Bill W

Castaway Hotel I

Chapters 21-30

Chapter 21
Williamsburg

Saturday morning, I received my wake up call and woke the boys at 5:00 a.m. I know, that's cruel for a weekend, but I felt we needed an early start. After stopping for breakfast, I drove the groggy foursome to our next destination, arriving at Busch Gardens slightly before the gates were scheduled to open. After realizing where we were, the boys began to perk up.

"All right!" Ricky exclaimed. "I was afraid last night on the go carts was all the fun you had planned for us.

"You mean the rest of the trip hasn't been fun?" I asked, feigning shock and dismay.

"Yeah, but not fun-fun," Ricky added. "Last night we got to have a good time playing around and we all enjoyed it. The other places were nice, but still too much like school. It was better than school, but still like school." I understood his point and felt it deserved one final comment.

"Well, then enjoy today, because this is all meant to be fun." The boys smiled, and then hugged me, before we headed inside.

This is a theme park with a European flavor, so over the course of the day we visited, so to speak, England, France, Germany and Italy. Despite that educational aspect of the park, it was as I told them – merely a place to have fun. During the day, my young companions spent their time enjoying five different roller coasters, the 'Battering Ram,' the 'Roman Rapids' and numerous other rides. Today was for them, so I let them choose what they wanted to do and then let them go on the rides with each other, while I sat back and watched. After admonishing them to stay together, for safety reasons, I also advised them where they could find me, if they should need anything. For Danny, Ricky and Jay, this was basically the first big time theme park they had ever been to, so they were in total awe of the place. Brandon, however, had been to another place like this with his parents, so he was less impressed, but still enjoyed it. On my part, it was really fun watching them enjoying themselves so much, too.

For lunch, we ate at 'Das Festhaus,' a German restaurant, because I wanted the boys to try something different. We ordered a variety of German sausages, German potato salad and a variety of other dishes, so we could share a bit between us. The boys seemed to enjoy most of it, although there were a few items they didn't really care for, and while they washed their meal down with soda, I opted for a German beer. What was really intriguing was the discussion that ensued while they gobbled down their food.

"Man, I thought Brandon was going to crap his pants on that one roller coaster," Danny teased.

"Unt-uh," Brandon countered. "I was just surprised at how quickly it went, but I wasn't scared."

"Yeah, if you say so," Danny replied, unbelieving.

"I thought Ricky was going to fall out and drown on the Roman Rapids," Jay informed us. "He was hit by this big splash of water and then bounced in his seat. I thought he was going into the water after that."

"Yeah, I saw that," Brandon added, "but I knew he wasn't going to fall out. He did look like a drowned rat afterward though." The others all laughed, but Ricky wasn't amused.

"I was wet, but I didn't look like no rat," he challenged, "but Jay's face was redder than his hair, when we were on the Battering Ram." That caused Jay to blush, giving us a visual – attesting to Ricky's point.

Once we finished eating, we went back out to investigate more of the park. There was a section with animals, but the boys only gave them a cursory perusal, after our visit to the National Zoo. Instead, they focused on the other fun things to do, so we went back to the rides. Since they had been on each ride at least once on their own, one duo or the other would come to drag me off to join them for a few rides, before letting me return to my designated spot. I think they were afraid the 'old man' wouldn't have a good time without them or possibly they were just doing this to ensure that we might do other things like this in the future. I must admit I did enjoy myself each time they came to get me, because it was enjoyable watching them close up too. After a while, I began to wonder if they were taking me on these rides just to see if I could handle them or hoping that I would get sick and barf all over the place, especially after the beer and German food. In fact, they might have been a little disappointed when that didn't happen.

For dinner, the boys wanted to go to the Italian Pavilion, which I readily agreed to. The smell of the sauces had been making my mouth drool for many minutes before they suggested going there. The boys ordered a variety of dishes, while I opted for the eggplant pargmigiana, and then we went back out to have more fun.

We began the evening by sitting down to view one of the shows that are held throughout the day, as I didn't think going on the rides would be wise so soon after eating. Fortunately, it also proved to be quite entertaining. After that, the boys wanted to go back on the rides, which we did, and we continued to have a great time, until the announcement was made notifying us it was time for the park to close. The boys were greatly disappointed this day had come to an end, but gave me no problems as I escorted them back to our temporary accommodations. After getting my four weary lads cleaned up, they went directly to bed, without any fuss, probably due to the early hour I had awakened them that morning. It wasn't long before they were cutting 'Z's' and replaying the day's activities over in their dreams.

Sunday morning, I again woke everyone at 5:00 a.m., so we could spend the day at Water Country USA. I advised them to wear their swimwear under their clothes, because they'd need them for later. Of course, this meant I had to inform them where we were going.

"This is more like it," Jay exuded. "First the go cart place, then the amusement park and now a water park."

"Yeah, dad must be getting soft," Ricky mocked. "No school for the whole weekend."

"Don't say that too loud," Danny warned him, "or he might change his mind." The boys continued whispering back and forth as we drove there.

Following instructions similar to the ones I had given the previous day, my group of excited teens zigzagged from one place to another, finding many wonders to explore along the way. The first ride they want to go on was 'Big Daddy Falls,' a river rafting ride that winds its way through nearly seven hundred feet [200 m] of twists, turns, tunnels and drops. The boys made sure I joined them on this ride, so we all went together, in the same rubber raft. It was quite a thrilling ride, plummeting down the incline, and even though we got soaked and bounced around a bit, it was a refreshing and enjoyable time.

"I'm impressed that you don't mind the rides, Uncle Josh," Brandon commented, after we excited the raft. "My parents will only do the really gentle rides, but some of the ones you've gone on with us are pretty rough."

"Dad's no wimp," Danny offered, jumping to my assistance before I could answer.

"Hey, it's nothing I didn't do with my older children," I explained. "I have had some experience with these kinds of things before." That seemed to suffice, although I think the boys were still somewhat impressed that I'd join them on some of these adventures.

After that, I let the boys go on the 'Malibu Pipeline' together, as that was a two-person tube ride, similar to the first. After that, we went on the 'Jet Scream,' which is another tube ride, but this one dropped down over four hundred feet [125 m], with the tubes traveling up to twenty-five miles per hour [40 km/h]. I was going to sit this one out and let them enjoy it on their own, as it was another two-man ride, but the boys weren't about to let that happen. Excitedly, they pleaded with me to come too, explaining they would take turns going with each other and me. So as not to disappoint them, I gave in. We each went on this four times, riding once with each of the others, while the odd man sat out. I was only going to go once, but each boy seemed to want me to go once with him, so I acceded to this demand. It was definitely an exciting ride, with my stomach up in my throat for much of the time, but I continued to make it to the bottom without losing my last meal. The boys continued to make a big deal over my willingness to join them on these various attractions, and it seemed to help make us even closer than we were before.

Following that, we made our way over to 'Surfer's Pipeline,' where the boys got their first opportunity to try surfing, which they all seemed excited about. Three of the boys did fairly well at this, but one, who shall remain nameless, had enough trouble standing on his own two feet, without trying to maneuver a board over the water. Needless to say, he provided us with a few laughs, and even a couple of scares, with his efforts. Because of that, Jay was soon interested in moving on to something else and dragged me off with him, leaving the other boys behind, so we could go on a few of the other rides by ourselves.

As the others continued 'improving' their surfing skills, Jay and I tackled rides that didn't require any special abilities, just our presence. This gave me some quality time to get to know Jay a little better, and he took this opportunity to talk to me about his occasional problems.

"Why am I so uncoordinated?" he asked, once we were out of earshot of the others.

"Jay, it's just a stage you're going through," I assured him, trying to make him feel better. "It just that you're growing so fast that your muscles and the rest of your body just aren't working together well yet. As you get used to these changes, your coordination will improve and these things will no longer happen."

"And how long will that take?" he followed, concerned.

"I guess that depends on how much more growing you're going to do," I advised him. "Regardless of how long, whether it's a few months or a few years, it will all end and some day you'll look back and laugh at everything that's happened."

"I hope so, but I'm not laughing so much now," he confided. "I try not to show it, but sometimes it hurts when everyone makes fun of the things that happen to me." I suddenly felt bad I hadn't stepped in and stopped it on some of those earlier occasions.

"I apologize for my part in that," I admitted, which caused him to look up at me in surprise. "I know I could have stopped, or at least lessened, some of what has happened so far."

"Uncle Josh, I didn't mean you or what's happened since we've been together!" he exclaimed, panicked. "I meant when the kids at school pick on me about things that happen there. I don't mind you guys teasing me, cuz I know you're really my friends and we all like each other a lot. It only bothers me when I know the person means what they say and think I'm a real geek." I understood his pain, so I placed my arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

"Hang in there, pal," I added, "because this isn't going to last forever." He gave me a weak smile, before we climbed aboard the next ride. I think Jay really liked his time alone with me, and I enjoyed it too. I think we each began to appreciate the other a little more and on a whole new level.

Once the park closed, we followed up the day's activities with a very late dinner, a late night ice cream and rapid showers, followed by an evening of sublime unconsciousness. That night I cuddled up against Jay, and he eagerly spooned back into me, letting me know he enjoyed this added bit of attention and closeness. The following morning, he gave me a very special grin and wink when he awoke, followed by an equally special hug, assuring me that he had appreciated it all.

Once we were ready, I took everyone to 'Colonial Williamsburg', where we spent the day discovering what it would have been like to live in eighteenth century America. We visited restored taverns (we even ate lunch in one of them), an Inn (where we imbibed a little liquid refreshment), a magazine (where gun powder and weapons were kept), the public gaol (pronounced jail, from an old North French word gaole and means a cage. It was basically a brick prison used for debtors, runaway slaves and the mentally ill.), a guardhouse (to house the soldiers guarding the magazine), the courthouse (the place where not only cases were tried, but it was on the steps of this building where local residents heard breaking news, such as the reading of the Declaration of Independence and the announcement that the war with England had come to an end), their capitol building (in which the colony of Virginia voted to support American Independence), and several period homes.

In addition to those places, we also visited the blacksmith's shop, where we watched that skilled tradesman heat metal and hammer it into different shapes, as he prepared to use it to make various objects. The man was fairly short, maybe about 5' 8" [1.73 m], but he had an enormous build, with a barrel-chest and arms that rippled with well-developed muscles. The boys not only got to watch the blacksmith practice his trade, but once he saw the four boys watching him so intently, he asked if they'd like to try it for themselves. Of course, he sought my permission to do this first and I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for them.

The fearless foursome thought it was a great idea too, and eagerly agreed, anxious to see what it would be like. First, he taught them how to heat the metal in the forge, using a bellows, which looked like a big leather bag. The blacksmith would pull on a cord that was fastened to the bellows, sending air into the fire, which made it grow even hotter. Once they had learned to do that, they moved on to the next task. That's when they discovered a bit of a surprise. It happened when they went to pick up the hammer, to start pounding the metal into shape, and quickly found out this tool was much heavier than it looked. Most of the boys had to strain a little just to lift it, let alone have the ability to swing it for any length of time. In order to make it easier on them, the blacksmith came to their assistance.

One by one, the boys would grasp the handle of the hammer, with the blacksmith standing directly behind them. The burly man would then place his hand over his student's hand and patiently teach them what they were expected to do, as they banged away at the metal strip on the anvil in front of them. When it became Jay's turn, I was a little worried he might hurt himself, or even the blacksmith, as he wielded that hefty tool. The blacksmith did let each boy take a swing or two without his assistance, once he felt they were ready, and when he did that with Jay, Jay lost his grip on the hammer and it went flying across the anvil and thudded into the dirt. Luckily, no one was standing on the other side, so there weren't any injuries.

Danny seemed to do the best at this task and didn't need as much help from his instructor. He was working with the blacksmith, as they pounded on the strip of metal, and when his instructor left him on his own, he was able to work for a few minutes longer, without any additional assistance. Brandon did nearly as well, although he didn't seem to have the arm strength that Danny had, and didn't last quite as long on his own either. However, the blacksmith complimented both of them when they finished and they each seemed quite proud about what they had done.

Ricky, however, turned out to be the most comical in his attempt. When it came his turn to solo, he made the inexcusable mistake of trying to impress the rest of us. Slowly, he lifted the hammer as high as his arm would allow and then swung it downward, as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him, he not only missed striking the piece of metal, but also missed the entire anvil with that blow, and the weight of the hammer, magnified by the force with which it had been propelled, dragged Ricky's body downward with it, until both of them crashed into the dirt floor.

Concerned and a little upset by the mishap, the blacksmith rushed to help Ricky up. Once he discovered Ricky was not injured, the burly man had to struggle to suppress his own laughter, as they rest of us burst out in hysterics. We were nearly rolling around at that point and laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes. Noticing our reaction, Ricky turned a nice shade of scarlet, as he rose from the ground. His reddened expression was highlighted and amplified when contrasted against his blond hair, making it look even worse than it was. This little accident wasn't entirely bad, however, because Ricky unintentionally got a chance to understand how Jay often felt, when things of this nature happened to him, especially after Ricky felt obliged to make Jay's situation worse.

Despite the various miscues, each boy expressed their joy at taking part in this little exercise and thanked the blacksmith before we left.

"It was my pleasure," the blacksmith responded, "and you are welcome to return and try this again, whenever you want."

"No thank you," Ricky quickly countered. "That's harder than I want to work."

"I wouldn't mind having muscles like yours," Danny added, "but I think I need to build my strength more, before I could do that for more than just a couple of minutes."

"I'm just grateful I didn't live when people had to do all these things," Jay interjected. "I'm not sure what type of job I could have done."

"I think all of us are glad we probably won't have to work that hard," Brandon concurred, and they each waved at the blacksmith, as we walked away.

"Why would anyone choose a job like that?" Ricky wondered, aloud, as we moved away from the area.

"Most jobs were more physical back then," I responded, "so it wouldn't have seemed so bad to those living then. You boys have just become a little soft, since you're used to having machines that will do most of the physical labor for you." I think all four boys came away from there with a greater admiration for all of the people throughout history who had been blacksmiths or toiled at other such strenuous work.

Overall, we did a great deal of walking that day, and by the time we returned to our room, we were suffering from severe fatigue. We did stop for a quick meal during our return trip, but once we got to our room, we were all absolutely exhausted. We did agree that soaking in the tub might help soothe our tired muscles, so we managed a brief stint in the relaxing bathwater, but none of us seemed to have the strength or willpower required to do anything else. Once we had finished soaking in the tub, some of us watched a little television, before collapsing on the beds and falling asleep.

Chapter 22
Virginia Beach

When we awoke from our last night in Williamsburg, we hustled to packed up our belongings and move on. We took a few minutes to grab something to eat from the continental breakfast and then we were off to our next destination. We traveled slightly more than an hour, before arriving at what was to be our home for the next five days – a motel on Virginia Beach. The boys cheered when I told them the news about how long we were going to be there, and I knew this would give them a chance to rest and relax after the hectic pace of the past few days. We were on the top (third) floor of the motel and our room was facing the beach. We had a private balcony, on which I could sit and monitor the boys, when I didn't feel like joining them, but the motel also had a private pool we could choose to use instead. After unpacking, we spent the remainder of the day covered in sun block, relaxing on the beach and jumping in and out of the ocean. After an informal dinner, Brandon and Jay approached me, using Danny and Ricky as their back-ups.

"Uncle Josh, can we speak with you?" Jay asked, appearing a little nervous.

"You MAY. Fire away," I told him. "Both of you should know by now that you can talk to me about anything."

"We know," Brandon replied, but then neither of them spoke again for quite a few seconds. Instead, they merely stood there, studying me, for what reason I wasn't sure. Finally, Brandon found the courage to continue. "Jay and I have talked this over and we just wanted to let you know that after the last week or so, we feel really close to you now, even closer than before. Before, you were kind of like an uncle to us, but now you're more like a second dad. You treat us just the same as you do Danny and Ricky, so we just wanted to say thank you for everything, especially for bringing us on this trip with you."

I was flattered and pleased by his comment. "You're very welcome," I told him. "In fact, I'm quite honored that the two of you would think of me as a second father. That's very sweet of you."

"Maybe they should just call you Dad then, like we do," Ricky suggested, trying to be helpful, but I gave him a stern look, to let him know he was going a little overboard with his suggestion. However, I didn't have to, as Brandon spoke up instead.

"That wouldn't be right," he objected. "We both have our own dads, and besides, it wouldn't be fair to you and Danny if we did that," he added.

"We wouldn't mind," Danny told them, "but we can understand that it might be hard for you, because you have your own fathers. I didn't have that problem, because I didn't feel I had a father any more, except for Dad here." At that moment our eyes locked and he flashed me a very special smile.

"Hey, some of my friends call their dads pa or pop," Ricky offered. "How about using one of those?" Again, I was impressed by his seemingly simple idea, but once again I was concerned he might be pushing the others into something they weren't ready for.

"I like the idea of calling you 'Pop'," Jay said, while flashing me a smile.

"Me too," Brandon announced, seconding the idea. "Would that be okay with you?" he asked, looking in my direction.

"Don't you think your parents would object to you doing that?" I asked, trying to explore what possible problems this might create.

"I don't think so," Brandon replied. "I know my parents really like you, because they say so every time you do something for me, like when you ask me to stay over at your house or take me to do things with Danny and Ricky. Even before we left, they kept saying how really wonderful it was that you included me and Jay on your vacation and what a great guy you were, so I don't think it would bother them at all if I called you Pop. In fact, they most likely would think it was very considerate and really nice of me to think of it, even though it wasn't exactly my idea." He blushed after admitting that, because he was embarrassed he might be unintentionally taking credit for Ricky's suggestion.

"I don't think my parents would mind either," Jay added. "They've always liked you a lot, even when you were just my principal." I thought about this suggestion for a few seconds, before I responded.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" I asked again, just to make certain. They both nodded their heads vigorously, as did Danny and Ricky, even though I wasn't asking for their input.

"I guess we could do it on a trial basis," I informed them, "but if we get back and either of your parents object, then it's back to Uncle Josh. Is that understood?" All the boys nodded their heads again, so it seemed this was how it was going to be.

"To tell you the truth," I finally confessed," I like the idea too. In fact, I'm even looking forward to it. I'd almost forgotten that my sons call me 'Pop' most of the time too, although I never figured out exactly why, but it would be nice to hear that name used more often."

"Great!" they both exclaimed, before rushing over to give me a hug. "And thanks for the great vacation, Pop," Jay added with a huge grin on his face, "even if you guys did tease me a lot about being clumsy."

We all laughed about that for a second or two, before I commented on what he'd said. "That reminds me, Jay. Please stay away from the balcony. I don't want you falling off of it and then have to explain what happened to your parents." He punched me playfully in the arm and then all of the boys jumped on me, pinning me to the sofa.

"Do you promise to leave Jay alone and not pick on him any more, Pop?" Brandon giggled.

"Only if the rest of you promise to keep an eye on him," I replied.

"No problem," Ricky shot back, "but the next time you tease him, we're going to have to torture you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," I mocked in my best childish voice, which only encouraged a barrage of tickling and poking, before I heard one of them say, 'Tell us you're sorry.' I wasn't about to give in so easily, which caused a big wrestling match to ensue. I held my own for a brief time, but was eventually overcome by the quartet's youthful endurance and my own poor stamina. Totally spent, I ordered a halt to the activity by relegating my companions to the shower.

The dynamic duo wasted no time in jumping up and running for the bathroom, shouting 'we're first' as they went. Having gone several days with no sexual release, the buddies quickly agreed to do the 'old hand jive' for each other, which made them both feel much better. After they'd finished their workout, they came out into the main room to rejoin us, totally naked. They sat down next to me, one on each side, and we watched the Baltimore Orioles' baseball game that Brandon, Danny and I had discovered, while flicking through the channels.

Brandon and Danny went next and I could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were both looking forward to this opportunity of being alone. After shutting the door and stepping under the spray, Danny asked the question that was on both of their minds. "What do you want to do tonight, Brand?"

Brandon hesitated about making his choice known, since he didn't want to seem too eager or make Danny feel he was being pushed into anything. Brandon was concerned he might be moving too fast, yet felt he needed to let Danny know what was on his mind. Finally, he began to speak. "Have you… well, have you ever… kinda thought about… well, you know… doing it in… oh, jeez… in the butt?" Danny wasn't quite as embarrassed by the idea as Brandon had been, but that didn't mean he was ready to try it yet either.

"Yeah, I've thought about it," Danny admitted, although his head was drooped and he was staring at the bottom of the tub, instead of his friend. "I'm just worried it might hurt a lot, so I'm not sure if I want to try it just yet."

"Oh," Brandon replied, a little discouraged. "I really want to try it, but only if we can do it without hurting either one of us." Danny nodded in agreement.

"Dad showed me some stories on the Internet," Danny told him, "but only two of them had the characters fucking. Both of those stories talked about the pain it caused the first time, but they also said the pain turned into good feelings, after a while. I guess it's kind of good the pain didn't last a long time, but I don't know how I'd react, if it hurt at all," he confessed, while studying Brandon's face, to see if his buddy was agreeing with him or just thinking he was a big wuss.

"I don't want it to hurt either," Brandon admitted, trying to make sure the idea wasn't dropped completely, "and I want to find a way we could do it and make sure it wasn't painful," he added, hoping they might still be able to do this yet. When he realized it wouldn't be tonight, he decided to get something else going, instead. "What are we going to do then?"

Even though Brandon said this to mean, 'what are we going to do instead of anal sex,' Danny interpreted his comment to mean, 'what are we going to do to have anal sex without it hurting.' That's why Danny's response surprised Brandon at first. "I don't know," Danny told him. "Maybe we could talk to my dad about it."

At first, Brandon thought Danny was suggesting they ask me what type of sex they should participate in tonight. "You want to ask him what we should do tonight?"

"No, silly," Danny responded, "I meant we should ask him if he knows how to do it without it hurting." This idea nearly floored Brandon, since he wasn't sure he was ready to do something as drastic as that.

"Danny, I like your dad and all," Brandon confessed, "and you know that's true, but I don't know if I'd feel comfortable talking to him about this. I mean, it's pretty private stuff and he is, well, an adult."

"Yes, he is," Danny explained, "but he's different than most grown-ups. He's been really cool about things like this, so far. Would your parents have let us shower together or run around naked every night?" Brandon shook his head, indicating they wouldn't. "Besides, I think he suspects we're already doing stuff in here, so if we don't ask him, who else could we go to?"

"I don't know," Brandon responded, after pondering Danny's question. "I mean, don't you think he'd get mad if we even asked him? I mean, he'd kinda know we're planning on having sex then, so wouldn't that freak him out?"

"I don't think so," Danny confessed, "and I'm sure he'd rather have us learn from him, than try it alone and possibly hurt each other."

"So, you really think he'd be willing to help?" Brandon wondered, although he was still uncertain about following through with Danny's idea.

"Yeah, I really think he would," Danny replied, confidently. "He's helped me with so many other things, including gay stuff, so I don't see why he wouldn't help me again."

"Jeez, this just seems so weird," Brandon countered.

"I know it does," Danny concurred, "but I don't see any other way. If you really want to do this, I think we're going to have to ask Dad for help. Otherwise, we'll just have to wait until we find some other way to discover how to do it without hurting each other."

Brandon thought about it for another minute, while struggling with his desire to do this and the idea of involving me in the process. There was a lengthy pause, before he finally responded. "Okay," he consented, "but you're going to have to be the one to ask him."

"All right, I can do that," Danny agreed. "We'll have to get him to stay behind tomorrow, after Ricky and Jay go down to the beach, so we can talk to him alone. Do you think that sounds okay?"

"Yeah, I guess," Brandon told him, even though he still didn't sound totally convinced this was the best move. In order to be certain Brandon wasn't going to change his mind and back out later, Danny thought he'd better confirm their plan.

"Then tomorrow we're going to ask my dad to help us and you're not going to chicken out, right?" he asked, while studying Brandon's reaction to his query.

"Yeah, I won't chicken out," Brandon confirmed. He even appeared a little more certain now.

"Then we have a deal?" Danny prodded, one final time.

"Yeah, it sounds like a plan to me," Brandon replied. "But how about a blowjob tonight then, just to tide us over? It's been so long since I've cum that I feel like I've got bowling balls between my legs."

"You're on," Danny agreed, smiling, "and I know how you feel. I have to cum so bad that my gut hurts."

After reaching this agreement, the two of them quickly proceeded to suck each other to a quick, yet satisfying orgasm. It had been a few days since they last enjoyed a sexual release, so it didn't take long for their juices to come to a boil and erupt, quite forcefully. After they recovered and dried off, they came out to join the rest of us and watch the end of the game. They knew they would have to wait until the morning for their opportunity to get me alone with them, but hoped I'd be able to come up with a plan to help them solve their problem.

After breakfast the next morning, we all came back to the room to change into our swimwear. Danny and Brandon took their time, while Ricky and Jay sped around, eager to get going. The older duo had just finished undressing, as Ricky and Jay grabbed their towels and headed out the door. The younger pair was eager to play in the surf and soak up some rays in the process. I had changed too and was getting ready to follow the dynamic duo out the door, when Danny spoke to me.

"Dad, we need to talk to you," he informed me. "Would you mind staying here with us for a little while?" I was puzzled, but agreed, so Danny began to tell me what he wanted. "This isn't going to be easy to ask you," he began, "but Brandon and I need your help." There was a lengthy and uncomfortable silence after he made that statement, leaving me to wonder what was on their minds. Finally, he continued. "I guess there's no easy way to ask you this, so here it goes. Brandon and I want to have sex by… well, you know… by sticking our dick up the other one's butt, but we don't want to hurt each other," he confessed. As an afterthought, and not necessarily speaking to any of us in particular, he added. "There, I said it."

"Yes, you did," I agreed. "But what is it you want me to do for you?"

"Brand and I kind of hoped you could show us how to do it, so we didn't hurt each other," he explained, while both of them looked at me quite expectantly. However, I had to think this over carefully, before I responded. I knew that if I agreed, not only would I be teaching them the mechanics of the act, but I'd also be implying my consent for them to have sex. Carefully, I organized what I wanted to say in my mind.

"First of all, I'm not sure you're emotionally ready to take such a gigantic step," I admitted, but I could read the disappointment on both boy's face. "Do you both feel this is what you really want to do?" After looking at each other first, they nodded simultaneously toward me.

"Well, I can see that you're really eager to try this, but I hope you've both thought about it carefully, " I added. Again they nodded their heads in agreement. "I always told my children that sex was an act of love, not merely a physical release. I also suggested they should have strong feelings about the person they were involved with and avoid merely doing it because someone was cute or convenient."

"You don't have to worry about us," Danny assured me. "I think Brand and me are boyfriends for life. We just have so much in common and love being around each other. We don't just like each other because of the sex, but that does make it even better."

"Yeah, Pop," Brandon chimed in. "Even though I did mess around with a few boys before I met Danny, this is different. I really don't want to be with anyone else now. Danny's right. I think we're going to be together for a long, long time."

"So that means I have a son AND a son-in-law now?" I asked, trying to lighten the moment. The boys looked at me oddly, before blushing and then smiling.

"I guess you could look at it like that," Danny replied, after a brief delay. "I mean we aren't married or anything, but I don't think that really matters. I guess it's a good way of looking at it, though, right honey?" he asked Brandon, while kissing him, playfully, on the cheek.

"Yeah, I guess that's kind of the way it is," Brandon answered, before his face took on a devilish grin. "Some day Danny will be my wife and I will be his husband, and then you really will be my pop."

"Hey, you're going to be the wife," Danny shot back, while mischievously punching Brandon in the shoulder. "Besides, you've got the long blond hair and know how to cook."

"Hey, I learned how to cook in the Boy Scouts," Brandon countered, trying to justify his domestic talents, "but my mom taught me some things too. She said I'd need to know how to fix my own meals when I went away to college, so I might as well start practicing now. She said it would be cheaper for me, than eating out all of the time."

"She's right," I agreed, "but I think we should get back to the matter at hand. I can see you boys are committed to each other, so that hurdle has been overcome. However, if I agree to help you with this, it doesn't mean you can have sex any time you want, though. Is that clear?" They both nodded their heads again.

"Well, I haven't had any personal experience with anal intercourse," I advised them, "but I have been sexually active in other ways. I have also read accounts explaining how painful penetration can be for both males and females, and have learned some ways to avoid such problems. If I agree to do this, then you'll have to trust me completely and promise to do whatever I tell you. Okay?" They both concurred very quickly, even before I had a chance to finish speaking.

"Before you make up your minds, though, you'd better hear me out completely," I warned them. "If I agree to help you, I'm still concerned that just telling you what to do and then leaving you alone to do it might not prevent the problem completely. If either of you were to hurt the other while trying this, it could evoke some uncomfortable questions from medical personnel tending to you or from Brandon's parents. Therefore, if I agree to help with this, I want you to understand that it means I'll be staying with you through the entire experience, so I can observe what you're doing and make the comments necessary to guide your actions." The boys were looking uneasily at each other and then at me, but I didn't stop.

"You'll have to be comfortable with the fact that I'll be right beside you while you're making love for the first time, before you make your final decision. You can change your mind about doing this, if you want, because I know this will be very awkward for all of us, but it's the only way I'll agree to help. It's not because I want to watch you make love, but since we are all inexperienced at this, it's the only way I can be sure you won't accidentally hurt each other when your hormones begin to kick into overdrive. If you decide to say 'no' to my offer I'll understand, but the final decision is up to you. Would you be comfortable doing this under those conditions?"

The boys looked at each other, before Brandon used his head to motion in the direction of the bathroom. It was his way of letting Danny know he wanted to discuss this in private first, before agreeing. Danny took the hint and they both stepped into their former playroom, so they could discuss this alone. When they emerged a short time later, I tried gauging their expressions, but couldn't read what they had decided. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Brandon and I have talked it over," Danny began, "and we'll do it your way, as long as you are the only one in here with us when we do it. We don't want Ricky and Jay watching us and making jokes about what we're doing."

"No, it would be just us," I confirmed, to their great relief. They then began to undress, until I interrupted them. "Hold your horses, my eager young riders. It's not quite time to saddle up yet. I will need to run to the store first, in order to pick up a few items you'll need to do this properly. Do you think you can wait until I get back?"

"Yeah, but hurry," Danny told me. "We don't want Ricky and Jay getting suspicious and come back here looking for us."

"Well, you could go down to the beach while I'm gone and then come back up here when you see me return," I advised them. "I'll stand on the balcony to let you know I'm ready for you, just in case you don't see me drive in, but I'm sure the other pair will be having too much fun to even notice we aren't around." They nodded their understanding and put their swim trunks back on, while I dressed more appropriately to make the necessary purchases.

"I'll be back shortly," I assured them, as I grabbed my keys and left.

Chapter 23
Private Lessons

I went directly to the parking lot, jumped into the van and drove to the nearest drug store. I carefully selected the items I felt would be appropriate to help them, paid the cashier and then drove back to the motel. A few minutes later, I returned, carrying a small bag.

The room was empty when I arrived, so I went out and stood on the balcony, as I had promised. I was scanning the beach for signs of all four of my charges, when I quickly spotted the older pair. They were already heading back in my direction. After looking more closely, I also located the other two, playing happily with a group of children. I was observing what they were up to, when the door to the room opened and the older two came rushing in.

"Did you get everything we needed?" Danny asked, breathlessly.

"Yes, right here in this bag," I confirmed, while holding up the plastic sack. The boys immediately began trying to develop x-ray vision, so they could see what was inside.

"You'll find out what's in there soon enough," I told them. "That is, if you two are still serious about doing this." They immediately nodded their heads in agreement, but even with that affirmation, I could still tell they were a bit anxious about what they were about to do. The looks on their faces displayed an equal mixture of eagerness and trepidation.

"I take it Ricky and Jay didn't see you come back here?" I inquired.

"Heck, the hardly even noticed we were there at all," Brandon confirmed. "They've met some other kids who are here on vacation and have been doing things with them. They only waved at us when we first went down there, just to let us know they knew we were there, but they are too busy with their new friends to notice we left."

"Okay, that will solve one of my concerns then, although I'm still going to lock the door and fasten the secondary lock, so we aren't interrupted. You boys get undressed and then we'll begin," I advised them. "I won't involve myself in what you're doing, other than to give you instruction, guide your actions and monitor your progress. I think I may be crazy for doing this, but I'd rather help you myself, than let you turn to someone else for guidance or fumble your way through this on your own." I'm sure they understood what I was implying and were appreciative about what I was willing to do.

"Thanks, Dad," Danny said, as he was removing his clothes. "I knew we could count on you."

"Yes, thanks, Pop," Brandon added. "I thought Danny was nuts when he said we should ask you to help, but I should have known you'd help us out. Jay and I know we can pretty much count on you for anything, maybe even more so than with our own parents. I guess that's why we both love you so much."

That comment caught me slightly off guard. First of all, I'm well aware that boys this age generally aren't willing or eager to share their feelings like this, especially when it involves the 'L' word. Stunned by the apparent ease and sincerity with which this was said, I didn't immediately respond. However, after a few seconds, I regained my composure and looked into Brandon's eyes.

"I love you, too, Brandon. In fact, I love all of you boys a great deal. After my wife died, I was extremely lonely and felt very isolated. When Ricky and Danny came to live with me, they brought a spark back into my life and rekindled emotions I had forgotten were there. You and Jay have only added to those feelings for me. No matter what else happens in my life, I would most certainly feel a huge void if you boys weren't around. I want you to know, and I'll tell Jay the same thing later, that you can both count on me to help you with whatever problems you might encounter and I'll always be available to assist you in finding answers to all of your questions, if I can. Our home will always be your home and you're welcome there as often and for however long you might wish to stay, with your parents consent, of course.

"You are both calling me 'Pop' now," I continued, "and I want you to know I also think of you as my sons, as well, just like Danny and Ricky. I find it hard to accept that just a few months ago I was severely depressed about being alone, but now I have four wonderful sons who have brought much joy into my life, more than I would have ever thought possible."

Suddenly, I found two naked boys wrapping their bodies around me, hugging affectionately and kissing my face. I guess this may be the closest I might ever come to being in heaven, without actually having to leave this world.

"Okay," I announced, breaking the moment. "It's time to get back to business. Who wants to do what first?" The boys looked at each other and silently reached an agreement.

"I guess I'll let Danny do me first, Pop," Brandon announced. "I suggested this, but it was Danny who was most concerned about having problems. If I go first and it hurts me, then I won't make Danny do it."

"That's very generous of you, Brandon," I explained. "The ability to think of others first and put their welfare ahead of your own is what makes a true friend… or a lover," I added, belatedly. "I'm glad to know that Danny has chosen his partner wisely."

"Brand," Danny interrupted, "if you're doing this for me, then I'm going to do it for you, whether it hurts or not. I want you to have your chance to see what it's like too."

"That doesn't matter," Brandon countered. "You don't have to do this unless we can do it without any pain. I mean that. It was my idea to try this, not yours. If it hurts me, then I'm just not going to do it to you and you won't be able to make me."

"We'll see," Danny interjected, looking very serious. I could tell that he just wanted to have the last word on this.

"If you boys are still in agreement about doing this," I told them, "then we should get started, before the other two return." Shocking them back to the present, they each nodded. "Okay, let's go into the bathroom first. I bought an enema bag, so you could get cleaned out and make it a little more sanitary." After seeing their puzzled looks, I quickly explained what an enema was and how it worked, before we proceeded. Once each one had relieved himself of the water and other things in his bowels, each boy finished cleaning up and we moved back into the other room.

"Brandon, I'll need you to get on all fours in the middle of the bed," I informed him. We waited, while he got into position, and then I continued. "Now, I'm going to show Danny how to loosen you up for penetration." Brandon nodded his understanding, so I moved Danny behind him.

"Danny, this is a tube of KY jelly. I want you to put a dab of it on your index finger and then rub it into the skin of that finger. Once you've done that, I want you to put a big glob of KY on the tip of that same finger and rub it all around Brandon's anal ring." He looked up at me, with a questioning expression on his face. "Rub it all around and into Brandon's butt hole," I explained, more simply. When Danny was ready, I got on my knees beside Brandon, reached over his back, grabbed his ass cheeks and pulled them apart, so Danny would have better access to his target. Tentatively, Danny let his finger touch Brandon's rectum and began to spread the gel all around the outside of the puckered opening.

"Smear some more KY onto that finger now," I told Danny, "and, this time, you're going to start to work it inside of the opening. Go slowly and give Brandon's hole time to adjust to everything you do." Now, I turned toward Brandon, to explain what he should do.

"Brandon, the first time Danny puts his finger into your butt, it shouldn't be a problem, but if it seems like it doesn't want to go in, then relax and push down on your ass muscles, like you're taking a crap. Not hard enough to really expel anything, but that will open the hole up and remove most, if not all of the resistance. Do either of you have any questions before we begin?"

They both shook their heads, letting me know they couldn't think of anything to ask. Danny still seemed a little reluctant and unsure about what he was supposed to do, so I took a hold of his right hand, positioned his right index finger so it pointed outward, and then moved it forward, until it touched Brandon's pink rosebud. I worked his hand slowly, so his finger made tiny circles around the entrance. After doing that for a brief time, I placed Danny's finger against Brandon's untouched hole and gently urged him to push it forward.

I think Brandon began to push out, even though he probably didn't need to, and Danny's finger slipped in easily, up to the first knuckle. Brandon gasped. "Did that hurt, Brandon?" I asked, concerned about what had just happened.

"No, it didn't hurt," Brandon explained. "I guess it just kind of surprised me when it went inside, but I'm fine. Danny, keep going!" Receiving assurance that Brandon was all right, I put a little more pressure on Danny's hand, pushing the finger in a little deeper. I made him wait for Brandon to adjust, before allowing Danny to twist his hand back and forth a bit, so his finger would twirl around inside Brandon's chute. Once Brandon seemed fine with what was happening, I urged Danny to push his finger the rest of the way in. Once he had made full penetration, I made him hold his finger stationary for a few seconds, to give Brandon a chance to get used to it again. Once Brandon agreed he was doing fine, I had Danny pump the digit back and forth, slowly finger-fucking Brandon's hole.

"How does that feel, Brandon?" I inquired, making sure he was able to handle this action.

"Good. There's no pain at all," he responded, letting us know this was going well. I let Danny continue this action for a while longer, as I watched him work his finger in and out more energetically, before I made him stop. He looked at me, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"It's time to go to the next level," I informed him. "Danny, grab the KY again, but this time put it on both your index and middle fingers. Use a lot of lube and make sure you completely coat both fingers." Obediently, Danny did as I instructed. "Okay, now insert those fingers the same way you did the first time."

Cautiously, Danny lined up his fingers and then added a little pressure, until he was able to push them past Brandon's resilient sphincter. Brandon gasped again, but quickly signaled he was fine. After giving Brandon time to adjust to this larger invasion, I had Danny begin twisting his fingers around again, gradually forcing Brandon's gateway to loosen. Once I felt Brandon had adjusted to that, I indicated, by making a gesture that Brandon couldn't see, that I wanted Danny to curl his fingers slightly and he nodded his acknowledgement. When Brandon moaned loudly, I knew one of Danny's fingers had brushed against Brandon's prostate. I was directing the action merely by using hand signals now, so I didn't spook Brandon about what was going to happen next. After having Danny thrust his fingers in and out several more times, I signaled Danny to pull his fingers out completely, before indicating that I wanted him to lube up three fingers this time.

Brandon protested slightly, feeling empty once Danny's fingers had been withdrawn, but I quickly informed his this was only a temporary situation, so Danny can add more lube. Brandon suddenly relaxed again, after being assured this activity wasn't over, but we didn't inform Brandon that this time Danny would be adding an additional digit.

Danny quickly finished carrying out my instructions and aligned himself to work three fingers into his partner. Although getting some mild resistance from Brandon's back entrance, as it protested the larger girth being forced up it, he accepted it without much problem. Brandon did have to use my earlier suggestion, about pushing out this time, but he quickly adjusted to the thicker penetration. When I felt he was ready, I signaled Danny to twist those fingers around again, followed by an indication that he should also thrust those fingers in and out of Brandon's butt, at the same time.

Brandon released a little groan as Danny did this, which caused Danny to momentarily hesitate. However, after Brandon let out a little sigh of contentment, followed by what sounded like an additional appreciative moan, Danny went back into action.

"How are you doing, Brandon?" I asked, just to make sure he was all right.

"I'm fine," he told us. "The last time it kind of hurt for just a second, but not much." I was about to signal Danny to stop, until Brandon said something else. "It's beginning to feel real nice now," he admitted. I figured this meant he was ready to advance to the next step, but there was another problem. Danny was completely flaccid. Considering this situation, I signaled Danny to stop what he was doing, so I could direct them as to what they should do next.

"Brandon, turn around for a minute and face Danny," I advised, and then I waited for him to complete this maneuver. "Okay, now work on Danny's penis for a while, until it gets hard." Enthusiastically, he did as I told him. Once the problem had been rectified, I instructed Brandon as to how to put the condom on Danny's rigid pole. He did encounter some minor problems doing this, so I had to assist him a bit, and then I had Brandon spread a generous amount of KY over the entire surface of Danny's sheathed shaft. Brandon rapidly greased Danny's pole and then both boys were ready to continue with their lesson.

"Great. Now, Brandon, I need you to turn the other way again," which he quickly did. "Danny, now move back into position, on your knees behind him." It only took him a few moments to do this. "Danny, I'm going to hold both of your hips and direct your actions for a while, so you don't get too aggressive. Okay?" He nodded his agreement. "When I think you're ready, I'll let go and you'll be on your own, just don't fight me before that happens. Any questions?" This time they both shook their heads, to let me know they didn't have any other queries.

Feeling confident they were ready for the next step, I put my hands on Danny's hips and lined his penis up with Brandon's anus. I gently pushed his midsection forward, until Danny's spearhead was touching the bull's eye, and then I added a little more pressure on the back of his hips, until the head of Danny's penis slipped past the guardian. I held him still, once his cock head had completely disappeared, to make sure Brandon was all right. Hearing no protests and noting no problems, I gently pushed on Danny's hips again, slowly guiding him further into Brandon's depths, until Danny's pubes were tickling the back of Brandon's ass. Once he was completely seated inside his partner, I forced Danny to hesitate, in order to give Brandon time to adjust to the intruder, before we continued. This wasn't easy, as Danny was now eager to let his instincts take over and do Mother Nature's two-step.

"Oh, my God," Danny gasped. "It's so hot in there and it feel sooooo good." I was encourage by his words of appreciation, but was still concerned about how Brandon was doing, but not for long.

"Yeah, you feel great in there," Brandon gushed. "You made my whole body tingle, as you worked your way in."

Having my concerns negated, I allowed them to move to the next step. Now, I encouraged Danny to begin a slow rocking motion with his pelvis, by pushing and pulling on his hips with my hands. As his penis started sliding in and out of Brandon's tunnel, guttural noises began emerging from both young throats. I tried to keep Danny using a nice fluid motion – of long, slow strokes – but gradually he began to fight me, as he tired to increase his pace, like a runner eager to begin his sprint toward the finish line. Once he looked like he was totally into what he was doing, I whispered into his ear and released my grip.

Danny continued with all the confidence of a pro, working Brandon's virgin ass, as he continually increased his speed. He did this instinctively, as he felt his seed begin to churn and boil in his scrotum, and before long, he was pumping hard and fast, as he neared his climax. Both boys were now moaning appreciatively and excitedly. Danny had switched to using short, quick strokes, when he suddenly arched his back and drove his penis all the way home, completely up to the hilt. He swooned and moaned audibly as his cannon exploded, releasing five creamy ropes of semen into the sheath in Brandon's cavern. Brandon was also moaning and grunting, as he let himself enjoy the feeling the stimulation and ejaculation had created within his bowels during his virginal experience. Once Danny's dick had been drained, he collapsed on top of Brandon's back, completely spent. Brandon was too weak to hold them both up, so he rolled onto his side, taking Danny with him, but Danny's prick remained steadfast, in the confines of Brandon's deflowered channel. They stayed like that for several minutes more, before either boy commented or moved.

"That was wicked," Danny began. "I've never felt anything that awesome before – ever. It was like a hundred lips were wrapped around my dick and they just sucked everything out of me. I knew it would be good, but never thought it would be that great." He looked at Brandon and smiled. "How was it for you?"

"Nice, really nice," Brandon confessed. "You kept hitting something in there that just sent tingles all through me. It's hard to explain, but it felt really terrific."

"Did it hurt at all?" Danny asked, a little concerned.

"Only a little, but it didn't last very long. After that, those tingling things just made me forget about any pain, since it made me feel so good inside. It was really nice." The two boys were hugging each other and then they began to kiss, as their way of thanking the other for that special moment. Without warning, they stopped making out and then Brandon turned toward me.

"And thank you, Pop," he told me, "for teaching us how to do it so well."

"You're welcome, both of you," I replied, "and once you've recuperated and are ready to switch places, we'll get you boys set again, but this time I'll teach Brandon what he needs to know."

It wasn't long before they were ready to go in reverse, so I had Danny get on his hands and knees on the bed, so we could begin. While Danny was getting into position, I had Brandon lube up his fingers, and then I worked Brandon's hand, as we probed Danny anus with one, two and, finally, three digits. I made Brandon work them all around, so he would completely stretch Danny's tight chute, and we continued this way until I felt Danny's hole was ready for the real thing.

Since Danny was ready, I had him work on Brandon, to get him hard and then I had him slip on the condom and grease up his pole. When they were in position to continue, I held on to Brandon's hips and led him through the same beginning process I had put Danny through. As his confidence built, I released my grip on his waist and he continued the process on autopilot. The instincts that nature had given to all of its creatures soon took control and Brandon's thrusting increased in pace, as he drew gradually closer to his orgasm. His last several strokes were fast and hard, before he sank his muscle deep into Danny's cavern and filled the condom with several blasts of his warm boy juice. After this consummation had been completed, they became one giant, panting heap of spent boy flesh on the bed, lost in the afterglow of sexual bliss.

Chapter 24
A Little Relaxation

After Brandon and Danny recovered from their first experience with anal intercourse, I had them hit the shower, before they went back outside. While they were cleaning up, I walked to the beach alone, to check up on the younger duo. As I walked there, I noticed they were working on a sand sculpture with a couple of other children, but they quickly stopped and ran over to me, when they saw me approaching. Eagerly, they began telling me what they had been up to, while dragging me over to the others, so they could introduce me to their new friends. I was somewhat surprised to discover that the others were all younger than Ricky or Jay, one nearly three years their junior. However, since neither of the boys seemed to mind having a good time with them, and this group all seemed to be fond of my pair, I didn't raise any objections either.

"This is my dad," Ricky proudly announced to the others.

"And my pop," Jay added.

"But you guys said you weren't brothers," one of their new friends observed, "or do you mean he's you grandpa?" the same boy asked Jay, which made me feel really old.

"No, he's my second dad," Jay offered, as an explanation.

"You mean you have two dads?" another boy asked. He wasn't part of their initial group and must have been the older brother of one of the younger children. He seemed to have strolled over to see what was going on, as I approached the group.

"Do you mean they're gay?" the older boy added, with a touch of disdain apparent in his tone and expression.

"No," Jay answered. "I have my own mom and dad, but Pop is like my second father. He treats me just like I'm another one of his sons."

"Ah, so he's Ricky's dad and you two are good friends, so he's kind of like your dad too," one of the others offered, in an attempt to clarify our relationship.

"Yes, that's what I meant," Jay agreed. That response seemed to be sufficient to remove the spark of disapproval from the older boy's eyes, which relieved me. I thought he was going to raise a fuss and make a big deal about our relationship and the fact we were hanging around another group of children, when he thought Jay and Ricky had gay parents. As he walked away to do something else, my duo and their friends went back to working on their project.

Seeing Jay and Ricky were sufficiently occupied, I walked out toward the ocean, so I could enjoy its watery delights. After I moved out and was standing knee-deep in salt water, I had to struggle a little, just to keep from toppling over. Each time another wave rolled in, it would cause me to loose my balance, not completely, but enough that I would have to fight to keep from falling over. I was concentrating so much on this that I didn't notice Brandon and Danny sneaking up from behind. That was until they began to splash me. However, before I had a chance to turn around and retaliate, they took it one step further and tried to topple me into the surf. Although I was able to maintain my footing, I felt compelled to get even with these devils.

"Oh, you're in for it now," I warned them, as I wrapped an arm around each of their slender frames, so I could dump them into the next wave, as it came racing toward us. As they resurfaced from my dunking, I began to playfully wrestle with them, while we were also being jostled by the rhythmic pounding of the incoming tide. Jay and Ricky must have noticed what we were doing and felt left out of the action, so they came darting out in our direction. As soon as they reached our location, they immediately included themselves in the free-for-all, aligned themselves with Danny and Brandon, as they battled Godzilla. After nearly a half hour of this continual pushing and shoving, I took refuge on my beach towel, panting from the exertion and trying to regain my strength.

"You getting old?" Ricky asked, noticing my predicament.

"Not getting," I announced, "but right now I do feel pretty old." He laughed loudly at my admission and then quickly made sure he repeated it, so everyone else would know what I had said.

After lunch, I took the boys on a two-hour boat tour around Chesapeake Bay. It was relaxing, interesting, and the boys were still able to work on their tans. If you've ever been out on a ship the size of a tour boat and felt how it gently swayed back and forth, as it navigated the waves, then you'll know how soothing that sensation can be. Sure, it can be much different when the waves are whipped up due to a storm, but that wasn't the case today, and some of us almost fell asleep due to the rhythmic rocking of the vessel, as we continued to sun ourselves.

The two hours seemed to go by quite quickly and we were a little disappointed it was over, when the boat pulled back into the dock. As we disembarked, the boys informed me they wanted to spend some time at the motel pool, rather than go back to the beach. As they put it, they wanted to do some 'actual' swimming for a change, rather than just bob up and down in the ocean. I had no problem with that, so I happily followed them there.

There were only a couple of others at the pool when we arrived, so we virtually had the place to ourselves. The first thing I did was to make sure the boys applied more sunscreen to their bodies first, because we'd all been out in the sun for a long time and I worried about them getting sunburned. Once that process had been completed, they challenged me to a race. I wanted to decline their offer, but felt compelled to save face, after their continued taunts of 'old man.' Luckily, it was just a one lapper, which didn't test my endurance too badly, and I was able to beat all four of them from one end of the pool to the other.

Even though they challenged me to a rematch, I declined, explaining that they'd had their chance. I guess they didn't want to let me have bragging rights and felt I'd eventually tire and they'd be able to win. However, that wasn't about to happen. Although disappointed by my refusal, we did continue to splash about and occasionally tried to dunk each other, but it was all in fun.

We were all pretty exhausted as we headed back to our room, so after dinner, I suggested we go see a movie, instead of doing anything more strenuous. The boys seemed to like that idea, so we asked directions to the nearest complex, figuring we could select what to see once we got there. It seemed to work out fine and we all enjoyed the break.

Before we retired for the evening, I also made sure Brandon and Jay 'phone home' again, so they could reassure their parents they were still alive and unharmed. While they were doing that, I turned on the local news and weather, to see if anything interesting was going on. I soon discovered it was a good thing I did, because that's when I learned the weatherman was predicting thunderstorms for Friday. This meant we would be facing the first inclement weather we've had to endure on our vacation, and this new awareness suddenly forced me to plan an alternative activity for that day.

Remaining focused, I decided to check out the local attractions' brochure, which is available in most hotel/motel rooms. Utilizing the information I discovered there, it didn't take me long to come up with a substitute activity we could pursue on Friday, just in case the weather did prove to be as dire as the meteorologist was predicting.

Since Thursday was still supposed to be a decent day, I took the boys to the Ocean Breeze Amusement Park. As I had at Busch Gardens, I told them where I would be, should they need me for anything, and then I released them to go off and enjoy the attractions on their own. As they did before, each pair would occasionally come back and drag me off with them, thus making sure I went on at least a few of the rides too. Every time they took me with them, it made me smile and appreciate how considerate they were being. By coming back for me every so often, they were showing me that they wanted to make sure I was having a good time too and they weren't merely concerned with their own gratification. Maybe that was another reason I was trying so hard to please them and make sure each of them was having a good time.

By early evening, the weather was already beginning to change, as the storm front moved in, so I decided it would probably be best for us to leave before the park closed and return to our room. I was hoping the boys would be able to get in a couple of more hours on the rides before we had to call it a day, but it seemed that wasn't to be. However, seeing this wasn't their first, or last, amusement park visit scheduled during our trip, I wasn't going to become overly concerned about them having to leave early or worry they might be missing out on something. They did grumble a bit about our early departure, but they didn't protest too strongly. They could also see the storm rolling in and hear the distance rumble of thunder, but the first really close lightning strike, which actually hit somewhere across the road leading into the park, was enough to end their objections completely. Not only that, but it also caused the rides to be shut down, as a safety measure.

Once we got back to the motel, Ricky and Jay decided they were ready to take their shower and call it a day. Without waiting for a protest from the other pair, they stripped down and raced off to the bathroom. While they were washing up, Jay spied an opportunity and decided he'd have a little fun with Ricky. While Ricky was standing in front of him, with his back toward the redhead, Jay shoved his erect dick into the narrow gap between Ricky's legs and under his ball sac. Before Ricky could react, Jay began to slide his dick in and out, like he was humping him, thinking it was funny.

Once he realized what was going on, Ricky thought he'd teach Jay a lesson about doing something like this without asking first, so he clamped his thighs together tightly, in an effort to trap his friend's cock there. Despite his intent, his actions didn't quite immobilize Jay's penis, but instead merely added a new level of pleasure to the act. This increased pressure on his dick began to overwhelm Jay with feelings of extreme sexual enjoyment, so he began to hump even more vigorously against Ricky's backside. Jay was totally lost in the sensations that were rapidly shooting along his rod and those tingling sensations were beginning to spread throughout his loins, signaling that his release was getting closer. Unaware of Jay's enjoyment, Ricky was beginning to tire of this game and began to release his grip on his buddy's love muscle, when Jay began to protest.

"No, Ricky, please don't stop me now. Please? Just keep your legs together for a little while longer", he pleaded. "I'm going to cum, but I need you to help me finish." Although not thoroughly pleased by this situation, Ricky did as he was asked and moved his legs back together. As soon as this happened, Jay began to thrust again, with a renewed vigor, in order to regain some of the feeling he had lost when Ricky started to end this activity, without first giving him warning. Just as all of those wonderful sensations were beginning to return, Jay wrapped his arms around Ricky's waist and began to pound into him, as rapidly as he could.

Jay was making all sorts of deep, throaty sounds and moaning noises, just before he yelped, "Yes, yes. Oh, God. Uuuuuuuungh." At that moment, his spunk exploded from his throbbing dick and spurted between Ricky's legs, until it began to dribble down his inner thighs. One, two, three, four strings of jizz catapulted from his tube, before his orgasm subsided, and then, slowly, the remaining sperm began to leak from his dickhead and slowly ooze out.

Ricky remained almost totally still as this episode came to an end, because he was concerned that Jay might fall and hurt himself, if he shifted from that spot. Patiently, he waited for his friend to recover, even though he wasn't totally happy about what had just transpired. When the redhead finally did begin to move again, Ricky turned around and glared at him.

"What the heck was that all about?" he screamed, although not loudly enough for us to hear in the other room. Jay was shocked by Ricky's reaction and immediately became concerned that Ricky was mad at him now, so he felt he needed to explain his actions.

"I'm sorry. It started out as a joke… honestly, it did," he told his blond friend, "but when you closed your legs around my dick, I just couldn't stop. It felt so good, even better than when you do it with your hand or mouth. It was totally awesome."

"So you just fucked me, without asking?" Ricky shot back.

Jay blushed at the insinuation and was convinced Ricky hated him now. "Kind of," he admitted, "but you can do it to me too, if you want," he added, trying to make up for his feelings of guilt and hoping that would be enough to soothe Ricky's anger. Ricky's outburst and following question had actually made Jay feel as if he had forced his friend into an unwanted sexual encounter, almost as if he had raped him or something.

"Ricky, if I knew it was going to turn out like that and feel sooooo wonderful, I really would have asked you first," Jay continued to explain, "but this all started out as just a joke. I was just going to make believe I was doing it, thinking that we'd both just get a good laugh from it. I'm really sorry that I couldn't stop, once it began to feel so good."

Ricky began to calm down when he realized Jay was trying to rationalize his actions, because he was feeling guilty. Suddenly, Ricky felt nearly as miserable about the misunderstanding as his friend did and wanted to end Jay's discomfort. "Hey, I'm not mad at you, so don't worry about it. Just let me know when you're ready to return the favor, because now I want to try it with you too."

Jay was greatly relieved and let out a big sigh, once he comprehended Ricky's response, and smiled warmly in his direction. It was only about a minute later when he gave Ricky the signal that he was ready to go. Since he was now anxious to discover why Jay seemed to like doing this so much, Ricky moved behind his friend, to do what Jay had done to him earlier. The biggest difference was, Ricky knew what the end result would be, where Jay had just fallen into a bucket of shit and come out smelling like a rose. Okay, so that's a bad analogy, but what do you want? I had to come up with something to explain the difference.

Anyway, Ricky eagerly stuck his penis under Jay's butt, so it extended below his crotch. "Man, this isn't so great," Ricky observed, after a few seconds. "You're legs are rubbing my wiener raw."

"Wet it first, then soap it up," Jay suggested. "I had just finished doing that when I saw the opening, and that seemed to help make it slide in and out really easy."

Ricky followed Jays suggested and started again. Once he was in position, Jay tightened his legs around Ricky's dick, so Ricky could begin pumping his penis in the vise-like sheath. This time it worked better, and almost immediately, Ricky began to understand why Jay hadn't wanted it to end. Doing this did feel really fantastic. Gradually, Ricky continued to increase the speed of his thrusting and quickly realized it wasn't going to take him long to blow his load. That was because the feelings this activity created were intense and he was already nearing stimulus overload. It only took a few more pumps before Ricky's penis erupted, sending four strong shots of semen spewing under Jay's penis or running down the inside of his legs. Suddenly feeling weak, Ricky grabbed a hold of Jay's shoulders, in order to keep himself upright, and stayed that way until his fleeting strength returned. By the time Jay was able to turn and face him, Ricky had a huge grin plastered across his face.

"That was awesome," he announced, emphatically. "I've never fucked before, but that was great."

"Actually," Jay began, "I don't think we can call what we did fucking, but for us, it's close enough. I don't know about you, but I don't want any dicks shoved up my ass."

"Me either," Ricky agreed.

The duo quickly finished their shower and returned to the main room, heading directly toward me. They each bent down and gave me a kiss and hug good night, which momentarily surprised me. Jay had never done anything like this before and Ricky had been a little inhibited about being affectionate in front of the other two, since this trip began. While I sat there stunned, yet enjoying their attention, they walked away and hopped into bed.

About forty minutes later, Brandon and Danny jumped in the shower and debated about what they wanted to do tonight. They were still a little tender from their first experience with anal intercourse and not nearly as horny as they might have been otherwise, so it didn't take them long to agree that they would just jerk each other off. Once they had both finished shooting their loads, they dried off, came back into the main room and sat down beside me.

We had only been watching TV for a few minutes before either Jay or Ricky farted in their sleep. We weren't sure which of them had been responsible, but it was a smelly one.

"Damn, I've got to get some fresh air," Danny announced, before he began pulling back the drapes, so he could open the door to the balcony. As he did this, we all discovered it was pouring outside. The rain coming down in heavy sheets, which immediately depressed both boys, but despite the torrential downpour, they felt it was imperative to leave the door open.

"Damn, it looks like we're going to be stuck in the room tomorrow," Danny stated, while frowning about the sudden change in conditions.

"No way," I responded. "I heard the long-range weather forecast a couple of days ago and made alternative plans. We'll be indoors all right, but not in our motel room."

"What are we going to do then?" Brandon wanted to know.

"You'll find out tomorrow morning, just like everyone else," I told him.

"Oh, please, Pop. Tell me," Brandon pleaded. "I want to know and I won't tell anyone else. What harm would it do if Danny and I knew tonight?"

I looked at him and smiled. I knew he was right, even though I still thought they all needed more practice in dealing with delayed gratification. After thinking about this for a minute longer, I decided I'd already kept them in suspense about most of the trip, so it wouldn't hurt to tell them about tomorrow's itinerary in advance. "All right. I'll give in," I confessed, gaining a jubilant reaction from Brandon. "We're going to go to the Virginia Marine Science Museum. That was my back-up plan. It is something we can still do, even with the bad weather they're predicting."

"Sounds good to me," Danny commented. "I'm glad you're on top of things," he added, which almost sounded as if he were insinuating I might be fired, if I'd messed up.

"Well, thank you, for that. I do try not to fall asleep at the switch," I told him, "although that isn't always possible. You know, it isn't easy keeping up with, let alone staying ahead of, four teenage boys." They smiled and hugged me, to let me know they appreciated my effort. After that, the three of us decided to call it a night.

"Pop, why don't you sleep with us tonight?" Brandon asked. "I'll sleep in the middle, and then you can sleep next to me." This appeared to be important to him, so I decided to do it.

"That's fine with me, if it's OK with both of you," I told him, making sure Danny agreed too. The bed was certainly big enough.

"Yeah, that would be super, Dad," Danny confirmed, "but I'd like it better if you slept in the middle, so I can be next to you too."

"I guess I could live with that," I informed them. "I'd love to be sandwiched between two gorgeous young men like you, as long as you're both okay with it." I let out a nervous little laugh, before I quipped, "I'll happily be the peanut butter, if you two want to be the bread."

After they chuckled at my comment, that's just what we did. I positioned myself in the middle of the bed, with both boys cuddled up against me. I had placed an arm under each of their heads and they draped their upper arms over my chest and against each other's arm, while resting their heads upon my upper chest. I would be willing to bet they could even hear my heart beat, as they began to drift off.

Mentally, I tried to store this scene for future reference, as it was probably the most cherished moment I'd ever shared with these two. I guess I'd forgotten that even older boys sometimes need a little love and attention from dad too, and now that Brandon was calling me 'Pop,' I guess I could fill that role for him as well.

We remained like that throughout the entire night and even had to answer some questions from the dynamic duo about it in the morning. It wasn't surprising that Ricky and Jay woke first, since they also went to bed long before the rest of us as well, but I didn't think they would have made such a big deal over my sleeping with the other pair. After grilling me about why I hadn't slept with them again, I explained that the older boys had felt a little neglected and wanted some of my attention too. Therefore, I decided to spend the evening with them.

Once he heard my explanation, Jay promptly informed me that it was okay that I slept with Danny and Brandon, but tonight I was to cuddle with him, since I had spent most of my evenings clinging to Ricky. I guess this confirmed my suspicion that they all needed a little extra attention from me from time to time, so I would try not to forget it again in the future.

Chapter 25
Enjoying Virginia Beach

We dressed quickly and downed a hearty breakfast, before spending much of the rest of the day at the Virginia Marine Science Museum and it was really quite fascinating. The exhibits were displayed throughout two buildings and we were able to view sharks (sand tiger, brown and nurse sharks), sea turtles (Loggerhead, Kemps, and Green Sea turtles), stingrays (Cownose, Atlantic and Southern Stingrays), whales (humpback and fin whales), dolphins, porpoises, harbor seals, river otters, and much, much more. It was nearly 2 p.m. when the boys began to complain they were hungry, and even though we'd all had a good time, I knew I had to feed them before they started getting really cranky. As I ushered them out of the building, we were pleased to discover that the weather had begun to clear and it was turning out to be a rather nice afternoon.

I took the boys out for pizza, since that's what they decided they all wanted, and after we finished eating, we went back to our room. Even though it was a little cooler than it had been the previous day, the boys still wanted to go swimming in the pool, and I thought that sounded like a very good idea. We all changed into our swimsuits and made the trek down to the pool, where we quickly discovered that several other guests had the same idea as we did. Ricky and Jay were quickly spotted by the kids they had been making sand castles with on the beach, and those youngsters ran up to my pair, to say hello.

"This is my brother, Danny, and that's our friend, Brandon," Ricky announced, proudly, "but he's kind of like our brother too."

"Does he call your dad, Pop, like Jay does?" one young girl asked.

"Yep, I sure do," Brandon responded, quickly.

"You guys are so lucky," she followed.

"We know," Brandon added.

"Pop," the girl began, while looking at me, "can Ricky and Jay go in the pool with us for a while?"

I was intrigued that she called me Pop too, but that was most likely because she didn't know how else to address me. However, I saw no problem with her request and told her that would be fine, as long as that's what Jay and Ricky wanted to do. Both Jay and Ricky grinned when they heard my comment, because I think they felt they didn't have much choice in the matter, so they soon were going off with their new friends. Before long, we were all in the pool swimming and enjoying a good watery workout.

While we were there, Danny and Brandon also made some new friends, although a slightly older group than Jay and Ricky's friends. When the boys brought the others over to introduced them to me as well, I noticed that one of the boys was the older brother we'd met earlier, who seemed to have a problem when he thought I might be gay. After exchanging 'hellos,' the others wandered back toward the pool.

Now that we were alone, I explained to both boys about this other young man and warned them to be careful around him. I understood they still wanted to spend some time alone with these other young people and I wasn't about to ruin their plans, just because of a potential troublemaker. I felt the warning should suffice and the boys could still go off and have a good time. After they agreed they would watch what they said and did, they also disappeared to another part of the pool. .

While the boys were enjoying themselves, I spent some of my time looking around the area, trying to figure out which adults belonged with which children. I did this by observing who was paying attention to whom and if there were any similarities in their physical features. After mentally pairing up a good many of them, I went over to introduce myself to some of these adults and explained a little about the boys and myself. I felt this might make it easier later, if any of these young people wanted to spend more time with any of my group. Most of the adults were friendly and we hit it off fairly well, although there was this one guy whom I'd prefer not to have to deal with again. Not only did this fellow come off as a major braggart and a bore, but he was also rather crude and quite rude as well, which are all qualities I abhor.

After a couple of hours at the pool, I told the boys we needed to go, so we could clean up and change for dinner. Although they didn't really want to leave the others, they were quite eager to do as I asked, mainly because it involved food. I knew they were all probably quite hungry by now, so they wouldn't be able to resist the lure of stuffing their bellies. When we got back to our room, we showered quickly, to remove the chlorine smell, and then we put on something suitable for our destination.

Without telling the boys where we were going, I drove to a place some of the other parents had recommended to me, after they heard me say that I needed to take the boys out to eat. It was an establishment we hadn't stopped at previously, and the type I probably would not have selected without a recommendation. If I were to judge the quality of the establishment by just looking at the exterior of the building, I would have suspected it was a bit seedy and would have kept on driving. However, this time we went inside, despite my gut reaction, and were quickly seated.

It was really more of a diner than a restaurant, at least the way I would have classified the place. It even had a lunch counter with stools, where the patrons could sit and eat, instead of choosing a booth or a table. We elected to sit at a table, primarily because of the number in our party, and I was pleased to observe the inside of the establishment was neat and very clean. The waitress came over and handed us our menus, told us about the daily specials and took our drink orders. She seemed quite sweet, but she was fairly young and a little flustered. I wasn't sure if that was because she was new to the job or if she was attracted to one of the older boys. Either way, I felt this might be an interesting ordeal.

The boys decided very quickly what they wanted to eat, so we ordered as soon as the waitress returned with our drinks. It didn't take long for me to figure out why the other parents liked this place so much and had recommended it to us. The food was delicious, there was plenty of it and it was all reasonably priced. We enjoyed it so much that we even decided to have our desert there, rather than go somewhere else for it. As we finished up, I decided it was time to fill the boys in about something else.

"Tomorrow is going to be our last day at Virginia Beach," I announced, while carefully observing their reactions "and I thought you'd probably like it best if we spent it enjoying the ocean and the beach a little more. How does that sound to you?" Without hesitation, they all vociferously responded in the affirmative, which attracted the attention of many of the other patrons and staff. Once the other customers and employees realized the boys were just excited about something, they quickly lost interest in us and went back to their own business, which greatly pleased us all. The boys went on to tell me that they had been hoping they might get more time to do what they wanted and they were also hoping they'd be able to spend at least part of the time with the other young people they'd met. I told them I had no problem with this and they were thrilled to realize it was actually going to happen.

Once we were back at the motel, I found another Orioles' game on TV, so we all crowded onto the couch together. Seeing everyone was saying they wanted to sit next to me, I had to come up with a way to make it happen. Eventually, I let Jay and Ricky sit on my lap, while Brandon and Danny flanked me on either side. Jay and Ricky immediately put their heads on my shoulders and I put my arms around the older pair's shoulders, so I was in contact with them all. I think this turned out to be one of my favorite nights of the trip.

When the game ended, I had the boys take a quick shower, before hopping into bed, and Jay made sure to remind me that I was to sleep next to him tonight. He got in the middle of the bed and I moved in beside him, lying on my side, and immediately Jay spooned back into me and pulled my arm around him and across his chest. I'm surprised I hadn't realized earlier in the trip that anyone, other than Ricky, might want my attention. I'll just have to be more careful in the future, as I don't want the others to think I'm displaying favoritism toward just one of them, but Ricky is my baby, so to speak.

The next morning, after breakfast, the younger pair told us they didn't want to go to the beach with the rest of us. They said they were going to hang back, watch some of the Saturday morning cartoons and then go hang out at the motel pool. They said they'd hit the beach in the afternoon and would see us then. After agreeing to their request, Salt, Pepper and I left for the beach and we joked with each other along the way. The boys were in a playful mood, so we starting horsing around, and soon we were punching, jabbing, pushing and even tripping each other, but in a fun way. After several minutes, we finally made it to the beach, but not until after each of us had taken a spill or two in the sand.

We were laughing so hard by the time we reached the ocean, that I knew I'd have to cap it off with something big. I let both boys get slightly ahead of me as we neared the water, then I lowered my shoulders and tackled them into the waves. We all came up gasping for air and spluttering, but then they pounced on me, in an attempt to pay me back. We continued like that for several minutes, before we agreed to a truce. As we moved back onto the sand, Brandon asked if I had brought the sun block with me. Like a dummy, I had forgotten it, and when I told him that, he said it was all right and he and Danny would run back to the room and get it. He had already started to burn on our previous outings, so he was worried he might have problems without it. I agreed to accept their offer, gave them the key and let them go, seeing I really didn't want to make that walk again.

When they got back to the room, they unlocked the door and entered, but what they found there surprised them. Although the television was on and the cartoons were playing, quite loudly in fact, Ricky and Jay were on their bed, locked in a sixty-nine. They must have been so intent on what they were doing, or the noise from the TV masked the other sounds, that they didn't hear the key being inserted into the lock and didn't notice the other two enter the room. When Danny and Brandon began to giggle, Jay and Ricky's heads popped up and their faces turned several shades of red in the process.

"My, my. What do we have here?" Danny wondered aloud.

"Looks like these two had more on their minds than just cartoons and swimming this morning," Brandon added. "No wonder they wanted us to go on ahead of them." The younger pair was extremely embarrassed at having been discovered in such an awkward and compromising position, but it only made Ricky decide to go on the offensive.

"So what? You guys do it too," he challenged.

"I know," Danny answered calmly, and then everyone remained quiet for a few seconds. "What would you two think about switching partners for a while and trying something with us?" Danny's comment seemed to catch them all off-guard, so now they began looking at each other, as they thought about his proposal. Within a few seconds, Jay nodded to Ricky that he was willing to go along with it, and Brandon announce he thought it was a good idea too

"Brandon, you take Ricky and I'll take Jay," Danny suggested, seeing he and Ricky had messed around a little before. The older pair tore off their swimsuits, seeing the younger boys were already naked, but Danny was also smart enough to go over and lock BOTH locks to the room first.

Jay hopped off of the bed he shared with Ricky and got onto the other one, so Brandon could move in to join the younger blond. Brandon and Ricky used that opportunity to take a good look at their new partner's body, visually surveying each other carefully. Sure, they had seen one another naked many times before, but it was never done with the idea of having sex. Up until now, they had just been friends, but this time they were beginning to see each other in a different light. Ricky knew he probably wasn't gay, but he wasn't against having a little fun either, and Brandon WAS sort of a hunk. Slowly, they moved toward each other and leaned forward to embrace and even kiss.

Ricky had always sort of looked at Brandon as a slightly larger version of himself, since they both had very similar characteristics, such as hair color, skin tone and even had similar looking cut penises, although Brandon's was a little bigger. Ricky even hoped that he might look like Brandon in a couple more years, or at least nearly that good. After exchanging a long, passionate, deep-throat kiss, their tongues explored each other's mouth and tasted the unique flavor of their new partner. They were also noticing and enjoying the different boy smells, as well. It was like they were doing things they had done before, yet somehow it was still different. As they continued to kiss, their hands explored the other's body, as they tried to tactilely familiarize themselves with every square inch of flesh.

With their initial exploration behind them, Brandon worked them into a sixty-nine position, like the one that Ricky and Jay had been caught in earlier. Ricky's organ was smaller than what Brandon was accustomed to, but he thought it was so cute. Brandon, on the other hand, was larger than Jay, but Ricky had done things with Danny too, and Danny's penis was nearly that big. It didn't really matter that much to either one of them, and they eagerly swallowed each other's shaft, once the preliminaries had been completed.

Brandon found that he could do more with his tongue on Ricky and gave his new partner the full benefit of this fact. Ricky had never felt that kind of stimulation on his tool before, at least not the kind Brandon was now applying. It's true that when he and Danny had done it with each other, they were both new at this, and Jay had been inexperienced too, but Brandon's actions far outshone anything Ricky had experienced up to this point in his life. The feelings he was now experiencing were so intense that it prompted him to unleash six solid blasts of love juice into Brandon's mouth, before the older boy was anywhere near surrendering his own load. Brandon enjoyed the sweeter taste of Ricky's seed, as it was quite different from Danny's. It seemed much more flavorful and he swallowed it without protest. Even though Ricky had deposited his load, Brandon continued to nurse on Ricky's wilting boyhood, while Ricky continued to work on him.

Having given up his own load, Ricky had no distractions to hinder him from bringing Brandon off. He had to strain his jaws to work on Brandon's wiener and discovered he couldn't get more than slightly halfway down the shaft without gagging. He did his best, though, and tried to give Brandon as much pleasure as he had just received. He even applied as much suction as he could and worked the bottom half of Brandon's pole with his hand, to make up for not being able to take the entire thing in his mouth. When he felt Brandon's penis begin to expand even more, he pulled his mouth back so only the head was still in the opening and worked his hand up and down the shaft, until Brandon's cock unloaded. Ricky swallowed the five hefty spurts of Brandon's semen and made sure he had every drop accounted for, before he weaned himself from the sex teat. As soon as Ricky pulled away, Brandon pulled his temporary partner up into his arms, and cuddled him fiercely, to thank him for his efforts.

On the other bed, Danny and Jay had a totally new experience before them. Danny had been hoping that someday he might get a chance to explore Jay's uncut cock, as he had never worked on one before. He had been fascinated by Jay's foreskin, as he watched him parade around the various rooms, au naturel, during the trip and had been longing to be able to explore it. At long last, he finally had his chance. Jay wasn't into kissing, so Danny let his hand roam down to Jay's groin and he began to pull on the loose piece of flesh, until Jay's dick became hard. Besides tugging on the foreskin, he would pinch it and roll it around between his fingers. He even tried to insert one of his fingers into the folds of the sheath, so he could see what that was like too. After doing that for a while, Jay's sausage had become so hard that his loose hood was now straining against his rigid tool, as the helmet tried to peek through its protective coating.

Jay, on the other hand, had only handled Ricky's smaller penis and this new, larger prick fascinated him immensely. As soon as he could, Jay was working his fingers all around Danny's love muscle, teasing it to assume its largest possible dimensions. He was also intrigued with the greater amount of pre-cum that Danny's cock expelled, and Jay would often scoop up some of this clear liquid on his finger and bring it to his lips to taste. Once they had both explored each other in this fashion, they also aligned themselves in a sixty-nine position, identical to the one currently being used on the next bed.

Danny played with Jay's hood some more, this time moving it back and forth with his lips, to let the corona emerge and then disappear once again. He worked his tongue over the head, as it played peek-a-boo with him, and enjoyed the new flavor and smell of Jay's meat. It was different from either Brandon's or Ricky's, slightly more pungent, but he liked the difference and continued to lap at the redhead's hard-on, like a lioness cleaning her cub. When he had taken the entire shaft into his mouth, he worked energetically on it, wanting to have Jay enjoy this as much, if not more, than he had enjoyed any of his previous experiences. When he heard Jay's moaning increasing and felt Jay's testicles pull away from his fingers tips and move toward his body, he understood Jay's climax was near. He applied as much suction on Jay's penis as he could, which sent Jay over the edge, and caused four waves of spunk to ripple up his mast and paint the interior of Danny's throat. Danny swallowed everything Jay had to offer, noting that it had a sweeter taste, like Ricky's, and he refused to lose even one drop of that precious liquid.

At the same time, Jay had been having fun with Danny's cock as well. After licking up the heavy release of pre-cum from Danny's penis, Jay had to adjust to mouthing the larger tool. Using a trial and error method, he was eventually able to take most of Danny's fuck-stick into his mouth and bring his partner off. He used his hand to make up for what his mouth couldn't handle and played with Danny's scrotum and testicles with his other hand. When Danny finally shot his load, Jay siphoned off every drop and continued to work on Danny, until Danny's balls were completely empty. Although not as tasty as Ricky's deposits, Jay still enjoyed swallowing Danny's abundant offering. As soon as he recovered, Danny pulled Jay up to him, positioning the younger boy on top of himself, so he could hug and stroke him in appreciation. The older pair had been in the room for more than a half an hour by now, and Brandon suggested that they had better get the sun block and return to the beach, before I came looking for them. Hurriedly, the two older boys cleaned up, kissed or hugged their younger counterparts, and then prepared to leave.

"Jay, I get you next time. Okay?" Brandon asked, just before he left the room.

"Sure, Brandon. I'd like that," Jay told him, while grinning because of this apparent compliment. Jay was beginning to realize that he and his uncircumcised dick were becoming quite a valuable commodity.

Once all four had acknowledged that they cared for each other, nearly as much as they did their normal partner, they made sure the others knew they wanted to continue this mutual exploration. After that had been agreed to, Danny and Brandon returned to meet me on the beach, while the dynamic duo went to the motel pool. When they got back to the beach, Danny and Brandon told me they had trouble finding the sun block, but I had just assumed they had just wanted some time alone with each other. Little did I know that the older boys had been mixing it up with the younger twosome.

After we helped smear some sunscreen on each other, we settled in to enjoy our time there. Some of the kids they had meet at the pool where at the beach too and one of them had had brought a soccer ball with him. It wasn't long before someone came over and invited Salt and Pepper to join in their little game. Danny and Brandon didn't seem to want to leave me alone, but I told them to go ahead and have fun, so eventually they did. In fact, I think they had a great deal of fun with the others and I know I enjoyed watching them all play.

Ricky and Jay still hadn't come down to join us by lunchtime, so went back to the room to find them, but they weren't there. I sent Danny and Brandon to the pool to get them, so we could go eat, and when the older pair came back, they told me that Jay and Ricky weren't at the pool either. I began to panic. Where else could they have gone? I asked Brandon and Jay if they knew anything about those other kids Jay and Ricky had been hanging with, and they responded they only knew a little. Concerned, I asked them if they knew any of their room numbers or anything like that, but they didn't, I wasn't sure what to do next. Hoping I might be able to spot them, I went out on the balcony and scanned the beach, to see if possibly they or their friends were anywhere about, but I came up empty. I thought about calling the police, to report the boys missing, but quickly realized they hadn't been gone long enough for the cops to consider doing anything about it. I was just about ready to begin pulling my hair out, when the door opened and the other pair walked in.

"Where have you been?" I screamed, releasing my pent up frustration and worry from the past half hour or more. The boys both looked very scared, when they heard my voice.

"One of our new friends sprained his ankle at the pool," Ricky began to explain, "so Jay and I helped him back to his room and took care of him until his parents got there. What's the big deal, anyway?"

Slowly, I began to calm down and soon felt bad about yelling at them. "The big deal was, I was worried about you two," I confessed. "We couldn't find you and I was scared something had happened to one or both of you. I apologize for hollering like that, and it was nice of you to help that kid out, but you should have found a way to let me know. Is he all right now?"

"Yeah, his dad put ice on it and they said they'd wrap it up in an ace bandage later," Ricky told me.

"Okay, I just want to apologize to both of you again for sounding so angry," I informed them, "but in the future, just find a way to let me know if you're going to be late."

"We would have, Dad," Ricky responded, "but we didn't think we'd be that long. We thought we'd get back before you did, so it wouldn't be such a big thing."

"Well, that's not the way it worked out, but as long as you know what I expect from now on and will promise to do what I ask in the future, then we'll have no other problems," I advised them. "Right now, though, let's get cleaned up and we'll go out and grab something to eat."

"Yeah, I could stand something about now," Jay added, reducing the tension level even more.

After lunch, we all went back to the beach and spent the rest of the day playing in the ocean and on the sand. During the rest of the day, including dinner and even afterward, I happened to notice that all of the boys appeared to be much closer than I had remembered from previous evenings. I just chalked it up as a benefit of spending so much time together, or possibly from our panicked search for the younger pair. Anyway, when we went to bed, we enjoyed our last night together at Virginia Beach. I spent the night sleeping between the older boys again, as I had decided to alternate my nights sleeping with each group, and then we hit the road again in the morning.

Chapter 26
The Delmarva Peninsula and Baltimore

We ate an early breakfast and left Virginia Beach, marking the beginning of our third and final week of vacation. We began this leg of our journey by crossing over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which covers the twenty miles [30 km] distance between the Virginia Beach area and the lower part of the Delmarva Peninsula. Delmarva is an abbreviation for the three states that share the peninsula, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Along this engineering marvel are four man-made islands, which begin and end the tunnel portions of the roadway, and those two underwater sections, each a mile or so long, take you under the shipping lanes of the bay.

The boys had their noses pressed against the windows as I drove onto the bridge, because they wanted to take in the magnificent view. "Wow, look at all that water," Ricky announced, impressed by what he saw.

"Yeah, and this bridge is really long and way high up," Jay added, so as not to be outdone.

That caused Brandon to duck away quickly, which he did a few more times as we crossed, but I think I was the only one who noticed this. The others were too busy looking around and commenting about the things they saw. As we approached the first man-made island, Sea Gull Island, I decided to stop at the rest area, telling the boys it was so they could stretch, use the toilets, get a drink and check out the view for a few minutes. However, my main reason for doing this was to make sure Brandon was okay.

As the others made their way to the restroom, I pulled Brandon aside. "Are you all right?" I asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?" he responded, although I could tell he was bothered by my question and hiding something.

"I noticed your reaction in the car as we crossed the bridge," I informed him, which caused him to blush and look around, to see where the others were.

"I'm fine," he answered, although not convincingly.

"Do you have a problem I should know about?" I pushed. He blushed again.

"The doctor says I sometimes get acrophobia, but don't tell the others," he quickly added, while looking around again. "That's a fear of heights."

"I know what it is," I informed him. "How bad is it?"

"It's not that bad, but it does affect me sometimes," he admitted. "It's just that this was one of those times. It was only because I saw how far we had to travel and much of that over the water, and then I kind of began to worry that something might happen, which would cause us to fall. I know now how silly I was being and I don't think I'll have any more problems."

As we continued discussing this, he also admitted he'd had a little problem when we were in the Washington Monument, although none of us had noticed it at the time. This was most likely due to the fact that we were all too absorbed in seeing everything we could at that point. I asked him if this was something I should be concerned about in the future, but he assured me it wasn't. After promising me that he would let me know the next time it bothered him, I agreed to keep his secret and not mention it further. This seemed to satisfy both of us, so we didn't discuss it in greater detail.

We both set off again for the restroom, when the others came rushing out, questioning where we had been. I told them that they had all rushed off so quickly that I could only point out what I saw to Brandon. When they wanted to know what it was, I told them we had seen something swimming in the bay, but we were too far away to tell what it was. Immediately, the others rushed off to see if they could spot whatever it was, as Brandon and I continued on. Once we were alone again, Brandon thanked me for providing that cover story and keeping his secret.

After taking care of my physical needs, I did decide to check out some of the scenery. Looking at the bridge from this vantage point was actually quite impressive. First, there's the awesome sight of the bridge structure, as it extends out over the water in both directions, like a pair of ribbons floating above the vast blue expanse. The bridge is a truly breathtaking sight and an engineering marvel. Seeing how it snakes its way through the air, and then suddenly dives beneath the bay when it gets to the island, almost makes it appear as if it's incomplete or has possibly collapsed. Then it reemerges on the next island, only to repeat this illusion at the final two islands.

After getting everyone back in the van, we continued our journey, crossing the remainder of this extensive section of highway and finally reaching the mainland again. As soon as we arrived on the peninsula, we headed north, stopping occasionally to stretch and look at some of the local attractions.

When we stopped for lunch, I announced we'd be going to a baseball game that evening. At first the boys were very excited, but then they became a little disappointed, after I explained the game would be between two minor league teams and not their major league counterparts. With that in mind, we drove to Salisbury, Maryland, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds. It was a nice, modern stadium and I had been told everything would begin in the early evening, which I thought was kind of unusual. However, I soon discovered why this game was scheduled earlier than normal. Unbeknownst to us, this was one of their promotional nights, where the young people in the stands were going to be given a chance to go out on the field and show off their skills.

This competition was open to anyone, ages eight to fifteen, and divided into age brackets. Each child would be competing in three main categories, which included throwing, hitting and base running. Once the boys learned about this, they informed me that they wanted to participate too, so I allowed them to go down to the field and sign up. It just happened to work out that Ricky and Jay would compete in one division (12-13), while Danny and Brandon would be pitted against each other in another (14-15).

The throwing competition was divided into two categories – distance and accuracy. The distance portion was done with the boys standing at home plate and throwing toward the outfield. They were given three attempts, with each throw being marked. Their best effort was then measured and the distance was recorded for points. For the accuracy portion, the boys went to the outfield and made throws to home plate. The younger pair took their throws from just behind the infield, about five yards onto the outfield grass, while the older boys started about twenty yards farther back. The goal was to aim at a barrel, which had been placed on its side at home plate, with cones placed on either side of it. The participants earned points according to how accurate their throws were. They were given three throws and scored ten points if their throw went into the barrel, six points if it passed between the barrel and the cones three feet [90 cm] on either side of it, and three points if it went between the two sets of cones, with the outer cones placed six feet [1.8 m] from the barrel.

To compete in the hitting contest, each boy was thrown six pitches and then rated on what they did with them. They were given one point for making contact, which included foul balls, three points for an infield hit, six points for a fly ball landing on the outfield grass, and ten points for any fly ball landing over a chalk line that ran across the center of the outfield.

The final competition was the base running, and the boys were timed as they ran from home plate and back around to home plate again. They were then given points for their speed, as judged by a stopwatch. They could make up to two runs, if they wanted, but only their best time counted.

After the competition was completed, the boys' totals were read and all the contestants were given Shorebirds baseball caps, one of the baseballs that had been used during the competition, a small, souvenir bat (imprinted with the Shorebirds' logo on it) and a complimentary program for the game. It had been quite an undertaking for the sponsoring team, but the effort was greatly appreciated by the participants, the participant's parents and everyone else in attendance.

All the boys had done quite well and had a great time, but I was in awe of what they had done. Compared to their competition, they were well above average. All the participants were also congratulated by the members of both teams and given a chance to stay on the field while the teams warmed up. This allowed them to chat with and get autographs from the players on their programs. When they came back to join me, they were a bit winded and ready to sit down and enjoy the game.

Before they got settled in, however, I took them all to the concession stand to grab something to eat. Due to the fact that we had to get to the stadium early, we hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I let the boys get whatever they wanted here. There was actually a pretty good selection and it was fairly priced, especially when you consider what I've seen at other similar places, and it turned out to be quite tasty. We took everything back to our seats; so we'd be able to sit down to enjoy what we purchased. Surprisingly, we actually were able to finish our meal before the game got started, so we were able to enjoy the action from start to finish.

It ended up being a pretty good game and both teams played extremely hard. To use the word hustle to explain the effort everyone put out would have been an understatement. I wondered if the players might have had a little extra motivation, after watching the young people compete earlier. I have a feeling they didn't want to appear as not putting forth the same amount of effort or being outdone by their younger counterparts. I know we all enjoyed the game and realized the boys would have many lasting memories from this outing, which would make it mean even more to them later.

After the game, we drove the rest of the way up the peninsula and found a motel across the bay from Annapolis. We checked in, cleaned up quickly and then went right to bed, because we were all quite tired from the day's activities, including the long ride. The boys were more weary than I was, because of all the energy they'd expended during their activities at the ball field, and I'd even noticed them dozing off in the van, before we stopped at the motel. I spent the night cuddled up between the two younger monsters, as they made sure to remind me it was my turn to sleep with them.

The next morning, we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, not to be confused with the Bridge-Tunnel we had crossed the previous morning, as we made our way into Annapolis. This bridge is four-plus miles [>6 km] long and entirely above the surface, but it also has some breathtaking views, as we drove toward the US Naval Academy. I watched Brandon in the rearview mirror, as we made our way over the bridge, to see if he was having any difficulties. I was concerned because we would stay on this bridge for quite some time and it seemed even higher than the one he'd had trouble on earlier. To my relief, and his, he managed to keep his attention focused inside the van and avoided looking out the windows and suffering through another acrophobic episode.

Once we arrived on the other side and parked, we began our sightseeing of Annapolis with a walking tour of the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center. We followed this with a visit to the Preble Hall Museum, which contains numerous artifacts and displays relating to sea power and naval history, and then finished up this somewhat brief stop with a visit to the Chapel, under which lies the crypt of John Paul Jones, a US Naval Hero of the Revolutionary War.

"Isn't he the guy who said, 'Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes?'" Brandon asked.

"Close, but no cigar," I teased, although none of the boys got my joke. "Right war, but wrong branch of the military. That comment was supposedly made at Bunker Hill, but Jones' famous quote was, 'I have not yet begun to fight'."

"That's right," Brandon agreed. "I guess I got confused."

"So that's why he's buried here?" Jay wondered.

"In a round about way, yes," I answered. "Although he was never fully recognized for his achievements in his lifetime, he was given this honor after his death, by burying one of our greatest naval figures under the chapel of the U.S. Naval Academy."

"So they had a big funeral for him?" Ricky asked.

"Not when he died," I informed him. "He died in 1792 and was buried in France, but he was moved here and honored in 1913, in a ceremony presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt."

"I guess it did take them a long time to honor him," Danny added, with a touch of sarcasm.

After we completed everything we wanted to do there, we stopped for lunch, before we continued our journey. During our meal, the boys started pestering me to find out what we were going to do next, so I informed them we'd be spending a little time in the Baltimore area, but that was all I would say. I wasn't about to divulge exactly what I had planned, even though they whined, teased, pleaded and even tried to make deals to find out what we were going to do there. Although they expected me to stand my ground, I think they were still a little disappointed when I didn't give in. They were well aware that I wanted to keep certain parts of the trip a surprise, even though I suspected they might be able to guess at least part of what we might be doing there. After getting back on the road, I drove until I reached our next stop, a hotel just south of Baltimore. It'll be here that we'll spend the next three nights and two days.

We checked in, unloaded our things and then cleaned up for dinner. After we ate, we went back to the room and I made sure we watched the Baltimore Orioles baseball game on television. The boys had no problem with that, seeing the Orioles were playing the NY Yankees, one of their favorite teams, and they cheered loudly with the action. All four of them took their showers during the early innings, so they wouldn't miss any of the action during the crucial finish, and they were all done in plenty of time to watch the end of the game. In fact, the game went into extra innings, so we ended up staying up later than I had planned, as none of us wanted to go to bed before it was over. After the Orioles pulled it out in the bottom of the eleventh, we turned in, with the boys slightly disappointed.

Tuesday morning, after grabbing a quick breakfast, we made our way to Fort McHenry National Monument, for a quick tour. Fort McHenry is a star shaped fort, which came into existence in 1776, to defend Baltimore from an anticipated attack by the British. The fort is strategically located along Baltimore's Inner Harbor, with water protecting it on three sides, yet it was far enough away from the city so it wouldn't endanger it, should the fort come under attack. It was eventually named after James McHenry, who served as Secretary of War under George Washington, and the fort was the key to the victory over the British during the Battle of Baltimore, in the War of 1812. It was the brilliant defense of the fort during this battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, the words to the US National Anthem, which he penned over September 13-14, 1814.

"So he wrote the words as a poem?" Danny asked, as he learned about this historic event.

"Yes, but it was later set to the tune of a popular English drinking song," I added.

"So, he didn't write the music and what we are singing is the music of an old drinking song?" Brandon asked, surprised.

"Same tune, just different words," I explained.

"And it was written about that funny looking flag we saw when we stopped in Washington," Jay added, "the really big one with the fifteen stripes and fifteen stars."

"Yes, that would be the same one," I agreed, impressed that he had put it all together.

The boys soon learned that the fort never came under attack again, although it did become a pivotal location during the Civil War. That was due to the fact that the Union wanted to keep the fort out of the hands of those who wanted Maryland to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. It remained under Union control throughout the entire conflict and Fort McHenry remained an active military post or served as a military hospital until 1925, when it was declared a national park. In 1933, it was redesignated as a National Monument and is currently the nation's only Historical Shrine.

After stopping for a quick lunch, I took the boys to see the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. Babe Ruth was a huge baseball star of the 1920's. He was born and grew up in the Baltimore area, mainly in an orphanage, but played most of his career for the NY Yankees. He was someone I knew the boys would be interested in learning more about, so I made sure to include this in our itinerary.

"So he was the first real home run king?" Jay asked, in an attempt to clarify this information.

"Absolutely," I agreed. "His single-season home run mark of 60 stood from 1927 until 1961, and his career record of 714, which was set in 1935, wasn't broken until Henry Aaron surpassed him in 1974."

"Look at his bat!" Danny exclaimed, while gawking at one of the bats Babe used during his career. "It so big and so dark. It would be like swinging a log."

"Yes, it is quite a bit larger, and heavier, than the bats we're used to," I agreed, before we moved on.

The museum contained not only items pertaining to Babe Ruth, but also things related to the Baltimore Orioles Baseball team. Being huge baseball fans, we all truly enjoyed this visit, but there had been an additional reason for them finding it so interesting. I had actually set up our visit to the Museum by getting the boys to watch as many of the Oriole baseball games as I could find on television leading up to this, so they would be able to identify with the team and appreciate what they saw even more.

We had dinner near the stadium, at a rather nice restaurant, and then I decided it was time to announce my next surprise. I reached in my back pocket, pulled out my wallet and reached inside. The boys thought I was merely getting ready to pay the bill, so they were quite surprised when I held up five tickets for the Oriole baseball game that evening, at Camden Yards. I had purchased these tickets in advance and had them sent to the house before we left on the trip. They were ground-level seats, just to the left of the third base or visitor's dugout. The Orioles were still playing the New York Yankees, which is the favorite team for three of the four boys, with Jay being the only exception. He likes the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team in the National League.

"We're actually going to see the Yankees play?" Ricky gasped.

"And we're sitting near their dugout?" Danny marveled.

"Do you think we'll be able to get any autographs?" Brandon wanted to know.

"It's possible," I agreed.

"And we might be able to catch a foul ball?" Jay asked.

"That too, but that's why I made sure to get ground seats," I quipped. "I didn't want you falling off the upper levels while diving for a pop foul," I added, which drew an immediate reaction from all four boys.

"That was mean, Pop," Brandon chided, with the others agreeing.

"Yeah, I thought you weren't going to pick on me about that any more," Jay added, feigning a pout.

"I'm sorry, Jay," I admitted, "but old habits die hard."

"Yeah, and all of his habits are really old," Ricky countered, which drew a round of laughter and gave me a shot, which made Jay feel as if he'd gotten even too.

It was an exciting game, with the Orioles losing by one run. The Yankees had managed to score twice in the top of the inning and the Orioles weren't able to do the same, much to the boys' delight. It was late by the time we got back to our room, so I told the boys they could take their showers in the morning, instead of tonight, and we ended up going straight to bed.

The next morning, after getting everyone cleaned up, we stopped and had a rather large breakfast, before going to the National Aquarium, where we spent most of the day. The Aquarium had numerous exhibits, some which were similar to things we had seen before, but most of these displays varied slightly from the others we had viewed. Throughout the course of the day, we saw sharks, seals, a giant Pacific octopus, moray eels, venomous snakes, and a life-size model of a Humpback Whale. We also 'toured' a South American rain forest, 'visited' a sea cliff habitat, 'moved about' an Atlantic Ocean coral reef, spent time in the children's cove, which contained all kinds of crabs and lobsters, and watched a dolphin show, among other things.

Following the dolphin show, we decided to walk over to the tank where the performance had taken place, so we could get a better look at the dolphins. As we were approaching it, something else happened. A little boy, who was about two or three years old, was walking with his parents in front of us. Suddenly, and without warning, he jerked away from his mother and squatted down directly in my path. Instinctively, I tried to avoid crashing into him, knowing I'd hurt the kid if that happened, and in the process, I slipped on the wet pavement and ended up losing my balance. Instead of landing on the little boy, I careened off to my left and ended up knocking over Brandon and Danny and landing on them instead. I didn't actually hurt either of the boys, but the four of them weren't about to let this slide so easily.

"Are you boys okay?" I asked, concerned, as I helped Brandon and Danny back to their feet.

"Yeah, but that was a real swift move, Pop," Brandon teased, as he stood up.

"And you call Jay clumsy!" Danny added, driving home the point.

"You should apologize to Jay right now," Ricky insisted, trying to make me feel as if I were being scolded. "That was worse than anything he ever did."

"Hey, I was just trying not to hurt that little kid," I responded, trying to defend myself. "I didn't have much time to react and then I slipped on the water."

"Yeah, sure," Danny replied, not buying my excuse. "Admit it. You are just as big a klutz as Jay is."

"Hey, watch it!" Jay protested. "I only mess myself up most of the time. I don't usually knock others over or fall on them." He added, trying hard to keep from laughing as he said this.

"It wasn't clumsiness," I countered, "well, not exactly. If I hadn't tried to keep from bumping into that child, I wouldn't have slipped and ended up knocking Brandon or Danny over either."

"Yeah, and if it wasn't for that step at the White House or that uneven sidewalk at the National Zoo, I wouldn't have nearly fallen down those steps or knocked that trash can over either."

"Touché," I said, seeing Jay's point. "Point, set and match to Mr. Curtis." The boys were all giggling now.

"What about at the restaurant and the blacksmith's shop?" Brandon asked, referring to the water glass Jay had knocked over and his losing his grip on the blacksmith's hammer. Suddenly, the other three boys gave Brandon dirty looks; to remind him that was something he wasn't supposed to be bringing up. Brandon blushed, when he realized his error.

"Hey, that was different," Jay protested.

"Okay, Dad, " Ricky interrupted, in an attempt to draw the attention away from Jay. "We won't say anything more about what you did here, as long as you don't pick on Jay any more. Right, Jay?" Jay nodded, happy to go along with Ricky's suggestion.

"Okay, deal," I agreed. I would have consented to almost anything at that point, just to get them to stop ragging on me about what had just happened.

After that little incident, the rest of our day went smoothly and we had a great time. In fact, we actually got so involved in the other activities and found everything so fascinating, that before we knew it, we had missed our afternoon meal and it was about halfway between lunchtime and dinner. I quickly decided we'd stop for an early dinner instead, allowing the boys to fill up before we went back to Camden Yards, for another baseball game. I figured if the boys got hungry later, I'd buy them something at the ballpark, but it was too expensive to buy everything there. This time, we had seats on the second-level behind the first base or home team dugout, which gave us a chance to get a little different view of what was going on. The Yankees put on a hitting display tonight, cranking out six homers and demolishing the Orioles. Again, it was late when we returned to our room, but this time it was because of all the hits and many pitching changes during the game, so we skipped the showers again and went directly to bed.

The following morning, which was Thursday, I woke the boys early, so they'd have plenty of time to clean up and eat before we headed off to make our last visit to an amusement park. This time we were going to Six Flags. Once we got there, I was content to let the boys enjoy themselves on their own again, while I maintained a base location where I would spend the time I wasn't with any of them. Of course, every so often one pair or the other would whisk me away to join them on some ride, and I always honored their requests. Not only did I enjoy spending that time with them and watching their pure delight as we rode the various attractions, but I thought it was very sweet that they still wanted to make sure I was involved and having fun myself. The boys always seemed to want to take me on what I'd call the thrill rides, where you're either going fast, riding upside, going very high into the air, being shaken about or a combination of those things. I was beginning to wonder if it was so I'd have fun or for them to see how long the old man could take such abuse.

The four of them went non-stop, from the time we arrived to until the park closed, with only a few breaks to eat in between. By the time I loaded them into the van and headed out of the Baltimore area, we were all ready to move on. I had no reservations for a motel room this evening and merely planned to find someplace to stay along our route. I was sure we'd be able to locate something appropriate, even though most of the ride was out in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed. As luck would have it, we ended up spending the night in Maryland, at an older, but still more than adequate motel, and it wasn't very far from the Pennsylvania border. Being quite fatigued, none of us did much more than take a quick shower before turning in.

Chapter 27
Back in Pennsylvania

The following morning we left to go to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, our final vacation stop. We would spend two days in the general area, so we could see the major points of interest. First, we visited an Amish village in Strasburg, where we toured a blacksmith's shop, a one-room schoolhouse, a farm, an operational watermill and windmill and a smokehouse, where they cured their meats. The boys watched the blacksmith for a while, but didn't think he was as impressive as the blacksmith they had worked with at Williamsburg, so we moved on. The one place that did interest them was the one-room schoolhouse, where we talked about what it would have been like to attend classes there.

"It would be kind of weird to have all different grades in the same classroom," Brandon remarked, after seeing the one-room schoolhouse.

"Yeah, kids our age would have been in with first and second graders," Danny observed, after learning the typical age range would have been from four to sixteen. "How could the teacher teach all those different grades at once."

"I don't think the teacher did," I informed him. "I think the teacher basically taught the older students and used them to help teach the younger ones, while he or she was busy with a different group. They might do some things together, like maybe history or geography, but the arithmetic, reading, writing and spelling would have been done separately."

"I think that would have been pretty neat," Jay announced. "I wouldn't have minded helping the younger kids learn."

"Me neither," Ricky agreed. "Especially if it meant I wouldn't have to be studying all of the time." I guess I should have figured he'd have a hidden motive in there somehow.

All four of them were also intrigued by the many physical differences in the classroom too, like the students' desks. They quickly noted these desks weren't the one-piece design they were familiar with, nor were they a single desk and chair, like they had at home. These were oddly built, at least to them. That was because the seat for one desk was attached to the front of the desk behind it. The seat would fold down when in use, but could be lifted up and out of the way when no one needed it.

"I don't think I'd like these desks," Brandon observed. "You'd be too close to the person behind you and they could do things to you without you noticing it." I had to chuckle to myself at his comment, because I was about to prove him correct.

That happened after the boys noticed the inkwells in the desk. At first they were merely intrigued by this hole in the desk top, which I informed was placed there to hold a small bottle of ink the student would use to dip their quill pens to write with. After I explained that a quill pen is just a large feather that was used to write with, I let them know this was done after the tip of the hard center shaft had been sharpened into a fine point. That was when I also told them that some of the mischievous boys might have dipped the pigtail of the girl in front of him into the inkwell, which was not an uncommon occurrence back then.

"He might have done this because he disliked the girl," I informed them, "or possibly because he DID like her, and he used this as kind of a warped way of getting her attention." The boys thought that was kind of a sick thing to do, but I think some of them could also see themselves doing it.

"I bet you did that," Ricky challenged, while flashing me a smirk.

"I'm afraid that was even before my time," I replied, while feigning hurt that he thought I was that old.

"Oh, come on," Danny challenged. "We know you went to school with George Washington and Ben Franklin. That's how you know about all of these things." The others were laughing hysterically now, knowing they had finally paid me back for some of the things I would occasionally do to them.

In addition to inkwell, there was also a small paddle-like chalkboard the students would use to write their work on. I explained this was because paper and ink were not as easy to come by back then and a chalkboard could be used over and over, with only the chalk needing to be replaced. The students would do their assignment, get it checked, erase it and then move on to their next task.

"There was no way that any of the students could claim the dog ate their homework," I joked, "although I guess they might be able to claim the pooch had erased it with his wagging tail."

We also examined the replicas of the textbooks the students might have studied from, such as a set of McGuffy's readers and some old geography and history books. The boys quickly noted how strange the McGuffy readers were and how thin the history books seemed.

"No wonder you can remember all that history, Pop," Jay announced, while pointing at a slender history book. "When you went to school, your history books had less than half of the stuff ours have in them." This drew another round of giggles and the boys all gave Jay a high-five, as a way of showing their appreciation for how he had just zinged me.

After the boys regained control of their emotions again, we discussed how the students would also be taught morality and patriotism at school. I advised the boys that the students might also be required to memorize such things as the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, passages from the US Constitution and important dates from US history.

"I'm glad we only have to remember a few dates," Jay remarked, "because I have enough trouble just keeping track of those."

Our discussion ended when Jay spotted a collection of hickory sticks in a bucket against the wall and asked me what they were for. I took that opportunity to explain to all of them about how corporal, or physical, punishment was used to discipline unruly students and described how the hickory sticks would be utilized for that purpose.

"The disruptive pupil would have the palms of his hands or backside whipped by one of those 'switches,' wielded by the teacher," I told them, "and this was often done in front of the entire class, to dissuade others from misbehaving." I went on to add that not only would that student be punished at school, but if the parents found out about what he had done, he would often also be disciplined at home, getting another spanking or whipping from his father. The boys cringed at that thought, especially Ricky, when he reflected back upon all the times he'd been in trouble at school, before he came to live with me.

"Damn, I'd have been in real trouble back then, wouldn't I Dad?" he asked me, while looking more than a little troubled.

"Most likely," I agreed. "Adults back then had little sympathy for a child who couldn't show self-restraint and was a disruptive influence." Instinctively, Ricky unconsciously rubbed his backside as I said that, which got the others teasing him unmercifully, about what life would have been like for him back then.

Once we returned to the items at hand, Brandon asked about a list of rules he spotted hanging on a wall.

"Those are rules for the teacher, not for the students," I explained, before we began to study them.

I went on to inform the boys that many of the teachers wouldn't have been much older than the students they taught, nor would these teachers have much more education than what they would have received in a similar one-room schoolhouse. I did tell them that some teachers might be older and committed to spending their lifetime teaching, and they would be called a schoolmaster (male) and schoolmistress or schoolmarm (female). These teachers were paid very little, generally four to ten dollars a month, so many of them couldn't afford their own home and would board with the family of one of their students. This also meant the adults in the family would be able to monitor that teacher's activities and make sure he or she was a moral person and abiding by the established tenets of that era.

This lead us to examine the list of rules the teacher was expected to follow. Carefully, we examined them and discussed what each one meant. They read as follows.

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps [with oil], clean chimneys.

2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.

3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years, so that he will not become a burden to society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

"Would you have wanted to be a teacher back then?" Brandon asked me.

"Possibly, but I wouldn't have lasted for very long," I added. "It looks like I would have found a new profession, once I got married and started my family. Even though males were allowed to marry, it would have been hard to support a family on those earnings."

"Not only that," Ricky followed, "but I don't think you would have liked living by those rules either. Ten hours at school, doing all those chores, only reading the Bible and not allowed to go out and do much else – and I don't think they would have let you take kids in to live with you, like you did for us." The others all nodded their heads in agreement and I had to concur. That would have been quite a difficult and lonely occupation for me to endure, if I'd have lived back then.

Now that we had covered those areas, we left the schoolhouse and took a buggy ride around the area. The five of us sat in the back of a small black carriage, pulled by a single horse, while the driver sat on a separate seat in front of the enclosed passenger compartment. The ride was really quite enchanting and the boys all seemed to get a kick out of it too. We also rehashed how much longer it would have taken to get from place to place, if they had to use a horse and carriage all the time, and how that would limit how much they could do or how many places they might eventually visit. Even making a trip from your farm into town would take at least ten times longer than it did now. It also gave the boys a chance to appreciate what it would have been like to live a hundred or more years ago and how much better off they actually are, living with all the technological advantages.

It was early evening by the time we finished our ride, and the boys had been complaining about being hungry, so we went out to eat next. After dinner, I wanted to do something different with the boys, but didn't know what. As I drove along, I happened to spot a miniature golf course, so I pulled in. This immediately caused the boys to voice their approval.

"All right," Danny shouted excitedly. "I'm going to whip all of your butts at this." The others began to protest, that is except for Jay, who I think knew he was no match for Danny's athleticism and competitive nature.

It was really quite entertaining, although none of us played very well. When we were done, I took all the boys over to the ice cream stand, which was right next door and owned by the same people. Once we finished our treat, we went back to our motel room and spent the rest of the night watching television, when the boys weren't cleaning up.

In fact, their showers became a bit of a curiosity for me, as they chose to team up in different pairs tonight. Jay dragged Brandon off first, leaving Danny and Ricky behind. I merely sat next to them, with a puzzled look on my face.

"What's up with this?" I inquired, trying to learn what led to this unusual pairing.

"Oh, nothing," Ricky answered almost matter-of-factly. "It just that we've all become much closer during this trip and Jay and Brandon thought it was time to get to know each other better." I raised my eyebrows in response and Danny thought he'd better clarify the point for me.

"Brandon's never played with an uncircumcised cock before and wanted to have a try before we got back home," he blurted out, which caused Ricky to give him a strange and surprised look. Danny didn't give this much heed, however, and continued to explain this for me. "Brandon was afraid he might not have another opportunity after we got back, so he thought he'd better do it now. Jay is nearly as eager about doing it as Brandon is too, so you don't have to worry." I wasn't so sure about this, seeing that pair was only temporarily under my supervision, but I'd address that with them, once we were alone.

"Well, I guess it's okay, as long as they both agreed to what they're doing," I responded. "I guess you might say no harm, no foul in this case." The other pair chuckled and then I continued. "It's been a while since you two have showered together too, so do you have plans as well?" They looked briefly at each other and then back toward me, nodding their heads in agreement. "Well, I'm glad you boys all feel comfortable with each other, but I must admit this has been an extremely interesting, and sometimes surprising trip." They both giggled at my response.

In the other room, Brandon wasted no time in checking out Jay's prick. "Man, this is neat, the way the skin covers up the end of your cock, Jay."

"Well, we were all born like that, it's just that your parents had the doctor cut off the extra skin while you were still a baby."

"I know," Brandon acknowledged. "I learned about it in health class, but I've never seen one this close before or been able to check it out for myself."

"Don't be shy. You can do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't hurt me," Jay told him.

"Thanks, Jay. You're all right." Jay smiled at the older boy's praise.

Brandon got down on his knees in the shower and began to check out this new phenomenon before him. He pulled on the loose skin, stretching it and pulling it apart so he could peer inside. He pulled the hood back and forth over the glans, intrigued with how it worked. This caused Jay to get hard and, soon, the excess skin was pulled so tight that it lost its fascination. Now, Brandon began to lick Jay's head and taste it, in a prelude to giving him a blowjob. Brandon bathed Jay's groin in saliva, without ignoring any part of it, including his scrotum and the pubic mound above it. By the time he took Jay's tool down his throat, Jay was so sexually excited that it didn't take long for him to blow his load. Brandon's bobbing motions were instantly rewarded with five bursts of honey-glazed cum from this uncut delight. Brandon eagerly slurped up the entire load, before letting go of Jay's prick.

Once Jay had recuperated, he was more than ready to change places with Brandon. He wasted no time in positioning himself, so he could work on Brandon's entire groin region, too, and return the favor. He used his tongue to explore the older boy's penis and bring Brandon to a state of arousal. Then, he took Brandon's boy meat in his mouth and worked that big cock, well at least it was big to Jay, and it wasn't long before he sucked Brandon's boy juice from his gonads. Brandon's cock spurted half a dozen thick, creamy ropes into Jay's waiting orifice and Jay greedily swallowed each load. Once they finished and Brandon had recovered, Brandon wrapped his arms around Jay, in order to caress and kiss him passionately, as a reward for his efforts. Surprisingly, Jay allow this, and when they came out of the shower, they were a lot closer than when they went in.

As Ricky and Danny entered the bathroom, the other pair came over and sat side by side on the sofa to watch TV. Before they got too comfortable, I reminded them it was time to make their final calls home, to let their parents know they were fine and that we'd be home Sunday.

After Danny and Ricky entered the shower, Ricky decided he wanted to teach his brother the new trick that he and Jay had discovered by accident. "Danny, I want to show you something Jay and I did together. It's almost like fucking and it feels really good."

"Okay. I'm game," Danny quickly informed him. "What do I have to do?"

"Turn around and face away from me," Ricky explained. "I'm going to put my wiener between your legs and I want you to hold you legs tightly against my dick. When you've done that, I'll pump my wiener back and forth, until I shoot."

Danny smiled at this simple idea, but thought it was worth a try. Before they started, though, he helped soap up his brother's dick, seductively stimulating it. Once Ricky was erect, they got into the position Ricky had told him about and Ricky began to thrust his boner in the warm lining of his older brother's thighs. Ricky humped and humped against the fleshy area below his brother's crotch, and soon began to feel the initial signals of his imminent sexual release growing in his loins. His arms were wrapped around Danny and he was covering Danny's back in kisses, as he pleasured himself. Finally, Ricky could take no more and arched his back, before releasing his seed. It left his body as strings of creamy fluid that jettisoned between Danny's legs and splashed against the shower wall. As the last few drops oozed from his joystick and dribbled down the inside of his brother's legs, Ricky's knees gave out from under him. Danny turned quickly and helped to catch his brother, which prevented him from falling. Then Danny patiently waited for Ricky to recover his strength. After seeing Ricky's reaction to this little sex-ercise, Danny was eager to give it try too.

Once Danny had moved into position, he quickly discovered he was a little too tall to do this comfortably with Ricky. His erect dick was pointing directly into Ricky's cute little butt instead of pointing under it. It became obvious that the only way that he and Ricky could do this was if Danny bent his knees, thus moving his waist lower. Although it wasn't a very comfortable position, Danny did it anyways and was soon glad he made the attempt. It didn't take long before he began to feel the churning in his testicles, which indicated his toy cannon would soon fire. Several thrusts later, he was emptying his baby making fluids between Ricky's legs, with it splattering all over the tub. Regaining his composure, Danny turned Ricky around to face him.

"You were right, little brother. That was really nice. In fact, it was pretty close to the real thing."

"How would you know?" Ricky asked, while scanning Danny's face and reading his brother's surprised reaction. That's when Danny realized he'd let the cat out of the bag.

"You've done it before, haven't you? You've really fucked somebody?" Realizing there was no way he was going to be able to deny it, Danny nodded his head to confirm what he'd already let slip. "Who was it? Was it Brandon? When did you do it?"

"If I tell you this," Danny quickly advised Ricky, "you've got to promise you won't tell anyone else. Do you promise?" Ricky eagerly nodded his agreement. "Yes, I've done it with Brandon. Dad helped us do it to each other when we were at Virginia Beach."

"Dad helped you, but why?" Ricky seemed confused, yet fascinated by the thought. "Didn't it hurt?"

"Yes, dad helped us," Danny reiterated. "Brandon and I asked him to, because we wanted to try it, but we were afraid it would hurt. Dad showed us how to do everything so it hardly hurt at all. It was really wonderful."

"Wow, you guys really did it," Ricky stated, somewhat in awe. "That's nice for you, but I still don't want anyone sticking their thing up me."

"Don't worry. If you don't want to do it, no one will force you," Danny explained, which caused Ricky to nod his understanding. The boys finished their shower and came back into the common area, to join the rest of us. Danny had his arm over Ricky's shoulder as they came over to sit beside me, which both pleased me and made me wonder what they had done it there. We did watch a little more television before we turned in, but it was a fairly quiet evening.

Chapter 28
The Leg Home

The next day, we stayed in the same general area and went to the 'Choo Choo Barn', which displays collections of model trains and paraphernalia. We followed that by going to the Railroad Museum, where we saw a variety of real trains, with the oldest have been built in 1875. There was a combination of both passenger and freight trains, with a variety of steam, diesel and electric engines. The boys were able to explore a caboose and a steam locomotive that were on exhibit, see a working turntable (which were used to turn train engines to go in the opposite direction on the tracks) and observe displays dedicated to those who worked on the railroads. The boys were both amazed and shocked to discover these workers included many young boys. It seems that a lot of young males ended up working on the railroad, performing a variety of tasks.

"You mean kids like us were forced to work back then?" Ricky asked, totally blown away.

"Yes, sometimes their parents would make them, so they could help support the family," I told him, "or they had to, because they were on their own and had to take care of themselves."

"But some of them look younger than us!" Jay observed.

"Yes, and that's why Congress finally enacted child-labor laws," I followed. "Children as young as five often did jobs that adults were too large to do or performed tasks to free the adults to do more substantial work."

"Damn!" Danny exclaimed. "Were any of these jobs dangerous?"

"Yes, like working in the mines or working around textile looms," I informed him.

"So kids could get hurt at these jobs?" Brandon wondered.

"Yes, and sometimes they even died on the job." That was more than enough for the boys to stomach and made them grateful the situation had improved for them.

"I guess we don't have it so tough then, do we?" Brandon observed, after realizing how much tougher life was, even for young people, at various points in history.

After lunch, we drove to Ashland to the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine for a tour. This was a thirty-five minute tour into a horizontal tunnel, which runs 1800 feet [550 m] into the side of Mahanoy Mountain, and gave us a chance to see how anthracite coal was mined. Anthracite coal was the fuel of the future during most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and was used not only to heat homes, but to power major manufacturing operations, such as the production of iron. Operation in this mine ceased in 1931 and part of the tunnel is timber supported, but a great deal of it was just a large hole drilled and blasted out of solid rock. Since I had been underground and in confined areas before, I had a fair idea of what it was going to be like in there, so I had the boys slip on jeans and a sweatshirt over their summer wear, after we arrived. The boys thought I was nuts to have them do this, but it was a good thing I did, because the average temperature in the mine is fifty-two degrees. I'm sure they wouldn't have enjoyed this visit nearly as much if they hadn't dressed as warmly and felt chilled.

"Did kids work in places like this too?" Jay asked, thinking back about what we had seen earlier.

"Yes, and even worse place," I responded, which caused him, and some of the others, to just shake their heads in disbelief.

We rode into the mineshaft on mine cars, which had been rebuilt to carry passengers and were pulled by an electric mine-motor. It was kind of a neat experience, and although the cars were of a different variety than what we'd seen in the movies, it did remind us of the Indiana Jones movie where he was riding in the runaway mine car. I'm not sure if thinking about that was what caused Ricky's initial reaction, but as we started to pull into the shaft, he became tense, started panting and clung to me, like burdock stuck to a bear's fur.

My first reaction was to assure him that we were safe and the car would not race wildly down the shaft, but that didn't seem to help him at all. That's when I began to realize this wasn't based on a fear of something he'd seen, but to something he had experienced. It was similar to the reaction Brandon had exhibited, when we crossed over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Where as Brandon had been suffering from acrophobia, Ricky seemed to be having a claustrophobic reaction, meaning he had a fear of being in enclosed, confined spaces.

This confused me a bit, as I had never witnessed him having problems in elevators or other small places we'd been in, so this seemed to be specifically triggered by this place, although I didn't understand why. I held on to him tightly, pinning him against my side, in an attempt to make him feel safe. Unfortunately, my efforts didn't seem to have much of a positive effect. However, as we moved out of the timber-lined portion of the tunnel, he seemed to get better and began to relax slightly. I wasn't sure what had caused this change, but I was more than happy to accept it. I'd have to explore this with him later, to see what might have triggered it, once we were alone.

After we disembarked from the mine cars, we followed our miner-guide, who explained various deep-mining methods. After we completed this part of the tour, we finished the day by taking a ride on a Lokie, which is a colloquial term for a small locomotive. The Henry Clay is the name of the narrow-gauge steam engine, built in the 1920's to haul coal cars, which it did for many years. Today, it is assigned to pull passenger mine cars on a scenic three-quarter mile [1 km] tour around the mountain, to see another type of coal mining, called strip mining. This is where a steam shovel is used to rip out tons of coal from an exposed vein, so a locomotive like the Henry Clay could pull it to market.

We also saw a 'bootleg' coalhole, which was an illegal hole dug into coal veins by locals. It was usually a hasty shaft that wasn't very well supported, so the people who entered actually braved cave-ins just to get a few bags of coal to sell or to use to heat their homes.

"Man, how poor do you have to be to do something like that?" Brandon wanted to know.

"I'd say pretty desperate," I responded, although I wasn't sure if his question had been rhetorical or if I answered it to his satisfaction, if it wasn't.

During the ride, we were also able to see smoke rising from the Centralia mine fire, which is a perpetual underground mine fire, which over the years has resisted all attempts to extinguish it. Over time, it has also forced the relocation of many of the local residents. It is expected to continue burning until it consumes all of the combustible material available and burns itself out.

Overall, this had been an interesting and informative day. With the possible exception of Ricky's panic attack, I think we all enjoyed it. We decided to stop for dinner along the way and before heading back to our motel room, where we would spend our last night before heading home.

The boys were a little subdued in the room this evening, and it wasn't hard to figure out something was wrong. I wasn't sure if it had something to do with what happened to Ricky earlier, so I thought I'd start a little dialogue with the boys, to determine what was going on. "Okay, fellas, what's up?"

They looked at each other before Brandon spoke up. "Nothing's wrong, we're just a little bummed out that our vacation is almost over and we're going back home. We've had so much fun and we've liked being with each other so much that it's going to be hard when we aren't together with each other all the time any more. Plus it means school's going to be starting again soon."

"You're right. There are going to be some adjustments you will need to make, once you get back with your families, but I think we'll all be able to cope with it. Yes, I agree you boys will be spending less time together, you'll have to get ready to return to school and you'll have to deal with the end of your summer vacation, but that doesn't mean you'll have to give up the closeness you've developed with each other. We might be able to work it so you'll be able to spend time together after school. Not every night, but a couple times a week, as long as you keep your grades up. You'll also be able to get together on the weekends, so it won't be totally bad. You boys should know you are always welcome to stay at our house, or Ricky and Danny will be allowed to come to one of your houses, but one way or another we'll find a way for you all to still remain close throughout the school year. If things work out, maybe we can take another vacation together next summer."

"That would be awesome," Ricky squealed, pleased by my suggestion.

"Do you really mean that?" Jay asked, wondering if this was only a ploy to get them to perk up. "You'd do this again for us?"

"Yes, I would," I informed him. "I've enjoyed this too and wouldn't mind doing something like this again next summer."

I suddenly began to hear a chorus of 'thank you, Dad' or 'thank you, Pop," and then felt several arms wrapped around me. I guess my little pep talk worked, because everyone began to perk up after that and the rest of the evening went pretty much as usual. Before we went to sleep, we packed up all the things we wouldn't need in the morning, so we'd be ready to load all our belongings into the van at daybreak. After that was completed, I had the boys take their showers

While everyone else was cleaning up, I asked Ricky to take a walk with me, so we could discuss what happened earlier in the day. He was reluctant and the other boys were curious as to what was going on, but we finally left the room and began to walk aimlessly down the sidewalk. "Ricky, I'm a little concerned about what happened at the mine this morning," I began, and he gave me a very panicked look. I wasn't sure why he was reacting this way, but I hoped I'd soon find out.

"Uh… uh," he stammered, not getting much out.

"Ricky, I just want to know what the problem is, so I can help you, if there's anything wrong," I explained, to ease his concerns. I was afraid he thought I might judge him because of what happened or start to treat him differently, and I certainly didn't want that to happen. "Hey, whatever it is," I continued, "it's something we'll try to work out together. Okay?" He appeared to relax slightly.

"Well, uh… kind of," he finally admitted.

"Would you mind telling me about it?" I asked, hoping he would start giving me some answers.

"Do I have to?" he whined, letting me know there were still some things he wasn't ready to share. Even though I felt this was important, I didn't want to push and have him withdraw into a shell either.

"Rick, I won't force you to tell me, but I think this is important and might do you some good to share it," I explained. "If I know what's troubling you, then maybe we can do something about it, so it doesn't keep happening to you." He soon became lost in his thoughts, as he contemplated what I had just said. Although I wondered what was going on in his mind, I'd just have to wait and see if he was going to share this with me.

"What could you do about it?" he wondered aloud.

"Well, if it's not something I can deal with," I answered, "then I will find someone who can help you with it."

"Like who?" Ricky asked, simply.

"A professional who deals with these sorts of things," I advised him, hoping that would soothe his doubts.

"But I just don't like to talk about it," he finally responded. "I don't even like to think about it."

"I know it's probably going to be very hard to share this," I told him, trying to be as sympathetic as I could, "but it might also help you to put this behind you, so you won't have to deal with it again."

"Okay," he finally relented, "but I'd rather not do this."

"I understand, but this will just be between you and me," I confirmed, "unless you agree to allow me tell anyone else. Is that all right with you?" Ricky nodded his head, but only half-heartedly.

"My mom used to lock me in this small place in our house when I was bad or she was having some guy over and didn't want to be bothered," he informed me. Hearing this caused my heart to suddenly sink into my stomach. How could a parent do that to their child?

"What kind of a place was this," I asked, for clarification.

"Just a place in the wall where the roof slanted down and mom sometimes stored things," he replied. "It was when I was about four or five and we lived in an apartment on the third floor."

"You mean it was a crawl space in the wall?" I questioned him, not believing my ears.

"I guess so," he confirmed, although I wasn't sure he truly understood what I was saying. I was nearly certain I was right in my assumption and things began to make more sense.

"I was really scared when I had to stay in there," he continued. "It was kind of dark and the only light in there was what would come through the cracks around the small door."

My heart was aching for him. Now, I was positive I had been correct in my assumption and things began to fall into place. That crawl space would have had been lined by numerous two-by-fours, which were supporting the ceiling and walls, and seeing the beams supporting the tunnel probably reminded Ricky of this fact, as his teenage brain interpreted the information stored there as a four or five year-old's memories.

"Ricky, I believe that our ride into that tunnel reminded you of those times and caused you to have a panic attack," I informed him. "If you want, I'll set up an appointment for you to talk to a professional about this."

"I don't really want to do that," he responded, almost too quickly.

"I know it will be hard to have to tell another person about this," I conceded, "but I think it will best if you do this."

"Dad, do I have to?" he complained. "I think I'll be okay now, seeing I know why that happened to me," he added.

"I still think you should do this," I stated, more firmly.

"If it happens again, then I will," he offered as a compromise, "but I feel better already, just from telling you." I decided to let it drop for now and would bring it up again later, especially if anything else like this were to happen again.

When we went back to the room, Ricky took his shower and then we went to bed. It was my turn to sleep with the mighty midgets and both Ricky and Jay clung to me like condemned men clinging to life, before their execution. I would be willing to bet that was because Ricky was still dealing with what happened earlier and Jay was sad about our time together coming to an end, especially now that he was calling me Pop and we had become so close. I have to admit that I've grown as attached to Brandon and Jay, as they have to me, and I don't intend to let that closeness deteriorate.

It didn't take me long to fall contentedly asleep, especially between the two cherubs with horns, who were nestled so tightly against me. I had an arm wrapped around each of them, and they had their heads on my upper chest, with their arms draped across my upper torso.

In the morning, we stowed everything into the van, went out to breakfast, and then began the long, lonely trip back home. Up until lunchtime, Jay and Ricky shared the front seat beside me, although I made them strap the seat belt over both of them. Danny and Brandon spent their time in the back of the van, alone, but I don't think that was a problem. From time-to-time I would glance at them in the rear-view mirror and they were either clinging to each other or seemed to be discussing something important. I could tell by their actions that this was also very secretive. I didn't disturb them or ask what it was about, but it did spark my curiosity.

The only stop we made was for lunch and later that afternoon, we neared our hometown. All four boys had been in the back since we finished our noon meal and Danny addressed me when we had just about reached the city limits.

"Dad, Brandon and Jay want to go to our house for a while first, and then go to their homes after dinner. Would that be all right?"

"I suppose it would be okay," I informed them, "since I didn't give their parents a definite time for our return, but may I ask why?"

"We just want to spend a little more time together before they have to leave," Danny explained. I assumed this to be innocent enough, so I agreed. I drove to our place and the boys helped me carry everything inside, but we left Jay and Brandon's luggage in the van. Jay helped Ricky take his things up to his room, while Brandon helped Danny carry his belongings upstairs. I carried my own things to my bedroom, but then Danny and Brandon suddenly showed up behind me, acting a little nervous.

"I take it you have something more to discuss," I addressed them, trying to break the ice.

"Yes," Brandon answered, "we have something we need to ask you. We, Danny and me, want to let you know that we love you and feel real close to you, but we want to get even closer." Brandon paused, so I prodded him a little.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me and I love you, too, but I haven't heard a question yet."

"What Brandon is trying to say," Danny continued, "is that we both want to do things with you too." Danny paused, so I just stood looking at him, and then Brandon. I wasn't prepared for this. "We want to know if you would have sex with us, so we can show you just how much we both love you?"

I took some time to absorb what they had just asked me and quickly mulled over the implications of their request. "I appreciate the thought, but you don't have to have sex with me, just to show me that you love me. I know you do, because you both show it in almost everything you say and do. That's obvious, and I love all four of you boys and the closeness we've shared, and that's more than enough for me. There is absolutely no reason that you should think you have to do more to try to prove it."

"Is it that you don't like the idea of having sex with another guy?" Brandon wanted to know.

"No, that's not it at all," I admitted. "I know that I've never told any of you this before, but I have always been attracted to other males, even though I've spent a lifetime trying to hide those feelings. When I was growing up, things were even more negative toward homosexuals than they are now, so I felt I had to keep that fact hidden. I never felt I could be honest or let anyone else know how I truly felt. That's probably the biggest reason I wanted to make sure you boys didn't to have to live your lives the same way I did, hiding your feelings from the world."

"You mean you're gay, Dad?" Danny blurted out.

"Possibly, Danny, but at the least bisexual. I had a great marriage and four wonderful children. That wasn't a mistake and I don't regret one minute of that life. However, I've still felt an attraction toward other males during that same period, but I believed it best to suppress those urges and never allow myself to experience the other part of my sexual orientation."

"Then you wouldn't mind having sex with us, Pop?" Brandon asked, very directly.

"No, I wouldn't mind," I answered, honestly, "but I don't want you boys to feel that you have to have sexual relations with me to show me that you love me or for me to prove that I love you."

"We know we don't HAVE to have sex with you, Pop," Brandon countered, "it's just that we WANT to."

"I'm not sure what kind of attraction you two could have for a pudgy, balding, old man." I quipped.

"We don't see you that way, Dad," Danny told me. "We aren't just looking at your body and how you look, we're looking at the real you – your heart and what's inside. To us, you're the most beautiful person alive."

I almost started to cry after he finished his last statement and fought to regain my composure, while seeking to address this issue. "Let's think about this some more, before we make any decision. You are both fourteen, and even though that's the current legal age of consent in Pennsylvania and you can do what you wish, I still think we should explore this further before making a final decision. I want both of you to think about it some more and then we can discuss this again next weekend. Is that okay with you?" I hoped they would come to the same conclusion I had, that this might not be such a good idea, thus taking me off the hook. That way, I wouldn't be the one to hurt their feelings, by turning them down.

Fortunately, they both agreed with my suggestion and then left my room. Once I finished unpacking, I headed back downstairs. When I reached the bottom, I noticed the flashing light on my answering machine, which caused me to wonder who had called and how long it had been since they had left their message.

Chapter 29
The Stork Makes Another Delivery

I played the message on the answering machine, just to see how urgent it was.

"Josh, it's Sally Swarthout. I hope you get back soon, because I have another boy who needs your help. Please call me as soon as you return. Thanks." The message was from last Tuesday. Although I wasn't sure if I could help her out this time, I gave Sally a quick call at home.

"Hello."

"Sally, it's Josh. We just got in and I played your message. What's the story?"

"Oh, Josh. Thank God you're back. I've got a 15 year-old boy staying here with me. I can't speak too loudly, because he's in the other room right now. He got thrown out of his foster home because his foster dad caught him and his own son in the middle of a homosexual act. I let him stay with me while you were gone, because I didn't have much of a choice. Actually, there was no place for him to go, but he desperately needs your help. Would you mind if I bring him over?"

I hesitated before I replied, as I tried to determine what this might mean to all of us. I wasn't sure if the boys were ready to share me with one more person, and I wasn't sure if I might be biting off more than I could chew. I was still weighing these doubts over in my mind, when Sally spoke again.

"Josh, are you still there?" she asked, her fears that I was going to turn her down clearly evident in her tone.

"I'm sorry, Sally, I was just thinking this over. Could you just give me some time to consider this first? I'm just not sure this is a good time to be thinking about taking in another boy. We just got back from vacation, things are kind of unsettled and school is just about to start, which is a very difficult and busy time for me."

"Josh, I understand all of this and I wouldn't ask if I didn't think I needed to," she assured me. "I think you already know this county had a scarcity of good foster homes, especially one that would take in a boy who got thrown out of his last home for the reason he did, so right now you're my best hope."

"I can sympathize with you on that point Sally," I agreed, "but this is just not a real good time for us to consider such a move. I have to think of Ricky and Danny first and foremost."

"I know you do," she concurred, "but why don't you ask them what they think," she urged me. "If they don't think this is a good idea, then I'll try to find somewhere else for this boy, although I must say I don't know where that might be." I thought about her proposal, and even though I felt I was being pressured into this, I thought I owed her that much.

"Okay, I'll talk to the boys and then give you our answer. Does that meet with your approval?" I could hear her sigh as I agreed to this.

"Yes, Josh, it does," she replied, sounding a bit relieved, although not totally.

"Okay, then. I promise I'll call you back, just as soon as I make up my mind."

"That would be fine, Josh, but I really do hope you can do this for all of us. I'm pretty much out of options here," she added, emphasizing her desperate situation and putting a little more pressure on me.

"Okay. I'll get back with you shortly," I stated, as I concluded the phone call.

I stepped out of the office and summoned the troops. "Boys, would you all come down to the living room, so we can have a discussion." They all came filtering in, looking confused about why they were being summoned. "I want each of you in on this discussion, because one way or another this will impact all of you." Now they looked even more confused.

"Mrs. Swarthout left a message on our answering machine while we were gone. I just spoke with her and she told me she has another boy who needs our help. I don't have a great deal of information about him, but she wants to know if we'd take him in. I didn't want to give her an answer, until I knew how you boys felt about this."

"How can we say no, if he needs our help?" Ricky began, making me eager to learn why he felt that way.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, trying to get him to elaborate.

"I look at it this way," he began. "What if that boy lived here with you already and it was me or Danny who needed a place to live. I would sure hope the two of you would be willing to take us in, so I think we need to do the same for him." I was impressed, and persuaded by his line of thinking.

"Yeah," Danny chimed in. "Where would Ricky or I be now, if you hadn't offered to help us? I agree with Ricky. We have to do it."

"Brandon and Jay, what do you two think about this?" I asked, trying to get their input as well.

"Even though I'm not here all of the time, I don't see any problem with this," Brandon told me.

"Me neither," Jay added.

"Dad, I think as far as any of us are concerned," Danny added, "we'll help anybody who needs it." The others were all nodding their heads in agreement.

"Like I said, I don't know much about this boy and you boys may have to be more careful about what you do together, until we learn more about him. I'm not sure if you might have to stop your intimate times together, but you'll at least need to be more careful and lock your doors when you can't hold off."

"We know, Pop," Jay added. "We'll be careful, but who knows, he may fit in just fine."

"That is a possibility, but I want you to allow him to make the first move, if there is one, and please don't pressure him into anything.'

"You know we wouldn't do that, Pop," Brandon answered. "You've taught us all well and we'll let him decide what he wants to do, if anything."

"Thanks, boys, I guess I just needed to hear how you felt about this," I told them. "I was pretty sure I knew how you were going to respond, but I just needed to be certain. I would also like for all of you to be here when he arrives. It might make him feel more at ease if you introduce yourselves, explain who you are, why you're here and let him know that he's welcomed. Then I'll let him choose from the three remaining rooms and you can help us clean it up and move him in. Is everyone all right with that?" They all nodded yes and then went back to what they were doing.

I went back to my office and immediately called Sally. "Sally, it's Josh again," I announced, after she answered her phone. "You can bring him over any time."

"Oh, thank you, Josh," she gushed. "I knew I could count on you."

"You'll have to thank all four boys this time," I added, "because they were the ones who convinced me to take him in. I wouldn't do this without their support and approval."

"Did I hear you correctly?" she asked, slightly befuddled. "Did you say FOUR boys?"

"I did and I'm sorry if I confused you," I explained. "I was including the boys' friends, Jay and Brandon. They've become like part of this family now too, so I included them on this decision as well."

"Oh, I remember them from the parties," she responded. "They're both really sweet young men."

"They most certainly are," I agreed.

"Thank you, Josh, and we'll see you in a few. Thank the boys for me too," she added, before hanging up.

It was less than a half hour later before we heard a car pull into the driveway, and shortly after that, the doorbell rang. The boys came flying from all directions, as I opened the door to greet our visitors. "Hi, Sally. Won't you please come in and join us?"

They entered the house and we moved to the living room. The new boy eyed the four boys, looking confused about who they were. Sally must have told him I had two foster sons and he probably was wondering how they had multiplied.

"Josh, boys, this is Dustin Kowalski. Dustin, this is Mr. Currie, Danny, Ricky and two of their friends."

"Hi, Dustin," I greeted him. "Welcome to our home. By the way, the blond is Brandon and the redhead is Jay. They're part of the family too and they'll be around a lot." The boys all said hello to Dustin, shaking his hand and welcoming him to our home.

"How old are you?" Danny asked.

"Fifteen," Dustin answered curtly.

"Well, Brandon and I are fourteen and Ricky and Jay are thirteen. I think we'll all get along great."

"Do you play any sports, Dustin?" Danny wanted to know.

"Yeah, I do," Dustin answered, simply.

"Which ones?" Danny pressed.

"I wrestled and played soccer and baseball at my old school," Dustin informed him.

"Great. We all play baseball and Brandon and I also play soccer. Ricky and Jay are going to tryout for the modified team this year, as well. The rest of us play basketball during the winter, though. What position do you play on the soccer team?"

"I was the sweeper."

"Brandon and I play midfield and Ricky and Jay want to be strikers."

"I guess we could almost form our own team," Brandon added.

"Yeah, I guess we could," Dustin shot back, unenthused.

I let the boys get to know each other for a few minutes, but Dustin never really said much. The others seemed to be doing most of the talking, so I felt maybe I should bail them out.

"Dustin," I interrupted, "how would you like to go upstairs and pick out your bedroom. We have three empty rooms and you can select any one."

"Yeah, okay," he muttered. It was obvious he wasn't much of a talker, but we got him to follow us as we climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Dustin was about 5' 8" [1.73 m] tall, had brown hair, hazel eyes and was quite sturdily built. In fact, he was quite solid and I didn't see any fat on him, just muscles, so I thought he must work out to be in that kind of shape. I was just hoping this powerful young man wasn't the aggressive type or didn't have a bad temper.

The boys were eager to show him the three vacant rooms. After looking them all over, I could tell he was most interest in the largest of the rooms, and one that had belonged to one of my daughters when she was still at home. The thing was, I think he was disturbed by it's feminine appearance. Although the walls were painted white, it had a pink border, just under the ceiling, with pink curtains and there were two pictures on opposite walls. One was of a mermaid sitting on a rock, surrounded by water, and the other was of a unicorn, standing under a rainbow. After I got over my initial shock that he might be interested in this particular room, I thought I'd make his choice a bit easier.

"Dustin, no matter which room you select, we can paint or paper it, however you desire. We'll also get new curtains for the window and you can select your own pictures to decorate with." That seemed to do the trick and he began to brighten up.

"In that case, do you mind if I take this one?" he asked, timidly.

"Not at all. I think this will work out just fine," I advised him.

I went on to tell him we could talk about how he wanted to fix it up and then go out and shop for the appropriate supplies during the week. That's when he truly began to release his apprehension about the room's current appearance. He seemed both relieved and satisfied by my offer, as we went back downstairs.

"We just came back from a three-week vacation," Ricky told him, as they walked down the stairs. "Dad took all four of us and we had a really great time."

"Yeah, I know. Mrs. Swartout said that was why I had to stay with her this past week. We had to wait for you to get back home. I guess my timing wasn't very good. A couple of weeks earlier and I could have gone on vacation with you." That was the most I'd heard him say at one time, so far, so maybe selecting his room was helping him to loosen up a little.

"Don't worry about it, Dustin," Ricky responded. "We're going to be going on more trips. Dad's already told us he'll be taking us on another vacation next summer."

"I hope I'm still here then," Dustin muttered, before adding, "but I doubt it."

"Why?" Danny asked. "You'd have to screw up pretty bad to get thrown out of here. Dad will forgive you for a lot of mistakes and you'll probably have to get arrested and be confined to jail or juvy hall to not be here next summer."

"We'll see," Dustin countered, dryly, "but I haven't had much luck like that."

"You will here," Ricky added. "Just don't screw up."

"I'll try not to then," Dustin remarked, with a slight touch of humor.

While the boys continued their conversation, Sally and I stepped into the living room, where we could talk privately. "Josh, I will probably get criticized for giving you so many boys so quickly, if the state audits my department," she began, "but this isn't an average home."

"Oh, I'd agree with you on that. We're far from average," I teased.

"I look at it this way," she explained. "I have homes with two or three of their own children, who have also taken in one or two foster children, so I don't think this is so unusual, except that you're not biologically related to any of the boys." I did see her point along those lines.

"Besides," she continued, "I've seen what remarkable progress you've made and I have no problems with bending the state guidelines in your situation. I can do that, seeing I'm the one who makes these local decisions and I'll deal with the state bureaucrats when the time comes."

"Sally, I hate to argue with you," I countered, "but it hasn't been my progress. I've thought about this a lot and concluded it wouldn't have worked out so well if Ricky hadn't been my first foster son. Seeing he knew me from school and felt a strong connection to me, probably from being sent to my office so much, he worked out fine. And then I think I have him to thank for making sure Danny fit in so well. I think whatever he shared with Danny about me helped him adjust more readily."

"And now you have two of them to help you with the next one," she added, hoping I wasn't about to back out now. I wasn't, but I was willing to make her squirm for a while thinking about it, before I took her off the hook.

In the other room, the boys were continuing to get to know each other a little better. "You guys seem pretty nice," Dustin told them. "Thanks for making me feel better. It's not always easy to fit into someplace new."

"Don't worry about that here," Ricky let him know. "Dad's really a great guy and you'll like him. We'll all get along, too."

"You call Mr. Currie 'Dad'?" Dustin asked, with a look of shock, maybe even horror, upon his face.

"Yeah. We asked him if we could and he told us it was okay," Ricky assured him. "You can call him that too, if you want, or you can call him Pop, like Brandon and Jay do. That's only because they have their own dads too."

"That's really cool," Dustin told them, suddenly showing a small spark of life. "I've had to call my old foster parents Mr. & Mrs. So and So or some would let me call them by their first names, but I never really felt like I belonged in any of their homes."

"Pop's a great guy," Jay added. "Sometimes I wish I lived here too."

"Well, I hope this works out then, but I don't expect I'll be around here for very long?"

"Why?" Jay asked, confused.

"Cuz that's the way things seem to work for me," Dustin replied simply, since he didn't want to tell him why he really said that. "So where's his wife?" he asked, trying to change topics.

"She died a few years ago, but Dad has four grown children, from his marriage. He said we're going to see them over the holidays this year, some at Thanksgiving and some at Christmas. He's told them about us and I'm sure he'll let them know you're here now, too."

"So they don't live close by?" he followed.

"Nah, Dad says they all live quite far away and have their own lives and families now," Ricky responded.

"I see," was all Dustin could comment.

"Come on, let's go outside and play some ball," Danny suggested. "I got a new soccer ball for my last birthday."

The boys popped their heads in the living room and informed me they were going out to kick the soccer ball around, just before they all tore out the door. I could see them passing the ball around on the side yard, and they seemed to be having fun. While the boys were out playing, Sally filled me in on the important facts of Dustin's life in foster care. During this time, I discovered that Dustin had a rough existence over the past few years and there were indications to believe he might be gay or bi. If he is able to get past his bitterness over his past life, he could fit in well with the others.

"Josh, I hate to drop off another boy and run," Sally apologized, "but I have other things I need to take care of. Before I leave, though, I feel I need to tell you once more what a terrific job you're doing here and thank you for everything you've done for the boys, and for me."

"Sally, like I've said before, I haven't really done that much," I reiterated.

"Josh Currie, you stubborn old coot," she teased. "One of these days I'm going to get you to finally admit how much progress you've made here. You're modesty is cute, but a bit tedious at time."

"It's not modesty," I informed her, "when it's the truth."

Realizing that was the best she was going to be able to do, Sally thanked me once more, said good-bye to the boys and then left. We all waved at her, until she drove out of sight.

Chapter 30
The Transition Period

After Sally left, the boys came back inside with me, so they could give Dustin the complete tour of the house. Before they started, Danny informed him that soccer physicals were going to be on Wednesday, if he wanted to play.

"Yeah, I do," Dustin told them, and then they were off.

By the time they finished, it was getting late, so I took all of the boys out to eat, one final time. It was not only a nice way to end our three weeks together, but it was also a great way to welcome Dustin into the family. I took them to one of my favorite places, which I had frequented regularly when I was alone, but hadn't been to for a while.

"Josh, it's nice to see you again," the owner greeted me as we walked in. "Are you bringing some of your students on a pre-school outing?"

"No, Tony, I'm not," I informed him, grinning. "These three are my sons and the other two are their good friends and also like sons to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tony apologized. "I thought your children had all grown up and moved away."

"No need to feel bad about it Tony," I assured him, "all my biological children are living on their own quite a ways from here, but these are my foster sons."

"That's fantastic," he offered, as a way of making amends. "I hope these young men realize how fortunate they are."

"We do," they all responded, with the exception of Dustin. I think he was still trying to see how things were going to go.

After we finished eating, we drove Brandon and Jay back home to their families. When we arrived at each one, that set of parents would rush out to greet their son, and there were plenty of hugs and kisses to go around. Both boys got a little misty eyed when it came time to part, acting more like one of us was moving across country. After having their parents thank me numerous times, we drove back home to settle in for the evening.

Danny and Ricky helped Dustin clean up his room, make his bed and get comfortable. Once they finished, I told them to take their showers and then they could come down to watch some television with me. I informed Dustin that he could use my shower tonight, but we'd have to work out a bathroom schedule once school started. Ricky quickly claimed the bathroom he and Danny shared, so Danny went down and showered in the bathroom on the ground floor. He didn't want to arouse Dustin's suspicion, if he and Ricky showered together.

When the boys came to join me, Ricky was the last one to arrive and he was immediately dismayed to discover Danny and Dustin sitting on either side of me. Not to be outdone, he came over and plopped down in my lap. Dustin stared at him for a minute and then started laughing.

"It's sure is nice to see they feel comfortable enough to use you as a chair," he teased. "I would have never dared to do that in any of my old foster homes."

"You certainly don't have to feel that way here," I told him. "I won't treat any of you any differently than I would have, had you been born into my family."

"Thanks," Dustin added, with a grin, "I like that."

Impressed that he was finally starting to allow himself the opportunity to fit in, so I thought I'd speed up the process a bit. Without him noticing what I was up to, I put my arm around his shoulder, so I could pull him against me. I wanted him to know that he wasn't too big or too old for me to show him a little affection, either. Once he felt the pressure from my arm, he took the hint and slid a little closer and we stayed that way until the final program ended.

As the other two were getting ready to head upstairs to bed, Dustin asked me if he could stay behind for a few minutes, so we could talk. I told Dustin that would be fine and then gave Danny and Ricky a kiss good night on their foreheads, before sending them off to bed. Dustin observed our behavior, but didn't say anything about it, which I thought was a good sign.

"Did Mrs. Swartout tell you about why I got kicked out of my last foster home?" he asked, slightly nervous, as soon as he heard Danny and Ricky head up the steps.

"Not everything," I replied, "but she did fill me in about a little of what she knew about your life in foster care."

"So she told you why I got kicked out of my last place?" he pressed, trying to gauge my reaction.

"She did say you and your foster brother were caught in a somewhat compromising position," I responded, without reacting or making it sound too bad.

"And it doesn't bother you, I mean about what we were doing?" he followed, somewhat shocked and relieved.

"She never gave me details, but I assumed it was something sexual," I lied, trying to make it appear that Sally tried to keep his secret as best she could.

"Yeah, it was something like that," he concurred, without looking me in the eye. "We were kind of naked and, oh shit this is embarrassing," he blurted out.

"You don't have to give me the details, if you don't want," I told him. "I think I get the picture."

"You probably do," he agreed, "but I'm not gay," he quickly added.

"No one said you were," I informed him. "Just because you do things with another male doesn't mean you're gay. I think a majority of the guys who have ever lived have tried something with another male at one time or another, and the ones who didn't were most likely extremely timid, overly paranoid, lacked a sense of adventure or any combination of those things."

"Gee, I didn't know that," he admitted. "So it doesn't bother you?"

"Nothing I heard would make me change my mind about having you live with us," I quickly advised him. I made sure I answered him without hesitation, to show him I didn't have to think about my answer first. "It won't matter to the other boys either, although the only way they'll ever know about any of that is if you tell them. The boys are very open and very understanding about almost everything. You're not going to having any problem about things like that here."

"Thanks," he told me. "I feel better now." With that, I also gave him a hug and kissed him on the forehead, to convince him he wouldn't be treated any differently than the others. However, he did blush a bit when I did that.

"Now, off to bed with you," I suggested. "Do you remember how to get to your room?"

"Yeah, I can find my way," he assured me. "Good night."

When he reached the top landing, Danny and Ricky were waiting for him. "Is everything okay?" Ricky asked, concerned that there might be a problem.

"Yeah, everything's good. I think I've finally landed in a pretty cool place," Dustin observed. "I guess this might be the best break I've have gotten yet!"

"You didn't sound that happy earlier," Ricky observed. "It sounded almost like you weren't planning to stick around."

"It wasn't that," Dustin informed him. "It was just that I wasn't sure if Mr. Currie was going to want me around, if he heard about why I didn't have a place to live any more."

"I'm sure that whatever happened there wasn't that bad," Danny told him, "but even if it was, Dad will more than likely forgive you, if you talk it out with him."

"That's what happened," Dustin admitted. "He was actually pretty cool about it. You know, I think I'm going to like it here."

"You'll probably believe that even more after you've been here for a while," Danny emphasized. "Ricky got tossed around a bit like you, before he came here, but we wouldn't trade Dad and this place for anything." Dustin was starting to smile again.

"Thanks guys, you've all made me feel really good since I've been here, especially after everything that's happened to me this past week."

"Look, we're all brothers now," Danny added, "even Jay and Brandon. We take care of each other and help each other out. You're part of our family now, so you're just like the rest of us."

"This is going to be better than I thought," Dustin admitted. "I've never had any 'real' brothers before, just kids who were children of my foster parents or other foster kids. In fact, I can't ever remember being part of a real family. I've been in foster homes since I can remember."

"We're sorry to hear that," Ricky added, from his heart, "but you're part of a family now."

"Thanks. I felt really bad when I got kicked out of my old home" he admitted, "but I'm beginning to think my old foster-dad did me a huge favor – even if he didn't mean to. This place is much better than there. Mrs. Swarthout kept telling me I'd really like this place, but I still wasn't sure. Now I know she was telling the truth, just from seeing how well you get guys get along with Mr. Currie and how much you care about each other."

"Why do you keep calling him Mr. Currie?" Ricky asked. "You don't have to."

"I know, but it is his name and I don't feel right calling him anything else," Dustin explained. "Maybe someday I can call him 'Dad', like you both do, but not just yet."

"Don't worry. Dad probably won't say anything about it," Danny informed him, "but it's going to seem odd if he's telling everyone you're his son too and you keep calling him Mr. Currie." Dustin was surprised by Danny's comment and thought about it for a second. He might just have a point, but he still couldn't think about doing anything else just yet – especially not after so many years of using the Mr. and Mrs. moniker engrained in him. He could probably call him Josh, because he'd called some of his other foster parents by their first names, but this place was different and he thought that would be too informal, maybe even disrespectful. He'd stick with Mr. Currie for now, until he found something everybody could live with.

Now that he felt assured he wasn't going to get kicked out of here too, he went to his room and turned in for the night. He never told me, and I never heard about how well he slept that night, but he must have done all right. He looked plenty refreshed when he came down to have breakfast the following morning.

After he finished eating, I talked to Dustin about his ideas for fixing up his room. Before he decided, I had him take a look at both Danny and Ricky's rooms first, to get some ideas. After moving back and forth between the two, and taking a few peeks into my room, he finally made up his mind.

"Mr. Currie, I think I've decided that I'd like to do my room kind of like Ricky's, with wood on the lower half and wallpaper above it."

"That will be fine," I replied, "so we'll drive to the home improvement store after lunch, so you can pick out the type of wood and determine how dark you want it, before you select which wallpaper pattern you'd like to go with it."

"You're going to let me pick all that stuff out?" he asked, amazed.

"Well, it's going to be your room and you're going to have to be happy with it, so why not?" I responded.

"But it's your house," he countered.

"Correction. It's OUR house," I informed him, getting a smile in return. Slowly, he was beginning to realize this was his home too.

For the rest of the morning, the boys went out to kick the soccer ball around again, trying to get ready for their season to start. Dustin asked them a whole bunch of questions about the school system, teachers and what the classes were like, and he seemed surprised to learn I was the middle school principal.

"No way!" he shot back. "He's too nice to be a principal. They're supposed to be mean, to keep everyone in line."

"Dad keeps everyone in line," Ricky added, "but he does it in a nice way. I was lucky he was my principal or I would have been in BIG trouble." After that comment, the boys went on to fill Dustin in about what it was like for them to attend my school, especially as my sons. He listened to their every word and questioned them about certain things, but I think he came away with a better understanding about the relationship we'd established.

After they came in to eat, we made our little trip to the store, so Dustin could pick out everything he wanted. Once he made his final selections, we drove home and I called my contractor, to arrange for him to come over and measure. I told him this needed to be done as quickly as he could, so he could call the store and let them know the exact amounts of material that would be needed. He promised he'd come over the next afternoon to do the preliminaries and would start the work at the end of the week, if the store could get the supplies to him in time. It seems everyone was happy and the plans were officially set in motion.

We had a quiet dinner at home that evening and then I checked out Dustin's clothing situation, so I could determine what and how much he would need by the time school started. His clothing wasn't in that bad of condition, but you could tell it was inexpensive stuff, bought from a lower range retail store. I didn't want him having to wear those things to school, because I suspected he would draw some ridicule from wearing them, especially being the new kid. With that in mind, I announced I was going to take him shopping that evening, with Ricky and Danny quickly volunteered to serve as his fashion consultants.

"This is really nice of you, Mr. Currie," Dustin told me, "but I don't need much."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that," I assured him, "because I know what the other kids will be like too. You must know starting in a new school is never easy, and I don't want to make it even harder on you, because you're standing out in the crowd, due to what you're wearing." He thanked me again and then listened as Danny and Ricky explained that I'd done the same thing for them, and then we drove to my favorite department store again.

The boys helped Dustin select a variety of garments, some suitable for the fall and some for the winter months, and then they headed to the underwear section. "Me and Danny both wear this type," Ricky informed him, while holding up a package of bikini briefs. "Do you want some too?"

Dustin raised his eyebrows and looked at both of them oddly, before replying. "You're joking, right?" he asked. Both boys shook their heads in response.

"Sorry, but that's not my style," Dustin informed them. "I'm a boxer type." After saying that, he selected several pairs of boxers and a package of boxer briefs, just to give them a try. After that, we picked out a pair of hiking boots for him, for our trips out in the woods, and then headed to the checkouts. After paying for everything, we drove home.

"Thanks, Mr. Currie," Dustin told me in the car. "That was really nice of you to do that for me."

"No problem, Dustin," I replied. "If I think you need something, then I'll get it for you. No big deal." I could see him smiling, through my rearview mirror, as he took another look through his packages.

The following day, Wednesday, I took all of the boys for their soccer physicals. While they were doing that, I ran over to my school and got a little work done. I knew they were also going to be having meetings with their coaches, to get their tryout schedules and go over some other basic information, so it gave me time to get many of my things organized at work.

The boys were all excited when I picked them up. Not only because of what happened with soccer that morning, but because Dustin thought he might be able to make friends with some of the other guys trying out for soccer. It must have gone well. Not only that, but the boys had also given Dustin a brief tour of the entire school, so he'd get off to a better start on the first day of classes.

"So what do you think of it?" I asked him.

"It's kind of old, but it's in pretty good shape," he began. "Actually, it's cleaner and nicer than the school I went to last year. I think this will be okay." I was glad he thought so.

Once we got home, we all started planning for school to begin the following Monday. So far, everything was going fairly well and the boys were getting along fine, which took away another of my previous concerns. I was glad about that, as I had enough on my plate, just with mentally and physically preparing myself to head back to work. That night, I also added Dustin to the computer and gave him his own sign-on and email address. He thanked me for that and informed me that he was never allowed to use the computer at his last foster home. That was just for the family. Now I understood just how left out he must have felt.

Nothing had been happening between the boys, sexually that is, as they were all sort of waiting to see what the other was up to. No one wanted to make the first move and they were all kind of feeling each other out. They'd make little comments here and there, to see how the others were going to react, but it all kind of passed without much ado.

All of that changed Thursday night. Based on what I had previously told him about the other two, Dustin decided to take a chance and tell Danny and Ricky about why he was kicked out of his old foster home.

"So anyway, my old foster dad came into the bedroom I shared with his son and caught his boy giving me a hummer."

"I guess he didn't appreciate that, huh?" Danny asked, rhetorically.

"Not much," Dustin responded, unnecessarily.

"That won't be a problem here," Ricky told him. "Dad doesn't care if we do things like that, as long as we don't force anyone into it."

"Really? Mr. Currie knows what you guys do?" he asked, totally blown away.

"Heck, he's taught us about sex, whenever we've asked him questions, and we usually go around the house naked at night, after our showers," Ricky informed him. "We just haven't done it since you've been here, because we didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Really? You go naked in front of him?" Dustin still thought they might be pulling his leg.

"Yeah, we did it almost all vacation," Danny concurred. "Even Jay and Brandon."

"No way! They even went naked in front of Mr. Currie too?" Dustin was almost convinced this was all some sort of a joke.

"Yeah, they are just like his sons too and they don't care," Ricky added. "We'll even prove it to you tonight. You'll see, and he won't even care."

"If you say so," Dustin responded, still not convinced.

"So you're gay Danny?" Dustin asked him, changing the topic. Danny nodded. "How about you Ricky?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't mind fooling around for fun," Ricky admitted, drawing a giggle from Dustin in response. "Actually, I think I might be bi," Ricky continued. "That's when you like both guys and girls."

"I know what bi means," Dustin assured him, while chuckling that Ricky thought he had to explain it to him.

"What about you?" Ricky asked him.

"I really think I'm straight," Dustin informed them. "Even though I did some things with my old foster brother, and I think we both kind of enjoyed it, but I think if I found a girl I was serious about, I might not do that any more." He studied the boys' reactions to what he said, and when he saw they were fine with it, he added a little more. "You know, it sure feels good when you don't have to keep secrets from the people you're around the most," he admitted.

"We know," Danny agreed. "It's been the same for us. That's only one of the advantages about living here, though. It just keeps getting better all the time."

"Are you and Ricky going to tell Brandon and Jay?" Dustin asked them.

"That's not our decision. That's up to you," Danny responded. "If you want them to know, you'll have to tell them yourself and, if they want you to know their preference, they'll have to tell you. We don't tell anything about the others unless they tell us to."

"You sounded just like someone else when you said that," Dustin teased.

"I guess you mean Dad," Danny responded, getting a nod in return. "Then I thank you," Danny quipped back, "and I'll take it as a compliment."

"It was meant as one," Dustin confirmed, "and you can tell Brandon and Jay about me, if you want, or I'll tell them next time they're here."

"Well, that will be this weekend," Ricky informed him. "I think they're both staying over Friday night and most of Saturday. They really had to beg their parents this time, since they'd been gone with us for three weeks. It took some work, but they finally got them to give in by telling them they'd spend Saturday night and all day Sunday at home. Now, you can tell them whenever we're not playing ball, of one kind or another." Dustin smiled and thanked his brothers, and then they went out to practice their soccer skills.

That evening, I sat keeping an eye on the boys, as they spent most of their time after dinner on the computer. Needless to say, I was fairly impressed with how this transition period had been going. As the hours passed, I sent the boys off to take their showers. Dustin came back first, clad only in his boxers, but then Danny and Ricky joined us, without a stitch of clothing on. I raised my eyebrows and just looked at them. They broke out in hysterics at my reaction.

"I guess you boys must have discussed this earlier?" I asked, getting nods from both boys.

"Damn, they were right!" Dustin agreed. "I didn't believe them when they told me they went around naked after their showers and you didn't care."

"What's to care about?" I asked him. "We're alone, no one is forced to do it and the scenery ain't bad either," I added, giving him a little wink.

"Yeah, they are both kind of handsome… for guys," he added, as an afterthought.

"And you're no slouch either, in the looks department," I informed him, "and it appears that you must work out, to keep in that kind of shape." He smiled at my acknowledgment of that point.

"Yeah, I exercise whenever I can and try to lift some weights when they're available," he confessed.

"They have a weight room at the school, which all the teams get to use," I informed him, "so I guess you'll probably be spending some of your time there."

"Probably," he told me.

Even though he watched Danny and Ricky parade around naked the rest of the evening, Dustin kept his boxers on. I was even a little surprised that he felt comfortable enough to even do that, since he'd only been here a short time, but I wasn't convinced he'd ever be ready to do more than that. I hope the other boys wouldn't be too disappointed, if he didn't follow their lead.

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