Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2010 19:13:34 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 7, chapters 43 - 44 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 43 -- What's Lost is Found. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. "Vinnie! Where the hell are you and where have you been?" I screamed into the phone, which brought Kevin running toward me. "Right now I'm in Altoona," he told me, before Kevin cut him off. "Vinnie, I'm so sorry," Kevin yelled over my shoulder and into the receiver. "I love you and I was a fool. Please forgive me and come home." He was crying again by this point. "Pop, I'm not sure I'm ready to talk to Kevin yet," Vinnie advised me, "but I just saw a missing poster with my picture on it, so I realized I'd better call home." "I'm glad you did, because we've been frantic for two weeks," I told him. "Can we come pick you up?" "Yes, I think you'd better," he agreed. "I'll have the guy I'm with leave me here and I'll wait for you. I'm at a rest area on I-99, just north of Altoona." "Okay, wait there and I'll get to you as quickly as I can. You have a lot of 'splaining to do, Lucy," I added, but Vinnie didn't respond right away. I wasn't sure if he got the joke, but finally he spoke. "Are you trying to pretend to be the husband on 'I Love Lucy'?" he asked. "That was my intent," I replied, "but obviously I didn't do a very good job." "Oh, you did," he offered, apologetically, "but I had to try to think back to seeing that on Nickelodeon. "Thank you, for being so kind, but you've still got some 'splaining to do, Lucy," I repeated. "I know," he replied, sounding very timid, like a small child who knew he was going to get punished for his transgressions. "You know Kevin will want to come with me," I warned. I realized Kevin probably wouldn't let me out of his sight or be denied a chance to join me, now that he knew Vinnie was all right. "I know, but I'm not sure I can deal with him just yet," he confessed. "I still love Kevin, but I can't get over the hurt and anger because of what he did. I'm also kind of embarrassed, because of what happened afterward." I assumed he meant disappearing like he did, but I could tell he was trying to be honest with me. "Well, Kevin feels much the same way," I added, "so maybe you two could work things out, if I bring him with me." He didn't say anything for quite a few uncomfortable moments, but then he finally responded. "Okay, if he wants to come and explain why he did what he did, then I'll try to meet him halfway," Vinnie agreed. "That's good and I'll pass the message along," I told him. "It will probably take us a couple of hours before we get to you, so see if there's someone on duty there and let me know." "You want me to do that right now?" he wondered, after a slight pause. "Yes, just leave the phone hanging and then come back and tell me," I advised him. "Okay, hang on," he agreed, before he ran off. A short time later he came back and gave me his answer. "Yes, this is a monitored rest area and there's a person on duty," he explained. "Good!" I exclaimed. "I want you to stay with him and wait for us. Don't go anywhere until I get there. Is that clear?" "Okay, I promise," he agreed. "Thanks, Pop, and I am sorry for making you worry." I hung up the phone and turned toward Kevin, whom I had been trying to hush during the entire conversation. At times, he made it nearly impossible for me to hear what Vinnie was saying. "Why didn't you let me speak to him?" Kevin challenged. "Because Vinnie wasn't ready for that yet," I informed him, "but he did agree to let me bring you, so you can work things out in person." Kevin began to calm down after hearing this. "Get your coat, but go the toilet first. Once you've finished, grab some drinks and throw them in the small cooler, so we can take them with us," I added. "Then we'll be on our way. I just want to call Uncle Steve and let him know we've heard from Vinnie and then I'll tell Jake what's going on. We can talk more about this in the van." "K," Kevin responded, simply. I could tell he probably still had a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but apparently he was willing to wait and do this on the ride to pick up Vinnie. I called Steve and informed him that I'd just heard from Vinnie and was going to get him. Steve was as relieved as I was and asked me to have Vinnie call him as soon as we returned. I was sure he wanted to discuss the inappropriateness of his actions with him as well, so I promised I would. After I filled Jake in, Kevin and I got in the van and were on our way. Kevin began to interrogate me, shortly after we got going. "What did Vinnie have to say? Where has he been and who was he with?" "Please, slow down," I responded, "He didn't tell me much, but he did say he was all right and would wait for us at the rest stop. He said he'd give us the rest of the details later." I could tell Kevin wasn't satisfied with what I said, but I think he also knew that was all the information I had. Therefore, he just settled into his seat for the long ride. I glanced at him as I drove and noticed his legs were bouncing up and down, as if he were suffering from a bad nervous condition. He was also fidgeting in his seat, which was most likely his response to being uptight about how he was going to apologize to Vinnie for what he'd done. I decided it was best not to say anything to him at this point, so I let him continue to try to work things out in his mind. Even though it was a cold winter's day, the road was clear, but the surrounding countryside was still covered with snow from previous storms. The sun was shining brightly and I would have considered it a perfect day for a ride, if we didn't have other things on our minds. We weren't able to focus on the lovely weather, because we were thinking about what we were going to do after we got to where Vinnie was waiting for us. After about an hour of traveling, I asked Kevin to open a drink for me, because my throat was beginning to feel quite dry. I conjectured this was caused by a combination of nerves and being in the dry heat of both the house and then the car, but I desperately needed to moisten my lips, mouth and esophagus. Kevin handed me my drink and then opened one for himself, but we continued to sit in silence, as we got closer to the place where we'd be reunited with Vinnie. I began watching Kevin more closely now, well at least as closely as I could while driving. As I did, I realized I'd never seen him this nervous or worried before, not even when he was going through his medical problems. "Okay, what's up?" I asked. The sound of my voice caused him to look up and the sad expression I saw plastered across his face nearly broke my heart. "I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get Vinnie to listen and forgive me for what I did," he told me. "I'm really worried he's not going to want to have anything to do with me, including hearing what I have to say." "I know he's probably disappointed and possibly even angry with you," I agreed, "but I think he still loves you and will most likely forgive you, over time. It may not be easy, but I think you can work things out." "Did he tell you that?" Kevin asked, hopefully. "No, Kevin," I replied. "As I told you, we didn't have time to discuss much, but I know Vinnie and I know you. That's why I'm sure you can smooth this over in time." I hoped that would hold him until he and Vinnie could get together and begin to iron out their problems. However, I noticed his legs where still bouncing up and down, like they were before. I took this to mean my words had brought him little comfort. As we finally approached the rest area, Kevin began to lean forward in his seat, as if this would help him see Vinnie sooner. Driving along the long service road, Kevin's head was snapping from side to side, as he sought some sort of sign of his boyfriend. When I pulled into a parking space and turned off the engine, Kevin immediately opened his door and was ready to bolt from the van. "Hold on there sport," I advised him. My comment caused him to stop, with the door partially opened. "I want to go find Vinnie and speak with him first," I advised him. "I think it's best if I speak with him alone, so I can find out where he's been and why he didn't call us, before you and he begin to work out your problems. That's why I need you to wait here until I get back." "But, Daaaaad..." Kevin wailed, upset. However, the high-pitched voice he used made it sound as if it were a scream. It almost sounded as if someone had just stabbed him. "No, it has to be this way, Kevin," I replied, unrelenting. "I have things I need to handle with him first, before he gets distracted with your concerns. I know this doesn't make you happy, but we have to do this one step at a time." "But I've waited so long to tell him I still love him," Kevin whined again. "He knows that," I reminded him. "He heard you shout it out when he called home earlier today, but I'll make sure I let him know you didn't want to wait." "Well, I don't," Kevin confirmed. "I understand, but there are more important issues to be dealt with," I offered. "The fact that Vinnie just disappeared was totally uncharacteristic of him and could have had disastrous results, so I need to talk to him about this. I must be certain it won't happen again." Kevin let out a very audible, and defeated, sigh, before he folded his arms across his chest and slumped down in his seat, in a posture of surrender. I took it to mean he wasn't going to continue to argue with me, so I got out of the van and walked toward the main structure. As I drew closer, I wondered if Vinnie had followed my instructions and was waiting for me in an office area. Before I had time to consider it further, I saw him emerge from a small room, where he'd obviously been waiting with the person who worked there. Vinnie didn't say anything at first and merely walked toward me, with his head bent down. Occasionally, he would lift it slightly, so he could glance in my direction. I was sure he was doing this so he could read my expression and see if he could tell how much trouble he was in. "I'm sure glad to see you," I told him, to break the ice. He didn't answer right away, but then timidly lifted his head to reply. "I'm glad to see you too," he mumbled, "and I'm sorry I made you worry and run all over looking for me." After telling me this, his chin dropped back against his chest and he looked like a puppy that knew it had done something terribly wrong. Seeing his reaction, I walked up and gave him a hug, even though it was awkward to do. I had to completely wrap my arms around both of his, while they were stiffened against his crutches, so he could support himself. "I'm glad you're all right," I told him, which caused his body to relax slightly. "I still think we need to go somewhere and talk, before we go back to the van. Kevin is waiting there for you and wasn't happy about having to stay behind, but I have things to discuss with you first, before you two delve into your situation. I think if we go to the van, he will try to dominate the conversation, so you two can make up. He is desperate to tell you how sorry he is." "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet, but you're probably right about what would happen if we went to the van," he agreed. "I guess we can go back to the room I've been waiting in. The guy is very nice and he'll probably just go out to do some things, so we can use it." "I hope we don't put him out, but that would work fine," I agreed. "Once we're finished, you can go and see Kevin, so you two can work things out." Vinnie nodded weakly, before he spoke. "Give me a second and I'll to ask the guy if we can use his office," Vinnie stated. "I'm sure he'll agree." Vinnie immediately wheeled about and went back into the room I saw him emerge from a couple of minutes earlier. He wasn't in there long, before another man came out and approached me. "Go ahead and use my office, if you want," he informed me. "I have some things I need to do anyway and it will take me a while before I finish." I thanked him for his kindness and then he disappeared. As soon as he did, I entered the room and confronted Vinnie. "Okay, I want to know what happened, from the very beginning," I demanded. "And I also want to know why you didn't contact us during this whole time." He hung his head again, before answering me. "Well, I guess Kevin's told you what I saw when I opened his dorm room door," he began. When he looked up to gauge my reaction, I nodded, so he continued. "I was so upset I couldn't even say anything, so I just left. As I was driving away, I saw Kevin run out after me and heard him scream for me to stop, but I couldn't face him then. Instead, I started driving home, but I was so hurt and crying so hard that I could hardly see, so I pulled over at a rest area. I really don't remember a lot about what happened after that, but I will tell you as much as I can recall." "And why don't you remember what happened?" I asked him. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe my mind is blocking some of it out or it might be that I was just so angry that I can't remember what I did, but I do recall bits and pieces." "Okay, tell me what you can then," I advised him. "Well, after sitting in the 4Runner and crying for a long time, I finally got out and went to the men's room. There was hardly anyone around at that time and it was dark out, so I hoped no one would see my red eyes or ask any questions. I think I washed my face and then I believe I went and sat on a toilet for a while. I think I closed the door to the stall and locked it, so no one would disturb me. It wasn't because I had to go, but I needed time to think about what I should do next. "When I finally went back outside," he continued, "I couldn't find the 4Runner and that's when I began to feel even more stupid. I guess I left the keys in the ignition and someone stole it and all my things." Vinnie stopped and looked in my direction, as if he was waiting for me to begin yelling at him or tell him how dumb he was. When I didn't react, he swallowed hard and continued his story. "That was too much for me to have to deal with, especially after finding Kevin with that other guy," he admitted, "so I guess I must have broken down and started crying again. I kind of remember somebody asking me what was wrong and I think I told him I caught my lover cheating on me and my car had just been stolen. That's when he asked if he could help. He said we had to call the police and tell them someone had taken the car, but I told him I'd get in big trouble if I did that. I said it would be better if I waited to do it after I got home. I told him I thought I should tell you first, face to face. "He didn't agree and kept arguing with me that it needed to be done quickly, before witnesses left the area." Vinnie added. "He said I had to report it stolen immediately or call home and tell you, so you could report it. I think I avoided having to do that by telling him you were away on a trip or something. He tried to get me to call the police again, but when I wouldn't, he finally gave up trying to pressure me." Vinnie paused in his story, as he tried to remember what came next. Moments later, he began again. "I think the guy was mad because I refused to call you or the police," Vinnie admitted, "but he still tried to help. He asked me where I was heading and I think I told him I was going home and could use a ride. He said if it was continuing on I-70 he'd give me one, so I agreed I was and thanked him." Vinnie paused again, and I almost used this lull to tell him how foolish he had been to accept a ride from a total stranger. However, since I didn't want to cause him to clam up and not tell me more, I didn't. However, I was pretty sure he had already figured it out for himself. I only had to wait a few seconds, before he renewed his tale. "I got in his car," Vinnie continued, "and he started driving. He asked where I wanted him to take me, but I don't remember what I told him. He informed me later that I told him I'd just let him know when we got there. I guess I must have forgotten, because I never did. I was thinking so much about Kevin and what had happened that I didn't even realize it when we passed the exit I should have taken to get back." Vinnie paused again, to see how I was going to react to this new revelation. "I'm sorry, Pop, but I didn't even think anything about it until he got off at another exit, to get something to eat," he confessed "It was a good thing I had kept my money on me and hadn't left it in the 4Runner too." I nodded, to let him know I agreed, but I didn't want to stop him from continuing his story. "After I realized we'd already gone by the exit I needed to take to get home, I didn't know what I should do," Vinnie advised me. "I didn't say anything to the guy who was giving me the ride, because I didn't need for him to think I was a complete idiot. I was already thinking that about myself." This time Vinnie didn't look at me, because I'm sure he felt I was silently agreeing with him. After a slight pause, he started again. "While we were in the restaurant, he asked me again where I wanted him to drop me off," Vinnie stated. "He told me later I said something like, 'it doesn't matter -- I've lost my lover, so I've no place to go.' I guess that's when he decided to just take me home with him, until I figured out what I was going to do." Vinnie stopped again, but this time he lifted his head and looked into my eyes. Once again, I felt he was trying to gauge my reaction and see how upset I was with him. His eyes were moist and I know it pained him to tell me all this information, but I wasn't about to let him off the hook. Even though it was difficult for him to admit these things, he had to learn his lesson. Besides, I guess I was also paying him back for causing us more than two weeks of extreme worry. "So what happened next?" I prodded. "The guy asked me lots of questions," Vinnie went on. "He wanted to know if I was still in school, where I lived, what I was going to do now and things like that, but I don't think I told him very much. Even though he didn't really know a great deal about me, he did say he'd let me stay with him for a few days, until I decided what I wanted to do next. I guess I must have told him I was eighteen, so he wasn't worried about getting into legal problems by letting me crash there." Vinnie paused again, because he knew he had not only taken a ride from a stranger, but had also told him some of his personal information. "Anyway," Vinnie continued, interrupting my thoughts, "I don't remember much after that, except he kept trying to get me to call the police to report the 4Runner being stolen or call home and let you guys know where I was. I faked calling you one day, so he'd leave me alone. I guess he must have believed I contacted you, because he quit bugging me about that, but he didn't stop telling me I had to get over whatever it was that was troubling me and go back to my family." "Vinnie, didn't you think we'd be worried to death and wonder where you were?" I asked. "Didn't you think we'd be frantically looking for you and thinking something awful might have happened?" Even though I didn't want to unload on him, I found I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. Vinnie looked at me sheepishly, since he realized how upset I was, before he began to answer. "I really didn't," he admitted. "I was only thinking about Kevin -- what he did and what I was going to do next. That's all I could think about." His head dropped down after he said this, until he was looking at the ground. At that point, I decided to soften my approach. I was worried Vinnie might shut down completely and definitely didn't want that to happen. There was a great deal more I needed to learn about his time away from home, before I allowed Kevin and him an opportunity to make up. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 44 -- More Details. "Okay, I want you to tell me more about this guy you've been staying with," I informed him, as I tried to tone down my volume and rhetoric. "I want to know who he is and what you two did during that time." "His name is Don, but all his friends call him Duck," Vinnie began. "He said when he was little his family called him Donald Duck. It was their way to tease him and the Duck part just stuck." "Yes, I've heard of that happening to other guys named Don," I concurred, "but tell me a little more about him." "He's only a few years older than me," Vinnie added. "He's in his twenties and lives alone, but he has a girlfriend that comes over from time to time too. He's also not much bigger than I am and that helped, because he let me wear some of his clothes. I didn't have anything besides what I was wearing, since it was all in the 4Runner when it was stolen." "Had you taken enough money with you," I asked, "to pay for everything you needed during this time?" "Not exactly," Vinnie confirmed, "but Duck paid for what I couldn't." "That was very generous of him," I replied, "but we'll have to reimburse him for whatever he spent on you." "Yeah," Vinnie agreed. "That and more. I owe him a lot." "So what made you finally call home when you did?" I wondered. "Duck was going to the Penn State campus to watch some sporting event," Vinnie told me, "so I thought I'd go with him and find Danny. I figured we could spend some time together, but I also planned to tell him what had happened and then ask him what he thought I should do next." "So why didn't you go ahead with that plan?" I asked. "I was going to, but after we got on I-99," Vinnie continued, "I had to take a leak, so Duck pulled over at the rest stop. While I was in the toilet, I guess Duck started checking out the bulletin boards, to kill time while he was waiting for me. When I came out, he called me over and showed me the missing poster with my picture on it. I take it you guys put it up." "We did, but we hadn't done that originally," I confessed. "In fact, it was Kevin who made us go out and put them up along that route. I would never have thought about distributing them along I-99 and only did so because Kevin was so insistent about it. "How did he happen to think about doing that?" Vinnie wanted to know. "He was just frustrated sitting around and doing nothing, so he grabbed the atlas and studied it," I informed him. "That's when he announced we needed to put the fliers up along I-99 and I-79 too, seeing we'd already put them up along I-76 and I- 70." "Neat," Vinnie commented enthusiastically, after concluding Kevin must still love him or he wouldn't have gone to all that trouble. After I prodded Vinnie for more details, he kept going. "Anyways, Duck called me over and pointed at the poster and said, 'Dude, I THOUGHT you called home.' I told him I did and you must have put that up BEFORE I called, and he bought it," Vinnie explained. "Then I told him maybe I should call home and arrange to get picked up this time, so he handed me his cell phone and told me to call right then." "I'm glad he did," I responded, "and I owe both Kevin and Don a great deal for getting you back to us safely." I hugged Vinnie again, but it was slightly easier when I did it this time, since he was sitting on a table and his crutches we're leaning against the wall. Not only did that make it easier, but when I hugged him, he also hugged me back. "I'm really sorry for making you worry," he told me again, "but I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly after seeing Kevin and that other guy." I merely hugged him a little harder in response, to let him know all was forgiven. "Vinnie, I don't hate you for what you did," I told him, as I broke our embrace, "but you did not use very good judgment. I could have understood you not getting in touch with us for a few days, but..." I let my words trail off, to give him the opportunity to fill in the blank. "I really wasn't thinking clearly while I was with Duck," Vinnie admitted, "or I probably would have called sooner. I do remember Duck continually trying to convince me I should get in touch with my lover and we could get past our problems. Duck said if I couldn't do that, I should just move on and find someone else. I did listen to him, but I wondered what he'd have said if he found out my lover was another guy. "Anyway," Vinnie continued, "most of the time I was there I'd just sit or lie around thinking about Kevin, but mostly I kept seeing him and that other boy sucking each other off. I also kept remembering how much it hurt to know my plans to spend a romantic Valentine's Day with him had crashed and burned." Vinnie started sobbing after saying this, because it reopened the wounds that had not yet healed. It also released the torrent of water previously held back by the dams in his eyes. I gave him some time to purge himself of these feelings and then tried to comfort him, as much as I could. "Look, I can only imagine how much that must have hurt and how angry you would have been," I stated, "but I can only tell you what I saw, and that was how badly Kevin felt about what had happened. I won't try to defend his actions or make excuses for him, and you two will have to work this out on your own. I can only tell you he's been in a world of hurt for the past couple of weeks, ever since you took off." "Really? He felt that bad? Do you think he still loves me then?" Vinnie was asking these questions to make sure he wasn't misreading what I said. He was still hopeful Kevin hadn't permanently tossed him aside for someone else. "Yes, Vinnie. He felt terrible and I believe he still loves you," I confirmed. "In fact, I'll bet he's probably about ready to start ripping the interior of the van apart, because we're taking so long in here. We'd better get going, before he actually does it." Vinnie looked a little relieved, yet I could tell he had many more questions he wanted answered. "Then why did he do it? Why was he with that other guy?" he managed to get out, but I squeezed his shoulders comfortingly. "I told you I won't try to explain things for him, but I will say that we all make mistakes," I explained. "Maybe, but his was a huge one," Vinnie replied. "I still don't understand why he would have done anything like that, if he really loves me." Even though I didn't want to get involved, I felt I had to offer Vinnie something to encourage him. "I think Kevin was missing being with you and thinking about you made him horny." Vinnie looked at me like he didn't believe what I was saying, so I continued. "You see, I believe when he thought about Valentine's Day, he thought about you and his hormones kicked in. The problem was, it then occurred to him he was going to be alone on that day. Unfortunately, for the two of you, he was already horny and that led him to someone else. The hormones made the decision for him. At least that's the way he explained it to me. "He also told me the other boy meant nothing to him," I added, "but he was available and provided Kevin with a chance to get his rocks off. I think if you two talk this out and don't overreact, you'll be able to reach an amicable understanding." I now saw a spark of hope in Vinnie's eyes. "I really do love him and want to forgive him," Vinnie said, "but I just don't know if I can. Every time I close my eyes, I can still see him and that other boy sixty- nining." I nodded slightly. "And I'm sure you will continue to see that image for quite some time to come. The thing is, do you love him enough to forgive him?" I asked, and then gave him a minute to think about his answer. When he didn't respond, I continued. "You know, when I'm not sure if I can forgive someone, I think of the phrase by Alexander Pope. He was an eighteenth century English essayist and poet who wrote the famous line, 'to err is human, to forgive, divine.' That's why, whenever I get upset with one of you boys for something you've done, like now, about your running away and not calling home, I think of that line and then decide if I love you enough to forgive your mistake." Vinnie looked up at me, timidly, when I mentioned his mistake specifically. I think by tying my forgiveness for what he had done to his possibly forgiving Kevin for his transgression, the message began to sink in. After considering my words briefly, he finally responded. "So, tell me honestly," he stated, with a questioning look. "You don't think he loves the other guy he was with?" "No, not at all. The guy just happened to be there and provided Kevin with a chance to get some sexual relief," I told him. "By thinking with the wrong head, Kevin went for the easy solution to his problem. There was no emotional attachment or love involved. That's what Kevin told me and I do believe him." Vinnie's body began to relax more. "Okay, I think I'm ready to talk to him about this now." He started to get up, but I stopped him. "Before you do, I have a few things I want to go over with you," I added and Vinnie's expression changed again. I could see he was apprehensive about where this might be heading. "I understand what happened that night," I told him, "but I'm still having problems with your actions. I can even agree that you might not have been thinking straight for another day or two, but you were gone for over two weeks. Are you truthfully telling me you never seriously thought about calling home, to let us know you were all right?" If ever I saw a guilty expression on a person's face, it was plastered all over Vinnie's mug at that moment. He wiggled and squirmed a bit on his crutches, while he struggled with how he was going to justify what he'd done and rectify the situation. Even though I told him I had forgiven him and was happy nothing bad had happened, it was now clear I wasn't going to allow what he had done to slide. "I hardly remember anything about the whole first week," Vinnie explained. "Like I told you, I was kind of in a daze. I can't even believe Duck let me stay with him that long. I guess he felt sorry for me, knowing the 4Runner had been stolen and I'd caught my lover cheating on me. I'm not sure why he took care of me, but he did, and he even made sure I ate and everything." "I'm glad he did all of that for you," I agreed, "but it still doesn't explain why you didn't call home." "Well, I did think about it from time to time, when Duck harped on me about it," Vinnie said, "but it wasn't until last Sunday that I began to realize what I'd actually done. Once I understood that, Duck began to explain the parts I didn't remember. He actually told me nearly everything that had taken place since he first found me. When he saw I really didn't remember much of it, he made sure he told me all of the details that I'd kind of blocked out of my mind. "After I realized what I had done," Vinnie continued, "I kind of panicked. I knew it was my fault the 4Runner got stolen, along with my clothes and cell phone. Realizing this made me feel like a damn fool and I figured you'd be really pissed at me for doing something so stupid. This gave me two things to worry about. "Not only was I was still upset about Kevin," Vinnie went on, "but I had all this other shit to deal with too. Even though I thought about calling you then, I was scared about what you were going to do, because it was all just dumb. Besides that, I wasn't ready to face everyone and answer their questions about Kev and me." As Vinnie rambled on, I thought he was beginning to look like the proverbial kid who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He looked about as scared and uncertain as I'd ever remembered seeing him react, or any of my boys, whenever I cornered them about their actions. "Okay, so when did I become this ogre that you're scared of coming to now?" I asked, while trying to get a response in a light-hearted manner. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused by my approach. "Well, you said you were scared of what I'd do to you, so which kid did you see me murder or maim? You must have caught me doing something like that," I teased. I was also hoping this would take some of the pressure off of him. "What the heck are you talking about?" Vinnie shot back, still confused. "If you were that scared of me, you must have had some reason for thinking I was going to do something awful to you," I stated, more explicitly this time. "So, what did I do in the past that made you think I was going to torture you or something?" Slowly his face began to brighten, as if a light had gone off in his head. "Oh, no. It was nothing like that," Vinnie confessed. "It was just that I still wasn't thinking clearly. I wasn't really scared of you; it was just that, for some reason, I kept thinking I was going to get punished - really hard. I know I had no good reason to think it, but I just did." "Well, I'm not sure I understand your reasoning," I said, "but I'll leave it alone for now. So, tell me why you didn't call before deciding to go talk to Danny?" "Well, for some reason I still thought you were going to be really mad at me," Vinnie reiterated, "and I thought Danny could help me figure out how to keep that from happening. I guess I was more concerned about you having a heart attack after you found out about everything getting stolen, rather than your just being so mad at me." Vinnie looked at my face now and I think it was because he was worried about how I'd take this new disclosure. I also assumed this was the real reason he hadn't called home and not because he was worried about being punished. I was touched he would even consider my health as a factor, but I felt it imperative to dispel his concerns. "Look, even though I've had one heart attack," I told him, "you boys don't have to keep worrying about it happening again. I'm watching my diet, taking care of myself and have nitro for emergencies." "But we don't want you to get to the point where you have to use it," he blurted out, "because it might mean we'd lose you, like Little Ricky lost his dad. That's the biggest reason I didn't want to tell you about everything that happened." "And you thought letting me worry about whether you were all right and wondering what had happened to you wouldn't be worse?" I think one of us was missing a vital bit of logic. "I guess I never thought about that," Vinnie said, "just that you would get really upset if you heard about the car getting stolen and everything else." "Well, that hasn't happened and it won't, so I think it's time we got things back to normal," I suggested. "If you weren't eighteen, I think I'd be considering grounding you until you were, but I will warn you I will be less apt to go along with any more of your proposals in the future. This is mainly due to the fact that you have shown a grievous lack of judgment throughout this whole process." "But, Dad, it was just because I was so upset," he pleaded. "I would have let that cover a few days of bad judgment, but not over two-weeks worth," I informed him. From the look on his face, it was apparent he was starting to get the point now. Therefore, I suggested he move on to what he was going to do next. "I think it's time you start to work things out with Kevin," I offered, "so we'll finish our discussion later. I still love you, but I do think you showed a severe lack of maturity throughout this entire period of time. Let's not have it continue when you and Kevin start to hash things out." I knew he understood my disappointment in him, because if he were a dog, I would say he had his tail between his legs. He also seemed to slink away, as he headed toward the van. I didn't want him to feel defeated, but he had to know how badly he screwed up. It wasn't just Kevin who had made mistakes here, so I hoped by putting him through some discomfort, he wouldn't be so apt to make a similar type of error in the future. However, right now I had to bring him back to the present. "Vinnie, do you want to talk to Kevin alone and have complete privacy?" I posed, before he got too far away. "Or do you think you and Kevin can talk while I drive home?" "I'm not sure," he responded. "Let's go ask Kevin. I think he needs to be part of this decision too." After hearing his response, I walked back to the van with him. I saw Kevin sit up as we approached and then he opened his door and walked to meet us halfway. He didn't rush toward us, as I expected he might, and it looked as if his conscience was making him slightly reluctant about hurrying to apologize. In fact, both boys were walking very tentatively toward each other, so I positioned myself between them and spoke. "I need to know if you two want time alone to solve your problems," I asked, "or if you'll be able do it during the ride back?" Kevin looked at Vinnie, who stared back at him, before they both turned toward me. "I'm willing to do it on the ride back," Kevin stated, "as long as we can do it face to face." That seemed to be enough to get things started and Vinnie quickly agreed. They both hopped in the back of the van, as I got into the driver's seat and placed the key in the ignition. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.