Chapter 15

Ed, surrounded by plants, sat on one of the benches in the atrium. Watching Bob transplant flowers along the path was one of the few chances that he had to talk to the man. Bob looked over at Ed and said, “I love this job.”

This was the truest thing that anyone had said to Ed in several days. The crystalline pure tone that he heard was extremely sweet to his ears. Ed asked, “Why?”

Bob answered, “I used to work as a gardener full time. After that I was an auto mechanic and then a carpenter. The problem was that by the end of the week I was ready to stomp on the flowers, wreck the car, or burn the house down. I got bored of doing the same thing over and over.”

It was surprising, but Ed could understand. There were times when the cattle were acting up that he was half tempted to let them stampede just to see what would happen. He said, “I can understand that.”

Joking, Bob said, “I imagine there was a time or two that you wondered what would happen if you let the cattle run off a cliff.”

“You got that right.”

Turning thoughtful, Bob said, “This job is different. Sometimes I’m a gardener, or I’m a mechanic, or I’m a handy man. Every day is different and I don’t get bored. There are good days and bad days, but I’m in control of what I work on. It’s the best that I can imagine.”

Ed said, “You’re a smart man. Why didn’t you consider college?”

“I have dyslexia. I can’t read well, and my whole life has been spent accommodating that.” Bob was rather embarrassed to admit his problem. He had become a master at hiding his limitations from others.

This was something that came as a surprise to Ed. He had talked with Bob many times and never had a clue. It was normal procedure for him to give Bob a written list of tasks and it had never occurred to him that Bob couldn’t read the list. He asked, “So how do you read the list that I give you?”

Smiling, Bob replied, “Usually you tell me the work on the list and I remember that. If there is a problem, I take it to Bill.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” said Ed. Bob was a very smart guy and it was hard to believe that he couldn’t read. Ed said, “You’re a very smart guy.”

Bob said, “Thanks for saying that. It’s like suffering from color blindness. It doesn’t have anything to do with your intelligence.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that it had anything to do with each other. I just meant that you might have aspired to more and were held back by it.”

Thinking about it, Bob said, “Well, I was always kept in the slow classes and that wasn’t much fun. I was teased and called stupid. In terms of learning about things from books, it was never pleasant so I didn’t ever dream of being educated in that way. Then they put me in a trade school. I learned plumbing, auto repair, wood working, and gardening. I found that I liked that more. So I guess you can say that I’m happy with how things turned out.”

“Interesting,” said Ed. Every word had a ring truth to it. Curious, Ed asked, “Is there anything you would like to learn that you haven’t had a chance to try before?”

The question surprised Bob as he had never thought about it. After a thinking about it for a little while, he said, “I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to learn how to work with metal. You know casting, machining, and finishing.”

Thinking about it, Ed asked, “How about jewelry making?”

“Yes, that would be nice,” replied Bob.

Ed said, “Well, I can probably arrange that. Kim knows lots of jewelers and could probably arrange for you to apprentice with one of them for a while.”

“Really?” asked Bob. This was one of the things that he didn’t understand about this family. They were so concerned that people continue to grow and learn. Once they found that someone had an interest in something, they would move mountains to give them a chance to explore it.

“Really.”

Smiling, Bob turned back to the plants and said, “Did I ever tell you that I love this job?”

Laughing at the comment, Ed stood and answered, “I’ll leave you to it.”

Walking away from the atrium, Ed decided that it would be nice to visit town. It had been almost a month since he had made it to Shirley’s. Thinking was as good as acting and he headed to the door to walk into town. Although the house was at the end of the street, it was still a short walk into town. As he passed by his old house, he stopped and looked at it. Joe was renting it now, so he couldn’t enter. John’s house, across the street from his, stood empty and looked lonely. Tiger looked impatient to continue, so he continued on down the street.

Strolling down the street brought back sweet memories of those days when he was just beginning on this path. The memories made him melancholy. Those were the heady days when he discovered love for the first time. He smiled as he remembered the first time he made love with Kelly and how he had felt like a virgin. The months of watching over Beth when she was ill were not all that pleasant of a memory. Still, he had done the right thing, not because he was forced to do it, but because he wanted to do it.

It was mind boggling how much his life had changed. In those days, he was lucky to earn twenty thousand in a year. A couple of weeks ago, he had earned that with one consulting job. He hadn’t even finished his degree and was able to earn that much money. It made him wonder what would be his future.

He continued on into town. On reaching town, he encountered many people that he hadn’t seen in several months. Stopping to talk to each of them for several minutes, it took him an hour to reach Shirley’s. It felt good to talk to friends that he not seen in a while.

As he was about to enter the bar, Richard stopped him at the door. Richard Green had been one of the men that had given Ed a lot of problems in the early days. Now, the man seemed to hold Ed up as a role model. Richard said, “You might not want to go in there. There are some news people looking to get a story about you and John.”

“Who else is in there?”

Richard answered, “Shirley, Manuel, Joe, and a couple of other people.”

Ed said, “I can’t let the press keep me out of my favorite place. So, how about I buy you a coke and we ignore them?”

Shaking his head and laughing, Richard couldn’t believe how Ed reacted to something that would have had him running for cover. Deciding that it might be fun to see what would happen, Richard said, “Count me in.”

The two men entered the bar. When Ed looked around, he discovered that Shirley wasn’t behind the counter, but was seated at the table in the corner eating a sandwich with Manuel and Joe. A group of people, that he didn’t recognize, was at the far end of the room. It was a good assumption that they were the news people that Robert had warned him about.

Behind the counter serving up drinks was Linda Burton, the widow of Harry Burton. She saw them come in and asked, “Cokes?”

Ed answered, “Sure, that would be great.”

Linda poured two glasses of coke and set them on the bar. With a smile and a wink at Robert, she said, “Two wimps for the men.”

Much to Ed’s surprise, Robert laughed easily at the statement. Noticing the look on Ed’s face, he said, “I know. I gave up drinking the afternoon of your wedding. That little lecture of yours was a real eye opener.”

Shirley was waving for them to join her at the table. They followed Tiger over to the table and pulled up an extra chair. As Tiger curled up in a corner, the two men seated themselves. Once settled, Ed said, “Howdy folks. Long time no see.”

Leaning back in her chair, Shirley said, “I had thought you had forgotten all about us.”

Shaking his head, Ed answered, “No, I haven’t forgotten any of you. Somehow, I think somebody removed a couple of hours out of the day.”

Smiling, Manuel said, “Señor, I think you need to learn how to get paid for all of your work. You are losing money at the rates you are charging. Shirley will be happy to explain to you how to charge more money for everything you do. You have to treat this work like a business.”

By the time Manuel had finished talking, Joe and Shirley were laughing so hard that they could hardly remain seated. Robert looked confused as he didn’t understand that was effectively what Ed had told Manuel one day. Ed was chuckling at the joke. Shaking his head, Ed said, “Okay, I deserved that.”

Laughing, Manuel said, “I used to be the hardest working man in the county, but I think you have just beat me.”

“I don’t understand,” said Robert.

Joe explained, “One day when we had made a haul and our truck broke down, Ed came by and helped my dad out. They put the load in Ed’s truck and Ed helped us deliver it. On the way there, Ed gave my dad some business advice and then brought him over here to talk to Shirley. That was the day that our hauling business became a real business.”

Manuel added, “The advice I just gave Ed was about the same as the advice he gave me.”

The sudden change in Manuel’s hauling business had been the talk of the town. A lot of other people had seen this and had taken chances on opening their own businesses. Robert had never known how it was that things had turned around for Manuel and his son. He looked over at Ed and said, “I never heard that story.”

Ed shrugged his shoulders as though to minimize his role. Changing the subject, Ed asked, “So when did Linda start working here?”

Surprising Ed with the source, Robert said, “I brought her here on a date about a month ago. Shirley and her got into a conversation while I was in the bathroom. I came out and Shirley had hired her.”

Shirley added, “Well, she needed a job and really seemed interested in working here. It’s been nice having her work here. I actually get to spend a little time with my family now.”

“That’s great. I bet they like that too,” commented Ed. He had wondered how things were working out with her here at the bar all of the time.

Shirley actually blushed at the comment. Noticing that Ed had observed her blush, she said, “We are talking about having a baby.”

“Wow, that would be great! I can image you as a mother,” said Ed. With a wink, he added, “Cleaning up after a baby will be a snap after cleaning up after a bunch of drunks.”

Laughing Shirley replied, “That doesn’t happen as much now that you and John have changed the town.”

An easy banter settled over the table as people talked about their hopes and dreams. It was a major surprise when Robert said, “I guess you didn’t know that I proposed to Linda.”

Pleased to know that things were working out for Robert and for Linda, Ed said, “You’re both lucky to have found each other. She’s a good woman.”

There were things that everyone at the table knew. Neither of them had been nice people at one time. He had been a bully and a drunk. Linda had been the town slut, cheating on her husband on almost a daily basis. They were both working hard to put the past behind them. Quietly, Robert said, “We both have a bit of a past, but we’ve moved beyond it. I know that you helped me see the light. I don’t know what you did for her, but she talks about you like you’re a hero.”

Shaking his head, Ed said, “I didn’t do that much, but what I did do, was important to her.”

Looking at Ed in disbelief, Shirley shook her head. She knew exactly what Ed had done for Linda; he had saved her child from a life in prison. She leaned over and whispered in Robert’s ear for a minute. As he listened, Robert glanced at Ed with puzzlement on his face. After she was finished, Robert said, “I will talk to them about that.”

Frowning, Ed said, “Let the past lie as it is. Everyone has a mistake or two that they’ve made in the past and, if we are lucky, we can get over them. It’s how we live today that is important.”

The discussion was interrupted when the news reporter came over to the table. He asked, “Are you Ed Biggers?”

Turning slowly to face the man, Ed answered, “Yes, I am.”

“I would like to ask you some questions.” The reporter had been trying to get this close to a member of the Carter Clan for a month. Now that he had Ed here, he was going to do his best to tape a conversation with the man.

Putting on the most pleasant face that he could manage, Ed said, “Well, if you need directions or recommendations on good places to eat, I’ll be glad to help you. However, I’m talking with my friends and I won’t answer any questions beyond that.”

This was not the answer that the reporter wanted. He pressed his point and said, “I would like to interview you.”

Frowning, Ed said, “I’m sure that you are aware that we have a public relations person working on the staff of Jim Johnson. You can schedule an interview through her. Do you need directions on how to reach their offices?”

The reporter, his frustration at being denied once again, answered, “I have contacted them many times about arranging an interview and the answer is always the same.”

Knowing the answer, Ed asked, “And what is that answer?”

“You know damn well that the answer is no,” replied the reporter.

Manuel quipped, “Señor, if you know the answer, then why do you ask the question? That sounds pretty stupid to me.”

The entire table laughed as the reporter flushed a bright red. He spat out, “You are a celebrity and have a responsibility to the press. The people want to know about you.”

Confused, Ed looked around the table at the people there. He asked, “Do any of you believe that I’m a celebrity?”