Date: Sun, 28 Jul 2002 10:20:35 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel - book 5, chapter 17 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 and to Ataan for his suggestions about the storyline. 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. * * * * * * * * Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse. * * * * * * * * The Castaway Hotel-Book 5-by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2002 by billwstories Chapter 17 - The up side of life. March 2002 When we got home and told the boys about what had happened in court, everyone was very excited. I guess they had been more worried than I was about the family being broken up, and now they let loose and celebrated because that wouldn't happen. Cole did come over to me and ask when they'd have to meet with his mother, and I told him she would call first, to set something up, but I hoped that he would give her a chance to atone for her past mistakes. I explained to him that sometimes people do things they are ashamed of later, especially when they are under the influence of other things, like drugs or alcohol, and I was hoping that he might give her a chance to prove that she had really changed. He did argue with me some, about not wanting to forgive her for all the hurt she had caused his brother and him. He was still very sensitive about this, but after I explained to him that if she hadn't done what she did, then he would have never ended up with us, so he finally decided that maybe her actions did benefit his brother and him in some way. He ended our discussion by saying that he'd try not to be too hard on her. Later Graham came to me, with some observations of his own. "Well, Dad, I guess I'm beginning to understand the messages from Brent better." "Why? What do you mean?" "Well, I now know that the gray haze around someone means something bad is going to happen, but it's something that can be worked out. The dark gray haze means something bad is going to happen, but it's not fatal, and the dark black means something really bad is going to happen." "Well, it sounds like you have it figured out. Does that mean you're become more comfortable with your gift then?" "Yes, I am. It still bothers me sometimes, but I know it's a part of me and I've got to learn to live with it. It's not as bad as I first thought, though." "Well, I'm glad to hear that. It makes me feel better." "Yeah, me too." That night some of the boys continued their little celebration, but I think most of it was just to release the tension that had built up during our minor crisis. Most of the boys were able to unwind quickly, but of course it took Cole and Graham a little longer to get past all their worries. That pair found other ways to relax, beginning when Sammy and Andrew asked them to spend the night with them. The four of them had become fairly close, since the time that Sammy blew up at Graham over the Andrew incident, but now these four were tight. Seeing they knew how upset and nervous Cole and Graham had been during this thing with their mother, Sammy and Andrew had made their own plans to help them forget their troubles. Once the four of them were in the room together, they put their plan into action. Sammy and Andrew were prepared to do all the work, so the other pair could just enjoy. They took the initiative, having talked this over in private, and the both of them began to stroke their partners and get them aroused. Of course Andrew had chosen Graham, so Sammy was with Cole, and the two boys took a great deal of enjoyment in bringing pleasure to the other pair. Once they had them erect and wanting more, they began to work on them orally, using their tongues and mouths to bring them even more pleasure. In the half-light of the room, two little heads began to bob up and down, impaling their mouths over the rigid organs of their partners, and the other pair was in ecstasy from the sensations. As the younger pair continued to nod up and down, suctioning the shafts of the older boys, the older pair began to buck in rhythm, trying to mirror the younger ones' movements. This activity continued until each of the older boys released his own load of cream into his benefactor's mouth, and then they got to enjoy the warm, glowing feeling that makes every boy feel so good. Once they had recovered, they decided it would only be fair to return the favor to the ones who gave them so much pleasure, so they did just that. Now the older pair sucked and licked on the other two, until they also had the opportunity to enjoy the same pleasurable release, even if it was a dry orgasm for Andrew. When that session was over, they cuddled with each other and fell asleep, staying that way until the next morning. When I checked on them in the middle of the night, it looked like a litter of puppies, all tangled together for warmth and security. In the light of day, everything began to look better and we were able to reevaluate our circumstances. In an effort to find out about the DSS investigator who had written that horrid report about us, Sally contacted some of her friends at the state level, and she began to ask questions about him. She even had one of them investigate his credentials. She also made a formal complaint about what he had done, stating that she thought he had let personal feelings interfere with his judgment, thus unfairly appraising the situation. After conducting a formal investigation of this matter, the state panel agreed, and reopened all his old cases, to look for similar signs of his use of guilt by innuendo. I guess they eventually found many discrepancies in those records, so many, in fact, that they had to reevaluate or correct the dispositions of his previous investigations. Due to all these irregularities, he was suspended without pay, while the panel tried to decide what should be done to correct all the unfair reports he had written. I guess his days of using his own prejudice to influence official decisions were over, at least for now. Also, the state was going to try to make up for some of the past wrongs that had been done to others because of his bias. After things had settled down for us, I realized I had forgotten to call Mark at college, to arrange for his coming here to work for the summer again. He was going to come back so he could continue to handle some of my personal accounts, and some of those from the Castaway Foundation. My friend, who had been working as Mark's mentor, was planning to give Mark some more tips on handling other types of investments, especially the riskier varieties. He would show him how he approached these investment vehicles, and then work with him, as he attempted to handle funds of that nature. I felt it would be a good learning experience for Mark, but I wanted to warn him about Nigel's impending visit too, so he would know that Nigel's boys and mine might be doing some things he wasn't accustomed to. "Mark, it's Josh Currie. I'm just calling to verify your plans for the summer." "Hi, Pop. Wow, I was just thinking about you. This is really strange." "Well, I was thinking about you too. So do you know when you'll be coming here?" "Kind of. I'm going to spend a couple weeks with my mom, but I thought I'd fly out there in early June. Would that be okay with you?' "Of course it would. We're looking forward to seeing you again. Some of the boys have been wanting to know when you'd be arriving." "That's great. I'm looking forward to seeing them again too. How is everyone?" "Oh, they're all doing fine, but Ricky won't be here. He's leaving as an exchange student to Australia. The house won't be quiet though, as we'll be having some other visitors joining us in August, a guy and his family whom we met in England. They're coming over to visit and they'll be staying with us. We'll be taking them on some short trips and you're invited to join us for any or all of them." "Really? That sounds cool, but I'll have to work." "Well, most of these trips will be taken on the weekend, maybe sometimes making them extended weekend trips, so I think you'd be able to go on at least some of them. We'd really like for you to join us, unless you and your female friend at the bank have other plans." "Well, Pop, we just might. We've kept in touch ever since I left there, at the end of last summer. Do you think she could join us sometime too?" "Well, I'm sure we could include her on one or two of these trips, but I'm not sure she'd enjoy all of our plans." "Why's that, Pop?" "Well, Nigel and his boys are naturalists, and we are planning to go to a naturalist camp too." "You mean like a nudist colony, where no one wears clothing?" "Yes, that's what some people call it." "And all the boys are going too?" "Yes, they've been to similar places before. In fact, that's where we met Nigel and his boys, at one of those places in England." "Really? And they don't mind running around naked in front of other people?" "Not really. In fact, I think most of them enjoy it. Most of the time, they tend to run around that way at home too." "But doing it in front of your brothers is one thing, but in front of strangers, especially strangers of the opposite sex, that's different." He paused briefly before he continued, and I didn't interrupt him, because I knew he was just collecting his thoughts. "Well, I have wondered what it would be like myself. I saw the boys skinny dipping in your pool last summer, and I really wanted to join them, but I was afraid they or you might get upset if I did." "And why would we have done that? You're just as much a part of this family as anyone else, so you do whatever you're comfortable with." "Do you mean that? I am a bit older than them. They're minors, but I'm considered an adult." "That doesn't matter and of course I mean what I said. It was just that some of the boys weren't sure you'd want to be included in some of the things they did. They are kind of exhibitionists." "Man, I would love to try things like that. I always wanted a brother or two, and doing things like that would be so neat." "Then plan on letting your hair down while you're here, and having some fun. I'll let the boys know you're up for something different, and when Nigel's boys get here, there'll be plenty of naked bodies running around the house." "Hehehe. That sounds like fun. Thanks, Pop, and I'll see you in a few weeks. And I think I might go with you to that naturalist camp too, if you don't mind." "Not at all, and I'm sure I've got a couple of boys here that can't wait for that either." "Do you mean about going to the camp or seeing me naked?" "Both," I answered, and then chuckled. I think Mark knew which boys I meant, too. When I hung up with him, I think I had discovered a new side to his personality. When the last weekend in May arrived, Kevin and I traveled to attend the scholarship banquet on our own. The invitation only included the finalist and his or her parents, so we couldn't bring anyone else along, not even Vinnie. Vinnie was pretty good about the fact he couldn't join us, though Kevin and I could both tell he would have liked to be there. He did wish Kevin the best of luck, before we left, and I think I saw tears in his eyes as we were driving away. Once we arrived at the building where the event was taking place, we made our way to the banquet room and were greeted by representatives from the sponsoring group. After introducing themselves, welcoming us, and congratulating Kevin on having made the finalist list, we were encouraged to mix with the other finalists, so we could get to know them too. There were probably fifteen or so young men and women wandering about, though most were not doing much mixing. Unfortunately many of these kids seemed to prefer the company of their own families and didn't try to get to know any of the other finalists. We spoke to a few of them, exchanging names and where we were from, but I could tell no friendships were going to arise from these introductions. Some of the parents accompanying their child only seemed interested in learning if they won a scholarship and nothing else. With such a narrow focus, they would be the only ones to lose out. After a few more minutes, a young boy came over to us and he began to chat with Kevin. "Hi, I'm Jeff," he told him, "and I see that you're here with only your dad." "Yeah," Kevin answered, "my dad is the only one I had to bring." "Me too," the boy responded, enthusiastically, "but not my dad, just my mom. My dad took off when I was little and we haven't seen him since." "I'm sorry to hear that," Kevin told him, trying to be sincere. "That's okay, I've gotten used to it. No big deal any more. What happened to your mother?" "I'm adopted, and dad's wife died a few years before he adopted me?" "Really, he was all alone, but he still adopted you?" "Yeah, and not just me. I have several adopted brothers too." "Wow! How many did you say?" Kevin went on to explain to the boy about the family, including my biological children and grandchildren, and the boy seemed quite interested. I was glad to see that someone was being friendly. While Kevin and the boy were talking, I went over and introduced myself to the boy's mother, and we got to know each other while our boys continued to bond. "Wow, I always wished I had a brother," Jeff told Kevin. "Sometimes it can be a kind of lonely being the only child all the time." "Yeah, having brothers is really great, but sometimes it's hard to get some time to yourself. I guess we both have problems sometimes, just the opposite ones." The boys continued chatting until an announcement was made, asking everyone to be seated. As luck would have it, we were seated together, at a table for four, as all the other tables were prepared for six. It might have been just a numbers game, or maybe they thought single parent families would have something in common, which would give them something to talk about. We had a nice meal and we continued to talk while we ate, and we got to know each other better before the presentations began. While Jeff's mother and I talked about a variety of topics, the boys began to talk about why they wanted to become pharmacists. "Man, I hope I win this scholarship," Jeff told Kevin, "because I'm not sure if I can afford to go to college without it. My mom works hard now, just so we have food, clothes, and things like that. I have a job too. I work after school and on the weekend, so I have money to buy a few extra things that I want. I've tried to put money away for college, and I have saved some, but not enough to pay my own way." "This is really important to you, isn't it?" Kevin asked him. "You bet it is. I know I could make enough money as a pharmacist, so I could help take care of my mom and make it so she won't have to work so hard any more. After all she's done for me, I really want to be able to do that for her." "Well, I hope you win the scholarship then. I think you deserve it." When the meal was over, the president of the association went to the podium and got things under way. First he introduced all the finalists, having them stand up at their table for recognition, and then he introduced the members of the committee that had selected them. Next, he got down to the business at hand. "This is a very select and impressive group," he began, "and I know you will all make tremendous pharmacists in the future. The committee had a difficult decision this year, even more so than in previous years. The reason for this was that this year we had two scholarships to award. The first is our normal scholarship, a full scholarship to any Pennsylvania School of Pharmacy. The second one came about due to a donation from an anonymous member of our association. He has donated enough money to provide a partial four-year scholarship, once again to a Pennsylvania School of Pharmacy." At this point, there was a round of applause, signifying that everyone approved of this generous second opportunity. "As always, the final selections were quite difficult. Each finalist had outstanding academic credentials, and each had received glowing letters of recommendations from their teachers and guidance counselors. The judges often have to scan those letters with a magnifying glass, looking for the little things that indicate one candidate is slightly more qualified than the others, or possibly just more motivated. It is not an easy process, but once that step is completed, we then turn to the essays the candidates wrote, telling us why they want to be a pharmacist. Although all those essays were very impressive, two stood out and those two individuals turned out to be the recipients of the scholarships. "We will begin by awarding the partial scholarship first. This young person stated that he wanted to become a pharmacist so he will be able to take care of his mother, and return the love and support she has given him up to this point. This, coupled with his outstanding grade point average, his extracurricular activities, and a strong desire to succeed, made him our choice for this award." Before he had even finished what he had to say, those of us at our table knew who the winner was, and Kevin and Jeff could hardly contain their excitement. When Jeff's name was announced, he stood up, straightened his tie, and walked very purposefully to the head table, where he was to receive the document signifying his prize. After getting this, he said a few words of thanks, and then he returned to our table, where he was hugged by his mother, before Kevin and I shook his hand. "The next person will receive the full scholarship," the president continued, once the applause for Jeff had died down, "and this person had an even more unique reason for wanting to be a pharmacist. I think I should read part of this essay, so you can appreciate what I'm saying." He now began to read from the paper he was holding. "There are many reasons for my wanting to become a pharmacist, including my desire to be part of the process of making people well. Although it is the doctors who prescribe the medications, a pharmacist can catch errors and prevent lethal combinations of drugs from being taken at the same time, thus helping to save a life. I have benefited from the skills of many pharmacists since I was born, along with various other members of my family. I think it is a wonderful and beneficial profession, and I look forward to doing my part to uphold its fine traditions. "There is, however, another reason that I want to become a pharmacist, and maybe this is a bit more selfish on my part. I have seen that a pharmacist's average salary is quite high, and I want to make enough money so I can help my dad raise my brothers and maybe even adopt more. My dad is a great man, who has helped many people over the years, including all my brothers and me. I just want to make sure he has the money he needs, so he can continue to help all of them, and maybe even more boys like us. If I can help him with the financial end of taking care of all these people, I hope he'll be able to help as many as possible, and do the same things for them that he's done for the rest of us." At this point, I think both Kevin and I had figured out that he had won the scholarship, but he looked at me, his face slightly reddened, not having anticipated this type of attention. When his name was announced and he was asked to come forward, he did so, but he moved kind of sheepishly, like he was embarrassed to have won this honor. Before he could say anything, the president asked him to explain about his family, so he gave them the short version of our family history. I could see his reluctance to bring so much attention to himself and the family, though he was in no position to refuse such a politely asked question. His apparent modesty in answering this question seemed to be an endearing quality to those who were listening to his explanation, thus making it less difficult for them to accept his having been chosen over their loved one. When he was done, he thanked the association for this wonderful honor, and then he received a nice round of applause. Jeff jumped up to shake his hand when he got back to our table, and he was beaming with enough pride for the both of them. Shortly after this, the ceremony ended and those in attendance began to leave. Jeff told Kevin he was pleased that the two of them had won, as they appeared to need the scholarships more than the others. Kevin looked even more sheepish after that was said, knowing he was in a better financial situation than his new friend, maybe even better than the others who had been finalists. He told me he was going to speak to the president, probably to thank him personally, and he left me to talk with Jeff and his mother while he was gone. It was a just a couple of minutes before Kevin returned, and then he pulled Jeff aside. "I just talked to the president, and I got him to agree to let us switch scholarships," he told Jeff. Jeff looked confused by this statement. "But why would you want to do that? You have the better one." "I know, but I also have quite a bit of money put away for college, so I can afford to pay for at least part of my expenses." "No, that's not fair. You won, and you should have the better scholarship." "Please, Jeff. I want to do this for you. Even though my dad adopted so many boys, we have quite a bit of money for the family, and he made sure us boys had accounts in our name too. I actually have enough money to pay for college by myself, and I didn't really apply for this scholarship. One of my guidance counselors put my name in for it, and then told me to write the essay about why I wanted to be a pharmacist. I didn't even really know what it was for, and I didn't even remember that I gave it to the counselor to send it in." "But you didn't even talk this over with your dad before you did this. What is he going to say? Isn't he going to be mad?" "No, he'll understand and approve of what I did. I know he will. Watch." Kevin walked up to me, got my attention, and then proceeded to tell me about what he had done. I knew he must be waiting for my reaction, so I just smiled, hugged him around the shoulder, and told him that was a very generous and selfless thing to do. Then I told him I was proud of him. Jeff seemed shocked by my attitude, so I reached over and extended my hand to shake his, telling him to use the scholarship wisely and to make the most of it. After he promised that he would, his mother made sure to thank both Kevin and me for having done this, and then hugged and kissed Kevin. After she released him, Kevin shared some more news with us. "The president said that any publicity would read that I won the full scholarship and Jeff had won the partial, but they were willing to let us switch them otherwise. I hope that doesn't bother you." He was looking at Jeff now, as if he expected Jeff might get upset about this fact. "No way. You should get the credit. I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. I was happy to have won the partial scholarship, though I knew it meant I would have to work while I was at college, to pay for books and other things. Now this will let me concentrate on my studies and I'll only have to work a little, for spending money and such. I hope we end up in the same place. Do you know where you're going to go?" "Yes, I'm going to Temple," Kevin told him. "Really, I was accepted by both Temple and Pittsburgh, but I told them I had to wait and see about this scholarship before I could decide if I could go. They said that was all right, but I knew I wouldn't be going to either place without some kind of help. I'm going to tell Temple I'm going to go there, so we can be together. Okay?" "That would be fine with me," Kevin told him, "if that's where you really want to go." "Well, both have very good departments for pharmacy, so I would have been happy going to either one. Now I'd prefer Temple, if it means we might be in the same classes." "Great, then maybe we can see if we can also become roommates. Possibly I can get my dad can pull some strings for us, as he knows lots of important people." Now both boys looked at me, giving those pleading puppy-dog faces, so I told them I couldn't make any promises, but I'd see what I could do. The boys then hugged each other, Jeff's mother thanked us both again, and we walked them out to their car. We said our good-byes, invited them to visit us sometime, and then we headed home. On the way back, I told Kevin once more what a wonderful gesture that was and how proud I was of him. That's when he told me it was just his way of helping someone else like I had helped him and his brothers. "Dad, look at it this way. It wasn't a tough decision for me. I'm going to college whether I have that scholarship or not. In fact, I've been planning on going to Temple and paying for it myself, even before I knew I was even a finalist. The difference was, Jeff might not have been able to go in the first place, or maybe he would run out of money before he graduated. But now that he has that scholarship, he won't have to worry about anything but his grades. I just wanted to make sure he had every chance to improve his life too, and the partial scholarship will be more than enough for me." I thought about this and realized he was right, yet I was still very proud of him for having reasoned that all out on his own, and then acted upon it. I told him so, once more, and then we rode the rest of the way in silence. As I drove along, I continued to think about his good deed. Maybe people are right when they say that one random act of kindness can take root, and soon it will multiply and spread, from one individual to another. I guess Kevin was just making sure he passed his share of kindness along too. Kevin and I had to drive straight home that same evening, as the next day was graduation day for him, Danny, and Brandon. I was so proud of the three of them, as they had all done very well in their classes, and although none of them were valedictorian or salutatorian, they were all in the top ten percent of that graduation class. Kevin was able to get some sleep on the ride back, but only for less than half of the trip, as he was still too wound up from winning the scholarship and about what he had done for Jeff. It was well after midnight, by the time we got back to the house, but I woke Kevin up and helped him into the house and up to his room, as he was still a little groggy. I helped tuck him into bed next to Vinnie, who woke up and wanted the details about what happened. We told him he'd get the whole story in the morning, so he just cuddled up next to Kevin and prepared to go back to sleep. I kissed them both before I left the room, and then I went to my own room to get some rest. Jake also woke up when I entered, though I think he might have awakened when we came in the house, and all I told him was the Kevin had won a scholarship and he'd get the full story over breakfast. He must have realized I was beat, so he didn't protest at all, and I crawled in next to him and dozed off pretty quickly. I did sleep well, though I did seem to have many dreams that evening, mostly about the boys. During my slumber I relived Kevin's receiving the scholarship, I pictured the graduation ceremony, and then I had a dream about what the house would be like next fall, with so many of the boys leaving for school. When I awoke the next morning, I was experiencing a mixture of emotions, ranging from pride over the boys' accomplishments, gratitude for the example they had set for their younger brothers, love for all they have meant to me, and sadness to know they would be leaving me before much longer. Now I wondered if I'd be going through this same dilemma every year, and how much worse it would be when the last one left the nest. That morning I let Kevin fill everyone in about the banquet and his being awarded the scholarship, and then I watched the reactions on his brothers' faces when he told them about having swapped scholarships with Jeff. I think a couple of the younger ones thought he was nuts for doing that, but it appeared that the older ones not only understood, but agreed with his actions. "You know, that was a super move you made," Frankie told him. "I guess that must mean you think like Dad, and put those less fortunate ahead of even yourself." He looked at me and smiled, then winked. All I could do was mouth a silent 'thank you' in return. "Yeah, I guess I might have done the same thing," Danny told him. "After all, Dad has made sure we'll all be able to go to college, so why should we deprive some other kid of the same chance? I agree with what Kevin did and I think he might have made a life-long friend by doing that." This comment seemed to bother Vinnie, who had already begun to consider himself Kevin's life-long friend, if not more. I think that little green monster called jealousy started to rear its ugly head, as he realized those two would be at college together, and maybe even roommates. I saw a lot of whispering going on between the two of them, but I assumed Kevin found a way to reassure him that he and Jeff would only be friends, and Vinnie seemed to relax and let the matter drop after that. After breakfast, everyone went to get ready for the ceremony, and I made myy rounds around the house, to make sure everyone had what they needed and was dressed appropriately for this occasion. While the boys were getting ready, Brandon's parents arrived at the house to join us. They had flown in on Friday night and had been staying with other friends in town, as they thought we were already too crowded for them to join us. They had also taken Brandon and Danny out Saturday evening, while Kevin and I had been at the scholarship banquet, and spent a quiet evening with the boys then. Now they were here to pick-up Brandon and Danny, and have the boys ride to the school with them, while the rest of us piled into our vehicles. Almost as soon as we arrived, the graduates went off to join their classmates and don their caps and gowns, in preparation for the big event. The rest of the family and I went to find seats where we could see all that was going to happen, and possibly snap a few good pictures. Jake and I talked to Brandon's parents while we waited, filling them in on the little things that had happened since we last spoke to them, and then we finalized the plans for Brandon to rejoin them in a few more weeks. Brandon's mother had wanted him to come and spend the entire summer with them, but he had so many other things going on and he didn't really want to leave Danny for that long, so that wouldn't happen. After much talking about it, Brandon and his parents had finally settled on him joining them in July and staying until he left for college. It did seem like it took forever before the ceremony began, and some of the boys got a little restless, but everything settled down once Pomp and Circumstance started to play. I snapped off a few pictures of the graduates, as they marched past where we were sitting, and I got a couple more photos of them as they sat on the stage. I also made my way forward to take snapshots of them as they received their diplomas, and again as they marched past us on the way out. Afterward we took all kinds of pictures, with the graduates together, of them with their parent(s), them with their brothers, and various other combinations. We must have taken at least sixty pictures before we were through. When we were done with that, we went back to the house to prepare for the graduation party we were throwing for them. They had also invited all their friends, and we were having plenty of food and drinks, non-alcoholic to eliminate the temptation, and I knew this was going to be a long day before the party ended and things settled back to normal. * * * * * * * * 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.