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.

John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezac 
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass
Chapter 17

Shirley wiped the counter in front of John. She looked like she 
wanted to ask something, but was too nervous to come out and ask. 
John sipped his coke and ate some popcorn. The room was cool 
and he enjoyed the quiet of the early afternoon hours in the bar. 
When business picked up later, he would return home and prepare 
dinner.

Shirley finally asked, "What did you do to Ed?"

"Pardon?"

"What did you do to Ed?"

"Nothing. Why?"

Shirley dropped the rag she was using and leaned against the bar. 
Her crossed arms forced her breasts up and together. She stated, 
"I've known Ed my whole life. He's a bully. He always has been. 
Until the day after you and he had your little altercation in here, I 
would have said that he always would be a bully."

"I don't get your point."

"He's not acting like Ed any more. You know that night after you 
helped Jose with the snakes, Ed came in here. He actually ordered 
a coke and sat at that corner table over there." She pointed to one 
of the tables. She shook her head, "Now there are a couple of 
things weird about that. First, he has never ordered a coke. He 
drinks beer for breakfast. Second, Ed never sits still for more than 
a few minutes. He's always moving and looking for trouble. Third, 
Ed sat there alone. He didn't say anything the whole evening. Now 
Ed has never been quiet, not even when he was in school."

John shrugged, "Maybe he was just feeling a little off that night."

Shirley laughed aloud. "You don't really know Ed like we do. He's 
never felt just a little off. Hell, he was sick with pneumonia and got 
in a bar fight."

"So did you ask him about it?"

"Well, not that night. But about the fourth time in a row that he did 
that, I asked him what was wrong."

"So what did he say?" John was getting curious about Ed. He 
hadn't seen Ed except for once or twice since that time. Each time, 
Ed had been very friendly.

"He said that he had seen something that he didn't believe existed. 
He stated that he needed to rethink his life as a result." Shirley 
stood up and threw her hands up. "I know he didn't discover God. 
So what did you do?"

John nodded as he listened to Shirley. He honestly answered, "I 
didn't do anything. I think you'll have to take him at his word. He 
saw something that he didn't believe existed and it changed him."

"Jorge Mendosa said that Ed helped him change his tire the other 
night. That's a first. Ed has never helped anyone before."

"I don't know what to say."

"Well, the whole town is talking about Ed. The one thing that 
everyone agrees on is that he changed after taking you to the 
hospital."

John laughed, "I know he met a nice woman there."

"Kelly?" 

"I believe that is her name."

Shirley shrugged and stated, "All I know is that he's been seen with 
Kelly. She's a nice enough girl. I don't know what she sees in him. 
However, I really don't think a woman is enough to change Ed."

John finished his coke. He stood up and grabbed his walking stick. 
He left the money for the coke on the bar. It included a nice tip. As 
he was leaving, Shirley spoke up, "You know. It's nice to have a 
customer that doesn't leave here drunk. Come back more often, 
ok?"

"Sure."

John walked back to his house. As he walked, neighbors came out 
and greeted him. He stopped and chatted with each one. Kids came 
up and asked to see his scars. Apparently, his nearly naked 
appearance had fostered many discussions about how he had been 
injured. The explanations for his injuries included a past as a 
special services soldier, undercover cop whose cover was blown, 
and gangster that was on the run. He laughed them all off and 
explained that he was a simple college student.

It was nearly dark by the time he arrived in front of his house. Ed 
Biggers strolled over and greeted him, "Howdy neighbor."

"Hi, Ed. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear."

Ed looked around and then asked, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Sure, I've got all week. I just finished the second draft and I'll wait 
a week before reading it over."

Ed laughed, "Well, I promise it won't take a whole week."

John gestured, "Why don't we go out in my backyard and chat 
there? I have two lawn chairs, some iced tea, and a nice patio with 
a good view."

Ed looked uncomfortable for a minute. He nodded, "Sure, that 
would be good."

They went into the house. John took the pitcher of iced tea from 
the refrigerator and filled two glasses with ice. He handed one of 
the glasses to Ed and kept the other. Motioning with his head, he 
went out to the patio. Ed followed him outdoors. 

After seating themselves in the chairs, John poured the iced tea. He 
set the pitcher on a cinder block situated between the chairs. 
Taking a sip of the tea, he sighed, "Oh, boy! That tastes real good 
on a hot day like today."

Ed laughed, "You know something. I didn't know that until a 
couple of weeks ago. I've quit drinking."

"Was it tough?"

Ed was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. He nodded 
slightly, "It was a little tougher than I thought it would be. It wasn't 
that I was an alcoholic. I guess drinking was more of a habit."

John nodded, "I understand. I had the same problem when I quit 
drinking."

Ed looked very surprised, "You used to drink?"

"Oh yes. I quit drinking the night my brother wrapped his car 
around a telephone pole."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No problem," replied John. "It took me a long time to come to 
grips with it. I guess the day I died was the major turning point 
with respect to my feelings about death and the death of my 
brother."

"I guess it would tend to change your perspective. Of course, I 
wouldn't know about that."

John was quiet for a while as he thought about his past. He sighed, 
"I guess I'm not so afraid of dying now. I don't know if that makes 
it easier for me to do the things that I've done. I really don't think 
about any of that. I just act."

Ed thought about what John had said. Neither man spoke for a long 
time. Finally, Ed stated, "You acted in exactly the same manner 
before you died as you do now. That's how you got killed."

"I guess that's true."

They sat there for a while watching the stars come out. The dark 
Arizona sky made star gazing a wonderful pastime. Finally John 
asked, "So how do you feel now that you aren't drinking?"

Ed laughed, "Pretty good. I've found that I have a lot more time 
than I ever had before."

"So what are you going to do to fill up that time? Visit that nurse 
from the hospital?"

Ed laughed, "Yeah, I've been doing a lot of that. Kelly's very nice. 
She makes me think about things."

"Like what, if I may ask?"

"Well, we've been talking about my future. It hasn't looked very 
good for a long time." There was a significant pause, "I've decided 
to go to school."

John had just finished putting down his iced tea glass, which was 
fortunate because if he had been holding it he would have dropped 
it. He had never heard anything so surprising in his life.  He took a 
moment to compose himself, "That's great. What are you planning 
on studying?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

John was taken by surprise again. He asked, "So what are you 
thinking?"

"I don't really know what there is out there. Many things, well, 
they just seem out of my reach. I couldn't be a lawyer or doctor, for 
example. I'm a little old to start down those paths."

John was quiet for a while. Ed got a more nervous the longer John 
was quiet. John finally broke his silence, "Ed, let me ask you one 
question."

"Go ahead."

"What do you like to do more than anything?"

"The only thing I've ever done is work cattle."

John shook his head, "No, I don't mean work you like. I mean, 
what do you really like to do?"

Ed's face wrinkled in confusion, "When?"

"Imagine that tomorrow you get to do anything you want. You can 
take the whole day off with no worries. What would you do?"

"I don't know. What would you be doing?"

"I'd be out hiking. I hike almost four months of the year."

"I didn't think about stuff like that. What has it to do with deciding 
what you are going to study?"

John smiled, "I wanted to understand rainbows, sunrises, and 
sunsets."

"So you studied physics. Yeah, it makes sense."

"What would you be doing?"

"I guess I would be riding around on my horse."

John was silent for a minute or two. This line of questioning wasn't 
going as well as he thought it should. It wasn't natural for an adult 
man not to have some kind of interest in something. A sudden 
inspiration hit him, "What are you doing while riding your horse?"

Ed looked around a little embarrassed, "Promise you won't laugh?"

John made a boy scouts honor gesture, "I promise."

Ed made a sucking sound between his teeth. Finally, he said, "I'm 
looking at rocks."

"Rocks?" asked John. 

"Yes."

"Any special kind of rocks?"

Ed answered, "All kinds. There are examples of sedimentary, 
metamorphic, and igneous in the area."

"Are you more interested in the geology of the area or the 
mineralogy?"

"Actually, I like the mineralogy. You know, I look at things like 
the shape, composition, and color.  The geology just helps me 
locate them. You don't think that's weird?"

John laughed, "God no. That's wonderful!"

Ed looked shocked, "You don't think it's childish?"

"Oh, Ed. You and I are going to have to go to Arizona State 
University. There's something there that you really need to see."

"What's there?"

"Only one of the finest mineralogy departments in the country. It is 
going to blow your mind with the kinds of things they're doing 
there."

Ed sat up straighter and asked, "Really? What kinds of things?"

John smiled, "You'll just have to see for yourself."

"You know, I never thought of actually studying rocks formally."

John answered, "Let me tell you something that I really believe. If 
you are passionate about a subject, someone will pay you to work 
in it. It doesn't matter what subject. I know of a guy who likes to 
review bad movies. He has a nationally syndicated column where 
he gets to review bad movies. Like I said, it doesn't matter what 
subject you are passionate about, someone will pay you for what 
you know."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"You bet," replied John. He looked up at the sky for a minute and 
then stated, "I'll tell you what, let me make a call or two tomorrow 
and arrange a visit there. I'm not sure when the visit will be, but 
we'll drive up there together. If you want to take Kelly with you, 
that'll be alright too."

"John, You are an amazing person. I'm really glad I talked to you."

John shook his head, "I'm glad I was able to help. It's not going to 
be easy. You'll have to take a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do 
with mineralogy."

"No problem."

John refilled the iced tea glasses. He took a sip of his and voiced 
his satisfaction with a sigh. The two men sat there watching the 
stars in the sky and listening to the sounds of the desert just beyond 
the yard. John thought back to his conversation earlier in the day 
and started to laugh.

Ed asked, "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking back to a conversation that I had with Shirley 
this afternoon. It seems that you and I have become major topics of 
conversation. Everyone seems to be wondering what happened to 
you. They all say you've changed. They also wonder if I was the 
one who did it. Everyone is also curious about my scars."

Ed laughed, "Small town. There's nothing better to do than gossip. 
If you don't answer the questions to their satisfaction, they'll talk 
about you for years."

"Well, after I'm gone you can decide if you'll tell them anything. 
Until then, I'd rather not have to talk about some things, if you 
understand what I mean."

"I understand. Besides, it'll do them good to wonder about it for a 
long time."

They sat there for a while longer drinking their iced teas. Finally, 
Ed stood up and announced, "It's getting late and I've got an early 
day tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Have a nice night."

"You too."

The next morning, John made several calls. It didn't take him long 
to get a good contact within the university who would be glad to 
show them around. He used the excuse that he would like to serve 
as a visiting lecturer there for a semester with full funding 
provided by an external source.  He had learned from his 
professors the power that a visitor with money could expect to 
wield. He scheduled the visit for two days from then.

He had just hung up the telephone after the last of the calls when it 
rang. He picked it up expecting to get a sales pitch. Instead, it was 
Betsy. She called to let him know she was going to be there that 
evening for a two-day visit before heading off to the middle east. 
He accepted her statement that she wanted to drive herself so that 
she could leave on her timeline rather than his. He was ecstatic that 
she was visiting until he realized that he didn't have a bed. He 
spent the next few hours getting a bed and the appropriate 
coverings for it.  

He was left with two hours before she would arrive. He spent half 
of that time trying to decide what to cook for her and finally 
decided that he would take her to the Mexican restaurant in town. 
He also thought he might take her into the bar to meet Shirley. For 
some reason, he thought the two women would get along very 
well. Although he had spent most of the day locating a bed, he 
didn't want to just drag her into bed as if she was a just a sex 
object. He wanted to spend time with her and recover some of the 
intimacy that had been lost over the past two months.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He went to the door 
and opened it hoping to see Betsy; instead, it was Ed. He didn't do 
a very good job of hiding his disappointment. Ed was rather taken 
aback by the less than friendly reaction. John noticed the change in 
Ed's demeanor. He apologized, "Oh, Ed. I'm sorry. I'm expecting 
my girlfriend to drop in anytime now. I had thought you were her 
for a moment there."

Ed knew about the big blowup between the two. It was a good sign 
that she was coming out here. Ed laughed, "Hell, I'd be 
disappointed if a man was at the door when I was expecting a 
woman."

John smiled, "Well, I'm sorry anyway. I set up a visit to the 
university for the day after tomorrow. If Kelly comes, that will 
make four."

Ed grinned and nodded excitedly, "Okay, I'll talk to her tonight. 
We'll both take the day off."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it."

"So what are your plans for your girl?"

"Oh, I was going to Maria's for Dinner and then over to the bar to 
meet Shirley."

Ed looked around and then stated, "I'm going to head across the 
street. Don't want to interfere with the grand reunion."

"You don't have to run off."

"Now you're just being polite," laughed Ed as he turned and 
walked away. He shouted out, "Good night John. Have a nice 
evening."

"Thanks. Have a good night!"

John watched Ed walk across the street. He shook his head 
remembering the first night they had meet. It was hard to believe 
that they had become friends after that rough beginning. He was 
sure that was half of the town's gossip. Shirley had hinted at one 
point in time that Ed had not had a real friend for as long as she 
had known him. Most people just tolerated him.

He went back into the house to wait for Betsy. He walked around 
the house looking it over. Not finding anything wrong, he did it 
again. He checked his watch and found he still had a little while to 
wait. He went to the front door and looked out to see if she was 
early. She wasn't. He went back in and checked the house again. 
He opened the refrigerator to verify that there was a full pitcher of 
iced tea. He opened the freezer and checked to make sure he had 
ice. There was ice. He checked his watch again and found that only 
four minutes had passed. 

He opened the door and looked out again. Ed was across the street 
grinning and shaking his head. John waved and went back in the 
house. Thinking back to the incident with the snakes, he decided 
he should check the yard and make sure that there weren't any 
surprises waiting. He went out and checked around the few prickly 
branches that passed for bushes in the area. Everything was clear. 
He looked down the street and saw Ed walking away towards 
town. He shrugged and checked his watch. 

An eternity passed before Betsy's rental car cruised down the 
street. John ran down to the street to greet her. He didn't notice all 
of the faces looking out the window at him and the car. Betsy 
finally parked the car in front of the house and got out. John raced 
up to her and picked her up in a big hug. He swung her around in a 
circle saying repeatedly, "I've missed you so much."

Betsy hugged him tightly as tears ran down her face. She was 
overwhelmed by his emotional and exuberant greeting. All of the 
reasons for her anger at him shrank into insignificance. Her fears at 
losing him in the future paled beside the joy of holding him now. 
She cried out, "I love you so much."

Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by a strange sound. 
They broke apart and found that they were surrounded by 
neighbors who were clapping, crying, laughing, or giggling. 
Betsy's eyes went round in amazement. The next door neighbor, 
holding her hands against the sides of her face, exclaimed, "Oh, 
such love."

John shouted, "Everyone, this is Betsy."

With such a large crowd, he didn't know how to introduce them to 
her. The neighbors took care of that themselves as they crowded 
around her, shouting out their names and greeting her. The result 
was a confusing mass of people that made both their heads spin. 
Almost as quickly as they had gathered, the crowd disappeared 
leaving only the neighbor, Maria, standing next to them. Maria 
smiled gently, "Go to the bar and have a drink. People want to 
meet you. Everyone is curious about the girl who holds our John's 
heart in her hands. Once they've met you, they will leave you alone 
so that you can be together."

John noticed she had called him 'our John.' He was touched that he 
had been accepted so easily into the community. Even Betsy 
noticed how protective and proud they were of John. Betsy 
touched and held the hand of the woman. She asked, "Senora, 
would you care to join us?"

"Senorita Betsy, you are so beautiful. I would love to come, but I 
have the children to watch. Go and enjoy yourselves." She made a 
pushing motion with her hands towards the center of town.

John smiled, "Thank you. Tomorrow when the kids are in school, 
please come over for some iced tea."

"Thank you, Senior John. Now go."

John and Betsy headed down the street walking slowly. The street 
was quiet except for the occasional barking dog. John was staring 
raptly at Betsy. After a while, she asked, "What?"

"You are so beautiful. I love you so much."

Betsy smiled, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

John laughed, "Everywhere but alone until we get out of the bar!"

Holding their arms around each other, they walked to the center of 
town. The town looked empty for that time of day. They reached 
the bar and John held open the door open for Betsy. She stepped 
in, followed closely by John. Once they were in the bar proper, 
everyone shouted hello. Both John and Betsy jumped at the sudden 
outburst. They were surrounded by a large crowd.

Ed came up to them, "Hello neighbor. Can I buy you two a drink?"

John smiled at the reference, "Sure, we'll take two wimp drinks."

The whole bar laughed at that. Ed laughed the loudest. Betsy 
looked a little puzzled but recognized that it was an inside joke. Ed 
came over to Betsy and extended his hand, "I'm Ed Biggers. I take 
it you are Betsy."

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you Ed." She smiled and nodded her head 
in greeting. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wondered what kind of angel could 
throw steady John into such a frenzy. He was racing around today 
like a mad bull in a red room. I bet he cleaned that house three 
times before you got here. I do know that he was looking out the 
door every five minutes to see if you had arrived."

Betsy laughed and turned to John, "Is that true?"

"I only cleaned it twice and it was every four minutes, not five."

She kissed him on the cheek and laughed, "Only twice? I'm 
shocked and dismayed."

After the laughter died down, the crowd separated John and Betsy 
with relative ease. People came to John and made various 
complementary remarks about Betsy. People came up to Betsy and 
told her how lucky she was to have captured John's heart. 
Somehow, they both ended up with a coke in their hand and on 
separate sides of the bar. 

A sudden noise from the door caused a number of people to gather 
by the bar. John looked over at the bar and saw that it was loaded 
with food. Rosa from Maria's Mexican restaurant was carrying in 
trays of food. There were homemade pies lined up on one end of 
the counter. Ed was smiling as he shouted, "Foods here!"

John and Betsy found themselves side by side and first in line for 
food. Grabbing the heavy-duty paper plates, they filled them with 
enchiladas, tacos, beans, rice, and tamales. Bowls of salsa, chips, 
bean dip, and pitchers of coke and beer appeared on all of the 
tables as if by magic. Betsy was overwhelmed by everything. 
Smiling so hard that her face actually hurt, she cooed, "This is 
amazing!"

"I can't believe they went to all of this trouble," responded John. 
"I'm overwhelmed."

They ate at the table. People sat at the table and chatted a little 
before moving on. By the time the couple had finished their meal, 
everyone had stopped by for a little while. The jukebox was turned 
on and people started dancing. This meant the couple was left 
alone for the first time since they entered the bar.

John and Betsy held hands below the table as they looked at each 
other. They didn't talk much, preferring to enjoy the moment of 
being together without words getting in the way. They stayed that 
way for ten minutes. It was as if they mutually agreed at the same 
moment that they needed to spend a little time with the other 
people gathered there. John looked around and saw Ed. He waved 
him over, "Come on over here, Ed."

Ed sat down at the table with a smile on his face. He asked, "You 
guys having a good time?"

John asked, "Ed, did you set this up?"

"Ah," shrugged Ed. After a significant pause he added, "Everyone 
helped."

John smiled, "Thanks a lot. We are completely overwhelmed. This 
has to be the nicest thing anyone has done for me."

Betsy made a little shooing gesture to John, "Go mingle. Let me 
talk to Ed for a bit."

"Your wish is my command," retorted John with a smile. He 
slipped out of the chair and headed over to the bar. Fixing up a 
plate with pie and grabbing a cup of coffee, he went over to the 
table at which Rosa and her sister, Maria, was sitting. 

Betsy waited until John was out of earshot and turned to Ed, "Has 
he been doing things here?"

Ed decided to be honest, "Do you mean has he been doing heroic 
things?"

Betsy sighed and nodded her head. When she didn't say anything, 
Ed volunteered, "He saved a kid from getting bit by a snake. He 
saved me from becoming an embittered old man."

"How many trips to the hospital?"

"One, for snake bites."

"Only one trip. That's not too bad for him," replied Betsy. 

Ed looked at Betsy for a moment and then stated, "I know the 
whole story. I heard his entire medical history and how he was 
injured each time. I'm the only one in town that knows. He wants 
to keep it that way. I think he's enjoying being a regular person for 
a change."

Betsy smiled, "He always downplays what he does. I love him so 
much, but it hurts each time he gets injured."

"He's blessed. Nothing will kill him until it is his time," replied Ed. 
"He died once to remove his fear."

"What?" asked Betsy.

"Think about it," replied Ed. "His first rescue and he gets killed. 
He finds that dying isn't so bad. Now he can act without hesitation 
and save people although the slightest delay would mean their 
death."

"But he gets injured all the time."

"He does suffer wounds, but doesn't feel the pain and heals 
quickly. It is a blood sacrifice to make the magic work."

Betsy found herself re-appraising Ed. He looked like a cowboy, but 
there was actually a contemplative person hidden behind the 
façade. His explanation actually comforted her. She stated, 
"You've thought about this a lot."

"Yes I have. Now you better head over and chat with Shirley. She's 
the one that's behind the bar over there. She'd grab John in a 
minute if he was unattached, but she won't do a thing knowing he's 
taken. She's a good woman and really wants to meet you."

"You like her?"

"Not in the way you're thinking, I've got Kelly. She's a nurse at the 
hospital. Regarding Shirley, I'm ashamed to say that I've treated 
her really badly in the past."

"I'll go over there now. Keep John away for a few minutes. Girl 
talk, you know?"

Ed laughed, "Can I listen in? I've always wanted to know what you 
women talk about."

"You and every other man!" laughed Betsy. She got out of her seat 
and leaned over to Ed. Kissing him on the cheek, she stated, 
"Thanks a lot."

"What did I do to deserve that?"

"You're watching over him."

Ed watched Betsy walk away. For the first time in his entire life, 
he felt good about himself. It was a pure feeling that didn't 
originate from comparison with others, even if that comparison 
was false. He sat back thinking to himself that he now had two 
friends and he had given them pleasure without expecting anything 
in return. He went over to settle his bill with Maria. He laughed as 
he figured that he had made her happy too.

At the bar, Betsy and Shirley were sizing each other up. It took a 
few minutes, but each woman decided that she liked the other. 
Betsy broke the silence, "So Shirley, you want to tell me what you 
know about Ed and John?"

Betsy listened as Shirley explained the events of the night the two 
men met. Neither woman could believe that John had actually 
grabbed Ed by the balls when Ed was about to hit him. Shirley 
went on to explain about the rattlesnake incident. She described the 
differences in how Ed acted before and after that event. She didn't 
understand it at all. Betsy understood completely and knew she 
wouldn't be able to explain it. 

At that point in the conversation, Shirley stated, "He said he saw 
something that he didn't think existed and that it changed him. Do 
you have any clue what that might have been?"

Betsy smiled, "He saw that there is magic in this world."

"Magic?"

"If magic exists, then that means that dreams can come true."

Shirley looked very thoughtful for a minute and then shook her 
head, "I still don't get it."

"Maybe, just maybe, for the first time since he was a very little kid, 
he feels free to dream."

Ed chose that minute to come over by the bar. He stated, "Excuse 
me ladies. I'm going to leave in minute since I have to be up early 
tomorrow. I just wanted to settle up before leaving."

Betsy smiled, "No problem, Ed. We women have a built-in 
detector that tells us when a man is close enough to overhear our 
girl talk so we can change the topic."

"Darn, one of these days I'll find out what you talk about," Ed 
laughed. He handed an envelope to Shirley, "This ought to cover 
everything for tonight. Thanks a lot for letting us use your place."

Shirley smiled, "My pleasure Ed. I'll total everything up and if 
there's too much here I'll return it."

Ed held up both hands in protest, "Keep it and treat yourself to 
something nice. Okay? If it's not enough, just let me know and I'll 
make up the difference."

"Okay."

Turning to Betsy he stated, "I'll see you the day after tomorrow. 
John's arranged a trip up to Arizona State University for us. Kelly 
will be coming with us. I'm going to try to get into the mineralogy 
program there."

Shirley stared open mouthed at Ed. The news that he was going to 
go to college came out of left field. She could have believed a 
flying saucer landing in the middle of town before that possibility.

Betsy replied, "I'm looking forward to it."

"You ladies have a nice night." Ed turned and left the bar humming 
some tune as he left. 

Shirley looked in the envelope out of curiosity and swore, "Damn. 
He gave me about four times what the bill will come to."

Betsy shrugged her shoulders, "He'll be upset if you try to return 
any of it."

"I believe that," replied Shirley. In the entire time that she had 
serving drinks to Ed, he had never left tips of more than twenty-
five cents. At least, not until recently. His tips had increased 
significantly. He had been very insistent that she kept the full 
amount. 

"You can use the extra to buy him a briefcase and school supplies. 
You could even throw a little party for him when he gets 
accepted." 

Shirley, having grown up around Ed, wasn't quite so sure. She felt 
bad even as she voiced her doubts, "You're pretty sure he'll get in, 
aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He found magic."




