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 14
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

With the coming of summer, life had settled into a nice routine for 
Ed. Mornings were spent in school, evenings were spent at work, 
and weekends were spent with Kelly. He was taking three courses 
the entire summer, a reduced load that left him with much more 
time to study and less material to study. 

His sex life had taken on a greater role than ever. Kelly frequently 
spent the night with him. On many occasions, Beth joined them for 
the weekend. When John was gone, Beth would spend a night with 
him and a night with Kelly. That had been the case this week since 
John had disappeared on one of his mysterious trips. The 
relationship between Kelly and Beth was growing closer all the 
time. 

The only problem was that John continued to avoid sex with Kelly. 
Frustrated, she couldn't understand why he politely rejected every 
advance that she made. Even Beth was working on John to get him 
to sleep with her friend, but still he refused.  Ed knew that John 
must have a private reason that explained his behavior. While he 
didn't know what the reason was, he gave his friend the benefit of a 
doubt. Still, there were times when he wondered if John felt that 
Kelly wasn't good enough for him.

Returning from work late in the afternoon, Ed was surprised to see 
John's jeep following behind him on the street to his house. Pulling 
into the driveway, Ed wandered across the street to welcome his 
friend back. He paused when he saw John get out of the jeep 
wearing a cloak and carrying his walking stick. The cloak was new 
and made him look like some kind of mystic. The long hair, beard, 
cloak, and staff give the definite impression of a wizard. He froze 
in his tracks when a huge cougar jumped out of the car and sat next 
to John. 

Seeing Ed's reaction to the cat, John headed over to him with the 
cat following. Surprised at the sight of the cat, Ed was unable to 
think of anything original to say. Instead, he just said, "I thought I 
saw a pussy cat. I did, I did!"

Laughing, John just shook his head. The cat looked at Ed like he 
was an idiot. Finally, getting his laughter under control, John said, 
"That's the best reaction I've gotten yet. I'd like to introduce you to 
Rover. Rover, this is Ed. He's my best friend."

With a great display of indifference, the cat came over to Ed and 
sniffed him. Not knowing what else to do, Ed knelt down next to 
the cat and looked it in the eye. It was a magnificent animal. He 
said, "I expect we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

Returning back to John, the cat sat down and just watched Ed. Ed 
looked at the cat, the cloak, and John. He noticed the solid white 
beard and white stripes in John's hair. Thinking about what that 
meant, he asked, "Let me guess. A gift from the Gods and 
Goddesses?"

Nodding, John replied, "From the God."

Looking down at the cat, Ed said, "He's a magnificent animal."

"Well, I haven't figured out yet what I'm supposed to do with him." 
Looking down at the cat, it just sat there looking around at the 
surroundings. 

Ed suggested, "How about taking him into the house and letting 
him stake out his own territory?"

Laughing, John gestured to the house and said, "Come on. Let's get 
some iced tea and watch the sunset. I have a feeling it is going to 
be spectacular tonight."

Together the two men went into the house. As John prepared two 
glasses of iced tea, Ed watched the cat scout out the house. He 
noticed the attention the cat was giving the bathroom. After a few 
minutes of watching, Ed asked, "Could you give me a big bowl?"

Shrugging, John handed him his large cooking pot. After filling it 
with water, Ed carried it out with him to the patio. John brought 
out the two glasses of iced tea and watched as Ed set the pot on the 
ground. Each man sat down in his customary chair as Rover came 
out of the house and drank from the pot. John said, "I think it's 
going to be three of us watching sunsets together from now on."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I don't mind. I rather enjoy the company."

The two men sat there watching the sun slowly set. The sky 
glowed with a deep red color tinged with gold and purple. The 
sight took their breath away, making each man feel small in the 
face of the glory that is nature. As the sky darkened, Ed asked, "Is 
that what the Goddess looks like?"

Surprised by the question, both John and the cat looked at Ed. John 
answered, "Yes. That is what the Goddess looks like."

The easy quiet that was normal between the two men returned as 
they took pleasure in the undemanding presence of the other. Each 
man thought his own thoughts. If Beth or Kelly had been present, 
there wouldn't be a moment of silence. The night sky slowly 
darkened and the stars emerged overhead. Ed said, "I could see 
serving the Goddess."

John looked at his friend in surprise and asked, "What brought that 
on?"

"I was just thinking about the sunset."

Taking a deep breath as he remembered his experience with the 
God, John said, "The God is more like a tornado, power 
concentrated beyond belief."

The silence descended once more. Ed thought about the Gods and 
Goddesses, wondering what it was like to serve them. From his 
personal experience, he knew that John's service to the Goddess 
served the good. In the year that he had had known John, the man 
had saved more lives than even legendary characters in the greatest 
of literature. 

"What do you think your service to the God will entail?"

John answered, "I don't know. I feel an urge to go to the FBI 
building in Phoenix, but I have no idea what that means."

After a short silence, Ed said, "I think it will be a rewarding 
service."

Looking at Ed out of the corner of his eye, John asked, "Are you 
thinking about joining us?"

Shaking his head in the negative, Ed replied, "Not really. I was just 
thinking about what the service to the Gods and Goddesses must 
entail."

After a little more time had passed, Ed asked, "What do you say to 
dinner at Maria's Cantina?"

The idea appealed to John, but a glance down at Rover made him 
reconsider. He said, "I'm not sure how Maria will react to Rover."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I've got a feeling that Rover is going to be 
around for a long time. Might as well get folks around here used to 
him."

Together, the two men headed towards Maria's Cantina followed 
by Rover padding along beside them. More than one neighbor ran 
into the house at the sight of the cat emerging from the dark. After 
the third time that happened, Ed laughed and said, "I think they 
saw a pussy cat."

At the restaurant, Ed went in first to talk to Maria. When he 
entered, Maria said, "Hello, Ed. Are you here for dinner?"

Looking out the door at John, Ed said, "That depends. John has a 
cat with him and is afraid that you won't let him in with it."

"A cat?"

Smiling Ed said, "Yeah, it's a big cat, but it won't let John out of its 
sight."

Frowning, Maria asked, "He can't leave it at home?"

"No, it followed him here."

It was a slow evening and she needed the business. Deciding that if 
John could control the cat, then it would be alright, she said, 
"Okay."

Ed called out the door, "It's okay John."

When John entered with Rover, Maria made the sign of a cross 
several times. Afraid, she squeaked, "That's not a cat."

John performed the introductions, "Rover, Maria. Maria, Rover."

After making another cross, Maria took John and Ed to a table in 
the corner hoping that it was out of the way enough not to bother 
anyone. While Maria did everything she could to keep her distance 
from Rover, Rosa was just the opposite. She immediately fell in 
love with the cat and tried bringing out all kinds of treats for it. 
After a generous amount of  raw hamburger she brought out a big 
bowl of ice cream. 

John and Ed were basically ignored by Rosa as she pampered the 
cat. The food was good and the men enjoyed each others company, 
so the evening wasn't a total loss. Only a few of the customers 
even noticed the cat. The general reaction, after the initial surprise, 
was one of curiosity, but people were polite enough not to bother 
them while they were eating. 

As they were leaving, John stopped to talk to Maria. Edging away 
to keep as much distance between her and the cat, she asked, 
"What can I do for you John?"

John looked around the restaurant and said, "I was just thinking 
about how you might get a little more business."

At that, Maria started paying more attention to John than to the cat. 
John said, "You might want to start a delivery service. When Ed 
suggested that we come eat here, I was about to say that we should 
call in for take out, except you don't have take out."

Maria turned thoughtful trying to figure all of the implications of 
introducing take out. After a minute, she said, "There are some 
details that I would have to work out."

Understanding her hesitancy, John said, "Well, you can probably 
get Manuel or his son to deliver for tips. You won't have to wash 
dishes or occupy table space, so that would be a cost savings."

"Thank you, John. I'll think about it." Maria was quiet as she 
considered the implications from a business perspective. 

As they were about to leave, Rosa popped around the corner and 
said, "If you see Maria, remind her that I'm coming over 
tomorrow."

Both men turned to look at Rosa. She blushed, but looked back at 
them without guile. John answered, "Of course, Rosa."

Absentmindedly, Maria said, "Don't be late tomorrow, Rosa. I 
don't know what you and her do, but you're always late coming 
back from there."

"Yes, Maria," replied Rosa.

Watching the exchange, Ed realized that there was more going on 
here than met the eye. He didn't know what it was and it wouldn't 
take long to find out, but he chose to respect her privacy. Stepping 
outside, he waited for John while watching the stars.

It was a few minutes later when John stepped out of the restaurant 
with Rover beside him. The cat looked around for a few seconds 
and then headed over to a sandy spot. Squatting, the cat went to the 
bathroom. Ed said, "You're going to have to get a litter box."

Looking at the cougar, John asked, "What do you use for litter box 
for a cat that size?"

"How about one of those plastic pools for little kids?" replied Ed.

The cat stepped away and covered its pile with sand using its front 
paws. Looking at its behavior, it was clear that this was just a big 
cat. The cat returned to walk beside John. About half way home, 
the cat ran over to the side of the road and squatted. The two men 
stopped and waited. Ed said, "I think the cat has diarrhea."

Nodding his agreement, John said, "I was afraid of that. Too much 
ice cream."

The men waited for the cat to finish its business. Ed said, "I think 
you'll have to sleep with your back door open tonight. The cat will 
need to go outside a couple of times."

Watching the cat, John had to agree. He said, "I think you're right."

"We might want to let some of the neighbors know the cat is yours. 
I would hate for one of them to take a shot at him."

"I hadn't thought of that," replied John. About that time, the cat 
covered its pile and rejoined them. 

As the three of them walked back towards the house, Ed went from 
door to door letting the neighbors know that they weren't to shoot 
the cat. Finally, he reached Maria's house. Knocking on the door, 
he remembered the message from Rosa. 

Carlos, Maria's husband, answered the door and greeted him, 
"Hello, Ed."

Nodding, Ed said, "Hello Carlos. I came by to give you two 
messages. One for your wife and one for you."

Scratching his stomach, Carlos wondered what kind of message Ed 
could have for him. He was seldom home, working long hours in 
Phoenix. He ran his own lawn care business with a crew of about 
thirty people working for him. The entire day was usually spent 
going from one place to another to make sure that everyone was 
working. He asked, "What do you have to tell me?"

With a little gesture towards John's house, Ed said, "Your neighbor 
John has a cat. It's a full grown cougar. I came by just to let you 
know so that you won't shoot it thinking it's a wild animal."

Laughing, Carlos shook his head in wonder. He had only met John 
once or twice, but Maria was quite taken with him. He said, "So he 
got himself a cougar? I've seen weirder pets in the city. I won't 
shoot it."

The comment about weirder pets made Ed wonder. He asked, 
"What kinds of pets have you seen?"

Carlos answered, "Some of those rich folk are crazy. They've got 
lions, monkeys, ostriches, and other animals that don't belong 
around people. Hell, one bastard has a crocodile that attacked one 
of the men that works for me. My insurance rates went up on that 
one."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I guess one cougar doesn't quite 
measure up to a lion."

Carlos laughed and said, "I guess not. So what was the other 
message?"

The prompt reminded Ed of the second message. He answered, 
"Actually, it's from Rosa. She just wanted to remind Maria that she 
was going to come over tomorrow."

Carlos stepped back and asked, "Rosa? Isn't that Maria's sister 
from over at the restaurant?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes."

"I didn't know that Maria and Rosa were friends. Hold on." He 
turned and called into the house, "Maria, can you come out here?"

Wondering if he had just caused a problem, Ed suddenly felt 
uncomfortable. He didn't really know Carlos that well and wasn't 
privy to any details about their marriage. As far as he knew, 
everything was fine. 

Maria came to the door and upon seeing Ed greeted him, "Hello 
Ed."

Carlos said, "Ed said that Rosa was coming over for a visit 
tomorrow."

Smiling at Ed, she answered, "Oh that's great news. I was hoping 
that she could make it."

The smile that Maria had given Ed reminded him of the day when 
she had told him that she knew about John, Beth, and Betsy. Carlos 
had noticed the smile also and asked, "Have you been seeing a lot 
of her?"

Looking at her husband, she winked and answered, "I would say 
so."

He shuffled his feet uncomfortably and said, "I'm glad you found a 
friend."

Uncomfortable with the tension, Ed said, "Well, I just wanted to 
tell you about the cat and pass on the message from Rosa."

Carlos surprised Ed by asking, "Do you mind if I walk across the 
street with you?"

"No problem. Would you care for some iced tea?"

Carlos smiled and answered, "I heard that you gave up beer. Sure, 
I'll have some iced tea."

The two men went across the street with Ed leading the way. He 
showed Carlos into the house. Carlos took a seat on the couch 
while Ed prepared two iced teas. From the kitchen, he called out, 
"Do you take sugar in yours?"

"Yeah, just a teaspoon," replied Carlos. Looking around the house, 
he was surprised that it was so neat. The stories going around 
about Ed had made him curious. Everyone said that he was a 
different person than before. He didn't know the truth, but he did 
want to make sure that his wife wouldn't have any problems from 
Ed.

Ed brought out the iced tea and handed the glass to Carlos. Sitting 
down in his favorite chair, he turned to face his visitor. He asked, 
"I assume you want to talk to me about something."

"Straight to the point," replied Carlos. He took a sip of the tea and 
nodded his approval. After another sip, he said, "I don't want to see 
my wife hurt by any wild rumors."

Sitting up straight, Ed asked, "Is someone spreading rumors about 
Maria?"

Taken aback by Ed's sudden interest, Carlos said, "No, I just want 
to make sure that you don't start any."

Relaxing, Ed sat back and said, "I wouldn't do that. She's a friend 
of mine."

This surprised Carlos more than anything that he had heard. In a 
tone that bordered on insulting, he asked, "Since when did you 
care?"

"Since the day John Carter rescued your son and I stood there like 
an asshole afraid to move."

"I'm sorry, I didn’t mean it like that." Carlos was confused and 
began to suspect that all of the stories he had heard about Ed were 
true. 

"It was an honest question. You deserved an honest answer," 
replied Ed as he wondered how long it would take for him to live 
down his past reputation as a bigot and a bully. 

Carlos cleared his throat and said, "I'm really sorry. I just worry 
about Maria."

Concerned, Ed asked, "Is there a problem with Maria?"

A debate raged within Carlos as he struggled to decide if he should 
trust Ed. Watching him, Ed recognized the signs of inner turmoil 
and said, "Look. You don't have to tell me if it is something 
personal. I just wanted to know if I could help. If you really have a 
problem, you might want to talk to John. You can trust him."

Carlos realized that he could trust Ed, but didn't feel like he could 
tell the man about this problem. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry. I just 
can't discuss it."

"No problem," replied Ed. He glanced at the iced tea glass and 
asked, "Would you like some more iced tea?"

Surprised at the hospitality, Carlos answered, "Sure."

Taking the glass from Carlos, Ed went into the kitchen and refilled 
it. He came back and handed it to Carlos. Sitting in his chair, he 
said, "Life is funny. A year ago the idea that I could have a 
girlfriend would have shocked everyone. The fact that she is 
beautiful, intelligent, kind, and caring is beyond my belief."

"Sounds like love."

"Yes, it is." Ed took a long sip of his tea and looked over at Carlos. 
Finally, he said, "You and Maria seem to get along alright. At 
least, I don't hear any arguments coming from your house. You 
have a nice kid. You must be doing something right. Do you have 
any advice?"

Chuckling, Carlos said, "You have to learn to accommodate each 
other."

That sounded much simpler on the surface than the reality. Once 
he thought about it, Ed asked, "Would you care to elaborate?"

"Look, Maria and I have many things in common. Those areas 
aren't the problem. It is where we differ that we could have 
problems and we have a lot of differences." Carlos added, "Some 
of the things that she desires drives me crazy, but I let her have 
them because she truly desires them. Some of them I can't give to 
her, but I give her the freedom to get them elsewhere. She does the 
same for me."

"That sounds like good advice," replied Ed. He hadn't thought 
about it. If he accepted the style of marriage that Kelly wanted, that 
would give her a desire that she truly wanted. He might not be wild 
about the idea, but it was for her.

Abruptly, Carlos changed the subject by asking, "What do you 
know about Rosa?"

"I know quite a bit. She's a friend of mine."

Looking at Ed over the top of the iced tea glass, he took a sip, 
swallowed it, and asked, "What can you tell me about her?"

Not trusting the sudden interest in Rosa, Ed said, "I can't tell you 
anything. You can talk to Rosa and she will answer any questions 
that she feels like answering."

"Oh, come on. It'll be just between us men."

Frowning, Ed replied, "Carlos, I do not talk about my friends 
behind their back. I do not tell things that they have told me in 
private. I won't answer any questions that you may have about 
Rosa. If you want to know more about Rosa, I suggest that you ask 
her."

Sitting back, Carlos realized that Ed took confidences very 
seriously. Realizing that he was wrong not to trust Ed, he sat back 
in the chair and said, "Maria likes women."

Having had that suspicion, Ed nodded and asked, "Is that a 
problem?"

"Maybe you didn't understand me. Maria likes women."

"So do I. I assume you do too. So what is the problem?" Ed wanted 
Carlos to say what he thought the problem was.

Frustrated, Carlos said, "Are you daft? Maria likes women."

"I'm not daft," replied Ed. "I understand she likes women. I want to 
know what is the problem."

Believing that Ed didn't get what he was saying, Carlos leaned 
forward and said, "She likes women in a sexual way."

Leaning forward, Ed said, "I understood that. I still don't see the 
problem."

"You don't see a problem?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. Does she like you in a sexual 
way?"

"Yes," replied Carlos. They had a very active sex life with her 
initiating sex many times. The only problem in bed was that he 
liked anal sex very much and she hated it.

"Then I don't see a problem," said Ed. He sat back and took a sip 
of his iced tea. 

Floored beyond belief, Carlos stared at Ed hardly recognizing the 
man in front of him. He asked, "You really don't see a problem 
with that?"

Ed answered, "I don't see a problem with that. In fact, I see some 
benefits to that."

"Benefits?"

Ed said, "Yes, benefits. It is not many men that can wake up with 
two women in his bed."

Carlos scoffed, "What do you know?"

Laughing, Ed said, "My girlfriend likes women too."

Shocked by the revelation, Carlos dropped his glass of iced tea. He 
picked up the glass as Ed went into the kitchen to get a towel to 
soak up the liquid. Returning to the living room, he wiped up the 
spill. Once the spill was cleaned up, he went back into the kitchen 
and refilled the glass with iced tea. He brought it out and set it on 
the coffee table. 

The entire time Ed had been clearing up the mess, Carlos had sat 
there stuttering. Ed sat down and said, "Sorry to have surprised you 
with that. I assumed you knew. I know that Maria is very well 
aware of that fact."

After processing what Ed had just said, Carlos finally said, "You 
don't have a problem with the fact that your girlfriend likes 
women?"

Ed said, "The only problem that I have is that I can't keep up with 
them. The male body just isn't built for repeat performances in the 
same way that the female body is."

Carlos started laughing and once he started he couldn't stop 
laughing. Slapping his knee, he finally managed to say, "Hard to 
believe that the one man that I was sure would drag us through the 
mud understands."

Smiling, Ed waited until Carlos quit laughing. He understood the 
relief the man must have felt even though it wasn't very 
complementary to him. When Carlos had calmed down a little, Ed 
said, "Let me make a telephone call."

Ed went into his study and dialed Maria's Cantina. Maria answered 
in her normal business like manner and said, "Maria's Cantina. 
This is Maria."

Ed replied, "Maria, this is Ed. Could I speak to Rosa?"

When Rosa picked up the phone, Ed said, "Rosa, this is Ed. Could 
I ask you to do me a favor?"

Surprised by the request, Rosa answered, "Sure, what do you 
need?"

Ed answered, "I have someone here that needs to talk to you. 
Could you come over?"

Uncertain, Rosa considered the request and decided that if Ed had 
bad intentions, he would have made that clear by now. She said, 
"Sure, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

Ed said, "Thanks."

Returning to the living room, he noticed that Carlos looked like he 
was ready to leave. Thinking quickly, he decided that the only way 
to keep him there was to show him his study. "Carlos, I'd like to 
show you something. I think you'll like it."

Following Ed, Carlos went into the study. He froze on entering it. 
Turning around with his mouth open, he looked at all of the rocks 
mounted on shelves. Entranced, he looked at the various 
specimens, spending the most time looking at the copper. Now that 
he had invited several people in to see his collection Ed was 
amazed that the copper sample always received more attention 
than the gold sample four inches away. Carlos looked up at Ed and 
said, "I heard that you were studying rocks, but I had no idea."

Smiling, Ed replied, "Not many people knew about this interest of 
mine. I know that my decision to go to college surprised a lot of 
people. Hell, it surprised me."

"This is amazing. It reminds me why I got into the lawn care 
service. I wanted to create gardens that were works of art. 
Occasionally, I get to do that, but most of my business is mowing 
lawns." Carlos wished that he could do more real landscaping, but 
people just didn't expect that from a Latino.

Surprised by the revelation, Ed asked, "Why aren't you doing more 
of that?"

Embarrassed, Carlos said, "Rich folks that can afford real 
landscaping don't go to a Latino."

Having grown up and lived in an area where most of the 
population was Hispanic, Ed hadn't thought about that. He sat 
down in his chair and said, "That sucks."

"Yes, it does."

Ed was silent for a moment and then said, "You need a beard."

"How is growing a beard going to help my business?"

Laughing, Ed said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that kind of beard. I 
meant that you needed someone to deal with your customers that 
they find acceptable while you get to do the part that you enjoy."

Carlos said, "Won't work. Can't bring in a partner to my business."

Ed leaned forward and said, "Look, you start a separate business 
with some guy that is into garden pools or something like that. 
Find someone you like that you think you can work with. Grow the 
real landscaping into a real business."

Impressed with the concept, Carlos stood there staring at Ed. The 
silence drug on as he considered the advice. Finally, he said, "I'll 
think about it."

At that time, there was a knock on the front door. Ed said, "Come 
with me. There is someone you need to meet."

Ed answered the door and invited Rosa into his house. When she 
had stepped inside, Ed said, "Rose, Carlos. Carlos, Rose. You two 
have some things to talk about. I'll be outside looking at the stars."

As Ed closed the door behind him, Rose and Carlos stared at each 
other. Outside, Ed wondered if he had introduced them in the 
proper order. Was it supposed to be that he was to introduce the 
woman first and then the man? He didn't know and wondered 
where one would look something like that up.

Lowering the tailgate on his truck, he sat down on it and watched 
the stars. They were spectacular that night. Fifteen minutes later, a 
very nervous Maria crossed the street. He said, "Hello Maria. How 
are you doing tonight?"

Looking around nervously, she asked, "Where's Carlos?"

Laughing, he replied, "He's in the house. While we were talking, I 
had company. They are in there talking away. I figured I would be 
in the way, so I came out here. Have a seat and watch the stars 
with me for a while."

Confused, Maria sat down and asked, "So who is he talking to?"

Ignoring her question, Ed asked, "Did you ever think of including 
Carlos? You know, invite him into your bed with her."

"What do you mean?"

Ed looked at Maria and said, "You know about John, Beth, and 
Betsy. You know about Kelly, Beth, and me. What's wrong with 
you, Rosa, and Carlos?"

"Nothing, I guess," replied Maria as she looked towards his house. 
She wondered if she actually had the nerve to do that. Carlos had 
always seemed upset about her desires as if her need was a 
comment on his manhood. 

Nodding, Ed said, "Nothing wrong with that idea as far as I'm 
concerned. You might want to get them and take them over to your 
place. I imagine they are about at a point in their conversation 
where you might want to be involved."

Licking her lips nervously, Maria asked, "Why did you do this?"

Looking up at the stars and making out the Little Dipper, Ed 
answered, "I saw three people all struggling with the same 
problem. No one was talking to another, each of you was trying to 
solve the problem all alone. It wasn't working. You know that. I 
know that. Hell, they know that. The only way you three are going 
to be happy is to talk to each other. Now get your hubby and your 
girlfriend."

Shyly, like a virgin bride approaching her marital bed, Maria went 
to the front door and knocked. Ed watched as the three headed 
across the street, to talk honestly for a change. The stars were 
particularly bright that night and he was glad that he had come out 
to look at them.