The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation Book 4

When we finally got to the weekend, we were able to relax a little due to the fact that the trials were now behind us.  We waited for Danny and Brandon to get home from work so we could eat lunch together.  After we finished, we asked Joshie and Benny to stay behind as the rest of the boys went to watch cartoons in the family room.   

“What’s up?” asked Joshie. 

“We just want to ask you two for a favor.  Valentine’s Day is this Friday, and we and your grandfathers are hoping to go out for the evening.  Will you two be willing to keep an eye on the other boys for us that night?”

“You mean TJ too?”

“Yes, we’ll feed him before we go out and we’ll leave another bottle in case he gets hungry later.  The only thing you’ll have to do is possibly change his diaper and rock him if he gets fussy.  We felt you are both old enough to do this.”

Joshie and Benny looked at each other before they answered.  “Sure, we can do that,” Benny responded for both of them.

“We’ll tell the younger boys that they can watch the TV in the living room that evening, and then you two can have the TV in the family room to yourselves.  The bassinet and rocking chair are in there, and the extra bottle will be in the fridge.  We’ll leave the diaper bag in the family room, with everything else in it that you might need, and if you keep the volume down on the TV then TJ might sleep most of the time.”

“Yeah, no problem.  We can handle it either way,” Joshie assured us. 

“And we’ll take turns going out to check on the other boys once in a while,” added Benny. 

“Thank you, we really appreciate that you’re willing to do this for us.”

After the boys went to bed that evening, Danny brought something else to our attention.  “I know you were all wrapped up in the trial at the start of the week and then you returned to your normal school routine once the sentences were handed down, but something has come up.  Last Sunday, global air travel was restricted due to the virus, and then on Monday the US officially declared a public health emergency.”

“Does this mean there have been more cases in the US?” asked Dad.

“There have probably been a few more cases, but I think the fear is that it’s spreading throughout the world and there’s no way we’re going to be able to keep it out of the US.”  

“Maybe you should call and notify the college students and other family members so they know what to do in order to also keep safe,” suggested Pop. 

“Yes, I was planning on calling those in college, but I can call the others as well.  I’ll make a couple of group calls so I can tell them all at once.  I’m afraid those living in or near a large city will experience a worse problem and most likely see it happen before the rest of us.” 

“Yes, you’re probably right about that,” agreed Dad.   

“Do you think we’ll have to cancel our Valentine’s Day celebration?” asked Dion. 

“No, I believe we’ll be ok to do that.” 

“That’s good, because I’ve reserved the small private dining room again,” said Dad. 

“Are we going to have enough to fill it?” wondered Brandon. 

“I believe so.  Besides the six of us, the other couples living in the area are also going to join us, along with Steve, Mary, and Sally.  Becky is planning to be there too, and I told Sally and Becky they could bring a friend, if they wanted.  Sally said Richard may come as well, and he knows he can also bring a date.  Oh, and Kevin invited Jeff to join us, and I guess he’s bringing his girlfriend.” 

“Ok, that’s more than I thought would be coming.  Did you mention this to Jesse?”

“Yes, but I take it he’s not seeing anyone at the moment, so he’s just going to hang out with his roommates. 

“Is The Fountains going to have a band?”

“I believe they’re just going to have a pianist and a male and female vocalist, because a band would take up too much floor space.  They want to leave as much room as possible to add extra tables.  They’re also turning the large banquet room into intimate dining, which means they’ll be taking out the banquet tables and bringing a bunch of the smaller tables out of storage.” 

“I’m surprised they’re letting you reserve the small dining room then,” I commented. 

“We’re one of their best customers and they know we’ll have enough in attendance to make it worth their while.  We’ll also have a small dance floor and two dedicated servers for the night.” 

“Ok, that sounds good.”

We all went to church on Sunday, and after most of the others had headed off to their Sunday school classes, Becky pulled Dion and me aside.  “I just have a few questions about Friday night,” she began.  “Should I get a sitter for Revin?” 

“No, he can ride home with us after school and stay with the other boys.  Benny and Joshie have agreed to watch them for us.” 

“Do you think they’ll be able to handle all those boys?”

“Yes!  They’ve taken the boys tobogganing before and haven’t had any problems, so I believe they’ll be fine.” 

“Are they going to take care of TJ too?” 

“Yes, we’ve talked to them about it already and we’ll work with them tonight and during the week to make sure they’re comfortable with whatever they may have to do.” 

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I’m confident they’ll be fine.” 

We then went to our class and nothing more was said about this, or during the church service either.  When we got to the diner, however, I asked her a question.  “Are you bringing anyone?”

“No, I talked to Sally and she’s not bringing anyone either.  She told me Richard is also planning on coming alone and he has offered to dance with us if we feel up to it.  I told her that was nice of him, but I wondered if he didn’t have a girlfriend – or a boyfriend that he could bring?”

“No, he’s told us that he’s concentrating on the job for right now and he’ll wait until he feels as comfortable as Aunt Sally did in that position before he starts dating.  I’m not sure, but I think Dad said it took her quite a few years before she was that confident.”

“I hope he doesn’t wait too long before he starts dating then.”

When we got home after dropping Becky and Revin off at their house, Dion and I worked with Joshie and Benny, one at a time, to let them begin taking care of TJ.  They were like new fathers at first, unsure of what to do and how to hold him, but they began to gain confidence as the evening progressed. 

During the week, we continued having them take care of TJ after dinner as well, because that covered the same time period that they’d be watching him on Friday. 

When Danny and Brandon arrived home on Thursday, they were carrying a couple of shopping bags and called Dion and me up to their room to go through them.  They contained a Valentine gift for each of the boys, along with a variety of special Valentine’s Day cards. 

“We bought each of the boys a small heart-shaped box of chocolates and we’ve got multiple different Valentine’s cards that we can give them.  We even picked out one of each for Revin so he won’t feel left out.  Brandon and I picked them out and liked each one, so you pick out the cards you want to give Wyatt and Joshie first.  We didn’t think TJ would need a card or candy this year, but we didn’t know what else to get him.” 

“He doesn’t need anything and won’t even know the difference,” replied Dion.  “Thank you for doing this for the rest of the boys, though.”

“You’re welcome, but we need to get downstairs for dinner.  You can look through the cards and put whatever you select in your room while we’re washing up for dinner.”

We selected two boxes of candy and two cards for the boys and placed them in our room for now.  We would give them to the boys tomorrow night, before we went out to eat.  Dad had told us that he would fix dinner for them before he got dressed to go out, so it looked as if everything was taken care of. 

After dinner, we worked with Joshie and Benny for one final session, and by the time we finished they were ready for tomorrow night.  They were both doing a lot better and felt confident they could handle this for us, and we thanked them again. 

“This shouldn’t be a big deal,” said Joshie before heading up to his room.  “TJ is pretty easy to take care of.” 

“Yeah, I just don’t like changin’ his crappy diaper,” added Benny. 

“None of us did at first, but we all get used to it over time,” I explained. 

When we got home on Friday, Dion took care of TJ quickly while I helped Dad prepare dinner for the boys.  We called them out to eat before Danny and Brandon got home, and then the rest of us went to shower and change so we’d be ready to go out.  Pop, Danny, and Brandon did that as soon as they arrived home, and then Danny, Brandon, Dion, and I carried the candy and cards downstairs and gave them to the boys while they were still eating.  Dad and Pop had purchased a little something for them as well, so they definitely weren’t losing out.

“Hey, we didn’t get you guys nothin’,” said Xander, looking concerned. 

“Just behave tonight and listen to Joshie and Benny and that will be the best gift you could give us,” responded Brandon.

“Thank you for everything,” said Revin. 

“You’re very welcome.”    

The six of us then headed outside and got in our cars.  Danny and Brandon rode with Dion and me, while Dad and Pop drove their car and picked up Becky on the way to The Fountains Restaurant.  As soon as we arrived, Dad announced that the Currie party had arrived, and the Maitre D said something to Dad. 

“A package arrived for you a short time ago and I had it placed in the small dining room.”

“Thank you very much, and just send the others back there when they arrive.”

I was curious about what kind of package Dad might have received, and when we got back to the small dining room, I spotted a large box from the florist.  It figures that Dad would think of something like this. 

“There’s a miniature red rose corsage for each of the ladies and a red carnation boutonniere for the gentlemen.”

“How do you manage to think of these things?” Danny asked as Dad was pinning a boutonniere on Pop. 

“I have all day long to think about little things like this, since there’s only TJ, Dobby, Flash, and me at the house.”

Dion and I pinned a boutonniere on each other’s jacket, and Danny and Brandon did the same, and then I went over to pin a corsage on Becky. 

“I could have pinned it on myself,” she insisted. 

“That may be, but I wanted to help.”

Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Sally arrived next, so I helped Aunt Sally with her corsage as well, and I also helped Richard with his boutonniere when he arrived.  Cole and Beth showed up a couple of minutes later, along with Dustin and Katie, while Kevin and Vinnie arrived last, along with Jeff and his date. 

After Jeff introduced his girlfriend to the rest of us, we all milled around and chatted for a while.  When we sat down at the tables, we noticed there was a special menu for tonight, consisting of three courses, and these were our choices. 

Soup & Salad (choice of one of each): French Onion or Vegetable soup, Chef or Caesar salad, and dinner rolls.

Entrees: Prime Rib au jus, Bacon wrapped Filet Mignon, Jumbo Fried Shrimp, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Herb-Crusted Cauliflower Steak with Beans and Tomatoes, Eggplant Parmesan, or Lemon Ricotta Ravioli.  

Sides: Baked Potato, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Baby Carrots, or Broccoli.

Desserts: Individual heart-shape chocolate cake with fudge frosting, Strawberry mousse torte, Raspberry mousse cake, or a small hot fudge sundae.

Drink Specials: Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Daiquiri, and the

Bar is open for all other beverages, along with a complete wine menu.

 

It appeared to be a good selection, with choices for the vegetarians as well, and there was also a non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink special, and it was all reasonably priced.  Most restaurants take advantage of Valentine’s Day and try to charge as much as they can, but these prices were only slightly higher than normal. 

I didn’t realize it at the time, but when Dad and Pop stopped to pick up Becky on the way here, they told her that they were paying for her meal.  They understood that she probably couldn’t afford what they’d be charging, but everyone else should be more than capable of covering their tab, so we all planned on having a great time. 

A few of us and our spouses ordered different entrees and then shared them so we could have a little variety in our meal.  The food was not only delicious, but we weren’t rushed either.  Our servers allowed us a brief respite in between courses so we’d have time to let our stomachs settle before moving on to the next course, and the desserts were wonderful.  Once again, some of us ordered a different dessert than our spouse and then shared those as well, so it was a wonderful ending to a delightful meal. 

We were just finishing our meal when the music started, and since we had a small dance floor, we took advantage of it.  We continued to drink, but Dad reminded the drivers to limit their intake of alcohol and switch to a non-alcoholic beverage instead, but no one had a problem with that. 

The pianist was playing slower love songs and being accompanied by one or both vocalists, but occasionally he would slip in an upbeat number as well.  After Dion and I danced to a couple of songs, we went over to ask Aunt Sally and Becky to dance next.  We noticed Danny and Brandon did the same thing a short time later, and we saw Beth and Katie each ask Richard to dance when we were doing that, because he’d been dancing with Aunt Sally and Becky.  Before the evening ended, however, Dad and Pop also danced with Aunt Sally and Becky, so those two women definitely didn’t spend the night as wall flowers. 

As it approached midnight, we decided it was time to leave, so we paid the tab and left a generous tip for the two servers who’d been taking care of us.  Pop said that Dad left an extra tip for them as well, since they only had our rooms and no other customers, so I believe they were also satisfied with this arrangement.

Dad dropped Becky off on the way home and Pop said she thanked them for a wonderful evening.  When we got to the house, I checked with Joshie and Benny to see if they had any problems. 

“Nah, it was a piece of cake,” replied Benny. 

“Yeah, none of the boys gave us any problems, even when we told them to take their showers and go to bed,” added Joshie.  “TJ was really good too.  He slept a lot, but he got up a little while ago, we changed him and gave him his other bottle, and then I rocked him until he fell asleep.”

“Thank you very much for doing this for us.  We’re pleased that you handled things so well.”

“You should also thank the other boys when they get up tomorrow,” added Benny.  “They were really good.”

“We will,” Dion agreed. 

“It really wasn’t that tough,” stated Joshie.  “I thought it was gonna be harder than this, but it was kinda easy.”

“I’m glad it worked out that way.” 

Dion then carried TJ upstairs and put him in his crib, and then the rest of us went to our rooms.  Dion and I didn’t go to sleep right away, because it was a night for lovers and we wanted to share our love before we fell asleep.  I believe Danny and Brandon, as well as Dad and Pop did the same thing. 

I was a little surprised that TJ didn’t wake up again until around 5:00 that morning, which gave us a chance to get a few hours of sleep, and then we went back to bed for a little while longer.  We got up again around 8:00, when we heard the other boys moving around. 

When we went downstairs, Dad announced that he had everything ready to start making our breakfast.  “I made the boys wait until you were all up, so grab something to drink and go sit down at the table.  Jake is handling the waffles and I’m making eggs.”

We had two four-square waffle makers to keep up with our crew and Pop was adding batter to both of them.  Dad had two large pans going with the eggs, one for scrambled and the other for sunny-side-up.  I offered to help, but Dad told me to just get out the butter and syrup and then go sit down, which I did, although I noticed Brandon was making toast to go with the sunny-side-up eggs. 

While we were waiting, we thanked the other boys for being so good the night before and got that ‘aw-shucks’ reaction in return.  After a few seconds, Tristan spoke: 

“We didn’t really do nothin’.  We just ate our candy, played games, and watched TV until we went to bed.” 

“We’re just glad you didn’t give Joshie and Benny any problems.”

“They said they’d take us tobogganing today if we were good,” replied Hunter. 

“Good thinking,” said Brandon as he looked at Benny and Joshie and grinned.

“Yes, no wonder they behaved,” added Dion.

Once we finished eating, Dion left to take Revin home, because Becky wanted to spend some time with him, and then Dion also ran a couple of errands, including picking up a few things at the store for Dad.  Just as soon as he left, the boys got dressed in their warm clothes so they could head outside to go tobogganing.  They didn’t do this sooner, because they didn’t want to make Revin feel badly that he wasn’t going to be here to do it with them.  While they were doing that, it gave the rest of us time to catch up on some household chores in peace and quiet.  Dion helped out when he returned, and we didn’t see the boys again until it was time for lunch. 

Dad helped me prepare lunch and Danny and Brandon arrived home in time to clean up and join us at the table.  As we ate, we chatted. 

“Some of the snow is melting so it may not be around much longer,” whined Hunter. 

“It’s a little early for it to all disappear, and we may still have another cold spell, so don’t give up yet.”

“At least it was fun while it lasted,” said Tristan. 

“Yeah, it was,” agreed Benny. 

After they finished eating, the boys went outside again to take advantage of the snow while it still remained.  This gave us a little more time to get things done in the house, and when we finished with those, I went out to help Dad with dinner. 

As soon as we finished our evening meal, Dion said he’d take care of TJ and keep an eye on the boys so I could work on my lesson plans for the week.  I thanked him and went up to our bedroom to work in quiet.  I only stopped long enough to go out and say goodnight to the boys and tuck them in, and then again when Dion came in and we went to sleep. 

When I woke up the following morning, I went to wake up the boys, but they were already up.  As soon as I walked into the room, Wyatt screamed, “Happy Birthday, Poppy,” while Hayden, Hunter, and Xander all said, “Happy Birthday, Uncle Trey.” 

Tristan, Joshie, and Benny did the same thing when I saw them, so I had an idea about what else Dion had done after agreeing to watch the boys the previous evening. 

Dad and Pop gave me their own greeting when I went downstairs, and then we all loaded into the SUVs to head to church.  We picked up Becky and Revin on the way, and they wished me Happy Birthday as soon as they were in the SUV, so I guess they’d been advised as well.  Thankfully, Pastor Cleary and the congregation didn’t do the same thing, because that would have been a bit too much. 

There were no surprises at the diner either, just our typical Sunday brunch, although some of the others also wished me a Happy Birthday.  When we finished, we went home and rested for a short time before we started getting busy again. 

Dad had asked me during the week what I wanted for my birthday dinner, and I chose a pork roast, with a cauliflower casserole, and home-made macaroni and cheese.  I hope the others will like it as well, but it’s my birthday dinner, not theirs. 

Becky and Revin also showed up to have dinner with us, so I knew Dion or Dad had probably invited them.  To my amazement, everyone complemented me on my choices for dinner.  The boys loved the mac and cheese, and they also ate the pork and cauliflower casserole.  When the meal ended, the others told me to remain seated while they cleared off the table, and then Dion and Dad returned, each carrying a cake.   Dion was holding a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and a large ‘3’ and ‘4’ placed prominently in the center.  Dad was holding his chocolate cake with fudge icing that the boys and Pop liked so much, so I knew everyone would find something to enjoy. 

Dion set his cake in front of me, lit the candles, and then they all sang Happy Birthday to me.  When they finished, I made a wish and blew out the candles, and then Dion and I cut the two cakes and passed out the slices to whoever wanted one. 

While we were cutting the cakes, a small pile of presents appeared beside me, and after I finished eating my slice, I began to open them.  I thanked those who gave each one to me, and after we finished Becky and Revin said they had to go home and get ready for the next day.  The rest of us did as well, and even though I hated to see this day come to an end, the world wasn’t about to wait for anyone.