Published: 27 Jul 2023

From The Previous Chapter:

After all of their friends left for the day, the Cover boys gathered in the Study with Mr. Wayne. The boys talked with the Estate Master and they all wondered when their ‘dad’ and ‘brother’ would be home. Mr. Wayne called his boss who didn’t pick up, so the Estate Master called Bill’s cell phone. Billy answered and explained that he was too emotional after meeting with his mom to drive, which was why Mr. Ken didn’t answer his phone.

Mr. Wayne then learned that the two traveling Covers would probably be home at about seven o’clock and that they should go out to dinner without them if they wanted. Mr. Wayne took a vote with the boys and told Bill to tell his boss that they all agreed they’d meet them at the Four Corner’s Diner, and in the meantime, they would drive the Go-Karts while they waited.

When he heard what his Estate Master said, Mr. Ken told Bill to tell Mr. Wayne that he was ‘buying’. Everyone had a big laugh.

The traveling Covers met up with the rest of the Covers at about 6:40 that evening, as traffic was light that Sunday evening, and they made good time driving even though they did stop for a burger and soda along the way.

“Thank you, everyone, for waiting for us. It will be nice having dinner together,” said Mr. Ken.

“So, Billy, how was the trip and how did you like talking with your mom?” asked Robert, who was interested to know, as he would soon be visiting his own mother.

Billy looked at his ‘brother’ Robert and just sighed. Robert’s dad looked at his son and just shook his head sort of saying to drop the questions for now, and for them to just eat.

Billy saw what his foster dad did and said to Mr. Ken, “Let me tell Robert about the trip and about talking to my mom. I’m sure he’s interested in how it went because … well, he’ll be seeing his mom in a week or two, and so I’m sure he is interested to know how it went and what to expect when he visits his mom.

“I’ll bet all my ‘brothers’ are interested in knowing how the trip went, too, and what it was like for me to finally talk with my mom after not seeing her for almost 3 years.”

Hearing what Billy said and how he said it, Mr. Ken relented. After the boys had ordered their dinners, he told Billy to go ahead and tell his ‘brothers’ how the trip went, and what it was like talking to his mom.

Billy started off by telling his ‘brothers’ how he began the trip by driving, but after they stopped to get something to eat for breakfast, he agreed to let Mr. Ken finish driving because he was not focused on driving, as he was thinking about what he wanted to talk to his mom about. He told them he did that because being a new driver, he would probably make mistakes because he wasn’t focused on his driving.

The oldest Cover then told his brothers that when they arrived at the penal institution, they joined a line of other vehicles and when it was their turn, they had to get out of the car, show their identifications and then their car was searched including the trunk, under the hood, the glove compartment and everywhere else to make sure they weren’t bringing anything that was not allowed on the premises.

Billy then told all of them that when they went inside the visitor’s center, they weren’t allowed to bring their cell phones, or any paper money. The teen told them that they had to take off their shoes and belts and they had to empty their pockets of everything else and then they had to walk through a metal detector.

The teen then told the Covers that once they were cleared there, they were allowed to put their shoes and belts back on and put everything back in their pockets, but then they had to register in the database before they could bring his mom out for the visit.

Billy told his ‘brothers’ they waited about 20 to 30 minutes before his mom was brought to the visitors’ area and when she was there, he and Mr. Ken were taken to a four-seat table where they would have their visit. The teenager said that not having seen his mom for almost 3 years, that he was very emotional and that he burst out crying when his mom finally came out to him and that she did too. The boys could see a few tears falling as their ‘brother’ was telling his story.

The oldest Cover boy explained to his ‘brothers’ that after they settled down, he told his mom all about living at the other foster homes, but that now he liked living there with Mr. Ken, and them, and about all the things he got to do there at the Cove.

The teen said she wanted to know everything he’d done over the last three years, so he told them that he highlighted everything he’d done.

Billy explained that he described the first Easter Egg Roll he was involved in when he was first brought to The Cove and then the Memorial Day Picnic with the Grand Opening of the Cove Skate Park. The teen continued with telling all about his trip to Mr. Ken’s amusement parks and then his 3-day trip with his foster dad.

The boys asked if their ‘brother’ told his mother about his fight at the high school. Billy told them he did and that his mom was surprised and grateful that Mr. Ken not only supported him, but also had hired a lawyer to defend him. The Cover boys smiled at hearing that.

Billy also told his ‘brothers’ that he told his mother about his being banned from The Cove. He highlighted what he told his mom, as they all knew the story. He told them that she hoped that he was successful in the lawsuit with the alarm company.

Phillip didn’t know that part of the story, so he asked Billy to explain it to him. Billy quickly described how Mr. Ken had Mr. Russell file a lawsuit against the alarm company the Goldersons used, because of their negligence in installing their panic buttons. The older ‘brother’ went on and told Phillip that if the company had done the job right, he wouldn’t have been beaten as badly as he was, or maybe not at all.

Phillip asked the teen how much he was suing for, but Mr. Ken quickly spoke up and said that the Diner wasn’t the right place to discuss that sort of thing. The boys knew right then to drop the subject, and to talk about something else.

Billy then looked over at Charles and mentioned to him that he told his mom about meeting him, and that they were now ‘brothers’. The teen explained to Charles that his mother knew Gina and that his mom wanted to know everything about how they met, and that she didn’t want him to leave anything out. Billy finished by saying they should talk later.

Billy finished his telling of his day by saying that the time went by so fast they didn’t realize it until the guard came up to them. He added that he never finished telling his mom all the details about all the things he got to do since living with Mr. Ken. He told them he plans on writing his mother and trying to tell her about all of those fun things that way.

The Covers headed over to Mr. Ken’s Kreamy Kone for ice cream before heading home that evening, as it was getting late when they finished their dinner and the boys did have school the following day.

Upon hearing the garage door opening, Chief knew her men were home, what she didn’t know was that two vehicles were coming into the garage. She had hoped they were bringing with them her favorite treat – ice cream.

But when the door into the Kitchen Nook area opened and she saw Billy and Mr. Ken, Chief, wagging her tail super-fast, went directly to them to greet them and not to Phillip who had her cup of vanilla ice cream. The resident dog hadn’t seen the two all day and she was happy they were back home.

Phillip just stood there with the ice cream melting, not believing Chief wasn’t pestering him for her favorite treat. Finally, the young Cover called out, “Chief … I have your ice cream!”

The young Cover called out a second time, and that time Chief heard him and she went directly to him and barked at Phillip for him to put it down, so she could get to it.

As soon as Phillip put the cup of vanilla ice cream onto the floor, Chief went at it as she usually did, with great gusto. The resident pet licked at the cold concoction and the cup moved all over the slick kitchen floor. As she did, the Cover boys laughed at her.

When the ‘show’ was over, Mr. Ken told the boys he would forgo their usual meeting in the Study as it was getting late. So, he asked the boys to head up to their rooms. He told them that he would be up shortly to talk to them about their day. He and Wayne talked about the day before the Estate Master headed to his apartment and the owner of The Cove went up to talk to his ‘boys’.

Mr. Ken started in Billy’s room that night. He asked the teenager if there was anything he needed to discuss with him, since they were together all day. Billy asked if Mr. Chris had his mom’s mailing address, so he could start writing to her. Mr. Ken said he did. The foster dad then asked the teen if he was sure he wanted to tell Charles about what his mother told him about what ‘Smokey’ had planned that night he called Jody to meet him.

Billy said he felt it was the right thing to do, and that this way his ‘brother’ would know the whole story. The teen reasoned that this should give Charles the final ending to what he had to endure for much of his life. Mr. Ken hugged the teen telling him that he was a good, no, a great big ‘brother.’ Billy smiled at hearing that and then thanked the man for what he said.

Mr. Ken visited with his son, Robert, next. It was then the teen asked his dad when he would be able to visit with his mom. The teen’s dad told his son that, barring any problems, they could go either that coming weekend or the next. Robert said he’d like to plan for the coming weekend, as with the Memorial Day Picnic coming up problems could always arise. The teen’s dad said he’d tell Mr. Chris to plan for it, then.

The man’s next stop was Charles’ room, but the teen was talking with Billy, so he stuck his head into the older Cover teen’s room and told the younger teen that he’d stop back after he talked to Phillip. Charles thanked his dad and the man moved on to Matthew’s room.

“So, Matthew … how is it going, ‘son?’” asked a smiling Mr. Ken.

‘Well … it’s going OK, I guess,” mumbled the pre-teen.

Mr. Ken walked over to the twelve-year-old and grabbed him into a hug and the boy melted into his embrace.

“Matthew … what’s wrong?” lightly asked the man. “Come on, tell me!”

“I guess … I guess I feel a lot like Charles did back … back when the twins were here,” bemoaned the young Cover.

“Oh, Matthew … this happens to all of you boys at one time or another,” offered the boys foster dad, as he continued to hug the boy to let him know he loved him and he was still there for him. “You saw it just happen when Phillip joined us, and it happened back when Bill did, too. What is it that you are wanting me to do for you?”

Matthew had been thinking of asking the man this question for the longest time, but he never knew when it would be the right time. So, when Mr. Ken asked him what it was that he wanted him to do for him, the young Cover decided to bring up something that hadn’t been talked about ever since he was brought back to The Cove.

“Ahh ‘dad’ … ahh since you asked … ahh could you make this … could you make this my … my forever home?” got out the boy before he broke down and cried and hugged his ‘dad’ as tight as he ever had.

“Oh Matthew … what can I say to make you understand … to try to make you understand that I am doing everything that I can to make that a reality. It is your mother … it is she who is the biggest roadblock to that ever happening.

“Your mom … she says that she will be out of jail before you turn eighteen and that … and that she wants to be united with you then. I have Bill, my lawyer, working this, so please … give us time. Can you; will you do that for me?” asked the foster dad, as he hugged the needful pre-teen.

Matthew pulled out of the hug and looked into Mr. Ken’s eyes and thanked him for talking to him, and he said that he could and would do that for him. The two then hugged some more.

“I thought you’d never get here,” offered Phillip, when Mr. Ken entered his room.

“There are five of you and only one of me, so give me a break will ya?” teased back the foster dad. Phillip laughed at what the man said back to him.

“Mr. Ken … will I ever get to visit with my mom again? My friends … they asked me today and … and I didn’t have an answer for them,” directly asked the youngest Cover.

“Phillip, you know the judge … he said you weren’t to have any contact with your mom, but … well, this is not a normal situation, so … I’ll call Ms. Judy tomorrow and ask her to call the judge to see if you can visit her until she is better and can start her court ordered requirements. After that we’ll just have to wait to see what the judge has to say about that. OK?” finished the foster dad.

Phillip said he understood. Then the boy told the man that he had two ideas for the dinner bell, but he wished he could have them both there, so he could actually hear how loud they were. The young Cover said if he had them here, they could ring them and decide which one was the better one to keep.

Mr. Ken asked the boy if he had pictures of them and where he could get them. The young boy smiled and brought out two pieces of paper, which showed the farmhouse bell and the cowboy triangle along with the ordering information.

Mr. Ken smiled that the boy had that for him and thanked Phillip for the sheets of paper. The man told the youngster he would give them to Mr. Chris and have him do his magic and then they would see what they could do.

It was the boy’s turn to smile, as he gave the papers to his foster dad, as he then hugged the man. The boy then asked him if he was kidding when he told Jeffrey he could bring his drums over there. Continuing, Phillip then asked that if Jeffrey could bring his drums over if Westin could also bring his guitar.

Mr. Ken again smiled and told the boy, “Phillip … if they want to bring them over here, so the three of you can play together, then I don’t have any problem with that. Their parents will have to agree, though, as that drum set isn’t something that you can carry around like your guitar.”

“When can they bring them here, then?” quickly asked Phillip.

“Hmmmm, let me see. Talk to your friends and have them talk to their parents. But make sure you tell them that if they bring them over before we go on our trip, that they won’t have access to them while we’re gone for ten days,” offered the foster dad.

Phillip said he understood and then hugged the man before Mr. Ken headed out to talk to Charles.

“Charles,” began the teen’s dad, as he knocked on the bedroom’s doorframe, “did you and Bill … did you two get things straightened out from what he learned from talking to his mother today?”

Charles told his dad that he did and that he was now satisfied that he knows the truth that ‘Smokey’ was actually going to kill him if he had taken him away that night. The teen added that he feels he can now move on from that nightmare and look to his future.

Mr. Ken grabbed the teen and the two hugged. Charles thoroughly enjoyed having the man as his dad, as he never knew his real dad, and this helped make up for all that he missed when he was much younger.

As Mr. Ken walked down to his own retreat, he told himself that there were a lot of things going on in the boy’s lives and he felt like he was missing something, but he couldn’t put his finger on it right then.

With everything that he learned at the prison earlier that day and heard from the boys that evening, Ken Thomas slept fairly well. But he still had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he was missing something when he woke up that Monday morning.

Mr. Ken met the three younger Cover boys at breakfast and they all talked about the upcoming activities at The Cove and their scheduled trip right after school was over for the year. The boys told their ‘dad’ that they were looking forward to the Memorial Day Picnic and having all those people there. Mr. Ken just smiled back at the boys.

When the two high school boys finally came down for breakfast, Mr. Ken repeated the same conversation with them. Billy and Robert told Mr. Ken that they, too, were looking forward to the big picnic and seeing all the people they usually don’t get to see. When asked who they were talking about, Mr. Dan was the first name that Robert came up with. That made the teen’s dad smile.

After the high school student’s left, Mr. Ken called his office to tell them he wouldn’t be in until about ten o’clock. The man then waited for Wayne and Chris to come to work.

“What … you’re not going to the office today?” chuckled Mr. Chris, while holding his hot cup of coffee in one hand and a Momma Maria sweet cake in the other, as he and Wayne walked into the Study.

“Come on in, guys, so we can talk before I head out to the office,” spoke up the owner of The Cove.

“Chris, everything went like clockwork yesterday, for Bill and me, and I want to thank you for setting that in motion. Ahh, now Robert … ahh, he wants to visit his mom this weekend. Can you do your magic for him, us?

“Also, Chris, I need you to make sure you send $200.00 and place it in Amelia’s Prisoner Account Trust Fund. She knows it is coming and that there will be a handling charge. Also, Robert … he is going to want to send his mother some money as well, probably the same amount, when we come back from visiting her.

“On top of that, here are two pieces of paper. (Mr. Ken passed the papers over to Mr. Chris.) Phillip has researched us getting a dinner bell for the Pavilion and … he has narrowed it down to these two. Can you order them. He says he doesn’t know how loud they would be unless he can hear them. So, I told him I’d have you order them and we’d try them out and keep the one we like,” finished a smiling Mr. Ken.

“Ahh … thank you, boss. I think?” replied a still wondering Mr. Chris.

“And, Wayne, please order those remaining patio sets we talked about getting and please make sure the landscapers start getting the Cover Skate Park and Pavilion areas ready for the Memorial Day Picnic. And, when do you … plan on having the boys start working on cleaning up those areas?” now asked the owner of The Cove. “And, please don’t forget to buy that metronome for Phillip, so he can practice playing his guitar with it,” added Mr. Ken.

“Well, the landscapers … they are due to start working on the flowerbeds and adding the mulch this week, and I thought this weekend the boys would start on the tables and benches first and with the two pressure washers, and two rotating surface cleaning attachments they should be able to clean the Pavilion floor and Cover Skate Park deck easily in two weekends,” offered the Estate Master.

“Wow, when did we get the second pressure washer, and … and what are rotating surface cleaners?” asked a surprised Ken Thomas, at hearing about the new cleaning equipment.

Mr. Wayne explained to his employer how Mr. Dennis told him about the rotating surface cleaning attachment and how it would speed up the boys’ cleaning time. Wayne added that he watched a YouTube video of how the rotating cleaner worked and was convinced that it was what the boys needed, so he went out and bought a second pressure washer and two rotating surface cleaners, for the boys to use.

Wayne then told his boss and Chris, the Estate’s Manager, that after the Pavilion and the top of the Cove Skate Park were cleaned, he was going to hire Bill and one of his friends to power wash the estate’s Main Gate Guard House and perimeter walls, and after that the driveway starting from the guard house and working down to the end and all around.

The Estate Master explained that all of those areas have become dull ever since Mr. Ken moved in almost six years ago and he felt they all needed to be brightened up to maintain the appearance, charm and fascination of Three Finer Cove. The other two men coughed and laughed at how Wayne described The Cove.

“Laying it on a little thick, are we?” laughed Mr. Ken.

“Well … we’ve got to maintain the enchantment that Three Finger Cove exudes here along the lake, don’t we?” said Mr. Wayne with a straight face, which he then broke out into a laugh. The other two men joined with him.

The three men discussed other issues concerning The Cove and the boys. In the end, both Wayne and Chris told their boss that they both liked what they did this time and their meeting last week. They said that their face-to-face meeting gave them better feedback and a chance to broach other topics rather than what they had over the phone. So, both men asked Mr. Ken if he would consider doing that at least once a week with them.

The owner of The Cove said that he would do that and he asked them which day would be best for them so he could have Rosemary his executive secretary, put it on his weekly schedule. Chris and Wayne discussed the day between them for a few moments and offered that either Monday or Wednesday would work for them.

Mr. Ken thought about the two days offered and then chose Wednesday for the three of them to meet. But the man added that if there was ever a need for him to meet with them because of an emergency or an important issue he would make himself available and all they needed to do was to just to call Rosemary.

Earlier that day, back east, the Edgewood Bankruptcy Trustee publicly opened the only bid he received on the sale of Edgewood Amusement Park in its entirety. It was from Three Finger Entertainment, LLC. Mr. Ken’s previous letter to him was just an informational letter telling him of his intent to buy the entire park, at a reasonable market value, but it did not include an offering price. When the Trustee announced his intent to accept bids to sell the property in its entirety, Ken Thomas jumped on that announcement and submitted his bid.

After his meeting with his employees, Mr. Ken hurried to his office, where Rosemary told him he had an important phone call that he had to return, as soon as he came to the office. She told him that it was from a lawyer from back east and that it was very important. Mr. Ken saw the name on the phone call message sheet and knew he had to return that call right away. He excused himself and went into his office to make that call.

“Mr. Butler, I understand you’ve been trying to reach me,” began Ken Thomas, as the person he called came on the phone.

The man Mr. Ken called was the lawyer he had hired to follow the Edgewood Amusement Park Bankruptcy proceedings for him. He had hoped the man now had some good information for him concerning Edgewood.

“Mr. Thomas … the Edgewood Bankruptcy Trustee … he opened the bids today of all of those who bid to purchase the entire park. And, sir, you were the only one who submitted a bid on the amusement park, so you, sir, were the winner,” announced Patrick Butler, Esq.

“That is great news, Patrick. Now what do I need to do?” asked Mr. Ken.

“Sir … the Bankruptcy Judge … he has scheduled a hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday to certify your bid and he has asked all interested parties to be present. I think he wants to hear any arguments from anyone who has a complaint about you being the only bidder, and as to why the Trustee shouldn’t sell the property piecemeal instead of the entire thing to you. So, I strongly suggest that you be there, Mr. Thomas,” offered the lawyer.

“Yes, yes, Patrick, I will make arrangements to be there tomorrow. Can we meet in the afternoon to discuss this, so when we go to court on Wednesday, I know what to expect?” asked Mr. Ken. The two men quickly made arrangements to meet tomorrow afternoon and then Mr. Ken hung up.

Mr. Ken used his phone to ring his secretary, and when she picked up, he said, “Rosemary … ask Ben to come to my office, please.”

As soon as Ben Walthers entered Mr. Ken’s office, he didn’t even get the chance to sit down when his boss offered, “Ben … we got Edgewood! I just got off the phone with Patrick. We need to fly down there tomorrow and meet with him. The bankruptcy judge has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday at 9 a.m., and we need to be there to defend our bid.

“Also, call Jason and ask him if he is ready to move there and take on the job of transforming Edgewood Amusement Park. Tell him that if the judge does accept our bid, that he’ll be the Operations Manager there. So, if that is the case, he’ll need to plan to move there as soon as he can. Also, tell him we’ll help him monetarily with his move. I know he lives in an apartment, so it shouldn’t be too expensive to move him there.”

“When I have the flight arrangements, I’ll let you know, but you might want to call Addison to let her know you’ll be gone for at least two days. Go ahead and make your calls and let me make the flight plans for early tomorrow. We’ll probably leave very early from Austin-Bergstrom, since we’ll lose one hour as we go back east and it is a three-hour flight,” quickly explained Ken Thomas.

Ben asked his boss that if the judge agrees to their takeover of Edgewood shouldn’t they take the time, while they are back east, to look over the Park and make some hard decisions on how to proceed.

Mr. Ken told Ben that he needed to be back to support Bill at the trial, but he could remain, if he wanted. But Mr. Ken added that maybe they both should return the following week and meet with Jason and review the park together. Ben thought about that for a few moments and agreed that would be the prudent thing, so that way Jason had a good idea of what they wanted him to accomplish.

“Ben,” then began Mr. Ken, “just tell Jason to travel to the park and get a hotel room and to plan his move after he gets the park on its feet. I know he will be biting at the bit to get that place up and running, and if he has to worry about moving, too, it will be a distraction to him. We, I, can afford it and we need to get Edgewood opened as soon as we can.

“But most importantly … we also need to make sure the community knows we have done everything possible to ensure all of the rides, that will be operating on Opening Day, were thoroughly inspected by reputable firms and are safe! We’ll talk more about doing that with Jason next week when we all meet.

“After you call Jason to get him prepared to travel to Edgewood, start making some calls to those amusement maintenance companies to see if they are available to help us. I’d like to have the park opened by … let’s say (Mr. Ken looked at his calendar.) let’s say by the first of July. That should give them about 45 days to inspect and repair any problems. I’ll call you with the flight arrangements as soon as I have them, but be prepared to be at my place by 7:30 tomorrow morning,” finished Ken Thomas.

At school that morning, Phillip told Westin and Jeffrey that Mr. Ken told him that he was OK with them bringing their guitar and drums over to The Cove, as long as their parents approved. Then Phillip reminded them that they would be gone for at least ten days after school ends and they wouldn’t have them unless they took them home before they left.

The two friends said they’d talk to their parents and they’d try to bring their instruments over that weekend. Phillip then reminded the boys that everyone would start helping clean the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park in preparation for the Memorial Day Picnic, and that they might not get much time to play together. The boy’s moaned, but said they’d still talk to their parents about eventually bringing their things over.

Mr. Ken was very busy making phone calls after hearing from Patrick Butler. He was able to get the air charter service to divert a plane for a 9 a.m. take-off from the Austin-Bergstrom Airport, so he called Ben and told him to be at his place by 7 a.m., so they could negotiate any slow morning traffic along the way.

Mr. Ken did remember to call DA Morris to check on when Bill might be needed to testify. He was happy to learn that George Morris didn’t plan to bring Bill to the stand until Thursday after the Golderson’s testified. The man was relieved to hear that, as things to do before he departed were beginning to mount and he hoped he had enough time.

Upon hearing from the President of Three Finger Entertainment, LLC, Ben Walthers, Jason Zimms was now a very happy man. He was being appointed the operations manager of Edgewood Amusement Park, and was given the task of getting it into shape, as soon as the judge approved Mr. Ken’s bid for the property.

The man was also happy to hear that Mr. Ken was going to pay for his move, but, in the meantime, they would pay for him to stay in a hotel, while he got the park ready for opening day. He also knew that the park’s new owner and the President of Three Finger Entertainment, LLC would be there the following week to talk with him about what they wanted done.

Yes, Jason Zimms knew he would have Ben Walthers and Ken Thomas giving him directions on what they wanted accomplished, but Jason would decide on how it would be done. He had been told previously, by Mr. Ken, that if he ever got the property, he would be the Operations Manager. It was from that time on that he had been planning on what he would do and how he would do it. He now felt invigorated and couldn’t wait to get working on rebuilding Edgewood into a great amusement park again.

At the high school, Billy’s friends wanted to know all about how his visit went with his mother. Billy was taken aback by their request, but he quickly recovered and told them the highlights of how seeing his mom after almost three years was very emotional for him and her.

The Cover teen told them how they talked about what he’d been doing ever since she was sent to prison and he went into telling his friends about his helping with his first Easter Egg Roll, the Memorial Day Picnic and the Cove Skate Park’s Grand Opening, his trip to visit Mr. Ken’s amusement parks and then his 3-day trip.

Billy then told his friends he spoke to his mom about the 4^th of July Carnival and how much fun it was. Then the Cover told how he revealed to his mother how Kaden conspired to get him banned from The Cove and sent away.

Billy continued the story about his living with the Goldersons through the invasion, his hospitalization when Mr. Ken saved Kaden from being killed by Bennett Grafflers and his eventual return to The Cove. Billy told his friends that the time went by so fast that he never got the chance to really tell his mother everything he wanted to.

Lonnie asked the Cover when he was going back to visit his mother, again. Billy said that with everything that Mr. Ken has planned for him that it would probably be August, just before school starts, before he can see her again. The teens said that had to suck, but Billy said that at least he now knows he can go and see her. The Cover had a great big smile on his face as he said that, which was not overlooked by his friends.

The day moved along for all the Covers and before long they all found themselves sitting down to dinner. Momma Maria was happy to have all her men home and eating her well-prepared meals. She also liked that they talked about their day at the table and that kept her abreast of what was happening with all of them.

As the Covers talked, ‘dad’ Ken told his ‘boys’ that he had a big announcement for them. The boys asked him what it was. He then told them he won his bid to own Edgewood. All the boys cheered and then asked him if they would get to visit it during their trip.

Mr. Ken laughed at his ‘boys’ and their trying to extend their trip after school lets out for the summer. It was then he dropped the bad news. “Boys, the Bankruptcy Judge … he has scheduled a hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday to certify my bid, and I have to be present to answer any questions he may have, since I was the only person who bid to buy the entire park.”

A few of the boys moaned that their ‘dad’ would be gone, while Robert asked when he would be leaving. Dad Ken told his son that he and Ben Walthers would be leaving at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning and they would not return until late Wednesday night.

Then ‘dad’ Ken dropped the other shoe when he told the boys that he and Ben would be gone the following week for at least three, maybe four, days while they meet with Jason to plan what needed to be done to get the park ready to open by the first of July. All the boys moaned at hearing that.

“Mr. Ken … did you ask if I can visit my mom,” asked Phillip.

Mr. Ken sat there knowing he’d forgotten to call Ms. Judy. He had been so busy making all the other calls he needed to make and rescheduling his other meetings that were on his schedule the next two days, that he had totally forgotten to make that one important call.

So, knowing that, the man said, “Phillip … to be honest … no I didn’t make that call. I am sorry. I got so busy with all the other calls I had to make that … well, that I totally forgot to call Ms. Judy. But … I will call her at home when we finish dinner.

“Ahh, Mr. Ken … what about me and the trial?” spoke up Billy.

“Yes, Bill, about that. I did call DA Morris today, and he told me that he didn’t expect to call you to the stand until Thursday. He told me he was going to have the Goldersons and one other person to testify before you. He said he had that star witness before them and that he hoped he would cause the defendants to accept the plea deal he’s offered them and end the trial before you, and them, would have to testify. He was very hopeful,” explained the foster dad.

When the questions and answers settled down, Momma Maria spoke up and told Mr. Ken that she was happy she learned that he would be gone tomorrow. She told him that she planned to have dinner up at the Pavilion tomorrow night, but that she would now move it to Thursday night if he would be home then. Mr. Ken said he should and then asked what has she planned. Momma told him and the boys that, with Billy’s help, she hoped to have grilled chicken breasts along with grilled pineapple, salad and a vegetable. Mr. Ken smiled and said he looked forward to it.

When dinner was over, the Covers headed into the Study as they usually did. But before they started their usual discussions, Mr. Ken picked up the phone and called Ms. Judy. Phillip listened to his foster dad’s side of the phone call, and he heard the man ask the Director of Children’s Protective Services if she would ask the judge if Phillip could have visitation privileges with his mother until she was better, and could begin her court order requirements.

When Mr. Ken hung up the phone, he told Phillip that Ms. Judy would send the request forward to the judge, and for him not to expect any answer until Wednesday at the earliest. The foster dad said Ms. Judy would call Mr. Wayne if she heard the answer before he returned and that the Estate Master would try to take him to see her that night.

The Covers then reviewed who had Doctor Doug appointments that week and Mr. Ken then mentioned that the boys needed to see the dentist sometime before they went on their trip. He told them they would all be scheduled for after school sometime.

Mr. Wayne then took center stage and mentioned to the boys that beginning that weekend they needed to start cleaning the Pavilion and Cove Skate Park. He told them he had bought a second pressure washer and a new attachment that should make cleaning the Pavilion floor and Cove Skate Park deck go faster. The boys quickly asked what the new attachment was, but the Estate Master told them he’ll show them on Saturday when their friends are there.

His visit with the boys that night, before they all went to bed, wasn’t as cheerful as they normally were. Mr. Ken reminded them that he has his businesses to run and they know at times he has to leave and go to them and do whatever needs to be done for them to be successful.

The boys eventually said they understood and told him to have a safe flight and they would see him Wednesday night. Mr. Ken then went down to his retreat to pack for his trip and set his alarm clock in order to be up and ready to go at 7 o’clock the next morning.

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

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