The Castaway Hotel - 9 - 34. Chapter 34 - Commitment and College

As we entered April, the weather began to break, so I was able to take Joshie outside more and more. He was developing quite a personality now and was a happy-go-lucky person like his father. I would spend hours with him reading, singing and sometimes playing silly games. When we did that, he would laugh and laugh, until we both became nearly hysterical. I was having such a good time being around him that I had long forgotten about missing my job.

I would take him to the park some days and push him in the infant-swing, sit him in front of me on the teeter-totter (or see saw, whichever name you’d prefer) and then hold him on my lap as we sped our way down the slide. Hell, I was almost beginning to feel like a kid again as well.

I also had some inflatable balls I would roll to him at home and he was beginning to reach out as they came toward him, but that was about the most he could do. Andrew and Jesse liked to sit on either side of Joshie and roll the ball back to me, so I could roll it back to Joshie. We were all having a great time together.

A couple of times a week I would call Dion and Trey to let them know what Joshie was doing, since he was changing so quickly. While I had them on the line, I’d hold the phone by Joshie’s ear, so they could talk to him. It appeared to me that he was recognizing their voices, because he would grin when he heard them speak, and hearing me tell them that made both of his fathers feel great.

I would also watch some of the educational children’s shows with Joshie on television and point things out to him on the screen. He seemed to be following what I did, so I was beginning to think he might also be quite intelligent. When the show ended, I might even try to imitate one of the character’s voices or do something they had done on the show. This usually got Joshie to watch me and occasionally laugh at my antics, but I was trying to teach him, as well as entertain. I guess you can take the teacher out of the school, but you can’t take the teacher out of the man.

Easter fell in the middle of April this year, so the weather was also a little better when we celebrated the holiday. Nick had talked his parents into buying him a plane ticket, so he could join us this year, since he wanted to see Shannon again. It wasn’t easy convincing them, but he finally did manage to do it, so he flew back in time to catch a ride home with the other college boys. He had contacted them via the computer and they agreed to pick him up at the airport, before they drove home.

When Dion and Trey arrived, they were anxious to see Joshie again. After letting them spend some time with their son alone, I then demonstrated many of the things Joshie and I had been doing while they were at school. They were both quite impressed with how Joshie seemed to watch and study everything I did and how he reacted to the voices and motions I made. I think both proud fathers were beginning to think they had themselves a little genius.

I also took time to sit down with all of the boys that had said they wanted to be part of the group commitment ceremony, when college was out for the summer. The minister said he would be happy to officiate again, but he did have some questions concerning how the boys wanted to handle this, so I asked those questions now. Since there were so many of them, we had to discuss each issue in some depth, but the boys were able to reach a consensus concerning what they wanted to do. Now, I just had to contact our pastor and let him know what they had decided.

I took the family to the Good Friday service and on the way out I stopped and chatted with the minister. After I took time to compliment him on the service, I mentioned what the boys had decided. He thought their suggestions should work out nicely, as well as uniquely, but still had a couple of minor questions he wanted answered. I told him I’d get back with him, once I spoke with the boys.

We had a nice meal together and I explained to the boys what the minister had said. They were pleased that everything was working out so well, answered the final few questions for me and eagerly looked forward to the ceremony, once school was out.

Saturday was pretty laid back and the boys spent most of their time just hanging with each other and catching up on what they had been up to since they had last been together. I did pull Danny, Brandon and Kevin aside to chat with them privately, because each was receiving his bachelor’s degree this year. I wanted to discuss their ideas for a graduation party and learn what they had decided to do, once they had their degree in hand.

All three said they were planning to continue their education, since the field they intended to pursue demanded it. Each of them still had another three or four years of study ahead of them and I explained that I admired what they were doing. I also confirmed I was very proud of their accomplishments, especially since each of them had already been accepted to the appropriate college to further his education. However, that news included one minor surprise.

“Dad, I’m going to switch colleges for medical school,” Danny announced. “I applied to both Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh and was accepted by both, but I’ve decided to go to Pittsburgh, so Brandon and I can be together. We’ve both decided it would be best to finish our education there and also take summer courses to do this, so we can shorten the time it takes to get our degrees. That will allow us to come back home sooner, so we can help you.”

“I’m glad to hear you’ve been accepted at Pittsburgh and can understand why you two want to be together,” I told him, “but we all need some down time now and then. If you’re just taking the summer courses so you can get back home sooner, you might want to reconsider. I can handle things until you graduate, so you don’t have to do that. I think it would be better if you took the summers to relax and enjoy yourself instead.”

“Dad, we’ve already talked it over and feel we might be able to cut one or two semesters off our studies by taking summer classes too, so we’re going to do it for that reason. It will also get us back here quicker, but we’re also doing it so it doesn’t take us as long to start our professions. That means this summer is probably the last one we’ll be spending with you guys for a while. We’ll still come home from time to time, just not for the entire summer.”

“Brandon, have you told your parents about this too,” I wondered.

“I called them just before coming here for Easter,” he confirmed. “They weren’t exactly happy about it, because it meant I wouldn’t be spending a month with them during the summer, but they’ve agreed to take their vacations and come here when I do, so we can still spend time together.”

“Well, then it sounds as if you have everything worked out,” I agreed.

“You know, that sounds like a good idea,” Kevin added. “I have the same problem with becoming a pharmacist, so maybe I’ll do that too. It will be worth it, if I can shorten my time by up to a year.”

“Hey, if you’ll only need one extra year after I graduate,” Vinnie offered, “I could stay to and work on my Master’s degree in Education, so we can still be together.”

Well, it sounded as if the boys were working things out so they can remain together after the commitment ceremony, except for Dion and Trey. Dion would still be in Pittsburgh and Trey in Philadelphia.

“I wish we could work things out so we could be in the same place too,” Trey acknowledged, “but I’m not sure how difficult that would be. I know Dion wants to stay where he is, so I guess I could see if I’d be able to transfer there too. I know the University of Pittsburgh has a decent liberal arts program in English and a good Education Department, so I can still focus on my writing and get certified to teach as a backup. What do you think, Dion?”

“I think that would be great!” Dion confirmed.

After we sat down and discussed this possibility further, Trey agreed to contact the University of Pittsburgh to see if he could transfer all or most of the credits he had already taken. Since we had so many family members already attending there, I thought the administration might be willing to work something out with him. Maybe all of our couples will be able to stay together – well, except for Shannon and Nick.

This reminded me, I had to speak with Sammy and Little Ricky about their college plans, seeing they were both graduating from high school this year. Each of them had already been accepted, but I wasn’t certain if they had decided upon a major as of yet. I thought it might be best if I discussed this with them while the others were still here. This way, they’d be able to ask the others any questions they might have concerning their possible choices. I got both boys together and posed my question.

“Have either of you decided what you are going to study in college?” I asked.

“I have,” Little Ricky quickly replied. “I want to study social work, so I can do like Aunt Sally and help other kids that don’t have a family. I want to be able to find good homes for them, like what happened for me.”

“That’s very admirable,” I informed him, “and I’m certain Aunt Sally will be pleased to learned that you wish to follow in her footsteps. In fact, once you graduate, she might also be able to help you find a job. You might even get a chance to work with her, if she doesn’t retire before then.”

“I hope she’s still around, because I’d love to work with her for a while,” Little Ricky replied, and I knew he was being sincere with his comment.

“How about you, Sammy?” I asked next.

“I was thinking about majoring in History and Economics,” he answered.

“And what are you planning on doing with such degree after you graduate?” I followed.

“I’m not sure, but I think I’d like to teach,” he told me. “I would have other options, but I think that’s what I’d probably want to do.”

“Would you teach at the high school or college level?” I asked next.

“I think probably high school, but I’ll know better after I get my degree,” he explained. It sounded reasonable, so I left it at that.

Shortly after I came out from meeting with that pair, Shannon approached me. “Pop, will you help me with something?” he asked, while looking very serious.

“It depends on what it is,” I informed him, “but maybe you should ask your father for help.”

“That’s the problem,” Shannon explained, “because I need you to help me talk to him about something.” I thought I knew where this was heading, but I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions.

“And what something would that be?” I followed.

“I was hoping you’d help me talk him into letting me transfer to Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick,” he explained. That’s exactly what I figured he had in mind.

“And are you sure you can still get the degree you want there?” I asked next.

“Oh, yeah. They have the Spears School of Business and it’s supposed to be really good,” Shannon replied. “I looked it up already and I can get my degree there instead, if you’ll help me convince Dad to let me transfer.”

“Shannon, this is one time I’m not sure I should get involved,” I informed him. “I think you might need to do this on your own.”

“But you know how he is about Nick,” Shannon continued, “so I thought if you helped me, it would make it easier.”

“Shannon, I will agree with you that your father has been a little stubborn about the situation at first, but I think you will also have to admit that he had good reason to be,” I explained. “Since then, he has been pretty good about understanding what you want and he didn’t even object to the idea of you having your own commitment ceremony.”

“Yes, I know he’s been pretty good lately,” Shannon agreed, “but I also know he won’t want me that far away from home. I really want to be with Nick for the rest of the time I’m in college, but I know Dad is going to be hard to convince. Please. Won’t you help me sell this idea to him? Pleeeeeze?” he whined.

“Let’s go somewhere we can speak privately for a few minutes first,” I suggested. “I want to see if you can sell ME on this idea before I agree to anything. If you can convince me, then maybe I’ll go with you when you speak with your father. I won’t do it for you, but if you can prove to me this is the right thing to do, then I’ll support you when you talk to your dad.”

We went off and Shannon presented his arguments. I was surprised and impressed that he had actually thought this through. He had done his homework and had the facts to support his position, so it wasn’t just that this would put Nick and him together. He explained he could get a dual business degree, in management and accounting, and the only difference in expense would be in the cost of traveling there and back. Seeing he had all the facts, I told him I would go with him and even offered to pay his travel expenses, if his father agreed to his proposal.

Shannon wanted to get Nick to join us, but I told him it would be best if just the three of us met to discuss this. I explained that his father might immediately bristle if Nick was included, so it would be better to sway his father with the facts first. That way, Shannon would have a better chance of winning his father over. After Shannon agreed, we went off to find Jake.

When we found him, Jake was puttering around in the yard. I stayed put while Shannon went up and asked if the three of us could talk. Jake glanced between us skeptically, and then spoke.

“About what?” he asked, rather tersely.

“Dad, I want to talk to you about transferring colleges,” Shannon answered, somewhat evasively.

“To which college?” Jake pressed, already having guessed.

“To Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick,” Shannon replied, and Jake looked at me.

“And you’re supporting him on this?” Jake asked me, directly.

“I’m here to listen too,” I offered. “Shannon asked to speak with both of us, but he just ran into me first.” Jake didn’t look convinced, but did agree to listen.

Shannon then went on to explain the idea to his father. He told him about the business school at Oklahoma State, including its reputation, what it offered and what type of degree he would be working toward. Shannon then outlined the financial situation to his father and discussed the figures, before concluding the travel expense would be the only major difference.

“Well, you know the money situation is tight,” Jake told Shannon. “It won’t be easy to come up with the additional funds for you to travel back and forth.” This is when I decided to jump in to the discussion.

“Look, I have a suggestion, if you’re willing to listen,” I interjected. Jake nodded, so I continued.

“I’m willing to cover the travel expenses for you,” I offered, “if you think this would be best for Shannon.”

“Josh, you don’t have to do that,” Jake protested.

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to,” I replied. “Besides paying for his ticket there and back, I’ll also pay to have you go there for Thanksgiving and then I’ll buy the tickets to bring Shannon and Nick home between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ll even pay to fly them back for spring break too, if that will mean I can get you two to agree on this and still make sure you’ll be able to see each other and spend time together.” Jake thought about this for a few seconds before he answered.

“Josh, I really hate to have you spend that much money to do this,” he offered. “I’d feel like we’ll be taking things away from the others if we do this.”

“Jake, you don’t have to feel this way and I think you know better than that,” I assured him. “I’m willing to do this to make it possible for you to work the situation out with your son.” After hearing my reply, Jake looked at Shannon before he spoke.

“If you really want to do this and can promise it won’t mess up you finishing your degree,” Jake began, “then I’ll go along with your idea. However, it will be up to you to make sure Oklahoma State accepts you as a transfer student.” Shannon immediately began leaping for joy and hugged his father, but Jake stopped him.

“I think you should thank Josh for what he’s doing too,” Jake informed his son. At that point, Shannon released his father and came over to me.

“Yes, Pop,” he began, “I owe you a lot too. Thank you for everything and for helping make this happen.” Shannon then threw his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug too.

“Can I go tell Nick now?” Shannon asked his father.

“You may,” Jake announced, correcting his grammar. I guess Jake had picked that up from me, but Shannon merely smiled and then raced off.

“You know, you’re helping to spoil him,” Jake joked, half-heartedly.

“You may be right,” I replied, “but if it will keep you two close and make Shannon happy, then that’s all I want out of this.” Jake merely shook his head and then we chatted about it for a few minutes more.

Shannon, however, had already raced inside the house and found Nick. “Guess what?” he shouted, extremely excited.

“What?” Nick asked, totally confused.

“My dad has agreed to let me transfer to Oklahoma State, so we can be together!” Shannon announced, but Nick still didn’t look convinced.

“No way!” Nick responded. “Are you joking?”

“No, he said if they’ll accept me as a transfer student, he’ll let me do it,” Shannon explained.

“Even though it will cost more?” Nick challenged.

“The only thing that will cost more is the travel and Pop agreed to pay for that,” Shannon answered. “When Pop told my dad he’d do that, then Dad agreed.”

“And how did you get Pop, I mean Dad… Damn, where going to have to work something out so we’re calling them both by the same name,” Nick stated, somewhat frustrated by the confusion. “How did you get Josh to agree to do this?”

“I didn’t,” Shannon answered, “he just offered. He told my dad if it was all that was keeping him from agreeing, then he’d pay all the travel expenses.” Now, both boys were jumping around, totally happy.

They then raced off and began looking up what Shannon would need to do to apply as a transfer student. Almost immediately, Shannon began doing what he thought was necessary to start the process. It just might work out that all of our couples will be together this fall after all.

Oh, by the way. Shannon and Nick came to talk to Jake and me later, about the confusion caused by what they were calling us. We reached an agreement rather easily. Since Jake would sort of be Nick’s father-in-law, both boys were going to call him Dad and me Pop, so they would each referring to us the same way.