Published: 19 Sep 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

All Big Bro Ken said was that it happened over time and he was able to compensate along the way. He then kiddingly said for Collin to try it some time. But in his defense, he also told Collin that if it weren’t for Wayne, he wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of what he has been able to do. The two shared a hug and then they both went to their respective areas.

Ken Thomas sat on his bed and thought about what Collin had said to him. He realized that he was spread thin at times with his businesses, and with all the needs of his ‘boys’. But he looked back at all the fun times and ‘life’ the boys had put into The Cove and he knew that without the boys he wouldn’t be as happy as he was.

The Cove was quiet the whole night through. Chief and her puppies were content down in the Great Room and the Covers slept well dreaming of what they hoped would be a wonderful trip to visit all of their ‘dad’s’ amusement parks.

It was a typical weekend for The Covers. ‘Dad’ Ken got up as usual, retrieved his newspaper, heated enough breakfast tacos for the boys and then went about reading his paper.

Phillip came down in time to have a breakfast taco before Mr. Bindy arrived for his guitar lesson. Billy also came down to have breakfast, so he could go out and help Lonnie continue power washing the estate.

Phillip met his teacher at the Foyer Door and told him that they had to do the lesson in the MRS Room, as Chief had her puppies last week and she was down in the Great Room and his ‘dad’ asked them not to disturb her and the new born pups.

As the guitar lesson was going on, the rest of the boys, in order to have breakfast, decided to use the back stairs, so as to not interrupt Mr. Bindy and Phillip.

After his guitar lesson, Phillip talked Charles into taking him out in one of the sailboats again and showing him how to sail, and to also have some fun racing downwind as they once did. As they were out on the lake’s waters, Phillip asked Charles why he didn’t sail more often. The teenager told his younger ‘brother’ that other things kept coming up and he just didn’t make the time. Phillip thanked him for making the time to do this with him now.

Later, when the Covers’ friends stopped by, Charles had taken his quadcopter out and began flying it. When his friends asked him why he was doing that, he told them that he hadn’t done it since they visited his dad’s parks, and that he wanted to cheek the batteries and make sure he hadn’t lost his hand-eye coordination. Then he smiled.

Robert saw his brother flying his quadcopter, so he went and got his and started flying it, too. It had been a birthday present that his dad got both him and Charles and he hadn’t been using it as much as he thought he would.

The teen flew his foldable drone, with an HD camera, around the estate looking for something interesting to focus on. When he found Billy and Lonnie power washing the estate wall, he figured he’d use them as his focal point. Robert then began flying his quadcopter up and around the two older teens, filming them as they worked.

Billy and Lonnie heard the copter and initially they looked up and smiled and waved, but after a while they began trying to spray the quadcopter to make it go away. Robert knew he needed to make a hasty retreat before they ruined his present. The Cover teen then flew the quadcopter over to the cove to catch their friends playing on the water toys.

In the meantime, Mr. Ken called Ms. Judy to see if she had any feedback on whether or not Mackenzie Flores had been accomplishing her court required training. Judy told him that she didn’t get any updates, but that in order for her to release Phillip back to Mackenzie she would need to know the status of her parental and budgetary training and if she had taken a job and was at it for a period of time.

Judy asked Ken why he wanted to know. Ken told Judy that Phillip asked him last night if he heard anything, so that was why he was asking so he could give the boy an idea when they would get back together.

Ken then asked Judy if she knew how long Phillip’s mother had to stay at the job before her son could be reunited with her. Judy said the judge hadn’t said, but she figured at least four but maybe six weeks. Ken then told her that he probably should plan for the boy to stay with him until, at least, after Labor Day. Judy agreed that it wouldn’t hurt.

After the boy’s friends left for the day, the Covers went out for dinner. After they ate, the boys drove the Go-Karts and then convinced their ‘dad’ to let them play a few of the games at the Four Corners Amusement Park. That night Charles came home with a plush animal for his room.

Upon returning home, the Covers checked on Chief and her litter of pups. Billy decided to change the bedding, while Phillip got Chief fresh water with some ice. They sat down in the Great Room to talk and boys wanted to know whether the trip was on, or not.

‘Dad’ Ken reminded them that he needed someone to stay there and take care of Chief and her puppies and that he hadn’t found anyone to do that. He then mentioned that he needed to take them out to get new school clothes and ‘Dad’ Ken asked them if next week was too soon. They told him they were ready when he was.

At bedtime, ‘dad’ Ken learned that both Robert and Charles had been flying their quadcopters in preparation for their going on their trip to visit his parks. The man smiled at their belief that he would find a way for them to visit the parks.

When the foster dad talked to his foster son, Bill, he learned the teen was upbeat about being able buy his own car one day. He asked Mr. Ken when he thought he would be able to do that. Mr. Ken told the teenager that he had just gotten his driver’s license and he felt that the teen needed to sit back and not be in a hurry to get a vehicle that he wouldn’t use all that much.

When Billy asked him what he meant, Mr. Ken asked the teen to think back at how much he really needed to drive, and then to project what driving he would need to do. Billy thought for a few moments and then recognized what his foster dad was trying to say. The two shared a hug and the man went on to talk to Matthew.

Matthew loved it when he had that private time with his ‘dad’. And, as of late, he hadn’t had much time to spend with the man, so this was the most important time of his day. Matthew, just as the other boys were concerned, wanted to know if they would go on their trip. But all ‘dad’ Ken could tell the pre-teen was that he needed someone to stay and take care of chief and her little family, and until he found that someone they couldn’t go.

When ‘dad’ Ken visited Phillip’s room, he told the boy what he learned from Ms. Judy. The boy was disappointed that he still didn’t know when he might be reunited with his mom and told his foster dad that. So, knowing that was what the boy wanted to know, ‘dad’ Ken told Phillip that after talking with Ms. Judy it was agreed that he should plan to have him stay at The Cove at least until Labor Day, which was about six weeks away.

Phillip began to cry that it was taking so long for him and his mom to get back together. So, ‘Dad’ Ken told him, “Phillip … Ms. Judy hasn’t been told about any of your mom’s completion of her required training. But besides that, your mother … she also needs to get and hold a job for at least four to six weeks. Ms. Judy told me that she will look into that next week, but for now there isn’t anything either one of us can do. So, please … just plan to be with me, us, for a few more weeks. OK?”

Phillip jumped into Mr. Ken’s arms and cried some more. But as he calmed down, the boy told his ‘dad’ that he just wished he knew when he and his mom would finally get back together. ‘Dad’ Ken told the boy that things would eventually work out for him and his mom.

Collin met his Big Bro at the top of the stairs. He told him that he wanted a hug, just as his ‘brothers’ got. The man laughed and gave the young man a hug and then told him to ‘get to bed’, and then he laughed.

It was a normal day at The Cove and when the Covers all went to bed it was all quiet on the home front.

Being a Sunday, Charles had convinced his dad to finally take them out for breakfast. The teen told his dad that it had been quite some time since he’d done that, and he was due. So, the Covers met in the Kitchen Noon by nine o’clock that Sunday morning, and Billy got to do the honors by driving to the IHOP, ‘dad’ Ken’s favorite breakfast restaurant.

But first, Billy took his dash camera out of the Taurus and placed it in the van. It took him about three minutes to do that and the whole time his ‘brothers’ were telling him to hurry it up, as they were hungry. Ken Thomas just inwardly smiled at the banter.

It was while the Covers were driving to the restaurant and Billy was stopped at a red light in the right lane that the driver in left lane took off as soon as the light changed to green. Billy commented to Mr. Ken that the guy sure must have been in a hurry. It was then that a car coming from the left sped through the now red light for him and T-boned the car that had just left the now green light.

The crash was thunderously loud with a boom, bash and the breaking of glass, along with the screeching of tires that was like finger nails on a chalkboard. The meeting of metal on metal and the loud sounds definitely caught the attention of all of the Covers. Ken Thomas, after watching what just took place in front of his eyes, brought out his cell phone and dialed 911.

Mr. Ken told Bill to pull over, so they could check on the drivers, and any of their passengers. ‘Dad’ Ken told the boys to stay away from the street, as he and Bill checked on the drivers. By then other drivers had also stopped and were headed to the crash scene.

Billy was surprised that Mr. Ken had him go along to check on the drivers. The teenager saw that the man who was T-boned was bleeding from his face, as the speeding car had hit his vehicle just behind the driver’s door.

The passengers in the car that Bill was looking into were shaken up and trying to get out of the vehicle. The man who was driving the speeding car was all bloody, as well. But that driver was also complaining that the driver of the car that he hit, should have waited until he was through the intersection.

By then the Sheriff’s Deputies and fire department had arrived and had taken control of the scene. The firemen assessed the drivers and passengers and called for ambulances to transport both drivers who had more injuries other than bleeding around their head.

When Billy and Mr. Ken came back to the van, the teen’s ‘brothers’ asked him if they could watch the crash on his dash camera. Billy told them that the 2-inch screen wouldn’t give them a good enough view and they would have to wait until they got home.

Mr. Ken listened to the conversation and decided that Bill should offer the video footage to the police in case there was some question as to who was responsible for the mayhem. The foster dad told Bill that when they get home, and after they all watch the video, he was to call the Sheriff’s office and tell them that he was stopped at the light and had dash camera footage of the crash and wanted to know it they wanted him to forward it to them.

Billy was again surprised at what his foster dad was having him get involved in. He told himself that he would have to ask him about that later.

The Covers continued on to their breakfast, although a bit late. They had a good conversation during their breakfast and the topic was the crash that they all had seen. None of the boys had ever been involved in something like that, and that was the first car crash they had even seen firsthand, so it was what many people might call a teaching moment.

As they ate and talked about what they saw, as it happened, and watched the aftermath, Matthew mentioned that if Kevin and Kyle had been there, they could have given them their first-hand account of what it was like to experience being in a crash like that.

The mention of the twins caused everyone at the table to pause for a few moments. Phillip wondered what that was all about and he asked. ‘Dad’ Ken told the youngest Cover that the reason Kevin and Kyle had come to live at The Cove was because they, and their parents, were involved in an accident where the car caught on fire and that fire burned their mom and dad which sent them to the burn unit down in San Antonio.

Phillip didn’t know that, even after meeting the twins over the 4^th of July Holiday week that they spent there. That was a reminder to Phillip that the boys who are living there at The Cove don’t necessarily tell everything about the reason as to why they are living with Mr. Ken.

The Covers were late returning from breakfast and their friends were already waiting for them. They all knew about the accident the Covers witnessed, as they had been texted and so they knew why they were late returning home. But the Cover boys wanted to view the accident so they went down to the house and up to Billy’s room to watch the video.

Billy had to find a MicroSD adapter in order to play the video. He went down to the Study to see if Mr. Ken had one that he could use. The man did. He also reminded the teenager to call the police to see if they wanted the footage.

Billy hurried back up to his room and then inserted the adapter into the card reader, selected the video by the time stamp and the six Covers, Collin had joined his ‘brothers’, watched the accident. The boys couldn’t believe the quality of the video, and that it also caught the audio even though they were inside the van with the widows closed and the air conditioning on.

After watching the accident video a few times, the boys asked to view the next video. Billy didn’t know why they wanted to see it, but he clicked on it anyway. When he did, they all saw Billy and Mr. Ken going out to the accident scene and checking on the drivers. The boys then saw a strange look on Billy’s face.

The teen’s younger ‘brothers’ asked him why he was making that face. Billy, thinking about what he had seen, swallowed, then told his ‘brothers’ that it was because of when he saw all the blood on the driver’s face. The teen’s ‘brothers’ just cringed just thinking of what their older ‘brother’ had to have seen. They told him they had seen enough.

After his ‘brothers’ had left his room. Billy looked up the Sheriff’s office phone number and then dialed it. When they answered they asked if it was an emergency or a non-emergency call. Billy was flustered at first, but he quickly recovered and told them it was a non-emergency and they told him someone would be right with him.

When the Deputy answered his call, Billy told him who he was and why he was calling. The officer thanked him for the call and told him that they pretty much knew, through their investigation, that the driver who ran the red light caused the accident.

The Deputy, though, gave Billy a web site that he could upload the video to, anyway. The officer asked him to identify the file with today’s date and a time frame, so they could easily refer to it. The Sheriff’s Deputy then thanked Billy for being a stand-up citizen by offering to help them with solving that accident. That put a smile on the teen’s face as he hung up the call.

When Billy walked down the stairs, he decided to stop by the Study to talk to Mr. Ken, before he went to the Pavilion. He was still curious as to why his foster dad had him go out to the accident with him, so he decided now would be a good time to ask him.

Billy knocked on the doorframe to try to get the man’s attention.

“Yes, Bill, come in,” said Mr. Ken. “How can I help you?”

Billy sat down in one of the leather chairs, and then, looking at his foster dad he asked, “Mr. Ken … can I ask you why … why you had me go out there to the accident scene, instead of Collin?”

Mr. Ken smiled before he answered. “Well, Bill … as a new driver … you may come upon accident scenes, like we did today, and you need to be prepared to help in any way that you can. I wanted to give you a first-hand opportunity to get involved, while I was with you, so that you wouldn’t, maybe, feel out of place, because you are so young.

“And, Bill, what better way for you to know what to expect than to be invited to participate in helping with an accident. I felt that at your young age … that you might not go out there because … well, because of your age.

“I figured if I asked you to come out there with me, you’d go, otherwise you’d just sit there. But now … that you’ve been to an actual accident … you now have an idea of what you might see, and what you might be asked to do to help the people who might be injured, until the rescue personnel arrive.

“Bill … I hope after today you won’t be afraid to get involved if you ever come upon an accident. Right now, sure you’re only a teenager. But you, a sixteen-year-old, could be the difference between someone surviving, or not. So, Bill, please don’t be afraid to get involved. OK?” finished Mr. Ken, with his explanation, as to why he asked Billy to join him out at the accident scene.

Billy sat there thinking of what his foster dad had just told him. The teen then smiled and he thanked Mr. Ken for explaining it to him. He told his foster dad that he was surprised at first that he was asked to go out there. But now that he explained it to him, it made sense as to why he was out there. The teen told his foster dad that now he feels like he could go out to the scene and do whatever he needed to do, even with all the blood that he saw today.

The teen then told his foster dad that he did call the Sheriff’s office and offered them the video footage. The teen explained that the Deputy told him their investigation told them who was at fault, but that they gave him a website where he could up load the file anyway for them to also use. The teen then asked where Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis were today.

Mr. Ken told the teenager that it was a Sunday, and that he couldn’t have them work every day even though Mr. Wayne seemed to be at The Cove most of the time. The owner of The Cove told the teen that he had to give the men some time off, and Sunday was the day they usually were off, unless he was out of town.

Billy then headed up to the Pavilion to catch up with the rest of the boys. Once there, they all asked to see the accident, too. Billy took a golf cart down to the house to get the MicroSD adapter, so he could show them on the TV up at the Pavilion.

While Billy was up in his room getting the video, Collin stopped by the Study to talk to his Big Bro. The young man wanted to tell his former foster dad, and mentor, that he was going to go back to Wilkinson next week to check on the remodeling plans and see what was happening around his corporation.

Collin told Mr. Ken that he would probably be there the whole week, and he wanted to know when his Big Bro was going to go to visit his amusement parks, so he could schedule the Wilkinson corporate aircraft and make hotel arrangements for himself and the crew.

Mr. Ken told Collin that the plan was for him and the boys to leave that first Saturday of August and return the following Saturday. But the young man’s Big Bro reminded Collin that until he can find someone to take care of Chief and her litter of puppies, he might be the only one going on the trip. Collin told his Big Bro he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.

Billy took the MicroSD adaptor back up to the Pavilion and when he showed the accident, the boys were all surprised at seeing the severity of the crash and that there was also the thunderous sound of the crash. Billy’s ‘brothers’ then told him to play the next file. Billy didn’t want to, but Matthew told him not to be embarrassed that he went out to try to help.

The other boys, upon hearing that Billy went out to the accident scene, all bugged the Cover teen to play the next video file. Billy relented and showed the file where he went out to the man who’d been T-boned. They all got to see the face that Billy made and when they heard it was because of when he saw all the blood on the man, they now understood why he was reluctant to show them that video.

But even though they all knew the teen saw lots of blood, they wanted him to tell them what else he saw. So, thinking back to what Mr. Ken was trying to get him to understand, Billy told the gathered group of boys how the glass from the side car windows had cut the man’s face, but that the force of the crash also injured his shoulder and possibly gave him a broken arm.

The Cover teen then told them what he’d seen of the man who caused the crash, and how he was also bloody, but that he was complaining that the other driver should have gotten out of his way, as he came through the intersection. Billy told the group that both men were transported to the hospital, while the passengers in the T-boned vehicle only received bumps and bruises.

The boys then decided to do what they usually do when they were at The Cove. Some skated, some swam, some drove the PWCs, while the ones responsible for the barbeque got busy preparing the day’s cookout.

Robert and Charles got out their quadcopters, again, and began flying them around to catch their friends playing on the estate. Phillip and his band went back to practicing their new songs and they just about had them down pat.

The summer heat had set in and after the boys had eaten, all of them went swimming out in the cove. Phillip and his bandmates enjoyed the water toys and just lying on the connecting mat between the two large water toys, getting their summer tans.

The one question on the boys’ minds was whether, or not, Mr. Ken would ever buy another water toy like the Rock-It for his ‘sons’ to play on. Phillip told his friends that Matthew was the one who got his ‘dad’ to buy the Rock-It last year after they rode one like it, while they were on a vacation cruise.

Hearing that their friend’s ‘brothers’ went on a cruise, Phillip’s friends asked him if he would ever get to go on a cruise. Phillip told them that he and his mom are supposed to get back together after Labor Day, so he won’t be around when they go on their Spring Break next year.

Preston asked Phillip that if Mark was still considered a Cover, and he went with them to visit the amusement park right after school was out, wouldn’t he still be a Cover and go with them next Spring, when they go on their trip, too.

Phillip thought about that for a few moments, then he said that it wasn’t up to him. The young Cover told his friends that it would be up to Mr. Ken, as he was the one who said that Mark was still a Cover and could go along with them to his parks. Then a few seconds later, Phillip said that he sure hopes that his ‘dad’ doesn’t forget him next Spring Break. His friends all laughed.

The afternoon breeze came up and the boys got cold, so they all went in, changed and then went back up and started playing. They continued to play the new songs that Mr. Ken had bought the sheet music for, and they all promised one another that by the end of the week they would have them down pat.

By six o’clock, the Covers’ friends began to leave, and then the Cover boys went down to the house to see where they were going out for dinner. When they asked ‘Dad’ Ken, he asked them if they were OK to go out and get some of their school clothes tonight. The boys were all for that and that way they could also go to a fast-food restaurant near The Mall.

Before the Covers left the house, they checked on Chief and her litter of puppies. They noticed that the puppies were putting on weight and Phillip noticed Chief’s water bowl was almost empty so he went and refreshed it and added some ice to it. The Covers told the resident pet to be good, and that they would be back soon.

‘Dad’ Ken had Bill drive to the fast-food restaurant the boys chose, and they all got what they wanted, whichwas big burgers, fries and drinks. The boys were a bit boisterous while they ate, talking about the accident and how they would have reacted if they saw all that blood. Other diners nearby wondered what the boys were talking about, and hoped that they wouldn’t come upon such a scene.

Once the Covers arrived at The Mall the boys knew exactly where they could go to find the clothes they wanted for school. Billy, Robert and Charles went to the Young Men’s section, while Matthew and Phillip went to the Boy’s section to start their search.

‘Dad’ Ken and Collin went with the two youngest Covers to see what they were looking at. He told them to get everything they felt they needed. When he saw Phillip only picking up a few things, the man told the boy to get a full load of school clothes.

Phillip told his ‘dad’ that if he wasn’t going to be living with him much longer, he shouldn’t have to buy him all those clothes. ‘Dad’ Ken smiled at his ‘son’ and told the boy that as long as he is living with him, he will buy everything he will need for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Ken also told Phillip that since his mom hasn’t been home, she hasn’t had time to buy him anything, and that he’s sure that he’s outgrown any clothes that are still in his closet in their apartment. ‘Dad’ Ken added that one of the court’s requirements is for his mom to get and hold a job, and with that job she isn’t going to have much time to do that, make meals and take him out for school clothes.

Phillip thought about what his ‘dad’ said and realized he was right. So, Phillip went back to looking at all the clothes and he made sure he picked up four polo shirts and four pairs of shorts and he made sure they were mix and match.

Both Matthew and Phillip then picked up more boxer briefs and socks and then they went over to where the sneakers were and began looking through the new styles, while ‘dad’ Ken went looking to see what his older three ‘boys’ were adding to their school clothing collection. Collin stayed with the two younger Covers’

Billy, Robert and Charles were all making sure the polo shirts and shorts they chose were mix and match, as well. They knew that it was important that they looked good when they went to school. They told ‘dad’ Ken that they were glad that they came when they did. The teenagers told him they had the best choices of colors and styles and picking was easier now than if they had waited. They all thanked him for coming tonight.

‘Dad’ Ken told them to carry what they wanted and to head to the shoes for them to choose a new pair of sneakers. But Charles asked if they could go to the Outlet Mall and get their shoes there. The other two teens agreed. ‘Dad’ Ken said that he’d go and get their ‘brothers’, so he could pay the bill.

Since they went out to eat, and then shopped for school clothes, ‘dad’ Ken decided it was too late for the Covers to drive out to the Outlet Mall and have enough time to stop by all the different shoe stores for them to choose the shoes they would want to go with their new school clothes.

The boys all agreed, but they said they still had enough time to stop by the Four Corners Amusement Park and either ride a few of the rides or play a few of the games. ‘Dad’ Ken countered and offered that they stop by their old ice cream haunt for banana splits.

But since Billy was driving, the van miraculously wound up at Four Corners. ‘Dad’ Ken laughed that they had him at his amusement park and now he would have to bring out his credit card, since Wayne wasn’t there.

The question ‘dad’ Ken had for the boys was which did they want to do. Did they want to ride or play? He told them that they can’t do both. Robert asked him if he was going to have his Fast, Faster and Fastest Passes available there. The teen’s dad told him that with such a small park he didn’t think that the FFF Passes would work there.

Charles told his dad that if he had them it would save him a lot of money. But the teen’s dad told his son that if the public saw them using the Fastest Passes every time they were there, it would be the same as him letting them go to the head of the line at the Go-Kart Track. The ‘dad’ then reminded the boys that he pays for when they ride the go karts. The boys said they understood.

Matthew and Phillip wanted to at least ride the Speedway and the Tilt-A-Whirl. Even Collin wanted to ride those because he hadn’t ridden the Speedway yet and he said he heard it was faster thanthe Whip. So, the young man told his two younger ‘brothers’ to go with him, as he ‘was buying’. The three then walked over to the ticket booth.

Billy, Robert and Charles all wanted to try their luck at the game’s booths. So, ‘dad’ Ken gave them each a twenty-dollar bill and laughingly told them not to spend it all in one place. The three teenagers rushed off to the Balloon Blast where they could play 3 games for $5.00.

After they had their tickets in hand, the three Covers looked at the lines and they decided to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl first. Then, when it was their turn, the three of them, in the same ride car, made it spin fast and they could be heard laughing hard as the ride spun around.

Mr. Ken had walked over to the Tilt-A-Whirl and he watched and heard the boys having fun on the ride. He was also glad that Collin took the boys with him as it gave the young man something to do and with him going back to Wilkinson tomorrow this gave him some time to spend with the boys.

The three Covers came off the ride still laughing and talking about the fun they just had. They saw ‘dad’ Ken and they asked him if he saw them on the ride. He told them he had as the four walked over to The Speedway, so they could get into the queue.

The three teen Covers played their three Balloon Burst game but none of them won. Their next challenge was the Balloon Darts where they had to burst 3 balloons to win. Again, this game was $2.00 for one game of three darts, or $5.00 of three games. The teenagers decided to play three games, so they gave the booth operator their five-dollar bill.

Billy went first and he couldn’t understand why he didn’t burst all three balloons. The dart hit a balloon, but it just glanced alongside it and it didn’t burst. Robert went next and he checked his darts and he asked for three different ones, as he told the both operator that they were all dull. Robert won a small plush prize.

Charles went last and he used the three darts he was given and he, too, won a small plush. Billy took his second turn and he made sure he had three sharp darts and he won a small plush. Robert won his second plush on his second turn and was able to trade up to a medium plush as did Charles who also traded up to a medium plush on his second turn.

Billy took his third turn and even though he had three sharp pointed darts he didn’t burst three balloons. On Robert’s third turn he, too, didn’t burst three balloons, but Charles burst all three and he traded up to a large plush animal. Now he had to carry it around with him the rest of the night.

The question the three teen Covers had to decide was how to spend their last $10.00 they each had. They knew they could still get two amusement rides for $5.00, or they had to figure out if they wanted to go over and try the other three games.

The one game was Ring the Bell Tower at $2.00 each, or they could try the Ring Toss on the Glass Bottles that cost was $5.00 for a small bucket of plastic rings, or $10.00 for a large bucket. And, lastly, they could go over and try the Ball In The Cup where they would get 5 balls for $2.00 or 25 balls for $10.00, which was all the money they had left.

While the three teenagers tried to decide what they would do, the other three Covers were moving up in line to ride the Speedway. While the two youngest Covers were in line, they talked to some of their classmates who were also at the amusement park enjoying the evening.

Most of their classmates knew who their older ‘brothers’ were, but they didn’t know who Collin was. So, Matthew and Phillip got to explain who the young man was who was with them. But as the line continued to move along, the conversation changed to who was the owner of the new amusement park. Of course, Matthew and Phillip were proud to tell them that their ‘dad’ owned the park.

Of course, the classmates knew that Matthew and Phillip were foster boys, so they challenged them saying that they had no dad, as they were living with Mr. Thomas at Three Finger Cove. So, they wanted to know who was their so-called ‘dad’.

Phillip told them, probably louder than he should have, as practically all the people in line heard him proudly say, “Mr. Ken … he’s the man I call ‘dad’. After I lived with him at The Cove for a while, he told me I could call him that. And, he not only owns the Four Corners Amusement Park, he also owns the Go-Kart Track, as well as the Miniature Golf Course.”

Ken Thomas was outside the queue and he heard what Phillip had to say. He heard how proudly the young boy had said that. The man felt honored that the youngster would loudly claim him as his ‘dad’ and tell everyone within earshot that fact without a care in the world.

An older student, from outside the area, confronted Phillip over his boast and the two began to argue over the term and who is and isn’t and can be and can’t be called their ‘dad’. Mr. Ken heard the two arguing, so he jumped into the conversation.

“Young man,” called out Mr. Ken, “I am Mr. Thomas. And I own everything Phillip just told you that I do. I also have told him … that he can call me ‘dad’, if he so wishes, while he lives with me. I hope my clarification will satisfy you … and anyone else who doubts my foster son!”

Ken Thomas’ chastising the young man, who disputed Phillip’s claim, silenced the crowd both in the queue and around him. That wasn’t his intent. But the people, both around the man and who had never met him, now knew that he was someone who defended his ‘family’, and that he didn’t let anyone mess with them. It was eerily quiet in that area for a little while.

It took a few moments for the banter to pick up again; some of which came from the people around Ken Thomas coming over and thanking him for putting the amusement park there.

The older student, from outside the area, apologized to Phillip and Matthew for doubting their claim. Matthew told the older boy that they were lucky to have Mr. Ken as their ‘dad’ and he treats them as if they were his sons, even though they were only fosters.

Billy and Robert, both decided to get a large bucket of plastic rings, with their last $10.00, to try to get one over the top of a glass bottle, while Charles decided to get 25 balls, with his last $10.00, to see if he could get one on either a red, blue or gold cup that would determine the size of his prize.

The two older teens probably had fifty or more plastic rings in the large bucket they had, so they thought they had a better than good chance to get one over the neck of the glass bottle. They’d never done that type of game before, so it took them a while to try to figure out how they wanted to throw the ring in order to get it over the neck of the glass bottle.

Charles had 25 wiffle like balls to throw out into the field of 375 cups in order to try to get one in either a red, blue or gold cup. The gold cup represented a super large plush prize, but there was only one of those out in the field of 375. There were six red cups representing a small prize and three blue cups representing a medium prize, for Charles to also play for.

Collin, Matthew and Phillip finally made it to the front of the queue and they got their chance to ride the Speedway. They each took an Indy type car and when the operator turned the ride on, they all experienced the speed at which their car sped around the ends.

The three Covers had all experienced the Whip, which was similar to what they were on right then, at Crystal Lake Amusement Park,and although that ride was fun, the speed at which the Speedway went around the ends was almost twice the speed and it was much more fun.

Mr. Ken met the three at the exit when the ride was over. The three talked about how they loved the speed at the ends and they told ‘dad’ Ken that he needed to buy them for all of his other parks. All ‘dad’ Ken said was that he already bought new coasters for next year, but that he’ll think about it for the next few years.

‘Dad’ Ken, Collin, Matthew and Phillip met up with the three Cover teens at the games that they were playing. Robert and Billy were deliberately taking their time throwing the plastic rings at the glass bottles. They were about two-thirds the way through their buckets and they had yet to ring the neck of a bottle.

Charles had just a few wiffle balls left to throw and he’d only hit a blue cup for medium plush prize. He was trying to get one in the gold cup, but the plastic wiffle balls bounced wildly on the plastic cups and there was no telling where the ball would land.

In the end, none of the teenagers won a large plush prize and only Charles won a medium one using their last $10.00 of the money that their ‘dad’ had given them. The Covers then decided to head back to The Cove.

The Covers all headed to the Study when they entered the house. ‘Dad’ Ken held a short meeting and during that he suggested to Robert and Bill that they plan their visit to see their moms within the next two weeks. He told the boys that he was still looking for someone to stay with Chief and her pups. ‘Dad’ Ken added that if he doesn’t find anyone to stay with Chief then he would be going by himself. The boys all moaned at hearing that.

Collin then told his ‘brothers’ that he was going back down to Wilkinson and probably wouldn’t be back until the end of the week. He told them that the plans for the remodel should be finished and he also needed to get caught up on what’s happening in his corporation.

As it was late, ‘dad’ Ken sent the boys up to their rooms. He told the boys that he wasn’t going to spend much time with them when he said goodnight to them. When ‘dad’ Ken did stop by each boy’s room, he kept his promise by just giving them a good hug and telling them to sleep well.

But in Phillip’s room ‘dad’ Ken did tell the boy how proud he was of the way he handled himself in the line queue tonight. The man told the youngster that he was pleased to have him as his ‘son’. The two shared a big hug before they went their separate ways.

Collin was waiting for his Big Bro at the top of the stairs when he finished in Phillip’s room. Collin loved it when he got to see and talk to his Big Bro, like his ‘brothers’ got to do, before he went to bed at night. The young man told his Big Bro that he will miss him while he is gone.

Big Bro Ken told Collin to keep focused on why he was home next week and not to be concerned about what was going on here. Ken counseled Collin to place his attention on his home and businesses as they will all be important to him in a few years when he graduates from college as he will have to have a plan in place to move forward to take over CWE, Inc.

Collin thanked his Big Bro for giving him some direction for him to follow, as he moved forward. The two hugged and Mr. Ken headed to his own personal retreat.

The weekend was an easy one and Ken Thomas felt relaxed. He knew he would sleep well tonight and then tomorrow he would have his regular Monday meeting of all of his Group Managers. After that he would try to find someone to watch Chief while he and the boys took their, before school, trip.

The Cove was quiet that Sunday night and everyone slept well.

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

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