Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 18:11:10 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Castaway Hotel-book 8, chapter 9 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 (Young-Friends). Copyright 2004 by billwstories Chapter 9 - Living with our decisions. March 2004 April began with Nick's return home and I think everyone was glad to see him back. Jake went to pick Shannon up from college on Friday night, so he could be there when Nick returned, and then all of us went to pick him up at the airport. This had not been an easy decision to allow Shannon to come home for this weekend, however, as father and son disagreed about whether this relationship should continue. They had more than a few tense conversations about Nick's wandering eye and unfaithfulness, which caused an incredible tension about this pairing. Having read Nick's emails, Jake wasn't thrilled about his son being involved with him, although Shannon was a little more accepting of Nick's proclivity to play the field. Shannon obviously loved Nick and was willing to accept his more liberal moral views on commitment, but Jake was much more conservative, traditional and even old-fashion in how he looked at a relationship, and he felt that such a commitment was a pairing for life and should be monogamous. I was beginning to wonder how this difference in perception was going to resolve itself or who was going to give in first. The minute Nick came into view, Shannon went running toward him and gave him the warmest welcome home, even under Jake's uncertain glare. Although their affection was limited to hugs and words at that point, he and Nick did manage a very passionate kiss, once they were out of sight of the majority of the public. I think even the other boys realized that Jake's intense glare had nothing to do with his liking or disliking Nick, but more about Nick's promiscuity and his concerns that Nick might inadvertently transmit an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) or worse to his son. Therefore, taking a precautionary stance, Jake and I had warned Shannon that he and Nick were not to be intimate until after Nick had been checked out by a doctor, and Shannon had agreed to honor that request. That did not put our minds totally at ease though, because we both felt Nick might try to pressure Shannon into giving in to his demands, once they were alone. After we got to the house, I told Nick to sort out the things he might want to show people from his trip, as I had a welcome home party planned for the next afternoon. Once the extended family was here, we'd have a big dinner and then he could show everyone the things he wanted them to see at one time. Nick thought that was a great idea and he thanked me for doing that for him. Once things began to settle down, he and Shannon started to head up to their room, so he could unpack and Shannon could help him get his stuff ready for the party. I told Shannon to go ahead and Nick would be up shortly, as I had a few things to discuss with Nick before he disappeared. Shannon didn't seem happy about that, but he left us alone, and once he was gone, I handed Nick some mail that had come for him during the past month. Excitedly, he began opening the letters, but I knew there would be some discussion about a few of them, once they had been opened. Finally, he looked up at me and spoke. "I got accepted to two of the three colleges I applied to," he told me. I was a little relieved, as I wasn't sure whether those letters had been acceptance or rejection notices. "That's good," I told him, trying to stay positive for him. "Do you know which one you want to attend then, or what you might major in?" "I'm not sure about my major. I guess I'll start off taking all those required courses, but I'll probably end up doing something with computers. I was thinking about maybe taking a minor in music too, so I could keep up on my guitar and singing. I want to improve enough to be in a band, so I can make some extra money performing, when I need it. I played a lot with one of my host brothers, because he played guitar too. He taught me some songs from down there and I taught him some songs he didn't know, and we had a great time doing that." "That's very interesting," I told him. "How much do your parents know about what you want to do?" "I discussed my college plans with my parents last summer, before I started to apply, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do then. That was when I decided I was going to go to college close to home, though, but I bet you must have guessed that already, after seeing what colleges these letters were from." "Yes, I did notice the return addresses, but I remember you telling me that you might go to school closer to your parents' home," I conceded. "Wherever you want to go is up to you, as I always leave those types of decisions to you boys. I don't try to influence any of you, but I'm here if you want to talk things over or want my input. It just happened that most of them wanted to stay fairly close to home, so they could even come back here for the shorter holidays." "I know and I'm going to miss that," Nick acknowledged. "You will be able to spend the holidays with your parents, though, and I'm sure they'll appreciate that," I advised him. "I know they will. They've already told me so, but I'll miss being here with all of you and Shannon." I could see the disappointment in his face and I knew he realized Shannon probably wouldn't be allowed to go there for the holidays. I made a mental note to talk to Jake about letting Shannon go be with Nick for some of that time at least. "Well, that's still months away," I consoled him, "so let's not worry about that yet. So, where have you decided to go?" I wanted to get back to which of the three colleges he had picked. "Well, Oklahoma turned me down, but I was accepted by Oklahoma State and Northern Oklahoma. I think I want to go to Oklahoma State, though." He looked at me and his expression told me he might be seeking my approval about that. "I think that's an excellent choice," I advised him, hoping that would help. However, our discussion also made me realize there was someone else I had to talk to about his college plans. I couldn't do that right now, because I had more to discuss with Nick first. At this point, I asked Nick to call home and talk to his parents. This was not only for him to check in and let his parents know he was doing well, but also to see if he could make some changes in the dates for visiting them this summer. Although it was late to make such a request of his parents, I had discovered the vacation I wanted to take the boys on this year had to be done in June, though I wouldn't divulge what the plans were or why it had to be done then. Instead, I asked him to check with his parents to see if they'd mind changing his visit from June to July or August, to fit in with our other plans. After making sure Nick did as I asked, I called Brandon at college and asked him to do the same thing, if he wanted to go on vacation with us this summer. If it weren't possible for the boys to change their visitation dates with their parents, then they'd just have to miss going with us this year, although I didn't really want that to happen. After hearing both boys' reactions to my suggestion and the reasons behind it, I knew their parents would be up for a battle, though I hoped it wouldn't come to that. Nick was kind of moody that night, and I assumed it was because Shannon had told him no sex until the test results were back, but I had also discussed all that with him before he came home. Maybe he hadn't taken me seriously, so I decided maybe it was best I confront him about it. "Hey, Nick, you don't look as happy as you did earlier," I told him. "Is something wrong?" He looked at me, not immediately responding to my question. "Yeah, kind of," he offered, though not very enthusiastically. He had a long face, and I knew something was bothering him. "What's up, Bud?" I asked him. "Shannon and I had sort of a disagreement," he offered, dejectedly. "Over sex?" I asked, trying to pin him down. "You might say that," he responded, as if he were trying to avoid my interrogation, as much as possible. "Well, if you're trying to get him to have sex with you, I warned you that wasn't going to happen until after we've received your test results back." "But what's the harm, if we use protection?" he asked. "The harm is," I replied, "that no protection is one hundred percent safe. I told you before you went to Brazil that sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS are much more prevalent and rampant there, than in the States, and with the amount of sex you had while you were gone, we just need to be certain first." "But, Pop, I was careful," he whined. "I did everything you told me to do." "ALL of the time?" I countered. He looked defeated. "Most of the time," he finally answered. "I know and that's the problem," I informed him. "So, until we are sure you picked nothing up during your travels, nothing sexual is to happen." He started to say something, but thought better of it and started to walk away, but then he stopped and turned back toward me. "By the way, my mom and dad said it would probably be best if I came home in the middle of July and stayed until the middle of August. Those times would work out even better for them and then I'll be able to head directly to college from there." Without waiting for my response, he turned around and walked away. I talked things over with Jake later, because I knew he was beside himself with concern for Shannon, and I let him know that both boys understood and had agreed to the sexual restrictions. Nick's appointment was for Monday, and we should have his test results back by the following weekend, so they only had to abstain from sex and remain celibate for one week. I told Jake I thought both boys could handle that and he seemed somewhat relieved by that information. Shannon and Nick went to bed together later that evening, because they had decided they still wanted to be close and snuggle, even though they couldn't have sex. However, as they were getting into bed, they discovered something was wrong. "What the hell!" Nick exclaimed, as he slid in between the sheets. "There's something on the sheets," Shannon told him, as he too had discovered the problem. "What is it and how did it get there?" Nick wanted to know. "It feels like sand," Shannon told him, "but I'd bet it's sugar or salt," he added, tasting a small sample. "Yep, it's salt," he concluded, spitting slightly, to get the taste out of his mouth. "How did salt get on our sheets?" Nick asked, incredulous. "I think our prankster has struck again," Shannon replied. "But Ricky's away at college," Nick countered, thinking that would negate his conclusion. "No, someone else has been doing things too," Shannon explained, "though we can't figure out who it is. He seems to be trying to duplicate or outdo Ricky now." "You're shitting me," Nick responded, rather crudely. "Nope, and it looks like you've been targeted, which put me in the line of fire too," Shannon added, amused yet slightly annoyed. "We'll investigate tomorrow and find out who did this," Nick told Shannon, but let's change the sheets now, so we can get some sleep." Shannon agreed, so Nick headed out to the linen closet in the hall, to get a new set of sheets. While Nick was going for the replacements, Shannon carefully removed their old sheets, to keep the salt from going all over the place. "SHIT!" Shannon heard Nick yell out in the hall, so he went running out to see what was up. There was Nick standing with the linen closet door open and stacks of sheets, pillowcases, towels and washcloths covering the floor in front of it. "What happened?" Shannon asked him, confused about what had caused this mess. "I guess the bastard struck again!" Nick advised Shannon, while the rest of the boys began to emerge from their rooms and gather around them. They had come out to see what all the talking and commotion was about. "What did you do?" Dion asked Nick. "I didn't DO anything," Nick screamed back. "Someone did this TO me," he added, sounding pissed. "What do you mean?" Sammy asked him. "Someone salted down our sheets," Nick explained, sounding extremely irritated, "and when I came out to get sheets to change the bed, this happened." Now, everyone began to look more closely at what exactly had taken place. "It looks like you were set up," Trey acknowledged, which drew a very harsh glare from Nick. "No shit, Shakespeare," he quipped, still shooting Trey a harsh look. By that point, I'd arrived in the hallway to join them, as I'd heard the loud conversation going on and I thought I should see what was up. I caught most of this latest exchange as I reached the top of the stairs. "It appears that someone went to a great deal of trouble," I announced, after looking over the situation. That got all the boys looking at me, so I thought I'd explain. "It looks as if our prankster put plastic under the items on each shelf," I explained, "and then tied a string through the plastic, before securing the other end of the string to the doorknob. That way, when the door was opened, it pulled the plastic and sheets forward, dumping everything onto the floor." The boys all studied the linen closet, to confirm what I had just told them. "Damn, who would have done that?" Andrew asked, innocently. "Yeah, that would have been a lot of work," Graham concluded, as if that would have deterred our newest prankster. "I'd say the jokester doesn't mind a little hard work," I confirmed, "as long as he gets his target. So, that would probably exclude all of you," I added, drawing hurt looks and comments from the others. "Hey, we're not lazy," Sammy shot back, insulted. "Yeah, but dad's right," Cole countered. "How many of us would have taken all that time and done all that work just to pull a stunt like that?" "True," Trey agreed, "but someone did." "Yeah, but who?" Nick asked, summing up the same thought everyone else had in their minds - that is everyone except the guilty party. The boys helped pick up the mess, folding the items and putting them back into the linen closet before they went back to their rooms. Nick and Shannon took the sheets to remake their bed as they headed off, but I made sure I thanked each of the boys for their help. As they walked away, I also listened to their various comments about having to find out who was doing all this, but I had to admit, I was really confused too. 'WHO could be pulling all these practical jokes?' I wondered to myself. Although everyone fit part of the profile of the type of person who might do this, I couldn't think of anyone who would match all the attributes our new trickster should have. This was truly a conundrum. On Sunday, we all went to church, and it happened to be Palm Sunday, celebrating Jesus' joyous entry into Jerusalem. This meant it would probably be a longer than normal service, and even though this Sunday marked a jubilant religious event, it also reminded us that this coming Friday would be Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified, and next Sunday would be Easter, the day he rose from the dead. In fact, this year Passover would begin on Tuesday, making the Jewish and Christian holidays overlap, which didn't always happen. The week between Palm Sunday and Easter is always a very important week for us, but even more so, with Nick's return. After church, we all rushed back home to get ready for Nick's party. We were having a luncheon gathering, so Jake and I were busy fixing the meal, with a few of the boys giving us a hand. Nick was setting up in the rec room with all the things he wanted to show us, and Shannon was giving him a hand. Some of the other boys were cleaning up the house or setting the tables, as we had much of the extended family coming to join us. When our guests started to arrive, they first welcomed Nick back and asked him if he'd had a good time. He kept his answers short and sweet, and then told whomever he was chatting with that he'd show and tell them more about his trip later, which I think piqued everyone's interest and curiosity. After that, we just sat around and talked until everyone arrived, and then we sat down to eat. Except for the fact that the meal wasn't as elaborate, it almost began to look like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, with most of our loved ones in attendance. Of course, many of our college boys were missing, as they were either busy or we didn't feel we had time to round them up and bring them back just for the weekend. We had made the exception for Shannon, because of his closeness to Nick, but we felt the others could get caught up with Nick in May, as they'd be home for the summer in a little over a month. After the meal we went back to the rec room, where Nick had everything set up. Once everyone made himself comfortable, he started showing the first video from his trip. This one showed him meeting his host family, and I think we all could see why he was so taken with his host brothers, and then he gave us a little tour of their home. It was quite nice, though nothing like our sprawling abode, and when he showed us his room, all I could think was that bed had never or would never see that much action again. Once the tour of the home ended, the video took us around the school Nick attended in Brazil and, of course, he highlighted some of the students as well. Needless to say, there happened to be a large collection of handsome young men speaking to the camera in Portuguese or broken English, and I was glad most people couldn't understand what they were saying. Even those speaking broken English were difficult to understand and the boys were making comments of their own, so I don't think anyone ever heard or understood the personal comments these boys had made to Nick. The end of that tape contained a variety of other things, ranging from more of the host family, school activities, a football (soccer) match, and the trips to Sao Paulo, Brasilia and Rio with his parents. We got to see all the things he saw, including a great view from when they went to see the Statue of Christ the Redeemer. All in all, we got a good look at some really awesome sights and Nick managed to tell us what he felt were the important facts about everything we saw, although I think we all suspected there were also things he was withholding from us. When the tape ended, we took a short stretch break, to use the toilets or get drinks, and then we came back to watch the tape containing the scenes from his most recent trips. The second tape started out with Nick's trip to Rio for Carnival. He was right, it was one gigantic party, and we saw all kinds of bands and elaborately or scantily clad people dancing in these huge parades. In addition to these nighttime activities, Nick had also taken some pictures during his trips to the beaches, and we got to see a lot of flesh too. The guys wore mostly Speedos and the gals were predominantly clad in skimpy bikinis, so there was more than enough to appeal to everyone; gay, straight, bi, male or female alike. Even Mrs. Spence made a few comments about some of the guys who moved across the screen, which caused her husband to playfully remind her about her age. However, she wasn't about to let her husband's comment slide and it just provoked her to make her own response. "I'm old, not dead," she shot back, which elicited a hearty chuckle from the rest of us. The rest of this tape was from Nick's trips on the Amazon and to the Iguacu Falls. Both trips were interesting, especially some of the things you wouldn't exactly see on the Travel or Discovery Channels. We got a good look at the floating market, his stay with the Caboclos in their stilt houses at the river village, and his impromptu trip to the Indian village. He also managed to get a lot of shots of naked people; old, young, male and female, which vividly illustrated the things he had mentioned to us about the natives in his emails. The tape also contained a lot of nature type shots, which kind of surprised me about Nick, and we got to see the colorful birds and butterflies, lizards and reptiles from the jungle trip and the dolphins and piranha from the river. There were also some great shots from the falls, and I was impressed with Nick's eye for capturing those interesting aspects of his travels. Once the videos ended, Nick passed around some of the souvenirs he had brought back with him, including his mounted piranha. Damn, their teeth aren't very big, but there are multiple rows of them and they are very sharp. I'd really hate to find myself attacked by a group of them. That would be an agonizing and frightening ordeal and a very slow way to die. After that, Nick answered the myriad of questions everyone wanted to ask him about his trip, and he fielded them like a pro. He was very descriptive, gave just enough information to satisfy the person asking the question, and you could tell how enthusiastic he was and how much he had enjoyed his time there. The entire family was very interested in what he had to tell them, which I could tell really pleased Nick, and by the time it ended, it had been a fun afternoon. Once our visitors had gone home, I pulled Nick aside, because I needed to discuss something else with him. "I don't know if you remembered this," I reminded him, "but your doctor's appointment is tomorrow afternoon." "No, I kind of forgot about that," he told me, while looking very unhappy about the fact I was still making him go. "You know, I really don't need to be tested, Pop. Honest." He was looking hopeful that I might give in and drop my request. "Maybe not, but I'd rather be sure," I told him, causing his smile to disappear and his body posture to slump again, signaling his defeated attitude. "I know I promised to do this, so I will," he let me know, so I didn't have to continue trying to persuade him about going through with it. Besides, he knew he wouldn't be having anny sex until his test results came back negative. Once Nick and I had finished up, I went off to find Trey. I had remembered yesterday that I still needed to talk to him about his college plans, but this was the first opportunity I'd had to do it, since that time. Trey had been accepted to three colleges, The University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University and Villanova, and now it was time for me to find out which one he had decided to attend. I also wanted to know if he'd settled on a major too, as he was still undecided the last time we spoke about this. After taking him back to my room, we sat down and began to hash this out. "Trey, have you figured out which university you're going to attend or what you're going to take," I asked him directly. "You're the last one to get this settled." "Yeah, I know, but I think I've figured it out. I picked the colleges I applied to so I wouldn't be too far away from Dion, so I've decided I'm going to go to Villanova," he explained. "I thought that way I'd have Kevin and Vinnie close by too, just in case I got too lonely. It would also make it easier to get back and forth." I knew he wasn't aware that I had told Kevin that he and Vinnie could get an apartment the following year and I'd let Kevin have a car to get around with, but I'm sure the other pair wouldn't mind including Trey in those plans. They could get a two-bedroom apartment now, and that's one group Jake and I wouldn't have to pick up and drop off any longer. This may work out better than even I could have planned. "That sounds fine," I advised him, "but have you also decided on what you're going to take?" "Yeah, I think so," he told me. "I really wanted to do something with my writing, like writing movie scripts or plays and then maybe even directing them too, so I'm going to major in English and do a minor in theater." I found that interesting, but not totally unexpected. "Okay, I can understand that, but why did you decide to major in English and at Villanova?" I wanted to know. "Well, I figured that way I could also get certified to teach English," he explained, "so if my writing doesn't work out, then I can always teach and help other kids who have the same dreams I do." I not only thought his rationale was admirable, but it was also a good strategy to have a back-up plan. "That sounds great, Trey. I'm glad you've ironed out your problems and have worked out all the details of what you want to do." He smiled and thanked me for my concern and help, and then I let him go, knowing there were other things I still needed to attend to. The reason I had scheduled Nick's doctor's appointment for this week was not only because he had just gotten back, but school was also on spring break for the entire week. The vacation was scheduled this way primarily to give the students a chance to observe their religious beliefs without having to miss any school, as Passover began during the week and Good Friday and Easter came at the end of the same week. It also meant that no one had to go to bed by any certain time or get up early, either, so it was a good time to schedule other activities. Of course, I would be going in to work for some of the day, but even I would not work the whole day and I'd be able to enjoy some extra time off. The next morning, I woke up early and went in at my usual time, but I was planning to come back home shortly after lunch. There wasn't much going on and I was just taking care of some routine matters, as well as putting the finishing touches on the next year's budget. A few minutes after 1:00 I headed home, stopping to pick up the mail on the way. I was pleased to see I had a letter from Frank and I couldn't wait to open it to see what he had to say. Dad, Basic training isn't easy, but I am kind of enjoying it. There are some things I don't like, such as we get up really early, they don't let us stay up very late, and the food is nothing to brag about, but I'm enjoying the physical training. We run a mile and do our calisthenics before breakfast and we march almost everywhere we go, so I'm really in good shape. The part I don't care much for is having to go through the inspections. So far we haven't done very much, except learning about the differences between civilian and military life and listening to the DI's, that's short for drill instructors, scream at us and tell us how pathetic we are. I guess it used to be worse, at least that's what I heard listening to some of the DI's tell us about when they went through basic training, but it is all so negative. Our real training begins next week, when we start weapons instruction with the M-16A2 and bayonet training. After that we do our NBC training, that stands for nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. Even though it sounds pretty interesting, I bet it's not, except that I talked to another trainee who's in the later part of his basic training, and he said we have to go in a building and get tear-gassed, so we can see what it's like. I'm not so sure I'll like that. Anyway, we do get a little time off on the weekends, usually Saturday night and most of Sunday. There are some places to go and things to do, but I'm still learning my way around, so I haven't found them all yet. We do have a day room, with ping-pong and pool tables in it, and it even has a piano, for those who know how to play. There are some movie theaters on post and there are also enlisted men's clubs where we can go, but I end up spending a lot of time around the barracks too. It seems there's always something to do, like straightening my locker, shining boots, polishing brass and all that good stuff. Well, I think I've told you everything I can, but I'll send you another letter next week. Tell all my brothers I said hi and to talk to me first, if they ever think about enlisting. Love you all. Frank It definitely felt good hearing from Frank, and I will write him a letter immediately, seeing his return address gives me a piece of information I didn't have beforehand. I don't think Frankie is regretting his decision about going into the military, but I think he's found it a little different than he was expecting. However, knowing him, he'll stick it out and do his best. The only disappointment I might have is that if he is just sticking it out, I'd be willing to wager he's doing it more so he doesn't disappoint me or anyone else, rather than for himself. He still has this deep feeling that he still has to prove himself or make up for his past mistakes, and sometimes that's his motivating factor. I sat down and wrote back to him, telling him as much as I could think of, including Nick's return home, but there wasn't an awful lot to write about. >From my own experience though, I know it's nice just to hear from anyone about anything when you're apart, so I told him whatever I could think of. When I finished the letter, I put it in an envelope, affixed a stamp, and put it on the small end table in the foyer, so I'd remember to mail it later. I happened to turn around and look up at the clock and noticed it was getting close to time for Nick's appointment. Not wanted to be late, I called up to him and told him to come down within a few minutes, so we could leave. He did as I asked, though not looking overly enthused about it, and we were on our way. I guess this was his day of reckoning. * * * * * * * * 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 with, because it helps knowing my readers better when I decide what to write or how to gear it. Please email me at bwstories8@aol.com and let me know what you thought, so I can do even better in the future. Thanks, Bill.