The Castaway Hotel - 4 - 7. Chapter 7 - Many Changes

My contractor arrived the next morning and we discussed what I wanted to do. He immediately went up to survey the area thoroughly, checked the roof supports and took the appropriate measurements, before informing me he would work up a proposal and a few rough sketches, and then bring them by for me to look over the next day. I told him that would be fine, but I was surprised he could do all of that so quickly, before he teased it was only because I was such a good customer.

True to his word, he came back with the diagrams and prices the next day. He said we’d have to add a permanent stairway to the attic, but we should also leave the drop down ladder for emergency use. He concluded he would be able put three small bedrooms and a full bath in the attic, plus he’d include a storage area for the things we generally kept up there. He told me he’d make sure each bedroom had one window and he’d put a skylight in the bathroom, to make it a bit brighter. I quickly okayed the plans, so he said he’d pick up or order what he needed that afternoon and start work the next day.

I met with all of the boys later that day and explained what would be going on. Brent was excited because he thought we were doing all of this just for him, which in a way we were, but it would also help out at other times. Frankie and Pat each said they’d like to move into one of the new bedrooms, once they were completed, so I told them that would be fine. I gave Brent the choice of Frankie or Pat’s old rooms, or the third new bedroom in the attic, and he quickly decided he’d take the other new bedroom, so things were set on that front. It would take a couple of weeks to complete everything, so everyone would stay where they were for the time being.

During that same week, Danny and Brandon broke up with their girlfriends. They both told me that they were doing this for several reasons. First, they didn’t enjoy going out with them. Second, they thought they were being unfair to the girls by deceiving them and thought it was time to end the charade. Last, they felt they had to be who they were and didn’t care any more who knew about them. They figured they only had about a year and a half left at the high school and then they’d be going off to college, where no one would know them. Even though they weren’t planning to attend the same college, they couldn’t see any reason why they shouldn’t enjoy themselves now. They wouldn’t go announcing any of this at school, but they would no longer put up a front just to deflect criticism or abuse.

Somehow Mark had overheard our conversation and now realized, for the first time, that those two boys were gay. I guess he had never thought about it or considered the idea before. However, none of us were aware he knew about this fact, at least not until Mark stopped to talk to the boys one night. He went to their bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Hi, guys. May I come in for a second?” he asked, and they told him ‘sure,’

The three of them spent a few awkward moments just looking at each other and wondering what was up, before Mark shut the door and went over and sat on the bed next to them. “I overheard you guys talking to Pop earlier,” he explained. “I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but I did hear what you told him. I didn’t know you guys were gay.”

Danny and Brandon looked at each other, the shock of Mark’s announcement registering on their faces, and then they looked back at him. “Does that bother you?” Danny asked him.

“Heck, no,” Mark told them. “I like you guys because of who you are, not because of who you like. Even though I’m not gay, it doesn’t mean I can’t have gay friends.”

You could hear a collective sigh from the two boys when Mark said this, and then Brandon spoke to him. “I’m glad you feel that way. We didn’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” Mark assured them. “Heck, if it weren’t for the two of you, I’d never have been invited to join you on that trip and Pop would never have offered me the summer job and done all this other stuff for me. I owe you both big-time and nothing could ever make me feel any differently about you.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to both of us,” Danny told him. “You’re a really cool guy and we both like having you as a friend. I’m glad you’re not homophobic.”

Mark chuckled. “Nope, no way. I don’t mind if you love another guy, it just leaves more girls for me to choose from.” They had a quick chuckle over his comment, before Mark put them on the spot with his next comment. “You guys didn’t happen to have a crush on me that first time, did you? Is that why you were so nice?” Mark was still grinning, but the boys weren’t sure how to respond to him.

“Well, you are really good looking,” Brandon answered, “and we might have been hoping you were gay too, but we wouldn’t have tried anything if you weren’t.”

“I didn’t mean that in a negative way,” he announced, to ease their concerns. “I was just wondering. In fact, I guess I might even be flattered that you were interested.” Mark let out a healthy guffaw after admitting that. “Whatever the reason you started talking to me and invited me to go with you, I’m still thankful and glad that you did. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your secret and I won’t treat you any differently.”

“Thanks, Mark,” Danny told him, sincerely, “I’m glad we did too. I’m also relieved you know about us now, because that makes it a whole lot easier. We wanted to tell you before, but we didn’t know how you’d react.”

“That’s okay. I understand where you’re coming from,” he confirmed. “So, are you two boyfriends?”

“Yeah, we have been for a very long time.”

“Hey, that’s great. You two do look good together and you do seem to like each other a lot.”

“We love each other,” Brandon corrected him, “and we plan to be together always.”

“Good for you,” Mark told them. “I hope you’re always as happy or happier than you are now.” The boys smiled at him and everything was cool. “Are any of your brothers gay too?”

“Yeah,” Danny responded. “Some are gay, some might be bi and some are straight. The thing is, none of us really cares who is which way.”

“That’s cool. I guess I kind of suspected that Trey and Dion might be gay,” Mark added. “They tend to stare at each other a lot and get these strange expressions on their face when they do. I actually think they’re cute together, but they better be more careful around other people, if they don’t want someone else to figure it out. If I noticed it, then it must be pretty obvious. I don’t usually pick up on things like that, because I don’t care one way or the other, but I’m sure there are others who do.”

“Yeah, and we do tend to worry about guys who think like that,” Danny admitted. “Not because we’re scared, but because they tend to be cowards and attack in packs, like wolves. You hardly ever see one of those guys go at it alone. They generally need three or more to attack one gay guy. Must be they’re afraid we might kick their asses.” He chuckled nervously after he said that, but everyone understood his point.

“I guess I never thought about it like that before,” Mark told him, “but you’re right. Every case I’ve heard of, the attackers either outnumbered their victims or had weapons. And they claimed the fags are wimps…” he stopped after saying that, knowing he had misspoken and possibly used a term he shouldn’t have.

“That’s okay, Mark,” Danny assured him. “We even use that word, just not very often. I only wish there were more open-minded people like you in this world, and then we wouldn’t have to worry about what we said or how we said it.” They all agreed on this point and then sat around and chatted about other things until it was time to go to bed. They parted happy and feeling better now that things were out in the open. Not only that, but they had all learned a little more about each other in the process.

By the second week after New Year’s, Sally and her friend had talked Brent’s parents into giving up legal custody of him. In order to accomplish this, they cut a deal with them and reduced the child abandonment and neglect charges to something less severe and agreed they would recommend they be sentenced to do community service, instead of jail time. At first they were going to fight it, but when they realized they were most likely going to lose anyway, they took the less severe option. Baltimore D.F.C.S. transferred the case to Sally’s jurisdiction, so she could legally place Brent with us. He was jumping all around when she told him the news, and then he hugged us both, before telling us he never doubted we’d be able to do this for him.

Once he began to settle down, he then asked me if this meant I had adopted him. I told him that would take some additional time, but for now I was his legal guardian. He seemed satisfied with that, although he had managed to leave me no doubt about what he wanted. While he never came out and said so, the impression was clear and both Sally and I had picked up on it.

Mark spent most his time during the two weeks after the holidays working with his mentor and learning the intricacies of the accounts. He was also informed about the criteria for determining which investments were chosen and how the money was split up. A certain percentage was kept in a money-market account, so checks could be cut as needed, but the rest was split up and invested somewhat conservatively. Part of it was invested in bonds, preferred stocks and utilities, to generate income and be fairly negotiable, while the rest was invested in various stocks, which offered medium to long-term growth.

Mark’s name was listed on each of these accounts, as a legal financial representative of the charity, and he was given a couple of them to handle personally. The only stipulation was that he couldn’t make any changes in the account without getting approval from his mentor first. He could just type him an email, stating his proposal, with a detailed explanation and justification for what he thought it would do to benefit the Foundation. His boss would then accept, modify or reject his proposal. If he rejected it, he would state his reasons and possibly give an alternative suggestion, so Mark could learn from it. Mark liked this arrangement and eagerly dove into his work. He could continue serving in this capacity while away at school, so I supplied him with a high-powered computer and fax/scanner/printer, as well as picking up the cost for him to have a phone line installed in his room. He would also get a monthly stipend for his efforts, so he could either give up or cut back his hours at the restaurant.

Just before Mark was scheduled to leave, the contractor had also finished the job of upgrading the attic and had given everyone the grand tour of the new area. There were three bedrooms, each of which would soon be furnished with a bed, dresser and desk, besides having more than ample closet space. The bathroom had a fairly large shower stall, which could easily accommodate two boys at once, a toilet, sink and a couple of cabinets to store the essentials. There was also a separate door leading into the storage area and the whole renovation had turned out fantastic.

I informed Frankie, Pat and Brent that I’d called the furniture store and their bedroom sets would be delivered the next afternoon, after we returned from dropping Mark off at the airport. I had previously been informed that it had arrived at the furniture store, since we had ordered it all when the contractor started work, so they had just been waiting to hear when they could bring it by. This meant those boys could sleep in their new rooms the next night, which made them happy, so they started planning how they were going to arrange everything.

That evening, Brent slept with me for the final time. I thought he’d be all excited about moving into his new room, but he seemed a little sad. When I asked him what was wrong, he looked down before he answered. “I don’t want you to think I’m being selfish or anything, but I really like sleeping with you. My dad never even told me he loved me and would never have let me sleep with him or hugged me like you do. I guess I don’t want that to end.”

“It doesn’t have to,” I tried to reassure him. “You can join me anytime you’re feeling lonely or need some special attention. The other boys do that from time to time as well.”

“But I also don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate what you’ve done for me,” he continued, letting me know there was more. “You went and had all those bedrooms added because I didn’t have a room to stay in, but I really don’t want to be all alone again.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” I responded. “Believe me, one thing that will never happen in this house is that you will be all alone… that is unless, you want to be.”

He smiled at that comment and came over and hugged me, so I kissed him on the forehead and hugged him back. He pulled back and looked at me, then spoke again. “It’s just that when I’m with you, I know that you love me. I can feel it when you kiss my forehead or hold me in your arms. Nobody has done that to me, except my mother, but that was only when I was little. Even she hasn’t done it for a few years now. I just feel so special at night when you hold me that way.”

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way,” I assured him. “Like I told you, you can come to me anytime, but I can hold you and be affectionate at other times too, like when we’re watching TV or a video, or when we’re just sitting around relaxing. You can come to me whenever you want and I’ll make sure to show you just how much you’re loved.”

Brent blushed a little; possibly because he suspected I thought he was begging for attention, but I assured him I felt the same way about him. He smiled again and we got into bed. He snuggled up against me one more time, so I kissed him on the top of his head and said good night. He merely turned his head, so he could see my face, and then whispered, ‘Night, Dad’. I guess I wasn’t totally surprised by that, so I didn’t make a big deal of it, before he situated himself in his favorite position, with his head just above my heart, and fell asleep.

The next day, it was time for Mark to leave and return to college. He was a little sad about leaving us, but it wasn’t totally bad. He was excited about his new job and the experience he’d be getting from it, but he also knew he’d be coming back to work here during the summer, so that tempered his disappointment about having to be separated from us once again.

I was a little surprised that all of the boys indicated they wanted to go and see him off, but I gave in and agreed we’d take the van so they could all go too. I had to wake them all early, because of the drive and Mark’s early departure time, but they all got up without too much grumbling. We stopped for a quick breakfast and then drove him to the airport in Baltimore. Everyone was a bit sad to see him leave, but understood he wouldn’t be gone for long, so they all hugged him, before he went to board his flight. I think that having all the boys see him off, and each of them hugging him before he was on his way, definitely let him know he was truly considered part of our family.

The rest of the month of January went by quickly and included two snow days. We all enjoyed an extra day off from school and the boys made the most of it, having snowball fights and building snowmen – which included some anatomy others generally left off, but the snowMEN were behind the house where hardly anyone else could see them. Brent continued to adjust to being with us, but still managed to find me for some special attention, from time-to-time.

During that same month, Kevin and Frankie took the written test for their permits. Both young men had studied really hard for this and passed it on their first try. They were both pretty proud when they came home and announced this fact to their brothers, knowing they were now on the way to getting their licenses. Although I told them I’d take them out to practice occasionally, their serious driving lessons wouldn’t begin until I took the others for their road test. They were mildly disappointed when I explained that wouldn’t be until late March or early April, depending on the weather, but accepted the inevitability and knew I’d keep my promise.

Those practicing for their road test were getting better all the time. I would even take them out to practice in snowy and icy conditions too, although only in the various parking lots, so they could learn how to handle the car in bad weather. I taught them about braking on slippery roads; how to handle it when your car started to fishtail and then I advised them on the little secrets for starting up on slippery surfaces. They got a real good lesson one day, totally by accident.

We were driving along in the van when I rounded a curve in the road and hit an icy patch. It was on a part of the road covered by shadows, which allowed the treacherous spot to remain on an otherwise dry surface. The back of the van started sliding one way and then the other, and I kept turning the steering wheel into the slide. Eventually I got the vehicle back under control and the kids started breathing again. After we had all regained our composure, we talked about what had happened, how I had done the things the way I had been trying to teach them and how it had corrected the problem. I think that was a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget.

As February began, three of the boys approached me with a problem. It was Danny, Dion and Nick. It seemed like a strange combination to me, but I sat down with them and listened to what they had to say. It seemed that Danny, being the oldest, had been selected spokesman for the trio. “Dad, we have something we’d like to do, but we don’t know how to pull it off,” he told me.

“Well, why don’t you tell me what it is you want to accomplish,” I replied, “and I’ll see if I can come up with some options for you.”

“It’s about Valentine’s Day, Dad,” Dion interrupted. “We want to plan a special date with our boyfriends, but we don’t know how to do it or where to go.”

“Well what kind of ideas do you have?” I asked, in order to flesh their idea out. “Was there something specific you wanted to do on this date?” The boys looked at each other.

“Well,” Danny began, “we thought a nice romantic dinner would be nice.”

“With dancing,” Dion added.

“And we’d give them cards and candy, or something like that,” Nick added. I was really surprised that Nick had become a romantic and got involved in something like this.

“Okay. I think I’ve got a good idea about what you want now, but would you give me a couple of days to consider your request?”

“Yeah, but don’t take too long,” Danny warned, before offering me a reminder. “Valentine’s Day is only a couple of weeks away and we haven’t got very much time to pull this off.”

“I know, and I promise not to take any longer than necessary,” I told him. “It’s just that I tend to come up with better ideas when I’ve been able to sleep on it.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Nick told me, replying for all of them. “Just let us know if you think of anything.”

I assured them I would and they left, satisfied that I’d figure something out for them. I thought about it the rest of the night, but only came up with a few vague ideas. I went to bed and was nearly asleep when everything came together in my mind. I got up and wrote down several notes, so I wouldn’t forget anything by morning, and then I’d discuss these ideas with the boys the following evening. I can’t be positive, but I think they’ll like what I came up with.