Three Finger Cove: The Twins ~ Book Four

Chapter Twenty

"Hello, Kevin, Kyle," said Mr. Ken.  "I thought I saw you two walking up here.  None of your friends are here yet, I see."

"No, sir," said Kevin.

Kyle looked at the time and said, "We're a bit early; it's only ten minutes to twelve.  We'll just wait for them since we are already here."

Robert, Charles and Mr. Ken smiled at what Kyle said.  The five Covers waited.

James was the first one to show.  He told Charles they had won their game yesterday and afterwards, his mom took him out for some clothes and a victory dinner.  He explained that was why he didn't show.  Charles told him that it was Ok and that he really didn't miss anything other than four of Kevin's and Kyle's new friends were added to the mix.  The two had a good laugh over that.

"James …" started Mr. Ken.  "Have you had the chance to see your dad lately?"

James looked a bit embarrassed, but told Mr. Ken he hadn't all summer.  Mr. Ken said he was sorry to hear that and hoped he and his dad could get together very soon.

Of course, the twins heard the short conversation, so they asked together, "You don't get to see your dad?"

James looked to Mr. Ken for guidance as to if he should tell the twins.  Mr. Ken looked at the lad and told him that it was his story to tell, and he could if he wanted to but he didn't have to tell them.  James looked at the hopeful twins and told them why he doesn't get to see his dad much if at all.

That struck the twins very hard.  They couldn't imagine their mom not letting them see their dad but then again they were now living at The Cove and couldn't see their dad or mom any time they wanted.  As the twins talked about James' situation and how they are almost in the same boat, James asked them NOT to tell anyone else what he just did tell them.  The twins, as well as Robert, who had never heard the story, agreed not to talk to anyone about it.  James was relieved when he heard that.

Then all of the boys' friends began to arrive.  First Chuck and Sam arrived,  then Trevor and Terran showed up. Before long, all of Robert's and Charles' friends had arrived at The Cove.

"Where could they be?" voiced an anxious Kyle.

Just then Nicholas and his parents arrived and parked.  Then Andrew and his parents, Kelley and Sean Wilks, arrived.  Before long Eli and Nathan arrived with their parents.  They all converged at the Main Gate where Mr. Ken and all the other lads were assembled.

'Hello, Nicholas, I am glad you were able to come back," offered Mr. Ken.

"Thank you, Mr. Ken, I'm glad to be back.  This place rocks!" replied Nicholas.  "You remember my parents, Lynn and Chris Grayham."

"Yes, I do, Nicholas, you and they were here for my Labor Day Picnic weren't you?" laughed Mr. Ken.  The Grayham's and the people around them also laughed.

"'Dad Ken'," started Kyle, "This is Eli, Nathan and Andrew.  I don't know their parents so they'll have to introduce them to you."

"Thank you, Kyle, now which one of you wants to go first?" said Mr. Ken.

"I … I'll go first," offered Eli.  "These are my parents Mr. and Mrs. Winnhaus."  When the kids heard how Eli introduced his parents they all laughed.  Eli was shocked at that.

"Mr. Ken, I am Julian and this is my wonderful and pretty wife, Hazel," said Julian Winnhaus.

Still smiling from the laughter from how Eli introduced his parents, Mr. Ken offered his hand and said, "It is good to meet you Julian, and you as well Hazel.  I am happy that you've allowed your son to come over and spend the day with Kevin and Kyle, my foster sons."

Andrew Wilks went next and seeing how Eli messed up, he introduced his parents this way.  "Mr. Ken …this young lady is my mom, Kelley, and this is my dad, Sean."

"Welcome to my home, Kelley and Sean, and thank you for letting Andrew come back here today and spend the day with Kevin and Kyle, and the rest of the lads you see behind me," said Mr. Ken.

Kelley leaned a bit to the side to look at all the lads behind the man, then she asked, "Aren't some of those boys a bit too old to be playing with Andrew?"

"Oh, you don't remember my other boys?" smiled Mr. Ken.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry, I guess I haven't been over here enough," said a now embarrassed Kelley.

"Yes, Robert and Charles, they are my other foster sons, just like Kevin and Kyle are.  The older and bigger lads you see behind me are their friends."

"Oh, OK," was all Kelley Wilks had to say.

Nathan took that time to introduce his parents.  "Mr. Ken … I want you to meet my mom, Janet, and my dad, John Stonewell.  And, I want to thank you for allowing me to come over to Three Finger Cove today and spend some time with my new friends, Kyle and Kevin."

Ken Thomas shook the hands of Janet and John Stonewell and welcomed the two newcomers and the two returners to The Cove.

"I am happy you've come over to The Cove, which is what we call it nowadays," announced Ken Thomas.  "Kevin and Kyle have only been with me for a little more than a week and they are new to the hosting duties, so Sam and Terran, who are also classmates of your boys, may help them out.  I want you also to know that later in the afternoon, the older boys will get the grill going and your lads will be offered burgers and hot dogs for an afternoon recharge.

"I also want to tell you that your boys will be welcome here from now on, that is if they behave themselves," teased Mr. Ken.  "I told Kevin and Kyle's other new friends and their parents the same thing yesterday.  I wanted to make sure you all know the same offer applies to you as well.  All your lads need to do is coordinate with Kevin and/or Kyle, at school, if they will be coming over.  If they plan to come over, just have your boy bring with them their skateboard, swimsuit and possibly a towel.

"Most of the older lads have been coming over on a regular basis, ever since Robert began living here last January, and I do believe they now keep a swimsuit and towel here permanently.  Some of the lads live quite close and, as you can see, they'll ride their bikes.  As you can also see, the other lads are usually brought here by one of their parents and dropped off.  The lads usually stay until 5 or 6 in the evening depending on what my 'boys' and I have planned.

"And speaking of planning, I will be taking the twins down to San Antonio next Saturday to visit with their parents.  They were all involved in that horrible accident a little more than two weeks ago.  Unfortunately, their parents received numerous broken bones but the worst was they were burned and are in the burn unit at BAMC down in San Antonio.  So, what I am letting you and your boys know is that Kevin and Kyle won't be here next Saturday.  That way you can plan your weekend and if the boys are coming over on Sunday they should tell Kevin or Kyle by Friday.  Do any of you have any questions for me?" finished Mr. Ken.

"Mr. Ken, are you telling us that our sons … they can come over here to play with your boys … just about any time?" asked a perplexed Kelley Wilks.

"Yes, Ms. Wilks, that is what I am saying," replied Mr. Ken.

"Kelley, please, Mr. Ken, but how do you handle this large number of boys?" asked the mom.

But before Mr. Ken could answer, Janet Stonewell and Hazel Winnhaus both piped up and wanted to know who chaperoned all those boys.

Robert stepped up and took that question saying, "I am Robert, and I am thirteen.  For much of the summer, we had Mr. Chris, my 'dad's' Estate Manager here who helped keep an eye on us.  Then, we had Mr. Dan staying here.  He's a Sheriff's Deputy, well, he's a Sheriff's Lieutenant now, but he was injured during a drug raid and my 'dad' asked his friend if he wanted to recuperate here.

"We also had lifeguards when we swam out in the lagoon and they'll be here with us again, today.  So, we had lots of supervision, but mine and Charles friends know if they mess up they will not be asked to come back again.  That was what Mr. Ken meant by your boys 'behaving themselves'."

"Robert, can I ask who this 'dad' of yours is and who is Charles?"  That was Hazel Winnhaus who wanted to know the answer to those questions.

"I'm sorry if I get your name wrong, but you are one of seven new parents I'll need to get to know since your kids will be coming over to The Cove.  You are Ms. Winnhaus, right?" asked Robert, and getting a nod to the affirmative, he continued.

"Ms. Winnhaus, Ms. Stonewell, and Ms. Wilks, Mr. Ken Thomas is the 'dad' I was talking about.  After being here a while, I asked him if I could call him 'dad' and he agreed since my real dad will no longer be in my life.  As for Charles, please come over here, Charles," asked Robert.

When Charles was standing next to his 'brother', Robert said, "This is Charles.  He came to live here right around the 4th of July.  We call one another 'brother' as we are both foster kids in the care of Mr. Thomas.  Charles also calls Mr. Ken, 'dad' and for the time being Kevin and Kyle call Mr. Ken 'Dad Ken'.  I guess it is best for you to know that so when you hear us calling him that you'll understand."

"Thank you, Robert.  That was a great explanation," offered Kelly Wilks.

"Mr. Ken," started Janet Stonewell, "What about today?  Will there be more than one adult here to supervise all these kids?"

Just then Dan Fischer came up to the entrance to the Main Gate in his squad car and stopped and got out.  He sauntered over to the Main Gate, where everyone was gathered, and he looked at Mr. Ken and asked, "You holding a party and you didn't invite me?" the Sheriff's Lieutenant then laughed.

"Dan, I want you to meet three of Kevin and Kyle's new friends from school and their parents.  Your name came up in conversation, so I am glad you decided to show up here," replied Ken Thomas.

"Hi, there folks, I am Sheriff's Lieutenant Dan Fischer and I stayed here at The Cove for about six weeks at the end of the summer.  I just went back on duty after I recovered from being shot in the line of duty during a drug raid," was how the Sheriff's Lieutenant introduced himself.

"Do you live here still?" asked Hazel Winnhaus.

"No ma'am, I have an apartment not too far from here.  I do have a key and my own access code to the house and I am available to watch over the boys when I am not on duty," answered Dan.

Some of the other parents had listened to the conversation, between Mr. Ken and the new parents, and after Dan Fischer finished talking they spoke up.  The parents who drive their boys over to The Cove told the new parents about the things Mr. Ken had done for their sons all summer and how extremely happy they were that their boys had a safe and caring place to be rather than playing out on the streets and possibly getting into trouble.  Then one parent mentioned Logan's name and how he, Todd and Mr. Ken received awards last weekend for saving Walt Tancard's life.

Hearing that Logan was there in that sea of boys made Janet ask, "Logan … you're a Boy Scout aren't you?"

Logan stepped forward and answered he was.  The six new parents all stepped forward to shake his hand, and thanked him for doing what he did to help save that teenager.

Julian Winnhaus then stepped forward towards Mr. Ken and asked him about the guards.  Mr. Ken told the man, and anyone within earshot, about how the guards were hired after the ruckus during the 4th of July Picnic and how he's reduced their presence once the drug gangs had been virtually eliminated.

The owner of The Cove then explained how he liked having someone control who comes and goes at The Cove, so he kept a minimal presence there.  Mr. Ken then told the new parents that their sons would be registered in the database, and once they were known by the guards they would be allowed directly in without having to sign in or out.

The lads got antsy about wasting good skating time, so Charles told Mr. Ken that he was going to take Kevin, Kyle and their friends down to the ramps.  Robert seconded that motion and he and his friends followed along.  That left the parents up at the main gate to get better acquainted.

"Boy those adults sure know how to talk," said Dominic.  That caused the majority of the boys to laugh.

"Hey, Dominic … how long have you been coming here?  I didn't know you and Wyatt and San and Terran would be here as well," spoke up Andrew.

Sam took that question and he explained how he and Terran had helped build the ramps, along with their dads and some carpenters, and ever since Mr. Ken has allowed them to come over and ride them.

Terran then spoke up and told him, Eli and Nathan how Mr. Ken told them he wanted them to have a few friends their age over, so they, at one time, had invited Nicholas and Andrew and since then they invited Dom and Wyatt.

That satisfied the new lads and before long the new boys were asked to show their stuff.  And, just like yesterday, with so many boys trying to ride the ramps, Robert explained that he and his friends would go out on the water toys and let the new kids skate more.

Soon there were only the eleven-year-olds; Kevin, Kyle, Dominic, Wyatt, Sam, Terran, Nicholas, Eli, Nathan and Andrew, standing at the ramps.  The twelve-year-olds; Charles, Cooper, Camm and David decided to stay to help the younger boys with their skating skills if they needed it.

The new boys thoroughly enjoyed the skateboard ramps.  They, like their friends from the previous day, couldn't believe how smooth and sturdy they were, even after being out in the elements the past six months, or so.  The new lads also appreciated the older boys' giving them some pointers on how to do some of the basic tricks better.

It was close to 1:30 when Sam said he was going to change into his swimsuit and head out to the water toys.  As he was walking away, Terran yelled for his friend to wait up and the two eleven-year-olds turned the corner headed to the Locker Room to change.

"Hey, where are they going?" asked Eli.

Kyle told Eli that they were going to change into their swimsuits and then go swimming with the older boys.  Nathan wanted to know where they were going to change.  It was Kevin who asked the group if they were ready to go swimming.  Learning they were, the older twin told the boys to grab their bags and follow him.

They took the same route they did yesterday, but no one asked why.  When they entered the indoor pool area the three new lads were astonished at seeing the size of the indoor pool and how amazing it looked.

"Geez, I've heard stories about this pool, but I never thought I'd get to see it in person," spoke up Nathan.

"Yeah, would you look at this place?" said Andrew, to no one in particular.

Sam then told the three new guys to follow him.  Along the way, Sam explained why the lockers were out on the pool deck and not in the Locker Room.  Once inside the Locker Room, the older lads started to change.  They watched the new guys to see how they would respond to seeing them naked.

It was Charles who saw the new lads looking at the four naked lads and said, "See anything you like?"  Then he and his friends, Camm, Cooper and David, laughed really hard.

"Don't mind them," said Kyle.  "They like walking around without their clothes on."  Then he and his twin and Sam and Terran all laughed.

"So, why are they naked?" asked Eli.

"Well, you need to change into your swimsuit and the only way you can do that is to take your clothes off first," spoke up Sam.

"To be honest, the first couple of times is the more nerve-wracking," said Dominic.  "What you should do is take your suit out of your bag and place it on the bench.   Then, sit down and take your shoes and socks off and then stand up and face the wall.  Then, leaving your shirt on, you pull down your shorts and undies.  After that's done, you put on your swimsuit, take off your shirt and then we'll show you how to use the lockers."

"Did the other guys do that yesterday?" asked Nathan.

"Yes, they did and they acted exactly like you are now.  It is sort of embarrassing to do what Dom said, but once you do it the way he said you'll see how easy it is," added Wyatt.

With that said, Dominic and Wyatt began taking their clothes off.  Kevin and Kyle went to a different bench and they too began to undress.  The difference was the four eleven-year-olds were facing forward, meaning they were not facing the wall but out towards their friends.  When the four boys were completely nude they asked their friends to try it.

Nicholas had been there a time or two and knew the drill, so he went to the same bench the new guys were at and he told them to follow his lead.

Nicholas took off his shoes and socks, and the three new boys did the same.  Nicholas took his swimsuit out of his bag and placed it on the bench.  The new kids did the same.  Then Nicholas hooked his thumbs under the waist of his shorts and pulled them down along with his underwear.  The three new lads were a bit hesitant to do the same.

"Look, guys, eventually you'll be in junior high school and you'll have to shower after gym.  If you get used to changing here, with some of your friends, when you have to do it later in junior high, with kids you don't know, it will be real easy.  Then it'll be you who is laughing at the kids who are afraid to show their equipment," said Sam.

"Their equipment?  What's that?" asked Eli.

The other lads knew what Sam meant so they all laughed.  Charles took that question and told the new kids that it was one of the names they call their dicks and balls.  Then, the twelve-year-old told Eli, Nathan and Andrew that they also call them 'boy toys', 'boy parts' and 'dangly parts'.  That made those three laugh, too.

"Ok, let's get those suits on," called out Kevin.  "It is getting late and if we don't hurry a cool breeze could come up and it won't be fun out on the water toys."

The three hesitant lads all faced the wall and dropped their shorts and underwear like Nicholas had done and quickly put their swimsuits on.  They then took their shirts off and gathered all their clothes and asked what they did next.

With their clothes in a locker, the fourteen kids all headed out to the beach.  It was there the new lads got their first good look at the water toys.  The three new kids were amazed at their size and were anxious to get out there.  All fourteen lads waded into the water until they could begin to swim.  Soon all fourteen lads were climbing up on the platform.

Kevin explained the two large water toys to the three new friends.  He then told them to walk to both of them and try them out.  Nicholas led the way telling them how much fun it was to jump off the top.

Nathan was the first one to climb to the top of the Jungle Joe II.  When he got to the top he was surprised what he could see from the fourteen-foot height.  When Eli got to the top he looked around and then jumped on the slide and went down fast into the water.

Andrew's first stop was the small wading pool located in the base of the Jungle Joe.  He sat down in the water and was amazed at how warm the water was.  Kyle told him that the sun heated it up and unless people splashed a lot of water at whoever was inside the water stayed warm.  Andrew then climbed to the top and joined Nathan who had stayed up there.

It was then Eli called over to Nathan and Andrew from the other water raft.  "Hey, you need to check this one out.  Nathan and then Andrew went down the slide and then they swam to the other raft and climbed to the top.

"Geez, that was fun trying to use those stepping rocks to get the top," said Nathan.

"Yeah, and Kevin told me they play a game called 'King of the Raft' and they throw people off the top and the last one standing up here is the winner," explained Eli.

"Hey, you want to jump?' excitedly asked Nathan.  Then the eleven-year-old did.

Eli watched Nathan hit the water and make a big splash and then rise to the top with a big smile on his face.  Eli jumped next.  He too came to the top of the water and said he loved the thrill.  It was Andrew's turn, but he hesitated.  But, with a little cajoling, Andrew, too, jumped.  When he came to the top he told his friends he was happy he tried that.  Soon all the eleven-year-olds jumped in after them.

It was Chuck who saw what the younger lads did and yelled, "Hey, the young guys, they all jumped off the Iceberg Climbing Wall.  You want to see if they want to play?"

Robert didn't want the three younger lads to get discouraged by some of the rough stuff that could happen when they played that game, so he went over to all the eleven-year-olds and talked to them.  He explained that it could get a bit rough when they played their game, but the three new guys said they wanted to give it a try since they thought it was fun to jump off the top.  The game was ON!

The older kids decided to give the three new lads a 'second life' chance after they were thrown off the top the first time.  The three lads agreed and from there all the kids lined up around the Iceberg Climbing Wall and on the whistle of the guard, they were to climb to the top and try to be the last man standing.

The older lads had the advantage as their legs were longer and they also had the experience of playing the game many, many times.  The eleven-year-olds held back because Sam told them to let the older lads throw as many off the top as they could then they could gang up on the remaining kids.

That was a good strategy but as soon as the younger, much lighter eleven-year-olds went to the topmost of them were thrown off.  The three new lads were included, but since they had a 'second life' they climbed back up on the platform and waited for some time before trying to approach the top and this time a bit more carefully.

Logan was the oldest teen standing at the top.  Many other thirteen and twelve-year-olds were snipping at his feet trying to unstable him.  Then Brad and Josh attacked from different corners and Logan was off the top.  The splash was heard all around the raft.  The eleven-year-olds thought that was the neatest thing and they were loving the game.  Unfortunately, there weren't many eleven-year-olds left.

Brad and Josh were the ones who dethroned Logan, but soon enough they both were sent flying off the top and now Cooper was at the top.  Eric had played that game enough to know not to go up first like so many liked to do.  He hung back on the side opposite the platform and that was where he was when Cooper took over the top spot.

The game now boiled down to strategy.  It was now who could fake out the others in order to make it to the top and fend off all comers.  Even though Kevin and Kyle had been thrown off the top already, they climbed onto the platform and encouraged their friends to try to take the top.

The three new lads were just some of the eight or so lads left who could ascend to the top and win.  But could they.  The other lads tried to get them to race to the top and distract Cooper so they could push him off, but the three new lads knew what would happen if they did.  They'd get thrown off the top like they did that first time.

Trevor and Gordon talked Hunter and David into attacking and when they did Cooper went flying off the top.  Actually, he tumbled down but the question was who would be left standing.  David wasn't a very strong kid so he went off first.  Trevor and Gordon ganged up on Hunter and he went next.  It was while Trevor and Gordon were busy that Eli, Nathan and Andrew all climbed to the top and were able to throw Trevor off before Gordon was able to throw all three of them off.

In the end, Gordon was the Last Man Standing and won that game of the 'King of the Raft'.  The teenager was welcomed to the Patio as the victor, but was then relegated to cooking.  Robert told him it was his turn, but it was Charles who went up to him to tell him he cheated and this was his punishment.  The two had a good laugh.

"So, how did you like playing the game?" asked Kevin of his three new friends.

All three lads had great big smiles on their faces.  Eli said he'd never played a game like that before and he said he wanted to play again.  Nathan said it was fun, too and was ready as well.  Andrew was a bit more reserved, but he did agree that if he was there when they played that game again he'd join in.

Robert had gone over to his 'brother's friends and he heard how they loved playing and were all ready to play again.  The teen now felt bad that he didn't let the other four, the previous day have the chance at the fun.  He told himself he'd try to remember that, if any new kids joined them out on the water toys.

Eli, Nathan and Andrew were the first ones to get a burger and dog and then headed to the fixings to top them off.  They then grabbed a can of soda and the ten eleven-year-olds sat together to eat.

'Dad' Ken came out for his burger and seeing the new kids sitting with all their friends, went over to them and sat down.  He engaged them in conversation and found out they played the 'King of the Raft' game.  He was surprised they would do that on their first time there, but was happy with how they enjoyed the game.

Mr. Ken was still sitting with the eleven-year-olds when Charles came over to him and asked if they could swim inside before all their friends had to go home.  Robert saw his 'brother' talking to their 'dad', so he went over to find out what they were talking about.  Hearing what they were talking about, the teen joined in trying to talk Mr. Ken into letting them all play inside.  Mr. Ken smiled knowing he couldn't refuse since it was he who encouraged the boys to use the indoor pool yesterday.

"Hey everybody," yelled Robert.  "'Dad' says we can swim inside, so let's clean up real good and then rinse off and have some more fun!"

And that was what the older lads did.  In the meantime, Kevin and Kyle took their friends into the Locker Room showers and had them rinse the lake waters off real good.  Then Charles told them they had to do Mr. Ken's swim test.  The three new lads quickly agreed to swim across the widest part of the indoor pool and when they had accomplished that they were officially 'tested' and approved.

As the eleven-year-olds were starting to have fun, the older lads came into the pool area and headed to the showers to rinse off.  Before long there were 27 kids having a blast swimming in the indoor pool.

Mr. Ken came down to watch the kids.  Of course, the lifeguards were there as well, but he didn't come to supervise; he came to watch and enjoy their antics.  He wasn't disappointed.

The kids played the many games that kids their ages played in the pool: sharks and minnows, horsey, chicken, Marco Polo, how far out they could jump off the rock, which lad could make the biggest cannonball splash, and some other race games.  It was the younger lads who challenged the others to swim across the pool totally underwater.  The younger lads won.  The younger lads asked if there were coins they could throw into the water to see who could come up with the most in one breath but they didn't have any coins.  Mr. Ken heard the request and made a mental note to get something like that for the kids to use.

Before long it was time to get out of the water and dried off and headed up to the Main Gate to meet up with their parents.  The three new lads were a bit hesitant to go into the Locker Room to change.  It was Eli who asked Kevin what did they do if they someone got a boner.

Charles heard the question and laughed.  He told Eli that they were so tired from swimming he couldn't get a boner if there was a naked girl in the Locker Room.  Eli blushed at the thought but he had to agree he was really tired out.  The eleven-year-old got his clothes out of his locker, went to the side bench, faced the wall and took off his swimsuit not caring who saw him.  He was soon changed and Nathan and Andrew hadn't gotten their clothes out of their lockers.

It wasn't long before the older lads were taking their swimsuits off and walking naked into the toilet area to pee.  They then walked back and got dressed.  Eli, Nathan and Andrew were totally shocked they did that in front of so many and Eric saw the looks on their faces.  The teen told them they should get used to seeing swinging dicks and balls if they were going to come over and swim.

Eric also told them that no one is going to watch them, look at them or even laugh at them and told them to just change as if they were in their bedroom at home.  Andrew looked at Nathan and the two of them faced the wall and began to change.  As they did that they didn't hear anyone laughing or snickering behind their backs so they continued until they were finished.

"Now that wasn't so bad was it?" asked Eric.  The two eleven-year-olds just smiled back and walked out to the pool deck.

The lads walked to the Main Gate as a group, and most of the parents were waiting for their sons to arrive.  Some of the older lads went to their parents' vehicles and they were soon off and going home.  The lads with their bikes said their 'Goodbyes' to everyone and again thanked Mr. Ken for allowing them to come over and they were soon gone, too.

The parents of the new kids were all out of their cars and waiting for their sons.  They wanted to hear firsthand what they had to say about their day and to hear what the other boys liked or didn't like.

"Mom, dad, I had a blast!" called out Eli, as he walked to his parents.  "The skateboard ramps are awesome even though they were out in the elements the past six months.  They were smooth and sturdy and quick.  And the older boys showed us some ways we could do our tricks better.  That really helped us with some of our tricks."

"Nathan, what did you like about the day?" asked his dad, Julian Winnhaus, with his wife standing right there.

"Dad, mom, the water rafts are awesome," began Nathan.  "There are two different ones with a platform between them.  We played a game and getting thrown off is lots of fun."

Hearing their son was thrown off a raft made Hazel cringe, but Julian told her if the lad had fun then she should let it be.  Nathan then said he also had to agree with what Eli said about the ramps.  Then he told them about swimming in the indoor pool.

"Mom, dad, Mr. Ken's indoor pool is totally awesome.  Even though there we 27 of us it didn't feel crowded.  The older kids played all the pool games we could think of and sometimes they won and sometimes we won.  I had a great time and I can't wait until I can come back again; thank you for letting me come over here today," finished Nathan, who then hugged each of his parents.

Andrew told his parents, Kelley and Sean, just about the same story as Eli and Nathan had.  He wasn't as enthusiastic as the others in his accounting of the day but in the end, he told his parents he wanted to come back again.

The parents of the three new lads all thanked Mr. Ken for the great time their son had there that day.  They told him they would be in touch and before long all the lads had gone home.

"Well, boys, are you ready to go to Four Corner's for dinner?" asked 'Dad Ken'.

"Only if we can drive the race cars this time when we're finished, 'Dad Ken'" said Kevin.

"Deal!  Now get fresh clothes on and we'll go, let's say in ten minutes," said Mr. Ken.

When they were finished eating, the Covers headed over and rode the Go-Karts.  After that, Mr. Ken took his 'boys' over to DQ for an ice cream.  The lads slept very well that night, they were so tired.