The Castaway Hotel: Book 4

Saturday morning we went out for breakfast together. We sat and read our placemats while we waited for our food to arrive, and they were loaded with information about the city. From reading them, we learned that William Penn had founded Philadelphia in 1682, and by the time of the American Revolution it was the second largest English-speaking city in the world, right after London.

“Hey, it says that some of the old city streets are still paved in cobblestones, to give it the original feel,” Cole noted. “Will we get to see any of them?”

“I think we just might,” I answered.

“Neat,” was Cole’s only comment in response.

“Hey, I didn’t know Philadelphia was the capital of the United States!” Graham added, after reading another section.

“It was, from 1790 until 1800, when the capital was moved to Washington, D.C.,” I agreed, after glancing over the same area on the place mat.

After we finished eating, we made our way over to Independence Hall, our first stop for the day. This building was very important in the annals or early American history, as it was here that the Second Continental Congress had been convened, in May 1775, and it was where the US constitution was drafted in 1787. Just being in that building, you gained a sense of that period of our history and I think we came away with a better feel for what it was like for our founding fathers.

“So that’s where they decided on how the country should be set up and run?” Brent asked.

“Exactly,” I confirmed. “Many important things originated from there including the famous preamble to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”

“What’s the preamble thing?” Little Ricky asked.

“It the first lines of the U. S. Constitution,” I informed him. “Do any of you know it?”

None of them could come up with more than ‘We the people,’ until Mr. Becker spoke up.

“Maybe I can help with that. ‘We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.’ It was something we had to memorize when I went to school,” he added, after impressing the boys with his impressive and dramatic recitation.

From there, we made our way over to Congress Hall, which housed the first congressional sessions. The House of Representatives originally met on the first floor of this building, while the Senate held their meetings on the second floor. The structure has been restored to that time period, to give visitors an indication of what the early days of government had been like, and you could almost imagine those early legislators standing up to argue the various issues that were presented to them.

“In addition to this building housing Congress,” I told the boys,” George Washington was inaugurated for his second term here in 1793, and then four years later, he passed the power of the executive branch over to John Adams in this very same place.” I hoped this would give them a better picture of the significance of the place, but once again for me, it was like taking a step into our historical past and I was touched by the role this building had played during our country’s early years.

After leaving Congress Hall, we decided to stop and have lunch and it didn’t take us long to find a suitable place to eat. As we ate, we talked about some of the things we had seen thus far and then Mark made a comment. “You know, until this trip, I have never felt such a sense of history before. Living on the west coast, the history there is limited to a later period of time, except where Native American history is concerned. I’ve never really felt much of a connection to either colonial or Civil War era history before, but now I find it exciting to see all of these places from those earlier periods. It changes everything for me.”

After saying that, he thanked me for arranging this excursion and including him on it, and then he thanked the boys for inviting him to join us to see the Grand Canyon, when we were on vacation last year. He explained to them that their invitation was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, as he not only made new friends, but also became part of another family at the same time.

Before things got too mushy, I told them it was time to take off for our next stop, and we took off for the Old City Hall. In addition to providing the function for which it was named, this building also had housed the US Supreme Court during the early years of our nation. The high court had been held in the first floor courtroom, which it shared with the Mayor’s Court, and some of the first decisions concerning how the country should operate had been made in that very place. After the federal government moved, the building was just used for city business, but during the 1890’s Philadelphia became a major immigration location, so many new citizens also attended their naturalization ceremonies here.

At this point, I tried to have the boys think back to what they remembered of their family histories, to see how many had heard tales about their ancestors immigrating to this land. Then I told them that some of their relatives might have come through this very place or Ellis Island, which we would visit when we went to New York City. This simple suggestion seemed to have a great impact on the boys, as most of them had been told that someone in their past had come here from another country. Now, they could see their relatives proceeding through this place, having their papers checked and getting physicals to make sure they were healthy, before they were allowed to stay.

“Except for the Native Americans and those who arrived before the country was formed, entered illegally or were brought here as slaves,” I informed them, “the rest of our families would have had to come through a location such as this before they were allowed to become American citizens.”

This gave the boys a great deal to consider. First, they thought about how those immigrants had left nearly everything and everyone behind for a chance to have a better life and realized it took a great deal of guts and determination on their part to do that. Many of my sons acknowledged they had people like them to thank for the benefits they enjoyed today, and we did take some time to reflect on that as well.

On the other hand, we also considered those who were dragged to this country unwillingly, ripped from their families and forced to endure unbearable hardships, as they were thrust into the service of human masters. Even the boys who had already endured much pain, loss and deprivation during their young lives still couldn’t comprehend the anguish those slaves must have had to bear. I looked over and noticed the expression on Dion’s face and guess he was probably wondering if any of his ancestors had been included as part of that bleak legacy.

Once we left the Old City Hall, I took everyone over to the 76 Carriage Company and arranged for us to take horse-drawn carriage rides around the old city. I had planned to put an adult in each carriage, but the boys had different ideas. They wanted the Beckers to stay together and they insisted that Jake and I go in the same coach, so the older boys and Mark split up in the other carriages, to help watch over the younger boys.

It was a lovely ride, slow and very relaxing. This was partially due to the gentle rocking of the carriage, as we weren’t going that fast, and we listened to the melodic clippity-clop of the horse’s hooves striking the pavement as it stayed the course. If this had been later in the evening, like after dark, and the boys hadn’t been there, this might have had romantic possibilities… well at least for the Beckers. I don’t know, maybe I was beginning to have some feelings for Jake too, and the boys seemed to be making sure we were placed together as much and as often as they possibly could. The thing was I couldn’t be sure if he felt the same way about me.

When the ride ended, we went back to the hotel to clean up again, and then we left to go eat in the hotel’s restaurant. Once dinner was concluded, I planned to take the boys to the Chestnut Cabaret, where they featured a variety of famous and semi-famous rock groups. I felt the boys would enjoy even more than the previous night’s visit to Warmdaddy’s, although I had the feeling they had enjoyed the jazz too, or were very good at disguising their feelings if they hadn’t enjoyed it, but I was fairly confident tonight’s selections would be even more to their liking. I had told Mr. and Mrs. Becker about my plans and they decided to sit this one out, preferring to spend a quiet evening in their room instead. I respected the Beckers’ wishes and Jake and I took everyone else out for a good time.

It was all live entertainment and I wasn’t familiar with any of the performers, but the boys seemed to really get into what they were playing and enjoying it immensely. Out of our group, Jake and I were the most out of our element, but we still had a good time watching the boys get into the music and smile broadly. We also enjoyed watching them sing along with the lyrics to the songs they knew and, overall, I guess I would say it was an enjoyable evening – more so for some than for others.

Sunday morning we got up early and ate a substantial breakfast, before we took the Beckers to catch their flight. Little Ricky was bouncing around the place like the little silver ball in a pinball machine, because he was so excited about this trip. He continually found it difficult to stay in one spot for very long and was dancing around like he had a colony of ants crawling around in his underwear. It was very cute to watch.

We happened upon a small church near the hotel we had been staying at, so we decided to attend the early service, since neither the Beckers nor I wished to pass up our weekly devotion. When the service ended, we went back to our rooms, gathered up our belongings, loaded them into the vehicles and set off for the airport.

The drive wasn’t very long, although the traffic made it seem farther and take longer than the same trip would have taken back home, but we still arrived with plenty of time to spare. We were a bit chagrinned to see the various ways the airports have had to tighten up security, due to the threats of terrorism, because it prevented us from taking Little Ricky up on an observation deck, so he could watch the other planes take off and land before their departure was announced. That’s one small thrill his generation may never be able to enjoy, as extremists have slowly managed to change our habits for years to come.

While the Beckers checked in for their flight and learned which gate they’d be leaving from, we made sure their luggage was adequately tagged and sent off ahead of them. Once that had been accomplished, we all sat down and talked, until it was time for them to go to their boarding gate. The boys spent their time trying to prepare Little Ricky for what his first takeoff and landing would be like, so he wouldn’t be so scared. However, from the glowing look on his face, I say he was secretly looking forward to the new experience. I mentally pictured him sitting in his seat and staring out the window, while desperately attempting to see and enjoy every detail of what was going on. I think his parents were more likely the ones who might be in need of a tranquilizer or stiff drink before they left, as they seemed a bit more anxious than their younger counterpart.

As I was studying them, an announcement was made to inform everyone that the flight to Orlando would be temporarily delayed. Confused about the reason for this, Mr. Becker went to the ticket counter and asked what the problem was. That’s when he was told that a minor mechanical malfunction had been discovered and would need to be repaired before the flight could takeoff. After he pressed for more information and sought to learn how long the delay would be, the airline representative told him the flight would most likely be delayed until at least 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. That was because they needed to have a part brought in and it would take at least that long to make the necessary repairs, especially on a weekend.

Once he relayed the news to me, I had him inquire about switching to another flight, but he was told that all flights to or connecting with Orlando were already overbooked, so the only option would be to wait out the delay. After checking with the service counter again and talking it over amongst ourselves, we decided to have the Beckers join us for our afternoon activity and then we’d bring them back later to catch their flight. I took a few minutes to make some phone calls, to make sure I could include them in our plans. After a little finagling and some negotiations, the arrangements were made.

No one, except I, knew what our next activity was going to be, although many of the boys were teasing me to tell them. Somehow, I managed to get them all back and into the vehicles again without having to do so, and then we set off for Veterans Stadium. I had made arrangements for us to watch the Philadelphia Phillies play a game against the Montreal Expos. When we got to the stadium, I made my way over to the ticket office and collected the tickets I had ordered in advance and recently changed, as well as the extras I had purchased when I phoned in from the airport. Once I had everything, I led everyone to the place where we’d begin a walking tour around the stadium.

Mark seemed to be the most excited about this and I soon discovered it was because he had never attended any sort of professional sporting event before or been in such a large stadium. He was quite thrilled by the prospect and asked my boys numerous questions about other games they had seen in other stadiums. After we walked around and toured all the public areas of the facility, we made our way to our seats. They were located on the lower level, just about even with first base.

Our original seats had been even closer to home plate, but when I called to request three more seats, I had to do a little juggling and pay a premium to swap seats with others a little further down the first baseline, so we could all stay together. In the end, I felt it was worth it, so we wouldn’t be separated.

While the Beckers, Jake and I went over to sit down, the boys went to see if they could talk to any of the players or get them to autograph their programs. Yes, I had also shelled out a bundle to get everyone their own program, but I was more than paid back when I saw the looks on the boys’ faces when they showed me the autographs they had been able to get from players on both teams. Even Mark carried on like a child half his age when it came to that, and he made sure to point out to me every player who had been kind enough to accommodate him.

Jake and I talked a great deal while the boys were doing their thing, although I was keeping a close watch on the younger ones the whole time. The older boys were looking after their younger brothers too, as I certainly didn’t want a repeat of what happened in Houston – or worse. All of the boys had all been advised to use the toilets in groups of no less than four, just for safety sake. I didn’t want any of them to be overpowered or taken by surprise, while being in a strange location.

While Jake and I chatted, I found out that Jake was a big sports fan, which meant he watched nearly any sport, and he had lettered in three sports in high school. Even though we had talked about other things before, every time we chatted I learned we had even more in common. I invited Shannon and him to join us again the following weekend, when we picked up the Beckers after they returned. I explained we were going to go to New York City first, since we wouldn’t have to pick the Beckers up at the Philly airport until late Sunday afternoon, which would give us Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning to do some sightseeing on our own. Jake said it sounded like a great idea to him and he’d take next Thursday and Friday off too, so we could have even more time to get around. I thought that a fantastic suggestion and decided I’d contact Mark’s boss, who was also my friend, on Monday, to see if I could get him off work for both days as well. Jake and I finished ironing out the details about what we might want to do in NYC and I had a pretty extensive itinerary planned, by the time the first pitch was thrown.

While we were sitting and discussing these things, Little Ricky was asking Big Ricky if something was going on between Jake and I. He had seen us sitting together the whole time and suspected we were more than just friends, so he pestered Ricky for the details and asked him if Jake was my boyfriend. Ricky told him he and the rest of the boys hoped so, but they didn’t know yet. That’s when the little devil thought he might be able to speed the process along and came up with his own plan. Pretty soon he was standing in front of us going, “Uncle Pop’s got a boyfriend, Uncle Pop’s got a boyfriend,” in his sing-song voice. The other boys heard him and began to chuckle, not knowing that Little Ricky had asked Ricky about the situation. They just thought it was funny that Little Ricky had caught on when Jake and I hadn’t, well, not exactly. I made like I was going to grab him, and he squealed and ran off, now standing two rows farther away, starting a new little chorus.

“Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Uncle Pop with a…” He stopped there, realizing the lyrics weren’t quite fitting the situation the way he thought it should. It didn’t take him long before he started anew, however this time he adapted the childhood rhyme to fit his purposes.

“Uncle Pop and Jake, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then a kind of marriage, then Uncle Pop puts Ricky in a baby carriage.”

He turned around to find Ricky, so he could point at him and laugh. The other boys were getting a big kick out of all this, and their laughter was only encouraging our little comedian even more. Ricky feigned shock and anger over being included, distracting Little Ricky long enough for Jake and I to work our way over the seats until we were in reach to grab him. His eyes bugged out of his head as we gripped his arms and lifted him in the air, and then Jake let me take a hold of both of his arms, while he grabbed both legs, and we started tugging on him like it was a taffy pull. He was squealing in delight, and even some of the ballplayers were getting a kick out of our antics, and after a bit of this torture, we put him down and started tickling him.

“That will teach you to pick on us, you little rascal. Is it still funny?” I asked him.

“Yep,” he blurted out, between giggles. Then he started reciting that verse again, but we tickled him harder, until he was forced to stop. Finally we called a truce, giving us all a chance to catch our breath, when some of the boys started trying to get Little Ricky’s attention. The ones who wanted him were still standing down by the field, so Little Ricky went down there to see what they wanted.

Our little devil quickly discovered that one of the Phillies’ players had asked the boys to call him down, because her wanted to give Little Ricky one of their practice balls as a gift. He did this to thank him for the little diversion and entertainment he had provided with his shenanigans. Little Ricky was all smiles at that point, as some of the other fans also congratulated him and my boys made a big fuss over his souvenir. After the attention began to die down, Little Ricky took the ball over to his dad and asked him to hold on to it for him, because he didn’t have any place to keep it. His father agreed, and Little Ricky happily went off with some of my boys again.

Once batting practice ended, the boys made their way back up to their seats and told us all about what happened with the players, like we hadn’t seen it or anything, and then they sat down and stayed with us for the rest of the time. As soon as the game began, everyone became interested in the action on the field and the other antics came to a halt. A couple of the boys were Phillies fans and took a keen interest in the game. Although the remainder of my sons liked the Pirates, Mets, Yankees or Orioles better, they were enjoying the experience of being in a major league park, or at least a different one than they had been in before.

Since nearly all of the boys’ favorite teams were somewhat close to where we lived, we were able to see many of their games on TV and able to keep track of how they were doing. It also made it easier for the boys to maintain an affinity to the players on those particular squads and build an animosity toward the teams that gave them the most trouble in their division.

Anyway, the boys were all having fun and everyone seemed to have something different they were focusing on during the game. Some of them were keeping score in their programs, while others sat on the edge of their seats, ready to chase after any foul ball that came in our direction. Other boys focused primarily on a specific player or players, while others concentrated on how a certain position was being played. Frankie was having a good time watching the umpires, studying how they took control of the game and kept things moving, while still managing to joke around with some of the players and fans. Personally, I was interested in the different managers’ strategy and challenged Jake to see which of us could predict what either of them would do in various situations, such as call for a hit-and-run, a pitchout, a bunt, bring in a pinch-hitter or call in a reliever. As the game went on, neither of us was doing very well, although we still thought we were calling a better game than either of the bozos in the dugouts. Too bad we didn’t get paid their enormous salary for doing a better job from the stands.

During the game, Danny did manage to come up with a foul ball, even though it got a bit scuffed up bouncing off the upper level, before ricocheting back in our direction. Wisely, he handed it to me and asked if Jake and I would hang on to it for him until after the game. It seems he didn’t want to worry about someone else trying to wrestle it away from him later, while he was focusing on the game. We agreed and he went back to join the others.

Besides my sitting next to Jake, Mark had talk the other boys into letting him sit in the seat on the other side of me. I could tell Mark was having a great time, just from listening to the comments he was making about the game. He even got involved in Jake’s and my competition and would ask why we thought one team or the other should do whatever we predicted during that particular situation. Before long, the three of us were in a very deep discussion about the finer points of the game and arguing strategy. We happily amused ourselves this way, while we watched the players carry out their part of the chess match on the field.

After getting up for the seventh inning stretch and singing ‘Take Me Out To the Ballgame,’ Andrew came over and crawled onto my lap. He was getting bored, since he wasn’t really into sports, and also a little tired. He spent the rest of the game cuddled up against my chest, just barely able to stay awake. Every now and then the crowd would cheer about something that happened on the field and Andrew’s eyes would pop open for a second, only to slowly close again.

Overall, it was a pretty good game and fairly exciting, as the Phillies won 8 - 5. We had all been filling up on junk food during the contest, so no one was particularly hungry at the moment and we decided to take a nice leisurely drive to take the Beckers back to the airport. We would then wait with them until their plane took off, just in case the flight was further delayed or cancelled.

Once we arrived at the terminal, we were chagrined to notice their flight number still had the word ‘delayed’ listed beside it. When we went to the ticket counter to make another inquiry as to how much longer it would be, the listing changed and a departure time was suddenly posted. It now said the flight would be taking off in less than an hour.

Knowing their flight had been held up due to a mechanical malfunction, the Beckers seemed slightly more nervous about flying. However, by the time they were ready to board, they had calmed down considerably. This might have been partially due to the fact that we had done our utmost to distract them, so they couldn’t dwell upon the problem for very long, but it also might have had something to do with the fact they were all growing quite weary after the long day we had spent in the hot sun.

When their boarding announcement was made, we gave them hugs and wished them a safe trip, before watching them pass through the metal detectors, while their carry-on luggage went through the x-ray machine. Once they were on the other side, we bid them a final farewell and told them to keep in touch. They promised they’d let us know if any changes were made concerning their return trip, and then we watched them until they disappeared from sight.

As soon as they were gone, I led everyone else out to our vehicles and then Jake and I drove to a spot where we could watch a few of the planes take off. We weren’t sure if any of them was the Beckers’ flight, but liked to assume the last one was. Satisfied, we started off for home, only stopping for potty breaks and a quick meal after that.

It had been dark for a few hours before we arrived home and everyone was pretty exhausted. After dropping the boys off at our place, so they could shower and get ready for bed, I took Jake and Shannon back to their place, because Jake had to work the next day. When I returned home, Mark was waiting to thank me again for what he called ‘a fantastic weekend’, but I felt there was something more on his mind. Knowing he might not blurt it out on his own, I invited him to join me in the living room, where we could sit and talk for a while. Eagerly, he followed me there and then opened up in a way I never expected.

“You know, when I was little, I always dreamed of doing things like this with my father,” he began. “I always thought someday he’d show up and take me to a ball game or on a vacation, but nothing like that ever happened until today. Sure, my mom did everything she could for me and we went places together, but it was never the same as in my dreams. Since Mom wasn’t into sports, I never pestered her to take me to any ballgames, so I hope you can understand how special this weekend was and always will be to me.”

Mark paused for a brief second after saying this and looked me squarely in the eyes. I could tell how emotional this moment was for him, as I could see the moisture building in his eyes, but he wasn’t finished yet. “Today it was like you were my dad and I was finally able to do some of those things I was beginning to think I’d never get the opportunity to do. I owe you so much, and not just for the time in Arizona, or for my job, or for bringing me here to stay with your family, but for also filling the hole in my heart that I had begun to believe could never be mended. After spending this time with you, I no longer feel a bottomless void in my soul or envy other people for what they had that I didn’t. Nor do I feel like I’ve missed out on anything any longer. You and your sons have made me feel like I’m actually part of your family. Thank you so much for all you’ve done, and I really mean that, from the bottom of my heart.”

At that point, I was not only fairly speechless, but also had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Seeing I couldn’t find my tongue, I just leaned over and gave Mark a hug and hoped he could find my answer in that embrace. Before I knew what was happening, he was hugging me as hard as I was hugging him and I could feel a definite connection to him. When he finally broke our emotional embrace, he merely stood in front of me, for a few seconds longer, staring into my eyes. Tears were now flowing freely for both of us and it took a few seconds more before either of us could get our mouths to work, but Mark regained his composure first and spoke to me once more.

“Thank you,” he reiterated, while looking squarely into my eyes. “You don’t know how much your hug means to me or how it makes me feel. You just seem to know what I need, even when I’m not sure of what I want myself.”

“Hey, it’s just an instinct I’ve gained from having so many sons,” I teased. “Even though too many fathers and older adults don’t believe in it, sometimes a boy just needs a hug from his dad or special male friend, to let him know he is important and worth the affection.”

Mark just nodded at me for a few seconds, while once again choking back his emotions. When he finally regained his composure, he spoke to me yet again. “You know, I’ve wanted to hug you like that before, especially after I’d seen you do it with the other boys, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I am quite a bit older than they are, and I wasn’t sure if you’d be offended if I did it to you.”

“Never!” I chided him, but enthusiastically enough to let him know I meant what I said. “Remember, you’re one of my sons too, even though it’s not official. You have my permission to do anything the other boys do when you’re with us, so don’t even think twice about it.”

“Does that mean everything you let them do?” he asked, still a little shocked about what I’d just told him.

“Of course it does,” I agreed. “As long as you’re with us, you can do whatever any of the other boys are allowed to do. You are part of our family, so you’re no different than anyone else here. If you have any questions about what things that might include, just ask one of the other boys or me. They can pretty much give you the answers too.”

“Okay, thanks, and I will,” he assured me. “I’m glad I’ve still got another month to go then.”

“Me too,” I added, and then hesitated. It took a few seconds before I spoke again, as I considered the implications of his last sentence. “Aren’t you going home to see your mother before you go back to college then?”

“Of course I am,” he replied. “I’m going back to spend my last week with her before I return to classes. But that still leaves me a month and three or four days here, and I plan to make the most of it.”

“So do I, starting with next weekend,” I announced, shocking him yet again.

“Why? What’s next weekend?” he wondered.

“Next weekend we pick up the Beckers on Sunday and bring them back home,” I informed him, “but the rest of us are going to spend a few days in New York City first, so you can see the sights there too.”

“That sounds wonderful,” he gushed, “but aren’t you spending a lot of money on all of this?”

“Money’s no object when it comes to one of my son’s happiness,” I quickly replied, while locking eyes with him. Mark just smiled after I said that and reached out to give me another hug. Now I realized I would have to make some small changes in next weekend’s plans, to make it even more special for him. I’ll make those calls tomorrow and get things set up, because I really want next weekend to be extra memorable for everyone, but especially for Mark.