The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - 3. A Fourth to Remember

Sunday morning, I was moving about far more sluggishly than usual, since I had stayed up much later than I normally do the previous evening. Now, I slowly made my way around the house, as I got everyone else up to attend church. The boys were all expecting this, since we normally attend services as a family. Even Dustin and Cole, who no longer live at home, usually meet us in the church parking lot, so we will all be together. Their girlfriends frequently accompanying them at these times, because they enjoy being part of such a large and close-knit family, so I was pleased they would also be joining us today. Since Duck and Jennifer have also gone with us on their previous visits, they had no problem going with us today as well.

The service was short, which also made it quite painless, so there were no major gripes about having to attend. The girls even told us later that they actually enjoyed doing this as a group, and knowing they approved of this helped to ease their boyfriends’ concerns. It meant the girls would be willing to do this again in the future, as we continued our unofficial tradition.

Once the service had concluded, we rushed home, so we could prepare for our huge holiday cookout. After arriving, Jake immediately collected up the items he would need and headed out to fire up the grills. While he was doing that, I had the boys help me take everything else out of the refrigerators and move it out to the picnic tables. We were still lugging those items outside when our guests began to arrive.

The first to show up were my best friend, Steve Shay, and his wife, Mary. For those who don’t remember, Steve was the judge who presided over some of the initial adoption proceedings and later he and I formed a very strong friendship. Not only that, but he and his wife also became honorary aunt and uncle to my children.

Shortly after their arrival, Sally and Susan also joined us. Sally is the director of social services now and was the one who arranged for many of the boys to be placed with me. Susan is Mark’s mother, who decided to move here to be close to her son, when I arranged summer jobs for him. Both women are now honorary aunts as well.

A few minutes after they showed up, Alice, Jesse’s mother, pulled into the driveway. She was actually the one responsible for Jesse coming to live with us in the first place. She had made this decision after reading about our family in a magazine article and then dropped her son off at my house. We were at church at the time, so when we came home I found Jesse waiting on our porch. He had a note attached to his clothes, which requested that I take care of him.

Alice had made this heart-wrenching decision because her current husband, Jesse’s stepfather, was emotionally, physically and, she learned later, sexually abusing her son. At first, the other boys had trouble understanding how she could abandon her child, instead of her husband, and had a great deal of difficulty justifying her actions. For those reasons, her acceptance into the family didn’t happen quickly or easily. However, she is now also considered an aunt and loved by each of the boys.

The next to show up was Jay, who has been Ricky’s best friend since childhood. Jay’s parents accompanied him, since both families have been very close for years. After we got everyone a drink, we sat down to chat.

We didn’t all sit down together, but tended to split up into smaller groups, so we carry on more in-depth discussions. We’d move from group to group, until we got to see everyone, but there were some interesting discussion along the way.

“Vinnie, how was your first year on the job,” Steve asked his adopted son.

The Shay’s had adopted Vinnie, instead of me, since Vinnie was partnered with Kevin. Vinnie didn’t think they should be brothers, as well as lovers, so Steve and Mary offered Vinnie this alternative, which Vinnie eagerly agreed to. Although the Shays adopted him, Vinnie still lives with me, so he could be with Kevin. Now, Mary sat patiently next to her husband and waited to hear Vinnie’s response.

“It went really well,” Vinnie told them.

Vinnie has his Masters Degree in Education and is now working with physically handicapped children in a nearby private school district. It was the best opportunity for him, since the local district doesn’t have enough physically disabled students to justify such a position. Due to this fact, many of the students who can’t function within the limit the local district can provide often enroll in this private institution.

“Do you like working at that school?” Steve asked. “I know it’s not a short or easy drive, especially in the winter.”

What Steve was referring to is that Vinnie is currently driving about forty-five minutes to get to and from his job.

“The school if fine, but I could do without the commute,” Vinnie admitted. “Kevin and I are looking for a place somewhere in between, so we can split the travel. Kevin has offered to do this, because he realizes that driving so far every day isn’t easy for me.”

“I’m glad he’s willing to do that for you then,” Steve agreed. “What about your students? How do you get along with them?”

“My students are great and think it’s neat that I’ve been able to overcome many of the same obstacles that they’re facing. Many of them also use crutches, but not because they have cerebral palsy, like I do. It does make them feel as if we have something in common though. Most of the other teachers don’t share any of the same problems the students do, so I think our common disability has made the students feel closer to me. It’s possible that it’s also prompted them to listen to what I have to say a bit more closely, but I’m not certain.”

“I suppose it would make them sit up and take notice of what you have to say,” Mary responded. “I would imagine that it also gives them a sense of hope and something to aim for. I’m sure you’ve become quite an inspiration for them.”

“I’m not sure I’d call it an inspiration,” Vinnie replied, “but at least they can see they’ll be able to successfully function in the world, even with their physical limitations.” Mary and Steve nodded in agreement and then turned their attention to Vinnie’s partner.

“So Kevin,” Mary began, “are you planning to change jobs when you find a place or just split the drive?”

“I’ll probably keep working where I am now,” he stated. “I like my job and get along really well with my co-workers, so I’ll probably just stay there.”

Kevin has a degree in pharmaceutical science from Temple, which he also finished early. He graduated the same semester as Danny and Brandon and then accepted a position as a pharmacist locally, so he could be with Vinnie.

“I’m glad you’re happy where you’re working,” Mary told him. “It certainly makes having to spend forty or more hours a week there more bearable.”

“That it does,” Kevin agreed.

Mary now turned her attention to some of the others who were seated with them.

“Graham and Sammy, I understand you’re both teachers as well,” Mary began.

“Yes, we were fortunate to find positions too, although we weren’t able to find jobs that were close enough for us to live at home,” Graham answered. “We both live and work in the York area now.”

“So what do you teach?” Mary followed.

“I’m teaching a learning disabled class at a middle school,” Graham answered.

“Ah, that can be a difficult age, as your father probably warned you,” Mary snickered. “He did spend a lot of his time as principal of the local middle school.”

“Yes, Dad did caution me about that age group before I took the job,” Graham added, “but I accepted it anyway. It hasn’t been too bad though. I did have one student who was kind of a pain, but since I had a couple of brothers like that, I manage to get through the year without either of us killing the other.”

His response caused Mary to chuckle and Graham to get a few menacing stares from some of the other boys.

“I’m sure you did the best you could with that boy,” Mary commented. “In fact, he was probably just as bad for his other teachers too, so you shouldn’t feel badly.”

After saying this and getting Graham’s nod of agreement, she shifted her attention to my other son.

“What do you teach, Sammy?”

“I taught history and economics at one of the high schools,” Sammy replied. “I’m also working on my doctoral dissertation in my spare time. I think I really want to teach at the college level.”

“Oh, will we have to call you Professor Currie or Dr. Currie then?” she teased.

“No, just my students will,” Sammy quipped, “if they can get over the fact that I probably look younger than any of them.”

We all had a good laugh over his comment. Sammy’s oriental heritage has always made him appear to be younger than he actually is. Most people would probably currently guess him to be either sixteen or seventeen, and not his actual age of twenty-two.

While Mary was talking to Vinnie, Graham and Sammy, Aunt Sally had set her sights on Little Ricky and Andrew.

“Richard, now that you’ve graduated, what do you plan to do?” she asked.

“I’m going to go back to school in the fall,” he responded. “I could probably get a job with my sociology degree, but I’m going back to get my MSW.”

That stands for Master of Social Work, if you weren’t aware of that particular acronym.

“So you’ve already been accepted?” she followed.

“Yes! I got my notification back in January,” Little Ricky beamed.

“In that case, I really want you to look me up when you complete your degree, Richard,” she told him. “I’m hoping I’ll have a position for you in my department by then. If not, I’m also willing to contact some of my counterparts for you, the ones that in communities not too far from here.”

“I’d love working for you, Aunt Sally,” Little Ricky replied, “so I hope you do have a position available when I graduate. I know I could learn a lot working with you, and if you didn’t know this already, I decided to pursue this line of work because of you.”

Sally merely smiled at the compliment, before she responded.

“I hope you don’t come to regret your decision later,” she advised him, “because it can be very demanding work and too often frustrating. You’ll also have to put up with the limited possibilities for financial reward.”

“I’ve been told the same thing by several others,” Little Ricky acknowledged, “but I still want to do it. I’m not getting into this field because of the money. I just want to help other kids find a good home, like you did for me.”

I think his last comment touched Sally deeply.

“What about you, Andrew?” Sally asked, after turning her attention to another of my sons. “What are you taking at college?”

“Art, of course,” Andrew answered, smugly. “Dad says I have a passion for it and my teachers always told me I have a gift, so I’m going to take advantage of it.”

“That’s probably a very wise move,” Sally agreed. “So what do you want to do with it, after you graduate.”

“I’ll probably try to sell some of my work,” Andrew explained, “but I’m also getting my certification to teach, in case that doesn’t work out.”

“Another Currie becoming a teacher,” Sally teased. “I never would have guessed that your father would have had such a dramatic impact on you boys when I first helped place you here.” Andrew grinned broadly, as he glanced in my direction.

While Sally was speaking with Little Ricky and Andrew, Susan had singled out the other Ricky.

“Ricky, I hear you’re a big shot in marketing now,” she began.

“I’m not sure if the people I work with consider me a big shot, but I did just get a promotion,” he told her.

“You’ll have to refresh my memory,” she followed. “I forgot which company you’re with.”

“Verizon Wireless,” he told her. “Dad said I’d either become a salesman or a conman, so I thought I’d better go into sales. I didn’t want Dad to have to keep coming down to the jail, in order to bail me out.” Susan laughed over his little joke.

“How’s Mark doing?” Ricky asked, in return.

“He’s doing quite well,” Susan answered. “He’s working as an investment banker on Wall Street and has received some pretty good reviews from his boss.”

“I’m sure he has,” Ricky responded. “Dad has told me that Mark is doing a great job handling the Castaway Foundation holdings, as well as taking care of some of the family’s personal accounts. I’m glad Mark is willing to still do this for him, since I’m sure Mark has many other responsibilities now.”

“He does, but I’m positive Mark will continue to make sure he has time to handle things for your father,” Susan confirmed. “Mark says he’ll continue to be responsible for those accounts, as long as it’s what your father wants. Mark not only loves him as if he were his own dad, but he also feels he owes Josh, since your father did so much for him after they first met. Even though your dad has told Mark that any debt he felt was owed had been cleared up a long time ago, Mark still wants to do this and your dad seems happy to let Mark continue to handle everything. I know it makes Mark feel good that he’s able to do something for your family.”

“That’s great, but this has been a tough market to operate in,” Ricky stated next. “I hope Mark didn’t get burnt too badly in the last downturn.”

“Your father told me that the accounts Mark is handling for him didn’t get hit nearly as badly as many of his friends’ accounts had,” Susan replied. “Josh says he isn’t sure how Mark did it, but he feels Mark somehow foresaw the market problems before they happened and had time to switch the investments into something that wouldn’t be affected as severely. In fact, when your father invited me to come today, he mentioned that his portfolio had recovered the losses already and he was back in the black again. He says he owes it all to Mark and is grateful that someone who really cares about the Foundation and the family is watching over the investments.”

“Yes, I’m sure that takes a big load off his mind,” Ricky commented. “You know, you’ll have to give me Mark’s address, so the next time I go in to New York City to visit my friend Jay we’ll be able to look him up. It might be fun for the three of us to hangout for an evening. Mark already knows Jay, since we’ve all spent so much time together here, and it’s neat that they’re working in the same place.”

“Yes, I think Mark would like that too,” Susan confirmed.

Ricky then called Jay and the Curtises over, so he could introduce them. Ricky figured they’d probably met before, but this way he was sure they all knew each other and Susan would know exactly whom he’d be going with when he met up with her son.

“Josh, where’s your son – the one who was in the army?” Jesse’s mother, Alice, asked. “I thought he got out.”

“He did, but he has to work this weekend,” I explained. “After returning home from the service, he began applying for jobs and ended up getting a chance to attend the State Police Academy. The interviewers were very impressed with his military background and the assignments he had worked, so they were eager to offer him a spot. Frankie was thrilled with the offer and immediately accepted. After he graduated from the Academy, he was assigned to Troop M, which covers the Bethlehem-Allentown area, so he has his own place there.”

“So he likes what he’s doing?” Alice followed.

“Yes, he seems totally satisfied with his new job, but I know he still harbors a desire to eventually do more,” I replied. “Frankie hopes to get promoted to the BCI, or Bureau of Criminal Investigation, as soon as a position comes open. It would be more in line with what he was doing in the service. Even though he enjoys being out on the road and responding to calls, Frankie has told me his superiors have indicated his military training and background will give him a leg up whenever new spots become available in the BCI.”

“Didn’t I hear that he was injured while in the service?” Duck asked next. “How’s he doing?”

“Yes, he was wounded in Afghanistan,” I concurred. “Although Frankie chose not to inform me about it when it occurred, I eventually found out he had been wounded while on duty there.”

“What happened?” Duck pressed.

“I was told that after he arrived at one of the field camps, where he was supposed to interrogate suspected al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners, the camp came under attack. A grenade was launched inside the perimeter and exploded near him. Since he hadn’t seen it coming, Frankie was hit in the left shoulder and leg by pieces of shrapnel. Although his wounds were severe, they were not life threatening, but he still had to be evacuated to a medical unit. After he was patched up and treated with antibiotics, he had to remain there for a while longer, until he was fit to return to duty.”

“Damn, that sucks,” Duck responded. “Did he get any special awards or anything like that for getting hurt?”

“Yes, Frankie was awarded a Purple Heart, because he was injured in the line of duty,” I confirmed. “I only figured out that something had happened to him when he called to tell me he was receiving a special citation. When he mentioned that he was receiving the Purple Heart, I immediately realized what it meant. When I pressed him on it, he finally admitted that he had been wounded and then offered a feeble explanation for why he hadn’t told me sooner.

“Frankie said that his primary concern was that he didn’t want me to worry and feared the stress might be too much for my old ticker to take. He emphasized that he didn’t want to be responsible for me having another heart attack, so he thought it would be best to withhold the information until he had recovered. So, by the time I discovered all of this, it had been over a month since the attack occurred and Frankie had healed. Seeing so much time had passed, it was hard for me to be too upset with him. However, I did mildly chastise him, before making him promise to never withhold anything like this from me again, especially since he is pursuing another potentially dangerous career in law enforcement.”

“Did that get him sent home right away?” Duck asked.

“No. Once he was cleared for duty again, Frankie opted to finish his tour there before coming back,” I explained. “When he did return to the States, Frankie finished up the remainder of his stint as an instructor at Fort Leonard Wood, where he had originally received his training. Once his enlistment was up, Frankie received an honorable discharge and then returned home, so he could spend some time with the family. He also did this so he could take some time to readjust to civilian life, before he began looking for a job.”

While I was talking to Duck, Sally had made her way over to speak with Jake.

“Jake, where’s Shannon?” Sally asked. “Isn’t he going to be here?”

“No, Shannon and Nick aren’t able to make it this time,” Jake answered.

“That’s a shame,” Sally responded. “It would have been nice to see them again. Where are they living now?”

“They decided to try to find jobs part way between here and Oklahoma, where Nick’s parents live,” Jake told her. “They ended up moving to Atlanta, Georgia, after Nick was offered an IT position there. Once Nick began working, Shannon started looking for a job in the area and eventually accepted an accounting position with another firm. Even though I’m not totally happy about the situation, it seems to work for them. They split their holidays between us, spending either Thanksgiving or Christmas here and the other holiday with Nick’s family.”

“I suppose that’s probably the best way to do it, so no one gets left out,” Sally admitted. “I’m guessing Nick’s parents aren’t any happier with the arrangement than you are, so I guess this is a no harm, no foul situation.”

I’m not sure Jake appreciated or agreed with Sally’s last statement, but he didn’t respond and let it drop.

“Josh, have you heard from Carlos or Ted lately?” Steve asked, as I approached him.

For those of you who aren’t aware as to who they are, Carlos is a Hispanic boy we helped a few years back, while we were on vacation. He and his mother eventually moved to the Philadelphia area, where they currently reside.

Ted, on the other hand, is a young man we met through his aunt. She was a nurse who had cared for one of my sons while he was in the hospital. Once she learned that some of my boys were gay, she wanted to introduce her nephew to us. He was also gay, but his father was unwilling to accept the fact, which placed Ted in an awkward and volatile position.

“Yes, I’ve heard from both of them,” I confirmed. “I think you remember that Carlos was working at a Mexican-American restaurant while he was in high school. Well, since he really enjoyed his job there, and because he was such a good worker, he became quite close to his boss. Carlos is now managing the restaurant, which is doing very well, and he hopes that one day he can either take it over or open his own place.”

“I go there to eat once in a while and the food is really good,” Ricky added, after he overheard our conversation. “Carlos lives in Philly with his mother and the restaurant is only about twenty or thirty minutes from where I live and work. When I go there, I usually get to chat with him for a while and he seems really happy with what he’s doing.” I think we were all pleased to hear the information that Ricky provided.

“What about Ted?” Steve persisted.

“Oh, he’s doing quite well too,” I replied. “His Aunt Jane has managed to help bring Ted and his father closer together, so Ted is much happier now. It wasn’t easy to get his father to forget his preconceived and bigoted notions about gays, but he has come a long way since then. Jane says her brother has even openly accepted Ted’s new partner as a member of the family.”

“Ted has a partner now?” Steve asked.

“Yes. Ted met the guy in college and their relationship has blossomed since then. After they graduated, both boys accepted positions with insurance companies in Hartford, Connecticut and have their own place there. They really seem to enjoy the great relationship they have with Ted’s family, but they have also mentioned that they plan to come and spend some time with us.’

“That’s great, and I’m sure everyone will love to see him again and meet his partner,” Mary added.

Our conversation was interrupted at this point, when I noticed that Jake was starting to take the meat off the grill. I immediately got some of the boys to help carry the platters to the picnic tables and then we stopped to eat. Everything was wonderful and the cookout went very well. We all had a great time and enjoyed the fantastic meal, but after we finished eating, everyone began to split back into groups, so they could do their own thing.

The older group and I sat and continued to chat, while the younger members moved off to the side yard, so they could play touch football. When their game ended, they then decided they needed to cool off, so they changed into their swimsuits and jumped in the pool. They actually stayed in the water for quite a while, but got out before it started to get dark. Once everyone was dressed again, we piled into the vehicles and went down to find a good spot from which we could watch the fireworks display.

As usual, the group the community hired this year put on a terrific show, with a great diversity of aerial fireworks. The grand finale was especially exquisite and I believe we all felt it had been a really terrific display. I could tell that more than just a few of us were disappointed that it had come to an end, but it sure was fun while it lasted.

When we returned home later, Little Ricky came up and let me know he wanted to talk. I could sense something was bothering him, so I took him aside, where we could chat in private.

“Even though I had fun, I really missed my mom today,” he stated, while looking very dejected.

“I’m sure you did and I’ll bet everyone else missed her too,” I commiserated. “Although she wasn’t very old when she left us and we didn’t want to lose her, it may have happened for the best. I’m sure you don’t want to hear me say this, but you must have noticed that she wasn’t enjoying her life near the end. It was quite obvious the Alzheimer’s was taking its toll on her emotionally as well.”

“Only during those times when she realized what was going on,” Little Ricky stated, “and that didn’t happen very often during the last year.”

“I know, but it was clear that it bothered your mother tremendously during her more lucid moments, when she realized what was happening to her,” I confirmed. “It hurt her when someone would come up to her, but she couldn’t figure out who they were. It was sad for us too, knowing she no longer recognized her friends, but it must have torn you and your father apart, whenever she didn’t recognize you either.”

“It did,” Little Ricky confessed. “It made me feel like I had already lost my mother. I think it’s also what led to my father having his heart attack, because he never got to really sleep well, since he felt he had to keep an eye on her. She used to get up late at night and do all kind of silly things and even went back to bed after starting to cook something on the stove.”

“I remember that happening,” I agreed, “but I can’t imagine what it must have been like to live like that. It must have been really hard to deal with, knowing she couldn’t remember what she was doing or being able to recall any of the good parts of her life, including her time with you and your father.”

“Yeah, I hated it,” he agreed.

“Look, I don’t want to seem cruel by saying this,” I stated, as I delved into a sensitive area, “but the heart attack may have been for the best, because it prevented her from suffering that way any longer.”

“I know and I think you might be right,” Little Ricky confessed. “It was rough on me to see her the way she was at the end and it really hurt when she didn’t know who I was, but even though I hated seeing her like that, I still miss her. I really believe she’s probably better off now, but I still can’t help wishing she was still here with us, but the way she was before she started getting sick.”

My heart was breaking seeing him this sad, so I pulled him against my body and gave him a hug. I was still holding on to him, when Little Ricky spoke again.

“I also feel awful knowing that taking care of my mom might have caused the Spences to die sooner than they would have otherwise too,” he added.

The Spences were not only our friends, but they had also been our next-door neighbors.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t totally agree with you,” I replied. “John and Margaret were quite old when they passed, so I’m sure it didn’t just happen because they had offered to take care of your mother. The strain of watching over her may have played a small part in Margaret’s demise, but we all knew that she volunteered to take on the responsibility because she felt close to your mother and wanted to do it for her. In the end, Margaret’s heart just gave out, but I’m sure she would have insisted on doing the same thing, even if she had known what would happen.”

“Maybe, but it was only a few months after my mother died when Mrs. Spence passed away too,” Little Ricky mentioned, “and then Mr. Spence died just two days after that.”

“I think John died of a broken heart, because he couldn’t foresee going on without his beloved Margaret by his side,” I explained. “They both lived long and active lives and were surrounded by a great many people who loved them and enjoyed their company during their final years. We were lucky to have them in our lives, and I’m positive they were just as delighted about having us in their lives. I’m fairly positive that neither of them regretted moving here, nor any of the other choices they made, so please don’t feel guilty about any of this.”

I then gave Little Ricky another hug and then made sure he was all right, before I let him go off to be with the others again.

The evening’s festivities quickly died down after this, although some of the boys did take Joshie outside to light some sparklers. Since I knew this activity could be a little dangerous for someone as young as Joshie, I made him wear a pair of safety glasses, but I also taped up the base of his sparkler, so it wouldn’t get too hot for him to handle. After that, I enjoyed watching him play with it, as he ran around the yard. I thought it was cute to see him doing this with his uncles, and Joshie was certainly enjoying himself as he hung out with the older boys. All in all, it was also a very nice way to end a wonderful day.

Although we’d celebrated the Fourth yesterday, it didn’t mean we had nothing planned for Monday. Since Ricky was turning twenty-five on Wednesday, we planned to hold a birthday party for him today, before all of his brothers returned to their homes. Since the boys had previously decided that once they’d turned twenty-one they no longer needed to receive gifts from the extended family, we made sure to remind them of this fact when offering our invitation.

The boys felt their aunts and uncles had been very good to them for long enough and, therefore, didn’t want to impose any further financial burden on them, especially since most of the boys were now doing quite well on their own. However, the boys did continue to make sure they got something special for each other. They did this by chipping in and buying one or two very special gifts that they knew the birthday boy wanted. Of course, Jake and I still bought something for each of them too, even though the boys insisted we didn’t have to get them anything big or expensive.

Once the party ended, Duck and Jennifer got ready to return home, but before they left, they had a surprise of their own to reveal. However, before they sprung this on the rest of us, they took Vinnie aside, so they could speak with him about it privately.

“Vinnie, Jennifer and I have decided to get married next May,” Duck told him.

“That’s great! Congratulations!” Vinnie nearly screamed, as he hugged each of them.

“There’s just one more thing I need to clear up first, Vinnie,” Duck continued, once Vinnie had finished embracing them. “I’d like you to be my best man.”

Vinnie’s mouth dropped open and he was temporarily unable to speak, which is not a common occurrence for him. However, once Vinnie found his tongue again, he discussed this in more depth with Duck.

“Are you sure?” Vinnie asked. “You know my crutches aren’t going to look very good in your wedding photos.”

“We don’t care about that,” Jennifer told him. “You’re Duck’s best friend and he really wants you to do this for us. I’ve asked my best friend to be my Matron of Honor and I think the two of you will get along really well.” Vinnie made a slight face after Jennifer said this.

“You know I’m with Kevin, if you’re trying to fix me up,” he responded.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Jennifer explained. “Just that you’d get along as friends.” This time, Vinnie smiled.

“Then I accept your offer, as long as Kevin is invited too,” he agreed.

“Your entire family is going to be invited,” Duck said, “since they are now my family too.”

Since Vinnie had accepted and the final details had been ironed out, Duck and Jennifer announced their intentions to the rest of us. We were all thrilled about their commitment and enthusiastically congratulated them. Jake and I also agreed to do whatever we could to assist with planning the wedding or helping them get ready for the big day. Duck and Jennifer seemed genuinely pleased by our offer and gratefully accepted. Now that everything had been worked out, they said goodbye to us and then began the long drive home.