Ken Thomas picked Robert up early from school on Friday. The man helped the preteen pack the night before with enough clothes for the weekend plus his suit and white shirt and tie. The two were headed to Collin's home for the weekend but would first attend his graduation that night. They arrived at Collin's home, the Wilkinson Estate, and were greeted by Uncle Andy.
"Hello, Ken, I hope the drive went well? And who do we have here? Robert I suspect and not Bobby or Robbie or any other 'ee', "teased Andrew Marshall.
"Hello, Uncle Andy … and yes, this is Robert. Robert Arthur Harrison to be exact," responded Mr. Ken.
Robert didn't know how he should take the older gentleman. He asked himself was this 'Uncle' a teaser like his 'dad', or was he just trying to figure him out as he was trying to figure the man out. He took a chance at the 'teaser' side and said, "Hi, there, sir … what should I call you? Uncle, or Andy or Uncle Andy or maybe Uncle Andie with an 'ie'?"
Uncle Andy went over to the lad and pulled him into a hug and told Mr. Ken that the lad was a keeper for sure. The lad smiled up at the older man and thanked him for the compliment. By then Collin came out to the car and hugged his Big Bro. Seeing the 'extra' person, he looked at his new 'lil bro' and gave the lad a big hug, too. He took the time to properly welcome them both to the Wilkinson Estate. The graduating teen immediately helped his guests with their luggage.
Just inside the front door stood Victoria Suzannah Frankenberg, or otherwise known as Grammy, or Ms. Vickey, waiting for Mr. Ken to enter and introduce his new charge to her. When Ms. Vickey saw the young preteen, walk up the steps, she immediately noticed how handsome he was and how he held himself. She had hoped she could get to know the youngster better over the weekend.
"And who do we have here, Mr. Ken?" Grammy asked directly.
"Grammy, this here is Robert. He is my new foster son. Robert … this is Collin's grandmother, Ms. Vickey Frankenberg," was how Mr. Ken introduced the two newcomers.
"Welcome, Robert, and you may call me Grammy or Ms. Vickey, whichever you prefer. Most of the people call me Grammy, though. You even heard Mr. Ken, there, call me Grammy," clarified Ms. Vickey.
"Thank you, ma'am for telling me that. This way I won't make a mistake," replied Robert.
Collin delivered all his guests luggage to the entrance foyer, and told them to grab a suitcase, and he'd show them to their rooms. Mr. Ken had the same room, he normally had, when he visited and Robert was placed in the room across the hall. Collin made sure to show Robert were the bathrooms were located, on that floor, just in case he needed to use one. Robert excused himself and headed for the closest one.
"I'm glad you got here when you did 'Bro'. I need to leave in about five minutes and head over to the auditorium, for another agonizing graduation practice, before the actual ceremony. Uncle Andy has your tickets and the directions on how to get to the high school. I am really happy you made it Mr. Ken," said the high school senior, a little teary eyed.
Ken Thomas grabbed the eighteen year old into a great big hug and the two stood there for quite some time just enjoying the closeness and the Big Brother-Little Brother relationship they shared. Robert had finished using the bathroom and when he returned to Mr. Ken's bedroom, he saw the two in a big hug and tears running down Collin's face. The boy just stood there knowing the two were sharing a very special moment right then.
The 'brothers' broke their hug and Collin apologized for all the tears, but Mr. Ken told the teenager he deserved to shed some tears and to not be embarrassed by them. That was then they noticed Robert had rejoined them. Ken then pulled Robert into a hug and explained the closeness he and Collin shared but Robert told his 'dad' he understood. He told them he noticed how Collin brightened up and looked up to his 'dad' when they first arrived and when he showed them the bedrooms and was proud he now had the same man for his 'dad'.
Collin ruffled Robert's hair and then noticed the time and told them he'd see them at the graduation ceremony, as he rushed out the bedroom and down the stairs. 'Dad' Ken asked Robert if he had any questions for him about what he saw and the lad said he thought it was awesome that they still had that 'special' attachment. He further told his 'dad' that he hoped they would have that same relationship when he was going off to college. All 'dad' Ken could do was pull the very bright boy into his arms again and hug him close. A tear dropped out of the man's eye for the love he felt for his new 'son'.
The graduation ceremony was long-winded, as they all seem to be. The seats Collin's Big Bro and Robert and Uncle Andy had were front and center and on the main aisle. When the graduates came into the auditorium, the three invitees got to clearly see Collin in his cap and gown. Robert compared Ryan's graduation, to Collin's but couldn't decide which one was better than the other. So, he just took in everything and thought about how his high school graduation might be in five years.
When it finally came time for the graduates to receive their diplomas, people began to stand up and take pictures of their son or daughter. Robert was a little dismayed that his 'dad' wasn't taking any pictures and asked him about it. It was then Robert learned his 'dad' had hired a photographer to take all the pictures, they needed, from the time Collin arrived for the final practice until the end of the Graduation party the following day. That put a big smile on the preteen.
After the rite of passage, to being a high school graduate concluded, the four went out to a fine restaurant for dinner. Robert became the center of attention that night, even though it was Collin who had just graduated. Uncle Andy and Collin wanted to learn more about this new addition to Three Finger Cove and kept asking the preteen questions. Robert felt he would have whip-lash, before the night was over, from having to turn his head, first one way to answer Uncle Andy, and then the other way to answer Collin's, as he was pestered with so many questions.
'Dad' Ken had to step in and ask the two, interrogators, to let his 'son' eat his meal before it got cold. As the four diners sat, and ate, Mr. Ken felt good about no one coming up to him and thanking his for something he'd done almost three years ago. He told himself, 'I could get used to not being recognized'. It was close to 11:30 PM when the four finally got back to the Estate. The four said their good nights and they all headed to their own bedrooms.
The next morning, Robert awoke with a start. His surroundings were totally different from what he remembered, at Three Finger Cove, and he got a bit scared. Even Chief wasn't there and he thought he was having a nightmare. He was so startled his heart began to beat faster and he let out a loud gasp or screech which was heard elsewhere on that floor as no more than ten seconds later, Mr. Ken came running to his 'son's' room to see what happened.
When the man opened the door, he saw his son was in a state of confusion, so he grabbed the boy and hugged him close and began to talk to him in a calm and soothing voice. Robert recognized his 'dad' right away and, as he hugged the man back, he began to openly cry. Since the boy's bedroom door was open, his crying brought Collin to the room. The older teen saw first-hand how his Big Bro took care of someone, in distress, and then it dawned on him he was watching how his Big Bro used to take care of him. The teenager knew, right then, that Mr. Ken was the right person to be taking care of Robert.
It didn't take 'dad' Ken long to get Robert settled. It was then they both noticed Collin standing there. Robert then noticed that the teen only wore his boxer briefs and they definitely outlined what Collin had to offer. Robert felt his own 'pride and joy' begin to tingle and come awake and he felt bad for thinking the way he was. He told the two he was going to be okay now that he remembered where he was. The two told him to just get dressed and to come down for breakfast and then he could come back for his shower.
Robert was very happy when his 'dad' and 'new' Big Brother left his room. His flagpole had risen to its highest peak and he knew if he had gotten out from under the covers, with them there, he would have been dramatically embarrassed. Collin had closed the door, when he left, and for that Robert was extremely grateful. The lad got out from under the covers and was able to reach inside his own boxers and straighten out his boy toy. Even though it was as hard as he could ever remember, it began to deflate as he got dressed. When the preteen opened his bedroom door, to go downstairs, his floppy appendage was almost back to its normal flaccid state.
Breakfast was a lot of fun for Robert. Normally, it was only his 'dad' and him, but, today, there were five people eating breakfast at the same time. Of course, Grammy wanted to know more about Robert and asked him questions about his school and Chief and Eric to what did he plan to do for the summer. The lad easily answered the questions about school, Chief and Eric but he hadn't even thought about what he'd do during the summer.
"'Dad', what am I going to do during the summer," Robert wanted to know.
"Well, 'son', honestly, I hadn't thought about it. I guess you can come with me when I go visit some of the manufacturing plants with Collin. That would give you some time to get to know your Big Brother better. It would probably be very interesting for you, at first, but my bet, after the tenth one, is you'd be bored and all," now teased Mr. Ken.
"Visit manufacturing plants? I thought the sun manufactured the plants! I sure don't want to go to the sun, we'll burn up," deadpanned Robert, with a smirk and smile.
Uncle Andy laughed real hard at the antics of the youngster. Even Grammy laughed at what the lad said to his new 'dad', as she looked over at them. Collin just giggled, at what Robert, said and knew the lad had learned, very well, how to handle his 'dad'. 'Dad' Ken just sat there open mouthed at hearing his 'son's' comeback that he never, ever, expected. Then, he realized, he did need to figure out something for the lad, for the coming summer.
While they ate, Miss Vickey explained how the Graduation Party would be staged, later that afternoon. She told them people would probably begin arriving at 1 PM and that they would continue up until around 5 PM. She told the small group the caterer would keep the platters full and the drinks flowing and all she asked them to do was to mingle, mingle, and mingle some more. That final response garnered a laugh from the other four.
Robert couldn't wait until he got into the shower. At breakfast, his boy toy continued to inflate and deflate as he looked at Collin and remembered the big bulge the teenager had. He knew he needed to relieve the built up pressure from his pocket rocket and was really looking forward to it.
After Robert closed, and locked, the bathroom door, he quickly removed all his clothes and let his boy appendage get some cool, fresh air. He told himself he'd wait until he was in the shower to relieve the pressure but he was having a difficult time keeping his hands away. As he brushed his teeth, his flagpole waved back and forth, from the movement of his hand, as it moved around to clean his teeth. The waving brought even more tingling sensations, to the erected rocket, so he hurried up his teeth cleaning so he could get to take care of his straining need.
The pointing arrow led the way to the shower controls and Robert couldn't wait to turn the water on. Once the temperature was regulated, the way he wanted, Robert took some soap and began to just use his hands to wash his body. Of course, his hands couldn't leave a certain body part alone and before he knew it, Robert was priming his rocket for blast off.
The lad began to fantasize about how big Collin's 'equipment' was. The more his mind pictured how big it could be, from only the outline of the teen's boxes, his boy toy became harder and stood taller than he could ever remember. He knew he liked boys and he especially liked looking at older boys, but definitely not men. As the lad's mind played different scenarios of how he would love to touch and feel the teens hardened dick, his hand was a blur of activity. The sensations he was experiencing, at the time, made him brace himself against the wall with his free hand.
Eventually, he could tell he was getting ready for blast off. When the rocket finally fired, Robert was breathing very hard and his eyes were tightly closed visualizing Collin's hardened phallus. Suddenly, the pressure relieved itself and the boy custard shot out and almost straight up. The first rope of cream was the most powerful and shot the furthest. The next four spasms, of his rocket, continued to give him the feelings he was searching for. As he came down from his sexual overload, and high, he had to calm himself down and catch his breath.
It took the preteen, about two minutes, before he could go back to actually cleaning himself there in the shower. He knew he had needed that 'exercise' and he was very satisfied he was able to get that done before having to stand around, and 'mingle', all afternoon. He didn't realize he had been in the bathroom for almost forty minutes and when he emerged Collin clapped his hands for his new 'lil bro'. Robert got embarrassed.
Guests began arriving at 1 PM, just as Grammy predicted. The caterer had arrived at 11:00, that morning, and began to setup for the day's Party. There were tables set up all over the backyard. Some had cold finger sandwiches; some had warm dishes, while others had refreshing drinks. One of the tables was set aside for graduation gifts. One thing all the tables had was an attendant at each one of them and another resupplying whatever was needed.
Robert decided to stick close to his 'dad'. He knew he was totally out of his element there but, just like at the BBQ Picnic, he knew he needed to learn how to act, and be a gracious host. Ken Thomas was happy the boy had decided to stay close. He knew that way he could explain things to his 'son' so he could, eventually, understand the process. The lad was getting a 'Graduation Party 101' education that afternoon.
"Hello, there, Mr. Ken, it's been quite some time since we last met. You are looking well. And who is this you have at your side?" inquired Patricia Smith.
"Oh, hello, Ms. Smith, yes, it has been quite some time since we were both at the same function, together. And, let me introduce Robert. He is my new 'son'. Robert … let me introduce Ms. Patricia Smith. She is on one of the many Boards that raise money for charitable causes that Collin is associated with," fully explained Mr. Ken.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. It is a pleasure to meet you," offered Robert.
"You are taking as good a care of him as you took care of Collin, I trust?" came the question from Ms. Smith.
Robert, immediately, didn't like the woman's attitude, at all. He figured her for some sort of 'game player' and decided he would watch the way she acted around the other guests. He figured he could learn a lot by doing the opposite to whatever she did. Then, he laughed to himself.
"I think I am doing as good a job with Robert, or maybe a bit better, since now I have the experience from Collin's tenure with me, Ms. Smith," coddled Ken Thomas.
"Patricia, please," requested Patricia Smith, as she batted her eyelashes, at the still single and available man, rich man she told herself.
"Whatever you say, Ms. Smith," replied 'dad' Ken, and then walked away from the woman.
"'Dad', I don't like her, one bit," whispered Robert to his 'dad'.
"Agreed," was all Mr. Ken would say.
More and more people arrived at the Wilkinson Estate. Some drove themselves, while others had a chauffeured vehicle. One thing they all had in common, though, was they all visited the Gift Table and dropped something there. Some left envelopes while others placed a nicely wrapped package, on the table. Robert was amazed at how full the Gift Table became as the afternoon moved along.
Suddenly, Mr. Ken spotted someone and walked over to the man. Robert had to move fast, just to catch up, as he was caught flat-footed looking at all the gifts on the table.
"Mr. Whalenberg, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here," offered Ken Thomas.
The older man laughed, at that, and said, "That was supposed to be my line! How are you doing Mr. Thomas?"
"I thought the last time we met we agreed we'd use our first names, with one another," teased Ken Thomas.
"Why, yes we did … then, why didn't you use mine when you greeted me," teased back Karl Whalenberg.
The two men had met for the first time Collin came back, to visit, after his parents' deaths. They met a few times more when Ken had visited Collin for the Thanksgiving Dinners held at the Wilkinson Estate. They found they had a few mutual friends and that brought them together as 'distant' friends. The two men talked for a while and then Mr. Ken introduced Robert to the man. Karl asked the lad a few questions about his school and sports teams he followed but never broached the reason for the lad to be living with Mr. Ken.
Virginia Robetts, who was on the local boys and girls clubs Board, spotted Ken Thomas talking with the banker, Karl Whalenberg, and decided she'd go over and talk, with them. The men cordially greeted her and the three talked about what they were doing now and what did they have planned for the summer activities. Mostly, it was just 'small' talk.
Then, Ms. Robetts noticed the small lad which seemed to be attached to Mr. Ken, at the hip. She asked about the boy and Mr. Ken introduced the two, to one another. Robert got the same simple questions that stayed away from the reason he was with Mr. Ken. He figured they'd all learn about him, since everyone there appeared to be connected, in some way or fashion. He didn't care as he didn't live there.
That's the way it went, all afternoon, for Robert. He'd be introduced and then asked almost the same questions. One thing, he did learn from listening to his 'dad' was that he needed to be cordial and gracious and greet all the people with either Mister or Misses. He saw his 'dad' give strong handshakes to the men and light ones to the females. He noticed his dad helped the women when he saw they needed help and offered help to ones who didn't really need it but his 'dad' was being a 'gentleman' he was told.
By 5:30 PM, the guests had all left and Mr. Ken and Robert were so glad to get off their feet. Even Collin complained, some, about his feet being 'hot' but that he was okay, otherwise. Grammy stayed seated during the afternoon Party and Robert noticed how she was treated by her guests and how she smiled and made 'small' talk, with just about everyone. The other thing he noticed was that Uncle Andy kept by the wine table and enjoyed a number of drinks of the red stuff.
The caterer began to clean up and place all the leftovers in, oven ready, containers. But, before she even got that far, the woman asked the five 'Honored Guests' if they wanted to eat before she put everything away. The five all agreed they were all hungry, so they decided to eat. Collin first went and got a plate of food ready for Grammy, and brought it to her, and then got his own plate full. Robert followed behind his 'dad' and piled his plate up, as he was 'starved', from not eating all afternoon. Uncle Andy got his own plate, along with a large glass of wine, and joined the other four at a table.
After dinner, everyone got into comfortable clothes and then Robert helped Collin, with all the Graduation Gifts, the teen received. The money envelopes were the easiest to take care of, it was all the heavy wrapped packages that Robert and Collin had to spend their time bringing inside. Collin explained about the Gifts and that he had to open each one, separately, and note on a card what the gift was and from whom it came. Collin further explained, to Robert, he would have to hand write a Thank You Note to, everyone, who gave him a gift. That was Robert's first lesson on what it was like being a 'rich' kid. He asked his new Big Bro to do one or two and show him what he meant.
Collin took his new 'lil bro' to heart and showed him more than one or two. Collin already had the information cards and Thank You Note Cards ready so, as he opened an envelope, or unwrapped a gift, he took care of writing the Thank You Notes, then and there. Robert was amazed, at first, the amount of money Collin received but, then, realized that was what 'rich' people did. He had to wonder if he'd eventually have to do that, living with his new 'dad'.
The adults left the two 'brothers' alone to take care of the gifts. The adults went into the sitting room to relax and talk about the Party and the people who attended. Grammy was the most interested in who attended but that was her upbringing coming through.
The more Collin and Robert talked, that evening, the more they liked one another. Robert liked the idea of having an 'older brother' since he never had one. Robert asked Collin if he could call him sometimes and they could just talk. Collin thought that would be a great idea, and readily agreed. They eventually got around to talking about what Mr. Ken got Ryan, for his graduation. Robert not only told him about it he told his new Big Bro about the ride he took with Ryan afterwards. The two had a good laugh over the drive.
The two young male children talked about the things that interested them and eventually how Collin came around to his clapping that morning. Robert became a bit embarrassed but Collin put him at ease by telling him some of the stories from when he lived with Mr. Ken. Robert then asked Collin about the things he did around Eric and if what Eric said, what happened in the shower, actually happened.
Collin was surprised Eric would tell anyone about that but then he realized the two preteens were close, very close friends. He figured they were probably as close as he and Ryan were for the ten months he lived at The Cove. Collin then took that opening Robert gave him and the two shared a few of the more humorous things that happened. They talked about the 'equipment' comment, by Eric, and the youngsters changing in front of the older guys.
Robert took that opening to tell his version of the 'changing' story. Initially, Collin thought the boy was restating what happened with Eric, and the younger boys, at the Holiday Swim. But when Robert began to mention 5thgraders, Collin realized he had almost the same thing happen with him. That gave them more mutual ground to talk about and before long they were sharing lots and lots of memories. Collin then teased Robert about the length of time he spent taking his shower that morning and hoped that 'everything came out OK'. Robert smacked Collin's shoulder and turned around what Collin had just said by telling the teenager he did exactly the same thing when he was his age. The two had another laughing spell after that. The two bonded that day and, in the months and years to come, they eventually would share some of their darkest secrets, with one another.
On Sunday, Collin took Robert out, in his car, and showed him around the area, so the lad would recognize things, if Collin mentioned them, while they talked. While they were out driving, Robert got confused over the car that Collin was driving. So, he asked why the kid, who he knew had lots of money, was driving around in a much older car. Collin took that one head-on and explained what happened when Mr. Ken took him out looking for a car, after he got his driving permit. After hearing that story, Robert told Collin he'd never have thought of the problems he could find himself in if he was ever involved in an accident while he was driving a brand new, and expensive, car.
The two 'brothers' enjoyed their time together, They talked about Chief, and how canny it is that she can 'know' what is going on. They discussed Ryan and his showing Robert the 'secrets' of The Cove. They exchanged stories about the WaveRunner's and the skinny-dipping and how Ryan and his friends all got caught by Ryan's mom. Collin asked if Robert enjoyed being able to do a cookout for his friends and have sleepovers, too. Collin also asked his 'lil bro' which bedroom he took and it was then Robert told him about Ms. Johnston and how she treated him and then attacked him. They were becoming more than fast friends, they were becoming 'brothers'.
As they continued their drive, Robert realized he knew what happened to Collin's parents, and that people tried to kill the teen, but he knew Collin didn't know anything about the reason for his living with Mr. Ken. He asked Collin to pull over and get a coke, or something, and that he wanted to talk to him about something very personal.
Drinks in hand, Robert began to tell Collin about what his parents did to him and made him do. He revealed what happened at the first three foster homes and how living with his new 'dad' was like living in a dream. Collin listened intently to Robert's story. As he heard the boy's horrors, he decided he'd wait, until he saw Robert didn't want to say any more, and then tell his new 'lil bro' what those men, who abducted him, did to him. By the time Collin finished telling his story both boys were crying in each other's arms. Needless to say, they returned to the estate later than they were supposed to.
Ken pulled Collin aside after the boys returned from their drive. Ken told the teenager that he wanted to tell him the reason for Robert living with him but he didn't have enough time, now, to it justice. It was then Collin told him their reason for being late. He explained they each told their initial story and that Collin heard the story already from Robert about his parents and the men he went with. Ken felt relieved that Robert felt safe enough to share that part of his life with someone else. Then, Ken found out the two boys wanted to stay in contact, with one another, and he readily agreed that it would probably help Robert, tremendously, being able to talk openly with someone, who could truly understand.
After a quick dinner, of leftovers from the Graduation Party, Mr. Ken and Robert said their Goodbyes to Grammy and Uncle Andy and, of course, Collin. Some tears were shed as Collin and Robert hugged one another. They now shared something that each of them could only understand. They also promised to stay in contact, with one another, by hook or by crook.
The drive back to Three Finger Cove started out quiet and solemn, but, as they drove along, Robert began to open up about his experience and thanked his 'dad' for taking him. Robert told his 'dad about sharing what he did, with Collin, and hoped he wouldn't be mad or upset about it. 'Dad' Ken told the lad he was happy he was able to share that dark moment and he hoped that, by him and Collin staying in touch, he could work out more of the 'hurt' he felt inside.
'Dad' Ken then revealed to Robert something of his own. He told the lad that, when he and Collin were out driving around, he sat down with Uncle Andy and told him they needed to begin a search for a new CEO and COO for Wilkinson. Mr. Ken explained to his 'son' how much he enjoyed the job but he could see that it would begin to interfere with his plans for more amusement parks plus he now needed to be around for his new 'son'. The man explained the process could take as long six months so he would still be involved for some time to come. All Robert said was that he would support his 'dad' with whatever he decided. They both had a good laugh over that last comment.
After a few dead moments of silence, Mr. Ken asked Robert what he thought he wanted to do that summer. That discussion filled the remaining time on the road back to The Cove.