Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:28:12 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 5, chapters 35 - 36 Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 35 -- New Opportunities. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. By the time the Tuesday after Memorial Day arrived (May 28th), my next group of drivers was ready to take their road tests. Ricky was the first of that bunch to drive the course, followed by Cole, Jay and then Pat. Each young driver did fairly well and passed the test on one try, although Jay came closest to not getting his license. He had a minor problem parking and took one corner a little tight, but it wasn't enough to keep him from passing his test. Afterward the trooper, who had tested all of them, came over to speak to me. "Are these all your sons?" he asked, looking quite confused. "Well, all except for the red-head," I answered honestly, but with a touch of levity in my tone, seeing Jay had had the most trouble during his exam. "He's just a very close friend of the family." "So three of them are your sons?" he attempted to clarify. "And haven't I tested some other Curries in the past as well?" "It could be," I agreed. "I do have five others who have their driver's licenses." "Five others!" he exclaimed, with a horrified look on his face. "Damn, how many kids do you have?" Although he looked shocked by my response, he also seemed to be curiously fascinated. "Well, I have fourteen sons at home, as well as two others who live with me and Jay, the redhead, who is a very good friend and constant guest in our home." "Are they all really yours?" He didn't ask this is a mean or derogatory manner, but sincerely interested if they were my offspring. "They're adopted," I explained. "They aren't my biological children, but I love them just the same." "Wow, and I thought I had my hands full with just three sons," he quipped, while bursting out in laughter. "Well, you've done a good job teaching them manners and how to drive. I found each of them to be very respectful young men and pretty good drivers too. A couple of them have had some minor problems, but overall they do very well and know the rules of the road." I thanked him for his kind words of praise concerning the boys and then we chatted a bit longer about parenting skills, as he must have thought I had some secret inside information about how to work with kids. Once I explained to him my basic approach, he thanked me and said he'd try a couple of the things I mentioned. I told him they weren't magic or a secret code passed down through the ages, but they might work for him, and then again maybe not. It would depend a lot on his sons' disposition and the chemistry between himself and them. He merely chuckled again and then thanked me anyway, saying he was always open to suggestions. At that point, I rounded up the four boys and took them out to celebrate their success. As they gobbled down their reward, I listened to them tell about their experiences and heard tales about the jitters each had suffered through. In their own inimitable way, they also told me about the aspects of the test they thought they did well on, before critiquing their overall effort behind the wheel. After they finished, they began to comment on each other's efforts, while joking about mistakes the others had made during our lessons or about specific skills they knew a particular driver always seemed to have problems with. It was very comical watching and listening to the various boys telling these wild stories, so we all managed to have a good laugh while we ate. After paying the bill, I dropped Jay off at his place and then took the rest of them home, as they were eager to tell their brothers about their success and take their place as the newly empowered drivers. It was also approaching the time for Ricky to leave for Australia, which would happen on Thursday. On Wednesday, I could tell he was excited about going, yet he was sad to be leaving us. This was actually the first time he would be apart from me for any extended length of time, or away from his brothers, since he came to live here -- and that was nearly five years ago. I knew he was starting to feel some separation anxiety, even though he would probably be the last to admit it. I hoped he'd be able to cope with what he was going through and not let it get to him, because I didn't want to think this might ruin the experience for him. I did try to spend extra time with Ricky that afternoon and took him out to lunch, so we could talk alone. He wasn't saying much, so I finally decided to bring the issue to him. "Are you getting a little nervous about leaving?" I asked him. He looked up and gave me a weak grin. "Well, maybe," he admitted. "I'm not sure what I'm feeling. It's just different." "Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked. I wanted to make certain he hadn't changed his mind. "Oh, yes, I do," he responded, with more enthusiasm than I expected. "It's a great chance and one I might never get again." "So you do want to go?" I reiterated. "Yes! It sounds like a neat place," he confirmed, "and I'll probably get to do some cool things there." "I think you're right about that," I agreed, "but you still seem a bit nervous, maybe even a little hesitant, about going." "Not really about going," he replied, "it's... well, it's just... you aren't going to have another heart attack or anything like that while I'm gone, are you?" he blurted out. When I looked at him now, his facial expression seemed to be a cross between anxiety and sadness. "Well, I'll try not to," I quipped, while adding a little chuckle to relieve some of the tension, but it didn't seem to work. For that reason, I took a different approach. "Look, Ricky, I can't promise anything like that, but the doctor has given me a clean bill of health and we don't foresee any problems. Even though I can't guarantee I'll be fine, I don't want the possibility of something happening to stop you from going and enjoying yourself." "But I don't want to go if you won't be here when I get back," he whined. "Well, let's not think about that," I offered, "because it probably won't happen anyway." "I hope not," he concurred, while giving me a weak grin, "and I'll try not to worry, if you're sure." "I'm fairly sure," I replied, since it was the most positive answer I felt comfortable giving. "And you won't forget about me either, will you?" he asked, looking slightly worried. This question nearly brought me to tears. "Forget about YOU? How could I?" I asked, rhetorically. "You were my first son in the new family, and you are more special to me than you could ever know. I couldn't forget about you any more than I could forget my own name. I love you, Ricky. I always have and I always will." By this time we both had tears streaming down our cheeks, and I was glad we had selected an isolated corner to sit in. "Thanks, Dad. I love you too," he admitted, "and I know I'm going to miss you a lot, even if I do have a good time while I'm there. To tell you the truth, that's the thing I'll be saddest about -- that you and my brothers won't be there to share everything with me." "I understand, and I'm going to miss you too," assured him. "In fact, I'm positive we're ALL going to miss you." "Thanks again, Dad. That does make me feel a little better about this," he confirmed, "but do everything you have to, so I'll be able to see you again when I get back." "And I want to see you too, and chances are, that's exactly what will happen," I told him, trying to remain as positive sounding as I could. Once I told him that, we ended our conversation and left for home. When we got back, I helped him pack the last of his things, so he and I could spend even more time together. Just before we were done, he did ask me to run to the store for him and pick up a few last minute items. He said he wanted to keep packing, so I got in the car and went alone to get the items he requested. When I got back to the house, I took the things up to his room, watched him pack them away and then helped him carry his luggage downstairs. We set it off to one side of the foyer and left it there, so it wouldn't take long to load it up when we were ready to leave. Ricky spent the rest of the evening saying good-bye to his brothers and enjoying some final quality time with them, so I left them alone and Jake and I headed to bed. We were back together in my bedroom again, seeing the other problems were now behind us and we weren't so worried about the allegations made about us. We pulled back the covers, sat on our own sides of the bed, swung our feet up and under the sheet, but our legs didn't seem to go anywhere. We both looked at each other, and then pushed with our legs some more, but still nothing gave. This caused us to looked at each other again and we spoke almost in unison. "Ricky!" I hadn't had my bed short-sheeted like this since high school, so I threw my legs back off the bed, slipped my feet into my slippers, and...damn, he must have put shaving cream in my slippers too. What the hell, my feet were already covered, so I just pushed them the rest of the way in, having shaving cream forced back out the opening, and then I went to the door to go look for Ricky. As I reached for the door, my hand slipped off of the doorknob as I tried to get out, so I gripped it again, but it slipped off once more. It suddenly registered that he put Vaseline on that too, to make it more difficult for me to get out of the room. By now I could hear chuckling on the other side of the door, so I grabbed a dirty article of clothing off the floor and used it to wipe the greasy substance off the doorknob, and then hastily exited my room. There was Ricky and a few of the other boys standing there, with big grins covering their faces. "Having problems, Dad?" Ricky asked me, once I opened the door. "And I suppose you were the one who set this up?" I asked, although I wasn't sure if he would respond honestly. "Who, me?" he asked, with that mock innocent expression plastered across his face. I didn't answer, but merely glared in his direction. "Well, I wanted to make sure you'd remember me while I was gone." "Oh, you don't have to worry about that," I told him, a bit sarcastically. "In fact, I have the 'room for rent' sign all ready to put out." Startled by my comment, he shot me his patented 'feigned hurt' look. "You really think you can replace me?" he teased. "Not replace, but maybe improve upon," I told him, trying to sound and act serious. At this point neither one of us could keep a straight face any longer, so we both started laughing, and then I grabbed him and gave him the biggest, hardest bear hug I could. "Ricky, there is absolutely no way I could ever replace or improve upon you. Damn, I'm going to miss you. Just give your host parents a break while you're there and remember it's their house and they can throw you out." "Oh, Dad. What do you think I am?" he pleaded. "A total idiot?" "Well, maybe not total," I answered, quickly, and then he punched me in the arm. "And all this time I thought you loved me," he mocked, again flashing that famous Ricky 'I've been deeply hurt' expression. "I do, so count your lucky stars, or the response would have had more of a punch to it," I taunted. "Dad, you're awful," he told me, as he leaned his head against my arm. "I hope my host dad isn't so mean." This time I could see him sneak a look at my face, to see if he'd gotten even with me by making that comment. "If you're lucky," I said, simply, and then I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him again. As I did this, something else came to mind. "Did you really need those things you sent me to get from the store, or was that just an excuse to get rid of me, so you could pull your prank?" "No, I really needed that stuff," he said innocently, "it's just that I waited until then to ask you to get it, so I'd have time to pull my last gag before I left. I had the other boys distract Uncle Jake for me too, so he wouldn't catch on either." After making that admission, he flashed me another infamous Ricky grin, which let me know it was all done out of love, so how could I be upset with him? After that, we all went to our rooms to get some sleep, but not until after Jake and I had fixed the sheets on our bed. That night did not pass by very quickly for me. All I could do is think about Ricky and his going on this trip. I was worried about how he'd do on the long flight he had ahead of him, and then what I'd do if something happened to him during the eight months he was gone -- while he was thousands of miles away. It's not easy for parents to let their children grow up and flex their independence, and this was one of those times. My instincts told me to keep him home as long as I could, but my heart told me I had to let him grow up and become his own man. What I told him earlier wasn't a lie. He is very special to me. All my boys are special to me, each in his own way, but Ricky was my first foster-son and the start of my new family. Because of that, he would always hold a special place in my heart. I think I'm going to find this harder to cope with than I first believed. The next morning, after we showered, ate and loaded the car, I had Ricky say his final good-byes to his brothers before we left. Earlier, we had agreed that just Jake and I would take him to the airport. Since Jake offered to do the driving, I thought this would give Ricky and me some final time alone, without the hassle of worrying about the others. Although it was a long ride to Pittsburgh, we managed to talk the whole way, with me giving him words of warning and Ricky telling me he knew all of that already. Once I stopped my 'worried mother routine,' Ricky told me what he hoped to see and do while he was there. Upon arriving at the terminal, Jake and I walked him to the counter and helped check him in, along with tagging his luggage, and then we escorted him to the departure checkpoint, where we had to part. Ricky hugged Jake first, telling him to help take care of everyone while he was gone, and then he hugged me. I kissed him on the forehead, before I let him go, and then he turned and walked down the final corridor and out of sight. The last thing I heard him say as he walked away was, "Don't worry, Dad, I'll write and stay in touch." After we watched his jet take off, I let Jake drive us back home too, since my eyes were a little cloudy from all the moisture that had collected in them. I felt bad about having to put all of this on Jake again, but I was so consumed with thoughts about other things that I knew I wouldn't be able to focus upon my driving. I just wasn't sure I could do both successfully at the same time, so I thought it prudent to impose on my lover one more time. These thoughts were primarily about Ricky and his trip, and my mind was frantically racing over scenarios of hijackings, plane crashes and other such catastrophes. Although none of these were likely to happen, I just couldn't help myself for dwelling on such morbid thoughts. I just didn't know how I'd handle it if something like that DID happen to him. Even if nothing like that occurred, I knew I was still going to be hurting from missing him so much. Damn, why does loving someone have to hurt so badly? Oh, I know, it's not as if I was suffering from severe or totally unbearable physical pain, but knowing we were going to be separated by so many miles and for that many months, it just left an emptiness in my soul and an ache in my heart that would remain until he returned. This wasn't going to be the first time I'd ever experienced anything like this, nor would it likely be the last, but that didn't mean it was going to be any easier to get through. I guess that loving someone so deeply just brings certain responsibilities with it, which offsets all of the pleasure you get from the love you both give and receive. Over the years, I've become convinced that the most important of those responsibilities is to make sure your love isn't a stifling variety -- one that smothers the other person completely and prevents them from really being able to fully live and enjoy life. You have to make sure your love is sincere and complete -- one that will allow the other person the opportunity to grow and flourish as an individual along the way. That's the type of love I hoped I had provided Ricky and my other boys with, and thinking about that now offered me a modicum of comfort, which eased the sense of loss that had been building, up until that moment. Castaway Hotel -- Grand Reopening -- Book 5 by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 36 -- Changes. The remaining hours seemed to drag along, as I waited to hear from Ricky, to make sure he had arrived at his destination safely. I even spent an inordinate amount of time watching the 24-hour news channels, to be certain there were no hijackings or plane crashes during that time period. I did manage to take short breaks, when I would say a prayer of protection for him, and I knew he would dominate my thoughts until I was assured he had arrived unharmed. When the telephone finally rang, I was greeted by his angelic, yet devilish, voice on the other end. "I got here okay, Dad," he announced, with a bit of a snicker. "I knew you probably wouldn't go to sleep until I called and let you know." "That's great, and you're probably right," I concurred. "I've been a bit on edge since you left and I'm so glad you remembered to call. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't." "Well, you only told me a thousand times or more to let you know when I got here and you even reminding me I had a 1000 minute calling card in my wallet, which I was to use to make the call with." I could hear him laugh after he said that. "Do you want to use all 1000 minutes now, or do you want me to save some for later?" He was laughing even harder now, still my little clown. "We can use some now, but I don't think I can stay on the phone for that long." I teased, which made him laugh a little harder. "So how was your flight?" "Long, but not bad," he confirmed. "I watched a couple of movies and listened to some tunes before I got here. I even slept a little too." "Well, I'm glad you got there in one piece," I told him. "Was your family there to meet you?" "Oh, yeah. They were waiting for me and holding a sign with my name on it," he replied. "They're really nice, and I think their son and I will get along well. It's really different here, but I'm going to try to see and do as much as I can while I'm here." "You do that, and keep in touch," I reminded him. "Do they have a computer?" "Yes, they do, so I'll be able to send you all emails," he announced. "I have all your email addresses, so don't worry." There was a slight hesitation after he said this, so I figured he was getting a bit emotional, and possibly a little choked up. "Dad, I want you to take care of all my brothers for me and take care of yourself and Uncle Jake too," he urged. "I want both of you to behave while I'm gone, and that means no new little brothers before I get back." He laughed after saying that, most likely because of its weird implications, but I enjoyed his unique sense of humor coming through again. "I'll talk to you again when I can. Love you," he snuck in, as a prelude to ending the call. "I love you too, Ricky," I concurred. "Have fun, but be careful." "I will, Dad. Bye," he added, before hanging up. "Bye, Ricky," I managed to get in, before I heard a click and the line went dead. Now that I knew he was safely in his temporary home, I figured I could start to relax a little and focus on other things too. I was most definitely thrilled to hear from him and passed word along to everyone else that he had arrived safely and everything was going well. The others didn't look as relieved as I expected, so I concluded they didn't consider making a trip like that to be such a big deal. Although their outward appearance looked calm, I believed some of them, most likely his two cohorts in crime, Cole and Graham, had been a bit uptight about his safety too. Now that I had eased their fears as well, we could now go back to things as normal. A few days later, I opened the local paper and saw something that caught me totally off- guard. The Superintendent of our local school district had resigned and was leaving to take over a larger school district, some miles away, in another state. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I generally heard the scuttlebutt about things like this before they had a chance to be publicized, since I still had many connections within the school district, but no one had forewarned me about this. After calling around and checking with my usual contacts, all of them told me that NO ONE had seen this coming. The Superintendent had told everyone who heard about his interview that he only went to it for the experience, but never seriously considered having a chance to land the job. When he was notified that the other district wanted him, and at a considerable increase in salary, he was somewhat in shock, but did manage to accept the offer. He withheld telling any of his usual confidants about his good fortune, as he wanted to time the announcement of his departure. He contacted each of the schools and had them announce a hastily called staff meeting in the high school auditorium for that afternoon, where he explained what happened and confirmed he would be leaving as soon as the academic year ended, which was only a couple of weeks away. My friends apologized for failing to think of calling me and letting me know about this little surprise, but I told them it was no big deal. However, I knew the district would be in a bind to get someone to replace him at this late date, since replacing such a position usually took months to complete. The problem was, the district had a renovation project planned during the summer, which would require someone being in charge and able to make those last minute decisions, as well as being able to prepare the district for the next school year. Later that day, I received a visit from the President of the Board of Education, but I couldn't understand why he'd be coming to me about anything. After all, I was retired now and had nothing to do with the district, other than as the parent of a larger than normal percentage of their student body. However, he soon answered this question for me, and quite unexpectedly. "Josh, the board met last night in an emergency session to handle this situation with the Superintendent. I take it you've heard that he's leaving by now?" "Yes, I have," I confirmed. "I read about it in today's paper." "I assumed you would have learned about it, one way or another," he responded. "Well, the reason I'm here is this: the majority of the members of the school board have authorized me to offer you the job of Superintendent, if you're interested?" "But I've never even applied for that position," I replied, slightly dumbfounded. "Why not offer it to one of the other administrators in the district?" "Because we don't feel they are as qualified as you are," he announced, quite succinctly. "You know the issues confronting the school district and have shown you are willing to do what's best for everyone involved at all times, so we really feel that you are the best man for the position." "Well, I'm honored, but I'm also retired," I countered, partially in jest. "We'd make it worth your while, financially that is," he urged. "That sounds nice, but I've really enjoyed being here for the boys when they needed me," I explained. "I'd really hate to give that up and miss out on large portions of their lives." "We're also willing to be flexible, if you need extra time off or want to juggle your work hours for the summer," he offered. "This shouldn't be a problem during the school year either, since your boys will be in classes as well. You are our first choice and we really hope you'll take the job." "I don't know, this is all so sudden," I informed him. "I'd have to talk it over with the family first. I couldn't possibly accept it without seeing how the boys would feel about it." "Fair enough," he replied, more quickly than I expected. "Do you think you'll be able to let us know, say within 48 hours?" "I suppose I could do that," I agreed. "Great!" he responded. "Josh, the entire board truly hopes you will accept our offer, so please think this over carefully." "I will," I confirmed, before he departed. I was still somewhat in shock after he left, as I tried to consider what this might mean. I went over all of the ramifications I could think of, as I waited to talk this over with Jake and the boys. I wasn't sure how I was going to do this, but I felt I needed their input in order to make such a rather important decision. I also considered if I should talk this over with just Jake first, before I let anyone else know, but decided this should be done in a family meeting and all at once, so I wouldn't have to go over everything more than once. I waited until we were all gathered around the dinner table, before I brought it to their attention. "I had a visit from the President of the School Board today," I began. "He came because the current Superintendent has announced he's leaving the job and the board is offering me the position." "Wow, that's really great, Dad," Danny told me, looking both please and impressed. "Yeah, that's great, Pop," Nick added. "Then you'd be the big boss." "Can you do that, without us having to worry about you having another heart attack?" Kevin wanted to know. He looked very concerned as he asked this question. "Yes, I believe I can," I confirmed. "The doctor has given me a physical and told me I can do almost anything I want, as long as it's done in moderation. I'd just have to make sure I keep my stress level down, so as not to provoke another episode. Does anyone prefer I NOT take this job?" I asked, while looking around to see if anyone was responding to this question. "Well, I'd rather you didn't," Jake told me, bluntly. "I know the stress level of that job is very high and you really don't need the money. I think the boys and I need you more than you need this position," he added, while showing a little extra emotion on his face. "What if I just took it on an interim basis, just until they had time to post the job and go through the interview and hiring process?" I asked, as an alternative. "They are really in a bind here and need someone who is familiar with the district and what's going on, post haste." "I guess that would be all right," Jake told me, "if it was only going to be for a couple of months." "Yes, it would probably be something like that," I agreed. "Well, it is summertime, so not so many stressful things should be happening for a while," Jake added, showing that he didn't understand how stressful a renovation project could be or how tough it was to replace old staff and hire new, while preparing to get the next school year underway. "I guess we could live with that, right boys?" "Only if it means he'll be here with us through July and August, when Nigel and his boys come over," Pat added. "I thought we planned on doing a whole bunch of things with them." "You're right, and I almost forgot about that," I admitted. "Since we've planned most of the activities to take place over long weekends and such, I don't see it as a problem. The Board President has assured me they'll be flexible and allow me time off, so I'm sure it won't be a problem. Other than that, do any of you have anything else for me to consider?" No one responded, so I concluded everything was fine with my accepting the position on a temporary basis. The next day I called the School Board President back, to discuss the matter with him further. "Josh, thanks for getting back to me so quickly," he began. "Have you made a decision?" "Well, you probably won't be totally happy with it, but you won't be completely upset by it either," I informed him. "What is that supposed to mean?" he wondered, aloud. "Should I start to worry now?" "Well, that's up to you," I teased, "but after talking it over with the family, they've convinced me to only accept the job on an interim basis, to give you the time to post the position and look for someone to fill it permanently." "You're right, it's not what I wanted to hear," he confirmed, "but it is definitely better than your just saying no to us. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to get you to take this job outright?" "No, I don't think so," I admitted. "The boys are worried about how the stress will affect me, since they're concerned I might have another heart attack, but they've also reminded me we don't need the money that badly, especially if it would pose a risk to my health." "All right, I guess I can understand that," he conceded. "If that's the case, would you also be willing to serve on the selection committee to help choose your replacement? We could really use your expertise and your knowledge of the district to pick a successor." "Yes, I suppose I could do that as well." I agreed. "Great, even though I would have preferred to have you just accept the job in the first place," he acknowledged. "I guess this will have to do." Once I hung up, I told everyone else what I had agreed to, and they seemed fine with it. I wasn't sure if I was thrilled about going back to work, but I have missed some of the diversion that work provided me at various times. Although I love being with my boys and being there for them, I sometimes get bored when they're all at school or busy with other things. Besides, it's nice to be around adults at times too. Many of the teachers I knew were more than just colleagues, they were friends as well, and now maybe I'll get to see some of them on a more regular basis. As superintendent, I'll be making scheduled visits to all of the schools, so I might run into them while I'm there, plus I'll get to see them at district meetings and other functions, besides running into them at the other school related activities I will be attending with the boys. Yes, I think this might be a good move for me. It was less than a week later and I was still adjusting to going back to work. Although I never had a problem getting up early, since I always got up to prepare breakfast for my boys, even after I retired, the issue-filled day did tire me out more than I first expected. After coming home from one of these exhausting day, I opened my email and discovered I'd received something from Ricky. Hi, Dad. Have u forgotten me yet? J/k. It's pretty nice here. My host brother is pretty neat. His name is Peter and he's 15. We've talked some and he thinks he might be bi too. We even fooled around a little, just for fun. He's like Jay, natural, and he says most of the boys r here, so he kind of likes that I'm not. He introduced me to this cute girl too, so I might go out with her sometime. I'll have to ask Peter where I should take her though. My host parents are pretty neat too, it's just that I'm not used to having a mother fussing over me like this. That can be a real pain sometimes, plus I have to watch that I'm dressed properly whenever she's in the house. I'm not used to that either. lol I almost goofed yesterday. I started to walk from my room to the bathroom with nothing on, but I heard her singing as she worked in there cleaning the tub, so I ran back and grabbed my pants. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd walked in on her or she had walked out just then, cuz I'd have had some tough explaining to do about why I was walking around naked. hehehe So how is everything at home? I kinda miss all of you. I didn't think I would so much, but I guess I didn't realize how much I talked to my brothers and you when I need help or feel down. It's just not the same here, but Peter helps some. I hope u r takin it easy. Remember what we talked about. Sorry about those things I did to you and Uncle Jake before I left, but I thought you'd remember me better that way. Btw, I did that to Peter the first night too. Guess nobody's done that to him before. He couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was kind of funny. He went out and asked his mom what she had done to his bed, so she went in and checked it and then started laughing. I played dumb, like I didn't know what was going on. You know I'm good at that. hehehe Now I'm just waiting for the weekend, so I can run into his room, jump on his bed, and wake him up like I used to do to you guys. He doesn't know what he's in for. Love you all, and please write back. I want to hear from each of you. Love ya, Your bestest son, Ricky Well, that email was definitely typical Ricky and now I pitied his host family, especially his host brother. I think they might all be happy to see him go when his time is up. Then again, his little pranks and stunts might just endear him to them. I know it did to us. He's just such a fun kid to be around. I was glad to hear from him too, and to learn that he was adjusting there, although I knew he would. He's such an adaptable young man. Well, now that I don't have to worry about him, I can move on to other things. I guess maybe tomorrow I'll talk to Nick, Trey and Vinnie, to see if they're ready to start their driving lessons. They're all old enough, and I'm sure anxious enough, so maybe I'll start them on their lessons this weekend, if they're interested. 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