Published: 12 Jun 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

‘Dad’ Ken hugged the boy and thanked him for all the hard work he’s done with Sarge and Daisy. He asked him to show Rylan and Ryleigh what tricks he taught Daisy, and to get their pup to listen to them before they take her home.

Matthew said that he planned to do that, as it wouldn’t be fair for Daisy to go home and not recognize the voices to the commands. He added he hoped they continue to work with her when they go home, otherwise she will forget everything.

The two hugged and then the man went down to his own retreat.

It had been a long weekend for all of the Covers, and now it was time for them to relax before getting up for school, and work in the morning. When all the Covers finally fell asleep The Cove was peaceful and quiet all night through.

Even though they slept well the night before, the Cover boys felt the previous weekend on their bodies, as they awakened that Tuesday morning. A still sleepy Matthew took the two pups out to drain their bladders, before going back up to get his shower, and then dressed for school. Phillip only had to send Chief out, as she knew the way, before going to his bathroom to get his shower, and then dressed for school.

The two younger boys arrived in the Kitchen Nook together and greeted their ‘dad’ before fixing their dogs’ breakfast, before sitting down to their own breakfast.

‘Dad’ Ken smiled at the way the two boys were still yawning, as they took care of the dogs and then sat eating their breakfast. The conversation at the table wasn’t very lively, since the boys weren’t wide awake as of yet.

“Matthew, remember, the Walthers … they will be here for dinner sometime around 5:30, so please have Daisy ready for them. OK?” spoke ‘dad’ Ken to the puppy master.

Phillip, I hope you have a good day at school. With your band getting another booking you guys should be the talk of the schoolyard,” offered the smiling foster dad.

The two younger Cover boys hadn’t left to catch the school bus for very long before the three teenagers came down to breakfast. They showed the same signs of tiredness, as the first two boys and ‘dad’ Ken just inwardly smiled. He engaged them in conversation, and as they ate and talked to him, they became more awake and better prepared for the day. Mr. Ken was happy to see that.

At the office that Tuesday morning, Ken Thomas held his usual meeting with all of his Business Group Managers. Ben Walthers was there, and he was showing the same signs of tiredness as his five ‘boys’ did that same morning. Ken teased the older man who replied that he didn’t know how his boss did the same thing time after time, when he took his ‘boys’ to visit all of the parks in one trip. Mr. Ken replied that he was about twenty years younger, and left it at that. Then he smiled. Ben just shook his head.

Mr. Ken had the managers give their reports, as usual, and then he gave them the option to leave or remain to hear what was going on at the Four Corners Amusement Park. Everyone wanted to know what was happening out there, as it was one of the fastest growing areas, and people couldn’t get enough of it.

Jackie Kromiere, the person overseeing the installation of the railroad at Four Corners, gave the next report. She reported to Mr. Thomas how far the installation of the track had advanced, and further informed him about the progress of the foundation for the railroad station.

The woman told the park’s owner that the ground work was done, the forms were in place and the concrete would be poured today. She also told him that the miniature golf course had been dismantled, and many of the props and obstacles were saved for future use.

The Construction/Design Manager spoke up right then and told the amusement park’s owner that they intend to level the miniature golf area and provide at least forty parking spaces, and maybe a few more, in place by the middle of the following week, barring any changes in the weather.

Ken Thomas heard what the man said, but internally his mind was dismayed that the miniature golf course was no more. He really didn’t want to get rid of one of the few fun things that families, particularly young families, could do together. But he knew that the Four Corners Amusement Park had taken off, and the public had embraced it, and thus he also knew they needed the additional parking space.

The owner of the park now hoped that they could somehow wrangle the adjoining 8+ acres of land away from the current owner and put the operations building there, and expand the overall parking for the employees and their guests coming to the amusement park.

Coming out of his thoughts, Mr. Ken addressed Emilio Ramirez, the Three Finger Real Estate Group Manager. He asked the man if there was any movement on their possible purchase of the 8+ acres next to the amusement park. The manager reported that he heard that the owner was not pleased to hear that there would be a roller coaster right next door to his hopeful office building. But the manager added that the owner also said that he’ll believe it when he sees it.

Mr. Ken immediately looked at Ben and told him to get working on that artist rendition of what they intend that area to look like after they finish installing the railroad. The park’s owner told the President of TFE to advance the installation from late fall to early summer. That change in direction caught everyone off guard. Ken Thomas again reminded everyone that what they hear in those meetings is for their edification only, and not even for their spouse to know what he had planned for Four Corners.

At Phillip’s school that morning, the band members got together to talk about their new gig for that Saturday before Thanksgiving. Their other friends heard them talking and spread the word that Phillip’s band had gotten another booking.

The band’s other classmates also knew they were going to Fiesta Texas over the weekend and they wanted to know how they liked the park, and what rides they went on. It didn’t take long for the band members to tell their classmates about riding the Iron Rattler, the SkyScreamer, Superman Krypton Coaster and all the other rides.

A few of Phillip’s classmates were a bit dismayed that they didn’t get to know the Cover when he first arrived. They were now sorry they didn’t take the time to get to know him, and possibly be a part of what the other boys, who did get to know him, were able to share in.

When the meeting was over, Mr. Ken asked Nelson and Ben to stop by his office. When the three men were together, Mr. Ken told the two that he and his family went to the amusement park Friday night with eleven people, and all of them played at the Ball in the Cup game. He told them how they had a total of 275 wiffle balls, but they only won two prizes. He told Nelson they needed to increase the odds of winning.

Hearing what happened to the owner surprised the parks operations manager, and the President of TFE. Nelson Sanders quickly asked what it was that Mr. Ken wanted him to do.

The park’s owner told him that he’d thought about that over the weekend, and he figured that if they increased the number of red winning cups from six to ten, and the number of blue winning cups from three to six, it would make it more fair to their guests to win. He also asked the park operations manager to keep track of the number of winners for the next three months, to see if that made a difference.

When their meeting was over, Ken called his lawyer, Bill Jackson. When the lawyer came on the line, he told Bill to get a copy of Friday’s newspaper and read it. He then asked his lawyer to determine if the last sentence was grounds for another lawsuit and, if he agrees, he is to file one in the amount of one-hundred million dollars.

Bill Jackson told his client and friend that he had read the article, and he wondered why he hadn’t heard from him. Mr. Ken told the lawyer that Kate and her boys were there that weekend, and besides he knew Bill couldn’t have done anything about it over the weekend. The two had a good laugh.

Mr. Ken then said to his lawyer, “Bill … before we get too far down the road on this … how about going to them and demanding they print a front-page apology for their poor choice of words in saying something about ‘all of the politicians he has bought’. Tell them that I want a sincere apology, and not a watered down seventh-grader version. You know what I mean.

“Talk to them, Bill. Explain to them that they will have a very large mountain to climb proving that I have bought any politician, and that it would be in their best interest to print that apology. Stress upon them that it MUST, that it must be on the front-page and a meaningful apology, or else they will find themselves fighting a lawsuit they will never win.

“Oh, and Bill … tell them they better not dilly-dally on this request as I want it no-later than Thursday. And, Bill, in the meantime, tell them they should consider settling on the other lawsuit to put this and everything else behind us.

“Oh, and then there is Bill’s desire to extract his own pound of flesh from them. Talk to Stewart and see what he can do there and maybe you two can merge everything into one talking point when you go to the newspaper.

“Oh, Bill, if necessary, assure them that I have the money for a prolonged fight, if that is what they want, and that I will take it national, if necessary, and drag all of their names through the mud, and I mean from the reporter to the editor to the papers owner, and if they have any skeletons in their closets that they don’t want coming out they will want to settle all of this quickly,” finished Ken Thomas.

Bill Jackson was shocked at how hard-nosed his client was acting in this regard. He’d never known the man be so ruthless about an issue that affected him. On the other hand, the lawyer couldn’t blame him for what the newspaper had represented him as doing.

The lawyer told his client that he had worked on the lawsuit over the weekend figuring that would be what he would want him to do. He additionally told the man that he did like the idea of the newspaper printing a meaningful public apology to make the lawsuit go away, and for them to settle the other one and to compensate Bill for what they said about him, as well, and then get things back on an even keel.

After his conversation with his lawyer, Ken Thomas then took a well-deserved break. He rang Rosemary, and told her to hold all his calls. He then called Kate. The two talked for about thirty minutes. They talked about the two of them, and Kate told him what she told the boys about not telling the whole world about their doing a DNA test.

Ken took his turn and told Kate about his just finished conversation with his lawyer that if the newspaper didn’t apologize for accusing him of buying politicians, that he would be filing a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against them. Kate was aghast that the newspaper would write something like that without proof.

The two talked some more about the possibility of the lawsuit, and the other ones that were working their way through the courts, and then Ken changed the subject, and asked Kate if she thought any more about coming to The Cove for Thanksgiving week and the wedding. Kate said that she hadn’t, but the boys sure have been pestering her about it. Ken laughed at hearing that.

When Mr. Ken was finished with his phone call, he felt refreshed. He then rang his executive secretary and asked if he had any calls. Rosemary told him that Amy Ozarker had called, and said that it was very important that he return her call as soon as he could.

“Amy … what is so important?” quickly asked Ken Thomas, when the lawyer picked up the call.

“Mr. Thomas … the DNA results … they’re in!” exclaimed Amy.

The two talked about what the results indicated and then Ken asked Amy if she told Kate. The lawyer said that she hadn’t, as she had wanted to talk to him first. He asked her to call Kate and let her know who the match was with. He then asked her to have Kate call him.

Mr. Ken quickly explained to Amy that Kate had asked him to go with her to meet Rusty’s father, and he wanted Kate to call him, so they could decide when she wanted to head out to talk to the man and tell him that he is Rusty’s father.

Before they ended their call, Amy did tell Ken that she did file a petition against the remaining $50,000.00 to be returned to Evelyn, as compensation for the costs she incurred, while her son had all that money, and she was paying for his lawyers and other costs. Mr. Ken thanked her for doing that for the woman.

Mr. Ken then asked about when the Water Board was meeting. The lawyer told him the meeting was scheduled for the following week, and the use of the lake’s water by Crystal Lake is on the agenda, and that she would call him as soon as she knew what their vote would be. Mr. Ken thanked her and that ended the call.

Rosemary, seeing her boss was off the phone, rang him to tell him that the Director of Children’s Protective Services wanted him to call her. Mr. Ken thanked his executive secretary for that message and then quickly called Judy Turner.

“Judy … how can I help you?” offered Ken, when the woman picked up the call.

“Ken, I called so you could tell me how the visit between Mackenzie and Phillip went last Sunday?’ asked the Director.

The two talked about how Ken saw the meeting and Judy Turner was glad the meeting went off as good as it did. Ken told her that Phillip wanted to know when he would see his mother again, and that Mackenzie told her son that she would be back in about two weeks, and maybe see him in the middle of the week, and that she would coordinate with him.

Judy thanked Ken for handling that meeting between mother and son. The woman then asked how the weekend went with the two pups being around one another.

Ken smiled at the question figuring her son, Eric, would have told her, so he told her how the puppy master, Matthew, was able to teach Daisy a few behaviors, and that Rusty and Jessy were right there helping him.

Ken continued and told her that Chris had to come over there yesterday to meet with Jules and Eleanor to talk to them about using The Cove for their wedding and reception, and that he brought along his family including his puppy, Lance. Ken added that Matthew learned that the Dominions hadn’t been training their pup, so Matthew showed Chris Jr. how to train Lance.

Ken heard Judy sigh, and he asked her what that was all about. Judy told him that she wished she had the time to train her puppy, Riley. Ken told her that she should have Eric do the honors, as he’s watched Matthew train Sarge and Daisy, and that he should have a good idea of what to do.

Ken then figured that since the Walthers were going to be there for dinner, he’d go ahead and invite her, Eric and Riley, too. He knew he was going out on a limb by doing that, and that Matthew might not be too happy at being asked to try to see what he could do for Judy with Riley.

Ken asked Judy to arrive as early as possible, in order to give Matthew as much time as possible to work with her puppy. Judy said that she’d text Eric, and tell him to get off the bus with Robert, as they were invited to dinner. Ken said that he’d text Matthew to be ready to train Riley. Then he’d call Momma to add a few more potatoes to the pot. The two had a good laugh over the potato comment then they ended the call.

Mr. Ken did text Matthew after he ended the call, but he didn’t get a response. The man then called Momma, who was happy to add the potatoes to the pot. She liked cooking and to her the more the merrier and knowing there would be thirteen for dinner she would use the Dining Room. And not wanting an odd number for dinner, she asked Mr. Dennis to stay for dinner.

When Matthew returned home from school, he and Phillip were greeted by the pups, which received a treat for being; well for being the best darn pups around, that they said to one another before going to the Kitchen Nook to have their after-school snack.

As the two younger Covers ate, they talked about Matthew getting to train Ms. Judy’s puppy, Riley, when she brought him over for dinner. Phillip told his ‘brother’ that if he gets really good at training the puppies, he could, or maybe he should, start a simple puppy, or small dog training business.

The youngest Cover further suggested to Matthew that he talk to their ‘dad’ about what he thought about the idea, that is, if his ‘brother’ thinks he would like to do something like that to start earning some money. Matthew told Phillip that it was a pain, at times, but that it was really rewarding to know that the puppy got the idea of the trick, or behavior, and continued to know it.

When the teenagers returned home from high school, Momma noticed that there was one more.

“Iss welcomes youse, Misters Erics, sits, sits ands haves yourselves a snacks weich yourse ‘brothers’,” offered Momma Maria, when the guest entered the Kitchen Nook, with the other Cover teens.

As the boys ate, they talked about Eric’s mom coming over later with the Turner’s new puppy, Riley, and that Matthew would try to teach him a few tricks. Robert then teased his best friend that he better be there watching and learning how to do it, because he’ll have to continue the training of Riley when they go home. All the boys then laughed at how true that was.

Judy Turner made it a mission to be at the Cove, as early as she could, that Tuesday after work. She had to first stop by the house to pick up Riley, and then drive over to the estate. She had called Eric to let him know to meet her, and their pup when she arrived. She also told him that she wanted him to watch what Matthew does, as he teaches Riley how to learn his tricks and then to continue with the process at their home. Robert’s teasing was coming to fruition.

When Ms. Judy arrived with Riley, not only was Eric waiting outside for his mother in the Parking Coral, so was his Best Friend Robert, as well as Matthew, Chief, Sarge and Daisy. Then as soon as Riley was out of the car, his brother and sister went right over to him.

The two pups didn’t know they knew Riley, nor did he know the other two puppies that he saw there. That was until the three pups did the standard ‘let me smell your butt’ greeting, and as soon as that was done, they all recognized that they were brothers and sister.

The pups were allowed to play some, with Chief watching over them, while Ms. Judy, Matthew and Eric talked about what things the Turners wanted their new puppy to learn. The Cover told them that with only about an hour before dinner, and maybe some time afterwards, he felt he could maybe teach Riley to ‘Sit’, ‘Lay Down’ and maybe ‘Stay’, but that was going to be a big order, if Riley isn’t receptive to wanting to learn.

Around five o’clock, Addison Walthers brought her two children, Rylan and Ryleigh, over to The Cove. Her husband was already there, as he had followed Ken Thomas, when the two left the office. The family gathered together and greeted Daisy, and with Matthew there he showed them the tricks that he, Rusty and Jessy were able to teach their new puppy.

As the pre-teen Cover showed them what Daisy could now do, he had Rylan and Ryleigh try the same behavior right after him. The Cover told them that Daisy could get used to their voices, as the puppy would be going home with them after dinner. The Cover had the children continue to play with their puppy, and continue doing what he taught her, as he went to work with Ms. Judy and Eric’s puppy, Riley.

“Matthew, I really do appreciate you taking the time to work with Riley, here. He really is a sweet puppy, but we just haven’t made the time to work with him on teaching him some simple tricks. I saw what you did with Daisy, and I am hopeful that you can work your magic with my pup, too,” offered Ms. Judy, as her son, Eric, was standing next to her listening.

Matthew told the Turner’s that Daisy was there for almost four days, and with the continued reinforced teaching helped the pup master the behavior. The Cover told Ms. Judy and Eric that they will need to work with Riley every day on the same things, and then add new ones. The pre-teen then took Riley on his lead a few feet away from the Turner’s.

Matthew started Riley on the simplest of tricks, ‘Sit’. He had Sarge with him and using the resident pup, he showed Riley what he was wanting him to do. It took the new puppy a few tries, using the treats, as an incentive to get the idea down, and when he did, Matthew called Eric over to have him do it, too. Eric used the treats, as well, and Riley was receptive to doing what the teenagers asked him to do.

With that habit learned, the Cover started working on the ‘Lay Down’ command. Again, Matthew used Sarge to show Rily what he wanted him to do. The pre-teen Cover then began working the untrained pup on the new command. Using the treats helped Riley learn, as the pup was somewhat hungry and receiving the treat was what he wanted.

Again, as soon as Riley had that new direction learned, Matthew had Eric come over and do the same thing. The Cover had the teen use the treats to get Riley used to his voice, as he gave the command. Then once the new habit appeared to be learned, Matthew asked Eric to try the previous command to ensure their new puppy hadn’t forgotten it. He hadn’t.

Now it was Ms. Judy’s turn to use the treats to get Riley used to her voice, with the new commands. Riley was beginning to get restless with the constant training, but Ms. Judy did get him to do the two new behaviors for her, before they let the pup have some fun time.

As Matthew worked with Ms. Judy and Riley, the rest of the Covers were outside watching. They wanted to see how well the puppy was grasping the behaviors that Matthew was attempting to teach him. Mr. Ken also wanted to see for himself how his puppy master was able to instill these new ideas into the puppies and keep them. He was impressed how patient the pre-teen was with the young pup.

In the meantime, the Walthers were further away from where Matthew was working, so they could all work with Daisy, and get her used to all of their voices. As they were doing that, Phillip was watching, and he thought that they were overdoing it and it looked like Daisy was getting confused with all the new voices.

The youngest Cover had one of the balls that Mr. Dennis had bought to help teach the pups to ‘fetch’ so, he went over to Rylan to tell him what he thought, and suggested that he try to have Daisy to go and get the ball and bring it back to him. Rylan told his parents what Phillip told him, and that he wanted to see if Daisy would go for the ball and bring it back.

Daisy, upon seeing the ball and knowing what it was, started to jump for it. Rylan, seeing that, tossed the ball about twenty-feet away. Daisy quickly ran for it. When she got to it, she chewed on it for a few seconds, and when the teen called for her to bring it to him the puppy did. All of the Walthers smiled that their new puppy could do that. Rylan did it one more time, but he threw the ball further away that time.

Ms. Judy and Riley were doing good with the two commands that Ms. Judy thought Riley was doing so well, that she asked Matthew if there was one more thing he could work on before they ate. The Cover looked at the time and told the woman that he could start it, but he would probably have to finish it after dinner. Ms. Judy told him to go ahead and try. Matthew then began working on the ‘Stay’ command, but he didn’t get to work on it for too long.

At dinner the conversation was mostly about how well Matthew had done with training the three pups. The Walthers told everyone how amazed they were at what Daisy learned during the four days she had spent with the puppy master.

Rylan mentioned how Phillip told him about how Daisy will go for the ball and bring it back. Ryleigh spoke right up and said that Matthew didn’t tell them that he showed Daisy how to do that, and that it was Phillip who told them about it. There were some laughs when the people at the table heard that.

Matthew, in his own defense, mentioned that he was focused on teaching Riley, and totally forgot that Sarge and Daisy will fetch. The puppy master added that both pups will also ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’ as well. He did mention that they needed to be reinforced every other day, so they don’t forget, because they are still very young, and for them not to forget the treats.

Mr. Ken changed the topic and asked the Walthers to tell them about their visits to the three of his amusement parks. Rylan looked to his dad and getting the nod he took center stage and started by comparing them all to Edgewood. The Cover boys smiled, because they’ve been at all of the parks and they wanted to hear what the teen had to say.

When the teen had finished his personal assessment of Fantasy Fun Park, Mountain Top and Discovery Kingdom, the Cover boys pretty much agreed with his overall evaluation. Charles did speak up and mentioned to Rylan that Jason had only been able to put only some of his touch on Fantasy Fun Park before moving to Crystal Lake. The teen Cover then added that the man soon became the ops manager at Edgewood, so the inconsistencies at the other two weren’t his fault. Everyone laughed at Charles’ defense of Jason.

Addison then told everyone how she saw the trip. Judy Turner listened intently, as she also had visited the parks, and she wanted to hear how another woman saw the quick paced visits.

Addison started by saying how much she enjoyed flying on the private aircraft. She told everyone that not having to share the plane, with hundreds of other people, made her feel as if she had arrived. That brought about some laughs from around the table.

Addison did tell how she didn’t enjoy all the rushing around they did from one park to the next. She did say that she would have enjoyed at least a day and a half at each park to get a better feel for the place, and also so she could get one good night’s sleep along the way.

Judy spoke up and told her that she’d been on that type of a trip just last summer, and she knew what she was saying. Judy agreed that having more time to see everything, and get a good night’s sleep would be perfect.

Then, and to possibly break Addison’s bubble, Judy had to agree that the idea of the trip was to inspect the park, and not so much to be there to enjoy the rides. She did add that Mr. Ken’s young boys didn’t care, as they ran around the park all day riding the roller coasters first, and then anything else they had time for.

Dennis and Wayne added to that conversation by telling Adison that they’ve gone with Mr. Ken and his ‘boys’ a number of times and they too had to agree that a longer visit would be nice. Dennis added that at his age the extra time would do wonders for his old body. That made the boys laugh.

With all the conversation about the three amusement parks that everyone at the table had visited, the dinner lasted longer than usual. Even Momma was invited to join them when she served the evening’s dessert, after the boys helped clear the Dining Room table.

Addison Walthers was impressed when the Cover boys helped clear the table, and she made a comment to her two children that Mr. Ken’s ‘boys’, without any subtle hints, cleared the table and helped Momma Maria bring in the dessert.

It was close to eight-thirty when everyone left the table, and that was only because the Walthers mentioned that their children had to get home and ready for bed, because they had school in the morning. Otherwise, the conversation would have moved to the Great Room, as Addison told everyone that she was thoroughly enjoying the evening because each person was contributing to the discussion, which made the talk that much more interesting.

As the Walthers were at the Foyer Door and thanking Mr. Ken for the wonderful evening and awesome meal, Matthew brought Sarge, Daisy and Riley there after taking them outside to empty their bladders. Addison and Ben thanked the pre-teen for doing that for them, and then when Rylan took Daisy’s lead they, along with Ryliegh, headed to their car.

Judy Turner thanked Matthew for teaching her puppy, Riley, those few behaviors, and then asked him if she brought him over on Saturday if he would work with him some more. She then told the young Cover that she would pay him for his time. She then gave the boy twenty dollars for what he’d already done with her pup.

The Walthers saw that Judy had paid Matthew for training Riley and was willing to pay him some more if he would do more training. They looked at one another and quickly realized that Matthew had spent almost four days with their puppy, Daisy, and had taught her some wonderful behaviors that they will be greatly appreciative for. Addison whispered to Ben to pull some money out and give it to the boy.

“Matthew … we want you to have this for doing such a wonderful job of training our Daisy. She is a wonderful puppy, but now that you spent so much time and effort with her and trained her to do such wonderful behaviors that we … well, we will be forever grateful,” spoke up Ben Walthers, who then passed one-hundred-dollars in twenties to the Cover.

Matthew was stunned by the offer, as he looked down at the five twenties that Ben Walthers just handed him. He knew he needed to say something, so he looked at both Walthers and offered, “Mr. and Mrs. Walthers … I … I didn’t train Daisy with the hopes of being paid. It was kind of fun seeing if I could get Daisy to learn to do what I was trying to teach her. She was a fast learner, like Sarge here, and I think she will learn more, as she gets older. Just make sure you continue to reinforce what she has learned, so she doesn’t forget, because she is still young.”

Addison then hugged Matthew and Ben shook his hand and the two thanked Ken Thomas again for the great evening, and they walked out the door. Judy then asked Matthew if he was still interested in working with Riley on Saturday.

Matthew looked at his ‘dad’ with the question in his face to see if he could. Getting a nod from his ‘dad’, the pre-teen Cover told Ms. Judy to drop Riley off when she brings Eric over on Saturday, and he’ll see what he can do. Judy then hugged him and then she, Eric and Riley walked out the Foyer Door to go to their car to go home.

After all of their invited guests had left, the Covers, including Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis, walked to the Study for a quick meeting. Mr. Ken thanked everyone for contributing to a wonderful evening with friends. He then told the boys that he might be going away that coming weekend. He mentioned that a certain test had come back, and Kate might be asking him to go with her to meet someone.

‘Dad’ Ken then told Charles that he was scheduled to have his braces removed that Friday and that he apologized beforehand, that he might not be able to be there. He then mentioned to the boys that his lawyers have filed a number of lawsuits against the construction company on behalf of Bill and Phillip, because of the accident and the television, radio stations and newspapers on his and Bill’s behalf, for what they said about them after the accident.

‘Dad’ Ken told the boys that he wanted them to know about the lawsuits in case their friends ask them about them, because they have been covered on the TV, radio and newspapers. The man told the boys that all they should say is that they know about them, but nothing more because they aren’t a part of the lawsuit, and they have to wait, like everyone else, to learn the outcome.

‘Dad’ Ken then mentioned to Robert that the two of them are still scheduled to visit his mom on Saturday the 21^st, and that if he was going to add anything to his mother’s account he needed to get with Mr. Chris, as soon as he could.

The owner of The Cove then reminded the boys that Phillip’s band would be playing on the 22^nd from 5 to 8 p.m., and on the 28^th from 7 to 10 p.m., and that he and Phillip would be going on their three-day trip from the fourth to the sixth of November. He then asked Phillip if he knew where they were going. Phillip said he thinks he does. The foster dad smiled at the boy, and told him that they needed to talk.

The last item the ‘dad’ Ken wanted the boys to put in the backs of their minds was that he had a trip scheduled for the14^th of November to the International Attraction and Amusement Park Association (IAAPA) Expo in Florida, and that he wouldn’t be home until late on the 17^th or 18^th depending on what he and Ben Walthers find there for them to buy to add to the parks.

The man then told the boys that he wasn’t going to take any questions tonight, because it was so late, and for them to go up to their rooms to get ready for bed, and that he’d be up in a few minutes.

After the boys had gone up to their rooms, Mr. Ken then addressed Wayne and Dennis. He thanked them for staying so late tonight and mentioned to them that as the Holidays approach his time will be limited and very full.

The men’s employer also mentioned that Bill is also wanting to visit his mother on the 21^st, as well, and he needs one of them to volunteer. He asked them to talk about it between them to see if one of them could handle it. He then left them to go talk to the boys.

Mr. Ken stopped in Bill’s room first. Of course, the first question that Billy asked was if he was going to get to visit his mom on the 21^st, too. ‘Dad’ Ken told him that he just asked either Mr. Wayne, or Mr. Dennis, to volunteer to drive him there, which was why he didn’t mention it during the meeting, because he didn’t have a ride for him yet. That satisfied Billy.

In Robert’s room the man’s son thanked him for remembering their trip to see his mother in two weeks. The teenager then asked his dad if his trip that coming weekend was because of the DNA test. The teen’s dad told the teen that it would be, and it would be to meet Rusty’s father. Robert hugged his dad, and thanked him for being there for Kate and the boys.

Mr. Ken’s second son, Charles, told his dad that he had hoped he could be there when he had his braces taken off, and they talked to him about his having to wear the retainer. The boy’s dad suggested that they call the dentists to see if they could move the appointment to next week. Hearing that put a smile on the teenager’s face, and he asked his dad to try to do that. The two hugged and ‘dad’ Ken proceeded to the next boy’s room.

In Matthew’s room, the boy was still looking at the $120.00 he received that evening for his training of the two pups, Daisy and Riley, when ‘dad’ Ken knocked on the doorframe.

“Surprised at earning a few dollars for all your hard work training the pups, are we?” teased ‘dad’ Ken, with a smile.

“Yea,” replied the pre-teen, “I never ever thought that they would pay me for doing that, you know, training their puppies. It was such a surprise. … Ahh ‘Dad’ … what would you say if … if I were to start a small business of training puppies, or small dogs, here?” now asked Matthew.

‘Dad’ Ken was surprised at the question, so he asked, “What brought that idea up, ‘son’?”

“Well, ‘dad’ … Phillip … he saw how well I did with Daisy and Lance and Riley, even, and he was the one who suggested that I could maybe earn some money by starting up a business by focusing only on training puppies, or small dogs, but no big dogs. So … he suggested that I talk to you to get your take on me, maybe doing that,” explained Matthew, who had hopeful eyes as he asked his question.

“Matthew … I know how patient you were and how hard you worked to train all of the puppies, and I bet you could maybe earn some money by doing that. What say we see how things go with you as you train Riley. It will also give me time to think some more about this little business idea of yours.

“In the meantime, you need to figure out how much you will want to charge, and for how long you will work with the pup, or dog, each time. Maybe you need to go and observe a dog training service, and see what they do, and how they handle their charges. Will that work for you, ‘son’?” suggested ‘dad’ Ken.

Matthew hugged his dad for talking with him about his business idea, and not shooting it down. The pre-teen told his ‘dad’ that he’ll do some research about training dogs, and maybe see if he can go and observe where they do the training, to get some ideas. ‘Dad’ Ken smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm in trying to start his own business, and after one last hug he went on to Phillip’s room.

“Boy, my ‘brothers’ must have had a lot to talk about with you tonight. I thought that you’d never get here,” teased Phillip, when his foster dad arrived at his bedroom.

‘Dad’ Ken grabbed the boy and hugged him, and told the youngest Cover that those things happen, and now he needs to talk to him about their three-day trip that will be in about four weeks.

Phillip told his ‘dad’ that he talked to his ‘brothers’, like he asked, and that he wants to go up the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The young Cover said that seeing Six Flags Over Texas, the Museum of American Railroad, the Dallas World Aquarium, Speed Zone, and maybe a basketball, or football, game would be fun.

‘Dad’ Ken smiled at what the youngster wanted to do during their three days, and told him that he would have to check into what was open during that time, and what he felt they could fit into their three days. The man thanked Phillip for giving him a big list to choose from, and that now he had his work cut out for him to see what they can fit into their time.

The two shared a hug and as they walked out into the hallway, Matthew was coming up from taking Sarge out for his last walk before going to bed. Phillip then walked one way to his bathroom, while Mr. Ken and Chief walked to the stairs, and they both went down.

Chief continued down to the Great Room, and the doggie door to go outside to drain her bladder, before going back up to Phillip’s room to sleep. Mr. Ken, on the other hand, went to his retreat to get ready for bed.

When Ken Thomas sat on the edge of his bed, before lying down to go to sleep, he thought about the wonderful evening he had with his guests and his ‘boys’. He only wished that it had been a summer vacation day, that their guests didn’t have to leave so early.

What the owner of The Cove enjoyed the most was that the conversation was interesting, with everyone, including the boys, participating. The man then turned off the lights in his bedroom, laid down and before long he was fast asleep. The Cove was peaceful and quiet the whole night through.

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.

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