Published: 24 Oct 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

Billy and Robert, both told him how much they were looking forward to Tuesday and seeing their moms again. Mr. Ken reminded Bill to talk to Mr. Chris about sending more money to his mother and not to try to exceed the amount the State will allow.

Phillip was trying to play his acoustic guitar when the man walked to the youngest Cover’s room. ‘Dad’ Ken heard the strumming was a bit faster than before and that the chords were a bit different. When he asked, the boy told him they were his new lesson for when Mr. Bindy came back. After a short talk about the boy’s shoulder and his doing some exercises to help loosen it up, the two went in their separate directions.

The Cove was quiet inside that Sunday night, as the rain storm continue outside.

After Ken Thomas got ready for his day and was out eating his breakfast, he told Momma Maria that Phillip was slowly healing. The man added that he wanted the boy to continue taking his medication, until he is finished with them on Wednesday.

Mr. Ken reminded the woman that he and Wayne were taking Robert and Bill to visit their moms tomorrow, Tuesday, and that they would be back later in the day. He also told Momma that he and Chris would be attending the blessing and dedication of the vocational building at the Blessed Waters Academy High School on Thursday morning, and that Charles and Matthew might be going along.

Mr. Ken then told Momma that their trip was on and that they would leave that coming Saturday and that they should return the following Saturday, or Sunday, depending upon the weather. He mentioned that she could take that week off and enjoy her free time, as the boys would start school the following week and she’ll be coming in earlier starting then. Momma thanked him for telling her all that.

Ken Thomas didn’t stay long after eating his breakfast. It was Monday, and he scheduled the meeting of his Group Managers, and he also wanted to hear what Jackie had to say about her visit to all of his amusement parks.

The boys came down for breakfast around 8:30, which was their usual time. The pre-teen, Matthew, immediately went down to the Great Room and retrieved Chief’s bowls and cleaned them, filed them with fresh kibble and ice water and then took them down for the resident pet to have when she was ready for them.

As Momma served the boys their breakfast, she also gave Phillip his pill to take. The boy thanked her for both items, as he took the pill first, and then he began eating his scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, hash browns and cold milk.

Mr. Chris stopped by for a hot cup of Coffee and Billy asked him if he could stop down at his office to talk to him about sending his mother more money to her account. Mr. Chris told him to stop by, as soon as he finished eating.

As they ate, Charles and Matthew talked about going to the dedication on Thursday. Charles said that he was probably going to go. He told his ‘brothers’ that he doesn’t get to do all that much with his dad, and this would be something that he could with him. Matthew said he hasn’t done anything with his ‘dad’ in a while, and maybe he should go, too. The other boys didn’t say anything. They just kept on eating their breakfast.

Billy and Robert stopped to talk to Mr. Chris about send their mothers some money to their mothers’ inmate trust fund accounts. Mr. Chris said all he needed was the amount and where he was getting it from. That last question threw the teenager for a loop. The two teens knew they needed to talk to their ‘dad’ when he came home.

Ken Thomas began his Monday meeting at 8:30 and he went through all of the Group Manager’s reports as usual. But he left the Three Finger Entertainment and architect briefings for last, as those were the two, he was the most interested in. The reasons were that he had just bought Edgewood, established Four Corners, and at the latter there were five buildings that he wanted built before next spring, and the new operations building.

Ken Thomas had Ben Walthers give his briefing about the attendance numbers at all of the amusement parks and revenue income broken down to cover ticket sales, souvenir sales and food sales as compared to last year at this time. The four original parks showed marked improvement as compared to last year. The numbers for Edgewood and Four Corners were also impressive for the short time they’d been open.

Before he heard from the architect, Mr. Thomas told the other managers that they could go back to their areas, if they so choose, but they could also stay to hear to about the building being built out at Four Corners. He did ask them not to repeat anything they see and/or hear about the new proposed construction at Four Corners, until they are approved and submitted to the county.

The schoolhouse, the cottage with an outhouse, the farmhouse and the saloon with a horse hitch and watering trough plans were all complete, and since they weren’t going to be inhabited, they weren’t designed to meet building code and Mr. Ken approved them. All he told everybody was that he had to site them.

When it came to the railroad station, the only change that needed to be addressed was the size of the restrooms. Since Nelson said that they should have them at the exit area, so their guests had a place to use before they went to their vehicles, he wanted them a bit larger than originally designed. The new plans showed that they were increased essentially by one-third. That meant that the Women’s restroom added one stall and a sink, while the Men’s restroom just added a urinal and sink.

Mr. Ken wondered if that was going to be adequate. Ben said that not many people use those as they leave, so he felt that they should be sufficient. The President of TFE then added that when they build the new ops building, they could add another set of restrooms at that end of the park to accommodate any perceived need. Mr. Ken agreed and told Ben that they could repurpose the golf course restrooms in that way.

Hearing that the golf course restrooms could be repurposed was the first time the managers heard the possibility that the Miniature Golf Course was going to be torn down. That prospect was confirmed when the architect brought out the new operations building plans that showed where it would be located.

The architect did work up some plans showing a dug out lower level with just one level showing. That was done in order that it didn’t overwhelm the park with its presence. The man indicated they still needed to do core drilling to determine if a dug-out portion was feasible. Mr. Ken told him that he liked that view and told him to keep him in the loop.

The managers who remained in the meeting asked Mr. Thomas if he intended to repurpose the Miniature Golf Course in order to place the operations building there. Mr. Ken told them that he was going to do that and any remaining land would be used to expand Four Corners. He reminded them not to spread any rumors until they announce their completed and county approved plans.

At The Cove it was a repeat of the previous day, except that it didn’t rain. The band played and Phillip told them that the earliest he figured he could play would be Thursday. He explained that his shoulder was loosening up and he can move his arm and hand better, which was why he said what he had. The Cover’s bandmates were happy to hear that.

After lunch, Mr. Ken and Ben Walthers sat down with Jackie Kromiere. They wanted to hear everything about her family’s paid vacation to the five Three Finger Entertainment amusement parks. Jackie, first thanked her two bosses for the vacation, telling them that it was something her family will talk about for years.

Miss Jackie, as she is known there at the office, then told the two men about each park as she talked from her notes. She told them that no one at any of the parks knew who she was, so she was able to walk around, look around, take pictures and ask questions about the park without raising any concerns.

After her initial preface, Jackie told how she and her family saw each park. She then compared how each park did the same things, like their security screening, ticket purchases, FFF Booths, cleanliness at the food kiosks and restrooms, as well as how the employees treated them, while in line for rides, or food, and as they talked to them in general terms.

Jackie also mentioned how the parks looked as far landscaping, cleanliness of the rides, ride queues, buildings needing paint and the trash around the parks, including the trash cans with all the yellow jackets flying around them.

Miss Jackie’s report was surprising to both men. They both felt that with Mr. Ken’s exacting instructions during his repeated visits, and last year’s first fall meeting of all of the park operation managers that there would be more consistent follow through with his instructions.

After Miss Jackie left, Mr. Ken told Ben that he would look for those transgressions, as he visits the parks next week. But the owner of the parks stressed on Ben that he now needs to plan a visit himself, since there might be some inconsistencies in how their park operations managers are applying their directions.

Phillip was still a bit dismayed at not being able to play with the band. So, he went down to his room and picked up his acoustic guitar and slowly practiced the new chords Mr. Bindy gave him for his next lesson in two weeks. The young Cover practiced his lesson, although somewhat slowly due to his shoulder still being sore and tight, until his phone rang. It was Bryce calling to tell him that lunch was being served. Phillip told the bass guitarist that he’d be right up.

After dinner that evening, the Covers talked about the day and how they couldn’t wait until their trip beginning Saturday. ‘Dad’ Ken asked the teen’s, Robert and Bill, if they’d talked to Mr. Chris about sending money to their moms.

The two teens told their ‘dad’ that they needed to tell Mr. Chris where he could get the money from in order to send it. Their ‘dad’ smiled as Chris was essentially asking them whose money he was going to use, his bosses, or the boys, who he knew had money in the bank.

Hearing what they needed to do, ‘dad’ Ken told the teens that they would have to go to the bank and get the money for Mr. Chris, and give it to him, so he could send it to their moms. Billy asked Mr. Ken how could he go there now that the Taurus was gone. Mr. Ken said that they’d figure it out.

That’s when Collin spoke up and told them that he could drive them over to the bank, so they could get the amount of money that they wanted to send to their moms. ‘Dad’ Ken was ok with Collin doing that sometime after the teens saw their mothers tomorrow.

To continue the meeting, ‘Dad’ Ken told Phillip that he’d see Doctor Doug on Wednesday and the man reminded the boys that he’d be taking Robert to see his mother and Mr. Wayne would be taking Bill to see his mom tomorrow, and that they’d be leaving around nine o’clock.

When ‘dad’ Ken told them that he had to leave at nine o’clock on Thursday for the dedication of the vocational building, Charles spoke up and told his dad that he wanted to go with him. Then Matthew spoke up and said he was going as well. That put a smile on Mr. Ken’s face.

To finish his meeting, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys that they would be leaving for the airport on Saturday morning at seven o’clock and that Ms. Miriam was going and so was Mark and that they would be spending the night on Friday because where they live was not along the way.

The Covers did check on Chief and her pups and Matthew took care of getting fresh ice water for the resident pet. All of the Covers scratched behind Chief’s ears before heading up to their bedrooms.

Again, Mr. Wayne departed The Cove before saying goodnight to the boys. Mr. Ken didn’t spend too much time with the boys that night, either. He told them that they needed their rest as school was just around the corner and they had a very busy trip planned just before, which was why they needed their sleep.

Of, course Collin stopped his Big Bro before he headed down to his own retreat. The two shared some quick words and a few hugs, and with that they both headed to their own bedrooms.

Monday was over and that night, two teens tossed and turned in their sleep over what they would talk about with their mothers when they met again tomorrow. But besides that, everyone else slept well in The Cove.

Tuesday morning, Mr. Ken was up at his usual time and out talking to Momma, while drinking his coffee and reading his morning newspaper. Billy and Robert, along with Collin, were also down early in order for them to eat a good breakfast before they left to visit their moms. The other three boys came down at their usual time of eight thirty.

Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris were also there and the conversation centered around when The Cove would get a replacement car for the Taurus. Mr. Ken told everyone that he was going to wait until they returned from their trip, before he looked for a replacement vehicle, as he had too many fires going right then.

Collin then spoke up and told Mr. Chris that he was going to drive Robert and Billy over to the bank tomorrow to get the money they wanted to send to their moms, since the Taurus was no longer available for Billy to use. Mr. Chris looked over to his boss to see his reaction, and all he got was a nod of acknowledgement.

When it was close to nine o’clock, Mr. Ken commented that they all should use the ‘little boy’s room’ and get going on their little trips. When they left, Mr. Ken and Robert were in the Sprinter van, while Mr. Wayne and Billy were in Wayne’s car. Billy made sure they had his dash camera hooked up.

Both teens were more talkative this time around, as they drove to meet their mothers. They talked about what they wanted to say to them, and their drivers were happy they had someone with them who was engaged, as compared to the last time.

During this visit, Amelia, Billy’s mom, got to meet Wayne Mitchell, The Cove’s Estate Master. She was happy to meet someone else who was involved with raising her son, and getting to talk to him, while she talked with her son.

Billy told his mother about his windfall from the alarm company, and she was surprised at the amount that her son now had at his disposal. The teenager told his mom that he was now going to be sending her money every month, so her stay there would be more comfortable. Hearing that made Amelia cry, but she grabbed her son’s hands and squeezed them as a thank you for doing that for her.

Billy also told her that Mr. Ken had him take a career assessment test to help him get an idea what he might want to study when he goes off to college. But he told her the results hadn’t come back yet.

But hearing that her son was considering going off to a school of higher learning made her proud. She had hoped after her talk with Mr. Ken, the last time her son had visited, that he would make something of himself, and now that he had the money, he could become anything he set his mind to.

Billy and his mother had a much better visit this time around. And with Mr. Wayne joining in the conversation and adding tidbits that Billy forgot made the mother and son meeting even better.

Robert couldn’t wait to see his mother this time around. When he saw her walking towards him, he began to cry, but they were happy tears. Even though she was somewhat responsible for his plight, she was also responsible for him living with his new dad, Ken Thomas.

The two hugged and Angela Harrison was happy to see that Ken Thomas, her son’s new dad, was with him this time. She smiled at the man then the three sat down and Robert began telling his mom what he’d been doing, since they last saw one another.

There wasn’t a whole lot for the teenager to tell his mother, this time around, but he just wanted to see her. The one big thing that he did tell her was that he was again sending more money to her trust fund account, so she would have money to buy the things that she needed.

Angela told her son that she shouldn’t be wasting his money on her. But Robert told her that he gets paid to take care of the big field at The Cove, and he hardly ever spends it because his dad pays for everything wherever they go. Dad Ken just smiled and told Angela, “Guilty as charged.”

Both teenagers had good visits with their mothers, and came away from their trips upbeat and happy they had made the decision to go and see their moms. They both thought about when they should plan to see their mothers again.

While Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and the two older Cover teenagers were gone from The Cove nothing changed there. Phillip was still dismayed at not being able to play his electric guitar with his bandmates, but he knew as the days went by, he would be able play again with his group.

Mr. Ken and Robert made it home a few minutes before Mr. Wayne and Billy did and the four Covers all made it home well before it was time for dinner. Momma was happy all of her men were home safe and she had made a salad, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans for them to eat that evening.

During dinner the two teens took center stage by telling their ‘brothers’ about their visits to their moms. The younger boys could tell their older ‘brothers’ were extremely happy that they went to see their moms. But two of the boys would never ever want to see their mothers and one couldn’t wait until he got to live back with his.

During their meeting in the Study, ‘dad’ Ken reminded Phillip that he would see Doctor Doug tomorrow morning and he asked the boy to talk to the man about the accident. He then told Bill that he couldn’t get an appointment with Doctor Doug until they get back from their trip, but that he did want him to talk to the doctor about the accident.

‘Dad’ Ken then told Charles and Matthew that they need to be ready to go by nine o’clock on Thursday and they should be dressed in nice school clothes, adding they should expect to be there for at least two hours.

Again, after their meeting, the Covers went down to check on Chief. It was coming up on two weeks since she birthed her seven pups, and they had really grown over all that time. Matthew took care of getting Chief some fresh ice water, as he been doing ever since Phillip’s accident. The Covers made sure they all scratched behind Chief’s ears and told her that she was doing a great job in raising her little family, before they headed up to their rooms.

Mr. Wayne went up to the boy’s rooms to say goodnight to them along with his boss. The two men started at different rooms, so the boys had the private one-on-one chance to talk to the men that they all enjoyed. The boys each asked who was staying to watch over Chief and her pups, but neither man would tell them.

The two men did stop to talk with Collin before they headed downstairs. Big Bro Ken wanted to know if the young man was taking his Wilkinson Corporate airplane, or if he needed to plan for him on his air charter. Collin told the man that he had planned to take his corporate plane, as what good was it to be the owner and not use it. The three had a good laugh.

Collin then asked if Ryan could go along again. The young man’s Big Bro told Collin that as long as he stays in his hotel room, as he hadn’t planned for him in any of his. Collin said that it was a given and that he’d call Ryan in the morning.

That decision made, the three men said goodnight to one another and Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne headed to their own beds. And the Covers slept well that night.

Wednesday was another typical day at The Cove. Mr. Ken did what he normally did every morning and then went out to the Kitchen Nook to read his newspaper, drink his coffee and talk to Momma about things she needed to know about.

The man reminded Momma about the dedication of the vocational building the following day and that Charles and Matthew were also going along with him. He told the woman that they’d be leaving about nine o’clock, and that they should return around one.

Mr. Ken mentioned that Phillip had a Doctor Doug appointment that morning and, other than that, there was nothing else scheduled before they leave on their trip Saturday morning. It was then that he told her that Wayne would be staying to watch over Chief and her small family. He asked her not to say anything to the boys, as they didn’t know who was staying back, yet.

The boys came after their ‘dad’ had left for the office. Momma told Phillip not to take too long eating his breakfast, as he still had to get cleaned up and then off to his doctor appointment. Collin told Robert and Billy that after they get cleaned up, he’d take them to the bank in order for them to get the money they want Mr. Chris to send to their moms.

Phillip was curious, so he asked his ‘brothers’ if they all had bank accounts. The boys looked at one another, and it was Robert who told the youngest Cover that over time they each were given money, and their ‘dad’ had them put it in a bank account instead of them holding it there in their rooms.

But it was Matthew who spilled the beans that some of them had been in an airplane accident and they received some money because of that, and that’s where their money came from. The pre-teen then told Phillip that because the construction company was the cause of the accident, that he’d probably get some money from them, too, for what happened to him.

Mr. Wayne was not happy that Matthew spoke up as he had, but it was too late. The Estate Master told Phillip that he’d explain it to him on the drive over to Doctor Doug’s. Phillip said he was OK with that. But in the back of his mind, he told himself that he never heard anything about an airplane accident, that his ‘brothers’ were in, and he guessed that was some of the things his ‘brothers’ felt that he didn’t need to know about when he first arrived, and they just never got around to telling him, since it was a long time ago.

As the two Covers were driving to Doctor Doug’s, Mr. Wayne explained to Phillip about the engine disintegration and decompression and their emergency landing in Houston. The Estate Master told the young Cover that after some miscue’s by the airport, they each received an amount of money that Mr. Ken made the boys put in the bank, and that was what Matthew was referring to.

Phillip asked Mr. Wayne if what Matthew said about his getting money, because of the accident, from the construction company was true. All the Estate Master could tell the boy was that Mr. Ken was talking to his lawyer, and that it could be months before he would hear anything about that, and if he would be getting any money because of what happened to him.

The man asked Phillip not to go out and tell everyone that he would be getting lots of money because of the accident, because he could very well not get any and then he would have egg on his face. Mr. Wayne then told Phillip that even if he did get some money, from the construction company, Mr. Ken would probably make him put it in the bank, as he had with his ‘brothers’, and he would ask him not to tell anyone how much he did get. All Phillip had to say was, “Ohhh.”

While Phillip was talking to Doctor Doug, Wayne made a phone call to his boss to tell him about the unfortunate telling at the breakfast table. Mr. Ken wasn’t pleased, but the cat was out of the bag, and he couldn’t do anything about it now. He told Wayne that he was surprised that the boys hadn’t already told Phillip about the airplane incident.

Collin did take Billy and Robert over to their bank to withdraw the money they wanted Mr. Chris to send on to their mothers. Billy just having been there was familiar with the procedure and the teller remembered the teenager.

“Back so soon, Mr. Dirketson,” teased the teller. All Billy did was smile back at the teller, as she counted out the $200.00 that he’d asked for.

When Robert presented himself, the teller didn’t recognize him and she made him produce his identification before she would give him any money. But in the end, the teenager did receive the $200.00 that he wanted Mr. Chris to send off to his mom.

When the three were back in Collin’s vehicle, both Collin and Robert and told Billy that they were surprised when they heard what the teller said to him. Robert asked him when he was at the bank before, as he never remembered him going there with his dad.

Billy thought he was in a predicament, but then he remembered that they were at the meeting in the Study when he told everyone that the alarm company settled his lawsuit against them. He reminded them that he told them about that, and it was only about ten days ago, so the teller remembered him because Mr. Ken made him open a savings account, besides putting the majority of his money into Money Market funds and Certificates of Deposit.

When Billy told them that much, they both said they remembered. But now Collin, unthinking, asked him how much did the alarm company give him. Billy was taken by surprise by the question, but he quickly recovered and told his older ‘brother’ that he signed a nondisclosure agreement and that he couldn’t tell him.

Collin quickly apologized. The young man told Billy that he shouldn’t have asked, as that was a very private transaction and he had no business asking and knowing his private business.

When the two teens arrived back at The Cove, they immediately headed down to Mr. Chris’ office to give him the money they wanted him to send off to their mothers. The Estate Manager, told the teens that he’d get it off to their mothers as soon as he finished the arrangement for the trip. He did promise them that it would be off, if not on Friday, it would definitely be off on Monday.

The teens had hoped it would be off that day. But they did recognize that the man was working on their upcoming trip, and they had to agree that he was doing what was important first, and that as long as their mother got the money, they would be happy.

Billy then quickly went and changed and joined Lonnie who was out power washing the driveway and curbs. The Cover explained why he was late. Lonnie told his Cover friend that he didn’t mind him coming to work late, because he was getting paid by the hour and for every hour Billy was gone, he got to work longer. Billy told him that he couldn’t argue with that. The two had a good laugh over that, and then they got to work.

Phillip returned from his appointment, with a much better attitude about his situation. Doctor Doug told him that he was a victim of fate and that he had to deal with the hand he was given. Phillip told Mr. Wayne that Doctor Doug told him that his injuries could have been worse, so he just needed to continue to take his medication and press forward, and to look to the time that he and his mom would be together.

That Wednesday was just like any other day at The Cove. The Cover’s friends came over and they skated, the cooking team prepared everything for later that afternoon, while other boys played the big games, drove the PWCs or sailed the sailboats, or even swam. Jordan even got the Sea-Doo out later and dragged some of the boys in the three-person water tube behind it.

The boys were enjoying their last few days of summer. They all new that within two weeks they would all be sitting in their classrooms thinking back to all the fun they had that summer, so they were trying to fit in as much fun as they could.

Phillip could feel that his shoulder was getting somewhat better, but he had told himself that he would finish his medication before he would try his electric guitar again, which would be tomorrow. Today he went up to the Pavilion and listened to the band play without him.

The young Cover could tell they were meshing well together and that his guitar really didn’t add all that much to the band. It was the addition of the bass guitar that really added to their sound. The Cover was happy they had made the decision to add Bryce, because he felt that when he leaves, in a few weeks, they would already have the makings of a great band. He just hoped that they would stick together.

When the cooks rang the farmhouse bell to let everyone know that the burgers were well burned and the dogs were hot, Charles went over and asked Phillip if he had decided which bell he wanted to keep.

Phillip had forgotten that he had asked his ‘dad’ to get a bell to announce when the burgers and dogs were ready. and for the boys to come and get it. The young Cover had asked his ‘dad’ to buy two different bells in order to see which one was the better one and to send the other one back. But he’d totally forgotten about that until his older ‘brother’ just reminded him.

While everyone was eating, Phillip went around to them and asked them which bell they thought Mr. Ken should keep to continue to announce when the burgers and dogs were ready, the farmhouse bell, or the cowboy triangle.

Most of the boys didn’t care which one they kept. They told Phillip that they both could be heard out in the cove, which was what the young Cover wanted the bell or triangle for in the first place. They all told him to choose which one he wanted, and they went back to eating.

Phillip reverted to his friends and asked them which one they would want him to keep. Preston and Bryson told him that they liked the farmhouse bell over the triangle. But Westin, Jeff, Ty and Bryce told him that they liked the triangle. Phillip hadn’t even thought about the one that he liked, and he figured that his ‘dad’ would that probably want to know which one he liked since it was he who asked for them in the first place.

When the barbeque was all put away, the band members decided to go swimming. They told Phillip to come out with them. But Phillip told him that his shoulder wasn’t strong enough for him to swim just yet, and for them to go and have some fun.

Over at the Office, Ken Thomas called Kate to see how she things were going with her, and to let her know that their trip was on, and he would see her towards the end of next week. She asked him why he hadn’t called as often as he used to and he explained that the week had been crazy since the accident. Kate asked how Phillip was doing and Ken told her that the boy was dealing with it, but that he wasn’t too happy about not being able to play his guitar.

Kate was also curious if the Sheriff’s Department had made any arrests in the accident. Ken told her that they hadn’t, but since they had the video, it was just a matter of time when the people responsible would be called in to account for their actions that day.

Ken then asked her if the detectives had any information for her about the two men who were living outside of the area. Kate told him that she hadn’t heard anything and neither had Amy. Kate reminded Ken that she didn’t intend to follow through with filing charges, but that she did want to know who was Rusty’s father, for Rusty’s sake.

Ken told his girlfriend about the dedication of the vocational building tomorrow and that Charles and Matthew were also going with him. He mentioned to her that he’d try to call tomorrow, but if not on Friday. He explained that there was so much going right now with the Four Corners Amusement Park’s future expansion and the trip that he was being pulled in a lot of directions right now and he gets overwhelmed.

Kate told him that she was looking forward to seeing him again. She also told him that the boys were also hoping that their big brothers would be able to take them out to the park when they are there. Ken told her that he would make sure the boys do that as they’ve been to the parks enough times that they won’t miss riding a coaster or two.

When six o’clock came the Covers’ friends departed The Cove, and the Covers headed down to the house for dinner. ‘Dad’ Ken was home on time and they all sat down for dinner. While the Covers ate, Phillip told his ‘dad about the two dinner bells and that they should pick which one they wanted to keep.

‘Dad’ Ken smiled at the question. He, too, had totally forgotten about his buying two different types of bells for Phillip to decide from with which to use to call everyone to the barbeque. So, ‘dad’ Ken asked Phillip which one did he want to keep.

Phillip told his ‘dad’ that he did a survey of the boys, and that they told him that they didn’t care, as they both could be heard out at the cove. The young Cover then told him that four of his friends liked the triangle, but two liked the farmhouse bell and he was undecided.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the other boys which one did they prefer. Billy told Mr. Ken that he liked the farmhouse bell; Robert told him that he liked the triangle for some reason. Charles told his dad that it didn’t matter to him, but the farmhouse bell was more in keeping with the estate and Matthew told his ‘dad’ that the triangle was easier to use.

Mr. Ken looked to Mr. Wayne. “Wayne … which one do you like the best?”

“Oh, you’re going to make me the bad guy, now? OK, well, I’ll tell you how to choose which one to pick. Make Mr. Chris pick it. He’s never here, so no one will ever know he was the one who decided which one we kept,” chuckled the Estate Master.

All the boys booed the man for trying the take the easy way out. Mr. Wayne laughed and so did ‘dad’ Ken.

“Well, to be honest … I’ve never really paid attention when they’re being rung,” began ‘dad’ Ken. “So, I guess I should go out and listen to them from the front and the back of the house to see which one I’d prefer, since I’m the one paying the bill.”

Everyone laughed at what ‘dad’ Ken had just said.

During the meeting in the Study, ‘dad’ Ken told everyone that he, Charles and Matthew would be leaving at nine o’clock tomorrow to attend the dedication of the Blessed Waters Academy High School vocational building. He added that they should return about one o’clock.

‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys to make some time tomorrow and to make sure that they had enough clean clothes for their trip. He also asked them to start the packing process. He also reminded them that the Goldersons would be over Friday night for dinner and that Miriam and Mark would be staying and riding with them to the airport beginning at seven o’clock Saturday morning.

The man then told the boys that they would not be spending a lot of time at each park as they were just there two months ago. The boys didn’t complain at all.

Collin spoke up and told them that he was also going, and so was Ryan, and that he was taking his corporate airplane. He told the boys that he and his Big Bro would have to sit down and decide who was flying with whom. The boys all started saying that they wanted to fly with him. ‘Dad’ Ken laughed that no one wanted to fly with him.

The Covers went and visited with Chief. Matthew refreshed the resident pet’s water bowl with ice water, while the other Covers scratched behind Chief’s ears. The pups didn’t know what was happening as they were all feeding. Mr. Wayne did comment that by the time they returned from their trip the puppies may have their eyes opened and the week after that they should be walking.

Phillip asked what would that mean when the puppies begin walking. Billy laughed and told Phillip that they would all have to start walking them and cleaning up their poop where ever they go. Phillip just replied, “Ohh!”

Phillip asked his big ‘brother’, “Who does it now?’

“Dad’ Ken answered, “Chief does it. Chief keeps her pups clean, but when they begin to be weaned, their excrement will have to be picked up and discarded in the trash. And boys … you will all have to check the Great Room, daily, until Chief trains them to use the great outdoors.”

The boys began looking at one another and pointing at who would be the one who did it. ‘Dad’ Ken told them they would all take turns before and after school and before bed. The boys all moaned when they heard that.

Once all the boys were up in their rooms, Wayne asked his boss when he was going to tell them that he was staying home with Chief. Mr. Ken told the Estate Master that he’d tell them tomorrow at dinner. The two men then went up to say goodnight to the boys.

Of course, Collin wanted his Big Bro to stop and say goodnight to him, as well. As they talked, Mr. Ken did ask Collin if his travel people made hotel reservations for him. The young man said that, because he was under twenty-one, they had made sure there would be no mix-up’s this time. Mr. Ken smiled and thanked him for making sure of that.

The Cove, again, was quite the whole night through, with the boys dreaming of their upcoming trip back to their ‘dad’s’ parks.

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

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