Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 08:16:05 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 5  chapter 6

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 6 - A time for concern and healing.       February 2002

I got ahold of my contractor on Monday and, due to his slow schedule, he
was able to meet with me almost immediately.  We discussed my ideas for the
changes to the house, started making diagrams of what I wanted the new
rooms to look like, and then he went to secure the appropriate work permits
to begin construction.  A couple of days later he had a crew working on the
foundations, while he and I finalized the design and fixtures for the two
rooms.  The new bedroom would be built off the family room, with the spa
room jutting out from the downstairs bathroom.  There would be two doors
into the spa, one from the new bedroom and the other through the bathroom.
This would give Vinnie direct access to the spa and would make it much
easier for him to workout, giving him the extra privacy he might need at
these times.  The only problem was, the contractor was going to be on a
very tight schedule to be able to finish the rooms by Christmas, so we
would have to pray that everything went smoothly.

I also spoke to Vinnie, Sally, and her contact from Massachusetts during
this time, working out the details for his joining us permanently.  He had
been able to work things out with his teachers at his current school, so he
could complete his second marking period assignments, either before he left
or submit them via the mail or internet after he moved in with us.  That
way, he would have completed the first half of the school year there,
before he transferred to the local school, and this would help make the
transition easier.  In fact, I learned later that most of his teachers went
out of their way to help him work this out and to make things easier for
him, especially after all he had been through already.  It was good to see
educators who were that compassionate and flexible.

Other things were also happening during this time, beginning with Ricky's
announcement that he wanted to apply to become a foreign exchange student.
It seems that there were several factors that had sparked his interest in
this program.  First, there was the fact that he had become acquainted with
the foreign exchange students who had attended the local school over the
past couple of years, especially an attractive young girl from New Zealand
who was currently attending our high school.  Another factor was that Ricky
had always been one of my most adventurous sons, probably because of all he
went through before he came to live with me, and all our travels had
whetted his appetite for seeing new places.  We discussed this in length,
began our investigation into what he would need to do to apply and get
accepted into the program, and then we started looking at his options, as
far as his choice of countries was concerned.

It was during this time that we also got word that Sammy and Andrew's
Japanese grandparents would be joining us for Christmas again.  It wasn't
really their turn to visit the U.S., but they concluded it was too soon for
me to be making those types of trips just yet, and they wanted to see the
boys again.  Their decision was fine with us, except that it created one
minor problem.  Where would we put them while they were here?  Our place
would be busting at the seams, once my older children and their families
returned home for the holidays, and we all look forward to their joining us
again too.  I'd hate to have to make any of them stay at a hotel or motel,
especially our out of town guests, but I was running out of options.  I'd
probably have to pick one group or another to stay somewhere else, but now
I had to decide whom.

Another surprise came when Frankie telephoned me late one evening, from
college.  He was concerned about his roommate, Tom.  It seemed that Tom had
met another freshman at college who was into AEA, or auto-erotic
asphyxiation, and Tom was now messing with this potentially deadly game.
What these guys do is intentionally cut off the blood supply to the brain
while masturbating, to intensify the sensation of orgasm.  This technique
lessens the flow of oxygen getting to the brain cells, thus producing a
giddiness, lightheadedness, or exhilaration not usually experienced during
ejaculation.  This activity seems to be an increasing favorite among
adolescents and young adult males, but the problem is, it's the
helplessness and self-endangerment that enhances the sexual gratification.
Doing this can also weaken the person's self control and judgment, leading
to fatal results.  It is estimated that between 500 and 1000 youths die
annually in the U.S. from this dangerous form of masturbation, and Tom was
placing himself in jeopardy.  Frankie became concerned when he found Tom
unconscious on his bed after one of these episodes and, for a few seconds,
he thought Tom was dead.  Fortunately, that wasn't the case this time, but
it didn't mean it wouldn't happen in the future.  I told Frankie to discuss
the seriousness of his actions with him NOW, and then I'd talk to him too,
when I took Frankie back to campus after the holidays.  At that time, the
three of us could sit down and chat about this potentially fatal game he
was playing, and possibly get him to give it up, or at least not do it when
he was alone.  This seemed to make Frankie feel a little better, and he
promised to follow through with his part of this assignment.

As Christmas approached, I had to think hard about what to get the boys for
presents this year.  Even though I wasn't trying to spoil them, they didn't
really lack for much and it wasn't easy to find just the right gifts for
them.  Yes, I know that many of these things are luxuries they have to
share, still they have them, or access to them, and it isn't like they are
being deprived of anything.  Now I had to find something for each of them,
something they would each appreciate and enjoy.  Now I began to do my
research, as well as listening to the boys when I dropped hints, just to
see how they'd react.  They were used to this approach from me, so they
weren't exactly surprised, but they also weren't particularly helpful.
They all had their own ideas about what an appropriate gift would be and it
just made the situation seem even more impossible for me to solve.
Arrrrrrrgh.

On the sixteenth, we celebrated Shannon's first birthday with us, as he
turned 16.  We did the celebration up big time, not wanting him to think he
was any less important than anyone else, and he seemed to really enjoy this
time.  We had taken him out to eat, had cake and ice cream afterward, also
inviting our extended family to join in, but we hadn't invited any
outsiders, as Shannon told us there was no one else he wanted to include.
If you remember, he had a rough start when he first arrived at our school,
so he preferred to keep this gathering to those he felt the most
comfortable with, and that was just the family.  We honored his wishes and
did just that.  He told his father later that he really enjoyed himself and
that he hoped they'd always stay there with us.

The next night I called Vinnie, remembering that this was his 16th
birthday, and I wished him a happy birthday from all of us.  I passed the
phone around, so everyone could give him his own private wishes, and I
think it made him feel good to think we had remembered his special day.
Kevin asked to go last, and then requested some privacy to speak with
Vinnie, so we left him alone to pass along his own birthday greetings.
Before he hung up, he called me back into the room, as I had told him I
wanted to say good-bye to Vinnie before he hung up.  I made sure to tell
Vinnie that we were looking forward to his joining us and that I'd be
picking him up in a little over a week, when he joined us for good.  We
said our farewells, looking forward to the next time we would see each
other again.

Work on the rooms was going well, but moving more slowly than any of us had
hoped for.  First, we had to wait for the Jacuzzi to be shipped from the
manufacturer after it was ordered, and this moved the completion date back
a little more.  The contractor wanted the Jacuzzi to be put in before they
closed in the walls, so that part of the project sat in limbo until the
Jacuzzi arrived.  This meant that we'd have to make other arrangements for
Vinnie when he arrived, at least until his room was completed.  I decided I
would have to let Vinnie use my room again, though I had originally planned
that my son and daughter-in-law would use it when they arrived.  There will
be too much activity going on in the house for the sleeper-sofa to be a
viable alternative for anyone to use, because it was in the room where the
Christmas tree was located.  Therefore, one of our usual alternatives for a
bedroom was no longer an option.  Oh, no, I almost forgot.  I still hadn't
made arrangements for the Japanese grandparents.  Where would I put them
up?

Fortunately, the Spences came to my rescue concerning this problem.  They
learned about our concerns and offered to have Sammy and Andrew's
grandparents stay with them, seeing they all got along so well on the
previous visit.  This was a much better alternative than having the
grandparents stay by themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, and that gave
me one less thing to have to worry about.  They would have the Spences for
company when they weren't with us, they'd be in a home and not in a
nondescript and sterile environment, and they'd also be with others they
knew.  I'd just have to make sure that Sammy and Andrew went to visit them
at the Spences as well.

I also came up with what I thought would be a great idea for Christmas
presents for the boys.  It was something practical, something they could
use, and something I thought they'd really appreciate.  I still wanted to
talk it over with Jake, to get his take on my idea, especially seeing
Shannon would be included in this too.  I was pretty sure Jake would agree
with my suggestion, it was just that I didn't want to do anything without
talking it over with him first.  After all, we were kind of a team now.

Ricky also got the rest of the paperwork for the exchange student program
during this time, and I had to sit down with him and help him fill it all
out.  When we came to the place where it asked for his choice of
destinations, he selected New Zealand and Australia as his primary choices.
He did this because he wasn't too sure that his foreign language skills
were good enough to allow him to function in a country where he would have
to rely on his other language skills to survive.  He decided to list those
two countries, even though he was told his chances of getting one of them
was slim, but he didn't feel he had any other options.  Even with the odds
against him, he had decided to stick to his guns and stay with those two
choices.  I do believe that there were other factors that weighed in this
decision, including that cute little brunette from New Zealand.

As Christmas drew closer, our whole schedule became very hectic.  The boys
were in various Christmas programs at school and church, and then we had to
squeeze in all our other activities around those events.  Nick had done
very well with his guitar lessons and he was accompanying some of his
friends as they sang in one of the concerts.  Some of the younger boys were
also in their school choir, which was putting on a special holiday program,
so we all went to watch them perform too.

Christmas was also a time of firsts, in this case another first for Andrew.
Although he had been involved in some simple sexual activities with Graham
and Sammy, he had been basically the recipient of the action.  Although he
had sucked his partners off on occasion, he always finished them off by
hand, masturbating them to climax.  For some reason, he decided that it was
now time to try something new.  It happened when he was with Graham, as
Sammy had finally worked his way through his jealousy over sharing his
brother, and the pair was spending the night together again.  Graham told
me about this later, as he thought it had been kind of humorous, and he
knew I wanted to keep track of Andrew's activities.  It seems that Andrew
had made the move on his own, to take Graham orally, and Graham wasn't
about to dissuade his initiative.  With the aggressiveness of a hungry
scavenger, Andrew swung around and devoured Graham's organ, pumping up and
down on it with his lips, like a thirty man using an old hand pump to get
water.

Graham had suspected that once he got close, Andrew would just use his
hand, as he had done in the past, but this time when Graham warned him he
was getting close, Andrew wouldn't quit his oral suctioning.  Graham warned
him a second, and even third time, but Andrew kept going, and soon Graham
reached the point where he couldn't hold his ejaculation back any longer.
Due to his extreme state of arousal, he released a huge load into Andrew's
mouth, as his penis shot volley after volley of his hot cream.  It was
exceptionally large considering Andrew had never taken a climax orally
before, and Graham was worried that he might choke on the sheer volume.
Like a little trooper, Andrew kept going, proving he was up to the task.
When he finally finished his greedy assault on Graham's pulsing organ, he
sat up and looked directly into Graham's eye.  Graham said Andrew had a
grin from ear to ear, pleased about what he had just done, but there were
strands of pearly cum dripping from each corner of his mouth, running down
his chin and leaving telltale traces of what had just taken place.  This
was what Graham had thought was so cute, and he told me that he wished he
had had a camera to take a picture of that special moment, showing little
Andrew so pleased with his accomplishment.

After this had happened, Graham made sure he returned the favor, to show
his appreciation, even though little Andrew couldn't shoot yet.  Graham did
make sure that his young partner enjoyed a thunderous dry orgasm, watching
him squirm and wiggle around as he felt that special tingle radiate
throughout his body.  He then made sure to kiss Andrew and thank him when
they were done, so he would know how special that had been.  I heard that
Andrew did the same thing for Sammy the following night, so there wouldn't
be any hard feelings between them.  Even though Andrew's efforts were
enjoyed by his brother, it hadn't been something he had necessarily had to
do to keep the peace.  Instead, it was just another way to show his love
for his brother.

A couple of days later, when Vinnie flew in to stay with us for good, Kevin
accompanied me to the airport to pick him up.  Many of Vinnie's things were
being shipped directly to the house later, but for now he was only bringing
the essential items with him.  After we had his things loaded in the van, I
decided we should stop and have lunch before we made the long drive back.
I took the three of us to a T.G.I.F., where we were led to a table in the
corner.  I could tell Vinnie was still a bit nervous, even though I wasn't
sure it was because of the move or because he was with Kevin, but I figured
that he'd get over it eventually, no matter what caused it.  After we
ordered our meals, I went to use the restroom before the food arrived.
When I got back, my coffee had been delivered and the little creamers were
sitting in a bowl.  Vinnie picked one up, nervously playing with it, and I
didn't think much about it until I heard a 'pop'.  When I looked up, Kevin
had cream dripping from his face and the lady at the next table had her
coat covered with similar white spots.  Her coat had been hanging on the
back of her chair, and Kevin tried frantically to wipe the liquid off his
face and her garment, while Vinnie sat frozen in embarrassment and turning
a bright red.  We apologized profusely to the woman, and I even offered to
pay to have her coat cleaned, but she didn't act like it was any big deal.
Luckily it was a cloth coat and cleaned up fairly easily, so she wasn't any
the worse for what had happened.  I thought Vinnie was going to slide under
the table and die of shame when she got up to leave, but she merely smiled
at us and said good-bye.  Needless to say, we teased Vinnie about this
nearly all the way home.

When we arrived home, the whole family was waiting for us, and we had a
cake ready to celebrate Vinnie's 16th birthday, which had passed before he
left his old home.  He seemed moved by this small gesture, and as a
birthday present, the boys and I gave him a laptop computer, to make his
life a little easier.  After he thanked us and gave me a big hug, I told
Vinnie he could use my room until his was finished.  What I didn't know was
that he and Kevin had worked out other arrangements between themselves,
while they had spent time together talking on the trip.  Vinnie announced
he was going to stay with Kevin for now, freeing up my room for other
visitors.  I questioned him about having to negotiate the stairs, not
wanting him to tumble down them when he was tired or not quite awake, but
the two boys assured me everything would be fine for the short time he
would need to share Kevin's room.  I told them, as long as they were sure,
it was fine with me.  Once they had my approval, they took Vinnie's things
up to Kevin's room and he got unpacked.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one other thing.  I had also received a
Christmas card from Nigel and his boys, the group we had met at the nude
beach in England, and he said they were planning to visit the States this
summer, for a whole month.  He and the boys had all been saving whatever
money they could, so they could do this, and they wanted to know if we'd
mind if they visited while they were there.  I wrote him back immediately,
telling him not only could they visit, but they were welcome to stay with
us. I suggested that we could take them on short trips, so they could see
at least the eastern part of the country, and this would also reduce their
expenses while they were here.  I was hoping they'd accept this offer, and
not feel that they were putting us out, because I felt we'd all benefit
from the experience.  Now all I had to do was await his reply.

It was now almost Christmas, and Vinnie was a bit overwhelmed with all that
was going on with our family.  Being an only child, he was not used to have
so many things going on it the same time.  It was also kind of a rough
period for him too, as this would be the first Christmas he had spent
without his parents.  Even though he went with us to all the functions we
attended, I could see from his expressions and the sadness in his eyes that
he had many mixed emotions about what was going on during these times.
Finally I decided it was time to sit down with him and have a chat.  After
we got home from our most recent outing, I asked to speak with him in my
room, and we went in and sat down.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, not quite sure how else to approach this.  He
simply looked up at me, either unsure about what I was asking or maybe
uncertain about how to respond.  I waited, not wanting to pressure him, and
I gave him time to think about his answer.

"I'm sorry," he finally responded.  "I didn't mean to cause any problems."

"Vinnie, you aren't causing problems, I was just wondering if you were all
right.  I'm sure this time of year must be rough for you now."

Again, he took his time to reply, but I think he was also fighting back
some tears.  "You know, I really miss them," he finally told me.

"I'd be amazed if you didn't," I tried to reassure him.  "They were your
parents and you were very close.  You don't have to hide your feelings.  We
all understand what you must be going through.  You aren't the only one
here who has ever had to go through this.  Trey, Sammy, and Andrew have all
lost their parents too."

"I've heard some things that led me to believe that they had, but no one
said how or when it had happened.  Did their parents die in accidents too?"

I went on to explain the circumstances around each set of parents' death.
I think Vinnie could identify more with Trey's situation, seeing it was the
result of an accident, but I think he had trouble understanding how Sammy
and Andrew's father could have killed his wife and then himself.  "Will it
always hurt this much?" he asked.  I gave him a hug before I answered him.

"You'll always miss them and there will always be a void in your heart
during times like these, but the pain will lessen over time." I had also
known what it was like to lose people who were dear to me, so I responded
as honestly as I could.

"Is there anything I can do, so it doesn't hurt like this?"

"I'm afraid not.  The best thing to do is just remember the good times and
cherish those precious moments you spent together.  That will ease the pain
some, but it won't make it go away.  Remember, they are always with you,
both touching your heart and in your memories, so you'll never be truly
alone."

I'm not sure if this helped or not, as he didn't respond after this
exchange, but I could tell he was thinking about many things.  I had enough
trouble when I lost my own parents and grandparents, who were quite old
when they died, but I'm not sure if I could put myself totally in his
shoes.  Sure I had also lost my wife, but we had spent many years together
by that point, and I was much older and more mature than Vinnie was when he
experienced his loss.  Then there was always the loss of Brent, which still
pains me deeply, but I'm not sure if even that was similar to what he was
feeling.  I waited to see what Vinnie would need next, not wanting to make
the next move, but he just sat there, pensively going over numerous issues
in his mind.  Finally he looked up at me, then bent sideways and rested his
head on my shoulder, so I put my arm around him and gave him a slight
squeeze.  His body seemed to relax as he did this, as if he might be
drawing some extra strength from me, so I continued to hold onto him until
he decided that he had had enough.  We sat that way for several more
minutes, before he suggested that he was okay and maybe we should go back
out and rejoin the others.  When I was sure he was truly ready, we did just
that, and he proved to me how strong he really was.

On Christmas Eve, the family gathered for our traditional Christmas Eve
dinner and then left, en masse, for Christmas Eve services at our church.
This was always a very special time for us, including the extended family,
as they would join us and take part in this wonderful celebration.  At the
church I had Vinnie sit next to me, as this was his first time with us and
I wasn't sure how he was going to react if memories of his parents overtook
him during this time.  I wanted to be near him, so I could support him if
that happened.  He seemed very pensive at first, but surprisingly he became
an active participant in everything that went on.  I also noticed that he
lingered a bit longer during the prayers, as if he was making his own
special requests after the minister had finished his own general requests
during this season of joy.  I made a mental note to inquire into this
later, but not for a couple of days, just to find out a little about what
was going on in his mind while he was doing this.  After the service we
went back home, but that's when the things became even more interesting.

As we were getting ready to walk into the house, Graham stopped me and had
me wait outside with him, while the others went inside.  After we were
alone, he told me what was on his mind.  "Dad, I saw Brent again, while we
were at the church, and he told me he has something special for me to do."

I didn't know what to think about this pronouncement, but I needed to learn
more.  "What type of special thing do you think this is?  Did he tell you?"

"Not yet, but he told me that it was going to include some of the others.
He told me to make sure that they were there and then he'd show me
everything else."  At that point he went on to list whom else was to be
included in whatever it was that was going to happen next.

"Did he say where he wanted us to meet?" I inquired.

"No, but I just figured it should be a place where we wouldn't be
interrupted."

"Okay, I'll tell you what.  We'll use the rec room for this.  I'll round up
the other boys and meet you there, and then we'll shut the door, so we'll
have complete privacy."  He seemed satisfied with this suggestion and
headed back in that direction, while I went to locate the other boys.  They
seemed confused at first, but they were cooperative, and soon we went to
join Graham.  Everyone had a vague idea of what might happen next, except
for Vinnie, and the other boys quickly filled him in about Graham's special
talent and previous 'visions'.  Now we were all quietly waiting to see what
Brent had planned for us all.

"I hope you guys don't think I'm nuts," Graham began, "but I saw Brent at
church again tonight."  Graham hesitated at this point, but everyone
assured him that they didn't think he was crazy at all, only that he had a
special ability that no one else possessed and few could understand.
Graham seemed bolstered by their response, and he continued on with what he
had to do.  "Well, Brent told me to make sure each of you were here, as
this would have something to do with each one of you, but I have no idea
what he has in mind.  Now I just have to wait for him to try to show me
what he wants me to do or say."

At this point, Graham stared off into space, not looking at us, but
seemingly focusing on something none of the rest of us could see.  "Brent
is showing me two other people," he announced, "a man, and a woman.  They
look like they might be Chinese and they are holding something in their
hands.  It's a picture of them, with the man holding a small boy and the
woman holding a baby.  They're standing in front of a tall building with
several slanting roofs, a new roof jutting out from each level."

"I know that picture," Sammy shouted out.  "That the picture of my parents
holding me and Andrew, while we they were visiting a Shinto shrine."

"Is that the picture that was on the wall, when we first came into our old
house?" Andrew asked Sammy.

"Yes, that's the one.  Daddy was holding me, and mommy was carrying you."

"Yes, I remember that picture.  Is that our parents you're seeing, Graham?"

"I guess it is, and I think they want me to tell you more.  The man is now
getting on his knees, as if he's begging for something, but I'm not sure
what this means.  He's doing it in front of the woman, but he's doing it
while looking at that picture."

I thought this might be the time for me to offer an interpretation of my
own.  "I think he might be begging for forgiveness from his wife and sons,"
I told the boys.  "I think he's asking them to forgive him for the terrible
wrong he did to all of you."  Sammy and Andrew knew what I was referring
to, even if the others did not, meaning that their father was asking their
mother and them to forgive him for having killed her and then himself.  The
two boys were whispering to each other, talking this over, when Sammy spoke
to Graham.

"Can you tell him we forgive him?" he announced.

"I don't think I have to," he announced, "and I think he heard you.  Right
now he is holding out a bunch of roses toward you, which I think means he
loves you and appreciates your understanding."  At this point several eyes
were filled with tears, not only Sammy and Andrew's, but mine as well, and
thoughtfully Graham paused for a few minutes to give them time to recover.
Once we had composed ourselves again, he went on this session.  Once again
he stared off into space, before he made his next announcement.

"Brent now has another couple with him, but this couple is white.  The man
is quite tall and dressed in a suit, and the woman is dressed nicely too,
but the top of her head doesn't quite reach the middle of the man's chest.
The woman is holding a stuffed animal, it looks like Winnie the Pooh, and
she is also holding a small blanket, which is a light blue and has Tigger
sewn into the middle of it."

"That's my Pooh bear and my blankie," Trey screamed out.  "I used to carry
them both around all the time when I was little.  They were both burned up
in the explosion that killed my parents, so it must be them.  What are they
saying?"

"Well, I'm getting the feeling that they are very proud about something,
and I think it must be you, because they are each holding one of those
items and hugging them as hard as they can, as if they are hugging you by
doing so."  Trey had a pleased, but pained expression on his face when he
heard this, as if he were happy to hear this news, but saddened by this
same revelation.  "They are also holding out a bouquet of roses, so I guess
they're sending their love for you too."  Trey merely nodded, but he was
too choked up to speak at this point.

There was another brief lull, while Graham gazed into the air once again,
looking for his next set of clues.  After a few more moments, he began to
speak once more.  "Now Brent is showing me an older black woman.  She's
kind of short and she's wearing a flowered dress."

"That's my Nana," Dion announced.  "That dress was one of her favorites and
she wore it often.  What's she doing and how does she look?"

"She looks fine, and quite happy.  She has a big grin on her face, but now
she's showing me someone else.  It's a man, and he's dressed in a fireman's
outfit."

"That must be my dad," Dion told all of us.  "He died while he was fighting
a big fire.  God, how I've missed both of them.  Are they trying to tell me
anything?"

"Well, the man is showing me a tree house, like the one in the woods behind
the house."

"We didn't have a tree house," Dion began, but then he paused.  "Oh, my
God!  Does that mean he's been seeing what I've been doing there?"  He now
looked at Graham for an answer.

"Well, he's smiling and nodding his head, so I guess he has."  Dion didn't
respond, as he was overwhelmed by this news, and I began to feel that he
might be more careful about what he did, and where he did it, in the
future.  "They are both holding out roses too," Graham told him, "so I
guess this means that they are sending you their love too."  Dion nodded
again, and then he sat deep in thought.

It didn't take long before Graham started again, this time announcing that
Brent was bringing through another couple.  "This time I see a white man
and a white woman, but they're not very tall.  They aren't holding or
carrying anything, but they are showing me a house.  It's a ranch style
house, with the bottom half of it being brick and the top half done in
white siding.  They're taking me into the house, and when you go through
the front door, the living room is to the left and the dining room and
kitchen are straight ahead."

"That sounds like my house and my parents," Vinnie told us.  "Are they
okay?"

Graham looked at the air for a few seconds and then made his next comment.
"I think they are telling me that they didn't hurt or maybe they didn't
feel any pain.  The man is acting like he is struggling with someone,
actually maybe with a couple of people."

"What does that mean?" Dion wanted to know.

Again, I thought it was time for me to add my ideas about what this meant.
"I think it means that your father, and possibly others on that flight,
tried to overcome the hijackers.  I think he's trying to tell you that he
did what he had to do, but neither he nor your mother suffered when the end
came."  Vinnie started to speak, but I think the words caught in his
throat, so he just gave up on trying to comment further.

"Your dad is now showing me our house and giving you a thumbs up.  I think
that means he approves of your coming to live with us."  This made Vinnie
smile, and then he turned and gave me a hug.  "Your parents are also
holding a bouquet of roses, so it looks like they are sending you their
love."

Now tears started to stream down his cheek and he started to lose emotional
control for a few minutes, so Graham waited for him to regain his composure
before he continued.  Once Vinnie seemed ready to hear more, Graham
continued.  "Now your parents and Brent are both holding out another bunch
of roses, but this time I don't think they're just for you.  I think this
time they're holding them out for both you and Kevin.  I'm not sure what
this means, but that looks like what they're doing.

Now Kevin and Vinnie looked at each other, seemingly understanding this
simple message, and I was pretty sure that I did too.  It seems that both
Brent and Vinnie's parents were giving their approval for the two boys to
be together.  This wasn't that profound or very important, but it seemed to
have a significant impact on that pair, possibly allowing them both to go
on with their own lives.

After we all left the room, Vinnie pulled me aside and provided me with a
little more information.  He told me that at church earlier, he had made
several specific prayers.  First, he prayed that his parents were okay and
that they were together in heaven.  Then he asked God to bless everyone in
our house, asking him to put all of our doubts and worries to rest, so we
could be as happy as he now was.  Then he told me that he had made one more
request, and that was to get a sign as to whether he should pursue Kevin,
or if Kevin would always be in love with Brent and not be able to get over
him.  He said he thought that now all his prayers had now been answered.

I agreed with him, telling him that not everyone got his prayers answered
so quickly or so dramatically, but he had Graham to thank for that.  It was
Graham's special abilities that made all this happen, of course with God's
help and Brent's otherworldly assistance, but I told him he should stop and
say whatever he thought would be appropriate to Graham, to let him know
that he appreciated what he had done.  He said he would, and we all headed
off to bed.

I now thought ahead a bit, knowing that even though most of the boys were
older now, my grandchildren were here and we'd still be getting up early to
open gifts.  After I figured everyone was asleep, I snuck the remaining
presents under the tree and then slipped back to my temporary bed.  I
always look forward to seeing my grandchildren and the boys open their
gifts, and this year would be no exception.

		*    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.