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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers V-01 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
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<1st attachment, "biggers5-01.txt" begin>
JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 1
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004
... to be drawn and quartered with arms and legs bound in chains
of obligation and pulled by love.
Even as we scream our pain and anguish into the empty cavern, we
hear our cries echo back at us in a voice that sounds angry rather
than anguished. "I want and I don't want this!"
When opportunities for growth arise for one member of a family,
how can we support them while remaining true to ourselves? Not
exactly a new problem, it is a more widespread dilemma of modern
times. Should one person move across the country so that a spouse
can have a better life and lose theirs in the process? Or should they
ask that the spouse stay in their current situation to enable their
growth? Is there a better solution to the problem that remains to be
discovered?
Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself
and friend. So says the great playwright. Trite advice for facing the
difficult challenges of life. Change often throws choices at the
living that forces one partner into accepting a debt of love or
dissolving the partnership. This can not be avoided. People have no
control over the chaos of opportunities and misfortune that life
throws their way. The belief that we have control is an illusion.
As opportunities come and go, each brings with it the risk of
terminating a loving relationship. The fear that arises from
knowing that a loving relationship is at risk at all times is
tremendous. Jealousy and control are expressions of inept attempts
to reduce that risk, yet they only increase the risk by throwing the
debt of love in the face of the other. Love becomes obligation and
obligation kills love.
"Comprise!" shouts someone from the sidelines. Yet how do you
compromise when the choice is an either or? The choice may be to
move across the country for a dream job for one member of the
relationship or to stay where family surrounds the other member in
loving support. It isn't possible to move the job to where you
already live or move everyone to where the job exists. To leave
one spouse behind to live with their family while the other moves
to follow the job is a short-term solution that in the long-term can
kill the relationship. You are damned if you do and damned if you
don't.
The situations that can arise are numberless thereby making each
opportunity unique. With no fixed answers, we cry into the empty
cavern in anguish and hear our voices echo in anger. At night,
someone will lie in bed saddened by the change that life has
imposed on him or her. The other lies in bed torn at the
unhappiness their choice caused in the other. Anguish, anger,
jealously, and loneliness are emotions produced by choices made
or unmade.
*************
It was the first session of the forth year of classes. Ed looked at the
student in surprise that such a question would be asked the very
first day. It was his first time to teach in the Druid College and he
had just covered the basic kinds of rocks. The student had just
asked, "So what kind of rock will the dirt outside this building turn
into?"
John had suggested that he use such questions to allow the students
to explore the topic when he didn't have a quick or direct answer at
hand. The case here was that he hadn't covered enough material to
give an answer that would be understandable. The idea that the
students might learn that not all answers were simple appealed to
him. Ed looked around the class and asked, "So would anyone like
to take a guess?"
Another student, looking about like she was nervous, raised their
hand. After Ed pointed at her, she replied, "It would have to be a
sedimentary rock."
Nodding, Ed said, "True enough as a first pass."
The first student raised his hand. After Ed acknowledged him, the
student said, "There's a lot of organic material in the soil. Wouldn't
it turn into oil?"
The discussion raged for the last ten minutes of the class. Each
student added a small piece to generating an answer to the
question. Many of the pieces were contradictory and Ed watched
as they tried to reason out how soil would change to rock. They
were not coming up with a single answer and it was easy to see
that there was a certain amount of frustration building.
A few minutes before the class was scheduled to end, Ed
interrupted the discussion and said, "The actual answer is quite
complex. It depends on the geological forces that are applied to the
soil. At every phase of its evolution, different factors can enter that
will change the outcome. It may start out undergoing a
sedimentary process. Once buried, it may undergo a metamorphic
process. I think the complexity of the answer is part of the
attraction of this area of study. Hopefully, by the end of the
semester you will understand the complexity and we can return to
this discussion."
Class time was nearly over and Ed had one more major task to
complete before class ended. After a quick glance around the
room, he said, "Read the first chapter of your book for tomorrow."
His announcement was not greeted with the kind of groans that
would normally occur in a college class after receiving such an
assignment. Most of the students came to class expecting that and
many had already read the chapter in anticipation of the
assignment.
When the clock showed that the class was over, the class filed out
of room in the disorganized manner common to Druids. No one
pushed or shoved as people walked at a pace of his or her
choosing, adjusting it to the pace of the people around them. They
weren't exactly quiet, as pairs or threesomes discussed the material
covered in class in muted voices.
When the students had finally left the room, John came up to the
front desk where Ed was collecting his material. With a grin, John
said, "They threw you a curve on that question."
"You can say that again. I've never had a student ask that question
before," replied Ed. The closest he had come to that question
usually arose when he discussed the formation of sandstone.
Shaking his head, he said, "It's only the first day of class."
"So how do you like teaching here?"
Still recovering from the question and the insights exhibited during
the conversation that followed, Ed answered, "I like it. This is
definitely going to be a challenge. Of course, they just gave me a
good question for the final exam."
Laughing, John replied, "Has anyone told you that you are evil?"
"Not lately," remarked Ed with a grin. With a wink, he added,
"Usually I'm much better at hiding it."
The two men laughed as they left the classroom. Ed would be
returning in half an hour to teach the next section of the class. This
was the introductory class to geology and he would teach two
sections of it this quarter. Another instructor was teaching two
sections, as all students were required to study this material. Next
quarter, he would have only a single class covering the next
material. The third and fourth quarters were going to be easy since
he wouldn't have a class. The next year of teaching would add a
class to each quarter. When the first set of students reached their
final year, he would be teaching three classes a quarter, but the
odds were good that there would be very few students in any
particular class.
In the dining room of the fourth year students, Ed looked around at
the students gathered there. They had changed in significant ways
compared to how they had been the first day they had entered
college. Only three students had dropped out so far and one of
those was because of health problems. It was an amazing retention
rate considering how it compared with other universities. The
environment of mutual support, study groups, and focus on
learning was having a beneficial effect. Reasoning skills that had
been neglected until entering the college were now honed to a
sharp edge. Ed remarked, "These kids are so sharp, I doubt that I'll
be able to challenge them the last year of their education."
"You have experience on your side," remarked John,
understanding exactly how Ed felt. There were times when these
kids really pushed him to his limits. Taking individuals with the
highest potential and developing them to the highest level possible
had produced some very exceptional individuals. In a few years,
they would become powerful leaders in any activity that they
might pursue. Seeing the doubt on Ed's face, he added, "Don't
worry. They may be able to reason, but they still need facts with
which to reason about. You have those facts locked up in your
head and that is what they need."
Smiling, Ed shrugged his shoulders as if to signify that he would
see when the time came. The waitress showed up at the table to
take their orders. Middle aged with too many years spent on her
feet waiting tables, she viewed everyone and everything with the
kind of jaded eye that sought out the worst. In a bored tone of
voice, she said, "What 'cha want?"
Glancing at his watch, Ed saw that he had only twenty minutes
before the next class. He said, "I'll take a cup of coffee."
The waitress, on the job for less than a week, looked down at him
with a frown trying to remember where she had encountered Ed
previously. Giving up, she asked, "Do you want me to bring a
carafe?"
"No, I'm only going to be here for fifteen minutes," answered Ed.
It took him a minute to realize that this was the waitress that used
to work at the Possum in town. He said, "Sorry, I didn't recognize
you. You used to work at the Possum, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did. The pay here is better though," replied the waitress
indifferent to his observation. She turned to face John and asked,
"What can I get you?"
"I'll have the Egg's Benedict and some coffee," answered John
amused at her indifference to Ed. He considered teasing Ed about
losing his thing for Damsels. It would be interesting to see how
long she was able to maintain her distance.
She walked off to take care of the order. Ed watched her go and
asked, "What is her name?"
"Sasha Zyzelewski," replied John. He had sat in on hiring her and
knew that she had a troubled past. They had hired her despite the
objections of the personnel director who had objected to her deeply
ingrained negative attitude.
Ed nodded as he committed her name to memory. He would be
spending most of his breaks between classes here and didn't want
to be rude. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm curious how
the next class will go."
"Probably the same but completely different."
Laughing, Ed sat back in his chair and relaxed. He said, "I need
such reassurance."
John grinned and looked around the room at the students that had
descended on the dining room. The waitress was busy taking
orders, most of which were for coffee, juices, and quick breakfasts.
The waitress, tired of running around, returned to the table at the
first opportunity and set the coffees for John and Ed on it. She
snarled, "We ought to put up a self serve breakfast buffet. I can't
run all over the room like this."
"Good idea, Sasha," replied Ed as John said, "Do it."
The waitress stood there staring at the two men in shock, not
having expected that response. Puzzled, she asked, "You want me
to do it?"
"Sure," replied John. He looked across the room and noticed that
one of the students had taken it upon himself to serve coffee to a
number of the other students. This was nothing unusual,
particularly since the students often overwhelmed the waitresses
during the half-hour breaks between classes. He wondered how
Sasha was going to take it.
She looked at the pair of men, noticing their smiles before she
went back to her duties. When she saw a couple of the students
walking around with coffeepots filling cups at various tables, she
didn't know how to react. She glanced back at John and Ed for
guidance, but they were just smiling as though nothing was wrong.
She returned to the table and asked, "They are helping themselves.
Is that allowed?"
John looked over at the students and asked, "Are they harming
anyone?"
"No," replied the waitress confused by the question.
"Then it's okay," asserted Ed watching her reaction.
Squinting out of one eye in a facial expression that reminded Ed of
Popeye, she said, "Explain that to me."
"If it harms no one, then do it. That is one of the rules of this
campus."
"What has that got to do with them helping themselves?"
Grinning, Ed asked, "They can do it because it harms no one. In
fact, I'd say that it helps you out."
The waitress walked away and returned to her work. As fast as she
moved from table to table, the students were quicker. They took
care of themselves and the other students around them. After about
ten minutes, the waitress stood in the center of the room and just
watched the activity around her.
Ed drank his coffee and watched the student dynamics. They were
excited about their new classes and were already sharing stories
about their instructors. More than a few glances in his direction
suggested that his teaching style was already a matter of
discussion. John noticed and said, "Word is getting out about you
already."
"Yeah, it would be interesting to find out what they are saying
about me."
"Don't worry. They'll like you, they'll hate you, and they'll curse
you at times if you do your job correctly. After they leave here and
experience the real world is when their opinion counts."
Ed was silent as he thought about it. In Arizona he had never really
given it any thought. Most of the time was spent just trying to get
the students through the program. He gave them the best that he
could and hoped that it helped them in their careers. Nodding, he
said, "That's true."
Taking another sip of his coffee, John shook his head and said, "It's
been so long since I taught basic physics, that I was terrified going
into the classroom. Still, it has been a very rewarding experience
teaching these young people. They are smart."
"Yeah, I can see that they are smart."
Curious, John asked, "Did you select an intern yet?"
"Not yet," answered Ed. It had been decided that each Druid would
work with one or two fourth year students to introduce them to the
kind of activities that Druids performed when serving in official
situations. This would help them adopt their responsibilities
without the kind of surprises that other Druids had felt on their first
exposure to service.
John watched as Ed finished his coffee making a grimace as the
tepid liquid assaulted his tongue with bitterness. As Ed set the
empty cup on the table, John said, "Time for you to get to class."
Groaning, Ed stood and went down the hallway to the connected
building where his class was to be held. Entering, he saw that
about half the class had arrived before him. He wondered if his
kids would make it on time. There were still five minutes before
class would start so there was still time for them to arrive.
Kristie Prevatt, the girl that had lied to her parents about her
acceptance into the school, was seated in the front row. She waved
to him when he noticed her and he nodded back wondering what
kind of student she would be. For a moment he considered making
her his intern, but decided against it.
When the clock indicated that it was time for class to begin, Ed
went to the whiteboard and wrote his name across it in big letters.
It was not necessary. All of the students already knew who he was.
Turning back to face the room, he was disappointed that his kids
weren't in seats. A student entered the room, three minutes late,
and made his way to a chair in the middle of the room. Ed looked
over at the student, irritated that he couldn't arrive on time for the
first class, and said, "Please leave the room."
The student froze and looked at Ed in shock. Stuttering, he asked,
"Pardon me?"
"I asked you to leave," replied Ed without a smile.
"I was just three minutes late."
"Yes and you disturbed the classroom. Now leave," replied Ed. His
tone allowed no argument.
The student left the room amidst considerable comments among
the students remaining in the room. Once the late student was
gone, Ed turned to face the rest of the room. The room become so
quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Satisfied, Ed said, "Welcome
to the introductory class to Geology. I hope that everyone is in the
correct room."
After a pause, Ed began the same introductory speech that he had
given the previous class. It was basically an overview of what they
would be covering over the next twelve weeks. The school
operated on a quarter system. This allowed the students to get
formal introductions to more topics before selecting their final
field of study. The two additional years of college allowed them to
get an in-depth education in their selected field of study.
When the hour was almost over, Ed asked, "Are there any
questions?"
The room was quiet for a long time before Kristie raised her hand.
After acknowledging her, she asked, "Why did you ask Howard to
leave the room?"
"He was late," replied Ed.
"Still, it seemed kind of harsh," countered Kristie, "since he wasn't
harming anyone."
"If I was holding a test today, how many people would have been
disturbed by his late arrival? None? One? Two? It doesn't matter
that there wasn't anything important occurring at the moment that
he arrived today. He didn't know that. However, I have established
a precedent that will last far longer than today. You and he learned
an important lesson today before it would have harmful
consequences."
The class was silent as they left the room. As Ed collected his
stuff, Howard entered the room and said, "Dr. Biggers. I'm sorry
about coming to class late today."
"Apology accepted," replied Ed without looking up as he picked
up his material.
Howard stood there, looking as though he had expected more of a
response. That was the problem with dealing with the instructors
who were Druids, the students never felt like they were in control.
Half of the faculty was made up of Druids and their classes were
run with much greater formality than those taught by non-Druids.
Interruptions, personal attacks, and minor disruptions were
immediately halted. Finally, he asked, "Am I allowed back in the
class?"
"Of course," replied Ed as he headed towards where Howard stood.
Pausing as he reached Howard, he asked, "Interested in a cup of
coffee?"
The question surprised Howard and he looked at Ed for a moment
before answering, "Sure."
"Lead on," said Ed.
He followed the student to the fourth year dining room. Uneasy,
the student picked out a table near the side of the room. The choice
was not lost on Ed. As he sat down, Ed looked around at all of the
students and asked, "So what do you think of your time spent here
at the college?"
Licking his lips, Howard answered, "I've enjoyed it."
It was the truth, but Ed could see that he wasn't enjoying the last
few minutes. Smiling, he said, "I guess that all in all you've
enjoyed it, but the last hour or so has not been fun."
"You can say that again," replied the student without thinking
about it. Even as the words came out of his mouth, he regretted
having said them.
Ed laughed and sat back in his chair pleased to have heard the
unvarnished truth for a change. He asked, "So, are you and Kristie
an item?"
Howard tried to follow the shift in conversation, but couldn't.
Confused, he asked, "Kristie?"
"Yes, the rather attractive young woman that was sitting in the
front of the class. She questioned me about why I sent you out of
the class."
"Oh, that was nice of her," replied Howard.
Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress. She
glanced down at Ed and asked, "Coffee?"
"No thank you, Sasha. I'll have a chocolate milk," replied Ed
knowing that if he were caught drinking iced tea or coffee by one
of the wives that he'd be in trouble.
"I'd like coffee," said Howard wondering if he should go with
coffee or milk.
The waitress took down the order and went to fetch their order. Ed
watched her leave and noticed that she went to a table filled with
cups, coffee urns, milk, juices, and cereals. Other students had
already spotted the table and were gathering around it to get
coffees. It didn't take her long to return with their order. On
reaching the table, she said, "Here's your drinks."
"I see that you set up a self serve buffet already," remarked Ed.
Sasha looked over at the table and said, "Yes. The students raise
their hands to get my attention if they want a hot breakfast. Sure
makes my job easier."
"So what do you think of our students?" asked Ed.
"Strangest bunch of college kids that I've ever seen. They are all so
polite and helpful. I haven't seen a single example of a hang-over
since I arrived here."
Turning to Howard, Ed asked, "What do you think of that?"
"I don't know what to say," replied Howard. In the culture that
existed in the school, to act in any other fashion would have been
brought the immediate attention of a Druid on the student. The first
year of school had been tough, but so many bad habits, rude
behaviors, and wrong thoughts had been changed for the better. A
few bad habits still existed, such as arriving late to class, but even
that was slowly getting corrected under the watchful eyes of the
Druids.
The waitress shrugged and said, "Well, I wish more people were
like these kids."
Smiling, Ed watched the expression on Howard's face. The poor
guy was totally confused by this talk with Ed. After taking a sip of
his chocolate milk, Ed said, "That is my desire for the future as
well. Perhaps with the help of these young people, we will live
long enough to see the day when people are polite to each other
and help when others have problems."
For the first time since he had met her, Sasha smiled. She nodded
and returned to her work. Howard had noticed the exchange and
asked, "Is that what you really want?"
"Yes, it is," answered Ed.
"Never going to happen," remarked Howard.
Ed smiled at Howard, knowing that the young man was telling the
truth as he saw it. Instead of arguing, Ed asked, "So what do you
think is the intent of this school?"
"Well, if John is telling us the truth then it is to help make the
world a better place."
"How will you know if the world is a better place?"
"When people stop harming each other and the strong stop taking
advantage of the weak," replied Howard feeling proud that he
knew the answer to the question.
"Oh. You mean when they are polite and help each other rather
than destructive and taking advantage of each other?"
"Right," agreed Howard with a slight hesitation as he considered
Ed's restatement of his answer.
Ed was silent as a puzzled expression crossed Howard's face. It
was several minutes later that Howard hit himself on the forehead
with the palm of his hand. As a grin spread over his face, he said,
"Making the world a better place does not necessarily mean
making it a perfect place."
Nodding his agreement, Ed replied, "You are right. Just because it
isn't perfect doesn't mean that it can't become a good place."
Howard was silent for a minute and then asked, "So are we
supposed to go out and talk to people in order to convince them to
be good?"
Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. That won't do any good.
There are too many people that can't be convinced by talking. You
have to lead them to it."
"Why?"
"There are three types of people that you can not talk into behaving
well. The stupid, the religious fanatic, and the evil."
"Why can't you talk to stupid people?"
"They aren't smart enough to follow the logic of what you say. You
have to tell them what is right in very simple terms. If they don't
agree, then you'll never be able to change their mind," replied Ed.
"Okay, I'll buy that. What about the religious fanatic?"
Smiling Ed answered, "If what you say goes against their religious
belief, they will cling to that religious belief even if it means their
death."
"You don't think that you can reform evil?"
Frowning, Ed shook his head and thought about the evil people
that he had met. There was no way to convince the serial killers,
pedophiles, and predators to change their evil ways. They knew
what they were doing was wrong, but that knowledge didn't stop
them. It only made them more careful in how they went about
performing their evil acts. He answered, "Not in a million years."
"How can you say that?"
"They know what they are doing is wrong. They don't care and
there is nothing in this world that can make them care. There is
only one person that is important to them and that is them. They
will lie, cheat, steal, and seek any opportunity to cause harm." Ed
sighed and looked across the room and said, "There are some
people that have to be removed with force."
Howard stared at Ed as though he couldn't believe that Ed didn't
think that things could be achieved peacefully. Shaking his head,
he replied, "There is good in everyone."
"Not in everyone. Those without good in them are the evil ones."
Chilled, Howard was silent for a moment as he considered the
reply. Were there people without a trace of good within them? The
idea was frightening and caused a shiver to run up and down his
spine. Looking up at Ed, he asked, "So why are you telling me
this?"
Smiling, Ed said, "You are my intern and will work with me over
the next year."
"Oh," answered Howard more uncomfortable than ever.
Pausing in the middle of raising his milk for another sip, Ed said,
"The clock."
Howard glanced at the clock and saw the time. Face flushed, he
exclaimed, "I'm going to be late."
Ed chuckled as the student stood up and rushed off to his next
class. Still shaking his head in amusement, his reverie was
interrupted by the arrival of Beth, Little John, and William. The
two elder children looked upset. Little John looked at his father
and said, "We were late to your class and a student told us not to
go in."
"Yes, you have to be on time," replied Ed watching their reaction.
He wondered if they weren't going to be late to their next class.
Little John complained, "I have biology before your class and I
tend to loose track of time. It's not fair!"
Beth added, "I have history before your class. I got caught up in a
discussion with another student and didn't realize that we were
walking in the wrong direction."
William didn't say a word, but just sat there smiling at his brother
and sister. He wasn't required to attend classes yet, but visited the
ones that appealed to his interests of the day. Observing his
amusement, Ed asked, "What is your excuse?"
Frowning, William just shrugged his shoulders. The lack of a vocal
answer was expected, but this was a clear attempt to avoid
answering. Ed countered, "You should tell me so that I know."
William looked away from Ed and whispered, "I don't know how
to tell time."
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ed asked, "Oh, that's an excuse
that I would have accepted."
Beth and Little John stared at their little brother, surprised that he
would admit to not knowing something. Usually, if he didn't know
something he went to look it up. Little John said, "I'll teach you
how to tell time."
William just nodded and watched his father. Ed said, "You two are
another matter. You just told me that my material wasn't as
interesting as your other classes. I'm hurt."
Beth looked over at her father using the same facial expression as
Kelly when she didn't believe him and replied, "Somehow I don't
believe that."
Ed smiled and shook his head at the similarity between mother and
child. Winking at William, he said, "You told me that your other
classes were so interesting that you couldn't break away to come to
my poor little class."
Little John replied, "If you keep teasing her, she's going to tell
Mommy Ling."
Ed reached over and rubbed the head of Little John in a friendly
parental manner as he said, "She's going to tell Ling that I didn't let
you in class because you were late anyway."
William stood and waved goodbye as he left the table. His older
brother and sister watched him leave the room, suspecting that he
was going to attend the class on logic with the first years. When he
had left the room, Beth turned to her father and said, "He's smarter
than Little John and I put together."
Curious, Ed asked, "So who do you think he will serve?"
The kids looked at each other and, together, replied, "I don't know.
All or none."
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