The Castaway Hotel:
The Next Generation Book 4
By: B W
(© 2020-2021 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

BW@tickiestories.us

Chapter 45
Interesting Times.  

Shortly after we returned to school following the Christmas/New Year’s break, we learned the boys who’d been charged with indecent sexual assault for stripping Tamara would be going on trial in about a week.  Jury selection would begin a week from the day we returned to classes.  We were also told the defense attorneys for the boys who held her legs and the one who took her clothes off were trying to get plea agreements for their clients, but the prosecutor turned them down.  Obviously, the prosecutor felt he had a strong enough case that the trial shouldn’t take very long and he’d get a conviction for each of the boys. 

At the same time, the GSA members realized that attacks against Tamara would probably start ramping up again.  They’d concluded that some of the other students would unjustly blame her for what was happening to their friends, the ones who’d attacked her in the first place, and then they’d try to make her pay for it.  Therefore, the GSA members were working out a schedule so a couple of them would be with her at all times during the school day, to help deflect that kind of abuse. 

The GSA members would all be ready to use their phones to take videos of whatever happened, so there would be no question as to who was at fault.  They’d also asked the principal if he would have the teachers stand outside their classrooms while the students were passing between classes to also defer any aggression against Tamara.

Other than that, the transition of returning to school after the holidays went fairly smoothly.  Everyone at the house was back in the groove of getting up early every morning for the ride in, and Dion and I were back following our lesson plans and instructing our students again. 

The older boys had homework nearly every night, although Xander and Wyatt only had homework a couple times each week, but they all understood it had to be done first, before they could do anything else.  They also realized that if they adhered to this plan, then we’d let them have the weekend to themselves.  They were also motivated by the fact that their grandfather still had ties to the school district and that Dion and I were teachers, so we’d quickly be notified if they began to mess up. 

On Thursday, Joshie and Benny came to speak with Dion and me about a particular issue. 

“The other boys want to go tobogganing this weekend, but none of the older kids are here any longer, so can we take them tobogganing instead?”

“Can we trust you to be reliable and not pull any foolish stunts on the toboggans with the other boys?”

“Yeah, we’ll be really careful,” Joshie confirmed. 

“Yeah, we saw what Elliot and the others did, and we’ll do the same thing, so you won’t have to worry.” 

“Ok, in that case we don’t see any reason why you can’t do that as long as you act responsibly.” 

“Yeah, we will.” 

When they went to speak with Danny and Brandon, though, it was to discuss a different issue with them. 

“We thought you should know this, cuz we think Tristan and Revin have been blowing each other,” Benny told them. 

“How do you know that?”

“Cuz I was passin’ by Tristan’s room on New Year’s Eve and thought I heard them doin’ it, but I wasn’t sure,” said Benny. 

“But then I heard them whisperin’ on the ride home tonight and they were plannin’ to do it again this weekend.  I guess Revin is comin’ home with us on Friday?”

“Yes, we agreed to let him stay here on Friday so his mom could go out with some of her friends from work.” 

“Well, I think they’re plannin’ on doin’ it again, so we thought you should know.” 

“I’m sure it won’t harm them if that’s all they’re up to,” replied Danny, “but I’m glad you told us.  I think Brandon and I will have a little chat with them when they go to Tristan’s room on Friday.”

“What about you two?  Are you still having sex?” asked Brandon. 

“Yeah, we had sex on New Year’s Eve too, and we’ve been doin’ it fairly often,” answered Benny.

“How often?” snapped Brandon. 

“Prob’ly two or three times a week.”  But from the expression on Benny’s face, there was a good chance they’d been doing it more often than that. 

“Are either of you having any problems?” asked Danny. 

“Like what?” countered Joshie.

“Well are either of you having any pain in your rectum, a burning sensation in your penis, or any other physical problems like that?”

“Not now, but I was a little sore at first when Joshie started fucking me, but I’m used to him now and everything’s been fine.” 

“What about you, Joshie?”

“Nah, I haven’t had any problems takin’ Benny.  He’s not as big as I am.”  After hearing that, Benny punched him in the arm.  “He’s not small, but I haven’t had any problems with him doing it to me.”

“Ok, I’m glad to hear this, and thanks for the heads up.”

After Dion and I brought the boys home from school on Friday, we let them do whatever they wanted until dinner, although we told them they wouldn’t have time to go tobogganing tonight.  They weren’t happy about this, but we told them they could do it the next day instead, and a little while after Danny and Brandon arrived home, we all sat down to eat.  I could tell Danny and Brandon were keeping an eye on Tristan and Revin throughout the meal, although they were doing it discreetly.  I assume they were trying to see if the two were trying to communicate on the sly, although I doubted the boys would do it when we were all together.  

When we finished eating, the boys went to the family room to watch TV, and when we went to check on them, we discovered they were watching the Dead Poets Society.  It was a great movie, and we hadn’t seen it in a while, so we went in to join them.  It was still as moving as it had been when we watched it before, and it only emphasized what a great loss it was to all of us when Robin Williams decided to take his own life. 

As soon as the movie ended, we sent the boys upstairs to get ready for bed, and then the four of us went up to tuck them in and say goodnight.  We started with the four youngest boys first, and then we let Danny and Brandon go in alone to speak with Tristan and Revin.  I wasn’t there to hear what they were saying, but they filled us in when they came downstairs, so I can tell you what happened. 

“After saying goodnight to both of them, I asked a question,” began Danny,  “I asked if they’d been having oral sex, and they looked at me oddly, so I realized they didn’t recognize the term, so I rephrased my question and asked if they’d been blowing each other or sucking each other off.  They both turned red when they realized what I was getting at.  After they admitted that they had, Revin begged me not to tell his mom, so I promised I wouldn’t. 

“I told them there was nothing wrong with what they were doing,” added Brandon, “and boys their age often experimented when they reached puberty.  Even though they had just turned twelve, they had both started puberty a few months before their birthdays – kids seem to be maturing earlier now.  Anyway, they finally admitted that they’d been doing this since Tristan’s birthday party.” 

“And then I asked if they’d been doing anything else,” continued Danny, “and they said just jerking each other off, but that was it.  I just asked that they not let the younger boys see or find out about what they were doing and told them to lock the door when they were engaged in either of those activities.  They agreed they would, so we gave them a few pointers and told them we’d give them some lube for when they were masturbating each other.  Other than that, they seemed to be doing just fine on their own.  We also advised them that if they had any questions or concerns that they were to come and talk to us and never worry, because we are here to listen and help them.” 

After breakfast the following morning, Joshie and Benny took the boys tobogganing.  They all seemed to be enjoying it and there weren’t any fights or problems.  Since it had worked out so well, we agreed to let them do it again after lunch and on Sunday after church.  Unfortunately for Revin, his mom picked him up after lunch so she could spend some time with him, but we’d see them both again on Sunday when we picked them up for church. 

Speaking of church, switching churches was working out quite well.  Pastor Cleary was going out of his way to make sure our family felt comfortable and welcomed there.  Unlike Rev. Belec, who demanded that we do things his way and agree with his interpretation of the scriptures, Pastor Cleary used his sermons more as a lesson.  He would introduce a portion of scripture and then make certain we understood what it was saying, but then he allowed us to use free-will to determine how we could best use it in our lives.

Many of the other parishioners were chatting with Beth and Katie and asking them when their babies were due, since they were both showing.  Beth was due first, near the end of March, and Katie was due in mid-April, which meant we’d be having a couple of baptisms after that.  That’s because at this church, they baptize babies by sprinkling water on their heads, but then the child can choose to be baptized again when they get older through immersion.  At our old church, no one was baptized until they were older and made the decision for themselves, even if they were under a bit of social pressure to do it, and the baptism was also done through immersion.  Some churches, such as our current church, want to make sure every child is baptized early, in case something were to happen to them before they were old enough to make the choice to be baptized through immersion. 

When we got home after having brunch with the rest of the family, the boys changed quickly and went tobogganing again, and while they were gone, we did some planning of our own.  It concerned Pop, so we sat down to have a chat with him. 

“Your birthday is coming up,” said Dad, “but it’s on a Tuesday this year, so would you rather have your party on the weekend so others can also attend and celebrate with you?”

“I don’t think Shannon and Nick will be able to come, so it’s not really necessary to do that.”

“But there are others who would like to celebrate with you.  You’re not only Shannon’s father and Nick’s father-in-law, because when we got married, you became the father and grandfather to a whole lot more.”

“I know, but they’ve probably got more important things to do than celebrating an old man’s birthday.  We don’t even invite all of the others for the kids’ birthdays either.”

“But you’re their Pop and Grandpa Jake, not just some old guy.”

“I don’t know, so let me think about it.  I’d be satisfied with a small party after dinner on the night of my birthday with those living here.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” demanded Dad.

“I’m not stubborn.  I just don’t see a need to make a big deal out of my birthday.” 

“Ok.  But let me know if you change your mind.”

When I was helping Dad fix dinner later, he whispered to me.  “I’ll talk to Dion and you about Jake’s birthday tomorrow before Jake gets home from work, and then you two can tell Danny and Brandon later.” 

“Ok, we can do that.”

After dinner, we checked with the boys to make sure they’d done their homework, and once they confirmed they had, we told them they could watch TV or do other things until it was time for bed.  Most of them watched TV until it was time for them to shower, and then we went upstairs to tuck them in after they were done.  After we tucked in the younger boys and bid them sweet dreams, we went over to say goodnight to Joshie and Benny, and that’s when we discovered they had something else on their minds. 

“The trial starts tomorrow,” Joshie said, “so I hope no one starts giving Tamara any crap.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see while hoping for the best,” I replied. 

“Did the Principal tell you and the other teachers about being in the hallway between classes?”

“Yes, there was a memo in our mailboxes on Thursday that told us to do that until further notice.” 

“Yeah, we noticed a few teachers doing it on Friday, but not all of them.” 

“They probably just forgot about doing it, but I think they’ll all be in the hallways from now on, at least until the trial is over, and maybe even longer.” 

“K, I hope so, because I don’t want Tamara to have to go through more crap over this.” 

“I think we all feel the same way.”

When we arrived at school on Monday, we noticed a group of GSA members standing around Tamara as they waited to be let into the school, so Benny and Joshie went over to join them.  I went to check in, looked to see if there was anything in my mailbox, and then I went to my classroom to get ready for the day.  When the bell rang, the students came streaming into the building, so I went out to monitor the hallway. 

After each class ended, I would follow the students out of my classroom and then stand in the hallway looking around until the second bell rang.  Then I’d go back inside, take attendance, and start my lesson. 

When the school day ended, I met up with Joshie and Benny as we waited for Dion to pick us up.  “So how did your day go?” I asked.

“It was good,” answered Joshie.  “We ate lunch with Tamara and no one picked on her while we were with her.”

“I guess that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah, we think so,” replied Benny.

Before we sat down to eat dinner, Benny turned on the TV in the living room so we could see if there was anything on the local news about the trial.  To our surprise, it was the lead story. 

“Jury selection started today in the trial of the students who have been accused of the indecent sexual assault of a transgender student at the local high school.  All members of the jury have been selected and sworn in, and the trial will begin with opening remarks tomorrow.”

“At least they didn’t mention Tamara’s name,” stated Benny.  “I think it would have been worse for her if they had.” 

“Yes, you’re probably correct about that,” the rest of us agreed. 

The following day at school went about the same as the previous one, except I heard some gossip in the faculty room.  I waited until we got home before I mentioned it. 

“The word around school today was that three or four jurors were immediately disqualified because they said they didn’t believe there was such a thing as a transgender person.  They said it was just a boy seeking attention.”

 

“I don’t think he’d be willing to have his dick and balls cut off just for attention,” scoffed Benny. 

“No, and that’s why they were disqualified,” I agreed.

“Do you think there could be others on the jury that feel the same way but just didn’t say anything?” 

“Of course, that’s possible,” stated Dad, “but it might be grounds for a mistrial if they bring it up in the jury room during deliberations.”

Benny and Joshie discussed this more amongst themselves after dinner, but that conversation didn’t include the rest of us.

When we got home from school that evening, the boys turned the TV on so we could listen to the local news while we were eating dinner. 

“Opening remarks were given this morning in the trial of the male students accused of indecent sexual assault on a transgender student.  I was told that they’d forcibly held the person down near the football field at lunchtime and removed that person’s clothing.  During the afternoon session, the prosecution began to present its case, but due to the nature of the trial, it was done in a closed courtroom, so we’re unable to bring you the details of what took place.” 

“It sounds like the announcer doesn’t know what to call her,” stated Benny.  “He kept calling her ‘the person’ or ‘that person’.”

“Yes, it happens a lot with transgender individuals,” I concurred.  “They don’t know if they should refer to them by their biological gender or the gender they identify with.” 

“Yeah, that kinda sucks.  Do you think they didn’t give any names to protect Tamara or the guys accused of assaulting her?” asked Joshie.

“Probably both.  Even though the boys are being tried as adults, I’m sure none of the parents wants this to be broadcast any more than it has been already, especially if they aren’t convicted.”

“Yeah, you may be right.”

Things went about the same on Wednesday, and once again we listened to the newscast while we ate dinner.  “The prosecution continued to lay out its case today against the male students charged with indecent sexual assault.  We were told that multiple witnesses testified, but that’s all the information we have.” 

When we got to school on Thursday, I talked to a few of the other teachers before I went to my classroom.  One of the female teachers told us the following: “I heard they showed the video of the boys attacking Tamara in the courtroom yesterday.  I believe a couple of the boys involved agreed to testify against the others for a reduced charge.” 

“How did you find this out?  Even the reporters couldn’t get details.”

“I heard it from the parent of one of the boys who testified.” 

“I didn’t know you were close to any of them.” 

“I’m not, but I had a couple of those boys in my classes last year and I happened to run into one of their mothers at the grocery store.  She had just left the courthouse and was all wound up and wanted to talk, so I listened.  It seems that the parents were able to wait with their sons in the hallway, so they knew what was going on.” 

“I’m surprised they didn’t keep the witnesses separated.”

“Since they swore in an affidavit to lock in their statements, it seems the lawyers weren’t worried about them changing their testimony.  If they did, they could be charged with perjury and their plea agreement would be null and void as well.  I don’t think either of them wanted to take that chance.”

“No, I suppose not.”

When Benny turned on TV to listen to the news, this is what we heard: “From what little information we could get from our sources, it seems the transgender student was on the witness stand for the entire day.  I would imagine the DA spent part of the day trying to clarify the student’s account of what happened during the alleged attack.  On the other hand, I imagine the various defense attorneys were grilling the student about the claim of being transgender and if that was the reason for the attack or if there might be another reason.  We know high school kids fight and horse around all the time, and that would include ‘pantsing’ each other, so I’m sure they were trying to discover if this incident might have been misinterpreted.”

“Man, that sucks.  The announcer sounds like one of those guys who doesn’t believe that Tamara is really transgender or that what they did to her is a big deal.”

“Yes, and that surprises me, since reporters usually try to be impartial,” responded Dad. 

“I can’t believe she was on the stand for the entire day,” said Joshie.  “That must have been really rough on her.”

“Yes, I suppose it was,” I agreed.  “Hopefully, they allowed her to take breaks to compose herself, because that must have been grueling, especially when she was facing the defense lawyers.”

“Yeah, I bet they were really rough on her,” agreed Joshie.

On Friday, it seemed that everyone was talking about the news report of the previous evening and what effect it had on Tamara.  She was absent from school, so it was obviously difficult for her to endure and emotionally draining and upsetting.

When we got home that evening, the news story went like this:  “According to our sources, around mid-morning the prosecution rested its case against the students accused of indecent sexual assault against a transgender student, and then the defense began presenting its case after lunch.  The court will also be in session for a half-day tomorrow, and we’ll bring you more information when we have it.” 

“Damn, the trial is going really fast,” observed Joshie. 

“I had a feeling it might,” said Dad, “since the prosecution not only had the video, but they had the two boys who agreed to testify against the others.  They also had Tamara give a first-hand account of what happened, so it’s an uphill battle for the defense.”

“Do you think they’ll reach a verdict next week?”

“I’m really not sure.  It’s my understanding that each boy has a different defense lawyer, so each one will most likely want to present his own defense of his client.  That means they might try to drag it out for as long as they can, but considering what the prosecution had, I’m not sure that strategy will be effective.”

“Do you think they’ll be found guilty then?” pressed Benny. 

“I’m not in the courtroom, so I don’t have all of the information.  Their guilt or innocence will be determined by the jury.” 

When the boys woke up on Saturday and discovered how cold it was outside, they decided not to go tobogganing.  Unfortunately, it had remained cold throughout the week because we were caught in an arctic blast of air that swept down from Canada.  However, the sun warmed things up a few degrees by lunchtime, so the boys went out after they ate, but then they came in long before it started to get dark.  To their dismay, it had started getting colder every second that they were outside, so tobogganing wasn’t quite as much fun as they had hoped it would be. 

Once they came inside and took off the clothes they’d worn outside, we had them stand around the woodstove in the corner of the foyer until they got warm.  As soon as they were ready, I made them hot chocolate, hoping it would help as well.

When the news came on TV Saturday evening, the reporter told us the following: “The defense continued to present its case today in the case of the students accused of indecent sexual assault, and they will pick up where they left off on Monday.”

“It sounds like they’re getting close to wrapping this up,” said Dad after hearing what the reporter said. 

“Yes, we could have a verdict by sometime next week,” I agreed.

The rest of the night was fairly relaxing because we watched TV with the boys and it gave us a chance to spend a little downtime with them.  When the final show ended, we sent them up to bed, and then we went up to tuck them in after they’d finished their showers.

On Sunday morning, we went to church again, and afterward we all went to the diner for brunch.  Today was slightly different, though, because when we finished eating, the staff brought out a sheet cake and set it down in front of Jake. 

“Since you never gave me an answer,” began Dad, “I felt this would be a halfway measure.  I knew you didn’t want to have a special party with everyone coming to the house to celebrate, but since we do this together every Sunday, I called and asked the manager to have the staff prepare a special cake for your birthday.  Happy Birthday, Jake!”

“Happy Birthday, Pop,” said the older members of the family.

“Happy Birthday, Grandpa Jake,” said the younger group. 

“Thank you, but you didn’t need to do this,” replied Jake. 

“Pop, I know you weren’t comfortable dealing with us when we were younger,” stated Dustin, “but we all love you and you’re our Pop.  When our baby is born, we’re going to make sure he or she calls you Grandpa Jake too.”

“And the same goes for us,” added Cole. 

“You’re a valuable member of this family,” continued Danny, “even if you seem to prefer staying in the background most of the time.  We just want you to know that we all love you and you’re as important to this family as Dad.”

I think this left Pop speechless and I believe I saw him wiping away a couple of tears that had escaped from his eyes. 

“Grandpa Jake, we all love you too,” said Wyatt with the rest of the younger boys nodding their heads in agreement.  “You helped make the tree house for us and we really love it, and we love you too.”

“See,” said Dad.  “I know you always acted as if this was my family, but it’s our family and you’re an important part of it.  I hope this proves it to you.”

“It’s just that you guys were already a family before I came along,” said Pop, “and I know all of you were willing to take Shannon and me in, but I didn’t want to interfere with what you already had.” 

“Let me put it this way.  I had my biological family before I took these boys in, but I didn’t treat them any differently than I’d treated my biological children.  Some of my kids had problems with us when we first became partners, but we worked that out, and afterward none of them treated you any differently than they did me.  I understood your reluctance about dealing with the other boys, since you weren’t used to being around or dealing with kids other than Shannon, but they always looked up to you as their other dad, or Pop as they called you.  I thought by now you would have realized this.”

“I always knew you and I were partners, and now husbands, but I always kind of felt I should let you guys have your space and not interfere.”

“Then you were the only one who felt that way, because to the rest of us, you were just another part of our family, not an outsider.”

I think Jake was finally beginning to realize that he has always been part of our family and the only thing stopping it was the way he looked at things.  He seemed to perk up and enjoy himself a little more as we ate the cake, and then he thanked all of us several times before we left the diner. 

When we got home, the boys changed quickly and then headed outside because it wasn’t quite as cold today.  They stayed out until dinnertime, and of course, there was nothing on the news about the local court case since nothing would be happening until the following day. 

The rest of the day was fairly quiet and we noticed the boys asked Pop to join them when they went to the family room to watch a movie.  The rest of us decided to let them have time alone with Pop and didn’t join them.  We actually had things to do, but we were glad to see that Pop agreed to do it with them and he seemed to fit right in. 

When we got home from school on Monday, Joshie and Benny turned on the TV again, to see what had happened at the trial today.  It didn’t take long before the announcer came on.

“The defense lawyers in the trial of the students accused of indecent sexual assault used the day to call the boys’ parents to the stand as character witnesses.  I was told that the parents explained to the jury that their sons had never done anything like this before and they were basically good boys.  The defense attorneys also tried to call other character witnesses to the stand, but the Judge wouldn’t allow it, so they called their clients to the stand instead.  It’s our impression that the prosecution’s cross-examination of the students was intense and took up much of the day.”  

“Wow, they called those guys to the stand to tell why they did that,” gasped Joshie amazed. 

“Yes, I’m surprised the lawyers called them as well, but I guess they didn’t have much of a choice and there was nothing left to lose,” stated Dad. 

“They probably lied and said they were just horsing around,” scoffed Benny. 

“Yes, I suppose they did,” I agreed, “but I wonder how many of the jurors bought their act, if any, if that’s what they did?” 

“Yeah, I hope none of them did,” commented Benny. 

The school was abuzz on Tuesday, because everyone thought tomorrow would be the last day of the trial and they were all eager to find out what the verdict was going to be.  Some of the students were even offering odds on whether it would be a guilty or innocent verdict.  Even though it appeared they were betting, I imagine their math teachers were happy to see they were utilizing some of the material they had learned previously. 

As soon as we got home, Joshie and Benny turned on the TV in the living room, but nothing was said until the news came on just before we were about to sit down to dinner.

“The defense rested its case this morning, and both sides gave their closing statements during the afternoon session.  We were told by someone who had been inside the courtroom that the defense attorneys didn’t contest the facts of the case.  Instead, they merely questioned how involved their clients were in those events or if there had actually been indecent sexual assault.  They also argued that teenagers often pull pranks of this nature and it’s merely done in fun and shouldn’t be charged, because it appeared they were merely pantsing the other individual.   However, now the case is in the hands of the jury and we’ll see if they agree with the defense on any of their claims.  The Judge said he would charge the jury tomorrow morning, and then they will begin deliberations.” 

“Wow, the trial only lasted just over a week,” said Joshie. 

“Yes, it doesn’t tend to take long when there’s an abundance of evidence and witnesses against the defendants,” responded Dad. 

“Do you think the lawyers’ claims that they weren’t involved or this was just a prank will have much of an effect on the outcome of the trial?” asked Joshie. 

“First of all, I don’t think the lawyers’ claims that their clients weren’t adequately involved and shouldn’t be held accountable is bogus.  They all acted as a group and in concert with one another, so what one did, they all did.  It’s like if you’re involved in robbing a bank, and even if you’re just the getaway driver, if you’re caught you will be charged and sentenced the same as those who actually committed the robbery.” 

“But what about their claim that it was just in fun and stuff like that happens all the time?” followed Benny. 

“I’m sure kids play grab-ass and pants others all the time, but it wasn’t what happened in this case here.  These boys were trying to embarrass and humiliate Tamara for being different, so I doubt that argument will work either.  However, juries can be unpredictable at times.”

“Yeah, I suppose they can.” 

We then sat down to eat, and since it was Pop’s birthday, Dad had fixed his favorite meal – a pot roast with Caesar salad to go with it.  I think it had something to do with Pop’s Irish heritage, but we all enjoyed the meal in any case.  As we were finishing dinner, Dad went out to the kitchen and returned carrying a chocolate cake with fudge frosting, and it had a large 5 and 3 on the top.  If you remember from Dion’s birthday, not only was this the boys’ favorite cake, but it was also Pop’s favorite, so Dad had fixed this for him and not for the boys. 

Dad set the cake in front of Pop, lit the candles and we sang Happy Birthday to him, and then Pop made a wish and blew out the candles before he started cutting the cake.  While he was doing that, some of us went to retrieve the gifts we’d bought for him, and we placed them beside him as he and Dad were passing out the cake and ice cream. 

We had been at a loss for what to get Pop, so we relied on Dad’s suggestions before we went shopping.  In the end, we got him a pair of lined deerskin slippers to wear around the house on cold winter nights and had the boys give those to him.  Danny and Brandon had their sons give him a comfortable pair of work shoes, since he was always complaining that his feet hurt when he came home.  Danny and Brandon, as well as Dion, and I, each gave him a couple of nice shirts that he could wear to church or when he and Dad went out.  We didn’t see what Dad gave him, so we figured it was something personal and private. 

“Thank you, everyone.  I’ll get a lot of use out of your gifts and I really appreciate them, as well as each of you.” 

“And we appreciate and love you too, Grandpa,” said Benny and then Joshie and the other boys quickly said the same thing.  It was a nice ending to his special day.

To be continued...