Published: 28 Nov 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

When the group was back at the hotel, Mr. Ken told everyone that they had an 11 a.m. take-off time and that they all should be down in the lobby by nine o’clock. He reminded them the hotel breakfast buffet closes at nine, so that if they wanted something to eat to hold them over until they were fed on the plane, they needed to plan accordingly.

None of the adults visited the hotel’s lounge that evening. They all decided that they needed to pack and get a good night’s rest before their long day that started the next morning.

The travelers arrived back at The Cove around 4 o’clock that Saturday afternoon, even though they had an 11 a.m. take-off time. They arrived at the Austin-Bergstrom Airport at 2 p.m. CDT, but by the time they off loaded, got their bags and were seated in their limos back to The Cove, it was close to 2:30. Then there was the ninety-minute drive back to the estate, without a stop for something to eat as the boys wanted to get back home.

Levi Golderson was waiting at The Cove for his lovely wife and son, along with Wayne Mitchell, the Estate Master. The two sat in the Study talking about the trip and what Levi had heard, from Miriam, about the rides she went on with their son, Mark.

Levi also had the chance to look over the seven puppies and saw the one that he would want, but knew that Mr. Price, the owner of the sire of the pups, would get first pick of two of the puppies, then Mr. Ken got the choice of the next puppy.

The man told Wayne that he hoped that he, Miriam and Mark would get to pick the next puppy. But Wayne didn’t know in which order the puppies were promised, so he couldn’t give the man any hope in that regard.

The two men saw one limousine enter the estate and drive down to the Foyer entrance, so they got up, walked to the Foyer Door and opened it to greet the returning travelers. Chief sensed that something was happening, so she, too, came up to the Foyer entrance to see what was going on.

When Chief saw her first master, Mr. Ken, get out of the limo, she barked and ran to greet him. The resident pet jumped up on him and gave him plenty of doggie kisses and he in return ruffled her coat and then scratched behind her ears.

Chief then went and greeted Phillip and gave him the same treatment and then she went to Mark and did the same. Both boys ruffled the resident pet’s coat and gave her hugs and scratches behind her ears before grabbing their bags and taking them up to the Foyer entrance.

“Welcome back, boss,” offered Wayne. “How was the trip?”

“Wayne, you missed a good and quick trip. The first three parks weren’t ready for what I had in store for them and I think they got the message. I’ll have to tell you more about that later,” Mr. Ken, answered in reply.

While Mr. Ken and Wayne talked, Levi and Miriam and Mark talked about their trip. Levi was surprised that his wife went on the rides that she did and his son was happy that he now had both of his parent’s ride some of the best rides that Mr. Ken had at his parks.

Wayne asked where the rest of the boys were, only to learn that the other limo had to drop Ryan off at his house and that they would be along in a few minutes. Just then the other limo entered The Cove and soon, the rest of the boys were back home.

The boys exited the limo and were greeted by Chief the same way she greeted the other Covers. They all ruffled her coat and scratched behind her ears and then the boys brought their bags to the Foyer entrance.

Mr. Ken then told the boys to take their bags up to their rooms and place their dirty clothes in the hampers and then to come back downstairs, as he needed to take them out and buy them their school shoes before they went out for dinner.

Mr. Ken then asked Levi, Miriam and Mark if they wanted to join them for dinner. He told them that he hoped to be at the Four Corners Restaurant by six o’clock, or soon thereafter. The Golderson’s thanked him for the invitation, but Miriam said that she’d like to get back home and relax some, now that she was not having to rush from one place to another.

Mr. Ken smiled at the reference to them going from one amusement park to the other and said that he understood. He told them that they’d miss them at dinner and that Mark would miss out on visiting on his last park, the Four Corners Amusement Park that just opened.

Mark then began to cajole his parents into waiting around and going out to dinner, so that they could see the new Four Corners Amusement Park. Phillip spoke up just then and told Mark that they don’t have Fastest Passes there and they have to pay for their rides and they also have to waitin line like everyone else.

Mark said that he didn’t care. He told his parents that they don’t bring him over that way often enough and since they are there now, they should wait and go out to dinner and then let him see the new park and maybe ride the rides and also ride the go karts too.

Levi talked to Miriam and reasoned with her that their son was right and that they don’t bring him over that way enough for him to enjoy what Mr. Ken has built for the boys and girls to enjoy. Miriam thought about that and then the fact that Mr. Ken was buying his boys shoes for school, so she decided they should tag along and buy Mark some new shoes, as well, as she hadn’t taken him out for school clothes yet and this would be a start.

The Covers loaded into the Sprinter van and headed over to the Outlet Mall and the Goldersons followed behind them. The boys wanted to stop at the Nike, Adidas, and the New Balance shoe stores to see the latest styles. They tried shoes on in all three stores and Mr. Ken wound up buying shoes in all three stores for different boys.

The boys then asked if they could get a few Under Armour shirts. ‘Dad’ Ken, being the softy that he was, drove over in that direction and the large group walked into the store. The boys headed over to the shirts and they each picked up their favorite color.

Miriam and Levi followed the Covers to the three shoe stores and had Mark also pick up a pair of sneakers for school and at the Under Armour store a shirt as well. Mark was smiling ear to ear at his luck at acquiring his new school items as his mom would rarely venture that far away from their area to buy those things, especially the Under Armour shirt.

At the Four Corners Restaurant, the Covers and Goldersons had to contend with finding a parking space, as the throngs of people had already descended on the Four Corners Amusement Park for their Saturday night fun.

The Goldersons were surprised at the large crowd of people at the park and it was just past six o’clock when they arrived at the restaurant. They were also met there by Judy Turner and her son, Eric. Dan Fischer, who was on his last day of vacation and would be on duty tomorrow, and Dennis Florkert, the Assistant Estate Master, who accompanied the group on their trip.

Ed Henry, the restaurant’s manager, knew to hold Mr. Ken’s table for him and his guests that evening. The restaurant’s owner had called him just before the group headed out to the Outlet Mall to let him know he needed table space for fifteen. Mr. Henry told him that there would be no problem.

The large group sat with the adults, Mr. Ken, Wayne, Dennis, Levi, Miriam, Dan, Judy and Collin, sitting at one table and the boys sitting at another. Mr. Henry had two waitresses handling each table and they quickly took their drink and salad orders and would take their main entree order when they brought those out.

During dinner, the adults talked about the trip and filled Wayne in on how the trip went. Miriam told everyone of how Dan and Dennis got her to ride an early ride with her son, Mark, and that after that, Mark used the previous rides as a way to get her to ride others.

Mr. Ken told everyone how a few of the operation managers had let their parks slide some and he had to point out where they needed to improve with buying more trash cans to switching out clean ones with the dirty ones and cleaning those to switch out later.

The park’s owner told how they needed to put paint where it was needed and to use soap and water to keep rides clean and not to forget to have the trash picked up around the park and the high grasses and weeds cut.

Mr. Ken told Wayne that Crystal Lake and Edgewood were the only two parks which didn’t have any discrepancies. The man explained that it was Jason’s focus on how to schedule recurring maintenance and cleaning at the food kiosks, rides and ride queues that kept both parks brightly shining. Wayne said that he’ll look forward to seeing that when they visit the parks during the Holidays.

When the group was finished eating, they all walked up to the amusement park. At the ticket booths Mr. Ken noticed that the price of the ride tickets had gone up from the 2 rides for $5.00 to 3 rides for $10.00. It was a slight increase to be sure, but he and Ben had been talking about doing just that, as their Grand Opening of the park was going to happen during the Labor Day weekend, and they wanted the prices to be set at a reasonable price.

All of the boys decided to ride all of the rides, including Mark. And Mark convinced his mom and dad to get tickets to ride Speedway, as it was supposed to be faster than The Whip at Edgewood. All the adults decided to ride Speedway, but unfortunately the ride only had eight seats, which meant it took two rides for all fifteen to ride.

After the boys rode Speedway, Tilt-A-Whirl, Octopus and Scrambler, they wanted to play some of the games. When they walked over to them, they also noticed that the prices to play the game had also gone up.

Balloon Blast, which once was $2.00 for one play and $5.00 for three plays, was now $3.00 for one play and $5.00 for two plays. Balloon Darts, which once was $2.00 for one play and $5.00 for three plays, was now $3.00 for one play and $5.00 for two plays. And the Ring the Bell Tower was also now $3.00 for one swing of the hammer and $5.00 for two tries at ringing the bell.

The boys asked their ‘dad’ about the change in prices and he told them that the initial prices were the introductory prices to give the people an opportunity to try out the amusement park. He added that it was always their intent to increase the prices all along, and that these prices may also rise again in the future. But only time would tell if that would happen.

The boys were somewhat disappointed that they didn’t have as many chances to win a plush toy, but they understood that their ‘dad’ was in business to make money, and they had to understand that the prices were still reasonable, as people were still paying to play.

After not winning at any of those three games, the group walked over to the Ring Toss and the Ball in the Cup games and they all saw there were also slight changes in their prices, too.

At the Ring Toss, to try to get a plastic ring on over the neck of a glass bottle, it once cost $5.00 for a small bucket and $10.00 for a large bucket. Those prices stayed the same, but the player could now increase their chances and get two large buckets and a small bucket for just $20.00. The boys wondered how many people would pay the $20.00.

And at the Ball in the Cup game, where it had cost $2.00 for 5 whiffle balls and $10.00 for 25 whiffle balls, to try to get one ball into the one gold cup, or three blue cups or six red cups, in the field of 375 cups, would now cost the player $5.00 for 10 whiffle balls, but they would still get 25 whiffle balls for their $10.00. The boys did notice that the prizes stayed the same with the gold cup giving the super large plush prize, the blue cups giving the medium prize, and the red cups giving the smallest prize.

The adults laughed as Mr. Ken brought out his wallet and told the boys they he would give each boy $10.00 and they had to decide how they would spend it. He told them they could pool their money and try to ring the glass bottle, or just go for the ball in the right colored cup.

Levi also took out $10.00 for his son, Mark, and told him he could pool his money with one of his ‘brothers’, but if they won, they would have to decide who got the prize. The other boys heard that simple explanation and they all decided to play for themselves. But they all didn’t play the same game.

Billy and Phillip did decide to pool their money on the Ring Toss, agreeing that whomever threw the ring on the bottle got to keep the prize. They figured with all the plastic rings they would get for their combined $20.00 one of them should get at least one ring on a bottle neck. And that they would have fun doing it, too.

Mark and Matthew heard what Billy and Phillip were going to do and they talked about doing that as well. They talked it over with Mark’s parents and Mr. Ken to get their take on the Pros and Cons of doing it that way. Then after some careful consideration the two Covers decided to go that route, too.

Robert, Charles and Eric each decided that they would use their $10.00 to each get 25 whiffle balls and try to get at least one ball in one of the 10 winning cups out of 375 cups on the grid.

The adults stood back and some watched the boys toss the plastic rings to help decide whose ring landed over the bottle’s neck, while the others watched to see which ball landed in a winning cup.

Mark and Phillip were watched by Levi and Miriam, as they tossed their plastic rings, along with Mr. Ken and Collin, who watched Billy and Phillip. Judy, Dennis and Dan watched Robert, Charles and Eric lob their whiffle balls onto the 375-cup grid to ensure whichever ball landed in a wining cup went to the rightful owner.

It took longer for the four boys to pitch all of their plastic rings than it did the boys who were tossing their whiffle balls onto the grid. But in the end, all of the boys won something.

Billy, Phillip, Mark and Matthew all won large plush animals that they now got to carry around and show everyone that it was possible to win at that game. Mark, was over-the-top that he had won, and his smile was a mile wide. And as for Phillip, this was his second win at the Ring Toss game.

At the Ball in the Cup game, Robert won a small plush toy, Charles won a medium plush toy and so did Eric. All three were happy with their wins, but they all wished that they had won the large plush animal that was sitting up in the corner of the booth.

Out in the parking lot the group all said their goodnights and goodbyes. Mark thanked Mr. Ken for another great trip and Miriam thanked the man for allowing her to travel with him and her son, and to let her experience his five amusement parks. She especially thanked him for letting her have that special time with her son. The woman cried as she hugged the man and thanked him for what he had done for her and Mark.

Dan also thanked his friend for another great trip. He told Ken that it made him feel young again, if only for those five to seven days. The man added that it was well worth the early mornings and long days, but the fun with the boys will be with him, forever.

Dennis also thanked his employer for the opportunity to travel with him and his family. He told the man that, even at his advanced age, he still enjoyed riding the roller coasters and the thrill rides, and he thinks that is what is helping him stay youthful at heart, and in good shape, because keeping up with the boys does give him an aerobic workout. Everyone laughed.

Judy told her friend Ken that she couldn’t thank him enough for everything that he’s done for her son, Eric. She said that from the very beginning, he always treated Eric like a nephew>; he gave the boy a father figure/mentor and two ‘older brothers’ to help him grow up and mature into the fine young man he is turning out to be. Judy then hugged Ken and she came away with some tears in her eyes, as well.

Once everyone was finished thanking Mr. Ken, they all headed to their own vehicles and headed home. Billy drove the Covers back to their home, and Mr. Ken told them not to bother with a meeting that night, but for them to head up to their rooms, get ready for bed and that he’d be up shortly to say goodnight.

Mr. Ken didn’t linger in any of the boys’ rooms that night. He thanked them all for being the great boys that they were; that they should all get a good night’s rest and he’d see them in the morning.

All of the Covers had a very long day that Saturday. From getting up early, flying for three hours, riding for ninety minutes to get home, then going out for school shoes, then dinner and finishing the night off at the Four Corners Amusement Park, when they all finally fell asleep, it was a good hard, fast sleep and they barely moved throughout the night. The Cove was a quiet and serene place the whole night through.

Ken Thomas woke up Sunday morning still feeling tired. It had been a long week of visits to his five amusement parks, then one last, long night of taking the boys to his Four Corners Amusement Park when he should have been home relaxing. He just hoped he wouldn’t over sleep as he did the last time, he felt that tire.

The man got out of bed, used his facilities, went out and got his Sunday newspaper, came in and poured himself a cup of freshly made hot coffee and sat down at the Nook’s table and began to sort the newspaper out as he usually did.

Then he stopped, took out 21 breakfast tacos, placed them in the convection oven and set the timer hoping the tacos would be ready by the time the boys came down for breakfast. He then went back to reading the newspaper.

The boys began trickling down to the Kitchen Nook around nine o’clock. By then, the breakfast tacos were warm and all the boys needed to do was get their drink of choice, take three tacos out of the convection oven, then sit down and eat.

The boys appreciated that their ‘dad’ took the time to set the breakfast tacos in the oven for them and when they’d all eaten, they stopped and gave him a hug and thanked him for doing that for them. Mr. Ken then reminded Phillip that he needed to take care of Chief.

When Phillip went down to the Great Room to get Chief’s two bowls, he wasn’t prepared to see how big the seven puppies had grown since he’d last seen them.

“‘Dad’, ‘dad’” yelled Phillip, as he ran up the stairs to the Kitchen Nook.

“Where’s the fire, son?” chuckled ‘dad’ Ken.

“Have you seen how big the puppies have gotten, since we left?” asked the young Cover.

After hearing the question, the other boys, along with ‘dad’ Ken all headed to the Great Room to check on the puppies.

“Why didn’t we check on them last night?” asked Phillip.

‘Dad’ Ken thought about the question for a few moments and then offered, “I think it was because it was so late when we got home and I was so tired that I just sent you all up to your rooms and I’d totally forgotten about Chief and her family.

“But, yes, look how much they have grown and they all have their eyes open now and they are all trying to walk some. I’ll bet that by Wednesday of next week, when you boys get home from school the pups will be walking some. Then the fun will really begin around here,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.

“What do you mean by ‘the fun will really begin around here’, dad,” asked Charles.

The teen’s dad explained that when the seven puppies begin walking, they will scamper all around the Great Room and they will pee and poop whenever and wherever they choose. And ‘dad’ Ken added that everyone will get to help clean it all up. Then he laughed.

Mr. Wayne came into the house just then and he saw that everyone was down in the Great Room, so he took that time to explain to all of the Covers that he had begun to wean the puppies off of Chief feeding them. The Estate Master told them how he had been preparing some softened puppy food for them and now that he has the boys there, they can help him feed the hungry brood.

Mr. Wayne went on to tell the boys that he bought some special puppy growth food that he mixes with warm puppy formula to soften it so it was easier for the pups to eat. The Estate Master told the Covers that the puppies have begun to grow their puppy teeth and can eat that food.

Mr. Wayne said that he sometimes puts the food on his finger to let the pups take it, but he has to be careful that they don’t bite his finger as their teeth are sharp. The man told the boys that the puppies’ teeth are beginning to hurt Chief’s nipples and he needed to give the pups this new food and wean them off of her milk.

The man told the boys to go and get their showers and then come down to the Great Room and he’ll show them how to help feed the pups, as this is something that they’ll have to do for a few weeks until the pups can just go to the bowl and feed themselves.

A half-hour later the five boys, and Collin, came down to the Great Room and Mr. Wayne had the puppy food ready for them, with which they could help feed the seven hungry puppies. He had them all put a little on the tip of their finger and offer it to one of the pups. He told them not to let the pup put the whole finger in their mouth, but to see it they would lick it first, rather than bite to get it.

After some trial and error, the boys got the hang of it. Yes, a few of the boys got their fingers bit, a little, and they complained a lot. But the boys laughed during the experience and they loved the fact that they finally got to interact with the puppies, some. The one thing that they didn’t like about doing that was that the feeding was required 4 or 5 times a day.

After the pups were fed, the next thing the boys saw was that a few of the pups began to poop. Mr. Wayne laughed and told the boys that with dogs that is how their system works. That after they eat, they have a tendency for their bowls to empty and that as they get older, they won’t poop as often, but for now the pups will poop about 4 or 5 times a day and it will have to be cleaned up.

After the boys helped clean up the poop and pee, they headed up to the Pavilion to wait for their friends. School began that Wednesday, so this was one of the last times they would have the chance to enjoy The Cove.

When Phillip’s friends arrived, they wanted to know if he would be able to play with them.

What the young Cover told them about, though, was that the seven puppies now had their eyes open and that today they got the chance to help feed them. Phillip then told his band mates what they did and that sometimes the puppy bit their finger and it hurt because their puppy teeth were very sharp.

The band mates wanted to know why they were doing that. So, Phillip told them that with the puppy now having their first teeth they were beginning to bite Chief’s nipples and they were hurting her and they needed to wean them off them suckling and to begin eating soft foods until they could eat regular puppy food.

Phillip told his friends that it was fun getting to do that, but that afterwards the pups began to poop and pee and that it wasn’t fun having to clean it all up. The band mates all laughed at Phillip and told him that maybe next time Mr. Ken will have second thoughts about Chief having another litter.

While the boys were talking with their friends up at the Pavilion, Mr. Ken sat down with Wayne and asked him to talk to him about what happened at the Cove while he was gone.

Wayne told his employer that it was strangely quiet at The Cove with only him, Chris, Chief, and her brood of seven pups, there. Wayne told Mr. Ken that he and Chief talked about the pups and he changed the padding as needed and that was almost every day as the puppies were eating more and soiling the whelping box more.

Wayne also told his boss that he enjoyed the peace and quiet and while everyone was gone, he got caught up on some reading, his bills, laundry and he just relaxed between taking care of the puppies. Wayne also said that the veterinarian stopped by on Thursday to check on Chief and her family.

Wayne added that it was the vet who suggested that he start fixing the softened food for the puppies and begin weaning them off Chief’s nipples, as their teeth were coming in and they would start nipping at their mom’s nipples and hurting her. The man also said that the vet talked about giving the pups their first shots in about three weeks and they needed to schedule that.

The Estate Master also told Mr. Ken that they needed to buy some chew toys for the puppies to have when they have that need to chew. Wayne also suggested that they buy a pen of some type to try to keep the pups in an enclosed area. The man reasoned that as they grow and walk more, they will want to explore and their wandering all over the Great Room and making a mess with their bodily releases will not be good for the house.

Wayne also told his boss that beginning next weekend they might begin taking the puppies outside for a few minutes twice a day, if there is time, to let them get some sun and to get exposed to a new environment. He also suggested letting the boys play with the pups some, but not over-stimulating them at first.

Mr. Ken asked if Bruce Price had called about seeing the puppies. Wayne said that he had, but that he told the owner of Sully, the sire of the pups, that he couldn’t see them until the sixth week and the vet had pronounced them all healthy. Wayne added that Mr. Price told him that he wasn’t happy with that, but that he told him that his employer was away and that he would have to speak to him if he wanted to change that decision.

The Estate Master did tell his employer that he let Judy come by and look over the puppies. He said that she was just interested in seeing what colors they had and which one she might get. He told Mr. Ken that she did tell him that she was getting the one nobody wanted. Wayne also said that Chris has been watching the pups grow and that he has one in mind for his home, but knows that Price gets his two first and it could be gone in a flash.

Mr. Ken laughed at Chris and Judy picking out their puppy when they aren’t even close to the first ones to pick. The owner of The Cove told Wayne that Price does get his two first, then he gets one for The Cove, then the Goldersons, then Chris, then Ben and that Judy gets the one left over. Wayne just shook his head and smiled at the picking order.

Mr. Ken then told Wayne that Kate’s boys begged him to let them have any puppy that no one wanted. He told the man that Kate shook her head that she did not want a puppy in the house. Wayne agreed that a new puppy in that house with those boys so young would leave Kate and Edith the sole care givers and they wouldn’t want that on top of what Kate is dealing with. Mr. Ken agreed with that assessment.

Up at the Pavilion, the young Cover, in answering his band mates’ question if he was able to play with them, said that he hadn’t picked up a guitar all week, and today would be the first time. He told them that he hoped that his shoulder would be healed enough that he could handle the weight of the guitar on it and play as he was tired of not being able to.

So, the band opened the Pavilion garage, turned the amplifiers and PA system on, then tuned their guitars. Bryce then helped Phillip put his guitar over his shoulder to see if it could hold the weight. When they rested the guitar on the shoulder, Phillip said that it didn’t hurt as much as it had that first time, but it still had some soreness there, but that he was good to go for at least a little while.

Phillip tuned his guitar and then the band began to play. The young Cover had to get his fingers back into that callousness that a player has after playing for so long. He had lost some of his, by not playing for almost two weeks, and he could tell that he needed to play every day to get that back, so his fingers didn’t feel sore.

The rest of the boys did what they always did when they came over to The Cove. The ones responsible for cooking got the tomatoes, onions and lettuce ready, as well as filling the ketchup, mustard and ice dispensers. The others went and drove the PWCs, or sailed, or played King of the Rafts, or got towed behind the Sea-Doo, until one of the dinner bells was rung.

And while the boys did all that, they talked to their Cover friends about their trip to find out if anything interesting happened. The only thing the Covers mentioned to them was that the prices at the Four Corners Amusement Park had changed from when the park had its first ‘soft’ opening a few weeks back.

When it was time to eat, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne came up to the Pavilion to eat with the boys and also talk to them about school starting that coming Wednesday. Mr. Ken wanted to remind them about the hours they could come over when school started and that he would have his Labor Day Picnic that Saturday of the three-day weekend and for them to tell their parents, so they could plan for it.

Before he went down to his Study, Mr. Ken stopped to talk to Phillip about his shoulder and his playing his guitar. The young Cover told his ‘dad’ that his shoulder was sore some, but that he needed to play some. Phillip did tell the man that he wasn’t going to play any more today as he had two more days he could play before school started. ‘Dad’ Ken thanked the boy for not over doing it right away and then gave him a quick hug and then he left to go to his Study.

After the boys cleaned up after the barbeque, the band went swimming. Phillip decided not to over stress his shoulder, after having the guitar hanging on it for the past ninety minutes, or so. His friends told him that they’ve missed his playing and him swimming with them and they hoped that by next weekend things will begin to change.

Phillip told them that he is not going to rush things and hurt his shoulder even more and that he’ll be back with them when it was time. The young Cover then reminded them that he was supposed to go back living with his mom after Labor Day, so that their plying without him, these past two weeks, was good practice for them to know how good they will be as a band, when he isn’t around anymore.

After the boy’s friends went home at six o’clock, the Covers went out to dinner, Billy drove. They decided not to stop at Four Corners, as the parking lot looked pretty full. So, they drove to a fast-food restaurant and had Tex-Mex for dinner.

It was while they were eating that Mr. Ken told Bill that he was going to take him out tomorrow, after dinner, and the two of them would start looking for a replacement car for the Taurus. Robert quickly asked if he could tag along, but the teen’s dad said that this was just for him and Bill to do.

When the Covers returned back to The Cove, during their usual meeting in the Study, Mr. Ken reminded the boys that they all had dentist appointments tomorrow beginning at ten o’clock. He then told Phillip that Mr. Wayne got him an appointment with Doctor Doug on Tuesday morning at ten, as well. The boy’s ‘dad’ also told them that they hadn’t gotten around to having their summer fire drill, but Mr. Chris would try to get one scheduled for a weekend and then he’d let them know.

‘Dad’ Ken then asked the boys to honestly talk to him about their recent trip. They all looked back and forth to one another before anyone spoke. The first one to speak was Phillip. He told his ‘dad’ that he enjoyed the trip as it was probably his last one, and he wanted to ride as many of the rides as he could. He admitted that he did ride some rides that his shoulder did hurt him some, but that he just felt like he had to.

Matthew spoke up next and he told his dad that the trip felt too rushed. The pre-teen said that they’d done that before, but for some reason this time they got to the parks late and left early and even though they rode the best rides it just didn’t feel as good as it had before.

Robert told his dad that he likes visiting the parks, but that he would rather have done it at a slower pace, as Matthew sort of indicated. The teen then added that he might not want to go three times each year as they have been. The teenager said that maybe once a year for him is going to be enough now that he is older.

Billy went next and he agreed with Robert. He told his foster dad that the trips have been awesome for him, since he never got to do anything like that before his living there at The Cove. But now that he’s gone a few times, the allure has worn off for him and going to maybe ride his new rides would be all he would be interested in doing in the future.

Charles was the last boy to speak about the trip. He told his dad that he enjoyed the trip, as he wants to eventually run one of his parks one day. The teen said that every chance he gets to visit one of the parks, he looks at how they are doing something, or he thinks about how he might do it differently.

‘Dad’ Ken thanked his boys for being honest with him. He told them that maybe next year they would only do one big trip and then he could either go by himself or only take those who want to go. He qualified himself on that issue and added that he’d have to wait and see what was happening at the time.

‘Dad’ Ken then asked the boys to go up to their rooms and told them that he’d be up there shortly. He did ask Phillip to give Chief some fresh water, first, before he went to his room.

In Bill’s room, the teenager told his foster dad that he was surprised when he learned that they’d be going out to look for a new vehicle for him to drive. All ‘dad’ Ken did was smile and tell the teen that they wouldn’t necessarily buy the first car they see.

Robert told his dad that he was disappointed that he wasn’t getting to go with him when they went looking for a new vehicle for The Cove. His dad had to remind his son that he rarely did anything with Bill and this is one of those things that he felt that he should do with the teen.

Dad Ken reminded the teenager that he has five boys in the house that he has to juggle to do things with and he can’t do everything with all of them. Robert was still upset about the decision, but the two still hugged before the teen’s dad left the room.

In Charles’ room, the teen added to his observation to their trip, that he really wants to work at one of his dad’s parks when he turns sixteen, so he can get first hand work experience and begin to learn what it takes to run the park. The teen’s dad told Charles that he understands what he wants and he told him that when he turns sixteen, they would discuss it. Charles said that he would hold his dad to that. The two hugged and the man headed to Matthew’s room.

Matthew was the easy one to talk with. ‘Dad’ Ken knew the only thing that the pre-teen wanted was to be adopted and make The Cove his forever home. It wasn’t brought up in their short talk, but the pre-teen did enjoy the one-on-one talk and the closeness he had with the man and the hug he received before ‘dad’ Ken went on to Phillip’s room.

The first thing that the young Cover asked his ‘dad’ was if there was any chance that he could go back to living with his mom sooner than Labor Day. ‘Dad’ Ken told the youngster that he understood that his mom had to hold a job for the minimum of four weeks before the judge would review her case and the week before Labor Day was the fourth week.

The man asked Phillip to not stress out over when he would go back to living with his mom. The foster dad told the boy that the time will fly by if he doesn’t think about it so much. He again asked the boy to enjoy what he has there and to do his best in school when it starts and before he knows it, he and his mom will be back together.

Phillip hugged his ‘dad’ and with tears in his eyes told the man that he loves living there with him and his ‘brothers’, but he just can’t wait to be back living with his mom again. ‘Dad’ Ken told the boy that he understood, that it will happen and he just needed to be patient.

The man told the boy to go drain his dragon, as he walked out of the room. Collin was waiting for his Big Bro at the top of the stairs. The young man asked why his Big Bro never asked about him and Jasmine. Big Bro Ken honestly told Collin that he was an adult and that it was none of his business what he did with that young woman.

Collin told his Big Bro that he felt that he needed some guidance and that he felt that he was the only person he could go to and get some honest advice and maybe to help him focus on how he should proceed.

The young man’s Big Bro told Collin if that was what he wanted him to do, then they needed to make some time and sit down and talk about what issues he was having with Jasmine and their relationship. Collin smiled and quickly asked when they could do that.

Ken Thomas knew he had to help his ‘little brother’. But he also had five other boys who needed him and he had to try to fit Collin into the mix. He told Collin he would see what he could do, and left it at that. The two hugged and went in their own direction.

Ken Thomas was glad when he finally arrived in his own retreat. He got himself ready for bed and when he laid down, he was so tired that he fell right to sleep. The Cove was quiet the entire night.

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

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