The Castaway Hotel - 6 - 22. Chapter 22 - Welcome Back

Jake and I were going in different directions after leaving New York City, so we could drop the college boys off at their various campuses. They had to return for the start of classes again, but they gave Ricky some parting shots, before they left. Some teased him about having to return to his normal, boring life again, while others joked that he wasn’t going to feel special or like a celebrity any longer. He was once again just another small fish in the large Currie pond. Ricky took the ribbing in stride, and even gave back a few shots of his own, but it was all in fun.

We did enjoy a meal together first, but then everyone said their good-byes and we took off. After driving a couple of hours, we decided to stop for the night. It was already getting late, we were all very tired and it was just too much driving for one day, so both groups spent the night at a motel.

After a quick brunch the following morning, we set off again. Once we dropped off our college students, we continued our journey, and a few hours later arrived home. As we pulled into the driveway, I quickly noted that Jake had beaten us back, but then I was distracted, when Ricky looked out the window. He quickly spotted the huge banner we had hung from the roof over the porch, welcoming his return, and was eager to comment about it. As he was doing this, our front door burst open and Jay came charging out to welcome his best friend home.

Jay had probably missed Ricky as much, if not more, than the rest of us, just because the pair had always been so close. Even though Ricky had sent emails, post cards and spoken to him a few times on the phone, it was being around Ricky that Jay had missed the most. Typical of the old Jay, but most likely caused by his great excitement, he tripped as he raced down the sidewalk and did a header beside the van, just as Ricky was getting out.

“Still a major klutz, I see,” Ricky told him, grinning.

Jay was embarrassed by this seeming regression to his uncoordinated past, but he knew how to respond. “I just wanted to make you feel at home and show you nothing had changed,” he retorted, while flashing a toothy grin.

“Well, you knew exactly what to do then,” Ricky teased back. The two boys laughed and then hugged each other, and now Jay and Cody helped Ricky gather all his things and take them into the house.

As Ricky entered the old homestead, he got another momentary shock, when voices screamed out, “Surprise!” Now, bodies began to flood the room from all directions, as everyone came out from hiding. I wasn’t sure if Jake had picked them all up or if they had left their vehicles somewhere else and walked the rest of the way, but I hadn’t noticed any of their vehicles nearby.

Ricky was amazed, and touched, that so many people were here. Among his ‘greeters’ were the Spences, the Shays, Aunt Sally, the Beckers and Mark. As Ricky was saying hello to everyone, Little Ricky broke out of the pack and came tearing up to him. He just had to give his idol a special welcome home.

In addition to the guests I have already mentioned, several of Ricky’s school friends, including his old girl friend, were also there. In fact, she planted a very affectionate welcome back kiss on him and I was worried he might gag, as she rammed her tongue down his throat. It was one of the few times I have actually witnessed Ricky blush.

Once the kiss ended, all of his brothers began to tease him. Even though he had just returned, they were unwilling to pass up this opportunity to give Ricky a bit of his own medicine. Ricky, however, handled it well, knowing he had to be able to take it, as well as dish it out. After enduring a few minutes of good-natured ribbing, including some mimicking of the kiss he had just received, Ricky tried to move on. However, this ended when Mr. Spence got into the act and teased Ricky that he didn’t realize he was such a lady’s man and a good ‘smoocher.’ Everyone got a chuckle out of his comment and Mr. Spence got an elbow in the ribs from his wife, who thought he had gone a little too far.

There was also a bit of a surprise for me too, since the ladies had whipped up a big meal for us to enjoy together. Someone had borrowed a few banquet tables, I suspect from the courthouse, and set one of them to butt up to our dining room table. A couple of others had been set up in the rec room, so the younger crowd could enjoy some privacy as they welcomed Ricky back. After eating the food our friends had prepared, we ended up by cutting into the humongous cake I had ordered prior to going to pick Ricky up. All in all, it was a nice finishing touch to an enjoyable meal.

I guess I should have suspected our extended family wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to do something special like this and it was a wonderful gesture. Ricky made sure to acknowledge his appreciation in his own, inimitable fashion, by giving the women a kiss and the men ‘Dutch rubs.’ A Dutch rub is where you wraps one arm around the victim’s neck and then rub the knuckles of your other hand across the top of the guy’s head and through his hair, if he has any. It may sound cruel, and it does simulate a rug burn, but it was all done in fun.

In fact, everyone seemed to accept it as being part of Ricky’s unique style, although I’m not so sure they would have been so gracious if anyone else had done the same thing to them. It’s just that they all knew Ricky so well and realized it was his way of showing he cared about someone. Since no one was hurt, they laughed it off and told him it was nice to have him back.

Once that was over, Ricky asked one of his brothers to put on some music. None of us understood why and wondered what he was up to, but once the first notes filled the air, it became clear. Ricky immediately began asking each of the women to dance with him, as another way of thanking them for all of their effort and hard work. After he finished cutting the rug with the older ladies, Ricky ended up doing a very sensuous slow dance with his old girlfriend.

Once the music ended, Ricky interacted with our guests for a couple more hours, but spent much of that time paying particular attention to Little Ricky and Cody. After that, he asked if he could take off with his friends for a while and I told him he could, since I’d figured there might be a certain young lady he wanted to spend more time with. I thought it might help him get over having to leave Kylie behind and hoped it would make him forget about their less than harmonious separation.

I told him to just go and I’d explain his departure to everyone else and apologize for his sudden disappearance. Liking this idea, he gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek, even in front of his friends. I think each of them understood we were very close and this was just part of Ricky’s nature. They all thanked me as they left, with the girls giving me a peck on the cheek and the guys shaking my hand before they took off. Once they were gone, I told the others that Ricky had some catching up to do and I think they all got my drift. No one made any negative comments about his leaving and we stayed together a little longer, before they went home too.

I understand Ricky and his friends only stayed together for less than an hour, before Ricky and his old girlfriend went off on their own. I think the others suspected something like this was going to happen, even Jay, so they didn’t make a big deal about it either.

Ricky used the time to inform his old girlfriend about Kylie. It might not have been the wisest or most diplomatic move, but he needed to get their breakup off his chest. He was eager to verbalize how difficult it had been for him to leave and how she had reacted. Surprisingly, the girl was sympathetic and comforting concerning Ricky’s pain, but maybe it was merely to use this opening to get back together with him again.

As Ricky relived those painful memories, she wrapped him in her arms, in an effort to console him. At first she was only concerned with making him feel better, but soon it evolved into something more. Before long, they were involved in a very passionate kiss, complete with probing tongues again. That led to them aggressively making out, like they had done in the past, although it never escalated into sex. I think that, night she helped Ricky put Kylie completely behind him, so now he was ready to move on with his life.

The next day, Sunday, was reserved as a ‘family only’ day, but of course Jay was included. He had spent the night with us, but hey, he’s family too. The first thing we did was to go to church together, something we did on a fairly regular basis. Today we would acknowledge our sincere thanks for Ricky’s safe return, for Nick’s being selected as an exchange student and for Cody’s medical progress, thus far. Of course there was much more that we were also thankful for, but these were the items currently at the top of our list and, therefore, the ones that seemed to take priority.

At the very pinnacle of the list, however, were our prayers asking God to continue to watch over Cody and guide his future recovery. This was definitely the most important issue and the one that concerned us most deeply. Even though his treatment had started off well, the doctor had indicated there were many more hurdles for him to overcome and we didn’t want him to experience any setbacks. To that end, we were going to do our best to ensure he made it through this horrific ordeal.

During the service, I noticed Cody was sitting between Ricky and Graham again, but I knew his fascination with Ricky would probably be short lived. Once Ricky got into his classes and was back together with his friends, I knew the age difference would limit the amount of time he wanted to spend with Cody. It’s not that Cody was that much younger, but Ricky’s tastes included more mature activities.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think Ricky will totally ignore Cody, but I believe he will dole out the time he spends with him to coincide with when he isn’t involved in pursuits he enjoys more. Besides, once Cody’s current infatuation with the older version of himself eventually lessens, Cody will focus more on those closer to his own age, especially the one he is romantically attracted to. From that point on, they’d each go their separate way, but neither would be any the worse for the time they spent with each other.

In the end, I figured it would be Cody and Graham who would most likely end up together and depend on one another. They were closer in age, had a physical attraction to each other and had already shown a strong bond. Ricky was only a temporary distraction, or the ‘novelty de jour,’ but those types of attractions never seem to last for very long.

The church service was fairly short, at least when you considered how long they generally last, and afterward we were barraged by people who wanted to speak with Ricky or were curious to discover how Cody was making out with his treatments. They knew about Cody’s situation because the pastor had asked the congregation to pray for him when he first began the procedure and this made me realize how nice it is to be part of a larger family too, like your church or the community, in general.

After we left the church, I took everyone out to brunch, which gave us more time to talk and enjoy each other’s company. Going out to eat like this is one of my favorite activities on Sunday. I just love to have the family together and I’m always extremely proud of my boys, but that feeling is only magnified when we’re out in public. This isn’t just because they are such a great group, but I also never have to worry about them doing anything seriously wrong or inappropriate. There is an added bonus too, in that I never tire hearing compliments from total strangers about their manners and how well they conduct themselves. Whenever that happens, it always makes me feel exceptionally proud that they’re my sons.

The boys spent the remainder of Sunday afternoon playing games and then after dinner we got our first look at some of the videos Ricky had taken on his trip. The first video showed Ricky’s host family, their home and the school he had attended. We even got our first glimpse of Kylie and it was easy to see why Ricky was so taken with her. She was quite a looker and had a very infectious smile and personality. Watching how he looked at her on the screen and listening to the comments he made about her to his brothers, I could tell Ricky still had very deep feelings for her. Not only could I see he was still smitten, but I could sense a touch of remorse over the way their relationship had ended.

Even though I realized there probably wasn’t anything I could do to make this situation any easier for him, I still felt his pain. I know what it’s like to love someone so strongly, but find you’re unable to be with him. That happened before I admitted to myself who I really was and I’ve regretted that lost opportunity ever since. Regardless of how desperately I wanted to console him, I kept my mouth shut and refused to broach this topic, until I could get him alone later.

The second video was of Ricky, his host brother, Peter, and some of their friends playing soccer. I was told Kylie taped all of this and it was quite jerky and focused almost entirely on Ricky, but the remainder of the tape included one of the day trips he had taken with his host family.

The next tape was of another trip they had taken together, but the end of that video contained a lengthy view of Ricky and Peter skinny-dipping in the host family’s pool. Ricky quickly explained that this took place in December, between Christmas and New Year’s, which is summertime in Australia. He told us only the two of them were home at the time and he had talked Peter into trying this with him. Ricky had placed the camcorder on the patio table and managed to flick it on when Peter wasn’t looking. Therefore, no one actually took these shots, which explained why the boys kept disappearing out of the frame.

Ricky seemed amused that Peter had no idea he had done this or that he had pictures of Peter’s tackle. Then, about halfway through viewing their escapades, Ricky informed us he was planning on sending Peter an email later, to inform him about the tape. He felt it was safe to let Peter know what he had done, now that he was back home.

Ricky said he was pretty sure Peter wouldn’t mind that he had done this, but he wanted to make sure we all got to ‘see’ the real Peter, as he knew some of his brothers would be particularly interested in this cute guy. He was right on that point, because there were numerous comments about Peter’s body and vital areas, and I could see the wheels spinning in some of my boys’ heads, as they ogled this young hunk. Before the video ended, a few even began to seriously lobby me about bringing Peter to our home, as an exchange student.

The next video contained the visual record of the first portion of Ricky’s solo trip. It gave us some great shots of a variety of Australia’s native inhabitants, both animal and human, and we were amazed by what we saw. Ricky had zoomed in on some kangaroos hopping nonchalantly in the Outback and we also got a really good view of a pack of dingoes (wild dogs). He even had some close-ups of a group crocodiles sunning themselves on a bank, while a bunch of other crocs we lurking just below the surface of the water. It was a real eye-opener as to how close he must have been to them at that point, although Ricky emphasized there was a still a considerable distance between them.

Ricky also insisted he had never placed himself in any danger on the trip, or at any other time, and it was the zoom lens that made it appear as if he were closer than he actually was. I told him I was glad to hear that, but his brothers thought he had taken more chances than he was willing to admit, so they started calling him Mick. If you don’t remember, that was Crocodile Dundee’s first name.

On that same video, there was also a short segment that showed Ricky with some Bushmen. It wasn’t what you might think though. This was an unusual group of Bushmen and they didn’t cling solely to the old ways. These people made money allowing themselves to be photographed with tourists, which enabled them to purchase things they would not otherwise have access to.

This group also covered more areas of their body than we might normally have expected, but this was probably done to avoid offending the sensibilities of the tourists. They were still an interesting group and willingly performed a couple of traditional ceremonies, which were unique to their kind. They also eagerly demonstrated a few ancient survival skills, which had been passed down from one generation to the next, throughout the ages. It was quite enlightening and everyone seemed to enjoy sharing some of Ricky’s fascination with the ‘land down under.’

We decided to finish with that video and leave the rest for another day. Besides, I knew some of the boys still had homework to finish and the rest had other things to do, in order to be ready for their classes on Monday. Ricky would be rejoining his class at that time and I could tell he was looking forward to it, or maybe just looking forward to seeing a certain young lady again. Whatever the reason, he was in high spirits and looking ahead to the next day.

Ricky’s mood was also more upbeat because he and Jay were back together again, plus the fact that he was bonding quickly with his newest brother. However, that last combination had me concerned, since Ricky was also trying to lure Cody into pulling some pranks with him. Cody was a little timid about doing such things, but given time I knew Ricky would win out. Despite that small detail, I’d say it had been a very successful homecoming.

Ricky’s adjustment with returning to school went smoothly and he was glad to be back for the end of his senior year. He understood it meant he’d be able to attend the prom, enjoy the end of year parties and participate in the graduation ceremony. This didn’t mean it would be all fun and games though. Ricky would still have to finish up the last couple of credits he needed to graduate and he’d be taking double sessions in some subjects, to make up for the semester he had already missed. We both knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but Ricky had opted to do it this way and I trusted he’d hold up his end of the bargain.