The guys did what they usually did when they went to The Cove. They rode their skateboards, got hot and sweaty and then went swimming. That day was no exception.
As the lads walked to get changed, Charles pulled Dave aside and told him about Mr. Dan's plan to take him to SeaWorld on Monday and he wanted to know if Dave thought he could go. Dave told Charles the chance of his going was like ice staying frozen in hell. Dave then told his new friend how his mom watched him like a hawk and if it hadn't been for Officer Fischer being here last night he wouldn't have been here at all. Dave then remembered to thank Charles for inviting him as his mom didn't let him go to sleepovers very often.
Charles and David went in and changed and joined the rest of the lads out on the water toys. While they were out there, Charles continued to talk to Dave about going to SeaWorld and finally convinced his new friend that nothing ventured nothing gained and to call his mom and ask. Charles told him to make sure he tells her that Officer Dan was taking Charles and Todd and Charles could take a friend. David said he'd try but for Charles not to hold his breath.
The lads got hungry, as they always do, so they swam into the beach and headed up to the patio to get the barbeque started. Chuck and Trevor took on the grill master honors that day and the newbie's all got to see other parts of the estate, while they helped gather the food and other parts and pieces used to put on the barbeque. Sam and Terran went in to find Mr. Dan to ask him if he was going to eat with them.
While the group was eating, David called his mom and asked her if he could go to SeaWorld with Charles and Mr. Dan. From what Charles could tell from Dave's side of the phone call, Mrs. Fritzer did not take kindly to the question.
After Dave hung up, he said to Charles "She didn't say NO! … But, she didn't say YES, either." David then explained his mom didn't like it when it was he who asked to do something that she wanted the 'adult', as he called it, to call her and explain everything that was going to happen with her son.
"Well, maybe we can get Mr. Dan to call her and he can explain to her that he's taking me there and I could take a friend. She did talk to him before she allowed you to spend the night, right?. So, what do you think? … If you really want to go this may be our only chance?" reasoned Charles.
David walked away and thought about it for a few minutes, then went to Charles and told him he really wanted to go with him to SeaWorld. Dave told his new friend that he really enjoyed being able to finally do some things with all his friends like he did with the sleepover. Dave revealed to Charles how he hates it that his mom controls everything he does outside of his family. David explained she had done that for as long as he could remember.
Charles and Dave searched out Mr. Dan to ask him to call David's mom. They couldn't find him in Mr. Ken's Study and the man wasn't in the Kitchen Nook but his car was still there so Charles knew the man was around there somewhere. They looked in the obvious places and when they couldn't find him, Charles took out his cell phone and called Dan Fischer.
Officer Dan was up in his en suite looking over his uniforms to make sure they were all clean and ready to wear if Sheriff Barnes recalls him to limited duty when he got Charles' phone call. Mr. Dan agreed to meet the lads in the Study and was there in less than five minutes. The boys explained to Mr. Ken's guest why they wanted him to make the call to Mrs. Fritzer and he agreed to at least try to get her to allow Dave to go with them on Monday.
Mr. Dan's first try got him a ringing phone and no pick up and not even an answering machine. His second try at talking to Sophie Fritzer got him a busy signal. His third try, this time to her cell phone, only got him sent to voicemail, so he left a message asking her to call Sheriff's Deputy Dan Fischer.
Two minutes later, Sophie Fritzer called back anxious to know why a Sheriff's Deputy would be calling her and then she wanted to know if her son was in trouble with the law. Mr. Dan had to remind her that he was the man she talked to the other night when she agreed to allow her son, David, to spend the night at Three Finger Cove. Sophie Fritzer quickly apologized for being so direct in wanting to know why a Sheriff's Deputy called and when Mr. Dan explained why he was calling she explained she was busy right then but would call him back or talk to him later when she picked David up later that evening.
Mr. Dan searched out the two lads and explained he finally got in touch with David's mom but she didn't have the time to talk right then but would either call him later or they would talk when she picked David' up later. Charles took that as a positive but Dave wasn't so sure his mom would relent. Charles told Dave to think positive and to wait and see.
The afternoon went by fast for the lads and before they knew it, it was time for them to either head up to the top of the estate and wait for their ride or get on their bike and head on home. David was one of the lads who waited for his mom and Mr. Dan was there to meet up with her and talk to her about taking her son to SeaWorld come Monday.
David introduced his mom to Mr. Dan and the two adults talked about the woman's son going with Mr. Dan and Charles and Todd to Sea world on Monday. The woman was reluctant to let her son go and upon hearing that, David argued he never gets to do very much with his friends. His mom, in her defense, used the recent sleepover as one way her son got to do something with his friends. David continued to argue that the sleepover was more like a once in a lifetime thing, but that he was old enough now to go and do things with other kids his age and he was tired of being treated as if he was still a young kid.
Mr. Dan was surprised at the lad's manner in talking to his mom like that in front of others. His mom was not too happy at what her son said, as well, and told him so and told him to get in the car. Sophie Fritzer apologized to Mr. Dan and said she'd let him know if David would be allowed to go to SeaWorld. She then left.
Some of Dave's friends hadn't left yet and had watched the exchange. They were surprised at what Dave had said to his mom and how he said it, but what surprised them the most was that she didn't respond. The lads then look over and told Charles that he shouldn't plan on Dave going with him on Monday. The lads then left Mr. Dan and Charles at the Main Gate looking on.
It was while the man and lad were walking down to the house that a limousine came to the gate and waited for the security guard to open it so it could enter. As soon as Charles saw the limo, he got a great big smile on his face. "My 'dad and 'brothers' are back Mr. Dan. They're back!"
The preteen ran to catch up with the vehicle so he could hug his 'dad' when he got out.
"'Dad', 'dad', you're back," yelled Charles, as Mr. Ken got out of the limo. It was then that Charles ran and jumped into the man's arms.
"Did you miss me 'son'?" asked Mr. Ken, as he hugged the twelve year old.
"Yeah, I did, 'dad'. I am so glad you and my 'brothers' are back," exclaimed Charles. The lad then went over to Robert and Eric and hugged them and welcomed them home, too.
As the Covers did their meet and greet, Derrick took their bags to the Foyer Door. As the limo driver opened the door, Chief bounded out and barked out, "Woof, woof, woof, woof … woof, woof … woof," as she ran to her former master.
"I am glad to see you too, girl," offered Mr. Ken and he scratched behind her ears and then along her back. The boys just laughed at The Cove's resident dog and the way she was acting around Mr. Ken.
"Hey … don't I get any Welcome Home kisses, too, Chief?" teased out Robert.
Chief heard what Robert said and so she turned away from her first master and ran to Robert and jumped up on his chest and began giving him some of her kisses. Eric tried what Robert did but all Chief did was look at him and go back to giving Robert more kisses.
"I guess I know where I stand with Chief," voiced Eric. Chief still looked over at him and with Charles saying Eric was their 'brother' too, she went over to Eric and give him a kiss or two. That brought more laughter to the men and boys.
Mr. Ken took the lads, Ms. Judy and Mr. Dan out to Four Corners for dinner that night. The six diners' ate slowly and had lots to tell one another about the previous week. It was Robert and Eric who took center stage, though, as they talked over one another and told of their busy week of flying to an amusement park, riding all the rides, eating their food and doing that all over again two more times. The adults had a good laugh over the teenagers' antics of telling their story.
When the six good friends were finished eating, they stayed and talked a bit more, until Mr. Ken said he wanted to get back home and check mail and messages. When they departed, Judy Turner and her son, Eric, went in one direction while Mr. Ken, Mr. Dan, Charles and Robert all went back to The Cove.
Upon arrival, Ken Thomas and Dan Fischer went to the Study while Charles and Chief followed Robert up to his bedroom to unpack and hear more about his trip.
"Ken, my doctor is going to recommend to Sheriff Barnes that I can go on limited duty. Being Saturday, he's probably already done that. Anyway, if Barnes accepts the doc's advice, I could be back to work, well, actually sitting behind a desk starting Wednesday. I wanted to let you know that so it isn't something that comes up at the wrong time," explained Sheriff's Deputy Dan Fischer.
"Thanks for that heads-up, Dan," began Ken, "I bet Charles will be sorry to see you go, and, in a way, so will I. You've given me the opportunity to do something that I needed to do for a long time, you know, visit my amusement parks that I couldn't have done if you weren't staying here. I probably need to hire a live-in who can accept the boys as who they are and treat them as kindly and personally as you have."
"When do you suppose you'll move back to you apartment?" then asked Ken Thomas.
"I figured Wednesday would be a good time. Oh, before I forget … I'm taking Charles, Todd and a friend of Charles's to SeaWorld on Monday. I wanted to do that yesterday but I had that doctor's appointment that I couldn't get out of," replied Dan.
"I'll bet Charles can't wait until he gets to go. He loved it when we went to Dallas-Fort Worth and from the way he told it, you did a great job when you took him to Fiesta Texas. You may have to work hard to beat what you did for him," laughed Ken.
Ken went back to checking his snail mail and phone messages and then his email which he hadn't seen yet. Dan went out and up to his en suite.
Upstairs, Charles got Robert to tell him all about the amusement parks he visited and all of the rides he rode but especially the rollercoasters. Robert told Charles that those were the first coasters he'd even ridden and so he didn't have anything to compare them to. Robert did tell Charles the coasters weren't all that big, like they'd seen on the commercials, but he did enjoy the air-time they gave him and the thrill of the speed. Charles told his 'brother' about the coasters he rode at Fiesta Texas and the two tried to compare them. Eventually, Robert said he was tired and wanted to go to bed, so Charles left the teen alone.
The 'brothers' met in the bathroom the next morning, with both boys sporting morning wood. Charles laughed and teased Robert that he probably didn't have many opportunities to take care of his 'boy toy' while he was with their 'dad' all of the time. Robert laughed at what Charles said and he had to agree neither he nor Eric got more than a chance or two to relieve any 'pressure' they had built up. Both lads took care of business before taking their proper showers.
The lads met up with their 'dad' and Mr. Dan down in the Kitchen Nook. The men were drinking coffee and reading parts of the Sunday newspaper when the boys walked in.
"Morning 'dad', morning Mr. Dan," called out Charles, who then went over to Mr. Ken and gave the man a hug. He then hugged Mr. Dan for being the best chaperone he ever had. Mr. Ken smiled at what he'd seen.
Robert also hugged his 'dad' after saying "good Morning" to both men. He just shook Mr. Dan's hand and thanked him for staying with his 'brother' and making the week fun for him.
"Say, boys … what say we go out for breakfast. We can go to the diner at Four Corners and get our usual," offered Mr. Ken.
"'Dad', do you think we could try some other place for breakfast?" spoke up Charles. "Mr. Dan took me to IHOP one time and Denny's the next time we went out for breakfast and it was fun to eat someplace else for a change. So … can we?"
They ate at Taco Cabana that Sunday morning. Since it was a Mexican Restaurant, they ate Tex-Mex that day which is what they would have eaten at home if they had eaten Momma Maria's frozen breakfast tacos. The best thing about eating out, though, was they got to choose from an extensive breakfast menu instead having only one choice at home.
"That was a very good breakfast," Mr. Ken had to agree, after eating somewhere different than the Four Corners Diner. Robert also agreed with his 'dad'.
At breakfast, Robert learned Mr. Dan was taking Charles to SeaWorld the next day and he wanted Charles to take him instead of his new friend David. Charles told his 'brother' that Dave was his first choice and if he can't go he'll ask Cooper. Robert said he was disappointed that his only 'brother' wouldn't take his 'only 'brother". Charles turned the tables when he asked why he didn't take his only 'brother' with him when he went to three amusement parks.
Mr. Dan had to laugh at the way the two lads treated one another. Mr. Ken joined in the man's laugh as both boys were trying to get one up on the other. Then, thinking about it, the Cover's laughed right along with the men.
The phone at The Cove began ringing just after twelve noon as did Charles' and Robert's cell phones. Mr. Dan explained he told the lad's friends to call to see if Mr. Ken and Robert were ready to have a bunch of kids around.
The afternoon went right along as any previous day at Three Finger Cove. The lad's friends showed up, they all skated until they were hot and sweaty and then they went swimming. That day after Robert came home from his seven-day trip there were twenty-one lads there, not counting Charles or Robert. The only one missing from the large group was David and none of Charles' friends had heard anything from him after he and his mom left the previous evening.
The lads all changed in the locker room and this time there were no lads who were embarrassed to get naked in front of a bunch of other kids their age. The newbie's though, got an eye full of a few of the older thirteen year olds' equipment and were impressed at what they saw. Many of them talked to each other about what they saw and laughed at some of the sizes they saw.
After swimming, the barbeque went as usual. Someone trained, grills the burgers and dogs and the others get the rest of the stuff needed to have a successful cook out. Mr. Ken and Mr. Dan joined the boys out on the patio and they talked to the boys about their summer.
When the boys were leaving for the day, Mr. Dan reminded the boys to call before they came over tomorrow to make sure Robert wanted tons of friends stopping by. The man then laughed at what he said but he also reminded the lads that he and Charles wouldn't be there tomorrow, either. It was then Robert spoke up and told all his and Charles's friends they could stop by tomorrow after twelve.
When the lads went up to the Main Gate to await their parents, Mr. Dan reminded Charles he needed to know if David was going with them or if he needed to ask his second choice while his mom was there. Charles understood what Mr. Dan was saying so, since he hadn't heard from David, he went over to Cooper, and his mom, to ask his new friend if he wanted to go with him, Mr. Dan and Todd to SeaWorld. Cooper looked up at his mom with begging eyes and getting the okay he said yes. Mr. Dan told him he'd pick him up at about 7:30 AM tomorrow, and he stressed the AM part. That brought a laugh from his mom who said he'd be ready to go.
That evening Mr. Ken asked Charles what Mr. Dan meant about asking his second choice to go with them tomorrow. Charles explained the problem he had with David and his mom. Charles told his 'dad' he really wanted David to go with him because his new friend never got to really do many things with his friends. Charles explained that Dave has gone to many places with his parents but not all that much with his buddies. Charles then told his 'dad' how bad he felt that his friend was being treated the way his mom was treating him. The lad then shed a few tears.
Mr. Ken didn't know what to say to his 'son' other than things like that will occur throughout life and he'll have to learn to handle them and also deal with them. 'Dad' then hugged his 'son' to help console the boy and get him to understand that the parents have to make decisions for their kids that aren't always what other people want to hear.
It was later in the evening that the Three Finger Cove phone rang at Mr. Ken's desk. When he answered it, it was Mrs. Fritzer. The woman thought it was Mr. Dan who answered the phone so she went on to apologize she hadn't called sooner but said she had gotten busy and just forgot. She wanted to know if it was too late to accept the invitation for her son David to go to Sea World the next day. Mr. Ken had to tell her who he was and then it dawned on her she had messed up real bad. Mr. Ken said he'd get Dan if she would just hang on.
Ken called Dan's cell phone and told him what was going on with David and he asked the man to come to the Study and talk to the lad's mom. Dan agreed and was there in less than a minute.
Dan Fischer took Mrs. Fritzer's call and listened to her story. He felt bad for the lad since he knew how much Charles wanted the lad to go with them. He put Sophie on hold and talked the situation over with his friend Ken. After a few quick back-and-forth's, Dan went back to Sophie Fritzer and told her to tell David he'd pick him up as close to 7:30 as he could, since he had to pick up a few other lads first.
Dan explained to Ken that Charles really wanted David to go with them. Now he needed to ask another kid to go so they each had a buddy. Dan pulled out his cell phone and made a call. Less than 30 seconds later Charles and Robert came into the Study.
"Charles … I have good news for you. David … his mom called … she apologized for not calling sooner but she'll allow her son to go with us," an excited Dan Fischer announced.
"How is that good, Mr. Dan?" quickly asked Charles. Then the lad added, "That makes it an uneven number and someone will have to ride by themselves. That's no fun!"
Dan looked at Robert and then said, "You wanted to go to SeaWorld, now's your chance. If you want to go, tell me now and you can join us."
Robert stood there sort of stunned. Then he asked, "That means only me, right? Eric can't go then, can he?"
"Yes, it means only you, Robert. You heard what Charles said about an uneven number and earlier I heard you almost beg your brother' to take you with us. Well, now I made it possible for you to go with us. So … you have to make a decision. Do you want to go, or not? That's how simple it is. If you choose not to go, Charles can ask another one of his friends. It is up to you," explained Mr. Dan.
Robert didn't know what to do. He really wanted to go, but it would be without his Best Friend, Eric. The teen thought about it for a minute or so and then said, "Yes, I want to go!" Robert's decision brought a smile to Charles' face.
'Dad' Ken was surprised with Robert's decision but he was happy both of his boys were going to do something together. Then, he had to figure out what he'll do with the lads who show up tomorrow. Then it hit him.
"Robert, now that you've decided to go to SeaWorld I'll need someone to host yours and Charles's friends tomorrow. How about you call Eric and tell him what you've decided and then ask him to play 'host' tomorrow for me. He knows his way around this place, so I know he can handle this," suggested 'dad' Ken.
Robert smiled at his 'dad' and said he'd call Eric. He then thanked Mr. Dan for making it so he could go with them. Charles then followed his 'brother' upstairs to his bedroom.
"Dan, how are you going to take six people down to San Antonio? I don't have a vehicle that can carry that many. And now that I think about it, I probably need to begin looking at buying something than can carry more than five people. But that still begs the question, Dan. How do you intend to take the six of you to SeaWorld?" directly asked Ken.
Dan laughed and then told Ken that he had a friend who has a big SUV and was calling him as they spoke. Then, Ken saw Dan's cell phone go to the man's ear and he could hear some ringing. When the phone was answered, Dan talked to the person on the other end like they were best buds and before he knew it the call was over and Dan was saying to his host he was off to trade cars. Ken just shook his head at everything that happened since he returned home not that many hours ago. All the man could do was laugh at how busy his life now is since gaining responsibility for two young men.
Eric was happy for Robert when he learned his Best Friend was going to do something different with his new 'brother' and with a couple of his 'brother's' friends as well as with Todd. Eric was then at first surprised that Mr. Ken wanted him to be his boy's friends host tomorrow and then he became very happy that Mr. Ken thought that he was dependable enough to take on such a big responsibility.
Mr. Dan rapped on both Charles' and Robert's bedroom doors at 6 AM Monday morning. He knew about the Three Knock Rule but that morning he did four knocks before he opened their doors to get the boys up. Charles understood about having to get up early to have fun, but Robert had been getting up early every day of his trip and getting up at 6 AM wasn't anything he wanted to do that morning. It took Charles and Chief to get the teen out of bed.
By the time the boys got out of bed and got cleaned up they didn't get down to the Kitchen Nook until 6:45 and when they entered they wondered out loud what they were going to eat for breakfast. Mr. Dan smiled and told them to get in the car as they still had Todd, Cooper and David to pick up. Along the way, Mr. Dan stopped at McDonald's for breakfast for his two hungry passengers before picking up his three other passengers.
The SUV sounded like a reunion inside, as the lads talked like they hadn't seen each other for years. Robert did the majority of talking, though, as the other three boys wanted to hear more about Mr. Ken's amusement parks and the rides, but especially the rollercoasters.
Back at Three Finger Cove, Mr. Ken got up at his normal Cove time, 8:15 AM. He went outside to retrieve his morning newspaper, something he missed while being on the road, to read as he drank his coffee and ate breakfast. At 9 AM, Mr. Chris arrived and had some morning coffee with his employer as he brought his boss up to speed on the contracts he was working on and anything new that should concern Mr. Ken.
While they drank their coffee, Mr. Ken asked Chris Dominions about his decision to talk to the kids about his injury and how he got it. Mr. Thomas told his employee he was pleasantly surprised but supported his decision to talk to the lads about his military experience. Mr. Ken also wished the man well in his continued recovery and told him he was very happy with his work ethic and how fast he came up to speed in the position. They both then headed to their respective work positions.
When Mr. Ken got to his study, the man had loads of snail mail to go through. He also had lots of phone messages to return on top of the emails he didn't get to while he was on his trip with Robert and Eric. Ken Thomas decided to start returning those phone calls he identified, the previous night, as being most important. He'd classified them after listening to them last night so he started at number one. Of course, as he tried to make calls, more phone calls were coming in. Lucky for him the incoming calls were from people he had intended to call. Yes, it changed the order in the list he made but he was making progress in returning the important calls.
It was after lunch that Ken Thomas received another phone call but this one was not from any of the people who had called during the previous week. This call was from Sheriff Barnes.
"Hello, Sheriff, and to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?" asked Mr. Ken, in a teasing voice.
"Hello, Mr. Thomas, well, Ken … I understand you have one of my men recuperating at your place … the lucky dog," laughed Matthew Barnes.
"The reason for my call Ken … is to ask for your help in something I have planned for Dan and a couple of the other officers. This Wednesday, I am going to hold an awards ceremony and honor the officers who have been injured in the Smokey shootout and the recent county drug arrests. Ken, I am also going to announce a number of promotions. This is where I am asking you for your assistance.
"Ken, I want you to somehow make it so that Dan comes to the ceremony. I got the doctor to certify him ready for limited duty but Dan is saying he has lots of personal time accrued and medical leave he can use and is planning on submitting his requests tomorrow," explained the sheriff.
"Sure, Sheriff Barnes, I'll help you do whatever you need for me to do to get Dan there but can't he get his award at a later date and allow him to enjoy his time here. You know … he really has gotten into being around the lads here and is having almost as much fun as the boys are. He took Charles and a friend and Todd to Fiesta Texas last week, and he is taking Charles and Robert and three other lads to SeaWorld, today. Yes, Dan is definitely having fun while he is staying here," explained Mr. Ken.
"Well, Ken, the reason I want Dan at this ceremony is … well … I am going to promote him to Lieutenant. All the officers know Dan already is one of my on-scene commanders during incidents, but with this promotion I want to quantify that position with this promotion and also give him the raise in pay the man truly deserves.
"Ken, I wanted to promote him before but each time he refused the promotion because he wanted to stay out on the streets. He told me he didn't want to sit behind a desk and not be where the action is. Ken, Dan is a consummate police officer and is also a very visible person, to the public, in my organization. He is well deserving of his awards and then this promotion.
"Ken, what I want to ask your help in … is helping convince him to attend the ceremony, even if he is going to use his accumulated time off. I also want to keep his promotion under wraps and have it as a complete surprise for not only him, but … well, the rest of the department, too. Can I count on you with this charade, Ken?" finished Sheriff Barnes.
"Sheriff, I will do everything in my power to get Dan there. Even if I have to tell him he is no longer welcome here at The Cove," laughed Ken Thomas.
Sheriff Barnes laughed right along with Ken as they continued to talk about the ceremony and Dan's upcoming promotion. When they finished their conversation, they hung up as better friends than ever before.
Mr. Ken continued to make phone calls. One call was to his two foremen at the Lake Hotel and Office buildings. He wanted an update and hearing they were almost ready to top off the hotel he was very happy he called. He told them to keep him informed as he wanted to be there when they set the last piece of steel.
Ken Thomas also called his lawyer, Bill Jackson. Bill was one of those phone calls Ken had to prioritize but because Bill didn't say how important it was for him to return his call the man hadn't rated Bills call very high. When the two men did finally talk, Ken Thomas was surprised to learn that Mildred Johnston's lawyer was back in touch and wanted to have one last talk before he went to court. All Ken told Bill was for the man to file the papers as he was more than ready to defend himself against a mean, wicked, child and animal beating, fraud who stole from him and will wind up in prison before this is all over. Bill said he'd pass on the message and then told Ken to be ready for an early fall court date.
Mr. Chris was waiting outside the Study for his boss to get off the phone. The man sought out his employer because he wanted to explain why he found it necessary to advertise for a replacement company for the interior cleaning contract. Chris described how the current cleaners continue to give the party restrooms, under the MRS stairs, a 'lick and a promise' and had never really cleaned them.
The Estate Manager explained that, even though those rooms rarely get used, the contract calls for the stall walls to be wiped clean and the floors and porcelain sinks, toilets and urinals to not only be cleaned but also sanitized. Chris Dominions told his employer how he pointed out to the contractor, on two different occasions, how the floors continued to remain dirty and the grout lines were still not even close to their original color.
Ken Thomas told the man to go ahead and notify the current contract holder that we would advertise for a new contractor and was encouraged to bid but in the meantime he needed to fulfill his current contract duties or would be taken to court for damages. Mr. Ken also told Chris to talk to the ladies who worked for the contractor and if he was satisfied with their work and he thought they could handle the contract themselves he could suggest to them they should form a company and bid it themselves. Mr. Chris smiled at hearing all that.