Published: 28 Aug 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

As Ken Thomas walked to his retreat, he knew that when a new foster arrived at The Cove there were always growing pains for both the boy, and The Cove, and Darrin was no different. He hoped the teen would indeed talk to Doctor Doug about the loss of his family, and find a way to move forward and away from his loss.

He also made a mental note to have Stewart check on any insurance compensation the teen was entitled to due to the loss of the house, and its possessions. He also wanted Mr. Russell to see if there were any life insurance policies on the mom and dad, and possibly his older brother. All of that money wouldn’t bring them back, but it would help the teen get a good start in life, when he moved on from the CPS system.

It was a late night and Ken Thomas needed to get some rest. He quickly got undressed, used his facility and then climbed into his king-sized bed. It wasn’t long before the owner of The Cove, and foster dad, was fast asleep. The Cove was safe and quiet for another night.

When Ken Thomas woke that Thursday morning, he reviewed in his mind everything that he needed to do, while he got ready for his day. It was going to be a busy morning of phone calls at the office, and then the rest of the day spent with his new foster teen, as the boy got his take-in physical.

Once the man was out in the Kitchen Nook, Momma was ready for him with his morning coffee and newspaper. The two greeted one another, and Mr. Ken saluted Momma with his coffee cup, as was his habit to thank her for bringing the hot brew to him, at his favorite seat at the table.

The owner of The Cove quickly took the paper out of the protective sleeve, began separating the sections, and then took Section A, World News, and began reading. He loved that time of day with it so quiet in the Nook and the bright light coming in through the large window that allowed one to look out over the lake.

It wasn’t long before the three boys came down for breakfast, who were quickly followed by the two resident pets. Darrin and Matthew went right to fixing their dogs kibble and fresh water, before washing their hands, and then sitting down to a wonderful Momma morning meal.

As the boys ate, ‘dad’ Ken reminded Darrin that he would pick him up around nine o’clock, and they would head over to Doctor Rick’s to begin his physical. The man told the teen that the process would take the better part of the day, and when they finished, they would come back to The Cove. Darrin thanked the man for telling him how his day would go.

When the three younger Covers finished eating their breakfast, they thanked Momma Maria for fixing it for them, then they went, washed their hands and used the half-bath before heading up the slight rise to catch the school bus.

The three older teens weren’t too far behind their ‘brothers’ leaving the house, with them coming down to their own breakfast. The two resident pets greeted them when they came into the Kitchen Nook and, of course, Sarge laid down on his back wanting belly rubs, which he got.

“Boys,” began their ‘dad’, “I’m sorry to disappoint you about not going to the shooting range over the Thanksgiving week, but I’m sure you understand that Rusty and Jessy … that they are way too young to go shooting. I did ask Mr. Wayne to find a date and time that maybe we could go before then. OK?”

While the younger Covers were riding the bus to school, Darrin asked his ‘brothers’ about the physical he was going to have that day.

“Matthew … you had that physical that I’m going to get this morning, right? So, what will they do?” asked the new Cover.

“Well, they’ll find out how tall you are, take your weight, check your blood pressure,” started the pre-teen.

Then Phillip added, “They’ll check your eyes, that’s how I got to wear glasses. They’ll check your hearing, and then they’ll take a bunch of x-rays. And then they’ll have you pee in a cup and they’ll take some blood, too.”

“Is that all they’ll do?” asked Darrin.

“No,” quickly spoke Matthew, “that’s what they do in the morning. In the afternoon, that’s when Doctor Rick gets to see you.” Matthew now had a smile on his face.

“Yea,” chuckled Phillip.

“Hey, why are you two laughing?” the newest Cover now wanted to know.

Phillip looked to Matthew for him to tell their newest ‘brother’. “Darrin … in the afternoon, Doctor Rick … he’ll call you and ‘dad’ into his examination room and there he’ll check your ears, your heart and your reflexes. He may even look into your eyes. He’ll ask you some questions about your health, and since you were in a fire, he’ll probably ask you about that.

“After he finishes with the questions, he’ll ask you to … well, he’s going to ask you to take your shorts off, or to at least pull them down, and he’s going to check you for a hernia,” tapered off Matthew.

“Hey, wait. He’s going to have me do what? And then why is he going to check me for a hernia? And, and how is he going to do that?” Darrin wanted to know.

“Listen Darrin, there is no way to sugar coat this, as they say, or make this sound simple. But Doctor Rick … he is going to have you then pull down your boxers and … and he’s going to feel your nuts and your dick to see that there isn’t anything wrong with them, and then he’s going to have you cough,” explained the pre-teen.

“Yea, ‘dad’ … he says that we all had this physical, so you’re not being treated any differently than the rest of us,” now spoke up Phillip. “And ‘dad’ … he won’t watch. I mean he won’t look when Doctor Rick is checking your dick and balls. He’ll look away.

“At least that is what he did when Doctor Rick checked my stuff. It is kind of embarrassing that the doctor does that to you, but …well, he does put on those rubber gloves, and he explains why he is doing it. You’ll see.”

Darrin sat back thinking about his physical, as they rode the rest of the way to the school. He’d never had anything like that done to him before, and he wondered why now. He wondered why his foster dad was having him do that. He made up his mind that he would ask him.

When Ken Thomas got to the office that morning, he had a number of phone calls he needed to make before he left to collect Darrin, and go to Doctor Rick’s office. He asked Rosemary not to bother him, unless it was a genuine emergency.

Mr. Ken’s first phone call was to Stewart Russell. When the lawyer came on the line, the man asked Stewart to try to check on what Darrin Rossman might be due from any insurance settlement from the destruction of the family’s home, and then to see if the parents had any life insurance policies, and if Darrin can be made the beneficiary for them.

Then Mr. Ken remembered that Darrin had an older brother, and he asked the lawyer to see if the parents had a life insurance policy on the older teenager, and if they did to try to see if the survivor, Darrin, could be made the beneficiary. Stewart told his client that he’d get back to him when he had any information.

Mr. Ken then buzzed Rosemary on the intercom, and had her call Ben and ask him to come to his office. When the executive secretary called Ben Walthers, she told him that Mr. Thomas was in a big hurry that morning, and that he shouldn’t delay his arrival. Ben was curious as to what was happening that he needed to be there right that minute.

“Ben, come in and have a seat. We have a slight challenge with our IAAPA trip. I learned last night that our trip ends that Friday of the beginning of Thanksgiving week. That is also, for me … that is a busy time because Kate and family … they are arriving that Friday and, on that Saturday … that is when Jules and Eleanor have their wedding and reception at The Cove. I have to leave for home that Thursday to make sure everything is ready.

“Getting back to IAAPA, Ben … we need to look at the agenda and identify where we need to focus our efforts during those four, now three days. I won’t be here the rest of the day, to work with you on this, because I need to take Darrin, my new foster, to his take-in physical today. I always take the boys there personally, and he’s only been with me since Monday afternoon and … well, I want to use this time to try to get to know the boy better.

“So, Ben … since this is going to be our first time attending, we have a lot to learn for next year, so I am asking you to look into this. I need you to look through the daily program and decide where we both need to be to see the latest products and services, so we could move the amusement parks forward.

“Then, I want you to identify where we can separate to meet with as many representatives as we can from companies who showcase new products and services that we could possibly use to help us within our six parks to make them even better than they are. Our trip is three weeks away, and this being our first time participating, we need to be prepared to hit the ground running.”

Then, looking at the time, Mr. Ken told Ben that he needed to go. He told his President of Three Finger Entertainment that he’d see him tomorrow, and then the boss was gone.

At the school that morning, Darrin told his friends that his ‘brothers’ asked Mr. Ken if they could have a sleepover. That put big smiles on Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon’s faces. The Cover mentioned that they didn’t have a date yet, but that it should be before Thanksgiving.

He also reminded them that he had his physical today and would be leaving around nine o’clock and that he wouldn’t be back. He also revealed to them that he was going to ask Mr. Ken if they could come over on Saturday. The four boys smiled again after hearing that.

Sam then asked Darrin if he knew what they were going to do to him during his physical. The Cover described what Matthew and Phillip told him what they would do to him, as they rode to school on the bus. The four boys were surprised when he told them that the doctor was going to check his stuff. Darrin told them that Matthew said that the doctor was checking for anything abnormal with his ‘boy parts’, as they called them, and if he had a hernia. The boys asked him to let them know how it was.

Mr. Ken arrived at the school a little after nine to pick Darrin up for his appointment with Doctor Powers. Liliana Dillows, the school secretary, recognized him and asked him how she could help him. He reminded her that he was there to pick-up Darrin Rossman, and take him to his doctor’s appointment.

The secretary apologized for not remembering that, but she did tell Mr. Ken that she hears about so many changes to schedules and other student appointments, that it was difficult to keep track of all of them. Ms. Dillows then got on the school’s intercom and made an announcement to Darrin’s classroom asking him to come to the office.

On the drive to the doctor’s office, Darrin asked Mr. Ken if that physical was necessary. The foster dad smiled at the question and told his foster son that every boy has asked him that question. The man continued and told him that it was necessary for him to be aware of what medical problems he may have, so that he can deal with them, as they arise.

The teen protested that he didn’t have any medical problems and that this was a big waste of money. But Mr. Ken asked the boy when was the last time he’d seen a doctor for a full-blown physical to determine if he had anything wrong.

Darrin said that he hadn’t seen a doctor in many years because he’d never been sick. The foster dad hinted that because he hadn’t seen a doctor in years, that was another good reason for him to have this physical, because something could be hiding in plain sight that he wasn’t aware of.

As they continued to drive along, Darrin figured he had lost that argument. But he wanted to ask something that was bothering him. “Mr. Ken … this doctor … does he really have … does he really have to check my … my private parts?”

Mr. Ken inwardly smiled at the question. All the boys seem to be concerned at having their ‘boy parts’ being inspected by the doctor; he thought to himself. Then another thought that came to him was for them to wait until they had to have that wonderful ‘finger wave’ later in life. Another laugh came to him, but it also came out as a chuckle that Darrin heard,

“Are you laughing that the doctor is gonna check my dick and balls, Mr. Ken?” now asked a disgruntled Darrin Rossman.

“No, Darrin. A thought came into my mind about what you boys will have to undergo when you get much older that the doctor checking for a hernia, pales in comparison to what the doctor will do when you are about 35,” was how the foster dad answered the teen.

The teen didn’t say anything, but they had arrived at the doctor’s office, so he really didn’t get the chance if he wanted to. The two Covers walked into the office and Mr. Ken was given a number of forms to fill out, so the two sat down while the man filled them out.

When the forms were filled out, Darrin was called back to begin his physical. And as his ‘brothers’ had told him would happen, the teen had his height and weight taken, then his blood pressure and heart rate. He was then asked to fill a container with urine, and then they took a number of vials of blood.

“Mr. Ken … why did they take so much blood?” asked Darrin.

Mr. Ken smiled at the simple question, then told the teen, “Well, Darrin, did you see the different color tubes? They tell the technician what tests they are to do on that vial of blood. But the overall reason the doctor does so many tests, when he has a new patient, is so he has a baseline he can then use to check against future tests to see what changes might have occurred.

“These tests, essentially, tell him your overall health in comparison to the average thirteen-year-old,” began Mr. Ken. “It will also tell him if you have a propensity for diabetes, or if you are deficient in certain minerals, or if your kidneys and/or liver are working properly.

The tests might even indicate to him to do additional tests to eliminate the possibility of certain diseases or the potential of a cancer in your body. And, again, this is the reason I want an in-take physical, so I know if you have anything that I will, or won’t, be responsible for going forward.”

The teen was then called to do his eye exam where they had him sit in a chair and asked him to tell the technician what he was seeing on the wall. The operator examined both eyes and made a comment on the chart, and then sent him back to the waiting room.

It wasn’t long afterwards that another person came to collect him to check his hearing. For this test the teen was sat in an enclosed booth where headphones were placed on his ears, and sounds were played into each ear and the teen was to press a button, when he heard the sounds. This test was longer than the eye test, and the operator changed the sounds between the right and left ear, so he couldn’t anticipate the sound or the frequency.

When the Cover had finished that test, the last thing he needed to do was a chest x-ray and the long bone series x-rays. These, by far, took the most time, and it was time for lunch when the Covers left the doctor’s office. They didn’t have to be back until two o’clock, so Mr. Ken decided to take his newest foster son out to the Lakeside Hotel for lunch.

Ken Thomas, the owner of the Lakeside Hotel, usually ate there when he was working at the office, which was located just down the street from the hotel. The staff hadn’t seen the man for almost a week, and they were surprised when he arrived with someone new. Word quickly spread throughout the hotel that the owner was there, and had with him a new lad.

The two Covers stopped at the Hostess station and Mr. Ken asked for a quiet table for two. They were immediately seated, although there were people waiting for a table.

After they were seated, and a waiter came directly to their table with glasses of iced water and menus, Darrin asked, “Mr. Ken … why was it that we were seated right away, when … well, when we could see that people were waiting for a table?”

A smile came over the man’s face at the inquiry, and he decided to tell the newest Cover that he actually owned the hotel, and that the staff were bending over backwards to please him. That put a smile on the teen’s face.

Soon, the restaurant manager came over to ask Mr. Ken and enquire if everything was alright. Mr. Thomas told him that he and his ‘son’ had an appointment they had to be at by two o’clock, and with that the man left.

Darrin didn’t say anything about what was said, but what surprised him was that Mr. Ken had called him his ‘son’. He hadn’t expected that at all. Then he thought back to what Phillip told him about that after a while it just felt right to call him ‘dad’. The teen thought that after living there for as long as Phillip had, and if the man also said that if he was his ‘son’ then he could see why the youngest Cover would begin to call Mr. Ken, ‘dad’.

The two Covers didn’t get anything exotic to eat that afternoon, although they could have. Mr. Ken suggested that they just get a simple bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato and fries and a drink. He told Darrin that some night they could all come out there and have a wonderful steak dinner, and he would be treated to something so out-of-this-world that he would be talking about it for a long time. Darrin said that he would like that, as his parents didn’t take them out for steak all that often.

As the two were eating, the chef even came out to their table and asked them if their burger was cooked to their liking. This surprised the teen to no end, as he had never heard of the chef ever doing that. And here was this man, the restaurant’s chef coming to their table and asking them about their meal. and he hadn’t stopped at any other table the entire time they had been there.

“Ahh, Mr. Ken … does he do that to everyone? Or, was it because you were here today?” asked the teen Cover.

A chuckling Ken Thomas told his new foster son that the chef usually didn’t come out to talk to him, but that he did it this time specifically because he had someone new with him. The foster dad did tell the teen that the chef will come out during the dinner meal to talk to their guests to ensure that everything is the way they expect it. Darrin was blown away at what he was learning about his foster dad.

The two made their way back to Doctor Power’s office in plenty of time, for their two o’clock appointment. They took a seat in the waiting room, and before long a nurse came out and asked them to follow her to the examination room. When there, she asked the teen to undress to his underwear and socks, put on a paper gown, and have a seat on the table.

A quick, “Do I have too?” was asked by the teen of Mr. Ken, who told him that he had to.

Reluctantly, the new Cover did as he was asked, and as he did that, he noticed that his foster dad did not watch him, as he undressed. Soon thereafter, Doctor Powers came into the room.

“So, I hear that you have another foster, Mr. Ken. What … this makes it an even number ten for you?” teased Doctor Rick.

“You are right there, Doctor Rick. This is Darrin, Darrin Rossman. He came to us this past Monday. He was in that horrendous fire about two weeks ago, where his family … where he lost his mother, father and older brother. He was the only survivor,” answered Mr. Ken.

“Well, young Darrin, I see that you are thirteen. And let me tell you that you couldn’t have been brought to a better foster home than Mr. Ken’s. You are his tenth foster, over six years now, I think it is, and your life will never be the same.

“Now, let me listen to your lungs, first. Oh, since you were in the fire, I see where you had some burns. I hope you are taking good care of them. They look good, but if they begin to look red, you make sure to tell your foster dad here, and he’ll bring you in and we’ll fix that up. OK?

“Now … let’s start with your lungs. Take some deep breaths. … They sound very good. I’m sure you took in some smoke, but it doesn’t seem to have affected you. Now, let me listen to your heart. … Wonderful and strong. OK, next, let me check your reflexes. I’m going to use this little triangular hammer device to check your reflexes at your knees and elbows.

“Good, good … just as they are supposed to work. OK, I need to look into your ears, now. I need to check that the tympanic membrane is intact, and that you don’t have any excess wax in the canal or any infection in there.”

The doctor then had Darrin lay back on the examination table, so he could listen to his stomach and bowels. He told the teen he was just making sure that everything in there was working as expected.

When the doctor was finished, he asked Darrin to stand. He told the teen that his last exam was to check for testicular cancer, and for a hernia. He explained that he was going to put on some examination gloves for that one, and he would then have him drop his underwear, so that he could perform the check.

Doctor Powers told the teen that all of the Cover boys have had this check, and although it may sound embarrassing it goes quite fast. Doctor Rick then asked Darrin to drop his boxer briefs, and to look to his right.

Darrin did as he was asked and when he did, he noticed that Mr. Ken did look away from where he was standing. The teen then felt the doctor take a hold of his penis and inspect it and after a few seconds he felt the man take one testicle and roll it around in his fingers, and then the other. The doctor then asked the teen if he felt any soreness in either of them, which he hadn’t.

The doctor then pushed a finger up and inside of the teen and asked him to cough, twice. When that was done, the doctor told Darrin that he could get dressed. The teen did that as quickly as he could.

“Now, that wasn’t as bad as I bet your ‘brothers’ told you it would be,” teased Doctor Rick.

“Mr. Ken … unless the blood tests come back with some sort of abnormality, I’d have to say that your young Darrin here is very healthy. That is … unless he starts eating those burned hamburgers and hot dogs your ‘sons’ cook up at that Pavilion of yours,” laughed Doctor Powers.

The two men shook hands and the doctor told Mr. Ken that he had other patients waiting on him, and that he’d call if there was anything important to tell him. The three of them then went in their separate ways.

It was two-forty when the Covers left the doctor’s office. Mr. Ken told Darrin that he would normally take the new boy over to Dairy Queen and they’d get a banana split and talk about the physical he just had. But today he told the teen he wanted to do something different.

Darrin asked his foster dad what he was going to do differently this time. All Mr. Ken would tell him was to just sit back and wait and see, as the man drove on.

Before long the two Covers drove up to a skateboard store, where Mr. Ken had bought a number of skateboards for the other Covers. Darrin was surprised that they had stopped there.

“Mr. Ken … why are we stopping here?” asked the teen.

“Well, you told me that you lost everything in the fire, including your skateboard. So … I … well, I figured this was as good a time as any to get you a replacement one,” answered the foster dad.

“Come on. I’ve taken all of the boys here and gotten them new skateboards, and you are the next one to get his own custom built-from-scratch board. Now, it’s your turn; let’s go inside and let them build you what you want.”

The biggest smile that Darrin ever had on his face was showing and there was no way anyone could wipe it off. The two entered the skateboard store and the man who had waited on the owner of The Cove, each and every time he brought one of his ‘boys’ there, came over to him and asked him if he could help him, again.

Mr. Ken directed Darrin to follow the man and pick out whichever design, trucks, wheels, bearings, and whatever else he wanted for the board, and the man would build it for him.

It took the teen Cover about twenty-five minutes to look through the extensive skateboard designs to choose the one he wanted. He chose a red fire truck. Then it took almost another forty minutes to select the other parts and pieces that were needed to outfit and build the new skateboard to the size and weight of the new Cover teen. Of course, Mr. Ken made Darrin ride it there to ensure that it was balanced correctly, so the man could make any corrections right on the spot.

On the ride back to The Cove, Darrin had that same big smile on his face that he had when he first went into the skateboard shop. But Mr. Ken fooled the teen, as they didn’t go right back to The Cove. The foster dad took the teen over to DQ, so they could at least get a cone of ice cream before they headed home. This time Darrin had no qualms about having that cold treat.

The two younger Covers, Matthew and Phillip, were already up in their rooms working on their homework when Darrin entered the Kitchen Nook, with his new skateboard.

“Wow, dad got you a new skateboard!” exclaimed Charles, when he saw Darrin walk in the Nook with the new board.

Hearing what Charles said made Billy and Robert look over at Darrin. The three teenagers then got up from the table and went over to their newest ‘brother’ to look at his new skateboard. The teens then talked about wanting to take their newest ‘brother’ up the Cove Skate Park and have him try it out. They looked at the time and decided that they had enough time to show Darrin the skate park, and let him try a few rides on the new skateboard.

The three teens thanked Momma for fixing them their afterschool snack and the four teens hurried out of the Nook, through the garage, and jumped into the six-seat golf-cart. With Billy at the wheel, they sped up to the Cove Skate Park.

‘Dad’ Ken saw the four teens hurrying up the driveway, and turning to the Cove Skate Park. He figured they were taking Darrin up there to have him check out his new skateboard. So, he asked Wayne to go with him, and the two men also took a golf-cart up to the skate park.

This was the first time Darrin ever got to see the Cove Skate Park up close and personal, and he couldn’t believe that he would now get to use that wonderful facility. His ‘brothers’ told him to put his skateboard down and push off, and that’s what the newest Cover did.

Darrin couldn’t believe how smooth the surface was as he rode across the concrete. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne had arrived and they watched the new Cover ride his new skateboard and as he did, he showed he was very adept at riding the new board.

The three teenagers were also impressed with their ‘brother’s’ ability on the skateboard, particularly, when he used some of the upper elements, and successfully completed them. They all applauded him to the teen’s chagrin.

Mr. Ken told the older teenagers that it was getting late, and they all needed to get working on their homework. He told Darrin, though, that he could stay up there a few more minutes to enjoy the Cove Skate Park. The new teen took advantage of that opportunity and pushed off and rode some more. He even tried the deep bowls, and as he did the two men could hear him howl at how much he loved the speed.

At dinner that evening Darrin talked about how much he loved the Cove Skate Park. That was when Matthew and Phillip learned that their new ‘brother’ had gotten a new skateboard, and their older ‘brothers’ had taken him up to the skate park to try it out.

The new foster took center stage at the dinner table, as he talked about the skate park and how smooth it was, as compared to where he had to skate before. He also thanked Mr. Ken about a dozen times for getting him that awesome board, because all he had before was a store bought one that worked, but wasn’t anything close to the one he has now.

All the boys got into the conversation about the Cove Skate Park, and what they loved about it. They all talked about how ‘dad’ Ken bought them their own skateboards and Billy, Robert, Charles, and Matthew talked about what they remembered about the building of the park itself.

Billy then talked about the storm that came through and how they and their friends all went up to the unfinished skate park, and emptied the water out of the bowls, and then power washed the dirty water rings away so they didn’t stain the concrete.

Robert and Charles added how the storm sort of destroyed the Patio and the barbeque grill. They added that their friends came back the next day and helped their ‘dad’ with getting everything put back together, as best they could.

Darrin asked his ‘brothers’ if any of them took pictures of the damage. Charles and Billy said that they took pictures afterwards, but not right after the storm came through, because they needed to get the dirty water off the concrete, so it didn’t stain the bowls.

‘Dad’ Ken decided to get into the conversation, and he told the boys that he had video of the storm from the security cameras. That surprised all the boys, except Robert, who knew more about the security system than his ‘brothers’. The boys immediately asked him if he could show them the storm and what happened.

Mr. Ken looked to Wayne to see if they should do that. The Estate Master indicated they could route the video to the Theater where they all could have a better view, than looking at it over a computer screen. The owner of The Cove agreed that showing it in the Theater would be the best way to show it, and then, they could hold their evening meeting there when it was over.

The boys smiled that they would get to see the storm all over again. Darrin was surprised to learn that there were security cameras. But he then realized that if there were armed security guards there had to be security cameras, but he’d never seen them. He told himself to look around for them when he was outside.

When the Covers were finished eating, the boys helped clear the table and then the boys got in line to thank Momma Maria for fixing their dinner for them. Darrin was last in line and he gave the woman a longer hug than necessary, but it was the only female hugs that he was getting now that his mother was no longer around.

The Covers headed to the Theater and there they all found a good place to watch the security video their ‘dad’ would soon show them. It took ‘dad’ Ken a few minutes to isolate the security video from the time when that storm came through, and then send it to the Theater.

“Boys, here is the storm as it came through,” stated ‘Dad’ Ken. “I’m starting the video around the time the storm clouds could be seen in the distance. The boys had asked if they had time to cook the burgers and dogs and I told them that I thought that they had about an hour.

“I’m fast forwarding the video to just about the time the storm hits. Listen to what happens,” suggested the owner of The Cove.

As the video played, there was a tremendous flash of lightning that lit up the Patio, which was quickly followed by a very loud crack of super loud thunder. They saw everyone stop eating and hurry into the house. It was only a few seconds later that the rain began to pummel the Patio with huge droplets of water, which was followed, soon thereafter, by torrential rainfall, quarter inch hail and the wind had picked up.

The boys watched as tree leaves and limbs were thrown through the air and the plates of food and utensils were picked up and thrown around the patio. They also saw how the folding tables had been thrown against the concrete wall that supported the garage and were in shambles, and chairs out on the patio were strewn around, as if they had no weight at all. They also saw the gas barbeque grill get tossed around like a paper bag, and its top get bent and almost ripped off.

Robert spoke up right then and told everyone how he remembered his dad telling everyone to get into the restrooms, or the Theater, in case there was a tornado. He added that he told Eric to go upstairs to tell his mom about the storm, and for her to go into the en suite.

Matthew jumped in and told everyone how he and his friends went up to his bedroom, and looked out the window to see what happened at the construction site. The pre-teen said he couldn’t believe what he saw, and that he went running to his ‘dad’ to tell him that he had to come up to his room to see what had happened at the construction site.

Billy added that he and his friends went to his room, as it faces the construction site, as well, and when they looked, they saw the skate bowls in the construction site were almost full of brown, filthy water. The older teen continued and told how the dirt that was spread and packed, so they could pour the top of the skate park and the driveway that would run from the main drive near the Guard Shack to the Pavilion, had been heavily washed out by the heavy rains, and deposited into the skate bowls.

Billy said, “We could see the catch basin was still filling up with water, as it also slowly leaked out of the skate bowl’s drains. Mr. Ken said he figured there were large rocks partially blocking the drains at the bottoms of the bowls, and the water would eventually leak out, but not before the dirty water stained the clean concrete. He and Mr. Wayne rushed into action getting the power washer and all those water hoses.”

Mr. Ken told the boys that what they saw was the Patio view. That he was now going to show them what had happened out front. The man started the video from the time the rain started.

The boys watched as the rain came in torrents and the faster it rained the faster the water rushed through where the contractor had prepared for concrete to be poured, and all it did was begin to wash the gravel and dirt towards the skate park. They saw that it rained so hard, for so long, that just about all the prep for the concrete was washed into the skate park bowls, and the bowls began filling up with dirty brown water.

‘Dad’ Ken stopped the video after the rain slowed down and they saw Mr. Wayne, Billy, Robert, Eric and Charles head out the Main Gate. The boys moaned that they wanted to watch how they cleaned up the bowls. But ‘dad’ Ken said that they didn’t have all night, as they have school in the morning.

“So, Darrin … what do you think?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.

“Wow, that was some storm. I wonder how fast that wind was. But like Robert said, it would be nice, though, to see what everyone did to help clean up the skate park,” replied the foster teen.

“Well, not tonight. Maybe at a later time. OK, everyone, let me begin with our regular evening meeting,” announced ‘dad’ Ken.

The man went through the appointments and where everyone was supposed to be over the next week, or so, and then he asked if anyone had any questions, or complaints.

Darrin raised his hand, “Mr. Ken … ahhh, can I … can I invite Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon over this weekend?”

“I don’t see why not. Mr. Chris … he will be here as an adult, in case anyone asks, even though Mr. Wayne will be here for a while before he and Matthew head out to check out some dog training schools,” answered ‘dad’ Ken. “Anyone else?”

Not getting any other takers, Mr. Ken sent the boys up to their rooms and told them that he’d be up there soon. Soon after, Mr. Wayne left since it was getting late.

Again, Mr. Ken didn’t spend a lot of time with the boys that Thursday night as it was late. The boys did thank him for showing them the video of the storm when the skate park was being built. The older teens said that it brought back memories to them.

Phillip told his ‘dad’ that it was great to see what The Cove looked like before he got here. The youngest Cover also added that he was glad he wasn’t here during all that construction. When ‘dad’ Ken asked him why that was, Phillip told him that he wouldn’t have been able to form his band. ‘Dad’ Ken grabbed him in a hug and then he went to Darrin’s room.

In Darrin’s room, the teen smiled when his foster dad knocked and then walked in. When Mr. Ken asked the teen what he thought about the day, Darrin told the man he didn’t know if he could have put anything else into it. The teen added that ever since he arrived, he couldn’t believe how busy he’s been, and that he was looking forward to the weekend, so he can catch his breath.

Mr. Ken told him that at The Cove they stay busy, and he’ll see come Saturday and Sunday, with his friends over, that the boys get to cook burgers and dogs up at the Pavilion, and eventually he’ll be given a place to help with all of that. The man then told the teen to make sure he drained his dragon before he went to bed.

The teen smiled at the comment and said that he would. The two shared a quick hug, and then Mr. Ken was off to his own retreat to get some well needed rest himself.

The week was almost over and the Covers were all in their rooms getting ready for bed, or they were already in bed, and before long The Cove would be quiet throughout the night.

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

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