to see the bloodshed live and as it happens.' I wasn't sure if they were talking about his blood or mine, but I didn't ask. I got to the conference room, where the board meetings were held, rather early, since I didn't want this confrontation to take place in the parking lot. I wanted it to happen where it would be recorded, so I could finish exposing him to the entire community. I laid out my papers on the table where I normally sat and then greeted the others as they arrived. I saw the old board member strut in, followed by a small entourage of a half dozen supporters, which included his wife and the parents of the boy that had been the ringleader of the group that had harassed Sammy. They all glared at me when they came in and took their seats in the peanut gallery, since he no longer had a claim to a seat with the rest of the board. The meeting started out with the swearing in of the new board and a quick vote to reaffirm the board's officers. I was mildly surprised the old board member didn't stand up and raise a ruckus then, but I guess since he'd been defeated so soundly, he didn't feel he should do anything and kept his seat. You could sense how upset he was and note the hostility in body language and posture as he sat in his chair, but he didn't say a word. In fact, the meeting was going quite smoothly, but I realized this was merely the calm before the storm. However, the uneasy truce ended when we got to new business. Once the board had covered the topics on the agenda, the board president asked if there was any other new business and the old board member stood up and spoke. "I have some new business, I'd like to bring up," the former board member stated. "I wish to address the inappropriateness of the activities scheduled by the gay alliance club." I noticed a couple of the other board members roll their eyes when he made his announcement. "If I may," I interrupted, "that's the gay-STRAIGHT alliance," I corrected, with great emphasis on the use of the word straight. "So you claim," he countered. "I bet you thought working to get me voted off the board would keep me from raising hell about this club, but you can see your efforts didn't pay off." "First of all, I had nothing to do with you losing the election," I told him. "You managed to do that on your own." "Yeah, right," he sneered. "Unfortunately for you, others in the community noted your actions and chose to support other candidates, which cost you your seat up here," I countered. "I doubt your hands were clean on this, but anyway," he said, while facing the other board members, "I see in September they've listed a panel discussion about, and I quote, 'the intolerance and misinformation the club was subjected to at the end of the previous school year.' I think that, in itself, is misleading and bias. For those reasons alone, it should be disallowed as a school sponsored activity." "And why do you think that?" the board president followed. "The officers of the club are planning to use that meeting to advance the gay cause and indoctrinate others to embrace their lifestyle. They don't really want to hear any opposing views and will try to squash them. It will be a one-sided discussion, since those of us that disagree with them won't be allowed to participate and share what we think." "If I may, Mr. President," I responded, "I'd like to respond to his comment." The school board president nodded, so I continued. "First of all, this is a student gathering and all students, regardless of their viewpoint or sexual orientation, will be able to attend and state their opinions. The topic has been selected because of its timeliness and relevance to the district and the discussion is meant to enlighten the student body about what occurred last year." "They will present the faggot arguments, excuse me, I mean gay arguments to try to recruit others to their side" he said, correcting his obvious bigoted remark. "I doubt any of the students will feel brave enough to speak their mind, since the ones running this club are your sons and have your support. Therefore, I think a parents' group should be allowed to participate and present another viewpoint." "Since this is a student function, not even the faculty will be participating," I responded. "Therefore, the involvement of a parent group would be highly inappropriate." "Why, because we may stop others from turning queer?" he challenged. "No, because student activities, such as this, are limited to only student participation," I explained. "Look here," he challenged, "I represent a group of Christian, God-fearing parents that are opposed to allowing your sons to use the school to recruit more deviates." "First of all, I'll reserve judgment on your description of your followers and you," I stated, tongue-in-cheek, "but it couldn't be too large of a following. I have the figures from the recent election of board members here, and out of the four candidates and the 3.648 ballots cast, where each person casting a ballot could vote for any two candidates, you merely received 196 votes. Mary was re-elected with 3,127 votes, the new member with 2.672 votes and the other losing candidate received 1.301 votes. Seeing those glaring figures, I don't see your backers as being an overwhelming segment of the population. Not only that, but I object to your comments about my family. My sons are not the only members of this club and only one of them holds an office. The alliance has quite a large membership and the majority of the members describe themselves as straight. There is no recruiting going on, if that even was possible, just an honest dialogue to clear up misunderstandings." "So you claim, but the bible says being a homo is wrong," he spat back. "You know, it seems that every time there is a sensitive issue being debated, those opposing it try to use the Bible to support their position," I countered. "Prior to the Civil War, those in favor of slavery attempted to use the Bible to support their claim that slavery was a God given right. They would quote a verse from Ephesians that says, 'Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,' to support this ridiculous claim. "When women were trying to gain the right to be allowed to vote, opponents used verses in the Bible that stated 'men are head over their wives' and 'women should submit to their husbands' to deny them this right. They attempted to interpret these verses from Ephesians and Romans to mean that men were superior and should be in charge of all decision-making processes, so women shouldn't be granted such rights. Are you saying you agree with these claims?" I paused. "What I believe is that the Bible is the word of God and should be followed, without debate," he countered, "You can take that how you like and I'm sure you will try to twist what I've said and make it look like I support slavery and would deprive women of any rights." "Well, would you?" I pressed. "That's not what I said," he responded, somewhat annoyed. "Actually, you haven't said anything about whether you agree with those positions, so I'm trying to clarify your stance," I replied. "That has nothing to do with what we're talking about here," he sneered. Rather than push the issue, I moved on. "So you believe the Bible should be taken literally and followed, without question?" I asked next. "Yes, I, well I mean we, do!" he stated, adamantly, while motioning toward the others with him. "Let me clarify your position then, I continued, after luring him into my trap. "Since you feel the Bible must be obeyed without exception, then you must also be following the dietary restrictions about not eating pork or consuming anything that lives in the water and doesn't have fins or scales, which means things like shrimp, crab and lobster. Do you adhere to these restrictions?" He stood very still and didn't respond to this, so I continued on. "You must also donate ten percent of your income to the church, because Leviticus also states that tithing is part of the law. Since the Greek and Hebrew words for tithe literally mean a tenth, I assume you must give a tenth of your income to your church. Do you?" Surprisingly, he chose to answer this question. "We donate generously to the church," he answered. "That is not what I asked," I challenged. "Do you tithe ten percent of your income, as required by the Bible?" He didn't appear as if he wanted to answer this, but I think he felt he had to now. "We don't make a lot of money, so we can't afford to give that much," he said dryly. "But tithing, or giving a tenth of what you earn, is part of Biblical law. If you believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, don't you HAVE to give the church ten percent?" I could see he was getting frustrated and had nearly reached the breaking point. "What does any of this have to do with anything?" he snapped. "What we're talking about is our concern that the homosexuals are using the school to recruit new members. None of what you have been mentioning has anything to do with what they're doing." "Ah, but what we were discussing is that you think homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the Bible and you believe the Bible should be read literally and adhered to," I stated. "However, it seems you are willing to pick and choose what parts of the Bible you want to follow verbatim and what parts you'd rather ignore," I stated, much to his dismay and disagreement. "That's not what we're doing and it's not the same," he claimed. "Why, because it would be an inconvenience for you to follow those other precepts?" I asked. "Times have changed and much of what you mentioned no longer applies," he stated. "Oh, so now you are saying the Bible is a living and flexible document that can grow and be interpreted to fit the changing times? Or can that only happen when it's convenient for you, and others like you, but must be strictly followed by those you oppose or when you say so?" The former board member was now struggling to find words to express his position, so his wife jumped to his defense. "You're twisting everything he is saying and trying to make my husband look bad," she screamed. "He's a good decent man who just wants the rest of the world to be morally responsible and not allow sin and debauchery." Those sitting around her were busy nodding their heads in agreement. "So you're telling me you also agree with his attitudes and stance on these issues?" I asked. "Yes, because we follow the principals laid out in the Bible," she announced defiantly. "And are you also a literalist, when it comes to the scripture?" I followed. "That is correct. I also believe in a strict interpretation of the word of God," she agreed. "So that means you agree with what I said earlier to your husband, about the arguments that were used against giving women the right to vote?" I continued. "You actually believe 'a man should be head over his wife' and 'women should submit to their husbands' and obey their every ultimatum?" I paused, to give her a chance to respond. "Maybe not everything," she hedged. "I mean, I'm his wife, not his servant." "But isn't that more or less what a literal interpretation of the Biblical passages would make you?" I went on. She looked a bit confused. "How about when you menstruate, or have your monthly period? Do you follow the guidelines in Leviticus that forbids you to touch or be touched by your husband, share a bed with him or allow him to even come into contact with your clothing for seven days? Do you leave your home and stay somewhere else for a week when this happens, thus becoming 'set apart,' as it states in the scriptures?" Again, she looked baffled and didn't say anything. "You have children, so did you follow those same rules for a seven-day period following the birth of a son or for a two-week period after giving birth of a daughter?" I continued. "Those are the restrictions that Leviticus states you must follow." This time, she merely glared at me. "That type of thinking is old fashion and a woman's monthly cycle is not considered a curse or that she is untouchable any longer," she replied. "And women don't stay in the hospital for a week or more after a baby is born, as they did during my mother's and grandmother's time." "So then you don't strictly follow biblical teachings, because they might be old- fashion and outdated?" I clarified. "In some cases, yes, like with the pork and seafood," she continued. "I believe those restrictions were there because many diseases could be picked up by not preparing those items correctly. However, we now know what to do to prevent that, so it's no longer a concern." "Ah, so we don't always have to follow every edict in the Bible," I rephrased, "because times have changed and we know better about such things now." I think she realized where I was heading with this, so she didn't answer. However, her husband did. "Well, no matter what you think about us or how you distort what we do or say, it will be you, your sons and all the rest of the queers that are going to end up in hell, not us," he shouted, figuring he had me this time. "So there is a commandment against being gay?" I challenged. "Not a commandment, but it does say that in the Bible," he answered. "Ah, so even if you forgive preachers, Congressmen, Senators and even your neighbors for breaking the commandment of not committing adultery and making a mockery of their wedding vows," I pressed, "then they'll go to hell too?" "Not if they repent and not do it again," he replied. "So you can break commandments and repent and still go to heaven, but a gay person can't? Now that's interesting," I scoffed. "And you believe that anyone who doesn't believe in the Bible and follow it literally, both the Old and New Testaments, without question, will go to hell?" I challenged. "Yes, Fags, Jews, Muslims and a whole bunch of others will all end up in hell," he spat back. "Interesting," I mused. "So you're telling me no Jews will be in heaven?" I pressed. "None of them," he responded. "That's odd. You mean Moses, Elijah, King David, King Solomon, Samuel, Daniel and the others that wrote the books of the Old Testament won't be allowed into heaven?" I reasoned. "Ah, well... they might be. I think they're different," he mumbled. "Why? They were all Jews," I pointed out. "But they lived before Jesus was born," he stated, trying to formulate an acceptable reason for allowing this incongruity. "Ah, so there will be some Jews in Heaven then?" I clarified. "I suppose, but I'm not a bible scholar or anything like that, so I don't claim to understand everything the Bible says," he stated. "I see, and that's probably one of the few statements you've made that I agree with," I taunted. "However, even though you aren't a theologian and don't have all the answers about Biblical meaning, you still feel competent to interpret some parts of the Bible and use it to advance your personal agenda." "There you go again, twisting my words around," he whined. "I don't think I've twisted anything, but merely used your own comments to refute your claims," I countered. "First you say that you believe everything in the Bible should be obeyed, then you suddenly change your position. Then you tell me no Jews will be allowed into heaven, and then you make exceptions. You claim the Bible should be interpreted literally and strictly obeyed, yet you and your wife don't and you've admitted exceptions to the rule, such as if a person repents for breaking a commandment -- one of God's ten most sacred laws. You seem to be willing to make an exception for everything, except for being gay!" "You just did it again," he charged, but I think he said this so he could avoid having to respond to my last point. "I don't agree and think we've clarified your position and cleared the air about a lot of things," I stated. "However, your concerns have been noted, but my decision that only students will be allowed at the panel discussion stands." "I figured you'd say that, but I have another objection, about something else. This one is about the activities the gay club has planned for October," he continued, even though I felt he might drop all of his concerns by this point, seeing he was already looking foolish. However, I guess he's a glutton for punishment. "It states this club is proclaiming one week in October as 'coming out week,' so other students can announce they are queer too. They are also planning to hold a Matthew Shepard memorial service. What the hell for? He didn't have anything to do with this school and didn't even live in this state." "Those activities have already been approved and the gay-straight alliance didn't declare that week in October for coming out on their own, that's a nationally recognized event. As far as the Matthew Shepard memorial service is concerned, he was a young man who was brutally killed for who he was and the students wish to honor his sacrifice and memory. I think it's similar in many ways to the Christian tradition of honoring those who gave their lives because of their beliefs and who they were." "I can't believe you are saying that gay guy is anything like the Christian saints," he yelled back. "I didn't," I replied. "I was merely drawing an analogy between the memorial service the students have planned and how Christians honor, or have honored, those who have died for what they were -- believers in Christ." I don't think he understood this comment any better than any of the rest of this discussion, and you could tell that was so after listening to his next statement. "So what are you going to do about these things?" he asked. "As I stated earlier," I reiterated, "these events have already been approved, so nothing is going to be done to change them." "Just as we thought," he spat back, "you aren't willing to listen to anyone who has a different view on these things." "We've listened," I explained, "and have spent many minutes while you ranted on about these things, but listening doesn't mean we have to agree or act upon what you've said." "You'd be well advised to change your ways and fear the wrath of God, or you will surely taste his judgment," he shouted. "It's not God I fear, because I believe my God is loving and compassionate," I answered. "What I fear are those who think they speak for God!" This really angered him, so he urged the others to stand up and storm out of the room in protest with him, but he did have one parting shot. "You may have your way here," he screamed back, "but I hope you enjoy spending eternity in hell, because we won't be seeing any of you in heaven." The rest of us in the room merely, snickered or raised our eyebrows at his final statement, because no one felt he had any chance of making it into heaven, no matter have pious and devout he thought he was. Once that group had exited the building, we finished up the rest of the board business and adjourned. On the way out, the board president stopped me, to share his thoughts. "Josh, I thought you handled that amazingly well and kept your cool," he stated. "Each time that guy shows up, he goes home looking like a bigger fool than he did before. I thought he'd give up after losing his bid to be re-elected, but you certainly exposed him as a hypocrite this evening." "Hey, what can I say?" I replied. "It's not hard having a battle of wits with an unarmed man." This comment caused the board president to chuckle. "I would have to agree with you on that and couldn't have put it better myself," he stated, with a grin. When I returned home, everyone wanted to know what had happened, but I merely advised them to watch it tomorrow evening for themselves. I didn't want to rehash everything that had happened, because it was annoying and I was exhausted. It had been a long day so I went to bed, with Jake following closely behind.