Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 15:19:01 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel-3 chaper 5 Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this chapter. If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com. * * * * * * * * The Castaway Hotel -Book 3 - by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2000 by billwstories Chapter 5 - The runaway and a family in need. July 2000 I had the boys up and fed early the next morning and we were on the road heading back to Phoenix. We had been on the road a couple of hours and it was still fairly early, but we could tell it was going to be a very hot day. After another hour or so on the road, we finally reached our first stop, the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum, just north of Phoenix. This wasn't just a museum building in which you saw a bunch of displays, this was a collection of buildings that represented a part of history. To be precise, it recreated various parts of late 19th century Arizona Territorial history, from the 1860's through the 1890's. There were 28 buildings in all, including a Victorian house, rare Spanish colonial houses, an Opera House, a saloon, a dressmaking shop, a print shop, a carpenter's shop, and a blacksmith's shop. There were also interpreters in period costumes, to answer any and all questions people might have about what they were seeing. It was an interesting visit, which the boys seemed to enjoy, and we even ate lunch there. By late afternoon, we were back on the road again. By now, it was an extremely hot afternoon and the boys were begging me to stop at a grocery store to pick up some soda, ice, and a couple of those Styrofoam coolers. I agreed that it would be a good idea and then we would have enough for the motel that evening, so we made a quick stop on the outskirts of Phoenix. I found a grocery store and we pulled into the parking lot. All of the boys wanted to go in and enjoy the air conditioning, so I looked like the Pied Piper with my whole brood in tow. We grabbed a cart and headed back to the beverage section. While the boys were loading up their choices of soda in the cart, I noticed a man chasing a teenage boy through the store. Before the kid got to the end of the aisle, another man jumped in front of him and the two men roughly grabbed ahold of the boy. Immediately they started pulling items from the boy's pants and from under his shirt; it looked to be all food items. My guess was that the boy was a runaway and he was stealing something to eat. I didn't like the way he was being treated, so I knew I would have to think of something fast. I told my boys to get the ice and to try to find the coolers, while I went to take care of something. I also told them to play along with me and follow my lead, if things started to go against us. I walked down to where the two men where manhandling the kid, and set my impromptu plan into motion. "Buddy, there you are," I said, pretending to speak to the boy. "Where in the hell did you go to?" "Do you know this kid, mister?" the older gentleman asked me. "Yes, I do. Excuse me, I'm Josh Currie and I run a group home. Buddy, here, is one of my boys and he took off and ran away from us a couple of days ago. We've been looking all over for him." "My name's not Buddy," the kid protested. "It's Nicky." "I know that, Nicky," I countered. "I forgot that you don't like me using your nickname any more." I turned toward the older man. "I'm sorry if he's caused you any problems, but if you let me take him with us, I'll make sure that he doesn't bother you again." "You can tell that to the police. We caught the kid shoplifting and he's going to be arrested." "Look, sir, I'm sorry for what he's done, but what if I pay for the items with our other purchases? We're not from around here and we'll be leaving the area right after we pay for our groceries." "I'm not supposed to do that. He should be punished for what he's done." "He will, I'll make sure of that. Look, if you have him arrested you won't get any money for what he tried to steal, I'll have to go down to the police station to get him, and that means that I won't be buying the things the other boys have chosen. We'll all make out better if you just let this drop and let me pay for everything. That way I can take him with me, without having to go to the police station, and then we'll be leaving town. What do you say?" He looked very pensive for another minute or so. "Very well, but I don't want to see him in this store again." "Don't worry, you won't. We'll be gone from this area permanently, in just a matter of minutes." I took the boy and his 'stolen property' back to find the other boys, and they were ready to leave by the time that we found them. "These things are Nick's, so put them in the cart with the other items. Do you need anything else, Nick?" "Why are you doing this?" "Because you needed help. Is there anything else that you think you need?" "Look, I wasn't stealing this stuff for me, I would never do that. It's for this boy I met over at the park, over by the school. He told me that he hadn't had anything to eat for nearly three days. I was taking this stuff for him." "That's very noble of you, Nick. Will this be enough?" "For now. I don't know what else he might need. You could go with me and we could ask him?" "That sounds like a good idea. Okay, boys, to the checkouts. Let's pay for this and go find that boy." We went to the front of the store, paid for everything, and we went out to the van. The boys let Nick sit in front, next to me. "What kind of a group are you guys?" I could hear the others begin to snicker. "We're a family," Andrew told him. "But I thought you told the manager that you ran a group home?" "I do. I run a home for this group, my sons." Nick looked around the vehicle, trying to figure out how this could be. "Dad adopted us," Dion told him. "We all came to him in different ways, but we're all brothers now and we're one big, happy...well, mostly happy, family." The other boys giggled or took objection to his last phrase. "What do you mean, mostly?" Ricky wanted to know. "You should understand that part," Pat told him. "You and your little hoodlum friends were the ones who were harassing the others when I arrived." "That's not fair," Graham said, indignantly. "See what I mean, Nick?" Dion said, with a huge grin on his face. "Yeah, I think I'm getting the picture," Nick responded. "Nick..." I began, but he cut me off. "It's Nicky, if you don't mind." I hesitated and thought about my response before I continued. "While you're with us you'll have to answer to Nick, because we already have a Nicky and it would be pretty confusing with two of you." "You do?" "Yes, my grandson. He's back there somewhere." "It's me," I heard a little voice squeak from the back, and then a face peered over one of his uncles' shoulders. "I'm Nicky." "Hi, Nicky," Nick said, smiling at him. "I don't get to meet other boys named Nicky very often. There are a lot of girls named Nicole that they call Nikki, but I've only met one other boy with that name." "Now you know two," Nicky said mischievously, "and I'm the best one." Nick laughed at his namesake. "I'm sure you are, Nicky. I'm sure you are. Okay, you guys can call me Nick and he can be Nicky. Okay, Nicky?" Nicky beamed at the recognition. "Yeah, I'm Nicky and you're Nick. I like that." "Me too," Nick said, smiling back at him. "Nick," I began, "why don't you direct me over to that park and we'll look for that other boy?" He agreed and soon we were on the way. As we pulled into the area, it was more of a playground than a park. "He'll be over by the bushes, back there behind the swings," Nick said, pointing in that general area. I pulled the van around and I got as close to the area as I could get. Then I told Nick to go and find his friend, then he could bring him back to the van and we'd give him something to eat and a soda to drink. It was several minutes before Nick reappeared, but he came out of the bushes leading a younger boy. They were walking hand in hand toward us, and we all began to get out of the van. The other boy looked a little frightened for a minute, but Nick said something to him that seemed to calm the younger boy down. As they came up to us, Trey and Brandon were pulling the coolers out of the van and carrying them over to a shady spot on the grass. We all went over and sat down and Nick introduced the new boy to us. "Bobby, this is Mr. Currie and his sons and grandsons. They just got me out of a jam at the store. I got caught stealing and they talked the manager into letting me go. They also bought the food I was stealing for you and a bunch of other stuff." "I didn't want you to steal for me," Bobby said, with a shocked look on his face. "When you said you were going to get something, I thought that you meant that you had money to buy it with. I wouldn't have said okay otherwise." While the boys were discussing this, I made them both a sandwich and handed them in their direction. After they took them from me, I told them to grab a soda from the cooler. They both wolfed down the food and guzzled their sodas, so I made another sandwich for both of them. Bobby was still eating rapidly, but Nick had slowed to a more normal pace. I took this time to get a good look at both boys. Nick was about 5'7", blond hair, blue eyes, and more than a little dirty. I'd say that he had been on his own for a while and that he hadn't been able to bathe or change in a few days. He was slender, but not anorexic, and his movements were very fluid and graceful. Bobby probably wasn't even five feet tall, really skinny, and extremely filthy. This kid hasn't seen any water for cleaning purposes for a very long time. Once the boys finished eating, I began to ask them both questions. "Bobby, how old are you?" "I'm eleven." "What in the world are you doing by yourself?" I followed. "I'm not really by myself, I just went to be on my own because my parents couldn't make enough money to feed all of us. I figured that I was old enough to take care of myself." "Whoa, slow down there for a minute. Let's back up a little, shall we? What do you mean that your parents can't earn enough money?" "My dad hurt his back in an accident and he couldn't work at his old job any longer. The jobs he can work don't pay enough and both my parents have been having trouble finding jobs that last for very long. Most of the work they get is for only a short time." "Where are your parents now?" Bobby didn't seem to want to answer this question for me. He looked at the ground in front of him and he didn't say a word. "It's okay, Bobby," I continued, "I don't mean to pry, but I would like to see if I could help. I can't do that if you won't tell me anything." He looked up and studied me for a little while. He must have thought that I was being sincere, because he finally answered me. "We lost our house after Dad lost his job. He had to file bankruptcy and we've been living in our car ever since." "In a car?" I said, startled. "How many of you were living in this car?" "There were five of us. My mom, my dad, my two sisters, and me." "I hope, at least, that it was a big car." "It was a Dodge Shadow." "That's not real big. It must have been awfully cramped with five people and their belongings." "Yeah, we didn't have very much room." "Bobby, what does your father do?" "He worked for a construction company. He did a lot of things, but mostly he was a carpenter. He can't lift much now, not after he hurt his back, so nobody wants to hire him." "Why don't you take me to where they're staying and I'll see if I can't help them, okay?" He looked skeptical, like he wasn't sure he should be doing this, or maybe he thought his parents would object to getting someone else involved. After a few minutes, he finally agreed, and we were planning to leave. I told Nick that he could go with us, but I told the other boys to wait there on the playground until we got back. I didn't want to scare Bobby's family, if that many people suddenly showed up and confronted them. The boys loaded the coolers back in the van first, so we'd have food and soda for Bobby's family. The three of us were soon on our way and Bobby was giving me directions to where his parents would be parked. Before we got there, I found another grocery store and we made a quick stop. I picked up lunchmeats and bread, before we started to load up with more non-perishable types of food. I purchased cans of Spam, Vienna sausages, vegetables, pork & beans, peanut butter, jelly, canned juices, and bottled water. I added a can opener, paper plates, plastic silverware, vitamins for both the adults and the children, and a gallon of orange juice. We paid for everything and loaded the bags in the back. We were soon on our way again. We located Bobby's family in a large parking lot, which was part of a huge strip mall. I let Bobby get out first, and he walked over to his parents' car by himself. His mother spotted him first and she jumped out of the car and ran toward him. She grabbed him in her arms and was hugging him to her chest, as his father and sisters got out to greet him too. I take it that his parents didn't have a say in his leaving and they were glad that he was back. After ten or fifteen minutes of this affectionate reunion, Bobby started waving his hand at us, indicating that we should join him. Nick and I got out and walked slowly over to where the family stood. Bobby introduced his parents and sisters to us, before he introduced us to them. After the introductions were made, I began to talk with the parents, while the kids went back toward the car. I told them about my boys and myself, advised them about the food and other things we brought for them, and I got to know more about the family. After we had talked for quite a while, I called the boys over and we walked to the van and grabbed the bags from the back. We took the groceries over and put them in the trunk of the car, where they would be safe until they needed them. Bobby's parents thanked us several times and I told them that I would do whatever else I could before we left. I told them we would come back tomorrow afternoon, and Nick and I left, leaving Bobby with his family. We could see his mother start to prepare things for them to eat as we were driving away. Nick gave me directions on how to get back to the school and he told me more about himself on the way there. I discovered that Nick had run away from his home in Oklahoma City, because he felt neglected and unwanted. He said there were other reasons, too, but he didn't want to elaborate on them, at least not yet. I did find out that his parents were fairly well to do, unlike Bobby's folks, but Nick had conflicts with his father, felt ignored by his mother, and he said that his father was planning to send him to military school in the fall, so he took off. I was just beginning to understand him, when we reached the school. I had also talked him into staying with us, at least for a few days. While I was talking to my boys, explaining why we were gone so long, Nick ran back over to the bushes and retrieved his belongings so he could bring them with him. The other boys loaded back in, wanted more information about what had happened with Bobby and his family, and I let Nicky fill them in on what they had missed out on. The afternoon had passed by quickly, after being sidetracked like that, so I decided that we should go to our motel. It was only about twenty minutes away from where we were, so we were soon there, checked in, and heading to our rooms. I told Nick that he could stay in my room, if he didn't mind, and he said that would be fine. When we got everyone situated, I told the boys to clean up for dinner. Nick and I were alone in my room, as the four little ones were staying with the older boys, and I planned to use this time to learn more about him. I told him that he could shower first, but we soon discovered another problem. He didn't have any clean clothes to put on afterward. I told him that I'd borrow some from the other boys who were about his size and he could wear those for tonight. I added that we'd all go to the Laundromat tomorrow, as we all had things that needed to be cleaned, and we could pick up whatever other items he might need then. He told me that I didn't need to buy him anything, that he could make do with what he had, but I told him that we'd see and I went to borrow some things for him. He was heading into the bathroom as I went next door. Trey offered to lend Nick an outfit, and he soon had a pair of shorts, shirt, socks, and underwear ready for me to take back with me. Kevin made a similar offer and he gave me another set of items for Nick to use. I went back to my room and I could hear Nick still in the shower. I grabbed one of the extra toothbrushes from my carry-on case and I grabbed my travel shaving kit from the suitcase. I was getting everything together when the bathroom door opened and Nick walked out. He was toweling his hair dry as he entered, not seeming to care if I saw him naked. "Did you get any clothes for me?" was his simple question. "Yes, here are two different sets. One is from Trey and the other is from Kevin. I know you don't know which ones they are, but I'll point them out to you later." He was looking over the clothes and I was checking out his body. I was surprised at how developed his frame was; obviously he must work out or be involved in sports. He was circumcised and he hung about 3 - 3.5" limp. He was pretty good looking, now that he was cleaned up, and I felt that some of the boys might be attracted to him. "I'll wear this stuff tonight," he said, showing me the set that Trey had given to me. "Thanks for making the boys let me borrow these." "I didn't make them," I corrected him, "they volunteered. They've all been in similar situations and they are really quite generous when it comes to others who could use some help." "I didn't mean anything by that, but I will thank them myself later. And thank you for helping me at the grocery store and for everything else. I don't remember anyone ever being this nice to me before." "You're welcome, Nick, but I would like to find out more about you later. Would that be okay?" "Yes, I don't mind telling you. You seem to understand, not like other adults. Most of them don't care or they don't want to be bothered. You're different, though. I can tell, especially after seeing what you've done for all of your sons and grandsons." "I do care and I am interested. We'll be alone tonight, so we can get into this more later, but, for now, it's almost time to eat. Here's a toothbrush and toothpaste, so you can brush your teeth. When you're finished, I'll take my shower and you can watch television or play a game while you're waiting. There are a bunch of electronic games in that bag on my bed. Help yourself to using them, as we brought them along so everyone could play with them to pass the time." "Thanks, Mr. Currie. I'm sure glad that you came into that grocery store today, or else I would have been spending tonight in jail." "I'm not sure that they'd have kept you in jail for petty larceny." "They would have once they found out I was a runaway or when I wouldn't tell them about me. You saved me and I won't forget that. Thanks." "Well, maybe you're right. They might have kept you for being a runaway or if you wouldn't cooperate. You're welcome. Make yourself at home while I clean up." "I went and took my shower, shaved, and brushed my teeth. Soon I was dressed and I went to see how the other boys were doing. They were all nearly ready, so I called the front desk for suggestions as to where we could eat. Once I had a place, got the directions, and made a quick call to make sure they could accommodate us, all the boys were in my room. They were all talking to Nick, trying to make him feel better and find out more about him. He told them a little, though not that much, and I began introducing him to the boys, a few at a time. He made sure that he thanked Trey and Kevin for lending him the clothes, when I introduced them. The boys both told him that it was nothing and that he could borrow whatever he needed while he was with us. Nick just smiled and thanked them again. We had a good meal and the boys used that time to tell Nick about themselves and get to know each other better. By the time we were ready to order dessert, Nick seemed like part of the family. I finally learned that Nick was fourteen and an active swimmer. That helps to explain his better than average body development for a kid his age. He also told us that he was going to be a freshman in the fall. That gave him something to talk about with Trey and Carlos, as they were both going to be freshmen, too. That didn't keep the others out of the conversation, especially since Ricky, Cole, and Pat were all about the same age as the other three. As we were returning to our motel, I grabbed a Phoenix newspaper out of one of those newspaper dispensers that are always around. There were some things that I wanted to check out later. We all went back to our rooms and some of the boys asked Nick to come over and spend some time with them. I told the boys that they would have plenty of time for that in the future, but I wanted to spend time with Nick tonight, so I could learn more about his situation. The boys gave in, though they were not real happy about it, and Nick and I went to our room. We got comfortable and I began to ask him some more questions. "So, why don't you tell me more about your family and why you ran away?" He didn't even pause to think about it and he just opened up to me. "My dad's a manager in the structural design and engineering department at Gulfstream. They build jets. He is very bossy and everything has to be done his way. I pity the people that work for him. He wants me to be an engineer or a doctor, and that's just not for me. I'm not that good at math and science, but Dad doesn't want to hear that. He says that I could do better, if I applied myself. When I got my final report card and he saw my grades, he got angry and decided that he was going to send me to military school in the fall. There was no way I was going to let that happen, so I took off. I packed a few things, while my parents were out of the house, and I left." "What about your mother? Couldn't you have asked her to intervene between you and your father?" "No. Mom doesn't care about anything but herself. She's so wrapped up in going back to college to become a doctor that nothing else matters. She still goes out places with Dad, but she acts like I don't exist any more. She put off going to medical school when she got pregnant with me and, now that I'm old enough to take care of myself, she's returned to college to fulfill her dreams." "There's nothing wrong with that." "Not unless you forget about everything else, and that's just what she's done. It's like she never had me. I hardly ever see her any more, we never talk or do things together, and she couldn't care less about what I'm doing. The only reason my dad cares is because I'm going to carry on the family name and he wants to make sure that I don't embarrass him. Neither one of them cares about me, what I want, or what I'm thinking. I hated living there with them and, once Dad started talking about military school, I made my decision to get away from there." "Don't you think you could work this out with them?" "No way. The only thing that I could do that Dad would accept, would be to do exactly what Dad said. I can't do that, so I can't go back. Hell, they probably haven't even noticed that I'm gone yet." "When did you run away?" "About three weeks ago." "And you don't think they would have noticed you were gone by this time?" "They probably just think I'm out with friends or something. I left them a note in my room, but I doubt that they would have seen it yet. They probably won't find it until it's time to ship me off to military school. That's when they'll go looking for me and find out that I'm gone." "Where were you going and what were you planning to do?" "I came here because I thought I could go to one of the reservations and talk them into letting me go on a vision-quest. I've been to four different reservations so far and none of them will let outsiders do that. They say that I would have to have someone from the tribe recommend me and they won't do it unless they know you real well. I thought the vision-quest would tell me what to do next, so now I don't know where I'm going to go or what I should do." "Well, you could stay with us for a while, at least until we figure something else out. We're on vacation and there are a few more places we are going to visit here in Arizona. You're welcome to join us for the time being." "Thanks, I'd like that. I really like you and your boys. You've all been really nice to me and you all seem to care about what happens to me. I wish my parents were like you." "Maybe they are and you just don't know it. Or, maybe they'll change after you've been gone a while." "Maybe, but I doubt it." "Give them a chance and they just might surprise you." "Or maybe they'll surprise you, but I'll wait and see, like you say." "Good. Look, you can do what you want until we turn in. I want to read the newspaper and check some things out. Will that be all right with you?" "Sure, Mr. Currie. I've got no problem with that. Thanks again, and I want to thank you for Bobby, too. That was really nice of you and I know that he and his family appreciated that." "Well, that's part of what I'm working on now. I'm going to try to see if I can't find them jobs and a place to live tomorrow, before we leave here. I'll want you to go with me while I try to work things out." "But what about the other boys?" "Most of them will stay here, but I'll take some of them to the Laundromat, so they can wash our dirty clothes, and yours too. They won't have a problem with that, I'm sure. You have the games, the television, or I can see what the other boys are doing if you want to join them. It's up to you." "I think I'll just watch some TV while you're reading. I'd rather just stay here with you, if you don't mind. "No, Nick, I don't mind. Let me do this and then maybe we can talk some more." "Okay, that sounds good." We both did what we had planned and I made sure that we did get a chance to talk more later. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.