Robert wasn't ready for that type of question, up front, but he remembered saying it to Logan, so he figured he needed to explain, to the teen, as to why he was living at Three Finger Cove. But, he didn't want to do it out in such and open place so he asked the teen if he would like to go up to his room and talk. That was exactly what they did.
"How do you keep your room so … so, straight and clean looking?" immediately asked Logan, upon entering the bedroom.
"Well, I have help keeping it clean, and as for it being straight, 'dad' told me to at least make my bed, especially, if I know a friend is coming over, or if we are having visitors," Robert explained to his friend.
"Oh … but you have help keeping it clean. Does Mr. Ken help you vacuum and dust?" Logan wanted to know.
"Oh, no, we have a cleaning crew who comes in every week and do all that. They even make the bed but I have to strip it, beforehand," further explained Robert.
The small talk, now over, the two boys just sat there waiting for the other one to start the conversation. Robert figured, since it was his room, and Logan did ask him a straight forward question downstairs, he should be the one to start.
"Logan … downstairs you asked me a question," began Robert. "I want to answer it but … I want you to know I am not going to go into too much detail. Will that be OK with you?"
"Yeah, sure … I don't want you to tell me you robbed a bank or you killed someone but … well, I am curious how you could know what I am going through and how it will affect me, that's all," honestly replied Logan.
Robert gauged the lad's response and then decided how to deal with it.
"Logan … do you have any idea why … I'm living with Mr. Ken?" Robert wanted to know.
"Actually, no, I don't. At first, I thought you moved here after the Holidays and that was why you joined us in school, back then. But, since I don't hang out that much with all of the same kids, you do, so, I don't really know. Are you going to tell me?" inquired Logan.
"Actually, out of all my close friends, only Eric knows the full story as to why I am living here. … You do know that Mr. Ken takes in foster kids, don't you? Well … I am one of those 'foster kids'. For reasons I can't go into right now … I don't live with my parents. When, I did live with them … things … they got intense, at times. What happened back then put me into a situation where I didn't know what was going to happen, from day to day.
"I was then shuffled between foster homes and every one of them was different from the next. That made it difficult for me to concentrate on school and thus my grades fell. Living where I did, I … I didn't know what was happening to my parents and they wouldn't tell me. So, I worried about them, a lot. Then, the people who ran the foster homes would treat me like I wasn't anything, but a nuisance, and I was in the way. The only reason they took in foster kids was for the money they got.
"Not knowing about my parents, plus, how I was treated in the foster homes, the terrible food and pretty much not having any nice clothes, to wear, all put a strain on me. All of that combined caused me to not care about school and I became somewhat depressed about my situation. That is how I know what you are going through, Logan. You may not be there yet … but, if you let these things, the lawyer, how Joanna treats you and Kaelyn's attack … these things combined will work against your mind and you could find yourself where I was just a few months ago," qualified Robert.
"Did it really get that bad?" sincerely asked Logan.
"Yes, it got bad … but not bad enough that I wanted to hurt myself, so don't you think I ever wanted to do something like that. … Hey, hey Logan … are … are you having any of those kinds of thoughts? Are … are you thinking of doing something, so the hurt goes away?" probed Robert.
"No, no, nothing like that. Please believe me, Robert. I love my mom and my sisters … and I wouldn't want to hurt them by doing something like that," quickly replied Logan. "But it's … it's just that this person, who says he is a lawyer, keeps calling and threatening my mom and, I know, it's because of ME!," now cried Logan.
Robert quickly went to his friend and hugged him close, like Mr. Ken always did, for, him, when he was hurting some. The preteen just let the teen cry himself out. He knew how much better he felt, after a good cry, so he didn't want to interrupt what he knew worked for him.
Logan cried for a few minutes and, as he recovered, he began to pull himself away from Robert. But, the lad wouldn't let him go. Instead, Robert offered, "Logan … when I felt really bad, at times, I'd cry, too. There is nothing wrong with crying. It doesn't mean that you are weak but what it will do for you is … it will allow the hurt, and uncertainty, you may feel inside, wash itself out of you.
"I know this … because Mr. Ken has held me a lot of times, like this, these past few months. I want you to know that each and every time, I did, I came away feeling much, much better about myself and the situation I found myself in, which made me cry in the first place."
The lads stayed together for a little while after Robert's encouraging talk. Then, when Logan began to pull away again, Robert let the teenager go free. The two looked at one another and before long Logan began to smile and he looked into Robert's eyes and Robert looked right back.
"Robert … that was incredible … what you just did for me. I thought that … that crying DID show people you were weak, especially if you were a guy. I'm glad you continued to hold onto me and because of what you said … I could actually feel the turmoil, going on inside of me, begin to loosen up and start leaving me, washing away, like you said it would.
"I guess you wouldn't know … but I have no one to talk to, to turn to, when I feel bad. My dad … he doesn't live with my mom and me and my sisters. Actually … I never see him. Now, with no male figure in the house, I always feel like I need to be the strong one, in the family, but I … I know I can't. Just as you said yesterday, I can't be expected to take on all that responsibility.
"But, I hear my mom on the phone," and light tears return to Logan's face, "with her friends and … and there isn't anything I can do about how she feels, so, I guess, I must be taking it all in and holding it inside of me. But, today, just now … you helped me 'wash away' all those feelings I was sort of holding inside of me. Yeah, I know you can't always be there for me, with a shoulder I can cry on, but now I know I can go to my mom and not feel bad if I cry, some. I can tell her how and what I am feeling and I know she'll do exactly what you just did for me. Thanks!" sniffed Logan, who then put a big smile on his face.
The 'elephant' in the room was now exposed and both lads felt a whole lot better about it. They continued to get to know one another and Logan even told Robert about his 'first wet dream' he had there, at The Cove, when he spent the night, once. That gave Robert the giggles and soon Logan joined in laughing as he realized, how, looking back, how funny it really was.
"And, Chief was there for me, weren't you girl. You were my savior that morning and went and got Mr. Ken who sent you to get Collin. I was so embarrassed when Mr. Ken asked me to check inside my boxers, but Collin made me realize the man wasn't being mean, so I did check. And sure enough, there was all this sticky stuff inside them. It was when Mr. Ken explained to me what it might mean, I got this big smile on my face."
Then changing gears, Logan said, "Hey, I heard you call Mr. Ken 'dad'. What gives with that?"
"Well … he IS my foster dad and it just worked out that way. For a while I kept saying 'da' or 'd' before I'd say Mr. Ken. Then one day, I just asked him if he would mind it if I called him 'dad'. The rest, as they say, is 'history'," revealed Robert.
Down in the Study, Mr. Ken and Ms. Anderson were talking about this man, who claimed he was a lawyer, who keeps calling. Ms. Anderson explained she tried to get the man's phone number but he refuses to give it and the Caller ID doesn't show the number. She then told Mr. Ken she figures the man is a charlatan who is trying to upset her.
Mr. Ken then told her what he knew about how Logan was reacting to all the phone calls. The man told her essentially, what Robert revealed to him the other day, and wondered if she ever realized how it might be affecting the young teen.
It was then a light went ON inside Ms. Anderson's head. She never figured the boy would take all of that, inside of him, and not try talking to his mother. Now, she felt ashamed, of herself, by not talking to him, and telling the boy, what she figured about that guy.
Thinking she might not know, Mr. Ken asked Ms. Anderson if she knew about what was said to her boy at school, the other day, by one of Kaelyn's friends. When she said she asked, she revealed the lad never said anything. Mr. Ken told her what he knew from talking to Robert.
Again, Ms. Anderson felt she failed her son. She knew it was hard being both mother and father but knew it was easier with her two daughters, but she never considered how being in a household full of women how it would affect her only son. While in her thoughts, Ms. Anderson just stared out the window.
Ken Thomas let the woman work through her thoughts. He looked, at the time, and decided he'd check up on the boys while the lady continued with her thoughts and feelings.
Chief was the first to know Mr. Ken was on his way. She barked, at the door, as he approached so Robert opened the door and in walked the owner of Three Finger Cove.
"You guys able to work some things out?" calmly inquired Mr. Ken.
Logan quickly spoke up first and told the man all about how Robert helped him 'wash out' all of the feeling he was experiencing inside of him. He openly told the man that he cried on his 'son's' shoulder while the lad talked to him about how crying wasn't being weak when we cry and how it helped relieve the stresses inside. The teen then thanked Mr. Ken, for inviting them, over that night, because it definitely was what he needed right then.
'Dad' Ken just smiled at his 'son' and decided to talk to the lad about what he did and what he did that got Logan feeling so good inside of himself. Seeing Robert's alarm clock, Mr. Ken pointed out what time it was getting to be, so he invited the lads to follow him down the stairs.
As soon as Ms. Anderson saw her son coming, down the stairs, she went over to him and openly exclaimed, "Oh, Logan … how could I not think that man's calling and the way I am handling it wouldn't affect you since you were the one who was attacked. I'm so sorry, son … for not talking with you about all of this. I see how trying to be both mom and dad has not worked out for the best, between us. I hope you can forgive your mother for not considering how all this could affect you!" Ms. Anderson then hugged her son, for all he was worth.
After Ms. Anderson got her emotions under control, Mr. Ken asked her and the boys into his Study. There, the four talked about the man, claiming to be a lawyer, and Joanna's open threat about what she hoped doesn't happen to Logan. Mom and son talked openly how this entire episode affected both of them and how they were each handling it.
Ms. Anderson became really concerned, when she heard how her son cried upstairs, about how everything was affecting him only to have her fears doused when her son told her his crying helped him relieve all the stress and the bad feeling he had all bottled up, inside of him. With that said, mom and son hugged, some more, and this time mom promised to talk to her son about things that could affect him but especially whatever came up over the attack.
The Anderson's departed The Cove about 11:30 that evening. The girls thanked the owner of The Cove by giving him a big hug and by scratching behind Chief's ears, while they waited for the other Anderson's to say their Goodbyes. Everyone agreed the evening was a great success and Ms. Anderson thanked the man, one last time, for again being the wonderful and caring person he is.
'Dad' Ken and 'son' Robert went back into the man's Study to talk, a little more, about the evening. Mr. Ken was very happy to hear that Robert used some of the same remedies with Logan he used to get Robert to calm down. But seeing Robert was yawning 'big time' he relented and told the boy to get some sleep.
The two residents of Three Finger Cove said their 'Good Nights', to one another, and headed for their own beds. Sleep didn't take long to visit, either of them after that long, arduous day.
Sunday morning came far too soon for Robert. He could still feel the 'tired' inside of him and wanted to stay in bed but he knew, if he did that, his 'dad' would be up telling him he'd ruin his bedtime sleep, so to 'get up!'.
So, Robert got out of bed, his morning friend pointing the way, and went over to the chest of drawers to get a fresh pair of boxer briefs. As he approached his bedroom door, he stopped in front of the full length mirror and admired how his 'boy toy' felt inside his boxers and how well it filled them. Then, before opening the door, he stuck his hand deep down inside his boxer briefs and adjusted his package before opening the door and heading to the shower.
Downstairs, Mr. Ken made sure the Easter Bunny had visited. He strategically placed three huge Easter Baskets filled to overflowing. It had been some time since he made Easter Baskets for Collin and he so relished doing it now, for Robert, this time around.
Upstairs, in the shower, Robert went right to work on his one-eyed snake. He could actually feel the 'need' his shaft was sending his brain so, after he got wet, he lathered up his hair and then used the suds to begin the process of 'treating' his 'boy toy'.
The lad slowly began to stroke his needful phallus. Each time he slid his hand forward the electric shock it sent to his brain became addicting. He could tell his skin flute had gotten bigger just from the feel of it. As his hand continued to slowly manipulate shaft, he let his other hand to brace him against the wall.
He hadn't shot his boy cream in a few days and he knew, from past experience, this one was going to be a 'rocket shot' for sure. As he continued to increase his sliding hand, the sensations became more and more intense. He then began to raise up on his toes in anticipation of 'blast off'. Then, his mind went into overdrive and his hand began an even faster pumping motion on his thruster.
Then, suddenly, it all came together. His hand became a blur and the sensations from his glands went into orbit and, then, it happened. He achieved Blast-Off! The male custard, his ball bag had produced, came shooting out the tip like it had been shot out of a water pistol. The cream splashed on the shower wall, not once, not twice, but five times before the penal head became too sensitive for his hand to touch it any more.
As Robert came down from the euphoric high he received from his spanking his monkey, he began to watch his baby fertilizer slowly begin to slide down the shower wall. He took a few moments to recover from the overwhelming satisfaction he had. Then, attacking the job at hand the lad finished scrubbing his hair and then took care of the rest of his well-proportioned body. He also remembered to wash the 'evidence' off the shower wall.
Mr. Ken waited patiently, in the Kitchen Nook, for Robert to descend the stairs, hoping the boy would, immediately, see the waiting Easter Baskets. He wasn't disappointed when he heard the lad's squeals of delight when he saw all the candy and things the Easter Bunny left him.
"'Dad', 'dad', is … is ALL this stuff for … ME?" yelled Robert. "Dad', 'dad' where are you?" called out the lad, as he rushed into the Kitchen looking in the obvious place where he was most apt to find his 'dad', on a Sunday Morning.
"'Dad' … Thank you for everything! I can't remember when the last time I had an Easter Basket was, let alone even celebrated Easter itself. I had totally forgotten about Easter Baskets. Even with everything we did, to get ready, for the Easter Egg Roll it didn't dawn on me I could get my own Easter Basket," proclaimed the preteen, who then jumped into his 'dad's' open arms and began to cry happy tears.
'Dad' and 'son' spent the remainder of the day together. Then 'dad', seeing the day would be a cloudless one, he asked his 'son' if he would like to take a cruise, out on the lake. It didn't take long for the two of them, along with Chief, to open up the cabin cruiser and take a slow spin around the lake.
'Dad' Ken took his 'son' past the Lakeside Water Park and Robert couldn't believe his 'dad' was the one who built it, for the County. He was then amazed that his 'dad' also built the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters. But, what really surprised the lad, about the building, was it not only was three stories high, but had a lower level that opened out onto a dock big enough for boats the size of what he was on, just then.
As they motored past, Robert noticed the upper level had a wrap-around porch with telescopes mounted along the bannister. Mr. Ken explained that area was used for looking out over the lake for boaters, or swimmers, in distress. It was as they passed by, that someone on the upper most level waved to them. Robert made sure he waved back.
After their tour of the lake, the duo went out to dinner, that evening, at the Four Corners Restaurant. 'Dad' Ken made Robert dress up in school type clothes before they departed The Cove. When they returned the two intended to watch a movie but before they could go down the Theater, Mr. Ken's phone, in his Study, began to ring.
"Hello," said Mr. Ken as naturally as he'd done thousands of times. Then his voice got animated as he loudly said, "Collin, my 'little brother' how the heck are you?"
Robert's eyes got big. On the other end of the phone was Collin. The boy who men tried to kill, not once, but twice. He hoped he'd at least get the chance to say 'Hello'.
'Dad' Ken and Collin talked for some time when Robert heard his 'dad' say, "Hey, my 'little brother', I have someone here I want you to meet. Hang on while I hit the speaker. … Collin, I want you to meet your NEW 'little brother', Robert."
"Hello, Robert, how are you liking living there with Mr. Ken?" Collin wanted to know.
"I LOVE it here!" exclaimed the lad.
"Do you know who I am?" asked Collin next.
"Yes, I do. You're the teenager who they tried to kill and my 'dad' took a bullet for you," enthusiastically voiced the twelve year old.
"Ah, yes, I'd say you have a pretty good idea who I am. So, tell me more about yourself, Bobby," added Collin.
"Well … first my name is Robert. I don't want people to call me Bobby, or Bob, or Robbie, or any other name that resembles those. My 'dad' says this is a good opportunity for me to start a new life since no one knows me here," explained Robert.
"I apologize, Robert, I didn't know about your name," quickly cut in Collin.
"That's OK, you didn't know, but I forgive you anyway," laughed the preteen.
"Thank you, and I hear some laughter in your voice. You're either an easy going kid or my Big Bro has been teasing you and you've caught on to his antics," now laughed Collin.
Robert laughed at what Collin said and replied, "Yes, at first, I didn't know how to take his so-called jokes. It was when I began to hear the laughter, in his voice, when he said those things, I figured I'd play along."
"So, Robert … I wonder if I can be so bold to ask you … why you call Mr. Ken, 'dad'? I figure he'd have you call him Mr. Ken like the rest of the people," Collin honestly wanted to know.
"Well … at first I did call him, Mr., Ken. But, as time went on, and I really began to like living here and especially Mr. Ken, I began to slip and begin my questions with 'da' or just 'd'. Then, one day … I guess about a month after I moved here, I asked him, directly, if I could call him 'dad'. When he said to me something like, 'as long as I can call you 'son' I was the happiest I'd been, in a very long time," the lad eagerly told the story.
"That's awesome, Robert, I am so very happy for you. So … have you met Ms. Judy and her son, Eric and Ms. Mary and her son, Ryan?" Collin was curious to know.
"Yep, sure have! Ms. Turner was the lady who got my 'dad' to take me in. Then, I met Ryan down at the docks. He was being mean to me but 'dad' straightened him out," laughed the boy. "I met Eric at school. He's in my classroom and was the first kid who sat and talked with me during lunch, that first day of school. He and I are Best Friends, now," divulged Robert.
"I'm glad you met Eric and you two are getting along, so well. Eric is my 'lil bro', by the way, and is the greatest 'lil bro' in the world. Have you met his friend Brad?" Collin wanted to know.
"Oh, yes, I've met Brad and Gordon, Chuck and Trevor and we skateboard, here, out front. We are all good friends both in and out of school," replied Robert.
"Has Mr. Ken taken you on any neat trips yet?" teased Collin.
"He SURE has!" enthusiastically began Robert. "Our first trip was to Houston. We flew down and we saw a Battleship and a sub and another small ship. Then, we went to theses pyramids and saw a bunch of sea animals. But the neatest part was when the butterfly landed on my finger. Only 'dad' and I went on that trip. Eric had already been but 'dad' wanted that time for us to get to know one another better."
Collin quickly asked before Robert could continue, "Any other trips?"
"Oh, yeah … 'dad' took Eric and me on a Disney Cruise," the preteen said excitedly.
"You've got to be kidding me!" now laughed Collin.
"Yes, he did and you know what else happened, on that cruise? … We met the Davies, and Colt and Jerry went on a couple of excursions, I think they call them, with us and 'dad'. We had a blast. Then … something else happened on the ship," teased Robert.
"Don't tell me … someone tried to kidnap one of you," laughed Collin.
"No … but this lady did follow us all about the ship, and, finally, she got all of us boys names wrong and tried to get 'dad' in a lot of trouble," the lad tried to explain.
"Mr. Ken … say it isn't so," teasingly begged Collin.
"Little Bro, he is telling no lie, there. But, that will have to be a story for another time. We did get an invitation for another complete cruise – FREE. And, so did the Davies," replied Mr. Ken.
"How are Mr. and Mrs. Davies and their boys doing?" asked Collin.
The talk continued and for the next twenty-five minutes and Mr. Ken told Collin some of the highlights of the cruise but didn't discuss what happened with Charlotte Schwimner. Mr. Ken also told the older teen a bit more about Robert's coming to The Cove and how he and his friends just helped with the Easter Egg Roll. Good things always come to an end, and it was time to say Goodbye.
"Hey, 'lil bro'," called out Collin, "I hope to meet you one day, and soon. Maybe Big Bro will bring you, with him, when he comes to my graduation, at the end of May. Would you like that?" Collin wanted to know.
"Yeah, I'd like that. I kinda missed seeing you back at the Holidays," offered Robert.
"Mr. Ken, it was great talking to you and finding out I had a 'new 'lil bro'. That was surely a big surprise for me. Now, don't forget my graduation is scheduled for 29 May and Grammy is expecting you to come a few days early. I'll have to tell her to fix up another guest room for Robert. And, Robert, Mr. Ken is going to take good care of you, you'll see. He'll help you through the rough spots, that happen, when you least expect them," began Collin's closing narrative.
But, Robert jumped in and said, "He already has and I'm seeing Doctor Doug. I really like him!"
"That's awesome, Robert, you now have two of the best guys around that can help you deal with any of the reasons why you're now living with my Big Bro. Give them the opportunity to help you! Well, Mr. Ken, my Big Bro, I really do miss being around you. You helped me through so much, over these past three years. I'm glad you have someone else now you can help through their fears, and anxieties, and, of course, spoiling him, in the process. I see with the Disney Cruise you've already started. Good Night Bro; Good Night Robert and stay in touch," finished up the teenager.
"Good night Collin, and this phone call made my weekend and I was already having a wonderful one with my 'son', Robert. You, too, stay in touch," commented Mr. Ken.
"Good Night, Collin, I can't wait to meet you," called out Robert, before Mr. Ken hung up the phone.
Mr. Ken noticed the time and suggested to Robert that is was time for him to get to bed as he had school in the morning.
As they said their Good-Nights, Robert gave his new 'dad' a special big hug for everything he'd done for him that day but, especially, for being the 'dad' he always wished he had.
The 'sandman' visited Robert very quickly, that night, as the boy was fast asleep within moments of his head hitting his pillow.