In the shower the next morning, Robert and Charles waited for their youngest 'brother' to enter. When the boy got under the showerhead and wet himself down and began to lather up, the two older boys went over to him and said "Happy Birthday!";
The two older semi-siblings did the age-old practice of pulling the birthday boy's ears the number of times equal to his age. Kevin and Kyle didn't know about that, but thought it was funny. Matthew didn't know what to think until his older 'brothers' explained it to him.
When the ear pulling was over, Matthew rubbed his ears. Then, thinking about what they did to him and, remembering what Mr. Wayne said about living in a family with lots of kids, he began to laugh. When asked why he was laughing, the youngest Cover said it was what they did in big families and he loves having 'brothers' to have fun with.
It was close to 9:30 when the boys came into the Kitchen Nook.
"Good morning my sleepyheads,"; teased Mr. Ken.
"Good morning dad,' said Robert who gave his dad a hug.
"Good morning, 'dad',"; said Charles who also gave him a hug.
Kevin and Kyle followed suit as Matthew waited his turn. When Matthew finally got his turn to say 'Good morning', Mr. Ken pulled him into a big hug and said: "Happy birthday, Matthew, and I wish for you to have many, many more to come!";
Matthew melted into the man's arms. He relished getting this attention, especially from a man, as he hadn't seen his real dad in many years. But he felt bad for Charles, after hearing what he had to say about being the middle kid and not getting any attention.
"'Dad' ... can you try to give Charles some attention. I'm getting it all right now because of my birthday, but ... but from what he said the other day, I bet he feels really left out,"; whispered the youngest Cover to the owner of The Cove, and foster dad to four boys.
Mr. Ken smiled at Matthew, as they broke their hug, and whispered back, "I'll try, but I am spread very thin right now, birthday boy.";
Matthew smiled at the man as he walked over to figure out what he was going to have for breakfast. Robert called over to the birthday boy and asked him if he wanted breakfast tacos or cereal. Matthew said he'd like something hot and asked for three bacon, egg and cheese tacos.
While Robert was heating tacos for everyone, including his dad, Charles was over trying to make hot chocolate for all his 'brothers'. He'd watched Momma Maria do it a number of times and he just hoped he'd get it right. While he was letting the milk warm-up, he went looking for the mini-marshmallows to drop on the top.
It took Robert almost twelve minutes to heat up eighteen breakfast tacos so everyone could eat at the same time. While the teenager was doing his self-assigned task, Charles had the milk warm enough to mix the hot cocoa in and begin stirring to keep it from clumping.
Mr. Ken was surprised the two older boys took charge of making breakfast, even if all they were doing was warming it up. He felt proud that Robert and Charles took care of their three younger 'brothers' and he was glad all five boys didn't have any more disagreements than they've had over the past few months.
"Thank you for making the hot chocolate, Charles,"; spoke up Matthew. "It tastes just as good as Momma Maria's does. And thank you, Robert, for heating up my tacos for me. But you guys need to show us how to do it, too.";
"Matthew, you've only been with us, what, three weeks?"; started Robert. "There's lots of time for you to learn stuff. What you can do, if you want to help, is to learn what all needs to be done for the barbeques. Many things that have to come together for that to be successful. Just go with all the groups as they get everything down.
"Today, we have to get the folding tables set up on the pool deck. You can help there, by learning where they are kept and learn how to set them up. Eventually, you'll be ramrodding the barbeques, just like Charles did while he was recuperating from his surgery,";
"You had to have surgery?"; asked an astonished Matthew.
"Yea, I couldn't swim or ride my skateboard for two whole weeks. And then, I had to take it easy for another 7 to 10 days. But, if I hadn't done it, when I did, I would never have gone on my special trip with 'dad'
"'Dad' took me to a Ranger's baseball game, Six Flags and SpeedZone all up in the Dallas Fort Worth area. That was the most fun I've ever had in my life,"; lamented the pre-teen Cover.
When everyone was finished eating breakfast, Mr. Ken reminded his 'boys' not to say anything about Matthew's birthday, and not to show anyone the new bicycle. The man did say they could ask for some help setting up the folding tables and explain they would eat inside after someone burned the burgers and dogs. The boys laughed at the burn comment.
The sun was shining bright that morning, and it looked like the day would be a beautiful one. The boys would be out in the sun, as the parking corral didn't get shaded until the late afternoon at that time of the year, so the boys would have some warmth from the sun as they skated.
Before they got too busy, Robert asked his 'brothers' to help him get the folding tables out. He told the three youngest Covers they needed to know this stuff and what better time than for the five of them to take care of it and that would be another surprise to all their friends.
Mr. Wayne arrived when it was close to noon. He parked his car in the parking corral and joined the other six Covers as they walked up to the Main Gate to meet their friends as they arrived.
The boys greeted each other as if they hadn't seen one another in weeks. Of course, it was just about twenty-one hours ago they saw one another. The two boys who were the most surprised at the greetings were the two newest invitees to the Cove, Greg and Aaron.
"'Dad', ahh Mr. Ken, I want you to meet Greg and Aaron,"; said Matthew, as he introduced his two newest friends to the man.
"Hello, Mr. Ken, I'm Greg Farrmers. This is my mom Addison and my dad John,"; was how the newest Cover friend presented his parents.
"And, I'm Aaron Duggans and this is my mom Claire and my dad Lucas,"; spoke up Matthew's other new friend.
"Welcome, everyone, to The Cove,"; offered Mr. Ken Thomas. "This is my Estate Master, Wayne Mitchell. He works for me and helps me out when I can't be everywhere for five growing boys. He'll soon be a licensed foster parent and will have full authority to make decisions concerning the boys when I have to be out of town.";
"Matthew, how about you and Brant, Ryan and Noah, help your friends with their things and then show Greg and Aaron the way to the ramps, while I talk to their parents. And don't forget to introduce them to as many of your 'brothers' friends as you can. OK?";
"I thought Matthew was an only child,"; said Claire. "When did he get a bunch of brothers?";
"Claire, I have four foster sons and they call each other 'brother',"; replied Mr. Ken.
"But I thought you had five boys under your care?"; asked Addison.
"Well, I just adopted one of the boys. His name is Robert. I adopted him back at the beginning of November. Wow, that was just a month ago. Boy time flies,"; replied Mr. Ken.
By then a number of the other parents came over to the new faces and began to introduce themselves. The Sullivan's, Barbara and John, Frank Longger, and Nolan and Ellie Allenbee introduced themselves and told the Farrmers and Duggans that their boys have been coming over to The Cove for months.
The parents told the new ones that was the best decision they ever made allowing the boys to come over and play there at The Cove. They told them about the ramps Mr. Ken had built, the water toys out in the lagoon and the indoor swimming pool. The parents continued and told how Mr. Ken had taken their boys out around the lake on his Commander, taken them to swim at the new Lakeside Water Park and to SeaWorld for their Howl-O-Scream.
It was Frank Longger who told the Farrmers' and Duggans' that Mr. Ken was planning on taking the boys to Six Flags Fiesta Texas the Monday after the kids got out of school for their Holiday break. He added that the man was looking for chaperones and he was going to go again to watch his boys have fun with their friends.
Frank continued and told them the SeaWorld trip was a wonderful experience for him and his growing boys. He told the parents that all the boys, almost 40 of them, were courteous and attentive. He expressed to them if they went along they could watch, from afar, how well their sons acted when out with a bunch of their friends.
Mr. Ken asked the new parents, if they had the time, if they wanted the nickel tour of The Cove as the other parents had. He told them that would give them some time to get to know one another better, and they could ask him some questions face-to-face. The four adults said they had the time, so they all agreed.
The first stop on the tour was the Main Gate and the owner of The Cove had them sign into the estate. The owner of The Cove explained the reason for the guards, and how they control who gains entrance to the estate at the front and from the water.
Their next stop was the parking corral. Mr. Ken wanted to show them what their sons would probably be talking about when they got home. From there, he took them in through the garage and into the Kitchen Nook. He told them to take their coats off and he'd make a fresh pot of coffee and bring out some of Momma Maria's sweetcakes.
Claire asked who was Momma Maria and which bakery did she work at and was it nearby. Mr. Ken laughed and told the gathered parents that Momma was the woman who has cooked for him from the time he moved into The Cove. He explained the woman made practically all their meals and treats his 'boys' like they were her grandkids.
When the coffee was brewed, Mr. Ken brought it over to the table where he had already placed six cups. In the meantime, Mr. Wayne had brought out some of Momma's Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups, Santa Hat Cupcakes and her butter cookies in many different Holiday designs.
The women were impressed with the concoctions and asked if his Momma Maria would share her recipes. Mr. Ken told them he'd have to ask her on Monday, when she came to work. The women were surprised Momma Maria only worked weekdays, but Mr. Ken clarified to them that she does work some weekends when the boys have a sleepover and he needs her to help feed 40 plus hungry boys in the morning.
The parents couldn't believe he'd allow that many boys to have a sleepover. Mr. Ken explained that it started out innocently enough when Robert would have five or six boys spend the night. He continued that when Charles was added and he brought his friends and that made it something like 12 to 14 boys.
The owner of The Cove laughed when he said that number doubled when he added the twins, but only added four more, for now, after Matthew arrived. Mr. Ken said that as he showed them around The Cove they'd understand how that many boys could easily be accommodated.
The six adults then sat and drank coffee and enjoyed Momma's sweetcakes. The four parents then asked Mr. Wayne how he knew Mr. Thomas and what his real job was there at Three Finger Cove. They were surprised at what they heard.
Out in the parking corral, the older boys allowed Greg and Aaron to test out the ramps before the rest of the large group of boys started to take turns. The two new boys loved how smooth the ramps were, even though they'd been out in the hot sun and rain and now the cold.
Robert heard the boys talking to Matthew and went over and explained how his dad bought the best materials, so the ramps would last long. The teen explained how he and his friends and their dad's, along with some carpenters, built them last spring. Matthew spoke up and told them their 'dad' promised them, that after Christmas he'd talk to them about building more ramps down at the end of the main driveway.
Greg and Aaron were amazed at the number of boys that were at The Cove that day. They asked Matthew if it was like that all the time. The Cover said on the weekends, since he moved to The Cove, there were just about that many kids riding the ramps and swimming. Matthew also told his two new friends that later they would cook hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone.
"You mean, Mr. Ken feeds all of them, err us?"; asked Aaron.
"Yes, he will and he has ever since Robert came to live here back in January,"; answered Charles. "He even lets us older kids cook the burgers and dogs.";
"My mom and dad won't let me get near the grill, when we have cookouts,"; said Greg.
"Mine neither. They say I'm much too young,"; added Aaron.
"Well, Mr. Ken only wants the twelve and thirteen-year-olds to cook on the grill, and there are always two people who do that. When we get ready to cook later, you'll get the chance to join one of the groups and help get everything out and set it up. Then, when we're done, everyone pitches in to put everything away,"; explained the pre-teen.
Greg and Aaron took their turns on the four ramps like everyone else. They found that with that many kids trying to skate they didn't get as much time on the ramps they had hoped to. But, they didn't mind, as the best thing about the day was they were so happy they were invited to The Cove.
"So, when you take these boys everywhere ... how much do you charge to take them?"; asked Addison.
Mr. Ken smiled and said, "I don't charge them anything. If I invite them to go somewhere with me, and my 'boys', then I pick up the tab. When we went to SeaWorld, all I did ask the parents was to give their son some money for snacks and drinks and maybe a few games, even, but I treated them all to dinner.";
"Yes,"; spoke up Claire. "Mr. Ken told me that same thing Thursday night when I called over here to talk to him about Aaron coming over. But, what I don't understand is ... why do you treat all those boys? It must cost you a fortune to do that so often?";
"Well, I do it for my 'sons', first of all,"; began Ken Thomas. "The boys and girls in the foster care program are there mostly due to no fault of their own. They are separated from their families and for my foster sons ... I try to make it up to them by giving the boys things that would otherwise be out of their reach.
"I've taken some of them over to the new Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters for a private guided tour. And, yes, I've taken them to the Lakeside Water Park, where we all got in free. But that was because of certain circumstances that I wish not to talk about.";
"How was it you and some of the boys were involved in that rescue of the boy out on the lake?"; asked John Farrmers.
"That ... that rescue was very fortuitous for Walt that we happened to be at the right place at the right time. Todd Foster, he's my Beach Master who takes care of the shoreline and boats, was steering the Commander when he saw the potential for a bad ending.
"And, when it did happen, he and I and Logan jumped in to help in Walt's rescue. We didn't plan on that boat capsizing, but when it did we reacted and helped save his life,"; replied Mr. Ken.
"But what about the attempted kidnapping of the twins? Why did something like that happen?"; asked Addison.
"Well, the short story is ... the twin's dad ... he wanted to shut them up over what they knew about his illegal activities. He tried to get them by falsifying some Power of Attorney documents and when that didn't succeed he resorted to having them kidnapped. And you know the result,"; answered Mr. Ken.
"Because of what the boys knew? ... Is that why all those men were arrested?"; asked Addison.
"I can't speak to that as the trials haven't even started. But, understand that the boys do know some things, and we all have to wait and see what the outcome will be,"; replied Mr. Ken.
"Will our boys be safe here? With all those guards out there you have, you must be anticipating something?"; asked Lucas Duggans.
"Actually, the guards are here to keep anything from happening, Lucas. Over the years there have been a few bumps in the road. And, now that I have five, well, four foster boys, I am set upon giving them all the protection they can get from any potential actors who set out to get to them. That said, I'm going to keep the guards and, since I can afford it, I may even add a few more.";
"Come on ... let me give you the nickel tour,"; suggested Mr. Ken.
"Matthew, thank you for inviting me to come over here. I've been here for the Easter Egg Roll, but that was when I was much younger. So, well I don't really remember much about this big place,"; said Greg.
"You guys want to see more of the house? I think I can show you what I know of it?"; asked Matthew.
"Yea, sure, but ... why don't you know everything about the house?"; asked Aaron.
"Well, I've only been here for three weeks and most of the time I've been in school,"; replied Matthew. "But we can look around and I can show you what I do know.";
"Do Brant and Ryan and Noah know more than you?"; asked Greg.
"I don't think so, but we can all look around together and if they know something they can tell us,"; laughed the young Cover.
The six fifth-graders all headed into the house through the garage. When they entered the Kitchen Nook, they had just missed the adults who'd left their dirty cups and plates on the table. Matthew quickly gathered them all up, rinsed them and placed them into the dishwasher.
"Why'd you do that, Matthew?"; asked Greg. "I thought you had servants that did that sort of thing?";
"Well, the only person who works here daily is Momma Maria. The rest of the time Mr. Ken has cleaning crews that come in weekly. They do what he calls the 'heavy lifting. They clean the house, put clean sheets on our beds and do the laundry. But, the reason I did that was for Momma, so that when she comes in on Monday the Nook is like she left it on Friday,"; explained the youngest Cover.
"But that's her job, isn't it?"; continued Greg.
"Momma Maria cooks all our meals when she is here, but we've learned that we have to help take our dirty dishes to the sink and rinse them if we have time. She cooks some awesome meals for us and she always has something different for our snack when we come home from school. She usually has chocolate or vanilla milk for us, but with it being cold out she's made hot chocolate for us,"; answered Matthew.
"You have a different snack every day? And what's vanilla milk?"; asked an astonished Aaron.
"Yep. You see those, what she calls her sweet cakes, over there? She had those Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll-Ups one day, the Santa Hat Cupcakes another day and she served us her butter cookies in all those different Holiday designs on another day. She is incredible when it comes to cooking,"; boasted Matthew.
"As for the vanilla milk, one day she made it for us as a change of pace. It's just regular milk, some vanilla to taste and sugar. When she mixes it very fast it gets these bubbles on top that tickle your nose. It sure is nice to have something different than plain old white milk,"; explained Matthew.
Mr. Ken took the parents out of the Kitchen Nook and showed them the MRS Room, first. He explained that its design is like having a parlor, but since it is open to the Foyer Door and the Great Room he dubbed it the Meeting, Reading and Sitting Room, thus MRS.
The next stop was the overlook down to the Great Room and the view out to the lake. Mr. Ken told him that Texas Central Decorating was putting up the decorations and because Mr. Wayne worked for them as he went through college, he let the Estate Master tell them all about them.
Their next stop was the Study. Mr. Ken explained that was where he was usually found by his 'boys', when they came home from school and after their daily snack. The Cove's owner then had to explain what that meant.
Ken Thomas walked them down to the Great Room to show them that and the Party Restrooms, the Bar area, Wine Cellar, Theater, half-bath and an empty room with a separate windowed observation room and then over to the indoor swimming pool.
While 'dad' Ken was showing the Farrmers and Duggans around The Cove, Matthew walked his friends up the back stairs up to his room. Greg and Aaron couldn't believe the size of the bedroom and that there were two beds in it.
The two boys wanted to know what that big box was under the window was and when Matthew told them it was a fire escape ladder they couldn't believe it. Matthew told him he was not going to take it out, because as soon as he did the alarm would go off and then he'd be in big trouble.
Matthew then showed them the boy's bathroom. When they first walked in the item that caught the new friends' eyes were the two urinals attached to the wall. They laughed at seeing them, but when Matthew said how they came in handy in the mornings they all understood what he meant
When the boys saw the two toilet stalls they were flabbergasted that there were two of them and had doors. The young Cover explained that it gave you privacy when you needed to use it since all the boys used the bathroom. Their next stop was the shower room.
"You mean ... you all take your showers ... together ... in that big shower room?"; asked Aaron.
"Even with Robert and Charles?"; added Greg.
"Yes, we all do. But ... when I first got here, I used to use the bathroom across the hall. I'd ... I'd never taken a shower with anyone else, let alone four other older boys, so ... well, I asked Mr. Ken if I could use that one, and ... he let me use it. Come on, let me show it to you,"; answered Matthew.
The six friends walked into what was known as the girl's bathroom. The boys saw there were four sinks and two doored toilets, but, instead of a shower room, there was a large tub with a shower and two smaller showers that two people could fit inside.
"So, you used these?"; asked Aaron.
"Yes, I did ... but ... well, I had Kyle show me how to use the handles. He then took his showers with me,"; answered Matthew.
"Weren't you afraid you'd get ... you know, a ... a boner,"; laughed Greg.
"Yes, yes I was. But Kyle ... he explained to me that we all get them at our age and it was no big deal. I took showers in here for the first week. Then, after I changed a few times in the Men's Locker Room, down in the pool area, I got used to being seen naked and seeing other boys, some much older than me, naked, too,"; smiled the youngster.
The boys walked down the main stairs and Greg and Aaron were amazed there was an elevator. Matthew told them The Cove was fully ADA (Americans with Disability Act) equipped and the elevator would be appreciated by people on crutches or in a wheelchair.
As they walked off the stairs, Matthew showed them the MRS Room. He explained what it was used for and then he let them look inside the Study. He told them they couldn't go in as that was his 'dads' private place, but they could lean in and take a look.
The boy's next stop was the Great Room. Matthew took all of his friends back to the Theater first. He wanted to start at the back and work his way to the indoor pool. The boys had to try the very comfortable looking theater loungers.
As the boys walked back towards the Great Room, Matthew let them look into the Wine Cellar but, when asked, he didn't know how many bottles of wine were in there. The tour guide then let them look into the back of the Bar area. None of the boys had ever seen what was behind a full working, but much smaller version, bar and were surprised to see a cooler, ice making machines and dispensers with soda and beer names on the handles.
Greg and Aaron asked if he'd ever seen them in use, but then they remembered their host had only been at The Cove for three weeks. Matthew did tell the five boys that in two weeks his 'dad' was hosting his two Holiday Parties and he was sure he'd see it working then.
Hearing there would be two Holiday Parties, the two new friends asked why there were two. Matthew told them that the party on Friday would be for the neighbors and friends who lived beyond there. The young Cover continued and explained that the Holiday Party on Saturday was for his 'dad's' very best friends. He said it included contractors, businessmen and the first time he had that party the Governor showed up. That impressed the boys.
The next stop on the new friends' tour was the industrial-sized restrooms that were used for the parties Matthew just explained. As the six boys walked into the men's restroom, the adults filed out of the pool area.
The Farrmers and Duggans thanked Mr. Ken for the nickel tour. They told him they now appreciated how he could have 40 boys sleepover at one time. As they walked up the stairs, Mr. Wayne, who received a phone call while they were looking over the indoor pool, brought in two young men.
"Mr. and Mrs. Farrmers, Mr. and Mrs. Duggans, I want to introduce Russell and Jordan. They are the lifeguards for the boys when they go swimming later in the day. They're high school students. Russell is a senior and Jordan is a junior. They've both worked for Mr. Ken before. And, with so many boys here today we feel it is the right thing to do,"; announced the Estate Master.
As the parents shook hands with the lifeguards, the six boys walked out of the restrooms and were talking quite loud. Mr. Ken looked over the banister and looked down. Seeing who it was he called down to Matthew.
"Matthew, are you giving your friends a tour?"; asked Mr. Ken.
"Yes, sir. It's okay isn't it?"; replied Matthew.
"Yes. Are you almost finished?"; asked 'dad' Ken.
"Yes, 'dad'. The pool area is the last stop. I hope it was okay to show them around,"; tentatively asked the young Cover.
"Yes, 'son', it is. Continue. I want you to stop by my Study with your friends when you're finished, okay?"; called back 'dad' Ken.
The Farrmers and Duggans said they needed to get going and they again thanked the owner of The Cove for the tour. Mr. Ken reminded them that they could pick their sons up around 6 PM and meet a few more of the parents.
Mr. Wayne asked the parents to consider allowing their sons to join them when they go to Six Flags in about two weeks. He said they already had six people volunteer to keep track of the boys, but he would like at least four more and he asked them to think about joining them.
Russell and Jordan went down to the Men's Locker Room to change into their suits and check the pool area. When they entered the pool area, they saw six younger boys walking out of the locker room.
"Who are you?"; asked Greg.
"I'll bet they're lifeguards,"; said Ryan. "One of them looks familiar from when Mr. Ken had that Labor Day Picnic.";
Matthew walked up to the two high school-aged boys and asked them if they were lifeguards. Russell said he was and worked there before when it was warm enough to use the water toys and that he was there for the Labor Day Picnic. The high school senior introduced Jordan who told the boys he'd worked at there once before, too.
Hearing there were water toys, Aaron asked if they could see them, too. Matthew took his friends to the outside door of the Great Room, but because they didn't have their jackets he wouldn't let them walk down to the beach. The Cover told them they could take a better look when they come back tomorrow.
"We ... we can come back ... tomorrow?"; asked the two boys simultaneously.
"Yea, as long as you don't make a fool of yourself or cause trouble you can keep coming back after you get invited here,"; spoke up Brant. "At least that's what my older brother told me, and we've been here the past two weekends. So, I guess it must be true.";
"Hey, you want to try the ramps again?"; asked Matthew.
"Oh, wait ... Mr. Ken ... he wants us to meet him in his Study. We better stop there first,"; added the young Cover.
"Ahh, 'dad', you wanted to see us?"; said Matthew, as he and his friends stopped by the Study.
"Yes, boys, come on in,"; replied Mr. Ken.
"So, what do you think of The Cove so far?"; Mr. Ken primarily asked Greg and Aaron.
Greg looked to Aaron who looked back. Neither one wanted to speak first. Matthew nudged Greg to say something.
"Well ... it sure is a nice place. I've been here for the Easter Egg Roll, but I've never been inside. You can get lost in here if you aren't careful,"; replied Greg.
"Yea,"; began Aaron, "this place is awesome inside. I could learn to live here,"; now laughed Aaron.
"Thank you, boys, for your honest opinions,"; laughed Mr. Ken. "Oh, if you haven't been told, as long as you behave yourself and help where you can you can keep coming back when your Cover friends will be here. Now, go back outside and ride the ramps. The boys will want to swim real soon,"; finished Mr. Ken.
The boys all hurried to go back outside and see if they can get some ramp time. They retrieved their coats from the Kitchen Nook and headed out through the garage. As the six boys exited, they saw the boys all talking. Since the ramps were vacant, the six boys quickly ran over and jumped onto them.
"I love these ramps,"; called out Aaron. Greg voiced his own agreement. The boys had all four ramps to themselves for about five minutes before Robert came over to them.
"Hey, guys ... everybody says they're hungry, but they want to swim before they eat. It's already going on 2 o'clock. How about joining us?"; said the Cover teen.
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