Matthew and Charles were in the Kitchen Nook having cereal, with cut up bananas, when their ‘dad’ came into the room with his morning newspaper. The boys watched him get his first cup of coffee before splitting the newspaper into the sections, as he did out of habit. They still chuckled as they watched him do that.
“What’s so funny boys?” said Mr. Ken, surprising the boys,
“Ohh, nothing,” laughed both boys.
Billy and Robert came into the Kitchen Nook about 8:30, just as Matthew and Charles were leaving to wait for their friends, so they could all be ready for their third sailing lesson. Billy took care of Chief, before sitting down to cereal. Robert decided to wait for the microwave to thaw a few breakfast tacos for him and his dad.
As the teens sat, they talked about the sleepover and they directed their next question to ‘dad’ Ken.
“Dad” began Robert, “what time should we ask you to call the pizza place to order the pizzas? Or, should we ask Mr. Wayne?”
‘Dad’ Ken thought about it for a moment, and then asked them when they wanted the pizzas there. Learning they wanted them there about 6:30, the man said they should order them about 5:30 and eat as soon as they got there.
Robert again asked who they should ask to call the pizza place. Mr. Ken said whichever one of them was closest, but they should have the phone number at hand, so they didn’t have to look it up. Billy said they would.
Before long, Kevin and Kyle came into the kitchen Nook for breakfast. They both had forgotten Momma wasn’t there on Saturday, so Kyle immediately went for the cereal and a banana. Kevin wanted breakfast tacos and asked Robert why he didn’t heat a few up for him while he heated them up for himself. Robert said he was sorry, but that his ‘brother’ knew how to use the microwave and in a short time he could have his breakfast ready.
‘Dad’ Ken took the time to talk to the four of the boys who were there about the sleepover.
“Boys, this sleepover has more boys than ever before. I believe there will be something like 53 boys here tonight, eight of which have never been here for a sleepover. Bill, four of those are your friends and the other four are Gabe and Jamie’s brothers. You all need to make sure they don’t get lost in the shuffle. Watch out for them.
“Also, we didn’t talk about having a Dive-In Movie. So, you need to make that decision, choose the movie and plan when it will be shown. Let me and Mr. Wayne know, so we can set the projector and popcorn machine up. The lifeguards will be here until midnight, which means at midnight the pool is CLOSED! So, don’t let the movie go past midnight. OK?
“Also, Megan and Audrey won’t be coming back to lifeguard, so today, around noontime, I will be interviewing a few new lifeguards. I want a total of five, so they can schedule a day off every five days, and with so many of you swimming out in the cove I want you to be safe. You will also see new safety equipment put into place this year.
“Also, remind me, or Mr. Wayne, to pick up the cake later. Any questions?” finished Mr. Ken.
The lifeguards arrived at eleven wearing their new swimsuits, t-shirts, safari hats, first aid fanny packs, whistles and lanyards. They looked professional, which is what Mr. Ken was looking for. The owner of The Cove saw them walking down the driveway, so he got a golf cart and drove out to meet them.
“Men, you look the part. Very professional,” commented Mr. Ken.
“I see you are carrying your skateboards, so I take it no one gave you a locker up at the Pavilion to use to keep it, and a few other things, in. Hop in and I’ll take you up there and get you one,” said the lifeguards’ employer.
At the Pavilion, Mr. Ken gave each of the lifeguards a locker to use, explained how to set their code and asked them to change out their towel at least once a week. The boys laughed at that.
Mr. Ken also asked the lifeguards to get familiar with the new equipment, and especially with the floating platform. He asked them to tell him or Mr. Chris if there was any safety equipment they felt was missing. Russell then gave Mr. Ken a picture of the electric paddle boat he mentioned yesterday. Mr. Ken then drove the boys to the bottom of the driveway, so they could get their day started.
Mr. Ken went up to the Main Gate to wait for the first of his lifeguard interview candidates. While he waited, he thanked the security guards for their dedicated service to Mr. Diamond and him, and for how well they took care of guarding his estate. As they talked, Mr. Ken asked them if they had any suggestions for better security around the estate, or better flow of all the people that came and went.
The guards were afraid to say anything, but one guard said it would be good if there was more parking outside the gate, so the parents didn’t block the street so much. He mentioned that the residents do get a bit miffed at trying to get through at times. Mr. Ken thanked the man for that piece of information.
The first interviewee arrived on time. Mr. Ken introduced himself and asked the person to follow him just inside the estate where they could talk. They sat in the golf cart where Mr. Ken asked the person about themselves and any previous experience. The interview lasted about fifteen minutes. Mr. Ken told the person he would call them later that afternoon to tell them if they were hired or not.
Mr. Ken interviewed five high school students that afternoon. Three of the interviewees were females and for that Mr. Ken was thankful. He wanted at least one female teen and maybe he now could have two as he did last year.
All the while the interviews were ongoing, the Covers’ friends arrived and the interviewees asked more about the job and their hours. Mr. Ken told them they would be one of five lifeguards that would work in his lake cove during the summer, and in the indoor pool over the winter. One person said they did not want to work on the lake and thanked him for taking the time to interview them.
After the interviews were over, Mr. Ken found the lifeguards and asked them some more about the four remaining applicants. From that final information, Mr. Ken decided to hire two females. He then called all four candidates, thanked them for coming for the interview and the two he hired he asked to come back to The Cove to start work that afternoon, and be introduced to his ‘boys’, the other lifeguards and what the job entailed.
When the two new guards arrived, Mr. Ken gathered Mr. Wayne, the three lifeguards, his ‘sons’ and all the boys together. He wanted to introduce the two newest lifeguards to everyone at the same time.
“Everyone … I want you to meet our two newest lifeguards. Starting today are Dakota and Annie. Dakota is a junior and Annie is a sophomore. Well, I guess they are both a senior and a junior now that school is over,” laughed Mr. Ken.
“They will join Kevin and Kyle’s barbeque group. Bill and Robert will explain to them what that means, and they’ll figure out which guards will be on which Cover team. Also, now that school is over, you can come over to The Cove at eleven as you did last year. You will still need to leave at six, though, unless we have a special event like tonight.
“Bill, Robert and Charles are your go-to Covers’ for this sleepover. So, if you have questions or problems go to them, and if they can’t find a solution, they will come to either Mr. Wayne or me. If you haven’t heard, we are having pizza tonight at about 6:30, and then a midnight snack before you bed down in your chosen places. Go have fun!” finished up Mr. Ken.
Mr. Ken told the girls that on Monday he’d introduce them to Mr. Chris, his Estate Manager, and the one who would make out their paychecks. He told them Mr. Chris would order them their lifeguard swimsuits and t-shirts, but in the meantime, Russell would give them their first-aid fanny packs, lanyards, whistles and safari hats and show them around where they would work. He then looked over to Russell and told him to introduce them to the safety equipment they have there at The Cove.
The owner of The Cove also gave them a locker to use and explained what they could use it for. He asked them if they skated and, learning they did, he told them tomorrow he’d give the two of them new Cove Skate Park helmets and knee, elbow and wrist pads like the other boys had.
Once Mr. Ken was finished talking to the new lifeguards, the boys all gathered around them to talk to the females and to learn more about them. Mr. Wayne decided to take the time to go to the grocery store to get the cake before it got too late.
When it came time to cook, Billy had Dakota and Annie watch what the grill masters did. He explained that beginning Monday each Cover team would be responsible for doing the barbeque for the entire day. The teen Cover told them it would rotate every five days and there would be a master calendar located in the storage room.
Billy and Robert went to Mr. Wayne at 5:30 and asked him to order the pizzas. They asked him to order 5-Cheese, 5-Pepperoni, 5-Combination, 5-Ham and pineapple, 5-Sausage and Pepperoni, 2-Pepperoni and pineapple, 2-Mushroom and Sausage and 1-Pepperoni and Mushroom. Mr. Wayne used his special Black credit card and asked them to be delivered to The Cove.
Billy and Robert waited at the Main Gate for the pizza delivery man to show. When he did, they had him drive into the estate and over to the Pavilion where the rest of the boys helped the man unload them. The man was super surprised to see that many people being fed by the number of pizzas he was delivering. Mr. Wayne gave him a $50.00 cash tip.
The griddles were set on the grill and were hot in case someone thought their piece of pizza needed to be warmed up. Counting Mr. Ken, Mr. Wayne and the five lifeguards there were sixty people to eat thirty large 18-inch pizzas. The boys, and the two females, scarfed down the thirty pizzas in no time. There were no pieces of pizza left for eating the next morning.
Once the pizza was gone, and the cleanup done, it was after 7 p.m. and they had to decide to go swimming, or skate under the lights. Some decided to swim while others wanted to skate under the lights for a while. The two new lifeguards said their goodbyes, as they wouldn’t be needed that night, but they would be back at eleven Sunday morning.
The Covers decided they would show a movie and it would start at nine, whether or not the boys were there. Tonight’s movie was going to be Jurassic World. Mr. Ken set the projector up and Mr. Wayne had the popcorn machine ready to make the popcorn. Charles and his friends brought the iced down sodas to the pool deck, and told everyone they couldn’t have any until the movie started.
Just before he started the movie, Mr. Ken told the boys there was to be no eating while in the pool, but they could eat the popcorn while sitting on the side wall. He also told them the lights would be turned down low, so he didn’t want anyone dunking the boys off the floats or any other shenanigans. He said he would stop the movie about half way through, so they could take a restroom break. Then he started the movie.
The boys who’d been there before and who didn’t have access to the floats got up on the lifeguards stands to watch the movie. But Russell and Jordan made them get off telling them that was where they needed to be, since the lights were low. Gavin would walk around the pool and change off with his cohorts about every fifteen minutes. Mr. Ken did turn the waterfall off as it made too much noise, so a few of the boys tried to watch the movie from up there.
Mr. Ken did ask his ‘sons’ to let the boys share the floats, so some had the opportunity to experience the movie from it. With as many boys as there were, it was a bit more crowded on the pool edge and in the beach pool entrance area than during the Holidays. The boys made the best of it, and when someone went for a soda, or bag of popcorn, they knew they might not have that choice place, when they came back.
Mr. Ken knew from the movie jacket that it ran for 124 minutes, so he planned to give the boys a break after about an hour. He watched the time and for a lull in the action and then announced a ten-minute restroom break. He told the boys to use the Ladies Locker Room to speed things up. Ten minutes later, ready or not, Mr. Ken restarted the movie.
The majority of the boys loved the idea of the Dive-In Movie. At least ten, not counting the lifeguards, had never done anything like that before, so it was a new and novel thing to do. Gabe and Jamie’s brothers were the most excited about getting to do that. They heard about it after the Holidays and now they were doing it and they couldn’t believe it.
When the movie was over, the boys cleaned up the soda cans, popcorn boxes and the stray popcorn kernels and then they swam. After playing for a while, Kaden, again, complained about playing ‘kids’ games. Billy asked him if he knew of a better game, they all could play that would make him happy.
Not getting an answer, the Cover said he wasn’t going to ruin the night for everyone else because he was pouting. Billy then walked away to go join in the games the rest of the boys were playing.
By 11:30 the long day was catching up with many of the boys, particularly the boys who were up taking those early morning sailing lessons. Those were the ones who changed into their boxer briefs or shorts and t-shirts and got their sleeping bags ready to go to bed.
Jameson, Jonathan, Xavier and Damian, all new to The Cove and its workings, saw the other boys changing, so they followed suit. Once they caught up with Matthew and Charles, they asked what they would do next. Charles told them to get their sleeping bag set up, so that after they had their midnight snack they could go right to sleep.
Hearing there was a midnight snack surprised the four new boys. That’s when the other boys began telling them about the other sleepovers they had and some of the things they did. The four boys mentally wished they had become friends of the Covers long before then. Matthew said their ‘dad’ said they’d do a movie out on the Patio when they have their next sleepover. The four boys all smiled.
More and more of the boys came out of the pool area ready for bed. Mr. Wayne heard them talking down in the Great Room, so he got the sheet cake ready for the boys. He also called down for Charles and Matthew to help get the plates, forks and napkins out. A bunch of the boys headed up to the Kitchen Nook to help.
By midnight the pool was closed and the boys were changing and heading up to the Nook to have their snack. Billy’s friends couldn’t believe they had that before going to bed. Billy didn’t have an explanation for it, as that was his first sleepover, too.
Robert heard Billy’s friends ask the question and the Cover told them that from his very first sleepover they always had a snack before going to bed. The teen said it was like a routine, or a tradition, and sometimes it is Momma Maria’s special sweet cakes, to ice cream, to whatever they come up with. Robert said that with that many kids the sheet cake was the easiest.
At midnight, Mrs. Pereece was up at the Main Gate waiting for Gavin. The gate guard called Mr. Ken to tell him she was there and asked him to send her son up. Mr. Ken told him he would send Gavin right up.
“Gavin, your mom … she’s waiting for you up at the Main Gate. You better get a move on. Let me take you up there in a golf cart, and that way I can talk to her and hope she isn’t too upset you’re so late,” offered Mr. Ken.
When they arrived at the Main Gate, Mr. Ken went out to talk to the woman. He told her he thought Gavin had told her he would be done by 12:30. Olivia Pereece said he told her twelve midnight. Mr. Ken apologized for not being specific with her son, but explained that when the boys finish, the guards straighten up the pool area and it takes time. Plus, he told the woman, they were having a late-night snack, and he was responsible for that.
Ms. Pereece said she understood and was just happy Gavin was doing a good job. She then told Gavin to be more specific when he had to work late. Mr. Ken said he didn’t have the guards work late like that often, but when they did it was usually until midnight, plus. He did say one time the guards did work until 1 a.m., but that time he actually had the boys call and talk with the parents because it was going to be so late.
When Mr. Ken came back to the house the boys were climbing into their sleeping bags. Two new boys, Jonathan and Damian, joined Matthew and his friends along the pool wall. The other two new boys, Jameson and Xavier, joined Kevin and Kyle and their friends spread out by the fireplace. Billy and his five teenaged friends, were spread out in the MRS Room which was a bit different, but once everyone was asleep it didn’t really matter where the boys slept.
Billy and his friends talked as they settled down before going to sleep. Gabe and Jamie asked Lonnie if it was that way when he spent the night before. Lonnie told them he and Billy stayed in his room, and there weren’t tons of kids spending the night. Chief was right there with the teens, so they then asked him if Chief was there, too.
Billy told his friends that Chief is his responsibility, and that she sleeps in his room and is usually with him at night, and would be right there with them tonight. Billy told them not to mess around, as she’ll be right there watching. The Cover then laughed.
The teens did talk about how different it was to be out late at night, skating under the lights and then swimming. They talked about the Dive-In Movie, and they all agreed it was fun, but a bit crowded and tonight was the most fun they ever had as a group of teens.
The ever-complaining Kaden spoke up and said it might have been even more fun if there hadn’t been so many younger kids hanging around. Billy ignored him. It was late and he didn’t want to get into a verbal fight with the teen right then. The other teens all wondered why Kaden was such a jerk at times.
There was some whispering amongst the other groups of boys, as they all waited for the sandman to put them to sleep. The boys taking sailing lessons didn’t have any trouble falling asleep, as most of them went right to sleep as soon as their head hit their pillow.
The Cover household, with 53 young males and 2 adults, was quiet the entire night. None of the boys got up during the middle of the night to use the restroom, as had been the case back during the Holidays and last summer.
Billy, Robert and Charles had set their cell phones to wake them at 8 a.m. And when the alarms went off, they couldn’t believe it was eight o’clock in the morning already, as they felt like they had just gone to bed.
Charles was elected to wake Kevin, Kyle and Matthew, so the six boys could get the breakfast setup and ready for their guests. Eric got up when Robert did, and so did Logan. The two extra bodies would come in handy when it came time to get the Pavilion ready for breakfast.
The eight boys headed up to the Pavilion and Billy got out his checklist and started reading off what he felt needed to be done. Ice was needed in the dispensers, and the orange juice and milk needed to be placed on ice. The plates, knives, forks, napkins, butter and syrup all needed to be placed out on the counter and Billy asked that two lines be created for faster serving.
Robert and Eric first lit the grill so the griddles would get hot. They then got the pancake batter and bacon out and started reheating the bacon. They decided to use the bacon grease to cook the pancakes and add the oil as necessary.
Logan and Charles went back to the Kitchen Nook to get deep pans to put the bacon and pancakes in, as they needed to put them somewhere when they started cooking. They also decided to start waking the boys up. Brad, Gordon, Cooper and David were put in charge of getting the boys dressed and up to the Pavilion.
The first few pancakes Robert and Eric made weren’t what the boys had hoped for. Billy looked at the burners under the griddles and told them to turn the fire up as the griddles were a bit higher above the grates. That did it.
The pancakes and bacon were placed in the metal pans Logan and Charles brought and placed on the griddle to keep them warm until it was time to serve. As the boys came up for breakfast, Billy took those pans over to the counter and the cooks put two new pans in their place to get the freshly cooked pancakes and reheated bacon into.
Billy told the boys they could only take three pancakes and three rashers of bacon, at first, until everyone had eaten. He also told them to be kind and not to scarf down all the OJ, as there was only so much.
Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne came up to the Pavilion to see how the breakfast was going and to get their own breakfast. The boys had them jump the line and the men were impressed that the pancakes were pretty good and the bacon was crisp. They would have liked more, but they understood that the cooks could only do so many pancakes at a time on the griddle.
Just then, Momma Maria came into the estate and drove over to the Pavilion. She wasn’t expected, but seeing her made the Cover boys feel relieved like the cavalry had arrived. Momma called some of the boys over to her car and had them carry out box after box of donuts and place them on a table. She then went over to see how the boys were doing cooking the pancakes.
Momma was proud to see the boys had managed to use the pancake batter dispenser and make the pancakes of similar size. She saw they had a routine set up with the pancakes being deposited, flipped and coming off the griddle into a holding pan and the process starting all over.
She saw that all the bacon was reheated and Robert and Eric used the bacon grease, supplemented by the cooking oil, to cook the pancakes. She knew the pancakes had to taste awesome. She took one to see for herself. She smiled.
The cook’s routine had everyone on their second round of three pancakes and pieces of bacon, in no time. Billy came over to his ‘brothers’ and told them they needed to get something to eat and that he’d take over the cooking. Robert and Eric said they had it down to a science, and that he’d mess up their production line and to go help someone else.
Soon all of the pancake batter was used up. The cooks cooked until there was no more to cook. They then ate the last ones off the griddle for their own hot off the griddle breakfast. Billy got them glasses of orange juice to help wash their breakfast down.
While Robert and Eric were eating, Momma Maria told the boys that she bought the donuts for them and that they could have at least two of them, and to make sure they left two each for the cooks.
‘Dad’ Ken came over to the cooks, as they ate, and told them how proud he was of them for doing such a great job of cooking the pancakes and reheating the bacon for everyone. He then called all of the Cover boys over and congratulated them on doing a fantastic job of putting such a great breakfast together, for their sleepover friends.
Momma also told the boys how proud she was of them, too. She did tell them that she was afraid that they would have trouble, but after seeing what they did she couldn’t be any prouder of the way they came together as a team of ‘brothers’, and worked together to make this breakfast a success. Momma then had to hug each and every one of them.
The Covers had their friends help clean up the Pavilion. Boys helped put everything away, or take the trash to the dumpsters down in the Parking Coral. The boys also washed down the tables and benches. Billy then asked his friends to help him fill the four dispensers and then put the sodas on ice for their lunch later on.
When there was a lull in the activity at the Pavilion, Mr. Ken called all the boys together. He asked the boys to give their Cover friends a big round of applause for putting on a pretty good breakfast, and for doing it for the first time.
Mr. Ken told the gathered boys that their friends planned this, with a little help from Momma Maria, but that they not only planned it, but they all saw they did the heavy lifting with help from Eric and Logan. The man then asked the boys to personally thank them for doing that for them.
Billy’s friends all went over to him and shook his hand. They said they couldn’t have done anything like that, even for their own families, let alone fifty to sixty people.
Gabe’s and Jamie’s brothers came over just then and thanked Billy for making breakfast for them, and for talking Mr. Ken into ordering pizza for all of them last night. They also thanked the Cover teen for being their older brother’s friend, otherwise they would never have had the chance to experience The Cove, at all. They then hugged him before going back to their friends.
With the Pavilion cleaned up, the sodas on ice and the dispensers ready for lunch, the boys were ready to get skating, but Billy asked all the boys to go back inside and clean up their sleeping areas first. Once the boys had their sleeping bags, pillows and extra clothes put up, they all headed back up to the Skate Park to skate.
Being at The Cove so early, the boys got an early start on their day. They had a good, hot breakfast, didn’t have to get their parents to drive them to The Cove, and they got to be out on the brand-new Cove Skate Park sooner than ever.
When Dakota and Annie arrived for work, Billy fitted them up with Cove Skate Park helmets, knee, elbow and wrist pads. The girls were thankful for the equipment and they quickly tried them out on the Skate Park. The boys gave them a wide berth on the Park, so they wouldn’t cause them to fall.
The girls showed the boys they could hold their own out on the Skate Park, and they did very well in the deep bowl by doing some tricks and showing up the younger boys. The boys were all impressed.
Mr. Ken saw the lifeguards were there, so he went out to talk to them. He called them over and told them he did a Google search on the electric pedal boat Russell gave a picture of to him and said he thought it would work. He told them he would get Mr. Chris to purchase one for them.
Mr. Ken told them he didn’t want them to use the electric motor when they were near any of the boys. He told them he was also going to buy a paddle board. He wanted one guard on the platform tower, one in the pedal boat, the other on the paddle board, while the other one was on the beach tower. He told them to switch off regularly.
The lifeguards’ employer told them he and his ‘boys’ were going away for ten days beginning Thursday, and they would not be needed. He qualified that by telling them he wanted them to work two days when the two new pieces of equipment arrived to get qualified on them.
Mr. Ken told them Mr. Chris would call Russell, probably on Monday, and he would call them to come in. Mr. Ken told them to learn to use the equipment to get used to using it, and to use it to ‘save’ the rescue manikins Mr. Chris was also going to purchase for them to practice with. He told Russell to plan the training and make it realistic as he and his ‘boys’ were counting on them.
Mr. Ken said that Mr. Chris will be working while he was gone, so they could spread their two work days out over the time he was gone, but they needed to coordinate that with Mr. Chris.
As the lifeguards and Mr. Ken talked about what the owner of The Cove wanted, Todd and Conner came up to them. Mr. Ken introduced them to the guards, so they knew who they were. He explained Todd’s responsibilities at The Cove and then, kiddingly, asked Conner what his jobs were. The teen said he didn’t have a job, and that he was only there as Todd’s friend.
As the day moved along, Billy had been watching the time and he didn’t want lunch to be too late, as he knew the boys wanted to swim. He called his ‘brothers’ together and asked them if they were ready to serve lunch to their friends. They talked about it and then decided to get things started.
Kyle and Matthew wanted to be in charge of putting the counter together, as they said it was their idea to have sandwiches. Robert told his ‘brothers’ they couldn’t do it by themselves as there was way too much to be done. The teen then listed the major things that needed to be done, like cut the buns, tomatoes and onions, clean the lettuce, put the meat on ice, set out the mayo and dispensers, and the sodas.
After hearing what needed to be done, the boys recognized they needed help and then they asked their ‘brothers’ to pitch in and help them put the lunch on. That’s what the ‘brothers’ wanted to hear and they all began to work together to get lunch ready.
Before long, the Covers had everything out and ready to go, except the meat. They called down to the house to invite their ‘dad’ and Mr. Wayne up to eat, and when they were there, the boys would put out the meat and lunch would begin.
When the men did arrive, they asked where the lifeguards were, and that since Todd and Conner were there, they should also be invited to eat. Matthew got the keys from his ‘dad’, took the golf cart down to the beach to find the missing people.
The men saw they had a choice between ciabatta, bolillos, French and Italian rolls with which to make their sandwich. Then there was baked ham, thinly sliced turkey and chicken breast, along with salami, pepperoni and roast beef with which to base their sandwich on.
After that, they had mayo, ketchup, mustard, cut tomatoes, patted dry lettuce, sliced onions, pickles, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese, pepper grinders and sea salt to finish off their masterpiece. Three different types of chips were there to add to the side of their sandwich. The sodas were on ice for them to help wash down their creation, and the ice dispenser was full for those who wanted to drink their soda from a cup.
With two lines set up along the serving counter, the lines went fairly quickly. The boys were really surprised they were having sandwiches instead of burnt burgers and dogs. They all thanked their Cover friend for the change of menu, and then they also thanked Mr. Ken for doing that for them.
The new lifeguards were surprised at the lunch they had, so they asked Russell how much they had to pay. Jordan took the question and told them that it was part of their pay, and to just enjoy it. He told them they usually had burgers and hot dogs, and last night’s pizza and today’s sandwiches were a nice change for them. The girls just smiled at hearing that.
When the Pavilion was cleaned up, after the lunch, Mr. Ken called for everyone’s attention.
“Boys … and girls … your Cover friends … they are totally responsible for the sleepover and the menu you had. I want you all to know that I didn’t want a sleepover … at least until after we returned from our trip that begins on Thursday. But my ‘sons’ … they convinced me and thus you all were invited to the summer’s first sleepover.
“You all owe them … a big round of applause and some big pats on their backs … for putting this weekend on for all of you. I think they did a wonderful job from persuading me to have this overnight get together, to creating the menu and then on top of all that … serving it themselves.
“To those of you who know them, and have been coming to The Cove for, what, the past year and a half, or so, you know how far they have come together not only as ‘brothers’ … but as … friends.”
Mr. Ken then started clapping. Mr. Wayne quickly joined in and so did Robert’s friends. Before long the rest of the boys were clapping and the Cover boys were embarrassed, they were being singled out for what they did. When the applause ended, the boys went over to the Covers and patted them on their backs and thanked them for their weekend.
The boys then headed to the pool to swim.
Russell warned Dakota and Annie that with so many boys, they tended to use both Locker Rooms and they should wear their swimsuits under their clothes when they come to work. He said he and Jordan would run interference for them if they needed to change, but they needed to be ready to work when they arrived.
The new lifeguards walked around the pool with either Russell or Jordan, while Gavin and one other was up on a stand, to learn how they guarded when they were using the indoor pool. They explained the games they played and the ladies watched how the boys got into them. They did see how one teenager wasn’t much of a player. They learned that he was an on-again, off-again unknown.
Six o’clock came sooner than the boys could ever imagine, they were having so much fun. By the time they changed, gathered their belongings from the sleepover and headed up to the Main Gate, it was close to 6:30.
Jameson, Jonathan, Xavier and Damian couldn’t wait to tell their moms and dads how much fun they had during the sleepover. They talked over one another, telling their parents what they got to do and that their friends had ordered 30 huge pizzas for dinner last night, then cooked them all breakfast that morning and set out lunch meats to make sub sandwiches, instead of them having burgers and hotdogs.
When Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne came to the Main Gate, many of the parents went over to them and told them how much they appreciated what they did for their boys. They told Mr. Ken they should be helping pay for everything he feeds them, and the places he takes them.
Mr. Ken felt embarrassed at what the parents said. He told them again, that when he takes his boys places and invites their friends he will always pay. He told the parents that their allowing their boys to be friends with his ‘boys’ was payment enough for him, and he hoped they would never stop letting the boys be friends.
Mr. Ken then reminded the parents that they would be leaving Thursday on their extended trip, and were not expected to return until the following Monday, but would call if they somehow returned early. He told them they would have to figure out what to do with their sons until then.
The parents thanked the man for the reminder and wished him and his ‘boys’ a safe trip unlike the one where they had that inflight emergency. Mr. Ken told them not to remind him.
What Mr. Ken did notice while the parents came to pick up their sons and then talk to him was what the one security guard told him about the need for more parking. In the back of his mind, he always knew there was a problem at the Main Gate, he just chose to ignore it.
Mr. Ken knew he could do something about it and tomorrow he would call his construction/design group and tell them what he wanted to do with the land that abuts his estate and the street.
After the Covers went out to dinner, they drove the Go-Karts. That night none of the Covers won the race. It seems that a couple, actually four, older college aged students got in line with them and were in the same race as them. They intimidated their way to the front and all four of them crossed the Finish Line before any of the Covers did.
That night, in the Study, Billy thanked Mr. Ken, on behalf of all his ‘brothers’, for allowing them to have their sleepover, and for paying for the pizzas, the special breakfast and lunch foods. The rest of boys all agreed with their older ‘brother’, and they voiced their thanks, as well and went up to their ‘dad’ and hugged him.
The teen also thanked his foster dad for letting him have all his friends spend the night, with all the much younger boys. He told the man he never really had a sleepover growing up and this was something of a ‘dream come true’ for him, and he wanted to thank him personally for doing that for him. Billy then went over and hugged the man, again.
The Covers sat in the Study and they talked about their upcoming trip and what Mr. Ken had planned out for them. The boys learned they’d get up early Thursday, as they did the last time, but would fly out of Austin-Bergstrom Airport instead of San Antonio International.
‘Dad Ken told them that when they landed, they’d head to the hotel, get settled and then head off to Fantasy Fun Park, which was their first stop. That they’d spend the next day there too, and then the next morning they’d fly to their next park, Mountain Top and repeat.
‘Dad’ Ken said they’d do the same thing after Mountain Top as they head to Discovery Kingdom and then as they headed out to Crystal Lake. Robert said that was only eight days, and wondered where the other two days came from.
‘Dad’ Ken said the ninth day was their return day and the tenth day was in case something came up, and he needed to spend an extra day at one of the parks.
It was late, so he sent the boys up to bed and said he’d be up in a few minutes. He also told Mr. Wayne to go home and told him to take a few days off, so he would be ready to leave come Thursday.
Wayne said he’d say goodnight to the boys and explain why he wouldn’t be there the next few days, and their ‘dad’ would be taking them to their doctor appointments. Mr. Ken smiled at hearing that, but knew the man needed some time off before their trip.
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