Published: 27 Mar 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

The man then sat back to review what his life was like before Collin, and the rest of the boys came into it; he knew that it was boring and dull. And, yes, since their arrival over the last five years, there have been some very low points, many heartaches and tons of tears. But they were, by far, outnumbered by the joy, the love, the laughs and the satisfaction of making all of those boy’s lives better, and he knew it was all worth every minute of it.

Ken Thomas then looked at the time, and knew he also needed to get to bed. So, he turned off the lights in the Study, and headed to his retreat to drain his own dragon, and then crawl into his large bed and get a good night’s rest. He did, and so did the rest of the Covers.

Ken Thomas woke up at his usual weekend time, that Sunday morning, he used his master bathroom facilities and then dressed in his usual Crocs, running shorts and t-shirt before going out to retrieve his Sunday morning newspaper.

Then, once back inside, he placed the newspaper on the table, as he went over to the coffee machine to get his first cup of hot coffee before sitting down to take the paper out of the protective sleeve, and then he began separating it into the sections, as was his habit.

Atop the masthead of the front page was a teaser headline that caught the man’s eye. This teaser mentioned there’d been another south county fire, and the owner of The Cove immediately went to Section B, Local Section, and read about the fire.

The article revealed that the fire happened early Saturday morning, as many people slept and it was the fourth fire that month. It went on to say that the fire in another vacant building appeared to be started by someone who obviously loved to watch fires, and the subsequent excitement that they created. And again, the Fire Marshall indicated that the firebug used the same method to start the fire, and that it would ultimately be used to identify the person, or persons, who are responsible for all of the fires.

After reading about the fire, ‘dad’ Ken decided he’d better put some breakfast tacos in the convection oven for ‘his’ boys, so that they had something to eat other than cereal or toast. So, the man got out eighteen of Momma’s bacon, egg and cheese breakfast tacos and started the oven.

The boys started sprinkling into the Kitchen Nook a little after nine o’clock that Sunday morning. The first to arrive were Matthew, along with Sarge, and Phillip, with Chief at his heels. They both said good morning to their ‘dad’ and then they took their resident pet outside to let them get rid of any excess water.

While the two younger Cover boys were outside, Charles came into the Nook, said good morning to his dad, gave him a hug, asked him what was for breakfast, and then wanted to know if it was too late to go out for breakfast.

The teen’s dad smiled back at him and told Charles to look in the convection oven, and to check how much time was left before the breakfast tacos were warm enough to eat. The teen smiled back at his dad, went over to the convection oven, and smelled the wonderful aroma of Momma Maria’s bacon, egg and cheese breakfast tacos, and saw that there were eight minutes left before the timer would ring.

By then Matthew, Phillip, Chief and Sarge came into the Kitchen Nook, and the two younger boys began fixing their pets fresh food and water. Billy and Robert came into the Nook then, too, and asked what was for breakfast.

Charles answered and told his ‘brothers’ that they were not going out for breakfast and that the tacos would be done in about five minutes. The two older teens told ‘dad’ Ken good morning and then went about getting their preferred drink, so they would be ready for when the tacos were ready for them to sit down and eat.

It was then they all heard a loud bark coming from Chief.

“What’s that all about?” asked Charles, with a smile on his face.

“Oh, I forgot to put some ice cubes in her water,” answered Phillip, who was putting the ice in the water dish, as he explained why the resident pet barked.

It was then everyone heard a high-pitched yelp. Matthew, without saying a word, went and put a few ice cubes in Sarge’s water bowl, too. Everyone laughed, as they watched the two resident pets lap up the cooler water. Then Chief barked once again, and when Phillip looked, he saw that she had drunk about half of her bowl of water, and wanted more.

Phillip quickly went and added more water and some additional ice cubes, as well, knowing Chief would want them. And without saying a word, Matthew did the same for Sarge, because the resident puppy was only mimicking what his mother was wanting, and the Cover wanted to show how much he cared for his charge.

The convection oven bell rang, while all that was happening, and the boys hurried to get their three tacos, so they could eat breakfast. ‘Dad’ Ken heard the commotion from behind his paper, and only smiled at what was going on there in the Kitchen Nook.

As they ate, the boys talked about what they were going to do today. Phillip asked Charles if he would take him out sailing again some time. The teenager told his ‘brother’ that he could do it later today, but the younger Cover told his ‘brother’ that he and his band were going to choose their band name today, and he better be there. All the boys wished him good luck in picking the right name for their band.

Billy was talking about how lonely it was at The Cove over the weekends, now that all of his friends had jobs. He told his ‘brothers’ that even though they didn’t all work over the weekends they had homework, and things they needed to do around their own house for their parents.

Robert added that he also misses his friends stopping by The Cove, who are now working over at Four Corners. The teenager said he catches up with them at school, but that it isn’t the same. He lamented that he couldn’t wait until he could start working. The teen then added that even Phillip will start working before he will, when he plays at those two gigs his band has.

When dad Ken heard that comment he knew he needed to take some time and sit down with his son and talk about him working. He then realized that if he did that with Robert, he also needed to talk with Bill, because he couldn’t treat the boys differently, because one was his son and the other was a foster.

It was Matthew who asked Phillip, “Phil … what names are you guys thinking of naming your band?”

Phillip smiled and told his ‘brothers’ that they had narrowed the band names down to Point of Departure, Pavilion, Period of Transition and Lakeside Boys.

The four other Covers started asking Phillip how they came up with those four names. The youngster told them that they just started brainstorming names, and Bryce kept a record of them and, over time, they deleted some and yesterday they narrowed the list down to those four.

Robert asked his ‘brother’ which one he liked. Phillip said that he liked them all, but that he preferred Pavilion.

That selection surprised everyone including Mr. Ken, who asked where that name came from.

Phillip told the Covers, “Pavilion … it … well, it was where the band started. And it, the Pavilion, means the most to me, as that was where ‘dad’ Ken … he let me start the band there, and it is where we practice every day. That’s why I like the name, Pavilion, as the name for the band. I just don’t know what the other six guys like, though.”

Phillip’s ‘brothers’ didn’t say anything after their younger ‘brother’ explained why he liked the name ‘Pavilion’, as the name for his band. Then all of a sudden, the boys all said they liked the name, too. Even ‘dad’ Ken agreed that the name had some sort of uniqueness to it.

The boys then looked at the time and decided they needed to get showered and ready for their friends to come over for the day. As they were leaving, ‘dad’ Ken told them that Phillip’s friend’s parents would be stopping by to talk with him for a few minutes, and he asked them not to bother him, until they saw them leave. The boys said that they would wait, unless it was an emergency, and then they laughed.

As the boys walked up the stairs, Charles asked Phillip if he knew why their dad was going to talk with his friends’ parents. Phillip told them he thought it had to do with his friends getting a coin, just as all their friends had. The older Covers looked at one another and they agreed that it was about time that they all got a coin. The boys then went and got their showers and dressed for the day.

When the boys went to get ready for the day, Ken Thomas figured he should go and do the same. He knew if he didn’t leave the Kitchen Nook, he’d get so involved in the newspaper that time would get away from him, and then the parents would be there, and he’d still be dressed in his crocs, t-shirt and nylon shorts.

The Covers’ friends began arriving close to twelve, noon. Ken Thomas was up at the Main Gate as Phillip’s friends’ parents arrived. They had parked in the parking lot just outside the gate, and Mr. Ken asked them to wait until all of the parents were there. Once all of the moms and dads were present, ‘dad’ Ken had his boys drive them down to the house, where he had them all meet down in the Great Room.

“Thank you all for coming, today, began Ken Thomas, as he addressed all of the parents of Phillips friends.

“Let me explain why I asked you all here.” Ken Thomas then brought out a coin and showed it to them.

“You see this commemorative coin? I gave one of these to all of my ‘sons’, and their friends.” He then passed one out to each of the parents.

“Take a look at it. It’s just a simple commemorative coin, with the outline of the state of Texas on one side, and the Texas State flag on the other. However, … it is much more than that.

“You see … I wanted to create a simple device that I, and parents … that I and my ‘sons’ friend’s parents could give their kids, so that if they ever needed to find them, if they went missing, they could easily find them with the help of the authorities.

“So, I had my electronics company develop this oversized silver dollar type coin that when squeezed, between the thumb and forefinger, will cause a reaction that creates a battery that will begin to send out a signal, which will be picked up by overhead satellites.

“All of my ‘boys’, and their friends, with the exception of your sons, have them, and the coins have successfully been used … five times,” explained the owner of The Cove.

Hearing that the special commemorative coin that they were holding was successfully used five times got all of the parents quickly talking, and asking questions about why and how the coin was used.

“Please let me explain. The coin … I had it designed as a prototype potential security device for people, who needed a special way to notify the authorities, without the abductor knowing about it.

“Anyway, as you can see the coin … it is quite large. But remember … it is only a prototype. To continue, the plan was to let my boys test them, so I gave each of them a coin and the plan was to test them over the Holidays. Well … one of my boys … he was at an appointment when … when he went missing.

“Wayne, my Estate Master, … he was with him at the time, and as usual, the boys use the restroom after their appointment. But when the boy didn’t return to the doctor’s office, Wayne … he immediately called me to let me know what had happened, and all he could do, at that time, was to begin a search of the building. I, in turn, called my friend Lt. Fischer, and he sent some patrol cars over to help in the search.

“Anyway, my ‘son’ … he ultimately squeezed his coin, the signal was sent up to the satellite, the electronics company called me, and using the signal we found my ‘son’. The Sheriff Deputies arrested the person who had abducted my ‘boy’,” explained Mr. Ken.

“But you said that the coin was successfully used five times. What about the other four?” asked Lauren Harris, Bryce’s mom.

“Yes, the other four times. Just recently … you remember the melee at The Mall restroom, where a boy … he was stabbed, and another was also injured? Well, both of the boys who were injured … they each had coins, and they both squeezed them.

“Another time … the boy … he was out of the state. The coin was squeezed, the signal went up to the satellite and the police were called, and the boy’s father was sent to jail.

“One other time … a bunch of people … they did a home invasion … the boy squeezed his coin and ultimately the people were caught.

“Please keep in mind that this coin, if you agree, is a special security device that I want your sons to have. It is not something that you go out and tell everyone about, because it then loses the need for it, as everyone will know about them, and who has them. So, my question for you today is … will you agree to allow your sons … will you allow him to have one of these special coins?” directly asked Ken Thomas.

The parents began talking amongst themselves. They were discussing whether or not they wanted their sons to have this special commemorative coin, that could possibly save them from abductors, or other harm.

Donald Jenkins was all for it. He told everyone that as a vice-president at a circuit board company his son could very well be a target for abductors, and this coin could be a saving grace for him. He just wished he could get one for his sister, too. Warren Harris, who owned his own business, agreed that having such a device for his son, would be a worry off his mind.

London Bryant commented, “So, they really do work, then?”

“Yes … yes, they do! And, I want each of your sons to have one. Just as each of my other ‘sons’ friends have one,” replied Mr. Ken.

The parents talked some more and before long they all agreed to let their sons each have a coin. So, with that decision made, Mr. Ken called Phillip, and asked him to bring all of his bandmates down to the Great Room. Hearing that he needed to bring his friends down to the Great Room meant to the young Cover that his friends were getting a coin.

When all of the boys were seated in the Great Room, Mr. Ken addressed them.

“Boys … the reason your parents were invited to talk to me today was because of this,” started out Ken Thomas, as he showed the boys a commemorative coin. He then had their parents pass the one that he’d given them to look at earlier, to their son.

“Hey … this is just like the coin I’ve seen Phil play with at times,” spoke up Jeffrey Jenkins.

All the boys looked over the two-sided over-sized keepsake coin, and as they did, Mr. Ken told them not to squeeze it. Of course, that statement had the boys asking him why they shouldn’t do that.

“OK, boys …there are a few reasons why you are getting one of these commemorative coins. The first is … Phillip … he asked me to give each one of you a coin. Secondly … your parents … they all agreed that you could have this special keepsake. And, thirdly … thirdly, this coin … this coin is a special security device that when squeezed … that when squeezed will cause an internal battery to be created, and it will then send a signal up to a satellite, which will pinpoint where you are located.

“Boys … I had this coin created as a prototype security device that could potentially find someone, if they were ever in trouble, or lost, etcetera. This coin has been used successfully five times, so I know it works. Now … one thing about the coin is you are not to play with it. And, you are not to tell anyone about the coin.

“And, boys, if someone sees and asks you about it, you just tell them that I gave it to you. As you all can see, it has the outline of the state of Texas on one side, and the Texas State flag on the other. And you just tell them that I bought up the remaining production, and I gave them to all my sons, and their friends. Any questions?” finished Mr. Ken.

“Now, I haven’t registered the coin as of yet. But I will do so after you parents sign the consent form. Then from that point on … if you are ever in trouble … trouble like being abducted, in a crash out in a desolate area, being attacked by older boys, that you can’t get away from. I think you know what I am saying, and I think you’ll know when to squeeze your coin. And remember … it is NOT a play toy.”

As the parents were filling out the registration forms, Mr. Ken asked Phillip if the band had chosen a name yet. All the boys heard the question and they all said in unison, “Pavilion!”

Hearing that the boys all chose the name that Phillip liked the best made Mr. Ken smile. The parents also heard the name the boys had chosen, and they all liked it, too.

Before long the forms were filled out, and Mr. Ken called the new names into Diamond Security Services. He then explained to all the families that Diamond Security Services monitored the coins for their activation, who in turn calls the Sheriff’s office to dispatch a deputy.

When the hoopla was all over, Mr. Ken called his boys to bring the golf carts down to the house, so they could drive the moms and dads back up to their vehicles. But Robert reminded his dad that it was time for the barbeque, so Mr. Ken asked the moms and dads if they wanted to stay for a burned hot dog or hamburger.

With the added adults to the barbeque, the Pavilion took on a party atmosphere. All of the adults went through first, and the moms and dads were again surprised what their sons got to eat every time they were at The Cove. And since that was a sleepover weekend, there was leftover crisp bacon and cheese for the burgers along with chips and pickles for their plates.

The conversation at the Pavilion tables centered around the bandmates getting their coins earlier. And with the new boys getting their coins, they began hearing the stories of when they had been used to ‘save the day’.

The band members didn’t believe the stories, at first. That was until Matthew told them that he was the first one to use his coin when his mother, who was just released from custody, tried to abduct him from his doctor appointment.

The parents’ heard what Matthew had just said, and putting two and two together realized that what Mr. Ken had told them about one of his ‘sons’ being at a doctor appointment, and using his coin was true, and that it was Matthew.

It was then Matthew told the boys that he was living with his dad out in Colorado when his father beat him up because he couldn’t get a hold of his Trust Fund, due to the way ‘dad’ Ken had set it up. And, again, the parents knew that it was Matthew who was the boy that used the coin to get the police to arrest the man.

After a lull in the story telling, Richard Longger spoke up and told the boys how he and David Fritzer were attacked at The Mall Food Court restroom last summer, and they both had used their coins, as well. The teen didn’t go into any details, but the parents knew now that they had made a good decision to let their sons have the coins, as they just heard from three people who had actually used the keepsake coin to essentially save their lives.

The conversation then turned to the band finally picking a name. The parents knew what the name was, but the rest of the boys didn’t know, so they pestered the band members to tell them. Phillip was elected to reveal the band’s new name.

“OK, after a few weeks of thinking of names that we wanted to call our band, today … today we finally chose from the four remaining names: Point of Departure, Pavilion, Period of Transition and Lakeside Boys.

“It was a difficult decision as there were seven of us. We first eliminated Lakeside Boys because eventually we won’t be boys any longer, and when we are teens; we didn’t want to still be thought of as boys. Point of Departure was eliminated next mainly because … well, it didn’t mean anything to us. It sounded good, but it had no meaning to any of us.

“That left us with Period of Transition and Pavilion, both of which did have meaning to us. Period of Transition … it means that we will be moving from boyhood to eventually being teens. And, as for Pavilion, well … it means … this is where we all put it together, here at this Pavilion.

“We argued amongst ourselves over those two names, for quite some time,” continued the young Cover, dragging out the revealing the new name of the band.

“Come on! Tell us the name of the band, will ya!” yelled out someone.

“OK, ok, the name of the band will be … drum roll please (Jeff, the bands drummer, beat out a drum roll on the table he was at.) … Pavilion!” announced Phillip.

“Pavilion? What kind of name is that?” yelled out someone.

“Pavilion. It represents where we, our band, started,” shot back Phillip. “You all know that it is here, that we came together. And Pavilion … it expresses who we are, and where (And Phillip looks up and waves his hand indicating the Pavilion.) we come from. And … it embodies our musical qualities, skill and spirit, as a new and upcoming band,” clarified the young Cover.

With that all said, the band members all got up, went to the garage, tuned up their guitars and began to play. They played what they would play at their first gig towards the end of October. It was now past three o’clock, and before long all of the boys would be leaving to go home, as it being a Sunday; they all had to be gone by five, as they all had school tomorrow.

The parents, realizing how late it was, all decided to stay around and listen to their sons play. But they all decided to go over and sit at the conversation pit. Billy, seeing there weren’t enough seats for all of the moms and dads, had some of the boys take the other conversation pit over so there was enough seating, so the parents could talk amongst themselves.

Ken Thomas joined in the lively talk that had the parents commenting on what they heard Matthew and Richard say about their using their coins. They also asked Ken why he didn’t mention their names, when he explained the coins use to them. The owner of The Cove told them that he didn’t want to embarrass the boys, and that he didn’t have Mr. Longger’s approval to name his son.

The adults enjoyed the bands playing, as they talked. But before long, the day moved on, and it was time for the band to put away their instruments, and for the boys to go home. The Covers walked their friends to the Main Gate, and Mr. Ken walked the adults over to the parking lot.

Of course, with all of Phillip’s friend’s parents there that Sunday, and all of the other parents coming by to pick up their sons it was crowded at the Main Gate, and loads of conversation happened between the two groups. It took quite some time for the traffic jam to clear up.

Once all of their friends and parents were gone, the Covers headed out for dinner. They didn’t go to the Four Corners Diner, as they knew the parking lot would be crowded with vehicles of people either going to eat there, or going to the amusement park. So, they decided to go to the all you can eat pizza place instead.

The boys all enjoyed going to someplace different, especially the pizza place where they could not only get lots of good pizza and soda, but they could also go to the back of the restaurant and play some games for tickets, which they could exchange for small prizes.

Mr. Ken enjoyed the place not only for the many different pizza combinations that it offered, but that it also presented a nice salad and baked potato bar, along with different macaroni’s and sauces.

After Mr. Ken paid for the seven of them, each of them picked up a plate, loaded it with what they wanted to eat, got a glass and filled it with their preferred drink. Then they found a large enough table for them all to sit at.

As the Covers ate, the boys talked about the band’s new name and that in two weeks they would be going to Fiesta Texas. Phillip had never been to that amusement park, so he asked lots of questions about it. His ‘brothers’ answered his questions, but in the end, they told him to Google the park, and see for himself what was there for him and his friends to do.

When they all had enough to eat, Robert and Charles went to their dad to get him to buy them the game cards, so they could play the games in the back of the restaurant. The game cards could not only be used to play the many ticket awarding arcade amusements, but there were also a few simple rides they could also be used for. The last time they were there Mr. Ken and Phillip rode the air bumper cars.

The boys had a good time at the pizza restaurant eating all the pizza they wanted, and drinking as much soda as their stomachs could hold. They also enjoyed playing the many different arcade games in the back. When it was time to leave, they turned in their winning tickets for small trinkets that ‘dad’ Ken just smiled at what they got.

On the way home, the Covers did stop at Dairy Queen. There Mr. Ken gave Matthew and Phillip money for them to go inside and buy Chief and Sarge their appropriate size dish of soft serve ice cream for the two resident pets to enjoy, when they arrived home.

The two resident pets heard the garage door opening, and they both waited at the Kitchen Nook door leading to the garage, knowing that their boys would soon be coming through. What Chief knew and hoped, and Sarge didn’t, was that her boys usually brought her a dish of vanilla ice cream, when they returned home after going out to eat.

Matthew and Phillip led their ‘brothers’ into the Kitchen Nook, and there waiting for them were Chief and Sarge. The two young Covers told the resident pets to ‘sit’, which they did, as they wanted all of the Covers inside the Nook, when they presented the dishes of ice cream to the resident pets.

They waited until Mr. Ken came inside the Kitchen Nook, and it was he who told the boys to give Chief and Sarge their treats. And upon setting the dishes on the Nook’s floor the two resident pets went at the cold concoction with gusto.

Sarge was thoroughly enjoying the cold treat, even if it was moving all over the Kitchen’s smooth floor, as he lapped at the dish, and then licked at the sweet treat. Chief wasn’t any different, as she was also chasing her dish of ice cream around the floor. And as both resident pets chased their dish the Cover boys laughed.

After the resident pets finished their treats, the Covers retired to the Study where ‘dad’ Ken was going to hold his usual nightly meeting. The boys took their regular chairs, and waited for their ‘dad’ to begin telling them what he had in mind.

“Boys … I took a look at my schedule between now and the Holidays and … well, I want you to know it is very busy. Just so you know, and even though some of these dates also affect you, I have to plan around them, so here goes.

“Beginning in two weeks, with the 3-day weekend there is the trip to Fiesta Texas, and then that Sunday night is the Grand Opening of the Marina Seafood Wharf & Steak House.”

That was the first time the boys heard the name of the new restaurant, and they liked it. They all then asked when they would get the chance to eat there. All ‘dad’ Ken would tell them was it would probably be the following weekend, if he was in town. The boys all booed.

‘Dad’ Ken continued telling his ‘boys’ that he would be gone around the 16th to the 18th of October, as he had a potential trip with Kate. He added after that there was Bill and Robert’s visits to their mothers on the 21^st, and at the end of the month Phillip’s band had two gigs they were booked to play at. After that, he told Phillip that the two of them would begin their trip over the 10^th to 12^th of November, a 3-day weekend. He told the young Cover he better know where he wanted to go before then.

‘Dad’ Ken then told his ‘boys’ that he and Ben Walthers were headed down to Florida to attend the International Attraction and Amusement Park Association Expo (IAAPA) right after that, where they showcase new amusement rides, midway games and foods. Charles spoke up right then and asked his dad if he thought about his going along then, too. The teen’s dad told him to wait and see, as he hadn’t looked that far ahead.

‘Dad’ Ken then reminded the boys that Jules Diamond’s wedding to Eleanor Whittier is scheduled for Saturday the 18^th of November, and beginning that week was also Thanksgiving week. ‘Dad’ Ken then explained that since Collin’s home was still being remodeled, Thanksgiving would be held at The Cove that year.

The boy’s ‘dad’ told them that he was looking to hold his annual Christmas parties on the 22^nd and 23^rd of December. He added that they would have to make sure they had the correct size and color vests, and their Christmas Lists done, and Christmas present shopping done well before then. The boys looked back and forth at one another. Phillip asked Billy what ‘dad’ Ken meant and all the teenager said was that he would explain it to him later.

Continuing, the boys’ ‘dad’ told them he was thinking of visiting a few of his amusement parks just before Christmas, and then visiting the remainder between Christmas and New Years. He told them to look at the school calendar to see if that would work out for them.

Lastly, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys that the New Year’s Eve Party would be like they always were, and they all needed to be ready for that special night. He then told the boys that according to what he read on the school calendar they would return to school that following Monday, the 11^th of January.

“Boy, dad … will you have any time for us?” asked Robert.

“Well … I’ll be home at night. Most nights, anyway,” laughed the teen’s dad.

“You know what I meant, dad,” replied Robert.

“Boys … look … this time of year … you all know that it gets very busy for me, well, maybe not Phillip there. Robert knows that. Charles knows, and so does Matthew. You heard what is on my plate, and much of it involves you guys. So, please work with me on this. OK?” somewhat pleaded ‘dad’ Ken.

The boys said that they understood, and that they would work with his schedule. They asked him to print out his schedule for them, so they would know when he was going to be gone. ‘Dad’ Ken said that he would do that for them, or maybe he’ll have Mr. Chris do it for him. The man then chuckled at his supposed joke.

Later, when ‘dad’ Ken talked to the boys in their bedrooms, Billy told his foster dad that he totally understood that he needed to be gone, as much as he needed to be. He just hoped that it wouldn’t interfere with his going to see his mom. Mr. Ken told the teenager that it was on the schedule, and that he or Mr. Wayne was going to take him.

Robert told his dad that he wished he wasn’t so busy at this time of year. The teen’s dad explained that it was the world of business, and with the Holidays coming up things seem to get squeezed together.

The dad then told his son that his trip to see Kate was because of what Lane had done. He also revealed that he hoped that she and her boys would come around for the 3-day weekend, and would also be there for Thanksgiving.

Robert asked his dad if he really liked Kate, and if he was going to try to marry her. Ken smiled at Robert and told him that he would, but that there were issues that Kate needed to resolve before she would ever consider accepting his marriage proposal.

Robert announced how much he and the other boys liked Kate, and they all hoped that he and she could get married one day. The two hugged, and dad Ken thanked his son for telling him how all the boys felt about Kate.

In Charles’ room, the teen asked his dad, again, if there was some way that he could go to Florida with him and Mr. Walthers. The dad smiled at his son, and stated that taking him out of school for that length of time might not be feasible, as he’d miss so much.

Charles asserted that his grades were really good, and missing three or four days of school wouldn’t hurt, and the experience he’d get would go much further in his development of understanding the operations of the amusement parks that he owned. The teen’s dad smiled and replied that he wasn’t going to guarantee anything, and for now he shouldn’t get his hopes up. The two hugged, and dad Ken moved on to Matthew’s room.

When the man entered Matthew’s room, the pre-teen was working with Sarge on his commands. ‘Dad’ Ken was impressed that the young pup had learned so much. It was then that ‘dad’ Ken remembered that over the three-day weekend they would be watching the Walthers’ puppy, so he got Matthew’s attention.

“Matthew … there was something that I forgot to tell you boys during our meeting. Thursday, before the three-day weekend, the Walthers …they will be dropping their puppy off for us to watch, as they travel to visit three of the amusement parks. Her name is Daisey, and since you are the puppy master, I’m going to ask you to be responsible for her too. Can you handle it?” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

“Yes, ‘dad’, I can handle the two pups. But … who is going to watch them when we go to Fiesta Texas?” now asked Matthew.

“Oh, well, I was going to ask Todd, since he’ll be here to take care of the boats and shoreline. I’ll just ask him to spend the rest of the day and watch over the dogs, and he can feed them and play with them, too. I’ll bet they’d like someone new to be around them,” answered ‘dad’ Ken.

Matthew thanked his ‘dad’ for telling him about Daisy. The two then shared a hug, and ‘dad’ Ken moved onto Phillip’s room.

‘Dad’ Ken found Phillip playing his guitar, when he arrived at the boy’s room.

“Knock, knock, knock,” announced ‘dad’ Ken, as he knocked on the doorframe.

“Oh, come in ‘dad’,” offered the young Cover.

“Will I always be last?” asked Phillip.

“Yes, you will be until I get another foster boy, or your mother asks to take you home,” answered a smiling ‘dad’ Ken.

“Yea, and speaking of my mom, when do you think I can talk with her again?” asked the boy.

“Phillip … I promise when I go to work tomorrow, I’ll try to call her, and see if I can get her to visit you soon. I won’t promise a specific day, but maybe before the weekend is over. Will that work for you?” asked Mr. Ken.

Phillip smiled at hearing the answer, and said that he hoped that his mom would want to talk to him, and finally tell him herself why she decided to let him stay there at The Cove. ‘Dad’ Ken assured the boy that when he talks to his mom, that he will make that a priority for her to talk to him about when they do get together. Phillip thanked the man for saying that he’d do that for him. The two shared a quick hug, before Mr. Ken sent the boy to drain his dragon and then to get to bed.

On his way to his own retreat, Ken Thomas saw that Matthew had Sarge on his lead, and they were headed down the stairs, and presumably outside, so the resident puppy could empty his bladder before going to bed. For that the owner of The Cove was happy.

It had been a full and busy week, and Mr. Ken was looking forward to enjoying sleeping in his big, wonderful king-sized bed. The owner of The Cove was the last Cover to finally fall asleep that night. The Cove’s residents all had a peaceful and restful sleep that night.

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

If you are using webmail please include, on the subject line, [CR] [name of story]. This let’s the author know 2 things: Where you read the story and which story you are writing about.

54,449 views