Published: 25 Sep 2025
From the Previous Chapter:
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.
When the alarm went off that Monday morning, Ken Thomas was ready for the coming week. He used his bathroom to get ready, then dressed for the office and then headed out to the Kitchen Nook for his first cup of hot coffee, which he knew Momma Maria would have ready for him.
“Good morning, Momma,” offered Mr. Ken, as he walked into the Nook.
Momma greeted the man, as he sat at his usual place at the table, while she brought over his favorite cup and then filled it with his favored morning brew, hot coffee. The owner of The Cove took a sip of the very hot liquid, and then raised it to the woman, as a salute to her for doing such a great job for him.
Of course, Mr. Ken had to take the newspaper out of its protective sleeve and then separate it, as was his habit, before he could begin to read it. The man would occasionally take a drink of his coffee as he read the news of the world and what happened in the local area.
Eventually, the three younger Cover boys, and the two resident pets, came into the Nook. Matthew and Darrin immediately took care of rinsing out the pet’s bowls and filled them up with fresh kibble and cold ice water. The two boys then washed their hands, before sitting down to a wonderful Momma breakfast.
As the boys ate, Matthew told Darrin about the dance and how good he felt the band had sounded. The pre-teen reported how difficult it was to get all of the equipment from the van to the stage, and he was glad that Billy, Charles, and he had thought to volunteer as roadies for the band, otherwise they would have been soaked with sweat before the dance had begun.
Phillip then spoke up and recounted to his new ‘brother’ that the band started off kind of slow, but as they got into their groove it was fun. He also told Darrin that his mother came to the dance, and they got to talk during his first break. Phillip was on cloud nine that morning about how well the band did, but also that his mom came to listen and watch him last night.
Mr. Ken took it all in and then reminded the boys they had to catch their school bus, so for them to finish eating their food, wash their hands and get a move on. The boys smiled back at the man and did what they were asked.
After the three younger Covers had left for school, it wasn’t too long after that the three high school Covers came down for breakfast. Billy and Charles were talking to Robert about the dance and explaining about the logistics of getting everything to and from the stage before and after the dance.
But before Billy sat down, he handed Mr. Ken two sheets of paper. He told his foster dad that these represented what he felt were what the band needed to get their equipment from Point A to Point B. Then the teenager laughed. Mr. Ken thanked him for doing that so quickly. The man looked at them and agreed with what Billy had selected and made a note for Chris to buy them ASAP, and to have them there by Friday.
Momma had been listening to both groups’ conversations about the dance and she was curious about how well Phillip and his band did, so she asked if anyone took any video.
The boys looked back and forth to one another and it was Charles who spoke up and said that he did take his cell phone out and he took a few videos. He quickly got out of his chair, took out his cell phone, and called up the videos he’d taken.
The teen showed Momma what he had and the woman was astonished at how well the band sounded and looked in their white Halloween themed shirts, along with their black pants and shoes. She then thanked Charles with a hug for showing the videos to her, as she now knew what all the boys were talking about that morning. Charles went back to finishing his breakfast.
Dad Ken smiled at his son for doing that for Momma and he commented that they should have thought to take videos of the band playing. He was happy that Charles had thought enough to take at least a few videos. He asked his son to show them to Phillip later, so his ‘brother’ knows what they looked like up on the stage.
By the time the teens left for school and Mr. Ken was getting ready to leave for work, Wayne and Chris had arrived at The Cove. The men’s boss gave the sheets of paper to Chris, and asked him to make that a priority, and then he left for the office.
As the men had their first cups of coffee they talked about the weekend. Wayne was curious as to how well Matthew did in training Lance. Chris told him that after he got home yesterday and showed Sandra what Lance could do, she was amazed that the pup who wouldn’t listen could now do so much.
Chris told Wayne that he then had the children do some of the behaviors with Lance. But he told him that Hailey told him that they shouldn’t do too much with their puppy, without letting him have some fun time. He added that Matthew told her and Chris Jr. that Lance needed to have a break from work just as they did, so they played fetch, which Lance loves to do, which was one of his newly learned behaviors. Both men laughed.
Sarge heard the men talking and when Chris said the word fetch, the resident pup brought over his ball and dropped it at the men’s feet. The men smiled and Wayne picked up the ball and threw it out the Kitchen Nook towards the MRS Room. Sarge took off after it and a few seconds later brought the ball back and dropped it at Wayne’s feet. Wayne knew he needed to play with the pup for a bit, while Chris went down to order the dolly and hand truck.
At school that morning, the members of Phillip’s band were all on a high of sorts. They couldn’t stop talking about how the previous night went and how much fun they had playing at the dance.
Their classmates heard them talking and asked them to tell them more about the band and the dance they played at. After the band members told them what they wore and how much fun they had, the onlookers asked them how much they were paid. That stumped them as they really didn’t know. All Phillip could tell them was that the band would split half of the fee and the other half goes towards buying new, or replacing equipment. Then the first bell rang.
At the office, Mr. Ken held his normal Monday meeting with all of his Group managers in attendance. They all gave their reports and, as was his habit at the end, Ken Thomas asked for the report on what was happening out at the Four Corners Amusement Park.
Jacqueline Kromiere, or better known as Ms. Jackie, Mr. Ken’s Projects Manager, gave her report. She stated that the construction of the schoolhouse, cottage with an outhouse, farmhouse with a paddock and the saloon with the horse hitch and watering trough had their foundations laid and the initial framework for the buildings was complete.
Ms. Jackie reported that the new railroad station framework was complete and was almost totally under roof. She indicated that due to the size of the structure, the framing of the floor took the most time. She went on and told the group that after that the walls and the roof trusses went up fairly quickly.
Ms. Jackie reminded everyone that even though it sounds like everything is happening fairly quickly, there was still electrical, plumbing, fire suppression, insulation, sheetrock, and then there was the theming to be added and that the completion date was still way off in the spring.
The woman continued and disclosed that the installation of the train tracks was continuing at a good pace and the contractor would soon install a crossing at the Go-Kart Track, which would necessitate either the closing of the facility, or rerouting of the entrance. The woman explained the reason for that was because they needed to do the grading, electrical connections and whatever else needed to be done. Jackie looked to Nelson Sanders and told him that the track supervisor figured they needed at least ten days, so he needed to coordinate with them and the Go-Kart Track manager.
Mr. Ken asked how the new parking lot was working out and Nelson Sanders, the Four Corners Amusement Park ops manager, told him that it did relieve some parking woes, but they surely needed more.
Mr. Ken then asked what, if any, feedback did they receive on their release of their proposed use of that land after the railroad was installed. Ben took that question and he said that it was all positive and that the public was anxious to see the new coaster installed.
When Mr. Ken got back to his office, Rosemary gave him his messages and he went to his desk and made some calls. The first ones were to each member of his investment group to confirm that he’d meet them on Wednesday at eleven o’clock for lunch at the Lakeside Hotel.
His next call was to Bill Jackson who told him that the newspaper who printed the apology would be sending a check over for him and Bill. The lawyer reported that the other newspaper, along with the television and radio stations, were still balking at paying. But he felt that the prospect of them having to fight a high profile multi-million-dollar lawsuit will bring them around, and they will pay more than what he is receiving this week.
When Mr. Ken asked him why they would be paying more, Bill told him that they are causing him to spend more time and energy on this, and they need to cover his expenses and compensate him for loss of investment value. All Ken Thomas could do was laugh.
Ken then called his girlfriend, Kate. He apologized to her for not talking to her over the weekend, but he explained how busy boys had kept him. He told her all about Darrin and how he was acclimating to the Cove. He described last evening’s dance and how Phillip and his band played and how proud he was of him. Kate could tell by the way Ken was talking of Phillip that the man was delighted that the boy performed so well.
Kate told him that she and Evelyn talked about Rusty’s father. She also divulged that Patrick called her and asked if she and the boys would come out there for Thanksgiving. Kate told Ken that she declined the offer by telling Rusty’s father that she and the boys were already headed to his place for the week. Kate said that she was happy that Patrick at least reached out to try to spend some time with his son.
The man’s girlfriend also told Ken that Amy Ozarker met with her and Evelyn and they discussed her writing the four men, who Lane had been blackmailing, and telling them they could now stop sending him any more money.
Kate further explained that any money Evelyn receives from them from now on, she should immediately send back, as they all knew what it was all about now, otherwise she could find herself in big trouble, as well.
Ken asked her if Amy had made any progress on getting any of Lane’s hidden money away from the police. Kate explained that the lawyer indicated to both women that it could, very well, be after the Holidays when they would have a hearing on the distribution of the $50,000.00, since there were now two individuals, she and Evelyn, filing claims on it.
The two then talked about them and what they had planned to buy for the boys for Christmas. Kate thought that it was too early to discuss that, but Ken told her that the Holiday Season would be upon them sooner than they expect, and having any idea would help in the long run.
When Phillip returned home from school, he was still beaming from yesterday’s gig. Momma told him that Charles took some video of the dance, and that he would show him later. Phillip said that he couldn’t wait. Darrin told his ‘brothers’ that he talked to one of his friends from his old neighborhood last night. He then asked them if Mr. Ken had ever let any of the foster boys have any of their friends visit The Cove.
Matthew told him that Mark had all of his friends and their parents over many times, while he lived there. He then told Darrin that the one time they met Billy’s friends from his old neighborhood when they went to the movies.
The pre-teen then told Darrin that Billy told him and his other ‘brothers’ that they wouldn’t be coming over, since he knew they used drugs, and that Mr. Ken doesn’t allow us to invite people over who we know use illegal drugs.
That was something Darrin didn’t want to hear. He knew Mr. Ken’s stance on illegal drug use, and he even used them before the fire. He knew now that he shouldn’t even ask his foster dad if his friends from his old neighborhood could come over. The teen thanked Momma for their snack and then he went up to his room to start on his homework.
Phillip and Matthew looked at one another. Phillip asked Matthew if he thought that Darrin wanted to ask if his friends could come over, but he knew that they used drugs and knowing Mr. Ken wouldn’t allow them and that he isn’t too happy.
Matthew agreed with that observation and then thanked Momma for fixing them their snack, and he too went up to his room to work on his homework. As he left, he told Phillip that he needed to give Sarge a bath tonight, as their ‘dad’ was taking the resident pup to work with him tomorrow. That surprised the younger Cover who also thanked Momma for the snack, and he, too, then went up to his room to start his homework.
The high schoolers enjoyed their afterschool snack and, as they ate, Momma reminded Charles to show Phillip the videos. The teen thanked her for reminding him and he thanked her for fixing their snack, and he quickly headed up to Phillip’s room.
“Knock, knock, knock,” announced Charles. “I have some videos of last night’s gig that I think you might want to see.”
“Yes, come in. I want to see them,” excitedly replied Phillip.
Charles pulled out his cell phone and showed his younger ‘brother’ what he shot on the phone. Phillip was awestruck at what he was seeing. He was also embarrassed at the way he was acting. Charles asked him why he thought that. The youngster offered that he never thought that he was acting that way.
Charles told him that was the way the band members acted, and that he shouldn’t change a thing. Phillip smiled back at his older ‘brother’ and asked him to download the videos onto his computer before he left.
After Phillip had the videos, he emailed them to all of the band members, so they could also see some of what they looked like up on the stage Sunday night. Later, the young Cover got texts back telling him they should talk about the videos at school tomorrow.
As soon as Matthew had his homework done, he called Sarge to him and the two of them went down to the men’s locker room and the puppy master gave the resident pup a bath. Sarge loved being in the water and he just sat there being washed all over.
Chief had followed them down to the men’s locker room, and as soon as she saw what was going to happen, she immediately left. The resident pet wanted nothing to do with getting a bath. The last time she went there she was made to get cleaned up. She loved the after part when they used the blow drier and then brushed her, but not the washing part.
When Matthew was finished washing Sarge, he dried him and then used the old blow dryer that Caroline left after the three days she spent at The Cove, where she practically caused another world war with her promiscuous actions.
When the pup was dry, the pre-teen then brushed the pup’s coat and when the Cover was finished the resident puppy was free to go. Sarge then ran upstairs and the first person he went to was Mr. Ken.
“Whoa, who do we have here?” teased the man. “And they smell so fresh and clean. Come on, up!” And Sarge jumped onto Mr. Ken’s lap and he gave the man some puppy kisses.
That’s where the puppy master found Sarge, when he went looking for his charge. ‘Dad’ Ken told the pre-teen that he did a great job in getting the pup cleaned up, and that the ladies at work tomorrow will surely want one just like him. Upon hearing that, Sarge gave the man some more puppy kisses. Mr. Wayne just sat back and smiled.
After dinner, ‘dad’ Ken told the boys that he would come home for lunch tomorrow, and that he was then taking Sarge back to the office with him. He explained that he wanted to show off their resident pup, and to see if he could garner any takers if Chief were to have another litter.
The boys all asked if he was serious in letting Chief have another litter, and then they asked that if she did when would that all happen. ‘Dad’ Ken had Mr. Wayne give the boys a run down on the timing, and they thought that it was good that their ‘dad’ was thinking about the Holidays, Spring Break and when they got out of school for the summer.
‘Dad’ Ken reminded Darrin that he had a Doctor Doug appointment at 2 P.M. the next day and that either Mr. Wayne, or Mr. Dennis, would pick him up from school and take him there. The man added that they would then take him to their dentist for an initial check and then appointments would be made if he needed any fillings.
‘Dad’ Ken told the boys that Phillip and his band had a gig next Saturday evening from seven to ten o’clock, and he hoped the roadies would volunteer again. He added that he had Mr. Chris buy the dolly and hand truck to make things easier for them.
‘Dad’ Ken then asked Phillip if he had chosen where they were going on their three-day trip over the four to six November weekend. Phillip told his ‘dad’ that he wanted to go up to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and visit the trains, Six Flags if it was open, or a basketball game, Speed Zone, the aquarium and anything else they can fit in. All the boys laughed at what their younger ‘brother’ wanted to do. Darrin knew he needed to ask about all that later.
‘Dad’ Ken also reminded the boys that he would be gone to IAAPA from the 14th to 17th of November, but that he would probably be back on the 16th, since Kate and her boys would be arriving on the seventeenth and staying for the week of Thanksgiving.
Lastly, ‘dad’ Ken recapped that Jules Diamond and Eleanor Whittier would be getting married at The Cove on the 17th and that their friends could not come there that day. He added that Phillip and his band were playing at the reception.
‘Dad’ Ken then asked the boys if they had any questions. Darrin was the first to ask if they were going to have a sleepover that coming Friday. ‘Dad’ Ken asked the boys if that was when they wanted it to happen. After getting a resounding, “Yes”, he told the boys to plan it, but their friends would have to leave well before six that Saturday because of the band’s gig.
Darrin then asked if they could watch any of the cleanup after the big storm. ‘Dad’ Ken looked at the time and figured they could watch videos for about a half hour, he told the boys to head to the Theater.
Once there, Mr. Ken sent the videos of the storm to the large screen in the Theater and the boys watched as their friends pulled all the stones and rocks out of the skate park and put them back into the sidewalk forms where they came from.
They saw the boys using a power washer, as they washed the dirty water off the fresh concrete walls of the skate bowls. They also watched the other boys using a number of hoses to wash down other areas that had been dirtied by the storm, and the dirt from the forms that were ready for concrete.
Mr. Ken then showed the boys what their friends did in the Patio area to clean up the blown in leaves and tree branches, the broken tables, the tuned over and now broken grill and the heavy overturned Patio furniture. They saw the boys working to straighten up the area and make it look as presentable as it was before the storm.
When the videos were over, ‘dad’ Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to get ready for bed. The two men talked some before the Estate Master went home. With Wayne now gone, the man then went up to visit with the boys. He visited with them as he usually did, and then went down to his own retreat to settle down and go to sleep himself.
Mr. Ken greeted Momma Tuesday morning and he saluted the woman with his coffee cup after she filled it with the hot liquid, and he had taken his first sip. He quickly took the plastic sleeve off the morning newspaper, separated it and then began to read from Section A, World News. It was when he got to Section B, Local News, that an article caught his attention.
The short article didn’t go into great detail, but the main point was that the trial for Nicolas Crown, the teenager who attacked and stabbed Richard Longer during an altercation in the men’s restroom at The Mall was set to begin with jury selection starting today.
The article went on to state that the trial for Leah Hoalmes for being an accessory before and after the fact in Richard’s stabbing would be held at a later date. The reporter speculated that she could be a key prosecution witness during Nicholas Crown’s trial, which was why she was being tried separately.
Mr. Ken made a mental note to tell Charles when he came down for breakfast later.
Phillip was still talking about his band’s performance on Sunday and ‘dad’ Ken was tickled that the boy was so enthusiastic about playing his guitar, and the fact that he was indeed playing in front of people other than those at The Cove. The youngster then asked his ‘dad’ how much the band was paid for the gig.
When the youngster heard what the band made for their three hours, he was surprised and then commented that they each weren’t going to be buying anything too expensive anytime soon. ‘Dad’ Ken reminded the young band leader that the agreement amongst the parents was that half of the money was to be set aside for new and replacement band equipment.
Mr. Ken told his foster son that after they play that coming Saturday night, he will pay them on Sunday for both gigs. Phillip thanked him for explaining it to him, and offered to tell the band members at school when he saw them.
When the high schoolers came down for breakfast dad Ken asked his son if he was wearing his retainer like the dentist asked him to. Charles took the retainer out of his mouth to show his dad that he was. Dad Ken smiled and thanked his son for doing so.
Then, as the boys were eating, ‘dad’ Ken got their attention and told them about the trial that was going to begin that week. Charles asked if he would be able to attend it, but his dad told him that he couldn’t be there for the full trial, as it could take weeks. But the teen’s dad did say that maybe he could be there when Richard is going to testify to give him some support. Charles said that he would like that.
Before he left for the office, Mr. Ken told Momma that he’d be home for lunch.
At the office, Emilio Ramirez, the Three Finger Real Estate Group manager, came to visit Ken Thomas first thing. He had a contract from the corporation that wanted to build its headquarters on those five acres they asked about out at the lake. They had countered his original price on the property, which Mr. Ramirez was required, by law, to present to him.
Ken Thomas laughed that the corporation was wanting to get the property for the cheapest price they could, but they had offered a substantially much lower price than Ken Thomas was willing to let the piece of land go for. Mr. Ken knew that his initial offer was a bit high, so he countered their offer. He reduced his offer to what he figured was his best price he could allow the five acres to go for and still make a profit.
Mr. Ken then explained to Emilio, for his information only, that if the corporation buys that property, he and his investors will look to begin to develop the land from that intersection, where their headquarters would be situated down towards his office building, and then some.
He told Mr. Ramirez that they were looking to build a four-lane highway, with a dedicated left turn lane, and light industrial offices and warehouses built across from the offices, and the hotel and that only restaurants and office buildings would be built with lake views.
After Emilio departed the office, Ben Walthers was waiting his turn. Ben wanted to get Mr. Ken’s input on something that Jason had broached with him yesterday.
“Mr. Ken … Jason … he called me yesterday with a proposal that …well, that I took the rest of yesterday and last night to consider what he was proposing.,” began the President of TFE.
“Ok, Ben, what does he want to do?” asked the boss.
“Mr. Ken … Jason … he wants to hold the Celebration of Christmas Wonders. Now here me out. He talked to all of the contractors that they have been working all along with, while the Spook-Tac-U-Lair has been going on, and he says that as long as he is open Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, as he is now, he could handle the Celebration of Christmas Wonders.
“I thought about it yesterday and last night, and I don’t see why he couldn’t put it on. He told me that he bought many of the decorations, when he bought the Spook-Tac-U-Lair items, as we did send him the money, and he added that they gave him a great deal in doing so.
“It may not be as grand as what the other parks put on, but … if he can present a Christmas Wonders and fill the park and make money for us, I say we let him do it. He has the enthusiasm and drive to make it happen and if the staff is on-board what do we lose?” finished Ben.
Ken Thomas sat back thinking of what he was just presented. His initial thought was to not to allow it. But he knew that Jason had surprised him all along. Ever since he hired him to inspect Crystal Lake and Edgewood and he knows what a great job that he’d done getting Edgewood ready in less than sixty days, so, he told Ben to go ahead. He reasoned that even if they break even, the community will see that they are committed to resurrect Edgewood, soon to be Adventure Forest, and make it a wonderful destination amusement park again.
Ben couldn’t wait to get back to his office, so he could call Jason and tell him to go ahead with the Celebration of Christmas Wonders.
After making a few more calls and talking with Kate, Mr. Ken told Rosemary that he was going home for lunch and would be back around one o’clock.
Wayne, Chris and Dennis were surprised that the boss was home for lunch. Wayne knew that the man was taking Sarge to the office that afternoon, but he didn’t know the man was also going to eat lunch with them.
The men talked about what was happening around The Cove as they ate. Chris told him that the dolly and hand truck should be there that Friday. Dennis and Wayne said that they were on board for the sleepover.
Mr. Ken then mentioned that the boys would like to go back to the range again and he asked the men when would be a good day. They all looked at the calendar and recommended the 4th of November. But Mr. Ken told them that he and Phillip were on their three-day trip that weekend. They then looked at the 11th. Mr. Ken said that they should try to make it happen.
Momma heard that the boys were going to have a sleepover, so she made a mental note to talk to the boys when they ate their afterschool snacks, about what they would need.
Mr. Ken had Dennis get the dog carrier from Matthew’s room before he took Sarge to the office that afternoon. He made sure the pup had peed before he placed him inside and he also took the Sprinter van to make sure there was enough space for the carrier.
Sarge was excited that he was going somewhere off The Cove. He’d never been off the estate and he was also going with who he knew was the leader, the Alpha, of the pack. He was so looking forward to whatever was in store for him.
When Mr. Ken arrived at his office building, he got Sarge out of the carrier and let him roam on the leash for a little while, to smell and see the new environment. Sarge was going from one plant to another and looking at the other landscaping that was there.
After about ten minutes of looking around, Mr. Ken asked Sarge if he was ready to go inside and meet some people. Sarge looked ready. Mr. Ken asked the pup to pee, which the puppy did, and the two walked into the office.
The security guard was the first one to greet Mr. Ken and ask who was the VIP. Mr. Ken asked Sarge to ‘Sit’ and then he introduced the two. The guard asked the pup to shake hands and Mr. Ken was surprised that Sarge knew how. The two then went to the elevator, which was another new experience for the resident pup.
“Rosemary … I want you to meet an important member of my family. Sarge, meet my secretary, Rosemary,” said Mr. Ken. Sarge sat in front of the woman, sat back on his hind legs and offered her his paw. The woman was tickled pink by the young pup.
“I brought him in to show him around to everyone. He is one of Chief’s progeny and I am thinking of letting her have another litter … that is if I can find at least seven families, or more, who would want a puppy as bright as Sarge, here.
Mr. Ken took Sarge to visit Ben. The pup knew who the man was and immediately went to him. The boss then explained to Ben why the resident pup was there that afternoon. Ben told him he hoped there would be others who would love to have one of Chief’s sons, or daughters.
Mr. Ken and Sarge began to visit all of the offices in the building. They stopped at every desk and Mr. Ken introduced his pup to them and explained why he was there. Just about everybody loved Sarge and he loved being the center of attention. Mr. Ken even put the pup through some of his behaviors. The man even revealed that Ben Walthers has a pup of the last litter and Lance is just as smart and playful as Sarge was.
Word got around the office building that Mr. Thomas had his new puppy with him, and he was looking to see if anyone was interested in adopting a pup, just like the one he had with him, from a new litter from his resident pet, Chief. The question that many had on their minds was how much was he asking. When they learned that the puppy would be free, they couldn’t believe he would offer them at no cost.
Mr. Ken heard the murmurings about him not wanting any money for the puppies. So, he let it be known that he wasn’t in the dog breeding business, but he was letting his resident pet, Chief, who most of them knew, have a second litter, but only if he could find at least seven families who would take the pups after they’d been weaned.
It was while he was talking to the office workers that Sarge began to pull on the leash and wanted to go towards a woman who looked very distracted. Mr. Ken kept trying to make Sarge ‘Stay’, but the pup continued to want to go and now he was barking.
It was when Mr. Ken looked at what Sarge was trying to go to that he went to the woman and asked her if she was going to be alright. She said that she wasn’t sure. Mr. Ken told someone to call 911, and then asked if someone was First Aid and or CPR qualified to come there.
It took the EMTs more than fifteen minutes to get to where the office building was located since it was out of the way, and off the main thoroughfares. By the time the EMTs had arrived, the office staff had laid the woman down, elevated her feet and put a blanket over her. The EMTs took over from there.
Sarge was watching the whole time and many people had praised him for noticing that the woman was in distress. Even Mr. Ken was amazed that his pup had sensed that something was wrong with the woman, and had wanted to get to her.
Some of the office staff on other floors had heard what the pup had done and they now had questions, if the puppy had been trained to sense anomalies in people. Mr. Ken told them that Sarge hadn’t been, but it wasn’t unheard of, that dogs were trained to do just that, and that maybe, there was something in Chief’s DNA that Sarge inherited that gave him that sense.
When Mr. Ken left the office that afternoon, he had more than enough names of people who wanted one of Chief’s pups the next time she had a litter.
Sarge was the hero that evening at The Cove, after ‘dad’ Ken told everyone what he had done at the office that afternoon. ‘Dad’ Ken also told them that he was now going to allow Chief to have another litter, that was, if she wanted to, and all he and Mr. Wayne needed to do was plan the event. Mr. Ken then asked the resident pet, Chief, if she wanted to have more puppies. All Chief did was bark up a storm in a sense, saying that she did.
After ‘dad’ Ken covered who had what appointments, Darrin told him that he has two cavities and that he would be going back to the dentist next week to have them taken care of. The teen added that after that he would have a cleaning and polishing appointment. He then handed his foster dad the appointment papers.
Billy told Mr. Ken that they talked with Momma about what they needed for the sleepover. The only thing they needed to decide on was where they would show the movie, and which movie they should show. ‘Dad’ Ken told them to get with Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dennis.
Mr. Wayne was there and he asked them where they would prefer to have the movie. The original Cover boys talked amongst themselves and they all voted for the Pavilion. Darrin asked what was the difference and his ‘brothers’ told him that it felt more authentic being outside and that they could eat their pizza, whereas they couldn’t eat the pizza when they used the pool.
Mr. Ken began his visits with the boys that night in Bill’s room, as was his habit. The man asked the teen to get his ‘brothers’ to look through the movies before Friday night, so they wouldn’t be scrambling to find one at the last minute.
In Robert’s room, the teen’s dad mentioned the same request hoping that the boys would get it done before Friday night when their friends arrived.
In Charles’ room, the teen again asked his dad if he could go with him to the IAAPA meeting down in Florida, since he was now only going to be there for three days instead of four. The man laughed and told his son that he needed to see what the Expo was all about before he took him. The man then told his son that maybe next year he could go if he found the trip was a worthwhile endeavor. Charles hugged his dad and ‘dad’ Ken moved onto Matthew’s room.
Matthew told his ‘dad’ that he was still amazed at what Sarge had done for that woman. He wondered if all the pups would have that same ability. ‘Dad’ Ken told the pre-teen that only time would tell and, of course, if any of the pups were exposed to the same situation.
Matthew thanked his ‘dad’ for talking with him and then the two hugged, which the boy held for longer than usual. He just loved his ‘dad’ and hoped that one day he really would be.
Phillip was playing his guitar, as he usually did just before bed time, when ‘dad’ Ken came to his door. The man listened to the boy play and knew that his ‘son’ could very well be a well-known guitarist someday.
When Phillip sensed there was someone behind him, he stopped playing and looked and seeing his ‘dad’, he jumped up and hugged him. When they talked, Phillip asked his dad if the band could charge more the next time they play. ‘Dad’ Ken told the boy that just before bed wasn’t the time to discuss money matters, and that they should take some time during the day to talk about that. Phillip agreed to talk to him about the issue again, and then the two hugged and then ‘dad’ Ken moved on to Darrin’s room.
That night when Mr. Ken talked to Darrin, he asked him if he was going to invite any more boys over to The Cove. Darrin said that he wasn’t sure if he could with the sleepover being so soon on Friday.
Mr. Ken told him if he wanted to add two more friends to have their home phone numbers for him by either texting them to him, which would speed up the process, or to give them to him at night when he gets home.
Darrin checked with the man to ensure that he had the correct phone number for him to text to. That put a smile on Mr. Ken’s face that the teen had a quick mind, like Bill, to get at things right away. The foster dad then made sure he had the new foster’s cell phone number, as well.
It had been an interesting day, with the corporation wanting to buy the five acres facing the lake for a song, Jason wanting to expand the season at Edgewood, Sarge being the center of attention at the office with his alerting on that woman who was undergoing a medical crisis. And it was only Tuesday.
The owner of The Cove didn’t spend much time reviewing what happened that day. He was very happy that the boys were accepting of Darrin and the new Cover was acclimating to them as well. After the man turned off the lights in the bedroom and he got under the blankets, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep. Then, with the whole household asleep, The Cove 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
If you are using webmail please include, on the subject line, [CR] [name of story]. This let’s the author know 2 things: Where you read the story and which story you are writing about.
54,272 views