The Castaway Hotel - 4 - 6. Chapter 6 - Celebrating The New Year

Later in the day we met with Sally and told her Brent’s story. She immediately informed us she had a very good friend who worked in Baltimore and would be happy to contact her about the situation. This woman held the same job Sally did here, so she would be in a position to decide which, if any, laws had been broken, as well as being able to suggest the best course of action for us to follow. Brent seemed relieved that Sally hadn’t suggested he should go back to Baltimore or be placed somewhere else for the time being, because that had been a major fear for him, up until now.

Once we returned home, he went off with some of the other boys, after they offered to show him around the area. I think they suggested it to distract him from his situation, but Brent seemed to like the idea. I also encouraged him to go with the others, since I still had quite a few things to do in order to get ready for our New Year’s Eve celebration, which would be held later the next evening.

I was busy performing these tasks when Sally called me about an hour later, asking if we could talk privately. After shutting the door to my room, I assured her we could, since I didn’t expect the boys to come back for a while.

“Josh, are you sure you can take in another boy?” she asked, concerned.

“I’m not sure,” I told her, honestly. “I have been thinking a great deal about that very thing and hoped the foundation might have some leads on other options.”

“I’m afraid not, Josh,” she offered, and I could hear the regret in her voice. I figured she had been giving this some consideration too, since we last talked. “We haven’t developed enough contacts yet,” she added, “but hopefully that will change after those articles hit the newsstand. For the time being, all we have are the regular foster homes and the four-county group home.”

“I know Brent is counting on staying with us, but we are pretty full,” I lamented, while being torn between my desire to help this kid, and the reality that my plate, as well as my house, was pretty full. “Sally, I won’t let him go somewhere else, unless I am convinced it is a better situation for him,” I added. “I really like him, but I don’t even have a spare bed any more, especially with Mark here for a couple of weeks and knowing he’ll be returning for the summer. I really don’t know what to do, but I won’t let that young man down.”

“Easy, Josh. I’m on your side and I understand” Sally commiserated. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot, but I have to know what I’m supposed to tell my friend about him. Do I need to have her try to find a place for him, do you want me to look around for something or is he going to be staying there?”

“He’ll stay with us, for now,” I stated, adamantly, “but you and your counterpart can also look around to see if you can find something better for him. Do you think that suggestion will be acceptable? If not, how soon do you need a definite answer from me? I’d like a little more time to consider my options and see what other ideas I might be able to come up with.”

“Look, we probably wouldn’t be able to start an investigation into his case until the third, so that will give you a couple of days to think about it and make up your mind. Why don’t you call me on the second and let me know what you decide.”

“You ARE still planning to be there tomorrow night, though? Aren’t you?” I pressed.

“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she assured me. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again, but I’d prefer not to spend the night talking shop. I’m looking forward to having some fun then. I’ve even set my dancing shoes out, if you don’t mind cutting the rug with me once in a while. We can wait to discuss this matter further on the second and then you can tell me what you’ve decided.”

“Deal, and I’ll bring my dancing shoes too,” I added, to let her know she wasn’t the only one planning on having a little fun that evening. “I’m looking forward to taking a spin or two around the dance floor with you too.” Sally giggled like a schoolgirl before we said our good-byes. I really did like Sally, just not in a sexual way, but I certainly wouldn’t mind dancing with her. After all, some of the boys had invited dates and I’m sure they, Steve and Mary Shay, Patrick and Brenda O’Hara, Mike and Julie Lawrence, Howard and Audrey Curtis (Jay’s parents, who were joining us too), John and Margaret Spence and many of the other patrons there will also be on the dance floor. Why not let my hair down a little, so to speak?

When the boys came back in, we settled in and spent the rest of the day together. We all spent time with Brent, getting to know him better and making him feel comfortable, while making sure we didn’t ignore our other guests either. Over the course of the day, my older children started showing up again and their sons were just as happy to see them as the rest of us.

That evening we had a relaxed family dinner at home, since tomorrow we’d be going out and painting the town. Everyone seemed fine with that and it gave us a little more time to spend together and do whatever we wished.

The next day seemed to pass by quickly, not only because of the anticipation of the festivities ahead, but it was also the real start to the new millennium. Sure, most people welcomed the year 2000 that way, but they were wrong. That was actually the final year of the old millennium, since the first year was the year one, not the year zero.

As the afternoon rolled around, I suggested that everyone take a little nap, in order to make sure no one got tired and fell asleep before we welcomed in the New Year. Although not everyone was thrilled about this idea, especially my grandsons, we all did it anyway, including all of the adults. It was a nice change, before the hectic activities of the evening began.

Once the boys woke up from their naps, I started having them get cleaned up, as it was going to take a while to get everyone through the showers. Brent was surprised that I was taking everyone out to celebrate, because he assumed we’d entertain ourselves at home, since he thought it would cost too much to go someplace with this many people. However, after learning we weren’t going to let the cost stop us from having a good time, he became excited about the prospect, since he’d never celebrated New Year’s anywhere but at his home before. Some of the boys were going to lend him the clothes he would need for tonight, since he didn’t bring anything of that nature with him, so he anxiously headed upstairs with them to get ready.

Of course, I had already suspected who might make the first move on him and I was right. Almost immediately, Nick asked him if he wanted to shower with him and Kevin, using the large shower in the upstairs bathroom. I think this initially shocked Brent, until he was told that the boys often took showers together to save time, so he accepted. I don’t think Kevin knew anything about the offer until he found Brent in the bathroom with them, getting undressed. He told me later that Brent wasn’t self-conscious at all and added that Brent had a cute circumcised dick.

Our reservations at the restaurant were for 6:00 and we didn’t want to be late. Once we finished eating, we would go from there to the hotel ballroom to spend the remainder of the night. Over my mild objections, Mr. Spence and Mr. Lawrence insisted they weren’t going to let me pay for the entire evening on my own, so we finally agreed to split both bills three ways. I thought it was extremely kind and generous of them to be willing to do that and I could tell they each felt it was extremely important that they share the expense.

The restaurant employees were very gracious when we arrived and the owner wasn’t worried about losing money with us taking up a whole dining room by ourselves. They knew how the boys could pack away the food and that I always made sure to not only cover the bill, but added a generous gratuity as well, especially whenever they catered to us this way. They also knew we wouldn’t tie the room up for any longer than necessary, which kept everyone happy. That and the excellent meals we had eaten there previously made this our favorite spot to entertain.

As always, the food was great, the conversation pleasant and all of the adults finally got to meet some of the boys’ girlfriends. Even Danny and Brandon had brought their dates, but they looked far from being ecstatic about the situation. This led Brent to start asking me questions about various boys, but I quickly informed him we’d discuss those types of things later, in the privacy of our home. Somewhat disappointed, he did let it drop, and went to hang with Kevin, Nick, Trey, Dion, Cole and Graham.

The Lawrences had picked up Carlos again, although this time his mother couldn’t join us, as she had to return to work before we could take them back. Throughout the night, Carlos shifted back and forth between the group Brent was with and Pat and his date. I knew he still felt closest to Pat, out of all of my sons, but he didn’t want to become a third wheel and upset Pat either. Therefore, he’d visit with them for as long as he dared and then he’d go back to rejoin the other group for a while.

Nicky and Jordan, my grandsons, spent most of the evening with their parents, since their folks decided the other boys didn’t need the little ones interfering with their good time. However, I think each of the boys went over and spent part of their evening with their nephews, keeping them happy and entertaining them long enough so their older siblings could also have some time alone and with each other too. Even the boys with girlfriends spent time with the little ones and I think the girls feel in love with those two little imps and were touched to see the tender sides of their dates. It all seemed to work out fairly well and everyone seemed happy.

Sammy and Andrew spent the evening staying close to their grandparents, who had also agreed to come with us for the festivities. Although this whole holiday scene was a drastic change for them, they wanted to be part of it and see what we did. I think it was also so they could spend more time with their grandsons. Sammy and Andrew never left them alone for very long, even when some of the adults were trying to get to know the Yamadas better. I think that the grandparents were very appreciative of Sammy and Andrew’s attentiveness and the respect they were showing them by staying by their side.

Cole and Graham also had more than one hat to fill. They often left the other boys they were hanging out with, so they could also spend time alone with the Spences. This pleased John and Margaret to no end, knowing that pair felt a special bond to them, and they happily took the boys under their wings. It was very touching to watch them together and I knew all four of them were getting something important out of that relationship.

Brent also came over to spend some time with Sally or me, but it was apparent that he was quickly becoming inseparable with Nick, Kevin, Dion and Trey. I don’t know what bound that group together, other than their sexual orientation, but I don’t think it was based solely on physical attraction or sexual desires. Somehow, I think the boys discovered something else in common and I was relieved to see Brent wasn’t being left out in the cold, especially after what he’d just gone through at home.

During the evening, I not only danced with Sally, but also took time to partner up with Mary Shay, Margaret Spence, Brenda O’Hara, Audrey Curtis, Julie Lawrence, my daughters and daughter-in-law. Not only that, but I even danced with Sammy and Andrew’s grandmother, while Sally danced with their grandfather. Since they weren’t used to this type of dancing, we made sure to do it when the band played a slow song and then we just kind of rocked back and forth in time to the music with them. They seemed to enjoy it and even danced with each other after that.

I also asked my daughters and daughter-in-law if they would be willing to ask Mark to dance too, a request that each seemed more than eager to comply with. At first, I think Mark was a little concerned about their husbands’ reactions concerning this, but once he discovered they were cool with the idea, he let himself go. I think he enjoyed being able to do something other than sit around and chat with the boys, but I also noticed he later asked some the other women with us to join him for a whirl around the dance floor.

The boys danced some of the dances with their dates, but the couples spent a lot of time huddled together at one end of the table just talking and carrying on like typical teens. After I finished one of my dances, I happened to notice that Trey and Dion were not with the rest of their group, but didn’t immediately worry about not seeing them. I figured they had either gone to the restroom together or out to get a breath of fresh air. I let their absence pass for several more minutes, but when they didn’t return, I thought I’d better check and see what they were up to.

When I inquired as to their whereabouts, the other three weren’t sure where they had gone, since neither of them had said anything. Beginning to panic, I looked around the room again, but still didn’t locate them. Seeing I needed to head to the men’s room anyway, I figured I’d check to see if they were there, and when I didn’t see them taking care of other needs there, I did start to become more than a little concerned. This was a holiday and there were a lot of people about, and my anxiety increased thinking about what types of things might happen to them. After all, we’d had one such incident with Andrew already.

Still trying to remain calm, I began walking the perimeter of the room, to see if I could locate them. I looked at everyone and checked everyplace I could. I was nearly finished with my walk about the ballroom when the band started playing another slow tune, and that’s when I noticed some movement behind a curtain covering one of the archways leading to another area. I wasn’t sure what was behind there, so I cautiously peeked through a small gap where the curtains had been pulled together. As I peered through to the other side, I discovered Trey and Dion were using this small alcove as their own, private ballroom. They were slowly swaying to the music, with their cheeks pressed against each other and their eyes closed, enjoying something they felt wasn’t allowed in public. They were using the curtain to block others from seeing what they were up to and enjoying the privacy this small area afforded them.

I sneaked away from there before either of them noticed my presence, content with what I saw. I thought it best to let them enjoy their time alone and not intrude on this tender moment. While slipping away, I thought back upon the conversations I had with Trey previously, when he’d complained about not being able to go to the school dances with Dion. I guess he had finally found his own solution to that problem and I was happy for them.

Quietly, I slipped back and rejoined the others, but was soon being asked by Sally to take another turn around the dance floor. I guess it never crossed my mind before, but Sally’s career took up most of her life, so she never had much time left over for a husband or family. However, I could tell by her enthusiasm that she still needed companionship from time to time and a chance to let loose and have some fun. I danced the next several dances with her and the boys couldn’t keep from making comments about our ‘old-fashion’ style of dancing. We waltzed during some of the slower dances and did the jitterbug (or Lindy) during the more spirited tunes, and I must admit we moved quite well together. The boys did confide to us later that we were pretty good at it, while also suggesting it was time to step out of the Stone Age and learn something more modern. We thanked them for their compliment and advice, before acknowledging that each of them did all right out there too.

As midnight neared, we all grouped together around our tables, ready to whoop it up and wish each other a Happy New Year. Excitedly, we all joined in the big countdown, loudly shouting out as the last few seconds ticked away. Once midnight arrived, we used our noisemakers and threw streamers and confetti over each other, before walking around to greet everyone individually, and exchange kisses and/or hugs. Even Sammy and Andrew’s grandparents got into the spirit of things and would bow and then hug the person, before kissing them on both cheeks. I guess they were combining several traditions at once.

We stayed around for another hour or so, before we decided to head home. Having taken various vehicles this evening, since there were too many of us to fit into just one or two, we didn’t have to wait for each other before leaving. I chauffeured the boys who had to drop their dates off at their own houses. Once we stopped at each location, the rest of us would wait quietly in the van, while the boy and his date said their good-byes. Some of them were very quick about it, while others took quite a lot longer. While I was waiting for Pat, I concluded it was a good thing I had driven this group, so none of our guests would have to sit idly throughout this procedure. Eventually, we dropped the last girl off and I took the rest of us home.

By the time we arrived there, most of the boys were already asleep on the floor of the living room, but Brent was sitting on the sofa-bed, waiting for my arrival. As I walked into the room, he came over, hugged me and thanked me for the great time. He said his parents had never taken him out for New Year’s before, or hardly any other times either. He said that if his parents did go out, they left him at home with a sitter or shipped him off to a friend’s house. He then expressed that this was the greatest New Year’s he’d ever had and he hoped the rest of the year would be as wonderful. Even though I don’t think he did it intentionally, I felt I was getting backed into a corner about letting him stay with us. How could I send him somewhere else now?

I went into the bathroom, used the toilet and brushed my teeth, and he was still waiting for me when I came back out. He asked me if he could sleep with me again, or if he should just sleep on the floor with the boys, so I told him he could choose whichever he wanted to do – it was entirely up to him. Without hesitating, he quickly threw back the covers, hopped into bed and waited for me to get in beside him, before he pulled the covers over us. He boldly sidled up against me, as I settled in, and was soon sleeping and drooling on my chest. It was cute, but slightly uncomfortable with that small pool of moisture collecting over my heart. I wasn’t about to move him though, as he was enjoying a little fatherly attention, so I just folded back a portion of the sheet and stretched it toward me, so I could wipe off the mess. He was still cuddled up against me like that when I awoke the next morning.

Later New Year’s Day, some of the guests began to leave. The Lawrences were the first to depart, and they took Carlos back home, as they went to the airport to catch their flight. The Spences left next, and they offered to give Sammy and Andrew’s grandparents a ride to catch their flight. Mr. Spence had again rented a car and driver and it just so happened they were both flying out of the same airport. Since the two older couples had become close to each other during their stay, it was only logical that the Yamadas agreed to join them. Before they were on their way, however, they got numerous kisses and hugs from my entire family. Cole and Graham were especially distraught about the Spences having to return home, as were Sammy and Andrew at seeing their grandparents’ visit come to an end, so each of these boys said lengthy farewells to the adults, before it was time for them to depart.

Elizabeth and Tim left next, but the other two couples stayed on, since Michael and Adrian didn’t want to miss the football games. My oldest son and son-in-law were big sports fans, so they had taken an extra couple of days off from work as well, so they also could enjoy the late game and still be rested enough to make the drive home. When it got close to game time, the other boys and I went in to join them.

Over the course of the day, the boys with girlfriends spent some of their time on the phone, discussing the previous evening and talking about upcoming events, including returning to school. Frankie now had a girlfriend too and I couldn’t get over how different he was now, compared to when he had first come to live with us. In fact, he now went out of his way to do things with the other boys, especially Trey and the younger ones, and he loved his role as ‘uncle’ to my grandsons.

Trey and Dion were like two love-struck puppy dogs, following each other around constantly, and everyone just instinctively left them alone. I never told them I saw them dancing the night before, since I didn’t wish to spoil that precious memory for them by letting them know they had been discovered. I felt if they wanted me to know they’d tell me later, but until that time, I’d just leave them with their little secret.

Whenever they grew bored with the football games, the other boys would go off and entertain themselves. They would do all sorts of things, which included going outside, playing board games, or using their hand-held games or the computers, and the day passed by all too quickly. After the last game ended, we all decided it was time for bed. After saying goodnight to everyone, including my older sons and Mark, I checked the house before turning in.

That night, I had my bedroom back for the first time since the holidays had begun. When I opened the door to my room, there was Brent sitting naked on my bed. It appeared as if he had just taken a quick shower and hadn’t gotten dressed yet. I apologized and started to back out of the room, but he told me to not be silly and come on in, adding that he didn’t mind if I saw him without his clothes on. He told me now that I was going to be his father, it didn’t bother him at all. I made another mental note that he referred to me as his father and realized I would have to find another situation for him soon or accept the fact that I had a new boarder. He didn’t seem to be modest at all, since he took his time drying himself off and managed to give me a good show as he did so. After he put on his underwear, he crawled under the covers and made himself comfortable. Eventually, I stripped down to my underwear and crawled in beside him.

We talked for a while before we went to sleep, and I found out a great deal more about him. Brent’s surname was Alexander and he told me that his parents had never been very affectionate with him. They were always more concerned about each other and their friends than they were with him, so that’s why they didn’t have any more children. It was sad they felt that way, but it probably worked out for the best, since no one other than Brent had to suffer because of it.

Over the next several minutes, we discussed the topic of his being gay and he announced he first realized he was attracted to boys in 5th grade. It happened when his class went on a weeklong nature campout and the boys had to take showers in a large shower room with each other. He told me he got so excited seeing all those other naked boys that he was hard most of the time. He said it was okay, because some of the other boys got hard too, but he said nothing like that had happened when he’d done the old ‘show and tell’ thing with some girls from his neighborhood. After that, all he could think about was naked boys.

One of the other boys from the campout took a chance and approached him a couple of weeks later, asking Brent to sleep over at his house. After he arrived, they went up to play in the boy’s bedroom and they started talking about the nature camp. They both admitted they saw each other get hard in the shower and then his friend asked if he wanted to see if it would happen again. Brent agreed, so they both stripped quickly and were soon parading around in only the clothing God gave them. As soon as they looked at each other’s naked bodies, they were sprouted miniature wood, before suffering from a case of the giggles.

After a while, they got up the courage to touch each other’s penis and play with it, but then they got nervous that they’d get caught, so they got dressed again. They played like ordinary friends until bedtime and then they stripped down to their underwear and got into bed together. After they were sure his mother wasn’t coming back to check on them, they removed their underwear and began to play around with each other’s small package some more. They kept it up, on and off all night, doing it one more time the next morning.

Over the next couple of years, these two got together as much as possible. Often they would invite different boys to join them, to see if they could get them to participate in these little games with them. Sometimes they’d be successful and sometimes they weren’t. If they were, they’d all strip, fondle each other and maybe do some mutual masturbation. That was all that Brent had ever done, not yet having tried oral or anal sex. He had just discovered a story site a couple of weeks before his secret was divulged and the proverbial shit hit the fan. We pretty much knew the story from that point on, but he did tell me once again how happy he was that we stopped to pick him up and that he knew he was going to love living here – because he already did. Oh, damn. There it was again. Every day it was getting more and more difficult to think about sending him somewhere else. I wonder if that’s why he kept doing this?

Eventually, I just gave up on the idea, because I felt it might destroy the poor kid if he had to go. He’d just survived one traumatic situation, so how could I make him think he wasn’t wanted here either? He told me so many times how much he liked living here and having me for a dad, so I concluded it wasn’t in me to break his heart again. Later, I met with some of the older boys, in private, so we could try to figure out how we were going to handle adding one more to our brood. That’s when Frankie came up with an excellent suggestion.

Although I had never considered it before, Frankie suggested we could add some bedrooms in the attic, as that was just wasted space right now. I wondered why I had never considered anything like that previously, but concluded it was because we seldom used the attic for anything other than storage. Excited about the prospect, I went straight to the phone and called my contractor. He didn’t answer, so I left him a message, and once I hung up, I called Sally and told her Brent would be staying. She was a little concerned about this sudden announcement, until I told her what we were going to do. After hearing my plans, she laughed and joked about needing to make hotel reservations to stay at our place now.

As we continued to talk, the call waiting beep sounded, so I bid her good-bye and answered the call from my contractor. He said he could be there tomorrow, if that was good for me, since things happened to be a little slow for him after the holidays. It looked as if this was going to work out perfectly.