Bill W

Castaway Hotel III

Chapters 11-20

Chapter 11
A Stop in Ole San Antone

The next morning we had a quick breakfast before we went to the airport. I had already called ahead, to make sure the ticket for Nick had been confirmed, and the boys finally caught on to where we were going after seeing the monitor that listed San Antonio as our destination. Brandon was all smiles, after realizing we were going to see his family, and the other boys immediately started pulling his leg.

"I guess Pop's finally going to dump you back on your own folks," Jay teased, as a way of getting back at Brandon for teasing him about his clumsiness on our first vacation together.

"Yeah, we hear your parents stenciled your name on the dog house in the backyard," Kevin added, "so you'd have a place to sleep."

"They even bought one of those wireless fences to keep him in the yard," Trey added, laughing.

"And his dad got a new pooper-scooper, so he could clean up after him," Pat threw in, leaving a vivid picture in everyone's mind about how the crap got there in the first place.

Graham walked up to Brandon and started stroking his back. "Nice Brandon, good boy," he told him, playing along with the gag and treating Brandon like a dog.

"You guys think you're pretty funny, don't you?" Brandon countered, with a feigned hurt look on his face. "Well, you'll all go hungry as comedians, won't they, Pop?"

I wasn't expecting to be called into this discussion, so I had to wing it quickly. "Down, boy, good Brandon," I responded, trying to keep a straight face. "Sit, boy."

"Not you too," he said, sarcastically. "What is this, 'gang up on Brandon day'?"

"I like you, Brandon," Jordan told him. "You can come home with me and be my pet." When he started his comment, the other boys thought Jordan was feeling sorry for Brandon, so they all cracked up when they heard his final remark. Since none of them had been ready for Jordan to get involved in ribbing Brandon, it just made what he said seem even funnier.

By now we were all laughing so hard that I thought some of the boys might pee their pants. The other people in the terminal were eyeing us suspiciously, like we had all just lost our minds or escaped from a mental hospital. Who knows, maybe they were right. Anyway, none of us cared and didn't let the humorless masses bother us.

"Okay, I give and you win," Brandon said, surrendering. "I'll wait until I get to my house, where my mommy and daddy can protect me," he added in a little boy whine.

At that point I urged the boys forward, to our boarding gate, before we missed our flight. When we arrived there, they had already started to board. We produced our tickets and walked onto the plane, ready for another flight.

The trip to San Antonio went very smoothly and Brandon's parents were at the terminal to meet us when we arrived. Brandon was happy to see his mother and father again and hugged and kissed both of them affectionately. I think his father was surprised by how much love Brandon was showing them.

"Heck, if I had known we'd get this kind of reaction from you after you'd been away for a while," Mr. O'Hara quipped, "we'd have shipped you off to camp or with friends long ago."

Brandon looked at him, startled, until he noticed the smirk on his father's face and understood he was being teased again. "Dang, is everyone going to bust on me today? I thought I could at least count on my parents to protect me."

"We're glad to see you, son," Mr. O'Hara told him. "It's just that you've never been so bold at showing your affection to us in public before. We were just enjoying the change in you."

"Well, I've missed you both and am happy to see you again."

"And we're thrilled to see you too, honey," Mrs. O'Hara added. "Don't let your father ruin this, dear. Let's go and get your things, because we've got a lot planned for you boys while you're here."

"Thanks, Mom," Brandon replied, smiling at his mother. "I really did miss both of you."

"And we missed you too, darling, and now we'll have some time to spend together, before you take off again. Your father even took a week's vacation, so we could do things together… I mean the Curries, you, and us," she added, not wanting us to feel left out.

"That sounds like fun," Brandon answered. "I'm glad we'll have some time to spend together, before we go back."

I excused myself and took the little ones with me while I went to get our rental vehicle. I had reserved another van for the time we were going to be here, knowing nothing but that or a bus would be able to contain my growing flock. The other boys stayed with the O'Haras while I went to get the vehicle and the rental clerk had us processed and in our van in no time at all. Soon I was rejoining the O'Haras and my brood, and it didn't take us long before the luggage and kids were loaded up and ready for our next adventure.

Brandon rode with his parents, taking Danny with him, and I followed them toward our first stop. The O'Haras and I had planned this out several weeks ago. Now we were ready to put our itinerary into motion.

First, we took the boys for a ride on the Lone Star Trolley, a turn-of-the-century mode of transportation similar to a train, since it ran on tracks, and the hour-long ride gave us all a chance to talk and get reacquainted. Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara were pleased by how Brandon looked and especially how he had reacted to them when we arrived, so they thanked me, once more, for letting him stay with us and taking him on this vacation. We were doing the usual parent thing, like discussing how quickly the boys were growing up and commenting about how quickly they were changing, while the boys were enjoying the ride, checking out the sights and engaging in some minor horse-play. Our time on the trolley passed by quickly and the boys immediately let us know it was time to eat, once our ride was over.

Mrs. O'Hara had previously made luncheon reservations for our group and the restaurant didn't seem bothered by the fact that we were about a half hour early. Once we were seated, everyone ordered and then the boys ate quickly, once the food came. It was obvious they were anxious to see what our next stop was going to be.

Mr. and Mrs. O'Hara were enjoying watching the boys interact, and Brandon filled them in on the teasing he took at the airport, before we boarded the plane. Mr. O'Hara informed Brandon that they didn't have a dog house, so he didn't have to worry about that, but then he quickly added that the little shed out back would make a dandy room for him. My boys started laughing and Brandon chided his father.

"Dad, you don't have to play along and encourage these guys," he stated, disappointed that his father was making fun of him too. "They do enough of that for each other. I was hoping for your support and praying you would protect me from their abuse."

"Sorry, Brandon, but the house is small and we didn't know what else to do with you…" Mr. O'Hara continued, but was quickly cut off.

"Dad!" Brandon almost screamed, shooting his father a dirty look.

"Patrick," Mrs. O'Hara scolded, as she slapped her husband's upper arm. "Leave your son alone and quit teasing him so. If you can't say anything nice to the boy, then just keep quiet."

Mr. O'Hara feigned injury and embarrassment from her admonishment, and Brandon smiled in her direction. "Thanks, Mom. I'm glad that at least one of my parents will stick up for me."

"Okay, Brandon, you win," his father added, grudgingly. "I won't tease you any more. Besides, if I do, your mother will have me sleeping in that shed tonight and for weeks to come."

All of the boys giggled at the last comment and Mrs. O'Hara emphatically nodded her head, to indicate that is precisely what would happen. Once things quieted down, we requested our bill, paid it and left. We loaded back into the two vehicles, with Danny riding with Brandon and his parents again, and I followed Mr. O'Hara to our next stop, the Alamo.

Even my grandsons knew what this place was and recognized it almost immediately as we parked nearby. As soon as we paid to enter, I quickly informed the boys about the mission's history. I explained how it had originally been the home for Spanish missionaries and how they used it as their base of operations as they attempted to convert the local Indians to Christianity. That was the mission's main function for seventy years, until the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit there. It was the soldiers who first called the mission the Alamo, the Spanish word for 'cottonwood', in honor of their hometown, Alamo de Parras, Coahuila.

The Spanish were still occupying the Alamo when the Texas Revolution began in 1835, but in December a group of Texian and Tejano volunteers forced the soldiers to surrender, after just five days of fighting. It stayed under their control until the end of February and beginning of March of 1836, when General Santa Anna's army took them by surprise. The men inside held out for 13 days, led by William B. Travis, until the Mexican Army was finally victorious. Although the reports of what happened in those final days are unclear, many of the two hundred defenders of the Alamo were killed in the fighting or executed later, including Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.

We roamed around for quite some time, as the boys spent time pretending they were defending the mission from the onslaught of tourists who kept parading in and out of the area. We let them enjoy themselves for a while longer, bought a few things from the gift shop, and then left for the next stop. This time we were heading to the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum.

Don't misunderstand this. We weren't taking the boys out bar-hopping. This is another tourist attraction, where the boys eventually saw some frontier card acts, trick roping, another gunfight, Old Tex (a stuffed longhorn steer with an 8' 9" [2.67 m] horn-span), a preserved 78-point whitetail deer and a mounted 1,056-pound [479 kg] black marlin.

Once we were done there, we toured the Hall of Texas Wax Museum and looked at the exhibits, which included likenesses of many important people in the history of Texas, including some of the primary defenders of the Alamo. After that, we let the boys go spend some time in the arcade, making sure which boys were responsible for the younger ones while they were together, and then Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara and I went and had sodas in the saloon.

Once we were alone, they thanked me again for everything I was doing for Brandon and then we went over the schedule for our stay with them. Actually we weren't staying WITH them, as we'd be renting rooms at a hotel in the area, but we would be near them. Brandon would be staying with his parents, and he'd probably have Danny join him there, but I was happy to let them enjoy their evenings alone.

After another hour or so, we pried the boys out of the arcade and set out for the restaurant where we would eat our evening meal. We were all more than a little hungry by now and the boys were looking forward to refilling their nearly empty stomachs. We paraded into the restaurant, amid the stares of those already seated, and we must have looked like a U.N. committee as we strolled past the locals and other tourist groups. The staff had placed several tables together in the rear of the dining area for us and soon the boys were settling the debate over who would be sitting where and by whom.

I wanted the little ones near me, but that wasn't about to happen. The older boys were already taking good care of their nephews and younger brothers, so I had nothing to do but take care of myself and chat with Brandon's parents. The O'Haras commented about how delighted they were to see the older boys helping out with the younger boys, especially when they noticed Brandon was busy helping Jordan. I told the O'Haras that the boys were more protective of the little ones than I was, which caused Mrs. O'Hara to chuckle and make a comment.

"I'm surprised Brandon is showing the patience and desire to be 'fatherly' with them," she told me and I think she was referring to his orientation. I believe she assumed that since he would never become a father, he would never show any of those traits.

"Brenda, Brandon is very good with my munchkins and they love him just like the others," I informed her. I think both of Brandon's parents were even more proud of him at that moment, although his mother was still a bit confused.

We placed our orders, and before long the soups, salads and breads were being delivered to the table. Of course, those items disappeared in the blink of an eye, during which time the boys also consumed half or more of their drinks, as well. That's when Mr. O'Hara asked me how I could afford to feed this group. I responded that, although they consumed a great deal as a group, I was happy to see their healthy appetites, because the opposite was too painful to behold.

Seeing his confused expression concerning my reply, I filled him in about Cole and Graham's condition when they first arrived to join us, before adding that I'd spend whatever it took to make sure that none of them ever had to go through anything like that while they were in my care. Even though I hadn't intended for him to take it that way, Mr. O'Hara was now embarrassed by his earlier comment. I quickly told him that I had taken no offense and knew he had meant none. I just wanted him to understand why I never tried to stifle the boys' robust eating habits, not that any of them were in any way fat. Carlos was a little stocky and Pat and Dustin displayed solid, thick torsos, but other than that, the boys were all on the slender side. They more than burned off everything they consumed, so I never worried about what they ate.

When the meal ended, Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara invited us over to their house, but I graciously declined, letting them know that they needed this time alone with Brandon. They could show him around and spend some quality time together and we would join them the following evening, if they still wanted. They thanked me for my foresight and understanding and told me that they wouldn't take no for an answer tomorrow evening. I agreed that tomorrow would be fine and then informed the boys we would be heading over to our hotel now.

Brandon quickly asked if Danny could come with him and I quietly asked him if he didn't think he needed to spend THIS evening with just his parents. Danny urged him to go ahead without him and said they would have a lot more time together, but tonight he needed to spend some time alone with his folks. Reluctantly, Brandon agreed, and then he and his parents were on their way to their new home. It was then that I discovered that Mr. O'Hara had somehow managed to pay our entire tab, without my even knowing it. The waitress said he had even included the tip, when I tried to slip her some money. I thanked her for a wonderful meal and fine service and then herded the boys out to the van.

By the time we got to the hotel, checked in and got our room keys, I noticed Danny and Brandon had been scheduled for the 'sex room' tonight. Worried, I asked Danny if he wanted to switch nights with the next group and he informed me it wouldn't be necessary. He said that he and Brandon would be spending the next night together at Brandon's house and he was fine with it. Then he thought for a minute and asked me if he could invite Nick to join him tonight, instead. I told him I wasn't sure about how Nick would feel about the arrangement, even though I suspected I did, but I told him he could discreetly discuss it with Nick and possibly drop some hints to let him know what this would entail. Soon I saw Danny and Nick walking down the hall, with Danny's arm over Nick's shoulder, as Danny was feeling out our newest member. Before long, Nick came running back to me, all excited.

"Would you mind if I sleep in with Danny tonight?" he asked me breathlessly. I believe I knew the cause of his euphoria.

"No, I wouldn't mind at all. Are you sure you understand what Danny was asking you?" I tried to clarify.

"Yes, and I think it's great," he replied. "I was so worried about you guys finding out I was gay, because I thought you wouldn't want me with you, once you did. That's why I didn't tell you it was another reason why I ran away from home. My father is homophobic and hates queers."

"Well, that won't be a problem with us," I assured him. "We are all very open and accepting, so you won't find that a problem here. You go have fun with the other boys, but remember one thing. No one forces anyone to do anything they don't want to do. If you don't want to do something, just say 'no' and the other boys will do the same. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, and that's not a problem either," he agreed. "This is great. I never thought I'd ever be this lucky. Thanks for saving me from getting arrested and for taking me with you. Oh, God, I'm sooooooo lucky," he reiterated, as he walked away, which caused me to chuckle. I had already given Danny the room key, so I watched as he, Nick, Cole and Graham went to their room.

Ricky and Jay quickly asked me if they could share a room with the four little ones and I agreed. I think the munchkins wanted this as much as the older pair. Trey and Dion quickly followed up with their request, asking me if they could spend the night with me, in my room. I had no problem with that, which left Dustin, Kevin, Pat and Carlos in the final room. I handed the others their room keys and we all headed down the corridor. The boys were all fairly tired, so I didn't think many of them would be staying up too late.

When we got to our room, Trey and Dion informed me they really wanted to just spend time with me tonight. They said they didn't care what we did, but felt we hadn't been alone in a long time. I thought about it and realized they were right. Even though it wasn't intentional on my part, we hadn't been alone – just the three of us, except for that one night. I apologized to them for this oversight and assured them that I'd be happy to do whatever they wanted for the evening.

They quickly decided that after they showered we could just watch some TV together. I said that would be fine and they took off to clean up. When they had finished, they came out, nude of course, and sat on either side of me on the sofa. I handed Dion the remote and he found a movie on one of the movie channels. Now we settled in and both boys cuddled up against me, so I wrapped my arms around their shoulders and we spent the rest of the evening like that.

When we finally decided to go to sleep, the boys asked if they could sleep with me too. After questioning them briefly about it, I decided there was no ulterior motive, other than their wanting to be close to me for the night, so I soon found myself sandwiched between them on my bed. I slept very soundly that evening, as did they, although I had an unusual wake up notice around 6:00, when Dion began jabbing me with his morning erection, even though he didn't realize it. Man, that kid is hung! I wonder how Trey puts up with that so well?

Chapter 12
More Than a Rookie

Once they were in the 'sex room', Nick became the immediate aggressor. The boys had just finished taking their showers, when Nick made his first offer. "I'd be willing to suck all of you off, if you want."

Danny, Cole and Graham were somewhat surprised by his magnanimous suggestion and thought he must have felt he had to do it to all of them, just because he was the new kid. Danny decided to try to set him straight.

"Nick, when I told you that we fooled around with each other, I didn't mean you had to do all of us," he explained. "We can just partner up and we'll even let you choose who you want to be with."

"But you don't understand, Danny. I want to do all of you," Nick countered, surprising them yet again. "I like sucking cock and I'd be happy to do it for each of you."

"But I didn't think you had ever done this before," Graham added.

"Oh, I've done it a lot," Nick quickly clarified. "I hung around with a group of older guys, starting when I was about nine, and after about six months of trying to get rid of me, they decided to try to scare me off. We started playing truth-or-dare and it began with simple things, like me getting naked and running around the yard. Then they started daring me to touch their dicks. Next, they dared me to jack them off. Finally, they dared me to suck on their pricks. When I started doing it, I found out I liked to do it a whole lot. So I'd really like it if you let me do it to each of you. Okay?"

The three boys looked at each other and immediately could tell they were all in agreement. Cole took the initiative to answer for the group. "If you don't mind, the rest of us aren't going to argue about it. You can decide how and what order you want to do us in and we'll go along with whatever you say."

"But can we watch while you do the other ones?" Graham asked, all excited.

"Sure, I don't mind, if the others don't," he responded. "I doubt they're shy, though, considering how you guys run around naked all the time and knowing you do the same things to each other."

"It's okay if you want to watch, Graham," Danny answered his little brother. "I guess I'd wouldn't mind watching either."

"Thanks, Danny, because I really want to watch him suck that big wiener of yours," Graham said with a sly grin on his face.

"Great," Nick almost shouted out. "I'll do Danny first, then, so you can watch me swallow his big monster, if that's what you want, Graham."

"Oh, yeah," Graham responded, eagerly. "I really want to see that."

Without wasting any time, Nick led Danny over to the first bed and had him lie down, before he got on the far side of him, so Graham and Cole would have an unobstructed view of the action. The two younger boys sat on the edge of the other bed, leaning forward, transfixed by the scene that was unfolding before them.

Nick started rubbing and licking Danny's flaccid schlong, trying to get it to awaken and ready to play, and Danny made a mental note that he would have to teach Nick about foreplay and the other types of fun they could also have with each other. As soon as Danny's totem pole was sticking out from his body, Nick slipped his lips over the purplish helmet and slid down his mast, until he had most of it in his throat. They heard a small gasp escape from Graham's throat, and then he gave a little giggle of delight, as he watched the two older boys getting it on. Now, their younger brother was bouncing up and down on the bed, next to his biological brother, as Nick bounced up and down on Danny's rigid member.

Danny could tell right away that Nick had not exaggerated about his experience of giving blowjobs, since he was quite good and knew exactly what to do to make it feel good for his partner. Nick's lips and tongue knew all the places to touch and stimulate, and he added enough suction to draw Danny's eyes out of their sockets, figuratively speaking. Danny was really enjoying Nick's experienced attention and began to get into the action as well, bucking his hips up and down to match Nick's efforts.

Cole and Graham were totally in awe of the scene before them and their pricks were as stiff as boards from just watching the other two go at it. The older boys had no idea how much effect they were having on the younger pair, as they were absorbed in their own actions, but this union was rapidly approaching its natural conclusion. Danny's body was beginning to tingle all over and a knot was beginning to form in his gut, letting him know his juices were about to erupt and spew forth.

Nick was now moving at a frantic pace on Danny's shaft, greedily trying to draw his reward from Danny's sexual spring, and it wasn't long before he pulled Danny over the edge, as the older boy's penis exploded into Nick's waiting mouth. Rope after rope of thick teen semen shot from Danny's dickhead into Nick's throat, before the thick cream slid into Nick's stomach. Danny was totally spent from the effort and his mind was totally fogged from the experience, as Nick sucked the final drops from his cock, which was rapidly becoming limp.

Graham was almost totally beside himself in delight, having witnessed this spectacle, and quickly squealed out his approval. "That was awesome. Let me see you do it to Cole now too," he continued.

"Give him a chance," Cole chided his brother. "Let him have a minute or two to rest first. He worked awfully hard to get Danny to shoot his load and probably needs a short break before he continues."

Nick looked up from the other bed and grinned at the pair. "I just need a minute," he said, looking directly at Graham. "And I'll try not to take too long," he added, giving Graham a wink.

The other two boys watched Danny while they were waiting, noting the serene look on his face and realizing Danny had enjoyed this as much, if not more, than they had enjoyed watching the show. Soon the older pair had recovered and Nick was having Danny and Cole switch places. It was a good thing there had been a brief intermission, as it gave Cole a chance to calm down from the frenzied state he had been worked into, just watching the other pair. It had been almost the same as the feeding frenzy sharks get caught up in, when the scent of blood is in the water, and Cole knew he would have unloaded into Nick's mouth in no time at all because of how excited he had been. Now he was closer to a normal state of arousal and would last longer than he would have just a few minutes earlier.

Nick was soon suctioning on Cole's cut dick, after he licked around the entire exterior, and Cole was enjoying Nick's experienced technique. Danny was trying to make some mental notes of Nick's efforts, as he realized he could improve his own skills for the next night with Brandon, if he was observant. Therefore, Danny's attention was now focused on Nick and Cole, and Cole was bucking frantically, in an effort to match Nick's movements. The two working together reminded Danny of a well-timed machine, like the pistons racing in a car's engine block, which caused Danny to suspect it would probably only take another minute or so, until Cole released his seed and soared with the eagles.

Graham was bouncing up and down on the other bed again, totally enjoying the sex show that was taking place in front of him, so Danny wrapped his arms around his younger brother's shoulders, trying to calm him down a bit. Danny almost expected to see Graham shooting his own load any second, without anyone ever touching his still maturing meat and he didn't want that to happen. As he attempted to calm his brother, Danny's attention was drawn back to the other bed, when he heard Cole moan. Fortunately, he moved his head quickly enough to see Cole's body stiffen and arch upward, before it shuddered and released its milky contents into Nicky's greedy orifice. After his offering had been accepted and his juices stopped flowing, Cole crashed back onto the bed and lay in a stupor, totally exhausted from his sexual romp.

Graham was clapping his hands together in excitement, as he sat on the other bed, and then squealed out his next request to their newest addition. "Do me now, Nick. Pleeeeeeeeze."

"Give him a few minutes to rest up, little bro," Danny advised him, hugging the smaller boy into his own chest. "He'll do you, but give him some time to get over that one first."

Danny continued to hug the excited youngster, while trying to get him to relax and unwind from this sexual stimulation, as he wanted Graham's time to last when he, too, got his turn with Nick. Graham did start to come down from his aroused state and he and Danny watched as the other pair recovered from their sexual workout. Finally, Nick was ready to go again and summoned Graham to the other bed.

"Come here, little guy, and I'll try to make you as excited as you were from just watching the others." Graham blushed slightly, but scooted over quickly to the other bed for his turn.

"You know, I've never played with an uncut dick before," Nick said, as he smiled at the boy below him. "I'm looking forward to this almost as much as you are."

He began by fingering the foreskin dangling from the end of Graham's now soft cock and Graham began to 'coo' from the stimulation. Nick pulled the loose skin forward, stretched it apart, and then slid it back and forth to see how it operated. As Graham became hard from this attention, it soon became difficult for Nick to investigate further. Therefore, Nick drew the extra skin back, exposing the little pink helmet, and bent forward and started licking all around Graham's shiny glans.

Graham's eyes rolled back into his head, his mouth dropped open and his breathing came in short, rapid pants as Nick explored the area with his tongue. Nick was having fun with this smaller version of boyhood and reached down and pushed up Graham's scrotum and tiny nuggets, while opening his mouth wide, so he could take all of Graham's boy parts into his mouth at the same time. Graham's whole body shivered as all of his external sex organs were now in that warm, moist cave, being stimulated by a tongue that never seemed to stop or slow down. Graham was squirming around on the bed now, totally excited by what was being done to him, and Nick continued like that for a while longer, before he let the nut sac fall out of his mouth. Now, he decided it was time to bring Graham off.

Nick's head began to bob up and down on Graham's smaller shaft, as he tried to give his young friend the best blowjob he'd ever had. He had been appreciative of the younger boy's excitement and eagerness throughout the whole evening and wanted this to be as good or better than Graham expected. Now, the little fellow was moaning constantly, almost purring, as Nick began to finish him off, by increasing his pace and adding a little more suction. Graham was soon ready to release his immature, watery seed into Nick's waiting throat, so with just a few more nods of his head, Nick felt Graham's penis swell and shoot its small liquid bullets into his mouth. He eagerly tasted and swallowed the ambrosia of youth and hungrily sucked as much as he could get from that tiny hose. Once there was no more to be had, Nick released Graham's prick, but lay beside the boy as they both recovered from the workout.

Danny watched, as the two boys slowly came back to the world around them, and then he made his offer of assistance. "It's my turn to do you now, Nick. You need to get off too. Just move over and I'll help you out, the same way you helped the rest of us."

Nick didn't protest and moved over to allow Danny to get on the bed beside him. Cole helped Graham move from one bed to the other, as Danny started his informal instruction for Nick. He didn't just go to work on Nick's muscle, as Nick had done to them. Instead, he moved beside the prone figure and bent forward and began to kiss Nick on the lips. This startled Nick at first, but he soon gave in to the wonderful feelings and began to kiss Danny back. Danny had soon pried Nick's lips apart with his tongue and now he was forcing his oral muscle into Nick's mouth. It took Nick a short time to catch on, but soon he was doing the same and their tongues were jousting for position. Danny let Nick's tongue enter his own mouth and he began to suck on it when it did. Nick was whimpering from this action, finding out for the first time what a true male-to-male kiss could be like. They continued this passionate oral embrace for a little while longer, before Danny broke their lip-lock and began to kiss Nick's face and neck.

Danny continued to apply these sweet, gentle kisses all around Nick's head and shoulders, before moving down to his chest, so he could work his way down to Nick's tan nipple. He flicked his tongue out at the nub, causing it to become instantly erect, and then he began to suckle on that long neglected piece of flesh. Nick began to moan from this attention and was beginning to understand there were other receptive parts of the body too, besides the crotch.

Danny moved across and did the same thing to his other nipple, before he began to slide down Nick's chest, until he reached his navel. He let his tongue dart in and out of that small depression, causing a new wave of sounds to escape from Nick's throat. Danny had intended to work his way all the way down to Nick's toes, but now recognized Nick was highly aroused already and probably wouldn't be able to hold out that long. Danny decided to save that lesson for another time and moved down and started to work on Nick's ball bag and well proportioned circumcised cock.

Soon, Danny had the entire thing in his mouth and was working energetically on his new partner's organ. He tried to provide Nick with the same amount of pleasure that Nick had given him, and within minutes, Nick was ready to let his load burst forth. With one final groan, Nick's geyser erupted, sending waves of hot liquid across the lining of Danny's mouth and filling him completely with the rich, creamy liquid produced by his loins. Danny swallowed the nectar, after savoring its sweet taste, and was soon drawing the final drops from Nick's fountain of youth. Crawling back up beside the boy, Danny kissed him once again, sharing with him the sweet flavor of his own juices.

Danny was satisfied he had also been able to teach Nick a little about the additional nuances of a sexual encounter and was eager to see what things Nick might do the next time they got together. While he waited for Nick to recover, Danny threw his arm across Nick's chest and pulled him tight. They remained like that until Nick came out of his post-orgasmic daze.

When he did, Nick thanked Danny for the new and fascinating experience and then surprised Danny once more. "Danny, would you fuck me now? I've really only done that once and the guy's dick was so small that it was like there was nothing in there. I'd really be grateful if you'd do that for me."

"Sure," was all that Danny could come up with, since he was stunned by this unexpected request. "Yeah, I'd be happy to do it for you," he added a second or two later.

"Can we watch?" came the high-pitched request from the other bed.

"Of course," Nick responded quickly. "I don't mind, if Danny doesn't."

"No, that will be fine," Danny added, knowing how important this obviously was to Graham.

Danny went and got his tube of lubricant and Nick was already positioned on the bed, his chest and head down and his ass sticking up into the air, when Danny got back. Danny smiled when he saw that cute pink rosebud staring at him and quickly dabbed some gel on his fingers and began working Nick's chute. He slid the first finger in and Nick hardly flinched. He worked it in and out for a few seconds and then withdrew it, before inserting two the next time.

Nick moaned a little this time, but did not protest at all and remained very still, as Danny worked his fingers around in all directions. When Danny withdrew that pair of digits, Nick whined briefly, signifying he was disappointed to have them leave, but was soon purring with delight again, as Danny worked a trio of digits into his hungry hole. Danny worked them all around, twisting, turning and pumping them back and forth, until Danny felt Nick was loose enough to accept his prize sausage. Danny reached down and greased up his own pole and then moved into position behind Nick for entry.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Danny inquired.

"Oh, yeah. I've been waiting for this for a long time," Nick informed him. "Go ahead, I want that log of yours in me now."

Encouraged, Danny pressed his hips forward, until the head of his dick pressed tightly against Nick's pucker, and then added even more pressure, until it 'popped' past the resilient ring and began to enter his satiny chute. He checked with Nick, to make sure he was still all right, and then pushed farther in, at Nick's insistence. Soon, he was totally within Nick's bowels, letting the teen adapt to being filled like that, before he began to pump his life juices into him.

It wasn't long before Nick requested him to continue and Danny didn't waste any time before he began pounding his turgid rod into the nearly virginal opening. He moved in slow, medium length thrusts, letting Nick know what a good boy coupling was all about. He continued to assault Nick's love tunnel in this fashion, trying to get the correct angle, so he could hit Nick's prostate with each forward thrust, until he was finally at that point of no return. Danny made his final, forceful lunge, sending seemingly gallons of his thick boy cream into Nick's intestines, and then the pair collapsed on the bed, spent from the effort.

Cole and Graham had been mesmerized by the spectacle. It was the first time they had witnessed any type of intercourse, so they were still trying to imagine how Nick's butt had accepted Danny's massive penis. It was certainly the biggest they had ever seen, well almost. Dion's rod might have been longer, but it also wasn't as thick, so they felt Danny's had to be harder to take. They certainly had expected it to hurt Nick, but instead, he seemed to enjoy the activity as much as Danny had.

Cole and Graham let the other two boys recover for a few minutes, before they went over and lay down beside them, giving them enthusiastic hugs in appreciation of the wonderful evening they had shared. That's the way the four of them fell asleep and how I discovered them the next morning, when I went in to wake them. That was because someone had accidentally jarred the telephone receiver from the cradle during the night and I couldn't call through to their room, so I had to go down to the main desk and get a spare key card, to make sure they were all right.

Chapter 13
Spending Time With the O'Haras

The next day, Wednesday, we took the boys to the San Antonio Zoo. Even though we had been to other zoos before, this was still a fairly impressive place. We started off by visiting the 'African Water Hole', where we saw ostriches, Grevy's zebras, reticulated giraffes, African crowned cranes, white faced whistling ducks, Thompson's gazelles and antelopes. Sammy and Andrew started cracking up when they noticed two of the gazelles getting a little frisky with each other and whispered something to Danny and Nick that the rest of us couldn't hear.

"That looks like you and Nick last night," Graham teased the older pair.

"Except the male doesn't have nearly as big a dick as Danny does," Cole added. This caused Danny to blush and Nick cracked up, but no one would tell the rest of us what had been said.

From there we went to the 'Amazonia' exhibit, where we saw a sloth, giant anteaters, toucans, capuchin monkeys, a cotton-topped tamarin (a squirrel-like monkey), armadillos, macaws and a pair of Andean condors. Nicky and Jordan asked a lot of questions about this group of animals, because they were really intrigued with the monkeys and birds, so we tried to answer all of their questions the best we could. We told them about the area where the animals lived, how man's increasing population was giving them less and less space of their own and making it more difficult for them to exist in their normal environment. We also tried to explain how those animals lived and what they ate to survive.

After we finished up there, we took a lunch break, since we'd spent over an hour at each of those sites. The boys eagerly woofed down an assortment of hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, ice cream, cotton candy and sodas and I was hoping none of them got sick during the afternoon outing. It wasn't the best lunch they could have had, but I do let them splurge on junk-food occasionally. Being a rarity for them, it made the boys relish this opportunity even more, as they greedily downed this taboo collection of foods. However, my stomach was soon feeling the effects of my grease-laden repast, so I went back for an extra helping of ice cream, in an attempt to use it to help neutralize the meal's lingering effects.

After lunch, our next stop was the 'Hixon Bird House', which was located in a huge stone building. In this structure they had several exhibits meant to display the aviary inhabitants of various regions of the world. Representing the American southwest, we saw some roadrunners and burrowing owls. Next, we saw black-neck stilts and Inca terns, which came from the coastal beaches and after that we watched quetzals, tinamous, and sun bitterns from the South American rain forest. From the jungles of Asia, there were lesser green broadbills and fairy bluebirds and the final area, showing species from the African bush, was represented by Taveta golden weavers, Egyptian plovers and jacanas.

The little ones, in particular, were amazed by what they saw during this visit and couldn't get over how much variation there was in the size, colors and flight speeds of the different varieties. That also included the mechanics of how they flew as well, since some of the birds were flappers, while others were gliders. I tired to explain some of reasons for this to them, describing how the habitat where the birds lived and the natural predators that also lived there helped to determine some of those characteristics, while others had more to do with attracting a mate or food gathering. I think the whole discussion was a little over their heads, so we soon moved on to other things.

From there, we made our way to our last stop at the zoo, an area simply referred to as 'the pad'. This area contained the amphibians (frogs, toads, and salamanders) and the boys quickly grew bored there, as they could find and handle similar creatures at home.

As we were leaving that location, I looked at my watch and noticed it was still early, so I asked for suggestions about what they wanted to do next. After interrogating some zoo employees about what other activities were in the vicinity, we learned there was a miniature golf course not too far away, so we headed there to kill the remaining time until dinner. Mr. and Mrs. O'Hara and I elected to sit out this round, so we could enjoy a fresh cup of coffee as we watched the boys began deciding who would be paired with whom.

Danny and Brandon took Jordan and Nicky with them, so they could assist their nephews in this not yet acquired skill. You could easily tell the little ones were appreciative of the attention and tried to do everything that pair told them, but that didn't always go as planned. There were times when Danny and Brandon became slightly frustrated with their students' inability to do exactly as they were instructed. However, the older duo understood the boys were trying their hardest, so they were good with them and never completely lost their patience. I think all of them really did enjoy their time together.

Dustin and Kevin decided to challenged Trey and Dion, while Ricky and Andrew took on Sammy and Jay. That left Pat, Carlos and Nick to form the final group, so it wasn't long before I was being asked to fill out the foursome. I excused myself from the O'Haras and went to putter around, or something like that. Nick quickly informed me I would be his partner and advised me that I was expected to try my hardest, so we could beat the other two. Obviously, he had a competitive side to him too.

I warned him that I might be a little rusty, which wasn't what he wanted to hear. Even though I had miniature golfed with the boys in the past, it was just for fun. I had not actually golfed or worked on my putting skills for several years, about the same time I began taking the boys in to live with me. Once I did that, I ended up spending most of my free time chasing after them, so I gave up those other pursuits. However, it didn't take long for me to discover I hadn't completely lost my skill with a putter and was able to play a fairly decent round. We did end up beating Pat and Carlos by two strokes, but the other pair seemed unfazed by the score and was just out to have fun. I must admit I really enjoyed my time with this group.

We were the last foursome out, so we were also the last group to finish. When we made it back to the rejoin the rest of the group, the boys waiting for us quickly announced they were hungry and ready to leave for dinner. I told them before we did, we would first have to take time and return to our rooms, so we could clean up and change. They understood, so we hopped in our vehicles and headed back to the motel. While we were returning to our rooms, the O'Haras went home to get ready as well, and Brandon went with them, seeing he had his things there.

Once we got in the van, Nicky, Jordan, Sammy and Andrew started talking and continued the entire way back. They compared notes about how they had done and happily filled each other in about the good shots they'd made, as well as their mistakes, which included Nicky's unexpected dip in one of the little ponds which dotted the course. He had been trying to line himself up to take his next shot and stepped back slightly, to give him a better angle. Unfortunately, that caused him to trip on the lip of the water hazard, and fall backward into it. Even though Danny and Brandon had tried to catch him, they didn't get there in time and then they had to try to stifle their laughter at the sight of him sprawled out in the shallow pool. After he got over the shock and embarrassment about what had happened, Nick started joking about it, much to everyone else's delight and relief. Luckily, he dried off quickly as we continued playing, since it was a hot day, so he was fairly dry by the time we were ready to leave. I think it was almost as much fun listening to the boys talking about all of this again, as it had been to actually see it happen in the first place.

As soon as we got to our rooms, Nick came up and gave me a hug and thanked me for the great day. He said he had done things like that with school groups, but his parents had never gone with him, nor had they ever taken him on their own. He thought it was pretty special to do that type of activity as a family and told me numerous times how much he had enjoyed the day. I kissed him on the forehead, told him he was welcome, and then sent him into the bathroom to take his shower.

When he came back out into the main room, I enjoyed just watching him go about his business. He was humming to himself, as he flitted about the room and selected what he was going to wear, obviously in a very upbeat mood. It's always nice to see the boys so pleased about what we had done and this was one of those special times that meant so much to me. About a half-hour later, after I had cleaned up and changed as well, we were waiting all in the hallway outside of our rooms, ready to go to the restaurant. We were planning to meet up with Brandon and his parents there.

This time as we were led to our table, I grabbed the hostess and asked her to inform our server that I was to get the bill – no one else. She smiled and said she understood, and soon we were placing our orders. It was a lovely meal and the boys spent the dinner hour telling Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara about our time in Arizona, especially about our trip in and around the Grand Canyon. The boys were thrilled to share the stories of their adventures and the O'Haras were just as eager to listen to what they had to say. They seemed impressed by our earlier exploits and were totally engrossed when Brandon gave them his slant on our vacation, especially our time on the mules.

After we finished our desserts, I excused myself to go to the rest room, but found our server and gave her my credit card to pay the bill instead. I signed the receipt, wrote down the tip and then went to wash up in the men's room. When I returned to the table, Mr. O'Hara admonished me for my sneakiness in paying the bill, until I reminded him about the similar stunt he had pulled the previous evening. We both laughed and he told me he would be happy to cover our expenses for the rest of our stay, to make up for what we were spending on Brandon. I told him it wasn't necessary, but both he and his wife insisted, so I finally had to accept their generous offer.

Once we left the restaurant, I followed them to their new home. Brandon took us in small groups on a guided tour around the place, because it would have been very awkward for all of us to go at once. He was just as excited as his parents were to show off his new home and I think that meant a great deal to his mother and father. They allowed him the honor of guiding his other family around, while they entertained the rest of us. When the last group returned, we all went out to sit in their backyard and enjoy the beautiful evening.

Almost immediately, the boys went off to play games of tag and hide-and-go-seek with their younger brothers and nephews, so the O'Haras used this time to ask me some serious questions.

"Josh, do you think that Danny and Brandon consider themselves a couple?" Mrs. O'Hara asked, quite directly. I had a feeling where this might be going, so I tried to remain a step ahead of her in my mind.

"They're young and very good friends right now," I told her. "They've come to rely on each other and sometimes seem like Siamese twins who don't happen to be physically connected."

"But do you think they're… gay boyfriends?" Mr. O'Hara followed-up, with a pained expression registering on his face.

"They may still be too young to understand what they are feeling for each other," I answered, trying to soften the blow for them. "They may be, but I can't say for sure. All I know is that they are definitely each other's best friend."

"Josh, we're not deaf and we've heard the rumors," Mrs. O'Hara continued. "Personally, I was hoping for grandchildren, seeing he's our only child, but I'll support him however he turns out."

"I will too," Brandon's father offered, "although it might take some time for me to adapt my long-held beliefs enough to allow me to love him unconditionally and without unconsciously withdrawing from him at times. It's just that the church and my peers have long considered this a choice and a lifestyle, but if Brandon is a homo, I know he didn't choose to be that way. I'm beginning to think that sexual orientation is an inborn trait and we've got to accept others that are born different like that."

"That's very wise of you, Patrick, and I agree with your observations," I told him. "I concluded long ago that homosexuality was more nature than nurture, and I've vowed to accept my boys and love them, no matter what their orientation."

"Then we're glad Brandon's in love with Danny," Mrs. O'Hara said, slightly choking up as she commented, "and that Brandon will have an understanding father-in-law to help him too. Thank you for everything you've done and are doing for him. We are all proud that you are our friend and you're a wonderful second father to our son."

I think each of us were almost in tears at this point, and quite frankly I was surprised, yet very happy, that they were so open and accepting of Brandon's situation. I knew they were deeply religious and very devout Catholics, so I hadn't been sure if they would strictly follow the church's attitude concerning this or if they would adapt their views to fit the situation. That's why I tried to soften my responses to their earlier questions, so as not to make matters worse, but now I had my answer. I would be sure to let Brandon and Danny know how lucky they were, although I think the O'Haras plan to do that for themselves, later this evening.

About that time, a group of boys came running toward us for protection, because they were being chased by another group of my monsters, for reasons unknown. It didn't take long to discover the first group gave the other group some verbal barbs and the latter was chasing them in playful retaliation. They hung around us for a while longer, before I finally announced it was time for us to head back to the motel. We had another big day planned for tomorrow and the boys needed their sleep. Danny kissed and hugged me good night, before running to get some things out of the van, since he was staying with Brandon tonight. He had packed a few things to last him temporarily, so the rest of us said good-bye and left.

Tonight, Dustin, Kevin, Trey and Dion were sharing the 'sex room' and I figured the couples would be staying with their own 'mate' and enjoying a fun time with their lovers. Ricky and Jay wanted Nick to join them, so Cole and Graham asked if they could share a room with Sammy, Andrew, Jordan, and Nicky. After laying down the appropriate ground rules, I let them have the room next to mine. That left Pat and Carlos to spend the night with me. That would be fine, as I hadn't been with that pair in quite some time, so I would be able to get reacquainted with them now.

The boys didn't need to shower, as they had done so before dinner, but they quickly shed their clothing and joined me to watch an international soccer match on TV. Carlos came over and sat on my lap, even though he's a pretty big boy, and thanked me for the wonderful time he was having. He also told me one of the best things he ever did was to come to our house and ask for help. He laid his head against my shoulder, so I kissed his hair, and soon he totally melted against me. Pat sat on the side of me and lifted my arm over his shoulder, so we would also be a little closer. This was a very special moment for me, since both boys had made those moves on their own volition.

We enjoyed about another hour together, before I suggested it was time to turn in. Although each of them was a little disappointed our time together was coming to an end, they didn't give me any hassles. Instead, the let me know we were all going to sleep together, in one bed. We all slept well that evening, even though the bed was a bit crowded, but we felt secure in our love for each other.

In one of the other rooms, Nick was making his interest in Ricky known. "What would you say if I offered to let you do me?" Nick asked quite bluntly, looking Ricky directly in his eyes.

"We're only allowed to have sex when we're in the 'sex room'," Ricky informed him. "It's one of the ground rules Dad set up before we left."

"But no one else will know and I'll let Jay do it to me too."

"That's not the point," Ricky responded. "We told Dad we would follow his rules and I don't plan on breaking my promise to him. He trusts us now and I don't want to lose that. I remember how hard it was to earn it back the last time we screwed up and I don't want to go through that again."

"But he'll never know," Nick insisted. "Besides, it's kind of a dumb rule. He doesn't mind your having sex, he just wants it to only happen in one room."

"It's not a dumb rule," Jay spat out at Nick. "He did it so Sammy, Andrew, Jordan and Nicky wouldn't get caught in the middle of that or see something they shouldn't. That's why we all gave Pop our word."

"But if you don't tell him and I don't tell him, how will he know?" Nick pressed.

"We'd know and we wouldn't feel right knowing we lied to him," Ricky responded. "We all messed up once and I hated how it made me feel, so I'm not about to do that again. I could call his room and ask him if he'd allow us to make an exception, but I won't do it unless he says it's okay."

"You're going to call your dad and ask him if he minds if we have sex? What, are you nuts or something?" Nick was totally astonished by Ricky's comment. "No one asks their parents for permission to have sex."

"I don't care what other kids do, I keep my promises to Dad. You just don't get it," Ricky challenged. "He took all of us in and did things for us that no one had ever done before. He's been very open and accepting of all our different situations and shown us more love than any of us ever knew existed. The only thing he has asked from us is that we're honest and open with him. There's no way I'm going to do anything to jeopardize what I've got now."

"I think you're being stupid about this, but I can see where you're coming from," Nick finally admitted. "You guys do have it pretty good and I've had more fun in the short time I've been with you than I can remember having in my whole life. I'd still like to have sex with you guys, so if you have to call him and ask for permission first, I hope you'll do it."

"I don't think he'll mind, as long as we keep the doors locked and the little ones are somewhere else," Ricky offered. "Give me a second and I'll ask."

Ricky phoned my room and apologized for waking me up, since I must have sounded a little groggy. He explained the situation to me, and asked permission to bend the rules just this once. I considered all the factors and gave them permission for this one occasion. I also thanked Ricky for seeking permission, rather than doing it behind my back. Ricky felt good about sticking to his guns, Jay was pleased Ricky stood his ground and Nick was just happy they were going to have sex.

He told the two boys they could have intercourse with him, but Ricky and Jay quickly explained they would not do it in return. Nick told them it didn't matter, but the boys wouldn't do it unless they could do something for him, to make it even. Finally Ricky suggested they could each give Nick a blowjob before they screwed him, thus they'd each be doing something for the other. Everyone agreed, and the games began.

Ricky and Jay both enjoyed the opportunity to try this again and were eager to see if it would be different with Nick. They still couldn't believe how enthusiastic Nick was about having this done to him, so it made them begin to wonder if maybe they weren't being a little silly by maintaining their strong stances against trying it themselves. After all, Danny and Brandon seemed to enjoy it too. Neither of them would try it tonight, but they might have to rethink how they felt about this activity.

Putting those thoughts temporarily out of their minds, the boys took their turn, with Jay leading off. Before long, they all had the relief they needed and were all cuddled together in one bed, letting the good feelings carry them off to sleep.

Chapter 14
A Fun Time in Texas

We would spend the next two days at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, a first-class amusement park in San Antonio, which is operated by the Six Flags group. Patrick and Brenda O'Hara had suggested we go there and the boys were thrilled when we told them our destination. However, we also let them know they didn't have to try to do everything in one day, since we were going to be there for two days.

We arrived at the park amid a mass of confusion, as the boys tried to form groups according to who was interested in doing what. Seeing they were having difficulty reaching a consensus, I told them the O'Haras and I would take the younger boys with us for the day, which would eliminate some of their problems. I informed them that they could spend time with the little ones tomorrow, if that's what they wished, but today they should just concentrate on what they wanted to do. Everyone thought it was an acceptable idea, so the older ones took off – once we'd also decided on a meeting place and agreed to the times we would meet there, once before lunch and another before dinner. As the boys ran off to do their thrill seeking, the rest of us headed off with the little ones in tow, to explore that sections of the park geared to them.

Just in case you're wondering, I did pull Sammy aside and asked him which group he wanted to be with and he chose to stay with Andrew, Nicky and Jordan. He did say he might go with the others the following day, depending on how much fun he had today, and I told him that would be fine. So off we went, to see what the park had to offer.

I spent the morning watching my grandsons and youngest sons as they rode on the School Bus Express, the Rodeo Rider-mini-Scream, Yosemite Sam's Wacky Wagon, Daffy's Duckaneer (a kid-sized swinging pirate ship), Foghorn Leghorn's Backyard Railway, the Rodeo Rider (an up and down kiddy tower ride), Taz's Tornado Swinging Seats, Mini Teacups, and the four kiddy roller coasters (one of which the O'Haras or I had to accompany them on). We had been on about half of the rides by the time our lunchtime rendezvous approached, so we went to our meeting point and joined up with the rest of our group.

The boys were quite excited and told us about some of their adventures while we'd been apart, after which the younger ones told their older brothers and uncles what they had been up to. After a hasty lunch at one of the facility's eateries, Brandon and Danny dragged the O'Haras off to join them on the rides. Brandon's parents didn't seem too thrilled about this plan, but accompanied their son and future son-in-law and went to meet their fate (so to speak).

Once they'd disappeared, Cole and Graham asked if they could go with us to the kiddy area. Seeing I thought they were both young and small enough to be allowed on those rides, I told them they would be welcome to join us. I was a little surprised they even wanted to go on the children's rides, but I think it was more that they wished to just spend time with Sammy, Andrew, Nicky and Jordan. Therefore, we set off again, to take on some of the remaining rides.

During our time together, Cole and Graham told me that some of the bigger rides shook them up quite a bit and even hurt them a little. Even though they had grown and filled out since they had been with us, they may never overcome all of the physical deficiencies brought about by poor nutrition during their early development. They would probably always be somewhat frail and suffer from the residual effects of those early parental blunders for many years to come. Having that information, I knew I'd have to find a way to insulate them from such things in the future, but enjoyed watching them interact with this group and having a good time for themselves. Needless to say, I was pleased they didn't seem the least bit self-conscious about enjoying these rides at their more advanced ages and just focused on having fun.

By dinnertime the boys had ridden on all the various rides, but they had their favorites and wanted to take another spin on those. I told them that would have to wait until after we ate, because it was getting late. Somewhat reluctantly, (can you believe they were unenthused about going to eat?) we met up with the rest of our group to see what everyone was up for. After selecting a different eatery for dinner, the older boys informed me that they wanted to take me on some of the rides with them. The O'Haras quickly volunteered to take charge of the little ones, which I suspect they did so they wouldn't have to go on any more rides themselves, and Cole and Graham offered to help them. That meant I had nothing stopping me and was free to take up the boys on their offer, although I wasn't convinced this was the best thing for me. I had my hunches about why the boys were so eager for me to join them, but I reluctantly followed them to their chosen destination, regretting that it had only been a half hour since we'd finished eating.

Danny and Brandon grabbed me first and dragged me over to The Rattler, a wooden roller coaster that plunges down into a quarry, across the canyon, down a cliff and through a tunnel. It was a great old-fashion roller coaster ride, which reminded me of the roller coasters from my childhood, but it also managed to shake up my innards and left my stomach in my throat. After reaching the end of this ride, I wasn't certain whether it got it's name from the snake or because the wooden structure rattled and creaked as the cars rode over it.

As I was coming off that ride, Ricky and Jay latched on to me and took me to Scream, a 164', 20-story ride. We started out by being catapulted up to the top and then dropped in a free-fall, with our feet precariously dangling outside the seats. This pair was having a great deal of amusement at my expense and laughing hysterically at my reaction, as we were first jerked skyward and then plummeted toward the earth. My knees were still a little weak and my legs slightly rubbery as I disembarked, so I had to tell the next set of boys to give me a chance to recover first, before I left for my next mock execution.

After giving me a few minutes, Trey and Dion pulled me toward their favorite ride, the Superman Krypton Coaster. This was a floorless steel roller coaster that loops, corkscrews and simply twists and turns from start to finish. As we flew through this ride, I was jarred and slammed from side to side, while the two boys screamed with delight, seemingly enjoying this far more than I was. In fact, I was now beginning to appreciate why Cole and Graham had come over to spend time with the little ones.

As soon as I walked away from this ride, Nick asked me to join him on the Boomerang. This was another roller coaster, but this one went 20-stories high and traveled both forward and backward, with two loops and a corkscrew in between. I swallowed hard, took a deep breath and got in line with my newest boy. Nick had a grin from ear to ear, since he already knew what I was going to go through, and then put his hand on my shoulder and told me I'd be all right.

"Thank you, Daddy," I replied in my best childish voice, which caused him to punch my arm, as a repayment for my sarcasm. I must admit, though, it was one wild ride and pushed my endurance to the limit. I didn't know how much more my old body could take as I staggered away from it, but there was to be no rest for the weary – or the nauseated.

Pat and Carlos came up to me next and requested that I go on the next ride with them. Once I agreed, they dragged me off to the Road Runner Express, which is yet another steel roller coaster, but this one was kind of cute, as we observed Wile E. Coyote as he tried to capture the Road Runner. I was honored to watch Carlos, as he kept his body very close to mine, and realized how important this was to him. We had a nice ride and I think he was a little disappointed when it was over so quickly.

As I made my way from this ride, I thought I had made it through everyone, when Dustin and Kevin appeared and said it was time for me to go with them. They took me over to the Poltergeist, yet another roller coaster, but this one went from 0 – 60 m.p.h. in 3.5 seconds. This was the point were I almost blew chunks and returned my last meal back to the park. Somehow I managed to keep my food down and was extremely grateful I had run out of sons. Maybe this was a sign to limit the size of my family and not let it get any larger.

I was feeling as if I had finally received my reprieve from the governor and was starting to walk back to find the O'Haras, when the boys told me I had to join them for one final ride. We were all going to go on The Joker's Revenge. It was a funhouse, but you rode on a purple roller coaster (forward and backward) through fog, around a maze, through an upside-down room and into a hall of mirrors. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it sounded, and after that ride was over, my sentence, and punishment, was complete. This time the warden gave me my release and sent me packing, much to my relief.

The boys went with me as we made our way back to find the others. They were laughing and joking the whole way back, telling me I had been a good sport and they had been secretly betting if I'd make it through all of the rides without getting sick or backing out. I thanked them for their concern (yeah, sure) and told them I'd remember their supreme acts of kindness.

As we crossed the park, all of them acted more like a group of ten to twelve year olds, as they joked and clowned around with each other and me. Even though I wouldn't admit it to them, not just yet anyway, I did enjoying spending this time with them.

Patrick and Brenda were trying hard to stifle their laughter when they saw how I looked after my time with my sons. They told me they only had to endure a couple of rides with Brandon and Danny, but that was more than enough for them. They said they couldn't imagine what I had just gone through. I thanked them for their concern and then we made sure we hadn't lost anyone. After counting noses, we made our way back to the cars and the boys informed me I should dress for the water attractions tomorrow, in addition to some of the other rides that I hadn't been on yet. The O'Haras had a difficult time concealing how humorous they thought that revelation was and I could hardly contain my excitement either. If you believe that, I've got some ocean front property in West Virginia I'd like to sell you.

Danny rode with the O'Haras and spent the night with Brandon again. Which reminds me, I forgot to mention they had told me about their little discussion with Brandon's parents, while they were waiting to board their rides. Both boys were thrilled that Brandon's folks understood and accepted them as they were, the same way I had, and then they suggested that I'd had a lot to do with how they handled it. Even though I told them I had talked very little to the O'Haras about them, the boys refused to believe I hadn't played a big part in influencing their announcement, so I knew I would have to set the record straight, but at a later date. Right now, it was time to just enjoy our trip.

The rest of us returned to the hotel and I checked the schedule for the night. We had another interesting discovery, as Danny and Brandon were scheduled for the 'sex room' again tonight, this time with Pat and Carlos. Nick quickly volunteered to take their place and Pat and Carlos agreed. Somewhat concerned about what might take place in there, after hearing some comments about Nick's earlier exploits, I pulled Nick aside and explained that Carlos wasn't as experienced as the others, so I didn't want him to try to force Carlos into things he wasn't ready for. He assured me he wouldn't do that and I accepted him at face value.

Cole and Graham begged for me to let them be with Sammy, Andrew, Jordan and Nicky again, as they'd had such a great time together the evening before. Since they had been so well behaved the previous night, I gave them permission to stay together again, which made them all very giddy. Jay quickly told Ricky that he wanted them to spend the night with me, so Dustin and Kevin happily teamed up with Trey and Dion.

When they got to the 'sex room', Nick took the initiative again and announced to Pat and Carlos that he'd be happy to give each of them a blowjob. Carlos was a little reluctant, until Nick informed him that he wouldn't have to do anything in return. After hearing that, Carlos' eyes began to flash and a smile began to spread across his face. It was then that he admitted he wanted to have it done to him, but wasn't ready to do it to someone else. He didn't mind giving hand-jobs, but he wasn't ready to do more.

Seeing this was Carlos' big chance at a new experience, Pat let him go first. Nick wanted to try what Danny did to him, with all the kissing and licking, but he could tell Carlos was already far too excited to hold out that long. With that in mind, he only played with Carlos' foreskin briefly, but he was still fascinated by the extra piece of flesh that he no longer had. Finally, he skinned it back, so he could lick on his cock-head and get down to business.

Before long, Nick was bobbing up and down on Carlos' boyhood and Carlos was just overwhelmed with the sensations. His pudgy body was jerking, twitching, and jumping off of the bed, as Nick nursed on his dong. Soon the need for his release overtook him and he spewed his hot boy cream into Nick's mouth. Nick slurped it up eagerly, quickly swallowing everything he was given, and it wasn't long before Carlos' penis was wilting between his lips. Carlos was thrilled with what had happened and thanked Nick emphatically, before leaning forward to give him a big kiss. Nick hugged Carlos in return and they stayed that way for a little while longer, just enjoying the closeness.

Now, it was Pat's turn, so Nick asked him if he wanted a blowjob or if he wanted to fuck him instead. Pat didn't flinch and immediately answered that he'd rather fuck Nick, if he didn't mind, so Nick asked him if he had any lube. Pat quickly threw on his shorts and ran over to borrow a tube from Dustin and Kevin. He was back in a flash and his shorts were unceremoniously tossed across the room. Within seconds, he was greasing up Nick's backside, getting him ready for some action.

After he had lubed Nick up and stretched out his hole, he slicked up his own fat cock and got into position. He was pushing into his willing partner and his stubby dick was stretching Nick a little wider as he was doing so. Nick never complained and accepted it without any problems, but now he was encouraging his partner to start his pumping. Pat began his rocking motion, pushing his meat back and forth in Nick's satiny lining and pumping Nick's own rod with his right hand. Nick was enjoying the ride, while Pat was enjoying the workout and the great feelings that were pulsing through his joystick. Within a few more minutes, Nick's cock erupted, spewing his jizm all over the place, and it wasn't much longer before Pat was whitewashing Nick's intestinal tract and depositing his load within Nick's bowels. Soon they collapsed on the bed, spent from the 'sexercise'.

Once they had recovered, Carlos urged them to join him on the clean bed, so the boys cleaned up the mess on their bodies before they all cuddled together on the other bed. They slept very well that night, and they all wore little grins the next morning at breakfast.

When we got to our room, Jay reminded me of all of those fun nights we had had together on our first vacation and told me that he had been wanting for the two of them to sleep with me again. I readily agreed and the boys raced off to take their shower, so we could spend the rest of the evening alone. I was watching a movie when they came back out, so they wandered over and joined me. They snuggled up on either side of me, content as two bugs in a rug, and I hugged them tightly to me. When the movie was over, we went to bed and the boys sandwiched me between them for the entire night, which was a very nice place to be. When I finally rolled onto my side, Ricky spooned back into me, as he had done on that first vacation, and Jay scooted up tightly to my rear. I could feel his blood-filled tool pressing firmly against my brief covered crack, but pretended I didn't notice it, as we all fell asleep.

Friday we had a quick breakfast and then went back to spend our second day at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. I made the boys start out slowly today and we all took the little ones on some rides in the main park. We rode on the Whistle Stop train, before all of us got on the Carousel at the same time. After that, we watched as the six smallest went at each other in the Kinder Wagen (kiddie bumper cars), which they did several times in a row, and then we followed them as they took a ride on the Little Castaway Adventure (which of course I felt was properly named). When that part of the day was over, Mr. and Mrs. O'Hara stayed with the six boys on the kiddy rides, while the older boys dragged me back for another round of living death.

Immediately, they insisted we had to go on the Screamin' Skycoaster-Body Swing first, followed by The Wipeout Spinning Joyride, before finally ending up on the Frisbee, a circular-spinning swing ride. All of these rides spun around rapidly in the air, making me slightly airsick and dizzy, so it took me a few minutes to get my head to stop spinning after we made our final 'landing'. The boys were patient and gave me a chance to get my land legs again, before tugging me toward a new set of tortures.

From there we went to the S.S. Overboard, a swinging boat. As we swayed to and fro on that ride, my legs started to give way again, since my body was balking at doing such crazy things so early in the day. As we left that ride, I informed the boys we needed to do something that didn't spin or leave the ground, so they took me over to the adult Bumper Cars. Of course I was the focal point of all of their collisions, but at least I wasn't twirling or spinning. Instead, I was being used as the crash-test dummy. We did that three or four times before they finally became bored with the activity and dragged me off to something more stimulating.

Fortunately, as we walked away from that area, I looked at my watch and noticed it was lunchtime. Having discovered my own reprieve, I led the boys to our meeting spot, to hook up with the others, and then we ate. Nick spotted an eatery that served pizza, and since this was the favorite food for most of the boys, everyone agreed it was the place they wanted to go.

After lunch, I was 'informed' I would be going on the water rides next. It seemed as if I didn't have a choice in the matter, but it was suggested that the little ones would enjoy them too, so this time we all went together. As we made our way there, I was thinking, 'these rides can't be that bad, if the boys are telling me the little ones would enjoy them too,' so I was looking forward to our next activities.

We started off on the Texas Tumble, one of the raft rides, and then we rode on The Gully Washer. That ride took us down a winding river, complete with white-water rapids, waterfalls and rock embankments. You never knew what was going to be around the next corner, and overall, the boys enjoyed the outing.

Once we were done with that, we went over to The Six Chuter, a six-person raft ride. We split the six little ones up into pairs and sent them off with an older group to watch over them. I ended up with Andrew and Nicky, Nick, and Dustin and Kevin in my group. It actually was a fun ride and we enjoyed our time together.

Brandon and Danny took Brandon's parents, Sammy, and Jordan with them, and I could see how delighted the O'Haras were with the ride. When they heard what the boys planned to do next, Brandon's parents quickly volunteered to take the little ones to see some of the shows that were being performed in different parts of the park, leaving me to the mercy of the teenagers (a definite oxymoron).

Soon I was being pulled for a spin on the Crow's Nest Ferris wheel, the first time wedged between Danny and Brandon and the second time tucked in between Ricky and Jay. From there they took me to the Wagon Wheel, a high-flying merry-go-round, and after that we went for another go around on the bumper cars, where I was able to exact some revenge for their earlier abuse.

After we left the bumper cars, I let the boys try The Triple Dipper (an inner tube flume slide), The Blow Out (an enclosed tunnel flume), The Mine Shaft (a body flume) and The Pipeline (a circular flume). They had been having a good time, but now decided it was time to torture me some more, so they dragged me off for another ride with them.

The boys led me over to The Gusher, a high-speed water slide that you navigate in a round raft/boat type contraption. It wasn't too bad and I made it through in one piece, but as we were leaving it, I noticed it was now time for dinner. I quickly informed the boys of this fact, which interrupted their plans to torture me some more, so we all ambled over to our assembly point to hook up with the others.

We had another hasty meal, during which I discussed with the boys about what they wanted to do after we finished eating. The older boys wanted to try out the Cosmos Fun Center, the arcade and game house, and the little ones wanted to take a few more turns on the kiddy rides. I gave the older boys some cash and then went with the O'Haras and our mighty midgets to the kiddy area. Before we knew it, it was time to leave, but all the boys were satisfied with their two days at Six Flags Fiesta.

That night, Dustin and Kevin were scheduled to share the 'sex room' with Cole and Graham. The later pair told the others about their last encounter with Nick, and about watching him and Danny doing 'the nasty.' Since that had happened, they had thought about it a lot and now wanted Dustin and Kevin to help them find out what it would feel like to have something up their butt. The older boys decided to finger fuck the pair, letting them experience what it felt like and stimulating their prostates without injuring them by sticking their bigger cocks in their behinds. Dustin might rip either one of them apart if he tried to do them with his thick member.

Dustin and Kevin performed oral sex on the younger ones first, while sliding their slippery fingers in and out of their rectums. Although it took Cole and Graham a while to get used to have something enter their 'out chute,' they gradually began to enjoy the action and understood why Nick seemed to enjoy having it done to him. It did feel good having that area stroked and massaged, but it got even better when their prostate was stimulate in the same manner.

Before long, both boys were blowing their loads into their partner's mouth, and both managed to fall asleep, as they were coming down from their sexual high. Seeing their plight, Dustin and Kevin tucked them into their bed, before jumping into a quick '69' and getting their own release. After spewing their own loads, they too started cutting z's.

There would be some interesting conversations going on in that room the next morning, while the boys dressed for breakfast, as they discussed their reactions to the previous night's activity.

Chapter 15
A Bit of Relaxation

The O'Haras and I had talked it over and decided that the boys needed a couple of days of quiet time, after the fast-paced, fun-filled week they just gone through. We were going to spend most of the time at their house and maybe do a few other little things with the boys in between. I started off by letting the boys sleep in Saturday morning and it was after 10:00 before the parade of hungry teenagers began to come through my door. I called the O'Haras and told them the boys were up and we planned to meet for brunch. I forgot to mention that Danny and Brandon had spent the night with us, as they were missing spending time with their brothers, but more so their nephews, so they had Nicky and Jordan sleep with them that night.

Our brunch was enjoyable and the boys really packed the food away. Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara just sat, shaking their heads, as they watched mounds of food disappear in minutes. After leaving the restaurant, we went to Brandon's house, where the boys played out in the backyard, while I chatted with his parents. I took this opportunity to ask them for a huge favor.

Broaching the topic carefully, I explained to them about Nick and how he would be unable to join us for our trip to England, seeing he had no passport. Since I didn't know what else to do with him, and knowing he'd just run away again if I took him home before I could help him work things out with his parents, I asked if they would mind keeping him here, with them, until we returned. To my great surprise and relief, they never batted an eye or hesitated in responding, saying they would be pleased to have him stay for however long we were gone. I thanked them and then called Nick over, in order to explain the situation to him. After realizing the huge favor they were doing for him, he went over and thanked them personally.

"I know you're probably doing this more as a favor to Pop, but I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here while they're gone. I was beginning to wonder what I was going to do, because I heard the boys talking about their next trip, but I figured Pop would take care of things for me. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to survive on the streets again. I mean, I could, but it's so much nicer to be part of a family."

"None of us would let you go back to living on the street," Mr. O'Hara assured him. "You'll always have a home with one of us, if you need it."

"Yes, dear," Mrs. O'Hara added, "you're always welcome in our home, so don't you ever fret about that."

Nick smiled, gave the three of us a hug of appreciation, and then he went back out to join the other boys again. We were just discussing plans for the rest of our time together, when Brandon came running in.

"Pop, would you take us all over to the park, so we can play soccer on a real field. There's not enough room out back."

"Sure, if that's what you boys want to do," I agreed. "Tell the others to go around and get into the van and we'll meet you out front."

After that, I took everyone over to the park and the boys talked Uncle Pat and I into joining their game. All the partners were split up, one to each side, but it made for fairly even teams. It was a lot of fun, and even Jordan and Nicky were having a good time. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that when the younger boys had the ball, the older ones would leave them alone. Only the other little ones could play defense on each other and they were given space to do their own thing. I was proud to see the boys were mature enough to figure this out on their own, finding a way to let the little ones play without ruining the fun for any of the rest of them.

Mr. O'Hara and I were becoming totally exhausted from all of this activity, especially since we were both slightly overweight and out of shape. The boys didn't let this pass unnoticed and did everything they could to add insult to injury. They ragged on us about our being winded, made fun of the way our bellies jiggled up and down when we ran and mocked our lack of soccer skills, that was until I scored a goal on 'Kevin the Cat.'

That simple act suddenly caused them to play more seriously, so the ribbing stopped briefly. It wasn't long before Brandon was sending a crossing-pass across the goalmouth, which his father hit with his head, or was it just that the ball hit his father in the head, and went into the corner of the goal. He wasn't the intended recipient of Brandon's assist, but both he and his son were beaming about their accomplishment. Mr. O'Hara was the prouder of the two, though, especially since the pass had come from his son. The game ended in a 4-4 tie and we all collapsed on the field. Now the boys were more complimentary about Uncle Pat and my endeavors and we spent some time discussing the good plays everyone had made during the game.

Now that everyone was ready to go back to the house, we loaded up the van and drove the short distance to the O'Haras' house, but we didn't stay there for long. Soon, the boys bribed the six youngest to come in and beg me to take them back to the hotel, so they could use the hotel pool. The O'Haras just chuckled and Brenda told her husband and me to take the boys and join them, insinuating we were a little ripe from the earlier workout. She also suggesting she would stay and prepare things for a cookout. We told her she was more than welcome to join us too and then we'd just go out and eat, but she said she had eaten out enough for the time being and would prefer a quiet meal at home. We gave in and thanked her, before going back to the hotel to take a dip.

I spent my time in the shallow end with my grandsons and the non-swimmers. I had discreetly spread the word with the older boys about Carlos and Dion, so no one would do anything that might endanger them. They agreed, without hesitation, and gave me a nod of understanding. During our time in the water, the swimmers made their way to the shallow end in small groups and spent time with the others, enjoying themselves doing activities that wouldn't endanger those less capable, but still have fun.

Carlos and Dion eventually caught on to what the others were doing and thanked them for being so understanding and for not making fun of them. It was a very important moment for those two, as they began to realize how much they all meant to one another, even though sometimes they might be hesitant to admit it.

After we finished our time in the water, we dried off, went to our rooms and put on clean clothes, before we made our way back to the O'Haras' for dinner. Mrs. O'Hara had marinated some chicken and chunks of beef and was ready for them to be put on the grill when we arrived. Mr. O'Hara and I went out to cook the meat, while his wife finished off some salads. It was a very relaxing meal, as we all sat around their yard, while the boys filled Brandon's mom in about their day. It was nice to not be out in public for a change and have a home-cooked meal. Once we finished our meal, Mrs. O'Hara suggested we should go see a movie and the boys agreed with her idea. They took a quick look through the newspaper and selected a movie they thought everyone would enjoy, and we were off once again.

At the theater, Brandon and Danny sat on one side of Brandon's parents, while Sammy and Andrew sat on the other side. The latter pair had grown very fond of Uncle Pat and Aunt Brenda while spending time with them at Six Flags and the O'Haras had taken to them as well. It was cute when Andrew crawled up into Brenda's lap and Sammy leaned against her arm, enjoying that closeness with her.

During the movie, I had Jordan and Nicky sitting next to me, although during part of the movie they were on my lap, while the rest of the boys took seats scattered around us. It proved to be an enjoyable and relaxing time, which I think everyone benefited from.

After the movie, I took most of my clan and headed back to our rooms. Danny and Brandon decided to spend the night with the O'Haras and asked us adults, in private, if they could have Sammy and Andrew join them. We agreed and Sammy and Andrew were thrilled when their older brothers asked them to stay with them, so the four boys rode back with the O'Haras, while I took everyone else.

When we reached the hotel, Nick wanted to know who was in the 'sex room' tonight, so I looked in my book and discovered that the first rotation was complete and I hadn't yet made up a new rotation that included Nick. I was in a quandary about what to do, until Nick asked if he could share the room tonight with Trey and Dion. I told him that would be fine with me, if the other pair agreed, and I would just make that the first pairing on the new schedule.

Nick ran off to find the other two, and soon the three of them were coming into my room. Trey and Dion agreed with the plan, although Trey didn't seem overly fond of the idea, but I gave them the go ahead. Soon the boys were switching rooms and everyone was paired up for the evening. Cole and Graham had asked to spend time with me, so Dustin and Kevin asked Jordan and Nicky to spend the night with them. That left Jay and Ricky to pair up with Pat and Carlos and everyone was soon in their rooms for the evening.

The minute the door was shut and locked behind them, Nick turned to Trey and Dion and began to speak. "I know you two would rather be alone in here tonight, but I just wanted to get to know you guys better and have some fun with you. If you don't want to, that will be okay too and I'll understand. I'll just take the other bed by myself and leave you two alone."

Dion and Trey looked at each other and Trey had a twinge of conscience. "No, Nick, that's okay. We don't mind including you for tonight," Trey told him. "It's true that we prefer, or at least I do, when we are alone, but we do need to get to know each other better as well. I don't think either of us will mind a slight change tonight."

"Great!" Nick nearly shouted. "I was hoping we could get closer to each other and have some fun at the same time. What do you guys want to do?"

"Let's just get undressed and we'll see what happens," Trey suggested.

The boys quickly undressed and then they stood, checking each other out. "Damn," Nick uttered, "another uncut cock."

"You don't like it?" Trey asked, somewhat dejected by the comment.

"No, I do. It's just that I'd never had a chance to play with one, before I joined up with you guys," he confessed. "Do you mind?" Nick asked, as his hand reached out toward Trey's penis.

A smile broke out across Trey's face and he told Nick to enjoy himself. Nick did, not wasting a second, and was quickly exploring all the new delights associated with that extra flap of skin. Suddenly, Nick thought about Dion and reached his other hand to grasp his boy-meat. As the two dicks started to stiffen from the attention, Nick looked at Dion and spoke.

"Damn, how old are you? That thing's as long as Danny's, although not as thick."

"I know," Dion replied, beaming with pride. "I'm twelve, but I'll turn thirteen in November.

"You're only twelve and you've already got a big hog like this!" Nick exclaimed. "No wonder Trey doesn't want to share you with anyone else." Nick started laughing and Trey began to blush. Dion just looked at the two of them, giddy from the praise he was receiving about his equipment.

"What if I let both of you screw me, would that make you happy?" Nick asked them.

"Only if both of you will do the same to me," Trey answered, looking a little embarrassed at his own boldness in saying that.

"Yeah, sure. That sounds great to me," Nick told him. He went to ask Dion if that was all right with him, but he could tell by the huge grin that Dion was sporting that he loved the idea. "So, who's going to go first?"

"You can do Trey first," Dion told Nick, "and then I'll do you. Is that okay with both of you?" The others nodded their heads in agreement and soon Dion was handing Nick the tube of KY.

Trey was already on the bed and assuming the position; as Nick bent down to get him ready. Dion was whispering into Nick's ear, telling him the things Trey liked to have done to him. Nick just grinned and nodded his understanding, before doing a few of the things Dion had suggested. Once the preparation was completed, Nick moved between Trey's legs.

As Nick began to push his thick six-incher [15 cm] into Trey, he leaned forward and began to kiss Trey's face, eventually working his way to Trey's lips. Trey was somewhat startled by this at first, thinking it would just be one of those wham-bam thank-you-Sam kind of encounters, but he quickly put two and two together and realized this was one of the things Dion had told him to do. Soon they were kissing passionately, as Nick began to establish his rhythm.

Nick was also using his hand to rub and pinch Trey's nipples, something else Dion must have told him, and Trey was enjoying all of Nick's attention. Trey had been a little reluctant to agree to this, at first, but now he was glad he had. Nick was pounding into him quite aggressively now, as he neared his first orgasm of the night, and Trey was feeling all warm and tingly, as Nick's plump sausage massaged his chute and kept brushing against his prostate. With one final groan, Nick pushed deep into Trey's hole, arched his back, and released his seed. Trey felt that thick, creamy blast splatter inside of him and threw his arms around Nick's back, hugging him to his own body in appreciation. After a minute or so of lingering in the throes of this wonderful moment, Nick rolled off and lay beside Trey. That's when Trey leaned into him and gave him a kiss of appreciation.

Dion was so excited from watching the other two that he could hardly wait for Nick to recover. As soon as he did, Dion was greasing him up and was quickly sliding his long, slender cock deep inside of Nick. Nick opened his eyes only long enough to see the fire in Dion's visual orbs and sensed the urgency Dion was bringing to this coupling. Dion fought off the urge to hurry through it, though, and leaned down to kiss Nick, as soon as he was fully inside of him. This gave him time to let his own juices simmer down, before he began.

When he thought he had calmed down enough, Dion began to pump into Nick's backdoor. Nick was kind of amazed at not only how well this twelve-year-old was hung, but also with how accomplished he was at using that gift. Even though he knew that Trey and Dion were intimate, he didn't expect the kid to be this talented. Now, he just let all thoughts drift from his mind, and merely lay back to enjoy the ride. After a couple more minutes of this steady rhythm, Dion reached the edge of the cliff and increased his pace. With his final thrust, Dion buried his pole deep inside of Nick and popped his nut into the other boy. As soon as he could speak, Nick thanked Dion for his effort, before also kissing him, to seal his verbal praise.

Dion quickly suggested that Trey should do Nick next, and then he would do Trey after he had recovered. No one objected to the plan, so a few moments later, Nick was pulling his legs back again, as Trey lined up with Nick's well-used channel.

Trey slid in easily, feeling not only the warmth of Nick's lining, but also the collection of spunk that Dion had just deposited there. Knowing it was his lover's juices inside of his new partner, Trey became even more aroused and hotter than before, as he began assaulting Nick's willing boy-pussy. This mental excitement soon also affected his body, and Trey began unloading another hot load of semen into Nick's bowels. They kissed and hugged, as they came down from their high, and there was a slightly wet 'plopping' sound, as Trey withdrew from Nick's cavern.

Dion barely gave Trey any time to recover, before he was excitedly pushing his lover into position and guiding his lengthy tool into Trey's slippery love-cavern. Dion enthusiastically slid his ramrod in and out of Trey, using long, smooth strokes, as he tried to fulfill his 'urge to surge'. He was riding his lover, like a ship riding the waves during a storm, as they worked their way into a frenzy. Both boys were enjoying this immensely, not just because of the sexual pleasure, but also because of the mental satisfaction that it was their lover they were doing this with.

After a few more minutes of this hectic, yet satisfying activity, Dion was making his final lunge and began filling Trey's bilge tank with his sweet nectar. The two embraced, kissed passionately upon reaching their climax and eagerly ran their hands over each other's body for a few minutes more, before deciding it was time to pull apart and get some sleep.

The three boys shared the same bed that evening, with Nick wedged in between them. They were more than satisfied with the sex, had learned more about each other and grown just that much closer, and none of them made another move until morning.

Chapter 16
A Barrel of Fun

Monday was going to be another laidback day and the O'Haras joined us at the hotel so we could all enjoy the day in the hotel pool. As it was a weekday, we had the pool nearly to ourselves and the older boys decided this would be a good opportunity to start giving our non-swimmers some lessons. The latter group was appreciative of the help, and the O'Haras and I got out of the pool and sat at a table poolside to watch.

While we were sitting there, I was also able to talk Mr. O'Hara into taking a few extra days off, since I knew he was originally scheduled to go back to work on Wednesday. That way, both he and his wife could join us for our trip to Houston. They both liked the idea and looked forward to spending additional time with Brandon and the other boys, since they had enjoyed their time together with all of them so far. Therefore, Patrick planned to call his office and make the arrangements, as soon as he could locate a phone.

We stayed at the pool until lunchtime and then went out to eat. While we were enjoying our meal, the boys asked if we could go back to the park for a kickball game and maybe a football game too, once we were finished. We told them that would be fine, so after we left the restaurant we went to the O'Haras' next, to pick up Brandon's playground ball and his Nerf football. From there, we drove directly to the park and the boys quickly decided to keep the same teams they had for soccer the day before.

Once again, they wanted Brandon's father and I to play, but this time they also dragged Mrs. O'Hara into the game. Reluctantly, she agreed, much to her husband's surprised. However, he quickly concluded she did it mainly to humor Brandon and allow her a little more time to be close to him, since she would be playing on his team. Besides, it was just kickball and nearly anyone could play that game, especially since Brenda had never fancied herself as an athlete. In the end, we all had a great time, but I think the little ones enjoyed it the best.

We took a brief rest, and then we played a short game of touch football, with Mrs. O'Hara opting to sit this one out. The older boys were very good about not trying to show off and leaving the rest of us in their dust, and we had another good time. After this activity ended, we went to clean up and then we headed out to dinner. We went Italian tonight, at the boys' request, and were soon stuffed full of pasta, salad, warm bread and ready to leave. We decided to go back to the O'Haras' house and watch a video next, after I explained to the boys that we needed to turn in early tonight, as we had something special planned for our final day in San Antonio. They were all dying to know what it was, but we made it through the evening without having to divulge that information.

We got back to the hotel fairly early and the boys went to their rooms. Everyone was in bed by 9:30, including the boys in the 'sex room', because we told them we'd be getting up at 5:30. I knew I didn't have to worry so much, because it was Dustin, Kevin, Carlos and Pat in the sex room tonight, so I figured they'd just do their thing quickly and then go to sleep. In the long run I was right, but what transpired in there came as a total surprise to me.

Before they went in, Carlos had already made up his mind that he was going to try to give one of the boys a blowjob tonight. After announcing his intention, he was paired up with Kevin, because they were both uncircumcised and Carlos felt much more comfortable with that fact. Once that had been agreed upon, the boys gave him a brief explanation about what to do, after they finished their showers. Even though he had decided he was going to try this, he was still a little hesitant when the time came.

Tentatively, he pushed his tongue out and let it touch the head of Kevin's dick after he had retracted Kevin's foreskin. Carlos seemed pleasantly surprised by the fact that it didn't have much of a taste and was suddenly more willing to continue. In fact, he became slightly aggressive in letting his tongue run all around the shiny glans, which sent a wave of shivers running up and down Kevin's spine. As Carlos became more and more aggressive, Kevin had him spin around, so they could do each other at the same time. That's when Dustin and Pat arranged themselves on the other bed, for their own sixty-nine. Kevin soon shot his wad, giving Carlos his first taste of semen, but the rookie wasn't turned off by its flavor. Carlos was convinced this wasn't a bad thing and was willing to admit he enjoyed doing it. After everyone enjoyed an orgasm, the boys turned in and went to sleep, cuddled up against their sex partner for the evening.

The boys weren't too bad when I woke them the next morning, but their curiosity was even greater than it had been the day before. We continued to remain silent throughout breakfast about what we were going to do today and Danny and Brandon rode with his parents, as they followed us to our destination. A cheer erupted inside the van, as we pulled into Sea World Texas. It was where we were going to spend the day.

As soon as we entered the park, the boys were ready to head off to the rides. I told the older boys to ride the roller coasters first and get their fill of them, while we took the little one over to Shamu's Happy Harbor. There the munchkins could play in the sand, scamper across swaying bridges, climb nets, scoot down slides and fire a water cannon from a huge schooner. During that same time, the older group was shooting around the two steel roller coasters, before they tried their hand at surfing again.

The Steel Eel was the first roller coaster they rode and is what they now call a hyper-coaster. It has a 15-story drop and travels up to 65 m.p.h. The other one was the Great White roller coaster, which was the first steel roller coaster in Texas. The Great White takes you on a head over heels ride, going up to 50 m.p.h., which may seem tame after the Steel Eel. We met up with the older group at the Lost Lagoon, where the boys were surfing on the wave pool.

The group who had tried this before were doing quite well and I was pleased to watch Jay's attempt and notice he had improved tremendously since his previous encounter with a surfboard. Pat seemed to be struggling a bit and the others were trying to give him pointers, while Carlos and Dion had opted to sit this one out, as they still weren't comfortable in watery environments.

The older boys then went sky tubbin', down a 5 story slide, while the adults took the little ones to the Lil' Gators Lagoon, to wade in a small pool, which was filled with a collection of whimsical animals. When the boys tired of this, we talked them into going with us to see a couple of the shows that were being performed around the park. We left the older boys to do their thing on the rides and I gave them some cash in case they wanted to try out the Great White Game Center, which contained the video and arcade games, as well as laser tag.

The first show we watched was called "Fools with Tools". It was a cute little skit where two sea lions (Clyde and Seamore) and their walrus friends were do-it-yourselfers. They tackled plumbing, carpentry, wallpapering and other projects around their house, without a great deal of success. The boys were laughing quite loudly at some of their antics and I enjoyed watching their reactions as much as I did watching the show.

From there, we made our way to the "Shamu Visions" show. This was a live show that was also shown on a very large screen. The show starred Shamu and other killer whales, who performed in a large tank with their trainers. There were cameras above and below the water level, which sent their images to a giant video screen in the background, so the boys could see everything that was happening. This was more spectacular than humorous, and the boys enjoyed this show on its own merits.

When the show ended, we decided to go find the older boys and eat lunch. We located them in line for Steel Eel and they talked us all into joining them for one final ride before we ate. The boys each took charge of one of the younger boys, while Brandon paired with his father, Jay teamed up with Brandon's mother, and Ricky was determined I should sit with him on this ride. We took the quick spin, but belatedly discovered the little ones were quite overwhelmed from the speed and height of this particular ride. Once the ride was over, we all managed to stagger to our next stop to eat.

The lunch wasn't anything spectacular, but it filled us up and gave us enough energy for the next round of action. We started off the afternoon by taking on a couple of the water rides. First, we all went on the Rio Lobo, a 6-person raft that sped down a raging stream that was lined with dips, bends and a waterfall. It was actually quite a thrilling and fun ride, but this was even more fun as we watched the boys whooping and hollering and really getting into it. There was one interesting aspect to it, though. During her ride down, Brenda managed to get more than a little wet, which caused her white blouse to become transparent, much to her husband's delight AND chagrin. After helping her make her way to the ladies room, where she used the blow drier to relieve her embarrassment, she rejoined us. Some of the boys were still grinning and whispering, whenever she wasn't looking in their direction.

From there, we made our way to the Texas Splashdown, which was a four-person boat that went on a half mile [800 m] ride, which included a five story drop in height, although it was more gradual than the same drop would be on a roller-coaster. Brenda decided to sit this one out, as she felt she'd been embarrassed sufficiently for one day, but the rest of us were eager to go. Once again, it turned out to be a fun-filled ride, although I didn't think it was quite as thrilling as the Rio Lobo.

Once these two rides were over, we suggested to the younger boys that we take in another show or two, and they readily agreed. Our first stop this time was at the "Symphony of the Sea", where we watched a beluga whale and several dolphins swim around, doing leaps and other tricks. The boys enjoyed how high the dolphins could sky, when they shot out of the water, and each of us had another wonderful time.

Finally we went to see "Sharks Coral Reef", where costumed characters (hammerhead sharks, moray eels, and fish) put on a multi-aquarium adventure. This show was very entertaining as well, but the boys wanted to try out the laser tag they had heard their brothers talking about earlier. We knew they wanted to try this, but were concerned they'd get grouped with a bunch of older boys. We took them over and were happy to discover they would be matched up with another group of smaller children. It worked out well and they all had a great time.

As we were leaving there, it was the older group that found us this time, and immediately began to complain they were hungry and needed to eat again. We all agreed on a place to eat and soon the boys were stuffing their faces once more. When they finished this hasty meal, I told them they had two more hours to do whatever they wanted and then we would meet to leave. The boys wanted to go on a couple of the rides again, which we agreed to let them do, but we told them that we were going to stay and chat, taking things easy for a while.

Disappointed that they couldn't convince us to join them this time, the boys went off for another ride on the Steel Eel and a spin on the Great White roller coaster, which they had seemed to really enjoy. As they came off from the first ride, they all grouped together again, before heading to the next one. While they were doing this, a group of boys, all teenagers or in their early twenties, came up and began to hassle the boys.

"What are you boys doing hanging around with a nigger, two chinks and a wetback? Don't you have any pride in your own race?" Dion and Carlos were really hurt by the comment, but Sammy and Andrew didn't seem to understand what was going on. The other boys thought they could just ignore them and they'd go away, but it didn't work.

"You boys deaf AND dumb?" one of the other group sneered. "You've got to have some pride in your own race and quit hanging around with these mud people. They're losers and not as good as us, so you should be ashamed to be seen with them. What are you doing together anyway?"

Dustin decided to take charge of this situation, as he was physically the largest and bravest of the group. He walked in front of the questioner and responded. "We're all brothers and this is our family," he announced. "I think I should also tell you we don't appreciate your comments."

"Your family? What did your dad do, get a bunch of whores pregnant and then keep the kids?" He and his buddies started laughing, acting as if this was the funniest thing they had ever heard. At that moment Pat stepped forward, standing next to Dustin.

"No, our dad's a wonderful man," Pat shouted, "and he's adopted all of us and given us a great home. We're happy being brothers, so just leave us alone." The shouting drew the attention of some of the park-goers, which turned out to be a good thing.

"Is your father white or is he a mud person too?" one of their tormentors asked.

"Betcha he's a Jew!" another spat out.

"Yeah, or some liberal faggot," still another chimed in. "They think they're so smart, but they'll live to regret it, if we don't keep the scum in their place."

"Are your IQs really as low as your age?" Danny asked, as venomously as he dared.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the apparent leader of the group wanted to know.

"Look, we don't want a fight," Trey stated, trying to be a diplomat, "so just leave us alone and we won't bother you."

"Your being here in one group bothers us," one of the younger boys told him. "We don't take kindly to white folks who mix with inferior races."

"Not that what we do is any of your business," Brandon responded, trying to show they were all unified in their feelings, "but we are a family and enjoy being a family."

"Man, you boys must be Yankees and pretty stupid Yankees at that," one member of the group told them.

"Well, in that case," Kevin shot back, "our dad taught us we can't argue with ignorance. Maybe we should just leave it at that and go our own way."

"Who are you calling ignorant?" one of the bigger guys asked.

"He wasn't calling anyone ignorant," Dustin said, defending Kevin. "He was just saying that because your friend said we were stupid."

"And you are," he shot back. About that time a couple of park security guards approached, having been informed by one of the alarmed crowd that a possible conflict was brewing. They came up and asked what was going on, barely getting any answers, before three other security guards joined them. Realizing this might turn against them, one of the guys from the other group said there was no problem, but made a few derogatory remarks, before they walked off. The guards questioned the boys a little further, to get their viewpoint about what had happened. After hearing what my boys had to say, the guards decided to follow the other group, to make sure they didn't cause any more problems.

The boys came back and found us, telling us in detail what had happened. The O'Haras were both upset by this event and visibly showed their emotions. I tried to take a calmer approach to this problem, so as not to alarm any of the boys. I had always anticipated something like this might happen, so I may have been better prepared to deal with it than the others. After we had been told the entire story, Andrew asked me a question.

"Why didn't those boys like us, Daddy? I thought they wanted to fight."

"I'm sure they did," I answered, "but I'm proud of the way your brothers handled it. Some people just don't understand why we took so many different people in to make up our family."

"They were racists," Dion said, hatefully.

"Yes, they were, but we shouldn't lower ourselves to their level," I advised him. "I think Kevin put it best when he said you can't argue with ignorance. You boys could have argued this issue with them forever and they wouldn't have changed your minds and you wouldn't have changed theirs. Too many years' worth of hatred and poison have been fed to them, and that can't be remedied quickly. Those boys weren't born that way and it took somebody years to brainwash them, in order to make them react that strongly. Just know that we're proud of all of you and I think you handled yourselves marvelously."

We left it at that and decided to call it a day. It was getting late anyway, so we left the park and headed back home. Tomorrow would be another early morning, as we'd be leaving early to make our way to Houston – our next stop.

Danny and Brandon asked Cole and Graham to spend the night with them at Brandon's house, after checking with Brandon's parents and me first. The pair quickly agreed and loaded into the back of the O'Haras' car with their older brothers. As fate would have it, they were also the ones scheduled for the 'sex room' that night, so I quickly switched them with the next night's pair, putting Ricky, Jay, Trey and Dion in together. The four boys quickly agreed to stay with their own partners for the evening and it wasn't long before all four of them were sound asleep.

Chapter 17
Houston, We Have a Problem

We all met up for breakfast the next morning and then set off for Houston. I followed Mr. O'Hara along I-10, but since I knew Patrick didn't like to drive fast, I knew this trip would take longer than it needed to. It was lunchtime when we arrived, so we stopped for pizza before continuing on. After eating, we pulled into the parking lot for the Astrodome, ready to take a tour of the facility.

The boys were excited, because they thought they were going to see a game, but I quickly informed them the Houston Astros now played at a new ballpark, so that wasn't possible. They were disappointed, but not for that long, as we entered the structure and began our look around. The boys soon learned that the noted architect Buckminster Fuller had designed the Astrodome, at the beginning of the 1960's. However, construction didn't begin until 1963 and there were many obstacles to be overcome in building it.

Although there are all sorts of domed stadiums now, this was the first structure of its kind and had a span of 645 feet [196½ m]. The side of the dome was constructed mainly of steel and they'd erected 37 towers to hold up the roof. Many so-called experts claimed the baseball players would hit the dome with pop ups or long fly balls, so they allowed a group of professionals to spend several days trying to hit the top with a batted ball. They tried their hardest, but they eventually proved the experts wrong. The next problem was a surface on which to play, because it would be difficult to keep grass growing inside a building. Scientists came up with an artificial turf, originally called Astroturf because it was first used in the Astrodome, and it soon became a commonplace surface on all types of college and professional stadiums.

It was a very interesting tour and we spent a couple of hours there. As we were ready to leave, one of the boys commented that it was too bad we couldn't see a ballgame. I asked them if they'd be interested in seeing the new ballpark, Enron Field, and nearly everyone exclaimed that would be nice. Seeing they were in agreement, we made our way to that location.

When we arrived, I sent the O'Haras on ahead with the boys, telling them I needed to see about tickets for the tour. What I didn't tell them was I had already reserved tickets for tonight's game against the Dodgers. I picked up the tickets and then took everyone out for our little tour. As we looked up, I pointed out the retractable roof on this stadium, unlike the Astrodome, so games could be played in either indoor or outdoor conditions. It was actually quite intriguing.

The first game was played in this stadium on March 30, 2000, and was an exhibition game against the Yankees, so this was a very new ball field. The boys were excited when the players started taking the field for batting practice and they asked me if there was a game today. It was then that I broke the news to them that there was a game today and we were going to stay and see it. I explained we could buy food at the concession stand for dinner, and then we would take our seats, which were just on the outfield side of the home dugout.

Needless to say, the rest of the day was a blur of activities. I bought the boys each a program and they went down to get autographs from players on both teams. I did manage to get them to eat in between gathering autographs, shagging foul balls and talking to other kids who were as excited as they were. When the game started, our private game of musical-lap started, as the little ones took turns sitting on my lap, Uncle Patrick and Aunt Brenda's laps, and then even on their brothers' laps, for some extra attention. For some reason, they all needed a little extra loving this evening, as we watched the Dodgers defeat the Astros, 7-3.

After the game, we made our way to the hotel, checked in and assigned rooms. I gave Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara the first room, with me taking the one next to theirs. The 'sex room' would be the one next to mine, so we would have the rooms on either side of that one, to prevent other guests (or the O'Haras) from wondering what was going on in there at night.

Danny, Brandon, Cole and Graham were sharing the 'sex room' tonight, although there probably wouldn't be much sex actually taking place. The older boys were protective of the younger pair and would not do anything they felt might hurt them or be more than they were ready for. In fact, other than a little kissing and hugging, the boys merely spent their time enjoying each other's company and Danny spent the night cuddled against Cole, while Brandon snuggled up with Graham.

Actually, the other room arrangements were slightly unusual for us. Ricky and Jay wanted the four little ones in the room with them again, so Dustin and Kevin asked to stay with me. Pat and Carlos quickly teamed up with Dion and Trey, so that left Nick to be included somewhere. Dustin and Kevin realized what had happened and asked him to join us, which Nick did in an instant. I still think he has his eye on Kevin, as well as Ricky and Brandon, and is just waiting for an opportunity to get closer to him. I might be wrong, but I would be very surprised if I were.

After their showers, I inquired who was going to sleep where, and Nick quickly indicated he wanted to sleep with the other pair, but Dustin became an instant gentleman and offered to sleep with me, so the other two could have some elbowroom in bed. I was surprised at his suggestion, thinking he would be jealous of Kevin spending time with another boy, but I think the lesson he'd learned a while ago was still in his mind. After that near disastrous blow-up between the two of them, when Trey first arrived, and the time they spent together when each of them had been in the hospital, I think Dustin had come to learn he could trust Kevin and didn't have to possess him completely. I was pleased by his maturity and Nick was pleased at the opportunity. Later that night, when I got up to use the toilet, I saw that Nick was wrapped almost completely around Kevin, kind of like a squid wrapped around its prey.

I went back to sleep, knowing there was another big day ahead of us, so I'd need my rest. I needn't worry about the boys, however, as it looked like they were going to be well rested for our next outing.

Thursday was bound to be an interesting day. I only had one stop planned, but it was certain it would take up the entire day and give us plenty of interesting things to do. After breakfast we loaded up and headed over to NASA's Johnson Space Center, the heart of the US space exploration program. Mission Control is here, as well as the training center for astronauts. We would be at Space Center Houston, the official visitors center.

We began the day in the Space Center Plaza, an immense area that rises up five stories above the shiny, black-lacquered floor that houses the current display. There is a full-size Space Shuttle mock-up located there, which gave the boys a close-up look at the mid-deck and flight deck of the orbiter – from the control panels all the way to the sleeping quarters. At this point the boys were hooked and I knew the only way we'd get them out of here today was if security threw us out when they closed.

The rest of the attractions opened off of this central space, so we went to The Feel of Space area next. This was a hands-on exhibit area where you could experience the physical and psychological sensations of space flight. There are various flight trainers there that allowed you the chance of trying to land the shuttle or the opportunity to retrieve a satellite from orbit, using very realistic computer simulations. All of the older boys tried their hand at one or the other, with the younger ones cheering them on.

It was obvious the hours they spent playing computer games added to their dexterity and made it easier for them to complete the task, while those of us who where a little older struggled to perform even a portion of the task. "That's okay, Daddy," Graham told me after I lost the satellite I was trying to retrieve, "you're too old to be an astronaut now anyway." I wasn't sure if that comment was meant to make me feel better or not, but it just made me want to grab my walker and leave.

In the Living in Space show, we learned how astronauts handle the routine activities, like eating, sleeping, and showering, in zero-gravity. They selected a 'volunteer' to help them with this demonstration, and it just happened to be Cole who got the honor. He went up and got to see what it would be like eating and exercising in space. "Man, that food didn't taste all the great," he whispered when he came back. "I don't know how astronauts can stand to eat it."

"Well, I think they do it more for sustenance than taste," I offered, "and most of them don't stay up there for too long, so they probably just tolerate it and then pig out when they get back." He laughed at that, and then we continue to watch what was going on.

There was also a simulated flight in a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), which is operated on an air-bearing floor, and I couldn't believe our luck, when Dustin was selected to give it a try. He got a chance to race against time and perform a series of necessary commands, before he ran out of fuel. If that happened, he and his entire crew would be lost in space.

"Man, that was tough," he complained, after getting back. "Nothing worked the way I thought it should and knowing I had to finish before time ran out, just made me mess up even more. I can't believe I'd be stuck floating around out there forever."

"Well, it's like flying a plane, rather than driving a car," I offered. "When the fuel's gone, it's not like you can get out an push it to the next gas station." He laughed at my analogy, but got the point.

After that, the little ones even got to try on the various space helmets representing the four distinct eras of space flight. The helmets were huge, compared to their heads, and they looked more like some alien being from a B-rated movie than an aspiring astronaut. Little Nicky kept trying to hold the front of the helmet up, so he could see out of the visor, but the weight of it kept pulling it down and dragging his head along with it, toward the floor.

From there, we went to the Space Center Theater and watched a 25-minute film entitled "To Be An Astronaut". This was projected on a screen that was five stories tall and showed us how the astronauts trained and the teams prepared for in-flight situations, before ending with personal comments from several of the astronauts. The boys were buzzing now, saying how they wanted to be an astronaut or wanted to design or help plan for these flights. It was quite electric. On the way out, we checked out the exhibits of flight suits, from the very earliest ones, on up to the present day models.

After that, we took the official NASA Tram Tour, where we were taken behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. There are actually two separate tours. The first was a 75-minute tour, during which time we visited the astronaut training facilities, including the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, and the Mock-Up and Integration Laboratory. Then we took a 45-minute tour of the historic Mission Control Centers and the brand-new Space Station Operations Control room.

"Was that the place we saw in the movie 'Apollo 13'?" Ricky asked, after we left the historic Mission Control Center.

"That was not only the place you saw in the movie," I informed him, "but it was also the place all of those people actually worked when they helped bring that flight back safely, not to mention all of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights that were monitored from that center." That seemed to answer his question and he seemed more impressed by it, after my explanation.

By the time we finished the second tour, we were well past our normal lunchtime and everyone was starving. I suggested it was time to make our way over to the Zero-G Diner, where the boys managed to eat enough to satisfy themselves. Their mouths were going the entire time, even while they were eating, as they happily recounted all of the wonderful things we'd seen. I was going to chastise them about talking with their mouths full, but noting their excitement, I didn't have the heart to dampen their enthusiasm.

We began the afternoon at the Mission Status Center, where we were able to listen in on the up-to-the-minute details of the mission currently in progress. We even heard the astronauts talking from their orbit high above the earth and listened to Mission Control communicate with the Space Shuttle astronauts, exchanging information and asking and answering various questions. It was almost as if we were part of the group managing this flight.

Next, we went to the Starship Gallery, beginning with a visit to the Destiny Theater. There we watched the film 'On Human Destiny,' which told the story of the first thirty plus years of space exploration. It began with the Goddard Rocket, continued through the various Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, and then went on to discuss the Space Shuttle and the Skylab. When the film ended, we went out to check the various displays, including a suspended Lunar Module, the "Faith 7" Mercury capsule (which was flown by Gordon Cooper), the Gemini V capsule (piloted by Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper), and the Apollo 17 Command Module (which took Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt to the moon). The boys were even more excited now, after seeing all of these capsules that actually went up into space, and they were really hyper as we headed into the last area.

The Kids Space Place was the last stop at the Center. Here all of the boys got to do something. Some tried out the interactive displays and exhibits, while the rest 'walked on the moon', and others 'commanded or lived on the space shuttle'. By the time they walked out of that area, it was like they had been on a sugar high for a week. They were fully wound up and I knew it was going be tough to calm them down again.

Some of the boys wanted to use the restroom before we left, so I told them to go ahead and we'd meet them back here. As the other boys were nearly to the toilets, Andrew announced he too had to pee, so I told him to hurry and catch up with his brothers, but warned him to stay close to them until they got back. He raced off after the other boys and the rest of us started talking about our day. Several minutes later the boys returned, but once I counted noses, one of the boys was missing. I quickly determined it was Andrew.

"Didn't you see him in the men's room?" I asked all of them, but no one in particular. They all looked at each other, before responding that none of them had.

"I did hear a door to one of the stalls open and close," Dustin told me, "but I didn't see who it was."

"Well, that was probably Andrew," I suggested. "He might have decided he needed to take a dump. Why don't you older boys come with me and help me make sure we find him, so we can leave."

I told the others to stay with Mr. & Mrs. O'Hara and the rest of us headed toward the restroom. When I walked in, I only saw a pair of men's feet in one of the stalls and the rest of the place was empty. Just for the hell of it, I called Andrew's name. I heard a weak, quickly stifled "Daddy" come from the stall. I quickly sent Trey to get security, placed the other boys near the exit, and then addressed the guy in the stall with my son.

"You might as well come out of there now," I advised him. "There are several of us out here, so you're not going to get away. I've already sent someone to get security. If you let my son go, we might go a little easier on you."

There wasn't an immediate response, but I could hear clothes rustling and then the door opened and Andrew came out, in tears. However, the guy stayed where he was.

"Are you all right, Andrew?" I asked him, very concerned. He nodded that he was, although he continued to cry. "What happened in there?" I pressed.

Andrew looked up at me, but hesitated answering. "It's okay, Andrew," I told him, reassuringly. "You didn't do anything wrong, but maybe that man did. What happened?"

Andrew looked at me with very sad eyes, not sure if he should tell me, but finally he did. "He touched my pee-pee… and he made me touch his," he sobbed.

I was afraid something like that had happened, but tried not to sound upset. "Is that all he did?"

Andrew shook his head and then responded further. "His pee-pee got all hard and then… and then… well… he tried to put his pee-pee in my heinie."

That did it. I was fuming now. I had done my best to keep the little ones away from any sexual activity and then this guy tries to molest him in a public restroom. I pushed Andrew toward Dustin, who was standing closest to us, and then I kicked open the door, smashing the guy in the face with it. That sent him backward and caused him to land on the stool, none to gently. I then went in and dragged him out, before slamming him up against the wall.

It was at this instant that I realized the example I was setting for the boys, so I relaxed and released the guy, while we waited for security to arrive. As I turned back toward the boys, the guy made some obscene comment to my sons, which instinctively caused me to whirl back around, with my right fist leading the way. I smashed my knuckles into his face and sent him sprawling again, but I didn't stop there. Once he was down, I leaped on the bastard and was ready to smash his face in, when Trey arrived with security.

They came forward and dragged me off that sorry excuse for a human being and I tried desperately to calm myself down, for the sake of the boys. Once things had settled somewhat and they had cuffed their suspect, the officers started questioning all of us about what had happened.

While they were performing those tasks, another of the officers was snapping Polaroids of the crime scene. Sometime during this period, Mr. O'Hara came in to see what was going on, and Brandon quickly informed him about the situation. Shocked and concerned, he returned to his wife and the other boys, trying to keep them all calm, while they waited for us to rejoin them.

Chapter 18
Coping

We soon found ourselves down at the police station, so we could give our accounts of the events that took place earlier. We drove our vehicles behind the squad cars, following them to their headquarters, and then all of us who had been part of what happened, starting with Andrew and me, and then the boys who had been in the mens room when we found Andrew and the guy released him. Our statements were video-taped, and after that another group of officers typed them out, so we could sign and date them.

The Desk Sergeant. said it would be unlikely we'd have to come back to testify, seeing we caught the bastard in the stall with Andrew, had so many witnesses to that fact, and also had Andrew's account of what had happened. He figured the guy would most likely accept a plea-bargain, rather than face a jury of angry adults, who would most likely be willing to throw the book at him. Now that everything had been taken care of, we thanked the police for their help and left to return to our hotel.

I had been holding and carrying Andrew since we rescued him and he was clinging to me more tightly than my old army uniform, since it was now several sizes too small for me. We all tried to comfort and reassure him that he was fine, everything was all right and he was safe again. I had to let Brandon's father drive the van to the hotel for me, while his wife drove their car, since Andrew didn't want to let go of me, even for an instant.

By this time, we decided to just pick up subs for dinner, which we could eat in our rooms, and we bought some soda and chips to go with them. After the boys ate, I gave the little ones their baths, tucked Sammy, Andrew, Justin and Nicky into one bed, while Cole and Graham sat on the other bed to keep them company. I was to meet everyone else in the O'Haras' room, to discuss how we were going to handle this.

As I walked in, the boys were filling Brandon's mother in about how I had 'beat the crap out of the guy,' which didn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The boys then began to tease me about being a mother bear protecting her cub, but it was all good-natured ribbing. They each made certain to let me know they were really pleased that I had gone the distance for Andrew. I'm not sure how proud I was of myself at that point, but I knew I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, if another situation like that ever arose.

It was then that the boys began calling me 'slugger', 'champ', 'Rocky' and 'the terminator', but I quickly informed them we would not discuss what happened in this fashion in front of the little ones. I didn't want to scare them any more than they already were, and I didn't want them to become overly paranoid about something similar happening again. I told the others I would explain to the boys again about being able to say 'no' to people who want to do things like that and the importance of staying with an older person when we are out in public. If the truth were to be known, I was really blaming myself for just telling Andrew to go catch up with his brothers, instead of going with him. I knew this would haunt me for a long time to come and I'd relive my guilt every time I looked into his precious, innocent face.

Once that discussion ended, we all went back to our own rooms. Danny, Brandon, Dustin and Kevin were in the 'sex room' this evening, but I knew they were all too upset about what happened to their brother to do anything. I went back to my room and got ready to get into bed and Andrew woke up, just as I was about ready to turn off the lamp. He asked if he could sleep with me and I told him that would be fine. As quick as lightening, he scooted over from his bed to mine and crawled under the sheet beside me. I held him tightly all night long, as my silent apology for letting such a terrible thing happen to him.

The next morning I chatted briefly with Andrew, while the other boys were brushing their teeth, and he seemed to have already recovered from his ordeal. Fortunately, the guy never had time to penetrate his little butt before we rushed in there, so there was no physical damage done and the psychological scars were already beginning to heal. Andrew actually thanked me for saving him from that bad man and seemed quite content to leave it at that, although it still didn't ease my guilt. I was pretty sure this wasn't entirely over yet, but I was willing to take things at his pace. I gave him a hug and a kiss, before sending him off to brush his teeth, and then we joined the others for breakfast.

The older boys were totally protective of the younger members of the group now and made certain that someone was either carrying or holding the hand of each of the five smallest family members, which included Graham. Even though he was older than Dion, he was much smaller physically and much more vulnerable to a predator. Graham didn't seem to mind, in fact he seemed to be enjoying the extra attention, and none of the little ones were able to make a move, without being accompanied by one or two of the older boys.

Now it was time to go back to having fun and giving the boys something else to focus on. We did that by driving to the San Jacinto State Park, so we could see the Battleship Texas. The ship had participated in both World War I and World War II. In WW I, it was considered the most powerful warship afloat, because of her ten 14"/45 guns in five twin turrets. In 1919, the Texas also became the first US battleship to launch an aircraft from its deck. After that, the Texas received the first commercial radar in the US Navy in 1939 and in 1940 it was designated flagship of the US Atlantic Fleet. Another first was accomplished when the First Marine Division was formed aboard the Texas in 1941.

"Look at the size of those guns," Pat remarked, standing in awe of her impressive weaponry.

"Bet it could fire and hit targets miles away," Kevin added, thinking about how much damage the shells from those guns could do.

After that, we learned the Texas transmitted General Eisenhower's first "Voice of Freedom" broadcast in 1942, when he asked the French not to oppose allied landings on North Africa. However, the French didn't heed his advice and still put up resistance when they landed. The Texas provided gunfire support for the amphibious assault on Morocco, to protect the allied troops as they landed on the North African shore. The Texas was also at the Normandy invasion, firing on Nazi defenses as the allied forces stormed the beaches.

The Texas was later transferred to the Pacific fleet, where it provided gunfire support for landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In 1948, the Texas became the first battleship to become a memorial museum in the US, and in 1977 it was designated a National Historic Landmark, before being placed under the stewardship of the Texas Parks and Wildlife department in 1983. Since that time, the Texas has been restored to her 1945 Pacific theater condition and that's how we saw the vessel today.

"How can they get something so heavy and made from metal to float, Daddy?" Graham wanted to know.

Even though I tried to explain the dynamics of how it was accomplished, I failed miserably and finally gave up, while telling him I'd find a way to explain it better, once we got back home. After that, we gave the boys some time to pretend they were sailors fighting in the war, as many of them began running around the deck, pretending to battle an unseen enemy, which happened to also entertain some of the other tourists that were onboard at the same time.

Eventually, the O'Haras and I managed to drag them off of the ship and get them into our vehicles, so we could make the short drive to Galveston. The first thing we did there was to visit another ship, this one being much older and made of wood. The Elissa is a restored nineteenth-century sailing ship, which was first launched in late 1877. It is 162' long, with a molded depth of 16', and has a gross capacity of 430 tons. The ship carries 19 sails made of canvas and her hull plates and forms are made of iron, except where it has been restored with welded steel.

The Elissa began her career as a cargo ship, transporting coal, but it was sold many times over the following years and used for many other purposes. It is now one of the few surviving square-riggers in the world and the oldest one listed in the Lloyd's of London 'Registry of Shipping.' It is now under the control of the Galveston Historical Foundation, which is responsible for restoring the ship, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places during the summer of 1978.

The boys were intrigued with the differences between this vessel and the Texas, which led to a discussion of the history of sailing ships and the various changes that occurred in their design and construction over the centuries. We talked about the Phoenicians and the Romans, focusing on how they used ships to establish trading and political empires. We then discussed the Spanish Armada and how the British had defeated it and then become the rulers of the sea for many years afterward. That fact alone made it possible for them to establish their vast expanses of colonies and led to the saying 'the sun never sets on the British Empire.' We also discussed the use of metal in ship construction and how it evolved over time. I think we might have a couple of future sailing men in this group, as they expressed an interest in finding out what it would be like to spend so much time on such a vessel. When our tour ended, we decided to do lunch and continued this discussion while we ate.

After lunch, we went to our hotel, which was along the fine Galveston beaches. It was then that I informed the boys that our last couple of days in Texas would be spent here, enjoying the sun, sand and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone was excited about this announcement and happy we would be spending the next two days just loafing about and relaxing, before we headed back home. We took everyone to their rooms and got them settled in, before we all changed into our swimwear and headed down to the beach to spend the rest of the afternoon in the sun.

We hustled down to the water's edge and right away the older boys took to the surf, having a grand time in the mild waves. Even Dion and Carlos went out into the water, although not as far or as recklessly as the others, but they too seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. The younger ones stayed on the beach, just letting the waves come up and wash across their lower legs and feet, as each wave swept ashore. Brandon's parents and I watched the boys, while enjoying the warm rays of the sun as they caressed our aged bodies. We also made sure the boys didn't wander out too far or get careless in unfamiliar territory, besides seeing they didn't wander off anywhere else on their own.

The older boys soon ended their frolicking and came in to help the younger boys build sand sculptures. They broke up into groups, decided on what they wanted to make and then began to sculpt it. One group made a traditional castle, as another decided to make Shamu out of sand, while the next tried to make the Space Shuttle and the last group worked on trying to make a ship. They all turned out quite well and we adults were impressed with their abilities, noting the details that each group added to their particular sculpture.

After they finished their designs, the older boys took the younger ones with them, a little farther out in the water, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Even Dion and Carlos joined them this time. At first, I was concerned the older boys would forget the little ones were with them or that Carlos and Dion were still non-swimmers and start their horsing around. However, they were very careful and very attentive, while making sure no one was placed in a hazardous situation. They eventually came back in, spread their towels out on the sand and sprawled out all around us.

After resting for a few minutes, Brandon reached into the gym bag he had carried down with him and pulled out a Frisbee and a Nerf football. When I shot a questioning look at him, he gave me an instant reply. "I brought these from home and kept them in the car, just in case we might need something to do," he said, with a grin.

"Good thinking, old man," I teased him. "I didn't think any of you ever thought that far ahead."

"Oh, we do more planning than you'll ever know about, Pop," he responded, giving me a wink. I wanted to ask him what kind of planning he was talking about, but was afraid of his possible answer, especially with his parents sitting right there. Fortunately, they didn't give his comment a second thought.

The boys played an interesting game of Frisbee tag that included everyone, even the younger boys, in the game. The little ones thought it was big sport to chase the older ones and tag them by throwing the Frisbee and hitting them with it, and they continued this game until they decided to throw the Nerf football around instead. Eventually, they ended up playing a game of keep-away with the football and I was getting dizzy watching the group in the middle chasing the ball, as it flew back and forth. The boys finally tired themselves out and came back to join us again, plopping down on their towels again. However, they only rested briefly, before dragging us adults out into the waters of the Gulf and making sure we got totally wet in the process.

We spent the whole afternoon enjoying the sun and the water and I concluded the boys would sleep well tonight. The fresh air and exercise always seems to have that effect on them and I figured this would be no exception. As the afternoon progressed into evening, the boys announced they were hungry and it was time to eat. We quickly collected all of our things, went back to our rooms, cleaned up and changed, before trying to locate a restaurant.

The boys had taken a quick survey amongst themselves and decided we should do Chinese this evening. They approached the desk clerk, to ask him if he knew of a place, and he was very helpful in directing us to a very good establishment. As we were sitting there eating, it suddenly struck me that the boys had probably done this for Andrew's benefit, to help keep him from thinking about yesterday's experience. Even though Sammy and Andrew were Japanese, not Chinese, they still liked this cuisine and it was a less obvious choice than a Japanese restaurant.

As I began watching all of the boys, I noticed that each one of them was making sure to take the time to say something positive to their little brother or do something helpful for him. Now, I was totally convinced that my assumption was correct. I made a mental note to check with one of the boys later, to verify my suspicions. However, I was very proud of their thoughtfulness, suspecting this to be the case.

On the way out of the restaurant, the boys saw a poster for a free concert in the park, featuring a collection of local talent. It was slated for tomorrow evening, so they asked if we could go. I talked it over quickly with the O'Haras and we saw no reason why we shouldn't attend, so we told the boys it would be fine. Then we asked them what they wanted to do tonight and they said they wouldn't mind just going back to the room and ordering a movie. I told them we could all go to my room and I'd let them order the movie, so we could all watch it together. I invited the O'Haras to join us, but they said they'd rather select their own movie and view it in their own room, and I told them I understood. Therefore, I led all the boys to my room and left Patrick and Brenda to enjoy their time alone.

The boys quickly checked out the listings for the evening and agreed on some action-adventure movie. I set things up for them and then settled onto the sofa, where I was quickly surrounded and buried beneath a collection of young male bodies. The little ones sat on or beside me, while the older boys sat on the floor or leaned up against us. Andrew was one of the ones who found his way onto my lap and he watched the entire movie with his head resting against my shoulder. When the movie ended, I sent all of the boys to their rooms to get some sleep.

Cole, Graham, Pat and Carlos were in the 'sex room' this evening, and I was pretty sure that Carlos would be trying out some more oral sex. Dustin, Kevin, Brandon and Danny were going to share a room and they asked Sammy and Andrew to join them. I agreed with their plan and they all took off. Andrew spent the night tucked safely between Brandon and Danny, while Sammy was protectively snuggled between the other pair.

Nick asked if he could stay with Nicky, Jordan and me this evening, and I told him he could, so Ricky, Jay, Trey and Dion went to the final room. I was surprised to see Nick get into bed between my two grandsons, one wrapped in each of his arms, and they spent the night cuddled together like that. I believe that, having been an only child, Nick was beginning to enjoy having all of these others around. For the little ones, he was becoming a loving big brother/uncle and he enjoyed the older boys as brothers, friends and sex partners. For the first time in quite a while, I slept alone, but I was happy that the others were content with their current situations.

We spent Saturday on the beach again, except this time it was much more crowded. There were tons of other kids around too and the boys were soon busy making new friends and engaging in activities with some of these new acquaintances. We gave the boys plenty of space to enjoy themselves, only watching to make sure that no older children or adults approached them in any threatening way. I was just about ready to pounce on this one guy who was approaching Nicky, when he noticed his own son, who coincidentally looked very much like my grandson, and went to him instead. I realized it was just a case of mistaken identity and relaxed once more.

We ate early that evening, in order to make sure we could get to the park for the concert and find a decent seat. It turned out that some of the groups were quite good and the various artists represented quite a broad spectrum of musical tastes. The first group was a country group that performed some of the recent country favorites, plus a couple of their own pieces. The next group was a rock-oriented group, but they were eclectic in their tastes, performing pieces by several well-known groups. The third group basically did blue-grass songs and the fourth group was a real head-banger rock group. After that, there was another country group, followed by an older group that performed mostly classic rock and roll. The group after that played contemporary pop and the final band was one of the big name local rock-groups. All in all it was a pretty enjoyable evening, although I could have survived it better without the head-banger group. When it ended, it was already quite late, so we went directly back to our rooms.

No one really cared about the 'sex room' tonight, so we didn't even make an assignment. Tomorrow we would be flying back home and this caused quite a few mixed emotions. There was a lot of fidgeting going on with some of the boys, as they tried to get to sleep, and in the middle of the night I heard a knock on the door to my room. When I opened it, I was surprised to find Nick standing there.

"Nick, what's the matter? What are you doing up this late?" I asked him.

"I couldn't sleep very well," he replied. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Sure, come on in."

I just happened to be sleeping alone again, that was until Nick jumped into bed with me. Soon he was cuddled up against me, his arm thrown across my stomach and laid his head on my chest. After lying like this for several minutes, he lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. "You ARE going to let me come join you at your home when you get back from England, aren't you?" he asked.

"Certainly I am," I replied, suddenly understanding his need to join me. "I'm not going to leave you without a place to go. Brandon's parents will take good care of you until we return and then we'll have you fly out and join us."

"Promise you won't forget," he insisted.

"I promise, Nick. I could never forget you," I told him.

With that, he put his head back on my chest and eventually fell asleep. I guess I never considered that Nick would be insecure, after what he had been through, but he needed reassurance the same as any young boy who felt he wasn't really loved or wanted. The next morning I made sure I reinforced my commitment to him, before I did anything else.

I let all of the boys sleep late that morning and then we went out for Sunday brunch. After eating, we went back to our rooms to pack. We loaded all of our things into the van and then said good-bye to the O'Haras and Nick. All of the boys said their individual farewell to Nick and then he came over and threw his arms around me. I kissed him on the forehead, told him that we'd see him again in mid-August, and then I hugged him as hard as I could.

The O'Haras said their good-byes to everyone too and then they got in their car to make the drive back to San Antonio. I saw Nick looking out the back window, tears streaming down his cheeks, waving bravely at us as they pulled away. My heart was breaking, because I couldn't take him with us.

I finally got the others into the van and drove to the airport, where we turned the van back in and checked in our luggage. Within the hour, we were boarding our flight to head home for the next couple of weeks. This part of our summer was behind us and now we had to prepare for the next phase.

Chapter 19
A Time to Unwind

Steve Shay was there to meet us at the airport when we arrived. He had driven my van to pick us up and was waiting at the arrival gate when we strolled into the common area. Uncle Steve was greeted warmly by everyone and followed us to the baggage claim area. Once we had all of our belongings, we followed him out to the van, loaded everything into it, and set off for home.

On the ride back, the boys were busy telling him all about our trip. They gave him a detailed account of our time in Arizona and in Texas, and they even informed him about the incident with Andrew. Steve was concerned about this last experience and advised me he would contact the authorities in Houston, to make sure things were being adjudicated appropriately. He announced he was planning to represent Andrew's interests in this matter and would make sure the offending individual would not be allowed to accept a plea-bargain that didn't include a suitable punishment, which meant prison time. He wanted to make sure the guy could never be able to do that to another child.

When we arrived home, Aunt Sally was at the house waiting for us. She had been taking care of everything while we were gone, to make sure nothing happened to the house or our belongings while we were away. Sally also picked up our mail and there was a whole tote full of it sitting just inside the foyer. It looked like it would take me some time to get through that mess. In addition to everything else she had done, it was quite obvious from the wonderful smell filling the house that Sally had also prepared us a meal.

"What is that delicious aroma?" I asked, while sniffing the air.

"You and the boys go wash up and you'll soon discover what it's from," she informed me, while smiling broadly.

"Steve, go call Mary and have her come over," I quickly advised him. "I want you both to join us for dinner as well."

"That's not necessary," Steve countered, "I'm sure Mary's already started our meal. Besides, this is for you and your family."

"Oh, there's plenty enough for everyone," Sally advised him.

"So go call Mary and ask her to join us," I insisted.

Steve did, and it just so happened that Mary was just getting ready to start their dinner, so she quickly agreed to drive over and join us instead. The boys and I were just coming down from cleaning up when Aunt Mary pulled into our driveway. The boys raced out to greet her and escorted her into the dining room, as I helped Sally bring the food to the table.

We had a wonderful meal, consisting of roast beef, roast potatoes, carrots, a tossed salad and chocolate pudding for dessert, and we all thanked Sally for her tremendous effort. While we were eating, the boys filled their 'Aunts' in about our trip and both women were getting a kick out of our adventures, until they heard about what happened to Andrew at the Space Center. Steve reassured everyone he would take care of everything concerning that matter and we all went outside to enjoy the beautiful evening.

The boys went off to play a game of kickball, while we adults chatted some more. The women asked me more details about the situation with Andrew and I gave them a full accounting of what had transpired. Sally asked how Andrew reacted to the incident and how he's been acting since. I told her all I could, stating I thought he had handled it quite well. She advised me to keep an eye on him until we were ready to leave for England and that I should call her if I noticed anything unusual. I thanked her and we went on to discuss other things.

After that, I told them about Mark, our college student waiter, and explained he would be coming to work for me next summer. They all laughed and said they had expected that, from the first moment I had mentioned him. Then I told them about Nick.

"Are you going to bring the strays home from England too," Steve teased.

"I will try to resist the temptation, but I can't make any promises," I joked back.

Steve also gave me some advice about how to handle the situation with Nick's parents, once Nick arrived here, so I would protect myself legally. Sally then offered her assistance, if I needed help with anything concerning Nick. She graciously volunteered to do whatever she could to aid me, whether it meant helping me keep Nick here or reuniting him with his family. I thanked them both, before we moved to the next topic.

I was still filling them in on some of the finer points of our trip when the boys returned, having finished their impromptu game. At this point we switched our discussion to our trip to England and Steve quickly told us about his favorite places, from when he and his wife had vacationed there. Of course his wife had different favorite places, so we made a mental list of things to look for. It was approaching 9:00 p.m. when our guests announced they would have to leave, since they had to work the next day. We bid them all good night, thanked them once more for all of their help, and walked them to their vehicles. We all waved at them as they drove off.

Before we went back into the house, I announced I'd have to recruit volunteers to do some of the chores that needed to get done. The six little ones offered to rinse off the dishes and load the dishwasher, before I even asked. I thanked them and they went off to do their job. Next, I asked for volunteers to tackle the enormous mountain of laundry we would have once we unpacked and Pat, Carlos, Trey and Dion quickly informed me they would take care of that. The next group would have to help me with preparing the meals before we left again and Danny, Brandon, Dustin and Kevin volunteered to help with that duty, since they'd been spending time learning the basics of cooking from me. They informed me they thought this would be a good opportunity for them to practice their newly acquired skills.

At that point Ricky looked at me and asked what he could do. I thought about it for only a minute, before I suggested he could help me take Jay home and then do the grocery shopping tomorrow. He seemed satisfied with his job, so I sent all the boys up to unpack, put their things away and bring their dirty clothes down to the laundry room. After that it would be bath time and then we could relax until they wanted to go to sleep.

After Ricky and I returned from taking Jay back to his parents, I went into the office and started sorting through the mail, while the boys set about their tasks. By the time they came back downstairs, I had everything sorted into categories and was ready to join them. We all went into the television room, but I told them I had some mail to share with them before we watched anything.

First, I had two letters from Mark and another from Mr. and Mrs. Spence. A few of the boys had forgotten who they were, so the other boys reminded them of the older couple we had met on the flight to Arizona. Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb went off for them and they began talking excitedly, wondering what the Spences had to say. Eager to end their curiosity and interested in discovering what each had to say, I quickly read the three letters. Mark's first letter was mostly a thank you for the fun times he'd had with us and for the invitation to come to our home next summer. The second letter was to ask Danny and Brandon about the second half of their vacation. I handed them the letter, which caused both of them to blush, and I knew I wouldn't have to remind them to respond to it.

The Spences' letter also inquired about our vacation, but they also asked if they could come visit us some time. The boys were really quite excited about their request, since they had taken quite a shine to this couple, and each one of them wanted to write a letter in reply. I told them they could all write what they wished and I would mail them off a few at a time. This seemed to satisfy them and they would start their various letters tomorrow. Tonight, however, we settled in to watch a movie.

Before very long, I saw pairs cuddling up with each other and the four little ones found their way over to me, either sitting on me or snuggled up against me. I also saw Cole and Graham move over to sit on each side of Ricky, leaning up against him, and I concluded they felt bad that Ricky seemed to be the only one without a partner at that point. Once he saw that Cole and Graham were going to sit with him, he was as happy as anyone else there and when the movie was over, we called it a night.

Sammy and Andrew asked to sleep with me, which I had no problem with, while Jordan and Nicky joined the terrible trio in the Jungle room. Before long, all of the boys were asleep and Andrew looked as relaxed and peaceful as I had ever seen him. Maybe he would make it through this without any long-term negative effects. After all, we interrupted the guy before he really had a chance to do anything and Andrew had seen large penises before, with the older boys running around nude so much. I certainly hoped that would be the case and Andrew would have no trauma attached to the experience. It would have been much different and far worse, if the guy had actually penetrated him, but I now suspected he'd be fine.

The next few days were a blur of activity. We were all busy doing chores, writing our letters, having some free time and planning for our next adventure. I had spoken to each of my older children, confirming the details of our joint vacation, and everyone was quite excited about the trip. I had made all of the arrangements, with their approval, of course, but much of what we were going to do there would be a surprise to them too. They had some idea what we would be doing, but the order and exact details would still be a mystery. I think, by now, everyone was used to my propensity to want to surprise them on these trips and they accepted that fact. It always added to my satisfaction by being able to see the pleased and surprised expressions on their faces when they discovered what I had planned or learned what we were going to see.

I also called Nick to see how he was doing, now that we weren't there, and he was fairly upbeat about his situation. He said the O'Haras were very nice, but kind of boring, although he had found a pool nearby and told me there were lots of cute boys who hung out there. I think that was his signal to me that he would do fine until we returned and he was able to rejoin us. I know most teenage boys are controlled by their hormones, but Nick seems to have more than his share of testosterone, so I knew I would have to have a little chat with him about this, once we were together again.

Over the next few days we finished our preparations for England and each of the boys wrote to the Spences, some more than once, and Danny, Brandon, and I all wrote letters to Mark as well. It was just about time for us to leave again, when we received our responses. The first letter came from Mark, addressed to all of us, so I decided to read the letter to everyone at once.

Hi, Pop and all the rest of you guys,

I was really happy when I received your letters. It's been kind of lonely around here since you all left. It never really bothered me before, but since I saw how much fun I could have with your family, I really have felt kind of alone now. I'll be all right, though, as long as you keep writing to me. I can't wait until next summer, when I can come and join you.

Business has been really good at the restaurant and I've been making quite a bit of money. I'm saving it like I should and I'm really getting anxious for classes to start again. I'm going to switch a couple of my courses, so I'll be more prepared to do my job for you next summer, so don't worry, Pop. I'm also going to ask my advisor to tutor me on the types of things I'll need to know in order to work for you too. I'll do a good job, I promise.

Well, you must be all excited about going to England, because I know I would be. Please take my address with you and send me some postcards from there. That way I can brag to some of my classmates about my new family. By the way, as of the end of August you'll be able to email me at Mark8@narizu.edu. I won't have access to a computer until classes start, though. Then maybe we can chat more frequently.

You guys have a good trip and make sure you send those postcards and email me when you get back. I wish I had been able to go with you.

Your new big brother,

Mark

The boys were all interested in the letter, but Danny and Brandon were especially moved by it. They, too, felt bad that Mark hadn't been able to join us. I quickly let them know he would be included in all of our plans next year, since he'd be with us. Danny took the envelope, with Mark's return address on it, and ran upstairs to put it into his suitcase. He wasn't about to forget it when we left.

A day or so later, we got a letter from the Spences. I read that one to the boys as well.

Dear Josh and boys,

My husband and I would like to thank you for sending all of those wonderful letters telling us about your trip. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time and that you're looking forward to your next trip to England. Enclosed you'll find a check from us and we want you to use it to do something special while you're over there.

Josh, if it wouldn't be asking too much, we were wondering if you'd mind if we came to visit you and your family around the holidays. We have no family and wish to share at least part of that time of year with people whom we care about. We would make reservations to stay at a hotel, but we'd like to see all of you whenever you're willing, if that would be possible. Your family is such an enjoyable and refreshing change to what we've encountered these past few years that we'd really like to get to know you all better. Please think it over and let us know.

We send you all our love and best wishes, and we want you to have a splendid time in England. We shall think of you daily while you're gone.

Fondly,

Margaret and John Spence

I looked back in the envelope and found a check made out to me for $500.00. The boys couldn't believe that Mr. & Mrs. Spence had sent so much, especially since we had known them for such a short time, and they immediately began to try to talk me into letting the Spences come to visit. I had already decided I was going to write and tell them they were more than welcome to come see us any time they wished.

The boys told me to make sure they stayed at the house too. They could use my room, downstairs, and the boys would share one of their rooms with me while they were here. I agreed with their proposals and told them I'd jot the Spences a quick note. I would invite them for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, allowing them their choice of either time or both. The boys were happy and each went to write a quick thank you note to the Spences, for sending them the money. They all agreed to buy something special with it, to help them remember their trip.

Steve Shay called me a couple of days later, to inform me that he had been working with the Houston authorities on Andrew's case and it was now settled.

"It turns out the guy had two previous felony convictions for assaulting young boys," he informed me, "and had only been out of prison for a few weeks."

"And no one was monitoring his activities?" I asked, startled.

"He'd just been released after serving a 5 to 7 year sentence for his last conviction, so he probably had to check in with his parole officer," Steve responded, "but they can't be with him every minute of every day. Most of the parole officers have so many cases assigned to them that they usually just contact each parolee once a week and possibly check in with his employer or landlord every couple of weeks too."

"It's a shame they can't monitor them better than that," I suggested, "but at least he won't be out there for a while now."

"That's for sure," Steve replied. "He knew he was screwed either way, so he accepted a plea bargain from the District Attorney's office, but it wasn't much of a gift. He agreed to serve a 15 to 25 year sentence, rather than take the chance of getting hit with a 25 year to life sentence, if he were convicted as a three-strike felon. The judge and the DA are both recommending he serve the full 25 years, which would make him fairly old, before he's on the street again."

I thanked Steve for all of his help and told him I would let Andrew and the others know the bad man was locked up for a very long time. I also told Steve he was a very dear friend for handling this for us like he had. He responded that it was his pleasure to make sure that creep wouldn't be able to get to another kid for a long time, before adding that he always took care of family members. I just smiled at his last comment and thanked him again, knowing he had just paid us a very great compliment.

Chapter 20
Feelings

It was nearly time for us to leave on our trip now, so we were moving at full speed, trying to make sure we got everything done in time, without forgetting anything important. Steve had agreed to drive us to the airport again, in fact he had insisted on it, and Sally was going to watch the house and take care of everything for us while we were gone. In an appreciative gesture, I suggested we all go out to eat on the final Saturday night before we left.

The party started out as being a birthday celebration for Ricky, who was turning fifteen on July 17th, but the boys also had some special plans of their own. I made reservations at the finest establishment in the area and the boys all dressed in suits that evening. Steve followed us in his car, with Sally riding with him and his wife. When we arrived, they were all surprised to learn I had reserved the private dining room for us, so we could have a good time and not disturb the other guests.

"Josh, this must be costing you a small fortune," Steve whispered in my ear, as we were heading into the facility.

"Nothing's too good for those we love," I replied. "Besides, it's my money and I'm thrilled to be able to do this." Steve just nodded.

I sat at the head of the table, with Mary and Steve on my right and Sally on my left. The boys had already agreed who would be sitting next to whom, so they went to their places, once the rest of us were seated.

After looking over the menus, we placed our order, and soon the salad, appetizers and dinner rolls were being delivered to the table. We began with shrimp cocktails, mozzarella sticks and a tossed or Caesar salad. The adults also had wine, while the boys had sodas, as we slowly enjoyed the first course.

After each of us had finished those items, we had a chance to talk for a bit, while the dishes were removed and we waited for the main course. Since everyone had ordered their own entrees, there was a variety of food now being placed around the table, but it was all quite delicious. I kept looking up and noting how the older boys were fawning over and assisting the little ones, and noticed that Steve, Mary and Sally were also taking note of this seemingly inconsequential act. It showed a great deal of maturity and caring on the part of the boys who were being so attentive to the younger ones and I can only say that I swelled with pride, as I observed them.

We managed to stuff ourselves and were quite full, when two cakes were delivered to the table. I was expecting the one, but was surprised by the other. In addition to my having ordered a birthday cake for Ricky, it appeared that Sally, Mary and Steve had called ahead and ordered another cake, which read, 'Bon Voyage, Curries.' Since Ricky's cake was chocolate and the other was a yellow cake, it gave us a choice, although I suspected the boys would have a piece of each. The waitperson quickly cut and served the cakes to each of us, and after we each had been served, we all settled down to chat for a while and enjoy some after-dinner drinks with our dessert.

After we relaxed, Ricky was given his gifts to open, which he did quite rapidly. He received clothing from Sally, Mary and Steve and some games and CD's from his brothers, but he also unwrapped a very special gift from me. I had bought him a high quality digital camera he could use on the trip. He was thrilled with his little party, as well as his presents, but was also a little preoccupied about the surprise his brothers and he had planned for this evening.

After things quieted down, Ricky thanked everyone for their gifts and all of the boys thanked their 'aunts and uncle' for the cake, before setting their own plan in motion. At that time, a few of the boys excused themselves to go to the men's room, but when they rejoined us, they came back carrying a collection of packages. At that moment, the rest of the boys stood to join them and they all came down to the end of the table where the adults were seated. They had planned this at home previously and picked their spokesmen to represent them, so Ricky spoke first.

"All of us boys decided we wanted to do something really special for you, because of everything you have done for us. Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary and Uncle Steve, we just want to let you know how much we love you and appreciate all you do for us. Everyone of us chipped in some of our own money to buy you each a little present."

"Before you say anything," Dustin continued, from where Ricky left off, "we know you're going to tell us we didn't need to do this. We know that, but we wanted to do it anyway. It's just to let you know how special you are to each of us."

"We know that one of the presents is bigger than the others," Graham stated, in his high-pitched, youthful voice, "and there is more in it than the others, but we spent the same amount of money on each of you."

"But we all agreed on what to get you," Danny added, "and we wanted it to be something you'd really like."

"It wasn't an easy choice," Dion told them, "but Dad helped us decide and then we all went with him, to pick it out."

"So," Cole concluded, "here are our presents to you."

At that point, Sammy and Andrew handed Steve a large box, while Jordan and Nicky handed Aunt Sally and Aunt Mary smaller packages.

"Go ahead and open them," Trey urged them. "We want to see what you think of your presents."

The ladies got their presents opened first, each finding a matching earring and necklace set. The boys had selected them themselves and spent a few hundred dollars on each of them. These were not cheap costume jewelry sets and the women realized that fact immediately.

"Boys, you shouldn't have spent so much money on these," Mary told them, while admiring the fine items in the small box she was holding.

"She's right," Sally scolded, mildly. "These must have cost quite a bit of your savings and you shouldn't have spent your money on us, like this."

"But it's still not enough to repay you for all you've done and what you mean to us," Trey countered. "Heck, most of us would never be here with Dad, if it wasn't for you."

At that moment, Steve finished unwrapping his present as well, discovering two top quality dress shirts with French cuffs, and a box containing a very sharp looking pair of cufflinks, tie clasp and collar pin to go with them.

"You boys shouldn't have done so much," Steve quickly added, supporting the women. "It's a nice gesture, but we already knew you appreciated the things we do for you."

"We wanted to do it, no matter how much it cost, because you all do much more than that for us," Pat advised him. "You take all those hours to drive us to the airport and then pick us up later and Aunt Sally and Aunt Mary have been almost like mothers to us."

"We do appreciate your thoughtfulness," Mary told them, "and your presents are just lovely. Therefore, I will accept it in the spirit in which it was given."

"Yes," Sally continued, "they're absolutely beautiful and I will be more than happy to do the same."

"And I'll wear these to court," Judge Shay advised them, "so that will make me the best dressed guy in the entire courthouse."

"You're all sharp dressers all of the time anyway," Brandon retorted. "You three always look like you should be posing for some magazine."

"Well, thank you for such a lovely compliment," Sally replied, looking quite pleased by the attention.

"You boys certainly are something special," Mary told them. "I thought Steve was exaggerating the first time he told me about you, but I've come to learn that if anything, he was downplaying how absolutely terrific you all are."

"Yes, and every time I hear people bad mouthing your generation, I just use you boys as an example of how great kids your age can be," Steve advised them. "You might not know this, but your dad gave me your last family portrait and I have it hanging on the wall in my chamber. I use it to show others how truly great young people can be."

"I don't get to see you as much as the other boys," Carlos interjected, "but I think you are all pretty great too." Everyone could tell that it took quite a bit of courage on his part to come out and admit that, since he was usually shy around others. I think that made his remark even more special to the other three.

We all basked in the love that engulfed the room for a while longer and then the boys urged the ladies to try on their new baubles. The boys were quite excited to see these items on them, so both women went to the ladies room, to put the jewelry on and see how they looked in the mirror. The women returned and happily informed the boys that the jewelry looked even better on, than it had looked coming out of the box, and the boys were very pleased to hear this and were proud of their selections. We stayed a little longer, talking some more, before we all headed back to our place to end the evening.

At home, the boys sat around their aunts and uncle, chatting about everything under the sun, and the adults seemed to really be enjoying this all too infrequent time together with them. I made some coffee, so the other adults came out to the dining room to join me for a cup. The boys went up to their rooms to get out of their suits at this point, giving us adults some time alone. It was then that my peers wanted to know if I'd set this whole thing up.

"No, actually it was all their idea," I informed them. "I did help them select the gifts, but they told me what they wanted to buy and how much they were willing to spend. Although I was amazed to learn that each of them had chipped in $100 of their own money to do this for you, I could also tell it was very, very important to them to make sure it happened. For that reason, I wasn't about to do anything to try to discourage their generosity."

"You shouldn't have let them spend that much money, Josh," Steve scolded me.

"As I said, this was all their idea and they really wanted to do something special for you," I countered. "They knew it would be hard for us to take these kinds of trips without people like you back home supporting us and realize how much time it takes for you to drive us to and from the airport, how much your wife gives up by letting you do that for us and all the time Sally spends checking on the house and collecting our mail. No, I was not about to talk them out of it, because I agree with their reasoning. They chose how much they wanted to spend altogether and I merely took them shopping and helped them select appropriate gifts. In fact, if anything, I'm very proud of them for realizing how much you help us. Even Sammy and Andrew understand how important the things you do for us are."

"It's not that we're unappreciative, Josh," Sally added, "it's just that $100 each is a great sum of money for boys their age."

"The boys have a good appreciation of how much that is," I assured her. "I help them go over their own accounts on a monthly basis, so each one knows how much money he has in his savings account and in his mutual fund. They may not understand exactly how those things work yet, but they do know how much money they have, what it will buy and what I'll allow them to use it for. This was well discussed before any decisions were made and the final agreement on the amount each would contribute was unanimous. Some had even argued to spend a little more than that, so be assured they did understand what they were doing."

When the boys returned, the three adults thanked them as a group before giving a personal thank you to each and every boy, and the boys felt really good about what they had done. It was nice to see them learning it's important and rewarding to do something nice for others. I knew the warm feeling they enjoyed from this evening's generosity would stay with them for quite a while to come.

By the time Sally, Mary and Steve left, we were all quite exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Since the little ones had all announced they were staying in with various groups of older boys, I thought I'd be sleeping alone, but soon discovered that would not be the case. I was somewhat flabbergasted when Pat asked if he could stay with me tonight. Figuring something was on his mind, I agreed.

I didn't want to push him to find out why he decided to do this, but it turned out I didn't need to. As soon as we were in bed, he cuddled up against me and whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, puzzled.

"When we were at Six Flags in Texas and those boys started in about Dion, Carlos, Sammy and Andrew," he began, "I realized that could have been me, if you hadn't made me see how wrong that was. Seeing how they acted made me feel ashamed that I was once like that too, so thank you for making me a better person than that."

I was choked up from hearing his comment, so it took me more than a few seconds before I could respond, but I did. "Pat, I may have shown you the path, but you were the one who had to choose to walk it," I informed him. "What I did was easy, but it was you who did the hard part. You have turned out to be a wonderful young man and I really and truly love having you as a son."

He hugged me again, but I realized he was probably too emotional to talk right now too, as I was beginning to get another lump in my throat as he embraced me. However, I do know we both spoke from the heart and meant every word that was said, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was thrilled to be a part of this mélange we call a family.

The rest of our time at home went quickly and it was soon the night before our departure. The boys had packed their own suitcases, again splitting their things with their partner, and I double-checked each one against my checklist, to ensure they had the things they would need. Once this was finished, we took everything downstairs and loaded it into the van. I also loaded my carry-on, with all of the hand-held games and batteries, and we would have nothing more to add before leaving, since we had packed new toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, etc., for the trip.

The boys took their showers and then came down to the TV room to join me. We talked a little before we went to bed, discussing some last minute information about this journey. First, I reminded them this flight would be longer than their previous flights, as it would take about 7.5 hours to get there. I also told them there also wouldn't be much to see, as most of the trip would be over the ocean and that we'd be flying out of Pittsburgh in the early evening, as the flight was scheduled to leave at 5:30 P.M. Tomorrow we would have time to recheck everything after breakfast, and later we'd go out for lunch. We'd leave for the airport shortly after noon. We were going to pick Steve up at the courthouse at that time and then we'd be on our way.

The boys were a mixture of nerves and excitement. With the notoriety of recent plane crashes and near accidents, they were more nervous about flying this time, than they had been on their earlier trips. However, the excitement generated over visiting another country effectively negated that problem.

We ate breakfast at home, cleaned everything up and put it all away. The boys were flitting all over the house, as their nervous energy and excitement wouldn't allow them to sit for very long. As it neared the lunch hour, I called Steve and asked him join us for lunch, so we could leave directly from the restaurant. He agreed, so we went to pick him up.

There wasn't very much conversation during the meal, since the boys didn't know what else to say. We merely filled our bellies and prepared for the drive and flight ahead. It wasn't long before we'd finished our meal and were on our way.

Most of our trips to the airport had been made during early morning hours, but this one was considerably later, so the boys could see the areas we passed through this time. There was some discussion about different things they observed along the way, until they began to see the planes taking off and descending in the distance. The closer we got to the airport, the less talkative the boys became, because I suspected they were growing more nervous AND more excited. By the time Steve stopped in front of the main entrance, the boys were as quiet as church mice.

We quickly unloaded everything, went in to register and check in our luggage, and said good-byes to Uncle Steve. All of the boys gave him a hug, even the older ones, and he told us to have a good time. He watched as we went into the terminal, before getting back into the van and making the long trip back home alone.

I herded my flock through the terminal and toward our gate, making sure the older boys had a hold of each of the younger ones, and we sat down to wait until our flight was announced. The boys were still subdued, sitting quietly together or huddled up around me, and we stayed that way until two of my older children showed up, since they were flying out with us. The other two were flying from locations closer to their own homes and we would meet them in England.

The boys now began talking to their older siblings, telling them about our other trip, until our flight was called. We made our way onboard, took our seats and waited for something to happen. It was thirty or forty minutes later before the plane began to taxi into position, and I noticed some of the boys tensing up. I guess that's a normal reaction for fairly inexperienced fliers.

It was nearly 6:00 p.m. when the jet's engines began to roar, signaling we were about to take off. A few seconds later, the plane lurched forward and the craft started down the runway, as it prepared to lift into the air.

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