Chapter 15

It was hard to believe that three months had passed since his return to Arizona. Over the course of that time, he had taken the kids rock hunting, watched stars through the telescope, and taught the kids how to ride a pony. Now his time with them was coming to an end as they were going to return to the college in a few short hours.

Kelly sat up in the bed and looked down at him, seeing that he was awake. Her hand wandered down his body towards his cock. He smiled when her hand reached it and wrapped around it. She leaned down and sucked on his nipple, giving a little nip in the process. She ran a thumb over the sensitive head of his cock, thrilling as she felt the blood surge into it bringing it erect.

Kissing her way down his chest, she took her time reaching his cock. Once there, she licked it like an ice cream cone while her hand fondled his balls. Ed moaned at the pleasure of the sensations she was producing within him. She took her time, paying attention to the sensitive area just below the head of his cock.

Once he was fully erect, she changed her position and mounted him. Putting her hands on his chest, she rose and lowered herself on his cock while tightening her inner muscles when she lowered down on his manhood. Ed’s hips rose to meet her as he gave himself over to the sensations. Eyes closed, lost in the feelings of skin against skin, he pulled her down so that she was lying on him. She rocked her hips giving him the sensation that he was making small thrusts into her.

She squeezed his nipples and rocked a little harder. His breathing became shallower until he was holding his breath. The orgasm washed over him. He didn’t know if she had come or not. She climbed off and knelt between his legs, licking and sucking his cock with a gentleness that wouldn’t irritate the overly sensitive head. When it was clean, she lay down beside him and said, “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you, too.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve talked to Sherry, Marguerite, Shauna, Cathy, Sarah, Shirley, Rosa, and Maria. They’ll take care of you while I’m gone.”

Smiling Ed asked, “Let me guess. Marguerite and Shauna are going to poison me. Cathy is going to keep me so busy I don’t know what day it is. Sarah is going to clean my office so I don’t know where anything is. Rosa and Maria are going to butcher me and serve me as the main course in their restaurants.”

Giggling, Kelly answered, “That’s right.”

Ed put an arm around Kelly and pulled her close to him. Kissing her forehead, he said, “I love you so much.”

There wasn’t any need to answer, so she just purred her contentment at lying beside him. Her hands traced the scar across his chest, wondering about the full story behind it. She noticed a few gray hairs on his chest and realized that they were all getting older. Glancing at the clock, she noticed the time and sat up. “I better get up. The kids will be up anytime now and I need to get them fed, packed, and ready to go.”

Ed climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe. It felt comfortable, but he hadn’t been wearing it much since he was staying around the house. Taking Kelly by the hand, they went to the dining room for coffee, which would be followed by breakfast when the kids woke. Marguerite and Shauna were in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

The smell of coffee released by the act of pouring a cup worked its magic on Ed. Holding he cup beneath his nose, he inhaled the aroma. Taking a sip, he held the hot liquid in his mouth enjoying the feeling as it cooled down. Swallowing, he could feel the caffeine rush through his system. A smile, announcing his pleasure, crossed his face.

It was amazing that such a little thing like the first sip of coffee in the morning could have such an effect on Ed. The ability of Ed to take such pleasure in little things had always been a source of wonder to Kelly. There were times when he approached making love with that same attention to each and every sensation. When he did that with her, she could touch heaven.

The children wandered into the dining room, one after the other. William was the last to arrive and drank his apple juice as he took his seat. Little John said, “Momma Kelly is making love eyes at Daddy Ed again.”

Beth giggled at the announcement and it was her giggle that got Kelly’s attention. She asked, “What’s so funny?”

“You were making love eyes at Daddy again,” answered Little John. Looking at his little sister, he said, “She was giggling because she’s been making love eyes at John.”

“I have not!”

“Yes, you have!”

“Children, behave yourselves,” admonished Kelly.

Ed smiled and asked, “Are you looking forward to returning to the Druid College today?”

None of the children answered his question, each looking to the other to be the one that answered. Finally, it was the four-year-old William that answered, “Kind of. I mean, I miss the library a lot, but I really like it here, too.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” replied Ed letting his son know that he wasn’t hurt that he wanted to return to the college. That was his home.

Beth said, “I’m going to miss John.”

“I’m sure you will. He’s a nice boy and you have a lot in common with him,” remarked Ed. John was just as advanced in learning as Beth. That equality allowed the two kids to connect in a manner that was impossible with any other child their age. He was convinced that the two would end up married one day.

Marguerite and Shauna came out of the kitchen carrying plates with breakfast. They set them in front of the kids with a flourish and stepped back to see the looks on the kids’ faces. The plate was filled with a pancake that was powered white, with red lips, a strawberry noise, and a clown hat made of a pineapple slice and banana. The kids screamed in pleasure. This was their favorite breakfast.

Once the kids had started eating their food, Shauna returned to the kitchen and brought out two plates with Eggs Benedict. Looking at his plate, Ed winked at Kelly. She covered her mouth in anticipation of his comment. Ed looked over at Marguerite and said, “How many times do I have to tell you? The eggs go on the plate with the ham next to it and the bread over to the side.”

Marguerite stepped back and looked at him with an expression that conveyed what he could do with the eggs. She replied, “Any comments about the sauce?”

Clearing his throat, Ed nodded as he looked at the pale yellow sauce. He said, “I didn’t want to point out that you’re supposed to smoother the eggs with catsup rather than mustard.”

Unable to control herself, Marguerite burst out laughing. Returning to the kitchen with Shauna in tow, she remarked, “He really is getting imaginative in his criticism of my cooking. I didn’t see the catsup comment coming at all.”

Tasting the eggs, Ed released a satisfied hum as he enjoyed the mixture of flavors. The rough texture of the English Muffin, the salty flavor of the ham, the smooth texture of the egg, and the surprise of the Hollandaise sauce combined in an explosion of taste and texture. Marguerite had outdone herself this morning.

The entire family had watched Ed take his first bite of breakfast. Once he swallowed they all returned to eating the food on their plates. Kelly said, “I think I’m going to miss watching you eat the most.”

“Why?”

“I’ve never seen anyone enjoy their food so much. You take a meal and turn it into a religious experience.”

Ed shrugged while he took another bite of his breakfast. He let loose with another hum of satisfaction as he savored the flavors. Smiling, Kelly went to work on her breakfast.

The staff had lined up by the door to the garage. Sarah, Cathy, Marguerite, and Shauna head tears in their eyes as the kids went from one to the other saying goodbye. Even Walt, George, and Bob looked a little misty eyed at seeing the children leave. Ed directed the children to the van. Kelly walked beside him knowing that this hurt him more than he would admit. Walt went around to the driver’s seat and waited for everyone to get into the van.

Pulling out the garage, Walt steered the car down the driveway towards the road. Ed spotted the little figure of John running down the street towards the van and motioned to Walt. The van slowed to a stop for John. Ed pulled out his cell phone and called Shirley’s bar. When Mary answered, Ed said, “John is running up to the van to say goodbye to Beth.”

Mary answered, “I’m glad that he got there in time.”

“Do you mind if we take him to the airport? I’ll bring him back.”

“That would be great. Thanks a lot, Ed. I owe you one.”

“No you don’t. I’ll see you later,” replied Ed as he disconnected after exchanging good byes.

Beth was ecstatic that John was going to be able to ride to the airport with them. Kelly opened the door of the van before John managed to reach it. His poor little face was flushed with the effort of running all the way from the bar and he was panting heavily. Unable to speak, he held out a hand as he fought to catch his breath. Twisting around to see the boy through the open door, Ed said, “Come on in. I just got off the phone with your mother and she said that it was okay for you to come to the airport with us.”

Little John climbed over the seat to sit in the back row with his little brother as John climbed into to sit between Kelly and Beth. Beth grabbed his hand and said, “You ran all the way here to say goodbye to me. That’s so sweet.”

Hardly able to respond, John said, “I had to ... say ... goodbye.”

Kelly closed the door. Once the car was secure, Walt drove on towards the airport. Ed watched the scenery pass, noticing how much closer the city seemed to his hometown than in the past. One day, it would become a suburb of Phoenix. He hoped that he would be too old to care by the time that happened.

It seemed to the passengers that it didn’t take long to reach the airport. Once there, Walt drove to the hangar where they would catch the chartered jet that would take the family to the college. The service staff was waiting to carry the luggage to the jet that was parked outside the hangar. The van had barely stopped before they were at the door grabbing the luggage.

Ed got out of the van. The acrid smell of jet exhaust struck his nose. The cold November air chilled his body. He shivered within his jacket, knowing that it looked ridiculous over his robe, and helped Kelly open the door. Reaching into the van, he helped everyone out of the back giving each one a big hug. Beth and John walked behind Kelly holding hands and looking very sad. It touched Ed to watch the kids together. Little John was excited about flying and could barely contain his enthusiasm.

The last out of the van was William and he stopped to look around. He sniffed the air, smelling the jet exhaust. Turning to face Ed, he said, “I’ll be back.”

“I know you will,” replied Ed touched that his son felt it necessary to reassure his father. He led William to the stairs to the jet and watched as he climbed up. After a quick wave, William entered the plane and was lost to sight. John, looking like he had lost his best friend, climbed down the stairs and stood next to Ed.

The pair backed away from the jet until the door had closed and the jet turned to taxi away. Ed looked down and said, “It sure is hard saying goodbye, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Sir,” replied John as he wiped a tear from his eye. Ed put a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Ed sat in the back of the van beside John in order to talk with the boy. He was six going on seven facing emotions that were many years beyond their age unlike when most kids encountered them. Ed said, “I understand that Maria has opened a restaurant here in Phoenix that is open for lunch. How about you and I stop there and get something to eat?”

“That sounds like fun,” replied John.

“Would you like it if your father comes with us?” asked Ed thinking that he could swing by the federal building and pick up Sydney on the way.

“That would be great.”

Ed fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called the FBI office. After the normal interaction the receptionist, he reached Sydney. When he made the suggestion about going to lunch, the blind man was very enthusiastic about the idea. He suggested that his husband, Edward, could pick him up at the office and meet them at restaurant.

After hanging up the phone, Ed turned to John and said, “Both of your fathers are meeting us at the restaurant. We’ll call it a man’s lunch out.”

“Great!” exclaimed John proud at being included in a man’s lunch out even though he wasn’t sure what that meant. The thought that Beth would be proud of him brought down his mood.

“Walt, could you take us to Maria’s Cantina in town here?”

“Sure, Ed. It’s on the way home if I remember correctly,” answered Walt. He pulled off the road and checked the map to refresh his memory. He had marked the map with locations where he was occasionally required to drive so that he could go from one place to the other without getting lost. Satisfied that he had recalled the location of the restaurant correctly, he pulled into traffic and navigated his way towards his destination.

Noticing the subdued mood of his passenger, Ed said, “It’s you and me. We both had to say goodbye to people that we really care about. I guess that we’ll have to take comfort that we’ll be seeing them again in the future.”

“But I’m so alone here,” replied John.

The truth in the young man’s words rang clear. The message saddened Ed, bringing home the reality under which John lived. He didn’t have two talented siblings with whom he could share his life. In town he was alone in his advanced mental abilities. Ed asked, “How do the kids in town treat you?”

“Not very good at home. I enjoy the days when I come to the bar with Momma Shirley because the kids there are much nicer to me. They don’t care how smart I am, but play with me just the same. At home, they won’t play with me.”