The adults all made it to the kitchen about 10 AM, for breakfast. Janice asked if she should go up and wake the boys but Ken asked her not to. He told her, and the other adults, that if he knew them right, they spent a few hours talking last night before they went to bed and they needed to get caught up on their sleep. Then he added something about them being 'growing boys' and they all had a good laugh.
Eric and his mom, Judy, and Eric's friend Brad got there about 10:30 and as soon as Eileen saw the boy, she had him come over for a big hug.
"What was that for, Miss Eileen?" asked the youngster.
"That is for what you did for my boy, Little Bo," said Eileen.
"But, I didn't do anything. I only … only just met him that day, so how could I have done anything to help Aidan, Miss Eileen?" asked Eric.
"Little Bo, when Aidan began to get well, he remembered Mr. Ken said he'd fly us all out here for Collin's Birthday. He also remembered meeting Collin's 'little Bo' and he so wanted to meet his little brother. Those two things gave my boy the incentive to work so hard to get well enough to be here right now. So, don't tell me you didn't do anything. If you weren't such a good kid, that Collin would consider you to be his 'little brother', then my Aidan might still be there lying in that bed. You and Collin, and Mr. Ken, of course, are MY heroes and Aidan's, too."
With that said, Eileen started to cry thinking of her son lying there in that hospital bed so many months ago. Her husband Jack came over to comfort her and in a few minutes she composed herself and apologized to everyone for acting that way.
"You have nothing to apologize about," said Ken Thomas. "I know exactly how you feel as I've seen my 'little brother' Collin go through much of the same thing."
As Ken was saying that to Eileen, tears came to Eric's eyes. Mr. Ken noticed it and grabbed the young boy to him and held him close.
"You were thinking about Collin again, weren't you, Eric?" asked Mr. Ken.
(Sniff, sniff) "Yes, sir," was all Eric could get out as he hugged the man back as his tears kept coming.
Judy then went to her son and took him off Mr. Ken's hands and the two walked out of the kitchen for a few minutes.
"Well, Brad, how did you enjoy yourself last night," asked Mr. Ken.
"It was awesome, Mr. Ken," started Brad. "Thank you so very much for allowing me to be here. Even though we were real young kids, some of the girls asked us to dance and, even though we didn't know how to, they showed us. That was real fun for me. Plus, Eric and I watched a movie in the Theater and every once in a while, we'd come out and see what was going on. Now, I know what it is like when some of my friends talk about how their older brothers, or sisters, act. I can't wait until I'm older."
The group laughed at Brad's last comment and about that time Eric and his mom came back into the kitchen.
"Eat, eat," beckoned Momma Maria, "I'ss gots loss tings to eats so yous digs in, please."
("Eat, eat, I got lots of things to eat so you dig in, please.")
"You Okay now, sport?" Mr. Ken asked, looking at Eric, when he returned to the kitchen.
"Yes, thanks, Mr. Ken. By the way, where are the guys? I thought they'd be down here eating all this good food?" said Eric.
"They're sleeping in," announced Janice. "They are all growing boys!"
Hearing that said again made the adults burst out in laughter leaving Eric and Brad looking at each other as if the adults had gone crazy or something.
"Why don't you and Brad go up to Collin's room and see if he and Ryan are awake. If they aren't, gently wake them and then ask them to wake the other boys. Could you guys do that for me?" asked Mr. Ken.
An energetic "Sure!" came from Eric as he and Brad began to leave the kitchen on their way upstairs to wake his 'older' brothers.
"And remember the 'Three Knock Rule'," Mr. Ken called out, as the boys rounded the corner.
A fading "Yes, sir", came from Eric.
"Do you think that it's okay for them to do that?" asked Judy, of Mr. Ken.
"Sure, they'll be okay, Judy. Remember … they ALL have the same equipment," teased the man. That said, he then had to explain, to the other adults, what that was all about. After hearing that explanation, it brought on another round of laughter in the kitchen.
"What did Mr. Ken mean about the 'Three Knock Rule'?" Brad asked Eric.
"Well, the First time you knock that's all you do, knock on the door. You don't knock and walk in. If no one answers, then on the Second knock you knock louder and wait to hear if they say to come in. On the Third knock, you can knock loud while you are slowly opening the door and you call their name while again asking if it is okay to come in. You still don't walk right in on them," explained Eric to Brad's question.
"But why, I don't get it?" said Brad.
"Well, what if you were lying there, not under the covers, and someone came barging in and they saw you all, you know, with your … your hard weiner standing straight up, or even worse … sticking up and out of your boxers. Now tell me you don't understand why Mr. Ken has the Three Knock Rule," answered Eric in explanation.
"Jeez, when you put it that way, yeah, I like that Rule. … Eric … has your mom ever … you know … ever seen you with a stiffy … in the morning like that?" asked a very curious Brad.
"I'm not sure if she has. She never said anything about it to me, but at least not yet she hasn't. I bet if she does, she'll say something like, I need to stay under the covers, or I better wake up so she doesn't have to see certain things. I bet she'd say something like that. Why … has your mom seen you with a boner in the morning?" asked Eric turning the question around to his very good friend.
"Yeah," said Brad as he hung his head. … "I think she has. I'm not too sure, but she looked at me real hard the other morning after she got me up. Then I heard her and Dad talking about Dad needing to talk to me about something," an embarrassed Brad answered back.
"Yikes!" was all Eric had to say.
Eric then knocked on Collin's door. Not hearing the usual 'Come In', Eric knocked much louder. Again he didn't hear anything, but as he began to knock and open the door the two boys heard, "We're getting up".
Eric kept the door slightly open and asked if he and Brad could come in yet.
"Yeah," called out Ryan, "if you don't mind seeing older boys trying to wake up after a long night. Come in then."
Eric continued to open the door slowly in case pillows were thrown at them as they entered, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Ryan and Collin were standing behind the door and, as the two youngsters stepped into the room, the teenagers grabbed them and threw them onto their beds, and began to tickle them. The two younger boys were laughing and laughing and asking the older boys to stop. So the teenagers stopped long enough to change partners. Then the tickle fest began again, in earnest. Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped and the four boys found themselves sitting two, each, to a bed.
"Bro send you guys up here to wake us?" asked Ryan.
"Yep," answered Eric. "He said that you guys are to wake your friends. Everybody is down in the kitchen eating breakfast."
As Eric and Ryan were talking, two boxer and brief and t-shirt clad teenagers came walking into the bedroom asking, "What's all the noise about, so early in the morning?"
"It's not early, Clint," said Eric, "it's going on eleven o'clock and breakfast is waiting on ya."
Clint and Doug joined the other boys on the beds. As they sat down, the front slit on Doug's boxers opened and his dick stuck its head out, without him realizing it. Eric did notice, though, and he motioned to Brad, and then he too saw the older boy's dickhead sticking out, and the two of them began giggling.
"What you two giggling about?" asked Ryan.
Eric pointed to Doug's condition and then he too began to laugh out loud, soon joined by Brad.
"Hey, Doug, your bird is gonna fly the coop if you're not careful," teased Ryan.
Doug was still a bit asleep and it didn't register what Ryan was talking about and as he turned to move to look over his shoulder, to see if that is what Ryan meant, his penis came out of his boxers even more. Now, besides Eric and Brad laughing, Ryan and Collin joined in. Then, suddenly, Doug saw Clint pointing to his dick sticking up through the opening, and he quickly pulled the opening closed, only to have his dick still sticking out, but now to the side and now all that movement and attention was making it grow.
Doug's hardening dick made the boys laugh even more and, when Doug realized they were laughing at his rising boner, he stood up and shook it at them. Now, Brad's eyes went big as he was partially seeing a big guy's hard dick slapping itself back and forth. Brad then began to cover his own crotch area, as his dick was now rock hard from him being around all those teens in boxers, and now seeing an older guy's hard dick, too.
Even Eric's dick was hard, but he wasn't hiding it as Brad was. He'd been with Collin and Ryan before when they all had boners, and this didn't bother him at all.
As Doug was making a spectacle of himself, Brent and Aidan entered the bedroom and made some loud cat calls at Doug and his 'flying' bird.
"Hey, who called this party and didn't invite me," said Aidan.
"Bite me," said Doug while at the same time shooting the finger at his friend.
The eight boys were having a good time together laughing and teasing one another. Then Chief showed up. Collin knew what that meant and so he told everyone.
"Guys, Chief's here … which means Bro will be up here if we soon don't get cleaned up and downstairs. This has been fun, I have to admit, though, I never had a sleep over like this when I was growing up. Before last night,the most friends I ever had over at one time was two, Ryan and Eric," explained Collin.
"You forgot the swim party sleepover," mentioned Eric.
"Well, most of those guys were everyone's friend's, Eric. It wasn't anything like last night as we talked into the night. That's why we were still asleep when you and Brad came and knocked," answered Collin.
Brad was very happy Chief showed up, as that gave his stiffy time to go down, but it didn't keep his eyes off the guys boxers in the hope he'd see some more of the older boys' hard dicks.
"Come on, Brad," said Eric as he stood up. "We need to let these guys get their showers. Also, we need to eat our breakfast before this herd of animals gets down there because there won't be anything left if we don't," teased Eric.
As Brad stood up, he hoped his boner had gone down enough that it wouldn't show. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as Brent called everyone's attention to the boy as he said, "Hey there, guys, I think the little dude there had him a tent pitched."
The older guys began to look and laugh and Brad was beginning to feel like a little kid when Brent continued to say, "Good one there, Sport. There's nothing wrong with getting a boner when you're with your friends, and they have them, too!"
That brief statement made Brad feel all that much more accepted, as he blushed at what Brent said about him.
"Remember Sport," continued Brent, "what happens with friends, stays with those friends. No need to go to school tomorrow and tell everyone you know. Okay … Brad?"
Brad was shocked the teen remembered his name as he had called him 'Sport' twice before. That made him realize these guys were the 'real deal' and he smiled at the teen and then went over to the lad and hugged him.
"Thanks … Brent … I was embarrassed at first, and then … well, I thought you were making fun of me, but all along you were treating me as if I was one of you. I'll always remember this day and the only one I'll ever talk to about it will be my Best Friend, Eric, here," responded Brad. The young boy then gave the teen another quick hug as he left the room with happy tears in his eyes.
"Will he be Okay," asked Brent.
"Yeah, he'll be Okay," said Eric. "I better catch up with him. Come on, Chief, let's get some of Maria's good cooking." Then Eric and Chief were gone, too.
The teenagers all went and got their shower things and headed to the bathroom en mass. Those who shaved with an electric shaver waited on the showers while others used the toilet or got into the shower stall. A half hour later, all six teens were cleaned up and ready for the day's activities.
The man responsible for the day's activities was none other than Mr. Ken Thomas. He scheduled a twenty-five passenger bus, with restroom, for 12:30 PM to take the California Boys and their parents and anyone else wanting to go along, on a quick tour of some of the areas infamous tourist traps.
Their first stop was Mission San Jose, and the Visitor's Center, to view the 15 minute film on the areas missions and see the diorama of the area, depicting when and where the Spanish Missions were established. The National Park Service Interpreter took the group on a personal tour of the entire San Jose Mission and explained the houses the Indians used to live in, and the bee-hive looking ovens they used to bake with. He showed them 'Rose's Window' which is purported to be the window creator's dedication to his love, Rosa.
The tour continued and the group found out that San Jose was the largest of the missions in the area. At its height, the community contained about 350 Indian neophytes, sustained by extensive fields and herds of livestock. Viewed as the model among the Texas missions, San José gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. It ultimately became known as the "Queen of the Missions." Its imposing complex of stone walls, bastions, granary, and magnificent church was completed by 1782.
The tour continued and they got to see a working mill in the exact spot and in the same genre of the mill that was there back in the late 1700's. The mill had been rededicated by President Bush on a visit there, back in 2001.
After hearing about the other nearby Missions, the group boarded the bus which immediately headed into downtown San Antonio. Their first stop was directly in front of the Alamo, to allow its riders the chance to get out and see the internationally famous structure.
The California Boys were surprised at how small the structure was, in comparison to the movies they saw and what they learned in school. Here again, they heard the story of the 13 Day Battle of the Alamo, from an interpreter, and got a better perspective about what happened at the historic shrine. They then walked through the Alamo chapel and saw some very interesting things.
"Hey guys," yelled Aidan, and got a large number of shssssss's from the other visitors.
"Not so loud, Aidan. Didn't you see the sign that said NO LOUD Talking in order to give reverence to the fallen," a shocked Collin told his friend, in a low voice.
"Sorry, I forgot … but did you see this?" asked the teen as he pointed to Davey Crockett's buckskin vest. "This is amazing to see something of one of the hero's of the Alamo."
It was Brent who saw Colonel Travis' ring and got everyone's attention to view it. Then the group decided to stay together so they could all see the things together, and not miss anything.
Before they departed the Alamo, the boys all got to see a flintlock rifle used in the battle, a period Bowie knife, and flags representing all the nations of the men who fought and died there.
Everyone left that 'Shrine to the Alamo Heroes' with a new appreciation for the site and how the people fought and died there. It was a somber group who boarded the bus for their next site.
Their next stop was the Tower of the America's. The Tower had been recently renovated and now offered a new and exciting 4D attraction which Mr. Ken reserved for his group for when they arrived. The Skies Over Texas was a sophisticated ride, that took them on a high-flying trip across the Lone Star State. The 4-D movie zoomed in on such scenes as a Friday-night high school football game, bull riding, and a working up-close-and-personal look with a space shuttle at NASA.
When they emerged from the experience, the boys couldn't get over the effects they felt during their 'ride'.
"Did you smell that bull's shit when he dumped his load on that rodeo ring," asked Clint. "I never want to smell that again!"
"Yeah, did you like the rain we got when we entered the forest fog? It was kinda cool feeling the dampness on my face," commented Doug.
"I liked the feeling you got as we flew over everything. I felt like I was IN the helicopter," said Aidan. "Even the breeze from our flying and that bull spitting at us was awesome for me."
"Altogether, the whole experience was awesome for me,' said Eric. "I've never done anything like that before. I hear that SeaWorld has a 4D Theater, too, and I can't wait until mom and me go there and get our season passes and I can do that one, too," Eric said with a great big smile on his face.
The group exchanged their feelings about the 'Skies Over Texas' while they waited in line to enter an elevator that would take them up to the observation level, 550 feet above the ground.
As the large group exited the elevator, they immediately knew this was definitely one of the places to visit when you toured the city of San Antonio.
"Dang … you can see forever from up here," said an amazed Brad, to no one in particular.
From up there they could see just about everything in the city proper. The observation deck gave them a panoramic view of the city, and with the day moving towards evening, the lighting was impressive.
"Mr. Ken, can you tell us what we are seeing from up here?" asked Aidan.
"Sure, let's look close in first and then I'll work out from here," said their host. "Down below the Tower was the site of the 1968 World's Fair, called HemisFair. Over there is the Institute of Texan Cultures. It's a museum of sorts, designed to educate people about the Texas cultural heritage. Across the interstate highway is the Alamodome, which seats about 66,000 people. The Spurs used to play there, but now they have the AT&T Center. You can just about see the top of that place over in that southeast distance.
"As you look over to the southwest, you can see the Steel Eel rollercoaster at SeaWorld San Antonio. That's the place where Eric and his mom have Season Passes for. Looking right down there to where the flower on the roof is called La Villita (pronounced – La Va-eee-ta). The place was San Antonio's first neighborhood. It was originally a settlement of primitive huts for the Spanish soldiers stationed at the Mission San Antonio Valero (the Alamo). In 1836, La Villita was the site of General Santa Ana's cannon line in the Battle of the Alamo and a map from early that year showed the village to be of considerable size.
"Over there is the Rivercenter Mall and that water you see is the San Antonio River coursing along the Riverwalk. Over there, you can see the Alamo and, what I failed to mention to you while we were there was, the Menger Hotel. It was in that hotel that Teddy Roosevelt is said to have formed his Rough Riders who then fought in the Spanish-American War."
"What are all those colored umbrellas," asked Brent.
"That, my boy, is where we are going to eat, when we leave here," answered Mr. Ken.
"Did someone mention food," teased Collin, as he slid up against his Big Bro.
"Nobody said the word 'food', young man," teased back Mr. Ken. "I mentioned E-A-T when we leave here."
"Then, I'm hungry?" said Eric, and just then his stomach rumbled.
Ken just laughed at the young boy, and scrambled the hair on his head, as he continued to point out to his group, different areas of San Antonio from the height of the Tower. When he saw they had had enough, they took the Tower elevator to ground level where they boarded their bus, which took them over to the Riverwalk, and dropped them off at Casa Rio where the colorful umbrellas were located, along the river.
Mr. Ken had made reservations for them and, as they arrived, they were immediately seated at the tables that lined the river. Mr. Thomas wanted his guests to enjoy a wonderful Mexican dinner and that restaurant was the only one he found to have the best food and atmosphere along the river.
"I want you all to have a great taste of good Mexican foods, so don't be afraid to order something and share with your neighbor," said Mr. Ken. "I have always found the food here to be excellent, and their margaritas are awesome as well and cool and refreshing. And sorry fellows, you have to be 21 to drink them here. Let me recommend their Deluxe Dinner. It has a Cheese Enchilada, a Tamale, Crispy Beef Taco, Chili Con Carne, Guacamole Salad, Chili Con Queso, Mexican Rice, and Refried Beans, which makes up a wonderful array of different foods. That is what I usually get. While you are waiting for your dinner, they will also serve some wonderful and, usually warm, chips along with their tangy salsa. I think you will all enjoy the food here. Please order when you are ready!"
The group of 14 took up 4 tables along the river. Since it was a mild March evening, the pigeons and ducks were plentiful, and of course bothersome, at times. Eric and Brad got a kick out feeding the ducks as they swam along the river looking for that free handout.
They all enjoyed their dinner very much, and sat there talking about the weekend, and getting to know one another better. About an hour after they began eating, Mr. Ken announced his next treat for them, a private river boat tour. The group had seen many tour boats gliding along the river, where they ate, and were all smiles at the announcement that they, too, would get the opportunity to get on a barge, and hear a history about the Riverwalk.
"Folks, the tour lasts a little longer than an hour, but since we have the boat, or barge, to ourselves, we can take longer to see things and ask questions, of our tour guide. With that said … I'd recommend we all take the time to freshen up and get rid of any excess baggage before embarking on our voyage around the Riverwalk," announced Mr. Ken.
"What does all that mean?" asked Brad, while looking at Ryan.
"He means we better wash up and go pee before we get on the boat, because they have no bathrooms on them," replied Ryan.
Of course, the group of eight boys was all together when Ryan made his comment and that brought lots of laughter from the bunch. The boys then made their way up the stairs to the Men's Restroom, and did what they had to do.
They boarded their barge, just under the Commerce Street Bridge, and the first thing they learned was that the river was referred to by two names, the San Antonio River and Paseo del Rio. The tour guide teased them saying that they essentially mean the same thing, only that Paseo del Rio was the Spanish translation. They then headed towards the inner courtyards of the Convention Center and Rivercenter Mall. The women took notice of the size of the three-story tall, indoor mall and wished they had more time to shop 'till they dropped. They then retraced their voyage and headed around the first bend and came upon a unique outdoor theater called the Arneson River Theater, where the stage is on one side of the river and the seats are on the other side.
The river tour continued along as the guide pointed out historic sites such as the old San Antonio prison, where Geronimo was supposedly held until being taken to Fort Sam Houston, the Tower Life building with its many gargoyles hanging along the many edges of the building, as well as lots of pedestrian bridges that allowed the people to cross over the river to get to any of the many famous restaurants. They also came upon many Mariachi groups entertaining, with their specialized Mexican songs and music, the tourists love to watch and hear.
Their river tour was over, too fast for them, as they were really getting into the night life along the Riverwalk. Besides the music, they especially enjoyed seeing the many colored lights hanging from the trees and along the restaurants.
Their long day of playing tourist was over, but the ride back to Three Finger Cove was anything but quiet. The boys couldn't help but talk over one another as they wanted to tell everyone about something special they saw, or experienced that day. The adults, well, they just sat back in the comfortable seats, and replayed their day in their own minds, as they listened to the boys chatter back and forth.
Their first stop on the way back to the Cove was at Brad's house. Miss Judy called his parents earlier and told them when to expect their wayward son back home. As the young ten year old got off the bus, he hugged Mr. Ken and couldn't thank him enough for the past two awesome days he just experienced. Then as the boy was walking with his parents up the sidewalk, a bus window opened and the older boys shouted a 'Good Night' to him. Brad then turned and smiled and waved as the group continued on home.