Published: 4 Sep 2025

From the Previous Chapter:

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 part to help with all 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.

When Ken Thomas woke that Friday morning, he was glad that the weekend was upon him. Even though he would be taking his son, Robert, to visit his mother, he had other decisions he needed to start considering. The biggest of all was whether or not to allow Chief to have another litter of pups.

If he was going to allow Chief to have another litter, he needed at least seven families that were willing to adopt the pups about eight weeks after their birth. He figured he could take Sarge with him to work one day next week, and show him off to the people in all of his Working Groups to see if anyone there would be interested in adopting such a sweet puppy like Sarge. He knew it might be a long shot, but he felt it was worth taking. And all he needed were seven families, he told himself, as he inwardly laughed, while taking his shower.

Momma Maria had his coffee ready for him when he entered the Kitchen Nook, and he saluted her in his usual manner by lifting the cup up in the air to her, after taking his first sip of the hot brew. His focus then went to reading the morning newspaper.

The clicking of Chief’s and Sarge’s paws on the tile floor announced the arrival of the three younger Cover boys. Darrin and Matthew immediately went to rinse the resident pets’ water and kibble bowls, and then filled one with ice water and the other with fresh kibble, before sitting down to their Momma breakfast.

As the boys ate, Mr. Ken could hear them talking in low whispers. He could catch a word here and there, but not knowing what they were talking about got the best of him, so he asked, “What are you three whispering about over there?”

The three boys looked back and forth to one another trying to figure out which one was going to answer. Finally, Darrin answered, “Mr. Ken … my ‘brothers’ were … they were asking me about my physical yesterday. They were wondering if Doctor Rick … if he made me … cough, and … and if you looked.” And then all three boys laughed.

“Well, they all had to cough, too, and I didn’t look! That was between the doctor and you, and I didn’t need to see your … your ‘boy parts’, and embarrass you any more than you were feeling at the time. Now finish your breakfast and go to school,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.

The boys laughed some more and went back to talking in low tones some more, obviously discussing the fact that their ‘dad’ indeed didn’t watch, when the doctor had them drop their boxer briefs and inspected their ‘boy parts’, and then made them cough. And even more laughter came from the three of them.

As the boys finished their breakfast and thanked Momma for fixing it for them, ‘dad’ Ken commented to them that he hopes they got all the answers to their questions about the way Doctor Rick performs his in-take physicals on you boys. He then laughed at them.

The three of them yelled in unison, “‘Daaaad’!”, as they walked to the Foyer Door to go out, and walk up the rise to catch the school bus.

What surprised Mr. Ken was the fact that Darrin joined in and called him ‘dad’. He wondered if that was a spontaneous moment, or something yet to come. The man went back to reading his newspaper.

The three older Cover teenagers came down for their breakfast, not too long after their young ‘brothers’ had departed for their school bus. They all greeted their ‘dad’ before sitting down for their own Momma breakfast.

The older teen’s conversation centered around the two older ones going to visit their mom’s tomorrow, and then their choosing a day for the next sleepover. To Mr. Ken it sounded like the teens were going to choose next weekend for the sleepover, so they could get it in just in case something came up that could cancel it.

At school, as soon as he got off the school bus, Darrin was inundated with questions about his physical from his four friends. The uppermost question the Cover’s friends had was about whether, or not, the doctor did check his ‘boy parts’, and if Mr. Ken watched.

Darrin told Terrin, Sam, Blake and Landon all about his physical up until the doctor had him drop his boxer briefs. Then the first bell rang, and they all had to go inside. The boys all groaned and they made Darrin promise that he would finish his story at lunch.

At the office, Mr. Ken and Ben sat down and talked about their upcoming IAAPA trip. Ben told his boss that he reviewed the International Attraction and Amusement Park Association (IAAPA) Expo’s pamphlets and websites, and decided that they should concentrate on the following exhibit areas: State-of-the-Art Rides, Video and Skill Games, Point of Sale Technology, Food and Beverage Equipment, Health and Safety Apparatus, Arcade and Coin Machines, as well as Pools and Beach Resort Supplies.

Ben then indicated that there were numerous thirty to ninety minute educational and roundtable discussion sessions covering Food Trends, an Expanding Your Seasons with Events, Games & Merchandise Roundtable, Maintaining Water Parks from Fiberglass to Steel, a Food, Beverage and Retail discussion and then a Managing Aquatic Related Emergencies – A Full Lifecycle Approach to Preparedness he felt they needed to attend because of their new water park.

Ben then suggested that Arnie at Crystal Lake, or his assistant, should possibly attend the two that pertain to the new water park they are installing, and they could also gain perspective by attending and viewing the Health and Safety Apparatus and the Pools and Beach Resort Supplies exhibits.

Ken Thomas told Ben that as the President of TFE that it would be his decision to include Arnie. Mr. Ken then added that if he was, he needed to tell him soon and make arrangements for him to be there at the same time, as they were. Ben agreed and indicated that when their meeting was over, he would call Mr. Arnolds and give him the good news.

When their meeting was over Mr. Ken gave Kate a call. With Darrin added to the mix that week, he’d been remiss in talking to his sweetheart, and he needed to call her to see how she was doing, and let her know what was on his plate for the weekend.

When he finished his call with Kate, Ken Thomas then remembered he needed to call Mackenzie Flores. When she didn’t answer her cell phone, the man left her a message that her son and his band were playing that Sunday from five until eight o’clock, and that Phillip really wanted her to watch him. He gave her the address, and said he hoped he’d see her there.

At lunchtime, Darrin filled his friends in on how his physical went the previous day. They all laughed when the Cover told them that he had to drop his boxer briefs, and the doctor felt his penis and testicles to determine if there were any abnormalities with them. And then they cringed when he told them he pushed his finger inside of him, and then had him cough to check him to see if he had a hernia.

Darrin told his friends that Mr. Ken was also in the room, and he noticed that his foster dad had looked away, so as not to see him naked. The Cover added that the man told him that he didn’t want to embarrass him any more than he already was, for being nude in front of the doctor.

A few of the other boys who were also listening told the boys that when they went out for football, they had to have that same sort of physical, and that it was no big deal. A few of them told them that they’ve been getting that physical since they were ten and that their dads did watch.

Some of the boys told the football players that it had to suck that their dad’s saw them naked as ten-, eleven- and twelve-year-olds. The football players asked why, and then said that their dads bathed and changed their diapers, when they were babies and saw them naked then, and they felt that them being seen in the doctor’s office wasn’t any different.

“Yea, but back when you were a baby you had a little dinkus. But as a ten-, eleven, or twelve-year-old your dinkus was bigger, much bigger, and you could have hairs now. I know I’d be embarrassed for my dad to see that I had a bunch of hair down there,” offered one boy of about thirteen, with a number of other boys agreeing. There was some laughter from the crowd of boys, who were listening to the conversation.

“Well, we’re all thirteen, or at least close to it,” began Darrin, “and we all should have some pubic hairs by now, and all dads have been there and they know the score. So, it shouldn’t be a big deal to them.”

Darrin then changed the subject and told Landon, Blake, Sam and Terrin that they could come over tomorrow. That put a big smile on the four friends’ faces. The other boys asked if they could come over as well. Darrin told them that he could only invite four over this time, as his foster dad would be away for the day. They asked about next weekend, and all Darrin could tell them was that he had to wait and see what Mr. Ken had planned, before he could say anything.

Xavier, who was one of Kyle’s friends, when the twin lived at The Cove, spoke up and told the gathered group that Darrin could probably only have a total of around six friends over. The boy qualified that by saying that was the number Kevin and Kyle each could only have when they lived at The Cove. Hearing that put a damper on the other boys’ chances of getting an invitation to The Cove, since Darrin already had four friends.

Most of the boys walked away after that, and then someone asked why Mr. Ken was going to be gone. Darrin answered by saying he was taking Robert to visit his mom. That was when one of Kyle’s old friends mentioned that Robert’s mother was in prison. Hearing that shocked Darrin, and he wondered if that was also where Billy’s mom was. But, before he could ask, the after-lunch bell rang, and everyone had to go back into the school.

At the office, Ken Thomas went around to all of his business concerns and talked to the people there. It wasn’t something he often did and he knew he should be more visible to all of the people who ultimately worked for him under the many Groups, as he called them.

He made small talk to the many men and women asking about their home life and family and whether or not they had a family pet. That was his way of learning how many potential families he could ask if they might be interested in adopting a puppy, like Sarge, when he brings The Cove’s new resident pet to the office next week.

The man didn’t broach the subject of them possibly adopting one of Chief’s pups to anyone at the time. He wanted his bringing Sarge to the office as a surprise, so they couldn’t already have an excuse not to want the adorable puppy. At least, that will be his motive next week when he parades Sarge around and shows him off. Then he remembered that he had to have the puppy master give the resident pup a bath the night before.

When Mr. Ken arrived back at his office, Ben Walthers, the President of TFE, was waiting for him. Ben had much of the information the owner of the amusement parks had asked him to gather from earlier in the week.

Mr. Ken smiled as he walked into his office, as Rosemary had told him that Ben was waiting for his return. Ben stood as his boss entered the room, and asked him if he enjoyed talking to the masses. Mr. Ken told the man that he needed to do that more often, and asked him why he needed to see him.

Ben mentioned that he had most of the information he asked for earlier in the week, and he wanted to brief him on what he had for Adventure Forest for the start of next season, and the early status reports of the new ride builds at the other parks.

Ben started with the new ride status reports for Fantasy Fun Park, Mountain Top, Discovery Kingdom, and Adventure Forest. The President of TFE described that the ops managers indicated that the rollercoasters’ pilings have been laid out, and the contractors have begun to pour concrete in many of them.

Ben stated that the coaster station house areas have also been cleared and the surveying markers are in place, but the contractors won’t begin to work on those until all of the coaster support pilings are finished.

Ben reported that Arnie indicated that the water park is taking shape and support pilings have been poured for many of the water slides, and the wave pool is graded, and the forms for the walls are going up. Ben told Mr. Ken that when he visits the park in November, he’ll have a better grasp as to what is happening there.

The President of TFE also reminded his boss that he did invite Arnie Arnolds, the operations manager of Crystal Lake Amusement Park, to IAAPA, and that the man was surprised and delighted at the invitation.

Ben added that he told Arnie that he was supposed to focus on the Health and Safety Equipment and Pools and Beach Resort Supplies, and that the man was also to attend the educational and roundtable discussion sessions on Maintaining Water Parks from Fiberglass to Steel and the Managing Aquatic Related Emergencies – A Full Lifecycle Approach to Preparedness

Ben indicated that he informed Arnie that since this was the first time any of the parks will have a water park that he will ultimately become the go to man, if TFE ever decided to install a water park elsewhere. Mr. Ken liked that Ben had made the decision that Arnie would be the Point Man for all water parks, and mentioned that it even justified Arnie going to IAAPA even more.

Ben then showed Mr. Ken what he saw as Adventure Forest’s uniform for next season. He brought up on the computer three different shades of green for the shorts: a hunter green, a British racing green, and a dark green for Mr. Ken to choose from.

The President of TFE then showed his boss three different colors of a tan shirt to be worn with the shorts, which were: a beige, a khaki and a sand.

Mr. Ken then asked Ben if he’d tried a dark brown short and a tan or other color shirt, like green or yellow. Ben wasn’t ready for the question and honestly answered that they had discussed a green with tan and that was what he’d gone with.

But the man recovered quickly enough and indicated that all he needed to do was check the color wheel and see what looked best. The president did mention that time was of the essence and that if they wanted them ready for opening season on the first of March, they needed to get the order in by the first of November.

Mr. Ken looked at the time and told Ben that they could look at the internet right now. The amusement park’s owner called up a website that showed color combinations that go well together, and the two men saw loads of different combinations.

They liked the different combinations they saw. The first was a charcoal & yellow; another was of a mustard, sage, & forest green; another was a forest green & moss green; then there was a yellow & verdant green and lastly a beige, black-brown, & tan. Seeing the colors that way gave them some perspective as to what the colors looked like together in a bigger profile.

The combination of forest green pants or shorts with either the moss green, sage green or the mustard yellow long or short sleeve shirt caught them as a good way to begin. There was even a muted yellow they liked that they considered for the supervisors to wear, so as to differentiate them from the everyday worker.

When they finished looking over the color combinations, Ben commented that he wished they had done that earlier in the week, and he could have saved himself a lot of time and trouble. All Mr. Ken did was laugh. But they did agree to order the forest green shorts and all four colored shirts in various sizes, and that the muted yellow would be for the major supervisors. Mr. Ken also told Ben to order the khaki and tan shirts as well, and they would hold those back for future use. Ben just smiled at the direction.

After Ben left the office, Rosemary told Mr. Ken that Levi Golderson had called and wanted him to return his call. She explained that it had something to do with a meeting with his investors next week.

Ken Thomas quickly called Levi to learn that his investors, Jasper Bentson, Damian King, Bentley Cooper and Miguel Sanchez all wanted to meet during the week out at his Lakeside Hotel. Mr. Ken told Levi that he would reserve a quiet corner in the dining room, so they could have lunch, and then a meeting room where they could discuss a possible expansion out at his lakeside properties. The meeting was set for Wednesday at eleven o’clock.

On the bus ride home after school, Darrin whispered to Matthew and asked him if it was true that Robert’s mother was in prison. Matthew told his new ‘brother’ that this wasn’t the time, or place, to discuss such matters and he wouldn’t answer him. Darrin sat back in his seat knowing that he messed up.

When the three youngest Covers got home, Matthew still wouldn’t answer Darrin’s question about Robert’s mom. Even Phillip wouldn’t answer the question telling the newest Cover that if he wanted the answer, he needed to ask Robert himself.

Darrin didn’t want to ask Robert directly, figuring he wouldn’t get an honest answer, so he dropped the question. But Momma noticed that none of the boys talked to one another, while they ate their afterschool snack.

When the three teens came home, and were eating their afterschool snack, Momma mentioned to them that their younger ‘brothers’ didn’t talk to one another while they ate their snacks, so there had to be something going on between them. The three teens looked to one another and decided they needed to figure out what was going on between them.

After finishing their snack, the teenagers each went to a different younger ‘brother’ to find out what was wrong. Billy went to talk to Phillip; Charles went to talk to Matthew and Robert went to talk to Darrin.

Billy and Charles quickly found out what the problem was and now they all knew that Robert was talking with Darrin. The four of them wondered if their newest ‘brother’ actually asked Robert if it was true that his mother was in prison.

“Darrin … Momma … she told us that after school you Matthew and Phillip … that you three weren’t talking to one another, so … are you willing to tell me what the problem is?” asked Robert.

After not getting a response, Robert told his new ‘brother’ that if he doesn’t talk out his problems, there was no way that he could get them resolved, and they would fester inside of him, until they finally cause major problems amongst him, and whomever they concern.

Hearing that, Darrin remembered something that Mr. Ken told him earlier during the week. So, he decided he’d tell his older ‘brother’ what it was all about. But he wasn’t too sure Robert would be happy to hear what he had to say.

“Ahhh, Robert … ahhh … at school today … ahhh, one of the boys … he told me that … well, ahhh, what caused Matthew, Phillip and I not to talk to one another was … ahh, that … well, I asked them a question that they wouldn’t answer. And … the question … it is related … it related to what one of Kyle’s friends told me that … ahh, that … that … your mother … that your mom was in … in pri … prison,” Darrin finally got out.

Robert sat there shocked that his newest ‘brother’ learned about his mom from one of Kyle’s friends. He couldn’t believe that the twin’s told other people about his mom being in prison. But now he needed to answer Darrin’s question.

“Darrin … there are reasons why all of us are living here, and why we were in the CPS system. I’m sure one of the things my dad told you was … he told you not to bug us about the reason that brought us here. We all know you’re here because of the fire. The twins … they were here because their entire family was in a freak car accident, and their mom and dad were severely burned, and were sent to the burn unit down in San Antonio.

“As for Billy, Charles, Matthew, Phillip and even Mark, you will have to get their stories from them, themselves. I hope you understand that. As for me … I’m not going to tell you why I am living here … at least not yet. … But … but, I will confirm that my mother … that my mom … that she is in prison. And this Saturday my dad … he is taking me to go and visit her.

“It is quite far away, which is why we will leave tomorrow around nine o’clock, and we won’t be back until late in the afternoon. Remember, even though you know this … this isn’t something that you go out and talk about to your other friends. Even if they already know because they were Kevin and Kyle’s friends before. It is just like you wouldn’t want people to be constantly talking about what happened to, you know, your family. Think about it,” finished the older teenager.

The four other Cover boys were outside Robert’s bedroom listening to what was being said. They totally agreed with what Robert just told Darrin, and realizing he was finished with what he was going to say, Billy knocked on the doorframe and the four walked in.

Billy looked at his new ‘brother’, and told him, “Darrin … we all understand that you want to know everything about us. But you see … the reasons why we are here aren’t … well, it isn’t as simple as the reason why you are here. And it is because of that … well, that we will need to get to know you some first before you get to hear about the conditions that sent us to live with Mr. Ken,” chuckled the oldest teen Cover.

After listening to what Billy had to say, Darrin told his ‘brothers’, “Yea, OK, I understand what you’re telling me, but … you need to remember that the human psyche … it has this inner need to know all the things they are told that they can’t have. So, I’m going to do my best to befriend all of you, so that one day you’ll all tell me some of the reasons why you are living with Mr. Ken.” Darrin then gave them all a big smile.

The boys all saw that it was said in a humorous way, and they didn’t hold it against him.

It was getting late and Mr. Wayne was sent upstairs to get the boys to come down for dinner. The Estate Master caught some of what was said, but he didn’t let on that he heard any of it. He just made it sound like he was calling them from down the hallway, and told them to wash up and hurry down to dinner.

When Wayne Mitchell went down before the boys, he pulled Mr. Ken aside and told him what he overheard them talking about. He revealed that he didn’t get the full gist of what the boys were talking about, but he told his boss that it had something to do with Darrin finding out about why the boys were living there. Mr. Ken thanked him for that, and the two walked to the Kitchen Nook and waited for the boys to arrive.

It was very quiet during dinner that Friday evening, when it is usually very vocal about what happened at school, what the boys had been up to, and what they were going to do that weekend.

‘Dad’ Ken figured that what went on up in the boy’s bedrooms was causing them to be this quiet, so he decided to ask some questions to get them talking. “So, boys, have you decided when you want to have your sleepover, yet?”

The boys looked around at one another and it was Charles who told his dad that they wanted to do it next weekend. He told him that if they waited too long, that something could come up and they’d have to change it. The teen then asked his dad if that was going to be, OK?

Mr. Ken looked to Wayne to see if he would be available to work that weekend. The Estate Master said that he didn’t have any major plans, and that he’d have to ask Dennis if he could also be available. The boys looked hopeful that they could now plan to have their sleepover.

Momma heard the conversation and told the boys to get with her next week after they check their supplies up at the Pavilion, and then they would decide what they needed to buy.

Darrin spoke up right then and asked what sort of things they have to buy for a sleepover. He told everybody when he had his friend’s sleepover, or he slept at his friend’s house, all they ever did was drink sodas, watch DVD movies, eat snacks and get to bed really late.

The new Cover’s ‘brothers’ all laughed at what Darrin just said.

“What? What did I say that made you all laugh?” demanded the youngest teen.

Again, the boys all looked to one another, and this time it was Billy who told Darrin, “You have no earthly idea what goes into one of OUR sleepovers, do you? Well first …we have to invite about, I don’t know, … maybe thirty, or so friends.” Then Billy laughed.

“Then … we have to order enough pizzas for Friday night. Mr. Ken … we can have it Friday night? Right? Phillip has a gig Saturday night next weekend, otherwise we will have to move the sleepover,” the oldest teen said, as he changed his mind in mid-stream to ensure that next Friday would definitely be OK.

Mr. Ken smiled as told the teenager that next Friday would be a good time to have the sleepover. All the boys beamed that they could put their plan in action. And Billy continued telling their newest ‘brother what goes into their sleepovers.

“Okay, where was I. Oh, yes … then as we devour the pizza, we watch one or two movies. Oh, are we doing the movies up at the Pavilion, or in the pool, Mr. Ken? Because that could change everything,” now Billy wanted to know because, again, that could change how they handle where they have the pizza and when they show the movie.

Mr. Ken just shook his head and looked over to Wayne. The Estate Master knew he needed to answer that question. “Boys,” began Mr. Wayne, “the weather has been getting cooler in the evenings, so if you want to do the movies up at the Pavilion, you’ll have to make sure all of your friends wear a warm jacket. Then there is the logistics of where will everyone sit or lay down?

“If you do the pizza here … you’ll eat it here in the Nook, as we don’t want any accidents to happen with pizza getting into the pool. So, you’ll have to decide where you want to eat the pizza. If it is up at the Pavilion then everyone will have to wear warm coats, and either bring a chair, or use their sleeping bag up there before using it later,” advised Mr. Wayne.

“OK, Mr. Wayne, we’ll figure it out. We have a week,” answered Billy. Then looking back at Darrin, the older teen Cover continued telling him what else goes into their sleepovers.

“Darrin, it usually isn’t all this complicated. But, anyway, then we swim until midnight and then we have a midnight snack up in the Kitchen Nook, and then we all head to where we have our sleeping bags.”

“But I don’t have a sleeping bag,” spoke up Darrin.

Mr. Ken broke into the conversation and mentioned that The Cove has a few extra sleeping bags, and they will just have to bring one out of hiding, so Darrin has one to use. The boys quickly asked where the sleeping bags were being kept. ‘Dad’ Ken told them they were stored out over the garage.

Hearing the sleeping bags were stored out over the garage perplexed the boys. All except Robert, who knew that the door at the end of the hallway by the backstairs leading down to the Kitchen Nook opened into the storage area above the garage. None of the boys had ever opened that door and looked in there to see what was in there.

The boys asked if they could all go up there after they finished dinner. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that they could, but first they had to finish dinner, and Bill had to finish telling Darrin all about the sleepover, which he did.

When the boys finished dinner, they helped clear the table and then they got in line to thank Momma Maria for making them such a wonderful meal. They all gave the woman a hug, and when it came to Darrin, he held the hug longer than his ‘brothers’ had. The teen knew these were the only warm, womanly hugs he was destined to get, until he either found a girlfriend, or got married.

The eight Covers walked up the backstairs to get to the door that opened over the garage. Phillip grabbed the doorknob and turned it and the door opened. What surprised the other boys was that the door wasn’t locked. The eight all walked into a dark room, and Mr. Ken flipped the light switch.

What the boys saw surprised them. They all thought it would be something spectacular like the rest of the house. But all they saw was one big open room with eight dormer windows situated over where the four garage doors were, with four looking out the front over the Parking Corral, and four looking out back, which gave the viewer a look of the lake.

There was also a door at the other end of the expansive room. Matthew went and opened that door and saw that there was a fire escape leading down to the side of the garage.

“You know, I always saw that fire escape there on the side of the garage, but I never thought about where it came from,” spoke up Phillip. “Now I know,” laughed the youngest Cover. The rest of the boys’ chuckled along with their ‘brother’.

“Dad … what are you going to do with this area?” asked Charles.

“Son, boys … I thought that if I ever had the need for more bedrooms … I could build them out here. I had the plumbing roughed in when I built the garage, so it wouldn’t cause a problem in the future. There is enough space out here for at least four bedrooms, with some left over to use for storage,” explained ‘dad’ Ken.

“But when would you ever need more bedrooms, ‘dad’?” asked Matthew. “I mean … you have enough space for twelve boys now. Are you planning on making this place into an orphanage?” laughed the pre-teen, with the rest of the boys joining in.

“No, no, ‘son’ … but as you all got older, I didn’t think you’d want a roommate. So, if Rusty and Jessy were to move in … I’ll need at least two more bedrooms, wouldn’t you say?” teased the boys’ dad and foster dad.

The boys all looked at one another and smiled. All of the boys except Darrin, as he didn’t know the score between Mr. Ken and Kate. The teen was going to ask about Kate, Rusty and Jessy, but he figured now wasn’t the time.

The boys then began talking about how they would design the space into four big bedrooms with separate bathrooms. Phillip wondered how they could do that with all those strange looking windows in order to add more bedrooms. ‘Dad’ Ken told them that if the time ever came to his deciding to build that space into additional bedrooms, he would consult his Architect Group and have them professionally design the space.

With the inspection of the space over the garage completed, the Covers proceeded down to the Study, where Mr. Ken would hold his normal evening meeting. The man reminded them that he, Robert, Mr. Dennis and Bill would be leaving The Cove around nine the next morning, and that they wouldn’t return until very late in the afternoon.

The owner of The Cove then reminded those that remained that Mr. Wayne and Matthew would be leaving around eleven to visit a few dog training facilities, in order for Matthew to get some ideas on how to go about setting up his Puppy Training School.

The ‘dad’ then added that Mr. Chris would arrive around ten in the morning, and that he would remain the entire day, and would be the adult on the estate if anyone had any questions. Mr. Ken also said that the Estate Manager was probably bringing his two children and his puppy, Lance, with him.

Mr. Ken then reminded Phillip that he would be taking him and three of his ‘brothers’ to his gig and they would be leaving at four o’clock on Sunday. He explained to those remaining at The Cove that they wouldn’t be back until at least nine o’clock, so they would have to fend for themselves for dinner.

Darrin asked if only he and Robert would be home alone. Mr. Ken told the teen that with Robert being fifteen they would be OK, and if they wanted pizza, they could order it and have it delivered. The new Cover was satisfied with that answer.

Mr. Ken then told Darrin that he had a Doctor Doug appointment on Tuesday at two o’clock and that either Mr. Wayne, or Mr. Dennis, would pick him up from school and take him there. The man then added that they would then take him to see the dentist for a checkup, and if there were any problems found an appointment would be made to fix them. The foster dad clarified that all of the boys saw the dentist twice yearly, and he needed to get into the schedule.

‘Dad’ Ken then dropped a possible Holiday trip schedule on them. “Boys … seeing that Christmas and New Year’s Eve are on a Monday I was thinking of breaking up our visit to the amusement parks into two trips. This way it won’t be so rushed, if we do all five right after Christmas, as we usually do.

“That said, I want you all to look at the calendar, and see if you want to do two or three parks right after Christmas, and the remaining ones right after the New Year. Or … we can do all five right after Christmas, or all five right after the New Year. Check it out. Think about it. Let me know your thoughts.

“Anyone have any questions, problems, or concerns?” now asked ‘dad’ Ken.

Not getting any takers, ‘dad’ Ken would usually ask the boys to go up to their rooms, but this time he asked Robert and Darrin to remain, while he asked the other boys to go up to their rooms.

“Dad … if this is about what I think it is … then you’ll want my ‘brothers’ to stay for this,” spoke up Robert.

“Darrin … do you want the rest of the boys … do you want them to listen in to what I want to talk to you two about?” asked the foster dad.

“Sure, why not. They’ll learn about it eventually and they probably know what this is all about anyway, so why not let them know firsthand. This way there is no way they can’t say that they didn’t know,” responded the new teen.

“Thank you, Darrin. Boys … come back in, please,” called out ‘dad’ Ken.

When all of the boys were seated, ‘dad Ken looked over at Robert and Darrin and began. “I understand that there might have been a slight problem between the two of you earlier. Darrin … somehow you learned where Robert’s mother is, and your asking questions seemed to upset all of your ‘brothers’.

“If I recall correctly … I think we had similar problems, when other new fosters came here to The Cove,” stated ‘dad’ Ken, as he looked around at the boys, getting smiles from them.

“Darrin, what I understand is that you learned of Robert’s mother’s whereabouts from a third party. And … that is OK, in my humble opinion. I just wish that you had gone directly to Robert and asked him instead of trying to go through the proverbial ‘back door’, by asking your ‘brothers’ to verify what you learned.

“It probably upset them to no end, and we all saw how dinner was tonight, with no talking, in comparison to the other four evenings. Look … I understand your wanting to know the reasons why your ‘brothers’ are living here at The Cove. They all did the same, when they came here. And they all did learn why their ‘brothers’ were living here … but it was over time. So, please … please give it some time.

“And, Darrin … in the future … if you hear a tidbit, or a tale, or something that sounds too good to be true, or incredible even … but that it concerns your ‘brother, please go to your ‘brother’, and let them verify what you heard. It should keep any problems from arising between you and them.

“So, do you have any questions, or comments for me, or your ‘brothers’,” offered the foster dad.

The new foster sat there not understanding what just happened. Here he thought he would be yelled at and screamed at, but what he heard was a calm and thoughtful overview of what his foster dad felt was the problem, and what he asked him to do in the future. No yelling, no screaming, no curse words, no threats of going to bed without dinner. He was bewildered at what he just experienced.

“Darrin … Darrin?” called out Mr. Ken. “Do you have anything you want to say?”

Hearing his name called brought the teen out of his fog of thinking of what he just underwent.

“Ohh, oh yes, sir, I want to thank you for being so … so calm and understanding in this matter. I … I expected … well, I didn’t know what to expect. But I sure didn’t expect to have you talk with such clarity of the issue, and give a very reasonable course of action for me to follow. I mean … I … I never knew there was a family that didn’t have lots of yelling and screaming and curse words.”

All the boys laughed at what Darrin just said, because they’d been there and knew of what he was saying. Even Mr. Wayne snickered at what the young teen had said.

After hearing the laughs, Darrin then addressed his ‘brothers’. “My ‘brothers’ … I am sorry for the turmoil I caused today. Mr. Ken … he gave me some great counsel, and from here on in, I promise that when I hear anything concerning any one of you … I will come to you directly for the answer,” offered the newest Cover.

The boys all agreed to what he just attested to.

It was Phillip who then soke up. “Darrin … the simple reason why I am living here is because my mom … she was attacked in our apartment, and she received a severe concussion. It took her almost three months to recover from her injuries. After that … she went for some work training, so she could earn a better living, before I could go back to living with her.

“I see her occasionally, as she has these screwy work hours. I hope she will be able to come to my gig Sunday night. And … well, I will probably be living here until after the Holidays, if everything works out for her, I mean, us.”

Virtually everyone in the room knew what Phillip just said was true, but it wasn’t the full, honest to goodness, the whole truth. But for now, it should satisfy Darrin’s need to know something about one of his ‘brothers’, and Phillip’s simple offering put a smile on the new foster teen.

Mr. Ken thanked Phillip for speaking up and telling Darrin about why he was living there at The Cove. He also thanked Darrin for what he said, and then he sent all of the boys up to their rooms. He told them that he’d be up there shortly.

After all of the boys had gone, Mr. Ken and Wayne talked about the ‘after’ meeting. Wayne explained to his employer that he liked that he was so even minded and calm, when it came to the boys. The Estate Master continued and told how he loved the way Mr. Ken was able to calmly communicate with the boys, and keep any potential anger, or yelling from erupting.

Ken Thomas told his friend, and sometimes confidant, that the boys didn’t need more anger, yelling, screaming and whatnot in their lives. He told him that they needed someone who would talk to them calmly, and give them a new and different outlook on life, from what they knew.

Mr. Wayne decided to leave and not go up and say goodnight to the boys. Mr. Ken understood that the man spent way too much time at The Cove, and that he didn’t know what he would do if Wayne ever decided to leave him.

Mr. Ken started at Bill’s room, as he usually did. The two talked about what the teenager would say to his mother tomorrow. Bill admitted that he really hadn’t thought of what he was going to tell her. He just figured he would tell her whatever came to mind, since the last time he saw her.

Mr. Ken told the teen that the lawyer, Stewart Russell, will soon finalize the lawsuit between them and the construction company. The foster dad told the teen that he wasn’t going to get nearly the amount of money that he thinks that he should, but when added to what he has he will have a nice sum.

Mr. Ken also told the teen that Bill Jackson, his lawyer, is working his magic with all of the media concerns who mistreated them concerning the accident. The foster dad indicated that the teens bank account would also be increasing soon. But that he wasn’t supposed to tell his ‘brothers’ about his largess, when it comes.

The teen thanked his foster dad for the information and then the two hugged and the man went to his son’s room.

In Robert’s room, the teen’s dad asked him if he was satisfied with what Darrin had said about coming to them, when he found out anything about his ‘brothers’. Robert said that only time will tell, and that for now they have no problems between them.

The teen’s dad told his son to sleep well, as they have a long ride before them tomorrow, and that he hopes the boy has his mind ready for what he wants to talk to his mother about. The teenager stated that he sort of has an idea, but when he sees his mother, that it could change.

The teen’s dad hugged him and told him to be honest with his mother tomorrow and be happy for her. The two shared a big hug and then Mr. Ken headed to his other son’s room.

Charles was waiting for his dad. The two immediately shared a hug, and the teen mentioned that it will be lonely tomorrow, without him there. That it would almost be like when he was away on one of his trips.

Dad Ken knew that his son was saying that he didn’t spend as much time with him, as he once did. The man knew he was spread thin, and now, with Darrin in the mix, he would be spread even thinner.

The teen’s dad apologized for not being there for him, and told him he hoped that one day he could make it up to him. The two shared another hug and the man moved onto Matthew’s room.

In Matthew’s room, the only thing that the pre-teen cared about, was that the man one day would adopt him, and keep him from having to ever live with his mother. His mother who had promised him that she would kill him when they were back together again.

‘Dad’ Ken knew what Matthew needed, but for now he could not tell the pre-teen those words he so longed to hear. The man hoped that one day he would be able to tell him that, but for now the boy was where he needed to be, safe, and away from the woman who hated him so much.

They didn’t say too much between them, but they did share a long hug that the pre-teen melted into, and before long the foster dad was on to Phillip’s room.

Phillip enjoyed the evening’s when Mr. Ken came to his room to talk to him. Over the months he came to look forward to those nights. He knew that when he went back to living with his mother that would be one of the things that he would miss the most.

The two talked about Sunday’s Gig and that Phillip and his band would be practicing the songs tomorrow. Mr. Ken asked the boy about the wedding music, and the boy told his foster dad that the band knew the songs pretty well, and that he even had a few more he wanted them to learn to surprise the couple on their wedding day. ‘Dad’ Ken was surprised and encouraged the boy to continue with his surprise. The two shared a hug and the man was off to Darrin’s room.

“Knock, knock, knock,” offered Mr. Ken, as he rapped on the door frame.

“Oh, come in, Mr. Ken,” replied Darrin.

“So, how was your first week here at Thee Cove? Have you decided to stay? Or, are you going to wait another week to make your decision?” teased the man.

“Well … I think … I think I’ll stay,” slyly announced the teen, with a smile.

“Good. I hope this weekend will give you time to rest and regroup. You’ve had a very busy week, and it will stay this busy moving forward. You have to get yourself into a routine, but don’t rush into anything. Give yourself time to acclimate to The Cove, and your surroundings. Your friends have been here before, so they can help you out, when it comes to what you can do around here.

“And remember, you can add a few more friends to your group, and they don’t have to be any of Kevin or Kyle’s old friends either. Just be careful of who they are. I don’t remember if I told you this, but … if any of your friends are known to be using any kind of illegal drugs they are not to ever be invited over here. Period! If they are invited … and they are found to have brought those types of drugs onto the grounds … they will be held for the Sheriff’s Deputies.

“I hope you understand, Darrin. I do not ascribe to the use of any types of illegal drugs. If you are found to use them … you too will be sent away! I kid you not!” finished the foster dad.

Darrin was somewhat stunned by what he just heard. He had used a few of the recreational drugs, where he used to live, and he had hoped to get some after he settled in at The Cove. But now he knew that if he wanted to stay in that wonderful place, he would have to forgo any use of the illegal drugs. He’d been away from them for over three weeks now, so it would be no big deal for him not to go after them anymore.

Darrin conveyed to the man that he understood what he was saying, and that he wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. Mr. Ken accepted the teen’s word and then he pulled him into a hug and then told the teen to have a good night.

Then as the man was leaving the room, he turned to the boy and said, “Don’t forget to drain that dragon of yours before going to bed.” Then he walked out the door.

Darrin smiled at what his foster dad told him and then went and did what he was asked. Chief even went out of the room, and headed down the stairs to go outside to drain her own bladder before going to bed herself.

Down in his retreat, Ken Thomas reviewed the week in his mind, as he sat on the edge of his king-sized bed before laying down for the night. It had been a hectic week, and he was glad it was over.

But he still had to drive his son to visit with his mother and then drive his foster son to his band’s gig on Sunday. So, he knew that his hectic week wasn’t over, just yet.

After turning off the light and laying down, sleep didn’t take long to overtake the owner of The Cove, and before long The Cove household was 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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