Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 12:22:17 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 6, chapter 15 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 Art for proofreading it for me. 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 6-by BW (Young-Friends). Copyright 2000 by billwstories Chapter 15 - Many irons in the fire. November 2002 It wasn't as if we didn't have enough to worry about, with Cody's health issues, but a couple of other situations cropped up around this time, though neither of them had anything to do with Cody. The first of these situations came to my attention, late one weekday afternoon. I was in my office, when my secretary told me I had a call to take, informing me it was someone from the local police department. I picked up the call quickly, figuring it involved the school district in some fashion. Soon the voice on the other end filled me in on what had happened. "Mr. Currie, this is Sgt. Nichols. Are you the legal guardian for a young man named Vinnie?" This question caught me totally off guard. "Yes, I am," I finally responded. "Is he in some sort of trouble?" "Not exactly, but he's been involved in a vehicular accident." His voice was emotionless, but I could tell by his tone that the situation wasn't minor. "How serious was it?" I wanted to know, but I might also have started to panic at this point. "The boy was slightly banged up and bruised in the collision, but the vehicle he was driving has extensive damage done to it." Again, he was just reporting the facts and was very dry and expressionless. "What happened?" I asked, wishing to know more of the details. "Was there another vehicle involved, or did he run into something?" "There was another vehicle involved, and that one was extensively damaged as well." "And was anyone injured in the other car?" I pressed, really beginning to panic now. "Again, the passengers in that vehicle only received minor injuries as well." "So what happened, and was anyone at fault?" I kept trying to drag information out of this officer, but he seemed reluctant to give me much at one time. "We're not exactly sure about the details of what happened, even after interviewing the witnesses, and we'll have to do some more investigating, before we might be able to sort this out." "Can you just give me an idea of what happened, without having to point blame?" I was getting irritated now, wanting to have an idea of what happened. "The 4-Runner, that the young man was driving, hit the side of another SUV. The impact was forceful enough to tip the other vehicle over, and it also did severe damage to the front of the 4-Runner." At least he gave me some details this time, though I still wanted more. "Will you give me an idea how this accident happened?" I pressed him, wanting to learn the details of how this accident had happened. "There is some confusion on whether this young man was anticipating a green light or running a red light, or whether the other driver was running a red light, but the two vehicles collided in the middle of the highway, tipping the other vehicle on its side and clogging up a busy intersection." "Was anyone else in our car at the time?" "No, the driver was alone." I was now a little relieved, and beginning to calm down. Now I had to figure out where Vinnie had been heading, and what had actually transpired. "And where is Vinnie now?" "He and the other driver are here at the police station, making their statements. All the occupants received medical attention at the scene, and both cars have been towed away." "Okay, I'll be right down to pick him up. Would you please tell him that?" "Yes, sir, I will. I shall see you shortly then." As I drove to the police station, I tried to envision what I would discover. I understood Vinnie hadn't been hurt badly, but the vehicle had, but I wondered if they'd be able to sort through the details and determine who was at fault, by the time I got there. I pulled into a parking space, on the street beside the police station, and I got out of the Grand AM and walked inside. I informed the officer working the desk as to who I was, and he paged someone to come and lead me to where Vinnie was. Before long a young officer was escorting me to another area, where I discovered Vinnie, shaken but otherwise none the worse for wear. He looked worried, when he first saw me, and then he grabbed his crutches and made his way toward me. "I'm sorry, Pop," he told me, "but it really wasn't my fault." I hugged him and let him know everything was all right. "Why don't you just tell me what happened then?" I told him, trying to let him get this off his chest. "I was coming up to the light, and I saw it was changing. I could see the green light changing to yellow, for the cars going the other way. I slowed down a little, but didn't come to a stop, because I knew my light was going to turn green. It was green when I went through it, but suddenly this other car was in front of me, and I hit it. She must have run the red light." "Well, that hasn't been determined for sure," I told him, letting him know that I wanted to see what the police investigation turned up too. "What? Don't you believe me?" He seemed very upset at this point. "Vinnie, I'm sure that is how you remember things, but I just want to see if the police come to the same conclusions. I'm not saying you're lying, but sometimes things happen so quickly that it skews the way we remember them." He still had a pout on his face, as he listened to my response, but I think he realized he wasn't going to change my mind. At that point I began to talk to the officer investigating the accident, to see what his take on this was. "So, do you have any idea of what actually happened out there?" I asked him. "I shouldn't be telling you this, so this will be strictly off the record, but two of the witnesses say the light had turned green before your son went through the intersection. However, a third witness said he thought the light hadn't turned yet, so it's inconclusive. Your son does have numbers on his side, but I'm not sure how much that will factor in, if this should go to court." "Do you think it WILL go to court?" I wanted to know now. "Only if the insurance companies decide that is necessary, but I doubt it." At that point, I thanked the officer for this information, and then I asked him if I could take Vinnie home. He said I could, so we got ready to leave. He did do one other thing before we left though, and that was to inform Vinnie that his license would be suspended for six months. This was an automatic suspension, if a new driver was involved in a serious accident within a certain amount of time after getting his or her license, and Vinnie's accident fell under those guidelines. Now Vinnie was really upset with this pronouncement, but he didn't say anything at the time. I knew that would come later, and it did, in the car, on the way home. "That's not fair. It wasn't my fault," he told me. "Vinnie, you'd be wise to learn that life ISN'T fair, and besides, there is no conclusive evidence that this accident wasn't your fault." "Then you don't believe me?" He looked at me incredulously. "I didn't say that, and this isn't hinging on what any of us believes. The law just isn't interested in guilt in this particular case, it's only interested in how long a driver has had his license and how severe the accident was. This wasn't a fender bender. Your car was totaled and the other vehicle has extensive damage. The only reason it wasn't considered totaled was because it was hit in the side, and the front end and engine wasn't damaged severely. Just accept this as a harsh lesson to learn, and wait out the sixth months, until you get your license back." "This sucks. It really sucks." "Yes, I'm sure that's the way you see, but when you get your license back, just drive a little more defensively. Okay?" "And what do you mean by that?" He had another sour look on his face as he asked this. "What I mean is, you can't just watch the lights to decide whether it is safe to enter an intersection. A defensive driver would have glanced in both directions first, just to make sure no one else was doing something wrong, something that would endanger them too." He didn't respond to this statement, but stared out the window instead, so I wasn't sure if he was acknowledging the point I had made, or if he was still concentrating on the perceived unfairness of the situation. Regardless of the reason for his not responding, I said nothing more, and we drove the rest of the way home in silence. When we arrived home, Vinnie commiserated with the other boys, as they were more eager to accept his viewpoint of his unjust punishment. I let them do this, knowing it would do no good to try to debate with all of them, and I went on with my own business. A little later, Sammy came into my office, asking me if I'd look over something for him. It was an essay he had written, to enter a statewide history competition. The essay was supposed to be about 'Why should I learn history?' The winners would get to go to a week long camp, where they would learn about history and techniques used to learn about the past. The best part about it was they'd get out of their regular class schedule for a week, so they could attend this special camp. Eagerly, I began to read his essay. Learning history is important to us for many reasons. One is, so we can learn how people lived in the past. We can see how hard their lives were, what types of tools and things they had to use, and what it was like at that time. Much of this information about the earliest periods of history is uncovered by archeologists, but much has been preserved or written about, so we can see how much easier and better our lives are today. However, the biggest reason for learning history is so we can learn from the past. It has been said that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it", so why would anyone want to repeat some of the most horrific things that have happened throughout the years? That is why we must learn from it, so such things don't happen again. During World War II, when rumors started to fly about the Germans killing the Jews, the world was slow to respond, and millions of people died in concentration camps. After witnessing the aftermath of what took place in those killing factories, as the allies liberated them, the world realized too late what their procrastination had allowed to happen. More recently, when the world heard reports that Kurds were being killed by Iraqis, that Hutus were being massacred by the Tutsi, or that the Serbs were carrying out a policy of ethnic cleansing, the world was quicker to respond, possibly preventing an even worse genocide, than what had already happened. Another example of this would also be from World War II, when Germany was allowed to annex several territories they claimed rightfully belonged to them. Again the world was slow to condemn this action, thus whetting Germany's appetite for greater conquests. During recent history, when Saddam Hussein tried to annex Kuwait, and make it part of Iraq, the world quickly opposed him, and soon liberated Kuwait, sending a message that this type of aggression would not be allowed. Without this intervention, Iraq might possibly have tried to take over other areas in the region, thus creating political and economic turmoil in the area. In conclusion, if the world learns from past mistakes, maybe we will be able to avoid similar, or even worse, mistakes in the future. As I finished reading it, he looked at me. "Do you think it's okay?" he wondered. "Oh, it's fine, Sammy. In fact, it's better than fine. That's very well written." "Do you think I should change anything?" "No, I don't. I'd leave it just as it is. Did you do that all by yourself?" "Yes. Well, I did ask my history teacher some questions, so I understood things a little better, but I did write that by myself." "Well, I'm very impressed." "Do you think I did as good on this, as Trey did on his play?" Now I started to see what had inspired him. As I hoped, Trey's example had caused him to want to do his very best. "Yes, I think you did your best, just like Trey did with his script. I'm very proud of both of you." I gave Sammy a quick hug after saying that. When I released him, he had a huge grin on his face, and he thanked me, and then he left to show some of the others what he had done. Time was also getting close to go to Boston, to attend the banquet where Trey would receive his next plaque. Once again we were allowed three tickets, and once again Trey wanted Dion to be there with him. Trey then asked me if I wanted to go, or if I thought he should ask Jake this time, and I told him that was entirely up to him. "Will you be mad if I ask Uncle Jake this time?" he asked me. "No, not at all." I responded, trying to relieve his doubts. "You know I want you to go with me," he said, trying to reassure me, "but I don't want to make Uncle Jake feel bad, by leaving him out again." "I understand. You do what you think is best, and I will support whatever you decide. Is that all right with you?" Trey looked relieved. "Yes, and thanks for being so understanding." That night he approached Jake, asking him to go with him to Boston, but then he came back to me. "Uncle Jake told me I should be asking you, not him. He said he appreciated the offer, but you should be the one to go." "Well, let me talk to him, and see if we can resolve this." He agreed, so I went to speak with Jake, on his behalf. Jake was puttering around in the yard at the time, so I walked up to him. "You know, Trey really would like for you to go with him this time," I told him. "You should be the one going, not me," he said, but not sounding bitter about it. "He's just asking me because he feels guilty for leaving me behind the last time." Again, he didn't look or sound upset, but was merely stating facts. "That may have been part of his thought process, but he really wanted you included the first time, if we'd had another ticket." "Oh, I understand that, and I feel honored that he even thought about asking me to go, but you are the one who deserves to be there with him. Damn it, none of these boys would be flourishing like this, if you hadn't started the ball rolling. No, if anyone deserves to be there with him, it's you." I wasn't sure how to respond to this at first, but I knew Jake was serious, and not spiteful. "He's asking you, because he respects you too, and he appreciates what you've done for all of us as well." "I know that, Josh, and I really do appreciate his offer, but the fact is, you deserve to go more than anyone else. I'm fine, and I want you and Dion to go with him, and have a good time." I thanked Jake again, gave him a big hug, and then I went back to explain the situation to Trey. Dion was with him, as I did so, and the two of them were talking about something when I finished and left them alone. A short time later Jake came back up to me. "What did you say to Trey?" he asked. "I just told him what you said, and then I told him you appreciated his offer, but thought the three of us should go. Why?" "Because Dion just came up to me and said he'd stay home, so you and I could go with Trey." "Then that was his or their idea, and I didn't know anything about it. So what did you tell him?" "I thanked him, but I told him I still thought the three of you should go." "And how did he respond to that?" "He just said he wasn't going, whether I did or not. I didn't want this to happen, so what do I do now?" He had a very concerned look on his face, and I knew he felt his was messing up Trey's next day in the spotlight. "Why don't the four of us sit down and discuss this. I'm sure we can work it out that way, if we all keep an open mind." He agreed, so I called the boys to sit down with us, so we could finally work something out. "Look," I began, "I think we're all concerned that we're going to hurt someone's feelings if they don't go on this trip, so we need to be open and honest with each other, so we can work this out." "Josh, let me say something," Jake interrupted. "I think I'm the reason everyone is so concerned, but you needn't be. I appreciate the fact that you're all trying to include me in this, but I feel the three of you should go. I'll take care of things here, and you guys have a good time. I'll think of you while you're gone, and I'll congratulate you when you get back, but you don't need to include me over your father and your lover. I won't be upset, I promise." "But you're important too, Uncle Jake," Trey told him, "and I want you there too." "Like I said, I appreciate that, but I want the three of you to go." Trey eyed him suspiciously, to see if he could tell anything from his expression or demeanor. After judging him to be truthful in what he was saying, he responded. "Okay, but then we'll do something special some other time. Okay?" "Yeah," Jake said with a smile, "that sounds wonderful." Now that was settled, I could go ahead with the planning. I got on the Internet and booked our reservations at a hotel for Friday and Saturday night, and then I arranged for our flight. This was too far to drive, so we would catch a flight after school on Friday, spend the night, do some sightseeing on Saturday, attend the banquet Saturday evening, stay there another night, and then catch a flight back on Sunday. Simple, right? I certainly hope it works out that way. As Friday approached, I suffered from a little guilt about leaving Cody at this time, but knowing Jake would be there made me feel a little better about going. I tried to spend time with Cody before I left, repeatedly asking him how he was feeling and making sure he knew who much I loved him. Somehow Cody understood what I was feeling and going through at that time, and he finally spoke his mind. "I'll be okay while you're gone, so you don't have to worry about me," he explained. "I feel pretty good, and you're only going to be gone a couple of days, so I'll be all right until you get back." "How did you know what I was thinking?" I asked him, trying to lighten the moment. "It wasn't hard to figure out, seeing how many times you've asked me how I was feeling. And I've also noticed how you've been watching me, even though you didn't think I saw." "Hmmmm. I guess I'll have to improve my spying techniques before I get back." I tickled him at that point, as I knew he was about to make a wisecrack about that, and he burst out laughing. "Hey, no fair," he finally screamed out. "Just because I outsmarted you, that doesn't mean you have to torture me." "Oh, yes, it does," I replied, as my fingers began to wiggle into his skin some more. After listening to him giggle and watching him squirm beneath my touch, I finally eased up and released him. He jumped away from me at that point, and then stopped and faced me again. "Now I want you to go," he said with a big grin, "so my ribs can heal." At that point he lifted his shirt, as if he expected to find some signs of my manhandling him. Not to let him get away with his one-up-manship, I made a quick start, like I was going to chase him, and he sped from the room. He turned as he went through the doorway, to discover I wasn't following him, and he decided to wait there and taunt me some more. "What's the matter, old man? Can't you catch me?" "Oh, I decided to give you a break," I shot back, "because I didn't want to tire you out." Now I made a face at him, to add to its impact. I knew before I said this that Cody wouldn't take it lying down. Immediately he had a comeback for me. "Oh, sure, you're worried about me. No way! You're just too old and slow to catch me, but you don't want to admit it." Now he lifted his arms in the air, in almost a half-surrender position, and then he wiggled his hips and shoulders in opposite directions, in an effort not only to tease me further, but also to entice me to come after him. Never being one to pass up an opportunity, I bolted up from my chair, and shot toward him, catching him off-guard. His was in mid-shake when I made my move, catching his body swaying in that awkward looking taunting movement, and he barely had time to stop and turn before I wrapped my arms around him, dragging him back into the room we had just come from. "So, I'm too old and slow to catch you, am I?" I teased him back. "No fair. I wasn't ready," he whined. "Too bad, you lose," and now I began to tickle him once again. He began to squirm beneath my touch, but I wasn't sure if I should show him any mercy this time. Relenting, I only did this for a few seconds, concluding that I didn't want him to overexert himself. Finally he began to settle down and gasped something out. "Okay, okay. You win this time, but you're still old and slow." He wasn't one to give in easily, and he was grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah, we'll see. When you get feeling better, I'll give you a rematch, but don't expect to win then either. You may think I'm old and slow, but the old fox wins with slyness and cunning, not with speed and quickness." "You mean by cheating, like you did then. Coming after me when I wasn't ready." "No, with cunning, by watching for my opening, which you gave me. If you had been a chicken, and I had been a fox, I'd be curling up right now, burping and pulling feathers out of my teeth." Now I released a big guffaw, just to add to the impact of my point. Cody still looked defiant, and I knew he still wasn't ready to give in. "Well, next time I'll be ready for your sneaky little tricks and you won't be able to do that to me again. Next time I'll just run away from you, and you won't be able to catch me." "We'll see, my petite doubting Thomas," adding a biblical reference, which I hoped he knew the meaning of. Obviously he did, because he was ready with another comeback. "I won't want to put my fingers through your wounds, but I will be nice enough to bring you some oxygen or call 911 to get you help," he zinged back, between his bouts of laughter. "Oh, so now you're telling me that I'll need medical assistance next time?" I questioned, playing along with his little game. "Yep!" he beamed. "You'll get so worn out trying to chase me, that it will take an ambulance crew and the doctors at emergency room of the hospital to keep your motor running." This time he howled in laughter, like that was the best joke he'd ever heard. "We'll see," I warned him, 'but I'll let you get better first, because I don't want you to have any excuses as to why I beat you again." This time I stuck my tongue out at him, as added emphasis. "Fat chance, old man," he shot back. "The only thing you'll see on me is my butt, as it speeds away from you." Having said that, he turned his back toward me and wiggled his cute little rear end, adding emphasis to his previous comment, but that only encouraged me into action. I leaped from my chair again, once more catching him by surprise, but this time I just whacked his backside, as he shook it at me, and I wasn't very gentle in doing so either. The sudden smack on his ass sent Cody jumping into the air, once again surprised by how I got to him without him being able to get away. 'Ouch," he yelled out, "that hurt." "Well, it wasn't meant to tickle, but the sly old fox zapped you again. Didn't he?" I howled with laughter this time, and he began to pout. "You're just a big old cheater," he said, feigning hurt and disgust, "but I'm learning how you operate." "Well, you're obviously not learning fast enough," I teased back. "At this rate, you'll be ninety and I'll be dead, before you figure it all out." Now I grabbed him, hugged him, gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then I asked him if he wanted to help me to pack for this trip. He said he did, so we headed for my room. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW". This will give you the links for everything I have posted there. E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.