Published: 26 Jan 2023

From Previous Chapter:

The boys slept out on the pool deck that Sunday night. The boys in the loungers weren’t as comfortable as they thought they would be, as the loungers weren’t totally flat. The three teenagers lying out on the artificial grass were a lot more comfortable, but even still, lying on a hard surface with only a sleeping bag wasn’t as comfortable as if they had chosen to use their sleeping bag on one of the beds.

‘Dad’ Ken did get a good night’s rest, but not a good sleep, as he was still anxious about the boys sleeping out on the pool deck.

Mark was happy he had gotten to spend one more night with his ‘brothers’. He had also gotten to spend it at the Penthouse apartment and he’d gotten to see the Milky Way, some shooting stars and all the many stars he normally didn’t get to see from his usual vantage point at his home.

It was a wonderful night for all of the Covers. A night they would all remember for a long time.

Monday morning, Ken Thomas woke up with a start. He was still tired and when he looked around, he didn’t recognize his surroundings. Then he finally realized he’d brought the boys over to the Penthouse to spend the night and wade in the pool.

The man quickly dressed and walked out to the patio/pool deck to check on the boys. When he looked out, he saw they were all still asleep. He was happy they were all fine. He went back in and used the master bathroom facilities and then he went to the kitchen to see if there was any coffee. But he knew he wouldn’t find any, as the Penthouse wasn’t set up for living just yet.

He thought about going down to his office floor to see if there was a coffee machine there so he could get his caffeine fix, but he thought it wouldn’t be fair to those people who paid for those supplies, so he didn’t go. He looked for a soda that had caffeine in it and then drank that.

The man also felt lost not having his morning newspaper to read there in the kitchen, or to go out on the patio to read. Then it dawned on him. If he had the Penthouse, he could do just that. Have his morning coffee out on the patio and to read the morning paper in the morning sun. He liked that idea.

But the caffeinated soda didn’t do anything for him. It was going on 8:30, so he decided to go and wake the boys up. He knew they wouldn’t be happy, but he figured when he told them they’d go out for breakfast he believed that would calm them down.

“Boys,” lightly called out ‘dad’ Ken.

“Boys,” called the ‘dad’, a little louder that second time.

“BOYS!” almost yelled ‘dad’ Ken, to get the boys to stir.

“Yeah, what?” yelled Kevin, who then turned over in his sleeping bag.

“Boys, it is time to get up. We need to gather up all of our stuff and then go out for breakfast. How does that sound?” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

The boys sleepily got out of their sleeping bags, rubbed their eyes and slowly got up and then used the bathrooms to relieve themselves of whatever excess fluids or whatever they needed to. Lucky for them there were four bathrooms in the Penthouse.

When the boys were fully awake, they gathered up their trash, packed away the leftover snacks, rolled up their sleeping bags, grabbed their pillows and coolers of sodas and told their ‘dad’ they were ready to go out for breakfast.

‘Dad’ Ken checked the patio/pool deck to make sure it was just as presentable as they found it, made sure the sliding door was locked and then followed the boys out to the elevator lobby, where he called the elevator to the Penthouse lobby, using the special key just for that purpose.

The security guard had changed overnight and when the Covers exited the elevator and walked through the office building atrium the guard knew who Mr. Thomas was and told him to have a ‘Good Morning’. Mr. Ken returned the greeting and he and the boys continued out to the van.

Mr. Ken told the boys he needed his coffee and they were going to stop at the first breakfast place he recognized that he knew served good food. That place turned out to be Taco Cabana,

“Why are we stopping here and not going to Four Corners, dad?” asked Charles.

“Because I need some coffee and I need it now. And this place offers some great breakfast tacos,” replied the teen’s dad.

“How do you know that, ‘dad’?” asked Matthew. “We’ve never eaten here.”

“Boys, remember when Momma would have to get 120 breakfast tacos when you had your first sleepovers? Well, where do you think she got them?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.

“Yeah … I remember the name on the box,” spoke up Robert. “It was Taco Cabana, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was, son. And you remember how good those tacos were. They were just as good as Momma’s were. So, when we go inside you can all get your favorite tacos and a soda, and I can get mine and coffee. We can sit and enjoy them while they are hot and then we’ll head on home. How does that sound?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.

The Covers stopped at the fast-food restaurant and had their breakfast. They all got bacon, egg and cheese tacos and a drink. As they ate, they talked about the sleepover. It was Kevin who asked their ‘dad’ if he would reconsider keeping the Penthouse apartment. The older twin told their ‘dad’ how much fun it was and that they didn’t need all those bedrooms as they had their sleeping bags and could continue to use them.

‘Dad’ Ken asked about them wanting to bring some of their friends. Kevin said they talked about that and they all agreed that it wasn’t big enough to bring many of their friends and that he would have to decide if they could.

Of course, that wasn’t what the boys had decided, but Kevin wanted to at least be able to bring one friend at a time, so he improvised without asking his ‘brothers’. None of them said anything because they had thought the same thing and hoped they could bring at least one friend if they ever came back there.

Charles then added that his dad told them he wouldn’t rent the Penthouse out until the office building was at least seventy percent full, so he hoped they could at least go back one more time.

‘Dad’ Ken heard the plea in their voices that he keeps the apartment, but he knew it didn’t make financial sense to do so. He did know that it might be a few more months before the office building was at seventy percent, so he told them he would try to do the sleepover at least one more time. The boys thanked him for trying to do that for them.

The Covers arrived back at The Cove just as their friends were arriving. The boys wanted to get out at the Main Gate, but their ‘dad’ told them they needed to put their sleeping bags and pillows away first. He then told them they had to decide if they wanted to keep the extra snacks for themselves, for during the week, or if they wanted to take them up to the Pavilion for their friends to have to eat after lunch.

Mark was happy Preston and Bryson were able to come over that Monday. They wanted to know what changed that he was there and they got to come over. So, Mark explained about the sleepover at Mr. Ken’s Penthouse apartment at the top of his new office building. The boys wished they had been able to do something like that. But Mark told them that when he leaves later today, he won’t be coming back except for visits.

Mark and his friends went right out on the Cove Skate Park and began skating. Preston and Bryson wanted to have one last experience on the smooth surface and they hoped the older boys would also help them with their tricks.

When the three boys got tired of skating, they changed into their swimsuits, went out in the cove and swam with the other boys who were out there. Mark’s two friends asked the older, bigger boys to ride RockIt with them, so they could get some good air when they let go. The three friends were making their last day together a memorable one.

When it came time to ‘burn’ the burgers and heat the hot dogs, Mark and his friends were up at the Pavilion in line with the rest of the boys. By then Mark’s parents had arrived, and they too, were there with Mr. Ken, and had already gotten their food, as the adults always went first.

Mark and his friends joined the table with his parents and the three boys talked with the parents about their day and everything they’d gotten to do. Mark told them about this out-of-the-way hamburger place they went for dinner that had burgers from regular size, all the way up to a full one pounder, that you could order. The ten-year-old told them how good the onion rings were and that he wished they had a place like that near where they lived.

Mark then told them about his night at the Penthouse apartment the night before. He told them about how the security guard told them they didn’t belong there and when Mr. Ken wouldn’t leave, he called in his partners to come over from the Lakeside Hotel on Mr. Ken. He told them that Mr. Ken called someone named Jules and told him he had a problem.

Levi told Miriam, and the boys, that the Jules he called was Jules Diamond, the owner of the Security Company that Mr. Ken used to guard the estate and many of his properties. He added that he bet he called his private phone number to get the ‘problem’ resolved. Then he chuckled.

Mark then told them how the other guards showed up in their golf cart and flashing red light and after they came into the lobby one of them apologized to Mr. Ken for the inconvenience and that they could go up to the Penthouse. Mark’s friends were fascinated by the story.

Mark then told everyone about how wonderful the four-bedroom, four-bath Penthouse looked. He said the place was very big and then there was a three-panel glass sliding patio door out to the patio/pool deck where there was fake grass and the wading pool.

The boy told everyone they tried to play a few of the games in the four-foot-deep pool, but with the water so shallow they didn’t work out right. He told them about the Baja ledge that had some water furniture in it so you could lie in the water and still work on your tan, and they all had to try them out.

But the most memorable memory he told them he took away from that night, he told his parents and his friends, was when his ‘brothers’ had Mr. Ken turn off all the lights. Mark told them how, when they looked up into the night sky, they could see so many more stars. He told them they saw a couple of shooting stars, but they also could see some of what made up the Milky Way.

Mark thanked his mom and dad for letting him spend one more night with his ‘brothers’. He told them that if they hadn’t, he would never have seen that awesome night sky which he will always remember. Mark then got up and went around and hugged both his mom and dad.

Mr. Ken came over to the small group and asked them if everything was OK. Preston told the man that Mark was telling them about his sleepover last night and about seeing the night sky when he turned all the lights off. Bryson said they would have loved to have been there to see the shooting stars and all the stars in the night sky.

Miriam told her son that when they finished eating, he needed to gather up the rest of his things and put them in his father’s car, and for him not to forget his home plate and pitcher’s rubber, as they would be leaving soon.

Preston asked Mr. Ken if they would have to call their parents to come and get them when Mark leaves. Mr. Ken told them they could stay until five and leave when the rest of the boys left. The two boys thanked him for letting them stay.

Preston and Bryson then went with Mark when he went to get his sleeping bag and pillow and his baseball stuff. They helped him take them to his dad’s car where his mom and dad were waiting. The three boys said their goodbyes and hugged one another and there were some tears shed. They had each other’s phone numbers and email addresses and they agreed to stay in touch.

Mr. Ken came over to the small group and he too said his goodbyes to his foster son. He hugged the boy and he too shed some tears. He was going to miss his youngest Cover, but he was also happy one of his ‘boys’ was going home to his parents. He just wished the other boys could have that same happy ending.

Mark’s ‘brothers’, and Chief, were also there to say goodbye to their ‘brother’. There were more hugs and many more tears shed that afternoon. After having a younger ‘brother’ for almost eight weeks, they too would miss him, especially the next morning at breakfast and on the school bus.

Chief even got into saying her goodbyes. Mark got down so he could scratch behind her ears and as he did, she gave him as many kisses as he would take and then she licked away the tears that were running down his cheeks.

Many handshakes were then exchanged, and another hug or two, and then the Goldersons got into their two vehicles and they drove out the Main Gate.

Mr. Ken told Preston and Bryson that he was sorry he didn’t have another ten-year-old foster boy that would allow them to still come back to The Cove. He did promise them that if he ever did get another foster son, their age, he’d be sure to call them and introduce them to him.

The two boys asked him if he would still call them if he got a girl. Mr. Ken told them they could be sure that he would not get a girl. The other Cover boys laughed at hearing that. Mr. Ken then shooed all the boys back up to the Pavilion to join the other boys. He told them to straighten up the area and make sure the patio furniture was covered by the time everyone left.

At five o’clock, Mr. Ken was up at the Main Gate. He talked with Gus in German and the exchange student had a smile, a mile wide, that he had someone he could converse with in his native language.

Gus told Mr. Ken his dad was very appreciative of him allowing him to come there every weekend to enjoy everything he had there for them to use. Gus told him he had sent his dad some of the videos Robert and Charles took of The Cove and now his dad knows what he is talking about. Mr. Ken told Gus he was welcomed there as long as he behaved himself and helped when asked and wherever he could.

The Covers went out to dinner that night, as they normally would, when Momma wasn’t there to make their meal for them. They went over to Four Corners Diner so that way the boys didn’t have to be too dressed up.

As they ate, they talked about Mark and what he meant to them and the contribution he made to The Cove. The one thing the boys all agreed on was that Mark’s addition to The Cove was the soccer field. They said that none of them actually played that sport, but some of their friends did and that they all enjoyed having the field. Billy said Gus probably enjoyed it the most and was always ready to get a group together to go out and get a game going.

Matthew said that now that Mark was gone, he’d step up and take care of Chief. ‘Dad’ Ken thanked the boy for doing that and said the Chief would probably like that too. The ‘dad’ then told him not to forget the ice in the water. All the boys laughed at that.

When they finished eating, the boys asked, well, they actually pleaded to their ‘dad’ if they could drive the Go-Karts. They argued they hadn’t done that in weeks and it was still early. ‘Dad’ Ken relented and the Covers headed over to get in line. ‘Dad’ Ken joined them that night.

Billy won the race that night and afterwards they headed over to Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone for a Sundae. Conner was working and they talked to him as he waited on them. The teen told them he really enjoyed working there and he was making nice money and he would have a good sum to put towards a car one day. Billy told him he hoped to get his permit soon. Mr. Ken took notice of that tidbit.

Matthew gave Chief her cup of vanilla ice cream that night. As the resident pet ate her treat, Matthew told her that Mark was gone and that he would be taking care of her until they got another foster boy. When Chief finished her cold concoction, she went over to the Cover and gave him some doggie kisses and then sat down in front of Matthew and presented him her paw. It was as if she knew what Matthew said and he would now be taking care of her.

The Covers held their evening meeting back in the Study that Monday evening. Mr. Ken reminded them that beginning Thursday night he would be over at the Lakeside Hotel with his amusement park operators holding their first meeting. He told them he would be announcing Ben Walthers as the President of his Three Finger Amusements, LLC.

Mr. Ken also told them he heard that the County Commissioners, back where Crystal Lake was located, agreed to build the five-lane divided highway. He said that as soon as the contracts were signed, he would begin to buy the additional properties he had contingencies on.

‘Dad’ Ken also told the boys to plan on his being gone for at least a week at the end of the month or the beginning of October. He then told them he had Mr. Chris working on their going to Fiesta Texas for their Fright Fest over the three-day weekend in October.

‘Dad’ Ken reminded the boys that there would be many changes happening at the Cove. The one big one he told them was the move of his Study office to the office building. He told them Ms. Jackie was working with Mary Taylor and a lady named Melanie to set up his, her and his executive secretary’s offices and the conference room. He told them the time line had been moved back to the middle of the month, but he would eventually be going to work every morning and would not be home when they get back from school.

‘Dad’ Ken told them that now that Labor Day was over it wouldn’t be long before Thanksgiving would be upon them and then the Holidays. He told them they needed to try on their suits, which probably didn’t fit them, as they all had been growing like weeds. The boys all laughed. Billy spoke up and said he didn’t even have a suit. There was even more laughter.

The man also told them it wouldn’t be long before they would need to go out and get their winter clothes and especially their jackets. He reminded them that Bill didn’t have any of that and since they were all growing, they all needed to see what of their ‘brothers’ they could pass down and if not get new stuff.

Mr. Ken then told Matthew that DA Morris told him, during the Picnic on Saturday, that they intended to put the four men, who tried to rob the armored car at Christmas time, on trial in October. He told them either he, or the same ADA who prepared him for his mom’s trial, would want to sit down with him to get him ready for that trial, too.

Mr. Ken then told the boys that they may be called to testify, as well. He told them they knew about their ‘brother’s’ dreams and how the revelation of what they all meant came about. He added he really didn’t think they would be called, but they needed to know there was that possibility.

‘Dad’ Ken then opened the meeting to anything the boys had to bring up. Matthew asked who got to go to Fiesta Texas. That surprised his ‘brothers’, that was, until Robert remembered Matthew didn’t join them until the beginning of November.

Robert told Matthew that just like they did for Christmas, their friends would get to go to Fiesta Texas, too. That put a smile on the young Cover’s face. ‘Dad’ Ken told Matthew not to worry, that he would be told when they were going, so he and his friends could plan.

Charles asked his dad if he was going to have all those chaperones as he had last year. The teen’s dad said he would have a few, but he wouldn’t assign them as he did last year. He explained he didn’t know what to expect last year and how the boys would act, so he needed to assure the parents that he had everything under control.

This year, he explained, that since their friends showed him that they were very responsible he would give them free reign at the amusement parks. But he told them. there was always a but, he had to have a few chaperones to satisfy the parents. He mentioned he was going to invite Doctor Doug and Doctor Powers and Mr. Dan. The boys said they liked all three of those suggestions.

Kyle then asked if they would do the gag gifts again this year. The younger twin said that was a lot of fun and he hoped they could do it again. Kevin then asked what would they get Mr. Wayne, Momma and Mr. Chris.

“Boys, boys … aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves? Christmas isn’t for another three months,” reminded ‘dad’ Ken.

“But dad … even you said that before we knew it Thanksgiving would be here and then the Holiday would be on us,” spoke up Robert.

“Yes, I did say that. OK, OK … you should all start thinking of what you can get Mr. Wayne, Mr. Chris and Momma for Christmas. And as time goes on, you should think to yourselves what gag gifts you could get one another. But in the meantime, we have to get through the next three months first,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.

Billy whispered to Robert and asked what that was all about. Robert told the oldest Cover teen he’d explain it to him when they went upstairs.

Since there wasn’t anything else to talk about, the boys went up to their rooms to relax before going to bed. Mr. Ken went up earlier than usual to say goodnight to his ‘boys’. He figured they would have more to talk about now that Mark was gone. And he was right.

The three younger boys all wanted to talk about why Mark had to go home. Mr. Ken explained to each of them why Mark had to go back to his mom and dad. The man figured that since neither of them were ever going back to their moms or dads they didn’t want to lose Mark either. He figured he better have them go back to Doctor Doug a few times and talk that feeling over with him.

Before long the Covers all went to bed. Even Chief bedded down in Matthew’s room. And before long The Cove was quiet all night through.

Tuesday morning the alarm clocks rang at six o’clock and none of the four young boys wanted to get out of bed. Charles knew that he needed to step up and be the responsible older ‘brother’, so he got out of bed and went and made sure his three younger ‘brothers’ were out of bed and heading to the bathroom to get ready for school.

Mr. Ken was glad he went to bed early the previous night. He too felt the early hour that Tuesday morning, but he got out of bed when the alarm went off, used his bathroom, dressed in his usual garb and went outside to get his morning newspaper.

Momma Maria had his first cup of coffee ready for him when he walked into the Kitchen Nook. She also had a great big smile for him, too. They told each other a good morning and then Mr. Ken went about separating his paper into the sections as he usually did.

Mr. Ken then reminded Momma that they were short three guests, so she didn’t have to make as much breakfast food as she had been. Momma thanked him for reminding her as she had forgotten that the Goldersons were moving home after the Labor Day Weekend Picnic.

The boys came into the Nook about 6:30 and Chief followed Matthew who went right to cleaning the resident pets two bowls and fixing fresh kibble and water with ice. Chief gave Matthew a few doggie kisses for his trouble and then went to eat her food.

Momma saw that Matthew took care of Chief, and she was happy to see that one of the boys had picked up that responsibility, now that Mark was no longer living there.

The boys talked about how much fun the weekend was and that they did miss Mark that morning. Then they asked their ‘dad’ when they would get another ‘brother’. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that it was up to Ms. Judy to call him to ask if they were ready for another boy. He told them she might wait a little while, now that Mark was gone and Bill was back, to give them all a chance to recover some.

When Bill and Robert came down for breakfast an hour later, they didn’t ask about getting another foster ‘brother’. They did thank him again for having a great Picnic on Saturday and for letting them have the sleepover at the Penthouse Sunday night. They added they hoped they could do that at least one more time before he rents it.

Mr. Chris arrived at The Cove just as the teens were going up to the rise to catch their school bus just outside the Main Gate. He got his first cup of coffee and asked his boss if there was anything that happened over the weekend that he needed to know about, or that he needed to work on.

Mr. Ken laughed and told him that the Goldersons were now living at their own home, and Dennis almost quit on him. That last item caught Chris totally off guard and he asked his employer to go into more detail.

Mr. Ken told Chris how Dennis told him he wasn’t sure if he could continue to deal with people who were nosey about his personal and private life. He added that Dennis found their questions about him to be intimidating, embarrassing and offensive.

Mr. Ken said Dennis told him the parents hounded him about himself, his wife and kids and why he needed to work and a slew of questions of what he did when he wasn’t there. The owner of The Cove said he apologized to Dennis and then went over and talked to a few of the parents to see if that was what happened. He told the Estate Manager that it essentially did.

Mr. Chris was appalled at what he heard. Even Momma was taken aback at the telling. Mr. Ken said he didn’t think the parents meant anything by their questions, but that he did tell them that Mr. Dennis was in his sixties and by their asking personal questions about his family and why he was working may have been out-of-line and not appropriate for a proud retired military officer.

Mr. Wayne came in at the end of the telling and knew what that was all about as he was there on Saturday. He added that Dennis had talked to him before he left and that he wasn’t very happy. Mr. Ken said he guessed they would all know if he still wants to work there if he shows up for work today.

Mr. Ken asked Chris if he was working on the Fiesta Texas trip, as the boys asked about it during their meeting last night. He added that he told them he was only going to invite Doctor Doug, Doctor Rick and Mr. Dan to chaperone as the boys had shown him last year that they were very responsible and they didn’t need people watching over them.

Mr. Chris said he had already contacted the bus company and all he needed to know was how many people he was buying tickets for and transporting to the parks. The Estate Manager asked if he was supposed to plan for Mark and his local friends going, because if he was, they would now need two smaller buses. Mr. Ken said he’d have to think about that.

While Mr. Ken went to get ready for his day, Wayne and Chris talked about the Picnic since Chris and his family didn’t attend. Wayne told the Estate Manager about all the important people who were there and the horse trading their boss did with them.

Wayne told him who were the games champions and who ultimately won the Championship. Chris was impressed. Wayne mentioned that Hudson Whitley came with his son James and that he was in the process of gaining custody of the boy, but had asked Mr. Ken if he would sit for a deposition under oath just in case his ex decides to go to court.

Wayne told Chris that Jules and Gramm, Mrs. Eleanor Whittier, Luke and Toby’s grandmother, were becoming an item and that the boy’s father had essentially kicked his wife out of the house after Jules did some investigating of her. Chris raised his eyebrows when he heard that.

Wayne told Chris that the Sheriff’s Deputies stopped by for a bite to eat and to talk with the Sheriff; that Dan Chassen did take the additional courses and is now Principal Chadwick’s vice-principal and School Board President Ostrowski wants Abigail Chadwick to be the interim Principal at Alvin York High School until the Board can find someone to take the Principal’s job. Then Wayne added how he and Harper gave the attendees a twenty-five-minute skateboard demonstration out on the Cove Skate Park.

Chris said it sounded like he really missed a very busy day at The Cove. Mr. Ken entered the Study just then and agreed with his statement. He told his Estate Manager he thought his family would have enjoyed meeting all the people he deals with. Mr. Chris explained that his children were way too young to be around all those adults and older boys and girls and with upwards of 300 people they would feel out of place.

Mr. Ken told Chris that it was his and Sandra’s decision and he hoped that as their children got older, they would bring them to the large picnics. The owner of The Cove then began reviewing with his two employees what was in store for The Cove in the coming months and what was on his schedule for the next six weeks or so.

Mr. Ken asked Chris if he had that letter for him to sign to send out to the high school’s they were inviting to compete at this year’s Three Finger Cove Christmas Decoration Competition and those high schools they were not going to invite and why. Mr. Chris said he had the rough drafts ready for his review and would have the final products for him tomorrow.

Mr. Ken told his employees about the boys’ sleepover Sunday night and then the Goldersons’ departure the previous day. He told them it was a very sorry scene to see Mark leaving for the last time. He told them that Mark left his own influence on The Cove with the addition of the soccer field and the soda machines now up at the Pavilion. He went on to say that even though his ‘boys’ didn’t play soccer their friends did, and they all enjoyed having the field to play on now.

Just then Mr. Ken’s desk phone rang. When he answered it, he learned it was Jason Zimms. The two employees listened to Mr. Ken’s side of the phone call. When the call was over Mr. Ken told them what it was all about.

“Men … Jason … he just told me that it was just announced, back east, that Edgewood … that the owners of Edgewood Amusement Park have filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Essentially, they’re submitting a reorganization plan to restructure their debts to help repay creditors over time. It sounds like all of the lawsuits have gotten to them. I should expect another phone call from them about me buying the park and soon,” explained Mr. Ken.

The owner of The Cove had no sooner hung up from talking to Jason and explaining what that call was all about when his Real Estate Manager called. This time he put the call on speaker and the three men heard the manager tell them that the grocery chain Mr. Ken wanted to build at Four Corners was going to sign to start construction after one October to open next summer.

Mr. Ken also told Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris that he needed to make appointments for Kevin, Kyle and Matthew to see Doctor Doug. He told them he thought they were taking Mark’s departure very hard, and after they knew what happened to their parents just recently, he figured they needed to talk those things out with Doctor Jennings in order to move forward.

As the three men talked, Mr. Wayne’s cell phone rang. When he answered it, he learned there was a delivery at the Main Gate for Momma Maria. Wayne told the guard to let the delivery man in and send him to the front door. The Estate Master told Mr. Ken and Chris what the phone call was about and the three men went to the Foyer Door to see what the man was delivering.

Mr. Chris went to get Momma Maria so she could accept what the delivery man was bringing to her. When the man rang the Foyer doorbell, Mr. Ken opened the door and there the man held a large flower arrangement.

“Momma Maria?” the man asked, as he saw the woman standing there inside the Foyer.

“Yeses, I’ss … I’sss ams shes,” replied Momma Maria.

“This is for you,” announced the delivery man. He then presented the large flower arrangement to her. He told her she should put some more water on them when she found the right place for them. He then went back to his van and drove back up towards the Main Gate.

Momma found the card and asked Mr. Ken to read it for her.

“Momma, this is just a little Thank You for all those wonderful meals and happy smiles you gave us while we stayed at The Cove. Please enjoy these flowers and think of us. Miriam, Levi and Mark Golderson.” Read Mr. Ken.

Mr. Chris carried the large flower arrangement to the Kitchen Nook for Momma where she placed it in the large window. She then got a large glass, filled it with water and added the fluid to the container the flowers were in. Then she stood back and admired the flowers. Chris saw a few tears fall and then he went and joined his boss and fellow employee.

When Mr. Chris returned to the Study, Mr. Ken was on the phone and he heard him tell someone he’d meet him and another person there at one o’clock at the Four Corner Apartments. Mr. Wayne told him that Mr. Dan was also getting an apartment there, but in the Senior Living Apartments. That made Chris chuckle at the thought.

Mr. Ken met Dan Fischer at the new apartments and was told the other Deputy was running late and would meet them in about a half hour. The two men walked to the first building so Dan could see what the apartments looked like and he could also see what views he would have from them.

Not all of the buildings were completed, but they all would be by the end of October. The rental company was taking applications now for move-in to begin as soon as they received the certificate of occupancy from the county, and hopefully by the first of the month.

Mr. Dan wanted to walk through all of the buildings. Even the ones not fully completed. He told his friend that ‘beggars could be choosers’, and laughed. Dan told Ken that he could wait until the end of the month if the right apartment meant the best views. Lucky for the men the Senior Living Apartment buildings all had elevators, so they didn’t have to walk up all those steps to get to the third floors, which was where Mr. Dan wanted to be.

Sheriff’s Lieutenant Dan Fischer checked all the upper corner units of all six buildings and when he had checked all twenty-four apartments, he told Ken which two-bedroom, two-bath and den unit he wanted. Mr. Ken told him they needed to go to the rental office to tell them so they would put that apartment On-Hold for him.

When the two men entered the rental office, there was a Sheriff’s Sergeant waiting for them. Dan introduced the men and he told Ken that the Sergeant had been with the Sheriff’s Department for almost twenty-years, was divorced and needed a nice place to hang his hat. Mr. Ken told the rental agent he didn’t want the Lieutenant and Sergeant in the same building and they could put one more senior Deputy in the Senior Living Apartments if they felt it was necessary.

As the three were talking, two young Sheriff Deputies walked into the office. They didn’t take notice of Dan, as he wasn’t in uniform, but they did notice the Sergeant. They nodded to him and then asked the other agent about the opening date and availability of the new apartments.

The agent told them that they were hoping to have people begin moving in by the first of October or sooner and that it all depended on their receiving their certificate of occupancy. The Deputies were also told their rent would be half, plus they would have to pay their electric bill, if they agreed to be on-call to help secure the premises against vandalism, enforce traffic rules and take action whenever necessary to keep the peace.

As the deputies asked for some applications, the lieutenant came over to them. They immediately recognized him and he asked them if they knew of two or three other deputies who were looking for a good place to live. He told them that this was the best area to be living in right now as a new marina would soon be under construction and a major grocery store would soon announce the building of their brand-new store in that large opening just below the apartments.

Mr. Dan told them the 400-slip marina would sell fishing gear, licenses, bait and have a filling station for the boats, offer public launching ramps with twenty free day parking spaces for the vehicles and trailers and that there also would also be a full-service scuba shop. On top of all that he said there would also be a seafood restaurant.

The lieutenant added that he and the sergeant are also filling out applications and would be in the Senior Living section. The deputy’s sort of chuckled at hearing that. So, Dan told them that at least he wouldn’t have to deal with all those crumb crunchers they would have in the larger area they’d be living in. Then he laughed back at them.

When Mr. Ken returned to The Cove. Mr. Chris advised him that the arrangements for his meeting room and the hotel reservations for his amusement park operators were confirmed for Thursday through Saturday night and for him not to worry about that. The owner of The Cove was happy to hear that.

Mr. Ken’s phone then rang and it was Jules Diamond. He called to talk to him about what happened Sunday night at the office building. The two men didn’t argue, but Mr. Ken told Jules his men needed to know who was whom because when he starts renting out those offices there will be many more new faces they would need to know. Jules said he understood what he was saying and told him he would make the necessary corrections.

The day was a very busy one for Ken Thomas and he didn’t even notice that Mr. Dennis hadn’t appeared until Chris mentioned it to him after Mr. Diamond’s phone call. Mr. Ken asked Chris to call the man and ask him if he was OK and if he would be at work tomorrow.

Then, before he knew it, the boys were home from school and having their afterschool snack. They stopped by the Study to talk to him for a little bit before they went up to their rooms to begin their homework. Ken Thomas knew how busy he was today and then realized the rest of the week was going to be especially busy with his meeting with his park operators from Thursday through Saturday night.

After dinner that night, ‘dad’ Ken sat down with his ‘boys’ and he reviewed with them, again, what his schedule looked like for the next four to six weeks. He told them to be ready for changes on the fly as with the marina project, the new parking spaces outside of the Main Gate and the linear park all happening at the same time he might be called away.

‘Dad’ Ken also told them he was looking at two new projects. One was a six- to eight-bay self-service car wash and the other was a boat storage lot. He mentioned he was looking for investors and he knew of one such man who was going to be getting a considerable sum shortly and he would be talking to him to see if he was interested in investing it in a sure business, or let it mold away in the bank.

The boys all looked at Mr. Wayne who just looked around asking, “Who me?” Everyone laughed. Mr. Wayne then said he needed to see the prospectus of said businesses and then he needed to see that ‘considerable sum’, before he invested in anything. Everyone laughed again.

When Mr. Ken went up to say goodnight to the boys he started in Matthew’s room. The boy asked about Mark and he told his ‘dad’ how lonely it felt without him there. ‘Dad’ Ken told the youngster that he was going to make him an appointment with Doctor Doug. He told the boy he wanted him to talk to the doctor about his mom’s trial and also how he feels about Mark’s leaving. Matthew hugged his ‘dad’ for doing that for him and thanked him through his tears.

‘Dad’ Ken had the same type of conversation in the twin’s bedroom and got the same response. They too were missing Mark and with his going home to his parents, they were concerned about their future. ‘Dad’ Ken told them he was setting up appointments for them to talk to Doctor Doug and he’d talk to Ms. Judy to see what she knew about their relatives.

When Charles’ dad talked to him, the teenager told him he was happy Mark was able to go back to living with his parents. The teen told his dad that he was happy to have a forever home now, but that he was concerned for the twins and Matthew. The teen’s dad said he was going to do whatever he could to keep the boys there, but he had no control over what their relatives might do. The two hugged and the man moved on to his other son.

Robert was waiting for his dad. He too had had some concerns for Kevin, Kyle and Matthew and he told his dad that they didn’t seem themselves ever since their youngest ‘brother’ left on Monday. Robert said he figured they would get over Mark’s leaving after a few days, but that if they didn’t, he suggested that his dad make them some appointments for Doctor Doug.

Dad Ken hugged his son and told him he already did that and had told them so, when he talked to them a few minutes ago. The man said he noticed it right away, himself, and he wanted to catch it early. He also told his son that with the disposition of their parents over, they don’t know what is going to happen to them now and are afraid their relatives might come to get them. The teen’s dad told the boy he was going to do whatever he could to keep them there at The Cove, but the courts will make the final decision if the relatives ever show up.

When Mr. Ken arrived at Bill’s room, the teen was ready for him. The teenager asked him right out if Marks’ leaving was anything like what happened when he left back in July. That question really surprised the man.

“Bill … when you left it … it was totally under different circumstances. But … well, I guess when you look at it … I guess maybe it was the same. … You see Bill … you were the first boy they ever saw leave here and they … well, they took it hard, very hard. Never mind the circumstances. The younger boys, especially Matthew, really looked up to you.

“Matthew … he took it the hardest, though. He was always asking about you and hoping that you would come back one day. So, let me ask you. Why … why did you ask your question?” finished the foster dad.

“Well … I see with Kevin, Kyle and Matthew that … that they are sort of acting differently and … well, even I feel a bit different with Mark now gone, too. I can’t put my finger on it, but … but, there is a void there. If you know what I mean,” offered Billy.

“Bill, I think I know what you are saying. When Collin, my first foster son … when the courts pulled him out from under me, I felt … I felt sort of lost and down and out. I felt … I felt like I … like I lost my best friend.

“Even though he was my foster son … he and I … we were close enough in age that we were more like I was his big brother and he was my little brother. As a matter of fact, we called one another ‘Big Bro’ and ‘little bro’ at times.

“Anyway, Bill … it is good that Mark was able to go back to his parents on a good note, mind you. There are many boys and girls, you know, in the foster care system that… that they never do get back with their parents. Some of them, like Robert and Charles, get adopted. Others, like you, for instance, will be in the system … until they age out at eighteen.

“I have made Doctor Doug appointments for the twins and Matthew and since you are already seeing him you can talk this over with him, too. And, I would encourage you to do so!

“Bill … Mark will always be in our minds and hearts. He is one of us, a Cover. Please don’t let his departure bother you. What I would ask you to do is … is to be the big ‘brother’ I know you can be and that they, your younger ‘brothers’ need you to be.

“And, what I also need to ask you to do … is to help your younger ‘brothers’ … is to help them move on and Bill … know this. That Mark is … that Mark is better off, at home, with his parents, his mom and dad. OK?” asked Mr. Ken.

Billy said he’d do that for his ‘brothers’ and he hoped they’d get to see Mark soon.

The two Covers shared a hug, and a smile, and before long the teen was getting into his bed and the owner of The Cove was headed to his own private retreat. There the man relieved the pressure in his bladder and then got into his king-sized bed and went right to sleep.

The Cove was quiet all night through.

A Note from the Author

That’s it, the final chapter of Mark’s story.

If you know of any ‘problems’ within the story, where I may have messed up with anything, please drop me a line. That way I can fix where I messed up for the next generation of readers.

Towards the end of this story, I did not reveal a new character, as I had in previous stories, which would have told you who I’d focus on in the next story. I know the character’s name, and the reason he is in the system. Until then, you will just have to wait to see.

Thank you again for reading my stories. I appreciate your emails and I hope you will continue to send them on. I now ask you to continue to watch Castle Roland for the announcement of when my next story is to begin.

ChowHound

This part of the saga of Three Finger Cove ends. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net

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