Three Finger Cove: Matthew ~ Book Five

Chapter Twenty~One

Mr. Wayne helped Matthew pack his suitcase and the lad couldn't be happier. Mr. Ken helped the twins get their bags packed. Robert and Charles knew what to do, and when they had questions, they called Mr. Ken to their rooms for him to help them.

When their bags were packed, Mr. Ken had them carry them downstairs and store them, with their jackets on top, just inside the MRS Room. He explained to them that way they could add something they might have forgotten. Then Mr. Ken went through a list of items he wanted to make sure the boys had packed.

When Mr. Ken asked about their toiletries, the twins and Matthew said they only had what was in the bathroom. That meant those three hadn't packed their toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, manicure set, comb and anything else they should have. Mr. Ken looked at the time and then told the three to get their coats as they were going out to get a second set of everything.

Before he left with the three lads, Mr. Ken asked Wayne if he wanted to meet them there or did he want him to pick him up at his apartment. Mr. Wayne said he'd come over there about 8:30 with his bags packed and bells on his toes. Mr. Ken thanked him for spending the day with them and he'd see him tomorrow.

'Dad' Ken felt Robert and Charles were old enough to stay home by themselves. And besides, he had three armed guards watching the estate 24/7. As he left, the man told them to be good and then left with Matthew and the twins in tow.

Robert was glad he didn't have to go. He wanted to call Eric and talk to him about yesterday. Charles just wanted to relax. He felt washed out after four days of being so busy. Both lads went up to their rooms with different ideas in mind.

"Boys, take a basket and go and get the items you need. Pick up toothpaste and a brush, deodorant, floss, comb, brush, the works," Mr. Ken told the boys.

"Ahh, 'dad', Mr. Ken ... why do I need deodorant?" Asked Matthew.

"Well, 'son' it is so you get used to using it every day, so when you really need to use it you will already have the protection on your body," answered Mr. Ken.

"But why will I need it in the future?" Honestly asked Matthew.

"Matthew, as you get older your body will begin to secrete fluids called sweat. You may already know that when you get hot you perspire. That's the body's way of cooling itself. Because you haven't reached puberty yet, the sweat glands under your arms and in your groin aren't fully developed yet.

"As you enter puberty, which happens around the age of twelve, those glands get activated and when they work they provide for bacteria to grow on the skin. And since the underarms and groin are a dark, closed environment the bacteria, over time, produces an odor. So, we use the deodorant to help keep us from sweating and when we do to it helps prevent or, at least, reduce the smell.

"Now, go get what you all use, or try something else if you want. Also, pick up anything else you think you need,"finished 'dad' Ken

The three Cover lads met Mr. Ken at the front of the store with their baskets full of the needed items. The man had them place the things on the counter and the woman rang it all up. With that all done, the Covers loaded back into the van and headed home.

Chief heard the garage door open and she waited at the Kitchen Nook door for them to enter. When the three lads entered, Chief barked her welcome and ran around showing them she was very happy they were home. Then, she sniffed each lad for her ice cream.

"Chief ... I told you earlier that we've all been eating way too much ice cream. So, we did not get you any this time either. I took the boys out to get them some things they need for our trip to see Collin tomorrow,"said the owner of The Cove.

Chief lowered her head and sort of sulked away. Mr. Ken saw what she was doing and told the boys she was trying to make him feel guilty that he didn't get her the treat she loves and that she thinks we are leaving her here by herself.

"Chief, come over here girl. Listen to me girl, when we get ice cream you'll get some, too. OK? But ... we've been eating way too much of it, so ... I've began cutting back. And, as for us going on a trip tomorrow you are going with us to Collin's as well,"explained Mr. Ken to The Cove's resident dog.

Hearing she was going as well, Chief began barking up a storm while running around in circles. She then went up to Mr. Ken and gave him loads of doggie kisses. Then she attacked each of the boys and did the same to them. It took Chief a few moments to calm down.

Matthew was surprised at what Chief had just done. He couldn't believe the dog could understand what Mr. Ken told her. The twins told their youngest 'brother' that Chief was very intelligent. That she could understand what she is told and for him not to discount her.

The twins told the lad that when they'd told her to go get Mr. Ken or Robert she immediately did it. Kevin told Matthew if he is ever in trouble and Chief was there he could rely on her to get help for him.

Mr. Ken went into the pantry and got each lad a number of Ziploc type bags. He told the lads to take the items out of their original containers and put them into their own bag. He explained that this way they wouldn't make a mess if they are squeezed or squashed in transit.

Once the lads had everything in its own sealable bag, 'dad' Ken told the lads to follow him. He took them to their suitcases to store their purchases in. 'Dad' Ken showed the boys where and how to store them. Then, realizing the lads didn't have a toiletry bag, he put getting them one on the boys Christmas list.

Mr. Ken sent the boys up to their rooms to settle down before going to bed. He reminded them they were leaving at 9 AM sharp and they'd better be up and washed and down for breakfast no later than 8:30 when Mr., Wayne arrives. He added they better set their alarms and he'd be up in a little while to say goodnight.

When the boys went to their rooms, they got involved with reading a story or playing a game. As they relaxed, they finally realized how tired they actually were from everything they did since Friday night. Mr. Ken went to the boys' rooms at 9 PM, he found them in their t-shirts and briefs and ready for bed

Mr. Ken stopped at Robert's and then Charles' bedrooms first. Robert told his dad that he and Eric talked about yesterday and they were good. Charles said he talked to a few of his friends. He also told his 'dad' with a laugh that some of them asked when it was going to be their turn to get an invite as James got. The two had a good laugh.

His next stop was the twins' bedroom. They both thanked him for a great weekend. Kevin told him they would never have been allowed to do any of what they did that weekend, let alone have a friend or two over. They each hugged him to thank him for the awesome weekend.

Mr. Ken made Matthew's bedroom his last stop. When he went in, he saw the lad had laid on his bed and could tell the boy was thinking.

"A penny for your thoughts!" Asked Mr. Ken.

"Oh, hi 'dad', err, Mr. Ken ... I was just thinking ... about all we did this weekend and all the fun I got to have," replied Matthew, as he swung his legs around to sit up to talk.

"I am very happy that you got to foster me, 'dad'. My life before this was dull and my mom, well ... she always had a new boyfriend who never liked me. Lincoln was the worst. And, my mom ... she never protected me from him. They seem to be always using drugs when Lincoln wasn't going out somewhere.

"You know, 'dad' ... every time he came back from where ever it was we had to move. He seemed to have money then and they would buy more drugs. When we ate, if I didn't clean my plate, or if I spilled something, he'd beat me. He'd beat me for almost anything that he felt like.

"This is so much better than I ever had, it, 'dad'. I was so lucky you and Mr. Dan found me at that golf place. If you hadn't, I'd ... I'd still not be in school and Lincoln ... he would still be beating me and we'd be moving again. I hope I get to stay here forever and ever," finished Matthew, who then jumped up and into Mr. Ken's embrace. The ten-year-old then burst into tears from thinking about and telling all that he endured ever since Lincoln came into his life.

As Mr. Ken calmed his latest charge down, he told the boy to go drain his dragon and then get into bed. When he turned to exit the room, he saw Kyle standing there. The twin asked if Matthew was going to be OK. Mr. Ken assured him that Matthew will get better by the day, but he'll still need a friend here at The Cove. The two boys went to the bathroom together and slept together that night.

The five lads woke up refreshed, but a bit anxious about their trip. In the shower, all five boys talked about what they would see at Collin's and if they thought the much older teenager would like them. Robert told them about his first time at Collin's and how much fun it was to have a big, older 'brother' to talk to and do things with.

Robert described going to Collin's high school graduation and the party afterwards. He described how many gifts his older 'brother' got for graduation and his helping Collin to send out his Thank You notes.

The boys wanted to know about Grammy and Uncle Andy. Robert gave them the 'Reader's Digest' version of who Grammy was and how she took Collin away from The Cove. He then told them what he knew about Uncle Andy. He asked his 'brothers' to give both people a chance and not make any hasty judgements about them until they got to meet and talk to them.

"But, what if Collin or his Grammy ... what if they don't like me?"  Lamented Matthew.

"Matthew ... she's going to hug you and fawn all over you. Just wait and see. She knows she made a big mistake by taking Collin away from here. And, I think she is trying to make it up to him. You'll see," replied Robert.

The boys finished with their shower and brushing their teeth. They dressed in nice play clothes and headed to the Kitchen Nook well before Mr. Wayne was to arrive. They got two surprises when they entered the Nook.

"What's Momma Maria doing here? I thought she was off until next Monday?" Asked Charles.

"She knew we needed a good breakfast before heading off to Collin's. So, she decided to come in and make us a warm meal, so we wouldn't have to stop along the way," answered Mr. Ken.

"And ... I thought Mr. Wayne wasn't gonna be here until 8:30? It's only 8:15. What's he doing here already?" Asked Kevin.

"And a 'Good Morning' to you, too,"laughed Mr. Wayne.

Matthew, seeing Mr. Wayne there, ran over to the Estate Master and hugged him. The two talked some until Momma Maria called everyone to the table. The woman had put everything on the table, family-style, and told them there was scrambled eggs, creamed chipped beef and toast, sausage and bacon and coffee or milk. She told them to eat up.

When everyone had their plates full, Mr. Ken asked her to join them. She blushed at being asked, but the boys made room at the table for the woman who makes all their meals. The boys asked her what she was going to do while they were away. She told them she'd cook. Everyone at the table had a good laugh.

The Covers got away from The Cove about five minutes later then Mr. Ken wanted. That was because he stopped at the Main Gate and told the guards they would be gone until late Saturday. In addition, he told them the house had lights on timers and not to worry when they saw them. Mr. Ken also made sure they had the emergency phone numbers, before driving away to pick up Ms. Judy and Eric.

Mr. Wayne let Ms. Judy sit up front in the passenger seat. She immediately loved the van. There wasn't anything the van had that she didn't like. The two adults up front talked about the things that interested them, including Matthew and how he was fitting into The Cove

Of course, Robert and Eric sat together, Matthew wanted to sit by Mr. Wayne. The twins sat together which made Charles the odd man out. As they drove along he felt like he did when the twins joined them at The Cove, the middle son. It wasn't as if they ignored him, but they didn't exclusively talk to him, either.

After a few miles, Mr. Wayne decided to keep the kids from getting too bored, so he told them he wanted to play a few games. He came prepared and pulled out some paper and pencils. He passed them out to each boy and then explained the game.

"Boys, the first game is Spot the License Plate. You each write down all the different license plates you see for the next, let's say, ten minutes. I'll write down what I see and we'll compare notes. The one with the most unusual list of license plates will win.

Mr. Ken heard what Wayne was doing and he now wished he had thought of that. He made a mental note to buy some travel games for the boys especially for when they go to the amusement parks right after Christmas.

After the license plate game, which Matthew had won, he had them play some tic-tac-toe with one another. He had them play five games and the ones who won three would compete with the others who'd' done the same. He told them it would be a double elimination. He explained the first losers would play one another and those winners would play the loser of the winner's games.

Doing that game took the lads about twenty minutes to play all the games to come up with the eventual winner, Charles.

Mr. Wayne passed out more paper and explained they would play Hangman. He paired the boys up in teams. He tried to make it equal, so he had one older lad and a younger lad pair up. The teams were Robert and Matthew, Eric and Kevin and Charles and Kyle. The man wrote down a word, listed the number of spaces to represent the word and presented it to the first team.

As they began to play, Robert told Mr. Wayne they could play that on their cell phones. Mr. Wayne asked who all had cell phones. The three youngest Covers didn't have one. Thus, Mr. Wayne asked them to play it his way. They played that game for a good thirty minutes and the boys really got into the competition the game offered.

The first hour of the trip passed by and the boys were so busy with Mr. Wayne's games they didn't realize it. Mr. Ken was very happy his Estate Master had done what he did, as the long ride would probably have bored the boys to no end.

The boys played some Rock-Paper-Scissors with the same rules as the Tic Tac Toe game. The game took the boys mind off the long van ride. It wasn't until they were about a half-hour out from Collin's that Mr. Ken asked the lads to watch the scenery, so they would recognize where they were in the future.

When the van full of houseguests drove into the Wilkerson Estate, Collin and Grammy were waiting on the porch for them. Mr. Ken told the boys which was which and they laughed telling him they knew the difference between a male and female. Ms. Judy told Ken that he should think before he puts his foot in his mouth. They had a good laugh over that.

When the van came to a halt, Collin was there to greet his guests. Even though the boys offloaded from the van first, Collin waited for Mr. Ken to come out. When the man and college student met they stood there looking at one another and then they hugged. Everyone could see some tears in each of their eyes.

"Matthew, Kevin, Kyle," began Mr. Ken. 'I want you to meet one of the two people who are your hosts for Thanksgiving. This is Collin. He was my first foster lad who became my 'little bro' and I became his Big Bro. Collin, let me introduce you to Kevin, the oldest of the twins, Kyle the younger twin and Matthew.

"Matthew came to live us just about ten days ago and has already made great friends and I'd say is having a blast at his new home.”

"It's great to meet you all. Robert has told me so much about all of you that it is though I know you as my little 'brothers' already. Charles, will you join me and the boys, so I can introduce you to Grammy," said Collin.

"Grammy, I want to introduce you to my four new 'little brothers'. This one is Matthew. He's only been living with Mr. Ken since Friday, last." said Collin, as he placed his hand on the youngest Cover.

"Welcome to our home, Matthew. You can call me Grammy, but you may hear others call me Miss Vickey. I know you will enjoy it here and I hope later we can talk some. Come over here and let me give you a great big hug,"announced Grammy.

Matthew slowly went over to the older woman who was sitting in a chair. When he got there, he bent down to let her hug him. When he stood up, he had a big smile on his face.

Collin introduced the other three lads almost the same way. He did elaborate some when he introduced Charles. He reminded his Grammy that he was his new 'brother' who came to live with Mr. Ken back at the 4th of July. All three lads got big hugs from Grammy, just like Matthew, and they all had big smiles afterward. She also told them to call her Grammy

Grammy had already met Ms. Judy and her son, Eric, so Collin introduced Wayne Mitchell. Mr. Ken spoke up and told her he was his new Estate Master and took care of the boys when the boss wasn't around. That made them all laugh.

It was Chief who stole the show, though. She slowly walked up to the elderly woman, sat down in front of her and presented her right paw. Grammy smiled real big and reached out to take her paw to shake.

"And, who are you, may I ask?" Inquired Grammy.

"Grammy, this is Chief. You met her when you first visited Three Finger Cove," said Collin. "She is a little bit older, now, and my bet is Mr. Ken's been giving her way too much ice cream.”

Chief barked a few 'Woofs' as if she was agreeing. Then, she bowed her head, as if saying she was eating way too much ice cream. Grammy lifted her head up and told Chief, "Us women ... we mustn't be ashamed to eat what we want, when we want, but ... we must also watch our figure. You understand don't you Chief?”

Chief barked a few happy barks that everyone understood. Chief then gave Grammy a few doggie kisses. The Cove's resident pet then sat back with a big grin on her muzzle. Everyone laughed, including Grammy.

The Covers and Ms. Judy were taken to their rooms by one of the servants, before sitting down to lunch. When the meal was served, they were all seated in the formal dining room. At the sound of a tiny bell, rang by Grammy, three servants wheeled in their lunch; soup and sandwiches.

All the boys, except Robert, inhaled at the sight of the three servants coming into the room. They met one of the servants earlier when they went to their rooms, but were surprised there were more servants. They were now glad Mr. Ken warned them about there being servants. They were used to Momma Maria serving them their meals, but they felt like she was one of them, a Cover. These individuals had plain faces, no smiles, and they sort of looked straight ahead.

They served Grammy first and then Collin. After that, they presented everyone else a bowl of beef vegetable soup and a choice of ham and cheese, roast beef, or turkey sandwiches. They also had two kinds of cheeses, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, mustard and ketchup for them to complete their sandwich with. Using the three servants, it didn't take long for the nine guests to be served.

Lunch started out very quiet. It seemed no one dared to speak. The boys were afraid they'd say the wrong thing, so they kept quiet. Collin saw what was happening, so he started out asking the boys different questions. Before long the dining table sounded like a large family having their family meal together. Grammy was inwardly happy at having the noise of children in the house.

After lunch, everyone retired to the formal living room. Again, the new lads were afraid they'd sit or say something wrong or dirty things up. Grammy put them all to ease and told them not to worry about being the perfect gentlemen or dirtying up the room. She told them to relax and be themselves and besides, the room needed a good cleaning and this would be a good excuse to get it done. Everyone smiled or laughed.

As they sat and talked, Grammy got to know her guests some, but wanted to do a one-on-one with each lad when the time presented itself. After a number of minutes of talking, Collin got tired of the small talk. He asked his Big Bro for the keys to the van and told everyone he was taking the boys out for a ride around the area. The lads quickly got up and walked swiftly following Collin.

A few moments later, Collin came back to the formal living room and asked Mr. Wayne if he wanted to go along. Wayne got a big smile on his face and followed Collin out of the room. That left only Grammy, Mr. Ken and Ms. Judy, and Chief, of course, to sit and talk.

Collin loaded everyone into the Van and drove the group around his 'town'. He showed them the important places, like where he went to high school and the marina, where his boat was kept. He lamented that he hadn't used it all summer. The college student drove all around, showing them other points of interest. When he saw they were bored, he stopped at a corner store and they all got soft drinks.

"So, tell me more about yourselves," asked Collin.

"You should tell us about yourself first," spoke up Kyle.

Collin smiled at the forwardness of the twin. He decided to tell the group almost everything about himself from the time he watched his parents being killed, in front of him, until Grammy came and took him away. He didn't add anything about the rapes as that was far too much for the three lads who were only with Mr. Ken because of far less circumstances.

The three new boys asked a few questions, but for the most part, they were amazed at what Collin had endured compared to what they had to.

Kevin started first and told Collin about how they were in a car crash and their parents were burned, and sent to San Antonio for their broken bones and skin grafts. He told the older teenager about the Labor Day Picnic and how they found out Mr. Ken was a hero along with a few of their 'brothers' friends.

Kyle told him about them going out Trick-Or-Treating, or as Mr. Ken called it, 'begging for candy. Collin had a good laugh at that. Then Kyle told him how his real dad got one of his friends to try to take them away from Mr. Ken and how the man came to The Cove and take them one night.

The twins continued and told Collin about the attempted kidnapping. Collin had heard about the attempted kidnapping from his Big Bro, but he was now hearing it from the boys the men were after. The twins told how scared they were when the men came after them. Kevin told the teenager how he had a bag or something put over his head, was picked up and taken to the back of the van.

Kyle told him how he tried to get his brother away from the men. He told Collin he hit them, but then Mr. Gene and Mr. George came over and wrapped their arms around the men. Kyle got into the telling of he and his twin almost being kidnapped and explained how fast the security twins took the men down and before they knew their hands were tied behind their backs.

Robert and Charles spoke up and told their older 'brother' how they saw that night. Mr. Wayne was hearing their story first hand, too. He knew about the attempted kidnapping, but he never knew some of the particulars the boys were imparting just then.

Even Matthew was amazed at the telling of what happened. He'd heard the story before, but he felt as if he was getting a much clearer understanding because they were filling in aspects of the kidnapping he hadn't heard.

Collin looked at the time, and told everyone they needed to get back. He thanked them for telling him their personal stories and hoped they could talk some more, so he could get to know his 'brothers' better. The boys all agreed. Collin loaded them up in the van and he drove them back to the Wilkinson Estate.

When the boys came into the estate home, they weren't all that quiet and made much more noise than Mr. Ken thought was necessary. The man called his 'boys' over and asked them to be more considerate of their host's home and to be a bit quieter.

Grammy heard what Mr. Ken told the lads, so she spoke up and told them it had been a long time since the patter of little feet was heard in the estate, and they could be as noisy as they wanted and to have fun and enjoy themselves while they were there.

They wouldn't be eating dinner for at least another hour, so Grammy asked Charles if she could talk to him. The two retired to Grammy's parlor and sat down opposite one another. Grammy asked the pre-teen to tell her something about himself and how he was enjoying living at Three Finger Cove.

Charles told Grammy they now call it The Cove, as Three Finger Cove was a bit long. The pre-teen then told the Wilkinson matriarch how he came to live at The Cove and how he and Robert were once living in the same foster home. He added that Robert was moved back in January, because of what happened there, but he hadn't been. The pre-teen did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Robert's departure

Charles added that Ms. Judy eventually found out that he should have been moved, too and then asked Mr. Ken to foster him as well. The lad told Grammy about Mr. Ken's 4th of July picnic and all the fun he had meeting and making new friends and riding the amusement rides. The lad did not mention the attempted kidnapping to the older woman, because he was afraid it would bring back memories of Collin's parents

When Grammy and Charles were finished talking, the matriarch asked Kevin to talk with her. They too, went into the parlor to talk. When they completed their conversation, Grammy invited Kyle into the room so they could talk, as well. By the time Grammy and Kyle finished their talk it was time for dinner.

The two hosts and their nine guests took their same seats they occupied during lunch. When everyone was settled, Grammy rang her tiny bell, and the servants brought in that evening's meal. This time the servants presented each person with a dome covered plate that held their meal. Grammy took her dome off first, followed by Collin. Mr. Ken nodded to his boys to take the dome off their plate and hand it to one of the servants.

Being served as they were, the boys were surprised and amazed at the presentation. They never were exposed to anything like that, and not only did they get to see it, but they got to experience it as well. It put smiles on all their faces.

After the dinner plates were all taken away, Grammy rang her tiny bell one more time and the servants brought in dessert. They were all presented with a dish of rainbow sherbet and three sugar cookies. The boys all waited until Grammy dug into her concoction before they ate theirs.

With dinner over, the eleven people retired to the formal living room. They sat and talked about the day and what they were involved in doing. Mr. Ken told Grammy about his plans for the Holidays including taking the boys to visit his amusement parks. Grammy said she wished she were young again, so she too could enjoy what the children of today had.

As Grammy was getting ready to ask Matthew to go with her and talk, Collin spoke up. He asked the lads if they were ready to go swimming. Grammy perked up hearing that and said they should all go and enjoy it as with Collin away at college it just sits there, unused. The boys begged Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne to swim with them, and, so that left Ms. Judy, Grammy and Chief, of course, to sit and talk.

Collin's indoor pool was quite small compared to Mr. Ken's. There was no rock ledge to jump off and they didn't have to do a swim test as every new swimmer does at The Cove. What they did have though, was fun. It was six boys against three adults. They played all the games they usually did at The Cove and the time flew by because they were having such a good time.

It was well past 9 PM when Ms. Judy came to the pool and asked them if they were ready to get out and rest. The boys, used to having a snack after swimming, asked Ms. Judy if their snack was ready. That took the woman by surprise and she told them she would be right back.

It was after 10 PM when Ms. Judy, accompanied by Grammy, came back to the pool. The Director of Children's Protective Services told them their snack was ready and they should all get out, get dressed and meet them in the kitchen. Ten minutes later all eleven met in the kitchen where more cookies and cold milk were offered the lads. The adult's had caffeine free coffee, since it was so late at night.

Collin's guests had a good time talking about their day and Grammy took it all in. It was as if the house was finally a home with the noise of children. Something that Collin's parents never allowed her Colley to have around. She now knows that her son, James, did Collin wrong while the lad was growing up.

It took Collin's feistiness after being brought back to the Wilkinson Estate to open up her mind to what Mr. Ken had done for her Colley. The man gave the teen a positive role model who would do anything to make sure the boy learned about life, had friends and a future to look forward too.

It was well past 11 PM when everyone decided to stop for the day and head up to bed. The Cover lads all hugged Mr. Ken before heading up to bed. Matthew made sure he hugged Mr. Wayne, as well.

Grammy sat back and watched the open love the boys had for Mr. Ken. She'd seen it last year when Eric and his mom visited, but now with Mr. Ken's five boys and Eric all showing an open affection for the man she thanked her lucky stars that Mr. Ken worked his magic with Colley during those many months he lived at Three Finger Cove.

It was then Chief came over to the matriarch and placed her front paws on the woman's lap. The Cove's resident dog gave the host some of her doggie kisses. Then, Chief sat back and offered her paw to shake. Grammy was all smiles.

Collin kept a keen watch on his grandmother when he was around her. At first, Collin had some reservations with so many people coming for the Thanksgiving Holiday, but now was happy Grammy was enjoying herself with all this many people in the house including six rambunctious youngsters and a dog.

Collin hung back, while his guests retired to their bedrooms. When he and Grammy were alone, he gave her a huge hug for being such a gracious hostess and thanked her for putting up with all of his friends.

After the hug, Ms. Vickey held Collin's hands in hers. She looked into his eyes and told him that she was an old fool for not seeing what Mr. Ken was doing for him. She continued and said after seeing the love all those boys had for Mr. Ken, that if she had to do it all over again she would have let him remain with the man he called his Big Bro. She apologized to her Colley for remaining in the past and not accepting the new norms of the day.

The two hugged one more time and smiled a love that lit them up. The two then went their separate ways for bed.


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