The Castaway Hotel: Book 1

We tried to make the New Year special, but less draining than Christmas had been.  We invited the O’Haras, Curtises and Aunt Sally to join us, as we were planning to go out to dinner, and they all accepted.  I placed a reservation at my favorite restaurant and I was assured we’d have a very nice table.

Before we went out that evening, the boys were told that from now on they could call the O’Haras Uncle Pat and Aunt Brenda and the Curtises Uncle Howie and Aunt Audrey.  I wasn’t certain if it was because their sons called me Pop or if they were beginning to feel that close to my family, but I suspect it was a combination of the two.  I wasn’t sure if Brandon and Jay had somehow initiated this in the first place, but Pat and Howie were the ones who did the honors and informed my brood.  I think the announcement pleased all of the boys, especially Brandon, Danny and Jay, and brought us all just that must closer.

It was quite a lovely meal and we topped it off with a toast.  The O’Haras and Curtises agreed to allow their boys to have a small amount of wine to make this toast with, as I had informed them privately that I planned to do that with my own sons.  With the boys wallowing in their smugness of being allowed this adult treat, we now held our glasses high, as I offered the toast.

“May the New Year bring as much love and happiness into the lives of every member of this extended family, as this past year has so nicely done for me,” I offered, while looking around our rather large table.  “I can’t feel more blessed than sharing the holidays with all of you and I thank God for bringing us all together.”

I heard various comments of affirmation, such as ‘hear, hear’ from some of the other adults, and then we clinked our glass together lightly, to seal our commitment.

As midnight neared, we donned our party hats and counted down the final minutes to the big event.  When zero-hour arrived, we tossed streamers and confetti about the room, while blowing merrily on our party horns or cranking our noisemakers.  Once those activities began to die down, we went around the table exchanging hugs and/or kisses, while wishing each other a very Happy New Year.  We left a short time after that, returning to our homes – hyper, yet exhausted.

My younger son came home the following weekend and we had a great time with him as well.  The boys happily regaled him with the details of everything he had missed over Christmas and New Year’s, but I think Robert mostly enjoyed not having to share the boys with his siblings or nephews this time around.  They were constantly together and did many things, both with and without me, and I enjoyed seeing them all growing closer.  Robert had remained a kid at heart and this merely gave him an excuse to manifest his hidden desires.  The boys ate it up, big time, and they were all greatly saddened when he had to leave us again.

There was sort of a lull between Robert’s visit and our next important event, but that time was filled with going to basketball games and wrestling matches, to watch the various boys as they competed on their teams.  As those seasons drew to a close, with varying degrees of success, Graham’s birthday was quickly upon us.  He turned twelve on March 10^th and I made sure we held a special party for him, just like we had for his brother.  Graham also invited a couple of kids from school that he’d made friends with, as well as having the extended family there.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more joyful kid than Graham was that day, especially after we rolled out his new bicycle, which was very similar to Cole’s.

“Thank you, Daddy!” Graham squealed in delight, after seeing his present.  “This is the bestest birthday I’ve ever had.”  That, and watching his smiling face and noticing the excitement in his every move as he rode his bike for the first time, was more than enough thanks for me.

It seemed like we had just finished that event, when we had to start getting ready for Easter.  We hurriedly began making arrangements for everyone to return home again, and then Danny and Ricky reminded me about a promise I had made to them back in the fall, which I had yet to come through on.  That was to rebuild the old tree house in the woods.  After acknowledging that I was sorry and explaining that we’d been extremely busy, I promised to make up for the delay.  All of the boys went out with me to help measure and add their suggestions to how they thought it should be done, before going with me to pick up the supplies and lug them back to the woods.  To my amazement, they were all a great help, but I soon discovered there was an ulterior motive behind this.  They wanted it ready when their nephews came here for the holiday.

In addition to helping me with the tree house, the boys also cleaned their rooms, in preparation for their older siblings using them while they were here.  I went out and stocked up for the big dinner, as well as making sure we had plenty of eggs to color and Easter treats to go around.  The boys were really excited as the big day approached and I began to wonder if they were going to be able to hold out until the others got here.

The various family members began arriving late Thursday night, as they either had Friday off or had taken it off, so we’d have the extra time together.  After getting the adults situated in the various bedrooms, the boys told them they hoped it would be all right if Nicky and Jordan camped out with them in the family room while they were there.  The boys explained they’d sleep in sleep bags on the floor, because they thought the younger ones would really enjoy it.

I could see the sparkle in my older children’s eyes, as they recalled the many times they had done similar things with their friends.  Accordingly, they enthusiastically gave the boys permission to carry out their plans.  Nicky and Jordan were ecstatic when they learned what was going to happen, but that was only the first of the many treats and surprises that awaited them.

On Friday, the boys took their nephews out to the tree house, where they spent much of their day.  My two grandsons made many trips from the tree house to the ground, either climbing the rope ladder I had installed or by riding up on the pulley-lift I had installed to take supplies up with.  No matter which way they chose, they were thrilled to make the trip.

Over the course of that day, their imaginations were in high gear, as they pretended to be Peter Pan and the lost boys or a crewing of despicable pirates, as well as using the tree house as the guard tower of an old west fort or the tower keep of a castle.  I even took sandwiches out to them at lunchtime, along with liquid refreshments, so they could continue their fun.  As the hour started to grow late, the boys asked if they could sleep out there too, but their parents felt it was still too chilly to allow them to do that.   After explaining this fact to them, we told them they could camp out in the family room again, and we’d use card tables and blankets to make little tents for them.  They were a little disappointed, but curious as to what this new suggestion would be like, so no one gave us a major hassle about it.

On Saturday, I let the older boys teach the little ones how to color Easter eggs.  Needless to say, Cole and Graham had as much fun doing this as their nephews, but it was fun watching them try to make each egg uniquely theirs.  I allowed Dustin and Danny to have the honor of boiling three-dozen eggs, because some of them would also be used for the dinner.

They decorated some of the eggs in solid colors and others in a combination of hues.  There were eggs with stickers attached to them and other eggs with designs or names etched on them with a wax crayon, before the color was applied.  No matter how they designed them, all the boys were having fun.

“Look, Unka Gwam’s egg has stripes of color on it,” Nicky announced, after seeing how Graham was carefully only dunking a portion of his egg into each of the various bowls of color.

“Uncle Ricky put our names on these eggs,” Jordan told Nicky, showing him the two eggs, one each with their name printed on it.

This activity continued for a couple of hours, until all of the eggs were done.

Sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny came and hid Easter baskets and the Easter eggs.  Unfortunately, he used the entire downstairs to do this, so these items were scattered throughout the various rooms on the ground floor.

Just like Christmas, the boys were up bright and early, and I was the only one awake before they were.  I guess I was as excited to watch them go into action, as they were to begin.  I chuckled to myself as I watched their impatience, as they waited for their parents and other adults to throw on their robes and slippers, so we could all go downstairs.

After we reached the front foyer, the boys were informed that each basket had a name on it and they were only allowed to find their own.  They could find all the eggs they wanted, but they were to leave any of the other baskets they discovered where they were, so the proper owner could locate it in due time.  I also told Nicky that his basket also had a bunny sticker on it, to help him recognize it, while Jordan’s had a sticker of a bright yellow chick.

“How do you know that Papa?” Jordan asked me, putting me on the spot.  “I thought the Easter Bunny hid them.”

Thinking quickly, I came up with a response.  “He did, but remember, I was up early, so I went around to check out where they were.  I wanted to make sure they weren’t someplace where you boys couldn’t reach them or near something you might get hurt on.  That’s when I saw what they looked like.”

That seemed to suffice, but I decided that in the future I’m going to have to be a little smarter around this pair.

The four youngest ones particularly enjoyed this activity and got very excited when they found their basket of goodies.  However, no matter how much fun that was, they got an even bigger kick out of trying to find all of the eggs they’d decorated.  In fact, they enjoyed it so much that the older boys re-hid all of the eggs several more times, so they could look for them again and again.

A little later, I made sure everyone got cleaned up and dressed in their Sunday best, so we could attend church together.  After all, that’s what this holiday is all about – isn’t it?  I was so pleased and proud of all of them as we entered the sanctuary and took up nearly two pews, and my older children were thrilled by the number of people who came over to say hello to them and tell them how nice it was to see them again.  There were also several discussions about how our family had grown, including one humorous comment, made by a good friend of mine, when he stated, “You’re the only person I know who had more children without a wife, than with one.”

After services ended, we went back home and had a very lovely ham dinner.  I had prepared nearly everything we ate, with some help from my daughters and daughter-in-law along the way, and no one left the table hungry.  After that, we allowed the boys to continue to hide the Easter eggs over and over, so Nicky, Jordan and Graham could find them again, as they didn’t seem to tire of that activity.

My older children didn’t leave until Monday, as they had taken another day off to travel.  Although we were all sad to see them go, we knew that we’d see them again this summer – this time for a whole week.  I think that helped to make this parting a little more palatable for all of us.

Shortly after Easter, we celebrated two more birthdays, on consecutive weekends.  The first was for Dustin, who turned sixteen on April 27^th and then Danny became fifteen on May 6^th.  Even though the boys suggested I could throw one party for both of them, I thought it best to give them their own celebration.  I wanted it to be as special for them, as the other parties were for their brothers.  In the long run, I think they were happy that I had done this and they didn’t have to share their special day with each other.

Throughout the spring, most of the boys played baseball, except for Danny and Ricky, who had decided to play lacrosse instead.  They figured they could play enough baseball in the summer league, so they would take this opportunity to enjoy something different.  Although none of their teams did spectacularly well, they all had winning seasons and the boys had enjoyed what they had done.

No matter how much they did or how much they enjoyed it, everything was just a warm up for what was yet to come.  During the months between Christmas and now, I had my lawyer working with Sally and the Department of Social Services to clear the legal obstacles, so I could officially adopt all of the boys.  My attorney told me that we had overcome the last hurdle in mid-May and a court date had been set for mid-June, after school was out.  I hoped I could last that long, as the anticipation seemed to be harder on me, than on the boys.

When that date came, I had all of the boys put on a dress-shirt, tie and a sport coat, and then I piled them into the van and drove to the courthouse.  The judge met with each of the boys, individually, before we went into court.  The lawyer told me it was to talk with them and get their reactions about the pending matter, before he issued his formal ruling.  Each of the boys spent ten to twenty minutes alone with the judge and his court stenographer, and then he met with me.  After what seemed like a lengthy delay, our case was finally announced.

I led the boys in and we sat in the very front row, right behind our lawyer’s table.  We all stood as the judge came back into the courtroom and were seated before he began to address everyone present.

“This case is to address the petition of one Joshua M. Currie,” he began.  “He is requesting to be allowed the legal right to adopt six young men who are now in his care, under the supervision of the Department of Social Services.  I have spoken, personally, to each of the individuals involved in this matter, and after asking numerous questions and getting their individual views on the issue, I have reached my final decision.

“I have found that each of the boys involved in this matter love Mr. Currie, respect him as a father and wish this adoption to become legal and permanent.  They realize that their natural parents, if they are still alive, will no longer have any place in their lives, nor have any say in how they live or are raised, from this point forward.  They have informed me they are fine with this and wish for the process to continue.

“I have also spoken with Mrs. Swarthout, whose department has overseen and monitored the placement of these young gentlemen, and she and I agree that Mr. Currie has provided a warm and loving home for these boys.  He has nurtured their development and given them the stability that had been lacking in their lives, up until the time they came to live with him.

“Additionally, I have met with Mr. Currie, who has repeated his desire to adopt these boys, with the whole-hearted support of his grown, natural children.  He has expressed his love and deep concern for each and every one of these young men and I find him to be a sensitive, responsible and stable influence in their lives.  Therefore, I am issuing the following decree and would like each of the boys to approach the bench, as their name is called.

“From this day forward, the following individuals will be legally recognized as the sons of Mr. Joshua M. Currie and will receive appropriate adoption papers and a new birth certificate, indicating said changes.

“Master Dustin Mathew Currie, age 16; Master Daniel Edward Currie, age 15; Master Kevin Michael Currie, age 14; Master Richard Allen Currie, age 13; Master Cole David Currie, age 13 and Master Graham Thomas Currie, age 12.  Will you all please step forward?”

Each boy went up to the front of the courtroom and received his copy of the proclamation and other paperwork.  As each of them returned to his seat, they were beaming and studying their official documents.

“Mr. Currie, I would like to make some final comments before you leave.  I have found this to be a remarkable case and one that has been my pleasure to preside over.  As a family court judge, I often see only the results of broken homes, which bring much sorrow and anguish into the lives of the children involved.  In my long stay on this bench, I have never witnessed a more rewarding or gratifying situation.

“After talking with your new sons, I have no doubt as to the love you all feel for one another.  You are filling a gigantic role in their lives and assuming the awesome responsibilities that go along with it.  I have determined you are capable of handling these demands and meetings the needs of your new family.  On behalf of the citizens of this state, and more specifically the residents of this jurisdiction, I would like to thank you for the time, money and energy you have already invested in these young men and I firmly believe you will continue to provide whatever is necessary for them in the future.  Had it not been for you, I might be dealing with one or more of these boys in a more serious family matter or hearing about them being involved in a criminal proceeding in the years to come, but I am no longer worried about such occurrences.  I am certain each of these young men will follow your example and become fine, upstanding members of our community.

“To you boys, I would merely suggest that you say a very special prayer this evening, thanking God for creating Mr. Currie and introducing him into your lives.  I pray that you will listen to him, heed his advice and live lives that will honor the sacrifice he’s making and the great gift he is giving to you.  Some day you may have families of your own and I hope each of you are as loving and devoted to your families, as Mr. Currie has been, and will be, to you.  If you emulate his fine example, the world will benefit, ten-fold, from his efforts.

“I now pronounce this adoption legal and entered into the official proceedings of this court.  May God bless and follow you all.”

There were more than enough hugs, tears and kisses to go around.  Sally made the rounds and hugged and congratulated each boy, before turning toward me.

“Joshua Currie, you’ve certainly made my job a great deal easier over the past year or more.  I want to congratulate you and the boys, and I selfishly hope this doesn’t end your involvement with my agency.”

“The boys wouldn’t let me, no matter what,” I replied.  “They made me promise, before we came here, that I’d still take in any boy who needed our help and would be willing to do as much for any addition to our family, as I had done for them.  They threatened to not let me adopt them, unless I made that promise.”

“Good for them,” she chuckled.  “I see they’ve already adopted your caring and loving nature.  It can only get better from here on out.”

“Thanks, Sally, and don’t be a stranger,” I told her, sincerely.  “The boys think of you as family too and know that without you, they’d never have come to live with me.  Thanks for all of your help. Thank you for the boys and thank you for helping me to get my life back, rather than just merely exist.”

Once we broke free, I took the boys out for lunch, so we could officially celebrate the creation of the ‘new’ Currie family.  After hearing our story, the restaurant even threw in desserts, on the house.  In fact, the manager made an announcement, so everyone there would also share in our excitement, and we got a standing ovation from the other diners, in return.  The boys were beginning to enjoy their new role as celebrities de jour.

When we left the restaurant, we went home to begin our new life together.  Once we got there, I announced my next surprise to the boys.  “I have one more thing I want each of you to know.  Since you boys came to live with me, the state has been sending me monthly checks to pay for your room and board, clothing, entertainment and so forth.  I never really wanted, nor needed the money, but Sally… Aunt Sally told me it was standard procedure and I should take the money and use it to cover expenses.  I did take the checks and cash them, but I deposited the money into a special account.  I have never touched that money, until recently.  When the holidays rolled around, I took the money from the bank and split it six ways, so I could open a mutual fund account in each one of your names.  This account will be used to pay for you to go to college, or if you decide that’s not for you, we can talk about alternative uses for the money later, such as seed money to start your own business.  I will not allow you to use this money frivolously, though.  You must have a valid use for it, in order to convince me to let you withdraw it.  You will need my signature, because my name is on that account, until you reach legal age.

“I have also been informed that there may be more money coming along in the future, and I will handle it in the same fashion.  I will accumulate it, split it between each of you and add it to your accounts.  This will help to make sure you have a future, independent of my last will and testament, but you are also included in that now, as well.  Your older brothers and sisters are aware of this and have given their unanimous support to my including your names, along with theirs and my grandchildren.  Therefore, you will all split my estate, when I eventually leave this earth.  I love you all dearly and only want what’s best for you.”

The older boys understood the implications of what I had just told them and immediately thanked, hugged and kissed me again.  Once they had finished, they tried to explain things so the younger boys would also understand what I was doing for them.  Before long, I was getting my thanks from them, as well.  I gave each of them the copy of the statement of their accounts, so they had some official record of what I had just explained to them.  They carefully placed these with the other official documents they had received earlier and we locked them up together, in the fireproof chest that I keep all my important papers in.

It had been a very emotional and draining day, so for the rest of the evening we just kicked back, watched some television, enjoyed each other’s company and began our new life together on a very peaceful note.

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THE END

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