When Robert's bladder woke him up 8:30 AM. He tried to slowly slide out of the dual sleeping bag he had with his Best Friend, but Eric woke up anyway.
"Hey, where you going? What time is it?" asked Eric.
"I need to pee. I don't know what time it is. I probably need to get dad to put a clock in here," replied Robert. "Hey, come on and go with me. We probably should check the time and start getting everyone up anyway."
The two teenaged Best Friends walked to the Party Restrooms to relieve the pressure in their bladders. They both made sounds of relief as they emptied their fluid collection bag.
When they two teens finished doing what they needed to do, Robert quickly checked the time and seeing it was now 8:40 AM he knew they needed to wake everyone up.
"Hey, everyone, WAKE UP! It's getting late and you only have 20 minutes to get dressed and up to the Kitchen Nook. Come on, now, GET UP every one!" yelled Robert.
While Robert was waking the boys out in the Great Room, Eric went back to the Theater to wake up the teens who were sleeping there.
Robert went to each of his 'brothers' and shook them awake. He told them they had to get up and get their friends up and dressed. Robert then went back to the Theater to get dressed.
"Hey, Chase, Noah, Brant and Ryan," called Matthew. "We all need to get up and get dressed," said the youngest Cover, as he shook his friends awake.
Brant was the first one to jump out of the sleeping bag. He desperately wanted to drain his dragon, but he forgot he wasn't at home, so when he stood up his morning friend was pushing his boxer briefs straight out. He didn't realize that until his four friends began laughing.
Brant looked down and seeing his condition, gave his friends the fickle finger of fate. He quickly headed over to the Party Restrooms to drain his bladder. His four friends followed along with each of them showing a large tent in their underwear, as well.
As the lads woke up, no matter how old they were, each of them had a morning boner tenting their briefs. Most of the boys headed to the restroom the way they were, tented briefs or not. But some chose to dress first, having to adjust their flagpoles as they slipped on their shorts, then they headed to drain their bladders.
As the older lads entered the restroom, the ten year olds had already relieved their extended collection bags. The five youngsters saw virtually all the twelve and eleven year olds with their morning boners and they inwardly giggled to themselves knowing they were showing their morning tents just a minute ago.
"Hey, did you see how big some of those older boys' boners were?" asked Chase.
"Yea, I saw Ryder's tent. It was huge compared to some of the other twelve year olds. I noticed he had some hairs too. I bet you've seen it in the flesh, too," teased Brant.
"Yea, I've showered with my brothers and I've, well we've, seen each other's boners. Hey, we're brothers and close in age, so it's no big deal," replied Chase.
"Yea, no big deal, right," laughed Noah. "That thing was huge compared to mine," laughed the ten year old.
The teens came out from the Theater and Robert told everyone not to worry about their sleeping bags for now. He wanted to make sure everyone was suitably dressed as the three women would be in the Kitchen Nook and he didn't want them to be embarrassed because someone wasn't properly dressed.
The boys waited for everyone to be dressed before they headed up to the Kitchen Nook. As they walked towards the Nook, Robert pulled Matthew aside and told him he needed to change Chief's water and give her fresh kibble before he sat down to eat. Matthew balked at hearing that, but his 'brother' reminded him that Chief was his responsibility and she couldn't do that for herself.
Matthew realized his mistake and then thanked his 'brother' for telling him that, so when the two Covers reached the Kitchen Nook, Mr. Ken saw Matthew go to Chief's water bowl and empty it, rinse it, place fresh water in it and put it where Chief knew it was. The owner of The Cove then saw how Matthew got out fresh kibble for the resident pet and did the same thing as he had done with the water.
"Matthew ...come over here, please," said Mr. Ken.
Matthew walked over to his foster dad and as he approached the man pulled him into a big hug.
"Thank you for doing that for Chief. She is a Cover too, but she depends on us to feed her and get her fresh water. I was happy to see you did that before you sat down to eat breakfast," praised Mr. Ken. The man then hugged his newest foster son one more time.
Matthew blushed some as he walked over to his friends. Chase told his new friend that he thought it was cool that his foster dad hugged him like that. The guest told the young Cover and their other friends by default that he always enjoys getting a hug from either of his dads. He told them that Jay and Ry do too. The youngster said there is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by as it shows them how much the men love them.
Brant spoke up and told his four friends that his dad often hugs him and his older brother. He told his friends their dad makes sure he takes them places and does things with them. The younger Sullivan told the youngsters that when his dad and Brad helped build the ramps Brad was a very different brother afterward. Brant said that he felt sorry for his mom since she was the only girl in the house. The boys all laughed at that.
Momma called out to get everyone's attention. She first told them to make sure they had washed their hands. Some boys ran back to the restrooms, yelling, "Up to our elbows" to do just that. The woman then told them with their clean hands they should get a plate, napkin and utensils before they were served. She finished by telling them they would serve them as they had last night and for the boys to form two lines.
Momma's amiga, Isabela, told everyone that for breakfast they had made five different types of breakfast tacos: Egg and bacon, with or without cheese, refried bean and cheese and an egg and potato, with or without cheese. She told the gathered group they also made a Cheesy Mexican Breakfast Casserole consisting of crescent rolls, beans, corn, potatoes, cheese and Mexican spices.
Sophia spoke up and told them they also cut up fresh cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, and red grapes and they could serve themselves and take as much as they wanted but to leave some for everybody else. That brought out a round of laughter from everyone.
Momma Maria spoke up and told the gathered boys and adults they also prepared Breakfast Quesadillas made with a bottom tortilla, bacon slices, a layer of eggs, a layer of avocado, and another layer of cheese, topped with a second tortilla, and Churro French Toast on which they could add maple syrup or powdered sugar.
All the boys and the adults' mouths watered after hearing everything there was to eat that morning for breakfast. But before the boys could get their plates and start through the line, Mr. Ken announced that their weekend guests would be served first, then he and Mr. Wayne and then the twelve and ten year olds go through one line and the teens and eleven year olds go through the other line.
Everyone got into line and the weekend guests went first. Jayden, Ryder and Chase had never seen such breakfast foods before, so they wanted a taste of every Mexican food. They told the women as they went through the line they would come back for the fruit.
The adults told the women the same thing as they walked through the line. Then, behind them the boys got into the appropriate line and chose their breakfast fare.
It was very quiet in the Kitchen Nook, Dining Room and the garage while all 45 people ate their breakfast. The women made just enough so that everyone would have a good breakfast, but there would not be too much left over as Momma Maria knew what the boys would and would not eat over the weekend when she was not there.
All the lads eventually went and got a bowl of the fresh fruit. Some of the lads who were there before when Momma Maria made the fruit bowl knew they were in for a wonderful treat. Some of the boys ate it plain, but others added some fresh whipped cream to sweeten it some more. The adults watched as the lads scarfed down the fresh fruit. The men saw the bowl being emptied at a quick rate, so they went and got a bowl for themselves before it was all gone.
The lads knew they needed to put their dirty plate, napkins and utensils in the trash before they headed outside to let their stomachs digest that awesome breakfast. After the Cover lads disposed of their dirty items, they all headed to Momma Maria and gave her a big hug and thanked her for making them such a grand breakfast and a fantastic dinner the night before. As the Cover lads finished with Momma Maria they went to each of the other two women to thank them, too.
All the lads who had been at The Cove when their Cover friends hugged Momma Maria knew what that was all about. They all got in line and gave the women a big hug as well and they verbally thanked them for making such great meals for them. Even Jayden, Ryder and Chase got at the end of the line and did the same as they had done the previous day.
By 11AM all the boys had eaten and headed out to the ramps. They were still feeling the effects of eating so much, but they were all so happy that they had the opportunity to have such a wonderful breakfast that morning and an awesome dinner the night before.
"Do you guys eat that way all the time?" Chase asked Matthew.
"You've got to remember, I've only been here a week, but everything Momma Maria makes for us is great," replied Matthew.
Some of the lads heard Chase's question and they started to tell him and his brothers how Momma Maria made waffles and pancakes and all the fresh fruit one time, and then how she'd gotten over 100 breakfast tacos for them and loads of donuts and fresh coffee for their parents.
Ryder then wanted to know about the hamburgers and hot dogs. He asked the other boys if they had to help pay for them and the sodas. The older boys laughed and told the three guests that ever since Robert started living there he was allowed to cook the burgers and dogs for as many of his friends as were there.
Then, Charles' friends told Jayden, Ryder and Chase that every time they were there they were fed hamburgers and hot dogs and could eat as many as they wished including all the sodas they could drink. They qualified that by saying they would never over do it because they knew Mr. Ken was doing it out of the generosity of his heart.
Eric then spoke up and told everyone that when Collin lived there, he started doing that for his friends and it just continued when Robert arrived. The teen told them about the swim parties he was invited to and how even then, all of Collin's buddies helped set up and take down the barbeque like they do now.
"Boy, I bet it costs Mr. Ken a ton of money every week feeding you guys," started Ryder. "And, he did that ...all summer? Does he also take you guys to other places like he did for SeaWorld?"
It was Logan who spoke up and told the pre-teen that he only knew of one boy that ever got to go on special trips, outside of the area, and that was Eric. The teenager told the three guests that Eric had been coming over to The Cove ever since that first Thanksgiving the year Mr. Ken moved in. He explained how Collin and Ryan treated Eric as if he was their 'little brother' and when Mr. Ken took the older teenagers somewhere Eric was usually there, too.
"Who is Ryan?" asked Jayden.
Robert took that question and told the group that Ryan was a thirteen year old when he met Mr. Ken. The teen continued and told them the story of how Chief got her name and Ryan was hired to take pictures and video of the construction, since Mr. Ken was still in college and couldn't get there very often to check on the progress.
Robert added how Ryan was given a room in the house to use when he stayed over and how Mr. Ken let Ryan and his pals swim, have barbeques and sleepovers, as well. The teen also told the gathering how Ryan was taught how to take care of the Commander, Jet Skis, sailboat and the beach.
"But ...I thought Todd took care of all that?" said Asher.
"Well, he does, but Ryan did all that until this summer when he was getting ready to go off to college. Mr. Ken needed someone to do that job after Ryan left and he offered the position to Todd. My dad gave the job to Todd since he knew what type of worker he was, because of how he and a teen named Danny leveled out the field and cut it, too.
"And speaking of the field, Eric and I ...we got the job of cutting the grass and trimming all around it now as that was Todd's job before he got the promotion. I did talk to my dad and told him Eric and I will be ready to take over from Todd when he's gets ready to go off to college," Robert finished explaining Robert.
Eric reminded everyone that he and his Best Friend would be doing their job tomorrow and they would not be around to skate and swim until the job is done. The teen told the group that Charles and his 'brothers' will be the hosts tomorrow and for them not to give them a hard time. The group laughed at the last part.
Robert then added that no one was to come out onto the field while they were working. He told them that his dad would be mad if they did and no one wanted to be on his bad side. The teen said it would probably take a good portion of the afternoon for them to get the job done.
Charles then nudged his 'brother' to remind them about them leaving for Collin's on Wednesday. So, Robert did just that and told them they would not be back until late Saturday and for them to call on Sunday before they came over just in case their 'dad' took them shopping for new suits for the Christmas and New Year's Eve parties.
Jayden stepped forward and thanked all the boys for being his and his brother's friends at the Howl-O-Scream and now for that weekend. He told them they didn't know what to think when Mr. Ken wanted to give them the tickets for SeaWorld, but was very happy their dads did that for them.
Ryder told the group they felt readily accepted that night after talking to Robert and Charles about some of their similar experiences. He added that after their talk it was as if they had known each other for a long time rather than for only one day. He also told them he wanted to thank them all for giving them a great time that weekend and they couldn't wait to come back.
Chase didn't have anything other than to say, "Ditto. What my brothers said." That made the others laugh.
The boys all gathered around the guests and started a hug fest. Some had a few tears falling when they hugged, because everyone enjoyed each other's company, and they would probably not see Jayden, Ryder and Chase until the next Holiday, if then.
Inside, Mr. Ken, and the three adults were talking about Mr. Ken's plans to take the boys to Six Flags as a Holiday treat. The owner of the Cove asked his two guests if they and their sons would join them. Mr. Ken told Owen and Nathan it would be an all-day thing like the SeaWorld trip and if the men couldn't attend, because of their work schedules, he hoped they could figure out a way so their boys could join them until the men got off work and meet them somewhere in the park.
It was agreed that Wayne would coordinate with the two men when the date was selected and figure out a way that everyone could have a good time together. Owen and Nathan thanked Mr. Ken for his generosity and told their host they would do everything they could to be there with their sons from the start.
When it came time for the Cover's friends to depart The Cove, Mr. Ken asked his guests to go with him to the Main Gate and meet a few more of the parents. As the men walked out the Foyer Door, they met up with the boys as they carried all their belongings up to the Main Gate to meet up with their parents.
"Mom, dad, thank you for letting me spend the night," called out Noah Allenbee, with his older brother, Dylan, standing beside him.
"What did you all do?" asked mom, Ellie.
"Mom, we rode those great skateboard ramps and they are still so smooth after all that time being outside. Then we swam and then we had a cookout and we all helped get things setup. After that Momma Maria, Sophia and Isabela cooked up spaghetti and meatballs for us for dinner. You should have seen what we had for dessert.
"After we let our dinner settle, we went to swim but Mr. Ken ...he let me, Matthew, Brant, Ryan and Chase help him decide if he could show a movie. And he did. We had a Dive-In movie and we were allowed to sit up in the lifeguard seats. It was so much fun.
"You know what was the most fun? It was being with my new friend and doing something Dylan's got to do lots of times already. Now I know what he means when he tells us what he'd done when he was here. I got to do most of the same things," finished Noah.
"Dylan," began dad Nolan, "Was Noah any trouble?"
"No, dad, he and his friends did their thing and we did ours. We did do a game of horsey, though. It was Noah and I against the other older brother younger brother teams. We didn't win, but we had fun together. It was kinda cool we did that together as brothers, dad, mom. I thought he would be a pain bugging me all the time, but he didn't. As I said, he and his friends did their thing and we did ours," replied Dylan.
"Matthew, come over and meet my mom and dad," called out Noah.
Matthew and Mr. Ken walked over to the Allenbee's. Noah made the introductions and the adults talked about the sleepover and asked if the kids behaved themselves. Owen and Nathan and their boys also came over and Dylan introduced the men's boys while Mr. Ken introduced the two men.
As the five adults talked, other parents, who hadn't met The Cove's guests came over and joined in with the conversation. The newly introduced parents had to talk about the SeaWorld trip and how much their sons enjoyed meeting the other boys and sharing the experience together.
Matthew was also in the spotlight that afternoon. The other parents of Matthew's invited friends also wanted to meet Mr. Ken's new foster son. That caused another long protracted conversation and before everyone knew it the time had flown by and it was 1:30.
Mr. Ken thanked everyone for having such great sons and for allowing them to participate in the fun all the boys had at The Cove. The Cove's owner told the gathering he and his guests were headed out on the Commander for a short trip around the lake and they needed to get a move on. That got the parents to move along, gather up their kid, his belongings and begin to leave the Main Gate area.
As the Cover's and their guests walked down the slight incline, Robert asked his dad if Eric could spend the night. The teen told his dad that since they were going to be cutting the field the next day, it would be easier if his Best Friend were already there.
Dad Ken pulled Robert aside as the others walked to the house. The man asked his son why he hadn't thought of that yesterday when he reminded them they needed to cut the field. Mr. Ken also jogged his son's memory that he knew the rule to not ask important questions in front of people and not to wait until the last minute.
Mr. Ken told Robert that since he didn't have the information earlier he was not going to change his plans for the remainder of the afternoon, and Eric would just have to figure out how to get here tomorrow. Robert began to sulk as he walked away, something Mr. Ken hadn't seen before in the teenager, so he called him back.
"Robert ...what is this I am seeing in you? I have never seen you react this way and I hope it isn't something that is going to spoil a great weekend with our friends. So ...tell me why you are in the mood you are?" demanded a dad talking to his son.
"Dad ...I ...I thought because ...since Eric was already here he could just, you know, stay. I didn't think it would be such a problem for you. I didn't expect ...I didn't think ...I didn't think you'd say 'No'," answered Robert.
"Robert ...you know I do not want you guys asking me important things in front of others. We had guests walking with us and that's what you did. Secondly, what about your brothers? Did you ever stop to think about what they would feel that you got to have a friend stay another night and they hadn't? Did you?
"Son, you know it is not fair to me ...to have to decide something at the last moment when we have other things going on, like the planned boat trip around the lake with our guests. You and Eric have also not kept up on your job of cutting the field and then you want me to reward you by letting Eric stay again, tonight? Maybe we need to talk about this some more, but for now our guests are waiting on us. Do you want to say something to me before we had down to the house?" finished Mr. Ken.
"I ...I didn't ...I didn't think it would be such a big deal. Eric's stayed here many times before so why not now? I don't know why you are being so mean to me?" replied a teary-eyed Robert.
"Robert ...I told you my reasons why Eric cannot spend the night. If you have told him otherwise then you need to call him and tell him it is a NO! Then meet us at the boat dock," answered dad Ken.
"Do I have to go with you on the boat?" asked Robert, with tears still in his eyes.
"Yes!" was all dad Ken replied, as he walked away from his pouting son.
Mr. Ken met up with his guests and his 'sons' and told them to bring a coat as it would be cool out on the water even though it was sunny. The Cove's owner also told them to use the restroom before heading down to the boat dock as the head on the boat was closed for the winter.
Robert called Eric and told him his dad's decision and why. The teen was still pissed he couldn't let Eric stay, but Eric told him he had to be a team player and he shouldn't expect his new dad to bend over backwards for him when he has four other boys in the household, and he couldn't play favorites.
Robert told his Best Friend he now had to figure out a way to get there in the morning. All Eric said was he'd catch a ride with his mom as she went to work which would mean he would be there very early and for Robert to meet him at the Foyer door since he didn't have a key to the house. Robert laughed and told Eric he'd think about it.
When his cell phone conversation with Eric was over, Robert went into the house and went looking for everyone. He looked out the Great Room windows and saw everyone was down at the dock. He also saw his dad looking up at the house and had a pissed off look that Robert wasn't down there. The Cove's only teen quickly peed and ran out the Great Room door and headed to the boat dock.
"I thought we were going to leave without you," offered Jayden.
Robert smiled and replied, "Naw, my dad wouldn't do that, would you dad?"
All dad Ken did was look away from his son, who he was not very pleased with him right then. He didn't want to create a scene, so he didn't reply to his son's try at dry humor. All the man said was to cast off the lines and pull in the bumpers after they got past the dock area.
Charles told Kevin and Kyle what to do and asked Matthew to watch, so next time he might be able to help. When the Commander was about ten feet away from the dock, Charles had the twins bring in the bumpers. Chief wanted to help, too, and she was jumping back and forth from port (left side) to starboard (right side) watching everything that was happening.
Mr. Ken had all five guests up on the flying bridge, so they could get a better view. He also wanted to let each boy steer the huge boat. He wanted them to have something to tell their friends when they went back to school after the Thanksgiving Holiday.
While the boys were steering, Owen and Nathan took some pictures of the boys, so they could also show their friends. The two adult guests also asked Mr. Ken to pose with the boys, and them, remembering that the owner of The Cove didn't want any of his boy's faces to be shown and get out in the public eyes Mr. Wayne was asked to do the honors.
Mr. Ken had the boys steer towards the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters. He wanted to show his guests that and the Lakeside Water Park which was right next door. As they passed the two prominent features along the shoreline, Charles yelled up to their guests that his 'dad' was the one who funded and had both structures built.
The guests all got surprised looks on their faces. Owen looked over at his host and said, "There has to be a real good story behind that! I hope we get to hear it one day." Both Owen and Nathan laughed.
Matthew wished he was up there steering the Commander and said so to Charles. The pre-teen told him that their guests wouldn't get the chance to do it as often as he would, so to just let them have their fun. Matthew said he understood, but that it was his first time on the boat, too.
Then, Matthew looked over to Robert and saw he wasn't talking to anyone and he looked mad at something, so he nudged Charles and told him what he saw. The older boy said he'd talk to his 'brother' and find out.
"Hey ...why aren't you talking to Jayden or Ryder or Chase? They're our friends and you are ignoring them. What gives?" directly asked Charles.
Robert ignored his pre-teen 'brother', but Charles persisted and kept asking him why he was acting the way he was. Robert continued to ignore him, but by that time the other three 'brothers' came over to ask the same thing.
Robert finally had enough of the badgering, so he told them, in a not too friendly voice, "Dad wouldn't let Eric spend the night. He knew we had to start cutting the field tomorrow and now Eric has to find a way over here."
Charles told the teenager to get over it and help take care of their guests. He also told Robert that he bets their dad talks to them after their guests leave. He added he noticed their 'dad' didn't have a happy face on after he pulled the teen aside to talk to him as they walked to the house.
Ken Thomas saw the interaction going on between all of his 'sons' and figured they were talking about how he pulled Robert aside to talk to him, as they walked back to the house. He decided he'd talk to all of them after Owen, Nathan and their boys left later that afternoon.
As the boys steered the Commander just off the shore line, Mr. Ken pointed out other things about the lake. He showed them where he, Todd and Logan helped save Walt Tankards and where Brad and Gordon helped a man who had fallen overboard.
The boat trip was a slow meandering one. They were gone about 2 hours and when they returned, Mr. Ken took over the captain's duties and docked the Commander. The twins, with Charles' direction, put out the bumpers. Matthew saw how easy it was to do and knew he'd be able to do that if ever asked.
After tying up the boat, the large group headed back up to the house. They all headed to the Study, but it was Charles who reminded his 'dad' they didn't have enough seats in there, so they should use either the MRS area or the Great Room. Mr. Ken chose the MRS Room, but there were still a boy or two standing.
"We rarely use this area, so I thought it was a good time to try it out," explained Mr. Ken.
"Why did Charles call it the misses' room?" asked an innocent Chase.
"Well, it isn't the misses' room, as in a woman who isn't married, but an acronym for Meeting Reading and Sitting, thus M-R-S. This area is just off the entrance as is typical in many large homes. But, I use my Study for just about everything and this area rarely gets used other than to be cleaned.
The group talked about their weekend and the guests couldn't thank Mr. Ken enough for allowing them to visit and enjoy some great food, an awesome bed, and the chance for them to sit back and relax at a 5-Star hotel. They also mentioned the wonderful friends they got to know better and couldn't wait to get another invitation to return.
Mr. Ken reminded them that Wayne would be contacting them in the near future, so they should start looking to get some time off around the Holidays. The men's sons asked what that was all about, so Charles spoke up and said they were probably looking at going to Six Flags or SeaWorld for another large group trip. That put a big smile on all three young guest's faces.
Owen looked at the time and told his host they needed to get a move on as some people had to go to work in the morning.
As they all stood, they all shared in handshakes and hugs. Everyone made sure they did that with everyone else and when that was over the guests walked over to the Foyer Door to depart The Cove.
As the five guests drove up to the Main Gate, the seven Covers waved to them. When the car was off and away, Mr. Ken asked his boys to meet him in his Study.
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