The Castaway Hotel - 8 - 28. Chapter 28 - Changes

It wasn’t very long after breakfast before the younger boys and I headed off for school, while the college boys slept in. I had a full day ahead of me, not only with school related issues, but I also had to firm up my arrangements to visit the farms the next day. I was going out to inspect the changes that had been made and make sure both farms were operating as they should be. My final duty would be to check on the children who lived there, even though Sally or one of the other caseworkers continued to look in on them regularly.

I decided not to take all the boys with me this time, because they’d be going out at the end of June to help with the haying, but Jake would be joining me. I was going to take Little Ricky with us too; since he used to live there and had mentioned several times that he wondered what his old home looked like now. I felt he needed to see what was happening there and get some closure, before going out with the other boys. I thought it might give him some peace of mind to know that his father’s death and mother’s illness had also precipitated some good, and not just the sadness and pain it had caused him.

Both sets of house parents were expecting my call, so I told them Little Ricky, Jake and I would be coming out between nine and ten the next morning. That night I advised Little Ricky about our plans, so he’d be ready to get up earlier than on a normal Saturday morning. I was a little surprised by how excited he seemed about joining me, but I was glad to see him react so positively to the news. However, later in the night there was a surprise in store for me, but this one had nothing to do with Little Ricky.

It happened when Sammy asked if he could go to the movies with some friends, something he rarely did. Not only that, but these were boys I never even knew he was friendly with. The entire group he would be with had shaky reputations and did not come from the best of families, so this concerned me even more. However, I’ve always preached that they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and be willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, at least until they’d proved they weren’t worth the risk. Therefore, I didn’t nix his plans.

I did, however, tell him I expected him to act in a way that would bring them UP to his level, rather than having him stoop to theirs. I’m not sure if the look he gave me meant he was just surprised I had brought this up or if they might have had some plans that were on the shady side, but he said he understood. His initial reaction had caused me some concern, but seeing I trusted Sammy, I put those thoughts out of my mind.

Sammy also told me he wouldn’t need a ride home afterward, since one of those boys had said he’d drop him off on his way home. Going against my better judgment, I said that would be okay. However, I did have a backup plan of sorts. Some of the other boys were planning to go out too, so I asked them to keep their eyes open, just in case, as I just wanted to make sure nothing was amiss. They said they would, which made me feel a little better.

After dinner, while the boys were getting ready to leave, Jake and I helped Andrew and Jesse clean up the dishes and put things away. Those two boys were staying home with us, so they volunteered to do the cleanup. While we were working together, Jesse prodded Andrew into asking Jake and I to go out with them on their bike ride tomorrow. After explaining to them that we had things to do in the morning, but we’d be happy to join them sometime in the afternoon, both boys seemed quite pleased. They were still excited about this prospect after we finished our chores, so they excitedly began to plan the route they wanted us to take. As they disappeared, I dragged Jake off to the living room, where we could be alone.

I decided this was a good opportunity to spend some quality time with him, but I also hoped it might help keep his mind off Shannon and Nick. They had gone out too, along with almost all of the older boys, and I didn’t want Jake to spend the entire evening worrying about his son. We began watching a movie and before long Andrew and Jesse returned to join us. They both sat off to my right, as I sat with my arm around Jake, and when the commercial came on, Andrew began to explain where they hoped to take us tomorrow. It was in the opposite direction from the way we went the last time I rode with them and I told them it sounded like fun. They seemed happy with my response, but they were even more pleased when Jake informed them that he was looking forward to going on the bike ride too.

We flicked through the channels after the movie ended and watched a variety of other programs. Then some of the boys began to return home. Needless to say, many of our vehicles were out and about this evening, so the boys didn’t have to wait long for rides. Kevin and Vinnie were the first to show up. They were using the 4Runner and had Trey and Dion with them. They had gone out together, but I was surprised to see Sammy was with them too. I thought his friends were giving him a ride home, but they all just said ‘hi’ when they walked in and then the two couples disappeared to their rooms.

Sammy came in to sit with us, but he didn’t appear to be in a very good mood. I wasn’t sure if his evening didn’t go as he wished or if somehow his brothers had interfered with it by bringing him home early. I felt I’d wait to see if he mentioned anything, rather than pushing him to find out what was up, but he remained mum. We sat like that for a few minutes more and then the boys took off for their rooms. I ended up going to bed without finding out what was troubling Sammy.

Jake and I got up early Saturday morning and Jake began to fix breakfast, while I went to wake up Little Ricky. After downing a decent meal, the three of us took the Grand Am and drove out to the farms. Although it was only a little after 9:00 when we arrived, all the children were up and active, unlike at home, where everyone, except for Little Ricky, Jake and I, was still asleep.

Our first stop was at the Beckers’ old home and I was well aware, before we arrived, that the renovations had now been completed. The place looked really nice and nearly everything had changed, both inside and out. Although the basic structure had remained essentially the same, a few minor walls had been removed, to open things up. The house had also been insulated and vinyl sided, so it really looked fantastic.

“Wow, this looks so different,” Little Ricky commented.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“Yes, I like it,” he responded, “but I don’t feel as if it’s my old home any more. In a way, I’m glad, because now I won’t think about it so much. I have a new home, so that’s the way it should be.”

I wasn’t sure if he was being totally honest about his feelings, but if he was, I was glad he felt he belonged with us. Before, I knew at least a part of his heart remained at the farm, but now maybe this would change. It wasn’t the reason we had the place remodeled, because that was solely for practical purposes of accommodating more children, but it apparently did more than that.

After checking out the house, we went out to the barn, to look at the improvements there. We discovered many boards had been replaced, both on the sides of the building and in the flooring, in an effort to strengthen it. In addition to that, the barn had received a fresh paint job and looked as if it had just been built, which belied it’s nearly one hundred year age. The boys who were doing the morning chores were just finishing up the milking or busy cleaning the barn floor. As soon as the milking was completed, the cows were led out to the pasture, so they could graze for the remainder of the day.

I counted seven boys currently living at the farm and they ranged from about twelve to seventeen, but I noticed not all of them seemed enthused about being there. Two of the boys, the youngest and another who was about fifteen, seemed happy enough, but the other five appeared to be going through the motions of doing their chores only because they had been forced to do so. I could tell by the way they were going about their duties that they couldn’t wait to get away from the barn, but maybe that was to be expected. Not only was the work hard and dirty, but I would also guess a little rebelling is to be expected from boys this age. It might be truer for these boys, because they had either been in trouble with the authorities or shuffled around from one place to another.

I made sure I got to chat with each of them for a bit, although the seventeen year old didn’t seem to want to be bothered. I wasn’t sure if this was just because of his age, since older teens don’t often want to share their feelings with adults, or because there were more deeply rooted problems, but I was determined to find out. After chatting with some of the others, I discovered most of them were just upset about having to get up so early on a Saturday. They thought things could wait a little longer this morning, since it was the weekend, but the house-parents wouldn’t give in. This, in turn, resulted in their negative attitude.

When I hinted that the oldest boys seemed to be taking it really hard, the others laughed. Then they explained that he was mad because he wanted to go out the night before, but the house parents wouldn’t let him. That was because he had been slow getting his chores done a couple days that week and had given them some lip when they told him his behavior wasn’t acceptable. I guess his punishment for the minor rebellion was being stuck home on a Friday night.

When I got back to the house, I asked the house parents how things had been going and they told me quite well. They said they’d had a few minor problems with the boys, but nothing serious, and I was pleased to hear that. All in all, it looked as if things we’re working out well and I was happy about what was being done with the Foundation’s investment.

Once we finished up there, we drove to the second farm and found similar encouraging results. At this location there were three younger children, a girl around three and two boys about four or five, and then there were two older girls, one maybe fourteen and the other about sixteen. This was in addition to the nine-year old girl they had before they accepted this position. The renovations there had been completed as well and the house and other buildings looked just as impressive as the changes at the old Becker farm.

Once again, I took the opportunity to chat with the children, although the little ones didn’t give me much in the way of useful information. Instead, they told me about the animals and what they’d named them, before filling me in about some of the things they do for the animals. They all appeared to enjoy being on the farm and I was pleased to see they were so happy.

The older girls both told me they had been hesitant about coming to the farm-home, when they were first offered this opportunity, but then went on to explain they were glad they’d given it a try. Both of them told me they had more freedom here than any place they had lived before, but it was possible it was because the farm was so isolated. They also told me they enjoyed being around the younger children and helping to take care of them. The girls said they were treated fairly, although they did have lots of chores to do and some of the work was hard. I thanked them for their honesty and help, and then Little Ricky, Jake and I said good-bye and headed home.

When we got back, Andrew and Jesse were chomping at the bit and anxiously awaiting our return, so we could go out for our bike ride. After fixing everyone a quick lunch, we went to the shed to get the bikes. Little Ricky even asked if he could join us and Andrew and Jesse both said that would be fine. We quickly dragged out another bike for him and then took off. The boys were riding ahead of us, with Jesse leading the way, while Jake and I brought up the rear. We were chatting as we pedaled along, but I was a little concerned about the fact we were riding two across. However, there wasn’t much traffic and we always dropped back into single file whenever any vehicles approached, so it worked out fine.

I think Jesse and Andrew had taken me too literally when I told them Jake and I could use the exercise. The route they took us on today had many more hills than the previous route I had taken with them. Even though it was very scenic, it was also longer and more difficult, so it turned out to be a very strenuous outing. There were times when Jake and I were both panting and struggling not to fall behind, but we somehow managed to keep up. The boys even suggested we take a short break before we turned around to head back, so we stopped at a convenience store to purchase drinks. This gave us a chance to catch our breath and regain our strength, in addition to being able to replenish the bodily fluids we had lost due to the exertion.

On the way home, the boys took turns riding next to Jake and I, so they could ask how we were enjoying the ride and other things. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, including Little Ricky, which kind of surprised me. Being sixteen and a junior in high school, I didn’t think he’d find this as enjoyable an activity as the rest of us, but I was wrong. When he rode next to me, he thanked me for letting him come along, but I told him he should thank Jesse and Andrew for that. He said he would, but then moved on to another topic.

Little Ricky also told me how happy our trip to the farms had made him feel, knowing some good had come out of his father’s death. He thought it was great that the Foundation was using his old home to take care of others that had found themselves in situations similar to the one he had been in. He advised me that he had also noticed the sign as we entered the property, stating it was the ‘Albert and Arlene Becker Farm Home for Youth,’ and admitted seeing it almost made him cry. After getting this off his chest and out into the open, I think he felt better and we continued to pedal along.

I was glad when we finally reached home, because I was getting tired and quite sore. I knew the soreness would only get worse over the next few hours, so I would have to think of a way to counter the problem before long. After dinner, Jake and I found the solution we were looking for, when we hopped into the hot tub and let the water soothe our aching muscles and joints. We were only in there for a few minutes before Jesse, Andrew and Little Ricky came sauntering in. They were totally naked and carrying their towels.

“Do you mind if we join you?” Little Ricky asked, speaking for all of them. “We saw you heading in here and figured this was what you were planning to do. I know I’m a little sore from that ride too,” he added, as he dropped his not so subtle hint, “so it will help us too. Please, may we join you?”

I looked at the three boys, standing there looking anxious and flashing us their cutest grins, but I knew Andrew and Jesse probably weren’t hurting as much as the rest of us. After all, they’d been doing this for a while on their own, so they were more accustomed to it. However, I gave in.

“Come on, you little weasels. Hop in,” I told them, which caused all three to immediately jump in the tub with us.

For nearly an hour we sat in the hot tub talking about our bike ride and other things, but basically just relaxing and letting our bodies recuperate from all that physical activity. The boys did ask if we’d go out for a ride with them every weekend, and after Jake and I exchanged a few furtive glances between us and communicated telepathically, we gave in again and agreed we would do it as often as we could. The boys seemed satisfied with our response and didn’t push for a firmer commitment.

After getting out of the hot tub and drying off, the boys talked us into watching a movie with them. It was one the older boys had rented for the evening, but these three wanted to see it too, now that the others had gone out. We made our way to the living room, popped the movie in and then got comfortable. It was a suspense/horror flick and wasn’t bad, although the title escapes me at the moment. When the movie ended, Jake and I decided to turn in, so we bid the boys sweet dreams and left them to their own devices. Jake and I knew we’d have another busy day tomorrow, because it was Danny and Dustin’s combined birthday party, and we’d need all the rest we could get to be ready for it.

Jake and I got up early Sunday morning and began to prepare things for the party. We were having a cookout and the entire extended family had been invited, although I advised them presents were not necessary. We had decided that once the boys reached eighteen the idea of gifts would be optional, as we would bankrupt the extended family otherwise, especially since our family was continuing to grow. The boys understood this and agreed with our logic, especially since they all had pretty sizable trust funds and weren’t really hurting for anything. However, when it came to Jake and I, the boys were still on our gift list. Knowing that, we asked the two boys to come with us and took them out for a little ride.

We drove directly to my friend’s car lot and the boys wanted to know what we were doing there. After changing subjects and avoiding their questions, we got out of the car and I took them over to where two SUVs were parked.

“Seeing you’re the oldest, you get first choice,” I said, looking at Dustin. “They aren’t exclusively yours, but you will be the primary driver and responsible for their care, maintenance and deciding whom you’ll allow to borrow them and when.” Both Danny and Dustin’s mouths dropped open with that news.

“Really?” Dustin asked, in order to confirm he had heard correctly.

“Yes, really,” I assured him.

“That means we’ll have them all summer and we’ll be able to take them to college with us too?”

“Absolutely, although you will each be expected to transport some of your brothers to and from their colleges as well, so Jake and I won’t have to. Each of these vehicles has a trailer hitch, which will allow you to haul a small trailer behind you, with everyone’s belongings in it.” The boys were now beaming.

“Deal,” they both chimed in.

“Thanks, Dad one and Dad two,” Danny added, giving Jake a promotion from Uncle Jake to Dad 2, which made both of us grin in approval.

“Yes,” Dustin agreed, giving us both a very powerful embrace in gratitude. Once his hug was broken, I looked back at him.

“Well, you still haven’t told me which one you want,” I emphasized, as I pointed at both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango.

In order to make his choice, he moved over to check each vehicle out, with Danny right on his heels. They were excitedly opening doors and slipping in and out of the various openings, thoroughly checking both vehicles out from all possible angles. They took turns getting behind the wheel of each one, and when they did, I handed them the keys I’d picked up from the owner on Friday, when I finalized their purchase.

Both boys were quick to check out the radios, CD players and speakers, to see if they’d give off that rhythmic, body-pounding beat that young people seem to love. Then, they walked around the exteriors again, to get a final, overall impression. I’m sure they were trying to get a feel for what their friends would think when they first saw them in their new set of wheels. They had to be sure it would give them the ‘kewl’ image they were seeking. After struggling with his decision for several minutes, Dustin finally gave me his choice.

“I’ll take the Jeep,” he told me, while looking pleased about his selection. I quickly glanced at Danny to catch his reaction, but it hadn’t change. I think he was happy just to know he’d have one of them.

“Okay, then I want each of you to drive your vehicle home,” I told them, and got a confused look in return.

“You mean you’ve already bought them for us?” Danny asked.

“Yep, all that was left was for Dustin to decide which one he wanted,” I informed them. “I even had them added to the insurance policy on Friday, and if you hadn’t noticed, they even have license plates on them.” That comment made both boys move to the rear of each vehicle to verify this, and when they came back around, they headed straight for the driver’s door.

“Just take it easy and we’ll see you at home,” I added, before Jake and I got back in the Yukon and drove off.

Once they pulled in the driveway, news spread quickly and soon all the boys were out looking at the new SUVs and getting the lowdown from their older brothers. It took quite a while for the excitement to die down, but we weren’t going to rush them. We wanted everyone to be able to savor the moment. In the meantime, Jake and I went back inside the house, to continue our preparations.