Published: 14 Jul 2022

From Previous Chapter:

It took Mr. Ken more than ten minutes to calm Mark down. He learned the boy was not only crying because of his parents being injured and not being with him, but because his new ‘brothers’ didn’t have any parents that wanted them.

All the foster dad could tell the new boy was that his new ‘brothers’ parents were in trouble and until their situation was settled, they and their boy couldn’t ever get back together. Mark finally understood so he went, drained his dragon and went to bed.

During the night, the rains came as Mr. Ken had predicted. When the man went out to get his newspaper, he felt the refreshed, cool air and welcomed it. He hoped it would stick around for a few days, but in central Texas, in July, that wasn’t going to happen.

Momma had Mr. Ken’s first cup of hot coffee ready for him when he sat down in his preferred chair at the Kitchen Nook table. Chief was there to get a few behind the ear scratches before heading back up to her boy’s room to check on him.

Mr. Ken separated his paper into the sections, as he was prone to do, and when he looked at the front page of the Local Section, he saw the minor headline in the lower left corner. It had to be a slow news day for them to print that a day after the event.

Mr. Ken shook his head, then read the article. The news reporter described the fight he had with Bennett Grafflers on Wednesday and how he was able to keep the man from potentially killing Kaden Stylers, the teenager who was his accomplice in the Goldersons’ home invasion.

The article went into some detail as to how Bennett Grafflers was trying to smother Kaden with his pillow, but the teen was fighting him off when Ken Thomas came to the room to visit the teen and saw the two struggling. The reporter said that Ken Thomas pulled the man off the teen and threw him to the floor.

The article went on to describe how Grafflers got off the floor and charged Mr. Thomas and the two exchanged blows with the younger man getting the upper hand. Then Grafflers began throwing objects at Mr. Thomas in order to injure him enough to get him out of the way, so he could escape the room.

The article included a description of Grafflers injuries and that he would now be charged with attempted murder along with the pending changes from the home invasion. The piece did mention that Ken Thomas did receive a few stitches himself for his trouble.

Mr. Ken read that Anna Stylers told the reporter that her son was taken in by those three men and was promised all sorts of things and that he didn’t know what he was getting into when he got involved with them. The woman also decried the man’s attempt to kill her son and she thanked Ken Thomas for his timely arrival, and not forsaking her son after disinviting him from his estate a few weeks back.

Mr. Ken smiled at the detail in the article. He figured the reporter was allowed to talk to Kaden and the teen was able to tell the news person a lot more about the fight from a front seat perspective. He also noticed how Mrs. Stylers was beginning to defend her son and starting to mitigate his actions the night of the home invasion. He silently wished them good luck.

As the man was reading his newspaper, the boys began to arrive in the Nook for breakfast. As soon as Mark arrived, he went to Chief’s bowls, cleaned them, then filled them with fresh water and kibble. The boy then added some ice to the water bowl. Chief then went to the boy and gave him some doggie kisses for doing that for her.

Momma Maria had breakfast ready and waiting for the boys and as they arrived, she quickly fixed it and then served it to them. Mark loved the fact that every day he had something different and it all tasted so wonderful. He liked his mom’s cooking, too, but Momma Maria’s was so tasty that he knew he would never ever forget it as long as he lived.

Mr. Ken reminded Robert, Kevin and Kyle to be showered, dressed and ready for the Bandera DA at ten. He told them that Stewart Russell would be there to support them, as well. He then told the other boys that they would not be invited to listen in.

Mr. Chris asked the boys to help him take the soccer net and boundary markers out of his vehicle before they headed up for their showers. Mark eagerly jumped at helping, knowing that Mr. Ken had bought them for him.

When the boys went out to the car, they saw the portable soccer net needed to be put together. Mark asked his ‘brothers’ to help him put it together before they got their showers. He then asked where they could find some tools to do that.

Charles told Mark he’d help, and had Mark go with him into the garage and they went right to the tool chest. Matthew decided to follow along to learn how to do things. Mr. Chris went inside to tell his boss what the boys were going to do.

When Mr. Chris went inside, Mr. Ken told Chris which soda vending machine he wanted him to order and he was to call and ask them if they had an electrician who could install a dedicated outlet and, if not, he was to find one who could do the job today. Mr. Chris knew he needed to jump on the job ASAP.

Mr. Ken initially was going to go outside to help them, but he figured Charles was old enough and, after their experience with building the lockers, they should be able to handle that. The man also needed to be ready for the DA, himself, so he went to his private retreat to get ready for the man.

Charles then decided he needed to see the instructions before they pulled out too many tools. So, he went back to the soccer net box and found the instructions. The teenager then laughed. Mark and Matthew asked him why he was laughing. Charles showed them the instructions that said they didn’t need tools. All three boys then laughed.

The three Covers took the soccer net out of the box and they carried it out to the field and took everything out of its storage bag and began the process of setting the net up. Mr. Wayne was curious to see how the boys were making out, so he went outside to see what they were doing.

The Estate Master was surprised that the boys had the thing almost set up when he got out to the field. Charles told the man that all they needed to do was slip the pieces together to form the frame and then attach the net. The teen then said they needed to find the dimensions of the soccer field so they could set out the boundary markers. Mr. Wayne was impressed.

Stewart Russell arrived at 9:45 that Friday morning and was met at the Foyer Door by Mr. Ken. The two men went into the Study to await the Bandera DA.

At approximately 10 a.m. two men arrived at the Main Gate and when they identified themselves, the guards let them into the estate. As they drove to the Foyer Door, the guards called Mr. Ken to let him know his guests were on their way.

Mr. Ken was surprised to see Detective Joel Carrier get out of the car. The two shook hands and then the detective introduced Bandera DA Lorenzo Garzira. The three men went into the house where Mr. Ken introduced the boy’s lawyer, Stewart Russell, to the men and then the boys.

The DA was surprised there was a lawyer there representing the boys, since they hadn’t done anything wrong. Mr. Russell told the DA he was there to ensure the boys weren’t taken advantage of and the preparation went smoothly.

When the boys finished setting up the soccer net, Charles Googled the measurements for a soccer field. He told the boys that depending on the age group, they would need to set up different boundaries. So, the teen showed Mark the numbers, since he was the one who wanted to play soccer, and asked him which they should use.

Mark looked at the two different sets of numbers and asked if they could use the 55 yards wide and 80 yards long ones if there was enough space. Charles held out his arm and waved it to show the boy the size of the field they had to work with. Mark knew they would have enough room.

The next question was, how they could layout the field, using the dimensions they had, so the field would be square. Mr. Wayne was listening to the boys talk the problem out, and was impressed they were considering doing that. He was also looking at the time, and he knew he needed to get Mark cleaned up, so they could get over to the hospital.

“Mark … you need to go in and get your shower and then get ready, so we can go over to the hospital to visit with your parents. We also need to get some clothes for Billy, so if he can come home today, he has something to wear.

“Charles, Matthew … I’m going to make a phone call. And if everything works out, hopefully there will be someone over here later today to mark out the field. Keep your fingers crossed. I’ll let you know if it is possible. Now, all of you go in and get cleaned up,” directed the Estate Master.

Bandera DA, Lorenzo Garzira, was grateful for the preparation George Morris and his team did to get the three boys ready for Julian Hankers trial. The boys were focused and they knew how important their testimony was at the trial and now all he had to do was ensure that what they would say was pertinent to Parker Parchsons trial, that would get him convicted and sent away for a very long time.

Wayne Mitchell called the phone number the coach gave him and when the person answered he explained who he was and why he was calling. Then he asked who the people were who lined their fields and if he could have their phone number, as he had a large field, he wanted lined into a soccer pitch. He got the phone number.

The Estate Master made another phone call and when the person answered Mr. Wayne explained the reason for his call. The Cover was disappointed to learn that to line a soccer field the first time they needed a surveyor to set the corners and that was an expensive proposition and those people were not readily available.

The man Mr. Wayne was talking to suggested he buy a couple of 100-foot tape measures and some large carpenter squares and then just wing it. Mr. Wayne thanked the man for his help and then hung up. Then the Estate Master got an idea.

The Estate Master called Mr. Ken’s construction group and talked to the supervisor and explained to him what he wanted to do. The supervisor said he could do something like that, but it wouldn’t be 100 percent accurate. Mr. Wayne told him as long as they were within 95 percent of square that would be acceptable. They set up a time to be there.

Mr. Wayne then called the people who lined the soccer fields and told them he had a construction survey team set up for that afternoon and could they come over to Three Finger Cove and line a field there. The men laughed that he was able to get something like that done so quickly, and agreed to be there at the arranged time.

Mark had gotten ready to go visit his parents, and went and found Mr. Wayne. He had gathered some shorts, a polo shirt, underwear, socks and sneakers for his ‘big brother’ to wear if he was coming home with them.

Before the two Covers left for the hospital, the Estate Master told Charles what he put into motion and asked him to coordinate with the two groups who would be there at about 3 p.m. The man also stopped at the Main Gate and told the guards about the two groups coming to the estate and asked them not to hold them up. He told them Charles would be in charge.

At the hospital, Mark was surprised to learn that his dad was moved from the ICU Ward to the Step-Down Unit. The nurse explained to Mark that his dad didn’t need the Intensive Care he was getting in the ICU, but he would still be monitored closely, but not as intensely as he was.

The boy and his guardian were shown where to go and in a short while they were entering Levi Golderson’s new hospital room. The boy ran to his dad and hugged him close.

The Covers and Levi talked about his move to the new ward and the man told them that he was feeling much better and was even walking around now. He told them that he’s been able to visit with Miriam and that has helped them both mentally.

Mr. Wayne told the man that tomorrow Mr. Ken had invited their friends over for a picnic, and because of that, Mark would not be coming over to visit. Levi asked who was coming over and was surprised to know it was the Oxtters, Wrockmans, Kypkers, Splicers, Arkeres, Boemiellers, Huggertses and Konnelles. All of their close family friends.

Wayne told Mr. Golderson that everyone wanted to meet Mr. Ken and see everything that Billy had told them about. The Estate Master told the man that they would arrive around eleven and they would leave when they had enough. Levi was jealous he couldn’t be there.

Mark told his dad that they were only going to have hamburgers and hot dogs and their fixings, along with potato salad and baked beans. The boy also told his dad how he asked Mr. Ken if he would buy a portable soccer net and some boundary markers and Mr. Chris picked them up and brought them to the house that morning. The boy then added that Mr. Wayne was going to have the field lined so they could play soccer.

Levi heard the enthusiasm in his son’s voice and knew that allowing him to stay with Mr. Ken versus shipping him off to one of his family members was the best decision. The boy had all these other boys to play with, and with all the amenities The Cove had, the boy wouldn’t be bored at all. The only problem he saw was, what would happen when he had to move home to his old mundane life.

Levi did tell Mr. Wayne that Delta Oxtter had contracted with a remediation company to clean up the mess at the house today, and that Mr. Ken’s construction company could start fixing his home next week. Mr. Wayne told the man he would pass the information onto his employer and then it would be up to him and the construction supervisor to get contracts signed, etc.

Mark then moved on to visit with his mom. He hugged her and then they talked about tomorrow’s picnic and why he wouldn’t be over to visit with her tomorrow. Miriam was also surprised that all of their friends were going over to Mr. Ken’s for the picnic. She, like her husband, was jealous that she wouldn’t be there, but Mr. Wayne said that when she is up and about, he could almost bet his employer would have her and her husband over for a visit.

The Covers hadn’t eaten before they left to head over to the hospital and it was now going on 1:30 and Mark was getting hungry. Mr. Wayne asked him if they could stop by Billy’s room to see if he was being discharged today and, if he was, then they could go and get something to eat while the teen was getting his paperwork together and his last-minute instructions.

The two Covers walked over to the Pediatric Ward to see if Billy was going home with them and when they arrived at this room, they found him gone. They asked the nurse if she knew where he was, and she told him he was down the hall talking to Kaden.

Mr. Wayne and Mark walked down the hall to Kaden’s room and found the two teen’s talking. Their entrance startled them both. Billy said he needed to know why Kaden had planted the drugs, and so he took advantage of Kaden being there in the hospital and went to talk to him.

Mr. Wayne told the teen he hoped he got what he wanted and was able to put to rest that terrible chapter in his life. The Estate Master then asked the teen if he was going home with them today. Billy said he called Mr. Ken to tell him he was being released, but Mr. Chris told him he was busy with some lawyers and that you would be here.

Mr. Wayne asked Billy if he was ready to go. Billy said the doctor still needed to sign the release papers and give him his care instructions. Mr. Wayne recommended they go back to his room and ask the nurse to call the doctor and get the process started.

As the three Covers were leaving, Billy told Kaden he wished him good luck in getting some of his charges reduced. Kaden told him thanks, and that was what Mr. Ken had told him on Tuesday when he stopped by. The two waved at one another and soon Kaden’s room was empty except for the injured teen.

Mr. Wayne asked the nurse what they needed to do to get Billy released to go home. The nurse checked the file and then made a few phone calls. That started a series of people coming to the teen’s room to take final vitals, give him prescriptions for the medications he needed to take for the next week to ten days and drop off his wallet.

When they were finished, the nurse then went over his wound care instructions and what he could and shouldn’t do as his cracked ribs healed and his internal organs recovered from the massive injuries they received. She specifically told him no skateboarding, or riding anything that would jar his ribs or internal organs like speedboats, or go-karts. Billy was completely dismayed at hearing that.

The last process before Billy could be released was the doctor had to stop by and actually sign the release forms. That was the most aggravating and time-consuming waste of time the Covers encountered.

Mr. Wayne asked the nurse countless times where the doctor was, but she could only tell him that he had been called and they had to wait for him to make his rounds. The man finally arrived close to 3 p.m. All he did was listen to Billy’s heart, ask him how he was feeling, then sign the release papers and then he left the room. His bedside manner left a lot to be desired.

By this time, Mark was starving and Billy also wanted something other than hospital food to eat. But Billy was required to ride a wheelchair out to the hospital entrance and for that they had to wait for a hospital orderly to come by with one and push the teen there. Another ten minutes was wasted getting Billy out of the hospital.

Mr. Wayne couldn’t believe the way the hospital treated its patients when they were being released. None of what Billy needed to have done was coordinated ahead of time even though the hospital knew the day before the teenager would be going home on Friday. Everything that the hospital required to be done was performed in a haphazard manner with no regard to the patient’s mental health and desire to get home.

The three Covers stopped at the first fast food restaurant they came to. Both boys had burgers and fries and a large drink. Mr. Wayne had both, but a medium drink. They talked some more about what happened the night of the home invasion and what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Golderson and, of course, Billy.

Billy then learned that Mr. Ken invited all of the Golderson family’s friends over tomorrow for a picnic and Mr. Wayne was having the open field lined for Mark and his friends to play soccer. Billy couldn’t wait to get home.

Of course, Mr. Wayne did have to drop Billy’s prescriptions off at the pharmacy before they went home. The pharmacist assured the man the medications would be ready after six and he told the man that the store closed at nine. Mr. Wayne said he’d be back after dinner.

The three Covers arrived back at The Cove around 5 p.m. When they entered the estate, they stopped and watched the men finish lining the open field with a soccer pitch. Mark was happy as could be. Here he had his own soccer field that they could play on tomorrow and any time they wanted to. He also noted there was a second soccer goal set up. He had to ask Charles about that.

Mark also noticed another addition to the Pavilion. So, he told his ‘big brother’ to look over in that direction. Billy couldn’t believe what he saw. So, he asked Mr. Wayne if that was indeed a soda vending machine. The Estate Master told the teenager that Mark suggested they get one instead of icing down the sodas every day. Billy smiled and then ruffled his little ‘brother’s’ hair for suggesting such a great idea.

The Covers’ friends saw that Billy was stopped in the van with Mr. Wayne, and they all ran over to talk to him. The boys all welcomed the teen back ‘home’ and they all wanted to shake his hand. They also wanted him to tell them all about the home invasion from his point of view, but Mr. Wayne told them that Bill needed to get down to the house to see Mr. Ken. He told them they could all talk to him tomorrow at the picnic.

“Welcome back home, Bill,” offered Mr. Ken, as the teen entered the house through the Foyer door. The two shook hands and Mr. Ken gave the teen a slight hug knowing he had to be careful he didn’t hurt the boy’s ribs.

The other Cover boys who were there, also wanted to welcome their big ‘brother’ back home. They all shook hands with the teenager and patted him on his back, knowing not to hug him because of his injured ribs.

Chief stood back patiently waiting her turn to welcome her other boy back. And when she got her chance, she jumped up with her front legs on the teens shoulders and gave the teen some well-deserved doggie kisses. Billy returned the sentiment with some behind the ear scratches.

After all the welcoming was over, Mr. Wayne told his boss that he dropped Bill’s prescriptions off at the pharmacy, before they came home, and he needed to pick them up after dinner. Mr. Ken thanked his Estate Master for doing that. Mr. Ken then asked Bill if he needed to rest up some down before dinner. Bill said he would like to, if there was time.

Mark went with Billy up to his room, while Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne went into the Study. There the owner of The Cove sarcastically thanked his employee for taking over his open field and turning it into a soccer venue.

Mr. Wayne was going to explain, but Mr. Ken told the man that Charles explained it to him after Bandera DA, Garzira left around 2 o’clock. Mr. Ken told Wayne that it was a good call, on his part, and that he liked that he used his connections to make it happen. Wayne Mitchell was relieved that he wasn’t in trouble.

Mr. Wayne then asked where the second soccer net came from. Mr. Ken told him that when Charles told him that he’d coordinated to have a full soccer pitch surveyed and lined out, he knew he needed a second net, so he sent Chris out to get another one. Mr. Wayne smiled at hearing that.

For dinner that night, Momma Maria served spaghetti and meatballs, with a side salad and toasted garlic bread. She knew that it was a comfort food for the boys and with Billy coming back ‘home’, she wanted to give him something he would appreciate.

When dinner was over, Momma had a special dessert. She had everyone remain at the table and when she returned, she had what looked like a sheet cake, but in reality, it was fifty cupcakes in a rectangle of ten across and five high with the words WELCOME HOME BILLY spelled out in the middle. Billy almost broke out in tears when he saw it.

The teenager got out of his chair and went over to Momma and thanked her for doing that for him. He hugged her, but not too tight as he didn’t want to hurt his ribs. Billy told her he was very happy to be ‘home’ and that he hoped he never had to leave again. That was when the teen did break down and cry. Momma cried right along with the teenager. All of the boys got tears in their eyes, as well.

There was a celebration like atmosphere there in the Kitchen Nook that Friday night as the Covers welcomed Billy home. There were chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with so many to eat that each Cover had at least three and they washed them down with their favorite drink of either chocolate or vanilla milk or hot coffee.

When the celebration was over, everyone thanked Momma for making such a great meal and dessert. They all gave the woman a big hug, then they headed to the Study to talk as they normally would after dinner.

Mr. Ken again welcomed Bill back to The Cove, and then he reviewed what was planned for The Cove for Bill’s sake. The man reviewed the picnic scheduled for tomorrow and told Bill that it was planned to begin at about eleven and go until people got tired and decided to leave. Mr. Ken reviewed the names of the families who were coming. Billy smiled when he heard that Alexa would be there.

Mr. Ken then briefed the boys, and Mr. Wayne, that Bandera DA Garzira, had planned to start jury selection on 2 August and hoped to begin the trial that Wednesday or Thursday. The man said that he and Robert, Kevin and Kyle will need to be down there beginning that Wednesday and would be there until needed and if not, they would be home Friday night and would return Monday.

Mr. Ken told the boys that Mr. Chris was reworking their trip and they all needed to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. ‘Dad’ Ken said he was still looking to do what they did the last time and that was to spend about two days at each park. The boys were happy to hear that.

Mr. Ken also told the boys that Billy would be going along, but because of his injuries he wouldn’t be riding any roller coasters or any ride that would jar his rib cage or internal organs. Billy moaned and then asked what if Doctor Powers gave him the OK. ‘Dad’ Ken said they would have to wait and see.

Then, for Bill’s sake, Mr. Ken told the boys again about his going to hire a part-time person to help around The Cove and fill in for Mr. Wayne at times, and a Project Manager who would work his projects after he gets things working.

He also told Bill that when the office building was finished, he would be moving his Study office there and he would work from the office building from then on. The man told Bill that there would be other changes happening around The Cove and as they were implemented, he would make sure all of the boys knew about them beforehand.

Mr. Wayne then looked at the time and said he needed to go and get Bill’s prescriptions. Matthew then asked if they could go with him and then stop and get some ice cream at Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone. The rest of the boys agreed.

Mr. Ken asked them if they hadn’t had enough sugar with all the cupcakes they’d eaten after dinner. Kevin said he didn’t remember eating any cupcakes, and then asked his ‘brothers’ if they ate any cupcakes. The boys looked around at one another and then they all agreed they hadn’t. Mr. Ken knew when he was being wrapped around their little fingers, so he agreed, but only if Mr. Wayne was buying.

Mr. Wayne pulled out his wallet and checked to see if he still had that black credit card his employer gave him. He pulled it out and showed it to the boys and said, “It looks like I’m buying.” The boys all cheered.

Mark was perplexed by what just happened. He knew if he tried that with his parents he’d be sent up to his room. He asked Matthew how they got away with that.

Matthew said that Mr. Ken was only kidding about not going out for ice cream. The Cover told his newest ‘brother’ that their ‘dad’ always treated them well and they usually went out to the Go-Kart Track or Miniature Golf Course and when they went out to eat, they usually stopped at DQ for soft serve.

Matthew then asked Mark who bought the soccer net and boundary markers and how hard was it to get them for the picnic. Matthew then told Mark that if any of his ‘brothers’ asked their ‘dad’ for something that is practical, their ‘dad’ would usually get it for them.

Mr. Ken heard Mark and Matthew talking and he decided he’d pull the boy aside later and explain a few things to him, but for now, they were all headed over to the pharmacy to get Bill’s medicines and then they’d go and get their ice cream.

When the boys walked into Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone, Conner was surprised to see Billy walk in with them. The teen came from behind the counter to greet him and give him a hug. Billy told him to be careful because of his cracked ribs. The teens talked for a minute or two, but Conner was working, so he needed to get back to work.

Matthew explained to Mark that their ‘dad’ owned the store and he just opened it around the end of June. The Cover told the new Cover that they don’t come there all that often, as they only serve hand dipped ice cream, but they usually get banana splits or big sundaes. It was then they were asked what they wanted.

Both boys got banana splits, as that was what all the other Cover boys got. Mr. Wayne used his black credit card and Conner readily accepted it, had him sign the top copy and then gave him the bottom one. All nine Covers went outside to eat their concoctions.

When it was time to return to The Cove. Mr. Wayne went back inside and retrieved the cup of ice cream he had them keep in the cooler until they were ready to go home. The man gave it to Mark to present to Chief when they returned home. All the boys began warning Mark about Chief, and how she would bowl him over to get to the ice cream.

The boy’s ‘big ‘brother’ calmed his little ‘brother’ down. He told him to tell Chief he had her treat and to politely ask Chief to please sit. Then, once she did sit, to place it down front of her. The teen then warned the boy that the resident pet would come to him and give him some cold doggie kisses.

So, that’s what Mark did when he returned to The Cove. He went inside the Kitchen Nook, called Chief and told her he had her treat. He asked her to please sit and when she did, he placed the double scoop of vanilla ice cream down in front of her. When Chief was finished, she gave Mark some very cold doggie kisses. All the Cover boys laughed when that happened.

Mr. Wayne gave Bill his prescription medicines and they read the instructions together. The Estate Master then had the teenager take them with a glass of water. The man gave the teen the plastic bottles and told him he was responsible to take them as directed. Billy said he would.

Mr. Ken told the boys to head on up to their rooms and that he’d be up in a few minutes to say goodnight to them. The two men talked about the changes that would now happen with there being seven boys at The Cove. Mr. Wayne said that Mark would probably only be there until about Labor Day and then things would go back to normal, whatever that was. Both men laughed.

The men went upstairs and Mr. Ken started at Bill’s bedroom and worked his way to Mark’s.

In Bill’s room, he asked the teen not to overdo his activities tomorrow, and when he began to feel tired, he needed to sit down and even think about coming down to the house and taking a nap.

The teen smiled at the nap reference, but he told Mr. Ken that he was feeling tired earlier and if they hadn’t gone out for ice cream he would have come up and gone to bed. Mr. Ken told him to sleep in and not worry about breakfast.

In Robert, Charles, Kevin, Kyle and Matthew’s rooms, he asked them to keep an eye on their older ‘brother’ to make sure he doesn’t overdo himself, and if they thought he was getting tired, to tell him to go sit down or to go take a nap. All of the boys chuckled at the nap reference.

In Mark’s bedroom, Mr. Ken decided to tell the boy about why he treats the boys the way he does.

“Mark … I overheard you and Matthew talking earlier about the way the boys got me to take them out for ice cream. You see, Mark … they are away from a normal home environment so … so I try to make up for that by giving them … what I think they sort of miss. Am I spoiling them? In a sense I probably am, but … but I think they deserve it to make up for the situation they’ve been forced into.

“Look what’s happened to you. You are away from your parents, for now, and I’ll try to make up for that as the days go on,” counseled ‘dad’ Ken.

“You mean like buying the soccer nets and lining the field, so we can play soccer?” asked Mark.

“Yes, I guess you could say that, ‘son’. Mark … I want to help compensate … for what you are missing, for now. One thing that is different with you is, as compared to the other boys, is … is that after four to six weeks, or more … you’ll be actually going home to your parents. Your ‘brothers’, though, well Bill, Kevin, Kyle and Matthew probably won’t ever be going back to their parents.

“You heard me mention Bandera DA Garzira and that Robert, Kevin and Kyle would be going down to Bandera. They will be testifying at a trial which was why the DA was here today. He was preparing the boys for what he expected them to say when asked. I can’t tell you why they will be testifying.

“As I told you before, only the boys can tell you why they are living with me. I know that is not what you want to hear, but please … please let the boys get to know you. Once they do, I’ll bet they’ll tell you more about themselves.

“Now … what say you get to bed? Go drain your dragon and get a good night’s sleep. OK? You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, with all of your friends coming to see you,” finished Mr. Ken, who then ruffled the boy’s hair.

Mark sat there for a few moments, and then said, “Mr. Ken … thank you … thank you for taking me to live here with you!” Mark then jumped onto the man and cried. Mr. Ken just let the boy cry himself out. When the boy was finished, he apologized for crying.

Mr. Ken told him that he wasn’t the first boy who cried and that his crying lets the bad feelings out and lets him move on. Mark thanked him for talking to him and he liked that it was so private and personal.

Mr. Ken ruffled the boy’s hair, again, and told him to go drain his dragon. The man scratched Chief behind her ears and when the boy returned, he closed the door as he left the room.

The Cove was quiet the entire night.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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