The Castaway Hotel - 6 - 4. Chapter 4 - Welcome To America

I didn’t have to drive to Philadelphia and neither did Jake. Instead, we’d chartered a bus. I felt that would be easier and more comfortable for everyone, plus it would allow the members of both families to chat and spend their time together. We also wouldn’t have to worry about the driving, getting lost or finding parking places close to the sites we’d be seeing, so it was an easy choice.

That morning, I loaded everyone into the chartered bus and began our journey. The boys seemed to like this idea too, since they wouldn’t have to be split up among several vehicles and separated from some of our guests. It also meant they could move about and spend time with everyone or use the toilet whenever they needed, which meant fewer stops along the way.

Mark had also opted to come along on this outing, but had decided against including his girlfriend. He made his decision after I’d told him a little about Nigel’s group. He thought it might be best if he got to know them first, before he brought Amy into the picture. He concluded that having a female companion around might complicate the situation and cause some of Nigel’s sons to be less open and forthcoming with him, and for the most part I agreed with his logic.

With that in mind, we decided it would be better, and less distracting, if we took her on one of our future trips instead. This would also allow the rest of us to get reacquainted with Nigel’s family and give me a chance to forewarn them that Amy would be joining us on some of our other outings. This way, they wouldn’t be surprised when she showed up and the experience would be more enjoyable for everyone.

Our visitors from England arrived right on schedule, which saved us a few hassles. For one, it meant I wouldn’t have to alter any of the plans I’d worked so hard to make. This included taking advantage of being in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ and using the opportunity to show them around while we were here. That way, we could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

After greeting them, we helped retrieve their luggage and gave them a chance to use the restrooms and get drinks or a bite to eat first. Once they’d done that, we loaded everything onto the chartered coach and advised them what we had planned. They seemed satisfied with what they heard and settled into their seats, getting comfortable.

Leaving the airport, we set out on a whirlwind tour of the city. It was basically going to be a repeat of the visit I’d made with the family previously, but this time the boys would explain everything to our guests and impress them with their knowledge of the area and our country’s history.

On the bus, I took the opportunity to formally introduce Jake, Shannon, Mark and Vinnie to our visitors and let them get to know each other. Those four hadn’t been with us on our trip to England and, therefore, none of them had met before, other than the very brief introductions at the terminal.

While introducing each person in either group, I also gave a little background information about that individual. I felt this would make it easier for the others to remember who they were and give them a chance to discover some common ground.

When we did this the first time we met Nigel’s family in England, it helped to make everyone feel more comfortable with each other and gave the boys things in common to talk about. Not only that, but being able to see there were others in the world who had experienced similar situations helped each of them feel as if they were part of an even larger group. I hoped something similar would take place once our newest family members were introduced and everyone would eventually feel comfortable in their presence.

It also helped that neither the boys, nor Jake, were concerned about us sharing this knowledge. Most of them had already grown accustomed to the members of our little group knowing the more intimate details of their lives and this was no different. We would never divulge knowledge about our personal backgrounds with anyone except those we were certain would be discreet with the details. We were careful not to disclose any sensitive or embarrassing material outside of our extended family without knowing a great deal about those we were taking into our confidence first. That’s why everyone was content with sharing these facts.

In the end, it worked out even better than I’d hoped. Even Mark enjoyed this exchange and readily added even more details about himself, whenever anyone asked him a question about his past.

Nigel also seemed to hit it off with Jake. He commended him for filling in for me while I was incapacitated and noted that he could see Jake was a valued member of our family. Jake thanked him for his kind words, before the topic turned to Shannon and Jake’s past. Jake was more than happy to explain to Nigel about all he’d been through and this discussion ended only when we began our tour.

Vinnie was just as interested in the sightseeing as Nigel’s group, since this was his first trip to Philadelphia too. Although this visit was a little faster paced than our last trip here, Nigel’s crew seemed to enjoy their visit. We took them to see the United States mint first, and then did the American Trolley tour, before we went to see the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’ house and Franklin court.

We knew there was still more for them to see and do, but we couldn’t see everything in just one day, so we planned on continuing the next day. After grabbing a bite to eat, we checked in to the motel I had previously made reservations at, which was just outside of the city. Although we had to cram everyone into several double rooms, since I was unable to garner as many as I’d wanted, everyone was fine with the situation.

Nearly everyone was exhausted from their long day, especially Nigel’s group. They were also suffering from a bit of jet lag, since the time zone they were accustomed to is five hours later than ours. Even though we had turned in early, local time, their body clocks told them they had been up much later than normal. Most of them had handled it fairly well up to this point, but it was partially due to the fact that they were young. Not only that, but the excitement about their visit had them all wound up, so the adrenaline rush helped keep them functioning too.

Nigel admitted he had been able to get some sleep on the plane, which helped him tremendously, but told us the boys had been too excited to catch any shuteye. That’s why they had been wearing down and were more than a little groggy by the time we arrived at our rooms. Even after a good night’s rest, the boys still showed signs of not being fully alert when they awoke the following morning, since their bodies still hadn’t had sufficient opportunity to adapt to the time difference.

Seeing they were still struggling with their internal clocks, I decided it would be best to give them a little more time to let their bodies adjust. Therefore, we didn’t rush them and let them go at their own pace getting into the showers and dressing. Once they’d finished, we went out for a late breakfast. This, of course, mildly frustrated my boys, since they were starving by this point, but they remained patient and understanding about why this was taking so long.

After we ate, we finished up our tour of Philadelphia. This time we went to visit the Old City Hall, Congress Hall and ended at Independence Hall. Everyone seemed to have a good time, especially when they were interacting with each other.

As the day progressed into evening, we all loaded back onto the bus, but this time for the long ride to our home. I knew it was likely going to be a quiet trip, since most of the boys would probably end up sleeping until we reached our humble abode. Nigel, Jake and I sat up front and shared more stories about what had happened since our two families had last seen each other. Gradually, the other talking around us ceased, as the boys began accepting visits from the sandman.

Realizing this, the three of us lowered our voices, but continued to talk about all of the events that had transpired in our lives. Even though we had sent letters back in forth and exchanged some emails, there were still a lot of personal things that were best shared face-to-face.

To start off, I told Nigel about the emotional roller coaster ride I went through after finding and then losing Brent. Then I shared some of the things that had happened to me afterward, which included the crises and accomplishments we had encountered during that time. Finally, I ended by telling him how Vinnie had become a part of our family, as well as sharing Vinnie’s concerns about how his relationship with Kevin might be affected if I adopted him.

Jake then gave Nigel some of the more sordid details about his marriage and getting kicked out. Then, he recalled how he’d been told that Shannon was gay, when his ex threw Shannon out as well. Jake described, in vivid detail, how he felt as each of these events unfolded and then shared some of the feelings Shannon had expressed, when his mother turned on him too.

Nigel then shared some stories with us as well, about the highs and lows his family had experienced. During that time he explained some of the more personal details of the events he had previously divulged and then we talked about this trip and some of the other things I had planned during their stay. We tried to do this so the boys wouldn’t hear us, because I didn’t want to ruin any of the surprises I had managed to keep, up to this point.

We arrived home after taking a dinner break along the way. Nigel and I then took a few minutes to advise the boys that we didn’t mind if they fooled around a bit, as long as everyone was agreeable. However, we did ask them to abstain from any anal penetration, unless condoms were used. I explained that all my boys knew where the necessary items were kept, so if they needed something, all they had to do was ask.

After we discussed this situation thoroughly, I made sure everyone knew how to use those devices properly. Once everyone confirmed they understood and agreed to follow our rules, I sent them off to bed. My boys and Nigel’s had already made their choices as to who was going to stay with whom on the bus, so they went off quite readily. We had added cots to some of the larger rooms before they arrived, to accommodate the additional bodies, so we were pretty well set up for this situation.

Both Nigel and I felt we could trust them, so we got ready to turn in too. We put Nigel in Kevin’s bedroom, seeing Kevin practically lived in Vinnie’s room anyway. This not only took care of Nigel’s accommodations, but it also assured him some privacy. Pleased by this arrangement, Nigel made it a point to not only thank me, but also Kevin, for our thoughtfulness. Kevin quickly told him it was no big deal, since he spent most of his time with Vinnie, but Nigel insisted it was still very thoughtful of him to give up his room.

Now that Nigel was settled, I went back downstairs and Jake and I turned in too. We didn’t even fool around that evening, since we were both so exhausted

Other than a couple of instances where our guests awakened during the night and forgot where they were or the times when one of them was unable to remember the location of our bathrooms, things went quite well. In fact, I don’t think anyone even messed around that first night, mostly due to the fact they were all so tired from the long day they had just endured. In fact, I think the overwhelming majority of them, if not all, were satisfied just being together again.

We allowed Nigel and his boys to sleep late the next morning, but it wasn’t easy to keep my brood quiet during that entire time. When our visitors did saunter down to join us, we fixed them a late breakfast and explained we’d be taking a couple of days off before doing any other planned events. This was to give us some quality time alone, as well as providing them an extended opportunity to adjust to the new time zone. This would, in turn, make it easier for the Barstows to enjoy what we’d scheduled next, especially if they weren’t dragging and tired when we went out. They thanked us for being so considerate and agreed they would benefit from the down time; since they also understood they needed to adapt and unwind a bit.

Less than an hour after they finished eating, I noticed a bunch of the boys shedding their clothes, as they got ready to go out and skinny-dip in our pool. Nigel, Jake and I went out to oversee this activity, not only to make sure no one drowned, but also so we could enjoy the scenery. Looking around, I was impressed with the way some of Nigel’s boys had matured since the last time we were together and I think some of my sons were equally impressed. Mark even took part in the fun and seemed to be very comfortable without his clothes on, as well he should be. He had quite an awesome body to display and Nigel’s and my boys eagerly pointed that fact out to him as well.

We let them swim and frolic until lunchtime and then I announced I was taking everyone out to eat. I wanted our guests to sample a bit of the local cuisine and chose to take them to the local pizza parlor first. Since both sets of boys seemed to like many of the same types of things, I thought the Barstows would enjoy trying some of the foods my boys liked best.

I called ahead and ordered a dozen or so pizzas, several serving bowls of salad and many pitchers of soda. The person taking the order seemed a bit distraught over the thought of so many of us coming in so soon, but the owner was ecstatic when we arrived.

Needless to say, with this many teenagers the food went fast and I even ended up ordering a little more, to help fill the insatiable youthful pits at the center of their bodies. Once everyone had eaten his fill, we went back to the house and rested a bit, before the boys asked if they could go to the high school athletic fields to play soccer. We thought it was such a good idea that Nigel, Jake and I decided to join them, but just to watch, not to play.

The boys had a really active outing and my sons learned some additional nuances about the game from their European counterparts. It turned out that some of Nigel’s sons were quite proficient players and pulled off some stunning acrobatic moves, which included scissor kicks, diving headers and some nifty dribbling and passing. Whenever someone did something that incredible, my boys would stop dead in their tracks and just stare in awe, while they contemplated how unbelievable the feat was. It was a good thing this was just a fun game, so the boys could take time to stop and gawk at the abilities of their guests.

In addition to being impressed, my boys also asked questions about how their guest had practiced these moves, before pressing them to demonstrate what they needed to do to duplicate the play. The boys would then split up and practice this skill, until they felt they had at least a novitiates’ level of proficiency with it, before resuming play. As the game progressed, they would each look for an opportunity to put these new skills to use and occasionally got a chance to give it a try, with varying degrees of success.

When their game finally ended, both groups were in a hurry to get home, so they could strip down and jump in the pool again. We eagerly agreed to their suggestion and let them swim until they were ready to eat. Nigel, Jake and I happily watched them run around the house without any clothes on, yet completely at ease with each other and us. Nigel and I thanked God our sons didn’t have any inhibitions about their bodies or preoccupations with hiding them. We thought this attitude was healthy and had vociferously encouraged it, and it had now spread to include everyone in the household, even Mark.

I must admit I was a bit shocked to see how readily Mark shed his clothes in front of the others and relished his carefree time being naked and having fun in the sun. I also thought it was very beneficial and gave him an outlet he seems to have needed for quite some time. Mark had told me once that he always wished he’d had a brother and now he was making the most of having so many and doing the things brothers might do around each other.

When everyone started to get tired and their stomachs began to growl, Jake and I lit up the two grills. Over the next hour or so, we cooked hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, barbecue chicken and steaks outdoors. When the meat was ready, we brought out the salads Jake and I had whipped up while the boys were swimming, to complete the fare. Everyone seemed to be able to find something he liked amongst the choices and each of them was soon full.

Now that the boys were sated, some of my sons came over to ask if I’d take them to see a movie. I quickly talked the idea over with Nigel and Jake, and seeing they were in agreement with the suggestion, we checked with the other boys, to make sure everyone was copasetic with the idea.

After holding a quick group discussion, everyone seemed eager to participate. The problem was, it was hard to get that many boys to agree on one movie they all wanted to see. Therefore, I suggested we’d go to the cinema complex and then the boys would be able to watch whichever movie interested them. We felt it would be safe enough to let them to go on their own, if they stayed together. All we did is ask them to make sure they were in groups of a minimum of three or four, which they readily agreed to do.

Nigel, Jake and I then chose the flick we wanted to see, purchased our tickets and went in to the theater early. This allowed us time to find decent seats and get comfortable before things started. A little later, while we were watching the previews, we noticed something mildly ironic. Some of our boys had suddenly appeared in the same theater, although they didn’t make any moves to sit near us. We just thought it strange that so many, both young and old, had elected to watch the same film.

You see, this particular complex plays a mixture of slightly older movies and new releases, and Nigel, Jake and I had chosen a flick that had been out for a while, called “Collateral Damage”. It’s about a man who hunts down the terrorists who had killed his wife and son. It was quite good and full of action, which kept us on the edge of our seats.

When the movie ended, we made our way to the lobby, because we had agreed to meet up with the rest of our clans there, once their movies ended. It wasn’t long before the last of our troops arrived, so we headed out to the vehicles, ready to call it a night.

Before we drove away, I had an inspiration and asked if anyone was up for ice cream. In response, I got a resounding ‘yes’, so we drove to the local ice cream stand to have a treat before returning home.

The boys’ choices were as varied as they were, so they ended up ordering everything from cones, milkshakes and sundaes to banana splits. Each of them seemed to enjoy what they’d selected and downed it in short order. All in all, it was a nice ending to a wonderful and fairly relaxing day.