The Castaway Hotel - 9 - 19. Chapter 19 - Easter Blessings

The boys surprised me, as some of them began showing up late Thursday night, but all of them were home before noon on Friday. They had no classes scheduled on Friday or the following Monday, so we would have a nice long weekend together. It would also provide me a chance to catch them up on everything that had been going on, but more importantly, they would be here for Jake’s and my commitment ceremony. I guess, in a way, it was like having your family attend your wedding.

I’m not positive, but I think the boys may have been even more excited about it than Jake and I. Maybe it’s because we have been together for three years now and the boys felt it was time we moved on and made this arrangement official or appear more permanent. Whatever their reasons, they kept asking what they could do to help.

We did take time to attend Good Friday services at the church that evening, and on our way out afterward, the pastor stopped me for a chat. “Are you all ready for tomorrow?” he asked, since he had agreed to help us with the ceremony.

“You bet we are,” I acknowledged, “and we’re both very grateful that you’re willing to do this for us.”

“I am,” the minister confirmed, “although I do believe a small portion of the congregation isn’t quite as thrilled about it. I’ve had a couple of complaints about allowing the church to be used for such an occasion, but it’s been nothing serious. Both parties said they didn’t have a problem with what you were doing; it’s just that they felt by performing the ceremony here, it made it appear as if the church was sanctioning it. I explained the larger church was not, but I was, so they quit trying to persuade me otherwise.”

“I’m sorry you’ve had to take some flack over this,” I apologized, “but we do appreciate all you’ve done and are planning to do.”

“Sometimes one has to take a little heat to do what he believes is right and to get people moving in the right direction,” our minister responded. “Look at what our Lord had to endure, just to get us to this point. The minor problems I’ve had to deal with are nothing compared to what he faced and I’m happy to do my part in promoting his command that we love one another.”

“Thank you and I know the Lord will bestow his blessings upon you,” I added, as we parted company.

The rest of the night was filled with activity, as we got ready for the big day. Jake and I had decided to invite everyone to the house afterward, so we could continue the celebration and have something to eat. When we started to prepare some of the food for this, the boys stopped us and said it was all being taken care of. I wasn’t sure if this meant that they were doing it, if they’d hired someone else to do it or if something else was going on, but we reluctantly gave in. Seeing we had nothing else to do, Jake and I went to work on what we were planning to say to each other.

I’m not sure if Jake got much sleep that night, but I know I certainly didn’t. I was too excited and wound up to doze off. Oh, I did nod off from time to time, but I always woke up a little while later, because my thoughts were consumed with our upcoming nuptials, so to speak.

The next morning, Jake fixed everyone a huge breakfast, before we began getting ready. The boys got dressed up in suits and ties, and even found a suit one of them had outgrown that fit Jesse. I must admit everyone of them looked very handsome all spiffed up.

Once we arrived at the church, Jake and I were told we had to wait in separate rooms – something about you’re not supposed to see the bride beforehand or some such nonsense – so we did what the boys wanted. Before long, Danny came in and placed a red carnation in my lapel, kissed me and wished me good luck. A short time later, he returned and led me out to a position in front of the altar. I stood there, with Danny by my side, and glanced around, to see who else was there.

My boys filled the majority of the front pews, and then I noticed most of our extended family sitting behind them. I saw Steve and Mary, Sally, the Spences and Arlene, Susan, Mark and Duck, as well as a few of my friends from work. This included my secretary and the high school principal. However, I had another unexpected surprise when I noticed Robert, Michael, Andrea, Marie, Adriano and my grandchildren there as well, before I discovered Jesse’s mother was in attendance too. I guess the boys had decided to invite them, since they didn’t know if I had or not. The fact was, I wasn’t sure how any of them would react or if they’d attend, so I didn’t say anything about this. I’m glad the boys are smarter about things like this than I am.

Anyway, as I turned back, I saw Jake approaching from the opposite side, accompanied by Shannon. He also had a red carnation in his lapel, and soon he was standing beside me, with Danny and Shannon on either side. Once we were in position, the pastor spoke.

“Dear Friends,” he began. “We are gathered here today so these two wonderful and loving people can cement their relationship and commit to loving and caring for each other, until the bonds of death separate them. Although this isn’t an official wedding ceremony, I have agreed to join with them in making this commitment and will treat it as seriously, and as sacredly, as I would the traditional service.

“During a formal wedding, I usually begin by asking who is giving away the bride, but in this case I will ask who stands with these men?” He paused, and Shannon spoke first.

“I, Shannon McCarthy, present my father, Jacob McCarthy, to be joined with his true love,” he stated, in his clear tenor voice.

“And I, Daniel Currie, am here to join my father, Joshua Currie, with his longtime friend and true love,” he offered, in his rich baritone voice.

“Does anyone here object to this joining? Speak now or forever remain silent,” the pastor offered, although I wished he had not. I was afraid my friend, the former board member, or someone else was going to rush in or jump up and spoil the moment, but that didn’t happen. Therefore, the minister continued.

“Since we have no formal sayings to bind these two together, they have agreed to share their own words of commitment,” the pastor explained. “Mr. McCarthy has asked to go first.”

I looked over at Jake and could see he was as nervous as I was. He looked up at me, swallowed hard, licked his lips and then opened his mouth.

“Although our first meeting was under less than favorable circumstances and it took our sons to bring us together,” Jake began, “it proved to be the best day of my life. Since that day, I have come to know, respect and love you in every imaginable way and cannot imagine a time when we are no longer together. You have been there for me in good times and in bad. You have nursed me through illness and brought great joy to my life when I was well. You have shown me what true love really is, not just by loving me, but by demonstrating your love for your family and teaching me those bonds are deep-rooted and unbreakable.

“Over the past three years we have been together, we have shared some extreme highs and been there for each other through some devastating lows, but our love for each other has never faltered. I will love you as long as I live and that love will never fade. I want you to be my partner for life, if you will accept.”

I was deeply touched by his words and was suddenly afraid my own statement would fall short of the emotion and meaning he had put into his. However, it was all I had, so I took a deep breath and began speaking.

“Jake, although I had known love before, I believed I would never find it again. My wife and I had a wonderful marriage and raised four marvelous children, but when she died, I accepted the fact that my fate would be to live alone, without a companion, until I too joined her in the great beyond. However, that all changed one glorious day, when I was introduced to you.

“You moved in to my home and helped me through a near-death experience, after a very tragic and traumatic event in my life. Although you didn’t have to, you gave of yourself and asked for nothing in return, and I could feel the tenderness and love in everything you did to get me well. You saved my life then and I have come to depend on your caring touch and deep concern, more than you will ever know.

“On the first day we met, I immediately recognized there was something special about you, but after the first time we were alone, I knew we were destined to be together. Every day we have grown closer and relied more and more on each other for support and guidance, but especially for love. You have filled my deepest needs and erased the loneliness that had engulfed me before you arrived. Even though sometimes I forget to let you know how very special you are and how much I need you, I do want to be your partner for life and hope you will accept my offer to do the same. I promise to love you until the end of our days and will never let the fires of romance and devotion fade or be extinguished. I, Joshua Currie, take thee, Jacob McCarthy, to be my partner for the rest of my life.”

The minister paused a few seconds after I finished and then looked up and spoke. “After hearing your unprompted and touching words of love for each other, I see no reason why you shouldn’t now consider yourselves life’s partners in the eyes of God. You have my blessing and best wishes for a long and loving relationship.”

As we stood there holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes, we began to notice the others were clapping. We hadn’t expected any sort of acknowledgment, at least until we greeted them outside in a very short reception line, but they were clapping. As I looked around the church, I noticed that my biological family was clapping just as enthusiastically as everyone else, and it was then that I began to cry. I couldn’t believe it. They were finally accepting Jake and I as a couple… as their parents. I was profoundly touched.

As soon as we were outside, everyone greeted and congratulated us, but some did more than that. “Is it Mr. and Mr. Currie or Mr. and Mr. McCarthy now?” Steve teased.

“I’m surprised neither of you wore white,” Sally jested.

“In my day, this would have been looked down upon,” Mrs. Spence began, “but I think it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever attended.” We both thanked her for her comment.

Michael, Marie and Robert said we’d talk about this later, once we were alone and had less pressure to move on to other things. Since they were all smiling, I didn’t feel it would be anything bad, so I told them I looked forward to it.

Once we had chatted briefly with all of our guests, I started to gather up the boys and direct them over to the Yukon, but Graham stopped me, “Dad, I need to speak with you, please,” he told me. I nodded and stepped away from the others with him.

“What’s up, sport?” I asked, since I was unsure what this might be about.

“I’ve got a message for you,” he stated, but I was still puzzled. “Your wife, Brent and Cody are all standing at the top of the steps, by the church door, and they are all smiling and giving you the thumbs up sign again. I think all three of them are happy you and Jake finally did this.” I was slightly stunned.

“Really?” I asked, not totally convinced. “Even my wife.”

“I think especially her,” Graham responded. “And I think she was also saying she was glad her children came to support you too. I mean, she pointed at each of them, and then at you and then smiled and gave another thumbs up.”

“Wow. I guess that clears up one question I had,” I told him, before thanking him for the information.

I then walked Graham over to the Yukon, since Jake already had the others seated inside. Jake was in the passenger’s seat, so I got in to drive, and Dustin followed behind us in the Suburban, with everyone else. The others that had attended were going to meet us at the house for food and drinks, so I wanted to hurry and not keep them waiting. As I drove, everyone behind us kept honking. I then noticed there was something covering half of the back window, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I was extremely curious to find out, so once we arrived home, I hoped out and raced to the rear of the vehicle to see what it was.

It was a sign that obviously one the boys had specially made, and I began laughing hysterically when I saw it. When I calmed down enough to do so, I called Jake back to see it too, since I knew he’d enjoy it as much as I had. He quickly came back to see what I wanted and I pointed to the sign. He took a look at it and then burst out laughing too. It read:

‘Just married and it’s about time! We figured since we have 22 children and 4 grandchildren we should do the honorable thing.’

“All right, whose idea was this?” I asked, while trying to suppress the humor I was feeling inside. “Ricky, it was you, wasn’t it?”

“Hey, why do I always get blamed for all the jokes?” he asked, looking hurt. “NO! This time it wasn’t me,” he added with a grin, “but it was a great idea.”

“Andrew?” I asked next, seeing he was my other prankster.

“Nope. I didn’t do it daddy,” he replied.

“Then who did?” I wanted to know, and suddenly everyone was pointing at Michael.

“Ratted out by my own family,” he quipped. “Hey, after all the grief I caused you, just consider it my way of making up for it. I had a friend of mine make it for me. He owns a sign shop.”

“Yes, I had noticed it was very professionally done and wondered how any of the boys could have pulled it off,” I agreed. “Thank you. It was a nice touch and one we both appreciate.”

“Absolutely,” Jake added, and then we each gave Michael a hug, before we turned toward the house. That’s when I noticed the second little surprise. There was another sign, but you could tell this sign had been made by amateurs. It read: ‘Congratulations, Dad and Pop!’

“Yes, we made this one,” Danny admitted, when he saw me looking at it, “but I think I should also explain. It’s not just us congratulating one of you, because some of us call you Dad and others call you Pop. All that has changed now.” I merely stared at him, confused about his meaning.

“From now on, you’re Dad to all of us, including Trey, Nick, Vinnie, Richard and Brandon,” he explained, while pointing at me, after he rattled off the names of the boys that call me Pop. “You, on the other hand,” he said turning toward Jake, “are now Pop. We felt this would eliminate some of the confusion and make it clear whom we were talking to or about from now on.”

“Danny, I don’t want to create a problem for you,” I started to point out, “but some of the boys call me Pop for a reason.”

“Yes, because we didn’t want our own father’s memory to be diminished or forgotten,” Trey spoke up, “or because they still have their fathers, like Nick and Brandon. The thing is, we’ve all agreed our Dads would or will understand and approve of us calling you Dad too, so that’s no longer an issue. You’re Dad and he’s Pop, so just get used to it.” He sounded so commanding and forceful in his last statement, especially considering it was my timid Trey that had said it, I merely snapped to attention.

“Yes, Sir,” I announced. “We will follow your orders to the letter.” Then I relaxed and grinned at him, so he raced forward and hugged me.

“You can be really silly sometimes,” Trey stated, “but that’s just another reason we all love you so much.” When we broke the embrace, I started herding everyone inside when I heard another timid voice pipe up.

“Can Andrew and me still call you Daddy?” Jesse wanted to know. As much as I wanted to correct him and say, ‘MAY Andrew and I…’ I bit my tongue.

“You most certainly may,” I said, while scooping him up in my arm. Then I bent down and did the same with Andrew.

“I would feel badly if you didn’t,” I continued, and then kissed each of them on his forehead.

Once we got inside, I received my next surprise. All the food was set out and there were people there to serve us. “What’s all this?” I wondered.

“Seeing you do so much for all of us,” Sally piped up, “we all chipped in and did this for the two of you.”

“And Sally means all of us,” Steve added, “including all of your children and grandchildren.” Hearing this, I turned to face Marie and Michael.

“Nicky and Jordan donated their allowance to help pay for it too,” Marie explained, “and Michael and I threw a little something in to cover Megan and Kylie’s share, as well as our own.” I was totally floored.

“What can I say, but thank you to everyone for this wonderful treat,” I stated, once I returned to my senses. “I love you all so very much.”

With that said, I tried to get everyone moving into line to eat. I wanted to get them taken care of first, but they insisted that Jake and I go first, so we did. It was wonderful meal and it was so nice being surrounded by so many people who cared about us. It gave Jake and I a truly warm feeling and a deep sense of being loved.

We had a wonderful time and after several hours of partying, things began to wind down. After nearly all of our extended family and friends had left, all that remained was the immediate family and Duck, and he might as well be considerate immediate family now, along with Mark. Seeing things had calmed down, my biological children asked if they could speak with Jake and I in the family room. We agreed and excused ourselves for a short time, after asking the older boys to keep an eye on the grandchildren for a few minutes. We went in, shut the door and made ourselves comfortable, and then Michael began to speak.

“I’m going to do this, because I was the biggest ass about it,” he stated. “I know I was shocked and upset in the beginning and I apologize for that and for getting everyone else worked up about it too. However, after hearing the commitments you made to each other today and witnessing, firsthand, how you truly feel about each other, I’ve realized what an egregious error I’d made. This isn’t some middle-aged fling or a romp with experimentation, but it’s also not a childish whim or desperate response to fulfill your carnal desires. I can finally say that I now see you two really do love one another. I won’t say that I understand that part, but I will recognize it for what it is, so we all want to give you our blessings.”

“Yes, and I want to apologize for my actions too,” Andrea added. “I didn’t realize how badly we’d acted or what a poor example we were setting, until our son and his cousin found a way to point it out to us. I think Jake hit the nail on the head during the ceremony when he said you’ve demonstrated your love for the family and taught him those bonds are deep-rooted and unbreakable. I guess we’d forgotten that and we’re very sorry for our huge blunder.”

“And I’m sorry too, Dad,” Adrian concurred. “Fortunately, Nicky is smarter than his old man and taught me the error of my ways,” he added, and then each of them approached Jake and I, so they could either give us a kiss and/or a hug. Yes, even Michael and Adrian hugged us, rather than shake our hands. I think that meant as much to us as their words.

“Oh, and we were in on the ‘Dad and Pop’ discussion too and have decided we will keep to that same protocol,” Michael added. “Dad, even though Robert and I have always called you Pop, from now on we’ll call you Dad and Pop will be reserved for Jake. Is that alright with both of you?”

“Is it all right?” I asked, rhetorically and tongue-in-cheek. “It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocous.” I was drawing upon one of their childhood memories by using a song we used to sing to each other when we were very pleased about something. They all laughed.

“Damn, I’d nearly forgotten about that,” Robert said, with the others nodding in agreement. Jake looked confused, so I took a moment to fill him in about our little family joke.

“Oh, and Dad,” Marie added, once I’d finished. “I know you’re probably feeling bad because Elizabeth and Tim aren’t here with us too, but you shouldn’t, because they really wanted to come. Unfortunately, Elizabeth is still recovering from an ectopic pregnancy and is confined to bed rest for a while and Tim felt he should stay with her. She asked me to give you her best and tell you she supports this one hundred percent and Tim agreed. She also said she’ll call you and come to visit, as soon as she’s able.” Suddenly, it seemed as if everything was perfect. Damn, how could it possibly get any better?

We all enjoyed the rest of the evening together, but once the grandchildren were in bed, I called everyone together again.

“What’s up, Dad,” Robert wondered.

“This time I have some other news I wish to share with you,” I told them. “It’s something you all should know.” They looked at me skeptically.

“It’s probably going to embarrass one of you, but he told me it was okay to share this with you, since it was his dumb mistake that created the situation in the first place. Those were his words, not mine.” Now, they looked even more confused.

“At the end of this school year, I am going to retire,” I announced, and received a mixture of responses in return. Some of the faces looked please, while other’s still had that confused stare about them, so I continued.

“I’m doing this so I can raise a very special baby, which will also be one of my grandchildren.” Now, everyone but the guilty party and his lover looked confused, so I went on to explain.

“As silly as this might sound, one of the boys got a girl pregnant just before Christmas. She will be giving birth in September, but has agreed to sign over custody of the baby to him. In return, I will pay her medical bills and give her a little extra for her trouble.”

The others continued to sit, dumbfounded, as they looked around the room to see if they could spot the guilty party. That is, everyone except for the few of us who knew about it. Suddenly, Ricky spoke up.

“Did Frankie get some girl pregnant?” he asked.

“No Ricky, it wasn’t Frankie,” I replied.

“Then who was it?” Dustin followed, since he thought all the straight boys had been accounted for. I looked over at Dion and he nodded his head, so I continued.

“It was Dion,” I stated.

“You mean Dion really knocked up some girl?” Danny asked, amazed.

“That’s a colorful way of putting it,” I agreed, “but that’s basically what happened. Dion got his singing partner pregnant, after getting carried away at an after concert party.”

“Wow, Mr. Big Dong went and did it,” Ricky blurted out, which caused Dion to blush and Marie and Andrea to giggle.

“Guess they were more than singing partners,” Pat teased, and got a glare from Trey in return.

“Dion, didn’t Dad teach you about condoms?” Michael asked next.

“He did, but I got excited and wasn’t thinking,” Dion confessed.

“Using the little head instead of the big one,” Michael added, with a chuckle.

“And all this time we thought you were gay,” Adrian acknowledged.

“Bi,” Dion corrected, although I’m not sure Adrian wanted to know that. “Trey and I want to raise the baby, but Dad is going to take care of him or her, until we get done with college.”

I think that filled in the rest of the gaps, but I was expecting there might be a few negative comments in the mix. Therefore, I looked around expectantly, waiting for it to happen, until Michael spoke up.

“That’s a really nice thing for you to do for them, Pop. Damn, I mean Dad,” he corrected. “Sorry, but it’s going to take some time for me to break that habit,” he confessed.

“It’s okay and neither Jake nor I will mind being called by the other’s name for a while,” I assured him. He thanked me and then our little meeting began to break up. I guess we had managed to leap another hurdle, but this time we didn’t have to even break a sweat.

I did notice that Graham held back and asked Little Ricky to stay with him. I wasn’t sure what was up, but I figured they needed some privacy to chat too.

“What colleges are you going to apply to?” Graham asked, and Little Ricky told him.

“Do you have any priorities for which one you’d rather attend?” Graham continued, and Little Ricky answered that question too.

“Since I’m going to be going to college in the fall, I’d kind of like it if you went to the same college I do,” Graham urged.

“Are you sure?” Little Ricky asked, puzzled.

“Yes, I just told you so, didn’t I?” Graham replied.

“But I’m confused,” Little Ricky stated. “In the past, it seemed like every time we got close and things were going well, you’d pull away from me. Why the change?”

“I guess because my conscience is clear now,” Graham answered.

“Uh, what’s that supposed to mean,” Little Ricky pressed.

“You knew Cody and I were boyfriends before, didn’t you?” Graham asked, and Little Ricky nodded.

“Well, when he died I didn’t know if I could ever love another guy like that again,” Graham admitted. “Up until then, I really thought I was straight, but he changed how I looked at myself. After being with him, I knew I was bi, but I still thought I’d end up with a girl. Anyway, when you and I began to get close, I felt bad – almost like I was cheating on Cody or something. I don’t know if I can explain it better than that, but that’s why I never pushed for anything more with you.”

“So what’s different now?” Little Ricky wondered.

“Well, at the church Mrs. Currie, Brent and Cody appeared and let me know they were happy Dad and Pop finally did this,” Graham began.

“Did you tell Dad?” Little Ricky blurted out.

“Yes, I did,” Graham responded, “but there’s more. Cody also let me know he was okay with you and me. He also let me know he thought you were cute.”

“How could he do that?” Little Ricky questioned.

“Well, he pointed at you and then me and gave me the okay sign,” Graham explained, “but he also pointed at you and raised his eyebrows and winked. It was something he always did when he saw a boy he thought was cute.” Little Ricky blushed.

“So because he’s okay with this, you are okay with it too now?” he pressed.

“Yes, I’ve come to grips with the fact that he’s gone and I really want to see if anything happens with us,” Graham replied. “I figured that’s more likely if we’re in the same place.”

“But we’re both bi, so what if we decide we like girls better/” Little Ricky wondered.

“If that happens, it’s fine,” Graham stated, “but at least this way, I’ll have given it a try, so I’ll know for sure.”

“Okay, I’ll do it then,” Little Ricky agreed. “I was kind of leaning toward going there anyway, but this just makes me positive.” Having said that, Little Ricky not only hugged Graham, but he gave him a very affectionate kiss too. Graham responded favorably to it and I noticed they remained very close from that moment on.

The next day we returned to church and celebrated Easter as a family. Once the service concluded, we returned home for our big Easter dinner. As I sat at the head of the table, I realized I had sooooo many blessings to rejoice about this year that I wasn’t sure where to begin.

We had a wonderful meal, accompanied by splendid conversations, so it was truly and enjoyable and rewarding experience. I think we were all sad when it came to an end, but it had been a truly wonderful weekend. It also ended magnificently, when everyone promised they would return for Christmas this year.