Published: 17 Nov 2022

From Previous Chapter:

The men started at Mark’s room and Mr. Levi remained there afterwards., so the two could talk. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne stopped at each boy’s room individually, which the boys actually liked, as they got to spend personal time with each man that way.

It had been a busy day for everyone and when they finally let their head lay down on their pillows that night it didn’t take long for them to fall asleep.

It was quiet in The Cove household that Thursday night.

Friday morning when Mr. Ken went out to get his morning newspaper, he realized the previous day’s overcast skies never did bring a change to the weather, and it never did rain. That was how fickle Mother Nature was in Central Texas during late August.

The man picked up his paper and headed inside for his first cup of coffee. Once inside he told Momma that he would only need her on Saturday and only for Breakfast as he decided to take everyone out for breakfast on Sunday and they would go up and eat burgers and dogs with the boys for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Momma thanked the man for telling her that. She told him that she now could go to church on Sunday morning instead of cooking breakfast. The woman then went back to getting breakfast ready for her employer, the boys and their guests.

Matthew came down earlier than the rest of the boys and he went directly to his ‘dad’ and asked, “Why do I have to meet with Mr. Russell?”

“Matthew … your mom … she is going on trial very soon and … and the Assistant District Attorney (ADA) … he wants to brief you and get you ready to … to testify at her trial. We knew this was going to happen and Mr. Russell … he will be here to make sure the ADA treats you nicely, as he gets you ready to testify.

“Your ‘brothers’ … they have all had to meet with Mr. Russell and the District Attorney and they … and they did OK, and I know you’ll do fine, too. Matthew … this trial … it will … it will probably cover the time your mom and Lincoln … about the time before we found you,” explained the boy’s foster dad.

“But … but what about the … the … what happened at Christmas time?” asked Matthew.

“I don’t think that trial will happen just yet. But let’s wait and see what the Assistant District Attorney has to say when he gets here. OK? Now, let Momma fix you your breakfast and please don’t let this bother you. All you need to do is answer the man’s questions honestly and it will be that easy,” counseled ‘dad’ Ken.

Matthew hugged the man for talking to him. When he turned around some of his ‘brothers’ were standing there and they went to him and hugged him and told him he would be OK and to just tell the man what he knew. Billy went to his little ‘brother’ and told him to tell the man everything, and not to hold anything back, and he would be better off when it was all over.

Matthew asked Billy if he could be there with him. But Billy told the boy that he couldn’t, that he had a doctor appointment at ten, and that Mr. Wayne was taking him. The teen did say that Mr. Ken would probably be with him and he would help him get through it.

Mr. and Mrs. Golderson and Mark came into the Kitchen Nook about that time and heard some of what was said. Miriam asked Levi if he knew what that was all about. Mark heard what his mom asked and he told her that they never talk about why the boys are living with Mr. Ken. The youngster said that the reason might be embarrassing to them to be continually reminded about it and that when they get to know you, they might begin to tell you why they are there.

Miriam asked her husband if what Mark told her was true. Levi told her that was what he was told when he asked the same question and he still doesn’t know the reason why any of the boys are living at The Cove, other than the twins and their horrendous accident last year. He then told her that Mark might know something, but that when he asked him, he told him it was for the boys to tell him, not him.

Momma told everyone to have a seat, so she could serve up their breakfast. The boys made room around the Nook’s table so Miriam could look out the large picture window and see the backside of the estate and out onto the lake.

But Mark had to take care of Chief’s needs first. Miriam watched as her son cleaned the resident pet’s bowls and filled one with fresh kibble and the other one with fresh water. She then saw her son get a handful of ice and place it in the water. Chief then baked a few “Woofs” at the boy who got down and scratched behind Chief’s ears and received a few doggie kisses for his trouble and giggled. The boy then washed his hands before taking his seat at the table.

Miriam couldn’t believe the views she had from the Nook. She said that if she lived in a place like that, she probably wouldn’t work another day in her life. Her husband told her that if they lived in a house like that, they could afford not to have to work another day in their lives. Everyone laughed.

Momma served scrambled eggs, pancakes, crisp bacon, sausage links, toast with different jellies, and fried hash browns along with fresh coffee for the adults and milk or orange juice for the boys.

As they were eating, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris came to work. They each got a cup of hot coffee, but Mr. Wayne mentioned to Billy that they needed to leave for Doctor Powers office by 9:30, so for him to watch the time.

Miriam was loving her breakfast. The eggs were fluffy and the pancakes divine, if you asked her. The coffee was hot and plentiful, as if she was at a posh restaurant, and she enjoyed the crisp bacon. She had heard about Momma Maria’s cooking from Billy and now she was experiencing it first-hand.

As they were eating, Mr. Ken asked Mark what time his soccer game was set for tomorrow. Mark told him it was at eleven, and then asked him why he wanted to know.

Mr. Ken told him his mom and dad needed to plan their dressing changes with Mr. Harper when he came later and with the game at eleven, they probably wouldn’t have to change their time now. Mark smiled at hearing that.

After everyone had eaten, they all headed in their separate directions. Mr. Ken offered to show Miriam around the rest of the estate and she took him up on the offer. He told her he would show her as much as he could until his ten o’clock meeting arrived, and then he’d have to finish it later, or Levi could continue to show her around.

Miriam was surprised at the expanse of the house. She’d already seen the upstairs, so Mr. Ken started at the kitchen storage area and then the Butler’s Pantry. Miriam had already seen the Dining Room, when they ate there last night, so Mr. Ken took her to the MRS Room and explained what it was for. He then showed her his Study, the cloak closet, half-bath and then his personal retreat.

Miriam was amazed at what Ken Thomas had for his private retreat. She loved that there were both a HIS and HERS toilet area with medicine cabinets and wash sinks as well as dual sinks out in the main bathroom area. She also loved that behind the bathtub there were two separate shower controls as well as rain-showers for two people.

She did ask Ken if he ever planned to use that small room off the master bedroom area that she was told would be the baby’s room. Ken told her that when he finds the right woman, he hoped it would be.

When they went downstairs, he started at the back of the house where Mr. Chris had his office and worked his way towards the indoor pool. The woman was impressed with the Theater, the Wine Cellar, the fully stocked bar, the party restrooms and then the Great Room with the Rumford Fireplace and the 30-foot-high windows that let in tons of light.

By then it was time for Mr. Ken to gather up Matthew and meet with Stewart Russell and the ADA. So, he excused himself from his guest and went looking for his foster son. The two then waited at the Foyer Door for the two men to arrive. Levi showed his wife the pool area and locker rooms.

Once the two lawyers were there, the four went onto the Study and closed the door, so they could discuss Grace Turnsten’s upcoming trial without being interrupted. It was then Matthew learned that his mom, Grace Toursten, was charged with multiple counts of child abuse, child endangerment, receiving stolen money, attempted kidnapping, unlawful restraint, aggravated kidnapping and indecency and sexual misconduct with a child.

The Assistant District Attorney asked Matthew if he understood what all those charges meant and upon learning the boy didn’t the ADA explained every one of them to the boy so he understood the gravity of the charges his mom faced.

Once that was done, the ADA began to ask Matthew questions about his time with his mom and Lincoln and what they did and how he got all of those scars on his back. The ADA then asked the youngster about where they lived and why they moved around so much and what he knew about the reasons for the moves. They broke for a lunch break at 12:30.

Mark enjoyed skating on the Cove Skate Park. It was so smooth as compared to what he had close by his home and where he and his ‘big brother’ had gone to skate before their home was invaded. He had also made good friends with many of the boys who came to visit The Cove even though they were older than he was. They did help him with learning how to better ride his skateboard. His only wish was that his friends lived closer.

Mr. and Mrs. Golderson decided to visit their home and check on the ongoing repairs after lunch. Miriam was anxious to see what was being done and how far along the workers were. She also wanted to check the paint color was what she really wanted. Levi only hoped it was so it wouldn’t delay their moving home.

Levi also wanted to show his wife all of the ruined clothes from the gunshots Bennett Grafflers randomly fired into the room, after he picked up the loose gun from when Levi shot Santiago Sanchez through the wall and killed him. Miriam was dismayed at seeing the number of her clothes that were ruined. She asked if their homeowners’ insurance was going to cover any of it. Levi said that he hadn’t talked to their insurance company about the clothes yet.

Levi then told Miriam that now that they were living together, they needed to get serious and talk about getting a lawyer and taking their home security company to task for not coming back to replace the Panic Button in the upstairs Safe Room, after knowing it didn’t work on the day they installed it. Levi said that none of what happened to them would have if the upstairs Panic Button had worked when their son had pushed it.

Miriam thought about what her husband had said to her for a few moments. She then told him that she agreed with him, but wondered if they had enough information against the home security company that they could win.

Levi told Miriam how Ken asked his friend in the Sheriff’s Department to do an inspection of the Panic Button the night of the home invasion, and that he had Jules Diamond Security to do an independent inspection, as well. The man said he was sure they could win with what he’d see in the two reports and that he would let her read the reports when they got back to The Cove.

Levi also told Miriam that Ken had recommended a lawyer for them and that he would come over to The Cove to talk to them when they were ready. Levi also mentioned that Ken wanted his lawyer to represent Billy in a separate lawsuit against their home security company.

Levi explained to his wife how Ken felt, that even though Billy was a legal member of their family at the time, he feels that if he represents him as now being his foster son, he could get a separate award and thus it wouldn’t diminished from their award if Billy was included in their lawsuit. Miriam said she liked that idea.

Mark never got to cook the burgers and dogs when it was time to prepare the afternoon barbeque. That was because he was so young. He also never got to use the mandolin to slice the tomatoes or onions because of his age, as well. He did get to help clean and pat dry the lettuce, fill the mustard, ketchup and ice dispensers, set up the serving line, and fill the soda machine at the end of the day, though.

Throughout the afternoon, Mr. Dennis walked around and watched the boys skate and then he went down to the dock and watched the boys swim and how well the lifeguards did their job. He was still amazed, though, that his employer allowed the boys to cook using the large grill and without any adult supervision.

When Mr. Wayne came up to the Pavilion, the two talked about there being no adult supervision. Wayne explained that Mr. Ken has, over time, given the boys the opportunity to show they can be trusted to do the right thing.

Wayne told Dennis that it wasn’t just forty boys, one day, coming to The Cove and cooking burgers and dogs, but that it started out with one foster boy and his five friends. And then, as Mr. Ken added foster boys, and they made friends, they all pitched in together to help. Wayne explained that their employer told the boys up front that if they ever mess up, they would be banned from The Cove and never be allowed back.

Wayne explained that with what the boys have there, the Cove Skate Park, the water toys, the sailboats, the PWCs and everything else Mr. Ken offers them, the boys know not to mess up. The Estate Master told the new hire that the boys are very responsible and careful when they do anything and they will eagerly pitch in when asked. Wayne added that the more he is around the boys the better he would understand it.

Dennis then asked Wayne the question the Estate Master was hoping he wouldn’t get asked, but was. Dennis asked if any of the boys were ever banned from The Cove. Wayne then proceeded to tell the man about Kaden. When Wayne was finished, Dennis asked him if that was why the Golderson’s were staying there. Wayne first asked Dennis what he knew about the Golderson’s. Once he knew what Dennis knew, he filled in the blanks without saying too much.

Matthew’s meeting with the ADA and Mr. Russell lasted the entire day. The ADA told the boy that he felt that was all the time he needed. He told Matthew he was very well versed in what happened to him and he was confident, that when he was on the witness stand, he would be their star witness. The ADA then told the boy that his mom’s trial would begin on Monday and that he might be called to the Courthouse on Wednesday and to be ready.

When he was finished in the meeting, Matthew talked to his ‘dad’ about what the ADA said about being ready on Wednesday. Then after a few hugs, the boy went up to his room and cried himself to sleep after reliving what happened to him all of last summer.

That Friday, Mark’s soccer team arrived at five, scrimmaged with the older boys and they practiced their plays, hoping that all their hard work would come together the next day at their game, and they would stun the first-place team and then it would all be worth it.

Levi and Miriam went out to watch their son practice. Miriam was surprised that there was a full soccer field there on The Cove. Levi laughed as he told her that Wayne made some phone calls and had Ken’s construction company’s surveyors come over and mark the corners and another company come out and lined the field.

When the woman asked why Ken had done something like that, Levi told her that Ken does things for his foster sons to make up for what they miss by being away from their homes and families. The man said Ken wants to make up for the situation they’ve been forced into.

Miriam was also concerned that the team was ‘playing’ against the much older boys. That was until Levi told her the coach was using the older boys to help his team practice their plays and become confident with their abilities against the older, bigger players. Levi added that Mark’s team was playing the first-place team tomorrow and they will see if all that practice will pay off.

At dinner that evening, Momma made another one of her wonderful meals. Miriam had the Mexican meal the previous evening and she was looking forward to what Momma Maria was making for them that evening.

Tonight, Momma had a tossed salad with four different dressings for everyone to choose from, fork tender Pot Roast, red-skinned potatoes, strained gravy, whole corn, green beans, rolls and butter. There was coffee for the adults and milk for the boys. For dessert, Momma made Apple cinnamon sugar Sopaipillas that Miriam just had to have a second one, because she said they were so good.

During the dinner, everyone talked about their day. Billy told everyone that Doc Powers said he still had to be careful about injuring his insides, but was happy that he’s been good and didn’t ride too many big rides at the amusement parks. Everyone who was at the parks laughed, but they knew Billy was good and didn’t ride the bigger, more intense rides.

Mark lamented that he never got to cook the burgers or dogs. He said he understood, but he still would have liked to have done that and hoped he could before he had to go home. Mr. Ken told the young boy that he was too young and that if he ever came back to live with him, and he was twelve, he would gladly let him cook. Everyone knew what the man was saying, so they just smiled at the boy.

All the boys talked about their day. Even Levi and Miriam told the group about what they saw at their home. Miriam told them that the paint color they picked was exactly what she wanted and the bathroom was going to be really nice when it was finished. She also told them that the new flooring was being installed and the house would definitely be nicer when they move back. She did add they do need to buy a new bed as the remediation company took theirs away.

After they finished eating, the boys again helped clean the dinner table and they also hugged Momma Maria for making them such a great meal. Miriam also gave Momma a hug for cooking them such a great dinner and such a wonderful dessert.

Again, since there were more people than chairs available in the Study, the group met down in the Great Room. Once everyone was comfortable, ‘dad’ Ken reviewed what was in store of them in the coming days and weeks.

“Boys, remember to tell your friends that they have to leave by five on Sunday as you all have school starting Monday. And speaking of Monday, Mr. Chris tells me that the company that brought the soda machine will also be installing another machine. This one will be the clear, see-through front that has the mechanical arm that will go and retrieve your selection. It is only about half as big as the other one and can hold between 280 to 310 bottles

“Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis will have to go and get some plain and flavored waters for the new machine sometime next week. They may not buy enough product to fill all the slots, but that’s only ten to twelve cases, so they might. Stay tuned.

“Also, Mark, you’ll see Doctor Doug on Tuesday and Bill you’ll see him on Thursday, and Mark you’ll also see him the following Tuesday and that will be your last appointment with him before you move home.

“The rest of you will have dentist appointments starting Monday after school. Kevin and Kyle have a 4 p.m. appointment. The facility has more than one doctor so you can both be seen at the same time. Charles, you’ll go on Tuesday, Robert on Wednesday, Matthew on Thursday and Bill on Friday. Oh, wait. I better change Matthew and Charles around.

“If you haven’t heard … Matthew’s mom … she … her trial starts next week and Matthew … he will be called as a witness. I will be there with him, so I may not be available if you have any problems, so please take them to Mr. Wayne.

“Also, Mr. Wayne will be showing Mr. Dennis where your appointments are so he will be with him when he comes to the school to pick you up. Once he is comfortable in his new position, I will have to get Mr. Dennis on the list of approved people who can pick you up from school.

“Remember, the Labor Day Picnic will be a big one with upwards of 300 people there. I will also be inviting the Sheriff Deputies, who are on duty, to stop by for something to eat. Just as I did when we had the last picnic. I think they all appreciated the invitation and the chance for something different to eat. Also, it was free. The Police Explorers will help with parking.

“I also want to remind you that the weekend after Labor Day, I am hosting my amusement park managers at the Lakeside Hotel from Thursday night through Sunday. I will be staying at the hotel during that time and Mr. Wayne will be holding down the fort.

“Robert, with Labor Day weekend in two weekends after this one, I want you and Eric to make sure the field and around the Skate Park and Pavilion is cut and trimmed. You can do it next weekend or during the week, if Ms. Judy will allow Eric to come over. And boys, the Pavilion tables, benches and restrooms need a really good cleaning, too. Bill, I’d ask you to ramrod that project.

“I am also going to start working from my office at the new office building around that time, so I probably won’t be here when you get home from school. Mr. Levi is also going to set up a meeting with some investors who might want to go in with me to build the marina and a few other endeavors I am thinking of doing here in the near future.

“One other thing you need to be aware of is that I am also hoping to go back and visit the amusement parks by the end of September, or the beginning of October. That is so we can discuss the Celebration of Christmas Wonders and other things like the new coasters they will be installing for next year.

“And one last thing for tonight. For right now, I suspect the Goldersons will be moving home over the Labor Day weekend. We will help them wherever we can. Also, that Monday … it will be a Cover Family Day. So, make sure you tell your friends that they will have to make plans for that Monday. Do you have any questions for me about anything I said? And, do you have anything that we need to talk about as a group?” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

Matthew spoke up and asked him if he really had to go back to visit the amusement parks again. Mr. Ken smiled and told the boy that he owned them and had a duty to check on them every now and then and keep them on their toes. Kevin then spoke up and said he needed to go and see Ms. Kate, too. All the boys laughed, and so did ‘dad’ Ken.

Hearing about Ms. Kate was news to Miriam, so she whispered in Levi’s ear, “Who is that?” Levi whispered back that he’d tell her later, when they were alone.

Kyle asked if they could tell their friends about them going to Six Flags and SeaWorld again. Mr. Ken said that it was in the planning stages, and if they mentioned it then that they also needed to tell them that too, and they would know more as we get closer to going. Kyle smiled and thanked his ‘dad’ for telling them that.

“Oh, one last thing before we end this meeting. Mr. Chris … he did send out the invitations for the Labor Day Picnic today. He added a line telling the invitees that they needed to bring a lawn chair if they wanted to have a soft seat during the picnic. It appears that if we are going to keep holding our picnics up at the Pavilion, that I will need to add another storage shed up there and store a number of lawn chairs just for occasions like this. Mr. Wayne … would you make a note in your phone and bring it up when the time is right. Anything else?” finished Mr. Ken.

With nothing else being said, Mr. Ken asked the boys to head up to their rooms and relax before going to bed. He told them to read some, or talk about what they think the new school year will be like. Then he added for them to stay out of trouble. The boys all laughed.

After the boys walked up the stairs and were out of earshot of the adults, Miriam asked Ken why her son was seeing Doctor Doug.

“Miriam, all of the boys who come to me … I have them see Doctor Doug. They are put into a situation beyond their control, usually, and I want them to be able to talk to someone that won’t reveal what they talk about. I want them to be able to talk out their feelings, their anger and anything that is inside of them that might make them act out,” replied Mr. Ken.

“But my Mark knew why he was coming here. We were all involved in that horrible home invasion and he knew we’d all be back together again, and soon,” countered Miriam.

“Yes, I knew that. But Mark had been through a traumatic experience and as you know … he blamed himself for what happened. I wanted an impartial person who could talk to him and get him to understand that it wasn’t his fault that those men came into your home and did what they did.

“But … there was one other thing that Mark heard that night while he was hiding in that Safe Room. He told you that they had intended to shoot Bill as they did Kaden. I don’t know if you caught that when he visited you that first time. You may have been just so happy to see your son, that you didn’t take notice of what he had to say.

“What you don’t know is that Mark … is that Mark … is that he heard the three men talking that they … that they had intended to … to kill … all three of you before they left the house that evening,” revealed Mr. Ken.

Immediately, upon hearing that, Miriam took in a deep breath and placed her hand to her mouth. Then she said, “Please tell me he didn’t hear that! Please!” cried Miriam.

“I’m afraid that is what he told me. That is another reason I wanted him to talk to Doctor Doug. And even though he heard what those men had intended to do, Mark hasn’t had any adverse reactions to it. He hasn’t had any nightmares nor has he acted out in any way.

“Mark is a very level headed boy and him working with Doctor Doug over what happened and what he heard was the best thing for him to move on. I will call Doctor Jennings to remind him about what he heard to make sure they covered it and that Mark has moved on.

“You’re a mom and I know … I know your instinct will be to smother him and hug him and tell him you hope he can forget everything he heard. But … I would hope you wouldn’t do that. Please don’t overreact to what I just told you and thus keep bringing it up so as to remind him about that night. Mark needs to move on from that night, and if his talking it out with Doctor Doug makes that happen then all the better,” finished Mr. Ken.

Miriam was stunned from what she heard, and irate that someone would tell her how to raise her son. She was going to say something to Ken, but her husband placed his hand on her to try to calm her down.

“Ken,” spoke up Levi, “I … I agree with what you just said about not reminding Mark about that night, although … I don’t think Miriam does. Every night after you’ve talked to Mark, I’ve gone into his room and talked to him. We’ve casually talked about that night and what he heard and what he saw after he came out of the Safe Room.

“He’s cried about it and we’ve hugged, and not just once, but a couple of times. He told me … he told me that he and Doctor Doug … that they have talked about that night and he knows that it wasn’t his fault about the men coming to the house.

“He also told me that Doctor Doug … that the doctor told him that even though the men talked about killing all of them, that they didn’t and it was something that he shouldn’t concern himself about any more.

“Mark told me that the doctor explained to him that when I fought Kaden … that it changed the outcome of that night … for the better … and that his family is still whole. Mark told me that at first … that he was scared about what he heard and … and what it meant, but now … but now that he has talked to Doctor Doug, he knows that it is something he no longer needs to deal with and to put away and never think of it again.

“And honey … that is what Ken is asking you, us, to do. We both need to let Mark bring it up and if he never does, all the better. This is something that will always be in the back of all of our minds for the rest of our lives, but we all survived. And Mark did, especially because of what Billy did for our son just before those men entered our house.

“Miriam … you need, we need, to let this go … for Mark’s sake. Ken seems to know what he’s doing. He’s been taking care of foster boys for about, what, five years now and if Mark begins to have problems, we know that he responds to Doctor Jennings and we’ll make sure he gets to go back to him. What do you say, honey?” asked Levi.

Miriam sat there, thinking about what Ken, and her husband, just said about her son. She wanted to be able to console her son and talk to him about what happened that night, but she guessed that now wasn’t in the cards. She understood what they were saying, but her motherly instinct told her otherwise. She knew she would have to fight that and hope that Mark would talk to her as he had her husband.

“Yes, I want to be able to talk to Mark about what happened that night. But since he’s been talking to Doctor Doug, and I know he is someone Billy thought so highly of to want us to try to get him to go back to, then … then I am going to have to fight my instincts to want to talk to Mark. All I can hope is that he will one day … he will want to talk to me about it as he has his dad,” confessed Miriam.

The whole time this conversation was going on, Wayne Mitchell was sitting back and taking it all in. He was happy he wasn’t in this hot seat, as he didn’t know the entire backstory as he doesn’t interact with the boys as much as Mr. Ken does. But listening in gave him much more insight as to how to handle situations like this. He was also glad that Dennis wasn’t there, because he knew there would be a thousand questions he’d have to answer.

Mr. Wayne asked his boss if he thought it was time that they headed up to talk to the boys. Mr. Ken looked at his watch and decided they should. The four adults took the elevator up to the second floor. They all headed over to Mark’s room to begin.

Mr. Ken explained to Miriam that he talked to all the boys separately. Levi told his wife that after Ken leaves Mark’s room he goes in and they talk some more. Miriam wanted to go in when Ken went into her son’s room, but Ken told her this was his one-on-one time with the boys and she would have to wait. The woman was miffed, but she stayed outside the room with her husband. Mr. Wayne had already gone off to talk to one of the other boys.

When Mr. Ken was finished talking with Mark, Levi went into the room to talk to his son. Miriam went in with him. Mark asked his mom what she was doing there. Mark’s mom said she wanted to talk with him as she always did before bedtime. Mark said that was OK, but that he wanted to talk with his dad when she was finished.

Miriam didn’t understand what her son meant, so she asked him why he couldn’t talk with them both at the same time. Mark told her that he enjoyed talking with his dad like he did with Mr. Ken, and he hoped to continue to do that when they finally moved back home. Miriam walked out of the room with tears in her eyes.

Mark asked his dad what he did. The boy’s father told him that his mother didn’t understand that her son was growing up and changing before her eyes, and she didn’t like what she saw. The father told his son that they would have to talk to her and explain that her son is no longer the little boy she knew a month ago.

Levi then told his son they should go to her.

“Mom … I’m … I’m sorry if … if I made you mad,” offered Mark, when he went to his mom’s bedroom.

“Mark … Mark … you’ve changed,” replied the boy’s mom.

“Yes, mom, I have … but for the better,” suggested the mom’s son.

The two went to one another and hugged. As they hugged Miriam said, “My boy … he’s grown up before his time.”

“Mom … I started changing ever since Billy came to live with us. He showed me … he showed me that I had to stop being a ‘taker’, as he called me, and I had to begin being part of the family. He showed me that I had to help around the house and do my part.

“Mom … here at The Cove I saw … I saw how everyone, all my ‘brothers’ and all of their friends … how they all chip in and help do what needs to be done. I see how helping … how helping not only gets things done sooner, but it gives someone, like Momma Maria, more time to do other things she needs to get done.

“Mom … my ‘brothers’ … they also helped me learn to use my skateboard better and Charles … he’s been showing me how to sail the sailboat. They also helped me to face my fears when it came to riding the rides at Mr. Ken’s amusement parks. I now like riding some of the roller coasters and a few of the other rides that look really scary from the ground, but they really aren’t once you’re on them.

“Mom … don’t be mad at me for changing. It was bound to happen eventually,” pleaded Mark.

“Yes, my son, I know. I just didn’t want it to happen so fast,” lamented the boy’s mother, who now hugged him some more.

While the Golderson’s were talking, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne talked to all of the other boys. Kevin was already asking when their next school break was. Robert asked if he was going to be able to invite any new friends, he makes at high school over to The Cove. His dad said they needed to discuss that as there were already a large number of boys there now.

When Mr. Ken came to Billy’s room, the teen again thanked him for accepting him back to The Cove. He voiced his concern about his younger ‘brother’ Matthew, and asked if he was going to be OK with the trial. Mr. Ken assured the teen that Matthew would be OK, as long as he turned his anger at what happened to him towards his mom and then Lincoln and told the court everything he knew, then he would be the better person for it.

This was the last weekend before school began and for a Friday night The Cove was quiet as a mouse. Everyone slept well!

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

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