The Castaway Hotel: Book 4

On Sunday we went to church together, as we normally did, and I said another prayer for Brent. I didn’t want to believe what Graham kept telling me, but he had been correct about similar situations a couple of times before, even though he didn’t quite understand it at the time. Since I didn’t want to dismiss his concerns too hastily, it became important for me to face my fears in church, where I always felt a great sense of peace and comfort. I felt it was especially necessary now, since I was also beginning to experience more and more bad feelings about Brent’s safe return as each day passed.

When the service ended and we began to make our way out of the church, several people stopped us to compliment Pat on his ‘new look’ or to talk about the start of school. Although I hadn’t been overly focused on that upcoming event, over the next couple of weeks I would have to spend a great deal of time at school, in preparation for opening day. There were new students’ folders to be gone though, preparations to be completed for the staff meetings, building checks to perform and other last minute details I would need to take care of. Yes, suddenly I was reminded things were going to be getting very hectic for me again real soon.

Brent called home Sunday afternoon, to let me know he was all right and had been having a great time. He told me about the ride down and then gave a detailed report about the cottage they were staying at, which was located right on the beach. Finally, he told me how much he enjoyed swimming in the ocean and how well Jimmy and he were getting along. I told him I was glad he was having such a good time, but I also reminded him to be careful. He assured me he would, and then I called Kevin to the phone, because Brent wanted to talk to him too.

I let them have a few minutes alone, to say hello and whatever else they thought they might be able to get by with, seeing Jimmy and his parents were probably within hearing range of Brent’s end of the conversation. After giving them sufficient time, I reminded them that Jimmy’s parents were paying for the call, so it was time to say good-bye. Kevin nodded his agreement and told Brent he had to go, but I could see how happy he was to have the opportunity to speak with Brent at all. In fact, that kept him fairly upbeat for the rest of the day.

The next week was also hectic for me, but I did find it quite relaxing in some ways. You see, I began by getting up early and would go into school to get as much done as I could, and then I’d come home for a late lunch, around 1:30 or 2:00. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I’d take Frankie and Kevin out to drive for a while, and after we got back from doing that, I’d often run out to meet Jake, or one of the others, to hit a bucket of balls or practice putting. I was really beginning to enjoy being with adults once in a while again and was gradually getting closer to Jake. We had a lot in common, enjoyed each other’s company and he was becoming like a younger brother to me. I’m glad things had worked out the way they had for us.

Brent called again on Wednesday, to let us know he was still all right, but I think he called primarily to speak with Kevin, because he asked for him almost immediately. While those two were chatting with each other, I mentioned to Graham that it was Brent who had called and he was still doing well. Graham just looked at me and said something about Brent still being away for a little longer and he wouldn’t be able to shake his feeling until Brent was back home with us. I thought that knowing Brent was well would ease Graham’s feeling of foreboding, but it now appears that wouldn’t happen until Brent was safely back again.

Thursday and Friday were merely repeats of the previous days, but before I knew it, it was Saturday morning and time for me to play golf with my new foursome. Jake dropped Shannon off at our place, to spend the day with the boys, so he rode with me and we picked up John and Steve along the way.

After trying out the putting green and then limbering up, it was time to put our skills to the test. The first tee is generally the most difficult, because you’re not completely loose yet and there are more people waiting around and watching those ahead of them, but we got off to a pretty good start. Our tee-shots were all fairly straight, although they weren’t necessarily overly impressive or breathtakingly long, but we were all satisfied with the results. We played the first couple of holes much the same way and were feeling pretty good about our games and ourselves. However, just when we thought we were sitting on top of the world and had this game licked, we were quickly reminded how vulnerable we actually were, as each of us began to experience our share of difficulties, one at a time.

John actually held out the longest, although he had also been away from the game for the greatest amount of time. Even though he didn’t have a great deal of distance on any of his shots, he was the most consistent and stayed in the fairway – until we started the back nine. That’s when he began to tire and his game started to go to pot. On the tenth hole, it took him an additional stroke to get to the green, and then he duffed his tee-shot on eleven. Over the next few holes, he consistently began to lose even more distance on each of his shots, and gradually he lost out on what would have been a decent round for him. We were still fairly satisfied with what we’d accomplished by the time we finished and returned to the clubhouse, even though we hadn’t burned up the course. We did have a good time and felt we would improve with time we played, so we agreed we’d try again the following weekend.

By the time we dropped Steve and John off at their homes and Jake and I got back to my place, we were pretty exhausted. The boys were busy playing ball outside, so Jake and I went in to get some lunch, enjoy a beer and rest our weary bones. After a while the boys came in to ask us how we did, so we sat and talked with them for a while and told them how we had all self-destructed. They were sympathetic and told us we’d do better next time and then informed us they would fix a special meal for us tonight, so we could just enjoy ourselves and relax. They just asked us to be cleaned up and be changed and ready to eat by 6:30. Sounded fair enough, so we quickly agreed.

As we thought about their unexpected offer, I concluded it was really sweet and extremely generous of them to do this, and Jake was impressed that the boys were going to take care of the dinner duties and make a nice family meal for us all to enjoy. We both thanked them again for their considerate offer and confirmed we were looking forward to what they had planned. Before they left us alone, Shannon also asked his Dad if he could spend the night with us, and Jake told him it would be fine with him, as long as it was all right with me. I quickly confirmed it was, as long as Shannon wouldn’t mind going to church with us the following morning, and Shannon had no problem agreeing to that stipulation. Jake then suggested he could bring Shannon’s clothes and things with him when he returned later, as he wanted to go home to shower and change, since he didn’t have any other clothes with him. Therefore, everything was all set and everyone was happy.

The boys began to busy themselves in the kitchen and began their preparations. After Jake left to return to his place, they encouraged me to do whatever I wanted and enjoy myself. This was a pleasant surprise, so I quickly decided to take full advantage of it. I went outside and began to putter around with some things I’d been planning do out there, and after spending an hour or so doing that, I finally went back into the house to shower. It was now nearly 4:00, and after I told the boys my intentions, they encouraged me to take a little nap after I got cleaned up, so I’d be rested for later. They told me they’d wake me up around six, so I’d have plenty of time to get dressed and ready for dinner.

That sounded wonderful to me, so I agreed and went to my room. After shutting the door, I stripped, adjusted the water temperature in the shower and stepped into the stall. I enjoyed a long, luxurious, hot shower, which drew some of the soreness and stiffness from my newly rediscovered muscle groups, which was just what I needed. When I noticed the water was starting to cool, I ended my shower, dried off and hopped into bed for a power nap. I must have fallen asleep quite quickly, because I don’t remember lying in bed for very long before I felt one of the boys gently shaking me. It was Sammy and he was being very tender in the way he roused me, and as soon as my eyes opened, he urged me to get dressed for dinner. Once he saw me get out of bed, he left the room again, closing the door behind him.

I put on a pair of slacks and a nice short-sleeve dress shirt, and then went out to join my troops. I got a bit of a surprise when I walked into the dining room. The leaves of the dining room table had been taken out, which shrunk it down noticeably, and I couldn’t understand why the boys had done this. We seldom have the table like that, but even more curious was the fact that it was set with only two place settings, but that wasn’t all. There was also a lit candle adorning the table and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket, which was setting beside my usual place at the head of the table.

“What’s this?” I asked, having come to the conclusion that something was definitely up.

“It’s for you and my dad,” Shannon answered. “Just a nice, quiet dinner for the two of you.”

“But where are you boys going to sit?” I wondered aloud, since I saw nothing else set up to accommodate them.

“Oh, we ate a little while ago,” Ricky told me. “This is just for you and Uncle Jake.”

Suddenly, I began to see the picture they were painting – very clearly and for the first time. After missing the true intentions of their suggestions, plans and schemes for the past several weeks, I now realized these boys had actually arranged this as a date between Jake and myself. Just as I was about to challenge their devious little minds and discover what else they had up their sleeves, one of the other boys yelled out that Uncle Jake had arrived. As if on cue, music started drifting out of the dining room, and I was only mildly surprised that it was a love song. Shannon bolted for the door, so he could welcome his father, and then he led him in to join me. Jake’s face told me he was just as surprised about this as I had been, and he looked at me to supply the answers. I just shrugged my shoulders, to let him know I was just as befuddled as he was, but that’s when the boys led us to our seats and urged us sit down. As the boys walked into the kitchen, I leaned over and spoke to Jake.

“I didn’t know this was what they were planning,” I confessed. “I think we’ve been had and our sons have their own ideas of what they want for us.”

“I hope you aren’t upset about this,” he told me, looking worried that I thought he had played some part in the planning.

“No, Jake, not at all, but I hope you aren’t either,” I countered. “If this doesn’t bother you, it certainly doesn’t bother me, but I must admit the boys aren’t being very subtle with their hints.”

“They’re about as subtle as a brick through a jewelry store window,” Jake joked, and then we both laughed. As the humor of the moment began to fade, Jake remained quiet and looked pensive for the next minute or so, before he finally plucked up the courage to say something more.

“You know, it really is kind of nice of them to do this and they may just have hit upon something,” he suggested, while gauging my reaction to his statement. When I merely looked up at him and didn’t respond negatively to his comment, he continued. “I mean, we do get along really well, have quite a bit in common and I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together, so maybe our sons are actually on the right track here. I mean, the fact they’ve tried to set us up like this doesn’t bother me at all, as long as you’re all right with it.”

“Well, I’m not about to complain or put a stop to it,” I teased back. “You’re the younger guy here and I thought it might bother you that they were trying to fix you up with someone so much older. I’ve really enjoyed your company on the trips and spending time golfing with you, I just thought you’d probably want someone closer to your own age is all.”

“Hey, I don’t see age as a problem,” Jake quickly informed me. “I just see someone I enjoy being around and can have a good time with. Besides, I’ve been married and have a son. That can be a liability to a gay man looking for a partner. Not many guys I meet want to play mother to my teenager.”

“Then they don’t know what a special kid you have,” I countered.

“I agree with you, but not everyone sees it that way,” he confessed. “I’m really kind of glad the boys set this up tonight. I’ve been thinking about asking you out for dinner or something more romantic for quite some time, but I kept chickening out, thinking you probably wouldn’t be interested.”

“I’m not sure why you would have thought that, but I surrender and you and the boys win. However, I must be honest with you. I have been secretly hoping we might eventually get a little closer too.”

After I made that comment, Jake and I rudely discovered the walls had ears, and many teenage ears at that, when a loud cheer erupted from the kitchen. Jake and I looked at each other and started laughing, and then a few seconds later, Shannon and Kevin came in to serve us our salads. Their broad grins told us all we needed to know and they didn’t have to say a word. Graham was right behind them with a basket of freshly cut Italian bread, and Pat came in and opened the wine for us. As he poured out two glasses, Frankie was busy changing the CD. He put on a song that I was only vaguely familiar with, but I could tell immediately it was being played for a reason. I found out later the song was titled, ‘Your Everything’ by Keith Urban, and we both listened to it carefully as it the melody wafted into the room. They lyrics went like this:

​The first time I looked in your eyes I knew
​That I would do anything for you
​The first time you touched my face I felt
​What I never felt with anyone else
​I want to give back what you’ve give to me
​And I want to witness all of your dreams
​Now that you’ve shown me who I really am
​I want to be more than just your man, I want to

​Be the wind that fills your sails
​Be the hand that lifts your veil
​Be the moon that moves your tides
​The sun coming up in your eyes
​Be the wheel that never rusts
​Be the spark that lights you up
​All that you’ve been dreaming of and more
​So much more, I want to be your everything

​When you wake up I’ll be the first thing you see
​And when it gets dark you can reach out to me
​I cherish you words and I’ll finish your thoughts
​I’ll be your compass baby when you get lost, I want to

​Be the wind that fills your sails
​Be the hand that lifts your veil
​Be the moon that moves your tides
​The sun coming up in your eyes
​Be the wheel that never rusts
​Be the spark that lights you up
​All that you’ve been dreaming of and more
​So much more, I want to be your everything

​Be the wind that never rests
​Be the spark that lights you up
​All that you’ve been dreaming of and more, so much more
​I want to be your everything
​I want to be your everything
​I want to be your everything.

Yes, the boys were being very subtle – NOT! While the song was playing, Danny and Brandon brought out our meal and then just as quickly disappeared again. Before they left, one of them dimmed the lights a little more, so the candlelight was even more obvious than before. I was willing to bet most of them were lurking in the immediate vicinity, so they could witness what would happen next.

Knowing we were being spied upon, Jake I ate merely ate and talked, enjoying both the food and the company. Shortly after we finished the main course, Sammy and Andrew brought out two slices of Black Forest Cake, which led me to believe that one of my sons had made a trip to the bakery earlier, probably while I was napping. As Jake and I sat enjoying the dessert, Nick brought out a pot of coffee and poured us each a cup. It had been a very lovely affair, or maybe I should have said the boys hoped it was the start of an affair, but everything had been well planned and executed. The food was delicious, with just the right touches, meaning the wine and dessert, and the atmosphere was outstanding. I would definitely make certain to thank each of them tomorrow.

When Jake and I were ready to get up and leave the table, Dustin suggested that Jake and I go out for a couple of drinks, to put a nice finishing touch on our evening. We silently looked at each other, exchanged ‘what the hell’ expressions, and then agreed. Dustin told us he’d drive us wherever we wanted to go and all we had to do is call him when we were ready to come home and he’d pick us up again, since he remembered how I always harped on them about the dangers of drinking and driving. I thought that was another nice touch and agreed to his offer, so Jake and I went out for few drinks and did some serious talking.

We didn’t stay out very late, since I didn’t want to keep Dustin waiting up for us, but we also had church to attend in the morning. Originally, Jake was planning on going back home tonight and then would meet us the following morning at our place of worship, since Shannon was going to stay overnight. However, since he had no way to get both he and his car home, without imposing on one of my boys or driving under the influence, he decided to stay over too. Then he’d just get up early, drive home and get the things he needed, and then come back to meet us again. I thought that sounded very logical.

When we pulled into the driveway, we noticed many of the curtains and blinds were moving, as many pairs of eyes spied to see what we were going to do next. Dustin immediately took off for the house, since he didn’t want to impede what we might decide to do next, but I think everyone, including our driver, was a bit surprised when we both just strolled inside instead. I think they wanted to see how we were going to say good night, but no one said a word as we entered the house. Possibly, this was done so they wouldn’t break the spell or ruin the mood, but I think I heard a few titters, as Jake followed me into my room. One of these days, Jake and I will have to get them all together and let them know just how special they are to us – if they don’t already know.