The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 25. Chapter 25 - Sprinting Toward The Finish Line

Thursday afternoon I picked up the Yukon and drove it over to get Jesse, however, he didn’t recognize me when I drove in. As I got out of the Yukon and walked toward him, he grinned and then looked at the SUV. I could immediately tell he approved. He was very excited as he climbed in beside me and then spent the whole trip between the elementary and middle schools checking it out.

Andrew had a similar problem of not noticing us drive in, so I sent Jesse to get him. I watched as a grinning Jesse walked up to Andrew and momentarily startled him. Andrew obviously wasn’t looking for Jesse, because he hadn’t seen the van pull in. I saw Jesse point toward the Yukon, to advise Andrew as to how he arrived, and then they made their way toward me.

Andrew had a lot of questions to ask about the Yukon and where I got it, before he spent the rest of his time looking it over. He and Jesse sat in the middle seat, where they could investigate more easily, so I didn’t interfere with their visual exploration. The only noise that could be heard on the way home was the hum of the engine, but there was a great deal of movement, as Jesse and Andrew pointed out various features to each other.

Of course, once the high school boys arrived home and saw the Yukon in the driveway, they wanted to know what was up. After explaining to them that I had traded in the van for it, they raced back outside to check it out for themselves. However, I wouldn’t let any of them take it out for a test drive, even though several of them were pestering me to do so. They weren’t happy about my decision and even asked if they could use the Yukon to go to school the next day, by suggesting I could drop Andrew and Jesse using one of the other vehicles. I declined their offer, which displeased them even more, but I would let each of them have his turn driving it in time.

Friday seemed to fly by and that night I made sure everyone got his things together, so we could go visit Dustin the following day. In the middle of all this preparation, I received a phone call.

“Hello,” I answered, after picking up the receiver.

“Hi, Dad,” the voice on the other end responded.

“Frankie, it’s so great to hear from you,” I told him. “To what do I owe this honor?” I heard him try to stifle a little laugh.

“You make it sound like I never call you,” he protested, “but I do when I can. I even had to get special permission to call home this time, because it was kind of an emergency. We found out a couple of weeks ago that our graduation ceremony from basic training will be on Friday, May 14th, but I forgot to tell you. I really meant to the last time I called, but I had so much else to discuss with you that it just kind of slipped my mind. I really do feel bad about not letting you know this sooner, so if you can’t come, I’ll understand,” he added, as his effort to take me off of the hook.

“Not come?” I shot back. “I’d never hear of doing such a thing. I will be there, but I’m not sure whom else I might allow to join me. What time will the ceremony be held and where?”

“It will be held in one of the theaters on base at 10 a.m.,” Frankie informed me. “Are you sure you’re really going to be able to come? I mean… you don’t really have much time to make plans.”

“Frankie, I’ll work things out, so don’t worry about it,” I assured him. “I’ll call tomorrow and start making arrangements and I’ll see you on your graduation day. Do you think you’ll be able to spend any time with us that afternoon or over the weekend?”

“Oh, yeah,” Frankie answered. “We won’t be starting A.I.T. (advanced individual training) until Monday, so we’ll be free immediately after the ceremony. We’re not moving into our new barracks until sometime Sunday afternoon, so I’ll be free until then, unless they have a bed check each night.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear we’ll get to spend some time together, even if there might be some limits to it,” I replied. “However, we’ll have to leave around noon on Sunday, so we’ll be able to get back here in time for school on Monday. That’s one of the reasons I’m not sure which boys, if any, will be coming with me. We’ll have to leave after school on Thursday, to get there on time and not risk missing the ceremony, so they’d have to be absent from school on Friday.”

“I understand, and none of you have to feel you’ve got to come,” Frankie told me.

“I know, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world. I’m sure some of your brothers, if not all, would like to be there for you too, so we’ll see what happens. The only thing stopping me from bringing all of them is that your graduation is very close to their finals, and I’m not sure they can afford to miss any time now. There will be research papers and projects that will be coming due and they’ll be in the middle of their review classes.

“To be absolutely honest with you,” I continued, “I’m not sure who wouldn’t suffer by taking the extra time away, even if it’s only a single day. You have to remember, Cole, Trey, Nick and Vinnie are all seniors and can’t afford to slip now, and Dion and Graham are juniors, and the grades they get for these classes will affect which colleges might be willing to accept them. I’m not saying they can’t come, but I’ll have to think this through. I promise that I, and possibly some others, will be there.”

“I know you will, Dad, and thanks,” Frankie added. That basically ended our phone call, but now I had some more planning to do.

Saturday morning I got everyone up early, so we could set off to spend time with Dustin. The trip took just under three hours, so we arrived before noon. It was kind of unusual that we could all fit into one vehicle, but it was kind of nice too. Jake rode in front beside me, while Cole, Graham, Trey, Dion, Vinnie, Nick, Sammy, Andrew, and Jesse all rode in the back two seats. It was a little cramped, but the boys didn’t seem to mind, because they all wanted to ride in our newest vehicle. They said we could always use the Suburban too, once we got to Dustin’s campus, if we need more space. It might work to our advantage that I’d let him take it back to school with him the last time he was home.

When we got there, we stopped at Dustin’s dorm to pick him up and then took him out to lunch with us. Dustin fell in love with the Yukon too and claimed it was much nicer than the Suburban. I suspected at least part of the reason he felt this way was because the Suburban was a few years older and each of the boys seem to think newer is better. Everyone squeezed in the back, and Dustin held Jesse on his lap, in an attempt to get to know his newest brother better. Jesse thought the attention was pretty special and ate it up, while he also earned a deeper appreciation for this older brother.

After lunch, we headed to the mall, to let Dustin pick out a couple of things for his birthday. We told him he’d get his big gifts when we held his party, after he came home for the summer. He was more than satisfied with that and picked out an assortment of name-brand clothes, so he’d have something new to wear for the final month of his academic year. Once we completed our jaunt through the mall, we dropped Dustin off at his dorm, so he could change for dinner.

I then took the others to find a place where we’d spend the night. I figured we’d get our rooms now, since we also needed to clean up and change, because we had dressed quite casually for the trip. Once we’d all had a chance to wash up and put on something more appropriate, we picked Dustin up again and set off for the restaurant.

It was a nice place, although nothing too fancy. Dustin said it was a favorite place for students to bring their parents when they came to visit and several of his friends had recommended it to him. They told him it was very nice and the food was excellent, which we soon verified, and we all enjoyed a very special fare.

During the evening, Dustin chatted with all of the boys, but he spent a greater share of his time with Jesse. When he asked Jesse what he liked to do best, Jesse pantomimed riding a bicycle. Dustin understood his meaning and tried to find out more, so Andrew took over and explained about their almost daily adventures on the bikes. Jesse was glowing as he listened to Andrew fill Dustin in about their activities and it was obvious how much these outings meant to him.

The cutest thing happened when Dustin asked Jesse whom he liked best, because we all assumed he’d point toward Andrew. However, after looking around the entire table, he moved his arm around, until he had pointed toward each of us, one at a time, including Dustin. This made us all crack a smile, before Dustin wrapped his arms around Jesse and gave him a big hug of approval. I think we all appreciated knowing Jesse loved and felt a special connection to each of us.

After things settled down, we left the restaurant and I took everyone out to see a movie. Prior to going, we all agreed to let Dustin select what we would see and he seemed pleased by this simple gesture. Going to a movie was never an easy process for us and it was a rare occurrence that a single boy had total say in the matter, so Dustin enjoyed this treat. When the movie ended, we went out for some ice cream, before I told them it was time to head back to our rooms for the evening.

Dustin asked if I’d take him by his dorm so he could pick up a few things, because he wanted to spend the night with us. I told him it would be pretty crowded, which prompted him to ask which of us were sharing rooms together. I advised him that Dion, Trey, Nick and Vinnie had asked to be in one room, while Cole, Graham, Little Ricky and Sammy requested another. I then went on to tell him that Jesse, Andrew, Jake and I were in the last room.

After hearing this, Dustin explained he was willing to ask permission from the guys in the room in which he wanted to stay, if it was all right with me. When I agreed to his request, he whispered to Jesse and Andrew.

“Do you mind if I share a bed with you?” Both boys seemed excited by this idea and quickly agreed to let him do this. Once he had their approval, Dustin turned to Jake and I.

“How about it? Do you mind if I share your room and bunk in with the boys?” he asked.

Of course, we had no problem with this, so we took Dustin to pick up a few items, before we returned to our rooms. The five of us did stay up a little longer, so we could talk and watch some television before turning in, but I got the biggest kick out of watching Dustin with the two boys. When we decided to watch television, Dustin sat on their bed, with his back propped up against the headboard. Before long, he had a boy tucked under each arm and cuddled up tightly against him. Jake and I did the same on our bed, but we spent more time watching them, than what was on the tube, because it was more entertaining. It was a picture of pure contentment.

When we did finally decide to go to sleep, the boys informed Dustin that he had to sleep in the middle, so they could both be close to him. This didn’t bother Dustin in the least. In fact, I think he had hoped it would turn out that way. The boys were happy, Dustin was satisfied and Jake and I were pleased to see them getting so close. Of course, Andrew and Dustin had some contact before, but never quite on this level.

I know Andrew always admired Dustin and Dustin thought the world of Andrew, but I think Dustin felt Andrew had Sammy, Graham and Cole to rely on, so he didn’t push to get close to him when Andrew was younger. I do remember Dustin was there for Andrew after the incident in Houston, where Andrew was nearly molested, and he went out of his way to make sure Andrew didn’t have any ill effects from that traumatic event. However, after Andrew had dealt with the lingering effects of that day, they had drifted apart, but now he was back.

I think Dustin was a bit remorseful about not having spent more time with Andrew and this probably affected how he was dealing with Jesse. After hearing about Jesse’s past, I’m sure Dustin just wanted to make certain Jesse felt loved, rather than abandoned. He made it his personal goal to show Jesse that he had many family members who would always be there when needed, especially him. This just made me even prouder of this special son.

The next morning we got up, dressed and went to church, after which we all went out for brunch. The boys ate well, and then we went back to collect our things and check out, before taking Dustin back to his dorm. Jesse and Andrew gave him a special good-bye, as each hugged and kissed him affectionately on the cheek, before everyone else made sure to bid him a fond farewell too. After Jake and I said good-bye to Dustin, we loaded up the Yukon and set off for home.

The trip went by quickly and we were home well before dinnertime. After unloading our things, the high school boys announced they had posters to finish, so they went off to work on them. These posters were to announce the date and time for the organizational meeting of the gay-straight alliance and they wanted to finish them, so they could hang them around school tomorrow. They hoped to get the alliance started before the school year came to an end, which would happen in about a month. They thought it would be best to have the officers elected and everything ready to go when school started again in the fall. I told them their intentions were admirable and looked forward to seeing what they had planned. After they left to do their thing, I set about getting some of my own chores done.

A few minutes later, Andrew and Jesse came up to me and asked if they could go for a bike ride, but this time they insisted I go with them. I told them I had to prepare dinner first, but Jake jumped into the discussion at that point and quickly took away my excuse, by volunteering to fix dinner for me. His offer put me on the spot and left me with no reason to deny their request.

I knew it would look bad if I tried to think of another excuse for why I couldn’t go with them, so I agreed to join them this time, which thrilled both. We all had to change first, to get into something more comfortable for this type of activity, and then we went out to get the bikes. I’m not sure whose bicycle I used, but the seat seemed awfully small and hard. I felt as if I were sitting on top of a picket fence. Unless my memory is playing tricks on me again, I think the bikes I used to ride had more comfortable seats than this.

Anyway, the boys took me along one of the routes they liked to follow and I must admit it was a very beautiful ride. As we journeyed out even farther into the country, we passed scores of trees, hundreds of wild flowers, multiple pastures and fields and at one point we even pedaled along the upper bank of a ravine. Although there was a considerable drop off, it wasn’t really dangerous, because there were guardrails along the roadway. That barrier was installed to prevent someone from hurtling down the embankment and into the creek at the bottom. Although the incline was fairly steep, possibly around a sixty or seventy degree angle, it was not a sheer drop to the bottom. I did warn the boys to be careful along this stretch, when they took this route in the future and they agreed they would.

Eventually, we went as far as the boys planned to go, so we did a u-turn and came back along the opposite side of the roadway, until we reached home. The boys were elated I had gone out with them and each one hugged and kissed me in appreciation, after we put away our bikes. Right away, Jesse began indicating he wanted me to go with them again sometime and I readily agreed. The fact was, I found the ride lovely and stimulating, even though my butt was disagreeing. I was also sure the exercise was good for me too. I only had one small change to suggest before we did this again. Next time, I wanted to make sure Jake went with us. Not only did I want to include him in on this bonding experience, but I also thought he could benefit from the exercise too.

The rest of the night we just took it easy. The older boys wanted to show me the posters they had made for the gay-straight alliance and I was excited to see what they’d done. Upon first glance, I found their work to be very creative. They had utilized a wide range of pictures of guys and girls they had cut out of magazines, to attract as many of their fellow students as they could. I was impressed with what I saw, so I was certain their organizational meeting would go well and they’d have the alliance up and running by fall.

The following morning, those four high school boys were extremely excited about getting to school, so they could put their posters up. This eagerness was out of character for them, since very few of my boys were morning people or had this much energy after waking up. Most mornings I would have to keep pushing and prodding to keep them going, so they wouldn’t be late for school. In contrast, this was a nice change of pace and I wished they would have something like this to excite them more often.

When they finally arrived at school, each one set off in a different direction. They had already agreed where to put their posters and would hang them in areas they deemed as key locations. These were places where the traffic flow was the greatest or areas were students spent the largest percentage of their free time. They had identified these locations beforehand, during one of their many planning sessions, and had designed each poster specifically for the types of students whom would normally be found there. Although each poster announced when the initial organizational meeting would be held, they did so in a way that would most likely attract the types of students who would be seeing that particular poster. By hanging them up now, it would also give everyone enough time in between to be able to make plans to attend the meeting.

Even though the boys had a very narrow focus on what they had to accomplish, since they were only worried about organizing the alliance, this was just the beginning of three very maddening weeks for me. First of all, besides conducting the normal, and hectic, end of the year activities, I also had to make plans to leave Thursday afternoon, to attend Frankie’s graduation from basic training.

The following week would be just as crazy for me with other school related issues, but on top of that, the college boys would be returning home as well. In addition to those things, I was also supposed to go out to the farms that weekend to see how things were going there. If that weren’t enough, it was the same weekend I had planned to hold Dustin and Danny’s birthday party. The extended family was going to come by on Sunday, since Dustin had agreed it would be best to hold one party for both of them.

Since Danny was turning twenty-one this year, I was going to do the same thing for him as I’d done for Dustin. I was having my lawyer set it up so Danny would have complete control over the account I had established for him. I knew Danny wanted to become a pediatrician, so I expected he would use the money to help pay for his medical degree, but now it would be his choice as to how it was used. He was a very responsible young man, so I had no concerns about him squandering it, but I felt this would help him feel like the adult he had become.

The weekend after that would be the high school graduation, so not only did I have to perform my duties as Superintendent of Schools, I also had to fulfill my role as father of several members of the graduating class. If that weren’t mind-boggling enough, interspersed throughout the times in between, there would be additional meetings, awards dinners and other activities I would be involved in and required to attend, as well as my usual responsibilities at home. It would truly be a very trying time.

To alleviate some of my burden for the month, I asked the high school boys to pick up Andrew and Jesse from school each day, because I wouldn’t be able to leave work at the usual time. I would be staying later than normal and didn’t want the younger boys to have to hang around their schools waiting for me. My drivers agreed to do as I requested, but only after I threatened to take away their driving privileges unless they did. They opposed this at first, because they thought it meant they would be stuck watching their brothers until I got home, but I assured them that would not be the case.

Once we had that settled, I told Andrew and Jesse that I was going to trust them to be on their own, so the older boys wouldn’t have to watch them. This way, their brothers could still do the things they had planned. Immediately, Andrew wanted to know if he and Jesse could continue going out on their daily bike rides after they got home, which prompted me to address a few concerns with them. After we discussed in detail what would and wouldn’t be allowed, both boys agreed to my demands. They promised to be very careful and be home by dinnertime, so I gave them my permission to continue their outings.