Published: 13 Jul 2023

From The Previous Chapter:

“And while we were waiting for our kids, we heard so much more about you and what your estate is all about. We also know now what it means to all of these moms and dads and what you’ve done for their boys. We hope our Jeff can benefit by coming here,” finished Donald.

Before long the gathered crowd at the Main Gate began to disappear as dinners needed to be prepared and the Covers needed to head out to dinner, as well. Mr. Ken told the boys to get presentable as Ms. Judy was joining them for dinner. He told Bill that she was either going to talk to him there, at dinner, or she was coming home with them to finish her in-home inspection. Bill just smiled at the revelation.

As the Cover boys were getting ready to go out to dinner, ‘dad’ Ken posed a question to them. “Boys, do you want to go to the diner side or restaurant? Remember, Ms. Judy is joining us.”

The two younger boys wanted to go to the diner side, so they could eat fast and then go drive the go-karts.

But Robert told them that with Ms. Judy joining them, they should go to the restaurant because, as he told them, “They should always treat a lady well, and the diner would be a cold, bright and noisy place, whereas the restaurant would be warm and inviting and a more relaxing place where she could talk to Billy and have a good meal with them.”

Matthew and Phillip reluctantly agreed and as Billy drove the Covers over to the Four Corners Restaurant, Mr. Ken called Ms. Judy to tell her where to meet them.

“There’s my son,” called out Ms. Judy, as she went up to Eric and hugged him. “If it weren’t for the weekdays, I would never see him,” continued the fifteen-year-olds mother.

“Mooom, not in front of so many people,” said a blushing Eric Turner. All of the Covers laughed, as did the group who walked into the restaurant with them. A few of the onlookers also were heard chuckling, as the group walked to be seated.

As soon as the group of eight walked into the Four Corners Restaurant, the Hostess immediately seated them in the back corner where Mr. Ken always liked to be. The owner of the restaurant/diner liked the back corner, so he could watch over the operations of the establishment and see if it was performing as he had envisioned. It wasn’t long before Ed Henry stopped by.

“Mr. Ken … welcome. It is good to see you and your family here,” began Mr. Ed. “And boys … make sure you let me know if I need to mix up the menu, as you did once before. And just so you know, it did work out for the better, and many guests have commented about the changes. So, I say, thank you boys for your input.

“And … I want you all to know that my chef … that he has spent some time up at the hotel kitchen and he has picked up some better ways to cook our steaks here and I will say … that they taste very close to what you would get up there.”

“Mr. Ed … what would it take for you to make the steaks here taste, you know, like they do at my ‘dad’s’ Lakeside Hotel?” asked Matthew.

“Well, son … to do that … I’d … I’d have to charge the prices they do up there. But … we don’t want to compete with them, directly, so we have done the next best thing by cooking our steaks … well, … why don’t you all order one and see if we have improved on the taste. OK. Now … I must attend to the rest of my guests. It is so good to see you all here,” finished Ed Henry, as he walked away.

The Covers talked about what Mr. Ed had said about the way the restaurant now cooks their steaks, so they all looked at the menu. So, when their server came over to take their dinner order, they all ordered a steak of some kind.

The boys continued to talk about how their day went with all the girls at The Cove today. And, while they did that, Ms. Judy talked to Billy about how things were going for him at The Cove, and what he had planned for the coming summer, now that he was sixteen, and could legally work.

Billy told his caseworker how he loved living at The Cove with Mr. Ken and his ‘brothers’ and he was looking forward to their trip to visit Mr. Ken’s amusement parks right after school was out. As for getting a job that summer, he told her that he had thought of getting a job and that Mr. Ken probably wouldn’t let him anyway. Mr. Ken just sat there with a smile on his face.

The sixteen-year-old then told Ms. Judy how he and Mr. Ken were going to visit his mom tomorrow. That revelation didn’t take the Director of Children’s Protective Services by surprise as Mr. Ken had already told her about the pending visit, but she asked the teen to explain further anyway, as she wanted to get his perspective.

Billy told the woman that he hadn’t seen his mom ever since she was convicted and sent to prison, and he finally got up the courage to ask Mr. Ken if he could go and see her. He finished by telling the woman that his foster dad readily agreed to take him and they were going tomorrow. Ms. Judy didn’t miss the great big smile the teenager had on his face knowing that he was finally going to see his mom after almost three years.

During dinner the boys commented to their ‘dad’ that the steaks did taste a whole lot better now and that he should congratulate Mr. Henry and the chef for their efforts. Mr. Ken smiled at what the boys said knowing that was exactly what he would do.

After dinner, the boys convinced their ‘dad’ to let them go over to the Go-Kart Track to drive the karts. They stood in line and waited their turn, as they always do, and talked to a few of their friends. Mr. Ken and Ms. Judy stood on the side and talked about tomorrow’s trip to visit Bill’s mom.

“Ken … are you going to let Billy work this summer if he asks you?” Judy wanted to know.

“Judy, be honest with yourself. How could he work this summer with everything we have going on at The Cove? Huh? But I think Wayne … I think my Estate Master has a figured out a job for him, and one of his friends, so he, well they, can earn some money this summer. So, what else do you want to know?” asked a smiling Ken Thomas.

Judy told Ken that she was happy to see that Phillip was now getting guitar lessons. She asked how long they would last. Ken told her they would last as long as the boy wanted to take them, or until the system sent him home to live with his mom.

Mentioning Phillip’s mom made Judy ask Ken if he knew anything more about Mackenzie Flores. The foster dad wiped his face with his hands and told Judy that he talked to the doctor earlier and that the boy’s mother wasn’t getting any better. Ken said that the doctor was recommending she be sent to a rehabilitation facility for more help in getting the woman’s balance back and working on her memory issues. The man also indicated that Mackenzie had other issues that they had hoped would clear up now that she was awake, but hadn’t fully recovered.

Judy Turner asked Ken if he knew what they were and if he had told Phillip. Ken told her that the doctor told him some of the issues, but that at the rehabilitation facility they would do more extensive tests to determine the extent of her injuries.

As the two adults talked, the boys turn came up to drive the go-karts. The owner of the track had already told the manager to give his ‘boys’ a few extra laps, as he had been doing the last few times the Covers visited the Go-Kart Track. The man knew not to start counting the laps right away.

Ms. Judy asked Ken if that wasn’t a bit dishonest. Ken chuckled and told her that it was better than him letting the boys go to the front of the line. The owner of the Go-Kart Track further told Ms. Judy that this way the boys get a few extra laps without them knowing, and he feels good about bending the rules a little and the regular customers have no idea that is what he is doing. Ms. Judy just shook her head as she watched Eric race against Robert, and the rest of the Covers, as they drove around the track.

Since Eric and Robert were cutting and edging The Cove’s large field tomorrow, Mr. Ken was allowing Eric to spend the night, so the teen said goodnight to his mom before getting into the van that Billy was driving to Dairy Queen for their normal after dinner treat.

As the Covers were eating their banana splits, Matthew asked when do they get the chance to let one of their friends to spend the night, protesting that it seems that every time, they cut the grass Eric gets to spend the night, but the rest of them never get the chance to have a friend to stay over.

Mr. Ken knew the boy was right in his complaint, but he didn’t want to have that discussion at that time, in that place, so he just ignored the grumble. Before they left the restaurant, Phillip was given the money to buy Chief her normal cup of vanilla ice cream, so he could give it to The Cove’s resident pet when all of the Covers return home.

Phillip called out to Chief when he entered the Kitchen Nook, telling her that he had her cup of ice cream. The dog was already there and she was jumping up wanting it. The boy asked her to, “Sit!” and the resident dog, did. Phillip immediately put the medium cup of the cold treat down on the floor and told her to, “Enjoy!”

By then the rest of the boys had come into the Nook and saw how Chief had listened to Phillip and wondered why she never did that for them. They all then watched and laughed as Chief lapped up the cold concoction as the cup moved all around the floor. But even with the cup moving every which way, Chief got every morsel of the cold icy treat she so loved. After watching that, the Covers then headed to the Study to have their normal meeting before the boys went upstairs to get ready for bed.

To start their meeting off, Mr. Ken reminded the boys that he and Bill would be leaving to visit their ‘brother’s’ mom by nine o’clock tomorrow morning. The man added that they should not expect them back before late afternoon, or even before dinner time, as he expected Bill to want to spend as much time with his mom as possible. He then told them that Mr. Wayne would be dropping by later in the morning and they should not burn the house down. The boys all laughed.

‘Dad’ Ken continued and said that Robert and Eric would be cutting the field tomorrow and while they did that the rest of them needed to start cleaning the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park for the Memorial Day Picnic. The owner of The Cove told them that Mr. Wayne would help them get started and anything they needed he would get for them.

Mr. Ken also reminded the boys they needed to start compiling the list of things they needed for their sleepover. He told them to figure out the number of boys that would be there and then try to figure out how much pizza, pancake batter, eggs, bread, meats, etc., they would need for the sleepover. He told the older boys they needed to show Phillip where he and his friends would be set up, so when Phillip’s friends arrived Friday night, he can show them right away where to place their things. Charles said he’d do that.

Mr. Ken told the boys that he didn’t have anything else he needed to talk to them that evening, but he’d share the coming appointments tomorrow night. He then asked if anyone had anything they wanted to talk about. Matthew raised his hand.

“‘Dad’, why don’t we get to have one of our friends spend the night every time Robert gets Eric to spend the night? Yes, we know why he’s spending the night, but that doesn’t change the fact that just about every time they cut the field, Eric gets to spend the night.

“I don’t think that it is fair to the rest of us that we don’t ever get to have one of our friends spend the night when Eric stays over. So, when will we get to have one of our friends stay over?” directly asked the pre-teen.

‘Dad’ Ken had hoped he could have avoided this question tonight, but here it was out in the open.

“Matthew … so Eric spends the night … they are up early and then they are out in the field cutting the grass. What advantage is there to Eric staying over?” asked the man trying to turn the question back on the boy.

“The advantage is that they get to talk all night before they go to bed. They can go swimming if they want to. They get to be together and talk about things they didn’t get to talk about at school, like what they want to do when we go on our trip,” countered Matthew.

Mr. Ken asked Charles and Bill if they felt the same way. Bill said it would be nice to have a friend spend the night once in a while, rather than all of them. Charles agreed with Billy saying that at one time they did get to have one friend spend the night occasionally, but somehow that all stopped after the twins left.

Mr. Ken told the boys it was too late to make any changes for that weekend, but he would again consider letting them have one friend spend the night in the future. He added they just had to ask him before hand, and not in front of their friend. The boys agreed that it sounded fair and they would hold him to that. Phillip didn’t understand what the hubbub was all about, as he never had any of his friends ever spend the night. All he was just looking forward to was the sleepover that was scheduled for next weekend.

Upstairs, Phillip went to Billy’s room to ask him why Matthew was so worked up about having one of his friends spending the night once in a while. Billy explained that they used to be able to have one of their friends do that every once in a while, and it was fun to have a buddy stay over to swim and just talk, and then be here in the morning to start skating early, before their other friends began to arrive.

Phillip said he still didn’t understand. So, the older teen then explained that when he lived with his mom and step-dad he never had any friends spend the night either. But that when he came to The Cove and with everything that they had to do here, it was nice to have a good friend to share it with. The teen told his younger ‘brother’ that when he had his first sleepover, he’d understand how much fun it was to have his buddies there in the morning to share in the fun they all had there to do.

Mr. Ken came upstairs and talked to all of the boys beginning with Billy first. The two talked about their trip tomorrow and the man asked his foster son to be showered, dressed and down in the Kitchen Nook and ready to leave by nine and that they would stop along the way for some breakfast. The teen smiled at hearing that he’d get a different breakfast than Momma’s breakfast tacos.

Phillip was the last Cover boy Mr. Ken talked to that evening. They talked about the day, but before long the youngster asked his foster dad about his mother.

“Phillip,” began Mr. Ken, “your mom … she isn’t doing any better than the last time you saw her. So, the doctor … he is recommending that she be moved … that she be moved to a rehabilitation facility to continue her recovery.”

Phillip asked what that all meant. So, Mr. Ken asked the boy if he knew about his mom’s balance issues. The boy said he did. Now, the foster dad added that the doctors were currently concerned about her possible thinking, attention and his mom’s communication skills. Mr. Ken then added that, during the week, the nurses noticed his mom displayed some mood changes and had occasional problems with talking and expressing herself.

Phillip took what his foster dad just told him, thought about it, and in a few moments began to cry. Mr. Ken immediately pulled the boy to himself and let the boy cry out whatever he was thinking and feeling right then about his mom and her eventual recovery.

After the boy stopped crying, Phillip pulled out of the man’s hug and looked up into Mr. Ken’s eyes and asked, “Mr. Ken … will … will she ever … will she ever get better?”

Mr. Ken didn’t answer his foster son right away. He wasn’t sure himself if she would ever be the same person, she was before she was hit on her head. But he knew he needed to give the boy an answer, so he said, “Phillip … I believe she will get better, but … but she may not be the same person she was before she was attacked.

“Phillip … you see … a person … who has had a head injury … they may have a change in the way they … in the way they act, or carry themselves afterwards. But until your mom … until she gets her treatment at the rehabilitation facility and receives whatever care they can give her to correct any issues she may have … we won’t know what, if any, changes she will have. We will just have to wait and see,” finished the foster dad.

Phillip contemplated what Mr. Ken had just told him, then he asked, “Mr. Ken … will I … will I ever get to see my mom ever again?” The boy then broke down and cried at the thought of never seeing his mom again.

Mr. Ken grabbed the boy again and pulled him to himself to try to console the boy. The man told his foster son that he would try to get the judge to let him see his mom again, now that the circumstance surrounding his mom have changed.

Through his tears, Phillip said, “Thank you.”

Mr. Ken let the boy cry until he was through his angst and when the boy had stopped, the man told the youngster to go and drain his dragon and get into bed and to try not to worry too much about his mom.

Phillip pulled away from his foster dad, stood up, and then he hugged Mr. Ken and thanked him again for what he’s done for him. The boy then headed down to the bathroom he used, before going to bed. Mr. Ken smiled after the boy left the bedroom, and then headed down to his own retreat to hopefully enjoy a full night’s rest.

The Cove household was quiet all night long.

Ken Thomas set his alarm to wake him at 7:15 Sunday morning. That was so he could get up and get ready for the day before he went out to retrieve his Sunday newspaper and then have his first cups of coffee before Billy came down and then the two of them headed out for breakfast before they drove to the prison where Billy’s mom was being housed.

Billy knew Mr. Ken wanted to be on the road by nine o’clock, so he set his alarm to wake him by eight Sunday morning. He figured he didn’t need a lot of time to get ready and be down in the Kitchen Nook by nine o’clock. When his alarm clock woke him, the teen stretched, went to the boy’s bathroom, used the throne to relieve himself of some excess bodily waste, then brushed his teeth and took his shower.

After getting cleaned up for the day, the teen wasn’t sure what he should wear to go see his mom. He was initially going to wear school clothes consisting of long pants and a nice polo shirt. But he changed his mind and put on a nice pair of shorts instead along with the polo shirt and the cleanest pair of sneakers he had. He checked his appearance in the mirror and thought he looked good and with that he headed down to meet up with Mr. Ken.

As the oldest Cover started down the hallway, Robert and Eric came out of their bedroom to use the bathroom. The three teens had a brief exchange of what they were doing and then went their separate ways.

“Good morning, Mr. Ken,” called out Billy as he walked into the Kitchen Nook.

“Good morning to you, too, Bill. I see you’re ready to go. Let me use the little boy’s room and I’ll join you out in the garage. Let’s take the Taurus, and you can drive. OK? Oh, and take those rolls of quarters, will you,” replied the foster dad.

Mr. Ken put down his newspaper, stood up and took a drink of coffee, then headed to his private retreat to use his bathroom to get rid of some excess fluid. Billy picked up the rolls of quarters, not really sure why they needed them, went and got the keys to the 2000 Ford Taurus sedan, that he’d been using to learn to drive and then went out to the garage and opened the garage door for that vehicle and he then got behind the driver’s wheel and waited for Mr. Ken. His foster dad joined him about seven minutes later.

“Ahh, Mr. Ken … why do we need to take the rolls of quarters?” asked the teen before he started the car.

“Oh, Mr. Chris … he says that you can’t take any paper money into the visitor’s center, but that you can take $25.00 worth of coins in order to buy sodas and snacks there. I’m sure we’ll get thirsty talking to your mom, so those quarters will come in handy,” explained Mr. Ken.

Billy thanked the man for telling him about the coins and began backing the vehicle out of the garage. Just then, Robert and Eric came out into the garage. The boys waved to them and Billy stopped the car. The two teens came over and told them to have a safe trip and they’d see them later that afternoon. Billy then drove the car out of the Parking Corral, up through the Main Gate and then turned right to go out towards Four Corners.

“Oh, Mr. Ken … ahh, we need gas,” Billy mentioned to the man, as they approached the traffic light at Four Corners.

Mr. Ken thanked the teen for saying something before they ran out of gas along the way, so he told the teen to pull into the gas station and to fill it up.

Billy drove into the gas station, but he stopped short of the gas pumps because he didn’t know which side the gas cap was on. Mr. Ken asked him to look for a small arrow next to the gas gauge and see which way it was pointing. The foster dad told the teenager that the arrow indicated on which side the gas cap was on so he now could dive to the correct side of the gas pumps.

Billy took a quick look at the gas gauge and then drove to the correct side of the gas pumps and stopped so he could pump gas into the vehicle. The teen got out of the car, but he didn’t know what to do next because he had never put gas into the car before.

“Ahh, Mr. Ken … ahh … what do I do next?” asked the perplexed teenager.

Mr. Ken smiled and then got out of the car and went over to the teen who was standing at the gas pump. The man pulled out his wallet, selected a credit card and told the teen how to use it to pay for the gas. Billy did what he was told and before long, the teenager took the gas nozzle out of its holder, opened the gas filler door, took the gas cap off, put the gas nozzle into the filling neck and began pumping the gas into the gas tank.

The two Covers talked about this new experience and Billy laughed about how it all came about. Mr. Ken smiled, along with his foster son, as the teen continued to put gas into the vehicle. When the nozzle clicked off, Mr. Ken told the teen to slowly add more gas until the gas cut off again and then to round off the price on the pump and then to hang up the nozzle.

Billy did as Mr. Ken directed, but as he was leaving the gas pump, his foster dad told him to get the receipt, as Mr. Chris needed it to reconcile the credit card bill when it came in. Billy went back to get the slip of paper and then gave it to Mr. Ken when he sat back down behind the driver’s wheel. The two Covers continued on their trip to visit the teen’s mother in prison.

Robert and Eric flipped a coin to see who rode the zero-turn mower and who got to use the trimmer. Robert won the toss and smiled as he went into the shed to check the oil and gas levels. He added gas using up all of the gas in the gas cans and then drove the mower out into the Parking Coral.

“We better tell Mr. Wayne, when he gets here, that there is no more gas for the mower or the golf carts. If we don’t and someone runs out of gas we’ll be in big trouble,” Robert advised his Best Friend, Eric. The two teens then went about earning their pay.

The remaining Cover boys, Charles, Matthew and Phillip, all came down to the Kitchen Nook and were disappointed that no one had put any breakfast tacos in the convection oven for them to eat for breakfast. And now they had to either wait for them to thaw in the microwave oven or fix cereal to eat.

Charles chose to eat cereal and took a banana to cut into his bowl of corn flakes.

Phillip watched what his older ‘brother’ was doing and asked him if it tasted good. The young teen told the youngest Cover to get a bowl, his choice of cereal, a banana and to sit next to him.

Phillip quickly did that and when he had everything, Charles had the boy peel the banana and then he showed him how easy it was to cut it using a butter knife. Phillip did as he was told and before long, he was eating his cereal with bananas and enjoying it. Charles told his ‘brother’ that sometimes he cuts strawberries, or he puts blueberries into his cereal.

The teen did tell Phillip that the bad thing with the strawberries was that you had to wash them first, dry them, cut the tops off and then cut them into the cereal, and that when you washed the blueberries and didn’t dry them the cereal got watered down. Phillip smiled at hearing that tale, as he continued to enjoy his new way of eating breakfast.

As the Covers drove along, Mr. Ken told Bill to find a nice place for them to have breakfast. The man suggested a fast-food establishment, so they wouldn’t be delayed too long as they had a long drive ahead of them. Billy saw a McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Taco Cabana, and a Jack in the Box and he asked Mr. Ken which one he wanted him to pull into. The man chose Taco Cabana.

After the two Covers ordered their breakfast tacos and a drink, they found an empty table, sat down and waited for their freshly made tacos. Mr. Ken then asked Billy if he had been thinking about what he was going to say to his mother when he finally saw her.

The teenager told the man that was why he was so quiet as they drove along. He told his foster dad that so much had happened to him since he and his mom had been separated that he didn’t know where to start. Mr. Ken told the teenager that the visiting hours went until 5 p.m. so he had lots of time now and that he could come back again later in the summer.

Hearing that he could go back to visit his mom again, later in the summer, almost brought tears to the teenager’s eyes. Mr. Ken saw that the teen was very emotional about finally getting the opportunity to see and talk to his mother that he was focused solely on that and possibly not on his driving. The man decided that, when they started back on their trip, he would be doing the driving.

Mr. Wayne arrived at The Cove around 10:45. The man went straight to the Study to see if Mr. Ken left him any instructions. As the Estate Master was looking for any instructions, he heard Phillip’s guitar playing coming from the Great Room. He could tell from what he heard just one week ago, that Mr. Bindy already had an impact on the boy.

It was then Mr. Wayne saw a note that he and Dennis needed to buy at least three more chair, table and umbrella combinations for the Memorial Day Picnic and a metronome for Phillip to use as he practiced his guitar. There was also a reminder for Mr. Chris that the landscaping company needed to ensure the grounds were cut and groomed for the Memorial Day Picnic.

There was also an additional Post It note that was added that said the roses along the driveway leading to the Pavilion needed to be trimmed and that new flowers should be planted, so they are well established for the Memorial Day Picnic. A second Post It note reminded Wayne that the boys needed to power wash the Pavilion tables and benches as well as the floor and the top of the Cove Skate Park decking.

Mr. Wayne shook his head at the list of things that needed to be done and then he looked at the calendar. He saw that there were three weekends before the Memorial Day Picnic that the boys could use to clean the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park deck and that should also give the plants enough time to get settled and take root and begin to look nice for the Picnic.

Mr. Wayne then again noticed the music coming from the Great Room. He listened and even though it was slow and even, it was without pauses and he couldn’t tell if there were mistakes, as he didn’t know the song, but he felt like his boss’s decision to get the boy the guitar lessons was a great decision.

About a half-hour later, the Estate Master then decided to go out and check on what the boys were getting into. When he went outside, he noticed the boys’ friends were beginning to arrive, so he decided he’d go up to the Pavilion and gather them all together and talk to them about their cleaning the Pavilion, including the benches and tables, and the top of the Cove Skate Park decking and anything else that looked like it needed to be cleaned.

All the golf carts were up at the Pavilion, so Mr. Wayne called Charles and asked the teen to have one of the Cover boys come down to the house and get him. Twenty seconds later, the Estate Master saw Phillip go racing across the new driveway next to the estate’s front wall towards the Main Gate and then down the main drive towards the house. The man just shook his head as the boy came up to the Foyer Door.

“Driving a little fast, are we?” teased Mr. Wayne.

“Was I going too fast?” asked a surprised Phillip. “I always drive like that.”

“Please drive me safely to the Pavilion, Phillip,” the Estate Master teased some more.

After the man sat down in the right passenger seat of the four-seat golf cart, Phillip decided he’d drive slower going back up to the Pavilion than he did on the way down to the Foyer entrance stoop. Mr. Wayne inwardly smiled at the slow pace the young Cover was now driving.

“Driving a bit slower now, are we?” asked Mr. Wayne.

“Mr. Wayne … you said you wanted me to get you to the Pavilion safely, didn’t you,” said a smiling Phillip.

“But I didn’t think you’d go this slow,” quickly replied the man.

“Mr. Wayne … if I drove this slow to come to get you … you’d still be waiting for me,” chuckled the youngster, who then picked up his speed.

Mr. Wayne laughed, as he felt his body being slightly pushed back into the seat, as the golf cart picked up speed, and also knowing he was being beaten by an almost eleven-year-old.

Mr. Wayne made sure all the Cover’s friends were at The Cove before he called all of the boys together. When he’d gotten all of the boys seated under the Pavilion, he explained to them the plan for getting the Pavilion, its benches, tables, floor and restrooms clean as well as the Cove Skate Park top deck clean.

The Estate Master added that they should also clean any areas that looked dirty, including the underside of the tables and benches of any cobwebs, while they had the power washers out. The man then explained that he and Mr. Dennis got them a surprise that should help make the task of cleaning the floor and deck much faster and make it easier than it was last year. He then told them to follow him.

“What are those things?” Mr. Wayne heard one of the boys ask out loud.

“That, my boys are what are called rotating surface cleaners. As you can see … there are two of them. You also see there is a brand-new power washer. This will give you two machines, so as one group is working here on the Pavilion the other group can start on the Cove Skate Park top deck. We’ll bring the other power washer up here later today, or at least by next weekend, so they are both up here.

“Don’t forget the water hoses,” someone yelled out. Lots of laughter and chuckling was heard after that comment.

“Point taken,” replied Mr. Wayne

“Now, boys … there are three weekends before the Memorial Day Picnic. That means you don’t have to rush to get everything clean, but you shouldn’t procrastinate either. Also, I will try to get you a cleaning solution to help you clean up the grease stains from around the grill. I will also get you what you need to clean the restrooms.

“Now, Bill and Robert, they usually keep track of what supplies are needed, but as you can see, they are not available today. Bill … he went to visit his mom and Robert and Eric … they are out cutting the field. So, I want two or three of you to take inventory and let me know what Momma and I need to buy next week, so you have what you need to continue to have your barbeques. Any questions?” finished Mr. Wayne.

Lonnie quickly jumped up and said he’d help with the inventory. Charles said he’d help, too. Phillip didn’t know what taking inventory meant, but he spoke up and said he wanted to help. He reasoned he really didn’t do anything other than help set up the serving line and he needed to know what else he could do to support the barbeques. His friends then agreed they’d help, too.

The boys who’d been coming to The Cove much longer heard what Phillip said and they sort of felt embarrassed that they didn’t volunteer, so Logan, Cooper and Max agreed to help with the inventory. Mr. Wayne now had at least ten boys doing the inventory, but he told himself that he didn’t really care how many did it, just as long as he got a complete list of everything they needed.

Lonnie took charge and none of the boys complained. He had Phillip and his friends count the number of sodas, plain bottled waters and special flavored waters to include the ones in the two machines. He had Max and Logan count the hamburger and hot dog buns and how many large ketchup, mustard and relish refill cans they still had. He also asked them to count how much mayonnaise was in the refrigerator and the number of cups and paper plates that were left.

The older teen then had Charles and Cooper count the number of hamburgers and hot dogs that were remaining in the freezer and then asked them to count how many tomatoes, lettuce heads and onions were remaining. He told the boys he would check what supplies they needed for the restrooms as well as how many plastic knives, forks and spoons were remaining.

The rest of the boys left the inventory group alone to do the jobs Lonnie had given them. They went out to skate or play the large games in order to stay out of the way.

Billy was disappointed that Mr. Ken took the keys from him and had decided to drive the rest of the way to the prison. The man explained to the teen why he did that and at first Billy argued that he wasn’t that distracted. But as the two Covers drove along, Billy got very quiet as he sat in the passenger seat thinking about all the things that he wanted to talk to his mom about.

With the teenager being so quiet, as they drove along, Mr. Ken knew the teen had to be thinking about the coming visit with his mom. The man didn’t want to distract the teen, as it had been almost three years since Bill had seen his mom, and there had to be a lot of emotions and thoughts going through his mind right then.

Suddenly, Billy looked over to his foster dad and said, “Mr. Ken … ahhh …. I’m sorry for arguing with you about me not driving. I … I know now why you should be driving and not me. … The entire time we’ve been going to the prison, all I’ve been doing is thinking about my mom and … and what I want to tell her. There is so much that has happened since I last saw her.

“Mr. Ken … if I had been driving, I know … I know I would have been distracted and since I am a new driver, I might have made some bad driving decisions, so … so you were right in taking the keys and it was best that you drove. Thank you!” finished Bill.

Mr. Ken looked over at the teenager and smiled.

The two drove for about ninety more minutes and finally Mr. Ken told his passenger that they would soon be turning to go towards the penal complex where the teen’s mother was housed. Bill took a deep breath and released it. He knew it was nearly time to see his mom after almost three years.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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