Chapter 11

As Ed looked over the paper, his hand trembled with excitement. Once this paper was graded his teaching duties would be over for the next three months, and he would be returning to Arizona! He read the paper with the same level of care as the rest, marking sections that were inaccurate or poorly expressed. This particular paper would have made a good summary article on the state of the art in Geological Survey techniques.

After finishing his second read of the paper, it was time to assign a grade. This was the part of the job that he disliked the most. With these talented students, the difference between an A and a B paper was almost minuscule. He gave it an A- adding a comment that it should have included a reference to a particular article that discussed geological surveys based on satellite data. All of the papers he had graded could have been published. Looking at the stack of papers, Ed decided that he would have them published.

After adding the grades to the computer, it computed the averages, uploaded them to the primary server, and generated a web page by which the students could get their grades. He closed the laptop computer and set the papers on it. It was only at that moment he noticed the tension in his back.

Getting up from the table, Ed stretched and yawned with a roar that startled the students around him. Looking around embarrassed at the reactions of the students in the room, he noticed that the majority of students were his students and that they had been watching him grade the papers. He picked up his material and grinned. “Don’t worry, everyone failed.”

One of the students groaned in dismay, only to realize by the laughter of the other students that Ed was joking. Blushing brightly, he asked, “So when do we find out our grades?”

“They are online now.”

There was a mad scramble as students opened laptops to check their grades. Ed watched amused. The majority of students would be satisfied with their grades. Rather than watch their reactions, he headed off to his room to drop off his material before going to get something to eat. Although he didn’t notice it, the Druids he passed on his way observed that there was a much more relaxed manner to his walk than they had seen in a long time.

Humming to himself, he entered the living quarters of the Carter Clan. Kelly was waiting for him to arrive, fidgeting nervously on the couch. She greeted him, “Hello, Ed. You look happy today.”

“I am happy. I leave tomorrow,” replied Ed as he thought about the pending flight to Arizona. He was looking forward to two days visiting people in town, a day taking care of his business, and then two weeks alone in the desert. Even his medallion warmed at the thought.

“Don’t you want to stay here with us?” asked Kelly upset at the degree of change that had come over Ed just knowing that he was going to leave.

“I can’t stay. Come home with me,” pleaded Ed.

The sad fact was the Kelly was very aware of what Ed meant when he said that he couldn’t stay there anymore. The past year had been sheer torture for him. Asking him to stay was the same as expecting a goldfish to live on land.

She answered, “I’ll talk to John and the kids. Maybe we can come out there for a quarter. It’ll give the kids a chance to take some time out of school.”

A large smile broke out over Ed’s face as he thought about the possibility of the whole family getting together in Arizona. He wanted to shout, but controlled himself and said, “That would be great. I would love for the whole family to go back home for three months.”

Her smile faltered, as that wasn’t what she had meant. A long sad sigh escaped from her lips. Looking down, she said, “I’ll talk to John. Put your stuff away and get something to eat.”

As he headed towards the first year dining room, Little Beth joined him. Without saying a word, she wrapped her hand around his finger enjoying the comfort of holding hands with him. Looking down at her, Ed wanted to pick her up and hug her tight. A few minutes later, Little John came running up to him and threw his arms around Ed’s leg. Ed rubbed his hair, letting his son know that he loved him.

It was a full minute before Little John released his hold on Ed’s leg and looked up at his father with a tear streaked face. Lips quivering, he said, “We’re going to miss you. Do you really have to leave us?”

Throat swollen from emotion, Ed could hardly trust his voice to speak. He knelt down and pulled both kids into a tight hug. Eyes watering, he answered, “I love you guys so much.”

Standing a distance away, William watched the three without emotional reaction. When Ed noticed him, William said, “I think I shall enjoy living in Arizona for the next few months. Perhaps you can teach me about the desert once Great-grandfather teaches me about my other heritage.”

The announcement shot through the two kids like electricity. They turned to stare at their brother. It was Little John that broke the silence. “Are you saying that we are going with him?”

Not answering the question, William said, “We are at a nexus of change. There are things that should be done before opportunities are lost.”

Ed stared as William turned and walked away without farewell. The children stood in place, shocked and puzzled, as they considered what their brother had said. Finally, Beth asked, “Are we going with you?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Ed. Changing the subject, he said, “Let’s get something to eat. This is the last chance you get to watch the first years naked. Tomorrow they become second years.”

“Oh, Daddy. You are such a prevert.”

“That’s pervert, John,” corrected his big sister. “And he’s not a pervert. Today is the best day to watch the first years. They have the most confidence about their nudity, and they have learned to behave properly.”

As they walked to the dining room, Ed considered what Beth had said. She was quite correct in her assessment of the students. Each of them walked and sat with perfect posture, unashamed of how they looked. The fattest of them, the women with flat chests, and the men with small cocks; all had made peace with their bodies. They moved with a grace and self-confidence that would contrast sharply with the fresh crop of students entering the school in a few days.

Ed did appreciate watching the students on this day. It marked the transition from typical citizens to healthy citizens that understood and could live by the Druid rules. He nodded to students as he walked while holding hands with Little John and Beth. If the kids didn’t come with him, this was going to be the thing that would drive him back to the College.

Arriving at the first year dining room, they selected the largest table in the room despite the fact that there were only three of them. Others would come to visit for a few minutes and then leave. Once they were seated, a first year student came to the table and said, “I heard that you were leaving. Will you be back to teach first year Geology?”

Shaking his head, Ed replied, “No. I will only be teaching a handful of fifth and sixth years from now on.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” replied the student. He was of Indian descent from a family of the Brahmin cast. His application to the school had surprised Ed, particularly since it represented a major departure from his cultural heritage. This class had a number of surprising students including a Maori and two Japanese- Americans. The youngest student was seventeen while the oldest student was twenty-six.

Smiling, Ed said, “All of the instructors here are very good. You won’t miss me at all.”

“I intend to major in Geology and wanted the best to teach me.”

The words rang of flattery, well intentioned, but flattery none the less. Little John looked up at the student and said, “Flattery doesn’t work on him.”

“That’s true. I find that holding his hand works a whole lot better,” said Beth with a giggle.

Turning to face the kids, Ed said, “Do I need to send you to the corner?”

Both kids looked up at the student and apologized. When the student asked, “Why are you apologizing?”

Ed answered, “They are apologizing for making rude comments. They didn’t know that the entire reason you came here was to study Geology under me.”

The comment took the student by surprise as he had never told anyone that, but he couldn’t deny the truth of the statement. He had come here with no real intention of presenting himself to the Gods and Goddesses. His sole interest had been to study geology under the famous Dr. Biggers. It was a choice that had been supported by his entire family. As the student stuttered his surprise, Ed said, “It will be interesting to see what happens when it’s your time to present yourself to the Gods and Goddesses. An unwilling heart does not usually lead to willing service, but there have been exceptions to that.”

Swallowing heavily, the student asked, “How did you know?”

“I serve the truth. Do you think a lie on your application would go unnoticed?” answered Ed as he examined the student.

“Yet you accepted my application knowing that?” asked the student.

“Yes, I did. Let’s just say that I was curious about what would happen after six years of being around Druids,” answered Ed with a twinkle in his eye. Waving a hand, he added, “You can go now.”

The student walked away numbly wondering how much these Druids understood what went on within the minds of their students. Ed had just given an extremely powerful demonstration and one that he would remember for the rest of his career at the College.

The waitress arrived, took their order, and departed. When she was gone, Beth asked, “Are you looking forward to Marguerite’s cooking?”

“Well, I’ll be worried about her poisoning me,” answered Ed with a wink.

Putting her hands on her hips, Beth retorted, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

William and John arrived at the dining room. As John sat down, he said, “I enjoy the last day of the school year. Each group of students is looking forward to advancement to the next year. In two years we will have our first group of graduates.”

Beth, tired of waiting for the news, asked, “So are we going to Arizona?”

Looking over at his daughter, John smiled and said, “Yes, you are. Kelly and all three of you kids will be going there with Ed tomorrow. Linda and Leroy will be arriving in three weeks.”

Ed waited for the rest of the news, wanting to hear when John and Ling would be coming there. When John said nothing about him coming, he sagged as dreams of the whole family in Arizona faded. Looking up at his husband, John said, “I’m sorry, Ed. It has to be this way. I have to be here for the new students. This is a very critical time for them. Ling still has problems in New York and will stay there with Betsy.”

The reminder about Ling’s current problems was sufficient explanation about her absence. Although the police officers had testified that she had acted in self-defense when she had forced the attacker’s truck into a tree, her subsequent actions at shooting their lifeless bodies were being questioned. So far she hadn’t been charged, but that was only because Jim was working on her case and blocking any legal recriminations.

The three kids looked at each other as they listened. Only William didn’t seem upset by his mother’s predicament. Ed replied, “I understand.”

Shrugging, William said, “There will be occasions when we will all be in Arizona. If not now, then later.”

The two men stared at William wondering what he meant by that. Ignoring the looks given him by his fathers, William made a gesture to bring over the waitress. When she arrived, he said, “I’ll have a hamburger, fries, and chocolate shake, please.”

Amused at the actions of his son, John ordered his lunch and sat back to watch the first year students relaxing through a leisurely lunch for the first time in a year. Finished with their finals and knowing there wouldn’t be any classes for a week, the students talked about the past year. A good percentage of them were flying home to visit with their families for the first time in a year. It would be interesting to see what they said when they returned from the visits.

A female student, the largest woman of the first years, came over to the table. She spun in place giving the men a chance to see all of her. Glowing with happiness as she said, “Ed, I want to thank you for the past year. It has been an amazing experience.”

Looking over at her, Ed was pleased with the changes that she had undergone over the past twelve months. For the entire first week at the college she had wept uncontrollably at having to be naked around all of the other students. The next three months had been accompanied by massive swings in her mood.

One night she had tried to get twenty other students to have sex with her one after the other in what he had learned was called pulling a train. The students, beginning to understand the rule about harming others, had politely begged off recognizing that she wanted to perform a self-destructive act. One of the students had come and notified him what she was doing. He had gone to her and spent the night telling her about Sherry and Jim.

It was a week later that she found a boyfriend with whom she had truly shared herself for the first time. The two had been inseparable since then and had added another couple to their circle of love. After a rough start, Ed was convinced that she had found balance and come to appreciate her body.

Looking over at her, Ed asked, “What are your plans over the break?”

“My lovers and I will go visit my family over the break. I want my family to meet them,” she said with a smile convinced that her family would respond favorably.

“How do you think they will react to learning that you have three lovers?” asked Ed hoping that she had considered that her family might not be so favorable to her choice.

“I’ve been writing to them through the whole year. I’ve even sent them pictures of us. There won’t be any surprises.”

“I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t be disappointed,” remarked Ed surprised that she had sent a picture of her lovers to her family.

Curious about other families and how they interacted, Beth asked, “Were you naked in the picture?”

“Yes, we all were,” replied the student with a slight blush. She added, “My family couldn’t believe that I would allow myself to be photographed without clothes. I guess their fat daughter is coming into her own.”

Shaking his head, Ed said, “I disagree with how you express that. Their lovely daughter is coming into her own.”

She laughed and waved goodbye as she went to join her lovers at their table. John turned to Ed and said, “Another damsel in distress that you rescued.”