Now that the issues with the farm were settled, at least for the time being, our focus now turned to our trip to Chicago, where we would participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The boys seemed to be looking forward to this, especially Andrew. He was mostly excited about seeing his friend Barry again, but he was also eager to be in the parade. Since everyone’s anticipation level was high and we had a lot to do to get ready, the week went by amazingly quickly.
I also called Duck, to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind about joining us, and he seemed to be as enthused as the younger ones about going. I don’t believe his excitement was about being in the parade, but had more to do with seeing Chicago and being part of our family. He asked how Vinnie and Kevin were doing and I told him fine, and then he said he looked forward to meeting more of my sons. I then informed him about the approximate time we’d pick him up and what to bring, before we said good-bye. I think I was looking forward to having him with us, as much as he was about joining our group.
I also asked Mark if he’d like to go, but he was hesitant at first, because he thought he’d have to dress up as a leprechaun and be in the parade too. After I explained that Jake and I wouldn’t be participating and he could just hang out with us, he agreed to go. He eventually confessed he was looking forward to seeing some of the sights in Chicago, as well as watching the parade, since he’d never been there before. He was also willing to squeeze into the rooms we’d already arranged for and thanked me for inviting him.
I also briefed Mark about Duck and explained he’d be joining us as well. I did share a little bit with him about Duck, but considering I hadn’t told him very much, I was a little surprised at his reaction. Mark told me he thought Duck sounded like an interesting character and eagerly anticipated meeting him as well. Mark figured that since they were only a few years apart in age, had graduated from college, were employed and had girl-friends that they might have enough in common to hit it off. He even hinted he would like it if they possibly became friends in the process, because of these common bonds. I was glad he felt this way and would have someone, other than us, for companionship.
In preparation for the big event, Jake and I discussed the details of our travel plans. After pointing out the pros and cons of using the Suburban and the van, we decided it would be best to drive the Suburban to Chicago. It would be easier to squeeze in everyone who’d be going with us and they could view the scenery much easier than they could from the van. No matter which vehicle we took, we’d have to have the Flannerys take their own car whenever we went anywhere together, but I didn’t think it would present a problem for them.
Wednesday night we loaded our suitcases into the Suburban, so we’d be ready to leave as soon as school was out on Thursday. Mark and Duck had each requested Friday off from work, so everything was set and we were all ready to travel.
Thursday seemed to drag slowly forward for us, as time tends to do when you are waiting for something special to happen. As soon as their last classes ended, I drove to the various schools and picked the boys up, before going to get Jake and Mark. Within an hour, we were on our way.
It was a fairly nice day, slightly overcast but not stormy, as we set out for Duck’s apartment. This part of the trip went fairly quickly and everyone was having a good time talking and joking around. Duck was packed and ready to join us when we arrived, but we needed a brief break before we took off again. After introducing him to those he hadn’t met yet, Duck allowed us to use his toilet, before we crammed back in the Suburban and set out for the Windy City.
The rest of the ride seemed to go a bit slower. It was also quite lengthy, so we only drove about two-thirds of the way there and then stopped for the night. I paid for three double rooms, each with a pair of queen-sized beds, and split the boys between them. It worked out that Cole, Graham, Peter, Sammy and Andrew wanted to be together in the first room, while Trey, Dion, Vinnie and Little Ricky took the second. Duck and Mark had gotten to know each other during the ride and agreed to share a bed, so they were in the third room, with Jake and I. Everyone also agreed to keep the same room arrangements in Chicago, so that problem was solved too.
From what I was told later, not much went on that evening, except in the first room. It seems Graham opted to share a bed with Sammy and Andrew and the three of them had a little fun. After a slight hesitation, because Peter was in the room with them, they finally gave in to their desires.
The boys quickly decided they would give each other blowjobs, so they formed a triangle, so they could do it all at once. They aligned themselves so that Graham was doing Andrew and Sammy was working on Graham, which left Andrew to service Sammy. They energetically bobbed up and down on each other’s erection and it only took a few minutes before they had all climaxed. Of course, Andrew’s was a dry orgasm, but none of them even seemed to notice the difference.
I heard later that Graham, Sammy and Andrew had been eager to get involved with each other, but it wasn’t as easy for Cole. When he tried to convince Peter he should have some fun with him, Peter wasn’t sure about doing something of that nature in a public establishment.
“Look, we’re not going to do it in the lobby or the pool, so no one is going to see us,” Cole told him. After thinking about, Peter brought up another possibility.
“What if someone with a key comes up to check on something?” he wondered.
“Then they’ll knock first, which will give us time to stop and get decent,” Cole countered.
“And you don’t mind if your brothers see what we’re doing with each other?” Peter persisted.
“Heck, no,” Cole announced. “We’ve all done things like that with each other, and you’ve done it with them too, so why should it bother any of us?”
Peter thought about it for a few more seconds and realized Cole was right, so he agreed. By this time, the others had already started to have oral sex, but Peter told Cole he prefer to just masturbate each other this time, or as Peter said, “wank each other.” Cole gave in, after Peter agreed he’d do more the next time they got together.
While the boys were having fun in their room, Jake, Mark Duck and I spent a great deal of our time talking. We were discussing life in general, until Duck decided he wanted to share a little about himself with Mark and Jake. Duck liked both of them and felt he wanted to divulge some of this information, and it gave Mark and Jake an opportunity to get to know Duck a little better. I think they were both surprised and saddened to learn some of what Duck had been through, but it did help them to appreciate him even more.
Afterward, Jake and Mark told Duck a little about themselves, and then Mark and Duck went out to walk around the hotel for a while, so they could discuss other matters in private. Once they got back, the four of us chatted a little more, before we all turned in for the evening.
I had set my cell phone’s alarm to wake me up, rather than disturbing everyone else with the loud and annoying ring the phone made when the desk made a wake up call. I took my shower before waking the boys in the other rooms up and then went around to rouse them. The boys didn’t give me many problems, although I had to knock several times on the door of the room Graham, Sammy, Andrew, Cole and Peter had shared. Once I noticed the lingering smell of cum in the room, I understood why.
After partaking of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, we drove the rest of the way to our destination. I had previously printed out maps from the Internet, so I had all the information I needed to get to where we were going. Jake and I took turns driving, so it wouldn’t be so hard on either of us, and that worked out quite well. After stopping for an early lunch, since I wasn’t sure what Farrell had planned and didn’t want the boys to go hungry, we covered the last stretch of highway before we reached the Flannerys’ home.
It was early afternoon when we pulled up in front of their house. The family lived in a nice suburb of Chicago and seemed excited when they greeted us at the door. Barry and Alannah had been looking forward to getting reacquainted with my boys again, but Alannah was a little disappointed when she discovered some of the others hadn’t been able to join us. Apparently, she had taken a liking to both Ricky and Pat and was hoping to spend time with them again, but she ended up hanging around with Cole instead. Barry was all over Andrew and it was obvious both boys were happy to see each other again.
We introduced Farrell and his wife, Katelyn, to Duck and Mark, since they hadn’t met either of them before. Once the formalities were out of the way, they offered us refreshments, before telling us what the plans were for the rest of the day. Farrell told us he had made reservations at a nice restaurant for 7:30, so we had plenty of time to see a little of the area first. He had arranged for us to take a bus tour of some sites, but we’d be able to stop and go inside a few of these places, so it wasn’t going to be just a riding tour.
We both drove our vehicles to get to the tour bus, but it didn’t take very long. Once there, we loaded onto the coach and settled in. As we did so, Farrell explained about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which started in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn, and pointed out that although some of the city survived the devastation, much of it had to be rebuilt afterward. We were going to see many of the places that survived, but not all of the beautiful and historic buildings had been as fortunate.
We started our tour by driving around the University of Chicago’s historic Hyde Park campus and then were able to view some fabulous old mansions in the Kenwood area. Most of these places were built between 1860 and 1920 and their stately presence was very impressive. These buildings were constructed in various styles, but each was quite large, aesthetically pleasing and well cared for. We could only imagine how wealthy their original owners must have been to be able to construct such fine homes, but the current owners must also be well off, to be able to afford to maintain these places.
We also got a chance to walk around a bit, and after we left this area, we were driven through the Prairie Avenue district. This location had been developed between 1836 and 1900 and contained many historic row-homes and mansions. Although it was not as elegant as the area we just saw, it was still nice, but the boys were anxious to move on to something else.
Over the course of the next couple of hours, we also went through the Pullman Historic District, which was named in honor of George M. Pullman, the railroad magnate who developed the more comfortable Pullman passenger car. By this time, however, the boys were getting tired of looking at old homes, so we moved on to something else – religious structures.
Although there are many beautiful churches in Chicago, Farrell took us to see the ones he felt would be different from anything we had visited before. During previous conversations, I had told him about our visit to England, so he felt we’d seen the traditional Gothic cathedrals, and what he took us to see was vastly different from those. The first of these was St. Volodymyr & Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church, which is built in a very typical orthodox style. It has a huge, golden dome at its center and a large archway in front, with a very elaborate painting decorating the upper half of the structure. It was like nothing we had ever seen before and I think the boys appreciated its beauty.
We also went to see Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, which looks as if it should be sitting in a Russian city or village. The initial funding for its construction came from Tsar, or Czar, Nicholas and is constructed in the Russian provincial style. It has a very lovely spire, or steeple, extending above the front entrance and a very homey feel to it.
The final place we got to see was St George Orthodox Cathedral. From the outside, it doesn’t look very impressive and consists of flat, nom-descript rectangular walls. However, it does have an onion shaped dome, like the ones you would see on churches in Russia. However, when you enter this edifice you realize how lovely it is. It has a very spacious and open interior, which is uniquely decorated with lovely paintings, brilliant colors and a front wall lined with various levels of statuary. I’m not certain if they were saints or other religious leaders, but the sight was amazing to behold.
After we viewed all three of these places, we decided Farrell was correct. These churches did not resemble anything we had seen before. Each was gorgeous in its own right, yet distinctly different examples of Orthodox houses of worship.
Upon leaving the churches, we got to see three of the sporting venues in Chicago and made a quick stop at each. The most interesting of these was Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs’ baseball team. It was also the stadium where Babe Ruth supposedly called his home run prior to hitting it, by pointing to the spot in the outfield where he envisioned it going. The stadium was built in 1914, but wasn’t used by the Cubs until two years later. It was eventually named for the Cubs owner, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., and its brick walls, covered by ivy, is its most memorable feature.
We also saw the US Cellular Field, which was once named Comiskey Park. This, however, is the ‘new’ Comiskey Park and the current home of the Chicago White Sox baseball team. The ‘old’ Comiskey Park had been built in the 1910 and named for its former owner and builder of the stadium, Charles Comiskey. By 1990 it was no longer deemed adequate, so it was torn down and this new ballpark opened in 1991.
We also went to Soldier Field, which has been the home to the Chicago Bears’ football team since 1971. Before that, the team played at Wrigley Field. Soldier Field was built in the 1920’s and is designed solely as a football stadium. The exterior of this structure is designed in the Greco-Roman architectural style, so it has the feel of an ancient temple or coliseum. It has now been completely remodeled for the second time, so it is better suited for today’s needs.
After finishing up our little whirlwind tour, Farrell asked me a question. “Does your family like Italian food?” he wanted to know. Before I could answer, there was a chorus of whooping and hollering from behind us, which let him know what the boys thought.
“I think that should answer your question,” I told him with a grin. “I believe my boys could live on pizza and pasta, if I let them.” Farrell smiled back.
“I guess that must be the same for nearly all young people then,” he told me, “because my kids are the same way.” He then directed the bus driver to take us to the Tre Via Ristorante, where we would dine.
It was a nice upscale restaurant, which occupied a handsome area inside Wicker Park’s historic Flat Iron Building. They had a nice selection of Italian dishes, including ‘Chicago style’ pizza. Most of the boys decided to split an assortment of pizzas, with a variety of toppings, while we adults opted for the more traditional dinners. The meal was wonderful and the Flannerys, Mark, Duck, Jake and I also shared a few of bottles of wine, while our children enjoyed sodas. We even had a little dessert to top off the meal, and when the check came, I slipped our server my credit card, much to Farrell’s dismay.
“I had this covered,” he told me.
“Well, I didn’t want you to feel you had to pay for everything,” I replied, while Farrell rolled his eyes.
“Okay, you got me this time, but I’ve got tomorrow’s meal then,” he insisted, quite adamantly, so I merely nodded, to let him know I would agree to that.
After we left the restaurant, we took the bus back to where we started and then drove our vehicles back to the Flannery’s place. After spending a little time chatting with them, Farrell directed the boys to a room where he had a large assortment of costumes laid out. He then advised the boys to select an appropriate sized outfit for the parade and they were allowed to use several other rooms to try them on, to make sure they fit.
Since they now had their outfits for the parade, the boys could put them on at the hotel, before we joined up with Farrell’s family. This way, we’d be set to go to the parade when we met up with the Flannerys in the morning and wouldn’t have to spend time trying to get everyone dressed at their place.
The boys were mildly amused when they were handed fake beards and theater glue, as an added enhancement to their outfits. In addition to everything else, the boys were also given a dark-colored shillelagh to carry. If you have never seen one, a shillelagh is a wooden cane, walking stick or club, depending on who is describing it. It is not smooth and has knobby bumps extending from it, as if it were just cut from the tree. It was a nice touch to complete the outfits.
Since Duck had already agreed to be a leprechaun, Mark decided he might as well go along with everyone else. He even tried to talk Jake and I into joining them, but we said we’d spend our time with Farrell and his wife instead. Somewhat disappointed that we wouldn’t give in, Duck and Mark each selected their outfits, much to the others’ delight. This meant we’d have a wide variety of leprechauns, ranging in age, from Andrew to Duck, and in size from Andrew to Mark. Not only that, but the leprechauns would be from various ethnic backgrounds, but like the saying goes, on St. Patrick’s Day everyone wants to be Irish.
Once the guys had what they needed, Jake, Mark, Duck and I talked a while longer with our hosts, while the boys spent time with the Flannery children. This gave Mark and Duck time to become acquainted with Farrell and Katelyn, but we also learned a little more about what else they had on the agenda for our stay.
As it began to grow late, Farrell told me he’d lead us to where we were staying, to make sure we got there all right. I followed behind him in the Suburban and, once we arrived, I waved in his direction, to let him know we were all set. After he drove off, we unloaded our travel gear and carried it inside.
After checking in, we lugged everything to the elevator and rode up to the appropriate floor. Since the boys had agreed to stay in the same groups they were in the previous night, we went straight to our rooms. They were quite spacious and the bathrooms were also very large and more than adequate for our needs. The beds were also extremely comfortable, so I knew we’d enjoy our two nights here.
No one did very much that evening, since we were all fairly tired, but we did watch a little television before we turned in. Since we were in prime college basketball season, many of us tuned in to one of the games and selected which team we’d cheer for. Those who weren’t into sports watched a movie instead, so no one had a problem with what we did.
The next morning, after I woke everyone up, I advised the boys to put on their long underwear, before they put on their outfits. I had warned them to bring those items with them, since I knew Chicago would probably be very cold this time of year. Having long underwear on would keep them from shivering and being uncomfortable during the parade.
Once they were dressed in their outfits, Jake and I helped them put on their fake beards and attached the buckles to their shoes. I had been told in advance to have the boys bring black or brown dress shoes with them, and since they all had a pair of slip-ons they generally wore to church and other special occasions, it wasn’t a problem. When they picked up everything else, each of our leprechauns had been given a fake silver buckle to strap over their shoes, so it would make them look like the old-fashioned buckle variety and complete the ensemble.
The boys all looked so dang cute in their long, white stockings, emerald green knickers, white shirts, emerald green jackets and emerald green hats. I was amazed, but they really did look like leprechauns, now that they were fully dressed. If it weren’t for Sammy and Andrew’s oriental eyes and Dion’s caramel complexion, no one would have questioned if any of them were truly of Irish ancestry.