It was a little after 11:30 when the three guys from The Cove stopped in front of the Go-Kart Track. "Okay, which do we do first; the go-karts or the golf?" asked Mr. Dan.
The lads looked at one another and seeing the line for the go-karts was beginning to build up, since it was a Saturday, they decided on the go-karts first. The three got in line and as they did some of the other kids began to talk amongst themselves. Camm told Charles he knew who the kids were and they weren't actually friends. Charles and Camm could hear the soft talk but they couldn't make out what was being said. Finally, one of the talkers, a lad about Charles and Camm's age, spoke up.
"Is Officer Dan your dad?" he asked. "I've, well, we've never seen him with any kids before but then I, we figured he was divorced and he finally got his kid for the summer. We already know who Camden is. Anyway, Officer Dan was shot during the drug raid a few weeks back and now we thought he must have the time for you. So … are you one of his kids?"
Dan heard the question and he had to cough out a laugh to stop from bursting out laughing. But then the idea did intrigue him as he had talked to his friend Mr. Ken about wanting to know how he could get involved with kids.
Charles and Camm looked at one another at the question and they both smiled. Charles decided to answer the question. "No, Mr. Dan isn't my dad. My 'dad' and my 'brother' are out on a trip and Mr. Dan agreed to stay at The Cove and watch the place while he recovers from his injury."
The lad who asked the question and his friends all got wide eyes at hearing the boy who answered mention The Cove. That brought another question, but this time from another boy. "Mr. Ken doesn't have any kids. He's still single so how could he be your dad?"
Mr. Dan stepped in to answer that question sensing there was some irritation in the boy's question. "Lads, since you know who I am then you know what I'll say will be the truth? Right?"
Both lads nodded their heads and so did a few others who were in line with them there.
"OK, here it is. Mr. Ken, as most people know him as, at one time fostered a lad whose name was Collin. You know who that is?"
The lads in line nodded their heads indicating they knew who Collin was.
"Well, Mr. Ken now has two foster sons and this is one of them. This is Charles (Mr. Dan placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.) and since you already know who Camm is I won't take the time to introduce him," smiled Mr. Dan.
"His name isn't Camm, its Camden. But why are they with you?" asked the first lad.
"Didn't you hear Charles say that I am recuperating at The Cove," began Dan Fischer, "and as a good friend I agreed to stay and watch over the place, and since Charles couldn't go on the trip I am treating him to some fun while his 'dad' is gone. And for your other unanswered question, No I am not divorced as you have to have been married to be divorced," now smiled Mr. Dan.
"We're sorry we got nosey, Officer Dan. We just figured you finally got, well, you know, your kid for the summer. I'm sorry, Charles, for being a jerk to you," offered the first lad."
Charles smiled and told the lad there was no harm done and he put out his hand to shake. The first lad smiled and took the offered hand and the two boys shook. That first gesture got the other boy to offer his hand and then the two boys shook Camm's hand and then Mr. Dan's and then the other boys nearby, who were also talking to the first two, shook their hands. After all the hands were shook the whole group got to laughing at what just happened.
"Well, who are you two?" asked Mr. Dan. "You know who we are, but you never offered us your names."
It was then Camm spoke up saying, "This is Jacob and this is Hunter," announced Camm, as he pointed the boys out. "They're in my class as well, and they'll also be in Charles' class, too when we start school in two weeks."
"Don't remind me," said Hunter.
"The other boys are David, Dylan, Tyler and Cooper or Coop as he likes to be called," continued Camm.
"So, you'll be going to school with us?" asked Tyler of Charles.
"Yes, it looks that way," replied Charles.
"Where did you live before moving in with Mr. Ken? You sure are lucky to live at Three Finger Cove. That is an awesome place. I've been there for the Christmas parties and the 4th of July Picnics," announced Tyler.
Charles ignored the first question and then said how he liked living with his 'dad', Mr. Ken, and riding the ramps and playing on the water toys.
"The ramps … oh, the new skateboard ramps Mr. Ken had built for Robert. I was never asked to try them out like some of the other kids were. Can I ask you what are those water toys you mentioned?" asked David.
Charles was glad David didn't persist on wanting to know where he lived before, so he replied, "Mr. Ken bought these huge water toys, or rafts as we sometimes call them. They sit out in the lagoon. They're about fourteen feet high and are attached by this flexible platform. We have a great time on them too."
"Dang, Mr. Ken really is taking good care of you and Robert, then," said Dylan.
"Yeah, I just got back from a trip up to Dallas where we saw the Ranger's play the Astros and it went into extra innings. We also went to Six Flags, the Dallas World Aquarium and a place called SpeedZone. They have this one track that they call Slick-Trax. It is an oval and the track is like glass and you slide around the corners. I told my 'dad he needs to add one of those here," excitedly replied Charles.
"You were there, at the game, where that homerun won the game in the bottom of the eleventh?" said a skeptic David. "I watched the game on TV and the place went wild when he hit that homerun."
"Yes, the crowd yelled they wanted the team to take a bow after they went into their locker-room. It was crazy there with all the noise. It took us almost an hour to get out to the limo so we could go back to our hotel," added Charles.
Cooper then asked, "What do you mean that you told your dad he needed to add that slick track here? How can he do that? He'd have to own this place in order to do that."
Mr. Dan smiled at the question and told the lads that Mr. Ken did indeed own the place. Hearing that made the six lads look to one another. They never knew who owned the Go-Kart Track. They figured the man who operated the track was the owner by the way he took care of the place and pampered the karts like they were his.
"So, do you think Mr. Ken will add that slick track here?" asked Dylan.
"Not right away, that's for sure. And it is Slick Trax, with an 'x' at the end. He's working on building that office building and hotel out by the lake and he's out now looking at the amusement parks he owns. That's where he and my 'brother' Robert are. Oh, and Eric went along, too," answered Charles.
"I guess you were lucky to go on the trip to Dallas, then" said David.
"Have you met anybody else other than Camden?" asked Tyler.
"Yes, I have," said Charles. "Besides Camm, I've met James, Asher, and Mason. They've all been over to The Cove lots of times already."
"Geez, they're lucky. I wish we could be invited over to the Cove," said David.
"Well, if you give me your phone numbers, maybe I can call you next week for you to come over. I don't know what Mr. Dan has planned for us while my 'dad' is gone, but if I can invite you over this or next week I will," said Charles.
The six boys all got out their cell phones and Charles gave them his cell number so they could call it. That way Charles would have their numbers he could call sometime to invite them over. While they were doing all that talking, the line had moved and just as their cell phone numbers were exchanged the six boys along with Mr. Dan, Charles and Camm all found themselves at the front of the line. There were usually anywhere from 12 to 15 go-karts out on the track, at any one time, so all of them were assured of being on the next race.
When the current race was over and all the participants had gotten out of their carts the man who operated the go-kart track let the next 15 people in. The six boys in front of Mr. Dan and Charles and Camm all took the first six go-karts leaving the last nine available for them to choose from. Charles and Camm immediately took karts 7 & 8 leaving Mr. Dan to choose from the remaining go-karts. He decided take the one directly behind Charles.
Charles and Camm had been at the go-kart track before so they knew what to expect when the traffic light, that indicated what status the track was, went to green. Mr. Dan figured he was there just for the fun of it and would try to get in front of the boys and play blocker to keep them from getting any further ahead. Little did Mr. Dan know that when it came to go-karts the boys were notorious for wanting to win at all costs. They were going to make sure that Mr. Dan never passed any of them.
When the traffic light turned green, the six lads in front all mashed their gas pedal and took off with Charles and Camm right behind them. Mr. Dan was caught flat footed and had already been passed by three of the people behind him before he got his bearings and began to weave his way in and out of traffic and get right back behind Charles.
Sheriff Deputy Dan Fischer was surprised at the way the eight lads in front of him handled their go-karts. He was impressed at the way they tried to weave their way ahead of the carts in front of them without causing too much havoc. He also saw that as he tried to pass either Charles or Camm they did a good job of blocking him out so he could never get ahead.
Then it happened, one of the boys, Hunter, spun out on a curve which allowed everyone behind him to move up one place in the order. Then, on another curve, David spun out moving everyone up another place in line. Mr. Dan was enjoying himself on the go-kart track. He figured his driving skills as a Sheriff's deputy would give him the edge, but he never countered on the ability and the will to win of the lads who were in front of him.
Before long they all saw the yellow caution light lit meaning they had one lap left. Charles had already passed two of the other boys and was in third place quickly followed behind by Camm. Mr. Dan saw that there was no way he could win that race because it was the last lap and he had too much distance to make up. He did see that Charles potentially had an opportunity to win if he could spin out one of the two lads in front of him or if they made a mistake and he could pass them. By the end of the race that never happened. Charles finished third, Camm finished fourth, and Mr. Dan finished sixth.
When the nine exited the go-kart track, they all gathered together just outside the fence to talk about the race. Hunter and David both complained that if they hadn't spun out they could have won. Tyler and Dylan laughed at their friends saying if they knew how to drive they wouldn't have spun out. Cooper, the winner of the race, just stood back and smiled knowing that sometimes its luck but then sometimes its skill which will win the race.
Mr. Dan told the boys he was impressed by their skill in driving the carts and he told them he thought he could have beat them because of the driving skills he had because of being a police officer. The boys all looked up at the man and thought about what he said and then David asked him why he hadn't. Mr. Dan said he didn't know why he didn't win and the boys all laughed at him.
Charles, Camm, and Mr. Dan said their goodbyes to the six lads they had met in line waiting to ride the go-karts. Charles told the guys that he would call them to let them know if and when they could come over. He then told them they were planning on playing miniature golf next. The boys all shook hands again and left as friends.
When the three adventurers got to the miniature golf course and since it was a Saturday there was a line. Mr. Dan asked the lads if they were thirsty and hearing they were he bought all of them cokes at the refreshment stand. While they drank their cokes and waited for their turn to begin, they talked about their race. Mr. Dan continued to tell the boys how impressed he was by the way they handled their go-karts and kept him from passing them. The boys both smiled at the compliment, but Charles said that since he had just driven five different race courses up in Dallas he figured he had the edge, since he had the most recent experience. Mr. Dan agreed with Charles' observation and said that it very well may have been.
When it was their turn to start on the course, the lads let Mr. Dan go first. Little did Mr. Dan know that the boys wanted to see how the ball rolled to which side of the lane of the hole they could use to get the ball to the hole so they would get the lowest score. It was on the third hole that Mr. Dan scored a hole-in-one. Both lads were taken by surprise when it happened. Mr. Dan had also gone first on that hole and the boys couldn't believe how he had done it. They figured it was just plain luck.
Since Mr. Dan got a hole-in-one on that hole, he chose to go last on the fourth hole. He watched the lads as they first putted and followed right behind them using their slight mistakes to put his ball closer to the cup. Mr. Dan also got a hole-in-one on that hole, too. The boys began to smell a rat.
Dan continued to win most of the holes as they proceeded through the course. Charles got a hole in one and Camm did as well, but at the end of their game Mr. Dan had won 11 of the last 17 holes. At the 18th hole it was a one putt in to win a free game or the ball rolled back into a cup that said two or three which was to be added to your score to determine who would be the winner of the group.
Since Mr. Dan had a score of one on the 17th hole, he chose to go last. Charles had beaten Camm on the 17thhole so Camm was relegated to go first. Camm set up his ball and then not keeping his head down and watching his ball he topped it and the ball bounced onto the lane and fell into a number three slot. Charles went next and seeing that Camm had taken his eye off the ball, made sure he kept his head down as he putted. Charles' putt was fast and true and went into the number one slot and won a free game. Mr. Dan then took his turn and when he struck the ball it went slightly past the hole and landed in a number two slot. Mr. Dan of course didn't win that hole but his score was low enough that he won that round of miniature golf, Charles came in second, and of course Camm was last.
While they played miniature golf they noticed that some clouds had been building and coming in towards where they were. The wind had picked up as well, but it wasn't unusual for a rainstorm to come through in early August. It had been hot the last 40+ days with no rain and everyone agreed that a rainstorm was really needed. Seeing there was a storm brewing, Mr. Dan asked the boys if they were hungry. The boys said they were but they didn't want to eat in the restaurant. The boys said they wanted to eat in the diner side of four corners restaurant/diner.
The three headed into the diner side of the Four Corners eatery and sat in a booth. No sooner had they sat down than a gum chewing waitress came up to them and asked, "Whats can I getcha gentmen?"
Charles and Camm laughed at the way the waitress greeted them and Mr. Dan gave them a disapproving look. The three hungry people all said that they would all like a coke and that they would also like to look over the menu before they ordered.
After the waitress left, Mr. Dan asked the boys, "Why did you laugh at her that way?"
Charles smiled and said, "Her name is Jeannie and she was the one who waited on me the first time Mr. Ken brought me over here. She talked really funny like she did when she came up and greeted us. And it was here that day my dad and Jeannie told me about how the waitresses like to put on a show for their customers. We didn't mean anything by laughing at her Mr. Dan, it's just the way that they talk and move around that makes it fun. Wait until you see what she does when she brings our food."
Mr. Dan didn't know what to say to what Charles just told him, so he decided to wait and see what Jeannie does when she delivers their food. It was then that Jeannie brought the three cokes to their table and when she set the first Coke down she slid it over to Camm and it stopped right in front of him. The second coke she slid towards Charles in a stopped directly in front of him, but since Mr. Dan was sitting on the end of the booth she has placed the coke in front of him. She then said, "What will you gents have? Today's special is spagatt in meataballs wit Bronx vanillia bread, is yous guys interested? So, has ya decided?"
After seeing how Jeannie presented their drinks and then listening to how she explained Todays Special Mr. Dan began to smile himself. They really hadn't taken much time to look at the menu but he knew what he would normally get around lunch time so he told Jeannie he was ready to order. Mr. Dan then looked at the boys and asked them if they were ready and they said they were.
Mr. Dan said he'd like a cheeseburger and French fries. Charles said that he would like a cheeseburger with no onion and a mix, and Camm said he would have a cheeseburger, well done, with no onion or lettuce and a mix.
Jeannie read back their order to them and said, "OK. That will be a C.B. walked through the garden with frog sticks, another C.B. with no O and a mix and a second C.B. hockey puck with no O and hold the grass and add the mix. Will that be all, gents?" finished Jeannie.
Mr. Dan chuckled after hearing Jeannie repeat their menu and looked to the boys. After getting the indication that they were okay with their order, Mr. Dan told Jeannie that they were good. As soon as Jeannie left, Charles looked at Mr. Dan and said, "See, I told you!"
The three had a good chuckle over the way Jeannie talked. They continued to talk about their go-kart race and then their miniature golf game. The boys talked about how they drove their kart this way and that way and how they went around the corner without spinning out like David and Hunter had. They talked about what they wanted to do and how they would've done it but in the end Mr. Dan told them they lost. Charles and Camm looked at one another and then laughed as Mr. Dan told them the obvious. They also talked about their miniature golf game and Charles asked Mr. Dan how he got that hole-in-one. Mr. Dan told him it was just, "A stroke of luck."
The three continued to talk about the fun they had on the go-kart track and then the golf course and as they sat there the rumble of thunder had come in loud and clear. When they went into the diner the clouds were just building, but obviously the storm had some momentum as it hadn't been that long since they sat down and ordered that the storm had now appeared directly over the Four Corners. With the thunder came lightning, yet there was no rain. Occasionally with lightning there was some flickering of the lights in the diner but before long the rain hit and when it came it came in big drops. The three talked about how the storm had come up so quickly and that they were glad they were now inside and not out looking for a place to keep dry.
Jeannie came to their table with their meals and as she approached their table, Jeannie said, "One hockey puck C.B. no O and hold the grass, add a mix." The woman then slid the meal towards Camm with it stopping directly in front of him. "Another C.B. with no O add a mix." Jeanie then slid the meal in front of Charles and it didn't slide off the table. The waitress then said, "And last but not least another C.B. walked through the garden with frog sticks." And she placed Mr. Dan's meal in front of him. "Ya's wants anything else gents?" asked Jeannie. Mr. Dan looked to the boys and seeing them shake their heads no he told the waitress they were good.
The storm continued to rain hard and the wind was blowing equally as hard. The thunder and lightning kept up strong and the three could look out their window and see sheets of rain blowing in all directions. As the three hungry men ate their lunch, their talk turned away from the race and the golf game into the storm which was playing havoc outside where they ate.
When Jeannie saw that her customers in the booth were finished eating she walked over to them and began clearing their plates. Jeannie then asked her customers if they wanted dessert. Mr. Dan said that he didn't want anything and Charles said he was full and Camm said no thank you. Jeannie then placed the bill on the table close to Mr. Dan.
The storm was still going strong on the outside of the diner, but the wind wasn't as strong as it had been. After Mr. Dan paid the bill, the boys told the man they needed to use the little boy's room and headed in that direction. Mr. Dan decided that was probably not a bad idea so he followed right behind the boys. When the three got into Mr. Dan's car, Charles asked if they could go to Dairy Queen for dessert. Camm then spoke up and said, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
"I thought you guys said you are full?" said Mr. Dan.
"Well, we were until we went to the little boy's room," chuckled Charles.
"Yeah, what he said," offered Camm.
"Okay an ice cream sounds good about now," said Mr. Dan, who then started his vehicle, placed it in 'D' and headed out of the Four Corners parking lot towards the Dairy Queen.
The storm continued on but there was now only an occasional rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning. The three enjoyed their ice cream Sundaes at Dairy Queen and when they were finished, Mr. Dan told the boys he was going to head back to The Cove. The boys agreed saying they needed to check up on Chief and see if there were was any damage from the high winds.
When they arrived back at the Cove, Mr. Dan parked his car right in front of the Foyer Door because it was still lightly raining. When they entered the house the boys expected Chief to come running like she always did, but she wasn't there. The boys got concerned because Chief's actions were constant and with her not being there to greet them they felt something was wrong.
The two boys headed upstairs to see if Chief was hiding under the bed because of the thunder and lightning but found she was not there. They then headed down to the Kitchen Nook and looked in the Pantry and she wasn't there either. They'd met Mr. Dan out on the Foyer landing that looked out over the Great Room and they talked how they could not find the estate's resident dog anywhere in the house.
The three decided to go down to the Great Room and look out the windows to see if there was any damage out on the patio. When they got to the Windows, Mr. Dan looked to the right and saw what looked like a light colored cover, of some sort, that had been blown there. It was then that Charles looked over and saw what looked like Chiefs tail wagging from under the cover. The boys said to Mr. Dan, "Hey, that looks like chief is under that tarp."
Charles ran to the door where chief had her own special doggie entrance/exit she could use to come and go and when he opened the door and called to her he saw that it wasn't a tarp but it looked like someone had gone there to protect themselves from the storm.
"Mr. Dan, look at where that cover is. It looks like there someone there," called out Charles.
Mr. Dan came quick and saw what Charles meant and quickly went out to see not what it was but who it was. It was as Mr. Dan came up to the bundle that Chief stood up and what Mr. Dan saw were actually towels draped over a person. Dan Fischer went up to the person and saw that it was Todd huddled in the corner and he was shivering, bad.
"Todd," called out Mr. Dan. "Is that you?"
The man heard the person say in a shivering voice, "Yeeeessss ssssir." Without delay, Mr. Dan went to the boy and helped him up. The man could see that the teen was soaked through and was shivering from the cold rain. He helped the lad into the house and seeing that the lad was dripping wet he called for Charles and Camm to help him with Todd and get him into the pool area and into the locker room. Once there, Mr. Dan asked Charles and Camm to help Todd get out of his soaking wet clothes and into the shower to get him warm. Mr. Dan said in the meantime he would go and find some extra towels so the teenager could dry off after his shower.
Charles and Camm helped Todd get out of his soaking wet clothes. The older teenager had been naked in front of the boys many times before, so he was not embarrassed to have them help him get out of his wet things. When Todd was completely naked, the two boys could see that his boy equipment had somewhat pulled up to his body and they could see that it was not its normal size. They led Todd into the shower and Camm told the older boy not to make the water too hot because he needed to warm up slowly.
While the younger lads waited with Todd to finish in the shower, Mr. Dan returned with two fresh towels. He then yelled to the lads he would take Todd's clothes and put them in a quick wash and then dry them. He told Charles and Camm to let Todd take as long a shower as he needed to get himself warmed up and that he would be back soon.
Todd took a long hot shower that lasted for about 30 minutes. When he finished, Charles and Camm took the towels they got from Mr. Dan and gave them to the teen to dry himself off. The younger lads waited and watched as Todd dried his hair, then his body, and then his legs. The whole time the two preteens focused on one particular body part that caught their attention. Todd didn't care that he was naked in front of the younger boys not only because he had been sans clothes in front of them before, but he was so cold before the shower that getting the shower couldn't compare to his being naked right then.
When Todd finished drying off, he wrapped one of the towels around his midsection not because he was now embarrassed but he knew that was the right thing to do in front of younger people. It wasn't long after that when Mr. Dan came back to the locker room and had the teenager's freshly washed and dried clothes for Todd to put on. Todd thanked Mr. Dan for doing that for him and once he found his underwear, in the pile of clothes, he dropped the towel that was wrapped around him, and put on his briefs. The teen quickly followed putting his shirt and pants on and then his socks. Mr. Dan then told Todd that his sneakers were still quite wet but were slowly drying on the rack in the dryer.
It was then Charles remembered Chief was out in that cold rain as well so he and Camm quickly went looking for her to get her washed up and dried as well. Chief wasn't one to eagerly join in getting cleaned up but she knew herself that it was what was needed so she gladly let the two boys lead her to the shower where the boys took off all their clothes and began to wash the resident dog. The boys weren't embarrassed to be naked in the locker room even though Todd and Mr. Dan were out there talking about why Todd was out in the rain.
"Todd can I ask you what you were doing out there, you know, out there in all this wind and rain on the patio?" spoke up Mr. Dan.
"Well, Mr. Dan," began Todd Foster, "it is Saturday, and I try to fuel up the watercraft in the mornings so Mr. Ken would have them available for the weekend. I didn't know it was supposed to rain and when I got here it was still a beautiful day. It was only after I began to clean up the beach after I refueled the WaveRunners and Jet Ski that the storm started to come up fast. I thought I had enough time to finish doing what I was going to do and get on my bike and ride on home but all of a sudden the thunder … it came along with the lightning and then the wind and the rain came down hard and before I knew it I was soaked.
"I've seen heavy rains like that before but had never been caught out in them and because no one was home I had nowhere to go. I found what I thought was a protected corner but because the wind began to swirl I got just as wet in that corner as I would have anywhere else. It was then Chief came out to me and she kind of put her body next to mine to help keep me warm.
"I think Chief could tell I was shivering because before long she left and then came back with a towel and then left to get another towel for me. I think she knew I needed to stay warm so she then got under the towels with me to help keep me warm. I'm sorry I messed things up Mr. Dan but I didn't know what else to do and I had no place else to go."
It was then that Todd began to leak some tears and Mr. Dan, after seeing how Mr. Ken took care of his two boys, thought that the best thing he could do was to pull Todd into a hug. The two hugged and after a while Todd somewhat melted into the man's strong arms and warm embrace.
Mr. Dan had never hugged a young man such as Todd before, but as he held onto the lad he felt a sense of understanding about the hug and how it worked with the lads. Mr. Dan felt Todd welcome the embrace and remain in the hug and even leaning into the man as they stood there.
Charles and Camm, even though they were in the shower cleaning chief up, could see Todd and Mr. Dan in a hug. They both wondered what that was all about but Charles told Camm that every time he felt bad or had tears in his eyes his dad always knew what to do and since Todd didn't have a dad it very well could be that Todd was enjoying having someone like Mr. Dan give him a hug that he missed his whole life.
When they broke from their hug, Todd thanked Mr. Dan for doing that for him. The teenager explained that he never knew his father and that it wasn't often that he received a manly type hug. He told Mr. Dan how Mr. Ken had hugged him a time or two because he'd cried or felt like he had done something wrong. It was then Mr. Dan saw few more tears fall from the teenager's eyes so he pulled the teenager back into the hug they just completed.
It was while they were in their second hug that Mr. Dan heard Charles ask if there any other towels nearby that they could use to dry off Chief. The man and teen broke their second hug and Mr. Dan said he would be right back with some towels. Charles and Camm could tell that Todd had leaked some tears but they did not want to call attention to them. They realized that something must have caused Todd to cry some and that the way he and Mr. Dan hugged they knew the man was helping the teenager get through whatever it was.
It wasn't long after Charles and Camm had Chief all dried up and they had gotten themselves dressed that they heard the doorbell ring. The boys quickly went out through the pool area and up the stairs into the Foyer and answered the door. Upon opening the Foyer door Charles and Camm saw that it was James and his mom, Allison.
"What brings you here, James?" asked Charles, who then asked the boy and his mom inside.
"Well, I told the guys I would try to come over today after football practice and, even though it rained, I thought that maybe the guys were over here, so I convinced my mom to bring me," replied James.
Charles quickly told James that Mr. Dan had taken him and Camm over to the go-kart track and then the miniature golf course before taking them out for lunch. The preteen said he probably should have called everyone that he wasn't going to be there but that was something that Robert normally took care of so he forgot. It was then that Mr. Dan and Todd presented themselves to James and his mom Allison.
James asked Charles if he knew if anyone else was coming by but Charles said that because of the rain he didn't think so. James then looked up at his mom and asked her if he could stay a while but she didn't think it was a good idea and that she felt that James would only be in the way.
Mr. Dan told Allison Whitely that it was okay for James to stay and that he would bring him home later that evening. James got a hopeful look on his face but Allison didn't say anything. She then asked Mr. Dan what would the boys do and before the man could answer Charles spoke up and said they could swim.
James got a hopeful look on his face and looked to his mom for positive answer. The woman then asked Mr. Dan if that were all the boys who would be there and the man honestly answered yes. After a few more questions of Mr. Dan, Ms. Whitely decided to let James stay but she wanted him home by 9 PM. The woman then left.
Mr. Dan looked at Todd and asked him if the teenager was going to swim with the boys or would he like for him to take the lad home. Todd saw the look on Charles, Camm, and James faces hoping that the teenager would say yes so they would have at least four swimmers to have fun with. It was then Todd asked Mr. Dan if he was going to swim with them as well. Mr. Dan smiled and told the lads he would as long as they kept their suits on. That made all four boys laugh out loud.
The five swam for a couple of hours as they all enjoyed swimming together in that huge indoor pool. It was after 6 PM when Mr. Dan suggested that they get out of the water, get dried off and dressed. He said he then would take them all out for dinner. The boys agreed that they were sort of hungry so they got out of the water and headed to the locker room while Mr. Dan headed up to his bedroom to change.
After dinner, Mr. Dan took Camm and James home before stopping at Todd's home to talk to his mom. Charles stayed in the car while the two went to the front door. As Mrs. Foster opened the door, Dan had his Sheriff Deputies badge out to introduce himself. Seeing the badge, Mrs. Foster thought that Todd had gotten himself in trouble and she started to cry.
"No, no Mrs. Foster, Todd isn't in any trouble, I just wanted you to see and know who I was. I guess I didn't handle that very well," explained Dan Fischer. "Please let me start all over. Mrs. Foster, I am Dan Fischer, a Sheriff Deputy, who is watching The Cove while Mr. Ken and Robert are gone for the week.
"We probably should have called to let you know where Todd was but, not having kids, it never entered my mind. Anyway, with all the rain and wet streets I wouldn't let Todd ride his bike back, so I drove him. He is fed so you don't have to worry about that. If he or you want, I can pick him up tomorrow or Monday, that way he can get his bike and ride it back home then."
"Thank you for clarifying yourself Deputy Fischer and bringing my son home. I am certainly glad to know he wasn't in any trouble. And thank you for taking good care of my son. He is a good boy and ever since he began working for Mr. Ken his esteem has doubled or even tripled. He is a very happy lad whom I hope will go on to do great things," said Mrs. Foster.
"Mrs. Foster, did you know that Todd was with us yesterday when we helped the man trapped in the water on the lake? I want you to know he played an integral part of that rescue. He called the Lake Rescue people and relayed messages as needed. He definitely is a keeper," spoke up Dan.
Mrs. Foster thanked Dan again for bringing her son home and then she hugged her son for doing the right thing for that poor man. Todd thanked Mr. Dan for what he'd done for him and said he'd let him or Charles know when he'd be over for his bike.
Dan then went back to his vehicle and sarcastically asked Charles, "Where to?"
Charles response was "Dairy Queen."