The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 24. Chapter 24 - Irons In The Fire

After dropping the boys off at school the next morning, I drove over to the car lot again, to return the key to the Yukon. I told my friend we were going to take it, negotiated a price and then he asked me for the registration to the van, seeing we’d be transferring the plates from it to the Yukon. He also made a copy of my driver’s license, so he’d have everything he needed to do this, before informing me he should have everything done by the following afternoon. I thanked him for his efforts on my behalf, but we weren’t done yet.

He also reminded me to switch the insurance over from the van to the Yukon and gave me the vehicle information, so I could do it. Then he added that I’d need to bring the insurance cards with me, when I came back to pick up the Yukon. I made a mental note to take care of it, once I got to work, or else I’d probably forget to do it later.

After calling my local insurance office and giving the agent all the information that was needed, he informed me I could swing by and pick up the insurance cards that afternoon, after work. I thanked him for his prompt response to my request, and as I was hanging up, I also realized we’d have to clean the van out this evening and remove all of our personal effects.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the remainder of the day, but Andrew and Jesse did beg to go out for another bike ride after we got home. I told them it would be fine and advised them they’d have a couple of hours before they needed to return for dinner. They were extremely happy to hear this and Jesse was so excited by the news that I thought he might even begin to speak, but I’m sorry to say it didn’t happen. I am somewhat amazed that the two boys have been getting so much enjoyment out of doing so many simple things together, but I’m very pleased to see them growing so close.

Although I’m glad things are working out this way, I am still mildly surprised that Andrew is willing to spend so much time with someone younger than himself. After all, for months he’s been concerned that everyone was seeing him as a baby, so I figured he would try to hang with the older guys, just to prove a point. Maybe by not actually BEING the baby of the family, it took the pressure off of him, so he didn’t feel he had to worry about it any longer. I don’t know for sure, but that was my suspicion.

While the boys were gone, I took the time to clean out the van and moved anything I wished to keep into the house. This included the box of supplies I kept in the back, which contained extra motor oil, windshield washer fluid, transmission fluid, dry gas, fuel injector cleaner and jumper cables. I realized we’d be able to use those things for the Yukon too, so I saw no need to let them go with the van. Once I finished cleaning it up, I went inside, washed and started working on dinner. Before long, everyone else was home and we were ready to sit down and eat.

The meal went smoothly, but I did have to field a bunch of questions from the boys. They were more observant than I anticipated and noticed the box of items I kept in the van in the hallway. They concluded something was up and wanted to know what was happening with the van. I merely told them I had been cleaning it out, but they didn’t buy that for a second. They kept hounding me until I finally gave in and told them what they wanted to know.

Grudgingly, I informed them the van was slowly dying, so we were getting another vehicle. This made them very excited, but I didn’t share any information about what we were getting or when. I was looking forward to seeing their reactions the first time they saw it and didn’t want to spoil the surprise by giving them too many details in advance. That didn’t stop the boys from pelting me with numerous questions, but I put an end to their interrogation process by telling them I had already shared everything I was going to and they’d see soon enough. Eventually, they realized this was my final answer and let the subject drop.

After dinner, I called Dustin, so I could wish him a happy birthday. I also had the boys sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, when I held the phone out in their direction. They really hammed it up and I could tell Dustin got a kick out of their performance. I figured this out after I heard the comments he made about it, once we started talking again. He also said he looked forward to our coming to his campus the following weekend, because he missed the family and wanted to see us again.

I told Dustin we were excited about seeing him too and then I advised him to look around and pick out a nice place for us to dine Saturday night. I explained this would be up to him, since I was unfamiliar with the area, and he assured me he would do his best. We continued to talk for a little longer, about a variety of other topics, which included how he was doing, both physically and academically, as well as what had been happening at home. Dustin really wanted to know more about Jesse and it pleased me that he was showing an interest in his newest brother.

Wednesday was pretty much a repeat of the previous day, except my friend called me at school to tell me he had run into a small glitch and the Yukon wouldn’t be ready until Thursday morning. I told him that wouldn’t be a problem and I’d drive over on my lunch hour Thursday to pick it up. I also advised him I’d also leave him the van with him at that time and he said that would work out well. I was actually getting excited about changing vehicles.

After school, Andrew and Jesse went off on another bike ride. The two boys really seemed to be enjoying this daily outing, and because it appeared to be so important to Jesse, I saw no reason why it shouldn’t continue. The boys always told me where they were going, and since I was familiar with nearly every route they took, I felt they were fairly safe.

I also understood that by allowing Andrew the responsibility of watching over Jesse while they were out, it had boosted his self-image and helped to make him feel more grown up. Andrew and Jesse also informed me they wanted me to go out riding with them one afternoon, which I told them I’d be happy to do, if I could get a bike to accommodate my old, overweight physique. They only laughed and told me I could use one of the older boys’ bikes, since they were all away at school right now. I knew I’d been had, so I’d have to prepare myself to go with them one day.

Later that evening, I had to leave to attend the school board meeting. Nick, Trey and Dion wanted to join me, and even though I had told them it wouldn’t be necessary, they still wanted to be there. Noting the determination on their faces, I let them come along, after advising them they’d probably become very bored before the evening was over. I explained that much of the meeting would be spent handling the mundane issues of running the school district, as well as other petty matters that were not very exciting. Even after hearing me say this, it still didn’t deter them.

They hopped in the van with me, as I prepared to leave, and together we made our way to the meeting room. The boys took seats in the back, and after they settled in, I continued on to the front of the room. I then took my place at the main table, where the Superintendent and board members always sit.

As I had warned them, much of the meeting was very boring. It started off with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, after which we went into old business. This covered several topics, including the budget for the next school year, as well as various scheduling and personnel issues. Among the personnel matters being addressed were the retirement requests from two teachers.

One was a teacher at the middle school, whom some of the boys had when they attended classes there. My sons, along with most of the other children who were ever in her class, adored this teacher, so she will be sorely missed. The second request was from a high school teacher who had grown complacent over the past few years, because he knew he would be retiring soon. I don’t think any of us were disappointed to hear he was finally calling it quits, although he was an above average educator, before he went into this recent slide.

After approving the retirement requests, the topic of the retirement dinner was brought up. A complete list of all the faculty and staff who were retiring at the end of the year was read, to remind us exactly whom we’d be losing. There were several other names on that list, of people who were considered to be valuable members of our school community, so they would be hard to replace. Each of them had earned the right to enjoy what years they had left as they saw fit, so all we could do was wish them well.

Following those issues, the board dealt with requests for the use of school facilities and grounds for the summer. The various requests were discussed and then voted on, before the topic of the approval of two new clubs came up. The first was a request from the middle school, to start a science fiction/fantasy writing club, which was approved very quickly and with very little discussion.

After that came the gay-straight alliance request and I hoped it would pass as easily and quickly as the other. However, one of the board members seemed to have some questions about allowing this to happen.

“Wouldn’t this be tantamount to saying the school is encouraging students to explore these lifestyles?” he asked me, as Superintendent.

“No, what this does is to allow the sponsorship of a club through previously established rules. We would also be following the school policy of nondiscrimination based on race, religion, nationality or sexual preference. By allowing this club to organize, we’d be giving students a chance to meet and discuss issues of importance to themselves and others.”

“But why do we need to pamper them and give them their own club?” he challenged. “We don’t have anything called a straight alliance, so why should we have something called a gay alliance?” It was obvious he came in with his own ideas and wasn’t listening to what was being said.

“It won’t be called the gay alliance. If you had listened to what was said you’d know that forming a club called the straight alliance would be redundant,” I responded. “This request is for a gay-STRAIGHT alliance, meaning EVERYONE is welcome to join and attend.”

“That may be true,” he countered, “but won’t the homos be in charge and running things?” I think his comment showed his true colors concerning this topic.

“The GAY students will probably have some influence over how the club is run, but seeing it’s open to ALL students, I think it would be unfair to assume who will wield the power. The club would have to hold elections and select their officers before we’d know who would be in charge of this group. After that, they’d have to begin planning the activities they decide is best for them, according to the makeup of this group and desires of their membership.”

“Do you really think the normal kids are going to want to be in a club with a bunch of queers?” he asked, almost acting as if he still expected me, or the others, to agree with his bigoted view on the issue.

“I do believe many students have already expressed a desire to support the club, as is evident from the five pages of student signatures that were attached to the club’s request,” I told him. He appeared to get even more frustrated with my responses.

“Don’t you think you’re a little biased about this, seeing your boys are the ones who suggested the club in the first place?” he shot back.

“I think I’m more open-minded about it than you are,” I pointed out, “as your bias against the non-straight population is becoming increasingly evident.” Our bigoted board member continued to grow even more agitated with each of my comebacks and I believe everyone in the room could see his growing frustration. Finally, he snapped, and attacked me personally.

“Just like you were open-minded about getting the Scouts banned from using school facilities, just because they wouldn’t cater to fags,” he screamed. If he had any sympathy or support from the other board members prior to this moment, I think he just lost it with his continued homophobic tirade.

“The Scouts are a non-school sponsored organization,” I reminded him, “who were unwilling to comply with school board policies concerning discriminatory practices. It was due to their unwillingness to comply with these policies that they forfeited their rights to use school facilities.”

“You had no right to dictate to the Scouts how they run their organization,” he spewed back, “or who they had to let join.” It was obvious he was totally losing it now.

“I’m sorry, but we didn’t tell them to change their policies,” I informed him. “All we did was inform them that as long as their policies remained as they were, they wouldn’t be able to use school facilities. They could continue doing what they were doing, just not on school property.”

“It’s the same fucking thing,” he screamed back. “You may think a club for deviates is okay, but not all of us do. I, for one, don’t and I call for an immediate vote on this so-called club request. I also want to be the first to say that I am against it and vote not to allow it.”

He was very red-faced at this point and the veins were bulging out from his neck and forehead. While I was watching him, someone seconded his motion to bring the club up for a vote, even if that motion was made in a less than formal manner. A few seconds later, the board president was taking a roll call vote. When the voting concluded, it turned out the only dissenting vote came from our vociferous board member, so the club was officially sanctioned. However, he wasn’t finished yet.

“What is wrong with you people?” he screamed, frustrated by their lack of support and failure to agree with his viewpoint. “Are you going to let the fucking fags and other deviates take over our schools and call all the shots? Don’t you people have the guts to stand up for Christian values and what is right?”

“We have stood up for what is right,” the school board president stated, defiantly. “We have followed school policy and sanctioned a club that is open to everyone. As far as the Christian values are concerned, I believe we’ve adhered to those too, by doing unto others as we would have them do unto us and by showing compassion and understanding to our fellow man, as Jesus would have done.”

This comeback and apparent affront, on top of his having been defeated on so many levels already, seemed to be more than this man could bear. He jumped up from his seat and glared at his fellow board members and then me, before he turned to stare down the people in the gallery. When he realized no one was standing to join his protest, he made his way for the door. When he reached it, he stopped, turned back toward us and screamed at everybody one final time.

“You’re all dupes! You’re being used by the fags and their allies to advance their cause,” he ranted. “How can you be so fucking stupid as to not see that?”

No one responded to his outburst, which only irritated him further, but this was mainly due to the fact that no one felt his screeching merited a comment. Two things I had learned a long time ago was, you can’t argue with ignorance and you can’t get the deaf to hear - and I don’t mean the physically deaf either.

This man wouldn’t have comprehended any statements we might have made to him, because he didn’t care about anyone else’s position, if it ran contrary to his personal beliefs. That would be the equivalent of trying to introduce God to an atheist. The atheist wouldn’t believe the one being presented to him WAS God, even if God really were standing right in front of him. This would be due solely to his preconceived notions, which would be telling him there wasn’t any such thing as God. You see, by that point in time, both this man and our board member were already firmly convinced that it was utterly impossible he might be mistaken.

After he left the meeting, there were some scattered comments about his outburst, but the board president quickly regained order in the room. After completing the rest of the business on the agenda, he adjourned the meeting. As we were heading to our vehicles, the board president stopped me, to say a few words in private.

“Josh, that’s probably not the only opposition you’ll hear about the gay-straight alliance,” he warned me. “His view may not be in the majority, but I would wager others like him will form a vocal minority.”

“Oh, I’m sure they will,” I agreed. “Most bigots tend to be very vocal, especially when they’re trying to suppress something they’re against. They certainly don’t believe in the phrase, ‘live and let live.’

“I had a feeling this might happen,” the board president continued. “I’d seen signs of his attitude before. He was extremely vocal when the scouts were banned from using school facilities and made several derogatory comments about gays in the process.”

“I’m glad he showed his true colors in an open meeting then,” I acknowledged. “Now, I’ll be able to get some opposition set up to prevent his re-election, when his term expires. I have several friends who would be happy to make sure he is defeated, next time around.”

“Josh, as superintendent, you’re supposed to be neutral when it comes to board elections,” he reminded me.

“Oh, I won’t campaign myself, but I will let certain people know the types of things he was spewing tonight, and then I’ll let them do what they think is best.” He just laughed at the implications.

Once I had everyone in the van, the boys had plenty to say about what happened at the board meeting too. “Man, that guy was a real ass, wasn’t he, Pop?” Nick asked.

“Well, he did have his own point of view and wasn’t timid about airing it,” I responded, hoping that would suffice.

“Dad, that guy was as bad as David Hubbard and his father,” Dion observed. “If they had their way, they’d see all bi and gay people were killed or run out of town.”

“You might be right about that, but I don’t want us to revert to blindly condemning anyone who speaks his mind,” I advised him. “I don’t want us to become like them.”

“Oh, we don’t mind people disagreeing with us or disapproving of our being gay or bi,” Trey informed me. “It’s just the words he used to say it and the fact that he thought everyone else should agree with him.”

“I know,” I replied. “He thinks the whole world should think the same way he does and then gets upset when it doesn’t happen.”

“I’m just glad no one else agreed with him,” Dion added.

“Yeah, I was really surprised when they voted to make us a club,” Nick threw in.

“I wasn’t,” I admitted. “I knew we’d get the support of most of the board members. There are some damn fine people on the school board and I knew they wouldn’t listen to his bigoted prattle.”

“That was certainly good for us,” Dion stated, emphatically.

When we got home, the boys told their brothers about what had happened, and then the others came to me with their own questions and comments. After I explained the club was off the ground, but we’d probably not heard the last of the opposition to it, they began to question me as to what might happen next. I told them I didn’t know for sure, but I felt some parents, and maybe even a minority of the students, would still be against the club’s formation. We’d have to wait and see what form this opposition would take and how strong it would be, but I made sure to let them know we could and would get through this together.