Tuesday had some of the boys and girls at Kevin's and Robert's school still asking questions about what was revealed at the trial, and over the weekend by the press. But Kevin stuck to his story that he didn't know what his biological dad was doing, nor why.
Robert also told his classmates that he had no idea why Mr. Parchsons would want to kidnap him other than his dad did some illegal business things with the man, and he might think he knows about them and could testify against him.
As soon as Billy arrived at school, Kaden immediately bugged Billy about Jamie and Gabe being able to go to The Cove when their brothers were there, but Billy wasn't. Billy held up his hands and told Kaden to wait a second.
"Listen ... last night, I asked Mr. Ken, and thus my 'brothers', to clarify what we meant by that new Rule. Mr. Wayne brought out his cell phone and read what he wrote about what we agreed to. Essentially, what we said was when one or two of us are gone ALL of our friends can come over. That means when I am gone all of you can be there,"explained Billy.
"Guys, did you hear that?"exclaimed Kaden. "We all get to go over when our 'man' here isn't going to be there!"
Billy told them that it was agreed that when one or two of the Cover boys were gone all of their friends could still come over. Billy said that if he was gone, like when he was on his 3-day trip with Mr. Ken, all of them could come over. Billy reminded them that if they make trouble they'd be asked to leave and not ever return.
Billy also told them that if three of the Covers were gone then only the friends of the Covers who were there could come over to the Cove and there were no exceptions. The Cover's friends said they understood and there was no reason for them to make trouble.
The restaurant supply company did arrive at The Cove bright and early that Tuesday morning and began installing the three major pieces of equipment that Mr. Ken had ordered for the storage room at the Pavilion.
When Mr. Wayne arrived at the Cove, Mr. Ken had him start looking over the Cove Skate Park and Pavilion and begin building a Punch List to present to the contractor. Mr. Ken told his Project Manager that for the cost of the total project he wanted to make sure all the nails were picked up, the paint matched and nothing was left undone.
Mr. Wayne asked if he could get his first cup of coffee before he started. Mr. Ken laughed and told him to also take a couple of Momma's sweet cakes with him up to the contractor's trailer, talk to the supervisor and start from there.
Mr. Chris contacted the sailing instructor to confirm there would be twelve students beginning the following Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. for six days, not including Sunday. Mr. Chris told the man The Cove would pay him directly, so he wouldn't have to deal with collecting any monies from the boys. The instructor was happy to hear that.
The sailing instructor asked if he could bring his six training sailboats, he wanted to use over to The Cove that weekend. Mr. Chris told him it would have to be that Monday as The Cove had activities planned for the other days. The man said that would be okay with him.
Mr. Chris gave him a phone number to call before he came over to coordinate the delivery. Mr. Chris explained the guards needed to know he was coming and why. That caused another long-winded explanation between the men.
With Mr. Ken having a better understanding of when the trials for the Parchsons and Grace Turnsten were being planned, he called all four of his amusement parks. He wanted them to know when he and his 'boys' were going to be visiting and what he expected to do during their day and a half visit.
Mr. Ken told them he expected the parks to have Fastest Passes available for his seven 'sons' and Mr. Wayne to use during their stay, and that they wouldn't need to be escorted, as they had during their last Holiday visit.
At Crystal Lake he told Jason he would need eight Fastest Passes as Collin would be joining them. Jason asked if he needed one. Mr. Ken joked and told his Administrator that as the owner of the park he'd just use his proxy and get on a ride whenever he wanted. Jason wasn't so sure the man was joking.
Mr. Ken also received a phone call from his attorney, Amelia 'Amy' Ozarker, near the Crystal Lake Amusement Park. She wanted to tell him about the public meeting the County Commissioners had in reference to the Bonds they were holding on the expansion of the roadway that passed by the amusement park and lake.
She told him how during the public comment period the people gave the Commissioners an ear full and told them they wanted the Bonds issued and the road expanded as promised. She said the people complained they had been lied to about the Bonds and that the money could not be used for anything but the road expansion.
Ms. Ozarker told Mr. Ken that some of the older residents told the four Commissioners who were against the road project they would not be voting for them and they were looking for reliable, competent and honest men and women to run against them that fall.
Mr. Ken told the lawyer to find out who those reliable, competent and honest men and women residents were and to let him know, so he could donate to their campaign. The two had a good laugh.
Robert came home early from his appointment with Doctor Doug that Tuesday, so he decided to start moving the barbeque supplies up to the Pavilion storage room, and figure out how to store them on the new shelves.
He backed a six-seater golf cart up to the garage, folded down the back seat and began to load the supplies to take up to the Pavilion. When he arrived up at the pavilion, he couldn't get into the storage room as there was a special cipher keypad lock installed that he hadn't the code for.
Robert called his dad and asked him for the code. Mr. Ken laughed and told his son he'd be right there. When the owner of The Cove arrived, he told his son the code was only for the Covers to know. He explained with the supplies being out of the house he wanted a better control of them and that even though it would be a hassle a Cover would have to be a part of every barbeque.
Robert said he understood and would explain it to his 'brothers'. He said he'd run interference with the rest of the boys, but wondered why his dad allowed the boys unfettered run of the house, but now he was going to keep them from knowing the keypad code.
Dad Ken thought about that for a few seconds then began laughing. "You're right, son. I was being foolish. But you need to make sure the storage room is locked when the barbeque is over. That is one thing I will not relent on. OK?"
A smiling Robert said he understood and using the code opened the storage room and began carrying the supplies into the room. Dad Ken helped his son and they talked about keeping the heavier items on the bottom, so no one could get hurt.
When Robert was moving more barbeque supplies, his 'brothers' returned from school. They wanted to help, but Robert said they better eat Momma Maria's afterschool snack first or else. The boys knew exactly what the teen meant, so they went inside to eat. This day they didn't wait for Billy.
Billy was disappointed his 'brothers' hadn't waited for him to have their afterschool snack together, but he understood their enthusiasm to get the supplies up to the Pavilion and on the shelves. He did have them take him up there after dinner to show him what they'd done. He wanted to see if he had any ideas. He did.
In the Study that evening, the Covers talked about the Pavilion Storage room and what else they needed to get. 'Dad' Ken told them Momma was going to buy the hamburgers, hotdogs and buns on Thursday and anything else they needed, and when they got home from school, they'd need to store them up in the storage room freezer.
'Dad' Ken then asked them if they wanted to use ketchup and mustard packets, or did they want the pump dispensers, and, if so, should he also get the relish, onion and mayo ones as well.
As the boys talked, Mr. Wayne said he didn't think they made a mayo dispenser since it needed refrigeration. He also asked if Momma was going to be able to buy chopped onions for the dispenser, or would she chop them for the boys.
The boys decided they wanted the dispensers since they would be easier for them to use. They then asked if Momma would still cut the tomatoes and prepare the lettuce for them for the burgers. Mr. Ken told the boys he would talk to her about them and the onions. He did tell the boys they would have to add another step to the barbeque and that would be for them to fill the ketchup, mustard, relish and onion dispensers and they would have to come down to the house to retrieve the tomatoes and lettuce.
Mr. Ken also told the boys that the electronics company would begin installing the CCTV cameras tomorrow and that would probably take two days. He also said the restaurant supply company would finish installing the icemaker tomorrow and they would need to discard the first ice on Thursday, so they would have lots of clean ice for the picnic on Saturday.
"'Dad', speaking of ice ... ahh ... and speaking of dispensers ... ahhh ... can we have an ice dispenser, too?"asked Matthew.
"An ice dispenser?"asked a smiling 'dad' Ken.
"Yes, you, know, ice for our drinks. We always drink our sodas out of the cans, but it would be nice to have cups and ice we can use to drink our sodas with,"explained Matthew.
"That's the first time I've ever heard this. What brings this on, Matthew?"asked a surprised 'dad' Ken.
"Well, when we have our barbeques down at that Patio, we have to carry all of the stuff down there. But now that we'll have everything up at the Pavilion and the ice maker will also be there, instead of in the garage, and since we'll have to fill the mustard and ketchup dispensers, we can also fill the ice dispenser, too. I think it would be better for us, too,"answered Matthew.
"Boys ... what do you all think of Matthew's request?"asked 'dad' Ken.
The boys talked to one another and it was Charles who announced that they all thought it was a great idea. He said an ice dispenser like those they have at lots of fast food restaurants would be great to have on the serving counter and they could have an 'ICE ONLY' bucket to use to fill the dispenser.
Mr. Ken looked over to Wayne to get his take on the boy's request. Mr. Wayne quickly agreed with the boys and said he liked having ice in a cup when he drank a soda and all he would have to do was have Mr. Chris call the restaurant supply company to bring one and install it on the counter. Mr. Ken just chuckled at how he was being manipulated and then made a note on his desk to tell Mr. Chris to do just that.
"OK, I'll have Mr. Chris order an ice dispenser. What else will I need to order?"said 'dad' Ken.
"Well, we'll need cups. Lots of cups,"laughed Kyle. "Ohh, and that 'ICE ONLY' bucket, thingy"added the youngster with a laugh.
"Boys ... before you go up to bed ... Mr. Wayne is making the Punch List, so if while you are up at the Pavilion and you see something that doesn't look right make sure you tell him. When we think we've identified all the problems with the project we'll give the list to the contractor and he'll fix all the discrepancies. Any questions?"finished 'dad' Ken.
Before long the boys were up in their bedrooms and Mr., Ken and Mr. Wayne went up to say goodnight. The boys were tired, but excited at the same time. The Grand Opening of the Cove Skate Park would soon be there and they couldn't wait.
When the men stopped at Billy's room, the teenager told them how Kaden was initially miffed at the Rule that Jamie and Gabe could be at The Cove, with their brothers when he was gone, but he, Lonnie and Brett couldn't. The teen explained that was why he had asked to have that Rule clarified. Billy told Mr. Ken that Kaden was now very happy he could be there when he was gone.
Mr. Ken smiled and shook his head. He was still unsure that Kaden was a good match for Billy, but he was the foster son's choice as a friend and he had justified his reason for keeping him as such until he did something wrong. The man said his goodnight to the teen and headed to his own private retreat for the night.
In a few days the Memorial Day Picnic would be a reality and the Cove Skate Park would be opened.
The next morning Kyle looked out his bedroom window to see what the weather was like and when he looked down at the beach, he didn't see the WaveRunners or the Jet Ski. He told his brother and then ran to Robert's room to tell him, but the teen was already in the bathroom.
"Robert, the WaveRunners and the Jet Ski ... they're gone. They aren't on the beach like they usually are,"said an excited Kyle. "We got to tell 'dad'!"
Robert told the younger twin to put on some clothes as Momma would be in the Kitchen Nook and run down and tell dad what he saw. Kyle quickly put his play clothes on and ran down the hallway and stairs yelling, "'Dad', 'dad', 'dad',"
"Where's the fire, Kyle?"said a laughing 'dad' Ken.
"'Dad', the WaveRunners and Jet Ski ... they're ... they're gone. They're not at the beach as they usually are. Someone ... someone must have stolen them,"said an excited Kyle.
"Thank you for noticing. I had them picked up and taken in for maintenance. They need their oil changed and to be readied for the summer season. I hope they will be back in the cove by the weekend. Oh, and they were picked up on Monday, so you should have noticed them gone yesterday morning, not today,"laughed 'dad' Ken.
Kyle quickly rushed up the stairs to get his shower and ready for school and tell his 'brothers' what he learned about the personal watercraft. The younger twin's 'brothers' laughed at him. Kyle told them that at least he noticed they were gone, which was more than they had. Matthew told Kyle that his room faced the front of the house, so he wouldn't have noticed anyway.
At breakfast, 'dad' Ken thanked Kyle, in front of his 'brothers', for coming to him and telling him he noticed the PWCs were gone. He told all the boys they all should be more observant of things around The Cove, and when they see something out of place they need to tell him, Mr. Wayne or Mr. Chris. The boys all agreed to try to watch out for those types of things.
When Billy came down for breakfast, he took care of Chief's needs, who thanked him by giving the teen a few doggie kisses before chowing down herself. When Chief left Billy alone, Momma Maria placed a plate of scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, hash brown potatoes and toast in front of him.
Mr. Ken then told the teenager about the PWCs being taken in for maintenance and only Kyle noticed them being gone, but a day late. He asked Billy to try to be more vigilant and to tell either him, Mr. Wayne or Mr. Chris if he saw anything out of the ordinary.
At school that day the younger Cover boys told their friends about the ice, ketchup, and mustard dispensers their 'dad was going to buy for the Pavilion for them to use for their barbeques. They told them how they began to move the barbeque supplies up to the storage room and would continue to do so until everything was there.
When Billy arrived at his high school, he was met by his friends who thanked him again for clarifying the Rule that they could come to The Cove when he wasn't going to be there. Billy then told his friends about his 'brothers' starting to take the barbeque supplies up to the Pavilion and storing them. He told them how Matthew talked Mr. Ken into buying an ice dispenser and cups for them to use to drink their sodas, so they didn't have to drink them out of the cans.
Kaden asked why the man didn't buy bottled sodas instead of the cans. All Billy could say was that was how it had always been done, ever since Collin lived there. But the Cover encouraged Kaden to talk to Mr. Ken that weekend, at the picnic, and to suggest he switch over to the bottles.
Billy also told Kaden that he could explain to Mr. Ken how he could save some money, by buying bottled soda and sending the ice dispenser back and also save on the expense of the paper cups. The Cover added that Kaden could then get into the man's good graces.
The other four teens turned and chuckled to one another at how that was the second time in two days that Billy had challenged Kaden about something that was done at The Cove. They waited for Kaden to again say something, but all Kaden said was, "No thank you."
When Mr. Chris came to work that Wednesday, Mr. Ken told him about his discussion with the boys the previous evening and their decision to use ketchup, mustard, relish and ice dispensers. The addition of the ice dispensing machine caught the Estate Manager off guard and he asked what brought that on.
Mr. Ken told the man how Matthew asked and the boys agreed. Mr. Ken asked his Estate Manager to call the restaurant supply company to bring one with them today along with an 'Ice Only' bucket for the boys to use, as well as a ketchup, mustard and relish dispenser.
Mr. Chris hurried to his office to call the company to try to catch them before they left their warehouse to head over to The Cove. That way they could save some time by bringing everything with them that morning.
When Mr. Chris came back to his employer, he reported the restaurant supply company would bring the added items with them along with the cooking utensils, paper cups, and everything else we ordered for the restrooms and cleaning sink.
Mr. Chris also told Mr. Ken that the Type II and Type III Life Jackets along with the holding rack that holds up to sixty-four jackets they ordered were scheduled to arrive that Friday afternoon.
Mr. Chris explained he ordered the ones that would be the least bulky for the swimmers, twelve years old, or younger, his insurance company was now requiring them to wear. The Estate Manager said he did order a few adult sizes for anyone who may wish to use one, for the water toys.
Mr. Chris said the holding rack needed to be put together and the life jackets would arrive packed four to a box and would be individually wrapped in plastic. He added he hoped there would be enough space in the garage for all of the boxes. Then he laughed. Mr. Ken said they'd find room in his office if they needed space.
Mr. Wayne came by at that time and asked what all the laughter was about. When he learned, he laughed and then all three men laughed. But then Mr. Wayne asked seriously where they were going to store sixteen boxes of life jackets and whatever number of boxes the holding rack would come in.
Mr. Ken said there were only three vehicles in the garage, which meant one bay was empty and they would use that one until Todd got the rack built and the life jackets moved down to the beach. Mr. Wayne asked if Todd knew about the new task. Mr. Ken said he didn't, but he'd get over it. All three men laughed some more.
That afternoon, Mr. Ken and his lawyer, Bill Jackson, talked some more about Ken Thomas' desire to create a corporation that would bring all of his endeavors, his real estate group and leasing agency, construction and engineering offices, restaurant and amusements enterprises and his advertising group under one board of directors, with a CEO leading them, but with him still at the helm.
Mr. Ken had already created Three Finger Entertainment, LLC that he was going to announce later that summer with Ben Walthers, from Mountain Top Amusement Park, as its first President. Mr. Ken just hoped the man would accept the promotion and the move to the area where he would lead the four amusement parks from the new office building that should open that August.
The two men talked about consolidating all of that, but Mr. Ken still wanted to retain veto power as owner on direct purchases and directions. Bill Jackson wasn't so sure something like that could be done and suggested Mr. Ken hire individual Presidents for each of his ventures, as he had for Three Finger Entertainment, with him as the Chairman of the Board of Directors that oversaw all of them. The men agreed to talk some more as Bill continued to research and create what Ken Thomas wanted to be able to do.
Mr. Wayne left to take Kevin to Doctor Doug's at the appointed time. The older twin was looking forward to his talk with the doctor. The Child Psychologist that Kevin had been seeing ever since he arrived at The Cove has helped Kevin work through his demons. And after what was revealed in court last week the older twin needed to talk to someone he trusted and would explain things to him so he could move forward with his life.
When Kevin came home from seeing Doctor Doug, he was even more enthused than he was on Monday. Mr. Ken was happy for the boy as it seemed his talking to Doctor Doug was working out for the older twin.
"'Dad', can I take stuff up to the storage room in the Pavilion?"asked Kevin, when he went to the Study
"I don't see why not. But don't do more than you can handle. OK?"replied 'dad' Ken.
Kevin grabbed the keys to one of the six-seater golf carts and pulled it to the garage doors, then went inside and opened the garage door, so he could load stuff onto the golf cart. There were still loads of things to take, so Kevin started with the cases of sodas. He loaded what he thought he could safely take up to the Pavilion and then began driving very slowly so they wouldn't fall off the cart.
Mr. Ken saw what Kevin was doing, and he was pleased the boy was taking his time and hadn't overloaded the golf cart. He decided to take the four-seater, head up to the Pavilion and check on the boy's progress.
Kevin had opened the storage room's cipher door, before he began carrying the sodas into the room. He was surprised his 'dad was there to help him. It was then Kevin noticed the ice dispenser and 'Ice Only' bucket, along with an ice scooper included, with the mustard, relish and ketchup dispensers on the serving counter. The twin thanked his 'dad for getting them for him and his 'brothers' and then went back to carrying the cases of soda into the storage room.
The other Cover boys returned home from school and noticed two golf carts were gone and were up at the Pavilion. Robert got the keys to the third golf cart and drove the rest of the boys up to the Pavilion to see what his dad and Kevin were doing.
The boys checked out the new dispensers and put the 'Ice Only' bucket and ice scooper in the storage room next to the icemaker. They saw the icemaker was already making ice. Mr. Ken talked to them about the way they were stacking their supplies and recommended they wait for Billy, so they could talk about ways they could do it better. They all headed back to the house for the boys to start their homework and wait for Billy to return from school.
Upon Billy's return from school, the six Cover boys sat down to Momma Maria's afterschool snack and they talked about the Pavilion's storage room and how 'dad' wanted them to rethink the way they used the shelves. Billy was glad Mr. Ken was doing that as he had some ideas and wanted to see what his 'brothers' thought.
After dinner, Mr. Ken had his usual Study meeting up at the Pavilion. They loaded up the golf carts before heading up to the Pavilion. There he explained he wanted the boys to rethink the way they stocked the storage room. Billy quickly spoke up and recommended they stock the least used and lighter items on top and the most used and heavier items, such as the sodas towards the bottom.
Robert spoke up and said he wasn't sure if they had everything up there yet. Billy said then they'd have to rethink their organization if that was the case, but heavy on the bottom to light on the top and less used to the back and the most used to the front would be his focus.
The boys kicked that philosophy around and they agreed that the heavy items on the bottom and lighter on the top sounded good to them. What the younger boys didn't understand was the less used items to be placed in the back while the most used to be placed up front.
Mr. Wayne tried to explain it to them, but until the younger boys said that until they actually saw the items Billy was talking about, they said they wouldn't understand. 'Dad' Ken said they needed to get all the items up there and that tomorrow Momma Maria would be buying the frozen items, along with a few other things, like the big cans of ketchup, mustard and relish, and the boys needed to bring those up there after school.
Robert then asked his dad if he talked to Momma about the tomatoes, lettuce and onions and if she would still prepare them for their barbeques. Mr. Ken told the boys he hadn't, but would tomorrow or Friday knowing they would be holding their first barbeques up there come Sunday and Monday and would like to have those items.
The Covers finished restacking the supplies and went back to the house. There 'dad' Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to get ready for bed. Later, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne went up to say goodnight. When they stopped by Billy's room, they asked him about Kaden.
Billy smiled and told them that after he told his friends how Matthew talked Mr. Ken into buying an ice dispenser and cups for them to enjoy their sodas instead of out of the can, that Kaden asked why Mr. Ken didn't buy bottled soda instead of the cans.
Billy told the men he told Kaden that was how it had always been done, ever since Collin lived there. He said he encouraged Kaden to talk to Mr. Ken, at the picnic, to explain to the man how he could save some money, by buying bottled soda and sending the ice dispenser back and also save on the expense of the paper cups. Billy added he told Kaden he could get into Mr. Ken's good graces that way. All three had a good laugh over the telling.
At school the next day, Kaden didn't have anything to say to Billy about The Cove. He'd been rebuffed by the teen twice in two days and didn't want the teen to make a habit of it. He thought he could lead the new student around and make him a follower. But what he didn't count on was the influence the young foster dad had on the new student.
Kaden had seen other foster kids come and go, and mostly go, after a while because they usually had conflicts with their foster parents because they wanted to do what they wanted, not what the foster parents wanted them to do. Kaden was usually the catalyst in causing that conflict ever since he was in sixth grade.
But with Billy, Kaden found that the teen loved what he had at The Cove, and he wasn't going to do anything contrary to what the foster dad, Mr. Ken, asked him to do. Kaden also saw what his friend had at The Cove, and he couldn't blame him, as he never had anything close to all the amenities, such as the indoor pool, personal watercraft, Skate Park, trips, and more, and never would unless his side business was more profitable.
Billy and his friends talked about the upcoming Memorial Day Picnic and wondered what it would be like. Billy told them there would be a small Grand Opening ceremony where Mr. Ken would cut a ceremonial ribbon before they could go out and start using the Cove Skate Park.
The name caught the teens' off guard. The teens never understood that the Covers actually called it the Cove Skate Park and not The Cove Skate Park. It may have been a play on words, but Billy told them that they actually wanted a name for the park and that was what they decided to call it. The teens scratched their heads and said, "Well, OK".
At the younger Cover's school, the boys and their friends couldn't help but talk about the upcoming picnic. The other classmates heard them talking about the skate park and the picnic that coming weekend, and now wished they had become friends with the Cover boys when they first arrived.
The students knew they missed out on two great trips to the amusement parks, playing on the water toys out in the cove, a personal tour of the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters, rides on the Commander, sleepovers and much, much more.
When Momma Maria went out to get the rest of the supplies for the Pavilion, she asked if Mr. Wayne could go with her. She wanted to make sure she got everything after hearing the boys had gotten dispensers for the ketchup, mustard and relish. Mr. Wayne and Momma took the van so they would have loads of space for everything. That was the first time Momma was ever in the new Sprinter van.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Chris sat down and talked about the upcoming summer and what was planned throughout the months. Mr. Ken asked Chris to research buying two more small sailboats for the marina for the boys to sail.
Mr. Ken also said that while they were gone for those ten days, he wanted his Estate Manager to purchase two more WaveRunners for The Cove. He said that with so many boys having the Texas Boater Safety Course they would want to enjoy driving them and with only three it would be hard for all the boys to get out on the lake as a group.
The electronic company was there that day finishing up on the CCTV installation and was in and out of the house checking the connections and making sure the camera feed was crisp and accessible at Mr. Ken's computer.
The company already installed the 82-inch LCD LED TV, cable box and Blu-ray player in the rafters of the Pavilion and everything was working fine. Mr. Ken knew the boys would probably notice it later when they took the remaining supplies up to the storage room. The man couldn't do anything about that, but knew the boys would be surprised and would love having that there in order to have something else to do other than skate.
Mr. Wayne helped Momma store the frozen foods in the freezer and place the other supplies in the garage for when the boys would take them up to the Pavilion later after school. The man then joined the other two men in the Study to learn what was happening at The Cove.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Chris were talking about the picnic and that the caterer would be there at about 10 a.m. Saturday. Mr. Chris said they would set up their grills and serving tables just outside the Pavilion so as not to take away the seating from the guests.
Mr. Wayne asked if the caterer could also use the new grill and start getting it broken in for the boys. He said with the number of burgers and hotdogs they would cook all day long it would give the grates a good workout and start seasoning them for the boys. Mr. Ken thought about that for a few moments and then told Mr. Chris to call the caterer and ask them to use the new 72-inch gas grill under the Pavilion, as well, to break it in.
Mr. Chris also told Wayne that he was going to buy two sailboats and two WaveRunners while they were away on their ten-day trip to visit the amusement parks. Mr. Wayne whistled and then said he figured his employer would do something like that for his 'boys'.
The day had moved along and before long it was time for Mr. Wayne to get Charles and take him to see Doctor Doug. And after the young teen's appointment was over, Charles came home and wanted to start taking the supplies up to the Pavilion as Kevin and Robert had done when they had come home early.
Charles got the keys to the six-seater and began to move the dry goods to the golf cart. Mr. Wayne came out to the garage and helped him. One thing the two recognized was that they needed something boxy to place on the folded down portion of the backend of the cart to better hold the supplies, and so they could carry more at the same time.
Mr. Wayne asked Charles if he was interested in going out to one of the big box stores with him to see what they might find that they could use to remedy that situation. Charles eagerly jumped at the chance. The Estate Master told his employer what he and Charles were going to do and would be back as quickly as possible.
When the other Covers came home and saw the golf cart out and partially loaded, they wondered what that was all about. They went inside to talk to their 'dad' to find out. When he explained, they agreed it would have been easier the other nights if they had something like that.
When Mr. Wayne and Charles came back, they went directly to the Parking Carol and folded down the back seats of the other two golf carts so they could see if what they bought would work. They had purchased 52-quart plastic storage bins and placed two each on the folded back ends of the golf carts and used bungee tie down straps to hold them in place.
The storage bins were high enough to keep the supplies from falling out, but not so high they couldn't be loaded and unloaded easily. The boys quickly put as much as the three golf carts could hold into the new storage bins, drove up to the Pavilion and began storing the supplies.
"Momma sure bought enough supplies for us, didn't she?"remarked Kevin. All the boys laughed as they loaded them into the storage room.
"She bought enough for this weekend and next, but she will have to buy more since next Wednesday is your last day of school,"spoke up Mr. Wayne. "Remember, you boys need to create a checklist you can use to give her, so she knows what you need or else you will go without!"
When the boys went back for another load, Billy had returned home from school. He was going to help, but Robert reminded them they needed to have their afterschool snack and then start their homework. Billy said they could finish after dinner. That's what they did.
After dinner, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne went with the boys to finish taking the remaining supplies up to the Pavilion. Mr. Ken liked how the storage containers worked out and wondered why it took them so long to figure that out.
When they had everything on the shelves, Kyle asked 'dad' Ken how they were going to open the large cans of ketchup, mustard and relish, so they could pour them into the dispensers. He added that there was no pop-top and he didn't see some sort of opener for them to use. Mr. Wayne pulled out his notepad and made a note to buy something for the boys to use.
What surprised Mr. Ken was that the boys never noticed the oversized TV up in the rafters at the far end of the Pavilion. It might have been because it was at the other end and that they were busy with the supplies and for that Mr. Ken was happy. He'd just wait until they came to him about it.
The Covers had their meeting in the Study that night, but it wasn't a long one. They did talk about the supplies and the boys creating a checklist to use to tell Momma Maria what they needed. Billy volunteered to work on that tomorrow after school. He then invited any of his 'brothers' to join him after dinner up at the Pavilion to help. That put a smile on Mr. Ken's face.
When the men went up to say goodnight to the boys, they couldn't wait to stop at Billy's room to hear what he had to say about Kaden. They were disappointed when the teenager told them Kaden was the perfect friend that day, and he didn't have any smart-aleck remarks to make at all.
At breakfast, that Friday morning, the boys were very loud as they couldn't stop talking about the picnic tomorrow. They were talking over each other about what they were going to do on the bowls or the drop in box, or on the sloop. Matthew said he wanted to start slow on the shallow bowl, so he wasn't in the way of the bigger boys.
Mr. Ken smiled at their enthusiasm, and Matthew's caution.
After the boys left to catch their school bus, Billy came into the Kitchen Nook and asked his foster dad what all that noise was about. Momma took the question and told the teenager about the niños talking about the picnic and how they were going to ride their skateboards.
Billy laughed at how his 'brothers' couldn't wait until the picnic, but secretly inside he was feeling the same thing. The teen took care of Chief's needs before sitting down to a wonderful Momma Maria breakfast.
After Billy left for school, Mr. Ken asked Momma if she was still going to prepare the tomatoes, lettuce and onions for the boys as she had previously been doing. She told her employer she could, but the boys would have to come down to the house to get them.
The woman did tell Mr. Ken that with a mandolin food slicer she could show the boys how to slice the tomatoes and onions themselves and it wasn't anything complicated to clean the lettuce and pat it dry to use on the hamburgers.
Mr. Ken asked her if he had her buy the food slicer would she show the boys next week how to use it so they could fix the tomatoes and onions for themselves. Momma Maria said she would and would still help out if they had a problem. Mr. Ken asked her to buy the mandolin for the boys. That put a smile on the woman.
When Mr. Chris arrived at work that Friday, Mr. Ken asked him where the ribbon and scissors were for the Grand Opening Ceremony. Mr. Chris told the man they were down in his office and that he and his family planned to be there tomorrow. Mr. Ken was pleased to hear his Estate Manager and family were going to be at the Memorial Day Picnic.
Mr. Ken told Chris that Wayne was going to take a staged Grand Opening photo tomorrow morning with just him and the boys, so he'd have a good picture for his Study wall. Mr. Chris smiled that the man was doing that. Mr. Ken then said he planned to do the actual ceremony at about 12:15 when there were a few people there.
When Mr. Wayne arrived the three Cover men talked about the following day's festivities and how they saw the day moving along with all the VIPs that were invited. Mr. Chris did remind the other two men that the Life Jackets were due to arrive sometime that day, and that Mr. Ken's special delivery skate equipment was also due later that day.
Mr. Wayne was surprised when he heard there was some special skate equipment, so he asked what that was all about. Mr. Ken told his Estate Master that he ordered helmets, knee and elbow as well as wrist pads for all the boys. Mr. Chris added that he actually bought enough for all the boys up to one hundred of them. Mr. Wayne had a good laugh over hearing that.
Mr. Ken said the helmets were green with black lining and they all had Cove Skate Park imprinted on them. He added the other equipment was black with green trim and he had Chris order a bunch of different sizes, so that hopefully all the boys will be fully outfitted.
Mr. Wayne asked if he was going to give his 'boys' theirs tonight and the owner of The Cove said he was. He also said he needed the boys to help pass the equipment out to their friends tomorrow and it would be easier if they knew about the equipment.
Luckily for Mr. Ken, none of the boys had Doctor Doug appointments that Friday afternoon. That was because when the delivery trucks began arriving all three men were needed to help off load the trucks and stack the Life Jacket and skate equipment boxes in the empty garage stall. And there were loads of them.
It was then the personal watercraft were delivered back from the marine company which did the annual maintenance on them. Mr. Chris had forgotten all about them with everything that was going on. It was a very busy Friday afternoon for the Cover men.
When the boys came home from school that Friday afternoon, they couldn't help but notice all the boxes stacked in the garage. Of course, they had to stop at the Study to ask about them. Mr. Ken asked if they could wait until Billy came home, so he only had to explain it once. The boys reluctantly said they would, so they went up to their rooms to wait for Billy to come home.
Billy also saw all the boxes stacked in the garage when he came home from school, so he too stopped at the Study to ask about them. Mr. Ken told him to get his 'brothers' and have their afterschool snack and he'd tell them there.
"Boys, out in the garage are stacks of boxes. Many are full of Life Jackets. They are what my insurance company is now requiring that the twelve-year-old's and younger must wear when they swim out in the cove when they use the water toys. I will encourage everyone to use them, but twelve-year-old's and younger MUST use them.
"Also out there are ... are a special gift for you and your friends to use when you skate on the new Cove Skate Park. When you finish your snack, we'll go out there and open those boxes and you'll see for yourselves,"explained 'dad' Ken
The boys hurriedly finished their snack, rinsed their dishes and ran out to the garage. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne quickly followed the boys out to the four-car garage.
"Boys, Todd will be responsible to build the holding rack for the Life Jackets and getting it down to the beach. He'll then have to move the Life Jackets there as well. If you want to help him you can, but that is his job.
"Now, look for the boxes that aren't labeled USCG approved. Those are the Life Jackets. The other boxes are your special gifts. Let's find those and open them. Mr. Wayne has the box cutter,"announced 'dad' Ken.
The boys quickly found their special gift boxes and they began opening them as they did the Easter boxes a few months ago. Once the boys saw they had new helmets as well and new knee, elbow and wrist pads they all had to try them on.
Mr. Wayne made sure the boys had the helmets sized for them. He showed Billy, Robert and Charles what to do, because they would be needed to help size their friends' helmets tomorrow before they got out on the skate park.
The boys loved that the helmets were green and had COVE SKATE PARK printed on them. Robert and Charles knew green was their dad's favorite color and told their 'brothers' that was probably why the helmets were that color and the other equipment had green trim.
Mr. Ken reminded the boys that tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. Mr. Wayne was going to pose them to take a faux Grand Opening picture, so he had a good one for his Study wall. He then told them he needed them to help move all the equipment boxes up to the skate park so it was there to be passed out to their friends.
They'd been out in the garage long enough that Momma Maria came out looking for them to tell them dinner was ready.
After dinner, the Covers went to the Study to talk as they always do. The boys were still talking about the skating safety equipment and even Robert said that Eric was looking forward to getting his tomorrow. That brought up the question if the other boys could tell their friends that their 'dad' had Cove Skate Park gifts for them when they got there tomorrow. Kyle even asked if their friends could get there before 12 noon.
Mr. Ken first clarified that Eric was a Cover, so his knowing that he was getting a helmet and other things was not like telling the other forty or fifty boys. Also, since the parents were coming with their friends they would get there when they got there. But he would still need them there to greet them and get them the correct helmet sizes so they can safely skate.
Matthew asked what they were going to do with the extra helmets and things. Mr. Ken said they would continue to go to those new friends they made until they were all gone and after that all newcomers would need to have their own helmets and protective pads.
Robert then asked his dad if he talked to Momma Maria about the tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Dad Ken told his son he was glad he asked. The man told all the boys that Momma Maria was buying them a food slicer, called a mandolin, and would teach them how to use it, so they could start slicing their own tomatoes and onion, and she would show them how to clean the lettuce and get it ready to use on the burgers.
Upon hearing that the boys looked around at one another. Billy spoke up and said they needed to step up and do that. He continued and said it probably wasn't going to be difficult if Momma Maria said she could show them how to do it. The teen said all the boys can learn to do it and it can be part of the barbeque setup. The rest of the Cover boys said that sounded good to them.
The Covers did discuss how they all saw the Memorial Day Picnic unfolding tomorrow. Mr. Ken asked them to be good hosts and to talk to all their guests, both parents and VIPs. Their 'dad' reviewed who the VIPs would be, so the boys knew who they needed to search out.
Matthew said he didn't know all those people. Robert said he'd point them out to him, or better still he'd take him with him when he goes over to talk to them. Matthew said that sounded like a good idea to him. Then Billy raised his hand and asked Robert if he'd take him too.
That brought about some laughter. Mr. Ken said he'd help the teen with that endeavor.
Billy then mentioned they didn't go up to the Pavilion, as planned, to start making the Supplies Checklist so they could keep track of what they needed Momma Maria to buy for them. Robert said they didn't need that until next week and they could do that either on Sunday or Monday when things settled down. The teen agreed it was very important though, and they had to get it done by the end of the weekend. Billy said he'd remind them.
After some more discussion about the picnic, the boys headed up to their rooms. Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne followed not too long afterwards to say goodnight to all six boys.
Each boy had to talk about the picnic tomorrow and how they couldn't wait to get out on the new skate park. The men knew it had to be hard for the boys to know the park was essentially finished for the past two weeks, but couldn't use it. They assured the boys that it would all end tomorrow after the official ceremony.
It had been a long week for the boys knowing the Memorial Day Picnic was coming up that Saturday. And now they had to wait one more night before they could get out onto the new Cove Skate Park and enjoy their Christmas present from five months ago.
The men slept well that night. Even Billy, Robert and Charles slept fairly well. It was the three younger boys who tossed and turned because they were so anxious to get out there tomorrow and begin using the new skate park. It was like Christmas Eve night all over again.
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