The Castaway Hotel - 4 - 1. Chapter 1 - New Horizons

It was going to be a very interesting year, but the changes to our family were just beginning. The first important change occurred after Steve Shay and Sally Swarthout were able to pull a few strings for me and get Frankie placed with us again. However, neither was initially enthusiastic about the idea and discussed the situation with me thoroughly before agreeing to help. Each of them had their doubts as to whether this was a wise move on my part, considering the problems I’d had with Frankie the first time he moved in with us, but I assured them Frankie was truly a changed person since then. That’s why I wanted to give him another chance.

They immediately wanted to know why I felt that way, so I had to explain about Frankie’s visit. I emphasized it wasn’t just what he said that made me believe in his dramatic transformation, but also the way he’d acted and all he’d been through while in detention. I told them how he’d had trouble looking Trey and I in the face as he apologized, showing how guilty he felt about his actions, and then paraphrased Frankie’s admission about how he had endured a similar fate at the hands of others while he was incarcerated. I reiterated that I was truly convinced he had learned his lesson and done a complete one hundred-eighty degree turnabout, and therefore deserved a second chance. Since they saw I was convinced of his rehabilitation, they agreed to do everything they could to make it happen for me.

I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task to pull this off, but Steve and Sally gave it their best effort. After calling in a few favors from some of their colleagues, they got Frankie reassigned and he officially returned to the family on Labor Day weekend. I had the boys make a banner welcoming him back, which we strung across the front porch, and I believe it was the first thing Frankie spotted when Steve dropped him off. I suspect he was a little embarrassed by the recognition, but also pleased that we went to the trouble, and all the boys raced out to greet him with open arms. In fact, Trey was the first one to go up to him and welcome him back and I think that put Frankie at ease and allowed him to believe his past was truly behing him now.

However, Frankie’s return to the fold was not the only change that occurred. It seemed there was also a budding relationship in progress, this time between Nick and Kevin. Although Nick had sort of been pursuing Kevin, Kevin seemed only mildly interested in Nick’s attention. That changed, however, shortly after the remainder of Nick’s belongings arrived here. I’m sure you’re wondering what that might have to do with anything, so let me explain.

Although Nick’s parents had sent most of his clothing and personal effects to him after they returned home from their visit here, it took them a while longer to get the rest of the items he wanted sent here. These things finally arrived the very same weekend Frankie was moving in. Happily, Nick grabbed some of these items and headed up to his room. As he entered, Kevin quickly noticed one of the things he was carrying.

“Is that a guitar case,” Kevin gasped, looking at the shape of the container Nick was setting down on the floor of their room.

“Yeah, I had my folks send it here,” Nick replied. “I really am looking forward to having it with me again. There’s been a bunch of times I wished I’d had it.”

“You mean you play?” Kevin asked, somewhat rhetorically.

“No, I just keep my assault rifle in there,” Nick teased, while making a face at Kevin. “Of course I play, or I wouldn’t have one, would I?”

“Wow, I asked Dad to buy me a guitar for my last birthday and I’ve learned to play a few chords on it, but I’m still not very good,” Kevin explained. “Do you think you could teach me more?”

“Sure,” Nick beamed. “That was one good thing my parents did for me when I was younger. They paid for me to take lessons, starting when I was ten, and I continued taking them until just before I left home. I’m not great, but I’m not bad at it either, although I haven’t been able to play much since I ran away. That’s why I was hoping to be able to practice while I was here.”

“Awesome,” Kevin agreed. “If you can teach me to play better, maybe we can find a drummer and a bass and form our own group!”

“That’s a wicked idea,” Nick agreed. “I was thinking about doing that back home, before my Dad announced he was going to send me away to military school. I’d love to be in a band. Come on, let’s get your guitar and we’ll start practicing.”

The two boys spent most of the Labor Day weekend playing their guitars, with Nick teaching Kevin some new licks in the process. Both boys were very excited by this opportunity and now had something else to draw them even closer together. This new relationship also seemed to be helping Kevin to forget about his disappointment concerning Dustin.

The school year had also begun very well for all of us. For the most part, the boys were happy with their classes and teachers, and those playing on the soccer teams were off to a good start. On the other end of the spectrum, I was pleased with how my school had been operating and the first few weeks had gone off without a hitch. The faculty and staff were doing a tremendous job and there were only a few isolated problems with any of the students. All and all, things were progressing quite smoothly, but it didn’t stop there.

The boys dating the cheerleaders were beginning to get very involved with those girls, except for Danny and Brandon. However, they were still maintaining enough of a smokescreen to deflect the types of criticism and suspicions that had been brought to their attention earlier. However, that wasn’t always the case. At first, the girls that Danny and Brandon asked out were more than a little leery of their intentions, so they set out to see how serious both boys were. Almost immediately, they forced the boys into participating in some pretty steamy make-out sessions and Danny and Brandon each managed to pass the kissing test without a problem. In fact, they even participated in a little fondling and light petting, so the girls were beginning to believe they might have been wrong about them. Neither boy had been pushed toward performing any sexual activities yet, so they were grateful about that and content with how things were working out. They admitted they even feel accepted by the others, although they aren’t thrilled about having to deceive the girls this way.

Not only are all of the boys doing well, but I also can’t begin to express how proud I am of Frankie. Right from the very first day he moved back in with us, Frankie has kept his promise about staying out of trouble and doing well in his classes. In just the first week he was with us, I heard from two of his teachers – but everything they had to say was good. Even though they knew of his previous reputation, both as a problem student and one who was unwilling to put forth any effort, they both told me they were totally aghast over his remarkable start. He was completing his assignments and doing them well, but not only that – he was also participating in class and setting a positive example for others, something he had not been noted for previously. That news immediately brightened my day, so I went home and told Frankie how proud I was of him. I think Frankie was pleased that I had been told of this so soon and seemed to glow from my praise.

“I told you I was going to do better,” he responded, after I complimented him, “and I’m not going to let you down this time.”

“I know you won’t,” I agreed, “but I wanted you to realize your teachers and I are all well aware of your extra-effort and increased level of maturity. I am extremely proud of you and pleased that you are taking full advantage of this new opportunity,” I added, before I gave him a hug. I was wondering how he was going to react to that, but I guess I shouldn’t have been, since he eagerly hugged me back.

“Thanks, that felt nice,” he told me, after I released him. “I spent most of my life with people pushing me away or with me doing it to them first, before they could do it to me. But that really made me feel good. I actually feel like I belong here now.”

“You do, Frankie,” I agreed. “From the moment you came back to live with us, you’ve been considered a valued member of the Currie clan. I’ll even adopt you, like I did with the others, if that’s what you want. It’s your decision and I’m not going to pressure you one way or the other, but I want you to know that option is there, if you want to take advantage of it.”

“You’re still willing to do that?” Frankie challenged, not willing to believe his ears. “You’d do that after all I put you through and all the rotten things I did?”

“Hey, that was the old Frankie,” I joked. “I’m asking the new Frankie to join us.”

“I’d like that, if it means I get to call you Dad from now on,” he replied, almost sounding as if his throat was beginning to tighten as he said it.

“Hey, you can call me Dad right now, if you want,” I assured him. “You don’t have to wait until you’re adopted.”

“I’d like that… Dad,” he said, trying it out before wrapping his arms around me in a tremendous embrace. “I never thought I’d ever be able to call anyone that,” he confessed, “at least not someone I thought deserved that name, but it sure feels good. Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re welcome, son,” I replied, while squeezing him tightly in my arms. This was truly a much different young man than on our first go around.

Besides Frankie’s remarkable transformation, there were others, whom I also monitored, to make sure they were still doing well. Among that group was Carlos. He managed to keep in touch and remained close with my family. In fact, he made certain to let us know he was doing fine and looking forward to the next time he could be with us again. Due to the fact that it took a few hours to make the round-trip drive to pick him up and then return trip home, we decided it would be easier on all of us if we just did it during the holidays and summer vacation. Therefore, we invited Carlos and his mother to come for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, as well as joining us on our next vacation.

We also heard from the family in Arizona, the one Nick had brought to our attention and we had helped out, while we were there. The parents told us they had been doing well at their jobs, passed their probationary periods and received excellent job reviews. There was even a possibility that they may both be promoted soon, since the mother had been interviewed for the supervisory position in the elementary cafeteria, while her husband was taking a few crash courses to improve certain skills, so he could move up from the custodial job and become the school’s electrician. The kids were also doing very well in their classes, loved their apartment and seemed very happy with the way things were working out. All the family had needed was a little break, which we provided for them, so they could turn their lives around. My boys all felt great about having played a part in their success, especially Nick, so now he was actively looking for someone new to help.

The first weekend after Labor Day we threw a birthday party for Frankie, even though his birthday had been on July 30th. Seeing he joined us late, I didn’t want him to miss out on celebrating such an important event in his life. Even though he had turned seventeen, I think this was the first real party or recognition he’d received in quite some time, possibly ever, and he seemed thrilled that we were willing to do this for him. I told him in advance what I had planned and suggested he could invite some others, if he wished. After thinking about this for a few minutes, he admitted that he didn’t really know anyone else yet, except for the guys he got in trouble with before, but he quickly assured me he was steering clear of them now. He finally concluded that having his ‘family’ there for him would be enough, but added that maybe next year he would have more people to invite. After telling me that, he flashed me a huge grin, which was his signal that he planned on sticking around this time.

It was an enjoyable party, although nothing elaborate, which was what Frankie wanted. He told me he felt it would be best to keep it simple, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t nice. We had a cookout and invited much of our extended family to join us, but the boys wanted to do more – something special. They wanted to make sure Frankie not only enjoyed his party, but found it worth remembering in years to come. With this in mind, they set out to select some special gifts for him, things they felt he would really appreciate.

First, they bought him his own boom box, similar to the one he had tried to heist the first time he had been with us. They didn’t do it to remind him about what he’d done, but to give him something they thought he’d value. Of course the double meaning didn’t go unnoticed.

“You guys didn’t have to do this,” Frankie told them. “I wasn’t going to try to steal any of yours this time,” he joked, before letting out a nervous laugh.

“That’s not what we thought,” Kevin told him, since it was his and Dustin’s boom box that had disappeared the last time. “We just figured you’d get a lot of use out of it and really enjoy it.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” Frankie replied, “as soon as I get something to play on it.” That problem was quickly solved, though, since the boys had also bought him some CDs to go with it, besides giving him a couple of gift certificates, so he could purchase more on his own. Frankie seemed very pleased by their thoughtfulness.

Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve gave him some new clothes and a nice diamond stud earring, to replace the older earring he always wore, since they noticed it was kind of cheap and not in very good condition. I also gave him some clothes, as well as a gold-chain, since he admired some of the chains the other guys wore. Not only that, but I also made him a promise. Since he was now 17, I told him I’d include him with Kevin in the next driving class, which would probably begin in the spring, so he could start working toward getting his license. He was quite excited by that announcement, and a bit surprised by the prospect, but he eagerly accepted my offer.

The following weekend we celebrated Andrew’s tenth birthday and he enthusiastically included several young boys he was close to from school. They had a sleepover party, which had almost become the standard for the younger boys’ birthdays, but Andrew made sure that most of his plans would include the whole family.

I thought the party would be good for him too and give him something else to make him forget his ordeal in Houston. I had been watching him closely since it had happened and had seen no signs of any lingering negative effects. Andrew appears to be a very resilient young man and had managed to shake off the effects of that unwelcome encounter, which I think was mainly due to the fact that we’d arrived before any penetration had occurred. If we had gotten there after the fact, things might be much different for him now.

The party went well and Andrew got many nice presents too, including some nice clothes and an assortment of computer games he had mentioned wanting. Not only that, but I also bought him a bunch of art supplies, since he had shown an interest in that subject at school. His art teacher had informed me that she thought Andrew had a great deal of talent and it might develop fully with the right encouragement. That’s why I bought him a paint kit, a vast assortment of colored pencils, sketchpads, an easel and some large heavy-duty sheets for him to paint on. I was mildly surprised that out of all of his gifts, he seemed to appreciate that present the most.

For the weeks following the two parties, we didn’t have much planned on the weekends, other than the boys’ sporting events, the boys’ dates with their girlfriends or spur of the moment family outings to the movies or a restaurant. It was a relaxing time, which would come to an abrupt end when the next big event on our calendar took place. However, that wouldn’t happen until late October, when Cole turned 15. It would also be the next to last birthday we would celebrate for the year, with Dion’s being the only one still remaining before we started the cycle over again, and his birthday wasn’t until late November.

My three new drivers also kept me busy during those weeks, since they were constantly begging me to take them out for a little more practice, which I made sure we did at least twice a week. We had even progressed from driving in the school parking lots to driving on some of the less busy streets. Dustin and Danny were doing extremely well, while Brandon still had an occasional problem along the way. Sometimes he would try to take a corner too sharply and drive over the curb in the process or he would forget about being gentle with the gas or brake pedal and send the rest of us jerking forward or backward, whenever that happened. Other times he might have trouble judging the width or length of the Grand Am and park a little too close to the vehicle next to us, which made it difficult for those on that side to get out of the car, or sporadically even gently nudge the vehicle he was pulling in behind, although it was never hard enough to do any damage to either vehicle.

Although he was still having these problems, he was also determined to get better and worked hard trying to perfect these skills, while Danny did his best to encourage him. Taking the driver’s education course in school also seemed to help him improve, as it gave him another perspective and reinforced the things I was trying to get them all to learn also.

The boys even surprised me and changed the oil and filters on each of the vehicles. They did this totally on their own, without any prodding from me, and explained they did it because they felt it best to know as much about how to take care of the car on their own, so they didn’t have to depend on me. They even washed and waxed the Grand Am every other weekend, while taking turns doing the same to either the van or Suburban on the off week. I guess that provided enough of a hint to let me know which vehicle they preferred out of the three.

The sports teams had also kept many of the boys busy, as well as those of us who went to watch their games, while much of the rest of their time was occupied doing homework or helping me make changes around the house. Since we had returned from vacation, we had moved the three computers to the family room and set them up off to one side, so we could turn the upstairs office into a spare bedroom. We even built a closet for the bedroom, by extending one portion of the outer wall and utilizing the large open space in the hallway. We also added another bathroom upstairs, although it was just a shower stall, toilet and sink, to help alleviate some of the congestion in the morning. Now, there were three bathrooms upstairs, the public one downstairs and the one in my new master bedroom. We also added another hot-water heater and better circulating pumps, so the water pressure wouldn’t drop dramatically when toilets were flushed, etc., and help eliminate the chance of someone getting scalded.

During this time, some of the boys were also developing new interests. A handful of them were more than eager to improve their cooking skills, since they didn’t want to give me any reason not to leave them on their own whenever I had to go away. They really liked the idea of being in charge while I was traveling, so they took turns preparing the meals every night, even when I was there, which removed that responsibility from my shoulders. They had even set up a rotating schedule for the various duties, which included the cooking, cleaning and driving (which for the time being they could only do when I was with them, but that would change once they had their licenses). I eagerly allowed them to do this, and even encouraged their taking increased responsibility for things, as some of them would soon be heading off to college or possibly just living on their own, so it would be good practice for them.

It’s not that everything was perfect, as squabbles still popped up from time to time. Sometimes it was over who was going to get to drive or the ‘need’ for someone to switch his chores, whenever he had a date or other activity that conflicted with his assignment. Most of the time, however, the boys would work this out amongst themselves, so I didn’t have to intervene, because they understood none of them would be happy if I had to get involved.

There was even one major conflict between two of the new roommates, which culminated with Dustin and Pat coming to blows. It seemed they had both become interested in the same young lady and each of them thought the other was being unfair in resolving this situation. Even though there was nearly a two-year difference in their ages, the girl’s age fell in between theirs. She was approximately a year older than Pat and a year younger than Dustin.

After a few weeks of trying to gain the upper hand, they each began accusing the other of interfering with their ability to change chores when there was a scheduling conflict for them. They both felt the other one was utilizing his influence with the other boys and talking them out of being accommodating, whenever it was requested. They even began to complain about who got to eat lunch with her or who she would spend time with after school. Dustin felt he should have all of the lunch periods to spend with her, since he played sports and was tied up after school, which meant Pat got to spend all of that time with her. Even though this was true, Pat felt they should still alternate the lunch times, because it wasn’t his fault that Dustin had chosen to play a sport and he hadn’t.

After their little donnybrook, I had to lay down my own set of ground rules. First, I told Pat that if he wanted to alternate the lunch periods, then he would also have to alternate the after school time too, which meant he could only spend every other afternoon with her, even if Dustin had practice or a game. He didn’t like that idea at all and quickly agreed to give Dustin the lunch periods, so he could keep the after school time to himself. However, whenever Dustin was in between sport seasons, they would once again start alternating both the lunch period and the after school time, so that neither would be able to see her twice in the same day.

Second, I notified all of the boys that if there were any more problems with switching chores, then I would make a rule that there would be absolutely no switching allowed. This would include everyone, so from that point on every boy would have to stick to the schedule – unless I made the change personally, which I would not be inclined to do.

Third, if there were any more punches thrown, neither one would be allowed to date anyone for a month, and finally, I moved Dustin to the twin bed in the new bedroom, which had been the old computer room, to give them both a chance to cool off. I moved Dustin instead of Pat, because that room had been Pat’s before all the switching took place, so I thought it was only right he should get to stay there.

Things did calm down after that, especially after Pat lost interest in the girl and found someone closer to his own age. The funny thing was that Dustin dumped the girl too, a couple of weeks later, as he fell for a girl who was a few months older than the first girl. And to think they were ready to bash each other’s brains out over her just a short time before.

Eventually Pat and Dustin did make up, but they each stayed in the room they were currently in, as neither of them was convinced future conflicts could be avoided. I think Kevin got a kick out of watching this and found it amusing they were fighting over a girl, but I think he was most pleased that Dustin’s life wasn’t working out as Dustin had hoped, especially after he broke Kevin’s heart. It’s not that Kevin hated Dustin now, because he still had strong feelings for him, but it made him feel better to know that things were not all that easy for his former lover either.

Besides the conflict it brought into our home, the boys’ interest in the young ladies also had a negative effect on their soccer team. Although they still had a winning record, they didn’t do as well as either their coach or I had anticipated. I think the distraction of dating and the conflict between Dustin and Pat took its toll on the team as well.

I believe this was most noticeable at their homecoming game, which they nearly lost to the team with the worst record in their league. Not only were their girlfriends at this game, but it appeared most of my studs were thinking ahead to the homecoming festivities after the game and not focusing on their playing. This was painfully obvious, as we observed their lackluster play and noted the silly and uncharacteristic mistakes they made during the contest. Fortunately, they did manage to pull their heads out of the clouds long enough to score a one goal victory and end their season at 12 –3.

Of course, in late October we had a party for Cole as well, but he felt he was now getting too old to have a sleepover, so I didn’t push it and honored his wishes. He did invite some of his friends from school to attend, as well as most of our extended family. Even though he had been socially immature for his age when he first arrived, and even for a while afterward, he did eventually make some friends outside of the family and Cole and those boys had remained fairly tight. They’d all been to our house at various times and Cole has also been to their homes, but they mostly hung out at school or at school functions.

I was a little surprised that Cole invited them to come to the house for the day without telling them it was his birthday, but I suspect I knew why. A couple of his friends’ families aren’t too well off and I suspect Cole didn’t want them to feel obligated to buy something for him, just because it happened to be his birthday. By inviting them to come over without out announcing this additional fact relieved them of that burden. I think the boys were a bit shocked when they discovered this was a birthday celebration, but after Cole explained he planned the day just for fun and didn’t expect such a big fuss over it, it seemed to make everyone feel better. I think his friends understood his intentions and admired the way he handled it, since they all enjoyed themselves without being embarrassed that they hadn’t brought him a gift. Although he still has difficulty in some of his classes, he is remarkably bright about some things.

Cole, his friends and his brothers kept active for most of the day, playing games and generally having a good time. They all joined us to eat, and then again later when we had the cake and ice cream and I had Cole open his presents. After his friends saw how much he got from the rest of us, I think they began to understand why Cole didn’t feel he needed anything from them.

Halloween also proved to be an interesting time, but not because of the Trick-or-Treating. Instead, it was because of the big high school Halloween dance. All the guys with girlfriends planned on attending, and even Danny and Brandon had dates for this big event. The boys also went out of their way to help Frankie find a date for the dance too. They spent hours on end preening for the big event and getting their costumes ready, as they each wanted to impress their dates. As I watched them going through their preparations, I was reminded of a muster of peacocks trying to impress the peahens, but these boys had to provide their own plumage.

Since most of the other boys wouldn’t be around that evening, Kevin, Trey and Dion volunteered to help me take the little ones out collecting candy door-to-door. I think this was done primarily to give them something to do and keep them from feeling completely left out, so I graciously accepted their assistance. Unfortunately, the offer didn’t come without some drawbacks.

You see, Trey was not happy about how everything was working out and complained it wasn’t fair that Dion and he couldn’t go to the dance as a couple. He even hinted that it might be considered a form of discrimination. When I explained to him that they could go to the dance together if they wanted to, I also reminded him they might also set themselves up for some possible abuse in the process, so he decided to let the matter drop. In the long run, Trey decided he was more of a lover than a fighter, and felt helping with the younger ones would keep him from thinking about missing the dance. Besides, it would also allow Dion and him to do something together. I agreed and was happy to have the company and the help.