It was close to 10 AM when Mr. Ken and the lads went outside to wait for Mr. Gray to arrive. The man had called the Main Gate and told them to expect a man, making a delivery, and to allow the man and his truck, or whatever it was he was using to deliver some very large packages, to enter the estate.
By the time Mr. Gray had arrived, so had all the lads – Logan, Chuck, Trevor, Cody, Terran, Brad, Gordon, Josh, Sam – along with Todd and Ryan – who were invited to see what the owner of The Cove had bought.
The large group waited near the Foyer Entrance as Mr. Gray drove his vehicle into the estate. They, well Mr. Ken that is, figured the man would drop off the large packages where they were all standing, but instead Mr. Gray drove to lower part of the driveway and stopped.
Seeing Mr. Gray, and his helper, get out of the panel van, Mr. Ken decided to walk down to where the man was. The lads soon followed along.
"Mr. Gray … why did you drive all the way down here instead of stopping where we were standing?" directly asked Mr. Ken.
"You saw how large these inflatable water toys were in the catalogues, but my bet is you have no idea how large they actually are un-inflated?" replied Mr. Gray. "When I saw that your driveway went close to the water, I decided to get as close to it as possible."
That said, Mr. Gray opened the back of the van and showed Mr. Ken the actual size of the packages. That brought a gasp from the boys who had followed the man down to the end of the driveway. The boy's then asked one another, "What was it?"
The helper began to slide the first box out of the back of the van, but it was so large and heavy that he needed Mr. Gray's, or someone else's, help. He called to his boss but he was busy talking to the other man, so he asked the boys to give him a hand. The boys quickly obliged and within seconds the first box was out and on the driveway. On its side were the words: Rave Iceberg Inflatable Climbing Mountain.
The loud thump the box made, as it fell onto the hard driveway, caught Mr. Gray's and Mr. Ken's attention. The two men stopped talking and walked over to the large container. Mr. Gray then took out a box cutter and slit the top strap to allow them to look inside.
All anyone could see was a jumble of white canvas like material which looked tightly squeezed into the container. The boss man, Mr. Gray, asked the lads to tear open the seams so the water toy could be easily extracted. That was the lads' first hearing of the term 'water toy' but they had no idea what it meant. They knew Mr. Ken owned Personal Water Craft so they envisioned he bought something that would be used, like being dragged, on the water. They had no idea how close but also how far their thinking was.
The lads also helped get out the second container that had the words: Aquaglide Jungle Joe II Water Play Station. And, like the first box, they split the seams and released the entire contents from its confining space. This time the lads saw not only white but some blue and yellow canvas-like material. Since there were enough kids present, Mr. Ken got all the lads to help carry both 'surprises' down to the water's edge.
"'Dad' … I thought you were going to buy the Inflatable Water Park. What made you change your mind and get the Iceberg and the Jungle Joe?" asked Robert.
"Well, you see 'son' … when I thought about all the extras that were needed to make the Inflatable Water Park more fun, I figured the climbing mountain and the Jungle Joe, together, would be a better buy. I hope you approve, my 'son'," laughed 'dad' Ken.
Mr. Ken then saw what the helper was bringing from the van, so he called for Todd to help and then to show the teenager where the electrical power was on the dock. Mr. Ken also told Todd that he needed to watch and learn as it would be his responsibility to know what to do and how to do it. That last direction was confusing to the teenager but, he knew if he wanted to keep his job, he understood the need to do what the boss said.
None of the lads, with the exception of Charles, Camm, Robert and Eric, had any idea what the two large canvass thingies were and none of the ones who did know made any attempt to tell. The owner of The Cove was pleased that his lads were keeping the secret. He wanted all the boys to see and know what the surprise was at the same time which would happen as the 'water toys' were inflated
All during this time, Ryan tried to get Robert to tell him what Mr. Ken had in store for everyone, but Robert would not budge. Then, Ryan went to Eric, hoping that his closeness to the lad over the past three plus years would count for something and he'd reveal to him what his Big Bro had in store for the group. Eric also kept his mouth shut. Ryan next tried his newest 'brother' who told him he owed Mr. Ken his loyalty and he too would not tell. Not figuring Camm knew anything, he didn't even bother the lad.
Todd and the helper succeeded in hooking up the power to what looked like to everyone to be a large compressor. The two then took a long hose that was attached to the tank and connected it to one of the two canvass material contraptions. With the hose joined to the surprise, Todd switched the power on and the compressor began pumping air into the first surprise. About twenty minutes later the lads figured it all out. It looked to be a huge climbing wall on three sides and a water slide on the fourth.
It was Logan who asked the first question. "Mr. Ken … is this one of those … those large water raft-like toys that all of us can have fun on by climbing all over and jumping off of?"
But, before the man could answer Logan's inquiry, many more questions came his way.
"Mr. Ken … how big is it going to be?" asked Terran.
"Mr. Ken … will it hold all of us at the same time?" asked Chuck.
"Mr. Ken … did you really buy these for us to use?" asked Josh.
"Mr. Ken … how long will it take for it to be fully ready?" asked Trevor.
"Mr. Ken … are they both the same?" asked Cody.
"Mr. Ken … will we have to use life vests?" asked Sam.
That last question got Mr. Ken to thinking. He knew he didn't even consider that option but now that one of the lads brought it up it was probably a good question that he should have considered the previous day. Keeping that thought, Mr. Ken went over to Mr. Gray and talked to the man about buying half a dozen life preservers in different sizes for safety sake. Mr. Gray, thinking about what else The Cove's owner should have, he recommended to the man to include a few life rings, with attached ropes, to hang on the water toys, for the lads to use in case of an emergency, when out in the deep waters. Mr. Ken agreed to add four life rings – one for each side of the two toys.
The first water toy/raft was now almost fully inflated and Mr. Gray asked the lads if they could drag it into the water for him. Since, none of the lads had changed into their swim suits, they told the man, that No, they wouldn't. This caught the man off guard that these kids would ever tell an adult 'NO' like they had just done. Mr. Gray looked to Mr. Ken for some help in getting the boys to help, but found The Cove's owner would not tell the boys to do so.
"Mr. Ken, I can't set the rafts up without their help. Surely, they'll listen to you if you tell them to help," somewhat cried Mr. Gray.
"Mr. Gray "began Ken Thomas, "if I remember our conversation from yesterday, correctly, you told me … that you'd provide the manpower and take care of the setting up, launching, and then tethering the water toys to the lake floor. You should have brought sufficient manpower to make that all happen, wouldn't you say. The boys have already helped you get the containers out of your van and they also carried them down to the water's edge for you. And now … you want me to TELL the boys to do YOUR job? I don't think so! … But … if you ask nicely and talk to them the way you'd want to be talked to … I think they may … they may rethink their answer. Now … why don't you give it a try? … And don't forget to say Please!"
Mr. Gray knew the man was right. He knew he should have brought four very strong men to manhandle the containers and do the manual labor of setup, launching, and tethering, but he had hoped to save money by using the boys, who were at his shop yesterday, to help with all the work. Then, seeing the large number of boys, when he entered the grounds, he felt he had made the right decision, only to find out now they won't be manipulated to do his job.
Mr. Gray thought he could still out smart his buyer and replied, "If the lads won't help me then I'm sorry … but I guess I'll have to leave them here until I can get what manpower I need. I'm sure you understand Mr. Ken."
"Oh, yes, I do understand, Mr. Gray. The trouble is … if you leave you will take these water toys with you. I will not be responsible for something I have not taken possession of. If you were to leave them here, and they somehow got damaged, I'm sorry to say, you would be totally responsible, not me. Now, Mr. Gray … are you willing to ask the lads, nicely, to help you, or are you going to be leaving with your merchandise? I AM paying you to do what I contracted for. Are you going to complete the contract, or am I going to find a different supplier?" finished Mr. Ken.
The shop owner never figured he'd be outsmarted by what he felt was a still 'wet behind his ears' man, but he miscalculated and found he was wrong. He knew Mr. Ken had him across the proverbial barrel. Mr. Gray had only two choices: first, leave and lose the man's business, forever, or second, play nice and try to salvage the profit he would make once the transaction was complete. He decided on the second choice.
"Boys … or should I say young men … I do need your help if I want to set these monster water toys up today. To do so, I am asking you to give me your help. Working together, we can have the two of them inflated, launched, and tethered into the lake bed within a few hours. On top of that, Mr. Ken is correct … I should have brought the manpower to do all this, but you can see that I did not. Consequently, lads … if you would please help me out here I will not only be grateful but … I will also give each and every one of you… a twenty dollar bill," conceded Mr. Gray.
The boys all looked around wondering what they should do. It was Logan who gathered the lads together and he gave them his understanding of the situation. He told them he felt they should agree to help, take the twenty dollars, and enjoy the water toys today; otherwise, they might have to wait for however long they did not know. The lads all agreed and Logan was appointed their spokesperson.
"Mr. Gray … the lads and I have decided to take your money, first, and then we will help you. We all need to change into our swimsuits and, while we do that, you can go and retrieve the money you will be paying us. We will NOT take an IOU, by the way. So, you now have to decide if you are going to take us up on our generous offer, or reload the water toys into your van only using you and your helper. I guess you do have another option. You can just leave the packages here and … and hope when you return tomorrow they are still here and usable. Take your time to decide what you intend to do. In the meantime, we are going to change. Later!"
The boys all smiled at Mr. Gray before turning their backs on him and beginning their walk up to the house to change. On the way up the slight incline, they talked amongst themselves about Logan's little speech and patted him on his back, at the same time. They were impressed, to say the least. For all their praise, Logan just said, "I just mimicked Mr. Ken's way of talking to Mr. Gray. It sounded like Mr. Ken took the high ground against Mr. Gray, so I just said, what I said, the same way Mr. Ken would have."
The boys, including Ryan and Todd, were amazed at the way Logan acted and explained how he did it. None of them thought they could have done a better job.
As soon as the lads got to the dressing room, they all, and I mean all, stripped off their clothes no matter that Ryan, a much older teenager was there with them. They didn't even mind that Todd, an older teenager, was there, as well. The boys had swum naked in Mr. Ken's pool enough times they were used to being naked, in front of almost everyone. Some of them did worry about popping a boner, though, but they took their chances.
After putting their suits on, the lads dropped their clothes off into a locker and then headed back down to the beach. They knew they were all going swimming whether Mr. Gray got the water toys inflated and installed, or not.
When the boys returned to the beach, Mr. Gray was no longer there, but his helper was still there and this time he was working on inflating the second water toy. The lads could see the second inflatable, called the Jungle Joe, would have foot holds on the legs for them to use to climb to the top and another slide to slide back down into the lake. The lads were thoroughly impressed.
As the lads admired the water toys/rafts, Todd went over to the helper to ask him questions about the care and repair of the inflatables. At first, the nineteen year old helper didn't want to answer Todd's questions. It was after Mr. Ken told the young man that Todd worked directly for him, and was responsible for taking care of the beach, the boats, the PWCs and now the inflatable's, the helper relented and began telling Todd everything he knew about the climbing wall and Jungle-Jim
Eventually, both larger than life water rafts were sitting side-by-side, on the beach, ready for their water anchors. The helper, whose name was Jason, explained to Todd how they'd attach the anchors, to the bottom of the inflated rafts, and then they did it.
Todd was learning about the rafts, while on the job. He didn't think the process was all that difficult. That was until Jason then told the young teen what would be involved come winter time. Todd now understood why Mr. Ken needed him to be the point man for the rafts and hoped winter would never come.
The new water toys/rafts were now ready for launching. Sadly, Mr. Gray hadn't returned with the lad's money, so the rafts just sat there, on the beach, like a bump on a log.
The lads were also ready, if not anxious, to drag the rafts up to get them into position for launching. It was Mr. Ken's idea to have the lads lift the rafts up instead of dragging them, when the time came. The man was being cautious against any unknown sharp objects lying underneath the beach surface. He wanted to reduce the chance of any tears, as the boys got water toys into position.
It was Mr. Ken's cell phone ringing that got then lad's attention. They listened to what he said and they gathered from his side of the conversation that Mr. Gray had returned and the security guards were calling to get permission to allow him back into the grounds. They cheered when they heard the owner of The Cove tell the security guard to allow the raft's seller in.
Mr. Gray apologized for taking so long. He explained that a branch of his bank was not located down at Four Corners and he had to go further to get the funds. In good faith, he did show the lads the wad of twenty dollar bills he got to pay them and he asked if they were ready to finish the job.
Logan didn't miss a beat and he told the shop owner to hand the money to Mr. Ken. Once the lads saw Mr. Ken had their money, they got into position around the first raft and waited for their orders to get the raft ready for entry into the lake waters.
Jason wanted to talk to Mr. Gray before they placed the rafts into the water. Satisfied with the order of events, he turned around and asked the lads to raise the raft on the count of three. On three, the lads raised the Water Park up and they walked it to the water's edge and slowly floated it far enough into the water that it no longer touched the bottom.
After that, the boys gathered around the second raft, the Jungle Joe. At the count of three, fifteen boys picked it up and carried it over to the water and placed it next to the first. The lads all had great big smiles on their faces.
Now, it was Jason's turn to perform. He had to properly place the anchors into the lake bed and, knowing Todd would be ultimately responsible for the rafts, he asked the teen to accompany him and watch how it was done. Jason told Todd they would have to swim the rafts into place, but Todd said he had a better idea and ran off. Five minutes later, Todd came back dangling keys in his hand. He then jumped onto a WaveRunner, did a quick inspection, started it up, and drove it over to the first raft. That action put a big smile on Jason's face.
Jason jumped onto the WaveRunner and the two hooked the raft to the rear of the PWC and they slowly towed it to where in then lagoon Mr. Ken had indicated he wanted it. Jason then slipped off the PWC and checked they had a minimum of ten feet underneath the raft. The teen then gave Todd the thumbs-up and Todd slipped off the WaveRunner and joined Jason in the water. They each donned a mask and then dove down to set the anchor.
While Jason and Todd were setting the anchor for the first raft, Sam's curiosity got the better of him so he walked up to Mr. Gray's van and looked inside. There, he saw another container but not as large as the other two. He called Terran over and the two of them were able to get the box out of the van and drag the unopened oversized box to the edge of the beach.
"Hey, Mr. Ken … we found another box inside the van, so we brought it over," called out Sam.
Ken Thomas walked over to the box, which had the words Connecting Platform on it and, after looking it over, he asked Mr. Gray over to join him. The two men talked about the box and before long the store owner pulled out his box cutter and cut open the box. Sam and Terran were then asked to take it over to the second raft and they called Trevor, Josh and Chuck over to help.
As the two teens returned to retrieve the second raft, Jason saw five lads had what looked like a 'raft bridge' that is used to connect the two rafts together. Jason had forgotten they brought that along and inwardly rejoiced for its appearance as it needed to be attached before setting the second raft.
Jason explained what the bridge did and, knowing it didn't need to be inflated, he and Todd towed it out to the first raft and attached it. They then returned for the second raft. They did exactly what they did for the first raft but first they attached the bridge before they anchored the second raft to the lake floor. Now, over thirty-five feet of water toys were anchored out in the beach lagoon of Three Finger Cove
A large cheer went up from all the boys, when they saw Jason and Todd return from the rafts, and their first question to Mr. Ken centered on when they could begin having some fun. The man's reply was, "What are you waiting for?"
Fifteen boys and teens – Ryan, Todd, Logan, Robert, Eric, Chuck, Trevor, Cody, Brad, Gordon, Josh, Charles, Camm, Sam, and Terran – rushed into the water trying to be the first one to climb onto the huge water attraction. But, Todd had the advantage as he still had the PWC out, so he climbed aboard and raced out to the rafts and climbed on and claimed 'first on'.
Ken Thomas could only laugh at the lads antics and how Todd had beaten them all back out to the rafts. He then focused his attention back to Mr. Gray and he offered him a chance to explain himself.
Todd may have been the first on the rafts, but he was also the first off the rafts when the boys ganged up on him when they threw him off, head first. With Todd's sudden dethroning, the rest of the youngsters all vied to be the 'king of the raft'. One thing they all forgot was there were two water rafts, which meant there could be two 'kings'.
The boys went all out to 'dethrone' the person at the top of the rafts. They played a 'king of the hill' type game and they loved it. Even Ryan, as big as he was, didn't stand a chance when the other lads ganged up on him. And what was the best part of trying to gang up on the much older teen? It was that he could pick up lads, like the younger and smaller Sam and Terran, and actually throw them out onto the lake water. They'd come back for more.
After about an hour of their game playing, many of the schoolboys became tired. The raft bridge between both rafts became their resting point where they laid out and took a break and got some sun. After about fifteen minutes of taking a breather, the boys began to truly explore the water rafts. Charles and Camm found that the middle of the Jungle-Jim raft contained a small wading pool where you could stay wet and get out of the harsh July sun at the same time.
The youngsters then began using the raft's slides in earnest. They'd jump up and try to go down the slides as fast as they could. They'd jump and go down head first. They even tried rolling down the slide but that got them somewhat dizzy, so they didn't go down that way very often.
While the lads played, Ken Thomas and Mr. Gray actually had a civil conversation. Mr. Ken told the store owner, up front, how disappointed he was with his actions and that he did indeed intended to cancel the contract if he hadn't agreed to compensate the boys for helping. Mr. Gray felt very foolish for the way he tried to scam Mr. Ken, and the boys. The man sincerely apologized to Mr. Ken and fully explained himself to the owner of The Cove.
The store owner actually told Mr. Ken that he had those rafts in storage for quite some time now, and he never thought he'd ever sell them. Then, when the boys began looking through the catalogue, he became hopeful that the man would buy them for his boys. He told The Cove's owner that when they talked about his buying the two previously unwanted rafts, it was then he figured he could make a good profit off of them. Then, Mr. Gray confessed that he got even greedier by hoping the boys, he saw at his store, would be available to help with the unloading, setup, launching, and final anchoring. The man then apologized again.
Ken Thomas couldn't believe the man, who just about everyone bought much of their lake water skies, wet suits, life vests, and other water accessories from, would act in such a manner but, of course, hearing is believing. As the men continued to talk, the store owner told Mr. Ken a very interesting story, one that concerned one Mildred Johnston. Ken Thomas was all ears.
Charles and Camm thoroughly enjoyed the new rafts. They never strayed far from one another and that caused a few of the new teens to take notice. Chuck took Robert and Eric aside and asked them about their new 'brother's' friend and how friendly they were to each other.
Neither Robert nor Eric would say anything other than it was no one's business, just as it was no one's business to know about the friendship between Chuck and Trevor. That said, Chuck shut up and for good. The teen never said anything more about Charles' and Camm's friendship ever again.
The afternoon wore on and of course all the activity caused the teens and pre-teens to get hungry. This time it was Charles who asked Robert about cooking burgers and dogs and the new thirteen year old readily agreed.
The fifteen teens and pre-teens headed to the house and when they got there the assignments were made. Ryan offered to cook saying it would probably be his last time and he wanted to made a contribution to the barbeque. Robert didn't argue and Charles still didn't know all that much about the barbeques, as he had only ever attended one so far.
It didn't take the fifteen lads long to gather up the necessary ingredients to get the barbeque started. Ryan had already lit the grill so when the burgers and dogs arrived he threw the burgers on first. He then sent Charles and Camm to ask Mr. Ken how hungry he was.
Helper Jason and Mr. Gray were invited to join them. They initially declined, but Mr. Ken told the man he could redeem himself, during the barbeque, by personally handing out his money to the lads and apologizing to them personally. The store owner knew a golden opportunity when he saw one so he eagerly agreed to stay for the meal.
After everyone had eaten their fill, and all the leftovers and extra provisions were put away, Mr. Ken asked the young men to listen to Mr. Gray.
"Fellows, young men … I owe you all an apology. I've already apologized to Mr. Ken, but that is not enough. I actually came here today … hoping that Robert, Eric, Charles and Camm would be strong enough to help me, and Jason, setup the water toys. But, when I saw all of you out front, I got greedy. You see I should have hired four very strong men to do what you all actually did.
"Guys … the disagreement with Mr. Ken, here, and your refusal to help, unless I went and got the money to pay you before you did help, got me to thinking about what I tried to do. Everything that happened today opened my eyes that there are more things in life than cheating and making loads of money. I promise to be on the straight and narrow from now on. Please trust me. … Now, come on down here and collect the money I owe you!"
The lads eagerly lined up to collect their 'wages'. But, once they got their twenty dollar bills, they didn't know what to do with it as they were all still in their swim suits. It was Josh who spoke up and said they should give it to Mr. Ken to hold for them. But, Charles had an even better suggestion. He suggested, since they were all dry, they should go to their lockers and put it with their own clothes. All the boys thought Charles' was a much better idea and they all immediately headed to their locker. Mr. Ken was happy Charles came up with his proposal as he didn't want to hold the three hundred dollars that was just distributed.
The sun didn't go down for another couple of hours, so the boys all headed out to the rafts to continue their fun. This time there was no 'king of the raft' as the lads played hard on the water toys. They'd climb the large rock type nodes that stuck out and when they got to the top they either jumped off the top or they slid down the slide.
On the other raft, the young men would climb the pillars that made up the Jungle-Jim, and when they got to the top they too would either jump off or slide down the slippery slope and into the water. They would then swim to the other raft and do it all over again. The teens and pre-teens were having their best day ever.
Eventually, as the sun went down a breeze picked up and the lads began to get cold. They each took one last jump off the fourteen foot high raft and then swam to the beach. As soon as they landed at the beach, they all headed up to the dressing room to change, or, possibly swim in the pool. Mr. Ken sat in the Kitchen Nook, having a cup of coffee, when he saw the boys were headed towards the dressing room. He decided to head them off before they all began to skinny dip.
Some of the lads jumped right into the pool water instead of going into the dressing room to shower off. Mr. Ken had wanted to tell the boys to shower before going into the pool but was a bit late for those few who already gotten into the water.
"Lads … can I have your attention, please," called out the owner of The Cove. "With so many of you today, I want you all to shower off the lake water before you get into my pool. I know, I know I never said anything before, but that was because there were never this many of you before. Look … in order to keep the pool water clean and from getting any algae or other organisms in it I am asking you from now on to shower before you dive in. You don't have to take your swim suit off … but I want you to rinse off the lake waters very well before you jump into the pool. Will you do that for me?"
The lads all yelled they would and they headed into the dressing room shower to do as Mr. Ken asked. Even the lads who were in the pool already got out and followed their friends into the shower area.
"Ryan," called out the teen's Big Bro. "I would like to talk to you before you rinse off. Okay?"
"Sure, Bro," responded Ryan. The high school grad then walked over to the man who has treated him like a little brother since he was thirteen.
"Ryan … what I want to talk to you about isn't going to be easy," began Mr. Ken. "You see, my little bro, the thing is that … well, you are now considered an adult, by societies standards. And, because of that, you need to act like an adult does … especially when around kids the age of the lads in the showers."
"What are you talking about, Mr. Ken?" asked a puzzled Ryan Taylor.
"Ryan … what I am talking about is that … that I think is about time you… that you no longer swam naked with these boys anymore," finished the teen's Big Bro.
"What? But why, Mr. Ken? I swam with them not too long ago," asked a now confused Ryan.
Mr. Ken looked into his 'little bro's eyes and explained, "Ryan … just like I won't skinny dip with the younger lads … I think it is something you shouldn't do anymore, either. … It is time Ry … that you stop acting like a youngster and start acting like the soon to be college student and young adult you are. I know you've skinny dipped with Eric and Robert and a few of the other lads … but, you were still in high school then. But now … you've crossed over to your adult side and these boys shouldn't be seeing an adult's package of man parts. Do you understand what I am saying Ryan?"
Ryan stood there trying to make sense of what his Big Bro was telling him. It seemed like he always skinny dipped with the younger kids. Even when he and his mom took care of Robert, not so long ago, he and his friends did just that, but he just couldn't fathom why he shouldn't now.
As the teen stood in front of his Big Bro, Ryan's mind continued to think over what Mr. Ken told him and he tried to comprehend what the man's request was all about. Then it hit him. Ryan came to realize he was no longer the age of carefree boy who enjoyed all the happiness of childhood. He now understood what his Big Bro was saying. That he had to move on and start acting like an adult and to be the example like his Big Bro always was and that meant he shouldn't be seen naked with a bunch of very young lads.
"Thank you, Bro, for pointing out that I am entering the next phase of my life," said a smiling Ryan. He then hugged the man tight and as a few tears streamed out of his eyes, Ryan said, "You've always treated me like I was someone special. You treated me like I really was your little brother. You gave me things and … and took me places I could only ever dream about. I owe you so much, Bro; I owe you so damn much!" With that said Ryan broke down and cried hard on Mr. Ken's shoulder.
Some of the boys had come out of the showers and onto the pool deck and when they did they saw Ryan and Mr. Ken in a hug. Then they could hear what they thought was crying and they figured it out that it was Ryan. One of the lads ran back into the dressing room to get Charles and Robert and Eric naturally followed.
The three Covers ran out to the pool deck, and seeing Ryan and Mr. Ken were still in a hug, they ran over to them. As they got near, they could definitely hear some sniffles as if Ryan was crying, so they went over to see if there was anything they could do.
"Ryan, why are you crying?" asked Charles, the newest member of the Covers, as he then hugged him tight.
Robert didn't know Ryan all that well. He heard the teen's sniffles, as everyone else did, but to him it sounded as if the older teen was hurting over something, but he didn't know what it was. But in support, the new teen hugged the older teen; his new 'older brother'.
Eric knew Ryan very well. He'd been around the teen from almost the beginning of Three Finger Cove and Ryan was the older brother he never had but was happy to call him 'brother'. Eric couldn't comprehend how the much older teen could break down and cry as hard as he was. He always saw his 'bro' as a strong, positive, and caring person that nothing would ever bother him. But tonight, Eric saw a side of the older teen he just couldn't wrap his mind around. The only thing he knew he could do in support of Ryan was to join in the 'group' hug. So he did.
Ryan could feel three sets of smaller arms and hands engulf him. Knowing they had to belong to his 'brothers', and fellow Covers, he stepped back some and allowed them to join in with him and Mr. Ken. The other lads saw what was happening and decided to give the five Covers some privacy, so they all filed back into the dressing room.
The five must have stayed that way for a good three minutes before Ryan pulled out of the hug. He wiped his eyes and then broke out in a big smile. "Guys … thank you for coming over and joining us. I will always remember you coming and giving me your support."
"But why were you crying so hard, Ryan?" bluntly asked Charles.
"Yeah, what made you cry, Ryan?" asked Robert.
"Come on, Ry, I've never seen you cry and for you to cry that way there had to be something big to cause you do it. So, please tell us what it was so we can all help you deal with it. That's what 'brother's do," reasoned Eric.
"Guys, guys … there is nothing wrong. And yes … I was crying. … What happened was … well, Mr. Ken … he pointed out that I am about to move on … that the next phase of my life will soon begin when I head off to college. Guys … I was crying because … I am no longer a kid. When I graduated from high school it essentially ended my childhood phase.
"Eric, I have loved all the times we've spent together and the things we got to do as 'brothers'. I will cherish those memories for the rest of my life. Robert … I didn't get to know you as well as Eric, but we spent some pretty good times together, too. I just wish I could be around to see how you grow up and establish The Cove as your own. And, Charles … my newest 'little bro', I know we only just met, but I am glad you are now, here where you belong. Please trust Mr. Ken and let him do for you as he has done for Collin, Eric, Robert, and me. Will, you do that for me Charles?
"Guys … I was crying because I'm no longer a kid and I have to move on to the rest of my life. I am going to miss you and Mr. Ken and most of all The Cove. Sure I'll be back for visits but it will never be like I knew it. Come here … one last group hug," encouraged Ryan.
When the hug was over, Charles asked Ryan to swim with them one last time for one last memory. Ryan told his newest 'little bro' that he would but with one condition.
They whole group did swim that afternoon and even Mr. Ken joined in. And, even if they didn't swim for a long time, the Covers had a good time together making one last memory for Ryan.