Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2004 11:48:58 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, 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 Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with
this chapter, and Art, the real Vinnie and John for their additional input
on each chapter.

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 8-by BW (Yng-Friends).    Copyright 2004 by billwstories
Chapter 17 - Adjustments.                         May 2004

Jesse's dental visit started off the week for us.  The dentist would take
care of his cavities today and put most of his health related concerns
behind us, for the time being.  Even though his visit wasn't until 10:00, I
couldn't let Jesse eat much breakfast.  I knew the dentist planned to use
nitrous oxide with Jesse, and he had told me it would be best to limit what
Jesse ate beforehand, as the use of nitrous oxide often causes nausea or
vomiting on a full or fairly full stomach.  Therefore, by having to reduce
what he was allowed to eat for breakfast, it started us off on the wrong
foot, and it wasn't about to get any better.

I could tell Jesse was still nervous about this visit, even though his
previous appointment had gone so well.  I kept trying to reassure him that
this one would go just as smoothly, and I even went over what he should
expect to happen, so there wouldn't be any surprises.  After listening to
everything I had to say to him, Jesse indicated he still wanted me to go in
with him while he was being worked on.  I told him we'd have to get the
dentist's approval first, and he made sure to let me know he wanted me to
do that, so I assured him I'd ask when we got there.  Confident he was
going to get his way, Jesse hugged me about my waist, to show me he
appreciated my honoring his request.

When we got to the dental office, I announce our arrival, but Jesse keeping
nudging me and nodding his head toward the receptionist.  I understood that
to mean he didn't want me to wait any longer and he expected me to ask the
receptionist to get the dentist for permission for me to join them.
Knowing how much this meant to my newest family member, I cleared my throat
and looked at the middle-aged lady.  "Excuse me," I began, "but Jesse is a
little nervous about this appointment and he wants to know if the dentist
would allow me to sit in the room with him, while he is being worked on?"
She looked up and smiled at me.

"That's not an unusual request," she informed me.  "I will check with the
dentist to see what he has to say, but I don't think there will be any
problem honoring Jesse's wishes."  She winked at Jesse and a grin spread
across his face.  I cautioned him that it didn't mean it was official yet,
and we wouldn't know for certain until the dentist gave his approval.
Jesse nodded his understanding and then we sat down to wait.

When the dental assistant came out to get Jesse, she informed us the
dentist had given his permission for me to go in with him.  Hearing this,
Jesse immediately grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out of my seat,
making sure I wasn't going to stay behind.  I let him struggle a bit,
trying to drag my dead weight from the chair, before I decided to assist
him and get underway.  He was scowling at me a little, for making him work
so hard, but he was glad I was doing what he wanted.

We followed the dental assistant into the small room where the work would
be done and she placed Jesse in the large dental chair.  Once she had him
in the seat, she put the bib on him and then left the room for a few
moments.  When she came back, she was carrying a chair for me to sit in.
She placed it on the side away from where the dentist would be working, but
close enough to Jesse so I could hold Jesse's hand, if he wanted me to.  He
couldn't actually see me from where he was seated, unless he leaned to the
left side of the chair and turned his head to the rear, so he could look
behind his seat.  That didn't seem to bother him, and it appeared to be
enough for him to know I was there for him.  When the dentist came in, he
greeted both of us, before he looked at Jesse's chart and x-rays.  Once he
had reviewed what needed to be done today, the dentist pulled the nitrous
oxide tank out from the corner.

When Jesse saw the tank, he became a little afraid and uncooperative.  He
was definitely unwilling to let the dentist put the mask over his face, so
he could inhale the gas.  "Jesse, if you don't allow the dentist to do
that," I whispered in his ear, "then you'll feel a great deal of pain.  We
really need you to cooperate with the dentist."

Jesse shook his head, letting me know he wasn't about to capitulate.  I
quickly tried to think of another way to convince him and I came up with an
alternative strategy.  "Well, if you don't breathe the gas, then the
dentist will have to take out his big needle and give you shots of Novocain
in your gums."

Jesse's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when I mentioned the
needle, and now he was shaking his head even more violently.  "Jesse, you
have only three choices," I explained again, "because you are getting those
teeth taken care of before we leave here.  I'll leave it up to you about
how you want to do it though.  The dentist can drill without giving you
anything, but that will be very painful, or he can use the needle to inject
you with Novocain, or you can inhale the gas and feel nothing.  Which would
you prefer?"

Jesse looked at me, studying the determination on my face.  Realizing I
wasn't about to give in to him on this, he lifted his arm and pointed at
the mask the dentist held in his hand, letting us know he had made his
choice.  The dentist looked at me and winked, letting me know he
appreciated my assistance, before he placed the mask over Jesse's face and
released the gas.  Before long, Jesse had lost all of his inhibitions and
the dentist was ready to begin his work.

Since that little protest had been dealt with, I moved back to my chair and
sat quietly in the corner, just in case I was needed again.  I was
concerned that Jesse would panic if I left the room, but the nitrous oxide
had relaxed him enough that he didn't actually need me to hold his hand
this time.  While the dentist took care of Jesse's cavities, I picked up a
magazine and began to leaf through it.  We were in there for about
forty-five minutes, before the dentist announced he was finished.  After he
removed the bib from Jesse, I helped my boy out of the chair and walked him
to the front desk.  He was a little shaky at first, due to the effects of
the anesthesia, so I held on to his arm, just in case he stumbled.  At the
front desk, we were given some pain medication for Jesse, to use when the
nitrous oxide began to wear off, and then we were on our way home.

I had decided to take him back to the house, rather than to school, so I
could keep an eye on him for a while longer.  This way, I could make sure
Jesse was having no adverse effects to the nitrous oxide and I could give
him his pain medication too.  That would give the pain relievers time to
kick in, before he returned to school, so he wouldn't be uncomfortable
while sitting at his desk.  This would also allow me to make sure Jesse had
a decent lunch and was able to keep it down, as well.  Slowly, Jesse began
to revert back to his usual self, once his stomach was full and the
medication was doing its job.  Now, we were both ready to head back to
school.  The only unusual thing about any of this was that he wanted to
hold my hand as we drove and walked to his classroom.  I was fine with his
request and I was glad to see that he actually felt that kind of attachment
to me.  This showed me that he not only needed me when he was scared and
upset, but at other times too.

After I dropped Jesse off, the van started acting up.  It didn't want to
start again and I tried for many minutes to get it going.  It had been
giving me minor problems over the past few weeks, but I didn't think much
of it, because these problems didn't seem to be anything serious or last
very long.  However, this time I knew it was something much more serious.
Seeing I couldn't get it going, I called my mechanic and explained the
problem, before I asked him if he could come and check it over for me.  He
said he couldn't do it right that minute, but he would come and tow it back
to his garage just as soon as he could.  He said he'd also make sure to
give it a thorough going over before he went home for the day.  This was
all I could ask of him.  He was always very good to me, seeing he took care
of all of our vehicles and we brought him lots of business.  After making
sure that was settled, I walked back to my office, as it wasn't that far
away.

Later that afternoon, my mechanic called me and quickly informed me that I
had serious engine problems starting.  Besides that, he also told me that
he had discovered the transmission was beginning to slip too, so that would
need attention before long.  He told me he didn't think it would be worth
the money to fix it now, with all the mileage it had on it, but he'd get it
running for the time being.  He just suggested we use it only for short
trips, until I decided what I wanted to do.  He also told me he'd drop it
off before I got out of work, and I could stop by to pay the bill when I
got the chance.  I thanked him and hung up.

As soon as I did that, I called my friend who ran the car lot.  He was
already looking for other vehicles for me, so the boys could use them for
college, so I explained my new problem to him.  "Josh, I think I have the
answer for you right here on my lot," he told me.  "In fact, I was going to
call you about it and see if it was what you wanted for your boys.  It's a
larger SUV than you requested, but it might be perfect for you.  It a GMC
Yukon XL and seats 9 comfortably.  Why don't you drop by and take a look at
it, and then let me know what you think."

"I will and thanks for keeping your eyes open for me," I told him.  Now, I
had something else to do after work.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and the van was in my parking
place when I left the building later.  I looked it over, but didn't see
anything different, except when I turned the key.  It did start up this
time, though grudgingly, and it ran very rough.  Despite these facts, I
took off in it and was soon picking the boys up again.  Jesse ran out of
his school and toward the van, as soon as he saw me pull in, and he seemed
excited that I was there.  I wasn't sure if he was happy to see me, if
something special had happened at school or because he knew he and Andrew
would be together again shortly.  Whatever the reason, he was in a very
upbeat mood when he greeted me, and it didn't take long before we were on
our way to pick up the other half of the duo from the middle school.

Along the way, I asked Jesse if he had a good day and he nodded his head
energetically, to let me know he did.  I asked him if something special or
exciting had taken place, and he shook his head in response, so I assumed
his attitude was because he enjoyed Andrew's company so much.  After that,
I also asked him if his teeth were bothering him or if he felt any pain,
but he merely shook his head in reply again.  Since everything seemed fine
with him, I didn't question him further, but I was well aware of how he lit
up, the moment he saw Andrew approaching the van.

Once he was seated inside, Andrew had tons of questions about the dental
appointment and Jesse was able to answer some of his queries with a nod or
shake of his head.  However, I had to fill him in about the details about
the visit, because Andrew wanted to know everything that happened.  I
finished telling him all he wanted to know before we reached home, and as
soon as we pulled in the driveway, the boys bolted from the van and
disappeared into the house, before I could even finish unbuckling my seat
belt.  Once I was out of the van, I only went inside for a few minutes, so
I could change my clothes.  I then headed out for my friend's car lot, to
look at the vehicle he told me about earlier.  I informed Jesse and Andrew
they were to stay in the house until I got back, but I told them I wouldn't
be very long.  They wanted to go with me, but I felt they'd be more of a
hindrance than help, so I explained that I needed to do this on my own.  As
expected, they weren't happy with my decision and ran off to their room, as
a mild protest.

As soon as I drove on to the lot, my friend came out to greet me.  After
exchanging the customary pleasantries, he took me over to show me the
vehicle he had called me about.  I was impressed with it the moment I saw
it, and after my test drive, I knew it would be perfect for our family.  I
told him I was pretty sure I wanted it, but I'd like to bring Jake down
after dinner, so he could see it too.  He told me that would be fine, gave
me the extra key to the Yukon, just in case Jake wanted to ride in it as
well.  He also told me he'd lock his magnetic dealer plate inside, under
the driver's seat, so we could take it out again, if that's what we decided
to do.  I thanked him for his trust and his help, and then I went home.

I was puttering around fixing dinner when my two sulking boys reappeared.
They were standing in the foyer, outside the kitchen, and they seemed to
have something else on their minds now.  I could tell that because of the
way they were dancing around, as if they had ants in their pants, and how
they kept looking at me.  Not only that, but Andrew kept whispering in
Jesse's ear and Jesse kept making hand gestures in response.  Finally, they
approached me.

"Dad, Jesse and I want to go out bike riding," Andrew told me.  He was
looking quite anxious about all of this, although I wasn't sure why.

"I see nothing wrong with that," I told him, wondering why this seemed to
be such a big deal to him.  "Just don't wander too far away and make sure
you keep an eye on Jesse."

"But there's a problem," Andrew informed me, before he suddenly stopped
talking and left me hanging.

"And what would that problem be?" I asked, trying to get him to continue
his line of thought.  However, before he could respond, the high school
boys came strolling in, as they arrived home from school.  When I
confronted them about their tardiness, they explained they had been talking
with friends about the gay-straight alliance and apologized for being late.
What I didn't notice was that Andrew was getting upset about the
interruption to our conversation.

"Jesse don't have a bike," Andrew interjected, taking charge again, "and my
bike is getting kinda small for me.  Would you buy me a new one, so I can
let Jesse have mine?"

"Let's see, you have a birthday coming up in September," I reminded him,
which got me an instant glare.

"Dad!  That's five months away.  Winter will almost be here by then," he
whined.

"Hey," Sammy jumped in, "you can have my bike and then you can let Jesse
have yours.  I don't go riding much any more, so you can just have it, if
you want."  Andrew wasn't sure this was the option he wanted and spent some
time thinking over Sammy's offer.

"Will that work for you?" I asked him, seeing he still hadn't responded to
Sammy's proposition.

"Yeah, okay.  That will work.  Thanks, Sam.  Can we go out now, Dad?" he
wanted to know.

"I don't know.  CAN you?" I asked, which caused Andrew to shoot a look of
exasperation back at me.

"MAY we go now?" he snapped this time, letting his emotions show.  I
delayed him again, however, as I decided I needed to check on the other one
first.

"Jesse, are you sure you're feeling all right?" I wanted to know, just to
be certain he wasn't having any ill effects from the earlier dental visit.
He nodded his head in reply.  "Okay, then you boys MAY go," I advised them,
"but be back in an hour.  That's when dinner will be served.  If you want
to eat, you won't be late, because you know your brothers won't feel
obligated to save anything for you."  They both nodded their heads in
agreement and then went to the shed, to get the bicycles.

Once Jesse and Andrew had disappeared, the high school boys asked me when
their petition concerning the gay-straight alliance was going to be
presented to the Board of Education.  I quickly advised them that would
happen Wednesday night, at the next school board meeting, and they seemed
pleased by my response.  It meant they would know whether the board was
going to support their proposal before the end of the week, so they
wouldn't have much longer to wait.  They also asked me if I thought there
would be any problem with it getting approved.  I told them I doubted it,
since most of the time the school board went along with the recommendations
from the principals or me, so this was usually just a formality.  That news
made them even happier, so they went upstairs to begin planning what they
were going to do next, after they received the board's approval.

Andy and Jesse returned home from their bicycle trip shortly thereafter,
but still on time, and they were very excited about their ride.  Jesse was
absolutely aglow and he hurriedly wrote me a note, to let me know how he
felt about what he had just done.


'Thank U for leting me go with Andru.  I only got to rid a bike at my
friend house, but I never had a bike myself.  This was more fun because I
road my own bike.'


He hugged me around the waist, as I read his note, so I hugged him back,
but I got a kick out of his spelling errors and misuse of homophones.
After he broke his embrace, I told him he should be thanking Andrew, not
just me, because it was Andrew's idea in the first place.  I also told him
they both should thank Sammy too, seeing they couldn't have gone if Sammy
hadn't given Andrew his bike.  Jesse nodded his understanding and then he
and Andrew went to find Sammy and wash up for dinner, but not before Andrew
had a chance to thank and hug me too.

After dinner, I took Jake down to look at the Yukon and we took it out for
another drive.  He was as impressed with it as I was, so he told me I
should go ahead and buy it.  I thanked him for his input and told him I'd
make the arrangements the next day.

After dropping the boys off at school the next morning, I drove over to the
car lot again, to drop off the key to the Yukon.  I told my friend we were
going to take it, negotiated a price, and then he asked me for the
registration to the van, seeing we'd be transferring the plates from it to
the Yukon.  He also made a copy of my driver's license, so he'd have
everything he needed to do this for me, and then he told me he should have
everything done by the following afternoon.  I thanked him for his efforts
on my behalf, but we weren't done yet.  He also reminded me to switch the
insurance over from the van to the Yukon too, and he gave me the vehicle
information, so I could do that.  Then he informed me I'd need to bring the
insurance cards with me, when I came back to pick the Yukon up.  I made a
mental note to take care of that, once I got to work, or else I'd probably
forget to do it later.

After calling my local insurance office and giving them all the information
they needed, my agent told me I could swing by and pick up the insurance
cards after work, that afternoon.  I thanked him for his prompt response to
my request, and as I was hanging up, I also realized we'd have to clean the
van out that evening and remove all of our personal effects.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the remainder of the day, but
Andrew and Jesse did go out for another bike ride after we got home.  This
time they had a couple of hours before they needed to return for dinner,
and they were happy when I informed them of that fact.  Jesse was so
excited by the news that I thought he might even begin to speak, but I'm
sorry to say it didn't happen.  The two boys have been really enjoying each
other's company doing these simple things together and I am happy to see
them growing so close.  Although I'm glad it worked out this way, I was
mildly surprised that Andrew was willing to spend so much time with someone
younger than himself.  After all, for months he'd been concerned that
everyone was thinking of him as a baby, so I figured he would try to hang
with the older guys, just to prove a point.  Maybe by not actually BEING
the baby of the family, it took the pressure off of him and he didn't feel
he had to worry about it any more.  I don't know for sure, but that was my
suspicion.

I took the time to clean out the van, moving anything I wished to keep into
the house.  This included the box of supplies I kept in there, with oil,
windshield washer fluid, transmission fluid, dry gas, fuel injector cleaner
and jumper cables, because we could use all of those things for the Yukon
too.  Once I had finished with the van, I washed up and started working on
dinner.  Before long, everyone else was home and we were ready to sit down
and eat.

The meal went smoothly, but I did have to field a bunch of questions from
the boys, about what was going to happen with the van.  They had noticed
the box of items from the van in the hallway and concluded something was
up.  I informed them we were getting another vehicle, which made them very
excited, but I wouldn't share much information with them about what we were
getting or when.  I was looking forward to seeing their reactions the first
time they saw it, and I didn't want to spoil that by giving them too much
advance knowledge.  The boys continued to ask their questions, but I told
them they'd see soon enough, and eventually they let the subject drop.

After dinner, I called Dustin, so I could wish him a happy birthday.  I
also had the boys sing 'Happy Birthday' to him, when I held the phone out
in their direction.  They really hammed it up and I could tell Dustin got a
kick out of their performance, because of the comments he made once we
started talking again.  He also said he looked forward to our coming to his
campus the following weekend, because he missed all of us and wanted to see
us again.  I told him we were excited about seeing him too and then I
advised him that he would need to look around and pick out a nice place for
us to eat Saturday night.  I explained this would be up to him, seeing I
was unfamiliar with the area, and he assured me he would do his best.  We
continued to talk a little longer, about a variety of other topics before
we hung up, which included his class work, how he was doing, both
physically and academically, what had been happening at home, and he also
wanted to know more about Jesse.  I was glad he was showing an interest in
his newest brother.

Wednesday was pretty much a repeat of the previous day, except my friend
called me at school to tell me he had run into a small glitch and the Yukon
wouldn't be ready until Thursday morning.  I told him that wouldn't be a
problem and I'd drive over on my lunch hour Thursday to pick it up.  I
advised him I'd also leave him the van with him at that time and he said
that would work out well.  I was actually getting excited about changing
vehicles.

After school, Andrew and Jesse went off on another bike ride.  The two boys
seemed to be really enjoying this daily outing, and because it appeared to
be so important to Jesse, I saw no reason why it shouldn't continue.  They
always told me where they were going, and since I was familiar with nearly
every route they took, I felt they were fairly safe.  I also understood
that by allowing Andrew the responsibility of watching over Jesse while
they were out, it had boosted his self-image and helped to make him feel
more grown up.  The boys also informed me they wanted me to go out riding
with them one afternoon, which I told them I'd be happy to do, if I could
get a bike to accommodate my old, overweight physique.  They only laughed
and told me I could use one of the older boys' bikes, since they were all
away at school right now.  I knew I'd been had, so I'd have to prepare
myself to go with them one day.

Later that evening, I had to leave to attend the school board meeting.
Nick, Trey and Dion wanted to join me, and even though I had told them it
wouldn't be necessary, they still wanted to be there.  Noting their
determination on their faces, I let them come with me, after advising them
they'd probably become very bored before the evening was over.  I explained
that much of the meeting would be spent handling the mundane issues of
running a school, petty matters that were not very exciting, but that still
didn't deter them.  They hopped in the van with me, as I prepared to leave,
and together we made our way to the meeting room.  The boys took seats in
the back, and after they settled in, I continued on to the front of the
room.  I then took my place at the main table, where the Superintendent and
board members always sat.

As I had warned the boys, much of the meeting was very boring.  It started
off with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, after which we
went into old business.  This covered several topics, including budgetary,
scheduling and personnel issues.  Among the personnel matters being
addressed were the retirement requests from two teachers.  One was a
teacher at the middle school, whom some of the boys had when they attended
classes there.  My sons, along with most of the children who were ever in
her class, adored this teacher, so she would be sorely missed.  The second
request was from a high school teacher who had grown complacent over the
past few years, because he knew he would be retiring soon.  I don't think
any of us were disappointed to hear he was finally calling it quits,
although he was an above average educator, before he went into this recent
slide.

After approving the retirement requests, the topic of the retirement dinner
was brought up.  A complete list of all the faculty and staff who were
retiring at the end of the year was read, to remind us exactly whom we'd be
losing.  There were several other names on that list, of people who were
considered to be valuable members of our school community, so they would be
hard to replace.  Each of them had earned the right to enjoy what years
they had left, as they saw fit, so all we could do was wish them well.

Following those issues, the board dealt with requests for the use of school
facilities and grounds for the summer.  The various requests were discussed
and then voted on, before the topic of the approval of two new clubs came
up.  The first was a request from the middle school, to start a science
fiction/fantasy writing club, which was approved very quickly and with very
little discussion.  Next came the gay-straight alliance, and I hoped this
would pass as easily and quickly too, but one of the board members seemed
to have some questions about allowing this to happen.

"Wouldn't this be tantamount to saying the school is encouraging students
to explore these lifestyles?" he asked me, as Superintendent.

"No, what this does is to allow the sponsorship of a club, through
previously established rules.  We would also be following the school policy
of nondiscrimination based on race, religion, nationality or sexual
preference.  By allowing this club to organize, we'd be giving students a
chance to meet and discuss issues of importance to themselves and others."

"But why do we need to pamper them and give them their own club?" he
challenged.  "We don't have anything called a straight alliance, so why
should we have something called a gay alliance?"  It was obvious he came in
with his own ideas and wasn't listening to what was being said.

"It wouldn't be called the gay alliance, so forming a club called the
straight alliance would be redundant," I responded.  "This request is for a
gay-STRAIGHT alliance, meaning EVERYONE is welcome to join and attend."

"That may be true," he countered, "but won't the homos be in charge and
running things?"  I think his comment showed his true colors concerning
this topic.

"The GAY students will probably have some influence over how the club is
run, but seeing it's open to ALL students, I think it would be unfair to
assume who will wield the power.  The club would have to hold elections and
select their officers before we'd know who would be running this group.
After that, they'd have to begin planning the activities they decide is
best for them, according to the makeup of this group and desires of their
membership."

"Do you really think the normal kids are going to want to be in a club with
a bunch of queers?" he asked, almost acting like he still expected me, or
the others, to agree with his bigoted view on the issue.

"I do believe many students have already expressed a desire to support the
club, as is evident from the five pages of student signatures that were
attached to the club's request," I told him.  He appeared to get even more
frustrated with my responses.

"Don't you think you're a little biased about this, seeing your boys are
the ones who suggested this club in the first place?" he shot back.

"I think I'm more open-minded about it than you are," I pointed out, "as
your bias against the non-straight population is becoming increasingly
evident."  Our bigoted board member continued to get even more agitated
with each of my comebacks and I think everyone in the room could see his
growing frustration.  Finally, he snapped, and attacked me personally.

"Just like you were open-minded about getting the Scouts banned from using
school facilities, just because they wouldn't cater to fags," he screamed.
If he had any sympathy or support from the other board members prior to
this moment, I think he just lost it with his continued homophobic tirade.

"The Scouts are a non-school sponsored organization," I reminded him, "who
were unwilling to comply with school board policies concerning
discriminatory practices.  It was due to their unwillingness to comply with
these policies that they forfeited their rights to use those facilities."

"You had no right to dictate to the Scouts how they run their
organization," he spewed back, "or who they had to let join."  It was
obvious he was totally losing it now.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't tell them to change their policies," I informed
him.  "All we did was tell them that as long as their policies remained as
they were, they wouldn't be able to use school facilities."

"It's the same fucking thing," he screamed back.  "You may think a club for
deviates is okay, but not all of us do.  I, for one, don't and I call for
an immediate vote on this so-called club request.  I also want to be the
first to say that I am against it and vote to not allow it."  He was very
red-faced at this point and the veins were bulging out from his neck and
forehead.  While I was watching him, someone seconded his motion to bring
the club up for a vote, even if that motion was made in a less than formal
manner.  A few seconds later, the board president was taking a roll call
vote.  When the voting had concluded, it turned out the only dissenting
vote came from our vociferous board member, so the club was officially
sanctioned.  However, he wasn't finished yet.

"What is wrong with you people?" he screamed, frustrated by his lack of
support and success.  "Are you going to let the fucking fags and other
deviates take over our schools and call all the shots?  Don't you people
have the guts to stand up for Christian values and what is right?"

"We have stood up for what is right," the school board president stated,
defiantly.  "We have followed school policy and sanctioned a club that is
open to everyone.  As far as the Christian values are concerned, I believe
we've adhered to those too, by doing unto others as we would have them do
unto us and by showing compassion and understanding to our fellow man, as
Jesus would have done."

This comeback and apparent affront, on top of his having been defeated on
so many levels already, seemed to be more than this man could bear.  He
jumped from his seat and glared at his fellow board members and then me,
before he turned to stare down the people in the gallery.  When he realized
no one was standing to join his protest, he made his way for the door.
When he reached it, he stopped, turned back toward us and screamed at
everybody one final time.  "You're all dupes, and you're being used by the
fags and their allies to advance their cause.  How can you be so fucking
stupid as to not see that?"

No one responded to his outburst, which only irritated him further, but
this was mainly due to the fact that no one felt his screeching merited a
comment.  One thing I had learned a long time ago was, you can't argue with
ignorance and you can't get the deaf to hear - and I don't mean the
physically deaf either.  This man wouldn't have comprehended any statements
we might have made to him, because he didn't care about anyone else's
position, if it ran contrary to his personal beliefs.  That would be the
equivalent of trying to introduce God to an atheist.  The atheist wouldn't
believe the being presented to him WAS God, even if it really was God
standing right in front of him, solely because his preconceived notions
told him there wasn't any such thing as God.  You see, by that point in
time, he would have already firmly convinced himself that it was utterly
impossible he might be mistaken.

After he left the meeting, there were some scattered comments about his
outburst, but the board president quickly regained order in the room.
After completing the rest of the business on the agenda, he adjourned the
meeting.  As we were heading to our vehicles, the board president stopped
me, to say a few words in private.  "Josh, that's probably not the only
opposition you'll hear about the gay-straight alliance," he warned me.
"His view may not be in the majority, but I would wager others like him
will form a vocal minority."

"Oh, I'm sure they will," I agreed.  "Most bigots tend to be very vocal,
especially when they're trying to suppress something they're against.  They
certainly don't believe in the phrase, 'live and let live.'

"I had a feeling that might happen," the board president continued.  "I'd
seen signs of that attitude from him before.  He was extremely vocal when
the scouts were banned from using school facilities, making several
derogatory comments about gays in the process."

"I'm glad he showed his true colors in an open meeting then," I
acknowledged.  "Now, I'll be able to get some opposition set up, to prevent
his re-election, when he runs again.  I have several friends who would be
happy to make sure he is defeated, next time around."

"Josh, as superintendent, you're supposed to be neutral when it comes to
board elections," he reminded me.

"Oh, I won't campaign myself, but I will let certain people know the types
of things he was spewing tonight, and then I'll let them do what they think
is best."  He just laughed at the implications.

Once we were in the van, the boys had plenty to say about what happened at
the board meeting too.  "Man, that guy was a real ass, wasn't he, Pop?"
Nick asked me.

"Well, he did have his own viewpoint and he wasn't timid about airing it,"
I responded, hoping that would suffice.

"Dad, that guy was as bad as David Hubbard and his father," Dion observed.
"If they had their way, they'd see all bi and gay people were killed or run
out of town."

"You might be right about that, but I don't want us to revert to blindly
condemning anyone who speaks their mind," I advised him.  "I don't want us
to become like them."

"Oh, we don't mind people disagreeing with us or disapproving of our being
gay or bi," Trey informed me.  "It's just the words he used to say it and
the fact that he thinks everyone should agree with him."

"I know," I told him.  "He thinks the whole world should think like he
does, and then he gets upset when it doesn't happen."

"I'm just glad no one else listened to him," Dion added.

"Yeah, I was really surprised when they voted to make us a club," Nick
threw in.

"I wasn't," I admitted.  "I knew we'd get the support of most of the board
members.  There are some damn fine people on there and I knew they wouldn't
listen to his bigoted prattle."

"That was certainly good for us," Dion stated, emphatically.

When we got home, the boys told their brothers about what had happened, and
then the others came to me with their own questions and comments.  After I
explained the club was off the ground, but we'd probably not heard the last
of the opposition to it, they began to question me as to what might happen
next.  I told them I didn't know for sure, but I felt some parents, and
maybe even a minority of the students, would still be against the club's
formation.  We'd have to wait and see what form this opposition would take
and how strong it would be, but I made sure to let them know we could and
would get through this.

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
at 'BW's Rainbow Youth Connection,' at http://bwsryc.gayauthors.org/

You can also locate my stories by clicking on the Nifty author link and
scrolling down to "BW".  This will give you the links for everything I have
posted there.

I also love to hear from my readers and get their reaction to my stories.
If you don't mind, please share whatever information you feel comfortable
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Bill.