Charles and Robert walked into Mr. Ken"s Study after their friends had left for the day. Neither of them were very happy; each for their own reason. Charles was upset over his decision to have his surgery Monday morning and with his friends not able to come over tomorrow he felt like he was being abandoned. Robert, on the other hand, was down in the dumps because his friends couldn"t come over tomorrow and he had no idea what his 'dad" had planned for them.
"'Dad", began Charles, "what … well, why can"t the guys come over tomorrow? My surgery isn"t until Monday morning so I don"t see why they can"t come over for at least a little while," whined the twelve year old.
"Yeah, 'dad", why can"t the guys come over tomorrow? He doesn"t have his surgery until Monday morning," asked Robert.
"Guys, what say we go out to dinner and talk about it? You can choose either the Diner side or the restaurant side. We do need to eat and Momma went home already so those are our choices," offered 'dad" Ken, to deflect some of the whining.
"If we choose the restaurant, then we have to get cleaned up and changed. So, I vote for the Diner," said Robert.
"Yeah, 'dad", I agree with my 'brother". It"s not that I don"t like eating on the restaurant side but we"re all sweaty and all and we"d need to get a shower. Let"s just go as we are," replied Charles.
"Come here, lads, let me smell how bad you stink," laughed 'dad" Ken. "If you"re not too bad then we can head over there now."
Charles and Robert got out of their seats and walked over to Mr. Ken and he sniffed them a few times and then held his nose. The two boys attacked him saying they didn"t smell all that bad. The three wrestled for a short time and then Mr. Ken decided the lads just needed to wash their hands, 'all the way up to their elbows" which got him attacked again before the boys went to get cleaned up.
When the boys returned they had changed into cleaner shorts and shirts and Robert shared some of his cologne with his 'brother" so they would smell much better than they had. The broad smile on Mr. Ken"s face told the boys they had done well and they hugged the man for being the greatest 'dad" they ever had.
Gene and George met the threesome at the Foyer Entrance and the five then headed over to Four Corners for dinner. When they arrived at the restaurant, Mr. Ken convinced the twin security guards to join them and the men did. The twins set up their protective cover the same way they did the other time the five ate at the Diner.
As the five looked over the menu, 'dad" Ken told Charles he should eat a good dinner because after breakfast tomorrow he won"t be allowed to eat anything bulky and heavy. That revelation caught the boys" attention and they both had to know what that was all about. Mr. Ken just told them to order what they wanted and he would explain it to them after their waitress took their order. Gene and George also took notice and figured it had something to do with the scheduled surgery on Monday morning.
Jeanie was their waitress and Charles remembered her from the first time he ate there with his new 'dad".
"Hello, Ms. Jeanie," said Charles.
"Yes, now I remember you. You"re Robert"s little brother," aren"t you?" replied Jeanie. "And just call me Jeanie. Drop the Miss, okay?"
"Yes, Miss, Err, Jeanie," smiled Charles as he answered the woman back. "You"re not speaking fast tonight. How come?"
"Oh, yeah, I"m sorry there, Charles is it, but it has been a long day and I am bushed. Sorry Boss, it is what it is. Now what can I do you for?"
Charles laughed at Jeanie"s response and whispered to Mr. Ken that he liked her and asked him not to get mad at her. Ken Thomas just smiled back at the lad knowing he would never fire anyone as good a worker as he knew Jeanie was.
Jeanie took everyone"s dinner order and then went off to get their drinks. She quickly returned with cokes for the boys and coffee for all the men.
"'Dad", why is it that I can"t eat anything big after breakfast tomorrow?" asked Charles.
Ken Thomas sat there contemplating not only what he was going to tell the youngster but how. He had to make sure what he told the lad wouldn"t upset him and thus his dinner. He took a few moments before answering the lad.
"Charles, the reason you can"t have anything big to eat is that you are going to have surgery and the doctor doesn"t want a lot of food on your stomach. So, after you enjoy a real good meal tonight and good breakfast tomorrow morning the doctor only wants you to have soup and fluids until we head off to the hospital early in the morning. Do you think you can cope with that?" chuckled 'dad" Ken.
"Yeah, I guess so. At least I"ll have one good last meal before my surgery," quipped Charles. The rest just chuckled at the lads attempt at humor.
The five diners talked about their water park adventure and barbeque, which allowed Gene and George to tell how they saw that day. Gene told of the first of the two incidents that the lads talked about while they relaxed after eating. He told Mr. Ken how Robert and Logan, and a boy named Cody, took everyone to the restroom and then told the others about their little incident that happened to them. The security man explained that the lads told everyone what actually happened to them that day which was way more than was revealed in the papers.
Then George told how Eric and Brad led the group to where they said Ryan and Collin were attacked a few years earlier. The twin told that Eric pointed out the general area he remembered the big pool of blood lay under his 'big brother" Ryan"s head, and told his friends how he cried that day seeing Ryan lying there with blood everywhere. George also said that Eric explained to everyone how Collin was able to beat the guy who had attacked Ryan and how that person was lying on the sand crying out in pain and holding his hands to his face.
George continued to say how Ryan told them what he remembered of his attack in which Bill and Raleigh came up to them and wanted to beat Collin up because he was supposed to have been taken care of right after he started school. The man then told how he heard Ryan tell everyone how the two attackers inadvertently told them how they had beaten Rodney while he and Collin were on spring break.
It was Gene who chuckled when he told of Ryan"s telling the younger lads that it was one of their female classmates, a girl, who got Bill and Raleigh to attack them because Collin would not date her. The man described how he saw the lads as they reacted to both stories with amazement and awe. Gene then told them how he and his brother enjoyed the stories as much as the lads did.
They ate their meals as the twin security men told their stories. The boys laughed at the men as they told them how they saw their day at the water park. The boys also added missing parts to the stories the men told of Robert, Logan, Cody, Eric and Brad"s stories. The retelling helped them all pass the evening easier.
Jeanie had cleared the table and then came back with menus and asked them what she could get them for dessert. The men opened the menus and began looking through them when the boys looked at their 'dad" and asked if they could stop by Dairy Queen. Mr. Ken smiled at his boys and knew that was the thing they loved the most so he asked Jeanie if they could all take a rain check. Ten minutes later, after the bill was paid and everyone had visited the little boys room, the five diners headed out to DQ for some sort of ice cream refreshment.
"Thanks 'dad" for taking us to DQ," spoke up Charles, as the three Covers entered the Study. "I really love those banana splits." Then Charles laughed as he sat down in one of the leather chairs.
"Yeah, 'dad", thanks for taking us there. I know the Diner has good desserts but there is something about Dairy Queen that I"d rather go there. Say, 'dad", what do you have planned for us for tomorrow?"
"Hmmm, I thought we"d sleep in," began 'dad" Ken, before Robert interrupted him by saying, "What, until 8:15?" Both Robert and Charles laughed knowing it was rare that their 'dad" ever stayed in bed past 8:15.
"Well, I"ll rephrase that, then," chuckled 'dad" Ken. "I"ll let you two sleep in until, well until it is time to go to breakfast; whenever that is. Then, when we finish eating, I thought we could try our luck at the miniature golf course and then do a couple of Go-Kart races before heading back home. How does that sound to you two?"
Charles and Robert got great big smiles on their faces at the thought of doing stuff together as a 'family" and they ran to Mr. Ken and hugged him hard. The man enjoyed the boy"s hugs and then asked if they wanted to watch a movie together. Another hug told him their answer.
The three sat together in Mr. Ken"s special lounger in the Theater. The lads enjoyed the closeness and the feeling of being safe next to the man who they really and truly loved.
It was past eleven when the movie ended and the boys said their good-nights to their 'dad" and headed up to bed. The lads stopped at the porcelain gods and made their offering before taking off to their individual bedrooms. As Charles was opening his bedroom door, Robert called out to his 'brother" and asked if he wanted to sleep in his room that night. Charles hesitated some but then decided he really didn"t want to be alone that night knowing he was going in for surgery in about thirty-six hours. The twelve year old said he"d be right there and went into his bedroom and took off his clothes and hung them up and then quickly went to Robert"s room.
Charles and Robert talked some before they both got sleepy enough to finally fall asleep. Robert slept a fairly sound sleep but Charles, he had a rough night. Charles didn"t have the dream about getting his surgery, this dream was about the Satan"s Devils and their biker friends who were still out there and looking for him. He knew Smokey was dead and his minions were either dead or in jail but he knew the man had lots of biker buddies who would could very well be out for revenge.
Chief heard Charles toss and turn and mumble something during his restless sleep so she woke up Robert. Robert knew something wasn"t right when Chief woke him. The teenager watched Charles and then he figured by the way his 'brother" was acting the lad was having a nightmare. Robert went over to Charles and slowly got him awake and when the pre-teen woke up he hugged his 'brother" for all he was worth. The two went and peed and the two climbed into the same double bed together and Charles didn"t have any more nightmares the rest of the night.
It was almost 9:30 when the two lads finally got out of bed the next morning. They adjusted their morning 'woodies" before heading to the bathroom to get cleaned up. They"d seen each other naked and hard many times before so it wasn"t anything for them to step to the urinals and pee. When finished, they washed their hands and then brushed their teeth before striping off their boxers and heading into the shower. While they showered they talked about what their 'dad" had planned for them that day and how they each planned to win both the miniature golf game and at the Go-Kart track.
The lads didn"t do any 'boy play" in the showers that morning even though they hadn"t taken care of their pride and joys the night before. They each quickly changed into comfortable clothes and then headed down to find 'dad" Ken.
The two 'brothers" found their 'dad" where they figured he"d be, his Study. They walked into the room and hugged their 'dad" and then asked when they were going to leave for breakfast. But instead of answering his two 'boys" 'dad" Ken grabbed them both and began to hug them and then tickle them some before letting up and telling the lads he was ready and was just waiting for them.
The three Covers loaded themselves into the F-150 before stopping at the Main Gate to pick up Gene and George. As promised, 'dad" Ken drove over to the Four Corners Diner for breakfast. The five diners settled into a corner booth with Gene and George situated at the ends in the event there was any trouble. The corner booth also gave the five more space to spread out for when it came time to eat.
"Ok, 'boys", what are you going to have this morning?" asked Mr. Ken.
Charles and Robert quickly looked through the menu and got their usual – pancakes, rashers of bacon, hash browns and milk. The three men decided on the Breakfast Special – two eggs, pancakes, bacon, hash browns and coffee. The five made small talk as they waited for their food.
When breakfast was over the boys quickly headed to the restroom. Gene and George weren"t too far behind them and then Mr. Ken stopped by the same facility after leaving a generous tip and paying the check. Then, since the miniature golf course was nearby the five walked over there to play a round.
"Okay, 'boys'" began Mr. Ken, "choose your ball color but it won"t matter which color you choose because you will still lose!" Mr. Ken then laughed
Charles then went and chose a white golf ball and handed to his 'dad" and said, "Here, this is your golf ball. It"s white which you can use to surrender with after we both beat you." Charles then smiled at his 'dad" and went back to the counter and chose a red golf ball for himself.
Robert watched what his 'brother" did and smiled when he heard what the twelve year old said. "Yeah, 'dad", you"re going down," added the teen, in support of his 'brother".
"Gene, George, get a putter and golf ball and join us. There aren"t too many people here yet so five on the course won"t be a problem," said Mr. Ken to the two bodyguards.
"No … I think we"ll just get one putter and ball and we"ll trade off. One of us needs to be watching the whole time you three are enjoying yourselves," replied George with a nod from Gene.
The foursome decided to go by age to start their round of miniature golf so Charles went first. The 1st Hole was a Par Two, dog-leg right. Charles bounced his ball off the left side wall with enough momentum the ball careened towards the right dog-leg with the ball landing in the hole. "There … beat that, everybody!" laughed Charles.
Robert, 'dad" Ken and Mr. George all took two strokes to get their ball into the cup. It was then they decided the winner of the previous hole could decide to either go first or last. Charles decided to go first on the 2nd Hole Par 3 that had a few obstacles strategically located on the straight leg before it turned 90 degrees left with a slight rise.
Charles tapped his ball on an angle to bounce it off the side wall hoping to avoid one of the obstacles and thus putting his golf ball close enough to the left opening. It didn"t go as planned. The ball did hit the side wall as planned but it didn"t have enough oomph to pass one of the obstacles and so ended up astride another of the obstacles. Charles was not happy.
Robert went next and saw that Charles hadn"t tapped his golf ball hard enough so he added some extra swing to his putt and was able to do what Charles failed to do. Mr. Gene took the golf club from his brother and did exactly what Robert had successfully done and his ball stopped about six inches from the teens. Mr. Ken smiled at seeing how his 'son" and the bodyguard were able to maneuver their golf shot and be in good position for a Par 2 on that hole. Taking their approach, Mr. Ken placed his ball on a different starting nipple and tapped his ball with a little bit more force. His ball not only traveled past the obstacles the ball actually bounced off Robert"s ball and landed in a direct line with the cup. Unfortunately, Robert"s golf ball landed tight up against the side wall.
Charles was the furthest from the cup so he went next. He was allowed to place his ball one putter face length from the obstacle and putt. He knew he didn"t have all that good of a lie but knew if he hit the ball with the right amount of force and in the right direction and the miniature golf gods were with him the ball would pass Robert"s and Mr. Gene"s golf balls and put him in a good position to make Par.
Robert watched as Charles" ball went in the general direction he wanted it to go but the lad hadn"t figured in the slight rise at the 90 degree turn and his ball rolled back further away then he planned. The watchful teen smiled at his 'brother" and said, "That should teach you to be so smug so quick at the start." All Charles could do was cringe at what he just did.
Robert was able to get his ball in the cup after two more strokes and so did Mr. Gene. That gave them a total count of five for the first two holes. Charles took two more strokes for a one over Par and a total of five strokes for the first two holes. Mr. Ken was the big winner with a one under Par count for a total of four for the first two holes.
That"s the way it went for the next seven holes. One player would mess up on the hole and wind up going one or two over Par while one or two others would be one under for that hole. The score was close through the first nine holes with Mr. Ken having a two under Par score of 22, with Gene/George at even Par of 24, Robert also at even Par of 24 and Charles at one over Par 25.
'Dad" Ken was the leader and he could chose to go first or last at the Par 2, 10th Hole. He chose to go last knowing he could learn from the others mistakes. Mr. Gene went first on that hole and only had to tap the ball hard enough to get it over the humps and avoid the slight right tilt that would make his next shot longer but not impossible. His ball made it over the humps alright but he didn"t give the ball enough oomph to avoid the tilt so he wound up with a long second shot.
Robert went next and saw that Mr. Gene had underplayed his shot so he gave his ball a bit more force. Robert"s ball avoided the tilt and ended up in a great position for him to make Par. Charles watched his two opponents take their turn and it was then he recognized why his 'dad" always went last when it was his choice. He saw how Mr. Gene underplayed his shot and how his 'brother" used that information to make a great shot. Charles decided to make the 'great" shot so he lined up his ball as Robert did and gave it a good enough tap that it wound up right next to Robert"s ball. The twelve year old gave a great big smile for making such a good shot.
It was now Mr. Ken"s turn to putt. He lined up his ball like Robert and Charles had and gave it just about the same amount of force and maybe a tad more. The ball traveled in almost the same trajectory as Robert"s then it struck Robert"s and Charles" ball which made it bounce back and away making his next putt even more difficult than Mr. Gene"s. The boys smiled at one another. Gene and George just snickered some.
Being the furthest away, Mr. Ken had to go next and he tried to get his ball into the cup for Par or at least a bit closer for a good third shot and one over Par. Sadly, Mr. Ken"s putt went a bit off as the slight tilt put his ball on the wrong path putting in on the back side wall. Mr. Gene was able to get his ball closer than Mr. Ken"s but with it only four inches from the cup he putted out for a score of three.
Robert"s and Charles" golf balls were separated by Mr. Ken"s errant putt and Robert"s was now further than it started so he went next. The teen lined his putt up and struck it square on. The ball was on course but Robert underplayed his putt and wound up short like Gene had. He putted out for a three on that hole.
Charles was now in the driver"s seat and he could catch up one stroke by getting his next putt into the cup. He used the information he got from Mr. Gene"s and Robert"s shots and he carefully lined up his putt. The lad lightly swung his putter with what he figured would be enough force to get the ball into the cup. The ball traveled in a direct line to the cup and stopped on the edge of the cup, teetering precariously. All four players held their breath. Then a slight breeze came up and the ball fell into the cup. Charles was ecstatic and yelled, "Alright!" when the ball fell. The other three just smiled at the smiling Charles. Mr. Ken was able to move his ball a putter head"s length off the wall and he got his one over Par, three.
The 11th Hole Par 3 had more obstacles than they had on any previous hole. Charles was given the choice of going first or last and he chose to go last. This particular hole had boulders before and after a narrow bridge you had to go over to get to the hole. It was possible to get a two on this hole but you had to be lucky on your first putt over the bridge and not to hit any of the boulders along the way.
Mr. Ken went first on this hole and he chose the middle nipple on the starting pad to get his putt off. He hit the ball a little too hard and the ball bounced along the green felt and then hit a boulder knocking it back some and off line to the bridge. The man moaned at his lie.
Mr. George took the putter from his twin and placed his ball on the right starting nipple. He then lightly tapped his ball and narrowly missed the boulder before the bridge but without much momentum after the bridge his ball hit a boulder and it bounced off to the side. Robert wasn"t as lucky as Mr. George as his ball wound up close to his 'dad"s".
Charles saw that besides a good putt and follow through you needed a bit of luck and he hoped his luck would continue on from the hole. The lad started on the middle starting nipple and played the hole like Mr. George did but kept his head down until the ball was off the putter. All four players watched as Charles"s ball went the same way as Mr. George"s and had enough drive to make it past the boulders and onto the narrow bridge and past the farther boulders, too. The ball didn"t stop until it was 12–14 inches from the hole. All Charles could do was smile big time.
'Dad" Ken went next and he didn"t fare any better with his second putt and was still not over the narrow bridge but was lined up directly to get it over and down close to the cup if not in on his third putt. Robert was on the same plane as his 'dad" but had a better lie and was able to get his ball over the narrow bridge but it bounced off a boulder and wound up on the side wall away from the cup. Mr. Gene was across the bridge and had a pretty good lie. All he needed to do was make sure his putt was true and he could get a 3 on this par 3. The man did good and got his 3.
Charles now needed to keep his head about him and he could gain another stroke on his three opponents. The twelve year old cleaned some debris off the playing surface and looked at the lie and then got in place for his putt. Then, just as he was about to putt Robert loudly coughed. Lucky for Charles he was able to hold up his swing. "'Dad'", yelled Charles, "that"s not fair! He did that on purpose!"
"Yes, 'son" I agree. Robert … don"t be such a poor loser," 'dad" Ken admonished Robert.
Robert, for his part, said he was sorry and wouldn"t do it again.
Charles had to reset himself for this important putt. He tried not to think of what Robert did to him but he couldn"t and he missed the 12-14 inch putt. Needless to say the boy was pissed and he walked away so no one could see him cry. 'Dad" Ken looked at Robert and the teen knew he had really messed up, even though he thought it was funny to begin with. A nod from his 'dad" made Robert go over and really and sincerely apologized to his 'brother".
When the two 'brothers" came back to the group Mr. Ken told Charles that he and Mr. Gene had putted out and also decided to give him his 2 for the hole. Hearing that gave the disappointed lad put a big smile on his face and he knew he had just gained another stroke on everyone and was basically even with everyone.
The scores stayed competitive for the next three holes with all four making mistakes on one hole or another but the scores stayed competitive. The scores after the 14th hole were 'dad" Ken at 41, Charles also at 41 and Gene/George and Robert tied at 42. The next four holes would determine the winner of their group. The next four holes were also the hardest of the entire course and rarely did anyone make Par on these holes.
Charles had won the last hole and chose to go last again. Robert was up first and then followed by 'dad" Ken and Mr. George with Charles going last. The 15th Hole Par 3 had a working windmill that the player had to get his ball through without the windmill blade hitting the golf ball and sending it on its merry way somewhere off the course for an additional stroke. The hole also had a twisted "S" curve type playing surface after the windmill which also added to the complexity.
Robert didn"t really want to go first as he had forgotten how to play that hole since the last time they played. The teen lined his ball up on the middle starter nipple and watch the blades slowly come down and across the opening he had to get his golf ball through. The lad had to time his putt with the swinging of the blades and when he thought he had it right he putted. The putt was true and quick and as the ball got closer to the opening Robert could see he possibly misjudged his putt as a blade was headed to block the ball. Then to everyone"s surprise the ball got there just before the blade and made it through the hole. Robert"s smile was real big and was noticed by all. The ball didn"t go too far past the backside of the mill.
'Dad" Ken went next and he barely got his ball through the windmill opening just as Robert had. His ball also didn"t go very far past the backside of the mill but it was further along than Robert"s. Mr. George took his putt next but hadn"t been watching the two previous putts and he totally misjudged his putt and his ball indeed hit the blade and bounced out of play. He was down two as he lined up to start all over again. This time he got it through the opening and further back on the playing surface than either Mr. Ken or Robert had. He now had a big smile as he could get a four if he played it right.
It was now Charles" turn to putt. The lad was nervous as he"d never really played miniature golf before and this hole perplexed him. He remembered seeing how his opponents waited for the blade to pass the opening before putting but he also saw they barely made it through. He figured he"d putt just as the blade was about to cover the hole and that would give him more time to get the ball through and onto the cup. That"s exactly what he did and he had time to spare as his golf ball sailed through the cavity and rolled further towards the cup than anyone else.
Robert was next and his second putt hit a side of the "S" curve and lost its speed and stopped way short of the cup and another "S" curve sidewall in his way. 'Dad" Ken made the same mistake and wound up sort of blocking Mr. George"s next putt.
George looked over his lie and where the other golf balls were on the playing surface and then decided on his shot. The man saw the angles and with a bigger than normal swing gave the ball the speed it needed to bounce off two sidewalls and miss any other golf ball. His strategic putt startled his three opponents and placed his ball in line for him to get a five instead of a four. But that putt put a big smile on his face now.
Charles had the best lie than anyone on his second putt. He could play it safe and go for the three or chance it and get a possible two but he knew if he missed he might wind up with a four. His heart was beating faster than he knew it should be even though he knew they were only playing a game. He tried to settle his beating heart down but he knew it had to be because of the decision he had to make – go for it, or play it safe. He decided to play it safe and as soon as he made that decision his heart did settle down. He did get his Par 3.
Robert and Mr. Ken both had the chance to get Par for this hole even though their putt was quite far away and they"d have to have the luck of the miniature golf gods. The obviously did because they both made even Par for that hole. Mr. George made a five and the team of the twin"s was now well behind the other three players.
The next Hole, the 16th, was also a Par 3. The line-up for this hole, since three of the four people all made the same score on the 15th Hole would require the players to go back to the previous Hole to decide the putting order. That made the starting order Robert, Mr. Ken, Gene/George and lastly Charles.
The 16th Hole had a ramp that led into a full 360 degree circular obstacle that required the player to hit the ball hard enough to follow the curvature of the circular design. If you failed to get the ball fast enough it would drop down and roll to somewhere on the playing surface that might not give you a good enough position to take your second putt. If that was the case you could take a penalty and start from the starting nipples and be down two. But that wasn"t the only obstacle the player had to avoid. Once you got past the circle you also had to come off fast enough to a hilly 130 degree turn which led to another 120 degree turn before the cup.
Robert had played this hole before and he was never able to get the ball to follow the curved circle on his first try. He knew he needed to really hit the ball with the putter with enough force to get ball to complete the circle. He also knew he had to keep the ball from bouncing its way to the obstacle because that would slow it down so much that it would not make it around.
Robert lined up his ball, got into position, made a few practice swings, approached the ball and then took a breath and held it. He pulled back his putter, let some of his breath out and then quickly allowed the putter to swing down and hit the golf ball. The ball went smoothly and fairly fast as it rolled down the playing surface and rolled up the ramp. It entered into the 360 degree circle and then sped down to the first 130 degree turn and almost made it to the top of the hill. But even though the ball didn"t get to the top, the ball had enough juice left in it that it rolled around and towards the next 120 degree turn and hill. The teen was very pleased with his hit. It was then the lad left out the rest of his held breath.
Mr. Ken went next and he too had played this hole before and knew he had to do what Robert had just done. He knew if he topped the ball everything would go terribly wrong and he"d probably be out of the running for being the winner. The man approached the Hole the same way his 'son" had and when he was ready he followed through with his swing and sent the ball towards the obstacle. His ball bounced a little but not enough to stop it from going fully around the circle and head off towards the first big turn. The ball made it further up the turn"s hill and that sent his ball further down the playing surface past Robert"s ball. Mr. Ken now had a big smile on his face.
Gene and George were bantering about who was going to play the 16th Hole. Gene finally got out a coin and they flipped to see who was going to attempt to putt that ball. George won; Gene was now trapped into playing that Hole. The man lined up his ball as Robert and Mr. Ken had and prepared himself to putt the ball to follow the curvature of the circle. Gene swung the putter with enough force to cause the ball to go around the circle that was if the ball actually went in that direction. Sadly, the ball veered off and hit the edge of the ramp and careened onto another golf hole. "I give up," said Gene and went and picked up the ball. After retrieving the ball, he gave it and the putter to his twin. The two men then had a good laugh and together they announced they would not embarrass themselves any further. The two then took up a protective guard stance.
It was now Charles" turn to putt his ball. He did as his opponents did but he didn"t allow himself to get frazzled by the stress of the hole and just placed his ball down and approached it and then hit the ball towards the circular obstacle. To his surprise and everyone else"s the ball traveled fully around the circle and headed up the first 130 degree turn and then quickly to the bottom of the second 120 degree turn. It didn"t go up the second turn but it did roll to a good position with a straight shot to the cup. 'Dad" Ken went to Charles and ruffled the lad"s hair and then hugged him for making such a great putt. Charles just beamed at the attention. Something he lacked in his life before coming to The Cove and Mr. Ken.
Robert was furthest to the cup so he went next. Confident from his first putt he put a lot of energy to his putt and the ball went up the second 120 degree hill and turn and headed towards the cup. The ball slid right past the lip of the cup and wound up nestled against the back sidewall. He was very pleased with another hard putt he had been able to get off.
Mr. Ken was next and after seeing Robert"s putt he knew the pressure was on. If he missed this putt he could possibly wind up one stroke behind both of his 'son"s". The man approached the ball, brought the putter back where he thought would a give him a good swing, took a breath and then let the putter swing down to hit the ball. The ball went up the second hill and made the turn and headed towards the cup and then it too slipped by the lip of the cup and headed towards Robert"s ball. The two golf balls collided and his ball headed off and away from the cup.
Charles once again had the chance to get one more stroke up on his 'dad" and 'brother". He could feel the pressure on him with four sets of eyes looking at him as he approached the ball. The pre-teen eyed the lie and checked the playing surface for any debris. The lad took a breath, set his swing, let out some of the air and hit the ball. The ball went straight and true but it didn"t look like it had enough speed to get there. Everyone watched as the ball made its way to the cup and then catch the lip and roll around the upper edge of the cup before falling into it. Charles was elated to no end and he pumped his arm with the putter in triumph. Mr. Ken grabbed the lad again and hugged him for the great putt he"d just made.
The foursome, minus one, came up to the last Hole, the 18th. It was a Par 1 which, if made, gave you a free game or, if not, the ball went into the catch area and you got an automatic two for that hole.
The scores were now with Charles leading with a 48. Mr. Ken had a 49 and Robert had a 51 after messing up on the 17th hole. This last hole was a one chance and one chance only. Robert knew he couldn"t win even with a hole-in-one so he went first. He lined up the ball, took a breath and then hit the ball towards the cup. It went in. Then, as the ball passed a sensor indicating he had won a free game the flashing lights and ringing bell started. Robert felt a little embarrassed at all the noise but he smiled at everyone and went to accept his free game.
Mr. Ken decided to go next. He knew if he made the hole-in-one Charles would have to also if the lad wanted to win otherwise the two would be co-champions. 'Dad" Ken placed his ball down and lined up his putt. With a steady backswing and a good follow through the man hit the ball and it went straight to the opening and fell into the catch area where the ball again passed the sensors which made the bell to start ringing and the lights to flash. A smile came across the man"s face and then he made a smirk towards his 'son".
Charles could feel the pressure, more so than any other previous played miniature golf hole. He knew he had to make a hole-in-one if he wanted to win. The lad could feel his heart pounding inside of him as he set his ball up for his last putt. His four onlookers collectively held their breaths as Charles went to make his last putt. The pre-teen checked the lie, took a breath, set his putter in motion and then hit the ball. Everyone watched the ball go towards the free game hole and they figured the lad had nailed it. It was not to be. The ball got close but it didn"t have enough power behind it to make it fully up the incline and into the free game opening. Charles and his 'dad", Mr. Ken, would have to settle to share the win.