Published: 13 Feb 2023

From The Previous Chapter:

That Saturday night, after the high school students installed their Christmas Wrapped Presents displays for the Three Finger Cove Christmas Decoration Competition and Mr. Ken and his Estate Master had talked to all the boys, the owner of The Cove finally got to go to bed himself.

It was well past 11:30 p.m. that night, when Mr. Ken’s phone rang. He was surprised when it rang because he had no sooner gotten to sleep that it awakened him from that just attained deep sleep. When he answered it, he was surprised to learn it was Jules Diamond Security informing him that one of his coins had just come up on the grid.

When Mr. Ken asked the caller whose coin it was and where they were located, the security man told him he wasn’t sure of the location, because it wasn’t local. Mr. Ken persisted and asked him to tell him where it was.

When Mr. Ken learned it was located in the state of Colorado, he immediately asked if the owners name was Matthew Turnsten. The security man verified it was and Mr. Ken told him to try to pinpoint the address and he would be right back with him.

Mr. Ken quickly called Dan Fischer. He told him the situation and asked him if he could call the police in the city where Matthew’s dad had taken him and request them to send a patrol car to their address to check on the boy. Mr. Ken told Dan to say the former foster dad had just gotten a disturbing phone call from the boy that said something was wrong.

Dan knew better, but that story sounded plausible verses trying to explain how the coins worked. Dan told his friend he’d get back with him as soon as he could. Mr. Ken told Dan to let him verify the address with Jules Diamond Security first. Once he verified the coin was at Matthew’s home apartment, Mr. Ken told Dan to make the call.

Ken Thomas now feared for Matthew’s safety. The boy had used his coin previously and knew how and why to use it. Mr. Ken knew Matthew wouldn’t use it unless he was hurt or being hurt. He was beside himself and paced his bedroom.

Mr. Ken needed something to do, so he called his air charter service to see when was their first charter flight out of Austin-Bergstrom that morning to Colorado. He told them he didn’t care if he had to share. Learning there was a flight at ten a.m., he reserved a seat and then he called Judy. It was now well after midnight.

Judy Turner was rudely awakened by her phone ringing and she knew that it could only mean trouble. But when she saw who it was on her Caller ID, she knew that it meant something big, but she wasn’t prepared to hear what she did. It was while she and Mr. Ken were talking that Dan contacted Mr. Ken to tell him what the police had found. It wasn’t pretty.

Mr. Ken was now happy he had called the air charter service and had a flight out at ten a.m. He told Judy he was taking his Foster Parent License and Temporary Foster License naming Matthew as his foster son, with him, to try to bring the boy back with him. He asked her to back him up if they called to verify his licenses and credentials.

That late-night phone call also woke up Eric, and when he learned what the call was all about, he had to call his Best Friend, Robert. The teens quickly talked and before long Mr. Ken’s son went down to talk to his dad who was on the phone now with Dan to find out more information about Matthew. The man wrote down the hospital information and he asked Dan if he could get back with his contact there and give him his name to let them know that Ken Thomas would arrive with his Texas Foster Parent License later that afternoon to check on the boy.

Mr. Ken told Dan he hoped that would help him get a foot in the door seeing it would be a Sunday. Dan told him he’d talk to the night supervisor and ask him to have his relief call him at shift change, so he could explain the situation.

Robert learned what he could about what happened to Matthew and told his dad he would tell his ‘brothers’ everything in the morning. The two hugged before the teen went back up to bed.

Mr. Ken arrived at the hospital late Sunday afternoon, tired and disheveled. He had his Texas Foster Parent License and his Foster Care License for Matthew in hand and asked if he could see Matthew Turnsten. The nurses knew the man would be coming and were happy someone came to see the boy.

The police knew the boy had no other relatives in the area, and that the boy needed a friendly face after receiving the beating he had from his father, who was now sitting in jail awaiting arraignment for child abuse and countless other charges.

The nurses eagerly walked the man to Matthew’s room and when the boy saw him, he burst out crying. The man ran to him and tried to hug him as best he could around all the I.V. lines and bandages the twelve-year-old had on him.

Due to his injuries, a dislocated shoulder, slight concussion, bruised hip and numerous bruises and cuts, Matthew would be in the hospital for at least three days. That gave Mr. Ken time to hire a lawyer to help him try to take Matthew back with him to Texas.

Mr. Ken heard Matthew’s account, which was his dad wanting his birthday money and then demanding Matthew tell him how he could get his Trust money. It was when Matthew’s dad heard that the Trust Fund was set up so that no one could get to it and only Matthew could when he turned eighteen, that Victor Turnsten turned on his son and beat on him.

Ken Thomas was also able to talk to the police about the attack and get a better perspective and now he knew what the detective’s learned after they investigated the scene. ‘Dad’ Ken only wished there was a way you could see inside a person’s mind when the courts gave their children back to them in order to see what type of jerks they actually were.

Victor had been out of Matthew’s life for almost seven years and had picked up some bad habits in that time period, all of which centered around his poor management of money. But that was not reported to the courts when they gave the man custody of his son.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), the Division of Child Welfare, was brought in to Matthew’s situation when they learned his dad beat on him and was subsequently arrested and jailed.

They weren’t aware that the man had gone to Texas and sued for custody of his son more than a month ago, and now here he was in jail. And now CDHS was going to be involved with placing the boy into their own child protection services.

On top of that, a man from Texas, who held a Texas Foster Parenting License and was Matthew’s Foster Parent prior to his being taking away by his dad, immediately came there asking for the child to be released back into his guardianship.

Ken Thomas’ lawyer told CDHS that the boy had lived with the man for the full previous year and they already had a rapport, and that the local Texas Children’s Protective Services was ready to confirm his credentials.

The lawyer also presented Mr. Ken’s bona fides starting with the names of the governor and lieutenant-governor of the State of Texas, the County Commissioners where he resided, and the local Presiding County Juvenile Court Judge and County Sheriff. The lawyer also listed the man’s local business interests, so CDHS knew the person they would be releasing the boy to was someone in good standing in the community and the State of Texas.

Mr. Ken visited Matthew daily and told him what he was attempting to do. His lawyer also talked to the boy, separately, so he could get the boy’s unadulterated story, in order to represent him at the CDHS hearing. That would undoubtedly happen prior to any decision as to where the boy would live – Colorado or Texas.

Mr. Ken also got the lawyer to gain him legal entry to the apartment in order for him to get Matthew’s cell phone for the boy, and he also wanted to see the scene of the attack himself. He also wanted to be able to retrieve the boy’s clothes if he was going to be taking him back to Texas with him.

The Cove’s first Holiday Party was that Friday, after Matthew’s attack, and Mr. Ken’s lawyer was unable to get a hearing that week, so Mr. Ken could try to take Matthew back home with him. Since that was the case, Mr. Ken had to fly home to be there for the Party, leaving the boy alone for the weekend.

When Ken Thomas returned to The Cove that Thursday evening, he understood that CDHS had coordinated with the doctors to allow Matthew to remain in the hospital, until a court hearing could possibly be arranged during the following week.

With Matthew now having his cell phone, he could stay in contact with his ‘dad’ and ‘brothers’. He did take the time to call Kyle and tell him what happened to him, and what ‘dad’ Ken was trying to do. The former twin Cover was surprised Matthew’s dad would beat him as he did, and told the former ‘brother’ he hoped their ‘dad’ would be able to take him ‘home’.

Matthew talked to his other ‘brothers’ at The Cove during the day Friday and during the Holiday Party that night. At the Holiday Party, Mr. Ken was not the jovial man he usually was and only those close to him knew why.

It was during the day Saturday that Matthew stopped calling and never answered his cell phone when one of his ‘brothers’ called him. That concerned Mr. Ken and he called his lawyer there to try to find out why.

It was during the Party that Saturday evening that Mr. Ken learned that CDHS came to the hospital during the afternoon and removed Matthew. Once the lawyer learned that had happened, he couldn’t find out where the boy was taken.

Ken Thomas was now on a mission and he made the rounds of the movers and shakers he had invited that evening, looking for the one man he felt might be able to help him. That man was Judge Adam Richards, the County’s Presiding Juvenile Court Judge.

Ken Thomas pulled the Judge aside and explained the situation out in Colorado and asked him up front, if he had any contacts out there that he could call to get Matthew released back into his custody. Mr. Ken explained what he understood was to happen, when he left on Thursday, and then what did happen that afternoon.

Mr. Ken reasoned with Judge Richards that Christmas was next weekend and that the boy didn’t deserve to be taken away by a dad, who hadn’t seen him for seven years, taken away from the home he shared with his ‘brothers’ for a year, and then beaten because his father wanted his son’s Trust Fund money.

Ken Thomas, with tears in his eyes, argued that the boy didn’t deserve to be put into limbo, for who knows how long, before those social service workers would get off their collective asses and make a decision.

Judge Richards knew exactly what his friend was saying and he never knew the man to ask for favors. But the judge knew he wasn’t really asking for himself. The Judge told his host he couldn’t promise him anything, but he’d see what he could do. Mr. Ken thanked the judge and hugged the man.

After the two late weekend parties and a long flight, a very tired Ken Thomas met with his lawyer Monday afternoon. The lawyer told him there was an unprecedented emergency hearing in Juvenile Court the next day, Tuesday, at 10 a.m. concerning Matthew. Mr. Ken silently thanked Judge Richards for his intervention.

The lawyer told Mr. Ken that CDHS had tried to get it canceled until after the New Year, but the Judge had told them to be there and to bring Matthew. The lawyer warned his client that CDHS’ local Division of Child Welfare had dug in its heels and for him to expect a hard full-court press by them to stall and drag this out as long and as best they could.

At the hearing Tuesday morning, the first thing the judge asked the Director of the local Division of Child Welfare was where was Matthew. The woman didn’t have an acceptable answer for the judge, and so the Director was told that she was now in Contempt of Court.

The judge then told the Director that for every minute that Matthew was not in her courtroom she would either spend a day in jail or pay a one thousand dollar a minute fine. It took the caseworker forty-three minutes to get the boy to the courtroom.

When Matthew saw ‘Dad’ Ken, he ran to him and hugged him as best he could with his arm still in a sling. The caseworker grabbed Matthew on his injured shoulder and pulled him away and it was evident she hurt Matthew.

The lawyer quickly pulled the caseworker off the boy. A court officer saw what happened and went over there and separated the group. The Child Welfare Director also saw what happened and told the officer to keep Mr. Thomas away from the boy. Mr. Ken then knew what he was up against.

As soon as the judge learned Matthew was out in the courtroom, she called the boy into her chambers to talk to him. She also directed everyone not to leave the courtroom. Thirty minutes later the judge and Matthew came back into the courtroom.

The judge then had the Director stand in front of her bench and she asked why she had Matthew removed from the hospital, and had his cellphone confiscated.

The Director said they needed to get Matthew settled into a new environment, since the hospital costs were mounting, and she did not have an unlimited budget to keep him there. She added that she did not order the cell phone taken away.

The judge persisted and wanted to know where the cell phone was. Mr. Ken turned away and took his cell phone out and dialed Matthew’s number, and when it rang it echoed in the caseworker’s purse.

The judge demanded to know whose phone was ringing. The caseworker apologized for the errant phone and opened her purse to silent the phone. Mr. Ken’s lawyer, knowing his client had called Matthew’s phone in the hopes it was in the caseworker’s purse, stood up and said that the cell phone was probably Matthew’s. The caseworker argued it wasn’t, but the judge had her bring it to the bench.

The judge looked it over and then handed it to Matthew and had him check it over. The boy used his passcode to open it and then checked his contacts list and messages and told the judge it was his cell phone.

The judge was now livid. She had the caseworker stand in front of her and demanded to know who authorized her to take Matthew’s cell phone away from him. The judge then wanted to know why she assaulted that same boy when she brought him to her court. The Director jumped to defend the caseworker, but the judge told her to sit down.

The emergency hearing to determine where Matthew would be placed didn’t happen as it was supposed to. The judge was incensed that the Child Welfare system had done everything it could to stonewall the hearing by not bringing the boy as directed, thus delaying the hearing, and by taking the boys personal property away from him, without authorization, and thus to keep him from contacting his former foster parent or previous foster ‘brothers’.

The judge then told the Director and the caseworker that they put their personal animosity towards the former foster parent, and wanting to show him who was the ‘boss’ that they forgot that Matthew was the boy who they were charged to help.

The judge told everyone present that Matthew hadn’t been in the State more than a month when his father attacked him and thus needed the help of CDHS and that the local Division of Child Welfare immediately went out of its way to put its own interests ahead of Matthew’s.

The judge raked the local Director of the Division of Child Welfare, and the caseworker she assigned to Matthew’s case, over the coals for their actions. She told the Director that if she cared so much about her cherished budget, she would have been thrilled to have someone eager to take Matthew off her hands. But, instead, she spent more money and time playing games, with Matthew, as the proverbial ‘ball’.

The judge then ordered the Director of the Division of Child Welfare, because of her arrogance and pettiness towards Mr. Thomas and her foolish disregard for the welfare of the minor child known as Matthew Turnsten, that she was to relinquish all authority over Matthew and give Mr. Kenneth Richard Thomas full guardianship of the minor child and authority to take him back to the State of Texas.

The judge also told the Director to have that paperwork completed by the end of the day and hand delivered to Mr. Thomas. She also ordered that the man and the boy be allowed to access the apartment where the boy had been living, to retrieve anything the boy had there before they traveled back to the State of Texas.

The judge continued and told the Director that if she still felt so strongly about having Matthew in her over extended caseload, she could use her precious budget to go to Texas and fight to bring the boy back there. Then, the judge offered her good luck with that.

The judge then asked Mr. Thomas to remain in the State until he had the CDHS papers giving him guardianship of Matthew, and the authority to take the boy permanently out of the State. The judge then wished Mr. Thomas and Matthew a safe trip back to Texas, and a Merry Christmas.

Mr. Ken’s lawyer said he’d work with the Director of the local Child Welfare office to get all the guardianship and release papers completed, while he and Matthew went to the apartment to pack Matthew’s things. The men agreed to stay in touch, and meet later that afternoon when the paperwork was signed, sealed and delivered.

Mr. Ken then made some phone calls back home to let everyone know what the outcome was and when to expect them. That would only give Sandra and Momma the rest of the day and all-day Wednesday to buy Matthew some Christmas presents and get them wrapped before they returned home.

After Mr. Ken, his lawyer and Matthew departed the courtroom, the Judge addressed the Director. She told her that she ignored her order to bring Matthew to the hearing and had been found in Contempt of Court. Also, since it took her forty-three minutes to get him there, she could either spend forty-three days in jail or pay a forty-three thousand dollar fine. The Director didn’t know what to say.

The judge then addressed the caseworker and told her she was being charged with theft of the cell phone, as evidenced by it being found in her purse, and assault of the minor child, Matthew Turnsten, causing additional bodily harm, when she deliberately grabbed the boy on his injured shoulder. The caseworker collapsed upon hearing that. The court officers handcuffed the caseworker and took her away.

The judge then reduced the Director’s fine to forty-three hundred dollars which the Director readily agreed to pay. The judge, before she gaveled the court into recess, told the Director to go back to her office and get those papers done for Mr. Thomas, before the end of the day. The judge warned the Director that if she didn’t, she would be brought back to her court tomorrow to face more Contempt of Court charges and, this time, to expect to spend some time in jail, over the Christmas Holidays.

Mr. Ken and Matthew did gain access to the apartment where the boy lived, and they packed Matthew’s clothes, both clean and dirty. The two decided to spend the night at Mr. Ken’s hotel since there were no scheduled air charter flights going in the direction they wanted to go that night, and Mr. Ken still didn’t have the custody and release papers.

Mr. Ken was able to get them onto an already scheduled flight the next day leaving at noon, which should get them home by late afternoon. The lawyer brought the custody and release papers to Mr. Ken’s hotel room, early that evening.

Mr. Ken then talked to his lawyer, away from Matthew’s ears, and told him to work with the courts to see how he could get Victor to sign away his parental rights. He told the lawyer he would be OK with reducing the charges, that is, if Victor would surrender his parental rights to his son.

Mr. Ken told the lawyer, that with what he’d done to his son, along with his being away from him for seven years, he could lose them anyway, and offering him a reduced charge or sentence would be worth it to get him to readily sign them over, as he’d more than likely never see Matthew ever again.

When Matthew returned to The Cove late Thursday afternoon, he was met with a big party like atmosphere. His ‘brothers’ couldn’t believe he was back and they hugged him, carefully, because he was still recovering from his dislocated shoulder, and patted him lightly on his back.

Even Chief was there to greet him and give him some of her special doggie kisses. Of course, everyone wanted him to tell them all about what his dad did to him, and how everything went at the court hearing.

Ms. Judy and Eric, Mr. Dan, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dennis, Judge Richards and his wife Kathleen, Mr. & Mrs. Golderson and Mark, and Matthew’s friends Noah, Brant, Ryan, Greg, Aaron, and Max were all there, as well, to welcome the twelve-year-old back ‘home’.

Momma Maria, because of the large number of people who would be at the Welcome Home Party for Matthew that evening, hired her amigas, Sophia and Isabela, to help her organize the evening’s meal.

Knowing how much boys like spaghetti and meatballs, as comfort food, the three women made it especially for the returning Cover that night. She had a side salad along with buttered garlic bread in honor of his return and all the boys and their invited guests enjoyed the meal.

Afterwards, they all went to the Great Room whereMatthew told everyone about his trip to Colorado, and why his dad attacked him and everything he knew about what happened at the courtroom the previous day. The boy then answered everyone’s questions.

Before long, however, Mr. Ken thanked everyone for being there to welcome Matthew back home, but explained that his ‘son’ needed to rest, as he just had a long day and was still recovering from his injuries.

That night, Matthew called Kyle and told him all about his court hearing and how ‘dad’ Ken brought him back to The Cove. Kyle told his ‘brother’ that he and Kevin were sharing a bedroom, were slowly making friends and where they were living was nice. The younger twin also told Matthew that ‘dad’ Ken sent them their computers and his bike and they were slowly becoming part of their new family.

‘Dad’ Ken was outside Matthew’s bedroom as the youngster was talking to Kyle. He let them talk and when they were finished, he went in to talk to the twelve-year-old. They talked about what Kyle had to say and then ‘dad’ Ken told Matthew to try to put what happened out in Colorado behind him. He added he needed to talk to Doctor Doug about it, too

‘Dad’ Ken then told the boy that they would have to talk with Ms. Judy after the Holidays to see if they would go back to being foster dad and foster son, or something else. Matthew smiled at hearing that and then hugged the man for coming to get him away from his dad. The boy cried happy tears as he hugged his ‘dad’.

Robert was concerned about Matthew and when he knew his dad was finished talking to his ‘brother’, he went out to the hallway and talked to him. The teen’s dad told his son to stand back and just let Matthew reacclimate himself to The Cove. The man added he’ll get Doctor Doug involved, as soon as he could, then he thanked his son for being a good ‘big brother’ and then hugged the boy before heading down to his own retreat.

In the meantime, since Christmas was that weekend, the judge gave Victor Turnsten a $5000.00 bail, on his aggravated assault and bodily harm of a minor charges. He was able to meet the 10% bail bond fee to gain his freedom using the money he’d stolen from Matthew.

It was a very happy and a very Merry Christmas at The Cove that year, even though the twins were no longer a part of The Cove. The Covers exchanged gag gifts on Christmas Eve and then on Christmas day the boys all got new clothes, replacement cell phones, skateboards, and other sundry gifts, but the best gift the boys all said they got was their ‘brother’ Matthew returned to them.

There wasn’t a big reveal like last year’s Cove Skate Park and Pavilion. But ‘dad’ Ken told them he was buying them another personal watercraft, a Sea-Doo GTX Limited 300, that came with 300 horsepower and a top speed of 65 mph, and that could tow a three-person water tube that he was also buying.

The boys were all smiles, and then they told him they hoped there would be someone old enough who could drive it while they rode the water tube. Mr. Ken smiled at what the boys asked knowing he would have to make sure at least one, or maybe two, of the lifeguards were old enough to do that. He made a note to call the lifeguards, after he and the boys returned from their trip, to have all the guards take the Texas Boater Safety Course either online or in person.

‘Dad’ Ken then dropped the biggest Christmas surprise on them. He told them he bought two nine-millimeter and one twenty-two caliber LR hand guns and he was now going to have them taught how to use and shoot them. The boys were flabbergasted at what they just heard and then they quickly asked why he was doing that and when they would begin to learn.

“Dad’ Ken told them he talked to Mr. Levi, when he was staying with them, about why he had begun to teach Bill how to use his guns and why he would begin to teach Mark at the age of ten.

The boy’s ‘dad’ explained he thought the man’s reasoning was rational, so he decided to give them some training on the use of firearms, too. Mr. Ken then told them they would get their first lesson after the New Year when they had their trip finished and had settled down.

The Cover’s Holiday trip included Mr. Dennis who, with Mr. Wayne took the boys to three of the amusement parks, while their ‘dad’ stayed at Crystal Lake, their first stop, and continued to get to know Kate, and her family, much better. The Covers all met back at The Cove in time for the New Year’s Eve Party which was a hit with everyone as they all have been.

The high school students thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the winner of the 2^nd Annual Three Finger Cove Christmas Decoration Competition completely stunned everyone. First time competitor, Blessed Waters Academy Catholic High School took home the First Place Prize and the $1,000.00 scholarship for each of the students.

The scholarships, of course, could be used by the students to further their training in their designated vocational career field, at any vocational training school, or it could be used at any college, if they chose to go there instead.

Rene Vaughn was there. She and her cameraman took video of the awards presentation and it made all the news segments throughout the following day. A picture of the award was also on the front page of the newspaper that morning and the local community again heard of how Ken Thomas was in the forefront of recognizing the vocational students and their abilities.

The Cove had another New Year’s Day Swim Party for the four boy’s friends, and their families and Mr. Ken’s friends. It was so they could help finish off the leftover foods from the New Year’s Eve Party and talk about the past year and what was in store for the coming year.

With the absence of Kevin and Kyle the party wasn’t as big, as the previous year, because the twins’ ten friends and their families weren’t there.

Kevin and Kyle did call Mr. Ken and their ‘brothers’ over the Holidays. They talked about their new life with their aunt, uncle and cousins. They told them about their new friends, their home, the area they live in and what they got for Christmas. It sounded to Mr. Ken like the boys were accepting their new situation and would thrive there.

During the first week of January, Mr. Ken and Ms. Judy sat down and discussed his legal guardianship of Matthew. Since he moved the guardianship between state lines, Ms. Judy told him about the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Jurisdiction Act (UAGPPJA) that was designed to simplify the process of moving a guardianship between states.

Ms. Judy said she would coordinate with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), and the Division of Child Welfare where Victor took Matthew, and that it should just be a clerical matter and then she would issue him new foster parent papers for Matthew.

But Mr. Ken told her that it was the judge who ordered the Director of Child Welfare to relinquish guardianship of Matthew to him and gave him authority to take the boy out of the state.

Mr. Ken recommended that Judge Richards contact the CDHS Division of Child Welfare as the Director was not someone who was enamored towards him at that time. Ms. Judy laughed and said she’d smooth everything over and get him his legal guardianship papers for Matthew in a few days.

Also, during that first week of the New Year, Mr. Ken met with his partners on the marina project to review its progress. He also agreed to sell the land the other Four Corners Apartments were supposed to be built on to the man who owned the heavy construction business. That sale took the pressure off Mr. Ken to get that second section of 400 apartments built.

His investors also talked to him about building a Slick-Trax Go-Kart Track next to the Go-Kart Track he had at Four Corners. But Mr. Ken nixed that idea. He told them he wanted to put in a 15- or 16-inch gauge miniature train that would go around the entire area as well as some family and children’s rides to fill in the open spaces.

Mr. Ken also submitted plans to the County to build a seven-bay self-service car wash on the remaining open section of the Four Corners Shopping Plaza. It would be built at the top, or the back, of the shopping center, and essentially right next to the grocery store that had begun construction last October and was scheduled to open that summer. The car wash would open about the same time.

Ken Thomas also submitted plans to build a boat storage lot close to the marina. He had a one-acre lot left over near Four Corners he wanted to use in conjunction with the marina. He knew with the public boat ramp access; the boat storage lot would be in a perfect location.

If that business were approved, and he had no doubts that it wouldn’t be, he would have no more land to build on other than what he had planned next to the Go-Kart Track and Miniature Golf Course.

Right after the Holidays, Mr. Wayne, who had been given the responsibility by Mr. Ken to research Bill getting his learner’s permit, sat down with the teenager and explained to him what he needed to do if he wanted to get his driver’s license permit.

That caught Billy totally by surprise, but he was all for whatever he needed to do to start the process. Mr. Wayne explained to the older teen Cover that he must be enrolled in a state-approved driver’s education course and complete at least the first 6 hours of a 32-hour Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) approved Texas driver’s course before he could apply for the permit.

Mr. Wayne then told Bill that he needed to have his Social Security Card, which Billy said he wasn’t sure where it was. The Estate Master told the teen he needed to find it, or research how to get a copy. The Estate Master told the Cover he also needed to pass a 40-question, multiple-choice Department of Public Safety knowledge exam covering basic road signs and road rules and score at least 70% to pass to be issued a learner license.

There were a few other requirements, but Billy already had those met. The two went up to Billy’s bedroom computer and the teen went to the online driver’s education course website where Mr. Wayne used his Cove Credit Card to pay for his registration. It was now up to Billy to complete those six hours of online education before he could apply for the permit and take the test. Billy was stoked and couldn’t wait to tell his friends.

While in Billy’s room, Mr. Wayne told Billy they would pick up a copy of the DMV handbook at the Department of Motor Vehicles office, so he could start studying for the test, but in the meantime, Billy could go to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and begin reading it on line.

That first Saturday of January, ‘dad’ Ken took the boys to get their training in gun safety and handling. The two-hour Basic Handgun Course introduced the boys to the semi-automatic handgun and its nomenclature, operation, and fundamental shooting skills.

The boys were taught safe firearm handling techniques and how to develop their skills using training firearms, before moving to the state-of-the-art shooting range for a live-fire exercise. Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dennis and Mr. Dan joined them.

Besides the three new handguns Mr. Ken had bought, he also took his gun and Robert’s to the range. Mr. Wayne also took his. There, the teenagers, including Eric, were allowed to shoot the 9mm handguns, while Matthew shot the .22 caliber LR handgun. That was because ‘dad’ Ken felt the older boys could handle the stronger recoil the 9mm gun gave verses the .22 caliber LR pistol.

The instructor, as well as Mr. Dan and Mr. Ken, stood with the boys as they first dry fired the guns and then sent one round down range. Eventually the boys, and Mr. Dennis, all shot fifty rounds before their ‘dad’ called it a day, followed by cleaning all the guns. It was a day the boys and Mr. Dennis would always remember.

During the month of January, Ken Thomas and Ben Walthers met with Westley Kromiere, his Project Manager’s husband, who is a Public Relations Manager. They talked about how Three Finger Entertainment (TFE) could begin to advertise under one banner like Six Flags and Cedar Point does. That would be a work in progress with the President of TFE, LLC, Ben Walthers working closely with Westley to make that happen.

Mr. Ken also talked to Ben about designing an ‘owners’ polo shirt he could wear when he visits his amusement parks. He explained what happened when he wore a supervisor’s shirt at Crystal Lake and didn’t like the color, fit or design. He told him to come up with a few ideas to show him.

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

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