The Castaway Hotel: Book 7

As New Year’s approached, we fine-tuned our plans for the evening and altered them a little, to accommodate our guest. We not only wanted him to enjoy himself and have the best New Year possible, but we also intended for him explore the nonsexual side of being gay. We planned to show him there were other things you could do with a partner, besides having sex.

None of the boys objected when I told them what I was up to. I think a few of them even liked what I had in mind. This would give them an opportunity they wouldn’t normally have and I think they intended to make the most of it.

When New Year’s Eve arrived, we began our evening by going out to dinner, with many of our extended family meeting us at the restaurant. The only ones who were missing were the Becker’s. Albert had called to tell me that he and Richard had discussed joining us, but decided they would rather spend a quiet evening at home. They explained Arlene hadn’t been doing very well the past few days and I interpreted this to mean that they were afraid of what she might do at the restaurant. It also meant that Albert hadn’t been getting as much sleep as he needed, since he had to keep a closer watch on her, so now he was worn out.

Hearing this, I once again offered our assistance for the next few days, until the aide schedule was restored, but once more Albert refused my help. He told me they only had a couple of days left on their own, but did admit he regretted Richard wouldn’t be joining us. He informed me he had tried to encourage his son to go with us and assured Richard he could watch Arlene on his own. Of course, Richard refused, and I believe he was emulating his father’s stubborn streak, so both were now going to stay home with Arlene and spend a quiet evening alone.

Although I was chagrined they wouldn’t be joining us, we went to the restaurant without them. We filled nearly half of one of the dining rooms by ourselves, but we were far from being the center of attention. Everyone was in such a good mood and having too much fun on their own, so they didn’t pay any attention to us. They were either busy socializing with their friends or listening to the band the owner had hired to play in an adjoining room, so we were a non-issue tonight. That suited us just fine and we enjoyed a wonderful meal in relative peace and anonymity.

Once we finished eating, we enjoyed a few after-dinner drinks and I even allowed the boys to have a glass or two of wine with their meal and dessert. Once we finished, we invited the entire family to come to our house, for a private party.

Except for Mark and his girlfriend, who had made plans with some of their friends from work, everyone came to join us for a while. The Spences warned us, in advance, they no longer stayed up until midnight and would probably leave early, but that was fine with us. I was surprised some of the boys who chased skirts hadn’t tried to get dates for the evening, either to take somewhere, bring home or go off on their own, but they decided they’d rather stay with the family.

When we got back, I set up an impromptu bar in the kitchen and our guests enjoyed their drinks while sitting and talking in our dining room. Occasionally, they would go back to the rec room to dance or watch the boys with each other. My sons had moved everything out of the way to create a dance floor after I first told them about my idea. They had also set up their best sound system to provide the tunes, so various combinations started to unwind.

Although the boys preferred to play slower songs they could snuggle to as they danced, they did play some faster numbers too. They were considerate and also played a few songs especially for the older crowd, so we could wow them with what some would call the Lindy, jitterbug or swing dancing. Steve and his wife got into it, along with the Spences, and I took turns with both Sally and Mark’s mother, while Jake danced with the one I wasn’t with at the time. We were all having a great time and the younger crowd even commented on our dancing prowess.

“I’ve never seen my mum and dad dance like this,” Peter stated, “but it’s quite nice. Could I learn how to do it?” Immediately, Susan went over and began to teach Peter the basics.

The other boys seemed interested too, so the rest of us also attempted to instruct them how to do these dances too. Even my straight and bi boys were dancing with each other, so they could perfect their skills and impress their next date with their graceful prowess.

I was also pleased that no one had any problems with our couples cuddling affectionately during the slow dances. I was a little concerned about how Mark’s mother might react, since this was actually her first time being involved with something of this nature. However, I guess I needn’t have been, because she just smiled and nodded when she saw what they were doing. She also gave me a knowing wink from time to time. I believe this was to let me know she could see the love these young men shared with each other.

The boys were also taking turns dancing with their honorary aunts – Margaret, Mary, Sally and Susan, which thrilled the older women to no end. It also gave John, Steve, Jake and I a chance to sit out a dance or two. Jake and I even danced a few slow songs with each other, which got some catcalls and whistles from the peanut gallery, but it was all in good fun. Hell, I even had a dance with Steve and John Spence, of course at their wives’ playful urging.

To my surprise, Ted even asked me to dance with him, but not until he’d had time to practice his skills with Sammy and Graham first. He took this opportunity to tell me this was the most fun he’d ever had. He said he didn’t realize how right it would feel for him to do all these things, even with his father’s usual admonishments nagging at the back of his mind. He went on to say he just wanted to let me know how much this meant to him and how it was changing his life.

Although he wouldn’t openly defy his father, he would no longer be intimidated by his father’s harsh words and abusive attitude. He’d now know in his heart there was nothing wrong with the way he felt or who he was. I told him I was glad we could help, although he probably owed more thanks to his Aunt Jane for setting the visit up for him. Hearing that, Ted assured me he’d give her a special thank you when she picked him up.

Everyone continued to have a good time, even though the Spences left about 10:30. The rest of us stuck it out for the big celebration, and as midnight approached, we all went to the family room to watch television, so we could see the ball drop. We counted down as zero hour neared and eagerly anticipated the big moment. After exchanging our Happy New Year greetings with each other, we also shared more than a few hugs. I also noticed a good deal of kissing going on, which included the one Jake planted on me.

A few minutes after midnight, we got a call from Albert and Richard. They wanted to wish everyone their own New Year wishes and let us know they were with us in spirit, if not in body. About twenty or thirty minutes after the call ended, the party began to break up. Steve, Mary, Sally and Susan announce it was time for them to leave, but thanked us for the wonderful time. Once we said our good-byes, the boys began to head to their rooms, although I was certain not all of them were planning to sleep. As it turned out, my assumption was correct.

A few of us got up early enough the next day to watch some of the parades on television, but most of the boys slept in. Ted was one of the first to get up and he seemed invigorated by all the wonderful new experiences he’d enjoyed the night before. Jake and I were sitting on the sofa when he came downstairs and he immediately came in to join us.

Ted sat on the other side of me, but got as close as he could possibly get. Even though there was more than enough room on that side of the sofa, he never tried to move away. I knew this probably meant he was craving a little attention from me, as his substitute father, so I lifted my arm, placed it over his shoulders. I then hugged him tightly against my side and he beamed his approval. He did look over to see how Jake was reacting to this, so when Jake didn’t respond negatively, Ted began to speak.

“My dad would never hug me like this,” he announced, with a tinge of sadness in his voice. “In fact, I don’t remember him ever hugging or kissing me, not even when I was little.”

Although it was a pathetic commentary on his family life, it was not unusual for very macho, homophobic males to treat their sons this way. For some reason, they believe showing affection, which they feel is an effeminate tendency, might ‘turn’ their sons gay. Although in my mind the notion is ridiculous in the first place, it did persist among this group. Therefore, they continued to act accordingly, which caused many of their sons to think they were unloved and possibly unwanted. This was probably not true. In my profession, I have observed that most fathers seem to have an overabundance of love for their sons, but by not showing it, those boys always doubted their father’s affection for them.

We spent the rest of the day watching a procession of football games. They were all very good and quite exciting, which caused those of us watching to get a little rowdy at times. This was due to the fact that not all of us cheered for the same team and Ted got a kick out of how we teased each other. This would happen when our team had the advantage or the other team made a mistake. He was also impressed with how much good-natured ribbing we were willing to endure, when our team was under-performing.

Sitting safely next to me, since he thought I would protect him if the others took him too seriously, he got into the act as well. The boys just gave it back and treated him no differently than anyone else. At first this shocked Ted, but then he began to realize this meant he was being accepted as part of the family and no one was going to give him any special quarter from the abuse. Feeling braver, he even started in on me, but I got even by tickling him, something he wasn’t prepared for.

Jake and I had been taking turns getting up and working on dinner, but the last time I went out to the kitchen, Jake followed me. He told me he’d take care of the meal and suggested I should go back in and spend time with Ted. He said he could see how much the boy needed me at this point and said my time would be better spent with him. I thanked Jake for his understanding and told him I knew Ted would thank him too, if I told him what Jake was doing. However, Jake didn’t want me to do that, as it might make Ted feel uncomfortable and he didn’t want that to happen. Understanding his concerns, I honored his request and never mentioned a word of this to Ted.

When I went back into the family room, Sammy and Graham had already taken their positions beside Ted, so he looked confused when I returned. I knew he wanted me to sit with him too, but didn’t want to hurt either of his new friend’s. Graham picked up on this fact immediately.

“Dad come here,” he told me, before telling Ted to “stand up for a second.”

Graham then directed me to sit where Ted had been seated and then told Ted to sit on my lap. This caused Ted to stop and give me a look that said, ‘is this okay with you?’

Once I nodded my approval, Ted sat down and both boys cuddled up against us. I think this solved Ted’s dilemma better than he could have hoped for. He leaned back against me and made sure our bodies were in nearly total contact the rest of the time.

We watched quite a bit of the next game in this fashion, before Ted had to get up to pee. Once he was out of sight, the boys filled me in on something I did not know.

“Ted told us this morning that he wished you were his father and he could live here forever,” Sammy announced.

“I knew he felt comfortable with me, but I didn’t know it had reached that level,” I admitted.

“Oh, yeah,” Graham seconded. “Even though he likes us, it’s you he wants to be close to. He told us he’s tried to get close to his father but was always pushed away. With you, he can do all the things he’s wanted to do at home.”

This made me begin to consider what I was going to do when Ted came back or what I might say to him later, before this escalated out of control. I didn’t want him to refuse to go back home when it was time for him to leave. However, I didn’t have very long to pursue these thoughts before Ted returned. This time he sat across my lap, with his head resting on my shoulder.

“This is so awesome,” he whispered in my ear. “I could stay like this forever.” This propelled my mind into high gear.

“Well, we’d have to separate when nature called,” I joked, since I wasn’t sure what else to do, but he merely replied he already knew that.

“Ted, I have to admit I enjoy this too, but I don’t want you to start building unrealistic expectations about what might happen,” I hinted. “No matter what any of us might wish, we have to deal with how things are, which means when your aunt comes, you’ll have to return with her.”

“I know,” he said, looking up at me. He nearly broke my heart with his sad expression. “It’s just that this is the first time I’ve felt loved and accepted for who I really am. My mom loves me for who she thought I was or who she wants me to be and I’m not sure if my dad loves me at all. But here, you love me for who I am and so does everyone else. You can’t know how good that makes me feel.”

“He knows,” Graham told him, before I could think of a response. “He’s done that for us too, because hardly any of us came from very loving or caring homes.”

“Yes,” I added, “and we’ll all be here for you from now on, so it’s imperative we don’t do anything that will cause your parents to keep you from seeing us in the future.”

“But they couldn’t stop me, if I lived here,” he announced, as a ray of hope radiated from his face.

“You’re only seventeen and still under your parents control,” I reminded him.

“Maybe I could get them to make Aunt Jane my guardian, and then she’d let me come here to live,” he suggested, nearly beaming.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I reminded him. “First of all, you’re not sure your parents would agree to any of this.”

“I’ll have Aunt Jane help me convince them,” he offered, in rebuttal.

“Even if they did, we’re nearly in the middle of the school year, and transferring at this time could be rough on you,” I pointed out. “Are you a junior or a senior this year.”

“A junior,” Ted answered, curtly, thinking I was trying to dash his dreams.

“And there are many other things that would need to be considered,” I advised him, which caused him to get a serious look on his face. After sitting quietly for nearly a minute, his face seemed to brighten and he spoke again.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll get a job and pay my own way,” he informed me. “I promise I won’t cost you any money.”

His face was pleading with me at this point, which nearly caused me to give in to him, no matter what obstacles we might have to overcome. Instead, I locked my arms around him, gave him a squeeze and then responded to what he had said.

“It’s not the money I’m worried about, Ted,” I countered. “It’s coming between you and your parents. No matter how bad things seem, I’m sure both your mother and father love you in their own way. So, I’d hate to ruin whatever connection you might have. It’s still possible for you to work your way through this with them, with your Aunt Jane’s support and assistance, so don’t give up on your mom or dad yet.

“This is a pretty drastic solution you’re recommending,” I continued, “and one these boys didn’t have to make. They didn’t even have a choice in the matter. In their cases, their parents either died, were deemed unfit or threw them out of the house, and none of those things have happened to you yet.”

I think Ted interpreted this to mean I didn’t want him now, which wasn’t what I was saying. I could tell this by the defeated look on his face, but I didn’t want him to think that, so I continued.

“Ted, if any of those things ever happened, I’d bring you here in a heartbeat,” I assured him. “Unless something does, maybe you should make an attempt to improve your situation at home and try to work things out with your parents first.”

“If I tell my dad I had sex with a boy while I was here, then he’d throw me out,” he offered, missing my point, “and then I could come live with you.”

“If he doesn’t have me thrown in jail first for corrupting the morals of a minor,” I pointed out. “Not only that, but maybe he could have all my boys taken away too.” Ted’s eyes were now as big as saucers, as he considered what I’d said.

“He couldn’t do that, could he?” he asked, as if he thought I was just joking.

“It’s a possibility, depending on what court and which judge ruled on the matter. There are still a lot of people who are afraid gays are recruiting young boys into the lifestyle and the wrong judge or jury might just do something like that, out of fear or ignorance.”

“I don’t want that to happen!” Ted exclaimed, sounding sincere. “I just want to live here with you, that’s all.” He looked as if he was nearly ready to cry.

“Why don’t you wait and discuss this with your Aunt Jane and get her reaction to it first,” I suggested. “She knows your parents better than any of us, so maybe she could give you a better perspective about how this would be received or what problems it might create.” Looking slightly better than he did seconds before, he spoke again.

“Okay, I can do that, because I certainly don’t want to cause you any problems,” he confirmed. “You’ve been so nice to me that I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen, just because I’m trying to get my own way.”

“We’ve survived worse,” I confirmed, “but let’s go slow and think everything through before we act.”

Ted said he would, so I let the topic drop, but I still continued to hold him cuddled against my chest, just as if he was still a small child. I knew he felt safe and loved this way. It was also something he’d always wanted to happen, but never received, so I wasn’t about to push him away and hurt him any more than he had already been.

Ted spent the rest of the day near me and never moved farther than an arm’s length away, except when he went to the toilet. This began to make me feel like a mother duck whose ducklings had just impressed upon her and wouldn’t leave her side. He even followed me to the bathroom a couple of times, but waited in the hallway until I was finished. It was almost as if he were afraid I wouldn’t return if he wasn’t there waiting for me. I was flattered, although somewhat perplexed about how to deal with this, but I decided to let him work his way through it. Hopefully, he’ll wean himself without my assistance.