The Castaway Hotel - 1 - 21. Chapter 21 - Williamsburg

Saturday morning, I received my wake up call and woke the boys at 5:00 a.m. I know, that’s cruel for a weekend, but I felt we needed an early start. After stopping for breakfast, I drove the groggy foursome to our next destination, arriving at Busch Gardens slightly before the gates were scheduled to open. After realizing where we were, the boys began to perk up.

“All right!” Ricky exclaimed. “I was afraid last night on the go carts was all the fun you had planned for us.

“You mean the rest of the trip hasn’t been fun?” I asked, feigning shock and dismay.

“Yeah, but not fun-fun,” Ricky added. “Last night we got to have a good time playing around and we all enjoyed it. The other places were nice, but still too much like school. It was better than school, but still like school.” I understood his point and felt it deserved one final comment.

“Well, then enjoy today, because this is all meant to be fun.” The boys smiled, and then hugged me, before we headed inside.

This is a theme park with a European flavor, so over the course of the day we visited, so to speak, England, France, Germany and Italy. Despite that educational aspect of the park, it was as I told them – merely a place to have fun. During the day, my young companions spent their time enjoying five different roller coasters, the ‘Battering Ram,’ the ‘Roman Rapids’ and numerous other rides. Today was for them, so I let them choose what they wanted to do and then let them go on the rides with each other, while I sat back and watched. After admonishing them to stay together, for safety reasons, I also advised them where they could find me, if they should need anything. For Danny, Ricky and Jay, this was basically the first big time theme park they had ever been to, so they were in total awe of the place. Brandon, however, had been to another place like this with his parents, so he was less impressed, but still enjoyed it. On my part, it was really fun watching them enjoying themselves so much, too.

For lunch, we ate at ‘Das Festhaus,’ a German restaurant, because I wanted the boys to try something different. We ordered a variety of German sausages, German potato salad and a variety of other dishes, so we could share a bit between us. The boys seemed to enjoy most of it, although there were a few items they didn’t really care for, and while they washed their meal down with soda, I opted for a German beer. What was really intriguing was the discussion that ensued while they gobbled down their food.

“Man, I thought Brandon was going to crap his pants on that one roller coaster,” Danny teased.

“Unt-uh,” Brandon countered. “I was just surprised at how quickly it went, but I wasn’t scared.”

“Yeah, if you say so,” Danny replied, unbelieving.

“I thought Ricky was going to fall out and drown on the Roman Rapids,” Jay informed us. “He was hit by this big splash of water and then bounced in his seat. I thought he was going into the water after that.”

“Yeah, I saw that,” Brandon added, “but I knew he wasn’t going to fall out. He did look like a drowned rat afterward though.” The others all laughed, but Ricky wasn’t amused.

“I was wet, but I didn’t look like no rat,” he challenged, “but Jay’s face was redder than his hair, when we were on the Battering Ram.” That caused Jay to blush, giving us a visual – attesting to Ricky’s point.

Once we finished eating, we went back out to investigate more of the park. There was a section with animals, but the boys only gave them a cursory perusal, after our visit to the National Zoo. Instead, they focused on the other fun things to do, so we went back to the rides. Since they had been on each ride at least once on their own, one duo or the other would come to drag me off to join them for a few rides, before letting me return to my designated spot. I think they were afraid the ‘old man’ wouldn’t have a good time without them or possibly they were just doing this to ensure that we might do other things like this in the future. I must admit I did enjoy myself each time they came to get me, because it was enjoyable watching them close up too. After a while, I began to wonder if they were taking me on these rides just to see if I could handle them or hoping that I would get sick and barf all over the place, especially after the beer and German food. In fact, they might have been a little disappointed when that didn’t happen.

For dinner, the boys wanted to go to the Italian Pavilion, which I readily agreed to. The smell of the sauces had been making my mouth drool for many minutes before they suggested going there. The boys ordered a variety of dishes, while I opted for the eggplant pargmigiana, and then we went back out to have more fun.

We began the evening by sitting down to view one of the shows that are held throughout the day, as I didn’t think going on the rides would be wise so soon after eating. Fortunately, it also proved to be quite entertaining. After that, the boys wanted to go back on the rides, which we did, and we continued to have a great time, until the announcement was made notifying us it was time for the park to close. The boys were greatly disappointed this day had come to an end, but gave me no problems as I escorted them back to our temporary accommodations. After getting my four weary lads cleaned up, they went directly to bed, without any fuss, probably due to the early hour I had awakened them that morning. It wasn’t long before they were cutting ‘Z’s’ and replaying the day’s activities over in their dreams.

Sunday morning, I again woke everyone at 5:00 a.m., so we could spend the day at Water Country USA. I advised them to wear their swimwear under their clothes, because they’d need them for later. Of course, this meant I had to inform them where we were going.

“This is more like it,” Jay exuded. “First the go cart place, then the amusement park and now a water park.”

“Yeah, dad must be getting soft,” Ricky mocked. “No school for the whole weekend.”

“Don’t say that too loud,” Danny warned him, “or he might change his mind.” The boys continued whispering back and forth as we drove there.

Following instructions similar to the ones I had given the previous day, my group of excited teens zigzagged from one place to another, finding many wonders to explore along the way. The first ride they want to go on was ‘Big Daddy Falls,’ a river rafting ride that winds its way through nearly seven hundred feet of twists, turns, tunnels and drops. The boys made sure I joined them on this ride, so we all went together, in the same rubber raft. It was quite a thrilling ride, plummeting down the incline, and even though we got soaked and bounced around a bit, it was a refreshing and enjoyable time.

“I’m impressed that you don’t mind the rides, Uncle Josh,” Brandon commented, after we excited the raft. “My parents will only do the really gentle rides, but some of the ones you’ve gone on with us are pretty rough.”

“Dad’s no wimp,” Danny offered, jumping to my assistance before I could answer.

“Hey, it’s nothing I didn’t do with my older children,” I explained. “I have had some experience with these kinds of things before.” That seemed to suffice, although I think the boys were still somewhat impressed that I’d join them on some of these adventures.

After that, I let the boys go on the “Malibu Pipeline’ together, as that was a two-person tube ride, similar to the first. After that, we went on the “Jet Scream,’ which is another tube ride, but this one dropped down over four hundred feet, with the tubes traveling up to twenty-five miles per hour. I was going to sit this one out and let them enjoy it on their own, as it was another two-man ride, but the boys weren’t about to let that happen. Excitedly, they pleaded with me to come too, explaining they would take turns going with each other and me. So as not to disappoint them, I gave in. We each went on this four times, riding once with each of the others, while the odd man sat out. I was only going to go once, but each boy seemed to want me to go once with him, so I acceded to this demand. It was definitely an exciting ride, with my stomach up in my throat for much of the time, but I continued to make it to the bottom without losing my last meal. The boys continued to make a big deal over my willingness to join them on these various attractions, and it seemed to help make us even closer than we were before.

Following that, we made our way over to ‘Surfer’s Pipeline,’ where the boys got their first opportunity to try surfing, which they all seemed excited about. Three of the boys did fairly well at this, but one, who shall remain nameless, had enough trouble standing on his own two feet, without trying to maneuver a board over the water. Needless to say, he provided us with a few laughs, and even a couple of scares, with his efforts. Because of that, Jay was soon interested in moving on to something else and dragged me off with him, leaving the other boys behind, so we could go on a few of the other rides by ourselves.

As the others continued ‘improving’ their surfing skills, Jay and I tackled rides that didn’t require any special abilities, just our presence. This gave me some quality time to get to know Jay a little better, and he took this opportunity to talk to me about his occasional problems.

“Why am I so uncoordinated?” he asked, once we were out of earshot of the others.

“Jay, it’s just a stage you’re going through,” I assured him, trying to make him feel better. “It just that you’re growing so fast that your muscles and the rest of your body just aren’t working together well yet. As you get used to these changes, your coordination will improve and these things will no longer happen.”

“And how long will that take?” he followed, concerned.

“I guess that depends on how much more growing you’re going to do,” I advised him. “Regardless of how long, whether it’s a few months or a few years, it will all end and some day you’ll look back and laugh at everything that’s happened.”

“I hope so, but I’m not laughing so much now,” he confided. “I try not to show it, but sometimes it hurts when everyone makes fun of the things that happen to me.” I suddenly felt bad I hadn’t stepped in and stopped it on some of those earlier occasions.

“I apologize for my part in that,” I admitted, which caused him to look up at me in surprise. “I know I could have stopped, or at least lessened, some of what has happened so far.”

“Uncle Josh, I didn’t mean you or what’s happened since we’ve been together!” he exclaimed, panicked. “I meant when the kids at school pick on me about things that happen there. I don’t mind you guys teasing me, cuz I know you’re really my friends and we all like each other a lot. It only bothers me when I know the person means what they say and think I’m a real geek.” I understood his pain, so I placed my arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

“Hang in there, pal,” I added, “because this isn’t going to last forever.” He gave me a weak smile, before we climbed aboard the next ride. I think Jay really liked his time alone with me, and I enjoyed it too. I think we each began to appreciate the other a little more and on a whole new level.

Once the park closed, we followed up the day’s activities with a very late dinner, a late night ice cream and rapid showers, followed by an evening of sublime unconsciousness. That night I cuddled up against Jay, and he eagerly spooned back into me, letting me know he enjoyed this added bit of attention and closeness. The following morning, he gave me a very special grin and wink when he awoke, followed by an equally special hug, assuring me that he had appreciated it all.

Once we were ready, I took everyone to ‘Colonial Williamsburg’, where we spent the day discovering what it would have been like to live in eighteenth century America. We visited restored taverns (we even ate lunch in one of them), an Inn (where we imbibed a little liquid refreshment), a magazine (where gun powder and weapons were kept), the public gaol (pronounced jail, from an old North French word gaole and means a cage. It was basically a brick prison used for debtors, runaway slaves and the mentally ill.), a guardhouse (to house the soldiers guarding the magazine), the courthouse (the place where not only cases were tried, but it was on the steps of this building where local residents heard breaking news, such as the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the announcement that the war with England had come to an end), their capitol building (in which the colony of Virginia voted to support American Independence), and several period homes.

In addition to those places, we also visited the blacksmith’s shop, where we watched that skilled tradesman heat metal and hammer it into different shapes, as he prepared to use it to make various objects. The man was fairly short, maybe about 5’ 8”, but he had an enormous build, with a barrel-chest and arms that rippled with well-developed muscles. The boys not only got to watch the blacksmith practice his trade, but once he saw the four boys watching him so intently, he asked if they’d like to try it for themselves. Of course, he sought my permission to do this first and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for them.

The fearless foursome thought it was a great idea too, and eagerly agreed, anxious to see what it would be like. First, he taught them how to heat the metal in the forge, using a bellows, which looked like a big leather bag. The blacksmith would pull on a cord that was fastened to the bellows, sending air into the fire, which made it grow even hotter. Once they had learned to do that, they moved on to the next task. That’s when they discovered a bit of a surprise. It happened when they went to pick up the hammer, to start pounding the metal into shape, and quickly found out this tool was much heavier than it looked. Most of the boys had to strain a little just to lift it, let alone have the ability to swing it for any length of time. In order to make it easier on them, the blacksmith came to their assistance.

One by one, the boys would grasp the handle of the hammer, with the blacksmith standing directly behind them. The burly man would then place his hand over his student’s hand and patiently teach them what they were expected to do, as they banged away at the metal strip on the anvil in front of them. When it became Jay’s turn, I was a little worried he might hurt himself, or even the blacksmith, as he wielded that hefty tool. The blacksmith did let each boy take a swing or two without his assistance, once he felt they were ready, and when he did that with Jay, Jay lost his grip on the hammer and it went flying across the anvil and thudded into the dirt. Luckily, no one was standing on the other side, so there weren’t any injuries.

Danny seemed to do the best at this task and didn’t need as much help from his instructor. He was working with the blacksmith, as they pounded on the strip of metal, and when his instructor left him on his own, he was able to work for a few minutes longer, without any additional assistance. Brandon did nearly as well, although he didn’t seem to have the arm strength that Danny had, and didn’t last quite as long on his own either. However, the blacksmith complimented both of them when they finished and they each seemed quite proud about what they had done.

Ricky, however, turned out to be the most comical in his attempt. When it came his turn to solo, he made the inexcusable mistake of trying to impress the rest of us. Slowly, he lifted the hammer as high as his arm would allow and then swung it downward, as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him, he not only missed striking the piece of metal, but also missed the entire anvil with that blow, and the weight of the hammer, magnified by the force with which it had been propelled, dragged Ricky’s body downward with it, until both of them crashed into the dirt floor.

Concerned and a little upset by the mishap, the blacksmith rushed to help Ricky up. Once he discovered Ricky was not injured, the burly man had to struggle to suppress his own laughter, as they rest of us burst out in hysterics. We were nearly rolling around at that point and laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes. Noticing our reaction, Ricky turned a nice shade of scarlet, as he rose from the ground. His reddened expression was highlighted and amplified when contrasted against his blond hair, making it look even worse than it was. This little accident wasn’t entirely bad, however, because Ricky unintentionally got a chance to understand how Jay often felt, when things of this nature happened to him, especially after Ricky felt obliged to make Jay’s situation worse.

Despite the various miscues, each boy expressed their joy at taking part in this little exercise and thanked the blacksmith before we left.

“It was my pleasure,” the blacksmith responded, “and you are welcome to return and try this again, whenever you want.”

“No thank you,” Ricky quickly countered. “That’s harder than I want to work.”

“I wouldn’t mind having muscles like yours,” Danny added, “but I think I need to build my strength more, before I could do that for more than just a couple of minutes.”

“I’m just grateful I didn’t live when people had to do all these things,” Jay interjected. “I’m not sure what type of job I could have done.”

“I think all of us are glad we probably won’t have to work that hard,” Brandon concurred, and they each waved at the blacksmith, as we walked away.

“Why would anyone choose a job like that?” Ricky wondered, aloud, as we moved away from the area.

“Most jobs were more physical back then,” I responded, “so it wouldn’t have seemed so bad to those living then. You boys have just become a little soft, since you’re used to having machines that will do most of the physical labor for you.” I think all four boys came away from there with a greater admiration for all of the people throughout history who had been blacksmiths or toiled at other such strenuous work.

Overall, we did a great deal of walking that day, and by the time we returned to our room, we were suffering from severe fatigue. We did stop for a quick meal during our return trip, but once we got to our room, we were all absolutely exhausted. We did agree that soaking in the tub might help soothe our tired muscles, so we managed a brief stint in the relaxing bathwater, but none of us seemed to have the strength or willpower required to do anything else. Once we had finished soaking in the tub, some of us watched a little television, before collapsing on the beds and falling asleep.