When Charles and the twins returned home after school that Wednesday, 'Dad Ken' and Robert weren't home yet. Momma Maria told the boys to sit and enjoy their snacks and that Mr. Ken wanted them to get started on their homework when they were finished.
Mr. Ken and Robert didn't return to The Cove until almost 5 PM. When they entered The Cove, Chief was right there welcoming them home. Charles and the twins heard the resident dog, Chief, barking so they figured their 'dad' and older 'brother' were home. All three met in the hallway and headed down to greet them and find out what went on at court.
"'Dad, 'dad'", called out Charles, as he ran directly up to Mr. Ken and almost jumped into his unprepared arms.
"Hello, to you, too, Charles," relayed Mr. Ken.
"And what about my other 'sons', are you just as happy to see me as your older 'brother' is," teased 'Dad Ken'.
Kyle saw the twinkle in 'Dad Ken's' eyes, so he immediately ran to the man and got a hug. Kevin wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but when he saw how his twin was getting a big hug, he wanted one, too. Kevin then ran over to the man and joined in the mutual hug.
"That's more like it!" declared the owner of The Cove, as he hugged the twins.
"'Dad Ken', can you tell us what happened at the court today?" asked Kyle.
"Well, it was a full day of …," began Mr. Ken, but was interrupted by Robert.
"It was a full day of lies and more lies. You should have heard the things she said about me. And you remember the video you all saw last night? She took everything that happened between me and her and turned it around as if it was I who started everything. If it weren't for the video even I would have thought what she said was the truth," Robert angrily voiced his disdain for what the woman said about him in court.
"And you should have heard the things she said about 'dad'," continued Robert. "I couldn't believe all the things she told the court about him! She even had the gall to blame 'dad' for orchestrating the attack that got her arrested. She said that 'dad' and me conspired to have her arrested in order that he could then fire her because he couldn't do it legally because of the Age Discrimination laws."
Hearing what Robert said scared and confused the twins. Even Charles was a little bit upset at hearing what the previous Household Manager would say about the best 'dad' he knew.
"Boys, let me tell you something. Today was Mildred's turn to tell her story. And believe me, she used every minute of the day to tell her lies and to use it for her misdirection," explained 'Dad Ken'. "Our lawyers never got the chance to even ask her one question but tomorrow … tomorrow we will get our turn. Bill and Stewart will break down each and every lie she told and they will get the court to know the truth.
"Now, do the three of you have homework to do still?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Yes, sir," said a dejected Charles. "Can't we stay and hear more about the trial?"
"Later, maybe, homework is more important than you listening to what happened to us. Robert, you need to start your lessons as well. Why don't you four go up to your rooms and get finished what you can before dinner? I have a few things I need to retrieve before we attend court tomorrow," said 'dad' Ken, before turning to head to his Study.
After dinner, Robert still wanted to work on the assignments his teachers gave him so he headed back up to his room. He told his 'brothers' he'd be back down when he got to a place he felt he could stop. The other three Cover lads headed with Mr. Ken to the man's Study.
"'Dad Ken', can you tell us more about what happened in court today?" asked Kyle.
'Dad Ken' took the next fifteen to twenty minutes to explain what went on in the court that day. He explained what Mildred Johnston said about him and his older 'brother' and what their lawyers had planned for tomorrow. He reminded the lads about the video and then he told them that he just completed another one that showed his and her conversations. He reminded the lads that the woman must have forgotten that he had video cameras in certain places on the estate.
Mr. Ken also told the lads that they should not forget that if there is trouble he could look back and see what may have happened, like he did with Robert and Mildred and when Collin was attacked at The Cove. He did assure the boys he does not look at the 50 or so cameras he has stationed around the estate. He told them that he'd have to spend all day every day just looking at the camera feeds which would not be productive at all. That put the boys at ease knowing Mr. Ken wasn't spying on them as they lived at their new home.
It was then, after hearing there were 50 cameras, that Kevin asked if there were cameras in the upstairs hallway. 'Dad Ken' smiled at the questions and then told the three Covers that the cameras were at the top of each staircase but was facing back down the stairs. He told them that he didn't want to be able to watch his boys walking back and forth to the bathroom in their underwear, or worse, with no clothes on at all.
Later that night, before the boys went to bed, Charles and the Twins went to Robert's room to see if he would tell them more about the trial. Robert didn't add too much more than what he and his 'dad' had already told them downstairs. They were happy to hear whatever they could get so they could understand what was going on in the court because they couldn't be there to see for themselves.
Robert didn't reset his alarm clock because he didn't remind his 'dad' to stop and pick up a new alarm clock for the twin's room. That next morning, when his alarm went off, Robert got out of bed and his first stop was the twin's bedroom. The teen did the Three Knock Rule again, but neither of the lads opened the door nor did that say for him to 'come in'.
Robert entered the room and turned the lights on and his first stop was Kevin's side. This time Kevin was awake, but he was waiting for Robert to throw the covers off him and when he did he would try to scare him. Robert did exactly that and Kevin rose up and yelled, "Yawwww" to try to scare his older 'brother' and then laughed.
Robert wasn't expecting the older twin to do that to him and he did indeed get startled. Then, after recovering from the scare, the teen did a tickle attack on the older twin. The two wrestled a little bit and when Kyle heard the yell and saw that Robert began tickling Kevin, the younger twin jumped in to help out his brother. The three were still wrestling and laughing on Kevin's bed when Charles came to the bedroom door to see what all the noise was about.
"Hey, you all better get to the bathroom and get cleaned up. Time's a wasting," called out the pre-teen, who then walked away.
Robert told the twins he enjoyed what they did, but that Charles was right and they need to hurry to get cleaned up and downstairs for breakfast. The three hugged one another and then quickly headed to the bathroom. The twins convinced Robert to take his shower with them, so when they all went downstairs they were all clean.
After Charles and the twins left for school, 'dad' Ken took Robert into his Study and started the video he compiled the previous evening. He told the teenager it would be self-explanatory as he watched it and that he needed to get cleaned up and when he came back they would leave for the courthouse.
After the video started, Robert got comfortable in Mr. Ken's big chair behind his big desk. He liked the feel and knew why his 'dad' sat in it so much. As the video played, Robert watched and heard the conversations his 'dad and Mildred had over her employ. He realized his 'dad was showing him how Mildred had turned all of their talks round to make the judge feel she was the one maligned.
The Covers met their lawyers in the same place, at the courthouse, at 8:30. They quickly discussed how the lawyers would tear apart Mildred's testimony and stop the insanity of that trial. Mr. Ken then gave Bill the video he compiled the previous evening telling him it was all the conversations he had with Mildred. Bill told him he didn't have time to look at it right then, but hopefully, he could during lunch. They arrived at the courtroom with only two minutes to spare.
"All rise," called the bailiff, and the second morning of the dual competing lawsuits was on.
The judge reminded the people involved with the lawsuits that the defendant's lawyers in the plaintiff's lawsuit would begin their cross-examination that morning. The judge recalled Mildred Johnston to the stand. He then asked Ed Higgins if he had anything else he wanted to ask his first witness. Learning the lawyer did not have any more questions, the judge told the defendant's lawyer to begin his cross-examination. Bill smiled as he stood up and walked around the table he was sitting behind and approached Mildred Johnston.
"Ms. Johnston, how long was it that you worked for Mr. Ken Thomas?" was Bill's first question. He continued to ask the woman simple questions that she could easily answer. None of them had anything to do with rebutting what Mildred said the previous day.
Robert watched what was going on and he was not happy that Mr. Jackson wasn't defending his 'dad' or him against what she said yesterday. He nudged Stewart Russell to ask him what Bill was doing. Stewart Russell told the teenager that Bill wanted to lull Mildred into a relaxed, unprepared state for when he hits her with the tough questions. Mr. Stew said that the hard questions should fluster her, and she will hopefully, make mistakes with her answers. Robert said he now understood and sat back to watch how Bill handled Mildred Johnston.
"Ms. Johnston, as you know I am Mr. Thomas' lawyer, so I will only concern myself with what you had to say yesterday about him and Three Finger Cove. Stewart Russell is Robert Harrison's lawyer and he will follow me and focus his questions on what you had to say about Mr. Ken's foster son. Do you understand what I just explained to you," said Bill.
"What do you take me for, a ninny or a simpleton? I wasn't born yesterday. I am perfectly aware of what you are trying to do, so I understand what you are saying to me. Let's get this over with," exclaimed Mildred Johnston.
"Very well, I'll do as you wish," smiled Bill Jackson, directly at the woman. He then walked directly in front of the woman blocking her direct view of her lawyer. He did that on purpose so the woman could not get any directions from her lawyer on how to answer the questions.
"Ms. Johnston, you said yesterday … that you had a conversation with Mr. Thomas, that the two of you discussed Robert. Is that not correct?" asked Bill Jackson.
"Why, yes, we did," replied Mildred.
"Are you aware, or maybe I should ask you this? Do you remember Mr. Thomas telling you, when you first went to work for him, that he has security video cameras all over The Cove?" asked Bill Jackson.
"Well … I do remember him saying something to that effect. But, I don't know what that has to do with our conversations?" replied Mildred.
"So, you remember your former employer … that he told you he had security cameras all over his estate. Hmmm, now, do you remember … if he ever told you … that the cameras … that they also came with audio recording?" was Bill's next question.
Mildred got flustered at the second part of the questions and it showed. She truly didn't remember the man ever telling her the cameras also had recording capabilities in them. She knew she needed to answer that question. She tried to get some indication from her lawyer on how to answer, but Bill Jackson was in the way. And, when she would lean to look around the lawyer he would move in that direction as well. She decided how she would answer.
"Well, I do remember he and I discussed the cameras … but to be honest with you …I do NOT really recall him telling me anything … about the cameras having any audio capability. But … you know, I truly don't understand what those cameras have to do with our conversations," exclaimed Mildred Johnston.
"Well, I am ready to tell you, Ms. Johnston," said Bill, as he continued to stand so the woman could not see her lawyer.
Bill Jackson then went over to his table and picked up the DVD Mr. Ken presented to him that morning before the second day of the trial began. He walked with it very prominently in his hands, so the woman and her lawyer could see it. He stood in front of the woman passing it from hand to hand. It began to fluster Mildred because she had no idea what the disk was all about, or what the lawyer was going to do with it.
But before Bill could ask his next question, Mildred asked, "What is that … that disk or CD, or whatever it is in your hands, all about?"
Ed Higgins cringed when he heard her ask the question. He knew the witness should never, ever ask questions of the lawyer asking the questions, because that put the witness at a distinct disadvantage. It opened them up for additional questions that could lead off into uncharted territories.
"Oh, this little thing, hmmm, I'll get to that in a moment. OK? … Now, Mildred, Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Johnston … you indicated that you knew … about the security cameras … but you said you were not sure about their audio capability. Is that correct?" directly asked Bill Jackson.
"Yes, I guess that is what I said," replied Mildred Johnston.
"OK, hmmm, going back to your many conversations with your employer, Mr. Ken Thomas, and the security cameras … the security cameras that do have audio capabilities," hypothesized Bill for Mildred's benefit.
"Yes, so what does that mean?" replied Mildred.
"Well … let me ask you … do you believe Mr. Thomas … that Mr. Thomas has a few extra dollars that he can use to spend on trivial things … like security cameras … with audio recording capabilities?" asked Bill, giving Mildred something to consider where he might be going with that line of questioning.
"Well, I'd guess he would. He owns that huge estate sitting on almost 17 acres and he has all those boats and …" and Mildred stopped there.
"OK, now for this DVD … that I hold in my hands. Would you believe me if I told you, and of course this court, that this DVD … holds a copy of ALL of the conversations you had with your previous employer?" asked a smiling Bill Jackson.
"NO, I would NOT believe that!" emphatically announced Mildred. "No one is allowed to record anyone without their permission!" now loudly announced Mildred.
"Ahh, Ms. Johnston that may be true … in some states … but … in the state of Texas … under Texas Penal Code Section sixteen point oh two (§16.02) it says that Texas' wiretapping law is a "one-party consent" state. The law does make it a crime to intercept and/or record any wire, oral, or electronic communication unless … unless one party to the conversation consents. Do you understand what that means Ms. Johnston?" smiled Bill, as he asked her that question.
"Well, I surely did NOT, and I repeat, I DID NOT consent to any conversations I may have had with Mr. Thomas," vehemently announced Mildred Johnston. "I would never want anyone to tape what I may have to say. Why would I?" finished Mildred.
"Ms. Johnston … I also want you to know … that Federal law … that Federal law permits the recording of telephone calls and in-person conversations with the consent of ONLY one of the parties involved. Thus, it is also called a "one-party consent" law where it takes, again, ONLY one person to consent to have THEIR phone calls or conversations to be recorded. I tell you that in the case you thought … that your PRIVATE talks with your former employer could NOT BE RECORDED and … if they were … they could not be revealed.
"Oh, yes, I can totally understand why you would not consent any of your many conversations be recorded or taped," agreed Bill Jackson. "But … unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view … Mr. Thomas … CAN consent … that his conversations be recorded or taped. I'll let that sink in some. … … Ms. Johnston … I want to ask you now … if you want to change ANY of your testimony from yesterday … knowing now … that it takes ONLY one person, in that conversation, to consent to the recording or taping of that talk or conversation.
"Ms. Johnston … again … I ask you if you want to change ANY of your testimony concerning your conversations or talks with Mr. Thomas. If you do … we can possibly dispense with the charge of perjury.
"Perjury, Ms. Johnston … is a very serious charge. Let me tell you … what committing perjury in Texas … means. First of all, it is a violation of Texas State Law. Second, a person commits perjury by making a false statement whether they be either oral or written, mind you, while that person is under … oath. That means … if you lie when you are under oath, to tell the truth … you can be charged with … perjury," offered Bill Jackson.
"I object, your Honor. Counsel has no authority or reason to badger my client with talk of perjury or recorded conversations, or even asking her if she wants to change her testimony," argued Ed Higgins.
"Your honor, if I may, I only have one copy of this DVD that of which I was only handed first thing this morning. I have not had the opportunity to view it, but I do feel this DVD could change the outcome of this lawsuit. Your Honor, I ask the Court's indulgence … to suspend the morning session to allow me to make additional copies. That way both counsels can view it prior to returning this afternoon," explained Bill Jackson.
"I object your Honor!" screamed Mildred Johnston's' lawyer.
"Settle down, Mr. Higgins. Let me think this through. … This is totally unusual for sure but … if you feel the information on this DVD could shorten this trial I am all for it. I will grant your request. Mr. Higgins your objection is overruled, for now.
"But … I must warn you … that if this mysterious DVD doesn't do what you say it could do, it will, you understand, it will undoubtedly make your job more difficult to defend against what Ms. Johnston has already told us in open court. You do understand, don't you … Mr. Jackson?" finished the judge.
Bill's first stop was at a local computer store where he got them to make two copies of the DVD disk Mr. Ken had given him that morning. He took one copy and gave it to Ed Higgins who had accompanied him to that store to ensure the validity of the disk. Bill didn't hint what was on the disk he just wanted Ed and Mildred to watch as much of it as they could before returning to court. The lawyer accepted the copy and told Bill he'd see him in court at 1 PM.
Bill Jackson caught up with the others at the same place they went to yesterday. They had the corner booth that time and the privacy they needed to watch the video.
At 1 PM, everyone was back in the courtroom when the bailiff called out, "All rise."
"Thank you for all returning so promptly," said the judge with a smile. "Now, the question that was left unanswered when we shortened this morning's session was, 'Did Ms. Johnston want to change any of her testimony from yesterday'. Ms. Johnston, please take the stand. Counselor, you're up!"
"Ms. Johnston … I ask you … did you and your lawyer … use the extended lunch break to view any part of the DVD disk I gave to Ed Higgins, your lawyer. He was there when we had the DVD copied, at the computer, store, so you must know it wasn't a hoax video," directly asked Bill Jackson.
Mildred Johnston had tears in her eyes when she sat down on the witness stand. When Bill Jackson asked her if she had the opportunity to view any part of the DVD he'd had given to her lawyer she broke down and openly cried. Seeing the condition Mildred Johnston was in, the judge gaveled the court into recess for fifteen minutes and then left the courtroom.
Ed went over to the woman and brought her back to their table. After a few, minutes, Bill and Stewart went over to talk to Ed. They discussed what was on the DVD with him and Bill asked the lawyer directly did he know if Mildred was going to recant her testimony and tell the truth or just drop the lawsuit.
Mildred heard their discussion and put her hand on Ed's arm. She pulled him over and whispered to him. He shook his head, but she sort of insisted he do what she asked.
Ed Higgins pulled Bill aside and asked, "Do you think, ahh, if Mr. Thomas would, ahh, offer Mildred some sort of, ahh … I really hate to ask this, but Mildred insisted. Mildred wants me to ask if Mr. Thomas would … consider offering to settle this dispute. There I asked. We don't have much time for a decision, so if you would please ask Mr. Thomas."
Bill asked Mr. Ken the question Ed had wanted him to. Ken laughed at the audacity of the woman and told him an emphatic, "NO!" That response was heard by the plaintiff and her counsel and anyone else seated there in the courtroom.
Ed had heard Mr. Thomas' reply and he went to Mildred who told him she had heard the answer, as well. The older woman now had to decide if she was going to change her testimony, or go on with her charade.
"All rise," called out the bailiff.
"I trust everyone has settled down," offered the judge. "Would Ms. Johnston please take the stand? … Counselor, you have the floor."
Mildred slowly walked to the witness stand and sat down. She still had tears in her eyes but Bill wasn't sure if they were defiant tears or purely contrition tears. The man stood there in front of the woman for a few moments to give her time to decide what she was going to say when he asked her the question for the third time.
Bill walked up closer to Mildred and said, "We've all had the opportunity to review much of the DVD I brought to court this morning. Now … after seeing what is on that DVD … I want to ask you one last time … are you ready … to change your testimony from yesterday concerning Mr. Thomas … your former employer?"
Mildred sat there not saying a word. She looked over to her lawyer who mouthed to her to go ahead and change her testimony. Her internal emotion was telling her to say 'No', but her mind was telling her she could go to jail if she didn't. She was so conflicted inside of her she could not make the decision.
Ed Higgins saw the conflict on his clients face. He saw that Mildred might be having some sort of breakdown, so he stood up hoping the woman would answer the question. She didn't.
"Your Honor, if I may, it appears that my client is having some sort of mental event …" but Ed got no further when he was interrupted by Mildred Johnston.
"NO! I am NOT having a mental breakdown!" screamed Mildred. "I am just … tired and I have … I have made … my decision. I will … I will … I will … change my testimony from yesterday."
Hearing the woman say that brought relief to the defendant's table and to Ed Higgins. The lawyer knew after viewing the DVD that Mildred Johnston had repeatedly lied to him about Mr. Thomas. He now wondered how much of what she said about Robert could also be a bald-faced lie.
The judge then spoke. "Ms. Johnston … are you telling this court … that what you said on the witness stand yesterday was not the truth the whole truth?"
Mildred looked up at the judge and said, "Yes … your Honor."
"Was anything you said the truth?" The judge now wanted to know.
"Not very much … your Honor," lightly said Mildred.
"Knowing now that the whole truth was not forthcoming from the plaintiff, I declare that the plaintiff has not proven her case and rule in favor of the defendant. In this case, I will award reasonable court costs to the defendant.
"Now … let me ask about the other lawsuit? Is there still a need to continue with that lawsuit between the minor Robert Harrison and Mildred Johnston?" asked the judge.
When the judge didn't hear any response from either party he said, "I'll tell you what. There is still a good amount of time in this court session, so … I am going to ask both parties to discuss this second lawsuit, and let me know in say one hour what your decision is. Court is adjourned for one hour."
Stewart went directly over to Ed Higgins to talk to him about Robert's lawsuit. Ed was honest with the man when he told him that he was going to have a difficult time in getting any money from Mildred, as he had taken the case on a contingency. He told the younger lawyer that he had believed everything she told him. He revealed she told him that Mr. Thomas would want to settle rather than bring any more negative publicity to Three Finger Cove after the bloody attack on Collin.
Ed told Stewart that he had really hoped the two would come to some sort of amicable resolution, but that he now knew it wouldn't actually happen that way. The lawyer told Stewart that thirty-three percent of eight or even ten million dollars sure sounded good in his brain. Now the losing lawyer said he'll have to really work hard to recover all of the money he lost by putting most of his energies into Mildred's lawsuit.
So, the end result of Robert's lawsuit, Ed Higgins said, was that if he won he wouldn't receive much, if any, money from Mildred because Ed's bill would have to be paid first before the lad could recover any monies. Then Ed laughed that after Stewart took his fee the lad would most likely be in the negative owing money to someone. The two men sort of laughed at that then walked away from one another.
Stewart went over to Robert and his foster dad to tell him what he learned from Ed Higgins. Robert was disappointed that he wouldn't get any money, but he was extremely happy that he wouldn't have to testify now. Mr. Ken told Robert that if Mildred hadn't sued him they probably wouldn't have sued her for him. Robert said he understood, but the thought of getting a couple of million dollars sure sounded good. The two had a good laugh.
It was 2:30 when the bailiff called out, "All rise."
The judge entered the courtroom and took his seat behind his big bench, as it is called.
"Counselors … have you reached a decision on Harrison versus Johnston?" asked the judge.
The three lawyers all stood up, but only Stewart addressed the judge. "You Honor … after careful considerations … the matter between Robert Author Harrison verses Mildred Johnston will be dropped. We thank the court for its time in these matters, and we only wish we could have settled them well before today."
"Thank you all for what you did to ensure justice was not made blind in these matters. If there isn't anything else … I will wish you all a 'Good Day'. This court is now adjourned!" said the judge, who then rose and walked out of the courtroom to his private chambers.
"What do we do now, 'dad'?" asked Robert.
"I guess we go home and wait for Bill's and Stewart's itemized bills," laughed 'dad Ken.
"I thought the judge said he awarded reasonable court costs?" said Robert.
"Robert … don't hold your breath. In cases like these, when the loser has no money, it will be a cold day in hell when they pay anything. Mildred … I guess she thought she could scam me out of some money, but she went about it in the wrong manner," replied Mr. Ken.
"Does that mean you may have given her some money … if she went about asking you … in a different way?" Robert wanted to know.
"Well, actually, I really don't know. I may have given her a few dollars … just to be nice and send her on her way … but, surely, not anywhere in the millions she was trying to scam from me especially knowing that everything she said was an outright lie," honestly answered the 'dad' to his 'son'.
Mr. Ken and Robert talked to Bill and Stewart before thanking them for all their hard work. Mr. Ken then told the men how disappointed he was because they didn't get to tell the judge how Mildred embezzled almost $110,000.00 from him. That brought out a laugh from all four standing there.
When they departed they all headed in different directions. Along the way home, Mr. Ken asked Robert if he had room for a DQ. Robert responded by telling his 'dad' to stop at the store and get the twins a new alarm clock. That was what they did. Robert checked all the alarm/clock radios the store had and then picked the most obnoxious sounding one for his younger 'brothers'. Mr. Ken just shook his head and told the teenager he was taking all responsibility for his choice.
The two Covers did stop by DQ for a banana split on the way home. They told themselves it was fortification in order to face the onslaught of questions they knew they were going to get from Charles, Kevin, and Kyle. They laughed about it all the way home.
Charles, Kevin, and Kyle had gotten home at their usual time. They got their after-school snack from Momma Maria and when they were finished they thanked the woman for making it for them and then went upstairs to do their homework.
'Dad Ken' and Robert got home much earlier than they did the previous day and again, when Chief began barking up a storm the other Cover lads came running down the stairs to greet their 'dad' and older 'brother'.
"You're home early 'dad'" said Charles, as he hugged the man.
"Yeah, 'Dad Ken' you're home sooner than you were yesterday," said Kyle.
"Do I get a hug like I did yesterday?" smiled 'Dad Ken'.
Kyle looked at Kevin and they both ran to the man for their after school hug.
"Oh, Robert, before I forget," began Charles, "Eric said for you to bring a change of underwear to school, tomorrow, so you can get off at his Bus Stop."
"You're staying at Eric's tomorrow night?" incredulously asked Kyle.
Then Kevin asked, "Aren't you going with us to see our parents on Saturday?"
"OK," started a flustered Robert, "Yes … I am staying with Eric Friday night. It has been a long time since we had anyone spend the night here, and, anyway, it is his turn for me to stay with him. As for going to visit your parents, Kevin, they don't want to see me. They want to see Y-O-U. And besides, there is nothing for me to do other than ride along and be bored. Sorry, but that is how I feel. The first trip was exciting, because I'd never been to that army hospital and I wanted to see your home. Maybe I'll go the next time and let Charles stay home."
Kevin looked over at his brother, and it looked to Mr. Ken and Robert, like the two, were talking to one another but without vocalizations. The twins did that for about twenty-five seconds before they broke their concentration. Kevin then looked to Robert.
"Yeah, we understand, Robert. It kinda was boring … except when we got to visit with our parents. Of course, we also got to stop at those fast food restaurants we hadn't been to in a very long time. And, we also got to stop at our house to pick up some things we wanted from there. But this time around, we'll just visit with our parents and hopefully stop at some fast food restaurants," calmly said Kevin.
"I'm glad you look at it that way, Kevin. And, I will try to go the next time, OK?" replied Robert.
"OK, Robert needs to get started on his assignments as he WILL be going back to school tomorrow," announced 'Dad Ken'.
"So you won?" asked Kyle
"Well, we sort of won … and we also lost," laughed Robert.
"'Dad Ken' how can you both win and lose?" asked Kyle.
Mr. Ken thought about how he could answer the lad and then said, "Well, Mildred lied on the stand and instead of charging her with perjury for lying she dropped the lawsuit."
"But, what about Robert's lawsuit, you know, against her?" asked Kyle.
Robert took that one and said, "Well, because she didn't win against 'dad' there was no money for me to go after in my lawsuit, so … we dropped my lawsuit. There was no need to try to get blood out of a turnip," now laughed the teenager.
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