Bill W

Castaway Hotel VII

June 2003 - Febr 2004

Chapter 1
Picking Up the Pieces

We'd just arrived home after Cody's funeral and I was surprised at the number of people waiting for us. The Shays had informed me earlier that some of our friends wanted to come to the house for a while, but I never suspected they meant this many. I assumed he was talking about the Spences, Beckers, Sally, his wife and him, and possibly a couple of others, but I never imagined I'd find the sort of gathering that greeted us when we got there. Our home was overflowing with many other friends, co-workers and extended family, but it was nice to see so much support, concern and love as was being generated at this time.

At first, I suspected everyone had come by to see how we were handling our grief or to offer their sympathy, but it soon appeared they had more in mind. Many had brought food, so we could have a meal after the service, but there turned out to be more than enough to feed everyone who showed up. Our friends took care of all of the preparation and other details, which included cleaning up afterward. It was extremely kind and thoughtful of everyone and their efforts were greatly appreciated. It also seemed to soften our grief for a time, as we focused on appreciating those around us.

Even though Cody's passing wasn't quite as devastating for me as Brent's death had been, it was still hard to deal with. Brent's passing had been the result of an accident and not something I had been able to prepare for, even though Graham had continually warned me that he suspected something might happen to him. However, being able to anticipate Cody's demise did not make it any easier to deal with.

Despite the fact I'd been praying for a miracle, I knew Cody's chances of beating the Leukemia were slim. He was fighting against gigantic odds and I think I had begun to resign myself to his fate, even before the end came. Still, it doesn't mean losing him affected me any less than when I lost Brent or that my grief wasn't as deep. The only difference was the shock factor.

When it happened, I wasn't ready to hear about Brent's tragic death, whereas Cody's passing was almost a relief, in that I knew he was no longer suffering. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm somewhat comforted to know he is no longer in pain and is in a much better place. This doesn't mean I loved him less, don't miss him as much or I'm not as sad, because I am. It was just a different set of circumstances.

In both cases, there's a grieving process to go through and it's not something you can bypass or ignore. The process wasn't easy when I lost Brent and I know this time will be just as difficult, but it's something I must go through. When Brent died, I leaned on those near and dear to get me through the roughest times and I will do the same now.

My biggest regret is that it takes a tragedy like this to reunite you with people whom you care deeply about and have known for a long time. When things like this happen, those people suddenly appear out of nowhere to offer their assistance and, suddenly, you wonder where they've been in the interim. However, it's still nice when they extend their love and support, because that's when you truly realize how many wonderful friends you actually have.

I made it a point to move around the house for one reason, so I could speak personally to everyone in attendance. I thanked each of them for his concern and support and wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciated his friendship and emotional support. I also wanted to thank them for bringing the various dishes they had prepared to feed my family and those who stopped by. Although it may not seem like anyone did a great deal, it was far more than anyone could ever suspect. Due to the size of my family alone, not to mention the number of friends who had gathered together with us, each person must have spent a considerable sum and a great deal of time to provide the quantity of food it took to feed this small army.

I had spoken to about half the people in attendance when I came upon the Beckers. I was anxious to chat with them, seeing I hadn't seen them since the previous Christmas. I guess that was partially due to the fact we had all been so involved with Cody's medical condition and other parental issues, but I felt I needed to apologize for my oversight. I slowly walked toward them and spoke.

"Albert. Arlene," I began. "I'm so sorry I've been so lax about keeping in touch."

"Josh, no need to apologize. We understand," Mr. Becker responded, " so don't think twice about it. It's partially our fault too, as we've been quite busy ourselves."

"Oh, Josh," his wife added. "We're so sorry about what happened. He was such a cute young man and we didn't really get a chance to know him very well."

Mr. Becker looked at his wife as she spoke and he seemed to be making some odd facial expressions as she continued. I wrote it off as a figment of my imagination, due to the recent stressful events I had been through.

"Thank you for coming and showing your support," I told them. "It's times like these when our dearest friends and family are most important to us. I'm sorry you didn't get the opportunity to know Cody better, because he was a truly remarkable young man."

"From what I've heard, for him to have gone through all he did and still remain so optimistic about his chances, he must have been a truly unique individual," Mr. Becker added.

"I know none of us will ever forget him," I continued, "but it will take some time to adjust to his loss. It's hard to explain how someone who has only been a part of your life for such a short time could have such a huge impact."

"Just be grateful you had him for as long as you did," Mr. Becker offered, sincerely.

"Were you related to the boy who died?" Mrs. Becker asked, taking me aback. I couldn't understand her comment and looked toward Albert for an explanation.

"Arlene, this is Josh Currie and the boy was one of Josh's sons. You know that," he told his wife very softly, but there was no spark of recognition in her eyes and there didn't seem to be any connection to our previous conversation. Looking confused, she just stared back at her husband.

"Josh, I'm sorry," Mr. Becker added, apologetically. "We've been battling our own problems for the past several months. Arlene has been diagnosed with an Alzheimer-like disease and isn't always lucid. I don't think it is Alzheimer's, because she doesn't ever get violent. Sometimes she's aware of what's going on around her, but at other times she has no idea where she is or who others are."

"Albert, I'm so sorry to hear this and can only imagine what you've had to endure," I consoled. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Josh, you have enough to handle with your own family and we'll be fine," Albert responded. "It was hard for me when Richard was in school, because I had to cover both my wife's and my chores, while at the same time trying to keep an eye on her. However, now that Richard is on his summer vacation, he can help me do her chores and take over some of the responsibility of helping me care for her, so it's not so bad. I'm just not sure what I'll do when he goes back to school in the fall."

While he was speaking, I immediately noticed Albert had called his son Richard and suspected Little Ricky might be outgrowing his nickname. I wanted to inquire about this, but due to everything else going on, I felt I would have to pursue it at some later date. However, I still had to respond to him about the current situation first.

"Albert, don't let your pride get in the way," I offered. "My boys and I would love to help you and your family in any way we can. Besides, it might be good for us too, to keep our minds occupied so we don't dwell so much on having lost Cody."

"I'm sorry, Josh. I didn't mean to offend you," Albert apologized, "and we would be happy to accept any help you would like to give. Just don't go out of your way and end up neglecting your family in the process."

"Don't worry about that, Albert," I replied. "We're all survivors and we would be happy to do what we can to ease your burden too."

"Albert, who are all these people and what are we doing here?" his wife suddenly asked.

"We're at the Currie's home, Arlene," he told her. "You remember Josh and his boys, don't you?" She stared blankly at him and I could sense his pain. I could also see how much it hurt him that his devoted partner no longer traveled on the same plane of reality as the rest of us.

"Josh, would you excuse us, please?" Mr. Becker asked. "I think I need to take my wife home now."

"Certainly, Albert, and I'll be in touch soon," I told him. "The boys and I will set up a schedule establishing who will come out to the farm to help out and when. We'll keep rotating the boys, so you'll have plenty of help. I know this is a busy time for you and we'll be there as much as possible. I realize you're concerned the boys might not be as willing to do this, so to ease your doubts, I promise I'll only utilize those who volunteer for this duty."

"Josh, you and your family are so very special," Mr. Becker countered. "Even at a time when you're dealing with your own problems, you still think of others first."

"Not entirely, Albert. I'm doing this for us too," I admitted. "I think it will help us get through the next few weeks by not allowing anyone to spend so much time focusing on our loss."

Albert nodded and then we parted company. He took his wife and Little Ricky home, but did take time to say good-bye to everyone first. I planned on discussing their situation with the boys later, once the rest of our guests had departed.

Over the next hour or two, all our other guests began to leave as well, although Steve, Mary, Sally and the Spences stayed until the very end. They were continually picking up, putting things away and washing the dirty dishes. After everything had been taken care of and it began to grow very late, they also took their leave, but not before letting us know all we had to do is contact them, if there was anything else we might need.

Once they had gone, I made my rounds to see how the boys were doing. First, I looked for Graham. Of course, I suspected he'd be with Kevin, so I went to Kevin and Vinnie's room first, to see if he was there. The door to their room was open, and as I looked inside, I wasn't surprised to see the three of them together.

When Graham noticed me standing in the doorway, he stood up and came racing toward me. He threw his arms around my waist and hugged me, before he looked up and spoke. "It was beautiful. Everything was just wonderful," he gushed.

"I'm glad you thought so," I told him, while hugging him back.

"Cody must have loved it," he added, when he lifted his head and looked at my face. "That's probably why he was smiling when I saw him, as we left the cemetery."

"I hope he realized everything we did and heard what you and Trey wrote," I added.

"And what you said too," Graham corrected, "and I hope he saw Andrew's new picture of him. It was really awesome. I can't believe he was able to do it so quickly."

"Yes, he is truly a very talented young man," I agreed. "Are you doing all right?"

"Yes, I'm okay," he confirmed. "Kevin and Vinnie are going to let me stay with them again tonight. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine with me," I confirmed, "as long as the three of you have agreed." I saw Kevin and Vinnie nodding their heads in the background.

"I want to thank both of you," I told them, "for helping out like this. I'm sure Graham appreciates it as much as I do and I just wanted to let you know that."

"We know, Dad," Kevin replied, with a wide grin.

"It's all cool, Pop," Vinnie added. "You've always been there for us, so we're just trying to do what we can too."

"Well, that means a great deal to me and I can't thank you enough," I told them. "I just want you to know that. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Nope, we're fine," Graham confirmed, "but I guess I should thank you for everything you did for Cody and me. Cody told me he felt lucky that he got to come here and I know he loved you as much as we all do. Thanks for doing everything you did for him and for letting me be there for him until the end."

"Hey, I was just doing my job as a dad," I replied, before things got too maudlin, and then I left the room, so I could check on the others.

Most of the boys were doing fine when I looked in on them, although they were all pretty sad. I can't imagine it was easy for any of them to lose another brother, even if they weren't around him for very long or had the opportunity to know him very well.

As I went into another room, I noticed Ricky and Peter were also together. This came as no surprise, but what I saw did cause me to wonder what was going on. Ricky had his arms around Peter, who was sobbing into Ricky's chest.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, since I was confused by what I was seeing.

"I think today just got to Peter," Ricky told me. "We were in here talking and I think he was worried about how I was doing, but then he suddenly started crying. I haven't found out why yet, but I'm sure it has something to do with Cody."

I went over and sat down, on the other side of Peter, to see if I could help. When I did, Peter turned toward me, looked up through his tear filled eyes and spoke.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he began. "I know I promised to help Ricky, but suddenly I saw one of my mates in that coffin, instead of your son. I don't know why I thought that, but it made me very sad."

"Hey, no problem," I reassured him, as I put my arm around his shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, Sir," he replied. "I guess I was just a bit bonkers."

"No, not at all," I responded. "Death is not something that is easily dealt with and can affect us in many ways. Do you have any idea why you thought of your friend in this manner?"

"Well, he does slightly resemble your son," he answered.

"Who?" Ricky asked, since I guess he hadn't gotten this far with Peter.

"Brian," Peter almost whispered and I could see the wheels turning in Ricky's head.

"You know, you're right," Ricky confirmed. "Even though he's a little older, slightly taller and his hair is a little darker, they do look somewhat alike. You know, if I just looked at the black and white picture of Cody, I could almost see Brian instead." Peter nodded and then lowered his head again.

"Well, now that's settled, is there anything I can do for either of you?" I followed.

"No, Sir. I'll be fine," Peter replied.

"Hey, what's with this sir crap again?" I teased, while giving him a wink when he looked up at me.

"Sorry, Pop," he apologized. "I guess I forgot while I was feeling sad."

"Well, let's cheer up and get that Peter smile back in place," I told him, which immediately got the response I wanted.

"How about you?" I asked Ricky. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," he told me. "It was a little rough at the funeral home, church and cemetery, but I think I'm okay now. I'll let you know if I need anything though."

"I hope you do," I told him, before I left.

After checking on the rest of the boys, I went back downstairs and ran into my grandsons. They weren't as cheery as they generally were, so I thought I should speak with them as well.

"Anyone want to go outside with me," I asked. They both looked up, but neither answered.

"Aw, come on," I continued. "I don't want to be all alone. So no one wants to be with me?"

"I'll go, Papa, if you want," Jordan answered, but I could tell his heart wasn't into it.

"Me too," Nicky added, but I could also tell he was just trying to humor me.

"Come on then, let's go out on the porch," I suggested, figuring I could talk to them privately there. Once we were sitting on the porch swing, I confronted them.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. They looked at each other, before either spoke.

"Papa, are any of our other uncles going to die?" Nicky finally asked.

"As I told you earlier," I stated, while looking him directly in the eye, "I suspect the rest of us will all be very old before that happens."

"Yeah, but Uncle Cody should have been old when he died too," Jordan challenge, "and Uncle Brent too."

"I know and I'm not sure why they didn't live to be very old too," I explained, as I tried to remain calm and collected, "but sometimes accidents and diseases do happen."

"So it could happen to one of our other uncles or us?" Nicky pressed, putting me on the spot again.

"I guess anything is possible," I agreed, "but what happened to your Uncle Brent and Uncle Cody were unusual. Uncle Brent just happened to be in an automobile accident and was the only one seriously hurt. Uncle Cody just got sick, but the doctors didn't know enough about his illness to be able to help him. Even though things like this happened to them, it probably won't happen to anyone else."

"Promise," Jordan challenged.

"Jordan, I can't promise," I acknowledged, "but it is highly unlikely."

"So something could happen?" Jordan continued.

"Yes, like I said, it is possible, just not probable," I explained. "It's not something you should be worrying about though, because I doubt anything like this will happen again, at least until you're old and gray."

"Like you, Papa," Nicky observed, which innocently reminding me of my own mortality.

"Even older and grayer than me," I told him with a wink, so he didn't start to worry he'd insulted or offended me.

"Okay, if you say so, Papa," he agreed, and then both livened up a bit, as we swung back and forth.

The boys stayed with me for another thirty minutes or so and we chatted about many other things. I asked them if they were going to join us on our vacation this year and they immediately said they wanted to, before asking me where we were going this year. I explained a little to them and they seemed satisfied with what they heard, so I figured I had two more to add to my plans. I would check with their parents first, just to make sure I had their approval.

Once we went inside, I entered the family room to relax and spend some time alone. I realized I also needed to clear my mind and take a little more time to think about how we could help the Beckers. My time alone didn't last long, however, because my older son Michael came in to speak with me.

Chapter 2
Trying Times

"Dad, I know this isn't the best time," Michael began, "but I really need to speak with you alone about something. Do you mind?"

"No, we can go to my room and talk there," I suggested. "People will be less likely to venture in, if the door is closed."

We got up and headed for my bedroom and Michael shut the door behind us, once we entered. I wasn't sure what this was about, but it seemed to be important to him.

"Dad," Michael began, "This is probably not the right time and I'm not sure how to say this, but is something going on between you and Jake?" I was stunned by his question and didn't answer right away. After a few moments of reflection, I finally responded.

"Why would you ask that," I countered, "and what difference would it make if there was?" He just stared at me at this point.

"Well, the question came up while Andrea and I were using your room this time. When we first arrived, we went to hang some things in your closet and couldn't help but notice that your things and Jake's were in there together. We knew some of those clothes were Jake's, because we've seen him wearing those same items during some of our other visits. So, what's the story here?"

"The story is, I'm an adult and I don't need to explain myself to you, my other children or anyone else," I shot back. "Whether anything is or isn't going on is my business and not yours, so I think we should end this discussion now."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I can't," he replied. "I'm pretty sure about what's happening here and I just don't understand it. For God's sake, you were married to Mom all those years and together had us four kids, but now it turns out you're gay? How could you disgrace her memory like this?"

"Michael, I was married to your mother for many years, and they were very good years too," I said. "We had four beautiful children, who have in turn given me three beautiful grandchildren, and I wish she was here to enjoy them too, but that was obviously not meant to be. I met Jake when some of the boys helped his son out of a threatening situation and they have since become a part of this family as well. Jake and I have a great deal in common and it's nice to have someone nearer my own age to talk to once in a while. Beside that, he also helps me manage this mad house and take care of the boys, and I think that's all you need to know."

"But are you gay?" he demanded.

"No, Michael, I am not," I replied. "If you must put a label on it, then you might say I'm bisexual, not merely gay."

"But you're sleeping with another guy," he shot back.

"You don't know that. You're only speculating," I corrected.

"Well, unless you are willing to swear to me you aren't and tell me directly that I am wrong," he continued, "I'm afraid my wife and I won't be coming here any more – and my children won't either."

"Why? I'm no different now than I was before," I challenged.

"Maybe not, but I don't want my family to be part of anything like this and I don't want my children exposed to seeing their grandfather cavorting with another man," he spat out, angrily. "I've talked to Marie, Adrian, Robert and Elizabeth, and we've all suspected some of our new brothers might be gay and we've learned to accept that, but we can't accept the fact we now have a gay father." I just stared at Michael, as I digested his comment.

"So you're telling me that the others all feel the same way you do?" I asked.

"Yes, Dad, I am," he stated, emphatically. We just stared at each other for a few moments, before I found my voice again.

"Why don't you go get them, because I want to hear it out of their mouths," I told him. I wasn't exactly sure why I demanding this, as I felt I might be setting myself up to get hurt even worse, but it was already done.

Michael nodded and left the room, but quickly returned with his siblings and their spouses. I studied their faces as they entered and immediately realized this situation probably wasn't going to turn out in my favor.

"Michael tells me that unless I deny that Jake and I are involved in any way, he and his family won't be coming here any more," I began. "He also told me the rest of you agree with him about this and will follow his lead. Is this true?" No one answered and my two daughters just let their heads drop to their chests, as they began to stare at the floor.

"Well, I guess I have my answer then," I acknowledged, sadly. "No matter what you think, and I will not deny or confirm any of your allegations, but I will only add that I have not changed in any way since your mother died. You will always be welcome here, but I take it I won't be seeing any of you again soon. You do what you think you have to do, and so will I, but I am disappointed that you're taking such a hard line, narrow-minded view of things."

Having said my piece, I left the room and continued out the front door. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to get out of there and clear my head before it exploded. I merely began walking up the road, with no destination in mind.

When I returned, maybe forty minutes to an hour later, I merely sat on the swing on the front porch for a while, since I wasn't ready to be confronted again. However, I wasn't alone for long, for that's when my younger son, Robert, discovered me. It seemed he felt he needed to talk to me, so he could clarify his position.

"Dad, I don't agree with Michael and I don't care what's going on between you and Jake. Michael told us what you said, about you're both consenting adults and all, and I agree. You obviously don't flaunt whatever it is you might be doing and we only discovered it because of some innocent snooping, so to speak. If being with Jake is what makes you happy, then I say go for it, but I'm afraid I might be the only one who feels this way.

"Don't be angry with them, Dad, because I think they'll change their minds once they consider this more fully. I hope this is merely something they've decided in haste and will eventually come to realize you're still the same guy we've always loved. I'm hoping once they have had time to think this through more fully, they will realize how foolishly they've acted. I know you raised us to be open-minded, but that's not the view our peers shared and I'm afraid their friends influenced my brother and sisters more than you and mom.

"The way I see it," Robert continued, "unless they are willing to approach this subject logically and dispassionately, and are willing to admit there is nothing wrong in what you're doing, they will all eventually regret the price they are going to have to pay for their narrow outlook on life."

"Thank you, Robert," I told him, once he'd finished. "Your support means a great deal to me, and I'm glad to know not all of my children are deserting me over this issue." At this point he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug.

"I love you, Dad, and nothing will ever change that," he stated, before he released me.

I thanked him again, before he went back inside, but I wasn't alone for very long. Almost immediately, Marie, my older daughter, came out to speak privately with me too.

"Dad, I don't agree with Michael," she informed me, "but unfortunately my husband does. Rather than fight him and possibly jeopardize my marriage, I'll go along with him for now, but I wanted you to know I still love you. I will talk to Adrian and try to get him to see he's wrong in his beliefs, but it may take some time. Until then, I'll probably only talk to you on the phone or online. I'm sorry it turned out like this, but Adrian is like his parents, very conservative and sometimes bigoted in his beliefs. I'm afraid this is one of those times when it will make things difficult for all of us."

"Thanks, honey, and I appreciate your support," I told her. "I also understand your dilemma, so you do what you have to do and don't jeopardize your family over me. I don't want to be responsible for creating any turbulence in your marriage."

"Oh, I think we'll get past this," she replied, "or at least I hope we will. I have a feeling your grandson will drive my husband crazy, if he's not allowed to come visit you and his other uncles any longer. I'm pretty sure Robert agrees with me on this, but I think Elizabeth and Michael pretty much see eye-to-eye on this issue."

"Thanks again, honey, and I've already talked to Robert," I informed her. "Too bad he's single, because now this will affect my relationship with all my grandchildren too."

"Don't worry, Dad. This will all blow over in time," she suggested. "Just hang in there until it does."

"Okay, honey, and thanks for being so supportive," I responded, before I kissed her, and she went back inside.

I thought I'd now have some time to digest what had happened, but I had only a short time alone, before Jake found me next.

"Josh, I think we need to talk," he began.

"Not now, Jake," I told him, trying to put him off for the time being, but he obviously wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Josh, we have to talk now," he insisted. "I've overheard a little about what's going on with your children and I can move into Shannon's room instead, or Shannon and I can find our own place now. No matter how much I love you, I'd rather not be the one who causes a rift in your family and keeps you from spending time with your grandchildren."

"No, Jake, I'm not going to coddle them," I replied. "It's not you who is driving this wedge between my children and me. They are the ones doing this and it is their acceptance of a bigoted, narrow-minded viewpoint that's splitting the family. I do not want you to leave and nothing is going to change, because I could not stand losing you on top of everything else that has happened. If my children can't accept what we have together and decide to shun us, then I don't want them in my life either." I just looked him squarely in the eye, trying to let him see how much he truly meant to me.

"Josh, you know you don't mean that and that's not what you want. There's no way you'll be happy without your grandchildren in your life and I know you find it extremely difficult to handle not seeing them in the future. However, that's exactly what will happen, as long as I'm still here. Josh, I will do this for your sake, but we can still be close, even if we aren't sharing the same bedroom."

"NO! Fuck them and the ones who feel this way can go to hell. I'll handle whatever I have to handle, but I know I couldn't handle it if you and Shannon weren't still in my life. In time, maybe my stubborn children will change their minds, but if not, then I no longer need them. I will not be told what to do, like some misbehaving child. I am their father – they are not mine!" I hoped my last statement would be the end of the discussion, but Jake wasn't going to let it drop easily.

"Well, I won't be able to deal with knowing I came between you, your children and grandchildren. Maybe you can pretend this isn't going to effect you, but it is already having an impact on me. I will not be the cause of you not being able to see your children and grandchildren in the future."

"Jake, if that happens, you will not be the cause of it, by any means. The cause of that happening will be due to the right wing, conservative, back-woods outlook expressed by my grown children. I know they've accepted the fact that some of the boys might be gay, although we never confronted them directly with the issue, but I guess they draw the line when it comes to me. Robert and Marie seem to be okay with it, but Adrian is forcing Marie's hand. The other two seem to have drawn the proverbial line in the sand, so they'll have to be the ones to cross over it, if anyone ever does."

"But Josh…" I cut him off.

"Jake, they're old enough to make up their own minds and it's the way my wife and I raised them. We wanted them to be strong, independent individuals and each of them thanked us for making them self-sufficient when they were in college. They often told us they were about the only ones who could actually do most things for themselves.

"Even though we taught them to be self-reliant, I thought we'd also taught them to make educated and enlightened choices, but I guess we failed there. However, since they've made their choice, they will have to live with the consequences that result from their decisions; just as I've had to do for the many choices I've made in my life. I think it's best we just put this subject behind us now and move on. I don't want to dwell on this matter any longer."

I wasn't sure I had convinced Jake, but he didn't argue with me further and, eventually, went back inside. The next thing I saw was my older children loading up their belongings in our vehicles, so our older drivers could take them to catch their flights. Jake was originally going to do this, but I felt he wouldn't be able to make the trip without commenting on what they had said or were doing. Therefore, I asked Mark and Frankie if they'd be willing to drive them and they both agreed.

I sat on the porch, rocking in the swing, as they prepared to leave. I didn't even bother to get up to say good-bye, figuring if they didn't feel a farewell was in order, then neither did I. Robert and my grandsons were the only ones to come over to me before he took off.

My grandsons were very emotional, since they had heard their parents state they wouldn't be coming here any more, although they hadn't heard the comments about Jake and I. Therefore, they both wanted to know why they couldn't come visit any longer.

"Did we do something to make you mad, Papa?" Nicky asked, with a very sad expression on his face.

"No, you boys have done nothing," I assured them. "It's just that your parents don't agree with some things I'm doing here and have decided they don't want to be part of my life any longer."

"Can they do that?" Jordan asked, confused.

"They are old enough to make their own choices," I confirmed, "so I won't try to change their minds."

"But what if we want to come spend time with you? Can we still do that?" Jordan continued.

"You're always welcome here, but I don't feel your parents will allow you to do so any longer," I advised.

"Then we'll make up own minds, like they did," Nicky stated, defiantly.

"Your not old enough to go against your parents yet," I stated. "As long as you are below the age when you can be on your own, you'll have to do what your parents tell you."

They each looked upset that I didn't encourage their stance and Jordan decided to clarify it. "They aren't listening to you, so why should we do what they tell us?" he asked.

"You need to obey your parents and do as they say," I reiterated, "until you're old enough to be on your own. Until then, I'll be thinking of you, loving you in my heart and praying your parents change their minds."

They weren't happy with this, but went off to join their parents to return home. After they left me, Robert approached one final time.

"Don't give up, Dad," he told me. "Maybe they'll see the light yet. I still love you and will keep in touch. I also think you'll hear from Marie as well, so not all is lost."

I thanked him again for his support and told him I had chatted with Marie earlier, before he took off to catch his ride.

Once my older children left, I rounded up the others and we went inside to discuss another issue. I wanted to find out who was interested in helping the Beckers; since I promised Albert I'd only use volunteers. I had taken time to ask Mark and Frankie before they left and both agreed to do what they could, although Mark could only help out on the weekends. I think I'll use him on Saturdays and let him have Sunday to himself.

Before I could even broach the subject of helping out on the farm, some of the boys began to ask me other questions. They had heard snippets of conversations between their oldest siblings and seemed more upset than Jake or I about what had happened. I tried to downplay the events that had transpired earlier, by explaining to the boys that everyone is free to make up his own mind and each of us has to do what he thinks is best for himself and his family. Although they agreed in principal with what I had said, they were still upset about what this meant for me. I could see the wheels turning in many of their heads, as they endeavored to figure out a way to defuse this crisis.

To get their minds off my problems, I talked to everyone about Mrs. Becker and her health related issues. It seemed as though the boys had also noticed her swings in lucidity when they had approached her to say hello. Instead of responding as they expected, she would either ask if she knew them or made some off the wall comment about something else. Concerned, they confronted Little Ricky about his mother's condition.

Even though he was a bit embarrassed by it, and even a little ashamed, he filled them in on some of the things that had been going on. I let them know Mr. Becker and Little Ricky could use a break from their workload and suggested we could take turns going out to the farm, so we could help them out. I suggested we could go to the farm in small groups of maybe two, three or four at a time, and then stay for up to a week to lend a hand. Since they were somewhat familiar with the various jobs on the farm, they knew what would be required of them.

The boys all seemed to think this was a good idea and volunteered to participate. Even Peter offered to go and help out too, although I told him he didn't have to. He said he didn't mind and would go out with Ricky, so I told him that would be fine, if it's what he wanted. I also let them get together and figure out who would go out with whom, but I would make out a schedule determining when they would go. I realized some of them had probably volunteered just so they could spend some time with Little Ricky, but I also knew they wanted to relieve him of some of his burden. They all realized how difficult it must be for him to cope with his mother's condition, especially during the times when she didn't even recognize him.

I also told them it looked as if Little Ricky now wanted to be called Richard, since that was what Mr. Becker was doing. I wasn't certain, but suspected, like Frankie, he was trying to make a statement by doing this and using this as his way to forge a more mature identity. The boys all said they understood and agreed to try to remember to call him Richard when they were with him.

After I made out a quick schedule and filled in the various groups that wanted to work together, I called Mr. Becker to confirm the arrangements. Jake or I would drive the groups out and leave them for the week, figuring this would take some of the pressure off Albert and Little Ricky, excuse me – Richard, and give them a little respite.

He thanked me several times and asked me to relay his gratitude to my sons, but he'd also do that personally, when they came out to the farm. He also said it would be good for Richard to have their company, as it might take his mind off of worrying about his mother. After talking a little longer, I told him we'd see him this weekend.

Now that was settled, I began working on finalizing our vacation plans. Things had changed drastically, since Cody was gone and it didn't look as if my grandsons would be joining us either. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a big bust.

Chapter 3
Distractions

Over the next few days I was approached by various members of my family, as they came to offer me their own unique take about how to handle the situation with my older children. I listened to their suggestions about how they thought I could resolve this problem and then thanked them for their input. Although I tried to be polite and let everyone express his ideas, I was getting tired of listening to everyone else tell me how I should handle my own life. Finally, I announced I wouldn't discuss this topic further and everyone left me in peace – that was everyone except Jake.

Since Jake was convinced he was the cause of my problems and the root of this situation, he felt he should be part of the solution as well. I decided I owed him at least that much, to ease his conscience, but Jake was the only one I would allow to continue this discussion. I did have one stipulation, however, and he would only bring this up in private and when I wasn't involved with other things.

Now that I had issued my ultimatum about others butting into my personal problems, the boys seemed to focus their attention on how best to help the Beckers. They talked about what their group would do when their turn came up on the schedule, including anything they thought they might do to help, even if Mr. Becker didn't ask. They also tried to devise activities for their limited free time, which they planned to use to divert Little Ricky's attention from his problems.

Once the first group knew what they were going to do, I called Albert and arranged a time for us to come out. It was decided anytime on Saturday would be fine, so we'd all go out and help them this weekend. The first group would stay at the farm until the following weekend, when we'd bring the next group out to replace them. By having each group go out on Saturday, Jake and I could help out as well. Mark could drive out and spend the day with us, if he still wanted to participate, and from what he said, I was sure he did. He could drive back Saturday night or Sunday morning, but the rest of us would help out on Sunday too and return home Sunday night.

Albert thanked me numerous times for what we were doing and told me how much it would help him. He also thought it would benefit Richard the most, since he was becoming very concerned about what might happen to him, if his adoptive mother completely lost touch with reality. I told him I understood and would give it my best effort to assuage his son's fears.

The first group consisted of Danny, Brandon and Andrew. The college boys thought they should go first, but they also split up according to size and work ability as well. That way some of the boys could do the physical labor, while the other(s) could take care of the less taxing chores. It seemed like a good plan, but we'd soon see how it worked out.

During their stay at the farm, the boys not only helped the Beckers out with the daily chores, but they freed Mr. Becker up to spend more time with his wife. When she was in one of her more lucid states, they would talk and joke around with each other, but during the other times he would literally have to take care of her, as you would a small child. It was difficult for us to witness, so I could only imagine how tough it was for Richard and him, but we did what we could to allow them to be together as much as possible.

The boys began by helping out with the normal summertime duties, such as the haying, but they also helped take care of his crops and animals as well. Depending on weather conditions and how quickly the hay grew, they would do at least two and possible three cuttings before they returned to school.

They would continue this routine until the fall, and then those of us who didn't leave for college would come out on the weekends to help Mr. Becker harvest his modest assortment of crops. He grew these mainly for his own use, but when he had more than he needed, he would also share the excess with his friends, put a modest amount up for sale at his roadside stand or sell a share to the local stores.

The boys were all quite pleased they were able to make an impact on lessening the workload for our friends, but they also enjoyed the time they got to spend with Richard, in between doing the various chores. They would try to get him involved in things he liked to do, like skinny-dipping in the pond, but they would also do other things with him, when he suggested it. It was obvious they'd do anything for someone they thought of like another brother.

As we approached the end of June, our hectic routine began to become familiar to us and kept us all very busy. However, I still hadn't forgotten what had happened concerning my older children. It still pained me deeply to think they were so intolerant about sexual issues, but I hoped it was only because it had to do with their father and didn't indicate a general bigotry towards gays. I continued to try to push it out of my mind, but it would pop up again when I least expected. The one thing that hurt me more than anything else was that their decision was going to greatly alter my relationship with my grandchildren. Otherwise, I think I might have been able to work my way through what was going on.

One thing that did bring me out of my funk, at least temporarily, was when Nick called from Brazil (or should I spell it Brasil, as they do down there?). He was very excited and seemed to like his host family a lot. They happened to have two sons, one about Nick's age (Will) and one slightly younger (Marcos), so that didn't hurt either. I immediately reminded him of the concerns we went over before he left, although I feared my comments were falling on deaf ears. If I were a gambler, I would bet Nick would probably be in both boys' pants before the week was out, if he hadn't been already. I sometimes wish he wasn't quite so sexually aggressive.

Nick also told me about the school he was attending, the people he'd met and the area he lived in. He informed me he was quite fortunate to have gone to the family he had, as there was basically no middle class in Brazil and the people there were either quite wealthy, with servants and all, or fairly poor. Fortunately for him, his family was quite well to do and he was going to have it quite easy while he was with them. He was very excited about everything and mentioned once again how cute he thought the two sons were. When he finished, I reminded him one more time about the things we'd discussed before he left to spend time with his parents.

We then went on to talk about other things, such as how everyone was doing, before I let him chat briefly with some of the boys. When they had finished their conversations, I got back on the line and we talked a little more, before I finally said good-bye. I reminded him to keep in touch, and he promised he would, and then I told him I loved him and missed him, before I hung up.

The next item on my agenda was getting ready for our vacation. Most of the arrangements had been made previously, but then put on hold during Cody's illness, but now that he was gone, I saw no reason why the remainder of the family shouldn't enjoy some of their summer. Of course, I had made some changes, such as removing Cody and my grandson from the equation, while adding Peter, but basically we'd follow the plans I had come up with in advance.

I did take some time to sit down and discuss things with Peter, so I could get an idea of the types of things he might like to do. He was pretty open and receptive to almost anything, so I pulled Ricky aside, to see if he could give me an idea of the types of things Peter enjoyed. In the end, I came up with a couple of additional ideas, which I'd try to fit in with my existing plans.

I also tried to make certain we didn't leave the Beckers stranded, without any help. The last time I was out to the farm, I took time to go around and speak with Mr. Becker's neighbors, to see about getting some of the young men from the area to cover for my boys while we were away. I offered to pay them more than adequately for their help, although most of them claimed I didn't need to compensate them at all for doing the 'neighborly thing.' Nonetheless, I would make sure they were rewarded for adding to their own workloads, as the majority of them would still have to do their own chores on their family farms while also helping out the Beckers.

Frankie and Mark had informed me they'd only be joining us for part of the trip, as they couldn't afford to be away for an entire month. Mark would take his two-week vacation and join us for the first part of our trip, but that's the most time he could possibly be away from work. Frankie was going to go with us for the same two-week period, but it wasn't due to his limited time off. Frankie had been looking for a job since his graduation and felt he couldn't be away for any extended period of time, just in case a job offer came through.

Frankie also offered to help out on the Becker farm when he came back and while we were continuing our vacation. That way, he'd be able to check for messages on possible job offers, while still helping out on the farm. Mark said he'd spend the weekends out there too, not just Saturday, and I thanked them both for their assistance and thoughtfulness. I also went over what they might want to pack for their time away, before I went over similar information with everyone else.

Although we were planning to leave for vacation on Saturday, the week after the Fourth of July, our plans were about to experience a few snags. First, Mark came home one evening and announced he now had to go away for a conference the week before we were to leave. Another person was supposed to go, but he'd just quit, to start a better job in New York City. Since the reservation had been made, paid for and non-refundable, Mark's boss told him he was next in line to go. Mark didn't dare refuse, so he agreed, but he knew this might mess up his going on vacation with us.

It was an investment seminar, which was right up Mark's alley, and it was going to be held at a resort in Upstate New York. Mark's boss was fairly insistent he should go, since it would expose him to others in the field and introduce him to new strategies and approaches concerning what he was currently doing. It would also familiarize him with analyses about the current market and what to types of things to be aware of in the future.

This event was being held several hours away, at the Concord Resort in the Catskill Mountains. I knew it was a marvelous establishment, since I'd been there before to attend various educational conferences. I informed Mark there would be many other things he might be able to do while he was there, besides just attend conference sessions. I went on to tell him the resort also featured two golf courses, tennis courts, horseback riding and various nightclubs to occupy his spare time. I hoped this information might give him a better perspective about attending, since he was slightly bummed out by suddenly being forced to do this. Try as I might, Mark insisted he wouldn't have that much free time, so he'd just stick to doing what he was there for.

We discussed his various options of getting back and forth, since he'd be the only one attending this time. In the end, he decided, due to his time constraints, it would be best for him to drive. That way he could return on Friday, during the early evening hours, and would still have time to get his things together. That way, there would be no problem with us catching our flight Saturday morning.

The weekend before we were to leave on our trip, we left Mark at home to pack for his conference, while the rest of us went to the Beckers to do our thing. When we arrived, Mrs. Becker didn't know who we were or what we were doing there, so we stayed clear of the house, so as not to upset her. A few hours later she spotted us going about our duties and asked her husband why the boys and I hadn't come in to say hello. At that point he called us over and explained the situation, so we went in to offer our apologies and tell her we hadn't wanted to disturb her. I knew this was very difficult for Mr. Becker, judging from his reactions, and he looked as if he had aged ten years in just the past few months.

We worked hard all day Saturday and most of Sunday, but we left earlier than normal, so we could get back to say good-bye to Mark before he left. Mr. Becker and Richard thanked us once more for our assistance, and we left Dustin, Cole and Graham to finish out the week, with a promise that we'd be back early Friday to pick them up for our vacation. We said our good-byes, got back into our vehicles and headed home. When we got there, Mark was nearly frantic.

"Dad, there's something's wrong with my car and I can't get it started," he quickly told me. "I've called around and can't find anyone who is willing to fix it today. They all say wait until tomorrow and bring it in, but I can't wait. I have to leave tonight, so I'll be there in time for the morning registration."

"Mark, calm down and don't worry about it," I told him. "You can take the Grand Am and Jake and I will get your car fixed while you're gone. Does that solve your problem?"

"You'd do that for me?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"Certainly. You're part of this family too," I reminded him, "and we help each other out."

"But won't the other guys need the Grand Am during the week?" he asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about that, we'll survive without it," I assured him. "You just take it for now and we'll work our schedules out so we can get along with the other vehicles."

"Dad, you're a lifesaver." He gushed, as he gave me a big grin and an even bigger hug. "I really do love you."

"I know and I love you too," I replied. "Have you finished packing?"

"Yes, I'm all done with that," he confirmed.

"Good! Then give me your keys and I'll get you the keys for the Grand Am," I informed him, "and you can leave whenever you think you need to. Just drive carefully and give me a call when you get there."

"Are you worried about your car?" he countered, confused.

"No, I'm worried about you," I informed him, "and I make all the boys call me when they go on trips. So you'll be no exception to that rule." He flashed me another grin and nodded, before he headed into the house to finish his preparations.

After Mark left, I called the other boys together and explained what they needed to do during the week, to prepare for our trip. I asked them to pack separately for the two completely different trips. They were to use their suitcases to pack for the first two weeks and then use their backpacks for the second two weeks. They said they understood, but I also asked them for help getting things ready for the three who were working at the Becker's this week. I had plenty of volunteers for that duty, so I picked two boys to cover for each of their missing brothers.

While the boys were taking care of their things, I pulled Peter aside, to see what he needed. He had his own suitcase, so I supplied him with the backpack I had set aside for Cody to use and then sent him off with Ricky. I figured Ricky could help make certain Peter packed the right items, since I didn't want to get miles away from here and find out he'd forgotten something.

Once everyone else was packing, Jake and I went to get our own belongings ready. We already had most of our things together, so it didn't take us long. When we finished, we went around to check on the others and see how they were doing.

Since Frankie only had to pack for the first two weeks, he tried to help out wherever he could and did almost any task the others needed a hand with. He did laundry, helped take boys to the mall to pick up things they discovered they were missing and even helped iron a few badly wrinkled garments. He even helped me take Mark's car to the garage the next day, so my mechanic could work on it while Mark was gone.

I was very impressed with the way Frankie handled himself and went about his fatherly assistance. As I watched him, I marveled at the growth he had shown since Steve had first brought him to my home. Then, Frankie was hostile, disruptive and a threat to others, so much so that I asked to have him removed. I'm certainly glad he showed up at my door after he'd straightened up his act, and I'm grateful the boys encouraged me to give him another chance. If anyone could prove you could indeed change the spots on a leopard, Frankie had.

There was still a lot to do during the week and we all kept busy. On Friday, I took the van and drove out to the Beckers to pick up the boys that had been working, but didn't take a new crew with me. I chatted briefly with Albert and Richard when we first got there and both told me how much work the three boys had done during the week. I then informed them how I had arranged to have the work covered while we were away and then they thanked us again and told us to have a good time.

I had previously offered to take Richard with us, but he didn't want to leave his parents, for fear something might happen to one of them while he was away. He also said there was too much work to be done and he didn't want to leave his father to cover his chores too. I didn't push the issue, but told him we'd miss him.

Dustin, Cole and Graham were anxious to get back home, so they could get ready for this trip, and I was glad to see them so excited. Dustin told me he had worked on Mr. Becker's furnace each night, to get it ready for the winter. He changed the filters and tweaked it so it was running more efficiently, and felt that would save them some money and keep them warmer when the cold weather hit.

When we got home, I sent the boys up to shower and check out the packing the others had done for them. I told them to make sure they had what they wanted and needed, because I wasn't go to allow them to blame anyone else if they were missing anything. They said they understood and would be responsible for their own things, but thanked us for helping them get ready.

While they were doing that, I drove down to the cemetery, so I could place flowers on Brent and Cody's graves and spend a few quiet moments alone with them. I had never been one who frequented cemeteries or spent time conversing with the dead, but since I'd heard Graham explain his gift and listened to how he got messages from the dearly departed, I had changed my tune. Now, I wanted to make sure both boys knew they were still important, not forgotten and still a part of our lives. It may have been more for my benefit than for them, but it was something I felt I had to do.

After I visited the boys' graves, I went to another section of the cemetery, so I could also spend time with my wife. I needed to seek her understanding with my current situation and beg her to somehow intervene with our children, concerning this matter. Although she had given me her approval about what I was doing with the boys, as was passed to me via Graham, I needed her to understand about my relationship with Jake too.

I explained to her that while we were married I had been true and devoted to just her, but since her passing I had found happiness with another man. I went on to tell her it didn't mean I loved her any less and that my love for Jake was different than what we shared, but I hoped she would understand, approve and not be offended by my current situation. I wasn't sure if any of this would change anything, but it did give me a chance to express my feelings out loud. After I finished our little conversation, I got into the van and drove home.

When I got back, Mark was already there, and the boys were helping him do his laundry and pack for the trip. We would get up at 8:00 in the morning, and hit the road by 10:00.

Chapter 4
We're On Our Way

The morning started out as anticipated and we started out just before 10:00, to catch our 2:40 p.m. flight to Jackson, Wyoming. Our plane is scheduled to land just before 9:00 and then we'll take a shuttle to the motel where I've made reservations. Once there, we'll spend the rest of the evening and then have breakfast the next morning, before we're picked up by the bus I'd chartered to take us to Yellowstone National Park.

Unfortunately, the trip to get to our destination was not short or easy. When planning this excursion, I had to make some tough choices, beginning with selecting an appropriate flight. There was no direct connection from Pittsburgh to Jackson, Wyoming, so my first decision was which flight to take. We had a choice. We could go from Pittsburgh, to Atlanta, to Salt Lake City and then to Jackson, which would end up being a 10 – 13 hour trip, depending on layovers. If we didn't like that option, we could fly from Pittsburgh, to Cincinnati, to Salt Lake City and then to Jackson, and this would shorten the trip to somewhere between 8 to 9 hours.

The problem was if I chose the latter flight, which I did, we wouldn't fly out until after 2:00 in the afternoon and then arrive at our destination a little after 8:00 p.m. The other flight left earlier, between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, and got in before 8:00 p.m. However, after considering the two options, it didn't seem like a tough choice to me. I felt it would be easier on the boys if we took the less time consuming trip.

No matter which route I chose, we would start off by having to endure a nearly three-hour ride just to get from home to the airport, so why compound the problem? Besides, this way we also wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night to leave for the airport and could sleep a little later in the morning. That would probably make the boys a little easier to deal with, so with this in mind, I sent them to bed. Once they disappeared, I went over my checklist one final time.

I got everyone up the next morning, right on schedule. After the boys were ready, Jake and I loaded them into our vehicles, along with the luggage. We were actually on the road before ten, with me leading the way in the van and Jake following closely behind in the Suburban. I had planned to make only one stop along the way, for drinks and to give everyone a chance to use the restrooms. Even though we wouldn't be traveling during the rush hour, the one thing I forgot to take into consideration was some unexpected construction along our route.

Since there wasn't a major highway going from where we lived to the airport, we had to take some older, smaller roads until we could hook up with I-76. As we made our way along these local routes, we encountered crews patching the roadway and, in one spot cutting down trees and tree limbs they suspected might come down during the winter. These work crews slowed us down, as well as the bridge reconstruction on the interstate where traffic was funneled into a single lane in each direction. All of these slowdowns caused us to arrive later than anticipated, but it was still slightly before 1:30, so we still had time to check in for our flight.

Our plane lifted off almost exactly on time, and of course we comprised the largest segment of the passenger list. The boys didn't have their usual flight entertainment with them, which would have included their computerized games and portable CD players. They didn't want to bring these devices along on this trip, because they would have had to leave them unprotected as we moved from the first half of our vacation to the second part. We had talked about this before we left and that was when they decided not to take the chance of having anything stolen, so they opted to leave them home instead.

The first leg of the flight went quickly, but there was some bad weather over Cincinnati and we got stacked up in a landing pattern, waiting for the earlier arrivals to land. That wasn't so bad, because it just cut into our layover time, or so I thought. However, the weather had also delayed the departures, so we were no further ahead. We still had about an hour to kill, but it wasn't too bad, and of course the boys found their own ways to pass the time. Some walked around and others went to the gift shops, while the rest spent their time checking out the other girls and guys who were wandering around the airport.

When we were called to board, we quickly loaded onto the next plane going to Salt Lake City. The trip lasted a little over an hour and a half, but this time the weather was fabulous. The boys spent some of their time looking out the windows, to see if they recognized anything, and the rest of the time they spent talking to one another or with Jake and me.

I was a little surprised when Peter came back and sat down with us, but I soon discovered why. It wasn't just to be polite; although that's the way it started off.

"Pop, I'd really like to thank you again for doing so much for me," Peter began, "and you really are as wonderful as Ricky told me you were." I guess I must have looked surprised after he made that comment, so he went on to explain.

"He really did, Sir, I mean Pop," he apologized, blushing. "Ricky has told me so much about you and I know he really loves you. He thinks you're about the greatest person who's ever lived."

"I think you might be exaggerating a tad," I told him, hoping to tone this down a bit.

"I'm not, Sir, really," Peter insisted. "I could tell just by the way he spoke about you and the way he lit up when you rang him up or sent him an email."

"Well, I love him too," I assured Peter, "and we've always had a special bond. He was my first foster child and adopted son."

"Yes, he told me," Peter continued, but now I could see there was something else on his mind.

"Was there something else you wished to discuss?" I asked, to give him a push in the right direction.

"Well, I suppose there is," he agreed. "I think you know I'm like Ricky, in that I prefer girls but don't mind doing things with boys either." I merely nodded in response.

"Well, some of your sons have asked me if I wanted to do things with them, but I wanted to get your approval first," he announced. I was surprised he was so relaxed with broaching this subject with me.

"All the boys know I don't mind things like that going on, as long as everyone is agreeable," I confirmed.

"Yes, Ricky told me the same thing and said you basically knew what everyone did," he continued. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to ask you this, but Ricky convinced me you wouldn't get upset if I did."

"That's correct," I concurred, "so what did you want to ask me?"

"Well, two of your younger sons asked me to do things with them too," he told me, "and I wanted to get your approval before I agreed."

"Out of curiosity, to whom are you referring?" I asked.

"Graham and Andrew have each asked me," he acknowledged. "Even though Ricky told me Graham is the same age as me, he's smaller and looks younger."

"That's because he was malnourished and neglected before he came to live with me," I admitted and Peter looked shocked. "That's all behind us now and Graham has been doing fine, but I will agree he's not as physically mature as most boys his age. He probably is the equivalent of someone a couple years younger. Is that a problem for you?"

"Oh, no sir, not at all. It's just that I've never done anything with anyone as young as Andrew before, and Graham also appears younger, so I felt I should get your permission first. I think they asked me because none of us are circumcised, but I wouldn't mind trying something with them, if it meets with your approval."

"I have no problems with that, since all the boys have been told they could participate," I informed him. "As I said, as long as you and your partner agree to what you're planning to do, I won't object. Just be gentle with Graham. I'm sure he's a little vulnerable at the moment, since he just lost Cody, so please don't hurt him."

"Oh, I won't, so you don't have to worry," he assured me. "I just felt this might let me know what it would have been like if I'd have been brave enough to try things of this nature, before Ricky came to live with us." I understood, but didn't pursue that line of thought. Instead, I asked him something.

"Does that answer your question and take care of your problem then?" I asked, just to be certain.

"Yes, Sir, I mean Pop, and thank you," he said before he went back to his seat. He had a huge grin on his face as he made his way down the aisle, but he did stop and whispered something to both Graham and Andrew before he sat next to Ricky again.

The rest of the flight was uneventful and we enjoyed a smooth landing. As soon as we reached the terminal, we had to rush to catch our next plane. Although our flight landed behind schedule, it did not delay our connecting flight, which was still leaving on time. We hoped our luggage was also being transferred, while we walked as quickly as we could to the appropriate gate.

This meant poor little Andrew nearly had to jog to keep up with the rest of us. Even though he was twelve, and would be thirteen in three months, he was still quite short and couldn't keep up with the long strides we were taking without running. He didn't complain, however, which might possibly have been due to the fact that Peter was holding his hand as they went, and we were soon aboard our final flight.

We landed in Jackson around 8:30 Saturday night, grabbed our luggage and then scrambled onto the airport shuttle bus, which we nearly filled. It took us to the motel where we'd be spending the night and I think everyone was getting pretty tired by this point. Before we left home, we had decided who would be sharing rooms for the night, so I gave each group their key, told them to freshen up quickly and then we'd catch a late meal before we called it a night. Outside of breakfast, we'd only snacked during the rest of the day, so I wanted them to have something more substantial before we turned in.

It ended up that we all ordered hamburgers or some sort of sandwich, but we also had fries or a salad to go along with it. It didn't take us very long to eat, since we weren't having a large meal, and once we were done, I reminded the boys I would be calling their rooms around 8:00 the next morning. I also explained that I expected them to be ready for breakfast by 9:00, because our chartered bus would be arriving around 10:00 to take us to Yellowstone. They all said they understood and we went back to our rooms.

That night Andrew spent some time with Peter before they hit the sack. Although they weren't sharing a room together, they were able to find a place they could do what they wanted, without someone watching them or interfering in what they had planned. Neither Peter nor Andrew was shy about being naked in front of the others, but they didn't want their sexual exploration to become a spectacle. Therefore, they talked the others sharing the room they were going to use into spending some time with others, so they could be alone.

"I hope you don't think I'm a baby, because I'm so small and don't have any hair down there yet," Andrew stated, once they were alone.

"Blimey, I've seen you naked and never thought that about you," Peter announced, shocked. "Besides, babies certainly can't produce the quality of art you did, so I'd never think that." Andrew smiled.

"I know I can draw," he confirmed, "but I do have a wiener like a baby."

"Will you promise not to share what I tell you with anyone?" Peter asked, hopefully, and Andrew nodded eagerly.

"I didn't get any hair down there and my willy didn't grow until I was older than you are now," Peter confessed. "In fact, I was worried Ricky would arrive before it happened, but I started puberty a few months before he reached Australia. It went fairly quickly after that, but I know how I worried too."

"Really, you were like me?" Andrew asked, his mouth agape.

"Absolutely," Peter confirmed. "And the only thing that happened when I wanked was the tingly feeling, but nothing came out."

"That's the way it is for me too," Andrew agreed. Suddenly, he was feeling better about his own situation, knowing Peter had gone through something similar but was now just like everyone else.

Once that was settled, the boys agreed to masturbate each other, but that was it. In fact, Peter had never done much more with Ricky or his schoolmates, but it was more than enough for Andrew. In fact, the next time I saw him, he still had a special glow, so I knew the encounter had gone well.

The following morning, I received my wake-up call from the front desk at 7:45 and immediately began to call all the other rooms to make sure the boys were also getting up. I heard various sons groggily answer their phones and promise they'd get the others up and moving, so I jumped in the shower and got dressed.

About 8:10, I decided to walk to each of the rooms, just to check on how things were proceeding, and everything was going great until I came to the room in which Shannon, Ricky, Danny and Brandon were staying. Ricky had answered the phone, but it was now obvious he had fallen back to sleep, instead of rousing the others. My knock at the door got Danny out of bed, and while he was waking Brandon and Shannon, I filled their ice bucket with cold water and took it over and emptied it on my blond angel. I figured it was what Ricky might have done to one of us in the same situation and payback is a bitch.

He leapt out of bed, as the cold water shocked his body into consciousness, and started screaming, "I'm going to get whichever bastard did this!" When he looked around, the other boys were laughing, but then he noticed me, still holding the bucket.

"That was your punishment for not waking the others, as I asked you to do," I told him. He shot me a bone-chilling glare, to let me know he wasn't happy with the sentence I'd carried out.

"Dad, that was heartless," he whined.

"True, and exactly the type of thing you would have done, if our roles had been reversed." After listening to me say this, he was unable to hide a little smirk that spread across his lips, as he realized I was probably correct in my assessment.

"Okay, I'm sorry I didn't get up and wake the others when you called," he apologized. "I guess I was just so tired that I dozed off again."

"Well, now I need all of you to get moving, because you're already lagging behind the others. We're meeting up for breakfast at 9:00, so hustle, unless you don't want to eat." They certainly didn't want that to happen, so they started racing about getting ready and I went back to my room.

Ricky's group only slowed us down a couple of minutes, even though they actually got started much later than the others. Now, we went off to eat and were in and out of the restaurant in pretty good time. Once we finished, we went back to our rooms, collected our belongings and loaded everything onto the bus when it arrived. I had chartered a bus and driver to haul us around during our vacation, since it was the easiest way to get so many people from one place to another. It also meant Jake and I didn't have to worry about doing the driving and getting lost.

Soon we were on our way and heading toward Yellowstone National Park, our first stop. As we drove north from Jackson, we could see the Grand Teton Mountain Range looming off to the west. It was quite an impressive sight, with the Grand Teton being the highest peak, at 13,770 feet, but there were also twelve other peaks in the range that topped the 12,000-foot mark as well. We could also see Jackson Lake along the way and that was quite an amazing site too. It took us a couple of hours to reach the south entrance to Yellowstone, the first and oldest of the national parks. It was established in 1872, in a fairly remote part of the country, but we soon discovered it was worth the effort.

Shortly after we entered the park, we came across Moose Falls, which cascaded down the slope, from the plateau above, and into the deep canyon of Lewis River. A little farther on, we passed a second falls, Lewis Falls, which had a lesser plunge of thirty-seven feet. They both appeared to be pristine and still filled visitors with awe. One couldn't help but wonder what the Native Americans and early explorers thought when they first beheld such splendor.

"Does anyone want to venture a guess as to whom the Lewis River and Lewis Falls were named for?" I asked, to insert an educational element in our vacation.

"Was it the Lewis, from Lewis and Clark?" Cole asked, and everyone looked at him in surprise. It's true Cole had his problems with academics, but once he learned something, it was his for life.

"Correct," I agreed. "They were both named for Meriwether Lewis, who was one of the first to explore this area."

From there we made our way to West Thumb, which extends from the western end of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb got its name from a description given by the Washburn party in 1870, in which they noted the lake was shaped like "a human hand with the fingers extended and spread apart as much as possible." This eventually gave way to calling this area West Thumb, as this is the location where the thumb would have been if the lake were a hand. From here we took a walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin, which is sometimes referred to as "Potts Basin," after Daniel T. Potts, a trapper from the 1820's.

As we took our walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin, we noticed it was filled with a collection of pools, bubbling mud pots and glistening geysers. It was quite interesting, very peaceful and the beauty of the area just seemed to relax you completely.

"Looking at the bubbling mud reminds me of how my stomach felt the last time I drank too much," Frankie told Dustin, although the rest of us easily overheard his comment. I decided not to pursue that topic and chose to make another comment instead.

"Believe it or not, this whole park covers a super volcano," I announced, which quickly garnered everyone's attention. "It's the volcanic action below the surface that causes the mud to bubble and sets the geysers off. Scientists claim that someday, and possibly in the very near future, this could be the sight of a major volcanic eruption."

"I hope it's after we leave," Pat stated, sarcastically, which caused the others to start laughing.

Once we finished up at the park, we went to Grant Village, where we were going to spend the night. Grant Village was named in honor of the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, who signed the 1872 bill that made Yellowstone the world's first national park.

I had made reservations at the Roosevelt Lodge and signed us up for the Old West Dinner Cookout. We were transported in canvas-covered wagons over the three miles to Pleasant Valley, where the cookout was to take place.

"Can you imagine riding in a wagon like this, when you're parents decided to move you from where you'd been living to a new location in the west?" Sammy asked, and I could see the awe and excitement in his face as he thought about it.

"You mean like Laura Ingalls Wilder did, in 'Little House on the Prairie?" Andrew wondered, since he seemed interested in the idea too.

"It would be slow, long and boring," Graham added," but I wouldn't have minded it, as long as there were no Indians on the war path in the areas we'd be traveling."

The other boys agreed, before Danny noted that we weren't very far from the Little Big Horn, where General Custer and his men died. That sent a chill up everyone's spine and they remained silent, as they thought about that and many other things.

The ride took just over thirty minutes, and forced you to realize that most pioneers never ventured very far from home, just because it took so long just to make a simple trip. Since we had done so much traveling as a family, I'm not sure the boys could appreciate the idea of being limited to how much you could do and how far you'd travel in your lifetime. In fact, most families travel more in one year than most of our ancestors did in their entire lifetime.

The meal was served buffet-style and we ate on picnic tables, under a canvas roof, which was provided for inclement weather. The food was good, there was plenty of it and it was a nice change from our typical vacation meals. Except for the steak, everything else was all-you-can-eat. The rest of the meal consisted of coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, chuck wagon corn, corn muffins, watermelon, apple cobbler and various beverages.

While we ate, a guitar-playing vocalist entertained us. He was fairly decent, but the boys weren't interested in the old country songs he sang. All of us enjoyed the meal and some of us liked the entertainment, but then it was time to return to the lodge. We rode back in the wagons, which weren't moving fast enough for most of my sons and many were growing anxious to do something else.

When we finally arrived at the Roosevelt, I told the boys they were on their own for the rest of the evening, but if they wanted to wander around, they were to go out in groups of no fewer than three. They all agreed, so Jake and I went to our room to unwind. All the walking we had done earlier had taken its toll on me and I knew we'd be doing even more walking over the next few days. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure I got enough rest, since I didn't want to become a drag on the others. Jake and I sprawled out on the bed and talked for a while, before we got up, showered and then turned in for the night.

The boys who went off to explore didn't return for a few hours and I understood they managed to do a variety of things in the meantime. A few of them decided to check out more of the area, while some tried to meet up with other visitors to the park and the rest merely decided to go back to their rooms to enjoy a little private time with one of the others. Seeing my grandsons weren't with us on this trip, I had lifted most of the restrictions about having sex and only left the 'no pick-ups rule' in place. I also asked them to be considerate of the others sharing the room and not take advantage of the situation. Mark and Frankie were sharing with Jake and me, so I didn't have to worry about either of them seeing more than they might wish to.

I also noticed that Trey and Dion had decided to share a room with Kevin and Vinnie throughout the entire trip, as they were paired up and didn't wish to mess around with any of the others. Actually, Vinnie and Kevin have been good for each other and being paired together had done a lot for each of them. Vinnie had what he wanted and needed most. This didn't merely mean someone to love, but he also had what he desired with someone who was willing to share everything with him, including those tedious exercises and workouts he had to endure.

In return, Kevin had finally found a partner who was not only willing to commit himself to just Kevin, but hopefully someone whom he wouldn't have to worry about losing. He had lost so much already, with Dustin, Nick and Brent, that I was truly happy for him. Hell, I was happy for both of them, as well as for Trey and Dion, because they also shared a strong commitment to each other. I think I had two couples that would probably spend the rest of their lives together.

Chapter 5
Yellowstone

The next morning we got up early, ate quickly and started off on the next leg of our trip. There was a great deal planned for today, so I made certain we got as early a start as possible. We began by checking out the 'Fishing Cone,' which is really a geyser out in the lake. It is reported you can catch and cook your fish while it is still on the hook, by holding it over the cone. Although this geyser doesn't erupt frequently, a fisherman was badly burned in 1921 when he was caught standing too close to the cone when it did erupt.

"Damn, can you imagine how hot it must get, if it can cook a fish?" Dustin asked, astounded.

"Hot enough that I want to stay clear of it," Ricky announced, "just in case one of you gets the idea to steam me, as repayment for the pranks I've pulled on you."

This got everyone laughing, although a few of the boys stopped quickly and agreed it might not be such a bad idea. A few seconds later, I noticed Ricky moving away from the assenters, just in case they were seriously thinking about getting even with him.

After leaving the fishing cone, we got back on the bus and traveled beside the crystal clear Yellowstone Lake. It is twenty miles long, fourteen miles wide, has a maximum depth of 320 feet and is surrounded by scattered stands of fir and spruce trees. The view was breathtaking, especially when you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Absaroka Mountains looming up behind it, in the east.

Along the way, we also got to see the 'Natural Bridge', which is a rocky formation that extends between two hills. The bridge is forty feet high, spans an area of thirty feet and even has trees growing upon it. As we examined the formation, I couldn't help but feel I was looking at a great arch of a Roman aqueduct, even though this was a natural formation and not man-made. While it was impressive, it was not something we spent a great deal of time admiring.

From there, we went to the 'Fishing Bridge,' which is a man-made structure at the junction of the East Entrance and Grand Loop Roads. In the early days of the park it became a prime fishing spot, because it's situated at the outlet of Yellowstone Lake. At one time, the bridge would have been lined on both sides with anglers trying to land the 'big one.'

"We've got some fishing gear on the bus," Pat reminded me. "Do you think we could get it and come back later?"

"Our schedule is too tight and won't allow it," I told him, "but you will have plenty of time to fish on the second leg of the vacation, if you're so inclined." My response seemed to pacify him, so we moved on.

Next, we made our way to check out the 'Mud Volcano,' and its two most popular features, the 'Dragon's Mouth' and the 'Black Dragon's Caldron.' Although mud is no longer thrown great distances from the 'Mud Volcano's' massive crater and it has been ages since it has rumbled to announce an eruption, it is still a place of wonder and awe.

One of its features, 'Dragon's Mouth,' got its name from the steaming, bubbling mass of gray mud and lapping water that seems to constantly spew from the opening.

"You know," Dion said, while looking at the bubbling brew, "if you forgot for a minute that dragons are only in fairy tales, you could almost picture one lying underneath the surface and waiting to rise up, so it could devour anyone who got close enough."

"Well, we're close enough," Cole remarked, "so I'm glad it's only in your imagination."

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't," Dion shot back, hoping to unnerve one of the others by this banter.

"Hey, there aren't any real dragons," Andrew announced, emphatically.

"At least none that you've seen," Trey added, playing along. "Maybe it's because they hide under the mud when people are around and only come out when they have a chance to eat one, which leaves no witnesses." Trey laughed manically after saying this, which provoked some of the others into a brief round of laughter.

The other feature, "Black Dragon's Caldron,' literally exploded onto the scene in 1948, when it blew trees out by their roots and coated the surrounding forest with mud. Now, as you stand there and watch the mud constantly bubbling in the mucous-like slop, you can almost envision those air pockets being the result of the dragon's breath, as it was forced from its lungs in a mighty exhale.

"There's a whole family of dragons in there," Brandon announced, as he joined the fun. "If you see one of them rise up, get out of the way fast, before you get blasted with his breath of fire."

"Oh, me likes roasted hobbit and young boys," Shannon teased, in his best Gollum voice. This made me suspect he'd seen the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy one too many times.

Moving on, we passed through Hayden Valley, which is one of the prime habitats in the continental United States for grizzlies, bison, elk and other species of wildlife. The area is inspiring in its bucolic splendor and gives you a feeling for what the Native Americans and early settlers would have seen, prior to the beginning of the twentieth century. No wonder the Native Americans fought so hard to maintain their right to roam freely about this magnificent part of our nation.

"Where are all the animals?" Andrew wondered.

"Yeah, I'd love to see a grizzly," Graham added.

"I've got an idea," Frankie replied. "We'll let you off the bus and you can wait around until one wanders by. If it doesn't eat you or chase you all the way back to where we're staying, we'll pick you up when we come through later."

This caused Graham to give Frankie a menacing look, before he coyly flashed him the finger. Graham was mildly upset that Frankie was making fun of him, but was smart enough to realize he wasn't serious. However, the other boys were too busy chuckling to notice Graham's reaction.

It was nearly noontime when we reached our next destination, so we got out the picnic lunches the staff at the lodge had prepared for us. While we ate, we also made a detailed inspection of the Hidden Valley canyon area.

"Hey, Graham, over here," Ricky shouted. "There's a grizzly looking for lunch too."

"You're kind of scrawny, but I'm sure you'll do in a pinch," Peter added, playing along.

"Very funny," Graham shot back, "but I'm sure it would enjoy the two of you more."

"Hey, we're not the ones looking for bears," Ricky countered. "We'll leave that for you." The teasing stopped after this last comment, although Graham shot off a few icy glares and gave each of them the finger, while making certain neither Jake nor I noticed what he was doing.

When we finished our lunch, I made certain no one left any garbage behind, since I didn't want anything to detract from the awesome beauty of the area. Even though some people think the trash they discard will degrade over time, that doesn't happen quickly. In the meantime, the unsightly appearance of the litter detracts from the splendor of the landscape and ruins the experience for everyone.

Now that we had disposed of our garbage, we turned our attention to 'The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' as it is known. It is twenty miles long, from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls, varies in depth from 800 to 1,200 feet and has a width of between 1,500 to 4,000 feet. The Upper Falls has a drop of 109-feet, and the Lower Falls, which is downstream from the first, has a drop of 308-feet. The canyon was actually quite spectacular, but since my family had already visited the Grand Canyon, it didn't hold their interest for as long as it might have under different circumstances. Peter enjoyed it though and that alone was worth the time we spent there.

"I can't imagine how marvelous the Grand Canyon must be," Peter stated, amazed, "since this place is really aces. We don't have anything like it in Australia."

In response to his comment, the boys told him a little about our trip to the Grand Canyon. They readily gave him their impressions of what it was like, compared to what he had just seen. They also told him about riding the mules into the canyon, which astounded Peter even more.

"Weren't you scared your mule might slip and both of you would fall to your death?" he gasped.

"Nah, they're really surefooted," Ricky replied, "and aren't anything like Jay. If he'd have been walking, I think we'd have had to make him wear a safety harness, with a rope attached, or he would have been a goner for sure." The boys roared after Ricky said this and, fortunately, Jay wasn't with us to hear this comment. He had wanted to come, but his family had other plans, which they wanted him to be part of. That's the reason he wasn't with us on this particular outing.

From there, we made our way to our final stop, Tower Falls. It makes a 132-foot drop from Tower Creek and is framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles. This falls has been a documented feature of the region, ever since the time when the Indians and earliest Europeans first saw it and is also one of the most recognizable sites. It has inspired many artists and Thomas Moran's painting of it played a crucial role in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

Once our sightseeing was done for the day, we made our way to the Silver Gate Cabins, in Silver Gate, Montana, which is just outside the northeast entrance to the park. When we talked it over earlier, the boys decided they didn't want to schedule any other activities for the evening and preferred to be responsible for entertaining themselves. Jake and I gave them our consent and looked forward to just kicking back and relaxing on our own. The only thing we did as a group was go out to eat and then Jake and I went back to our cabin and stayed there until the following morning.

We also decided not to bother checking on the boys, since most of them were old enough to take care of themselves and the older ones had also agreed to look after the others. We just asked them to stay in groups of at least three again, and once they agreed, we left them to enjoy their time alone.

The only one I was mildly concerned about was Andrew, because he was considerably smaller than the others and seemed more vulnerable. Even though Sammy and Graham aren't very big either, Andrew was also more friendly and trusting than the others. Even after what happened to him in the men's room in Houston, he was still a happy-go-lucky kid who was willing to help others in need. For this reason, I'd asked several of the others to help keep an eye on him.

I also had some concerns about Peter's safety, since he hadn't been in the States for very long. However, I knew he'd be staying near Ricky, so that relieved most of my doubts. Ricky was more than a match for anyone, not physically, but mentally. Since there would also be a third person in their group, I knew anyone confronting them would end up worse for the encounter than they did.

For the first time in ages, Jake and I got to spend time alone, so we planned to use it to our advantage. Unfortunately, we realized we often took each other for granted and let our duties to the family and our jobs come first. This usually meant we didn't get any quality time alone, so now was the perfect chance to make up for lost opportunities and explore our love.

For Jake, however, there was another reason for wanting this time alone. He was still feeling guilty thinking he was the cause of the estrangement between my older children and me, and no matter how much I tried to convince him it was their problem and not his, he still didn't buy in to my argument. Knowing what he was thinking, I was determined to prove that I didn't feel that way. I wanted to convince him the rift with my older children didn't matter and it was more their loss than mine.

It was a great evening! Even though we spent much of it just relaxing, listening to music and enjoying each other's company, we did find more than enough time for a leisurely romp in the hay. Both of us were quite refreshed and in a great mood by morning.

When it was time for us to hook-up with our personal version of Boys Town again, we were also rearing to go. We were even a little impatient and even slightly annoyed as we waited for the boys to join us for breakfast. Some of them weren't moving very quickly, so I took it they had stayed up later than the rest of us, who knows doing what. Therefore, they weren't ready when Jake and I went around to make sure they were up and getting dressed. Nonetheless, they were now with us in body, even if they appeared to still be half asleep.

After breakfast, we began our Mammoth Hot Springs tour, beginning at Liberty Cap. This is a 37-foot hot spring cone and marks the northern portion of the Mammoth Hot Springs area. It got its name in 1871, from the Hayden survey party, because of its remarkable resemblance to the peaked caps worn during the French Revolution. It was formed from a hot spring whose internal pressure was sufficient to send the water to great heights and allowed the mineral deposits to continually build for hundreds of years.

From there we moved to Opal Terrace, which is across the street from the Liberty Cap. Opal Springs flows from the base of Capital Hill and became active in 1926, after years of lying dormant. It deposits up to one foot of travertine each year and is, therefore, continually expanding in size.

From there we went to Minerva Spring, which is another of the favorite attractions. This isn't only due to its wide range of bright colors, but also for its ornate travertine formations. In the early 1900's this spring went completely dry, but by 1951 reports began to show that Minerva was active again.

"I think this area is gay friendly," Brandon announced, playfully, which caused the others to look at him quizzically. For that reason, he decided to explain.

"All the different colors made it resemble a huge rainbow flag, so I figured it had to be a gay friendly area." Once they caught on to what he was insinuating, the others began to laugh and make comments of their own.

After seeing several other minor attractions in between, we came to Orange Spring Mound. It's the bacteria and algae that thrive in the mound that created its recognizable color. This has built up over the years until it now completely engulfs some of the trees growing there.

"Man, this is a new one for me," Pat quipped. "Orange trees. I wonder why my biology teacher never told us about these?"

"There are orange trees in Florida," Andrew replied, innocently.

"Not trees that grow oranges," Pat informed him, "but trees that ARE orange."

Catching Pat's drift, Andrew merely uttered a weak, "Oh!"

From there, we moved on to see the rest of the attractions in the loop, before we stopped for lunch. Once we'd finished, we made our way to the Norris Geyser Basin.

Norris is the hottest, oldest and most dynamic of Yellowstone's thermal areas. The highest temperature ever recorded there was in a scientific drill hole, which was measured at 459 degrees F (237 degrees C). This was recorded 1,087-feet (326 meters) below the surface. We took a walking tour of the area and saw many extraordinary sights, with the most impressive being Steamboat Geyser. It is the tallest and spews to a height of between 300 to 400 feet, and Echinus Geyser is the most acidic, with a pH of 3.5. It only erupts to a height of 75-feet, every 25 to 45 minutes.

Just after we left Norris, we stopped to see the Artist Paint Pots, which is a lovely thermal area. We followed the one-mile loop, which took us by a colorful hot spring and two large mud pots.

"Andrew, we don't have time for you to stop and paint," Sammy teased, but Andrew didn't catch on right away. Seeing his confusion, Sammy explained.

"I thought since this area is called the Artist Paint Pots," he added, "you might want to stop and paint a picture of it." Andrew finally realized he was being teased, so he stuck his tongue out at his brother. When he didn't get the reaction he wanted from that, he also gave Sammy the finger, which caused the others to roar. They had never seen Andrew do anything like that before.

"You'd better stop hanging around Ricky and Graham," Kevin teased. "I can see they're starting to rub off on you." Hearing this, Andrew gave Kevin the finger too.

In addition to the other things we saw, the area also contained a section of forest that burned in 1988 and still hasn't recovered. I think the boys were surprised to see how much damage was still visible, even after so many years had passed, but I explained it takes many, many years for a forest to recover after such a devastating disaster.

Since I knew we'd be taking three fairly long walks tomorrow, one in the morning and two after lunch, this was all I had scheduled for today. Now, we headed toward the west entrance, which was a bit of a drive from where we were. I had made reservations at the Three Bear Lodge, which was just outside of that location.

On the ride there, we passed through Elk Park and Gibbon Meadows, which are good areas to see elk and bison. We even got to see a few in the distance, but not close enough to appreciate their enormous size.

Once we exited the park, we stopped for dinner and enjoyed a nice relaxing meal, before heading to the Lodge. I checked in and then let the boys decide who was going to room together tonight, before I informed them about the amenities here. I explained the lodge had a swimming pool, whirlpools and in-room hot tubs for them to use and relax in. There was also cable TV in each room, for those who were going through withdrawal from this form of entertainment. Some of the boys said they planned to go swimming in about an hour, but Jake and I opted for the hot tub, figuring it would help drain some of the soreness from our weary bodies.

It was a wonderful time relaxing in the hot tub, just the two of us, and I bet we must have stayed in there for two to three hours. We almost looked like prunes when we decided to get out and dry off, but it was worth it. I heard some of the boys also utilized the hot tubs in their rooms, but I also understood they had managed to deposit more than a few loads of semen into the bubbling waters, as they participated in some other activities that went well in those watery retreats.

Some of it started innocently enough, as was the case with Ricky and Shannon. Ricky could sense Shannon was feeling sad and lonely about not having his partner with him on this outing, since Nick was in Brazil, so Ricky suggested he could help Shannon get off, if he wanted to. Shannon realized Ricky wasn't gay, but wasn't sure if he was bi or straight either, so he didn't know how to respond to the offer, until the other pair in the hot tub chimed in.

Enthusiastically, Danny and Brandon urged Shannon to go for it and explained that Ricky never minded helping out a brother in need. Admitting he could use some relief, Shannon eventually agreed to the offer and the two boys were soon stroking each other off under water and enjoying the feel of another hand on their cock.

Frantically, they continued to slide their hands up and down the other's shaft, but it was soon apparent they were only doing it for the immediate gratification. There were no deeper feelings involved, such as love, so they focused solely on the task at hand. When I say this, I literally mean the task at hand, as they matched each other stroke for stroke. Eventually, there seemed to be a sense of urgency in what they were doing and their pace quickened. Their eyes began to glaze over, their mouths' hung open and their heads swayed from side to side, as they neared the point of release. First one, and then the other gave a little grunt, before their loads shot from the tips of their dicks and collected in little pools in the swirling water.

While watching the other pair, it wasn't long before Danny and Brandon became aroused and agreed to help each other. However, these boys were partners, so they wanted more than just a hand job and opted for something more satisfying. First, Danny bent down in front of Brandon and grasped his rod, which extended slightly above the surface of the water. Bending forward, he took the head into his mouth and began to bob up and down along the shaft. He would hold his breath, before his nose sank beneath the water, and kept this up for several minutes. Eventually, Brandon's body began to tingle, as he prepared for the explosion that was to follow. When he reached this point, Brandon arched his body, pulled Danny's head out of the water and stayed that way until Danny had completely finished him off.

Once Brandon had been satisfied, the two boys switched places and Brandon retuned the favor. He willing allowed Danny to empty his nuts into his eager mouth, with the other pair looking on. Sated, the four boys stayed in the soothing embrace of the hot tub for another thirty or forty minutes, until they decided it was time to get out and dry off.

In another hot tub, Kevin and Vinnie had also taken advantage of this opportunity. Kevin had suggested they use the hot tub to relieve the soreness from the extensive amount of walking they had done, but Kevin's primary concern was about Vinnie. As they sat and began to relax, Kevin began to massage Vinnie's legs for him. He wanted to help out as much as he could, but the thing was, the massage did more than just soothe and relax Vinnie's leg muscles. It also aroused another muscle. Seeing this happen gave Kevin an idea, which he acted upon immediately. Turning around, he faced away from Vinnie, backed up and then began to sit down. Reaching beneath his body, he grasped Vinnie's dick and slowly guided it inside himself.

Vinnie hadn't been expecting this, but wasn't about to discourage his lover either, so he just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Well, not exactly. He realized Kevin would need some help too, so as Kevin bounced up and down on Vinnie's penis, Vinnie jacked his lover off. The two climaxed nearly simultaneously, which was more than satisfying for each of them. After they recovered, they cuddled and kissed a little longer, before they got out of the hot tub and headed to bed.

The next morning began with the continental breakfast that was included in the price of the room and we quickly filled up before heading off to spend our final day in Yellowstone. The first thing we saw was Mount Hayes, which looms up behind the beautiful Madison River. It is approximately 8,000-feet high and was named after an early Yellowstone photographer.

Leaving Madison Junction, we followed the Firehole River and followed the turnoff that leads to Firehole Canyon and Firehole Falls. After taking this brief detour to check both areas out, we then made our way back to the Lower Geyser Basin.

The first thing we saw here was the Fountain Paint Pots, with its boiling, bubbling mud, which sometimes spurts into the air. After that, we took a side road to check out one of the best geysers in Yellowstone, the Great Fountain Geyser, which erupts to heights of 100 to 150 feet, although it occasionally reaches heights of 200 feet. Watching this geyser in action had special significance to some of the boys, as it reminded them of how they had erupted in the hot tubs the previous evening. This caused some whispering and teasing to occur, before we moved on.

Next, we made our way to the Midway Geyser Basin, which is dominated by two gigantic features, the Excelsior Geyser and the Grand Prismatic Spring. The Excelsior Geyser reveals a gaping crater 200 by 300 feet and spills over 5 million gallons of water a day into the Firehole River. That's more than 4,000 gallons of water per minute! Grand Prismatic Spring is believed to be the largest spring in Yellowstone, with a diameter of 370 feet, and has an array of dramatic colors, which can be appreciated best from the air.

"Hey, there's another rainbow," Trey noted, while looking at the prismatic effect the sunlight had on the water droplets. "This must be a gay friendly area too." He was referring to Brandon's earlier comment, about Minerva Spring and some of the others nodded in agreement.

After stopping for a late lunch, we made our way to the Upper Geyser Basin, which contains two-thirds of all the geysers in Yellowstone, including Old Faithful. What is even more dramatic is the fact that two-thirds of the world's geysers are in Yellowstone and two-thirds of Yellowstone's geysers are in the Upper Geyser Basin. During our time there we saw several geysers erupt, including the Castle, Grand, Daisy, Riverside and, of course, Old Faithful.

It seems strange that Old Faithful is the best known and most widely photographed of all the geysers, seeing it not the most impressive. It does not discharge the greatest volume of water, nor does it erupt more frequently than the others. It isn't the oldest geyser, doesn't have the highest or largest cone and it's not the hottest or the most regular of all the geysers, regardless of its name. However, despite its lack of credentials, it is still an impressive sight and erupts 20 to 23 times each day.

Leaving this area for the final time, our bus drove toward the east entrance to the park and we left Yellowstone behind us. We were now ready and eager to see other areas of this great country.

Chapter 6
Wyoming

After leaving Yellowstone, we stopped for dinner and then got back on the bus for the ride to Cody, Wyoming, our next stop. Once we arrived and checked in to our motel, everyone went to his room. It wasn't very long, however, before Graham was knocking on my door. It seemed he had a problem.

"Dad, may I stay here with you tonight?" he asked. I was curious as to why he was requesting this, but could tell by looking at his face that something was definitely bothering him.

"What's up, sport?" I asked, trying to get to the root of this problem.

"I just want to stay in here with you tonight, cuz I feel really lonely," he replied, unconvincingly.

"Did someone do something to you?" I pressed, hoping to clarify the situation.

"No, Dad, it's nothing like that," he assured me, but then hesitated before continuing. "I guess it's just that the name of this place reminded me about how much I miss Cody. I figured it would make it easier being with you, since we were all together for such a long time when Cody was sick."

Suddenly, the lights began flashing in my brain. Even though this place was named for Buffalo Bill Cody, the fact that the name Cody was involved at all reminded Graham about his loss. It also made him look for a little extra security by being with me again, the same way he had when we stayed with Cody in the hospital. Now, I wondered how many of the other boys had drawn this same correlation. I hoped it was only Graham who had done so, because of his special relationship with our lost lamb, but I wasn't certain. After telling him he could spend the night, I left him with Jake temporarily, after explaining I needed to check on the others first. Before I left, however, I promised I would return shortly.

After making my rounds, I discovered a couple of the other boys had also been reminded of Cody since arriving here, possibly because Graham had mentioned something about it to them, but they didn't seem to be as greatly affected as he was. We talked briefly about what they were feeling, and after I was certain they could handle their problems without my assistance, I went back to see if I could comfort Graham.

I entered my room and sat on one of the chairs in front of the television. No sooner had I settled in, than Graham came over, sat on my lap and placed his head on my shoulder, with one arm around the back of my neck and the other across my chest. This seemed a strange thing for him to do, seeing he was sixteen now, but it did emphasize how much the reminder of his lost love was troubling him. I gave him a little squeeze and then he started to speak, in a hushed voice.

"Dad, I miss him sooooo much," he began, but he wasn't yet weeping. However, I could sense the emotional buildup he was choking back in his voice.

"Graham, I know how you feel, because I miss him too," I commiserated. "I wish I could tell you the pain will go away some day, but I'm not sure it ever disappears. I still feel the same way about losing Brent, but I guess we just need to be thankful and feel blessed we had both of them in our lives for as long as we did."

"I know, but it just hurts so much when I think about him," Graham confided. "I think about what it was like when we were together and then try to imagine what it would be like if he was still here. When I do that, then I begin to feel really bad and miss him even more." I stroked his back to help console him, while giving him another little squeeze.

"Graham, I think it's great you think about Cody this way," I informed him, "but you can't keep torturing yourself by wondering what it would be like if he were still around. That won't happen, so it does no good to even consider it, especially since it makes you feel so badly when you do. Remember your time together and the great fun you had with him, but most of all remember what he meant to all of us. Just don't dwell on it so much that you only see the negative side of things and get so depressed.

"Cody was a very special young man," I continued, "who made a great impact on our lives during the short time he was here. He also left an indelible impression on each of us and it is something we shall carry with us for the rest of our lives. It's important we use those memories to remind us how special he was, but we must also be careful not to torment our souls by speculating about what might have been." Graham looked up at me and studied my face. I could see the gears moving behind those tear-filled eyes and hoped he was going to let me in on what he was thinking.

"I know and at least I still get to see him once in a while, when he appears to me," he agreed, "but it's just not the same. I can't hold or kiss him then, and I can't show him how much I love him. I don't think I'll be able to love another boy like I did him, Dad. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes, I think I do," I concurred, "but I also want you to remember this. Throughout our lives we will know many types of love and each one will be different and special. There is the love a child has for his parent or a parent has for his child. There is also the love friends have for each other, but then there are times we also FALL in love. Just don't forget whenever you fall in love, even those occurrences are not the same.

"I fell in love with my wife, but I've also fallen in love with Jake," I continued. "Although I fell in love with each of them, the love I felt was not the same. Even though the feelings were different, one isn't more precious than the other. I love or have loved them both, but it doesn't mean one type of love was greater than the other. Don't get me wrong, you may also experience one great love that you will always cherish above all else and affects you more deeply, but it doesn't mean you can't love again.

"I'm glad Cody was that one great love for you," I added, "but I know Cody wouldn't want you spending the rest of your life alone. He'd be the first to encourage you to move on and find happiness again. That doesn't mean you have to forget him, nor should it lessen what he meant to you. You must always retain the memories of what you had together, while at the same time be willing to move on with your life and continue to live, not merely exist."

I stopped after saying this and waited for him to respond. After a minute or so of thinking about what I had told him, he finally gave a brief nod of agreement, before he put his head back on my shoulder and snuggled up against me. We talked a little more after that, and at one point I thought he might go back to his own room, but he didn't. Instead, he asked if he could stay with me for the rest of the night. Knowing how much he needed me at this point, the three of us ended up sharing our bed.

I was in the middle, with Jake on my right and Graham on my left. I ended up spooned up behind Graham for most of the night, but not in a sexual way. I was merely a father comforting a distressed child and it seemed to work. Before long, I felt the tension in his body start to release, as he began to drift off to sleep.

The three of us spent the entire night snuggled together, with me sandwiched between the other two. Jake was very understanding and even encouraged me to focus on Graham. I guess it helped that we'd had some time alone before this happened, otherwise he may have reacted differently.

Feeling slightly guilty, I was trying to come up with a way I could satisfy both. I didn't want to appear to always be putting Jake second, behind the boys, but I truly believed he also felt the boys needed to come first, at least for now. I think we both realized they'd be gone in a few more years and then we'd have all the time we needed to enjoy each other.

By the next morning, Graham seemed to have overcome his feelings of depression and loss and was ready to take his place with the others again. Throughout the meal, I noticed various boys interacting with him, as they attempted to distract or offer him comfort and support. I was very proud to see how willing they were to be there for one another.

I've always tried to stress the importance of family, by telling them that although others may move in and out of our lives, the family is always there. It is the one, and possibly only, constant they should always be able to rely on. Therefore, I emphasized the importance of being there for each other. Thinking about it, I wished my older children had also learned this lesson.

After breakfast, we began our sightseeing by going to the 'Buffalo Bill Historical Center.' We started in the Buffalo Bill Museum, which focused on both his personal and public life. We soon discovered he was born William Frederick Cody and earned his nickname while supplying buffalo meat for the Kansas Pacific Railroad. He was also a Pony Express rider in 1860 and eventually became one of the most famous scouts during the Indian Wars. He also won the Congressional Medal of Honor, in 1872, and was a favorite scout of the Fifth Cavalry.

In 1883 he inaugurated the Wild West show in Omaha, using 'real' cowboys and 'real' Indians to portray the 'real' west to the rest of the country and the world. The Wild West show not only performed before presidents and heads of European nations, but it was also the featured attraction at Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, in 1887. This helped Buffalo Bill become one of the most famous figures to ever come out of the Old West. Even though we were all somewhat familiar with his legend, I think we came away from there with a better appreciation for the real man.

From there, we went to the Cody Firearms Museum, where they not only have on display a vast collection of antique and modern weapons, but also trace the progression of firearms from the matchlock, to the flintlock and then to percussion type weapons. The Winchester collection was also featured in the museum, along with an exhibit of Colt firearms, as well. It was quite an interesting and remarkable presentation and gave us a better understanding of what it would have been like to not only have settled the west, but also what it would have been like to fight in the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War and Civil War, using the weapons of those time periods.

By this point, everyone was getting hungry, so we stopped and devoured a quick lunch, before heading over to the Plains Indian Museum. There, we learned a great deal about the lives of the Plains Indians, including information about their culture, traditions, values and history. Not only that, but we also discovered some facts about their lives today. I think the boys were amazed by what they learned, especially when compared to the way Hollywood and television has portrayed Native Americans, and they began to realize some of the things they had been led to believe were far removed from reality.

After finishing up there, we went to the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, which included works by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, Joseph Henry Sharp, N. C. Wyeth and others. These people actually lived during the period of the old west and produced works of art that were more authentic. Although they may have romanticized some aspects of the period, their work gives a far truer perspective of what it was like during that period, than what we have been spoon-fed by other forms of media.

It was about this time when I began to notice the boys were at their saturation point with Museums. At the same time, I also realized they were getting hungry again. In an effort to improve their spirits, I located a nice restaurant and led them inside. Over the next hour, we enjoyed a relaxing meal, accompanied by a great deal of conversation. The topics were mostly concerning the things we'd seen, but the boys also tried to wheedle out of me what I had planned next. Of course, their efforts proved fruitless, since I prefer to surprise them.

Once we left the restaurant, I explained we'd be heading back to our rooms, since we were going to stay in Cody for one more night. After that, I informed them they could select their own entertainment this evening and hoped this would placate them for having to endure activities that were less to their liking. I then advised them about some of the places they could go or other things they could do, but I also advised them Jake and I would be available if any of them wished to join us for the evening. We had decided to spend it in the large, heated, outdoor pool.

Many of the boys rejected that option and chose to explore the nightlife in Cody instead. I suspected they would quickly discover it wasn't quite what they were looking for, since it would probably be country and western oriented, which isn't in line with their tastes or something most of them would appreciate. Before they left, however, I also reminded them they were to stay in groups of three or more, since I preferred not to take chances with their safely.

I saw the boys talking excitedly amongst themselves, as they decided who would be going where and with whom, when Graham informed me he'd be staying with Jake and I again. I wasn't really surprised by his announcement, although I'd hoped he'd join some of the others when they went out. I thought the distraction might be good for him, but now surmised he wasn't quite ready for that step yet. However, he wouldn't be the only one staying behind. A few seconds later, Andrew and Sammy expressed their desire to stay with us and go swimming too, and then Peter, Ricky and Cole announced they had also decided to join us.

Once everyone had determined what they were going to do, they went back to their rooms to change and go their various ways. Those who were staying with us were soon at our door, dressed in their swimsuits and carrying a towel. We walked to the pool together and took our first dip in its inviting water. As the evening wore on, more of the boys returned and joined us in the pool too, after they discovered the local entertainment wasn't what they were hoping for. Those of us who spent our time swimming and horsing around in the pool had a great deal of fun.

I was mildly surprised when Graham came to me a short time later and explained he wouldn't be staying with me tonight. I wasn't sure what he might have planned this evening, since I could tell he wasn't over what he'd been feeling, but I was even more stunned when he told me he was going to his room now. However, it all became clear when I learned Peter was going with him.

Graham had accepted Peter's offer to spend the night together, after Peter had seen how depressed and lethargic Graham was. Once Peter had learned how this place had reminded Graham about how much he missed Cody, Peter decided it would be a good time for them to do what Graham had originally suggested. Peter hoped it would perk Graham up and take his mind off of thinking about what he'd lost.

Since Graham was staying with Sammy, Andrew and Cole, he hinted about what he was going to do and asked them to give him some time alone with Peter. They had no problem with that, since they'd probably be spending at least another hour or more in the pool, so the two boys went off for a little mutual exploration.

Since Peter had decided to do this to perk Graham up, he was also determined he'd go along with whatever Graham wanted to do. When they got to the room, they quickly shed their swimsuits and hopped on the bed, before Peter poised his question.

"I'm willing to do whatever you want to do," Peter announced, much to Graham's surprise. He thought about it quickly and then replied.

"Would you mind if we sucked each other off then?" he asked hopefully.

Graham was much more experienced than Peter, but Peter only hesitated momentarily. Although he had performed oral sex only once before, he was willing to do it for Graham, with one condition.

"We can do that," he agreed, "but I want you to warn me before you sploog. I don't want you doing it in my mouth."

Once Graham agreed, Peter offered to do him first. Excited, Graham spread his legs to give Peter access to the entire area and then waited for Peter to begin. Peter reached out and began running his hand over Graham's crotch, rubbing his scrotum and slowly bringing his penis to its full dimensions. Once Graham was totally erect, Peter bent forward and tentatively began exploring the area with his tongue.

"Tastes a little like the chlorine from the pool," Peter announced, while making a slight face.

"I can go wash if you want," Graham offered.

"That's all right. I'll just get a washcloth and wipe you off," Peter suggested. "That should take care of the problem."

Peter immediately jumped off the bed and raced to the bathroom. When he came back, he used the washcloth to thoroughly remove the chlorine from Graham's genitals, before resuming what he'd been doing.

Slowly, Peter ran his tongue up and down the length of Graham's penis, before slowly pulling back the foreskin and exposing the head. After running his tongue around the helmet, he let his mouth slide over the tip and began to bob up and down on the shaft. Although he wasn't experienced, he did an adequate job and after a few minutes of this activity, he brought Graham to the brink.

"I'm… about to… shoot," Graham panted.

Peter immediately pulled his mouth off and replaced it with his hand, so he could finish Graham off manually. Graham shot several volleys of his boy-juice and coated his belly with the sticky substance. Once he had surrendered everything his body had produced, Peter took the washcloth and cleaned up the results. It took a few minutes more before Graham recovered enough to return the favor.

"Okay, now I'll do you," he announced, still slightly giddy.

"Are you certain?" Peter asked. He wanted to let Graham know he could do something else, if he preferred.

"Oh, yeah," Graham replied. "I've been waiting to do this since I saw Ricky's video of you two skinny dipping." Peter looked stunned by this reminder of Ricky's sneakiness, but then laughed.

"That long, huh?" he teased.

"Yes, I knew then that I wanted to play with your penis and suck you dry," Graham told him.

"Then enjoy yourself," Peter shot back, while pumping his hips up and down, to simulate a sexual act.

Graham did not hesitate and immediately went down on Peter. Peter wasn't even erect yet, but Graham quickly used his mouth to get the desired results. Peter responded rapidly to Graham's actions and was hard within seconds. Graham's experienced mouth soon had Peter moaning and bucking wildly, and then Peter stiffened momentarily, as he unloaded into Graham throat. Volley after volley of his hot boy cream slid down Graham's gullet, and once Peter had recovered, he began to apologize profusely.

"I meant to warn you, really I did," he stammered, "but it just happened so quickly. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me." Graham just smiled at his shocked reaction.

"It's okay," Graham assured him. "I do that all the time. It's no big deal."

"You do?" Peter challenged, in disbelief.

"Yes, it doesn't taste bad at all." Graham replied.

"What does it taste like?" Peter wanted to know.

"It's hard to explain," Graham told him, "but you could try it once, to find out. You might even try some of your own, after you cum next time." Peter looked slightly surprised by this suggestion, but thought about it briefly.

"I'll do this with you again and I'll let you sploog in my mouth next time," he offered. "I guess I could do that for you, since you did it for me."

"You don't have to, if you don't want," Graham offered.

"It's all right," Peter assured him. "I guess it won't kill me, seeing you, and I suspect some of the others, do it." Both boys smiled and then lay next to each other for a while, before the others returned.
That night, Peter spent the night sleeping next to Graham. In fact, he even cuddled with him, after many minutes of self-debate and doubts about whether he should do it. Eventually, he decided it would be all right and wouldn't mean he was gay. He'd just be like Ricky and ready to help a brother in need. I'm sure if Cody had been watching, he would have given his approval about what went on.

The rest of us swam for quite a while, and by the time we returned to our individual rooms, we were quite tired and ready for a good night's sleep. When Cole saw Peter snuggled up against his brother, he wasn't jealous. Instead, he realized Peter was just trying to make Graham feel better, so he went to Peter's room and asked Ricky if he could take Peter's place and spend the night with him. Ricky quickly agreed and this solved the problem for the other pair. They could now stay together until morning.

After breakfast, we loaded up and headed off to Thermopolis and the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. I didn't explain to the boys exactly where we were going, only that they would find it interesting. Although they kept pestering me, and then Jake, to learn what our destination was going to be, neither of us would give in. We were determined not to tell them what they wanted to know.

The bus driver, having overheard these exchanges, helped keep our secret whenever one of our more inquisitive boys tried to pry the information out of him. It was worth it just to see their reactions when we pulled into the area and they saw the sign announcing where we were. Instinctively, they seemed intrigued by the idea of dinosaurs and what they might see and do here.

We began by taking a tour of the dig sites, but not all of them, since there are about 60 dig sites on the 500 acres the Center covered. We soon learned about the geology of the area, as well as when and where specific dinosaur bones had been found at this location. We were also apprised as to how these excavations are conducted and I think the boys were surprised to discover it was done following a very methodical process. Each bone was carefully chipped out of the ground it had been compressed into and this process takes a very long time. It requires great care and the type of patience of which most of my brood seemed to be in short supply.

After learning how the bones were recovered, we went to the museum and explored over 12,000 square feet of exhibition space. Not only were there fossils, dioramas and interactive displays, but we were also able to inspect ten full-size skeletal mounts, which represented various dinosaur species. Although we all realized how large these creatures were before we got here, until you stand next to what remains of one of these gigantic beasts, you can't fully appreciate how small you really are in the overall scheme of things. I felt like a grasshopper standing next to a dog, while craning my neck to look up at the upper reaches of these truly enormous beings.

"We've studied dinosaurs in school and I've seen programs about them," Peter explained, "but they are bloody huge – much bigger than I thought. I guess it's a good thing humans weren't around when they lived, because the people wouldn't have lasted very long. They'd have become extinct quicker than the dodo bird."

Some of the boys nodded in agreement, and although I don't think he meant this to be humorous, others giggled after hearing his comment.

Chapter 7
On to South Dakota

After finishing up at the dinosaur museum, our next destination was Buffalo, Wyoming, where we were planning to spend the night. I had chosen to stay there, because it was about halfway to our next destination, which was much father than I wanted to travel nonstop. The ride was long, but not totally without merit, as there was some lovely scenery to view along our route. This included the Bighorn Mountains and the Bighorn National Forest, as well as some other magnificent scenery. As always, the boys found ways to entertain themselves and each other during the trip, although a few opted for more sleep, probably because they had stayed up so late messing around the night before.

Once we got to Buffalo we checked into our rooms at the Big Horn Motel, cleaned up quickly and then went out to eat. We dined at Colonel Bozeman's Restaurant and Tavern, which features steaks, ribs, prime ribs and selections made with buffalo meat. I let the boys select their meals first and then I ordered a couple of extra entrees – which none of them had been adventurous enough to try. I did this because I wanted to give everyone a chance to sample the buffalo meat, if they wanted to. The boys found it slightly different than beef, maybe a little gamier and perhaps just a touch tougher, but everyone finished chewing and swallowing the piece or pieces they took.

After dinner, we decided to walk down the historic Buffalo Main Street and check out some of the more notable buildings. One of these was the Occidental Hotel, which was mentioned in Owen Wister's book, 'The Virginian.' With a little effort, you could almost picture the trail hands riding down the street, before stopping and entering the hotel for a room, meal or possibly just a drink.

After we went back to our rooms, the boys began clamoring for something more to do. Seeing it was getting late and I didn't have any plans for anything special this evening, we started discussing our options. Again, I told the boys they could venture out on their own, if they wished, but after their experience the previous evening, most decided it wasn't worth the effort. Eventually, we finally settled on going to the large pool at the motel for a swim.

I managed to have the boys keep the noise down to a dull roar, in case some of the other guests had decided to go to bed early. However, I knew a good workout would tire them out, so they'd sleep better.

After we finished our swim, everyone went back to his room. I wasn't surprised to discover that Kevin, Vinnie, Trey and Dion had left about a half hour before the rest of us. I knew both couples valued their quality time alone and this most likely accounted for the fact they didn't want to share a room with any of the non-couples. At least this way they wouldn't feel so conspicuous or uncomfortable about their lovemaking or for ignoring the others, as both pairs would be focusing solely on their own partner.

Once they had dried off from their swim, one of the four tuned in to a radio station that played the kind of music they enjoyed and then both couples went to their beds for a long evening of intimacy and lovemaking. Neither couple was there just for sex and for them the cuddling, kissing and simple touching meant as much, if not more, than the sexual act and their eventual release.

For the first hour or so, they mostly talked, caressed, kissed and stroked each other's faces and upper body, before they ultimately gave in to the urges every teen experiences. After a certain point in their intimacy, both couples became completely oblivious of the other pair and merely went about doing the kinds of things they would have anyway, had they been totally alone. None of them was ashamed or embarrassed about their lovemaking and were able to share the love and tenderness they felt for their soul mate.

Both pairs engaged in a variety of foreplay and sexual acts, including manual and oral stimulation, but when it came to surrendering themselves totally to their partner, that was the gentlest and most beautiful act of all. This wasn't animal lust, with two mammals rutting for sexual release. This was a slow, tender and passionate coupling. It was a total commitment, performed by two people in love, and was the most beautiful and intimate act they could share with each other.

As the two bodies joined and slowly merged into one larger body, connected by a fleshy tether, the boys reaffirmed their promise to be with only this one other person. It also showed they didn't desire or need anyone else to make them feel fulfilled and whole. These were couples I could see being together for a long time, or so I hoped.

When at last they reached their orgasms and enjoyed the release they ultimately sought, it didn't mean the end of their need for each other or their lack of desire to be together any longer. Therefore, they didn't immediately roll over and fall asleep, once their sexual desires were sated. Instead, they continued to touch, cuddle and kiss, thus proving this was more than just a purely physical act. A half hour later, they were still cuddled together, but at this point they decided to let their bodies drift into oblivion, as they sought the rejuvenation that only sleep would bring.

When they awoke the following morning, both couples were still entwined with their soul mate and content with the love they had shared. This meant they were also well rested and ready to face the new day ahead.

This morning, we still managed to get a very early start. The bus traveled east again, as it headed to our next stop, Devils Tower. This is the natural formation made famous by the movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' where it was the eventual destination of the lead character. I thought it would be great for the boys to see it in person and believe some were even looking forward to it. I think we were all gawking out the windows as we approached the site, because it was truly inspiring. It rose 1,267 feet above the surrounding Belle Fourche River and is known by several northern plains tribes as Bears Lodge. To these tribes, Devil's Tower is a sacred site of worship.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Devils Tower National Monument, which made it the nation's first national monument. Now, it is included in a park of more than 1300 acres and receives more than 450,000 visitors each year. Although climbers are allowed to scale the Tower, it was not part of our plans. Instead, we opted to take the one-hour walking tour, guided by a park ranger. The walk was interesting and the view spectacular, but by the time we finished our hike, we were ready to get back on the bus and set off again – this time to Deadwood, South Dakota.

It took a few hours to reach our destination, but most of us were growing accustomed to the long rides between stops. However, once we arrived, the boys were surprised that Deadwood turned out to be such an interesting place. It was incorporated in 1876, during the gold rush in the Black Hills, and James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok was killed there. Hickok was later shot during a poker game in Deadwood, and at the time of his death, he was holding two pair, aces and eights, and this hand is still known as 'the dead man's hand.' You can even visit his gravesite, as well as the final resting place of his long-time friend, and possible lover, Calamity Jane.

The area has almost always survived on gambling, but now there are many other things to see and do. There are several small museums to visit or you can take guided tours of an old gold mine, the infamous Boot Hill Cemetery and the old Chinese tunnels, which run beneath the city. There is also a Ghosts of Deadwood Gulch Wax Museum, which features the likenesses of some of the town's most notable prior residents. We found plenty to do, and there were tons of choices of establishments to eat, so the hours just seemed to fly by and it was time to head to our rooms for the night.

We spent the next day in the Deadwood area as well, but this time we started out at the Gulches of Fun Amusement Park, where we played mini-golf, rode go-karts and bumper boats, and spent time in their large arcade. This was pretty much a 'let your hair down and just be a kid again day,' for the most part, and I think the older boys, Jake and I had as much fun, if not more than the younger ones. After tiring ourselves out there, we drove to Custer, South Dakota, where we spent the night and set ourselves up for the next day's three stops.

I personally don't remember much about what happened that evening, except for a late night visit from one of my boys. Something must have come up the previous evening that bothered him, so he came in to my room and asked to speak with me alone. He seemed very nervous, but desperate for my attention, so I sat down in a chair and pulled him onto my lap. I hoped by doing this it would make him feel a bit more comfortable and easier for him to tell me what was on his mind.

"What's up, Andrew?" I asked, once we'd settled against each other. He looked up at me and studied my face, before responding.

"Dad, how much longer am I going to be a little kid?" he asked, deeply concerned.

"Andrew, you're not a little kid any more," I countered. "You'll be turning thirteen in a couple more months and I don't believe anyone thinks of you as a little boy any longer." He didn't look convinced.

"But I am," he whined, "even if the rest of you don't think so. I'm still short, shorter than anyone in my grade at school, and I'm even shorter than Sammy was at my age. When Sammy was almost thirteen, he already had a few hairs down there and his thing had begun to grow. I got no hairs, 'cept on my head, and my wiener is still really small." Now, I understood what his problem was.

"Andrew, I know you've heard me say this before, but everyone reaches puberty at different times. Some boys begin this trek at eleven, while others may not start this phase of their lives until they're fifteen or sixteen. It doesn't mean you're a baby or that there's anything wrong with you, it's just because it's not your time yet. That's all." Looking at his face, he still didn't seem convinced by my explanation.

"Peter told me he didn't start until just before Ricky went there and said I might be like him…" suddenly, Andrew remembered his promise to Peter and stopped in mid-sentence.

"Dad, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that," he informed me, looking panicked. "Please, don't tell Peter I told you. Please! He's nice to me and I don't want him to be mad."

"Calm down, Andrew," I urged. "I'm not going to say a word about this, but how did you find out?"

"He told me when we messed around the other night," Andrew admitted. "I was worried he'd think I was a baby and wouldn't want to do anything with me, because I only have a baby dick. That's when he told me he was like me and didn't start to grow down there until just before Ricky showed up. I'm not sure I believe him, though. He might just be saying it to make me feel better. He's the same as the other boys, so I don't see how he could have started so late."

"I'm sure he's telling the truth," I confirmed, "and once it was his time, he caught up quickly. The same will happen to you. Just be patient."

"You really think so?" he challenged, still not convinced.

"I'm positive, honey," I concurred. "Maybe this is partially my fault though, for giving you permission to start doing things with the other boys before you had reached puberty. Maybe I should have stuck to my guns and made you wait until you'd developed first, before I allowed you to join in the sex games. If I'd have done that, maybe you wouldn't be feeling this way now." He looked up at me, the tracks of his tears clearly visible on his cheeks.

"No, Dad," he sobbed. "I think I would have felt even worse then, if you didn't think I was old enough to do those things too. I know you don't think I'm a baby, and I'm pretty sure the others don't either. It's just me. I just can't help feeling this way. I know you're right and all, but I still feel like such a little kid. I try not to, but I can't seem to change how I feel. I hope I don't have to wait much longer for something to happen though, or I'll go crazy."

"Just hang in there, little man," I nearly pleaded. "All good things come to those who wait."

"Man, you sound just like some of those crazy stories we have to read in school." He giggled.

"Well, I was probably around when they were written, so I'm sure I do sound like them." He laughed even louder.

"But some of those things came from ancient Greece," he explained, as if I didn't know, "or even from guys like Ben Franklin. You're not THAT old." He giggled again.

"Well, the same way you feel younger than you really are, sometimes you boys make me feel older than I really am." Andrew stopped laughing and studied my face.

"Yeah, I guess your right," he agreed. "Things like that can change how you look at yourself, so I guess this is just in my head, isn't it?"

"I think most of the problem lies in how we perceive ourselves," I clarified.

"Okay, I understand and I'll try to do better," he agreed. "I think I see what you're saying." I gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead after hearing his acknowledgment.

"Oh, I hope that doesn't make you feel like a baby too!" I exclaimed, with a shocked look on my face.

"Maybe, but I don't mind it for something like this. You can do it again, if you want," he added with a huge grin. Not wasting any time, I repeated my last gesture and gave him the biggest hug he'd had in a long time and kissed him over and over again on his forehead. He was giggling hysterically by the time I stopped.

"I love you, Andrew, and rest assured, I do not think of you as a baby, in any way. Just my loveable youngest son." I gave him one more hug and kiss, and then I just relaxed, with Andrew still on my lap.

"I don't know how you do it, but you always make me feel better," he confessed, as he melted against my chest.

"That's just part of my job, little man… that and loving you." This time he hugged me.

"You do a good job of both," he assured me. "I trust you, Dad, so I'm going to try to do what you say. I guess I really believe Peter too, because why would he tell me something like that, if it wasn't true. It must have been really embarrassing for him to admit he had been like me."

"Probably not," I challenged. "It might have been hard for him to admit it while it was happening, but since he's looking back at a problem that no longer exists, it probably doesn't seem so bad now. Besides, he did it to help you." Andrew smiled and blushed.

"He's pretty nice, isn't he, Dad?" Andrew asked.

"He is and I'm sure he likes you just as much," I added, "especially since he told you about himself, hoping it would make you feel better."

We sat there for many more minutes, chatting about other things, but it was mostly just to allow Andrew the opportunity of receiving a little more affection from his dad. Even though it was something a younger child would be more likely to do, I knew he was enjoying our time together, since we haven't had many opportunities to do this as of late.

Once he'd started joining in the sexual escapades, we hadn't spent much time alone, but I think he was now letting the little boy in him show through again. He didn't seem to be as concerned about being considered a baby and was simply enjoying our closeness. Eventually, he went off to his own room, somewhat convinced he had nothing to worry about. I know he was still greatly concerned about his delayed entry into puberty, but I think he had decided not to let this bother him for the time being, so he could enjoy the fun he was having with the others.

When I went to bed that evening, I mentally rehashed everything I had talked to Andrew about and wondered if I could have said or phrased anything better. After thinking this over for many minutes, I finally concluded I was only beating myself up about something I couldn't change and Andrew seemed satisfied with the way everything went. I did consider a few things I might say to him in the future, if this subject popped up again, but for now, I'll let a sleeping dog lie.

After a good night's sleep, we were all in a better mood and it was another beautiful day. We ate our breakfast, gathered up our things and boarded the bus again. This time we were on our way to visit some more typical tourist attractions.

We began the next day by going to Jewel Cave, which is the third longest cave in the world and currently has more than 129 miles of mapped and surveyed passageways. However, this is believed to be only a small percentage of what actually exists there. The cave was discovered in 1900 and in 1908 a Presidential Proclamation established it as a national monument.

I chose to take the boys on the Lantern Tour, which is a 1930's style adventure through the caves. You enter and exit via the historic entrance and travel over an unpaved trail. The tour is quite strenuous, because it is a half-mile long and includes steep wooden steps. There is also a great deal of bending and stooping required and the only light provided is that from the lamps everyone carries. Due to the fact they limit these tours to 20 or fewer people, the operators of the site decided to take my family alone, with no outsiders included.

At first, I was worried about Vinnie being able to handle this, so I confronted him about it. He said he wanted to try and asked if Jake or I could carry him up the steps, which I said shouldn't be a problem. Vinnie felt he wouldn't have trouble with the bending and stooping though, because he was already on the short side. He concluded if worse came to worse and it became necessary, he'd crawl through some of those areas. Seeing he was so determined to try, I went ahead with our plans.

The tour took just under two hours to complete and was quite interesting. From past experiences, I had the boys take jackets with them and many were grateful to have these items later, since the caves maintained a constant temperature of forty-nine degrees. Beside the temperature, I would recommend that no one with claustrophobia ever take this tour, since the areas we traveled through often seemed very confined and restrictive.

After we finished up at the caves, we went to see the Crazy Horse Memorial. This work is still in progress, but you can see the model of what the finished product will look like. The work was begun in 1948, by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who died in 1982, but his wife and family are continuing his dream.

"Why are they carving an image of this person into the mountain?" Peter wanted to know.

"I'm not sure what the sculptor had in mind," I began, "but Crazy Horse's people saw him as a visionary leader and one who proved himself in battle many times. I would say he is one of the most famous, courageous and influential Native Americans to have ever lived."

"I thought he was an Indian," Peter challenged, innocently.

"Well, we now call them Native Americans," I explained. "It's because they were living in this land first, before the Europeans arrived."

"Oh, like the Aborigines in Australia," he commented, showing he recognized the similarities.

"Exactly," I concurred. "The Aborigines were the first to live there and, therefore, native to Australia."

Once this was clarified, we did a whirlwind tour of the site, since we had one more stop to go. Even though our time was limited, the boys still saw a great deal and found it very interesting.

After leaving the Crazy Horse memorial, our bus took us to Mt. Rushmore, for our final stop of the day. Although everyone has seen a picture of the presidents' heads carved into the side of the mountain, what they may not know is it took about fourteen years to complete. Gutzon Borglum and four hundred workers sculpted the sixty-foot high busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln into solid rock.

"You've had so many presidents," Peter stated, "so why did they choose these four?"

"They were selected to represent the first one hundred and fifty years of American history," I explained. "Washington was included because he was the father of our country, the first president and represented the struggle for independence. Jefferson was honored as the author of the Declaration of Independence and for expanding the new nation through the Louisiana Purchase." I paused briefly, to see if he was following me.

"How about the other two?" Peter pressed.

"Lincoln was chosen for preserving the union and for expanding the ideals of freedom and equality for all. Finally, Teddy Roosevelt was added because he oversaw the completion of the Panama Canal, which linked the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This made travel from one coast of the country to the other more accessible and helped the west grow. He was also a great conservationist and helped establish many of the places we visited earlier."

"Wow, sir, you really know a lot about history," Peter commented.

"I should, because I once taught it," I explained, "but I also did some extra research while deciding which places to visit." This seemed to satisfy Peter, so we continued on.

After looking at Mt. Rushmore from a distance, we decided to explore the half-mile or so Presidential Trail. This is a combination walking trail and boardwalk, which provides a spectacular and unique close-up view of the various sculptures, as seen from below. Using a pair of binoculars, it seemed as if you were standing beneath each of those enormous heads and looking up their nostrils.

"I wonder if they carved any boogers in their noses," Ricky joked, while looking up.

"Only you would think of that," Danny chided, while the others giggled.

"But think about it," Ricky continued. "If they did, and he had a cold…" I cut him off.

"That's more than enough for now," I interjected and Ricky took the hint. There was no further discussion about such things, although there were intermittent jests about Ricky's sense of humor.

At the end of the trail we came to the Sculptor's Studio, which contains unique plaster models and tools relating to the sculpting process. Again, this was an interesting stop and something you really have to see in person to appreciate fully.

"Hey, Andrew, maybe some day you can do something like this," Cole suggested. "You did a really good job drawing Cody's picture."

"Thanks, but that's it," Andrew replied. "I just draw and paint. I don't think I'm strong enough to hammer out something as wonderful as this." We all understood his concern, but the boys continued to impress upon him how talented they thought he was, which helped inflate Andrew's ego. It was just what he needed.

Once we finished there, we got back on the bus and rode to Rapid City, where we spent the night. Although we did take a walk around some of the area, we didn't see very much. After that, we basically just went back to our rooms watched movies on television, but no one seemed to mind. I felt a little guilty about not doing more, since I knew we'd have a long day on the road the next day, but I had something planned that would make up for it.

The next morning, we took everyone to the Flags and Wheels Amusement Park. I thought it would be a good place to go, because they had activities geared to the older boys too, not just the younger ones. The park featured sprint car racing, which are like go-carts on steroids, but there is a catch. You need a driver's license to race one, so this was one activity I knew my drivers would enjoy. The park also had less powerful go-carts and bumper boats for the non-drivers, so they weren't completely left out of the fun. There were also batting cages and paint ball available, so we made sure to take advantage of those activities too.

Once everyone had raced as much as they wanted and used the batting cages, Jake and I organized a massive paint ball war for just our family. I had made sure everyone wore old clothes today, for just this reason, and soon we were divided into two teams and waging war on each other. Jake and I played on opposite sides and split the boys evenly, by age. It might have seemed a little cruel, but we also pitted partner against partner, but the boys soon proved this was war and showed their lovers no mercy.

I found it a blast and felt everyone had a great time. We actually did this twice, so those who were put out early in the first war would have a chance to do better on the second go around. By the time we were done, the boys were exhausted, but not nearly as much as Jake and I. This meant we were all more than anxious to just sit back and relax during the long ride to Sioux Falls.

Before we got on the bus, we cleaned up as best we could, so we didn't make a mess. The boys also talked the driver into selecting a radio station that played music they'd enjoy and then kicked back and listened to the tunes as we traveled. Some also read or napped along the way, but they were all unusually docile. I guess the morning had taken a lot out of them too.

It was late by the time we reached Sioux Falls, so we checked into our rooms, cleaned up as quickly as we could and went out to dinner. The boys were still fairly subdued, but not enough to prevent them from trying to evoke reactions from the other diners by making sure everyone knew we were a family unit. This sometimes got uncomfortable for us, as even casual observers picked up on the fact there are two dads and no mother, but thankfully the majority of people did not let this bother them or create a problem.

In fact, many went out of their way to stop by our table and ask how we came together. They also commented about how they enjoyed seeing us all interacting so well and having such a good time, without the boys becoming rowdy or rambunctious. I told these people they were welcome to visit us at our home anytime, if they wanted to witness the boys in action in their natural habitat, but no one ever accepted my invitation. However, Jake and I were both complimented for what we were doing, by raising so many boys. Those commenting said it was wonderful and very obvious we were having a positive influence on our sons.

Chapter 8
From Tourist to Campers

The next morning we got up early, had a large breakfast and then got ready for another long ride, but this time to Minneapolis. I had told the boys we were going to see a ballgame at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, between the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics. It was a night game, so we had plenty of time, but I suggested we'd stop for a late lunch and eat heartily, and then just have some hot dogs, pizza and other things at the park later. They seemed to like the idea, which made the long ride seem to go a little easier.

We checked into our hotel before going to the game, to make sure we got settled in first. The boys knew we'd be staying here two nights and this would also give them a chance to freshen up before we went out again. We still managed to get to the park early, so we could walk around and check it out before the game started. I also understood the boys wanted to watch batting practice too, which would give them an opportunity to collect autographs from players on both teams, so I let them roam about in small groups to see what they could come up with.

Everyone returned to his seat before the National Anthem was played and then settled in to watch the game. It didn't take long for the vendors to acknowledge us, once word got out about how many hot dogs, sodas, popcorn and other items we were purchasing at one time. Each boy consumed a large variety of these treats while enjoying the action and no one was hungry by the time we reached the middle innings. The game wasn't very close and the biggest redeeming value was that it was a high scoring affair. There was plenty of action and some tremendous offensive output, which captured everyone's interest.

When the game was over, we went back to our rooms, but not before I informed the boys we'd be spending the next day at the Mall of America, where we'd do a little back-to-school shopping. Most of the boys seemed to really like the idea, so it wasn't hard to get them to go to bed quickly. They were also unusually easy to get up the following morning, since they were quite excited about seeing the mall and doing some shopping. Imagine that – gay boys excited about shopping.

The Mall of America is huge! It was built on the 78-acre site of the old Metropolitan Stadium, which used to be home to both the Twins and the Vikings. It opened in August of 1992 and has over 500 stores, which tempted the boys to go off on their own. I tried to keep everyone together, as much as possible, so I let them suggest which stores we'd check out, in order to minimize the chance they'd wander away.

As we made our rounds, we'd go in and see what the store had to offer and then make our purchases. Before we were even halfway through the mall, we were already becoming loaded down with packages, but the boys weren't complaining about having to carry them, so we kept going. However, when we stopped for lunch at the food court, we ran into our driver and talked him into letting us take our bags out and locking them in the bus with our other belongings.

After securing everything on the bus, we went back inside and got something to eat. Once we were full, we set about finishing up our shopping. I was pretty much dragging by the time we were done, so we made our way back to the hotel and rested for a bit, before we cleaned up and went out for dinner.

It was a nice meal, but it was also the last one we would share with Mark and Frankie for a couple of weeks. Mark had to go home and return to work, and Frankie decided to go back to continue his job search. He was very serious about landing a position in law enforcement and didn't want to risk missing any opportunity to do so. Throughout the meal, the others told Mark and Frankie they were going to miss them and a few even asked for one or the other to do a favor for them when they returned. The duo agreed, since most of the requests were simple, but it would also keep them busy, so they wouldn't feel so lonely.

After we finished the main course, I urged everyone to order dessert. I even allowed the older boys to have an after dinner glass of wine with it and poured it in their empty water glass, hoping no one would notice. Once we finished, we went for a brief walk, before going back to our rooms.

The next morning, we went to a U. P. S. store to ship our purchases home and then took Mark and Frankie to the airport to catch their flight. After seeing them off, the rest of us headed northeast, toward a little place named Ely, Minnesota. We were leaving from there to begin a two-week camping and canoeing trip thru some of the surrounding lakes. This trip would take us as far as the Canadian border, but we weren't planning on crossing it.

It was mid-afternoon when we finally arrived at the outfitter's base and they had everything ready for us. We merely unloaded the fishing gear and backpacks we had brought with us, before we began dividing everything up. Some of the boys would carry one of the backpacks we brought with us, which now contained their clothing. Two boys shared each backpack, so the other would be free to carry the items we picked up here.

The outfitters had the food and tents already placed in several of the backpacks, with the sleeping bags fastened to them. Since these backpacks were larger and heavier, we quickly assigned them to the older and larger boys. Jake and I took one too, as we tried to make sure we distributed everything equitably.

Once everyone was responsible for something, the outfitters led us to the six canoes we were going to use on this trip. They also gave me a map in a waterproof case, but not before they showed Jake and I the route they had planned for us to follow. They then went on to explain how far we should go each day, so we'd be back on time, and then provided us a few other essentials, such as wooden matches to start our fires with. These were put in the waterproof case with the map, to help keep them dry until they were needed.

After some general instruction about what to watch out for and other information we should know, we were given a quick demonstration of the appropriate way for one-man or two-men to carry a canoe over a portage. A portage is when you have to travel overland to get around areas where the water isn't deep enough for a fully loaded canoe to travel or when you were moving from one water-source to another. We were told we'd be navigating many of these and they would range from thirty yards to over 300 yards in length. This news brought groans from my poor, abused family, but I told them to 'suck it up' and get moving.

A few minutes later, the canoes were in the water, with our gear stored safely in between those who would be doing the paddling. There were three in each canoe and I assigned Andrew, Sammy, Graham, Cole, Vinnie and Trey to be the middlemen in the various canoes. Once everyone had a chance to practice, we shoved off and started our adventure.

Due to the fact we were getting a late start, which the outfitters had taken into consideration when planning our route, the first campsite wasn't very far away. This short outing gave us a chance to get used to working together in a canoe and then cross a small portage, before we set up our initial camp and fixed our first meal over an open fire. I knew this would be great preparation for the more difficult legs of the trip, which were still to come.

Protectively and instinctively, I kept a close eye on Vinnie and wondered how he'd handle the portage. I was amazed by what I saw. With Kevin's help and the use of his crutches, he managed to do just fine. His ability to adjust and determination to do everything the others do still impresses me and I'm certainly glad he is like this. He doesn't let his handicap overcome him and will not use it as an excuse. This attitude will serve him well in life.

When we reached the area where we'd be spending the night, we were all thankful this hadn't been a full day's journey. By the time we finished setting up our tents and securing our gear, we were all beginning to feel some muscles we hadn't used in a while. In addition to that, many of our hands were red and tender from using the paddles to propel the canoes, plus the weight of the gear and carrying the canoes over the portage had taken it's toll on our endurance levels. Even the boys who thought they were in fairly good shape were showing signs of wearing down, so we took a quick breather before we began dinner.

By the time we finished eating, everyone was ready to call it a day. I asked who wanted to go out and fish for breakfast with me the next morning and wasn't surprised to see only a couple of boys take me up on my offer, as the others preferred to sleep in. I informed the interested parties I'd set my watch and wake them between 5 and 5:30, so we would be out when the fish were biting. Since there would only be four of us, we'd just take two canoes. I'd be in one with Pat and Jake would be in the other with Dustin.

When the alarm went off the next morning, I first made sure Jake was getting up, before I went to wake the other pair. We gathered our gear, set out in the canoes and fished for nearly two hours before we went back in. We had a few fish we kept and Jake offered to clean them for us, so they could be added to our breakfast menu. Pat and Dustin offered to help Jake, so while they were doing that, I started a fire and began to get everything else ready.

Once the smell of the food began wafting through the air, heads began to peek out between the various tent flaps. It wasn't long before the boys began making their way in my direction, to grab some grub. It was kind of comical to watch them wander around in various states of dress, but I guess their growling stomachs were a stronger motivating force than the normal teen instinct to sleep as late as possible. Soon all of them were moving about and filling up with a variety of items, but I was surprised by how many chose to have some fish with their meal. Heck, most of them even came back for more.

We soon finished eating, struck camp and double-checked to make sure we left nothing behind. I also made certain there were no embers remaining from the fire, because I didn't want to be responsible for starting a forest fire. As you probably remember from our previous outings, I always make sure we leave a place in as good, or better, shape than we found it, and once I was certain of that, we began the next leg of this adventure.

The water in the lakes and connecting streams was crystal clear and the boys were tempted to scoop it out with their canteens, so they could drink it directly from the source. After warning them not to do it and telling them the reasons why, they heeded my advice. We continued on, but I also noticed everyone was making sure to enjoy the fantastic scenery that enveloped us. We were surrounded by an endless supply of trees, in multiple varieties, the crystal clear lake we were on, the pale-blue sky, filled with billowy, white clouds and the golden sun. It was truly a scene an artist would die for and one we'd probably never forget.

We kept going until around 2 p.m., when we headed toward shore to stop and eat. Although we were already a little tired and sore from the physical exertion, it didn't seem to be as bad as it had been the day before. We had even navigated a portage of around 200 yards and everyone seemed to do quite well with it.

After lunch we struck out again and were just passing a small island when an unexpected noise split the silence. It sounded like a gunshot. Many of us were startled and jumped in our seats, before looking in various directions for hunters. However, after surveying the area, I quickly spotted what had caused the noise and advised the boys. It was not what they thought at all, but merely a beaver warning other beavers of our approach by whacking its tail on the water. After the boys regained their composure and had a laugh over each other's reactions, we kept going until we neared the spot where we were scheduled to spend our second night.

This time we pitched our tents about ten yards from shore and then began to prepare dinner. The boys had a little more energy tonight and I could see they weren't about to go directly to bed. As we continued to sit around the fire, they began to beg me to tell them one of my stories, so I had to quickly come up with something that would suffice. Seeing there was so much water around, I focused in on one specific idea and hurriedly fleshed it out in my mind, so I could share it with them. When I thought I was prepared, I began to tell my recently concocted tale.

"Well, when I first contacted our outfitters, they warned me that a few years ago a couple had returned from Florida with five baby alligators. They thought they could keep them and maybe make some money by charging people to see them up close. Within a short time, however, the gators had grown so large they were becoming a threat to the family and neighborhood pets, so the couple brought them out to one of the lakes and released them.

"Seeing there are no natural predators for them in this area and with the abundance of food available, the gators grew rapidly and became more aggressive in the process. Soon they were attacking beaver, geese and other animals that dared to share their lake, and they even began to lie in wait for squirrels, rabbits, deer, moose, elk, bear and other animals coming down for a drink. Eventually, the alligators became so fearless that they even attempted to attack people in canoes and came up on shore at night, so they could pull campers from their tents. They would drag them down to the water, where they could deal with them better, and not many of their victims ever survived.

"I don't think this is the lake they mentioned, and if I remember correctly, they said it was more to our west. What concerns me is that if those alligators have been having babies, I'm sure they're branching out and making their way to new places. If they didn't, it would put a great strain on the food supply where they were and then they'd HAVE to move on. However, I don't think we have to worry, but it wouldn't hurt to keep your eyes open just in case."

I ended my story, but wasn't certain who, if anyone, believed my tale. I felt some might, but I still didn't bother to tell them I'd made the whole thing up or that gators wouldn't be able to survive a harsh Minnesota winter, when the lakes freeze over. They wanted a story, so I gave them one. I also knew the scarier those stories are, the more they appreciate it, so I tried not to disappoint them. As the boys left the campfire, I saw several of them looking around as they walked to their sleeping area, and I heard later a couple of them even checked their sleeping bags before they crawled in.

A short time later, I spotted Peter coming out to relieve himself, but noticed he was unwilling to move away from the area the tents were set up to do this. I decided to approach him and ease his concerns.

"It's all right and you don't have to worry," I told him, when he saw me approach.

"But sir, I know what crocs can do. We have plenty of them down-under," he challenged.

"I know, but I just made that story up," I explained. "Didn't Ricky explain that?"

"He did tell me you told good ghost stories," he replied, "but he didn't tell me they were made up, especially this one."

"Well, it was, even if he didn't tell you so," I added. "Are you okay now?"

"I'd still feel better if you stayed with me," he responded.

"If it will make you feel better," I agreed. I walked behind him as he moved a little farther from the tents, so the smell didn't drift back. Then, I stood guard while he did his thing. Once he'd finished, I walked him back and he thanked me for going with him.

The next few days were much the same as the last and I was surprised we hadn't seen any other people out and about since the afternoon we left the outfitter's place. We did see more than our share of wildlife, mostly from long range, but our biggest thrill came when we saw an eagle soaring in the sky above us. We watched for several minutes, before it landed in its aerie, way up in a huge, and apparently dying, tree. It had been great observing it soar above us, as its huge wings caught the warmer air pockets, which helped float its great body effortlessly about. When it finally landed in its aerie, it did so with a minimum of exertion and little impact to the lofty nesting area.

During these past few days the boys had done much more than just watch wildlife they became a little primitive themselves. They had done a great deal of skinny-dipping in the various lakes we camped on and often ran around the campsite with nothing on but some footwear. Although that sort of activity has never bothered me, I noticed it did make Jake a little uneasy. He was worried others would see the boys running around naked, even though we hadn't encountered anyone else, so he continually scanned the lake for signs of unexpected visitors.

Other than that, there were few problems, but we also experienced some humorous moments. With all the quiet that blanketed the area, except for the sounds of a few crickets, frogs or an occasional owl, it made other disturbances seem even louder. So, when we overheard some of the boys' nightly sessions, it left little to our imagination. On more than one occasion, we had to stifle laughs over the cries of ecstasy emitted during a heated encounter, but I was glad to know they were enjoying themselves.

We had almost reached the end of our first week in the wilderness when we noticed a storm approaching on the horizon. We quickly detoured to an island on the lake we were currently on, set up camp quickly and then planned on waiting out the storm. We had just barely finished our preparations, so the boys were still dressed, when another canoe appeared and suddenly headed toward our island. In it were a mother, father and their two children – a girl about fourteen or fifteen and a boy most likely in the twelve to thirteen age bracket.

Once they came ashore and spotted us, they quickly asked if we'd mind if they shared the island with us during the storm. I quickly informed them we would welcome their company and they began to unload their gear. They would occasionally glance around and examine our family, so within a few minutes they were asking if we were a scout troop. None of us laughed, since we were used to such questions, but I informed our visitors we'd explain later, after we helped them set up first. It appeared the rain would start falling soon and we wanted to make sure they were all safe and snug during whatever we were about to encounter. They agreed, and then the boys, Jake and I all pitched in to get this done rapidly.

We had barely finished getting their tents ready when the first drops of precipitation began to fall. The storm turned out to be a violent one and sheets of rain slammed into the outer surface of our tents. The flashes of lightning were extremely bright and the thunder rumbled and vibrated throughout our temporary shelters and bodies. We even heard the lightning strike somewhere close by, but none of us went out to see what had been hit, although a few had been tempted.

This terrible storm lasted for over an hour, before the rain began to slow from a downpour to a heavy drizzle. Even though it was letting up slightly, it still wasn't something you wanted to be in just yet. However, I think the boys would have liked to run around nude in the rain, if it wasn't for our unexpected company and the lightning. This situation lasted for about another 30 minutes, with the storm gradually letting up until it stopped completely. When the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds, we all emerged from our havens of safety.

As we all came out to check the very soggy campsite, we began to chat. We discovered this family was heading back in to Ely and had been out in this wilderness for just over two weeks. Part of the reason they choose this type of vacation was to help their son earn some merit badges from his scout troop. They also felt it would give them time to bond and enjoy each other's company, without distractions. They said the experience had helped bond them closer to each other than they were before they started.

After they filled us in about themselves, they wanted to know more about us. We quickly told them our story, but at first they didn't believe what they heard and thought we were just pulling their legs. Eventually, we convinced them we were indeed a family and then answered a ton of questions, mostly from the children. Once they were satisfied, we spent the remainder of the day together, since we decided it would be best to spend the remainder of the day on this island and then strike out again in the morning.

Chapter 9
A Chance Encounter

As we got to know the family better, some of my straight boys started to become friendly with the daughter. At the same time, Andrew was thrilled to have someone closer to his own age to pal around with. The parents, Jake, and I spent a great deal of time together too, talking about our respective families and trips, while the kids went off and had some fun. Before they left, however, I warned my straight boys that nothing of a sexual nature was to happen and they reluctantly agreed. Otherwise, I told them they'd have to stay within sight of us.

I guess the boys and their new friends used this time to investigate the island, but Andrew decided to use the time to investigate his new friend. He managed to get the boy to slip off with him, to an area away from the others, including us adults, and began to ask the boy various questions. At first they started off innocently, about what kind of things he liked, what grade he was in school and topics such as that. Over time, though, his focus changed and he began asking the boy if he had ever seen other boys or girls naked or if he'd ever fooled around.

The boy admitted he had, in response to both questions, and then asked Andrew if he'd ever done anything. Andrew was quick to explain he had, but then swore the boy to secrecy before he told him about our family. The boy seemed to be amazed and surprised by all he heard, but it seemed to encourage him to loosen up a bit as well. Now, the boy asked Andrew if he wanted to do something with him, and when Andrew agreed, they found a secluded spot and quickly undressed.

The boy had never seen an uncircumcised penis before, so Andrew had to explain to him about the differences. The boy was fascinated by it and asked Andrew if he could touch it, and Andrew quickly informed him he could do whatever he wanted with it. Without hesitation, and with great enthusiasm, the boy began to explore Andrew's penis and pulled the foreskin back and forth, constantly exposing the head and then sheathing it again. All of this attention began to get to Andrew, so it wasn't long before he was sporting wood. This was all the encouragement the other boy needed and he was soon masturbating Andrew and enjoying this act with his new friend.

While Andrew was enjoying the stimulation, he was busy examining the other boy carefully. He noticed the boy was cut and quite a bit bigger than he was in that area, although the boy was a few months younger. The boy even had a budding ring of pubic hairs over his dick. Even though Andrew was intrigued with viewing the boy's assets, it only depressed him further about his own lack of physical maturity.

When the boy finished bringing Andrew to his dry orgasm, Andrew asked if he wanted him to do the same for him or if he wanted to be sucked off instead. Seeing the boy had never experienced oral sex before, he was eager to try it, so Andrew began to lick around the head of his penis and the boy became extremely hard within seconds.

Andrew continued to lick up and down his shaft and then ran his tongue over the surface of the boy's scrotum, before sucking on his testicles. The boy was moaning quite loudly, so Andrew stopped for a second to tell him to keep the noise down, and then he slipped his mouth over the helmet and began to nod up and down on his rod. The boy began to thrust his hips up and down, to match Andrew's movements, and it didn't take very long before he arched his back, shoved his penis as far into Andrew's mouth as it would go and released a few spurts of warm boy juice down Andrew's throat. Once his balls had been drained, he collapsed on the ground, silently savoring the moment.

When he recovered, he thanked Andrew and told him how wonderful it had been, before they decided to get dressed and head back to camp. They didn't want anyone to see what they were up to and were afraid someone might come searching for them, because they had been missing for so long. As they walked back to where we were talking, I think I was the only one who noticed the never-fading grin the other boy was wearing and then realized I had forgotten to give Andrew the same warning I had given the others. I hoped this wouldn't create a problem, although I suspected the boy wasn't about to admit what had just happened to the rest of his family. The two were almost inseparable after that.

Later in the afternoon, I did corner Andrew about what had happened and he explained the whole thing to me in detail. After he did, he went on to lament once more about the fact he wasn't showing any signs of reaching puberty and explained how much more mature his new friend was. Once again, we discussed the factors controlling the process and I told him he was probably just going to be a late-bloomer, but it did little to ease his concerns. I did what I could to alleviate his worries, but in the end I found that sending him off with his new friend was the best thing I could do to help him forget his problems.

After dinner, both boys came up to us and asked if they could sleep in the same tent tonight. At first his parents were a little reluctant, but eventually they gave in to his whining 'request.' I also had some concerns, but figured I'd pull Andrew aside and explain them to him later, but now we had to determine what the sleeping arrangements would be.

Since the father had been sharing a tent with his son and the mother had been staying with the daughter, the father suggested he could sleep in the tent with his wife and daughter for one night. This would let the boys have the other tent by themselves. I'm not so sure he would have agreed to it if he'd suspected what might be going on in there, but everyone seemed satisfied with this arrangement.

Later, I spoke to Andrew and asked what prompted them to share a tent. He told me the other boy had suggested he wanted them to be together, so he could try some more things later. Hearing this, I immediately worried this could create problems, so I talked to Andrew about it in more detail. I told him if they did anything, they would have to wait until everyone else was asleep and then keep the noise down, which Andrew agree to. I also informed him he would have to make sure the other boy knew he couldn't say or do anything later that might arouse suspicion or bring this to his parents' attention, and he said he would.

After thinking about this some more, I felt if anything did crop up later, we would try to downplay it. Due to their age, I felt it could be brushed off as youthful experimentation, so I was a little less worried.

As it began to grow dark, we built a nice campfire and the boys decided to tell our new companions some of the ghost stories I had told them on previous occasions. They were smart enough to select the non-sexual stories and the son and daughter seemed to enjoy these tales, although I could tell their parents weren't quite as comfortable with some of the gory content they entailed. No one stopped the boys from continuing, however, and after they had finished, we decided it was time to turn in.

Andrew and the boy went to their tent and I guess they stripped down right away and fondled each other while they waited for the rest of us to fall asleep. Once they thought it was safe, Andrew showed the boy how to sixty-nine, because the boy had said he wanted to try to suck Andrew too. Now, they licked and slurped on each other, with the other boy wanting to try everything he could. However, he was soon distracted and quit working on Andrew, as his own climax approached.

He was so consumed with the sensations coursing through his body that he could no longer think about what he had been doing to Andrew and merely concentrated on his own pleasure. Once again he began to make various guttural noises and Andrew quickly stopped to warn him to be quiet, but when the boy didn't hush, Andrew merely put his hand over the boy's mouth, to muffle his sounds. This continued until the boy eventually reached the point of no return and spewed his seed into Andrew's mouth again.

After he came back to his senses, the boy apologized to Andrew about having stopped taking care of him and then insisted on finishing Andrew off too. Andrew readily accepted his offer, settled back and let the boy do what he wanted with him. A bit ineptly, but very enthusiastically, the boy began to try to do the things to Andrew that he remembered Andrew doing to him. After a few warnings about things he should do a little differently, the boy began to get into a groove and soon Andrew's body was stiffening and shaking, as his dry orgasm slammed home. Once Andrew had sufficient time to enjoy his afterglow, the boys snuggled together and went to sleep as new best friends.

The next morning, I went to check on the boys before the others awoke, since I didn't want anyone else to discover them in any compromising situations. As I entered the tent, they were both lying on top of their sleeping bags, still naked. I woke them up and asked them to put their underwear back on, while assuring them they could then go back to sleep. Groggily, both boys looked at me and nodded and then rummaged around, looking for their own briefs. Once they located and slipped them on, they laid down again. Before I left, they even thanked me for not letting anyone else see them that way.

Leaving them alone, I went to start the campfire and make some coffee. As I did, I thought about what had just happened. I was somewhat surprised the boy hadn't been upset about me seeing him naked, but he never flinched, tried to hide himself or said a word. Not only that, but he even thanked me for waking him before his parents came to check on him. I was certainly glad I got to them before anyone else did, but I was still a little baffled by his reaction. I guess maybe Andrew had told him more about me than I was aware of, so the boy felt more comfortable in my presence than I would have suspected.

As I sat enjoying the second cup of my fresh brew, Jake came out to join me. After he had a chance to down a cup too, we woke up our fishermen and went out to see what we could catch before the others got up. By the time we came back in though, everyone was dressed and getting ready to move on. In fact, our temporary companions were nearly finished packing up their gear, as Jake helped Pat and Dustin clean the fish.

Jake and I cooked up our catch, so everyone could have some with whatever else he decided to have for breakfast. Once we finished, Jake and I began to pack up too, but not before saying good-bye to our new friends. We had all enjoyed their company and the boys were sad to see them go. Some were reacting because they hated to see the daughter leave, but I could tell Andrew and their son were having the most difficulty parting company.

The boys stood side-by-side and gave each other a couple of hugs before the family left. I think there were tears in both of their eyes, as the family got in their canoes and paddled away. I made sure Andrew had some time to deal with this, by making sure I kept the others busy getting everything ready for us to shove off again.

I walked up to him, before the others got in the canoes, to ask how he was holding up. Although he still seemed to be a bit weepy, he said he was fine, so I didn't push him on this issue. Before I left him, however, he told me he had his new friend's email address, postal address, telephone number and several other important stats, and he hoped maybe the boy could come stay with us sometime next year. I told him we'd see how things went, but I couldn't make any promises until I talked to his parents, but it seemed to suffice. At least I hadn't told him 'no' and I believe that was his biggest fear up to this point.

Now that this situation had been handled, we all got in the canoes and moved on. We had one more day to continue in the same direction we'd been traveling, before we started to loop back and make our trek toward our starting point. We wouldn't travel over any of the same lakes until the final one, which would take us back to the outfitters.

Our time out here in this beautiful wilderness was nearly half over and in another week we'd be heading home, so we could all get ready to begin another school year. Fortunately, the second week of our camping trip began with a beautiful sunny morning, instead of the violent storm we endured two days before.

We paddled our canoes to the far end of the lake we were on and then tackled a portage of over 200 yards. Actually, the boys did very well navigating it, although Jake and I found this passage considerably tougher. You see, the portage started out going straight up a hill, which had roughly a thirty-degree angle of ascent, and I would have sworn that hill went on for at least one hundred and fifty yards of the portage. By the time we reached the top of the grade, not only were we breathing hard, but our arms and legs were aching from the exertion – the legs from walking up the hill and the arms from carrying the canoe over our heads as we went.

The boys actually seemed a little concerned about us when we stopped to take a brief break at the top. They even offered to carry our canoe and packs for the remainder of the portage, which I thought was very sweet. After thanking them for their concern and explaining we'd be fine, I could see they didn't agree with me, but didn't push the issue further. However, we could also tell they were watching us more closely now, to see if they could detect any signs of distress in either of us.

We continued on, until we reached the next lake and placed our canoes in the water. Then, we set off again, but this time at a more leisurely pace. About halfway across the lake, our pace seemed to quicken, but I'm not sure how or why this happened. Possibly it was due to the fact that some of the boys got impatient and wanted to hurry so they could do something more fun or their adrenaline flow had motivated them to move faster. Either way, we soon reached the other end of the lake and were pulling our canoes out of the water once more.

The boys decided this would be a good time to take a lunch break, although I think it had more to do with their wanting to give Jake and I time to rest up, before we took on another portage. We kept the meal quick and simple, in an attempt to make up for lost time, since we'd had to stay put on the island for so long during the storm. As soon as we finished, we grabbed our gear and continued our overland journey.

This portage was fairly short, only about seventy-five yards, but again much of it was uphill. Once again, the boys offered to carry Jake's and my load, but we declined their offer. We explained we didn't belong out here if we couldn't carry our share, so although we appreciated their offer, we would do it ourselves. They weren't happy with our response, but realized it would be fruitless to argue the point further.

The next lake was quite long, so it took us a while to get from one end to the other. After tackling the next portage and traveling the length of the next lake, I realized I was starting to wear down. Therefore, when we finally reached the shore at the end of this lake, I decided we'd make camp. We wasted no time in finding a suitable spot, unpacked our gear and set up our tents. Once we finished, the boys thought it would be a great time for a swim. In fact, we all agreed and felt it would be a good time to bathe as well, since we were all hot and sweaty from the exertion.

We broke out the bars of ivory soap, stripped and raced toward the lake. Of course I had scanned the area first, to make certain I couldn't see any others about, but I don't think I could have held the boys back anyway, as they were intent on this idea. Once we were all in the lake, I urged them to clean up first, before they began their horseplay, so they passed the soap around, quite enthusiastically.

Jake and I figured we'd be immune to being included in the action this time, since the boys thought we'd had a rough enough time conquering the portages, but we were wrong. Of course it was Ricky and some of his cohorts who began the commotion, as a couple of them leapt on Jake's and my back, so they could dunk us. When this happened, some of the other boys tried to retaliate on our behalf and this led to an all out battle. It was a madhouse as the boys tried to dunk or save us from the others, but it was all being done in fun.

I was glad all of the boys happened to be strong swimmers, so I didn't have to worry about them while this was going on. I didn't have time to watch what was happening to anyone else, because as soon as I shed one body off my back, another would take his place. I would either buck the person off or flip him over my shoulder, but it would only be a temporary reprieve. I noticed a few of the boys were taking it easy and not attacking me, but it was mostly the older ones giving me a break. They were most likely concerned I'd overexert myself, but the younger ones kept coming like an advancing army. By the time this free-for-all ended, we were exhausted and ready for a respite.

The fantastic part was that no one got angry or tried to hurt anyone else. To the boys, it was just a way to release some energy and a means to bond with the rest of the family. If you became a focal point during these episodes, you could pretty well conclude the attacker loved the person he attacked enough to feel comfortable doing such things with him.

It was just like with the teasing and practical jokes the boys were so fond of. Everyone seemed to only target those whom they felt closest too, because they knew they wouldn't take it the wrong way. If they did the same thing to someone they were upset with or didn't get along with, it would most likely have turned into a battle, with each boy trying to get the upper hand over the other. This way, it generally stayed fun and was an enjoyable, although sometimes annoying, experience when it happened.

Seeing everyone was nearly exhausted, we crawled out of the lake. I suspect we looked like something from an early Darwinian sketch showing the primitive life forms crawling out of the primordial ooze. We were all naked, tired and merely dragging ourselves back to shore, so it would have been a shocking sight for anyone who had chanced upon us at that moment. Fortunately, that didn't happen as we moved back to our gear. Some of us threw on our clothes, while the rest preferred to remain as they were. Jake and I began to get things ready for dinner, while the boys gathered up stones to ring the campfire and wood to burn. Before long, we had a fire going and dinner was being prepared.

The boys were quite relaxed this evening, although I could see Andrew was still missing his newest friend, but everything went smoothly. After dinner we made an even bigger fire, but it was basically for aesthetic purposes. We didn't need the light, since the moon was quite bright, and we didn't need the heat, because it was a fairly warm evening, but it did produce a nice effect. Primarily, it was used as a backdrop for us to sit around and tell stories, but we also made sure it was totally out before we went to sleep.

That night I could hear some grunting and moaning coming from the various tents, as the boys used the time to relieve some more of their sexual tension, but I knew there was nothing to be concerned about. Even Jake and I got to spend a little quality time together, although I found Andrew cuddled up against me halfway through the night. I guess he either missed his new friend or felt uncomfortable with the more developed boys now, but I wasn't sure which it was this time.

I would talk to him in the morning and see if there was anything more I might be able to do to help reassure him. I hoped this was only because he was lonely or needed a fatherly touch, because his preoccupation with his delayed puberty was rapidly approaching the point of becoming an unhealthy obsession for him.

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