The Castaway Hotel - 5 - 10. Chapter 10 - New Beginnings

It was now early November and my recovery was proceeding extremely well. So well, in fact, that I even began to regret I had taken the early retirement offer. That was because Jake was working during the day and the boys were in school, so I was spending much too much time alone, trying to come up with ideas to fill up my days. Even though I had enjoyed the change at first and had enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with the boys, I now began to realize my once busy and hectic life had also been fulfilling.

Now, not only were the boys busy with their activities and not around as much as I’d have liked, but they had also basically reached the point where they were old enough to take care of themselves and each other and therefore didn’t rely on me as much as they once had. This wasn’t due to the fact that they no longer enjoyed my attention or didn’t care about me any longer, but more a result of the inevitable fact that they were growing up and becoming independent, as I always prayed they would. It was just that their growing self-reliance was leaving me with an expansive void in my life, which was something I was definitely uncomfortable about dealing with. I tried to maintain a positive approach and display a happy face when the boys or Jake were around, but most of the time I seemed saddled with long, inactive days and was forced to stave off severe bouts of depression. This only made me long, even more, to be roaming the halls of my school again.

During this same period, Dustin had been calling home on a fairly regular basis, just to tell me how his classes were going and to keep me informed about how he and his roommate were getting along. Frankie was also calling from time to time, to also keep me up to date about his roommate and how college life was treating him, but most of the time he was just letting me know what he was doing to help his roommate cope with the fact that he and his parents weren’t very close. Frankie hinted that this boy was becoming a little jealous of our close family’s ties and even admitted to Frankie, on several different occasions, that he wished he’d had a brother or two to help fill his emotional void. He even confided in Frankie that for many years he’d hoped his parents would become as concerned about him as he noticed I was about my sons, but now he reluctantly admitted he doubted this would ever happen.

It wasn’t because his parents hated him or each other, since everyone spoke civilly to each other when they were together and there was hardly any fighting, but he wanted more than that. Frankie’s roommate had concluded the biggest problem he was facing seemed to be that his parents were totally wrapped up in their own lives, especially their jobs, and this seemed to take precedence over whatever else was happening, which included his life. As he made his way through grade school and then high school, he’d hoped this would change, but it never did. Now, he was finally resigning himself to the fact that nothing of that nature would ever happen, although he was becoming more and more envious about what Frankie seemed to have, which was what he’d always wanted.

With Thanksgiving break rapidly approaching, Frankie wanted to know if he could invite his new friend to spend a part of that time with us. He said his roommate would spend Thanksgiving Day with his family, but the boy wanted to join us on Friday and spend the weekend here, before returning to college with Frankie on Sunday evening. I agreed, as long as it wasn’t a problem with his family, and I was immediately assured it was not. During a phone conversation, the young man explained that outside of that one day, his parents would become wrapped up in their own plans again and probably wouldn’t even notice he was gone. I felt sorry for him and that he was subjected to such a lack of affection. As far as I was concerned, no child should ever have to feel unwanted or unloved.

Before Thanksgiving arrived though, something else also began to develop, but this had to do with Graham’s psychic communication with Brent. It seemed to be getting more and more frequent, and whenever Brent would make contact, Graham would come to me afterward, so we could discuss what he had been shown. We would then put our heads together and try to decide what it meant, as some of his communiqués weren’t straightforward or easy to interpret. During this period, Brent would continually reminded Graham about the boy he wanted us to take in, but so far we had been unable to locate the young man he was telling us about. Even though I had shared the information we knew with Sally and then had her alert her contacts that we urgently seeking to locate the person fitting this description, still nothing had developed. It was at that point when Graham starting to receive other images from Brent, which added even more information that we had to decipher.

The first of these clues was the sense that some sort of a plane crash had been involved, but we weren’t sure if it meant that the boy had survived a crash or if the clue carried other significance. I privately wondered if this sign had anything to do with the 9/11 plane crashes, but didn’t suggest this to anyone else. Then Graham told me he also kept seeing a pair of crutches, so we began to conclude the boy had been injured in a plane crash and was now either temporarily or permanently disabled and relying on crutches to get around. We passed this additional information on to Sally, but still nothing developed, and we were all growing very perplexed.

Graham was also getting multiple images of Kevin, which we assumed meant that Brent still cared for Kevin and was letting us know he was watching over him. Kevin seemed pleased by this information, although his spirit would soon plummet after we told him this, because it also remind him that Brent was no longer around. I still wondered from time to time why God would allow bad things such as this to happen to good people, and Kevin’s repeated problems became an obsessive focal point for my concerns.

For a boy as young as he is, he’s had to endure far too many rotten breaks during his lifetime to be considered coincidence. It seemed to begin with his parents turning on him because he was gay and then throwing him out of his home, but after that Kevin had also been forced to deal with testicular cancer and the loss of one of his testicles, as well as having to cope with several failed relationships, none of which were his fault. The first of these had been with Dustin, and this break-up came about when Dustin decided he was actually straight and preferred to be with a girl. Kevin’s next relationship ended when Nick couldn’t commit himself to being with just one boy, and that one was followed by Kevin’s commitment to Brent, who was later killed in a vehicular mishap. What made it even more incomprehensible was that Kevin was a basically a great kid – smart, good-looking and eager to please, so why had so many bad breaks darkened his few years of life? I certainly had no explanation for this and would occasionally wonder if I was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.

Shortly after Graham told Kevin about Brent’s message, Graham also began to get a barrage of images that we finally concluded must be related somehow to the boy he was telling us about. During this time, Graham was bombarded with glimpses of the Bunker Hill Monument and the Minute Man statue, and then he would see President Kennedy, followed by a map of Massachusetts. We finally concluded these were meant to direct us to the state of Massachusetts, maybe even more directly to its capital, so I surmise that might be the area where we would find this elusive young man. I asked Sally if she had any contacts in the Boston area, and she confirmed she did have one, so I asked her to call that person to see if these clues might help us locate this boy. Sally agreed, so Graham and I sat back and waited to see if anything developed as a result of these new leads.

When Thanksgiving arrived, we had a house full of people, as usual, and I was very grateful for this. The holidays have always held special significance for me, mostly due to the fact that it was a time when we had all of our loved ones and friends gathered around us, and this year was not going to be an exception to that rule. Whatever depression I had been struggling with was now only a vague recollection, as I reveled in being surrounded by those I loved. All of my children had returned home for the feast this year and brought my grandchildren with them, which included my new granddaughter. This also helped to make the time especially enjoyable for the rest of us, but more precisely for me.

My only regret about Thanksgiving was that everyone tried to pamper me and kept me from doing anything they thought was too strenuous. In reality, what they collectively ended up doing was keeping me from performing the normal functions I enjoyed so much and took away a share of my pleasure. In the end, however, there was so much going on during this time that I needn’t have worried about feeling left out or being deprived of enjoying those minor tasks, as I spent those extra moments with my grandchildren instead. In the end, this Thanksgiving turned out to be a very special one and a day filled with many surprises.

It all began when my older children started to arrive with their families. They filtered in throughout Wednesday evening and the boys quickly doubled and tripled up in other rooms, in order to open up places for them to stay. My daughters and daughter-in-law quickly took charge of the meal preparations, telling me to go relax and enjoy the grandchildren, which I eventually did. In the end, it was a fun-filled evening, during which we carried on numerous conversations, played a vast assortment of games and just made the most of spending quality time with each other. I was really tired out and ready for bed when the time came, since my grandchildren had been full of energy and drained me of most of my strength, while trying to keep up with them.

As each of my children and their families arrived, I made it a point to re-introduce them to Jake. Although they had met him after the funeral, and then saw him later at the hospital while I was recovering, I was afraid they might have forgotten who he was. Therefore, I thought it best to go over this formality again, but I elected to keep the extent and particulars of our relationship unspoken. I merely reminded them he was a close friend and had been helping to take some of the household burden from me while I was recuperating, which instantly elevated his status in their eyes. With deep-felt gratitude, they thanked Jake for everything he had done, but then added that it was nice to know the two of us had such a strong friendship and they appreciated the fact he was willing to give up his free time to assist me. Jake assured them it wasn’t a problem, and he knew I’d have done the same for him, which my older children automatically agreed with.

Jake even went so far as to spend the evening sharing a room with his son, Shannon, so as not to raise any questions about our sleeping together. I also gave up my room to my son, his wife and my granddaughter, while I spent the evening in with Kevin. Kevin had actually suggested this arrangement, as he was suddenly feeling a little lonely again. He explained to me that he’d always seemed to feel a little better whenever we were together and it would also help to distract him and make him forget about the reason he was alone. By the time we were ready to go to sleep, he cuddled up against me, like a little kitten would with its mother, and we drifted off to sleep.

My younger son spent the evening in the family room, on the sleeper sofa, joined by my two grandsons. The pair loved their oldest uncle, but didn’t get to see him very often, since he lived so far away, so over the course of the evening they managed to talk their parents into letting them sleep with him for the night. Their parents told Robert he was nuts and wouldn’t get any sleep with that duo, but he said he would be fine and would stay on the sofa until noon, if that’s what it took to get enough rest. That comment was quickly followed by taunts from his siblings about it being exactly what he’d done throughout high school and college, both on weekends and during vacations, so he merely replied that old habits died hard. All and all, though, we eventually found a space for every individual and each of them seemed glad to be home for the holiday.

The following morning, everyone was scurrying around getting ready and helping with those last minute details. By the time the other guests began to arrive, all of the preparations were pretty much completed. Sally was the first of the others to arrive, but she quickly explained she’d arrived early intentionally, so we’d have time to talk first. She then informed me that she had received a phone call late the previous day, just before she left work, and her associate in Massachusetts informed her that she thought she had located the boy from the clues. Before she told me about him, Sally indicated that she thought this boy might be a bit too much for me to handle at this time, as he had some special problems that would need to be taken into account. She emphasized, considering my recent health problems and all, I might consider it best for both of us if someone other than myself was left to deal with this young man. I told her I wanted to hear about him first, before I made any decision, and she reluctantly agreed to tell me what she knew.

The boy, she began, lives just outside of Boston, in a community called Peabody, and both of his parents were now deceased. They had died on a flight originating in Boston, on a plane that had been used as one of the flying bombs on 9/11. This, she added, was probably the reason Graham had seen plane crashes as one of his clues. At first I questioned this explanation in my mind, as Graham had seen his first images before 9/11, but I finally concluded that those on the other side might not see time the same way we do. Therefore, this would allow them, in this case Brent, to relay information not yet available to the rest of us. Sally then went on to explain that his parents had been on their way to the west coast, because the husband was going back for a second interview, which could lead to him getting a much better job. The husband had decided to take his wife along with him this time, so she would be able to check out the area and they might also do some preliminary house hunting. Unfortunately, they never made it.

After this, Sally went on to tell me that the boy had no other living relatives, since his grandparents had all passed away and his only uncle had been killed during a robbery in Boston a few years before. The uncle had been shopping at either the wrong place or doing it at the wrong time, when he caught a bullet from one of the robber’s weapons. Next, she went on to explain the reasons she thought this boy might be too much for me to deal with, considering my current condition. First, he would be dealing with the trauma of losing his parents and coping with being totally alone. Second, he had hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, which meant he had some physical limitations as well. I quickly realized this was probably also the reason Brent had been shown Graham the crutches.

Sally wasn’t shy about letting me know she thought my intentions were honorable, but this time I would most likely be biting off more than I could chew. I told her I appreciated her concerns, but wanted time to research his disability first, and then meet with him in person, before I made a final decision. I told her I would appreciate it if she could arrange for him to come for a visit, so we could chat and I could evaluate his situation for myself. Sally didn’t immediately agree to this, and it took all of my charm to persuade her, but after some verbal give and take she finally relented. This give and take had consisted of a series of questions and responses concerning various possible scenarios either of us could come up with about what I’d be facing if I brought the young man to live with us, but Sally eventually gave in and said she would do as I asked, after we’d covered all of the bases.

Once we had reached this compromise, I also confirmed I would pay for his entire trip, so her department wouldn’t have to be involved financially in any way. Sally then told me she’d get back to me the following week, to let me know what she had been able to accomplish, and I thanked her for her continuing help and support and then we went out to rejoin the others.

After the last of our visitors had arrived, we sat down to dinner. As is the custom in our home, we then went around the table, well actually tables, and had each person tell us at least one thing he was thankful for. Other than the usual responses, there were a couple that stood out, at least in my mind. The first such blessing to catch my attention was Shannon’s. First, he told us he was thankful for his father, since he was the one person who stood by him and supported him through his roughest times. It was also very touching when he said that after his mother had basically told the both of them that she no longer wanted anything to do with either of them, which had crushed and deeply hurt him. He told us that his father had helped him through this rough period, but it got instantly better after they’d met our family and had now become a part of it. He said it was very nice to be included in a real family and to feel loved and wanted by someone other than his father. After that, he added that instead of being an only child, he now felt as if he had many brothers and two dads. He finished by telling us that we might not be able to appreciate how much all of this meant to him, but the boys assured him they did.

Although he had almost spilled the beans concerning Jake’s and my relationship, I think my older children merely appreciated the sincerity in which he offered his comments and brushed off his mention about having two dads. I think they looked at it in the light that they were now living under our roof, so he thought of me as being like a dad to him too, although his father and he shared a room upstairs. I wasn’t really sure how they’d handle it, if they knew the truth, so I was glad they had accepted his comments in the manner they did.

The next surprise came from my younger daughter, when she announced she was thankful she was going to have a baby the following May. This came as a total surprise to all of us, including her husband. She had waited for this moment to spring her surprise, so she could tell the whole family at once. Needless to say, this led to much discussion and celebration, although we all had to laugh at Tim’s response. Once his wife made her announcement, he shot straight out of his seat and nearly hit his head on the dining room ceiling, before racing over to hug his wife. I think some of them are hoping this turned out to be another granddaughter and a playmate for Megan, so they would be able to help each other survive dealing with the unending horde of males and overabundant supply of testosterone.

The final surprise of the day came from Frankie, when he thanked all of us for helping him turn his life around and do something with it, which included going to college. He said that even though he had begun to appreciate what he lost after he was sent away that first time, he took many precautions to make sure he didn’t repeat those mistakes. He went on to tell us that he hadn’t truly realized how important the family had been to him, until he went away to college and met his roommate. After listening to his roommate’s tales about his strained relationship with his parents and how unhappy and unloved he felt, this helped drive home the concept of how lucky he had been. He went on to mention how his roommate had told him that over the years he had done many things to try to get his parents’ attention (and probably still was), and how lost and alone he still felt. Therefore, Frankie thanked us for all we had done for him and told us he felt blessed to have been welcomed into such a loving home.

Once he finished his little speech, he let everyone know they would get to meet his roommate, Tom, the following afternoon, as he was going to be joining us for a few days, before returning to college with Frankie on Sunday. Frankie told them he had invited Tom because he thought he might find some closure and sense of belonging by being with us, so everyone assured him Tom would be welcome with open arms and they would do their best to make sure he felt comfortable. Frankie responded by acknowledging that he already knew that was what we’d do, before confirming that he felt this was exactly what Tom needed right now.

Even though it had been a simple observation and statement on Frankie’s part, it spoke volumes about his growth since we first met, his current maturity level and his understanding of family. I was deeply touched that he had come so far and was convinced a couple of the others, including Uncle Steve, had reached the very same conclusion.

Now that we had shared our reasons for giving thanks, the meal was brought in and we eagerly dug into the scrumptious feast. As always, there was plenty to eat and everything was delicious, and once we’d finished stuffing ourselves on all of the dishes and plentiful desserts, we moved into the living room to relax and let our meal digest.

Later that evening, after our extended family returned to their homes, the rest of us settled in to watch the rest of the football game, which was followed by a movie. Once both had ended, we all decided to turn in for the night. Before we did, though, I made sure to pull Graham aside and tell him what Sally had told me about the boy Brent had been giving him the signs about and his upcoming visit. Graham seemed pleased with most of the news, but not all of it. He was a bit unsettled when he learned how the boy’s parents had died, and then confided in me that he felt he was becoming a harbinger of death and destruction. Those weren’t exactly his words, but they portrayed his sentiments.

Graham then went on to explain that he felt as if his ‘gift’ brought mostly negative news and this bothered him tremendously. After pointing out to Graham that this wasn’t actually the case, since he had helped bring Sammy and Andrew to us and helped make life better for them, as well as passing the news along to Kevin that Brent would always watch over him and they would some day be together forever, not to mention that he might have also done something special for this boy we hadn’t yet met. Grudgingly, he finally conceded his ability wasn’t entirely bad, although it sometimes seemed that way, and he wished more positive things would result from it.

After that, Graham went on to remind me we still hadn’t figured out the Kevin connection to this latest set of clues, although we could think of a couple of possibilities for Kevin’s inclusion in these visions. We felt sooner or later we’d get some sort of definite feedback on why he had also been shown at the same time, other than the fact that he and Brent had been so close. Only time would answer this question.

After everyone slowly dragged himself back to life the next morning, we all took it easy until it was time for Tom’s bus to arrive that afternoon. Frankie took Dustin with him to pick Tom up at the bus station, and I guess the boys decided on giving him the grand tour of our wonderful metropolis before they returned home, because it took much long then I expected. The three of them were laughing and joking around when they came into the house a couple of hours later, and as soon as they entered, Frankie brought Tom in to say hello to me. I immediately told him I was glad to see him again and that he was to make himself at home while he was here. He thanked me for letting him stay with us, before Frankie dragged him off to introduce him to his brothers and show him around the house. The next time I saw Tom, he was possibly a bit overwhelmed by everything he had seen and everyone he had been introduced to.

“How do you do it, Mr. Currie?” he asked me. “How do you take care of this huge house and all of these boys, and still keep everyone so happy?”

“First of all,” I told him, “my name is Josh and I expect you to call me that, rather than Mr. Currie. Second, I have a lot of help, if you haven’t noticed, and they take care of most of the household chores.”

“Yeah, but everyone is so happy and I didn’t see anyone who doesn’t feel like he belonged and is really wanted and loved.” he explained. “How do you do that? I’ve never felt wanted or loved by my parents, and there are two of them and only one of me.”

“Well, it’s just that we’ve all learned to care about and depend on each other, that’s basically all it is,” I explained.

“Well, I wish I could be as happy at home as your sons are here,” he stated, wistfully. “If I was, then I wouldn’t have had to come to your place to visit and get away from the loneliness I feel when I’m there.”

“I’m sorry to hear you feel that way, Tom, but maybe you’re just focusing on the negative aspects of your relationship with your parents,” I warned him. “When you go back home the next time, I want you to try to find all the positive points you can for me. I’m sure you will find many you hadn’t thought about before and then you’ll begin to feel better about your situation. However, no matter what you discover, you are always welcome to come here and be a part of this mad-house any time you wish.”

He smiled and thanked me, before adding his final comment. “Even with all these people who live here, you’re still willing to let me visit and stay here with you too?” he asked, amazed. “Wow, I just can’t believe you care so much about everyone. I’ll try to do what you’ve asked me, but I don’t think it will change anything. You see, I tried that once before and didn’t find much to put in the positive column.”

“Well, maybe it will be different now,” I suggested. “Anyway, you’re always welcome to join us, and not just because Frankie likes you as a friend. You may come as often as you want and stay as long as you wish, as long as your parents are okay with it.”

“That won’t be a problem,” he assured me. “Chances are, they probably wouldn’t even notice I wasn’t there.”

“Well, enjoy your stay and don’t be afraid to let me know if you need anything,” I told him. “If you do, all you need to do is ask.”

“Thanks, Mr. Currie… I mean Josh,” he corrected. “I’m really glad Frankie and I got put together as roommates, so I could meet the rest of you too.”

With that, Tom went off with the boys and I think a group of them went out to play football or something in the yard. Later that night, a group of the older boys went to a basketball game at the high school, which was going to be followed by a dance. Frankie wanted to show Tom what his old school was like and introduce him to anyone there that he had known while he attended. I gathered they must have had a good time, as they came home joking around and making quite a bit of noise.

I also heard later that Frankie had offered to give Tom his bed for the evening and suggested he would sleep on the floor, but Tom wouldn’t hear of it. Tom was adamant that it was Frankie’s room and the bed was large enough that they could share it, and if Frankie didn’t want to do that, then Tom insisted HE would be the one sleeping on the floor. I guess they finally ended up sharing the bed, even though they’re both straight.