The Castaway Hotel - 7 - 36. Chapter 36 - Another Problem

As January drew to an end and February loomed on the horizon, the boys made it known they wanted to hold another big Valentine’s Day bash at home. They also determined this year it would be a mixed affair, with the straight/bi boys having the opportunity to invite their girlfriends, while the gay/bi boys would be able to include their boyfriends.

There wouldn’t be many boys at home this time, since a large number would still be at college, so I wasn’t sure what was going to actually happen. The boys who wanted to invite girlfriends were told they had to explain the uniqueness of this celebration to their dates first, to make sure they’d be comfortable with the boys who were dating each other, as well as with Jake and I. They were also told that if the girls couldn’t handle this, then it would be best if they made other plans for the evening. We didn’t want anyone to attend if they might cause an uproar, either at our house or somewhere else later. Once everyone understood the conditions and agreed to abide by them, I let them proceed with their plans. However, I did make another suggestion first.

I recommended the boys who ‘volunteered’ to wait on tables, take care of the drinks, etc., shouldn’t be dressed as provocatively as they had been in the past. I was afraid the overt sexuality they displayed would be totally inappropriate, under the circumstances. I suggested the female guests might find this offensive, but some of the boys disagreed with my logic. They thought their dates would think it was sexy to see these other boys dressed as they had been in the past and would think we had done it for them. Considering their viewpoint, I told them to discuss it with their dates and get their opinion and I’d hold off on making a final decision until we had more input into the matter.

I also asked who might be willing to do the waiting and other duties this year, as I wasn’t sure if any of them would want to be tied up with those responsibilities. Each of them was now old enough to join in the fun and might opt to do that, so I felt the point might be moot anyway. It turned out that no one volunteered immediately, but some did suggest they might be willing to do it, if they couldn’t come up with a date. After talking it over with Jake, he and I decided we could do most of the work this year and still mange to find time to dance and unwind with the boys later on in the evening. With the major issues decided, we left the details up to our sons.

Now, the boys began discussing which songs they wanted to play and whom they were going to invite. Cole was mustering up the courage to ask a girl in his class, whom he’s had a crush on for ages. Graham surprised all of us when he asked Little Ricky if he’d be his date. After thinking it over, Little Ricky accepted, so Sammy asked if he could call and invite Ted to be his partner for the evening.

After thinking this over, I told Sammy it would be fine, but I’d call Ted’s Aunt Jane first, to give her a heads up before he asked Ted. She might be able to smooth the way for him and get her brother to agree to let him attend, so Sammy was ecstatic over the prospect.

Of course Trey and Dion would be together, and Mark said he was going to bring his girlfriend to join in. She already knew about the boys and was cool with it, so I immediately agreed. When I told him I looked forward to seeing her again, Mark seemed quite pleased.

Frankie had decided against inviting anyone this year, because he’d be going away for training in a little over a month after our Valentine’s Day bash. He would also be gone for quite awhile, so for that reason, he didn’t want to form any attachments that might be difficult to deal with, when it was time to leave. With that in mind, Frankie volunteered to help out and do some of the work, to free the rest of us up to enjoy ourselves.

When Mark’s mother found out he was going to bring his date to our house for the evening, she offered to help too, so she could see her son and his girlfriend. Mark had no problem with this, and neither did I, so that split up the duties even further and would give Jake and I more time for each other.

Andrew surprised me by saying he had a boy in his class he wanted to ask, someone he was close to and whom he didn’t think would mind such an invitation. When he told me the boy’s name, I agreed the boy’s parents would probably be cool with it too. I knew them all from when the boy attended my school and the entire family was very liberal and accepting. Therefore, I thought it might just work out for Andrew.

The only one who wasn’t excited about this shindig was Vinnie and I understood why. Kevin wouldn’t be home, so he’d be alone and it wouldn’t be much fun for him. Once things started to come together, Vinnie began to pester me about an idea he had.

“Pop, would you let me go to Kevin’s college and surprise him for Valentine’s Day,” he began. “It’s on Saturday this year, so I could leave Friday, after school, and then spend Friday night and Saturday with him. Then, I could come home early on Sunday and still have time to do whatever assignments I have. What do you say? Will you let me do this?”

I thought about it briefly and saw nothing wrong with what he was proposing. The only concern I had was with him driving in city traffic, but if he left after school, he’d arrive in the city after rush hour, so it shouldn’t be so bad. There were also no other impediments to his proposal, since he had his license back, we had a new insurance policy, which covered him too, and I’d also replaced the 4Runner, after we got the insurance settlement. It turned out that another witness had come forward later and helped prove the other drive had been at fault. This meant the offending driver’s insurance company had to fork out to cover our loss.

I also concluded Kevin and Vinnie would probably be able to get around without using the vehicle much, while Vinnie was there. Either that or Kevin could drive, seeing he was more experienced with city traffic. By returning home on Sunday, Vinnie should have clear sailing then too. With all that in mind, I decided to give him my okay, but I had one more question to ask him first.

“Are you going to let Kevin know you’re coming?” I asked.

“No. I want this to be a surprise,” he replied. “I’m going to try to pick out a special present for him, along with half a dozen roses, because I want to see the expression on his face when I just turn up. It will prove to him how much I really love and miss him.”

“You’ll be taking a risk he won’t already have made other plans before you get there,” I warned him.

“If he does, I’m sure he’ll change them, once he sees me,” Vinnie replied, confidently, but I wasn’t convinced.

“I think you’re taking a big chance,” I reiterated. “He may be out with friends at a party or something when you arrive. I doubt he’ll be on a date, but college guys do party on the weekend.”

“I know, but he tells me he hardly ever does that,” Vinnie stated. “In fact, he told me he’d stay in his dorm and call me both Friday and Saturday night, so neither of us would have to feel alone for Valentine’s Day. It’s our special day and he promised.”

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll give you my permission to go.” Vinnie was delighted, and even though his legs weren’t totally cooperative, he did a little dance for me on his crutches. After that, he got down on the floor, ditched his crutches and did an imitation of Tom Cruise in ‘Risky Business’. He had me going, as he started shimmying across the floor and singing the opening refrain of ‘Old Time Rock N Roll.’ You know, the Bob Seger lyrics that go:

‘Just take those old records off the shelf,
I sit and listen to them by myself,
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul,
I like that old time rock n roll.’

It was a stitch, as I watched him do this, and Vinnie soon attracted a crowd. Everyone was cheering for him, as he put on his little performance, and they offered him their congratulations, after his little exhibition was over. You might say he was a happy kid, but I think that would have been a gross understatement. He didn’t do the whole song, because we all got the point quickly, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was excited about his planned pilgrimage to see his boyfriend.

Over the next few days, Mark’s mother, Susan, worked with the boys on the menu and volunteered to do all the cooking for the event. It was immediately obvious this menu would be different from anything we had done in the past, since Susan was making most of the suggestions. By the time it was finalized, it appeared we would be having Duck L’Orange over a bed of rice, an asparagus soufflé, creamed potatoes and for dessert, small heart-shaped chiffon cheese cakes, with a choice of cherry, strawberry or blueberry toppings. I also learned Susan planned to surround the desserts with Hershey kisses, the ones specially wrapped in red foil. It sounded not only unique, but quite appealing too.

Since this was being taken care of for them, the boys kept busy with the other details. They went over their song selections again and the order they’d be played in. The boys wanted to start off slow and romantic, work up to a sort of frenzied pitch, and then taper off to slow and romantic again. They felt this would put their partners in the ‘mood’ by the time our little party ended. I warned them not to expect too much and to be careful otherwise, and they all said they knew I’d say that.

Frankie had decided he was going to make this appear to be a very formal event and had decided to dress like a waiter at an exclusive restaurant for the evening. He also planned the table layout, seating arrangements and all of the other trivial details on his own. Susan would also dress accordingly, as a cook, but she had also volunteered to take care of serving the drinks and making sure only the appropriate drinks were consumed.

Vinnie, on the other hand was planning his trip and trying to figure out a unique and memorable gift for Kevin. Vinnie also ordered the roses locally, so he wouldn’t take the chance of not being able to find any when he got to Philadelphia. He would take them in a cooler, to keep them fresh until he could give them to Kevin. Unfortunately, his dinner plans would have to be left up in the air, until after he arrived. He prayed he’d be able to get a last minute reservation at a fairly decent restaurant, so the night wouldn’t disintegrate into a disaster.

Vinnie continued to think hard about a Valentine’s Day gift for Kevin. He wanted it to be something that would be practical, yet reflect their love and devotion. After thinking about this long and hard, Vinnie decided to buy Kevin a silver ID bracelet, with their initials engraved in a crossing pattern. The initials KMC, for Kevin Michael Currie would go horizontally across the front, with the initials AMRS, for Alvin (Vinnie) Mitchell Rydell-Shay, going vertically across the first set. That way, the two sets of initials would share the M and form a cross.

A
KMC
R
S

When Vinnie told me about his idea, I let him know I thought it was perfect. If you remember, Vinnie had decided to keep his parents last name when he came to live with us. Then, when the Shays adopted him, he just hyphenated it, hence the additional initial.

I think Vinnie decided to do this, because he had a psychological block about having a relationship with a brother. Even though we had all tried to convince him there would be nothing wrong with it, since they weren’t biologically related, he remained adamant on that point. He even went so far as to have the Shays adopt him instead of me, so it wouldn’t happen. We all honored his request and happily went along when the Shay’s offered him this alternative.

Now, as the big day approached, he was beside himself with excitement. He was looking forward to seeing the expression on Kevin’s face when he gave his present to him and concluded Kevin would love it. I had to agree.

On Thursday night, before Valentine’s Day, Vinnie packed his suitcase with everything he wanted to take with him. On Friday morning, he put the suitcase and a cooler in the 4Runner, before he went to school. He planned to leave directly after his last class, but would take time to pick up the roses before heading off to Philadelphia. He wanted to get to Temple University as quickly as he could.

Vinnie was extremely distracted and accomplished very little in any of his classes. It was a good thing he didn’t have any quizzes or tests to contend with, because he might have failed. Fortunately, for him, the day ended and he ran all of his errands, before setting off on his long drive. Vinnie was on the road by 3:30, but still had a three to four hour trip ahead of him, depending on traffic.

When he finally approached the campus, Vinnie was almost beside himself with anticipation. He was consumed with imagining Kevin’s reaction and the long wonderful night of lovemaking they were going to share. As soon as he parked the car, he hopped out, grabbed the jewelry case and put it in his shirt pocket. He held the roses in his left hand, pressed securely against his crutch handle, and began to motor off to Kevin’s room. He remembered the way from when we dropped Kevin off after the holidays, and as he approached the door, his heart was pounding wildly.

Vinnie could hear music playing inside the room as he drew near. It appeared someone was listening to the type of songs his lover liked, so he was pretty sure Kevin was there. Carefully, he lifted the chain from around his neck, the one with Kevin’s dorm key attached to it. Slowly, and as quietly as he could, he slid it into the lock. After pulling the bracelet from his pocket, he was now ready to open it and surprise his soul mate.

Slowly, he pushed the door back and scanned the area for Kevin’s familiar face. That’s when it happened and his plans began to fall apart. Vinnie spotted Kevin on the bed, sixty-nining with another boy.

Vinnie’s heart sank to his toes and almost stopped beating. A lump formed in his throat and nearly choked off his air supply. His eyes were watering so badly that he could no longer see clearly and he was so angry that he felt he might be tempted to kill them both. Without realizing it, Vinnie dropped the jewelry case and roses from his hands, before he wheeled around. He had to escape this nightmare as quickly as he could. However, as he did so, one crutch hit the doorframe, which made a very audible clunking sound.

Hearing this, Kevin looked up and saw the open door. He also caught a very fleeting glimpse of Vinnie as he left. Kevin pulled off the other boy’s penis, terrified by what he knew had just happened.

“Oh, my God!” he shouted, which confused his current partner.

“What’s wrong?” his sexual cohort asked, as he also took his mouth off Kevin’s organ.

“My boyfriend was just here and saw us!” Kevin exclaimed, as he jumped from the bed. He grabbed some clothes and quickly threw them on, and as soon as he was modestly covered and appeared decent, he ran after Vinnie. Kevin jumped over the clutter in the doorway and quickly reached the parking lot, only to see Vinnie driving away. Kevin chased after the 4Runner for a while and screamed for Vinnie to stop, but Vinnie never did. Finally, Kevin gave up and went back to his room.

When Kevin returned, he picked up the roses and the jewelry case and went inside. The first thing he noticed was the note on the flowers, which read: ‘To Kevin, my love, my life and my soul. Please accept this, with my utmost devotion and love, on our very special day. I’m yours forever. Vinnie.’

Kevin felt even worse now, once he realized the amount of planning Vinnie had put into surprising him. Hesitantly, he opened the jewelry case and saw the bracelet inside. It only took a few seconds to realize Vinnie had their initials intertwined on this special gift. By this point, Kevin was sobbing hysterically, as the impact of what he had been caught doing and what followed sank in.

“What have I done?” he asked himself.

Kevin knew full well that his momentary lapse in judgment, which led him to give in to his sexual needs, might have cost him the person he truly loved. He’d have to call Vinnie, so he could explain and beg for his forgiveness. He did so immediately, but no one answered. He would try again, in a little while, and then again tomorrow, if he still hadn’t gotten a response. However, he wasn’t even sure Vinnie would talk to him or listen to what he had to say. He had to try to find a way to make it happen or he’d go home the following weekend, to see Vinnie in person.

While Kevin was trying to determine a course of action to work his way out of this mess, Vinnie was heading home. He heard his cell phone ring and figured it was Kevin, so he didn’t answer it. It was way too early to discuss this and Vinnie had to think about what he might do next, before he took his call. Instead, he got on the Interstate and headed home.

The tears were streaming from Vinnie’s eyes and making it very difficult for him to see, but that wasn’t his only problem. The pain in his heart was also making it hard for him to concentrate on his driving, so he knew he couldn’t continue on this way. Vinnie quickly looked for a rest area, where he could park and regain his composure. He figured once he calmed down, then he’d continue on home, but it might take a while before that could happen.

Several minutes later, Vinnie saw a sign telling him there was a rest area, a mile ahead. He slowed down and moved the car over, until he eventually got into the right-hand lane, so he could take the exit when he came to it. Once there, he found a place away from the other vehicles and parked. Now, he sat alone, weeping and thinking about how his whole world had just been shattered.

Early Saturday morning the phone rang, and seeing I was the only one up, I answered it.

“Hi, Dad. It’s me Kev,” the voice responded. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about last night and I’m really sorry, but I need to talk to Vinnie. Is he up?” To say the least, I was confused.

“Up? He’s supposed to be with you,” I replied.

“He didn’t come home?” Kevin asked, sounding panicked.

“NO! What happened?” I followed.

“Uh, he came to my room and let himself in… and he kind of caught me and another guy sucking each other off,” Kevin admitted. “He dropped his flowers and present for me and drove off. I just figured he was heading home.”

“Oh, Kevin,” I sighed. “How could you? But that’s not important right now. Let’s not panic. Maybe he slept in the 4Runner and will come home later. He might even come back to confront you. If he shows up here, I’ll call you, but I want you to call me, if he comes back there or if you don’t hear from him by noon. Either way. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Dad, and I’m really sorry,” Kevin responded. “I was just lonely and horny and, well, I let the little head do the thinking for me. Please tell Vinnie how badly I feel and that I really do love him. Tell him nothing like that will EVER happen again, if he’ll forgive me. I promise.” He was sobbing as he told me this.

“Kevin, we’ll work on that later, but for now I need to know where Vinnie is,” I advised him. “I can’t concentrate on anything else! I’m sure he was just hurt and confused finding you like that, so I pray he just stayed up there somewhere. Let’s just wait until he contacts one of us, before we try to mend fences.”

“Okay, Dad, but I am really sorry,” Kevin reiterated. “You can’t believe how badly I feel about all of this.”

“I know, but first things first,” I suggested, quite strongly.

I hung up, but I was truly worried.