Published: 4 Aug 2022
From Previous Chapter:
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 morning was already warm and humid at 8:15 when Mr. Ken went outside to get his newspaper. He figured it was going to be another scorcher in central Texas. He also figured the area was due for a big storm, as they hadn’t had many over the past few weeks.
Yes, it had rained and they had some spring winds, but nothing like they usually get at that time of year, when the warm humid air comes off the Gulf of Mexico and some cool air comes down out of Canada, and they mix in the plains and they converge and head South/Southeast. He told himself to warn the boys to be on the outlook for some storm clouds and rains.
Momma was ready with his coffee when the owner of The Cove came into the Kitchen Nook. She placed it at his right-hand side and he thanked her as she went back to her duties.
The boys began filtering down into the Nook about 8:45 that morning. Mark took care of Chief and remembered to put some ice in her water bowl. The resident pet sent some “Woofs” towards the boy for doing that for her, before she took a long drink.
As Momma Maria made the boys scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys that the weather was probably going to change, and they should watch out for a storm. He reminded them how they all got caught up at the Pavilion a few weeks back and for them not to stay up there the next time.
Billy was living with the Golderson’s then, so he asked his ‘brothers’ what happened. Robert told him how the winds were blowing every which way and they all tried to crowd into the restrooms and closets to keep from getting soaked. Billy said he remembered that day as he was at the shooting range that day and then they went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse.
Kevin asked Billy to tell them what he did at the shooting range. The older teen told his ‘brothers’ that Mr. Golderson wanted him to know how to shoot the guns he had in his house, so he took him to the shooting range.
The teen said that just about all the families who were at the picnic had guns, and once a month they all go to the shooting range and practice. Billy said that when their kids are ten, they start them off with a .22 caliber handgun. He added that Mark had one already picked out.
Kyle asked his older ‘brother’ what guns he got to shoot. Billy thought for a few moments and then said he shot a Smith & Wesson Semi-Auto Pistol – 9mm Luger, which was Mr. Golderson’s personal concealed carry weapon, a Smith &Wesson – 9mm – M&P Pro Series – 9mm Luger, and a Sig Sauer P226 Semi – Auto Pistol Nitron.
Billy told his ‘brothers’, and thus Mr. Ken, that Mr. and Mrs. Golderson took him to the end most stall where they explained how to take the guns apart and put them back together. They then showed him how to hold the gun and aim and then they had him first dry fire it.
Billy then told them Mr. Golderson put one bullet into the gun and let him fire it to get the feel of the kick back. Billy said the man did that with all three guns and he also got to fire twenty rounds from all three weapons and he was looking forward to next month when they did that again.
Mark then spoke up and told the group that his dad told his ‘big brother’ that when he was proficient enough, and they trusted him, they would tell him the codes to the gun safes in the house, so he could protect them if he ever had too.
By then both Mr. Chris and Mr. Wayne were there and they heard the story. The men both looked over to their employer to see his reaction. The man just stared back.
Mr. Ken then looked at the time and sent Bill and Mark up for their showers as they needed to get to Doctor Doug’s for ten and eleven o’clock for their appointments. Mr. Wayne was taking them. Mr. Ken then headed back to his private retreat to get ready for the day himself.
The boys gave Billy and Mark some of their travel games and tablets to take with them as they waited for one another at Doctor Doug’s. Mr. Wayne had his own electronic device to keep him busy while he waited for both boys to see the doctor.
When the boys went to their doctor appointment, Mr. Ken asked Mr. Chris to step into his Study. There he told his Estate Manager that he was going to invite Levi Golderson to stay with them while he recovered, and his house was being repaired from the invasion. He told Chris that he and Wayne had already talked about it and he was onboard.
Mr. Chris then kiddingly asked his employer if he was going to start giving the boys shooting lessons. Mr. Ken said that he was surprised that the Golderson’s and the other families would start training their kids at such an early age.
The man added that if Levi decided to stay with them, he’d talk to him about that and get his views. Mr. Ken said he would then decide if that was something he should also do. Mr. Chris was surprised at the answer.
Mr. Chris then told his employer that Billy asked for more poster board and markers to make the Game Competition Elimination Boards neater. The Estate Manager also mentioned that with school around the corner they needed to discuss what he was going to do about the Christmas Decoration Contest and how many schools would compete and where they would set up their creations. All Mr. Ken jokingly said was not to remind him.
Mr. Ken told Chris that the boys convinced him they needed to enhance the girl’s bathroom. He asked the man to get with his construction group and have them come over and design the installation of two urinals in there, along with the addition of another shower head in the two separate showers. He told the Estate Manager that he never planned to ever have foster girls and if he ever had daughters of his own then he’d have to decide then what to do with them.
Mr. Ken then told Chris that they needed to add a cypher lock to the garage side door. He told the man that was where Kaden had gotten into the house the night of the 4th of July and planted the drugs in Bill’s bedroom.
Mr. Ken told Chris that they have video of Kaden entering the house through the garage door that they kept unlocked when the boys are here all day long. The man added he wished they had thought to review the videos before he sent Bill packing.
Mr. Ken said they should never make that mistake again. He added that if they ever ban another person from the estate, they needed to change either the locks or the codes to anything the person knew. Mr. Ken also asked Chris to get each of the boys their own Foyer Door house key as they would know the cypher code. Mr. Ken laughed and added that they now would have something to put on their Cove Key Chain.
Mr. Ken also asked Chris if he’d received any resumes from the part-time help ad. Mr. Chris said the ad was only placed last Friday and the deadline for submissions was this Friday, so he didn’t expect any until Thursday at the earliest. Mr. Chris then asked where he was going to conduct the interviews.
Mr. Ken told his Estate Manager he wanted him and Wayne to review all of the applicants and to winnow them down to five and then he would interview them at the Lakeside hotel. He then told Chris to reserve a small meeting room for that purpose on next Tuesday and that he and the boys would be gone beginning Tuesday night after dinner.
After Mr. Chris left the Study, Mr. Ken called Doctor Powers office to make an appointment for Bill. Anytime would be OK as long as it was that week. Tomorrow afternoon, at one, was open, so Mr. Ken took it. He made a note to tell Mr. Wayne.
While Mark was in, talking to Doctor Doug, Mr. Wayne asked Billy if he wanted to go over and talk to the Golderson’s, or if he wanted to go back to The Cove. The man gave the option to the teen telling him he was under no obligation.
Billy told Mr. Wayne that he felt he owed the Golderson’s an apology for what happened, even though he didn’t know why it did. Mr. Wayne told Billy that it wasn’t his fault that Kaden and those men blamed him for ‘Smokey’s demise, but it might be nice for him to go over and talk to them and thank them for what they did for him.
Billy agreed that he would like to tell them he was sorry for what happened and that he did appreciate how they tried to make him a part of their family. He said he hoped they didn’t hold what happened against him, and that he would like to keep in touch with them if they would like that. Hearing that really surprised Mr. Wayne.
When both boys were finished with Doctor Doug, Mr. Wayne had already made appointments for them for next week, so they were ready to head off to the hospital. Mark was surprised that Billy was going along. Billy told his little ‘brother’ that he wanted to see his parents and tell them how much he appreciated them taking him in, and how sorry he was for everything that happened to them.
The Covers did stop for lunch along the way, so they didn’t get to the hospital until after 1 p.m.
When they arrived, they went to Levi’s hospital room, but found it empty, so they went over to Miriam’s room and found the two of them there talking. Miriam was happy to see her son and was surprised to see Billy.
Mark hugged his mom and dad and started telling them what he’d done. He told them about joining a soccer team and how practice went last night, and then after dinner they took the Commander out on the lake for a cruise.
Mark told them he learned that Mr. Ken was responsible for building the Lakeside Water Park and the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters building right next door. He told them that when the Safety and Rescue Headquarters was built, Mr. Ken took some of the boys over and the men gave them a private tour. Mark said that had to be fun. Mr. Wayne made a mental note to see if they could arrange another tour.
Mark then told his parents that before he came over there, Mr. Ken made an appointment for him to talk to Doctor Doug. Hearing that surprised both of the parents. Mark continued and told his mom and dad that he was glad he did. He told them that he blamed himself for what happened. He said that if he had told Billy when Kaden called, then they may not have invaded their home. The boy then began to cry.
Billy’s instinct was to go to his little ‘brother’, but the parents were right there and they hugged their son tight. They both told him that it wasn’t anyone’s fault other than those men and Kaden, and that he needed to put what happened behind him.
When Mark pulled away from his mom and dad, he told them that was what Doctor Doug had told him and that he was going to talk to him next week, too. The boy said it was easy to talk to the man and even Billy talked to him today.
That brought Billy into the conversation, and Miriam asked the teenager how he was doing. Billy told his now former foster parents that he was slowly recovering and it would be weeks before he would be back to normal, whatever that was. The teen laughed and then winced because his ribs hurt him.
Billy then apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Golderson for what happened that Sunday night. He told them that if he knew that was going to happen, he would have warned them. He told them it was only when Mark told them that Kaden might be at the door that night, that he got a feeling that something was wrong, which was why he sent Mark up to the Safe Room.
Billy told them how Kaden had been arrested with those same men for dealing in drugs and Mr. Ken had banned him from The Cove. Billy told them then he was suddenly banned for drugs that he had no idea where there in his closet. Billy said he hadn’t seen, nor had any contact with Kaden ever since his being banned, but when he showed up at their house that night, he knew it couldn’t be good.
Miriam told Billy that he saved her son’s life that night, and for that she would forever be grateful. She told him that his quick thinking to tell those men that they had dropped him off at Kieran’s for a sleepover was more than she would have ever thought to say.
Mark then told everyone that he heard the men talking in his bedroom before they went racing down the stairs that they had planned to kill everyone before they left the house that night. That startled Miriam who then began to cry. Levi had to calm her down.
When Miriam had settled down, she called Billy to her and as she hugged the teen, she told him he really would have saved her son’s life that night if they had gone through with their plan.
Billy thanked her for saying that, but he felt that if he hadn’t been there none of that would have ever happened. Levi told the teenager that if not them, then some other family might have had it happen to them, and maybe they might not have come out of it as well as they had.
To change the subject, Levi told the group that he would be released on Thursday and they were looking for a place for him to go to for wound care, and to stay until the house was ready. Mr. Wayne knew what his employer wanted to do, but it wasn’t his place to say anything.
Mr. Wayne did say Mr. Ken had planned to stop by tomorrow with Mark, and if he had that information for him tomorrow that would be good, so he could plan for Mark to visit him until he was able to drive again.
The three Covers visited until a little after two when Miriam sent them back home. She told them her son needed time to play and have fun and being there in a hospital was depressing. She did tell them that she was probably going to be moved to the Step-Down Unit later today and then to the Rehabilitation Center on Friday. She told them to stay tuned.
The Covers returned back at The Cove around three. Billy and Mark got out of the car just inside the Main Gate and then walked over to the Pavilion to talk to the other boys. Mr. Wayne told Mark to be down at the house to change into his soccer gear, so they could go out to practice. The man then went down to the house to talk to Mr. Ken.
Mr. Ken was surprised to hear that Levi would be released on Thursday and that Miriam would be sent to a rehabilitation center on Friday. The man said he would take Mark to see his parents tomorrow, and that he needed Wayne to take Bill to see Doctor Powers tomorrow at one.
Mark and Mr. Wayne went to soccer practice at 4:45 that Tuesday. Mark was pumped he was on a team and they already had a game that Saturday. He hoped his dad would be able to get away from where he was living to see him play.
After dinner that night, Mr. Ken told Bill that he had an appointment with Doc Powers at one o’clock tomorrow and that Mr. Wayne would take him. He told Mark he would be taking him to see his parents, and he wanted to see his soccer team, so he would take him to his practice that evening, as well.
‘Dad’ Ken reviewed the other things that were on The Cove’s radar, so the boys wouldn’t forget. He told them that he was going to interview the part-time candidates next Tuesday, and then he, Robert and the twins would head on down to Bandera that evening, after dinner, to be at the courthouse Wednesday morning.
Mr. Ken reminded the boys that Mr. Wayne would be in charge while he was gone, as was always the case. He again told the boys about the Rule that was voted in and the boys needed to tell their friends that they could not come over beginning next Wednesday,
But Robert asked his dad a question. “Dad … if Eric is a Cover … and he has the same friends as I do … doesn’t that mean … that in a sense … that ONLY two Covers are going to be gone next week? So … if that is the case … then all of our friends should be able to come over while we’re all gone. Right?” Robert then smiled big at his dad.
The boys all snickered at what they heard their ‘brother’ ask their ‘dad’. They knew it was a long shot, but it made sense to them, as Eric was a Cover, and he didn’t have a separate group of friends, so if he was going to be there, they, too, thought that what Robert asked made sense.
“Robert … you make a good argument. I’ll have to think this one through before I decide if what you say makes sense, and if it circumvents the Rule. I’ll let you know when I know,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.
Mark told everyone that his dad was being released from the hospital on Thursday, but he didn’t know where he would be living yet. The boy also said his mom would be discharged on Friday and he didn’t know where she would be sent. The newest Cover then told his ‘brothers’ his first soccer game was this Saturday, and he hoped they all would be there.
When the boys were up in their rooms, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne talked about the part-time applicants and what Mr. Ken wanted Wayne and Chris to do to whittle down the resumes before he interviewed the five best candidates at the Lakeside Hotel.
Again, each man talked to each boy separately that night. The boys enjoyed the personal touch they got from the men. It was a quiet night in The Cove that Tuesday night.
It still hadn’t rained, but Mr. Ken was convinced it would. But, of course, it would rain eventually, the only question was how bad it would be. Mr. Ken took care of his morning business before going out to get his morning newspaper, and then heading into the Kitchen Nook for his first cup of hot coffee.
Momma and Mr. Ken exchanged pleasantries and the man’s first cup of hot coffee quickly appeared at his right-hand side of the table. Momma then went back to getting the boys’ breakfast prepared to drop as soon as they appeared in the Nook.
“Good morning, boys,” called out ‘dad’ Ken, as the boys began to arrive in the Kitchen Nook.
“Good morning, ‘dad’” returned the boys. Mark went to fix Chief’s bowls with fresh water and kibble and when he forgot the ice, Chief barked at him. Mark quickly went back to add it. The boys told him he had created a ‘monster’ now that he was giving Chief ice in her water.
The resident pet heard them, and she went over to them and barked up a storm at them. Mark didn’t know about Chief’s abilities to understand what was said, so he didn’t understand what was happening. The boy’s ‘big brother’ told his little ‘brother’, that Chief knew what they meant and she was yelling at them. Billy told Mark never to underestimate Chief.
Momma had chipped beef on toast that morning for the boys. The boys never had that before and they weren’t too keen on it until they tasted the gravy with beef slathered all over the toast. They loved the flavor and Momma also served the deep-fried hash browns along with crisp bacon on the side.
Even Mr. Chris and Mr. Wayne had to have some of that. Chris remembered eating something like that when he was in the Army. He told her secretly they called it, ‘Shit on a Shingle’. She laughed. Chris also told Momma Maria that what she just served tasted much, much better. He had two helpings that morning. Mr. Ken just smiled at the Estate Manager.
After they had breakfast, and as Billy was leaving the table, Mr. Chris called out to him that he had the poster board and markers out in his car, and he could get it when he was going up to the Pavilion. Billy thanked him for getting that stuff for him.
In the shower, the boys wanted to know why Billy wanted new poster board and markers. Billy told them he wanted to clean up the Game Elimination Boards and make them readable. He said that since he couldn’t do very much right now, he would take the competition winners from where they were on the boards and make it easier to move on from there.
After Mr. Ken got himself cleaned up for the day, he began to write an ad for his project’s manager. He knew what the person needed to do, he just needed to get it down in writing. Mr. Wayne stopped by and saw his boss so focused that he didn’t even realize he walked into the Study.
“Anything I can help you with, Boss?” asked Mr. Wayne.
Mr. Ken told him what he was doing. Wayne told him to just write down specifics and not worry about putting them into order. The two men brainstormed. They came up with: Self-starter – Organized – Communicator – Think on their feet – Doesn’t need much if any direction – College educated – Well dressed – Clean cut – Punctual – Hard worker – Computer savvy – Go getter – Takes direction well.
Mr. Ken was pleased. He then asked Wayne to put together an ad while he took Mark to see his parents. Mr. Wayne said he had to take Billy to see Doc Powers. Mr. Ken laughed and said he could do that while he waited in the waiting room. Or, he could pass it on to Chris. Wayne smiled at the thought.
After lunch, Mark and Mr. Ken drove over to the hospital, so the boy could visit his parents. When they arrived, both Levi and Miriam were visiting one another in Miriam’s hospital room.
“Mom, dad,” yelled Mark, as he ran into the room, and then hugged, first his mom, and then his dad. The boy was all smiles at seeing his parents.
“Dad, my first game is Saturday. Maybe … maybe you can come, since you won’t be in the hospital,” said a hopeful Mark.
“We’ll see, Mark, we’ll see,” replied Levi.
“Levi,” began Mr. Ken, “I understand that you will be set free tomorrow. Have they given you any indication of where you can go when you leave here?”
“Not yet. They told me they would have the list later today, and that I can choose from that and then they would make arrangements to transfer me over there,” answered Levi Golderson.
“Well, Levi … I have an alternative to offer you. … What would you say to … to accepting an invitation to stay … at The Cove while you recover?” offered Ken Thomas.
Levi was shocked at the offer, and so was Miriam. He told the man that he couldn’t accept such an offer, as his insurance company wouldn’t even consider it.
Mr. Ken asked the man to hear him out. “Levi, Miriam … I’m not worried about insurance payments. What I would like to do is … is reunite you and your son. If you accept my offer, you will have a guest suite in my home, and you can receive your wound care there, and I am sure your insurance company will pay for that,” laughed Mr. Ken.
“The best part of staying with us is … that you and your son can stay connected and … and you can travel together to go visit your wife. You will also get wonderful meals cooked by Momma Maria, and when you are ready to start driving again either Mr. Wayne, Mr. Chris, or I, can drive you over to your home to get your car.
“You could also go to your son’s soccer practice and games from The Cove and when your home is repaired you both can move back there. The only thing we would need to do is bring your clothes from your home to The Cove, so you had something to wear.
“So … what do you say? I, or Mr. Wayne … we can be here tomorrow and then drive you to your house to get your clothes and then get you settled at your 5-Star recovery lodgings,” now laughed Mr. Ken
“All we would need to do is make sure the wound care nurse, or whomever it is, knows where to go to change your dressings, however many times a day the doctor orders it,” finished Mr. Ken.
Levi looked at Miriam to get her take on the offer. The woman told her husband it was better than living with a roommate and eating terrible, overcooked food. And, she said the best part was he would be with their son. Levi accepted the generous offer.
The men shook hands, and Mark was all smiles that his dad would be moving to The Cove and would be with him for the next few weeks.
While the Golderson’s visited, Mr. Ken told them he wanted to talk to the nurses to see if he could get a better idea of when they should be over to pick Levi up, since he would be going to a private residence instead of a ‘For Profit’ care center.
In actuality, Mr. Ken wanted to check on Kaden. When he walked over to the Pediatric Ward, he learned that the teenager had been arrested earlier that morning and had been moved to the hospital ward in the county’s juvenile detention facility, around noon time. Mr. Ken thanked the nurses and went back to the Step-Down Unit where Miriam Golderson was located.
When he got back, Mr. Ken heard Mark tell his mom and dad that his coach had him try all of the positions, including goalkeeper. Mark said he didn’t like playing that position at all.
Mr. Ken told Levi that when he arrives at The Cove, he will be entered into the database, so he could come and go without being hassled by the security guards. Levi asked Mr. Ken what he meant by that. The owner of The Cove said the guards run a tight ship and they keep track of who comes and goes at the estate, and if you aren’t in the database then you have to be escorted by a Cover. The Cover comment needed another explanation.
Mr. Ken continued and told the man he’d have his own retreat upstairs away from the boys, but he could visit his son at any time. The man added that if he wasn’t careful Momma would add weight to his middle. Mr. Ken also told him that as he gets well enough, he could avail himself of the amenities of The Cove.
Before the Covers left the hospital, Mr. Ken asked Levi to call them to let them know when he had a general idea when they would release him, so Mr. Wayne could plan accordingly.
When the Covers arrived back home, Mark asked if he could go over to the Pavilion and use his skateboard for a while, before going to soccer practice. Mr. Ken asked him when they needed to leave and the boy told him 4:45.
As soon as Mr. Ken entered his Study, both of his male employees were waiting for him. He sensed something was up, so he asked them to wait for him to sit down before they told him the bad news.
“Mr. Ken,” began Wayne, “I received a phone call, while I was at Doctor Powers’ office.”
Mr. Chris then said he’d received a phone call, as well, while he was at the hospital
“OK, I give. We all receive phone calls. What was so interesting about these phone calls?” asked Mr. Ken.
Simultaneously, the men looked at one another and said, “Edgewood.”
“Please, tell me more!” encourage the men’s employer.
Mr. Wayne told his boss that the people he talked with at Edgewood, when he was out there after school let out, called wanting to know if the company he represented, was still interested in buying the Park. Wayne said he had told them he had to talk to his supervisors and would get back to them.
Chris told Mr. Ken that someone from Edgewood called wanting to talk to him. The Estate Manager said the man didn’t exactly say why he was calling, but he got the feeling he was anxious to talk about selling the park. Mr. Chris then passed over a return phone number for Mr. Ken to call.
Mr. Ken picked up his desk phone and made the call, and put it on speaker so Wayne and Chris could hear. The man who answered was the man who called earlier and the two talked about the reason for the initial phone call. The man asked Mr. Ken if he was still interested in buying Edgewood at his original offer.
Mr. Ken asked the man if that was before his inspection or after. The man said before. Mr. Ken said that with the destruction of the Rocket and the shutting down of three rides the park isn’t worth that anymore.
Mr. Ken asked what his attendance numbers showed as compared to the past three years. The man said they were even across the board. Mr. Ken smiled knowing they couldn’t be with what had happened back over the Memorial Day Holiday. Mr. Ken said he’d like to see those numbers before he’d even consider making an offer.
Mr. Ken then asked the man to FAX the attendance numbers to him. The man said he couldn’t because the other owners didn’t know he was calling. Mr. Ken told him to keep him appraised of what was happening and then they hung up.
“Wayne, make your call and try to find out what they want. Ask if they are wanting to sell outright, or are they wanting to operate the park for you for a period of time, say for five years. If that is the case, then you need to know what attendance numbers are.
“Also, see if you can find out if they are being squeezed by the lawyers to settle out of court. They may not want to talk about that aspect of the sale, but … well play that by ear,” prompted Mr. Ken.
Wayne Mitchell called the number he had to talk to the person who called him about the sale of Edgewood Amusement Park. The person who called was different than the person who just talked to Mr. Ken.
The conversation was cordial to begin, and then Mr. Wayne began to ask the Edgewood representative about the sale and if they were selling the amusement park outright, or after they sold off some of the rides, or if they were asking to operate the park for his company until the company was ready to build.
The man said they still wanted $20 million for the property. Mr. Wayne quickly told the man that his company sent their appraisers out there after he and Collin had visited the property and made their own estimate of the value of the land alone and with the so-called improvements.
With ‘tongue-in-cheek’, Mr. Wayne told the man that the land alone was only worth $6 to 8 million and with the rides and buildings the property might be worth $10 to 12 million at best. The man on the other end didn’t say a word.
Mr. Wayne wanted to know if he was still there, so he said, “Hello, hello … are you still there? My company thinks you are over stating the value of the park, and with the accident and lawsuits the value of the park has diminished. The land value is still there, but not with the rides.”
“Listen … we have one other party interested in buying the amusement park … as is! And, he is paying top dollar. We would like to give your company first right of refusal, though, so please talk it over with your contacts and get back with me,” the man asked.
Mr. Wayne then asked how soon they wanted to complete the transaction if his company was still interested. Wayne then dropped the line that they were still looking at the property over by Crystal Lake and they hadn’t yet decided. Mr. Wayne then casually asked if the lawyers were breathing down their backs. The man said he couldn’t talk about it, and then asked Wayne to call them back and soon.
Mr. Ken told his employees that with two different men calling it could mean that they are getting nervous about all the lawsuits and they were trying to see what sort of money they could get before everything came tumbling down. The owner of The Cove said that bankruptcy might be their next step if they have more debts than assets.
Mark came to the Study door and knocked on the doorframe just then. He was dressed in his soccer gear and Mr. Ken realized he needed to use the restroom and head off to soccer practice. He told the boy he’d be right back, and he asked Wayne to tell Momma that they might be late.
At soccer practice, Mr. Ken was surprised the boys and girls only had half a field to practice on. He talked to some of the parents there and they told them that with the lack of space, the teams had to share. Mr. Ken asked what would happen if they started earlier. The parents said they all worked, including the coach, and couldn’t get there any earlier.
When practice was over, Mr. Ken called all the parents and the coach over and asked them if they would like to use his private soccer pitch to practice on. Most of the adults didn’t know who the new parent was, so they asked who he was and where he had a space big enough, they could practice at.
“Ladies, gentlemen, coach and players … I am Ken Thomas … and I own … Three Finger Cove. I also foster Mark here, and I just lined out a soccer pitch for him and his friends and right now it is just sitting there. So … if you want, you can stop by, beginning tomorrow, and every day at five. The only caveat is … that I do have armed security guards.
“If you bring drugs onto the property, or unlicensed firearms and they find them you will be detained, and they will call the Sheriff’s office, who will come and arrest you. I tell you this so you can’t claim you weren’t told or warned. So … with a vote of hands … do you want to use my soccer field, which is on a slight slope, by the way, or not?” asked Mr. Ken.
After dinner, Mr. Ken told his ‘boys’ that beginning tomorrow, there will be a bunch of boys and girls, and their coaches, along with some parents, coming to The Cove at about 5 p.m. to practice soccer. That started a whole bunch of questions that were answered by ‘dad’ Ken by his saying, “Because, I asked them too.”
‘Dad’ Ken also told the boys that if they already hadn’t heard from Mark that his dad, Levi, would be staying with them until his house is repaired. He told them that Mr. Wayne would pick him up at the hospital tomorrow, take him to his home, get his clothes and then bring him back to The Cove. He asked for a volunteer to help. Charles volunteered.
‘Dad’ Ken also told Robert, Kevin and Kyle to go up and try on their suits, pants, shirts and shoes, after their meeting, and let him know how everything fits before the night was over. He told them if nothing fits, they will have to go out tomorrow and get something to wear to the trial next week.
‘Dad’ Ken then told the boys that school was scheduled to begin on 23 August and he needed to get them their lunch passes before then. He said he would add money as he had last year to buy someone a lunch or add to their lunch if they didn’t have enough for a good lunch.
The man added that this year Robert and Bill would be going to high school and would leave an hour later than the rest of the boys, which meant the shower room wouldn’t be as crowded as it was last school year. That is unless he gets another foster boy. Then, Mr. Ken said that he did get one. All the boys laughed.
Robert then asked his dad if he made a decision about Eric and all of their friends being able to still come over even while he and the twins were gone next week. Mr. Ken said he was a bit busy with other things today and hadn’t even thought about that.
‘Dad’ Ken reviewed his hiring of a part-time helper for The Cove, their leaving next Tuesday for the trial and their leaving on their amusement park trip as soon as that was over. He told the boys to tell their friends that they may find them all suddenly gone, and that they should be ready to find something else to do for ten days.
The man then sent the boys up to try on the clothes for the trial and the others to relax and read and do whatever lets them calm down before bed.
Mr. Wayne asked his boss if he was going to add all the soccer kids and parents into the database. Mr. Ken said he wasn’t and that the coach would have to vouch for them every day, and if they were late then they either wouldn’t get in, or they would have to call him to come up to the gate to get them.
Mr. Wayne also asked about the Edgewood situation and how they might proceed. Mr. Ken told him that the end result was for him to try to get control of the whole park and not just buy pieces of it. The man told his Estate Master that if necessary, he might have to go to the Bankruptcy Court to bid if it came to that.
The three boys came down to the Study wearing their suits and it was a funny sight for sure. Mr. Ken told the boys to set their clothes aside and that they would go out tomorrow to buy new pants and shirts. Robert then reminded his dad that if they all go, then all of his and the twins’ friends would have to go home. Mr. Ken just moaned.
Later, upstairs, after talking to all the other boys, Mr. Ken finally got to Mark’s room. The boy told him he thought he’d never get there. Mr. Ken told the boy that with seven boys it takes time to get to all of them. He then ruffled the boy’s hair.
Mark told Mr. Ken he couldn’t wait until his dad was living there with them. The boy was so excited that he had a difficult time staying still talking about it. Mark then asked if that, when his dad was there, he would stop talking to him at night. Mr. Ken said he didn’t think he would, unless Mark wanted him to.
Mark said he liked that he did that, and he hoped that when he moved back with his parents, he could get his dad to do it instead of his mom, who did it before the home invasion. The two hugged and then Mr. Ken told the boy to sleep well, and then left the boy to sleep and have pleasant dreams.
The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net
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