The Castaway Hotel - 6 - 11. Chapter 11 - More Changes In Our Lives

I was surprised when Mrs. Roma called back the next evening. I thought she’d indicated she would give us more time than that to talk this over. In the end, I suspected she really was anxious to see her son again and in a hurry to find out what he had decided. After we exchanged the usual pleasantries, I advised her about the conditions Danny had set.

“Mrs. Roma, Danny has agreed to meet with you, but he wants to do it in a public place. He also wants to bring his boyfriend, Brandon, with him when this happens.”

I intentionally used the word ‘boyfriend’ when I told her this, because if they were going to reconnect, she had to accept Danny’s relationship with Brandon. I was fairly certain that if push came to shove, Danny would choose his connection with Brandon over reestablishing ties with his mother.

I wasn’t surprised when she hesitated briefly before responding, but I knew what I’d do, if I were in her shoes. I didn’t rush her and risk her making a hasty and ill informed decision. Instead, I let her take time to work this out at her own pace, without any additional comments from me. Eventually, she gave me her answer.

“Well, if that’s what he wants,” she whispered. I could tell she was disappointed he wasn’t willing to meet with her alone, but at the same time she was glad he was agreeing to get together.

“I was hoping to speak with him in private,” she continued, “although I did suspect he might want you to be there for our first meeting. I certainly didn’t expect he’d want to bring another boy along. Can you tell me a little about this Brandon?”

“I’d be happy to,” I agreed. “He’s a very handsome and friendly young man whom Danny has become very close to. Brandon’s parents are friends of the family and they agreed to let Brandon move in with us, when Mr. O’Hara was transferred to Texas. They thought it might be best for Brandon to finish school here, rather than risk a bad transition. They’d heard a lot of horror stories about the Texas school system and didn’t want to jeopardize Brandon’s chances of getting into a decent college, so they asked if he could live with us until he graduated.”

“Um… ah… so they… ah… they’re you know… um… lovers then?” she stammered.

“Yes, they are,” I admitted. “Does that bother you?”

“Uh – well, I suspected he might have someone he was close to, but I didn’t think… well… ah… that I’d be meeting him so soon.”

“Well, Danny is more than a little nervous about seeing you again,” I informed her. “It’s been a few years since he’s heard from you and I think he just wants Brandon there for moral support. Is that going to be a problem?”

“I suppose not,” she replied, still sounding a little uncertain. “I really want to see my son, so if that’s the only way he’ll meet with me, then I guess it will be okay. They’re not going to kiss or anything like that, are they?”

I had to restrain a chuckle. “I’ll tell them to hold off on the mushy stuff, if that will help.”

“Yes, I’d appreciate it, if you did that,” she agreed, while sounding a bit less flustered. Once Brandon’s presence had been agreed to, we chose a location and time for their reunion, and then I told her I’d pass the message along to Danny.

After I hung up the phone, I went up to Danny and Brandon’s room, so I could share the details with them. Danny seemed pleased when I told him she had agreed to his conditions, but I think they’d also been prepared if she hadn’t. After listening to some of the things they said afterward, I concluded they’d spent some of their time talking about this possibility too and had come up with a backup plan. However, since they weren’t going to need it, I didn’t press for the details.

I also warned Danny that I wasn’t sure his mother would be comfortable with him being affectionate with Brandon in public and he advised me they had already guessed that much. He then went on to inform me they had agreed not to hold hands or kiss while they were with her, hoping it would make the meeting less tense. However, both boys did say she’d have to eventually be willing to accept them as a couple, if she wanted a long-term reconciliation.

Danny and Brandon were scheduled to meet with her at the food court of the local mall on Thursday. Danny said he would sit next to his mother, while Brandon agreed to sit across from them. I looked up at Brandon, to gauge his reaction as Danny filled me in, and I was pleased to discover he was still smiling. When he noticed I was looking at him, he gave me a wink, just to let me know he approved of the arrangement.

I was impressed by their attitudes concerning this impending reunion and told them so. They merely responded that they were only doing what they thought was best for them, although they did give some consideration about how Danny’s mother might be feeling. When I pushed to discover their emotional status, Danny finally admitted he was a little excited about seeing his mother again. I was glad he felt that way and hoped both he and his mother were still satisfied once this was over. I prayed this wouldn’t be just a one-time occurrence, so each of them could heal the psychological scars created by their abrupt parting.

On Thursday, while Danny was off meeting with his mother, Sally showed up with the boy she had told me about. She called ahead, to see if I’d mind a visit, and once I agreed, she told me she’d be right over. At least it would keep me from worrying about what was happing at the mall.

Even though I’ve always tried very hard not to use the information I’ve been told to paint pictures about the boys before I met them, this kid was far from what I’d envisioned. Oh, physically he appeared basically as he’d been described. He was twelve, almost thirteen, a little on the short side for his age, slender, but not skinny, and as cute as a bug in a rug. He had dirty blond hair, a pert little nose and the most wondrous shade of blue eyes I’d ever seen. However, it was what came next that surprised me.

He was bubbly and not shy at all. In fact, he came up to me and reached out his hand, so he could shake mine. Then he gave me an impish little grin.

“Hi, I’m Cody,” he said, in a melodic, high-pitched voice.

“Please excuse my manners,” Sally apologized. “Josh this is Cody Reynolds and Cody, this is Mr. Currie.”

“Nice to meet you, Cody,” I told him, “and welcome to my home.”

“Where are all your sons?” he asked, quite bluntly. “Mrs. Swarthout told me you had a whole bunch of sons and some of them are gay.” After saying this, a broad grin covered his face and stretched from ear-to-ear.

“Yes, that’s correct and all the boys are up in their rooms, waiting to meet you,” I concurred. “I just thought we might spend a few minutes alone first, so we could get to know each other better. Is that all right with you?”

“Yeah, that’s cool,” he agreed, while releasing another impish grin.

“Well, maybe you could tell me what you’re hoping for,” I suggested. “I know you must have some ideas about what you’re looking for while you’re here to meet us.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping this might be my new home,” he announced, quite openly.

“Why do you say that?” I pressed, while hoping to learn more about his motives.

“Because here I wouldn’t be different,” he explained. “That means I also wouldn’t get picked on, just cuz I like other boys. I heard how you took all these boys to live with you, even if they were gay, and that sounds like the kind of place I’d like to live. I hated my other homes, cuz they were mean to me after they learned I liked boys. At some of those homes, they even called me names or let the other kids do things to me, just cuz I wasn’t like them.”

“That’s terrible and I promise nothing like that will happen here,” I empathized. “My boys are all fairly close and care about each other, whether they’re gay, straight or not sure yet. They’ve even fought to protect one another from outsiders, although I don’t encourage that type of action.”

“Wow! Really? I wish I’d had somebody to stick up for me,” he gushed.

“Why don’t we go meet them, so you can get to know them a little better?” I suggested.

Sally and I walked Cody upstairs and went from room to room introducing him to everyone. I didn’t expect Cody to remember all of their names. Heck, sometimes I even have trouble keeping them straight, but I knew he’d remember at least a few. As he met each boy, he took a few seconds to study him closely, before we moved on. I think this was his way of trying to figure out who was gay and who wasn’t, but Cody never asked any of them. Once he had met them all, we went back to the family room, so we could talk some more.

“Well, what do you think so far?” I asked him.

“I think it’s great here,” he announced. “Everyone seems so nice, and you know, I think I can tell which boys might be gay. I’m not really sure, but I think I can tell by the way they looked at me. Some of them checked me out more than the others.”

“They might have,” I agreed, “but that may have had nothing to do with a sexual interest. They might just have been scoping you out, just in case you come to live with us. They all really do love and care about each other, even if it’s not a physical attraction.” He just grinned at me. “Why don’t I have a few of the boys show you around the rest of the house and outside, while Mrs. Swarthout and I will sit here and talk? Would that be okay with you?”

“Yes, it sounds great,” he confirmed, in his childish, singsong voice.

When I went upstairs to ask for volunteers, Cole, Graham, Sammy and Andrew all said they’d like to show Cody around. Since I didn’t want anyone to feel slighted, I let all five go off together, while Sally told me a little more about his background. Some of it she hadn’t even learned about until earlier today, when she went to pick him up.

“Josh, this boy’s been through a lot already, but of course most of your other boys have been through a great deal too. His mother was a hooker and died of AIDS just over two years ago. They were never sure who the boy’s father was, but his mother told others that she suspected it was one of her regular Johns or her pimp. Neither option would be good for him though. The john has just been convicted as a third-time felon and was sentenced to serve a life sentence in the state penitentiary. The pimp is a big time gang-banger, who also pushes drugs, so the state has never insisted on a paternity test. Heck of a way for the little guy to come into this world, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s a great deal of baggage for a child to have to tote about,” I agreed. “Unfortunately, it seems to be happening to more kids than I’d like to believe.”

While Sally and I were talking, I missed seeing Cody reenter the room. When I did spy him, he was moving in my direction. Once he saw me glance up, he turned on the gas, raced toward me, leaped in the air and landed squarely in my lap. I thought it was sweet he felt comfortable enough to do this, but that feeling was tempered with pain. Cody had managed to crush the old family jewels in the process, which caused me to groan and bend forward, slightly.

Sally had a look of shock and horror on her face, because she was concerned I was seriously hurt. However, not everyone was as sympathetic. Although I could hear some of the boys doing their own empathetic groaning on my behalf, some of the others were too busy giggling to express concern. When Cody realized what he had done, he began to apologize profusely.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Currie,” he announced, in a frightened tone. “I didn’t mean to do that and I really want you to like me. When I talked to the other boys, they told me how nice you were. They also told me that sometimes they also sit on your lap and I thought it would be nice to do that too. I’ve never been close to any other grown-ups before, so I thought it would be a neat thing to try. I also thought it might make you like me more. I’m really sorry I hurt you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Cody. It wasn’t that bad,” I announced, as I gave him a squeeze. Of course, I was telling a little white lie here, to spare his feelings. “You’re fine and I’m happy you’re not too shy to be willing to try something like this so soon.”

“Are you kidding? I love it here,” he announced. “This place is great. I almost feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven. I didn’t know any place like this existed.”

“Well, I think we’re all glad you approve,” I confirmed, while realizing I now had a minor dilemma. Although I originally hoped this wouldn’t work out, I was now as taken with him as he was with us.

“Then I can come here to live?” he asked, his eyes wide in anticipation.

“Is that what you want?” I asked, although I was positive I knew how he was going to respond.

“Heck, yes!” he nearly screamed. “I want this more than anything else I’ve ever wanted.”

“And what do you think, Sally… I mean, Mrs. Swarthout?” I asked, bringing her into the conversation.

“I think my hands are tied,” she replied. This response caused Cody to look a little crestfallen, since he thought it meant he wouldn’t be able to move in.

“I think this young man has made the decision for me,” she added, “so I have no choice but to go along with his wishes.”

“You mean I can really live here?” Cody asked, still not believing his ears. Sally gave me a quick glance and I nodded, so she looked back at Cody.

“Yes,” Sally told him, “I think I can arrange for that to happen.”

“You’re not joking – right?” he pressed, still not convinced.

“I am very serious,” Sally confirmed.

“Then when can I move in?” he asked her, before turning in my direction. He wanted a definite answer and he wanted it now.

“Well, I’ll have to get your things…” she began, but Cody never let her finish.

”Can I stay here, while you do that?” he wondered. I think he was afraid that if he left, he might not be allowed to come back.

Sally looked at me before she responded and shrugged. I figured it was up to me to take her off the hook, so I spoke.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” I told him.

This caused Cody to spin around on my lap, so he could give me a great big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I wasn’t ready for him to do that, but did manage to return the hug, before he leaped down and raced over to Sally. Once he reached her, he repeated those actions, which caused her to blush.

Now that he had thanked both of us, he went to stand with the young men who had been showing him around and it wasn’t long before they ran whooping and hollering like it was at a high school pep rally. Even though I wasn’t sure I had wanted this in the beginning, it looks as if I was about to acquire another son.

As soon as the boys left, Sally I discussed the situation further. After assuring her I could scrape up some extra clothes for Cody to wear for the time being, Sally agreed to pick his things and bring them by the next day. Hearing her say this, I had to acknowledge that wouldn’t be possible. I explained we would be taking the older boys off to college, so I told her I’d just buy Cody what he’d need for the weekend and then she could drop his other things off, once we got back.

After agreeing, Sally insisted her agency would reimburse me for any expenses I incurred, but I assured her that wasn’t necessary. After pursuing the issue a little more, she finally gave in and seemed satisfied with the arrangement. She did wait around until the boys returned, so she could say good-bye to Cody and the rest of the family. Once our group of hooligans came back, I called the rest of the family downstairs to see her off.

Before she left, we all thanked her for her help, especially Cody, and then we walked her to her car. We waved as she drove away and then we took Cody back in the house, so we could show him his room. While we were outside, Kevin had suggested that Cody could have his room, since he didn’t seem to use it much any more. After I thanked him for his generosity, I told Kevin he should have the honor of telling Cody and taking him to see it.

Kevin said he’d like that and insisted, once again, it was better that Cody make use of his old room; otherwise it was sort of a waste. I thanked him for being so understanding and then we showed Cody where he’d be staying.

Cody was thrilled when he saw it, especially since he realized it would be just for him. He’d always had to share a room before, so this was very special. We explained that Kevin still had to move some of his things down to Vinnie’s room, before we could move him in, and this comment caused Cody to become upset. It was due to the fact that he didn’t understand this was Kevin’s idea and thought he was forcing Kevin out.

After we took the time to explain the situation to him more thoroughly, he suddenly lit up. Not only because he’d have his own room, but he also realized two of the gay boys were actually ‘living’ and ‘sleeping’ together, as he saw it. He thought that was pretty neat. He also offered to help Kevin do whatever it was he needed to do, and so did the four boys who had shown Cody around earlier (Cole, Graham, Sammy and Andrew). In fact, they seemed to have become Cody’s constant shadows for the rest of the day.

Although Cody seemed to enjoy all of them hanging around, I noticed he was paying particular attention to Graham. I could see Cody watching nearly every move Graham made and he seemed to stay as close to Graham as he could, but maybe that was just my imagination.

That night the boys showed Cody the ropes. They started by informing him which bathroom he would use to shower and when. It was then explained to him that half of the boys showered at night and the other half in the morning, but they also explained that some of the boys showered together. Cody was all ears when they told him this, but he lit up when he heard they usually ran around naked before bedtime.

Once they were done telling him these things, Cody asked Graham if he would like to shower with him. That led us to discover that little Cody was not shy about showing off his body. Once Graham agreed, Cody quickly stripped and stood waiting for Graham to do the same. Cody was circumcised – maybe about 4” when erect, and he had a little blond pubic patch and an adorable little butt. He didn’t have any underarm hair yet, but he had sort of a blond-fuzz all over his body, and automatically I pictured my Ricky, when he first came to live with me. Ricky had longer hair at the time, but in other ways, they were much alike.

Once Graham was undressed, they stepped into the shower, but what followed was just your typical mutual shower. The two of them merely washed themselves and didn’t mess around at all. Graham did tell me that he could tell Cody was checking him out quite closely and asked more than a few questions about different things, including the fact that Graham was not circumcised. Graham said he thought Cody wanted to do things, but was kind of shy about asking, so Graham didn’t volunteer. He felt that if anything happened, it should be Cody’s idea and Cody would tell him what he wanted to do, when he was ready. Maybe my hunch about him being attracted to Graham wasn’t too far off.

When I talked to Cody later, I asked him if he was going to be all right alone in a strange room and he told me that wouldn’t be a problem. I thought it was just because he had been forced to sleep in many new and strange places over the past couple of years, but then I found out he had already asked Graham to keep him company tonight and Graham had agreed. I’m not sure who was moving quickly here, but as long as both boys were comfortable doing so, I wasn’t about to interfere.

It wasn’t as if anything happened later either, as they only slept together and there was no horsing around at all. The best thing for me was, he seemed to be fitting in quite nicely and all of this was happening after just a few hours.