The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - 49. Special Times

A couple of nights later, after the boys went upstairs to bed, Noah made his way over to Elliot’s room. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds before Elliot noticed him, but he didn’t say a word. For that reason, Elliot decided to confront him about why he was there.

“Did you need something?” he asked.

“Um… yeah. I want to ask you a question,” Noah responded. “Is that okay?”

“Sure. What’s up?” Elliot asked.

“I just want to um… know something,” Noah stammered, as he entered the room and moved closer to Elliot. “Why does my uh… dick get um… all stiff when I uh… shower after soccer? Is that like um… normal?”

Elliot grinned, as he looked at Noah.

“Yep, it’s very normal,” Elliot began. “You’re reaching the age when things are going to arouse and excite you sexually and it’s why your dick gets hard. It’s a normal occurrence and something you can’t really control. You’re probably going to start noticing your dick doing it in all kinds of different situations and you can’t always predict when it’s going to happen.”

“So you think this happened because I was naked with the other boys?” Noah asked next.

“Yeah, that’s probably what caused it to happen in the showers,” Elliot agreed.

“So does it mean I’m like our dads and like boys too, because it happened when I saw the other guys on my team without their clothes on?” Noah pressed.

“No, it doesn’t necessarily mean you like boys. It just means you got excited when you were around other naked bodies,” Elliot explained. “The same thing would probably have happened if you were naked with a bunch of girls too.”

Noah’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets when Elliot suggested this.

“Oh, I don’t think I could do that,” he confessed. “I almost couldn’t do it in front of the other boys.”

“And I’m not saying you should,” Elliot chuckled. “All I’m saying is that at your age your dick can get hard for many reasons, especially when you’re around other naked people, but you’ll discover it isn’t the only reason it occurs. In fact, you might also find your dick getting stiff while you’re sitting in class or walking down the hallway.”

“But why would it do it then, if there are no naked people around?” Noah wondered.

“It might happen because you’ve just noticed someone that you find attractive or it could be the result of you thinking about a person you like or a situation that sexually excites you,” Elliot explained. “Some people say that a strong breeze can get guys our age stiff, but no matter why it happens, it would probably be best if you just try to cover it up, so it’s not so obvious. Most of the time you can make it less noticeable if you quickly adjust your penis in your underwear or hold your books over it, so no one else will see the bulge.”

“Why did you call it a penis?” Noah asked next. His expression showed he was truly confused by the use of this term.

“It’s the proper name for your dick,” Elliot explained. “Your dick can be called a lot of things, but the proper name for it is penis.”

“What other names?” Noah wondered.

“Well, you’ve called it a wiener and dick so far,” Elliot told him, “but it can also be called a cock, prick, pecker or even a willy. When it’s hard, it can be called a stiffy, boner or erection.”

Noah just absorbed this information and thought about it for a minute. Once he had done this, he looked at Elliot again.

“So what should I do when it happens in the shower?” he wanted to know.

“Well, when it happens there, I think it would be best if you turn away from the other boys, so they won’t notice it,” Elliot told him. “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with getting a stiffy, but some of the boys might make fun of you when it happens.”

“Even if it happens to them too?” Noah asked.

“Probably not if it’s happening to them at the same time,” Elliot cleared up, “but even though all boys get erections, sometimes they make fun of others when they get one around other boys.”

“So I want to make sure they don’t see my ‘rection?” Noah asked.

“That’s E-rection,” Elliot corrected, “and it’s probably best not to make it stand out so others notice it. Damn, that didn’t come out right. Of course it’s going to stand out, but just try to keep it from becoming too obvious. Like I said, there nothing wrong with getting one, but I don’t want anyone picking on or making fun of my brother just because it happened in the shower.”

“Okay,” Noah agreed, “and thanks. I’m glad I decided to talk to you about this. At first, I didn’t know who I should ask, but then I thought you might be willing to help me. I just figured that because you went into the bathroom with me when I was trying to decide if I’d be able to take a shower in front of other boys, you might help me with this too.”

“Noah, you can ask me about anything at any time,” Elliot confirmed. “You’re my brother now and I’m happy to clear up any questions you might have. It doesn’t just have to be about boy stuff either. You can ask me about anything and I’ll try to help you find the answer.”

After Elliot said this, Noah walked over and gave him a hug.

“Thank you,” he told him. “I’m glad I have such a nice brother.”

After Noah said this, Elliot gave him a hug in return, plus he kissed Noah on top of the head. They certainly were bonding as brothers.

The rest of the week passed by quite uneventfully. The boys had their practices every day and then Hayden’s mother would bring them home afterward. It was actually nice not to have to worry about going after them every afternoon, so in the interim I focused on other things. I was busy looking ahead to Friday and the weekend, because I had a lot to do to get things ready for the big upcoming events. You see, I had agreed to take on most of the responsibility for planning each occasion, since everyone else was busy working.

When Friday rolled around, Elliot had to skip going to swim practice. He had already cleared it with his coach and let Hayden’s mom know about it too, so it wasn’t as if he was just ditching. He did it because his fathers were picking him up for a special event – they were going to the courthouse to legally adopt him.

Sally, Steve, Mary and I met them there. Sally was present to represent the Department of Social Services and Elliot’s legal interests, since he is still technically a ward of the state. Steve, Mary and I were there merely as observers and interested family members. Unfortunately, Jake couldn’t get the day off, so he was going to miss out on this.

The rest of us sat in the gallery as the presiding judge asked Elliot, Danny and Brandon a few questions. Once they had each told him that they were entering into this of their own free will and the judge was convinced Elliot wanted Danny and Brandon to adopt him, and it was in his best interest, he continued. Under the agreement, Danny and Brandon were each adopting Elliot separately and then jointly sharing custody.

Sally had suggested this option, and Steve had agreed it would probably work best for the family, since gay couples aren’t allowed to marry in Pennsylvania and are therefore excluded from adopting as a couple. He had also written a letter as a ‘Friend of the Court’ in support of this proposal. Since he is also a judge, it was obvious his opinion carried considerable weight in the decision making process, not to mention that Social Services was supporting this adoption arrangement as well. Therefore, Danny and Brandon were separately awarded legal custody of Elliot and he became their son. He also changed his name to Elliot Kennedy O’Hara Currie, which will now appear on his new birth certificate and all future legal documents.

Once the ceremony concluded, we congratulated Elliot and his fathers, before we headed home to meet up with the others. Since this was such a special event, we were going out to eat again and celebrate Elliot’s official status as the newest member of the Currie clan. I think Noah was amazed when he learned that we were going back to the restaurant, especially since it was so soon after our last party there.

Once Jake arrived home from work, he cleaned up and changed, and then we loaded into the Suburban and set out for the restaurant. We had also thought ahead and asked Hayden’s parents if he could join us for this special event and they agreed, so we swung by his place and picked him up. He congratulated Elliot almost as soon as he got in the Suburban.

“So you’re officially their son now?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” Elliot agreed.

“Congratulations. That’s great and I’m really happy for you,” Hayden offered.

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you,” Elliot agreed.

We met Steve, Mary and Sally at the restaurant, because they wanted to join us in celebrating this momentous event. Elliot had just become the first official member of the next generation of boys the family was helping.

Once we got inside, everyone began to ask Elliot, Danny and Brandon if they felt differently now, but each of them was quick to point out that not much had really changed. They stated that they’ve all felt like a family for a very long time and this feeling didn’t come about merely due to the fact that a judge had made a decision or because they had been given a piece of paper. I think the rest of us felt the same way about this too.

As expected, we enjoyed another fantastic meal, topped off with a very special cake. This one read: ‘Welcome to the family Elliot Kennedy O’Hara Currie.’ I think the staff must have used up all of the blue icing on this one. Not only did they use it to add some of the decorations, but it also took four lines written in the same icing to get the greeting and Elliot’s new name to fit on the cake.

Once our little party ended, Hayden returned home with us. His parents had agreed to let him spend the night, so he could continue celebrating the big event with Elliot. The boys were having a blast playing games and just horsing around, but right before bedtime Noah pulled Elliot into his room so he could ask him a question.

“Do you think they’ll adopt me too some day?” he wondered.

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Elliot told him. “They’ll probably ask you about it, once you’ve been here for a while. I lived with them for eight months before they asked me if I was interested. They said they didn’t do it sooner because they wanted me to have time to adjust to living with them first. They didn’t want me to feel like I had to do it just so I could live with them and thought by waiting it wouldn’t make me feel pressured or put me on the spot.”

“Oh, okay. I see how it works now,” Noah responded, with a nod. “I was just wondering if they might do the same thing for me too.”

“Does this mean that you want them to adopt you?” Elliot asked.

“Yeah, that’s what my mom was hoping would happen,” Noah replied. “She told me before she died that she wanted some nice family to adopt me and make me their son, so I didn’t get shoved around from one foster home to another.”

“Well, I’m sure it will happen then,” Elliot confirmed. “Just give it some time.”

Noah was smiling broadly as he went to his room and Elliot headed off in the other direction, so he could spend some time with Hayden. After I heard about their little discussion, I concluded that Elliot seems able to supply Noah with all the reassurance he needs to keep him happy, at least that’s what he’s been able to do so far.

I was kind of surprised that Noah didn’t also ask why Hayden was staying in Elliot’s room, seeing we had quite a few empty bedrooms at the moment. I was familiar with the fact that Noah had spent the night with Elliot a couple of times after he first came to live with us, so possibly this doesn’t strike him as being odd. I was still prepared for him to ask one of us about why those two were sharing a bed though, but he never did. Therefore, I wasn’t about to bring it up either and chose to let a sleeping dog lie, so to speak.

Hayden spent most of Saturday with us too. The boys did all kinds of thing together, including hiking, swimming and playing games in the house. Of course, they asked Jesse, Noah and Joshie to join them on everything they did. The lone exception was that Joshie didn’t ride along with them in Jesse’s car later, when they gave Hayden a ride home.

“Nice car, Jess,” Hayden told him, when they arrived at his house. “Thanks for everything and I’ll see you at school on Monday, El.”

Hayden’s comment caused Jesse to do a double take. First of all, people don’t usually just call him Jess and he had never heard anyone else use a nickname for Elliot before either. After thinking about this for a few moments, he chose not to comment and merely drove the others home.

The next day started off as another typical Sunday for us. We went to church and brunch first, but when we returned home our attention turned to other things. As soon as we changed our clothes, Jake and I got busy preparing the side dishes we’d need for the cookout we were having the next day. The boys all volunteered to pitch in and help out, both the older and younger ones, because they also liked it when we have everyone come to the house to celebrate too. Even though not everyone will be able to be with us for this holiday, it’s still nice to spend this time with those who can make it, as well as being with the extended family.

The Labor Day cookout started around noon on Monday. Steve, Mary, Sally, Susan and Alice all showed up, along with some of the boys and their partners. Kevin, Vinnie, Dustin, Katie, Cole and Beth were among that group, and Sammy and Graham even drove in from York to be with us, so it was a nice gathering.

The cookout went well and we all enjoyed ourselves. Everyone also made sure to spend some time with Noah while they were here, so they could get to know him better, and those who weren’t with us on Friday also congratulated Elliot, Danny and Brandon on the adoption. They even went out of their way to make certain that Elliot got special recognition for attending his first family gathering as the newest Currie. A couple of the boys even lifted him up on their shoulders and paraded him around the yard for a couple of minutes, before christening him in the family pool, fully dressed. Fortunately, Elliot took this little joke good-naturedly, but he did pull Noah and Hayden in with him, when they offered to give him a hand to climb out of the pool. When will those suckers learn?

Brandon’s parents also called the house that afternoon. They did this so they could congratulate the boys on the adoption and speak to Elliot and Noah too, but they also wanted to share some other information with them.

“Brandon, your father and I have decided to join you in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and Christmas again this year,” she advised him. “We feel Noah should be able to spend these important holidays in his new home the first time, rather than getting on a plane and celebrating one of them at a strange location. Besides, it still allows us to be able to see you at both holidays again this year.”

“We appreciate that, Mom,” Brandon replied, “but you could still be with us for both holidays and only make one trip. Besides, you did this last year too, because of Elliot. Are you certain you want to do it again?”

“We’re well aware that we did this last year too,” she confessed, “but we’re willing to do it again, so it will make it easier on Noah. We have no problem with flying there this year as well, unless you’re planning on taking in a new boy every year, just so we have to do all the traveling. You aren’t, are you?”

Brenda giggled after saying this, to let Brandon know she wasn’t serious. Brandon got her little joke and decided to continue by building upon it.

“How in the world did you figure out our plan, Mom? Danny and I thought we could trick Dad and you into coming here for every holiday, if we took in a new boy each fall,” he teased.

Brenda tittered in response.

“As long as you’re giving us more grandchildren, we won’t complain,” she admitted. “But one of these times I hope you’re able to take in a baby. These two are getting too big for me to cuddle.”

“I don’t know about that, Mom. I think Elliot really enjoys your attention and I’m sure Noah will too, but we’ll do what we can about getting a baby,” Brandon offered.

“I’m glad Elliot likes it when I hug and kiss him, because I enjoy it too, and I can’t wait to give Noah a squeeze and smooch,” Brenda agreed. “You’ll be able to bring the boys here next year. Okay?”

“That sounds fine, Mom, and thank you. And thank Dad for us too,” Brandon told her, before passing the phone off to Noah.

“Hi, honey, this is your grandmother,” she began. “Welcome to family! Your grandfather and I are looking forward to meeting you at Thanksgiving.”

“Neat,” Noah replied. “I can’t wait.”

They talked for quite a while and Noah managed to answer several questions his grandmother posed, before he got a chance to speak with his grandfather. When he finished talking to him, Noah handed the phone to Elliot.

Elliot was thrilled to chat with his now legal grandparents again. He was also very happy that they were pleased it had been his idea to incorporate their family name into his as well. In fact, it earned him a few extra brownie points, which he quickly added to when he told them he couldn’t wait to see them both again too.

Once Elliot finished speaking with his grandparents, he passed the phone to Danny, who spoke with Brandon’s parents for a few minutes as well. Once he was done, he gave the phone back to Brandon, so he could say good-bye to his mom and dad and tell them he was looking forward to seeing them at Thanksgiving.

While Danny and Brandon were finishing up the call, Elliot was eagerly filling Noah in about their Grandpa Pat and Grandma Brenda. I think both boys were gleefully anticipating spending the holidays with them and I think Noah was anxious to meet them as well.

On Tuesday, we returned to our normal schedules again, but this time it was my week to pick the boys up after practice. Since Jesse had his car, he took Noah and Elliot to school with him in the morning, which removed that burden from Brandon. As usual, I was free to do whatever I wanted until the afternoon, when it came time to pick them up. I drove to the middle school to pick Noah up first, since his practice generally ended before Elliot and Hayden were done. Once I had Noah in the car with me, I drove over to the high school to fetch the other pair.

They hadn’t come out by the time we got there, so we decided to go in and watch them for a few minutes, until they were done. Noah told me he usually just waited in the car with Hayden’s mother when she picked the others up. He also added that he usually had to wait in front of the middle school a little longer than he did for me, before she showed up as well. I asked him if that was a problem for him, and he assured me it wasn’t, so I didn’t pursue this topic further.

When we arrived at the pool, the team was huddled around their coach, so we didn’t get an opportunity to see them practice at all. After their little meeting broke up, Elliot and Hayden went to the locker room to shower and change, so Noah and I just waited at poolside for them to come back out. After we dropped Hayden off at his house, we continued on to our place.

During dinner, I told everyone that Jake and I were going away on Friday. I explained that since Andrew’s twenty-first birthday is next Monday, Jake and I were driving to his campus so we could celebrate his birthday with him this weekend. Jesse immediately stated that he wanted to come with us, since Andrew and he have always been close. As soon as we agreed to let him join us, Elliot announced that he also wanted to go and then Noah said he did too. Since I didn’t want to answer for their dads, I looked over at Danny and Brandon, to see what they thought.

“We have to work,” Danny stated. “Well, Brandon only works until noon on Saturday, but it’s up to you.”

“If you don’t mind, then Jake and I are willing to take them with us,” I agreed, which sent the three boys into a mini celebration. “I know Andrew will probably be happy to spend time with Jesse and Elliot again, and it will give him a chance to get to know Noah too.”

Seeing Brandon and Danny had agreed to this, I told the boys they had to pack a bag for the weekend and not wait until the last minute to do so. I wanted them to be ready to leave Friday night, as soon as Jake got home from work, and insisted that the Suburban was to be fully loaded before he got here. I warned them that if they weren’t ready on time, I’d leave the stragglers behind.

Hearing this, they agreed they’d be packed before Jake got home from work, and then they raced off to their rooms. I suspect they did this to get an early start on keeping that promise.