Even though the Cover boys went to bed around midnight, they were all up by 9 a.m. Even Billy was up when the rest of his 'brothers' were. They all headed downstairs for breakfast. This was going to be another new experience for Billy.
When the newest Cover arrived in the Kitchen Nook, he was surprised to see Mr. Ken already there reading his newspaper and drinking coffee. The man was dressed in his running shorts and a t-shirt. Now, he knew why the boys had on almost the same clothes. He decided he would get some when he went clothes shopping the next day.
"Billy . . .Momma Maria doesn't come in on weekends, but she does make different breakfast tacos for us to eat on Saturday and Sunday. Which ones would you like to eat? She made us bacon and egg with or without cheese, bean and cheese, potato and egg with or without cheese, or steak and egg with or without cheese to choose from. So, which ones would you like?" asked Robert.
Billy smiled at all the choices he had. He told his 'brother' which ones he'd like and asked Robert to show him what he needed to do to heat them. The teen Cover told Billy how long it would take for the number of different frozen tacos. Robert explained that if they put them into the refrigerator the night before they'll defrost some and won't take as long.
As the tacos were being reheated in the microwave oven, Billy saw one of the twins take out two different cereals for breakfast. The other twin got the milk from the refrigerator, the first twin retrieved two bowls out of the cupboard and the other one brought two spoons to the table. They sat together at the table, filled their bowls with their preferred cereal, poured on the milk and ate in silence.
The microwave's bell rang telling the Covers the food was ready. Robert checked that all the tacos were ready and finding a few not very warm he moved them around some and reset the timer in order to get them all warm enough to eat.
"So, Bill, how is your breakfast?" quietly asked Mr. Ken, when he saw the newest Cover teen sitting and eating his breakfast tacos.
"At my other foster homes I had to fix my own breakfast every day. I was surprised you had Momma Maria come in to fix our weekday breakfasts. I only had that one yesterday, but after tasting her tacos this morning it is as if she is here with us," replied Bill with smile.
Mr. Ken smiled at the response and saw the other Cover boys doing the same. The man let all the boys finish eating before he addressed them.
"Boys, it is a little past 10. Your friends will be here in about two hours. I want you all to go up and take your showers and then come down here in old play clothes. You're going to get dirty out in the garage, but I at least want you all smelling good. And, I'll bet your friends will appreciate you smelling like soap, and not like a slept in bed," smiled 'dad' Ken.
The six boys headed up to take their showers, but Mr. Ken asked Bill to remain with him in the Kitchen Nook.
"Bill, you need to feed Chief. Please give her fresh water and new kibble," asked Mr. Ken.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Ken. I told you I'd try to remember to do that, but . . .I'm sorry I failed. I am very sorry, Mr. Ken," answered Bill.
"Bill . . .you don't need to apologize to me. You need to apologize to Chief," answered back the owner of The Cove.
"Yes, sir," replied Bill, who then bent down and asked Chief to come to him.
"Chief . . .I am very sorry I didn't get you fresh water and kibble this morning when I came downstairs. I hope you'll forgive me. And please, if I don't take care of you before I take care of myself you need to nudge me. Will you forgive me, Chief? Please?" asked a very contrite Bill, who was scratching the resident pet behind her ears not knowing that was where she loved to be scratched.
Chief then pulled back and replied, "Woof, woof, woof." Then the resident pet began licking Bill's face. Bill reached up and scratched Chief where she loved it. Chief then knocked Bill over onto the floor and the two had a good time together.
Eventually, Chief allowed Bill to get up off the floor. Bill emptied both of Chief's bowls and rinsed them. He placed fresh water in one bowl and then went to the cupboard where they kept Chief's food and filled the second bowl with fresh kibble. Chief barked once at Bill and went over and took a drink of water and then ate some of her kibble.
Mr. Ken watched the whole encounter. He was pleased at the way Bill apologized to Chief and how Chief accepted his apology, by playing with him on the floor. The man even laughed at their antics on the floor.
"Bill . . .thank you . . .for what you said to Chief, and then making it special for her by scratching behind her ears, and then rolling on the floor with her. . . .Now, you need to get your shower. Oh, and when you come down please wear some old clothes. Matter of fact, what you have you can consider old. When we go out shopping tomorrow we'll buy you everything new. You'll see. Now, go and join your 'brothers' in the shower," offered Mr. Ken.
When Billy arrived at the boy's bathroom, all of his 'brothers' were finished taking their showers. Matthew asked him where he'd been. The newest Cover told the youngest Cover that he'd forgotten to give Chief clean water and kibble. The teenager continued to tell the whole story while all the boys listened.
Charles spoke up after Billy had finished his tale. "Billy, we all forgot a time or two to take care of Chief when we first got here. So, you didn't do anything wrong. If you forget we'll help you remember. OK?"
"Thanks guys. I felt real bad that I forgot after I told Mr. Ken last night that I wouldn't. . . .I . . .I had better get my shower. I'll join you downstairs in a few minutes," replied Billy.
While Billy took his shower, all alone, he began to think how good it was to be in a home that felt like a home. He never had siblings, but he liked that he now had five boys he could call his 'brothers', and they even thought of him as one already and only after two days.
As the teenager showered, his morning friend came awake. Billy thought back to his forgetting to take care of Chief's needs, but he knew he wouldn't forget to take good care of his friends' needs. The teen decided to do just that even knowing his 'brothers' were probably downstairs waiting on him. The teen laughed as he took care of business.
When Billy finally came down the stairs Matthew called out to him to hurry up. The youngest Cover told his new 'brother' they'd been waiting on him, so they could go out to the garage and get started before all their friends arrived. Billy smiled and caught up to Matthew, ruffled his hair, and went with the boy out to the garage.
"There's my errant boys," laughed Mr. Ken.
"Bill, I hope you won't mind us starting this process instead of talking as I told you we would last night? The boys want to get it done, so they can spend some time with their friends before they have to leave by six," added the owner of The Cove.
"No, I don't mind. There really isn't too much to tell about my first day at school," laughed Bill. The teen then added, "Geez, it sounded like I just had my first day at elementary school."
All of the Covers laughed at what Bill just said. Even Chief barked out a few woof's joining in with all the laughter.
The Cover's got down to their job. Mr. Ken thanked Bill and Robert for making the inserts last night and again for color-coding them to make it easier to identify which Easter gift to award the recipient. The man then left the two teens to choose which plastic Easter Eggs got the special coupons.
The two teens worked together and laughed as they decided which plastic eggs got the vouchers. As they worked, it was as if they had known one another for a long time, and not just for the last two days.
"Boys, I'm going to break the Easter Egg Roll into three different groups this year. I remember from last year how the six and seven year olds had a difficult time against the older and slightly bigger eight, nine and ten year olds. So, what say we try to break the prizes into the three groups?
"The groups will be as follows: the two, three, and four year olds in the first group; the five, six, seven year olds in a second group. We'll put the eight, nine and ten year olds in the third group. Can you do that for me?" announced 'dad' Ken.
So, Billy and Robert set to work to set aside sixteen large plush and Easter baskets and eight small plush Easter prizes for each of the three groups. That left two each of the larger prizes and one small prize left over.
The two Cove teens talked it over and then made an executive decision. They decided to give the two younger groups the extra bigger prizes and the older group the small plush prize. They laughed as they set aside three groups of Easter eggs with the winning coupons in them.
While the two older Covers were working on placing the vouchers into the three different sizes of plastic eggs, their 'brothers' had started taking the eggs out of their cellophane wrappings and dumping them into one of the boxes.
It wasn't even twelve noon, when the older Cover's friends began to arrive. Eric, Brad, Gordon, Chuck, Trevor, Logan, Cody and Josh stopped at the open garage doors and looked in. They asked where they could start and Charles told them to start opening the bags of eggs and dump them into the bigger box.
Todd and Conner arrived just as Charles' friends did a few minutes later. Charles told them all to start helping unwrap the Easter Eggs and toss them into the large box of already opened eggs.
It was then Mr. Ken asked everyone to stop and looked to him.
"Boys . . .I want to introduce you to our newest Cover . . .William 'Bill' Dirketson. I'm sure your Cover friends have told you about him already. And . . .I'm surprised Robert or Charles didn't introduce him to you as you walked up.
"Bill likes to be called Billy, but . . .well, he and I have an understanding that I, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Chris and Momma Maria will call him Bill. I personally think the name Billy is a much younger boy's name, and, since he is in high school, I believe he needs a more mature sounding name. Thus, you will hear me, us, call him Bill.
"Bill is a freshman at Alvin York High School where you all will eventually go. They were also the second place team for the Toy Soldier/Nutcracker build competition. Please treat him as you have his 'brothers' and remember . . .he IS . . .a Cover. Need I say more?" finished a smiling Mr. Ken, while hearing a few laughs from the knowing boys.
Mr. Ken called Todd, Conner and Bill over to him.
"Bill, Todd and Conner are sophomores at your school. It is always nice to know a few people when you first start somewhere new. That makes four people you now know over at your school not counting Mr. Stanley," said Mr. Ken.
Todd and Conner laughed at the attempted joke Mr. Ken tried to make. The sophomores laughed and said they thought they saw a new face on the cheese wagon after school yesterday. The two older teens then pulled Bill aside for a few moments to get better acquainted. When they were finished they got back to work.
The other boys came over to Bill, introduced themselves and shook his hand. As the boys did that, Bill asked them to call him Billy. Most of them didn't say anything, while a few said they'd try to remember.
By then the twins and Matthew's friends began arriving and the introductions started all over again. Billy's hand was sore from all the hand shaking he'd done while meeting all of his 'brothers'' friends.
"Kevin, Kyle and Matthew, please take your friends over to the ramps and you will have unfettered access to them while the rest of your 'brothers', and their friends, help get the Easter Egg Roll ready for next Saturday," directed 'dad' Ken.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh," was heard from the three youngest Covers, as they and their friends walked over to the skateboard ramps. The other boys sort of chuckled, or smiled, as the boys walked away.
"Boys, some of you were here last year when we did this, so you have an idea what to do. Charles and your friends . . .I want you to follow along, and do what the other boys are doing. Before long we'll have this small chore done and over with," laughed Mr. Ken.
As the older boys got to work, Mr. Ken walked over to his younger foster sons and their friends. The man explained why they weren't involved and then pointed over to the large gaggle of boys laughing and ripping open the remaining cellophane bags full of plastic Easter eggs. He asked them if they felt there was enough room for forty boys to be working there together.
"'Dad'", said a timid sounding Matthew, "maybe . . .ahh, maybe we could . . .you know . . .we could help put the coins into the eggs, too? They can put some of the eggs into another box and we could . . .you know . . .do that out . . .you know, out here?"
Mr. Ken thought about that as he walked back into the garage.
"Dad, we're done opening all of the Easter egg bags. Where's the coins?" asked Robert.
'Dad' Ken asked the two older Cover teens to follow him. They went to Mr. Chris' office where Mr. Ken used a key to open the door. There, on Mr. Chris' desk, were two bank moneybags and a large box labeled 'Easter Eggs' with a note attached.
The owner of The Cove asked each boy to take a bag while he grabbed the box that was heavier than it looked. The man then passed the heavy box to Bill while he locked the door. With a smile, Mr. Ken let Bill hold both the bag and the heavy box. Robert took the moneybag off his new 'brothers' hands to lighten the load. The two smiled at one another as they followed behind the man.
When the Covers arrived back at the garage, Eric ran to Robert. Billy noticed what the teen did and how Robert reacted to Eric's immediate attention to his friend. He decided he'd wait and see and watch the two friends.
"Boys, for Charles and his friends, as well as Bill, this year we will be stuffing the plastic eggs not only with money . . .but with Easter candy eggs. Mr. Chris thought that since it is Easter the Easter bunny should pass out some candy, as well, along with the nickels, dimes, quarters and some paper money.
"There are about a thousand plastic eggs in that box. What we have to do next is break open the egg, place some money and, or candy in it, close it up and put the egg into another box that will be for one of three groups.
"The other boys (Mr. Ken pointed out to the younger boys riding the ramps) . . .they want to help, too. What say we load a bunch of plastic eggs into one of the empty boxes and let them put the candy in those? Then, we can mix those up with the rest of the eggs when everything is finished. If we do that, we can get this job done sooner, and we can get to the barbecue quicker," suggested Mr. Ken.
The boys in the garage agreed to Mr. Ken's suggestion and began tossing handfuls of plastic Easter eggs into an empty box. When that box was about a third full, Robert called his younger 'brothers' over to the garage.
"Hey, dad says you and your friends can help after all. Over there is a box of plastic eggs. What you all can do to help is open them up, stuff them with Easter candy and close them back up. Do you want to do that to help dad with the Easter Egg Roll?" asked Robert.
Kevin called over the rest of the boys and told him what Robert was asking them to do. They all enthusiastically agreed and asked where they could start. Robert and Eric brought out the box of eggs set aside for the younger boys to work on, while Billy brought out the heavy box of candy. Billy explained to them what they needed to do.
The younger boys eagerly got to work, but they saw a problem right away. The Easter candy was still in one-pound bags. Matthew quickly got up and grabbed an empty box from the garage and brought it out.
Matthew asked Max to help him open the candy and spilled it into the extra box while the rest of the boys began opening the plastic eggs and placing as many candy eggs they could into them and then closed them back up. Now, they needed another box for the now filled eggs.
Kevin saw the new problem and ran to grab another empty box. The younger boys now had a good assembly line going.
Inside the garage, the older boys had a similar problem. They also needed somewhere to throw their now filled eggs. They grabbed a few empty boxes and told their friends to throw the now filled plastic eggs into them.
You would have thought that when forty plus boys, in the ages of eleven to fourteen, got together there would be lots of noise from their talking and yelling over one another. But, you'd have been proven wrong. The boys were so focused on their task and there was little to no banter between them. The primary noise that was made came from the plastic eggs being thrown into the collection box and bumping against one another.
Mr. Wayne arrived quite late that Saturday. Since, he still lives away from The Cove and works irregular hours for his employer, Mr. Thomas, he takes his time off, as he needs it. That Saturday was a day for laundry and grocery shopping.
"Afternoon, Wayne," sarcastically offered Mr. Ken.
"Good afternoon, boss. I figured you'd have this well in hand . . .and from what I see you have them well trained," laughed Wayne Mitchell.
It took the boys until 2:30 to get all one thousand plastic Easter eggs filled with money and candy. What they needed to do next was separate them into three piles. But, Mr. Ken had a better idea. He called a stop to the job at hand and suggested they start getting the barbeque together.
The man told the boys who were not helping with the barbeque should start making three boxes for the three different Easter egg sizes, for the Easter Egg Roll scheduled for next Saturday, and separate them into those boxes.
As about twenty of the boys began working on getting the barbeque together, the remaining boys had to separate the much smaller plastic eggs from the larger ones. Mr. Ken explained to them that they were for the two, three and four your olds to make it easier for them to pick them up. The boys then separated the medium and large eggs into two boxes for the other two Easter Egg Roll groups.
As the boys ate, Billy thought back at all of what he saw. He couldn't believe that his foster dad let the boys go throughout the house to get everything, and then do the cooking themselves. He saw they got out folding tables for the plates and cutlery, the buns and fixings and brought three large ice chests full of canned sodas. He just knew that barbeque had to have cost Mr. Ken at least one hundred dollars, if not more.
"Robert . . .your dad lets you do this every time your friends come over?" asked a skeptical Billy Dirketson.
"Yea, he does. He's done that ever since Collin lived here. Momma Maria makes sure we have enough of everything. And that reminds me. We all need to thank her in some way for doing that for us. Only one time did we not tell her early enough in advance that we were having a big barbeque that we didn't have enough burgers. Then, I burned the burgers we did have. I'll never let that happen again," replied a smiling Robert.
"Ahhh, Robert, I see some of the boys . . .ahh . . .they sort of have a best friend they hang around. I see you and Eric are best friends, as Logan and Cody seem to be. But, when it comes to the younger boys they don't seem to be buddied up, if there is such a word," laughed Billy.
"Well, if you look close you'll see Sam and Terran are real good friends as well as a few others. But, they all know one another and are good friends but yea, Eric and I are thick as thieves, as my dad calls it. Charles has three or four real good friends, but I think he and Cooper are tight.
"Kevin and Kyle have been here from around Labor Day and Matthew came to us about the beginning of November. They all have good friends, but I don't see them gravitating to any particular friend. Why do you want to know?" asked Robert.
"I'm just trying to get my bearings. This is my second full day here, and I can't believe Mr. Ken lets forty boys come here to what, play?" laughed Billy.
"It wasn't always that way," spoke up Eric. "I started coming over here back when I was ten. Mr. Ken had his first Thanksgiving here and he invited me and my mom and a number of others to enjoy the day. The day after was the attack. Mr. Ken was shot . . ." was Eric got out before Billy stopped him.
"Mr. Ken . . .he was . . .he was shot?" asked a very surprised Billy.
"You were probably eleven back then and you don't remember the shootout that happened here?" asked Eric.
"Well, ahhh, I . . .ahh . . .it's a long story that I'd rather not get into just yet," replied Billy.
"Yea, Mr. Ken was shot. Right down in the Great Room. And, Ryan, another one of our 'brothers', was allowed to take pictures of all the damage and then sell them to the news media. He's using that money to help pay for his college, along with some other money he got from other sources. After that, Collin and Ryan were thick as thieves as Robert and I are now.
"I used to come over here occasionally and they treated me as if I was their 'little brother'. There is way too much to tell you it in just one sitting. You need to talk to Robert. He wasn't here then, but he pretty much knows the whole story," added Eric.
It was then Mr. Ken asked for all the boy's attention.
"Boys . . .I want to thank you all for helping me get the Easter Egg Roll ready for next Saturday. While many of you were getting the food ready, the rest separated the Easter eggs into three distinct piles. They are now ready to be put out next Saturday. All Robert and Bill need to do is mix the prize winning eggs into the piles.
"And, that my boys is where I need to ask you for your help one more time. I am going to ask only Robert's friends, this time, to help me next Saturday. With my six and Robert's eight friends that should be enough to place the thousand eggs out. I hope," said Mr. Ken, to laughs about his hoping there was going to be enough people.
"But, boys, I really do appreciate your stepping up to help me. I had offered the job to the junior class, but they never got back to me. Maybe when many of you are freshmen next year you could take this on as a class project," said Mr. Ken.
"Mr. Ken," called out Logan. "Mr. Ken . . .not helping you today would have been all wrong. You've done so much for us and . . .and for anyone not willing to help you, after all you've done for us, they don't deserve to be allowed to come over here."
"Yea, Mr. Ken," spoke up Brad, "last year you paid us for helping. But, this year . . .I don't want you to give me any money. I did this because how else can I repay you for taking me to SeaWorld and Six Flags and the water park and everywhere else. My parents . . .well . . .they would kill me if I took money from you because I helped you, when you asked for it."
A few "Yea's" were heard from the other boys, who helped last Easter.
Mr. Ken smiled at what he heard.
"Thank you boys. . . .But, I still need Robert's friends to help me out next Saturday, but this time I'd ask you to be here about 10 a.m. That way, we can be organized, put out the eggs and get ready for the Roll at noon.
After the barbeque was put away, the boys decided not to swim. They'd spent much of the afternoon getting the Easter Egg Roll ready, then after cooking and eating, there just wasn't enough time to really enjoy a swim. They said they'd try to make up for it on Sunday. They all laughed.
The boys finished the rest of the afternoon skating. They did ask Mr. Wayne if he'd take them up to the construction area and show them what progress had been made during the week. The Estate Master told them he would, but they had to remind him.
Mr. Ken came outside when he saw the boys leaving for the day. He asked his boys if they were ready to go to dinner. Charles said they'd needed to wash their hands and faces first. Then, Kevin asked how they could wash their face up to their elbows. That caught everyone off guard and then everyone laughed. The boys laughed even harder when 'dad' Ken grabbed Kevin by the shirt and began giving him a noogie.
"Oww," started Kevin, as he rubbed his head, "that . . .that hurt. But it was fun," said a smiling Kevin. 'Dad' Ken then gave the older twin a big hug.
The Covers arrived at the Four Corner Diner and the staff watched them as they got out of the van. The staff noticed there were eight this time and quickly put together three tables for them to sit at.
"Good evening, Mr. Ken," said the hostess, as the Covers walked into the Diner. "We set up a few tables to accommodate your party." The owner smiled knowing the staff was on the ball.
The Covers all took a chair and sat down. The boys left the end seats for 'dad' Ken and Mr. Wayne. Billy watched what the other boys did, and he waited to see which chairs were left before he sat down.
"Robert, son, do you want to tell Bill about this place?" asked the teen's smiling dad.
"Tell me what?" quickly asked Billy.
"Bill, I mean Billy . . .dad . . .he owns this place," replied a smiling Robert. "And, he also owns the restaurant on the other side. It took me a month before I found that out. And Matthew, he learned it the first day like you. I felt cheated that everyone knew about dad owning these places long before I did."
"Oh, you want a pity party, then?' laughed Billy. The rest of the table joined in and laughed.
"Boys, look over your menus and choose what you want to eat," spoke up Mr. Ken.
Charles, who was sitting next to Billy, told the newest Cover they usually just got burgers when they ate on the Diner side. But, since they all ate burgers earlier they'd probably get the meatloaf or chicken fried steak, or something like that.
The pre-teen also told his new 'brother' he could get two sides, and they usually got sodas and the food there was very good. But, not as good as Momma Maria's. The two boys laughed.
As the Covers ate, Billy kept looking at Charles. He told himself when he first met Charles that he thought he knew the boy. But, now, after sitting next to the pre-teen, as they ate, he was convinced he did know his new 'brother. Now, all he had to do was figure out a time and place he could pull his 'brother' aside to talk to him.
Before dinner was over, Matthew asked if they could go and drive the Go-Karts. Billy asked his 'brother' what that was all about. Charles told the new Cover that their 'dad' owned that, too, and when they ate there they usually went over and drove the karts. The pre-teen also told Billy that they sometimes play at the miniature golf course as well, which their 'dad' also owned. Billy laughed at hearing that. Charles then added that it was there they found Matthew.
Billy couldn't believe what he just heard. He learned tonight that Mr. Ken not only owned the Four Corners Diner and Restaurant, but also the Go-Kart Track, and the miniature golf course.
What totally surprised Billy, though, was the revelation about Matthew! He knew there was a story there; he just needed to figure out how he could hear it.
The Covers walked over to the Go-Kart Track and instead of going to the front of the line, Billy and the rest of the Covers went to the back of the line. Billy asked Robert why they didn't get to go first, since Mr. Ken owned the track. Robert explained how his dad looks at the place as a business that has to make a profit, and because he owns it, he doesn't want the people to see him jumping the line.
Charles jumped into the conversation and told his new 'brother' that they needed to show they weren't any better than the people who patiently stood in line waiting their turn, just because they lived with the owner.
Charles added their 'dad let them drive the karts, one time, for an hour before opening one day. Robert then told Billy how their 'dad' did let them go to the front of the lines when they visited his amusement parks, though. Billy shook his head at what he just heard.
When it was the Covers turn, Mr. Ken made sure they were all on the track at the same time. Matthew called 'Front' and when they ran to their karts Matthew was in the front kart. Mr. Ken asked Bill to go to the back with him and watch how his 'brothers' drove and competed. Bill figured this was a test, so he did what he was asked. The other four karts were filled with people who were in line behind them.
When the Green light turned on, Matthew hit the accelerator pedal and quickly took off and away from his 'brothers'. Matthew had been watching and learning every time he drove the karts, and he knew he needed to stay out front if he were going to win.
Robert and Charles took out after their 'brother', but were thwarted by Mr. Wayne who was on the same row as Matthew. The Estate Master deliberately blocked the two from getting around him, allowing Matthew to take a substantial lead.
Everyone behind Robert and Charles were also slowed some, but Mr. Wayne knew he couldn't hold them off for long. The man did his best, but eventually other karts began to pass him even as he continued to run interference for Matthew.
Matthew was no longer intimidated by the speed of the karts and before long he passed 'dad' Ken and Billy. But as the other karts came up to them Mr. Ken had told Bill to block them as best he could. Robert and Charles were mad at their 'dad' for blocking them, and for letting Matthew get a bigger lead than he had before.
Every time Matthew got close to either Mr. Wayne, 'dad' Ken or his newest older 'brother' they let him easily pass. But, those three older Covers purposely delayed anyone who tried to get by them. It worked so well that Matthew just about caught up to everyone and was about to put them all one or two laps behind.
The blocking technique worked so well that Matthew won his first Go-Kart race. He couldn't contain himself as he danced all around with joy, that he finally won a race against his 'brothers'.
"You cheated," complained Kevin. "Admit it. You conspired with 'dad' and Mr. Wayne and Billy to block us every time we got near them. There is no way you would have won!"
"I smell a rat. Matthew . . .did you talk to 'dad' and Mr. Wayne to block for you?" asked Robert.
"No. I won fair and square. I drove faster than the rest of you. It wasn't my fault you couldn't get past 'dad', Mr. Wayne and Billy," angrily replied the youngest Cover.
"That's true boys," spoke up Mr. Ken. "Matthew didn't conspire with us to block you. We conspired together to let Matthew win for a change. So, he won fair and square just as he said," laughed 'dad' Ken.
"Dad that wasn't fair. You'd never do that for us?" complained Robert.
"Why should we? You win just about all the time," answered the teen's dad.
All the time the boys and Mr. Ken were sort of arguing, Billy was taking it all in and inwardly smiling at what he was seeing and hearing. He liked what was happening, and to him it sounded like 'family'. That was one thing he couldn't remember happening with his dad or step-dad.
"You ready for desert?" asked 'dad' Ken.
When the Covers returned from their ice cream fix, Billy was chosen to give Chief her dish if ice cream. All the original Covers stood back to watch how Chief would get her cup of ice cream from the newest Cover.
"Hi, Chief, I have your cup of ice cream. Can you sit for me while I put it down?" said Billy.
Chief sat down for Billy and when she did the older teen placed the dish in front of the resident pet. Chief immediately attacked her favorite treat and lapped it up within forty-five seconds. A new record for Chief.
"Hey, what gives?" asked Kyle. "She always jumps on us and knocks us over to get to her ice cream."
That was when all the Covers saw Billy and Chief wrestling on the floor and having fun.
"She never did that with us," complained Matthew. His 'brothers' all agreed with him.
Mr. Wayne told everyone goodnight and departed The Cove. The rest of the Covers headed to the Study to talk. They all took their regular seats and got comfortable.
"Boys . . .I want to thank you for helping get the Easter Egg Roll ready for next Saturday. It sure was hard work," offered 'dad' Ken.
"What would you know about the 'hard' work," teased Charles. "You didn't do any of it."
"A good supervisor never gets his hands dirty," shot back 'dad' Ken.
"Robert and Charles, your friends . . .they really stepped up today. And, so did your friends Kevin, Kyle and Matthew. Everyone worked as a team, and the job was finished well before the 4 to 5 p.m. timeframe I figured it would take. Thank you.
"Now, as for tomorrow, Bill and I will go out shopping for his new wardrobe. Is there anything any of you need for me to pick up while we're out?" asked Mr. Ken.
The Covers talked some more about the Easter Egg Roll, the Go-Kart race and of course how Chief just waited for her ice cream and then that she and Billy were wrestling on the floor.
Mr. Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to relax some, before going to bed. As the boys walked out of the Study, Mr. Ken asked Bill to stay behind.
"Bill, thank you for helping with the Easter Egg Roll, and at the race track. Matthew has been working hard to beat his older 'brothers', but they somehow always wreck him, or push him off the correct path. So, Wayne and I had decided, long before your arrival, that we'd run interference for the boy the next time we raced.
"I also watched how you've been holding back, and not overplaying the big 'brother' role to the boys. Thank you. I notice you and Robert are getting along very well. It's the younger boys that may take a bit longer to warm up to you.
"Now, about our buying you new clothes tomorrow. Think about what you want, make sure you know your sizes and nothing is off limits. Well . . .almost nothing. We can discuss your choices as you make them. Plan on being gone for four or five hours. And, let's not forget toiletries and an alarm clock," finished Mr. Ken.
"Thank you Mr. Ken for . . .for taking the time to talk with me, and . . .and letting me know what's going to happen, and what I should expect. None of the other foster parents ever paid attention to me, except to have me take out the garbage, and do the chores. I've only been here about three days and I already love it here," offered Bill, as a few tears fell out of his eyes.
Mr. Ken got up and went to the teenager and pulled him into a hug. The boy melted into it and cried. Mr. Ken had experienced that same outbreak many times before, with the other boys, and knew to let the teen get it out of his system.
Ten seconds later the other five Cover boys ran into the Study and formed a group hug.
"What are you boys doing down here. I thought I sent you up to bed?" asked a stern 'dad' Ken.
"When Billy didn't come upstairs right away we . . .we . . .wanted to know why, 'dad'," said Matthew.
"Yea, dad, we wanted to talk to him some before we went to bed and . . .and when he didn't come upstairs we . . .we all wondered why," added Robert.
Billy pulled out of the group hug. He wiped his eyes and then thanked his 'brothers' for caring about him. He thanked Mr. Ken for also caring about him and talking to him and then said he was tired and wanted to go up to his room. Mr. Ken ruffled the teen's hair and told him to sleep well. He then sent the rest of the boys to bed, as well.
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