Bill W

Castaway Hotel VI

Chapters 10-19

Chapter 10
Endings and Beginnings

Once again, we chartered a bus to take Nigel's family to the airport. It was a fairly quiet trip, as they boys merely sat with their guests and enjoyed their final moments together. If they talked, it was in whispers, but there was no horsing around and no one slept.

We reached our destination by eleven, but their flight wasn't leaving until nearly two. However, with the extra security requirements, they had to be there that early to get through the screening process. As the Barstows were removing their things from the luggage compartment, we reiterated our promise to keep in touch and they did the same. It was a very emotional time.

We stayed and waited for them go through their departure gate, but we knew we couldn't stay to watch their jet take off. It was just too long for the boys to hang out with nothing to do. Therefore, I led my brood back to board the bus and then we took off for home.

During the ride, I reminded the boy they would have to start getting their things together for school once we returned. We were planning to drop the college bound group off at their respective campuses the following weekend, and the others would be returning to class a few days later. They all groaned when they heard this, even though I knew many of them were looking forward to the new school year. Even though most of the boys were eager for the new challenges, I think they also wished for a couple of extra weeks to themselves, before they had to start up again.

Over the course of the next few days, I was faced with three unexpected and difficult situations. Although I would have preferred not to come back and be placed in crises mode so quickly, it was obvious I couldn't avoid dealing with any of these situations.

The first problem cropped up while I was checking my email messages and stuck out like a sore thumb. This particular message was from the candidate the school board had offered the job to replace me as superintendent. He was turning them down!

It seems he was offered a similar, but more lucrative position, in a larger district and had decided to accept that offer instead. This left us hanging, since none of the other candidates met the requirements the selection committee had established. It also meant we were about to start the school year without a permanent replacement. This, in turn, told me that my temporary role in this position was going to be extended and the district would be going back to square one to find my replacement.

Once I got the boys to unpack and start the laundry, I contacted some of the other members of the selection committee, to see if they had done anything about this problem while I was away. They quickly informed me that they had already posted the job in various professional publications and notified a variety of college placement offices, as well as posting it on job procurement sites online. After thanking them for their rapid response, we discussed other ramifications this might have on the start of the school year.

I spent much of the remainder of the day dwelling on this situation and only took a short break to help Jake fix dinner. He had run out to pick up a few things while I was tied up with work, so now we talked as we prepared the meal. He was sympathetic, although not a great deal of help, but it was still nice to know he cared and was there for me.

The next day I stayed home, so I'd have the privacy I needed to confront this situation. I was afraid if I went in to the office I'd be deluged with a variety of other issues, which would distract me from my primary concern. The house was fairly quiet, since most of the boys had decided to go hang around the school, so they could chat with their friends and check out their class schedules. After that, they were planning to go off to do some last minute school shopping at the mall. The college boys had gone with them, because they wanted to pick up a few things too. Since Jake had returned to work, I was alone in the house when I heard a knock at the door.

When I went to answer it, I discovered an older woman standing there. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place who she was, so I opened the door and asked what she wanted.

"Mr. Currie, I know you weren't expecting to see me and I didn't come to cause any problems, but I heard about what happened when the mother of two of your other sons showed up here."

I was confused by her comment and still puzzled as to whom she was. Therefore, I decided to get right down to business.

"I'm sorry, but what business is that of yours?" I asked. "I'm afraid I don't recognize you and not sure I even know you." She blushed and stammered for a minute, before she finally settled down enough to respond.

"Yes, I guess I have changed some since you last saw me, but I'm Danny's mother."

I wouldn't be surprised if my mouth dropped open at that moment, because I was stunned to discover who she was. My mind was also reeling from the implications of what she was doing here, especially since she had just referred to Cole and Graham's mother. Ms. Van Cott had also suddenly appeared and caused us a great many problems, so now I was wondering if this was going to be a repeat of that situation.

"I hate to be blunt," I said, with a slight tremor in my voice, "but what is it you want."

"As I said, I didn't come here to cause any problems for Danny or you," she blurted in response, "but I miss my son. A friend of mine works at the courthouse and she told me what happened, and how that other woman is now able to meet with her sons again. I'd like to be able to do the same thing, but I was hoping we could arrange something on our own."

Even though I had been afraid this was where she was heading, I now knew for sure. However, the time had come for me to respond. "Mrs. Roma, before I can agree to anything, I'd have to talk this over with Danny. He's a young man now and about to head off to college, so he's definitely old enough to make his own choices."

"Mr. Currie, don't get me wrong," she muttered. "I don't intend to try to take Danny from you, I just want to be able to see and spend time with him. I miss him more than you can imagine and I need to get to know him again." She hesitated briefly, and I noticed her eyes were moist and her breathing a bit raspy. It was clear this was very difficult for her, so I waited patiently as she regained control of her emotions.

"It was his father who threw him out, not me, but I was forced to go along with that decision. I never agreed with it, and I certainly didn't like it, but he is my husband. Since that happened, he has changed and mellowed. That's probably due to the fact that he's very ill and facing his own mortality, but I don't think he'd care if I saw our son now. I know he still isn't ready to accept what Danny is, but I love my son and I've missed him so very much. I hope you and Danny will allow me the chance to get reacquainted with him."

"As I've said, Mrs. Roma, I will have to discuss this with Danny. I have no idea how he might react to your suggestion, but my question to you would be, are you going to be able to accept him for who he is? Will you also be able, and willing, to respect the decisions he has made, or might make, about his life?"

"If you're referring to his being a homosexual," she said, dryly, "then yes. I think I can handle that now."

"And what about the young man he has chosen to be his partner?" I pressed.

She hesitated before she answered this time. "It won't be easy for me," she acknowledged, "but I think I'll be able to handle that too."

"If you are being sincere, then leave me your phone number and I'll call you when Danny makes up his mind about what he wants to do."

Mrs. Roma looked flustered after I made my last statement and didn't immediately respond. After a short, and uncomfortable silence, she finally spoke.

"I'd prefer that none of you call my home just yet, in case my husband answers the phone. I'm not sure how I'd explain to him why you were calling. What if I phoned you instead, to find out if Danny approves of my suggestion?"

"That would be fine," I agreed, "but give us a few days. I won't approach him unless he's alone and in a good mood, and then I suspect he'll need some time to think it over. I don't want to rush him into making such an important decision."

"I agree and will give you the time you need before I call," she confirmed. "Mr. Currie, thank you very much for listening to me and providing me with this opportunity."

"There's nothing definite," I reiterated, "but I will pass along your request." We then said our good-byes and she departed, but now I had to wait and talk this over with Danny.

When the boys returned home, they were busy showing me the things they'd picked up, so there wasn't much of a chance for me to get Danny alone. I didn't want to ask to speak to him in private, because then Brandon and some of the others would ask him what was up, and I wanted him to have time to consider this without outside interference. If he decided to bring others into the decision process, he'd be able to do that without the pressure of having to include them.

While I was waiting for an appropriate time to do this, the third situation arose. Sally called to inform me that one of her colleagues in a nearby community had brought a situation to her attention. She said as soon as she heard about it she thought of me, so now she wanted to know if I'd be willing to help out. Of course, it concerned another boy.

All she would tell me for the time being is that this kid had announced to his foster family that he was gay and it created an immediate problem. He supposedly did this because he didn't want to live there any longer and knew his foster parents would want him out of their house and away from their children if they realized he was gay.

Although I agreed to meet him, I told her I couldn't make any promises. I was willing to see what he was like and let him meet the other boys, so we could learn about each other. Whatever happened after that would depend on the boy and our reactions to him. We would have to feel comfortable with each other, but I think I was silently hoping he wouldn't fit in. Secretly, I was concerned I had already stretched myself too far with the number of boys I had already taken in and wasn't convinced I should add more. These doubts were compounded by Brent's death and the problems created by Ms. Van Cott, and now Mrs. Roma, so I was approaching this from a negative viewpoint.

Sally did get me to commit to giving this a trial run, to see if he would fit in. She would set it up and then call me with the details. I told her that would be fine, but advised her about our other commitments (taking the boys to college, my continued role as acting superintendent, etc.), hoping this wouldn't give her a window of opportunity. In addition to that, I also told her about Mrs. Roma, which stunned her. I hoped this additional information would cause her to take pity on me, so she would drop this idea for now.

Having just returned from a fun and relaxing vacation, my mind wasn't ready to deal with so many new developments. Therefore, I took my time and sat down to consider each item separately. That's why, by the time I got to speak to Danny, about his mother's re-emergence, I'd had a chance to organize my thoughts and present this to him in a calm, rational manner.

Most of the boys either hadn't awakened yet or were off doing something else when I saw Danny coming downstairs. I asked him if I could speak with him a moment and he readily agreed.

"What's up, Dad?" he asked me, with a big smile on his face. I believe he thought this had something to do with his leaving for college in a few days.

"Danny, something has happened recently, and it affects you," I told him.

"Really? What are you talking about?" he asked, concerned.

Since there was no delicate way to break this news to him, I decided to plow ahead and bring him up to date. "Danny, I had a visitor the other day, while you boys were out. It was your mother and she asked if I thought you might agree to meet with her. She wants to become part of your life again, but I told her that would have to be up to you."

He looked stunned after he heard this and asked if anyone else knew. When I told him 'no,' he asked if he could go get Brandon, so he'd also know what was going on. When I told him that would be entirely up to him, he raced off and soon came back dragging Brandon with him.

"Dad, would you tell Brandon what you just told me?" he asked, and I quickly agreed. After repeating what I had told Danny moments earlier, we gave Brandon a few minutes to digest the news. Then Danny looked at Brandon, before turning toward me, and then he spoke.

"Why now, after all this time." he wondered. "Why does she suddenly want to become part of my life again?"

"I think it was prompted by the incident with Cole and Graham's mother," I informed him. "I think she may have been tempted to try to contact you before that, but once she learned Ms. Van Cott was able to see her sons again, she decided it might be a good time for her to do the same thing."

"But I still don't see why she waited so long," he challenged. "She could have tried to help me after my father threw me out and she's never tried to see me or say anything before now. Where was she when I needed her the most?" Danny was starting to get very emotional. He was confused, yet angry, which caused Brandon to instinctively put his arm around Danny's shoulders. He was seeking to comfort his lover, but Danny didn't seem to notice his gesture.

"I think it was because she was afraid of your father," I offered, "and she didn't want to face his wrath. It wasn't because she didn't love you or want to help, but I think she felt powerless. She had no money and no place of her own, so she didn't see how she could assist you/"

"But that doesn't make any sense to me," he countered.

"Danny, think about it for a minute," I advised him. "Your father is very old world and set in his ways. He thinks of himself as king of his castle and master of his domain. He believes his word to be law in his home and everyone living there must obey. Those who don't are dealt with accordingly. Isn't that why he threw you out, because you couldn't conform to his norms and rules?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Danny conceded.

"And your mother was used to following his rules, no matter how insane she thought them to be. Isn't that right?" I followed.

"Yes, I guess it is," he agreed.

"Since she didn't want him to turn on her physically or throw her out of the house at that point, she merely bit her tongue and let him do as he pleased."

"So she saved herself and turned her back on me?" he asked, to clarify the matter.

"In a way, but that's a very simplistic way of looking at it. I think she might have stood up to your father, if she thought you were in danger or might be harmed," I explained. "However, after you came to live here and she saw you were safe and happy, she just bided her time, hoping that some day the two of you could be reunited."

"I think I can understand that," he confirmed, "but how are things different now?" I took a moment to think about how I was going to break the news to him, without making it sound too dramatic.

"Back then, she couldn't help you, because she couldn't help herself." I began, "but she says your father has changed and mellowed."

"Okay, I guess I can understand that too," he confirmed, but I interrupted and didn't allow him to say more.

"Danny, she also said your father is ill and having to consider that he might not be around much longer," I added. "Dealing with the inevitability that you aren't going to be around much longer has changed many hard core views throughout history."

"I'm not sure I feel bad for him though," Danny told me, "but what do YOU think I should do?"

"Danny, that has to be your decision, not mine," I advised him. "You may want to take your time and think this over, and you might also want to discuss it with Brandon. When you know what you want to do, just let me know, so I can pass your decision along to your mother."

"I know this is my decision," he stated, "but can't you tell me what you think I should do? I mean, I've always trusted your judgment and would really like to know what you think."

"Would that really make a difference?" I asked.

"Yes, it definitely would," he quickly confirmed. "I love and trust you and know you wouldn't tell me to do anything, unless you thought it would be best for me. Knowing what you think would help me decide what to do."

I merely looked at him and studied his face, looking for a sign of his sincerity. Then I turned toward Brandon and spoke to him next. "What do you think? Should I give him my opinion or just leave you two alone to talk this over?"

"Well, I'd like to talk to Danny about it too," he admitted, "but I know if it were me, I'd want you to tell me what you thought as well." I looked at him and studied his face for a minute, and then I smiled and looked toward Danny.

"If you want my opinion, then I shall give it to you," I agreed. "If I were in your shoes, I think I would give your mother another chance. I think you should take the time to listen to what she has to say and see how you get along. She is still your mother and I know some day you'll regret not taking this opportunity, if you don't do so now. Be a man and give her the benefit of the doubt.

"You know what your father was like and that it was his idea to kick you out of the house. He was the one who couldn't deal with you being gay and she just didn't have the courage to stand up and defend you. I think she regrets that now, but I have the feeling she never stopped loving you or thinking about you." I gave him a moment to let this sink in, before I continued.

"Just look at how it's worked out for Cole and Graham," I suggested. "I know it was hard for them to accept their mother back into their lives, especially since she had been such a poor mother and neglected them so badly, but I think they're now beginning to see each other in a new and different light. Now that they've had time to allow those old wounds to heal, and seeing they're willing to keep an open mind about what the future might hold, I think they're all glad they're back together. I don't think Cole or Graham would ever want to go back and live with her again, but I believe they're glad they took the time to get to know her and to forgive her for her past mistakes. It has also helped them to bury many of their old demons."

He thought about this for a moment, before he responded. "Yeah, I think you're probably right," he agreed. "Okay, I'll meet with her, but after that I can't say. That will depend on what she has to say and what she does, as to whether I'll see her more than just once."

"That sounds fair," I replied. "She's supposed to call me back, to see what you decided, so if she wants to meet with you before you leave this weekend, would that be all right with you?"

"I could do that," he agreed, "but let her know I want Brandon to be with me the first time. I'm not sure I can handle this by myself. I also want to meet somewhere in public, where there are other people around. I don't think I'm ready for her to come here to see me yet."

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea," I confirmed, "and I don't think she will object to your demands, just as long as you agree to meet with her."

"Thanks, Dad," he added, before giving me a hug. "I'm sure glad I have you to depend on and help me think things through."

With that said, he and Brandon took off, and I just had to wait for his mother to call, so I could tell her the good news.

Chapter 11
More Changes in Our Lives

I was surprised when Mrs. Roma called back the next evening. I thought she'd indicated she would give us more time than that to talk this over. In the end, I suspected she really was anxious to see her son again and in a hurry to find out what he had decided. After we exchanged the usual pleasantries, I advised her about the conditions Danny had set.

"Mrs. Roma, Danny has agreed to meet with you, but he wants to do it in a public place. He also wants to bring his boyfriend, Brandon, with him when this happens."

I intentionally used the word 'boyfriend' when I told her this, because if they were going to reconnect, she had to accept Danny's relationship with Brandon. I was fairly certain that if push came to shove, Danny would choose his connection with Brandon over reestablishing ties with his mother.

I wasn't surprised when she hesitated briefly before responding, but I knew what I'd do, if I were in her shoes. I didn't rush her and risk her making a hasty and ill informed decision. Instead, I let her take time to work this out at her own pace, without any additional comments from me. Eventually, she gave me her answer.

"Well, if that's what he wants," she whispered. I could tell she was disappointed he wasn't willing to meet with her alone, but at the same time she was glad he was agreeing to get together.

"I was hoping to speak with him in private," she continued, "although I did suspect he might want you to be there for our first meeting. I certainly didn't expect he'd want to bring another boy along. Can you tell me a little about this Brandon?"

"I'd be happy to," I agreed. "He's a very handsome and friendly young man whom Danny has become very close to. Brandon's parents are friends of the family and they agreed to let Brandon move in with us, when Mr. O'Hara was transferred to Texas. They thought it might be best for Brandon to finish school here, rather than risk a bad transition. They'd heard a lot of horror stories about the Texas school system and didn't want to jeopardize Brandon's chances of getting into a decent college, so they asked if he could live with us until he graduated."

"Um… ah… so they… ah… they're you know… um… lovers then?" she stammered.

"Yes, they are," I admitted. "Does that bother you?"

"Uh – well, I suspected he might have someone he was close to, but I didn't think… well… ah… that I'd be meeting him so soon."

"Well, Danny is more than a little nervous about seeing you again," I informed her. "It's been a few years since he's heard from you and I think he just wants Brandon there for moral support. Is that going to be a problem?"

"I suppose not," she replied, still sounding a little uncertain. "I really want to see my son, so if that's the only way he'll meet with me, then I guess it will be okay. They're not going to kiss or anything like that, are they?"

I had to restrain a chuckle. "I'll tell them to hold off on the mushy stuff, if that will help."

"Yes, I'd appreciate it, if you did that," she agreed, while sounding a bit less flustered. Once Brandon's presence had been agreed to, we chose a location and time for their reunion, and then I told her I'd pass the message along to Danny.

After I hung up the phone, I went up to Danny and Brandon's room, so I could share the details with them. Danny seemed pleased when I told him she had agreed to his conditions, but I think they'd also been prepared if she hadn't. After listening to some of the things they said afterward, I concluded they'd spent some of their time talking about this possibility too and had come up with a backup plan. However, since they weren't going to need it, I didn't press for the details.

I also warned Danny that I wasn't sure his mother would be comfortable with him being affectionate with Brandon in public and he advised me they had already guessed that much. He then went on to inform me they had agreed not to hold hands or kiss while they were with her, hoping it would make the meeting less tense. However, both boys did say she'd have to eventually be willing to accept them as a couple, if she wanted a long-term reconciliation.

Danny and Brandon were scheduled to meet with her at the food court of the local mall on Thursday. Danny said he would sit next to his mother, while Brandon agreed to sit across from them. I looked up at Brandon, to gauge his reaction as Danny filled me in, and I was pleased to discover he was still smiling. When he noticed I was looking at him, he gave me a wink, just to let me know he approved of the arrangement.

I was impressed by their attitudes concerning this impending reunion and told them so. They merely responded that they were only doing what they thought was best for them, although they did give some consideration about how Danny's mother might be feeling. When I pushed to discover their emotional status, Danny finally admitted he was a little excited about seeing his mother again. I was glad he felt that way and hoped both he and his mother were still satisfied once this was over. I prayed this wouldn't be just a one-time occurrence, so each of them could heal the psychological scars created by their abrupt parting.

On Thursday, while Danny was off meeting with his mother, Sally showed up with the boy she had told me about. She called ahead, to see if I'd mind a visit, and once I agreed, she told me she'd be right over. At least it would keep me from worrying about what was happing at the mall.

Even though I've always tried very hard not to use the information I've been told to paint pictures about the boys before I met them, this kid was far from what I'd envisioned. Oh, physically he appeared basically as he'd been described. He was twelve, almost thirteen, a little on the short side for his age, slender, but not skinny, and as cute as a bug in a rug. He had dirty blond hair, a pert little nose and the most wondrous shade of blue eyes I'd ever seen. However, it was what came next that surprised me.

He was bubbly and not shy at all. In fact, he came up to me and reached out his hand, so he could shake mine. Then he gave me an impish little grin.

"Hi, I'm Cody," he said, in a melodic, high-pitched voice.

"Please excuse my manners," Sally apologized. "Josh this is Cody Reynolds and Cody, this is Mr. Currie."

"Nice to meet you, Cody," I told him, "and welcome to my home."

"Where are all your sons?" he asked, quite bluntly. "Mrs. Swarthout told me you had a whole bunch of sons and some of them are gay." After saying this, a broad grin covered his face and stretched from ear-to-ear.

"Yes, that's correct and all the boys are up in their rooms, waiting to meet you," I concurred. "I just thought we might spend a few minutes alone first, so we could get to know each other better. Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, that's cool," he agreed, while releasing another impish grin.

"Well, maybe you could tell me what you're hoping for," I suggested. "I know you must have some ideas about what you're looking for while you're here to meet us."

"Yeah, I'm hoping this might be my new home," he announced, quite openly.

"Why do you say that?" I pressed, while hoping to learn more about his motives.

"Because here I wouldn't be different," he explained. "That means I also wouldn't get picked on, just cuz I like other boys. I heard how you took all these boys to live with you, even if they were gay, and that sounds like the kind of place I'd like to live. I hated my other homes, cuz they were mean to me after they learned I liked boys. At some of those homes, they even called me names or let the other kids do things to me, just cuz I wasn't like them."

"That's terrible and I promise nothing like that will happen here," I empathized. "My boys are all fairly close and care about each other, whether they're gay, straight or not sure yet. They've even fought to protect one another from outsiders, although I don't encourage that type of action."

"Wow! Really? I wish I'd had somebody to stick up for me," he gushed.

"Why don't we go meet them, so you can get to know them a little better?" I suggested.

Sally and I walked Cody upstairs and went from room to room introducing him to everyone. I didn't expect Cody to remember all of their names. Heck, sometimes I even have trouble keeping them straight, but I knew he'd remember at least a few. As he met each boy, he took a few seconds to study him closely, before we moved on. I think this was his way of trying to figure out who was gay and who wasn't, but Cody never asked any of them. Once he had met them all, we went back to the family room, so we could talk some more.

"Well, what do you think so far?" I asked him.

"I think it's great here," he announced. "Everyone seems so nice, and you know, I think I can tell which boys might be gay. I'm not really sure, but I think I can tell by the way they looked at me. Some of them checked me out more than the others."

"They might have," I agreed, "but that may have had nothing to do with a sexual interest. They might just have been scoping you out, just in case you come to live with us. They all really do love and care about each other, even if it's not a physical attraction." He just grinned at me. "Why don't I have a few of the boys show you around the rest of the house and outside, while Mrs. Swarthout and I will sit here and talk? Would that be okay with you?"

"Yes, it sounds great," he confirmed, in his childish, singsong voice.

When I went upstairs to ask for volunteers, Cole, Graham, Sammy and Andrew all said they'd like to show Cody around. Since I didn't want anyone to feel slighted, I let all five go off together, while Sally told me a little more about his background. Some of it she hadn't even learned about until earlier today, when she went to pick him up.

"Josh, this boy's been through a lot already, but of course most of your other boys have been through a great deal too. His mother was a hooker and died of AIDS just over two years ago. They were never sure who the boy's father was, but his mother told others that she suspected it was one of her regular Johns or her pimp. Neither option would be good for him though. The john has just been convicted as a third-time felon and was sentenced to serve a life sentence in the state penitentiary. The pimp is a big time gang-banger, who also pushes drugs, so the state has never insisted on a paternity test. Heck of a way for the little guy to come into this world, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's a great deal of baggage for a child to have to tote about," I agreed. "Unfortunately, it seems to be happening to more kids than I'd like to believe."

While Sally and I were talking, I missed seeing Cody reenter the room. When I did spy him, he was moving in my direction. Once he saw me glance up, he turned on the gas, raced toward me, leaped in the air and landed squarely in my lap. I thought it was sweet he felt comfortable enough to do this, but that feeling was tempered with pain. Cody had managed to crush the old family jewels in the process, which caused me to groan and bend forward, slightly.

Sally had a look of shock and horror on her face, because she was concerned I was seriously hurt. However, not everyone was as sympathetic. Although I could hear some of the boys doing their own empathetic groaning on my behalf, some of the others were too busy giggling to express concern. When Cody realized what he had done, he began to apologize profusely.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Currie," he announced, in a frightened tone. "I didn't mean to do that and I really want you to like me. When I talked to the other boys, they told me how nice you were. They also told me that sometimes they also sit on your lap and I thought it would be nice to do that too. I've never been close to any other grown-ups before, so I thought it would be a neat thing to try. I also thought it might make you like me more. I'm really sorry I hurt you."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Cody. It wasn't that bad," I announced, as I gave him a squeeze. Of course, I was telling a little white lie here, to spare his feelings. "You're fine and I'm happy you're not too shy to be willing to try something like this so soon."

"Are you kidding? I love it here," he announced. "This place is great. I almost feel like I've died and gone to heaven. I didn't know any place like this existed."

"Well, I think we're all glad you approve," I confirmed, while realizing I now had a minor dilemma. Although I originally hoped this wouldn't work out, I was now as taken with him as he was with us.

"Then I can come here to live?" he asked, his eyes wide in anticipation.

"Is that what you want?" I asked, although I was positive I knew how he was going to respond.

"Heck, yes!" he nearly screamed. "I want this more than anything else I've ever wanted."

"And what do you think, Sally… I mean, Mrs. Swarthout?" I asked, bringing her into the conversation.

"I think my hands are tied," she replied. This response caused Cody to look a little crestfallen, since he thought it meant he wouldn't be able to move in.

"I think this young man has made the decision for me," she added, "so I have no choice but to go along with his wishes."

"You mean I can really live here?" Cody asked, still not believing his ears. Sally gave me a quick glance and I nodded, so she looked back at Cody.

"Yes," Sally told him, "I think I can arrange for that to happen."

"You're not joking – right?" he pressed, still not convinced.

"I am very serious," Sally confirmed.

"Then when can I move in?" he asked her, before turning in my direction. He wanted a definite answer and he wanted it now.

"Well, I'll have to get your things…" she began, but Cody never let her finish. "Can I stay here, while you do that?" he wondered. I think he was afraid that if he left, he might not be allowed to come back.

Sally looked at me before she responded and shrugged. I figured it was up to me to take her off the hook, so I spoke.

"I don't see a problem with that," I told him.

This caused Cody to spin around on my lap, so he could give me a great big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I wasn't ready for him to do that, but did manage to return the hug, before he leaped down and raced over to Sally. Once he reached her, he repeated those actions, which caused her to blush.

Now that he had thanked both of us, he went to stand with the young men who had been showing him around and it wasn't long before they ran whooping and hollering like it was at a high school pep rally. Even though I wasn't sure I had wanted this in the beginning, it looks as if I was about to acquire another son.

As soon as the boys left, Sally I discussed the situation further. After assuring her I could scrape up some extra clothes for Cody to wear for the time being, Sally agreed to pick his things and bring them by the next day. Hearing her say this, I had to acknowledge that wouldn't be possible. I explained we would be taking the older boys off to college, so I told her I'd just buy Cody what he'd need for the weekend and then she could drop his other things off, once we got back.

After agreeing, Sally insisted her agency would reimburse me for any expenses I incurred, but I assured her that wasn't necessary. After pursuing the issue a little more, she finally gave in and seemed satisfied with the arrangement. She did wait around until the boys returned, so she could say good-bye to Cody and the rest of the family. Once our group of hooligans came back, I called the rest of the family downstairs to see her off.

Before she left, we all thanked her for her help, especially Cody, and then we walked her to her car. We waved as she drove away and then we took Cody back in the house, so we could show him his room. While we were outside, Kevin had suggested that Cody could have his room, since he didn't seem to use it much any more. After I thanked him for his generosity, I told Kevin he should have the honor of telling Cody and taking him to see it.

Kevin said he'd like that and insisted, once again, it was better that Cody make use of his old room; otherwise it was sort of a waste. I thanked him for being so understanding and then we showed Cody where he'd be staying.

Cody was thrilled when he saw it, especially since he realized it would be just for him. He'd always had to share a room before, so this was very special. We explained that Kevin still had to move some of his things down to Vinnie's room, before we could move him in, and this comment caused Cody to become upset. It was due to the fact that he didn't understand this was Kevin's idea and thought he was forcing Kevin out.

After we took the time to explain the situation to him more thoroughly, he suddenly lit up. Not only because he'd have his own room, but he also realized two of the gay boys were actually 'living' and 'sleeping' together, as he saw it. He thought that was pretty neat. He also offered to help Kevin do whatever it was he needed to do, and so did the four boys who had shown Cody around earlier (Cole, Graham, Sammy and Andrew). In fact, they seemed to have become Cody's constant shadows for the rest of the day.

Although Cody seemed to enjoy all of them hanging around, I noticed he was paying particular attention to Graham. I could see Cody watching nearly every move Graham made and he seemed to stay as close to Graham as he could, but maybe that was just my imagination.

That night the boys showed Cody the ropes. They started by informing him which bathroom he would use to shower and when. It was then explained to him that half of the boys showered at night and the other half in the morning, but they also explained that some of the boys showered together. Cody was all ears when they told him this, but he lit up when he heard they usually ran around naked before bedtime.

Once they were done telling him these things, Cody asked Graham if he would like to shower with him. That led us to discover that little Cody was not shy about showing off his body. Once Graham agreed, Cody quickly stripped and stood waiting for Graham to do the same. Cody was circumcised – maybe about 4" when erect, and he had a little blond pubic patch and an adorable little butt. He didn't have any underarm hair yet, but he had sort of a blond-fuzz all over his body, and automatically I pictured my Ricky, when he first came to live with me. Ricky had longer hair at the time, but in other ways, they were much alike.

Once Graham was undressed, they stepped into the shower, but what followed was just your typical mutual shower. The two of them merely washed themselves and didn't mess around at all. Graham did tell me that he could tell Cody was checking him out quite closely and asked more than a few questions about different things, including the fact that Graham was not circumcised. Graham said he thought Cody wanted to do things, but was kind of shy about asking, so Graham didn't volunteer. He felt that if anything happened, it should be Cody's idea and Cody would tell him what he wanted to do, when he was ready. Maybe my hunch about him being attracted to Graham wasn't too far off.

When I talked to Cody later, I asked him if he was going to be all right alone in a strange room and he told me that wouldn't be a problem. I thought it was just because he had been forced to sleep in many new and strange places over the past couple of years, but then I found out he had already asked Graham to keep him company tonight and Graham had agreed. I'm not sure who was moving quickly here, but as long as both boys were comfortable doing so, I wasn't about to interfere.

It wasn't as if anything happened later either, as they only slept together and there was no horsing around at all. The best thing for me was, he seemed to be fitting in quite nicely and all of this was happening after just a few hours.

Chapter 12
Coping

While we were meeting with Cody, Danny and Brandon were having their first encounter with Danny's mother. From what they told me, it was a very good meeting and things went better than either of them had hoped. I learned Danny's mother began to cry the minute she saw him and after she calmed down she began to apologize for what had happened in the past.

After they talked for a while, they ordered their food and went to a table to eat. Danny sat next to his mother, so they could continue to talk while they ate. Brandon sat across from them, to give them as much privacy as he could, while still being there for Danny.

Part way through the meal, Mrs. Roma paused and asked Danny if he would rather sit next to his boyfriend. She wasn't asking this in a mean or degrading way, she was just thinking he might be more comfortable next to Brandon. It was also her way of showing him she could accept his relationship with another boy. Although he was pleased by her offer and it left a valuable impression, Danny declined. He did give her a huge hug in return to show his appreciation, which seemed to mean a great deal to her.

Throughout the afternoon, the two of them healed many old wounds, as they discussed those dark days in great detail. I think both came away with a greater understanding of what the other had gone through, but it was a shame Danny's father hadn't come around at the same time.

Danny's mother made it clear to him that although she was sorry, she couldn't change what had happened. She also assured him she had no intention of taking him away from me. She was equally insistent that she'd like to spend more time with him, but made it clear she was also willing to include Brandon in these get-togethers. She told Danny she could see how happy they were together and told him they made a lovely couple. It was clearly her attempt to let them know she would accept them, unconditionally.

Her offer not only meant a great deal to both boys, but it also alerted them to the importance of showing her how much they appreciated how far she had come in such a short time. Before they parted, Danny and Brandon each give her a hug, after which Danny gave her a peck on the lips and Brandon kissed her cheek. This was their attempt to show her she was forgiven and loved.

Danny came home very excited and told me I had been right. He was glad he had decided to give his mother a second chance and delirious that she had also accepted Brandon so freely and without conditions. He then assured me I would always be his dad, but his mother would also be part of his life now too. After that, he thanked me for my understanding, especially where his mother was concerned, and for helping him figure out what was best for him.

I can't fully explain how good our conversation made me feel. It's always nice to see your boys so happy, but to realize you gave them the right advice and helped make their lives better is more than you could have hoped for. Then, to receive this type of unsolicited gratitude was the icing on the cake. It was what kept me so involved and willing to take on even more responsibility in the future.

Once this situation settled down, Jake and I finished our planning for the weekend. We would be taking the college boys to their respective schools and decided to split the duty up. We would each take part of the boys with us, both those going away to school and the ones just going along for the ride, and we'd do it based solely upon the location of the various campuses. Jake would take one loop, while I took the other, so we'd have time to drop each one off and help get him settled in, before we left.

Although I was slightly chagrined that I wouldn't be dropping off all of the boys personally, it didn't turn out to be as difficult for me as I suspected. Although I'd miss each of them, I knew we wouldn't be separated for very long. First of all, we'd be seeing each boy again on parents' weekend, which would take place in just a few weeks, and I prayed each institution had selected different weekends to hold these events. I was afraid we'd still be forced to make some difficult choices, but I wanted to be there for as many of these as I could.

Since Dustin and Frankie had been away from home the previous year, this wasn't as big of a deal for them as the others. They already had friends at school and were used to being away from the rest of us, so they merely took this in stride. The others were a different story.

Kevin was also going into a fairly secure situation, since he was going to be roommates with the boy we had met at the pharmacy scholarship banquet – the one Kevin had switched scholarships with. The two boys had hit it off at the banquet and expressed an interest in being roommates, after they discovered they'd be going to the same college, so I pulled a few strings to make it happen. Due to this fact, I thought Kevin's transition would be fairly smooth too and he wouldn't feel alone. Therefore, I let Jake take those three boys with him.

Those riding with me encouraged Cody to sit up front, in the passenger's seat. I know they did this so we could talk and get to know each other better, but Cody wasn't ready to make such a dramatic move.

"I shouldn't be the one sitting in front," he told them, modestly. "One of the college boys should sit there. It's only right."

"Brandon and I would rather sit together," Danny told him. "Besides, we always let the new guy have the best seat to start. It won't happen very often, so you might as well take advantage of it while you can."

The other boys chimed in their agreement and Cody looked over at me, to see what I thought. I merely nodded my head, to indicate I felt he should do it too.

This gave Cody and I a chance to talk a little more while I drove. The rest of the boys were doing their own thing behind us in the van and no one was paying attention to our conversation. After Cody realized this, he really opened up and I discovered a lot more about him.

He even mentioned he hoped to go to college some day too, like the older boys, and we talked about what subjects he liked the most. We also discussed his other interests and what he might like to be when he got older. It was a very interesting conversation and only died down as we neared our destination.

As we approached the first campus, the biggest problem I could foresee was when Danny and Brandon had to part from each other. This would be the longest they'd ever been separated, including when Brandon went to visit his parents, so I knew it was going to be rough for them. Although I realized they'd tried to rationalize their decision and attempted to convince me it wouldn't be a problem for them, I could see this wasn't the case.

The closer it came to the time when this was going to happen, the more it affected them. As I used the rearview mirror to watch what they were up to, I could see them clinging to each other, kissing and shedding a few tears. They were becoming very emotional about their eventual parting and it would be harder to do than either of them was willing to admit. Concerned, I made a pit stop, so I could talk to them about what they were feeling.

"A penny for your thoughts," I told them, as the van came to a halt and the other boys had jumped out to use the restroom or purchase snacks.

"Huh?" Danny responded, shooting me a quizzical look. This time I decided to say it in plain English.

"I was just curious as to how the two of you are feeling about going off in different directions?" The boys looked at each other and then back at me.

"We knew this was going to happen," Brandon began, "but knowing doesn't make it any easier. I'm sure going to miss him a lot." He then looked at Danny and gave him the most loving smile I'd ever seen.

"I know I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my studies if Brandon was at school with me," Danny added, "but I'm not sure I'll be able to think about anything but him once we're apart. I just hope I can focus on my class work and not spend all my time thinking about him."

"Well, I know you'll miss each other," I commiserated, "but do you have any other concerns?"

"We'll survive, Pop, if that's what you're asking," Brandon explained. "We'll be lonely, but we'll both do what we have to and then make up for lost time when we're back for the holidays. My parents already said they'd come to join us at your place, so I won't have to go to Texas. That means Danny and I will be able to spend some time together too and we'll make the most of it."

"You seemed to have worked everything out already," I replied, "and that's all I wanted to know. As long as you're certain you can handle it, I will trust your judgment."

"Dad, you know us," Danny interjected. "All of us boys are survivors and we won't let anything as minor as this ruin our plans for the future."

"I'm glad to hear that," I confirmed and then gave them both a hug. I also told them how much I loved them and how proud I was, before we took our little break. After emptying and refilling, we got underway.

As I continued driving, and while the boys were busy being affection in the seat behind me, I made another decision. I was going to take the superintendent's job permanently. Some of the selection committee had been hinting at this for quite some time, but at the time I didn't think it would be in the family's best interest. Now, however, I was determined to do it.

First of all, it would be too difficult to bring someone onboard at this time, since most of the qualified candidates had already accepted positions. After coming to this realization, I thought the district should wait until the start of the new year to begin advertising the position again. By that time, another crop of candidates would be available and we'd have time to carry out the process and hire someone before the end of the school year. He or she could then take over the helm either at the end of the school year or during the summer. That way the person would have time to acclimate to the district before having to tackle any tough, or far-reaching, issues.

The recent addition of Cody to the family had made me initially question my choice, but only momentarily. After thinking about it further, I concluded he would be in school most of the time I was working and there would be many others around to help him adjust. Not only would the other boys be there to assist him, but Jake would be available to advise him too. With their help, I was sure we could make his transition smooth. We'd be able to help him cope with anything, regardless of whether the problem arose before he came to live with us or if it was due to something that happened here. I will just have to make sure I spend as much free-time with him as I can, so I can get to know him better and give us an opportunity to bond as father and son.

The next few days were kind of hectic. After making sure our college men got settled in, Jake and I made certain the other boys were ready to start their own school year. First, we took them to pick up their schedules and gave Cody a tour of his school. We also introduced him to a few of the teachers who were there preparing their classrooms for opening day and showed him where his classes would be held. What amazed me was that this kid always seems so positive and has such an upbeat slant on everything. It's almost as if he is unwilling to let anything faze him. In fact, he really seemed to be eagerly looking forward to his first day at school.

Later that night, Sally brought Cody's things and had me sign some papers, to make everything official. Now, all that was left for me to do was to enroll him in school, which I was unable to do before I got a copy of these documents. Even though I am the superintendent, I still have to follow the law.

Cody was going to be in the seventh grade, so I explained to him that Andrew would be in the seventh grade too. That might even put them in some of the same classes. He seemed to like that idea, so I went on to explain that Andrew would be turning twelve in September. Cody quickly advised me he would be turning thirteen on January fifth, but I think he had more than one motive for disclosing this. I think it was his way of making sure I didn't miss his birthday, so I went to my office and quickly noted it on my calendar. I wanted to make his first birthday with us a very special one.

The first week of school went very smoothly and everyone was basically satisfied with his classes and teachers. I was glad I had inherited a very professional group, both faculty and support staff, because they made the start of the school year run so smoothly. The biggest problem I had to deal with that first week happened on the first day, when a bus driver forgot to pick-up one of her new kindergarten students. It wasn't a big problem to begin with and was handled quite simply. Once we were notified, we just sent someone else to pick the child up, but then we tacked a reminder on the bus driver's window, teasing her about having missed that one stop. All in all, I think someone must be watching over me, so my blood pressure didn't rise too high that first week.

During the week, I also got a call from Judge Shay. He phoned to advise me he was ready to sit down with Vinnie and I, to discuss Vinnie's options. I quickly told Steve we'd be willing to do it whenever it was convenient for him, so we set it up for the following evening. Now that our business was concluded, I inquired about his wife, and then thanked him for his help. There was no doubt he was truly a great friend to have around and I appreciated all he did for us.

Later that same evening, Cole and Graham received an unexpected phone call from their mother. She asked about their new classes and wanted to know how things were going. I had to give the lady credit. For someone who had been so messed up just a short time ago, she appeared to have cleaned up her act and was now taking her parental duties more seriously.

Even though the boys still weren't ready to forget about everything she had put them through when they were younger, they did seem to be willing to give her a chance to make amends and get to know them a little better. I wasn't sure if they would ever be able to put their past behind them, so I thought maybe I should talk to them about it, now that their conversation with her had ended. I wanted to see if I could detect any underlying tensions or concerns that might cause problems for us down the road.

With that in mind, I asked the boys to join me in my room, so we could discuss some things privately. I knew they were uncertain as to why I had asked to speak to them, but they didn't seem nervous at all. We sat down and I began to broach the topic.

"You're not in trouble, so don't worry," I began, "but I just wanted to see how things were going for the two of you."

"You mean how things are going between us and our mom?" Cole guessed, correctly.

"I suppose you could say that," I confirmed. "Now that you've met with her a few times and spoken with her on the phone, I was curious how you were handling it."

"Okay, I guess," Graham told me. "She seems to be more like a mother now, than when we were younger, but maybe that's just because we aren't living with her any longer."

I looked at Graham, trying to understand exactly what he meant by his comment. Then I looked at Cole, to gauge his reaction to what his brother had said.

"How about you, Cole? How do you think this is going?"

"I think Graham's right, in some ways," he answered, "because she really is different than I remember her, but I don't think it's just because we don't live with her any more. I don't know, but I kind of think she's changed. I really do. Maybe she was too young when she had us. I think she was only 17 or 18 when I was born, but she really seems interested in us now and actually seems to care about what we're doing and how we feel."

"That's great," I agreed, "and I'm glad to hear that. What do you think about what Cole said, Graham?"

"Well, he remembers her better than I do," he admitted, while squirming in his seat. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable with this topic. "All I remember is how we were always alone and hungry, like she didn't care. She would go away for days and not even leave us anything to eat, so I still kind of hate her for that."

I looked at him and could read the pain etched upon his face. "Do you think she did that on purpose or do you think it was because of all the drinking and drugs she was doing at the time?"

"I don't know for sure," he admitted, "but it's just that I sometimes think Cole and I could have died back then and I'm not sure she would have even cared or cried if we had."

I decided to get the other point of view now. "What do you think about that, Cole? Do you agree with your brother?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe, but I think most of that was because she was always drunk or high with one of her boyfriends," he conjectured. "I don't think she wanted to hurt us or that she meant to do anything wrong, I just feel she couldn't think straight at the time. Maybe it was the booze or the drugs, or maybe she really didn't care, but I still think she's changed and wants to try to make up for that now."

"Do you agree with that, Graham?" I asked the younger brother.

"Yeah, that might be what happened, it's just that every time I look at her or hear her voice, I just remember how lonely and hungry I used to be when we lived with her."

"What I need to know is, are you man enough to forgive her and let her try to make up for those mistakes?" I pressed.

"I know I probably should, and I realize you've always given us more than one chance when we screwed up, but I just don't know if I can get my brain to do that. I don't want to hate her or think those things about her, but it just happens. It's like my brain won't let me forget it."

"Do you think that someday you might be able to get past it or if you even want to try to forgive her?" I followed.

"Yeah, I do," Graham confirmed. "I think Cole might be right and maybe it wasn't all her fault, because it does seem to hurt her when I can't hug her like she thinks I should. I guess it would be good if I could think of her like she is now, rather than remembering all those bad times, so I'm going to try. I think we've all hurt for too long because of that, so I'll do like you and Cole want."

"Hey, I'm not saying you should do anything," I corrected him, "I'm just trying to see how you're feeling about all of this. If you do anything, it should be because it's what you want and you think it would be best – for all of you."

"I see what you're saying and I'll think about it some more," he agreed. "I know Cole wants to be close to her again and I really think I do too, if I can just forget about all that other stuff. It has been nice seeing she does seem to care about us now."

"Well, that's all any of us can ask of you," I confirmed. "We just want you to approach this with an open mind. Just remember, you do what you think is best for you and don't let anyone else make up your mind for you. Do you think that maybe you'd like to talk this over with someone else, someone who isn't involved in any of this?"

"Like who?" Graham wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a counselor or Aunt Sally," I suggested.

"I'll have to think about that too," he replied. "Maybe I'll talk to Aunt Sally about this, cuz she knows what it was like for us and she helped bring us to you. I'll let you know if I want to do that though."

"Great! I'm glad we had this talk," I added. "You boys let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."

"Thanks, Dad, we will," they both echoed, and then they gave me a hug and left the room.

I also received some correspondence that week. The first was a thank you note from Little Ricky, telling me how grateful he was for including him in our plans. It was kind of sweet and it really moved me, and this is what it said.

Dear Uncle Pop,

Thank you for taking me with you on your trip. I had a really good time. I haven't got to go to many places before, but I learned a whole bunch and had a lot of fun with you and the others. My mom and dad said to thank you too, because they wouldn't have been able to get away from here long enough to take such a trip with me. They really think you're the greatest and I do too.

I told my mom and dad about all the things we did and they wanted to know what I thought about being at the nudist camp. I told them I thought it was a lot of fun and kind of neat seeing everyone else without their clothes on, even the girls. I'm not sure my mom liked it when I said that, but my dad laughed.

Anyway, thank you for taking me and I really love you. You'll always be my Uncle Pop, even when I get to be as old as you. When I get older I'll do something nice like that for you too. I promise.

Love you always,
Hugs and kisses,

Little Ricky

Needless to say, that made my day. It was just so sweet and a perfect example of the gratitude this sweet young man felt whenever anyone did anything for him. I had witnessed it personally before, including when I watched Little Ricky with his adoptive parents. I'd also seen it from him with the other boys, whenever they included him in what they were doing. He always showed his gratitude whenever the boys did something special for him or gave him anything. He was certainly a very appreciative young man.

The other correspondence was an email from the other Ricky, as he kept us informed about his exploits down under.

Hey Dad,

I think you were right. I shouldn't have tried to get even with Peter for doing those things to me, cuz a lot more has happened since I last wrote you. I guess it kind of started when I thought I had a chance to get even the other day. We were at school playing soccer and we decided to take showers before we left. We had our towels wrapped around us while we went to the shower area, but on the way we had to walk past one of the emergency exits that led from the locker area to outdoors.

As we were going by, I had an idea and acted quickly. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing, but I pushed Peter out the door. I also grabbed his towel from him when he tried to catch his balance and then I held the door shut for a few minutes, before I let him back in.

He wasn't really mad, but he was kind of embarrassed. I guess there were some girls out there too, plus he said he thought one of their mothers was with them, so he was worried she might cause a fuss about it. He didn't say or do anything after that, at least not while I was ready for him.

When he struck, I didn't even realize it. I didn't know he had done anything until some of our friends began to make jokes about certain things – things I didn't see how they could know about. I guess what Peter did was to take my camcorder and set it up to film me, but I never saw him doing it. The problem was – he filmed me taking a dump in the toilet and then he filmed me getting in and out of the shower. Worse than that, he also filmed me jerking off in the bedroom. I don't know how he did it, but he showed the video to all of our friends, both the guys and girls – even Kylie saw it. Man, he got me back good, so now I'm sorry I did that to him.

I apologized and tried to call a truce with him, but even though he said he would, I'm not sure if I can trust him any longer. Man, you told me some day this would happen, but why did he have to show Kylie those things? I could have dealt with the rest of them seeing the video, but I like Kylie a lot and don't know what she'll think of me now. I almost want to be mad at Peter about this, but I know I started it, so I can't. Damn it, why am I such an idiot and why didn't I listen to you?

I'm going to have to find a way to make up with him now and then find a way to smooth things over with Kylie. Please write me back and let me know if you have any suggestions that might help. BTW, don't show this to my brothers, cuz I'm sure they'd never let me live this one down, especially after all the things I've done to them too.

Love ya,
Ricky

Well, what do you know? My little prankster has met his match. Well, maybe not his match, but someone who got the better of him. I thought about how I might respond, to help get him out of this mess, but I'm not sure I have any words of wisdom to share this time. I did finally get my thoughts together, so I could respond to his plea for help.

Ricky,

I tried to warn you, but you can be stubborn sometimes. My suggestion would be that it's time for you to do something nice for Peter, to make up for your earlier pranks. Then maybe both of you can put this behind you. As far as Kylie goes, maybe you should just sit down and explain to her about the pranks, so she can see why Peter did this to you. I don't think she'll think any less of you and maybe seeing more of you will even help to pique her interest. I'm sure she knows that most teen boys masturbate to relieve frustration, so I don't think she'll hold that against you.

In the future, however, think before you leap. Always make sure you have solid ground on the other side of the fence, before you jump over it. It's terrible when that fence turns out to be the barrier to stop someone from falling off the side of the mountain.

I filled the rest of the email out by telling him about our trip and about Nigel's visit, as I knew he would be interested. I also informed him that I had taken the superintendent's job for the next year. I even gave him a little info about Cody and let him know his brothers sent their love, which they told me to do after his last email. I closed by telling him to call me, if he needed to talk.

Once I sent my message, I deleted his email, so no one else would chance upon it. I did it to honor Ricky's desire to keep his brothers from learning about this embarrassing episode. I hope he is able to work everything out with Peter and not let this escalate any further.

Chapter 13
Another School Year

As September started, it was filled with a flurry of activity. First of all, Nick, Trey and Vinnie were all scheduled to take their road tests. I was a little worried about two of the three, but if they did the things we'd practiced, then they would be fine. That meant Vinnie couldn't get too aggressive, as he was prone to do, and Trey couldn't be too timid, as was his habit. However, when the day of their test arrived, everything did not go as I'd hoped.

Nick and Trey had opted to ride down with Jake, in the Grand Am, since they had chosen to take their test in that vehicle. Nick went first and did very well, but Trey's attempt didn't go as smoothly. He was a little hesitant carrying out some of the requests his examiner made of him, but did each task very well once he committed to it. He was very nervous when the testing session ended, because he wasn't sure he had done well enough to pass.

Once he parked for the final time, the two of them sat side by side, but didn't speak, while the examiner checked his notes. Trey was almost ready to pass out from the stress of waiting, but then his examiner spoke.

"You are overly cautious," he stated, "but I guess I'd rather see that than someone who is reckless. You'll have to work on responding to situations a little more quickly than you did today, but I suspect that will come with practice and experience. You've passed your test. Congratulations."

Trey wasn't sure he'd heard correctly, so he asked the man if he'd really passed. When the examiner confirmed he had, Trey started breathing normally again. A huge grin also spread across his face as he got out of the vehicle and then he happily informed Jake and I about the good news.

Finally, it was Vinnie's turn to go, but he was taking his test in the 4-Runner. It suited his condition best and he felt more comfortable in it, so it made more sense for him to use it instead. That's why we took both vehicles to the test site, to ensure Vinnie would have the best chance of passing.

Vinnie was doing well until he came to one particular traffic light. It was changing from green to amber as he approached and this caused some indecision on his part. At first he was planning to stop, so he hit the brake, but then he realized he was nearly in the intersection and would have to slam the brake on to stop in time. If he didn't, he'd end up stopping in the intersection, so he took his foot off of the brake and stomped down on the gas pedal instead. This sent the 4-Runner lurching forward again, but, unfortunately, the light was already red as he passed under it. This meant an immediate failure, for running a stoplight.

Vinnie was heartbroken when he returned, since he never considered he might fail his test. Even though I assured him he could take it again, as quickly as the DMV would allow, he still didn't perk up. I even took him inside, so we could schedule another exam before we left, and eventually his morose demeanor began to disappear. He was still disappointed and embarrassed about being the only one to fail this time around, but it might work to my advantage. Maybe now he'll be more inclined to listen to my words of caution and less confrontational.

After we put the driving test behind us, the next item on the agenda was our meeting with Judge Shay. I warned Vinnie that he should have concrete reasons and goals for what he wanted to accomplish, because this would help Judge Shay decide how to advise him about his future.

Even though I had spoken with Steve in advance and told him what I could about the things Vinnie had mentioned to me earlier, I was certain it wasn't enough. Those details would only give him the groundwork to build on, so this would be Steve's turn to hear from Vinnie directly. That's why I wanted to make certain Vinnie knew exactly what he wanted and how to express his desires. Once we took seats in Steve's office, he moved his chair in front of us, instead of talking to us from across his massive desk.

"Vinnie, Josh and I have talked about your conversation with him and he's informed me you don't want him to adopt you. He says it has something to do with your relationship with Kevin. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Vinnie confirmed. "If Pop adopts me, it would make Kevin and I brothers. The problem is, I don't think I'd feel right later, if it turns out we want to become partners for life."

"I can see your dilemma," Steve agreed. "Is that the only thing that concerns you?"

"No, there's more," Vinnie admitted. "I'd actually want Pop to adopt me, if it wasn't for the problem with Kevin. Pop's been really great and I love him a lot. I also love living here, so I don't know what I should do. I guess it's just me, but I can't get past the part of Kevin and me being brothers, instead of lovers."

"What if I came up with a solution for you?" Steve asked.

"Could you really do that?" Vinnie wondered.

"Yes, I just might know a way to get around your concerns. Would that help?" Steve challenged.

"I guess it might," Vinnie replied, more hesitantly than I expected, "but it would depend on what your idea is. I don't want to have to leave and live somewhere else."

"That wouldn't be necessary," Steve assured him. "I've talked the idea over with my wife and she agrees with it too. If you would allow me, I'd like to explain it to you now. I think we have a proposition you might be interested in."

"Okay, that's what we're here for," Vinnie acknowledge, although not very tactfully.

"What if WE, my wife and I, were to adopt you instead, and then turned around and make Josh your permanent guardian? You'd still live with him and the other boys and be part of the Currie family, but Kevin and you wouldn't legally be brothers. Josh has even offered to include you in his will, but legally you'd be our son and part of our family.

"I know this is a big step and I don't want you to rush such an important decision," Steve continued. "For that reason, I want you to take your time, even if you need a few days or a week to think this through. When you're ready, just have Josh give me a call, so you can let me know what you've decided. We'll proceed from there, when I have your answer."

After Steve finished talking, he and I could almost see the wheels turning in Vinnie's head, so neither of us said anything. We didn't want to interrupt or interfere with his thought process and concluded he would need plenty of quiet time to think this through. Neither of us was expecting him to make a decision then and there, but we suspected some questions might pop into his mind that he'd want answers to, once he started thinking about this suggestion. If that were to happen, then we could address those issues immediately, before he forgot what they were or blew them out of proportion in his mind.

As he considered the proposal, his face began to brighten and he actually began to smile. Then Vinnie turned toward us and spoke. "That sounds great! I can't think of any problems with your idea and I want to thank you and Aunt Mary for offering to adopt me. I love you both already, but now I love you even more. I'd be honored to have you as my parents."

"Vinnie, I told you that you could have time to think this over," Steve reiterated, "if you want. Maybe you should take the time to talk this idea over with Kevin first, before you decide. You don't have to give me your answer now, because I want you to be certain that it's what YOU want to do."

"I don't need to think about it any more," Vinnie assured him, while smiling broadly, "and it's the perfect solution to my problem. I don't know how you thought of it or why you want to do this, but I can't think of anything I'd like more. Having you and Aunt Mary as my new parents would be incredible, but you'll still be my Pop, " he added, after turning in my direction, to let me know he hadn't forgotten about me.

Once he said this, he gave both of us a hug, but then he paused for a second, before he continued. "I do have one question for you, though. If you adopt me, would I then call Aunt Mary and you mom and dad?"

"That would be entirely up to you," Steve told him. "You could do that, or you could continue to call us Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary. We'd have no problems with either choice. We're just glad we can offer you an alternative, to help you solve your problem."

"Yeah, it's better than I hoped for. This way, Kevin and I can still stay together and we won't technically be brothers. We'll still be able to marry later, if that's what we both decide to do, and Pop will still be there for me too. Yeah, I think this will work fine."

"Fantastic!" Steve exclaimed. "I'll have the paperwork drawn up and we can make it legal, as soon as everything is approved."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Vinnie told him, while giving him another hug. "That helps me out a lot. I was really worried about how we were going to do this. Pop, is this all right with you?"

"Certainly!" I agreed. "Anything that helps you and makes you happy is fine with me. We're both lucky to have a guy like Uncle Steve to help us out with these situations, aren't we?"

"We sure are," Vinnie replied, before turning back toward Steve. "Uncle Steve, will you tell Aunt Mary I said thank you, but I'll come over to your house as soon as I can, to thank her in person. This is awesome! Thank you, so much."

A few moments later, we left Steve's office and Vinnie couldn't wait to get home, so he could call Kevin and tell him about everything we had just discussed. Although I was pretty sure none of this would be a problem for Kevin, I felt he would also feel better that Vinnie didn't have to confront the issue of their being brothers AND lovers in the future. Now they could continue on as before and explore the love they felt for each other.

My assumptions were correct and Kevin thought if was the best option too. He and Vinnie discussed the idea in great deal, while trying to see if they could uncover any hidden problems they might not have anticipated. However, after a lengthy effort, they couldn't come up with anything, so both boys were elated. Everything was progressing smoothly.

Now that Vinnie's problem had been settled, and other than continuing my duties as superintendent, the next item on my plate was helping Nick complete the forms to qualify as an exchange student. He was still very determined to do this, now more than ever, and the emails from Ricky just seemed to strengthen his resolve. Even though Nick was currently in his junior year in high school, he was definitely planning far beyond his current situation.

Along this vein, Nick had signed up for an extra heavy academic load for the current year, which mildly surprised me. Nick was not what I'd call overly ambitious or the extremely studious type, so his taking on additional work wasn't what any of us would have expected. In addition to the typical junior year coursework, he had also enrolled in a senior English class and honors Spanish. This would be a tough schedule, but if he's able to complete it successfully, he won't have to worry about coming back from the exchange program and taking extra courses just to graduate.

Boiling it down to the basics, this meant Nick would be taking two English courses, along with math, science, history, honors Spanish and an advanced computer lab. It was going to be a tough year for him, but it didn't seem to dampen his spirit or deter his ambition. It was obvious the extremes he'd go to in order to fulfill his dream to go to another country and still graduate on schedule.

As Nick jotted down his ideas for the essay about himself, and while he attended an assortment of meetings with the various screening committees, he began to focus on going to Brazil. I wasn't certain how he had narrowed his choices down, so I thought it would be best if I discussed this with him, before he finalized his selection. I just wanted to make certain he had considered all of the appropriate variables first and it was what he really wanted.

When I pressed him as to why he had chosen Brazil over all the other options, he explained he'd been told that Brazil was the most likely place to have openings. In turn, this also meant it would give him the best chance of being selected to go. He had even taken the time to research the country, by using the school library and various search engines online. He knew about the country, the schools and a little about the people. After hearing this, I concluded he knew what he was doing, but I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't check out exactly how much he understood.

"Did you know they speak Portuguese in Brazil, and not Spanish?" I asked.

"I thought they spoke both," he told me, "but I've heard they're kind of the same. It's sort of like the English the Barstows speak and how we talk."

"Well, some people might speak both languages, but Portuguese is the official language," I told him. "Although there are similarities with Spanish, it IS a different language and not quite as close as you're implying. Now that you know this, do you think you might want to change your mind?"

"I don't know," he admitted, honestly. "Let me talk to my Spanish teacher and see what she has to say about it. If it's not too different, I don't think it will be a problem, but if it is, I'll have to think about it more."

"That's a smart approach," I confirmed, "but did you also realize that because they are south of the equator, their seasons are the opposite of ours. It's the same in Brazil as it is for Ricky in Australia? That might mean you would have to leave right after our school year ends, like Ricky did, so you won't get a summer vacation. Are you all right with that?"

"Yeah, I've already thought that might happen," he assured me, "but I think being in another country will be like a vacation in a way, even though I'll still be in school. I know it's not going to be easy, but I really want to do this, Pop."

"Okay, but I want you to call your parents again and get their input too. If all of you agree, then I don't see any other problems."

"Thanks, Pop. I'll do that."

True to his word, Nick spoke with his parents and also checked on the differences in the languages with his Spanish teacher. After doing both these things, he decided he would be able to survive and communicate with the people there, although it might take a little extra work on his part. In fact, he was even kind of excited about learning a third language. Man, this kid is just full of surprises. Just when I thought I had Nick figured out, he goes and fools me again.

On a totally different front, Cody was a little easier to read. He was fitting into the family quite nicely and the growing bond between Graham and him was becoming quite apparent to everyone. Graham had spent nearly every night, since Cody had arrived, sleeping in Cody's room. They were also taking showers together and Graham was fussing over him like a wet nurse.

When I questioned Graham about his views on all of this, he told me that he was really beginning to like Cody a lot. Even though he thought of himself as being bi, not just gay, he might be tempted to try a gay relationship, for Cody's sake. He said they had so much in common that he couldn't think about being away from Cody for very long. He also told me he felt he needed to be there for him all the time and when they weren't together, he felt like a part of him was missing.

When I asked him if they had been doing anything sexually, he told me they hadn't done much, just jacked each other off a couple of times. I told him that was fine, as long as they both agreed to it, and he told me it was actually Cody's idea. Graham explained he hadn't planned on doing anything unless Cody brought it up first, so he had played kind of dumb where sex was concerned. When Cody eventually mentioned doing something, Graham said he gave in quickly, because he wanted to do those things too, almost as much as Cody did.

A few hours later, I had an opportunity to ask Cody about this too. "Hey, Cody, how are things going?"

"Great. I really like it here a lot." He was smiling and truly seemed to mean what he said.

"I see you and Graham seem to be getting close, wouldn't you say?" I followed, while looking him in the eye. He was still smiling, but beginning to look a bit apprehensive as to where this conversation was going. I think he was a little unsure about what my reaction was going to be concerning what he'd been up to. I think he figured I had somehow learned about his activities with Graham, and even though he'd probably heard stories from some of the other boys about things I did and didn't allow, he still appeared apprehensive.

"Yeah, I really like him," he admitted, coyly. "I think we're going to be good friends." His smile faded slightly and I could tell he was trying to figure out if I was going to drop this or continue.

"And I think he likes you too. Do you agree?" I followed. I was trying to reassure him that he wasn't alone in his feelings, while exploring the topic further. However, now he began to eye me suspiciously and was a little slow to respond.

"I hope so," he finally admitted, before eyeing me some more. Finally, I guess he decided it might be better to confront the issue head on. "Is that okay with you?" he asked.

"Sure, as long as both of you are happy with the situation. Have you boys done anything together?" I pressed. I think this question caught him totally off-guard.

"What do you mean?" His eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets at this point and his mouth was agape.

"You know, have you done anything of a sexual nature. It's okay, you know, as long as you were both willing. I just don't want anyone to be forced into doing things he isn't ready for or doesn't want to do."

"We both wanted to do it," he blurted out, and then stopped, after realizing he had said more than he had planned. Now, he had a look of fear on his face, like he was waiting for me to explode or to punish him for what he'd said.

"Hey, it's all right, really," I told him, as soothingly as I knew how. "I suspected you might have done something, like masturbate each other."

"Done what?" he asked, unsure of the term I had used.

"You know, jacked each other off… wanked… given each other a hand job." I had kept going because he didn't seem to understand what I was saying. When I finally caught a spark of recognition in his eye, I continued. "Masturbation is the correct term to use, when you stimulate your penis, or someone else's, to orgasm with your hand."

There was a look of disbelief on Cody's face, like he was shocked that I had brought up such a thing. After he got over his initial surprise, he finally responded. "Uh, do you talk about things like this with all your boys?" I chuckled.

"Actually, I do," I confirmed. "We're very open about things around here, even sexual topics. I hope that doesn't bother you." He looked thoughtfully at me this time, while studying my facial expressions and body language. When he was convinced I was serious and sincere, he answered me.

"No, not really. It just kind of surprised me," he admitted.

"Well, maybe I should tell you about how we do things around here then," I suggested. "Let's sit down and I'll try to explain it to you."

We went into the family room, which was empty, and I closed the door behind us. I sat in my favorite chair, and to my surprise, Cody was in my lap almost immediately. I thought he might be apprehensive about doing it this time, due to the topic, but that didn't seem to faze him. Unfortunately, though, he was also doing his bouncing and squirming routine and managed to crush my old nads yet again. I let out an "umph', and Cody turned toward me, with a look of horror etched on his face.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you again?" he asked.

"It's all right. I'll just start wearing a cup when you're around," I teased. He looked shocked when I said this, but after I laughed, he began to laugh to, and then he hugged me.

"I really do like it here. I like it here a lot," he confirmed, before he started to relax. He settled down and put his head against my shoulder, making himself comfortable.

I then went on to tell Cody about how we were honest and open with each other and how I was willing to allow most things, as long as no one was hurt or coerced into doing anything they didn't want to do. I also told him about how we did things as a family, including our last vacation and the nudist camp. Hearing this, Cody lit up. It seemed he thought that was the neatest thing he had ever heard.

"So you all went around naked together?" he wondered.

"Yes, we did," I confirmed.

"Graham and the others told me they did that at home, but I didn't know you did it in front of other people too," he stated, amazed. "Will I be able to try it some time?"

"If you wish," I told him, which earned me another smile. I could tell he definitely wasn't going to be shy when it came to his body.

After we were done with our talk, I think he was more comfortable with the way we did things and I was fairly certain he would be more open with me in the future. He continued to sit with me a while longer and we talked about school and many other topics. The time we spent together was important and I felt we were beginning to form a bond, as I had hoped.

Chapter 14
A Time to Remember, Celebrate and Worry

The next event on our calendar was the September 11th memorial activities. These events began a few days prior to the actual date, because the country had been put on alert that other terrorist attacks might occur on that date. Consensus was that those responsible for the initial attack might plan some sort of follow-up on the same date. Therefore, it was felt it would be safer if the activities were spaced out, with only the final events being held on the actual anniversary.

We sat down and discussed our various concerns as a family. We did this by talking about what had happened on 9/11, what might happen if something else occurred and what we could do as a family to memorialize those events and honor the memory of those who died in the attack. After quite a bit of debate and compromise, we finally agreed on what we thought would be appropriate. Now, all we had to do was to wait for the appropriate day to arrive.

On the morning of 9/11, we all went outside before the boys went to school. As we stood on our front lawn, I offered a prayer for all those who had perished on that day, including Vinnie's parents. When that was completed, we spent another minute in silence, to afford the boys the time to address things in private and in their own way. Once that moment had ended, we all left for school.

I understand many of the boys watched the national memorial services on television, in their classrooms and under the supervision of their teachers. After those activities had concluded, they also discussed what they felt, both then and now, and I was pleased with the way the whole topic had been handled.

Later that night, after dark, we all went outside on the lawn again. I had passed candles out, so everyone had one, and at 9 p.m., I lit all of them. We stood holding the candles in front of us for about ten minutes, to honor of those who had died. After we extinguished the flames, the boys went to their rooms and plugged in the electric Christmas candles we always placed in our windows for the holiday. We left them glowing for the rest of the night, as another attempt to recognize the suffering of a year ago.

I guess in retrospect, I might have also been thanking God that what happened didn't take place on the day we visited the World Trade Center. We had gone to that site before the September 11, 2001 attack and the boys had very vivid memories of our visit. Maybe it was due to that episode, and knowing Vinnie's parents had been on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, that we were touched more personally, and deeply, than most of the rest of the country. With the exception of the friends and family of those who had lost loved ones or the lucky one who had survived the disaster, we felt a particular closeness and loss concerning those events.

Later that evening, we watched a show talking about the families left behind and the sixty-one children who lost one or both of their parents that day. That's when Cole came over and sat on the arm of my chair, put his arm around my shoulder and spoke softly to me.

"Some of us never knew our fathers, while still more of us lost them somehow, but I'm sure glad we ended up with you as our dad."

I was touched, so I put my arm around his waist and hugged him to me. I didn't know if anyone else had heard what he said, until I felt Cody bouncing around on my lap, managing to crush my nuts once more.

"Are you going to be my daddy too?" he wanted to know.

"If you decide that's what you want, then it will happen," I told him. "When we reach that point, it will be totally your choice."

"Really?" he squealed, before he hugged me too. His reaction made me realize that was exactly what he wanted to hear, to ease his concerns and put his world in order once more.

Before they went to bed, nearly every one of the boys approached me. Although what they did or said varied slightly, it all boiled down to the same message. They wanted to thank me for giving them a good home, a future and plenty of love. I told each of them it was my pleasure, since I had received much in return, although most feigned a look that suggested they didn't believe I had received just compensation. Whether they agreed or not, I have.

Since Vinnie is the only one who was directly affected by the attack, I made my way to his room, once the others had departed. I felt it was important that I talk to him about this in more depth. It was too bad Kevin was away at college, because I think he would have been able to help calm Vinnie down, but we have to deal with the hand that's dealt us.

When I knocked on his bedroom door, he didn't respond, so I knocked again. This time I heard a weak, "come in," in reply. When I opened the door, I could see Vinnie sitting on the bed, with tears streaming down his face. I moved in and sat beside him on the bed, before I spoke.

"Would you like to talk about it?" I asked, to get a dialogue started. He merely nodded in response, because he was still sobbing.

"Okay, tell me what you're thinking," I prodded.

"I miss them so much and I just can't understand why they had to be on that damn plane on that particular day," he responded. I could feel both sadness and anger in his reply.

"No one ever really understands why something like this happens," I told him, "and maybe it's better that we don't. What is important is that you miss them. That means they are still in here," I said, while placing a finger on his chest, over his heart, "and that means they'll also remain in here," I added, now placing my finger against his head.

"But it's just not the same," he sobbed. "I do miss them, but that's just part of it. I also feel a little guilty about it, because I'd never have met Kevin and never come to live with you, if they weren't on that plane. I have a feeling that might be part of the reason it happened to them, but why couldn't I have met Kevin some other way, without my parents dying?" I was glad Kevin wasn't here to hear Vinnie say this, since I believed he would have somehow felt responsible for Vinnie's parent's deaths too.

"None of us has the answer to that question, nor are we responsible for it in any way," I told him. "There is another way to look at this though. God might have felt so badly that your parents were taken from you that he gave you Kevin to help heal the pain and give you a reason to go on. It may not have happened SO you could meet Kevin, but maybe it was only something that resulted BECAUSE it had happened."

"I never looked at it that way," he told me. "Why do you think it might be that, instead of what I said?"

"Well, someone had to give Graham those visions about you after 9/11," I explained, "so I just concluded it was God's way of letting us know you needed our help. I just had no idea at the time that Kevin would be involved, but since that's what has happened, I've based my conclusion on those facts."

"I guess I can see it your way now too," Vinnie told me, "so maybe I was wrong hating God and thinking it was his fault. If he gave me Kevin to make me feel better, he sure knew what he was doing." I could tell he was serious when saying this, so I gave him a hug of support. It would have been better coming from Kevin, but since he wasn't here, I stood in as proxy.

Although things did settle down after our discussion, we talked briefly a few more times during the week. During those talks, Vinnie asked me many questions, to clarify my position or to help him deal with the loss, but the week ended with Vinnie coming to terms with his parents' deaths and accepting the idea that he was then guided to us for love and support.

The following weekend was not as dramatic or emotional, but it wasn't uneventful. A few weeks before, I had suggested we hold Andrew's twelfth birthday party that Saturday. I hadn't even considered 9/11 when we made that decision, so I hoped we could keep in upbeat and fun.

Andrew had asked if he could invite several friends and, of course I agreed. I knew who each of them were, once Andrew told me their names, because they had all attended my school. Not only were they all good kids, I also knew they also wouldn't create any problems. It also made me glad that Andrew felt close enough with each one to ask them over. Sometimes I fear my boys get too bogged down with each other to make friends their own age, so this was definitely a good sign.

The party turned out to be our typical birthday bash, although some of the activities were toned down and geared to twelve-year olds. In the end, they all seemed to have a good time, especially Andrew, and another milestone had passed.

Other than those occasions, most of the rest of our time was spent at school and traveling to various events. There seemed to be many special activities the boys wanted us there for, both locally and those away at college, and Jake and I were eager to show our support.

Outside of the smaller functions, our first major dilemma arose for events happening two weekends later. Unfortunately, three of the colleges had scheduled parents' weekend on the same day and put us in somewhat of a bind. This left me to try to figure out how I was going to be with Frankie, Brandon and Kevin at the same time. Yes, Jake and I would split up, if need be, but that still left only two of us to cover three different locations. This was not going to be an easy decision.

Since I wanted to get their input on this matter, I called the college boys and discussed this with them. I came away from those talks with a couple of alternatives I had not previously considered.

While speaking with Frankie, he offered to forego our coming to his campus, as we had been there for parents' weekend the year before. He felt we could just come up some other weekend to spend time with him and he'd be just as happy. I thanked him for his offer, but told him I wouldn't be able to advise him what I was going to do until I spoke to the others. He said that was fine, so I called the next boy on my list.

When I talked to Brandon, he informed me his parents had called to tell him they were going to fly up for parents' weekend, so I didn't have to worry about being there. He said, although he'd miss us, it would be better if Jake and I spend our time with Frankie and Kevin. After talking to him about this some more, I told him we'd do that, but we'd all come out to see him a few weeks later. He said that would be fine and I felt he liked the idea we weren't going to forget about him completely.

We ended up deciding that Jake would take some of the boys and go visit Frankie, and I would take the rest of the boys to visit Kevin. We let everyone choose where they wanted to go, and Cole, Pat, Nick and Shannon decided to go with Jake. That meant Vinnie, Cody, Graham, Sammy, Andrew, Trey and Dion would go with me. I knew it didn't split evenly, but that was fine and now we could iron out the details for our trips.

Jake and I decided to leave on Friday, after work. Since the first part of our trip would be in the same direction, we would stop for a brief break and say our good-byes before we split and went our separate ways. Leaving early also meant we could avoid most of the rush-hour traffic and wouldn't have to fight the last minute rush to get there on Saturday. We'd be able to spend Friday night enjoying the prearranged festivities and then spend the night in a motel. We'd stay over Saturday night as well, so we would be rested and relaxed for the ride home on Sunday.

Friday night, we not only took Kevin to dinner, but we also asked Jeff and his mother to join us. Kevin and I wanted them to get to know some of my other boys, even though I only had the younger ones with me. After they accepted, we had a very nice meal and all of the boys did a lot of talking. They answered all of Jeff and his mother's questions about what it was like to grow up in such a large and varied family. I take it they noticed that Vinnie was handicapped, Dion was black, and Sammy and Andrew were oriental. (I say that with tongue in cheek.)

The boys were very open and honest with their answers, maybe too much so for Jeff's mother. She seemed surprised to learn that some of the boys considered themselves to be gay, but it wasn't because she hated gay people. She was merely stunned to learn that boys this young would know and talk about such things. If only she realized that her son's roommate was one of those gay boys and Vinnie was his lover, I wonder how she would have reacted then?

I also introduced them to Cody and explained he had only recently come to join us. They asked him a little about his past, which he answered without reservation, and when they asked him if he was glad he came to live with us, he gave a resounding "Yes!" Needless to say, they were impressed by his positive reply, as well as taken in by his angelic demeanor.

Jeff's mother spent a great deal of time with the youngest boys and seemed to take great pleasure doting on them. Even though the boys generally felt they didn't need assistance, they happily let her do whatever she wanted for them, which in turn pleased her. I think most of them enjoyed a mother's attention for a change, especially Cody, so I didn't interfere and merely watched in fascination.

Following dinner, we took a stroll around the campus, with Kevin and Jeff showing us around. Along the way, the pair introduced us to a few of the friends they'd made so far, as well as to other classmates and dorm residents. We were even included in a dorm party that was being held and I was pleased to see no alcohol was being served. It may have been because there were numerous parents on campus at the time, but I hoped that was the norm and not the exception.

On Saturday, after taking everyone out for brunch, including Jeff and his mother, we all went to the football game together. Even though Temple lost, we still enjoyed ourselves, although it would have been much better if they'd won. Once the game ended, we took a walk, to check out the surrounding community.

It wasn't quite as small town as I was used to, but it was still geared toward meeting the needs of the college community. There were small shops and eateries catering to the students, and a few bars that were happy to entertain those old enough to drink. I think we were fairly impressed, yet still had a few reservations about some of the things we saw.

Later that evening, we went out to eat together again and then we went to the huge campus social being held, complete with entertainment. The entire day flew by quickly and we were all quite tired when it ended, so we turned in after that. We planned to meet early the next morning for a final meal together and then we'd be on our way home after that.

We had a nice breakfast and then attended an interdenominational church service together. It was a very predictable event, with the minister welcoming the students and their parents first, and then going on to deliver a pretty standard sermon after he finished. Once the service ended, we said our good-byes to Kevin, Jeff and Jeff's mother.

This was the roughest time for Vinnie. He had enjoyed being with Kevin again and was upset because he had to leave. Noting this, I worked it so he could have some time alone with Kevin before we left. I wanted to give him a chance to give Kevin a special good-bye, hoping it would placate him.

Even after having this opportunity, Vinnie was still reluctant to part from his lover. I did try to console him by mentioning the fact that Kevin would be returning for Thanksgiving, but it was still weeks away and not soon enough for Vinnie. Eventually, I did manage to drag him away, but he sulked all the way back.

Once we returned home, I compared notes with Jake and the other boys about their weekend and discovered it was very much the same as ours. Now, we could get ready for the next event on our calendar.

The following weekend was spent at Dustin's college, because it was parents' weekend there. The weekend after that we spent at Penn State, with Danny, doing basically the same thing. Honestly, I was grateful when all these weekends came to an end and the feelings of déjà vu were behind me.

Near the end of October, something else came up. It all started when Graham came to me one night, looking quite concerned. I wasn't sure what to expect when he began to speak.

"Dad, I think we have a problem," he told me.

"And what sort of problem might that be?" I asked.

"It's about Cody and I don't know what to do." I wasn't sure what he was referring to, but I definitely wasn't ready for something like this.

"Okay, what kind of problem are we talking about?" I pressed, wanting to get to the meat of the matter as quickly as I could.

"I don't know how long it's been there, but I'm seeing a gray shadow around Cody," he informed me. "Not like with Brent, but more like what you had, just not as dark."

"And when did you first start noticing this?" I followed, trying to pin this down.

"It might have been there the whole time, but I guess maybe I was looking at something else. I was too busy noticing how cute he was. I guess I was also surprised when he picked me, over Sammy or Andrew. They're really closer to his own age."

"Well, maybe he is into 'older' guys," I quipped, but quickly got back to the point. "So, what else can you tell me?"

"Not much, but the other morning I was watching him sleep and that's when I realized he had a gray shadow around him. Maybe it was because we had those real white sheets on the bed at the time, so it stood out more. I'm sorry I didn't see it before, but I think you should take him to the doctor and have him checked out."

"That sounds like a great idea, and I'll follow your suggestion," I assured him, "but I want to talk to Cody first, to see how he's feeling. In the meantime, I don't want you to tell him or anyone else about this until we're sure."

"Okay, I'll keep it a secret," he agreed. "I don't want him to get mad at me because I haven't told him about my 'gift.' I wasn't sure he'd be able to understand it and didn't want to scare him away. I've also asked all my brothers to keep quiet about my ability too. I don't want to lose him. I like him too much."

"Okay, Graham, I'll be discrete, but I will investigate this further," I confirmed. "I trust your perceptions too much to ignore a warning like this."

I left Graham thinking about the implications this could have for us and then waited an appropriate amount of time before I approached Cody. I did that to make sure Cody didn't realize Graham had tipped me off about this. When I found him alone, I asked him to take a walk with me. He looked confused, but did as I requested, and we took a walk in the woods.

"I just like to pull you boys aside every once in a while, to find out how things are going," I offered, as way of explanation. "How have things been going and how have you been feeling?"

"Fine. Why?" he replied, still confused.

"I was just curious and a little concerned about you," I told him. "We've been doing a lot of things and I haven't had much time to sit down to talk to you, so I just wanted to make sure nothing seems to be troubling you?"

"Well, sometimes I do feel extra tired, and sometimes I have trouble catching my breath when I'm playing," he offered, "but it's no big deal."

"Well, what if we just make sure it's not a big deal?" I asked. "Would it be all right if I set up an appointment for you to get a complete physical. I just want to be sure you, like all of my other sons, are healthy. I generally do this when someone new comes to live here, so is that okay?"

"Sure, I don't mind," he agreed.

"Great! I'll let you know when it is then," I replied. I was relieved I would get to the bottom of this before long.

We continued our walk, but it was mainly so I could observe him. It also gave me a chance to show him more of our property. As we took our stroll, I had flashbacks to when I took Ricky for this very same walk, just after he first came to live with me. The feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming, but this time it evoked a favorable response, unlike the repetitive parents' weekends.

Although I knew this was a different boy and different circumstances, the similarity was uncanny. Maybe these feelings were influenced by the physical similarity between the two at this age, but it was almost as if I had been allowed to take a walk through a time portal. I didn't notice anything unusual about him while we were out, so I secretly hoped Graham was wrong this time, but Graham's track record with predictions was too impressive to ignore. I would now make the appointment with our family doctor and express my concerns.

Chapter 15
Trick-or-Treat

While we waited for the day of Cody's doctor appointment, Graham came to me with another concern, but this one was of a more personal nature. "Dad, I need to talk to you again."

"Sure, Graham, why don't we go for a ride," I suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he told me. I grabbed the keys to the Grand Am and the two of us got in. Graham started talking to me the minute the engine started.

"Dad, Cody wants us to suck each other's dicks, but I'm a little scared," he blurted out. "What if whatever he has is contagious? Wouldn't that mean I could catch it?"

"I guess it's a possibility, at least until we discover exactly what, if anything, is wrong with him," I confirmed.

"You think I'm wrong about this?" he wanted to know.

"I won't know until the doctor gives Cody his physical," I told him, "but I trust your instincts enough to check it out thoroughly."

"Okay, but I just thought I should let you know," he continued.

"I'm glad you did. Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" I followed, since I wanted to make certain Graham had a chance to cover everything that was bothering him.

"Yeah, there is something… kind of," he confirmed. "Cody and I were fooling around the other night and I told him I thought he would have looked cute when he was younger, before he had hair around his dick. Now, he wants me to shave him there and I don't know if I should."

"I don't see any problem with that," I replied, "if it's what he wants and you're willing to do it."

"But I don't want to use anything sharp down there. What if I slip?" he countered, as a look of horror was registered on his face.

"What if I got you an electric razor to use instead?" I offered. "That should be safe enough for you to even shave his scrotum, if you're careful."

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of that," Graham agreed. "That should work nicely. Okay, Dad, you always seem to know what to do. Thanks, I'm glad I came to you again."

It didn't seem like a big deal to me, but it obviously was for him, so I was glad I could help too. If what he had told me about Cody was accurate, his observation would have a much bigger impact than my meager assistance. He might even be saving a life. I hope it's not that serious, but it might be a possibility. I'll be sure to let him know how important his contributions are, once we know all the facts. I'm hoping it might even make him feel better about his gift.

Now, I was more grateful than ever that Graham and Cody had become so close. If it turns out that there is anything wrong with our newest family member, it will be important for him to have someone he can depend on and be by his side the entire way. Having that kind of support has helped others in the family get through a crisis before, so I'm hoping it will also work for him. Since he's only been with us for a sort time, I felt having a close attachment to one of the other boys would be a major asset in his behalf.

Even though I was worried about Cody, I had to put the issue aside for the time being and keep things as normal as possible. I was afraid if things changed too much, the boys would get suspicious and start discussing what might be wrong amongst themselves. If they did, I was afraid they'd come up with even worse possibilities than what we were currently facing. I certainly didn't want anything to alarm Cody, even if he wasn't sure it had anything to do with him, until we are positive about what was wrong. If we're lucky, it will just turn out to be a false alarm.

In order to distract and occupy the boys, I wanted to come up with something special for Halloween this year. I would start off by incorporating some of the best facets of what we'd done in the past, while attempting to come up with enough new twists to make it even more interesting and exciting than our past efforts. Although I still wasn't convinced we could top what we'd done in the past, it certainly wasn't going to stop me from trying.

The boys had enjoyed last year's Halloween so much that they pleaded to do something very similar again this year. I told them to think about which parts they liked best and write them down, but I also asked them to think of ways to improve those aspects, to make them even better. I also requested they think about the activities they thought were lame and try to find ways to make them better too.

Once the boys agreed to do that for me, they went off and started making their lists. Before long, I had what they'd jotted down, so I compiled a master list of the things that were mentioned most. Using this to guide me, I began thinking about what else I could do to exceed the boys' expectations.

Although each of them was excited about what we were going to do, no one wanted to tell Cody what was going to happen. They agreed it would be best if we allowed him to experience everything for himself. They would try to keep him from seeing what we were up to and then have him go through it, just like one of the visitors to our home. He wasn't happy about not being included in the planning, but after I told him it was only so he could fully appreciate what we were doing later, he finally began to take it in stride. In fact, he was now anxiously waiting his turn to go through our Haunted House too.

Once again, we arranged everything so the trick-or-treaters would have to enter through our backdoor. We waited until the day before Halloween to put out our tombstones from the pervious year and made our little cemetery. Once that was completed, we set up our haunted rec room, which our visitors would pass through next. The rec room was lit with black lights, to give it a surreal feeling, and filled with the moans, groans and other pre-recorded weird noises that we hoped would amuse and unsettle our guests.

We had placed the pine coffin so it would be in full view as everyone entered, so they would have an unobstructed view when Dracula popped out of it. After that, they'd have to pass a skeleton and a headless corpse to get to the basement stairs. They had to go there to get their treats.

As they went down the stairs, they'd have to make their way through the artificial spider webs we rigged up. These webs were arranged so they would drag across the unsuspecting guest's body as he passed by. Once they reached the bottom of the stairway, they would be directed toward the treat tables, where the next surprise awaited them.

We had strategically placed one of the boys under the table again this year, with his hand extending upward, through a small opening. This made it appear to be just a bloody stump lying on the surface. As the children reached to get the goodies, the hand would move, or grab a hold of them, as they reached for their reward. When this happened, the basement would echo with the screams of the surprised victim, which would in turn cause others to scream in response. Those sounds would be mixed with laughter from my sons and the other Halloweeners, which would soften the mood slightly.

In the end, the costumed visitors concluded the rewards we gave them were worth being frightened, so they didn't think twice about what we asked them to do. In fact, before they left nearly everyone thanked us for being so creative and making the experience unique.

The treats they received were the same as the previous year, and consisted of white chocolate eyeballs, gummy worms, thumb lollipops, pretzel bones and white chocolate and jujy tongues. This was all designed to add to the flavor of the night and give them something more to remind them of their trip through our Haunted House, when they consumed these goodies later.

The boys took Cody through our haunted house first, before anyone else arrived. Since he hadn't seen what we were up to, he was totally surprised by the elaborate nature of our preparations. He was enjoying the whole effect, including Dracula's coffin and the spider webs, but he was unprepared for the hand that grabbed him, as he went to retrieve his treats. He became our first screamer of the night, but he also instinctively fought back. This meant he tried to break free by punching the arm and scratching it, which allowed him to get away.

The other boys thought this was hysterical, except for the boy at the other end of the bloody stump. Sammy was now crying out in pain and his hand was actually bleeding, since Cody had dug his fingernails into the back of it. After seeing what had happened, I got a clean cloth and put pressure against the injured areas until the bleeding stopped. Then I held an ice pack against it for a short time, to numb the pain, and this made Sammy feel considerably better.

After discussing how he was feeling, Sammy decided his injury wasn't too bad and wanted to continue on. He suggested we leave his arm like it was for the remainder of the night, for added effect. He thought the redness, scratches and dried blood would increase the visual impact it would have on our guests. After receiving his reassurance and since there was no more actual bleeding, I merely sprayed it with a clear antiseptic, to keep it from becoming infected. Sammy wouldn't let me bandage it until later though, because he didn't want to lessen the effect.

Once Cody realized what he had done, he apologized for his instinctive reaction, but we all told him we'd kind of expected it might happen sooner or later. The problem was, he reacted so quickly and so forcefully, that we didn't have time to stop him. After that, we let Cody take his treats and move on. Once he went back upstairs, he volunteered to be one of the guides, so he could watch the others and see if they reacted the same way he had.

There were a couple of other differences this year, as this was the first time we had a handicapped trick-or-treater. The boy's mother had been told about our haunted house the previous year, and when she learned we were going to do it again, she contacted me. She told me she thought her son would really like to see it, if it was possible to accommodate for his special needs. After I assured her we could and would make appropriate arrangements, I informed her how it would work.

I'd take her son up and down the basement stairs personally, but she'd have to bring him early, before we expected the other kids to arrive. This way, we'd be able to give him the personal attention he would need and I was certain he would have a good time.

They showed up while we were taking Cody through the Haunted House, so they waited until he'd finished. They were waiting for me at the end of the driveway, and I was immediately intrigued when I saw his costume. He was dressed as a die (like in one of a pair of dice), with his head popping through the single hole in the 'one' side of the die. It mostly hid his wheelchair and I thought it was a very creative costume. Eagerly, I went down to introduce myself.

Once the formalities were concluded, I got behind him and grabbed the handles to his wheelchair, which were poking out the back of the die. I pushed him around to the back of the house and through our graveyard, while his mother followed. As we moved along, she spent her time enjoying her son's reactions to everything we did. The boy got a kick out of the cemetery, laughed at the coffin when it opened and informed me he liked our sound effects.

As I tipped his wheelchair back and began to take him down the basement steps, the fake spider webs brushed against his skin and he screamed out, "What was that?" After I explained what he just went through, he began to laugh and told me he hadn't expected that.

Now that we were in the basement, I told him to take whatever candy he preferred. As he reached for something, he saw the hand move and slammed his body back into his wheelchair. His eyes were wide and his questions stuck in his throat. I quickly explained it was just one of my boys under the table, which caused him to begin to relax. Once he'd regained his composure, he told me that was the best effect of all.

After he had collected all of his treats, I pulled his wheelchair back up the stairs and took him out to their vehicle. As we went, his mother thanked us, many times, for doing this for her son. Her son made sure to thank us too, before they got back into their van and went off to continue trick-or-treating.

Since the others would be showing up soon, I now had to get ready to play my part. In addition to the other things I'd mentioned, I had added another surprise. Originally, this one was designed solely to ensure everyone went around to our backdoor, instead of trying to enter through the front. For this purpose, I had a scarecrow costume made for me, complete with straw sewn in at various points, to look like I was losing my stuffing. It also came with a white bag head, with small slits for eyes, to conceal my identity.

In addition to the costume, I'd also had a stuffed scarecrow dummy made, which looked identical to my costume. I had set this on the porch, in an old rocking chair, prior to Halloween, to get passersby used to seeing it. This would condition them that it was part of our props and they wouldn't suspect anything more.

After our handicapped boy and his mother left, I raced inside and put my costume on. Once I was appropriately attired, I snuck out the side door and made my way to the porch, where I sat down on the lawn chair previously occupied by the dummy. My purpose for doing this was so I could tell those who came to the front door to go around to the back, but I sat as motionless as I could until I was required to speak.

As one family headed toward our front door, and just as they were about to push the doorbell, I moved and told them, "Go around to the back, that's where they're expecting you."

When I moved and spoke, everyone jumped and screamed, but once they got over their initial fright they began to laugh. As their laughter died down, the mother told me they really believed I was just a stuffed scarecrow propped up on the rocking chair. Seeing it was working as well as I'd hoped, I continued to surprise and scare a number of other visitors who approached the wrong door first.

As the night wore on, I was just about ready to give up and go back inside when a pack of young hoodlums approached our house. I recognized them immediately, as boys who were constantly in my office when I was principal. Since I knew they were troublemakers, I watched them carefully, without moving a muscle. There was definitely no love lost between these boys and me, as I had been called upon to discipline them many times before for the stunts they had pulled at school.

As I watched them, I started to add two and two up in my mind and came up with the answers that had eluded us concerning previous Halloweens. Over the past couple of years several things had been done to our house during this holiday. It was never anything serious or dangerous, but these incidents were extremely annoying and we could never figure out who the perpetrators were. Now, it was all beginning to make sense.

The first year, they had egged our cars and house. If you didn't realize it, if you don't clean the egg off quickly, it will actually eat away at the paint and take it down to the bare metal. Last year, they put shaving cream all over our doorknobs and on the porch, in front of the door, and they smashed several jack-o-lanterns we had carved. They smashed a couple of them on the porch, a couple more on the sidewalk and then smashed the rest of them on our cars. I always wondered who would have the motive or meanness to perpetrate such acts, but I never heard any rumors or discovered any facts linking anyone to these acts. At long last, I now knew who had done these things.

As they got closer, I began to overhear snippets of their conversation. "Get the bag of dog crap ready," one of them told another. "You sure it's soft enough to make a mess?"

"Yeah, I got some fresh stuff, but I sprinkled water on it too, to make it nice and juicy. I'm glad they have plastic bags we could use for this, cuz it would have broken through a paper bag." That comment caused the others to laugh.

"Well, I want to smear it all over his porch and his cars," I heard their leader say. He just happened to be the boy I'd had the most trouble with in school. "I just wish somehow he'd know it was me doing this, to get even with him for all the times he gave me detention or when he called the cops on me."

"Hey, we're all getting even with him, not just you," another told him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but I ended up going to juvy because of him, after he called the cops on me," he emphasized. "That didn't happen to any of you."

The boy was right, I had called the cops on him, but that was because I discovered he had been part of a small group that had vandalized our school. He and one other boy were sent away for what they'd done, not merely because they had broken into the school and destroyed things, but because they had also started a fire. When they were questioned later, the other boy admitted they were actually trying to burn the school down, to cover up their crimes and to make it so they wouldn't have to attend classes for a while. If there were others involved, they never squealed on them, but I now suspected some of these boys might have been in on that too.

Slowly, they continued to move toward the porch and the first boy carried the bag with the dog crap in it. Just as he was about ready to dump some on my porch, I made my move. I jumped up from the chair and screamed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

The boys were all so startled by my sudden and unexpected move that they jumped backward, to get away from me. The boy with the bag of dog feces reacted quickest and spun and leapt away from the porch before the others did. Unfortunately for him, he had already positioned the bag to dump its contents before he attempted his escape, and that's exactly what happened. The dog poop in the bag spilled on the ground in front of him, as he flew through the air, and then he landed in a pile of it. The remainder of the canine feces covered a rather large patch of ground just in front of his face.

As he struggled to get up, I noticed the bag was one of those large, heavy duty plastic bags department stores use and there must have been one hell of a lot of dog shit in it to cover so much ground. Unfortunately for him, the mess also covered his body.

As the first boy fled, the other boys quickly followed suit and jumped off the porch too. As they landed, they either slipped in the accumulation of dog poop or got knocked off balance by one of the others. Either way, it seemed they all ended up on the ground, covered in dog feces. One of the boys had even knocked the first boy down again, as he tried to stand up, and forced him into the pile of crap yet again. It seems their plan had backfired this year and the joke was on them, literally. Hopefully, this will discourage them from trying anything of a similar nature in the future.

The hooligans had made so much noise after I startled them and while they were trying to flee that some of my boys came running out of the house to see what was going on. By this time, however, the other boys had scrambled away from the house and were fleeing down the street, so I explained what had happened. After hearing my story, and doing a little giggling of their own, they wanted to chase after and catch these boys. However, I refused to allow them to go and told them the perpetrators had had received their own form of punishment for what they had tried to pull. I felt it was sufficient retribution this time, so we let them get away.

As we reflected upon everything that had transpired, it all began to seem funnier and funnier. Even though they hadn't witnessed what happened, they could picture it in their minds, so we all had a good laugh about it before we went back inside.

Before we called it a night though, I suggested we get a few flashlights and go out to clean up the rest of the mess. I didn't want anyone else to step or fall into it in the morning, but even that sounded funny to the boys. However, once the disgusting nature of the task I was asking them to perform began to sink in, they began to complain.

"Why should we have to clean it up?" Pat asked. "We should just go get the ones who did this and make them do it." All the others seemed to agree with him.

"Do you really want to stand around and smell them while they're doing it?" I asked. "The smell of what's left behind is disgusting enough, but if you mix that with their sweat from running away, it would be far worse." This elicited a few more giggles from the group, as they realized those boys were probably pretty ripe at the moment.

"Well, they did deserve it," Dion stated, quite dryly.

"Yes, they did," I agreed, "but do you think any of their parents are going to allow them to enter the house looking or smelling like that?"

The boys found that question hilarious and began to laugh again, while acting out what it would have been like for those boys once they reached home.

As far as I was concerned, I just hoped these scoundrels had learned their lesson from this episode, but knowing their history, I felt they would repeat their mistakes or come up with new ones.

Chapter 16
An Eventful Autumn

November began with Vinnie's retaking his driver's test and passing it this time. Once that was behind him, his adoption by the Shays was also formalized. Judge Shay had a colleague/friend, who was also a judge, hustle things along, so the process happened much quicker than normal.

In talking to Steve, I discovered Mary and he were quite excited about doing this. He told me they'd wanted to get more involved in helping me raise my boys for quite some time, but were never able to figure out just what they could do. They said it looked as if I had everything under control, but they were always happy to help out or join in whenever we asked.

What had started out as admiration, when Steve presided over my adoption of the first group, had grown into a friendship between the two of us. The relationship expanded over time, as he began to join in our festivities more and more, until his wife and he became aunt and uncle to all my sons. Now they were truly beginning to have feelings about the boys and wanted to increase their roles by doing as much for their nephews as they could. It just worked out that Vinnie's situation gave them the perfect outlet to do so and they weren't taking their new role lightly.

Kevin and Vinnie had talked about this adoption at great length. At first, Kevin didn't understand why Vinnie didn't want me to adopt him, although Vinnie tried to explain his feelings many times. Kevin just couldn't understand why Vinnie had problems with having a brother as a lover, if he didn't.

Seeing they'd reached a stalemate on this issue, I decided it was time for me to step in and discuss the situation with Kevin, privately. I thought I might be able to shed some light on things, since I wasn't directly involved. It didn't happen quickly, but after many phone calls, I was finally able to help Kevin understand why Vinnie was so adamant in his view.

Now that Kevin understood this wasn't an arbitrary, unreasonable or capricious view for Vinnie to hold, he agreed this would be a suitable arrangement to resolve Vinnie's concerns. I think Kevin might have stood his ground if Vinnie wasn't still going to be living with us and I wasn't made his permanent guardian, but that helped seal the deal for him. Not only that, but the boys would also be able to maintain their room together, so it was a win-win-win situation.

Once Vinnie's issues had been resolved, I was able to concentrate solely on Cody. The first thing I did was to arrange for him to have a complete physical. I even told the doctor I wanted Cody checked for everything and my request made the doctor ask me why. I merely explained that Cody had been through a lot before he came to me and I wanted to be absolutely certain there was nothing wrong with him. I believe the doctor thought I was just being a paranoid parent, but he agreed to do as I requested. Even though he wasn't convinced it was necessary, he gave Cody a thorough physical.

As part of the process to honor my request, the doctor ran a host of other tests on him too, including a full blood work up. After he examined Cody, the doctor told me my newest son appeared to be fine, but he wouldn't be able to give me his final determination until the results of the other tests came back. I thanked him for his help and then Cody and I left. As we drove away, I felt a little better and wondered if it was possible that Graham was wrong this time.

Even though Cody was still foremost in my mind, the following Sunday my attention was suddenly taken in a new direction. It all began when I received a phone call from Frankie. He was quite agitated and not totally coherent at first. After I got him to calm down, he informed me about a situation he had found himself involved in.

"Dad, I had to call and tell you about something that happened here, before you heard about it on the news or saw it in the newspaper," he began. "I'm fine, but something bad went down here."

"Look, just get to the point and tell me about it," I insisted. "What happened and did any of your friends get hurt?"

"No, well I guess you might say a couple of them did," he answered me. "Everyone's fine now, but two of my friends almost died. They were taken to the hospital and treated, but it was a close call. From what I gathered talking to others, they weren't the only ones taken to the hospital last night. The college president has even suspended and banned two of the fraternities from campus for their part in this, because their houses held the parties. Since this was such a big deal here and the frats have had their charters taken, I knew it was going to make the national news. That's why I called to tell you first, so you'd know I was okay."

"Frankie, I think you should back up, slow down and explain exactly what happened this time," I told him. "Tell me what you know, how your friends got involved and why they almost died."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I did forget to tell you that part," he agreed. "I'm not going to try to pretend I was an angel in all this, because you'd know I was lying, so I'll tell you straight up what happened."

"I appreciate that," I informed him.

"It all started when some of my friends and I went to this party." He hesitated before continuing, as if he was waiting for me to say something, but I didn't. I think this surprised him. "What, no comment about my going to a party?"

"Frank, you're old enough to make your own decisions," I replied, "but I hope you've learned enough living here to make the correct choices."

"I guess I blew it this time, then," he told me, before pausing again.

"Okay, go ahead and tell me what happened," I pressed. "I take it there was some drinking at this party."

"It was a college party, so what do you think?" he asked, sarcastically. "I didn't drink much, but I did have a few beers. I didn't do like my buddies though. They started chugging beers and doing shots, but I didn't want to get into that. Instead, I found a girl and spent my time talking and getting to know her better. I noticed my friends were making fools of themselves, but I didn't think they'd appreciate me telling them that, so I didn't."

"Well, I take it something more must have happened," I prodded.

"Yeah, well, I don't know exactly how much those guys drank," Frankie continued, "but I heard they had a lot in a very short period of time. When I came back to get them later, I knew they were in trouble. They didn't barf or anything like that, but they were both passed out and I couldn't wake them. Their skin looked really pale and they felt cold when I touched them, but that wasn't what scared me. That happened when I noticed their skin was beginning to turn blue. I immediately checked to see if they were breathing and it seemed like they were, but just barely. I got really worried then and called 911, to get paramedics to take care of them."

"That was probably a wise thing to do," I interjected.

"That's what I thought, but it sure put an end to the party," he informed me. "As soon as the siren came up the street, the place cleared out and several people have given me shit about making the call since then."

"Don't worry about what they have to say," I told him. "You did what you needed to do and what you thought was right. How are your friends?"

"Well, they're both okay now," he told me, " but it was touch and go for a while. One of them had a blood-alcohol level of .22, but the other one's was over .30. The doctor said they both could have died from AOD, that's an alcohol overdose. My second friend had an irregular heartbeat when they brought him in, his breathing was about half of what it should have been and he was suffering from hypothermia. That's why his skin was turning blue."

"It looks as if your friends have you to thank for saving their lives then," I told him.

"I guess." Frankie responded, before hesitating. "Is that all you're going to say? Aren't you going to chew me out or something?"

"Frank, I don't think it's necessary," I replied. "It seems you knew enough not to overindulge and you were the one who actually saved their lives. I'm just glad you were there for them and smart enough not to do the same things they did."

"Not everyone feels that way," he responded, and I could tell this affected him deeply. "Some of my former friends hate me now and say I ruined their party. They're also telling me I'm the one responsible for getting the two fraternities banned from campus. It was a joint party."

"And what do you think about what they're saying?" I asked, in an effort to get his take on the situation.

"Hey, it wasn't me who caused the problem," he reasoned. "It was the guys who were encouraging all the binge drinking, especially the guys who brought the liquor, including the 151 rum."

"And did you ask them what they thought would have happened if those boys had died instead?" I pressed. "If you hadn't got help for them, they might not have made it and then some of the fraternity members would have be charged with manslaughter or maybe even murder. That would have been much worse than just having their fraternity banned from campus."

"No, I didn't think of that," he admitted, "but I should have. I think the next time someone says something, I'll ask them that instead."

"That sounds good, but are you going to be able to handle those people?" I worried. "The might try to retaliate, even if it isn't justified."

"Hey, they aren't going to start any shit with me, cuz I can kick most of their asses," he boasted. "Besides, they'll probably get over it in a few weeks, or at least I hope so. It's just that I probably won't get invited to things like that any more. Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to make some new friends then."

"I'm glad you're keeping a positive outlook on this," I commented. "Frank, I'm glad you're who you are and I'm proud to have you as a son."

"Thanks, Dad, but I had a good teacher," he added. "Whenever I'm not sure what I should do, I just ask myself what you would do. I'll admit it doesn't always work and I sometimes ignore what I think is right, like with the drinking, but I do know better."

"Well, I'll forgive you your small indiscretions, because you've come a long way since I first met you," I informed him. "In fact, I once wondered if I'd ever be able to get through to you."

"I know. I was really bad back then," he concurred, "but I'm glad things worked out after that. I'd hate to think where I'd be now, if you hadn't given me another chance."

"You earned it and have proved I was right in giving you an opportunity to redeem yourself," I replied, "so I won't blow this out of proportion. I'm pretty sure it was your level head that kept those two young men alive."

"Thanks, Dad, and I'm glad I called to tell you about this," he announced. "You've actually made me feel better about what happened and I think my two friends will be happy I was there too."

"Thanks, Frank, and I'm glad you called to tell me about this in person," I added. "Please keep in touch and don't be afraid to tell me anything. I'll try to keep everything in perspective."

"I know you will, Dad, and that's why you mean so much to all of us." Frankie's words touched me deeply and I had trouble responding, so I merely said good-bye and hung up.

Now that I was off the phone, and once my emotions had calmed down, I called the rest of the boys together. I wanted to advise them about what Frankie had told me. I thought it would be good for lesson them to learn, and if they could see how dangerous this incident was, then maybe it would prevent me from losing one of them to AOD some day.

I think the story made an impression and the boys caught my drift. It was a good thing too, because I didn't really want to have to preach to them. I'd rather use real life issues as they arise, such as this, to make my point. I feel it has a greater and longer lasting impact than sermonizing or screaming at them. The boys always responded well when I did this, since they understood the events being described actually happened.

It didn't take long for the ripples from this incident to die down, but then another issue took prominence. That happened around mid-month, when I got a call from the doctor's office. One of his staff informed me the results from Cody's blood work were in and requested I come in after work to learn what they'd discovered. I immediately panicked, since this had an ominous tone, but she told me the doctor just had a couple concerns and wanted to discuss them with me. She emphasized it was nothing to be alarmed about, so I told her I'd be in as soon as I could get away.

I quickly made arrangements for my high school driver to pick up the boys I generally took home, since I didn't know how long this might take. I merely informed him that an unexpected meeting had come up and I would be delayed. Once school was out and my secretary had cleared the rest of my schedule for the day, I drove to the doctor's office and waited for my turn to speak with him. When he came out, we exchanged greetings and then he led me back to a conference room. Once we were inside, he got this concerned look on his face. I immediately sensed the situation had been downplayed earlier and something was seriously wrong.

"Josh, I need to run some of the blood tests again, so I can better interpret the results," he began. "Some of the test findings were inconclusive, so I'd like you to bring Cody back in for more testing."

"Doc, what did you find?" I asked, deeply concerned.

"Nothing definite," he replied, "it's just that I think we need to do some further testing, to be certain he's okay."

"What do you suspect?" I pressed. I wanted to find out how much he really knew.

"I'd rather not say, until I'm certain," he informed me, "but if you'll bring him by the hospital tomorrow, we'll do some more blood work and I'll let you know more, once I have a chance to see what those results are."

"Won't you at least tell me what you're looking for?" I asked, more firmly.

"No, I'd rather not worry you until I'm certain," he insisted. "What I've seen may just be false positives. It happens sometime."

"But I'd feel better knowing," I urged.

"No, you wouldn't, especially if what I suspect isn't the case," he told me. "Go home and spend time with your boys and I'll see you and Cody at the hospital tomorrow."

Seeing he wasn't about to give in and tell me what he suspected, I left his office and went home. As I drove, I wondered what I was going to tell Cody about why the doctor needed to run more tests. I ran all sorts of ideas over in my mind, but none of them sounded good. I felt they would probably provoke more questions than anything else, so I kept searching for another way to break the news to him.

By the time I arrived at the house, I had decided to tell him basically what I had been told. I went to Cody's room and found him in there with Graham. Since I wished to share this information with him alone, I asked Graham if he would allow Cody and I to speak privately. Although he wasn't happy about being excluded, he reluctantly left us alone. Once the door had shut behind him, Cody looked up at me in anticipation.

"Cody, the doctor called today, to inform me your test results were back," I began. "However, some things weren't clear, so he wants to run some more tests tomorrow."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Cody asked, panicked.

"No, it's just that some of the test results weren't clear," I assured him, "so the doctor wants to do a few more tests to clear up the situation. You know, just to be safe."

"Ah, okay, then. That's fine," Cody agreed, while looking more relaxed. "What time do we go?"

"We have to be there by 8:00 a.m., so we'll go directly from here." Cody seemed to handle the information well and never asked for more details, so I left it like that. I was thankful I didn't have to respond to a whole series of questions that I didn't have answers for.

I half expected Graham to come racing down to see what I had just told Cody, but that didn't happen. I figured Cody had either answered Graham's questions or Graham hadn't pried into what I'd wanted, but I didn't know which case it was. However, I was grateful I didn't have to deal with trying to explain this to another person.

The next morning I took the Grand Am and drove Cody to the hospital. Once there, I led him to the lab where the tests would be performed. When we arrived, I was surprised to see the doctor there too, since he wasn't needed for this purpose. I know he said he'd see me, but I thought it was just an expression he was using. I didn't actually expect to see him here.

He talked to us while we waited for the technician to show up to draw Cody's blood, but didn't stay long. However, the thought that he took the time to be there touched me deeply and I was impressed he had rearranged his busy schedule just for us.

When Cody's name was called, I asked if he wanted me to go with him and he said 'yes.' I followed as he was ushered into an examination room and then we waited briefly, before the technician was ready to begin. While she was setting things up, Cody and I talked about what we were going to do after the tests were concluded, but our discussion ended when she was ready to begin.

The technician was a cute and petite young lady, who was very sweet and gentle with Cody. She explained each step before she did it and I think Cody appreciated that. I know I did. Over the course of the next half-hour, Cody let her stick him with needles, so she could siphon off some of his fluids, and then we were told we could leave. I was mildly surprised that Cody didn't talk about what had just happened as we made our way to the car. He also didn't say anything during the ride, but he did hug me good-bye when we arrived at his school and then he went off to report in.

I spent the better part of the next hour wondering what the tests were going to show and worried that something was already seriously wrong with Cody. Graham's visions were generally very accurate and I was afraid he was on the money once again. Although I prayed this time he had given me early enough warning to help fend off anything more serious, I couldn't be sure, so I was truly concerned.

My thoughts were finally interrupted when my secretary buzzed to remind me about a meeting I still had to attend. I thanked her and went to the boardroom, where the meeting was to be held, and put on my game-face for the others in attendance. Once I became focused on the topic being discussed, I put Cody's problems in the back of my mind, at least temporarily.

After my day ended, I went home and Cody was acting so normal that I found it hard to continue to worry. Seeing he was acting fine, I decided it would be best if I didn't contemplate the possibilities and waited to cross that bridge when we came to it. Hopefully, when that time came, it wouldn't be too long or too treacherous a journey. As I often told my boys, it does no good to worry about things over which we have no control, so I thought it best to follow my own advice, even though I couldn't totally push aside my concerns.

Looking ahead, we were already making plans for Thanksgiving, since it was only a couple of weeks away. We were going to have a houseful again this year and Brandon and Nick's parents would also be joining us. In addition to them, Carlos and his mother, Sally, the Spences, the Shays, Little Ricky, the Beckers and my biological children and grandchildren would also be here. That's why there was so much planning to do.

I was also going to borrow some tables and chairs from school, so we could all sit down together. This would most definitely be one of the largest gatherings we have had, up to this point, so I needed to make certain we had enough room for everyone to sit and eat. I also had to make sure there was enough food to go around and that wasn't going to be easy, with so many bottomless pits.

Sally, the Shays and the Spences had volunteered to house some of our guests, as my home would be filled to the rafters. It was decided that the Lawrences would stay with the Shays, while the O'Haras spent time with the Spences and Sally would take in Carlos' mother. Carlos had already made plans to stay at our place with the boys and his mother even encouraged it. She agreed it would be best for him, since he didn't often have an opportunity to spend his time with other young men.

I thanked each of the volunteers for taking in our houseguests, but they just smiled or laughed, before insisting we were all family. Yes, I have always referred to them as our extended family, but this just reinforced my appreciation for what truly great people they actually were.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, all those who hadn't already done so would also get a chance to meet Cody. Even though I'd told them all about him, I knew my children and extended family were eagerly looking forward to greeting him in person. I hoped Cody wouldn't be overwhelmed by the mob that would be arriving, but if he were going to live here, he'd have to get used to such gatherings. I wasn't too worried about him handling it though, but I still wanted to make it as easy and painless for him as I could.

It was just a few days before the holiday, when I received another phone call from the doctor. Once again, he asked me to come to his office after work. He told me he wanted to go over the results of Cody's latest tests. I asked him if I should bring Cody with me, but he said 'no,' so I planned to go alone. I thought this was strange, unless he just wanted to clarify things before we said anything to Cody, so I was hoping it wasn't bad news. However, the more I thought about it, the more apprehensive I became, so I tried to distract myself with school business, until the time for the appointment arrived.

That strategy did work somewhat, although not well enough to make me feel better. When the school day finally ended, I got in to the car and made my way to the doctor's office. I pulled into a parking space not very far from the door, but it seemed as though the walk to get inside took forever. A feeling of dread was beginning to overwhelm me and fear was gnawing at my core. This was unnerving, since I was the one who always tried to calm the boys whenever they let their fears run away with them. Now, I was the one who needed someone to reassure me. Why was my logic failing me, when I knew it did no good to worry about things that had not yet happened?

When I walked into the office, I announced my arrival to the receptionist. She told me to have a seat and the doctor would be with me shortly. As I looked around at the other parents and children, it made me wonder if any of them were facing anything as drastic as this. I hoped they were merely here for some minor illness or routine check-up, as I wouldn't wish any of them to have to deal with all the doubts and anxiety I was currently feeling.

It was a few more minutes before I was led back to the conference room again and then I waited a little longer until the doctor came in. He wore a concerned look on his face as he entered, so I prepared myself for the worst.

"Josh," he began, "I believe Cody has A.L.L., so there are a few things we need to discuss."

Chapter 17
Another Crisis

A.L.L. The doctor said it stood for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. The sound of the pronouncement was still ringing in my ears. Although I had no idea how drastic the disease was when the doctor first made the announcement, it sounded as if it might change our lives, especially Cody's and mine. I tried to listen carefully as the doctor explained exactly what this meant and how it was going to affect Cody, but my mind kept envisioning the worst.

After giving me a brief understanding of what we would be facing, he referred us to an oncologist, who specializes in treating cancer and tumors. The doctor had his receptionist call the specialist to set up an appointment and then I went to pick Cody up from school. Of course he was with a group of the other boys and they came racing toward the car the minute they saw me.

Once we got home, I took Cody aside and explained to him what the doctor had told me. He was worried, but very brave when I broke the news to him. In fact, I thought he was much braver and more stoic than I would have been, if the roles had been reversed. I was the one who was almost crying as I broke the news to him, so he crawled onto my lap and hugged me, as he tried to make me feel better. While we were locked in this embrace, I realized this was definitely backwards. I should be comforting him, not him comforting me. Coming to this realization, I looked at him and spoke.

"Cody, do you have any questions for me?" I asked.

He looked me squarely in the eye, but the expression on his face told me he was afraid to ask what was foremost on his mind. I tried to reassure him he could say whatever he wanted, so he finally spoke.

"Am I going to die?" he wanted to know. I almost lost it then and there, but kept my composure for his sake.

"Certainly not," I told him. "The doctor says this is one of the most common forms of cancer in children and it's also one of the most curable. We're going to go see a specialist next and he'll tell us what he thinks is the best way to treat this problem. He has gone through extensive training in this area and I'm told he also has quite a bit of experience treating similar cases. I'm very optimistic that you will get through this, so keep your hopes up and don't think the worst."

"I'll try, but this isn't going to be easy," he admitted. I could see the fear in his eyes.

"I know, but you won't be alone while you're dealing with it," I assured him. "The whole family will be there for you and we'll do everything we can to help you get through this."

"Are you going to tell everyone else?" he asked, concerned.

"I was planning on it, unless you don't want me to?" I replied.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess you can, but I don't want them to stay away from me, once they know I have this."

"They won't, because we'll let them know it's not contagious," I told him. "I know the others and they'll probably do the opposite of what you're thinking. They'll most likely try to get closer to you, rather than pull away. In fact, you might find it hard to be alone, once they know what's going on. Are you sure you don't mind me telling them, knowing what you know now?"

"No, I don't mind," he concurred, "not if they aren't going to run away when I walk into the room."

"They won't. I'm very sure of that," I announced. "Do you want to be with me when I explain all this to them?"

"Yes, I think I do," he replied. "I want to be there when you do it, because I want to hear what they say and see what they do when they find out."

"Okay, if you're sure," I agreed and then I just held him for a while, until I was sure he was going to be able to handle this.

After dinner, I called a family meeting. I had already broken the news to Jake, in private, after he got home. We all went into the family room and sat down, before I let the boys know what we had discovered.

"Fellas, the doctor told us today that Cody has a form of leukemia," I began. I could immediately see the shocked expressions and mouths dropping open, as well as hear the gasps of surprise after I said this.

"He also told us it's one of the most common types of cancer in young people and one of the most curable," I continued. "We're not exactly certain what's going to happen next, but we're going to see a specialist in a few days. He should be able to tell us more about what kind of treatment Cody will need to receive."

I hesitated here and waited to see if any of the boys had questions. When I saw they did, I took the time to answer them to the best of my ability. Once this question period ended, I had one more thing to tell them.

"I also promised Cody I'd let you boys know that what he has isn't contagious," I emphasized. "None of you can catch it just by being around him, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Not even if you do sex things with him?" Graham wanted to know.

"No, not even that way," I concurred. "The causes of this disease have nothing to do with coming into contact with others who have it,"

"Didn't my seventh grade English teacher have leukemia?" Pat asked me.

"Yes, she did," I responded, surprised that I hadn't remembered this detail before Pat brought it up.

"And didn't they give her bone marrow transplants, to make her better?" he continued.

"Yes, I think they did." I responded, as I thought back to what she'd gone through.

"Well, can we be tested to see if we can donate some of our bone marrow to Cody?" Pat asked, in total sincerity.

I just glanced over at Cody when Pat said this, to gauge his reaction to this selfless offer. He was looking at Pat with a very thoughtful expression on his face and then he cracked a smile, when he realized what an enormous and significant gesture it was. I guess he was beginning to see I was right about how the boys would react.

"That's a wonderful idea," I agreed, "but we're not sure it's going to come to that yet. If it does, I think it would be a very generous thing to do and I'm sure Cody would be very appreciative of such an offer."

Cody was nodding his head vigorously, to emphasize my point, and I could tell this offer meant a great deal to him. After a few more general questions, the meeting broke up and we went our own way, but not before each and every boy took a minute to speak to Cody alone. They did this to let him know they would be there for him and I think Cody was truly impressed by the extent of their support. When it was over, Graham and Cody went to their room and we didn't see either of them again for the rest of the night.

A few days later, I took Cody to see the oncologist. The doctor examined him and looked at his medical records, before he and I sat down to chat in private. The doctor thought this best, so we went to his office while Cody put his clothes back on and waited in the examination room.

"Mr. Currie, there's no reason to get too upset about this," the oncologist began, "as it is not a hopeless situation. Even though the statistics are lower for boys than for girls with this illness, I think we have a good chance to get Cody into remission or possibly even eliminate his cancer altogether."

Although his comments were positive, I'm not sure what he said registered in my brain. My mind was still racing like a wildfire through a dry forest, as I instinctively thought about everyone I had ever known who had suffered from leukemia or any other form of cancer. As difficult as it was under the circumstances, I recalled what they had gone through as they fought the disease. I also tried to remember how they'd made out after they were first diagnosed, since I thought this might give me an indication about how Cody was going to fare.

Slowly, I realized the majority of the names that popped into my mind were adults when they were diagnosed and their condition after treatment varied. Their responses weren't entirely positive or negative either. Some had gone into remission or improved greatly, while others had shown only slight improvement or even succumbed to their illness. This was not reassuring, but I hoped the situation for children was more optimistic, seeing they were younger and their immune systems were stronger. That should, I reasoned, make them better able to fight off the disease. Now, I turned my attention back to the oncologist and decided to question him.

"Doctor, what exactly do you think we should do next?" I asked.

"My first suggestion would be that I harvest some healthy blood cells from Cody and then freeze them, so they can be used later. After that has been accomplished, I'll treat him with an aggressive form of chemotherapy. Hopefully, it will stop the diseased cells from reproducing and either cure Cody or put him into remission."

"That sounds drastic," I countered, "but I know you must think it's necessary or you wouldn't suggest it. How will this treatment affect Cody?"

"Well, the chemotherapy may produce some side-effects, such as nausea, tiredness and there will also be a higher risk of infection," he informed me.

"Anything else?" I wondered.

"Not from this first round of treatment," he replied, "but other side-effects may occur if we have to resort to other measures, such as radiation-therapy."

"Let's hope we don't have to do that then," I told him, "but would you please explain to me exactly what this is and how Cody might have contracted it?"

"Of course," he agreed. "The various forms of leukemia, including A.L.L., may be caused by either environmental or genetic factors. It may results from long-term exposure to various substances or toxins, but it might also be the result of a genetic predisposition, such as having defective genes or a translocation of genetic pairs."

"What does that mean?" I wondered, since I didn't understand what he was alluding to.

"It means that one of a pair of genes might have been altered or shuffled between other pairs of chromosomes, so there isn't a corresponding gene on the corresponding chromosome. The most common type of translocation is the t(12;21), where the gene pair is split between the twelfth and twenty-first chromosomes. There are others, however, and each has its own prognosis."

"So how will the chemotherapy help this problem?" I asked.

"The immature version of the cells, known as lymphoblasts, respond abnormally to factors that regulate cell growth," he explained. "These defective cells grow continuously and crowd out the healthy infection-fighting white cells, red cells and even the clot forming platelets. We're going to harvest the healthy cells from your son, before he receives the chemotherapy, which will hopefully kill the defective cells. Once those cells are destroyed, we'll reintroduce the healthy cells back in his system, so they can start doing their job and reproduce normally again."

"What about bone marrow donors? I heard that is often done with leukemia," I announced.

"That's true, but what we're going to do with Cody's own cells is an even better way to attack the problem," he informed me. "There are actually two types of blood stem cell transplants. Stem cells are the cells that can form new cells and they can be retrieved from bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. With an autologous blood stem cell transplant, the healthy cells are taken from the patient, prior to treatment, and then reintroduced into his system. The other way to do this is by using allogenic donors, who are tissue-typed to match the recipient. However, those cells must be used within 24-hours of being collected and are not frozen, as the patient's own cells are."

"Have you done this before?" I wanted to know.

"Yes," he quickly told me. "Unfortunately I've had many patients with various forms of leukemia and a good percentage of them have been children under 18. I am very familiar with the diseases and treatment procedures and I'm willing to give you the names of some of my patients, if you'd like to speak with them first. They've formed their own sort of support group and are happy to explain what they went through to others. They know this generally helps new patients endure the uncertainties and rough times ahead much better."

"Yes, that would be very helpful," I agreed. "I know my other boys have found it reassuring when they could talk to others who've experienced what they were going through. I think it will help Cody as well."

"I'll make sure my receptionist gives you that information before you leave then," he told me.

I felt a little better, now that I knew what was wrong with Cody and it was treatable. It also gave me confidence to know the doctor was experienced with this problem and there was a support group to help Cody as well. I wasn't feeling good yet, but I was feeling better. In fact, the light at the end of this tunnel was beginning to look a bit larger and brighter than before. With renewed hope, I took Cody home. I planned to explain everything to him there, as a way of preparing him for what was ahead.

Cody was unbelievably calm and attentive, as I went over the details with him. He even tried to reassure Graham that everything was going to be fine, instead of us having to reassure him. He was an amazing young man, wise and mature beyond his few years, and I grew to love and admire him more every day.

Cody was also a very affectionate boy with Jake, Graham and me, but he wasn't one to mess around with the others. Sure, Cody would hang out, go places and do things with them, but when Cody gave away his heart, he was totally faithful to the one he gave it to. He was as true to his boyfriend as the day was long and the other boys knew and understood this, so they didn't pressure him to do anything with them. I'm certain they would have, if Cody had asked, but they weren't about to redirect his moral compass by putting new challenges in his path.

When Thanksgiving finally arrived, it was a time of very mixed emotions for me. It was great to see the family together again and it also gave me the opportunity to introduce them to Cody in person. Unfortunately, it was also the time when I'd have to break the news about Cody's condition.

This created some problems for me. First of all, I didn't know how they were going to react to having a new brother, while also knowing he has a life-threatening illness. I even worried they might think I'd been taken advantage of, by being asked to take in this sick child, before I even knew anything was wrong with him. I hoped this wouldn't be the case, but that thought might have popped into my mind, if this situation had happened to someone I was close to.

The biggest thing in our favor was the fact that none of my children has ever disappointed me on major issues, such as this, so I prayed they wouldn't this time either. I was fairly positive they would all fall in love with Cody, since he was so easy to become attached to, but I worried learning about his illness might blur the picture. Although I was fairly confident they would react positively to the entire situation, I'd just have to wait and see what happens over the holiday to be certain.

The first of our guests arrived Tuesday night, while the others showed up on Wednesday or early Thursday morning. They were all planning to stay until Saturday or Sunday, depending on their travel arrangements, so we'd have time to do or discuss many things before they left. We housed them according to our previous plans and utilized the Spences, Shays and Sally to board some of them. Right from the start, everything was going great and we were really enjoying being together again.

Once everyone got settled in, the ladies basically took over all of the arrangements for Thanksgiving dinner. Even though I had purchased all the food and Jake and I had planned on doing the cooking, the women had other ideas. The day before Thanksgiving they announced Jake and I were going to get this holiday off and they would take care of everything. Although I protested about having my guests do the work, they were adamant, so instead of arguing, I reluctantly gave in to their demands.

To help them get started, I discussed what I had purchased and told them what I had planned to fix. Once I supplied this information to them, the women pushed me out of the kitchen and took over the rest of the preparations. They even added a few touches of their own.

Aunt Mary (Shay) and Aunt Margaret (Spence) decided to do much of the cooking. We needed two huge birds to feed this mob, and even though I had two ovens at the house, they offered to cook the turkeys in their own homes and then bring them to our house to be warmed up. They said there was going to be a ton of food to prepare and my daughters and daughter-in-law would need our ovens for some of the other dishes.

Aunt Sally then announced she'd bake the pies at her place. Carlos' mother would help her do that early Thanksgiving morning and then they'd bring the pies with them when they came to eat. It seemed as though everything was set.

I thanked my dear friends for offering to do all of the work, after I asked them again if they wouldn't prefer spending the holiday interacting with the family. They informed me that since there were so many to split up the duties they'd still have time to do that too and it appeared there was no way I could change their minds. As strange as it may sound, they seemed pleased to be doing this and actually enjoyed being involved in helping us pull this huge meal off.

The rest of Wednesday was a whirlwind of activity, as each female got the items together that she would need. They also started the dishes they could prepare in advance, but cooking those items would be saved until later that night or early the next morning. This was truly going to be a unique experience for me, since I seldom had so much free time to enjoy.

Chapter 18
Trying to Be Thankful

Thursday morning, I instinctively woke up early. Mentally, I was still prepared to start the meal, but when I went to the kitchen, my daughters and daughter-in-law were already there getting things together. They were busily putting the finishing touches on some salads, as well as preparing some of the other dishes, so I stayed out of their way.

I went into the family room, turned on the television and then lay on the sofa. I started watching some holiday oriented show, while waiting for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to begin. Before long, Jake came down and joined me, but he sat in one of the chairs, so I could remain sprawled out on the couch. We talked about many things, including our unexpected 'day off' and only stopped our discussion when the parade began.

While watching the parade, some of the boys began to filter in to the room to join us, so I sat up, to free up space for the others. No sooner had I done that than Cody ended up in my lap. It wasn't a flying leap, as he had done before, but a more cautious sliding into place. I felt his illness had made him a little more careful about how he did things.

As soon as Cody was in place, Graham scooted in and sat beside us. He pressed his body tightly against my side and leaned his head against my arm. Once Graham was settled, Cody adjusted his position, so his head rested against my chest and his legs were draped across Graham's lap.

We had only been sitting like this for less than a half-hour before my grandsons woke up and came in to join us. They immediately came over to the sofa and asked if they could sit with us, so we all shifted slightly, to make room for them on my other side. Jordan and Nicky didn't come in to take my attention away the others. They came over so they could be near Cody. They were eight and seven, respectively, and Cody was only twelve, so they were also the closest in age.

As we sat watching the parade, every once in a while I would look around the room, to see who else was there. Occasionally, I would catch one of the others watching us and smiling at how comfortable and content Cody seemed to be. It was very nice that he felt relaxed enough to do this in front of my biological children and grandchildren, whom he had just recently met, but neither side seemed to care. It was a wonderful feeling to know that those I loved were not envious or jealous over my connection with any of the others.

As soon as the parade ended, Jordan and Nicky asked Cody if he wanted to play some games with them and Cody agreed, without hesitation. Cody did ask if Graham could play too, and when the boys said 'yes,' he asked Graham if he was interested in joining them. When Graham said he was, they also decided to ask Sammy and Andrew it they wanted to play too and then went off to the rec room, where I kept all the older board games.

Over the next couple of hours that group played Chutes and Ladders, Hungry Hippo, Sorry and Life. I checked in on them every once in a while, to see if there were any problems, but they seemed to be having fun and bonding at the same time. Even though this may sound silly, I'm still amazed to see a group of kids having fun playing these older games, instead of being drawn toward the various computerized forms of entertainment.

The rest of our group continued to arrive throughout the morning and each came bearing their various preparations with them. Jake, I and a few of the older boys would help carry these items from their car to the house and my daughters and daughter-in-law would show them where to put things. Once I was no longer needed, I would chat with the new arrivals, but I also made sure to thank them for what they had done.

Everyone continued doing his own thing until a little after midday, when it was announced it was time to eat. After watching my herd stampede into the dining area, I directed them to the appropriate table. The adults sat at the two tables crammed into the dining room, while the boys were seated at the two tables in the adjoining television room or the additional table in the foyer. No one felt slighted by the seating arrangements, since they were only concerned that enough food would reach them to fill their grumbling bellies.

Before we ate, however, there was something else we needed to do. Even though there were a great many people this year, we still went around the various tables to allow each person a minute or two to share what he was most thankful for over the past year. I always go last, not only because I am the host and trying to be polite, but I usually had more to say than anyone else. When my turn finally came, I stood up, so everyone could see and hear me.

"Oh, there are so many things to be grateful for this past year, but I guess one of the most important would have to be that we're all here today. Except for Ricky, we all managed to get back together this year and we know Ricky's situation is unique. Above all, I am ever so thankful to have all my children, grandchildren and dear friends. Each of us seems to have had a pretty decent year since last Thanksgiving, so we'll begin by being thankful for that.

"At this time I'd also like to offer a very special welcome to Cody, the newest addition to our ever-expanding family, and I think we all hope he likes being here with us, as much as we like having him here." Everyone looked at Cody at this point and smiled, with some of them also bidding him welcome into the Currie clan. Once everyone had turned his attention back to me, I continued.

"Now that I, and the rest of you, have welcomed Cody into the fold, I have some other news concerning him. A few of you already know this, but the rest of you will be hearing it for the first time. Cody has just been diagnosed with having a form of leukemia."

There were a few murmurs and gasps when I made this announcement, since very few had the slightest inkling that anything was wrong with him. I explained as much as Cody had agreed I could and then let them know the prognosis was good for this type of leukemia. I finished by asking everyone to include Cody in his prayers, until he was safely through this ordeal. They all enthusiastically agreed to do so, and now that everything was settled, I said grace and we began to eat.

There was plenty of food and all of it was wonderful, even if I might have spoiled it a little by making the announcement about Cody before we ate. All in all, I think everyone enjoyed the meal, the fellowship and the day. We ate until we were so stuffed that we could barely move and then we cleaned up some of the mess, before moving into the family room to watch the football games.

Those not interested in football went to the living room, where they sat and talked about many things. Later, we all came back together again to have our desserts. After we satisfied our sweet tooth, we spent a little more time together before our local guests reluctantly began to leave and return to their own homes. Even though we'd be getting together the following day and then again over the weekend, it almost seemed as if no one wanted this day to end.

While everyone was still at our house, I received a phone call from Ricky. I was excited to hear his voice again and reveled in his unique sense of humor.

"Hi, Dad," he began. "Do you know who this is or have you forgotten about me already?"

"Forget about you? How could I?" I replied. "Every time I hear someone behind me, I brace myself for a surprise attack. It's just a conditioned, protective reflex I've acquired, after spending years living with you." He giggled.

"Come on, I wasn't that bad," he whined, although not convincingly.

"Are you kidding?" I shot back. "We all look over our shoulders every minute of every day, just because of the things you've done to us over time. The whole house suffers from Ricky paranoia."

"Well, at least you still remember me," he teased, before giggling again.

"Is your host family suffering from this same ailment, now that you've been with them for a while?" I teased.

"Maybe Peter is," he conjectured, "but he's made sure to give back worse than he gets, so we've kind of called a truce for now."

"Good for him," I replied. "I'm glad to hear he doesn't let you bully him around or take your crap."

"Hey, that's not fair," Ricky complained. "You're MY dad and you're supposed to stick up for ME, not him."

"Sorry, but I tend to stick up for the victims, not the perpetrators," I announced, but this time I was the one who laughed.

"Gee, thanks, Dad. That makes me feel a lot better." Even though Ricky sounded serious, he giggled again, which let me know he was enjoying our give and take.

"Anyway the reason I called," he continued, "was because I realized it was still Thanksgiving back home, even though it's Friday here. I knew that if I called now, I'd probably get to talk to almost everyone and I wanted to let you all know I'm thankful we're part of the same family. I miss everyone so much and I can't wait to get back home to see you again."

"Well, even though I joke about it, we do miss you too," I said, with as much sincerity as I could muster, "and we can't wait to have you home either."

"I knew that, but it's still nice to hear someone say it," he confessed.

"I guess I can understand that and we mean it too," I assured him. "We're not just spewing out a bunch of meaningless words."

"Thanks, Dad. You don't realize how much that means to me." From the cracking of his voice, I actually thought he was about to cry.

"I think I do," I admitted. "So how is it going over there?"

"Great!" he nearly screamed. "I'm doing well in school, I like my classes and I'm learning a lot, but best of all, Kylie and I are getting really close."

"That's good, but how are you two going to deal with it when it's time for you to come back home?" I wondered, deeply concerned. "Are you both going to be able to handle it when you have to leave?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "We've talked about it, but it seems like it's so far away. I still have two more months here."

"I realize that, but it's not as far off as you think, so I'm worried about how the two of you will react when the harsh reality sinks in," I told him. "You know, once you leave there, you might not see each other again."

"It will be rough, but we both know it's coming, so don't worry, Dad," he said, trying to reassure me. "I'm not planning on staying here with her, if that's what you're thinking. I'm also pretty sure Kylie doesn't want to move to the U.S. with me either, so we'll just have to figure something out. I mean, I really like her a lot, but I know this relationship probably won't go anywhere, mainly because of the distance thing. Knowing this does make me sad, but we've agreed to enjoy what time we have and not worry about what may happen later. Maybe someday we'll be able to get back together again, but I don't think either of us is counting on it."

"I'm glad you're looking at this practically," I told him. "I was afraid the two of you would become infatuated with each other and then go and do something foolish."

"What do you mean, Dad?" he asked, but I wasn't sure if he meant this rhetorically or in jest.

"Well, like maybe trying to get married or her getting pregnant," I offered anyway. "If she were going to have a baby, she might figure it would make you want to stay there with her."

"No, I don't think she'd do anything like that," he told me. "Besides, I've learned from you how to be careful about making those kinds of mistakes, so you don't have to worry about me getting her pregnant."

"That's good to hear," I agreed, "but does that mean you done things that might impregnate her?"

"Dad! We haven't had intercourse, if that's what you mean," he whined, "But you've got to know I'd be careful."

"I'm sure you'd try," I replied, "but accidents can occur, even to the most careful."

"Okay, point made," he affirmed, "and I'll avoid anything like that."

Before we finished our conversation, Ricky told me about a few other things and then we said our good-byes. Once I was done, I passed the phone around to everyone who wanted to speak with him, while reminding them to try to keep it as short as they could, without making Ricky feel they didn't want to talk to him. I was certainly glad to hear from him and I truly hoped both he and Kylie would be mature enough to handle the end of what was the equivalent of a summer fling when the time came.

Once everyone had a turn to speak with Ricky, even Cody, the phone was handed back to me. However, this time it was Ricky who was asking questions.

"So, Dad, how's my new brother doing?" he wanted to know. "Is he really as much like me, as you mentioned me in your emails?"

"He does look a lot like you did when you first came here to live with me," I confirmed, "and he's hyper and full of energy like you too. Not only that, but he's also affectionate like you were then, but there is a major difference. He's sweet and hasn't pulled any pranks yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen as well."

"Hey, I'm sweet too," Ricky shot back. "Yeah, he does sound like me, doesn't he? Now, I can't wait to meet him in person."

"We'll fill him in about you, before you get here then," I responded, "so he'll stand a chance of surviving the Ricky blitz."

"Dad!" Ricky screamed into the receiver. He sounded shocked and upset by my comment, but I knew he was enjoying the ribbing, almost as much as I was giving it to him. After a brief pause, I switched gears.

"On a more serious note, Ricky, Cody's not doing so well." I admitted.

"Why? Isn't he fitting in with the rest of the guys?" Ricky asked.

"Oh, that's not the problem. He's fitting in here nicely," I told him, "but it's something more troublesome. The thing is, Graham has had another one of his visions and this one involves Cody."

"Not again! Is it anything serious?" Ricky wanted to know.

"Yes, but we don't think it's going to be fatal, at least we're hoping not," I informed him. "We've taken Cody to the doctor and he's discovered Cody has a form of leukemia. The doctor thinks it's treatable and is optimistic he can cure Cody or at least get him into remission."

"It's not good that he has it, but I guess it could be worse," he told me. "How did everyone else take the news? Is Cody handling it okay?" I could tell Ricky was definitely concerned.

"He's doing well and is a very positive young fellow," I informed him. "He has remarkable resiliency, like you, and so far it doesn't seem to have gotten him down. He's been amazingly calm about all of this, even with the possibility the treatment might not work out as well as we hope."

"Dad, do you want me to come home? I will, if it will help," he offered.

"I appreciate your willingness to do that, Ricky, but there's really nothing you can do here," I told him. "I think we all want you to enjoy your time there and have you continue on with what you've planned."

"Dad, I really don't have to stay the extra month," he confirmed. "I can come back sooner, if you want."

"Ricky, I said that wouldn't be necessary," I reiterated. "You finish up the school year there, do your traveling and then come back home. If anything changes, I'll let you know, but we don't expect any significant changes before then."

"If you're sure, but I still feel like I shouldn't be having fun, while Cody is going through all those different treatments," he stated. "I really do want to meet him."

"And you will, but after you get back," I agreed. "Nothing will change substantially before then."

"Okay, if you say so," he conceded, "but I'm not sure how much fun I'll have, since I'll be worrying about Cody now."

"Well, I know he'll appreciate hearing you're concerned, when I tell him," I replied, "but the most we can do now is pray for his full recovery. You can do that just as well from there, as you could being here."

"I suppose you're right," he agreed, "but I still won't feel right having fun, until we hear if he's going to be all right."

"I knew you'd think like that and it's one of the reasons we all love you so much," I told him. "Now, you have a good time and we'll see you at the end of January."

"Okay, but let me know if anything changes," he urged.

"I will and I love you, son," I told him and I really meant it.

"And I love you too, Dad. Tell everyone I said 'bye', especially Cody," he replied.

"I'll do that for sure," I agreed, "and tell your host family we all send our best."

"I will. Bye," he said, before hanging up.

That ended my phone call with Ricky and I did pass his message along. Cody was quite impressed to learn about Ricky's offer, especially since they'd only talked this once on the phone. Cody told me to thank Ricky for him when I spoke to him next, but he'd give Ricky a special thank you when he came back home.

I told him I'd do one better. I'd either let him call Ricky and tell him in person or I'd give him Ricky's email address, so he could write him before then. Cody said he'd prefer to speak with him in person, if that would be all right, and I told him we'd call Ricky this weekend and he could talk to him for as long as he wanted. Cody seemed to like that idea a lot and it would give the two boys a chance to get to know each other even better, before Cody's treatments began. After that, we'd just have to wait to see how Cody was responding to the chemotherapy.

Chapter 19
Making Room at Our 'Inn'

December is always a very busy time for us, but it was even more so, now that I was also serving as acting-superintendent. Not only are the winter sports programs in full swing, but there is also a wide array of special programs and concerts being held to celebrate the holidays. As superintendent, I am expected to support and attend as many of these activities as possible, which only adds to the bustle and confusion.

When you place these demands on my time on top of my seasonal family obligations, such as Christmas shopping, attending various parties and social functions, decorating the house and planning our own Christmas celebration, it was nearly overwhelming.

If that wasn't enough, this year I also had Cody's medical problem to deal with and his treatments had started at the beginning of the month. The first thing the doctor did was to collect some good blood cells and bone marrow from Cody. Once these cells were harvested, they would be frozen until needed, and that wouldn't be until Cody's chemotherapy treatments were completed. The cells would then be reintroduced into his system, to encourage his body to replicate the good cells and create more. Eventually, it was hoped they would then replace the damaged cells destroyed by the chemotherapy.

I'm not sure exactly what I thought chemotherapy meant, but I guess I suspected Cody would be taking a very large amount of pills, which would contain strong drugs that would kill the diseased cells. However, this wasn't exactly the case. Instead of taking pills, the drugs were administered intravenously. A needle injected the drugs directly into the space around the spinal column, where it would do the most good.

I'm sure this was as painful as it looked, even though Cody endured the entire process like a trooper. To my amazement, he only flinched slightly and made a low whimpering sound when the needle was first introduced, but beyond that, you'd never know he was enduring an excruciating procedure. His courage astounded me more and more every day.

At first, Cody showed no signs of side effects from the treatments, but that soon changed. Although it was hardly noticeable in the beginning, Cody did tire very easily, even when he hadn't done much. What I didn't know was that he was often nauseous and frequently vomited, something he never informed me about. I only discovered this by accident one evening, when I walked by one of the bathrooms and heard someone puking. When I went in to see whom it was and offer my assistance, I discovered Cody slumped over the bowl, while he retched the contents of his stomach into the porcelain depository.

"Cody, are you all right?" I asked. I guess he hadn't heard me enter, because he jumped a little when I spoke. Then he rolled his head slightly to one side, so he could look at me from over the edge of the bowl.

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry," he stated, less than convincingly.

"But that's part of my job as a father, to worry about his children," I replied. "Is this the first time this has happened?"

"Not really," he confirmed. "It's happened before." He was looking into the toilet as he answered me, but I wasn't sure if it was because he felt another wave of nausea coming on or he just didn't want to face me and answer my questions.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" I demanded, softly.

"There was nothing you could do to stop it, so I didn't want to worry you," he explained. Although I appreciated his logic, I had to let him know I didn't find this acceptable.

"Like I said, that's part of my job and I want… no, I need to know what's happening with you, especially now. So will you fill me in on what's been going on?" I may have said this more harshly than I anticipated, because it elicited a very shocked expression from him.

"Okay, but it isn't that bad and doesn't happen that often," he insisted. "I've been throwing up once in a while, but not very much. It's just my stomach gets all upset and I know I'm going to barf, but I didn't want anyone else to know. I'm sorry, if it wasn't the right thing to do."

"It's okay, Cody, but please let me know everything that happens to you in the future," I urged. "I need to be aware of these things, no matter how small or insignificant they seem to you. Okay?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you everything from now on," he agreed.

After getting that settled, the two of us went to the family room to watch some TV and talk some more. As soon as I sat down in my chair, Cody crawled onto my lap and cuddled up against my chest.

"Are you comfy?" I asked him.

He just tilted his head upward and smiled. "I am now," he told me.

Seeing how relaxed and happy he was, I was determined to give him as much of my attention as I could while he was going through this. Maybe it would help him endure his treatments and the ensuing bouts of nausea better. He certainly seemed content sitting with me like this and maybe it's exactly what he needed. He's been lacking a father-figure all of his young life, so this might put him in a better psychological frame of mind and help get him over the hurdles he'll be facing along the way.

Over the next few days, Cody also filled me in about some of the other things that had changed. He admitted he felt tired much of the time, even more now than before. I told him it was probably due to a combination of things, including the chemotherapy and his body adjusting to the elimination of the diseased cells. I informed him this should improve over time, but we'd call the doctor and mention it to him, just to be sure. Reluctantly, he gave in to my judgment concerning this matter and agreed to let me make the call.

When I got in touch with the oncologist, he told me not to worry about either the vomiting or tiredness, as those were normal reactions to the chemotherapy. He then went on to advise me that he would inject Cody's healthy cells back into his body shortly after the first of the year, probably near the end of January. I thanked him for his help and the additional information, before I passed the news along to Cody.

Cody seemed pleased to learn he might get though this fairly quickly and it could be over by the end of January. I think he believed it would take much longer than that, but I didn't want to disillusion him by telling him it still might.

I also informed him he should be able to enjoy the holidays before that phase of his treatment began, so maybe he wouldn't be so tired or nauseous during this joyous time of the year. He thought about what I'd said for a few minutes, before he let the issue drop completely, but now he knew a little more about what he'd be facing and when.

Cody and I spent a great deal of time together throughout December and he accompanied me to see each of the school concerts and holiday plays. He thoroughly enjoyed them, especially when some of the other boys were in them too. Besides those events, we also went to watch a few basketball games, a couple of wrestling matches and the girls' volleyball team compete. Cody seemed to enjoy everything we did and thought they were fun, but he was always pressed very tightly against my side the whole time – his choice, of course.

Although it was a very busy time, we did manage to squeeze everything in. It seemed the entire family was very fond of the concerts, since there is nothing better than watching and listening to a bunch of little kids perform. However, when they're belting out Christmas songs, it only magnifies the joy.

Some of these concerts even turned into community sing-alongs, where everyone was encouraged to join in on a few of the holiday selections with the other participants. This was usually done at the end of the concert, in lieu of an encore. This was particularly enjoyable, especially when you were able to do it with your family. It made the spirit of the holiday season more personal and enjoyable, as you belted out the lyrics of some of your favorite carols and holiday songs.

I get such a special thrill out of doing this each and every Christmas season that I hope this memory dominates my thoughts when it comes time for me to take my final breath on earth. For me, there would be no better way to go meet my maker than while reliving the memory of these marvelous times.

My only problem with the holiday season is that every year it gets more difficult to figure out what to get the boys. Even though I try to be practical about their presents, since I don't want to spoil them by providing everything they desire, this year was especially challenging. I was at a loss as to what to get them as a special gift, even after asking for suggestions from the boys themselves.

Hoping to come up with an idea I liked and they'd appreciate, I talked the problem over with Jake. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with anything either. As it got closer to Christmas with each passing day, the realization that I still didn't have a clue gnawed at me more and more. I couldn't help but wonder if this would be the year they just got clothes and a few small items from me, rather than what I usually did. If that happened, it would be a very disappointing holiday, indeed.

When I awoke on December 23rd, I still had no idea what to get them. Even knowing I had only two shopping days left didn't spur me on. I still couldn't think of anything I wanted to do for them.

That night, after many of the boys had gone to bed, I sat down with Jake to discuss this once more. We were kicking around ideas and weighing our limited options, when I heard the fire whistle go off. I was hoping the emergency was only something small, like a kitchen blaze or small brush fire, but when a second alarm went off a few minutes later, I knew this wasn't the case.

Instinctively, I raced to my bedroom, where I had a scanner and turned it on. Although I seldom used it, sometimes it came in handy to learn what was going on and what I heard shocked me. It was a house fire and the home was fully engulfed. I gleaned what bits of info I could about this tragedy by listening to the bits of conversations between the dispatcher and those at the scene. That's when I heard the local fire company was asking for support from two nearby communities.

Hearing this, I felt I had to go and see if there was anything I could do, so I asked Jake to join me. We got into the van and headed toward the address I'd heard mentioned earlier, but I had no idea what I assistance I could offer that the fire department couldn't.

When we arrived, the house was already beyond saving and all the firemen were doing was to merely contain the fire and keep it from spreading to a shed and small barn that stood nearby. I learned later that the barn housed a few animals and the shed was used to store some of the owner's tools. As I looked around, I noticed a group of people huddled together, off to one side, and I immediately recognized them. They were three of my former students and their parents.

I went over to them, to see if there was anything I could do to help, but they were too distraught to speak. I certainly could understand why, since they had just watched nearly everything they owned go up in flames. It would be bad enough to just have this happen, but at this time of year it was far worse. When they were able to talk about it, I learned all their unopened Christmas presents had also been destroyed by the quick-moving blaze.

"I'm so sorry," I told them, "and I hope you will allow my family to try to help make your situation better." They all turned toward me as I spoke, but their father was the only one who was able to respond.

"Mr. Currie, thank you so much for your offer, but I don't know how you're going to be able to help after this," he reasoned. "We just lost our home, almost everything we owned and even a couple of our pets in that fire. I'm just thankful the dog alerted us to the situation with his barking, so I was able to get my family out safely."

"I'm very thankful for that too," I agreed, "but do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"I've heard some people talking about putting us up in a motel tonight," he replied, "but nothing is definite at this point. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Then you and your family will stay with us," I offered. "We have a very large house and the boys will double up, to make room for you. Your daughters can share one room, your son will be put up in another and you and your wife will use my room."

"Oh, no, Mr. Currie. We could never do that," he objected.

"You will. I insist," I responded. "It is not that big of a deal and my family will be happy to do what we can for you. Tomorrow we'll check around and see if we can find you something more permanent, at least until you can figure out what you're going to do. Was the house insured?"

"Yes, but I doubt it will be enough," he told me, while grimacing. "I've been a little negligent and haven't updated the amount of coverage in many years. Basically, it's still insured for what it was appraised at fifteen years ago."

"That's not surprising," I commiserated. "I'm sure this has happened to many people. It's easy to forget to increase your coverage, but at least you will get something out of this. Don't worry though. We'll help you find a way to cover the rest. You know I have many contacts and I'll use them all, if I have to."

"Thank you, Mr. Currie," he told me, while shaking my hand. "You've always been really nice to my family and I know my kids think the world of you."

"As I do of them," I replied. "They were always very good students and a pleasure to have around. Now, I want everyone to hop into my van and Jake and I will take you to our place. If there's anything you want to bring with you, grab it now and we'll be on our way. I'll let the fire chief know you're going with me."

"Thank you, but there's nothing left to take" he explained. "All we have is what we're wearing. Even these blankets aren't ours. The firemen gave to us to keep warm."

"Okay, then I want you to get into my van and Jake will start it up and turn on the heat. I'll let those in charge know you're going with us and I'll return their blankets in a few days."

While Jake was helping the family into the van, where they could warm up, I searched out the fire chief and one of the police officers on the scene. I let them know I was taking the family to spend the night with us and they quickly agreed they had all they needed from them and it would be fine. They also thanked me for doing this, but I merely responded it was Christmas and I was just making sure there was room at our 'inn' for this family. They smiled in acknowledgment and I went to join the others.

When we got home, I ushered the family into the family room, while Jake and I shuffled people around. Jake hurriedly moved a bunch of our things, so we wouldn't have to bother the couple later. He moved my things in with Cody and Graham, since I asked if I could spend the night with them. That way, I could also keep an eye on Cody. Jake moved in with Shannon and Nick and I was sure that pair would be more upset with the intrusion than the two I'd be staying with. The thing was, Shannon was Jake's son and I knew he wouldn't tell his father 'no.'

It worked out that we didn't have to move very many boys, but we did ask some of them to double up. Cole agreed to stay with Sammy and Andrew, which opened up a room for the two girls, and Dustin agreed to stay with Pat, so their son would have a place of his own. Once the parents were settled in to the master bedroom, it turned out to be a very peaceful night.

I had anticipated spending the evening on one side of the bed, while Cody and Graham snuggled together on the other, but that's not quite what happened. I had only been in bed for a few minutes, when I felt Cody move over and snuggle up against my side. As soon as his body was next to mine, he draped his arm across my chest and Graham cuddled up behind him, with his arm slung across Cody and his hand touching my chest too.

When I looked down at Cody, to see what he was up to, I noticed he was smiling at me. Even in the faint glow of the moonlight that filtered into the room, I could see Graham was also grinning. I wondered if they'd had enough time to discuss this, after I asked if I could stay with them for the night, and concluded they must have. Neither seemed bothered by my intrusion, so I figured it was nothing to worry about.

I really didn't sleep much that night. Instead, I spent most of my time watching this pair, to see how they were interacting and holding up. Relying solely on my limited observations, it was evident they were no longer merely individuals and more than just friends. These two were committed, inseparable and more concerned about the other person's comfort and well-being than their own. I was truly impressed by the depth of their relationship. They now formed a couple, although I wasn't sure how deep their bonds went, but I was glad Cody wasn't going to have to go through his ordeal alone.

At various times, I would notice one or the other wake up, and since they didn't realize I was also awake, they would start fussing over their partner. They would do all sorts of things, such as using their fingers to brush the hair out of their partner's eyes or off their forehead, or they might kiss the other sweetly on the cheek or forehead. Once they had done that, they would then cuddle back against the other and soon drift off to sleep again. They spent most of the night wrapped up in each other's arms, although Cody had shifted some of his affection to me too. Since there was no way I wanted to interfere with what they felt for each other, I decided I'd have to find somewhere else to sleep for the next few nights, until the family left.

The next morning, I sat down with the parents, while their kids were still asleep. They told me how they had done all their Christmas shopping and everything was in the house when it went up in flames, so their biggest worry was about how this would ruin the holidays for their children. I told them not to worry about it, because I had a solution figured out and I'd be happy to explain everything to them, as soon as we'd eaten our breakfast.

As soon as they were seated at the dining room table and consuming their first meal of the day, I took Jake aside and asked him if he'd be willing to take care of some things for me. He agreed he would, so I quickly filled him in on my plan. After I'd done that, we returned to the dining room and sat down to eat too.

Once all of us had finished our breakfast, Jake told the parents to get ready and he'd take them shopping. They quickly informed him they had no money to buy more presents, but he advised them we were going to pay for everything. They began to object, but we cut them off and insisted we weren't about to take no for an answer. We wanted to make sure their children had something nice to cling to during this time of loss and disaster. There was no way we were going to allow them to only have bad memories about this blessed time of year.

Although they finally gave in, they explained they would pay us back, as soon as they could. I wasn't going to spend more time arguing with them about this, so I merely ignored their offer and sent them on their way with Jake. Once they were gone, I also left the house for a short time to check on a few things I had thought of while I lay awake the previous night.

When I returned home a short time later, I quickly rounded up our three young guests, so I could take them shopping too. I wanted to have them buy something nice for their mom and dad, because I didn't want the adults to only have negative reminders of this holiday season either. We left before Jake and their parents returned and I told my sons to tell the grown-ups that their children were just helping me run some errands.

I had told Jake to let the parents spend between a thousand and fifteen hundred dollars, but I suggested he also guide them in making their selections. I wanted them to buy the kids an assortment of new clothes, but I also wanted them to get games and other things to entertain them. I felt it was important for the children to have some toys and other fun things to enjoy. I asked Jake to impress upon the parents that we weren't just trying to help them have the basics, but we wanted them to regain a bit of normalcy to their lives too. Since they needed almost everything at this point, their choices were limitless.

I basically told the kids the same thing and urged them to pick out some clothes for their parents, including nice winter jackets. I told them we could guesstimate their sizes, and if we were wrong, they could always return the items later and get something in their own size. Once we'd finished making those selections, I had the children buy them a few other items, like jewelry for their mother, an electric razor for their father and a television they all would get some use out of later. The children thanked me several times, although they did ask why I was doing so much for them. I merely responded, 'Merry Christmas.'

When we got back home, we left everything in the van and went inside. Both groups looked happy and I knew they were pleased about what they had been able to do for each other. Even though they might have been a little dismayed about having to rely on our generosity to accomplish this, I was sure they'd get over it as soon as they saw each other open those gifts.

Now, I got all of our guests together again, loaded them into the van and drove out to a place I happened to know about. I had called the owner earlier, and then went over to pick up the key, so I could see if it was something the family might be interested in. I knew this place had been vacant and for rent for some time, but I thought it just might meet their needs. Even though it wasn't in the same general location as the house that had burned, it was a roomy four-bedroom home. It was older and not the most modern or fancy, but it wouldn't be very different from their old home. I hoped they might find it suitable, at least until they could get their insurance money, and then they'd be able to make their own arrangements.

As I walked them through the house, they talked amongst themselves, saying who could have which room or what they might do to spruce it up. Hearing their comments, I had the feeling this place was going to suffice. When they were done looking around, they thanked me for showing it to them and then the father wanted to talk to me about how they'd afford to pay for it. I quickly told him not to worry about the finances, as I was going to have the Castaway Foundation pay the first six months rent for them.

I informed him the foundation would also pay for them to get some furniture, to make the house livable. Everything had already been arranged and they were to go to a local furniture store to pick out beds, living room and dining room sets and a few other, smaller pieces. We were also going to take them to a local retail store to pick out everyday dishes, silverware, bath linens, bed linens, some cookware and a few basic appliances. That would give them enough to be on their own once more.

They all continued to thank us, repeatedly, as we went from place to place, and the only problem we encountered was that the furniture couldn't be delivered for two days, until the day after Christmas. I told them they would stay with us until then and celebrate Christmas with our family, when they began to balk. They said they didn't want to ruin our Christmas by imposing on us for so long, but I told them their arguments were useless. We wouldn't have it any other way.

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