The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 21. Chapter 21 - Fitting In

After I sent everyone to their rooms, I went into the guest room to see how Jesse was doing. He and Andrew were sitting naked on the bed, listening to some CD’s.

“Is everything okay in here?” I asked and received an immediate nod in reply from Jesse.

“Do you think you want to stay here and live with us?” I followed up, which caused his face to light up and a big smile to spread across his lips. This time, he nodded even harder.

I saw Andrew looking at me, expectantly, as he wondered if I was going to tell Jesse what he wanted to hear.

“Well, I guess you’d better start considering this your home and us your family then,” I informed Jesse.

This caused Andrew to leap to his feet, stand on the bed, and walk toward the edge of the mattress. He reached out and pulled me toward the bed, so he could wrap his arms around my neck. He also gave me a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, daddy. I love you so much!” he exclaimed.

While Andrew had been doing this, Jesse must have taken the opportunity to stand up on the bed too, and now I felt another pair of arms wrapping around me and another rather wet smooch being applied to my other cheek. This touched me deeply.

“Before you two go to sleep, I think there’s another matter we need to clear up,” I announced and both of them looked at me puzzled.

“Jesse was confused by the difference in your penises, so I thought we should explain it to him,” I continued. Andrew looked at me and smiled.

“You see, Jesse, when you were born, your penis looked much the same as Andrew’s,” I explained. “However, you parents decided to have the excess skin removed, so it looks like it does now.” Jesse looked puzzled, so I turned toward Andrew.

“Would you please pull back your foreskin, to show Jesse what I mean?” I followed.

Andrew quickly did as I requested and Jesse’s eyes opened as wide as saucers we he saw the transformation. Suddenly, he was using his hands to motion Andrew that he wanted to see it again. After Andrew did this a few more times, Jesse’s face broke into a smile and then he stood up and hugged me again, before he bent down and hugged Andrew. I guess his curiosity had been sated and he had enjoyed the lesson.

At this point, I informed both boys it was time to sleep. I asked them if they wanted to put on a pair of briefs, pajamas or sleep as they were. Andrew looked at Jesse and he motioned he was okay sleeping as they were, so I gave them both a hug, tucked them into bed and gave them each a kiss on the forehead, before I left their room. On my way out I thought, ‘This is going to be quite a pair.’

The rest of the night was quiet, since many of the boys and Jake were on the way back to their campuses. This gave me time to reflect upon the past few days. A lot had happened and it didn’t revolve around Jesse showing up either. The first of these instances came about when Nick’s test results came back, followed by Shannon and Jake’s reactions to finding out what they were.

Duck had come to visit over the holiday and appeared to fit in quite well. We tried to make him feel as if he was part of the clan and he warmed up very rapidly to being included. He got along well with not only Mark, but enjoyed being with the other boys as well, plus he was a big hit with the extended family. All in all, I’d say it was a very positive visit.

During this same period of time, Andrew finally got caught pulling one of his little stunts and received his comeuppance for it. Although the boys weren’t really upset with him, they made their point and I’m sure Andrew will cool it, at least for a while.

This was followed by all the work the high school boys had done so far, so they could start a gay-straight alliance at school. From what I understood, they’re going to start circulating petitions, because they want to get as many signatures as they could before they made their proposal to the principal the following week. They will set an appointment with his secretary tomorrow, so they’ll be ready to pitch their idea, just as soon as they reach their target number of signatures.

Now, getting back to Jesse, we had made a lot of progress in just the two days he’s been here, but there was still soooo much more work ahead of us. He may seem happy and it appears as though he’s bonded with Andrew, but I’m sure there is still a great deal of unresolved issues bubbling below the surface. Actually, I’m wondering when any of those will start to surface and come into play.

This poor kid has been through a lot. He saw his father murdered, was emotionally abused by his stepfather, abandoned by his mother and left with a group of strangers. Although I do think his mother did a fairly good job in preparing him about coming to live with us, I’m not sure exactly what she told him or how she did it. However, I do attribute his rapid adjustment into our home with what she had done before she left him here, so I do owe her for that. Maybe someday I’ll be able to thank her in person and discover what she said or did to get him ready for such an abrupt departure.

After tiring myself out mentally, I decided to go to bed fairly early that evening. I was also physically drained, because it had been a long weekend, with a great deal of activity. Since Jake was gone too, there was nothing else to do, so I slept soundly until I felt Jake getting into bed beside me, sometime later that evening.

“Oh, you’re home,” I mumbled, acknowledging his return.

“Yes, it wasn’t that bad,” he told me, although he sounded beat.

“Well, get to sleep,” I advised him, “and you can tell me all about it sometime tomorrow.” He cuddled up against me and soon we both dozed off.

The next morning I got everyone up and ready for school. Jake left early, as he had a big run to make, and I had to take Jesse over to the elementary school, so I could enroll him. As I thought about it, this would be my first son in the elementary school since Andrew had spent a brief time there. Most of the other boys had at least been in the middle school, my old school, when they came to live with me, so this was a rarity.

After dropping Andrew off, I took Jesse with me to the elementary school. As we got out of the van, he ran over to where I was and worked his hand in to mine. I guess he felt a little intimidated at this point, so I smiled and tried to reassure him. He seemed to relax a bit after that, but he was still quite tense as I led him to the main office. The secretary greeted me at once.

“Good morning, Mr. Currie. We didn’t expect you to visit today,” she stated, looking a little bewildered.

“Oh, this is for personal business, not official,” I replied, which only added to her confusion. Therefore, I felt I’d better explain.

“I’ve picked up a new son over the vacation and I need to enroll him. This is Jesse,” I told her, while positioning Jesse so she could see him.

“Well, hello, Jesse,” she greeted him, “and welcome to our school. What grade are you in?”

“He’s in fourth grade,” I quickly told her, “but there’s a little problem. Jesse doesn’t speak. Hopefully, he will soon, but a traumatic event from his past has left him speechless.” I knew this was a little cryptic and evasive, but I didn’t think she needed to hear all of his history now and I didn’t want to cause Jesse any embarrassment by going into detail.

“I understand,” she said, soothingly, although I knew she really didn’t. It was nice of her to say that, however, and I realized she was doing it more for Jesse’s benefit, than anything else. Therefore, I would give her that much credit.

“Is your boss in his office?” I followed, in an attempt to discover if the principal was there or somewhere else.

“No, Mr. Currie. He’s out walking around the school, greeting the children and making sure everything is running smoothly,” she advised me.

“That’s what I suspected,” I countered. “Would you mind if I sat here with Jesse and waited for him? There are some things I would like to apprise him about, concerning this placement.” I intentionally made this vague, hoping she got the message, but it would go over Jesse’s head.

“That will be fine,” she answered. “He shouldn’t be gone for much longer.”

Her assessment was right on the money and a few minutes later the principal walked through the door. A concerned look spread across his face when he noticed me sitting there and I’m sure he was worried he had forgotten a meeting or something was wrong.

“Calm down, Dave,” I said, in a friendly tone, in an effort to let him know there was no problem. “I just have a new son, whom I need to enroll here.” He appeared to start breathing again.

“Josh, congratulations. Another son, huh?” He chuckled.

“Oh, yes,” I agreed, “but there are some things I need to discuss with you, concerning his placement,” I continued. Dave raised his eyebrows slightly, before responding.

“Why don’t you step into my office and we can continue this there.” I nodded in response.

“Jesse, would you mind sitting here and waiting for me?” I asked him. I got a frightened, open-eyed glare in return.

“You’ll be fine waiting here with Mrs. Smith and she will keep you company. All right?” Jesse looked at her and she nodded her head that everything would be okay, so he looked back at me and nodded his agreement. I thanked him and then followed the principal into his office.

“Dave, this is not going to be your typical placement,” I warned him, once we were both seated. I handed him the folder with Jesse’s school records in it and then continued. “As you’ll see in there, he is an above average student and not a behavioral problem, but he doesn’t talk. He witnessed his father being murdered, before he turned five, and he hasn’t spoken since. He should be able to handle the fourth grade curriculum, but he’ll need an understanding teacher and class that will be able to accept him for who he is and be able to adapt to his condition.”

“I know just the classroom,” Dave assured me. “I think you’re well aware of Mrs. Robinson’s credentials and she has an outstanding class this year. I think your newest son will do well in there.”

“Thank you, Dave, and his name is Jesse,” I added. “I’m arranging for him to have a complete physical, as well as eye and dental exams, but I’d also like for you to set up some testing for him with the district’s psychologist. I want to see what the psychologist has to say about Jesse, so I’ll have a little better understanding about what I’ll have to deal with.”

“Understood, Josh, and I’ll make sure that gets done,” Dave assured me.

I thanked him and went back out to talk to Jesse. I informed him the principal would take him to his new classroom and introduce him to his teacher. Jesse looked concerned, but I told him he’d do fine and I’d pick him up at the end of the day. He seemed to like that idea and I told him to wait in the office, until I came to get him. He nodded his understanding and then I watched as his principal led him down the hallway, to meet his new teacher and classmates.

When I reached my office, I checked in with my secretary, to see what was on my schedule for the day, and then got to work. Later, I gave her the names and phone numbers for the pediatrician, optometrist and dentist we used and asked her to set up appointments for Jesse with them, at their earliest possible convenience. Of course, she wanted to know who this boy was, so I filled her in about his sudden appearance and problems. She knew all of my boys and was very good to them, so I thought I owed her that much, and then she did as I requested. Later in the day, she handed me a slip of paper with the appointments listed on it and I thanked her for her help.

I went out to run some errands during my lunch hour and used that time to meet up with the gentleman I knew who owned the local car dealership. I explained to him about my predicament and the types of vehicles I was looking to purchase for my boys. Buying new vehicles would be too expensive, so I explained that I wanted used vehicles, which he quickly informed me were now referred to as ‘pre-owned.’ I also advised him the vehicles had to be in good shape and have low mileage. He said he would do some searching around and keep his eyes open for such vehicles. Once he found something I might be interested in, he’d call and let me know. I thanked him and went back to my office.

After school, I went around to pick up the boys. Generally there is just Andrew from the middle school, unless Sammy walks over to ride home with us, because he doesn’t like to be the fifth person squeezed into the 4Runner. This time, however, I decided to pick Jesse up first. I didn’t want him to have to wait around for me and I was curious to learn how he made out. He was sitting in the office, waiting for me, as I had asked him to do. He smiled when he saw me enter.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked. I received a positive response in return, even though it lacked enthusiasm.

“Do you like your teacher?” I followed up. This time I received a little stronger affirmative reply.

“Did you make any friends?” I continued. I hoped this would help me discover how he made out with his classmates. This time he gave me a non-committal shrug of the shoulders, in response. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret this, so I decided to delve into it more deeply.

“Did you have problems with anyone?” I followed. Jesse immediately shook his head, to make sure I understood that didn’t happen. I then began to think that maybe it was too soon for anything to happen or possibly his classmates were still a little uncertain about how to approach him. After all, it was only his first day with them. I’d give them the rest of the week, before I checked in with his teacher, to see if she had picked up on anything.

We drove from there to the middle school and Jesse got very excited when he saw Andrew again. It was obvious these two were going to be tight, so I hoped Barry’s joining us on our vacation didn’t create problems between them. Damn, thinking of the vacation, I’ll have to call and make sure I’ve enough reservations to include Jesse.

Once we got home, I sent the boys off to do their homework, while I started dinner. I hoped this would be a nice quiet evening and give all of us a chance to rest and unwind. Things hadn’t been very calm for us lately, so I think we all needed to relax a bit.

Over the next week, I found out quite a bit more about Jesse’s transition in to the local school district. Even though it went without incident, I wouldn’t say it went smoothly. Although he was able to handle the work and adored his teacher, his new classmates didn’t readily accept him into their midst. His inability to communicate with them kept some of his peers from approaching him; while others thought him odd or were concerned they might catch his condition. Whatever the reason, Jesse felt isolated and lonely at school and couldn’t wait to get home each afternoon, so he could spend time with Andrew. I was glad he had that safety valve to comfort him.

The two were inseparable. From the minute they arrived home and until they went to bed, they were together. It was almost as if Andrew had a little shadow. Oh, there were some subtle differences between them, but nothing drastic. For example, once they finished taking their showers, Andrew would strut naked from the bathroom to their room, but Jesse would wrap a towel around his waist, before he made that same journey. I guess his first time with us, when he had emerged naked after exiting the upstairs bathroom, was an anomaly. He had just been caught up in the moment from seeing Andrew naked and followed his lead. However, since that time he has been much more modest.

The appointment for Jesse to receive a physical was scheduled at the end of the week, but the only time available was during the school day. Jesse indicated he wanted Andrew to go with us when he went and Andrew let me know that he wanted to be there too. However, I informed them it wouldn’t be possible, seeing it would mean Andrew would have to miss classes to do so.

Andrew had already mentioned he had a test that day and I felt the test should take priority. I didn’t want him to miss it or have to make it up later, for something so trivial. I didn’t feel Jesse NEEDED Andrew there, just that he WANTED to have Andrew with him. Neither boy was happy about my decision, so they both argued with me, each in his own way.

They continued to try to get me to change my mind, and when I wouldn’t, Jesse let me know how displeased he was by stomping out of the room. Seeing this, I was determined to show him that acting like a brat wouldn’t get him his own way. It also made me determined not to give in to him now, no matter what else was said or done.

Surprisingly, I don’t think the fact that I wasn’t going to allow Andrew to go with us sunk in with Jesse, at least until I picked him up from school that day. When he saw I was the only one in the vehicle, he got the longest face I’d ever seen and began to pout. I really felt he expected me to relent at the last second, so he would find Andrew in the van, ready to go with us. Instead, he got his first lesson in reality.

We made our way to the doctor’s office, but I didn’t say much to him along the way. I left it up to Jesse to let me know how much he still wanted to do with me. After parking the van, he walked beside me into the waiting room, stood at my side as I announced our arrival, but then he went over to check out the toys, while I took a seat. When his name was called, I stayed put, while he walked toward the nurse. When he reached the door leading to the hallway for the examination rooms, he stopped and turned toward me. When he noticed I hadn’t moved, he came back and grabbed my shirtsleeve and tugged on it, to let me know he wanted me to come too.

“Are you sure you want me to come with you?” I asked, and he nodded his head. As I stood up to follow him, his lips slowly moved out of the pout and curled into a smile.

The nurse weighed and measured him first, before telling Jesse to strip down to his underwear, while we waited for the pediatrician to show up. Jesse seemed a little reluctant to disrobe, and this baffled me, since he didn’t have this much trouble at home. He paraded about so nonchalantly that first afternoon with Andrew, and since then he hadn’t been embarrassed to be seen in just a towel or his underwear. This wasn’t much different than what he did at home, so why was he hesitating now?

I began to wonder if Andrew had done or said something to make him this uncomfortable or if Jesse was just using this as payback for my not letting Andrew come with us today. Whichever the case, he eventually gave in and stripped down to his underwear.

The doctor wasn’t our normal doctor, but one of his new associates. He was a thirty-something oriental male, but he had a warm and friendly demeanor, so I took an instant liking to him. After explaining why we were here and telling him about Jesse’s lack of speech, he gave him a very thorough physical. He started off by examining Jesse’s eyes, ears, nose and throat, and paid very careful attention to his throat, but Jesse began to stiffen up when the doctor went to remove his briefs. Even though the doctor had tried to reassure him it was only to complete the examination, Jesse wasn’t buying it. The doctor glanced at me, as if he expected an explanation for this reaction, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders, because I didn’t understand it either.

“Jesse, please let the doctor look at the rest of you,” I urged him. “The doctor really needs to check you there too,” I added.

Instead of nodding in agreement, Jesse motioned for me to come to him, which caused the doctor to look at me again.

“How long did you say he’s been with you?” the doctor asked me.

“Just under a week,” I explained.

“I think he needs your support to do this,” the doctor added. “Why don’t you pull your chair up behind him and let him lean against you, while I examined him. Maybe he’d feel more comfortable that way.” Jesse nodded his head in agreement, and seeing his reaction, I pulled my chair around and placed my hands on Jesse’s shoulder, while the doctor finished up.

Once the pediatrician had completed the examination process, he told Jessie he could get dressed, while we stepped out into the hall. Jesse didn’t want me to leave, but after I convinced him I’d only be on the other side of the door, he let me go.