JC: Ed Biggers
Part 2: Equilibrant
Chapter 8
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Assuming a defensive posture, Ling stepped in front of John and 
Ed. Edgy, Rover and Shadow were both whipping their tails 
signaling their agitation. There was something wrong in the area, 
but there wasn't any sign of what it might be. All they knew was 
that the problem was inside the convenience store.

John had felt drawn to the store, but Ling would not allow him to 
enter. His service was conflicting with Ling's insistence on keeping 
him safe. Finally, he could take in no more and said, "We go in 
together."

Glaring at John, Ling opened the door and entered the store. The 
cats shot through the opening like a bullet almost knocking her off 
her feet. With much greater caution, John and Ed entered the store. 
There was no one in sight.

Ed stopped and looked around the store. It was an older 
convenience store with the checkout counter, crowded with 
cigarette racks, next to the door. To the left ran narrow isles 
stocked with chips, snack foods, and the necessities of modern life 
that one often found missing at the last minute. Along the back ran 
the coolers with soft drinks, milk, and other products that required 
storage in a cold environment. 

Making a sign to be quiet, Ling pointed to a door at the back of the 
store where the cats were gathered.  The cats looked very agitated 
as though there were something inside that they didn't like. Driven 
by an urge to act, John had to restrain himself from charging into 
the back room, allowing Ling to do her job.

Disliking the prospect of moving into a room that they had no idea 
what was inside, Ling came over to them and said, "I don't like 
this. I recommend that we call the police and let them handle it."

Unable to resist his urge any longer, John walked over to the door 
and opened it. As he stepped in, he shouted, "Hello. I want to pay 
for this quart of milk."

The cats slipped into the room and gathered in front of a door 
marked 'office.' Very irritated, Ling pushed John out of the way 
and ran into the room. Ed followed them and examined the room. 
The majority of the space was occupied by storage and was dimly 
lit by a single forty watt light bulb. To the immediate left was a 
heavy metal lined door that was the entrance into the cooler. To the 
immediate right was an unlit unisex bath room with the door open. 
Next to the bath room was a closed wooden door that had a little 
sign pronouncing that it was the office.

Moving into the storage area, Ed immediately noticing a young 
woman tied up and laying on the floor in the corner. The 
expression around her eyes was one of terror. Ed knelt down and 
removed a Swiss army knife from his pocket. Holding a finger in 
front of his lips to let her know that she was to remain quiet, he cut 
the ropes that were binding her legs. Moving carefully, he moved 
behind her and cut the ropes around her wrists. Rather than 
removing the gag, he allowed her to do that giving her a little sense 
of empowerment in freeing herself.

With a little hand gesture, he signaled for her to follow him out of 
the storage area. The noise caught John's attention and he turned to 
watch Ed lead the girl out of the storage room. He followed them 
to find out what the girl knew about what to expect in the office. 
She finished removing the gag when they reached the inside of the 
convenience store proper and took a deep breath. 

Whispering, John asked, "How many bad guys are there?"

Walking over to the cooler, Ed retrieved a coke for the girl to 
drink. Handing it to her, she took three big sips before answering 
the question. Even so, her voice came out as a croak as she said, 
"One. He has a gun."

Nodding, John asked, "What does he look like?"

She answered, "The guy is old, maybe mid-twenties with short hair 
that is shaved around the back."

Amused that the girl thought that someone younger than him was 
old, Ed asked, "What does the store employee look like?"

"He's real old. At least forty and bald."

"Thanks for the information," replied John as he returned to the 
storage area. 

Unsure what to do with the young woman, Ed suggested, "Let me 
get you into our car. You'll be safe there."

The girl looked at Ed and said, "I'd rather not get in a car with a 
stranger."

Understanding her sentiment, Ed suggested, "You can wait outside 
or stay in here while I call in the police."

She looked outside and said, "I'd rather stay in here."

Frowning, Ed asked, "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

Looking at her, Ed could hardly believe that she was fourteen. She 
looked like she was eighteen or older. Of course, that explained 
why she thought someone in their mid-twenties was old. He said, 
"When I'm done with the police, call your parents. You'll want 
your mother or father here when the police start asking you 
questions."

Ed went over to the phone and dialed the police. It was difficult 
telling the police where they were since they had just been driving 
through the area when John had insisted that they stop. The police 
said that they would be there in about ten minutes as it was well 
outside of town. Almost as an afterthought, Ed mentioned that a 
FBI agent and private detective were in the process of 
apprehending the suspect.

After hanging up, he handed the phone to the young girl to call her 
parents. It was a very emotional call. When she hung up, Ed said, 
"I think it would be best if we wait outside for your parents. Our 
wives are outside in the van and they can watch over you. One of 
them is a doctor and the other is a nurse."

Following her out the front door, Ed waved to the van where Beth 
and Kelly were waiting for them to finish their business. The pair 
of them and Tiger left the car and came over to Ed. Ed said, "This 
young lady was tied up in the back of the store. Ling is going to 
subdue the suspect. John is serving as backup to Ling and the cats. 
The police and her parents are on the way here."

Kelly asked, "What are you going to do?"

Ed answered, "I'm going to guard this door so that if he gets past 
John, then I can stop him."

Entering the store, Ed stopped so that he was effectively blocking 
the exit. He had hardly finished positioning himself when a man 
burst through the door from the back room. He flew out head first 
with Ling holding his arm between his legs. When she lifted up on 
his arm, the pressure on the guy's balls forced him to a stop and to 
raise on his tiptoes. She said, "You are going to lie down on the 
floor spread eagle."

She slowly forced him down to the floor by putting pressure on his 
back. When he was flat on the floor, she kicked his legs apart and 
put his hands out to the side. Rover came over and laid on the guys 
back, pinning him there. 

Coming out from the back room with the owner of the store, John 
stopped by the man on the floor and said, "If you move that cat 
will rip you to shreds before you can get one foot."

Ed went over to the owner and looked over him. There was a nasty 
cut on his forehead that looked like he had been hit by the pistol. 
As he led him outside where Kelly and Beth were watching the 
girl, he said, "We have a doctor outside. She'll look at the cut on 
your forehead."

Holding a hand over his forehead, the owner replied, "Thank you. 
I'm not feeling very well."

That statement worried Ed as he considered what that meant about 
the nature of the injury. It was most likely a concussion and it 
made him feel better that Beth was here to take care of him. He 
handed the man off to Beth and Kelly and said, "This is the owner. 
He's been hit in the head and is complaining that he doesn't feel 
well."

Beth immediately went to examine the man while Kelly, after 
checking with the girl, went over to help.  Since things here were 
well in hand, he started to return to the store. Pausing to look over 
at the girl they had rescued, he saw that she was busy petting 
Tiger. It always amazed him how the cats could help calm victims 
by giving them something to take their minds off the most recent 
events. He went over to her and knelt down. He asked, "Are you 
feeling okay now?"

Smiling up from Tiger, she answered, "Much better. Beth and 
Kelly took very good care of me. They introduced me to Tiger. 
He's such a wonderful cat."

Happy to hear that she was feeling better, Ed stood up and said, 
"He'll take care of you for now. He's a great watch cat."

As she turned her attention back to the cat, Ed returned to the store. 
The man was lying very still on the floor, afraid to move. Standing 
with arms crossed, Ling watched the man for any trace of 
movement. Leaning on the counter, John looked bored and asked, 
"When are the police getting here?"

Checking his watch, Ed answered, "Another five minutes."

There was a muffled croak from the man on the floor. The attempt 
to protest his treatment had been cut off by a very slight pressure 
of claws on his back. Amused, John and Ed looked at the man on 
the floor. John said, "I think the perpetrator of this crime feels that 
five minutes is too long."

There was a squealing of tires from a car driving too fast entering 
the parking lot. Ed stood at the open door to see what was 
happening. A very frantic looking woman leapt out of the car as 
soon as it stopped. As Tiger got out of the way, the woman raced 
over to the girl nearly blinded by tears. Ed called into the store, 
"The girl's mother has just arrived."

Beth called over to Ed, "Can you see if there are any bandages in 
there?"

Ed returned to the store and looked around for bandages. There 
were Band-Aids, but no bandages. He picked out a selection of 
things that might help and other medical supplies that might be of 
use. Returning outside, Ed said, "I couldn't find a bandage, but here 
is a box of various size Band-Aids. I also brought some antiseptic 
and aspirin. Is there anything else I should look for?"

Beth looked at what he had brought and said, "No, I can make do 
with this stuff."

Hoping to make sure that everything was okay, Ed went over to the 
mother and daughter. When the mother finally stopped hugging her 
daughter, Ed said, "The doctor and nurse gave your daughter a 
cursory examination and found nothing wrong. She was scared but 
unhurt."

The mother said, "Oh, thank you so much for taking care of my 
little girl."

As a police car raced down the street, Ed checked his watch. They 
were going to be late for the wedding. Glancing over at Beth and 
Kelly, he realized that they wouldn't complain since they were 
totally involved in treating the owner of the store. He turned to the 
woman and said, "The police are coming. They will want to talk to 
your daughter. Let her tell her story, but don't let them grill her 
about details that she is unsure about."

Having an assigned task seemed to calm the mother significantly. 
She replied, "Okay, I can do that."

Turning to the girl, Ed said, "Answer their questions exactly. Don't 
embellish your answers. The truth is exciting enough. Okay?"

Nodding seriously, the girl answered, "Sure."

Satisfied that both of them were ready to deal with the police, Ed 
stepped forward to fill them in on the basic details. He pulled out 
his ID and held it up for them as they stepped out of the car. Eyes 
glancing over the badge, the officer said, "Are you the guy that 
called us?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, I am."

"Okay, can you tell me what's going on here?"

Ed answered, "Of course. It looks like a man entered the store and 
forced the owner to tie up a fourteen year old girl. After that, he 
took the owner into the office. You'll have to talk to the owner to 
find out what happened in there. My group was on their way to a 
wedding. We stopped at the store and realized that something was 
not right. John and Ling took the cats into the back of the store to 
deal with the perpetrator. I located the girl in the store room, untied 
her, and took her out of harms way. I then called you."

The officer asked, "You have the perpetrator under control?"

Laughing, Ed answered, "Yes, but he would probably prefer to sit 
in the back of a patrol car as soon as possible."

"What's so funny?"

Still laughing, Ed said, "You'll see when you get inside the store."

Following Ed into the store, the policeman froze when he saw the 
man on the floor with the cougar sitting on his back. After looking 
at the man's face, the policeman started to laugh and said, "Now I 
understand."

At a gesture from John, the cat moved off the man and sat down 
next to him. The policeman asked, "Has he been read his rights?"

John answered, "No. He also hasn't said anything. We were 
detaining him until the appropriate authorities arrived."

The policeman cuffed the individual and read him his rights as he 
led him to the police car. John, Ed, and Ling were alone in the 
store for the first time. The two men relaxed for the first time since 
this whole thing began. However, a very angry Ling turned to face 
John. With a barely contained fury in her voice, she said, "If you 
ever step in front of me again when I'm doing my job, I'll quit."

Surprised, John straightened up and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to 
do that. It's just that I was being driven by an urge to save the 
owner."

Holding her hands on her hips, Ling said, "The job of a bodyguard 
is to protect the client, not for the client to protect the bodyguard. 
You should not have come in the store."

Chastised, John said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to undermine your 
job."

This explosion on the part of Ling surprised Ed, although he 
should have predicted it. As a security specialist, Ling took her 
responsibilities very seriously. The cats didn't seem to like her 
tone, but didn't react in an excessive fashion. Ed said, "Ling, John 
had three bodyguards. Rover, Shadow, and you. Two of those 
bodyguards were gifts of the God that he serves. The God drives 
John to this behavior, but has provided for his protection."

Turning on Ed, Ling said, "That doesn't change the fact that he 
should have allowed me to do my job."

John said, "You opened the door and took the guy out. Not me. 
You did your job."

"After you pushed me out of the way when we went in the back 
room."

Quietly, Ed said, "May I suggest that after we get home that we 
find a way for us to work together on cases like this? I don't think 
that we'll have much luck right now."

At the realization that Ed was right, Ling relaxed and said, "That's 
a good suggestion."

John nodded his approval and said, "I think we had better give the 
information to the police so that we can at least make the 
reception."

Satisfied that things would eventually get resolved, the three of 
them went outside. There was an ambulance there and they were 
loading the owner of the store onto it. Several other police cars 
were parked around the store in a very haphazard fashion. Three 
policemen came over to them to get their statements. 

Ling received the least respect from the police. Apparently, the 
FBI and IRS identifications meant more to them than Ling's 
private detective license. The treatment of her immediately 
improved when John mentioned that Ling was his bodyguard and 
security specialist.

As the interviews were winding up, the mother of the girl came 
over to Ed and said, "Thank you for saving my daughter."

Ed answered, "You're quite welcome. I hope that you all go out 
and celebrate your good fortune as a family."

After several rounds of good byes and thanks, the woman left with 
the girl. Ed watched them leave and then returned his attention to 
the interviewer. Since his role in the action was relatively minor, 
his interview was much shorter than the interviews of John and 
Ling. 

Joining Beth and Kelly, Ed said, "We're running a little late. We 
might be able to make up a little time on the way there."

Looking at Ed like he was an idiot, Kelly said, "Face the truth. We 
are going to miss the wedding."

Shrugging, Ed said, "We allowed an extra hour to make it there. 
We've lost a little over an hour. We won't be too late."

Deciding that it wasn't worth getting upset, Beth said, "Ed, it's just 
that traveling with John tends to include a stop or two like this. We 
all know that, but sometimes it gets a little tiring."

It was another ten minutes before the interviews of John and Ling 
were completed. The group went to the van and Ling drove them 
away. The rest of the drive was uneventful, but they arrived ten 
minutes after the wedding started. They were met outside by Bob, 
the handyman from the house. He was waiting for the van so that 
they could move it to the back of the church to load with food.

As the family raced to the church, Ling said, "Sorry we're late. 
John forced me to stop at a convenience store that was getting 
robbed."

Shaking his head, Bob said, "I'll try to explain that to Marguerite, 
but she isn't going to be too happy about that."

Nodding that she understood, Ling said, "I'll help you load up the 
van."

"No. I need you to run to the burger joint and get twenty happy 
meals, half of them with burgers and half with chicken nuggets," 
replied Bob.

Surprised, Ling asked, "With a gourmet cook in charge, they are 
getting happy meals?"

Laughing, Bob answered, "Marguerite insisted. She said that for a 
lot of kids, happy meals are gourmet food."

Entering the church as quietly as possible, they were just in time to 
hear the exchanging of the vows. Rather than disturb people by 
taking seats, they stood along the back. Anyone that might have 
looked back would have been surprised to see a cougar, a panther, 
and a bobcat  standing beside John, Ed, Kelly, and Beth. They 
were fortunate that all eyes were on the bride and groom.

One of the surprising things they discovered on entering the church 
was the tantalizing odor of food that wafted through the air. 
Marguerite must have outdone herself to produce that wonderful 
smell. It was easy to see that it was making everyone in the church 
hungry. People were licking their lips and rubbing their stomachs. 

Standing in front of the Pastor, Terry looked great as a bride and 
Dale, dressed in a nice looking Tuxedo, did not appear to be too 
nervous. Watching them, Ed smiled as he thought about how 
different their wedding ceremony had been. Despite the 
differences, Ed recognized that the couple was just as tightly 
bound together as the Carter Clan. As they walked up the isle, 
there was that same glow of love that had accompanied their 
wedding. Glancing at Kelly and Beth, he could see that they felt it 
also. 

Terry and Dale walked past where they stood against the wall. It 
was clear by the smiles on their faces that they were happy that the 
Carter Clan had shown up. For a moment, Ed wondered what they 
had thought at the beginning of the ceremony when his family 
wasn't in the crowd. Had they feared that they had insulted the 
Carter Clan somehow? After realizing that he should have called 
their secretary to allow him to tell them what was the delay, Ed 
decided that it was necessary to explain their absence. Hopefully, 
they would understand. 

They went outside to participate in the ritual of throwing rice, 
except in this instance it was bird seed. Looking at the small bag of 
birdseed in his hand, Ed asked, "I thought it was supposed to be 
rice that we threw."

Even Beth looked at the packet with surprise. It was Kelly that 
said, "Rice can swell in the stomachs of birds. So people have 
started throwing birdseeds."

Laughing, John said, "I'd be more worried about Tiger eating the 
birds."

Although Ed found the comment funny, Kelly and Beth just looked 
upset. Seeing their reaction, Ed decided it was another difference 
in attitude that could be attributed to gender. He winked at John 
and turned his attention to other wedding guests as they filed out of 
the church. Although the wedding should have been the subject of 
conversation, all conversation turned to comments about the three 
cats sitting on the lawn behind the Carter Clan. 

Once people got over the cats, the topic turned to food. Ed listened, 
pleased as people wondered what kind of food was going to be 
served at the reception. Everyone acknowledged that this was not 
going to be a standard chicken and roast beef wedding dinner. 
Even Ed didn't know the menu despite the fact that he was paying 
for a third of it.

They were joined by Sherry and Jim who had attended the 
wedding. Smiling at Ed, Sherry said, "Oh, the smell in that church 
was heavenly. What was she cooking?"

Shrugging, Ed replied, "I have no idea. It sure smelled good."

The appearance of the bride and groom reminded everyone to open 
the packet to throw the seeds. As the newlyweds walked past them 
to the limousine, Ed tossed the seeds at them with childlike 
pleasure. He was chuckling as he lofted the seeds in a high arc to 
fall upon them like rain. He was actually disappointed when he 
discovered that he was out of seeds.

Beth noticed and kidded, "Ed, you're having too much fun."

Teasing, Ed turned to Beth and said, "Can I have some more seeds, 
mommy?"

The whole group broke out laughing at that. They recovered in 
time to wave bye to the newlyweds. They would see the couple at 
the reception hall. It would be at least a half an hour before 
Marguerite delivered the food. Until then, they expected to see a 
lot of hungry people. 

The reception hall was within walking distance. The group walked 
over to it at an easy pace talking about the events that had taken 
place on the trip there. Other guests followed the same route and 
many of them overheard them talking about breaking up the 
robbery attempt. There was the good natured teasing about how Ed 
had rescued the damsel while John was stuck with the old man.

They reached the reception hall and were surprised by the display 
inside the entrance to the hall proper. On a table were a series of 
plates showing the dishes that were being served for the dinner. 
Next to each plate was a stack of colored paper that indicated their 
selection. Bob was dressed in a nice black suit and was repeating 
to each person as they entered, "Select the dish you would like for 
dinner and take the colored paper corresponding to that dish so the 
waiters know where to deliver it."

Delighted, Ed looked over the table taking in all of the dishes that 
Marguerite had prepared. There was the Cornish Hen stuffed with 
Mincemeat, a venison dish, a nice tuna steak, a lasagna dish, a 
vegetarian salad with sautéed mushrooms, and two happy meals. It 
took him less than a second to select the venison dish. As others 
went through and picked their dish, Ed watched their reactions 
taking pleasure in the delighted reactions of the people in line. 

The family went to a table in the corner where the cats would be 
out of the way. They were surprised to discover that there was 
assigned seating. Spreading out to look for their table, it was Kelly 
that found it right beside the table for the bride and groom and 
their family. It was very much a table of honor and it embarrassed 
Ed to be placed there. Ed asked, "Do you think we can swap tables 
with someone?"

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "They decided that this table was for 
us because that is what they wanted."

"Maybe by having us up here, we eliminate some family disputes," 
added Jim. He remembered his wedding and how many family 
members wanted seats of honor. The worst thing was that it was 
his family that was the worst, claiming that they were superior to 
her family. 

Sherry said, "Amen to that. Ours was a regular battlefield over who 
sat where."

With a puzzled look on his face, Ed said, "Oh, I don't family so 
that wouldn't have ever been an issue."

Beth replied, "Our reception was rather unique in that people were 
able to move around and visit as they wished. In a way, that was 
perfect for a wedding with so many guests."

Seating themselves at the table to wait for the bride and groom, the 
cats went to a corner where they would be out of the way. A 
number of children came over to the table and asked if they could 
pet the cats. Before answering, John looked over at the cats. All 
three of them returned his look and bobbed their heads. Satisfied, 
John answered, "Yes, just don't hurt or tease them."

Ed watched the children closely making sure that none of them 
were too rough with the cats. Even a few adults went over to pet 
the cats. Once again, Ed was amazed at the ability of the cats to 
deal with people. 

When the bride and groom entered the room, everyone cheered and 
then went to their tables. When everyone had seated themselves, a 
very happy Terry said, "Everyone. Usually the bride is the center 
of attention at a wedding. Today, I think it was the food that had 
everyone's attention. Even I was getting hungry smelling the food."

Everyone laughed at the statement. Once the laughter died down, 
she said, "I'm pleased to say that dinner is served!"

There was a lot of clapping in response to the announcement. A 
number of waiters came out from the back carrying plates of food. 
They moved to the individuals that had the appropriate color paper 
on their place setting and with great flourish set the plates in front 
of the hungry people. Despite the fact that there were almost a 
hundred and fifty people seated around the room, it only took them 
ten minutes to get everyone served. 

A number of young kids bought out baskets of fresh baked bread 
and set them on each of  the tables. They came back with pitchers 
of iced tea, cokes, and water. Tables that had been empty now 
were piled with food. 

The front table was served first as befitted the newlyweds. Ed 
watched as the dishes were set in front of people. He took pleasure 
in how people really appreciated the food. Bob came to the table 
and said, "Marguerite did a good job in balancing the number and 
kinds of dishes. We have a couple of slips left for each dish so 
nobody had to miss out on their choice."

Relieved at the news, Ed replied, "Thanks for telling me Bob. I 
was worried about that."

Chuckling, Bob replied, "You should have seen the relief on 
Marguerite's face. She positively glowed when I told her that."

John asked, "Who were the kids that brought out the bread and 
drinks?"

"They were the choir. The church volunteered their use in thanks 
for the new kitchen," replied Bob. 

Shaking his head, John said, "If I had thought of that, I would have 
made another contribution to the church."

Shaking his head in wonder, Bob returned to help Marguerite in 
the kitchen. There were times when the generosity of these people 
overwhelmed him. Even though today's activities were entirely 
within their contract, each of them knew that they would get a 
bonus for making this a nice event. Yet, no matter how generous 
they were, the interesting thing was that he had never seen them 
ripped off by anyone. 

The dinner passed quickly and quietly, as the only conversation 
was the occasional comment about how good the food was. Even 
at their table, everyone ate their meal in silence enjoying the flavor 
of the food. The bride and groom were the first to finish as they 
were the first served. 

Terry came over to their table and said, "I'm so glad that you could 
make it. We were worried that something happened."

Terry was leaning over facing Ed. Her breasts, shown in maximum 
glory by the wedding dress, drew his eyes. He barely heard Kelly 
say, "Ed found a damsel in distress to rescue leaving John with the 
old guy again."

When Terry laughed, Ed had the grace to blush. Teasing Ed, John 
complained, "Yeah, we go into the dark room and the only thing he 
sees is the damsel in distress. He forgets all about me."

Defending himself, Ed said, "What can I say? I like damsels."

Terry moved on to another table and visited with everyone in the 
room. Dale made the same trip but in the opposite direction. This 
was a nice touch as it meant that every table was visited twice and 
it gave everyone time to talk with both the bride and the groom 
alone.

The choir came out pushing a couple of carts filled with all kinds 
of deserts. They went from table to table allowing each person to 
select their own desert. Ed eyed the wedding cake in the other 
corner of the room and wondered who made it. It was a gorgeous 
cake and looked like it had been made by a master pastry chef. 

After dessert, Dale stood up and said, "Before we go on to the 
normal wedding speeches by the best man, the father of the bride, 
and others, I would like to make a small announcement. In 
particular, I would like to thank Ed Biggers for having introduced 
Terry and myself. Now, Terry and I knew each other from class, 
but it was Ed that pointed out that we would make a great couple. 
By today's activities, I'm sure that everyone will agree that he isn't 
a bad match maker. Ed would you stand up, please?"

There was a  round of applause as Ed stood and waved to 
everyone. He quickly sat down hoping to minimize the limelight. 
As he sat down, Bob brought Marguerite into the room. Dale said, 
"I would also like to thank him and the rest of the Carter Clan for 
their wonderful wedding present which we have just finished 
consuming. Today's dinner was prepared by their personal chef, 
Marguerite, and they covered the entire cost of the food. Could we 
give the whole Carter Clan a big hand?"

The applause was hardly forced, as it had begun before Dale had 
even finished talking. When the applause finally died down, Dale 
continued, "I would also like to recognize the wonderful chef, 
Marguerite, who prepared this wonderful feast. She also prepared 
the wedding cake. And I'll tell you the truth, it looks too good to 
eat."

Turning to Marguerite, he gestured in her direction as he said, 
"Marguerite, we thank you for this wonderful meal that you 
prepared with such love and caring. We applaud you."

This was followed by a tremendous round of applause. A very 
pleased Ed was clapping as hard as anyone. The present that he 
had wanted to give to the newlyweds had been better than he had 
dreamed. He looked at his family, thinking about how they had 
supported him in this and made it a wonder. Not for the first time, 
he thought to himself that it was great to be loved.