At the younger Covers school that Monday morning, Jameson, Xavier, Jonathan, and Damien, waited for the Covers to get off the bus. When they arrived, the four hopefuls couldn't hold back their enthusiasm as to what they saw the previous day. They couldn't hold back that they would get the chance to, not only go to Three Finger Cover in a couple of weeks, but use the brand new Cove Skate Park and swim.
As the ten boys talked about The Cove, other students heard their conversation. They listened to what the Knowlers lads and Portlander boys said. Of course, they had to ask them why they were at The Cove and how was it they were going to be invited over there.
All ten boys laughed at the questions, and this time it was Jameson and Xavier who answered instead of Robert, Charles, or Eric. With so many boys of many different ages congregating together, Mr. Chassen slowly walked over to try to hear what he could to determine if there was a problem brewing.
"Hey, don't look now, but Mr. Chassen is headed over this way. Should we all run away, in different directions, and see who he chases?" asked a laughing student.
Robert told everyone to stay still, that Mr. Chassen was a good teacher and a friend. The teen told them the man was probably wondering why so many of them were talking when they usually didn't hang around together.
"So right you are, Mr. Thomas," said a smiling Dan Chassen.
"So, may I ask, what's the big discussion about, Robert?" asked the teacher.
"We were talking about Saturday's storm and how Jon, Xavier, Dame, and Jameson were over at The Cove yesterday, when their moms brought them over to pick up their older brothers," explained the Cover teen.
"Yea," spoke up an enthusiastic Damien, "our older brothers ... they're friends with their older brother, or something like that, and we went to The Cove with our moms to pick them up after the storm on Saturday and Sunday.
"But, on Sunday, we got to walk around to the back Patio and go into the house and see the indoor pool. We also learned that Mr. Ken ... that he is having a big Memorial Day Picnic and ... and we'll all get to go. We just had to talk some more to Robert, Charles, and Kevin and Kyle about everything," finished the young Portlander.
"Hmmmm, another big picnic at The Cove. I wonder if I'll get an invite?" teased the teacher.
One of the gathered students spoke up and asked Mr. Chassen, "Why would you get to go? You're too old to be friends with the Cover boys."
"But ... I am friends with ... Mr. Ken," laughed Dan Chassen, as he walked away with a smile on his face.
"Guys, Mr. Chassen was just teasing you. He is a good friend of our 'dad' and is usually invited to all of our picnics. As a matter-of-fact, some of the other teachers have been invited to some of our picnics, too," offered Robert.
It was then the first bell rang.
At the high school, the talk of the morning was about the sudden Saturday storm. And, this time, besides Billy and his five friends, there were a number of other students who gathered with them to talk and listen to what they had to say.
Billy was the de facto hero of the school right now, because he stood up to the bullies and fought the system. Many of the students, who were bullied and beaten by those three, and others, felt safe around him and his friends.
Jamie mentioned what happened at The Cove during the storm that got the other high schoolers' attention. The freshman told how they were eating burgers and hot dogs when the bright flash of lightning happened and almost immediately followed by a very loud crack of thunder.
Gabe picked up the story and told how Mr. Ken told everyone to leave their plates and head into the house. The freshman added how the large drops of rain began to fall that was quickly followed by larger drops and then a torrent of rain and finally the hail. The teen told how the Patio took on a snow-like look from all the hail that fell, as well.
Other students jumped into the storytelling what they were doing at the time the storm came through. The students told of broken tree limbs, downed power lines, and trash cans were thrown around the streets. Bill was happy they weren't focused on him. Then, the first bell rang.
Mr. Wayne arrived at The Cove at eight a.m. He wanted to talk to the construction supervisor first thing, so he could tell him about the storm and what they'd done. The supervisor had been on site for almost a half-hour when Mr. Wayne approached him.
"Did Mr. Thomas hire a remediation company to clean up the skate park," immediately asked the man, when he saw Wayne Mitchell?
"No, actually he and his sons and their friends cleaned up the park after the storm. We even went out and bought a pressure washer to get the final light-brown coating of mud off the concrete, so it wouldn't stain.
"As you can see, we just threw the rocks back inside the surviving forms. We figured you'd have to replace the base and throwing the stones back wouldn't be a problem," replied Mr. Wayne, the Cove Skate Park Project Manager.
The two men talked at length about the storm and the cleanup and what it meant. During their talk, Mr. Wayne also mentioned they wanted to amend the contract and add additional concrete at the end of the new driveway for some bike racks and a locker pad. The Estate Master told the supervisor they would be providing the new equipment.
Mr. Chris arrived at The Cove not too long after Mr. Wayne had. He was concerned there would be damage to The Cove and he'd have to find repair companies or order parts and pieces to repair the damage. After the Estate Manager had gotten his first cup of hot coffee, he searched out his employer.
"Morning boss ... did The Cove sustain much damage from the storm?" asked Mr. Chris, as he walked into the Study and took a seat,
"Chris, I am glad you came in early. We didn't have too much damage from Saturday's storm. Actually, the house came through unscathed. The Patio grill did take a hit as well as the folding tables and some of the Patio furniture. The folding tables will need to be replaced, and we'll have to decide, later, what to do about the Patio furniture.
"Wayne is up at the construction trailer talking to the supervisor about what the storm did to the skate park and extended driveway and what extra concrete and equipment we want to add up behind the pavilion," explained Mr. Ken.
"Extra equipment and concrete, Mr. Ken?" asked Chris.
"Yes, Chris, I reminded the boys we hadn't selected what tables and chairs we'd use under the Pavilion, so I had them use their fingers, on the world wide web, to find what they thought were the best ones to use.
"Then, as the boys tend to do, they also found lockers, bike racks, and the trash cans they wanted to add to the project. Kyle also found some outside games that would fit right into the project. They gave me some convincing argument for the additions, and I told them we'd talk about it on Saturday morning when we selected the tables and chairs.
"So, that is where you come in, Chris. The boys and I ... we selected the Pavilion tables and benches this weekend, and after careful review and arguments, I agreed to add the bike racks, games, and lockers. The trash cans were a no-brainer.
"Robert is in charge of finding the best outside lockers and Charles is in charge of finding the bike racks and trash cans. You, of course, will get to order all of them," laughed Mr. Ken.
"Chris, there is something else I want to talk to you about. I thought I mentioned it to you a while back, but no matter, what I want ... what I want you to look for are golf carts. Golf carts we can use to transport people and picnic supplies from the house up to the Pavilion, and whatever else we want.
"At the amusement parks, they use them all over and they get around quite easily. They have some as work, delivery, and inspection carts and they ride so smooth and easy. I want you to look for at least two six-seater golf carts. And maybe look for a specialized cart for carrying things.
"When you look at them, and you may have to do some on-site inspection, the back seats fold down to make a shelf we can use to carry the supplies up to the storage closet. Oh, and look if they have workhorse golf carts we can use to carry heavy items to and from the Pavilion.
"Wayne is supposed to talk to the construction supervisor to get a better handle on when we'll get access to the Pavilion, so we can have the new tables and benches installed. Oh, we'll have to find an installer for that, too, as the new equipment will be permanently mounted to the floor.
"When Wayne reports back we'll know how things are moving along with the skate park. You also need to know I mentioned the Memorial Day Picnic to the parents this weekend as their sons helped clean the skate bowls, Patio, beach, and shoreline. You should have seen what we had to deal with," laughed Mr. Ken.
"Well, I could if ... if you'd call up the CCTV cameras and we could both look at it together," teased Mr. Chris.
The phone rang as the two men talked. It rang at Mr. Ken's desk since the phones hadn't been transferred to Mr. Chris' office, yet. When Mr. Ken answered it, he learned it was one of the commissioners from back near his Crystal Lake Amusement Park.
The gist of the conversation was the Commissioner's Court asked Mr. Ken if he could come to a hearing that Thursday and explain his proposal for his helping to build the new County roadway. Mr. Ken learned the hearing would be an open forum and he may have to answer questions, not only from the Commissioners, but from the public, as well.
Mr. Ken told the man he would gladly be there and all he needed was the time and place. The man gave Mr. Ken the time and place and a quick rundown of what the other six commissioners were concerned about. The man also asked about the legalities of what he wanted to do and hoped he'd bring some assurances that his proposal was indeed above board.
Mr. Ken told the man whom to contact in his local Commissioners Court, to get what legal remedies they used to build the Four Corners highways and infrastructure, the Lakeside Water Park, and the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters. The Crystal Lake Amusement Park owner said he'd bring a working copy of his proposal, so they could take a good look at it, comment on it and give him constructive feedback.
While the phone call was in progress, Mr. Wayne came into the Study with his coffee cup filled with steaming hot coffee. Mr. Ken smelled it and handed his cup to the Estate Master to go get him a fresh cup of hot coffee, too. When Mr. Wayne came back he was pushing the serving cart with a carafe of hot coffee and some of Momma's sweet cakes situated on top.
Mr. Ken explained the phone call to both men and that he would be leaving Wednesday, around noon to attend the meeting the Commissioners were going to hold. The owner of The Cove told Wayne he'd be needed to watch over the boys, until he returned late Thursday night. Mr. Wayne then reminded his boss that the adoption ceremony was going to be Friday and he was cutting it close. Mr. Ken said he knew that.
The three men talked some more about the storm. The owner of The Cove wanted Mr. Chris on the same page, understanding what they did to clean up the Cove Skate Park, Patio, and shoreline on Saturday and Sunday.
When it was Mr. Wayne's turn to talk, he told the two men the construction supervisor was grateful for the cleanup they did. The Estate Master explained the man called the company's owner and told him how much we'd done and what they now wouldn't have to do and thus lose time. Mr. Wayne said the company's owner said he'd add the extra concrete as a 'thank you' for all of our hard work.
Mr. Ken said he thought he, the owner, was getting a sweetheart deal and that they needed to milk that generosity. Mr. Ken told Wayne to see if the supervisor would also throw in the installation of the tables, benches, lockers, bike racks, and trash cans.
Chris and Wayne laughed at what their employer was asking from the construction company. All Mr. Ken would say was, "If you don't ask the question, you can never know the answer." The two employees laughed some more, but understood what their employer was attempting to do.
The hotel was supposed to open in less than two weeks. Mr. Ken knew he needed to devote the majority of his time there, but the trip back east to try to sell his roadway project would cut deeply into that time. All the man could do was rely on the construction supervisor and project manager to get the place ready for their first guests, he and his boys.
That reminded the owner of the new hotel he needed to call the hotel manager, who was there getting the inside ready for opening day, to set aside the two Presidential Suites and four adjoining rooms for him and his family and friends. Mr. Ken told Chris to make sure that happened.
The day was a busy one for all the people associated with The Cove. Bill Jackson called to tell Ken Thomas the adoption ceremony was scheduled with Judge Richards for Friday at 1 p.m. The office building construction supervisor wanted Mr. Ken to stop by that week to discuss the timetable and other aspects of the building, as it was getting closer to each floor being completely finished.
Mr. Ken told the man the entire top two floors were rented, just in case people started to stop by with requests for opening dates and availability. That reminded him of another thing he needed to do and that was to have his Real Estate Group to begin advertising the office building for rent. He asked Mr. Chris to call and remind them the top two floors were already rented for now. The man gave no explanation for that being so.
At lunch, the boys continued to talk to Jamie's and Gabe's brothers about The Cove and other students about the storm, and what the four boys would get to do when they attend the Memorial Day Picnic. Some of the students listening now wished they had been friendlier towards the Covers, so they would be going as well.
At the high school, lunch was almost the same thing with Billy. He and his friends talked about the storm, but much of the conversation centered around The Cove's cleanup and the new Cove Skate Park Mr. Ken was building for his 'sons' and their close friends. Some of the students asked how they could get an invitation. Billy never answered.
After lunch, Momma drove Ms. Judy over to her house to get her car. The CPS Director took the clean clothes her son worked on that weekend, between doing that and working on the storm damage. That was the first time Momma Maria got to visit Judy Turner's home.
All of the younger boys decided to wait for Billy to return from school before they ate their after-school snack. Momma was happy about that since it made it easier for her. After Billy finally came home and the boys came into the Kitchen Nook together, they were laughing and carrying on like long-lost friends. As they ate their snack, their laughter was uproarious and carried out into the MRS Room and Study.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne came to the Nook to see what all the laughter was about and they decided to stay and have a snack as well. Ms. Judy was there as well and she took mental notes of what she saw and decided she would place them into all the boy's folders, since she was still their caseworker.
After dinner, the Covers and their guest talked in the Study about their day and before long everyone agreed they had a long weekend, and going to bed early sounded good. It was a quiet night in The Cove for everyone.
At breakfast, the Cover boys told their 'dad' they weren't happy he was going away, again. They added they were somewhat happy it was only for two days and not the whole week, this time, but they still wished he wasn't leaving. The boys finished their breakfast, hugged Momma Maria, and then headed off to school.
As Billy entered the Nook, he said good morning to Mr. Ken and Momma Maria and then took care of Chief's needs. The teen and his foster dad talked about the man's upcoming trip and what it meant. Billy, then tongue in cheek, said he hoped nothing else would happen to him while Mr. Ken was gone, this time. The two had a good laugh over that.
Mr. Ken's morning hadn't gotten fully into gear when he received a phone call from DA Morris. George Morris wanted to give Mr. Ken a heads up about what was going to happen in the very near future. The official call was to inform Mr. Thomas that the men, who tried to kidnap his 'boys' and their friends, would go forward with their trial by the middle of May.
Ken Thomas dreaded the day he would get that phone call. He knew the men would be eventually tried and now he knew when that would be. The owner of The Cove asked what his boys, and their friends, needed to do and respectfully asked that it not interfere with their school studies, STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) Testing, and school finals.
DA Morris told the man he understood what he was saying after what they went through with Robert last year. The DA asked if the man was going to use that same argument again since the trials could last well into the summer. George Morris said he'd do what he could, but once the trial starts he had no control.
Mr. Ken asked the DA what he thought the chances were that the men would take a plea bargain. Mr. Ken argued they would get less time in jail if they did than if they decided to go to trial and lose. DA Morris said he and his staff were working hard on that angle and since they had two of the men turn State's Evidence, the trial should be a slam-dunk, if the remaining men decided to go to trial.
Mr. Ken then asked if the DA thought all the boys would be needed for the trial. DA Morris said he hoped not, but they all need to be prepared to tell their story. Mr. Ken thanked the man for the heads-up and asked him to let him or Wayne Mitchell, his Estate Master, know when the actual date is set.
The first call Mr. Ken made after the District Attorney hung up was to his lawyer, Bill Jackson. He told his lawyer what DA Morris called him about and what they discussed concerning his 'boys' and their friends.
The two men decided they needed to sit down and discuss how to prepare the boys and what to do about their friends. Mr. Ken told Bill he didn't need that right now and explained what all he had on his plate. Bill said he was aware of what was on his plate, and would take care of calling the other four boys' parents when they hung up.
When Wayne and Chris came into the Study, their employer told them about DA Morris' phone call. The three men then discussed what that would mean to The Cove and the boys themselves. Mr. Ken then made a phone call to Jules Diamond.
At the younger Cover boys' school, they were still talking about the storm and the new Cove Skate Park. Many of their schoolmates were still interested in what the skate park looked like and they wanted to know about the Pavilion they were now talking about.
The Covers took out their cell phones and showed the curious students the pictures they'd taken before the storm. None of them thought to take pictures after the storm hit and the cleanup began.
At the high school, many more freshmen tried to get to know Billy. Some, just so they could be invited to The Cove, others because they thought he was an interesting boy. But, for a few others, they wanted to get to know Billy in a different way.
Those interested in getting to know Billy Dirketson, in a very different manner, were some of the freshman and sophomore females. They all saw him as a handsome unknown and someone who would stand up for himself, and others, and fight for what he thought was right. They really wanted to get to know him better.
After Wayne and Chris headed off to do whatever their boss had them do, Mr. Ken sat back and reviewed everything that was happening in his world. There was his new hotel going up, his office building where he planned to consolidate all of his local operations, and the 400-unit apartment complex he was building.
On top of that, there were his amusement parks, one of which he just purchased. Then, he remembered, he needed to negotiate, with a bunch of commissioners from a thousand miles away, to allow him to spend his money, so he and the county can make money. He actually laughed at thinking about that one.
Then, on top of all that, he was told his boys would soon have to tell their story, at a trial for the men who tried to kidnap them. He knew they would be run through the wringer, as they testified. The man also knew there would probably be at least some mental fallout and maybe some teasing and bullying from their classmates. Not to speak of the spectacle the news media could make of their story.
But then, he thought about the six young men who depended directly on him for their food, their clothes, and ultimately, their happiness. He added to his thoughts he also needed to be there for them when they needed someone to listen to them, to let them cry on his shoulder, and, most of all, to love them.
Ken Thomas was beginning to feel all this stress beginning to encroach on his mind and body and he was only twenty-seven. He knew he needed to do something about all the personal handling he did on all of those things and more. He also told himself he had to make some major changes to his organizations as soon as the trials were over.
Mr. Ken was very busy that afternoon. He had to make sure his proposal for the commissioners, back east, was as close to being a 100% complete contract that they could use to decide the merits of what he wanted to do. The man spent much of the day getting that together, knowing he should have a corporate lawyer working on that and not him.
Mr. Chris had a number of tasks on his own radar, while Mr. Wayne looked over, lockers, bike racks, and trash cans. The Estate Master did that so when Robert and Charles came to him with their ideas he would know what they were talking about. Later, the Estate Master knew he had to take a Cover to visit with Doctor Doug.
When all the original Cover boys were home from school, and/or seeing their favorite doctor, they told Momma Maria they were going to wait for Billy to come home from school, before they had their afterschool snack. Momma was happy the boys were doing that. It made it easier for her, but she felt when the boys did things together, they were more like real 'brothers' and friends than being adversaries.
All this time, Ms. Judy, who had brought back some CPS papers from home, when she went and retrieved her car, was quietly working to be caught up on her work. She did make a few calls to work to make sure Charles James Lewis' adoption was on schedule. She told her Deputy Director all she needed to do was sign off on the final adoption and bring those papers to the Courthouse on Friday.
The Cove was a busy place all day Tuesday. So, when everyone sat down to dinner, it gave them a chance to relax and enjoy one another's company. Dinner was not rushed and everyone told something about their day. Mr. Ken decided to wait until they were in his Study before he broke his bad news to the boys. After dessert, the Covers thanked Momma Maria for her awesome dinner and then the boys hugged Momma and then they all headed to the Study.
Even though they talked about their day at the dining room table, the younger boys still wanted to talk about what happened at school. Kevin said that many of his friends asked him about whether or not his 'dad' was adopting Charles. Kyle jumped in and said they both told their classmates that it would happen that Friday.
"Charles ... can I ask you ... are any of your classmates ... are they causing you any distress about being adopted on Friday?" asked 'dad' Ken.
"Well ... ahh, a few of the students ... the ones who never tried to get to know me very well, have made a few comments to me about me going to be being adopted. I told them ... I told them it was better to be adopted than not having a forever family like they had," replied the pre-teen.
The room then got quiet for a few moments as they thought about what the pre-teen said.
"Charles, I hope you do know ... that I really want to adopt you, right?" said 'dad' Ken.
"These students ... they have no earthly idea what it is like to be in your shoes. They can't fathom what you go through, on a daily basis, as to where you will be living ... tomorrow. I am going to fix that, Charles. I ... I can't wait until you are my son!"
Charles jumped out of his chair and ran to his soon-to-be dad. The man grabbed the boy and the two hugged. Charles even had a few tears falling out of his eyes. Everyone watched, then after a few moments, they all began to applaud.
"You all know I have to leave tomorrow, around noon, so I can go back east to try to sell my highway build proposal that will benefit both the residents of the county as well as my amusement park. It is important to me that if I want to expand Crystal Lake, as I have envisioned, I must be there for the Commissioners.
"The reason for that is so I can not only explain my proposal, but also answer their questions and those of the people in attendance. A few of the commissioners have talked to Judge Barnaby so they understand what I want to do. I promise I will be home Thursday night, probably very late, and I will be home for Charles' adoption on Friday," finished 'dad' Ken.
"Does anyone else have something to tell us ... before I tell you about a phone call I received earlier today?" asked 'dad' Ken.
Not getting any takers, Mr. Ken stood up, and walked around to the front of his desk. He wanted to be close to his 'sons' when he made his announcement. He slowly looked over all the boys, as he decided what he was going to tell them.
"Boys ... I received a phone call this morning from ... from George Morris. Some of you may recognize the name ... but for those of you who don't, let me tell you. He is the District Attorney and he puts bad guys in prison.
"I tell you this because ... well, because DA Morris wanted me to tell you that they will soon take those men, who tried to kidnap you, to trial," said 'dad' Ken, who immediately heard a low moan coming from the five boys who were involved.
"'Dad', will we ... will we have to go to court?" asked a now scared Kyle.
"Yes, Kyle ... you and your twin, along with Robert, Charles, Eric, David, Josh, Cody, and Gordon will have to be coached on what to expect on the witness stand and how to answer questions. Robert, Charles, and Bill, I think, have all been on the witness stand, and they can give you their perspective.
"DA Morris told me ... they intend to try them beginning sometime around the middle of May. I asked him to try to not interfere with your schooling and STAAR tests. There is also the chance the men will take a plea bargain instead of going to trial.
"If the men decide to go to trial, and they lose, and with all nine of you testifying there is NO chance in hell they'd win, they'd get harsher sentences than if they take the plea. Only time will tell.
"Cody, Josh, David, and Gordon's parents already know what I just told you. DA Morris said he was going to call them after he hung up with me. They are probably talking to their sons, right now, as I am talking to you. When you go to school tomorrow, your friends may seek you out to talk to you about what to expect at the trial.
Your friends may be stressed out at the thought of having to testify, so Robert, Charles, and Bill, if you would, try to calm them down and tell them that I am hopeful the men will take the plea bargain that DA Morris said his staff were working on.
"I'll tell you more when I know it. So, in the meantime, let's go about our business, as we have ever since you joined me here at The Cove. Together, we have formed a 'family' of sorts and ... and we've stood together through good and adverse times and we will in the future," finished 'dad' Ken.
Mr. Ken opened his arms and all of the boys, Eric included, went to the man for a family group hug. Mr. Ken then waved Ms. Judy and Mr. Wayne to join them. They stayed that way for almost a full minute.
When Mr. Ken said his goodnights to the boys he assured them that he, Bill, and Stewart would get them prepared for their time in court. He asked them, to not fret over it as the men will probably take the plea bargain, in the end.
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