Published: 12 Jan 2023

From Previous Chapter:

Robert then thanked his dad for trusting him and letting him have that freedom away from The Cove. The teen did tell his dad he did have his coin with him, though, and then brought it out to show him. Billy brought his coin out too. Mr. Ken smiled back at the boys and thanked them for remembering to at least try to be safe.

‘Dad’ Ken hugged both boys and then sent them up to bed. He then went back to his own retreat, got settled himself and before long was also in bed. He knew tomorrow would be a long day and hoped he would fall asleep quickly.

Again, The Cove was quiet throughout the night.

‘Dad’ Ken slept in longer than usual that Saturday morning, so he hurried to get dressed to go out and get his morning newspaper so he could get Momma’s breakfast tacos into the convection oven. Lucky for him he’d taken them out of the freezer last night and they were at least partially thawed when they went into the oven.

The boys came down for breakfast before getting ready for their day. They immediately went looking for the breakfast tacos, and ‘dad’ Ken had to remind them to make sure they left some for the Goldersons and him.

Mark went and took care of getting Chief her fresh water with ice and kibble, before sitting down for his own three breakfast tacos. As the boys ate, Kevin asked his ‘dad’ if he could ask Momma to only make egg and bacon or egg, bacon and cheese breakfast tacos. He reasoned that was what everybody liked the most, and if that was all there was, they wouldn’t be arguing over which ones they got to eat when they had them.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys what they thought of Kevin’s request. Mark spoke right up and told his foster dad that he liked them all, but he did prefer the bacon, egg and cheese ones over the other ones. Robert spoke up next and said he had to agree and that he would rather have the bacon, egg and cheese tacos than the other ones.

The other boys then chimed in and said they preferred the bacon and egg and the bacon, egg and cheese ones, too. They said that the other ones were OK, and they eat them because Momma Maria made them, but if she only made the bacon, egg and cheese ones, they’d be happy with just those. ‘Dad’ Ken said he’d talk to her next week about making only those, but they had to eat up what she had already made. The boys, with smiles on their faces, wholeheartedly agreed.

Levi and Miriam had come into the Kitchen Nook during the conversation and listened to how the boys offered their opinions of the other types of breakfast tacos and their preference for the bacon and egg and bacon, egg and cheese tacos. Miriam whispered to Levi that she had to agree with the boys. She said the others were good, but they just didn’t have as much flavor as the others. Mr. Ken heard what his guest said and smiled to himself.

As they ate, ‘dad’ Ken reminded his two sons to have their quadcopters charged up and ready to fly, and to make sure they got some good video and pictures of the picnic. He then asked Bill to encourage the boys to finish up the games competitions early so he could announce the individual winners and then the overall champion. He then asked Bill to get with Mr. Wayne later and set up the podium somewhere near the Pavilion.

The boys were all showered, dressed and ready for the Labor Day Picnic by 10:30. They all headed up to the Pavilion and waited for their friends to arrive. When they reached the Pavilion, they saw the caterer had already arrived and was set up and were busy making sure they were ready for the 300 guests Mr. Thomas had planned for the day.

Robert and Charles flew their quadcopters, getting video of The Cove grounds without any people on them. They also made sure their extra batteries were plugged in and ready for them to change out when they needed to.

Just before eleven, the Police Explorers and the lifeguards were the first ones to arrive at Mr. Ken’s Labor Day Picnic. Gavin talked with his Police Explorer friends who, laughing, wanted to know if he was making a killing working for Mr. Ken.

Gavin said he made very good money working for Mr. Ken that summer, more than if he had worked at the Lakeside Water Park, so he wasn’t sorry if he wasn’t at many Explorer meetings. He said that now school was in full swing he might only be working weekends, so he’d be at next week’s meeting.

The Goldersons’ friends began to arrive before anyone else. Most of them wanted to see Miriam and talk to her about her ordeal, since only a few of them had been able to talk to her when she was at their home, checking on the repairs.

The Police Explorers showed them where to park and Mark and Billy took the golf carts to their cars to help them with their chairs and to drive them up to the area where everyone would congregate throughout the day.

The Covers’ friends and their families also began to arrive and there was a bit of a traffic jam at the Main Gate as the Police Explorers had more cars to park at one time than they ever had before. But, before long, everything settled out and Mr. Ken’s guests began to talk to one another.

Mr. Ken headed up to the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park to greet his guests. He made the rounds making sure he talked to everyone. Of course, he knew many of the important people wouldn’t show until about one o’clock, so he made the best of his time. He did get with Bill, again, to encourage the boys to determine the games winners and with Mr. Wayne to set up the podium he could use later.

Mark and all of his friends got right out and began skating. He had his school friends, Preston and Bryson, but then there were his friends from where he lived, Corey, Tanner, Reese, Dana, Patrick, and Jerry.

The Walston’s and Divardly’s came over to Mr. Ken and thanked him for their boys Cove Skate Park skating gear. That reminded Mr. Ken to get their other children some new skating equipment, so he called Robert over and asked him to gather up Isabel, Bristol, Barrett and Garret and take them down to the garage and fit them up with new Cove Skate Park equipment, too.

Naomi and Porter Walshton and Laura and Warren Divardly all protested that their children didn’t need that new skating equipment. But Mr. Ken told them that he’s given all the boys and girls who’ve come to his Cove Skate Park the new equipment and he still had some and he wanted to pass it all out to gain space in his garage. He told Robert to go ahead and give the children the new gear.

Naomi and Laura wanted to go with their kids, so Robert had Billy drive the other golf cart as the cart he had only held six people and there were seven going if the moms went along. Billy could also help fit the two girls and two boys quicker that way.

Charles was flying his quadcopter while Robert was fitting the four children with their new skating gear. Gus had tried to get a game of soccer going, but the boys told him they needed to play the Pavilion Games first, so they would know who was the best at Beanbag Toss, Toppling Timbers, Giant Four in a Row and Washers.

Lonnie explained to the German exchange student that Mr. Ken had challenged them, back when he built the Pavilion and the Cove Skate Park and bought the games for them, to see who was the best player of the individual games and then who was the overall champion of them all.

The sophomore said they’ve been working towards that day and they were all focused on being a winner of at least one of the games and then competing for the overall championship. Lonnie said that was why some of the parents were also watching the games being played.

When Mr. Ken saw Mr. Dan finally arrive, he made a bee-line to him. He told him he had a proposition he wanted to talk to him about and when he had made the rounds to find him so they could talk. Dan told his friend, Ken, that he had piqued his interest and for him to let him get a cold drink and he was all his.

The two men walked over to the soda and water machines and Mr. Dan selected a flavored water and then went over to the ice dispenser, got a cup, filled it with ice and the two men found a quiet corner in the back of the Pavilion.

“Dan … Wayne and I … we visited the new apartments yesterday and they are almost to the point the rental agency … they will begin to advertise the first section for move-in around the first of October. Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was … well, I know you are pretty much ensconced in your apartment, but … well, what I wanted to ask you is … if you were interested in maybe moving into one of the new apartments?

“I told my Real Estate Group Manager not to let the rental agency rent any of the Senior Living Apartments until they heard from me. I figured I’d offer you one of the upper corner units, you know, a third floor two-bedroom, two-bath and den unit that had the best view.

“I know the apartment companies offer the Sheriff’s Deputies and other police officers a heavy discount on their rent by living in the apartment complex. I can make a better offer for you, but you will still have to pay your electric bill. So, what do you say, Dan? You interested in moving to a brand-new apartment?

“You can choose which one you want and the one thing that the Senior Living Apartments get that the standard apartments don’t … is they each have an 8 x 10-foot storage building and two covered parking spaces,” finished an enthusiastic Mr. Ken.

“Wow! You sure caught me off guard there, Ken. And … the Senior Living Apartments to boot, as well. I didn’t think I was old enough,” now laughed Dan.

“To be honest, moving wasn’t something that I had been thinking of doing, but … but if you are offering me a brand-new apartment over at Four Corners, then, yeah … it sure sounds good to me. Maybe we can go over there and take a look sometime this weekend and I can pick out my own space. Is that what you and Wayne did?” answered Dan Fischer, and then asked about the Estate Master.

Ken and Dan talked about Dan’s move to the new apartments. Mr. Ken explained that Wayne took a third floor 3-bedroom, 2-bath corner unit that had a good view of the lake and that it would be part of his employment package. But, he too, had to pay his own electric bill. Dan laughed at hearing that, but said that being so close to The Cove would be good for him. Mr. Ken asked Dan which ‘him’ did he mean; him or Wayne. Dan laughed some more.

Mr. Ken saw one of his new investors arrive with his family, so he excused himself from Dan. As he left, he told him that they’d try to go over to the new apartments on Tuesday, since no one would be there tomorrow or Monday due to the Holiday weekend. Dan Fischer said that sounded like a plan. Mr. Ken told Dan to call him on Tuesday and they’d meet at the apartments.

That was the first time Dan was hearing his friend was taking on investors and he wanted to ask him some questions, but Mr. Ken had already walked away. Dan watched to see who he met up with and then realized he knew the man. The man was well known in the heavy construction business, so he figured if Ken was going forward with his marina project bringing that man onboard was a wise move.

The caterer had begun serving as more and more guests arrived. There were split barbequed chicken breasts, pulled pork and the standard hamburgers and the fixings, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and coleslaw served.

The boys took enough time away from playing the four games to eat and then went back to finding the individual game champions. By one o’clock they had decided the four individual game champs. Now those four had to play one another to see who would be the overall Champion. The problem was they didn’t know how that would be decided.

The boys quickly turned to Billy. He was the one who set the competition up, so they figured he would be the best one to decide how the four could fairly compete to determine who was the best player of all four games.

Billy thought of a way that would be fair and decided they’d play each other on each game and the one who has the most wins after all four games are played is the champion. And if there was a tie, they would play all four games again until one person won more games than the other. The four boys all agreed.

Now the competition got intense. The four boy’s parents now took a bigger interest in the games. They even began to cheer their son on when they made a good play or move during the game. Billy was kept busy keeping score and tracking that each Game Champ played all four games against the other Game Champs.

Gus was able to get a soccer game going. The boys who played, played hard, knowing they would eventually go swimming and wash their sweat off. It was a fun game with no one really keeping score. They even switched out goalkeepers so everyone got the chance to play the other positions on the field. The boys heard the commotion coming from the game’s competition, but since they were eliminated long ago, they weren’t interested.

Mark and his two friends from school and his friends from where he lived skated for a while. While they were out on the course, a boy of about ten came over to them and introduced himself. Luke told them he’d only been there once before. He explained he met Mr. Ken and his ‘sons’ at a movie theater with his Gramm and he and his younger brother had been there for the Memorial Day Picnic and that was when he was given his Cove Skate Park gear like they all had.

Mark introduced himself and all of his friends and told Luke he lived there now, but was moving home after the weekend. They all went over to Gramm and asked if Luke could hang out with them. Getting permission, the large group of boys skated some more.

After they got tired of skating, they all got a bite to eat, then they changed into their swimsuits and headed to the cove to get wet and enjoy the water toys and maybe get pulled behind the Jet Ski. But Russell nixed that idea, telling the boys there were way too many people there today that they needed all five lifeguards watching the swimmers.

The new conversation areas between the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park were big hits with the adults. Even though everyone brought their own beach/lounge chair to the picnic, when someone got off the patio furniture, someone else would take their place. It was like musical chairs without the music.

Mr. Ken made sure he talked with everyone he could. Some he talked with longer than others, but he did walk around the grounds and he stopped to talk with everyone. When he talked to Judge Richards, the judge asked him when he was planning to adopt another one of his ‘boys’.

Mr. Ken had to tell him that it was just recently that the twin’s mom and dad and one of the other boy’s mom had their fate determined and that he now had to wait to see what the relatives of the boys were going to do. The judge told him to let him know as he was ready and at any time he was to let him know and he’d make him a dad again. The judge laughed as Mr. Ken walked away.

When Sheriff Matthew Barnes saw Mr. Ken was walking away from the judge, he quickly walked over to talk to his host. He thanked him for the invitation and the opportunity to talk to a few of the county’s movers and shakers without having to make an appointment. Both men laughed at that.

The Sheriff also thanked Ken for inviting his Deputies who were on duty, again, to stop by for a bite to eat. He said the men couldn’t stop talking about the last invite and that that was the first time some of them had gotten to see the inside of the estate.

The Sheriff added the food was much better than them getting a fast-food burger, and they also got to talk to him for a minute or two, and he said he was also looking forward to getting to do that again today. The man shook Mr. Ken’s hand and said he hoped he’d extend the invite again sometime.

Phillip Meyers, the man and whose family was hosting the German exchange student, Gus Dodenhoffer, was surprised at who was at the picnic that Saturday. He made sure to talk to everyone who he felt could maybe help him at the county level if he ever had a problem. He also talked with the heavy construction builder and learned that he was going to partner with Mr. Ken on the marina project. The two talked about getting together and building out beyond the Lakeside Hotel and office building when the time was right.

There was another surprise visitor at the Labor Day Picnic that Saturday. But only a few people in the crowd knew who he was. And when Logan and Todd saw him walking around, they went to him and hugged him and asked him how he was doing. Walt Tankard, and his family, had been invited by Mr. Ken to hopefully come back and renew his friendship with Logan and Todd.

It was at last year’s Labor Day Picnic that Commodore Jeffrey Wilson, the unofficial Commodore of the Lake, stopped by to honor Logan Anderson and Todd Foster for saving Walt’s life when his sailboat overturned and the sail covered him almost drowning him.

The three teens found a quiet corner and talked about what the past year was like for them. When they finished talking, Walt searched out Mr. Ken and thanked him for inviting him there and getting him back in touch with Logan and Todd. He told his host that they now had each other’s phone numbers and would stay in contact with one another from now on.

Rene Vaughn, from KBLY TV, was also invited to the picnic, but was told to leave her notebook and cameraman at home. Mr. Ken told her that the Goldersons, whose home was invaded back in the middle of July, were his guests at the estate and they would be moving back home after the event.

Mr. Ken told her he was giving her the opportunity to talk to them and to possibly set up a future two- or three-part segment on their home invasion and recovery. He told her it was going to be up to her to convince them that it would be a good way for them to speak out about the ordeal, set the record straight and move on from that horrendous night. Rene knew she had her work cut out for her on that assignment.

The usual round-robin group who always found themselves getting together to talk, were finally able to get one of the conversation areas to themselves. Mary Taylor, Judy Turner, Dan Chassen, Abigail Chadwick and Wayne Mitchell all sat down to talk and catch up on what was happening since the last time they got together.

The big question everyone wanted to know was if Abigail Chadwick was going to be the next principal at Alvin York High School. She told them a resounding, “No!” She told them she didn’t have the high school experience, or the PhD needed, and she didn’t plan to get one. She laughed after she said that.

The women then asked Dan Chassen if he ever took the courses needed to become the vice-principal for Abigail. Meekly, Dan said he had and was. They all applauded. It was then that School Board President John Henry Ostrowski came by after hearing what they’d been talking about and told Abigail that he wished she would get her PhD, as he really needed a strong leader to take over the high school. The man then walked away.

Mr. Ken and Judge Joseph Barnneby, who was actually a County Commissioner, finally got to talk. The Judge asked Mr. Ken when he was going to see that marina project come before Commissioners Court that he promised him. Mr. Ken told him he and his new partners just approved the project that Wednesday and it should go to Planning and Zoning in the next week or two and hopefully to them by the beginning of October.

Mr. Ken then told him that he should soon see a request from him for twelve parking spaces to be put outside his Main Gate. The owner of The Cove explained how traffic gets backed up when his ‘sons’ friends stop by and the parents want to stop and talk.

Mr. Ken also told the Judge that he was trying to get the county to work with him in establishing a linear park starting along the outside of his estate and following down and along the lake’s edge and going almost over to Four Corners.

Mr. Ken told the Judge that his design group was getting pushback from the different county agencies, as they wanted more control of the project. He asked for the Judge’s help in getting this off the ground. The Judge said he’d do what he could.

Mr. Ken was happy to see Jules Diamond there and that he was accompanied by Mrs. Eleanor Whittier. He saw they made a wonderful couple and he went over to them and asked how they were doing. Gramm said that she brought Luke and Toby with her and they were around there somewhere. She said Luke met a boy named Mark, who said he lived there, and they went off skating and then swimming. She said Toby was out skating with a girl who was his age

Mr. Ken explained that Mark was the boy who he took out of the home where the men invaded and was living with him ever since. He told Gramm and Jules that his parents were also living there, but they would all be moving home tomorrow, now that their home had been repaired.

Gramm was surprised by that revelation, but Jules told her that he knew that. She punched him on his arm when he told her that and said he should have told her. Jules told his girlfriend that he knows lots of private things, such as that, but he just can’t tell her because it is privileged, and on a need-to-know basis. She hit him again, and then laughed. He did too; then they kissed.

Mr. Ken asked how Drew and Ivy were doing. Gramm told him that Drew went and talked to that lawyer, whose name he had given him, and Jules had done some investigating of Ivy. She went on to tell Mr. Ken that they were now separated and that Drew now had custody of the boys and that she was living there, so she could watch over the boys when her son went to work.

Mr. Ken asked Jules how he was doing. Jules told him that ever since he met Eleanor, he has been on cloud nine. He thanked Mr. Ken for having that last picnic and introducing them and that he would be forever grateful. Mr. Ken kiddingly told him to show his gratitude in his next bill. All three adults laughed.

The four individual game champs continued to play until only one of the boys was the overall Champion. Once that was done, the boys, and their observers, went to change into their swimsuits and they all went swimming. Many of the parents joined them.

Jacqueline Kromiere, Ms. Jackie, Mr. Ken’s new Project Manager, was there with her husband Westley, her sixteen-year-old son, Austin and fourteen-year-old daughter Journee. She sought out her employer to introduce them to Mr. Ken, so they knew who he was.

Mr. Ken called Bill and Robert over and introduced them to Austin and Jurnee and asked them to show them around, get them Cove Skate Park gear and then introduce them to their friends.

Mr. Ken, Jackie and Westley walked around and talked. Mr. Ken learned Westley worked as a Public Relations Manager and focused on managing communications with the media, consumers, and the public. Mr. Ken told Westley how he was beginning to expand his endeavors and asked him if he needed a Public Relations Manager at this point or later.

Westley told him it would be best if they sat down and talked about his current holdings and future plans. Mr. Ken told the PR man that his schedule for the next six weeks was already crowded, but he liked the idea of hearing what he might need to do in the years to come. Westley gave Mr. Ken his card and told him to call his office to set up a time.

Mr. Dennis was in big demand that day. Being the new hire at The Cove, the majority of parents hadn’t had the opportunity to meet him, let alone talk to him, so they all wanted to meet him and get to know him. There was no rhyme or reason as to which parent came up to talk to him. One time it might be Robert’s friends’ parents, then another time it could be one of the twins’ friends parents, and so on. Before long the man felt totally out of place.

Mr. Dennis finally had enough of all the questions and excused himself from one of the parents he was talking with and went looking for Mr. Ken. When he found his employer, he told him about how all the parents have been hounding him and asking him about himself and he found it to be intimidating, embarrassing and offensive.

Mr. Dennis told his boss he wasn’t sure if he could continue to have to deal with people who were so nosey about his personal life, but especially his private life. He told them they asked him about his wife, his kids, why he needed to work and a slew of questions of what he did when he wasn’t there.

Mr. Ken was appalled at what he was hearing. He never knew the parents to be that obnoxious to the point of being offensively curious or inquisitive. He apologized to Dennis and told him to try to stay away from the parents and he’d go talk to them and see what that was all about. Mr. Ken did ask him to point out which parents he did talk to, so he knew who he needed to talk with. The man’s employer then asked Mr. Dennis to head down to the beach and see what was going on down there in order to get away from the adults for a while.

The owner of The Cove walked around the picnic area talking to his guests and as he did, he talked to the parents who did get to talk to Dennis. He asked them what they thought about his assistant Estate Master, and as he did, he also asked them what sort of questions they asked him.

He learned that they asked normal questions people usually ask when they meet someone new, but he also felt that some of the questions, for an older, proud military retired man, might have been a bit too personal. A few of the parents asked him why he wanted to know about the questions and Mr. Ken told them that Mr. Dennis took offense to many of their questions, as being very personal and prying.

The owner of The Cove added that Mr. Dennis is in his sixties and personal questions about his family at his age, what he does when he’s not here and why he’s working may have been out-of-line and not appropriate for a proud retired military officer. Mr. Ken then walked away.

Doctor Jennings and Doctor Powers enjoyed the Labor Day Picnic as much as anyone else. It wasn’t often they got invited out to things like that and when they did, they took advantage of it. They shared stories about their practices, when privacy issues allowed them.

Then Doctor Doug told Doc Powers about his being asked to chaperone the boys at Six Flags last year. He told Doctor Rick about all the fun he had riding the rides with the boys and feeling like a little kid again. He said when they returned, he told Ken he was ready to go any time he needed someone. Doctor Rick said he needed to talk to Ken about going the next time then, too. Both men laughed.

Mark and all his friends were having a good time swimming and playing on the water toys out in the cove. Preston, Bryson and Luke fit in with his buds from where he lived, and the big group fit together as if they always knew one another.

Mark had wished he had that many friends the whole time he had lived with Mr. Ken. But he knew when he moved back to his home tomorrow, he’d at least have his regular friends. He knew, though, he would miss all his ‘brothers’ and everything he had there at The Cove, including the resident pet, Chief, who he knew he’d miss the most.

The boys had enough to have their own game of King of the Raft. They didn’t play as rough and hard as the older boys did, but they did get pushed off the top of the raft and came back for more. They really didn’t crown a ‘King’, as they were just having fun to see who could throw whom off the top.

The water toy they all liked to ride was RockIt. The trouble they had with that one was none of them were heavy enough to get any height when they let go after the other three rocked the water toy as much as they could. They knew they needed the older, bigger teens to do that for them, but they were all up at the Pavilion watching who would win the games competition.

Mr. Ken was watching for one particular person to arrive and when Hudson Whitely did finally appear, he went over to him to find out if he had any success in gaining custody of his son, James. Hudson told his host that he talked to that lawyer, whose name he’d given him, and they were in the talking stages with his wife, Allison, of his gaining custody of James.

Hudson did ask Ken if he would be willing to sit down with his lawyer and give a deposition about what he saw that day at Doctor Powers office, when James had his football physical, and anything else he knew about James and his time there at The Cove and on the trips he sponsored.

Hudson said it might be necessary to go to trial if Allison digs her heels in, which was the reason for the declaration under oath. Hudson did say he does have more access to James now and that the teen was spending the weekend with him. Mr. Ken told the man that it sounded like a good start, and he wished him good luck in dealing with his ex-wife.

James, of course, headed off to find Charles, as soon as he arrived at The Cove. The good friends talked about James spending the weekend with his dad, and then James told the Cover that his dad was trying to get custody of him. The biggest revelation the Cover’s friend had to tell him was that if James’ dad did get custody, he would be moving.

Charles didn’t want to hear that, but he knew from being in the foster care system what it was like to move around and having to make new friends. But Charles knew that James really wanted to be with his dad, and if having to move to be with his dad, then Charles would be happy for his friend. Charles put his quadcopter battery on the charger and the two went swimming.

The picnic was in full swing. A Sheriff’s Deputy stopped by, now and then, and got a bite to eat and while they were there, they made sure they talked with Sheriff Barnes and their host, Ken Thomas. The first ones there made sure they spread the word for the others to stop by and they made sure all the officers knew the Picnic would probably last until at least eight or nine o’clock that evening.

Rene Vaughn did find an opportunity to sit down with Levi and Miriam Golderson. She told them up front who she was and why she wanted to talk with them. She explained she was hoping to do a multi-part segment on their home invasion to allow them to tell their story and help them move on from their ordeal.

Miriam was against it from the start. The mother definitely didn’t want their son, Mark, to have to relive that night, ever again. Rene assured her that she had no intentions to talk to the young son, but only wanted to tell their story as to the how, what, why and the aftermath of the home invasion.

Levi told Ms. Vaughn that that was something they would have to talk about, when they had some alone time. He asked for her card and told her he would contact her after they were settled back in their home. He added that, for now, they were going to be busy moving back into their home and getting resettled back into a normal family life.

Rene thanked them for at least talking to her, and told them she hoped they would really consider letting her tell their story. She finished by saying it would be done in good taste and with their input to the finished product.

Mark’s friend Bryson’s mom, Naomi Walshton, who was a teacher, heard there was a principal and a vice-principal at the picnic and she sought them out. She wanted to talk to them about school issues to see if what they did at her school was what was done at theirs. The three did find time to talk and Naomi learned that her school wasn’t too different from what Abigail and Dan had at theirs.

Mark’s other school friend Preston’s dad, Warren, happened to talk with a man who he later learned was the owner of a heavy construction company. He also learned he was partnering with his host for the day on a new project being called the ‘marina project’. The two men talked and with Warren being a heavy equipment operator, garnered an interview next week to come in and possibly change jobs with better pay and benefits.

Another contact made that day was when Charles’ friend Tyler’s dad George Bracen, a Real Estate Developer, met Phillip Meyers, of Meyers Homes. The two happened to be talking about the picnic and how they got to be invited when they asked one another what they each did. Learning they were both involved in the Real Estate business, they decided to see if they could partner somehow in future endeavors.

And that was what Ken Thomas had hoped would happen when all those many families gathered together, at one of his picnics. He had hoped that they could and would find others of equal interests and maybe form associations or friendships that could further enhance their jobs or add to their enjoyment of their leisure time.

As the day moved on, Harper Young, the medical technician who at one time came to The Cove to change the dressings on the Goldersons’ wounds, stopped by. Wayne saw him arrive, welcomed him and escorted him over to the caterer so he could get some of the good foods they were serving that day.

Since it was now getting later in the day, the boys and girls and their parents began calling an end to their swimming at the cove and began to change back into their street clothes and head back up to the Pavilion for some more of that good picnic food.

When Mr. Ken felt the majority of his guests were up at the Cove Skate Park and Pavilion, he got behind the podium and asked for their attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls … I want to thank you all for gracing The Cove with your presence today and celebrating this Labor Day weekend with me and my ‘family’.

“As you know, and probably have seen, the boys were busy playing the four games I bought back when I had the Grand Opening of the Cove Skate Park. I challenged them some time after that to find the champion of each game and then the overall Champion of all four games. Well … I have in my hand the names of the winners.

“You probably already heard who the winners are, but I want to make the formal announcement and present them with their trophies. The Champion of the Beanbag Toss game is … Nicholas … Nicholas Grayham, one of Kyle’s friends. Congratulations, young man,” announced Mr. Ken, who then presented him with a trophy that was about fifteen inches high.

“Continuing, the winner of the Toppling Timbers games is … Mason … Mason Harkids. He is one of Charles’ friends. Congratulations, young man,” again announced Mr. Ken, who again presented a trophy that was about fifteen inches high.

“The Giant Four in a Row Game winner is … Chuck … Chuck, aka Charles Symons. He’s my son Robert’s friend,” announced Mr. Ken, who again presented the teen with his trophy.

“And lastly, we have the winner of the Washers game who is … Blake … Blake Shepherd. He is Kevin’s Friend,” announced Mr. Ken, who presented the boy with his trophy.

“OK … now that we all know who were the four winners of the four Pavilion Games, we need to know who is the overall Champion. Drum roll please. The Champion … of the Pavilion Games, and the person who will take home this wonderful thirty-inch-high trophy is … Blake! Let us all give the boy a hardy round of applause.

“What you might not have known is that the boys played these games all summer long knocking one another out of contention. But … Bill, one of my ‘sons’, made the Rule that they could earn their way back through a double elimination process. Thank you, Bill, for doing that for me and the boys.

“Now … there are a few more items I want to present. Miriam, Levi and Mark … will you three come up here please. … … Mark, here, has been my foster son ever since the night of that home invasion back in the middle of July. I am sorry to say … he will be leaving me, us, The Cove, tomorrow when he and his mom and dad move back into their repaired home.

“Mark … I have something I know you have wanted … and … as a memento of your stay here at The Cove … I have one for you … just as your ‘brothers’ have. It is the commemorative coin with the flag of the State of Texas on one side and the outline of the state on the other,” announced the owner of The Cove, as Mark accepted the coin. Mr. Ken then whispered into the boy’s ear that it was not activated, just in case one of his friends accidentally squeezed it. Mark smiled at hearing that.

“I also have a special gift for each of my three house guests. Some of you may not have known this, but as Mark’s parents were discharged from the hospital, to finish recovering from their injuries received from the home invasion, they had to find a place to go.

“Since their home wasn’t habitable, I invited them to finish recovering here at The Cove. I figured it would be much better here at a Five-Star resort than at a rehabilitation or nursing home,” explained Mr. Ken, and as he did the crowd laughed.

“What I have here for them … is a special keychain. It is the same design that I presented to my son, Robert, on the day of his adoption and … and then that I gave as Christmas gifts to all of my foster sons’ friends.

“It is the outline of Three Finger Cove for use as, of course, a keychain. I want them to each have something to remind them of their extended stay here at The Cove, as they recovered from their ordeal.

“They have been a part of our Cove ‘family’ and I am also making them Honorary Covers. We will surely miss them at the breakfast table come Monday morning,” offered Ken Thomas, as he presented each of the Goldersons a keychain. The picnic guests applauded as the Goldersons accepted their gifts.

After the gift presentation, the older boys noticed Mr. Harper was there, and remembering he gave the Cover boys a demonstration on a skateboard, they went over to him and asked him if he and Mr. Wayne would give them another skateboard demonstration. Mr. Harper said he would, but they had to ask Mr. Wayne if he would join him.

The boys went over to the Estate Master and told him that Mr. Harper was going to show them some of his moves on the skateboard and they asked him if he would go out on the Cove Skate Park course and do the same.

Mr. Wayne said he’d do it and went over to get his skateboard out of his locker. While he and Mr. Harper went to get their skateboards, Billy turned on the podium speaker and announced to the crowd that they were in for a treat. He told them that Mr. Harper Young and Mr. Wayne Mitchell were going to give them a demonstration of their skateboarding skills.

Billy told the crowd that Mr. Harper was a medical technician who came to The Cove on multiple occasions to change Mr. and Mrs. Golderson’s dressings and when he saw the Cove Skate Park had used Logan’s skateboard and showed them what a great skater he was.

The teen then told the crowd that their Estate Master, Wayne Mitchell, was also a very good skater and one time the two men got out on the skateboard course and showed him and his ‘brothers’ what they used to do when they were in college and they agreed to show everyone there today their skateboarding abilities.

Robert and Charles made sure they had their quadcopters up and flying. They wanted to capture what the two men would perform out on the Cove Skate Park, so they could show it to their friends over and over and also look back at that Picnic as one of the best ones they had.

Harper and Wayne heard what Billy announced and they knew they were on the spot. All the kids and the adults now lined the edges of the Cove Skate Park and were looking forward to what those two men could do on their skateboards.

Harper went first. He used the deepest bowl as he warmed up some. As he got comfortable on his skateboard, he began to pick up speed and then he started to do some tricks. He started carving the bowl and then got some corner air.

Once he knew what speed he could attain in the deepest bowl he knew what frontside air tricks he could try. He did some simple air tricks and then let Wayne come out and join him.

Wayne Mitchell now had to get warmed up, as well, so he too did some simple board tricks to get his balance, as he didn’t skate all that often. Then, once he felt comfortable out on the Skate Park, he began to strut his stuff.

Seeing Harper was doing some air tricks, Wayne decided he’d do an air trick with a nose bump and then a chicken wing. Each of those tricks had him get air above the bowl and then grab his skateboard differently before landing back inside the bowl.

Harper saw what Wayne did and knew he needed to match and exceed him, so he did the same ones, but he did them from a different angle which made them look as if he’d done something totally new. Harper also did some carving inside the bowl which showed his speed and then he’d do some kick turns, back grabs and then scrape the tail of the board along the top covering of the bowl.

Wayne matched Harper and then added a few of his own tricks, a tail and axle stall, and then by going out on the main portion of the Skate Park and showing some of the simpler tricks many of the boys and girls already knew how to do, but not as well as he could do them.

The two men gave about a twenty-five-minute demonstration between them, before Mr. Ken went out on the course and called them over to shake their hands and ask the crowd how well they enjoyed the show.

The crowd erupted in applause and the children ran out to shake the men’s hands and thank them personally for giving them such a good exhibition. Of course, the younger boys and girls asked them if they could show them how to do some of what they just did.

In the meantime, Mr. Ken asked Bill to quickly drive the golf cart down to the garage and get a Cove Skate Park helmet and set of pads, so he could present them to Harper. The man wanted to thank the man for giving his guests an exposition that most adults had probably never seen in person.

When Billy came back ten minutes later, Mr. Ken went to the podium and asked Harper Young to come over there. When the man was there, the host of the Labor Day Picnic again thanked the man for putting on a very professional skateboard demonstration and for doing so he wanted him to have a special memento of the day. Mr. Ken then had Bill come out and present to him a Cove Skate Park helmet and set of pads.

Harper Young was taken by surprise by the special gift. He knew, just by seeing the equipment, that he was getting professional grade skating gear and all he’d done was show everyone what he could do on a skateboard. He graciously thanked Mr. Ken for the gift and the crowd for their attention and applause.

After the skateboard demonstration, the picnic began to wind down. It was now after six p.m. and the county officials had been long gone and now some of the moms began to round up their kids, telling them it was time to go home.

Of course, the children were having a good time playing on the Cove Skate Park and getting a free soda or flavored water from either of the two machines at the Pavilion. Lucky for the crowd that the older Cover boys checked the machines often enough and filled them during the day to make sure there were enough sodas and flavored and plain waters in the machines for the guests to get at any time they wanted one.

Many of the women, and a number of the men, came up to Mr. Ken and thanked him for having the plain and flavored waters at the picnic. They said not having all that sugar to drink all day made the day much more enjoyable for them. They also told him they appreciated the ice machine and cups as it helped keep them hydrated throughout the day.

Miriam really appreciated the picnic. It gave her an opportunity to catch up with all of her neighbors before she moved home the following day. This way she wouldn’t have to make individual house calls, or have them come over to her home. She was also able to talk to them about her ordeal and about her hospital stay and new hip. Now when they moved home, they could focus on getting resettled and not having to deal with what she was doing there at the picnic.

The Sheriff’s Deputies continued to stop by throughout the day to get something to eat. A few of them happened to be there when Harper and Wayne were out on the Cove Skate Park giving their demonstration and when they went back on patrol, they told the other Deputies about what they missed.

The Cove’s guests continued to eat away at the food throughout the day, and as the day moved along the only foods remaining were the hamburgers, and their fixings, the hot dogs and the potato salad.

And as the day moved along, the boys and girls also enjoyed skating under the lights. It was by then that Mr. Ken began to settle down and relax. He was now able to spend some time talking to his close friends. When he did, he learned that the School Board President talked to Principal Abigail Chadwick one more time before he left.

Abigail Chadwick told him that John Henry asked her to consider taking the interim appointment as the principal at Alvin York High School until they could find the right person. She said she wasn’t sure if she would, but with Dan as her vice-principal now she might do that for the experience. Mr. Ken told her that he met the secretary there and that the vice-principal was upset he wasn’t appointed and was looking to leave. Abigail thanked him for that tidbit of information.

Mary Taylor asked him about his new friend Ms. Kate and why she wasn’t at the picnic. Mr. Ken told her, and everyone else around, that he had invited her, her boys and her mom, but she declined. He told them that she felt that meeting 300 people for the first time wasn’t something she wanted to do right now. He told them he would be seeing her in a few weeks and they would talk about maybe when there might be a good time for her to visit.

As the families began to leave, they all stopped by to thank Mr. Ken for having the end of the summer picnic. He reminded them that tomorrow was going to be a ‘Family Day’ and that they wouldn’t be there, but their boys could stop by on Monday.

The caterer knew Mr. Ken would be gone tomorrow, so she would take any leftovers to the food kitchen, so they could use it to help feed the homeless. Russell, the senior lifeguard, also stopped to talk to Mr. Ken. He told the man that that weekend was going to be his last that he would be able to work. He explained his college studies were ramping up and he needed the weekends now to do research and to study. Mr. Ken thanked him for the wonderful job he’d done for him and wished him well.

Before long the majority of the families and other guests had left and there were just a few of the Goldersons’ friends still there and they all gathered around the two conversation areas. Miriam was enjoying talking with them, but they too looked at the time and then it was just the Covers and their guests sitting around and talking.

Miriam asked Mr. Ken why he had that nosey Rene Vaughn come to them and try to get them to tell her their story about the home invasion. Mr. Ken told her that Rene was a good reporter and more than fair and if anyone could help tell the full unaltered story of what actually happened that Sunday night Rene Vaughn would be the one.

Mr. Ken also suggested that by telling their story they would begin to heal themselves. He reminded them that they both had been through a very traumatic event in their lives and by talking about it, it should help them begin to put it behind them. He added that they didn’t have to talk to Rene, or anyone else, and that all he was doing was giving them, what he considered, the best avenue to do that.

Miriam was going to argue with Mr. Ken, but Levi put his hand on her arm to stop her. He told his wife that they needed to talk about what Rene said and think about what Mr. Ken was trying to do to help them move forward. Miriam just looked into Levi’s eyes and nodded her head indicating she agreed.

Mr. Wayne had left for the evening, so Mr. Ken had Bill turn the Cove Skate Park and Pavilion lights off. While the teen did that, the rest of the Covers placed the covers on the patio furniture. When that was all done, all of the Covers and their guests rode the golf carts down to the house.

Once inside, Mr. Ken told them there was no need for them to have a meeting. He did tell them that if they were all ready by 9:30 they would go out to breakfast in the morning. He told the boys to go up to their rooms and relax and he’d soon be up to talk to them to say goodnight.

When Mr. Ken stopped by Mark’s room, the youngest Cover asked him if there was a way that he could spend the night in the new apartment tomorrow night. The foster dad said that it would be up to his mom and dad to let him spend the night, because, as of tomorrow, he would no longer be his foster son. Mark was a bit disappointed at hearing that, but said he’d ask them.

Before long ‘dad’ Ken had talked to all of his ‘sons’ and had finally gotten down to his own retreat. It had been a very long day for everyone, and he was looking forward to laying down in his bed and getting some well-deserved sleep.

The long day had worn out all of the residents of The Cove, so that when they all went to bed, The Cove was very quiet all through the night.

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

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