Published: 28 Jul 2022
From Previous Chapter:
Bill said he still didn’t understand why the men blamed him for ‘Smokey’s’ and ‘Greaser’s’ deaths. He knew Charles told him what happened the night of the 4th of July last year and he could only blame ‘Smokey’ himself for being so arrogant in thinking he could get Charles to go with him, and then take the boy by force. That, Bill knew, was the beginning of the man’s own downfall.
Bill lightly hugged Mr. Ken for accepting him back at The Cove and when they separated the teen had tears falling down his cheeks. Mr. Ken told Bill he was glad to have him back.
The boys woke up and they wanted to go out for breakfast. Charles was always the one who asked, so he was delegated to go down and ask their ‘dad’ if he’d take them. The teen came back and told his ‘brothers’ to hurry up and get showered and dressed.
Mark took his shower with all of the Cover boys that Sunday morning, and Billy smiled at that, since his little ‘brother’ finally got to take a shower with him. But here was a shower room with only four shower heads, and seven boys trying to get cleaned up. Billy knew he needed to say something to Mr. Ken.
“Thank you for taking us out for breakfast Mr. Ken,” said Mark, as the Covers drove over to Four Corners that morning.
“You’re welcome, Mark. I knew you boys were looking to go out, so I decided this morning when I got up that I would take you all out,” answered Mr. Ken.
“As compared to what? Only taking … some of us out?” teased Charles.
“Yes, and you, my son, would have been the one I would have left home,” teased back the teen’s dad. All the boys laughed.
Mark smiled at what he was hearing. He was an only child, and he never knew what it was like to have so many ‘brothers’, and to hear the give and take that was going on in the van that morning. He was happy he was allowed to stay with Mr. Ken, even if it was only going to be for a few weeks.
At breakfast, Mark asked where Mr. Wayne was. Mr. Ken told him that he’d given the man the day off. Mark then asked him who was going to take him over to see his mom and dad. Mr. Ken said he was. Mark then asked who was going to watch his ‘brothers’. The foster dad told the new Cover that the boys were old enough to be home alone, and that there were armed guards there who would keep them in order if need be. The man then laughed.
Robert then told Mark that if they and their friends couldn’t behave themselves, while their dad was gone, then they’d be in deep trouble, and he’d never trust them again. And then, any time he was leaving, he’d make them all go with him and their friends wouldn’t be allowed to come over. Mark just sat there, thinking that through.
Billy then brought up the close quarters they experienced that morning as they all used the one shower to get cleaned up. He said it would be nice to have a bigger shower, but he didn’t know where they could get the space other than to take it from the next-door bedroom closet.
‘Dad’ Ken said he’d take a look at the problem when they got back, but he wanted Bill and any of the other boys to go with him to see what the alternatives would be. The boys said that sounded fair.
Mark liked that they went out to breakfast. He couldn’t remember the last time he got to go out for breakfast, other than when they were on a trip, and that was last year. He also liked that everyone talked about everything, and not just the cost of the trip and the prices of things, like his parents always did.
When the Covers returned to The Cove, many of their friends were there waiting for them and not just outside the Main Gate, as they usually were. Mr. Ken had called Jules Diamond the last time the boys’ friends were waiting outside, and told the man to have his security team to allow the boys in when they knew they were coming back.
Some of the boys wanted to get out at the Main Gate and Mr. Ken stopped the van and Kevin, Kyle, Matthew and Mark got out. Mr. Ken told Mark he’d call him when he was ready to take him over to the hospital, and for him not to get all sweaty or dirty. Mark laughed and said he wouldn’t.
Down at the house, Mr. Ken and the three teens went up to the boys’ bathroom and looked at the situation with the shower. He had Bill tell him what he saw and the only thing the older teen could tell him was there were more boys than shower heads right now. But that would alleviate itself when school started.
Bill took the man into the adjoining bedroom and showed him that the dual closet was along that wall and if he took half of it, he could expand the shower. Mr. Ken then asked Bill what the boys who used that room would do for closet space.
Mr. Ken then took the boys to the girl’s bathroom. In there, were two separate showers that were big enough for two boys and a tub/shower. The man asked if they wanted to use that room as well, and all he needed to do was add a urinal or two in there to make it boy friendly and add an additional shower head in the two showers, so each person would have their own.
The three teens openly talked about that concept and they all liked that idea. Robert then asked when he would be able to do that. The teen’s dad said he’d have it done while they were on their trip in order to minimize the disruption to them and the house. The ‘dad’ said he could have their bedrooms painted then, if they wanted to change the color. The boys said they’d talk to their other ‘brothers’ about that.
As they walked down the stairs, Mr. Ken asked Bill if he’d taken his pills that morning. Bill said he hadn’t, and went back to his room to get them. He met up with Mr. Ken in the Kitchen Nook and got a glass of water and took his medications then.
The man told his foster son that the medications were designed to help him deal with the pain and for him not to forgo them for at least a week. The man then said he’d make an appointment with Doctor Powers for next week and he already had an appointment for Doctor Doug. Bill smiled at hearing that.
Mr. Ken called Mark’s cell phone and told him to use the restroom up there and that he’d meet him at the Main Gate in fifteen minutes. Mark used the facility and then told Matthew that they smelled. The young Cover said he’d tell Robert to get the pressure washer out.
Mr. Ken talked to Mark on their way over to the hospital. The man asked the youngster about the picnic and what he wanted to do over the next few weeks, as he stayed with him. Mark told him he’d like to get his home plate and pitcher’s rubber put down, so he could pitch and he needed to make time to do his exercises. He said he hadn’t done them since last Sunday.
Levi Golderson was very happy to see his son when the two Covers walked into the man’s hospital room. The two hugged and then Levi had his son tell him all about the picnic. Mark couldn’t say enough about what they did.
The youngster started out telling him they played soccer, and then he had to explain that Mr. Wayne had a soccer pitch lined out for them, and Mr. Ken had bought two soccer nets. Levi looked up at the man who just shrugged his shoulders and said he’d explain later.
Mark then told his dad how they went swimming out in the cove and they played on the water toys. He then told his dad how Mr. Wayne took them out on the towing tube and sped them back and forth before speeding up and skipping him across the water. Levi could tell his son was having lots of fun living at The Cove.
Mark told his dad all about the moms and dads who also got into playing on the water toys and rode the towing tube. The boy told how the boys played a game called King of the Raft and were thrown off and splashed into the water.
Mark also told his dad how Sydney and Logan became good friends, and were together all day. Mark laughed and said Logan’s friends teased him all day as the two swam, skated and even sat and ate together.
Levi asked what Randy and Delta had to say about that. Mr. Ken said he heard them say they thought Logan was a polite young man who had lots of character, since he received the Boy Scout Lifesaving Award last year for helping save someone’s life out on the lake.
Mr. Ken let Mark and his dad talk as he wanted to go check on Kaden. The man told his foster son he’d meet up with him in his mom’s room if he was finished talking with his dad.
Levi told his son they should go over to his mom’s room and tell her everything he just told him. So, the two Golderson’s walked over to see Miriam. The woman was very happy to see her son, who ran to give her a big hug.
In Miriam’s room, Mark told her about all of their family friends going over to The Cove for a picnic yesterday, and everything they did. He told her how Mr. Wayne had the large field lined with a soccer pitch for him, so he and his friends could play soccer. He told her that he and his friends played the Cover’s friends. He told her he didn’t remember who won, but that they did have lots of fun.
Mark told his parents that the Cover boys cooked hamburgers and hot dogs and had sliced the tomatoes and onions and had patted the lettuce dry. Their son said Mr. Ken had his caterer bring potato salad, baked beans and a large sheet cake that said ‘Welcome to The Cove’ on it.
Mark then told his mom all about the cove and the water toys and how the kids and the adults played King of the Raft. Mark told his parents about the RockIt water toy that had four seats and that you rocked it up and down and then one person let go and you saw how high you got. He said he loved it.
Mark then told his mom how Mr. Wayne got out the Jet Ski and the towing tube and had him go first. The almost ten-year-old explained how the man rode back and forth going faster and faster and then at the end sped up as he turned and threw him off the tube and had him go skipping across the water. The smile on their boy’s face told them he was having fun.
Mark told them about their swimming in the indoor pool, their jumping off this rock like ledge Mr. Ken had jutting over the deep end, and the games they played, which were the ones Billy had them play in the pools back home. Mark also told his mom and dad that a few of the moms also got into the water, since there was a dedicated Women’s Locker Room.
Mark then told his mom how Sydney and Logan became good friends and hung around together all day long. The boy repeated what he told his dad about the two, and then he told them how Billy and Alexa also spent the day together. Their son said that Billy couldn’t do much because of his cracked ribs, so they swam some, but mostly they just sat around and talked.
Mark then told his mom and dad that before they had dinner, Mr. Ken asked him and Billy if they would tell the families what they knew about the home invasion. Mark said he didn’t mind, as he was hidden up in the Safe Room and Billy was up in his room being beaten and didn’t know what was happening downstairs.
Mark said they told everyone what they saw and knew and then Mr. Oxtter told them what his dad had told him. The boy said that he thought that everyone was satisfied that they now knew the whole story, and then they all sat down to eat what the boys again cooked.
Mark also said he and Mr. Wayne stopped to talk to a soccer coach to see if he could join a soccer team there, while he lived with Mr. Ken. The boy said he hadn’t talked to Mr. Ken about it yet, and that with him coming to the hospital every day, he didn’t know if he could even practice, let alone play if he had to do that.
Miriam told her son that she would soon be sent to a rehabilitation center, for help in building up her strength, in order to use her new hip and also take care of her wounds. She said that with her husband also laid up, he wasn’t strong enough to take care of her, which was why she had to go there for about six weeks.
Levi then told his son that he too would soon be released from the hospital, and that because the house needed to be fixed from the bullet holes, he also would have to go into a rehab center to live until the house was livable again.
Mark asked his dad what needed to be done. The dad told his son that there were bullet holes throughout the master bedroom and the electrical system needed to be inspected and possibly repaired, and then after the holes were repaired, the whole master bedroom area needed to be painted. The dad also said they needed to upgrade the bathroom for his mom because of her new hip. He asked his son to hang on and that they would soon be back together again as a family.
Mr. Ken was just outside the hospital room and he heard what Levi Golderson said. He wondered how he could help the Golderson’s out, but for now he didn’t have a plan.
The man knocked on the hospital room door before going inside. They welcomed him in and the Golderson’s thanked him for having all of their friends over for a wonderful picnic and treating their son as if he were his nephew.
On the ride back to The Cove, Mark asked Mr. Ken about his joining a soccer team. The boy told the man how he and Mr. Wayne stopped the other day and talked to a coach and that he could join a team and be assigned to one according to where he lived. Mr. Ken told the foster boy he’d look into it tomorrow.
Mark got to ride his skateboard and swim some before it was time for the Covers to go to dinner. The newest Cover was surprised that they went out to dinner, since they had the grill and hot dogs and hamburgers up at the Pavilion they could easily cook and eat.
Matthew told Mark that they usually did go out to eat on the weekends, and depending where they went, they could ride the Go-Karts and maybe play miniature golf. Mark smiled at hearing that. Then, when they went to Four Corners to eat, Matthew told his new ‘brother’ they would probably do both.
The Covers ate on the restaurant side of the Four Corners Restaurant/Diner that night. Mr. Ken wanted Mark to have a good meal after the Covers had hamburgers and hot dogs all day yesterday. The man told all the boys to order a nice steak. Mark was surprised at seeing the cost of everything.
Billy saw the look in Mark’s face, as he looked over the menu. He was sitting next to his little ‘brother’, so he whispered to him not to worry about the prices, and to order what he would like, or what the other boys were ordering. Mark just smiled and waited to hear what his ‘brothers’ were ordering, and then he ordered what they did.
As the Covers ate ‘dad’ Ken told the four boys, if they hadn’t heard from their older ‘brothers’ that he would look to add an extra shower head to the two showers and at least one urinal to the girl’s bathroom and paint their bedrooms if they wanted him to. He told them that way they would have more shower space to use when they were getting cleaned up.
Mark’s steak was so juicy he couldn’t believe it. He’d eaten steaks before, but nothing like what he was eating that night. Now he knew why the prices were so high. He realized that you got what you paid for. He was very happy that Mr. Ken could afford to pay for all of them to have such expensive meals.
When the Covers finished their meals, Kevin asked if they were going to drive the Go-Karts. The other boys chimed in and asked if they could do that, as they hadn’t been over there much that summer. Mr. Ken knew they hadn’t, so he said they could walk over there and get into line.
While they were in line, Kyle told Mark that their ‘dad’ owned the Go-Kart Track and the Miniature Golf Course, as well. The newest Cover asked why they didn’t go right in, to the front of the line. Matthew told him that their ‘dad’ said that it didn’t look good if they did that, especially if the people waited in line and then they came in and got in front of them.
When it was their turn, Mr. Ken had Mark and Bill go to the back end of the line of karts. He told Mark just to drive and have fun and not worry about winning. He told Bill to watch out for his ‘brother’ and not get into any wrecks or injure his insides and if they were hurting, he was to pull over at the start line. The man then went to the manager and talked to him. He didn’t race that time.
When the Green light lit and the race started, the twelve drivers mashed their gas pedals to race their go-karts out onto the course, and before long the twelve racers were all trying to be the first ones across the Finish line. Mark and Billy brought up the rear.
Mark was having fun. He hadn’t driven go-karts all that often, as his dad always thought he was either too young or too small to do so. His ‘big brother’ was right beside him keeping him going straight and from other drivers from pushing him off the course.
The race was usually ten laps long. But Mr. Ken told the man to drag the race on extra laps that afternoon. The people out on the race track didn’t know that’s what he’d done, as they usually didn’t count the laps. They just waited until the Yellow light lit telling them they had one lap to go.
None of the Covers won the race that Sunday. But they didn’t care. They were out there having fun. Mark probably had the biggest smile on his face, as he just had more fun than he could remember. He then heard they were going over to play some miniature golf and he smiled even more.
There were eight Covers that early evening, so Mr. Ken split them into two groups with himself, Bill, Mark and Matthew playing one another, and the other four playing each other. They waited their turn and when they did start, Robert, Charles, Kevin and Kyle went before Mr. Ken and the other three.
Mark hadn’t played very much miniature golf. His parents hadn’t taken him out to play all that much, so he didn’t know how to really play. Mr. Ken told the boy they were there to have fun and not worry about how many strokes he took to get the ball into the hole.
When it came to the last hole where you could WIN a FREE game if you got the ball into the Hole-In-One Cup all of the boys ahead of Mark were very competitive. But only Kyle was able to win the free game.
In Mark’s group, they made him go first. He was nervous and when he putted, he shanked the ball and it wound up in the Add Three-Stokes hole. Mr. Ken didn’t do any better. Matthew got the free game and Mark congratulated him. His ‘big brother’ putted his ball into the Add Two Strokes hole.
The Covers then stopped at DQ for their soft serve ice cream treat before going home. Mark, again, was given the honor of giving Chief her cup of vanilla ice cream. The resident pet thanked the new Cover for giving her the treat, and she gave the boy lots of cold doggie kisses.
The Cover’s had their regular meeting. Mr. Ken covered what he’d been telling the boys in the previous meetings. But tonight, he hit them with something new.
“Boys … when I take Robert, Kevin and Kyle down to Bandera county the following week, the new Rule will have to be implemented. That means only Bill, Charles and Matthew will be allowed to have their friends here at The Cove,” announced ‘dad’ Ken.
It took a few moments for that to sink in, then the three boys who were going with their ‘dad’ realized their friends wouldn’t be allowed to come to The Cove while they were gone. Kevin and Kyle began to argue that they should be allowed to come over.
But Robert reminded them that they all voted a number of weeks back that if three or more Covers were gone then only the remaining Cover’s friends could come over. The teen told them to ask Mr. Wayne tomorrow, when they see him, as he had made a note in his cell phone.
Mr. Ken told the boys that indeed that was what they all agreed to back when Bill asked the question about his friends being here when he wasn’t. He told them the question was also asked about when there were older and younger brothers and could they both be here when the one Cover host wasn’t going to be here. Kevin then said he remembered that.
Mark was confused at what he just heard. Billy whispered to him that he’d explain it to him later. Mr. Ken heard that and smiled over at the teenager.
Mr. Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to relax and then ten minutes later he went up to say goodnight to them. Even though it was still early, he told them to read or play on their portable games or tablets, but not to stay up too late.
The man started in Mark’s room to make sure Bill had explained that Rule they talked about in the Study. Mark then asked him about him joining a soccer team. Mr. Ken said he had it written down on his desk pad to remind Mr. Wayne to make the call. The two had a good laugh.
‘Dad’ Ken visited all the boys going next to Matthew and then through, Kyle, Kevin, Charles, Robert and then Bill’s rooms
In Billy’s room, he asked if the teen had taken his medications and the teen said he had. Mr. Ken asked Bill if he heard anything from Brett. Bill said he’s called and left text messages, but he hadn’t heard back from him and neither had Lonnie, Jamie or Gabe.
Mr. Ken said he’d guess that if Brett wanted to be contacted, he’d return his messages and phone calls. The foster dad told the teen to let his friend contact him, or wait until school began and see what he says then. Bill said that sounded like a good plan.
Monday morning, Ken Thomas had a lot on his mind. There was the new part-time hire, the projects manager he also wanted to hire, Mark’s wanting to join a soccer team, he and Wayne needing to sit down and talk priorities, the apartment complex, the office building, Edgewood Amusement Park, getting rid of the old ramps and how could he help Levi Golderson out when he leaves the hospital later in the week.
All those thoughts though went through his mind even before he went out to get his morning newspaper. He figured he was in for a long day.
Momma Maria had the man’s first cup of hot coffee waiting for him when he sat down to read the morning paper. She also had breakfast ready to make as soon the boys came into the Kitchen Nook. Today would be pancakes, crisp bacon and hash browns, along with a choice of milk or orange juice.
Mark was enjoying having Momma Maria cook breakfast every weekday morning. He knew, though, that when he went back home, he would just have what his mom made again. So, he decided he would totally enjoy everything while he was there.
Mr. Chris got there right after the boys came down for breakfast. So, he got a few pancakes and a cup of hot coffee, and he listened to the boys tell him about the picnic. He told them it sounded like a great affair and he was sorry he missed it. Mr. Ken just smiled knowing Chris would never have come, even if asked.
‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys what they were going to do during the day. Robert said now that Billy was back, they needed to rework the barbeque teams. But Billy quickly spoke up and said they needed to keep them as they were until he was back at one hundred percent. The older teen said that Lonnie was doing a good job, and he was enjoying doing it, so why ruin a good thing.
Charles said he wanted to go out sailing with Mark, but didn’t know when he’d be back from visiting his parents. Mark spoke up and said they could go out after they ate and he could go visit his parents after lunch. The boys then looked at Mr. Ken to see if that would be OK.
Mr. Wayne wasn’t there yet, so the man said if they wanted to go out and sail, they should be back by twelve noon. Mark smiled and then asked Charles if he really wanted to go. Charles told his new ‘brother’ not to bother taking a shower, as they would get lake water stinky and for them to just get their swimsuits on and an old t-shirt, so they don’t get sunburned.
It was after ten when the two Covers got into the sailboat and headed out onto the lake. Mark was experiencing something new, and he was over-the-top excited. Charles took them up wind so that when he turned back, they would have the wind at their backs and they would have the speed and then the fun of sailing.
Charles explained what he learned about sailing to Mark, as they tacked their way up wind. The two Covers also got to know one another some more, as they enjoyed the warm morning air out on the lake. Then, as Charles thought they were far enough up wind, he turned the small sailboat around and headed back towards The Cove.
The two Covers sped down wind and the breeze flew through Marks’ hair making it wave like a flag. The speed was exhilarating to Mark, to say the least, and he was just having plain fun. He couldn’t wait to tell his mom and dad what he did right after breakfast.
When Mr. Wayne arrived, Mr. Ken told him he wanted to sit down with him and talk about what they each saw as their goals for his Estate Master. Wayne was happy his employer didn’t wait to do that. Mr. Ken closed the Study door which meant that no one should enter unless it was an emergency.
The other Cover boys got ready for their day and went up to the Pavilion and waited for their friends to arrive. They used the Cove Skate Park and in Billy’s case he looked over the Double Elimination Boards and saw they were really messy from all the different handwriting.
The teen decided the boards needed to be cleaned up, so he took a golf cart down to the house and went inside and asked Mr. Chris if he could get him four new poster boards, so he could update the elimination charts to make it easier to follow to the winner. Mr. Chris said he’d have them later in the week. The teen also asked for new markers.
When Charles and Mark came in from sailing, they went directly upstairs and got their showers and then dressed for the day. Momma had lunch ready for them when they came down, and then told them to get their ‘brothers’ to come and eat.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne came out of their meeting all smiles. They went to the Kitchen Nook for lunch and were surprised that Charles and Mark had already eaten, and were headed up to the Pavilion to get their ‘brothers.
Mr. Wayne took Mark to the hospital to visit his mom and dad after lunch. Mark asked the man about joining a soccer team and said that Mr. Ken told him it would be up to him to make it happen. Mr. Wayne smiled at hearing that. He told Mark he would make a phone call while Mark talked with his parents.
Mark couldn’t wait to tell his mom and dad about his going sailing that morning. But he wanted to tell them together, so he asked his dad to walk down to his mom’s room, so he could tell them together what he did that morning and last night.
“Mom, dad … this morning … Charles … he took me out in one of those sailboats and boy was it ever fun. We tacked up wind for a long time and then he turned it around. And then, with the wind at our backs, we flew down the lake back towards The Cove. And boy was that ever fun. I had a blast doing that, and we did that right after breakfast. Can you believe that?
“Then last night, we went to the Four Corner’s Restaurant for dinner. Mr. Ken … he told all of us to get a steak and boy was that ever good. And then after that we went over and drove the Go-Karts. Billy stayed next to me as we drove around the course. That was so nobody ran over me because I was driving so slowly. That was fun, too.
“After that … we played miniature golf. Oh, Mr. Ken … he owns both of them. But we had to wait our turn. He never lets his ‘boys’, as he calls them, go ahead of anyone. I did OK, but I didn’t win the Free game. Only Matthew did in my group and Kyle did in my other ‘brothers’ group.
“But mom and dad, Mr. Ken … he’s kept me busy the entire time I’ve been over there. When I go to bed at night, I am so tired that I go right to sleep. Thank you for letting me stay there and not having to go with one of my other aunts and uncles,” finished Mark.
Miriam opened her arms for her son who went to her and the two hugged. Levi went over to the two of them and the three had a group hug. When they broke up their hug, Mr. Wayne happened to drop in to see the Golderson’s.
“Mark, you’ll be happy to know that on the way home we’ll stop and sign you up for soccer,” announced the Estate Master. “They said you can play, as long as you are living with Mr. Ken.”
“Did you hear that mom, dad? I can play soccer while I am staying with Mr. Ken. That might mean that I won’t be over when I’ve been coming because of practice and games, but we’ll work it out,” said a hoping Mark.
“Mark, I’ll probably be released on Thursday and your mom … she will probably be taken to a Rehabilitation Center on Friday, and their visiting hours will be different than what the hospitals are,” advised Levi. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
“Where will you go, dad?” asked Mark.
“If the house didn’t need all those repairs, I could go home and have wound care there every day, but the house … it will be full of workers and dust, and it wouldn’t be a good place for me to recover, so … they’re looking for a rehab center for me, too.
“I don’t need the same type of care as your mom does, because I can get around, and I’ll be able to drive soon, but they need to find a healthy place for me to recover at, until the house is all fixed up. It will probably take about three weeks,” explained the boy’s dad.
Mr. Wayne took that information all in. He knew his boss would want to know what the Golderson’s were going to do about their accommodations after they left the hospital. It was also while the Estate Master was there that Delta Oxtter stopped by with the Golderson’s mail.
Levi saw there was a letter from Jules Diamond Security and he wondered if that was their report on their inspection of their security system. When he read it, he got pissed and Mr. Wayne could tell that there was something in the letter that wasn’t what he wanted to know. Knowing it wasn’t his place to ask, he kept his mouth shut.
Mark visited with his parents for about an hour and then he told them he’d see them tomorrow, but he wasn’t sure when he’d be there because of soccer. Miriam told her son not to worry about it, and to just have fun and they would see him when he got over there.
Mark kissed his mom and hugged her. He then went to his dad and hugged him. They all said their goodbye one more time, then the Covers were off to talk to the coach to find out which soccer team Mark would be on.
Mark returned to The Cove all pumped up. He was going to be on a soccer team and they practiced at 5 p.m. every day and their games were on Saturdays. Mr. Wayne dropped the boy at the Main Gate and he ran over to the Pavilion to tell all his ‘brothers’. The man then drove down to the house to talk to his employer and tell him what he learned about the Golderson’s
Mr. Ken was grateful to Wayne for telling him about Levi and Miriam. There was nothing he could do about Mrs. Golderson, but if Levi only needed wound care, every day, he asked Wayne what he thought about inviting Levi to stay there in one of the guest suites.
Mr. Wayne said that with Levi there, he could see his son every day, and when he got his driving privileges back, he could take his son to soccer practice and to visit his mom. Mr. Ken smiled at hearing it that way, knowing that would take the onus off them both. Mr. Ken said he’d extend the invite to the man and hoped he’d accept.
When it was time for Mark to go to soccer practice, Mr. Wayne took him. The two left at about fifteen minutes before practice began, because it was only over by Four Corners. Mr. Ken told Momma Maria that they might be late for dinner and why.
Mark was a bit rusty when it came to playing soccer, but the team he was on was made up of fifteen nine- and ten-year-old boys and girls and none of them were stars in their own rights either.
The team readily took to him and the coach played him in different positions to see where his strengths were. The only problem the team had was they had to share the field with other teams, so they didn’t have the opportunity to run a lot and get into shape.
Mark was having fun playing soccer. He enjoyed baseball first and soccer second, and since baseball was over it was now time to play his second sport. He played as hard as he could, trying to do his best. When he left the field, he was sweating quite a bit
Mark and Mr. Wayne were ten minutes late for dinner. But that wasn’t too bad, as that was how late Mr. Ken usually was when he talked to the moms and dads at the Main Gate. Mark did apologize to Momma for being late, but he said that was his first practice and he hoped over time he wouldn’t be late.
After dinner, the Covers met in the Study as they always did. Mark told his ‘brothers’ about his first soccer practice, and he told them he was tired, but he also added it was fun. He also told them that his dad would be released from the hospital soon, and his mom would be sent to a rehabilitation center for about six weeks.
Mark also said that his dad told him he could go home when he was released, but he was having the house repaired from all the bullet holes, and that it would take about three weeks and he needed a healthy place to live because he also needed wound care every day and the dust would not be good for him.
Mr. Ken thanked Mark for filling everyone in on how his parents were coming along, and that he was enjoying playing soccer. Mr. Ken then went over the plans for the coming week. He told Mark and Bill that they both had Doctor Doug appointments tomorrow morning and they would be both going over together and waiting on one another, so they should take something to read while they wait.
Mr. Ken then asked the other boys if they felt they needed to talk to Doctor Doug. He told them he could make appointments for them, if they wanted him to. He specifically looked over at Kevin and Robert to see if they wanted to talk to him before they went down to Bandera next week. They both shook their heads no that they didn’t.
The twins offered up their travel games they got for Christmas for their ‘brothers’ to play. Matthew offered up his tablet if Mark wanted to play Sudoku or Solitaire while he waited on Billy. Mr. Ken thanked the boys for sharing.
Mr. Ken then told the boys that he was planning on installing a Linear Park along the side of the estate that fronted the wall and the street and that it would go down towards the lake and follow along and include some county park land.
He told them he was also going to have twelve parking spots added to the outside wall by the Main Gate to relieve the overcrowding when the parents stop by and he would replace the Bus Stop with a new one that would better blend in with the Park.
He reminded the boys that he was still working on the Marina at Four Corners and having a seafood restaurant and at least a 250 boat slips, but hoped to have a permit for up to 500 boat slips, or so, a public boat launch, a bait shop that sold fishing licenses and also serviced and sold scuba equipment and much more.
‘Dad’ Ken told them the apartment complex should be finished by October and they would begin renting about then. He mentioned the office building should be done by the middle of August, or sooner and all of his business concerns would be moving there, so he would have better access and control of them and that he would also be moving his home office there.
He told them he still hadn’t heard anything back from Edgewood Amusement Park, and then he gave Mark a quick synopsis of what that was all about. He then told the boys he had no plans to visit the park unless he did own it.
Mr. Ken then told the boys he hadn’t heard back from Mr. Owen and or Mr. Nathan about the ramps, and he needed to get them out of the way. He asked Robert to ask all their friends to start taking the smaller ones apart, and set aside the parts and pieces. He told his son he’d call the men to ask if they wanted the larger ramps.
Robert then asked his dad if they would ever take a ride on the Commander that summer. The teen’s dad asked if they wanted to do that tonight. Mark didn’t know what they were talking about, so Matthew quickly told him. Mark was all for it.
‘Dad’ Ken said it was going on eight o’clock, so they wouldn’t be gone long, but it might be nice to take a moonlit ride out on the lake. The man told the boys to go drain their dragons and meet him on the dock in ten minutes.
Mark enjoyed the slow ride on the Commander. He and Matthew got to ride up on the flying bridge and the boys even got to steer the large boat around the open expanse of the lake. The Covers were gone for about an hour and while they were out on the lake, Mark heard the stories about how Mr. Ken helped save a boy and that two of the Cover’s friends helped save a guy who’d fallen overboard when he tripped on his lines. Mark was amazed at the stories.
The newest Cover also heard how Mr. Ken also built the Lakeside Water Park and the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters, which they passed on their trip out on the lake.
Once the Covers were back home, Mr. Ken told the boys to head up to their rooms and that he’d be up there in a few minutes.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne visited the boys separately that night. That gave each boy two chances to have a one-on-one with the men they interacted with the most.
Each boy enjoyed having that opportunity to talk to the men. Mark liked that Mr. Ken did that. Yes, his mom did talk to him at night, but he hoped when he got back with his parent’s, he could talk his dad into doing what Mr. Ken does.
Mark slept very well that night, as he was quite tired from everything he was involved in that day.
The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net
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