Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:57:28 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 8, chapters 17 - 18 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 17 -- Duck's Initiation. Bowling is not something we do often, but I thought it would be another fun family activity we could do with Duck. Seeing most of the boys are competitive by nature, I thought I'd incorporate their natural instincts into this outing too. There were twenty-one of us in all, including Mark, Duck, Jake and myself, so I split us up into three teams of five and one team of six. This way the boys could still compete against each other, but as part of a group. It wasn't as easy as splitting them up into football teams, but we did our best. I made sure Vinnie was on the team with the extra bowler. I teamed him up with Kevin, Duck, Mark, Sammy and Andrew, and I would drop the lowest score when we compared them to the others. Vinnie told me he had bowled before, and I had no doubt he would give it his best shot and probably hold his own. However, I felt it best to have him on the team with the extra bowler, just in case this proved more difficult for him than he was willing to admit. The way I had planned it was like this. We got two pairs of lanes, with two teams alternating on each pair. Each team would bowl three games and then we'd add up total scores and announce the winners accordingly. I thought that should be fun for everyone. Now that we had all put on our shoes and selected our bowling balls, I assigned the teams to the two pairs of lanes. Trust me when I say that none of us would have qualified to go on the Pro Bowlers Tour, but we did have some interesting and comical moments. During one game, Sammy's hand became sweaty, so as he went into his back swing, the bowling ball slipped off his fingers and came shooting back toward those of us who were waiting our turn to bowl. He was quite embarrassed by this little mistake, but we were all laughing so hard that it was almost impossible for him not to join in the jocularity. After he collected his bowling ball again, all the boys pretended to hide behind their seats, to avoid a repeat performance, but they made sure Sammy saw this and heard their comments. It was just one of those little ways the boys have to make you feel special. "Take cover," Ricky yelled, as he ducked down behind his seat. "Women and children first," Andrew added, grinning at his brother, and then he also hid behind his chair. However, Sammy wasn't the only one to have a little faux pas on the lanes. During the final game, Dustin, who had been bowling quite well, had a problem of his own. His fingers had begun to swell and during one of the final frames, the ball didn't come off his fingers at the release point. Instead, it clung to his puffy digits during his follow through, and then finally came off his hand as it was reaching upward. The bowling bowl momentarily soared toward the ceiling, before it came crashing down on the lane. This caused everyone around us to stop and turn toward our lane, to see what had just happened. As Dustin tried to act nonchalant and watched the ball creep toward the pins, the others began to make their comments. "Was that a shot put or a bowling ball?" Kevin teased his old boyfriend. "Hey, Dustin, make sure you fix your divot," Brandon joked, throwing in a golfing analogy. Surprisingly enough, Dustin did knock down six pins with that shot, but as he came back to get his bowling ball to pick up his spare, Ricky and Little Ricky, who was mimicking his idol, grabbed chairs and held them above their heads, as if that would protect them from bowling balls that might rain down from the ceiling. Dustin just shot them a dirty look, before he picked up his spare, but he did grab Little Ricky when he came back, and began to tickle him. "Do you think you can get away with making fun of me?" Dustin asked. "Ricky, help me," Little Ricky squealed, in between his fits of laughter, and soon his namesake came over to help pull him out of Dustin's grasp. Oh, Dustin could have maintained his grip, if he had wanted to, but he had proven his point, so he released Little Ricky and allowed him to believe Ricky had come to his rescue. Our fun didn't rely only on the lighter moments of bowling either, and there were some moments of amazing success as well. At one point, Pat left a 3-7-10 split. The 3-10 is a small split, on the right side of the lane, and the ball will fit between the two and pick them up, if thrown properly. However, the 7-pin is on the far left side of the lane and the 3-pin must be slid into it. Just because someone picks up the 3-10 portion of the split does not automatically mean the 7-pin will be knocked down as well. However, Pat's shot was placed so perfectly, he knocked over all three pins and picked up his spare. Of course, this got him numerous congratulations from the others. "Great shot, Pat," Graham told him. "That was really awesome." "Yes," Duck added. "I bowl quite often and I think I've only seen the split picked up twice before. Well done." "Can you teach me how to do that," Andrew asked innocently, yet sincerely. "If I was sure how I did it, I'd show you," Pat told him, "but most of it was just luck." Andrew looked disappointed, since he was hoping Pat could teach him that and other tricks. Seeing this, Pat told him he'd help him as much as he could, which made Andrew perk up again. Another interesting time was when Jake threw six strikes in a row, which really impressed the boys. Jake mentioned he had bowled in leagues when he was younger and had always done fairly well. He then admitted he was starting to get the feel for the game again, but added there was still a lot of luck involved in how well he was doing. Regardless of why he was bowling so well, the boys often came to him to ask for pointers, which seemed to please Jake immensely. The one other thing that seemed to impress all the boys was when Dion bowled his first 200-game. He did this quietly and none of us noticed it until it was over, which was quite an amazing feat. He'd picked up all his spares during the game, which in itself was a rare occurrence, but he'd also had a double (two strikes in a row) early on, and then finished up with a strike in the ninth frame and the first strike in the tenth frame, which gave him a 202 score. The others all fawned over him and told him how well he did, as they marveled over what a great game he had. Dion enjoyed his time in the limelight and seemed to bask in their praise. He was king of the hill, for the moment, and loving every second of it, but his team didn't win. That honor went to Jake, Shannon, Nick, Graham and Pat, so we all congratulated them and acknowledged their supremacy on the bowling lanes. Before we left, Duck made sure he came over to let us know he had another great time. His team had come in second, but he said that didn't matter, because he enjoyed every second of it, no matter how they had finished. He also told me he had bowled against Danny and Brandon and they were getting along really well too. I guess he wasn't aware that I knew of the invitation they had made to him and he most likely would be joining them for a threesome. On top of everything else, Duck also mentioned that Mark and he were really hitting it off and were even talking about meeting up sometime, with their girlfriends. Duck said he would like that and hoped it actually happened. I was glad to hear what he had to say and Duck seemed to be glowing, so I knew he was being honest with me. I was extremely pleased we had been able to fill another void in his life and possibly ease the years of regret and pain he had endured. After bowling, Jake and I took the boys home and left them to their own devices for the rest of the evening. Before long, I noticed Duck going off with Danny and Brandon and had a pretty good idea about what was going to happen. Danny filled me in about it later, so I'll also let you know what took place. When they got to Danny and Brandon's room, Danny turned to Duck, to make sure he hadn't changed his mind. "Are you sure you're still up for this?" Danny asked. "Oh, yes. Maybe your Dad, Vinnie or Kevin haven't filled you in about me, but I'm actually bi. I've always wanted to mess around with guys before, but I was just too scared after what happened the first time." Duck then went on to relay his story about his friend from school and getting caught by his father. "Man, I thought my old man was pretty bad," Danny told him, "but your dad might have mine beat." Danny then went on to tell Duck his story, about when he got kicked out of his home. After that, Brandon told Duck about some of the tough times he'd been through and Duck was shocked. "I guess it hasn't been easy for any of us, huh?" Duck asked. "No, but Brand and I are really happy and wouldn't change our lives together for anything," Danny admitted. "We're partners for life and we plan on coming back here, after we finish our schooling, so we can help Dad take in more boys." "That's really great," Duck admitted, "so if I'm messing up your relationship, we don't have to do anything." "No, you're not messing up anything," Brandon told him. "Danny and I agreed to do this, so as long as it's both of us, and not just one, then it's okay." "Hey, if you're sure, I'm game," Duck admitted. "Great, then what would you like to do?" Brandon followed. "Dang, I'm not sure," Duck admitted. "You guys know more about this than I do, so why don't you tell me." Brandon looked at Danny and Danny looked back at him. Before long, they were both grinning. "Why don't we just teach you how great another guy can make you feel," Danny told him. "Yeah, you don't have to do anything to us, if you don't want," Brandon added, "and we'll do all the work." "Hey, if you think that's best," Duck confirmed. "You just tell me what to do." Neither boy was shy about making their requests and before long all three of them were naked and lying on their bed. Danny moved up and began kissing Duck and working on his neck, while Brandon worked on Duck's chest and nipples. Duck was squirming and enjoying the dual stimulation and both Danny and Brandon were doing their best to make him feel good. After a few minutes of doing that, Brandon slid down and started licking around Duck's shaft, which was standing tall and proud. It was about seven inches of fairly thick boy meat and Brandon eagerly began running his tongue up and down the shaft, before he let his mouth slip over the head, as he swallowed it, nearly down to the root. Duck groaned audibly when this happened. After a few seconds, Danny made a suggestion. "Brand, hang on a second. I have an idea," Danny announced. Brandon stopped what he was doing and sat up to listen to what his lover had to say. "Duck will you please get on all fours," Danny ordered, politely, and Duck did as he was asked. "Okay, Brand," Danny followed, "you get on your back and slide between Duck's legs, so you can suck him off from underneath." Brandon understood exactly what Danny was asking and did it immediately. As soon as Brandon was in position, Danny straddled him and bent forward and began rimming Duck. Duck wasn't ready for that and bolted upright for a second, before Danny spoke to him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to enter you," Danny assured him. "I'm just going to let you experience how good it feels when a tongue, and maybe a finger or two are used down there." Duck looked hesitant. "I've never done anything like that before," Duck responded, "and the only thing that's ever been put in my butt is a rectal thermometer and the nozzle from an enema." "Don't worry," Danny reiterated. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you sure will feel good. I'm willing to guarantee it." Hearing that, Duck began to relax and before long he was humming from the dual stimulation. Brandon was eagerly, and expertly, sucking him off and Danny was busy running his tongue around and in his anal opening. Duck had never felt anything so good before and was nearly about to pass out from the overload of pleasure. After a few minutes of this activity, Danny reached into the nightstand and grabbed the lube. After greasing up the fingers on his right hand, he inserted his index finger into Duck's opening. He did it slowly, so it didn't hurt, but Duck did stiffen slightly, when it first began to happen. After a few seconds he began to relax again, so Danny began to slide his finger in and out, before he used it to locate the prostrate. When he did, he ran his finger over the surface of that leathery button and Duck began seeing stars. Within seconds, he was spewing his seed into Brandon's willing mouth, until Brandon had drained every ounce of fluid he had in that organ. Once this happened, Duck slumped forward, landing above Brandon's head, and stayed that way for several seconds, while the other two got up to see if he was okay. "Are you all right, Duck?" Danny asked. "All right?" Duck quipped. "I'm better than all right. In fact, I'm better than I think I've ever been. Man, what did you guys do to me?" "We just showed you what gay sex is all about," Brandon told him. "At least some of it." "Well, I've had sex with girls before," Duck admitted, "but I've never come that hard or felt this good. Damn, I thought when you started messing with my butt I'd hate it, but that was fucking awesome. I can't believe how good you made me feel and then you sent all kinds of shocks and sparks or something through my body." "Yeah, that can happen when someone messes with your prostate," Danny explained. "I'm glad you enjoyed that." "Enjoyed?" Duck questioned. "It was more than enjoyed. If I knew it would be that good, I would never have let my father scare me out of trying more. Damn, I've missed out on so much." "Well, you're still young and have time to make up for that," Danny informed him. "We'll help, but only if you want." "Oh, hell, yes!" Duck exclaimed. "You guys are definitely hired as my teachers." Duck grinned and giggled after saying that. "Now, what can I do for you?" "Why don't you just watch and see what Brand and I do," Danny told him. "I think you've done enough for the first time, but we'll show you what you can look forward too." Duck agreed and watched as Danny and Brandon made love. Duck was enthralled by how loving and tender they were with each other, but he was amazed at how easily Brandon took Danny's larger than average penis, when they made love. As that pair was going at it, Danny spoke to Duck. "I'm getting close, so why don't you move over here," Danny suggested. "You can jack Brand off if you want, so we can cum together." "Is that all right with you, Brandon?" Duck asked, to make certain he was also agreeable to this plan. "Oh, yeah," Brandon gasped. It was quite obvious he was enjoying what was being done to him and was willing to be involved in even more. Eagerly, Duck sidled up beside him and tentatively reached out and touched his shaft. It had been a long time since he'd touched another penis, so Duck took his time, while noting its firmness and the heat it generated. After a few seconds of this exploration, he began running his hand up and down the cut shaft and immediately enjoyed this activity. His hand was pumping rapidly on the engorged tube and Brandon was moaning audibly and loudly. Duck wasn't sure if it was because of what he or Danny was doing, but he knew it was making Brandon feel good. A short time later, Brandon's body stiffened, he arched his back slightly and spewed his cream. It shot out of his dick and landed in various spots on his chest and on the bed, but Duck kept jacking him off until he was completely drained. Before that happened, Danny drove his penis into Brandon one final time and shot his load into the tip of the condom. All three boys were sated and more than satisfied, and once I heard this story, I knew Duck would be back to visit us again. A little while after those three rejoined the rest of us, and they were all complete naked when they did, we all chatted for a little while longer. I wasn't about to ask Duck any questions about what he had done or why he returned nude. I felt he'd tell me, if he felt comfortable. I also got a kick out of the fact that when Mark saw Duck returning without any clothes on, he excused himself and then came back naked. I guess he was willing to show Duck he wasn't a prude either, although as far as I know, Mark has never fooled around with any of the others. Eventually, I urged them all to get to bed, because tomorrow was Easter Sunday and we'd be having another full day. After some mild protestations and promises that they wouldn't stay up too late, I left them and went to bed myself. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 8 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 18 -- An Easter Surprise. Sunday morning I got everyone up and ready for church. Duck was informed about this in advance, so he could bring suitable clothing, and he seemed excited about going with us. He said it had been years since he'd attended a church service with his family, so he thought this would be fun. When we arrived at our normal place of worship, we noticed it looked a little different than usual. Since it was Easter, the altar was decked out in Easter lilies and there were swaths of purple cloth draped in several key locations. This service was about the hope of the resurrection -- He Is Risen - so it was very joyous service. Duck sat beside me the whole time and happily participated, which included singing the hymns. I was very pleased he seemed comfortable and fit right in with the rest of my brood. Afterward, we went out for our normal Sunday brunch, but I reminded the boys not to stuff themselves, because we'd be having our Easter meal around 4:00. Normally, we wouldn't eat our Sunday meal until between 6:00 and 6:30, so today would be early for us and I wanted the boys to have plenty of room left for Easter dinner. The boys all assured me they understood about eating in moderation and did so by eliminating one or more of their normal side dishes. I had told our extended family we'd be sitting down to eat at 4:00, so we'd be finished in time for them all to get home at a reasonable hour. This was especially important for Duck, since he had a fairly lengthy drive to endure in order to reach his place. I wished he could stay a little longer, so he wouldn't have to rush back, but unfortunately he couldn't afford to take off the extra time. However, I did tell him that I wanted him to call me when he got back, no matter how late it was. Brunch was quite enjoyable and there was plenty of the typical joking around and playful banter. I could tell Duck was enjoying this, because he was eagerly participating, but I was pleased to see he was able to give, as well as he got. After we finished up, we drove home, knowing we still had things to do before our guests arrived. As we were pulling in the driveway, Vinnie made an observation. "Pop, there's someone here," he informed me, as he pointed toward our front porch. As I looked in that direction, I spotted what appeared to be a prepubescent boy sitting on the step. His head was bowed against his chest and his arms were folded underneath, like he was trying to pull inside himself. Right away I asked the boys to wait in the van, so I could approach this kid alone. The last thing I wanted to do was to scare him off, if he saw so many people heading in his direction at once. Reluctantly, they agreed, so I got out of the van and made my way toward him, while someone else jumped out and told Jake and the boys in the Suburban what was up. As I slowly made my way toward this kid, I was smiling and trying not to spook him. As I drew closer, I immediately noticed he was dressed in clothes that were probably two-sizes too small for him. He wasn't looking up yet and I didn't want to surprise him, so I softly called out. "Hi, my name is Josh Currie and this is my house. Is there something I can do for you?" Hearing my voice, he looked up and I was immediately struck by the sad and dejected look on his face. However, what really caught my attention was when I looked into his eyes - those two, deep, icy-blue pools that made my heart melt. He was cute, in a scruffy sort of a way, because he was so unkempt and unwashed. He had brown hair, which also had lighter brown and dirty blond highlights streaking through it, and it was cut in a modified, tapered, bowl-shape. He didn't respond to what I said, so I spoke to him again. "Hey, I'm Josh. What's your name?" I followed, to see if he would say something now, but once again nothing happened. He was watching my every move, as I glided closer, but he made no move to run away. However, he still wasn't replying to my queries. I wasn't sure why, so I thought I'd try again. "It's a little cool out. Are you cold?" I asked, but still no response. As I continued to move closer, I noticed a tattered suitcase sitting next to him and began to suspect he was a runaway. He was still making no move to get away from me, so I continued to approach, and that's when I also noticed there was an envelope taped to the top of his suitcase. I was now standing beside him and could see the envelope was addressed to me. I reached down and pulled it off, ripped it open and read the handwritten letter inside. Dear Mr. Currie, His name is Jesse and he is 10-years old. I read about you and your foundation and figured you could help him out. I just can't do any more for him. My new husband makes life extremely difficult for Jesse and I know my son would be better off without his stepfather in his life. I don't have a very good job, so I can't leave my husband. I could never make it on my own, let alone take care of Jesse too. I also know I can't leave Jesse around his stepfather for much longer. The older Jesse gets, the worse the abuse becomes. Don't get me wrong, my husband never hits the boy, but he is verbally abusive to him. He is always referring to Jesse as the dummy, because he doesn't speak, but he also calls him the retard. The thing is, Jesse isn't dumb or retarded. When he was 4 1/2 years old, he saw his father killed in a drug deal gone bad and hasn't spoken a word since that day. Up until that time, he was progressing like any normal boy and talked all the time. But after his father was murdered, Jesse has never said another word. If he stays with his stepfather much longer, I fear for his safety and mental health. I'd heard you are a very religious person, so I knew it would be safe to leave Jesse while you were gone to attend the Easter service. Enclosed you will find a legal document giving you guardianship of my son, because I know you will love him and care for him like I wish I could. Please do all you can for him and I know he will grow up to be a fine man. Thank you for doing this and all my love to both of you, Alice Wells 'Oh, Lord.' I thought. 'What am I going to do now?' I'd been left another boy, but this wasn't some ordinary child. This kid had emotional and psychological problems, stemming from the trauma of watching his father murdered and then added to by his stepfather's abuse. I wasn't sure if I was up to such a tremendous challenge. However, I had to do something, so I reached my hand out toward the boy. I hoped he'd take it, so I could pull him to his feet. "Jesse, I'm Josh and it appears that your mother wants you to stay here for now, so let me help you up. We'll go inside and I'll introduce you to all my other sons. He held out his arm toward me, but didn't grasp my hand, so I wrapped my fingers around his and gently pulled him to his feet. Once he was standing, I picked up his suitcase, put my arm around his shoulder and started to guide him toward our front door. When we were in sight of the vehicles, I gave my head a sharp jerk toward the house, to let the others know they could come up and join us. Immediately, they started piling out of both vehicles and heading in my direction. Everyone began to barrage us with questions, but they were basically asking the same thing, only using slightly different phrasing to get their point across. Primarily, they all wanted to know who the boy was and what he was doing here. "Guys, this is Jesse. It looks as if he'll be staying with us for a while," I informed them. I received an assortment of reactions in response, but they were mostly non-verbal replies. Jake raised his eyebrows at me and many of the boys gave a surprised or confused look. However, Andrew stepped forward and walked right up to the boy. "Hi, I'm Andrew," he stated boldly. "You can hang out with me if you want, cuz I'm closer to your age than they are," he added, while pointing toward the others. "How old are you, anyway?" "Uh, boys," I interrupted, to draw their attention away from Jesse, "he won't be answering any questions for now and I want to spend some time with him alone, if you don't mind. Our company will be coming soon and I want to do this before they get here. I need to find out more about him and I think it will be best if I do it alone." Most of the boys seemed to understand this and began to walk away, but Andrew wasn't about to give up so easily. "May I come too?" he asked. His expression was pleading with me. "I think having someone close to his own age would make Jesse feel better. Wouldn't it Jesse?" he asked the boy directly and got a nod in return. I was worried that Andrew's presence might make the questioning process more difficult, but I didn't wish for Jesse to feel ill at-ease. Therefore, I relented. "Okay, you can come in with us, but only if you promise to keep quiet and just listen," I informed him. Andrew rapidly agreed, so I told him to lead Jesse to the living room and I followed closely behind. The boys sat together on the sofa, so I moved over and sat on the other side of Jesse. This way, he'd still be close to Andrew and I felt it might make him a little more relaxed. "Jesse," I began, "I know the letter said you don't talk, so I will try to ask you questions that you can answer by nodding your head yes or shaking it no. Would that be all right with you?" He looked at me and nodded. "Why can't he talk?" Andrew asked, and I flashed him one of my icy-cold stares. "Andrew, you promised you wouldn't interrupt," I reminded him. "If you can't do that, then I'll have to ask you to leave us alone." This comment caused Jesse to shake his head and grab on to Andrew's arm in response. "I think Jesse wants you to stay," I advised him, "so if you will keep your promise, you may remain." Andrew nodded and Jesse relaxed. "Jesse, did your mother talk this over with you, before she brought you here?" I followed. Hesitantly, he nodded. "Did she also tell you why she thought this was best?" Slowly, he nodded again. "Do you feel bad because she left you here?" This time he took a little longer to respond, but finally he shook his head. "Did she leave you here because you and your stepfather don't get along?" This time there was no delay in his answer and his head bobbed up and down, quite emphatically. "Do you want to be here?" I wanted to know, but once again there was a delay in his response. Before he answered, he turned and looked at Andrew first, and then turned back toward me. I could understand his reluctance to respond to this particular question, so I thought I'd let him off the hook. "That's all right," I told him. "If you don't want to answer that question, then we can go on to something else." This caused Jesse to wave his hand back and forth in front of his body, while shaking his head vigorously at the same time. "Do you want to answer that question?" I asked, somewhat confused, and got a nod in response. "Okay, do you want to be here with us then?" This time he nodded. "That's good," I told him. "Does your family live around here?" He shook his head. "Do they live close by?" He continued to shake his head. "All right, then you're not from around here. I guess I have enough information for now, but we'll have to find you a room," I informed him. "Would you like Andrew to share it with you for now, until you get used to being with us?" He nodded his head energetically this time. "Okay, we'll arrange for that to happen, if it's okay with Andrew," I added. Andrew just beamed. "Of course it is, daddy," he confirmed, reverting back to his little boy persona again. Noting his response, I realized this would probably be good for both of them. "You two can use the guest bedroom downstairs after Duck leaves," I told Andrew, "and then we'll figure out a more permanent arrangement later." Both boys seemed pleased by this, but I continued. "Jesse, we're going to be having family over for Easter dinner, so you'll need to get cleaned up and changed. Let's take a look at what you have in your suitcase, to see if we can find something suitable." He just looked at me, but didn't respond, so I opened his suitcase. I was disappointed in what I found there. "Andrew, do you think you could dig through your closet and locate some of the things you've outgrown? Maybe you could find something that would fit Jesse and would be appropriate for today." Andrew just glowed, because I was willing to assign him this responsibility. "Yes, I could do that, daddy." He confirmed, looking very proud. "Jesse, would you like Andrew or me to help you clean up then?" I asked, and Jesse immediately pointed to Andrew. This caused Andrew to radiate even more. "Do you think you could help Jesse take a bath or shower?" I asked Andrew, and this caused him to nod energetically. "Jesse can have the choice of what he wants to do, but I suggest you find the clothes for him first. If you can't find any underwear his size, then he can use what he has in his suitcase, but they aren't in very good condition. Tomorrow, we can take him shopping and get him the things he needs." Jesse mouth dropped open when he heard me say this and I could tell by what he brought with him that no one had spent much money on him recently. In fact, because all of his clothes were extremely small for him, I concluded that possibly nothing new had been purchased for him since his mother married his stepfather. To answer Jesse's unspoken question, I addressed him. "Jesse, it's not a big deal. You'll need some decent clothes for school and other times, so we'll take you shopping tomorrow. It's a good thing tomorrow is another teachers' workday and none of you have school. That way we won't have to hurry. I noticed some papers in your suitcase and they look as if they might be report cards and other records, so I'll look them over, to see what we might have to set up for you. If everything works out, then we'll register you on Tuesday." I hesitated after telling him this, because I knew I had to ask him a sensitive question now, but I wasn't sure how to do it tactfully. Realizing there was probably no easy way to proceed, I just blundered ahead. "Jesse, I'm not trying to imply anything here, but can you read and write?" He nodded his head, to let me know he could. "Great," I told him. "If you need anything and we don't understand what you want, you can always write us a note. That way, there won't be any chance we'll misunderstand. Is that okay with you?" He nodded again. "Fantastic! Now that's settled, Andrew, why don't you two head to your room and then the bathroom, so he can get cleaned up and changed. That way, he'll be ready by the time everyone gets here." "Okay, Daddy," Andrew replied, before taking Jesse's hand and dragging him from the room. After the boys left, I went to fill Jake in about our new arrival. I began by handing him the letter and letting him read it for himself. Once he finished going over it, I told him the other things I'd learned about Jesse, when I questioned him in the living room. After Jake was brought up to speed, I began to share my doubts with him. "Jake, I'm not sure we can handle this kid. He has some serious problems and will need a great deal of specialized help. Besides, he's so young, and that means more years of commitment just to get him through school. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. What do you think?" "Josh, you opened up your home to help young boys and I agreed to help you continue doing it when I moved in with you. This boy definitely could use our help, but this will have to be your decision." "Why not OUR decision?" I asked, which made him think about what he had just said. "Josh, I didn't mean it to sound as if I didn't want to help here, only that I'd support whatever you decided to do. Jesse is young, so we would have to take care of him for several years, if you decided to let him stay. The thing is, he does need someone to look after him and I don't know anyone better to do that than you." "What about the farm?" I asked. "Don't you think he could do just as well if we put him in the group home at the farm?" "Josh, I think this boy needs personal attention," Jake advised me. "I'm not sure he'd do as well lumped into a large group setting." "But wouldn't that be almost the same problem if he stayed here?" Jake gave me a strange look. "Do you really think that's all you do?" he challenged. "Do you think you're in the same class as the foster parents at the farm-homes? Josh, you give these boys so much more than that. Each and every one of them has bonded with you, and not all in the same way. That not only goes for these boys, but guys like Carlos, Mark, Duck and Ted too. I really think this would be a better option for Jesse, but I won't pressure you into keeping him. If he stays, it will have to be because you've decided to keep him, but I will support whatever you choose to do." "We'll need to spend more time discussing this," I informed him, "but we have other things to attend to first, so let's get ready for our company." Jake agreed and we went back to work preparing the meal. We were having a traditional Easter ham, covered with pineapple rings and cherries, candied yams, mashed potatoes (for those who don't like yams), a broccoli and cheese casserole, baked beans, a green salad and a Jell-o salad. We also had a choice of several desserts, to make sure everyone was able to find something he liked. While we were working on the food, Andrew and Jesse returned and it was a complete transformation for Jesse. Now that he was cleaned up, Jesse looked truly adorable. Andrew's old clothes fit him fairly well and Jesse actually looked quite good in them. Jesse had a big smile on his face and I knew he felt good about himself too. "Wow, looking good," I told him, which elicited a cute grin. "Do you feel better now?" I asked. In response, his head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. "I take it you and Andrew hit it off then?" I followed. Once again, I got another energetic nod of agreement. I just smiled and sent them off to have some fun, until they were called for dinner.