It was close to 3 AM when Chief sensed someone was crying. She got up and walked around until she found who it was. It was Kyle. Chief then lay down next 'her boy'. Kyle wrapped his good arm around the dog and began to cry even harder into her coat. Chief licked at Kyle a few times, but then got up and walked up the stairs. Kyle watched and knew Chief was headed for Mr. Ken's bedroom.
Chief walked into her first master's room and made a few gruff calls to him to see if he would get up. When Mr. Ken didn't, Chief barked louder and when that didn't wake up the man, Chief barked real loud and that got Mr. Ken awake.
"Chief, is one of the boys having a bad time?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Ruff, ruff!" barked Chief.
Mr. Ken got out of bed and put on his sleeping shorts and followed behind Chief and down the stairs. When the resident dog stopped at Kyle's bedroll, the man stooped down to brush the twin's hair.
"Kyle, are you doing OK, 'son'?" lightly asked 'Dad Ken'.
"My arm hurts, bad, 'dad',' sniffled Kyle.
"Come with me, Kyle," was all Mr. Ken said to the lad.
As the man, boy and dog walked up the stairs, something made Sam wake up. When he cleared his eyes, he saw two bodies and Chief going up the stairs. He thought he recognized Kyle, so he got out of his sleeping bag and followed up behind them.
When Sam heard Mr. Ken ask Kyle if he wanted one of his pills, Sam walked into the room.
"Kyle, is your arm hurting? Why didn't you say something earlier?" innocently asked Sam.
"I … I thought it … it would go away, but it didn't," sniffled Kyle.
"Sam, what are you doing up?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Something woke me and … and I saw you two walking up the stairs, so I followed. I heard, just now, Kyle says his arm is hurting. I bet it's because he was moving it so much, carrying the camera and tripod and recording what we were doing. Is there anything I can do?" replied Sam.
Mr. Ken looked at Kyle and asked, "Kyle, do you want one of your pills, or should I get you something that won't relieve the pain, but will tend to dull it some?"
"'Dad', if I take one of my pills, even if only a half, I will sleep until the afternoon. Don't make me take one of those pills. I want to be around my friends," said Kyle, with tears falling down his face.
"OK, I'll get you something different. Just stay right here. You too, Sam," directed Mr. Ken to both lads.
"Kyle, why didn't you tell someone your arm was hurting before we all went to bed?" asked Sam. "You could have taken an aspirin or some other pill that would have dulled the pain some."
"I … I didn't want to be made to go to bed and miss everything. It was fun showing the videos of you guys swimming. I had fun. It was something I could do and be a part of you guys," replied Kyle, who still had some tears falling down his face.
Mr. Ken heard what Kyle told Sam, but he didn't let on he did when he walked back into the Study. The man sat down at his desk, placed a glass of water on it and held out his hand to Kyle, showing him the pill he was offering.
"'Dad', this isn't one of my pills, I hope?' said Kyle.
"No, Kyle, it isn't one of your pills. This is an acetaminophen. It is a mild pain reliever, and maybe it will help you get back to sleep and your arm might settle down. Now take this," clarified Mr. Ken.
After Kyle swallowed his pill he asked what he should do now. Mr. Ken asked Sam to help Kyle get back to his sleeping bag and help him get into it. Mr. Ken then told Kyle to try to rest his mind, so he could get back to sleep. He told Kyle to blank his mind and before long he would fall asleep and in the morning he'd feel much better.
Sam walked with Kyle as they went down the stairs, followed by Chief. When they got to Kyle's bedroll Sam helped Kyle get in and then he went over and got his and brought it close to Kyle's. Chief lay down beside the hurting lad and the three did fall asleep.
When morning came, Chief got up, stretched and then went out one of her doggie doors to do her thing. Some of the boys also woke up but stayed in their sleeping bags and talked. Robert and his friends came out to the Great Room to use the restroom out there. None of the teens had dressed, so the younger boys who were up saw the older boys with semi-hard flagpoles pushing out the front of their briefs or boxers. The eleven-year-olds giggled and Robert heard them.
"Get real," said Robert, standing there in his boxer briefs while his flagpole deflated. "You all get boners in the morning, and by now they are deflated. Now, get up, pee and get your area cleaned up; then get dressed."
After Robert called out the eleven-year-olds, the rest of the sleepover lads woke up. Many of the pre-teen twelve-year-olds had their morning friend, but they didn't care if they showed them as they walked to the restroom to relieve the pressure on their bladders. As a matter of fact, the twelve-year-olds had forgotten there were younger lads there and they didn't think about them showing their morning flagpoles to the other twelve and thirteen-year-olds who were there because they'd seen them before.
It wasn't until the older lads came out of the under stairs restroom that they understood they had inadvertently shown their tented briefs and/or boxers to the eleven-year-olds. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, so they just ignored that they did that and went and straightened out their area and got dressed. The eleven-year-olds walked to the restroom in their briefs and they didn't care the older lads saw them. After changing a few times in front of the twelve and thirteen-year-olds many of the younger lads felt comfortable around them.
One lad who hadn't gotten out of his sleeping bag was Kyle. Sam saw some of the boys going over to rouse him up, but he stopped them. He told them Kyle got up in the night and Mr. Ken gave him a pill because his arm was hurting. Sam asked the guys to just let Kyle sleep so his arm would settle. The guys did just that.
When Sam saw Robert, he went over to him and told him what happened in the middle of the night. Robert thanked him and went back to the Theater to straighten up his area and get dressed. The lads were quiet as they could be. But Kyle woke up anyway.
"Hey … why didn't anyone wake me up?" called out Kyle.
Sam went over to his friend and explained it was he who asked the lads to let him sleep. Sam also told Kyle he told them his arm was hurting in the middle of the night. Kyle smiled at his friend and thanked him for taking care of him. Kyle got out of his bedroll and headed to the restroom. As he did that he got a few catcalls because he had something leading his way. Kyle looked down and laughed as he walked to relieve himself.
Wayne met Mr. Ken in the Kitchen Nook, where he knew the man would be reading his morning newspaper. He got out a cup and filled it with coffee. He then told the owner of The Cove that the lads were stirring and would soon be up for breakfast. The guest then asked if he was prepared to feed 30 hungry boys.
Mr. Ken laughed as Momma Maria walked into the kitchen and put down a couple of big boxes of breakfast tacos. Wayne smiled and walked over to get him one and Momma slapped his hand away. She told him not until everyone was there would she allow anyone to eat. Wayne smiled and apologized, then went back to his coffee.
Momma Maria placed the already made breakfast tacos into the convection oven to keep them warm. She then got out shredded cheese, sour cream, and the leftover homemade salsa and guacamole she'd made for last night's dinner.
It was then Robert and Charles, with Kevin and Kyle following behind to learn what to do after a sleepover, walked into the Kitchen Nook.
"'Dad', when can we come up for breakfast?" said Robert.
Mr. Ken looked over to Momma Maria asking with his eyes what the answer was. Momma smiled and told her employer the lads could come up now. 'Dad' Ken told his 'boys' they could go get the brood, but he asked them to not run up the stairs. The Cover lads all ran out of the Kitchen Nook. Wayne just laughed at his Host because of what the boys just did. Mr. Ken laughed along with his guest.
"Guys, Mr. Ken said we can go up for breakfast, but … there's always a 'but' isn't there?" laughed Charles, "'Dad' said not to run up the stairs. Momma Maria has breakfast tacos and some toppings set up for us. There's probably three tacos each waiting up there for you, so don't take more than that. If there are some leftover ask if you can have another one before you take it. OK? Also, I saw other boxes up there, so there might be donuts waiting, too. Let's hope. OK let's go eat."
The boys let Kyle go first knowing he'd have a more difficult time eating. The lads who'd been there when there were lots of kids knew the seating was limited. They decided to mention that to the younger boys that is was OK to either stand or sit on the floor as they ate. They also told them if they spilled something they should ask for additional napkins, and try to clean as much of it up as they could. The younger lads thanked the older boys for telling them that.
As the boys entered the Nook, Momma Maria called out, "Comes. Eats! Momma hases mucho tacos fords everysones. Nos mores thans threes eaches. … fors starts," laughed Momma Maria.
After Kyle got his tacos, the lads let him get a seat at the table overlooking the lake. Kevin went next followed by Robert and Charles. Momma had set up two sides for the boys to get their breakfast tacos and fixings, so the rest of the boys got their food quickly. Mr. Wayne watched the gaggle of boys go through the serving line without much noise or shoving. Mr. Ken saw Wayne watching the boys and he smiled at him. The two men got their tacos after all the lads were fed and enjoyed breakfast.
As the younger boys, who'd never been there for a meal, other than burgers and dogs, finished their food, they didn't know what to do with their dirty paper plates and napkins. Mr. Ken pointed to a large trash container and motioned to the lads to dump their trash there. When the boys asked what to do next, Charles asked them to wait for everyone to finish and then they'd all go out to the ramps together.
"Momma Maria," spoke up Kyle, "did you also get donuts for us, too?"
It was Mr. Ken who answered that question. "Kyle, boys, I invited your parents to stop by and have coffee and something sweet. I also promised them the nickel tour. I told them they needed to see what you boys are talking to them about, so they could better picture it in their minds. I expect them to start showing after 10, which will be in about thirty minutes. I would ask you all to get your sleeping bags and clothes together and take them out to the garage before you go out to the ramps. I would like the place to be sort of presentable, since the maids won't be here until Monday," laughed Mr. Ken.
The lads who were finished eating walked down to the Great Room and got their things together. They walked back up and through the Kitchen Nook on their way to placing their things out in the garage. The rest of the lads did the same, except the Cover lads. They took their things back up to their rooms. Sam and Terran helped Kyle and along the way, they picked up a few other eleven-year-olds who wanted to see what Kyle and Kevin's bedroom looked like.
The lads who went up with Kyle, Sam and Terran saw the view from the room and were amazed at what they saw. Then one of them noticed some sort of box under the window and asked what that was. Neither twin knew what it was, so Kevin went looking for Robert or Charles. It was Robert who came into the bedroom. It was then that the older 'brother' explained that the box held a fire escape ladder. He told them he couldn't take it out because if he did the fire alarm would go off and bring the fire trucks and that would make Mr. Ken mad. The boys all laughed.
"So, here is where the rest of the boys went," chuckled Mr. Ken, with Mr. Wayne standing beside him.
"Oh, Hi, 'dad'," said Kyle. "Robert was showing us and telling us about that box under the window. I figured you'd have told us about it eventually, but … I know we've been busy. So, there's a fire escape in there?" asked Kyle.
"Yes! But, it is called an escape ladder. Have you ever looked out that window and then straight down?" laughed 'dad' Ken.
Kevin and Kyle went to the window and opened the blinds, and then opened the window to look down. After they saw what they did, they turned around with sheer terror on their faces. The rest of the lads saw their faces, so they went over to the window to look, too.
"'Dad' … how … how far is it to the patio," gulped Kyle.
"Yeah, 'Dad', it's got to be at least a hundred feet," offered Kevin.
Mr. Ken noticed both boys used 'dad' in their questions, but he wasn't going to mention it to the lads now. He felt this was not the time or the place. "It's not that far, Kevin. It is closer to thirty-five feet, but that is still a long way down. While I am here let me explain how this is supposed to work."
The owner of The Cove walked over to the box and pointed out where the occupant would open the box in order to extract the escape ladder. Mr. Ken told the lads they needed to open the window first, then open the box, throw the ladder out the window and start climbing down.
"I thought the sprinkler system would put the fire out. So, why do we need to have one of these things, 'Dad'?" asked Kyle, while his twin brother and the other lads listened.
It was then Charles and a few other boys walked into the twin's bedroom.
"We wondered where you all went, so we figured you were up here," said Charles. "So, you're showing the twins the escape ladder. I guess any time is better than the day they need it," laughed Charles, and the lads with him.
"Kevin, Kyle, when you open the box the fire alarm WILL go off, and there is nothing stopping it unless you have the passcode to the fire alarm box down in the mechanical room," said 'dad' Ken.
"It is getting late in the morning, boys, and some of your parents are due to show up. Boys, we can continue this lesson later, but for now, I want everyone to head back down to the garage," announced Mr. Ken. Wayne Mitchell just watched, listening and learning.
Mr. Ken's intuition to get the boys down to the garage was right on time. The gate guard called to let him know that Janet and John Stonewell were up at the Main Gate. Mr. Ken told the guard to allow them in and then he told the man that many other parents of the lads may be stopping by. He asked them to just register them and then allow them to drive down to the front of the house.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne welcomed the first parents to take the owner of The Cove up on coffee and a 'nickel' tour. They walked them in through the Foyer, past the MRS Room, which Mr. Ken explained, but he then stopped the parents and took them over to the glass banister so they could be shown the Great Room. He let them look out onto the lake from the height of the first floor and through the almost 32 foot high windows.
It was then Mr. Ken's phone rang to let him know more parents had arrived. Wayne told his host he'd walk the parents to the Kitchen Nook while Mr. Ken greeted his new guests. Mr. Ken thanked the man and then walked out through the Foyer's Front door.
Before long all of the twins' friends' parents came to The Cove for their 'nickel' tour. Mr. Ken introduced them to Momma Maria who served them fresh coffee and placed a large tray of fresh donuts on the kitchen table.
After the parents talked and got to know the ones they didn't know as well, Mr. Ken invited all the parents to follow him. It was then Wayne thanked the parents for their trust in him, but he told them he had his regular job to get to, which was why he was leaving. The parents thanked him for helping chaperone the lads and they all said Goodbye to Wayne.
Mr. Ken started the 'nickel' tour by pointing out the pantry, the dining room and then the living room which he told them he rarely, if ever, uses. They walked out to the MRS Room and he explained that it was designed to be a general, Meeting, Reading and Sitting area for when people stopped by. The owner of The Cove led them over to the glass banister and told them to look out to the lake. He explained the windows were comprised of 3-10 foot high triple pane sections which made up the almost 32 feet in height.
Mr. Ken walked them down the stairs and while he did that he explained the elevator was mainly for carrying heavy items up and down the different levels and for people who couldn't navigate the stairs. He took the parents into the indoor pool area and let them see the Locker rooms. He explained the pool was heated to about 84 degrees Fahrenheit and the boys had a blast last night playing and jumping off the overhanging ledge. The women looked at it and couldn't believe their son would jump off of it. Mr. Ken told the group they would be surprised what kids will do when they are with their peers. The dad's laughed, knowing what the man meant.
While the group was down in the Great Room area, Mr. Ken showed them the large party restrooms under the MRS Room, the walk up bar, the wine cellar and the Theater with the large seats and special lounges that he said one of which was his. The parents laughed at that, but they all had to sit in one to get the feeling of those very comfortable looking theater seats and loungers. Mr. Ken showed them the popcorn making machine and told them they usually use it during the winter.
Their next stop on the 'nickel' tour was outside. Mr. Ken pointed out the outside restrooms and explained they sat under the garage and he figured that was a good place to have them for when he has his outdoor picnics. The man took the adults over to the overlook. There he pointed out his cabin cruiser, sailboat, and the PWCs. He also told them to look out in the lagoon.
From the overlook, he pointed out the two water rafts. Mr. Ken explained the game of 'King of the Raft' and the boys loved being thrown off the top. The ladies were shocked their son would allow themselves to be thrown off. The dads smiled knowing they'd have loved to be a kid again just to be able to play out there on the rafts in the lagoon.
Mr. Ken took his tour group around the side of the house through the side field so they could come out at the parking corral. He apologized for the grass being fairly tall. He told his guests his oldest 'boy' and his best friend were supposed to be cutting it today, but with the sleepover, he figured they wanted to be with their friends and would start doing that later in the day.
When the group came around to the parking corral they could hear the lads slamming their skateboards on the wooden ramps and they could hear their voices of encouragement and laughter when someone messed up. They did not hear any curse words from any of the lads for which the women were glad.
The parents all watched their sons ride their skateboards and were pleased they had such good ramps to practice on. Mr. Ken told the group that Robert's friends and their dads helped build them back in the spring. Of course, he told them, his carpenters came by that morning and helped tremendously with 'The Build', as they began to call it.
The owner of The Cove told the group the build took all day and if it weren't for the carpenters they'd still be building them. Then he laughed. The dads were grateful they didn't know the man back then. They saw there had to be a lot of work involved in that build and they knew they would have been way over their heads. Mr. Ken then told the adults he held a Memorial Day picnic for the carpenters and a special loved one while he also had the dad's families over, to thank them all for what they did for the kids.
When the parents were finished watching their sons skate, they went back inside for more coffee and donuts. The parents continued to talk to one another and of course, ask Mr. Ken about the estate. One of the parents did ask him about Collin and why he didn't point out where the shootout happened. Mr. Ken smiled and told the parents, who were all now listening, that he had hoped to put that part of his life behind him. He did tell them, though, if they looked close enough, they could see where some of the bullets had hit the back wall. That sort of stalled the conversation.
The parents did talk some more while they enjoyed the coffee and donuts. They got to know one another better and they exchanged phone numbers. They talked about the SeaWorld trip and before they left that day all the parents told Mr. Ken they would allow their sons to go. Mr. Ken was happy about that.
It was close to 12:30 when the parents left The Cove. They did stop by to tell their son they'd pick them up about 6 PM. After that, the adults got into their vehicles and drove out the Main Gate. With the parents gone, Mr. Ken went inside and thanked Momma Maria for all her help that morning. He told her she could go home and that he'd see her bright and early Monday morning. Mr. Ken then took the remaining donuts out to the boys who devoured them in no time.
After the lads finished off the donuts, Mr. Ken called Robert and Eric aside. "Boys, I thought you wanted to cut the field? It is going on 1 PM and I don't see any effort being made to cut the grass and trim the edges."
"Ahh, 'dad', we're sorry. We did talk about cutting the field today, but with all our friends here we figured we could do it tomorrow," offered Robert.
"But your friends will be over here tomorrow as well, so what will be your excuse then?" directly asked 'dad' Ken.
Robert pulled Eric aside and talked. A few moments later, Robert came back over to his 'dad' and asked him if they could do some of it today and the rest tomorrow. Mr. Ken thought about it and said if they wanted to try doing it that way he would be OK with it. The teens smiled and headed off to open the Storage Garage. Then the lads decided to change clothes so they ran inside and up to Robert's room where they could find older play clothes they could wear as they worked on the field.
All the other lads headed over to the small garage after Robert and Eric ran off. Charles told the lads that Robert and Eric were going to cut the side field and get paid for doing that. He also told the kids they couldn't be out in the field while they were working. The boys all got close without going into the garage to see what was in there. They saw the big riding mower and other garden tools hanging on the walls. They also saw lots of wood and laminate looking materials that looked like what was used on the ramps. Charles said he thought that was the leftover stuff from when they built the ramps.
Robert and Eric came out to the Storage Garage and asked the boys to all step back over by the ramps, so they don't get in their way and get hurt. The boys did just that and Robert went inside and started the mover and drove it out. He then drove it around to the side of the driveway and the field and then started to cut the field. Eric took the edger/trimmer to the far side of the field, where the lake met the property, and started cutting the tall grasses the mower can't get to.
The rest of the lads went back to skating, but soon they asked if they could go swimming. Charles said he saw the lifeguards arrive and were probably down at the lake. The pre-teen asked who wanted to swim in the lake. All the lads screamed they did and they put down their skateboards. The lads who brought their swimsuits went into the garage and got them out of the overnight bags. They then followed the other boys who headed around the other side of the house to enter the indoor pool area and the Locker room.
Charles, Camm, and James showed the twins where their dry swimsuits and towels were and they took them out of the industrial dryer and brought them back to the Locker room for them to get changed. The younger lads were still a bit hesitant to change while all the older lads were there. A few did change and after they did they went out to a locker and put their clothes in. When every boy had finally changed they all headed down to the beach.
Blake was the first one to run into the lagoons lake water. A few of the other lads began to follow and they no sooner got into the water than they were back on the beach.
"What, the water too cold for you?" laughed Chuck, who then went running into the water.
Chuck felt the much cooler water, but knew if he came back out they would all laugh at him. So, he got fully in the water and told the rest it wasn't all that bad. The older boys followed Chuck into the water. They found out Chuck was lying to them, but they too, didn't want to be laughed at, so they also stayed in the water. They then called the other lads to join them. That's when the rest of the boys felt the much cooler water. They all began to laugh at how the water temperature had changed since the last time they swam in the lagoon.
The lifeguards were surprised the lads got into the water. They asked the kids if they were going to go to the rafts, or would they go back inside to the indoor pool. Many of the kids voted to go back inside, while some of the older boys called them chickens. The indecisive lads got out of the water and when they felt the cool breeze they said they were going back and change because that wind was cold when you're wet. The rest of the boys agreed and they all ran back to the indoor pool with the lifeguards following quickly behind.
When Mr. Ken went out to check on Robert and Eric he found the rest of the lads were missing. After talking to Robert, the owner of The Cove went around to the back of the house to see if the lads were swimming in the lagoon. When he found they weren't there, he checked inside at the indoor pool.
"Well now, the lake water's getting too cold to swim, huh?" teased Mr. Ken.
"Yes, 'dad' it is getting too cold to swim in the lagoon," said Charles. "We all rinsed off before we jumped into the pool and the lifeguards are here, so we're safe."
"Thank you, Charles," said 'dad' Ken. "Are you boys going to cook later?"
Charles looked around at the other lads and getting a few nods they wanted to cook, the Cover lad told his 'dad' they would and would probably cook about 3 or 3:30. Mr. Ken thanked his 'son' and told him to cook one burger and one dog for him and to come get him from his Study.
Robert and Eric switched out riding and trimming. They were making good progress and they figured they were at least a third of the way through cutting the side field. They talked about taking a break, but Robert said it wasn't all that warm and if they could get it all done today they wouldn't have to get dirty again tomorrow. The two teens pressed on.
It was about 3 PM when Charles went outside to get the grill cleaned up and ready to cook. He then came back in to get a quick rinse and then change into his street clothes. He told his friends it was getting a bit windier and they might want to do the same. He then asked Camm and James to gather up the wet swimsuits and towels and put them in the dryer. He also asked them to show the twins what to do, so they would know for the next time.
After the lads got changed, the older teens showed the eleven-year-olds what they do to get the barbeque set up. Each group took a few younger lads with them as they got the burgers and dogs, the plates and condiments, and the last group to get the sodas and ice. The eleven-year-olds were taken aback when they saw how much work went into getting the barbeque set up.
The lifeguards were invited to eat and Brad went and got Mr. Ken. Logan went out to the field to see if Robert and Eric wanted a burger. Robert asked if they could bring one each out to them, so they don't lose any daylight as they wanted to get it all done before nightfall.
After everyone ate, including Robert and Eric, the youngest lads were asked to do the main part of the cleanup, so they knew the whole routine. They eagerly jumped in and started getting things together and ready to be put away when the rest of the lads joined in to help put everything away. When the groups finished they all met out in the parking corral and the eleven-year-olds talked with each other about what they did. They all went back to skating.
Robert and Eric finished mowing the side field about the same time the parents started coming to pick up their child. Mr. Ken went up the Main Gate in case any of the parents wanted to talk to him. The younger lads' parents thanked Mr. Ken again for their 'nickel' tour before leaving for the evening.
Ms. Judy asked where her son was and Mr. Ken told her he was working. It took the woman a few moments to figure out Eric was out cutting the field. Ms. Judy accompanied Mr. Ken down to the Storage Garage to check on the two lads and to see how much they had yet to get done.
Robert told the two adults they needed to clean off the mower and trimmer and they'd be done. While the adults waited, Mr. Ken asked Ms. Judy if she wanted to join them for dinner at the Four Corners Diner. He told her the kids would want to be more relaxed after their long day. The woman asked Eric if he wanted to go with the Covers, but her son said all he wanted to do was get a shower and relax. That's what the Turner's did that night.
They had to wait for Robert to get cleaned up before going out to eat. The Covers talked about the weekend and Mr. Ken wanted the twins to tell him how they enjoyed having all their friends over. The twins had big smiles on their faces as they told him about their favorite thing. Kyle told him that being able to participate by video recording what they did was fun, but he wished he remembered to take a pill before bed.
The Covers stopped at DQ for an ice cream cone that night and Mr. Ken brought back a medium size dish of vanilla ice cream to thank Chief for being the Best Darn Dog in the World. The Cover lads were in bed shortly after 9 PM and Mr. Ken was in bed by 10. It was very quiet in The Cove that night.
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