Published: 24 Nov 2022
From Previous Chapter:
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!
This Saturday morning started like every morning for Mr. Ken when he is at home. He gets up, uses his retreat facilities, dresses in his usual nylon running shorts, t-shirt and Crocs, then goes out and gets his morning newspaper. He loved the morning as it was cool, which portended to him that Mother Nature was trying to bring in some change to the weather.
Momma Maria was there that Saturday to fix breakfast for the Covers and their house guests at the behest of Mr. Ken. The owner of The Cove wanted Miriam to have a nice breakfast to wake up to after eating hospital and rehab food for the past five weeks.
Mr. Ken thanked Momma for coming in to make breakfast for Miriam and that he would make it up to her. Momma told him he had already given her all that time off when they were on their recent trip and she was happy to be able to do something special for his house guest.
Momma was making a special breakfast that morning. She doesn’t usually make French toast because it takes a lot of time when you’re fixing it for ten people, but today she decided she could do that.
Momma had already prepared the eggs with some vanilla and cinnamon, had the bread dipped, the griddles hot and had already begun making the toast and had placed them in the warming trays. She was ready to serve them when she served the scrambled eggs and crisp bacon to everyone when they sat at the table.
The coffee was hot, the orange juice was made and the milk was cold and all Momma needed now was the Covers and their guests to arrive in the Kitchen Nook to eat.
As the boys began to arrive, they said good morning to their ‘dad’ and some of them gave him a hug and then sat down. Mark immediately took care of Chief’s needs, cleaned her two bowls, then filled one with fresh kibble and the other with fresh water and ice.
As Mark finished taking care of Chief, Miriam and Levi came into the Nook. Momma saw that everyone was there and she told them, “Sits, sits!”
As they all sat down, Momma served them ‘family’ style. She first brought out a very large platter of hot French Toast, then two warm pottery jugs of Maple syrup. She already had powdered sugar out on the table if anyone wanted to do just that. She then brought out another very large platter of scrambled eggs, followed by a large platter of very crisp bacon and fried hash brown potato cakes. She then filled the adult’s coffee cups with hot coffee and as she did that, she asked the boys if they wanted milk or orange juice.
Everyone passed the platters around and took what they wanted and then Momma added more to the depleted dishes. She also added more syrup to the decanters and then topped off the coffee for the adults and the orange juice and milk for the boys.
Conversation at the table was practically nonexistent as everyone was enjoying their wonderful and special breakfast. Mark did remind his parents that his soccer game was at eleven and he had to be there at 10:30. The boy asked who was going to take him there. Mr. Ken said that if Mr. Wayne wasn’t there yet, he would. Mark smiled at hearing that.
As they ate, Mr. Ken told the Golderson’s that they would have lunch at the pavilion with the boys when they ‘burned’ the burgers and dogs. Matthew quickly spoke up and said they didn’t burn the burgers, much, and everyone laughed.
Miriam said she was looking forward to seeing the Pavilion up close and watching the boys skate after they came back from her son’s soccer game. She added that Billy told them about how the boys cooked every day and about the large grill up at the Pavilion and how the boys also used a mandolin to slice the onions and tomatoes and set up a serving line. The woman said she wanted to watch them in action.
Mr. Ken also told everyone that they were going out for breakfast tomorrow after Mr. and Mrs. Golderson had their dressings changed, so for everyone to be ready to go by then. He told the boys to tell their friends that they may be late returning, and not to worry about them.
Harper Young, the med tech, was early that Saturday. Levi and Miriam were already finished eating, so they didn’t mind. They met the man at the Foyer Door and the three went up to the guest suite to allow him to change their wound dressings.
When the boys finished helping clear the breakfast table, they all gave Momma Maria a big hug for fixing a special breakfast and then they all went up to get ready for their day. By then, Mr. Wayne had arrived and he ate the last few pieces of French toast and crisp bacon that were still in the warming tray.
It had been five weeks since the Goldersons had been shot and their wounds were healing very well. Their stitches were all out and all the dressing changes were for Med Tech Harper to check for any signs of infection and to protect the wound area until their doctors said they weren’t needed any more.
Since the dressing changes didn’t take very long, Levi and Miriam were both ready to take their son, Mark, to his soccer game. Levi stopped by the Study to tell Ken they were going, but the man was still getting ready for the day, so he told Mr. Wayne they’d be back after the game.
Mark was on time to meet up with his teammates. Levi had remembered to bring lawn chairs for him and his wife to sit on during the game. Miriam was looking forward to watching her son play his soccer game. She’d watched the team practice the day before, which was something she never got to do, so now she would see if the team had put it all together and would win today.
The team’s coach gave them a pre-game pep talk after they had warmed up and reminded his players that they knew how to handle the bigger, older boys they practiced against and that they shouldn’t let their opponent outsmart them or intimidate them just because they had a better record.
The teams’ coach told his players that they were there today to show their opponent they were the better team and when the game was over the league would know it, too. The players were all pumped up after his rousing speech.
Because of their age, the game was played in two, 30-minute halves. And right from the start, Mark’s team took it to their opponent. They scored on their first possession and they kept the other team off balance the entire first half with the score 2 – 0.
During the break, Mark’s coach encouraged his team not to let up, but to continue to pressure their opponent as they had been. He reviewed how in doing so, during the first half, they didn’t expect them to be so aggressive and they owed it to their practicing against the older boys at The Cove.
During the second half, Mark’s team was relentless. The opposing team couldn’t score no matter what they did. They got close a few times, but their goalkeeper had practiced against harder, faster shots on goal back at The Cove and was ready for anything that came her way.
The spectators around the other fields had heard about the first half of their game and how the first-place team was being taken to the woodshed by a supposed mediocre team. So, the second half of their game had a very large following of people watching the first-place team go down in flames. When the game was over the score was 4-0, with Mark’s team the triumphant winner.
Mark was beside himself. He had scored one of the four goals and they had won and the entire team was ecstatic over how well they’d performed. All of the parents were also praising their children for all their hard work, and they all told them that they could well be the first-place team in a few weeks if they continued to play that well.
Mark couldn’t wait to get back to The Cove. When his dad drove into The Cove, he had him drop him off at the top of the estate, as he wanted to go over to the Pavilion to tell his ‘brothers’ and their friends about their win and to thank the boys who helped his team practice, because that was why they won.
Mark then went down to the house to change out of his uniform and get comfortable to play the day away. He did go swimming with Matthew’s friends and they got on RockIt and with him being the smallest and lightest he, of course, went the highest when he let go.
The boys ‘burned’ the burgers and dogs about two o’clock that Saturday afternoon. Levi and Miriam were up there about one o’clock and Billy showed the woman around the Pavilion and explained everything to her and why it was the way it was.
Miriam was surprised that it was her son who suggested Mr. Ken get the large soda machine to replace the many coolers they used to use to ice down the sodas. And she was also surprised that none of the boys had ever cut themselves using the mandolin.
Billy told her that they were very careful of the machine and they never hurried to get the job done. The teenager told his former foster mother the boys appreciate what Mr. Ken has provided for them and they never wanted to disappoint him by doing something stupid and cutting themselves.
Miriam watched as some boys first washed the tomatoes while others peeled the onions under water to keep their eyes from tearing. The woman then watched as the boys sliced their item, then placed it on a serving platter. All the while that was going on, another few of boys were washing the lettuce and patting it dry, and the whole time none of the boys were moaning about doing that chore.
Miriam watched as the boys cooked the burgers and hot dogs. She noticed they placed the cooked burgers in a holding tray and when they had a good number of burgers done, they began cooking the hot dogs which took practically no time to prepare.
Once the boys were ready to serve, they called the adults over to the serving line to fix their plates, then the rest of the boys got into one of the two serving lines and fixed their own plates.
Miriam only took one hamburger, knowing if she was still hungry, she could go back and get another one, or a hot dog. She fixed it with some onion, lettuce and tomato and she placed some potato chips and pickles on the side, then went to sit down at one of the tables under the Pavilion.
Mark fixed his hamburger without any onion and went to sit by his mom. A few of the other boys, when they fixed their lunch, also went to sit at the table with Miriam. They really hadn’t had the chance to get to know her, so they wanted to take that opportunity.
Mr. Ken asked Levi if he was OK with the boys sitting with his wife. The man said his wife was a big girl and if she didn’t want them there, she would tell them. Mr. Ken was concerned that they would ask her about the home invasion and her being shot. Levi told him she needed to either start fending off the questions or begin answering them, and this would be a good testing ground for her. Mr. Ken only smiled at hearing that.
The boys did talk to Miriam and they got around to asking her what she did. She told them she was a college professor and taught English at the Junior College. They also asked her how her new hip was doing and if she was in any pain. Miriam told them that once she began walking her muscles and ligaments settled around the new hip and she hardly knew she had one.
The boys were a bit hesitant to ask, but they eventually did ask her about the home invasion and in particular her being shot. Miriam was a bit taken aback by their forwardness, but Levi heard their questions, went over and told her that her college colleagues’ and the students there, along with her friends, will be asking the same questions and this will give her a chance to get used to answering them.
Miriam understood what her husband was telling her, so she answered the boys’ questions. A few of the other boys heard she was talking about what happened to her during the home invasion, and in particular her being shot, so they went over and gathered around.
Miriam now had most of the boys surrounding her as she told them about how she saw the home invasion as it went down. Even Mr. Dennis was interested in hearing what she had to say, so he was standing nearby as well.
Miriam told the group what happened from the time Billy sent her son, Mark, up to the Safe Room until her husband, Levi, was able to break free from the zip ties, grab the alarm clock and smash it over Kaden’s head. Some of the boys cringed when they heard that part of the story. She continued that the teen cried out and soon thereafter one of the men came down and exchanged gunfire with her husband.
Miriam then told the boys that the man tried to hide behind the door frame, but that her husband shot the man through the wall and he fell over. Then another man came down and saw Kaden, crouched down in a corner trying not to get hit by the gunfire. She told them the man yelled to Kaden, “This is what you get for not doing your job”, and then shot him in the back. The boys gasped at hearing that description, even though they had heard that once before.
Miriam continued and explained how Levi and the man exchanged gunfire and that the man was hit. She told them how the third man then came racing downstairs, picked up the first man’s gun and fired indiscriminately into the room until the gun was empty. She told them that was when she was hit by a few of the randomly shot bullets.
Mark hugged his mom for telling his friends her story, and the boys applauded her for being so open and telling them all about what happened to her that night of the home invasion. Levi also went over to his wife, pulled her up, hugged her and congratulated her for being brave enough to openly face that night and to tell her story to complete strangers. As the boys walked away, some of them shook her hand and thanked her personally for talking to them.
The woman hadn’t really met any of the boys until that day and she was pleasantly surprised at the way they treated her and were attentive to her story. None of them interrupted her with questions as she told her story. Something she knew her college students would have done.
As the adults loaded into a golf cart, Mr. Ken told them they would be going out to dinner that evening after the boys left the estate. Levi told his wife that if they went over to the Four Corners Restaurant she was in for a wonderful meal. Mr. Ken just smiled.
When the Cover’s friends did leave, there was somewhat of a traffic jam at the Main Gate as the boys began telling them that Mark’s mom was now living at The Cove and she told them her story of what happened the night of the home invasion.
Some of the parents were surprised that Mr. Dennis wasn’t there to meet them. But the boys told them that he only worked part time and only worked from eleven and left at four o’clock. They hoped they would get to meet him one day.
The Cover’s and their Guests did indeed go over to the Four Corner’s Restaurant for dinner. Mr. Ken had called Mr. Ed earlier and asked him to have a table ready for eleven guests that night. Mr. Ed wished they had a separate room to handle a large party like that, but it wasn’t planned for when the building was built. He had talked to Mr. Ken about adding collapsible partitions in order to do that, but no decision had been made as of yet.
When the Covers arrived, there was a line outside the restaurant. Mr. Ken felt bad that he had taken so many tables out of service, but as the owner he also felt he needed to exercise his right to do so, knowing he rarely did that.
When they entered the restaurant, Mr. Ed had them seated at two six-seat round tables over in Mr. Ken’s corner. It wasn’t what he had wanted, but he also hadn’t specified a long table or a square table for twelve, so he really couldn’t say anything.
The boys tried to fit the seven of them at their table, but Mr. Ken told them it would be tight and so he had Bill sit at the adults table that night. The boys knew the drill and what they could order, so when their server came over to their table, they knew exactly what drinks, meals and sides they wanted.
At the adults table, Levi whispered to Miriam not to worry about the prices, but to order what she really wanted to have, or at least order what her host ordered. And being the only lady at the table the server went to her first. Miriam explained that this was her first time there and she wasn’t sure what she wanted yet. She asked the servers to come back to her after she got the other guests orders.
Miriam listened to what Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and Billy ordered and looked at the menu to see what they cost. She couldn’t believe what the meal was going to cost that evening, but her husband told her to order what she wanted, so when the server came back to her, she ordered a small salad, filet mignon, medium, with a baked potato, loaded, and asparagus tips. She also ordered coffee.
Dinner was a success that evening. The boys table was generally quiet as they knew they shouldn’t be overly loud in the restaurant. At the adults table, Billy was the focus of their conversation at first, but then the adults began talking about the Goldersons’ move back into their home over the Labor Day Weekend.
Mr. Ken did pick up the tab for the meal that evening. Miriam did a quick computation of what it cost the man for eleven people and she knew, with a good tip, it had to have cost him a good five hundred dollars. She knew the man was wealthy, but, to her, to just nonchalantly pick up a five-hundred-dollar tab, and not think anything of it, had to be wonderful.
Of course, the boys wanted to drive the Go-Karts, so Mr. Ken told them to head on over there and he and the Goldersons would meet them there. The man drove the van and Mr. Levi drove their vehicle, then he and Miriam met their host at the observation fence and they talked and waited for the boys to take their turn.
It was then that Miriam learned that Ken owned the Go-Kart Track as well as the Miniature Golf Course. Then she asked why the boys didn’t go to the head of the line. Ken told her that the boys pay, just like anyone else does, and they wait their turn, too. He told her that it wouldn’t be fair to his customers if every time they came, they saw them cutting the line.
Mr. Ken added he had to maintain a fair and equitable way for everyone no matter who they were, even if they were his ‘boys’. He did tell her that he does have the manager give them more laps when they are out there and no one is the wiser.
When it was the boys turn, Miriam watched as Mark got in a kart. She was concerned for him as he was only ten-years-old and he was going up against all of his older ‘brothers’ and some boys she didn’t know that made up the race of twelve karts.
When the starter lit the GREEN light, the karts sped out of the starting blocks. Mark raced out as fast as he dared, but faster than his mom thought he should have. Mark had been on the course a number of times already and he was familiar with it and knew how to drive it where and when. Miriam didn’t know that, though.
Mark’s mom watched her son race around the course and she cringed as she saw him being bumped or sliding around a corner. One time she grabbed Levi’s arm and exclaimed, “Oh, Levi, he shouldn’t be out there with all those older boys.”
Levi smiled and told her, “Honey, Mark’s been out there a number of times already, and he knows what he is doing and what he is capable of. He won’t overdrive the kart. But just look at the smile on his face. He is having fun out there and that is what this is all about.
“Remember what he told you the other night. That he was changing and his ‘brothers’ have been a big part of that change. He told you Billy started his changing, but as he was exposed to his other ‘brothers’, and their friends, he was given the chance to try things he otherwise wouldn’t have been if he was with us.
“Remember, I was with our son for four days at Ken’s amusement parks and I saw … and I saw how he rode rides that I know you would never have allowed him to go near. He saw that some of the rides looked worse from the ground than what they were once you rode them. I know … because I even rode a few of those rides with him.
“Yes, I rode a few rides that looked like they would be rough and scary, but when you were on them, they turned out to actually be fun. Mark learned his limits during those first four days. He rode some rides with Billy and he eventually asked Mr. Dan, a Sheriff’s Lieutenant Ken knows and had asked to go along for the first four days, to ride a roller coaster with him.
“I heard that Dan had Mark ride with him in the middle of the coaster train. I also heard that Dan didn’t have any blood flow in his hand until after the second hill as Mark had squeezed it so hard as they went down and up the hills. But in the end, Mark said he loved the ride now that he knew what the roller coaster was all about.
“Yes, my dear, our son has changed, but for the better I’d say. He isn’t that scared little boy any more. He kind of knows his limitations, but he also knows what he has tackled this far, so he might be prone to consider trying something he wouldn’t have five weeks ago,” counseled Levi.
“Oh, Levi … those men … they have changed our family,” decried Miriam, who was lovingly hugged by her husband.
When their race was over, Mark came out to his mom all enthused and asked her if she saw how well he’d driven the go-kart. Not wanting to let him know how afraid she was for him, she told him she saw him and how proud she was of him that he could handle that kart against all of those older boys. Mark smiled at his mom and hugged her.
The group headed over to Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone for ice cream after the race. Again, there was a line waiting outside the business and Miriam learned that Ken owned that establishment, as well. Everyone was told they could get banana splits, but Miriam asked if she could have just a two-scoop sundae.
There were three workers that night and the boys were surprised to learn that Conner had been promoted to Assistant Manager and was running the store that night. It also surprised Mr. Ken. He was happy for the teenager, but wondered who would manage the store when the teen had school. But he figured Mr. Ed had that covered and he wouldn’t worry about it.
When the Cover’s returned to The Cove, they asked Miriam to give Chief her cup of ice cream. Chief was again fooled when the woman asked her if she would sit, so she could give her the treat she had for her.
Chief knew it had to be her valued ice cream, so she sat and licked her lips when Miriam placed the cup of vanilla ice cream down on the floor, Chief attacked it with gusto. When the concoction was gone, Chief went over to Miriam and sat in front of her and offered her a paw to shake as a way to thank her.
The boys warned the woman that Chief would also give her some doggie kisses, so for her to be ready for the resident pet to trick her after she shook the paw. And that was exactly what Chief did. Miriam didn’t know what to do or say. Ken just told her to scratch behind Chief’s ears and everything would be worked out. So, Miriam did that and Chief thanked her with a few, “Woofs.”
They held their meeting in the Great Room again that night. Mr. Ken covered what he had the other night and before long the boys were up in the rooms waiting for their ‘dad’ to come up and say goodnight.
After Mr. Ken finished in Mark’s room, first Miriam talked to her son and then left and then Levi went in and talked to his son. That worked for the Goldersons and Mark was happy.
Mr. Wayne had gone home after they’d eaten their ice cream, so it was just Mr. Ken who talked to all of the boys that evening. They all had something to say about the summer coming to an end and that things would be changing beginning Monday.
Mr. Ken didn’t disagree with them, but did ask them to just go with the flow, talk about what they see and what they could do to make it better when they have their evening meetings.
The Cove was quiet that night as everyone slept well.
Sunday morning Mr. Ken did his normal thing to get ready for the day. He woke, used his en suite bathroom, dressed in his normal morning clothes, retrieved his Sunday morning newspaper and then he headed into the Kitchen Nook to pour himself his first cup of hot coffee.
The man separated the newspaper into the sections, as he usually did, and then began to read the front page and work his way through the rest of the paper. As he was reading, the Goldersons came into the Nook. He told them where the coffee cups were, that the coffee was hot and to then come and join him reading the newspaper.
Mr. Ken told them that when Harper came to change their dressings he’d go and get ready to go out for breakfast, but in the meantime, he was going to read the paper and get caught up on what was happening in the world and their little part of it.
Upstairs, the boys woke up and slowly got ready for the day. They knew they were going out for breakfast, so they all took their showers before going downstairs.
Harper Young, who was in the database and was no longer required to be vouched into the estate, rang the Foyer doorbell around 9:30 that morning. Chief, of course, went running and barking to greet the person even though she now knew who it was. Harper enjoyed being greeted by the resident pet and after a few behind the ear scratches, he and the Goldersons went up to their guest suite to have their dressings changed.
The Covers and their guests were ready to go to breakfast by 10:30. Mr. Ken asked Miriam where she would like to go out for breakfast. He gave her a list of places they’ve gone out to breakfast, but told her he wanted her to choose.
Miriam knew from talking with Billy, when he lived with them, that Mr. Ken enjoyed going out to International House of Pancakes (IHOP) for breakfast at any time of the day, so she told him she would love to go there.
The Covers loaded into the van while the Goldersons filled into their vehicle and then the two means of transportation headed to the closest IHOP. Along the way, Mr. Ken had Robert call Mr. Wayne to tell them where they were headed and to come and join them if he wanted. Mr. Dennis was off that day.
At the restaurant, the staff put five tables together down a center aisle so all eleven people could be together, as Mr. Wayne had decided to join the group. The four adults sat at one end of the collection of tables. Billy sat near them and the rest of the boys just spread out as they normally do when they went out to eat.
Again, Miriam didn’t know what she should order, but Levi reminded her along the way to just order whatever she felt like eating and that Ken would pick up the tab. The woman listened to what everyone did order and she liked what Ken and Wayne got, which was the Classic BreakFEAST™ Sampler that consisted of two strips of hickory-smoked bacon, 2 pork sausage links, 2 pieces of thick-cut ham, 2 eggs your way, crispy hash browns & 2 fluffy buttermilk pancakes.
Miriam wasn’t one to go out to breakfast as she thought it was a waste of money, since she could fix a nice breakfast that they could eat at home. But she knew when she was eating her IHOP breakfast she was fooling herself by doing that. But on the other hand, she knew her family couldn’t afford to go to eat like that often, but that maybe once a month or two might be a nice treat for all of them.
Miriam also noticed that the conversation at the table was toned down somewhat, just as it was at dinner the previous evening. She asked about that and Ken told her that the boys knew they were out in public and they weren’t supposed to talk out loud or call across the table to get one of their ‘brothers’ attention.
The woman thought to herself that the man was teaching them good manners and she also knew from her time with Billy that the boys weren’t spoiled, in as much as they got everything they wanted, but they got what Mr. Ken thought they needed. She also knew the man gave them unconditional love and she saw how the boys loved their one-on-one time with the man.
When the group returned to The Cove, the boy’s friends had begun arriving and were waiting over at the Pavilion for them. The boys wanted to get out of the van at the Main Gate, but their ‘dad’ told them to go change into their ‘play’ clothes before they caught up with their friends. He also told them to leave a six-seat golf cart at the house.
The adults went into the Study to talk about the coming weeks and what the Goldersons had planned. Levi told Ken, and thus Wayne, that he and his wife were going to talk with David Jackson during the week about starting a lawsuit against their home security provider.
Levi then asked Ken if he was available later that week to meet with the men who were interested in possibly investing with him. Ken told him that with Matthew having to testify that week he would be involved with the boy from Wednesday until the trial was over or until the boy is no longer needed at the trial.
Mr. Ken asked Levi if he could set their meeting up during the latter part of the following week. He also said he would like to have it as a luncheon meeting at the Lakeside Hotel where he could set aside a meeting room where he could have his marina plans for them to inspect, so they got an overview of the project. Levi said he’d call his group and set that up.
Miriam said she would really like to move back into their home as soon as it was ready. She told Ken that she was getting homesick and was missing not teaching that semester, but was also missing her friends and she was looking forward to getting back into a routine again.
Mr. Ken asked Miriam and Levi if they were interested in taking a ride out on the lake in the Commander before they moved home. He told them he had planned that Monday after Labor Day as a Family Day, but he could make that Sunday the Family Day instead and then show them around the lake and maybe stop at the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters and give them and, especially, Mark a private tour.
Miriam looked at Levi for a moment and they both turned to Ken and told him they wanted to talk about it and then they would let him know. Ken knew their angst, well Miriam’s, to get back to her home and back to her life, would drive that decision, so he just let it go.
Mr. Ken reminded everyone that Jacqueline Kromiere would be coming onboard tomorrow so for them not to be surprised if they saw another woman around The Cove. He explained she would work as his Projects Manager, but would work initially to help him move his Study office to the new office building.
Mr. Ken also told the Golderson’s that Wayne and Dennis would be working with the company tomorrow to install another machine up at the Pavilion, but this one would hold only plain and flavored water. The owner of The Cove explained it wouldn’t be as large as the other one, but would serve a good purpose.
Mr. Ken reminded the three adults that school started tomorrow and that the five younger boys would be getting up at 6 a.m. and would catch the school bus at about 7:05 just outside the Main Gate and that Bill and Robert would get up about that same time and catch their school bus at 8:05. He asked Levi and Miriam if they could be up by eight o’clock in order for Momma to have breakfast finished and have that extra time to prepare lunch and then dinner.
Up at the Pavilion, the boys talked about school starting tomorrow. Billy also told them they only had next weekend to finish up their challenges on the four games so they could crown the Champions during the Labor Day Picnic. Hearing that had many of the boys going directly over to the games to work on doing just that.
Mark was a bit dismayed he couldn’t compete. He liked playing the four games, and he felt he was pretty good at them. But he knew they had started the challenges back around the 4th of July and he wasn’t a Cover just yet. Back then he didn’t even know what a ‘Cover’ was let alone about the games.
Mark was also a bit dismayed that in two weeks he would be moving back home, with his parents, and he would be away from everything he has there at The Cove. He loved everything he’d been able to do there at The Cove, and he knew when he moved back home his life would go back to being mundane and boring.
He was jealous of his ‘big brother’ who was staying, though. He also wondered if they would stay in contact. He only had his ‘big brother’ for about two weeks before those men invaded their home and put his mom and dad and ‘big brother’ into the hospital and him into the foster care system.
Mark knew that leaving The Cove was going to be difficult for him. He was glad he had two more appointments with Doctor Doug. He also wondered if he could talk his parents into letting him still see Doctor Doug after they move back home. He told himself that it wouldn’t hurt to ask and that maybe he didn’t need to go every week, but maybe once a month. The ten-year-old inwardly smiled at the thought.
The boys swam some and Russell also dragged them behind the Jet Ski. They also ‘burned’ the burgers and dogs and the adults came up to the Pavilion and joined them. The boys also sat by Miriam and talked to her, but this time they didn’t ask her about the home invasion, they asked her about when they had planned to move back home.
Miriam was glad the boys had changed the subject, so she told them about the changes they made to the house because of the shootout. She told them about the new flooring and paint and that because of her new hip they changed up the master bathroom. The boys asked if Mark’s bedroom was getting anything new and Miriam said it was getting painted and the Safe Room would be fixed and would work if he ever had to push that button again.
The four adults stayed up at the Pavilion after they had lunch. Mr. Wayne and Mr. Ken talked about where would be a good place to put a storage building for the lawn chairs and extra tables Mr. Ken had mentioned to Wayne.
The two men decided that they could expand the area opposite where the lockers and bike racks were and build the building to match the material the Pavilion was made of. Mr. Ken also decided to expand the concreted area for more serving space on that other side of the Pavilion for when they had catered picnics. Mr. Ken also asked Wayne what he thought about adding shade-sails or some other type of covering. Mr. Wayne said to keep it matching.
When it was time for the boys to leave that Sunday, Mr. Ken drove Levi and Miriam, in the six -seat golf cart, over to the Main Gate in order for some of the parents to meet them before the Labor Day Picnic. Of course, that caused a slight traffic jam, but the parents were happy to meet Mark’s parents and knew they could talk with them some more at the Picnic.
The Covers went out to dinner at the Four Corners Restaurant that night. Miriam didn’t hesitate when it came time for her to order. Again, they were seated at two six-place round tables but this time Mark was at the adults’ table.
The boys wanted to drive the Go-Karts after they finished dinner, but ‘dad’ Ken nixed that idea by saying they needed to get to bed early that night. He did take them over to DQ for their ice cream treat, though. Mark gave Chief her cup of ice cream when they returned to The Cove.
‘Dad’ Ken held his evening meeting down in the Great Room. He reminded the boys of their wake-up time and told them to make sure they had their lunch passes with them when they left in the morning.
He also explained that Jacqueline Kromiere, Ms. Jackie, would be hired tomorrow to be his Projects Manager and they might see her at The Cove as she helps him move his Study office to the new office building. He told the boys she would not work out of The Cove full-time, but if they see her not to ignore her, but to say ‘Hi’ and introduce themselves, and to be nice to her. The man added she would not be at dinner with them.
The meeting was quick that Sunday night as ‘dad’ Ken wanted the boys up in their rooms, relaxing before settling down and going to bed.
Again, Mr. Ken, going solo that night, since Mr. Wayne went home after dinner, started in Mark’s room. Afterwards, Miriam and then Levi spent some time with their son before he got ready for bed and then went to sleep.
Mr. Ken made sure all boys had set their alarm clocks for the proper wake-up time so they wouldn’t be late in the morning. In Charles’ room, he impressed on the teenager that since his older ‘brothers’ were in high school, and would be getting up later than he and his younger ‘brothers’, he would be responsible to ensure his siblings were up and getting ready for school. The man then hugged the teen who melted into the man’s embrace and just relished the fact that he was adopted by the man and had a ‘forever’ home.
Mr. Ken hugged all of the boys that night, even Bill, who smiled at the contact. Mr. Ken also told the boys not to spend time thinking about school, but to just let their minds relax and go blank and get a good night’s sleep.
It had been a busy weekend and with school beginning Monday no one knew what the week would bring. But, for now, The Cove was quiet and 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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