Bill W

Castaway Hotel IX

Chapters 32-40

Chapter 32
Some Joshie Firsts

Before I knew it, September and some of October had passed me by. That's why I was slightly stunned when Andrew and Jesse confronted me about having the haunted house again. After realizing Halloween wasn't that far away, I explained it would be difficult to do it this year, with only four of them at home. However, Andrew and Jesse seemed determined to have it, so I agreed to speak with the other two, to see what they thought of the idea.

Sammy and Little Ricky weren't really into the idea of having the haunted house this year, but since they didn't want to disappoint their two younger brothers, they agreed to help out. When I told Andrew and Jesse, they were ecstatic, although I think Andrew was doing this more for Jesse's sake than for his own benefit. The boys then suggested there were others they knew that had expressed an interest in helping, so I told them it would be fine to invite them to participate.

Andrew recruited the boy he had invited to the Valentine's Party at our house one year and Jesse included three of his classmates who were eager to do this. It was pretty much just a replay of the past couple of years, except this time around we had new participants to play the various roles.

This was also Joshie's first Halloween with us, and even though he would only be six-weeks old, I wanted to include him in some way. We'd take pictures, so we could share them with Dion and Trey later, but we'd also have them to show Joshie when he got older. I wanted him to see he had always been included as a fully participating member of the family.

I quickly decided that this year, Jake, Joshie and I would greet everyone when they entered. We would be located just inside the backdoor, so Joshie wouldn't get too chilled, and just a short distance away from Dracula and his coffin. I had talked it over with Jake and we had agreed on what we were going to be, so we started going to garage sales to collect the props we would need, after we made certain we could get the required costumes. We were going to be the 'Three Bears,' of Goldilocks fame.

Jake and I had rented bear costumes that resembled cuddly, not ferocious, bears, and I had also purchased an adorable bear outfit for Joshie online. I would be the Papa Bear, seated in a tall, and very stiff looking, wooden chair. Jake would be the Mama Bear and have an overstuffed living room chair to sit in, while Joshie would be in his infant car seat, but it would be placed in a comfy recliner. We got into position, after we fed and changed Joshie, and waited for the children to arrive.

Everyone immediately recognized who, or what, we were and the kids had a great time asking if they could sit in our chairs. Joshie seemed to like watching the other children, dressed in an assortment of costume, go by and only fussed once. When he started crying, I quickly took him into our bedroom, so I could change his diaper, and then gave him his bottle, while sitting in my chair. Sammy and Little Ricky took several pictures of us throughout the night and I was sure Dion and Trey were going to love them.

Once Halloween was behind us, we started getting ready for Thanksgiving. Since my biological children were coming for Christmas, they would not be joining us for Thanksgiving. It would just be the boys, minus Frankie and Nick, plus some of the extended family. We'd make do.

As the big day drew closer, Jake and I got things ready for Thanksgiving dinner. We had purchased everything we'd need, for both the dinner and desserts, so all we had to do was put it all together and pop it into the ovens. Sounds easy! Right?

Well, when Thanksgiving finally arrived, I spent most of Wednesday baking pies, cakes and puddings. Jake helped me finish them up when he got home from work, so they were all done before we went to bed.

Thursday morning, I stayed up after giving Joshie his 4:00 feeding, so I could start the turkey. Dion and Trey had come home Wednesday night, but they were so tired that I just told them I'd take care of Joshie one more day, so they could get some sleep. They thanked me, went in and gave Joshie a kiss, before dragging off to their room.

When the other boys came stumbling downstairs the next morning, Jake and I fixed them some breakfast. Once they finished, they went to lounge about in the family room for a while, before our guests started to arrive. Around 1:00, I suggested they go get cleaned up and changed, since our guests would start arriving around 2:00. Dinner wasn't until 3:00, but I wanted to spend some time with everyone first, before we ate.

Unfortunately, Duck wasn't going to be able to be with us for this holiday either, since he and his girlfriend were going to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her parents. Duck had told me he wasn't excited about this, but it was something he felt he had to do, in order to keep peace between them. Therefore, I told him I'd see them both at Christmas.

As the final items for dinner were cooking, we started greeting our guests as they arrived. Of course, Steve, Mary and Sally were there, along with the Spences and Arlene, and Susan (Mark's mother) and Alice (Jesse's mother) had joined us as well. While we were chatting, I began showing everyone, including Dion and Trey, the pictures we had of Joshie, including the three of us dressed up like the 'Three Bears' for Halloween. The women told us we were adorable and loved the chairs we used to heighten the effect. Dion and Trey loved seeing the pictures too and were pleased we had burned them on a CD for each of them, so they could take it back to college. There were about 25 different pics and the majority of them were of Joshie.

When we finally sat down to eat, Joshie had his own place of honor. He was seated in his swing, which was placed just off the corner of the head table, between his father's chair and mine. Once we were all seated, we observed our tradition of having everyone tell us what they were thankful for this year. I'll spare you all of the details and just give you a few of the highlights of what was slightly different from what had been said in the past.

Dion and Trey were thankful for Joshie and that his mother had signed over custody to them, as well as for me agreeing to take care of him, until they had finished with school. Ricky said he was thankful I had treated Peter so well and let him stay with us for a year, as well as for taking the family to visit Australia and allowing Peter to show us around. Dustin said he and all of his brothers, were thankful that I had taken them in and set up accounts in each of their names, so they would be assured of having a decent start in life.

Steve and Mary said they were thankful they had been able to adopt Vinnie and take a more active role as an integral part of our wonderful and unique family. Susan was thankful for her son, Mark, and all we'd done to help both of them. Finally, it became time for Alice to say something.

"I find this to be a very nice tradition and I can see why you are all thankful for the things you've mentioned," she began, "and I've got a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful that Josh took Jesse in when I left him here and he's done so much for Jesse since. I'm also thankful for Andrew and what a wonderful friend he's been to my son, but I'm especially thankful that the Curries helped me move here, so I could remain part of Jesse's life.

"Although I feel guilty for not figuring this out on my own, I'm thankful Jesse confided in Josh about what his stepfather had done and Josh helped set the situation right. Most of all, I'm thankful to everyone here for accepting me and making me feel a part of this wonderful and loving family – especially since hardly any of us are related by blood. That's what a true family is all about."

It was nice to see she understood and appreciated what we were trying to do, by opening our arms and welcoming those who wanted, or needed, to be part of something greater than themselves.

After that, we enjoyed the meal and the great company. We finished dinner off by stuffing ourselves full of desserts, about an hour later. Some of the family adjourned to the family room afterward, so they could watch the football game, while the rest stayed in the dining room to talk.

Dion and Trey had been taking care of Joshie all day, although they did get some help from their brothers. The other boys wanted to get to hold their nephew and spend time with him too, and everyone was really great with Joshie. Surprisingly, Joshie didn't mind being passed around like a hot potato and merely enjoyed whoever was holding him at the time.

When bedtime rolled around, Jake and I switched rooms with Dion and Trey again, so they could stay with the baby. It was their turn to take care of the feedings during the night, even though Joshie was sleeping nearly three hours at a time now, rather than waking up every two.

The next morning, while we were sitting at the breakfast table, Dion asked me a question. "Do you think this is the color Joshie's going to be?" he wondered. Joshie appeared as if he had a nice tan.

"It's possible, seeing he has a mixture of your and Shelly's genes," I answered. "Even though you're not very dark, he is even lighter and may stay that way. It is also possible he could get a little darker, but I'd guess at most, he might attain your coloring." I don't think Dion was concerned about how dark Joshie might get, it's just that he was curious about how Joshie was going to eventually look.

Everyone returned for leftovers later and we had another wonderful day with the family. Dion and Trey were like two doting parents and wouldn't even leave Joshie alone long enough to go out and participate in a game of touch football with their brothers later. I guess their paternal instincts had really kicked in.

We did go out and do some early Christmas shopping on Saturday, but we spent most of the day just relaxing and being very laid back. I was enjoying my little vacation from the constant demands of raising an infant, as well as reveling in how seriously Dion and Trey were responding to those demands.

On Sunday, all the various groups of college boys began to pack up and leave again. This was a very tough time for Dion and Trey, since neither wanted to leave Joshie again. They had spent so much time with him over the past few days and didn't want it to end, but eventually they gave in to the reality that it was the way things had to be. I think both boys had tears in their eyes, as they hugged and kissed Joshie, before hopping in their respective vehicles. I reminded them they'd be back in another month and the time in between would go quickly, so they sucked it up and took off.

For the first time in a very long time, I found the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas somewhat relaxing. Sure, I had a few concerts to attend and Christmas shopping to take care of, but I didn't have nearly as many parties, concerts, functions or sporting events that I felt I also had to attend. Heck, I was almost beginning to enjoy this time of year for a change.

I was spending my days playing Christmas CD's and singing along with them, to Joshie's delight – or at least I hoped he was delighted. At three months, his personality was beginning to emerge and it appeared he was going to be a happy, carefree baby. He laughed and smiled a lot, plus he cooed whenever I held him, read him a story or just talked. We were growing very close, so I knew I was going to miss spending so much time with him while his daddy and poppy were home.

When Dion and Trey arrived for the holidays, I packed up Joshie and drove all of us to the mall. I had been waiting to do this until Dion and Trey had arrived home from school, so they could be there when Joshie had his first picture taken with Santa. Unlike some of the other children, Joshie sat on Santa's lap and looked around at all the colored lights. He had the biggest grin on his face when the picture was snapped, so it was definitely a keeper.

Christmas was on Sunday this year and the boys started arriving home on Friday. It was nice to see them all again and we started off by making certain their was room for the others when they arrived. Since Frankie and Nick's rooms were already open, we just shifted some boys around so the third floor was filled up first. This left the guest room and a couple of rooms on the second floor open for our guests. I'd give Marie the guest room, so she wouldn't have to navigate the stairs with the baby and Dion and Trey were going to use the master bedroom with Joshie. Jake and I would use their room and then the others would stay in the other open rooms. We would fit everyone in without a problem.

Duck and his girlfriend showed up on Friday too, and it was nice to see them both again. After they got to meet Joshie and his girlfriend got to hold the baby for a while, we talked about what they had been up to since we'd last seen them. It's nice to be able to catch up on things, once you've been apart for a while.

Everyone else showed up on Saturday, along with another surprise. Frankie was with them. I was shocked. It turned out he was able to finagle a two-week leave over the holidays in return for volunteering to spend another year at Guantanamo. He wanted to surprise me, so he'd contacted the others to find out what they were doing and then scheduled his flight to coincide with their arrival, so he could ride in with them from the airport. To say the least, I was thrilled.

"I promised you last year I'd be home for Christmas this year," he announced, as he gave me a tremendous hug. "I would never willingly break a promise to you, so here I am."

"And I'm happy to see you," I confirmed, "as long as you don't or didn't get into any trouble by doing this."

"Nope, the C.O. agreed to give me the time off, since I had volunteered to stay there for a second tour," he explained. "This is what I asked for, if I agreed to bail them out and stay longer." Man, this is great and I am sooooo excited that Frankie was here with us.

We quickly introduced everyone to Joshie and they all told Dion they thought it was wonderful he had named the baby after me. Dion said he had to give the baby the name of the most important person in his life and I think that scored him some extra points with the others.

Jordan and Nicky held the baby for a while, but soon tired of it. They had both held their little sisters, so it wasn't a big deal for them. Their eyes did bug out of their head though, when they happened to walk by when Joshie was being changed.

"Wow, the baby sure has a big pee-pee, Papa," Nicky observed.

"Yes, he does, for a little guy," I told him.

"Dang, what did you do to make it that big?" Jordan asked.

"I didn't do anything. It's just that his father passed along some pretty good genes," I explained.

"What does his jeans have to do with it?" Nicky wondered.

"Not jeans, like in the type you wear, but genes as in the stuff in your body that determines whether you are a boy or a girl, what color your hair is, what color eyes you'll have, how tall you'll get and things like that."

"Oh!" Nicky said, as he turned back to stare at Joshie's genitals again, before I covered the area with the diaper.

Since this was the first I'd seen of Elizabeth and Tim since the reconciliation, I spent quite a bit of time with them. We chatted about many things, including her ectopic pregnancy, what they'd been up to, Jake's and my commitment ceremony and about us flying off to Canada to get married.

"I won't say I understand it – well I understand that you want to be together, but if it makes you happy and you love each other, then I'm happy for you," she informed us.

We thanked her for that, and we also thanked Tim when he told us he agreed with what his wife had said. It was nice to have the family back together and not at odds over some petty squabble.

That evening, I read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' again, and just as soon as I finished, Santa appeared in the window. "It's just Papa Jake," Jordan stated.

"No, Jordan. Jake is right here," I announced, while pointing to where Jake was standing.

"But I saw him leave," Jordan added, with conviction.

"Yes, I went to the toilet," Jake answered.

"Then it's Uncle Robert," Nicky offered.

"No, I'm here," Robert stated, while standing up. The pair quickly looked around and accounted for everyone else, but outside the window they could still see Santa Claus. How could that be?

Let me explain. We thought the boys were getting suspicious and catching on, so Steve volunteered to play Santa this year. When Jake went to the toilet, he called Steve using his cell phone and Steve drove over. Jake then pushed the 'send' button to enter the text message he had entered earlier, to let Steve know it was time to 'appear.' The boys were confused, Jesse and Megan were excited and we got all of the kids to bed without too much of a struggle.

Oh, we did pay for it the next morning, when a little after 4:00 we began to hear shouts of, "Santa's been here! Santa's been here! He's left us all kinds of presents!"

The rest of us dragged ourselves out of bed, shuffled down to the family room and passed out presents. Once everything was unwrapped, some of us literally were ready to pass out. We were only able to go back to bed because some of the older boys volunteered to stay up and keep an eye on the little ones.

Before I was able to do that though, Elizabeth handed me a card. "What's this?" I asked. "You've already given me a gift."

"I know, but this is just something a little extra," she replied, with a twinkle in her eye.

I opened it up and it was a Christmas card to 'Dad.' I began to read it and discovered she had written a personal note inside. "You're about to be a grandfather again. I'm pregnant and the baby is due near the end of May.'

I could hardly believe my eyes. My baby was going to have a baby too. "Really? This is great! Have you told the others?"

"No, you're the first person we've told," she explained.

"Then come with me," I urged. "We're going to tell the rest of them right now!"

I quickly hollered for everyone to come back to the family room, so they dragged back downstairs. When they were all there, I turned to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth has something to tell you," I announced, and then let her have the floor.

"I just told Dad, but now I'll tell all of you," she began. "I'm pregnant and the baby is due near the end of May."

Everyone congratulated her, but Marie had to tease her as well. "It's about time," Marie told her. "Even Dion beat you!"

Dion blushed, well sort of, when he was dragged in to this, but everyone else laughed. Our family was going to increase by one more. Then some of the others got on Robert and asked him when he was going to get married and become a father, but he just joked it off, as he usually does.

We ended up having a great day, which was topped off with a great meal with our extended family. Jake and I made sure to thank Steve for his help and told him what had gone on. He merely laughed and said he was happy he could help and would do it next year too, if we wanted. We assured him we did and Jesse and my grandchildren never were able to figure that one out.

After dinner, Dion and I packed Joshie up and drove him down to see Shelly and her family. We had him dressed in little red jammies with white trim, which looked similar to the outfit Santa wore. We also placed a red conical hat on his head, which also had white trim and a white cloth ball on the end. Joshie looked really cute.

While we were there, we took a picture of Joshie with each of them and they took one with each of us. After that, we took group shots with Joshie and their family, and then another with Joshie, Dion, Trey and me. We took one more with Joshie and his mother and father and then a final shot with Joshie, Dion and Trey. The Novaks appreciated our visit and we had a great time there. I'm sure Joshie didn't understood what was going on, but we had plenty of pictures so we could explain it to him later.

The day after Christmas, my biological children had to leave and return to their homes. They had to go back to work the following day, so we said good-bye, but it was an emotional parting. After having missed so much time with each other, it was tough to separate once more. However, we did all agree to get together this summer, even if it was just to spend time here at the house.

Nick came back near the end of the week, so he could be with Shannon for New Year's. We were all happy to see him and Nick got to meet little Joshie for the first time too. Nick also teased Dion about being a breeder. It was harmless, but somewhat comical.

Since last year's celebration had worked out so well, we decided to do the same thing again this year. I rented out the Elk's club, hired the same DJ and allowed the boys to invite whomever they wanted. Some of the straight boys, including Frankie, invited dates and Dion invited Shelly. She understood that Dion and Trey were partners and would be spending most of the night together, but she was just happy to be out of the house and able to be with Joshie. Dion, Trey, Shelly and I had planned to take turns taking care of Joshie, but we had more than enough offers of additional help. It seemed as if every woman in the building wanted to get her hands on the baby, so he got plenty of attention and wasn't neglected at all.

Duck, Mark and their girlfriends also joined us, along with most of our extended family. We were all excited and anxious to enjoy this wonderful night. We danced and drank, although not to excess, and had a great time. Once again, the DJ played a wide selection of tunes, so we all found something to identify with and more than enough to dance too. The evening was going great, but just before midnight we received an additional surprise. Danny and Brandon went up and used the DJ's sound system to make an announcement.

"Seeing all of our loved ones are here, along with a few very special friends," Brandon began, "Danny and I want to give you a special invitation. After we come home from college this May, we will both have our bachelor's degrees, and we've decided to have our own commitment ceremony, like Dad and Pop did. We want all of you to attend, if you are willing and able.

"We'll let you know the exact date and time later, but it will most likely be during one of the last two weekends in May," Danny added, "and we would really love for all of you to be there. Since we've just sprung this on Dad too, because he didn't know this before we told you either, we hope he will be willing to work with the minister and set this up for us."

I quickly agreed and everyone gave them a round of applause. Danny and Brandon then moved about the room, getting congratulated by everyone. I also noticed them having a very serious discussion with Dion and Trey, and before long, that pair was using the DJ's microphone and asking for everyone's attention again.

"Sorry to keep interrupting," Dion began, "but Trey and I have talked it over with Danny and Brandon and they've agreed to let Trey and me have our own commitment ceremony with them. We just wanted to let you know this will be a double ceremony, but we still want all of you there. That means you too, Shelly," he added, which caused her to blush.

Oh, well, this night has turned out to have many surprises, but I was soon to learn there were even more to come. About twenty minutes later, I saw Kevin, Vinnie, Nick and Shannon going up to speak with the DJ too. Before long they had also called for our attention.

"Vinnie and I have been planning on doing this for quite a while," Kevin stated, "so we just thought it would be wise to do it at the same time as the others. This way, you will only have to come to one more ceremony."

"Danny and Brandon said they don't have a problem with us doing it with them," Vinnie added, "and said they'd be happy to have all of us do it together."

"We're really sorry about how long this interruption is," Nick stated, "but we've decided to make it a real family affair and have a quadruple ceremony. Shannon and I want to commit ourselves to each other at the same time and hope each of you will join us."

"Dad, I'm sorry if this is a surprise," Shannon added, "but we've never hidden the fact from you about how we feel about each other. It's just that we want to follow your and Pop's example and do it right."

I don't think Jake could argue with him after hearing him say this, even if he had wanted to. However, for the rest of the evening, Jake and I were being congratulated too, since four pairs of our boys were committing themselves to each other. Good grief, it meant we were having a quadruple wedding of sorts. Boy, this was going to take some planning.

Well, when midnight hit, we had a lot to celebrate and celebrate we did. I'm not sure Joshie was up when it happened, but the noise certainly woke him within seconds afterward, if he had been sleeping. He didn't cry or anything, but he did look around as all the streamers flew through the air and the horns, whistles and other noise-making devices sounded.

Once we got home, Jake and I talked about what the boys had done and Jake had no problem with any of it, not even with Nick and Shannon. He said he thought it was a lovely idea and even better that all four couples were doing it together. Now, we just had to set it up with the minister. Let the party begin.

Chapter 33
Making Our Way to Spring

Now that we had entered into the New Year, it was time to start looking forward. Although the college boys were still at home, the four younger boys were attending classes again. Since they were back in school, it also meant it was time to plan ahead and make a decision.

The next big event on our calendar would be Valentine's Day, but I wasn't sure how the boys wanted to handle it this year. Since each of them tends to consider himself as bi, and since they can now go to the school dances with a partner of either sex, I thought I'd better ask what they wanted to do on this special day. I wasn't convinced we still needed to hold a private party any longer, so I'd leave it up to them and go with their decision.

When I broached the subject with them, I received only half-hearted responses. Little Ricky had partnered with Graham in the past, and Sammy had teamed up with Ted, but this year Graham and Ted were in college and wouldn't be able to attend. Andrew and Jesse were close and best friends, but they didn't see themselves as boyfriends. Even though they had paired up for this event last year, they weren't really interested in repeating that arrangement. Since no one seemed interested in doing this again, I scrapped any thoughts of holding a party this year and would let each of them do his own thing.

Although we'd had a little snow back in late November, December had been fairly mild and January was starting out the same way. I wasn't sure if this trend would continue, but I hoped it would stay like this until after the college boys drove back to their campuses. I guess I was even more concerned about it this year, because Shelly was about to start college too and would be riding with the boys going west. Even though I hoped no accidents happened, I certainly didn't want anything to occur during Shelly's first trip with my sons. She will be attending the University of Pittsburgh, along with Dion, so I knew this would be an ongoing arrangement, unless she got her own vehicle.

In the interim, the college boys were taking full advantage of their extra time off and being lazy, but that ended a few days before they had to leave. This happened because they had to start packing up their belongings, so they'd be ready to head back for their second semester. It was tough for me to say good-bye to them again, but it also extremely rough on Dion and Trey. They had spent their entire holiday with Joshie, playing and taking care of him, so they were more than a little bummed out at the prospect of having to leave him for four months.

During the final two days before their departure, the pair hardly ever put Joshie down, because they knew they'd be leaving soon. Although I spend a great deal of my time with Joshie when we are alone, I hoped he didn't expect this same level of attention from me, once his fathers left. Joshie obviously enjoyed having both his daddy and poppy taking turns holding him, but after they left, there would only be me for most of the day. Oh, whom am I trying to fool. I don't have a lot to do, so I'll probably be giving him all of my attention too.

This was also the time when Frankie had to return to Guantanamo. It had been nice having him home with us as well and his brothers enjoyed hearing what he'd been up to. Not only that, but I finally got the scoop on what his early emails had been about. It seems that some of the interrogators he had been observing were using questionable tactics and methods Frankie considered to be torture. Frankie said something about 'water-boarding' prisoners, which he explained was a way to make the prisoner feel as if he was drowning, in order to get information from him. He also informed me he was shown documents from the Attorney General's Office that said these practices were not torture and could be used, so he didn't have any recourse, regardless of his own feelings about it.

Frankie also said he was having trouble participating when these techniques were being used, even though there was written documentation stating the procedures were legal and therefore allowed. That's the reason he became so attached to the guy he was working with now. This man was a product of the old school and believed in using tried and true methods to retrieve the information needed. He believed these other types of practices only produced misinformation and resulted in false confessions, so he stuck to methods he felt comfortable with and had success with in the past. Frankie then confirmed he'd learned a great deal from this guy and would be able to use these types of methods when he got out.

"Dad, you know what's best about him?" Frankie asked.

"I'm afraid I have no idea," I replied, honestly.

"The best thing is, he's a lot like you," Frankie responded. "He believes if you treat people like human beings, and not like animals, you stand a better chance of getting what you want. He does use some methods that may seem a little harsh under the circumstances, but he only does this when the situation dictates it's necessary. I believe he has gathered much better intelligence, which in turn has led him to retrieve further information that he might not have attained otherwise. The other interrogators, who used these other techniques, certainly didn't do as well. Most of the leads they got usually proved to be false or only partially true, so I think that proves prisoners will say anything to avoid what was being done to them. It certainly didn't produce the types of success that was hoped for."

"I'm glad you didn't have to turn your back on your principals and beliefs, before you found some one to teach you how to do the job without bending," I replied.

"Me too. Now, I've got a good teacher at work and at home," Frankie added, and then he gave me a hug.

Shortly after Frankie left for Guantanamo, we suffered through a fairly substantial winter storm. This time there was more snow than ice and the snow was light and fluffy, so it wasn't as hazardous as some of the past storms were. The snow did accumulate and caused school to be shut down for one day, but no one lost power and the roads were, for the most part, clear twenty-four hours later.

As Valentine's Day approached, I began to wonder what I was going to do this year, since we weren't having a party. After some careful consideration, I decided to take Jake out to dinner and treat this as a very special night for just the two of us, without any children. With that goal in mind, I asked Shelly's mother if she'd mind watching Joshie for the night. She was delighted and agreed, since she said she and her husband really didn't do much for Valentine's Day any longer.

Even though it fell on a Tuesday, I decided to take Jake out of town, to a family owned restaurant I was familiar with in Harrisburg. I knew it would take a while to drive there, and since I figured we'd be having a few drinks too, I decided we'd also spend the night there. I made the reservations and then waited for the big day.

I told Jake about my plans in advance, so he'd come directly home after work and have time to shower and change before we left. I also had him pack a small travel case, so he'd have everything he'd need for the big day.

On Tuesday, I took Joshie down to his grandmother's house shortly after lunch, and then I got ready and waited for Jake to arrive. When he did, Jake hurried and got ready too, so we could be on our way.

The restaurant was small, but it had a lovely, romantic atmosphere. Jake and I had a wonderful meal and washed it down with a marvelous bottle of wine. After this, we indulged in devouring a couple of very fattening desserts and then I gave Jake his card. It read, 'To My Husband on Valentine's Day.' It took me a long time to find a card that would fit my needs and not seem as if it were from a woman, but I finally discovered the right one. I was somewhat amazed when Jake handed me a card too and we opened them together. It turned out to be the exact same card I had given him and we each started giggling, once we recognized this fact. I'm sure everyone around us thought we were nuts, since we couldn't seem to stop laughing.

After we left the restaurant, we weren't ready to go to the hotel quite yet, so we decided to see a movie first. We weren't that thrilled with the selection offered at the local cinema complex, because none of the choices were appealing. After much debate, we finally decided to try a movie called 'Firewall.' We basically selected it because Harrison Ford had the starring role and we both admired him as an actor, in addition to his rugged good looks.

It turned out to be a decent movie, with a fairly interesting plot, but neither of us thought it would win any major awards. The premise was that Harrison Ford's character was the V.P. of security at a bank and faced a dilemma. His family had been taken hostage and wouldn't be released until he transferred $10,000 from each of the banks 10,000 largest depositors. This meant he would have to transfer a grand total of $100 million to the kidnappers account. This soon became a game of cat and mouse, where first the kidnappers and then the V.P. gained the upper hand, but in the end Harrison Ford rescued his family and killed the bad guy. What else can I say?

Once we left the theater, I drove to the hotel, checked in and then we spent a lovely evening alone. There was no baby's crying to interrupt our lovemaking and sleep, but we did have to set the alarm for early the next morning, so Jake could get to work on time. I did the driving, so he could sleep a little longer during the trip, and then he got into his vehicle and drove to work.

I waited until after lunch before I went down to pick up Joshie, since I didn't want to cut his time with his grandmother short. Mrs. Novak seemed thrilled that she had been able to spend an entire day with him, so it all worked out quite well.

As February drew to an end and we entered March, two other events loomed before us. First, there was Jake's next six-month checkup, which we were only mildly concerned about, and Farrell was trying to get us to come to Chicago again, to take part in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. I had tried to opt out of this by telling the boys I had the baby to take care of this year, but both Andrew and Jesse keep teasing and insisting they wanted to go. I think it was mostly that they wanted to see Barry again, but I knew they also enjoyed being in the parade.

As a way of getting around my problem, I called Mrs. Novak. Since she had made it clear that she enjoyed spending time with Joshie, I asked if she would mind taking care of him for a few days, while we went out of town. I explained that that we had done this in the past, but could skip it this year if we had too, and she replied that wouldn't be necessary. She added that she would love to have her grandson for the weekend and quickly agreed to the dates. Seeing Joshie was taken care of, I finally gave in and told Jesse and Andrew I'd take them to Chicago. I also talked to Sammy and Little Ricky about whether or not they wanted to go. I told them they could stay home if they wanted, since Mark, Dustin and Cole would also be around, but they said they wanted to go too. Go figure. I thought they'd feel they were too old for this.

Anyway, St. Patrick's Day was on a Friday this year, and so was the parade. Fortunately, the school district had scheduled a teacher's workday on Friday, so the boys would only miss one day of school. We'd leave Wednesday night and drive there, so Jake decided to take a few days off from work and go too. Then we'd leave to return home early Sunday, so we'd be back sometime that evening.

It was nice seeing the Flannerys again, and Farrell, Katelyn, Alannah and Barry all seemed happy to see us too. Barry, Jesse and Andrew took off for Barry's room almost as soon as we got there, claiming they were going to play video games. After they left, Alannah seemed to form an interest in Little Ricky. In fact, the attraction seemed mutual.

We spent the evening with our hosts and went out to dinner with them, before going to our hotel. Farrell had offered to have us stay there, but I felt the boys would have plans, so I explained we'd just get rooms. Barry teased until Farrell agreed to let him stay with us for the night, so the boys all took their leprechaun outfits with them when we left. Jesse and Andrew were staying in with Jake and me, but I had gotten a separate room for Sammy and Little Ricky. Yes, I could have put the boys all in one room, but since I knew what the little ones would probably be doing with Barry, I put them in with us. That way, Jake and I could go down to the hotel bar for a while and give them their privacy, but I doubted that would have happened in the other room.

By this time, my fifteen -year old Andrew had sprouted a full pubic bush, his penis had reached adult stature and was producing semen, just like Barry. Twelve-year old Jesse had a scattering of pubic hairs coming in and could produce a small amount of clear fluid, so there would be no more dry orgasms for that trio.

Once they were alone, Barry spent his time trying to convince the others to have anal sex. Since Andrew had prepared me for this possibility, because Barry had mentioned the idea a few times online, I in turn sat down with Jesse and discussed the idea with him beforehand. Jesse said he wouldn't mind doing it with Andrew and Barry, but he just didn't like when John did it to him. I told him I understood, and then went over a few things with both Andrew and him. I listed a few precautions I wanted them to take and then set down some other guidelines, before I gave them my approval, if that's what they decided to do. After I told him this, Andrew packed some condoms and lube in his suitcase, so he'd be prepared.

After some negotiating with Barry, Andrew agreed to let Barry do it to him first, if Barry would allow Jesse to try it with him next. Then Andrew would be the one to have sex with Jesse, so he could make certain Jesse didn't freak out. All the boys agreed to this arrangement, so they got started.

No one had to help Barry get hard. Just the thought of what they were going to do already had him there, so Andrew just guided him with putting on the condom and lubing it up, before he got himself ready. After explaining to Barry what he should do and warning him to go slow, Andrew got on his hands and knees on the bed. Barry did have a little difficulty entering Andrew, until Andrew told him to use his hand on his penis when trying to push it in. After that, Barry slipped into Andrew's chute fairly easily.

Since this was Barry's first time, he got lost in the pleasurable feelings and performed at the speed of light. This meant he reached the climactic brink and was falling into the orgasmic abyss within a very short time. This, in turn, meant that over the short span of a couple of minutes, Barry unloaded into the condom and ended his first encounter with anal sex.

Once Barry had recuperated, Andrew helped him get ready for Jesse's attempt. As Andrew attempted to loosen him up, Barry kept tightening his rectal muscles, but eventually he overcame the instinct and learned to push out a little, to accommodate the intruder. Even though Jesse had always been big for his age, his penis isn't so formidable that Barry wasn't able to accept it. After a few missed attempts, Jesse finally slid in to him and began to hump away. He didn't go as quickly as Barry had, so it took several minutes before he began to feel the sensations that preceded his climax. For this reason, he had a much more memorable experience than Barry had.

Finally, it was Andrew's turn. He was worried about injuring Jesse, since he knew John had hurt him before, but Jesse kept assuring Andrew it would be all right. After making certain Jesse was prepared and feeling no pain, Andrew finally entered him. He was slow and loving with Jesse, and Jesse appreciated it, but he also knew Andrew was making him feel things John never had. In fact, Jesse was beginning to really enjoy the feelings he was experiencing and moved to match Andrew's actions. In the end, both boys were more than satisfied with this coupling and hugged each other affectionately, once it ended.

Barry made sure they agreed they'd do this again the next night, since he planned on talking his parents into letting him stay with us again. By the time Jake and I arrived back at the room, all three young men were still naked on their bed, but because they were also all smiling, I knew things had worked out well.

The parade went pretty much like the previous two, except this time more local children were taking part. Farrell had Barry recruit some others from his grade and younger, so there were about twenty leprechauns in all. When the parade ended, I took the boys back to change and then we spent the rest of the day with our hosts.

Except for when we went out to eat, we spent most of our time at the Flannerys' house and everyone got along really well. Little Ricky and Alannah would disappear from time to time, much to Farrell's dismay, but they'd always return a short time later. I think Sammy was beginning to feel a little left out, because the other three boys stayed mostly to themselves too.

When it came time for us to leave, Barry teased to go with us again, but his father was reluctant to let him join us. Farrell felt we might not want to go out of our way to bring him back, since it would delay our departure time, but I assured him that wouldn't be a problem. I did this in private and not in front of the boys, just in case Farrell had another reason he wasn't divulging. However, after he received my assurance I didn't have a problem with it, he allowed Barry to go with us once again.

This time, when Jake and I left the boys alone in the room, we went next door to speak with Sammy and Little Ricky first. I wanted to get some idea about what Little Ricky and Alannah had been doing when they disappeared.

"Dad, we didn't have sex, if that's what you're asking," Little Ricky told me.

"I just wanted to be sure," I replied, "in case Farrell called and said something later."

"Yeah, I know," Little Ricky agreed. "We did kiss and we felt each other up, but that was it. She started to take my dick out at one time, but then she heard someone coming and stopped."

"I take it you were both agreeable to this then?" I pressed.

"Yeah, we were, but they live too far away for anything to come from it," he admitted. "I doubt anything more will ever happen between us, since I don't know when I'll see her again." His comments put my concerns to rest, so Jake and I left and went down to the bar for a while.

In our room, Andrew did Barry first this time, and then Jesse did it to Andrew, before Barry got the chance to have his fun with Jesse. To Andrew's amazement, Jesse was really getting into it and Barry managed to last quite a bit longer this time. Andrew figured Barry might have jerked off first, when he went to the bathroom at home earlier. However he did it, Barry lasted between ten and fifteen minutes and Jesse seemed to enjoy it as much as he did. I was glad things had worked out so well.

We took Barry home the following morning, said good-bye to the Flannerys and then made the long trip home. It was early evening by the time we arrived at the house, so I took the others home and then went down to pick up Joshie. Mrs. Novak said he had been very good the entire time and she and her husband had enjoyed having him around. I thanked her for watching Joshie and then took him home.

The week after we got back, Jake had to go in for his checkup. He said it went smoothly this time, probably because he was getting used to the procedure and not dwelling as much on how exposed he was to the others there. I was glad, because it had been very difficult for him in the past and seemed to bother him for several days after the examination had actually taken place.

About a week later, we had to go down to learn the results. Once again, it was all good news and the doctor suggested Jake might be out of the woods, as far as the prostate cancer returning. He still wanted to keep Jake on a six-month examination schedule, just to be safe, and we had no problem agreeing to do it. I think after this, Jake was finally able to let go of the feeling that he was going to suffer the same fate his uncle had.

We were now officially into spring and the weather was going to start warming up soon. In a couple of weeks, the boys would be returning home for Easter and I looked forward to their being home, even if it was only for a long weekend.

Chapter 34
Commitment and College

As we entered April, the weather began to break, so I was able to take Joshie outside more and more. He was developing quite a personality now and was a happy-go-lucky person like his father. I would spend hours with him reading, singing and sometimes playing silly games. When we did that, he would laugh and laugh, until we both became nearly hysterical. I was having such a good time being around him that I had long forgotten about missing my job.

I would take him to the park some days and push him in the infant-swing, sit him in front of me on the teeter-totter (or see saw, whichever name you'd prefer) and then hold him on my lap as we sped our way down the slide. Hell, I was almost beginning to feel like a kid again as well.

I also had some inflatable balls I would roll to him at home and he was beginning to reach out as they came toward him, but that was about the most he could do. Andrew and Jesse liked to sit on either side of Joshie and roll the ball back to me, so I could roll it back to Joshie. We were all having a great time together.

A couple of times a week I would call Dion and Trey to let them know what Joshie was doing, since he was changing so quickly. While I had them on the line, I'd hold the phone by Joshie's ear, so they could talk to him. It appeared to me that he was recognizing their voices, because he would grin when he heard them speak, and hearing me tell them that made both of his fathers feel great.

I would also watch some of the educational children's shows with Joshie on television and point things out to him on the screen. He seemed to be following what I did, so I was beginning to think he might also be quite intelligent. When the show ended, I might even try to imitate one of the character's voices or do something they had done on the show. This usually got Joshie to watch me and occasionally laugh at my antics, but I was trying to teach him, as well as entertain. I guess you can take the teacher out of the school, but you can't take the teacher out of the man.

Easter fell in the middle of April this year, so the weather was also a little better when we celebrated the holiday. Nick had talked his parents into buying him a plane ticket, so he could join us this year, since he wanted to see Shannon again. It wasn't easy convincing them, but he finally did manage to do it, so he flew back in time to catch a ride home with the other college boys. He had contacted them via the computer and they agreed to pick him up at the airport, before they drove home.

When Dion and Trey arrived, they were anxious to see Joshie again. After letting them spend some time with their son alone, I then demonstrated many of the things Joshie and I had been doing while they were at school. They were both quite impressed with how Joshie seemed to watch and study everything I did and how he reacted to the voices and motions I made. I think both proud fathers were beginning to think they had themselves a little genius.

I also took time to sit down with all of the boys that had said they wanted to be part of the group commitment ceremony, when college was out for the summer. The minister said he would be happy to officiate again, but he did have some questions concerning how the boys wanted to handle this, so I asked those questions now. Since there were so many of them, we had to discuss each issue in some depth, but the boys were able to reach a consensus concerning what they wanted to do. Now, I just had to contact our pastor and let him know what they had decided.

I took the family to the Good Friday service and on the way out I stopped and chatted with the minister. After I took time to compliment him on the service, I mentioned what the boys had decided. He thought their suggestions should work out nicely, as well as uniquely, but still had a couple of minor questions he wanted answered. I told him I'd get back with him, once I spoke with the boys.

We had a nice meal together and I explained to the boys what the minister had said. They were pleased that everything was working out so well, answered the final few questions for me and eagerly looked forward to the ceremony, once school was out.

Saturday was pretty laid back and the boys spent most of their time just hanging with each other and catching up on what they had been up to since they had last been together. I did pull Danny, Brandon and Kevin aside to chat with them privately, because each was receiving his bachelor's degree this year. I wanted to discuss their ideas for a graduation party and learn what they had decided to do, once they had their degree in hand.

All three said they were planning to continue their education, since the field they intended to pursue demanded it. Each of them still had another three or four years of study ahead of them and I explained that I admired what they were doing. I also confirmed I was very proud of their accomplishments, especially since each of them had already been accepted to the appropriate college to further his education. However, that news included one minor surprise.

"Dad, I'm going to switch colleges for medical school," Danny announced. "I applied to both Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh and was accepted by both, but I've decided to go to Pittsburgh, so Brandon and I can be together. We've both decided it would be best to finish our education there and also take summer courses to do this, so we can shorten the time it takes to get our degrees. That will allow us to come back home sooner, so we can help you."

"I'm glad to hear you've been accepted at Pittsburgh and can understand why you two want to be together," I told him, "but we all need some down time now and then. If you're just taking the summer courses so you can get back home sooner, you might want to reconsider. I can handle things until you graduate, so you don't have to do that. I think it would be better if you took the summers to relax and enjoy yourself instead."

"Dad, we've already talked it over and feel we might be able to cut one or two semesters off our studies by taking summer classes too, so we're going to do it for that reason. It will also get us back here quicker, but we're also doing it so it doesn't take us as long to start our professions. That means this summer is probably the last one we'll be spending with you guys for a while. We'll still come home from time to time, just not for the entire summer."

"Brandon, have you told your parents about this too," I wondered.

"I called them just before coming here for Easter," he confirmed. "They weren't exactly happy about it, because it meant I wouldn't be spending a month with them during the summer, but they've agreed to take their vacations and come here when I do, so we can still spend time together."

"Well, then it sounds as if you have everything worked out," I agreed.

"You know, that sounds like a good idea," Kevin added. "I have the same problem with becoming a pharmacist, so maybe I'll do that too. It will be worth it, if I can shorten my time by up to a year."

"Hey, if you'll only need one extra year after I graduate," Vinnie offered, "I could stay to and work on my Master's degree in Education, so we can still be together."

Well, it sounded as if the boys were working things out so they can remain together after the commitment ceremony, except for Dion and Trey. Dion would still be in Pittsburgh and Trey in Philadelphia.

"I wish we could work things out so we could be in the same place too," Trey acknowledged, "but I'm not sure how difficult that would be. I know Dion wants to stay where he is, so I guess I could see if I'd be able to transfer there too. I know the University of Pittsburgh has a decent liberal arts program in English and a good Education Department, so I can still focus on my writing and get certified to teach as a backup. What do you think, Dion?"

"I think that would be great!" Dion confirmed.

After we sat down and discussed this possibility further, Trey agreed to contact the University of Pittsburgh to see if he could transfer all or most of the credits he had already taken. Since we had so many family members already attending there, I thought the administration might be willing to work something out with him. Maybe all of our couples will be able to stay together – well, except for Shannon and Nick.

This reminded me, I had to speak with Sammy and Little Ricky about their college plans, seeing they were both graduating from high school this year. Each of them had already been accepted, but I wasn't certain if they had decided upon a major as of yet. I thought it might be best if I discussed this with them while the others were still here. This way, they'd be able to ask the others any questions they might have concerning their possible choices. I got both boys together and posed my question.

"Have either of you decided what you are going to study in college?" I asked.

"I have," Little Ricky quickly replied. "I want to study social work, so I can do like Aunt Sally and help other kids that don't have a family. I want to be able to find good homes for them, like what happened for me."

"That's very admirable," I informed him, "and I'm certain Aunt Sally will be pleased to learned that you wish to follow in her footsteps. In fact, once you graduate, she might also be able to help you find a job. You might even get a chance to work with her, if she doesn't retire before then."

"I hope she's still around, because I'd love to work with her for a while," Little Ricky replied, and I knew he was being sincere with his comment.

"How about you, Sammy?" I asked next.

"I was thinking about majoring in History and Economics," he answered.

"And what are you planning on doing with such degree after you graduate?" I followed.

"I'm not sure, but I think I'd like to teach," he told me. "I would have other options, but I think that's what I'd probably want to do."

"Would you teach at the high school or college level?" I asked next.

"I think probably high school, but I'll know better after I get my degree," he explained. It sounded reasonable, so I left it at that.

Shortly after I came out from meeting with that pair, Shannon approached me. "Pop, will you help me with something?" he asked, while looking very serious.

"It depends on what it is," I informed him, "but maybe you should ask your father for help."

"That's the problem," Shannon explained, "because I need you to help me talk to him about something." I thought I knew where this was heading, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

"And what something would that be?" I followed.

"I was hoping you'd help me talk him into letting me transfer to Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick," he explained. That's exactly what I figured he had in mind.

"And are you sure you can still get the degree you want there?" I asked next.

"Oh, yeah. They have the Spears School of Business and it's supposed to be really good," Shannon replied. "I looked it up already and I can get my degree there instead, if you'll help me convince Dad to let me transfer."

"Shannon, this is one time I'm not sure I should get involved," I informed him. "I think you might need to do this on your own."

"But you know how he is about Nick," Shannon continued, "so I thought if you helped me, it would make it easier."

"Shannon, I will agree with you that your father has been a little stubborn about the situation at first, but I think you will also have to admit that he had good reason to be," I explained. "Since then, he has been pretty good about understanding what you want and he didn't even object to the idea of you having your own commitment ceremony."

"Yes, I know he's been pretty good lately," Shannon agreed, "but I also know he won't want me that far away from home. I really want to be with Nick for the rest of the time I'm in college, but I know Dad is going to be hard to convince. Please. Won't you help me sell this idea to him? Pleeeeeze?" he whined.

"Let's go somewhere we can speak privately for a few minutes first," I suggested. "I want to see if you can sell ME on this idea before I agree to anything. If you can convince me, then maybe I'll go with you when you speak with your father. I won't do it for you, but if you can prove to me this is the right thing to do, then I'll support you when you talk to your dad."

We went off and Shannon presented his arguments. I was surprised and impressed that he had actually thought this through. He had done his homework and had the facts to support his position, so it wasn't just that this would put Nick and him together. He explained he could get a dual business degree, in management and accounting, and the only difference in expense would be in the cost of traveling there and back. Seeing he had all the facts, I told him I would go with him and even offered to pay his travel expenses, if his father agreed to his proposal.

Shannon wanted to get Nick to join us, but I told him it would be best if just the three of us met to discuss this. I explained that his father might immediately bristle if Nick was included, so it would be better to sway his father with the facts first. That way, Shannon would have a better chance of winning his father over. After Shannon agreed, we went off to find Jake.

When we found him, Jake was puttering around in the yard. I stayed put while Shannon went up and asked if the three of us could talk. Jake glanced between us skeptically, and then spoke.

"About what?" he asked, rather tersely.

"Dad, I want to talk to you about transferring colleges," Shannon answered, somewhat evasively.

"To which college?" Jake pressed, already having guessed.

"To Oklahoma State, so I can be with Nick," Shannon replied, and Jake looked at me.

"And you're supporting him on this?" Jake asked me, directly.

"I'm here to listen too," I offered. "Shannon asked to speak with both of us, but he just ran into me first." Jake didn't look convinced, but did agree to listen.

Shannon then went on to explain the idea to his father. He told him about the business school at Oklahoma State, including its reputation, what it offered and what type of degree he would be working toward. Shannon then outlined the financial situation to his father and discussed the figures, before concluding the travel expense would be the only major difference.

"Well, you know the money situation is tight," Jake told Shannon. "It won't be easy to come up with the additional funds for you to travel back and forth." This is when I decided to jump in to the discussion.

"Look, I have a suggestion, if you're willing to listen," I interjected. Jake nodded, so I continued.

"I'm willing to cover the travel expenses for you," I offered, "if you think this would be best for Shannon."

"Josh, you don't have to do that," Jake protested.

"I know I don't have to, but I want to," I replied. "Besides paying for his ticket there and back, I'll also pay to have you go there for Thanksgiving and then I'll buy the tickets to bring Shannon and Nick home between Christmas and New Year's. I'll even pay to fly them back for spring break too, if that will mean I can get you two to agree on this and still make sure you'll be able to see each other and spend time together." Jake thought about this for a few seconds before he answered.

"Josh, I really hate to have you spend that much money to do this," he offered. "I'd feel like we'll be taking things away from the others if we do this."

"Jake, you don't have to feel this way and I think you know better than that," I assured him. "I'm willing to do this to make it possible for you to work the situation out with your son." After hearing my reply, Jake looked at Shannon before he spoke.

"If you really want to do this and can promise it won't mess up you finishing your degree," Jake began, "then I'll go along with your idea. However, it will be up to you to make sure Oklahoma State accepts you as a transfer student." Shannon immediately began leaping for joy and hugged his father, but Jake stopped him.

"I think you should thank Josh for what he's doing too," Jake informed his son. At that point, Shannon released his father and came over to me.

"Yes, Pop," he began, "I owe you a lot too. Thank you for everything and for helping make this happen." Shannon then threw his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug too.

"Can I go tell Nick now?" Shannon asked his father.

"You may," Jake announced, correcting his grammar. I guess Jake had picked that up from me, but Shannon merely smiled and then raced off.

"You know, you're helping to spoil him," Jake joked, half-heartedly.

"You may be right," I replied, "but if it will keep you two close and make Shannon happy, then that's all I want out of this." Jake merely shook his head and then we chatted about it for a few minutes more.

Shannon, however, had already raced inside the house and found Nick. "Guess what?" he shouted, extremely excited.

"What?" Nick asked, totally confused.

"My dad has agreed to let me transfer to Oklahoma State, so we can be together!" Shannon announced, but Nick still didn't look convinced.

"No way!" Nick responded. "Are you joking?"

"No, he said if they'll accept me as a transfer student, he'll let me do it," Shannon explained.

"Even though it will cost more?" Nick challenged.

"The only thing that will cost more is the travel and Pop agreed to pay for that," Shannon answered. "When Pop told my dad he'd do that, then Dad agreed."

"And how did you get Pop, I mean Dad… Damn, where going to have to work something out so we're calling them both by the same name," Nick stated, somewhat frustrated by the confusion. "How did you get Josh to agree to do this?"

"I didn't," Shannon answered, "he just offered. He told my dad if it was all that was keeping him from agreeing, then he'd pay all the travel expenses." Now, both boys were jumping around, totally happy.

They then raced off and began looking up what Shannon would need to do to apply as a transfer student. Almost immediately, Shannon began doing what he thought was necessary to start the process. It just might work out that all of our couples will be together this fall after all.

Oh, by the way. Shannon and Nick came to talk to Jake and me later, about the confusion caused by what they were calling us. We reached an agreement rather easily. Since Jake would sort of be Nick's father-in-law, both boys were going to call him Dad and me Pop, so they would each referring to us the same way.

Chapter 35
Easter to Commencement

Now that I'd been able to speak with Sammy and Little Ricky about their college plans and had also worked out the final details of the commitment ceremony with the boys that were going to be involved in it, I was able to turn my attention to the upcoming religious holiday. The boys decided to take it easy Saturday night, while Jake and I were busy getting everything ready for Easter dinner. I also took some time to color Easter eggs with Jesse. He had asked if he could do it, so I offered to give him a hand. Once Andrew heard what we were going to do, he wanted to join us. Once we started, each boy announced he was going to make a special egg for Joshie, which I thought was cute.

Sunday morning, Jesse and Andrew came down first. I allowed them to look for the Easter eggs and their Easter baskets, since they were the only two I still prepared a basket for. I had a collection of other goodies anyone could select from, which we kept in the dining room. This way, no one lost out, no matter how old they were.

Andrew let Jesse find most of the eggs and Jesse seemed to enjoy doing it. I think watching his enthusiasm as he searched for these items, we began to assume this was either something he hadn't had a chance to do previously or it brought back memories of some of the better times he'd had when he was younger. Once all of the eggs had been located and accounted for, we placed them in a large bowl, so anyone could crack them open to eat.

Once the other boys started to come downstairs, Jake and I fixed breakfast, in preparation to our attending the Easter service. As always, it was joyous and upbeat celebration and little Joshie was as good as gold throughout the entire service. Dion held him most of the time, but Trey took Joshie for a few minutes when Joshie started to get a little fussy. This gave Dion time to pull a bottle out of the diaper bag and get it ready to feed his son. Other than a rather loud burp after eating, Joshie hardly made a sound, so he didn't distract from what was going on. He was a very good baby and content to have his fathers hold him.

After the service, we chatted briefly with a few of the members of the congregation and waited patiently for the majority of the parishioners to leave. Once that happened, I gave the pastor the final details he had asked me about earlier and he said it took care of his remaining concerns. I thanked him for his help and for everything he had done for us over the years.

Once we left the church, we returned home and prepared for our big Easter meal. We were going to hold it earlier than our normal dinnertime, so the college men would finish early enough to return to their campuses, without having to rush. Since this was also the last time some of them would be going back to these particular campuses, we didn't want their final semester there to start off with bad memories. Therefore, I planned our meal early enough to allow them plenty of leeway to drive back and get situated, without having to drive fast or act in a reckless manner.

The boys watched a movie, while Jake and I put the finishing touches on the meal, and then we waited for the others to arrive. Before long, our extended family began to show up, but this year we would be missing several members. My biological children, Frankie and Duck wouldn't be with us, for different reasons. Duck was spending this Easter with his girlfriend and her parents and I had told my children they didn't have to come, because the expense of the trip would far outweigh the amount of time they would be able to spend with us. Frankie, of course, was still in the army and his duties kept him from attending.

There would also be another important difference this year, and that was the Novaks would also be with us. Shelly had ridden home with the boys and I had them invite her and her parents to join us, so they could spend time with Joshie too. The Novaks were appreciative of our offer and accepted immediately, which pleased me. I didn't want them to feel as if they were outsiders and hoped they would play a big part in Joshie's life as well, so I was thrilled they had agreed to have Easter dinner with us.

Everyone was in a very good mood and I made certain to introduce everyone to each of the Novaks. Many of the extended family had met Shelly at our New Year's Eve party or had heard her sing at the Christmas concert, which they had attended in order to watch Dion perform. However, only a few of them knew her parents, but everyone greeted them warmly.

Throughout the day, our various guests also chatted with the college students and asked how they were doing, their plans for the summer and what they intended to do after they finished their schooling. The boys responded by filling them in about everything we had discussed earlier. This included the fact that Danny, Brandon and Kevin would all be furthering their education and some of the others would be changing schools, so they could be with their partners. The extended family seemed to be very interested, as well as quite pleased about how things were working out for the boys. They also assured the boys they were looking forward to attending the commitment ceremony, which the boys had first announced on New Year's Eve.

Jesse's mother also seemed very positive about everything that was discussed and thanked the college boys for setting such a fine example for the younger boys. I wasn't sure how to take her comment, because in my heart I believed she still had reservations concerning the commitment ceremony and was a little uncomfortable with the fact that some of the boys were gay. I think this might have been due in part because of what John had done to her son, although I tried my best to explain that what John did had nothing to do with being gay. I believe that even after hearing me out, she still harbored reservations concerning my explanation. I think this might have been born out in some of the comments she had made previously, even though she later confessed she was glad the boys were committing themselves to a single partner. I felt this showed some progress on her part, but I don't think we're totally out of the woods where she is concerned.

We ended up having a very nice, relaxing meal and I truly enjoyed having all of these people with us. Once we were finished eating, I began to urge the college boys to get their things together, so they could head back to their campuses for the final month of classes. In a way, it was sad to see them go, but I knew they'd be returning again shortly, so it wasn't too bad.

While they were running about and packing up their things, the Novaks spent a little more time with Joshie, before taking Shelly home so she get her belongings together too. The boys had told her they wanted her to be ready by the time they arrived to pick her up and she assured them she would. The Novaks all thanked us for the invitation and for allowing them to spend time with the baby. They said they'd enjoyed the meal and the company, so they looked forward to seeing us all again soon. We told them we looked forward to having them join us in the future, as well.

Once we said good-bye to the college boys and they were on their way back to school, the rest of our guests began to leave too. Over the next hour, Jake and I said so long to the rest of our extended family and then cleaned up from dinner, with help from the boys that were still at home. I'm certainly glad they're still willing to lend a hand with the chores.

After we were done cleaning up, I spent some time with Joshie and tried to get us both back into our normal routine. He had a tendency to slip out of our schedule when his daddy and poppy were home, because they do things a little differently. They wake up later and go to bed after we normally do, so now we had to reconnect and get back into our groove.

Jake and I did talk a little more about the Shannon-Nick relationship, especially now that Shannon was planning to transfer schools. I told Jake he shouldn't have been surprised by his request, seeing how much Shannon and Nick seemed to miss each other when they were apart. I then explained that by allowing Shannon to make the move and by supporting it, it was serving as a means to strengthen their father-son ties. I also felt it was helping to unite all three of them as a family. I told him he should feel honored that both boys had talked us into allowing Nick to call him Dad, instead of using that name for me. It showed that Nick thought very highly of Jake too and I think it helped to assuage any fears Jake still might have had about agreeing to let Shannon transfer to Oklahoma State.

I also reminded Jake that since the boys had agreed to be very careful when it came to sex, they had been keeping their promise. Not only that, but Nick assured me, many times, that he would never do anything again that might put Shannon at risk. I told Jake this alone should be enough of an indication about how strongly Nick feels about his son, if Nick's swearing off being with other guys hadn't done it already. I think Jake was finally starting to realize that Nick was being sincere and faithful, so it was time he started thinking of both of them as his sons, not merely Shannon.

I also suggested to Jake that he contact the Lawrences, since they were his son's 'in-laws' of sorts and Shannon and he would be spending Thanksgiving with them next year. Nick had already cleared it with his family, so Jake needed to make some overtures now too. Even though they already knew each other, this time the situation would be slightly different and it was important for Jake to do this, so it wouldn't be awkward when he joined them for the holiday. This might be the first of many holidays they spent together and none of us knew how often this would happen. After I mentioned they'd be seeing a lot more of each other over the next couple of years, Jake agreed he'd get in touch with the Lawrences and set something up. Then, he thanked me for all I had done to help keep peace between his son and him, but I merely responded that we took care of family first.

At the end of April, I heard from the school board president again. He contacted me to chat for a bit, so he could find out how I was enjoying retirement and how the baby was doing. After we discussed those topics thoroughly, he told me my replacement was doing a very good job, but I was still missed. I thanked him for his kind words and admitted I wasn't surprised that the new superintendent was doing well. He was bright, energetic and a very likeable guy, so I was happy it was working out for all of them.

Afterward, the board president also mentioned they were still having occasional problems with my old friend, the former board member, but he had toned his rhetoric down a bit. The board president suggested this was possibly due to how many other groups had opened their arms and reached out to all members of the school community and the old board member's support had diminished dramatically after his run in with the law. I was also told the old board member had raised a few questions about some of the activities that had been slated, but this time around it was more to discover the underlying facts and learn more about what was planned, rather than spout his homophobic propaganda. The board president did say that possibly seeing three of the four officers of the club were straight this year, and the fact that Dion got Shelly pregnant, just might have convinced the guy he had not been seeing things clearly and had been wrong in some of his suppositions.

The board president went on to say that he didn't know if that's what did it or if the guy might have mellowed. He said it might also be due to the fact that I wasn't there for him to challenge or that I had embarrassed him enough in the past that he didn't want to continue looking like an ass. I suggested it might be a combination of all of those factors and the board president said I was probably right.

The board president then informed me there was another reason he had called, other than to just be sociable. He had also been directed by the Board of Education to invite me to this year's retirement dinner. He stated that some of this year's retirees had requested that I be included and it was also strongly recommended by the current superintendent. The board president then added another incentive, although it wasn't necessary, and stated the district was covering the bill, so I dared not refuse. I told him the expense had never even crossed my mind and I would love to attend, no matter who paid the bill. He thanked me and explained I'd be a fool if I didn't let the district pay for my meal. He then gave me the information I needed, before we hung up. It was nice to know that there were still people out there that thought of me from time to time.

A couple of weeks later, I attended the retirement dinner and was thrilled to visit with many of my former colleagues again. Not only were the teachers who were retiring there, which included some people that had worked for me at the middle school and others I had taught with, but my old secretary was there as well. I had really missed seeing her on a daily basis and it was good to be able to chat with her again. She told me she liked her new boss, although she still missed me. I informed her I was glad she liked working for my replacement and thanked her for her kindness.

The elementary, middle school and high school principals were also there, along with the new superintendent and the entire Board of Education. It was really a great gathering and I enjoyed speaking with each of them again.

During these various conversations, I was not only asked how I was doing and if I was enjoying my retirement and free time, but they also wanted to know about the baby. My friends asked how I was handling being the 'stay at home grandfather,' so I told them I was thoroughly loving every moment and wouldn't have it any other way. I went on to explain how the baby and I had really bonded and how I was enjoying him on so many different levels, something I didn't have time to do when my own children were little. Sure, I had spent time with my children and enjoyed and relished every second I spent with them, but I was not around as much as I am with Joshie now. For this reason, I'm enjoying a much more intense and deeper relationship with him, such as often occurs between stay-at-home moms and their offspring.

Everyone seemed truly happy things were working out so well for me and some even mentioned they had heard about the upcoming commitment ceremony the boys were having. They said it was quite a hot topic of conversation in some corners, but very little of the gossip and talk was negative. They informed me that most of the comments they had heard were that most people were pleased the boys were making such a commitment. These people also said they felt it was a shame the boys couldn't just get married. I thought that was great news and pleased to hear that many people were starting to come around to this point of view.

Overall, the dinner was nice and I made sure to spend some of my time with each of the retirees too. I reminisced about old times with them and joked about some of the different experiences we had shared working together. Some of them even teased that when they first heard about what I was doing, when I first started taking in the boys, they thought I was having a mid-life crisis. A few said they had been worried that when I had resolved my issues, whatever they were at the time, I wouldn't want to deal with the boys any longer. Hearing this, I quipped back that I must still have those same issues to resolve, because I had quit work to raise my grandson. They merely laughed at the idea.

None of what they said was done in a derogatory or demeaning manner. They were only saying that at first they didn't realize how serious I was about giving these boys a better shot at life, but now they were glad I did. They then told me they were certain this new venture, with my grandson, would turn out just as nicely, as they added their best wishes to my endeavor.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, some of those attending asked me if I'd mind running home and getting Joshie, so they could meet my namesake. At first I thought they were joking, but when I realized they weren't, I was still hesitant. Then I looked at my watch and realized it was still early and far from Joshie's bedtime, so I quickly phoned Jake and asked if he'd mind getting Joshie ready so I could bring him here. I'd told Jake I'd be there shortly to pick them both up, since Joshie's car seat was in my vehicle, and Jake agreed. I then excused myself and went to get them.

When we returned a few minutes later, I introduced everyone to Jake and Joshie. Most of them knew Jake already, so it was mostly for them to say hello to each other, before my little ray of sunshine took over the spotlight. Everyone got a kick out of him and many also commented on how much Joshie looked like Dion. They also told me how wonderful it was that Dion had decided to name the baby after me, so I admitted I was greatly honored that he had done it. I also let them hold Joshie, if they wanted.

I don't know what it is about older people and babies, but suddenly this roomful of adults began talking baby talk and making silly faces. I was getting a bigger kick out of watching them making fools of themselves than I was in seeing Joshie's reactions to what they were doing.

Joshie was very good about being passed around the room, but I guess it comes from being passed around our large family. He has come to accept different people holding him, although whenever he glanced up at Jake or me he would break into a huge grin. I guess this meant he obviously recognized who we were.

After we'd spent some time doing this, we said our good-byes and took Joshie home. He fell asleep on the ride back, so I just changed him into his nightclothes and put him in his crib. He never even woke up. He is such a good baby.

Over the next couple of weeks, I had a great deal I wanted to do, so I'd be ready when the college boys returned home for the summer. I had their graduation party to prepare for, as well as getting things together for the commitment ceremony. I cleaned the house from top to bottom, sent everyone's suits to be dry-cleaned, ordered the various things we would need for the two events and made certain the extended family and friends knew what would be happening and when. We were going to try to hold everything on the same weekend, so those traveling to join us could be part of both events in one trip.

The college boys were graduating first and I suspected there might be some conflicts in when the ceremonies would be held, but it worked out that there weren't. Brandon's graduation ceremony was going to be held on Saturday, May 6th, while Danny wouldn't graduate until the following Saturday, May 13th. Kevin's college was holding their commencement on Thursday, May 18th and the high school boys' graduation ceremony was being held on Saturday, May 20th, so everything seemed to be falling into place.

Since the high school graduation was the final event, we would hold the combined party during the afternoon and evening after the high school boys' ceremony. Even though the party probably wouldn't end until early morning, everyone would still have to get up and attend church the next day. That would be followed by brunch and then we'd go back to the church to hold the commitment ceremony.

I quickly ran all of this by Jake, to make certain I hadn't missed or overlooked anything, and then we set up a schedule for home. It would be a very hectic couple of weeks, but I knew we'd get through it, and hopefully still in one piece.

Chapter 36
Many Reasons to Celebrate

The graduation season was now upon us and Brandon's commencement came first. Unfortunately, this also meant his parents would have to fly to Pennsylvania twice – first to see him graduate with his baccalaureate and then two weeks later for the graduation party and commitment ceremony. I called the O'Hara's to apologize for this, but they told me not to worry about it. They said I was doing what was best for the majority of people that would be attending the commitment ceremony and I didn't have any control over the date of Brandon's baccalaureate ceremony. I thanked them for their understanding and then helped them make their plans.

Brandon's commencement was being held on Saturday, May 6, so his parents were flying in on Friday, so they could spend some time with him. Since Brandon was in charge of one of our SUV's, he was able to use it to pick his parents up at the airport and drive them around. The younger boys, Jake and I were planning to leave early and drive to Pittsburgh on Saturday, so we could also attend the ceremony.

We arrived well before the ceremony, so we had plenty of time to spend with Brandon and his parents. They were quite taken with Joshie when they met him and Mrs. O'Hara's maternal instincts immediately kicked in. From her actions, I could tell she was hoping Danny and Brandon might adopt sometime in the future, because it was quite apparent she would love to have grandchildren to dote over.

A short time later, we drove to the location where the baccalaureate ceremony was going to be held and Brandon took off to join the other graduates. After Brandon left, the rest of us went and located a row of seats. Unfortunately, a lot of other people had gotten there ahead of us, so our seats were located about a third of the way back. We did take seats on the aisle, so we'd be able to get out and take pictures when the time came.

While we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, I glanced through the program and noticed that Brandon's name had a special notation beside it. I glanced down at the legend to see what the symbol meant and quickly discovered Brandon was graduating Summa Cum Laude, which is Latin for 'with highest honors/praise.' I knew he had been doing very well in his course work, in fact all three of this year's graduates had been extremely successful in their studies, but I guess I didn't realize exactly how well he had been doing.

I was going to point this out to his parents, but I overheard them commenting to each other and realized they had noticed this fact as well. I don't think Brandon had mentioned it to them beforehand, but now they were beaming with pride over this honor, as they should be. I knew we'd have to make a big deal out of this later, so I also pointed this fact out to the other boys and explained what it meant. I was also hoping it might inspire them during their academic pursuits as well.

The ceremony was a rather long and drawn out affair, and Mr. O'Hara and Jake went up and took several shots of Brandon as he was receiving his degree. Jake had offered to do this for me, since I was taking care of Joshie. Jake didn't mind holding Joshie for short periods of time, but he didn't care to be left alone to handle all of Joshie's needs, so this worked out well.

When the ceremony concluded, we found Brandon and congratulated him. We then took many, many pictures of him with his parents, then a few of him with Jake and me, and finally a few more with him and the other boys. Brandon even held Joshie in these last shots.

Once the picture taking session ended, Brandon explained that his final Grade Point Average (GPA) was 3.88 and he now had his B.S. (Bachelor of Science) in Biological Sciences. He has also been accepted into University of Pittsburgh's School of Dental Medicine, beginning in the fall, which will take him another three to four years to complete.

We then went out to lunch with Brandon and his parents, so we could spend a little more time with them, before we took the family back home. Brandon was staying in Pittsburgh, so he could spend more time with his parents, but it was also because he had to drive some of the others back home. Those boys still had another week of school and Brandon was going to stay there, so he could bring them back with him. I told him several times how much I appreciated him doing this for me, but he assured me it was no problem.

It was a nice, yet exhausting, day and we had a great time being with the O'Haras again. They were spending the rest of the weekend with Brandon, before they returned home, so we left shortly after our meal with them and their son. I think the other boys were all glad they came with us, but were now equally as happy it was over.

The following weekend we had to drive to Penn State for Danny's commencement, which was being held on Saturday, May 13. This time, I didn't have to take Joshie with me and was able to leave him with Dion, who had returned home the night before. This drive was similar to the last one, except we were heading north, not west. We also didn't have to deal with big city traffic, although there certainly was a considerable amount of traffic, once we got near the campus.

We met Danny at his dorm and he rode with us to where the ceremony was being held. He then took off to join the rest of his class and we went to find seats. While we were waiting I looked at the program and noted Danny was also graduating Summa Cum Laude. What is it with these boys not telling us about this honor or making a big deal of it before we got to the ceremony?

It turned out to be another typical baccalaureate ceremony, although it didn't seem to last quite as long as Brandon's graduation had. I snapped several pictures of Danny as he received his degree and then we took even more pictures after the ceremony ended. We took several pictures of Danny in his cap and gown, some more with Jake and me and others with Danny and his brothers. When the photo op ended, I asked Danny about graduating with honors and why he hadn't told us.

"It's not that big of a deal," he answered. "I actually had to do that well in order to get into medical school."

"I'm sure they would have accepted a Magna Cum Laude too," I informed him. Magna Cum Laude means 'with great honors or praise' and is the level below Summa Cum Laude.

"Possibly, but I didn't want to take that chance," Danny responded.

"I am curious about something," I continued. "What was your final GPA?"

"It was 3.92," Danny announced, in a matter-of-fact way. However, I did notice a slight grin spreading across his face.

"Danny, that's outstanding," I responded. "I mean you can't do much better than that out of a 4.0 system." Danny just shrugged it off and mentioned it was time to be moving on.

Danny now had his B.S. in Premedical Medicine, or what most people call Pre-Med. He will be attending the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the fall, now that he and Brandon had decided they wanted to be together during the conclusion of their studies. For some reason, the boys no longer felt the other would distract him from his studies. I guess with those GPA's, their study habits were pretty well ingrained.

After the ceremony, we took Danny out to eat and chat a bit. I kept telling him how impressed I was with his accomplishment and he thanked me, but played it down. He only said that he knew if he was going to get into a top flight Medical School, he'd have to have as close to a 4.0 as possible and I understood exactly what he was telling me. However, I explained that knowing what you needed and actually doing it are two different things, so he should be very proud of what he'd achieved.

Once we finished our meal, we dropped Danny off at his dorm. He had another of our SUV's and would be driving some of the other college men back, so we left him there and returned alone.

Kevin's commencement came next, but it was being held on Thursday, May 18. I thought having it in the middle of the week was a bit odd, but it worked out so we could attend all three graduations. This time we headed east, to Philadelphia and Temple's ceremony.

As we had with the others, we met Kevin beforehand, but he was living in an apartment off campus, not a dorm room. I had given Kevin and Vinnie permission to do this, and then Trey joined them when he went there too. So now, we collected the three boys, so we could head to the ceremony. Dion was happy to see Trey again, and Trey was thrilled to see both Dion and Joshie. It was very cute to watch them as they reunited.

We took Kevin out to eat before the ceremony, since we didn't know for certain how late the graduation would run. We drove over to the dorms before we ate, so I could invite Jeff to go with us too, but he had already left with his mother. I was sorry we'd missed him, because Jeff had been Kevin's roommate when he first came to Temple. He was also the young man Kevin had switched scholarships with at the awards banquet, back when they were seniors in high school.

After having a lovely meal, during which I had a chance to speak with Kevin, I discovered he was also graduating with honors. He was graduating Summa Cum Laude too, with a 3.87 GPA. Of course that earned him a little ribbing too, since his GPA was the lowest of the three who had graduated with honors this year. Brandon had beaten him by .01 of a point, while Danny slaughtered him by .05 of a point.

We then took Kevin and dropped him off with the other graduates, before we went to locate seats. We took up a bit more space this time, since more boys were home and eager to come with us. In fact, we had used two vehicles to make this trip.

Once we got our programs, I quickly scanned it to find Kevin's name. There it was with its designation of Summa Cum Laude. Damn! Did I do something right or was there something in the water while they were growing up. Anyways, here was another son receiving accolades and I was very proud of him as well, as I advised him earlier, when he let us know this was going to happen.

I also noticed Jeff's name and discovered he was graduating Magna Cum Laude, which wasn't too shabby either. Both boys were receiving their B.S. in Biochemistry, a curriculum that is most likely as difficult as it sounds. They would both be coming back in the fall to attend Temple's School of Pharmacy, which would take them another three to four years to complete. It was a difficult road to hoe, but they were both determined to do this.

After discovering that all three graduates had been near the top of their respective classes, and after hearing them joke about it over dinner, I think it had a great impact on the others. I believe some of the younger boys were now beginning to feel they would have to graduate with honors too, just to fit in. I hope it doesn't put too much pressure on them, but some incentives can be good.

This ceremony seemed to go quicker than the other two, but maybe that had something to do with being held on a Thursday. I took some snapshots of Kevin's receiving his degree and we took a whole bunch more afterward. When we finished, Kevin followed us back in the 4Runner, with Vinnie riding with him. They had already loaded their things in the trailer attached behind it and were ready to return home as well. Trey, however, rode with us, so he could be with Dion and Joshie.

We didn't have long to recuperate though, before the last of the graduation ceremonies was upon us. We spent Friday setting up the tents and filling them with the tables and chairs I was able to borrow. Before we finished this task, Brandon's parents arrived, and a short time later, Nick's parents also showed up. It was only late afternoon, so we spent part of the evening chatting with them and then we went out to eat. After we returned to the house, the rest of us excused ourselves and left Nick, Shannon, Jake, Danny and Brandon alone with Nick and Brandon's parents. It gave the O'Haras an opportunity to spend some time alone with Brandon and Danny and gave the Lawrences and Jake some time with Nick and Shannon. After all, this weekend they each would be gaining a son-in-law.

Besides allowing them some time alone, I had my own family to contend with. My biological children and grandchildren began arriving during the early evening hours and I was thrilled to see them all again. The only ones that weren't going to be here were Elizabeth and Tim, and that was only because Elizabeth was due to give birth any day now. Seeing that was the situation, we happily excused them – this time.

I did stay up quite late playing with my grandchildren and then talking to my children. I can't believe how drastically their attitudes have changed over the past year, since most of them had made the journey from not accepting Jake and I as a couple, to openly welcoming their brothers' commitments to their partners. Let's just say, I was truly amazed, impressed and very pleased.

They also commented how very proud they were of Danny, Brandon and Kevin, once they heard their GPA's and discovered each had graduated Summa Cum Laude. All of them had gone to college as well, but the best any of them had done was graduating Cum Laude, which is the lowest of the three honors classifications. Needless to say, they felt if this trio was bright enough to do that well in college, then they most likely knew what they were doing by going through with this commitment ceremony.

The next day, Saturday, May 20, the high school boys, Sammy and Little Ricky, graduated. Playfully, both boys assured me they wouldn't be graduating with honors, but then quickly reminded me they had already been accepted into college. I felt that was good enough and didn't say anything more.

It seemed strange to me that I was watching this graduation ceremony while sitting amongst the other families. Not only wasn't I the Superintendent any longer, but I wasn't even a school district employee, and that had never happened to me before. At least when my other children graduated, I was either a teacher or the middle school principal, but this year I was merely a parent. It felt really strange. Anyway, it was an afternoon ceremony and I was able to get some fairly decent shots as both boys accepted their diplomas. They each looked relieved that their long trek through the public school system was finally over, as their older brothers had when they graduated from the local school district.

Now that these two had gradated, it only left Andrew and Jesse in the local school district, since Joshie still had a few years to go until he would be enrolled. Andrew would be in eleventh grade and a junior in the fall, while Jesse would be starting seventh grade. Dang! I just realized Jesse would be a junior in high school when Joshie was beginning his education experience and entering Kindergarten.

Once the ceremony ended, we took a bunch of pictures of the graduates with Jake and me, and then more of them with different combinations of their brothers. Once we finished doing that, we left the Grand Am with them, so they could spend time saying their good-byes. The rest of us went home, so we could finish getting ready for the graduation party.

Shortly after we arrived home, the caterer showed up and began setting up his things in the large tent we had put up the day before. While I was making certain everything was where I wanted it, Jake went inside and began bringing out the two cakes, while Danny and Brandon offered to run out and pick up the keg I had reserved. I thanked them for doing this and the rest of us finished setting up, as the guests began to arrive.

The party got going very quickly and before long everyone was having a good time, or at least they seemed to be. Once things were going well, we called all the graduates over to cut the cakes. There were two, one for the high school boys that read, 'Congratulations Grads of '06,' and another for the college grads. Their cake read, 'Our hats are off to the Summa Cum Laude Trio,' and there were designs of a dozen mortarboards being thrown into the air.

I think both sets of grads appreciated their cakes and the party continued until after 3:00 the next morning. That wouldn't have been so bad, but we had church and the commitment ceremony a few hours later. We took what had to be taken indoors and left the rest. We'd get it after we got home from church, when we came back to make sure everything was ready for after the ceremony at the church.

When the alarm went off, it seemed as if I hadn't gotten much sleep at all, and actually none of us had. I was contemplating skipping church this one week, but how could we do that, when the ceremony was going to be held there later? It was quite a dilemma.

Anyways, I got everyone up and ready to go, and somehow we all managed to drag our bodies there. Surprisingly, I didn't even catch anyone falling asleep during the service. When it ended, our pastor told us he'd see us again at 3:00 and confirmed that he was looking forward to presiding over the ceremony. I just hoped we all managed to stay awake long enough to go through with it.

After stopping for a very harried brunch, we rushed home to clean up from the graduation party we held the day before. The boys were all very good about helping to do this and before long we had the place looking as it had prior to the start of that party.

The caterer would be showing up again to set up, except this time the food served would be more like what you would find at a wedding reception. This included two cakes, which we would cut at the end of the festivities. There was one for each pair of couples and was meant to wish all of them a sweet start to their lives together.

Once we had taken care of all of this, we went into the house to clean up again, since we had worked up a sweat cleaning up. The boys then put on their suits and we were ready to go. Half would be riding down with Jake and going into one room to wait, while the other half would be riding with me and going into another room until they were called.

After Jake and I took the boys to their respective rooms, we located the boutonnieres that had been delivered for this occasion. Carefully, we pinned a red rose, backed with baby's breath, on the suit jacket lapel of each participant and then waited for the ceremony to begin.

Chapter 37
Forever One

It was now time for the Commitment Ceremony to begin. Upon cue, Shelly's beautiful soprano voice split the stillness, as she began to sing 'My Heart Will Go On.' As you probably already know, this song was made famous by Celine Dion, when it was used as the theme song for the movie 'Titanic.'

Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're gone

Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life well always go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And youre here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

If you read the lyrics or are familiar with them, you might have already guessed why the boys selected this song to begin the event. It was chosen because it indicated how they felt about each other, especially when they were separated and living on different campuses during the school year. Even though Kevin and Vinnie had not experienced this problem at college, they felt it was appropriate for them as well, considering the separation they had gone through when Vinnie had run off, after catching Kevin with another guy.

As the lyrics began to filter through the church, we brought the six other boys from the rooms they had been waiting in and led them to a spot along the wall, on either side of the altar. Even though their ceremony was yet to be held, they wanted to witness the other ceremonies as well. Therefore, we allowed them to remain there until it was their turn to exchange vows. Once their ceremony was concluded, they would then take a seat with their partner in the front pew, where they could continue to watch the others exchange their vows. Danny and Brandon were going to go first.

The minister began to speak and greeted those in attendance. "Dear Friends," he began. "Once again we are united here for a very special purpose, as these young men," he stated, as he pointed to the group to his right, "and these young men," he added, indicating the group on the other side of the church, "have agreed to commit themselves to a loving and enduring relationship. I am sad to say this is not an official and sanctioned wedding ceremony, but I will treat it as seriously and as sacredly as I would the traditional ceremony. I pray that the day will soon come when the children of God will realize and accept love for what it is and what it represents, and not solely by whom you love.

"During a formal wedding, I usually begin by asking who is giving away the bride, but in this case I will ask who stands with these men?"

"I, Patrick O'Hara, give my son, Brandon O'Hara, to be joined, with God's blessing, with his one, true love," Mr. O'Hara stated, after escorting his son to a spot in front of the altar.

"And I, Joshua Currie, give my son, Daniel Currie, to be joined, under this holy roof and the watchful eye of God, with the love of his life," I stated, once we had reached a position where Danny was standing beside Brandon.

"Does anyone here object to this joining? Speak now or forever remain silent," the pastor stated next, but no one responded.

"Since we have no formal sayings to bind these two together, they have agreed to share their own words of commitment," the pastor explained. "Brandon will go first."

"Danny, I think I have loved you from the first day we met," Brandon began. "You were my knight in shining armor then, when you came to my rescue, and you still are. No matter how long we have known each other, our love has never faded or faltered, even though we have been separated for the majority of the past four years, while we attended different colleges. I wish to now, in front of all these witnesses, confess my undying love for you and offer my pledge to remain with you forever. My heart will go on, always beating with yours as one."

Brandon's words were very beautiful and sincere and I was certain at least a few of the ladies in attendance had a tear or two in their eyes. Now, it was Danny's turn to speak.

"Brandon, I too fell in love with you from that first day and I have found that my love for you only grew stronger, the longer I knew you. You are not merely my lover, but you are my best friend, staunchest supporter and a loving and caring partner. I would never be able to consider going through life without you by my side, so I promise to love, cherish, protect and care for you, as long as I have a breath within my body. I love you, Brandon, and want us to go through life as one."

The minister paused briefly after Danny finished speaking, but I believe this time it was to allow him to calm down his own emotions. I think he might have been too choked up to speak at that point and needed the breather before he could continue. Finally, he looked up and spoke.

"After hearing your unprompted and touching words of love for each other, I see no reason why you shouldn't now consider yourselves life's partners in the eyes of God. You have my blessing and best wishes for a long and loving relationship. Will you please turn and face those assembled, so they may also greet you as such."

After Danny and Brandon hugged and kissed, they turned around to face those in attendance. As I did the same thing, I immediately spotted many tear streaked faces and people wiping the tears away. A few seconds later, the crowd began to clap, as their way of showing approval of this newly joined couple. In my heart, I believed this ceremony had been as touching as any wedding ever performed in the hallowed sanctuary.

Once Danny and Brandon had taken their seats, we moved on to the next couple, Dion and Trey.

"I ask who stands with these next two men?" the minister asked.

"I, Jacob McCarthy, stand with my step-son, Alexander Currie, to be united with his true love and constant companion," Jake announced, after he walked Trey to the altar.

"And I, Joshua Currie, give my son, Dion Currie, to be joined, with his love and soul mate," I stated, once we reached a position where Dion was standing next to Trey.

"Does anyone here object to this joining? Speak now or forever remain silent," the pastor stated again, but no one responded this time either.

"Alexander, or as most of you know him, Trey, will speak first," the pastor explained.

"Dion, I hope you know how much I love you and always will," Trey began. "You are not only a beautiful and caring individual, but you also have many wonderful and unique qualities. You are a terrific lover, supportive friend and a fantastic father. You have the ability to converse with mere mortals, yet also possess the talent to sing with the angels. You proceed through life with dignity and grace, so I am thrilled to not only agree to be your devoted life's partner, but also serve as a second father to your wonderful and beautiful son."

"Trey, I love you more than life itself," Dion responded, now that it was his turn. "You have the soul of a poet, the mind of a genius and a heart of pure gold. I don't think I have ever met, nor ever will encounter such a kind, considerate and caring person as you. I am not only eager to join with you as life's partners, but I can think of no better person to serve as an example and guiding light for my son. From this moment forward, I am totally and forever yours."

Once again, the minister paused before he spoke, to give the impact of their words time to sink in. Then, he lifted his head, looked at the couple before him and spoke.

"After hearing your unprompted and touching words of love for each other, I see no reason why you shouldn't now consider yourselves life's partners in the eyes of God. You have my blessing and best wishes for a long and loving relationship. Will you please turn and face those assembled, so they may also greet you as such."

As we turned around, I saw even more teary-eyed people than before, as those in attendance clapped enthusiastically for this newly joined couple. A few seconds later, Dion and Trey realized it was time for the next couple to enter the spotlight, so they hugged and kissed, before they moved to take their seats in the front pew, next to Danny and Brandon.

"I now ask who stands with these next two men?" the minister asked.

"I, Steven Shay, stand with my son, Alvin Rydell-Shay, so he can be joined with the person who fulfills his every desire and makes his heart soar," Steve announced, after he walked Vinnie to the altar.

"And I, Joshua Currie, give my son, Kevin Currie, to be joined, with the person who has filled a deep void and brought happiness into his life," I stated, once we reached the altar and Kevin was standing next to Vinnie.

"Does anyone here object to this joining? Speak now or forever remain silent," the pastor stated again, but still no one responded to his statement.

"Alvin, better known to all of you as Vinnie, will begin this time," the pastor explained.

"Kevin, you have loved and helped me in so many ways for a very long time," Vinnie said. "You saw past my disability and discovered the real me, while never ignoring my needs. You volunteered to join me when I did the exercises I must do to strengthen my body and have never wavered nor complained. You have loved me, even when I've acted foolishly, and you've been patient with me when I was impatient with you. I promise to always love you deeply and will remain by your side, as I happily join you as your life's partner."

"Vinnie, you came along after I had suffered through many devastating events. During the time we have been together, you have supported and loved me, even after I made a very dumb and foolish mistake. Even though your body may not be as strong and as perfect as you'd like, you have never let it define who you are or permitted it to limit what you can achieve. You are truly a person who can accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. You are a loving and considerate individual, and I can think of no one else I'd rather have for a life's partner than the wonderful and loving person standing next to me now.

Once more, the minister paused before he spoke, to allow their words time to sink in. Then, he lifted his head, looked at the couple before him and spoke.

"After hearing your unprompted and touching words of love for each other, I see no reason why you shouldn't now consider yourselves life's partners in the eyes of God. You have my blessing and best wishes for a long and loving relationship. Will you please turn and face those assembled, so they may also greet you as such."

As we turned around, it looked like a professional crying fest. I saw tears everywhere, as they clapped for this newly joined couple, but we had one final ceremony to perform. After Kevin and Vinnie had a chance to hug and kiss, they moved to the front pew on the other side of the church. We were now ready for the final couple.

"Once again, I ask who stands with these next two men?" the minister asked.

"I, Jacob McCarthy, stand with my son, Shannon McCarthy, so he can be joined with his true love, the young man I now consider to be my second son," Jake announced, stunning everyone. Even Shannon and Nick just stood gawking at him as he made this announcement, by which he let them know he had finally put all of his reservations aside and accepted them unconditionally.

"And I, Michael Lawrence, give my son, Nicholas Lawrence, to be joined, with the one person who has been able to tame my son and fill him with the love and understanding he has long sought after," Mike stated, once Nick and he reached the altar, so Nick was standing next to Shannon. Nick and Shannon also gave him a strange look, because I don't think either of them expected his 'taming' comment.

"Does anyone here object to this joining? Speak now or forever remain silent," the pastor stated one final time, but again there were no takers.

"Shannon, will you now begin?" the pastor asked.

"I am happy to finally be standing here," Shannon stated, in a clear and forceful voice, "in front of all of our loved ones and in the presence of God, to express my deep and undying love for this man. I vow that my love will never waver or stray and I shall love Nick always. I am grateful to know and will never doubt that he loves me, as much as I love him." After a few seconds delay, Nick began to offer his vow.

"There was a time in my life when I would never have made a commitment such as this," Nick admitted, "but since I have found you, all of that has changed. I know I have made many, many foolish mistakes, but I have learned from them and changed my ways. That is why I can now promise I will stay with you and love you always. I shall care for you more than I care for myself and shall always remain faithful and be by your side."

For the final time, the minister paused before he spoke. Then, he lifted his head, looked at the couple before him and addressed them.

"After hearing your unprompted and touching words of love for each other, I see no reason why you shouldn't now consider yourselves life's partners in the eyes of God. You have my blessing and best wishes for a long and loving relationship. Will you please turn and face those assembled, so they may also greet you as such."

After hugging and kissing, to seal their vows, the pair turned around to face the crowd and receive their applause of support. As I glanced around at those in attendance, I saw smiles and tears, but primarily I felt the love that poured out from them to these eight young men who had just pledged themselves to one another. It was a touching and very moving moment.

After a brief delay, to give everyone a chance to quiet down again, the minister spoke. "I have officiated over many services during my time as pastor here, although I have never taken part in so many at one time. I also don't remember a time when I've been surrounded by so much love and support, not only from the couples themselves, but also from their friends and families. I am convinced of their sincerity and foresee each of these couples remaining together, for many years to come.

"Before you leave, there is one final duty to be performed," the pastor continued. "Mr. Currie has asked to address the couples before we conclude this service, so I will now ask him to please step forward." I did and was now looking into the faces of the eight young men I have grown to know and love so deeply.

"Each of you has been with me for the past several years and I have watched you grow and develop into the fine and mature young men we see here today," I began. "You have not only confessed your love for each other this afternoon, but I have also heard you do this many times in the past and know your love is true and lasting. Before we leave here, though, I have something more to ask of you." I paused briefly, to let them wonder what I was going to say next.

"I am going to ask each of you to promise that every morning when you awake, you will ask yourselves what you can do that particular day to show your love and fulfill your partner's needs. Never take your love for granted or leave your feelings unspoken. Instead, every day I ask that you do whatever you can to prove your love for one another.

"As each of you has sworn his undying love for his beloved, we have witnessed two fantastic individuals being joined as one devoted couple. From this day forward, you must only think of yourself in this manner – a single, loving couple. You have bound yourselves to a caring relationship, filled with love. You have, through this process, become a new loving family. You must always think of yourselves as one loving and committed couple and always put your partner's needs ahead of your own. I ask that you never forget this and urge you to always act in a way that will cause your love to endure and your hearts to go on."

Now that the ceremony had concluded, we hugged and congratulated each of the couples, before getting in our cars and heading to our place to celebrate further.

The caterer was just finishing setting up when we arrived, so everything was set. Once all of our guests arrived, we opened the buffet line and allowed the four couples to go through the buffet line first and get what they wanted. Once they were taken care of, the rest of us did the same. Soon, we were all seated and filling our bellies, while happily conversing with each other.

When we had finished eating and had thrown the trash away, we called the couples up to cut the cakes. We had two large sheet cakes and each had the names of two of the couples, plus the word 'Congratulations.' The first was for Danny-Brandon and Kevin-Vinnie, while the second was for Shannon-Nick and Dion-Trey. We let each couple cut the first pieces from their own cake, each from their particular side of the cake, and serve it to each other. Once they had done this, Jake and I cut up the rest of the cakes up and put it out, so the guests could take a slice as well.

The party continued into the evening and Dustin had taken it upon himself to set up a sound system, so we would have music. He also made sure the driveway was cleared of vehicles and other obstacles, so those that wished to dance could. Dustin began by playing Lionel Richie's 'Endless Love,' and as the beautiful lyrics filled the hushed night, the four couples moved onto the driveway and began to dance, as they listened to the lovely lyrics.

My love
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right

My first love
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make

And I
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do
And your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Oh, yes you will always be
My endless love
Two hearts
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives had just begun
Forever
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms
And love
I'll be a fool for you
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
You know I don't mind

'Cause you
You mean the world to me
Oh, I know
I know I found in you
My endless love

Oh
And love
I'll be that fool for you
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
You know I don't mind
And yes
You'll be the only one
'Cause no one can't deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My endless love…

Throughout the remainder of the evening, many more songs were played and many of us danced. We each also spent time chatting with the various couples, so we could congratulate them and extend our wishes that they have a long and happy life together. The party continued until well after midnight, since I think nearly everyone in attendance had taken Monday off from work, as a travel day or just to have time to recuperate. It was a truly wonderful and remarkable day.

I do believe some lovemaking took place in the various rooms, once the party ended, but I won't try to bore you with all the details. Let it suffice to say that each couple happily consummated their vows and began their life as one.

The next day progressed in slow motion, since we were all so emotionally drained and physically exhausted. Over the course of the day all the various 'guests' began to leave, but each had their own parting comment.

"I think that was even more beautiful than our wedding," Andrea told me, before she and Michael left.

"You know, Dad. I still can't say I totally understand it," Michael added, "but it is plain to see that they all really do love one another." I thanked him for his kind words and understood how far he had come and how much it had taken for him to share that with me.

"Dad, that was simply beautiful and I'm so glad the boys let us come share these wonderful moments with them," Marie told me.

"And I've learned a lot too," Adrian added. "I see it really is possible for two guys to love each other as deeply as I love Marie." Once again, I knew it took a great deal for Adrian to share that as well and was a sign of how far Michael and he had come.

The O'Haras and Lawrences thanked us for taking care of the arrangements and setting everything up, before they explained how much they had enjoyed being part of it. They each said their sons were lucky to be spending the rest of their lives with one of my sons and they looked forward to being part of our family too. Jake and the Lawrence had a great time together, as they had gotten to know each other better and formed their own bonds of friendship.

Before long, everyone had left to return home and the rest of our day was quiet. The boys, Jake and I used some of the time to clean up from the party and started putting things back in order, but most of the time was just for relaxing.

Ever since we woke up that morning, I think we all had more energy and were feeling great about ourselves. We were still taking it easy when the phone rang.

"Hi, Dad," the caller began.

"Hi, honey," I answered, recognizing Elizabeth's voice. I figured she was calling to congratulate the various boys.

"You have a new grandson," she announced, catching me off guard.

"You had the baby?" I asked. I'm not sure if I meant it to be rhetorical, but it was a rather foolish question, under the circumstances. "There's been so much going on here that I'd forgotten you were due."

"Dad, you mean you've forgotten about me?" she teased. "Anyway, we're going to name him Lucas. He was seven-pounds, ten ounces, twenty inches long and born a little after 2:00 this morning."

"And he's healthy?" I pressed.

"Very," she confirmed, "and he can't wait to meet his papa."

"And his papa can't wait to meet him," I responded.

I knew they would be coming to join us for part of our vacation, so it meant I would be seeing them before too much longer. I congratulated her and Tim and then let her speak with the couples.

My, my, this truly has been a wonderful month and filled with many blessings.

Chapter 38
Raystown Lake

Now that the graduations and the commitment ceremony were behind us, it was time to move on. This year's vacation plans weren't as elaborate as some of our past exploits and I had just rented some cabins on a lake in rural Pennsylvania. We were going to spend a month there, with various family members joining us from time to time. We actually drove four vehicles to get there, because we had so many people and so much to take with us. Having so many vehicles also helped to insure there was enough transportation available that various groups could go different places, without all of us being forced to be in the same place at the same time. It would also leave at least one vehicle available in case of emergency, when the others were in use.

We drove there and got set up on Saturday, June 2 and then the next day Andrew and Jesse rode with me to the airport to pick up Barry. Andrew and Jesse had begged and pleaded with me to allow Barry to join us again, so after I agreed, Barry went to work on his parents. Farrell and Katelyn eventually agreed to let him come for the entire time, even though they wouldn't be joining us until later. Alannah would only be coming when her parents did, since she was as busy as she had been during the summer we went on the cruise.

Barry was flying in to the Pittsburgh airport, which was closer to where we were going to be staying and a shorter flight for him than going to Philadelphia. It still took us a couple of hours to get there, primarily due to the fact that we had to take a collection of country roads before we hit the interstate.

We arrived at the airport well before Barry's plane landed, so we sat and waited for him to arrive. Once Barry spotted us, he raced enthusiastically in our direction. We then located his belongings and carried them outside, so we could load them in the Yukon and set out for Raystown Lake. The lake is located south of State College and east of Altoona, and is nestled in a picturesque country setting, bounded by the Allegheny Mountains. It is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, but several sections are also opened to the public.

I had rented four cabins in total, with each cabin having two bedrooms and a loft. The two bedrooms had a double bed in them and the loft was equipped with either a double bed or a set of bunk beds. Since each cabin could accommodate up to six people, there should be plenty of room for all of us.

Cole had taken a week's vacation during the first week we were planning to be there and Marie, Adrian and Kylie arrived to join us on Sunday afternoon. They would be staying until the following Saturday, but they had also picked up Jordan along the way. Jordan and Nicky had convinced their parents to allow them to stay the entire time as well, to make up for all the time they hadn't been allowed to join us. We spent Sunday getting settled in and unpacked, but I also set up the two infant travel tents I had purchased for this occasion. I knew we could keep them for future use as well, when the grandchildren visited, and they could be zipped up while we were here, to protect the babies from insects. Joshie would use one and the other would first be used by Kylie and then later by Lucas.

We also rented some canoes and lifejackets, so the boys went out and paddled around the lake for a while. Seeing I knew the boys were experienced with handling the canoes, after our vacation in Minnesota – and incidentally when we first met the Flannerys – I allowed them to take Jordan and Nicky out with them too. Jake and I stayed in and chatted with Marie and Adrian, so we could catch up a little on what had been going on in their lives. Adrian didn't seem bothered about his son being with his uncles, which made me feel good. I also knew Adrian was planning to go out in the canoes later, when he joined Jake and a few of the boys when they went fishing.

When the boys came back in, they were hot and sweaty, so they decided they'd swim for a while to cool off. It sounded like a good idea, so we all changed into our swimsuits and went down to join them. We had a great time and the boys were fantastic with Jordan, Nicky and Jesse. Jesse was getting stronger as a swimmer, but all three were quite a bit smaller than the others, so I was a little worried about them at first. Even Andrew has sprouted up and filled out over the past few months, so I wasn't as worried about him now, although he is still on the smaller side.

We fixed lunch at the house, after Marie, Jake and I went out to buy a bunch of supplies. This meal merely consisted of sandwiches and some macaroni and cheese, but the boys seemed to enjoy this simple fare and it filled them up.

After lunch, the boys wanted to hold canoe races, so I told them they could, as long as they were careful and didn't get too carried away. They promised they wouldn't, so Marie agreed to serve as starter, while Adrian, Jake and I would team up to be the judges. They chose up teams, with three to a canoe, and even Vinnie and my grandsons were going to be included in the action.

These races were very competitive, yet fun to watch. At one point, Adrian, Jake and I were challenged to compete against them, since the boys wanted to see if they could beat us too. We agreed and hopped in a canoe. It was a very close race, but two of the other canoes nosed us out. One of the boys had started us out and Marie had determined who won.

Quite often the winners would get what we quickly referred to as a 'victory splash' from the other competitors. This would happen when the losers used their paddles to splash water on the victors. However, after one particularly heated race, the winners ended up getting a 'victory dunk,' when the losers accidentally managed to overturn the winners' canoe while they were celebrating. Thankfully, they had all stayed in their swimsuits, so no one lost anything or was too upset about what happened. The only thing anyone lost was a little dignity and a smidgen of pride.

After we pulled the canoes onto the shore, next to the cabins, some of the boys went back to swim, but the older group joined Jake and me when we went back to the cabins. While there, we talked for part of the time and then began to figure out what we wanted to do about dinner. After a lengthy discussion, we finally agreed we'd only fix lunch at the cabins, but we'd go out for dinner. It would just be too difficult to try feeding everyone out of one of the cabins, so we loaded them up in the vehicles and took them out to one of the local establishments.

Needless to say, the place wasn't quite ready for such a large invasion, but they did a remarkably good job handling our needs. Once we finished eating, we went back to the cabins and Jake and Adrian took a group of boys out to fish. Once they left, the rest of us elected to kick back, toss a football around or kick a soccer ball back and forth.

We were still outside when it began to get dark. Jake's group came in making a big show that they'd caught a few fish, which they cleaned and put in the fridge, so we could use them as part of the next day's lunch. When they came out to join us, the boys teased for me to tell a ghost story, which I was reluctant to do. It's not that there would be a problem doing this, but it had been so long since I'd told one that I wasn't sure if I could come up with something so quickly. Regardless, the boys kept whining, so I dug deeply into my bag of tricks.

"Back in the 1950's, a group of kids came out here to party," I began. "Most of them had graduated from high school just a couple of weeks before, and since only a few of them had jobs, many were getting bored just hanging around their homes. That's why they talked one of their older friends into buying some beer and liquor, so they could come out here to the lake and party. Back then, there weren't very many cabins around and most people only came out here on the weekends, so these young people were pretty much alone.

"Well, they started drinking and having fun, but four of the boys got really drunk. Eventually, they passed out, so their friends thought they'd play a joke on them. They put the four drunks in a rowboat, but kept the oars on shore, and then pushed the boat so it drifted out on the lake. Well, a couple of hours later, one of the boys partially regained his senses and got up to pee. Since he didn't realize where he was, he stood up so he could walk to a spot where he could do this. As soon as he stood up, the boat began to rock and he lost his balance. Since his friends had not paid attention to what they were doing when they put the boys into the boat, they had put three of the guys with their backs against the same side of the craft. Therefore, when the boy fell, the boat capsized and dumped all of them in the lake.

"Since the boys were all really drunk, they couldn't do much to save themselves and quickly drowned. Ever since then, there've been stories about people seeing their ghosts wandering along the shore, looking for the friends that caused their deaths." I left it hanging there.

"Did that happen near here?" Barry asked, taking the bait.

"I'm not sure exactly where it happened," I answered. "It's a pretty big lake, but this is one of the most popular and beautiful spots around." Barry merely sat staring at me, while trying to figure out if this had happened near by.

Adrian and Marie were fighting to keep from laughing, as they watched Barry, Jesse, Jordan and Nicky looking about, to see if they could spot any ghosts. Of course, the older boys picked up on this too and said they'd seen footprints down near the water's edge earlier, but they were sure none of us had left them. Then another of my boys said he thought he'd felt someone tap him on the shoulder when he was coming in from fishing, so this really set the younger ones off. Aren't big brothers and uncles great?

Well, once our discussion ended, we went up to our cabins and turned in for the night. I was concerned there might be some problems later, since the boys who were taking my story the most seriously were sleeping in the lofts. Sure enough, Jordan and Nicky ended up in bed with Jake and me about twenty minutes later and I heard Ricky ended up moving into the loft to sleep with Barry, Jesse and Andrew. Why they chose Ricky for this task is beside me, because I would have suspected, if anything, Ricky was more likely to do things to frighten, rather than comfort them. I guess it must have worked out, because I didn't hear anything from them until morning.

Once everyone had eaten his breakfast, I offered to take anyone who wanted to join me on a hike along the Hillside Nature Trail. This trail starts at the Seven Points' visitor center, winds past the amphitheater and continues in a loop through the woods, until it returns to the visitor center. This route is approximately a mile long and wanders through a naturalized songbird habitat, but it also gives an unequalled view of Seven Points Bay.

Marie and Adrian were a little hesitant about going, until I showed them the two infant carriers I had purchased, to use with Joshie and Kylie. Adrian said he'd be willing to carry Kylie in it, so Marie agreed to go. Neither Dion nor Trey felt confident about carrying Joshie, because they feared they might trip, fall and injure him, so they asked if I would carry Joshie instead. I convinced them they were quite capable of doing this themselves, but offered to have Jake or I walk beside them, so we could assist them if something of that nature did happen. Once everyone agreed, we set off.

It wasn't a long or difficult walk, but it was beautiful. The sounds of the various birds chirping and sharing their different songs with us were lovely and the hike was very peaceful and relaxing. I know Marie and Adrian were glad they had joined us and Dion had no problems carrying his son. It also appeared as if Joshie and Kylie got a kick out of the way the sunlight danced off the foliage, as well as listening the sweet sounds the birds shared with us, as judged by the smiles on their faces.

When we got back to the cabins, the boys decided to swim until lunchtime. I thought it was a great idea, so most of us joined them. We did this until it was time to eat and then we fixed hot dogs to go with the potato salad we had whipped up. Again, it was filling and the boys seemed satisfied with the meal.

After we finished eating, I suggested we go to Penn's Cave. I was doing this mostly for the benefit of Marie, Adrian and my grandchildren, since I wasn't sure if the boys would want to go underground again, after spending so much time in the Jenolan Caves in Australia. However, everyone did wish to go, which kind of surprised me.

Penn's Cave is billed as 'America's only all water cavern and wildlife park.' To see it, we rode in a flat-bottomed motorboat for the one-hour tour, which took us along an underground stream. We followed the waterway along rock passageways, which opened onto Lake Nitanee, and then we took a quick spin around the lake. I was glad I had suggested that everyone bring a sweater or sweatshirt along, but I also had the parents bundle the babies up before entering. The constant 52-degrees temp can seem quite cold, when compared to the temperatures outdoors.

Of course, there were plenty of stalagmites and stalactites to view, along with flowstone cascades and draperies. The limestone formations also took some unusual, and somewhat familiar shapes, such as when we viewed 'The Statue of Liberty' and 'The Garden of the Gods' formations. Even though many of us had been in other caves, we still found this unique and interesting. In fact, one of the most amazing features of this tour was that the trout swam very close to the boat and even jumped out of the water to get fed.

After we finished viewing the caverns, we took the 90-minute wildlife tour next. This was done during a bus ride through the grazing pastures, as well as along the mountain trails and forests. The lands have all been preserved as natural habitats for the birds and other animals and utilize existing logging and tractor trails, so they didn't upset the local ecology.

The final stop on the tour was the 'Wildlife Adventure Museum,' which features animals from South Africa. The creatures we saw in the museum were totally different than the ones we viewed at the Wildlife Park in Australia, so I don't believe anyone got too bored.

From there, we made our way back to the cabins, so we could clean up and get ready for dinner. Tonight we were going on the 'Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise.' The cruise was held on an old-fashioned, side-wheel paddleboat, which was the predominate craft used as Showboats on the Mississippi and other major rivers. Since this was Monday night, it featured a 'Smorgasbord Dinner Buffet,' so in a way I felt sorry for them. They had no way of knowing how much food these boys could pack away or they might not have let us come aboard.

It was really a lovely boat ride and the scenery was quite beautiful. The food was decent too, the boys got full and there was music and live entertainment, which made this activity even more enjoyable. I was sure we would do this again, since the cruise featured different specials on other nights.

After finishing up there, we headed back to the cabins. Jake and Adrian took a group out fishing again and came back an hour or so later, showing off their catch. They then cleaned the fish and added it to what they caught the night before. We hadn't used it for lunch, since we didn't feel there was enough to go around, so we'll use it tomorrow.

Tuesday, we took it easy and stayed close to the cabins. The boys took the canoes out again, swam and played soccer for a while, and the rest of us joined them from time to time. It was a peaceful day, which was highlighted by our fish fry at lunch.

On Wednesday, we took another fairly easy hike, seeing we wanted to take it a little easy, seeing we had the two babies to carry. This time we headed for the 'Dogtown Trail' in Greenwood Furnace State Park. The trail goes along the site of an old iron-making community, which thrived from 1834 to 1904, and passes closely by the former village of Dogtown. Dogtown got its name from the dogs that barked continually at the passing ore trains.

Once again, it was an easy, yet lovely and relaxing walk enjoying nature, and it's always good to get out and get in a little exercise. When we finished, we went back to the cabins. We were originally just going to take it easy for the day, but the boys decided a touch football game was in order. They were also determined that all the males were going to participate, so they dragged Adrian, Jake and I out to join them. Marie came out and took care of the babies, as she watched and laughed at our less than graceful performance on the field.

After we finished our game, we went down to the lake to swim for a while, and then I took everyone out to dinner. Nothing fancy, just a quick trip to one of the local establishments, but it did suffice. Jake, Adrian and the boys decided to skip the fishing that night, so we ended up playing poker and Uno instead. It was good fun and I noticed some of the boys' poker skills were improving. This meant Jake and I would have to watch ourselves when going against them in the future.

Thursday, I decided to take them to Del Grosso's Amusement Park. This is a local, family owned establishment that has been in operation since 1907. It has changed and expanded over the years, and now competes with the larger, franchise operations. It's a very nice park and the rides are comparable to what we did in Australia. They also had a couple of water rides, a lovely go-cart racetrack and a world-class miniature golf course. I was quite impressed.

We let the boys go off on their own, since they promised to keep an eye on the younger boys, while Marie, Adrian and I took the babies over to ride on the train and carousel. Just as we were getting off the carousel for the second time, Jordan, Nicky and Jesse showed up. Dion and Trey were with them and they said they were coming over to join us for a while. That surprised me, since I didn't think these boys would want to ride on the so-called, 'baby rides,' but they said they wanted to take Joshie and Kylie on them. We agreed it would be fine and set out for the Kid's Kingdom, where the kiddie rides were.

Adrian and I slipped off the infant carriers, along with their precious cargo, and let the boys take the pair on some of these easier rides. Once they'd done that for a while, Dion and Trey took Joshie and went with Marie to ride the train and carousel again, while the other boys dragged Adrian Jake and myself off to go on some of the other rides with them.

We ate lunch there a little later, since they advertised they had 'America's Best Amusement Park Food.' Actually, all of it was very good, but the potato salad was outstanding, and we enjoyed everything we had there.

After lunch, we took a spin on the racetrack and played some miniature golf, before we went back to have another go on the rides. I think everyone was tired out by the time we got back to the cabins, so we enjoyed a very quiet evening.

Unfortunately, it rained on Friday and ruined most of our plans. Therefore, we stayed in the cabins and played poker, gin rummy, hearts and Uno, since I'd brought several decks of each along with me. We fixed lunch there and only went out for dinner, so it was quite a laid-back day.

Saturday morning, we went back to walk the Hillside Nature Trail again, but not everyone went this time. It was just something I wanted to do with Adrian and Marie, before they left that afternoon. A lot of our visitors were only staying one week, so they were leaving Saturday afternoon, and then they'd have Sunday to do their laundry and catch their breath, before returning to work on Monday.

After wishing them a safe journey and kissing my little princess Kylie good-bye, they kissed Nicky and told him to behave, since he was staying with us. Then they left and I let the boys have the rest of the day to themselves.

After lunch, Cole left too, because he had to work on Monday as well. He drove one of the vehicles back, since we could do without it for a while. I hated to see him go, but he was a working man now, so he had to live up to his responsibilities and obligations. It's hell growing up.

Anyway, on Sunday Robert showed up. He was going to be staying for two weeks, because he said he was looking for a relaxing peaceful setting where he could get some time to write. He was hoping to break into that field, so I guess maybe I should also have him speak with Trey. Anyway, I figured Robert could use his laptop to write while he was at the lake, because I'd left a lot of downtime in my plans for him. Robert would be sharing the loft with Pat, and sleeping in one of the bunk beds, and I gave him the rest of the day to settle in and begin his writing.

Chapter 39
Friends and Family

The Flannerys didn't show up until Monday afternoon, since Farrell and his wife had obligations they had to fulfill on Sunday. Farrell, Katelyn and Alannah drove in about 3:00 and were spending the week with us, but they were going to allow Barry to remain for the entire time we were here. Each of them seemed happy to be with us, and it was nice to see them again.

I was glad we could actually work something out this year, even though this was not going to be anything extravagant. Farrell and Katelyn would be staying in the room Marie and Adrian had used, while Alannah would be staying in the room next door, which no one had used the previous week. They would be sharing their cabin with Robert and Pat, who were using the bunk beds in the loft.

We spent the rest of the day letting them get settled in and become familiar with the accommodations, which provided Robert with some quiet time to write. We did take everyone out for dinner and chatted with the Flannerys while we ate, before we retuned to the cabins and turned in for the evening. The fun for them would begin tomorrow.

Would you believe it rained the first full day the Flannerys were with us? Damn! Well I guess this mean I'll have to pick one of the alternate activities I had planned for rainy days, so we'll be going to the Indian Caverns. Yes, I know. Everyone's thinking, dang, another caving experience. Well, we didn't have a lot of choices locally and needed something to take up the better part of the day. I also tried to save one of the other activities I have for rainy days in case we needed it when Michael is here, since it's something he would really enjoy. Besides, there are only so many options that are appropriate during this kind of weather.

Not everyone wanted to go with us, so some of the older boys elected to stay behind and find their own form of amusement. Since Barry was going, so he could be with his parents, Jesse and Andrew decided to go too. Seeing those three were going, Jordan and Nicky decided to tag along with us as well, rather than stay with the others.

For some reason, Alannah had singled out Ricky again, even though she had been like a bee around honey with Little Ricky the last time we had been together. Therefore, Ricky chose to go as well, and surprisingly Pat did too. This was most likely so he could gawk at Alannah while we were out, but he was the last one to decide to join us. Everyone else was going to stay at the cabins.

As we drove to the location, the Appalachian Mountains loomed up around us again and we passed through some beautiful wooded country. There was also a very peaceful stream nestled along our route and we were still able to enjoy this splendid scenery through the mild drizzle and haze. It was quite a lovely sight, although it might have appeared more spectacular on a clear and sunny day.

We started off at the Visitor's Center, which is a pueblo-style building, like you might see in the southwest U.S., and was built right against the mountainside. Ironically, considering where we were, there is also a totem pole that is reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest and a tepee that might be found on the Great Plains. It was obvious they were marketing ALL Native American tribes, regardless of their location. You could even pan for arrowheads, if you were so inclined.

Of course, we took the guided tour and learned a great deal about the cave's history and geology. We were told stories about the Native Americans' use of the cave, as determined by artifacts and a tablet of petroglyphs found there, some of which were also on display. The guide also shared some of the more recent history and folklore surrounding the cave, so this was much more than just a sightseeing tour.

We traveled for approximately a mile and during that time we made our way through narrow, winding passageways and entered large caverns with very high ceilings. We saw sheets of flowstone, delicate soda straw stalactites and rimstone pools, as well as massive stalagmites and stalactites. There was also 'The Room of the Fireflies,' which got its name from the chemical elements that glow in the dark. We were told Native Americans apparently didn't enter this area, although the reason for avoiding it is unknown.

The tour took just under ninety minutes and I think everyone that went enjoyed it, some more than others. By this I mean, Ricky seemed to enjoy spending his time with Alannah and chatting with her. It was quite obvious he wasn't thinking about Kylie from Australia, so I guess he must have gotten over her.

When we went outside, the weather seemed to be clearing a little, as we went back to the cabins. When we got there, the boys were already out canoeing and swimming, so the rest of us went out to join them. We actually spent the rest of the day doing this before we cleaned up and went to dinner. On the way back we gave the Flannery's a quick tour of the area and for the rest of the evening, we adults just sat and chatted, while the kids entertained themselves.

Wednesday was kind of an easy day and we started out by taking them on the Hillside Nature Trail, which we had hiked the previous week. The Flannerys preferred to take their time and enjoy the scenery and wildlife, unlike Marie and Adrian who used it for the exercise. We ended up spending a couple of hours here, due to their approach, rather than the single hour it had taken us previously. I was glad most of the boys had decided to skip this activity, otherwise they'd probably have griped and complained about how long this was taking. After going back to the lake and having a swim, we ate lunch and then sunned ourselves for a brief time.

Once they got tired of lying in the sun, I asked Farrell and Katelyn if they wanted to go for another hike and they both jumped at the chance. This time, we took them along the Dogtown Trail, and just as they had before, they wanted to take their time and explore everything along the way. It definitely wasn't a power walk, but once we finished, Farrell and Katelyn wanted to also stroll around some of the other nearby areas. We ended up spending well over two hours doing this, so after we got back, we took another dip in the lake and then lounged around until dinnertime.

That night we arranged an Uno challenge and played as teams. We could do this, because I had brought several decks of Uno cards, so we split up and let those in each cabin play first. Once the cabin winners were determined, we let them play each other. It was a hard fought and furious competition, but David ended up slaying Goliath again. In this case it meant Andrew and Jesse won out and beat all of the other challengers. They had decided to be partners after Barry teamed up with his father. They might have paired up anyways, although one of them might have paired up with Barry instead, so he wouldn't feel left out. I was very surprised they had pulled off the ultimate victory, since none of the other boys were taking prisoners, when it came to their competitive nature and desire to win.

After getting a good night's sleep, we spent the next day at Del Grosso's Amusement Park again. Barry, Andrew and Jesse were happy to take the Flannerys around and torture them on the rides, so the rest of us just went about doing our own thing. We ate lunch there again, as well as dinner, because the park offered a spaghetti option that night, which intrigued my family. We killed the entire day there and everyone seemed to have fun, and then we went back to the cabins to rest up.

Friday, we took the Flannerys on another hike, but this one was much longer than the ones we had taken earlier. Since it was much longer, I wasn't sure if Dion and Trey would want to do this with Joshie, so I talked it over with them. In the end, they decided it would be all right to take him with us, so we packed up the items we'd need for him. Dion and Trey readily agreed to split the duty of carrying their son and had built up enough confidence that they didn't need either Jake or I to walk with them.

This trail was located at Trout Creek State Park, but we were only going to tackle the North-Central section of a much longer trail. The full trail takes three days and two nights to hike, but there was no way we were going spend that much time on one activity, especially seeing the Flannerys would only be with us for a week. Since we weren't doing the full loop, we dropped everyone off at the starting point and then Jake and I drove to the end point, which was an intersection along some country roads. We dropped off one of our vehicles there, so we'd have it to use so we could get the other vehicle later. Once we'd done that, we drove back to the starting point and joined everyone else.

The length of this portion of the trail was five miles and we started out by crossing over a wooden footbridge and then followed the trail. One of the first features we passed was called the Ice Mine, because ice can generally be found inside until August.

Jake and I each walked next to one of the Flannerys and chatted with them about many things. We discussed such topics as our current surroundings, the weather, what our families had been up to, next year's St. Patrick's Day Parade and we also filled them in about some of the other things we had planned during their stay. I believe we were on an old logging road at this juncture, because it was flat and not too difficult to travel, but Joshie started fussing as we traveled along this section. We stopped briefly, so his father could change his diaper and then Dion fed him a bottle, before we placed him back in the carrier and started out again.

I also noticed that Ricky was spending all of his time with Alannah again, so I wondered where this might be heading. She is three years younger than he is and more Little Ricky's age than Ricky's, so I was confused about some of the underlying dynamics in their attraction.

In addition to that pair, I also noticed the five younger members of the group (Andrew, Jesse, Barry, Jordan and Nicky) were having a good time with each other. They were traveling in a pack and continually joking around, and it didn't seem as if they had a care in the world or any interest in where we were. Their only concern seemed to be that they were able to spend time with each other, and they were actually quite cute to watch.

Before we finished our hike, we passed by an old stone wall. It was the type that farmers used to build to indicate the boundary of their property. It had been constructed using the rocks they turned up while plowing the fields, which took care of two problems at once. I pointed it out to the boys, so they could see it was similar to the ones that ran along various sections of our property. Just after passing it, we also crossed over another wooden footbridge, as we made our way to where we were going to finish this hike.

Once we got there, I told the others to wait, while I drove Jake back to get the other vehicle. When we returned, we loaded everyone inside and then returned to the cabins. After a late lunch, we played a little touch football out in front of the cabins and then went for a swim, to clean up and cool off. This took up the rest of our time until we were ready to go out for a late dinner. Once we ate, Farrell went out with Barry, Jake and a couple of the older boys to try his hand at fishing. Andrew and Jesse stayed in this time, as did Jordan and Nicky, since they thought fishing was icky.

Saturday, the Flannerys wanted to relax and unwind down by the lake, so Jake, a couple of the boys and I used the time to go into town to load up on supplies. We ended up spending the day chilling out and not doing very much until we went out for dinner. We took the Flannerys on the Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise, because it was their last night with us and we wanted to make it special. We chose this because the Saturday Cruise featured a candlelight prime rib dinner, which would make it romantic for Farrell and Katelyn, as well as for some of our other couples.

It was an excellent meal, the ambiance was fantastic and we all had a great time. The Flannerys also took a special delight in the live entertainment and got up and danced a few times as well. I also noticed that Alannah sat at a table with Ricky, Pat and Dustin, but my heart nearly broke when I noticed Little Ricky staring at her for most of the night. I think he felt hurt and left out, after how close they had been the last time we went to Chicago.

The little ones also sat together and I really got a kick out of watching them with each other. Jesse was getting along great with my two oldest grandsons. After all, Jordan was only a few months younger than Jesse and Nicky was only a year and a half younger than him. It's not that Jordan and Nicky were getting along poorly with Andrew and Barry, but that particular threesome had formed a special bond. It worked out though, because it left Andrew and Barry a chance to enjoy a little time on their own.

After a lovely evening on the lake, we went back to the cabins. The Flannerys immediately got busy packing their things, because they were leaving before noon the next day, so they could catch their flight home. They spent the rest of the evening with their son, and his shadow, so the rest of us gave them plenty of time to be alone.

The next morning, after we finished eating breakfast, the Flannerys thanked us for everything and assured us they'd had a wonderful time. The then spent a few minutes alone with Barry, before they loaded into their rental car. Barry waved enthusiastically as they drove away, but he didn't make too big of a fuss about them leaving. I guess he was happy just being with Andrew and knew he'd be with his parents again, before too much longer.

Although Robert had been joining us on most of our outings, he spent the rest of his time working. However, he decided to take Sunday off from his writing and spent most of the day with us. He participated in the canoe races the boys suggested having and finished by dunking or flipping the younger ones up in the air later, when they went swimming. As I've said before, Robert is just a big kid at heart and the boys love that quality in him.

A couple of hours later, Elizabeth and Tim drove in and I raced out to greet my youngest grandchild. Lucas would turn a month old during the week, and since Elizabeth had some complications after giving birth, I planned a very light schedule of activities for them. I warned the boys in advance, so they could plan on doing other things, if they wished, but I would be spending most of my time with the three newest arrivals.

I was amazed at how much smaller Lucas looked than Joshie at this point, but I should have realized there's a big difference between one month and nine months. It doesn't seem that it's been that long since Joshie was born, but it had been and Joshie looked like a giant next to his younger cousin.

Robert spent much of that day with his sister and brother-in -law too and Lucas got passed around more often and quicker than gossip at a high school reunion. He did fuss a little about all of the various people holding him, but he did seem to like the attention. Maybe he'd get used to so many handling him before they left.

On Monday, we started out with another easy walk at the Hillside Nature Center, but this time I carried Lucas in my infant carrier, while Dion carried Joshie in the other. This worked out to be something Elizabeth could do too, since her doctor had advised her to take easy walks as a way to rebuild her stamina. After we finished this brief excursion, everyone but Elizabeth and the babies went out in the canoes for a short time.

After lunch, I took them to the Rockhill Trolley Museum. Trolleys are very much like train passenger cars, but they have their own power source and are closer to being a bus that run on tracks. They even had their own unique sounds, which reminded me of 'The Trolley Song' from the musical, 'Meet Me In St. Louis.' It starts out by describing the sounds the trolley makes.

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings as we started for Huntington Dell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings as we glided for Huntington Lake.

Although I wouldn't agree the preciseness of the descriptions of the various sounds, it does show that each part of the trolley has its own distinctive tones. This included the ricka, ricka, ricka noise the air compressor made. During our time there, we got to see a large variety of trolleys, from an open-air car to a collection of closed types. We also saw one that was quite small and others that were very large, and their manufacture dates ranged from 1904 to 1947. Some of these trolleys had been used in Pennsylvania, while others came from as far away as Portugal and Brazil. We also got to see some of the maintenance vehicles that were also used, such as snowplows, snow sweepers and freight cars. Before we left, we even got to take a ride on a trolley.

On Tuesday, we did the Dogtown Trail in the morning, which Elizabeth was fine with doing. This time Trey carried Joshie, while Tim took Lucas, and it was another nice, relaxing stroll. From there we went back for a swim and spent some time in the sun.

After lunch, we went to the Bellefonte Museum for Centre County. This is housed in an historic building, constructed of Limestone and was completed in 1810. It is nestled in the quaint Victorian village of Bellefonte and features works of art, historical and architectural displays, natural history exhibits and examples from physical science. There was more than enough to observe, so everyone found something of interest and we spent a great deal of time discussing the things we observed.

For dinner that evening, we were taking everyone on the Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise again. Tuesday night happens to be the Pasta Dinner Buffet, and once again my boys devoured nearly everything in sight. We sure do get our money's worth out of these buffets. Elizabeth and Tim enjoyed it too, and even though Robert had been with us on another of the dinner cruises, it was a totally different meal and the entertainment was different too. I think everyone enjoyed this outing.

Wednesday, we started off on the Hillside Nature Trail again, since Elizabeth did need to get out for her daily exercise. After this, we went for another swim and caught some rays.

After lunch, we took them to a place they call 'Gravity Hill.' This is one place that seems to defy the laws of gravity, cars appear to roll uphill and water seems to flow in the wrong direction – a case of gravity gone haywire. Some claim it's all an optical illusion, but other's say there is a gravitational warp in the earth at this point, which allows these things to happen.

In order to witness this firsthand, we were allowed to take one of our vehicles to try it out. After stopping the Yukon, I checked to make certain no other vehicles were around and then put it in neutral and released the brake. I'll be damned, but the car seemed to roll uphill, not down. Everyone was laughing and asked me to do it again, which I did with the same results. It's not easy to move a vehicle of that size, let alone in the wrong direction, but that's what seemed to be happening.

Thursday morning, we walked the Dogtown Trail again, before going back to swim and relax. That afternoon, I took everyone out for a daytime cruise around the lake on 'The Princess.' Since it was a lovely day and not too hot, the breeze generated by the moving vessel made the effect almost perfect. We took a two-hour ride around the lake, learned about some of the other locations and got to see the sights from a different point of view. I think Elizabeth enjoyed this the most of all.

Friday, after walking the Hillside Nature Trail again, it started to rain. We hurried back to the cabins and spent the rest of the morning chatting and playing cards and Uno. After lunch, I took them to the Swigart Antique Car Museum, which has a revolving display of over thirty cars. I knew this would appeal to Tim and Robert, but would also intrigue some of my older boys.

During our time there, we saw a 1916 Scripps-Booth, a 1920 Carroll, a 1936 Duesenberg 12-cylinder Gentleman's Speedster and Tucker's 1947 Tin Goose prototype. In addition to the cars, they also featured what they refer to as 'automobilia'. This includes license plates from all over the U.S., radiator emblems, badges (which showed when a person belonged to an automobile club), lamps, horns, hood ornaments, various clothing and other accessories worn primarily when in the car. There was also a collection of photos, paintings and prints featuring the automobile.

In addition to the automobile collection, there was also a bicycle collection. This included the all wooden velocipede (commonly referred to as the boneshaker) and examples of bicycles from 1880 to the recent past, and included some old high-wheeled bicycles. There was another area that featured toys and this fascinated some of the younger crowd. The display included cast-iron fire trucks, horse-drawn pumpers, various other wheeled toys, model trains, pedal cars, dolls, hobby horses and vintage Fisher-Price toys.

"Hey, Daddy," Andrew yelled, pointing at a group of older toys. "Are those yours, from when you were little?" I could hear the others snickering, since the toys he was pointing at probably came from the very late nineteenth or very early twentieth centuries. I merely ignored his question, but I did stick my tongue out at him.

The Museum had turned out to be far more interesting than I had anticipated and I was very glad we had come. I knew the others were too and it turned out to be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Saturday morning, we took our final walk on the Dogtown Trail, and then Elizabeth, Tim and Robert all started packing up to leave. They would be taking off right after lunch, since Tim and Robert had to return to their jobs on Monday. Before they left, each one thanked me and Robert told me he had accomplished quite a bit while he was here. Even though he had done many things with us, he still felt he had accomplished more than he would have with the distractions at home. We all said good-bye and commented that we'd see each other again at Christmas. Although it was sad to see them go, I knew it wouldn't be for long.

Chapter 40
Wrapping Things Up

Sunday, our final group came in. It was Michael, Andrea and Megan. They would be staying until the following Saturday and then taking Jordan and Nicky back with them when they returned. They were going to see that Nicky got back safely to Marie, and take the responsibility from us, seeing we'd have to make sure Barry got home safely.

We did basically the same things for Michael and Andrea that we had done with Elizabeth and Tim, except we took longer and more energetic walks. After letting them get settled in on Sunday, we started Monday off with the 5-mile Trout Creek hike we had taken with the Flannerys. I did this because I knew Michael and Andrea were big with keeping fit and working out. I had a child backpack carrier for Michael to carry Megan in and they enjoyed this long and vigorous hike. We followed this activity with a watery workout in the lake, which I know they enjoyed as well.

After lunch, we took them on 'The Princess' boat tour from Seven Points. I thought it was a lovely way to get them started and give them a feel for the area, and then we took everyone out for dinner.

That night, Michael and Andrea spent time with Nicky and Jordan, since the boys had been with us for three weeks by this point. The rest of us left them alone, so they would have an opportunity to get reacquainted, and I think it worked out well for all parties involved.

Tuesday, it was raining again, so we took them to the Swigart Antique Car Museum first. I knew Michael would enjoy this and the entire family seemed eager to go back and check it out again. When we came out, after seeing everything inside, it seemed to have cleared up a little, so I took everyone to Gravity Hill, so Michael and Andrea could experience those odd sensations for themselves.

After lunch it was still kind of nasty, so most of the boys stayed home while I drove Michael and Andrea over to check out the Bellafonte Museum for Centre County. When we finished up there, it had cleared up a little, so Michael went fishing with Jake and some of the others.

Wednesday, I had a little longer hike lined up for them, and it was one we hadn't done before. This time, I took them on the 7-mile Fire Tower Loop Trail. This trail is rated as moderate to strenuous, which was perfect for my fitness buffs, and it goes in a loop to the Fire Tower on Greenwood Spur. The tower was built in the 1930's and is still in use to watch for forest fires. I had to admit this was by far the most challenging trail we had taken during this vacation, so afterward we went to the lake for a swim and then out to lunch.

Wednesday afternoon, we just hung around the cabins and played touch football. I think the boys had forgotten how competitive Michael can be when it comes to sports and Andrea is nearly as bad, so the game was for blood – well, not literally. It was just very competitive.

Once that ended, they also went canoeing for a while and then swimming again, and Michael was tossing and flipping Jordan, Nicky, Jesse, Andrew and Barry. Barry's bulk almost did Michael in, since Barry was so much bigger than the others, but Michael did manage, so Barry wasn't left out.

Wednesday night we relaxed a bit and the boys wanted to play Uno against Michael and Andrea. I guess their competitive nature was also starting to kick in and they wanted to take Andrea and Michael on again. It was very heated and the boys wouldn't let Andrea and Michael play at the same table, for fear they'd team up against them. However, I think the boys ganged up on them. Michael, Andrea and I were talking later and they mentioned how determined the boys were to beat them. I was afraid they might be upset by this fact, but both merely thought it was cute that the boys were so intent on getting revenge for what they'd put them through during the football game. I was glad it hadn't escalated into more.

Thursday, we started off by taking the two short hikes, back to back. We did the Hillside Nature Trail first and drove over and followed it up by doing the Dogtown Trail. We walked each loop twice, and because I suspected one trail wouldn't be enough for my fitness buffs. Therefore, we did the two loops, doubled and back-to-back. That seemed to suffice, so we went back to the cabins and swam and canoed until lunchtime.

After lunch, Andrea started to get a migraine headache, so we opted to stay in until she was feeling better. They boys went swimming, while the rest of us took care of the little ones and waited on Andrea. She started feeling better by dinnertime, so we went out to eat and then came back to the cabins and played cards.

By Friday, Andrea was feeling much better, so we took them to Hershey Park. This is another amusement park, but it's far larger and more extensive than Del Grosso's, and there are several sections to the park, each featuring its own theme and assortment of rides. Luckily for the boys, all of them, including Nicky, Jesse and Jordan, were tall enough to go on nearly all of the rides. Unfortunately, Megan fell two categories below the others on height requirement chart and had to stay on the tamer rides. However, she didn't lose out, since Nicky and Jordan chose to go with her on a lot of those rides and then Michael, Andrea, Jake and I split our time taking her on the others.

We pretty much gave the boys free reign today, as long as they stayed in groups of three or more, and the older boys agreed to help keep an eye on the younger ones. Joshie also spent most of the day with me, although Dion and Trey would come spend time with him at various points and made sure they didn't ignore him completely.

Every now and then the various groups of boys would come looking for us, so they could drag one or more of us on a ride they'd found to be thrilling. In other words, they'd drag us off to go on rides they thought would scare the crap out of us. Andrea and Michael found this quite amusing and thought it was nice the boys wanted us to do this with them. Due to this special attention, the bonds between Michael, Andrea and the boys grew deeper as the day progressed. I don't think Andrea and Michael had expected that any of the boys would want to do much with them, since there were so many others they could hang around with and because of the way Andrea and Michael had acted when we were estranged. That's why they were so deeply touched when the boys sought them out too, even if it was just so my monsters could see if they could frighten them.

We had a great day and ate both lunch and dinner there. We did this because no one wanted to leave, seeing we were having such a great time. Even Joshie got to go on some of the rides, because Megan, Nicky and Jesse would take him on the kiddy rides with them. Joshie's face would light up whenever one of them took him on a ride and his smile spread across his face, as the wind blew in his face. That led me to believe he had a great time too.

We ended up spending the entire day at the park and only left when it closed. I think some of the boys would have camped out there overnight, if they could have, since they didn't seem to want to leave. Oh, to be young again.

Saturday was the final day of this vacation, since we'd all be leaving for our homes the following day. It had been a great retreat for my family, even if it was lower key than some of our past adventures, but it was nice to have the others join us at various times. We spent most of the day taking it easy, swimming, canoeing, sunning and taking short walks, and the only time we went out was for dinner. We took Michael and Andrea on the Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise for the candlelight prime rib special, for our farewell dinner and a celebration of our time together.

Michael and Andrea seemed to really enjoy the music and entertainment, as well as the food, and turned out to be a wonderful finishing touch to their week with us. Since Jake and I were sitting with them, they apologized numerous times for our past misunderstanding and said they were glad things had worked out, because they really enjoyed their time with us. I did tell them they didn't have to keep trying to make up for the past and we would just put it behind us, but they seemed to feel obligated to try to make amends for their past misgivings. Once we cleared the air, we enjoyed the rest of our time together.

The next day, we had a very difficult time saying good-bye to each other. It was especially difficult for Jordan and Nicky, since they had been with us for four weeks and didn't want to leave Jesse and Andrew. They were even sad that Barry would have to go back home too, but in the end they reluctantly hopped into the car with Andrea and Michael. I kissed them all good-bye and told them I looked forward to seeing them at Christmas.

Once they had gone, we picked up our things and loaded them into the vehicles, and then I went through all four cabins for a final inspection. We dropped the keys off on the way out and then drove Barry to the airport, so he could catch his flight back to Chicago.

Barry also found it difficult saying good-bye, but most of all with Jesse and Andrew. Since he had spent time with all of us and we had been close, he also hugged Jake and me several times, while thanking us for the great time. I'll admit, we were going to miss him too, but I told him we'd see him next St. Patrick's Day, if not before.

Once his flight took off, the rest of us set out for home. It was time for us to get back into our normal routines again.

Shortly after we returned, I had to start planning our Fourth of July celebration, which would be closely followed by a 21st birthday party for Ricky on the weekend. It's hard for me to believe the cute twelve-year old imp that came to live with me was now about to legally become an adult, in all senses of the word. Damn, I guess I am getting old.

The worst part is, I have many more of these events still ahead of me. Cole will be turning twenty-one in October, Vinnie and Shannon in December, and then Nick and Trey in February. Where has all the time gone? This means that twelve of the boys will now be twenty-one or older, which will leave me legally responsible for only Graham, Dion, Sammy, Little Ricky, Andrew and Jesse. Worse than that, Andrew and Jesse will be the only pair still at home, because they others will be away at college. Wow, time does fly.

Anyway, we're having a big cookout for the Fourth again and we've invited both farm-homes to join us. I planned on having games again, since everyone seemed to enjoy it so much last year, but I hoped to change things around a little, to insure that everyone has a great time. The Fourth is on Tuesday this year, so that's when we'll hold that celebration, but since Ricky's birthday is on Friday, we'll wait and hold his party on Saturday. That way, the extended family will be able to come too, without having to take time off from work.

After talking everything over with my planning committee, which included Jake and the boys, we've decided to have three age groups this year. These various groups would be called the Teens, which will include everyone still in public school, the Tweens, which would include those in college and in their twenties, and then the adult group, with those thirty and older. The boys wanted to call this group the 'golden oldies,' or was that 'moldy oldies?' Anyway, I didn't think this moniker would offend anyone in the group, so I went along with their suggestion.

The teen group would consist of Andrew, Jesse and a bunch of the children from the two farm-homes. The Tweens would include my college sons, Duck, Mark and their girlfriends, and then the rest of us would comprise the final group. Each of these groups would compete in the same events we held last year, plus a few new ones. We would hold the birdseed relay and the three-legged race, as well as the egg and water balloon tosses. However, this year we added a tug of war, across a kiddy pool filled with Jell-o, and a pass the apple, where each group has an apple they have to pin between their jaw and body and pass it down the line, without using their hands. If it is dropped along the way, that person starts it again, but the line shifts so that person is first in a new line. Those that had passed it successfully will now move to the end of their line and they start all over.

I won't go into detail about the day, but I will say the food was plentiful and devoured greedily. The games were fun to play and elicited a lot of laughs as we competed. One game, however, might have been a little too much fun for some of the boys and I think I may omit the apple pass next year. This is because some of the boys from the boys' farm-home got carried away rubbing their bodies against the young ladies from the girl's farm home, while passing the apple. Some of it was obviously quite sexual, especially as some of the boys from the farm-home humped their crotches against the girls and rubbed their lips against their lips and cheek. Since I feared this might result in some problems, or even allegations of sexual harassment, I warned them whenever I saw it happening and decided to eliminate this game in the future.

The fireworks we went to see later were also spectacular. They were all of the aerial variety and the finale was exquisitely done. All in all, it was a nice ending to a very enjoyable day. This feeling was reinforced when the others stopped to thank us and confirmed they'd had a great time, before they returned to their homes. We were pleased and thanked them for coming, before we returned to our homes and prepared to return to our normal routines.

On Saturday, we had Ricky's party and the extended family was there, including Jay and his parents. It was nice to see them again too and Ricky and Jay spent a great deal of time together. As I had with the others, one of Ricky's gifts included my turning his account over to him and putting that money completely in his control. I will also do that with the others when they reach twenty-one, so they are positive about one gift they have to look forward to.

Ricky was his typical goofy self as he opened his other gifts and showed them off, but he always managed to bring a smile to everyone's face. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when he's not here any longer to give me his occasional shot of 'Ricky joy-juice' and I have to look for new ways to brighten my gloomy days. Well, not entirely, since Joshie's smile has a similar effect on me.

The rest of July was fairly laid back. As it turned out, we weren't needed to go out and help on the farms this year. The new equipment that had been purchased for them meant much of the work was done by machine, so our assistance wasn't necessary. However, we did go out to do some skinny-dipping with the boys. They had reminded us over the Fourth that we hadn't don't that recently, so we told them we'd be out before the summer was over. Since we didn't want to go back on our word, we made sure to keep that promise.

The boys from the home had become quite comfortable with my sons, so nearly everyone participated in this activity. I had also relaxed my objection to the boys doing anything sexual with each other, but I did limit their activities to mutual masturbation and oral sex. I also made it clear to my sons that the boys from the home would have to be the ones to initiate such contacts, but if they did, my sons were allowed to have some fun with them.

I was somewhat surprised that it was the younger boys at the farm-home who were most interested in messing around, rather than the older ones. It was later suggested to me that some of the older boys might have been abused previously and, hence, were unwilling to expose themselves to any sexual situations. I was saddened to hear this, but in a way it also made me feel better to know that we had been able to place the younger boys in a situation where they wouldn't be forced to do such things.

As we entered August, we also began to get things ready for the boys to return to college and school. Since Danny and Brandon were both going to Pittsburgh this year, along with Dion, Trey and Shelly, they wouldn't need the two vehicles they had been responsible for the previous year. Others were heading in that direction too, so I swapped vehicles and gave the Yukon to Danny. This gave him the larger vehicle and provided them with more room, and I kept his SUV to use at home. I let Ricky have the other SUV to use, so he could transport some of the others back and forth along Danny's old route. Kevin would still have the 4Runner, to take him and Vinnie to Philadelphia.

As I mentioned earlier, only Andrew and Jesse will still be at home with Jake and me. Andrew will be a junior in high school, or in eleventh grade, and Jesse will be starting seventh grade. This meant I wouldn't be doing as much running around, so I'm thinking about maybe doing some writing as a hobby. I think Robert got his ability from me, and we do seem to have very similar interests, so I'll share some of my ideas with Robert and Trey first, before I discuss them with the others.

The boys' transition to school went smoothly, but it was emotionally draining on me. The house seemed so empty and lonely now, and shortly after school resumed, Jesse became a teenager. This only reinforced my perception that the boys were getting older and would all soon be gone.

I threw a big party for Jesse and allowed him to invite some of his classmates too, since I was hoping he'd make other friends before Andrew left for college in a couple more years. He did invite a couple of boys, and it pleased me to see him spreading out socially.

Of course, the extended family also attended his party and we had a big cookout. I was vaguely familiar with a few of the boys he'd invited, since they had helped us with the haunted house the previous year. I also knew their families and approved of his choices. Jesse's new friends seemed to have a good time and got along well with Andrew too, so I had a good feeling that the relationship they were building was going to last.

In September, Joshie celebrated his first birthday. I allowed Dion and Trey to come home for the weekend, so they could share this special event with him, and Shelly came too. It was a nice party, although a messy one for Joshie, because he smeared the cake all over his high chair and face. He also gave his fathers a nice present, when he started saying da-da. I think they both melted and felt like a million bucks after hearing him say it.

When October rolled around, the boys wanted to do the Haunted House again, but I told them it would be a bit much for just the two of them to pull off. They said they'd get some of their friends to help and talked Dustin and Cole into helping them too. Since they did that, I agreed. It ended up working out very well and helped Jesse become closer to a few more of his classmates.

Since I wanted to do something different this year, I dressed Joshie as Pinocchio, complete with a long, fake nose. I even tied string to his hands, feet and hat, before attaching the strings to a wooden 'X,' like an old-fashioned puppeteer might use. I then dressed up like Geppetto, the lonely woodworker who carved Pinocchio and then wished Pinocchio could be a 'real' boy. Jake dressed up as Stromboli, the evil puppeteer who kidnaps Pinocchio and makes him the star of his show. He also locks Pinocchio up when he's not performing so he can't escape, and I think everyone immediately recognized who we were.

None of my biological children and grandchildren, except for Joshie, was with us for Thanksgiving this year, but they were all coming for Christmas. It turned out to be a lovely day and we had a wonderful time, since all the college boys, except for Nick and Shannon, had come home to celebrate with us too. It was a bit strange for me though, since Jake wasn't there. He had gone to celebrate the holiday with Shannon, Nick and Nick's parents. To make up for it, they were all going to come here for Christmas, but that didn't stop me from missing Jake.

As always, the extended family joined us too, and this included Mark and Jesse's mothers, as well as the Novaks. It was truly a wonderful time and we had a fantastic weekend. I was thrilled to hear the house filled with the shouts and playful banter again and enjoyed every second of it, until the boys had to return to their campuses.

Over the next few weeks, I spent my time getting ready for Christmas. I cleaned the house, bought gifts, attended Jesse and Andrew's school concerts and played Christmas carols for most of the day. Joshie was crawling now, so I had to keep a closer eye on him as I did all of these things, to insure he didn't get in to anything he wasn't supposed to.

At Christmas, we had a really full house. My entire family was there, except for Frankie. He had been sent to Afghanistan, after his tour was up at Guantanamo, and he'd probably be spending the rest of his enlistment there. I missed him and we all said special prayers that he'd return home safely, once his tour of duty ended.

My grandchildren were a riot to watch and Joshie was old enough to begin to appreciate some of the things that were going on. He was a little leery of Santa Claus this time, when we took him to have his picture taken at the mall, but he loved the colored lights and the music. The bright lights also proved fascinating for Lucas too and I spent a great deal of time singing Christmas Carols to both of them.

The O'Hara's and the Lawrences also joined us, along with Shelly and her parents, which was really nice. This meant we had a very full house, but it was filled with love and good will. Unfortunately, Jesse no longer believed in Santa Claus, but Jordan, Nicky and Megan did, so Santa showed up right on cue, after I finished reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.'

Christmas Day was a little more relaxed and less hectic, since the boys were older now and not in a race to open all their gifts. Of course, my grandchildren were still quite excited about what they received, but for the most part, it was a fairly calm day.

Throughout the week, the boys caught up on what each other had been up to and reconnected with their brothers. Since they were all getting older, they also spent a considerable amount of time doing their own thing, which meant catching up with other friends and doing things on their own. It was inevitable, although still somewhat unsettling to witness, as various boys started to branch off and go their own way.

On New Year's Eve, I rented out the Elk's Lodge again, because everyone kept saying how much they had enjoyed the past two celebrations we'd held there. All of my boys showed up, along with their dates and some of their other friends, and we were joined by our extended family. This now officially included Susan and Alice, Mark and Jesse's mothers, and the Novaks. We opted to enjoy a catered meal there as well, so I arranged to have this done by one of the best caterers I knew. We ended up eating, dancing and partying the night away, and stayed there celebrating until well after we had welcomed in 2007.

The boys and I spent the next several days enjoying the various bowl games, but mostly we relished the time we had together, until they had to return to college. None of us knew what the future would hold, but there was a good chance the boys would end up in various places, rather than staying in the local area. I gradually started to prepare myself for this eventuality, although it wasn't a pleasant prospect.

The next few months seemed to grind by, since there were so few of us at home. Jake and I tended to grow even closer, since we had so much time alone, especially after Joshie went to bed. Andrew and Jesse continued to spend a great deal of their time together, although Jesse made sure to spend some of this time with his other friends too. It wasn't that the two were growing apart, but Jesse was making sure he wouldn't be totally alone, once Andrew left for college.

Except for when the boys came home for Easter weekend, the rest of the school year was pretty quiet. However, that changed in May, when Ricky, Jay and Pat graduated from their respective colleges. Yes, I included Jay, because we all went to his ceremony too. We held our typical graduation party for them and it was fairly well attended. It also brought us another step closer to the end of this story.

Shannon was supposed to graduate this year as well, but he had lost a semester's worth of credits when he transferred to Oklahoma State. Therefore, he would finish his degree requirements in December, but wouldn't receive his diploma until Nick did the following summer. At the same time, Vinnie and Trey would be graduating too, providing nothing unexpected happened in the interim. It would also be the same year Andrew would graduate from high school.

This was a bittersweet time for me, because as you can see, we have finally reached the point where most of the boys have finished their education and ready to begin supporting themselves. I am proud of their accomplishments and the fine young men they have turned out to be; yet there is a tinge of sadness in the realization that this wonderful period of our lives was coming to an end.

Being a baby boomer, it is not uncommon for our children to be called baby boomerangs, because they often moved back home. Yes, it is possible that some of the boys might come back home to live for a while, at least until they found jobs, chosen mates and moved into their own digs. Anyway, we were gradually reaching the end of a long and glorious journey, which has had its share of ups and downs. There were many moments filled with laughter, along with others filled with sorrow, but our home was always full of love, caring and sharing. I pray the boys will be able to spread those wonderful traits to the others that come into their lives and I hope I live long enough to witness this happen.

The End of Book Nine of Castaway Hotel

Continued in Castaway Hotel, The Next Generation