Bill W

Castaway Hotel II

Chapters 31-40

Chapter 31
Brave New World

Saturday evening, there was another breakthrough, of sorts. It came when Trey had asked Dion to join him again for their nightly shower. Dion agreed and the boys were using the upstairs bathroom to clean up. While they were in the shower, Trey started the ball rolling.

"Dion, do you ever jerk off?" he asked, surprising his shower mate. Being caught off guard, Dion was barely able to stammer his response.

"You mean… like… play with myself?" he finally gasped out.

"Yeah, that's another way of putting it," Trey confirmed. "Well, do you ever do it?"

"No. My grandma told me I'd hurt myself if I did that," Dion responded, never having questioned his grandmother on that point. "She told me to leave it alone, until I was older."

"Grown-ups sometimes say things like that, but it isn't true," Trey announced. "My brothers and I do it all of the time and it feels great. Do you want to try it?"

"I don't know," Dion hesitated. "It will still feel wrong for me to touch myself like that. I mean… I've always believed what my grandma told me."

"What if I did it for you? Would that make you feel better about it?" Trey asked, hopefully, while at the same time realizing his effort might not work.

"I don't know. It just seems wrong somehow," Dion told him.

"Look, if I do it for you, it will give you a chance to see how you feel about it," Trey almost pleaded, in an effort to get him to change his mind. "If you like it, you can return the favor by doing it to me. What do you say?"

"You really think it's okay?" Dion asked, giving Trey the first glimmer that this might work after all. "I know you say you guys do it all the time and it feels good, but I'm still… well, I'm not sure."

"Look, you just stand there and I'll do all of the work," Trey explained. "You just lean back and enjoy. All right?" Dion hesitated briefly, before he responded.

"Yeah, okay. I'll try it once," he confirmed, so Trey moved in quickly, so Dion didn't have time to change his mind.

Dion leaned back against the shower wall, as Trey started to massage the large piece of meat that dangled between his legs and the loose nut sac that hung beneath it. Dion started to moan almost immediately, as his rod filled with blood and rose to its full length, just about seven inches [18 cm]. Damn, and the kid was only twelve!

Trey was in awe as it continued to grow, but he still managed to wrap his hand around it and began pumping it, as soon as Dion was totally hard. He looked at Dion's face and could tell he was in heaven and enjoying every second of this new thrill. Dion's eyes were glazed over and rolled back in his head, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and he was making noises that sounded like purring, as he encountered this new sensation for the first time.

Since this was his first masturbatory experience, Dion was overwhelmed by all of the powerful, tingling sensations that were coursing through his body. This rapidly brought him to the pinnacle of release, which caused him to groan, just as his body stiffened and he sprayed his first load of boy-cream all over the place. That included coating himself, Trey and the shower. He was panting heavily, as if he had just finished soaring with the eagles, and his legs suddenly became rubbery. He continued to lean against the shower wall, until he regained his strength and his orgasmic afterglow began to fade. Once he had recovered, he looked up at Trey and flashed a huge grin.

"Damn, if I had known it would feel like that, I would have been slapping that thing silly all of the time," Dion admitted. "No wonder my grandma wanted to discourage me from doing it. She must have known that once I started I would never want to stop. She would have been right. That was so cool that I want to do it again, okay?"

"Well, it will take you a few minutes to recover," Trey explained. "We could try it again in a little while, if you still want to." Dion looked a little disappointed. "Would you like to do that to me now?" Trey offered, more for himself than for his partner. However, it brought Dion out of his funk.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, "but I have to ask you something first, though. Okay?"

"Sure, anything," Trey told him.

"I wanted to ask you before, but I was scared that I'd hurt your feelings," he admitted. "But now I think it will be okay. I just wanted to know why your dick looks so funny? Do you have some kind of disease or something?"

Trey let out a little laugh. "No, Dion. I take it that you've never seen an uncircumcised prick before. Yours looked like this too, when you were born, except your parents had the doctor cut off the extra piece of skin that I still have. If I pull my foreskin back, my dick will look just like yours, except not quite as long." The boys looked up at each other and grinned. Dion was proud that Trey had acknowledged that his penis was bigger. Trey reached down and pulled his foreskin back, exposed his shiny helmet, and showed it to Dion. Dion was fascinated.

"It does look the same," he exclaimed, "'cept it looks like it's wearing a turtleneck!"

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it," Trey chuckled. "You can check it out for yourself, if you'd like, and then you can make me shoot my load. What do you say?"

"I'd say that sounds like fun," Dion agreed.

Dion didn't even hesitate, as he reached out and grabbed Trey's uncut pole. It was on its way to growing to its full six inches [15 cm], but Dion couldn't wait for it to finish. Eagerly, he pulled the foreskin back and forth several times, fascinated with how it worked, and then he began to seriously stroke it up and down. Trey was watching Dion's reaction as he played with his boyhood, noting his curious expressions and the glow of discovery he radiated, as he continued to stroke his plump sausage. Dion was so caught up in the moment that he was stroking it very rapidly, like a piston in a speeding automobile. This was bringing Trey quickly to the peak and soon his engorged dick exploded, sending the contents of his testicles flying everywhere. Dion continued to pump on his rod until Trey reached down and stopped him, as his glans became overly sensitive from the attention. As soon as he had recovered, Trey gave Dion a hug and thanked him for the great job. Dion just smiled and said he had enjoyed it too. Then Dion asked Trey if he would do him a second time.

"Oh, God!" Trey exclaimed. "I've created a nympho."

"What's that?" Dion wanted to know.

"A nympho is short for nymphomaniac. That's somebody who can't get enough sex."

Dion smiled at Trey. "Yep, I guess you're right. You have created a nympho. Now, will you do it for me again?"

"Yeah, sure," Trey giggled, as he reached out and started rubbing his hand over and around Dion's sex organs again, trying to bring him back to a state of full arousal. Surprisingly, it didn't take very long before Dion was ready for round two. Trey thought about giving him a blowjob this time, but he decided it might be too soon to suggest that. Instead, he just kept stroking Dion's long, slender erection.

Dion's mouth hung open and he was panting hard again, but this time he also started thrusting his hips to meet Trey's hand movements. Man, he was really getting into this for a novice. Between their combined actions, Dion was rapidly approaching his second climax within a matter of minutes. His hips were thrusting back and forth, like a rabbit in heat, and he was making more and more throaty noises, as he enjoyed all the electric currents that shot throughout his slender frame. He was trembling from pleasure as Trey moved behind him, jerking him off with one hand and using his other hand to manipulate his balls. Trey was also helping to hold Dion up, too, as his legs were beginning to grow weak again.

Dion had now reached the point of no return and it looked as if rigor mortis was setting into his young body. He stiffened, arched his back and released his second load of spunk, although it was not as thick, nor abundant as the first time. Trey made sure he drained Dion's cock before he released it and then cleaned up the evidence of their little tryst. He also helped Dion get out of the shower, since he was still slightly weak kneed, turned off the water and began to dry Dion's body with the towel. About halfway through this, Dion regained his composure and awareness, suddenly embracing Trey in a very powerful hug.

"Thanks, man. I owe you for that one," he confessed. "That was super… really great. I'm glad you talked me into doing that."

"You're welcome and thanks for doing it to me too," Trey offered, sincerely. "Remember, some of the others might be willing to do the same types of things with you, but no one does anything unless both people want to. That's why I made sure you really wanted to do it first. Nobody cares what we do with each other, as long as no one is forced to do things. Do you understand?"

"I sure do and I'm really glad Aunt Sally brought me here," Dion replied, bubbling with delight. "I like this place a lot, and I like everybody in it even more."

The boys finished up and came downstairs. As soon as I saw them, I could tell from their satisfied expressions, the length of time they'd been gone and their red, tender looking cocks that they had been up to something. Trey merely grinned in my direction, before he sat down next to Dion.

The following Saturday was Trey's birthday and I had to get him out of the house, so the other boys could get ready for the party. Seeing it was his first birthday since he came to live with us, the boys wanted this to be a surprise party for him. I felt kind of cruel in helping them arrange it, since none of us could even acknowledge his upcoming birthday for fear of giving the surprise away, so nothing was said about it for over two weeks. Every time Trey would try to drop a hint that his birthday was approaching, the comment would get lost in some sort of a ruse one of the other boys would instigate, which was designed to make us stray from that topic. I could tell Trey was getting very frustrated by our failure to acknowledge the approach of his special day.

That morning, around ten, I told Trey to get dressed, because I was going to take him out to eat for his birthday. He smiled and asked if he should tell the others, but I quickly told him not to, because I wanted this to be just the two of us. I saw his smile fade rapidly, once he discovered no one else was going to join us, but he got ready nonetheless. I asked him where he would like to eat and he said Pizza Hut. So around 11:30, he and I got into the van and headed out alone. The look on his face was making me feel like a heartless rat, but I knew the party would more than right this wrong.

We both ordered personal pan pizza, salad and a cold drink. His heart was only half into our lunch and I tried my best to keep him talking about minor things, just to keep his mind from his disappointment. About forty minutes later we finished and got back into the van. I told him I had one more stop I needed to make and his face brightened a little. It didn't last long, however, as it faded when I pulled into the car dealership. He got out and went with me, while I ordered the largest van they made, with seats enough for fifteen passengers and then added options that I wanted. Our current van was getting a little crowded with our new additions, plus when Brandon and Jay joined in, there was hardly room to even wiggle inside. The salesman told me I should just order a customized bus and skip the van, and I seriously thought about that idea for a few seconds. However, it didn't take me long to decide I couldn't see driving something like that around the local streets, just to go shopping or whatever, so I stuck with the van.

Trey was still trying to smile weakly, as we got back into the old van and headed home. He kind of dragged himself into the house, once we returned, and almost immediately started for his room. Seeing what Trey was planning, Dion asked him if he would shoot pool with him and Trey agreed, although not enthusiastically. When they entered the rec room, everyone jumped out from their hiding places and yelled 'surprise'. There was a banner with Trey's name on it hanging on the wall, his cake was placed in the center of the pool table, and Brandon, Jay, Sally, Steve and Mary had also arrived while we had been out. Trey was so surprised and excited that he confessed to me later he had almost peed his pants. I did see him slip out quietly for a minute, so now I know where he went.

The boys picked everything up and we moved the party into the dining room, where it belonged. Once everything was set up, each of them went over to give him a personalized 'Happy Birthday' and Trey now looked like the cat that had swallowed the proverbial canary. We lit the candles on the cake and sang to Trey, and after we finished, he blew them out and made his wish. He was glowing, as we served the cake, dished out the ice cream and then gave him his presents.

The boys let Dion give Trey the present from them. It was an envelope. Trey opened it and it was a $200 gift certificate for the Barnes and Noble bookstore. The boys had each chipped in $20 apiece from their own money to get it. They knew that Trey liked to read and this would allow him to select books he would enjoy, but would also avoid duplicating any books he had read before. Trey was thrilled and told his brothers that it was the perfect gift for him.

Brandon and Jay went in together and bought Trey a couple of CD's they knew he wanted. Trey thanked the pair enthusiastically, giving them each a very energetic hug. Trey also got some nice clothes from both Sally and Steve and Mary. I had guessed that Steve and Mary were planning on doing that, since they'd asked me for Trey's sizes when I invited them to the party. Finally, it was my turn to give Trey his gift. He tore off the wrapping paper that I had decorated it with and his eyes popped open wide when he saw what it was. I had given him a notebook computer.

"That's to keep your journal on, so your entries aren't on the communal computer upstairs. I want to try to prevent any further incidents like we had with Frankie, so keep your private stuff in there and you can keep it under lock and key in your room. It might also encourage you to start pursuing your dream of becoming a writer."

Everyone was smiling and Trey came over to give me a hug to thank me. "Thanks, Pop. I never expected anything like this. I was even thinking earlier that everyone forgot about my birthday. That was kind of mean, the way you guys did this, but I forgive you." He then gave me another big hug.

The adults sat around and talked, while the boys went off to listen to Trey's new CD's. This gave Sally, Steve, Mary and me time to talk about the boys and go over my progress concerning the next round of adoptions. Steve just laughed when I told him that I was adopting all five of the newest members of our little group.

"Damn, Josh. That's six the first time and five this time," he announced. "Don't you think you should go out to find another boy, so you can make it an even six at both ceremonies?"

"Don't give Sally any ideas," I warned him. "I'm sure she's likely to come up with another boy before we get to your part of this process." Steve laughed again and Sally just grinned at me.

"Hey, I don't seek them out, they seem to find me," she explained. "I'm just fortunate to have such a wonderful guy to turn to when the going gets tough. You've done wonders with Dion, Josh."

"Not me. You've got to give Trey most of the credit for that one," I informed her. "They're almost like two peas in a pod. They like many of the same things and get along well. Trey sort of took the problem right out of my hands and has done much of the work himself."

"Which he wouldn't have done without your example," Steve added.

"I don't know about that," I confessed. "He's not as shy as he used to be and he's a very caring young man. I don't think he's been here long enough for me to take credit for all of that. I think his parents did a great job before they were killed."

"Maybe so," Sally came back, "but I'm sure he's also learned a lot from watching and living with you. I just tingle all over every time I see how well the boys are doing. Ann has told me several times that she can't get over how quickly Sammy and Andrew bonded with you. They were even calling you 'Dad' in just a matter of days."

"I really think that can be attributed to the fact that most of the others do too and they just tried to fit in," I suggested. "Trey, Brandon and Jay call me 'Pop', but the rest of the boys call me 'Dad'. It just worked out that Sammy and Andrew decided to do that as well. They did get some help from Ricky, Cole and Graham before making that decision, though. I just hope those boys didn't pressure them into it."

"It certainly doesn't look like anyone's arm was twisted from what I can see," Steve joked. "The boys are calling you that freely and you can see in their faces and eyes that they really mean it. I don't remember ever being in a home where I could feel so much love. Not just with you and the boys, but also between the boys themselves. I can see different older boys who have taken the younger ones under their wings. I can't tell you how wonderful that is to see."

"Steve, I'm not trying to change the subject, but have you heard how Frankie's doing?" I asked him. "I still feel bad about not being able to get through to him."

"Actually, I spoke to someone from the youth center just the other day," he confirmed. "He's not having an easy time there, from what she told me. His attitude is still defiant and he's been bumping heads with some of the older, bigger boys. I had to give him a year and he's either going to give in, settle down, abide by the rules and change his ways, or he's going to come out twice as tough as when he went in. I hate to send any boy there, and it's always my last choice, but he left me no options. I hope he's one of the success stories and not one of its failures."

"Me too," I added. "I still think about him a couple times a week, minimum."

"I could tell," Steve responded, "if only by your gift to Trey. Like I told you before, quit kicking yourself over him. Even if Trey had the notebook computer back then, something else would probably have happened and I'd have bet there still would have been the same result. You've done and are doing too much good to let that get to you, so concentrate on your achievements."

"I do," I informed him, "but I still can't forget about him." We let the discussion drop after that, because the boys came racing into the room, having listened to both CD's.

"Pop, I hope you're not mad at me." Trey said out of the blue.

"Why would I be mad at you?" I wanted to know.

"Well, I kind of let it slip out that you ordered a new van earlier," Trey admitted.

"That wasn't meant to be a secret. I was going to tell everyone later," I informed him.

"Great," Trey said, relieved. "I thought I blew it this time."

"No, it was just one of my schemes to keep you out of the house long enough so everyone could get here and they could get everything ready. It was your brothers who chose the surprise party."

"You rats," Trey said with a grin. "I thought everyone forgot about my birthday, but I'm sort of glad you did it that way. I've never had a surprise party before. It was really neat when you all jumped out at me in the rec room, although I nearly peed my pants when you did."

We were all laughing now and the boys decided to go outside and play some games. Sally, Steve and Mary said their good-byes to all of their 'nephews' and then got ready to leave. The boys all said 'so long' to our guests and Trey thanked all of them for coming and for giving him such nice gifts. They told him he was more than welcomed and the boys walked them to their vehicles and then went off to play. I said my farewell to them too and told them I'd keep in touch.

The boys stayed out and played for quite a while, before coming back inside. After dinner, Brandon came up and explained he needed to talk with me - alone. Curious as to what he might want, I took him into the other room. He sat down beside me, swallowed hard a couple of times and began to speak. "Pop, I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure thing, Brandon," I agreed. "You know you may ask me anything."

"I'm glad about that, because this is a really big favor." He took a deep breath, swallowed hard again and continued. "Can I live here with you until I graduate?"

Of all the things I might have suspected, even in my wildest thoughts, I was not anticipating that particular request. "What brought this about?" I asked, trying to clarify the motivation behind it.

"My dad told us a few days ago that he was being transferred to Texas," Brandon announced, giving me my first clue. "I'm a sophomore and I don't want to transfer schools. We're not moving until summer, so I'll be able to finish this year, but I want to spend my junior and senior years here, too," he explained.

"Have you told your parents this?" I immediately wanted to know, since I wasn't about to give him a response and become party to a family problem, unless they knew what Brandon was up to.

"I told them I didn't want to go, but I didn't have any options to give them," he admitted, looking hopeful. "I wanted to get your permission first, before I asked them if I could stay here."

"Brandon, you know you're always welcome to stay here, for as long as you need, but only if it is okay with your parents," I informed him. "If they agree, then it will be fine with me. I imagine you'll most likely just bunk in with Danny anyway, so it's not like I'm going to have to add a room or anything."

"Yeah, you're right," he admitted, now smiling. "I already told Danny about this and he liked the idea."

"I'm sure he did," I agreed, thinking of all the benefits he was looking forward to, like nightly sex. "I can't imagine having to try to deal with him, if you were suddenly gone. I'm sure he'd be quite moody for months after you left. So, when do you plan to ask your parents?"

"I'm going to ask them when I get home tomorrow," he told me, "if you're sure it's all right?"

"Of course. I'd have suggested it myself, if I'd have known about the situation," I replied, "providing your parents agree, of course."

"Thanks, Pop. I knew I could count on you," he added. "Besides, Danny told me that you'd never say 'no,' if I asked you."

"So you guys think I'm that easy to figure out, do you?" I prodded, in jest.

"Yeah, when it comes to us boys, you are," he replied, smiling broadly now.

"Well, I guess that's not such a bad thing then," I responded, with a twinkle in my eye.

Chapter 32
Some Hills and Valleys in our Lives

Saturday night turned out to be one big free-for-all. It started with the boys doing a little wrestling in the family room, but soon spread throughout the entire house, and was followed by major pillow fights. To make matters even worse, the rest of the boys were in collusion in an attempt to scare the piss out of Sammy, Andrew and Dion.

It all started after the wrestling and pillow fights died down, and Danny started telling one of my ghost stories in the living room. Just as he was getting to the scariest part of the story, Ricky and Cole pressed their faces against the outside of the two living room windows, with grotesque Halloween monster masks covering their heads, and turned on flashlights under their chins, right on Danny's cue. If that weren't enough, they were also making all sorts of loud noises and banged on the window, to make sure they had their victims' attention, to heighten the effect.

It seemed Ricky and Cole had been able to slip out unnoticed by those three earlier and I hadn't even been forewarned about this event. Therefore, when I heard all the screaming and hysterics, I came running into the room, to determine what was going on. I actually thought someone had been seriously injured, at least judging from the noises I heard. Shortly after I burst into the room, I saw the older boys begin doubling over in hysterics, as the other three were screaming and trying to get away. Once the younger ones realized they'd been had, they began punching everyone in range, as payback.

Once that uproar quieted down, the boys started getting ready for bed. I'm sure there was a great deal of hanky-panky going on in the bedrooms that night, but there were too many boys for me to keep track of. However, I did notice some things, like the fact that Cole and Graham let Sammy and Andrew stay with them. Sammy and Andrew were still a little shaken from some of the earlier scares, so Cole and Graham agreed to let that pair stay in the jungle room for the night. I had been assured they wouldn't pull these boys into their sexual escapades, after I broached the subject, because I wanted those boys to let us know when they are ready for such things, not be dragged into them. This left Ricky and Jay alone in the younger boys' room, which didn't bother them in the least. In fact, I'm certain they appreciate the privacy, for a change.

I let the boys sleep a little later than normal the next morning, before getting them up and ready for church. After our usual Sunday brunch, I took Brandon and Jay back to their homes, but obviously not for very long. Sunday evening Brandon and his father showed back up at our house and I suspected I knew why. I invited them in and Mr. O'Hara immediately apologized for the intrusion.

"Josh, I hate to bother you, but we have a family situation here," Patrick started off. "Since Brandon tells me you might be able to help us with it, I suspect you know what I'm referring to."

"I might at that," I replied, "but you are family, as far as we're concerned. Why don't you come into the living room and have a seat, so we can talk comfortably, just the three of us."

"That sounds fine," he replied, so we went in and got settled.

"Josh, here's the problem," Mr. O'Hara started off. "My company is transferring me to Texas and we'll be moving in June. Brandon has told me several times he doesn't want to go and this afternoon he said you'd agreed to let him stay here, until he graduates, if it was all right with my wife and me. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," I assured him, hoping I was helping the family by agreeing to this and not setting up a roadblock. "Brandon mentioned the move and his feelings about it yesterday. He asked me if he could stay with us and I told him he could, if you and your wife were agreeable to the idea. He's been like a member of our family anyway, so there were no problems on our part."

"My wife and I really don't want to leave him here, but we know how strongly he feels about it," he admitted. "Besides, I've not heard very many favorable reports on the Texas school systems either. Those in my company who have lived there at various times tell me the school districts spend ten times more money on high school sports than they do on academics. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but we were starting to worry about it."

"I think I might too, if the situation were reversed," I agreed.

"Yeah, but I don't think I could handle your brood," he joked, before getting back on topic. "I'm concerned most because the next two years will be critical for Brandon's future. Many colleges base much of their admission policy on what happens academically in a student's junior year. I'm also certain they weigh the various states differently too, depending on their national ranking in education. That's why my wife and I feel it would probably be better for him to remain here, although it doesn't mean we're thrilled about him staying here without us. However, we also know he'd be in good hands."

"Thank you for that compliment and I assure you that if he stays here, we'll take good care of him," I announced. "He will be treated just like all the others."

"I know he will, since that's the way he's always been treated here," Mr. O'Hara emphasized. "We're not worried about that in the least. We'll send you a monthly check to cover his expenses and we'll provide everything else he needs."

"Please, keep your money. I certainly don't need it," I informed him. "Put that monthly check into Brandon's college fund and I'll handle the rest. You can give him what you'd like, but I'll take care of whatever he needs, without having to bother you about the petty stuff. The only thing I would ask is for you go down and sign guardianship papers at my attorney's office. I can call him and have him draw them up. That way I can sign for any trips or other permission slips the school might request and I can authorize emergency medical treatment, if it's needed. I don't foresee anything like that happening, but I'd rather be prepared for the worst, just in case."

"Of course, and that will not be a problem for us, either," he conceded. "We will supply you with whatever legal papers you need. We really appreciate your willingness to do this for Brandon. We've always felt very fortunate that you treat him so well and include him in the activities with your children. Being our only son, he gets lonely sometimes, but he's always so happy when he can spend time with your family, especially with Danny. I still feel indebted to him for what he did for Brandon."

"That's appreciated, but not necessary," I told him. "Brandon's part of our family and we're proud to have him. Everything is set, as far as I'm concerned."

"Thanks, Josh. That takes a big load off my mind," he confessed, while shaking my hand.

"You're welcome, but it's our pleasure," I replied. "Brandon, why don't you go and find Danny and tell him the news. I'm sure he's anxiously awaiting your report." Brandon leapt from his seat and bounded from the room. I waited until he was gone, before I spoke to his father.

"I wanted to speak to you about the summer, without anyone else around. I'm planning on quite a lengthy summer vacation for the boys and I'd like to include Brandon in all or part of those plans. I don't want to interfere with your time with him, so I wanted to work this out just between the two of us."

I told Brandon's father about our vacation plans and he quickly suggested a slight alternative, so Brandon could go with us and still be able to spend some time with them. I agreed with his suggestion and everything was set. A few minutes later, I called Brandon back to join us, as his father wanted to get back home. As they left, I thought about what I'd just done, by adding another temporary boarder to the 'Castaway Hotel'.

My week started off smoothly, but that radically changed on Wednesday, when I received a call from my attorney. It seemed while trying to clear the path for my being able to adopt the boys he'd hit a little snag. Mr. Yamada's parents, who still lived in Japan, wanted to see and talk to the boys, before they were willing to sign off on any claims to their rights as grandparents. He explained he'd been informed that they'd like to fly here and visit the following week, if I would agree to the idea. Seeing it was the only chance I had to convince them, I told my attorney to go ahead and set it up. I'd break the news to the boys later tonight.

I wasn't sure how this was going to go over with them. From what they'd told me and from what I'd learned from Ann Getz about this case, the grandparents never even knew the boys existed, let alone met them. They had disowned their son when he left for the States and had no contact with him or his family since. It looks like they were suffering from the onset of delayed guilt or making a desperate attempt to reach out to the grandsons they didn't even know they had. I've always had a strict rule about interfering with a family and its relationships, unless it had been proven they were incompetent or unfit, but I also wanted to make certain that whatever decision was reached was in the best interests of the boys. I will fight before giving them up, if I don't see more than just blood ties between them.

That night, I took Sammy and Andrew aside. "Fellas, I have some news for you," I began, and they both looked at me apprehensively. "Your grandparents are coming to see you."

"But I thought they weren't allowed," Sammy replied, immediately.

"Oh, not your mother's parents," I correct. "These are your father's parents."

"I didn't know they were even alive," Sammy informed me.

"Daddy, they aren't coming to take us away from you, are they?" Andrew asked. He looked very nervous and crawled onto my lap.

"They've just learned about you, when they were told about your father's death," I explained, "so they want to come and meet you."

I then went on to explain what I knew about the relationship between their father and their grandparents, as a way of explaining why they had never met or heard about them. By the time I finished, I think both boys were excited about finally getting to meeting them, as long as they could still live with me. I told them nothing had come up about anything like that, and it hadn't, although I did suspect something like that might happen, since their grandparents actually had the stronger legal claim. Even though I had my doubts about how this would turn out, I assured both boys they would definitely have a home with me, unless something beyond my control happened. This didn't alleviate either boy's fears, but I didn't want to give them false hope either. That could damage their trust in me later, if things didn't go the way we hoped. I'd rather help them deal with an uncertain future than try to regain their trust later, especially if they thought I had lied to them.

Their grandparents sent word to my lawyer that they would be arriving next Tuesday and staying until Friday. They would fly into Philadelphia, so we'd send a limo to pick them up, and then arrange for a room for them at our finest hotel. I wanted them to know I spared no expense in making sure their grandsons were cared for, even including a first-class visit from their grandparents. I was hoping that a favorable impression might bolster my case to be allowed to keep the boys.

By the time Friday evening rolled around, both Sammy and Andrew were a bundle of nerves. That night they insisted on sleeping in my room with me, as they didn't want me out of their sight, for even a minute. Every time I turned around, I would trip over one, the other or both of them. Every time I sat down, they'd either climb onto my lap or squeeze so tightly against me that I was afraid to move, for fear of crushing them. Therefore, I did what I could to help assure them, without neglecting the others.

That Saturday was also the start of the high school wrestling tournaments, which would lead up to the state tournament. Both Cole and Dustin had managed to qualify for the early rounds, but Dustin was also ranked among the favorites for winning his age bracket at the state level. I was thinking Cole might be a little disappointed that he hadn't received the same type of recognition, but he enthusiastically embraced his brother's ranking and never complained about his lack of acknowledgement.

That morning, I got everyone up early and drove the entire family to York College, where the district tournament was being held. Neither Sammy not Andrew ever wandered very far away from me for any length of time, even when their brothers wanted to take them somewhere, such as to the concession stand or to check the place out. I think this caused all of the other boys to begin worrying about how the impending visit from their grandparents was affecting both boys.

Once the action started, however, everyone seemed to put those other concerns in the back of their minds, as they cheered for their brothers. Cole and Dustin won their first and second round matches, although Cole barely squeaked by his second opponent. Amazingly, both of them had now reached the semi-final rounds.

Cole went out in his next match and amazed all of us, when he quickly pinned the young man he was facing, but we were less surprised when Dustin did the same thing. To my great astonishment, both boys were now moving on to the finals.

During his last match, Cole put forth an amazing effort, but ended up losing on points. Although slightly disappointed in the outcome, he was pleased to come in runner-up in his weight class and still enthusiastically cheered his brother on, when it was Dustin's turn to wrestle.

Dustin's match took a long time to complete, as a couple of brief breaks where called when Dustin's opponent was injured. First, they had to stop the match briefly when the boy's nose started to bleed, after his face hit the mat hard when Dustin took him down. After cleaning up the blood splatter and stopping the bleeding, the match continued, but not for long. A short time later, another brief time out was taken, as the other boy injured his shoulder while in one of Dustin's holds. The tournament officials had the doctor examine the young man and he was soon given the okay to continue, so the match resumed. In the end, Dustin won on a large point differential and would now move on to the state tournament. We were all quite proud of his accomplishment.

After our two athletes cleaned up, we took them out to celebrate, with a late dinner. Most of them were still in a raucous and upbeat mood by the time we reached home. However there were some exceptions, as Sammy and Andrew were still greatly concerned about their grandparents' upcoming visit. Throughout the entire day, Sammy and Andrew hadn't been quite as absorbed in the wrestling tournament as the others, since they were consumed by these other concerns. That's why all of the other boys now did everything they could to keep the pair from worrying about what might happen. They played cards and board games with them until they went to bed, but they weren't done yet.

Sunday, the others took Sammy and Andrew outside to play kickball again, and when they eventually came back inside, they played other games with them. They even talked me into taking all of them to a Sunday afternoon movie matinee. Even with all of this activity, the two boys clung to me like glue much of the time. At the movie, Sammy sat beside me and Andrew sat on my lap, as they each wanted to keep in physical contact with me. By the time Tuesday evening rolled around, they were just a bundle of raw nerves.

Tuesday after dinner, the limo pulled up in front of our house and the grandparents got out. I had also hired a Japanese interpreter from Philadelphia, who had ridden here with them, so he could assist them throughout their entire stay. Since I wasn't sure how much English they spoke, I opted to play it safe. It turns out it was a good thing I had done that, since their grandfather only spoke very limited, yet broken English and the grandmother spoke none at all. Any conversation had to go entirely through the interpreter.

We started by introducing the boys to their grandparents. Their father must have taught them some things about their Japanese heritage, because both boys bowed respectfully to their grandparents, after they had been introduced. The grandparents looked pleased and bowed in return. I let the four of them talk amongst themselves, through the interpreter of course, and I merely monitored the conversation, so I would know what was happening. They visited with the boys for nearly two hours, speaking with them through the translator, before they returned to their hotel room. I hope the language barrier might be enough to convince them they would have a difficult time raising the two boys in Japan, since both boys only knew a handful of Japanese words and phrases.

The scene repeated itself throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, but I did ask them to join us as I took Sammy and Andrew out to lunch on Thursday. They agreed and we went to Chuck E. Cheese, where the boys happily played the various games and crawled through the tubing. Their grandparents refused to eat there, but watched in amazement as their grandsons darted from one place to the next. I thought it was important for the grandparents to see how energetic the boys were, before they made any decisions about possibly wanting to raise them.

We spent our final time with them on Friday morning, as they were leaving that afternoon. The limo was taking them back to Philadelphia, where they would catch their flight back home. Even when we bowed and said good-bye to them before they drove away, they never gave us any impression about what we might expect beyond that point.

The following Monday, however, my lawyer called again, this time to inform me the grandparents were asking that the boys be allowed to come and stay with them for a week, in Japan. My attorney figured I'd humor them and go along with this request, so he suggested the week of spring break, in April, so the boys' schooling wouldn't be interrupted. After outlining his reasons, the grandparents agreed to that schedule. Now, I would have to prepare the boys for this trip.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to accompany them on this journey. I would arrange for someone to stay with the other boys during my absence or I might even decide to take them all with me, I wasn't sure about that part yet. However, the impression I was getting from this turn of events was not making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It looked as if the grandparents wanted to get them to see their homeland and possibly prepare them for relocating there. I didn't think they would have gone this route, if they didn't plan to file for custody of the boys. I didn't tell the boys about my suspicions, but it was now also my biggest fear.

Two days later, I finally made my decision about how I was going to handle all of this. Robert was already planning to come home for that week, so I'd ask him to watch the boys for me while I was gone. I was pretty sure he wouldn't mind, after realizing I trusted him enough to leave them alone for a limited amount of time. I had made this determination because I wasn't sure I could handle watching over all of the boys in unfamiliar surroundings, especially with all of the drama that would be playing out at the same time.

Convinced this was the right thing to do, I called to make reservations for our flight. I also made accommodations at a local hotel, where we would stay while we were there. As long as I was dealing with my travel agent, I also decided to confirm our summer vacation plans at the same time. I still kept Sammy and Andrew in the headcount for this trip too, even though I was beginning to doubt they would still be with us when the time came.

This whole situation was getting very difficult for me, as I had grown very close to the duo in the short time we had been together. They were still young enough to want to cuddle and be affectionate, and would often curl up against me or crawl onto my lap when we were together and I eagerly anticipated having more of these little snuggle sessions with them. Losing them, especially since they would be such a great distance away from us, would be devastating for me. It would almost be as if they had died or been killed, because I'd probably never see them again. The chances of my having any further contact with them would be slim to none and I knew, beyond any doubt, that I'd miss them both greatly.

This suddenly made me wonder about something else. How do parents ever cope with the loss of a child? It would be enough to rip my heart out and I've only been with my boys, and these two in particular, for a much shorter time than if I'd raised them from birth. What do parents do when they've spent years with their child and then they're suddenly dead and gone from their lives? Fortunately, I've never been confronted with that type of a situation and, hopefully, never will.

The next weekend we had to drive Dustin to the University of Pittsburgh, so he could compete in the state-wrestling tournament. He was excited, yet I could tell he was also nervous, although Cole kept telling him he was going to be the state champion in his weight class. I actually think this was adding pressure on him to do well, even though Cole didn't mean to do that to his brother. He was just so proud of Dustin's ability that he felt he couldn't proclaim any less than the top spot for his brother.

Once we arrived at the facility, Dustin had to leave us to get weighed in and then stay with the other wrestlers. We walked about for a while, checking the place out and locating all of the facilities, such as toilets, concession stand and other points of interest, before taking our seats and preparing for the various matches. It would be a long day of watching many young men whom we didn't know, but at this level, their abilities were more than sufficient to make up for not knowing them personally.

It all started with the lighter weight classes and progressed until it was Dustin's time to wrestle, in the 152-pound weight classes. Dustin first opponent was from the Erie area, and Dustin pinned him in the second period. Dustin didn't wrestle again for a couple of hours, but his next match pitted him against a boy from a Pittsburgh suburb. The match was fairly even, but ended with Dustin winning on points, 10 – 6.

It was fairly late in the evening when Dustin wrestled again and this was a really tough match for him. In fact, it was decided in overtime, with Dustin winning on points, 3 – 2. I think that match took a lot out of him, but gratefully if was his last contest of the day. Once his coach released him, he went with his brothers and I, as he was going to stay with us at the motel for the evening. Everyone was busily congratulating him on his matches, but Dustin played it down, saying there was more wrestling to be completed tomorrow. The boys took the hint and stopped pressing the issue.

Everyone turned in, after we grabbed some snacks, to tide us over. We hadn't done much eating all day, just grabbing items from the concession area whenever we had a chance. I think everyone slept well that evening, after they cleaned up.

The next morning, after a modest breakfast, we returned to the arena. Dustin went back to the locker room, to weigh-in again and check when his next match would be. He wrestled about an hour later, against the top ranked wrestler from his weight bracket. It was a very hard fought contest, but unfortunately, Dustin lost, 4 -3. He would wrestle in the consolation match later, having missed reaching the finals by a whisker.

Dustin was very determined when he took the mat for his final match, and ended up beating his opponent, 10 – 3. That meant he finished third in the state, losing only to the eventual tourney winner from his weight-class. All in all, I think he was pleased with his performance and we were all very proud of his accomplishment. Cole didn't let up, telling him he got robbed in that match he lost and he should have been the state champion. Dustin merely smiled and thanked Cole for continued faith in his abilities.

We didn't arrive home until after dark that evening, after stopping to eat. All of us were exhausted, but I reminded the boys they needed to finish whatever homework they had left undone, since they would be returning to school tomorrow. After listening to a few groans of complaint, they did as I asked and we tried to unwind until bedtime.

Chapter 33
A Child Fights Back

When we awoke the next morning, I realized it was the last day of the month, February 28th, and I had budget deadlines to meet that week. This meant it was going to be a very hectic day, filled with a great deal of boring work. The morning turned out to be particularly rough, with additional problems arising before lunchtime, but it seemed to get even worse during the noon hour. That's when Cole came to my office to discuss a troubling situation he was currently facing.

It turned out the boy who had been calling him names and causing him problems earlier in the school year had started in on him again. This new harassment had been the previous week, but Cole thought it might die down after the weekend, but that wasn't the case. The boy had already started in on him again that morning and Cole was running out of options and patience. He explained to me that he'd tried everything he could think of to end this situation, but had now run out of ideas. In desperation, he came to me for advice.

We were in my office, in the middle of our conversation, when I heard a loud argument in the hall. I sprang from behind my desk, bolted into the corridor and immediately discovered the source of the disturbance. Two of my students were having a major disagreement.

Cole had followed me into the corridor and we looked the situation over. I instantly recognized both young men. The one with his back toward me was Henry Prosser, the boy who had been causing problems with Cole. He was an eighth grader and his friends called him Hank. The other boy was a sixth grader named Eddie Weeks. Eddie was small for his age, and his blond hair and slight build gave him an almost fragile appearance. Eddie was screaming at Hank, saying something about being sick and tired of Hank tormenting him. Trying to be inconspicuous, I began moving toward the two boys and that's when I saw Eddie lift his arm towards Hank. That's when I discovered he was holding a small pistol in his right hand. I immediately told Cole to go in the office and have my secretary call 911, as I walked forward, to see what I could do to intervene.

"Eddie," I called out softly, but he didn't seem to hear me. "Eddie, hold on there. Don't do anything foolish. Let me help you and we'll see if we can't solve whatever problems you're having together."

He looked up at me, when his brain registered what I was saying. "No, Mr. Currie. I have to take care of this myself," he informed me. "Hank's not going to do this to me any more. I'm not going to let him. I'm going to make him stop it, right now." I could also see that Hank was very nervous and was afraid he might try something foolish – something that might provoke Eddie even more.

"Eddie, what's the problem?" I asked him, trying to get his attention off of Hank and on me. "It can't be that bad."

"It is, Mr. Currie, and I'm tired of him calling me names, beating me up and stealing my lunch money. He's done it for the last time and I'm going to make sure he doesn't do it to me or any other boy or girl again," Eddie replied, defiantly.

I knew from Cole's experience with him that Hank was a bully, but I'd opted not to get involved, at Cole's request. However, I had never received any other complaints about Hank or realized, before now, that he had been harassing other students, besides Cole.

I moved cautiously forward, until I was even with Hank. I was talking to Eddie the whole time, trying to get him to relax and put his weapon down. Just as I got to Hank, I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him roughly behind me. As I did so, he must have stumbled and fallen to the floor, because I heard a dull thud, indicating something had hit the tiled floor, just as I heard the gun go off. Eddie had pulled the trigger and I felt the bullet hit me in the abdomen. I looked up at Eddie and he was trying to see where Hank was, as he lay on the floor behind me. He must have seen Hank, as he looked between my legs and he lowered his gun to shoot a second time. Mustering all of my strength, I moved quickly toward Eddie, just as the second shot went off. I felt a sharp pain in my left leg and fell toward the floor, as I heard the crack of a third round being fired. This time I felt a pain in my chest and I collapsed onto the hard, cold floor.

By this time, a couple of teachers had come up behind Eddie and wrestled the pistol from his hand. One of the teachers hung onto him, while the other bent over me, to offer assistance. Cole came screaming to my side and I could see tears were gushing down his face, as I was rolled over, onto my back. Now there was a flurry of activity in the hall and a number of people were trying to assist me. Before long I could hear the sounds of multiple sirens pulling up in front of the school and soon there were police and paramedics clustered around and hovering over me.

The police took the gun from the teacher who had wrested it from Eddie and had now placed handcuffs on the small boy. As soon as he was restrained and they felt nothing more would happen, they began talking to witnesses and taking statements, as the paramedics attempted to stop the bleeding and treat my wounds. I was surprised I wasn't in very much pain, but as it was explained to me later, that was because I was suffering from shock and it had dulled my senses.

Once the emergency crew felt I was stabilized, they hoisted me onto a stretcher, ready to wheel me out and load me into the ambulance. Lying on the gurney, I looked over to see Cole crying hysterically and being physically restrained by one of his male teachers. The rest became a blur, as I started drifting in and out of consciousness from the loss of blood, but when I came to again, the emergency vehicle I was being transported in was speeding toward the hospital, with its siren going full-blast.

As we pulled up in front of the emergency room entrance, I was beginning to feel very woozy again and thought I might black out. The last thing I remember was being wheeled into a treatment room and doctors working frantically on me, before I totally zoned out.

Back at school, the police had taken Eddie Weeks into custody and placed him in a squad car, while the teachers had rounded up my other boys from their classes and put them in my office, along with Cole. My secretary was in with them, trying to comfort them, while the assistance principal and head-teacher tried to regain some semblance of order within the building.

Trey suggested calling Aunt Sally and telling her what happened and my secretary allowed him to do that. Soon, Sally was at the school, taking care of the boys there. After Sally arrived, my secretary called the high school, explained the situation to the principal there and asked him to have a guidance counselor round up my other sons and tell them what had happened. Sally advised them to also notify the boys she'd be over to pick them up shortly, so she could take them all to the hospital, to keep vigil.

After my secretary hung up, Sally asked her if she knew where the van keys were, which she did. She immediately retrieved them from my desk drawer, where she knew I always kept them while I was working. After handing them to Sally, Sally hurriedly loaded the younger boys into the van, drove to the high school and picked up the others, before driving them all to the hospital, so they could be near me. She was astute enough to realize none of them would be satisfied or able to function until they knew how I was doing and felt this would be best for all of us.

As soon as my high school boys were loaded into the vehicle, they started asking questions about what had happened. Cole told most of the story, but the others had to fill in the gaps, each time he began to cry again. Soon, they were all racing down the hospital corridors, toward the waiting area for the ER, while Sally frantically tried to find out whatever information she could glean from the receptionist.

As is typical, she was first asked if she was related, because of the critical nature of my injuries. Sally then went on to explain that she was the head of D.S.S., a very close friend of the family and would become guardian to the boys should anything happen to me, and that most of my sons were in the waiting room, frantic and wanting to know what was going on. She then explained, she was also acting on their behalf, both in her professional position and as temporary guardian. Seeing her professional position carried more weight, they finally gave in to her requests for information and communicated with her about my condition.

Basically, all they told her was that I had three gunshot wounds and was taken to the operating room to remove the bullets, stop the bleeding and stabilize my vital signs. They also agreed to update her on any information they learned about my condition, as soon as anyone came out of the OR. Satisfied that was the best she was going to do, Sally went back to rejoin the boys and relayed what little information she had to them.

The boys were still highly agitated and quite upset, so they barraged her with a thousand questions about what was going to happen to me, what was going to happen to them while I was in the hospital and what might become of our family. She first tried to reassure them, by promising she would stay with them at our house, for as long as I remained hospitalized. She also informed them nothing would happen to the family and she would be there for all of us, until I was back on my feet. They calmed down a little, but they were little more than basket cases at this point. The older boys were trying to comfort the younger ones and were clinging to each other, like Linus (from Charlie Brown) to his security blanket.

In the operating room, the doctors were patching up my injuries and pumping blood back into my drained body. I don't know how long they worked on me, but when they finally finished, I was wheeled into recovery. One of the doctors went out to inform Sally about what they had done and update her on my condition.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Patel and I was one of the surgeons that operated on Mr. Currie. I understand you are the person representing the family."

"Yes. I'm a close friend and Josh has given me temporary guardianship of his sons, if anything should happen to him," she explained. "He did that well over a year ago and I hoped I would never be forced to assume those duties."

"I understand. Let me offer my sympathy over what has happened and let me fill you in on what we did for him," the physician began. "Mr. Currie was the victim of three gunshot wounds and lost a considerable amount of blood before he arrived. Fortunately, it was only a .22 caliber handgun used in the assault or the damage could have been much worse. We gave him immediate transfusions of blood and then operated, once his vital signs were stable. One of the gunshots shattered his left kneecap. We've done what we can for now, but we will need to replace the original bone with an artificial knee joint as soon as he has recovered sufficiently. Another bullet went through his intestines, so we had to sew up several areas where the bullet punctured the tissue. The last shell went through his right lung and caused it to collapse. We have repaired the damage, re-inflated the lung and we're pumping antibiotics into his system to fight against infection."

"Will he recover and will he be able to function as he did before?" Sally asked, very concerned.

"I suspect all of his wounds will heal, but there may have to be some changes to his life-style," she was informed. "He may have to change his diet until his intestinal tract heals, he might also have some lingering respiratory problems and he probably won't be able to run or compete in sports with the knee damage he sustained. Other than that, I expect he should recover fully."

"You don't know how relieved that makes me," she admitted, as the air rushed from her lungs when she sighed. "I was worried I might have to assume full responsibility for all of his sons and that wouldn't be easy on any of us."

"He has a lot of sons and they are a handful, then?" the doctor asked.

"He has eleven boys, but they are wonderful young men," she informed him. "It's just that I work a great deal and I've lived on my own for years, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to adjust to such a change."

"Eleven sons? I didn't think people had that many children any more," he mumbled, somewhat shocked by this revelation.

"They're adopted," she explained. "He's taken in boys who needed him badly and he's done a wonderful job with them. I've got to go tell the boys he's going to be fine."

"You do that and I'll help make sure he is," the doctor urged. "We don't want those boys to lose their father now, do we?"

"Indeed not," Sally confirmed. "Thank you, Doctor. I need to get back with them. They are anxious for any news about their father. Thank you, again."

"I'm glad I could help," he told her, as they both turned to leave.

Sally went out and told the boys about my condition. They were still upset, but relieved that I would recover. They were also quite shocked to learn that I had been struck by three separate bullets. They knew one, maybe two, but they had never imagined that all three bullets had struck me.

"When can we see Daddy, Aunt Sally?" Andrew asked, the tracks of his tears still clearly visible on his cheeks. He had tried to wipe them away, but they still lined his face.

"The doctors will let us know when he has come out from under the anesthetic and is moved to his own room," she answered. "They'll let you see him then, but I'm not sure how many they'll let into the room at one time."

"We don't care if they let us enter in small groups or one at a time," Kevin told her. "We just want to see him, that's all."

"Yes," Dustin added. "We need to see him with our own eyes, so we can see for ourselves that he's okay."

"We don't know what we'd have done without him," Ricky chimed in. "I can't even remember what it was like before he took me in. He changed my whole life, but I still need him."

"We all need him," Pat offered, in support of Ricky's statement. "I didn't realize how much until the past couple of weeks. He's taught me a lot and I need him to keep letting me know when I'm not acting very smart."

"Don't worry, boys, the doctors only see minor problems ahead," she confirmed. "I think I understand how strongly you feel and I'm glad you appreciate who he is and what he's done for you. I'm sure he would have downplayed what you just told me, but he could never minimize how much he loves all of you and how deeply he cares about your future. You are as important to him, as he is to you. He would do anything for you boys, even more than he did for that boy in school, when he stepped in front of him to keep him from getting shot. He sacrificed his own body to save that young man and there's no telling how far he'd go to help one of you. You're are indeed very lucky to have found each other."

"We can thank you for part of that, Aunt Sally," Trey responded. "You were the one who led most of us into his arms and his home. We owe you too and we're also grateful that you're here for us now that we need you again."

"Trey, I wouldn't be anywhere else," Sally confirmed. "Josh asked me if I would be willing to assume guardianship of you, if anything should happen to him. I was hesitant at first, but then I thought I couldn't do anything less than he had, so I finally agreed to assume that responsibility. I didn't ever suspect I would actually be called upon to fill in, but I would never turn my back on you boys or shirk the promise that I made to your dad. I'm here for as long as you need me, but I hope Josh will be taking over again, as quickly as he can."

"Nothing against you, Aunt Sally," Dion told her, "but we do too. We love you, but we'd prefer to have Dad back."

"And that's exactly how it should be. No offense taken," she agreed.

The whole group continued to wait, but Sally soon realized it would most likely be some time before the boys would be able to see me. She talked to several of the nurses and each suggested it would probably be early evening, at the earliest, before I'd be moved and ready to see visitors. With that information in hand, Sally talked the boys into going out to eat first, after which they could return to visit. Reluctantly they agreed and Sally took them to a restaurant for dinner.

The boys were very quiet throughout the meal and only picked at their food. Sally tried to conduct a conversation with them, but the boys didn't feel much like talking, either. When the meal was finally over, they all thanked Sally for taking them out as they loaded back into my van and then rode back to the hospital in near total silence. Ricky was holding Andrew, while Sammy was sitting on Danny's lap and Graham was clinging to Kevin. Outside of Cole, who had witnessed what happened, the little ones were probably the most deeply affected by this incident, especially now with the uncertainty of Sammy and Andrew's grandparents appearance in our lives. The older boys did everything they could to comfort them, and Sally happened to notice this as she looked into the rear-view mirror. Instead of commenting about it, she just smiled to herself and thought how much like me they now were.

After they arrived at the hospital, they went to the front desk and inquired as to my condition and my location. After a couple of phone calls, they were told I was currently being moved to my own room and it would be about another half an hour before anyone would be able to see me. Somewhat dejected by the news, the boys dragged Sally into the gift shop, so they could look around. The clerk was uneasy with all of the boys wandering around, but she needn't have worried. The boys were looking for a gift to purchase for me. It was Graham who first saw the item they eventually agreed upon and asked Sally if they could borrow the money to purchase it. She agreed, so they made their purchase and then went back out to the lobby to wait.

They sat there for another fifteen or twenty minutes, before the phone in the lobby rang. Hesitantly, it was Dustin who walked over to pick it up. "Hello," he said into the mouthpiece.

"May I speak to someone from the Currie family?" the voice on the other end asked.

"This is Dustin Currie. I'm the oldest son," he stated, although not quite accurately. He seemed to have forgotten about his two older brothers.

"Great. Your father has been moved to room 317," she announced. "Just take the elevator to the third floor and follow the signs from there. It's been agreed that his family may visit him for a brief time, but no one else."

"Thank you," Dustin told her. "You don't know how much this means to us."

After hanging up, he filled in the others. Excited by this news, they walked down and entered the elevator, taking it to the third floor. Once they disembarked, they followed the signs to room 317. A nurse stopped them before entering and questioned who they were. Sally explained the situation and the nurse looked the group over. After being assured they were all his sons, the nurse finally agreed to let them go in, but quickly warned them to keep the noise down and not get me too excited. After agreeing to her demands, they walked in.

Chapter 34
All's Well That Ends Well

I was lying on the bed, starting to drift off to sleep, as they entered. When I heard the door open, I opened my eyes and was thrilled to see my boys again. They walked in and surrounded my bed, each one reaching out to touch me somewhere. Sally stood just slightly inside the entrance, watching us and smiling.

The boys were all talking at once, telling me how worried they had been and wanting to know how I was doing. I informed them I was a little sore, but otherwise felt fine. I explained what the doctors had told me earlier, which was that I could probably come home in a few days, although I would have some difficulty getting around for a while. It's possible I downplayed what the doctors had said, but I didn't want the boys to go home and agonize about me all evening. They didn't need that and I didn't want to have to worry about them losing sleep over me.

Quietly, Cole and Graham worked their way up beside me and handed me a small bag. I took it from them, thanked them and opened it. It was one of those little statues that said, 'The World's Greatest Dad." Tears started streaming down my cheeks the moment I saw it, so I just looked up and thanked them as best I could. That's when Graham announced it was from all of them and I just smiled and said, "I know."

The boys visited for a short time, before the nurse came in to shoo them out, telling them that I needed my rest. They all came over and kissed me good night, with Andrew, Sammy and Graham needing a helping hand from their brothers to be able to reach me without jiggling my body or bumping my wounds. I kissed each and every one of them, thanked Sally for all of her help and bid them all sweet dreams. It wasn't long after they left that my medications kicked in and I drifted off, into the land of oblivion.

Once they left the hospital, Sally quickly drove over to her place, so she could pack up a few items she would need for a stay at our place. She threw together only what she needed for overnight and would pick up more after work tomorrow, before she collected the boys again. At that time she planned to take enough to last her for a couple of weeks or more, because she felt she might need to stay there even after I got home, since I probably wouldn't be able to do very much for a while.

After they got home, the boys all helped to take care of each other and made sure that everyone remembered to wear clothes at all times. There was a great deal of doubling and tripling up in beds that evening, as everyone desired company. Each of them was still upset about what had happened earlier and, therefore, didn't want to spend the night alone.

Kevin and Dustin spent the night cuddled together and clinging to each other, while Ricky, Cole, Graham, Sammy and Andrew slept together on the king-size bed in the jungle room. Cole and Graham had Andrew securely tucked between them, since he was so upset, while Ricky kept Sammy wrapped under his arm most of the evening. Trey bunked in with Dion, and Pat slept in Danny's room, so no one was alone – except for Aunt Sally, who slept in my room.

Before everyone went up to bed, Sally suggested they each say a special prayer, thanking God for letting me survive the attack. It didn't take much to convince them to follow her advice, so the boys all did it together, in the upstairs hallway, before going to their rooms.

I don't remember much about that evening in the hospital, since I was so drugged up, and the next day I spent much of my time alone. Sally understood I would have wanted the boys to go to school and resume their normal activities, and she went back to work, after promising she'd pick them up later in the day and bring them for another visit with me. Therefore, I had plenty of time to think about a great many things.

The first thing was to consider my mortality and start making plans for the boys, in case something worse should happen to me. I would discuss this with my older children too, to see if they had any suggestions, since I wanted to make certain the boys would be able to stay together. It would be tough enough for them if they lost me, without having to worry about losing each other in the process too. I was now committed to getting this done soon, just to be on the safe side.

After that, I began to consider if I should retire early, possibly even taking a disability related retirement, due to my injuries. I finally decided that would be much too drastic a reaction to what happened and decided to keep my job, and everything else, just the way it was.

The next decision was when I should schedule having the artificial knee put in. I made a tentative choice of a date, but I would have to talk to Sally first, as she would be the one getting stuck holding down the fort until I got better. I wanted to make sure this fit into her schedule as well, as I was already imposing on her far more than I felt I should.

As things worked out, Sally popped in to see me at lunchtime. She also had Steve Shay in tow. They both asked how I was feeling and promised me the boys would be taken care of and everything else was fine. Steve was also helping to run errands with the boys and taking care of anything else Sally needed a hand with. After several minutes of this and other mundane matters, they began to inquire into the details about what had happened the day I got shot. Steve wanted to know how I was feeling about what should happen to the boy who shot me, which seemed logical consideration for a family court judge. I informed him that the boy had been acting out of frustration and the intended victim had been harassing both him and Cole. I then explained that I felt the boy who did the shooting should receive psychological counseling, but no punitive sentence. When he thought I was hinting about what he should do, Steve quickly explained that he wouldn't be handling this case, because of our friendship, but he would relay my suggestions, through unofficial channels, to the family court judge who would be filling in.

I then discussed possible operation dates with both of them, seeing they were both planning to help cover for me during my convalescence, and we came up with several possible dates, depending upon the doctor's schedule. I asked Sally to let the boys know I was fine and she just laughed and confirmed she wouldn't be able to keep them away from the hospital with several teams of horses. She informed me she'd be bringing them all over after she got out of work and I would be able to tell them myself.

Sally then told me about how my gift was selected the previous evening, along with some of the discussion that had taken place before they settled on that little statue. She said the boys were worried about much more than just what would happen to them and that there greatest concerns were about me. They were primarily worried if I'd have any long-term effects from the shooting and hoped I didn't become an invalid due to what happened. She emphasized that even though they did occasionally refer to possibly being split up or things of that nature, their main focus was on the fact that I recover completely, without any long-term disabilities, even if that meant we might not be together for a period of time. I was deeply touched by that information.

Sally then informed me about how she woke up in the middle of the night and decided to go upstairs and check on the boys. My first thought was I'd hoped they wore something to bed and she didn't catch them in any compromising positions, but the boys seemed to be one step ahead of me on that front. She then explained who had slept where and with whom, for comfort, and she thought it was sweet that they had all taken care of each other. From her lack of negative reaction to her account, I assumed they had all been dressed appropriately and no one was engaged in any activities that might arouse suspicion.

As we were talking, one of the nurses came in and turned on my television, as there was something she thought I might like to see. It was then that I discovered the shooting had even garnered national attention. It wasn't a lead story, because no one was killed, but it did receive a small mention on each channel's news broadcast, and later in nearly every national publication of prominence. I think that was due, in part, to the earlier attention we'd received for our unique family composition.

The boys told me later that I was being portrayed as a hero for saving Henry Prosser from getting shot, possibly even killed. The anchorpersons were saying how selflessly I had acted and the boys told me how very proud they were of me, before admonishing me to never do anything like that again.

I replied, "Yes, daddies," in my best childish voice, but no one laughed. Instead, they informed me they were serious and didn't want to have to worry about me like this again.

"We like the idea of you being a hero and all," Kevin told me, "but I think we'd all rather just have our dad. We don't need no stinking super hero," he added, in his best Cheech imitation, which brought a round of chuckles from the others, "but we do need you," he added, in a more serious tone.

"Dad, if something like that happens again," Pat informed me, "could you please let someone else handle it? We don't want to have to go through this ever again."

I looked at them and knew how they were feeling, but I didn't want to give them false hope. Instead, I was honest with them. "In the future, I will be more careful in similar situations, if they should come up," I agreed, "but if it comes to saving one of your lives or the life of another child, I can't say that I wouldn't do the same thing all over."

"I guess we knew that's what you were going to say," Ricky confessed, "but we had to try. It's just that we don't want anything to ever happen to you." I think a few tears slid down my cheeks at that point.

"I'm deeply touched by your concern," I admitted, "and I will try to be much more careful in any similar situations. Will that do?" They all agreed and everyone seemed happy.

After a couple of hours, I informed them I had to get some rest and they needed to go eat. After having Danny get my wallet from the nurse on duty, I gave my credit card to Sally and told her to use it to cover all of their expenses. She said she hadn't been concerned about such trivial details, but I knew I felt better knowing she had it. As they got ready to leave, I got another round of kisses and a great many 'get well soon' wishes.

When the doctor came in the next day, we scheduled my knee surgery. Since he thought I was doing well, he would just keep me in the hospital until it was done, three days hence. The doctor told me that not only was my quick recovery helpful and the fact I was still fairly young, but it was more important that I had kept myself in decent shape. I joked that it wasn't hard to stay in shape, with eleven sons to chase around, which caused him to laugh. He then added he didn't need to hear the details about what I had to do to keep up with them, before admitting he didn't plan to ever have that many children, so he'd never find out that way either.

On my third night in the hospital, I had another surprise visitor. Sally and the boys had just left a few minutes before to go and get dinner, when in walked Hank Prosser and his parents. We exchanged greetings and then Mr. Prosser got the ball rolling.

"Hank, what do you want to tell Mr. Currie?" he prodded.

"Mr. Currie, I just wanted to thank you for saving me from Eddie the other day," he uttered, in almost a whisper. The whole time he was speaking, he was looking at the side of my mattress and not at me.

"And what else did you want to say?" his father encouraged him, again.

"That I know what happened was mostly my fault, because I picked on him… a lot," he added. "I promise I won't do that ever again and I'm really sorry."

"Are you promising that you just won't do this to Eddie again, or do you mean you won't do this to any of the other children?" I asked him.

"To anyone," he responded, without looking up. "That includes Cole too." As he confirmed that, he looked up and locked onto my eyes for the first time.

"We've learned a lot about what Hank has been doing," his mother added, "and we're going to make certain it doesn't happen again. We hadn't known any of this prior to the shooting, but Eddie Weeks and his parents have filled us in on much of it since then. We won't say that what Eddie did was right, but we can see that Hank helped provoke his response."

"We want you to accept our apology, as well as Hank's," his father continued. "We feel responsible for his actions and, therefore, partially responsible for what happened to you. Hank is going to repay all of the children he took money from and he's going to apologize to them and their parents in person. He also got a good ass whoopin' for what he did, but I think that knowing he was almost shot because of his actions was enough to scare him into not repeating his mistakes."

As I looked at them, I considered what they'd said. I'd known the Prossers for some time, as Hank had both an older and younger sister, and they were good working class parents who had always shown a great concern for their children. They had always been an active part of the school community, attending school functions and actively taking part in parent-teacher conferences. That's how I knew they would be true to their word.

"Hank, I hope you've learned an important lesson from this," I told him. "There's an old saying that says, 'what goes around, comes around.' It almost came around to you in the worst possible way. I was going to be speaking with you that afternoon anyway, because Cole and I were discussing what you were doing to him again, when I heard the commotion in the hall. You're lucky that Cole had kept me in my office to tell me about his problem or I might not have been around to help you."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry and you can whoop my butt too," he agreed, "when you come back to school. I know I deserve it."

"I'm not sure that will be necessary, if you've truly learned your lesson," I informed him, to his extreme relief. I wasn't sure if it was his idea to add that offer or if his parents had suggested it to him before they arrived. Either way, I think he was grateful it wasn't going to happen. "I will keep it in mind, though, if you should start up again," I added, to give him another slight deterrent.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, but I won't do it again," he reiterated.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," I agreed.

I said good-bye to Hank and his parents and they left. After thinking about everything that had happened, I concluded I'd be happy to have more parents like the Prossers. They didn't have much money or a bunch of degrees, but they did have values, common sense and loved their children. Don't get me wrong, they weren't the Norman Rockwell portrait of the ideal family either, but they took responsibility for their own actions and those of their children, and they did their best to instill a good moral code into their offspring. Children sometimes refuse to follow their parents example and rebel, but these parents were still doing their job and Hank was going to fall into line, whether he liked it or not. It may have taken an incident like this to drive the point home to Hank, but he would have gotten it sooner or later.

When Sally and the boys returned, I told them about my visitors. Cole piped up and told me that I should take Hank up on his offer and spank him good and hard. I understood where he was coming from, but I would follow-up on this and discuss it more with him later, instead of doing it now. Instead, I visited with the boys for an hour or so, before encouraging them to go home, do their homework and get ready for bed. As they were leaving, Danny and Dustin hung back. They promised me that, as the two oldest, they would take care of all of the boys, so Aunt Sally wouldn't be bothered, and they guaranteed me each of them would wear clothes, as long as Aunt Sally was there. I thanked them for their help, gave them both hugs and then they left. As I watched them exit my room, I realized how proud I was of the fine young men they were growing into.

Two days later I had another unexpected visitor, but this time it was Eddie Weeks and his parents. He had been released into their custody after his initial hearing, but he was staying home from school for the time being, until things settled down. They came in shortly after lunch and Eddie walked in with his head hung low, as he walked up to my bed. Slowly, he lifted his face and looked at me, scanning my body from one end to the other, checking out all of the bandages that were visible and staring at the tubes sticking into my body.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Currie," he apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I really like you. You're a nice principal. I feel really bad that I hurt you like that. I just couldn't stand Hank picking on me like he did and I was going to stop him from doing it any more. I didn't want to hurt you. Will you forgive me? Please?" He looked sincere and very sorry for his actions; at least the part that concerned what happened to me. I wasn't so sure he was sorry he'd missed hitting Hank with a couple of bullets though.

"Yes, Eddie. I'll forgive you," I told him, with a stipulation, "but only if you'll promise me that you'll talk to me first, if you have any other problems."

"I promise, Mr. Currie. I'll always come to you first," he agreed, while barely cracking a smile. I reached out and took his hand, planning to shake on his promise, but instead he lifted my hand up and held it against his face. His parents stood back and merely watched what was going on.

Eddie had very good and caring parents as well, but he had just reached his breaking point and that caused him to do something foolish. I knew his father had handguns, shotguns and rifles, in his house. He was a hunter and owned his own farm, so he sometimes also used them when slaughtering a cow or a pig. He had taught Eddie how to use and respect those weapons, but Eddie simply forgot his previous training, due to his rage. I didn't blame either him or his parents for what happened to me.

"Mr. Currie," Eddie's father began, "we're all very sorry about what happened. Eddie has felt real bad about everything, especially about you. We've had several talks about what he did and I can assure you he won't ever pull a stunt like that again. Right, Eddie?"

"Yes, Papa. I am sorry, Mr. Currie," he confirmed. "I hope you don't hate me for what happened, but I could understand it if you did. I still like you, though."

"And I like you too, Eddie," I confessed, "and I accept your apology. You behave and I'll see you in school when I get back."

They left my room and I thought about their visit. Both boys and their parents had come to me to apologize, in person. I know the boys probably had little choice in the matter, but I thought it showed remarkable humility and concern on their parent's part. They were taking responsibility for what had happened and not making excuses for their sons, as well as making them promise they wouldn't do anything like that ever again. I guess what happened wasn't totally bad, since another valuable lesson had been learned and I was the only one who had been injured.

Chapter 35
Changes

Sally had called my grown children and told them about what had happened, the evening of the shooting. She had assured them I was doing fine and even added there was no threat to my life, although the injuries had been fairly serious. She talked them into waiting until the following weekend to come and see me, and that's just what they did. They began to arrive on Friday evening and by Saturday morning they were all present and accounted for, including my grandchildren.

My older children got permission for my grandsons to be able to visit me, but the little ones were very upset when they first saw me lying in the hospital bed. After answering many of their questions and involving them in a discussion about what happened and why, as well as an assurance that the doctor promised I was going to be fine, the boys began to calm down. After that, the visit went fine.

At home that evening, the boys did the usual doubling and tripling up on the sleeping arrangements, in order to make room for the others. However, in the end, it turned out not to be necessary. A group of the boys decided to hold a 'pajama party', well underwear party, in the family room, so they could be close to Jordan and Nicky. It had been Ricky's suggestion, but it quickly caught on.

First, Cole and Graham announced they liked the idea and were going to join in, and not long after that Sammy and Andrew agreed that it sounded like a good idea and wanted to participate too. A short time later, Trey and Dion asked if they could join the fun as well and the others quickly told them they were more than welcome. The boys all lugged down their sleeping bags and pillows, while bringing extras down for Jordan and Nicky, so they could have an indoor campout.

My adult children thought it was a great idea, since it distracted Jordan and Nicky from worrying about my condition, while they concentrated on having fun. It also gave my grandsons the opportunity they were looking forward to, which was spending time with their uncles. All in all, they had a great time on their own, although occasionally a parent or two had to wander into that room, just to get them to quiet down and get things back under control.

While I was visiting alone with my older children, we talked about many things. A few thought possibly I should retire and focus on the family, seeing money was no longer an issue, but that also brought up the topic of what would happen to the boys, if anything should happen to me. None of them felt they would be able to move here or take the boys to live with them, which I agreed with and hadn't expected. Hearing their views, I made sure to emphasize that what I was looking for were suggestions, not volunteers. This did seem to take the pressure off them and we did kick around some other possibilities.

Now, I only had one more job to perform, and that was allaying my grown offspring's concerns about my upcoming surgery. They thought I was possibly trying to do too much too soon, by scheduling the surgery before I had fully recovered and returned home. I kept reiterating that my physician thought I was strong enough to go through it, or else he would have made me cancel the operation. After a few more points were raised and discussed, they finally gave up their protests and were able to enjoy the rest of our visit, before I sent them all on their way.

By Sunday afternoon, my older children had to leave and get back to their lives and work. Before they did, though, they all returned to the hospital to see me one more time. I was somewhat sad to see the visit conclude, but realized I'd be seeing them again during the summer. My grandsons, however, didn't want to leave and started to protest. Fortunately, the boys were able to convince them it would only be a few more months before they would come to join us for the summer and go on vacation with us. That seemed to make them feel better and helped them cope with going back home. Before they left, however, they made their way through a sea of hugs and kisses, as we all said our good-byes.

By the end of the next week, I had my artificial knee joint put in and was back home recuperating, if you can recuperate in a houseful of boys. In an effort to make it easier on me, Sally and Steve hired a home health aide to assist me during the day, while the boys were at school. She would fix my lunch, keep the downstairs clean, do loads of laundry for me, run errands and would even do the grocery shopping for me, after we made out the list together. She was a godsend.

Sally also kept my van while I was laid up, so she could drive to our house every morning, pick-up the boys and take them to school. Each afternoon after she finished work, she would also pick them up, bring them home, fix our dinner and then stay and eat with us. The boys convinced Aunt Sally they would be able, and willing, to help me at night, so she could go home and sleep in her own bed. I think this was more to allow them to run around in their natural state than anything else, but she happily agreed.

Once I was back home, Pat also agreed to swap rooms with Dion. Pat took the smaller room, with the single bed, so Dion could have the room with the double bed, since Trey stayed with Dion most of the time now. I complimented Pat on his generosity, but he just smiled and explained he still had a lot of making up to do. I understood what he was saying, but informed him he had more than taken care of that. All he had to offer in reply was, 'we'll see.'

During their first night in their new bed, Trey was lying beside Dion after they were settled in. Uncharacteristically, Dion was a little restless that night and kept tossing and turning every few seconds. "What's the matter, Dion?" Trey asked. "Can't you get comfortable in here?"

"No, it seems different and we're not as close together as we were in the other room," Dion responded, although his answer could be taken to mean different things.

"That's why Pat switched with us," Trey confirmed. "In the other bed, we were almost lying on top of each other all night long."

"But I kind of liked it that way," Dion admitted. "Sure, it was a little crowded sometimes, but I always knew you were there. I don't know, it just feels different."

"Would it make you feel better if we did something, you know, so you can relax?" Trey offered.

"Yeah. You want to play with my dick?" Dion asked, unable to hide his eagerness.

"Sure, but do you want to try something new?" Trey suggested. "That way you can have new memories for the new bed."

"Like what do you have in mind?" Dion asked, wanting to make sure what he was agreeing to first.

"Well, I could suck on your cock to make you cum," Trey offered.

"EEWW! That sounds gross," Dion acknowledged, while make a face.

"It isn't really and it feels a lot better than when you use your hand," Trey assured him, in an effort to convince Dion it wasn't that bad.

"Doesn't it taste like pee?" Dion wondered.

"No. Actually it doesn't have much taste at all," Trey acknowledged. "It's kind of like licking your hand." Dion thought about it for a minute and then licked the back of his own hand to see what it tasted like.

"You mean that's all it tastes like?" Dion mused, as he started to seriously consider Trey's suggestion.

"Yeah, except for the cum, but that's not bad either," Trey informed him. "With some guys, it can be a little salty, but with others it can taste kind of sweet too."

"You mean you've tasted the jizz, too?" Dion challenged, totally shocked.

"Yeah, of course," Trey responded, trying to downplay Dion's surprise. "It's wild, feeling a guy shoot in your mouth and it's even wilder when you shoot your load in somebody else's hot throat."

"Well, I guess we could do it," Dion conceded. "You were right about my liking it when we did it the other way. I wasn't so sure when you explained what my gram told me wasn't true, but I trusted you and ended up loving what we did. So, okay, I'll try it. What should I do?"

"You lie back and I'll do it to you first," Trey suggested. "You just try to remember what I do, so you can do it back to me, when it's your turn."

"Yeah, fine," Dion agreed, although not enthusiastically.

Dion did as he was told and Trey reached over and started to stroke his impressive package. It didn't take long for Dion's heart to start pumping a large quantity of blood into his tool and it rose proudly from where it lay against his body. Trey just admired it in the dim light of the moon and was thankful that, although it was quite long, it was also rather slender. He might gag a little, but at least it wouldn't dislocate his jaw. When it reached its full length, Trey slid down next to Dion's waist, so he could begin.

Trey began by teasing Dion a little, sticking his tongue out and making a few quick swipes at various areas along his prick. This caused Dion to moan and squirm from nearly every touch. Slowly, Trey began to lick the base of Dion's pulsing mast and all around his scrotum. Even though Dion had a long schlong for his age, he had fairly small testicles. That didn't seem to hinder his production of semen, as Trey knew from earlier jack-off sessions, but it did look a little strange hanging below that awesome piece of meat. Trey was able to take Dion's testicles into his mouth and suck on them for a while, swirling them about in his warm, moist orifice.

Dion's body was now thrashing about on the bed from this attention, as he had never felt such wonderful sensations before. When Trey had finished with Dion's scrotum, Trey started to lick up the length of Dion's dick, which in turn caused Dion to bounce around, as if he were in an active earthquake zone. However, Dion's moaning sounded more like a boy with a tummy-ache and would suggest he was thrashing about in pain. Regardless, Trey kept working his way up Dion's hard pole until he was licking the mushroom head and flicking his tongue in his pulsing slit. Dion was now reaching out for Trey's head, trying to force him to swallow his monument.

Trey felt Dion's hands on his head, which let him know he had teased Dion long enough and it was time to give him a different type of pleasure. Without hesitation, Trey wrapped his lips around Dion's dickhead and began to slide his lips down the silky sides of Dion's boyhood. Dion let out a big groan, as he felt his penis become totally engulfed by Trey's hot, moist oral lining, thinking this must be the most wonderful thing in the world. He had been consumed with what was going on, when suddenly it got even better, as Trey began sliding his mouth up and down Dion's shaft, while also sucking on each upward movement.

Dion's moaning was now a series of little whimpers, almost as if he were begging Trey to give him relief. Trey loved the sounds Dion was making, and the knowledge he was causing Dion to experience such pleasure made him work even harder to help bring him off. Trey was bobbing up and down more quickly now, trying to give Dion the climax he desired, and most likely needed now. Dion must have been close, because he began to thrust his hips upward, in an effort to meet each of Trey's downward lunges. The combination of these actions now brought Dion to the brink of ecstasy, so he made one final thrust upward and released his load into Trey's throat.

The first two bursts went directly down Trey's gullet, but Trey managed to pull his head back slightly, so he could capture the following spurts in his mouth. He kept working on Dion's monster until it quit spitting its tasty cream, but Trey didn't release it until Dion's body collapsed back onto the bed. Dion's chest was heaving and his breathing was ragged, but it appeared as if he had just had his best climax ever.

As Dion recovered, Trey crawled up the length of the bed and hovered over Dion's head, watching him enjoy his warm orgasmic afterglow. When Dion finally opened his eyes, Trey was in his line of sight, so Dion gave him a wonderful grin. When Trey saw him do that, he opened his mouth to show Dion its contents.

"Is that my cum?" Dion asked, in wonder. Trey merely nodded his head up and down and moved his mouth toward Dion's. Dion wasn't sure about what was about to happen, but he eventually went along with it. Tentatively, he stuck his tongue out and put it into Trey's mouth, taking a taste of his own juices for the very first time. Once he thought he had enough of a sample, Dion brought his tongue back into his own mouth and tried to absorb the flavor.

"You're right," he announced. "It's not that bad tasting, but what you did to me was outstanding. That had to be the best one yet. Thanks for talking me into it."

"Oh, it was my pleasure," Trey agreed. "You sure do have a tasty piece of meat and I can't seem to get enough of it." That caused Dion to grin again, as he enjoyed the compliment.

"Okay. I'm ready to do it for you now," Dion announced, feeling a little more confident about returning the favor.

Eager for his own release, Trey quickly finished swallowing Dion's load and switched places with him on the bed. Dion took no time at all to swing into position and immediately began to play with Trey's foreskin, gently tugging it back and forth. He was mesmerized by the way he could uncover and then recover his cock head, as it was so very new and different to him. Finally, he tired of this game and pulled the skin all the way back, so he could lick all around Trey's glans.

Trey's sensitive head nearly exploded, as Dion's hot tongue came into contact with it, but it got even better when Dion twirled his tongue all around the helmet and then up and down the sides of his shaft. After doing that for a minute or so, Dion slipped his head down to Trey's ball bag and began to suck on Trey's large nuggets. He could only get one of them into his mouth at a time, but he enthusiastically sucked on each one individually, as Trey moaned out his chorus of approval. Hearing this made Dion felt great, because it convinced him that he could give Trey the same good fillings that Trey had given him. Inspired to try even harder, he eagerly worked his way up Trey's cock until he could take it into his mouth.

Trey released a loud groan, as Dion slid his warm lips down along the velvety sides of his penis. He began to frantically hump his hips upward, in an attempt to fuck Dion's face, but Dion managed to maintain control of the situation. He rocked up and down on Trey's uncut sausage, letting his lips form a seal around his rod, as he attempted to suction Trey's seed to the surface.

Dion frantically nodded his head up and down on Trey's mast, until he felt Trey's body shudder and go rigid, just before he unleashed his thick, rich spunk into Dion's waiting throat. Dion sucked and swallowed, not wishing to waste a drop, and continued that way until there was nothing left in the tube. Dion let Trey's log drop out of his mouth and sat up, smiling at Trey, until Trey came down from his climactic high.

"Well, how did I do?" Dion asked eagerly.

"You did great," Trey panted back. "That was terrific. You did an awesome job."

"Thanks. The whole thing was great," Dion agreed. "I'm glad you're so smart about all of this stuff. I love the way you teach me things."

"Hey, I enjoy teaching you," Trey confirmed, "and you're a pretty quick learner too." Dion only smiled back in response.

"Well, I think you took care of my problem," Dion whispered into Trey's ear, as they began to settle in and get comfortable. "I'm pretty sure I'll be able to sleep now. Actually, I'm a little tired. What do you say we turn in now?"

"Good idea," Trey agreed. "Good night, big boy." Dion didn't miss the meaning behind that little comment either, but he just smiled from its implication.

"Good night, Trey, and thanks. You're a pretty awesome, dude."

Both boys lay on the bed, but immediately reached out to touch each other. Eventually, Trey pulled Dion close to him, so they could snuggle against each other. He wrapped his arm across Dion's chest and a leg over his lower torso, and they stayed that way, until they faded off into oblivion.

Chapter 36
Apologies and Additions

My days at home soon started to fall into a routine. Steve came to have lunch with me a couple times a week and we would talk about different things. Most of all, he would keep me informed about Eddie's case. He had scheduled a meeting between the judge handling the case and me, so I could discuss my ideas about a suitable punishment for Eddie. When the time came, Steve accompanied me and we were able to agree upon a suitable sentence.

With Steve's help, I also managed to attend court on the day Eddie heard his sentence. When the judge asked him if he had anything to say, he walked over in front of me and told me how very sorry he was for what had happened and then he turned to the judge and told him the same thing. The judge emphasized the seriousness of his actions, but then explained he was getting a break on the sentencing. The judge informed Eddie that we had talked this over and I insisted he didn't belong in a juvenile detention center. I heard Eddie's parents breathe a sigh of relief as the judge told him what his sentence was.

In the end, Eddie was ordered to receive psychological counseling from the Department of Mental Health and do ten hours of community service each week for, a year. He would spend one hour a day after school and two and a half hours on both Saturday and Sunday in the children's ward of the hospital. He was to read the children stories, play games with them and help keep them entertained, while they were getting better.

After it was over, Eddie came up to me and gave me a hug and told me he was very sorry, once more, and then he thanked me for not letting them send him to reform school. I knew he was truly repentant about what he had done and wouldn't do anything like that again. After giving us time alone, his parents also came over to thank me for convincing the judge not to send their boy away. I explained it wasn't that difficult of a decision, as I always thought Eddie was basically a good kid. They all thanked me one more time, before they left the courthouse.

On the way back into the house, I stopped to pick up the mail. I had been getting many get well cards from friends, acquaintances, teachers, students and parents, so I was always eager to see whom I was going to hear from next. Although I was generally surprised by some of the people who took time to do this, today was even stranger, as I got a letter from a totally unexpected source. After seeing the return address, I opened the envelope and read it.

Dear Mr. Currie,

I read about you getting shot in the newspaper. I'm real sorry and hope you get better soon. You are a nice man and the boys need you an awful lot.

I've learned a lot since I've been away and I know now how I blew my chance to have a nice home and good family to live with. I wanted to tell you that I am sorry for what I did when I was there and I want you to tell Trey that I'm sorry, too. I had no right to do what I did to him and I know that now. Some of the older and bigger guys here did the same thing to me. I didn't like it at all and felt guilty afterward that I tried to do that to Trey. I hope none of you still hate me for all the rotten things I did while I was there.

I was hoping that maybe you'd let me stop by and say hello to you when I get out. I'd like to tell all of you in person that I'm sorry. It just doesn't seem good enough to say it in this letter. I was a jerk and now I am paying for it. I've learned my lesson and don't blame anybody but me for what happened. I just wish that I'd listened to you when you tried to tell me that what I was doing was wrong.

I hope you get well soon and hope you will also write back to me.

Your friend, Frankie

It seemed as if Frankie had learned a lesson, and I sincerely hoped that was indeed the case. It's too bad he had to learn it the hard way. It sounds as though it hasn't been very easy for him since he was taken away and I was saddened to hear he had also been sexually assaulted and probably physically abused by some of the other inmates. I felt bad about that and planned to write him back. I wanted to let him know we accept his apology and would welcome a visit from him. I would discuss this with Trey and clear it with him first, before I sent out any such letter of invitation.

My recovery had been a little slow, at least to me, but I now felt I was nearly healed. I was still using a cane when I walked, as an aid to help me until I adjusted to my new knee, but I was getting around fairly well. I wasn't sprinting and it was more of a hobble, but at least I wasn't bedridden or confined to a wheelchair or a walker.

It was now nearing the end of March and the weather was beginning to warm slightly. It was a Friday afternoon and the boys had just arrived home, when the doorbell rang. Ricky answered it and was soon leading a teenage boy into the family room to see me. It seemed odd he was here, because none of us seemed to know him.

"Dad," Ricky said, "this guy says he needs to talk to Mr. Currie. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, Ricky. I'll speak with him," I agreed, so Ricky left us alone. Studying the boy, I wondered what he wanted. Almost forgetting my manners, I finally remembered to offer him a seat.

"Mr. Currie,sir, my name is Carlos Garcia," he began. "I read about you in the magazines and also in the newspaper, after you got shot. That's how I was able to find where you live. I was wondering if I could live here with you?"

Needless to say, I was caught completely off-guard by his request. "Carlos, I will need to know much more about you and your situation first, before I can decide anything like that," I informed him. He looked a little disappointed I didn't say yes immediately, but didn't give up.

"What do you wish to know?" he asked, trying to comply with my request.

"Well, for starters, why do you want to live here?" I asked.

"Because I read that you have a good home and you are a good man," he stated, with a great deal of feeling. "It said in the magazine that you adopted many boys and that you are a good father. I wish to have that too."

"Don't you have any parents or someone who is responsible for you?" I pressed. Surely a boy his age couldn't be living on his own!

"I lived with my mother, when we come to this country from Mexico. We lived in California until she met a man and then we moved to Philadelphia with him. He does not like me and is very mean to me. My mother says that I must do as he says, because it is his house. When he beat me with his belt, I run away. I was not going to let him keep doing that to me."

"How old are you, Carlos?" I asked, not sure if I was judging his age correctly.

"I am fourteen, sir," he quickly informed me.

"And why did this man beat you with his belt?" I asked, trying to clarify the issue.

Carlos froze when I asked him this. It was as if he was afraid to answer. After some coaxing, he told me the story. "My mother was working and Roberto, that's the man's name, wanted me to get him a beer from the refrigerator. I did, but I was not careful when I set it on the coffee table. It tipped over and spilled all over his cocaine. He had the powder on the table and the beer made it all wet and no good any more. Roberto took off his belt and started beating me with it. He was screaming about how much money I had just wasted. I ran from the apartment and was too afraid to go back.

"When I saw the story in the newspaper about you getting shot, I also remembered the story about your family from the magazine. I was able to find out what city you lived in from the newspaper and was able to get rides to get here. I asked many people where you lived until one man told me how to get to your house. Will you please let me live here with you?"

"Carlos, you can stay here for now, while I check with friends of mine to see what we can do legally," I informed him. "I'm curious however. Why didn't you go to the police and report him?"

"My mother is not legal in this country," he admitted. "We sneaked across the border at night. If I go to the police, they will send us back to Mexico." He was almost ready to begin weeping at this point, but I could tell he was fighting back his tears.

"Look, I'll see what I can do, but you'll stay here while I check it out," I agreed. I called for Ricky and he came back into the room. "Ricky, would you find Pat and Danny for me? I need to ask them a question."

"Sure, Dad. I'll be right back," he confirmed, as he raced from the room.

"Carlos, do you have any clothes or other belongings?" I asked him.

"No, sir. When I left, I did not have time to pack any of my things," he explained. "If I had gone back to get them, Roberto would have beaten me worse."

"That's okay. We'll buy you some things to tide you over," I assured him, which caused him to smile, slightly, almost as if he was sure I was going to do that before I told him.

Pretty soon Ricky returned, with Pat and Danny in tow. "What do you need, Dad?" Pat asked.

"Pat and Danny, this is Carlos and he needs a place to stay," I informed them. "Would you two mind sharing Danny's room, so Carlos can stay in Pat's room temporarily, at least until we can figure out what's going to happen with him?"

"Sure, Dad. No problem," Pat answered, while Danny stood impassively beside him. Pat then looked at Carlos and spoke. "Hi, I'm Pat. Come on. I'll show you up to your room."

"Hold on a second, champ," I warned him. "Danny, are you okay with this?" I pressed, to see how he felt about this arrangement.

"Sure, Dad. I don't mind sharing my room with Pat. We do it a lot, anyway," he confirmed, much to my relief. Having heard their concession, I turned to Carlos.

"Okay, Carlos, you have a room for the time being, but now I have a question for you. Have you eaten today?"

"A little," he offered, although not convincingly.

"What have you had to eat?" I pressed, to get more details, but he didn't look like he wanted to say more. "Come on, just tell me," I urged him. "You're not going to get into any trouble over anything you say."

He still looked scared, but he finally responded. "I stole an apple and a roll from the grocery store. That's what I had to eat."

"Are you still hungry?" He merely nodded his head up and down. "Pat, would you please take him into the kitchen and get him something to fill him up first. Then you can show him to the bathroom, so he can take a bath or a shower. I'm sure that would also help to make him feel better too. While you're at it, will you also see if you can find some clothes that will fit him? Maybe one of the other boys has something he could wear until I'm able run to the store."

"Sure, Dad. I can do that," Pat replied.

"Thank you," I told him. "Danny, while Pat is doing that, would you mind bringing Carlos' clothes down and wash them for me?" I'm sure he'll feel better in his own things, if they're clean too."

"Yeah, Dad. No problem," Danny shot back.

"Thanks, Danny. I really appreciate that you and Pat are helping me like this."

"Hey, we're happy to help, Dad," Pat answered, for both of them. "You've done plenty for us, so we can do our share too. Come on, Carlos. Let's go see what you want to eat."

Pat dragged Carlos off to the kitchen, telling him his choices and asking him what he wanted to eat. Carlos decided on a sandwich, but also had a piece of fruit and a glass of milk. After that, Pat showed Carlos to the upstairs bathroom and filled the tub with water, so Carlos could take a bath. Pat got Carlos a towel and gave him some of his own clothes to wear, since they were pretty close in size. Once Carlos was soaking, Danny brought down Carlos' old clothes and threw them into the washing machine a few minutes later. When Carlos was done and dressed, Pat showed him which room would be his, gave him a quick tour around the house and then brought him back in to see me.

"You have a very big house, sir," Carlos told me, his eyes wide.

"Yes, I do. I hope you don't get lost in it," I joked, but Carlos missed my humor.

"I will try not to, sir," he agreed, straight-faced.

"I know you will. I was only joking about that," I informed him, but jokes are never as good when they have to be explained.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know," he apologized.

"Don't be sorry. It was my fault,' I admitted. "I should have explained to you that I was just kidding in the first place. Do you feel better now, since you've eaten and bathed?"

"Oh, yes, sir. Very much so, sir," he answered, very formally.

"Carlos, you're just going to have to stop calling me 'sir' all of the time," I suggested.

"Yes, sir. I will, sir," he agreed, while doing the same thing.

"I guess we'll have to work on that," I teased, before giving him some options. "You can call me 'Josh' or 'Uncle Josh' or even 'Pop', if you'd like – just stop calling me sir."

"What do the other boys call you, sir?" he asked.

"Most call me Dad, while others call me Pop."

"But I am not your son, like they are, sir," he observed. "So what do you want me to call you?"

"It's your choice, Carlos. It really doesn't matter to me, as long as it's not sir," I agreed.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," he responded, doing it yet again.

"Cut that out," I pleaded, while smiling at him, to let him know I wasn't upset.

"I'm sorry, sir," he apologized, suddenly looking at the floor again. I wasn't sure if he was expecting me to do something to him or just feeling bad because he kept making the same mistake over again.

"I give up," I offered. "Carlos, why don't you let Pat introduce you to the other boys and maybe you can decide later what you want to call me. They might even be able to help you figure that out."

"Very good, sir," Carlos agreed, before Pat grabbed him by the arm and dragged him from the room, chuckling as he went.

All of the boys knew I didn't care for all the formality of being called 'sir' all of the time. I heard enough of that at school, but besides that, it reminded me too much of my days in the army. I didn't feel homes should be run like basic training or boot camps and I wanted the boys to feel comfortable here. Respect and politeness are fine, and even demanded, but the same thing can be accomplished in a less formal atmosphere. Respect can be faked, especially on such a formal level, but I preferred it to be genuine and mutual. To me, the constant use of the term sir crosses my boundary of desired politeness.

Once Carlos seemed comfortable and was off with the other boys, I called Sally and gave her a very brief explanation about my problem. Since it was Friday, she didn't know what she could do for me, except come to meet him and see what she could find out from him. I told her that would be fine and she said she would stop by a little later, as she had to swing by her office for an emergency meeting. I let her go, but knew I'd be seeing her soon.

I went to check to see what the boys were up to, but I needn't have. Although the television was on, the boys were just sitting around talking, as each of the boys took turns filling Carlos in about how they had come to live there. He seemed truly interested in what each one of them had to say and listened intently. I think this was giving him hope that I would let him stay here permanently.

About an hour after I talked to her on the phone, Sally pulled into the driveway. Once she was inside, I introduced her to Carlos and the three of us sat down to discuss his situation. After explaining to Carlos that she was a friend who had been responsible from bringing most of the other boys to live with me, he seemed to relax. I think he first suspected she might be an immigration officer or other federal bureaucrat.

I had Carlos give Sally a quick rundown on his background, before I asked what she might be able to do to help. She told me there wasn't much she could do over the weekend, but asked if there was anything else we might need, before she left. Seeing she offered, I asked if she might be willing to take Carlos shopping for some things, since he had nothing of his own, but the clothes he was wearing when he arrived. She was hesitant at first, but after Pat volunteered to go with them and help out, Sally also agreed.

I insisted Sally stay for dinner, since she was doing me such a favor. Not only that, but I didn't want Carlos leaving the house before eating. Danny, Dustin, Kevin and Pat had been very good about helping me fix dinner while I was semi-laid up, and they did the same tonight. In less than an hour, everything was ready and we sat down to eat.

Over dinner, the boys explained to Carlos about Aunt Sally. He was pleased to realize she was like another member of the family, so he didn't have to worry about her turning him in to some regulatory office, once he went out with her. That thought never crossed my mind, but I guess you learn to think differently, when you aren't in the country legally.

They left right after dinner, but not until I gave Sally my credit card to use to make the purchases. I even told her where I usually shop for the boys. A couple of hours later they returned, with several bags that contained clothes, athletic shoes and a toothbrush. Pat helped Carlos take the things up to his room and I was deeply impressed by how much Pat was offering to do to help out, since a few weeks earlier he might have been calling Carlos a spic or a wetback. He had certainly come a long way since then.

Before she left, Sally assured me she would start working on his case on Monday and she'd call the Philadelphia office to report this Roberto character to the authorities. Carlos had been able to tell her the address of Roberto's apartment, although he wasn't sure of his actual last name, since Roberto had used various surnames at different times. That sounded like something a criminal would do, or possibly he was an illegal alien too, and Sally agreed with my reasoning. She would make sure DSS and the police checked up on this guy and prevented him from doing any more harm.

I also called the furniture store and ordered a king-size bed for Danny's room. When Brandon showed up for good, the double bed would be very cramped for three mature boys. By getting a slightly larger bed for them, it should take care of the problem for now. I asked for it to be delivered on Saturday and then I told Danny and Pat what I had done. Danny loved the idea and he thanked Pat and me for arranging it. When Pat asked him what he had done, Danny told him that by giving up his room to Carlos, he had helped to ensure his getting a new bed. Pat didn't quite follow Danny's logic, but he accepted his thank you, nonetheless. We would place the extra double bed somewhere for emergencies, but now I would have to determine where that would be.

Chapter 37
A Nippon Experience

Besides Carlos' recent arrival, I had to focus on another matter that was quickly becoming more urgent. In just a couple more weeks it would be spring vacation, which meant I would be leaving on my trip to Japan, with Sammy and Andrew. Therefore, it was time to start thinking about what to pack and how I was going to handle this entire situation. Not only that, but I would have to sit down with Sammy and Andrew to prepare them for this visit as well. I not only had to reassure both boys about how much I loved them, but also make certain they were ready for what might happen, once we were in Japan.

Fortunately, I had ordered all the boys' passports back in January, in preparation for our summer vacation, which meant Sammy and Andrew would have theirs in plenty of time. The boys didn't know anything about this, however, as I had arranged to have a friend take their passport photos without the boys learning what they were really for. Instead, I told them I wanted their pictures for my personal records, just in case we needed identification photos of them later. I worked this in conjunction with the sheriff's departments child safety program, which they ran at my school, so not only did I have those photos, but I also had all the boys' fingerprinted and kept those cards in my fireproof safe.

Although this program had been held for the younger grades, I brought my high school boys over and had them participate too, so I could have those records, just in case they were ever needed. After explaining my reasons and quelling their objections, they cooperated with my requests. Once all of this was completed, I attached each boy's photo to the appropriate fingerprint card, for security reasons. Of course, I had my friend print multiple copies of each of their photos, so I had plenty for each purpose.

As the time to leave grew near, I could see Sammy and Andrew beginning to get more and more wrapped up in their emotions. Although they were excited about traveling to Japan and seeing where their father had lived, they were also concerned about their grandparents might try to keep them there. My attorney had assured me this wouldn't happen, after he research Japanese laws about custodial claims, but I've heard of worse horror stories happening in foreign countries. Once you're on foreign soil, you must abide by the laws of that country and I was still concerned there might be other laws our lawyer might have missed, concerning orphaned children of a Japanese national. After expressing my concerns, my attorney explained he'd also had a Japanese firm check his findings, before assuring me I had nothing to worry about. I prayed he was right.

On the final Friday of classes before spring break, I brought the boys home, and Sammy, Andrew and I went back over our preparations for our trip. We would leave the following morning and Steve was going to drive us to the Pittsburgh Airport. Now we went over our list of things we were taking with us, as I wanted to make certain we would have everything we needed. I didn't want to forget anything important, since I wasn't sure if we could find replacement items for such things, once we arrived.

Sally had agreed to stay with the other boys again, until Scott arrived later that day, so I had no worries there. During the evening I said my good-byes to the rest of the boys, as the three of us would be leaving the house before they got up the next day. Each one wished us luck and told us to have a good time, but I could tell from their reserved actions and unusual demeanor that they were worried about Sammy and Andrew's future with us, too. It was obvious they were trying not to alarm the other pair about their concerns, but they were just as worried as I was that the grandparents would want the boys to stay and live with them in Japan.

Saturday morning, I awoke both boys before daybreak and got them dressed in their traveling attire, before we dragged our luggage down to the foyer. Steve arrived a short time later, so we loaded everything and were on our way to Pittsburgh by 6:30. The two boys sat in the back, rigid and nervous looking, while I sat in the front, next to Steve.

During the lengthy ride, we talked about many things, none of which had to do with this trip, and slowly I saw the boys begin to relax. We arrived at the airport shortly after 10:00, but our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 11:30. I took the boys up to the airline counter, checked us in, tagged our luggage and then we grabbed a quick bite to eat with Steve.

While we were eating, I looked in my carry-on case, to make sure I had packed both boys' personal CD players, the CDs they had selected to take with them, a few of the hand-held games they wanted to play while we traveled and a selection of new batteries, to last throughout the trip. It would be a long flight, the boys' first plane trip, and we weren't sure we'd be able to find replacements for the batteries while we were in Japan, so we came prepared.

When our flight was called, I led the boys to the plane and we took our seats. We would fly to Chicago's O'Hare Airport first and have over an hour layover there, before making our connecting flight to Tokyo. We were scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 12:03 and leave again at 1:20.

Both boys wanted to sit next to me, so I let Sammy have the window seat, I sat next to him, and Andrew sat on my right. I figured that once the seat-belt sign was turned off, Andrew would be in my lap for most of the trip anyway, so it didn't really make a difference where he sat. However, if he were on my lap, both boys would be able to look out the window. Due to their inexperience with this type of travel, each of them got very nervous just before takeoff and clung tightly to my arms.

It was a smooth lift-off, but my little ones seemed to hold their breath until we were safely in the air. I didn't realize it before we left, but this flight was basically an up-and-down shuttle. Almost as soon as we reached our optimum level, we started our descent. Both boys listened to their music or played with one of the games we'd brought along, so it wasn't too bad. The flight passed quickly and before long the announcement was made to prepare for landing. I made sure each of them was buckled into his seat, as the plane began its descent.

I watched the boys closely, as we began our approach for landing. Their eyes were wide and their knuckles white, as they gripped the armrest or my arm. Sammy was looking out the window, so his reaction was more severe than his brother's. He kept tugging at my shirtsleeve and pointing outside.

"Dad, look!" he urged, somewhat excited. I think he felt that we were going to crash, but he didn't say it aloud, as he didn't want to frighten his brother.

"Yes, we are landing, but what you're seeing is quite normal," I assured him. "It just gives you a weird feeling, because the plane is traveling so fast and you're not used to traveling at such speeds. There's nothing to be concerned about though."

I think I saw him exhale after my comment, as that seemed to allay his fears a little. By the time the plane's wheels touched down on the runway, I thought both boys were going to draw blood from my arm. Their tiny fingers were digging through my shirt and into my skin and I was more than thankful their nails had been trimmed. As we taxied up to unload, the color and smiles slowly returned to their faces.

We made our way into the terminal and used the restroom, before grabbing drinks and some ice cream from the snack bar. When we finished our snack, we made our way to our next departure gate. By the time we arrived there, the other passengers were already boarding. We sat in the same order we had on our first flight, since the boys seemed satisfied with that arrangement. As I said before, our departure time was 1:20 and we would arrive in Tokyo 4:05 p.m. their time.

The boys weren't quite as nervous about this take-off, but they weren't totally relaxed either. Once we were in the air, however, they were fine. Except for some minor bouts with turbulence, the flight was quite smooth. As I anticipated, Andrew spent most of his time sitting on my lap and just being affectionate. During the early leg of the flight, I would point at different things through the small window and the boys would look out to see what I was showing them. Finally, I left them on their own.

During much of the flight, they sat quietly listening to their music, playing an electronic game or watching the movie that was being shown, although Andrew did most of this while sitting with me. They also took a nap or two during the multi-hour flight. They both thought it was really neat when we ate on the plane, but were too excited to consume very much of the meal.

Some of the other passengers on the plane looked at us funny when the boys would call me 'Dad', but seemed to be less critical after watching Andrew contentedly curled up on my lap the whole time. One nice lady stopped by, sat down in Andrew's seat and chatted with us for a while.

"Your sons are adorable," she told me, as she waited to gauge my reaction to her comment, "and so well behaved. I haven't heard hardly a peep out of them during this whole flight."

"Thank you for saying so," I replied. "I'm very proud of both of them."

"And they have such a cute mixture of features," she added, and I knew what she was hinting at.

"Yes, they're both half Japanese," I informed her, but didn't elaborate beyond that. "I'm taking them to visit their grandparents, who still live in Japan." She nodded her understanding and left it at that, not pressing for more information.

She did hang around and played around with the boys, while also chatting with them, before going back to her seat. Before she left, she gave both of the boys a stick of gum, to help their ears decompress on such a long flight. I was very proud of them when they thanked her for her kindness, without my prodding.

Andrew was sleeping on my lap when the announcement came on for passengers to return to their seats and prepare for landing. I had to wake him up and buckle him in his seat, but he wanted to hold my hand the whole time. As with the second take-off, the boys weren't as nervous about this landing as the first one. They gave a little cheer when they felt the wheels hit the runway and some of the other passengers gave them a grin, a thumbs-up sign or flashed them an okay sign in return. The boys were a little shy about being noticed so much, even though they inadvertently brought it upon themselves, but they played along with the other passengers.

The plane was soon parked and we disembarked. From there, we made our way along multiple corridors, as we worked our way toward the baggage claim area. When we got to a point where they allowed non-passengers, I saw a man holding a sign with our name on it. He turned out to be the interpreter I had hired through my travel agent. He helped us retrieve our luggage and showed us to our car. The chauffeur drove us to our hotel and we went in to register. I had reserved two rooms, one for the boys and me and the other for the interpreter. I wanted him close by at all times, in case I had a communication problem.

Once we were settled in, we had the interpreter call the boys' grandparents and let them know we had arrived safely. We made an appointment to visit them at ten the next morning and then we made ourselves comfortable. I knew we'd all be feeling the effects of jet lag, since it had begun to show on us already. I felt tonight might be difficult for the boys, as we were all adjusting to the time differences, so I planned absolutely no activities. Mr. & Mrs. Yamada knew about this and had agreed, so I ordered dinner through room service and we never left the room.

There wasn't really much to do, since nearly everything was in Japanese, so I was glad I threw a couple of magazines and a book in my suitcase when I packed. The boys had their music and the electronic games, so I didn't worry about them. I was reading one of the magazines, when Sammy came over and asked to sit with me. I obliged him, because he hadn't had as much time alone with me on the trip. Even though Andrew had seemed to be fused to my lap during the flight, Sammy was still willing to share me, when Andrew asked to join us. I thought that was sweet.

Before it got too late, I bathed the boys and got them ready for bed. They wanted to run around naked for a while and I saw no harm in it, so I let them. I gave them another half hour or so before I talked them into bed. I went at the same time, not having had the advantage of napping on the plane like they had. We all slept soundly until the alarm went off.

Even though it seemed to come too quickly, we got ready and met with the boys' grandparents at their house. While we were there, I tried to stay in the background and give them time alone. I had only come on this trip to keep the boys safe and to make certain I was there if they needed me. Otherwise, this was to be the time when the two generations got to know each other even better. I did not interfere as the two groups spoke to each other through the interpreter. The boys knew only a very few words in Japanese and therefore couldn't really speak the language.

From what I could understand, the grandparents were trying to tell the boys about their heritage and a little bit about their father's life as a boy. They talked about what their father was like from birth until he left for the States to go to college. They tried to explain the reason for the estrangement between them, but the boys simply could not understand how parents could disown their own son and act as if he were dead. The grandmother tried to explain the Japanese traditions of respecting one's elders and honoring the wishes of the parents, but the participants in this discussion were from vastly different worlds and could not appreciate what the other was trying to say on this topic. They continued their discussion until well past noon, when I suggested we take a break and go out for some food. Finally, I got everyone to agree.

The grandfather suggested a restaurant not too far away, which served food in the Tempura style. This meant the food we ate had been deep fried, after being dipped in a batter. The grandfather placed the order for us, as none of the rest of us, except his wife, were sure what the items on the menu were. It was good tasting, although I never really knew exactly what it was I was eating. The boys seemed to enjoy it too and we soon settled the bill and left.

After leaving the restaurant, the grandmother suggested we take a Sumida River Cruise, so the boys could see what some of Tokyo looked like. From the boat we saw the Sumo arena, the Tokyo-to City Museum, the Tsukiji Fish Market, the Rainbow Bridge (that spanned Tokyo Bay) and we also passed under more than a dozen other bridges along the way. I think we all found the ride was relaxing, as well as quite lovely.

The cruise had taken around forty minutes to complete and we went from there to the Fukugawa Edo Museum. This museum contained a recreation of a nineteenth century Japanese neighborhood, done to extremely accurate detail. The museum also provided a sound and visual mix that added an authentic look and feel to this neighborhood. If this didn't give the boys some indication about their father's heritage, then nothing would. I was very impressed by the whole visit.

As we were leaving, Andrew asked a question through the interpreter. "Grandfather, was that how it was like here when you were little?"

Once the interpret explained to the grandparents what Andrew had said, I thought I saw his grandmother stifle a chuckle, as the grandfather's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Oh, no, little one," his grandfather told him through the interpreter, "that was even before the time of my grandfather." He now seemed to also have a twinkle in his eyes, after he said that.

Once we finished this segment of our time together, we parted company for the day and made arrangements to meet at the same time tomorrow. The boys, the interpreter and myself went back to the hotel to freshen up, before deciding where to go for dinner. After discussing this with the interpreter, we decided on a Teppanyaki style Japanese restaurant, or a Japanese steakhouse. Although this wasn't exactly what I was used to, it was still very good and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

While dining, the interpreter also advised me of a Japanese tradition, as we were both drinking beer with our meal. He explained that while socializing, you never refill your own drink and you never let your companion's glass become completely empty. It sounded intriguing, so I agreed to abide by this tradition. Now, besides having to watch how much I was imbibing, I had to watch the interpreter's glass, to make sure I kept him supplied with beer. We all managed to have a good time, without over indulging.

Once we'd finished eating and were back in the room, both Sammy and Andrew became very affectionate. First, they both wanted to sit on my lap, and then they started kissing and hugging me. It was then that they gave me a hint as to what this was all about.

"We're glad you would never disown us or pretend we were dead," Sammy announced, after we'd been together for a while. "How could our grandparents do that to our father?"

"Boys, I'm not sure I can answer that question," I told them, "because our cultures have different ways of looking at things. Over here, in Japan, at least when your father was young, children who disobeyed their parents wishes might be treated that way. That's because the Japanese place a very high value on honoring their elders."

"We could understand it if they were mad at him and maybe didn't speak to him for a while," Sammy continued, "but how could they pretend he was dead and never have anything more to do with him?"

"That's why they didn't know about me and Sammy," Andrew added. "That's why I don't want to live here. They might get mad at us too."

Although I tried to explain it again, as best I could, the boys still couldn't understand why their grandparents told their friends and relatives that their son had died and never spoke of him again. No matter how hard I tried to explain their grandparents' reasons to them, it was just beyond their grasp. However, both boys kept continually thanking me for not being like that.

Once again, I gave them their bath and let them enjoy their time naked. They entertained each other for a while after that, competing on their games or discussing their music, but eventually they let me know they were ready to go to sleep. I agreed and joined them, so soon we were all cuddled together on the bed. They seemed to want to be in contact with me and I always loved being with them, so we were all content.

At one point during the evening, I got up to use the toilet and Andrew must have woken up and discovered I was gone. He got scared and began to cry. When I came back out, I heard him sobbing and asked him what was wrong.

"I just got scared when I couldn't find you, Daddy" he told me.

"I just went to the toilet, but I'm back now," I explained, "so everything is okay." Although my words had done some of the job, Andrew wasn't completely comforted unless he was touching me and knew for certain I was there. After I kissed him good night again, he drifted back to sleep.

Chapter 38
What Will Our Future Hold?

The next morning we met with the boys' grandparents again, but this time they suggested we go to Ueno Park. We spent the first part of the day at the zoo there, but seeing we'd been to other zoos, the boys weren't all that thrilled by the experience. The highlights of our visit there were the two giant pandas and the king penguins they had on display and both boys thoroughly enjoyed the show the animals put on for them.

When it was time for lunch, the grandmother suggested we try a Nake restaurant this time. This establishment featured an old-style cooking technique in which the stew they prepared was served in the pot it was made in. After the food was dished out, the rest of them began eating with chopsticks, but I couldn't quite master the technique with this fare, so I was forced to use a fork. I was grateful that everyone was polite enough not to comment about this

The food was quite good and I had two helpings, while the boys each devoured a large serving of their own. This seemed to impress their grandparents, in that they realized their son had at least prepared the boys for eating various Japanese foods, along with some of their customs. I think they may have started to regret their actions against him and the years they had missed of knowing about and enjoying their two grandsons.

That afternoon, we went to the Tokyo National Museum. There we saw a collection of period clothing, samurai gear, swords, woodblock prints, Buddhist sculptures, martial arts implements, ceramics, scrolls, and paintings. Needless to say, it was the samurai gear, swords, and martial arts implements that captured the attention of the little ones and we spent an inordinately long time studying these displays.

"Grandfather, will you tell us about these things?" Andrew asked, through the interpreter. His grandfather was happy to oblige and spent quite a bit of time telling him about the history of the samurai warrior and powerful Shoguns. I think he was intrigued by the boys' interest and how they patiently listening to what he had to tell them, even asking more questions about it as they went along.

Once we finished our visit there, we parted ways again, with the grandparents going back to their home, as our little group returned to our hotel.

When I asked the boys where they wanted to go to dinner tonight, they immediately informed me they were up for some food like they were used to at home, meaning western style food. After discussing this with the interpreter, he reluctantly agreed to join us and we located a nice Italian restaurant (Sabatini Pizzeria Romano) where we indulged ourselves with pizza. I had wine with the interpreter, as we ate, which seemed to improve his dining experience for the day.

The pizza was actually very good, and as the boys gobbled down their slices, I realized how Americanized they had become since coming to live with me. I was beginning to feel this type of cuisine was now more to their liking, than the Japanese fare they'd had at home, before they joined us, and what we shared with their grandparents. Although they'd enjoyed those other meals, they hadn't shown quite the same enthusiasm for their food as this particular stop. I couldn't help but smile, as I wiped their sauce covered faces with my napkin, once they were finished.

Our evening was very much like the previous two. First, the boys had their bath, stayed naked and played their hand-held games, before going to bed. We didn't have any deep discussion this evening, but they still didn't let me out of their sight. I was beginning to get the feeling they thought I just might leave them there and disappear. I realized they knew better than this, but something was nagging at the back of their minds. They hadn't said anything to me, but they did a lot of whispering when I was out of hearing range.

We spent much of our next day with the Yamadas seeing more of the historic Japan. We went to the Ekoin Temple first, which was built in 1657 and is reputed to be the place where retiring sumo wrestlers bury their topknots. It was originally built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great fire, but on the grounds there is also a memorial to lost pets, a tower that is said to serve as the final resting place for the unidentified dead, assorted criminals and those who have lost their lives in various disasters. Its nickname, the Shrine of the Rat Boy, is based on a revered Robin Hood-like Japanese figure from the 19th century, who fought against injustice and the abuse of power.

"Grandfather, why is such a hero called Rat Boy?" Andrew wanted to know. "Aren't rats dirty and bad creatures? It seems a bad name to give to someone who did good."

"Maybe in the world you now live, little one," he grandfather replied, "but in Japan, rats hold a more honored position. In our twelve-year calendar cycle, the year of the rat is a good sign. Those born under it are the type who revel, or celebrate, life. Therefore, being called Rat Boy is not a bad thing. Rat Boy merely stole things from those who abused their power and gave it back to those who had been wronged."

Although he still couldn't grasp the subtlety of what his grandfather was telling him, he seemed to accept the fact that such a name was not a terrible thing or disrespectful. He also gained a little more insight in how many differences there were in the way the two cultures viewed various things.

After leaving there, we walked around the outside of the Kokyo, or Imperial Palace. It is the residence of the Emperor of Japan. Although bombs destroyed the original structure during World War II, it was rebuilt in the same style in 1968. Outsiders are only allowed inside the inner palace two days a year, the Emperor's birthday and the first day of the New Year, so we just strolled about the palace grounds and toured the East Garden. It gave us a little feel for what it might be like to be part of the Japanese Royal Family.

As we were coming back around to the point where we began our little walk, the boys spotted the place they wanted to eat. It was called the Boat House Café and advertised they served burgers there. Ironically, it sat right on the edge of the Imperial Moat. I don't think this was what the grandparents had in mind for today's dining establishment, but they let the boys have their way, much to the interpreter's dismay. The boys and I ate, while the other three just nibbled.

After lunch, we went to see the Sensoji Temple. This is Tokyo's oldest temple and was built in 628 A.D. It was rebuilt in 1958 after being destroyed in World War II. Legend says that a gold statue of the goddess Kannon was fished out of a nearby river and the temple was built to house it. You could even get your fortune told there.

After checking out the Temple, we sat in a park so the boys and their grandparents could talk some more. While they were carrying on their conversation, I checked out some of the nearby shops, so they wouldn't think I was eavesdropping in on their private discussion. When I came walking back toward them, about a half hour later, Andrew spotted me first and he came running up to me and leapt into my arms. Sammy wasn't far behind him.

"Daddy, Daddy. Where did you go?" Andrew cried, as he wrapped his arms about my neck and kissed my face. While he was doing this, I bent over and picked up Sammy too, who greeted me in the same fashion. Now I was carrying both boys, held tightly to my chest, as we approached their grandparents.

I think the Yamadas were shocked that both boys kissed me on the cheek and hugged my neck. Like I told you, the boys didn't like for me to get out of their sight, but I forgot that fact, while trying to honor their privacy. Somehow, I had slipped away before they noticed, which caused them grave concern. Like I said before, I think they had an inkling of fear that I would leave them behind with their blood relatives. I'm sure next time they will make certain I don't wander so far away from them.

Before going our own way again for the evening, the grandparents asked us to meet them at 6:30 tomorrow morning. They informed us it was so they could do something special for the boys. We agreed and I announced to the boys that they would have to go to bed earlier tonight, since we would be getting up much earlier too. After they agreed, I informed the interpreter we were going to eat at Victoria Station that evening and he could go off on his own, if he wasn't interested in joining us. He quickly accepted my offer, so the boys and I went to have steak and the salad bar at this new place. Sammy and Andrew enjoyed the meal and our time alone together almost as much as I did.

I gave the boys their baths and we all went to bed shortly thereafter. We would have to get up somewhere around 5:00 to get ready and have time to eat something, before we were scheduled to meet their grandparents again. I knew we'd be cutting it close, because service in the hotel restaurant, where we always ate breakfast, was a little on the slow side, but we continued to frequent the place, because I so enjoyed their coffee.

Before we went to sleep, the boys had something they wanted to discuss. "Daddy, why did you leave us earlier today?" Andrew asked, still looking hurt that I had abandoned them, if even for a short time.

"It was because I wanted your grandparents to be able to talk to you boys alone, without thinking I was listening to everything that was being said."

"But we don't mind if you listen," Sammy told me, as if I didn't already know that.

"That may be true," I agreed, "but I want your grandparents to know that you are being honest with them about the things you say and aren't merely telling them those things because I can hear what's going on."

"What difference would that make?" Sammy replied, still confused.

"I hope by doing that, they will realize whatever you're telling them is your idea or what you want, not what I've instructed you to tell them. If I'm not there so I can monitor what is said, then they are more likely to believe your telling them what you want, not what I want. Besides, it gave me time to check out some of the other shops too."

"Daddy, just promise you won't leave us again," Andrew almost pleaded. I didn't realize how insecure he was about my leaving him like that, so I offered a compromise.

"Next time I'll stay where you can still see me," I offered, "but far enough away so your grandparents won't think I'm listening to every word that is said.

After finding that acceptable, we went about our nightly duties and hopped into bed. Although it wasn't easy falling asleep so early, we did manage to drift off to sleep, with a boy tucked against me on either side.

The next morning Mr. & Mrs. Yamada announced they were taking the boys to Tokyo Disneyland. I believe this was their concession to how westernized their grandsons had become. The boys were flying high now, as they had never been to Disney World, Disneyland or any other major amusement park in their young lives. After informing me they had always dreamed about something like this happening, they admitted they never thought it would ever come true. Therefore, they now found it hard to contain their excitement.

We entered the park and did the whole enchilada. We made our way thru Critter Country (which was filled with animals from the southern portion of the U.S.), Fantasyland, Westernland, Toontown, Adventureland, the World Bazaar and Tomorrowland. The boys were ecstatic as they took me on most of the rides with them, while also taking some time to watch some of the shows and try the various eateries in between.

Even though their grandparents had brought them here, they had a difficult time keeping up with the boys and truly didn't understand some of the grandsons' excitement or the choices they made about what they wanted to do. However, they were very good about giving them leeway and said little about such things, as they let the boys have a good time.

The Yamadas wanted to leave at dinnertime, but the boys weren't ready to leave yet. Therefore, I suggested the chauffeur could take them home and then return to get us, while the interpreter and I stayed with the boys and allowed them to continue their fun. I think everyone was satisfied with this suggestion, with the possible exception of the interpreter.

We ate in the park and then made our rounds back to some of the boys' favorite sites. I couldn't have pried them away from there, even if I wanted to, since they were having so much fun. By the time the park closed, both boys were so tired that I decided to just put them to bed when we got back to our hotel room. I would let them sleep now and give them their baths in the morning.

Sammy and Andrew thanked me several times for the wonderful day and I reminded them it had been their grandparents idea to take them there, not mine. I suggested they should thank them in the morning, when we met up again. They agreed, but thanked me anyway, this time for letting them stay until the park closed. They reiterated they would have had to leave much earlier and not have enjoyed those last things we did together, if it had been up to their grandparents. I couldn't argue with their logic, so I just kissed them good night and slid into bed with them.

The next day was to be our last one actually seeing Tokyo. The following morning we would catch our flight and be on our way back home. After meeting up with the Yamadas again, the boys thanked their grandparents for the previous day and emphasized how much they had enjoyed themselves. Their grandparents seemed very pleased by that acknowledgment.

For the rest of Thursday, we had a very laid back day planned, especially after considering the previous day. Our chauffeur first drove us around the city, as the interpreter explained about many of the places we saw, but the chauffeur stopped the limo at the Yamada's request, when they insisted we take a brief walking tour with them. This allowed us to see a little bit more of the modern aspects of this ancient city and I think all three of us appreciated this updated view.

For lunch we had Rabatayaki, which is a traditional style of meats and vegetables prepared on a grill. It seemed the Yamadas were making sure we got to sample as much variation as we could. The food was quite tasty and another new experience.

We did some more walking after lunch and kept going right up until dinner. It being our last night with them, Mr. & Mrs. Yamada wanted us all to dine together. We went to the restaurant they chose, and they ordered a collection of dishes for us to share. This way we could sample several different things and then double up on the items we liked the best. We had Kamameshi (a rice casserole dish with meats and vegetables), Tonkatsu (a pork cutlet coated in batter and deep fried) and Yakitori (chicken grilled on skewers, although the Yamadas explained you could specify which parts of the chicken you wanted to be used). It was very enjoyable and I liked all of the dishes. Sammy seemed to like the Kamameshi best, while Andrew favored the Yakitori. Therefore, I had another portion of the Tonkatsu. It worked out well and everyone was satisfied.

Tonight, there was a very emotional farewell when we dropped the grandparents off at their home, but the older couple was far more emotional than the boys. The boys did thank them for the good time, but when we returned to the hotel, Sammy and Andrew seemed quite relieved this visit was finally over. They didn't talk much after we got back to our room, but they were never more than an arm's length away from me throughout the entire evening. Tonight they horsed around in the bath, like they would often do at home, and had a splash fight that nearly drowned me. I was giving them hell (in a fun way), smacking their bare butts and tickling them until they cried 'uncle.' By the time we went to bed, we did so in a very good mood.

We had to be at the airport before 10:30 the next morning, since our flight left at 11:25. Due to the time differences, we were scheduled to arrive at Chicago two and a half hours before we left Tokyo, at 9:00 a.m. Aren't time zones and the rotation of the earth fascinating things? We would catch our connecting flight at 10:31 in Chicago and land in Pittsburgh at 12:48 p.m. Steve was supposed to be there to meet us.

This time, the boys were able to relax and enjoy this flight much more than the one coming over. They took turns on my lap, but sometimes I had both of them at once. The flight attendant complimented us on how nice it was to see a father and his children enjoying each other's company so much. Sammy and Andrew just smiled and replied nearly in unison, "We love our daddy."

The movie was entertaining and made the flight go by much more quickly. We were only a few minutes late landing in Chicago, but it wasn't that far off. We immediately hit the watering holes, one to empty and the other to refill. The boys were thrilled to be back in the States.

After that, we hustled to our next departure gate, got on the plane and were soon in the air again. The return trip between Chicago and Pittsburgh was quite rough, due to bad weather. The boys were a little frightened during this leg of the journey and I might add that I was a wee bit nervous too. Thank God we had all used the restroom before we left Chicago or we might have had an accident or two before arriving in Pittsburgh.

We all sighed deeply when we landed that final time and then raced off to collect our luggage and look for Steve. We never found him, though, as Sally and the rest of my boys had made this trip instead. After the dealership had called, Sally had picked up our new van for me and then loaded up my gang, because the boys wanted to come out to retrieve us. I can honestly say I was thrilled to see them all again, as were Sammy and Andrew, and the other boys were equally as happy to see us. They helped us carry our luggage and Sally offered to drive back, so I could rest.

The boys told me about their vacation with Robert, and Sally assured me they had been well behaved while I was gone. She had stopped by to check up on them several times while Robert was with them and said everything had gone well. She emphasized they were all perfect gentlemen the whole time, Robert had enjoyed his stay with them and the house was still in one piece. Baffled, I asked her if we were talking about the same group – gentlemen? Hearing my innuendo, I soon received a round of raspberries from the offended parties. This initiated some verbal sparring between us, for the duration of the ride home, until Carlos announced the boys should be showing me more respect. Of course, I agreed with him, but the boys all playfully ganged up on Carlos and told him to stop sucking up. That is, everyone except for Sammy and Andrew, who agreed with Carlos. After some more minor ribbing, Carlos started laughing and the boys started joking amongst themselves.

While they were preoccupied with each other, I leaned over and asked Sally what she had found out about Carlos' situation, but she didn't think this was the place to discuss it. She informed me she'd fill me in once we got back, but it was obvious there must be some things that Sally didn't want the others to know about. I knew she wouldn't respond like this without good cause, so I dropped my interrogation and moved on to other topics.

Sally wanted to know about the trip and how things went, so I told her my version of the story, while Sammy and Andrew filled their brothers in about their adventures in Nippon. This took up much of the drive back, and I think Sammy, Andrew and I all enjoyed a wonderful euphoria when the van pulled into the driveway, signaling we were finally back home.

Chapter 39
Difficult Decisions and Making Amends

It was the middle of the next week before I finally heard from my lawyer again. "Josh, I just received word of the Yamada's decision," he announced. Upon hearing that, a lump formed in my throat and my mouth became very dry, as I waited to discover what he was going to tell me.

"Josh, it seems your trip to Japan caused the Yamadas to consider this situation very carefully," he continued, "and they realized it would be very difficult to keep up with such energetic boys." This comment brought me hope and the lump in my throat started to grow smaller.

"They also saw how much the boys love you and how much they are loved in return," he added, "so they've decided they will not seek custody of the boys. However, they do request two concessions, before they sign off on their rights." I began to worry again. What might they want? I didn't have long to wait to discover the answer to this, though.

"First, they want you to agree to visit them occasionally, possibly once a year," my attorney informed me, "so they won't lose touch with the boys." I breathed a minor sigh of relief.

"That wouldn't be a problem," I announced. "I can take the boys over each year, during spring break, but in the future I'll take all of the boys. I just hope they can live with that."

"I don't think that will be a problem," he agreed. "Second, they merely ask that you allow them to come here to visit the boys from time to time, so they can see how they're doing at home." At last I could breathe freely again.

"Absolutely," I agreed. "Just let them know I request an advance notification of the dates they plan to visit, so I can make sure it doesn't interfere with any plans we might have."

"I think they'll be amenable with that," he suggested. "Then everything is set and as soon as I get the paperwork signifying they are signing off on their custodial rights, we can finalize the boys' adoption."

I thanked him several times, relieved this was finally behind us, and then went off to tell the boys the good news. Sammy and Andrew were so thrilled upon hearing this that they went running around the house, jumping, screaming and reveling with their brothers. It was nice to see them so happy.

The boys decided to celebrate this turnaround by spending the night with all of their brothers, camped out in the family room. There was no way I was going to object to their plan and was happy to leave them alone, but the boys announced they wanted me to join in too. I agreed, so we all retrieved our sleeping bags, arranged them on the floor and spent the evening in one big love-fest.

The following week, it was time to addressed Carlos' situation. Sally had informed me that when she made her contacts in Philadelphia, they immediately went out and investigated Carlos' mother and Roberto. During the background check, the police discovered Roberto was wanted on a couple of different warrants in California, hence his quick decision to move, so he was arrested and extradited. Thus, he was no longer a problem or a threat to Carlos' safety. It was also suggested that Carlos should file abuse charges against Roberto, in case he ever tried to return to Pennsylvania, as this would allow them to take out a restraining order against him. After discussing this with him, Carlos readily agreed.

However, that wasn't the only thing we were able to do to help him. Steve and Sally also called in some favors from a few of their influential friends, and these contacts were able to help Ms. Garcia get her green card from the I.N.S. I referred to her as Ms. Garcia for a reason. From what Carlos had told us and from what we learned from his mother, it was difficult to determine if she had ever really been married to Carlos' father or whether Garcia was her maiden name. She wouldn't give us any specifics, so we didn't press the issue further.

When the weekend arrived, Sally, Carlos and I traveled to Philadelphia, so we could discuss his future with his mother. After speaking with her for a couple of hours, we all agreed about what would be best for Carlos. Seeing this would affect him the most, we also included him in our discussions about what we might do. Since everyone agreed with Sally's and my final proposal, we went to work setting it up.

We started off by helping his mother find a decent apartment. After going through the classified section of the paper, we drove them around until we found a place they both liked. I paid the security deposit and the first six months rent for her in advance, to give her time to get on her feet. Sally also gave her the name of one of her contacts that would help Ms. Garcia find a better paying job.

I then took her to the local grocery store, spoke to the store manager and set up a prepaid account for her groceries. Before I left, I gave him a $500.00 check to start it and strict instructions that cigarettes and beer were not to be a part of any of the purchases. I also gave him my contact information, in case he needed to get in touch about problems or possibly needing more money to cover her bill.

Once that had been accomplished, we explained that once she was settled and her life was stable again, we would bring Carlos back to live with her. Carlos and his mother hugged, cried and thanked Sally and me for what we had done for them. It was gratifying to know that these two would be able to stay together, have a decent place to live and be free of Roberto.

When we got home, we explained the situation to the boys, and they all told Carlos they would miss him when he had to leave. Although it would probably be a few weeks before that happened, everyone wished him well and told him they were glad things worked out for him, so he could stay with his mother. In turn, Carlos thanked them for their good wishes and explained he would miss living with them, since he liked them all a lot. After that, he turned to me.

"Pop, sir," he began, as I still hadn't been able to break him of his fetish for calling me sir, "you are a very good man and I will miss living with you in this house, but I am very happy that you made it so I will be able to stay with my mother. Thank you for all that you have done for us and thank you for saving me from Roberto."

"Carlos, you are very welcome and I want you to keep in touch," I told him, before giving him a hug. Once we broke that embrace, I continued. "We would like it if you could come and visit us once in a while and I'll be keeping tabs on you and your mother, to make sure you are all right. If you ever need our help, just let us know. We'll always be here for you." Carlos didn't respond verbally, but gave me another hug in return. Kevin told me later that Carlos was crying at that point and was probably too choked up to speak. I was just glad to help and give him a chance for a decent future.

Things were also progressing quickly on the adoption plans, now that we had cleared that final hurdle with Sammy and Andrew's grandparents. The adoption proceeding was scheduled to take place on May 10th. This caused a great deal of excitement around the house and all the boys wanted to attend. Those who had already been adopted wanted to be there so they could welcome their new brothers into the family, officially. Although they would have been there anyway, I thought that was a nice gesture on their part.

The night before the ceremony, Pat went into Dion's room, so he could talk to Trey and him. He shut the door behind him as he entered. "Since tomorrow we are going to become real brothers, I was hoping you guys would let me spend the night in here with you, so we could get to know each other better."

Dion and Trey looked at each other before they answered, passing a silent communication between them. "We'd like that too," Dion told him. "I think brothers should know each other better."

"Yes," Trey added, "we would like that. We just thought you felt we were too young to hang around with or something."

"No, I can just be a little stupid at times," Pat informed them, hoping that answer would suffice. "You're both sure you don't mind then?"

"Absolutely," Trey reassured him, after getting a nod from Dion.

"Come on in and make yourself comfortable," Dion added. "After all, it was your room first." They all laughed at that comment and sat together on the bed, so they could talk for a while. After they had a chance to get to know each other better, Pat made his move.

"Are you guys up for something a little more physical?" Pat asked them.

"Why? Do you want to fight?" Dion asked, jokingly.

"No," Pat responded, punching him in the arm. "I was hoping it would be more fun than that."

"We were too," Trey told him, getting his drift. He had a huge smile on his face now that he understood what this might mean. "Just exactly what did you have in mind?" Trey added, to clarify Pat's position.

"I'm not sure what kind of things you two have done with each other," Pat admitted, "so you'll have to tell me what choices I have."

"We've just jerked and sucked each other off," Trey responded. "We can do that unless Dion wants to try something new."

"Like what?" Dion inquired.

"I was thinking about doing it in each other's butt," Trey told him, "but I don't think you're ready for that. How about we just suck each other off? Is that okay with both of you?"

"Yeah, sure," Pat responded.

"Okay," Dion added, "but promise me you'll let me try the other stuff some time as well. I'd really like to see what that's like too."

"Sure," Pat answered without hesitation. "You just let us know when you think you're ready."

"Great," Dion countered. "Now, what am I supposed to do?"

The boys had Dion lie back on the bed and they positioned themselves in a triangular formation beside him. Pat moved to Dion's waist while Trey positioned himself over Pat's rod and offered his own to Dion. All three knew what to do next, so they didn't waste any time and got busy. Pat began to rub and stroke Dion's crotch to help get him aroused. He was amazed as he watched the boy's sausage stiffen. "Damn, little bro. I didn't know it got that big when it was hard," Pat told him.

"You scared of it?" Dion asked.

"Heck, no. Just surprised," Pat replied.

Not wishing to waste any more time talking, Pat moved his lips and tongue closer, so he could lick and kiss that impressive piece of meat. His tongue went wild, licking Dion's nut sac and rigid rod, before his oral muscle began worked its way up and down, in and out, and swirled around every inch of Dion's boyhood. Not only did Dion enjoy this attention, but Trey benefited from it as well. Every time Pat pleased Dion, Dion would moan, sending some awesome, and unexpected, sensations through Trey's dick, as he sucked on it.

Dion continued to react favorably to Pat's tongue, which had a coarser texture than Trey's, almost like a cat's sandpaper tongue, but not quite as rough. After bathing his genitals with that, Pat slid his mouth over and down the length of Dion's slender pole and started to nod up and down two-thirds of its length. Because of his limited experience with sex, Dion still had a hair-trigger; so it didn't take him long to reach his boiling point. Sooner than Pat wanted, the pressure from his bubbling juices built up in Dion's scrotum, sending his boy seed speeding up his cock, past his pressure valve and spurting into Pat's throat. Pat swallowed eagerly at the offering and didn't stop until he had it all. Having finished with Dion, it gave Pat a chance to lean back and enjoy what Trey was doing to him.

Trey had started working on Pat the minute his groin was presented to him. Pat's cut cock was shorter, but thicker than the other two. Trey and Pat had never been together sexually before, so this was a new experience for him, too. He manipulated Pat's boyhood with his hand and his tongue, so it didn't take long before Pat's little soldier was standing at attention and awaiting orders. The circumference of Pat's tool served as a challenge to Trey, but he attacked it slowly and began by licking it thoroughly, until it was coated with his own saliva. Next, he forced his jaw open, as wide as it would stretch, so he could slide his lips down the moist sides, doing his best to keep his teeth from scraping the surface. Trey's mouth felt full and his jaw felt like it might dislocate, due to Pat's impressive girth. He just held still for a few seconds, hoping his jaw muscles wouldn't cramp and cause him to clamp down on Pat's pride and joy. That would certainly be both rude and painful, but mostly for Pat.

Slowly, Trey began moving his head up and down, sucking as strongly as he could while he did so. He wanted to use his tongue as well, but there was just no room for it to move, so it lay trapped at the bottom of his mouth. He realized the tightness of his mouth alone would be enough to bring Pat off, but he wanted to make this good for Pat, as he had gone out of his way to arrange for this opportunity. Trey was using one of his hands to massage Pat's scrotum, while the other one found its way to Pat's crack. Almost imperceptibly, he slipped a finger into Pat's chute and began sliding it in and out, to go along with his other manipulations. This triple stimulus was playing havoc with Pat's nerve endings and this caused him to buck wildly on the bed.

Pat was just getting into the wild tingling feelings coursing through his body, when Dion unloaded, so he swallowed it all quickly, so he could lay back and enjoy his own experience in Trey's hot mouth. Soon, Pat's balls were aching, a knot began to form in the pit of his stomach and the tip of his cock was throbbing in sheer delight. He moved his hand to Trey's head and stroked his hair, a silent thank you for his wonderful labor. After only another couple more minutes of this delight, Pat felt his orgasm nearing. Although he tried to hold it off as long as he could, he couldn't continue to delay it forever.

When it got to the point where he felt as if his whole body was going to implode, he arched his back and released his wad into Trey's waiting orifice. It was hot, thick and creamy, and erupted with such force that the first two spurts flew directly down Trey's throat, almost before he realized it. Trey held on and drained Pat's dick, until his nuts went dry and started to shrivel. Now, he released that jawbreaker from his oral cavity and let it fall onto Pat's abdomen.

Trey had also been receiving his own enjoyment, although his source of please was coming from Dion's hot mouth. Dion had attacked Trey's boner like a playful puppy, nibbling, chewing and licking to his delight. This was still a new game to Dion, so he went forward with all the exuberance of youth. By the time he had nibbled and played with Trey's foreskin, chewed on his spongy helmet and licked every piece of skin in sight, he wrapped his lips around the excited pole and began to move his head up and down, as quickly as the rubber ball, held by the elastic string, which was being hit by the paddle.

Pat's efforts on his own pecker were also causing Dion to moan, and his moans were reverberating up Trey's shaft and causing his whole body to tingle. Trey hadn't felt anything like that before, so it was difficult for him to concentrate on what he was doing for Pat. Dion's hot mouth and tongue were rapidly bringing Trey to the brink and he tried valiantly to fight back his impending climax. He might have staved it off for another minute or so, but eventually there was nothing more he could do to stop it from surfacing, not that he wanted to any longer. Giving in to his sensory overload, his body stiffened and he released his creamy custard. Dion drank it greedily, like an alcoholic with a beer, and he sucked so hard on this meaty straw that there was no chance anything could resist the pressure of his vacuuming grip. Reluctantly, Dion released Trey's plaything from his mouth and rolled back onto the bed, to rest with the other two.

They lay there like that for a few minutes, enjoying the lingering glow from their orgasms and collecting their reserve strength. Once they had recovered, they began to talk and tried to get to know each other better. Eventually, Pat turned to Dion and spoke to him.

"Dion, I need to apologize to you," he admitted.

"For what?" Dion wanted to know.

"For something I did, but you probably don't even know it happened," Pat announced, drawing a curious glare from the other two. "That first night you came here, I blew up at Dad and said some things that weren't very nice about you. I kind of agreed with some of my friends about certain things and you just happened to move in here during that same time. Eventually, Dad made me realize I was wrong and I even ended up fighting with some of my friends later, to set them straight. Some of them still wouldn't listen, so we're no longer friends. I'm ashamed to admit that I was reacting to your being here because you were black. I really feel bad about my actions now and I wanted to do this tonight, to prove to you that I no longer feel that way. I still need for you to forgive me, though."

"There's nothing to forgive, Pat," Dion informed him. "I already heard all about your fight."

"How? From who?" Pat asked, looked concerned and even more ashamed.

"Some of the boys from the high school were talking about it," Dion told him. "They happened to be brothers of a couple of my friends from school, so my friends told me all about what happened."

"But you didn't say anything. How come?" Pat asked, deeply concerned and beginning to feel even worse that he hadn't broached this topic sooner.

"I wasn't going to say anything, unless you did," Dion explained. "You made me real proud that you stuck up for me like that. No one has ever done that before. I just wanted to be friends and brothers, even without you knowing that I knew about what happened. I didn't want you to think that's why I wanted to be close to you."

"But I was being a racist!" Pat exclaimed, unable to believe Dion had said he was proud of him.

"But you're not any more," Dion responded. "I also have a confession to make. I didn't want to come here to live, either, because I was uneasy about living with a bunch of white people. I love Aunt Sally, but she was the only white person I was ever close to. Really, there was only my Gram and me, besides the few kids I knew at my old school. I was kind of scared at first, but now I'm glad it happened. I love Dad and I love all of you, but I wasn't any different from you about my feelings. I guess we both had some learning and growing up to do."

After hearing this, Pat began to relax and soon the two boys were hugging each other and signifying there were no hard feelings, then they included Trey in one last group hug. It was a very special moment for them all. After a few more minutes of this catharsis, Pat made another suggestion.

"How about we do each other again, but this time we'll go in the other direction?"

"Sounds great to me," Dion answered, enthusiastically.

"Yeah, the last one was good, but I wouldn't mind another," was Trey's response.

"Great, then let's get going," Pat added, completing their unanimous decision.

The boys repositioned themselves on the bed and went back at it. This time Dion got to return the favor to Pat. He stroked Pat's sausage until it came back to life, and once it reached its maximum growth, Dion made a comment.

"Damn, how thick is this thing?" he asked, first looking at Pat and then at Trey. "Trey, how did you get it into your mouth?"

"It stretched my jaw to the limit, but I did it," Trey told him. "Just remember to open wide and keep your teeth back."

"Okay, I'll do my best, but I hope Pat won't get mad at me if I can't swallow the whole thing."

"No problem, Dion," Pat assured him. "Take what you can into your mouth and use your hand on the rest. That'll be fine with me."

"Thanks, bro. I'm glad you understand," Dion announced, greatly relieved.

Even though Dion had forewarned Pat he might not be able to take it all, he was more determined now, than before, to use his mouth to give Pat pleasure. He started by sucking on Pat's plentiful balls and then ran his tongue up and around Pat's stump. After he had orally pleased Pat in this manner, Dion stretched his mouth wide and aimed it around Pat's cock head. It was difficult, but Dion took it into his mouth and started to force himself further down the shaft. He was able to get about 3-4 inches [7-10 cm] inside, before he quit advancing farther, as he slowly began to move up and down on Pat's marble column.

Pat realized how difficult this was for Dion, so it impressed him that Dion was willing to go so far just to please him. It meant a great deal to Pat to know that Dion didn't take the easy way out, as was offered to him, but insisted on doing what he could, no matter how difficult it might be. The snug fit also helped to stimulate Pat to a quicker release, since it was also aided by the muscular contractions of Dion's throat, brought on by his constant swallowing. Within minutes Pat was coating Dion's tonsils with his hot spunk and Dion was trying to get it all down without choking. He succeeded on this mission, but neither boy could relax, as there was a third party involved in this little encounter.

Although he did stop working on Trey briefly while he was ejaculating, Pat quickly resumed his attention to Trey's erection. He had enjoyed playing with Trey's foreskin when he started, as it was the first uncircumcised cock he had seen this close, so he hadn't been working on Trey orally for all that long. After his initial fascination was sated, Pat skinned the head and attacked the sensitive glans. Trey reacted visibly to Pat's rough tongue, as had Dion, and that sandpaper-like texture around his helmet nearly sent poor Trey through the ceiling, as the stimulation was nearly too much for him to deal with. He regained a modicum of control, as Pat slid down his penis' shaft, and now he could feel Pat's lips and the suction from Pat's mouth.

As Pat rocked up and down on Trey's trouser trout, Trey was conscious of the signals indicating his impending release. He could feel his climax building, like an old steam boiler on which the pressure valve was malfunctioning, and knew he would soon explode, splattering his juices all over. It only took a few more nods of Pat's head before Trey did just that, and his semen shot out in several rope-like volleys. Pat swallowed his thick, creamy reward eagerly and soon had drained every last drop from Trey's nuts. Letting Trey's dong drop from his lips, Pat let his head come to rest on Trey's tummy.

Over on the other side of the bed, Dion was enjoying Trey's oral expertise. Trey's prior experience with Dion's lengthy bone let him provide just the right amount of stimulation to guide Dion through a long, drawn-out experience. Trey used every part of his mouth to tease Dion to the edge, before giving Dion's testicles a little squeeze, in order to bring him back down. This little roller-coaster ride had Dion squirming and then thrusting his hips forcefully at Trey, as he attempted to urge his partner to give him his needed relief.

Trey callously ignored these non-verbal requests for as long as he could, realizing that Dion was just enduring a novice's impatience, before he finally gave in to Dion's demands. Trey increased his vacuum-like suction and doubled his pace, in an effort to provide Dion the relief he sought. When Dion finally erupted, he produced much more cum than Trey had ever received from him on their previous encounters. For a minute, Trey began to wonder if his balls would ever stop producing the slightly watery mixture, but eventually even this came to an end. When Dion collapsed onto the bed after this mind-blowing release, the other two young men were already lying on the mattress, still panting and enjoying the lingering memories of their own experiences.

Once the boys recovered completely, they decided they would all sleep together that evening too. They put Pat in the middle of the cookie, to show him their appreciation for suggesting this excellent encounter, and they cuddled and spooned together until morning. When the time finally came to awaken, the boys wished each other good morning, before exchanging another round of thanks for a wonderful time, the night before.

Chapter 40
May This Love Always Remain

The next event to happen was my trip to Philadelphia with Carlos, so I could return him to his mother, after she let us know she had secured a stable and better paying position, Sally checked with her friend there and verified this information. Now that we were sure everything was in order, it was my pleasure to reunite them.

Carlos was both nervous and excited as we drove there, as he wondered how much different his life was going to be. However, once he saw his mother and discovered how different she looked and how well she had kept up their new apartment, he was excited about being back. I couldn't have been happier for them.

Ms. Garcia immediately took Carlos and showed him his room, which she had fixed up with all the things he liked. He really appreciated what she'd done and immediately went in to check everything out. While he was doing that, Ms. Garcia thanked me again.

"Gracias, Senior Currie," she told me, in her thick accent. "You have done so much more for my Carlos and me than I could have prayed for. You have changed both of our lives. Gracias, mucho gracias," she repeated.

She not only expressed her gratitude in words, but she also kissed me on both of my cheeks, to thank me again, just as Carlos came back out to join us. He smiled when he saw what she was doing.

"Don't get any ideas, Junior," I warned him, when I saw his mischievous grin. "Your mother's only thanking me for what I've done for you." He didn't say anything in response, merely winked at me, and I hoped he wasn't getting the wrong impression about her show of thankfulness.

I stayed and chatted with them, before taking them to the grocery store for one final shopping trip on me. Although Ms. Garcia protested that it wasn't necessary, I convince her it was something I wanted to do for them. Besides, I wanted to make sure I didn't owe the grocery store anything from her previous visits and then let them know she was on her own, from this point forward. I did tell the owner to call me, if it looked as if they were having problems getting enough to eat, and he assured me he would.

Once I took them back home, I said my good-byes and gave them my phone number, in case they should need anything. "Carlos, I wanted you to keep in touch with the boys and with me," I informed him. "You can call any time you'd like and maybe you will be able to come and stay with us from time to time, maybe even join us for a vacation, of one sort or another."

"I would really like that, Mr. Currie, sir," he replied, "but you have already done so much and spent so much money on us that I feel guilty having you do more."

"Nonsense," I emphasized, "and when are you going to stop calling me sir?" I teased. "We'd be happy to have you, if your mother will allow it, since you and your mother are a part of our extended family now. I might not be your dad, but I think I might be able to be your Uncle Josh." He immediately beamed, told his mother, in Spanish, what I had just said, and then they both thanked me again. Before I left, I hugged him, kissed him on the forehead, letting him know he would be treated no differently than my other boys. I think he got this point immediately and hugged me even tighter. It was tough leaving him behind.

Once I returned from that little trip, our main focus was the upcoming adoption ceremony. At that time, I would be adopting all of the boys who had joined us since our last adoption ceremony. This meant Pat, Trey, Dion, Sammy and Andrew would soon officially become my sons.

I was somewhat disappoint that Steve Shay wasn't going to be able to preside over the process this time, since he was now also a very dear friend and valued member of our extended family. Instead, a judge from a neighboring jurisdiction would be doing the honors, although Steve assured me it was just a formality and there wouldn't be any problems.

When the big day finally arrived, I had all of the boys dress in their suits, including the ones I'd already adopted, and we drove to the courthouse. My five soon-to-be sons were a bundle of nerves and the others were doing their best to try to calm them down and offer their support. We went into the courtroom and took our seats in the gallery and waited.

Before our case was called, each of the boys and I were called in to have a private chat with this new judge, which for me was more intimidating then my previous turn at doing this. This Judge was older than either Steve or myself, but seemed just as friendly. After talking to all of us, we waited again, this time for our case to be announced.

When our names were finally called, I led the boys through the swinging gate toward the front of the courtroom, and we stood with my lawyer behind one of the tables. Judge Rhinehart began his remarks.

"We are here to decide if one Joshua M. Currie should be allowed to adopt five young men who are currently in his custody. Although my colleague, Judge Shay, had informed me about performing a similar case approximately a year ago and telling me how well these young men were doing, I was not convinced this was the right thing to do. I believed this was far too many young men for one person to deal with." I think all of us held our breath at that point, wondering if he was going to stop this from going through. I think Andrew was about ready to burst into tears, as he tugged at my sleeve and indicated he wanted me to pick him up. Against my better judgment, I bent over and lifted him up, right in the middle of the judge's comments.

I was actually expecting to be chewed out for this, even though it wouldn't stop me from comforting my son, but when I looked up, I saw the judge give me a sly grin. Confused, I went back to listening to his remarks.

"After talking to each of the parties involved, as well as the boys whom Mr. Currie has already adopted, I can find no reason why this process shouldn't go forward. He has already proven he is quite capable of taking control and caring for such a large group and the boys have proven to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they wish to have nothing more than to officially become his sons and one rather large family." After hearing this, I think we all started breathing again, knowing our dreams were soon to become a reality.

"Therefore, I am pleased to announce, that from this day forward, these five young men will be known as Mr. Currie's sons. If they will please come forward to receive official copies of their adoption papers and new birth certificates, indicating their new names, as I call them forward.

"Master Patrick Alan Currie, age 14; Master Alexander Michael Currie, also age 14; Master Dion Jamal Currie, age 12; Master Samuel Tsukimo Currie, age 11, and I do hope I pronounced your middle name correctly," he added, to Sammy's nod of approval, "and Master Andrew Furuhata Currie, age 9." As the judge began to make a similar comment about Andrew's middle name, Andrew was already nodding, so the judge stopped, before he even started.

After each of the boys received their papers, they returned to stand next to me, proudly showing me what they held. They were beaming, and after giving me a glimpse of what they had received, they eagerly began holding it up so anyone who wanted would be able to look at their legal documents. Suddenly their attention was drawn back to the front of the room, as Judge Rhinehart concluded his remarks.

"Before we conclude this proceeding, I wish to allow an old friend a chance to add his own comments." As everyone else began to scan the room to see who that might be, I turned immediately toward Steve and saw him rise and move forward. Once he was near us, he began to speak.

"I marvel each time I think about this home and these people," he began, "and I can only say that I feel blessed to be even a small part of this unbelievable group. Theirs is a story and a home filled with warmth, love and numerous generous hearts. I hope each of you in this courtroom will join me in welcoming the newest members of the Currie family into our community." After saying that, Steve began to applaud and soon everyone in the courtroom, outside of our family, joined with him. Needless to say, there were a lot of moist eyes in that group, most of them belonging to Curries.

After we left the building, Steve and Sally joined us for lunch and we went back to the same restaurant where we had celebrated our first adoption ceremony. The manager recognized us immediately and came over to our table, as soon as it was prepared and we were seated.

"It looks as if your family has grown since your last visit. Is this more new members, or do some of these boys belong to these other adults?" he asked politely.

"No, we have grown," Ricky answered for me. "A few minutes ago, we added five new brothers."

"You adopted more boys?" the startled manager asked.

"Yes, sir," Steve responded. "This fantastic family nearly doubled today and I'm proud to have been there to witness it and be a part of their lives."

"And I'll second that sentiment," Sally added. "In my line of work, I seldom have the opportunity to enjoy cases and their outcomes more than I have with this family. Here's to a wonderful group of individuals and some really fantastic people." With that, she grabbed her water glass and lifted it, as if giving a toast. Lowering her glass, she continued. "I also waited for this moment to present you with something else, although, unfortunately, it's not from me personally."

Sally handed me an envelope with my name on it. I opened it and inside was a check in the amount of $153,325.00 from the State of Pennsylvania.

"What is this for?" I wondered aloud.

"An audit was conducted on my department over the past couple of months and your case was examined, because of the number of boys you had been assigned," she informed me. "In going over your files, the auditors determined that you were not credited properly for clothing allotments, medical reimbursements, housing expenses and travel costs for the boys. It was because you would only let me give you the minimum monthly reimbursement as a foster parent, but the auditors insisted you be given the same payments as every other foster home. They calculated the expenses and then cut the check before they finished. I held onto it until this moment, so I could present it to you at such a joyous time."

"Well, thank you, and I'll just add this to the money I've set aside for the boys' future. I'm sure we all appreciate it." The boys agreed and thanked Aunt Sally themselves. "By the way," I added, "lunch is on me." That comment evoked a little chuckle from the adults and even a few from the older boys, who caught on to my little joke.

We ate our meal and had a great time. When the waiter asked us if we wanted anything else, we told him 'no' and I asked for the check. Without warning, a cart with assorted desserts was brought out and we were informed that these were on the house. Those who still had room, or could force a dessert down, took one and we thanked the manager for his generosity. He again announced our presence and why we were celebrating, but people were accustomed to us by now and merely gave us a polite response. I paid the tab, left a generous tip and made ready to return home. I had let the boys take the whole day off from school, so we could enjoy this time to the max.

We said our good-byes to Sally and Steve and loaded into the van. Once home, the boys changed and then we sat and talked for a while. One of the first things I did was to ask Trey a question.

"Seeing you are no longer Alexander Michael Daniels, THE THIRD, do we still call you Trey or shall we call you something else?"

Trey lit up with my comment and question, but then he took some time to think about his answer. I don't think it had dawned on him about that aspect of his name change. "No, Pop. I still want you to call me Trey."

"Fair enough. As you wish, so will it be done," I informed him, trying to sound dramatic by doing so, but I think my attempt failed miserably.

All day long I got hugs and kisses from the newest adoptees, and they in turn got the same treatment from their brothers and me. It was a very spiritual experience. Although I suspected there would be many more important events in our lives, during the years to come, this was definitely one of our 'moments to remember'.

The End of Book Two of Castaway Hotel