DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 2: Equilibrant
Chapter 3
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

A cloud of dust billowed out behind the truck as it pulled a horse 
trailer down the dirt road. Ed pulled up and parked next to the 
other cars. Getting out, he went around to the horse trailer and 
opened the back. With a little coaxing, he was able to get both 
horses out of the trailer and tied up to the side of the trailer. With 
practiced movements, he saddled his work horse and then put a 
pack on the second horse. The little Bobcat sat on the ground 
waiting patiently. 

Seating himself on his workhorse, he grabbed the rope to the pack 
horse and, with a simple kick of his heels, rode towards the canyon 
where his classmates were camping. This was the first day of the 
geology field trip. This day was to be spent reaching the initial 
campsite. The trip required crossing terrain that was too rough for 
trucks. The horses and the cat would have no problem. 

The previous day, Ed had told his professor that he would be late 
and would catch up with them at the campsite. Despite the odd 
look from his professor and the protest that it was an all day hike, 
Ed had assured the man that he would be there well before dark. It 
was only two in the afternoon and he was supposed to be in camp 
by five. If he remembered correctly, it was only a three hour ride to 
the campsite.

The last rain in the area had changed the landscape enough that his 
trip was actually a little faster. The banks of the gullies had 
collapsed in areas making it easy for the horses to cross. When he 
hit the broad gully, he knew that the trip was going to be even 
shorter as it originated near the canyon where his fellow students 
were camped. The ride would be direct and easy.

As he rode, he watched the ground keeping an eye out for 
interesting specimens. Places where water ran out of the canyons 
were littered with fragments of rocks that had been washed out of 
the canyon during the last rain. It wasn't all that likely he would 
find a good specimen in a wash like this, but the fragments would 
let him know what kinds of rocks he could expect further up. If the 
rain had been recent, he might find some good samples that were 
easily accessible. If not, he'd find weathered samples that he would 
have to remove to reach the better samples.

Looking down, he spotted a number of crystals that he initially 
assumed were quartz. When he noticed that one of the crystals had 
a bend in it, he realized that it was crystalline gypsum. The 
quantity that was scattered about suggested that a nice area of 
gypsum had been recently exposed. He paused and looked at the 
canyon ahead trying to figure out where the gypsum might have 
originated. 

He continued on, watching the ground and then as the walls of the 
canyon rose around him, he fixed his gaze on the walls. This area 
was very rich in minerals, with over sixty different varieties of 
crystalline minerals. This canyon would probably have at least 
fifteen different kinds of minerals that he'd be interested in 
locating. He had only gone a half mile into the canyon before he 
found he gypsum deposit. 

He dismounted from his horse and tied it to a very weak looking 
bush with half of its roots exposed. The cat sat down to watch. 
Going to his pack horse, Ed searched through the pack until he 
found his rock hammer. Slipping the hammer in his belt, he 
proceeded to climb to the deposit. Once there, he looked at it 
carefully. The outermost crystals showed the effects of weathering. 
With very gentle effort, he dug out the upper most level to expose 
the crystals underneath. These were pristine and very nice. It took 
him about thirty minutes to extract several very good samples. One 
he would add to his collection, one would be for his assignment, 
and one for the lab at the school. 

He returned to the horses below and put the samples into small 
boxes that he had brought for that purpose. Once the samples were 
secure, he put the rock hammer back in the pack. The cat had 
wandered twenty feet away and Ed watched the cat moving slowly 
towards another small bush. With a quick pounce, the cat caught a 
mouse and swallowed it whole. Shaking his head, Ed resumed his 
ride to the campsite continuing to watch the walls of the canyon. 
He found several more sites that looked promising, but held only 
quartz that was pretty poor quality. 

After riding for a bit, Ed spotted an area of lush plant life. He rode 
the horse over to it and looked around for a minute, trying to spot 
the water that had to be present. He climbed off his horse and dug 
in a likely looking spot. About a foot down, the soil became moist. 
After another foot, the hole slowly filled up with water. He took 
the opportunity to water the horses so that he wouldn't have to do it 
when he reached camp. He figured the camp was another fifteen or 
thirty minute ride from where he was. 

It was approaching five thirty and Professor Simms was pacing 
around the campsite wondering if Ed was going to get there before 
dark. Although Ed was the best student that he ever had, the man 
was so busy that at times it drove him crazy. There were many 
occasions when Ed would call and then disappear. After a few 
days, he would return to campus tired and often wounded. 
Professor Simms, wondered what Ed did that was so dangerous. 

Professor Simms looked down the canyon and couldn't believe his 
eyes. A cowboy on horseback leading a packhorse was making its 
way to the campsite. He watched incredulous as the man 
approached. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he recognized 
that it was Ed riding into camp and that the Bobcat was moving 
along beside the horse. Shaking his head at the sight, he walked 
towards Ed calling out, "I was beginning to get worried about 
you."

From atop his horse, Ed took off his cowboy hat and wiped his 
brow. After placing the hat back on his head, Ed replied, "I told 
you that I know this area. I would have been here earlier, but I 
found some nice samples of gypsum. I spent about forty minutes 
collecting the samples."

"You found some samples already?"

After moving over to a scrubby tree, Ed climbed down from his 
horse and tied it to the tree. He went to the packhorse and removed 
one of the boxes containing a sample that he had collected. 
Opening it, he showed it to his professor and said, "This is one of 
three samples that I extracted."

Professor Simms took the thumbnail sized sample from Ed and 
looked at it whistling. Impressed with the quality of the sample, he 
looked up at Ed and said, "Very nice. That's probably the best 
sample we'll get out of here on this trip."

As they talked, Ed removed the saddle from the horse. Setting it on 
the ground, he returned to the pack horse and removed the pack 
from the back. He grunted as he carried it to the saddle and set it 
on the ground. From within the pack, he removed two feedbags 
and filled them with oats. He slipped the feedbags on the horses. 
Smiling Ed replied, "So am I forgiven for being thirty minutes 
late?"

Smiling, Professor Simms said, "It all depends on how long it takes 
you to get settled. We're going to have a group meeting in half an 
hour and then start dinner."

Professor Simms handed back the sample which Ed put in the pack 
on the ground. Grabbing the saddlebag and bedroll off the saddle, 
Ed straightened up and said, "Where should I put my gear?"

His mentor shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Where ever you 
want."

Ed dropped the bedroll on the ground next to the saddle and set the 
saddlebag down next to it. Turning to face the professor, he said, 
"I'm all set up."

"Where's your tent?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, "I don't have one. Maybe 
you've forgotten, but I've been doing this kind of traveling since I 
was sixteen. I've got enough supplies here to last two weeks."

Looking at the pack, the professor asked, "So what do you have in 
there?"

Ed glanced over and replied, "A couple changes of clothes, oats for 
the horses, some cookware, and food. Totals about a hundred and 
eighty pounds."

"Jesus!" replied the professor. 

Ed dug in the pack and brought out a rather large package. 
Handing the package to the professor, he said, "There's ten steaks 
and ten baking potatoes in there for dinner tonight. I figure we are 
going to be out here for a week and might as well get off to a good 
start. I'm sure most of the students brought canned or instant food. 
We can use that to augment what I brought."

Holding the package, the professor said, "I don't know what to 
say."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I know that my gear looks crude, but I 
value my comfort a whole lot. I like to sleep comfortable and eat 
well when I'm on the trail. I don't see any reason for others to be 
less comfortable than me."

The two men went the thirty feet to where the tents were arranged 
in a circle around a fire pit. The other students were already 
gathered there feeling like they were on a great adventure. Ed 
looked around in amusement at his fellow students. They all had 
nylon one man tents and sleeping bags. There were a number of 
propane lanterns sitting around on the ground near the tents. 
Shaking his head, he knew that the lanterns would run out of fuel 
the first night and become useless weight after that. 

Professor Simms went to the middle of the clearing and addressed 
the students. He explained a little of the geology of the canyon and 
what the students were to look for as they searched the walls of the 
canyon. He explained that they would spend a day here, then move 
on the third day. They would camp there for a day while searching 
the area for samples. They would then return traveling half a day 
and spending the rest of that day examining the area. 

After giving the lecture, Professor Simms asked, "Are there any 
questions?"

Raising his hand, Ed asked, "What about weather?"

"I brought a weather radio along that gives twenty-four and forty-
eight hour weather predictions. If they start to predict rain 
anywhere in the area, we pack up and head out of here."

Nodding at the wisdom of that approach, Ed said, "Good."

One of the students asked, "Why should we leave? We have tents 
and won't get wet."

Gesturing for Ed to answer, Professor Simms stepped back to hear 
what Ed would say. Looking at the professor with surprise, Ed 
answered, "This canyon serves the run-off for over two hundred 
square miles. The ground will absorb about the first quarter inch of 
rain and the rest will end up coming through here. Even a light rain 
can produce an eight-foot tall wall of water moving down this 
canyon at speeds of twenty miles an hour. You don't even want to 
imagine what a heavy rain will do. Anyone in this canyon during a 
rainstorm will be dead."

The student asked, "How do you know this?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "I once had the displeasure of riding out of 
a canyon like this in front of a wall of water. We lost one man, half 
the herd, and three horses. That's why I sleep next to my horse and 
saddle at night."

Holding up the package given him by Ed, the professor announced, 
"You may be happy to learn that Ed has graciously provided steaks 
and potatoes for dinner tonight."

As the students applauded and shouted their appreciation, Ed gave 
a mock bow. The group broke up to build a fire to prepare dinner. 
Ed returned to his gear and brought back a small grill that was 
about one foot by two foot in size. It was large enough to cook a 
couple of steaks and yet small enough to pack. Searching around 
the camp, he found a couple of large rocks one which to rest the 
ends of the grill. 

He returned to the fire pit in time to see that they had piled the 
wood into a bonfire. Since the fire hadn't been started, he removed 
about two thirds of the wood. Another of the students who had 
been working hard to stack the wood for the fire asked, "Don't we 
need a big fire to cook the steaks?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. We need coals. We will cook 
next to the fire, raking coals under the grill as we need them. The 
fire will provide light when it gets dark. If you don't light a lantern 
you'll be able to see just fine by the light of the fire."

The fire was started and Ed went about the business of getting the 
meal prepared. In terms of cooking outdoors, Ed was as good at 
that as John. It isn't possible to live most of your life on the range 
without learning how to cook good enough to survive.  As Ed had 
said earlier, he didn't like to be uncomfortable when outdoors.

The small size of the grill didn't prevent him from cooking all of 
the steaks at once. After taking everyone's orders, he laid out the 
steaks putting them on in order of the degree of doneness. The 
potatoes were wrapped in aluminum foil and cooking in the coals. 
When the food was nearly done, Ed said, "All of you who brought 
canned fruit might want to open a can or two to share. Set them 
over to the side so that people can put some on their plates. Don't 
open too many because we can't handle leftovers."

One of the students asked, "What about your cat?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "This is the cat's natural habitat. He's been 
hunting down his own food the whole trip here. He's had about a 
dozen field mice and will probably take down a rabbit later."

The dinner was uneventful other than the fact that everyone 
enjoyed their food. The fire served as a focal point of attention as 
people sat around looking at the flames and talking about their 
excitement about the field trip. It was a comfortable evening as the 
students chatted, weary from their hike, satisfied by the food, and 
happy with their companions. For most of the students, this was 
the first chance that they had to actually get to know each other 
outside of the university environment. 

Ed sat on the ground tailor fashion with Tiger lying next to him.  
The initial topic of conversation started with questions about Tiger 
and how the cat had come to travel with him. That led to a 
discussion of his family life and the fact that he had a husband and 
two wives. That topic was sufficient to keep people talking for 
more than an hour. The sun set and the group was lit by the warm 
light from the fire. As the stars came out, the conversation changed 
to the nature of the universe. 

For the time being, Ed was able to relax among the students. 
Sitting there stroking the cat as the night passed, Ed was just 
another student around the fire. The group broke up early, a result 
of the combination of exercise and fresh air. Ed returned to the 
horses and took care of them. Removing the feed bag, he watered 
them and then hobbled them so that they could graze on the little 
greenery in the area. Returning to where he had set his saddle, he 
unrolled his bedroll. Resting his head on the saddle, he lay back 
staring at the stars overhead. He had to laugh when he thought of 
the last outdoor trip where he had met the Two-Sided One. This 
was definitely a more relaxed trip than that one had been.

Ed was about to drop off to sleep when he heard a noise 
approaching him. It wasn't Tiger since the cat was curled up beside 
him. It wasn't the horses since they were on the other side of him. 
Since the cat wasn't reacting, Ed wasn't worried. He sat up and 
turned around to see what was approaching, but was blinded by a 
flashlight. Shaking his head as the beam flashed across his face 
destroying his night vision. Holding a hand in front of his eyes, he 
said, "Turn off the light."

A woman's voice came back, "I need it to see where I'm going."

Unable to see her because of the light in his eyes, he recognized 
her by her voice. It was Terry, a slightly overweight woman that 
was fairly bright, but suffered from a horrible self-image. She was 
normally very shy and it was very out of character for her to search 
him out in the dark.

Frowning, Ed turned away so that he wouldn't be looking into the 
light. It was useless to argue with her. She couldn't see in the dark 
because she had the flashlight on and had destroyed her night 
vision. If she turned off the light now, she'd have to wait ten 
minutes for her night vision to return enough to be able to see in 
the dark. 

She reached his bedroll. Sitting up to make room for her on it, he 
patted the end and waited for her to sit down next to him. She 
asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

It was really too late to object, so he answered, "Sure. What's on 
your mind?"

Waiting for her to answer, the silence stretched on as she searched 
for the words to use. Ed used the time to turn off the flashlight, 
hoping that his night vision would return in a few minutes. The 
sudden darkness seemed to help her gain her courage as she 
suddenly said, "You have two wives."

Nodding in the darkness, Ed added, "And a husband."

With a nervous tremor in her voice, she said, "You must be a good 
lover to satisfy two women."

Surprised by the topic of conversation, Ed replied, "I don't think 
that necessarily follows."

"Oh." There was a long moment of silence. It was a shame that his 
eyes hadn't become used to the dark because he really wanted to 
see the expression on her face. Finally, Terry said, "I was hoping 
that you could help me."

Confused, Ed asked, "What do you need?"

"I want to lose my virginity." It had been very difficult for her to 
say that.

Answering automatically, Ed said, "That shouldn't be too difficult 
for you."

Although unable to see the frown on her face, Ed felt its presence. 
She explained, "I don't think you understand. I want to lose it to 
good lover."

Shaking his head to signify his disagreement, he said, "You want 
to lose it to someone that you love and who loves you."

A little upset, she said, "Now you sound like my mother. She's 
telling me all of the time to wait until I love someone. Well, I'm fat 
and I'm not going to find someone who will love me."

Sufficient time had passed for Ed to regain his night vision. He 
leaned back and said, "I have a friend. Her name is Sherry. In 
addition to the fact that Terry rhymes with Sherry, you remind me 
of her in many ways. She's married to one of the most successful 
lawyers in the state. He's also the most handsome man I've ever 
met. You know the kind that I mean, perfect height, perfect build, 
white teeth that are straight, and appropriately graying hair. He's 
smart as a whip. He's even argued cases in front of the Supreme 
Court."

Confused, Terry looked at Ed and asked, "So what has he to do 
with what were talking about?"

"Him? Nothing," replied Ed. Able to make out the confused look 
on her face, he added, "No, it is his wife that is important."

"His wife?"

Smiling, Ed sat back and looked up at the sky for a second. He 
said, "She's a couple of inches taller than you and probably weighs 
seventy-five pounds more than you. She's lost a little weight since 
she got married. At one time, she probably outweighed you by a 
hundred pounds."

"So a good looking guy married her. He's probably one of those 
men that like fat women. That's not what I'm looking for." Terry 
was rather upset.

"No, he has no special attraction to fat women. She stole him from 
a Beauty Queen. You know the type, fake breasts, perfect hair, no 
body fat, and perfect makeup," replied Ed. Laughing at his 
memory of how Sherry told the story, Ed continued, "Yes, she 
stole him from a Beauty Queen that had Jim wrapped around her 
little finger. After five minutes of conversation, Sherry had him 
begging to date her."

Even in the darkened conditions it was easy to see the incredulous 
look on her face. She said, "What did she say to him?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "She asked him when he was going to start 
dating real women."

Snorting in disgust at the idea that Ed was making fun of her in 
some way, Terry said, "He was with a Beauty Queen. What more 
could he want?"

Ed replied, "He could want a real woman and he didn't have that 
from the Beauty Queen. The Beauty Queen had fake tits and a 
personality that could freeze water. She was totally self-involved 
with her looks, her wants, and her life. She didn't really like sex, 
but used it just enough to keep him interested. For her, Jim looked 
good escorting her around and he was wealthy enough to treat her 
to a good life style."

"That's cold," replied Terry as she thought about how the guy must 
have felt with that kind of woman.

"Sure was," replied Ed. Of course, Ed would have been one of the 
idiots standing around envying Jim for having found a Beauty 
Queen. It wasn't until he had known love, that he actually 
understood the treasure that Jim had found in Sherry. He said, 
"Yes, so when Sherry asked him why he wasn't dating a real 
woman, he asked the same question as you did. Sherry told him 
that a real woman would love him, help him, and work with him to 
make all of his dreams come true. If he dreamed of having sex with 
two woman, a real woman have sex with another woman to make 
that dream come true."

Laughing derisively, Terry said, "Yeah, I bet that got him 
interested."

"A little, but she said even more that interested him. She told him 
that a real woman would wake him up in the morning with a 
blowjob. She said, if her lover wanted to have anal sex with her, 
that she'd say okay and do it. She laid it all out for him. A real 
woman would do anything for her lover that he asked." Ed waited 
for the predictable reaction.

Outraged that a woman would make such statements, Terry said, 
"Of course he said okay."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Yes, he did. He asked her out right then. Do 
you know what she said?"

"It sounds like she was desperate, so I bet she said yes."

Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, "She said he wasn't man 
enough for her."

"What?" asked Terry, expressing her surprise at the answer.

"That's exactly how Jim reacted. He wanted to know why she said 
that. Would you like to speculate why?" asked Ed.

Terry shook her head. This story had her totally captivated. This 
woman had said that she would do anything her lover asked, 
including acts that Terry considered totally degrading. Then when 
a handsome man asked her to go out with him, she had turned him 
down.

Watching Terry closely, he let her think for a few minutes. He 
said, "She said that he wouldn't do everything that his lover asked 
of him."

"He wouldn't?"

"Well, initially he said that he would, but she nailed him to the 
wall with that."

Intrigued, Terry asked, "How did she do that?"

"She asked him if he would suck a cock if she asked him to do it."

Terry laughed at that as she imagined how the average guy would 
to react. She said, "Of course, I bet he said no."

"He didn't answer for a long time. Then he made a realization that 
changed his life."

"What?"

Ed said, "That if he truly loved a woman, he would do what she 
asked. He understood at that moment all of his past relationships 
were shallow."

Terry thought about that for a moment as she considered what that 
meant. Confused, she asked, "What does that mean?"

Ed answered, "It means that if you love someone, you will do 
whatever you can to help them become the best and happiest 
person that they can be. Not only that, you will gain great pleasure 
out of doing it. If someone loves you, they will do the same for 
you. You shouldn't settle for less than that."

"How about you?"

Stroking the cat for a moment, he looked over at Terry and asked, 
"How do you think that I ended up with two wives and a 
husband?"

Terry was quiet for a long time as she considered everything Ed 
had told her. Probably the most surprising thing was that a fat 
woman could actually get a handsome man away from a Beauty 
Queen. It also brought to mind her fantasies about a loving 
relationship. She had always imagined the man doing all kinds of 
romantic things for her, but she hadn't thought about her doing 
things for him. Could she do things like Ed had described for the 
man she loved? She really didn't know and that bothered her. 

Ed asked, "Are you a real woman?"

"I don't know."

Laying a hand on her shoulder, Ed said, "Think about it. When 
you've decided, let me know and I will help you then."

It was several days later as Ed was cooking pancakes that Terry 
sidled up the Ed and whispered, "I can be a real woman."

With a wink, Ed said, "Maybe it is time that I take Dale with me 
when I go searching for rock samples."

Terry blushed and nodded while wondering how Ed knew that she 
had a slight crush on Dale. Embarrassed, she said, "Dale is nice."

Ed called out, "Hey, Dale. How about you come with me today?"

Looking over at Ed, Dale broke out in a big smile. This trip had not 
gone very well for him as he had only found a single sample and it 
wasn't even a very good one. Every night they had compared 
samples found over the course of the day and each night it was 
agreed that Ed had found the best. He answered, "Sure thing, Ed. 
I'd love to go with you."

Ed asked, "Do you know how to ride a horse?"

Licking his lips, Dale answered, "A little. I occasionally went on 
horseback rides as a kid."

Flipping over his pancakes, Ed replied, "I'll saddle up the pack 
horse for you, then. It is pretty gentle and will go where I tell it."

Pancakes finished, Ed slid them onto his plate and settled down to 
eat. Of all the students, Ed ate the best through the entire trip. It 
was with an amused smile that he watched the others eating cereals 
with powdered milk. The grimaces around the campfire suggested 
that the powdered milk make with warm water did not taste that 
good. 

After finishing his meal, he washed his dishes, wiped out the cast 
iron skillet, and put everything back in the pack. Going over to the 
horses, he saddled the pack horse for Dale. He would ride bareback 
on his work horse. The thought made him grin when he 
remembered the last time he had ridden bareback with Kelly in the 
desert one late night. 

The men mounted up and headed out. Tiger trotted along side the 
horses, looking happy at moving for a bit. They hadn't gone very 
far when Ed turned to Dale and said, "You're looking in the wrong 
places."

Puzzled Dale asked, "What do you mean? I'm looking at the walls 
of the canyon for deposits."

Ed asked, "So what kind of deposits are you looking for?"

"Anything."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Look down at the ground and tell me 
what you see."

Dale looked down at the ground and said, "Well, I see a lot of 
pieces of rocks."

"Right. You are seeing debris that has washed off the walls of the 
canyon during the last rain fall. Now look at the debris as we ride 
along and tell me when you spot a mineral that is of interest."

They rode along for a while, when Dale said, "Hey, I see some 
quartz here on the ground."

Smiling, Ed said, "Okay. Let's get down off the horses and look at 
the quartz."

The two men dismounted and picked up some small quartz 
crystals. Dale said, "None of this stuff is worth collecting."

"That's right. The stuff worth collecting is located where this stuff 
came from. For now, we need to look at the matrix so that we 
know what kind of rock these crystals came from. When we walk 
up the canyon, we'll look for the point where there isn't anymore 
quartz on the ground. The site should be there."

Staring at Ed, Dale said, "That's amazing. How come they didn't 
tell us that in class?"

Smiling at the younger man, Ed answered, "They told us how to 
recognize the site when we find it. The real trick is finding the site 
and that is the purpose of this field trip."

The two men walked along leading their horses looking at the 
ground. Finally they reached a point where the crystals were no 
longer present. This was the same site that Ed had noticed coming 
into the canyon on the first day. Ed said, "Find the site. You know 
what to look for now."

Dale walked around the area looking up at the canyon walls. A 
smile crossed Ed's face when Dale finally spotted the location 
where the crystals had come from. Dale walked up to the site and 
looked at it carefully. Turning to Ed, he said, "All this stuff is 
fractured."

Walking over to where Dale was standing, Ed said, "That is 
weathered. The rock underneath is undisturbed. Now very 
carefully, remove some of the rocks around the site using your 
hammer. Be careful that you just don't smash it."

Watching Dale at work, Ed relaxed against the canyon wall. Dale 
worked slowly. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "There's some 
perfect samples in here."

Smiling at Dale, Ed said, "Take a couple of samples. One to turn in 
and one to keep for yourself."

Dale took two samples and said, "Your turn."

Ed went over and worked clearing out some more debris around 
the site. He reached in and broke out a crystal sample. It was a nice 
simple clean sample, with no fractures or visible faults. He took a 
second sample and turning to Dale said, "Now, those samples 
ought to be worth an A."

Dale asked, "Should we take more?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "If another student discovers this 
site, there will be some samples left for them to take."

After putting the crystals into sample boxes, the two men mounted 
up and looked for additional kinds of minerals along the floor of 
the canyon. They found another site with another type of mineral. 
This was a very rare type of mineral and although the samples 
weren't the best, they were good enough to get an A for the course. 

Ed and Dale took a break, eating a little snack that Ed had in his 
saddlebag. Ed asked, "So do you have a girlfriend?"

Rather than admitting that it had been a year since his last date, 
Dale replied, "I'm in between women at the moment."

Looking at Dale with a look that suggested surprise, Ed asked, 
"How can that be? You're a reasonable looking guy?"

He didn't want to say what he thought about the girls his age, but 
the direct question required it. He answered, "The girls my age 
want to go to parties, expensive dates, and want presents. They 
tease you like hell trying to get stuff from you, but they don't put 
out. They are searching for guys that will be sugar daddies. I find 
most of them rather disgusting."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Sounds like you need a real woman."

"They are real women," replied Dale. He wanted a woman that 
would put him first on occasion and wasn't interested in him for his 
money. The problem was, he was poor and didn't have money. As 
a result, the women weren't interested in him at all.

"No they aren't. A real woman isn't concerned about the 
appearance of her lover or the size of his wallet. She is interested 
in the man inside. She knows the secret to love."

Dale asked, "What's that?"

Ed smiled and replied, "She knows that love is working to help her 
lover become the best man that he can be and doing those things 
that will truly make him happy."

"Do what kinds of things?"

"Depends on what he wants. Would you like a woman that would 
bring another woman into bed with you? Want to watch two 
woman getting it on for your pleasure? How about a blowjob first 
thing in the morning? If it will make you happy, then a real woman 
will do it." 

"Do you know any women like that?" asked Dale. That the idea of 
a woman doing all of those things appealed to Dale was very clear 
by the look on his face.

"Yes I do. The question is if you are a real man that deserves a real 
woman." 

Indignant, Dale replied, "Of course I am."

Laughing at the indignation, Ed said, "A real man isn't concerned 
about the appearance of his lover, but is interested in the woman 
inside. He knows the secret to love. So would you do whatever she 
wants?"

"Sure," replied Dale confidant in his answer.

"So if she asked you to suck a cock, you would?" asked Ed looking 
directly at Dale. 

Dale was silent for a long time as he realized that he had answered 
glibly and without thought. Reinforcing the point he had made, Ed 
added, "You see, love is a two way street. If you love a real 
woman, you have to work to make her the best person that she can 
be and do the things that will truly make her happy."

Finally, Dale answered, "I don't know if I could do that stuff."

Smiling Ed said, "Think about it and let me know. I happen to 
know a real woman that might be interested in meeting you. I 
won't introduce you until I am sure that you will be man enough to 
accept working to satisfy her needs."

