The tourists got to bed by 10:15 and upon his head hitting his pillow, Charles was out like a light. Mr. Ken lay on his bed thinking how the past two days went and he was very pleased they had chosen to visit the Dallas/Fort Worth area, even though they spent the last two days in Arlington. He was soon fast asleep, himself.
It was 7:30 AM when Ken Thomas opened his eyes. He felt a little tired but he knew he’d gotten a good eight hours of sleep and he also wanted Charles to get a nice breakfast before they headed out to their next point of interest.
The man did his morning ablutions which include a pee, a shave, and a shower. When Mr. Ken was dry from his shower, and he had his boxer briefs on, he went to wake up Charles.
“Charles … it is time to wake up. I want you to get cleaned up and then we’ll go down for a good breakfast. Charles … time to get up,” encouraged ‘dad’ Ken.
Charles moaned and then opened his eyes. He saw his ‘dad’ looking over him and he smiled. He then put his head back under the covers. Mr. Ken saw the ploy so he began to tickle the lad through the covers.
“I give, I Give!” yelled Charles, from under the covers. … “NOT!”
The ‘NOT’ got Mr. Ken to resume his tickle attack and Charles began screaming from under the covers that he was going to pee the bed if his ‘dad’ didn’t stop. The man let up for a few seconds and when Charles didn’t come from under the covers he began his attack again. That went on for about five minutes but it felt like fifteen.
Charles did have to pee, so he threw the covers off and ran to the bathroom. All that squirming and thrashing around under the covers hadn’t reduced his morning flag pole and Mr. Ken got to see how far it stretched out his briefs as the boy ran to the bathroom. The man only laughed to himself as he remembered back to when he saw Robert and Eric naked in his ‘son’s’ bed and then on the cruise ship.
By the time Charles got cleaned up and dressed for the day it was just past 8:30 AM. The two then headed down for breakfast. Charles immediately headed for the waffle maker but didn’t know what to do, so he had to ask his ‘dad’ to help. Mr. Ken told the lad to take the pouring cup and hold it under the batter spigot and fill it up. The lad did that. Then Mr. Ken told the preteen to pour the batter into the waffle maker and when he was finished to close the lid and turn the mechanism 180 degrees. As soon as Charles had done that, the waffle timer began a 2 minute, 45 second readout.
‘Dad’ Ken continued to fix his simple breakfast as he casually watched Charles at the waffle maker. When the bell rang, Charles tried to open the waffle maker but couldn’t. He then remembered he had turned it over so he turned it back and the lid came up. The boy forked his waffle out onto a plate, saw where the toppings were and put some butter, syrup, and whipped cream on top.
“Boy, ‘dad’, this sure is a good breakfast,” exclaimed Charles.
“Is it better than Momma’s breakfasts?” asked Mr. Ken.
“Well, no, ‘dad’, it isn’t better than hers, but this sure is good,” answered Charles.
Mr. Ken had to laugh at the boy who knew any other answer would get back to Momma Maria and he’d be in the dog house. The two causally ate their breakfast as Kurt wasn’t supposed to collect them until 11 AM. That would give them ample time to pack their clothes as they would be heading back home after their afternoon adventure.
At exactly 11 AM, Kurt drove up to the front door and helped his passengers load their bags into the trunk. The driver did what was expected of the chauffeur and opened the door for them to get inside. Kurt then headed the limo to the place Mr. Ken told him the day before.
“‘Dad’, where are we going?” asked Charles.
“You’ll see,” replied ‘dad’ Ken, who smiled knowing this was the game he’d played with Collin and Robert.
“Ahh, come on ‘dad’, tell me … Please,” whined Charles.
“We’ll be there soon enough, just hold on,” replied Mr. Ken.
Kurt drove onward and east towards downtown Dallas. When he got to a maze of spaghetti like interconnecting highways he took one turn onto a different one and then another turn onto another. Kurt finally got to some side streets and drove to a nondescript building. Charles hadn’t a clue as to where he was but when Kurt turned the corner the lad saw the sign that said The Dallas World Aquarium.
Mr. Ken and Charles got out of the limo and got in line for their tickets. It was close to twelve noon and the crowd was beginning to pick up. It took them about ten minutes to work their way to the ticket window, but along the way, there were exhibits of birds that kept them occupied by watching them or reading the information on the plaque attached to the exhibit.
The first half of the aquarium showcased birds, crocodiles, bats and two-toed and three-toed sloths. As the two tourists followed the pathway, they passed many different types of flora and fauna. Many birds were free to fly in the large open space provided but not many did. The large waterfalls made for an exciting experience for Charles as he’d never been to any aquarium in his young life.
The two spent a lot of time watching the birds or fish as they passed them. Charles was taking it all in. They passed a flock of flamingos and watched them walk around in different groups. They also got to see many species of Toucans. Charles was mesmerized by seeing crocodiles, river otters, manatees and several species of monkeys.
They then went through the aquarium portion where they saw different marine life, including Japanese crabs, jellyfish and three different types of sea dragons. Then they came to the section that held the sharks and rays and sawfish. They walked through a curved glass tunnel that allowed the tourists to view them swimming. After that they also got to watch as the sharks were fed. Charles thought that was so cool.
The aquarium also had snakes and piranhas that Charles loved watching. Then, they came upon a black panther and Charles couldn’t get enough of watching the way it walked back and forth as it watched the people going by especially a small girl about 5 years old. Charles told his ‘dad’ he was sure the panther would have loved to have that one small child for a meal. The two had a good chuckle over that comment.
It took the two Covers about three hours to walk through the Dallas World Aquarium and when they got to the souvenir shop they decided to start all over to make sure they hadn’t missed anything. They quickly retraced their steps and along the way Charles would stop and watch a few special animals before moving on. They finished redoing the aquarium after thirty-five minutes.
It was close to 4 PM when they finished their tour and they had Kurt pick them up. As they drove along, Mr. Ken asked Kurt if he knew of something nearby that he thought a twelve year old would love. Kurt said he did and Mr. Ken told him to just take them there without telling them. Kurt did.
It took Kurt about thirty minutes to drive his passengers to their next adventure and when they pulled up to a place called SpeedZone Charles couldn’t believe it.
“‘Dad’, isn’t this the place that Eric said you wanted to buy and put in where you now have the Go-Kart Track and Miniature Golf?” asked Charles.
“Well, it isn’t the exact place that Eric was at. We visited the one out in L.A. but yes, this is what I had in mind to build but I ran out of space,” honestly replied Mr. Ken.
“Come on … what are waiting for?” exclaimed Charles as he ran to the front door.
Inside, the first thing the two Covers saw was that there were over a hundred different amusement games of all kinds. They stopped and asked an employee where they could buy wristbands or whatever there was to get access to the race tracks. The worker directed them towards the back of the huge building where they could purchase different types of race packages. Upon reaching the rear of the SpeedZone structure, Mr. Ken studied the pricing board behind the cashier before purchasing their ride packages.
Charles just met the minimum height for all the rides and he was happy for that. The first race track ride they looked at was called Top Eliminator Dragsters. This ride could have up to six riders seated in their own dragster. They had to shift as they accelerated down the racetrack and at the end the track showed them their time. They got three tries to beat the other drivers so they decided to try that one.
Charles was definitely at the big disadvantage as he’d never shifted any motor vehicle before. Mr. Ken and the ride attendant showed the lad what to do and how to do it and even though Charles said he’d manage, Mr. Ken was skeptical that his ‘son’ would do okay.
On the first race, Charles finished last but the smile on his face told the story. On the second race, Charles improved his time but he still came in last. The smile on his face was even bigger on his return to the starting point. For the third race, Charles decided he’d concentrate on shifting and not worry too much about steering since the dragster was attached to a rail.
When the ‘Christmas tree light’ stanchion began to change Charles was ready. When the green light was lit, Charles stomped on the gas and got ready to shift. He shifted once, twice, and the third time and by then his dragster was at the end of the run. When he and his ‘dad’ checked their times for all three races, Charles found he wasn’t last on the third race. The two celebrated the lad’s accomplishment and then headed for their next challenge.
Thunder Road was their next encounter. They each got into their own racer, buckled themselves in and waited for the green light to light. When they began their race they were the first two in the pack so they raced one another. The track was similar to what they had back at Four Corners. There were twists and hairpin turns and the track was slick so they could skid around the turns. It took them three turns around the track to get used to the way the race car handled but they lost their lead as it appeared the other drives had been there before. It didn’t matter to them as they were having fun racing each other. At the end of the race Mr. Ken won by a car length.
“‘Dad’ you know you’re supposed to let the kid win, didn’t you know that?” teased Charles.
A bunch of the other driver’s heard the lad say what he did to Mr. Ken and they all agreed with the lad. They told Mr. Ken that he needed to build the lad’s esteem by letting him win. Then as they walked away, they looked back at the two Covers and said to Charles to buck-it-up and drive better the next time. That made the bunch all laugh who were then joined in by ‘dad’ and ‘son’.
The next race they tried was the Slick Trax. There the track was a polished concrete oval surface that allowed the car to be stable as it raced around the track. The Covers each got into their own car and buckled themselves in and when the ‘GO’ signal was given they didn’t race as they did the last contest as they didn’t know what to expect. They watched the other drivers slide around the corners and as the two travelers tried it they recognized they needed some speed to make it work right. The more they drove the more speed they gave their race car and the higher up the banked track they could race. At the end of the race, Charles told Mr. Ken that it was a lot of fun and that his ‘dad’ should look to add one of those race tracks to Four Corners.
The two walked around and watched the Turbo Track cars race around their course. When they had seen enough the two got into line and waited for their turn. They agreed they wouldn’t race one another but would try to see how many other drivers they could pass. When they got to their cars they buckled in and waited for the starter to let them out on the track.
Since they were close to the back of the pack, they knew they had about 14 other drivers they could try to pass on the course. As they drove their cars they found the track was very similar to their home track back at Four Corners, so they each added more speed than they would have and began to pass driver after driver.
“Geez, ‘dad’, that was so much fun. I passed eight cars. How many did you get to pass,, ‘dad’?” asked Charles.
“Well, since I never passed you I guess I only passed the eight you passed so I guess we are even,” replied ‘dad’ Ken. “And you know what? I enjoyed that race a lot, too, as I felt at home out there.”
The two shared a laugh about the familiarity of the race course so they headed for something else to do. Their race package included miniature golf so they walked to the backside of the property and there they found there were two courses they could choose from.
The course was called Speedway Golf even though there were two ways they could go. They looked to see how many people were out on the courses and they chose the one with the fewer number of people on it.
The miniature golf courses were race themed. The obstacles weren’t as serious as the ones back at Four Corners but the two travelers had to still use their skill to get the ball into the hole. With there not being too many people on their path it didn’t take them more than forty minutes to play the game.
Their race package gave them one more race they could do. Mr. Ken asked Charles which one he wanted to do again. But, Charles said his ‘dad’ should pick. The two went back-and-forth but in the end Mr. Ken convinced Charles to choose. The preteen chose the Slick Trax saying they didn’t have that back home and he wanted to give it another try. They got in line and before long they were seated and buckled in and waiting for their turn to drive.
Since they had one ride under their belt, Charles and Mr. Ken took to the course with ease. They raced and smiled the entire time. They didn’t care if they passed anyone, or if they were passed. They just had a great time out on the race track. When the ride was over, Mr. Ken asked Charles if he was hungry. What kid isn’t?
Johnny Rockets, a restaurant franchise, was located inside, so the two travelers sat down and looked at the menu. Hamburgers seemed to be the main menu item, so the two hungry people decided on the simple Original and one ordered fries while the other ordered onion rings so they could share while they ate. Of course, Charles got coke while Mr. Ken got coffee.
“‘Dad’ … thank you so much for bringing me on this trip. I’ve had a lot of fun but … well, the best part was … I got to do it with you … and I didn’t have to share you with anyone else. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just … well, I never had a ‘dad’ and I never got to do anything with him. Sure, Smokey did a few things with me but … well, after what he did to me I don’t consider anything we did together as counting,” said a subdued Charles.
Kurt picked the two travelers up at the front door and their next stop would be the Dallas Business Airport, the place where he picked them up three days before.
The travelers didn’t have any of the hassles from TSA as they had upon leaving San Antonio. The TSA agents were courteous and talkative and Charles enjoyed this part of their return trip.
Once the airplane was high enough the steward came back and asked them if they wanted anything to eat. Charles told the man how they had just eaten but he would like a coke. Mr. Ken asked for coffee.
The pilots asked Charles to come to the front of the plane and they allowed him to sit in the co-pilot’s seat and review what he was shown on their way up. Charles totally enjoyed piloting the plane and talking to the men in charge of the aircraft. When they were twenty minutes out from their destination, the pilot had Charles return to his seat.
Derrick picked up the two travelers at the Business, or General Aviation side of the San Antonio International airport. He placed their baggage into the trunk of the limo and they were on their way home.
It was well passed 10 PM when Mr. Ken and Charles returned to The Cove, but everyone was waiting up for them, especially Chief. The estate’s resident dog couldn’t wait until Robert opened the Foyer Door to allow her out to meet and greet her newest master.
As soon as Charles opened the limo door, Chief was there jumping up on him and kissing him over and over. She allowed the lad to get out of the car but she stayed right next to her ‘boy’ wanting to make sure he knew she was there. Finally, Charles knelt down and scratched Chief behind her ears and then scratched her hind quarters and then kissed her nose. Chief was now very happy her ‘boy’ was back home. Chief then went to Mr. Ken, who just scratched behind her ears and thanked her for greeting Charles so well.
Robert was next at ‘dad’ Ken. He hugged the man and told him he missed him even though he was only gone for three days. Derrick had taken all the bags to the Foyer and he asked if there was anything else Mr. Ken needed before he departed. Learning he was no longer needed, for the rest of the night, Derrick got into the limo and left the Cove.
Mr. Dan shook Mr. Ken’s hand as The Cove’s owner stepped into the Foyer. The officer told the man there wasn’t anything significant to tell him and he wished the traveler a good night’s sleep and he went up to his en suite.
Robert hung around his ‘dad’ and he wanted to hear all about the trip. ‘Dad’ Ken asked his ‘son’ if he could take a ‘rain check’ that night, so he could get a good night’s sleep as he had to get ready the next day for their trip beginning Saturday. Robert said he understood and then hugged his ‘dad’ one more time. The teen then helped his ‘brother’ take his bags up to his room.
“So, how was your trip?” asked an excited Robert.
“Robert, I’ve never ever had a trip like what we just did. The ballgame went into extra innings and Six Flags was awesome. Then, we went to this aquarium that had birds and fish I’d never seen. Then, after that, we went to a place called SpeedZone and we rode five different go-kart tracks. I had a blast,” said Charles.
“But what did you do?” asked Robert. What rides did you ride? What did you see? What about the ballgame? How was that? Come on Charles tell me some specifics,” an exasperated Robert now begged.
Charles laughed at his big ‘brother’ then said, “You know … I’m just as tired as ‘dad’, so I think I’ll head off to bed.” Charles then smiled at Robert who had this ‘I can’t believe he just said that look’.
“Come on Charles, tell me something that you did that was more than you’d ever done before,” begged Robert.
“OK, I’ll tell ya” said Charles. “Well, the ball game was awesome. I’d never been to a major league game so this was special for me. We had seats right behind the Astros dugout so we could see the infield real good. The game went into extra innings and the Rangers won with a homerun in the bottom of the eleventh.
“I’d never seen a home run before, and this one … this one almost didn’t make it over the fence. The Astros outfield player jumped up for the catch, but it was just out of his reach. When the ball went over the fence the place went nuts. I must have jumped all over ‘dad’ a hundred times I was so excited. I hope we can go to another game sometime,” finished up Charles.
“So, what else did you do? How was Six Flags? How’d you like the roller coasters?” asked an eager Robert.
“We started at the smaller coasters and worked our way up to the bigger ones. I’m glad we did it that way. But you know, Robert, I am tired and I’d rather talk about this tomorrow and then I can answer your questions and the other guys can her them to. That way I won’t have to repeat myself over and over,” reasoned Charles.
“Oh, OK, I hear ya. I’m glad you had a good trip. I bet it was fun having ‘dad all to yourself?” smiled Robert.
Charles smiled at his ‘brother’ and said it was. Robert smiled back and hugged his little ‘brother’ and told him “Good Night!” and then walked out the door.
Charles slept hard and fast that night. The trip proved to be the best thing he’d ever done in his entire life and he relived the whole thing during his dreams. He couldn’t figure which part of the trip was the best, as each and everything he had done was amazing in his mind. The major league baseball game was something he knew he’d remember the rest of his life. It was his first and it was totally exciting to the end.
Then there were all the rides at Six Flags Over Texas. Sure, he’d ridden a few rides at the local carnivals when they came through, but the rides at Six Flags were tremendous and breathtaking at the same time. The boy knew he was a bit scared at first but his ‘dad’ used the smaller rides to help build up his confidence and when he rode one coaster and enjoyed it, he knew it as a stepping stone to riding the bigger ones.
The thing that did stick in his mind, was that he rode that small coaster all by himself. Sure he was scared to ride by himself, but he learned something about himself that day. He found he could do things if he put his mind to them. He learned he had to stop being so scared of things and try something new. Smokey was no longer around and many of the other bikers who raped him are now dead or are in jail. He knew he had to put that part of his life behind him and look forward, enjoying life and making something of himself.
He dreamed about the aquarium, too. He loved seeing all the birds and the fish and of course the Black Panther. The whole experience was something he’d never had and getting to see all the different animals was something he knew he would love to do again.
Charles also dreamed about the race track at SpeedZone. He’d only ever driven the Go-Karts at Four Corners, but there he got to shift and drive at the same time. He had no idea what he was doing, but as he did it over and over he got to the point he wasn’t the last one across the finish line. Then, he did the slick trax cars and he loved that one. He even retold his ‘dad’ in his dream that the man should put one of those at Four Corners, too.
At the beginning of his dream and at the end he remembered getting to fly the plane. It was a new experience that he’d bet not many kids ever got the chance to do. He loved sitting there in the cockpit, controlling the big plane and listening to the radio. It was a totally new experience for him, in his short life, and he hoped he’d get to do that again, some time.
It was 9 AM when Charles opened his eyes the next morning after his return. He felt refreshed not only because he had a great sleep, but he’d relived his trip all through the night. He smiled as he got out of bed and then noticed his morning wood was very prevalent as he never got the chance to relieve any built-up boy juice while staying in the same room with his ‘dad’.
The preteen let his boy toy lead the way to the urinal in the restroom. He knew the thing would go down as soon as he peed. It didn’t. His morning boner stood very prominent as the lad brushed his teeth. It was then that Robert came into the restroom to pee, brush his teeth and get a shower.
“Morning ‘bro’,” called out Robert.
“Morning, Robert. Hope you slept well,” added Charles.
“Looking at that tent I bet you didn’t get the chance to relieve any pressure while you were with ‘dad’,” joked the lad’s older ‘brother’.
Charles stood up and away from the sink and turned towards Robert and asked, “How could you tell?”
The two lads laughed out loud. They finished brushing their teeth, then walked over to the showers, stripped off their briefs, and each got under their favorite shower head. Both lads had morning erections but Charles was more pointed than his ‘brothers’.
“You better take care of that before you do anything else,” kidded Robert.
“I see you didn’t take care of yours this morning, ‘bro’. Why is that? You hoping Eric can spend the night tonight before you guys take off on your trip with ‘dad’?” laughed Charles.
Robert just smiled back at Charles and then took hold of his pointy member and began the age old ritual of young boys around the world. Charles laughed at what his ‘brother’ was doing and he followed suit. Both their rockets were so primed that it took fewer strokes than usual and the two achieved blast-off.
Charles found his liftoff was so powerful that he had to brace himself against the shower wall. Charles had not only seen what he blasted out but best of all he felt it as it screamed its way to achieving a record for him. Robert saw the extent of Charles’s exhaust and he would have sworn that the first exhaust went a good five feet as well as the second. The two ‘brothers’ laughed at what just happened.
Down in the Kitchen Nook, Mr. Ken and Mr. Dan were eating breakfast while they talked about the past three days. Dan Fischer, The Cove’s guest while he recovers from his gunshot wound, told The Cove’s owner how he and Robert and his friends used the Wave Runners and the Jet Ski out on the lake. Mr. Dan told Mr. Ken how he and Robert and one of the other lads who passed the Coast Guard course would ride around and then trade off to the other boys who also had passed the course. The Deputy Sheriff then explained how they use the Jet Ski to tow the boys behind it and how they took turns doing that.
Mr. Ken was happy the man used the personal water craft as he had, as the PWCs really hadn’t been used all that much all summer long. Mr. Dan had also explained that with Charles gone on his trip and James at football practice and a few other lads out on final summer trips there were only about eight boys at The Cove the past three days. Dan also said that was what he expected all next week, too, as the lads who went away this week would be replaced by lads going away next week, so there wouldn’t be the large number of boys coming to The Cove.
Mr. Ken then told Dan all about his trip with Charles. Dan sat there mesmerized at the things they did together and he began to wish he had a boy, a son, he could do those same things with. The man was thoroughly enjoying his days at The Cove and his interaction with all the lads. He was getting to know them by name and how they acted alone, and with their peers.
Dan could picture himself there at the ballpark watching the game as Mr. Ken explained what they did and how the game was won by a long ball home run. Dan could also picture himself walking to all the amusement rides and riding them with his ‘boy’ and experiencing the thrill of the coasters or the flat rides he heard his friend, Ken, talk about.
Dan also loved hearing about the aquarium and what it offered the tourist and how the flow of the exhibits made the observer feel as if there were close to the natural habitat. Then, when Mr. Ken talked about the SpeedZone race track and the different go-kart rides they had there, Dan Fischer now wished had had been asked to go along, too.
The more Ken Thomas talked about his recent 3-day trip with Charles the more Dan Fischer wished he could get involved with some lad to help the boy out as well as experience the fun things in life.
Chris Dominions appeared as Mr. Ken was telling Dan about his trip, so Chris just got his usual cup of coffee, sat down and listened to the man describe what he and his ‘son’ did for three days.
“Boss, that sounded like it was a wonderful trip,” offered Mr. Chris. “But, I wonder how it would have gone if there were two kids and a little woman along,” now laughed Chris. “Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Ken, what you experienced was the best possible scenario for you, but when you add another adult and two young kids the dynamics change. You now have to consider what the other three have in mind for you all to do. Believe me when I say it doesn’t go as smooth as your and Charles’s trip went.”
“Chris, I know of what you speak. I took Collin, Ryan and Eric all on a few trips together and the age differences between Collin and Ryan verses Eric was very evident. Lucky for me where we went the lads had an idea of what we were there for, so there wasn’t much bickering or whining about what we’d do or not do. Collin and Ryan were like twins and they got along very well and played off each other’s desires. Eric was the unknown when I took him with us, but he is such a level headed kid and the older teens treated him like he was actually their ‘little brother’ that I didn’t have to worry about the kid.
“But, I can understand what you meant about the changing dynamic when you add another adult and children to the mix. Maybe someday I’ll get to experience that type of trip with a wife and a bunch of kids, but for now I will enjoy having the two best boys in the whole world in my life.”
It was while Mr. Ken was talking to Mr. Chris that Charles and Robert entered the Kitchen Nook. They heard what their ‘dad’ had to say about them, and that made them smile real big. They then ran to the man and hugged him tight for thinking that about them.
Momma Maria heard the two lads enter the Kitchen Nook area so she asked them what they wanted for breakfast. After they told her what they would like, Charles began telling the group about the breakfasts at the hotel where they stayed. He especially told how he was able to make Texas shaped waffles and then put on any of the many toppings they had on the breakfast bar.
Charles then remembered what his ‘dad’ said about Momma Maria learning about his breakfasts, so he added that they were not anyway near what Momma Maria fixed for them there at The Cove. He also said it made him appreciate what the woman did for them, and it made him miss her cooking and was very glad he was back home.
Momma Maria heard the lad talk about what he ate at the hotel and became concerned that her cooking wasn’t highly rated against the hotel’s offerings. It was when she heard how Charles came to appreciate what she did for them and how he missed her cooking that made a few tears to form in her eyes. It was those side remarks she would hear every now and then that told her how much the residents of The Cove really appreciated her.
“So, Charles,” began Mr. Dan, “can you tell me which of all the things you did was your best overall?”
Charles sat there thinking about all he did the past three days. He knew he had done some awesome things so he replied, “Mr. Dan, everything we did was a first for me so … I’d have to say everything was my BEST! From being able to fly the plane to watching my first ever major league baseball game and watching the winning homer go over the fence to all the roller coasters I got to ride with my ‘dad’. Then, there is the aquarium and all the animals and fish to lastly the racetrack where I got to shift and drive a car to the finish line and a bunch of other cars we drove. Since I’d never done any of that ever before, the whole trip was the BEST thing I’ve ever done. I’m sorry Mr. Dan if I can’t separate one thing out of hundreds of things I got to do. Sorry, I can’t identify just one.”
“That’s OK, Charles, I understand what you mean. I’m glad you got the chance to experience something so wonderful that it all will leave a lasting impression in your mind from now on. And, Charles … if you ever go again, do you think you could take me? It might be hard to believe but I’ve never done any of what you experienced and I am an old man,” chuckled Dan Fischer.
“You’re not that old Mr. Dan. All you need to do is find a kid who’s never been there and you take both of you and have the fun of your life,” replied Charles.
Everyone at the table laughed at Charles simple explanation.
Mr. Ken stood up and excused himself saying he needed to get ready for his trip starting the next day. The man then looked at Robert and asked the teen if he needed anything from the store before they left the next day. Robert said he probably did but he’d go check. Mr. Ken told the lad he was going to get cleaned up and would be ready to go in about an hour. Robert said he’d be ready to go if he needed anything.