When dinner was over, they didn’t have a lot of time to get Christmas shopping done, but they knew they needed to get done whatever they could. Mr. Ken took Robert and Charles and Mr. Wayne took the three youngest Covers with him. The two vehicles went in two different directions.
When ‘dad’ Ken took Robert and Charles out Christmas shopping, their first priority was the buying of the gag gifts. They figured that would be the hardest because they had no idea what to get their ‘brothers’. Mr. Ken gave them some ideas, but they also stopped by Spencer’s Gifts to see what they had to offer.
The boys also wanted to buy Momma Maria some long-burning candles, so they stopped by a Yankee Candle Shop. Mr. Ken had told the boys what he found out about what flowers she liked, telling the boys they could get her some scented candles that mirrored them. Each boy found a large candle each boy felt she would like.
Mr. Wayne took his three charges to different stores to look for some Christmas presents. The three never had gone out Christmas shopping before, so they didn’t have a clue as to what to do or how to do it. Mr. Wayne inwardly laughed and then gave the boys some pointers. The four walked the aisles looking over different items, but the three youngest Covers couldn’t seem to find what they thought would be a good gag gift,
Mr. Wayne finally sat them down and asked them about their ‘brothers’ and from that conversation came some ideas for what the boys could buy. The young Covers thanked Mr. Wayne for helping them and they went looking for what they hoped would be good gag gifts.
With the shopping over, all the Covers met at their favorite ice cream store and Mr. Wayne paid for the sundaes. They talked about their shopping experience, without revealing what they bought one another. Matthew was chosen to get Chief’s cup of ice cream before returning home.
“Chief … sit!” commanded Matthew, when he walked into the Kitchen Nook. “I have your cold treat … but you have to wait … you have to wait until I put it on the floor. If you jump up on me then NO ice cream.”
Chief looked crestfallen at hearing she had to wait for her ice cream. She loved jumping on the person who brought her the treat as her way to thank them. She didn’t know what to do, so she dipped her head and just stared at the floor. All the Covers looked on as Matthew didn’t know what to do.
“I’m sorry Chief for saying that,” spoke Matthew, who knelt down on the floor in front of Chief. “I just didn’t want you to push me over and then I drop your cold treat. I hope you understand.”
Chief looked up at Matthew and held out her paw to shake. Matthew shook with Chief and smiled that Chief understood and forgave him. Then, Chief got up on her hind legs and using her two front paws, pushed Matthew over, ice cream and all.
Everyone laughed and even Chief barked out a few “Woofs”. The resident pet then gave Matthew some doggie kisses and then began lapping up the spilled ice cream. All Matthew could do was laugh right along with the others.
When she had finished her ice cream, Chief went over to Matthew and jumped up on him and gave him a few more doggie kisses. Then, she sat down and held out her paw to shake. Matthew smiled at Chief, took the paw and shook it. Then, afterwards, the youngest Cover gave Chief some hugs and ear scratches. Everyone applauded and laughed.
As the boys walked away to go up to their bedrooms to relax before going to sleep, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne heard Kyle say, “I’m sure glad you did that Matthew. Now I know NOT to tease Chief when it comes to her ice cream.”
“I wasn’t teasing her. I didn’t want her to bowl me over and then I spill her treat,” replied Matthew. “Which happened anyway.” Now laughed the youngest Cover.
“Yea … she did it anyway,” laughed Kyle, along with his other ‘brothers’.
“Wayne, I know it is getting late, but … did the boys accomplish anything?” asked Mr. Ken.
“Oh, yes, they all bought gifts for Robert and Charles. I have them out in my car. I’ll bring them in tomorrow when I stop by,” replied Wayne Mitchell
“Good, good, Robert and Charles were able to get things for their ‘brothers’. I also bought wrapping paper, so we’ll have to teach them how to wrap their presents. I also bought some different sized boxes in case their gifts don’t wrap well as they are.
“Oh, and by the way, Dan wants to go out shopping with the boys, too. He says he’s never experienced that joy. I’ll have to get with him to see when he is available. Oh, and Wayne … there is no need for you to buy the boys any gifts. I have plenty of ideas for them and I can just put your name on one of them saying it is from you,” finished Ken Thomas.
Mr. Wayne thanked his boss and said he’d see him tomorrow about noon as the Estate Master walked over to the garage to go out to his vehicle and home.
The boys were still talking and laughing at what happened down in the Kitchen Nook between Chief and Matthew when ‘dad’ Ken came upstairs to say Goodnight to his ‘boys’.
“That was funny wasn’t it?” offered Mr. Ken, as he walked into Matthew’s room. “Chief sure takes her treat seriously,” now laughed the man.
“I’ll never do that again,” said Matthew.
Laughing, Kevin asked, “What’s that?”
“Let you guys make me get her treat, again” laughed Matthew. The rest of the boys laughed right along with their ‘brother’ knowing that wasn’t going to happen.
“Boys, you had a long day. How about you all drain your dragons and get to bed. Enjoy your sleep. Oh, and if you’re up and ready, including showers, by 9 AM we’ll go out for breakfast,” offered ‘dad’ Ken.
“Awesome,” announced Charles. “I love it when we get to eat at someplace different than our Kitchen Nook.”
Everyone laughed at what the pre-teen said as they all walked out of Matthew’s room heading for the bathroom to relieve the pressure in their bladders. All five Cover ‘brothers’ were in bed within ten minutes.
Knowing he promised his ‘boys’ he’d take them out to breakfast, ‘dad’ Ken made sure he was up early enough, so he could read his Sunday paper and get ready by 9 AM.
At 8:15, Charles’ alarm rang and he jumped out of bed, morning friend and all, and ran to his ‘brothers’ bedrooms to get them up, so they could go out to breakfast. Robert liked the idea of going out to breakfast, as well, so he quickly jumped out of bed, tent and all. Charles laughed at the teen while the teen pointed back at him and his own tent. They both laughed at one another.
Charles went to Matthew’s room to get him up, while Robert went to the twins’ bedroom to get them up. Charles had an easier time getting the youngest Cover up and out of bed. The birthday boy didn’t jump right out of bed like Charles and Robert did and the pre-teen knew why.
“Come on Matthew, we’ve all seen your morning rod. Now get out of bed and get cleaned up,” said Charles, as he walked out of the bedroom.
Matthew did get out of bed after Charles had left and sure enough he had his morning friend. He adjusted it in his boxer briefs before heading out into the hallway and the bathroom.
Robert was able to get Kyle up and out of bed, and the young twin didn’t care if the teenager saw his one-eyed willy standing tall. Kevin was another story. The older twin loved to sleep in when he could. And, no matter what Robert did to get the twin out of bed, Kevin wouldn’t budge
The teen had to resort to pulling the reluctant boy out of bed and onto the floor. Kevin just smiled at the teen. Kevin then got up off the floor, put his bed covers back onto the bed and headed out of his room to the bathroom. Robert just shook his head at what it took to get the twin out of bed.
At 8:55 the five boys entered the Kitchen Nook only to find it vacant. The twins wanted Robert to check Mr. Ken’s bedroom to see if he was up, yet. But Robert knew better than to bother his dad unless it was an emergency. The boys took a seat at the Nook’s table and waited.
“There’s my bright-eyed and hair combed ‘sons’,” chuckled ‘dad’ Ken, as he walked into the Kitchen Nook promptly at 9 AM. “Let’s head out to the van and go out to breakfast.”
“‘Dad’, we’re not going to Four Corners, are we?” asked Charles.
“No, I knew if we went there I’d have a mutiny on my hands. We’re going to IHOP. I like that they have so many different breakfast options,” replied Mr. Ken.
It took almost 45 minutes to get to the restaurant and be seated on a busy Sunday morning. Mr. Ken had the boys quickly read the menu and give their server their order even before she’d gotten them their drinks. He explained to them, and their server, they didn’t have lots of time if they wanted to be fed and back home by twelve noon.
The boys ordered their usual mix of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hash browns along with orange juice or milk. Mr. Ken got the Breakfast Sampler consisting of two eggs, two bacon strips two pork sausage links, two pieces of ham, hash browns and two fluffy buttermilk pancakes. He added coffee to his order
When the boys heard what their ‘dad’ ordered they asked if they could change theirs. Mr. Ken smiled and told their server to change the boy’s orders for six Breakfast Samplers.
The Covers talked some more about the upcoming events at The Cove. Robert even asked his dad if he was going to allow Russell to be a chaperone. Mr. Ken told his son, and the rest of the boys, not to say anything, but he was inclined to let the senior high school student join them. The man explained Russell was eighteen, and he appeared to be a responsible person. Mr. Ken also really didn’t have high hopes that four more parents would volunteer.
“Boys … we still need to audition the bands for the New Year’s Eve Party for out in the garage. I think that only Robert, Charles and I should do that, as you other three haven’t heard the bands that played at the 4th of July Picnic. That will also make the logistics easier for me when we go and listen to the bands,” explained ‘dad’ Ken.
“Dad,” began Robert, “why don’t we let Lewis Parkington and his band, Sticky Fingers, do the party? He sounded good and he’s a junior this year, I think. When we talked to Collin at Thanksgiving he told us Lewis auditioned back when he lived with you. If we do that then we won’t spend a whole afternoon listening to a bunch of bands.”
“Son, this is an important event and I want to make sure the band for you is good enough to play at The Cove,” replied dad Ken.
“Dad, let’s ask Eric. He helped you last year, didn’t he? He also heard the bands at the 4th’s Picnic. If he thinks Lewis’ band is good enough, then will you consider it? If not, when will we audition the bands?” reasoned Robert.
“Good point, son. I’ll talk to Eric when we get back, and if he agrees with Sticky Fingers then I’ll hire them. If he thinks we need to audition other bands, then next weekend we’ll have to do that,’ was dad Ken’s answer.
As the Covers were getting ready to leave, Charles teased his ‘dad’ that since he didn’t invite Mr. Wayne to breakfast, he had to pay for it. All the boys laughed because whenever Mr. Wayne has been with them lately, he paid. Now that he wasn’t there, their ‘dad’ had to pay.
What the boys forgot is, their ‘dad’ gave the Estate Master a Black AMEX credit card to use to pay for essential purchases while they are out, which is ultimately charged to The Cove’s living expenses account.
When the Covers returned to The Cove, the boys decided to remain at the Main Gate and wait for their friends. Mr. Ken told them he’d park the van in the garage and walk back up there.
When the parents started to arrive they all began talking to one another as they normally did. The main topic of conversation that noon was the upcoming Six Flags Fiesta Texas trip. They asked each other if they were going to volunteer to chaperone. Some said that with Christmas only three days away after the trip they needed the time to finish their shopping.
A few of the parents said they felt guilty for not supporting the man who had made his home a place of safety and ultimate fun for their child. They added that if the man does something similar next year they would definitely volunteer.
When Joyce Cambelle brought her son, Camm, to The Cove, she sought out Mr. Ken. When she spied him talking to a few of the other parents, which she hadn’t met, she walked over and waited for an opportunity to jump into the conversation.
“Mr. Ken, “began Joyce, “I feel so bad, you know, for running out on you the last time you took the boys on such a wonderful adventure so, … well, I want to volunteer to go along this time. I promise I’ll make sure I’m not sick or anything.”
“Well, thank you Joyce. I do appreciate you jumping up and helping. It doesn’t seem that many parents are in the volunteering mood right now,” chuckled Mr. Ken.
It was then that Claire Duggans and Addison Farrmers came up to Mr. Ken.
“Mr. Ken, we want to volunteer to chaperone the Six Flags Trip, as we understand you are calling it,” said Claire.
“And we felt that by going along, we’ll get to know more of the boys our sons play with and a few of the other parents, as well,” finished Addison. “By the way, our husbands would rather finish decorating the house for Christmas, which is why they aren’t volunteering.”
“Well, thank you two for volunteering. I thought you’d want to wait and see what your boys coming to The Cove is all about. I just wish other parents felt the same way. Oh, they got together and had a barbeque for us when we came back from the water park late one night. And, it is best that I qualify that, by saying there has only been one other time that I’ve asked the parents to help out,” answered the owner of The Cove.
“And since you are going to help chaperone the boys, let me introduce you to Joyce Cambelle. Her son, James, is twelve and is Charles’ good friend,” offered Mr. Ken. “Joyce, this is Claire Duggans and Addison Farrmers. Their sons, Aaron and Greg, are friends of Matthew.”
The women talked amongst themselves as Mr. Ken walked around and talked to some of the other parents. A few of the parents asked him if he was sure they couldn’t help pay their sons part of the trip. The Cove’s owner reminded them that if he invites his ‘sons’ friends along he’d pick up the tab. The man did tease them, though, by suggesting they could volunteer to chaperone their son and a few of the other boys. He left that just hanging there as he walked away.
The boys headed down the slight rise and right to the ramps. Greg asked Matthew if he could try out his new bike when they got down there. Matthew told his new friend that would be okay with him.
“Mr. Ken … who are those two older boys going into the grounds?” asked Joyce.
“Oh, they are the lifeguards. Let me call them over,” replied Mr. Ken.
“Oh, Russell, Jordan … could you two come over here for a few moments?” called out the owner of The Cove.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Ken, what can I do for you?” said Russell, as he and his partner, Jordan, came over to the four adults.
“Clair, Addison, Joyce, I want you to meet the two lifeguards whom I hired to watch over the boys as they swim, Russell is a senior and Jordan is a junior. Now that there are 40, plus or minus, boys swimming, I decided I needed to hire a few professionals to watch over them,” explained Mr. Ken.
While the four adults were talking to the two high school students, a few of the other parents saw them and came over to see what that was all about. They heard the introductions and why the high school students were at The Cove and they waited for an opportunity to speak.
When they could talk to the man, the parents thanked Mr. Ken for his thoughtfulness, in taking the initiative, to protect their sons while they were there swimming. Some remembered when Deputy Sheriff Dan Fischer was there at the end of the summer, and mentioned it to the other parents that Mr. Ken has always made sure their sons were well cared for and supervised.
Hearing that Mr. Ken had a Deputy Sheriff staying at The Cove for a while surprised Claire and Addison. They had to ask the reason for that, and Mr. Ken went into a shortened version of how and why that happened.
Claire and Addison came away that afternoon, very happy that their sons were now a part of something wonderful, especially after hearing The Cove referred to as a ‘camp’ of some kind for boys.
Matthew got his new bike out for Greg to ride. Since there were too many boys crowding around the ramps, the boy took it out of the parking corral and rode it down to the end of the driveway and back. When Greg was done riding, Aaron took it for a spin. Before long, all the ten and eleven-year-olds had a chance to ride the new birthday bike.
While the boys were riding the new bike, or skating on the ramps, Dan Fischer stopped by. Of course, Kyle had to stop everything and greet him. Dan ruffled the twin’s hair, gave him a slight hug and then using his house key he walked into the house to meet up with Mr. Ken.
“Hello, Dan, I take it you have some time off,” laughed Mr. Ken, as he noticed his friend walk into his Study.
“Yes, my friend, I do get a day or two off, once in a while, and today happens to be one of them. So, tell me, what’s been happening around here?” asked Dan Fischer, as he sat down in one of those very comfortable leather chairs.
Ken Thomas told Dan about Matthew’s new friends and his birthday party yesterday. Dan told Ken he wished he’d been told because he’d have loved to be there. Ken explained he had 40 boys there and he told his ‘boys’ to not tell anyone about the party, as he didn’t want the attendees to think they had to buy presents. Dan just nodded.
“Hey, Dan, I’m glad you stopped by. Wayne and I were talking about taking the boys out Christmas shopping later. And, since you asked if you could see what it’s like … you are now officially invited to participate,” laughed Ken.
“We’ll go out to dinner, after the boys leave at 5, and then head out from there. I took the boys to IHOP for breakfast and I plan to take them to a fast-food restaurant tonight. It will save time that way and put us closer to the shopping.
“You game to try wrangling a few of the boys as they run throughout the stores, looking for that ‘just right’ present?” heartily laughed Ken, with Wayne chuckling in the background.
“You took the boys out to IHOP? What’s that all about? I thought you loved Momma’s breakfast tacos?” asked Dan as he returned the laugh.
“Well, I figured the boys would like a change of pace, and for as much as we all love Momma’s cooking, a change is always welcomed. So … are you prepared to walk your legs off, answer a ton of questions, and give them ideas of what to get? If you are, meet us here at 5 and we’ll head out soon thereafter,” explained Ken.
“By the way, did you ever see that vehicle again, Wayne? Curious minds want to know,” asked Dan in sort of a Sheriff Lieutenants voice.
“No, thank goodness,” started Wayne. “After I dropped Kevin off on Friday, I went out to the parking lot and looked around. I kept my fingers crossed the car wasn’t there. It wasn’t.”
“I noticed the Christmas decorations are coming along very nicely. When will they set up the tree and will it be the same one they used the last few years?” asked Dan with a smile.
The adults talked about the decorations and then Mr. Ken reminded Wayne to talk to Chris about when the high schools would install their Toy Soldiers. That brought about an explanation to Dan about that.
It was then Robert and Eric came to the Study.
“Dad, you’d said you’d talk to Eric about the band for the New Year’s Eve Garage Party,” said Robert.
“Well, OK, now that he is here, Eric … did Robert tell you what this is all about?” asked Mr. Ken.
“Yes, sir, he said you were trying to pick a band for New Year’s Eve Garage Party without auditioning them. He told me he suggested Sticky Fingers. I do agree they are good, but I still think you should audition a few, so you feel good about your choice,” replied Eric Turner, Robert’s Best Friend.
Robert was surprised at hearing what Eric just said. He thought they agreed to go along with Lewis Parkington, but he guessed he was wrong. The Cover teen heard Eric say that some of the bands they auditioned last year didn’t play at the 4th of July Picnic and they could be better now.
Mr. Ken agreed that it was a great suggestion, so he told the two teens to plan to audition at least three bands next Saturday. He then reminded Robert to tell Charles, so he knows how to plan his day next Saturday. The two teenagers then headed back outside to their friends.
Just as the teenagers went back outside to talk to Charles the sky opened up and the rain fell. Luckily for the boys out at the ramps, Robert opened the garage door, as he and Eric were about to go outside, otherwise many of the boys would have been drenched.
The 40 boys watched the rains fall, hoping they would soon stop. The winds picked up as the rains continued, so they all headed further back into the garage. Robert then closed the large door and the boys filed into the house.
“Dad, the rains chased us inside so, we’re going to go swimming,” said Robert, as he popped his head inside the Study doorway. “Come and swim with us, you and Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan.”
“We’ll think about it for now, son. Thank you for the invitation, but we have a few more things to talk about before we can even think about joining you. Go ahead and we’ll see,” replied dad Ken.
“You want try changing with the other guys?” Matthew asked Greg and Aaron.
The two best friends looked back and forth to one another, and then said they’d like to get used to changing in front of all of their friends first. Matthew said he understood and the six friends headed to the Women’s Locker Room. Matthew had to retrieve his friend’s swimsuits from his older ‘brother’ who had brought all the suits from the dryer.
“Are you going to want to use the toilet stall,” teased Brant.
“No, we’ll change as we did yesterday,” replied Greg.
“Ohhh … so you’re going to let us see your little weiner and baby balls?” Brant teased back.
Greg and Aaron, both, quickly gave Brant the fickle finger of fate. That elicited a round of laughter from all six boys. When the laughter as over, Matthew sat down on a bench and took off his shoes and socks, stood up and dropped his shorts and briefs and stood there with only his shirt on.
“Come one, what are you waiting for? Get changed!” called out Matthew, as he put his swimsuit on and then took his shirt off.
Brant, Noah and Ryan quickly followed Matthew’s lead and changed into their swimsuits. They didn’t care if Greg and Aaron saw them naked. They’d already seen each other yesterday. They had to hope two skittish boys would follow their lead.
Greg saw the other boys didn’t hesitate to take their clothes off in front of them as they had yesterday. He nudged Aaron to start changing. The two best friends did what the others did but this time they took off their shirts first, so that when they took of their shorts and briefs they would be as naked as the day they were born.
The four other boys applauded Greg and Aaron as they stood up, and turned all-around showing their friends they were okay with being naked in front of them. The two naked boys put their swimsuits on, and all six went out to the lockers to place their clothes in them.
“What are we going to do now?” asked Aaron.
“Well, we could jump off the ledge, or talk to older boys into having another horsey game,” offered Brant.
“Boys, how about you all come over here,” called out Russell.
When all the boys were there, Russell asked if they were interested in playing a relay game. The boys talked amongst themselves and then Logan asked how it would work.
“Boys, okay, we’ll break you into four teams. We’ll start out with the same two-person teams from yesterday and adjust as needed. Then, Jordan and I will decide which five two-person teams will form one of the four relay teams. Once we do that we’ll explain the game.
The relay teams were set as follows. Team 1 was Logan with Greg, Gordon and Noah, Cooper and Nicholas, David and Wyatt, and Jacob with Kyle.
Team 2 had Robert paired with Aaron, Chuck and Ryan, Charles and Blake, Josh and Isaac and Tyler with Grant.
Team 3 consisted of Eric and Brant, Trevor and Andrew, Camm and Kevin, James and Eli, along with Hunter and Terran.
And, Team 4 was comprised of Brad paired with Matthew, Cody with Landon, Asher and Sam, Mason and Dominic, along with Dylan and Nathan.
“OK, here’s what we’ll do. Half of your team will be on one side of the long end of the pool with the other half at the other end. And, since there is such a big difference in sizes, instead of swimming you will walk to the other side and touch your teammate.
“They, in turn, jump in and walk to the other side and you each do that back and forth to see which team can finish first. Oh, and did I tell you that the thirteen-year-olds… well, you have to walk … backward?” smiled Russell.
“I’ll be at one end and Russ will be at the other. And, to add a wrinkle, if you jump in before your teammate touches the side of the pool before he touches you, then you have to get out of the water and jump back in. And, the decision of the judges is final,” added Jordan.
Hearing the rules and the learning the thirteen-year-olds have to walk backward and touch the wall before they touch their teammate had the boys all yelling that it wasn’t fair and they couldn’t do that.
“Hey … hey … it’s ONLY a game!” yelled Matthew. “Come on … let’s try it. It sounds like fun and the lifeguards have made it fair since us smaller kids will have a harder time walking thru the water. Now, get half of your team to one side and the other half stay here. And remember, you have finish on the side you started at that means we all do it twice.”
The boys were somewhat taken aback that Matthew spoke up to get them settled, instead of Robert. They mumbled some between themselves, and it was then Robert spoke up and told the boys to stop complaining and get in place.
“Hey, wait … wait … there are only nine thirteen-year-olds, so one team has one thirteen-years-old more than the others. That’s not fair,” called out Terran.
Russell asked for a show of hands of who the thirteen-year-olds were. Then, the guard asked for the twelve-year-olds that were closest to their thirteenth birthday. The twelve-year-olds talked amongst themselves and it was learned Charles would be thirteen in April, one week before Cooper.
But they needed three twelve-year-olds to even up the teams of boys walking backward. So, Charles, Cooper and James were delegated to walk backward, as well. That changed the teams some, and everyone seemed happy after the lifeguards did their best to even out the teams.
Jordan told the teams to get in place. In thirty seconds the teams were ready, and upon Russell’s whistle, the boys on Russell’s side jumped into the water and began walking to the other side.
The thirteen-year-olds found it difficult but funny trying to walk straight, even though they were walking backward. The other boys also laughed at them and that made some of the teams change the order of the boy who would go next.
The thirteen-year-olds could only look at the wall they faced to use to determine how they walked backward. They tried their best, but some went off on an angle and they had reset their backward direction.
The teams, who changed their order of which boys would jumped into the water next, thought they got an early advantage. What they didn’t realize was they would eventually have to get their thirteen-year-olds across the pool anyway, so that didn’t really help them as the lifeguards had evened the teams out as best they could.
The boys got into the game and their yelling was loud enough that it a low rumble made it up to the Study. Hearing the low-level noise caught the attention of the three men by surprise. Mr. Ken said he’d better check out what that was all about, so he, Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan headed down to the indoor pool.
As the men got closer to the indoor pool the yelling got much louder. Mr. Ken got nervous that maybe there was a fight going on and the lifeguards were letting the boys go at it.
“What is all the noise about?” yelled Mr. Ken, as the three men walked into the pool area.
But the boys didn’t hear him, as they were loudly cheering on their teammates and focused on the game. It was then the men realized the boys were having a race and the boys were really into it. The men decided to stay and watch the game.
Matthew saw his ‘dad’ and Mr. Wayne and Mr. Dan standing at the entrance, so he walked over to talk to them. They asked him what the game was all about and Matthew explained it to him. Matthew’s turn was coming up so he hurried back to his team.
The boys initially thought the game would be lame, but as they got into it they saw it was a lot of fun and funny at the same time. As the men watched, they inwardly began to cheer on a team. But their inward voice soon became an outward voice and they were heard by all of the other boys.
Each team had ten members and it took quite a bit of time for all ten to get to the other side and then back to where they initially started. Only one team was penalized for jumping in before their teammate touched the side of the pool. In the end, that team did not win.
Team 2 that had Robert, Aaron, Chuck, Ryan, Charles, Blake, Josh, Isaac, Tyler and Grant that ultimately won the game. After being declared the winner, they congratulated each other for working as a team to get everyone across to their other side.
Mr. Ken came over to his son and asked him how that game got started. Robert explained it was Russell and Jordan’s idea. He also told his dad that no one thought it would be fun, at first, but as they got into the competition they couldn’t help but cheer on their team.
“Boys … it sounded like Russell and Jordan gave you something really fun to try, today. I would never have thought of doing that game, but I bet you’ll all do it again some time. And, boys … while I have you all here … next Saturday Robert, Eric, Charles and I will be away from The Cove.
“We’ll be auditioning the bands for the New Year’s Eve Party, the one held out in the garage, and we will be gone most of the afternoon. Mr. Wayne will be here to supervise, so if you still want to stop by I’ll have no problem with that. Oh, and by the way, Logan will be my enforcer while I’m gone, so don’t make any trouble,” teased Mr. Ken.
It stopped raining in time for the boys to have another barbeque that afternoon. Greg and Aaron changed into their street clothes, in front of their friends, and eagerly helped in a different group to get familiar with what was needed to make the barbeque a success.
After the boys ate and put everything away, they decided to head to the ramps as it was getting late and their parents would be there at 5 PM.
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