Published: 17 Sep 2020
From Previous Chapter:
“Bill, there will be a time that things will settle down for you, just give it some time for you to meld into us and The Cove. But, please, don’t let this overwhelm you. If you are having problems, no matter how mundane, get with Mr. Wayne or me. You’re becoming more like a Cover every day and we want you to stay.
“I see you have some homework yet to finish. We’ll leave you alone, then. Lucky for you, you have an extra hour that your ‘brothers’ don’t have,” laughed Mr. Ken.
As the men began to leave, the owner of The Cove went back and ruffled Bill’s hair. Bill smiled at the simple gesture and felt he was becoming a Cover as the man sad. It was that simple action that he’d seen Mr. Ken do to the other boys that made him feel more at home.
Billy stayed up a lot longer than he should have finishing his homework. It was evident on his face when he walked into the Kitchen Nook for breakfast the next morning.
“Dragging a little bit this morning are we, Bill?” chuckled Mr. Ken.
“Yes, sir, I stayed up longer than I should have completing my homework. But I wanted to finish it and be able to hand the assignment in today rather than at the end of the week. It will give me a better grade in doing so,” explained Bill.
Mr. Ken smiled at hearing that, but he cautioned Bill that his health was more important than getting top grades. The man also thanked Bill for being conscientious about getting his grades back on track, and for accepting the other boys as his ‘brothers’.
Momma Maria was waiting for the conversation to end, so she could give Bill his breakfast. As soon as Mr. Ken went back to reading his morning newspaper, she placed a plate of waffles, scrambled eggs and crisp bacon strips in front of the new Cover. Bill thanked the woman for making that for him and then he dug into his meal.
It was then Chief walked over to Bill and barked at him. Bill couldn’t figure out what the resident pet wanted. That was until he looked over to her empty bowls.
“Chief, I’m sorry I didn’t take care of you before sitting down to eat. I have an excuse, but excuses don’t get you fed do they?” laughed Bill. “And thank you for reminding me. I’ll take care of it right now.”
Bill then got up from his hot meal and emptied Chief’s bowls. The teen rinsed the water bowl and filled it with fresh water and placed it where it was normally kept. The new Cover then took out the kibble and filled the other clean bowl with fresh food for Chief. Bill then scratched behind Chief’s ears and let her eat her breakfast.
When Bill returned to his own breakfast, Momma Maria had replaced it with fresh hot waffles, eggs and bacon. The teen didn’t know what to do or say. He just sat there looking at it. Mr. Ken got his attention and told him to hurry up and eat or else he’d miss the school bus. Bill smiled back at the man and quickly ate the food.
Then, before the teenager left the Kitchen Nook to wash up, and gather his things before going up the Bus Stop, he hugged Momma Maria tight. When the boy walked away the woman saw Bill had a few tears running down his cheeks.
Mr. Ken and Momma Maria talked about Bill after the teen left the Nook. The woman told her boss about the few tears she saw as Bill walked away from her. That surprised the man. He also thanked her for making the boy a fresh breakfast after he took care of Chief.
Momma then told Mr. Ken, before she got up to clean the Kitchen Nook, she felt that Bill was a lost puzzle and the boy needed some time to take in everything. She clarified herself by saying the teenager must have never had a home life even close to what he has there, and he was having a difficult time getting his mind around it all.
Mr. Ken thanked Momma for her observation. He inwardly knew the woman was right. Bill had been inundated with so much over the past five days he knew in his heart the boy needed some down time, and soon.
When Mr. Chris arrived, Mr. Ken told him he needed to talk to him and Mr. Wayne later that morning. Mr. Chris was curious and asked his employer why. Mr. Ken told the Estate Manager he needed to get them all on the same page and especially with Bill. Mr. Chris said he understood and would wait for his call.
At school that morning, Billy was met by Brett. They talked before the first bell and while doing so, Brett asked Bill if he would ever get an invite over to the Cove. Bill said he was working on that and would be able to tell him tomorrow. Brett smiled at hearing that.
The World History teacher was very surprised when Billy turned in his assignment early. As a matter-of-fact, Bill was the first student to turn in his assignment. Billy smiled at the compliment the teacher gave him and thanked the man for it.
Some of Billy’s other classmates made some crude remarks to Billy. All Billy said to them was that with that kind of attitude they would never get an invite to his home. The Cover then walked away.
At lunch, Billy asked Brett if he knew who the obvious druggies were. Brett was initially surprised at the question. But after remembering Bill telling him that drug users wouldn’t ever be invited to The Cove, he understood the reason for the question.
“Now, Bill, I can’t say for sure. I don’t use drugs and never have, so … so what I tell you is not gospel, but … well, more like hearsay. There is this group of kids … they hang together all the time, that … well it is said they are probably the biggest users.
“I’ll have to point them out to you when we go outside. They are said to be the main users of marijuana and some pills. It is also said that someone in that group is possibly the supplier,” almost whispered Brett.
The two freshmen eventually went outside before the ‘after lunch’ bell rang. It was while the two new friends were outside that Brett pointed out the group, he was talking to Bill about in the lunchroom. Billy casually looked over the boys and girls to try to put their faces in his memory.
Brett wanted to know what Bill could do about them. Billy told Brett there wasn’t anything he could do, other than make sure he never asks them to visit The Cove. Brett also pointed out a few upperclassmen who were reported to be users, but who also had access to whatever the students needed. Billy thanked Brett for the 411 and told his friend he hoped to have good news for him tomorrow. They both heard the bell ring and headed to their first after lunch class.
At The Cove, Mr. Ken got Wayne and Chris to meet him in his Study. The owner of The Cove wanted to make sure all three of them were on the same page. Mr. Ken asked Mr. Chris to get a key for the garage side door made for Bill before he goes home for the day.
Their long meeting reviewed the upcoming Saturday’s Easter Egg Roll and the need to call Jules Diamond to explain what was going to happen. Mr. Ken suggested that Jules might need to hold over his morning crew until the crowd left. Mr. Ken also reminded his employees he would be gone the following week and that Wayne would be holding down the ‘fort’.
Mr. Ken also wanted to talk to them about Bill. He told them that to him, Bill was an unknown entity just waiting to go off. The man clarified himself by telling the two men that ever since Bill arrived at The Cove, he’d been inundated with an information overload. Mr. Ken further said he thought Bill was, overall, a good kid, but he hasn’t had any time to sit back and relax and get his bearings and feel comfortable in his new environment.
The men kicked around some ideas, but the one that Mr. Ken liked the best was that he needed to give Bill a free day to try to get his head around all the changes he’s had to deal with the past five days. Mr. Wayne reminded his employer that he was already taking the teen out of school on Thursday for his physical, and that taking him for a second day wouldn’t help Bill to catch up on his studies.
Mr. Chris and Mr. Wayne agreed in principal with what Mr. Ken was trying to do. They asked their boss about what he did when the twins and Matthew arrived. Mr. Ken thought about it for a few moments then he told them that all three boys had friends almost from the very beginning, which is what Bill didn’t get.
Mr. Ken realized that Kevin, Kyle and Matthew had a friend almost from the beginning. The twins met Sam and Terran at the Labor Day Picnic and Matthew met Brant and Ryan when he first arrived at The Cove. That was the biggest difference Mr. Ken could recognize from Bill’s arrival.
Mr. Ken told the two men what he just figured out. The man said that since he didn’t know any freshmen, Bill never got someone to talk with about his new life at The Cove. The men talked about what they could do to rectify that. All the foster dad could come up with was to allow Bill to invite Brett over and hope the two are a good friend match.
At the high school, Billy was asked by one of his classmates why he hung with the upperclassmen. All Billy could tell the teen was they were the sophomores he met when he was registered and that Todd and Conner work for Mr. Ken and they ride the same bus as he did. The teen accepted the answer and then introduced himself as Kaden, Kaden Stylers.
Billy learned Kaden had the same schedule as he had, so the two walked to the next class. Along the way Kaden asked Billy how he liked living at Three Finger Cove. Billy told the teenager that they called it The Cove now, and it wasn’t anything like he’d ever seen before or knew existed.
Kaden told Billy he’d been over to The Cove on a few occasions, but only for the Easter Egg Roll when he was younger and some of the 4th of July Picnics since. Billy wanted to know more, but they arrived at their next classroom and the two sat far apart. Billy told Kaden to catch up with him at the end of class.
As the two walked to their next class, Billy asked Kaden to tell him what he remembered about The Cove when he visited. Kaden told Billy that he’d been there when he was ten and got to compete in the Easter Egg Roll. The freshman also told Billy how at the July 4th Picnic there were big and little kid rides, games of chance to play, swimming in the lake and loads of food booths, and that it was all free.
Billy wanted to know more, but the two arrived at their last period class. Billy told Kaden to catch up with him tomorrow and tell him more. The new Cover then told Kaden to give him his full name and home phone number at the end of class.
On the bus ride home, Billy thought back to how that day went. He thought he may have made another friend and now all he needed to do was learn more about him and to see if he used drugs. He then wondered if Mr. Ken would allow him to invite two friends over on Saturday. He made a mental note to ask during their talk in the Study.
Billy didn’t have to ring the doorbell that afternoon. The twins were waiting for him and when they saw him coming down the rise they opened the Foyer Door for him. Chief ran out and greeted his new playmate and jumped all over him as she welcomed Billy home.
“Thank you, Kevin and Kyle, for waiting on me to get home from school. And thank you, too, Chief for that welcome. Now … did you boys leave me any snacks?” laughed Billy.
The twins walked with their new ‘brother’ to the Kitchen Nook where Momma Maria waited on the high school freshman. Momma told the twins to go work on their homework as she gave Bill his snack. Billy asked for chocolate milk that day to go along with the Easter cupcakes, topped with jelly beans, she had made for The Covers.
Dinner was another one of Momma’s famous meals. Tonight, she served a salad with the Covers choice of dressings, garlic bread and spaghetti and meatballs. She knew that it was a favorite of kids and was their go to comfort food and she usually made it when they had a new Cover added to The Cove.
After dinner, Billy got in line with his ‘brothers’ to hug Momma Maria. When he had his turn he not only hugged Momma, but also thanked her for making everything taste so wonderful and that he could never remember eating anything so awesome. Momma smiled at the compliment.
In the Study, the boys took their seats. The boys started telling their ‘dad’ about their day. None of the younger boys had anything spectacular to talk about that night. There was the regular feedback about this boy or that girl did this or that. Robert and Charles told their ‘dad’ that none of the troublemaker girls came near them.
When it was Bill’s turn, Mr. Ken asked him if he learned anything new. Bill told the man that he may have found out who the main druggies might be and who might be their supplier. Bill qualified that by saying he didn’t see them use drugs and for now it was all hearsay, but he would watch how those classmates acted.
Bill also told his foster dad that he hopefully made another friend. Bill told him how he met Kaden Stylers and that Kaden had been to The Cove for an Easter Egg Roll when he was younger and a few of the July 4th Picnics. The teenager asked if he could invite Brett and Kaden, as well, to The Cove on Saturday. He then added he had Kaden’s’ home phone number already. Mr. Ken asked for it.
Mr. Ken thought about it for a few moments and then told Bill he could invite Brett and he needed to know a bit more about Kaden before he would approve his invitation.
Mr. Ken then reminded Bill that Doctor Doug would be there tomorrow night for dinner and then he’d meet with him afterwards. Mr. Ken also told Bill he’d have his physical with Doctor Powers on Thursday and would pick him up at school about mid-morning.
‘Dad’ Ken also reviewed the rest of the week with the boys making particular focus on Saturday’s Easter Egg Roll. He also touched on his leaving Monday morning to visit his amusement parks and they should expect him to return late Friday night.
The younger boys were still a bit bummed out over Mr. Ken’s departure, but Robert calmed them down by reminding them they survived ‘dad’ Ken being gone right after the Holidays and they’ll survive his absence next week, as well.
“Dad’ Ken sent the boys up to finish their homework. But, as Bill was leaving, Mr. Ken asked him to stay behind for a few minutes.
“Bill … I want to apologize to you for not having someone I could introduce you to prior to your starting high school. All the other boys had someone I could introduce them to before they went to school, so they had at least one person they knew there.
“I guess I could have introduced you to Todd, and even though he was a sophomore, you’d have had someone at the school to meet you instead of the way you met Sawyer. Now … tell me more about your new friend, Kaden,” finished Mr. Ken.
Bill told the man about his meeting Kaden and what they talked about between classes. Mr. Ken asked Bill to try to learn more about the teenager. The foster dad wanted to know if his new friend was a drug user, or supplier, before he would allow Bill to invite him to The Cove on Saturday.
Mr. Ken told Bill if he could ‘vet’ his new friend a bit more and everything looked good he could invite him on Friday to come over to The Cove on Saturday. Bill smiled at hearing that he could possibly have two friends over on the same day. The teen thanked his foster dad and then said he needed to go up to start his homework.
Later that night, Mr. Ken and Mr. Wayne went up to visit the boys before they went to bed. The men started at Robert’s room and then proceeded to Charles’ room. Their next stop was with the twins followed by stopping at Matthew’s room.
The men’s last stop was at Bill’s bedroom. They talked more about Kaden, but then told the new Cover to go work on his homework. He reminded the teen not to stay up as late as he had the previous night.
Bill thanked them for stopping by, but he told them he’d be up working on his assignments for at least another hour. He reminded the men he gets home an hour later and isn’t picked up by the cheese wagon until an hour after his ‘brothers. The men knew what he was saying, so they left him alone.
“‘Dad’, why does Billy get to stay up an hour later than we do?” asked Matthew, the next morning, as the boy was eating his breakfast.
“Well, he gets up an hour later than you, he gets off to and returns home from school an hour after you do, and he uses that hour to work on his homework. Next year, when Robert is in high school, your older ‘brother’ will have the same schedule as Bill has now,” explained ‘dad’ Ken.
“Oh,” was all Matthew said in reply, and went back to eating.
About the time the younger Cover boys got off to school, Billy came down for breakfast. Mr. Ken looked to see if the teenager looked as tired as he had the previous day, and he was happy the boy didn’t have that look.
“Good morning, Bill,” said the foster dad to the new Cover.
“Good morning, Mr. Ken, and before you ask, I did get to bed on time, and I slept well,” replied Bill.
“Good to hear. Now take care of Chief and then sit down to a Momma breakfast,” suggested Mr. Ken.
Bill did just that. The teen cleaned both of Chief’s bowls, put fresh water in one and fresh kibble in the other. He gave the resident pet a few ear scratches before sitting down at the breakfast table and eating what Momma Maria prepared for him.
“Bill, I hope Kaden is as good a friend as you see Brett is. Please talk to him as you have Brett and go on from there. I can see you need a few friends you can talk with, call on, and rely on. Not too many years ago I too was fourteen going on fifteen, and I know the importance of having a best friend and confidant. You know what I am saying, Bill?” asked Mr. Ken.
“Yes, I do, Mr. Ken. But I haven’t had someone like that since I was about twelve. That was when my mom met my step-dad and I wasn’t allowed to have friends over to our house. My parents … they didn’t want a younger person to see what they did and rat them out, so … well that was why I couldn’t have any real friends,” replied Bill.
“Well, here, Bill, you can have friends over, as long as they aren’t involved with drugs. As I explained, I do not want to expose those types of people to my other boys. Also, as someone in the community that is looked up to, I cannot afford to have it known that I support druggies. Yes, this is as much about The Cove, your ‘brothers’, and yes … me.
“I hope you do understand and will work with me on this. You already have a suspected source of who might be a supplier at the high school. The thing is, Bill … I don’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way by nosing around too much. You know what your step-dad and mom were involved in and it was possibly what got your step-dad killed last summer. I don’t want to hear you are a casualty because you get on someone’s radar.
“You know what I am saying, Bill?” asked Mr. Ken in ending.
“Yes, sir, I know what you’re saying. I’ll try to be more discreet in asking questions. And, I’ll try to blend in more by making more friends and acquaintances. Will that be OK?” replied Bill.
“Yes, young man, that should work for us both. Now, don’t be late for the bus,” said a smiling Mr. Ken.
Billy talked with Todd and Conner while on their bus to school. Billy asked them to tell them what they knew about the Easter Egg Roll. Todd told Billy that he was twelve when Mr. Ken built Three Finger Cove and he didn’t have his first Easter Egg Roll until the following year when he was too old to participate.
Even Conner said he hadn’t attended the Easter Egg Roll for the same reason. The only things Conner and Todd told the newest Cover was they had attended the July 4th Picnics and the Christmas parties. Then, Conner mentioned they were there for the Labor Day Picnic when they presented a bunch of awards and that Mr. Ken received one as well.
Billy bugged the two seniors to tell him more about the Labor Day Picnic. The teen Cover told them he was truly interested in what went on at the Cove before his being assigned there. He told them the more he knew about his new home, the better he could understand the happenings and goings on there. Todd told the new Cover what he could before the bus arrived at the high school.
Billy was met by Brett and Kaden as he got off the bus. The three classmates went to a quiet area to talk. The first thing Brett asked Bill was if he was invited to go over The Cove on Saturday. He was stoked when he heard he could.
Kaden asked if he’d be invited as well. All Billy could tell him was he wouldn’t know until tomorrow, but he was being picked up after the first period to get a full physical, so he probably wouldn’t be able to tell him until Friday. Kaden was disappointed at hearing that and it showed on his face.
“Kaden, I’m sorry, but it is Mr. Ken who decides who can and can’t come to The Cove, and he takes his time,” Bill tried to explain.
“There’s a bit more than that,” teased Brett.
“What else is there, then?” quickly asked Kaden.
Bill looked at Brett as if he could wring his neck for saying what he did. The Cover was going to tell Kaden more, but the first bell rang which meant the students had to go inside the school and head to their homeroom. Bill told his new friend he’d talk to him at lunch.
During his morning classes, Billy wondered how he was going to handle the questions he needed to ask Kaden. He didn’t like having to ask his new friends about their using drugs, but he knew that if he wanted to continue to live at The Cove, he needed to do what Mr. Ken asked. The teen was very happy the man hadn’t asked him about his own drug usage, since he’d had ready access to all the drugs his mom and step dad sold.
At The Cove, Mr. Ken was making final arrangements for his trip beginning Monday. He had his travel group plan for the aircraft to take him to the closest airports to all his amusement parks and have a rental car waiting for him there to use. In the meantime, he coordinated with his park operators to ensure they were ready for him, and what he intended to look over during his one-day stop at their park.
At lunch at the high school, Billy met up with Brett and Kaden. While the three friends ate, Kaden kept bugging Bill about what he said earlier that morning, so after the three ate they walked outside to talk.
“Kaden … what I am going to ask you may feel like … like I am getting into your private life. I don’t mean to, nor do I really want to, but … I … I have to ask you a few questions before my foster dad … before Mr. Ken will allow me to invite you to The Cove,” started Bill.
“What kind of questions?” loudly asked Kaden.
“Shhhhh, not so loud,” cautioned Bill. “Listen … Mr. Ken … he is concerned since he now has a foster kid in high school, he is afraid I will make friends with drug users and people who abuse prescription medications. He doesn’t want me to invite anyone over to The Cove … if I know they use drugs or are suspected of using them.
“And, you think I am one of those?” loudly asked Kaden.
“Kaden, I asked you to keep you voice down. And, NO, I don’ think you are one of them, but I have to ask you if you use drugs, or abuse prescription medicines. I already asked Brett about him using drugs and I have to ask you, too.
“I’ve already explained why I have to ask you about drugs, so … if you don’t want to answer that’s OK. But, don’t expect me to invite you to The Cove any time soon, either. I am the new boy at The Cove and you can bet I’m not going against Mr. Ken’s rules. I enjoy living there even if I’ve not been there a week yet.”
Kaden stood there in front of Bill staring at the freshman after listening to what the Cover had to say. The potential friend now had to decide to either answer Bill’s questions about using drugs, or not, knowing he’d never get the opportunity to ever be invited to Three Finger Cove.
Instead of standing there like a bump on a log, Kaden decided to say something. “Ahh, Bill … I … I just don’t understand … what does someone using drugs have to do with being invited over to where you live. I mean, as long as someone doesn’t bring them there, what’s the big deal?”
“Kaden, the BIG DEAL, as you call it, is my foster dad has rules and that is one of them. If any of us boys know someone is using drugs and or is abusing prescriptions medicines, we are not allowed to invite them to The Cove, period!
“Now … I will ask you one last time. Do you use illegal drugs, or abuse prescription medicines? All I need are two simple answers. You know the score. If you answer yes to either question I can still be your friend here at school, or out and about, if you want, but you can never be invited to The Cove.
“So … what will be your answers? I need to know before the lunch break ends!” finished Bill.
Kaden remained standing and thinking. Then, the teen told Bill that he didn’t use illegal drugs and had no idea what he meant by abusing prescription drugs, so his answer to that was a no, as well. The two shook hands and Bill told Kaden he should know by Friday if he could invite him over on Saturday.
“Oh, and speaking of Saturday, Mr. Ken is holding an Easter Egg Roll and beginning about ten we’ll be setting things up for the Roll to begin at about 12 noon. So, if you are invited over, I’d ask you to be there by ten, so that way you can help, too,” now laughed Bill.
Just then the after-lunch bell rang. The three friends shook hands and they all headed to their next class.
Billy returned to The Cove at his regular time. The teen went directly to the Kitchen Nook and Momma Maria’s after school snack. The new Cover loved having something to settle his hunger pains even if it was less than an hour before dinner. After he finished the snack, Billy went to Momma Maria and thanked her for making such great treats by giving her a big hug.
After leaving the Kitchen Nook, the newest Cover stopped at the Study to talk to Mr. Ken. He told the man what he learned about Kaden and his foster dad told him he’d let the teen know by Friday if he could invite Kaden to come over on Saturday.
Mr. Ken then reminded Bill that Doctor Doug Jennings would be there soon and he wanted him to meet him as soon as he arrived. Bill still wasn’t too keen on meeting the man, but told Mr. Ken he’d meet the man at the door.
Just then the phone rang on Mr. Ken’s desk. When the owner of The Cove answered it he learned that Doctor Doug was on his way. The two Covers went to the Foyer Door to wait on their guest.
“Welcome back to The Cove, Doctor Doug,” said Mr. Ken, as he opened the Foyer Door for his guest.
“Doctor Doug, I want you to meet Bill, Bill Dirketson, my newest foster son,” offered Mr. Ken, to his guest as the doctor entered the Foyer area.
“It’s good to meet you Bill. And, it is also good to get another one of Momma Maria’s famous dinners,” laughed Doctor Doug, as he shook Bill’s hand.
“Bill … what say we use Mr. Ken’s Study and talk for a few minutes before Momma calls us for dinner?” asked Doctor Doug.
Bill knew the man was there to break the ice between them before he had to start seeing the doctor at his office for the foreseeable future. He also knew this was a good time to see if the Child Psychologist was any good. Bill followed Doctor Jennings into Mr. Ken’s Study.
“Hey, where’s Billy?” asked Kyle, when the other Cover boys came down for dinner.
“He and Doctor Doug are in my Study getting to know one another. Bill will start seeing Doctor Doug next week and the following one, until he no longer needs to. It will also depend on the doctor’s schedule,” answered ‘dad’ Ken.
It was almost 6 o’clock when the two, the man and the teen, came out of Mr. Ken’s Study laughing. And, it was lucky for them as Momma Maria came looking for everyone to tell them dinner was ready. The Covers and their guest trailed Momma to the Dining Room where Momma Maria had another wonderful meal waiting.
“Hey, ‘dad’, where’s Mr. Wayne?” asked Matthew.
“Since he’ll be with you all next week, he wanted to get caught up on some personal things. So, I gave him some well-deserved time off. Boys … Mr. Wayne is here from mid-morning and many days until you all go to bed, which keeps him from taking care of his private issues,” explained ‘dad’ Ken.
“But I thought he was helping take care of us,” said Kevin. “So, aren’t we more important than the things he has to do?”
Everyone at the table laughed at what Kevin just said. It took Mr. Ken a few moments to get his composure back before he could straighten Kevin out.
“Kevin,” started ‘dad’ Ken, “Ahh, Mr. Wayne, ahh, he helps me take care of you, but mainly … his job is to be here when I can’t be and to take you to appointments, or the like, when I am away, like next week. But he can’t be expected to be here 24/7 as I am. He has bills to pay, clothes to wash, groceries to buy and an apartment to take care of, and more.
“Boys … I am so lucky that Mr. Wayne can spend as much time here at The Cove as he does. It helps him keep aware of what’s happening to you six and it gives him some idea of how I’d handle things for when I am away. But he also has to have a life away from The Cove.
“Mr. Wayne loves his job and he enjoys being around all of you. But he can’t be with you all the time. He’ll be with you all of next week and then we’ll see who is the better ‘foster dad’,” laughed ‘dad’ Ken.
The boys all laughed along with their guest, Doctor Doug. As they ate, the boys told their guest about some of the things they’ve been involved in and what was planned for Saturday. They also told the man about their Spring Break trip, and they all had pictures and videos on their cell phones they could show him later if he was interested.
Billy listened to what his ‘brothers’ had to say about their trip and he was jealous that he wasn’t living there then, so he could have gone along as well. He only hoped he would get to go on some awesome trips and see some wonderful places, too. He thought to himself how he’d never been out of the area, since he was in elementary school, and getting to do anything would be better than what he’d experienced just staying there in the area.
When dinner was over, Doctor Doug and Billy went back into Mr. Ken’s Study to talk some more. Billy was enjoying his talks with the man, and found how easy he was to talk with. The doctor told him anything he tells him he cannot divulge to anyone without his permission. The doctor did clarify that there were a few provisions that didn’t apply, but he’d tell him if he started in those directions.
Billy and Doctor Doug came out of the Study laughing, again. Mr. Ken saw that as a good sign and just hoped Bill would open up to the doctor as time went on.
“Ken, thank you for inviting me for another one of Momma’s fabulous meals. I think Bill and I will get along fine. All I’d ask you to do is call my office tomorrow and confirm the scheduled appointment for your new foster son for next week. We can make it a recurring one until he’s worked through his issues.
“Bill, it was great talking with you. I hope we can keep up the conversation as time moves along. Ken, I need to get home. Thank you again for the great meal,” finished Douglas Jennings, who then shook Mr. Ken’s and Bill’s hands before heading out the Foyer Door to his car and home.
“Boys, shouldn’t you be finishing your homework?” said ‘dad’ Ken, to the boys standing in the Foyer.
The boys said they were almost done, so, ‘dad’ Ken told them to go and finish it. He asked Bill if he had much homework, and, if he didn’t, he’d like to talk to him before he goes up to his room.
The foster dad asked Bill what he thought of Doctor Doug. The teen told his foster dad that the man was easy to talk with and thought it would be good to talk to the man about the things he’s had to deal with, especially after his mom married his step dad. Mr. Ken liked the attitude the teenager was expressing, and only hoped he’d keep it up as time moved along.
After their quick talk, Billy headed up to his room to start on his homework. He knew he wouldn’t accomplish much as it was already getting late. Then, on top of all that, his ‘brothers’ came to his room to ask him what he thought about Doctor Doug.
The Cover boys had talked for about ten minutes when ‘dad’ Ken came walking down the hallway.
“Why aren’t you boys in your own rooms?” called out ‘dad Ken. “Now, scoot! Drain those dragons and then go to your own rooms. I’ll be right there to say goodnight.”
Since he was there, Mr. Ken started at Bill’s room. He apologized for his ‘brothers’ bothering him, and said he’d have a talk with them. The foster dad also reminded Bill he would have his physical tomorrow and he’d be over to the high school around 9:30 and for him to expect to be called out of his class around then. The man then said ‘Goodnight’ to his newest foster son.
‘Dad’ Ken went in reverse order that night to say ‘Goodnight’ to his boys. He told each of them they shouldn’t bother Bill as he had homework to do and only had the time after dinner to get it done.
When ‘dad’ Ken got to Robert’s room he asked his son to try to keep the other boys away from Bill’s room in the evening, especially when he was doing his homework. Robert tried to explain why they were there, but his dad cut him off.
The teen’s dad told the teenager that he didn’t like it when his ‘brothers’ bothered him, while he was doing his homework, and he should give his older ‘brother’ the same courtesy.
Robert said he understood what his dad was saying and told the man he’d do his best to keep his ‘brothers’ away from Billy’s room. The two hugged as they said their goodnights, then dad Ken headed down to his own bedroom.
The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhound at CastleRoland dot Net.
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