We boarded the ship and I immediately suggested everyone should start cleaning up and getting ready for dinner. Tonight was our turn for the Captain’s Dinner on this cruise and we all had to dress up, more than normal. The boys didn’t seem to mind this as much as I expected. I think it probably had something to do with the fact that they were very hungry from the long and somewhat exhausting day we’d just experienced and the food at the Captain’s dinner was even better than the normal fare. Needless to say, I didn’t question my good fortune and happily went with Jake back to our room, so we could do the same.
As it approached time for dinner, I rounded the boys up and led them to the Captain’s dining hall. Once we were seated, we waited for a few minutes, before the Captain entered. When he did, he strode directly over to our table.
“Mister Currie, I presume,” he stated, while reaching out his hand. I did the same, shook his hand and replied.
“Guilty as charged, but I’m surprised you would know that,” I commented.
“I have to admit, a little bird filled me in about you and your family before we left port,” he quipped back. “One of my best friends is the Captain of the ship you took on your first cruise and he called to inform me that he’d learned you’d be sailing with me next. It is definitely a pleasure and an honor to meet you. My friend spoke very highly of you and your boys.” I’m sure I blushed hearing him say this.
“Oh, we’re nothing special, just a group of tired vacationers right now,” I replied.
“My friend told me you were a bit on the modest side,” he replied, “but I’d really appreciate it if you’d introduce me to your family. I hear they’re a fantastic group of young men.”
I introduced him to Jake first and then took him around the table and introduced him to each of the boys. He took a few minutes to chat with each one and asked them several questions. Nothing too personal, but it was obvious he was interested in what each of them had to say, including Peter, Ted, Carlos and Barry. After he had chatted with everyone, he strode up to his place at the head table and things got started. It was then that I realized we had been responsible for holding up the start of dinner and all eyes in the place had been focused on us, as the Captain made his way around our group.
Once the staff started moving about and taking orders, one of the staff came over to ask Jake and I what we wanted to drink. She informed us the Captain had sent word for her to do this, so we didn’t refuse. She brought our drinks back shortly and then jotted down what each of us wanted. A couple of young men helped her bring everything to our table a few minutes later, and as we expected, the food was great. She continued to supply Jake and I with more drinks, each time she noticed we were nearing the bottom of the one we currently had. After four or five of these, Jake and I both informed her that would do, unless she was intentionally trying to get us drunk. She laughed and said she understood, before offering to bring us coffee instead. We gratefully accepted and she returned a few seconds later with a fresh pot.
After pouring us each a cup, she started removing our dishes and asked what we wanted for dessert. To my amazement, she also encouraged the boys to order more than one item each, which they were happy to do. She then had everything delivered to us, and it was during this time that I realized I was going to miss all of this personal attention, once we returned home.
Things quieted down once dinner ended and we went back to our rooms. Jake and I were chatting about the Captain and how he went out of his way to come over and meet us, when there was a knock at our door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Jesse standing there.
“Dah-dy,” he choked out, “you come say night?” he asked, before grabbing my hand and pulling me in the direction of their room.
First of all, I was choked up and near the point of tears hearing him say this, because it was the first time he had ever called me Daddy. When I finally found my voice, I called Jake to come with me and we walked next door to the boys’ room, so we could tuck them in.
“Jesse, where did you go?” we heard Andrew ask, as Jesse walked through the door. “You know you aren’t supposed to go out by yourself.”
At that moment, Jake and I strolled through the door behind him and Andrew stopped his interrogation.
“So you didn’t send him over to get us?” I asked. ”No. Barry and I didn’t even know he left,” Andrew responded, “until we couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“Then you don’t know why he came to get us?” I followed.
“Nope,” Andrew answered. “I have no idea what he was up to.” Suddenly, I was more choked up than before. This was Jesse’s own idea and no one had set him up to do this.
“Well, what did he want?” Barry followed, when I didn’t say anything.
I quickly informed the pair what Jesse had said and wanted. When I looked at Andrew, he was beaming. I was going to ask him what was up, but he beat me to the punch.
“Jesse really loves you and looks forward to having you come over to say good night,” he explained. “Every night when you go back to your room, after tucking us in and kissing us on the forehead, Jesse tells us he loves Daddy.”
“We tell him we do too,” Barry added, “cause you’re like my dad too, when I’m here with you.” Damn, if they keep this up I’m going to end up a blubbering idiot.
Instead of speaking, I tucked the three of them in and kissed each of them on the forehead. By that time I was able to speak again, so I told each of them I loved them too and wished them sweet dreams. Jake followed suit, but once we got back to our room, Jake had something to say.
“Do you still think you can’t do this any longer?” he asked, before giving me a wink. “If anything should keep you going, that surely should,” he added, with a grin.
“Alright, alright,” I replied. “So I’m an old softy that can easily be buttered up.”
“I didn’t see or hear anyone buttering you up,” Jake countered. “All I heard was Jesse and Barry sincerely telling you how they feel. Both boys love you as their dad, even though Barry has his own father. Maybe that’s why you’re such a great educator, because nearly every kid you come into contact with loves you.”
“Did you forget about David Hubbard or the guys who just gave Sammy such a rough time,” I challenged. “They certainly don’t love me.”
“Josh, I said nearly all,” Jake answered. “Besides, those guys don’t count, in my book.” I just looked at him and shrugged, and then we turned in for the evening.
The next day was our final ‘Fun Day at Sea,’ so I told the boys to choose what they wanted to do and have fun. Most went off on their own, but the three youngest stuck with us.
“Barry’s starting to feel bad because he’s going to have to go home soon,” Andrew whispered to me, when he thought no one else could hear.
“That sometimes happens when you’ve been away and having a good time, like when you go to camp,” I informed him.
“No, Dad,” Andrew corrected me. “He sad about having to leave us. Barry, Jesse and I have had a lot of fun together, but I can tell he really loves being with you too. I know he still loves his father, but he really feels close to you, because of all the things you’ve done for him.”
“It’s just because we took him on the trip with us,” I reasoned.
“That’s part of it,” Andrew agreed, “but it’s also because you treat us so well and didn’t get mad when you found out we did sex things together when we were camping. He didn’t even get upset when you came into our tent and saw him naked, but I think he would have, if anyone else had come in. It’s also why he wanted us to come to Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day.”
“I think that was because he wanted to see you again,” I countered.
“And you too,” Andrew challenged. “He told me so, before he said his dad was going to call you. Even after Jesse caught us having sex, you didn’t get mad. Barry thought we’d get a spanking because of that, but you just listened to what happened, and what Jesse had to say, and then you let him join us too. You even told us we’d probably done him a favor and Barry thought that was really awesome. He feels he can talk to you about anything and why he doesn’t bother to put anything on when you come to our room. He’s cool with you seeing him like that, but if it were anyone else, he’d probably freak out. He tells me all the time that he thinks you’re cool and he loves being around you.”
I didn’t know how to respond to this, but obviously Barry had overheard some of what Andrew had been telling me. He came over and wrapped his arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “He’s right. I do love you and love being with you.”
“And I feel the same way,” I replied, while choking back my emotions. “In fact, I’m going to try to get your family to let you spend time with us as often as I can and I want you to know you’ll always be welcome to join us.”
After I told him this, he hugged me again, before I thought I should change the topic. I then asked the boys what they’d like to do for the rest of the day and explained Jake and I were willing to do whatever they wanted, no matter what it was. The only stipulation was that we wanted them to choose what we were going to do. After thanking us for doing this for them, the boys decided they wanted to go see one of the shows they’d heard some of the others talking about, so we went there next.
For the rest of the day, the three munchkins were in charge of what we did and it was obvious they were pleased we went along with them, willingly. After dinner, they said they just wanted to hang out with us, so I suggested we could do that at the pool. After getting changed and covering Andrew’s cast, we went to spend the rest of our time in the water.
During our stay at the pool, Jake and I often found Barry close by our side or climbing onto our laps, whenever we took a break and sat in the chairs beside the pool. I could tell he was thinking ahead, about having to fly home. I knew it was going to be a very emotional parting for all of us, but I did promise we’d have him join us again and would come to Chicago and join his family next St. Patrick’s Day.
That night, the boys wanted to stay with us, so we were going to try to squeeze onto our queen-sized bed. When we realized that wasn’t going to work, Jake volunteered to sleep in the boys’ room and Andrew quickly said he’d stay with Jake. He told me he was fine with that, before adding that Barry and Jesse really wanted to spend time with me. I agreed to the arrangement, but only after hugging and kissing both Andrew and Jake and telling them I loved them.
Jesse and Barry weren’t about to budge when it came to the sleeping arrangements either. Both boys were insistent that I sleep between them, so each of them could be close to me without having another body between us. Although I’d prefer not to be in that position, I agreed to do it and spent the night with a boy cuddled up on either side. They each had an arm draped across my chest, but Barry also had a leg slung over mine as well. They seemed comfortable and slept well, but I can’t say I had a good night’s sleep. That’s because I prefer to sleep on my side and do not do well sleeping on my back. However, feeling the love the two of them were sharing with me more than made up for it.
We docked in Miami at 8:00 the following morning, collected our gear and went directly to the airport. Barry’s flight to Chicago left a little after 11:00 and our flight to Philly was scheduled to leave just before noon. When we reached the airport, I called Farrell, to remind him to meet his son’s flight, before I put Barry on the phone. For the next twenty minutes, I listened as Barry excitedly recounted many of the things we had done during the time he was with us, and then he handed the phone back to me.
When I got on the line, Farrell joked that I had made it tough for him to keep up, so he hoped Barry wouldn’t be too disappointed by the vacation they were going to take with his wife’s family. Before we said good-bye, I thanked him for letting Barry join us and told him his son was an absolute pleasure. Farrell questioned if we were speaking about the same kid and then laughed, as we ended the call.
The situation became very emotional, when we all said our good-byes to Barry. It was particularly rough for Andrew, Jesse and me, because we had spent the most time with him. I reaffirmed the promises I had made to him previously, before handing him off to the flight attendant. We then watched as they walked off to catch their plane. Barry turned to wave at us several times before they disappeared from sight and I could tell he was also crying. Hell, the three of us were too!
Later, after our flight landed in Philadelphia, we had a similar problem when it came time to say good-bye to Carlos and Ted. After leaving the airport, we picked up Carlos’ mother and then drove to the restaurant to meet Jane. After we were seated, the rest of us listened as Carlos and Ted explained to the women what they’d done and what a great time they’d had.
Actually, this meal served a dual purpose. Since Ted would be turning eighteen in four days, I decided we’d make this a birthday party for him too. I informed the hostess when we arrived and asked if they could do something special for not only him, but also the entire group. I said cost wasn’t a factor and she said she’d take care of everything. Therefore, after we finished our meal, the staff came out carrying sundaes for everyone, but Ted’s also had a candle in it. Before passing them out, they sang to Ted, but it was the restaurant’s own version of a birthday song. Once we had our desserts, we serenaded Ted with the more traditional tune, although I had asked everyone not to do it too loudly, since the other guests had already been disturbed by the prior performance.
“Wow, I didn’t know you knew my birthday was coming up,” Ted gasped, “so I certainly didn’t expect this. And thank you for taking me with you. That was the best birthday present ever.” We were all pleased Ted was so happy and got a kick out of the fact that it took him a while to calm down again.
After we finished up and we went outside, Ted took his belongings out of our vehicles and placed them in his Aunt Jane’s car. Then, he raced over and wrapped his arms around me.
“Thank you, Pop, and I love you,” he said, before hugging me. After that, he also hugged and thanked Jake, Sammy and a couple of the other boys before he left too.
Jane just watched and smiled, as her nephew did this. She then thanked us too, before she and Ted got in the car and drove off. We could see Ted waving at us through the rear window, as the car sped away.
We then took Carlos and his mother back to their place, and after he got his things lined up on the grass, he also came over to give me a hug.
“Mucho gracias, Papi,” he whispered, as he was squeezing me. “I love you too.” I take it he had heard what Ted had said, when he was saying good-bye to me at the restaurant.
Carlos then said good-bye to the others and then the rest of the family got back into our vehicles to make the long drive home. Just before we separated, to get into our own vehicle, Jake looked over and said, “Yeah, you’re right. You can’t do this much longer.”
I knew it was just another little dig about what I’d said after Andrew’s accident and realized he got me again. Playfully, I reached out and punched him in the arm.
“Uht oh, cat fight!” Danny shouted out, which prompted some of the other boys to make their own comments about what I had done. Damn, they don’t miss a trick.
Shortly after we arrived back at our place, I had to get Peter to start packing up all of his things too. I’d be taking him to the airport in two days, so he could catch his flight to Australia. He had already stayed longer than we first negotiated with his parents, although they didn’t have a problem with him remaining with us a little longer so he could join us on the cruises. However, I knew we had to make sure he caught this flight, even though he’d probably be agreeable to staying even longer, if I offered him that option.
We made sure all of his things were clean before he packed them, since I didn’t want his parents to get the wrong impression about us. I also had Peter call his mother and father, to make certain everything was set on that end too. It didn’t take long to discover it was a go – that was except for Peter.
Peter was having a difficult time saying good-bye to all of us, so I decided I might be able to make it a little easier on him. I quickly dug out the catalog I’d received from the Australian company; the one I’d used to purchase his laptop and his parents’ television before Ricky returned home. Then, I sat down with Peter and tried to offer him a little comfort.
“Peter, I know it’s always difficult to say good-bye,” I began, “but we’ll keep in touch. I don’t mean we’ll just send letters and emails back and forth either.” At this point, I pointed to a picture on the page I had opened to in the catalog.
“I have ordered this web-cam, microphone and headphone for you,” I informed him, while flipped to three different pages, “so you can use them on your laptop. They should be there by the time you get back and I want you to use them when you want to get in touch with us. We all have web-cams, microphones and headphones on our computers too, so this way we can actually see and talk to each other, rather than just IM back and forth. I know it’s not the same as being here, but at least this way it won’t seem as bad.”
“You bought all that for me too, after everything you’ve already done?” Peter gasped. He sounded incredulous.
“They weren’t expensive,” I explained, “but they will help us to remain close. I also hope we might be able to visit you sometime or you’ll be able to come back to see us again. Just let me know if you think that’s possible and I’ll help with the arrangements.”
At that point, Peter threw his arms around my neck and began squeezing. “You’re even better than Ricky told me, when he first came to stay with us. I won’t forget you – ever!” he promised. “I don’t usually say this to a bloke, but I really do love you. It’s as if I have two families – one at home and one here in the States, and two more dads. Thank you, so much, for everything. You really have changed my life. I’ll never be the same Peter that Ricky met when he first came to Australia. I’ve seen and done too much and now I want to do more than spend my life in the small place I grew up in. That wouldn’t have happened without you.” He hugged me again and I know a few tears were sneaking out of my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. I was truly touched by what he’d just said.
The boys said farewell to Peter at home, because they opted not to ride to the airport with us. I wasn’t sure if they just weren’t ready to sit through another long ride or if they didn’t want to make us take two vehicles again. Whatever the reason, Jake and I were able to squeeze everyone into the Yukon when we took Peter to catch his flight. The ride seemed to take longer than normal and I could tell it was quite emotional too, at least for those riding in the rear two seats. The boys kept talking to Peter and telling him how much they were going to miss him, and Peter thanked each of them for everything they had done during his stay. I knew he was thanking them for much more than just the sex and it was obvious more than just Ricky and Peter found this parting difficult. It was very emotional for all of them.
After arriving at the airport, we walked Peter to his gate and hugged him again before he left.
“You set that web-cam up when you get home and then contact us, so we know you’ve arrived safely,” I told him. “If it isn’t there yet, you call me collect if you have to, but I want to know you made it home.”
“I will,” Peter promised. “Even though this is going to be a long flight, I’ll probably end up blubbering all the way back. I really hate to leave.”
“We hate to see you go, too,” I told him, “but I think you’re parents might get upset if we tried to keep you.” Peter let out a choked laugh.
“I suppose they would and I’m anxious to see them again too,” he confirmed. “It’s just that you’ve become my other family and it’s so difficult to leave you behind.”
Instead of speaking, we just hugged Peter again and then watched, as he made his way toward the plane. We stood there for a few minutes longer, after he had moved out of sight, but I wasn’t sure if we did this because we didn’t want to see him go or if we thought he’d coming running back to join us. That didn’t happen, so eventually we left the airport and drove home, but none of us stopped thinking about Peter all the way back.
The End of book 8.