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 15
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

A very angry Kelly stomped around her apartment shouting, "Why 
doesn't he want me?"

It was easy to understand her frustration, John had consistently 
rejected every offer to go to bed with her. Beth had invited her into 
their bed and he had made love to Beth, but refused to even touch 
her.  Even Beth had been irritated by the outright rejection of her 
lover by John. 

Knowing that any attempt to calm things down would fail, Ed sat 
mutely on the couch watching the tirade continue. He believed 
John wasn't going to sleep with her until he was ready to make a 
commitment to her. It was the same reason that he had waited to 
make love to her. He couldn't tell her that since it was John's 
reason and they should discuss it with each other.

Beth sat next to Ed on the couch, watching her lover vent her 
frustration. Having Ed here made it much more difficult to talk to 
Kelly. There were times when having a man around wasn't desired 
and this was one of those times. Still stomping around, Kelly 
shouted, "The man must hate me!"

Tired of it all, Ed said, "Be quiet for a moment and lets clear up 
some things."

Kelly and Beth both turned on Ed with eyes that shot daggers at 
him. The attention was not exactly the kind that he had desired, but 
he would accept it. In the midst of the quiet, Ed asked, "Kelly, is it 
agreed that you want you, Beth, John, and I to become wife, wife, 
husband and husband?"

Surprised that he was stating the obvious, Kelly answered, "Yes. 
That is what I want more than anything else in the world. The 
problem is that John hates me."

Ed turned to Beth and asked, "Is that kind of marriage what you 
want?"

Looking over at Kelly, Beth smiled and said, "Yes, I want that."

Looking from one woman to the other, Ed said, "I am willing to 
accept John as a husband to have both of you as wives."

Kelly and Beth looked at each other for a second concerned with 
how he worded it. Kelly asked, "You're willing?"

"Yes, I'm willing," replied Ed. He continued, "So three of the four 
principals involved all agree on what they would like. Now, has 
anyone asked John?"

A sudden silence descended on the room. It was not the 
comfortable kind of silence that existed during conversations 
between John and Ed. It was the uneasy kind that followed the 
realization that someone screwed up. Looking from Kelly to Beth, 
Ed said, "Now, I think someone needs to talk to John and see what 
his feelings are about this whole idea. Myself, I'm going home."

Leaving two stunned women behind, Ed went to his truck and 
drove towards his house. It was only after he pulled out of the 
apartment complex that he understood to what actions he had 
committed himself.

The drive home wasn't that long, but Ed didn't arrive home for 
several hours. As he was heading there, he noticed Manuel by the 
side of the road kicking his old truck. Pulling over, he called out, 
"What's the matter?"

"Senior Ed, my truck is dead. The transmission is shot," answered 
Manuel. Of all the people in town, Manuel never thought one way 
or the other about Ed. Ed was just another possible customer and 
that was all that mattered to Manuel. Although he was the hardest 
working man in the entire area, Manuel barely made a living. The 
family lived in the worst house in town, barely able to get by from 
month to month. 

Seeing that Manuel was alone, Ed asked, "Where's your son?"

Grimacing, Manuel said, "He's in the other truck with the other 
half of the load. I took the old truck so that we would only have to 
make one trip."

After driving his the truck closer, Ed got out and said, "Well, let's 
get your load in the back of my truck. I can't help you with your 
truck, but we can at least deliver your load."

"Gracias Senior Ed," replied Manuel. He moved to the back of his 
truck and lowered the tailgate. The back of the truck was filled 
with auto parts from the junkyard. It was a heavy load, far too 
heavy for the old truck.

Together the two men transferred the load to Ed's truck. It took 
them about thirty minutes to move all of the parts. The physical 
work felt good to Ed and allowed him to burn off some of his 
frustration. Manuel was quiet, just working nonstop.

Ed asked, "So where is all of this stuff going?"

Manuel replied, "To the high school. The auto shop class is 
rebuilding a mustang."

"Sweet," remarked Ed. He had never had a mustang, but it was a 
very popular car when he was growing up. 

The ride to the high school was quiet until Ed spotted Manuel's son 
driving towards him. Stopping the car, he rolled down the window 
and flagged him down. Stopping his truck so that he and Ed were 
side by side, Joe called out, "I see you have my father with you."

Ed answered, "Sure do. His truck broke down back there. We're 
taking the load over to the school."

The irritation on Joe's face was obvious to Ed. Joe glared at his 
father and said, "I told him that truck wouldn't make it."

Recognizing the tension between Joe and Manuel, Ed tried to 
change the subject. He said, "Why don't you follow us back to the 
school and help us unload?"

Frowning, Joe answered, "Okay. I'll see you there."

As Ed drove on to the school, Manuel said, "My son thinks he 
knows more than I do about this business. He thinks that we don't 
charge enough. He isn't very happy and will probably quit. That 
will mean the end of it."

Rather than admit that he agreed with the son, Ed asked, "How 
much are you getting paid for this job?"

Manuel replied, "Fifty dollars."

"How can you make any money charging that little?"

Surprised, Manuel looked at Ed and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I figure that it took you a half an hour or more to load the 
truck. For two of you, that's an hour of work. It will take another 
hour of work for you to unload it. The junkyard is about an hour 
and a half away. I figure that is a three hours spent one way for you 
and Joe. Round trip makes that six hours.  So that's eight hours of 
work so far. You've got to pay for gas for two trucks, I figure that's 
about fifteen or twenty bucks. So let us say, twenty. That means 
you actually have thirty dollars for eight hours of work. You just 
made less than four dollars an hour."

Shocked, Manuel looked at Ed and said, "Four dollars an hour?"

Turning into the drive at the high school, Ed answered, "Yes. Of 
course, it's probably going to take you another hour for the two of 
you to take care of the truck. Then you have the repair bills. I 
would suggest that this job probably cost you money."

Manuel replied, "I charge what people are willing to pay."

Shaking his head, Ed countered, "You charge what you think 
people are willing to pay. They are actually willing to pay more."

Manuel said, "I'll lose business."

"You'll lose business that's costing you money. Besides, you are 
the only one in the county doing that. They don't have much choice 
except to do it themselves. They'll discover that you're a lot 
cheaper even if you are charging more."

After being quiet for a moment, Manuel asked, "So how much 
would you have changed?"

Smiling at Manuel, Ed said, "I would have taken a simple ten 
dollars an hour for each person and five dollars an hour for each 
vehicle. That comes to about a hundred and twenty. Of course, if I 
was really serious about it, I would determine how much it actually 
costs for the truck. I'd charge fifteen an hour for you and ten for 
your son. That way, when you are ready to expand the business 
you can actually hire someone."

"Hire someone?" 

"Sure, I'd get someone to drive a second truck as soon as possible. 
That way, I could make a couple of dollars or so for each hour that 
they are working." Parking the truck next to the garage of the auto 
shop, Ed turned off the engine. He turned to Manuel and said, 
"You are one of the hardest working men in the county. You 
deserve to get paid for your work. So does your son."

Getting out of the truck to greet the instructor for the shop class, 
Ed said, "The transmission on Manuel's truck went out on the way 
here."

"That's a shame."

As Manuel got out of the truck, Ed asked, "How about having the 
shop class fix up the truck instead of paying for the hauling?"

Staring at Ed, Manuel was shocked that he would ask for a 
transmission job as payment. They ran hundreds of dollars. He was 
even more shocked when the instructor said, "Sure. No problem. 
The kids can always use more experience with trannies."

Joe pulled up behind Ed and got out to help unload the truck. 
Glaring at his father, the two men quickly went to work while Ed 
talked to the shop teacher. Glancing at them out of the corner of his 
eye, Ed could see the father and son talking to each other. The 
instructor went over to supervise the placement of the parts in the 
workshop. 

Once the parts were unloaded, Ed went over to the three men and 
put a hand on Joe's shoulder. He said, "Joe, why don't you stay 
here and make the arrangements for getting the transmission 
repaired on the truck? Maybe you can get a friend to help you tow 
it here."

Uncomfortable at the attention from Ed, Joe replied, "Okay."

Smiling at his discomfort, Ed said, "I'm going to take your father 
over to Shirley's for something cool to drink."

Manuel replied, "I don't drink. You know, I drive for a living and 
can't afford it."

"Neither do I. I was thinking of a coke," said Ed. Noticing the 
shocked looks from the three men, he added, "Besides. It's early 
afternoon at Shirley's and she won't be busy. You should talk to 
her. She's a sharp business woman."

Leaving behind a shocked Joe, Ed and Manuel drove over to 
Shirley's. As he parked, Ed said, "I hope that you didn't mind me 
taking your payment in trade. I figure the transmission job is worth 
as much as you should have charged."

Manuel replied, "Mind? I don't mind. My son was overjoyed."

Entering the bar, Ed saw that they were the only ones there. 
Business wouldn't pick up until five that afternoon. For now, they 
would be able to talk to Shirley without interruption. Looking up in 
surprise to see customers, Shirley smiled when she saw Ed. She 
said, "Cokes?"

Turning to Manuel, Ed asked, "Is coke okay?"

"Sure."

Turning to Shirley, Ed said, "Three cokes. We came here to talk to 
you."

Looking at the two men, Shirley went to the bar and filled a pitcher 
with coke. She handed the pitcher to Ed. Filling three glasses with 
ice, she carried them to a table and sat down. Ed and Manuel 
joined her at the table. After the glasses were filled and distributed 
around the table, Shirley asked, "Okay, what do you want to talk 
about?"

Ed said, "Manuel works too hard and makes too little. I think that 
he needs some business advice from a real business person. You 
and Maria are the best in the area."

Laughing, Shirley said, "You don't know that. You just like talking 
to me."

Ed laughed and shook his head. There were times when he worried 
about Shirley and the fact that she didn't get out enough. Still, she 
managed to keep her sense of humor even though she dealt with 
drunk cowboys half the day. He said, "No. I'm serious. You need 
to tell him about the local chamber of commerce, how to estimate 
his jobs, and how to tell if his business is doing good or not."

Turning thoughtful, Shirley looked at Manuel. She finally said, 
"You know. I never think about what you do as a business, but it 
is. I bet you don't think of it as a business, too."

Manuel said, "I just haul things."

Realizing what Ed wanted to accomplish, Shirley turned to Manuel 
and said, "You haul things for money. That is a business. You 
deserve to make a descent wage and a profit for your efforts."

Ed added, "You also have to pay Joe a descent wage. He's 
probably wanting to get married. For that, he wants to have his 
own house."

Looking from one to the other, Manuel looked like he wanted to 
bolt. Taking a sip of his coke just to have something to do, he 
finally replied, "Maybe my son has a point."

As Shirley and Manuel talked, Ed finished his coke. He stood and 
said, "I've got to use the rest room."

The pair ignored him as he stood and went to the bathroom. As he 
stood at the urinal relieving his bladder, he realized that he couldn't 
do any more to help Manuel. It was time for him to head home. 
Leaving the bathroom, he noticed that Joe had stopped in and 
joined his father at the table with Shirley. Rather than leave 
immediately, Ed made a detour to the bar to pick up an extra glass 
for Joe. Pulling a ten out of his pocket, he put it on the bar to pay 
for the drinks. 

At the table, Ed set the glass in front of Joe and said, "Here you go. 
Have some coke."

"Thanks."

Turning to Shirley, he said, "I put the money for the coke on the 
bar. I'll see you later."

"Thanks," replied Shirley with a quick smile in his direction. She 
was still working on some of the business details with Manuel and 
hardly heard Ed.

Ed left the bar and drove home. After parking his truck and getting 
out, he was tackled by a very exuberant Rosa. As she planted 
kisses all over his face, Ed tried to figure out what was going on.  
Finally getting control of the situation, he held Rosa at arms length 
asking, "What's that about?"

"Only for being the best friend that a person can have," replied 
Rosa. Stepping back, she turned and headed down the driveway 
humming to herself in an outburst of happiness.

Confused, Ed asked, "What did I do?"

Rosa didn't answer as she skipped on down the street. Shaking his 
head, he noticed John across the street smiling at him. Throwing 
up his hands, he went across the street saying, "What did I do?"

"I don't know, but you've got lipstick on your cheek." John laughed 
at his friends confusion. Even Rover looked amused.

Wiping his cheeks to remove any trace of lipstick, Ed said, "I don't 
know what to say. It's been a strange day."

With a negligent wave of his hand, John said, "Come on back and 
have some iced tea."

With both men ensconced in the lawn chairs on the patio, Ed said, 
"You ever wonder about life?"

Laughing, John answered, "Just about every day."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. I don't mean like that. It just seems 
to me that most days are alike. Things go along unchanging from 
one day to the next. Then one day, everything gets turned on its 
head and nothing really makes sense anymore."

The men sat there deep in thought, each pursing the question in 
their own way. As the iced tea was drank, one or the other would 
get up and refill the glass. As the tea had the biological 
consequences, one or the other would get up and use the bathroom. 
Time passed slowly, but unmeasured by either man. Finally, John 
said, "I don't think every day is like every other day. It is just that 
most differences between days don't matter much to us.  We ignore 
them. Then one day, the difference is significant to us. We notice 
and ask why today was not like yesterday, when in fact it is just 
like yesterday."

Smiling Ed asked, "You mean today has been different because I 
actually noticed that it was different?"

"In a way, that's true," replied John. A pause, filled by both men 
taking a sip of their tea, followed that statement. John continued, "I 
would say that the difference meant something to you, so you 
noticed it."

Again a silence descended upon the men. It was the comfortable 
silence that Ed had come to enjoy so much. Rover, bored with 
sitting there, went for a short walk in the desert. The cat always 
kept John in sight. Next door, Carlos and Maria came out into the 
backyard and sat down. Both of them waved to John and Ed. They 
returned the wave in a friendly manner. 

After a few minutes, Ed said, "Wait a minute. I've never seen 
Carlos home during the day."

"Come to think of it, neither have I." Looking over at the pair in 
their backyard, John tried to see if there was something the matter, 
but the couple looked happy. 

Watching Rover moving around the desert and the neighbors next 
door, they sat quietly each thinking their own thoughts. Finally, Ed 
said, "How about a barbecue?"

"Pardon?" asked John surprised at the sudden change in topic.

"A barbecue," replied Ed. He added, " We'll invite Carlos and 
Maria over. They can bring a salad or something."

Smiling, John replied, "You know what, that sounds great."

Excited at the idea, Ed said, "I'll go to the store and get a couple of 
steaks. Maybe you can cook up something."

Considering what he could prepare, John said, "I'll make some 
camp beans. We've got a couple hours."

From that modest beginning, the idea for a barbecue snowballed. 
Before long, everyone in the neighborhood was invited over for a 
pot luck barbecue. John had whipped up a ton of beans. Maria 
came over with a big bowl of potato salad. Other neighbors came 
over with fresh baked bread, deserts, and salads. Someone had 
brought over a package of chicken. They joined the stack of steaks 
that Ed had bought. John made patties out of half the hamburger in 
his refrigerator that he was keeping to feed the cat. 

One of the neighbors brought over a barbecue grill made from a 
fifty-five gallon barrel. While a fire was being built in the grill, the 
kids played tag in the back yard. Rover was playing with some of 
the little kids, letting them pet him and tickle his stomach. The 
yard quickly became populated with folding chairs as people 
brought over their own seats. 

A little scrounging in the neighborhood turned up some sawhorses 
and boards to make some impromptu tables. Ed and Carlos 
manned the barbecue grill, cooking the meat to order. As fast as 
pieces of chicken, hamburgers, and steaks were cooked, they were 
eaten. Ed and Carlos were soon reprieved from their duties as 
cooks by a couple of the other men, thus giving them a chance to 
get something to eat. 

Walking over to John with a medium rare steak, Ed smiled and 
said, "Here's your raw meat."

John looked over at Ed's plate and commented, "Yours looks like 
charcoal."

Both men burst out laughing and went to the table with the side 
dishes. After loading up their plates, they sat down to eat. Smiling 
at each other, they dug into their food. They had hardly gotten the 
first bite in their mouth when Kelly and Beth showed up. Still 
chewing his piece of steak, Ed held up a hand in greeting. Kelly 
came over to him and looked around at the crowd. After 
swallowing, Ed said, "Get a plate and load up on food. We have 
plenty here."

Very surprised to see the large number of people in the yard, Kelly 
asked, "Did you throw a party and forget to invite us?"

Realizing how it looked, John answered, "Well, it started small and 
just kept growing."

After looking around, Beth said, "Wow, it's like everyone in the 
neighborhood showed up."

Laughing, Ed said, "Yeah, it really grew from just John and I."

They didn't get a chance to say much more to each other. Maria 
showed up and led the two women away to meet her husband. 
After two hours of playing with the kids, Rover returned to John 
and then went into the house. John followed the cat and fed it the 
rest of the hamburger. Coming through the door, Ed watched the 
cat eat for a moment before refilling his glass of iced tea. The two 
men were about to leave when Carlos came in the house and closed 
the door behind him. 

Surprised that Carlos had closed the door, John said, "Hello, 
Carlos. Having a good time?"

Looking over his shoulder at the crowd outside, Carlos said, "Oh, 
that's a nice party. I'm glad I was here to participate. It seems I 
miss too many of the things going on in the neighborhood."

Now that he was busier, Ed understood exactly what Carlos meant. 
He said, "We noticed that you were here and that started it."

"Well," replied Carlos. He paused as if too nervous to continue. He 
said, "I wanted to thank you both for what you've done for us."

Now it was John's turn to be confused. He looked at Ed, receiving 
a shrug, and then asked, "What did we do?"

Very nervous, Carlos answered, "Look, I found out about Beth and 
Betsy sleeping together. Now, I know that you are a pretty brave 
guy and no one thinks you are a wimp. So, I realized that if my 
wife slept with women occasionally that it wasn't any thing to do 
with me being a man."

Understanding flooded over John and Ed both. They looked at 
each other with a smile. John said, "Congratulations. Is it working 
out okay?"

With a very happy smile, Carlos replied, "Yes. I never knew that 
two women could be that exhausting."

Laughing, Ed suggested, "You have to be quite a man to keep up 
with two women. Lord knows I can't."

Carlos turned to Ed with a smile as he said, "I have to thank you 
for getting the three of us talking. If you hadn't forced the issue 
that night, I doubt we'd have ever sat down and talked."

When John started laughing, Ed looked at him in confusion. 
Hardly able to control his laughter, John said, "Now we know why 
Rosa was kissing you out there."

Blushing, Ed replied, "Oh my."

As Carlos turned to leave, he said, "The women are looking for 
some way to thank you each for all you've done."

Together, both men said, "No need."

Looking at each other, they both broke out laughing. Carlos 
opened the door and left the house chuckling. After getting 
themselves composed, both men returned outside. They watched 
Maria talking with Kelly and Beth, wondering what the discussion 
entailed. Odds were, they would never get all of the details under 
the cover of that great phrase of censorship, 'girl talk.'

Rover came out of the house and went from person looking for 
leftover meat.  After seeing the cat take a couple of steak bones 
and halves of hamburgers, John stood up and announced, 
"Everyone, just one request. Please do not feed the cat ice cream."

Laughing at the memory of the walk home from Maria's Cantina, 
Ed seconded that by saying, "It makes the cat very sick."

When John returned to his seat, Ed wandered over to see Beth and 
Kelly. Intending to sneak up on her, his intent was torpedoed by 
Maria saying, "Speak of the devil, here he is."

As Kelly turned, Ed said, "I can't even sneak up on the girl talk. 
What's with that?"

The three women laughed as Kelly mock punched him on the arm 
and said, "No men allowed. That's a law of nature!"

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "I give up."

Sidling up to him, Beth said, "You seem to have gained some 
popularity in the neighborhood. It seems that people are talking 
about you."

Shrugging, Ed said, "I don't know why. I haven't done anything for 
the neighborhood. Now, John, he's a different story. I have no idea 
how many people he's helped around here."

Kelly said, "I don't understand it. Anytime something good 
happens, you and John are the first ones to point to someone else. 
Can't you ever take credit for anything you do?"

Shrugging away the need for credit, Ed said, "When I actually do 
something, I'll tell you."

"What about Los Angeles?"

"I was just following John," replied Ed. The reply was so 
automatic that he didn't even think about it. 

Kelly and Beth just looked at each other and said, "Right."

Watching the exchange, Maria wondered what was the story about 
Los Angeles. She had known they went there during the 
earthquake, but they had never talked about it. Her ears perked up 
when Ed said, "Besides, you girls did all of the real life saving 
there. We just brought people to you."

Kelly shook her head and said, "Wasn't there something about you 
and John running into burning and falling buildings?"

Uncomfortable with the subject, Ed shrugged and said, "I guess we 
all agree. The real hero was Juan."

As the women laughed, Ed wandered off to talk to other people 
there. Looking back, he could tell that Maria was busy probing for 
information about the trip. He hoped that they didn't make too 
much of a deal out that day. The last thing he wanted was people 
treating him like some kind of hero.

Returning to his normal chair, Ed was in time to hear Jorge from a 
couple of houses over, ask John, "So you mean to tell me that you 
think a man should listen to his wife?"

John said, "Of course. If she doesn't tell you what she wants and 
desires, then there is no way for you to give it to her."

With a real look of puzzlement, Jorge asked, "So what? She's my 
wife."

In a very patient voice, John said, "That's true she's your wife. 
She's your companion, your support, and your lover. Don't you 
think that she deserves some respect and attention from you?"

"I respect her. I mean we both have our jobs in the marriage and 
we do them. What else is there?"

In a reverent voice, John replied, "There are your accomplishments 
to share. To know that when you do something great, she is there 
beside you praising you for your great deed. To know that when 
you are tired, she is there to rub your back and tell you that things 
will be better in the morning. She can give you so much more than 
her duties require and that extra is what makes it all worth while."

Totally captivated by the suggestion that there were more things 
that a wife could do than what her duties required, Jorge asked, 
"That extra?"

Ed leaned over and, in a quiet voice, suggested, "Waking up in the 
morning with her mouth on your cock. Coming home from work to 
find her naked in bed waiting for you. To make love to her while 
she's washing the dishes. There's so much happiness that a woman 
can provide to the right man that loves her."

Eyes wide, Jorge asked, "A wife sucking her husband? There are 
wives that really do that?"

While the approach that Ed had used to get Jorge's attention wasn't 
the way that John had in mind, it was effective. Jorge was clearly 
hooked on the idea of talking to his wife.  John replied, "For a wife 
to do that, she must feel appreciated. It takes so little from a man to 
make a woman feel appreciated."

Extremely interested, Jorge leaned forward and asked, "How? How 
could I do that?"

As though sharing a great secret, John said, "You listen to her. You 
find out what she wants and give it to her. Make her feel special 
like you want her to make you feel."

Knowing exactly what Jorge wanted, Ed added, "You might 
remember that if you want her to do things down there, that you 
should be willing to do things down there on her."

Blushing, Jorge asked, "How do I learn how to do that?"

Leaning very close to Jorge, Ed answered, "You let her tell you 
what feels good. You should be willing to do the same for her. You 
need to learn to talk to each other."

Jorge asked, "How do I begin?"

Sitting back in his chair, like he really had to thinking about it, 
John said, "Pick an evening. Say a Monday evening and send the 
kids somewhere for a couple of hours. On the way home from 
work, pick up some flowers and maybe a bottle of wine. Take her 
to dinner and after dinner, come home. Open the wine and ask her 
what she wants. Listen to what she says. If you don't know how to 
give her something, ask her how you can do it."

"Why can't I do it tonight?"

As though sharing a secret, John said, "You need to think about it 
for a while so that the idea and approach becomes yours, not 
mine."