The man quickly read the article, to see to which fire it was referencing and what it had to say about it. As he perused the piece, he learned that the County Fire Marshal, Eugene Murphy, in conjunction with its investigative branch, had deemed the recent fire that took the lives of three family members was accidental.

The article went on to say, that the fire marshal had indicated that a large number of flammables that were stored in the home, was a contributing factor for the home being engulfed in flames upon the arrival of the fire apparatus and the house being consumed so thoroughly.

The news reporter added a note that the insurance companies were now free to begin their distribution of survivor benefits and recovery claims. Mr. Ken took notice of that paragraph. He made a mental note to call Stewart Rusell, the lawyer he had asked to check to see if Darrin had any potential claims there, when he arrived at the office. This could be an important windfall for his foster son if the lawyer could find out if Darrin could be the recipient of any life and house insurance claims now that the fire was deemed accidental.

The three younger boys came down, while the man was reading the newspaper and they had taken care of getting the resident pets fresh kibble and ice water, and were already eating their Momma breakfast when he put the paper down.

“Good morning, boys,” offered ‘dad’ Ken.

“Goooood Mooornnniiing, ‘Daaaaad’,” the three boys sang together. And then they laughed that they’d done that, as if they were in first or second grade. The sing-song and their laughing made ‘dad’ Ken laugh, too.

“It’s good to see you three in a such good mood this morning. Remember … Santa … he knows who’s naughty, or nice, and he checks his list twice,” teased the boys’ ‘dad’.

Hearing that made the three boys laugh and Phillip started quickly singing, and the two other boys joined in:

“You better watch out,
You better not cry,
Better not pout,
I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is comin’ to town.

He’s making a list
And checking it twice,
Gonna find out
Who’s naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is comin’ to town.”

It was the lyrics to one of the songs that Phillip’s band was learning for the audition, so they could work at the Four Corners Amusement Park during the Holidays.

Hearing the three boys singing the song that went along with him teasing them, put a big smile on the man’s face. And even Momma Maria was smiling at the boy’s antics.

The three teenage Covers came down to eat breakfast about thirty minutes after their three younger ‘brothers’ had departed The Cove for school. The three all said good morning to their ‘dad’ and Momma Maria before sitting down to eat their Momma breakfast.

The boys talked about who they would want to invite over that coming weekend, as they ate their breakfast. Billy and Charles knew that Robert would invite Eric. The two teens just needed to figure out who they would want to invite. All of Billy’s friends had part-time jobs, so it might be difficult finding one of them who was off work over the three-day weekend.

Charles didn’t have that problem. The dilemma he had was which of his good friends he’d invite above all of the others. He had made such good friends with Camm, Asher, Mason, Jacob, Hunter, David, Dylan, Tyler, Richard and Cooper, since he arrived at The Cove, that deciding which one it would be wouldpose a challenge to him.

“Boys … I hear what you’re talking about. Some words of advice. The sooner you decide who you want to invite, the easier it will be to plan what you’re going to do that night, like swim. And, remember … you have to get Mr. Wayne’s approval first,” offered ‘dad’ Ken.

When Darrin arrived at his school, his friends, and classmates, continued to ask him about his first experience at the shooting range. Darrin wasn’t used to being the center of attention. The thing that he did notice, though, was that with him living at The Cove he seemed to inherit the attention, because of that, and he was slowly getting used to it.

The teen Cover answered his friends and the other classmates’ questions and instead of just answering what he did the previous day, he embellished on the way Mr. Dan had him stand, or hold the gun and point it. He told them how he was, at first, afraid of how the gun would react when he pulled the trigger, but that he was relieved when there was essentially no kick-back, or recoil, to speak of.

Darrin continued to tell his story of his first time ever shooting a gun and the more he talked about it the more he realized that his life had truly changed ever since he began living with his foster dad, Mr. Ken, and his new ‘brothers’. He now began to wonder if what he and his older brother were doing that night of the fire was fate, or did it happen on purpose.

The teen had to shake his head, to get that thought out of his mind. Lucky for him the first bell began to ring which helped him to dissolve that unwanted thought.

When Ken Thomas arrived at the office, Ben Walthers, his President of TFE, was waiting for him. The two went into Mr. Ken’s office and sat down at the seating area where the boss liked to have informal conversations.

“OK, Ben, there has to be an important reason for you to meet me this early in the morning. So, what is it, that you needed to get my attention so early?’ directly asked Mr. Ken.

“Well, Mr. Ken, I got curious about how old a child can be and work for us at Four Corners. So, I did some research last night, you know, about young children working at the amusement park. I never had anyone that young work for me, which was why I got curious.

“And boy, I am glad that I did check this out. Mister Ken, if these boys are really as good as you say they are, then they will all need to get a Texas work permit because child actors, or performers, under the age of 18 must obtain one,” simply stated Ben Walthers.

Ken Thomas sat there stunned. Then he said, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“No, Mr. Ken, I am not. There is a $10,000.00 fine for each occurrence if the company is found to have someone working, without a Texas work permit. Now, it isn’t all that difficult to get one, but the parents … they will have to download the application, get a recent full face and head shot picture, approximately 1½ inches by 1½ inches in color or black and white, of their child, which is essentially a passport photo, and submit it along with a copy of either their birth certificate, baptismal certificate showing date of birth, or passport,” further explained the President of Three Finger Entertainment.

“Wow, Ben, I wish I’d known this a few weeks ago. I wonder how many of the band’s parents are going to want to do this. I guess I’ll need to call them. Better yet; how about you writing that up for me and I’ll email them the information and they can think about it. I’ll then call them and get some feedback. This way they have a good ten days to get it all done. Do you have any idea of how long the application process takes?” askedMr. Ken.

“Yes, I do. If the parent fills out the application on line and submits the proper documentation they can get it within three business days,” answered Ben.

The two men talked about this new wrinkle for the next half-hour, or so. Mr. Ken also wanted to know about the teenagers Nelson had working for him and what, if any work permits, he had for them.

Ben told the park’s owner that Nelson had all of the boy’s parents fill out the application for a Texas work permit on line when he had decided to hire them, and within a few days they all had their approval. The park’s owner was happy aboutthat.

Mr. Ken now had to hurry to get Phillip’s application in since he was leaving that weekend and would be gone all of the following week. So, before Ben left his office, he made sure the man would get all of the information he needed, like the name of the application and where to go on the web to fill it out to him, and get it to him within the next thirty minutes.

After Ben left his office, Mr. Ken immediately called Wayne and when the Estate Master picked up the phone, he asked the man to check Phillip’s folder, in his filing cabinet, to see if there was a copy of the boy’s birth certificate, there.

Wayne was curious as to why he needed to check for one and Mr. Ken explained why. Wayne Mitchell whistled about the reason while he looked, saying to his boss that he was really cutting it close by having to apply for a work permit for the boy, especially if the boy was going to start working at Four Corners for the Holidays.

That was when Mr. Wayne learned that all of the parents of the band members wouldalso have to file an application for a work permit for their son, if they were going to allow them to work at the amusement park, as well. Mr. Ken then told Wayne that he was going to send an email out to all of the parents as soon as Ben gave him the particulars.

Once Wayne found the copy of the birth certificate, Mr. Ken breathed a sigh of relief. Then the foster dad asked the Estate Master to take the boy out to one of the pharmacy stores that made passport photos and get them made of Phillip, as he needed them to submit along with the application. Mr. Wayne then suggested that the man also submit an application for a passport for the boy, since Phillip doesn’t have one, just in case he decides to take the boys on a trip out of the States that spring.

While Mr. Wayne was talking to his employer, he told him how Sully and Chief were getting along that morning. The Estate Master told the man that he knew that the two dogs had mated at least once, that he was aware of, and had taken a break and laid down together up at the Pavilion after taking a long drink of cold water.

Wayne suggested that after tomorrow, if the two continue to mate as they had the previous time, then they needed to give Chief a break and see if the mating took effect. Mr. Ken agreed with that thinking and asked Wayne to talk to Mr. Price about doing that after tomorrow. The two then ended their call.

His wish for a less busy day was not happening, and Ken Thomas was feeling it. He just hoped that nothing major would arise to further distract him from everything that he had on his plate.

Then Rosemary, his executive secretary, rang him to tell him that Amy Ozarker, the lawyer he used back east, was calling to talk to him. He wondered what could have happened that Amy needed to talk to him.

When he picked up the phone, the two exchanged pleasantries before lawyer Ozarker got down to the reason for her call.

“Mr. Ken … the reason for my call is two-fold. I figured that you would want to be kept in the loop since you are funding everything. First, there is my filing that a portion of the funds that the police confiscated from Lane Blankenhart be awarded to Kate for Lane’s back child support of his son Jessy.

“Mr. Ken …the court … it has set a hearing for the first week of December. The police have strenuously objected to this hearing by stating that the money is drug related. The judge’s retort was, that was why he scheduled a hearing on the matter.

“Mr. Ken … the second issue of concern is the second filing I made in regards to that same confiscated money. If you remember, I filed a brief asking the courts to award Lane’s mother, Evelyn Blankenhart, the money remaining after the court awards Kate her missing child support payments. The court has scheduled a hearing for the same period.

“Mr. Thomas … I believe this hearing is going to be a real doozie as the police … they do not want to release any part of that $50,000.00. And, if you ask me … they have already spent it, and it is nowhere to be found, and heads will roll if that is the case.

“So … do you want me to give you the date when I learn it, so you can be here to support Kate?” now asked Amy Ozarker.

Ken Thomas sat back in his chair thinking. He then took a quick look at his calendar and quickly told Amy to let him know when the hearing date was, so he could make travel arrangements. Amy thanked him for doing that because she felt Kate would definitely need his support during all this, especially if the police department doesn’t have the money any more.

After lawyer Amy Ozarker hung up, the term ‘lawyer’ reminded Mr. Ken, that he had planned to call Stewart Russell about the news article he read that morning, about the fire being declared as accidental and the insurance companies could now release their life and house insurance monies.

When he got through to the lawyer, he explained the reason for his call. The lawyer thanked him for that information and stated that he would now contact the insurance companies and discuss with them the possibility of the surviving son receiving the proceeds of the parent’s life insurance policies, and with the home insurance company releasing what the house insurance policy calls for in this instance.

Stewart Russell indicated to Mr. Ken that the process could take a couple of weeks for the insurance company’s lawyers to study how they can legally transfer the funds to the surviving son, if he wasn’t actually named in the policy. Stewart also indicated that the issue could wind up in the courts for them to decide.

At the high school, the three Cover teenagers all talked to their friends who they had decided they wanted to invite over that weekend. Of course, Robert asked Eric to spend the night. The question the two had to decide upon was which night would be best for them, since they were going to cut and trim the field and whatever else needed to be done. Plus Mr. Wayne also had to approve.

Billy talked to all of his friends and he told them of the opportunity he had to ask one of them over one night that weekend. He also explained that he needed to let Mr. Wayne know soon. So, he told them that the first one who comes to him with a definite night off on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday night that he’ll submit their name to the Estate Master.

Charles hemmed and hawed in his mind all morning long as to whom he wanted to spend the night. He thought through all of his friends and slowly eliminated them one-by-one. By the time lunch bell had rung, the Cover had whittled the names down to Cooper, Richard and David. All of whom he felt he had the best bond, or rapport, as friends, and he was grappling as to which one he should invite. It was proving hard for him to decide.

The morning proved to be just as busy as the previous day had been for Ken Thomas, and when he looked at the time, he realized he hadn’t called Kate yet. So, the man picked up the phone and buzzed Rosemary and told her to hold all his calls unless they were emergencies. Ken then called Kate.

His long-distance girlfriend was very happy to hear from her boyfriend. The two made their usual greetings to one another and before long Ken told Kate about how his morning was almost like the day before with issue after issue that he had to work through.

Kate laughed at her boyfriend and then apologized for doing so. She said that she felt that he took some things too seriously at times, and that he needed to chill. But she did agree with him some over his time crunch of having to submit the application for Phillip’s work permit before he and the boy departed on their trip that coming Friday.

Ken reminded her that all of the band’s parents would have to do the same thing and he just hoped that they would do so, for the sake of their sons. The man said that the boys have been working hard to learn the music, in order to play at the audition and if a parent won’t fill out the application, then that boy won’t be able to work at Four Corners. It was then that Kate understood why her boyfriend was stressing out so much over the work permit.

Ken wasn’t sure if Amy had talked to Kate, yet, about the hearing over the confiscated monies, so he decided not to say anything unless she did. He did ask Kate if she thought her boys would want to do to SeaWorld, while they were there during the Thanksgiving week.

Kate laughed and told Ken that if he asked her sons if they wanted to go to the moon they would say ‘yes’. So, Ken reworded his question another way. He then asked his girlfriend what she thought about them going to SeaWorld, while they were there during the Thanksgiving week.

Kate laughed and turned the question around on him and asked him if he was the one who wanted to go to SeaWorld. Now the two of them were laughing. Ken told her that he just wanted to give her some options besides them just sitting around The Cove the whole week. She told him that she would think about it and then she’d let him know. The two then talked for as long as they dared before they knew they needed to get back to work.

When Phillip returned from school, Mr. Wayne told him that they were going out for a few minutes after he had his snack. The Estate Master added that Darrin would be joining them.

Phillip had loads of questions, but Mr. Wayne told the boy that he’d answer them when they got to where they were going and not before, since Darrin was up in his room doing homework and he wanted the teen to hear the answers, too.

Phillip was going to ask why Darrin was already home, but then he remembered that his ‘brother’ had a Doctor Doug appointment today and that he would get home before him and Matthew and that was why he wasn’t on the school bus.

It didn’t take long for the youngest Cover to have his afterschool snack and then go find Mr. Wayne in the Study. The Estate Master, in turn, had the boy go and get Darrin, so the three of them could go to where he needed to take them. Seven minutes later the three Covers were headed out the Main Gate.

It didn’t take long for the Covers to get to where Mr. Wayne was taking the two boys.

“Why are we here?” asked Phillip, when the three Covers walked into the retail and pharmacy drug store.

“Boys … Mr. Ken … he needs to get photos of you boys so he can send away for your passports. They take and process your photos here in just a few minutes and when Mr. Ken gets home tonight, he’ll have them. OK, who goes first?” finished, Mr. Wayne, wanting one of the boys to sit down first to have his picture taken.

That evening, even before he sat down to dinner, Ken Thomas’ phone in his Study often rang and the caller was usually a parent of one of the boys in the band. They were calling for more clarification on the need for the Texas work permit for their son.

All Mr. Ken could do, was explain that for their son to work at his Four Corners Amusement Park, the boy needed the Texas work permit, which was a requirement of the Texas Workforce Commission. He further explained that although the application doesn’t ask specifically what the child will be doing, they all knew that he will perform for the park as a musician.

Mr. Ken also told the parents where they could get the pictures taken, at a very low cost, and be able to take them home within minutes. The man additionally explained that if they send the form in, over the internet it only takes about three business days to get the permit back versus three weeks if they send it in through the mails.

The parents talking to Mr. Ken eased their concerns about the need for the Texas work permit and since it was a simple form and only required copies and not originals, they were all on board with doing that, within the next day or two, after they had the boys’ pictures taken and they located the boys birth certificates.

After dinner that evening, the boys were curious about all the phone calls their ‘dad’ had gotten that evening before dinner and they asked him if there was anything wrong. Phillip then asked his ‘dad’ if it was true that all of the band members had to have something called a work permit to work at Four Corners.

That question caused all of the boys to stop talking and listen to what their ‘dad’ had to say about what their youngest ‘brother’ had asked about.

“OK, boys, here’s the story,” began ‘dad’ Ken. “Mr. Ben … he met me first thing this morning to tell me about this requirement that the Texas Workforce Commission … that it requires all children under the age of eighteen to have a work permit to work anywhere in the state. It is a simple process to ensure that a child is not put into a position, or job, that would put them in harm’s way.

“I did ask him if the teenagers that were working for Mr. Sanders had gotten the work permits and he assured me that they had, because it is a $10,000.00 fine per occurrence for him not to have them on file.

“So, as soon as Mr. Ben gave me all the information, I emailed it to the parents of all the band members and told them what they needed to do. But as you all heard they … well, they all called me, to ask me directly some questions about the process, and I guess to assure them that this was all necessary.

“That was why Phillip had to get his picture taken. In the meantime, Mr. Wayne … he decided to also take Darrin along because, as he explained to me, that if I decide to take you boys out of the country on a trip, he and Phillip would need passports and thus the need for the pictures for them both,” finished ‘dad’ Ken.

Hearing that Phillip and Darrin were going to get their passports got the other boys talking about where they might be going for their Spring Break. ‘Dad’ Ken listened to the boys talking about where they’d all like to go and how much they enjoyed the cruise they took not too long ago.

But it was Charles who asked, “Dad … with you getting Phillip and Darrin their passports … are we … are we going to take another cruise for our Spring Break?”

“The boys who have been here for a year or two know that I don’t reveal where we are going for Spring Break, until we get close to the date. And, in keeping with that tradition … I am not going to tell you where we are going.

“I’m sorry boys, but there is almost five months before Spring Break and things … you all know can change over time and I don’t want you to get your hopes up and then … well, then it all fall through because something happens.

“What I will tell you is that transportation arrangements have been made and the reservations are confirmed for your Spring Break week. Oh, and everything is refundable. Remember, Santa Claus knows whose naughty and nice and he checks his list twice,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.

And with that said, Darrin, Matthew and Phillip broke out in singing the lyrics to the song, Santa Clause is Coming to Town. The three older teens quickly joined in and laughterwas heard in the Study when they finished.

When the boys finished singing, ‘dad’ Ken and Mr. Wayne joined in the laughter that broke out. Phillip then told everyone how he started singing that song that morning after ‘dad’ Ken had said the same thing about Santa checking his list twice and knowing whose naughty and nice. That story got the older boys talking and now they knew why they sang along with that song, and then there was more laughter in the Study.

As the laughter died down, Darrin spoke up. “This is why I love living here. This laughter. The feeling of love that I feel every day here in this room and house. The friendship … that we all have as ‘brothers’, and this … this daily meeting of sharing what was happening around The Cove, and who was doing what and who had what appointments. I … I never had anything like this before. I never knew what I was missing until I was sent here to live. Mr. Ken … you … you should box this up and sell this … this concept. You’d make a fortune!”

Darrin’s little speech caught everyone off guard and the Study got very quiet. But Mr. Wayne felt that he understood what the teen was saying and he began to applaud him. Billy then picked up on what the Estate Master was doing and he joined in and began clapping, too. And before long, all of the boys put their hands together and joined in the applause. Mr. Ken didn’t applaud, but he did have a great big smile on his face.

‘Dad’ Ken then continued with the regular meeting that he held after dinner most nights. It wasn’t a long one tonight, but the man did remind the boys, again, that he and Phillip would be leaving on their three-day trip beginning after lunch on Friday with their return to happen sometime late Sundaynight.

He mentioned that they had asked for and that Mr. Wayne had to approvetheir asking one friend to spend one of the three nights that weekend. He continued and pointed out that Matthew would continue training a puppy on both Saturday and Sunday and that he asked that his ‘brothers’ friends not interfere with that training.

The dad/foster dad reiterated that Phillip’s band would be practicing while the young Cover was gone this coming weekend, and that Phillip would join them on Monday, after his return. He also repeated to the boys that he would be leaving Monday afternoon to attend the IAAPA Expo down in Orlando, Florida and that he would return late Thursday.

Lastly, Mr. Ken spoke about Ms. Kate and her boys arriving Friday afternoon for the upcoming Thanksgiving week. He added that the first Saturday of the Holiday week would be the Diamond-Whittier wedding and reception at which Phillip’s band would be playing. Then speaking of the band ‘dad’ Ken confirmed that the band would be auditioning to play at his Four Corners Amusement Park sometime that weekend.

Then, before their dad could say anything about their friends not being able to come by The Cove the day of the wedding and reception, Charles spoke up and strongly stressed to his ‘brothers’ to remind their friends that they can’t come to The Cove that first Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend. The teen’s dad just smiled after hearing what his son had said.

While the boys went up to their rooms to settle down before going to bed, Mr. Ken and Wayne talked. Wayne told his employer about his seeing Chief and Sully cavorting around The Cove that morning and he felt that after tomorrow they definitely should give the resident pet a rest.

Mr. Ken then asked Wayne if the landscapers were still on schedule to begin upscaling The Cove that week and the following week. The Estate Master assured his boss that they were going to arrive and install more mulch around the flower beds next to the house and up at the skate park. He added that they would do that this week and they would finish up doing that next week and then plant fall flowers that should continue blooming and survive throughout the winter.

Mr. Ken then asked Wayne what he truly felt about Darrin’s little speech. Wayne was taken aback at the question, and so he asked if there was something that he was missing about the boy. Mr. Ken, again, just asked for him to tell him what he truly thought and felt about what the teen had said.

Wayne sat there, thinking that he must have missed something about the teen over the past weeks, but he just couldn’t figure it out. So, he told his boss that what he heard Darrin say he felt was heartfelt and that it sounded genuine to him. The Estate Master then asked if he was missing something about the teen.

Mr. Ken sat back, thinking if he should ‘muddy’ the waters by telling Wayne what he thinks about Darrin, or even feels about the way the foster boy has acted recently. But he thought better of it and he told the man that he was just wondering if what Darin said was honest.

Mr. Ken then clarified himself, by saying that over the years he’s never heard any of the other boys say anything so profound as what Darrin said, or has said, and he was just curious if he was just being too critical.

Wayne said, outwardly, thathe didn’t perceive anything strange about what the boy had said. But inwardly he began to wonder now about the teen, since his boss was questioning what the teen had said, and if it was different than what the other boys had ever said.

Wayne excused himself from going upstairs and saying good night to the boys, declaring that he’d be with them all weekend and he’d get to do that then.

Ken Thomas went up to say good night to the boys without his Estate Master. When the boys asked where Mr. Wayne was, he told them that the man excused himself from tonight, because he was going to be there all weekend with them.

The dad/foster dad did stop at each boy’s room and talk with the boy individually for a few moments. Billy didn’t have much to say other than he was really looking forward to the Holidays and everything they’d get to do.

In his son, Robert’s room, the teenager mentioned that he’d be sixteen in about seven months, so he broached the idea of his starting the process of getting driver’s learning permit like Billy had last year right after the Holidays. Dad Ken wasn’t ready for that conversation at all, but he told his son that they needed to sit down and talk about it.

But Robert countered that there won’t be any time with his dad going away with Phillip for three days and then he’s off to Florida and then Ms. Kate will be here, so it will be at least two weeks, if his dad even remembers. What Robert said hurt dad Ken, but he knew what the teen offered was in essence, true.

So, the teen’s dad told his son that he’d talk it over with Mr. Wayne seeing that he helped Bill last year and knew what needed to be done and when Robert could legally start the process. Robert hugged his dad and thanked him for at least considering letting him start getting his driver’s permit.

In Charles’ room, the teen asked his dad what Robert was so happy about. The teen’s dad told him about his brother’ssneak attack about his finally getting his driver’s permit. That made Charles laugh, and the teenthen told his dad that he wondered when his brother was going to dropthat question on him.

Matthew told his ‘dad’ that after school tomorrow, he and Mr. Wayne were going to go out and buy the doggie treats he wanted to use with the pups that were coming during that weekend and one of the training leashes the other trainer suggested he have. ‘Dad’ Ken asked the soon-to-be-teen if he had the money to buy all that. Matthew smiled and told him that he still had all the money from training Ms. Judy, Mr. Chris and the Walthers pups. ‘Dad’ Ken just smiled and then hugged the boy

When ‘dad’ Ken arrived at Phillip’s room he found the boy strumming on his guitar, which was typical for the youngster.

“What is that song you are playing, Phillip?” asked the boy’s ‘dad’.

“Oh, that … It is one of the extra songs that I’ve asked the band to learn to surprise Mr. Jules and Ms. Eleanor during the reception. I figured that after we played those ten songs, they wanted us to learn, they would like to hear something different. So, we’ve been practicing seven new songs for them, ‘dad’, and we can always play the Christmas songs, too,” replied a smiling Phillip.

‘Dad’ Ken grabbed the boy in a big hug and thanked him for thinking about the newlyweds and how happy they’d be hearing something different at their reception. Phillip then asked about the work permit. He asked if they really needed it to work at Four Corners. The boy’s ‘dad’ told him honestly that Mr. Ben had come to him first thing that morning and he added that he wished he’d known about the work permit much sooner. The boy was satisfied with the answer.

At Darrin’s room the teen was on his computer searching about the fires that had plagued the area around where he used to live. He quickly closed the screen when Mr. Ken came to his room hoping the man hadn’t seen what he was looking at. Mr. Ken had seen it, but he chose not to say anything.

Mr. Ken thanked the teen for what he said during their meeting tonight. He told the boy that it sounded like it came from the heart, and he appreciated that he believes in what he does virtually every night. The man added that it was a good way to communicate what was happening in the household and to keep everyone informed, so they could make plans.

Darrin thanked his foster dad for accepting what he said. The teen then added that he and Doctor Jennings were really covering a lot of things and he likes the fact that he can talk to him knowing that what he says stays with him.

The foster dad reiterated to the teen that the doctor never talks to him about whatever any of the boys tell him. And again, Mr. Ken told Darrin to ask any of his ‘brothers’ if they ever felt like he knew any of their innermost secrets theyever told the doctor.

Tuesday was another long day for Ken Thomas. He had hoped it wouldn’t be that way, but when issues arrive and he is the main focal point; he knows he has to deal with them. He knows that there are times when these issues arise, but then he knows there are days when he is bored and can go home early.

Tonight, as he sat on the edge of his bed, after getting ready to go to sleep, he again, thought about what Darrin had to say during the meeting. He didn’t think that what the teen said was earth shattering, but what caught him was the fact that none of the other boys had ever said anything remotely close to what this new foster has had to say.

The other thing that caused him to wonder about the teen was that the boy was looking at previous fires. He didn’t know which fires he was looking at, but he knew he could look at his search history tomorrow after the teen leaves for school. He also decided that he would again call Doctor Jennings in the morning.

The owner of The Cove then turned off the lights in his bedroom, slipped under the blankets and got comfortable so he could fall asleep. It wasn’t long before the residents in the house were all asleep.

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.

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