Published: 18 Sep 2025
From the Previous Chapter:
Down in his retreat, as he sat on the edge of his king-sized bed, Ken Thomas knew that he didn’t want to go out to breakfast in the morning. But his son was correct by telling him that he hadn’t done that in some time. He also knew that this was part of what being the ‘dad’ was all about, and that he really didn’t spend much time with the boy’s and this was one way of doing that.
The one silver lining he did see was that it was only eleven o’clock, and that he could actually get a good night’s sleep if he went to bed soon, which he did.
The Covers were all in bed by eleven-thirty and more than likely asleep by midnight. The Cove was peacefully quiet the whole night through.
Ken Thomas slept in that Sunday morning. Well, compared to his getting up at six o’clock on school days versus getting up at seven-thirty today; it was considered sleeping in by him.
Since the owner of The Cove had agreed to take the boys out to breakfast, he quickly got out of bed, used his wonderful bathroom facilities to get ready for the day, dressed in nice everyday clothes, and then went out to get his morning newspaper. Luckily for him the rain had moved on and he didn’t have to worry about it being wet that Sunday morning.
When Mr. Ken walked into the Kitchen Nook, the coffee maker had his hot brew ready for him, and all he had to do was take out his favorite cup, fill it with the wonderful drink he loved in the morning and then take it to the table and then sit down and read the newspaper.
Of course, the man had to take the paper out of its protective sleeve, then separate it into the many sections and then begin reading it at Section A, World News. The man enjoyed getting caught up on what was happening in the world, as he drank his hot coffee as he perused the paper.
As he read the paper the boys were slowly getting themselves out of bed and getting ready to go out to breakfast. Darrin and his family rarely went out to breakfast, so he was looking forward to this treat.
The new Cover teen met Phillip as they walked to their bathroom. The two Covers walked in, brushed their teeth, stripped off their underwear, which is what they slept in, and then they went into one of the showers and got cleaned up. When they finished their shower, they met out in the open, dried off, put on their deodorant and clean underwear and then they went to their rooms.
Months ago, Phillip wouldn’t have ever thought of doing what he’d just done with Darrin present in the bathroom. But after being around his friends, and changing in the men’s locker room with them, what he’d just done was no longer a big deal for him.
As for Darrin, he’d been seen in his underwear and even naked in front of his older brother for the past three years, and what he just did with his younger ‘brother’ in the shared bathroom was no big deal to him either. He was happy that Phillip, at his young age, wasn’t overly concerned about being seen in his underwear, or without his clothes on by him. It would have caused a major annoyance for him to have to schedule shower times with the boy, otherwise.
All the boys were downstairs showered and dressed by nine o’clock and they told Mr. Ken they were ready to go. Mr. Ken, while he used his facilities to get rid of any excess fluids and wash his hands, had Bill get the van out of the garage.
When ‘Dad’ Ken went out to the Parking Corral he had Bill drive to his favorite breakfast place. But first he had the teen stop at the Main Gate to tell the guards to let the boys’ friends in, just in case they weren’t back yet.
As they drove along, Darrin asked his ‘brothers’ where they were going. Matthew told him they were going to the International House of Pancakes, or IHOP. The new foster told them that he had never eaten there and asked what they had to eat.
The teen’s ‘brothers’ began to tell him all of the different combinations of breakfast foods he could have when they got there. Darrin couldn’t believe what they were telling him, so he asked Mr. Ken if they were pulling his leg. Mr. Ken told his new foster that they weren’t, and that they were going there because the restaurant had such a wide variety of breakfasts they could order.
When the Covers were finally seated and Darrin saw the menu, he was surprised that his ‘brothers’ weren’t trying to fool him when they told him about what he could have at IHOP. The teen looked through the menu and he had a difficult time trying to decide what he wanted for breakfast.
“You know what? … At home, Momma … she just makes us our breakfast and we all love what she makes us. Here … we have to figure out what we want to eat. This is hard,” commented Darrin.
All the boys laughed, and even Mr. Ken had a smirk on his face for what his new foster said. The man just told the teen to try to figure out what he wanted, or to just order what his ‘brothers’ are ordering.
Darrin went back to looking over the long menu and at the same time he listened to what Mr. Ken and his ‘brothers’ were ordering. Mr. Ken ordered the Breakfast Sampler, Billy and Robert ordered the Smokehouse Combo, while Charles and Matthew ordered the Split decision Breakfast. And, Phillip, he was wavering between the 2x2x2 and the 2-Egg Breakfast.
Since Darrin was having a difficult time choosing what to have for breakfast and the waitress was waiting on him, Mr. Ken asked him how hungry was he. The teen said that he felt pretty hungry, so the foster dad told the teen to order what Bill and Robert were having, the Smokehouse combo, but with bacon instead of sausage. So, that’s what the new foster did.
While the boys were waiting for their meals, Darrin spoke up and said, “Guys … can you answer some questions for me, you know, while we’re waiting? First, can you tell me who this Miss Kate is? And … who is this ‘little brother’ you were talking about?” asked Darrin at first.
The boys looked at one another to see who would answer and it was Robert who answered his new ‘brother’. “Darrin … Ms. Kate … she’s the woman our ‘dad’ has been dating for the past year, or so. She doesn’t live close by, which is why you haven’t met, or seen her. And, as for our ‘little brother’, or ‘brothers’, they are Ms. Kate’s sons, Rusty and Jessy.”
Darrin smiled at the answer. He then asked, “Why would this boy, Kyle … why would he want this Mr. Dan to adopt him?”
The boys looked down at the question. They really didn’t know that answer and they told him that whatever they told him would only be conjecture.
Mr. Ken spoke up right then and told the teen, “Darrin … you see … Mr. Dan … he paid special attention to Kyle, when he was over at The Cove. The boy loved that the man did that because … well, because his own dad … his own dad didn’t pay much attention to him and having the Sheriff’s Lieutenant do that made him feel good inside. And any time Dan was over, the two gravitated to one another.”
“Awesome, thank you, that sounds so cool. The guys yesterday … they told me a little about Mr. Dan, and now I understand why they like him so much. Can I ask about the Easter Egg Roll and the guys who were arrested? I mean, how did something like that happen? How were those kinds of guys even at The Cove in the first place?”
Again, the boys looked around at one another to see who, or how they would answer the question. It was Phillip who began to answer, but he was stopped by Billy who told him that he didn’t have to. But the younger Cover said that it would be alright.
“Darrin … I already told you that my mom … that she was attacked at our apartment and that she … that she was in the hospital. When they attacked her, they gave her a serious concussion that caused her some walking and speech problems. Anyway, the men who did that … they found out where I was living and they came to The Cove to try to get to me, so she wouldn’t testify against them.
“But I recognized them and … and I told Billy. He called Mr. Wayne who I guess called the guards and probably Mr. Dan who called the Sheriff’s Deputies because, before long, the guards … they had captured three of the men and, when the deputies arrived, they, along with the guards, captured Rafael.”
“So, you knew these men?” asked a surprised Darrin.
“Well, I knew who Rafael was. He was a gang banger where we lived. But I didn’t know who the other three men he brought with him were,” answered Phillip.
“Sheeeze … that’s as bad as when those four guys … who were trying to kidnap Robert and Charles and those other boys when they were all out Trick-or-Treating a few years ago. Who knew what those men were up to when they came to The Cove for you, Phil. Boy am I now glad that Mr. Ken had those guards,” exclaimed the newest foster to The Cove.
Mr. Ken inwardly smiled at the way Phillip handled the question. And he was equally happy that Darrin accepted the answer and further folded his answer into the reason for the guards being at The Cove.
The conversation at the table helped the time pass by and after the last question was answered their waitress began setting the food on their table. She then asked if anyone needed refills on their drinks, which, of course, everyone did.
As everyone ate, they continued to talk about the questions Darrin had asked. The boys filled their new ‘brother’ in some more about Ms. Kate and how she and their ‘dad’ met and some more about her sons. They told him more about the twins and they explained a little about the Easter Egg Roll, and why Mr. Ken does it. Darrin thanked his ‘brothers’ for filing him in on important happenings at The Cove.
Darrin then asked Mr. Ken about his computer, and if they could set it up when they got back to the house. The foster dad agreed they could do that. Darrin also asked about his cell phone.
Mr. Ken asked if he had it connected yet. Darrin told the man that Mr. Wayne was supposed to check to see if he could use his old cell number, but he hadn’t told him if he could or not. The teen mentioned something about the executor and paying the cell phone bill. Mr. Ken told Darrin they would fix that, too, when they got back home.
Phillip then asked his ‘dad’ if he got in touch with his mother to see if she would be at the gig tonight. Mr. Ken told the youngster that he had called her, but that she didn’t answer and all he could do was leave a message. But what he did right then, was pull out his cell phone and call her, again.
When the phone rang, Mackenzie did answer.
“Mackenzie, Ken Thomas … Phillip asked me to call to remind you that his band is playing later tonight and he hopes that you can attend.”
… … …
“Great. So, you got my message and you have the address and times. Wonderful. We are at breakfast and he heard what I just said. So, we’ll see you around five then.”
… … …
“I’ll tell him. We’ll see you later then. Bye.”
“Well, Phillip, your mother says she’ll be there around five. She also says she loves you,” related the man to the youngster. The boys all saw the younger Cover with a big smile.
When the Covers finished eating and Mr. Ken paid the bill, the man had Bill drive them back to The Cove. On the way back, Darrin asked another question. “My friends … they told me that last summer there was a shootout at The Cove. Can you tell me anything about it?
Billy spoke right up. “Darrin … we were all on a trip visiting Mr. Ken’s five amusement parks at the time, so none of us were there when it happened. When you get your computer installed and connected to the world wide web, you’ll have to Google Three Finger Cove and The Cove.
“Three Finger Cove is what the estate was originally called, but it’s been shortened to The Cove. When you do that, you’ll find out a lot more of what happened there and it should answer many of your questions. Well, all of them except … except why we are living at The Cove,” laughed Billy, who was joined in by the other boys.
“OK, I hear ya, I hear ya. But thanks for that advice to search the WWW for Three Finger Cove and The Cove,” replied Darrin.
When the Covers returned to The Cove, Mr. Ken asked Robert to help Darrin get his cell phone set up. The teen’s dad told him that when they ask about a phone number to let him try to use his old number and see what happens.
In the meantime, Mr. Ken told Darrin they would inventory the computer boxes to make sure everything was there, and that if everything was there, they would take it all up to his room and install it.
Darrin asked if his friends could help. But Mr. Ken told the teen that this was supposed to be a way for them to get to know one another better. The teen asked his foster dad what his friends would do while he was up in his room. Mr. Ken told Darrin that they’ve been there before and they know their way around The Cove. The rest of the boys went to change, as Mr. Ken and Darrin began the inventory.
Once Mr. Ken verified that everything was there, he and Darrin took everything over to the elevator, so they only had to make one trip upstairs. Then once they were upstairs, Darrin went and changed into afterschool clothes, while Mr. Ken did the same.
With more comfortable clothes on, Mr. Ken had the teen open the boxes and take everything out. The man then asked Darrin if he knew how to attach everything and getting a positive answer, the foster dad then had Darrin choose where he wanted the computer placed. Once the teen decided where he wanted the computer, the foster dad told the teen to ‘have at it’.
Darrin took his time in putting the entire computer system together. He didn’t want to mess anything up as this was going to be his personal computer, and he sure didn’t want to screw it up and then have to wait another week to have replacement parts delivered.
It took the teen about forty minutes to take the parts out of their boxes and put the system together. When Mr. Ken was satisfied that Darrin knew his way around the peripherals, he told the teen to plug everything in and then turn it on. Once the computer screen came on and the computer booted up and did its start-up check, Mr. Ken connected it to The Cove’s servers.
With that done, the computer system told them that it needed to download the latest updates. Mr. Ken told the teen to let the system do the updating, and that it could take a considerable amount of time to finish and to come and get him when it was finished.
In the meantime, Billy and Charles had begun to dismantle the PA system, mixer, speakers, microphones and stands and get the entire package ready to put into the Sprinter van. Matthew was supposed to help, but he had forgotten that Mr. Chris had contracted with the puppy master to finish training his puppy, Lance, that Sunday. So, Matthew was out working with Lance and Mr. Chris as his children, Hailey and Chris Jr, were at home.
Darrin’s friends had asked where he was, but Billy told them that Mr. Ken and him were putting his new computer system together and Mr. Ken wanted just them to do it. Blake, Landon, Sam and Terrin were disappointed, but Charles told them to get over it and go skate, or swim, as Darrin will be busy for at least two hours.
When the computer had finished downloading the latest updates, Darrin went down to the Study to tell Mr. Ken. When he arrived, he heard the man on the phone talking to someone. As he listened, he figured he was talking to Miss Kate. He didn’t know if he should interrupt his foster dad or not, since he just learned that the two were dating.
But Mr. Ken ended the call when he heard Phillip talking to Darrin out in the hall that led to the study. When he hung up the call, he called them both into the room and asked them what they were doing.
Phillip told his ‘dad’ that he was just wasting time until they left at four o’clock for his band’s gig. Darrin told his foster dad that the computer finished updating and he came down to tell him.
Mr. Ken and the two boys went up to the teen’s room, where the foster dad asked Darrin if he knew how to personalize the computer. The teen said that he did and then asked if he needed to do that right away. Mr. Ken told him that it would be best if he had his PC working the way he wanted it to when he was accessing the world wide web, but he figured he could do that later, when he and the boys were at the dance.
Phillip told Darrin it took him most of the night with Billy’s help to get his computer set up, so he hoped he knew what he was doing. Darrin told his younger ‘brother’ that he was comfortable around computers, and that if he got into trouble later, he could always ask Robert. Mr. Ken reminded the teen to have Robert help him get his cell phone working, too, before he and the boys returned from the dance around nine o’clock, or so.
With that all ironed out, Darrin headed up to the Pavilion to be with his friends, while Mr. Ken and Phillip got the Sprinter van out of the garage. The owner of The Cove then drove it up to the Pavilion, so the boys could load the PA system, mixer, mics, speakers, stands, cords and everything else that was connected that made the band sound so good. Mr. Ken wanted it all to be ready, so that at four o’clock all they needed to do was get into the van and drive off.
As that was happening, Donald Jenkins, Jeffries dad, came to get his son’s drum set for tonight’s gig. Mr. Ken asked Bill and Charles to help the man take everything apart. He then explained to Mr. Jenkins that the teens would be the roadies for the band tonight, and they would help put everything together to keep the boys from getting all sweaty and dirty and then they would help take it all down after the dance. Hearing that put a great big smile on the man’s face.
Darrin had watched the boys get the barbeque together again when he went up to the Pavilion. He still couldn’t believe that Mr. Ken paid for everything, but he sure wasn’t complaining.
As he watched, his friends asked him if there was going to be a sleepover next Friday. The teen looked around and seeing Billy, he walked over to the older teen and asked him if he could tell his friends to plan on the sleepover for next Friday.
The oldest teen Cover told his new ‘brother’ that he needed to wait until Mr. Ken confirmed it at one of his meetings either tonight, or tomorrow. Billy did tell Darrin that it will probably happen, but he needed to hedge his bets for now.
The new Cover went to his friends and told them that it wasn’t confirmed yet, and that he wouldn’t know officially until late tonight, or tomorrow, but they could plan on it and then if something came up, they would reschedule for the following week. The four friends all smiled knowing there would be a sleepover soon.
Since the boys were burning the burgers and dogs, Mr. Ken invited Mr. Jenkins and Jeffrey to stay for a bite to eat before they departed The Cove. The two did join the group of boys and Mr. Ken for a quick burger, or dog, saying Jeff needed to get home and cleaned up for the gig. Donald Jenkins then thanked Mr. Ken for the great idea for the shirt for the boys to wear today and next Saturday.
Matthew and Mr. Chris worked with Lance during the afternoon, and the new pup was learning his new behaviors quite well. Sarge was also a great help, as he was with Daisey and Riley. Mr. Chris was pleased that Lance was receptive to learning something new, and that when they tested him on the new behaviors out of sequence the pup remembered them.
That afternoon they worked on reinforcing the ‘Stay’ and ‘Come’, as well as the ‘Fetch’ commands before introducing a few new behaviors. Today, Matthew worked on getting Lance to roll over, play dead, crawl, shake hands, and to give kisses.
The puppy master did apologize to Mr. Chris when he told the man that he had to leave around four o’clock, because he was going to help set up Phillip’s band at their gig later. The pre-teen explained that he, Billy and Charles were going to be the band’s roadies, so the boys didn’t get all sweaty and dirty having to move and put all the equipment in place. Mr. Chris said that he understood.
As Darrin and his friend sat and ate, the teen told them that he couldn’t believe how busy he’s been all week long. He told them that where he used to live, he was busy with his friends playing pickup baseball, soccer or basketball, or even going skating, but here he felt like he’s going full speed the entire time.
Sam and Terrin told their friend that they’d been coming over to The Cove from the time that Robert was the only boy there, and they could remember how busy he was all the time. They told him all about when they helped build the original skateboard ramps with their dads, and how Mr. Ken had some of the carpenters who worked for him come by and help them. The two boys explained that if those men hadn’t showed up, they would still be building them. Everyone laughed at the thought.
The teen’s friends asked how he liked his new computer. Darrin told them that it was a Dell Intel i7, Windows 10, 64-bit, 8-Core with 12MB Cache, 8GB DDR4 with a 1TB 7200 RPM hard drive. He added that all he’s done was update everything and tonight after Mr. Ken and some of his ‘brothers’ take Phil to his band’s gig, he’ll personalize it. He also told them that Billy told him to Google Three Finger Cove and The Cove and to read everything he could find, so he could learn about the things that have happened there.
The boys all agreed that would be best as there have been loads of things that have happened at The Cove starting with the attack back when Collin lived there.
Again, Darrin heard the name of someone associated with The Cove, but he had no idea of who he was. He asked his friends who Collin was and all they could tell him was that the boy was Mr. Ken’s first foster son, and some people tried to kill him and Mr. Ken was shot saving him for the second time.
“Saving him for the second time?” Thought Darrin. Now he knew he needed to read up on Three Finger Cove later tonight.
“Guys … how did Mr. Ken save this boy, Collin, for the first time? Do you know how he did that?” asked the teen Cover.
All the boys could tell Darrin was that there was this huge storm, called a Hundred Years Storm, and he found him on his Patio. They all said that they were all pretty young at the time, so they don’t remember it too well. Sam suggested that he ask Robert, as he knows the teenager very well.
The afternoon had moved along and the Cover’s friends asked if they could go swimming. Darrin told them that he couldn’t because of his burns. He explained that Mr. Ken asked him to wait another week. The teen’s friends said that they could wait until next weekend, too, and swim when they do the Dive-In Movie.
Hearing the friends mention the Dive-In Movie, Darrin told them that his ‘brothers’ were talking about having the movie up at the Pavilion. He told them that his ‘brothers’ had shown the movie a few times up there during the summer and they liked it better. The teen said that if they do it there, they would need to wear a medium coat and they’d probably use their sleeping bag to lay on.
The four boys all looked at one another and said that they needed to talk to people they knew, who were at one of those summer movie nights to learn what they were all about. They then asked if they had the midnight snack. Darrin told them that his ‘brothers’ were still planning on doing that and having breakfast at the Pavilion the next morning.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Ken gathered the boys to head out to the gig. He gave Robert twenty dollars to call in a pizza to be delivered for him and Darrin to have for dinner. He told those two not to expect them home until well after nine o’clock. Then, before long, it was just Robert, Darrin, Chief and Sarge left at home at The Cove.
Robert asked Darrin where his phone was. The older teen recommended that they get that simple task done now, and then the new foster could personalize his new computer and then search the web for articles on The Cove.
The new cell phone was charged and all Darrin needed to do was activate it. The only new twist was asking the system to use the teen’s old phone number. The activation took a bit longer than Phillip’s cell phone noticed Robert. He figured it was because the system had to search for Darrin’s old cell number to verify it was valid.
But eventually Darrin’s new cell phone received the signal telling him to see if there was a dial tone and to then try making a call. Robert gave him his cell number to call to see if it would go through. It did. Robert told him to put it in his contacts. Robert then gave his new ‘brother’ the rest of the important Cover’s phone numbers. Robert also had Darrin establish certain people, or numbers, on Speed Dial, so in an emergency he didn’t have to search his contacts for them.
Darrin asked Robert when he would ever need those when he is always there. Robert sighed and told his ‘brother’ that last summer Billy and Phil were driving to the store for Momma, when they were run over by a 25,000-pound front-end loader.
The new foster teen was shocked when he heard that. Darrin wanted to know more, but Robert told him to search the web and they could talk later. Robert then asked him what he wanted on his pizza. Pepperoni and sausage were what the two agreed on and Robert went and ordered it.
When the Covers arrived at the gig, Mr. Ken was happy that Billy, Charles and Matthew had volunteered to help set things up. They had to carry everything about 200-feet to the entrance doors and then across the dance floor to the stage, which was another 100-feet or more.
When Donald Jenkins arrived, the Covers helped him with Jeff’s drum set and they knew then that the band needed rolling dollies and hand trucks to move the equipment for the next time the band had a gig, which was next Saturday.
Billy and Mr. Ken had that conversation as soon as the roadies had everything set up and the boys began their sound check. It didn’t take much for Mr. Ken to be convinced they needed those dollies and hand trucks, because he saw the effort his three ‘boys’ had to put into getting the equipment from the vehicles to the stage.
Easton’s parents had to carry their boy’s keyboard to the stage, but that wasn’t as much trouble as was the sound equipment and the drum set. The other parents didn’t have any problem, as all they had to do was carry a guitar.
After the sound check, the boys got into their first song and their jitters showed through. Billy told them to play like they were at The Cove and forget where they were. After the third song the boys did settle down and the Halloween dance was going on strong.
While the two teens waited on their pizza, Darrin went to his room and began setting up his computer to look and feel the way he wanted it too. That took him quite some time and when he was satisfied, he started searching the world wide web for articles on Three Finger Cove.
His first search loaded page after page of hits and he didn’t know where he wanted to start. But by then Robert called him on his cell phone to tell him that the pizza was there, and for him to come to the Kitchen Nook.
As the two Cover teens ate their pizza, Darrin asked Robert how long he’d lived at The Cove. Robert told his new ‘brother’ that it will be three years in January. Darrin then asked him how long the other boys had lived there.
Robert thought back and told him that Charles was there a little over two and a half years, Matthew was there almost two years, that Billy came about a year and a half ago and that Phillip came there last April, so that he’s been there six months.
Darrin then said that he knew that Mr. Ken owned the Marina Seafood Wharf & Steakhouse, the Go-Kart Track, and a bunch of amusement parks. So, he asked his ‘brother’ how many other businesses Mr. Ken owns.
Robert told the teen that his dad also owned the Lakeside Hotel and the office building right next to it, the Marina, the Four Corners Restaurant and Diner, the car wash, the boat storage lot and the apartment complex behind the grocery store. The Cover teenager also added that his dad owned a number of other businesses like a construction and design company, a real estate company and a few others that he wasn’t too sure of.
“Boy … your dad sure must be rich,” commented Darrin.
“Well, I’m not sure how rich he is, but I’d say that he is, for sure, well off,” smiled Robert.
Darrin smiled back knowing that Robert probably wouldn’t have told him even if he knew for certain. The teen, since he was finished eating his share of pizza, told Robert that he was going up to his room to begin reading the articles about Three Finger Cove.
The Halloween dance was going on strong. The band was really getting into their element and they were having as much fun playing there, as they do when they play at The Cove. And when the band took a break after playing for sixty minutes, many of the young dancers came over to talk to them because they were so young.
One person who came over to talk to Phillip was his mother.
“Mom, mom, you came!” exclaimed Phillip, when he saw his mother at the dance. He then hugged her tight. The two then went over and sat down to talk.
Ken Thomas saw that Mackenzie had actually come to the dance to watch and listen to her son’s band. And now she and her son were sitting down and talking. He resisted the urge to go over and listen to what they were talking about. He knew Judy would want to know, but he wanted them to have a mother and son private moment together. He told himself that he would go over and thank her for being there tonight and leave it at that.
As Darrin read the early articles about Three Finger Cove, he couldn’t believe that a large group of men attacked it trying to get to one Collin Wilkinson, the heir to the huge Wilkinson fortune.
The teen also learned that Mr. Ken was indeed shot defending Collin and that a number of men were also killed during the attack. There were pictures accompanying the article that showed the condition of the front door, the bullet holes all over the house, the large windows facing the lake and the large broken window leading into the swimming pool area.
The teen also read about how Mr. Ken, Todd Foster and Logan Anderson saved Walt Tankard after the sailboat he and his friends were on overturned, and he was caught under the sails. The article went on to say how Todd and Logan received college scholarships and plaques, and that Mr. Ken also received an award from the American Red Cross.
He then looked for articles pertaining to the accident where Billy and Phillip were injured last summer. When he found and read them, he was perplexed that they all sounded like Billy ran the flaggers signal. That was until later articles stated that a dash camera in the vehicle had audio with the flagger giving Billy permission to proceed. An attached video had the actual audio of that conversation.
Darrin also saw articles about the free 4th of July Carnivals that Mr. Ken had put on for his community, and the patriotic firework displays he put on from the lake that could be seen all over. And he read about the attempted kidnapping of the boys, while they were out Trick-or-Treating. There was a lot more in the articles than his friend told him about, and he was happy he had found them. It gave him a better perspective of what actually happened.
The teen also read how Mr. Ken had made an agreement with the County to fund all of the required improvements at Four Corners with his taxes on his properties being reduced until the total costs would be recovered in 25 to 30 years.
He also learned that Mr. Ken built the Lakeside Water Park for the county along with the Lakeside Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters for the volunteers right next door, so they would have a state-of-the-art facility and they could also watch over the water park against vandalism.
Darrin was getting a lot of information about The Cove, as he read the articles. But he knew there was a lot that wasn’t being told. He figured that you had to be there to know what actually happened behind the scenes, like the shootout last summer when they were on a trip.
After the band’s break was over, Ken Thomas went over to Mackenzie Flores and thanked her for coming to listen and watch her son play. The woman told him that she didn’t realize that her son was actually that good, and she was now embarrassed that she didn’t do more for him sooner.
Mackenzie asked Mr. Ken if her son had put that band together, and if they really did practice almost every day. The boy’s foster dad told the woman that her son was the catalyst who slowly added one boy at a time to what she sees up on the stage tonight.
The woman looked up at her son and the band he had put together and Mr. Ken could see she was proud of her son. He then whispered to her that her son and the band were playing next Saturday night, and that maybe she and Grandma could stop by. He then told her that he would text her the time and place.
Darrin got tired of reading, so he pulled out his cell phone and he tried to remember a phone number of one of his friends from his old neighborhood. He dialed it and what came up was, “The number you have dialed is not a working number.”
He tried again, and got the same response. Then he figured he had transposed a number and dialed it again and this time the phone rang. He was hopeful that he got the number to the right person. After the fifth ring a young boy answered and Darrin asked, “Is this Trent?”
“Yes, who is this?” quickly asked the boy.
“Trent … it’s Darrin. I’m at a foster house. Can you believe it?” replied Darrin.
The two friends talked for about fifteen minutes before Trent’s parents told him that he had to get off the phone, as it was getting late and he had school in the morning. Even though their son was talking to the friend who lost his entire family, the dad told him to have him call tomorrow.
Trent told Darrin that he’d tell everyone that his old phone number was activated, and that he should start getting calls from them. Then they hung up. Darrin was over the moon that he was able to talk to someone from his old neighborhood.
When the dance was over the organizers came over to the band and thanked them for being better than they remembered. They also commented that they didn’t recall that there were as many members then as there are now. Phillip didn’t know what to say. So. Mr. Ken told the man that when the boys find someone who wants to play in the band, and is good enough, they just add them.
Billy, Charles and Matthew reversed what they did earlier and moved everything back to the Sprinter van. They also helped Mr. Jenkins put Jeff’s drums back in his van, too. Then, when they were all done, Mr. Ken stopped at a fast-food restaurant on the way home to get the boys something to eat. He also called Robert to tell them what they were doing and that they would probably be home by ten o’clock.
Robert and Darrin took the resident pets, Chief and Sarge, out to potty and then he and Darrin went up to their rooms to relax before going to bed. Chief followed Darrin to his room, as he was responsible for her.
The two Cover teens knew when the rest of the Covers returned home because Chief and Sarge went barking down the back stairs to greet them. Robert and Darrin followed along.
“Shouldn’t you two have more on than just your boxer briefs?” asked ‘dad’ Ken.
“Daaad,” exclaimed Robert, “it’s just you guys. Dad, we knew there weren’t any women coming home with you.”
“Guys … it’s been a long night. The only important appointment is Darrin’s with Doctor Doug on Tuesday. We can cover the rest of the appointments and goings on at The Cove tomorrow. Now, go up to your rooms and get ready for bed. I’ll be right up,” commanded ‘dad’ Ken.
Ken Thomas didn’t spend too much time downstairs before going up and starting at Bill’s room. The man thanked the older teenager for his hard work tonight, and asked him to research what dollies and hand trucks that the band needs and to let him know tomorrow.
In Robert’s room, he just hugged him and told him to have a good night’s sleep.
In Charles’ room, he thanked him too, for all the hard work he did in getting the band set up and taking it all down tonight. He hugged his son and told him to sleep well.
In Matthew’s room, he told the pre-teen the same as what he told Billy and Charles. He gave the boy a big hug and told him how much he loved him. Matthew just melted into his arms. ‘Dad’ Ken also asked the puppy master to give Sarge a bath tomorrow night. He explained that he wanted to take him to the office on Tuesday to show him off, and to see if anyone would be interested in adopting any of Chief’s litter, if she had another one. Matthew said that he would take care of it.
In Phillip’s room, ‘dad’ Ken told the youngest Cover how proud he was of him, and what he has accomplished with his playing and forming the great band of his. ‘Dad’ Ken hugged the boy and told him that tonight was the start of a budding career in the music field, and for him to never look back. Phillip was all smiles and tears from what his foster dad had told him.
When Mr. Ken got to Darrin’s room, the teen told him that he searched the web tonight and he got a better understanding of what The Cove was all about, and who his foster dad was. The teen also told the man that he remembered a phone number of one of his friends from where he used to live, and he called him and they talked for about fifteen minutes.
Hearing that the teen talked to someone from his old neighborhood took Mr. Ken by surprise, but he didn’t let it show. He told the teen that they should talk about that sometime, but for now he needed to get to bed, as he has school in the morning. He also told Darrin to make sure he drains his dragon before going to bed. The two shared a hug and then Mr. Ken headed to his own retreat.
As the owner of The Cove was headed down the stairs, he met Matthew, Sarge and Chief coming up. He quickly made his way to his personal space, doffed his clothes, used his facilities and then sat on the edge of his bed thinking of what happened tonight.
He couldn’t be any prouder than any ‘father’ of his ‘boy’ than he was of Phillip tonight. The youngster had accomplished so much in the six months that he has been living there, and what he had shown tonight could mean that he has a wonderful future in the music industry ahead of him.
He wasn’t happy, though, that Darrin had contacted his friend from his old neighborhood. He knew he needed to have a talk with the boy before the end of the next week.
The weekend was busy and long, and Ken Thomas knew it was that way because of the boys and if it weren’t for them, he knew his life would be boring to no end. After he laid his head down on his pillow it didn’t take long for sleep to overtake him. The Cove was soon 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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