The Castaway Hotel: Book 5

Once Kevin reached the podium and before he could say anything, the president asked him to explain about his family, which caused Kevin to blush again. I think he was hoping he’d just be able to say ‘thank you,’ accept his award and then rush back to join us at the table. However, his hopes were now dashed.

Although he appeared reticent to discuss this in front of the others, especially those who had been unwilling to do more than introduce themselves earlier and didn’t appear enthused about hearing his story now, Kevin was also in no position to refuse such a politely asked request. In that light, he gave those assembled the short and sweet version of our family’s history and stopped just as soon as he felt he had met his obligation.

I think most in the audience could identify with Kevin’s uneasiness and this led to a rather unexpected side effect. Kevin’s apparent modesty and discomfort seemed to be an endearing quality to those who were actually listening to his explanation, which made it less difficult for them to accept his having been chosen over their loved one. When he finished his narration, Kevin thanked the association for this wonderful honor and then received a nice round of applause from most of those in the audience.

As soon as he was close to us, Jeff jumped up to shake his hand, while beaming with enough pride for the both of them. I think Jeff’s mother and I were equally proud of our sons.

Shortly after Kevin returned to our table, the ceremony ended and those in attendance began to leave, some quite abruptly. Jeff told Kevin he was pleased the two of them had won, as they appeared to need the scholarships more than the others. This caused Kevin to look even more sheepish, since he knew he was in a far better financial situation than his new friend, maybe even better than most the others who had been finalists.

At that point, Kevin excused himself and told me he wanted to go to speak to the president of the organization. I thought he was doing this to thank him personally, or merely get away from an awkward situation, but he got up and walked forward, leaving me to talk to Jeff and his mother while he was away. It was a just a few minutes later when Kevin returned, and I saw him pull Jeff aside.

“I just talked to the president and got him to agree to let us switch our scholarships,” Kevin announced. Instead of looking happy, Jeff seemed confused by his statement.

“But why would you want to do that?” he challenged. “Your scholarship is way better than mine.”

“I know, but I also have quite a bit of money put away for college,” Kevin informed him, “so I can afford to pay for at least part of my expenses.”

“No, that’s not fair,” Jeff objected. “You won fair and square, and you should have the better scholarship.”

“Please, Jeff. I want to do this for you,” Kevin pleaded. “Even though my dad adopted so many boys, we have quite a bit of money for the family and Dad made sure all of us boys had accounts in our own name to use for college or start a business. I actually have enough money to pay for college on my own and I didn’t even apply for this scholarship. One of my guidance counselors put my name in for it and then told me to write the essay about why I wanted to become a pharmacist. I didn’t even really know what it was for and didn’t even remember that I gave it to the counselor to send it in, until I got the letter telling me that I was a finalist.”

“But you didn’t even talk this over with your dad first, before you went up and talked to the president about it,” he pointed out. “What is he going to say? Isn’t he going to be mad?”

“Heck, no,” Kevin replied, almost chuckling. “He’ll understand and approve of it. I know he will. You just watch.”

At that point, Kevin walked over to me, got my attention and then proceeded to tell me what he had done. I knew he must be waiting for my reaction, so I just smiled, hugged him around the shoulder and told him that was a very generous and selfless thing to do. Then I told him I was proud of him.

Jeff seemed shocked by my attitude, so I reached over and extended my hand to shake his, telling him to use the scholarship wisely and make the most of it. After he got over his shock, he promised he would, and then his mother made sure to thank both Kevin and myself for having done this for her son. In fact, she even did something else. She gave Kevin a hug and then kissed him on the cheek. After she released him, Kevin shared some other news with us.

“The president told me all the publicity has already been sent out, so any articles we might read about this will state that I won the full scholarship and Jeff had won the partial,” he explained, while looking a bit nervous. I think he suspected Jeff might get upset about this fact. “They’re still willing to let us switch them otherwise, so I hope this doesn’t bother you too much.” He was looking at Jeff as he said this, while trying to gauge his reaction.

“No way. You should get the credit anyway, since you really won!” Jeff exclaimed, eliminating Kevin’s concern. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me, though. I was happy to have won the partial scholarship, although I knew it meant I would have to work while I was at college, so I could pay for my dorm room and other things. Now, this will let me concentrate on my studies and I’ll only have to work a little, for spending money and such. I hope we end up in the same place. Do you know where you’re going yet?”

“Yes, I’ve been accepted at Temple,” Kevin told him.

“Really? That’s great,” Jeff gushed. “I’ve been accepted by both Temple and Pittsburgh, but I haven’t made up my mind which one to choose yet. I told both places I had to wait and see about this scholarship before I could decide if I could afford to go,” Jeff explained, “and both places told me that was fine, as long as I let them know no later than the first week of June. The thing was, I knew I wouldn’t be going to either place without some kind of help and I had to win a scholarship to make it happen.”

“Well, now that’s settled,” Kevin replied, “have you decided where you’re going to go?”

“Yes! I’m going to tell Temple I want to go there now, so we can be together,” Jeff announced, hopefully. “Is that okay with you?”

“That would be fine with me,” Kevin told him, “if that’s where you really want to go.”

“Well, both places have very good departments to study pharmacy,” Jeff admitted, “so I would have been happy going to either one. Now, I prefer Temple, if it means we might be in the same classes.”

“Great, then maybe we can see if we can also become roommates,” Kevin suggested. “Possibly I can get my dad to pull some strings for us, since he knows lots of important people.” I cleared my throat when I heard him say that, to let him know he shouldn’t give Jeff any false hopes. After all, to my knowledge I knew no one with any connections to Temple University, no matter what my son thought.

However, neither boy seemed to catch my drift and both were looking at me with those pleading puppy-dog faces. I immediately told them I couldn’t make any promises, but I’d see what I could do on their behalf. The boys then hugged each other, while Jeff’s mother thanked us both again, and then Kevin and I walked them out to their car. As we said our good-byes, I invited them to visit us sometime, and then all of us headed to our respective homes.

On the way back, I told Kevin once more what a wonderful gesture he had made and how proud I was of him. That’s when he told me it was just his way of helping someone else, like I had helped him and his brothers.

“Dad, look at it this way. It wasn’t a tough decision for me,” he explained. “I’m going to college whether I have that scholarship or not. In fact, I’ve been planning on going to Temple and paying for it myself, even before I knew I was even in the running for it. The difference was, Jeff might not have been able to go in the first place, or maybe he would run out of money before he graduated and have to drop out. But now that he has the full-scholarship, he won’t have to worry about anything but his grades. I just wanted to make sure he had every chance to improve his life too, and the partial scholarship will be more than enough for me.”

I thought about this and realized he was right, yet I was still very proud of him for having reasoned it all out on his own, and then act upon it. Therefore, I told him so, once more, and then we rode the rest of the way in silence. As I drove along, I continued to think about his good deed. Maybe people are right when they say that one random act of kindness can take root and will end up multiplying and spreading from one individual to another. I guess this was Kevin’s way of making sure he passed his share of kindness along too.

Kevin and I drove straight home that same evening, since tomorrow was going to be another full day for us. He was going to graduate the following afternoon, along with Danny and Brandon, so I wanted to get home as quickly as we could. I was so proud of the three of them, as they had all done very well in their classes, and although none of them were valedictorian or salutatorian, they were all in the top ten percent of their graduating class.

Kevin was able to get some sleep on the ride back, but only for less than half of the trip, as he was still too wound up from winning the scholarship and thinking about what he had done for Jeff. It was well after midnight, by the time we got back to the house, but I woke Kevin up and helped him inside and to his room, since he was still a little groggy. I helped tuck him into bed next to Vinnie, who woke up and wanted to know the details about what happened. We told him he’d get the whole story in the morning, so he just cuddled up next to Kevin and prepared to go back to sleep. I kissed them both before I left the room, and then I went to my own room to get some rest.

Jake also woke up when I entered, although I think he might have awakened when we came in the house, but thought it best to just wait until I came to bed. Since I was so tired, I merely told him Kevin had won a scholarship and he’d get the full story over breakfast. He must have realized I was beat, so he didn’t protest at all, and I crawled in next to him and dozed off pretty quickly.

I did sleep well, although I also had many dreams that evening, mostly about the boys. During my slumber I relived the moment Kevin receiving the scholarship, thought ahead and pictured the graduation ceremony and then had a vision about what the house would be like next fall, with so many of the boys going away to school. When I awoke the following morning, I was experiencing a mixture of emotions, ranging from pride over the boys’ accomplishments, gratitude for the example they had set for their younger brothers, love for all they have meant to me, and a tinge of sadness, because I realized they would all be leaving me before too much longer.

This caused me to wonder if I’d be going through this same dilemma every year, as more and more of the boys went off to school, and then I speculated how much worse it would be when the last of them left the nest. I had gone through something like this before, as my older children left home, but the thought of having to live through the separation-anxiety again was not a comfortable feeling. However, I made it through once and was sure I could do it again.

Once Kevin was awake, I let him fill everyone in about what happened at the banquet and that he had been awarded the scholarship. As he spoke, I watched the reactions on his brothers’ faces. They were all beaming with pride over their brother’s accomplishment, but nearly every jaw dropped open suddenly, and a couple of the boys nearly fell out of their seats, when he told them about having swapped scholarships with the boy at our table. I think the younger ones thought he was nuts for doing that, but once they got over their initial shock of swapping a full scholarship away to a total stranger, it appeared the older ones not only understood, but agreed with his actions.

“You know, that was a super move you made,” Frankie told him. “I guess that must mean you think like Dad and put those less fortunate ahead of yourself.” He looked at me and smiled, then winked. All I could do was mouth a silent ‘thank you’ in return, before adding more that the others could hear.

“Too often people are only concerned about what they can get for themselves,” I began, “whether they’re businessmen, politicians, professional athletes or merely everyday citizens. No matter how much they have, they’re always looking to get more, even when there would be no way for them to spend and enjoy their accumulated wealth. Not only that, but the majority don’t care whom they hurt, whom they cheat or what means they have to use to get what they desire. I believe a major reason for this is that many people no longer believe in God or a higher power and these individuals doubt there is life after death, where they’ll be required to account for their misdeeds. If they are right, then they’ll have the last laugh. However, if they’re wrong, their short stay on earth enjoying their material gains will seem like an abbreviated rest break, as compared to spending an eternity suffering for their greed and lack of a moral compass.”

“All you have to do is read the newspaper to see that,” Brandon scoffed. “If it isn’t some politician trying to get something for himself or a businessman screwing the public or taking advantage of some loophole, it’s some celebrity going for even bigger bucks, even though they already have enough for three lifetimes.”

“I guess I might have done the same thing Kevin did,” Danny told us. “After all, Dad has made sure we’ll all be able to go to college, so why should we deprive some other kid of the same chance? I agree with what Kevin did and I think he might have made a life-long friend by doing it.”

This comment seemed to bother Vinnie, who had already begun to consider himself Kevin’s life-long friend, if not more, but it got a bit worse after that. Once Vinnie learned both boys were now going to Temple and wanted to be roommates, that little green monster called jealousy started to rear its ugly head. He wasn’t happy they would be alone in a small dorm room on campus and began imagining what they might do there.

As the rest of us left the table, I saw a lot of whispering going on between Kevin and Vinnie. I envisioned the problems this might cause and hoped Kevin wouldn’t end up with another failed/broken relationship. I was getting very tense about the situation and was wondering if there was anything I might be able to do to help, but then I saw Vinnie relax slightly. At that point, I assumed Kevin had found a way to reassure him that he and Jeff would only be friends and let the matter drop after that. Heck, none of us even knew if Jeff was straight, bi or gay, so this would not even be an issue, if he turned out to be straight.

After breakfast, everyone was busy getting ready for the ceremony, so I made my rounds to make sure each of them had what he needed and was dressed appropriately for this occasion. While we were finishing up, Brandon’s parents arrived at the house to join us. They had flown in on Friday night and had been staying with other friends in town, as they thought we were already too crowded for them to join us. They had also taken Brandon and Danny out the previous evening, while Kevin and I had been at the scholarship banquet, and had a quiet dinner with the boys. Now, they were here to pick up Brandon, Danny and Kevin, so they could get them to the school on time. The graduates had to be there an hour before the rest of us, for final instructions and to make sure each of them was there to participate.

That gave the rest of us a little extra time to accomplish everything we still needed to do, which included getting the graduation cards and presents out, while some of the others hung the banner congratulating our current celebrities. Of course, we were also planning a party in their honor as well, so we got some of those items taken care of before we left.

Almost as soon as they arrived at the auditorium, the graduates went off to join their classmates and don their caps and gowns, in preparation for the big event. Mr. and Mrs. O’Hara went to stake out the best seats and save enough for the rest of us. When we arrived, they spotted us and began to wave to get our attention, so we could join them. I guess they’d received some flak about taking up so many places and felt the mild harassment would end if those seats were occupied.

As soon as we were comfortable, Jake and I began to chat with Brandon’s parents and found out how they’d been doing since we last saw them. Once they filled us in, we told them about some of the things that had happened to us during that same time, including the near disaster with Cole and Graham’s mother, Trey’s video success and Kevin’s scholarship. They both seemed intensely interested in everything we had to say and thanked me, once again, for allowing Brandon to stay with us until he graduated. They were so thrilled he had done so well and had been accepted to attend such an outstanding institution as the University of Pittsburgh that they thanked me several more times.

Before the ceremony began, we also finalized plans for Brandon to join them in Texas in a couple more weeks. Brandon’s mother had originally wanted him to come and spend the entire summer with them, but he had too many other things he wanted to take care of before he left. Besides, he didn’t really want to leave Danny for that long, since they were already going to be separated as soon as the semester started, so that idea was quickly nixed. After much more negotiation on the topic, Brandon and his parents finally settled on having him join them in June and then staying through July. He’d return to Pennsylvania in early August and remain with us until he left for college, a week or so later. Neither he nor Danny was thrilled about it, but that’s what was going to happen.

It seemed as if it took forever before the ceremony began, and it did start twenty minutes later than scheduled, but there was no explanation given. Some of the boys were growing restless and bouncing around in their seats, but everything settled down quickly, once Pomp and Circumstance started to play.

I snapped off a few pictures of the graduates as they marched past where we were sitting, and I used the zoom lens to get a couple more photos of them as they sat on the stage. I also made my way forward to take a few more snapshots of each of them as they received their diplomas, and again as they marched past us on the way out. Once the ceremony was over and we were together again, Jake and I took all kinds of pictures, with the graduates together, of them with their parent(s), them with their brothers and various other combinations. We must have taken at least sixty pictures before we were through.

When we were done with that, we went back to the house to set up the final items for the graduation party we were throwing for them, while they whooped it up with their other friends. The boys had invited nearly all of their classmates and much of the faculty and staff, and I made sure we had plenty of food and drinks to go around. We had a variety of non-alcoholic beverages for the graduates, to eliminate the temptation, but there was also a keg for the adults. Frankie and Dustin were in charge of keeping an eye on the keg and the only thing I asked them, besides making sure only those of legal age were allowed to drink, was that they made sure anyone coming to fill up could tell them who their designated driver was. I figured that would help to prevent any problems later.

Even before any of this started, I knew this was going to be a long day. Even though the party began around mid-afternoon, it lasted late into the evening. The surprising thing was, there were no problems, no one got rowdy or carried away and everyone seemed to have a good time. If only everything could go so well.