Published: 14 Aug 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

Mr. Wayne, after saying goodnight to the other boys, came to Darrin’s door and said goodnight to him, and told him that he’d see him before he goes to school tomorrow. Chief then followed Mr. Wayne down the stairs, and then went out the doggie door to relieve the pressure in her bladder. Matthew and Sarge were coming down the stairs, when she was going back up.

It had been a long day for Ken Thomas. He was still tired from all the traveling he’d done the previous day, and today he was busy with getting his new foster son settled. When he arrived at his retreat, he was looking to hopefully get a good night’s sleep.

The Cove had a new resident, and he was just as tired as his foster dad was, and he too was looking forward to a good night’s rest. When everyone was finally in bed and asleep, The Cove was then peaceful and quiet throughout the night.

When his alarm clock rang that Tuesday morning, Ken Thomas couldn’t believe it was morning already. He felt like he had just gone to sleep, and he was now having to get up. He wiped his eyes and then he got out of bed. He knew he needed to get into his bathroom to get ready for the day, get dressed and out to the Kitchen Nook, and enjoy his first cup of coffee, while he read the morning newspaper.

“Good morning, Momma,” announced Mr. Ken, as he entered the Nook, and then sat down at his special place at the Nook’s table.

Momma immediately brought his favorite cup over and filled it with coffee. Mr. Ken took a sip of the hot brew and then held the cup up, as he usually did, as a salute to her for making it for him. The man then went back to reading the first section of the paper.

What caught his eye was an inner article concerning a plea agreement between the District Attorney and a local gang banger. As he read the piece, he learned the local gang banger was one Rafael Ruiz, who had attacked his estate last summer, along with three of his cohorts.

The DA had made what Mr. Ken considered a sweet-heart deal giving Ruiz a 15-year sentence against one charge, while he dropped the others in exchange for not going to trial, where he could have gotten a 25-year sentence for just the one he took the plea on, plus whatever the judge would have given him on the other three charges. Mr. Ken shook his head, but it wasn’t up to him to run the District Attorney’s office, but he sure wished he did in this case.

As the owner of The Cove was reading the newspaper, Matthew, Sarge and Phillip came into the Nook. The puppy master went right to fixing the resident pup’s first meal of the day, before washing his hands and sitting down to a Momma breakfast. Just then Chief came into the Nook and went to Mr. Ken for some behind-the-ear scratches before going to Phillip, and with a low, “Woof”, she asked him to fix her some breakfast.

“I think she wants you to fix her some breakfast,” piped up Matthew, with a chuckle.

“I thought Darrin was going to be taking care of her from now on?” bemoaned Phillip, as he got off his chair and went to fix Chief her meal.

Mr. Ken smiled as the young Cover went to take care of Chief. “‘Son’, Darrin … he just got here, so please give him a few days to get into a routine, especially with Chief. It took you a few days to get used to taking care of your responsibility, and it will take him a few days, too.”

Phillip just smiled back at his ‘dad’ knowing what he said was true. The boy just went ahead and fixed Chief her morning meal along, with some ice-cold water. He then washed his hands before sitting back down to what he figured would be his cooled off breakfast.

But the boy was surprised when he bit into it that it was still warm. Matthew told him that Momma put into it the microwave for him, and when she saw he went to wash his hands, set the timer, and then put it back before he sat down. Phillip got off his chair and went over to Momma to hug her and thank her for doing that for him. He then quickly went back to finish his now warm breakfast.

It wasn’t too long after the two younger Covers left for school that the three teenagers came down for breakfast. And as soon as they came down, ‘dad’ Ken told them that he wanted them to take Darrin’s clothes up to his room, before they left for school, so for them to plan accordingly.

Charles asked his dad if they were going to go to the Outlet Mall tonight to get Darrin the rest of the clothes he needs. That then got the three teens talking about them getting some additional togs as well. ‘Dad’ Ken smiled at the way the teenagers were attempting to horn in on Darrin’s needs, in order for them to outfit their wardrobe.

Dad Ken did remind his son that they would be going to visit his dentist right after school, so for him not to enjoy his after-school snack. Charles asked him if he would be home at four o’clock, when he got home. The dad said that was his plan. Charles smiled at hearing that.

The three teens finished their breakfast quicker than they usually would, as their ‘dad’ wanted them to take Darrin’s clothes up to him. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that he told Darrin to set his alarm clock for 7:45, so that he should be up, and for them to use the Three Knock Rule, before barging into his room. The teens said that they would.

Billy did the Three Knock Rule and when he did the second knocking, Darrin told him to come in. The three teens actually went in with the new foster teen’s clothes. They put the hanging clothes in his closet, and the underwear in one of his dresser drawers, and the socks in another.

“Dad’s down in the Kitchen Nook reading the newspaper; waiting for you,” began Robert. “So, when you finish with your shower, get dressed for school and Momma … she’ll fix you some breakfast. At lunch, or after school, find Matthew, or Phillip, and they’ll tell you which bus to get on to come home.”

Before they left, Charles told his new ‘brother’, “At school, once your classmates learn you’re living at The Cove, they’ll all want to be your friend. That’s because they’ll want to be invited here to use the Cove Skate Park, swimming pool, sail boats and everything else we have here at The Cove. Just be aware of that.” Then the Cover teens were off to school.

Darrin enjoyed having the big bathroom all to himself. This one was at least three, or maybe four, times bigger than what he and his older brother had to share. He had three showers to choose from and he took the one of the two that hadn’t been used, figuring Phillip had used the one that was still wet.

Ever since the fire, Darrin was in the hospital and he felt that they had such small showers. And to him the nurses always seem to come into the room, especially when he was trying to take a shower. The young teen never felt he had the privacy he should have had as a teenager, and now he was enjoying what he desired.

The teen probably stayed in the shower longer than he should have, but he was enjoying the peace and quiet, and not being rushed to get out, so his older brother could get in. Then, once he was out, he remembered he had to put the ointment on his wounds, and that was going to add to the time it would take him to get ready in the mornings. He would have to adjust that starting tomorrow.

After he had dried himself off, put on some deodorant and then put on a pair of clean underwear, he walked to his bedroom and then closed the door. He looked over the clothes that were hanging in his huge closet and thought that the closet looked almost as big as his bedroom was at his old house. The new Cover inwardly laughed at that, and then chose the shorts and a polo shirt he thought would look good on him. He then walked out into the bedroom and placed them on the bed. It was then he noticed that the door was being opened.

Darrin remembered Mr. Ken telling him that he rarely came up there, and figured he was taking too long getting ready and was there to rush him a little. But the man told him that they use the Three Knock Rule, but he didn’t hear any knocks, and the door was being opened. He wondered who it could be.

Just then, Chief and Sarge walked into the room.

“Chief … you rascal,” called out Darrin. “Mr. Ken told me you knew how to open and close doors. I guess with me sleeping in you let yourself out. I hope someone fed you this morning,” finished the new foster teen.

“Woof, woof,” spoke up the resident pet, who went over to the teen to get some behind the ear scratches, but Darrin didn’t know about doing that for her just yet. Sarge did go over and lay down and put his legs up for a belly rub, and Darrin knew exactly what the resident pup wanted, and he gave him some of those.

After giving Sarge a few belly rubs, Darrin told the resident pets he needed to get dressed and that’s what he did. He slipped on the new shorts and polo shirt, took out a pair of low-rise socks and put them on, and then he had to choose which pair of sneakers to put on. He looked to see which pair appeared to match what he had on, and he placed those down and put them on his feet. He was now ready to go down to the Kitchen Nook.

The resident pets’ paws clicking on the tile floors announced his arrival, and Mr. Ken welcomed him. “Good morning, Darrin. I hope you slept well, young man,” called out the foster dad, as the teen walked into the Nook.

“Yes, sir, I did, thank you,” answered the teen foster son.

“That’s good. Phillip … he took care of feeding Chief for you this morning. We all know it will take you a few days to get into a routine, especially since I let you sleep in this morning,” added Mr. Ken.

Darrin responded to that with just a smile. Momma then placed his breakfast in front of him. When he looked down, he was surprised to see scrambled eggs, a big rasher of bacon and pancakes on the plate. Then Momma brought over some syrup for the pancakes and a glass of milk.

“Ms. Momma … I don’t know if I can eat all this. I’m still kind of full from last night, and in the hospital, they didn’t feed me all that much and my stomach … I think it sort of shrunk. I’m sorry if it looks like I’m wasting food, if I don’t eat all this,” offered Darrin, as an apology to the woman for not eating everything that she made for him.

Momma smiled at the new foster teen and said to him, “Iss undersstands. Pleases eats whats youse cans. Momma … shes wills nots feeds youse toos muches untils yourse stomachs gets biggers. Oks?”

The teen smiled back at the woman and told her that would be OK with him. Mr. Ken heard the conversation between the two and approved of what was being said.

By that time Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris had come to work, and were sitting at the table drinking coffee and eating some breakfast, as well, and they heard what was exchanged between the two.

While the teen was eating, Mr. Ken told Wayne and Chris what he read about Rafael Ruiz. The man mentioned that he was disappointed that the man wasn’t given a longer sentence, but he figured DA George Morris was taking the easy way out, by not having a trial. He then wondered what the other three men got for their part in the attack. Chris told him that he’ll probably have to call the man and ask him.

Darrin heard the three men talking about some kind of an attack, but they didn’t specify where it happened, and he figured that being the new boy, he better not ask the question that he had on his mind. He wondered if his new ‘brothers’ would tell him about it later tonight.

Mr. Ken then told the men that he would be home early today, as he was taking Charles to the dentist to get his braces off. He then told them that Darrin would have his physical with Doctor Rick on Thursday, and that he would go to the office for an hour or so, and then pick the teen up from school, and take him for that. He then asked the men if they had anything for him.

Mr. Chris asked his boss if he thought Matthew would have any time to train their new puppy, Lance. Mr. Ken smiled at the question, and he told the Estate Manager to talk to the pre-teen when he gets home from school today.

Mr. Ken did tell the man that Matthew and Wayne were going to go and visit some dog training schools on Saturday, while he and Robert visited his mom and Dennis and Billy went to visit the teen’s mom.

Again, Darrin heard something that he hadn’t heard last night. Last night all Mr. Ken said was that he and Robert and Mr. Dennis and Billy were all taking a trip on Saturday. Now he learned that his ‘brothers’ were going to visit their moms. He wondered where their mothers were that they had to travel to visit them. He once more wondered if his ‘brothers’ would tell him.

When Mr. Ken saw that Darrin wasn’t eating any more, he asked the teen to finish up and then wash his hands and face, and then meet him in his Study.

Once the teen had left the Kitchen Nook, it was Mr. Wayne who mentioned to his employer that he made a mistake saying that he and Dennis were taking the boys to visit their mothers, when last night he only said they were taking a trip.

Then it dawned on the man that by saying that he may have started something he didn’t intend to. He told Wayne that he’ll have to try to stymie that before it gets out of hand. He then asked the Estate Master to join him in the Study.

When the three were in the Study, Mr. Ken told Darrin what he could expect when he arrived at the school later that morning. The foster dad explained that he’d meet the school secretary and she’d probably ask which school he attended, so she could call them to get his transcripts sent there. He added that he’d try to introduce him to the principal, who he knows quite well, so the man knows that he has some medical problems, and a physical on Thursday.

Mr. Ken then told Darrin that he’d ask Mr. Chassen to call Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon to the office, so they could show him around the school, after he gets him his lunch pass. The foster dad commented that he would put extra money on his lunch pass in case he comes across a classmate that needs an extra milk, or forgot his lunch, or is just out of money on their pass, so that he could offer to pay for their lunch.

Darrin had never heard of anyone doing that where he used to go to school, so he had to ask. “Mr. Ken … why would you do that? I mean, where I lived, I don’t ever remember anyone having extra money on their lunch pass, so they could, you know, pay for someone else’s lunch, or buy them an extra milk, or something. Are the kids at my school are they … are they that bad off?”

Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne smiled at the question, but the foster dad knew he needed to answer the teen, so the boy understood why he did what he did. “Darrin … no, the kids at your school aren’t that ‘bad off’, as you asked. But your ‘brothers’ … and, you can ask them, they have come across a student who had forgotten to get their pass when they first came to the school, when they transferred in, as you are doing, or they did have a perceived financial hardship at home that one boy was … well, that doesn’t matter.

“What does matter was that the extra money on the lunch pass … it came in handy until the parent came aware of what was happening, and they made sure that their children had enough money to have a good lunch. And I want you to have that extra money on your card in case you come across someone in need. By the way, all the boys … they still have extra money on their cards.

“Now … for what I said in the Nook to Mr. Wayne and Mr. Chris about where Mr. Dennis and I are taking Robert and Bill. I misspoke in front of you. If you remember when you arrived yesterday, I mentioned to you that your ‘brothers’ are here because of what has happened in their young lives.

“Well, when children are placed in the CPS system, families, of course, are broken up. So, on Saturday, Mr. Dennis and I are just letting Robert and Bill get in touch with them. I hope you will understand that. I would do the same for you if I could, but well … you know why I can’t.

“Do you have any questions for me? Us? … If not, then let’s walk out to the garage and head off to the school and get you registered. Wayne, The Cove is in your hands,” finished Ken Thomas, and then he and the new foster teen walked to the garage.

When the two arrived at the garage, Mr. Ken showed Darrin the special lock they had installed and how he could get into the house that way. He called Mr. Chris to come there telling him that he wanted the Estate Manager to register Darrin’s fingerprint into the cypher lock.

About three minutes later Mr. Chris arrived. He had brought the instructions on how to register a fingerprint in the cypher lock with him, to make sure he did it correctly. Once the man had the lock ready to record a new user, he had Darrin place his forefinger onto the reader in order to accept it.

“That didn’t hurt at all,” commented Darrin, when Mr. Chris closed the cipher lock. Both men chuckled at hearing that.

The two Covers arrived at the school at around ten-thirty. Mr. Ken and Darrin walked into the office and Liliana Dillows, the school secretary, greeted them and asked them what she could do for them.

Mr. Ken presented her with his guardianship papers for Darrin Rossman, and said he needed to register his new foster son. That was when Ms. Dillows recognized the man, who doesn’t come to the school all that often, and asked if the boy would be with them for a few weeks, or a longer period. Mr. Ken said that for the time being she should plan for the longer term. Ms. Dillows then asked Darrin about his old school, so she could request his transcripts.

Principal Dan Chassen heard a familiar voice out in the office, so he went out there to see why he was visiting. Upon his arrival, he recognized Ken Thomas and spoke, “Oh, Mr. Ken … brought us another boy I see. So, who do we have here?”

“Principal Chassen, this is Darrin Rossman. Can we go into your office, so I can tell you about him?” asked Mr. Ken.

Once inside the principal’s office, Ken Thomas explained about the fire and how Darrin was the sole survivor, and that he had sustained first and second-degree burns. He wanted the principal to also know that the teen would have a physical on Thursday, and that he would pick him up around nine o’clock, and that he’d be gone the entire day as his ‘brothers’ were, when they had their take-in physical.

Dan Chassen thanked Mr. Thomas for the back story and then Mr. Ken asked him if he could ask Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon to come to the office. The foster dad explained that the four boys had met Darrin the evening before, and he told them he would ask them to show his new foster son around the school, and introduce him to the other students.

Principal Dan Chassen used the intercom system and asked the four boys to come to the office. The other students teased them by asking them what they had done wrong this time that the four of them had to go see the principal, and all at the same time.

Since the boys were in different classrooms, they all met in the hallway on their way to the office. Sam knew why they were being called to the office, and when they entered the office, they saw Darrin and Mr. Ken there, along with the school secretary and the principal.

When Mr. Chassen saw the four boys enter the office, he called them over to him and Mr. Ken, and spoke to them, “Boys, Mr. Ken … he asked me to call you here so you could show his newest foster son around the school. I understand you met him last night, so he at least knows you four.

“After Mr. Ken gets Darrin his lunch pass, I would appreciate it if you would introduce him to your classmates, show him how to go through the lunch line and use his pass, and then show him the ropes. Can you do that for me?”

The four boys said they would. But before the small group left the office to get his foster son his lunch pass, Mr. Ken made sure the secretary had Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis’ names on Darrin’s approved pick-up list, when he had appointments that he had to be taken out of school.

Ms. Dillows made sure their names were in the folder, and as she did that, Mr. Ken mentioned to the secretary that all of his new ‘boys’ get a medical physical to establish a baseline to let him know if the boy has any underlying medical problems.

He told the woman that he was giving her a heads-up because it takes most of the day and Darrin already has his scheduled for that coming Thursday and that he’d pick the teen up at around nine o’clock.

The group’s first stop was going to be the dietitian’s office to get Darrin his lunch pass. Mr. Ken paid for the remainder of the school year, and told the boy that he did put the extra money on his card, as he told him that he would. Darrin thanked his foster dad for doing that for him, and told him that he’d use it wisely.

Mr. Ken told Darrin to find Matthew, or Phillip, at the end of the school day, so he knew which bus to get on, otherwise he would be stuck there until he sent a search party out looking for him. They all had a good laugh over that. Mr. Ken then shook the boy’s hand, and then he told the new Cover that he would see him at home later at dinner time.

Darrin was going to be in Blake and Sam’s classroom, so the five boys went to that classroom first to introduce the new student to his teacher, as well as the students there. It was getting close to lunchtime, so the teacher didn’t mind the interruption.

After the introductions in that classroom, the five boys went to Terrin and Landon’s classroom, and did the same thing there. The teacher was happy to know there was a new Cover in the mix, and it wasn’t long before the lunch bell rang.

After Darrin went through the lunch line, he told his new friends that it wasn’t any different than his old school. The problem the new teen had was that everyone who knew Kevin and Kyle wanted to sit with him at the lunch table, but it only held ten people and there were five people already there. Darrin asked Sam to choose which five could sit with him today, and the others could sit with him tomorrow.

As they ate, the boys told Darrin a lot more about what they all got to do, when they had visited The Cove. They told him about the oversized games up at the Pavilion, and how Mr. Ken held a competition last year to see which of them was the best player.

The boys told Darrin all about the sleepovers, the Dive-In Movies, jumping off the rock ledge, Mr. Ken taking them to SeaWorld and Six Flags, the water toys out in the cove, and anything else they thought was pertinent for the new Cover to know about living at The Cove. The more the boys told him about The Cove the easier it was for Darrin to understand what was so unique about where he was now going to live.

Out in the schoolyard, word had gotten out that there was a new Cover living at Three Finger Cove, and many of the students wanted to meet Darrin. Darrin felt overwhelmed by the number of boys and girls who wanted to get to know him. Then it came to him what Charles had mentioned to him last night about his classmates all wanting to be his friends, in order for them to come to The Cove, so they could enjoy what they have to do there.

Darrin was polite to all of those who came to talk to them. He told them all that he just arrived yesterday, and he needed time to get settled in the house, with his new ‘brothers’, and at the school, and get to know all of his new classmates.

Some of his new classmates wanted to know how he already knew Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon. The new Cover told them how his foster dad introduced them to him last night, while he took him out to get new school clothes. Most of the students were satisfied with his answer.

At the end of school day, Darrin went looking for his ‘brothers’, who were also looking for him. When they found one another the three of them loaded onto the correct bus, and they rode it to where they would get on it tomorrow morning.

Momma had their afterschool snack ready for them, and Darrin was looking forward to drinking more of the vanilla milk. It was while they were eating that Mr. Chris came up to Matthew to ask him if he could train their new puppy, Lance, that weekend.

Matthew was honest with the man and told him that he and Mr. Wayne were going out to visit a few dog training schools that Saturday in order for him to get some ideas on how they train the dogs. The pre-teen indicated that he could probably work with Lance on Sunday, but he might not get a full training day in since everyone leaves by five o’clock.

Mr. Chris told Matthew that if he worked with Lance on Sunday and some more the following Saturday, they would be forever grateful for that. Matthew then told the man that he charges $15.00 per hour. Mr. Chris told the pre-teen Cover that if Lance is as well trained as Ms. Judy feels her Riley is, then he will be happy to pay him.

Mr. Ken had come home early that Tuesday in anticipation of taking Charles to get his braces off, he heard the last part of the conversation between his Estate Manager and Matthew and he was pleased that they had come to an agreement. He was also happy that Matthew had set an hourly rate for his training of the puppy.

When Charles returned home from school, his dad told him to quickly use the half-bath and for him to meet him in the garage. The man told the teen that Momma already knew that he wouldn’t be there to eat his snack.

At the dentist’s office, the doctor took off the braces, checked the teeth for any cavities and then had Charles brush his teeth before he sat him down for a cleaning. After the cleaning, the dentist sat and talked to both Mr. Ken and Charles about the need for Charles to wear a retainer to ensure the teeth don’t move and negate all the time and money spent getting his teeth to look so good.

The dentist described the three different types of retainers that the teen could choose from, and then he talked about the pros and cons of all three. Between the bonded, Hawley and the clear plastic retainers the dentist offered, Charles opted for the clear plastic retainer because it was essentially invisible and easy to remove.

The dentist told Charles that he should wear the plastic retainer every day for 9 months, except when he is eating, and then to drop down to nightly wear after that. Charles talked it over with his dad and ultimately agreed that he’d do that.

The dentist then had to make molds of his teeth to create the plastic retainers, and what the teenager thought would be a quick appointment turned into a long drawn out one that lasted almost two hours. They were late for dinner, but Mr. Ken had called Momma to warn her that it was a possibility.

During dinner that night, Mr. Ken told the boys that when they finished dinner, he and Darrin were going to the Outlet Mall to get his newest foster son a few more things. He told the boys they could go, or stay home. The man told them that it was up to them, but they had to assure him that they had their homework done. Mr. Wayne told the man that he wasn’t going to join them that evening.

When dinner was over all the boys helped clean off the table and then they went over to Momma and hugged her. Darrin got in line with his ‘brothers’, and he thanked her for the awesome meal he just had. The teen told her that was the first time in a long time he had two great meals back-to-back, because his mom worked and couldn’t always cook like she did. He then hugged her and came away with tears in his eyes. Momma saw them and pulled him back and hugged him tight.

All of the boys went with their ‘dad’ to the Outlet Mall. The older boys told Mr. Ken that it was better than staying home, and having nothing to do. The man did tell them they could have stayed home and read a good book, or played with Chief and Sarge, to keep them company. The boys just laughed at him.

Their first stop was the Crocs store. Darrin knew why they stopped there, because Billy told him that they all had them, and they were good for walking around the house and outside, especially if it was raining. Mr. Ken told the new foster teen to try them on and feel how good they fit, and then to choose the color and type he liked.

The newest Cover was surprised at the number of styles and colors there were. He did what his foster dad told him, and he found the size that he felt fit him well, and then he walked in a few different styles.

After choosing the style he wanted, he then picked the color he liked. It was then that he saw these small button-like characters that you could snap into the front of the shoes. He asked Mr. Ken if he could get a few of them.

The saleslady heard the boy and told him they were called Jibbitz Charms and they came in hundreds of styles ranging from letters of the alphabet to sports, to plants, food and cartoon characters and lots more. Darrin smiled at hearing that and began looking through all of the bins.

Darrin chose the Coca Cola bottle cap, the firetruck, a pizza slice, and the letter ‘D’ to adorn his Crocs. The saleslady asked him which ones he wanted in which shoe and then she put them into the shoes. But upon seeing the two charms on both Crocs he asked if he could get two more. Mr. Ken told him that he could. So, he picked up the rubber ducky and the Texas State flag, which the lady also put into the shoes.

The next stops were going to be a few of the name brand stores to see if they still had any summer clothes to sell. Charles wanted Darrin to get a few more pairs of shorts and short-sleeve polo shirts, as well as a swimsuit, because the previous night the teen didn’t get quite enough clothes to get him through a week and a half of school.

So, that’s what the Covers did. It took a lot of time to walk through the stores, but luckily, they were fairly close to one another. Darrin picked up four more pairs of shorts, and a few more polo shirts and a much-needed swimsuit doing that walk through.

Their next stop was at both the Nike and Under Armour stores. Mr. Ken told Darrin to get a pair of nylon gym type shorts along with a t-shirt to either match, or contrast, the shorts from each store. The man told the foster teen that he could either wear them to lounge around the house, to skate in, or even to school, as he’d seen some of the boys do.

After saying that, ‘Dad’ Ken knew what was coming next, when they stopped at the last two stores. His other ‘boys’ asked if they could also get a shirt. Dad’ Ken quickly asked them if they really needed one. They all said they did. He then asked them if they all got them for their birthdays and for Christmas. They looked at one another and said that they did, but it was Robert who spoke up and said, “Come on dad, let us get a shirt.” ‘Dad’ Ken laughed and told the boys they could get one shirt, too.

After Darrin got a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from both stores, Mr. Ken asked the teen if he wanted a soft pretzel. The teen said it had been a long time since he had one of those, and he asked where he would get one.

Phillip spoke up and told his new ‘brother’ there was a great pretzel store nearby, and their ‘dad’ liked them just as much as they did. Mr. Ken drove over to the soft pretzel place and the Covers got out and they each got two pretzels, two dipping sauces and a soft drink.

Darrin loved that his foster dad didn’t worry about the cost of things, as his parents always had. He knew the man paid a princely sum the previous night buying him all the clothes he did, and now tonight, he also bought him those nice shorts, polo shirts, t-shirts, the swimsuit and nylon running shorts, and now he was buying them all soft pretzels, dipping sauces and a soft drink to wash it all down. He felt so lucky to have been sent to live with this rich single man, and his new ‘brothers’.

It was while they ate that Matthew asked if they were going to get Chief and Sarge an ice cream cup on the way home. “Boys … after having soft pretzels, a sugary dipping sauce and a soda, we are NOT stopping by DQ for an ice cream,” emphatically stated ‘dad’ Ken.

“Dad, it’s not for us. It’s for Chief and Sarge” simultaneously said Matthew and Robert.

“OK, we’ll stop for an ice cream for the resident pets. And don’t any of you ask for an ice cream when we stop there. Are we clear?” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

When the Covers arrived home, Darrin gave both Chief and Sarge their cups of vanilla ice cream. Again, the Covers watched the resident pets chase the cups all around the Kitchen Nook, as they licked the cold treat out of the cup.

It was well after nine o’clock when the Covers returned home, but ‘dad’ Ken still had the boys meet in the Study. He wanted to remind them of the up-coming appointments for the boys and what was happening around The Cove in the coming weeks. He asked Darrin to start removing the sales tags and other makings, while they sat in the Study, so he could wash everything after they all went to bed.

“Darrin, tomorrow night … Doctor Doug Jennings will be our guest for dinner. He will also be here to meet you, and the two of you will have a get-to-know-one-another-meeting beforehand. As I told you before, all the boys have talked to him, and some still do. I think you’ll like him as he won’t tell me anything you talk to him about. Just ask the boys later.

“Also, Darrin, you will have a physical Thursday morning with Doctor Powers. I will pick you up from the school at about nine o’clock. It will be an all-day affair. All the boys have had this physical, and it is to let me know if you have any medical problems that I need to be aware of.

“On Saturday, I and Robert, and Mr. Dennis and Bill, will be taking a little trip. Mr. Wayne and Matthew will also be visiting a few dog training places. On Sunday, it appears that Matthew has an appointment to train a puppy, and Phillip and his band will be playing at his booked gig later in the afternoon with Bill, Charles and Matthew going along to be the band’s roadies.

“Also, to let you know, Ms. Kate, her mother, Ms. Edith, and her two boys will be here for Thanksgiving week, and I am hoping that they will arrive Friday evening in time for dinner.

“And as you all know, well, Darrin is just hearing this for the first time, there is the wedding and reception that first Saturday of Thanksgiving week here on The Cove’s grounds. That will be a busy day for sure. Oh, and no friends can come over that day, so make sure you tell your buddies.

“That’s it for now, so go and head up to your rooms, and start to relax before going to bed. I’ll be up there in a little while,” was how ‘dad’ Ken ended the meeting.

As the boys went up to their rooms, ‘dad’ Ken took Darrin’s new clothes down to the laundry room. He placed them in one of the HE washers and started it. He made a mental note to put them in a dryer in the morning after putting them through a quick rinse.

‘Dad’ Ken didn’t spend a lot of time in each of the boy’s rooms that evening, since they got to their rooms quite late. At Darrin’s room he told the teen that he had placed his new clothes in the washers, and that he’d have whole new sets of clean school togs to wear, when he comes home from school tomorrow.

Darrin told his foster dad that he couldn’t believe all the money he spent on him during the past two days. The teen thanked the man for doing that for him, and that he truly appreciated that he took him to foster him. The teen then hugged Mr. Ken.

When they broke the hug, the foster dad asked the teen to set his alarm clock for at least six o’clock, as he has to catch the school bus at seven o’clock. The man told him that Momma will have his breakfast ready for him when he comes to the Kitchen Nook, but he also has to allow time to fix Chief her morning meal.

Darrin told Mr. Ken that he doesn’t know how to fix Chief her food, as no one has shown him that, yet. The foster dad told the teen to back up his wake-up time an extra ten minutes, so that way he can be shown how to fix Chief her morning meal.

Darrin said that he would, and he went right over to his alarm clock and set the alarm for 5:50. He then asked his foster dad if that would work. Mr. Ken, smiling, told the teen that if he wasn’t up by six, his ‘brother’, Matthew, would be pounding on his door. Darrin understood what Mr. Ken was saying.

The day had a lot of moving parts, which was normal for when The Cove got a new foster. Mr. Ken knew, as the days went on and the teen got into a routine, things would settle down for him, and The Cove.

As Mr. Ken was walking down the stairs to go to his retreat, Matthew and Sarge were coming up. The two exchanged another good night to one another, and then Chief came up the stairs right after them.

The owner of The Cove was glad that the day was over. He had been busy most of the day dealing with his ‘boys’, and he was now looking forward to another good night’s rest. Once he was in bed and finally asleep, The Cove finally became 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

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