At school, on Monday, all of Logan's close friends saw the huge difference in the lad. They could tell he was much better than he was, the previous week. Their biggest question to him was, "What happened?" Logan only smiled back to them and told them he finally got a handle on everything and now felt a whole lot better than ever, before. All his friends were very happy for the teen.
When Robert and Logan met out in the school yard, that day, they acted as if nothing had ever happened, last Saturday night, over at The Cove. Mr. Chassen also saw the big change in the teenager and figured he'd find a way to see if he and Robert got the chance to talk over the weekend.
Joanna Schwimminger was absent from school that morning and the rumor had her suspended from school for her 'bullying' of Logan, last Friday. Only the 'clique' girls cared that their 'leader' wasn't there. They all knew the 'real truth' that Joanna, would be out of school for a three-day suspension, and would return Thursday.
The other 'big talk' at school that day was how Eric, Brad, Chuck, Gordon and Trevor helped at the Easter Egg Roll, over at The Cove, on Saturday. Eric had to remind his fellow classmates that Robert was also there helping. It was when the kids learned their friends all earned $75.00, each, they wished they now had known they could have helped.
Robert then stepped in and explained that the current seniors were the ones who had done the Easter Egg Roll, the past three years. The lad continued and told the gathered kids that Mr. Ken was offering the Project to next year's Junior Class, as a way for them to earn money, for their class.
In the background, a few of the 'clique girls began talking and then Callie called out, "How it is you know so much? You're just the new kid here and you wouldn't know which way is UP unless someone told you!" All the 'clique' girls laughed at Callie's remarks.
Eric got pissed at the way the girls were treating his Best Friend and was about to say something when Brad bet him to it.
"I guess, since Robert's been with us ever since January, it is time you ALL know where he lives. … Anyone want to guess where that is?" boasted Brad.
"Yeah, I bet he lives in the trash container over on Ninth and O'Conner," readily laughed Skyler.
"Yeah, and if not there, he lives at the edge of town, in the garbage dump," added a chuckling Nora.
"Baannpp! Exclaimed Brad, wrong and wrong. And since none of you have a clue and didn't even try to get to know him over the past, almost, four months, so you could get to know him and learn where he lives, I'm going to tell you. Listen up, now, and listen up good so you don't miss it. You all ready?" teased Brad.
"In a hole in the ground," yelled out Kaelyn, to howls of laughter from the rest of the 'clique' girls.
"Baannpp! Wrong again. You girls … oh, oh or should I call you 'women'? I don't think SO! The way you're all reacting to my question only shows your immaturity and that obviously makes you all 'little girls'!" finished a now laughing Brad.
Brad's come back to the 'clique' girls caught many people off guard. Then, when they realized what he said and how he totally 'dissed' them the laughter began. It began slowly but built up momentum and before long, practically, all the boys were laughing but so were a large number of girls who'd been treated not-so-well, by the 'cliquish' girls. Even, Mr. Chassen found himself having to try and hide his laughter as he totally agreed with Brad's assessment.
"Okay, smarty pants," snarled Skyler, "by all means tell us. The suspense is killing us." That comment caused the six 'clique' girls to loudly laugh out loud, but they seemed to be the only ones laughing.
When the 'cliquish' girls realized that no one else was laughing, with them, they began to walk away.
But Chuck, this time, wasn't having any of that. He called out to them, "WAIT! What … can't take what you give out?" That brought another round of laughter from the people who didn't like the 'clique' girls.
"Okay, okay … I've kept you from knowing the truth for too long," began Brad. "For those of you who never took the time to get to know Robert, or even learn where he lives, let me the first one to tell you, if you haven't already guessed, Robert lives with Mr. Ken … at The Cove, Three Finger Cove, that is!"
That revelation brought a round of applause from the kids, present, and some of them went over to introduce themselves to Robert. Just then the bell rang and the kids had to turn around and head into the school, for their morning classes.
Over at The Cove, Mr. Ken received a phone call from Jules Diamond, the private investigator, who briefed him about the number of children Mildred Johnston was responsible for over the years. He also revealed he talked too many of them and most of those gave him signed, written, notarized statements that did not give glowing accounts of the way Mildred Johnston treated them.
Rather, the children, now adults, described how the woman hit and beat them, when they didn't do what she wanted, and berated and degraded them in front of friends and other adults proving how tough the woman was and could 'make' the children 'listen. They practically all hated Mildred Johnston.
Mr. Diamond promised to send the original statements over to Bill Jackson, for safe keeping. Mr. Ken gratefully thanked the man for getting that done, in such a short time. He recommended to Jules that he should talk to Bill Jackson about the project he asked Bill to do for him. Indicating that Bill Jackson may be able to hire him to do some more investigating. Then the two hung up.
When Robert returned from school that day, he again seemed down in the dumps. He didn't even stop by the Kitchen Nook, for his after school snack. So, when he didn't show, Maria went to Mr. Ken and mentioned it to the man. Mr. Ken then headed up to the boy's bedroom to find out what was going on with his 'son'.
The man did the Three Knock Rule before entering Robert's bedroom. When he did, he found the lad lying on his bed, crying his heart out. Ken sat down next to the boy and tried to console him while at the same time trying to find out what was wrong.
About five minutes after Mr. Ken sat down, Robert turned over towards the man and then jumped into his arms. Mr. Ken had never seen his 'son' this distraught and was really concerned for him.
"Robert … 'son', please tell 'dad' what has you so upset today. It couldn't be you're in trouble because I didn't hear anything from Principal Chadwick," the man said, trying to make the situation, Robert must be feeling bad about, not seem so serious.
When Robert didn't respond, Mr. Ken began to rub the boy's back and let him cry himself out. Even Chief tried to get his 'master' to relent and talk to his 'dad' by licking his face, but the boy held his 'dad' tighter. It took Robert another ten minutes before he released his death grip hug on his 'dad' and looked him into his eyes.
"I (hic) I tried to stop (hic) him but (hic) I couldn't. Other than my (hic) friends, I haven't told anyone (hic) anyone else where I lived. (Sniff-sniff) But, today, Brad (hic-sniff) got mad at all the 'clique' girls and told them and (hic) the rest of the schoolyard (sniff-sniff). I'm so sorry 'dad'," cried Robert, who definitely needed the box of tissues his 'dad' gave him, when he first arrived at The Cove.
But, Mr. Ken couldn't find any tissues in the room but he didn't want to leave the boy just yet. So, he decided to try to get the boy talking so he could find out what really happened.
"Come on now, Robert, it can't be all that bad if I didn't hear about it from Ms. Chadwick. Now, 'son', please take your time and tell me how you saw what has you so upset right now," encouraged Mr. Ken.
Robert slowly pulled out, and away, from his 'dad' and after wiping his snotty nose on his sleeve he began to tell the story. He told his 'dad' how Brad told, practically, the entire school where he lived. He told Mr. Ken how it all started and how the 'clique' girls had said where he lived and how Brad and Chuck came to support him. Robert then went on to say how the kids applauded when they heard where he did live and how many of the kids came up to him during the day to meet him and introduce themselves to him.
"'Dad' … I tried to keep people from learning where I lived but … with Brad's telling the whole school … now everyone knows that I live here. I'm sorry dad … but there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was like it had a life of its own. Please believe me," begged the lad, who began to cry again.
"Oh, Robert … 'son' … people already knew that you lived here, with me, when I told them myself on Saturday, at the Easter Egg Roll. Don't you remember me introducing you to all those people? My bet is many of the kids there, that day, have seen you on the bus and wondered if you did indeed live at The Cove. Now, they know for sure.
"All Brad did was tell a bunch more people but the 'cat' was already out of the, proverbial, bag. Remember, I only wanted you to keep, where you lived, quiet until you found out who really wanted to be your friend. I think you know who those kids are by now. Don't you?" counseled Mr. Ken.
After listening to what his 'dad' told him just now, Robert knew he wasn't in any trouble from what Brad did at school. So, the boy pulled away from his 'dad' one more time and asked, "So … you're Ok with … with people knowing I live here?"
"Yes, I am, Robert! You are what I and Three Finger Cove and Chief, of course, have needed ever since Collin was sent to live with his grandmother. When I told the crowd, the other day, I guess I should have told you that is was okay to tell other people, but I figured you'd figure that out by yourself. I should be the one telling you that I AM sorry for not making that clearer to you. Will you forgive me?" asked Mr. Ken.
Robert immediately said "Yes!" and then hugged his 'dad' again.
After dinner, the two residents decided to watch the movie they missed out on when Collin called. After the movie, they both headed to bed. The stress Robert felt, all day, thinking his 'dad' was going to send him away had the lad so tired he barely got his head on the pillow before he was fast asleep.
On Thursday, Joanna returned to school and was warned by Principal Chadwick she was on 'thin ice' and if she persisted on treating Logan, or any other student the way that got her suspended, she would be attending a different school, next year. The talk at school was about Joanna's return but there were no incidents, whatsoever,
When Saturday morning rolled around, Robert waited for his buddies to show so they could again skateboard out front at The Cove. While he waited, Mr. Ken asked Robert if he and his pals had decided what types of skateboard ramps they were still wanting to build. Then, he asked if the lads decided where they wanted to put the ramps, once they were built.
Robert told his dad he thought he knew what kinds of ramps they wanted to build but they're not sure if the lot behind the garage would be okay, not knowing how much space they would take up. The lad asked his dad if he would go with him, and his friends, to the garage corral area and measure it out, so they would know whether, or not, the skateboard ramps would be okay, back there.
Mr. Ken readily agreed that it was a good decision, on Robert's part, to measure out the area before spending a bunch of money, on something, that may not work where it was intended to be located. The two talked about the skateboard ramps and what materials they would need and who would do all the work. The two had a big laugh when Robert said it should be his 'dad'.
Eric was the first to arrive, then Chuck and Trevor, and finally Brad and Gordon arrived at The Cove, to do some skateboarding. But, before the boys ever got their skateboards down on the driveway, Robert told them Mr. Ken wanted to measure out where the skateboard ramps would go and which ones we wanted built. The clincher, he told them, was Mr. Ken wanted to know who was going to build them. That last question got all the boys into a talkfest trying to talk over one another, in order to offer their opinion.
As the boys were talking over one another, Mr. Ken came out the front door and asked the boys to follow him to the garage corral. When he arrived there, he opened up the storage shed/work area that was also located behind the garages. Then, Mr. Ken brought out a 25 foot tape rule and then asked the boys, "Where?"
For the next hour, the boys talked about what kind of ramps, they wanted, and where they thought they would fit, best. They also talked about the ramps size, how wide, how high, and how far apart. Mr. Ken took down all that information, on a pad of paper, and then he and the boys paced it off, using the tape rule. Once the measurements were all walked out, on the garage parking area, and marked with chalk, Mr. Ken opened one garage door and backed his F-150 Ford truck out to see if the placement was going to interfere with him using his truck.
Seeing the truck wouldn't be a problem, the man opened up another garage door and backed out his BMW, and did the same thing. He then went to the third garage door and backed out the Expedition to see if that would, indeed, be a problem. Nothing was parked in the fourth garage stall. In the end, Mr. Ken saw that none of the three vehicles were going to be hindered by the placement of the ramps, so he gave a go for the building and placement of the skateboard ramps, in the back parking corral.
Mr. Ken then asked the boys to write down the types of materials they thought would be best to build the ramps and to try to figure how much materials they would need to build them. The man then closed up the three garage doors and went back inside to work in his study.
The boys were all smiles that they were going to be getting their skateboard ramps but they were a bit dismayed because they had no idea what they needed, and, most importantly, how much. They did know Mr. Ken was leaving that information up to them and they would have to find it out somehow, someway and what materials and if there were any plans available for them to use as a template.
Gordon then spoke up and said that he had been on the Internet and had been looking for skateboard plans and he said he knew where they were on the Internet. He asked Robert if they could use his computer to check it out and get the dimensions and look at the materials they needed. The boys got more smiles on their faces and, before long, all six lads headed up to Robert's bedroom to find out the information that Mr. Ken requested.
It was close to 2 o'clock when the six lads had finally decided on the sizes and types of materials. Robert printed out the dimensions and diagrams of how to build the ramps and all six boys walked down the stairs and headed towards Mr. Ken's Study.
Robert led the five other lads towards his 'dad's' study but seeing his dad was engaged, in some papers on his desk, he decided to knock on the door, to get the man's attention. Mr. Ken saw who it was and asked him if it was important and Robert mentioned they had the information he requested.
Mr. Ken smiled at that, so he invited all six boys into his Study so he they could show him what they had decided. He was impressed by what he saw. They had a clean handwritten listing of all the materials, they thought they needed, and with that there were four separate attachments, each with the diagrams and pictures of the final product, along with another list of materials.
The boys were all smiles after Mr. Ken had praised them for doing their homework and presenting him with a fine product which he could use to get the materials. Their smiles turned to frowns, though, when he asked them again who was going to build these skateboard ramps, for them.
With that question asked, the boys looked at one another and then looked at Mr. Ken. The man shook his head back and forth indicating he was not going to volunteer. He said he was providing the materials and that should be worth something. He then asked them to think again.
The boys didn't have an immediate answer, for him, so Mr. Ken suggested that maybe their dads could help build these ramps, once all the materials have been obtained. The boys looked back and forth, at one another, with big smiles on their faces and they all agreed that they would ask their dads if they would help build the skateboard ramps, with them.
The six boys went outside and began to skateboard and during their play they talked more about the skateboard ramps. They discussed how they would build them, how much work would be involved, and if they thought their dads would actually be willing to help, with the build.
Little did they know, Mr. Ken was already on the phone with their dad's, explaining to them what their boys wanted them to help with. He asked the dads not to let on they knew about the project, unless their kid had already talked it over with them. All five dads agreed to get involved, in the project, knowing this may be the last time they may be able to work side-by-side with their son. Mr. Ken told each of them he'd let them know when all the material was on-site and then plan a 'build' day with them.
It wasn't until Monday that Mr. Ken could talk with his construction foreman about getting the ramp materials delivered, to The Cove. What the man heard, though, was 'they' were going to be building skateboard ramps and he began looking forward to doing something else, other than, the normal every day, construction stuff. But, Mr. Ken had to reign him in, some, when he told the man that the boys, and their dad's, would be doing the work.
But, that didn't deter the construction boss. He asked if he, and some of the men, could show up and give moral support, and helpful direction, on how to do the intricate cuts. Mr. Ken laughed at the man's 'need' to finally do something 'fun', for a change, and relented and said he would be okay with that.
During the week, 'dad' Ken told Robert they were attending the Texas Boating Safety Course that weekend, so not to invite his buddies over, to skateboard that day. Robert had a ton of questions about the Course but his 'dad' said he'd just have wait and see. The lad began to pout over the man's answer so his 'dad' began to tickle him and told him to just 'chill'.
Robert then realized he was acting like he did in the beginning so he agreed with his dad and let it drop. That was until he got to school, the next day, where he talked to Eric, who had already been to the Course. His other friends heard what they were talking about and wanted to know if they could go, too. Robert said he would ask his 'dad' that night.
Bill Jackson called Ken Thomas to tell him what he found out about the so-called lawyer who was harassing the Andersons. He asked Mr. Ken if he would consent to a conference call with Dracken Schwimminger and, reluctantly, the man agreed. In a few moments, Dracken was on the line.
"Mr. Schwimminger," began Bill, "on the other end is Ken Thomas. He asked me to look into a so-called lawyer who was harassing the Anderson's whose son was attacked at school a few weeks back.
"Yes … I heard about that incident. Why should I be concerned?" gruffly asked Dracken.
"Hello. There Dracken," said Mr. Ken," the WHY is … the person making all the calls says he is you 'Schwimminger'.
That got Dracken's attention right away.
"So, you both think it is me? That's absurd," said Mr. Schwimminger. "I learned my lesson a few years back, as you both well know. I promised myself, and my family, I would no longer take on any of their or their friends' cases. And, yes, I know Kaelyn, but I told her what I just told you. She went away, thank goodness. I could see what she was going to try to do and I told her and her parents I would have no part in that."
"Dracken, what was it they wanted you to do for them?" Bill Jackson wanted to honestly know.
"They wanted me to try and get the boy, Logan, I think is his name, to drop the charges against young Kaelyn. I told the girl, and her parents, they were going at it the wrong way. I told them to offer to pay ALL the medical bills, for the lad, and then ask him for forgiveness. They wanted me to sue the family instead. So, let me ask, why is it are you involved in this Mr. Thomas?" quickly asked Dracken Schwimminger.
"Well, Mr. Schwimminger, my 'son' is friends with the lad and when he told me there was a lawyer, whose name was Schwimminger, I naturally wanted to help my 'son' with his dilemma on how he could help out Logan. I couldn't believe you'd make a phone call after phone call, day after day and never allowed the Anderson's to know the phone number you were calling from.
"That then told me there was an imposter abusing your, well established, name. I asked Bill to look into it and I take it he knows something which is why he asked for this conference call. So, what do you have for us, Bill?" finished up Mr. Ken.
"Well put, Mr. Ken, and yes I do have something for you. My investigators believe the person or persons impersonating Dracken, here, could be either William Shappell or Raleigh Mitchell. They both are out on parole right now," explained Bill Jackson.
"Why do your investigators believe it could be either of them?" Mr. Schwimminger wanted to know.
"Because, your daughter Joanna, Dracken, threatened Logan with something that sounded similar to the attack Collin and Ryan experienced a few years back, at the Waterpark. Those two lads were convicted of that attack and were out on parole during the time frame in question," revealed Bill.
"That's mighty thin evidence you got there, Bill," readily offered Dracken. "But, now that you mention that my daughter may be somehow involved, and knowing her and Kaelyn are best friends, I will see what I can find out. I'll try to be as discrete, as possible, and I will call you, Bill, when I know something. But, please believe me that I do not know who is using my name but when I do find out, they will be very sorry. Anything else for me, Mr. Jackson? … Since there isn't anything I'll say Goodbye." And he did.
"Bill, what do you think?" inquired Ken Thomas.
"I agree with Dracken that what I have is very thin. It might be that maybe my investigators may not be as good as yours. Jules sent me those affidavits and they are strong, more than strong. I can't believe he only worked on finding those 'kids' for only ten days. That guy is good, very good. Okay, I'll stay on top of this. Is there anything else, Ken?" asked Bill Jackson.
"No, Bill, I am glad Dracken now knows someone is out there trading on his good name. Ms. Anderson already concluded the caller was a hoax since he would never give a phone number to her. What say we continue to work on this? It is up to you, if you want, to hire Jules Diamond, or not," laughed Mr. Ken.
"I hear you, Ken. I'll call you when I know more. Bye!" With that, Bill Jackson hung up.
Robert didn't bother getting his after school snack from Maria, but went directly to his 'dad' to ask him a very important question.
"'Dad' … can some of the guys … ah, go with us this Saturday and take that Boating Safety Course, too? If they are going to be around The Cove and riding and driving any of the watercraft you have wouldn't it … well, wouldn't it be good if they knew the Rules of the Water?" smiled the cheeky 'son'.
"I don't know, 'son', they have to be here awfully early to go with us. I'm not too sure their parent's would appreciate having to get up, so early, to bring them here," teased 'dad' Ken.
Robert could tell his dad was teasing him, by the smile on the man's face, so he decided to play along.
"Well, 'dad', ah … instead of their parents having to get up early we could stop by their homes and pick them up along the way, to where ever the Course is," replied Robert.
"Yea, we could, but … but that would mean I'd have to get up even earlier, so I'd have time to pick them all up. I don't think that is fair to me. Do you?" questioned Mr. Ken.
"Well … then … I could invite them all to stay over, Friday night, and that way we'd all be here and ready to go when you were," reasoned Robert.
"Why then didn't you say that in the first place," laughed Mr. Ken. "So, how many kids are we talking about taking with us?"
"Well, Eric's already been but he says he would like to go, again. Then, there is Brad and Chuck and Gordon. Trev isn't sure he'd be allowed to go. He says Terran is being a pain, again, and the 'terror' will want to go, too," explained Robert.
"Well, what is wrong with Terran going as well? You know, if you had a 'little brother' you'd have to deal with him, too. And, I am sure Terran will be over, at some time, this summer, so if he knows what he can and can't do, and he hears it from a certified instructor, he'll be more apt to follow your direction. What do you think about that?" 'dad' Ken asked, in such a way to get Robert to consider the option.
Robert told his 'dad' he'd call Trev, and his dad, to see what they thought. Then, if they were OK with it, he would be, too. Ten minutes later, Robert came back to Mr. Ken and told him Terran was a 'Go' for the Boating Safety Course.
At school the next day, Robert talked to his friends and they were all ready for a sleep over and the Boating Course. Trev wasn't too happy Terran was going, but his dad told him it was they either both go or neither of them go. The other guys said it wouldn't be all that bad.
"Please, just don't tell Sam that Terran is coming along, too. He'll then want to come along, too," pleaded Chuck.
"Too late, Chuck," said Gordon, "here comes your brother, with Terran. My bet is the 'Terror' has already let the cat out of the bag." All the boys laughed at that statement. Chuck just shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I do for you?" Chuck asked his younger brother, Sam.
"Nothing, my wonderful brother," smiled Samuel Sullivan. "I … ah, we came over to talk to Robert, Terran and I."
"What can I help you with, Sam, is it?" replied Robert.
"Well … Terran told me that he was invited to the Boating Safety Course, with you guys, this weekend. I was wondering, ah … if I could come along, too. We're the same age and Charles …. I want you to know he never mentioned it to me that Terran was going," explained Sam.
"That's because Chuck didn't know Terran was coming along, until just a few minutes ago. And, as for Terran going, he was a last minute addition, so I am not sure how many people can go, I'd have to ask my 'dad'. Seeing it is Friday, I'll have to call Chuck before he comes over for the night and, if you can go, you'll just have to spend the night, like Terran is," teased Robert.
"You … you really mean IT? If I get to go I … I get to spend the night at Three Finger Cove! Awesome!" exclaimed Sam.
"Yes, that IS if you can go. I won't know until after school, so I'd ask you not to go around telling everyone you're staying at The Cove, and then you don't. I'm sure you understand, don't you?" Robert honestly explained the deal, to Chuck's younger brother.
"Yeah, I understand, but I sure hope I can go!" exclaimed Sam, who then walked away with his best friend Terran.
Sam, indeed got to go and that made for a very full house, Friday night. Maria was happy to have such a big group to cook for and she didn't disappoint. She cooked two different types of her famous Enchiladas, the Beef and the 3-Cheese, along with refried beans and rice and homemade tortilla chips and salsa. She also made sweetened iced tea, as that was what Mr. Ken always drank. The boys tried it and liked it and drank it down, too, like it was water.
Robert and his friends were going to set up in the Theater, as they usually did, and had intended to let Terran and Sam to bunk in his bedroom. The younger lads didn't want to have anything to do with that. They wanted to be where 'all the action was'.
This time around, each and every boy set out his own sleeping bag. None of the boys zipped their bags together but they did set them up close to their 'special' buddy. Likewise, Terran and Sam set up their sleeping bags next to one another.
A little while later, it was time to go swimming. Each of the boys grabbed their swimsuits and followed Robert to the pool area. The older boys knew to go into the male dressing room but they weren't sure Terran and Sam were ready to change in front of them.
When they got to the dressing area, Robert stopped the two younger boys and asked them if they would rather use the girls dressing area to change, and possibly not be embarrassed in front of the older boys. Or, he told them, they could change in the male dressing room, with the rest of them. He gave them the two options and then waited for their reply.
Terran and Sam stepped aside a few feet away and then began a quick conversation. When they were done, Sam came over to Robert and said, "We decided we want to change with you guys. If that's okay with you?"
So, Robert led the two younger boys into the male dressing room and when they arrived all the older boys had already stripped down and were standing there in their underwear. Robert led Terran and Sam over to an empty corner, of the dressing room, and explained that they would change into their bathing suits, in there, and then take their clothes and put them in one of the lockers, out on the pool deck.
Robert then proceeded to change into his swimsuit. But Terran and Sam just stood there watching. When Eric saw what they were doing, it reminded him of when he and his friends changed in front of the older boys, when Collin lived at The Cove.
So, even though he was only dressed in his tighty-whities, Eric told Terran and Sam they had nothing to be ashamed of, as they were all guys in there, and for them to stand and just get changed. Then, Eric dropped his drawers and stood there naked, facing Terran and Sam.
Terran and Sam's eyes popped wide open when they saw Eric standing nude, in front of them, with his 'boy' parts for all to see. Then, Eric called over to the younger boys and told them 'to get those clothes off and get changed'. And with that, Eric put on his bathing suit, grabbed up his clothes, and left the dressing room, to put his clothes in a locker.
Sam nudged Terran and they began to take off their shoes and socks and then their shirts. By that time, Brad and Gordon had taken off their underwear and stood there naked, as the day they were born, and told the younger boys to have a good look.
Soon after, Gordon abruptly said to the younger boys, "It's time to stop looking and start changing. Get those clothes off, NOW, and put your suits on!" Then, he and Brad put on their swimsuits, grabbed their clothes, and left the dressing room, to put their clothes in a locker.
Robert could tell the younger boys were a bit embarrassed about changing in front of the older boys, especially since Trevor, Terran's older brother, and Chuck, Sam's older brother, were still in the dressing room. But, Robert was having none of that, so he told the younger boys to face the wall, dropped their drawers, and put on their swimsuits.
Trevor and Chuck laughed at their younger brothers and then dropped their drawers. When the younger lads heard the rustling, by their older brothers, they looked over their shoulders and saw their older brothers standing, there, naked. That brought a smile to the younger brothers who then turned back to the wall, dropped their drawers, leaving their bare butt cheeks to face the older boys.
Terran and Brad quickly put on their swimsuits then turned around to tie the string. By then, their older brothers had already put on their swimsuits. The older brothers then told their younger brothers to grab their clothes, and follow them.
While all this was going on, Robert was in the process of changing, into his swimsuit, and neither of the two younger boys, ever noticed he had done so. He followed the four lads out of the dressing room, 10 seconds later.
Robert figured this was the first time the younger boys had ever swam at The Cove, he knew he needed to give Terran and Sam the swim test. Robert called Terran and Sam over and told them, "Before you can swim in Mr. Ken's pool, I need to see how well you boys can swim. You have to swim from this side to the other without stopping.
"If you can do that, without any problem, then you can swim, anywhere, in the pool. But if you can't you have to stay in that shallow area, at the other end, of the pool. Do you understand?"
Terran immediately had a hissy fit. "You guys just want to make fun of us. I bet Mr. Ken doesn't require anyone to do that stupid 'swim test' and you just made it up. I'm not going to swim across the pool, for no one. Trevor can tell you how good a swimmer I am, and that's all you need to know!"
Sam just stood there with his mouth wide open not knowing how he should respond. He knew he was a guest in Mr. Ken's home and that Robert lived there, so he could be enforcing Mr. Ken's rules, but he wasn't sure. He decided, that since he was a good swimmer, he would do the test. Wanting to swim in that awesome pool, Sam went to the one side of the pool, jumped in and began to swim.
Robert knew the importance Mr. Ken placed on the swim test so he told Terran, that until he took the 'swim test' he could not get into the water, period. That he would have to sit, on the side, and watch everybody else. He gave Terran a second opportunity, to do the swim test, but the younger boy refused.
"OK, have it your way. I do NOT want to see you anywhere in the water. If you don't want to follow Mr. Ken's Pool Rules then you don't deserve to use the pool," Robert told Terran.
Robert then went over to Sam and congratulated him for 'passing' Mr. Ken's swim test and told him he could join in with the rest of them. That said, all six older lads jumped or dove into the Cove's pristine waters. Terran just sulked, as he sat there, on a chair, along the side of the pool.