The Castaway Hotel - 5 - 26. Chapter 26 - Kudos

By mid-April, Trey, Dion and Sammy had all became very involved in what they were doing and were eager to drag me into the family room to watch them perform and listen to my critique. They spent most evenings and quite a bit of time on the weekends preparing for taping the play, because they wanted it to be perfect. Dion and Sammy got very personally involved in their roles, after realizing this was more than just acting in a play. They were making a statement, a very strong statement, by showing how labeling every member of a group the same way is wrong and that prejudice has no place in this world. Even though the video was only going to be shown to a select few, they still felt that if they could get this message across, it might make life a little better for everyone.

In order to make this production look authentic, we planned to take a four-day weekend and traveled to South Carolina to do some of the taping. We took a portion of the cable company’s production crew with us to do the actual filming and we felt it would look more authentic if it were filmed near the ocean. During the time we were there, we videotaped the supposed accidents that put each of the main characters in the ocean, showed their struggle to get to the island and then taped all the scenes that needed to be done with an ocean background or beach setting.

One of the guys on the production crew was from Long Island and proved to be a valuable asset. He taught Sammy how to dig clams, so he could in turn show Dion how to do it on the video. That same gentleman also instructed Sammy how to catch crabs, so he would be able to do that during the taping as well, and these lessons proved to be not only very helpful, but also very valuable, as it gave an added touch of realism to the production.

Once we finished the scenes where Sammy taught Dion how to fish, dig clams and catch crabs, we had both boys put on the last of their costumes, so we could film their rescue from the island. In order to carry this out, we needed to come up with the naval crew that would discover them and return them to society. With that in mind, Trey had previously recruited and cast me to play the ship’s captain, so I donned the appropriate naval uniform that our tailor friend had made for my benefit. Then we recruited a few of the locals as extras, selected primarily because they fit into the additional uniforms we had for this purpose, and thus ended up filling out the rest of my crew.

To my great surprise, I learned that some of these people actually believed we were producing scenes that were going to be included in either a movie or made for television special. I’m not sure WHO or WHAT gave them that impression, but we understood how rumors had a way of starting and felt we should deal with it before it grew out of proportion. Although we tried to dispel this notion, primarily by telling them this was a non-profit venture and they wouldn’t be paid for their assistance, they merely acted as if we were trying to mislead them and throw them off track. Even as we began to pack up to leave there, they still believed they might some day see themselves on television or in the theater.

In order to fill in some of the gaps, the cable company provided us with copies of tapes of World War II battles, so Trey could splice some of the original action into his production, to give it an even greater sense of authenticity. He was going to use various clips to show the Japanese pilot’s plane being shot down and crashing into the ocean, as well as the sailor’s ship being torpedoed and sinking, which resulted in the two young men being brought together on the island. He would also use this same technique to splice scenes of the battleship into his production, to show how the two survivors were liberated from the island. All in all, I thought things were progressing quite well.

During the two weeks following our trip to South Carolina, we filmed some of the other scenes on a small sound stage the cable company allowed us to use, but the remaining scenes were going to be filmed in the fields surrounding our home. One of my friends even carried out some ‘creative landscaping,’ on his own initiative, to make the area local more tropical and fit the concept of a Pacific island locale. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do for our purposes, and he also showed the ‘survivors’ how to construct their temporary shelter using some of those materials, for when they needed to do it for one of the scenes.

The structure they were going to build was quite important and there was one very crucial and emotional scene that would be filmed in it. It was scheduled to happen somewhere around the middle of the story, while the two still weren’t convinced just how far they could trust the other. The crucial moment occurs late one evening, when the American happens to awake in the middle of the night. As he tentatively opens his eyes, he spies the Japanese pilot moving slowly toward him, gripping his knife in one hand. His first thought is that the pilot is trying to kill him, so he very slowly reaches down, grips his own knife and starts to move it into position to strike back, as he gets ready to defend himself. He was fully prepared to kill his attacker and was nearly ready to leap up and stab the other guy, when he noticed the pilot’s eyes and realized the aviator wasn’t focusing directly on him, but on something near him. When the pilot eventually made his lunge, it was to stab a snake that had slipped inside of the hut, and not to kill the sailor.

The snake must have slithered in there during the daytime and found a hiding place near where the American normally bedded down. However, sometime during the night the American’s restless slumber must have disturbed it and the pilot just happened to be drawn toward its movement. This happened when he awoke and was about to go outside to water a tree. Once he spotted it, the pilot recognized the snake was one of the poisonous species that inhabited the island and it would likely strike the American, if he tossed suddenly in his sleep, so he concluded he had to eliminate the threat.

Once the snake had been killed and the sailor realized the pilot had saved his life, he began thinking about how close he had come to nearly killing the guy for his efforts. This caused him to suffer through a prolonged period of guilt over doubting his new friend’s intentions and nearly stabbing his new friend for his kindness. However, besides that, his movement would have most likely caused the snake to strike him, so they might both be dead now.

After thanking his friend for what he’d done, he spent a great deal of energy trying to make up for how badly he had misjudged the situation and his lack of faith in his fellow man. This catharsis was the primary turning point in the play, where the two really began to become friends and trust one another. Although it took several takes to get the close-ups of the faces, eyes, as movement of the snake (which of course was harmless species and replaced by a rubber snake for the stabling), the boys pulled it off nearly flawlessly.

Another emotional scene took place on the rescue ship. The Japanese pilot was being treated very poorly as a captive and had been tossed into a cell. Not only was he treated shoddily and taunted by the crew, both men were afraid someone might try to kill him before they reached a port. When the black sailor finally realized how much danger his friend was in, he came to the pilot’s rescue by placing himself just outside of the cell, where he stayed 24/7, to make sure no one treated him poorly. As someone else would come around, he would use the opportunity to get that particular sailor to understand it was a man, not an animal they were dealing with, and he should be treated with the same amount of respect they’d expect to receive, if the roles were reversed. He even went one step further and warned them he would personally deal with anyone who harmed this man, no matter how slightly.

Since this request was coming from the guy who had survived with the prisoner and now considered him a friend, it carried more weight than if it came from someone else. The other sailors eventually began to honor his request, but not merely because Dion’s character stayed in the brig with him, to calm his friend’s fears and keep him company. Watching the two men interact, they also began to see the Japanese prisoner as a human being and not the uncaring animal the War Department portrayed his countrymen as being. Over time, his message spread and the crew took pity on him, eventually releasing him from the brig. From that point on, the two men then shared a somewhat private area together, with minimal restrictions, until they eventually reached port.

In carrying out their roles, Dion and Sammy also bonded in ways they never had before and showed an even greater level of trust and understanding had developed between them, as it had between the two characters they were portraying. This was an added benefit that none of us had foreseen or expected.

Overall, it seemed that everything was coming together quite nicely. Not only was the production turning out well, but the values Trey had put forth in his play had been picked up by those working on the project, which included his actors and the crew from the cable company. They had also become more empathetic with those they were working with or around.

As we moved closer to the end of April and the last of the scenes had been filmed, it was time for Trey to move on to the next phase of his project. Although Dion and Sammy had finished their roles, Trey still had to work with the editing group, to make sure he got exactly what he wanted to appear to others who viewed this tape. After working very hard to get the right effect, he had a finished product and was ready to turn it in for his grade. He gave a copy of the script and videotape to each of his teachers, since they would grade his efforts independently. Actually, it would only be the script that would be graded, as the videotape was to be used for only the class presentation portion, which was to account for just a small part of his grade.

Although it was a secondary part of his project, the video was quite well received by each class, so both teachers were anxious to show it to the rest of their classes. In fact, they also had a special showing of the video after school for any faculty members who wanted to see it too, and the very next day Trey received several nice cards telling him how much the teacher or student writing the message had enjoyed it. After walking on air most of the day, he came home and shared the cards with his actor-brothers, because they deserved a lion’s share of credit too, and that small gesture meant a great deal to each of those boys.

Later that evening, we also received a few phone calls, where the caller would compliment Trey on the fine job he had done and some even suggested it was something he should share with more than just a small portion of the school community. After thanking each caller, he would advise him/her that he appreciated the input and had already consented to allow the local cable company to show it on their Community Access Channel. Even though all of this attention placed him somewhere between being embarrassed by all the kudos, while at the same time had him bursting with pride, he would share each of these conversations with Dion, Sammy and me. Not only did this make the other pair feel good, but I was also busting a gut with pride over just how much they had accomplished.

This little episode even brought Dion and Trey a little closer by giving them something they could feel good about doing together. When they went to bed later that evening, they were so pumped up from all of the accolades they had received that they were just glowing and feeling great about themselves. Trey thanked Dion for having taken part in his project and for making the video such a success, and Dion thanked Trey for letting him have the chance to play such a strong and wonderful role. After this, they began to kiss, with each trying to show each other the gratitude he felt, in a very intimate fashion. Of course things escalated from there and heated up even more.

The boys slowly undressed each other, making sure to show their love of every part of the other’s body by stroking, kissing, licking or sucking each piece of flesh they uncovered. By this time, they were both in a highly aroused state, so Trey positioned himself on his back, pulled his legs back to his chest and offered Dion his most intimate prize. Even though Dion had expected this to happen, there was still a twinkle in his eye as he realized what he was being offered, so he was determined to show Trey all the love he could muster. After positioning himself for entry, he eased his way inside, with both of them feeling the love the other was offering.

Trey suddenly experienced an extreme fullness in his gut, once Dion’s oversized pole had entered him, but he loved the feel of his lover’s rigid, yet soft tool once it was fully seated inside of his love canal. He could sense the warmth emanating from his partner’s throbbing penis, as it caressed the moist lining of his channel, but he looked forward to the friction that would soon follow and the glancing blows Dion’s glans made against his prostate. In appreciation, he pulled Dion closer to him, covered him in kisses, embraced his upper torso and then encouraged him to continue, which Dion was happy to do.

Dion, on the other hand, loved the feel of Trey’s warm, smooth tissue as it enveloped his above-average phallus and gripped it like a soft, velvety glove. Trey’s anal muscles would continue to relax as he entered and then constrict and grip his appendage as it withdrew, and this process would continue over and over again, as Dion thrust it in and out of his love tunnel. This action would slowly milk the juices from Dion’s loins, like a tube of toothpaste slowly being drained of its contents, but the release would be more like a soda bottle exploding, rather than a gradual squeezing out. Eventually Dion would reach his sexual climax and pump the results of their lovemaking deep inside his partner, leaving them both with a glow that would last long after the actual act had been completed. It was this love that kept them both strongly committed to each other, even though other temptations still crossed their path from time to time.

Once he had experienced his release, Dion brought Trey off too, since there was no way he was going to let him remain unfulfilled. In order to do this, Dion used both of his hand and mouth to bring Trey even more pleasure than he had already experienced, until he savored the sweet taste of Trey’s seed, like a scrumptious dessert after a magnificent main course. After the session ended, the boys fell asleep in each other’s embrace, realizing they had enjoyed more love in this one outing than many people get to experience in an entire lifetime.

Over the next few days, word about Trey’s project spread throughout the community, just as the local cable access channel planned to air it on the community local access channel. It was gong to be shown in several different time slots and the cable company was running numerous commercials about its airing, so it would attract the largest possible audience.

I guess between the scuttlebutt from the members of the production crew, who had helped film this little venture, and accolades in the Letters to the Editor section of the local newspaper, sent by various faculty members and staff who had already viewed it, all worked to ensure that more members of the community would watch it as well. Regardless of the how it came about, all of this was quite nice for Trey and his actors, since it gave them a great deal recognition for their effort. It was also a major feather in Trey’s cap and would look great on his college application, when it was time for him to start applying.

Aside from Trey and Dion’s romantic interlude after their recent recognition and the closeness they felt, there was another couple in the house who were becoming more attached to each other as each day passed, and that was Kevin and Vinnie. Since Vinnie had moved in with us, Kevin had become his constant and devoted companion, going out of his way to spend time with him and do whatever he could to help. Besides spending his afternoons working out beside Vinnie, he would spend equal amounts of time massaging Vinnie’s muscles and helping him with his studies, so you seldom saw one without the other. It was almost becoming a joke around the house, as the boys would ask, “Has anyone seen Kev-Vin?”

By now it was obvious to everyone that Vinnie was definitely gay and it looked as if Kevin had finally found his partner for life. Vinnie was equally devoted to Kevin, but none of us believed it was just out of gratitude or a sense of obligation. This relationship was definitely built on admiration and love. You could see it in the way they looked at, spoke to and touched each other. You could also see it when they were working, playing and even when they were asleep, because one was always cuddled around the other. I felt relieved that Kevin had finally found someone who could help make up for the pain he felt when he lost Dustin to a girl, Nick to almost any guy in pants and Brent to the hereafter. He deserved to find someone like Vinnie and be this happy, and now it had happened.

The reason I knew this relationship had a chance of lasting was because it wasn’t built solely upon sex. That doesn’t mean they didn’t have sex, but that sex was not the basis or foundation upon which this relationship had begun. It all started with two boys who enjoyed each other’s company, had many things in common and cared as much, if not more, about the other than they did about themselves.

Over the years I had offered my older children, and then the boys, one major piece of advice, and that was that you had to have a great deal in common with someone to give a relationship a chance to survive. The reason for this was simple. As we grow older, we also grow and change in other ways, and not everyone grows in the same way. If you don’t start with a great deal in common, and then grow in different ways, the gap that forms can often be the size of the Grand Canyon, rather than a small gorge. That’s expanding chasm is what causes people to end relationships and leave each other, because they no longer have enough in common to keep the relationship afloat. I knew these two were starting out on solid ground, so this relationship should survive for a very long time.

In their case, the sex was just the icing on the cake, not the meat and potatoes of the relationship. Their evenings together weren’t just wild nights filled with unbridled sex, but hours filled with slow and passionate expressions of love. Maybe I should give you an example, to show you what I mean.

The night after the second run in with the boy who had attacked Trey, and after the kid had vandalized our car, Kevin and Vinnie spent a great deal of their time trying to calm Trey and the younger boys. It was because the others were worried this boy would get out of jail and try something else or someone else would come along to take his place. Once Kevin and Vinnie had helped to reassure them we could handle any problem that came along, as long as we did it together, as a family, they went to their room to sleep.

Although they hadn’t planned on anything happening that evening, they did cuddle as usual and were complimenting each other on the way they had explained things to the others. In doing this, they convinced each other that no one else could have gotten the message across in quite the same way, while constantly stroking the other’s ego, but not without reason. They would point out how masterfully their partner had handled a particular situation or would comment on how they had focused on just the right point to ease their brothers’ concerns, so this quickly turned into a mutual adoration society.

This, in turn, led to more cuddling, and then to some kissing, but not the aggressive kissing of a couple in heat. This was the ‘take your time and enjoy the moment’ type of kissing, where they would relish the taste and feel of each other’s lips, not even using their tongues until all of the other techniques had been savored and explored. Once they had spent a sufficient amount of time to complete this sensory oral exploration, they would move on to other parts of the body, using a very similar technique.

Over time, this pair touched and explored every inch of each other’s body, while exchanging massages, back rubs and other similar contacts. Although they had done this many times before, they now took it a step further. This time, they used all of their senses to accomplish this – beginning with examining each other with their eyes, then smelling the other’s boyish scent, which was not yet quite that of a man, before tasting the other’s distinctive flavor, while swirling their tongues over the surface of various intimate areas. They then followed this up by touching those same soft and responsive areas with their sensitive fingers, as they also listened to their partner express his appreciation through the soft sighs, moans and other expressions of appreciation that would escape his lips.

These two not only enjoyed stimulating each other with their hands and mouths, but they seemed to have two favorite positions when it came to sharing the ultimate act of love. Sometimes, once would choose to sit on their lover’s erect shaft, slowly impaling himself on it and then doing all the work, while letting his partner lie there and enjoy the ride. This was when the receiver would control the action and do most of the work.

Over time, they had both consciously practiced controlling their anal muscles and had eventually learned how to relax them as they were lowering themselves upon the other’s fleshy skewer. At the same time, they were also becoming more proficient at tightening those same muscles when rising up, so their lining would grip the blood-engorged muscle and milk it of its juices. In reality, this process simulated the same types of sensations they’d feel if they were able to use their hand and mouth to work the penis at the same time. Not only would it imitate the same kind of pressure they’d enjoy from the grip of their partner’s hand, but it would also mimic the feeling of being enveloped in the warm, moist interior of the mouth. The thing that made this so special was the fact that they did all the work to bring their partner bliss, thus allowing him to relax and merely enjoy the ultimate orgasm.

At other times, they would do the work themselves, to show their partner how much they cared. When this happened, they would utilize the standard missionary position, with one of them on their back and facing the other. In this arrangement, the person who was doing the giving would be controlling the action, but this alignment also allowed them to kiss as they made love. When using this alignment, they would usually explore the rest of the body first, before initiating penetration, and would use this time to loosen the other sufficiently, before entering him slowly, so as not to cause their partner any discomfort.

Once one was fully seated within the other, he would begin his pelvic grind by withdrawing slowly, and almost completely, before thrusting back in again and burying himself to the hilt. He would use long, steady strokes to please the other, rather than the short, rapid thrusts used by those who were mainly trying to please themselves. He might also place a pillow under his partner’s hips; in order to provide himself a better angle to hit the prostate, and this would give his lover added pleasure. At other times he might merely alter his own body position slightly, to adjust the angle of penetration to achieve the same purpose. They were both learning how to go slowly, delay ejaculation and prolong the tingling that would increasingly radiate outward from their groins, as they inched their way up the mountain of pleasure and before exploding in a mind-blowing release of hot bodily fluids.

No matter which position they used, once they’d finished they would not merely pull apart and go to sleep. Instead, they would continue to cuddle and hug afterward, continuing to express their love through prolonged embraces, but they would also continue to kiss, touch and stimulate other erogenous zones, as sort of a warm-down period after their love making. I guess Kevin had learned a great deal from his previous partners and incorporated the best of what he had enjoyed with them, and then passed this knowledge along to his newest partner, to their mutual benefit.