Published: 18 Jul 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

The two hugged and Mr. Ken turned to make his way down to his own retreat. But Kate was waiting out in the hallway for him. She told him she wanted to thank him for such a wonderful day and then she kissed him. The two shared a loving kiss and hug and it was something the two didn’t want to end, but they were standing out in the middle of the guest hallway and they knew they needed to end it.

Ken told Kate to sleep well and that he would see her in the Kitchen Nook for breakfast. The two then shared a quick peck and Ken Thomas had some pep in his step, as he made his way to his retreat.

It was later than usual in The Cove that Friday night. But everyone was home and in bed and either already asleep or soon would be. The Cove would soon be quiet the whole night through.

Momma Maria and her amigas, Isabela and Sophia, were already in the Kitchen Nook getting breakfast ready for the large family and their guests when the owner of The Cove, Ken Thomas, came into the room to get his first cup of coffee, and then to read his morning newspaper.

The man was sitting at the Kitchen Nook table reading his morning newspaper when Billy and Phillip came into the room.

“You’re down here early this morning, boys,” teased the foster dad, with a big smile.

“Well, I need to catch up with Lonnie. I do have a paying job,” teased back Billy.

“And, I have my guitar lesson this morning with Mr. Bindy,” offered Phillip.

The two boys took their seats, then Phillip remembered he had to take care of Chief’s bowls. Jessy had been doing it the past few days, and the young Cover was getting used to his doing that.

Momma made the two boys a quick breakfast, but it wouldn’t be as grand as what the remainder of the family and their guests would have later that morning.

When Billy finished his meal, he thanked Momma with a great big hug and then he hurried up to the Main Gate where Lonnie was supposed to be waiting for him. Phillip also hugged Momma for fixing him his breakfast. The young Cover then went down to the Great Room to practice some before his teacher arrived. He’d been gone most of the week and he hadn’t practiced as much as he should have.

The rest of the family and their guests began arriving in the Kitchen Nook and the level of conversation rose to the level that Momma shushed them all into the Dining Room to be seated for breakfast.

While the large group was being seated, Kate asked who was playing the guitar. Ken told her that Phillip took guitar lessons on Saturday mornings, and he was practicing before his teacher arrived. Reynolds and Sylvia also took notice and mentioned to their children that they should consider taking music lessons.

Kevin and Kyle said they heard Phillip and his band play up at the Pavilion and that they played really well. Matthew spoke up and told everyone that their big ‘brother’, Collin, asked Phillip and his band to play for his get together last week, and he even bought them their microphones and sound system they now have as their payment.

Momma, Sophia and Isabela began bringing in the breakfast items. Again, the women outdid themselves with fresh waffles, pancakes, fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, sausage, fresh cut blueberries and strawberries, with whipped cream and powdered sugar available for those who wanted to use them.

The adults all had fresh hot coffee, while the children had their choice between, regular, chocolate and vanilla milk. Jaxson and Alani loved the vanilla milk and drank two glasses while they ate their breakfast. Even the twins drank the special flavored milk, as they hadn’t had it since they were whisked off to live with their aunt and uncle.

When the children had finished eating, Rusty and Jessy asked Robert and Charles if they would take them up to the skate park and help them with their skating. Jaxson and Alani asked their parents if they could go up there as well. While all the children went to skate, the adults sat back and talked.

Sylvia asked Kate when she was going back home. Kate told her that she and the boys were headed home tomorrow. Kate then asked Sylvia when she and her family were heading back west. Sylvia said their flight was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

Reynolds then asked Ken what else was there for them to do close to there. Ken told them that the Natural Bridge Caverns was along the way to San Antonio, and not all that far from there. The host then asked if the twins were wanting to go and visit their dad. Sylvia looked to her husband for the answer.

“Well, Kevin … he’s asked us if we thought they should go. For us … that’s a difficult question to answer, because … well … we just don’t know what harm that could cause them. Parker … he did the unthinkable with Kevin and … well, what good will their meeting do for the young teenagers?” offered Reynolds, with some doubt and hesitation in his voice.

It was a big question that Ken told the Parchsons he, too, would have a difficult time deciding on. The former foster dad of the twins offered to the Parchsons to let the twins come to them, and have them give them a good reason for their wanting to visit their dad. Ken then said that if the reason sounded good enough, then they should decide to go and then play it by ear.

Sylvia then asked where else could they take their kids tomorrow. Ken said that besides Natural Bridge Caverns they could go down to the San Antonio Zoo, or go up to Austin and head over to the Congress Avenue Bridge to witness a staggering 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly into the sky from beneath the bridge at sundown, or go swimming in the Barton Springs Pool, or row around Lady Bird Lake for a view of Austin’s rolling hills and downtown skyline.

The ladies were clearing off the Dining Room table, so the adults retired to the Study. Along the way they stopped and talked to Phillip, as he was headed up to the Pavilion. The boys foster dad asked him how his guitar lesson went. Phillip, holding his head down, honestly told his ‘dad’ that he wasn’t prepared for it, as he was busy doing other things that week.

Mr. Ken lifted the boy’s head up, so he could look into the boy’s eyes. He then told his young foster son that he knows that he has a guitar lesson every Saturday, and that it is his job to be prepared for it, just as if he had school lessons to do. Mr. Ken then hugged the boy and asked him not to forget to practice. The boy smiled after the hug. Then the man sent him on his way.

But before Phillip walked out the Foyer Door, he reminded his ‘dad’ that his new friend and bandmate, Bryce and his parents, would be there at twelve noon, and he said he was going to give them the ‘nickel’ tour. ‘Dad’ Ken thanked the young Cover for reminding him.

Rusty, Jessy, Jaxson and Alani were having a fun time up at the Cove Skate Park. They were all practicing using their skateboards and trying to better perform the things that Billy and Robert had been showing them all week long. Rusty was doing much better than ever and Jessy was gaining confidence in himself. The youngster was no longer afraid to try things on the course, especially with his ‘big brothers’ there.

Lonnie and Billy caught up on what they each had been doing all week. Lonnie didn’t work on the Main Gate house at all, while Billy was gone. He told the Cover he wanted him there so if they screwed it up, they would both be blamed and not just him. Billy laughed and then thanked him for being such a good friend. The two then got to power washing the Main Gate House and they were being very careful not to break the windows.

Bryce Harris, Phillip’s new friend and bandmate and his parents, Warren and Lauren, arrived at The Cove just before twelve, noon, and the young Cover was already at the Main Gate waiting for them.

The young Cover called his ‘dad’ to let him know they were there, and while he waited for the man to arrive, he entered Bryce into the database. The youngster then explained to the Harris’s that this way Bryce could enter The Cove without him having to be confirmed by him every time he came over.

By then Mr. Ken arrived at the Main Gate and Phillip introduced everyone to each other. The owner of The Cove welcomed them and explained that Bryce could come over anytime Phillip was there, and that he could stay until six o’clock when there wasn’t school the next day, and only until five when there was.

Bryce quickly asked to confirm that he could come over to The Cove every day. Mr. Ken told the twelve-year-old that he could, as long as he behaved himself and helped with things, like the barbeque and any other task the boys were asked to perform. That put a big smile on the twelve-year-old.

Lauren asked what other things her son might be asked to do. Phillip spoke up and told the woman that all the boys are responsible to keep the Pavilion and restrooms clean and they also clean the Cove Skate Park for special parties, and do their share for setting up the barbeque. The young Cover finished by saying they’ll see as his ‘dad’ shows them around.

Phillip then asked Bryce if he brought his guitar, swimsuit and towel. Bryce said that he had and they went over to the car and got them. The two boys then hurried over to the Pavilion, so the new band player could meet everyone and hook up his bass guitar. Mr. Ken yelled out for Phillip to see Mr. Wayne to get Bryce a locker.

“Well, I guess that just leaves us,” chuckled Ken Thomas. “Let me take you around The Cove and give you what we call the ‘nickel’ tour. That way you’ll have an understanding of what your son will undoubtedly mention to you when you come back to get him at about six, tonight.”

Mr. Ken had them get into the six-seat golf cart and took them down to the end of the driveway. He had them walk over to the Patio, so they could look over the marina. From there he explained about the Commander, the sailboats, PWCs and the water toys. He also told them that he has at least four lifeguards on duty anytime the boys are swimming in the cove.

From there he walked them into the house and the Great Room. They couldn’t believe the size of the room along with the Rumford fireplace, the spiral staircase and that there was an elevator that went up to the third floor.

Mr. Ken’s next stop was the indoor pool. That was something that they told him that they would have never believed was in the house, if they hadn’t seen it for themselves. Mr. Ken told the parents that the lifeguards do work inside when the weather is cold. From there, he showed them the party restrooms and explained they went out into the ground, which was the reason for their size. The next stop was the bar, Theater, half-bath, Chris’s office and wine cellar.

Mr. Ken took Warren and Lauren up to the main floor using the elevator, since it was already at the Great Room. The MRS Room was next and then the overlook into the Great Room. The Dining Room, Kitchen Nook, Butler’s Pantry and then back to his Study where the ‘nickel’ tour ended.

As they walked down the spiral staircase, Mr. Ken explained that the boys’ bedrooms were on the third level, as were the guest suites, and that he currently has two guests in the house. They asked about the wooden box under the stairs. Mr. Ken explained that Chief, their resident pet, was due to have a litter of puppies towards the end of the month, and that was her whelping box where she would birth her pups.

After the house tour, Mr. Ken took the Harris’ up to the Pavilion, so they could see the Cove Skate Park, the Pavilion, storage garage and conversation pits. They could hear the band playing, as they drove up, and with the addition of the bass guitar they could tell the band sounded very good.

Mr. Ken explained about the boys cooking hamburgers and hot dogs every day and that there were teams that took turns and Bryce would be placed on one. He told the parents that their son would help with setting the serving table, filling the ketchup, mustard and ice dispensers, drink machines and other things to make the barbeque successful.

Warren asked Mr. Ken how much will it cost their son every day to eat there. Mr. Ken told the parents that it wouldn’t cost their son anything other than his helping when it was his turn, and pitching in on other things like cleaning the tables and seats when asked. The owner of The Cove told them that if they arrive early enough to pick up their son, later, they can talk to the other parents outside the Main Gate and hear their own stories about why they love that their own sons come over there.

By then Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis had arrived and Mr. Ken introduced them to the Harris’s and explained their roles there. Wayne told his boss that he rented a 21-foot movie screen for tonight’s movie, and that it would be held up there instead of down at the Patio. Mr. Ken said he wondered why there was so many folding chairs laying around.

That then reminded the owner of The Cove that tonight there was going to be a pizza party and a movie for the twins, Kevin and Kyle, twin teens who used to live there and were now visiting. He asked the parents if Bryce could stay until about 11 or 11:30, when the movie would be over.

Mr. Ken then showed the parents the four large games that the boys could play when they got tired of skating and swimming, or when it was raining. He then looked at the time and asked them if they wanted to stay for the barbeque, as the team would soon start setting it up and getting ready to cook in about thirty minutes.

Kate and the Parchsons came up to the Pavilion and Mr. Ken introduced them to the Harris’s. The adults took over one of the conversation pits and they talked until they heard the farmhouse bell ring telling them that the hamburgers and hot dogs were well burned. Mr. Ken told Warren and Lauren that was the joke they tell everyone.

The adults went first, and then the band. The Harris’s were taken by surprise at the spread the boys had put out. They saw there was bacon, cheese and onion for them to add to their burgers, as well as sliced tomatoes and patted dry lettuce.

“Mr. Ken,” began Lauren.

“Ken, please,” asked Ken Thomas.

“Ken … do the boys … do they eat like this every day?” finished Lauren.

“Yes, the boys do. They cut the onions, tomatoes, pat dry the lettuce and set up the serving line. They also fill the drink machines and the ice, ketchup and mustard dispensers. They handle the entire barbeque, from start to finish. They are also responsible for cleaning everything up afterwards. All I get to do is pay for it,” offered a smiling Ken.

The parent’s son, with Phillip accompanying him, then came over to the adults and said, “Mr. Ken,” began Bryce, “thank you for letting me come over here today, and play with Phillip’s band. I haven’t had this much fun in a very long time, you know, playing my guitar with another group of guys. And then there is this awesome barbeque we just had, and we’re going to go swimming next. This sure is a great place for Phillip to live.”

“Thank you, Bryce. I am glad you are having a good time. Now go, and have a good time and each and every time you come back,” replied the owner of The Cove.

“You mean I … I can come back?” said a surprised Bryce, who then looked back at Phillip.

“Yes, Bryce, I told you that at the Main Gate when we first met, that you can come back. And, as long as you don’t cause any trouble, and help when you’re asked, we’ll see you here at twelve, noon, when Phillip is here, and you can stay until six, when there isn’t school the next day, and five when there is. Ask Phillip if you have any questions, or any of his ‘brothers’ if he can’t answer it. Oh, and Phillip, make sure Bryce gets a locker before he leaves today,” responded Mr. Ken.

The boys quickly headed off to catch up with the other band members, who were all going to go swimming. Lauren Harris quickly yelled to her son that he could stay for the movie and Bryce yelled back a thank you to his mom, as he continued walking with his friend.

The Harris’s then thanked their host for the lunch and the tour and told him that they would be back at about eleven to pick up their son. They added that their son had a cell phone and that he could call them if things changed. Mr. Ken drove them over to the Main Gate in the golf cart, and then told them that he’d see them later tonight.

When Phillip and his friends went into the Men’s Locker Room to change into their swimsuits, they quickly did what they had gotten used to doing when they changed. They sat and took their shoes and socks off, then stood, turned to face the wall and then dropped their shorts and underwear and then put on their swimsuits.

Bryce watched the six boys change and was surprised that they did it all together, and without any complaints or embarrassment. So, he asked them how they did that.

Preston told Bryce that they were all a bit embarrassed, at first, to change in front of one another, but they were showed how to change without it being so uncomfortable to them. Bryson added that they used to come to The Cove when a boy named Mark used to live there, like Phillip does now, and that they showed the rest of them how to change and not be too embarrassed that we saw their ‘boy parts’.

Bryce laughed at hearing the ‘boy parts’ comment and then he had to be told how that reference came about. Phillip then told Bryce that he was wasting good swimming time and that he needed to change. Ty spoke up and told Bryce to take his shoes and socks off, turn and face the wall and then drop his shorts and underwear at the same time, as they did, and then put his swim suit on.

Bryce reluctantly did as he was asked and when he finally had his swimsuit on, he smiled at his friends. Phillip told him to follow them and then showed him how to use the lockers on the pool deck and very soon they were all out getting life vests on and swimming out to the water rafts.

The seven friends had fun on the water rafts. They watched the older boys play ‘King of the Rafts’, but declined playing because if they got hurt then they couldn’t play in the band for a while.

The senior lifeguard heard there was a new band member, so he went over to Phillip and asked Bryce if he wanted to ride the three-person water tube. The boy was a bit hesitant, but his friends told him it was a lot of fun, and that he should try it. Jordan did to Bryce as he did to everyone else. He gave him a nice ride on the water tube then ceremoniously dumped him into the lake waters. Bryce, and his two friends, came up laughing.

The twins and their twelve friends were having fun out on the water toys and when Jordan was finished riding Bryce, they began riding the water tube and enjoying it as well. Kevin and Kyle were loving being back at The Cove and seeing their old friends. They and their friends were all looking forward to that evening’s pizza and movie party.

After swimming and riding the water tube, Phillip and his friends went into the Men’s Locker Room to change into their dry clothes. The question the six had was whether or not Bryce would hesitate to change, as he did earlier. So, when the six boys placed their dry clothes on the benches in the locker room, the six all looked to Bryce to see what he would do.

“Oh, so you want to see if I am going to change in front of all of you, huh?” asked Bryce.

“Well, you did earlier. We’re just wondering if you’re still a bit shy,” laughed Jeff, who didn’t turn to the wall, and just dropped his swimsuit, showing all his friends what he had hanging between his legs, before putting his shirt on. He then slipped on his underwear and then put on his shorts before sitting down to put on his socks and shoes.

“Come on, guys, just change. We’ve all got the same things, you know, our ‘boy parts’, hanging between our legs. Just don’t hurry and fall over like someone did, namely me, and show everything you got including, your ahh, your butt hole,” now chuckled Jeff, as he tied his shoe laces and then put on his shirt.

“OK, I hear what you’re saying,” now spoke Bryce. “Yes, I’ll admit … it is a bit embarrassing to, you know, to change in front of you, since I really don’t know you all that well. But …well, I guess if I’m going to be coming over here a lot, and swimming with you guys we’re … we’re probably going to be seeing each other’s stuff, or junk, or ‘boy parts’, as you call them. So, here,” finished Bryce, and he pulled down his swimsuit in front of all of the boys, without turning to the wall.

“I’m twelve, and I’m starting to get few hairs already. Are any of you getting them yet?” asked the newest band member, as he showed his few pubic hairs above his penis, before grabbing his underwear and putting them on.

Phillip stood there dumbstruck that Bryce would just drop his swimsuit in front of them and not only show all of them his boyhood, but mention that he was getting pubic hairs above his penis, and showing them to all of them. The Cover then remembered that he’d showered with Matthew, Chase and Mark, and that his showing them his ‘boy parts’ wasn’t any different than what Bryce just did, except he didn’t have any pubic hairs yet.

“Well, I just turned eleven, so I don’t think I will be getting any hairs above my ‘boy parts’, or ding-a-ling, for a long time yet,” offered a laughing Phillip, as he dropped his swimsuit in front of all of his band mates. He then showed them that he didn’t have any pubic hairs yet before slipping on his underwear.

Bryson, Preston, Weston and Ty were all standing there wondering what just happened. Three of their friends just changed in front of them, openly showing them their boyhood, and without facing the locker room wall. They were all just standing there thinking what they should now do themselves.

Weston was eleven and he decided that he would do what the other three had just done. So, without any fanfare, he just pulled his swimsuit down. He then looked down at his boyhood and told his friends that all he had was some white wispy looking hairs, like you get on your arms, at the top of his ‘family jewels’ and then he laughed. The boy then put his underwear on.

Bryson, Preston and Ty, seeing that it was the thing to do, all dropped their swimsuits in front of all of their friends. They each looked down at their boyhoods and told their band mates that they didn’t see any pubic hair showing yet, either, and then they all put on their underwear.

Those last ten minutes in the Men’s Locker Room was a turning point for all seven boys that afternoon. They all felt something special happen between them there, in that room, and they all smiled at one another after they had changed out in the open in front of one another.

Nothing was said amongst them, about what they had just done, but there it was, a feeling, an inner excitement of sorts. It was a sense of togetherness, of companionship in their young budding friendship, that could very well accompany them through the rest of their lives if they stay together, not only as a band, but just as school pals and buddies.

The seven friends headed up to the Pavilion where they first got a cold drink from one of the two drink machines and then they went over and turned on their instruments and began playing.

While the majority of the boys were swimming, the rental company came and set up the 21-foot movie screen where Mr. Wayne asked them to. It was on the house side corner of the Pavilion, so that the boys could use the folding chairs they brought or bring the conversation pit sofas and other patio chairs that Mr. Ken had bought to place around the area for when there was a picnic. They would use the level concrete area between the Cove Skate Park and the Pavilion as their viewing area.

When it came time to order the pizza, Mr. Wayne talked it over with Billy and Robert to figure out how many they should order and what types. The Estate Master told the teens that the last time they had a large group of over 60 they had ordered 32 pizzas.

He reasoned that the group was a bit larger, at almost 70 when they included the Parchsons, Ms. Kate and her boys and the lifeguards, and that the boys were probably hungrier as they’d all been swimming.

The three did some mental computations and they agreed to order 40 pizzas for the projected 70 plus people they figured would be there. They then said if that wasn’t enough, they told one another that could always cook some hamburgers and hot dogs, and then they all laughed.

So, at 5:30 Mr. Wayne took out his black credit card and ordered 7-Cheese, 7-Pepperoni, 7-Combination, 5-Ham and Pineapple, 6-Sausage and Pepperoni, 3-Pepperoni and Pineapple, 2-Mushroom and Sausage and 3-Pepperoni and Green Pepper large pizzas from the place he always ordered the pizzas from. Mr. Dennis was surprised that the Estate Master didn’t blink as he did that, knowing that the cost for forty pizzas would be well over $640.00, and possibly closer to $700.00 after delivery and tip.

The pizza store told him that it would be quite some time before they could deliver 40 pizzas and that some might not arrive very hot. The Estate Master told them that they had delivered a large number of pizzas to The Cove a number of times before and they had a way to reheat them, so for them not to worry.

Kate had made Rusty and Jessy take a nap that afternoon after they had been swimming with their ‘big brothers’. Even she laid down knowing that tomorrow she would be headed home and would be in for a very long day.

Sylvia Parchsons also had Jaxson and Alani to lay down after they came in to change after they had been swimming. She explained that there would be pizza and a late-night movie, and she didn’t want them falling asleep up at the Pavilion. Reluctantly, the two children did lie down and before they knew it, they did fall asleep.

It was just before the pizzas arrived that Frank Longger and his two sons, Richard and Ryan stopped by The Cove. Mr. Ken had called Frank earlier and told him that they were having a pizza party and a movie for the visiting twins, and he invited them to come over, so his two boys could visit with them.

Charles had no idea that his friend might be there and when he saw him, he was so happy he could be there. The rest of Richard’s friends were equally as happy as Charles was and they all greeted him with hugs.

The 40 pizzas arrived close to seven o’clock that Saturday evening. Billy and Robert had placed the hot plates on the grill and had them warm and ready to reheat the pizzas. The microwave oven was also available for those who didn’t want to wait. The cook team had already restocked the two drink machines, so the majority of the sodas and flavored waters were cold for the party attendees.

But before Mr. Ken would let anyone eat, he wanted to say a few words.

“Everyone … tonight we celebrate Kevin and Kyle’s visit back to The Cove. We all missed them while they were gone. And, as for me … it has been nice that they were able to come back and let us see how much they have grown, to tell us how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to.

“Their aunt and uncle … they have told me that they intend to allow the boys to stay in touch with their ‘brothers’, and to even allow them to accompany us on our future travels, which I hope also means that they will be back with us, and will hopefully stay longer than a week to ten days, the next time they are here.

“I know the pizza is getting cold, so in closing … I want you all to make sure that you share your stories with your Cover friends, and make sure to get their email addresses, so you can stay in contact with them. Kevin, Kyle, know that we all love you, and we’re all glad that you could come back here and visit with us. Now, let’s eat,” finished Ken Thomas.

Kevin and Kyle went up to their former foster dad and hugged him and they cried. They told him how much they missed him and their ‘brothers’, and they asked him if it was true that Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Reynolds said that they could travel with them and come back there.

‘Dad’ Ken told them that it was true that they would now be able to stay in closer contact with one another, and when they plan their Spring Break trip, he would be planning it with their aunt and uncle, so they could go with them. The twins smiled and thanked him for doing that for them. They then went over and got themselves some pizza.

Kate and her boys had already gotten some pizza and a drink and were sitting at a table when Ken had gotten his pizza and a drink and sat with them. The boys thanked Mr. Ken for having pizza and then they asked what was the name of the movie. Mr. Ken said he didn’t know. He told them that they would have to ask Mr. Wayne.

The band members ate their share of pizza and drank a few cold sodas and then they went over to their instruments and began playing. There indeed was a party atmosphere going on up at the Pavilion at The Cove that Saturday night celebrating the visit of the twins, Kevin and Kyle.

As the pizza leftovers were being collected and placed in the Pavilion refrigerator and the trash was being collected and disposed of, Mr. Wayne got on the PA system and announced that he had selected six movies for them to choose from.

The Estate Master revealed that he had chosen Alice Through the Looking Glass, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Independence Day: Resurgence, London Has Fallen, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Sully for them to pick from.

The man said he knew that many of them may have seen them independently in the theaters, but that these were the latest DVDs that Mr. Ken had in his library, so they had to choose from them.

The boys decided to let the twins choose which movie they watched that night since the party was about them. Kevin and Kyle looked over the six DVDs and they discarded the ones they thought that the group wouldn’t like. Sully and London Has Fallen were the first ones removed from the selection.

They’d already seen Independence Day: Resurgence and Rogue One: A Star Wars story, so those two movies were also set aside. That left Alice Through the Looking Glass and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The two teens asked for the groups vote by acclimation for Alice, first and then Miss Peregrine, second. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children won the vote hands down, so Mr. Wayne went and set that movie up to show that evening when the light was a bit lower.

Ken asked Kate if she wanted to watch the movie or could he interest her in taking a walk along the linear park with him. Kate was all for the walk, but she asked him who would watch the boys. Ken told her that their ‘big brothers’ would be happy to watch over Rusty and Jessy.

So, after ensuring Kate that the boys would be watched after, Ken and Kate began their walk from the Pavilion out the Main Gate and down along the new linear park that Ken had talked the county into partnering with him into building out to Four Corners.

The two walked slowly hand-in-hand and as they walked, they talked about the things that had brought them together, and how they enjoyed one another’s company. They also discussed Kate’s boys and how much they loved having all of their ‘big brothers’ spend time with them, and to show them how to do things like ride their skateboards.

The two came to a gazebo and sat down. As they sat, Ken told Kate how much he loved being around her and how much he looked forward to being with her. The man was infatuated with the woman and he told her that he would love to marry her.

Kate was, at first, taken aback, by what Ken had said. But then she was flattered that the man she had hoped would ask her to marry her had finally mentioned that he would want to. But she knew that she had some ‘baggage’ holding her down right then, and she needed to explain to him why she couldn’t commit to him just yet.

“Ken … I … I am thrilled that you would want to marry me. And if you were to ask me at a different time I would say, ‘Yes’! But … but, Ken … you and I both know that I have some things that need to be cleared up before I could ever commit to something that big.

“This thing with Lane. Is he, or isn’t he Rusty’s dad? And if he isn’t, where … where do we go from there? And … and what about Rusty’s new father? How do I … oh, Ken, there is so much that has yet to be answered …” And with that Kate began to cry.

Ken pulled Kate to him and let the woman cry out the hurt and uncertainty that was circulating inside of her. He tried to assure her that he would be there for her. He reassured her that she was the woman for him, and that he would wait for her to settle any problems before her and when she was ready, he would ask her to marry him.

Kate then looked up into Ken’s eyes and saw that the man she had loved from the very beginning was telling her the truth and she hugged him tight. Then she said, “Oh, Ken … I’ve loved you from the very first day we met. And I had always hoped that … well, that you would ask me to marry you. But … I have to clear this thing with Lane up first, and any fall out that might come from it. I know you understand.”

As Kate composed herself, and dried her eyes, Ken and Kate talked about that very thing. And through all the scenarios, Ken Thomas always told the woman he loved that he would be there for her and her boys no matter what.

It was around 8:45 when Mr. Wayne finally started the movie: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. He showed Mr. Dennis how to do all that just in case he had to do that if he was gone. The man then had all the lights for the Cove Skate Park and the Pavilion turned off, and the only lights that lit up the area came from the two drink machines.

The Covers, along with their guests, Collin, the Parchsons, and Frank Longger were seated on the comfortable patio chairs and sofas that Mr. Ken had bought the previous year. Rusty and Jessy were sitting with Billy and Robert on one of the sofas and were enthralled with the movie on the big screen and that they were outside watching it.

Phillip and his bandmates were all seated together and their newest member, Bryce, couldn’t believe that he was there at The Cove, and that he was there watching a movie outdoors after eating all the pizza and drinking any soft drink he wanted. He told himself that he better pinch himself to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming.

After their long talk about themselves and what Kate would do after she returns tomorrow, Ken assured her that he would be there on the nineteenth to support her no matter what. The two then walked back through the Main Gate and over to the Pavilion. They found seats on the sofa by having Rusty and Jessy sit on their laps for the remainder of the movie.

When the movie was over the boys erupted in a loud applause that Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis had put on this movie for them. The two-hour movie was a big hit with everyone and it wasn’t too scary for the young ones.

Mr. Ken thanked Frank for bringing his sons over and he reminded the man that they were safe within the confines of The Cove. Frank thanked Ken for saying that, but it was hard for him after almost losing his oldest son to the depraved, misguided thoughts of a girl who felt that she was the center of the world.

Ken Thomas told Frank Longer that the girl and her boyfriend, as well as the other teenagers, would all reap their just rewards when they come to trial. Frank smiled at that reassurance and then gathered his sons and said he’d think about letting them come back to The Cove. The three Longgers then left the estate.

The boys began calling their parents to tell them that the movie was over and that they could come and get them if they weren’t already outside waiting. Kate took her boys down to the house, as it was going on eleven o’clock and they needed to get up early for the long drive to the Austin-Bergstrom Airport for their flight back home tomorrow.

The Parchsons also took their two kids down to the guest house, as it was late and they were planning on doing some of the touristy things tomorrow, while Ken rode with Kate and her boys to the airport.

Ken walked over to the Main Gate to greet some of the parents who he hadn’t seen since the twins had left The Cove. He also wanted to talk to the Harris’s and to see if they had the opportunity to talk to any of the other parents about how they love that their boy gets to come over to The Cove.

After talking to many of the parents, Ken Thomas finally walked away from the Main Gate around 11:30. Wayne and Dennis were leaving the estate then and they each stopped to talk to the man. Mr. Ken reminded them that he was riding with Kate and her boys to the airport and wouldn’t be back until late in the afternoon. He asked that one of them be there sometime after one o’clock, as the Parchsons would probably leave about that time to do some tourist sightseeing.

Mr. Ken did stop up at the boy’s bedrooms before turning in that Saturday night. The twins jumped up and thanked him for having that special party for them, and letting them invite all their old friends over. They also thanked him for convincing their aunt and uncle to let them be more in touch with their ‘brothers’, and to let them go with them when they traveled. ‘Dad’ Ken knew better, but didn’t want to break their ‘bubble’, and tell them anything different.

In the Cover boys’ rooms, they all said that today was like no other day that they could ever remember. Phillip told his ‘dad’ that with the addition of Bryce to their band he thought that they sounded one-hundred percent better. The youngest Cover thanked the man, with a big hug, for letting Bryce come over and join the band.

On his way down to his own retreat, Collin stopped him.

“Bro, I don’t ever remember this place ever being so … so busy. I can see why you can’t get away at times, and … and I want to apologize for trying … for trying to take you away from … from my ‘brothers’,” offered the young man who was the man’s first foster son.

“Oh, Collin … I want to be there for you as well, but … but you see that with five I am spread a bit thin. And even with Wayne filling in for me, I still … well, I still can’t be everywhere. But I promise you this … that I will be there for you when the going gets rough,” promised the young man’s Big Bro.

The two hugged and even Chief was there wanting to get into the act. But with her being heavy with her litter she couldn’t quite get up and join in the hug, so, the two men got down and hugged her and the resident pet, in turn, gave them some of her dogie kisses.

Ken Thomas was tired when he went to bed that Saturday night, almost Sunday morning. He looked back at that full week and knew he was doing the right thing by his ‘boys’ and the twins. The man knew that when he finally laid down, he would fall right to sleep.

The Cove was quiet the whole night through and everyone slept a peaceful sleep.

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

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