Message-ID: <46984asstr$1078139403@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Mail-Format-Warning: No previous line for continuation: Wed Aug 14 16:30:23 2002Return-Path: <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-Original-Message-ID: <20040301074447.83697.qmail@web60406.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 23:44:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers I-06 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Lines: 692 Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 06:10:03 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2004/46984> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, IceAltar __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Get better spam protection with Yahoo! Mail. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools <1st attachment, "biggers06.txt" begin> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author. JC: Ed Biggers Part 1: Epiphany Chapter 6 By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004 Kelly and Ed had discussed the kind of future Ed had in store for himself. Since he had never given it much thought, he had no clue and asked for her advice. Kelly suggested that he pick up a little college education. The idea of going to college had really thrown him for a loop and he decided that he should talk to John about the matter. John was in school and could possibly provide some insight into what he might study. John was slowly walking up the street, chatting with neighbors. It amazed Ed at how quickly John had become widely respected in the neighborhood. Finally, John reached his house. Ed Biggers strolled over and greeted him, "Howdy neighbor." "Hi, Ed. How are you doing?" "I'm doing fine." "That's good to hear." Nervous about imposing on John, he asked, "You got a minute to talk?" "Sure, I've got all week. I just finished the second draft and I'll wait a week before reading it over." Ed laughed at the idea of this discussion lasting a week. Most likely, it would last two minutes with most of it spent listening to John laughing at him. He said, "Well, I promise it won't take a whole week." John gestured and said, "Why don't we go out in my backyard and chat there? I have two lawn chairs, some iced tea, and a nice patio with a good view." Ed looked uncomfortable for a minute. It took him a minute to identify the source of his discomfort before he realized that he had never been invited over to someone's house. He answered, "Sure, that would be good." Ed followed John into the house. He watched as John took the pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator and filled two glasses with ice. After taking a glass from John, he followed him outdoors. After seating themselves in the chairs, John poured the iced tea. He set the pitcher on a cinder block situated between the chairs. Taking a sip of the tea, he sighed, "Oh, boy! That tastes real good on a hot day like today." Ed laughed as he realized something for the first time. He said, "You know something. I didn't know that until a couple of weeks ago. I've quit drinking." "Was it tough?" Ed was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. He nodded slightly, "It was a little tougher than I thought it would be. It wasn't that I was an alcoholic. I guess drinking was more of a habit." John nodded as he said, "I understand. I had the same problem when I quit drinking." Ed looked very surprised to hear that. He had assumed that John had never had a tough day in his life. He asked, "You used to drink?" "Oh yes. I quit drinking the night my brother wrapped his car around a telephone pole." "I'm sorry, I didn't know." That revelation surprised him. It was then he realized that he didn't really know much about John's past other than the heroic activities. "No problem," replied John. "It took me a long time to come to grips with it. I guess the day I died was the major turning point with respect to my feelings about death and the death of my brother." "I guess it would tend to change your perspective. Of course, I wouldn't know about that." John was quiet for a while as he thought about his past. He sighed, "I guess I'm not so afraid of dying now. I don't know if that makes it easier for me to do the things that I've done. I really don't think about any of that. I just act." Ed thought about what John had said. Was a man any less of a hero because he wasn't afraid of dying? He didn't think so. Finally, Ed said, "You acted in exactly the same manner before you died as you do now. That's how you got killed." "I guess that's true." They sat there for a while watching the stars come out. The dark Arizona sky made star gazing a wonderful pastime. Ed had never just sat and watched the stars with anyone other than Kelly. It was nice sharing moments like this with someone else. His thoughts were interrupted when John asked, "So how do you feel now that you aren't drinking?" Ed laughed as he answered, "Pretty good. I've found that I have a lot more time than I ever had before." "So what are you going to do to fill up that time? Visit that nurse from the hospital?" Ed laughed, "Yeah, I've been doing a lot of that. Kelly's very nice. She makes me think about things." "Like what, if I may ask?" "Well, we've been talking about my future. It hasn't looked very good for a long time." There was a significant pause as Ed worried about how John would react. He added, "I've decided to go to school." John had just finished putting down his iced tea glass, which was fortunate because if he had been holding it he would have dropped it. He had never heard anything so surprising in his life. He took a moment to compose himself before he said, "That's great. What are you planning on studying?" "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Getting asked the question surprised him. He had expected that John would suggest something to him. John was taken by surprise again. He asked, "So what are you thinking?" "I don't really know what there is out there. Many things, well, they just seem out of my reach. I couldn't be a lawyer or doctor, for example. I'm a little old to start down those paths." Ed waited for a long time for a response, getting more nervous the longer John was quiet. John finally broke his silence when he said, "Ed, let me ask you one question." "Go ahead." "What do you like to do more than anything?" That was a question that he had never considered and didn't understand what that had to do with going to school. He answered, "The only thing I've ever done is work cattle." John shook his head, "No, I don't mean work you like. I mean, what do you really like to do?" Ed's face wrinkled in confusion. He asked, "When?" "Imagine that tomorrow you get to do anything you want. You can take the whole day off with no worries. What would you do?" The fact was that he was faced with a lot of free time now and didn't know what to do with it. The weekends were almost torture now. He answered, "I don't know. What would you be doing?" "I'd be out hiking. I hike almost four months of the year." He liked riding out in the desert, but wondered how that would help. He said, "I didn't think about stuff like that. What has it to do with deciding what you are going to study?" John smiled as he answered, "I wanted to understand rainbows, sunrises, and sunsets." "So you studied physics. Yeah, it makes sense." It did make sense to Ed and he thought that John was fortunate to have been able to combine his interest and his work. "What would you be doing?" "I guess I would be riding around on my horse." John was silent for a minute or two. This line of questioning wasn't going as well as he thought it should. It wasn't natural for an adult man not to have some kind of interest in something. A sudden inspiration hit him, "What are you doing while riding your horse?" Ed looked around a little embarrassed as memories of his father hitting him for his worthless daydreams returned. As a result of his father, he had hidden his interest since then. "Promise you won't laugh?" John made a boy scouts honor gesture and said, "I promise." Ed made a sucking sound between his teeth. This was one of the hardest things to admit aloud. Finally, he said, "I'm looking at rocks." "Rocks?" asked John. "Yes," replied Ed, happy that John had not burst out laughing. "Any special kind of rocks?" Ed answered, "All kinds. There are examples of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous in the area." "Are you more interested in the geology of the area or the mineralogy?" "Actually, I like the mineralogy. You know, I look at things like the shape, composition, and color. The geology just helps me locate them. You don't think that's weird?" John laughed and answered, "God no. That's wonderful!" Ed looked shocked at the positive reaction. He asked, "You don't think it's childish?" "Oh, Ed. You and I are going to have to go to Arizona State University. There's something there that you really need to see." "What's there?" He wondered what he could see at the University that dealt with rocks. He still felt that rocks was a childish activity, his dad had beat that lesson into him well. "Only one of the finest mineralogy departments in the country. It is going to blow your mind with the kinds of things they're doing there." Ed sat up straighter and asked, "Really? What kinds of things?" John smiled and answered, "You'll just have to see for yourself." "You know, I never thought of actually studying rocks formally." John answered, "Let me tell you something that I really believe. If you are passionate about a subject, someone will pay you to work in it. It doesn't matter what subject. I know of a guy who likes to review bad movies. He has a nationally syndicated column where he gets to review bad movies. Like I said, it doesn't matter what subject you are passionate about, someone will pay you for what you know." "You're serious aren't you?" The idea that someone would pay him look at rocks sounded so ridiculous that he had to seriously consider it. "You bet," replied John. He looked up at the sky for a minute and then stated, "I'll tell you what, let me make a call or two tomorrow and arrange a visit there. I'm not sure when the visit will be, but we'll drive up there together. If you want to take Kelly with you, that'll be alright too." "John, you're an amazing person. I'm really glad I talked to you." John shook his head, "I'm glad I was able to help. It's not going to be easy. You'll have to take a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with mineralogy." "No problem." Ed realized that he would happily sit through a bunch of other stuff to have a chance learn more about rocks. He was very happy about this prospect. The next evening, Ed came over to find out about going to the university with John. In response to his knock on the door, John answered. He took one look at Ed and frowned. Ed was rather taken aback by the less than friendly reaction. John noticed the change in Ed's demeanor and apologized, "Oh, Ed. I'm sorry. I'm expecting my girlfriend to drop in anytime now. I had thought you were her for a moment there." Ed knew about the big blowup between the two. It was a good sign that she was coming out here. Ed laughed in relief. He said, "Hell, I'd be disappointed if a man was at the door when I was expecting a woman." John smiled as he said, "Well, I'm sorry anyway. I set up a visit to the university for the day after tomorrow. If Kelly comes, that will make four." Ed grinned at the thought of going there with Kelly. He nodded excitedly and said, "Okay, I'll talk to her tonight. We'll both take the day off." "Great. I'm looking forward to it." "So what are your plans for your girl?" Ed was curious about how John treated the woman in his life. "Oh, I was going to Maria's for Dinner and then over to the bar to meet Shirley." Ed looked around and then said, "I'm going to head across the street. Don't want to interfere with the grand reunion." "You don't have to run off." "Now you're just being polite," replied Ed with a laugh. As he turned and walked away, he shouted out, "Good night John. Have a nice evening." "Thanks. Have a good night!" Ed walked across the street and started to do a little work on the yard. About the time that John had opened his front door and checked the street for a second time, Ed had worked out a plan. Ed shook his head when John waved and went back in the house. Ed wandered down the road, calling out to people as they ran into their houses in a move to avoid him. The few that turned around, listened to what he had to say nervous at his attention. After he delivered his invitation, he went on to the next neighbor. Everyone he talked to was left confused, staring at him walk away. Ed entered the Bar and sidled up to the counter. Worried about what it meant, Shirley looked over at the smile on his face. She came over and asked, "Coke?" Ed shook his head and answered, "No. I need to rent the place for the evening." Very surprised at the request, Shirley asked, "What's the occasion?" Ed answered, "John's girlfriend is coming to town tonight. I want to throw a little party for them. I've invited everyone that I've seen so far." Shirley looked at Ed in wonder. He was actually putting together a party for another person. She asked, "What would you like to serve?" Ed answered, "I figure you could serve soft drinks and ice tea. Anyone that wants a drink would still buy it from you. I was going to get Maria to cater it and some fresh pies from the restaurant next door." Shirley liked John a lot and the idea of having a party appealed to her. She shrugged, "Okay, I can let you have it." Ed asked, "How much?" A usual night brought in about four hundred. There should still about two hundred in liquor sales, so two hundred seemed like a reasonable amount. She answered, "Two hundred plus the cost of beverages?" Ed said, "Great. I'll be back." "I'll be here," replied Shirley. She went to work cleaning the pitchers and getting the place ready for a crowd. She had doubts that anyone would show up, particularly if Ed invited them. Still, this was for John and for some reason she really liked the man. Besides, she was curious who the woman was and what she was like. Ed went over to Maria's Cantina. She wouldn't be opening for another hour, but he was sure that she would be there. Knocking on the door of the restaurant, Ed waited for an answer. Maria opened the door and saw Ed standing there. Uncomfortable with the situation, Ed said, "Maria, I need to get some food catered." If her business hadn't been teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, she would have shut the door right then. She didn't really trust Ed, despite the events earlier with Harry. In an untrusting tone of voice, she asked, "What do you need?" Ed said, "How about a container of enchiladas, some tacos, frijoles, rice, tamales, and sopaipillas?" This was a pretty good size order. She asked, "How many people?" Ed replied, "About fifty people." Maria thought about it and worked out the figures in her head. She thought about eight dollars a person, but lowered that to six. She said, "That'll run you about three hundred." Ed shrugged and answered, "Fine, it's worth it." His calm acceptance of the amount made her wonder what the occasion was that prompted him to do this. It was a fact that even Ed couldn't bully that many people into coming to a party. She asked, "What's the occasion?" Ed smiled, "John's girlfriend is coming to town tonight. I want her to feel welcome." At the mention of John's name, Maria smiled. For John, this would be no problem. She asked, "What are the details?" Ed said, "I've rented Shirley's bar for the evening. I figure people will start arriving in about an hour and a half. Can you deliver that much by then?" Knowing that John was the guest of honor, she answered, "For John, we can do it." Ed had no idea of what John had done for Maria, but he didn't argue. Instead, he said, "Thanks a lot, Maria. I really appreciate it. I'll see you there." Maria watched Ed walk off to the center of town. When he was out of sight, she went in and started to work on food. She shook her head as she thought about Ed actually setting up a party for someone else. Ed headed to the restaurant in town. The sign on the door advertised fresh home-made pies. He often ate there and knew the pies were pretty good. A lot of people in town bought whole pies here and took them home for desert. He entered and went over to the cashier. The woman behind the counter looked at Ed and asked, "What can I do for you?" Looking over the selection of pies, Ed asked, "How many pies can you spare tonight?" The woman answered, "All of our pies are for sale." Laughing, Ed replied, "If I buy all your pies, you won't have any left for your other customers." The woman, surprised that Ed could be that considerate, thought about how many pies she could let go without creating a problem. She said, "Would eight be enough?" Ed answered, "That would be perfect. Could you deliver them to the bar?" "Sure, it will cost an extra five bucks delivery fee." Ed pulled out a fifty and laid it on the counter. He said, "Eight pies at five dollars a pie and a five dollar delivery fee. This ought to cover it. Keep the change." Very surprised at the tip, she said, "Thanks." Ed turned to head over to the bar to check on the arrangements there. He paused and turned to the woman behind the counter. He asked, "Do you know John Carter?" She was quiet for a moment and then answered, "Sure, he's been in here a couple of times. He's a nice guy." Ed said, "His girlfriend is coming to town. The party at the bar is to make her feel at home. You can come to it." "Thanks, I might stop by." She watched Ed leave wondering what had happened to him. It didn't matter, she would drop by just to say hello to John. Delivering the pies herself would allow her to say hello to John when he arrived at the party. It was much later when Betsy entered the bar, followed closely by John. Once they were in the bar proper, everyone shouted hello. Both John and Betsy jumped at the sudden outburst and were immediately surrounded by a large crowd. Ed came up to them and with a grin on his face said, "Hello neighbor. Can I buy you two a drink?" John smiled at the reference to their meeting. He replied, "Sure, we'll take two wimp drinks." The whole bar laughed at that with Ed laughing the loudest. Puzzled by the reference, Betsy recognized that it was an inside joke. Ed came over to Betsy and extended his hand, "I'm Ed Biggers. I take it you are Betsy." "Yes, I am. Nice to meet you Ed." She smiled and nodded her head in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I wondered what kind of angel could throw steady John into such a frenzy. He was racing around today like a mad bull in a red room. I bet he cleaned that house three times before you got here. I do know that he was looking out the door every five minutes to see if you had arrived." Betsy laughed and turned to John, "Is that true?" "I only cleaned it twice and it was every four minutes, not five." She kissed him on the cheek and laughed, "Only twice? I'm shocked and dismayed." The rest of the evening went by very quickly. Ed enjoyed watching John and Betsy interact with everyone in town. The amazing thing to him was how popular John was after being in town for only a month. He liked Betsy, she was so much like Kelly that it was hard to believe. Most important of all, it was good to see John happy. After settling up with Shirley and Maria, he left the bar feeling very pleased with himself. The first to leave the party, he felt that it would give some of those that were intimidated by him a chance to mingle a little more. The past few weeks had demonstrated to him how he was viewed by most people. At least now, he had done a nice thing, not expecting a reward. As he walked home, he whistled a tune to himself, not even knowing the name of the song. It was a nice evening and he enjoyed the walk. The street was nearly deserted as most of the people were at the bar. The Sheriff's car was parked outside his house and the Sheriff was sitting on the hood. He watched Ed wander up the street waiting for him to return home. When Ed reached him, he said, "Hello, Ed." Ed frowned as he wondered what the problem might be that would bring the Sheriff to his place. He answered, "Hello, Sheriff." The Sheriff asked, "What's going on Ed?" Ed answered, "There's a party for John up at the bar. I think there is some food left. You might want to stop by. Maria outdid herself." Shaking his head, the Sheriff said, "I thought I told you to leave John alone." Ed shook his head as he tried to imagine giving up the friendship that he had only now acquired. He answered, "Would you like to come in and have a glass of iced tea?" The Sheriff stared at Ed and nodded his agreement. Standing up, he followed Ed into his house. Ed went to the refrigerator and fixed two glasses of iced tea. Standing behind him, the Sheriff noticed that there weren't any beers in the refrigerator. Ed turned and said, "I have a couple of cases of beer. You know anyone that would like them?" The Sheriff laughed as he answered, "I'm not sure that it would look too good if I handed out beer to some of our better known drinkers." "You're probably right," replied Ed. Opening the pantry, he pointed at the stack of cases there and asked, "How about you take these and use them for your department picnics?" The Sheriff looked at the cases of beer and shook his head at the quantity. Rather than leave them here, he decided it would be better to take the beer off Ed's hands. He answered, "Sure, I'll do that." Ed answered, "Great." Leading the Sheriff to the living room, Ed seated himself in his comfort chair, offering the Sheriff a seat on the sofa. The Sheriff sat down sipping his iced tea. Once he was comfortable, the Sheriff asked, "Didn't I tell you to leave John alone?" Ed looked at the Sheriff and said, "Until a couple of weeks ago, there was only one person in town that I respected. Then I met John and that number doubled. Since then, I've been looking around at the people around me and found that a lot more of them that deserve my respect. I now have one friend and I'm not giving him up because you want me to leave him alone." Ed's statements surprised the Sheriff in many ways. He asked, "Who was the person that you respected?" Laughing, Ed replied, "I know you won't believe this, but it was you." "Me?" asked the Sheriff. He had been holding Ed back form killing others for as long as he could remember. Ed answered, "You were the only one in town that consistently stood up to me and kept me from getting into more trouble." Not sure if Ed was sucking up to him, the Sheriff let the subject drop. He said, "You say that you respect John. Why?" Ed asked, "Did you check up on John?" The Sheriff shook his head and said, "The hospital wouldn't release any information about him. Patient client privileges." Surprised, Ed sat there for a moment. He had only taken the word of the people at the hospital about John. Thinking about it, he decided that there was one way to prove it. He picked up the telephone and called information for the Austin Police Department. When they gave him the option to put the call through, he accepted it. As he handed the phone over to the Sheriff, he said, "Ask them about John." The Sheriff, shocked, took the phone from Ed. After a five minute discussion with an officer on the other end, a very pale Sheriff handed the phone back to Ed. He looked at Ed and said, "Is all that stuff true? Did he really do all those things?" Ed shrugged and answered, "He doesn't talk about it. I do know that one of his rescues very nearly cost him his girlfriend. She came here today and I wanted to make sure that she had a good time." The Sheriff thought about the things the officer had told him about John. He could understand how that might have an effect on Ed. It went far to explain some of the changes that Ed had undergone in the past few weeks. He said, "Okay, I believe that your intentions are not bad." Ed said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone what you learned tonight. John asked me not to tell anyone about his past. I've respected that as much as I can." "Why is he here?" "You mean, is he hiding out?" asked Ed. He laughed when he thought about the real reason. It was actually more impressive than much of what the Sheriff had learned. He said, "He's writing his dissertation to become a Doctor of Physics. He wanted a quiet place to work where he wouldn't be interrupted. I respect his need for quiet and time to work on it. I only talk to him when he's taking a break." "You really like him, don't you?" asked the Sheriff. He had known Ed for a long time and could hardly believe what he was hearing. His experience told him that Ed had a need to dominate everyone around him. Ed was driven to be the Alpha male in a pack. The subject was actually making Ed feel uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about his feelings, but the Sheriff really wanted to know. He answered, "Yes, I do. Knowing him has made me rethink my life and I'll tell the truth. I didn't like what I saw." The Sheriff finished his iced tea and set the glass down. He stood up and said, "Ed, for the first time in a long time I really believe you. As long as you watch yourself, I'll leave you alone." Ed stood and extended his hand. When the Sheriff accepted his hand in a handshake, Ed answered, "Thanks, Sheriff. You don't have to ignore me either." After loading the beer into the back of the car with a lot of help from Ed, the Sheriff drove off shaking his head. If someone had told him a month ago that he would have had a conversation with Ed Biggers over an iced tea, he would have thrown them in the drunk tank. He wondered if it was time for him to retire. On second thought, there were still a few out here just like Ed. There was still work for him to do. After the Sheriff left, Ed picked up the phone and called Kelly. When she answered, he said, "Hello, I'm searching for the most beautiful woman in the world. Is this she?" Laughing, Kelly answered, "This is she, if the caller is a special cowboy." There was a real connection between the two. He said, "Well, you're talking to a cowboy that's arranged a trip to the university to check out their programs. Would you like to go with me?" "When?" asked Kelly happy that he was taking his future seriously. He said, "The day after tomorrow. John's girlfriend is in town and she's coming along. I'd like it if you came with me." Kelly thought about it and decided that she could take a day off from work. In her opinion, it was important for her to support him in his quest to improve himself. She said, "I'll call the hospital and see if I can get the day off." Ed, not having thought about that, answered, "Okay. Let me know." The two of them talked for another half an hour. It was the kind of small talk that lovers make when they don't want the conversation to end. Nothing serious was exchanged, just talk of their evening, the weather, and other topics. <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. The post was sent as an email attachment and has been converted by ASSTR ASSM moderation software. ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+