The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 23. Chapter 23 - Adjustments

Jesse’s follow-up dental visit started off the week for us. During this appointment, the dentist was going to take care of his cavities, which would put most of Jesse’s health related concerns behind us, for the time being. Even though Jesse wasn’t scheduled to be there until 10:00, I couldn’t allow him to eat much breakfast. I knew the dentist planned on using nitrous oxide with him and had been told it would be best to limit what Jesse ate beforehand. The dentist explained the use of nitrous oxide often causes nausea or vomiting on a full or fairly full stomach, so it would be best to take this precaution. However, by having to reduce what Jesse was allowed to eat for breakfast, it started us off on the wrong foot and the situation wasn’t about to get any better.

I could tell Jesse was still nervous about this visit, even though his previous appointment had gone so well. I kept trying to reassure him that this one would go just as smoothly and I even went over what he should expect to happen, so there wouldn’t be any surprises. After listening to everything I had to say, Jesse indicated he still wanted me to go in with him while he was being worked on. I told him we’d have to get the dentist’s approval first, at which time Jesse made sure to let me know he definitely wanted me to do this for him. I assured him I’d ask when we got there and he seemed to calm down a bit. It appeared he was confident he was going to get his way this time, because he hugged me about my waist, to show me he appreciated my honoring his request.

When we got to the dental office, I announce our arrival, but Jesse keeping nudging me and nodding his head toward the receptionist. I understood it to mean he didn’t want me to wait any longer and was urging me to ask the receptionist if the dentist would give his permission for me to go in with them. Since I understood how much this meant to my newest son, I cleared my throat and looked at the middle-aged lady.

“Excuse me,” I began, “but Jesse is a little nervous about this appointment, so he wants to know if the dentist would allow me to sit in the room with him, while he is being worked on?” She looked up and smiled.

“That’s not an unusual request,” she informed us. “I will check with the dentist to see what he has to say, but I don’t think there will be any problem honoring Jesse’s wishes.” She then winked at Jesse and a grin spread across his face. I cautioned him it didn’t mean it was official yet and we wouldn’t know for certain until the dentist gave his approval. Jesse nodded his understanding and then we sat down to wait.

When the dental assistant came out to get Jesse, she informed us the dentist had given his permission for me to go in with him. Hearing this, Jesse immediately grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out of my seat, to make sure I wasn’t going to stay behind. I let him struggle a bit, as he tried to drag my dead weight from the chair, before I decided to assist him. He was scowling at me a little, for making him work so hard, but he was glad I was doing what he wanted.

We followed the dental assistant into the small room where the work would be done and she placed Jesse in the large dental chair. Once she had him in the seat, she put his bib on and then left the room for a few moments. When she came back, she was carrying a chair for me to sit on. She placed it on the side away from where the dentist would be working, but close enough to Jesse so I could hold his hand, if he wanted me to. He couldn’t actually see me from where he was situated, unless he leaned to his left and turned his head slightly toward the rear, so he could look behind his seat. This didn’t seem to bother him and it appeared to be enough that he knew I was there. When the dentist came in, he greeted both of us, before he looked at Jesse’s chart and x-rays. Once he had reviewed what needed to be done, the dentist pulled the nitrous oxide tank out from the corner.

When Jesse saw the tank, he became a little frightened and uncooperative. He was definitely unwilling to let the dentist put the mask over his face, so he could inhale the gas.

“Jesse, if you don’t allow the dentist to do this,” I whispered in his ear, “then you’ll feel a great deal of pain. We really need you to cooperate with the dentist.” Jesse shook his head, to let me know he wasn’t about to capitulate. I quickly tried to think of another way to convince him and came up with an alternative strategy.

“Well, if you don’t breathe the gas, then the dentist will have to take out his big needle and give you shots of Novocain in your gums.” Jesse’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when I mentioned the needle, and now he was shaking his head even more violently.

“Jesse, you have only three choices,” I explained again, “because you are getting those teeth taken care of before we leave here. I’ll leave it up to you as to how you want to do it though. The dentist can drill without giving you anything, but that will be very painful, or he can use the needle to inject you with Novocain, or you can inhale the gas and feel nothing. Which would you prefer?”

Jesse looked at me and studied the determination on my face. Realizing I wasn’t about to give in to him on this, he lifted his arm and pointed at the mask the dentist held in his hand, to let us know he had made his choice. The dentist looked at me and winked, to indicate he appreciated my assistance, before he placed the mask over Jesse’s face and released the gas. Before long, Jesse had lost all of his inhibitions and the dentist was ready to begin his work.

Since Jesse’s little protest had been dealt with, I leaned back in my chair and sat quietly in the corner, just in case I was needed again. I was concerned that Jesse would panic if I left the room, but the nitrous oxide had relaxed him enough that he didn’t actually need me to hold his hand this time. While the dentist took care of Jesse’s cavities, I picked up a magazine and began to leaf through it. We were in there for about forty-five minutes, before the dentist announced he was finished. After he removed the bib from Jesse, I helped my boy out of the chair and walked him to the front desk. He was a little shaky at first, due to the effects of the anesthesia, so I held on to his arm, just in case he stumbled. At the front desk, we were given some pain medication for Jesse to use when the nitrous oxide began to wear off, and then we were on our way.

I had decided to take Jesse home, rather than to school, so I could keep an eye on him for a while longer. This way, I could make sure he was having no adverse effects to the nitrous oxide and could give him his pain medication too. Doing that would give the pain relievers time to kick in before he returned to school, so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable while sitting at his desk. This would also allow me to make sure Jesse had a decent lunch and was able to keep it down, as well. Slowly, Jesse began to revert back to his usual self, once his stomach was full and the medication was doing its job. Now, we were both ready to head back to school. The only unusual thing about any of this was that he wanted to hold my hand as I drove and also as I walked him to his classroom. I was fine with his request and glad to see he actually felt that kind of attachment to me. This showed he not only needed me when he was scared and upset, but also at other times, like now.

After I dropped Jesse off, the van started acting up. It didn’t want to start again and I tried for many minutes to get it going. It had been giving me minor problems over the past few weeks, but I didn’t think much of it, because these problems didn’t seem to be serious or last very long. However, this time I knew it was something much worse. Seeing I couldn’t get it going, I called my mechanic and explained the problem, before I asked him if he could come and check it over for me. He said he couldn’t do it right that minute, but would come and tow it back to his garage just as soon as he could. He said he’d also make sure to give it a thorough going over before he went home for the day. This was all I could ask of him. He was always very good to me, seeing he took care of all of our vehicles and we brought him lots of business. After making sure that issue was settled, I walked back to my office, since it wasn’t very far away.

Later in the afternoon, my mechanic called and informed me that I had the start of serious engine problems. Besides that, he also told me he had discovered the transmission was beginning to slip too, so it would also need attention before long. He then told me he didn’t think it would be worth the money to fix it now, with all the mileage it had on it, but he’d get it running for the time being. He suggested we just use it for short trips, until I decided what I wanted to do. He also told me he’d drop it off before I got out of work, and I could stop by to pay the bill when I got the chance. I thanked him and hung up.

As soon as I finished speaking with him, I called my friend who ran the car lot. He was already looking for other vehicles for me, which the boys could use for college, so I explained my new problem to him.

“Josh, I think I have the answer for you right here on my lot,” he told me. “In fact, I was going to call you about it and see if it was what you wanted for your boys. It’s a larger SUV than you requested, but it might be perfect for you. It a GMC Yukon XL and seats 9 comfortably. Why don’t you drop by and take a look at it, and then let me know what you think.”

“I will and thanks for keeping your eyes open for me,” I told him. Now, I had something else to do after work.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and the van was in my parking space when I left the building later. I looked it over, but didn’t see anything different, except when I turned the key. It started up this time, although grudgingly, and it ran very rough. Despite these facts, I took off in it and was soon picking the boys up again. Jesse ran out of his school and toward the van, as soon as he saw me pull in. He actually seemed excited I was there. I wasn’t sure if he was happy to see me, glad the school day was over or because something special had happened. It could also be that he knew he and Andrew would be together again shortly, so it might have been what the smile was all about. Whatever the reason, he was in a very upbeat mood when he greeted me and it didn’t take long before we were on our way to pick up the other half of the dynamic duo from the middle school.

Along the way, I asked Jesse if he had a good day and he nodded his head energetically, to let me know he did. I asked him if something special or exciting had taken place, and he shook his head in response, so I assumed he’d just enjoyed his teacher and the way things went. After that, I also asked him if his teeth were bothering him or if he felt any pain, but he merely shook his head in reply again. Since everything seemed fine with him, I didn’t question him further, but I was well aware of how he lit up, the moment he saw Andrew approaching the van.

Once he was seated, Andrew had tons of questions about the dental appointment. Jesse was able to answer some of his queries with a nod or shake of his head, but I had to fill him in on the details of the visit. Andrew wanted to know everything that happened and we finished telling him this information before we reached home. As soon as we pulled in the driveway, the boys bolted from the van and disappeared into the house, before I had even finished turning off the engine or unbuckled my seat belt. Once I was out of the van, I only went inside for a few minutes, so I could change my clothes. I then headed out for my friend’s car lot, to look at the vehicle he told me about earlier. I informed Jesse and Andrew they were to stay in the house until I got back, but also explained I wouldn’t be very long. They wanted to go with me, but I felt they’d be more of a hindrance than help, so I added that I needed to do this on my own. As expected, they weren’t happy with my decision and ran off to their room, as a mild protest.

As soon as I drove on to the lot, my friend came out to greet me. After exchanging the customary pleasantries, he took me over to show me the vehicle he had told me about. I was impressed with it the moment I saw it, and after my test drive, I knew it would be perfect for our family. I told him I was pretty sure I wanted it, but I’d like to bring Jake down after dinner, so he could see it too. He told me that would be fine, gave me the extra key to the Yukon, just in case Jake wanted to drive it as well. He also told me he’d lock his magnetic dealer plate inside, under the driver’s seat, so we could take it out again, if that’s what we decided to do. I thanked him for his trust and help, and then returned home.

I was puttering around fixing dinner when my two sulking boys reappeared. They were standing in the foyer, outside the kitchen, but appeared to have something else on their minds now. I could tell this because of the way they were dancing around, as if they had ants in their pants, plus how they kept looking at me. Not only that, but Andrew kept whispering in Jesse’s ear and Jesse kept making hand gestures in response, until they, finally, approached me.

“Dad, Jesse and I want to go out bike riding,” Andrew announced. He was looking quite anxious, although I wasn’t sure why.

“I see nothing wrong with that,” I told him, wondering why this seemed to be such a big deal to him. “Just don’t wander too far away and make sure you keep an eye on Jesse.”

“But there’s a problem,” Andrew informed me, and then he suddenly stopped talking and left me hanging.

“And what would that problem be?” I asked, trying to get him to continue his line of thought. However, before he could respond, the high school boys arrived home and came strolling in to join us. When I confronted them about their tardiness, they explained they had been talking with friends about the gay-straight alliance and apologized for being late. What I didn’t notice was that Andrew was getting upset about the interruption to our conversation.

“Jesse don’t have a bike,” Andrew interjected, taking charge again, “and my bike is getting kinda small for me. Would you buy me a new one, so I can let Jesse have mine?”

“Let’s see, Jesse DOESN’T have a bike,” I repeated, after which Andrew just glared at me with disgust. “Andrew, you have a birthday coming up in September,” I reminded him, changing the subject, but this only earned me another menacing glare.

“Dad! That’s five months away. Winter will almost be here by then,” he whined.

“Hey,” Sammy jumped in, “you can have my bike and then you can let Jesse have yours. I don’t go riding much any more, so you can just have it, if you want.” Andrew wasn’t sure this was the option he desired and spent some time thinking over Sammy’s offer.

“Will that work for you?” I asked, seeing he still hadn’t responded to Sammy’s proposition.

“Yeah, okay. That will do,” Andrew confirmed, although he didn’t look very happy. “Thanks, Sam. Can we go out now, Dad?” he wanted to know.

“I don’t know. CAN you?” I asked, which caused Andrew to shoot a look of exasperation at me.

“MAY we go now?” he snapped this time, as he continued to let his emotions show. I decided not to answer him right away and looked toward Jesse. I needed to see how he was doing first, before I gave my permission.

“Jesse, are you sure you’re feeling all right?” I wanted to know, just to be certain he wasn’t having any ill effects from the earlier dental visit. He nodded his head in reply.

“Okay, then you boys MAY go,” I advised them, “but be back in an hour. That’s when dinner will be served. If you want to eat, you won’t be late, because you know your brothers won’t feel obligated to save anything for you.” They both nodded in agreement and then went to the shed to get the bicycles.

Once Jesse and Andrew disappeared, the high school boys asked me when their petition concerning the gay-straight alliance was going to be presented to the Board of Education. I quickly advised them it would happen Wednesday night, at the next scheduled meeting, and they seemed pleased with my response. I assume they’d concluded it would mean they’d know whether the board was going to support their proposal before the end of the week, so they wouldn’t have much longer to wait. They also asked if I thought there would be any problem with it getting approved. I told them I doubted it, since most of the time the school board went along with the recommendations from the principals and me, so this was usually just a formality. That news made them even happier, so they went upstairs to begin planning what they were going to do next, after they received the board’s approval.

Andrew and Jesse returned home from their bicycle trip shortly thereafter. They were on time and very excited about what they had just done. Jesse was absolutely aglow and hurriedly wrote me a note, to let me know how he felt about what he had just done.

‘Thank U for leting me go with Andru. I only got to rid a bike at my friend howse, but I never had a bike. This was more fun because I road my own bike.’

He hugged me around the waist, as I read his note, so I hugged him back. I also got a kick out of his spelling errors and misuse of homophones. After he broke his embrace, I told him he should be thanking Andrew, not me, because it was Andrew’s idea in the first place. I also told him they both should thank Sammy as well, seeing they couldn’t have gone if Sammy hadn’t given Andrew his bike. Jesse nodded his understanding and then he and Andrew went to find Sammy, before they washed up for dinner. However, they didn’t leave until Andrew thanked and hugged me too.

After dinner, I took Jake down to look at the Yukon and we took it out for another drive. He was as impressed with it as I was, so he told me I should go ahead and buy it. I thanked him for his input and advised him I’d make the arrangements the next day.