JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 14
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Sitting naked on the sofa, Ed watched an old movie from the late 
thirties and laughed at the action on the screen. The kids 
surrounded him on the couch, enjoying the movie with just as 
much enthusiasm. Kelly entered the room and glanced at the 
screen. She asked, "What are you watching?"

"Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone," answered Ed without 
taking his eyes off the television. "It's my favorite."

Shaking her head, Kelly wondered if Ed had ever seen a movie 
made after 1960. Watching him and the children, she decided that 
it was time for her to introduce them to some of the new films. 
There was the newest Nora Turner movie that she could get. It was 
rated R because of nudity, but she didn't have a problem with the 
children seeing naked bodies. After what they had seen in the first 
year dining room, she could rent an X rated movie and they would 
have been bored by the lack of plot. She corrected that thought; 
they would have been bothered by the lack of actual caring 
between the participants.

Moving down the couch to make room for Kelly, Little John said, 
"Sit down and watch with us."

She joined them on the couch, sitting between Little John and 
Beth. Looking over, she noticed that Beth was holding Ed's hand. 
Ed had an arm around William, who was close to falling asleep. 
Turning her attention to the film, she watched the action on the 
television with amusement. Basil Rathbone's character reminded 
her of John Carter when he was hot on the trail of a monster. She 
wondered if Ed saw himself as Dr. Watson, the trusty reliable 
sidekick of Sherlock Holmes. 

The film ended and Ed demonstrated his appreciation by clapping. 
The kids clapped along with him, having enjoyed the film as much 
as he. Ed asked, "Who's up for a swim?"

All of the kids shouted, "Me!"

In a flurry of activity, the living room was cleared and splashes 
emerged from the poolroom as bodies hit the water at a run. Kelly 
stood at the edge watching as Ed and the children rose out of the 
water shaking their heads to clear the water from their hair. She 
laughed as the children immediately turned to splash their father. 
Moving to one of the chairs, she sat down and watched them play. 

The pool chemicals gave the air a slightly acrid smell that was 
stronger than normal. Looking around, she noticed Walt standing 
across the room holding some air filters. They had interrupted him 
in his work. Shaking his head, he leaned them against the wall and 
left the room giving Kelly a quick wave. She knew that he would 
return when everyone had cleared the room.

William got out of the pool and walked over to Kelly. Sitting down 
in the chair, water dripping from his wet body, he said, "Dad is so 
happy here."

"Yes, he is," replied Kelly as she watched his wide grin and the 
ease with which laughter rolled from deep within his chest. The 
changes that had come over her husband in the past month were 
amazing. It was as though years had dropped off him. 

Swinging his legs, William watched his brother and sister playing 
in the pool. He commented, "I think they are happy to be away 
from school."

"Yes, they are. How about you?"

William was silent as he thought about the question, giving it the 
kind of serious consideration that was typical of him. He answered, 
"I feel at home here although I haven't been here before. I like the 
desert much more than the woods. I miss the library though."

The news about the library no longer surprised her. She asked, 
"Would you like to order some books for our library here?"

"Yes, I would like that very much," replied William. He smiled as 
he watched Beth and Little John try to dunk their father. Ed stood 
straight and roared like a bear while the two children climbed over 
him. "He's so happy here."

Nora, dressed in jeans and a shirt, entered the room and watched 
the action in the pool from the door. They had returned from the 
remainder of their rock hunt the previous night and she was going 
to leave that evening. Kelly noticed her and said, "Come on over, 
Nora."

Smiling at Ed's wife, Nora went over to the cluster of chairs and 
sat down next to Kelly. The casual nudity around the children was 
surprising, but not shocking. She had been exposed to that aspect 
of the Carter lifestyle previously. Nora said, "It looks like Ed and 
the kids are having fun."

Smiling, William said, "Daddy Ed is just a big kid."

The unexpected source of the comment made Nora laugh. She 
asked, "Have you been hunting rocks with him yet?"

"Yes, we did a little of that in North Carolina."

"I like the way that his face lights up when he finds a new sample. 
It is pure and simple joy," remarked Nora. She had observed Ed 
with an open mind after returning from the interrogation and seen 
the joy with which he hunted rocks. It amazed her that she hadn't 
noticed that on earlier trips. A laugh burst forth from her when she 
saw the kids splash him in the face. The look on his face was 
priceless.

Kelly asked, "Would you like to join them in the pool?"

"No. I'd rather just watch them play." The answer was given 
without thought.

Smiling, Kelly could see the signs of love exhibited by Nora. She 
asked, "So how was the rock hunting trip?"

Nora was about to answer that it was heavenly when she realized 
that William was sitting there listening to the conversation. "It was 
great. We got a lot of samples out there. On the way back, we 
stopped at his mine. It is quite an impressive operation."

"He is proud of that mine. It is a great example of how an 
environmentally friendly mine can be operated in a very profitable 
manner. The whole family is curious how he is going to use the 
profits." 

Getting bored of the conversation, William returned to the pool 
choosing to make his entrance in a cannon ball that would splash 
his father. Kelly turned to Nora and said, "As smart as the kids are, 
it is easy to forget that they are kids. It's great to see them playing 
like this. At the college, they spent almost all their free time in the 
library reading. They only played when one of their dads was 
available."

Taking her eyes off Ed, she examined the kids. Physically they 
were well developed for children their age. They weren't suffering 
from weight problems like many children their age, but she 
suspected that it was because of the care that the mothers gave 
their diets. She said, "They are really great children."

A naked streak flashed past as Shirley's son John ran into the room 
and jumped in the pool. His sudden appearance surprised 
everyone. The splash as he entered the water caught Ed completely 
unprepared. Standing, he sputtered as the kids laughed. Beth swam 
over to John and hugged him, happy to see her friend from town. 
Little John looked at John and shouted, "Chicken war!"

As William climbed on the shoulders of Little John and Beth 
climbed on the shoulders of John, Ed moved over to the side of the 
pool watching the kids with a grin. In less than thirty seconds, the 
battle was on. Little John and William were definitely outmatched, 
but they weren't going to give an inch. 

Nora went over to the bench and removed her clothes, deciding 
that no one would mind if she were naked around the children. 
Once she was undressed, she returned to her chair and watched the 
children in the pool.

Ed climbed out of the pool and went over to the towels. Grabbing 
one, he dried himself off noticing that Nora had stripped. He was 
glad to see that she was making an effort to fit in with the rest of 
the family. While he was there, Shirley came in the room carrying 
an armload of clothes and said, "Did anyone see a naked boy 
running through here?"

Ed pointed at the pool and said, "He's over there."

Putting the clothes on a bench, Shirley laughed and said, "He was 
so excited about coming over here that I think he reached the front 
door before I had reached the street to your house."

She looked around and stripped out of her clothes, adding them 
next to the stack on the bench. Looking over Ed, she said, "You're 
looking good."

"You are beautiful as always." Ed stepped back and examined her 
body with a wink. "Yes, beautiful as always. So when are you 
going to run away with me?"

Grinning, she answered, "When I'm too old to keep from getting 
caught by you."

"Oh, I'm wounded."

Laughing at the overacting by Ed, Shirley went over to the pool 
and entered the water by climbing down the steps. Once in the 
water, she kept her distance from the kids knowing that they would 
splash her the moment they were done playing chicken. The 
splashing in the pool was sending water in the direction of the 
chairs. 

Ed joined his wife and Nora, taking the wet chair that William had 
been in. Glancing down at the chair with a frown, he looked over 
at the pair of women and said, "It's great being home."

Looking over at her husband, Kelly replied, "really? I can't tell."

Turning to Nora, he asked, "So what have you been doing all 
morning? We missed you at breakfast."

Nora sighed and said, "I slept late this morning. I couldn't believe 
how tired I was. I guess the events of the past week took more out 
of me than I realized."

Knowing that the past week included the interrogation of a 
prisoner, Kelly asked, "So you watched Ed interrogate a prisoner?"

"I'd rather not talk about that," replied Nora as her attention turned 
inward.

Placing a hand on Nora's arm, Kelly said, "I understand. Seeing 
such evil close up is very traumatic."

Nora turned to look at Kelly fully aware that the other woman 
didn't know that the evil she had seen was the evil within her own 
self. Frowning, she said, "Yes. That is true, particularly when you 
see it in yourself."

Puzzled by the remark, Kelly looked over at Ed for explanation. 
He didn't answer, but just shook his head as though it was not a 
subject for discussion. Kelly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring 
up a touchy subject."

A shiver when through Nora and she changed the subject. "I talked 
to my agent today and canceled the negotiations for my next film. 
I'm retiring from the movie business."

The news took Ed by surprise, but he was pleased to hear her say 
that. She needed to get out of Hollywood and work on her degree 
fulltime. He said, "You might take small parts in the future."

She smiled and said, "Yes, I might. I'm going back to California to 
sell my house and get rid of all my cars. I think I'll buy a small 
place in Pennsylvania to live in while I go to school. It's long past 
time that I followed my interests."

Listening to Nora, Kelly realized that she had undergone a major 
change over the past week. Smiling, she said, "I think you are 
going to be so happy."

"Well, I don't know about that. I will be a nicer person, I think," 
replied Nora. She envied Kelly that she had a man like Ed in her 
life and wondered if she would ever find a man who was that good. 
She turned to Kelly and said, "You are the luckiest woman in the 
world."

Not knowing what provoked that comment, Kelly replied, "I'm one 
of the luckiest women in the world."

In the pool, the children had turned on Shirley and were splashing 
her with an almost continuous blitz. She was laughing and 
threatening, "Wait until the tables are turned!"

Laughing, Ed shouted, "Sorry, the cavalry is busy watering the 
horses. No rescue at the last minute."

Kelly laughed at the comment and asked, "What, you aren't going 
to rescue a damsel in distress? I'm shocked."

Launching himself out his chair, Ed jumped in the water and 
started splashing the kids. An all out battle ensued, one that tired 
the children while delighting them. After five minutes, everyone 
left the pool. Ed passed out towels to the kids as Shirley dried 
herself off. She had not wanted to get her hair wet, but that desire 
had been ruined from the first splash. The kids, once they were 
dried off, went into the living room to watch television. Ed 
watched them through the connecting door as they took their seats. 
Beth and John snuggled together as William selected a program on 
space exploration. Little John shrugged at the choice and sat back 
to watch.

Ed returned to the chairs and sat down next to Kelly. Turning to 
Shirley, he asked, "Who's watching the bar?"

"Linda." 

"How's her baby?" asked Ed interested in catching up on the local 
gossip. The last time he had spent any time here, she was pregnant. 

"Harry is a beautiful child."

"Harry? She named him after her first husband?" asked Ed 
surprised to learn that. 

"It was Richard's idea. He felt that by naming the child Harry, they 
could eliminate the guilt Linda felt about her treatment of Harry by 
raising the child right." 

"Nice." Ed knew that Richard and Linda would work through their 
issues together. 

"Sammy is doing great. He enjoys his teaching job and was voted 
best teacher of the year at his school."

"I'm glad to hear that," answered Ed pleased to know that things 
were progressing nicely in his hometown. He wondered if there 
was anything that he could do to give more credit to teachers that 
were doing great jobs in molding the future of the country. He 
asked, "What do you think of a grant for use by teachers to 
improve their ability to teach a broader audience? It could be 
targeted at those that have been recognized by their peers as good 
teachers."

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "I would rather concentrate on 
poorer teachers by sending them to teaching camps. They are the 
ones that need help and drag down the educational standards of the 
country."

The principle behind her idea was correct, but targeting bad 
teachers could really cause problems. There had to be a better 
solution than that. Shrugging, he said, "I'll think about it."

"What kind of degeneracy is this?" boomed a voice from the door 
of the poolroom. Nora, seeing the clothes worn by the man, tried to 
cover herself, ashamed at being naked in front of a priest. Shirley 
blushed, but didn't move to cover herself.

Ed turned and saw Father Donnelley standing at the door with a 
grin on his face. He shouted back, "Just your normal debauchery."

The Father entered the poolroom and checked the chairs to find 
one that was dry. Seating himself, he looked over at Ed and said, "I 
heard you were back in town."

"I'm sure that you were disappointed," replied Ed with a grin. The 
priest looked good and took the comment with the humor that was 
intended.

The priest noticed that Nora was still trying to cover herself and 
said, "Don't bother. I've seen more than that around this town the 
past few years. Half the time that I visit one of my parishioners, 
they answer the door naked. I've even gotten to the point that I've 
eaten dinner with everyone else naked."

Laughing, Ed shook his head at further proof that the town was 
changing for the better. He asked, "So when are you going to start 
holding services nude?"

The question flustered the priest for a moment before he realized 
that Ed was kidding. He replied, "I'm afraid that I, the church, and 
the congregation are not ready for the sight of this old naked body 
at the pulpit."

Kelly laughed and said, "I'm curious and would attend to see that."

Nora couldn't believe that Ed and Kelly would talk like that with a 
priest. Ed asked, "How's my town doing?"

"Things are going well here. We haven't had a divorce in ages, the 
Sheriff hasn't had to arrest anyone in years, and attendance at my 
services are up."

"That's good," replied Ed. "Love is alive and well."

"Lunch will be served soon," remarked Kelly as she glanced over 
at the clock on the wall. "Are you interested in staying for some of 
Marguerite's cooking?"

"I would love that," answered the priest with a smile.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You are much braver than I am to risk 
Marguerite's cooking."

His remark was greeted with laughter, as everyone knew how Ed 
felt about her cooking. On that note, everyone stood to get dressed 
for lunch. Nora didn't relax until she was completely dressed. 
Attuned to people, the priest said, "Nora, you are such a lovely 
young lady, much more pleasing to the eye than that old reprobate 
over there. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

The aroma of fresh baked bread and simmering tomato sauce 
wafted from the kitchen to fill the dining room. Mouths watered on 
entering the room. Ed's stomach growled, announcing his hunger 
loud enough that he wouldn't be able to deny it. Shauna came out 
of the kitchen carrying a pair of plates with veal parmesan and 
spaghetti. Setting the plate down, she smiled up at Ed and said, 
"Marguerite bought some of the canned sauce that you like so 
much."

The look of disappointment on his face as he looked over the plates 
forced a laugh from her. She couldn't maintain the serious 
expression any longer. Realizing that she was kidding, Ed relaxed 
and took his place at the table. Father Donnelley turned to Shauna 
and said, "If he wasn't the victim, I would almost say that what you 
said was a sin. As it was him, you have my blessing."

Laughing, Ed turned to Nora and said, "Protect me from these 
people."

The children giggled at the teasing. Shirley smiled as she rubbed 
her son's wet hair when he slipped an arm around Beth. The two 
kids were almost inseparable. Little John didn't notice, but William 
watched Beth and John with a sad expression on his face. He 
sighed and sat down at the table beside his brother allowing them 
to sit together. 

Marguerite came out with more plates, setting them in front of the 
people around the table. It didn't take long before everyone had a 
plate. The plates in front of the children only had spaghetti. 
Smelling his food with evident pleasure, Ed cut off a small bite and 
tasted it. He didn't say anything for a long time as he chewed the 
food. Everyone watched, wondering what he would say. Finally, 
he said, "Ah, another culinary disaster."

Amidst giggles, everyone else began to eat. The lunch was 
spectacular and the noises of appreciation filled the room. 
Marguerite watched them from the door, happy to have the family 
home again. The past year had been too quiet and she had missed 
the good natured teasing that existed between her and Ed. While he 
had declared the meal a disaster, he really meant that it was a 
masterpiece. Shauna bumped hips with Marguerite and gave her a 
wink. 

Father Donnelley ate with great appreciation. It was a nice change 
from the Mexican food that he had most of the time. With so many 
Hispanics in his congregation, it was hard to avoid Mexican food. 
He couldn't remember the last time that he ate Italian food. Sighing 
with pleasure, he said, "This is outstanding."

Ed elbowed him and said in a stage whisper, "Don't say that so 
loud. You'll give her a swelled head."

"Swelled head? Did he say swelled head? I'll swell something on 
that cowboy!" Marguerite yelled from the kitchen as the sound of 
pots and pans getting bumped together provided a background 
noise. Her outburst was followed by giggles from the kitchen. 
Shauna had suggested something that would swell up real nice and 
Marguerite couldn't help but respond.

"Welcome home, Ed," replied Kelly with a grin at the looks around 
the table. She leaned over to Nora and said, "Don't worry, that is 
just part of their mating ritual. They'll dance around like that for a 
while and then come together in a loud orgasmic bang."

Smiling, Ed looked down the table at the kids and said, "Kids, 
guess what came today."

Looking up at his father, Little John asked, "What?"

"The telescope," he answered.

"Oh wow," cried Shirley's John. He was fascinated by space and 
had been studying astronomy on his own. 

"I'm going to set it up tonight so that we can look at the planets," 
said Ed. 

Turning to his mother, a very excited John asked, "Can I come 
over?"

Seeing the anticipation on Beth's face, Kelly said, "You can stay all 
day. If your mother says that it is okay, you can even spend the 
night."

The afternoon was spent with Ed and Father Donnelley talking 
about the town. The discussion was pleasant as the two men shared 
the same views as to what was good for the town. All Ed wanted 
was for people to love each other. Father Donnelly's service to his 
God was to promote love. 

Nora and Kelly had retired to Kelly's room for a private talk after 
Shirley returned to the bar. There was much that Nora wanted to 
understand before she returned home and she felt that the only one 
that would listen to her was Kelly. Ed was almost too perfect for 
her to share her feelings of insecurity with him. 

Little John went off to read a book while William returned to his 
room to take a nap. Beth and John went into the library to have a 
quiet talk. While it appeared that the children were left alone, 
George was watching their every move in the security room and 
Sarah kept an eye on them as she cleaned rooms. 

In the middle of the afternoon everyone returned to the swimming 
pool. Marguerite had put out some snacks for everyone to munch 
on. With the permission of Kelly, she had brought in a pitcher of 
iced tea for Ed and the Father Donnelley. The children had fruit 
juices in little boxes while Nora and Kelly drank Smoothies. 

Ed looked up smelling the air while holding up a hand to get 
attention. As everyone turned to look at him, he said, "Marguerite 
is bringing some chocolate chip cookies."

By the time he had finished his announcement, everyone could 
smell the delectable aroma of fresh baked cookies. Little John and 
Beth had not had one of her homemade cookies since they had 
moved to the college. William was puzzled by the excitement on 
his father's face. He had chocolate chip cookies back at the college 
and, while they were good, it wasn't something that justified such a 
reaction on his part. 

Marguerite entered the room and asked, "Who's been a good girl or 
boy?"

Ed raised his hand and shouted, "Me! Me!"

Marguerite went over to the children and gave them cookies, as she 
said, "Ed, you could never be a good boy. No cookies for you."

After everyone except Ed had a cookie, Marguerite carried the 
plate over to him and, with a sweet smile, said, "Beg for one."

Ed turned to Father Donnelley and said, "The only reason she's 
doing this is because she didn't have a chance to poison one for 
me."

Nora and Father Donnelley laughed at the comment and watched 
as Ed struggled to keep from asking for one. Bob, watching from 
the doorway, chuckled at the pair. He hadn't seen Marguerite so 
happy in ages. Looking around Marguerite towards the pool, Ed 
asked, "What's a duck doing in the pool?"

As lame as the question was, there was no way for Marguerite to 
know if there was a duck in the swimming pool or not. Ed would 
put one in there just to make a joke. She looked at him wondering 
if he was serious. Unable to stop herself, she turned to look in the 
pool. Taking advantage of her distracted state, he reached out and 
grabbed a cookie. When she turned back, she saw that he was 
holding a cookie and smiling at her. 

She set the plate down on the snack table and stomped off 
growling. Bob called out from the door, "Ed, you better watch out 
now. She's gonna get you good."

"Hey Bob, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Ed," answered Bob. Looking over his shoulder at 
the figure of Marguerite as she headed towards the kitchen, he 
added, "Thanks. After that, she's going to be an animal in bed 
tonight."

"Glad to be of service," replied Ed with a smile.

Shaking his head, Bob went off in search of Marguerite while 
wondering how long the two were going to dance around like this. 
Father Donnelley put a hand on Ed's shoulder as he stood. Facing 
Ed, he said, "I better be going. You're a hopeless cause and there 
are sinners out there that I can save."

"See you later, Father," said Ed. He watched the priest leave, 
happy that the two of them had a chance to talk. 

Ed turned to see Nora studying him with an intense look on her 
face. When she noticed him looking at her, she stood up and said, 
"I have to go now. Hollywood awaits."

"Have fun," said Kelly. 

Ed got up to drive her to the airport, but she shook her head. "Walt 
said that he would take me to the airport. You stay here and play 
with your kids."

"Okay, I will."

From the roof of the house, the sky seemed so close that Ed felt he 
could reach out and touch the stars. The past three hours had been 
spent assembling the telescope with the help of the kids. Now it 
was complete and aimed at the sky. John spent a few minutes and 
focused on Mars. Engaging the drive that would track that planet, 
he stepped back and let Beth look at the Red Planet. The last to 
look through it was Ed and he experienced the wonder of a child at 
the sight. The polar ice caps were visible through this telescope, as 
were the canals. It was easy to see how early astronomers could 
believe that Martians had built the canals.

A very excited John set the telescope to examine first one planet 
and then another. The kids took turns looking through the 
telescope while Ed sat in his chair watching them and enjoying the 
pleasure they took in the stars. He shook his glass, listening to the 
ice cubes rattle, before refilling it with iced tea. Taking a sip, he 
enjoyed the flavor of fresh brewed tea. 

Shauna brought up a tray with milkshakes for the four kids. They 
took a break to enjoy the treat. John, after taking a sip of his drink, 
turned to Ed and said, "Mr. Biggers, thanks for letting me come 
over tonight. That's a great telescope."

"You're quite welcome. I'll be glad to have you over any night your 
mother says it is okay," answered Ed. 

The children, seated on the roof, returned to drinking their 
milkshakes. Ed stood and walked over to the edge of the building. 
The wall came up to his waist with places for the water to run off 
every three feet. He looked over the town, noticing lights going off 
as families went to bed. 

Dogs barked, trying to chase away the dark and all imagined 
dangers. A desert owl sounded from somewhere. The sound of a 
fusion powered car traveling along a dirt road made the 
characteristic motor whine and noise of tire against dirt. The night 
sounds of town hadn't changed with the exceptions of engines and 
broken mufflers. It was the sound of home. 

It was getting late when Kelly came over to join him. She put an 
arm around him and rested her head against his arm. She broke the 
silence. "Nora made the news tonight. She announced that she was 
putting her film career on hold."

"Good for her," replied Ed. He watched as the lights went out at 
Maria's Cantina, signaling that they were closing down for the 
night. That meant it was ten o'clock. In twenty minutes, Rosa 
would be headed home to settle into bed with Maria and Carlos. In 
two hours, Shirley would close up the bar. Although she hadn't 
said that she would come by to check up on John, Ed knew to 
expect her. 

Behind him, the children returned to the telescope and made noises 
of awe when they saw a galaxy through the eyepiece. Their 
excitement was contagious and he went over to check out the sight 
himself. Looking through the eyepiece he could just make out a 
fuzzy blob. John explained, "There are better ones to look at, but I 
wanted to see if the telescope could see this one."

"It's a perfectly great galaxy, John."

Beth moved closer to John and hugged him. Little John shook his 
head while William turned away. The scene was broken up when 
Kelly came over and said, "It's time to get to bed kids."

One by one, the kids came over and hugged Ed goodnight. He told 
each child that he loved it and then watched as Kelly herded them 
down the stairs and to the bedrooms. Voices rose from the stairwell 
as they acted like kids everywhere at bedtime, begging to be 
allowed to stay up another thirty minutes. 

Ed sat back in his chair and picked up his iced tea. Taking a sip, he 
relaxed and watched the stars. He smiled when he heard the door 
close down the street as Rosa arrived home. His little part of the 
universe was alive and well.