The Castaway Hotel - 2 - 25. Chapter 25 - The Phoenix Rising From The Ashes

After Ann and I walked out to where my boys were sitting, she sat and chatted with them for a while, in order to get to know them better. She also told them about reading about us in Time and said she admired our family for the way we handled the interview and what we’d accomplished. After that, Ann readily gave us a few more details about the orphans.

“Let me tell you about the boys and then I’ll bring them out here to meet you,” she told everyone. “The older boy is Tsukimo Yamada, but he goes by ‘Sammy’, the English equivalent of his name. He is eleven years old, in the sixth grade and does quite well in school. Both boys are half Japanese, from their father’s side, and half Anglo-American, from their mother’s side.

“The younger boy’s name is Furuhata Yamada or ‘Andrew’. He is nine years old, in the fourth grade and also does very well in school. Both boys are quite small in stature and have very oriental-looking features. They are also quite meek and very well behaved. I have no idea about their hobbies or other interests, but maybe the caseworker that has been assigned to them can tell you more along this line. She is with them now, in another office, and they’re waiting for me to come and get them. Do any of you have any questions that you’d like answered first?”

“They do speak English, don’t they?” Cole asked.

“Yes they do and very well,” Ann confirmed. “They were both born in this country, attend schools here and are both U.S. citizens.”

“Do they know how their parents died?” Trey asked. I think his question came about because of the way he had lost his own family and the unresolved issues he was still dealing with.

“They know that both of their parents were shot to death, but they have not been told the details surrounding that event,” Ann informed them. “We didn’t think they were old enough to deal with that kind of information yet.”

“I think that was a wise decision,” I told her. “It would be difficult enough to learn their parents had been murdered, but to discover their father was responsible might be too much for them to handle.”

“Our thoughts, precisely. Any other questions?” she asked, but there were none. “In that case, I’ll go get the boys and bring them out for introductions.”

Ann left and returned a minute later. Following her into the room were two small oriental youths and another lady. The boys both had straight black hair, very dark eyes (almost black), were quite cute and both looked scared out of their wits. Ann stood behind them and began the introductions.

“Josh, boys. This is Sammy Yamada and this is his brother, Andrew.” She pointed to each boy as she introduced him. “Sammy and Andrew, this is Mr. Currie and these are his sons. I’ll have to let him tell you their names.”

Little Andrew looked around the room, his eyes wide and his mouth open. “These are all your sons?” he asked, totally surprise.

“Yes, Andrew, they are,” I informed him. “They all came to me in various ways and I have taken them into my home, to raise as my sons.”

“Wow,” exclaimed Sammy, awestruck. “I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone with that many children before.”

“Yes, I must admit we’re sort of an oddity these days,” I confirmed. “But it wasn’t really that long ago when eight children in a family wouldn’t have been considered quite as unusual. However, nowadays even four children is a rarity and considered a lot by most standards. By the way, I also have four grown children who are living on their own and two grandsons.”

“You are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you, Josh?” Ann said in jest.

“Yes, I guess maybe I am,” I agreed.

At that point I introduced all of my sons to Sammy and Andrew. I told them their names, their ages and a brief story about how we came to be together. I could see the two youngsters were fascinated by my account of how some of the boys had been treated in their former homes and by their families.

“Well, Sammy and Andrew,” I asked them after the introductions were completed, “how would you like to join us for the afternoon? We will go wherever you’d like and do whatever you’d like to do, so you can get to know us better. How would you like that?”

“Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese?” Andrew asked excitedly.

“If that’s where you’d like to go, then we’ll go there,” I agreed. “Is that okay with you, Sammy?”

“Yes, I like that place too,” he assured me. “We have a lot of fun when we go there.”

“Then it’s settled. Say good-bye to Ms. Getz and Ms. …” I looked at the caseworker. “I’m not sure I caught your last name, I’m sorry.”

“Weinberg, Sandy Weinberg,” she told me.

“Fine. Say good-bye to Ms. Getz and Ms. Weinberg and we’ll be on our way.”

As our new little friends said their farewells, Ann gave me directions to Chuck E. Cheese, before we went out to the van. I strapped Sammy and Andrew into the front passenger seat together, and the other boys hopped into the back, some sitting on the laps of some of the others. We made our way through the city and were soon in the parking lot of the establishment, with everyone scrambling to get out the various van doors. It was like an invasion force, as the boys rushed the building and crashed (not literally) through the front doors.

We decided to eat first, so I ordered three large pizzas and plenty of drinks. I also purchased a slew of tokens for the boys to use to play the assortment of carnival and video type games, located throughout the building. As we soon discovered, they would play the games to win tickets, which could be exchanged for prizes later, so I went to the counter and got four plastic bags to collect and hold the tickets in.

Once they finished eating, I doled out the tokens and soon there were ten boys running from game to game to game. Ricky, Cole and Graham also talked Sammy and Andrew into going up the collection of tubes and play areas that shot up from the floor and loomed above the other furnishings. Only the younger children were allowed to use this, so I sat and watched as the younger boys climbed through these translucent, colored tubes, going from area to another. Watching them, I projected a visual image of them as hamsters in their cages, scooting through the maze of tubing that was provided for their pleasure. They actually did look like those animals at play.

The boys played around in Chuck E. Cheese for over five hours. They were all having a good time and took turns introducing themselves and taking the new boys with them for a while. When we finally decided to call it a day, we had many, many bags of tickets from the games. As we got ready to take them over to redeem them, my boys announced they wanted Sammy and Andrew to split the tickets between just the two of them and then get whatever they wanted. Needless to say, our two new friends were thrilled by their good fortune, yet amazed that the other boys didn’t want something for themselves. They couldn’t believe everyone was willing to give them all of their tickets.

After much thought on the issue, Sammy and Andrew each selected what they wanted from the shelf that reflected the correct level for the number of tickets they had turned in. From watching Sammy and Andrew’s reaction as their prize was handed to them, you would have thought we had just given each of them a million dollars. We all sat down and talked a little longer, before deciding how we were going to spend the rest of the day. We agreed we should go out for dinner next, as it had been a few hours since we’d had lunch, and then we would go to a movie.

I called Ann at the number she had given me before we left and told her about our plans. She wanted to know how the boys were getting along and I replied ‘fabulously’. I then asked her if it would be permissible for them to stay with us at the hotel, as they could bunk in with my three youngest hoodlums, and she said that would also be fine.

Before I rejoined the boys, I asked some of the older customers about a good place to dine with my brood and they happily gave me the name, address and phone number of a family style restaurant nearby. I quickly called the place and made reservations for 6:00 p.m. That would give us a little over an hour before we had to go there. One of the customers had also drawn me a map, while I was on the phone, and eagerly gave it to me, explaining in detail how to get there. I thanked him and led the boys out to the van.

After leaving Chuck E. Cheese, we stopped along the way and picked up a newspaper from one of those vending machines, so I could look over the movie selection while we parked along the street. After telling them what was playing, the boys let Sammy and Andrew choose what we’d see, so now that was also set. Surprisingly, it was already twenty minutes to six, so we headed for the restaurant. As we got out, I suspected I looked like the good shepherd, leading his flock into the building to graze.

The hostess wanted to know if we were some kind of school group or chorus and I told her no, it was just my family. She looked at the various sizes, hair colorings and nationalities of all the boys, and then looked back at me. I merely answered her questioning look by responding; “It’s because they don’t all have the same mother.”

I think that comment just about blew her mind and the boys quickly joined in the fun by making sure to call me ‘dad’ whenever they wanted something. After several minutes of listening to that, as we waited for our table to be prepared, I think she finally believed me and gave up on the notion that I was just pulling her leg.

We were seated at this large, basically circular table, in the middle of the dining room. I felt like King Arthur with his knights at the Round Table, although I had some very small and puny knights. The boys each ordered what they wanted and we enjoyed a very nice meal with some good conversation to go along with it. My boys answered many questions about themselves while they ate, as Sammy and Andrew seemed to want to know everything about them. When they had finished grilling my boys, they turned their attention to me.

They asked me why I had taken in so many boys, how I had selected the ones I wanted and then they wanted to know where we lived and what it was like there? I answered all of their questions, as we finished dinner and enjoyed our dessert, and then it was time for me to pay the bill, so we could leave for the theater. As we prepared to make our way to the exit, we received several compliments, from both the help and some of the other customers, about how well behaved the boys were and how they were such little gentlemen. I explained they were on their best behavior tonight, but were still capable of letting loose, from time to time. The people laughed, reiterated they were still impressed and the boys thanked them for not letting me give them the wrong impression about their manners.

I asked for directions to the movie theater before we loaded into the van, and we were soon on our way. We arrived at the theater, purchased our tickets and went in to take our seats. After the large meal, no one needed popcorn, candy or sodas. The movie was also quite enjoyable. It was an animated film that would appeal to all age groups, since there was humor that only the older and more mature audience would pick up on, while at the same time there was enough action and slapstick for the kids to enjoy.

When it was over, we headed back to the hotel, much to everyone’s surprise. Sammy and Andrew were thrilled that they were going to be allowed to stay with us overnight and they were even happier when they found out they would be bunking in with my three terrors, who were currently on their best behavior. I tucked the five of them into the two beds; Sammy slept with Ricky, while Andrew slept with Graham and Cole, and then I went back to my own room. As I drifted off to sleep that evening, I still couldn’t get it out of my mind how Graham had somehow known that all of this was somehow meant to be. It made me wonder if the same problems that had cause his learning disabilities had also given him an additional sense, which very few others ever share. I guess I might never know the answer to that question.

The next morning, I went in and made sure that Sammy and Andrew got cleaned up before we left. I gave them each a bath, although they had a tub mate or two at the time, and they looked good, even though they had to wear the same clothing they had on yesterday. They were so cute when they were nude, as they were so small, fragile, hairless and also uncut. I would attribute that last fact to their father’s heritage and cultural beliefs.

Once we were ready to leave, the older boys carried the luggage down to the lobby for me and then loaded it into the van, while I checked out and paid the bill. They were all situated in their seats by the time I arrived. I had also called Ann before we left our room and she said she would meet us at her office. The boys were all singing along to some rock song that was playing on the radio, as we made our way there. Ann was opening the door to the building as we pulled into one of the front parking spaces. The boys were still laughing and singing as they exited the van.

“Well, it looks and sounds like everyone had a good time,” Ann observed.

“Yeah, we did,” Andrew told her. “Look what we won.” He held up his prize from Chuck E. Cheese.

“My, that’s pretty nice. What did you win, Sammy?” Sammy held out his prize, while at the same time sporting a monster grin. “Why don’t we go inside and you can tell me all about your visit?”

We all entered the building and made our way through the halls to Ann’s office. The boys were chatting all the way and Ann was watching them with the eye of a skilled evaluator. We filed into the waiting area and Ann told us that she wanted to speak with Sammy and Andrew first, alone. The three of them entered her office and were in there for about twenty minutes, before I was summoned in to join them.

“Josh,” Ann began, “the boys tell me that they had a wonderful time with you yesterday. Are you still interested in what we talked about earlier?”

“Definitely, and I know my boys concur,” I assured her.

“Well, I’ll let you discuss that with Sammy and Andrew then,” she replied, throwing the ball back into my court.

“I think I already know how they feel and what they’re going to decide,” I informed her, “but maybe this will convince you of what I am so confident of.” Both boys were staring at me, confused by what I had just said to Ann and waiting to see what I was going to say to them.

“Sammy, Andrew,” I began, looking directly at both of them. “I know you’ve both been through some very rough times recently and that you are now pretty much all alone. That’s why we, the boys and I, want to know if you’d like to come live with us and be part of our family?”

The two boys looked at each other as soon as I finished speaking, quickly nodded their heads toward each other, while flashing toothy grins, and then turned toward me. “Yes,” they shouted out in unison, which not only made my heart leap with joy, but also lit up Ann’s face as well.

“We were worried where we were going to live now,” Sammy continued. “Our father never wanted us to spend time with our mother’s family, so we don’t really know them very well. It didn’t matter though, because they were always kind of mean to us, anyway. I don’t think they liked our father, because he was Japanese, and I don’t think they liked us, because we were part Japanese. Besides, they didn’t have any children around our age and we’d rather be in a home with other kids.”

“Yes,” Andrew continued, “and we know that we’d like it if we could live with you. We had so much fun yesterday and we like all of you. You don’t treat us differently because we are part Japanese or because we look different than your other boys.”

“That doesn’t bother us at all,” I confirmed. “We like you for who you are, not just what you look like. As long as you both remember that it won’t be fun like that all of the time, we’d love to have you join us. We do spend most of our time doing some pretty normal and boring things, too. The boys all have chores to do around the house and are all expected to do well in school. Speaking of school, I am also the principal of the school you will be attending, if you come to live with us.”

“Neat,” squealed Andrew.

“Do any of the other boys go to that school too?” Sammy wanted to know.

“Yes, Graham, Cole and Trey all go there as well. Most of the others did too, for a while, but now they are at the high school.”

“I take it that you are both agreeing to Mr. Currie’s offer?” Ann asked them, just to be certain.

“Yes,” Sammy said, “if it’s all right with you.”

“Oh, that it is,” she replied with a grin.

We immediately went back into the other area, to inform my boys about the decision. They all cheered when they heard it.

“I was hoping it would work out this way, so I had all of Sammy and Andrew’s belongings placed in the other office, just in case they were ready to go home with you. Do you think I can get someone to help me carry them out to your car, so you can be on your way.”

I think everyone of my boys immediately volunteered for that duty, along with Sammy and Andrew. Ann was chuckling at everyone’s enthusiasm. “Well, it looks like I won’t have to lift a finger then,” she added, while showing the boys were the items were.

“Thank you,” Sammy and Andrew said, first to Ann and then to me, before bestowing me with a very special hug.

“We’ll be very good,” Sammy told me, “and we’ll do everything you say. Thank you for letting us come live with you.”

“It’s my pleasure. That’s why we drove here to meet you,” I explained. “However, you’ll have to thank Graham, too, since this was mostly his idea, after we read about your parents. He said we had to come here and get you, so you could live with us.”

“But how did he know?” Andrew wondered.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that question,” I admitted. “He just had a very strong feeling about it and insisted we check it out. So, if you’re ready to go, the boys can start taking you things out to the van, while you say good-bye to Mrs. Getz. After that, we’ll be on our way.”

Both boys gave Ann a hug, a thank you and then said farewell. Ann kissed them both on the top of their heads and told them to write or call. They agreed and then followed their new brothers outside.

“Ann, thank you for everything,” I told her, from the heart. “They seem like wonderful boys and I’m sure we’ll be able to make them feel right at home. I’ll keep in touch and I’ll have Sally keep you advised, as well. Thanks again, for taking a chance on someone outside of your jurisdiction.”

“No, Josh, I should be thanking you,” she corrected. “I’m not sure what I would have done without your offer. There are still plenty of people out there who would have trouble taking the boys in because of their race. I’m not sure if I could have found a home locally, even if we didn’t want to get them away from their relatives. The worse part about this is, I think the relatives would only want them so they can get their hands on their father’s accounts and possessions. I don’t think they were ever really interested in the boys themselves. No matter what, I want you to keep in touch. Here’s my business card with my address, phone number and email address. I’ll let you know about any and all developments concerning them. Drive safely and take care of my precious little angels.”

“I will, Ann, and thanks, again,” I assured her, before we left.