Mr. Ken Thomas sat relaxing in his Study as he usually did most evenings, when suddenly he was brought out of his thoughts by the ringing of the desk phone. The phone call, he learned, was from the Director of Children Protective Services, Ms. Judy Turner, herself.
It wasn't unusual that Ms. Judy called Ken Thomas as they often talked about her adopted son, Eric, who had become a 'Lil Brother' to one Collin Wilkinson, the heir to the purported One Billion Dollar Wilkinson Enterprises, now known as CWE, Inc. Collin was a teenager who washed ashore at Three Finger Cove during a Hundred Year's Storm some two plus years ago, and who lived at Three Finger Cove until a judge sent him to live with his fraternal grandmother, some eighteen months ago.
Not too long into their conversation, Mr. Ken determined that it was not going to be an ordinary phone call. Miss Judy, as Ken called his friend, explained the reason for her call and then politely asked, at first, but then practically begged the man, as a last resort, to please take a young, troubled boy into his home.
More than two years ago, when they first met, Judy Turner didn't take lightly to Mr. Ken Thomas, a single man, and recent college graduate. At that time, the Governor himself intervened and used his political muscle to make Ken Thomas the Guardian and then Foster Parent of the seriously injured teen. It took some doing, but over time and with the actions of the recovering teen, Collin and her son, her adopted son Eric, she came to totally accept Mr. Ken as Collin's Guardian and Collin as her son's 'big brother'.
It was now early January and the Cove was still in the midst of recovering from its Third Annual Christmas and New Year's Eve Holiday Parties. As it was, it was only a few days into the New Year, the very cold January winter month, and here Ms. Judy tried doing everything she could, while pushing the idea as hard as she dared, to convince Mr. Ken to Foster this young boy.
After Collin's abrupt departure from Three Finger Cove, Ken Thomas never fathomed he would ever again have the opportunity to help another boy in need. But, in the remote chance he ever could, he went back to college and took courses that lead him to get a degree in 'child rearing and development'.
Intrigued by the circumstances of the boy's need, and his curiosity getting the best of him, Mr. Ken Thomas invited the woman to bring the lad over to the Cove in order for them to discuss it more thoroughly and for him to meet this 'troubled' boy.
While the man and his dog, Chief, waited for Ms. Judy Turner to arrive with the boy, he played back in his mind what he was told about the 'troubled' 12 year old boy.
- The lad's name was Bobby. Robert 'Bobby' Arthur Harrison
- He'd been in 3 different Foster homes in the past thirteen months.
- He is 12 years old.
- His biological father and mother had 'sold' their son for money.
- His first foster father sexually abused him.
- In his second foster home he was abused with religion. Having to read the Bible when he wasn't doing homework and was made to go to church three times a week.
- In his third foster home the not much older boys sexually abused him and then the foster father found out and he used the boy as well.
And now, the boy has nowhere else to go.
"Well, girl …," Ken spoke out loud as he scratched behind the ears of his dog, Chief, "it looks like we might be getting us another boy to stay here at the Cove with us."
Chief answered him with a big "Woof!"
"But don't get your hopes up to high, girl. He won't be anything like our Collin as he is much younger and he's … well, let's just say he has had as much or maybe more things happen to him than Collin did before he came to live with us."
"Woof, woof, … woof," replied Chief, who then went to her original owner and jumped up and put her front paws on his legs and began to 'kiss' him. That caused the man to scratch her behind the ears some more as she closed her eyes to enjoy the thing she liked most.
As Ken Thomas carefully thought more about what he'd been told about Bobby, while giving Chief some much needed attention, he noticed, through the corner of his eye, some movement outside. He turned to get a better glimpse of what it was and quickly recognizing Judy Turner's car, he quickly stood up and went to the front door to greet the lady and meet Robert 'Bobby' Arthur Harrison.
Chief quickly followed behind and stayed by the man's right side as Mr. Ken opened the door for the woman and the youngster to enter Three Finger Cove.
"Hello, Judy, and this must be Robert!" said Mr. Ken, as he hugged Judy and shook the lad's hand.
"And, Robert, this is Chief. Miss Judy explained to me that you're looking for a nice home to stay in, so if you decide to stay here, she will be your constant companion and also your responsibility. … Okay ... what say we all go into my Study and get to know one another?"
The three people, and one dog, all proceeded to Mr. Ken's Study where very plush and comfortable leather chairs awaited them so they could discuss the boy's needs.
Just as they sat, Momma Maria brought in some refreshments and her famous cookies and placed them on the coffee table accessible to all three. She even brought Chief some of her treats, so she wouldn't feel left out.
Momma Maria's entrance helped break up the awkwardness of the moment and gave each of them an opportunity to get some coffee or a cold drink and a cookie or two before Mr. Ken could begin his talk with his visitors.
Mr. Ken turned slightly to face the lad and, with a twinkle in his eye, said, "So, Robert … Ms. Turner, here … she tells me you need a place to stay. It wasn't too long ago that I helped another lad, a 15 year old, who then turned 16 while in my care. I helped Collin through a rough part in his life and my guess is Ms. Judy, err, Ms. Turner, feels I might be able to help you too."
When Mr. Ken said the word 'Collin', Chief's head and ears perked up and she got this kind of 'smile' on her face.
"No, girl … Collin isn't coming; we're talking to Robert to see if he wants to come live with us, for a while. Would you like that girl?" said Mr. Ken, as he watched Bobby's reaction to the way he was talking to the dog.
"Woof, woof," replied Chief, who then got up and went over the boy and sat in front of him and offered her paw.
"I think she's already voted for you to stay," chuckled Mr. Ken, while the youngster then lightly petted the golden Labrador.
Ken was pleased that Chief got into the 'conversation' early by giving the lad a chance to calm down and get to know the dog he would be responsible for taking care of, if the boy decided to stay there with them.
"I think you've already made a friend, there, Bobby," said Ms. Judy. "I know you will truly enjoy living here."
"Well, Ms. Judy, let us talk to Robert some more to see if that is what he wants to do," spoke up Mr. Ken.
"You … you mean you're going to give me the … the chance to say whether or not I want to live with you … here … in this big house?" It was the first thing the boy had said since they entered Mr. Ken's Study.
"Why, yes, Robert, I do intend to let you decide if you want to live here, with me and Chief," offered Ken Thomas. "It won't do us any good if you are MADE to stay here and it isn't something you want to do. If you feel you are made to stay here you could be very miserable and make us miserable in the process.
"We have a very nice home here, as you can see, and we both, Ms. Judy and I, know you'll totally enjoy staying here. We'd like for you to give us a chance … say, ten days to two weeks … and then, if you don't like it here, we can call Ms. Turner and see what she can arrange," offered Mr. Ken.
Bobby Harrison took in that news with some bewilderment. He was never given the opportunity to say where he was going to live before, so why now?
"Well … I was never given that chance before so … why now?" asked the twelve year old lad.
"That's a very good question, young man. I think I already told you one reason, which is that we all don't want to be miserable. Also, if you feel even a bit intimidated with this big house, then maybe you'll not want to have to learn your way around. Keep in mind, that if you decide to stay with us, even if you just say you want to give us a try, you'll still be responsible for Chief here. She is a very important member of Three Finger Cove and you'll be her 'master' of sorts. You'll also be responsible to feed, bathe and comb her, which she really likes by-the-way, and anything else she may need including you playing with her, and being her pal."
"Something else you'll want to be aware of … is that we give lots of parties. It's too bad that Ms. Turner here didn't know you needed a place to live before the Holidays. We just had four awesome Holiday parties that also included the neighborhood children, as well as the entire Seventh Grade Middle School Class. You'd have gotten to meet some of your new classmates along with Collin. He was the teenager, whom I mention earlier, who stayed with us for about ten months before his grandmother came into the picture. It was then that he went to live with her since both his mom and dad had been killed.
"Robert, I'm telling you all this because, as a member of Three Finger Cove, you'll be a part of everything that we do here at the Cove, and out in the community. You'll also attend the local school and, of course, you will be expected to do well in class. I won't expect you to be an "A" student or even an "A-B" student. But, what I will expect you to do is your BEST … always. Being the new kid will also bring you loads of 'wanna be' friends because of where you'll be living."
"And yes, you'll be allowed to bring them here, to your new home here at the Cove, and even have sleep-overs and swim parties. That is, after I get to know who these boys and girls are. Do you have any questions for me or Ms. Turner, since I've been doing all the talking, so far?" finished up Mr. Ken.
Bobby just sat there taking in what Mr. Ken had just told him. He tried to formulate a question, but his mind couldn't get over the fact that he was going to have the chance to say whether or not he wanted to stay here, let alone be able to have his friends over for swim parties or sleep-overs, even.
Then, in an instant, his mind recognized the name, 'Three Finger Cove', and, before he could do anything to stop himself, he asked, "Is this the place that … that had the shooting. You know the shoot-out … where a man was hurt saving someone?"
Mr. Ken was quickly taken by surprise by the question and so he looked over to Judy Turner to get some idea of how he should respond. Judy just smiled back at the man and nodded her head for him to tell the boy.
Ken Thomas took a few moments to gather his thoughts and he looked over to Bobby and responded to the question by saying, "Yes, Robert … Three Finger Cove is where the shooting happened."
Mr. Ken had hoped that his simple answer would be all Robert wanted to know, but then Robert asked another question.
"Wh … were you the man who was … ah, shot; an ... and Collin … was he the boy … who they were after?"
Now, Mr. Ken had to decide how much he needed, or wanted, to tell the lad, without getting into too many details.
"Robert ... I guess you do have a need to know if you are going to decide to live here. Your new friends … well, they will be asking you all kinds of questions and, of course, you'll need to know some of the answers. The answer to your first question is, yes! I was the one who was shot and yes, it was Collin … who those men were after."
Bobby's eyes got real big at hearing the answer to the questions; he really never intended to ask. He just sat there looking at the man, who people said was a 'hero', because he took a bullet, meant for the teen. Then, before he could help himself again, he asked, "Wa … was Collin that boy … who you took the bullet for?"
"So, you heard about that, did you?" said a smiling Mr. Ken. "You couldn't have been more than ten years old when that happened! But the answer is again, 'Yes'. It was Collin who they had intended to shoot, if they had ever found him in this huge house."
This whole time, Ms. Judy Turner was sitting there, as quiet as a mouse, not wanting to interfere with the man and boy's bonding; if there ever was going to be such a thing there, tonight. She was very concerned though, over the offer that Mr. Ken had given the lad of the opportunity to choose whether he lived there, or not; even if he only decided to give it a chance and stay ten to fourteen days. She had no idea what she would do with the boy if he decided, after that time; he didn't want to live there. She was getting a bit miffed at the man whom she had hoped would be her savior as she had no other place she knew that Robert could or would fit in.
Then Bobby (Robert) began to speak.
"Well, I was about 10 ½ when all that happened, so I kinda remember a lot about it. I remember hearing the radio that morning … talking about the shootings here and, and then later, a boy who, I guess now was Collin, came running out shouting to one of the police officers … and then there was some sort of code red or condition red. I was glued to the TV all day, hoping there would be more information about what all that had happened there, well, here I mean."
"So, what, you're 12 ½ now?" asked Mr. Ken.
"Yep," happily smiled Bobby, as he replied to Mr. Ken's question. "I'll be thirteen this coming June."
"That's Eric's birthday month, too, isn't it, Judy?" asked Mr. Ken.
Caught in her own thoughts, Judy quickly answered, "Why, yes … yes it is, Mr. Ken."
The interview had gotten off track by the questions about the shooting, so Mr. Ken tried to bring everyone back into focus.
"So, Robert, now you know a bit more about Three Finger Cove than many other people think they do," laughed Mr. Ken, as he said that.
"But … we need to figure out if Three Finger Cove is the place where you'd like to live, and call home. I know this is all new to you, choosing if you want to live here or not, but Ms. Judy needs to finish her paperwork, and then get home to her own son and fix dinner. … So, what do you say, sport? Would you like to, at least give us a chance and stay with us for two weeks and see whether or not you'd like to live in the lap of luxury?" teased Mr. Ken.
"You … you really mean it? That I can say that I don't want to live here anymore after a couple of weeks?" quickly asked Bobby.
Ms. Judy took that question, before Mr. Ken had a chance, and answered, "Yes, he really means it, Bobby. I've known Mr. Ken ever since that huge storm and what he says is his word. What say you give the man, and Chief, a chance and see if you'd really like to live here … and maybe even forever?"
Mr. Ken smiled at the way Judy took that 'bull' and was now waiting for Bobby to make up his mind.
"I really don't have … any other place to go tonight … do I?" somberly asked Bobby.
Mr. Ken quickly answered by saying, "Robert, it is getting late and it would be very difficult for Ms. Turner to find a place for you to stay at this late hour. What say you give me and Chief those two weeks? I think you'll truly love it here … especially once you get into a routine. … So … is it a deal that you'll stay with me and Chief?"
Robert took a few seconds to think things through before answering, "Yeah, I guess so … but only if I can still leave if I don't like it here!" replied Bobby.
"Agreed!" said Mr. Ken, as he stood up and offered to shake Bobby's/Robert's hand.
"But, can I ask ONE more question?" asked Bobby Harrison.
"Sure, I don't see the harm of one more question," replied Mr. Ken. "What's your question, young man?"
"Ah … well, I'm not sure if I should ask, or not, but … well, all the time we've been talking, and everything, you kept calling me Robert. I know that is my name, and everything, but … since everybody always called me Bobby, even she did (pointing at Ms. Judy) so, why didn't you?" got out Robert 'Bobby' Harrison.
"You are a very perceptive young man, Robert, and I think that is a perfectly good question to ask, especially, since it directly affects you. Well … to answer your question, I felt that, if you did continue to stay here, it would be like a new start for you and … well, I thought that calling you Robert, instead of Bobby, would give you that sense of moving on, so to speak, with your 'new' life. Also, since no one around here knows you what better time and place to start with people calling you a new, more mature sounding, name," answered Mr. Ken
Robert 'Bobby' Arthur Harrison just stood there, with his mouth open, not knowing how to respond to what he just heard. His mind just couldn't wrap itself around that concept just then, so all he said was, "Thanks for telling me."
As they walked Ms. Judy to the front door, Mildred 'Millie' Johnston, the woman Mr. Ken finally hired to be the Household Manager, came by to say goodnight to her boss, Mr. Ken.
"Miss Johnston, I want you to meet Robert, Robert Harrison. He'll be staying with us for a while. Could you please show him the 'family' bedrooms upstairs and allow him to choose whichever one he wants, before you leave for the day?"
"Yes, that'll be no problem, Mr. Ken. Come with me, Bobby," Ms. Johnston said sarcastically as she sneered at the lad.
"Thank you Ms. Turner for everything you did for me today," announced Bobby, as he picked up his bag and began to follow Millie to the elevator.
"NO! You'll use the stairs, Always! Meet me at the top!" was all Millie Johnston said, to the newest member of Three Finger Cove
Judy looked at Ken with a 'what gives' and the man replied, "I'll ask."
Mr. Ken walked Ms. Judy out to her car and apologized for the way he was leading Robert on. He explained he wanted to gain the lad's trust and what better way than to give him the opportunity to make a decision that concerns him.
Judy said she really hoped his plan worked as she had no idea where she would be able to place the boy, since he's had so many foster homes already.
The two shared a simple hug as Judy entered her car. Mr. Ken and Chief watched her drive out through the Front Gates and then walked back into the house.