Published: 14 Nov 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

But Collin explained to his ‘brothers’ that Jasmine is the kind of woman that he would like to find to marry. He told them that Jasmine was gentle, soft spoken, funny, and she had something about her that first time he met her that ‘spoke’ to him.

Collin stopped for a few seconds, as he thought about what he’d said, and then he continued and said that she knows what she wants to do when she graduates and that she doesn’t seem to be after money, as she works hard to pay for her college. The boys let their questions about the young girl drop.

With everyone getting up early again, they were all in bed by ten-thirty. That night Eric and Phillip were in with Mr. Dan, Matthew and Mark were in with Mr. Dennis, while Billy, Robert and Charles were sharing the teens room.

While everyone was sleeping a big storm came through during the night and the hotel lost electricity. Lucky for the travelers they had used their cell phones to wake up, but that didn’t do them any good because the lights didn’t work.

The boys used their flashlight app on their cell phones to light up the bathroom in order for them to take their showers, and they opened the drapes in order to let light in their rooms, so they could get dressed. Mark called his mom to tell her how she could do that just in case she didn’t think of it.

The group was all down in time to meet the vans, but with the power out the breakfast bar only had muffins, donuts, orange juice, and milks and some fruits, like bananas and apples for their guests to eat.

Mr. Ken called out to the airport to see if their flight would be delayed and he was told for them to arrive and they would know better after they arrive. The contact out there added that it would be better if they are there and the airport opens than for them to have to travel and lose that time. Mr. Ken agreed.

The storm only delayed the group’s take-off time by a little over an hour so their arrival at Discovery Kingdom was an hour plus later than Mr. Ken had wanted. He told the group that they would have to plan their day accordingly, and they all knew what he meant.

And since they had that delay, they did change up the passenger manifest. This time Miriam, Mark and Dan switched planes and would join Collin, Ryan, Robert and Eric. So, flying with Mr. Ken would now be Mr. Dennis, Billy, Matthew, Charles and Phillip.

The group finally took off and made their way to Discovery Kingdom and after stopping at their hotel and getting their rooms the group finally arrived at the park at one o’clock. Mr. Ken introduced Miriam to Julia Rennartz and then told everyone to get something to eat there at the park, while he and Julia took care of business.

Jasmine was there to take everyone to get their Fastest Passes and after that was taken care of, she and Collin walked away so they could talk. Miriam, of course, had a thousand questions and Dan and Dennis told her that they would answer them, as they got something to eat.

The boys told the adults that they were going to get a soft pretzel and a coke and then they were going to get on some rides. Mark told his mom to call him, so they could ride together. The boys were then off looking for what they considered a stomach setting meal.

The three adults didn’t get anything too greasy, and as they ate their meager meal, Miriam wanted to know all about that pretty young girl that Collin seemed so infatuated with.

Dan told Miriam what he knew about Jasmine, which wasn’t much. What he did tell her was that Collin and Jasmine met about two years ago. when Ken took the boys to his parks. He then told her that when they visited last June Jasmine was here, and she and Collin talked all day and then Collin took her out to dinner.

Dennis then added that later at night in the lounge, Judy wanted to know more. He told Miriam that Mr. Ken told Judy something about Collin being a junior in college, who owned a multi-million-dollar corporation and that he decided to go ahead and ask her out and that we have to trust him.

Dan then said, “And I remember him saying, and I quote, ‘It is not my place to approve or disapprove, Judy!’, unquote. Oh, and he said something about how they do seem to have made a connection and that they were adults and they needed to see where it takes them.”

Miriam didn’t know what to think after what she just heard. She finished her soda and told the men that if Ken wasn’t going to interfere then she wasn’t going to go there either. She added that Collin is a big boy, and if he and Jasmine want to get to know one another better, then that’s between them. She then pulled out her cell phone and called Mark to find where he was.

As he’d done at his two previous parks, Mr. Ken changed into his owner’s polo and then he and Ms. Rennartz got into a golf cart and the two went out into the park and looked around. Julia was concerned as they drove along, because they’d never done that before.

It was when the owner of the park had her stop the cart and pointed out the dirty trash cans and the yellow jackets flying around them that she knew that someone had called him and had complained. Mr. Ken told her to order more trash cans and trade out clean ones for the dirty ones and then wash the dirty ones and continue to rotate them. They moved on.

As they passed some food kiosks and a few ride queues, Mr. Ken pointed out that just because she had them pressure washed at the beginning of the season didn’t mean she didn’t ever need to clean them again. He told her to get the pressure washers out and not only clean them again, but also the main entrance.

Mr. Ken then had her go by a few of the buildings and he pointed out what a few brushes of paint could do. He then had her go by some of the kiddie rides and he showed her that some soap and water would make them gleam and shine just like opening day.

But before the two executives went back to the operations building to talk, Mr. Ken wanted to talk to some of the people in line. Julia knew that was something that he loved to do, so they went over to the Stagecoach where he’d done that twice before. The two walked up the exit and when the coaster train was off-loading the two walked onto the platform.

“Hello, I am Ken Thomas, the owner of this park. I stood on this platform a few times before and talked to the people in line about the park and I would like to do that again. Ride operator, dispatch the train,” announced Mr. Thomas.

“OK, let me ask you what do you think about the park?” asked the park’s owner.

“I’m glad you’re giving us a new coaster for next year,” was what one guest yelled out.

“A floorless coaster will be a nice addition to the park. I can’t wait,” spoke up another guest.

“Will it be a part of the Fastest Pass?” asked another.

Ken Thomas told everyone they should begin to see construction later in the fall with opening day sometime around the middle to end of May. He then thanked everyone for their inputs and then he and Julia walked down the exit.

Miriam caught up with her son and they, along with Phillip and Matthew went out and rode a few rides before they had to catch up again with Mr. Ken.

They first took Miriam on the Sky Ride, so she could see the majority of the park. They told her from there she could decide which rides she might want to go on. After that ride she decided she wanted to go on the Scooters. Miriam had a good time crashing into all three boys, but especially her son, Mark.

After that, the next ride was the Flying Wings where the woman got to control the wing and how the gondola went through the air as it went around. When Miriam came off the ride, she told the boys she felt like a young girl again, and then wanted to know which way they wanted to take her next.

The boys talked and said that if she felt like a young girl, then they’d take her over to Crystal Lil’s. When they walked up to the attraction, Miriam wondered if she would be up to it. They countered that she told them she felt like a young girl, and this would be what a young girl would like to have fun in. Miriam shook her head and went in with her son.

The woman laughed and giggled as she made her way through the glass maze. Phillip and Matthew watched from the outside as she and Mark bumped into the mirrors, as they tried to get from the start to the finish. When Miriam came out of the building, she was laughing along with her son and was again happy she went on this trip, as she was thoroughly enjoying this time with her son.

The boys looked at the time and they told the lady that they probably had time for one more ride and they asked her to ride a coaster. They gave her the choice of the Stagecoach, an out and back wooden roller coaster, The Demon, a steel single loop and a double corkscrew coaster, the AXE which was a dynamic, looping ride, or the Twister Coaster, which was a Wild Mouse type coaster like she’s already ridden.

Miriam told the boys, out right, that she was not going to ride the Axe, nor was she going to ride the one that looped and corkscrewed. Then she told them that she knows what a wild mouse coaster is like, so she guessed the only one left was the Stagecoach. The boys all yelled, “Yea!”

The four hurried over to the Stagecoach and went up the exit to activate their Fastest Passes and the ride operator recognized the boys and told the small group that they would be on the next ride. Phillip told Miriam that she should take a middle seat because she hasn’t been on this ride yet, and the middle is an easy ride for the first time.

When it was their turn, the boys ‘brothers’ were getting off the ride and they all yelled to one another. Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis gave Miriam a thumbs up sign and smiled at her.

Miriam and Mark took a middle coaster train seat, while Matthew and Phillip took the first car, first seat. Once they were seated, the ride operator opened the turnstiles and let the people waiting in line fill the rest of the seats. Then, before long, the coaster was headed up the lift hill.

This coaster was 125 feet high; 45 feet higher than the Mountaineer. But Miriam didn’t know that little tidbit of information the boys failed to tell her. When the coaster train went over that first hill, Miriam lost her breath, while she screamed, as the coaster went down the 115 foot, 78-degree slope. But she was along for the ride, as the coaster raced up the second hill and then down and up again.

After she recovered from that first hill, Miriam began to enjoy the ups and downs of the Stagecoach roller coaster. By the time she returned to the station, she was laughing along with the other riders. She and Mark joined Phillip and Matthew, walking down the exit.

At the bottom of the exit were the rest of the group. Mr. Dan and Mr. Dennis wanted to know how she enjoyed the ride. Miriam told the men that she wasn’t prepared for that first drop, but that after that first shock, she actually enjoyed the ride. Billy told everyone that it was going on 7:30, and they needed to head back to the operations building.

At the operations building, the group met up with Collin and Jasmine, along with Mr. Ken and Julia Rennartz. The group thanked Julia for the Fastest Passes and told her that they enjoyed the park and they hoped to see her during the Holidays. As they were leaving, the boys saw Collin and Jasmine kiss and then they called out to their older ‘brother’ to hurry to catch up with them.

The group did stop for a good dinner on the way back to the hotel. And during dinner, as Mr. Ken was apt to do, he asked everyone what they thought of the park. Miriam quickly spoke up and told him that he needed to put the Sky Ride in the other parks, so people could see what was there in order to decide which rides they wanted to go on.

Nobody else said anything, until Charles spoke up. The teen told his dad that after being at Edgewood twice and seeing how he and Mr. Ben wanted that park to look, he noticed how the rides in the last three parks weren’t as polished and washed clean as they could be. The teen also said that there could have been some paint put on in places to make the park look nicer.

The teen’s dad told him, and thus the group, that he agreed with him and that he and Julia did ride around the park and talked about those exact same things. Mr. Ken told everyone that one of the reasons for this particular trip was to point out that to the operations managers that they were letting things get lax as the season was going into the 8^th inning.

At the hotel, Mr. Ken told the group that the vans would be there at eight o’clock in the morning and that they were spending two days at Crystal Lake, for now. But things could change. He also said the breakfast buffet was open from 7 until 9 and that they should all plan accordingly.

Later, the adults met in the hotel’s lounge for a few adult drinks, as they had been doing every night after their visit to the parks. Their talks usually centered around the trip and what they saw that was different in the park from the last time. But, just like Judy, Miriam had to ask about Collin and Jasmine. Dan and Dennis just inwardly chuckled to themselves when they heard her ask Ken about the two twenty-year-olds.

“Miriam,” began, Ken, “Collin … he is a grown adult who can make his own decisions. He and Jasmine … they have made some sort of connection and they are just … I’d say … testing the waters. But if you need to know … Collin and I have talked. He knows that he needs to finish college, first.

“Collin also knows that he needs to learn everything about C.W.E. Inc that he can, before he takes over the running of that multi-million-dollar corporation. And, he also needs to know what he wants to do with his life … all before he even thinks about settling down and starting a family.

“Miriam … as I told Judy … it is not up to me to tell him what he can, and what he cannot do. He is a big boy … and if he wants to date, and in this case, do long-distance dating, that is up to him. He has the money, so …” and Mr. Ken let it hang.

Miriam knew that she overstepped by the way Ken answered her question. She also figured she got the same answer that Judy got, and that she better drop the matter. And besides, her host was also doing long-distance dating and he couldn’t very well tell Collin not to do what he himself was already doing.

The four continued to talk about the three parks and what was good and different; as well as what could be better and changed to make it more pleasing to the guests. Mr. Ken also asked them what rides they thought would complement the parks. The three told him to talk to the boys.

Tuesday morning all of the travelers were down in the lobby by eight o’clock. Some of them were a little bit early, so they could get something off the buffet. The older boys took the bags out to the vans and they helped the drivers stow them and a little past eight the thirteen people loaded into the two vans and headed out to the airport.

Everyone knew by now what to do when they arrived at the airport, so they all chipped in, got the bags on the TSA cart, went inside and used the restroom and then they went through the TSA security check themselves.

They didn’t make any passenger manifest changes for these flights, so everyone knew that whichever plane they flew into Discovery Kingdom on they would fly out on, too.

The two private passenger jets took off about five minutes apart and along the way both groups were served a light breakfast, on their respective jets. That light meal would hold them over until they got their lunch before arriving at Crystal Lake Amusement Park. Even though the boys had grabbed something off the hotel buffet, they loved what the flight attendants served them on the planes for them to eat.

When they arrived at their destination airport, their transportation was waiting for them and the boys helped load the bags. But Mr. Ken had a separate vehicle waiting for him to use while he was there. After he signed for the car, he had Miriam, Dan and Dennis ride with him to the hotel.

The adults arrived at the hotel before the van and Mr. Ken got the room card keys and had them ready for the boys when they arrived. He made the room assignments and the boys took all the bags to the appropriate floor and room. Everyone used the facilities and then met in the lobby.

Since they were staying there for two days, Mr. Ken told them they could stop to get something to eat on the way out to Crystal Lake. Miriam would have liked a nice sit-down place, but they stopped at a fast-food restaurant, but this time they all got roast beef sandwiches, fries and a drink.

It was after one o’clock when the group arrived at Crystal Lake and the operations manager, Arnie Arnolds, and Darrell Griffin, the new operations manager in-training were waiting for them.

“Welcome back, Mr. Thomas,” announced Arnie.

“Arnie, you know just about everyone, but let me introduce you to Miriam Golderson. She is the mother of one of my former foster sons, Mark.

“Everyone, this is Arnie Arnolds, the operations manager here at Crystal Lake and his manager in-training Darrell Griffin. Darrell took Nelson’s position, when he came to operate my new Four Corners Amusement Park,” was how Mr. Ken made the introductions.

Everyone shook hands and made some small talk. Charles went over to his dad and asked him if Ron could come by today, or tomorrow. The teen’s dad had to be reminded who Ron was, before he told his son to call his friend and ask him which day he would like to stop by. Charles hugged and then thanked his dad and made the call.

Darrell took everyone over to the FFF Booth to get them their Fastest Passes. When they got there, Charles told him that there would be one more, and he would be there within the hour. The teen asked him if they could just set aside a Fastest Pass for Ron Wallisters, who will stop by in about an hour.

Darrell wasn’t sure what he should do. So, he radioed Arnie and asked him if he could set aside an extra Fastest Pass for one of the boy’s friends, who would be arriving in about an hour. Mr. Ken was there when the call came in and told Arnie that he told Charles that his friend Ron could stop by and join the boys, as he has every time they’re there. Arnie told Darrell to tell the FFF Booth to have one ready for the teenager when he stops by.

Ken Thomas made a phone call to Amy Ozarker before he and Arnie went out to check on the park. He wanted to know if there was any movement on the out-of-state friends of Lane’s. Amy told him that she hadn’t heard anything, but she’d call the detective that was working the case and ask, and she’d let him know when she knew anything.

With that call made, Mr. Ken put his owner’s polo shirt on and he and the park’s operations manager, Arnie Arnolds, went out to inspect the park. Arnie made the usual announcement that Park One and Owner One were out in the park and that no response was required.

“Letting the troops know we’re out watching them, are we Arnie,” teased the parks owner.

“Don’t want them to be caught with their pants down,” teased back Arnie.

As the two park executives rode around the park, Ken Thomas commented to Arnie, “The other park managers … they must have called to tell you what I was focusing on during this visit. I say that because I don’t see the yellow jackets flying around the trash cans, and they look fresh and clean.”

“That’s because they always are, Mr. Thomas. Jason … he had me buy extras, so that we could change them out regularly because of that problem he had at his last park,” offered Arnie.

Ken Thomas wondered to himself why Joseph Shartz didn’t have the extra trash cans at his park, since that was where Jason had come from. But maybe it was something that Jason wanted to do, but Joe shrugged off as being too expensive. But he knew that from now on he would.

As the two rode around, Mr. Ken looked for loose trash around the park, but he couldn’t find any. He also focused his attention at the food areas to see how clean they were. He did notice that some looked cleaner than others. So, he asked Arnie about them. The parks’ ops manager told him that they have a rotating schedule of power washing in front of the food stands, and they all get washed at least once a week before they open for the day.

Owner One then had Arnie stop at a few rides. The man wanted to check the polish and cleanliness of the rides and the queues. He was impressed at the three rides they stopped at. They weren’t perfect, but they showed that they had been cleaned at one time, so he asked Arnie about his efforts.

Mr. Arnold told Owner One that the ride attendants come in a half hour early and they work on cleaning the ride seats one day and polish the chrome the next. He added that the maintenance crew power washes the ride queues about once every two weeks, or so, and that’s because of the number of rides and food stands.

Mr. Ken was satisfied and the two then headed to the main entrance. Owner One wanted to check out the security entrance prior to the ticket purchase kiosks and then the main entrance itself. Mr. Ken was satisfied that Arnie was doing what he needed to keep the park looking clean and inviting for the public to want to come back again and again and enjoy themselves.

Ron Wallisters finally caught up with Charles and the other boys about an hour later. They greeted one another and then he joined them as they rode the coasters.

Miriam, Mark, Phillip and Matthew all took off on their own and rode the rides that Miriam felt she could ride and that Phillip’s shoulder could handle. They started out slow on the Scrambler, which Phillip decided not to ride because of his shoulder and then they went to the Swinging Boat, where she enjoyed the top most seat.

Another ride Miriam tried that she wouldn’t ride at Fantasy Fun Park was the drop tower. Here it was called the Tower of Terror. She still wasn’t sure she wanted to ride it, but she knew it was something that Mark had wanted her to ride with him, so she decided to try it. Dan had told her that it was just like a ‘kick in the pants’ so, she was going to see if what he said was true.

Phillip decided to sit that one out, again because of his shoulder. He felt that the downward force might be bad for the shoulder and, besides, there were only three seats across for Ms. Miriam, Mark and Matthew.

After activating their Fastest Passes, the three waited for their turn. When called, Miriam sat in the middle with Mark and Matthew on either side of her. The ride attendant checked their over-the-shoulder restraint and center leg strap and when all the Tower’s riders were secure, the ride operator was ready to shoot the ride.

The three sat there with their hands on the shoulder restraint waiting for the ‘shot’. Then the ‘kick in the pants’ happened. Miriam was shot up the 250-foot tower and she screamed because she wasn’t expecting what happened. Mark was laughing at his mom and he told her to relax and to look out over the park and to enjoy the view, but that in about ten seconds the floor will drop out and they will fall all the way to the bottom where they will bounce some before settling to a stop.

“Mark … that was some kick in the pants,” exclaimed the boy’s mother.

“But it was fun, wasn’t it, mom?” replied Mark, with a smile.

The small group then went over to a simpler ride, the Airplanes. This was just a ride that went around but when you pulled back on the stick the ride arm went up and when you pushed forward the stick the ride arm went down. When the four came off the ride, Miriam told the three boys that it was the type of ride that she liked. The boys only laughed at her.

With that in mind, the boys took her over to Loud Thunder, a family wooden roller coaster, with steel supports, that was only 80-feet high and similar to Mountaineer that she rode at Discovery Kingdom. Miriam knew that if she rode that first coaster, she should probably ride this one, so she went up the exit with the boys to activate their Fastest Passes.

The ride operators remembered the three young boys from when they were there a few months ago, and figured the lady was one of the boys’ mothers, so he had the other ride attendants put them on the next coaster train.

The four got in the first car and took up the first two seats before the ride operator opened the turnstiles to let the people in line fill the remaining seats. The coaster was only 80-feet high and when it went over the first hill Miriam enjoyed the quick rush down that first hill and up the next and so on, until the coaster came back into the station.

At the bottom of the exit, Miriam told Mark that the coaster was fun and not so scary as the Stagecoach one was yesterday. Mark told her that she needed some excitement in her life, which was what the bigger rides are supposed to do for her.

Ron enjoyed getting together with the Cover boys again. He told them how, when they were there in June, that his friends told all of their other friends that he had an ‘IN’ at the park and now all of his friends are jealous of him. Charles told him that when he’s old enough he’ll put a good word in for him if he wants a job there. Everyone laughed.

Ken Thomas called Kate after he and Arnie spoke back at the office. He asked her if she and the boys could come out to the park for a few hours and then they could go out to dinner. Kate told him that she would call him when she arrived.

Kate was happy that Ken had called her and the boys were even happier that they were going out to the amusement park and would get to ride some of the rides. They were happy that they would also get to see their big brothers, again.

Kate arrived at the operations parking lot and met Ken at the operations building. The four then went out to the park, so the boys could ride a few of the rides before they all went out to dinner. It was while they walked out to the park that Ken heard Arnie make the announcement over the radio that Owner One was out in the park and for ride supervisors to ensure that his guests get on the rides without waiting. Kate and Ken both smiled.

The young boys wanted to drive the scooters first, so that was where the four headed. The ride operator saw them walk up the exit and knew from his experience last June who the man was. When the current ride was over and the scooters were empty, the ride operator let Rusty and Jessy in before the other boys and girls.

Some of the parents complained that the two boys got to go in from the exit and the ride operator told them that they had reservations, and let it go at that. Ken and Kate heard what he said and then the parents saw Mr. Ken standing at the exit in his Owner’s polo shirt and understood what the ride operator meant and let their complaint go.

The two boys also enjoyed riding the Frogger, the Balloon Ride, a smaller version of The Swings, and the Mini-Pirate Ship. The boys also wanted to ride the Kiddie Coaster and Ken asked Kate if she thought the two boys riding together would be OK, or if he should ask his boys to come over there.

Kate told him that she would prefer if the older boys were with them. So instead, they took the boys over to the carousel, where each of the adults stood next to one of the boys, as the horse they were on went up and down. Kate and Ken smiled at one another, as they stood next to the boys.

The night moved on and then it was time for them to head out for dinner. The group met at the operations building and from there they all headed to a buffet, where the two younger boys could sit with their big brothers and have them help them with their dinner.

All of the adults sat at one table and they all talked about their day. Miriam then got to talk to another woman for a change after being with men since Saturday. Kate told her that she understood her being with her two sons most of the time.

Of course, Mr. Ken asked Miriam what she thought about Crystal Lake. The woman told him that this park was much cleaner and nicer than the other three. She also said that the ride attendants treated her with respect, and as an adult and not as one of their classmates. She said that it was refreshing.

Even Dan and Dennis told their host that the park’s appearance was cleaner around the food stands and ride queues and that the rides themselves looked like they were frequently wiped down and polished.

Mr. Ken thanked them for their observations and told them that was what they should have seen at the three previous parks. He added that when he has the fall meeting of his park operations managers, the weekend after Labor Day, it will be one of the major topics of discussion.

Mr. Ken told everyone that they could sleep in tomorrow, as they didn’t need to be out at the park until twelve noon. He told them that the breakfast buffet is still from 7 until 9, so that if they wanted breakfast, they needed to adjust their schedules accordingly.

Mr. Ken also told them, when they finished eating, that he would follow Kate and her boys’ home. He added that he had other business to take care of, while he was there, and he would be gone first thing in the morning, and that he would catch up with them out at the park later tomorrow. He then asked if anyone had any questions. With no questions, their host sat down and everyone continued eating.

Kate and the boys thanked Ken for taking them out to dinner and when they got into Kate’s car, Ken got into his rental vehicle and followed them home. The rest of the group loaded into the vans and went back to their hotel, where the adults stopped at the hotel’s lounge for a few adult drinks. The boys went up to their rooms and talked before going to bed.

Kate put her boys to bed and then she and Ken sat out on her front porch and talked about what was happening with the investigation of Lane’s high school friends. After that, they talked about them.

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

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