Chapter 14

With the coming of summer, life had settled into a nice routine for Ed. Mornings were spent in school, evenings were spent at work, and weekends were spent with Kelly. He was taking three courses the entire summer; a reduced load that left him with much more time to study, and less material to study.

His sex life had taken on a greater role than ever. Kelly frequently spent the night with him. On many occasions, Beth joined them for the weekend. When John was gone, Beth would spend a night with him and a night with Kelly. That had been the case this week since John had disappeared on one of his mysterious trips. The relationship between Kelly and Beth was growing closer all the time.

The only problem was that John continued to avoid sex with Kelly. Frustrated, she couldn’t understand why he politely rejected every advance that she made. Even Beth was working on John to get him to sleep with her friend, but still he refused. Ed knew that John must have a private reason that explained his behavior. While he didn’t know what the reason was, he gave his friend the benefit of a doubt. Still, there were times when he wondered if John felt that Kelly wasn’t good enough for him.

Returning from work late in the afternoon, Ed was surprised to see John’s Jeep following behind him on the street to his house. Pulling into the driveway, Ed wandered across the street to welcome his friend back. He paused when he saw John get out of the Jeep wearing a cloak and carrying his walking stick. The cloak was new and made him look like some kind of mystic. The long hair, beard, cloak, and staff give the definite impression of a wizard. He froze in his tracks when a huge cougar jumped out of the car and sat next to John.

Seeing Ed’s reaction to the cat, John headed over to him with the cat following. Surprised at the sight of the cat, Ed was unable to think of anything original to say. Instead, he just said, “I taut I saw a puddy cat. I did, I did!”

Laughing, John just shook his head. The cat looked at Ed like he was an idiot. Finally, getting his laughter under control, John said, “That’s the best reaction I’ve gotten yet. I’d like to introduce you to Rover. Rover, this is Ed. He’s my best friend.”

With a great display of indifference, the cat came over to Ed and sniffed him. Not knowing what else to do, Ed knelt down next to the cat and looked it in the eye. It was a magnificent animal. He said, “I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

Returning back to John, the cat sat down and just watched Ed. Ed looked at the cat, the cloak, and John. He noticed the solid white beard and white stripes in John’s hair. Thinking about what that meant, he asked, “Let me guess. A gift from the Gods and Goddesses?”

Nodding, John replied, “From the God.”

Looking down at the cat, Ed said, “He’s a magnificent animal.”

“Well, I haven’t figured out yet what I’m supposed to do with him.” Looking down at the cat, it just sat there looking around at the surroundings.

Ed suggested, “How about taking him into the house and letting him stake out his own territory?”

Laughing, John gestured to the house and said, “Come on. Let’s get some iced tea and watch the sunset. I have a feeling it’s going to be spectacular tonight.”

Together the two men went into the house. As John prepared two glasses of iced tea, Ed watched the cat scout out the house. He noticed the attention the cat was giving the bathroom. After a few minutes of watching, Ed asked, “Could you give me a big bowl?”

Shrugging, John handed him his large cooking pot. After filling it with water, Ed carried it out with him to the patio. John brought out the two glasses of iced tea and watched as Ed set the pot on the ground. Each man sat down in his customary chair as Rover came out of the house and drank from the pot. John said, “I think it’s going to be three of us watching sunsets together from now on.”

Laughing, Ed replied, “I don’t mind. I rather enjoy the company.”

The two men sat there watching the sun slowly set. The sky glowed with a deep red color tinged with gold and purple. The sight took their breath away, making each man feel small in the face of the glory that is nature. As the sky darkened, Ed asked, “Is that what the Goddess looks like?”

Surprised by the question, both John and the cat looked at Ed. John answered, “Yes. That is what the Goddess looks like.”

The easy quiet that was normal between the two men returned as they took pleasure in the undemanding presence of the other. Each man thought his own thoughts. If Beth or Kelly had been present, there wouldn’t be a moment of silence. The night sky slowly darkened and the stars emerged overhead. Ed said, “I could see serving the Goddess.”

John looked at his friend in surprise and asked, “What brought that on?”

“I was just thinking about the sunset.”

Taking a deep breath as he remembered his experience with the God, John said, “The God is more like a tornado, power concentrated beyond belief.”

The silence descended once more. Ed thought about the Gods and Goddesses, wondering what it was like to serve them. From his personal experience, he knew that John’s service to the Goddess served the good. In the year that he had had known John, the man had saved more lives than even legendary characters in the greatest of literature.

“What do you think your service to the God will entail?”

John answered, “I don’t know. I feel an urge to go to the FBI building in Phoenix, but I have no idea what that means.”

After a short silence, Ed said, “I think it will be a rewarding service.”

Looking at Ed out of the corner of his eye, John asked, “Are you thinking about joining us?”

Shaking his head in the negative, Ed replied, “Not really. I was just thinking about what the service to the Gods and Goddesses must entail.”

After a little more time had passed, Ed asked, “What do you say to dinner at Maria’s Cantina?”

The idea appealed to John, but a glance down at Rover made him reconsider. He said, “I’m not sure how Maria will react to Rover.”

Laughing, Ed replied, “I’ve got a feeling that Rover is going to be around for a long time. Might as well get folks around here used to him.”

Together, the two men headed towards Maria’s Cantina followed by Rover padding along beside them. More than one neighbor ran into the house at the sight of the cat emerging from the dark. After the third time that happened, Ed laughed and said, “I think they saw a puddy cat.”

At the restaurant, Ed went in first to talk to Maria. When he entered, Maria said, “Hello, Ed. Are you here for dinner?”

Looking out the door at John, Ed said, “That depends. John has a cat with him and is afraid that you won’t let him in with it.”

“A cat?”

Smiling Ed said, “Yeah, it’s a big cat, but it won’t let John out of its sight.”

Frowning, Maria asked, “He can’t leave it at home?”

“No, it followed him here.”

It was a slow evening and she needed the business. Deciding that if John could control the cat, then it would be alright, she said, “Okay.”

Ed called out the door, “It’s okay John.”

When John entered with Rover, Maria made the sign of a cross several times. Afraid, she squeaked, “That’s not a cat.”

John performed the introductions, “Rover, Maria. Maria, Rover.”

After making another cross, Maria took John and Ed to a table in the corner hoping that it was out of the way enough not to bother anyone. While Maria did everything she could to keep her distance from Rover, Rosa was just the opposite. She immediately fell in love with the cat and tried bringing out all kinds of treats for it. After a generous amount of raw hamburger she brought out a big bowl of ice cream.

John and Ed were basically ignored by Rosa as she pampered the cat. The food was good and the men enjoyed each others company, so the evening wasn’t a total loss. Only a few of the customers even noticed the cat. The general reaction, after the initial surprise, was one of curiosity, but people were polite enough not to bother them while they were eating.

As they were leaving, John stopped to talk to Maria. Edging away to keep as much distance between her and the cat, she asked, “What can I do for you John?”

John looked around the restaurant and said, “I was just thinking about how you might get a little more business.”

At that, Maria started paying more attention to John than to the cat. John said, “You might want to start a delivery service. When Ed suggested that we come eat here, I was about to say that we should call in for take out, except you don’t have take out.”

Maria turned thoughtful trying to figure all of the implications of introducing take out. After a minute, she said, “There are some details that I would have to work out.”

Understanding her hesitancy, John said, “Well, you can probably get Manuel or his son to deliver for tips. You won’t have to wash dishes or occupy table space, so that would be a cost savings.”

“Thank you, John. I’ll think about it.” Maria was quiet as she considered the implications from a business perspective.

As they were about to leave, Rosa popped around the corner and said, “If you see Maria, remind her that I’m coming over tomorrow.”

Both men turned to look at Rosa. She blushed, but looked back at them without guile. John answered, “Of course, Rosa.”

Absentmindedly, Maria said, “Don’t be late tomorrow, Rosa. I don’t know what you and her do, but you’re always late coming back from there.”

“Yes, Maria,” replied Rosa.

Watching the exchange, Ed realized that there was more going on here than met the eye. He didn’t know what it was and it wouldn’t take long to find out, but he chose to respect her privacy. Stepping outside, he waited for John while watching the stars.

It was a few minutes later when John stepped out of the restaurant with Rover beside him. The cat looked around for a few seconds and then headed over to a sandy spot. Squatting, the cat went to the bathroom. Ed said, “You’re going to have to get a litter box.”

Looking at the cougar, John asked, “What do you use for litter box for a cat that size?”

“How about one of those plastic pools for little kids?” replied Ed.

The cat stepped away and covered its pile with sand using its front paws. Looking at its behavior, it was clear that this was just a big cat. The cat returned to walk beside John. About half way home, the cat ran over to the side of the road and squatted. The two men stopped and waited. Ed said, “I think the cat has diarrhea.”

Nodding his agreement, John said, “I was afraid of that. Too much ice cream.”

The men waited for the cat to finish its business. Ed said, “I think you’ll have to sleep with your back door open tonight. The cat will need to go outside a couple of times.”

Watching the cat, John had to agree. He said, “I think you’re right.”

“We might want to let some of the neighbors know the cat is yours. I would hate for one of them to take a shot at him.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” replied John. About that time, the cat covered its pile and rejoined them.

As the three of them walked back towards the house, Ed went from door to door letting the neighbors know that they weren’t to shoot the cat. Finally, he reached Maria’s house. Knocking on the door, he remembered the message from Rosa.

Carlos, Maria’s husband, answered the door and greeted him, “Hello, Ed.”

Nodding, Ed said, “Hello, Carlos. I came by to give you two messages. One for your wife and one for you.”

Scratching his stomach, Carlos wondered what kind of message Ed could have for him. He was seldom home, working long hours in Phoenix. He ran his own lawn care business with a crew of about thirty people working for him. The entire day was usually spent going from one place to another to make sure that everyone was working. He asked, “What do you have to tell me?”

With a little gesture towards John’s house, Ed said, “Your neighbor John has a cat. It’s a full grown cougar. I came by just to let you know, so that you won’t shoot it thinking it’s a wild animal.”

Laughing, Carlos shook his head in wonder. He had only met John once or twice, but Maria was quite taken with him. He said, “So he got himself a cougar? I’ve seen weirder pets in the city. I won’t shoot it.”

The comment about weirder pets made Ed wonder. He asked, “What kinds of pets have you seen?”

Carlos answered, “Some of those rich folk are crazy. They’ve got lions, monkeys, ostriches, and other animals that don’t belong around people. Hell, one bastard has a crocodile that attacked one of the men that works for me. My insurance rates went up on that one.”

Shaking his head, Ed said, “I guess one cougar doesn’t quite measure up to a lion.”

Carlos laughed and said, “I guess not. So what was the other message?”

The prompt reminded Ed of the second message. He answered, “Actually, it’s from Rosa. She just wanted to remind Maria that she was going to come over tomorrow.”

Carlos stepped back and asked, “Rosa? Isn’t that Maria’s sister from over at the restaurant?”

Nodding, Ed answered, “Yes.”

“I didn’t know that Maria and Rosa were friends. Hold on.” He turned and called into the house, “Maria, can you come out here?”

Wondering if he had just caused a problem, Ed suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn’t really know Carlos that well and wasn’t privy to any details about their marriage. As far as he knew, everything was fine.

Maria came to the door and upon seeing Ed greeted him, “Hello, Ed.”

Carlos said, “Ed said that Rosa was coming over for a visit tomorrow.”

Smiling at Ed, she answered, “Oh, that’s great news. I was hoping that she could make it.”

The smile that Maria had given Ed reminded him of the day when she had told him that she knew about John, Beth, and Betsy. Carlos had noticed the smile also and asked, “Have you been seeing a lot of her?”

Looking at her husband, she winked and answered, “I would say so.”